KINGDOM BIBLE STUDIES
studies in end-time revelation
THE ROYAL PRIESTHOOD
Part 19
THE CONSECRATION OF THE PRIESTHOOD
To consecrate the Royal Priesthood is to hallow and equip each member to act as a priest unto the Lord. The consecration the ministry committed into the hands of God's priests, and performed by them, is all UNTO HIM, and not unto the Lord for a moment, a day or a year, but we abide in His presence continually to serve Him in all that He gives to us.
Then Moses took the wave offering off their hands (the priests did not lay it down), God's acceptance being shown by fire. Thus, this consecration means more than just our
being consecrated and dedicated and the giving of ourselves wholly to God. It bespeaks
of God accepting our consecration, receiving us and imparting and inworking into our
lives all that is needed to fulfill the ministry of priesthood. Ah, HE FILLS OUR HANDS,
places within our hands that which is necessary to minister as His priests. No priest can appear before either God or man empty handed, but there is a definite ability and power of God given to us that as priests we might have to minister both unto God and to men.
This is the hour when it is no longer enough to just know that we belong to God, or that we have consecrated ourselves and given ourselves wholly to the Lord. This is the hour when God is calling forth His elect saints to move into that place where God can impart and inwork into each member something of Himself that can be ministered both unto God and unto men. The question follows Has God "filled our hands"? Have we been so consecrated until God has witnessed that He has accepted us and has committed unto us at least a measure of Himself that we can minister to others? It begins with God, for He is the First Cause of all things, the initiator of this ministry, and the sufficiency whereby it is accomplished.
THE BLOOD AND THE OIL
"And thou shalt take the other ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the ram. Then shalt thou kill the ram, and take of his blood, and put it upon the tip of the right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of the right ear of his sons, and upon the thumb of their right hand, and upon the great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the blood upon the altar round about. And thou shalt take of the blood that is upon the altar, and of the anointing oil, and sprinkle it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him" (Ex. 29:19 21).
The bullock of the sin offering represented the dealing with the power of sin in our lives. The first ram of the burnt offering bespoke of our complete and total surrender to the Lord and to His will, reserving nothing to ourselves, becoming a sweet smelling savor to God. The second ram, the "ram of consecration", showed how God receives our sacrifice and fills our hands, imparting something of Himself that can be ministered to those about. When the priests were consecrated to their ministry, Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the ram of consecration, showing thus that it represented them. And Moses slew it and took its blood (life) and put it upon each separately, thus revealing that our consecration is an INDIVIDUAL work. The blood was placed upon the tip of the right ear, on the thumb of the right hand, and on the big toe of the right foot. Possession was taken of the entire man for God; all his powers were quickened and sanctified. Our ear is quickened to listen to, and for, God; by our consecration we are enabled to have "an ear to hear," and to appreciate the High Calling of God as none but the consecrated can. Our hand is quickened and sanctified to work by, and for, God. Our foot is quickened and sanctified to walk with God, and to walk out the revelation of God, so that henceforth we "walk not as other Gentiles" but "walk in newness of life," "walk by faith,' "walk in the Spirit," "walk in the light," and even "as we have received Christ, so walk in Him." In the life of each member of the Royal Priesthood, the precious blood of Christ, will exercise authority over every power, to sanctify it for the ministry of the Lord. The priest who was marked by blood on the ear, hand, and foot, so that all the activities of these members might be sanctified, had to recognize that he had been separated UNTO GOD, and to His service, and empowered to fulfill it.
This blood is not a cleansing from sin. It has nothing to do with sin. The blood that cleanses from sin is the blood of the sin
offering. This is the blood of consecration, the LIFE of God quickening and sanctifying the ministry of priesthood in the apprehended ones. None but the priests ever knew the power of the blood of the ram of consecration. And there is a very interesting order here. The blood was first put upon the ear, hand, and foot, and then some of the blood was taken from the altar and, with the holy anointing oil, was sprinkled upon the whole person of the priest. A very close relationship exists between the applying of the blood and the anointing with the oil. Blood means LIFE, for "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Lev. 17:11). The purpose of the blood is to quicken, that we may be alive unto God in every faculty of our being. The purpose of the oil is to empower "Ye shall receive POWER, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me" (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit is POWER from on high the POWER of Almighty God! Notice how often the word "power" is used in connection with the Holy Spirit: "...the Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the POWER of the Highest shall overshadow thee..." (Lk. 1:35). "For God bath not given us the spirit of fear; but of POWER, and of love, and of a sound mind" (II Tim. 1:7). "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the POWER of the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 15:13). "But truly I am full of POWER by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might" (Micah 3:8).
