Numbers 18
THE RESULT of the rebellion of Korah and his company against Moses and Aaron ended in the judgment of the rebels and in Aaron’s being established more firmly and clearly in the office of high priest. So it will be in Christendom at the end. The judgment of God will surely fall upon those who have usurped the place which belongs only to Christ, God’s High Priest above, the blessed Man of His choosing, the only One worthy and fit to stand in His presence and intercede for His people.
Aaron’s rod was only a stick like the other rods, for Aaron was a poor weak man like the rest. But God had chosen him and given him the office of the high priest that he might lead His people into the promised land. He was but a faint shadow of the Lord Jesus, the perfect holy One, who had lain in death, but whom God raised again to lead us into the heavenly glory.
God had told Moses to put Aaron’s rod that budded, which spoke of priestly grace, into the ark along with the two tables of the law. When the people saw what the Lord had done they said: “Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish. Whoever cometh anything near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die. Shall we be consumed with dying?” In their unbelief they failed to see the full meaning of Aaron’s rod being laid up in the ark. They saw the token against the rebels, but they did not see the grace. It seems the grace and goodness of God was more frightening to them than His judgment, for they felt how unfit they were to have to do with Him.
But God was working through all these circumstances for His own glory and for the blessing of His people. Now they were glad to have Aaron go into His presence for them.
Thus the necessity of the priesthood of Aaron becomes more evident, and so in chapter 18 details as to the position and requirements of the priestly family are more clearly presented. Holiness is insisted upon, for God has Christ before Him in all these things.
The Lord told Aaron he and his family should bear the iniquity of the holy place and the iniquity of their priesthood for they were unclean. Also the Levites were to be joined with them in the service of the tabernacle. But Aaron and his sons should keep the priests’ office for everything of the altar and within the veil. God gave it as a gift to Aaron and his sons; and everything that the children of Israel offered to the Lord was to be given to the priests.
How different is our condition now with those priests of old, who bore their own iniquity. They were unclean for Christ had not come and died to sin, therefore they could not pass within the veil into the second tabernacle. We enter in now as purged worshipers. We do not remain at the altar without, but enter within the veil. Though we are no better than Israel’s priests, yet we have no iniquity of the sanctuary to bear for Christ has borne it all. With Him within the holiest of all is our place forever.
He’s gone within the veil,
For us that place has won;
In Him we stand, a heavenly band
Where He Himself is gone.
There all’s unsullied light,
Our hearts let in its rays;
And heavenly light makes all things bright,
Seen in that blissful gaze.
ML-12/16/1973