2 Chronicles 30
We shall now find some very important church truth typified in this chapter. The order is very striking. We have had the doors open — the full gospel of God; the grace that brings the prodigal right into the presence of the Father. Then, the lamps giving their full, perfect light; the Holy Spirit taking of the things of Christ, and showing them unto us; the infinite value of His one sacrifice; our immutable perfection by that offering, accepted in all the sweet savor of the burnt-offering, the Lamb of God — the joy, gladness, and worship.
Now the invitation goes forth to come to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel. And in wisdom and counsel, both of the, king, the princes, and all the congregation, this must be, not in the appointed time, the fourteenth day of the first month, but in the second month. For they could not keep it at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently, neither had the people gathered themselves together at Jerusalem (2 Chron. 30:3).
If we read carefully Luke 22:1-20, we see how the Lord’s supper took the place of the passover. “With desire have I desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). The last passover before He suffered: Himself the fulfillment of it. He then presented Himself to faith, no longer the body of the lamb, or the cup of the passover. The Passover looked forwards — the Lord’s supper is a remembrance. “This do in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). The blessed Lord Himself, our Passover, is slain. It is no longer the wine of the passover, but the cup, in remembrance of His blood shed for us. But they were to come to Jerusalem, to the house of the Lord. Is there any such house of the Lord now? any place of worship, or earthly sanctuary? No, there is no such place now. All this belonged to the first covenant, or to Judaism. “Then, verily, the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary” (Heb. 9:1). What, then, have we now, if all the system of worldly sanctuaries, called the house of God — places of worship with divine service; all this is simply Judaism; not a vestige of which have we in the New Testament. What have we, as the true center of gathering? Have we not Christ Himself? Jesus says, “For where two or three are gathered together in (unto) My name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). I know that in millennial days to come, Jerusalem shall be the city of the Great King. But let us remember that at present He, as their King, is cut off, and has nothing; and that now the only place of gathering is to Him, the rejected One.
But why did they keep the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month?
If we turn to Num. 9:1-12, we shall find a very distinct reason given there. The keeping of the passover in the first month is confirmed: but there were some men who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover on that day. The question was brought before the Lord; and the answer of the Lord was, that if any were unclean by reason of a dead body, etc., they should keep the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month. Thus Hezekiah acknowledged the defiled state of Israel. Is it not so with the church of God? Is it in its first condition, or second? Has it become defiled by the dead body of the world? Oh, does it not become us thus to own the sad, defiled, ruined state of the church as a testimony for Christ?
Now we come to a very important point. The invitation and responsibility to keep the passover was as extensive as the atonement. The sin-offering, the reconciliation, was made for ALL Israel. ALL Israel are invited, and responsible, to come and keep the passover. So they “make proclamation throughout all Israel, from Beersheba even unto Dan, that they should come to keep the passover unto the Lord God of Israel, at Jerusalem; for they had not done it of a long time in such sort as it was written” (2 Chron. 30:5). This deeply important principle as to the Lord’s table, also, is little understood. The analogy is striking; souls everywhere, who have been led to own the Holy Spirit in the assembly, like the lamps in the sanctuary, have been also led next to remember the Lord’s death, in the breaking of bread. Nay, more, they have learned from holy scripture that the church had not done it of a long time, in such sort as it was written. I am not aware of an instance for seventeen centuries, where Christians broke bread as it was written, until within about the last fifty years. There was always something omitted, or added, to what was written. I need not dwell on the Mass. But, what were we doing? Take one thing added, which we all thought right — a minister administering the sacrament. Was this written in the inspired word? Where? “Disciples came together to break bread” (Acts 20:7),” or “we came together.” In 1 Corinthians 10-11, is there a thought of such a person at the Lord’s table? This is not a question of the gifts of Christ: the evangelist to preach the gospel, and the teacher to teach the church of God. But at the Lord’s table, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, being many, are one bread, and one body; for we are all partakers of that one bread” (1 Cor. 10:16-17). Place a man unscripturally to administer, and the communion is lost sight of! It is the expression, essentially, of equal co-partnership in that blood, and in that one body. Blessed fact, every redeemed sinner has equal partnership in the reconciliation; every washed soul whiter than snow! Fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus cleanseth us from all sin.
