ACCEPTING RESPONSIBILITY
W. Dickson
One great matter linked with the divine dwelling is the pleasure of God. This is a very elevated thought involving our dignity as forming God’s house. What has been with me since Lord’s day is that Paul in 1 Timothy 3 brings out the responsibilities which attach to persons who form God’s house. Thus one ought to know how to behave oneself in God’s house, which is the pillar and base of the truth. Paul makes reference to the moral qualifications of the overseers and ministers, thus calling attention to their responsibility as forming God’s house. It should come home to us, beloved brethren, within the compass of what we can touch in our gatherings, that if we want to enjoy the blessedness of being God’s dwelling place, we must have solemn regard for our responsibilities in it.
I would just like first of all to call attention to the fact that the service of the families of the sons of Gershon, and the service of the families of the sons of Merari, are all under the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. In other words, he was responsibly in charge of the activities of these two families. It was his responsibility to ensure that what had been apportioned to them by Moses, the servant in God’s house, as Hebrews 3 tells us, was rightly attended to. Bearing on what has been conveyed to us by the Spirit in the past, the service of Gershon refers to divine principles; the curtains and the coverings which the sons of Gershon carried through the wilderness typify the divine principles which govern God’s house. Then Ithamar was put in charge of that service; in other words, it was not left entirely to the sons of Gershon to discharge their service. There was a person there, a priestly person, one of the sons of Aaron, and it was his charge and responsibility to see that these services were carried out all through the wilderness. So, beloved brethren, we cannot transfer that responsibility to other persons; we must regard ourselves as in the place of Ithamar the son of Aaron, and carry the responsibility to see that the principles of God’s house are attended to. I will use a simple illustration. If there was carelessness in oversight, if the curtains were not carried, it would be Ithamar’s responsibility to call attention to that and insist that it should be done in accordance with the dignity of God’s house. That principle must be with us, beloved brethren, in our gatherings; there must be an Ithamar who will see to it that in view of the character of God’s house the principles that govern it are not neglected, are not nullified, are not laid aside for convenience’ sake. A true Ithamar will see to it that these responsibilities are fulfilled.
Coming now to the charge of Merari, which we understand would refer to the persons forming God’s house, there were the boards, the bases and the cords, and so on. The boards are a reference, as we know from the teaching of Exodus, to the persons who make up the tabernacle. Merari had to carry responsibility for persons. Ithamar was over them in the doing of it—and we have to see to it that we take up our responsibility for persons who form God’s house. Someone has got to take it up. If through lack of care, any of these things detailed were left behind, when the tabernacle came to be erected there would be something missing, something vital missing perhaps, something that was essential to the proper representation of God in the wilderness, which the tabernacle set out. So Ithamar, and we have to take it to ourselves, had to see to it—that the sons of Merari discharged their responsibilities. We must carry our responsibility in God’s house for the persons. We cannot say, ‘That is a matter for others; I can opt out of it’. Ithamar was responsible to see that nothing was overlooked.
What I particularly wanted to call attention to was the service of Eleazar, and the detail in the instruction that is given to him, which is quite remarkable. I think it is the maintenance, beloved brethren, of right, holy, suitable conditions in God’s house, our preparedness in taking up the service of Eleazar. In the first place there was oil for the light. If you will bear with me I will visualise a certain situation, the concern if Aaron came to light the lamps and there was no oil. Eleazar would be responsible for that as having oversight; he was to ensure that the supply of oil was always available for Aaron to light the lamps. Now, beloved brethren, do I do that? Do all of us take up the responsibility for the supply of oil? It is available, the supply of the Spirit. It is for the light of the candlestick, calling attention to the glories of Christ.
I would desire, beloved brethren, that we would all be very diligent in regard to principles and in the care of persons, rightly so, but the prominence given in this section to Eleazar should affect our spirits as to the great importance of what is for God and His service, and His pleasure in the assembly. Eleazar, day by day as he went into the tabernacle, would see that the supply of oil was adequate for the next day, and the next week, or the next month it may be, or whatever it was. And so, beloved brethren, speaking simply, do we come to the ministry meeting, come to the reading meetings, come to the fellowship meetings, and as having oversight ensure that the supply of oil is available for the candlestick, that there is an adequate supply? Now is it so, beloved brethren, that as well as having the ability to converse freely and intelligently about the Scriptures in the power of the Spirit, we can bring forth as incense the graces of Christ? Can we fill, so to speak, the whole area and atmosphere with the incense? Well, it is our responsibility, our charge; that it is present. If the incense is absent, where is it? Well, it is our responsibility. We all have to take that to ourselves, to see that there is the expression in the local gathering of the graces and beauties of our Lord Jesus Christ as incense to God.
Then we have the continual oblation, which was the morning lamb and the evening lamb offered up as a burnt-offering. What it would be if somebody said to Aaron, ‘I just could not get a lamb today; I just have not got a morning oblation’, or similarly in the case of the evening, oblation? So Eleazar would make sure that the continual oblation was present. Now what does that mean? It means that we serve the saints to bring before them continually the precious thought of our acceptance in the presence of God in Christ, and that nothing can alter the glory of that place we have in His eyes. We get so occupied with breakdown and our small conditions, so it is ever necessary to be like Eleazar and ensure the continual oblation, that it is brought morning and evening without fail. These exercises call for a great deal of spiritual energy and for prayer. I think of Epaphras at Colosse, he combated earnestly in prayer that they should stand perfect and complete in all the will of God (see Colossians 4: 12). I think that the will of God involved the things with which Eleazar was entrusted.
And then it says, “and the anointing oil”, in other words, the blessed Holy Spirit rests upon the whole ordered system. Thus the intimations on the Lord’s day morning are given in dignity. The intimations are part of the dignified anointing of God’s house. So in regard to our meetings, the comely way in which the sisters dress, and in which the brothers comport themselves in the gatherings, are all evidence that the anointing oil is present on the tabernacle. And so it is our responsibility to ensure that the supply of the anointing oil is adequate. Then, “the oversight of the whole tabernacle, and of all that is therein, over the sanctuary, and over its furniture”. Dear brethren, “over the sanctuary and over its furniture”.
We touch, I say it suggestively, the sanctuary and its furniture as gathered on the first day of the week. Do we carry the responsibility in regard to the sanctuary and its furniture, to see that the service of God in God’s house, God’s spiritual house, is maintained with the glory and the dignity that attaches to it?
So may we all take up the oversight of the things necessary for God’s house. We may have to be Ithamars in the care meeting, ensuring that the principles and persons are cared for, but there is also the Eleazar feature ensuring continually what is for the divine pleasure. It is a responsibility to care for God’s house, but the privileges are also great, and to enjoy these we must maintain suitable conditions.
Word in meeting for ministry, Redbridge
4 January 1983