We have now arrived at the brazen altar, which stood at the door of
the tabernacle; and I would call my reader's most particular attention
to the order of the Holy Ghost in this portion of our book. We have
already remarked that from chapter xxv. to the nineteenth verse of
chapter xxvii. forms a distinct division, in which we are furnished
with a description of the ark and mercy-seat, the table and
candlestick, the curtains and the vail; and, lastly, the brazen altar
and the court in which that altar stood. If my reader will turn to
chapter xxxv. 15, chapter xxxvii. 25, and chapter xl. 26, he will
remark that the golden altar of incense is noticed, in each of the
three instances, between the candlestick and the brazen altar;
whereas, when Jehovah is giving directions to Moses, the brazen altar
is introduced immediately after the candlestick and the curtains of
the tabernacle. Now, inasmuch as there must be a divine reason for
this difference, it is the privilege of every diligent and intelligent
student of the Word to inquire what that reason is.
Why, then, does the Lord, when giving directions about the furniture
of the "holy place," omit the altar of incense, and pass out to the
brazen altar which stood at the door of the tabernacle? The reason, I
believe, is simply this: He first describes the mode in which He would
manifest Himself to man, and then He describes the mode of man's
approach to Him. He took His seat upon the throne, as "the Lord of all
the earth." The beams of His glory were hidden behind the vail--type
of Christ's flesh (Heb. x. 20.); but there was the manifestation of
Himself in connection with man, as in "the pure table," and by the
light and power of the Holy Ghost, as in the candlestick. Then we
have the manifested character of Christ as a man down here on this
earth, as seen in the curtains and coverings of the tabernacle. And,
finally, we have the brazen altar as the grand exhibition of the
meeting-place between a holy God and a sinner. This conducts us, as it
were, to the extreme point, from which we return, in company with
Aaron and his sons, back to the holy place, the ordinary priestly
position, where stood the golden altar of incense. Thus the order is
strikingly beautiful. The golden altar is not spoken of until there is
a priest to burn incense thereon, for Jehovah showed Moses the
patterns of things in the heavens according to the order in which
these things are to be apprehended by faith. On the other hand, when
Moses gives directions to the congregation (chap. xxxv.), when he
records the labors of "Bezaleel and Aholiab" (chap. xxxvii. and
xxxviii.), and when he sets up the tabernacle (chap. xl.), he follows
the simple order in which the furniture was placed.
The prayerful investigation of this interesting subject, and a
comparison of the passages above referred to, will amply repay my
reader. We shall now examine the brazen altar.
This altar was the place where the sinner approached God, in the power
and efficacy of the blood of atonement. It stood "at the door of the
tabernacle of the tent of the congregation," and on it all the blood
was shed. It was composed of "shittim wood and brass." The wood was
the same as that of the golden altar of incense: but the metal was
different, and the reason of this difference is obvious. The altar of
brass was the place where sin was dealt with according to the divine
judgment concerning it. The altar of gold was the place from whence
the precious fragrance of Christ's acceptableness ascended to the
throne of God. The "shittim wood," as the figure of Christ's humanity,
must be the same in each case; but in the brazen altar we see Christ
meeting the fire of divine justice; in the golden altar we behold Him
feeding the divine affections. At the former, the fire of divine wrath
was quenched; at the latter, the fire of priestly worship is kindled.
The soul delights to find Christ in both; but the altar of brass is
what meets the need of a guilty conscience,--it is the very first
thing for a poor, helpless, needy, convicted sinner. There cannot be
settled peace, in reference to the question of sin, until the eye of
faith rests on Christ as the antitype of the brazen altar. I must see
my sin reduced to ashes in the pan of that altar ere I can enjoy rest
of conscience in the presence of God. It is when I know, by faith in
the record of God, that He Himself has dealt with my sin in the Person
of Christ, at the brazen altar--that He has satisfied all His own
righteous claims--that He has put away my sin out of His holy
presence, so that it can never come back again--it is then, but not
until then, that I can enjoy divine and everlasting peace.
I would here offer a remark as to the real meaning of the "gold" and
"brass" in the furniture of the tabernacle. "Gold" is the symbol of
divine righteousness, or the divine nature in "the Man Christ Jesus."