Where it is service, then all are not alike. Just as in a firm — one servant may have a pound per week, while a foreman may have three. But co-partners are all equally alike. In the equal co-partnership, fellowship, communion of His blood, communion of His body. There are no servants, and no foreman, in scripture to administer the sacrament. No, for a long time the Lord’s supper had not been kept as it was written. Oh, the grace, the love our Father has, to have restored it in these last days, before the coming of the Lord. But have we understood the heart of Christ in this? The invitation, and the responsibility to gather to His name, to break bread as it is written? Is not the invitation to do so as wide as the atonement? The responsibility reaches every reconciled child of God on earth. Not only Judah owning allegiance to Hezekiah, but to every Israelite in the revolted tribes. Not only those gathered, and owning allegiance, to Christ, but every redeemed soul in every revolted sect on earth, from Beersheba even unto Dan. As there was the perfect substitution offered, the seven goats FOR ALL ISRAEL: we must understand here Israel as a type of the whole redeemed church of God, whatever their outward position. And this is a great truth, that every believer, passed from death unto life, stands in all the immutable perfection of Christ, accepted in the Beloved — sins and iniquities to be remembered no more, no more! Is not the Lord’s table, as it is written, the true place for every one of them? Yes, the basis of gathering to Christ to break bread, our passover, is as wide as the atonement. Does not Jesus say to every reconciled soul, “Do this in remembrance of Me?” And would He not have each one enjoy communion with Himself? Other questions will arise, but the basis of true fellowship is seen to be equal to the extent of the atonement.
So the posts passed from city to city, but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them. Oh, when did not men despise the message and the messengers of the Lord? It was so in the days of Noah, of Lot: yea, when the Son of God walked in the midst of men. And even so now, the present work of God in love is despised of men. Nevertheless, divers humbled themselves and came. Also in Judah, the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king, and of the princes, by the word of the Lord. And is not the hand of the Lord seen now gathering souls to Christ, and giving them one heart? If it is not this, it is only another sect in self-will. Yes, it is the hand of the Lord. Reader, are you asleep, or awake; can you discern the present heart and hand of the Lord? If so, it is a little thing to be laughed to scorn.
The next point in order is this: when the Lord had thus gathered a company to keep the passover, “They arose, and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and all the altars for incense took they away, and cast them into the brook Kidron” (2 Chron. 30:12-14). Thus, where the Lord has now gathered a company to break bread, as it is written, the first thing is to put away from themselves everything inconsistent with the holiness of His presence. Just as when the doors were opened, the cleansing away the rubbish began in the very holiest.
The holiest we enter in perfect peace with God. There, surely, holiness becomes that holy place. This is a solemn point to all whom the hand of the Lord doth gather, to keep the Lord’s supper, as it is written.
Sanctification
The effect of killing the passover was, that the priests and the Levites were ashamed, and sanctified themselves. It is very important rightly to divide the word of life, as to the subject of sanctification. There are three kinds of sanctification come before me in scripture.
First, the absolute, immutable sanctification of every believer by the one offering of Christ. Immutably perfect, this can never change. This, as we have noticed, is abundantly seen in Hebrews 10:10-19. This is what He has done; and what He has done must be perfect.
Secondly, there is sanctification in wickedness; separating ourselves in wickedness — abomination in the sight of the Lord. “They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens, behind one in the midst [or one after another], eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord” (Isa. 66:17). “But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word” (Isa. 66:2). In contrast with, “Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. I also will choose their delusions,” etc. (Isa. 66:3-4). No doubt this applies to the Jews, and their cleaving to the man of sin. But it also has a solemn voice to us in these last days. Yes, the very last and worst marks of these last days. Can anything be worse than pretentious separation from others, but only to worse evil? Oh, beware of these mockers of the last time. “These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit” (Jude 19).
Thirdly, there is “sanctification in holiness.” This is not what we are by the work of Christ; but practical sanctification — sanctifying ourselves. Have you noticed how much there is in our chapters on Hezekiah about this, over and over again? “They could not keep the passover at that time, because the priests had not sanctified themselves sufficiently” (2 Chron. 30:3).
This is not merely a question of gross sins, but defilement by touching the unclean. This we noticed in Num. 9. Those who had touched a dead body were unclean. You could not say it was gross sin to do so. Neither could you say, True, that dead body is unclean, but I am alive, and not unclean. This would be to deny the word of the Lord. All these types show that before the Lord, contact with evil, is evil. To touch the dead body is to be unclean. But, say you, what is to be done in the present defiled state of Christendom? If the true ground of being gathered to the name of the Lord to keep the passover, the Lord’s supper, as it is written, be equal to the reconciliation, as we have seen; and if the invitation is also equal, does it not follow that all ought to be together, no matter what defilement? Is there an express word of the Lord to us on this, in the midst of all the circumstances of these last days? There is; and it is very plain. “Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house, there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work” (2 Tim. 2:19-21). And then, after describing the very corruptions of these days — yes, of that which bears the name of Christendom around us: “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.” What is the mind of the Lord? Does He say, Keep in it; try to mend it: use your influence for good in it? No! but “from such turn away” (2 Tim. 3:1-5). This is to sanctify ourselves, to purge ourselves, to turn away from all known evil. But, oh, let it not be to a worse thing, but in holiness. The Lord search our hearts, and, by His precious word and Spirit, enable us to sanctify ourselves from all iniquity. Let us test ourselves by the precious words of Jesus. “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world” (John 17:14-16). This brings us to