THE TRUE GROUND OF PRIESTHOOD
[p. 223] THE TRUE GROUND OF PRIESTHOOD
Numbers 16: 1 - 50; Numbers 17: 1 - 13
We have to remember that all the things written aforetime were written for our learning. They were not written for the time in which they happened, but for our instruction.
The immediate occasion of what we get in chapter 17 concerning the priesthood was the gainsaying of Korah. This is referred to in Jude 11, in which we are given prophetically in a few words the moral progress of defection in christendom. We get three landmarks of declension clearly stated:
1. Gone in the way of Cain;
2. Run greedily after the error of Balaam for reward;
and 3. Perished in the gainsaying of Core.
The climax presents the final state of corruption in christendom, that in which it has perished. That word ‘perished’ often occurs in the New Testament as representing a state of apostasy. “Son of perdition” is the same idea. Christendom has accepted and settled down in a condition and things in which morally it has perished, and there is no hope of its recovery.
The sin of Korah was that the Levites claimed the priesthood. Now for priesthood there must be two qualifications: the call to it, and the grace suited to the call, and both from God. Korah claimed the priesthood without either the call or the grace for it. His company claimed it as Levites, and he and his house all perished by the fire of God. They were put to the test by the offering of incense. See chapter 16 verses 16 - 22.
The Levites were properly servants — their call was not to the worship of God, but to the carrying of the tabernacle and its vessels. The Levites were dependent for direction on the priests, but they had nothing to do [p. 224] with the handling of the holy vessels. Now Korah and his company ignored this, and assuming priestly work, the judgment of God overtook them; and in the next chapter (chapter 17) God gives the proof of attestation of priesthood.
The budding and blossoming of Aaron’s rod did not give Aaron title to priesthood, it was God’s call which gave him title to it, and no doubt with the call he received the grace suited to the call, which sustained him in it. The budding of the rod was the attestation of his priesthood, and it signified life out of death (or resurrection in principle), as the witness and power of the priesthood. The people were so affected by it that they were overcome with fear, and exclaimed: “Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish”. They felt that to come near the tabernacle was death to them, and they were right; for flesh and for rebellious man it presented death.
Now in chapter 18 God lays down the relative places of priests and Levites. There the Lord speaks to Aaron, not to Moses. The responsibility of the tabernacle and of its service fell upon Aaron and his sons. The Levites had the bearing of the tabernacle — only they were not to come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary lest they should die. I think in this there was an expression of grace on the part of God, for they had offended, and offended grievously. God in His grace did not set the Levites aside, but assigned to them their proper place with regard to Aaron the priest and the tabernacle, and after this He says: “The stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death”.
Now the question for us is, What instruction do we get from all this? In our day we have certainly come to the gainsaying of Core. There is around us the exclusive claim to priesthood by those who are in the responsibility of ministers. Now the first question I should ask of such is, ‘Show me your call;’ and the next would be, ‘Have you the grace for the call?’ If you have not these, then you are in rebellion. That is the position of the clergy [p. 225] of the present day. I do not suppose people have any idea of what an awful thing the principle of clergy is in the eye of God. It represents the apostate condition into which christianity has lapsed. The activities of the Spirit of God are not exercised through it but in spite of it. God’s thought of priesthood is to be found only in life out of death. Now this proof of priesthood is seen only in Christ. It says in Hebrews 7: 15, 16: “there ariseth another priest, who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life”. The fact of an endless life in man is brought to pass in resurrection, and that is in Christ. The foundation of priesthood is in death, and the attestation of it in resurrection. There can be no priest but on the principle of life out of death. You get this set forth in type in Aaron.
But the thought of priesthood is not limited to Aaron: there were also his sons, who were joined with him in the priesthood; so in order to get a complete idea of priesthood, we must take in Aaron and his sons, that is, not only Christ, but Christ and the church.
Now I want to bring this out in connection with the truth that God has appointed a Head for man, and that, in the Man who has accomplished righteousness; and in the Head we get One who communicates living water to man.
In all this we have the expression of the grace of God towards man. Every man is tested by the introduction of a Head, and it is according to the thought of God that any and every man should come to Christ and get from Him living water. Righteousness and life in the Head are God’s thought for every man. If I have apprehended the Head, and have received from the Head righteousness and living water, there follows another thing, and that is that I recognise the call of God. If you turn to Romans 8: 34, you will see that this passage brings in the thought of Christ’s priesthood, and that is for the elect. “Who also maketh intercession for us”, not for everybody and anybody.
[p. 226] At first a believer knows nothing of the call of God, but a moment arrives in the history of the christian when he is bound to recognise that he is called of God. “Whom he called, them he also justified”. When we have received the Spirit, we recognise that we are subjects of the sovereign mercy of God. Why do you love God? Because He first loved you.
