Message 140
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Scripture Reading: Exo. 29:29-46
We have pointed out that 29:29-46 is a brief sketch of chapters twenty-eight and twenty-nine of Exodus. The first aspect of this sketch consists of statutes concerning the holy garments of the high priests. Verses 29 and 30 say, “And the holy garments which are for Aaron shall be for his sons after him, to be anointed in them and to fill their hands in them. Seven days shall the son that is priest in his stead put them on, when he comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place.” These verses speak only of the garments worn by the high priest, first by Aaron and then by his sons, his descendants, after him. This word was to apply to all the coming generations. It applied to Aaron, then to his son, and after that to his grandson. There could, of course, be only one high priest at a time. When Aaron died, Eleazar his son succeeded him as high priest.
Concerning the holy garments, verse 29 says that Aaron and his sons were to be anointed in them and to have their hands filled in them. The phrase “in them” means in the priestly garments. In order to have the anointing and the filling of hands, the high priest had to be clothed with the holy garments. In other words, if he were not properly clothed, he would not be qualified to be anointed.
God cannot anoint anyone who is naked. Neither can He fill the hands of such a one. This is the reason, as we have already seen, that in the sanctification of the priests we first have the washing and then the covering of their nakedness. If we are spiritually naked in the sight of God, He will stay away from us. Anyone who was not properly clothed could never enter into the Holy of Holies to appear before God. Anyone who came into God’s dwelling place had to be fully covered. Now we see that in order for the high priest to be anointed and to have his hands filled, he had to first be clothed with the holy garments.
This principle also applies to us as priests in the church life today. Do you intend to serve in the church as a priest? If this is your intention, you need to be anointed and filled. However, you must be anointed and filled in the priestly garments. At this point, we need to recall that these garments typify different aspects of Christ. Hence, to be clothed with the priestly garments is to be fully covered by Christ and with Christ. Once we are covered by Christ, we are qualified to be anointed.
Today many Christians either neglect the Holy Spirit, or they speak of the Spirit in a strange way. This is the reason I cannot agree with today’s Pentecostalism. Many in Pentecostalism do not experience a genuine anointing, because they are not properly covered with Christ. Actually there is no need for us to pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. If we are covered with Christ in a proper way, the anointing is ours. It comes automatically. I can testify of this from my experience. For a period of time many years ago, I adopted the practice of speaking in tongues. But after more than a year, I fully abandoned that practice. I can testify that I have more spiritual power today than I did when I spoke in tongues. But many who claim to have the power of the Spirit actually have nothing more than a phantom. Their experience and their work are not lasting.
Not only were the high priests anointed in the holy garments, but they had to be clothed with these garments in order to have their hands filled. This indicates that we need to be covered with Christ, and then we can have our hands filled with Him.
Verse 30 says that the high priest who serves in Aaron’s stead must wear the holy garments seven days when he comes into the tent of meeting to minister in the holy place. I have spent much time to understand the meaning of this verse. This verse means that whenever we touch the service of God, even if only for a day, we need to wear the priestly garments for seven days. Seven days signifies a full course of time. Therefore, when we touch the service of God, we need to wear Christ in various aspects for a full course of time.
Let us apply this matter of wearing Christ a full course of time in a very practical way. In particular, let us apply it to the church meetings. When we come to a meeting, perhaps on the Lord’s Day, we may have the desire to serve God as priests. However, if we would be proper priests serving God, we cannot do this simply by putting on Christ in an instant way. On the contrary, we must wear Christ as the priestly garments a full course of time. This is to live Christ day by day for seven days, that is, for a full course of time.
God’s service is not merely for a day; it is for our entire Christian life. Our whole Christian life, from the time we are saved until the Lord’s coming back, is the full course of time signified by the seven days in verse 30. Therefore, we need to wear Christ for the full course of our life on earth.