"Brass" is the symbol of righteousness, demanding judgment of sin, as
in the brazen altar; or the judgment of uncleanness, as in the brazen
laver. This will account for the fact that _inside_ the tent of the
tabernacle all was gold,--the ark, the mercy-seat, the table, the
candlestick, the altar of incense. All these were the symbols of the
divine nature--the inherent personal excellence of the Lord Jesus
Christ. On the other hand, _outside_ the tent of the tabernacle all
was brass,--the brazen altar and its vessels, the laver and its foot.
The claims of righteousness, as to sin and uncleanness, must be
divinely met ere there can be any enjoyment of the precious mysteries
of Christ's Person, as unfolded in the inner sanctuary of God. It is
when I see all sin and all uncleanness perfectly judged and washed
away that I can, as a priest, draw nigh and worship in the holy place,
and enjoy the full display of all the beauty and excellency of the
God-man, Christ Jesus.
The reader can, with much profit, follow out the application of this
thought in detail, not merely in the study of the tabernacle and the
temple, but also in various passages of the Word; for example, in the
first chapter of Revelation, Christ is seen "girt about the paps with
a _golden_ girdle," and having "His feet like unto fine _brass_, as if
they burned in a furnace." The "golden girdle" is the symbol of His
intrinsic righteousness. The "feet like unto fine brass" express the
unmitigated judgment of evil (He cannot tolerate evil, but must crush
it beneath His feet).
Such is the Christ with whom we have to do. He judges sin, but He
saves the sinner. Faith sees sin reduced to ashes at the brazen altar;
it sees all uncleanness washed away at the brazen laver; and, finally,
it enjoys Christ as He is unfolded, in the secret of the divine
presence, by the light and power of the Holy Ghost. It finds Him at
the golden altar, in all the value of His intercession; it feeds on
Him at the pure table; it recognizes Him in the ark and mercy-seat, as
the One who answers all the claims of justice, and, at the same time,
meets all human need; it beholds Him in the vail, with all its mystic
figures; it reads His precious name on every thing. O, for a heart to
prize and praise this matchless, glorious Christ!
Nothing can be of more vital importance than a clear understanding of
the doctrine of the brazen altar; that is to say, of the doctrine
taught there. It is from the want of clearness as to this that so many
souls go mourning all their days. They have never had a clean,
thorough settlement of the whole matter of their guilt at the brazen
altar; they have never really beheld, by faith, God Himself settling,
on the cross, the entire question of their sins; they are seeking
peace for their uneasy consciences in regeneration and its
evidences,--the fruits of the Spirit, frames, feelings,
experiences,--things quite right and most valuable in themselves, but
they are not the ground of peace. What fills the soul with perfect
peace is the knowledge of what God hath wrought at the brazen altar.
The ashes in yonder pan tell me the peace-giving story that ALL IS
DONE. The believer's sins were all put away by God's own hand of
redeeming love. "He hath made Christ to be sin for us, who knew no
sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Cor.
v.) All sin must be judged: but the believer's sins have been already
judged in the cross; hence, he is perfectly justified. To suppose that
there could be any thing against the very feeblest believer, is to
deny the entire work of the cross. His sins and iniquities have been
_all_ put away by God Himself, and therefore they must needs be
perfectly put away. They all went with the outpoured life of the Lamb
of God.
Dear Christian reader, see that your heart is thoroughly established
in the peace which Jesus has made "by the blood of His cross."
CHAPTERS XXVIII. & XXIX.
These chapters unfold to us the priesthood, in all its value and
efficacy. They are full of deep interest. The very word "priesthood"
awakens in the heart feelings of the most profound thankfulness for
the grace which has not only provided a way for us to get into the
divine presence, but also the means of keeping us there, according to
the character and claims of that high and holy position.
The Aaronic priesthood was God's provision for a people who were, in
themselves, at a distance, and needed one to appear for them in His
presence continually. We are taught in Hebrews vii. that this order of
priesthood belonged to the law--that it was made "after the law of a
carnal commandment"--that it "could not continue by reason of
death"--that the priests belonging to it had infirmity. It could not,
therefore, impart perfection, and hence we have to bless God that it
was instituted "without an oath." The oath of God could only stand
connected with that which was to endure forever, even the perfect,
immortal, untransferable priesthood of our great and glorious
Melchisedek, who imparts both to His sacrifice and His priesthood all
the value, the dignity, and the glory of His own peerless Person. The
thought of having such a Sacrifice and such a Priest as He causes the
bosom to heave with emotions of the liveliest gratitude.
But we must proceed to the examination of the chapters which lie
before us.