First we have the applying of the blood; then God's holy ointment anoints us with God Himself. Therefore, to experience the anointing we must first have the blood; to experience the empowering of God to do the work of a priest we must first be quickened unto God in every faculty of the New Creation Man. When Moses intended to sprinkle the anointing oil upon the priest, the blood must first be applied. The oil was placed UPON THE BLOOD. It is a great sin against God if we should apply the ointment before the blood. Because the ointment prefigures the mighty manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit through us, it must never be applied to one who has not been quickened and made thoroughly alive unto God by the blood. God cannot entrust His power to the carnal man, He cannot commit His power into the hands of flesh; only the New Creature can receive of the power of God! Therefore, if we wish to experience the FULLNESS of the anointing of power, we must first experience the fullness of the quickening of His life. Christians have often had to complain about a lack of power. Oh, how many who have received the call to sonship still have so little power! I do not hesitate to tell you that it is because we have not yet been fully QUICKENED UNTO GOD. There is still so much deadness, dullness, earthiness, blindness, carnality, limitation and immaturity. Until the blood has completely done its work, the anointing cannot be fully manifest. The more we apply the blood and allow it to make us alive unto God and His mind, and will, and purpose, the more we will experience the anointing and know the mighty working of HIS POWER in and through us. Hallelujah!
THE BLOOD ON THE EAR
I am reminded of the story of the two old Dutchmen, sitting on a park bench. The night had come and the moon started to shine. Not far from the bench where they sat, a river flowed, and from the river came the chorus of the crickets. Pete, the first old gentleman, listened to the crickets and said, "Crickets sure do sing." John, sitting next to him agreed, saying, "Yep, they sure know how to sing." Just then he heard the voices of the choir coming from the nearby church and remarked, "Beautiful music, isn't it?" Pete said, "Yeah, and to think they do it just by rubbing their legs together!"
Each heard a different music one was listening to the crickets and one was listening to the choir. What you hear depends on where you're coming from and what you're tuned in to. When the disciples asked Jesus why He spoke to the multitudes in parables, He answered by saying, "This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand." He then reminded them of Isaiah's prophecy which said, "You shall indeed hear, but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive." It almost seems that Jesus was acting vindictively, but He was not, for He also explains why those who saw Him failed to understand. "For this nation's heart has grown gross fat and dull; and their ears heavy and difficult of hearing, and their eyes THEY have tightly closed, lest they see and perceive with their eyes, and hear and comprehend the sense with their ears, and grasp and understand with their heart, and turn and I should heal them" (Mat. 13:15, Amplified). Had they wanted to hear, they could have, but they chose not to see or understand. Eight times in the book of Revelation the Lord Jesus says, "He that bath an ear, LET HIM HEAR!"
In our day Bibles can be bought in the dime store and sermons can be heard any hour of the day or night, but practically no one, the preachers in particular, is HEARING the Word of God. Many read the words of the Bible and do not "hear" them. Intellect may grasp what is written there...but that is not a hearing. Hearing the Word of God will work transformation in a man. A true hearing of the Word will bring obedience to the Word the obedience of faith and things will begin to happen. Taken by the Spirit to the Valley of Dry Bones, Ezekiel was asked, "Son of man, can these bones live?" "O Lord God," was the prophets response, "Thou knowest." He was then told to prophesy to them: "O dry bones, HEAR THE WORD OF THE LORD!" The prophet obeyed, and as he declared to them the WORD of the Lord, they came together, bone to its bone. Covered first with sinews, then with flesh, these lifeless bodies were also quickened by the breath of divine life which entered into them (Eze. 37:1-10). The quickening of the dry bones was effected by their response to the Lord's Word. As they KEPT HEARING what He was saying to them, the Holy Spirit kept working in them until they were made alive by His breath and stood up, an exceeding great army.
