There are two questions which must arise in the mind of every Christian who is true in heart to Christ. The first is: “Why am I left here?” This for the most part is easily answered: “I am to be here for Christ.”
The other: “HOW am I to be here for Him?” is not so easily answered. Consecration is, I consider, the correct answer to the second question.
Aaron and his sons were consecrated, and in imitation of this, it has been too generally thought that only ministers and one here and there who were more specially devoted, were to consecrate themselves to the Lord. This ignorance has of late very much disappeared, but having done away with the thought of consecration to only a few, there has come in another misapprehension; and that is the notion that something is to be made of oneself; that is to say, that one is to assume some form or mere manner of life, as if the consecration were some kind of self-surrender or self-imposition; and thus while consecration may be admitted to be Christ’s claims on the youngest lamb in His flock there is no correct idea of what it really is according to Scripture.
Consecration as we see in Exodus 29, follows the robbing of the priests, and there it is in figure, and in type set forth. The ground of acceptance is first assured. There is the bullock for the atonement. First of all, guilt is cleared away. There must be an atonement. “He gave Himself a ransom for many.” We are saved from judgment by the blood, as the Israelites were in Egypt. This necessarily comes first in divine order: but the sins having been atoned for is not the only thing. This the bullock typifies. Then there are two rams. These rams typify Christ as He now is before God, and as He is with His people on earth. The one (see verse 18) is offered up whole. Christ in the presence of God in all the fullness and perfection of Himself; and our acceptance there is, as He is. When in spirit we pass through the rent veil into the holiest of all, we have the sense in our souls of the full beauty and perfection of Christ in the presence of God. Not only has the blood of His cross freed us from everything that would hinder, but we have entered on new ground; not a carnal ground, but by the Spirit, we are in fellowship with the Father and the Son. This is the ram which has gone up whole.
But there is another ram, and this is called the ram of consecration. This ram was divided into three parts. The first part consisted of the fat and the right shoulder—the excellency of Christ and His strength. This part was placed in the hands of Aaron and his sons, and sets forth the perfections of Christ in nature and power, which we ever contemplate in communion with Him as our High Priest: and which we wave before God, by whom it is all appropriated, as the fire indicates. The filling of the hands of the priests, sets forth that the only thing to be offered is Christ. The only consecration fit for God, is entire and exclusive occupation with Christ, with no thought at all about oneself. It is simply what was most excellent and powerful in Him, and this we present to God by Him therefore, “Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” (Heb. 13:1515By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. (Hebrews 13:15).)
The second part was the wave breast. It was Moses’ part (Lev. 8:2929And Moses took the breast, and waved it for a wave offering before the Lord: for of the ram of consecration it was Moses' part; as the Lord commanded Moses. (Leviticus 8:29)), and I suppose typifies the sympathy of Christ; the remainder was then food in the holy place. Thus, we in spirit in the holiest of all, have the sense of Christ being there in all His perfection and fullness; and we taste of what it is to be accepted in the Beloved.
But as we are here on earth, left here to be for Him, we are consecrated, when we are waving Him in our hearts and works before God, when nothing comes from us in our contemplation or offering to God but the ram offered up, or the ascended Christ; and this with the sense of His sympathy; and then there is also the feeding upon Him. We must maintain the three in order to fully be for Christ here. Our secular employments or relations, when ordered of God, are only a continuous discipline, subserving to a more effectual consecration.
We may all be painfully conscious how imperfect is our consecration, but yet it is a great thing to understand clearly what it is, and when we know what it really is, we can comprehend the Apostle’s prayer, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may he able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Eph. 3:17-1917That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. (Ephesians 3:17‑19).)
All the devotion and self-surrender possible is not consecration; no doubt consecration will lead to devotedness and self-surrender; but consecration is acquired and derived from Christ, and from no treatment or adjustment of myself.
May our hearts so delight in Christ that He may eclipse all else; and while sustained by the assurance that He is thinking of us, sympathizing with us, may we so feed upon Him, that His life may be manifested in our bodies.