XO 29{We stand in all that Christ was to the Father, when he said, "Therefore doth my Father love me." We stand in divine acceptableness in Him. Whatever there is of sweetness and excellency in Christ is upon us. Every act of Christ's was in the power of the blood of consecration; His obedience, His service, His walk; and ours should be the same. His devotedness is the standard and measure of our walk with God.
There is no sin-offering before Aaron is anointed, because he typifies Christ; but there is, before his sons are anointed, which shows its application to us. We are never to forget that we could not be consecrated to God, if Christ had not died to put away our sin. Still it is not the blood of the sin-offering that is put on the ear, the hand, and the foot, as it was when the leper was cleansed, and when putting away defilement was the question. Here consecration is the question. The value of Christ's blood in consecrating us to God, not the aspect of putting away defilement. His death is as necessary for the one as for the other; but consecration to God is here the aspect of it. There must be nothing in our thoughts, acts, or ways, inconsistent with that blood.
The blood and the oil were to be sprinkled on the garments. The death of Christ and the power of the Holy Ghost should mark that which appears before the world. The world should be able to recognize that we are devoted to the Lord, though they cannot understand it in its principle and spring. Still it should be visible to men, as it is obligatory before God: Christian practice is the fruit of what we are with God, and flows from it. it is what we are that shows itself in our walk.
All our privileges are the result of our union with Christ. The sons of Aaron and their garments are sprinkled with Him. Observe, they were not sprinkled when they had been washed, but when the blood had been applied. The Holy Ghost is not the seal of regeneration, but of the work of Christ.
Aaron's being washed with his sons is like Christ uniting Himself with His people in John's baptism. Aaron was anointed without blood. The Holy Ghost could seal Christ as perfectly accepted in His own person; but to us He is the seal of Christ's work being accepted for us.
In being consecrated for worship, their hands were filled-but with what? Christ in His life and in His death. The one figured in the oiled bread and the other in the burnt-offering-" the fat." Every part of the value of Christ is thus put into our hands and offered up before God. It is not only that Christ is ever before God in all His sweet savor, and there for us; but we are to come and present Him afresh in worship-our hands are to be filled with Christ. We cannot go to God without finding Him already in the full delight of grace; still we may bring it afresh before Him. Noah's offering was a sweet-savor; and thus the very reason why God brought judgment on the world is given, why He would not any more curse them, now that the offering was accepted, " For the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth."
The daily sacrifice was the provision, on God's part, for the sweet-savor being always before Him (ver. 38) whether we fail or not in our priestly action. This shows us the meaning of the taking away of the daily sacrifice in Daniel. When this is taken away there is no link with God left.
Unless we are willing to be consecrated to God, we shall never know the full value of the blood; at least not this aspect of its value. Self-will, however, is not consecration; but the reverse. There will be failure constantly in carrying it out; but there must be the purpose of heart to live wholly to Him, and not at all to self. Verse 43 shows that meeting God is the object; and this marks our title to perfect peace. For if there was one spot of sin left God could not meet us. If we are brought to God, sin must have been entirely put away; and that according to His estimate of it. For it is God's estimate and not ours; both of the sin and the blood, which gives us our place before Him. " It is God that justifies." It is not I that justify myself by my sense of the value of this blood.