It is not my purpose here to explore the present condition of the church system, but when Jesus sent His message to the wealthy church of Laodicea, which boasted that she was rich and increased with goods and had need of nothing, He portrayed Himself as one standing OUTSIDE and knocking at the door. He was not within, as He should have been, but on the outside. Behind the doors that were locked against Him they were preaching about Him, and singing about Him, and working and building for Him, but He Himself they had left outside. The membership of the church of Laodicea is large and prestigious, its seats all engaged, its income assured, its organization perfected. Men of good business judgment manage its affairs, in the same shrewd way that they manage their business affairs. The services are made impressive with eloquence and music and well appointed ritual. Its Sunday School prides itself on its thorough, update organization and large attendance. It may support some missionaries in the foreign field, for that is the modern thing to do.
Never in the history of the world has there been so much preaching and so much human effort, or so many multimillion dollar church buildings, crystal cathedrals, Christian amusement parks, concerts, or so much church membership, or so many programs to convert the world, but Christ, locked out of their grandiose schemes, STANDS OUTSIDE! The whole church system of our day is built on the programs and efforts of the flesh rather than the glory of the Holy Spirit. In spite of all the glib mention of His name, the truth is that Christ is outside the church system and His Spirit is not in its works. The thundering message of Christ to the Laodicean church will not even penetrate in to fall upon the already occupied ears of the masses who assemble there, but will be heard only by individual believers. Notice what He says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock: IF ANY hear My voice, and open the door, I will come IN TO HIM, and will sup with HIM, and HE with Me" (Rev. 3:20). "If ANY MAN will hear!" "If any man WILL HEAR!"
You meet one that is religious, awed by the crowds, the buildings, the great meetings, the charismatic speakers, the beautiful television programs, the music, and the wonderful works supposedly being done. They feel they are "rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing." They can talk much of the milk of the Word, their spiritual gifts and religious toys. But they know nothing of the present truth of His gathering to Himself a remnant to bring them into His perfections. They are well versed in the traditional doctrines about the antichrist and the so called rapture, but they know naught of I the mighty move of God in the earth today preparing a firstfruit company of Kings and Priests to ascend the throne and reign over the nations. You cannot begin to speak of the deep mysteries of the Kingdom, or of these divine quickenings which the Holy Spirit of truth has whispered into your being, for they have no ears to hear them. Were you to declare them in the churches of our day, there would be a revolution. Their eyes are closed against the bright vision of that which lies before at the manifestation of the sons of God and the consummation of God's great plan of the ages. They are dull to the keen edge of the Spirit's working in this hour. But, blessed be God, there is a people whose ears have been touched by blood, a holy race of priests who are being quickened to hear the voice of the High Priest who speaks from the MELCHIZEDEKIAN REALM. Only the priest with the anointed ear can enter in to receive instructions from that High and Holy Order!
Shortly after becoming king in Israel, Solomon traveled to Gibeon to offer a sacrifice to the Lord. Here the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Ask what I shall give you." Though grateful to the Lord for having chosen him to succeed his father David, Solomon was keenly aware of his inadequacy to govern the people without divine help. "Give Thy servant therefore," he implored, "an understanding heart to govern Thy people, that I may discern between good and evil." Pleased by such a request, the Lord replied, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for long life, or for riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to recognize what is just and right, behold...I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor; so that there shall not be any among the kings equal to you all your days" (I Kings 3:11-13). The expression "an understanding heart" is in the Hebrew text A HEARING HEART. And in Isaiah 50:4-5 we read of the inner discipline which Jesus and all the elect sons experience. "Morning by morning He (the Father) wakens, HE WAKENS MY EAR TO HEAR as those that are willing to be taught. The Lord God has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I turned not backward."
A friend has so aptly written: "'My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me: He goeth before them, and the sheep follow Him: for they know His voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers' (Jn. 10:27, 4-5). My sheep hear the Greek word for 'hear' used here is AKOUO and while there is included in its meaning the thought of 'to give ear' because you discern a sound, it also includes the meaning of TO HEARKEN, a responsive action to one's hearing. This goes beyond the outward hearing of the natural ear, when Jesus said, 'My sheep hear My voice!' There is a LISTENING to hear the sound thereof, a receptivity within, and a responsiveness to follow in obedience.