Now what I have said is in connection with Christ as Head. In accepting the Head, you get righteousness in Him and the gift of living water, and then you find that God first loved you, and that He has called you.
Now the next point is, what are you called to? All saints are not called to the same things. Israel was called to national blessing; we are not called to that; it is evident from Romans 8: 29 that we are called to sonship. God has predestinated us to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the First-born among many brethren: on our part — that we should be in association with His Son. Christ is First-born, that is, pre-eminent among many brethren. God has seen fit so to call us. I cannot explain it, and I would not question it. God has been pleased so to call us that we should be in association with His Son as the First-born among many brethren. Priesthood comes in in connection with this, and we have thus the fulfilment of the type of Aaron and his sons. “I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee”.
Now if a man says he is a priest, I would ask him on what ground. If you are a priest you must have received the call of God, to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the First-born among many brethren. There you get the first requisite of a priest, and a layman may be that; saints have been called to it, and the proof of it is that they love God by the Spirit of God. Any christian that recognises the call of God can say he is a priest.
Priesthood hangs upon sonship. Christ is priest [p. 227] because He is Son. We, too, are sons, and so we are priests.
The next thing is, the grace suited to the call to priesthood. Korah and his sons had neither the call nor the grace suited to it. Nor have those who assume the priesthood in christendom today — that is the clergy; if they had, they would not assume the official position.
If you desire to see what the grace suited to the call is, turn to Ephesians 2: 13, “in Christ Jesus ye ... are become nigh”. And further, in verse 18, “through him we have both access by one Spirit to the Father”. Here we get the antitype of Aaron — Christ, and through Him by the Spirit we have access, so that you have not only the call, but the grace for the call.
We get the same in principle also in John 20, where the Lord, after He had said, “go to my brethren and say to them, I ascend to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God”, breathes on the disciples and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit”. We have here the antitype of Aaron and his sons. We are in association with Christ as the First-born among many brethren, and have access to the Father, through the Spirit. Christ communicated the Spirit that we might have access: we could not have it without the Spirit.
Now the proof of priesthood is life out of death. The principle on which priesthood hangs is resurrection, for we cannot be in association with the Son of God except on the platform of life out of death, that is, on resurrection ground. “Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit”. Christ has been pleased to enter on that ground, and association with Him cannot be on any other. No one can be a priest except on that ground. All assumption of priesthood otherwise is an imposture.
You may reply, ‘But we are down here on earth, how can we then be in life out of death?’ If you turn to Colossians 2: 12, 13 you get two thoughts, one that we are risen together with Christ, and the other that we are [p. 228] quickened together with Him. Both expressions have reference to life out of death. Each has its own particular bearing, but always quickening is associated with life out of death.
Even as regards Christ it says, “Being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit”. Now as risen with Christ we are men of another order, we belong neither to Jew nor gentile. Quickening results in a power of affection in the heart of the christian which can carry him superior to distinctions that exist in the flesh. There can be no distinctions of flesh in the presence of Christ. As quickened with Christ my slave is as dear to me as any other man. This can only be in the power of spiritual affection in the presence of Christ. Ye “have put on the new man ... where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all”. Colossians 3: 10. Every order of man has disappeared save Christ.
We have had before us, first, the call; secondly, the grace in the saints suited to the call, and the proof of the call. Now return to Numbers 18: 7, “Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest’s office ... I have given your priest’s office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death”. In chapter 17: 12, the children of Israel had said, “Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish”. When the flesh comes into the presence of these things there is death before it, and so it must be, and we must accept death as to the flesh, for association with Christ is an end to all the things in which flesh lives. When the people saw the rod of Aaron budding, they recognised something too great for them. God is not served by man after the flesh. What is going on around us is mockery of God, who is not served, and cannot be by man as such. The very things in which life towards God consists are death to the flesh. None can serve God but those alive out of death.
There is another thing, the priests come under the [p. 229] iniquity of the sanctuary; that is, we feel the state of things in christendom by which we are surrounded. We come under the burden of it and are susceptible now to the discipline of God.
There is one thing further. The Levites were to be joined to the priests for the particular service to which God had called them; and now there is no true Levitical service apart from the priest.
In our day we have come in christendom to the state of things represented by the gainsaying of Korah, and if we would be in the truth of priesthood according to God, we must find out the ground on which priesthood rests.
Then we have to carry on our hearts the burden of the state of things in which the saints of God are found around us.
I have presented things which may not be quite intelligible to all, but if you consider the principles I have indicated you will find something that may be of help.