PRIESTHOOD DEPENDENT ON LOVE
[p. 530] PRIESTHOOD DEPENDENT ON LOVE
Exodus 21:1 - 6; Exodus 28:1 - 4; Isaiah 61:6 - 11
It is on my mind to say a little about love; in fact, as much as I can, within the short time available, but as bearing on priesthood. Priesthood depends on love, and hence the measure of love being not large, priesthood itself is not evident in large measure. In speaking of love, I have in mind the sense in which it is found in our first scripture, as first typified in Christ. We are enjoined, or encouraged rather, to know the love of Christ. It is in God’s mind to instruct us as to it, although it is said, at the same time, that it passeth knowledge; “to know the love of the Christ, which surpasses knowledge”, Ephesians 3:19. So that, although much is said in the passage quoted, in Ephesians 3, as to what we may know, and should know, and what God intends us to know yet it is said that the love of Christ passeth knowledge. The knowledge of it, however, is within our range. We are to know the breadth, and the length, and the height, and the depth, which would be what I may call, creature knowledge, inasmuch as it is limited; divine knowledge is not. The love of Christ is not limited, for “it passeth knowledge”. This is said in the chapter that speaks of knowledge, the chapter in which Paul enlarges on his own knowledge of the mystery, not of science, so called, or anything of that kind, but the mystery; his knowledge of the mystery; he is indicating that someone knew something of it, and he was that one.
Having said all this, I proceed to touch on love, prefacing what I have to say as to it with this, that if I “have not love I am nothing”, 1 Corinthians 13:2; which is a very humbling thing to be said of persons who are nominally christians. I come now to speak of Exodus 21, in view of priesthood, because the need for priesthood is very great.
[p. 531] It is great as to the need of persons so designated; it is needed in the testimony of the gospel, and in ministry to the saints; the need of ministry is very great. Paul urges, in view of it, that the ministry may not be blamed. To this end the need of having love is great, so that while there may be much ministry, it may not be blameable, that it may be worthy of what it is called.
Now, to speak of priesthood is, evidently, to speak of Aaron, to speak of Aaron and his sons; his sons being simply figurative of christians, Aaron being figurative of Christ Himself. Aaron is also to be regarded as a saint, he is called a saint, one of the few that are; I mean, specially. Aaron is distinguished in that he is called “the saint of Jehovah”, Psalm 106:16. Therefore he is a suitable and worthy subject for what is now before us, namely, priesthood. I would comment a little on the fact that although he is the anointed priest eventually, much is said about him before he is called priest, as if the designation did not belong to anyone. You may say, Jehovah proposed that Israel should be a nation of priests, and that is true, and it would be on the principle of obedience, not on the principle of love. Love is not the thing stressed at that time, it was too early in the history of Israel to stress the thought of love, but it was time to speak of obedience, and that would be the ground on which priesthood could be attached to Israel. They were to be a nation of priests, but I need not say that they did not become that, although Jehovah had it in His mind that they should be, but the ground on which it could be, would be obedience. That is in Exodus 19. Aaron was already serving, serving worthily too. He was three years older than Moses, which would mean that he would eventually have to face something that might hamper him a bit, in that his younger brother ultimately would become greater than he; such a matter is always a great test to us. The test for Aaron did not occur at once, it waited a Miriam to bring it out fully, showing how the sisters can augment [p. 532] an error, Miriam later joining with her brother in questioning Moses, as if he was not any better than they. How easily we measure ourselves with ourselves, poor measurement, but still if Aaron and Miriam were measured with Moses they would come far behind, and they did. They vied with their brother, but as I said, Aaron served well at the outset.
