Message 144
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Scripture Reading: Exo. 29:29-46
Exodus 29:38-40 says, “And this is what you shall offer upon the altar: two lambs a year old, every day continually. The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer between the evenings; and with the one lamb a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mingled with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering.” According to these verses, two lambs a year old were to be offered every day, one in the morning and the other in the evening. Along with each lamb, there was to be an offering of a tenth of an ephah of fine flour, a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine.
In typology, or in figure, a lamb signifies Christ as the One obedient to God and meek before men. When Christ was on earth, He lived a life of obedience and meekness. The four Gospels indicate that Christ in His humanity was obedient and meek.
When some read this word about the meekness of Christ, they may wonder if Christ was meek when He took a whip of cords and drove out the moneychangers from the temple (John 2:15). We need to remember that Christ is all-inclusive. As a man, He is obedient and meek. But He is also the Lord and the Master. As the Master, it was necessary for Him to chasten His people. A father may be very gentle and meek, but it is still sometimes necessary for him to discipline his children. A father should not say, “I should always be a lamb in relation to my children. Therefore, I should not discipline them.” In such a case, he would be a lamb-father. But in the Bible there is no such thing as a lamb-father. Rather, the Bible reveals that the Father must discipline, chasten, His children. Hence, the Lord’s chastening of His people in no way detracts from His meekness as a human being.
Let us now go on to consider the items of the vegetable life in Exodus 29: the wheat, the oil, and the wine. In The All-Inclusive Christ we have pointed out in detail that wheat and barley are both types of Christ as our life supply. As the vegetable life, Christ is the One who produces life. A grain of wheat is useful in producing life and also in producing food for eating. When a grain of wheat is sown into the ground, it eventually grows and produces wheat. When the wheat is ground into flour, it becomes suitable for eating. Therefore, wheat signifies Christ as the life producer and also as the life supply.
In the Gospel of John we have a revelation of Christ as the life producer and life supply. In John 6:41 the Lord Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” Elsewhere in the same chapter, the Lord used five barley loaves and two fishes to feed the multitude. Moreover, according to John 12:24, the Lord Jesus was a grain of wheat who fell into the ground to produce many grains: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” In chapter six of John we have the life supply, and in chapter twelve, the life producing.
When we offer Christ to God in the morning as our sin offering, we shall be brought into a clear situation with God. We shall also have a clear conscience, a liberated spirit, and an atmosphere of peace. Spontaneously, during the day Christ will be a lamb to us, and we shall live Him as this lamb. Furthermore, we shall also experience Christ as a grain of wheat. As we live Him, He will become our life supply, and He will also produce something within us that is good for eating. This is the way to grow Christ as wheat.
Are you still wondering how to grow Christ as wheat? The way to grow Christ is to live Him as your life supply and as the One who produces life within you. Words are not adequate to describe this experience. But if we daily offer Christ as our sin offering, other experiences of Christ will follow automatically. By offering Christ to God as our sin offering, we indicate strongly that we mean business with God. Perhaps in the past we were somewhat negligent and did not mean business with the Lord. However, offering Christ to God as a sin offering proves that we are serious with the Lord in living Him. Previously we may have talked about living Christ, but were not seriously intending to live Him. But from the time we sincerely begin to offer Christ as a sin offering, we indicate that we mean business with the Lord. As a result of offering Christ as the sin offering, the sky is clear over us, our spirit is freed, and spontaneously Christ as the life-giving Spirit has the ground in us to move and the opportunity to energize us inwardly. Then spontaneously we live Him as a lamb and also as a grain of wheat. In this way we raise Christ as a lamb, and we grow Him as wheat.
The more we raise Christ and grow Christ, the more we shall have Him as the animal life and the vegetable life in the church meetings. Then we shall be rich in spiritual groceries, for we shall have Christ as the bull for a sin offering, as the lamb for a burnt offering, and as the grain that produces life and supplies life.
