But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9 NKJV
The true Christian life is the greatest adventure and the most glorious quest that can ever be known on the earth. There is nothing as exciting, as fulfilling, or as compelling as getting to know who we are in Christ Jesus. As we focus on the Priest, what we see is the beauty of God’s divine arrangement and orchestration. Gazing at the priest, two things come to mind:
1. Complexity and Order
2. The Under-layer of Simplicity and Purity
As we look at the garment, we could see clearly how complex and orderly it was skillfully woven and arranged. From the Tunic and Sash which was made of white linen, we can describe it as pure and simple.
The principles derived from looking at the priest are what must be applied to the structure of our lives and the nature of our pursuits. This also vividly shows that we must have a rich understanding of God that is built upon a foundation of simple faith in Christ Jesus.
One other thing that comes to mind while looking at the priest is the importance of the lack of carnal haste and the need for measured movement. The priest had to maintain the purity of the sound of his ministry. It therefore means that we must strive for harmony in the home and in our personal lives. Like the Priest who always maintain stillness and move with God’s calculated timing or pace while performing His duty in God’s presence, we also must have this inbuilt in us; Importance of thought, listening and alignment with God’s pace.
Each garment had its place and each complemented the other. This is the power and beauty of spiritual clothing. As Royal priests of God in the kingdom, we are expected to have the power of an accumulated value system at the core of our heart. We celebrate each and every dimension of growth in us as we progress to complete-ness and full maturity in Christ.
The man (High Priest) seemed to disappear and the divine symbolism became evident. This is Heavenly life bringing the forceful identity of earth into subjection. As believers, we are expected to be releasing the power of the Christ-nature rather than the carnal components of the earth nature. Galatians 2: 20 says “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me”.
Gazing at the priest, we also see the divine demand for correctness of Identity, method and action.
“They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister in the holy place, that they do not incur iniquity and die. It shall be a statute forever to him and his descendants after him”. Exo 28:43 NKJV
“And it shall be upon Aaron when he ministers, and its sound will be heard when he goes into the holy place before the Lord and when he comes out, that he may not die”. Exo. 28:35 NKJV
“And Moses said to Aaron, and to Eleazar and Ithamar, his sons, “Do not uncover your heads nor tear your clothes, lest you die, and wrath come upon all the people. But let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord has kindled”. Lev 10:6 NKJV
See also Exodus 30: 20-21; Leviticus 8: 35; Leviticus 16: 2.
In Christ, we must have an increased desire to find what is the right way in all things. We must live a principled and elevated life if we don’t want to “Die”. To die is to be cut off the flow of God’s grace, resources and life.
Leviticus 10: 1 – 3 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the LORD by burning before Him the wrong kind of fire, different than He had commanded. 2 So fire blazed forth from the LORD’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the LORD. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the LORD meant when He said, ‘I will display My holiness through those who come near Me. I will display My glory before all the people.'” And Aaron was silent.
We seek no other pattern for our determined action than the patterns in the life of Christ:
– He was the Ultimate Priest!
– He was the Ultimate Sacrifice!
– He was the Ultimate Substitute!
– He was the Ultimate Portal for the power of the Kingdom to enter the earth!
Brethren, we are on a journey and God is calling us into His fullness. The word of God says in Psalm 84:5, “blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage”. Our journey is a journey to the deepest meanings, expressions and the Fullness of the Cross! Our movement is a movement to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4: 13).
Finally, let’s begin to lay down our “life” (our obedience, our faithful execution of His purpose, our pursuit of His will, our achieved unity, our searched-out wisdom, our submission to the Kingdom) before God on behalf of our brothers in the Body of Christ. Selah!
Kindly note, that this message is an excerpt from Dr. Noel Woodroffe’s teachings on Representation (C-WBN); emphasis mine.
Pastor Felix Oyanoghafo
lyxrox@yahoo.com