In chapter xxviii. we have the robes, and in chapter xxix. we have the
sacrifices. The former have more especial reference to the need of the
people; the latter, on the other hand, to the claims of God. The robes
express the varied functions and qualities of the priestly office.
"The ephod" was the great priestly robe. It was inseparably connected
with the shoulder-pieces and the breastplate, teaching us, very
distinctly, that the _strength_ of the priest's shoulder, and the
_affection_ of the priest's heart, were wholly devoted to the
interests of those whom he represented, and on whose behalf he wore
the ephod--that special priestly robe. This, which was typified in
Aaron, is actualized in Christ. His omnipotent strength and infinite
love are ours--ours eternally--ours unquestionably. The shoulder which
sustains the universe upholds the feeblest and most obscure member of
the blood-bought congregation. The heart of Jesus beats with an
undying affection--with an everlasting and an all-enduring love for
the most neglected member of the redeemed assembly.
The names of the twelve tribes, engraven on precious stones, were
borne both on the shoulders and on the breast of the high-priest. (See
verses 9-12, 15-29.) The peculiar excellence of a precious stone is
seen in this, that the more intense the light which is brought to bear
upon it, the more brightly it shines. Light can never make a precious
stone look dim; it only increases and develops its lustre. The twelve
tribes--one as well as another, the smallest as well as the
greatest--were borne continually upon the breast and shoulders of
Aaron before the Lord. They were each and every one maintained in the
divine presence in all that undimmed lustre and unalterable beauty
which belonged to the position in which the perfect grace of the God
of Israel had set them. The people were represented before God by the
high-priest. Whatever might be their infirmities, their errors, or
their failures, yet their names glittered on the breastplate with
unfading brilliancy. Jehovah had set them there, and who could pluck
them thence? Jehovah had put them thus, and who could put them
otherwise? Who could penetrate into the holy place to snatch from
Aaron's breast the name of one of Israel's tribes? Who could sully the
lustre which gathered round those names, in the position which Jehovah
had placed them? Not one. They lay beyond the reach of every
enemy--beyond the influence of every evil.
How encouraging and consolatory it is for the tried, tempted,
buffeted, and self-abased children of God to remember that God only
sees them on the heart of Jesus! In His view, they ever shine in all
the effulgence of Christ--they are arrayed in divine comeliness. The
world cannot see them thus; but God does, and this makes all the
difference. Men, in looking at the people of God, see only their blots
and blemishes. They have no ability whatever to see further, and as a
consequence, their judgment is always wrong--always one-sided. They
cannot see the sparkling jewels, bearing the names of God's redeemed,
engraven by the hand of changeless love. True it is that Christians
should be most careful not to furnish the men of the world with any
just occasion to speak reproachfully. They should seek, "by patient
continuance in well-doing, to put to silence the ignorance of foolish
men." If only they entered, by the power of the Holy Ghost, into the
comeliness in which they ever shine, in God's vision, it would
assuredly lead to a walk of practical holiness, moral purity, and
elevation before the eyes of men. The more clearly we enter, by faith,
into objective truth, or what is true of us in Christ, the deeper,
more experimental and practical will be the subjective work in us, and
the more complete will be the exhibition of the moral effect in our
life and character.
But, thank God, our judgment is not with men, but with Himself; and He
graciously shows us our great High-Priest, "bearing our judgment on
His heart before the Lord continually." This imparts deep and settled
peace--a peace which nothing can shake. We may have to confess and
mourn over our constant failures and short-comings,--the eye may, at
times, be so dimmed with the tears of a genuine contrition as to be
but little able to catch the lustre of the precious stones on which
our names are engraven, yet there they are all the while. God sees
them, and that is enough. He is glorified by their brightness--a
brightness not of our attaining, but of His imparting. We had naught
save darkness, dullness, and deformity. He has imparted brightness,
lustre, and beauty. To Him be all the praise throughout the
everlasting ages!
