Message 51
Scripture Reading: Lev. 22:1-33
Chapter twenty-two of Leviticus covers two things: the holiness in enjoying the holy things (vv. 2-16) and the acceptable way for the offering of a vow and a freewill offering (vv. 18-33).
We need holiness for the enjoyment of the holy things. In order to be qualified to enjoy the holy things, we need a certain amount of holiness. We need holiness, sanctification, separation to God, to a certain degree.
“Speak to Aaron and to his sons, that they keep themselves apart from the holy things of the sons of Israel which they sanctify to Me, so that they may not profane My holy name: I am Jehovah. Say to them, Any man among all your offspring throughout your generations who comes near the holy things which the sons of Israel sanctify to Jehovah while he is unclean, that person shall be cut off from before Me: I am Jehovah” (vv. 2-3). The holy things here signify Christ, whom God gives to His serving ones for their enjoyment. Everything that the people offered to God is a type of Christ, whom God gives to us, the serving ones, for our enjoyment. Hence, the holy things are the Christ whom we experience and enjoy.
In verses 3 through 9 we see that an unclean person was forbidden to eat the holy things, unless he had bathed his flesh in water, that he might not sin and die. This signifies that we should not enjoy Christ while we are defiled with unclean things, until we deal thoroughly with the defilement, that we may not be condemned and suffer spiritual death. This means that if we would enjoy Christ, we must be careful about our situation. If we are unclean or defiled in any way, we must have a thorough dealing, mainly by bathing, washing, ourselves in the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, we shall suffer a certain amount of spiritual death.
“No outsider shall eat of a holy thing; a sojourner of a priest or a hired servant shall not eat of a holy thing” (v. 10). This signifies that an unsaved person or one who has no share in God’s service may not enjoy Christ. Such persons have no part in the priesthood and are forbidden to eat the holy things.
“But if a priest buys a slave, the purchase of his money, that one may eat of it; and those who are born in his house may eat of his food” (v. 11). This signifies that the ones purchased by Christ with His precious blood and born of God in His house may enjoy Christ. Since we have been purchased by Christ and since we were born of God in His house, we are surely qualified to enjoy Christ.
“And if the priest’s daughter marries an outsider, she shall not eat of the heave offering of the holy things. But if the priest’s daughter becomes a widow or is divorced, and has no child, and she returns to her father’s house as in her youth, she may eat of her father’s food; but no outsider shall eat of it” (vv. 12-13). This signifies that a believer who is attracted away by an outsider may not enjoy the ascended Christ. But if he cuts off his relationship with the outsider without leaving any connection and returns to the church, he may still enjoy Christ.
For one to be a daughter of the priest means that such a one belongs to the priesthood. If we who belong to the priesthood are attracted by an outsider, we are finished with the priesthood and with the enjoyment of Christ. However, if that attraction dies and we return to the church life, then our enjoyment of Christ will be recovered.
“If a man eats a holy thing through ignorance, then he shall add one-fifth more to it and give the holy thing to the priest” (v. 14). Here we see that if someone ate a holy thing without knowing that it was holy, he was required to make restitution by adding one-fifth more to the holy thing and giving it to the priest. This signifies that our careless enjoyment of Christ should not be considered a real enjoyment of Christ but should be dealt with before God.
It is possible for us to be self-deceived regarding the enjoyment of Christ. We may think that we are enjoying Christ, when that enjoyment is not the real enjoyment of Christ. Such a false enjoyment of Christ needs to be dealt with before God.
We have briefly covered the need of holiness for the enjoyment of Christ as the holy things. Now we shall consider from verses 18 through 33 the acceptable way for the offering of a vow and a freewill offering.
A vow is much stronger than a freewill offering. Once made, a vow is something very stable, and it must be kept. A freewill offering, on the contrary, is a matter of our free will. We may make a freewill offering and then not follow through with it or even forget it. We may have a freewill offering toward God and later want to change it. This refers to a kind of consecration that is not stable or sure. A vow, however, is like an oath made with God that cannot be retracted. It must be kept. A saint may consecrate himself to God of his free will, but after a period of time, he may forget about it. But a vow cannot be cancelled. Hence, the offerings for a vow are stronger than those for a freewill offering. Furthermore, a certain offering may be accepted as a freewill offering but not as an offering for a vow.
