Date: 1940Place: UnrecordedScripture Reading: Acts 13:1-2; Num. 16:1-3, 19-21, 31-32; 17:5, 8, 13
God appointed two ministries in the Old Testament — the priesthood and the prophethood. These two ministries were distinct in the Old Testament and were borne by different men. For example, Moses, Samuel, and Isaiah were all prophets, while Aaron and his descendants were in the priesthood in the temple of the Lord. In the New Testament these two ministries are combined into one in the believers; we have inherited both ministries. In the church in Antioch there were a few prophets and teachers who served the Lord together. They were also priests serving in the priesthood.
We have to see that all our work and service are for the Lord and are related directly and solely to Him. The works are not related directly to the church. Although we are working in and serving the church, our work and service are not related directly to the church; they are related directly and solely to the Head of the church. It is the Lord who has committed the work to us, and it is the Lord whom we serve. My left arm often helps my right arm. When the right arm cannot lift up a chair, the left arm will come to its aid. The left arm is not serving the right arm when it does this; it is merely serving the head. The left arm is directly related to the head. In the same way, all works that genuinely supply the church should be services that are directly rendered to the Lord. The priests' duty is to serve the Lord directly. Whatever we do in the church, whether preaching the gospel, teaching, edifying the saints, nourishing the lambs, visiting the sick, or cleaning and cooking, should all be directly related to the Lord and should be a service to the Lord alone.
In order to serve the Lord as a priest, we must not only be related directly and solely to the Lord, but we must also live in the principle of resurrection. We can see this from the history of the Israelites in the Old Testament. God's intention was for all the people of Israel to serve Him as priests and for them to become a kingdom of priests unto God (Exo. 19:6). But the Israelites failed and turned away from God, who led them out of Egypt, to worship the idols (Exo. 32). They committed fornication with heathen women and stirred up the wrath of the Lord (Num. 25). Only Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, was zealous for the Lord, and the Lord gave him and his descendants a covenant of peace — the covenant of an everlasting priesthood (vv. 10-13). Among the Israelites, God set apart Aaron and his sons and made them a priesthood before Him; they took the place of the whole congregation of Israel to serve the Lord. However, Levi's sons, Korah, Dathan, and others, rose up to attack Moses and Aaron. They accused Moses and Aaron of lifting themselves above the congregation, and asked why they could not be priests as well. A moment of life and death followed; the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them alive. The dispute between the company of Korah and Aaron was not on minor points; it was on the matter of service to the Lord, on the priesthood (Num. 16:10). God punished them not because of their personal sin, but because of their service to the Lord (v. 18). This is indeed a very sobering matter.
Korah's and Dathan's company thought that they could be priests and could serve the Lord the same as Aaron. But God's Word shows us that a man is not a priest according to his natural condition or qualifications. Being a priest is a matter of resurrection. Numbers 17:1-8 shows us that Aaron was qualified to be a priest through his budding rod, which signifies death and resurrection. While a branch remains on the tree, it is living. Once it is cut off, it becomes dead. But Aaron's rod sprouted, budded, blossomed, and bore almonds. This is how God vindicated His choice of Aaron to be a priest to serve Him. This shows us that being a priest is something beyond the natural realm; it is something in the realm of resurrection.
In the New Testament, Hebrews 7 tells us that Christ became "a Priest forever according to the order of Melchisedec," and "the power of an indestructible life" (vv. 16-17). Christ was made a Priest by the taking of an oath; His office is established forever. His priesthood is also unalterable because He abides forever (vv. 20-24). Aaron's budding rod in the Old Testament was only a type of death and resurrection. The priests among the Israelites were prevented from continuing because of death, and their priesthood lasted for a short while only. Christ, however, became a priest through the power of the eternal life. The priests in the Old Testament were priests in position only. But Christ's priesthood is not only a position, but a reality. Today the New Testament believers become priests and serve the Lord according to the resurrection life.
What is death? Death is the removal through the cross of everything that is not of God. What is resurrection? Resurrection is anything that withstands death. Whatever enters death and then comes out of death is resurrection. In resurrection there is the new life. Many things cannot pass through death. But anything that comes out of death is new and on the ground of resurrection. All that we are and have must pass through death and resurrection. Our love and eloquence, like that of Moses, must pass through death and resurrection. May all that we have be brought through death and resurrection. This is the basic qualification of our service to the Lord.
We also have to see that in order to serve the Lord, a priest must have an inward touch with God. The priests must learn the judgment of the breastplate inside the sanctuary before they can take care of the various affairs outside the sanctuary. No matter how busy Aaron was, he could not leave the sanctuary during his priestly service. This shows us that a priest has to lock himself up in God. If a priest is lacking in inward service, he cannot possibly have any outward service. We must serve God inwardly, fellowshipping with Him and drawing near to Him, before we can outwardly work for Him.