"'He goes before His sheep, and they follow Him, for they KNOW His voice.' Now we have another Greek word for 'know', this one being OIDA, absolute knowledge. Praise God, we are to have absolute knowledge of His voice without doubts or questionings. The sheep the mature ones, shall come to a place where they unmistakably know His voice. And they know that they know that they know! It is a precious walk, a communion that sustains and enriches them day by day. But as for STRANGERS they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they know not the voice of strangers.
"And now we have an allegory, with the shepherd, and the stranger, and there is a sense in which we have them both within us. The Shepherd is the VOICE OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD, the stranger is the voice of the carnal mind. I dare say, our spiritual maturity is evidenced by the 'voice' which we hearken to, and follow. God is SPIRIT, and He contacts us through our spirit. 'There is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding' (Job 32:8). It is interesting to watch a gathering of various levels of spiritual growth. When the Spirit of God is moving deep into the hearts of those who HEAR HIS VOICE, others seem to withdraw and almost appear bored with the service. Then if another voice begins to speak appealing to the soulish realm, they suddenly come alive and respond accordingly with their manifestations. And finally, as another voice simply speaks that it is time for the 'potluck lunch to be served' there are those who endured all the service thus far, now they begin to respond. Each has heard a 'voice', whether of The Shepherd, the stranger, or just the flesh. As for the physical, earth realm, obviously there is a time and place for its voice and message, HE placed us in this realm for a purpose, to be exercised and trained thereby. The natural is not 'sinful' until it becomes perverted and out
place. But there are those, as Paul wrote, 'many walk...whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things' (Phil. 3:18
19). When we hear the physical voice for a drink of water, some food, some sleep and the needs are met, the voice remains silent. But when the voice keeps on, LUSTING AFTER MORE, then it has certainly entered into the realm of the unholy stranger; may God help us to flee from it, and not know it.
"There is something upsetting about the voice of the stranger, once you have determined before God to follow only the VOICE OF THE SPIRIT. Yet, uniquely enough, oftentimes you cannot tell others that the voice being heard IS TO YOU the voice of a stranger for in their response to that voice they are blessed in some degree and manner. And we would make it clear, we praise God for ALL that HE is doing on any level, and through whomever, and whatever means He has purposed to work. However, our personal experience is such that we find more and more the voice of the 'charismatic move' has become to us the voice of a stranger. The projection of human personality, even though clothed with its charisma and religiosity, rings shallow and strange when one has heard the call of God into the depths and heights of the vision that leads to the realm beyond.
"'The inspiration (inbreathing) of the Almighty giveth understanding.' How we yearn for more and more of that DIVINE INBREATHING. For far too long we have relied on the proper atmospheres for our breath. The singing had to be just right, the praise service, the favorite preacher or teacher, and when conditions were just right to form that particular atmosphere, we breathed deeply and enjoyed it. But there is a dimension wherein one does not rely on the outward atmosphere, for they live by the CHRIST WITHIN, and they hear HIS VOICE, and become, as Paul so aptly stated it, 'I have come to learn, in the circumstances in which I am placed, to be independent of these and self-sufficient' (Phil. 4:11, Wuest Expanded). '...with my spirit within me will I seek Thee early' (Isa. 26:9). 'I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search' (Ps. 77:6)"
end quote.
A. B. Simpson was a man of deep spiritual experience. I quote the following from his article LISTENING. "A score of years ago a friend placed in my hand a book called TRUE PEACE. It was an old medieval message and it had but one thought THAT GOD WAS WAITING IN THE DEPTHS OF MY BEING TO TALK TO ME IF I WOULD ONLY GET STILL ENOUGH TO HEAR HIS VOICE. I thought this would be a very easy matter and so began to get still. I had no sooner commenced than a perfect pandemonium of voices reached my ears, a thousand clamoring notes from without and within, until I could hear nothing but their noise and din. Some were my own voices, my own questions; some were my very prayers. Others were suggestions of the tempter and the voices from the world of turmoil. In every direction I was pulled and pushed and greeted with noisy acclamations and unspeakable unrest. It seemed necessary for me to listen to some of them and to answer some of them; but God said, 'BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.'
