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Set Apart to God's
Service--"Be Thou Faithful unto Death"--"Sanctify
Yourselves," and "I Will Sanctify You"--The Bullocks
and Rams of Consecration--The Anointing Oil of Consecration.
THE consecration of
the Priesthood was typical of the consecration of the human nature of
the Lord Jesus and his Body, the Church, to the will of Jehovah--the
obedience of Jesus even unto death, and the obedience of the members
of his Body suffering for righteousness' sake "even unto
death" with him. The whole Body, represented by Aaron's sons (as
well as the Head, represented personally by Aaron himself), is, by the
antitypical sacrifices, being made during the Gospel age, consecrated
for their future work as kings and priests, to restore and rule and
bless mankind.
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This consecration signifies the giving up of their ALL
to the will of God in his service. But the extremity of the
sacrificers becomes Jehovah's opportunity; when these priests have
consecrated all they have, all they are, and all they hope for, as
human beings, devoting or sacrificing these to destruction, thus
becoming joint-sacrificers with Jesus their Redeemer, then, in
accepting their sacrifices, Jehovah begets these to a new nature--the
spiritual nature. |
And not only so, but as a reward for faithfulness he
promises to bestow the highest order of spiritual existence--the
divine nature: and at once they are reckonedly owned as spiritual sons
of God. Gal. 4:4-7; 2 Pet. 1:4
"Be
Thou Faithful Unto Death"
That some who
consecrate to sacrifice, and thus join the "royal
priesthood," will not reach the future royal service is also
shown in these types, as well as expressly declared in the New
Testament. One class will be "saved so as by fire,"
"coming up through great tribulation," but missing the prize
for which they started out in consecration, because not sufficiently
appreciative of their privilege of sacrificing as priests--not
sufficiently zealous to "suffer with him," the High Priest.
These we will consider particularly later on, when examining the
sacrifices of the Atonement Day.
Another class of those
who consecrate as priests, which will not gain the royal blessings
promised to these priests, will be destroyed in the Second Death.
These, clearly brought to our notice by the New Testament (Heb. 6:4-6;
10:28-31; 1 John 5:16), are pictured also in these types or shadows of
the Tabernacle service.
Aaron's four sons at
first represented the under-priesthood, but two of these were
destroyed--corresponding to the two classes above described, both of
which fail, as respects the royal priesthood; one of them suffering
the Second Death, the other saved from it only "so as by
fire"-- tribulation, purgation. And as Aaron and the two
remaining sons were forbidden to make lamentation for their brethren
who were thus cut off, this signifies that all the faithful of the
priests will recognize the justice of the Divine decisions, and will
bow to them in humble submission, saying, "Just and true are thy
ways, thou King of saints." Indeed, it brings a blessing to the
faithful, leading them to greater zeal, saying, "Let us fear lest
a promise being left us of entering into his rest any of us should
seem to come short of it." Lev. 10:1-7; Rev. 15:3; Heb. 4:1
"Sanctify
Yourselves"
--and--
"I Will Sanctify You"
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Water Baptism
Symbolizing Consecration
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The invitation to the
justified believer to consecrate, sanctify, or set apart himself to
the divine service, is an invitation to sacrifice earthly interests
and rights: and the promise on God's part is that such sacrifices will
be holy and acceptable through the merit of our Redeemer, and that in
return he will accept us as new creatures, begetting us to the new
nature by the holy Spirit of the truth. Thus God sanctifies or sets
apart such as are reckoned holy new creatures.
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The typical
consecration service performed upon the typical priests shows the two
parts of the consecration--our part in surrendering the human nature
and its rights, and God's part in accepting our sacrifice, and setting
us apart and recognizing us as new creatures. The new spiritual nature
was represented in Aaron and his sons; the earthly nature sacrificed
was represented in the bullock and rams offered on the altar. Lev.
8:14-33
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The bullock for the
sin-offering was brought, "and Aaron and his sons laid their
hands upon the head" of it, thus saying, This sacrifice
represents us. From that moment, all that happened to the bullock,
represented what was to be done to Jesus and to his Body, the Church,
as human beings.
