CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 13
In chapter 12 it is what we are to God’s eye; in chapter 13 what we are to man’s eye.
If a person said, What sort of people are you? I should point to this chapter 13 as descriptive. If he said, How are you religiously? I should say, Outside the camp. Nothing can be more solemn and exacting than bearing the reproach of Christ - the reproach of a Man upon the cross. The camp is anything that is carried on with military precision - an earthly order of [p. 123] human arrangements. Judaism was the camp - that was the character of the thing, and christendom is on that principle. There is no room for the Spirit; it sets up a priesthood between man and God, an order of things suiting man on the earth. The camp is defiled. I must be outside. It is not only outside the camp, but where the carcase was burnt, when sin was judged. The people who have the privilege of approach to God must be dead to the world. We have the highest place with God; we have the lowest place with man.
Chapters 10 and 13, if separated, are like a pair of scissors with the pin out, no good to cut with. If a man does not apprehend the heavenly, he will not take his place as dead to the world. The altar is the actual nature of the approach. I do not think that it is a particular antitype; the idea is our approach to God, it is Christ. It is where the consecrated company went in to eat the carcase of the offering with which they were consecrated. The altar is not for a sinner. It is the altar of burnt-offering, the place of acceptance and sacrifice.
In churches, the laity have no business inside the altar rails; only the clergyman is allowed there. We have no business, so to speak, outside the rails. All priests inside, we have a better altar. The Romanist puts the ‘real presence’ into the bread and wine, the wrong place, and keeps us out of the very place where we should always be. An altar, as such, is not for sinners, as such, the great idea being approach to God. If you want to know of a man’s expression to people outside, it would be to know what is his way of approach to God.
Take Psalm 84: “Blessed are they that dwell in thy house: they will be constantly praising thee. Selah”. (Inside.) That is the extent of that man’s altar. What would that man do here amongst men (outside)? “Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee - they [p. 124] in whose heart are the highways. Passing through the valley of Baca, they make it a well-spring; yea, the early rain covereth it with blessings. They go from strength to strength: each one will appear before God in Zion” (verses 5 - 7). Here we have the outside, and it is indicative of what is inside, so, if you want to exalt a man’s expression here, he must get a better idea of worship, what is inside. He cannot be higher to men than he is to God. A man cannot preach beyond his prayers - he cannot be morally higher than his prayers. It is the altar first, and then outside the camp.
We ought to be characterised by offering to God the sacrifice of praise. It is communion here, but you must walk in self-judgment. There is the fire, it was kept continually burning on the altar. Where the altar is, the fire is; it was not for judgment but testing. It is here not so much the eating of the sacrifice, but the offering, which is to be the characteristic of a christian (verse 15). Israel could not take the place of dead to the world, but we can, and we can feed upon the sacrifice within, which Israel could not.
The man who praises God in verse 15, does he do anything else?
Yes, he does good; he is a holy priest, and a royal priest. In one hand he has something for God; in the other, something for man; but he denies himself. Partaker of the altar means partaker of the character of the altar. We take the place of death to the world (verse 10) because Christ died.
In verse 15 we are worshipping inside; in verse 13 we bear His reproach outside.
Is verse 8 of this chapter connected with verse 12 of chapter 1?
Yes, a beautiful connection. In chapter 1 we have proof after proof of the glories of His Person now. The last chapter connects the name of His humiliation with that same One - the golden thread that runs through the epistle!