THE CONSECRATED COMPANY
THE CONSECRATED COMPANY
JBS In Hebrews we see that the church is Christ’s house; we read, Aaron offered for himself and his house. Aaron and his sons represent the church. Christ is a priest, but after a new order. He is a priest after the order of Melchisedec. In Leviticus 16 two goats were offered for the congregation, and a bullock for Aaron’s house. Now which would you like to have? Do you understand my question?
Answer. Yes, I should say the bullock.
JBS Yes, the bullock. If you go to the parish church you see an outward representation of Leviticus 16. The congregation, so to speak, have the two goats, and inside the communion rails are the so-called priestly company; they profess to have the bullock. Now which company do you belong to - outside the rails or inside?
Answer. Inside the rails.
JBS The inside part is fulfilled; the outside is not fulfilled yet. It is a poor imitation of the true thing that is thus represented in the church of England. The congregation is the earthly company; that is Israel, and their time has not come yet. Christendom does not get beyond that; they do not get beyond the forgiveness of sins. You get that set forth in the two goats. The bullock was for the priest and his house and we go inside with Him.
We have in this chapter the consecrated company; that is the great thing. Aaron and his sons are a type of the church.
Ques Do we not come in at all in the scapegoat?
JB S. Yes, it is all one work; we get the good of it all; but we get more than the scapegoat, more than forgiveness of sins. A man who is talking of his sins [p. 367] is on earth, he is not in heaven. In Revelation the heavenly company are where sins are gone.
Rem In Revelation 5 sin is referred to.
JBS There the heavenly company speak of those on the earth. There is a great difference between the two; we have both; but all I want is that you should get hold of the difference. I find people measure Scripture by their experience; you must first get Scripture and then your experience.
Ques Then you would say the scapegoat does not go beyond the forgiveness of sins?
JBS It tells you that all your sins are gone into a land not inhabited, but it does not bring you into a new place. The church of England imitates it as if all contained in Leviticus 16 was complete. Outside is the congregation, inside the rails are the surpliced priests. Would you rather be with the congregation or inside the rails?
Answer. I should rather be inside the rails.
JBS That is where we belong to. What christendom has done is to put us outside, as if we were the earthly company.
Rem As believers we get both.
JBS Surely, for it is one work.
Ques “Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more” (Hebrews 8: 12); do we get the good of that?
JBS We get the good of that in Hebrews 10: “There is no more offering for sin”. We cannot offer for sin now. You may say you do sin; yes, but you cannot offer for it now, can you?
Answer. No.
JBS What do you do with sin now?
Answer. We have to confess it now.
JBS Exactly, you have to confess it, and if you do not confess it, you suffer.
Now we come to the consecration. You see there are the bullock and the rams. There are two aspects of the offering, one at the altar, the other at the door.
[p. 368] First (verse 14, etc.), there was the bullock for the sin-offering upon the altar, and the carcase burnt without the camp; and, secondly, there was the ram for a burnt-offering, which was wholly burnt on the altar. It all went up to God; of those two offerings no one partook. Then there was the second ram, the ram of consecration (verses 22, 23), of which Aaron and his sons partook. I wonder if you take that in. There is a verse in Corinthians that throws light on it; better turn to it, 1 Corinthians 10: 18, “Behold Israel after the flesh: are not they which eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar?” In the sacrifices you eat of, you are partakers of the altar, but you are not a partaker of the sin-offering nor of the burnt-offering. That was a work entirely for God; you could not have fellowship in that. That is the idea in christendom about the Lord’s supper; the very way they express it shows their idea of it. ‘Take and eat this bread in remembrance that Christ died for thee.’ There is no such idea in Scripture in connection with the Supper; the Supper is remembrance of Him in death; they make it the sacrifice on the altar.
Aaron and his sons partook of the second ram that, was offered. Where did they eat it? At the door of the tabernacle. Do you understand that?
Answer. I think so.
JBS If you are only at the altar you are dwelling only on the work done for you. That is where they are in christendom; they never get beyond the work done for them; that is the altar. We have the altar but we do not finish with the altar, we go in with the consecrated company. What is that? Not only is there a work done for us, but we enter the door, we enter the holiest. In the figure you see the difference between the altar and the door. What is the difference, can you tell me? Have you ever come to the door?
Ques Is the door approach?
JBS Of course it is. Christ is the Minister of [p. 369] the true sanctuary. If you look at the figure it is very simple. In the altar we remember where He was and the work He has done; that is the burnt-offering and the sin-offering; that is salvation; nothing but His death could give this. But the door is not merely the work He has done. I come in in the common fragrance with Himself. Aaron and his sons’ hands were filled; the youngest son as much as the eldest, and in that common fragrance, a sweet-smelling savour to God, they went to the door. How do you go to the door? Well, I put it to you, Do you go to the door in all the enjoyment of the assurance of the perfection of the work done for you? or do you go in the perfection of Him who did the work? Do you see the question?
Answer. Yes. We come in the perfection of Him who did the work.
Ques Were all the offerings offered before the consecration?
JBS Yes, all before the consecration. It is in consecration you go to the door and there you feed. What do you feed on? Do you feed on your own goodness? Do you feed on your salvation? Come now, that is a very simple question.
Answer. We should feed on Christ.
JBS You cannot feed on anything else.
Rem He is the Bread of life.
