THE LEVITICAL PLATFORM
[p. 491] THE LEVITICAL PLATFORM
Psalm 50:5; Deuteronomy 33:8,9; Luke 9:17 - 20
My thought is to say a word to you about the tribe of Levi, the tribe which was specially selected from the tribes of Israel, and, as such, was typical of Christianity, of those who are partakers of the heavenly calling. I hope I maybe able to show how they suggest the thought of our being a kind of “firstfruits” of God’s creatures. There is always something special about firstfruits; they refer to the early product of the Spirit as coming from heaven. The Lord having ascended to the heavens as man, proceeded to bring about a heavenly state of things down here, hence He gave the Holy Spirit in a peculiar and unique way to His followers, so that in the freshness and energy of the Spirit there might be brought about a heavenly order of things in a people whose calling is heavenly, and whose relationships are heavenly. In that way we have brought to light the sovereign acts of God referred to by James in saying, “Of his own will begat he us ... that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures”. James 1:18. The sovereign will of God came into evidence in that which was begotten through the coming in of the Holy Spirit. There was the freshness and energy of the Spirit giving character to the disciples of Jesus, so that the sovereignty of God was apparent in it, and then He had something for Himself, the firstfruits. It is wonderful that we should come in, dear brethren, on that line, that we should have part in that which is called in Scripture firstfruits. Jesus was the firstfruits from the dead; we are the firstfruits of God’s creatures, and our destiny is heaven; we belong to what is called “the assembly of the firstborn ones registered in heaven”, Hebrews 12:23.
Now that is what the tribe of Levi pointed to. And I desire to call attention to the road travelled [p. 492] by us, as brethren, in order to get on to the levitical platform; not now the Levites of Numbers, but the Levites of the book of Joshua. The Levites of the book of Numbers are the same family of course, but they are referred to as God’s servants, being in the service of God down here, bearing burdens, whereas the Levites in the book of Joshua refer to us as a priestly family. But before we get on to that platform there has to be sacrifice; and so I felt encouraged to read the passage in Psalm 50, because it refers to God’s interest in a people who sacrificed. I do not say that God is not interested in us before, beloved brethren, for the word shows us that God was interested in me before the world was, and in you, and in every saint. Our names were known before the foundation of the world. Wonderful thought! The divine interest was there, not according to what our crooked history may have been on earth, but according to the great fruit of God’s work in us, answering to His principle of love; we are all of interest to Him in that connection. He delights in us; He predestinated us specially to sonship, that we should be to the praise of the glory of His grace, that we should be before Him holy and without blame. In His eternal counsels He had us in view according to the full fruit of His own work in us as set down in the heavenlies before Him. There will be a place for every one there, there will be no crowding there, beloved brethren; every one will be there according to the fixity of eternal counsels. But God has a great interest in our movements down here, and He takes account of our sacrifice.
The book of Leviticus is provision, divinely made, for voluntary sacrifice. But, alas! as far as Scripture shows, no voluntary sacrifice was offered in the wilderness. There were doubtless fixed ones offered by appointment through Moses and Aaron, but there is no evidence of voluntary ones, though provision was made for them. Yet before ever the people left [p. 493] Egypt, Moses ordered that the cattle should go, in order that there should be sacrifice. Pharaoh would detain them with the children, but Moses stipulated that the cattle should go in order that there might be sacrifice. But, alas the cattle once over, self retained them; and then the Gadites and Reubenites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, in their earthly mindedness, had much cattle. Had they sacrificed they would not have had “much cattle”, but they had much, and their attention to the cattle became a snare to them, it attracted them to the Moabitish side of Jordan. Cheerfully they went over Jordan to give out the inheritance for others, but their work accomplished they returned to their wives and their children and their cattle. We have to beware of the increase of cattle, of worldly goods. If we sacrificed more we should have less cattle, but more spiritual power, more spiritual desire, more heavenly mindedness. They fell short in the way of spiritual energy and spiritual desire, they fell short of heavenly mindedness. No one ever goes into heaven without a heavenly mind. I take Moses to have been the most heavenly minded man in all Israel. No one spoke so fluently about the land as Moses, and he had it in his heart. I do not speak of the reason why he did not go in; his mind was there. He was not detained by his cattle.
