THE subject I desire to bring before you this evening is our consecration, and by this I understand not consecration to service, but consecration for service; I desire to look at what consecration to God really is.
I come from God for service. What am I before Him? It is in keeping with what I am there that I shall be here.
How do I get preparation for service? By consecration. Peter tells us there is " a holy priesthood," and " a royal priesthood." The first is to God; the second for man. I must be a holy priest before I can be a royal priest; I must be in before I can come out. I first get the sense of what I am before God in Christ, and of what Christ is to God; I have communion with God's thoughts about Christ (it is not here communion with what Christ is occupied with; that is connected with us individually); and then I have to learn how I am fitted to act for Christ down here.
I cannot represent what I do not know. Moses took forty days to get an impression, and then he came out with his face shining. The Lord came " from God." How different we should be in everything if we came from God! It is not going to God; that is not the question here. It is very right to go to God, that is prayer; but when you come back from Him, that is the thing. After preaching, when I go to the Lord I may find that a good deal of self has come in, though I may have been in His mind in the desire to serve Him.
Here there are a bullock and two rams. The bullock was the sin-offering. Every saved person believes that Christ bore the judgment of his sins. If not, he is not clear of the sense of judgment. He " died the just for the unjust to bring us to God." His work was not only to get me out of hell, it was to bring me to God. The prodigal was not only out of the far country, he was brought into the Father's house. The thief on the cross was brought to God. The Lord says to him, " This day shalt thou be with me in paradise."
There were two rams to represent Christ. Aaron and his sons are a figure of the church, and in verse 15 they are identified with the sacrifice. The whole ram is Christ gone up to God, "raised from the dead by the glory of the Father." He is there in all His own excellency, in the perfection of His accomplished work; He has gone up to God as a sweet-smelling savor; and I am not only out of judgment, but in the sweet savor of Christ to God. It is a wonderful thing. This is where the Spirit puts me in the Epistle of John, "As he is, so are we in this world." How blessed! Is He the Father's delight there? So am I. Is He welcome there? So am I. Is He without a cloud there? So am I. His love perfected in me.
You will never be fit for service till you are clear with God. What proved that Job was clear with God? When he prayed for his friends. When freed as to himself he can intercede for others. But must I not think of my poor soul? By all means. Do not think of anything but your poor soul until your poor soul is settled. But when it is settled think of Him who settled for it. And who settled for it? CHRIST. Now think of Him.
Noah was saved by the ark. When he came out from it on the earth he offered a burnt-offering. The sweet savor of it, which is a figure of Christ, went up to God. Man was not any better, but God says, I will look on man differently now: " I will no more curse the ground for man's sake." The burnt-offering is connected with resurrection: the ram went up whole. "Being justified by faith we have peace with God." Is it because we know that Christ died? No, but because He is risen, and at the right hand of God. You will never get rest in your soul till you know Christ as the burnt-offering to God; and that now, in this place, on this earth, where I was an alien and a wanderer from God, I am placed in the moral state in which Christ is at the right hand of God; in every moral feature that belongs to Christ.
The first ram is Christ gone up to God. That is what I am before God; I am not only relieved, but I am enjoying Christ, and in His sweet savor. The second ram is consecration, and brings us as priests to God. I am in a new enjoyment now, in a new order of things entirely: a holy priesthood. I have not to do with the royal priesthood yet; that is service.
Are you consecrated? Often you hear the expression used, " consecrated for service." It is what it is to God. I am brought into the most blessed thing. I am made to participate in what God has in Christ! It is a wonderful moment of joy. And I am made conscious too, not only that I am accepted in the Beloved, that is the first ram; but of what I am myself made by Christ that is what the second ram is. To me, it represents what the church is in Christ; not only the sense of what God has in Christ, but the sense of what I am in this Blessed One. It is a great thing to find out what I am with God; not only accepted in the Beloved, but what I am as being of Christ to God. In verse 20 blood was put on the ear, hand and foot. Everything connected with the avenues to the soul of man is under the grace of God. All is unto God, consequent on the blood. Then there is the oil. That is sealing. The full thing is the sense in my soul not only that I am accepted without a charge, but also that I am anointed, sealed with the Holy Ghost. "I have an unction from the Holy One." I am on new ground. I can enter into the Holiest. I have not got there by any carnal ordinance, but by the blood of Jesus; and I have boldness to enter; I have a right to be there; I have not only access, but I have boldness to enter that bright scene; and this not by any carnal power, but by the Spirit of God. I am sealed. The great moral effect is, I have to do with God. I am on a new footing altogether.
