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Scripture Reading: Exo. 40:36-38; Lev. 8:7-8, 10-12, 30; 20:26; 26:46
Before going on to Numbers, we must see something more in the two books of Exodus and Leviticus. We have seen that the way to enter the good land is by enjoying Christ step by step in an ever increasing measure, starting from the lamb of the passover. But there is something in our experience that is still more vital to us, that is, the governing principles, the governing factors. We have seen that to possess the good land, to enter into the all-inclusiveness of Christ, cannot be accomplished by an individual person but only by a collective people. This is quite clear. But we must realize that especially with a collective people, the need exists for some governing principles. There must be order. In a corporate body, things must be put into order. If there are no governing principles, disorder and confusion will reign, and disorder and confusion are akin to the enemy. If we are out of order, we are spoiled and we are linked with Satan. Hence, it is impossible for us to enter into the good land. In order to maintain order among the Lord’s children, there must be some governing principles, some governing factors.
In these two books, Exodus and Leviticus, we not only see the various items of the enjoyment of Christ but also the governing principles that God has ordained among His children. There are at least three important and vital governing factors or principles.
The first governing principle is the presence of the Lord in the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. I not only say the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire but also the presence of the Lord in the pillar of cloud and in the pillar of fire. In these pillars the presence of the Lord is the first governing principle. This factor relates to the gathering and to the activity or movement of the Lord’s people. When, how, and where the Lord’s people should move and act depend on the presence of the Lord revealed to them in the pillar of cloud and in the pillar of fire. In other words, if we would go on to possess the land, we must do so by the presence of the Lord. If the presence of the Lord goes with us, we can enter and enjoy the land. You remember how the Lord promised Moses, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest” (Exo. 33:14). This means that He would bring the people into the possession of the land by His presence. So Moses said to the Lord, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here” (v. 15). Moses demanded that the Lord’s presence must go with them; otherwise, he would not go.
“My presence shall go with you.” This is quite a peculiar word: My presence shall go. It does not mean that He will go. He will go is one thing, and My presence shall go is another. Do you realize the difference?
Let me illustrate this with a story. One time, four or five of us who were serving the Lord together were going to a certain place. We all traveled together. One brother at that time, however, was not happy with us, yet he had no choice but to go. We all traveled on the same train: all but this one brother sat in car number one, and he sat by himself in car number two. He went with us, but his presence did not go with us. He left with us, he traveled with us, and he arrived with us, but his presence was not with us. When the brothers came to welcome us, he was there, and through all our visit in that place he was there. He was with us, but his presence was not. It was indeed strange.
Brothers and sisters, many times the Lord will go with you, but His presence will not. Many times the Lord will truly help you, but be assured, He is not happy with you. You will receive His help, but you will lose His presence. He will bring you to your destination, and He will bless you, but throughout the whole trip you will not sense His presence. He will go with you, but His presence will not.
This is not a theory but our real experience. Many times in past years while I was serving the Lord, I have realized His help. The Lord is bound to help me; He must help me for His own sake. But I can tell you that many times I did not have the presence of the Lord, simply because He was not happy with me. He had to go with me, but He was not happy. I was sitting in car number one, but He was sitting in car number two. He went along, but He withheld His presence that I might know His displeasure.
Some years ago a young sister spoke with me about her marriage. She said, “Brother, I feel it is the Lord’s will that I become engaged to a certain gentleman. The Lord has really helped me in this matter, so at a certain date we will announce our engagement.” I knew something of the situation, so I said to the sister, “No doubt the Lord has helped you — I do believe your word. But is the Lord happy with you in this matter? Is the Lord’s presence with you as you contemplate this engagement?” “Brother,” she replied, “to tell you the truth, I know the Lord is not happy with me. I know it. On one hand, He has helped me, but on the other hand, I know He is not happy with me.” “How do you know?” I asked. Her answer is most significant: “Whenever I think about it, I sense that I have lost His presence.” This is an excellent illustration. The Lord helped her, but He withheld His presence.
Brothers and sisters, you must be clear. Never think that as long as the Lord helps you, it is sufficient. No, no. Far from it. We must have the Lord’s presence. We must learn to pray, “Lord, if You will not give me Your presence, I will stay here with You. If Your presence does not go with me, I will not go. I will not be governed by Your help but by Your presence.” We must go even further to pray, “O Lord, I do not want Your help, but I do want Your presence. Lord, I must have Your presence. I can do without Your help, but I cannot do without Your presence.” Can you say this to the Lord?