Some of those reading this word may remember that on another occasion I said that, by applying the Lord’s blood to our situation, we can function in the church meetings, even if during the day we have failed the Lord, for example, by losing our temper. Yes, I did say that through the cleansing of the blood of Christ we can have a peaceful conscience to praise the Lord in the meetings. But such a service is of another category from the priestly service. If we live Christ day by day, wearing Him in His different aspects throughout the course of our Christian life, and then come to the meeting to function as a priest, that is one kind of service. But if we merely apply the Lord’s blood just prior to coming to the meetings to cleanse us of our failures and weaknesses, we can serve Him, but in a category different from priestly service.
The Lord knows what is the basis of our service in the church life. He can discern our situation. Furthermore, the experienced saints also know the basis of our service. Is the basis a life of constantly wearing Christ, a life of wearing Him a full course of time, or is it the instant wearing of Christ? Of course, it is better to wear Christ instantly than not to wear Him at all. But it is far better to wear Christ constantly.
Wearing Christ instantly to the Lord’s table meeting may be compared to a person quickly putting on his suit coat and necktie for a special occasion. But wearing Christ constantly can be compared to a person who wears a coat and tie all day long. In the latter case, the wearing of these clothes is part of his living. Those who wear Christ constantly and then come to the meetings of the church to serve have depth, weight, and riches.
Exodus 29:31-42a is concerned with the holy food for the priests (vv. 31-34) and for the daily offerings of the filling of hands of the priests (vv. 35-42a). In chapter twenty-nine God’s food is described first. We are first told of the burnt offering, of the right shoulder of the ram of the peace offering, and of the bread, the cake, and the wafer, all of which were burned to be God’s food. Then this chapter goes on to speak about the food of the priests. In the conclusion, however, the priest’s food is mentioned first. The reason is that the conclusion is practical. In actual practice, we need to be clothed, and then we need to be satisfied. We cannot serve God with an empty stomach. First we need to be fed. Then we shall serve God, not out of our emptiness, but out of that with which we are filled. Therefore, this part of Exodus 29 first takes care of the priests’ food and then takes care of God’s food.
Verse 31 says, “And you shall take the ram of the filling of hands and boil its flesh in a holy place.” The ram here is not the first ram, the ram of the burnt offering, but the second ram, the ram of the peace offering. The first ram was burned wholly for God’s satisfaction. No part of it was for the priests. Of the second ram, the ram of the filling of hands, the right shoulder was burned for God, and the right breast was given to Moses as his portion. The priests, Aaron and his sons, were given the left breast and the left shoulder. The left breast was a wave offering, and the left shoulder was a heave offering. The portions of the second ram given to Moses and the priests are denoted by the word flesh in verse 31.
According to verse 31, the flesh of this ram was boiled in a holy place. God’s portion is not boiled; it is burned. Remember that the Passover lamb had to be burned, not boiled. What is the difference in spiritual significance between boiling and burning? Burning implies God’s judgment. Anything offered to God for His enjoyment must be judged by Him; that is, it must be burned by His holy fire. Although God’s food was burned, the priests’ food was boiled. It was not necessary for their food to be judged. Burning implies judgment, but boiling does not imply judgment. Therefore, the breast and the shoulder of the second ram, given to the priests as food, were boiled.
The priests’ portion of the second ram was boiled in a holy place, which must have been in the court of the tabernacle; and the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, is a type of the church. The children of Israel enjoyed the produce of the good land in the way of first laboring in the holy land. Then they reaped an abundant harvest. They were allowed to enjoy much of this harvest anywhere. The holy land is a type of Christ, and the harvest signifies the riches of Christ. Therefore, the children of Israel enjoying the harvest anywhere indicates that the children of God can enjoy the riches of Christ in any place. However, the children of Israel did not have the right to enjoy the top tenth of the harvest in the place of their choice. That portion, the tithe, had to be set aside and kept for the feasts. At the time of the feasts, they were to bring this top tenth, this tithe, to Zion. A part of this tithe was offered to God. Among the things offered to God were the two rams. One ram was for God, and a portion of the other was for the priests. Not only was this second ram eaten only in Zion; it had to be eaten in the holy court. This signifies that this portion of Christ is to be enjoyed in the church life.