Aaron comes into the history in Exodus, in the fourth chapter, and God says of him, to Moses, “I know that he can speak well”, Exodus 4:14. God knows us well, even in the small days of our ministry. If there is anything at all that God can approve, He knows about it, and knows those who have it. So He said that He knew Aaron, and He knew that he could speak well, and I need not add to that, that speaking well is not everything, platform work is not everything. I am in it myself a good deal, and I quite recognise too that it is not everything, very far from it. God knew that Aaron could speak well, and He told Moses that his brother Aaron was going to meet him. Aaron took the initiative, you might say, in brotherly love, a very important thing, not to be waiting on others to show love, but to take the initiative in it oneself. You might say, Well, he did not speak to me; but what about you, Did you speak to him? Aaron went to meet his brother, and he kissed him; he might have said much immediately, but he did not, he kissed him first; showing that there was love there, even although it might be said to be brotherly love, but the Spirit of God says, add to “brotherly love, love”. Aaron, as I said, was serving well, and serving in love in a measure, and commended by God too, yet in all that he did at that time, he was not called a priest; the thing that we always think of, as attaching to Aaron, did not appear.
Now, I want to show how the scriptures link up with this for our profit. Much is said besides what I have said as to Aaron; he had four sons, and they are not called priests. Priesthood is hinted at as possibly applicable to [p. 533] Israel presently, and it is alluded to in the later chapters of Exodus as possessed by some; there are certain persons called priests, without their names, which would indicate they are not the ones, really, answering to the mind of God. There are certain ones called priests in Exodus 19, but we are not told their names, and then there are others who serve as priests, and their names are not given; they are called youths. God is using them, exercising patience with them, because of the urgency of priesthood at the moment; someone had to do the work, and it was done; but no word yet about priesthood in Aaron nor in his sons. The conclusion in my mind is that God is working up to something in them, in the sense of quality; quality that should shine where it was needed. So the history goes on, and we arrive at chapter 21, which is a very important chapter in detail, but I have read it just for one purpose, and that is, to bring out love, not in Aaron, not in Aaron’s sons, but in a bondman, a Hebrew bondman; in other words a slave, but he has love, and so I am now free to speak of it. The Spirit of God speaks of it, and I believe that the time has now come when it should be seen in the history of the testimony. The call for it is very constant, and such circumstances as these are very constant in the history of the testimony in our own times, when the time comes that love should appear. All else has failed, and one is pained at the thought of the many things that are left unfinished; some of them for years owing to the lack of love. Hence the necessity for priesthood, for love in priesthood, because love is the one thing that never fails. In alluding to these unfinished troubles I am not assuming that I have part in the things that have been settled immediately, for I have been remiss, I have to own, with others too, in these matters. Such matters are slow in mending, I believe, because spiritual life is not there; where there is deadness, the absence of life, then there is a slothfulness in dealing with such matters. Life is the great thing that is needed. Of [p. 534] course, life is love, and love is life. I am not saying they are interchangeable, but very nearly interchangeable, but love is the greater, the greater of these is love. The absence of life is usually the reason for the prolongation of sorrows, or causes of sorrow; and then the absence of love, which is the extension of the idea of life.
As I said, the time has come now, in the history of the testimony, for love to appear. It is the twenty-first chapter of Exodus, it begins the section reaching to chapter 24. I say that because of the importance of the detail furnished in those chapters, leading up to the actual journey taken by Israel under the angel at the hand of God. The time had come now, in chapter 21, for love to show itself, and that is what is in mind to call attention to, that there is someone who has love, and that one is no less than the Lord Jesus. It is the Lord Jesus typically, and one never ceases to give thanks to God for the typical teaching of Scripture, how it fits into the christian doctrine. The typical teaching here is of the Lord Jesus Christ, He says plainly, I love, “I love my master, my wife, and my children”, (Exodus 21:5) and it adds to that (giving the declaration its peculiar force), “I will not go out free”. In other words, the type goes to the limit of the testimony of love. As the scripture says, if we have not love we are nothing, but if we have, we are known in heaven. I am certain of that. So here it is not something said in a whisper; it is not a drawing room matter, something that might be whispered among special friends, but something plainly spoken. If we tell our brethren that we have love, and we are not walking in it, then the brethren do not believe us. This need of love comes up constantly in matters that have to be dealt with. It is a precious thought that the brethren have love. I am speaking now in a general sense, I might say in the abstract sense, in saying that. The testimony to what we are ourselves each one, is in this that we love the brethren; “we have passed from death to life”, (1 John 3:14) if we [p. 535] love the brethren. There is much for each one of us to do, and to speak of, in the sense of love; not simply saying it to one another, but each one having it, and having passed from death unto life. “Hereby we have known love, because he has laid down his life for us”, 1 John 3:16. That is Jesus; that is the type here; the knowledge of love that we have is because of His laying down His life for us. So that the knowledge of love has come through Christ. “Hereby we have known love, because he has laid down his life”; 1 John 3:16; He has attested it, absolutely. But then He did more than that, He said it plainly. The Song of Solomon brings out what the Lord’s voice was to His lover; that is, to the saints, transferring it to ourselves. The Song of Solomon brings out what His voice was, and He wanted to hear His spouse’s voice too.