Many brothers and sisters come to me, saying, “Brother, the Lord has really helped me.” I always wish to ask them, “Have you sensed the presence of the Lord? You have gotten His help, but have you sensed His presence?” Many get the help of the Lord, but few have the presence of the Lord. His help is not the governing factor but His presence.
Some Christian workers have said to me, “Brother, do you not realize that the Lord has helped us? Do you not believe that the Lord has blessed us?” “Undoubtedly,” I have answered, “the Lord has helped you and blessed you, but let us be silent for a little while before the Lord.” After a while I have asked, “Brother, do you feel in your deepest sense that you have the presence of the Lord with you? I know that you have done something for the Lord; I know that the Lord has helped you and blessed you. But I wish to know, in the innermost part of your being, do you feel that the Lord is so present with you? Do you always sense His face smiling upon you, and has the very smile of the Lord entered into you? Do you have this?” These are tender and heart-searching words. As servants of the Lord, most people cannot tell a lie; they must tell the truth. Eventually, such brothers have said, “I must tell you, for some time I have lost my fellowship with the Lord.” Then I asked, “Brother, what is this? Are you governed by the help of the Lord or by His presence? Are you governed by His blessing or by His smile?”
Brothers and sisters, although it may be with tears in our eyes, we must say day by day, “Lord, nothing but Your smiling presence will satisfy me. I do not want anything but the smile of Your glorious face. As long as I have this, I care not whether the heaven comes down or the earth falls apart. The whole world may rise against me, but as long as I have Your smile upon me, I can praise You, and everything is well.” The Lord said, “My presence shall go with you.” What a treasure! The presence, the smile, of the Lord is the governing principle. We must be fearful of receiving anything from the Lord yet losing His presence. This is indeed a fearful thing. The Lord Himself may very well give you something, and yet that very thing will rob you of His presence. He will help you, He will bless you, and yet that very help and blessing can keep you away from His presence. We must learn to be kept, to be ruled, to be governed, to be guided simply by the presence of the Lord. We must tell the Lord that we do not want anything but His direct presence. We do not want His presence secondhand. Many times, be assured, you have the secondhand presence of the Lord. It is not firsthand; it is not direct. Try to be governed by the direct, firsthand presence of the Lord.
This is not only a requirement and a qualification but also a power for you to go on to possess the land. The firsthand presence of the Lord will strengthen you with might to obtain the fullness, the all-inclusiveness of Christ. What a strength, what a power, is in the direct presence of the Lord! This is certainly not a matter of doctrine but of our innermost experience.
“My presence shall go with you.” The Lord is so wonderful, so glorious, so mysterious. But in what way does He show us His presence? How is His presence realized by us? In the ancient time His presence was always in the cloud by day and the fire by night, in the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. During the day while the sun was shining, the cloud was there; in the darkness of the night there was the fire. The Lord’s presence revealed to His children in the day was the cloud, and in the night was the fire.
What do these two things, the cloud and the fire, mean? Several passages in the Scriptures show that the cloud is the symbol of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit in our experience is sometimes just like a cloud. The presence of the Lord is in the Spirit. Many times we know that the presence of the Lord is with us. How do we know it? We know it because we realize it in the Spirit. I believe that most of us have had some experience of this. We have experienced the presence of the Lord in the Spirit. It is indeed mysterious. If you ask how you may experience the presence of the Lord in the Spirit, I can only answer that I experience it, I realize it. The Lord is in the Spirit, and His presence is realized by me in the Spirit. The reality is in the Spirit. Sometimes — it may be due to our weakness, or it may be that the Lord feels we need encouragement or confirmation — He gives us some apprehension and even some feeling that the Spirit is really like a cloud.
In 1935 I was delivering a message concerning the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. During the middle of the message I suddenly had the sensation of a cloud enveloping me. It seemed that I was in a cloud. Immediately, the meeting took a definite turn, and the words that issued from my mouth were just as living water pouring out. The whole congregation was astonished. When you have such an experience, you need not speak anything by your mind. The words flow out from the Spirit.
That is the presence of the Lord in the pillar of the cloud. You can sense it in such a way. It comes as a kind of guidance and encouragement. You are burdened with something for the Lord, and the Lord gives you such an encouragement to let you sense His presence in the Spirit. This, however, is a special experience bestowed by the Lord. Day by day we can experience the Lord’s presence in the Spirit in a normal and ordinary way.