"Then came the conflict of thoughts for tomorrow and its duties and cares; but God said, 'BE STILL.' And as I listened and slowly learned to obey and shut my ears to every sound, I found after a while that, when other voices ceased, (or I ceased to hear them), there was a still small voice in the depths of my being that began to speak with an inexpressible tenderness and power and comfort. As I listened, it became to me the voice of prayer, the voice of wisdom, the voice of duty, and I did not need to think so hard or pray so hard or trust so hard. That still, small voice of the Holy Spirit in my heart was God speaking in my secret soul; was God's answer to all knowledge and all prayer and all blessings, for it was the living God Himself as my life, my all.
"It is thus that our spirits drink of the life of the risen Lord and we go forth to life's conflicts and duties like a flower that has drunk in through the shades of night the cool and crystal drops of dew. But, as dew never falls on a stormy night, so the dew of His grace never comes to a restless soul. Oh, the calm! The rest! The peace which comes as we wait in His presence until we HEAR FROM HIM!" end quote.
Be still! Just now be still!
There comes a presence very mild and sweet;
White are the sandals on His noiseless feet.
It is the Comforter whom Jesus sent
To teach thee what the words He uttered meant.
The willing, waiting spirit He cloth fill;
If thou would'st hear His message, DEAR SOUL, BE STILL!
THE BLOOD ON THE HAND
The hand is always the symbol for service, serving, or ministry. Many years ago amidst a great moving of the Spirit of God the revelation of sonship fell with wonder upon our ears and burst with glory within our hearts. We sat enraptured for hours, day after day, and were taught by the Spirit about the Father and His purposes and about that elect company He has called and chosen and apprehended to be his sons, ordained of God to rule with Him in His Kingdom and restore all things to God. We learned that these sons would have power unlimited power over everything. Power over sin, power over sickness, power over the elements, power over demons, power over all the power of the enemy, power over Satan, and power over death. We were going to rule and reign in power, and our eyes sparkled like diamonds in the light and our hearts swelled with joy in expectation of the wonderful position and authority we would soon have in the Kingdom. We could think and talk of nothing else but the power we would have, and in our glorying we tried to usurp and demonstrate this power. We were intoxicated with illusions of grandeur as we pressed our way into the Kingdom and the exalted position of sitting on the throne with Jesus and ruling the world and the vastnesses of infinity forever.
It is true the sons are destined to sit on the throne with the Lord, they are going to rule over the nations, and they are going to have power beyond our wildest dreams; power to deliver the whole creation from the bondage of the corruption of the base material realm into the liberty and glory of the spirit realm. But there was a truth that was withheld from us in the beginning, and later revealed by the Spirit, the truth that as the Son of man was made a PRIEST after the order of Melchizedek, and as the Son reigns as a PRIEST upon His throne, so the sons must also be. It is not the kings who reign, but the priests. It is the fact of the priest being given ruling authority that makes the priest to also be a king. He is not a king who becomes a priest, but a priest who is given rule. "Blessed and holy is he that bath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death bath no power, but they shall be PRIESTS of God and of Christ, and shall REIGN with Him a thousand years" (Rev. 20:6). Ah, it is the PRIESTS that reign! A king without a priestly nature is no king at all merely a despot. We have a dual role to fill in the Kingdom; we are not only to be kings, we are also to be priests. It is a lofty position to which we are called, and for which we are being prepared. Sonship, yes. Kings and priests, yes. But why equipped with such power and glory? TO SERVE! For it is written, "Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, AND MY SERVANT, whom I have chosen" (Isa. 43:10). As kings we reign, as priests we serve, for the ministry of the priest is that of a servant, and we REIGN BY SERVING!
