PRIESTHOOD
[p. 26] PRIESTHOOD
In view of the fact that divine things are made to depend for their continuance on the priesthood, what it involves is of immense importance. If the priestly state is absent, we really have nothing subjective according to God. It implies a state formed after Christ, viewed as Man on our side, One capable of sympathy, and One who loves God’s people. One great feature of the high priest’s dress was the breastplate and the two shoulderpieces. In the breastplate each of the tribes was inscribed, and on each of the shoulderpieces there were the names of six of the tribes; that is to say, he had the names of the saints on his heart and supported them on his shoulders, so that what answers to priesthood now is love to the saints, and what goes with it support of the saints.
The Christian learns these things from the Lord, and I have no doubt that the consideration of Luke’s gospel enables us to perceive the idea. He is translated to heaven, according to Luke’s account, as a Priest. It is, as it were, heaven approving that kind of a man. It does not say by what power He was translated, but it says “he was carried up into heaven”. The character and nature of priesthood is presented in Christ — in a Man who loves the saints, and His shoulders are equal to His heart. So that a man who answers to priesthood now is a man who loves the saints and uses all the power he has to support them. This comes out in many ways in detail. To begin with, you impress upon the saints that you are sympathetic with them, and if that is so, you can enter into their exercises; and then all the power you have is subservient to your heart; you support the saints according to your measure.
[p. 27] The High Priest sympathises with us in our infirmities, for He has been with men here.
Now Luke presents that: he introduces us to a priestly atmosphere at once in order to prepare us for the coming One, the Priest. He gives us Zacharias and Elizabeth, both of the priestly family, and both are equal to it in their measure, all to prepare us for the Priest; and then the narrative introduces Christ, entering as a Babe and growing up among men, so that He might be with men. He knows the exercises of men, and His support is for them. That is the kind of man that is received up into heaven. It is not, as in John, that He ascends to the Father, or in Mark, that He sits at the right hand of God. But in Luke He is carried up into heaven, signifying that that is the kind of man who is to be in heaven, the man that God approves of for that place. He is suited to the place. Love is the great feature there. Now the Lord went into heaven in that sense, and the most prominent feature was the breastplate; that met God’s eye, and He delighted in it. Now, if the Priest goes in, the issue is between Him and the anti-priest; that is to say, Satan is there accusing the brethren day and night before God; Revelation 12: 10. He accuses the people whom the Lord has on His breastplate, on His heart.
The Lord is qualified to have sympathy with us in every right exercise. You take the Psalms: they present exercises which are not distinctly Christian, but they correspond in great measure with the exercises that a soul goes through before knowing deliverance. The Lord is able to enter into them with you. He has gone through that, not in His own exercises, but on account of the position that He took up in connection with Israel. He is capable of sympathy with you in the exercise as He shall be in the future; for He shall enter into the exercises of the godly remnant on earth, and we get the good [p. 28] of that beforehand. Now He is a Priest in heaven. He is a Priest to a heavenly people, and He enters into all our exercises here in connection with the heavenly system. Thus we become attached to Him: succour is a great force to attach your heart to another. Luke really introduces us to the Priest; he throws, so to speak, a priestly atmosphere around you to prepare you for that.
We show that we are priests practically by the way we take account of the saints. I do not say that is all, because a great deal more attaches to the priest; primarily he is to minister to God in the priest’s office; but directly you have the dress described it is very noticeable that the two shoulderpieces and the breastplate secure the most prominent place, and it is in that connection that you have opposition. The priest withstands the anti-priest on behalf of the people. We are told there was war in heaven. The Man-child is caught up, and as He is caught up into heaven there is war in heaven. There is war in heaven now, in the principle of it. In the future it becomes literal. Satan is cast out of heaven, but the conflict is really on now, and it arises from the fact that there, is a Man in heaven with the saints upon His heart. The anti-priest is there, and we are told that he accuses the brethren before God day and night; and the High Priest resents every accusation against the brethren. We must remember that the influences in our favour are supreme. The Priest has gone to the highest place, and with the breastplate, so that the conflict really begins there.
His intercession is of a priestly character. He has each saint’s name on His heart, and not simply the aggregate of the saints; so that He takes account of each saint and looks after your affairs up there. If your affairs are taken care of up there; you need have no fear down here, because judgment really issues from the priestly influence.
