PROVISION FOR THE WILDERNESS - PRIESTHOOD AND THE WATER OF PURIFICATION

^[p. 16] PROVISION FOR THE WILDERNESS — PRIESTHOOD AND THE WATER OF PURIFICATION

Address by F.E.R.

Numbers 16: 46 - 48; Numbers 17: 1 - 13; Numbers 19: 1 - 10 It is important to bear in mind that whatsoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning. They were not written for those who lived at the time. The things recorded happened to them as examples, but the record of them is for us. Therefore we go back to these things and take them up as types. We get now the anti-type, that is the reality. We get a great deal of typical teaching in the Old Testament. We often find in the Old Testament the detail of things; in the New we have the principles and facts. In the Old Testament you get the sacrifice of Christ in detail; in the New, the fact. I think that you will understand my purpose in turning to the book of Numbers.

Numbers is the book of the wilderness. It is the order and march of the people through the wilderness. They were numbered twice; at the beginning of the wilderness period, and again at the end. God took account thus of His people. The second numbering had reference to the people who were to come into the inheritance in the land of promise. The first had reference to the people in their responsibility, those that came out of Egypt. Now the wilderness is where the people of God are tested. It is in the circumstances of the way. We have to meet a great many things in the wilderness, and they bring out pretty much what people are. Everything comes to light, and that is what God intends. His mind in regard to us is to know all that is in our hearts, every bit of crookedness is to come out, that we may know it and judge it.

^[p. 17] There is no harm by it if we walk in self-judgment. It does not come out into effect.

The children of Israel walked in the wilderness forty years, and in the book of Deuteronomy you see the Spirit of God moralising upon it. He proved them, to know all that was in their heart, that He might do them good in their latter end. The contrariety of the flesh comes out. In the first sixteen chapters of the book of Numbers you find the different ways in which the perverseness of the flesh manifested itself. The very character of the book shows the divine nature of Scripture. God had a people in the wilderness; they had God’s care, daily provision for their need, manna from heaven, water from the rock; but in spite of that the terrible perverseness of the flesh came out, and I think God intended it should come out. The answer to it on the part of God was the brazen serpent, in chapter 21. The flesh was proved incorrigible, and there was nothing except for it to be condemned, which took place typically in the brazen serpent, in order that God might give the Spirit. The man that trusts his own heart is a fool. They that are in the flesh cannot please God. There is nothing for us now but the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit lusts against the flesh. They are irreconcilable.

There are two things which God has provided for His people in the wilderness. I do not speak now of the manna, and the water from the smitten rock, but of the help which God has been pleased to provide for His people in the wilderness, that we may be carried through it. The object of God’s provision is that we may hold fast our profession, or, in other words, as the Lord said to Peter, “that thy faith fail not”. The two things to which I refer are priesthood and the water of purification. Priesthood comes out in chapter 17, and the water of purification in chapter 19, and God has provided both. Israel had them in type, for they had Aaron, who was the type of ^[p. 18] Christ, and the water of purification in connection with the red heifer; we have them both in reality.

God has been pleased in His grace to provide for us priesthood; He is able to save unto the uttermost those who come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. And not only priesthood, but the water of purification, that we may be maintained in separation from the influences of sin and the world. The object of God is to keep us in consistency with the death of Christ, and the water of purification comes in to that end. To start with, we are baptised to the death of Christ, and in the wilderness we have to be maintained in the truth of that death. We never ought to be inconsistent with His death. The Lord’s supper is the fellowship of His death, and I think we are maintained by the water of separation in consistency with the death of Christ.

Now a word in regard to priests. In Numbers 16: 47, 48 it says, “And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into the midst of the congregation, and behold the plague was begun among the people, and he put on incense and made an atonement for the people; and he stood between the dead and the living, and the plague was stayed”. I read that passage for the statement, “he stood between the dead and the living”. Before referring to that, I want to say a little as to the distinction between the priest and the mediator. Moses in the economy of Israel was mediator, and Aaron was priest; that is, the two offices were distinct. Moses was mediator, because he made known to Israel all the mind of God. Aaron was priest, for he represented the people before God; that is a simple distinction to apprehend. You will find that distinction maintained through the early books of the Old Testament. God spoke to Moses from off the mercy-seat for the children of Israel, and, on the other hand, Aaron was the representative of the people in the presence of God; hence ^[p. 19] Aaron had to stand between the dead and the living.