In 22:18-21 we see that an offering for a vow, for a freewill offering, or as a peace offering that was offered to Jehovah for a burnt offering had to be a male without blemish, of the herd, of the sheep, or of the goats, that it might be accepted. This signifies that our offering of the Christ whom we experience that is offered to God as God’s food must be without blemish, that it might be accepted.
An offering for a vow, for a freewill offering, and as a peace offering could all be for a burnt offering. The significance of the burnt offering is to be absolute for God. We should be absolute for God, but often we are not absolute for Him. Thus we may wish to make up our mind to have a vow with God that we would be absolute for God for the rest of our life. This vow offered to God eventually becomes a burnt offering with the significance of being absolute for God for our entire life.
A freewill offering may also become a burnt offering. Of our free will we may choose to be absolute for God. Such a freewill offering may also be offered to God as a burnt offering.
It is difficult to explain how a peace offering may be offered to God as a burnt offering. I believe that many of us have experienced this at the Lord’s table. While we were enjoying the Lord as the peace offering at His table, we said to ourselves, “In the past I was not absolute for the Lord. Now as I am enjoying Him, I decide to be absolute for the Lord from now on.” This is the peace offering becoming a burnt offering.
At times, we may make a strong decision to be absolute for God. This is a vow becoming a burnt offering. At other times, we may spontaneously as an exercise of our free will choose to be absolute for God. This is a freewill offering becoming a burnt offering. Sometimes while we are enjoying Christ at the Lord’s table, we may have the thought that we should be absolute for God. This is a peace offering becoming a burnt offering. From this we see that three different kinds of offerings — an offering for a vow, for a freewill offering, and as a peace offering — may become a burnt offering for us to be absolute for God.
According to 22:18-21, each of these offerings needed to be a male without blemish, of the herd, of the sheep, or of the goats. A male here signifies a strong Christ. In whatever way we offer a burnt offering to God, our offering must be a strong Christ without blemish whom we have experienced.
“Anything blind, or broken, or maimed, or that has sores, or an eczema, or scabs — such you shall not offer to Jehovah or make of them an offering by fire on the altar to Jehovah” (v. 22). This signifies that our offering of the Christ whom we experience, if it is blemished as typified by the six defects mentioned in this verse, should not be offered to God as His food for His satisfaction. Rather, we need to enjoy a Christ who is perfect, who is without defect, and who always bears a pleasant appearance. Then we shall be able to offer this One to God as God’s food. This means that we shall be able to feed God with Christ for God’s satisfaction.
“As for an ox or a sheep that is deformed or stunted, you may offer it for a freewill offering, but for a vow it will not be accepted” (v. 23). The Hebrew for “is deformed or stunted” may also be translated “has a member that is too long or too short.” A longer member is a member that exceeds the limit; a shorter member is one that is under the proper measure. Verse 23 signifies that we may, in a general way, offer to God as food the Christ whom we experience too much or too little, but if we offer in a stronger way, our offering will not be accepted.
Verse 23 indicates that we may not be balanced even in the experience of Christ. Sometimes our experience of Christ may surpass the limit. At other times it may be under the proper measure. For example, some saints stress the enjoyment of Christ, but they do not bear any fruit. The enjoyment of Christ is covered in John 15. “Abide in Me and I in you” (v. 4a). If we abide in the Lord, we shall absorb the rich life-juice from Him. Then He will abide in us to supply us and support us with all His riches. The issue of this is the bearing of fruit. Abiding in Christ issues in fruit-bearing. However, some saints emphasize the enjoyment of Christ by abiding in Him, but they do not bear fruit. This kind of experience of Christ is typified in Leviticus 22:23 by a member that is too long. Their lack of fruit is the evidence that their experience of Christ is not balanced.
The Lord Jesus said, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes it away.…If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is dried up; and they gather them and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:2a, 6). This is not to perish — it is to lose the enjoyment of Christ. If a branch is cut off from the vine, it loses its enjoyment of the vine. We have seen such a thing with certain saints who claimed that they did not care for anything other than the enjoyment of Christ but who did not bear any fruit, even after a period of years. Their kind of enjoyment was an overstretching; it was like a member that is too long. No fruit issued from their experience of Christ.
