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Scripture Reading: Exo. 27:20-21; 30:6-8; 1 Chron. 6:31-33; 25:1, 7-8; Luke 1:8-10; Rev. 5:8; 8:3-5; Eph. 6:18; 5:18-19
All the riches of God are in the Son to be man’s enjoyment. The Bible uses many types of enjoyment to show how man receives Christ. In the Old Testament Christ is portrayed as manna to eat and living water to drink (Exo. 16:4, 15-18, 31; 17:6). This indicates that Christ is our enjoyment (1 Cor. 10:1-4). In the New Testament the Lord is even more explicit, speaking of Himself as the bread of life coming down out of heaven for us to eat and as living water for us to drink (John 6:33, 35, 48-51; 4:14). Eating and drinking are matters of enjoyment. The Lord also spoke in a parable, comparing His complete salvation to a great feast for which He sent slaves to invite people to come and eat, saying, “Come, for all things are now ready” (Luke 14:17). The feast has been prepared, and we need only to come and enjoy. These verses indicate that God’s desire is to give Himself to us in Christ for our enjoyment.
In order for God to become our enjoyment, Christ had to pass through death and resurrection to become the life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45). Through the Spirit, God has a relationship with man. The Spirit is God entering into man and God coming upon man. Our experience of the Spirit involves two aspects. On one hand, He enters into us for us to drink for our inward supply, and on the other hand, He pours Himself upon us to empower us for His work outwardly. The Spirit wants to fill us inwardly with Himself but also to immerse us fully in Himself. These two aspects cause us to be fully mingled with God. God gives Himself to us for our enjoyment by fully mingling Himself with us in order that we would be blended in His life and nature to become a living, corporate entity, the Body of Christ. This corporate entity is the dwelling place of God and His beloved counterpart. This is God’s marvelous intention.
According to typology in the Bible, the priests enjoy Christ in a full and rich way. We often say, “Christ is our manna,” or “We enjoy Christ as manna every day.” Although manna was surely sweet and pleasant, the priests who ministered in the Holy Place of God ate food that was much richer than manna, because the offerings that were presented to God were also food for the priests. They enjoyed the offerings together with God. We need to consider all the different offerings in the Old Testament because every part of every offering typifies Christ. For example, in the meal offering there was fine flour, oil, and frankincense (Lev. 2:1). The priests could also enjoy the breast of the wave offering and the thigh of the heave offering out of the peace offering (7:34). There were burnt offerings, sin offerings, trespass offerings, freewill offerings, and thanksgiving offerings, as well as offerings of the firstborn and firstfruits to God. All these offerings are types of Christ, and the priests were entitled to a portion of all these offerings. Although manna was certainly good, it represented only one aspect of Christ. The food that the priests enjoyed was multifaceted and much richer than manna. Hence, a priest is one who enjoys Christ in a full and rich way.
The children of Israel ate only manna in the wilderness, but the priests in the Holy Place enjoyed the riches of Christ. In the journey of the children of Israel, they erected the tabernacle whenever they encamped, and the priests presented offerings in the tabernacle. Thus, while the children of Israel were eating manna, the priests were enjoying the riches of the offerings. Even though the priests passed through the wilderness, they enjoyed the riches of the offerings because they were serving in the Holy Place. Similarly, if we want to have the full enjoyment of Christ, we must be a priest.
Today the children of God may know Christ as manna, but they have little realization that manna was food for the children of Israel only when they were wandering in the wilderness; it was not the food found in the Holy Place. If we serve God as priests in the Holy Place and minister before God, we will have an endless supply of food from the offerings on the altar because these offerings also were food for the priests. Eating the breast typifies enjoying the love of Christ, and eating the thighs typifies enjoying Christ as power. If we serve as priests, we will enjoy Christ in all His riches. Conversely, if we are wandering Christians who never enter into the Holy Place to live before God, our enjoyment of Christ will be limited to one aspect. If we want to enjoy Christ in a thorough, multifaceted, and full way, we must function as a priest. We must enter into the Holy of Holies and serve God before the throne of grace. In this place everything of Christ will become an enjoyment to both God and us.