Little did we understand in those early days that the way UP is DOWN. The carnal mind would have us believe that the way UP is UP. Thus we have pressed our way into ministry, pressed our way into the Kingdom, "stood on the promises," demanded of God our "rights," and sought to seize the throne. It is true, children of God, that God wants to take us UP high into the realms of God UP to the throne but God would have us know that the way UP is always DOWN! Remember what Jesus said to His disciples when they aspired to greatness in the Kingdom? "Now an eager contention arose among them, which of them was considered and reputed to be the greatest. But Jesus said to them, The kings of the Gentiles are deified by them and exercise lordship, ruling as emperor gods over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors and welldoers. But this is not to be so with you; and on the contrary let him who is the greatest among you become as the youngest, and he who is the chief and leader as one who SERVES. For which is the greater, he who reclines at table (the master), or he who serves? Is it not he who reclines at table? BUT I AM IN YOUR MIDST AS ONE WHO SERVES" (Lk. 22:24-27, Amplified). The one who serves the people well as a priest is the one who will also reign well as a king. "They shall be PRIESTS...and they shall REIGN." Though He is calling us to become kings with authority over all, yet our inner attitude must be that of a servant, that we might freely minister, loving, touching, doing good, healing, reconciling, restoring with mercy and love. The problem with many people is that they have never learned to live for anything other than themselves, or maybe their immediate family their wife or husband, their daughter Sue, their son John, those four, no more.
In God's Kingdom kingship isn't a place of lordship, but is the place of the lowly servant. God brings preparation into our lives to teach us the attitude of a servant. Pride shows that person has failed to grasp that rulership is rooted in God and not in ourselves, thus freeing him to serve. Jesus was the most humble and lowly of all men. He was not a superduper elite country
club Son of God. Phil. 2:6-8 says of Jesus, "A1though He existed in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a BONDSERVANT, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
Jesus was so secure in who He was He didn't need to exalt Himself or usurp control over other men's lives. Jn. 13:3-5 makes this very clear: "Jesus, KNOWING that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God, rose from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, girded Himself about. Then He poured water into the basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded."
Washing feet was one of the basest tasks in the culture of Jesus' day. It was a job usually done by a house slave. Just as we offer a visitor hospitality, so in Jesus' time they customarily washed a visitor's feet. Washing feet was an undesirable responsibility: the roads were dusty well enough. But the filth of the road was more than dust. The transportation of that day was the camel, the donkey, the horse and the mule. It takes little imagination to understand that the streets and roads were littered with their manure. The traveler's feet would be covered with this as well as being caked with dust. The washing of feet was assigned to the lowliest slave because it meant handling the filth of the streets. This job was thought to be below the dignity of the "good man of the house." Yet it was this task to which the Lord of Glory stooped! The violent protests of the disciples are quite easy to understand.
How could Jesus have done this? How could the Master and the King of the universe wash dung from His disciple's feet? He could do it because HE WAS SECURE IN WHO HE WAS. He KNEW that the Father had given all things into His hands. He KNEW that He had come from the Father and that He was the Son of God and promised Messiah. He KNEW that He was going back to the Father after He defeated sin, sickness, death, the grave and hell. He didn't have to prove anything to Himself or to anyone else. His life had already proven who He was to those who had eyes to see. And He didn't stoop so low to become a tyrant, to rule over this world by force. He came to heal and bless and deliver, to REIGN BY SERVING! Ah, yes, precious friend of mine, once we thoroughly KNOW who we are there is no need to proclaim it, no need to sound a trumpet, no need to wear a badge, to remind people of who we are. Once we KNOW that we are the sons of God WE ARE FREED TO SERVE. Oh, Father! Apply the blood to our hands, quicken and sanctify the power of service, anoint with Thy holy oil, fill to the full our hands that we may have wherewith to bless Thy creation!
THE BLOOD ON THE FOOT
As the hands speak of service, so the feet speak of walk and conduct. There comes to mind the curious events of the first chapter of the book of Judges. We read, "After the death of Joshua the Israelites asked the Lord, Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them? And the Lord said, Judah shall go up; behold, I have delivered the land into his hand. And Judah (the tribe) said to (the tribe of) Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my allotment, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with you into your territory. So Simeon went with him. Then Judah went up, and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand; and they smote 10,000 of them in Bezek. And they found Adonizek in Bezek, and fought against him, and they smote the Canaanites and the Perizzites. Adonibezek fled; but they pursued him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his big toes. Adonibezek said, Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off had to gather their food under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died. And the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem, and took it, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire" (Judges 1:1-8, Amplified).