Other saints are short in the enjoyment of Christ, and, as a result, they likewise do not bear fruit. Regarding the experience of Christ, these saints are not up to the standard. Those who are too much and those who are too little in their experience of Christ are alike in that they fail to bear fruit.
In John 15 we see the proper, balanced way to experience Christ. We need to abide in Christ that we may enjoy Him, yet we still need to bear fruit. We need to check whether or not our enjoyment of Christ is real by the matter of fruit-bearing. Bearing fruit is the evidence that our enjoyment of Christ is within the limit.
In John 15:16 the Lord Jesus says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and I appointed you that you should go forth and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain.” The Lord does not say that we should simply abide in Him without doing anything, for that would be to exceed the limit and thus to have an overstretching enjoyment of Christ. We need to visit others that we might bear fruit.
Then regarding abiding and fruit-bearing we shall be balanced. Abiding is for fruit-bearing, and fruit-bearing is an evidence of the real enjoyment of Christ. If we are really enjoying Christ, we shall go forth to bear fruit.
“And anything with its testicles bruised, or crushed, or broken, or cut, you shall not offer to Jehovah; you shall not do this in your land” (Lev. 22:24). This signifies that we should not offer to God as food the Christ whom we have experienced with the spiritual function damaged in any way. We need to enjoy Christ as One whose reproductive organ has not been damaged. This means that the Christ whom we experience should have a reproducing organ that is perfect and whole that we may be able to produce more and more of Christ. According to John 15, this is to bear fruit.
“Neither shall you offer as the food of your God any of these things obtained from the hand of a foreigner; for they are ruined, a blemish is in them; they shall not be accepted for you” (v. 25). This signifies that our offering of the Christ whom we experience that is offered to God as food by the way of the unbelievers will not be accepted by God. Concerning offering Christ to God, nothing should be done in a foreign way. We should not enjoy Christ and offer Christ to God in a way that is according to the unbelievers. If we do this, our offering will not be accepted by God.
“When a bull, or a sheep, or a goat is born, it shall remain seven days with its mother, and from the eighth day on it shall be accepted for an offering by fire to Jehovah” (v. 27). This signifies that our experience of Christ must grow to the level of resurrection before it will be accepted as an offering to God for His food.
If our experience of Christ is not up to the level of resurrection, something natural remains with us. Such an experience is somewhat childish. Therefore, we need to grow in the experience of Christ.
I like to hear the young ones testifying of their experience of Christ. However, because their experience of Christ is not yet at the eighth day, they need to grow in experiencing Christ. Even if our experience of Christ is on the seventh day, we still are not up to the level. Our experience of Christ needs to come to the eighth day; that is, it needs to be on the level of resurrection.
If our experience of Christ is to reach the level of resurrection, we must learn how to reject our natural life and to abandon everything in our being that is natural. For example, the new believers have begun to love the Lord, but their love for Him is natural. We should love the Lord, but we should not love Him with our natural love. We should love the Lord by having our natural life crucified. On the one hand, we should love the Lord; on the other hand, we should deny our natural life to the uttermost. This will help us to grow up to the level of resurrection in loving the Lord. When we love the Lord in this way, no part of our love for Him remains natural. We all need to deny our natural love, natural ability, and natural strength in doing anything for the Lord. Then we shall live a life that is for Christ up to the standard of His resurrection.
“Whether it is an ox or a sheep, you shall not slaughter both it and its young on the same day” (v. 28). This signifies that what we offer of Christ to God as God’s food must match our measure in the divine life. Our offering of Christ to God must match the measure of the divine life we have experienced.
If we have the growth in the divine life, we shall be able to offer something of Christ to God as His food. However, if we are too immature in the divine life, we shall not be able to offer anything to God that would be acceptable to Him as food.
“And when you sacrifice a sacrifice of thanksgiving to Jehovah, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted. It shall be eaten on that day; you shall not leave any of it until morning: I am Jehovah” (vv. 29-30). This signifies that our offering of Christ as a thanksgiving to God must be fresh and new, with nothing left to become stale. If our offering is stale, it is still an offering, but it is not acceptable to God. Everything we offer to God should be fresh and new. Our experience of Christ needs to be adjusted, balanced, fresh, and new.
We need to have fresh and new experiences of Christ. This will create thanksgiving within us. Then what we offer to God of the Christ whom we have experienced will not be stale but will be fresh and new.