The Bible also shows that those who enjoy Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:27 says, “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Putting on Christ means being clothed with Christ. According to the Bible, no one among God’s people was clothed more beautifully than the priests. From top to bottom, from inside to outside, from front to back, from left to right, everything that the priests wore typifies Christ, including the garment, the ephod, the breastplate, and the turban. This shows that the priests put on Christ in a thorough way. The ephod was made of “gold thread, of blue and purple and scarlet strands, and fine twined linen, the work of a skillful workman” (Exo. 28:6). A plate of pure gold on their turban was engraved with words: HOLINESS TO JEHOVAH (vv. 36-37). Pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet strands were sewn around the hem of the garment, and bells of gold were sewn to the hem (vv. 33-34). These items are rich in meaning. Pomegranates signify the fullness of life. When a pomegranate ripens and breaks open, its red seeds are an expression of life in its fullness. The golden bells, which sounded out if the priests walked too fast or carelessly, signify that the voice of warning in the church has its source in the divine nature. From the top the expression of the priest is one of glory according to divine holiness, and from the bottom the expression of the priest is related to life and the voice of warning. When the priests were ministering, there was something to see as well as to hear.
The breastplate of the priests was enclosed with twelve precious stones (vv. 15-21). Twelve is the number of the New Jerusalem. In the New Jerusalem there are twelve gates, twelve pearls, twelve foundations, and the names of twelve apostles and twelve tribes (Rev. 21:12, 14, 21). The measure of the wall is one hundred forty-four cubits (v. 17), which is twelve times twelve. In the New Jerusalem twelve is a significant number. It is amazing that there were also twelve precious stones on the priests’ breastplate.
The breastplate included two additional items: the Urim and the Thummim (Exo. 28:30). When I was young, I read a book written by a Jewish scholar, David Baron, entitled The Ancient Scriptures and the Modern Jew (1901). In this book there is a section on the significance of the Urim and the Thummim. Thummim means “completers.” There are twenty-two letters in the Hebrew alphabet, but only eighteen letters were used for the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. After the names of the twelve tribes were engraved on the breastplate, the remaining four letters were engraved on the Thummim, which was enclosed in the breastplate. In such a way all twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet were included on the breastplate. This is why Thummim means “completers.”
According to the aforementioned book, Urim means “lights,” so the Urim was an illuminator. Although it is hard for historians and Bible scholars to determine what kind of illumination was associated with the Urim, when the high priest wore the breastplate before God to inquire of Him or to seek answers to difficult problems, some of the letters of the alphabet would become dim. The priest could then take note of the order of the dimmed letters to spell out words that conveyed God’s intention. This is how Joshua identified Achan as the one who had committed a sin (Josh. 7:16-21).
The garments of the priests are rich in spiritual significance. We can only speak about them in a simple way. All the items of the priestly clothing relate to the expression of Christ. The food that the priests ate signifies the riches of Christ, and the clothing that they wore signifies the beauty of Christ.
The priestly garments, which speak of the expression of Christ, were made of the same material as used for the tabernacle. The curtains, the veil, and the screen at the entrance of the tabernacle, for example, were made with blue and purple and scarlet strands and fine twined linen, and the priestly garments contained these materials as well (Exo. 26:1, 31, 36; 28:8). The tabernacle had many items made of gold, and the priestly garments were made with gold thread (v. 6). Thus, in principle, the materials of the tabernacle, the dwelling place of God, were worn by the priests.
In the New Testament the priests are the dwelling place of God. First Peter 2:5 speaks of the believers “being built up as a spiritual house into a holy priesthood.” Those who are being built into a spiritual house are priests. Hence, the priests are the dwelling place of God. Although the Old Testament type cannot convey this thought in a clear way, we should realize that the priests were joined to the tabernacle, and the tabernacle was borne by the priests. According to the Old Testament, the priests not only served in the tabernacle but also were one with the tabernacle. Even when the children of Israel were moving, all the items of the tabernacle were carried by the priests and the Levites. Hence, the tabernacle and the priests were inseparable. In God’s eyes, the tabernacle was one with the priests, and the priests were one with the tabernacle; furthermore, the temple was one with the priests, and the priests were one with the temple. In the New Testament God’s spiritual house, His dwelling place, is the built-up priests, and the built-up priests are His dwelling place, the church.
God wants man to enjoy and express Christ. This is fulfilled through Christ as our food, our inward supply, and by Christ as our garments, our outward expression. This expression is related to His dwelling place. The building of God’s dwelling place depends upon the priesthood. The building materials of gold and precious stones that were worn by the priests signify the building materials of the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is built with gold and adorned with precious stones (Rev. 21:18-19). Similarly, on the breastplate of the priests, precious stones were enclosed in settings of gold (Exo. 28:11). The twelve precious stones enclosed in settings of gold were one item that signifies all the people of God. This shows that the priests wore the building of God and that the building of God was upon the priests. Without the priesthood there is no building of God.
