One Stick

Divorce hurts all of us.

By the Ministry Health Staff

DIVORCE  HURTS.  It hurts the separating persons.  It hurts the children.  It hurts  relatives  and  friends.  It hurts society.

So  it  was  with  Judah  and  Israel—originally  one  nation,  called  into  existence to reflect the glory of God and to be His agent in winning back the world.

As  is  the case with so  many relation ships,  selfishness,  desire  to  dominate, and  increasing  distance  from  God brought  forth  schism  and  finally  out right militant division and even aggression.  Not  only  did  Judah  and  Israel suffer,  but their relatives and other on-looking  nations,  and  all  of  society—to this day—have been hurt.

Might there be  an analogy with modern  Israel,  God's  remnant  church?  He brought the church into existence to reflect the glory of  God, to  call His people out  of  modern  Babylon,  and  to  be  His agent in winning back the world to loyalty to  Him.  He  intended to  blend  into one  body the  restorative ministries em bodied  in Christ,  our Great High Priest and our Great Physician.

"Christ," we  are told,  "gave  a perfect representation of true godliness by combining  the  work  of  a  physician  and  a minister,  ministering  to  the  needs  of both  body  and  soul,  healing  physical disease,  and  then  speaking  words  that brought peace  to  the troubled heart." —Counsels  on Health,  p.  528.

His  church is  to  follow  this  example: "From the light that has been given me, I  know  that  an  intimate  relationship should  ever  exist  between  the  medical missionary  work  and the  gospel minis try.  They  are  bound together in  sacred union  as  one  work,  and are never to be divorced." —Ibid.

Note  the  statement  "are  never  to  be divorced."  To this we  can add:  "Medical missionary workers  and workers in the gospel  ministry  are  to  be  bound  together  by  indissoluble  ties." —Testimonies,  vol.  8, p. 46.  "Our physicians are to unite with the work of the ministers of the gospel.  .  .  .  Medical missionary work is  in  no  case  to  be  divorced  from  the gospel  ministry. The  Lord  has specified that  the  two  shall  be  as  closely  connected  as  the  arm  is  with  the  body. Without  this  union  neither  part  of the work is  complete. The medical missionary work is the gospel in illustration."  —Ibid.,  vol.  6,  pp.  240,  241.

This  was  God's  plan.  But  grasping selfishness,  desire  to  dominate,  an  in creasing  distance  from  God  brought forth  schism divorce,  if  you  please  that  has  injured  the  work  of  God  ever since.

Union of the Two Sticks

God  had  a  remedy  for  ancient Israel. In  one  of  His  graphic  representations of  His  will  and  of the  potential  for His chosen  nation,  He  told  Ezekiel  to  take two  sticks  (Eze.  37:15-28).  On  one  he was  to  write,  "For  Judah,  and  for  the children  of  Israel  his  companions,"  to the  other,  "For  Joseph,  the  stick  of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his  companions."  The prophet was then commissioned,  "Join  them  one  to  an other into  one  stick;  and they  shall  be come  one in thine hand."

Lest  there  be  any  doubt  as  to  the meaning of this union of the two sticks, God  said,  "I will make them one  nation in  the  land  upon  the  mountains  of  Israel; and one king shall be king to them all:  and  they  shall  be  no  more two  nations, neither shall they be  divided into two  kingdoms  any more  at all.  ... And David  my  servant  shall  be  king  over them; and they all shall have one  shepherd:  they  shall  also  walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them"  (verses  22-24).

What  a  beautiful  figure  symbolizing the healing of the division  of Israel and Judah.  We  suggest  that  it  might  also symbolize  the combining  of  ministerial work and the medical missionary phases of modern Israel.

In Genesis  49  the characteristics and the  respective  futures  of  the  sons  of Jacob  are  delineated.  There  Judah  is pictured  as  the  scepter,  the  lawgiver; Joseph,  as  a  fruitful  bough  by  a  well, sorely wounded but upheld by the hands of  God.  In  1  Chronicles  5:1,  2  we  learn that  Judah  prevailed  above  his  brethren,  but the  birthright that would  customarily  have  been  given  to  Reuben was  given  to  the  sons  of  Joseph.  In Zechariah  10:1,  under  the  reviving  influence  of the latter  rain,  Judah would be  strengthened and Joseph saved.

Ellen White links Joseph to the healing ministry.  In  Testimonies,  volume  8, page  153,  written to the medical  superintendent  of  a  large  sanitarium,  she states,  "Every institution that bears the name  of  Seventh-day Adventist is to be to  the  world  as  was  Joseph  in  Egypt, and  as  were  Daniel  and  his  fellows  in Babylon."

It is clearly God's will that the breach between  Judah  and  Joseph,  between the  ministers  of  the  gospel  and  the ministers  of  healing,  be  bridged.  The two  are  to  become  "one  stick"  in  the hand of the great Healer. Then God will make  a  covenant  of  peace  with them—an  everlasting  covenant—and  will  set His  sanctuary in the midst of them  f or- evermore.  He  will  be  their  God,  and they shall be His people.

"And  the  heathen  shall  know  that  I the  Lord  do  sanctify  Israel,  when  my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore"  (Eze.37:28).

 


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By the Ministry Health Staff

April 1976

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