Life on Wings - A Tribute to Dr Ern Baxter

The Holy Spirit as Dew.

I am working through Ern Baxter's archive of sermon notes looking at issues that give us a greater understanding of the Holy Spirit. This is vital to me because of his statement that the Kingdom of God only becomes reality through the Holy Spirit. In other words our understanding and experience of the Holy Spirit of God absolutely MUST go deeper than arguing about the baptism of the Spirit and the gifts of tongues and prophecy. This examination of the symbol of dew is absolutely amazing.


Establishing the Symbol.

- 2 Samuel 1:21 - "Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew ... upon you ... as though Saul had not been anointed with oil".

- Psalm 133:2, 3 - "... like the precious ointment upon the head ... as the dew of Hermon and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life evermore".

1. Dew is the Gift of God.

- Genesis 27:28 - "God give thee of the dew of heaven".

The dew falls equally on cabbages and roses, and blesses kings and farmers and gardens alike. It is not deserved but comes as the free gift of God. So with the Holy Spirit He freely falls upon high and low, rich and poor alike. Like salvation the Holy Ghost is spoken of as a gift (Acts 22:38, 11:17).

2. Dew Comes Silently.

- 2 Samuel 17:12 - " ... we (Absolom and his army) shall come upon David ... as the dew falleth on the ground".

This was the advice given to Absolom when plans were being formulated with a view to capturing David. They would come upon him stealthily and silently as comes the dew. Much of the ministry of the Spirit is conducted in this manner. He is constantly working in a silent but sure way, accomplishing the purpose of God. One phase of the Spirit's work is the producing of fruit (Galatians 5:22, 23). Here we have the silent but powerful processes of growth. Man of the great forces of nature are silent in their work. The massive increase of the oak, the powerful, attractiveness of the sun's rays, the kingly sweep of the swift but silent river. It is to be appreciated that all of the Holy Spirit's work is not silent. We must not, however, be discouraged and think the Holy Spirit is inactive because of the abscence of sound. He often works as silently as the dew.

3. Dew as the King's Favour.

- Proverbs 19:12 - "The king's favour is as the dew upon the grass".

This statement is rich with suggestion. Grass is a symbol of man. We read "all flesh is as grass". Dew being typical of the Holy Spirit, we have a delightful suggestion of the Holy Spirit being poured out on all flesh. This is called "the king's favour". To this agree the words of the Apostle "therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father, the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this which you now see and hear" (Acts 2:33). The outpoured Holy Spirit so characteristic of this age, is the blessed favour of our King from His throne in the Glory-land (Romans 14:17).

4. Dew Makes for Growth.

- Psalm 133:3 - "Like the dew of Hermon, that cometh down from the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commandeth the blessing, even life forevermore".

The following descriptive account of one who has travelled in this region is very significant.

"Unlike most other mountains which gradually rise from lofty table-lands and often at a great distance from the sea, Hermon starts at once to the height of nearly ten thousand feet from a platform scarcely above the sea level. This platform, too-the upper Jordon valley and marshes of Merom is for the most part of an impenetrable swamp of unknown depth, whence the seething vapour under the rays during the day. The vapour, coming in contact with the snowy sides of the mountain, is rapidly congealed and so precipitated in the evening in the form of dew, the most copious we ever experienced. It penetrated everywhere and saturated everything. The floor of our tent was soaked, the bedding was covered in it, our guns were dripping and dew-drops hung about everywhere. No wonder that the foot of Hermon is clad with orchards and gardens of such marvellous fertility in this land of drought".

5. Dew Renews and Refreshes.

- Job 29:19-20 - "The dew lay all night upon my branch, my glory was fresh in me, and my bow was renewed in my hand".

Here we have a description of one who is unique among men. Not only does he experience the renewals of strength and energy as the result of natural sleep, but also the impartation of the supernatural. So mightily did God rest upon Job that his spirit was constantly fresh and his energies continued unabated in the host of battle. Our spiritual battle is real, and we too must have more than natural energy and strength. We must be "strong in the Lord and in the power of His might" (Ephesians 6:10).