What then is the meaning of the pillar of fire? We need the fire in the night when it is dark. But the meaning is the same as that of the cloud. The cloud is the fire, and the fire is the cloud. When the sun shines, the Lord’s presence takes the appearance of a cloud; when darkness comes, it takes the appearance of fire. It is the same entity with different appearances. Then what does the fire represent? It represents the Word. The cloud is the Spirit, and the fire is the Word. When the sun is shining, you are very clear in the Spirit; you can easily follow the cloud. But many times it is just like night, and you are in darkness. You cannot trust your spirit; your spirit is very much perplexed. In such a situation you must trust the Word. The Word is like the fire, burning, shining, and enlightening. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet / And a light to my path.” When the sky is so clear and everything is so bright, the cloud is adequate. But when darkness veils the sky, you cannot discern which is the cloud and which is not the cloud; you must follow the fire. Sometimes your sky, your day, is exceedingly clear, and the sunlight is bright and strong. You can see unmistakably the way the Spirit is going and follow accordingly. But more often, probably, you are in darkness; you are in the night. Yesterday you were so clear, but today you are so darkened; you are puzzled and perplexed. But do not worry — you have the Word. Follow the Word. The Word is the fire, the burning fire, the bright light. You can follow this light when you are in darkness, for the Lord’s presence is in the fire.
Many times brothers have said to me, “Brother, I am in darkness now.” “Praise the Lord!” I reply. “This is just the right time for you to take the Word. If you were not in darkness, there would be no opportunity for you to experience the Lord in the Word. Just take His Word.” How good it is to experience Christ in His Word when we are in darkness.
The Lord’s presence is always in these two things, either in the Spirit or in the Word. When you are clear, you can realize that He is in the Spirit. When you are in darkness, you can see Him in the Word. He is always in these two: in the Spirit and in the Word. Are you clear today? Praise the Lord! You will sense the Lord in the Spirit. Are you in darkness? You can praise Him too, for you can see Him in His Word. Sometimes we are in the day with the sunshine, and sometimes we are in the night with the darkness. But we need not be concerned. In the day, when it is clear, we have the Spirit as the cloud; in the night, when it is dark, we have the Word as the fire. We can follow the Lord by His presence in the Spirit and in the Word.
The second governing principle is the priesthood under the anointing with the Urim and the Thummim. What is the priesthood? This is a wonderful and glorious matter. The priesthood includes fellowship with the Lord and life and service in His presence. The priesthood is a group of people who are in constant fellowship with the Lord. They continually commune with the Lord and serve in His presence. They live, walk, and do everything in this way. When we have fellowship with the Lord, when we commune with the Lord day by day and moment by moment, and when in this living fellowship we live, we serve, and we act, we are a priesthood.
If we lose the priesthood, we lose one of the governing principles. This governing principle is not for guidance but for judgment. The Lord’s presence in the pillars of cloud and fire is for guidance, while the priesthood in the anointing with the Urim and Thummim is for judgment.
Let us illustrate. Suppose two brothers are quarreling and fighting with one another. What shall we do? We are the Lord’s children, we are the Lord’s people, but something of such a nature exists among us. How can we solve the problem? How can we arrive at the proper judgment? Shall we call a meeting and decide the matter by vote? Of course not. All such problems can be solved only by the priesthood. They require a group of the Lord’s children who are always in fellowship with the Lord, who serve the Lord in His presence, and who are continually before Him, no matter where they are or what they are doing. Such a group is under the anointing of the Holy Spirit and has the Urim and the Thummim. Thus, they can obtain the judgment, the decision, of the Lord. They will be able to judge and decide any matter that may arise by the Urim and Thummim with the priesthood.
The priesthood includes three things: communion or fellowship with the Lord, the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and the Urim and Thummim. We can only speak briefly here concerning the last item, the Urim and the Thummim. Urim in Hebrew means “lights,” and Thummim means “perfecters, or completers.” About thirty years ago I read an article by a Hebrew writer, saying that the Thummim is a precious stone with four letters of the Hebrew alphabet carved upon it. Upon the breastplate of the high priest were the names of the twelve tribes of Israel engraved on twelve stones. The names of these twelve tribes contain only eighteen of the twenty-two letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Therefore, upon the breastplate of the high priest there was a shortage of four letters. However, these four letters were put on the Thummim, and when this stone was put into the breastplate, there was perfection; there was completion. There were then the full twenty-two letters. All the letters of the Hebrew alphabet were there. Then we are told that the Urim is a stone put into the breastplate to give light. Hence, we have the meaning of the Urim and Thummim: light and perfection.
How then were the Urim and the Thummim used? When some problem or question arose among the children of Israel, the high priest brought the matter to the Lord to get the answer by the help of the breastplate. The Hebrew writer in this article says that when the high priests went before the Lord, certain stones on the breastplate with their respective letters would shine and at other times other stones with their letters would shine. The high priest took down all the letters from the various stones as they shone, and in so doing formed words and then sentences. Eventually, he received a complete message or judgment from the Lord. It was in this way, the article says, that Achan was apprehended from among all the children of Israel for his sin (Josh. 7).
