Part XX4.1 - Lamps and Shewbread
CHAPTER XXIV. THE LAMPS AND SHEW-BREAD-THE BLASPHEMER. IN the last chapter we had a summary history of the circumstances into which the people of the Lord would come by His dealings with them in grace, from the first hour of their redemption through the precious blood of the Lamb, to the time of their full and everlasting deliverance when Jesus Himself shall be in their midst. The matters now to be expounded have been before mentioned, but have here a place historically, following other things from which they have resulted. The children of Israel generally are addressed by the Lord through Moses; but this time by a " command," for we are now to consider things which must be done. They were to contribute certain things that were needed for the fulfillment of the design of God. The first was " pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually." When the Lord, in the gospel of Matthew, had unfolded the heavenly principles of the kingdom, He then addressed His disciples as " the light of the world." In regard to their manifestation as such in all the fulness of God’s purpose, we find the following passage in the Psalms: " Once have I sworn by My holiness, that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before Me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven " (Psalms 89:35-37). But here we have to do with tabernacle circumstances and patterns of things in the heavens.
Like the moon in the night, this light was to be burning " from evening till morning." It was the light of pure oil on the pure candlestick. The consideration of the particulars of these things is not necessary to the purpose of this passage. But in general the oil is the Holy Ghost, and the candlestick and lamps the Church in union with the Lord Jesus ; its members being made partakers of the divine nature, and thus becoming the light in the heavenly place, in the tabernacle of testimony without the vail. The intrinsic character of the Church thus symbolized is light, but it is light yielded in service. The Lord Jesus Himself is ever the light of the world, but the Church is here united and manifested with Him in life, and therefore reflects His glory. The Church failed in maintaining its character on earth as the light of the world, and failed, too, when outwardly divided into separate candlesticks. But Jesus never fails; and so, in result, in heaven the lamps are found to be united in one candlestick in Him, being caused to burn with the pure beaten oil, and so to shine for ever. The next point in this chapter is the arrangement of the shewbread. This was made of fine flour, baked in twelve cakes (two tenth deals being used for each cake), which were to be set in two rows, six in a row, on the pure table before the Lord. Frankincense was to be put on each loaf for a memorial, an offering made by fire unto the Lord. The loaves were to be set in order every Sabbath, " being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant." These were to belong to Aaron and his sons, and to be eaten in the holy place. The two wave loaves, the first fruits of the Church at Pentecost, show its acceptance, though it is as yet mixed up with the impurity of nature; but here the Church is seen in its perfectness in Christ, made of the fine flour without the leaven; while the frankincense testifies to its entire acceptance as a sweet savour unto the Lord. For the fine flour is the perfect nature of Christ, of which the Church partakes, as may be seen by this its permanent place of service and abode in the heavenlies. The frankincense shows it to be the food of God in memorial; but it is the portion of the priests to feed upon, and it is this feeding which gives the perfect identification with Christ (John 6:56), and causes His priests to receive strength for service to God. The twelve loaves of two tenth deals are the complete assembly of the whole body of the redeemed; but the two rows mark a distinction, though all are in union upon the pure table, presented ever in Christ. By this material of fine flour, the loaves testify the perfection of the nature in virtue of which they are placed within the tabernacle, just as the oil is the substance which exhibits light in service. The former is Christ, the latter is the Holy Ghost. Both are said to be from the children of Israel: for both were given to them of God. The latter is described as being " by an everlasting covenant," which refers us to God as the great source of all. The shewbread is literally " bread of the presence," that is, of God. There is a connection between this ordinance and Matt. xii., which shows how the law taught of grace. The Lord refers to Hosea 6:6, as unfolding the principle, " I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." In Matthew 11:1-30 and Matthew 12:1-50 He had said of the kingdom of heaven, " the violent take it by force:" He had declared that Himself alone could communicate the true knowledge of God, that is, of the Father: He had presented Himself as the rest of the weary, and the Lord of the Sabbath. And in the course of these things, He speaks of David who ate the shewbread which was " lawful" only for the priests to eat, and of the priests who in the temple break the Sabbath, which God had commanded not to be broken, and yet are "blameless." Then He tells the Pharisees, that, if they had understood Hosea 6:6, they would not have condemned the guiltless ; for, He adds, " the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day." So does He manifest His own person as the key to every blessing, and show Himself to be the One Who brings contrite sinners into the highest privileges. All this is, as seen above, in connection with the everlasting covenant; and the disciples, in eating the ears of corn upon earth on the Sabbath day, were proving in principle their title to partake of the bread of heaven, and to be there. The kingdom of heaven was suffering violence. Thus we see that the result so far as shown in these two ordinances-viz., the Church for ever perfected in heaven, both in standing and in service-is not the effect of the law compelling the obedience of nature to the commands of God, but of God working in grace, bringing sinners near to Himself in Christ, and, when they are brought nigh, imparting that knowledge of Himself which comprises all blessing, and power, and qualification for service.
Just in the same way the feasts may be regarded as God’s directory for the whole course of the Church from the world to heaven; failing, indeed, as a directory, to be observed, but showing in the result that there is no failure, because all is based on the " everlasting covenant." A parallelism may be traced between the course of these feasts and the course of the history of the Churches in Revelation 2:1-29 and Revelation 3:1-22 ; as also between the scene in this chapter, the candlestick and shewbread in the heavenly place, and the seven spirits and twenty-four crowned elders before the throne. The characteristics of Him Who addresses the Churches are to be compared with the characteristics of the feasts. In the addresses the failure is shown, as well as the blessing which accrues to faithfulness. And although the failure is total as regards the corporate Church upon earth, the result of the everlasting covenant is, nevertheless, seen in heaven.
Leviticus 24:10. The circumstances of these ordinances are remarkably contrasted with what immediately follows- the account of the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, striving together with a man of Israel in the camp, and of the blasphemy of the former against The Name, the sacred name of Jehovah. The blasphemer was kept in ward until the Lord’s judgment could be known, and then it was commanded that those who heard him should lay their hands on him, and that all the congregation should stone him. With the sentence the general precept is given :-" Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin. And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him ; as well the stranger, as he that is born in the land." A few repeated injunctions follow, which show the strict and unbending character of the requirements of the law, as well for the stranger as for one born in the country. And then the sentence is executed on the blasphemer. We are left in no uncertainty as to the origin of the sin so solemnly punished. It arose from the conduct of an Israelitish woman,who broke through the barrier which should ever encircle God’s people, and joined herself to an evil and idolatrous world. This produced the struggle which ended in blasphemy of the sacred name. It is on the common ground of the Church and the world that such fearful sins are in danger of being committed. They are the result, amongst the called people of God, whether Jew or Christian, of disregard of the grace of God. For that is the secret of His name. Such is the sin for which there is no forgiveness, the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost; for He brings to light the whole counsel of God in the mystery of His grace, and, if that be despised, there is nothing more to be done. The law must take its course in all its requirements, and not only seals condemnation for this highest sin, but also judges man as a sinner, and guilty of death, for the breach of the least or any of its enactments. For in this way does the righteousness of God vindicate itself when grace through righteousness is fully rejected and denied. And so historically, when the course of God’s dealings in grace has run out, and those who are saved have been set in everlasting perfectness in heaven, then His righteousness in judgment appears in all its terror. In Revelation 19:14, the Lamb comes forth with the armies of heaven, just as here it is commanded, " All the congregation shall stone him."