WITHIN THE VEIL, WITHOUT THE CAMP
F. G. Suckling
I have been thinking of these two matters, beloved, firstly, “entering into that within the veil, where Jesus is entered”, and secondly what is said in the last chapter, “let us go forth to him without the camp”. One is the inside position, and the other is the outside place that we have to take, but they are both in relation to what is for God.
In Hebrews 6 He has “become for ever a high priest according to the order of Melchisedec”.
The Lord’s service Godward in relation to us is a perpetual service; it is according to the order of Melchisedec. In the Aaronic priesthood the priest was hindered from continuing by death, so a new priest was appointed, and it was an earthly order in that sense. The scripture makes it clear that the Lord Jesus was not an official priest when He was down here, as belonging to a different tribe from Levi.
It speaks of “entering into that within the veil, where Jesus is”. It is a wonderful place and privilege that God has given us; and we have boldness for entering in because Jesus is there.
He has gone in in virtue of the perfection of His own blood and that is the reason for our being able to go in. Christ has dedicated for us the new and living way through the veil and we can enter in. In the tabernacle system there was always that veil. The ark was inside the holy of holies, and just outside there was the lamp-stand. I only say those things to emphasize that the Lord Jesus Himself has gone in to the presence of God; He is there for ever as High Priest and is there for us—the only Priest we need and there in perpetuity. All we can offer to God is made good, we might say, by the Lord Jesus Himself. So it is only what is of Him that we can offer to God.
Then there is the other matter, of going forth to Him. First the going in, then the going forth without the camp, as it says, “bearing his reproach—for we have not here an abiding city, but we seek the coming one”. We think of this in relation to our pathway here and it is to mean that things here have no place or attraction, but we go forth to Him. Then it goes on to say,
“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise continually to God, that is, the fruit of the lips confessing his name”. I think that would be confessing His name to God first. So as we go forth to Him we can by Him “offer the sacrifice of praise continually to God ... confessing his name”. We are to have God continually before us in whatever pathway, as outside the camp, we are called to. God is before us and that blessed Man is in His presence, and we are confessing His name—“the sacrifice of praise continually”. It is not prayer, it is praise, and the test is whether we get through to this matter of praise. I believe that is what would be intended in the going in, that there might be that praise. It speaks in Hebrews 10 of “the new and living way which he has dedicated for us through the veil, that is, his flesh” (Hebrews 10: 20).
It was just those two thoughts, beloved, firstly, entering into that within the veil where Jesus is, and, secondly, going forth to Him, to the Lord Jesus, and the sacrifice of praise continually to God, confessing His name. It is a test to speak of these things because of the small degree it marks one, but the desire is that they might occupy us more, for His name’s sake.
Word in meeting for ministry, Christchurch, N.Z.
4 October 1983