It is beautiful to think of this thrice announced testimony to love in Exodus 21. It was spoken loudly, distinctly; the word plainly must mean that. He said things plainly; that is to say, “I love my master, my wife, and my children”, Exodus 21:5. Think of the accents of Christ conveyed in those testimonies to love, in that plain speaking. You can see what I have in mind; the priesthood is now before us, not simply persons who can offer sacrifices in a formal way, but those who can wear such garments as are described in Exodus 28. They are embroidered things, they refer to the working of life in persons who are constituted to be priests, persons that will not discredit the office. The Lord did not discredit the office. Aaron’s sons did; two of them were slain on account of that, the other two remained as a remnant; Aaron’s “sons that were left”, Leviticus 10:12. The two sons of Aaron that were left, were to carry on the priesthood, and Eleazar is the principal one, and he did not discredit it.
As I have said, the matter of love is public, not only in Christ, but in the profession of christianity now there is [p. 536] love, there is no question about that; let men say what they please, love exists among the brethren. The Lord has commanded it indeed, and has said, “by this shall all know that ye are disciples of mine, if ye have love amongst yourselves”, John 13:35. Love amongst yourselves, not merely John loving another, loving Peter; they worked well together, but that is not the full thought in the Lord’s word, ‘love among yourselves’. I have no hesitation at all in challenging any who wish to be challenged as to this matter, whether christians love, whether they know love. In this whole company, I have not a doubt in my mind or in my heart either, that everyone here, speaking generally, knows love, and is loved, but he knows love. “Hereby we have known love”, (1 John 3:16) the point is to know it, as I have already said in the beginning, to know the love of Christ, that is the point; that is the point in Ephesians. It is the one thing that passeth knowledge, yet the love of Christ is to be known though in a qualified way, because it is infinite. It is, dear brethren, and yet we know it. I am speaking now in an abstract sense I might say, but I do say, and believe in my heart, that the company of brethren before me love, they know love, and on this account the devil cannot dispose of us. We are to “fear not”, in that sense. I believe the epistle to the Ephesians will make us men in that sense, fearless as to the testimony, but it is because love never fails. Confidence in one another obliges me to say that I believe the brethren here, and thousands of us in this great centre of population, thousands of us, know love. Indeed, we have scripture to show it, “thousands of them that love me”; (Exodus 20:6) as I have said before, not that should love Me, but those who do; and I am sure we are not behind in that sense, that there are not fewer now than there were at mount Sinai. It was a great test, but Jehovah spoke of the “thousands of them that love me”, (Exodus 20:6) What a triumph it was that He could say that, and to say further in the same chapter, “Where I shall make my [p. 537] name to be remembered, I will come unto thee and bless thee”, Exodus 20:24. The adverb “where” is to be noted. So that we can locate the brethren, those who love, because the blessing of God is there.
Now I should say a little more about the sons of Aaron and their clothes, but it is Aaron’s clothes that are particularly stressed; the sons’ are very meagre in comparison with Aaron’s. Aaron speaks of Christ, with the holy garments that belong to the Lord Jesus, our great Priest above, and what a Priest; we have such an one High Priest. How one loves to think of it, such an one High Priest; He has passed through the heavens; of no creature could that be said. He has passed through the heavens, but His love remains with Him. His love is in His heart up there. The breastplate is there, the Urim and the Thummim are there; so that we may know where the love is, where the One is that really loves, who loves unchangeably. He loves us, as John says in his praise, “To him who loves us”, Revelation 1:5. It is not loved, but loves us, “and has washed us from our sins in his blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father”; (Revelation 1:5,6) the Lord Jesus has done that. So that we can identify our blessed Lover; we do not say, with the Israelites, “We do not know what is become of him”; (Exodus 32:1) for love knows; we may be sure of that; the brethren will know where the Lord is. If it be a matter in question, of doctrine, or principle, or an issue, and there is conflict, the lovers will know where the Lord is in the matter. Love never fails; so that we need not fear, as Jehovah said to Abram, “Fear not…I am thy shield, thy exceeding great reward”, Genesis 15:1. There was nothing to fear.
