PRIESTHOOD AND SERVICE (1)
PRIESTHOOD AND SERVICE (1)
JT Luke’s gospel starts with a priest in the temple and finishes with a company of priests in the temple. We are taught in the first chapter that we can go on with the service of God in an outward way and yet at the same time be lacking in faith. In 1 Timothy 1:4, it speaks of “God’s dispensation, which is in faith”. Luke contemplates exterior order, but obedience to God is absolutely necessary, for we can have outward order according to God and yet be quite lacking in faith.
Zacharias fulfils his service “in the order of his course”; he is a true priest according to Aaron’s order, and serves according to the prescribed order. Outside all the multitude of the people were praying, and at the same moment it is evident that Zacharias is lacking in faith. He had prayed to God to give him a son, and did not believe that God could do it. We have a similar case in Acts 12, where many were gathered together in Mary’s house, praying for the liberation of Peter from prison; then when Peter was delivered and came and knocked at the door of the entry, those who were there did not believe what the maid reported, but said, “Thou art mad”. Elizabeth said, however, referring to Mary, “blessed is she that has believed, for there shall be a fulfilment of the things spoken to her from the Lord”. Without faith it is impossible to please God. All that I am saying now will show what is in my mind, and I hope that the brethren will be free to engage in this important subject.
GM It is beautiful to see that Mary has no unbelieving thoughts. “Behold the bondmaid of the Lord”, she says, “be it to me according to thy word”.
Rem Elizabeth shows her faith and the blessing of anyone believing: “blessed is she that has believed”.
JT In the epistle to the Hebrews we read that without faith it is impossible to please God. An onlooker at Jerusalem would have thought that the service was being carried on suitably, but we see that the angel Gabriel appears “standing on the right of the altar of incense”. While God takes account of His people maintaining outward order in His service, He has to intervene so that this service may be carried on in faith. If our faith is in exercise, we shall be tested as to what we ask God for, and as to what we say to Him, but if our faith is not in exercise, we shall be exposed and perhaps draw upon ourselves the discipline of God.
Rem Luke the evangelist was “accurately acquainted from the origin with all things”; from the beginning he had understood all the force of the truth. Sometimes we are content to have a general idea of the truth, but it is necessary to study and understand the details of “all things”.
JT What is particularly to be noted is the intervention of the angel, not simply of any angel, but of the angel Gabriel. It is a blessed thing to have an angel’s visit, but the presence of an angel implies that there is distance between the man and God. The book of the Revelation is written on that principle. There is no doubt that the assembly at Ephesus was carrying on a service according to outward order and had the truth, nevertheless the Lord tells her through an angel that He had something against her. The whole book of the Revelation gives the idea of distance; the Lord is not satisfied with what is there. Here the fact that an angel appears to Zacharias agrees with this state of affairs; if the people of God are walking in outward order and in faith too, the Lord Himself will come to them.
[p. 3] Rem There is no angel in John 14, but the Lord Himself.
Rem “He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves me; but he that loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will manifest myself to him”, (John 14:21).
EP Was there faith in the multitude which was praying?
JT I believe that all this chapter shows that outward order existed, but that the service was not according to faith. The fact that the angel appeared at the right side of the altar of incense shows that God was going to act in power, the “right side” gives the idea of power, the power of God; He was going to act and He did so. God had heard the prayers of Zacharias and was about to answer them; meanwhile Zacharias is made dumb because he had not believed. God takes no pleasure in a priest who has not faith.
Rem You find in religious systems a certain order pursued, many prayers, but little faith; now without faith it is impossible to please God.
JT It is important to see Gabriel standing on the right of the altar of incense. In our prayers and thanksgivings, we should remember that we are speaking to God; He hears prayers and can answer them, but He has no pleasure in them if not spoken in faith. Zacharias had not faith, yet he was a true priest, and the discipline through which God passed him was to make a true priest according to God; he is representative of christians lacking in faith in their prayers and thanksgivings.
EP Would you say a little more about faith in that connection?
TD Is that the reason why there are no children born? It says that Elizabeth was barren.
JT Barrenness represents a state which affords God the opportunity of showing His almighty power,
[p. 4] as with Sarah; Rebecca and Rachel, too, were barren, but God came in and gave them children.