The priesthood is crucial because the enjoyment and expression of God depend upon the priesthood. Furthermore, the building of God as the dwelling place of God is the priesthood. From the beginning to the end of the Bible, we see that God wants to gain a priesthood. All the glorious items in the Bible are related to the priesthood. If we are willing to come forward to God, fellowship with God, live before God, and allow God to flow through us, we will enjoy the riches of Christ and express the glory of Christ as priests in a full way. In this way we will bear the testimony of the church, and the building of the church will be realized among us. We need to see that the Lord’s purpose in the universe will be fulfilled only by a group of people who enjoy and express Christ in a genuine and full way. Such a group of people, as God’s corporate priesthood, will uphold the church, bear the testimony of the church, and bring in the building of God.
Concerning the ministering of the priests in the Holy Place, Exodus 27:20-21 says, “You shall command the children of Israel to bring to you pure oil of beaten olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually. In the Tent of Meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall maintain it in order from evening to morning before Jehovah; it shall be a perpetual statute to be observed throughout their generations by the children of Israel.” Then 30:6-8 says, “You shall put it before the veil that is over the Ark of the Testimony, before the expiation cover that is over the Testimony, where I will meet with you. And Aaron shall burn on it fragrant incense; every morning when he dresses the lamps he shall burn it. And when Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he shall burn it, a perpetual incense before Jehovah throughout your generations.” These two portions show that the function of the priests also included burning incense and lighting lamps in the tabernacle.
Some people may think that the priests only offered sacrifices. When the children of Israel brought their oxen, goats, or firstfruits to God, for example, the priests would offer these things on their behalf to God. The process of preparing these offerings involved “rough” things, such as killing oxen and sheep, but the priests also attended to “finer” matters, such as burning incense and lighting lamps. The process of burning incense in the Holy Place was not as “rough” as the process of preparing the sacrifices. In the Holy Place the priests also wore a garment with bells sewn onto the hem so that if the priests walked too fast, the bells would sound out. These bells restricted them from walking in a loose way. The priests also had to light the lamps. The Bible says that the priests burned incense before God while they were lighting and dressing the lamps (vv. 7-8). They could not burn incense in darkness; they had to do it in the light, in a bright place.
A few portions in the New Testament speak of the significance of the priests burning incense. Luke 1:8-10 says, “While he [Zachariah] served as priest in the order of his course before God, according to the custom of the priestly service, the lot fell to him to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And all the multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of the burning of incense.” Please note that while Zachariah was serving God by burning the incense, people were praying outside; he was not serving by himself.
Revelation 5:8 says, “The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, each having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which bowls are the prayers of the saints.” Which bowls is a translation of a relative pronoun that is in the Greek text. It literally means “this,” without specifying what “this” is. Consequently, translators of the Bible have argued over the object of this word. Some think that the pronoun refers to the incense, whereas others maintain that it refers to the bowls. According to the Bible, this pronoun should refer to the bowls of incense. The prayers of the saints are not the incense but the bowls; the incense is Christ Himself. Only the resurrected Christ is the incense. The bowls that contain the incense refer to the fact that the saints’ prayers are full of the fragrance of the resurrected Christ.
Verses 3 through 5 of chapter 8 say, “Another Angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer, and much incense was given to Him to offer with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense went up with the prayers of the saints out of the hand of the Angel before God. And the Angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar and cast it to the earth; and there were thunders and voices and lightnings and an earthquake.” Another Angel means there was “another Messenger,” indicating that this Messenger is different from any other angel. Many Bible scholars agree that another Angel refers to the Lord Jesus. The censer in this passage refers to the prayers of the saints, and the incense added to their prayers denotes that the fragrance of the resurrected Christ is added to the prayers of the saints, ascending with their prayers and being accepted by God. The result of these prayers being heard is thunders, voices, lightnings, and an earthquake. The significance of the priests burning the incense before God is the addition of the resurrected Christ as fragrance to their prayers that are offered to God.