In the church meetings we need to forget the past religious and traditional practices. No longer should we pray in a traditional manner. Rather, our prayers need to be transformed. This means that in our prayers we should make mention of Christ as the bull for a sin offering, as the lamb for a burnt offering, and as the grain for a meal offering.
Regarding Christ as the animal life, the cattle, God requires only one bull and two lambs. However, we need to have a reserve, a flock, of Christ. If we do not have a reserve of Christ as the animal life, how shall we be able to continue offering Christ as the bull for a sin offering and as the lamb for a burnt offering? Therefore, although we cannot raise many Christs, because Christ is uniquely one, nevertheless in our experience we can raise Christ as a herd and as a flock so that we may have the reserve that will enable us to offer Him to God continually.
Regarding the food offered to Him, God is not greedy. He does not eat without limitation. Of the cattle, the animal life, He requires only two lambs. Concerning flour, He requires only the tenth of an ephah, that is, one omer. According to Exodus 16, an omer was the measure of each one’s daily portion of manna. Therefore, God actually does not require very much in quantity. We should not think that God’s eating has no limitation. On the contrary, God wants you to offer Him an omer of flour. However, you still need to have a reserve. It is not possible to grow Christ as wheat in a short period of time. For this reason, we need a reserve of both grain and flour. Even if we have a large quantity of grain, not enough of this grain may have been ground into flour. Then we shall not have the adequate amount of flour for a meal offering. We need a reserve not only of grain, but also of flour.
Verse 40 says that the tenth of an ephah of fine flour was mingled with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil. We would find it difficult to eat bread without some kind of oil. Usually we put butter on our bread. In like manner, God’s eating of flour also requires oil. We have seen that the flour, or wheat, typifies Christ as the life supply and as the life-producing One. But what does the oil typify? The oil here typifies Christ as the anointing Spirit. Christ is the olive tree that produces the oil which typifies the life-giving Spirit.
Recently in Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament I read a portion about the historic Christ and the pneumatic Christ. The historic Christ is the One who lived on earth. But after His resurrection the historic Christ became the pneumatic Christ. The term pneumatic Christ does not denote a spiritual Christ; rather, it refers to Christ as the Spirit, as the pneuma. A number of writers agree in saying that in the Epistles of Paul Christ is identical to the Spirit, especially insofar as Christian experience is concerned. Thus, we should not think that it is a false teaching to say that Christ is the life-giving Spirit.
Some Bible teachers have pointed out that olive oil is a type of the Holy Spirit of God. This understanding, however, is only partially right. The olive oil not only typifies the Holy Spirit of God, but also typifies Christ as the Spirit. Christ as the Spirit is not separate from the Holy Spirit. No, these two are one Spirit.
In Exodus 29 Christ is the bull, Christ is the lambs, Christ is the flour, and Christ is also the olive oil. It would not be logical to say that the bull, the lambs, the flour, and the wine are Christ but that the oil is something other than Christ. All these categories of things are types of Christ.
Many teachers of the Bible try to separate the Holy Spirit from Christ. They insist on holding the traditional teaching of three separate Persons in the Trinity. According to this teaching, Christ the Son is separate from the Holy Spirit. Those who hold to this concept ignore the revelation in the Bible, expressed both in types and in plain words, that Christ is the life-giving Spirit.
Our concern is not for tradition or systematic theology. We care only for the facts of the Scripture and for spiritual reality. In Exodus 29 there are six items of groceries, three of the animal life and three of the vegetable life. We should not say that the three items of the animal life and two of the vegetable life are types of Christ but that the third item of the vegetable life is a type of the Holy Spirit, not of Christ. No, the oil here typifies Christ as the Spirit. According to the Bible, it is not heretical to teach that Christ is the Spirit. On the contrary, it is heretical to deny it.
The bull, the lambs, the flour, the olive oil, and the wine are all different aspects of Christ. If you consider your experience, you will realize that when you offer Christ as the sin offering, the whole situation between you and God becomes clear. Then in you Christ will be a lamb, obedient to God and meek in the presence of others. He will also be flour for the producing of life and the supplying of life. At the same time, He, the anointing One, will move within you. Christ Himself is the bull, the lamb, the flour, the olive tree producing oil, and the wine.