In the path of Israel's conquest of the land of Palestine, there were six great and powerful nations. These nations are named as the Hittite, Amorite, Canaanite, Jebusite, Perizzite and Hivite peoples. Among the reigning monarchs of these six nations was a crafty and able king whose name was Adonibezek, a man famed in his day not only for political craft but for military genius. He was king of the city of Bezek in the territory of the Canaanites. He had successively made war against and conquered seventy city states and captured all seventy of their kings. After Joshua died, when the tribe of Judah was ready to go up and fight against the Canaanites and possess their inheritance in the land of Canaan, this strong and formidable city of Bezek was next in their line of march. The tribe of Simeon joined Judah in this venture and together they went up and attacked Bezek. The Lord was with them and delivered the city into their hands and ten thousand of the men of Bezek were slain in the battle. King Adonibezek fled from the defeat, but the men of Judah pursued him and found him. Upon being captured a curious thing was done to him by the Judahite soldiers, his thumbs and his big toes were cut off, whereupon he made this cryptic remark, "Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off had to gather their food under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me."
How strange! Why would they sever the thumbs and big toes of conquered kings? Because it was a sign of conquest. You see, in those days the king often led his soldiers into battle. They fought with swords, spears, and with bows and arrows. The ultimate shame and punishment for a mighty warrior was for his thumbs and big toes to be cut off, for while his life and being was preserved, by this one simple procedure he was forever disfitted for fighting. He could serve as a slave, but never again could he proudly lead his army in battle because the severing of his thumbs incapacitated his hand from using the bow, or the spear, or the sword; and the absence of the big toes rendered his gait uncertain; he was unable to run in battle. What a great man this Adonibezek had been! What desolation he had made among his neighbors: he had wholly subdued and debilitated the hands and feet of seventy kings, yet now himself a prisoner and reduced to the extremity of meanness and disgrace.
In the act of consecration of the priesthood, by anointing these particular members with blood we have a picture which is the reverse. Instead of being incapacitated by amputation, these priests were to have each member QUICKENED BY CONSECRATION. The ear was anointed to be sensitive to the voice of the Spirit and to hear the cries of humanity. The thumb was anointed that it might do the bidding of God, fight the good fight of faith, and touch and minister to creation's need. The big toe was anointed that it might walk in the ways of God and WALK OUT the mind, nature, character, glory and power of God upon the earth. Oh, how God's priests need to have their walk anointed!
From time to time I meet these folk who call themselves sons of God. They can discern what God is doing in this hour, they see beautiful revelation truths. They can thrill your heart with the message they preach. They understand the deep mysteries of the Kingdom of God. But their feet have never been anointed. They cannot walk in what they see. They see it, they talk it, but they can't WALK IT. There is a weakness in their ability to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. They cannot walk out the wisdom, nature, power or will of God on the earth plane. They can talk about being overcomers and rattle on endlessly about the victorious life, sonship, kingship and priesthood, but they cannot demonstrate a life of victory under pressure or in the nittygritty of everyday living. Their head knowledge is powerful, but their walk is weak and a reproach to the Kingdom of God. What a reproach it is to have people who can preach the sonship message, teach the glories of the Melchizedek Order, know the Scriptures well, have beautiful revelations, and ability to influence people with the truth, and yet cannot WALK IT OUT!
The one who preaches and teaches, but does not partake of what he gives forth; who testifies to one thing and lives another, has little or no influence when he attempts to share with others the life of Christ. None judge our relationship with God by our knowledge of the Bible, by our revelations, experiences or our testimonies. The Christ life must be WALKED OUT in our lives, and manifested in our daily walk in the home, on our block, at the job, and before those who see us the most.