In addition to burning incense and lighting lamps, the priestly service involved the joyful matter of songs. Although the Pentateuch does not speak of the priests singing, the matter of singing was added to the priestly and Levitical services during the time of David. Although David was a king, he put on the ephod, the garment worn over the priestly tunic with its priestly characteristics, when he received the Ark, and he danced (2 Sam. 6:14). He also sang before God (ch. 22). Later, when he arranged the divisions of the priests, he asked the Levites to sing before God according to the divisions. First Chronicles 6:31-33 says, “These are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of Jehovah after the Ark was at rest. And they ministered before the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting with singing until Solomon built the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem; and they attended to their service according to their order. And these are they who attended and their sons.” This refers to the singing service of the tribe of Levi before the tabernacle.
Furthermore, “David and the leaders of the army set apart for the service some of the sons of Asaph and Heman and Jeduthun to prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbals...And the number of them, with their brothers who were instructed in singing to Jehovah, all of whom were skillful, was two hundred eighty-eight. And they cast lots for their duties, all alike, the small as well as the great, the teacher as well as the student” (25:1, 7-8). As a group, the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun were set apart to minister in the tribe of Levi. This portion of the Word speaks of three characteristics of this group of singers. First, the group was trained to sing to Jehovah. Whether or not some had a natural ability to sing, everyone had to be trained. This should be a great encouragement to those who think that they cannot sing. Second, the number spoken of in verse 7 is very particular, and it relates to the New Jerusalem. Two hundred eighty-eight is two times one hundred forty-four. The measure of the wall of the New Jerusalem is one hundred forty-four cubits (Rev. 21:17). One hundred forty-four is twelve times twelve. The singers were divided into twenty-four divisions with twelve in each division. This equals two hundred eighty-eight, which is exactly two times twelve times twelve. Third, everyone was divided into divisions that contained “the small as well as the great, the teacher as well as the student.” In these groups some were instructing, and others were learning to sing. In the church meetings there should be some teaching and some learning how to sing. First Chronicles 25:1 speaks of prophesying, and this shows that they sang the Word of God. Perhaps they turned the Word of God into hymns. The word prophesying in the Bible does not necessarily mean foretelling future events; it also means speaking on behalf of someone. Hence, the hymns that the Levites sang were expressions of the Word of God. Although the priests did other things—such as setting the bread of the Presence before God (Exo. 25:30)—burning incense, lighting lamps, and singing were central and fine elements of the service of the priesthood.
Today these three elements of service apply to us as New Testament priests. Burning incense refers to prayer and fellowship with the Lord, lighting lamps refers to being enlightened by God through the reading of the Word, and singing refers to expressing God. We should not think of singing as merely a matter related to music; it is a means of expression. In Christianity singing is a matter only of choirs and music, but in the Bible it is a matter of expressing the grace in our hearts (Col. 3:16); that is, it is a matter of the Spirit flowing from our spirit to express the grace, virtues, and glory of the Lord. Singing is a speaking for God, an expressing from within of the things that we have been touched with by God.
If we function as priests by burning incense and lighting lamps, our situation will be full of glory, and if we remain in the Holy of Holies, touching the throne of grace and allowing living water to flow through us, we will be filled with God. This will fill us with new wine in the meetings, causing us to sing and prophesy with the utterances of God. This glorious situation will be music in God’s ears. By praying and reading the Bible, we will be filled with God inwardly and spontaneously speak and sing. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matt. 12:34); hence, singing is a spontaneous issue of burning incense and lighting lamps.
Regrettably, this is not the case in Christianity today. In revival meetings organized by Christian groups, hardly anyone will pray when the host asks for a volunteer, even though hundreds or thousands of people are present. For every meeting, arrangements have to be made ahead of time for a pastor to read the Bible or an elder to pray. The audience is completely silent, because no one is filled with God inwardly; consequently, they have nothing to say. They are listening with their ears, but their spirit is inactive. When they are asked to pray, they answer, “No, no, I am not a pastor.” This is a pitiful situation.
A brother once told me that he and two other brothers visited a patient in the hospital. At the end of the visit they had some prayer together. When a friend of the patient saw them praying, he asked, “Are you a pastor? How do you know how to pray so well?” This shows that it is a common thought among Christians that only pastors know how to pray.
However, even we often come to a prayer meeting with a deflated spirit. When we are not filled with God, we do not want to speak, and everyone remains in a dry and deadened condition. If several minutes pass in silence, the responsible brothers are left with no choice but to pick a hymn. Then everyone sings the hymn with a weak voice, and after the singing, a responsible brother will offer a prayer, and then another responsible brother will stand up to announce items for prayer. Even if there is some prayer after this announcement, the Spirit is not touched. This causes the brothers to say, “Our condition is not good because we are short of speakers. If we had someone to minister the word in our prayer meeting, it would be wonderful.” In fact, however, our condition is related to our lack of function as priests.