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The bullock was delivered up to the "Law"
(represented by Moses), to meet its demands against Israel, typical of
mankind in general. To meet the demands of the Law it had to be
slain--"And Moses slew it." He then applied the blood to the
horns of the altar. The "finger" of the "Law" thus
pointed out that the altar of earthly sacrifices was acceptable to God
by reason of the shed blood, (the life given), and that all who
realize the power of the altar (horns are symbols of power) must first
recognize the blood which sanctifies it.
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The blood poured at the base
of the altar showed that through the blood of the sacrifice (life
given) even the earth was purchased back from the curse. "Unto
the redemption of the purchased possession." See Eph. 1:14.
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And Moses took the
bullock, his hide, flesh, etc., and burnt them with fire without the
"Camp." (Verse 17) Thus the humanity of the Christ
complete--Head and Body--is made "a sin-offering," suffering
the destruction to which the world was doomed, and from which, by this
sacrifice, it will ultimately be delivered--the merit being in the
sacrifice of our Lord Jesus, we, his "brethren," being
privileged to fill up a measure of HIS sufferings, as "members of
his Body." (Col. 1:24)
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But while the humanity of the royal
priesthood is destroyed, as a vile thing in the eyes of the world, as
represented by the burning of the bullock without the
"Camp," God accepts the heart devotion which prompts the
sacrifice, which says, "Lo, I come to do thy will, O God."
"I delight to do thy will, O my God."
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This was represented
by the offering on the altar of the fat and parts of the inward
life-producing organism, as a "sweet savor" unto the Lord.
Other features of the
same consecration were shown by the two rams mentioned in verses 18
and 22. The first mentioned was the ram for the burnt-offering. Aaron
and his sons laid their hands upon its head, thus indicating that it
represented them. It was killed; its blood was sprinkled upon the
altar; and Moses "cut the ram into pieces, and washed the inwards
and legs in water," and "burnt the head and the pieces and
the fat." Thus during the entire
A
Priest - In Linen Garments
Gospel age Jesus and
his Body, the Church, are being presented, member by member, before
God on the altar, yet all are counted together as one sacrifice. The
Head was laid on the altar first, and since then all who are
"dead with him," and cleansed, as in the type, by the
washing of water --through the Word--are reckoned as laid with the
Head upon the same altar. The burning of the offering on the altar
shows how God accepts the sacrifice, as "a sweet smelling
savor."
The second ram,
"the ram of consecration," showed what effect the sacrifice
will have upon us, as the first showed how God receives our sacrifice.
Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram of
consecration, showing thus that it represented them. And Moses slew it
and took its blood (consecrated life) and put it upon each separately,
thus showing that our consecration is an individual work.
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And he put
it upon the tip of the right ear, and upon the thumb of the right
hand, and upon the great toe of the right foot. Thus by our
consecration we are enabled to have the "hearing of faith,"
and to appreciate God's promises as none but the consecrated can.
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Our
hands are consecrated, so that whatsoever our hands find to do we do
it with our might as unto the Lord. Our feet are consecrated, so that
henceforth we "walk not as other Gentiles" but "walk in
newness of life," "walk by faith," "walk in the
spirit," "walk in the light" and even "as we
received Christ, so walk in him." Verses 23,24
The choice portions of
the ram, its "inwards" and "fat," represented our
heart sentiments, our best powers. These were taken in the hands of
the priests and "waved"--passed to and fro before the
Lord--representing the fact that a consecrated offering is not given
to the Lord for a moment, a day or a year, but that we consecrate to
continually keep our affections and powers uplifted, never ceasing
until accepted of him as having finished our course. And Moses took
the wave-offering off their hands (the priests did not lay it down),
God's acceptance being shown by fire. So we, the "royal
priests," may not lay down or cease to offer all our powers in
God's service while we have them, nor until all are consumed in his
service, until God shall say, It is enough--come up higher.