[p. 29] One can afford to be accused; you need not endeavour to justify your own cause, for that is in the hands of an abler Person than you. That is not your obligation at all. The Lord has charged Himself with that. It is not that the Lord does not place obligations upon us: He does; but they are such as we are able to discharge. He has not placed an obligation upon you to defend yourself. The judgment shall be according to the Priest. The judgment issues really from the sanctuary. Now there is an important difference between God’s relations with the world as it now stands, and His relations with the assembly which are marked by direct government. His relations with the world are marked by indirect government. When He undertakes to govern the world directly, all the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. They do not learn it now. They take advantage of God’s grace, but when He sets to govern the world directly; that is, when His judgments are upon the earth, they shall learn righteousness; and if not, they will be removed. There will be no room in the earth for one who does not learn righteousness. The assembly is the sphere for God’s direct judgments, and when I use the word judgment I do not speak of that which we should fear. It is righteous discrimination enforced by power, not simply things brought to light. “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints”. In the holiest of all God was armed with power to enforce His judgments; that is what the cherubim signify. We are in a sphere in which God’s direct judgment applies. Peter says that judgment is to begin at the house of God. One often sees how man presumes in the things of God; but as sure as the sun rises, God’s judgments will find him out. There is nothing surer than the judgment of God. We are told that they come to light every morning. The judgments of God in respect of the assembly are in [p. 30] view of discipline and correction; that is to say, in order that we might reach priesthood in its true character.
God would teach us how to govern in view of the coming day, and then also He would have order in His house, and thus He would have here in testimony all the principles of the coming world. All are to be seen in testimony now in the assembly. If we have not righteousness, what have we? We have nothing. God sees to it that there must be righteousness; but then it is most comforting to know that the righteous divine discrimination is according to the breastplate; that is to say, love is behind it, so that we need not fear it. It is called the breastplate of judgment. If your heart is right you can face that. If we judge ourselves we should not be judged; everything must be brought into accord with the breastplate. The Lord loved righteousness. We are taught righteousness in the kingdom.
Nothing is more interesting than to see how the Lord in the gospels taught righteousness to the disciples. He preached and practised it. God will never deviate one iota from Christ. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but God is going to bring us into accord with His glory. Among other things inside the veil, God is seen as armed with power to enforce His rights. This is seen in the cherubim. They are called “the cherubim of glory” in the New Testament. They looked down on the mercy-seat, and what was below that spoke of the heart of Christ. God was intimating that all must be brought into accord with the heart of Christ, and there was power to bring all that about. It would save us much if we made up our minds to that; Christ is the standard. Normally we are brought into accord with Christ by the power of the Spirit. It is a great thing to see that the direct judgments of God apply at the present time to His own sphere,
[p. 31] and if there is not righteousness, there must be judgment, and the judgments of God are going on all the time. “Every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not”.
In 1 Peter 2: 5, things are made to agree with the currency of the sanctuary. The priest is the kind of man that God accepts, his sacrifices are “acceptable to God by Jesus Christ”. That is the Man whom God has found pleasure in. In taking up the things of God, if we are to be effectual, we are to love the saints. We are said to be a holy priesthood and a royal priesthood. God revealed His mind through Moses. He did not take Aaron up to the mount. He took Moses up and revealed His mind to him. That is the principle of revelation, and Moses comes down with that. He is from God toward men. What is required to answer to that from men is, that there should be a Man drawing near to God in all that light; but then He draws near with the breastplate. Moses did not have the breastplate. Aaron draws near to God on behalf of the people. He has been with the people and knows them by name, and he has them on his heart.
In Hebrews 4, the word of God is said to be quick and powerful, and immediately you get the Priest. Approach is equal to revelation in Christ. The sons of Aaron did not have the breastplate; only Aaron had the breastplate and shoulderpieces with the names across it. We have part in the approach, because the approach is in the Man who has brought in the revelation, but the wonderful thing is, that in drawing near the Lord draws near with the saints on His heart. What a wonderful thing it is, that One draws near to God who is commensurate with the revelation. And He has our names on His heart. Each one has a place in the heart of Christ, and that settles everything, and woe to the person who accuses the saints. He is pleased to impose obligations on us [p. 32] to support others, and to care for them. He does not put any obligation upon us to defend ourselves. He has undertaken that, and therefore it is in much better hands than ours. We have to wait. Suppose you are in difficulties, you may have to wait a while, but your “morning” will come. The day of your hearing will come, and the waiting will be good for you; your case will be brought into adjustment. “Every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not”. So that it is on the calendar, and the judgment is according to the breastplate; that is, love will do all in its power for you, and will bring you out without a stain. His eyes “run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him”.
As a matter of fact, our vindication is all future, and every right-minded person leaves it there. I do not deny but what you get it among the saints now, you will be justified there. The spiritual will see it, but the future will bring to light everything. So we can go on in patience, leaving it with the Priest. It is in good hands, and the judgment shall be according to the breastplate. It is very much better to sit on the priest’s throne than on a Levite’s throne. It is very much better to be prominent among the saints as one who loves them, than to be prominent for your preaching or teaching. “If I ... have not love, I am nothing”. You may pass muster as a Levite, but according to the currency of the sanctuary you are nothing. It is said of the Lord, that He shall sit as a Priest upon His throne, but the passage begins with the fact that, “he shall grow up out of his place”. He maintained righteousness here; He did not interfere with the will of God. Capacity to have to say to God in the sanctuary lies in priestly state, and that is love, marked by holiness and intelligence. Ability of discernment, too, is seen in the priest.