Now I will tell you what cattle, what earthly belongings, tend to. They tend to natural links. Natural, family links are fostered most where there are most cattle. You will find history in Scripture proves this, and the great salvation for us is by sacrifice. So the Lord assembles His saints. We are all of those, I need not say, who are called out of the world; but we are not now simply His saints, but those who have made a covenant with Him by sacrifice. He has made a covenant with us by sacrifice. Think of the sacrifice that the blessed God has made [p. 494] in order to establish a link in your soul with Himself. He gave up Jesus, the Son of His bosom. What else did God think of? The cattle upon a thousand hills were His. “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof”. Psalm 24:1. He did not give the cattle for us; they were a small matter to Him, but He gave the Son of His love, He gave up Jesus. When I say “Jesus” I speak advisedly, for I refer to what He was as man down here amongst men for the divine pleasure. During the thirty-three years of His blessed life down here God’s heart was delighting in Him, His eye was resting on the holy life of Jesus, that green spot. He was the green tree cut off in the midst of His days, His life taken from the earth. God gave it up, God made a sacrifice in order to establish a link between Himself and your soul. That is what the blood of Christ means “the new covenant in my blood”. 1 Corinthians 11:25. The covenant referred to God, and Christ is the Mediator of it between God and the people. God made a sacrifice in order to establish a link between Himself and our souls.
Well now, He looks for a return of it, and He calls for an assembly of those who make a return, those who in their souls make a covenant with Him by sacrifice. Levi was not burdened with much cattle, but his sacrifice was much more than cattle; he sacrificed his father and mother, his brother and sister, he sacrificed his own children; Deuteronomy 33:8,9. He repudiated all on the ground of nature. How perfectly that, was seen in Christ! “Woman”, He said, “what have I to do with thee?” John 2:4 and yet she was His mother. Have you not something to sacrifice? Are natural ties more to you than spiritual ties? If they are, you are not on the levitical platform; you are on the ground of nature. Levi’s sacrifice was by the Spirit. Three times over it is said in the book of Joshua that Levi received no inheritance. First of all it is said that Moses gave [p. 495] him none on the other side Jordan among the two and a half tribes. His inheritance was connected with the tabernacle, with the sacrifices of the Lord God of Israel made by fire. Moses valued such an inheritance. And in that connection I would just say a word as to the distinction between the inheritance given by Moses and that given by Eleazar and Joshua. The Spirit is given to us under Moses, but Moses could never give us a heavenly inheritance. He has commanded it for us, but to put us in possession of the heavenly portion did not belong to the ministry of Moses, that was reserved not for Aaron but for Eleazar the priest the son of Aaron, and Joshua the son of Nun.
Well, Moses gave Levi no inheritance because the sacrifice of the God of Israel made by fire was the inheritance of Levi. Think of that to begin with! Think of what you gain as making a covenant with God by sacrifice! But it is very evident that if sacrifices are not brought into the court, there will be none there. The sacrifices brought into the court to be offered to God were for the Levites, they had their part in them. Think of what was theirs, it was no earthly inheritance, no land, but their portion the sacrifices of the God of Israel made by fire. What a holy portion to feed upon! And then, too, it is said, the Lord God of Israel Himself was their inheritance. Is it not worth while surrendering an earthly portion for that? The Levites thought it was.
Levi, you will remember, was the tribe that resorted to Moses outside the camp of Israel when the golden calf was set up there, when Moses said: “Who is on the Lord’s side?” Exodus 32:26. How the Spirit of God would have that word come home to our hearts! Who is on the Lord’s side? “Let him come to me”. Exodus 32:26. They took the Lord’s side. Let us ever remember in the hour of dilemma to consider for the Lord.
[p. 496] The true Levite ever considers for God. He takes the Lord’s side. Depend upon it, difficulties will disappear if the rights of God are in your soul. It will entail suffering, but the suffering brings its own recompense. Levi had recompense. He suffered earthly loss for the Lord, because the Lord had His place with him, and the Lord said of him, “My covenant was with him of life and peace”. Malachi 2:5. How God valued the sacrifice of Levi! He took the Lord’s side and he sanctified himself, and from that point onward Levi is marked off as a privileged tribe in Israel. They would not suffer want or hunger; if you commit yourself to God’s side you, too, will find your soul will be sustained. The Levites were sustained by the sacrifices made by fire.
Then they were dignified: they had God Himself as their portion: think of that! And then, as you will find later in Joshua 18, the priesthood was theirs. What a wonderful thing to have access to God, to be in the divine secrets! That was their privilege. The glory attaching to the breastplate of the high priest was theirs. In that breastplate were all the names of the tribes, and the Urim and the Thummim. Think of the privilege! Who is there upon earth that has divine secrets? Only the priests! The family of the Levites was in possession of all the divine secrets, they had access into the holiest. The high priest had access, at any rate once a year, into the holiest of all. In this way we have outlined the great privileges that belong to ourselves as a levitical family on the ground of sacrifice.