Thus, what is the governing principle for the Lord’s people to solve their problems? It is that among them there should be the priesthood that brings all the Lord’s children upon the breast before the Lord. The priesthood must bring them in love into the Lord’s presence and read them there as letters. Thus, with the light of the Scriptures the priesthood will learn the mind of the Lord and receive some word from Him regarding the situation of His children.
Now regarding the brothers who are quarreling with each other, we have the answer. We can tell them, “Brothers, be quiet for some time. We will go to the Lord.” We will then bring this problem to the Lord and read these brothers in His presence with the light of the Scriptures. This is the exercise of the priesthood with the breastplate of the Urim and the Thummim. By this we can get the letters, the words, and the message of the Lord regarding what decision must be made in this matter.
Do you know how the apostles wrote their Epistles? It was exactly in this way. The first Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians is a good example. Paul was confronted with many problems in that church: problems of sectarianism, discipline, marriage, the doctrine of resurrection, etc. There were problems of almost every kind and description. What did he do? He brought all the problems and all the brothers and sisters in that church upon his heart to the Lord, and in the presence of the Lord he read them with the light of the Scriptures. Is this not true? As he read them there by the light of the Word, he realized the nature of the situation and the answer. He received a judgment, a decision from the Lord, and so he wrote the first Epistle to the Corinthians. Consider all the Epistles. All the books written by the apostles were done in such a way. It was not that they sat in their room reading, reasoning, and then writing. No. There was always some situation among the Lord’s children that demanded an answer, a word, from the Lord. Then the apostles as priests fulfilling their priestly ministry brought all these problems with all the Lord’s children into God’s presence. They studied the problem in His presence, reading the believers one by one in the light of the Lord’s words. Thus, they received light; they got words, sentences, and thoughts from the Lord. Then they wrote the letters, telling the saints the Lord’s mind.
This is one of the governing principles. The first ruling principle is the presence of the Lord in the pillar of cloud and pillar of fire, and the second is the priesthood under the anointing with these two peculiar things, the Urim and the Thummim.
Brothers and sisters, if you come to me telling of some problem you have with others, what should I do? I should exercise my spirit to bring you and the others to the Lord. With love I should put you and those other brothers or sisters on my heart, that is, upon my breast. I should bring all of you to the Lord and say, “Lord, here are some dear saints. Illuminate them. Give me Your light.” I should read you. I should read your minds and your emotions. I should read your thoughts, your motives, and your actions. I should read your problem and many things related to you in the light of the Word. After reading letter by letter, I will gradually get a word and then another word. Eventually, I will receive a sentence and then a message. I will know something from the Lord. I will know what is the Lord’s mind toward you and His thought about you.
You who are leading brothers meet many kinds of problems in the church that give you opportunity to practice this priestly ministry. Sometimes a brother will come to you to share a problem he has with his father, who is also a brother in the Lord; he will ask you what he should do. The next day a sister may come to you telling of some trouble she has with her sister-in-law, who is also a sister in the church. What will you do? Will you tell them to go to court and see the judge? Of course, you cannot do that. The only way is just as we have shown. You must have a heart; you must have a breast; you must have love. Put them on your heart and bring them thus to the Lord. Exercise your spirit and read them before the Lord. Read the father first, and then read the son. Read their habits, their nationalities, their characters, their thoughts, their education — not by your way of thinking but by the light of the Word. Read all these things. After reading, you will receive the sentences and the language, point by point. You will get a word from the Lord that will reveal to you His mind. Then you will be able to speak to the son and his father. Do the same with the sister and her sister-in-law. You will be able to say to them, “This is the Lord’s mind. Pray about it.” You have obtained the judgment and the decision from the Lord. This is the court for the Lord’s people. We do need such a court. We need a local representation of the heavenly supreme court. The court is the priesthood under the anointing of the Holy Spirit with the Urim and the Thummim.
It is not a small thing to have a group of the Lord’s children who are coordinated together to serve the Lord collectively. It is not so simple. Consider your own family. Do you not have some kind of family court to settle all your problems? What is our family court in the church? It is simply the priesthood, the fellowship with the Lord under the anointing of the Holy Spirit in reading all the brothers and sisters by the light of the Word. In this way we receive the judgment and make the decisions for all our affairs. All our problems and questions are solved in this way. It is not by arguing; it is not by consulting, reasoning, and arranging as a politician or an earthly judge. It is only by fellowship and anointing, reading in love the circumstances, natures, and daily lives of the believers with the light of the Lord’s Word.