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When the
love ("fat") of our inmost being is laid upon the altar, it
helps to increase the fire of God's acceptance. The more love there is
connected with our consecration to God, the more quickly will it
consume our offering.
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Upon this
"wave-offering," while in their hands, were laid three cakes
from a basketful. This offering was laid by Moses upon the hands of
both the High Priest and the under-priests.
The first, an
unleavened cake, represented the actual purity of Jesus as a man, and
the imputed purity of the Church as men, as attested by the Law
(Moses)--justification-- for "the righteousness of the Law is
fulfilled in us" so long as we are accepted members of his Body.
(Rom. 8:4) The second unleavened cake, mingled with oil, represented
the indwelling spirit of God--sanctification. The third, a wafer,
represented our hope and faith in the exceeding precious promises of
glory, honor and immortality.
Without these elements
it is impossible for our consecration to be complete, and hence
acceptable; viz., Justification (purity), Sanctification by the
Spirit, through the belief of the truth, and faith in the promised
Glorification.
The anointing oil
mingled with the blood of consecration was sprinkled over them (verse
30), teaching that our consecration is accepted only because we are
justified by the precious blood of our Redeemer; thus we are told that
we are "accepted in the Beloved"--only. Ephesians 1:6
The boiling of the
flesh of consecration (verse 31) was no part of the sacrifice: it was
merely the preparing of the portion which was to be eaten. It was all
to be disposed of (verse 32), showing that we are to be completely and
entirely consecrated, and none of our time and power should be wasted.
The seven days of
consecration (verses 33,35) showed again that we are consecrated to
God's service, not for a part of our time only, but for all of it.
Seven, in Scripture, is a complete number, and signifies all or the
whole of whatever it applies to. ("Seven seals," "seven
trumpets," "seven plagues," etc.) Verse 36 shows the
completion of the work of consecration.
There never was a time
when it was more necessary than it is now that all who are consecrated
as priests should see to it that we "be dead with him," and
our every ability waved before God, that he may accept and make use of
our talents to his glory. Especially is this a matter of interest to
those who understand the Scriptures to teach that very soon all the
members of the Body will be accepted with the Head, a sweet savor to
God; and that the work of self-sacrifice being then finished, the
glorious work of blessing mankind and fulfilling the Covenant of God
will begin.
The antitypical
consecrating of the antitypical priests is confined to the present
[Gospel] age. It has progressed steadily since our Lord and Forerunner
"offered up himself"-- and will be complete before this age
has fully ended. And if we fail to be among the priests now, during
the time of consecration, we cannot be of them when they begin their
service for the people in the Kingdom, when these same priests (now
despised of men, but a "sweet savor to God") will have the
title of King added, and will, with their Head, Jesus, rule and bless
all nations. (Rev. 20:6) Do we earnestly desire to be among those who
will sing to the praise of our great High Priest, "Thou hast made
us unto our God Kings and Priests, and we shall reign on the
earth"? If so we will be fully consecrated now, for it is only
"If we suffer with him" that "we shall also reign with
him." 2 Tim. 2:12
Prayer
of the Under-Priests
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"Victorious
High Priest!
No more in garments stained
Shalt thou for sacrifice draw near;
No more with sin's dread penalty shalt thou be pained.
The great redemption-price is paid, the glory-heights attained,
And soon to bless shalt thou appear! |
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"All-glorious
High Priest!
All power in heaven and earth,
All grace and love
dost thou possess!
As rightful King of kings and
Lord of lords, stand forth!
While joyful trumps proclaim thy righteous name and worth,
And prostrate hosts
thy praise confess. |
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"O
merciful High Priest!
O tender Advocate,
The penitent's unfailing
Friend,
Still touched by feeling for our griefs and low estate!
The future work of grace
for all anticipate,
And now, on us,
thy blessing send!"
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Table
of Contents
- Preface
- Chapter
1 - Chapter
2 - Chapter
3 - Chapter
4 - Chapter
5 - Chapter
6 - Chapter
7 - Chapter
8 - Index |