"The girdle" is the well-known symbol of service; and Christ is the
perfect Servant--the Servant of the divine counsels and affections,
and of the deep and manifold need of His people. With an earnest
spirit of devotedness, which nothing could damp, He girded Himself
for His work; and when faith sees the Son of God thus girded, it
judges, assuredly, that no occasion can be too great for Him. We find,
from the type before us, that all the virtues, the dignities, and the
glories of Christ, in His divine and human nature, enter fully into
His servant-character.--"The curious girdle of the ephod, which is
upon it, shall be of the same, according to the work thereof; even of
gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen." (Verse
8.) The faith of this must meet every necessity of the soul, and
satisfy the most ardent longings of the heart. We not only see Christ
as the slain Victim at the brazen altar, but also as the girded
High-Priest over the house of God. Well, therefore, may the inspired
apostle say, "_Let us draw near_,"--"_Let us hold fast_,"--"_Let us
consider one another_." (Heb. x. 19-24.)
"And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the
Thummim ["lights and perfections"]; and they shall be upon Aaron's
heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the
judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord
continually." We learn, from various passages of the Word, that the
"Urim" stood connected with the communication of the mind of God in
reference to the various questions which arose in the details of
Israel's history. Thus, for example, in the appointment of Joshua, we
read, "And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask
counsel for him, _after the judgment of Urim before the Lord_."
(Numb. xxvii. 21.) "And of Levi he said, 'Let thy Thummim and thy Urim
[thy perfections and thy lights] be with thy holy one.... They shall
teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law.'" (Deut. xxxiii. 8-10.)
"And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not,
neither by dreams, _nor by Urim_, nor by prophets." (1 Sam. xxviii.
6.) "And Tirshatha said unto them that they should not eat of the most
holy things till there stood up a priest with Urim and with Thummim."
(Ezra ii. 63.) Thus we learn that the high-priest not only bore the
judgment of the congregation before the Lord, but also communicated
the judgment of the Lord to the congregation. Solemn, weighty, and
most precious functions! All this we have, in divine perfectness, in
our "great High-Priest, who has passed into the heavens." He bears the
judgment of His people on His heart continually; and He, by the Holy
Ghost, communicates to us the counsel of God, in reference to the most
minute circumstances of our daily course. We do not want dreams or
visions; if only we walk in the Spirit, we shall enjoy all the
certainty which the perfect "Urim," on the breast of our High-Priest,
can afford.
"And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue.... And
beneath, upon the hem of it, thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and
of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of
gold between them round about: a golden bell and a pomegranate, a
golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.
And it shall be upon Aaron to minister; and his sound shall be heard
when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he
cometh out, that he die not." (Ver. 31-35.) The blue robe of the ephod
is expressive of the entirely heavenly character of our High-Priest.
He is gone into heaven,--He is beyond the range of mortal vision; but,
by the power of the Holy Ghost, there is divine testimony to the truth
of His being alive, in the presence of God; and not only testimony,
but fruit likewise. "A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell
and a pomegranate,"--such is the beauteous order. True testimony to
the great truth that Jesus ever liveth to make intercession for us
will be inseparably connected with fruitfulness in His service. O, for
a deeper understanding of these precious and holy mysteries![13]
[13] It is needless to remark that there is divine appropriateness, as
well as significancy, in all the figures presented to us in the Word.
Thus, the "pomegranate," when opened, is found to consist of a number
of seeds, contained in a _red_ fluid. Surely this has a voice. Let
spirituality, not imagination, judge.
"And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the
engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And thou shall put it on
a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre, upon the forefront of the
mitre it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron
may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel
shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon
_his_ forehead, that _they_ may be accepted before the Lord." (Ver.
36-38.) Here is a weighty truth for the soul. The golden plate on
Aaron's forehead was the type of the essential holiness of the Lord
Jesus Christ. "It shall be ALWAYS upon HIS forehead, that THEY may be
accepted before the Lord." What rest for the heart amid all the
fluctuations of one's experience! Our High-Priest is "always" in the
presence of God for us. We are represented by, and accepted in, Him.
His holiness is ours. The more deeply we become acquainted with our
own personal vileness and infirmity, the more we enter into the
humiliating truth that in us dwelleth no good thing, the more
fervently shall we bless the God of all grace for the soul-sustaining
truth contained in these words, "It shall be always upon _his_
forehead, that _they_ may be accepted before the Lord."
If my reader should happen to be one who is frequently tempted and
harassed with doubts and fears, ups and downs in his spiritual
condition, with a constant tendency to look inward upon his poor,
cold, wandering, wayward heart,--if he be tried with an excessive
vagueness and want of holy reality, oh, let him stay his whole soul
upon the precious truth that this great High-Priest represents him
before the throne of God. Let him fix his eye upon the golden plate,
and read in the inscription thereon the measure of his eternal
acceptance with God. May the Holy Ghost enable him to taste the
peculiar sweetness and sustaining power of this divine and heavenly
doctrine.