In Joshua 21 they come forward and claim their own proper heavenly portion. Added to what they had in the wilderness, when you come to Joshua 21, we see their desire to have cities to dwell in. In the wilderness, in connection with the tabernacle, they had firstly, the sacrifices of the God of Israel made by fire; secondly, they had the Lord God Himself for [p. 497] their inheritance; and thirdly, they had the priesthood. But they could have had no cities in the wilderness. A city is a divine thought. If man built Babylon, God would call Abraham out and point to another city, not on earth, but in heaven. He has prepared for His people a city, and that is an heavenly one. So the Levites had forty-eight cities, a number which is, doubtless, typical, though I cannot dwell upon it, but they had forty-eight cities and they claimed them all.
You will find that the book of Joshua is a book of claims. God loves claims. Caleb had a claim; the daughters of Zelophehad had a claim; in fact, all the nine and a half tribes had claims. But why? Because divine counsels had given them a portion. Think of what the divine counsels of God thought of for us; think of the allotments made in the counsel book of God for us! The book of Joshua is a book of claims. God loves to see His people come forward and lay claim to their own heavenly portion; have you made your claim? It is all given to you in divine purpose and you will get it, but let us be on the lines of Scripture, which shows us how we can enter the inheritance by claiming it. The Levites claimed theirs and they received every city that was promised, forty-eight cities. Now I take that to be the highest teaching of the levitical position.
The seventy whom the Lord sent out in Luke 10 were, so to say, levitical, corresponding to what is presented in the book of Numbers; they were servants, and most acceptable ones. It is a poor thing if we are not servants in some sense; and as taking up service with purpose of heart we are sure to be supported. The Lord will support us. The seventy were wonderfully supported, and they returned to the Lord flushed with victory. The Lord would not take away their success, for these seventy men, having been over the cities of Israel two by two, had brought the kingdom of God [p. 498] near to men. That is the idea of service, to bring the kingdom in the way of men down here. That is to continue; it is wonderful service, but we are not to rest in that. So the Lord said, “In this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven”. Luke 10:20. In other words, Do not rest in what is yours in the book of Numbers, wonderful as it is, as showing the carrying out of divine service here in the wilderness, but rejoice in your part in the book of Joshua. Let us rejoice that our names are registered in heaven. We are to put in our claim. God loves us to do that. There is the true Joshua at our disposal, the true Eleazar; he comes first in the book of Joshua in the portion of the inheritance. It is a holy inheritance, not one that the flesh seeks for. Eleazar gives nothing to the flesh. Are we in possession of our heavenly portion? The Lord loves to set it before us plainly, and so the Lord meets His servants, the seventy missionaries, with these words, “Rejoice, because your names are written in heaven”. Luke 10:20. Think of that! Think of having your names in the heavenly roll! Can anything touch it? Peter tells us that an inheritance is reserved there for us, reserved and bespoke; and there is no crowding there. The inheritance is there, reserved, and we have a place in it; “for you”, Peter says.
Now there is just one other word in regard to assembling. In Psalm 50:5 it says, “Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice”. That is the position which is to mark us down here. We have made a public committal to God. We have committed ourselves to public relationship to God by sacrifice. He has committed Himself to us, and now we commit ourselves to God by sacrifice, and He calls for an assembly of such saints as these. How one loves to be in such an assembly as that. Presently there will be another [p. 499] assembling. The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with an assembling shout, not then to gather us together in public. Our public position is now and is demonstrated by sacrifice. We are committed to God on the ground of surrender. Without that there is nothing established as the result of separation. But when the Lord descends with an assembling shout the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then we which are alive and remain will be brought all together; we shall be thus assembled.
In the same epistle the apostle speaks of the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our “gathering together unto him”. 2 Thessalonians 2:1. There you come to the great private assembling, but morally if you are not in the public one on the ground of sacrifice, you are not fit for the private one. I do not say you will not be there, but loyal hearts would like to have part in the public assembling. God is not ashamed of those who have given up and surrendered for Him. Christ’s death was public, but He went into heaven privately. We go out of the world publicly in our baptism, and our fellowship is outside of it. Baptism means that you are committed to an outside position, but how poor the position is without sacrifice! God has pleasure in sacrifice, that is what marks the public position. The private one is alluded to in the passage I quoted, “our gathering together unto him” 2 Thessalonians 2:1 not now in His name, but unto Him; the last great assembling on earth is private. We gather together, beloved, to be translated, to be brought in actuality to our levitical portion. We have it before our hearts, but in the meanwhile the Lord would have us come forward and claim the inheritance, and in claiming it to make it our own, take possession of it and live in it.
As we are living in our heavenly portion, we become an influence. A levitical city was found in every tribe, not only in Canaan, but in the land of [p. 500] Moab. The point is that God would influence all by heaven, so that our influence, for every one of us has some influence, should be a heavenly one, and that we should influence others in a heavenly way.
May the Lord grant that we should know these things better, that we might be in our proper heavenly portion. Our names are there, but we need to take possession.