JBS Yes, quite so, but He is the ram of consecration. People think they can consecrate themselves. What consecrates me is having my hands filled, not with my fragrance but with the fragrance of Christ; that is what I understand by going to the door. I remember Him at the altar in His death, but it is not only that He has borne my judgment but I come in in all the fragrance of Himself into His presence. I think therefore the breaking of bread ought to be early in the meeting.
Rem We come together [p. 370] to break bread.
JBS I believe hundreds go to break bread, who are not in the holiest.
I think we now understand consecration, at least I hope we do. It is not simply the benefit to yourself.
Ques Do we pass from the altar to the door when we go into the Lord’s presence?
JBS Yes. If you get to the door you walk in. If you partake of the altar, what do you partake of?
Ques I partake of the second ram?
JBS Very good; then I say, You are identified with Him, you are identified with His death. That took place on earth. I believe the great effect on a person who is truly at the Lord’s supper, is this - I cannot look for anything where my Lord has died. He died here. But, thank God, I know Him in another place. I know Him in glory. He is the Minister of the true sanctuary now.
Ques Do you make any difference between the door and the holiest?
JBS I know nothing in the Old Testament that really sets forth our place in the holiest. Aaron’s sons had no title to be in the holiest of all. Christ was not a priest after the order of Aaron. He is after the order of Melchisedec. He was rejected here, now He is exalted a great Priest at the right hand of God. What is that to me? Well, He says, All I have you share in, you are co-heirs with Me. It is the most marvellous thing possible. It is not only that He has done a work for me but I share with Him. I could not be in the presence of God but in all the blessedness and beauty of Christ.
Ques. Why is it a ram?
JBS I think it is in connection with the burnt-offering; that went up to God in all its perfection before Him. In that perfection you go in.
Ques I notice here that Moses had his part. What do you think of that?
JBS I think Moses represents the divine side;
[p. 371] we do not share in that. The way I look upon that is, the heart of Christ before God for us; that is the breast. I do not think that it is making intercession for us when we do not go straight, as people say. It is that we may have grace supplied to us to share in the wonderful nature of the blessing we have got.
Rem You said last night that in Leviticus the priest finished up the sacrifices.
JBS If you turn to Leviticus 1 you will see that if a man brought a bird for his offering the priest had more to do for him than if his offering were a bullock or a sheep or a goat.
Now we go into the holiest of all. We share in the unspeakable blessedness of it; the more you ponder it the more wonderful it is to your heart; we share in the blessedness of what Christ is to God. I am here in the place of His rejection but I share with Him there in the greatness of His exaltation.
Rem He is called a “great high priest”.
JBS That is looking at Him on high; on earth there were other priests; there is only one Priest now.
Rem That is the Son of God.
JBS I remember a man who denied the priesthood, putting a string of questions to me. One question was, What did the priest do when he came out? He wanted me to say, He blessed the people (for he did not understand the priesthood in the least, that is why my reply vexed him so). I said, I know what He does when He comes out, what I want to know is what He does when He goes in. He has gone in. Do you see?
Rem He will come out for His people.
JBS Oh, He will come out for the congregation; but He is gone in for those inside the rails. We get, as I have said before, a picture in the church of England of what is true morally in christendom; for many christians know that they have the benefit of the two goats, who do not know the blessings set forth [p. 372] in the bullock. If you have the bullock you have both, for the greater includes the less; it is all one work. There is a vast difference between the congregation and the priestly company.
If you ask me, What do you go to the meeting for? I reply, I go to the meeting first and foremost because I form part of the building - God’s house, and I go there to remember the Lord. First, I remember Him; next, I listen to His voice. Many go and get only as far as the altar. They do not go on to the door. If you remember Him rightly you must be the consecrated company and go in.
Rem The worship should begin after the breaking of bread.
JBS I do not object to beginning with worship, for we come into His presence with a song. The sight of Him makes me worship. The moment I get to the door my heart is bowed. I am in His company seeing Him and listening to His voice.
In the figure it was from the mercy-seat God spoke. From the holiest God propounded His mind. You get it in type. Israel knew what the holiest was; the gentile had nothing that represented it. But look at 2 Corinthians 3: 18 “beholding ... the glory of the Lord”, you are transformed “into the same image”. There you get what the holiest is for the gentile. If you read the Bible from cover to cover you will not get anything greater than that. Some have said that reading the Bible is beholding the Lord’s glory; they do not understand anything about it. Beholding the Lord’s glory, you are transformed; our translators did not understand it, and they put, “Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed”. How do you behold Him? In the holiest. At the altar you remember Him, at the door you behold Him. Do you understand?
Answer. Yes. Is the result seen when you [p. 373] come out?
JBS The result is seen by others. One result is that your judgment about things is changed, you could not tell how. True, you understand the Bible better, but that is not it. Look at the two disciples going to Emmaus; they had the most wonderful exposition of Scripture that ever was heard, but it did not move them one hair’s breadth. People say, What a wonderful lecture! what a beautiful exposition of Scripture! But it does not alter them one bit. What does alter them? THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD.
What was the effect on the two disciples of being in the presence of the Lord? They saw Him, they knew Him, and now they go the very road He is gone Himself They go to Jerusalem; they are occupied with His interests; they follow Him; they are transformed.
1 consider that the most wonderful verse in Scripture: “But we all, looking on the glory of the Lord, with unveiled face, are transformed according to the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Lord the Spirit”. People ask for guidance for one thing or another. I say, If they would spend ten minutes in the Lord’s presence beholding His glory, they would be so outside themselves that they would be transformed; they would get His mind. Of course, His mind would be according to Scripture; but it is not by reading Scripture, but by being in His presence that you get it.