"And for Aaron's sons thou shalt make coats, and thou shalt make for
them girdles, and bonnets shalt thou make for them, for glory and for
beauty.... And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their
nakedness; ... and they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when
they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they
come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear
not iniquity and die." Here we have Aaron and his sons, typifying
Christ and the Church, standing in the power of one divine and
everlasting righteousness. Aaron's priestly robes express those
inherent, essential, personal, and eternal qualities in Christ; while
the "coats" and "bonnets" of Aaron's sons represent those graces with
which the Church is endowed, in virtue of its association with the
great Head of the priestly family.
Thus, in all that has passed before us in this chapter, we may see
with what gracious care Jehovah made provision for the need of His
people, in that He allowed them to see the one who was about to act on
their behalf, and to represent them in His presence, clothed with all
those robes which directly met their actual condition, as known to
Him. Nothing was left out which the heart could possibly need or
desire. They might survey him from head to foot and see that all was
complete. From the holy mitre that wreathed his brow, to the bells and
pomegranates on the hem of his garment, all was as it should be,
because all was according to the pattern shown in the mount--all was
according to Jehovah's estimate of the people's need and of His own
requirements.
But there is yet one point connected with Aaron's robes which demands
the reader's special attention, and that is the mode in which the gold
was introduced in the making of them. This is presented to us in
chapter xxxix, but the interpretation comes in suitably enough in this
place. "And they did beat the gold into thin plates, and cut it into
wires, to work it in the blue, and in the purple, and in the scarlet,
and in the fine linen, with cunning work." (Ver. 3.) We have already
remarked that "the blue, the purple, the scarlet, and fine twined
linen" exhibit the various phases of Christ's manhood, and the gold
represents his divine nature. The wire of gold was curiously
insinuated into all the other materials, so as to be inseparably
connected with, and yet perfectly distinct from, them.
The application of this striking figure to the character of the Lord
Jesus is full of interest. In various scenes throughout the gospel
narrative, we can easily discern this rare and beauteous union of
manhood and Godhead, and, at the same time, their mysterious
distinctness.
Look, for example, at Christ on the sea of Galilee. In the midst of
the storm "He was asleep on a pillow" (precious exhibition of His
perfect manhood!); but in a moment He rises from the attitude of real
humanity into all the dignity and majesty of Godhead, and, as the
supreme Governor of the universe, He hushes the storm and calms the
sea. There is no effort, no haste, no girding Himself up for an
occasion. With perfect ease, He rises from the condition of positive
humanity into the sphere of essential deity. The repose of the former
is not more natural than the activity of the latter. He is as
perfectly at home in the one as in the other.
Again, see Him in the case of the collectors of tribute, at the close
of Matthew xvii. As the "Most High God, possessor of heaven and
earth," He lays His hand upon the treasures of the ocean, and says,
"They are Mine;" and, having declared that "the sea is His, and He
made it," He turns round and, in the exhibition of perfect humanity,
He links Himself with His poor servant by those touching words, "That
take, and give unto them _for Me and thee_." Gracious words!--peculiarly
gracious, when taken in connection with the miracle so entirely
expressive of the Godhead of the One who was thus linking Himself, in
infinite condescension, with a poor, feeble worm.
Once more, see Him at the grave of Lazarus. (John xi.) He groans and
weeps, and those groans and tears issue from the profound depths of a
perfect manhood--from that perfect human heart which felt, as no other
heart could feel, what it was to stand in the midst of a scene in
which sin had produced such terrible fruits. But then, as the
Resurrection and the Life, as the One who held in His omnipotent grasp
"the keys of hell and of death," He cries, "Lazarus, come forth!" and
death and the grave, responsive to His authoritative voice, throw
open their massy doors and let go their captive.
My reader's mind will easily recur to other scenes, in the gospels,
illustrative of the beautiful combination of the wire of gold with
"the blue, the purple, the scarlet, and the fine-twined linen;" that
is to say, the union of the Godhead with the manhood, in the
mysterious Person of the Son of God. There is nothing new in the
thought; it has often been noticed by those who have studied, with any
amount of care, the Scriptures of the Old Testament.