[p. 33] Everything depends upon whether you have love. Love is most skilful. Feet-washing also is the outcome of the priestly state. If we wash one another’s feet, it is because we love one another. The Priest will remove all the spots; everything is adjusted according to the breastplate. The “breastplate of judgment” indicated that judgment would be according to love.
There are two phases of priesthood spoken of here. One has reference to our position in relation to God, that we might offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ; the other, the royal priesthood, has reference to man, in order that we might show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvellous light. We are in the marvellous light of a Man, entered into heaven as Priest. It is the greatest pity that we are so slow to avail ourselves of what the system provides; that is to say, the breastplate of judgment. Why are things allowed to drag on that require judgment? Why are they not judged? Why is there no righteous discrimination? It is because we are not in accord with the great Priest who is over the house of God. If we require wisdom, the Lord will help us as to that. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not”. We are in the full light of all that. You bring in Christ and it is wonderful how things become adjusted; I mean, bring in the Spirit of Christ in yourself.
Another great thing about the Priest is, that his lips keep knowledge and people seek the law at his mouth, Malachi 2. The principles that govern the system are taught by the priest. If there are matters that require judgment they ought to be faced, and we ought to have the sense that we are on the shoulders of Christ our Great Priest, as well as on His heart. If we do not face what is wrong we give the enemy the advantage. We have all that is [p. 34] requisite for the adjustment of matters. We should be very simple; if a difficulty occurs go into it, in dependence on the Lord; there is no need for putting it off. The book of Leviticus teaches us that where difficulties arise, everything is made to depend on the priest, and he is called into service at once. It is for us to understand how the priest is called into service, for we are all priests by calling. The priest was able to tell how many stones should be taken out of the leprous house, for instance.
A study of the gospel of Luke helps us enormously in the understanding of priesthood. You want to be prayerful and near the Lord. John is the best illustration of a man who had learned priesthood; he was near the Lord; he was a man characterised by love. In Luke Christ is on man’s side, for He is looked at as the Son of man, hence His genealogy is carried back to Adam. He is seen thoroughly among men, yet we know how infinitely perfect He was. The point is, that men should be perfectly free to draw near. He is accessible to men. I think it is most touching. Luke introduces you to Christ, so to speak, in a priestly atmosphere. The whole of the first chapter is this, and the second also. Simeon and Anna are in priestly garments. Simeon holds Him in the temple and he is full of the Holy Spirit; he is the suited vessel to hold the Lord in his arms. Then at the end of the gospel the disciples are seen in the temple praising and blessing God. We may say that the Lord left a company of priests behind Him. Heaven received the High Priest. He lifted up His hands and blessed them, and as He blessed them He was carried up into heaven.
The priesthood was for the maintenance of the system that God had set up. That is perfectly obvious to any one who reads the book of Numbers. You find in chapter 3 the generations of Aaron and Moses, but Moses’ children are not mentioned. It is Aaron’s sons that are given, the sons of the priest. Although we are priests by calling, we may not be in a state to exercise priestly function. The priestly state is required. There is a tendency to assume that you have everything because you have faith, but you must become subject to the work of the Spirit. The apostles’ authority remains in their letters, but what is to support the system is not that. If you have not the priestly state, things must fail. Christianity weakened when priestly power declined.
As to the difference between faith and state, faith is largely that you have light; you are illuminated about things. To have them as an enjoyed thing you need more than that; you need the Spirit’s operation in you; so the apostle prays in Ephesians 3 to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we might be “strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man”. Paul saw the great need of power in the saints.
What God wrought in Christ is one thing; what He works in us is another. It is the same power that wrought in Christ that works in us, but when God wrought in Christ He did not work in us; the work in the assembly covers the whole dispensation, so it is going on now. It is looked at as one complete whole, but including every item of the work; there is one item in you and one in me, and so on. Ephesians 2 has all in view; it shows you the whole work of God in the saints. “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works”.
You cannot add a cubit to your stature. It is God that does it, for the willing and doing of His good pleasure. Exercise comes in on our side, but God does the work, and what God does is done for ever; you cannot add to it or take from it, so that every bit of God’s work done in your soul is done for ever. The thing goes on day by day. The inner man is renewed day be day. The outer man perishes.
[p. 36] It is remarkable how prominent the thought of day-by-day is in Scripture. Ephesians 2 takes account of the sum total of that work. He did not do it all when He raised Christ. It is day by day the thing goes on, and it comes out in its grand results, Ephesians 1 presents the work of God in Christ by the exceeding greatness of God’s power. Chapter 2 is the work of God in the saints.
I love to look at God’s work in creation. It is a kind of parallel to His spiritual operations. Ephesians 2 shows that in the ages to come we shall come out as the fruit of God’s work. What He has laid in our souls day by day comes out then. The effect of His work is also seen in present testimony.