How do we produce olive oil? In other words, how can we grow Christ as an olive tree? We grow Him as an olive tree and produce olive oil by always exercising our mingled spirit, our regenerated spirit mingled with the Holy Spirit, and by using this mingled spirit. We should not say or do anything apart from this spirit. Everything we do should be in spirit. This is to grow Christ as the olive tree, and this is the way to produce oil.
If we put all these matters into practice, we shall have more understanding of them. We shall realize that the lamb, the wheat, and the olive tree are all growing within us. On the one hand, we are a ranch; on the other hand, we are a farm. On the ranch bulls are being raised and lambs are eating tender grass. On the farm wheat and olive trees are growing. The result is that we have an abundance of oil. Anyone who lives in this way will be filled with oil in his words, attitudes, and activities.
From experience we know that if we do not live in this way, we shall be dry, very much lacking in oil. For example, when a brother is arguing with his wife, both of them are dry. They do not experience anything of the anointing. But if a brother and his wife both offer Christ as their sin offering, their words and activities together will be full of oil. Between them there will be a flow of olive oil.
In order for a machine to run, it must have oil. The motor in your car needs oil. Often, a machine that is lacking in oil will make an unpleasant sound. The same is true in principle with the arguing between husband and wife. The exchanging of words between a brother and his wife gives forth a sound of dryness. But if a brother has sufficient oil, even the exchanging of words with his wife will be replaced with something that is sweet and pleasant. The oil makes everything smooth. You may say, “But if we are full of the Spirit, we would not argue.” That would be very good. Then instead of arguing, there would be praise and fellowship.
We all need olive oil. The way to gain the oil is to deal with the mingled spirit, to use our spirit, and to live, walk, speak, and do everything by the spirit. Then we shall have the oil to be mingled with the flour for a meal offering.
Let us now say a word concerning the wine of the drink offering. When we experience Christ as the One who produces life and supplies life, we have Him as wheat. When we walk in spirit and do things in spirit, dealing with the Spirit, we are growing olives. Then if we are willing to sacrifice and pour out what we have experienced of Christ, we shall have Him as wine. This is the way to produce wine.
The quantity of wine is the same as that of the oil. Both are a quarter of a hin. This indicates that we cannot pour our life out for God more than we have enjoyed Christ. What we pour out cannot exceed the extent of our enjoyment of Christ. The oil is for enjoyment, and the wine is to be poured out as a drink offering to God. What we experience of the Spirit in our spirit should be poured out. We should not retain it for ourselves.
To produce oil is to live by Christ, and to produce wine is to die for Him. To live Christ is to grow wheat and olive trees; to die for Him is to produce wine. This is to turn the oil into wine. Therefore, we need to live Christ and also die for Him. We live by Him, and we live for Him. This is to experience Him as wheat and olive oil. But we also must die for Him. This is to experience Him as wine. In 1 Corinthians 15:31 Paul says, “Daily I die.” In 2 Corinthians 4:10 he says that day by day he experiences the putting to death of Jesus. We also need to be put to death day by day, even in our married life and family life. This is to pour out as wine what we have experienced and enjoyed of Christ. This wine is a heavenly spiritual wine poured out to God for His pleasure.
When we have the lambs, the wheat, the oil, and the wine, we have all the courses for a feast. We have these courses by daily offering Christ as our sin offering. If we practice offering Him in this way, we shall have a clear conscience and a free spirit. Then Christ will live in us as the lamb, the wheat, the olive tree, and the grape vine. Therefore, we shall raise Christ as a lamb and grow Him as wheat, olive trees, and vines. The result will be that we shall have the produce of the good land as our spiritual groceries. When we come to the meetings of the church, we should bring these groceries with us. This does not mean that we should bring all that we have produced. Rather, we should bring two lambs, a tenth of an ephah of flour, a quarter of a hin of oil, and the same amount of wine. We should then offer all this to God as food for His satisfaction.
