IN considering the priesthood of the Lord Jesus, we should never forget that this gracious office is not added as necessary to give effect to His atoning work. On the contrary, we are told that He forever sat down on the right hand of God, because He had by one offering (and by that alone) perfected forever them that are sanctified. We are also told that we are sanctified by the will of God through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all (Heb. 10:10, 12, 1410By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:10)
12But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; (Hebrews 10:12)
14For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14)). Therefore the believer is both sanctified and perfected forever by the one offering of Jesus upon the tree; hence the people for whom He exercises the office of priesthood, are both perfected forever and sanctified before His priestly functions in heaven are active on their behalf.
The vail having been rent from the top to the bottom, and Jesus having gone into heaven by His own blood, He, the risen glorified Man, now appears before the face of God for us; and we, by the Spirit, in virtue of His blood, and because He is there, enter into the holiest, and realize what it is to be there. We are not trying to get near, for we are near.
In Him we most assuredly are, as other scriptures show; but because of the blood that speaks to us and for us, and because Jesus is there as Priest, we simply and happily go into the presence of God.
Let us draw near
As we are told, “Having therefore, brethren, boldness (or liberty) to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus... and having an High Priest over the house of God; let us draw near.” And observe, it is also added that we thus draw near not to be washed and to have guilt removed, but, on the contrary, we “draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” In other words, it is now our unspeakable privilege to enter into the holiest of all, in conscious nearness to God, for communion and worship, because our sins are remitted, our consciences purged, the vail rent, and Jesus in resurrection triumph and ascension glory, gone in there by His own blood, and there engaged as a merciful and faithful High Priest continually on our behalf.
In looking now at the teaching of Scripture on the functions of Jesus as our great High Priest, it is clear that His place for its exercise is in the heavenlies — for us, no doubt; yea, for the feeblest believer, for the weakest in the faith, as the precious words of the Holy Ghost plainly set forth — for “all that come unto God by Him.” His priesthood was not formally exercised on earth, however sweetly the loving heart of Jesus flowed out toward His own; “for if He were on earth He should not be a priest, seeing there are priests that offer gifts according to the law... But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry” (Heb. 8:4-64For if he were on earth, he should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests that offer gifts according to the law: 5Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern showed to thee in the mount. 6But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. (Hebrews 8:4‑6)). Our High Priest, then, blessed be His name, is in heaven; and among other perfections of His office, He is not a standing but a sitting Priest, set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens (Heb. 8:11Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; (Hebrews 8:1)).
The Order of Melchisedec
He is also a High Priest “after the order of Melchisedec”; that is, not a changeable priest hood, like Aaron’s, which did not continue by reason of death, but made with an oath and set up in perpetuity; as it is written, “The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a Priest forever after the order of Melchisedec” (Heb. 7:2121(For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec:) (Hebrews 7:21)). He is thus engaged officially also, not as those of old who were compassed with infirmity, but as one “who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens,” and who did not need to offer a sacrifice for Himself. Hence we read, “The law maketh men high priests which have infirmity, but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.” He is, moreover, like Melchisedec, a royal Priest, both King and Priest, which Aaron was not; for in millennial times “He shall sit as a Priest upon His throne” (Zech. 6:1313Even he shall build the temple of the Lord; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both. (Zechariah 6:13)).
He is also like Melchisedec, a blessing Priest, who brought forth bread and wine to Abraham after his battles were over, and blessed him; so will our precious Lord not only refresh and cheer our hearts by the ministry of His own grace, after all our conflicts here are ended, but will make us sweetly realize throughout all eternity that we are the objects of His unchanging and everlasting blessing.
But while Jesus the Son of God will be forever our blessing Priest, and in the day of Israel’s glory will be both their King and Priest, He now exercises on our behalf the Aaronic functions. While the High Priest’s order is that of Melchisedec, being established by oath, perpetual and unchangeable, He is in some respects, as to His present activities, the antitype of Aaron, in appearing now in the presence of God for us. He is thus before the face of God for us, ever caring for and ministering to us.