Now in christianity, which is the anti-type, you have a contrast to this; for the mediator and the priest are combined in the one Person. Christ is mediator and priest. Still the same fundamental difference remains. The mediator is the one in whom God has been pleased to communicate His mind. The priest, on the other hand, is on behalf of the people that are in relation with God. You have to keep that distinction in view, or you cannot understand the distinction. The living and the dead are distinguished by the priest. On the other hand, there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all. When Christ died the mind of God was expressed toward all. His death took place in the presence of men, both gentile and Jew; every kind of man was there, and the expression of God’s mind in the mediator is that God would have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. The most wonderful testimony ever given was the death of Christ.

But Christ is also priest, and though we can speak of Him on the cross as mediator, we can never speak of His being priest until resurrection. Until resurrection death lay before Him. He was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, that He by the grace of God should taste death for everything. He could not take priesthood therefore until resurrection, for He is priest after the power of an endless life, and that came to pass in resurrection.

I think that will show you the difference between the mediator and the priest, and how it is that the priest stands between the dead and the living. Christ did not become priest until He went to the right hand of God. You see that in Psalm 110. It is said, “Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool”, and then it is added, “Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec”. On ^[p. 20] the cross He was victim, but He is now exalted to God’s right hand, and there it is He is spoken of as priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec. The type of resurrection, of life out of death, is found in chapter 17, in the budding of Aaron’s rod. The token of priesthood was in the rod that budded; that man whose rod budded was chosen priest. Aaron’s rod budded, brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms and yielded almonds. It was the manifestation of the power of life in a dry rod. It is remarkable to see the truth of that coming out so early. Redemption had to be accomplished before you could get priesthood, for priesthood is established on the basis of righteousness. Priesthood belongs to a people which stand in relationship with God. We could have no place before God except on the ground of righteousness; we must be justified or there would be no place for us except judgment. We are justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; redemption must come in before priesthood, hence priesthood must of necessity be in resurrection.

Now I will turn to a passage in Hebrews 7:15-17, which will confirm this. The endless life in man was to come out in resurrection. “Thou gavest him length of days for ever”. In verse 24, it says, “this man because he continueth ever hath an unchangeable priesthood”. That is proof that He could not be priest before He died. There is no break in the continuity of the priest. The work of offering being done, He is made priest.

He stands now between the living and the dead. The priest, not the mediator, is the test of men; the appropriation of the priest is the test of life. If you could find out the people in the world who appropriate the priest, then you have got the living. “He that eateth me, even he shall live by me”. Eating is the sign as well as the support of life.

We are as christians conscious of infirmities; we ^[p. 21] are unable to support ourselves. I cannot carry myself. What you want is succour; you want the service of the priest, and thus it is that the priest is appropriated, and you are entitled to appropriate Him. “He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them”. The appropriation of the priest is the sign of a living christian. I believe the appropriation of the priest connects itself with the affections of the saints to the Lord. The apostle said, “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha”. The affection of saints to Christ is drawn out by the knowledge that He sympathises with their infirmities.

We are conscious of being but poor weak things down here, but want to hold fast our profession, to be found faithful. How is this to be brought about in the face of everything to which we are exposed? The longer you live the more conscious you become that you need support. You realise the need of being carried and cared for by another, and the service of Christ as priest comes in to that end.