Now to come to the prophetic part. It is remarkable that Isaiah says here, in his prophetic word, “But as for you, ye shall be called priests of Jehovah; it shall be said of you: Ministers of our God”; (Isaiah 61:6) this is a prophetic word; we have been speaking of it today, it is a word that might be spoken in any of our meetings, because there are what [p. 538] we call prophetic meetings, and they are not misnamed; there is such a thing as prophecy current amongst the brethren, not only love, but prophecy. In earlier days sisters prophesied too; four sisters, the daughters of Philip the evangelist. One does not wish to say a word in any sense of discredit, but still it is hard to find a sister today who prophesies. You say, Well, it is hard to find a brother; I do not think so. I know several, who prophesy. I am not speaking theoretically, I know it is so, I know persons who do prophesy, and I expect they will prophesy more. Here, in Isaiah, the word says, “ye shall be called priests of Jehovah; it shall be said of you: Ministers of our God. Ye shall eat the wealth of the nations, and into their glory shall ye enter”, Isaiah 61:6. And then in Isaiah 61:9, “their seed shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are a seed that Jehovah hath blessed”. I call attention to the word seed here; then, Isaiah 61:10, “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation (notice this, garments of salvation), he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments”, The margin says, ‘decketh himself as a priest’. In this passage we have come to the speaker, not the speaker for others, but the speaker mentioning himself, and what he is experiencing, and that is the point that I would stress, what we experience, in the things of God. And in this tenth verse it is I, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God: for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments”, or “decketh himself with the priestly turban”; (Isaiah 61:10) that is the man who is speaking here, he is not an ordinary man. He is not an ordinary Israelite, he is speaking of himself, and speaking of his clothes, and [p. 539] what Jehovah has done for him, and how He has decked him, he has decked himself by Jehovah’s hands as it were, with a priestly turban, with a headdress, something denoting intelligence, I would say.
This is the point that I would stop at now, for my hope is that something will come out of this; these meetings are surely for a purpose, and they should come to a completion. We hear constantly in Scripture of things being finished, the prayers of David were finished, for instance, and many other such things. There are things that should be finished, and we should not go on too long and yet leave things unfinished. We should learn to stop at any matter when we are done, and now I am about done, and in finishing I would leave you with this person who is speaking prophetically of himself. He is saying that he is decked with a priestly turban, and he is speaking also of a bridegroom; he is a bridegroom himself wearing a priestly turban, and then he is speaking of a bride who adorns herself with ornaments. I take it to be the extension of the great chapter from which I have read, Exodus 28; that is to say, the chapter describing the high priest’s dress. It is spoken of, I might say, in heaven, for Aaron’s dress is spoken of in Psalm 133:2, and the ointment that ran down from his beard to the very skirts of his garments, “the hem of his garments”, meaning that they were finished. So it is that I am about finished, but I would leave you with this to think of, a prophet, who is speaking of himself, and is saying that he is decked with a priestly turban, and he is speaking of a bride who “adorneth herself with her jewels”, Isaiah 61:10.
These thoughts of priestliness, brothers and sisters having priestliness, which is very scarce, but very much needed, are to be before us, for to reach them is possible for everyone. It is not that a man becomes priested, as in the so-called churches, but that there is the real thing, that the person is a priest, that is clothed with garments,
[p. 540] the garments denoting what he is as really affected by and formed by the Spirit of God. There is what the Holy Spirit effects in us, so as to make us suitable for the service of God; “Priests of Jehovah”. May God bless the word.