It is, however, always edifying to have the blessed Lord Jesus
introduced to our thoughts as "very God and very man." The Holy Ghost
has, with "cunning workmanship," wrought the two together and
presented them to the renewed mind of the believer to be enjoyed and
admired. May we have hearts to appreciate such teaching!
Let us now, ere we close this section, look for a moment at chapter
xxix.
It has been already remarked that Aaron and his sons represent Christ
and the Church, but in the opening verses of this chapter Aaron gets
the precedency.--"And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the
door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with
water." The washing of water rendered Aaron typically what Christ is
intrinsically--holy. The Church is holy in virtue of her being linked
with Christ in resurrection life. He is the perfect definition of what
she is before God. The ceremonial act of washing with water expresses
the action of the Word of God. (See Eph. v. 26.)
"Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon _his_ head,
and anoint _him_." (Ver. 7.) Here we have the Spirit; but let it be
noted that Aaron was anointed _before the blood was shed_, because he
stands before us as the type of Christ, who, in virtue of what He was
in His own Person, was anointed with the Holy Ghost, long before the
work of the cross was accomplished. The sons of Aaron, on the other
hand, were not anointed until after the blood was shed.--"Then shalt
thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of
the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons,
and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of
their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round
about.[14] And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar,
and of _the anointing oil_, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his
garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with
him." (Ver. 20, 21.) As regards the Church, the blood of the cross
lies at the foundation of every thing. She could not be anointed with
the Holy Ghost until her risen Head had gone into heaven, and laid
upon the throne of the divine Majesty the record of His accomplished
sacrifice. "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are
witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and
having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He hath
shed forth this which ye now see and hear." (Acts ii. 32, 33. Comp.
also John vii. 39; Acts xix. 1-6.) From the days of Abel downward,
souls had been regenerated, influenced, acted upon, and qualified for
office by the Holy Ghost; but the Church could not be anointed with
the Holy Ghost until her victorious Lord had entered heaven and
received, on her behalf, the promise of the Father. The truth of this
doctrine is taught, in the most direct and absolute manner, throughout
the New Testament; and its strict integrity is maintained, in the type
before us, by the obvious fact that though Aaron was anointed before
the blood was shed (ver. 7.), yet his sons were not, and could not be,
anointed till after (ver. 21.).
[14] The ear, the hand, and the foot, are all consecrated to God in
the power of accomplished atonement, and by the energy of the Holy
Ghost.
But we learn more from the order of anointing in our chapter than the
important truth with respect to the work of the Spirit and the
position of the Church; we have also set before us the personal
pre-eminence of the Son.--"Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated
iniquity; therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil
of gladness _above_ Thy fellows." (Ps. xlv. 7; Heb. i. 9.) This must
ever be held fast in the convictions and experience of the people of
God. True, the infinite grace of God is set forth in the marvelous
fact that guilty, hell-deserving sinners should ever be spoken of in
such terms--should ever be styled the "_fellows_" of the Son of God;
but let us never for a moment forget the word "_above_." No matter
how close the union (and it is as close as God's eternal counsels of
redeeming love could make it), yet "in all things" Christ must "have
the pre-eminence." It could not be otherwise. He is Head over
all,--Head of the Church, Head of creation, Head of angels, Lord of
the universe. There is not a single orb that rolls along the heavens
that does not belong to Him, and move under His control; there is not
a single worm that crawls along the earth which is not under His
sleepless eye. He is "high over all," "the first-begotten from the
dead," and "of all creation," "the beginning of the creation of God."
"Every family in heaven and earth" must range itself, in the divine
category, under Christ. All this will ever be thankfully owned by
every spiritual mind; yea, the very enunciation of it sends a thrill
through the Christian's heart. All who are led of the Spirit will
rejoice in every unfolding of the personal glories of the Son; nor can
they tolerate, for a single instant, any thing derogatory thereto. Let
the Church be raised to the loftiest heights of glory, it will be her
joy to bow at the feet of Him who stooped to raise her, by virtue of
His completed sacrifice, into union with Himself; who, having
satisfied, in the fullest way, all the claims of divine justice, can
gratify all the divine affections by making her inseparably one with
Himself, in all His infinite acceptableness with the Father, and in
His eternal glory. "He is not _ashamed_ to call them brethren."
NOTE.--I purposely forbear entering upon the subject of the
offerings in chapter xxix, inasmuch as we shall have the
various classes of offerings, in all their minute detail,
fully before us in the book of Leviticus, if the Lord will.