We read: Thou shalt take of the ram the fat and the rump, and the fat that covereth the inwards, and the caul above the liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and the right shoulder; for it is a ram of consecration: and one loaf of bread, and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out of the basket of unleavened bread that is before the Lord: and thou shalt put all in the hands of Aaron, and in the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them for a wave-offering before the Lord." Here we get the meat-offering and the peace-offering. This is contemplation. It does not say you appropriate this. When you come to appropriation you feed. Here it is contemplation. It is put into the hands of Aaron and his sons and waved. Thus we contemplate Him.
Saints lack this contemplation too much. What more delightful occupation for the heart, than to get God's thoughts about the Person of Christ? In the margin, consecration is to "fill the hand." What fills your hands? Is it any work that fills them? These hands which once did their own pleasure are now filled with the wonderful excellency of Christ! The fat was found in His death; they could not get at it but by death. All the excellency of His death is offered to God. The meat-offering is His life; in death the excellency fully came out. What fills your hands going to visit the sick, or to lecture, or to do any service? Is it the excellency of Christ? If when I go to visit or to speak to souls I have been thinking of politics, I shall not be of any use. I am colored by what my mind has been dwelling on. But if the Lord is before my soul in His wonderful excellency, it does not matter how I speak. Something comes out that is suited to meet the souls I am with, for I am looking at Christ.
The third thing is the wave-breast. "And thou shalt take the breast of the ram of Aaron's consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before the Lord: and it shall be thy part." This is, I suppose, intercession. This is what Christ is to God for us.
Then comes appropriation: "And thou shalt take the ram of the consecration, and seethe his flesh in the holy place." In the peace-offering the right shoulder was the priest's part, but in the ram of consecration, it did not belong to any one; it went up to God, as we see in verse 22. It is beyond me, as it were. I do not appropriate it. I contemplate Him with delight of heart, and I am brought to this, to be one entirely given to God, a priest to God. But in verse 31, I feed on Him; I am appropriating Him, and thus acquiring vigor of soul. That is the value of food, to give vigor and strength. And, as I appropriate that blessed One, I am in the excellency of His accomplished work at the right hand of God; I am in company with Him. As in Colossians: not only am I a believer, but I participate of Christ; I have great things in connection with that blessed One.
Now we will look at some examples of this, to make clear to us what is the effect of consecration. I am suggesting that you should search for yourselves. Suggestive teaching is the most helpful of all teaching, for it suggests to a person the very thing he requires, and thus he is helped.
Let us first look at Isa. 6 We here see in the prophet an example of the defect that is in every one, until he is rightly with God. Isaiah was a converted man, a distinguished prophet and servant, but the Lord says, as it were, You cannot go; you are not right with me: and until you are right with me, you cannot be right for me. He was not clear in the presence of God; he was not, we may say, a priest to God. He was not able to travel into the presence of God and say, Not only am I placed here without a cloud, but I know Jesus here. I participate with Him. That is the second ram. But when the seraph touches his lips, look at the effect! It is, " Here am I; send me." Now he is ready to go, and he comes from God. That makes all the difference. The Lord needed no preparation for service; He always came from God; He never left heaven. It makes an immense difference about everything if I come from God.
Next turn to Psa. 73 Here is a pious man looking at things here in this world, but he has not himself been to God; he is not a priest; he is not until he goes " into the sanctuary." Note, it is a change of place, not a change of opinion. It is a wonderful thing to change your place; to go into the sanctuary and to find that, instead of being repulsed, you have wonderful acceptance there. See what comes of it! What an effect it had on him! What a sense he got of God! " Whom have I in heaven but Thee?" He says, " I am continually with Thee." I will "declare all Thy works." It is a wonderful thing to get near God; the Psalmist was fit now to look at things here.