The third governing factor is the regulations of a holy life. What are these regulations? In the book of Leviticus we have the offerings, the priesthood, and many kinds of regulations. Leviticus can be divided into these three parts: the first, dealing with the offerings, is from chapters 1 through 7; the second, dealing with the priesthood, is in chapters 8 through 10; and the third, from chapter 11 through the end of the book, deals with many regulations. There are all kinds of regulations regarding a holy life, a holy living. We cannot go into detail now regarding them all. If we could, we would see how interesting, how sweet, and how pregnant with meaning they are. There are many regulations about what is clean and what is unclean, about what is separated and what is not separated from common and worldly things, and about how to act and how not to act. All these are regulations for a holy life.
These regulations can be summed up for the sake of simplicity into three minor principles. The first is that we are the people who belong to the Lord. This is a minor principle that must regulate us. Remember that you belong to the Lord; you are the Lord’s people. If you remember this, you will be kept from many things. Do you think that while remembering you are the Lord’s people, you could attend a theater? The very thought will make you shrink from it. Do you think that you can quarrel with someone and at the same time remember that you belong to the Lord? Try it. You will see what will become of your quarrel.
One time in the Far East I engaged a rickshaw man for a ride. He told me at first that he would charge five dollars, to which I agreed. When I arrived at my destination, however, I saw that I had only a ten-dollar bill, so I handed it to him and waited for the change. After looking around in his pockets, he eventually said he was sorry, for he had only four dollars with which to refund me. This is their trick. I began to quarrel with him, but suddenly, I remembered that I was a child of God. Just this remembrance caused me to drop it. I said, “All right, all right, forget it; one dollar does not matter.” How could I who am a child of the Lord argue with a rickshaw man? That would put the name of the Lord to shame.
Whenever you are about to do something, you must remember that you are one of the Lord’s children. Do not say that this is too legal. You and I must be legal in such a way. Sometimes the sisters, especially in the Far East, wear dresses that are really not becoming to a child of the Lord. If they would only remember that they belong to the Lord, the very thought would cause them to shrink from such attire. They simply forget that they are children of the Lord and proceed to dress like daughters of the devil. To remember that we are the Lord’s people is the first minor principle of the regulations.
The second is that we have been separated from this world. The Lord said, “I have set you apart from the peoples” (Lev. 20:26). We have been separated from the peoples of the world by the Lord. What they can do, we cannot. What they can say, we cannot. What they can possess, we cannot. Many times I have gone to the department store and have been unable to buy anything. All I could do was shake my head and say, “No, no, there is nothing for me. I am separated.”
From Seattle to San Francisco and then to Los Angeles I have been trying to get a pair of shoes. There are so many peculiar and modern styles, it is rather difficult to find a suitable pair as a child of God. If I were to buy some of them, I fear that I would not be able to stand and minister to the Lord’s children. Oh, the things, the worldly things these department stores are selling! If all the worldly people would be converted and remember that they are children of the Lord and separated from this world, all the department stores would be forced to close. There would be no business for them. It is regrettable that the majority of people are not converted, but the greatest pity is that those who are converted by the Lord are still not separated from this world. At least we who are converted by the Lord must remember that we are those whom the Lord has separated from this world. This is also one of the principles that must govern us. Do not say that this is too legal. We must be so legal.
The third minor principle is that the Lord is holy, so we too must be holy. The Lord is separated and different from all other things, so we too must be sanctified from all things. We must be holy in all things just as He is holy.
These three minor principles compose one of the major governing principles, and these are the regulations of a holy life. What are they? First, remember that you are the Lord’s children; second, remember that you have been separated from this world; third, remember that your God is a holy God, and you must be just as holy as He. These three regulations should govern everything in your life.
In conclusion, the Lord’s presence is the guidance for us as a group. Whether we should go or stay, we may know by the presence of the Lord. We must be guided by nothing but His presence. This is the first governing principle. Then, if there is some problem among us, we need not seek any solution in an outward way. We have the court of the priesthood. By the fellowship among us with the Lord under the anointing of the Holy Spirit and through the studying with love of all the brothers and sisters in the light of the Word, we may obtain the needed judgment, the proper decision. This is the second governing principle. As to our daily life and daily activities, we must always be ruled by the remembrance that we are the Lord’s children, that we are separated from this world, and that we must be holy as the Lord is holy. This is the third governing principle. If we are ruled by these principles, we will be prepared and qualified to go on to possess that good land; we will be enabled to enter into the all-inclusiveness of Christ.