May we be delivered from such a desolate state, knowing that the Lord’s blood has been shed and the veil has been split. Through His blood we can enter through the veil into the Holy of Holies and touch the throne of grace (Heb. 10:19-20; 4:16). His Spirit indwells us, and we should let Him flow through us. We need to exercise to serve as a priest. We need to burn the incense before God, adding the resurrected Christ as the fragrance to our prayers and offering them to God. Moreover, every time we draw near to God, we must light the lamps by reading the Bible.
Every time we fellowship with God, we should be in the light, because God is light. The Bible is the word of God, and the word of God is God Himself. When we touch the word of God, we touch God Himself. Since God is light, the word of God is also light. Whenever we read the Bible in an exercised way, we are filled with light, and we can touch God through prayer. If we read the Bible and pray in this way, we will surely touch Christ, enjoy Christ, absorb Christ, and gain Christ in a full way. Then when we come to a meeting, our mouth will speak out of the abundance of our heart. We will pray, praise, give thanks, and prophesy, fulfilling our priestly service by burning the incense, lighting the lamps, and singing.
Every time we come forward to God to fellowship, pray, read the Bible, and even sing, we need to turn our being to our spirit. If you ask what you need to turn from, I would say, “You know.” Sometimes our thoughts are in one place, and a few seconds later they are in another place. It seems as if our thoughts can travel as fast as a jet plane. It is difficult to pray and draw near to God in this condition. If we want to fulfill our priestly service through prayer, we must turn from the thoughts that fly wildly through our mind.
Some people say that when they pray, they shut the door of their room. While it may be easy to shut a door, it is hard to turn our being back to our spirit. Even though a door may be closed, thoughts are still flying around in our mind. We may even close our eyes, but our thoughts can still fly from the United States to Japan. When we wander in this way, we cannot pray or read the Bible.
We must practice turning our being to our spirit, until we are skilled in this matter. When I was young, it was hard for me to learn how to ride a bicycle. Whenever I tried to ride, I would immediately fall over. When I asked others to help me, they said, “The only way to learn is to keep trying. When you ride and fall, you just need to begin to ride again. Eventually, you will not fall.” After I heard this word, I practiced until I acquired the skill of riding a bicycle. We can learn to turn our being by practicing to turn our being. If we practice, we will learn. God is not only on the throne, but He is also in our spirit. We need to focus on fellowshipping with the God in our spirit. If we want to pray, we must turn to our spirit. This is the first thing that we need to practice.
When we turn our being to our spirit, we should not rely upon any consideration related to the content of our prayer. When we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, the things that we need to pray about will be added to us. This can be likened to going to a market to buy some vegetables but then being given some more vegetables as a bonus. We do not need to worry about the content of our prayer. We just need to pray according to our inward inspiration. What we sense inwardly, we should speak outwardly. If we have a sense of joy within, we should say, “Lord, I am very happy.” If we have a sense of pain within, we should say, “Lord, I am hurting.” Genuine prayer comes out of the genuineness of a person.
Regrettably, we often have two “faces” when we pray to God. For example, we may have a sense of a particular sin, but instead, we pray about other matters, such as the illness of our wife, saying, “Lord, my wife is ill in the hospital. Please take care of her.” A prayer that does not come out of the genuineness of a person may not be answered by God. If we have a sense regarding a sin, we need to confess the sin before we pray about anything else.
When we truly learn how to pray, speaking what we feel inwardly and touching the inner fountain of life, we will touch Christ, and the living water from the throne will flow out freely. The priesthood comes out of eating, drinking, enjoying, and being filled with Christ.
If we function as priests every day, we will enjoy Christ inwardly and express Christ outwardly. Spontaneously, we will also be living in the church and bearing the church. We will be persons in Christ and in the church. Furthermore, the riches of God will flow through us, and the glory of God will be expressed through us. We will bear His image and exercise His dominion as royal priests, as the dwelling place of God, the building of God.
We must learn to burn incense and light lamps before God. We must learn to draw near to God, pray to God, and read the Word of God. Then, as we are filled with Him inwardly, we will open our mouth to speak and sing. Our mouth should always be open. Our mouth should always be full of praises, songs, and rich utterances. If this is our situation, the living water will flow freely among us, and the riches of God will become our reality. This will build up the church as the dwelling place of God and the building of God.