When the Lord said to Peter (not that He was priest then), “I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not”, I think that in principle priesthood was coming out. Not in a formal way, but the idea was there. When Peter had denied Christ the danger was that he should give up faith. Now intercession had come in that his faith should not fail. After his fall he weeps bitterly, and that was the fruit of the intercession of Christ. I think the service of Christ goes on a point still further with regard to Peter, namely, to his complete restoration. It has been said that Peter was restored in conscience before he was restored in heart. In John 21 the Lord deals with Peter until he is restored completely, that is, until the bottom of the matter had been reached with him, The Lord challenged Peter as often as Peter had denied Him. I ^[p. 22] have no doubt we have to learn, perhaps by failure in some shape or other, our weakness, and in connection with that the gracious, patient service of Christ. He is bent on the restoration of His people if they have failed. When difficulties come in to test, saints commonly turn to man; but by far the best thing is to turn to Christ. Do you think Christ has any pleasure in people being turned from the way? Do you not think He would take a great deal of pains to prevent you being turned aside from the path? If, instead of listening to man, saints counted on the grace of Christ, they would be conscious that He would do all to keep them in the path.

As I have said, the priest stands between the living and the dead; and the proof of life is the appropriation and appreciation of Christ. And if you fail of that, there is very little sign of life in you. Professing christians do not trouble about the priest; they are sufficient in themselves without the priest. They think perhaps that they can support themselves in difficult circumstances. It is a mistake. In coming to the priest you get sympathy and succour. The practical effect is that you come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. The priest is, I judge, connected with the kingdom; the kingdom is maintained for us effectively by the priest, in that the throne of grace is ever available for the saints; that is the truth as to the priest.

One word more about the priest — the priesthood is the expression of Christ’s affection. We find this in Romans 8: 33, 34. You have there the priest. “It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us”. Mark what is added, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” It is a very poor thing if you do not enjoy the affection of Christ. I would ask, do you not think that Christ loves you ^[p. 23] perfectly, and because of His love He makes intercession that you may not be turned aside? He stands between the living and the dead. He makes intercession for saints, not in the mass, but individually. To Peter He said, “I have prayed for thee”. He knew Peter was self-confident, and would rush into a position for which he was not equal. I do not think Christ loved Peter any more than He does any saint here. I would not care for a priest who did not love me; in the lack of that is the folly and weakness of official human priesthood. Those who are served by those priests have not the affection of the priests. Two things must mark a priest if he is to be of any service, and they are affection and strength. The high priest in Israel bore the names of the children of Israel not only upon the breastplate, but on his shoulders. The same thing is true in Christ, there is not only love, but power. Christ has affection for saints individually and there is strength to bear His people.

I add a word in regard to the water of separation; you see we are in the wilderness, and I understand that to be a scene of death. I have never been in a real wilderness, but have no doubt if there one would frequently come across the signs of death. In the wilderness there must be an immense amount of death, and no burial; so it is with us here in the world. Who can go through the world without coming in contact with the evidences of moral death? You see them all around, and we are ever in danger of defilement. Things which people speak of as being comparatively innocent in the world savour of death, and tend to contaminate, and it cannot be otherwise. The mind of the flesh is death. Its purpose and bent is death.

Do you think if the world were alive in the sight of God it would give itself up to dress and gaiety? The whole thing is a scene of moral death. The place of the christian is very simple, namely, that of death ^[p. 24] to it. We are buried in baptism to Christ’s death, and have to maintain that truth, to walk in separation from everything that is dominant in the world. We have to be on the alert that we are not contaminated by the influences about us. The water of purification is a water of separation from the contamination of the world. The heifer was burned outside the camp, that is where the sin-offering was burned, and there was one remarkable feature about it, that typically the glory of the world system was cast into the burning; all from the most distinguished, the cedar, to the most insignificant, the hyssop. The death of Christ is the stain on the glory of this world. Where Christ was made sin, all the glory of man was cast into the burning. As the apostle says, “God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world”. That is the position of the christian down here, and the desire of every true christian would be that he might be maintained in consistency with the death of Christ. Not a single bit of the glory of this world is for God.

May God give a greater appreciation of the cross of Christ. It was the end of man in the flesh for God, and if so, do not talk about the glory of man. In the presence of the death of Christ, the glory of the world is dross and dung. But we have the water of purification, and the priest in all His affection; and who shall separate us from the love of Christ?