Rem If Zacharias had taken in the truth presented in previous days, he would not have been surprised to receive an answer to his exercises.
JT What you say is very important, for Zacharias had the Scriptures and as he read what God had done for Sarah, Rebecca and others, he would have been encouraged to pray with faith. When we pray we should believe that we shall receive what we are asking for; God loves to answer a prayer of faith. The angel Gabriel was there to announce that God was about to give an answer, but when the answer was announced, his faith failed. The power of God is connected with the altar of incense, then, and this comes out in a remarkable way in this first chapter, for Zacharias was dumb until the divine answer had been fully secured. Elizabeth had part in the discipline of her husband, but she could say, “blessed is she that has believed”. Mary had no doubts when the angel announced to her the birth of the Lord. The angel here is definitely in touch with the altar of incense, he stood before God, “I am Gabriel, who stand before God”, and this was exactly what Zacharias was claiming to do.
Rem The end of discipline is to produce what the lack of faith is hindering.
JT Zacharias and Elizabeth were both found in faith when the child was born; that is shown by the refusal of both of them to recognise things from the natural standpoint, when the moment came for a name to be given to the child. “Her neighbours and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy with her, and they rejoiced with her”. Then it says later, “They called it after the name of his father, Zacharias”. The neighbours and relatives were on natural ground, but his mother says, “No; but he shall be called John”. This was the name given by the angel; not only was [p. 5] there belief, but there was obedience. The child was brought in in connection with what was spiritual, he was to be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb, and that could not be expressed by a natural name. The name given by the angel signified what the child should be.
Rem Zacharias did not wish the child to have the same name as himself; in that case he would have had the natural order and character, and would have been lacking in faith like himself.
JT To that suggestion Elizabeth says No, a very fine word given by a spiritual sister. It is very important to be able to say No to what is natural; if the mother can say No to all that every day, her children will be saved.
Elizabeth had learned during the days of discipline that the name of her child was to be ‘John’; the end of discipline therefore, is to produce a spiritual state in us each. If spiritual regulation is maintained in our houses, they will be contributory to the house of God. What a great contribution Elizabeth was able to make in the person of this child! His name was given from heaven; the Holy Spirit was to be in him from the beginning, and his mother announces that he was going to be brought up in a spiritual way.
Rem His mother replies, “he shall be called John”.
GM And his father says, “John is his name”.
Rem He writes it; from the beginning he gives a heavenly stamp and impression.
EP “Now abide faith, hope, love; these three things”, (1 Corinthians 13:13). They are put at our disposal.
JT The principle is that they ‘abide’; what the apostle brings out of that passage is the best thing, love, “a more excellent way”, as in speaking of the gifts he says that the best should be desired.
Ques Is Timothy an example of a child born after a spiritual order? His name is in accord with the things of God, it means “honoured of God”.
JT [p. 6] That child was a product of faith. His ministry expressed what his name meant. His mother was a believer.
As soon as Zacharias had written the name on the writing-table, his mouth was opened and he became a spiritual priest. It is the Lord’s desire for us, that we become true spiritual priests.
Rem The first use he made of his voice was to praise God.
JT “Zacharias his father was filled with the Holy Spirit”; he was not filled before. Luke brings to our notice at the beginning that God has in view an order of spiritual things. We may have large meetings and many people together, but if the spiritual order is not there, there is nothing for God.
Rem Paul’s ministry is a spiritual ministry, referring to the assembly.
JT How this house is changed now! We see there a father and his son filled with the Holy Spirit. In the ensuing prophecy, Zacharias speaks about Christ and not of John: “Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel, because he has visited and wrought redemption for his people, and raised up a horn of deliverance for us in the house of David his servant”. The subject of our prayers and of our praises is “the Lord the God of Israel”. We should be encouraged by the thought that, if God makes us pass through discipline, it is to bring us to the priesthood of a spiritual order. In verse 76 Zacharias says to the child, “And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest; for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord”. He is a fine model of a father speaking to his son, “Thou ... shalt be called the prophet of the Highest”. In accordance with all the light given and with all the discipline; it says that John was in the deserts; it is in such places that we have to keep our children, far away from the world.
Ques Why is it “the deserts”?
[p. 7] JT The desert is a place where there is nothing for the flesh; it is there that God can exercise discipline.
Rem Deserts indicate experiences of various kinds that will be known down here.