In the Song of Solomon the king says to the Shulamite, "How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter!" The word for feet is in the Hebrew PAAMAH which means not only feet but also steps or footsteps. It comes from the word PAAM meaning "to impel or agitate; to move." Ferrar Fenton translates, "How fine your steps are in your slippers!" Goodspeed renders, "How beautiful are your steps in sandals, O rapturous maiden!" Another translation says, "How beautiful your steps have become in your sandals, O willing daughter!" "Steps" indicate action which is taking place. It is not a matter of the beauty of her feet, but of her steps, or her walk. This is the beauty of her action and her move. Praise God, He is beautifying the steps of His chosen ones as He enables them more and more to walk out in the external realm the Word that He has planted deep within the inner man. It requires the application of the blood and the oil the quickening and sanctifying power of HIS LIFE WITHIN, and the enduement of the Holy Spirit to enable us to BE OUR MESSAGE, our whole life given to manifest that message, a state of being that proclaims the truth AS WE WALK whether we ever utter a word or not. We praise God for the preaching and teaching of the Word by faithful ministries, this is indeed a vital part of the whole, but remember, dear ones, the blood was not put on the tongue, but on the ear, the hand, and the foot, to teach us the great truth that we are not to just talk about Him, but to live and give our whole life unto Him until we are filled and possessed by Him, so that every action, every word, every deed, every expression, all that WE ARE is a declaration of HIM, manifesting HIM, revealing HIM.
A thousand, yea, tens of thousands, a mighty army must be touched by the blood from off the altar of God. A great Kingdom of Priests must be set ablaze with the life and love and power of God that will cause the nations of the world to turn to the living God in these crisis days. Too long have men occupied themselves in religious efforts to embalm the spirit of yesterday's revivals, wrapping it in the grave clothes of ecclesiastical systems and securing it in sepulchres that speak only of the past. Even now, a move of God of worldwide dimensions is in the making. It is being formed IN A PEOPLE, a PRIESTHOOD COMPANY that is BECOMING the embodiment and personification of all HE IS. Ah, this will not be a revival of evangelistic crusades, television programs, concerts, bus ministries, or the building of church buildings, but the overflow of divine passion and power from a people who have been so consecrated to God that their hearts and their hand' have been filled with HIMSELF. Already bright clouds are gathering on the horizon, clouds of a multitude of witnesses to the deep and vital work God is doing in the lives of His apprehended ones in preparation for the longawaited manifestation of the sons of God. The sky rivers are running full, and great glory is about to break forth upon the earth. This is the time to gird up your loins, like Elijah of old, and run before the chariots. In due time the clouds shall burst and empty themselves upon the earth. Let your heart be lifted high, for God is on the move, and this can be YOUR HOUR OF MANIFESTATION! Only that will erupt and overflow from God's people which has first been INWORKED by the Father's hand. Do not belittle or depreciate this day when it may seem so little is happening in your midst. The accent of the Spirit is not on the external works and gifts and manifestations in this hour; His concern is with the inner development of the Christ, the inworking of all His is, our BECOMING the essence and substance of His nature and character. Right now the greatest service we can give to others, is to die out to all our own egoself, that the living of HIS LIFE becomes its own declaratio of the typical priests in the Old Testament involved a great deal of ritual which consisted of five chief parts: (1) ceremonial washing (2) robing (3) anointing (4) the offering of three sacrifices on behalf of the priests (5) causing them to perform a part of their office, in earnest and in token of the performance of the whole ministry to be fulfilled from that day forward.
I am impressed at this time to draw your attention to the threefold sacrifice connected with the consecration of the priesthood. Each of the offerings had a separate meaning for the priests. The succession in which the sacrifices followed each other on this occasion, first the sinoffering, then the burntoffering, and lastly the consecration offering, has its ground in the meaning of each sacrifice. The priest passed through a spiritual process. He had transgressed the law, and he needed the deliverance signified by the sin offering. If his offering had been made in truth and sincerity, he could then offer himself as an accepted person, forsaking all selfinterests, dying completely to self, yielding his all forever to God, as a sweet savor, in the burning. And in consequence he could be quickened, strengthened, equipped, and empowered by God in the consecration offering. This is, therefore, an offering by degrees. There are three orders or degrees of consecration, and the priest must pass through all three before he is the Lord's and before he is equipped to minister as His priest. There is the offering of a bullock as a sin offering; but as the offerings proceed there is the offering of a ram as a burnt offering and the offering of another ram as an offering of consecration. There 1S a wonderful progression here. And ALL who would be consecrated members of the Royal Priesthood must experientially pass through ALL that is here typified by these three offerings.
J. Preston Eby
P.O. Box 371240
El Paso TX 79937-1240
All writings are distributed on a free-will basis.
(Brother Eby does not have e-mail service)
| Search
this site or the
web powered by FreeFind |