If we turn to Exodus 28, we shall there see blessedly illustrated by the types drawn by the Holy Ghost, something of the meaning of Christ’s being in the presence of God for us. The whole chapter is full of the deepest possible interest, and profoundly charming and instructive; but at present we can only look at a few leading points. Let us not forget that all these things were according to the pattern which God showed Moses in the mount, and that Bezaleel was energized by no less power than that of the Holy Ghost to fashion them. We can only take a brief glance at some of those glorious and beautiful shadows of our most blessed Lord:
“And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone according to their birth. With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, thou shalt engrave the stones with the names of the children of Israel; and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial. And thou shalt make ouches of gold; and two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten wreathen chains to the ouches. And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine-twined linen, shalt thou make it. Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. And thou shalt set it in settings of stones, even four rows of stones... they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes. And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold. And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold.... And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually. And thou shalt put in the breastplate the Urim and the Thummim: and they shall be upon Aaron’s heart when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually.... And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. And it shall be upon Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in their holy gifts; and it shall always be upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord” (Exod. 28:9-389And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: 10Six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth. 11With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the two stones with the names of the children of Israel: thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold. 12And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial. 13And thou shalt make ouches of gold; 14And two chains of pure gold at the ends; of wreathen work shalt thou make them, and fasten the wreathen chains to the ouches. 15And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it. 16Foursquare it shall be being doubled; a span shall be the length thereof, and a span shall be the breadth thereof. 17And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. 18And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. 19And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. 20And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. 21And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes. 22And thou shalt make upon the breastplate chains at the ends of wreathen work of pure gold. 23And thou shalt make upon the breastplate two rings of gold, and shalt put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate. 24And thou shalt put the two wreathen chains of gold in the two rings which are on the ends of the breastplate. 25And the other two ends of the two wreathen chains thou shalt fasten in the two ouches, and put them on the shoulderpieces of the ephod before it. 26And thou shalt make two rings of gold, and thou shalt put them upon the two ends of the breastplate in the border thereof, which is in the side of the ephod inward. 27And two other rings of gold thou shalt make, and shalt put them on the two sides of the ephod underneath, toward the forepart thereof, over against the other coupling thereof, above the curious girdle of the ephod. 28And they shall bind the breastplate by the rings thereof unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate be not loosed from the ephod. 29And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually. 30And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the Lord: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel upon his heart before the Lord continually. 31And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all of blue. 32And there shall be an hole in the top of it, in the midst thereof: it shall have a binding of woven work round about the hole of it, as it were the hole of an habergeon, that it be not rent. 33And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: 34A golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about. 35And it shall be upon Aaron to minister: and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out, that he die not. 36And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD. 37And thou shalt put it on a blue lace, that it may be upon the mitre; upon the forefront of the mitre it shall be. 38And it shall be upon Aaron's forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord. (Exodus 28:9‑38)).
Power and Love
Observe, in these types, that the names of the children of Israel were engraved both on the onyx stones and in the breastplate. In the former they are looked at collectively; in the latter, individually. In one sense the Church, which is His body, or the saints looked at in their unity, must always be presented in Him who is their Head before God; while on the other hand, as the smallest tribe in Israel, as well as the greatest, was represented by a separate jewel and distinct engraving, so each believer now is always kept before the face of God — held up as the shoulders show us (the place of strength), by His almighty power, as well as by His perfect love, as the breastplate worn over the heart sets forth. Each precious stone being enclosed in gold seems to imply that we are thus kept before our God in Christ, who is our subsisting righteousness — “made the righteousness of God in Him.”
But observe also that the shoulder pieces are connected, divinely connected (gold being the emblem of divine righteousness), by two golden chains of wreathen work of pure gold, to assure us that the almightiness of Jesus the Son of God, and His perfect love, both combine to preserve us in righteousness and acceptance in Himself continually before the face of God. And concerning the breastplate, we find that it was also tied underneath with a lace of blue to the rings of the ephod, that it might never slip away from the High Priest’s heart; so that the type of Him, the loving One, who is “the same yesterday, and today, and forever,” might be most carefully preserved. Hence we read that—
“Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment UPON HIS HEART, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually.... Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel UPON HIS HEART before the Lord continually.”
But there is another point to be noticed before passing from this chapter — the golden plate on which was engraved “Holiness to the Lord,” which Aaron wore on a lace of blue in the forefront of the mitre “always,” that he might bear the iniquity of their holy things. And surely it is the sense of our shortcomings, defects in our service, and in our most solemn acts of worship, that tend to cast us down, and would even perhaps sap our confidence, did we not see that we are always presented before God in and by Him who is holiness to the Lord, and that our service is alone acceptable to God through Him. As it was the priest’s office to pluck away the crop and feathers of a sacrifice of burnt-offering of fowls, and to burn the rest upon the altar, so our adorable Lord is able to take up our holy things, and present what is acceptable to God through Him.