In Phil. 4 I have got the peace of God. What did you do to get it? you ask. I did nothing. I only went in to Him, and I got His peace. I got a token of being near him. If you got the idea of what consecration is, you would see how you are fitted practically to act in circumstances down here. I do press this on your hearts, that if you want really to be according to Christ in anything down here, come from God.
Look at Moses in Ex. 33 Moses is in the mount with God. On descending he finds the people are in a terrible state on earth. He says, That is a contrast to the state I was in! I was in a glorious place; I was practically enjoying being with Christ; not only have I a right to it, but I was enjoying it. He comes out, and he is master of the occasion. He did not get a word of direction, but he does everything for God: " He took the tabernacle and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp." How did he know that was the right thing to do? He came from God, and so he knew the thing that suited God. When I am in contemplation of Christ I am imbued with the virtues of Christ; and I cone out from the presence of God to reproduce them in my own walk. The question as to everything now is, Do you work from God to man? Philanthropy works from natural benevolence to man; but I am to come from God to man; I am sanctified to obedience. Christians and philanthropy are so often found together; but the moment a Christian drops to the level of philanthropy, he is nowhere.
The gospel is sometimes used in that way, as the best thing for man; but if you come from God, your desire will be to bring the poor soul into what delights the heart of God. An evangelist is one sent from God to fill up vacancies in the heart of Christ. They are not all in yet; you must sweep the house till you find them; you must search the world round. You work from the heart of Christ. If you have not love for poor souls, you do not know the heart of Christ.
When the Lord came down from the mount, He met the very worst state of things possible. He came from God, and entered into all the need here. Contrast does not affect us if we are walking simply with God. Paul was up there in the third heaven. But it was not by any abilities of his own that he was brought into that scene, and he had no abilities of his own up there. When he came down he got the thorn. And he says, I do not understand this; take it away. He wanted to use his natural abilities. But the Lord says, " My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness;" and he finds that what was small in the eyes of men, is blessed with God.
Look at Psa. 84 Here again it is first God, then man. "Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, they will be still praising thee." That is in a scene where there is nothing to hinder the flow of praise. Then it is " blessed is the man whose strength is in Thee." That is his state. " Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go from strength to strength." Paul had to find out that it was not enough to have enjoyment; what he wanted here was strength. You do not want strength if you are not weak. You do not want strength if there is no opposition. The soul enters into the region of light and glory, delights in God, and now comes down to the valley of Baca, and makes it a well; comes down to be useful to man. How can you serve God if you do not know Him? It is the one who most knows Christ that best opens out the perfections of that blessed One. What a marvelous thing that God should let me see what Christ is to Him! In His presence the soul discovers the wonderful perfection of Christ in the sight of God, and shares in them too. We have " fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ." In the Gospel of Luke 1 see very particularly that before everything the Lord is in prayer; not to get something from God, but He looks at everything as it was with God first, and then He comes into this scene. He comes out from God, but He never really left Him.
Look at Anna in Luke 2 Here again it is Godward first. Her continual occupation was with God, " continued in fastings and prayers night and day," and then she comes from Him to speak of Him "to all those who looked for redemption in Israel." Where do you come from?
Look at Josh. 5 Here is actual preparation for conflict. Inside with God first; then you come out as a heavenly soldier. In Ephesians it is, " That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith." I get acquainted with that blessed One in the presence of God. He is God's delight, and He is dwelling in my heart. That is a wonderful thing I It is not doctrinal, it is practical, this blessed Person dwelling in my heart. Then come down to practice it: " I beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called." Or, as in Romans, " I beseech you by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice." You are put up there first, and come down from these wonderful things to all the various circles, the details of daily life, as masters, servants, children, parents, wives and husbands. The Lord grant that each heart may be led into it. It is an immense cheer to the heart to understand in a little measure that I can enjoy what Christ is, He who is the delight of God's heart. And the place He is in there is my place before God; and He has not only put me without a cloud there, but made me participate with Him as a priest to God, so that I can enjoy it myself, and can come out to act for God in this world.
(J. B. S.)