This ram was the topmost portion. It was the top part of the tithe of the harvest produced in the holy land. The tithe was the topmost part of the harvest, and of this tithe a part was taken for the priests. Numbers 18:26 says that of the tenth offered by the children of Israel from their harvest, a tenth was separated for the priests. From this we see that the food of the priests was the topmost portion among the top tenth.
Yes, you can enjoy Christ in every place. However, the Christ you enjoy in other places will not be nearly as rich as the Christ you enjoy in a church meeting. Some say, “Why must we attend the church meetings in order to enjoy Christ? This concept is too narrow. Can’t we meet at home and enjoy the Lord?” You certainly can enjoy Christ in your living room with a few other believers. But that enjoyment is different from the enjoyment of Christ at the Lord’s table meeting in the church. To enjoy Christ in the church meeting is to enjoy Him in the Holy Place.
The holy land is itself a holy place. However, with believers there is a difference of degree. The holy land, the holy mountain of Zion, and the holy court of the tabernacle are all holy places. Nevertheless, the degree of holiness differs. In what kind of holy place are you? Are you in the holy land, on the holy mountain, or in the holy court?
The Lord Jesus promised that if even two or three are gathered together in His name, He will be among them (Matt. 18:20). Therefore, some may argue, “In our living room we have many more than two or three meeting together. Isn’t Christ among us?” Yes, Christ is with you in your living room. But that is Christ in the holy land, not on the holy mountain, much less in the holy court.
Let me give some further illustrations. You may be in a worldly place and still have some enjoyment of Christ. In addition, you may attend an evangelistic campaign conducted by a particular group of Christians and enjoy Christ there. You may also attend the Lord’s table meeting in the church and enjoy Christ. Here we have three kinds of enjoyment of Christ: the enjoyment in a worldly place, the enjoyment in an evangelistic campaign, and the enjoyment at the Lord’s table meeting. Are these kinds of enjoyment of Christ the same? No, they are not. The holy food for the priests must be boiled and eaten by the priests in a holy place. This holy place is not merely the holy land or the holy mountain; it is in the holy court of the tent of meeting. Therefore, the church meeting is the place to have the topmost enjoyment of Christ. In the meetings we enjoy the best portion of Christ. Thus, Exodus 29:32 says, “And Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread which is in the basket, at the door of the tent of meeting. ”
Verse 33 goes on to say, “And they shall eat those things by which propitiation was made to fill their hands to sanctify them; but a stranger shall not eat them, for they are holy.” The holy food was only for the priests, not for strangers. This holy food was to be eaten by holy people in a holy place.
Concerning the holy food for the priests, verse 34 concludes, “And if any of the flesh of the filling of hands and of the bread remain until the morning, then you shall burn the remainder with fire; it shall not be eaten, for it is holy.” In typology what does it mean that the flesh and the bread were to be eaten before morning? This means that we need to experience Christ before His coming back. We should not say, “Let me forget about the enjoyment of Christ today. I certainly shall enjoy Him when He comes back.” To do this is to keep the flesh of the second ram until the morning. The morning in typology is the Lord’s coming back.
This also indicates that we should not save Christ for enjoyment in the future. Do not open a spiritual savings account to keep the enjoyment of Christ for a later time. Instead, we should consume what we have of Christ. Do not save Christ for the future. Do not allow the flesh of the second ram to remain until morning. According to verse 34, the flesh that remained was to be burned, even though it had already been boiled. This means that it was then to be for God’s enjoyment. If we try to save Christ, God will say, “Instead of saving that portion of Christ, offer it to Me and let Me eat it. If you don’t enjoy Christ, let Me enjoy Him for you. Let what remains become My portion.” This is the significance of the flesh and the bread not remaining until the morning and the remainder being burned with fire.
