ON COURSE
[W. E. Thompson]
"That ye may put difference between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean"(Leviticus 10:10).
"Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. For I am the Lord your God: sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that moved upon the earth. For I am the Lord that brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. This is the law of the beast, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: to make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten" (Leviticus 11:43-47).
"And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; so that ye may prove the things that differ; that ye may be sincere and void of offense unto the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God" (Philippians 1:9-11).
LOST in space could have been the fate of Apollo 13. This small craft, manned by its three occupants in a completely alien environment, depended almost entirely on external forces to which it was related to bring it safely home. Here we saw a massive combination of the knowledge centred in 'Mission Control' and the responsive judgment and actions of those within the craft. The one supreme objective was to keep it on course, which was essential to its safe arrival home.
The drama and suspense were heightened by the possible breakdown in the transmission and receiving of a mass of detail upon which action was to be based. Contact in a number of realms, moral and electronic, was vitally essential to the course being maintained.
Herein lies an important parable for the Church today. We live in a dangerous atmosphere of dishonest enquiring: 'Why should I?' 'Why shouldn't I?' 'What does it matter?' 'Who says [80/81] this is important?', etc. For the Apollo astronauts such an attitude towards 'Mission Control', or to the importance of details -- much of which they might not have understood! -- would have meant a losing of the way and a consequent death in a wilderness of space.
God has provided for us against this. In Exodus He acts; the 'blast off' is by His power alone. He delivers His people by a mighty hand. Against the humanly insuperable, gravitational pull of Egypt they are thrust forth by His power alone. But in Leviticus -- now launched -- God demands . The onus for action shifts to the vessel -- to men in an alien atmosphere destined for the place where they belong. To be kept on course means action based on an external, concentrated source of knowledge and power. 'In Him' -- the Lord Jesus Christ -- 'are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' (Colossians 2:3).
It is for this reason that the Book of Leviticus, with its massive concern for detail, is vital to the purpose of God. For those who doubt its validity or relevance, we find it quoted forty times in the New Testament. It is a fount of spiritual knowledge and truth. Cowper regarded it thus:
[W. E. Thompson]
"That ye may put difference between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean"(Leviticus 10:10).
"Ye shall not make yourselves abominable with any creeping thing that creepeth, neither shall ye make yourselves unclean with them, that ye should be defiled thereby. For I am the Lord your God: sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy; for I am holy: neither shall ye defile yourselves with any manner of creeping thing that moved upon the earth. For I am the Lord that brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. This is the law of the beast, and of the fowl, and of every living creature that moveth in the waters, and of every creature that creepeth upon the earth: to make a difference between the unclean and the clean, and between the living thing that may be eaten and the living thing that may not be eaten" (Leviticus 11:43-47).
"And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and all discernment; so that ye may prove the things that differ; that ye may be sincere and void of offense unto the day of Christ; being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God" (Philippians 1:9-11).
LOST in space could have been the fate of Apollo 13. This small craft, manned by its three occupants in a completely alien environment, depended almost entirely on external forces to which it was related to bring it safely home. Here we saw a massive combination of the knowledge centred in 'Mission Control' and the responsive judgment and actions of those within the craft. The one supreme objective was to keep it on course, which was essential to its safe arrival home.
The drama and suspense were heightened by the possible breakdown in the transmission and receiving of a mass of detail upon which action was to be based. Contact in a number of realms, moral and electronic, was vitally essential to the course being maintained.
Herein lies an important parable for the Church today. We live in a dangerous atmosphere of dishonest enquiring: 'Why should I?' 'Why shouldn't I?' 'What does it matter?' 'Who says [80/81] this is important?', etc. For the Apollo astronauts such an attitude towards 'Mission Control', or to the importance of details -- much of which they might not have understood! -- would have meant a losing of the way and a consequent death in a wilderness of space.
God has provided for us against this. In Exodus He acts; the 'blast off' is by His power alone. He delivers His people by a mighty hand. Against the humanly insuperable, gravitational pull of Egypt they are thrust forth by His power alone. But in Leviticus -- now launched -- God demands . The onus for action shifts to the vessel -- to men in an alien atmosphere destined for the place where they belong. To be kept on course means action based on an external, concentrated source of knowledge and power. 'In Him' -- the Lord Jesus Christ -- 'are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge' (Colossians 2:3).
It is for this reason that the Book of Leviticus, with its massive concern for detail, is vital to the purpose of God. For those who doubt its validity or relevance, we find it quoted forty times in the New Testament. It is a fount of spiritual knowledge and truth. Cowper regarded it thus:
"Israel in ancient days
Not only had a view
Of Sinai's blaze,
But learned the Gospel too.
The types and figures were a glass
In which they saw the Saviour's face."
A powerful New Testament summary of its content and purpose is found in Philippians 1:9, concentrated in those three key words: 'knowledge ' (external detail), 'discernment' (inward moral choice based on knowledge), 'proving the things that differ' (putting to the test, doing the things judged to be right).
What, then, does Leviticus contain and mean?
(A) A MASSIVE CONCERN FOR DETAIL
Concerning the 'whole man', his spiritual worship and soul salvation: Chapters 1 - 4; his social behaviour and conduct: Chapter 5; his property: Chapter 6; his food: Chapter 11; his health and hygiene: Chapters 13 - 15; his family and progeny: Chapter 18; his security: Chapter 19: and so on, throughout the book.
(B) A DISTINCT RECOGNITION OF PRIORITIES
It begins where all relationships with God begin -- with true worship. This is the governing core of attitude and behaviour. This explains the God of the meticulous -- He is altogether different from His creatures. This explains the vast amount of detailed instruction as to how He is to be approached and worshipped, which relieves man of any ground for his own imagination. All must proceed from God, and this alone is found in Christ who is one fullness of the Godhead bodily, and who alone meets all the Divine requirements. Worship or prayer which disregards the Divine detail is 'strange fire' which is as destructive as the true fire is effective.
(C) IT INVOLVES TREMENDOUS COST
There is nothing cheap with God. It is always the best that He gives and seeks to receive in return. His values are supreme, be they the sheep or goats for sacrifice, or the garments of the priests! There are no 'instant', 'canned', 'quick frozen', 'dehydrated' ways with God. He gives and seeks reality. Leviticus teaches, above all else, the value which God places on all that which is related to Him and spells out for us that which is worthy of His Holiness.
(D) ALL THIS IS GIVEN AGAINST A WILDERNESS BACKGROUND
It is for the present. The details are for the desert, not the destiny! The fact that they constitute a contrast to their surroundings is evidence of their true nature and value. We are not excused from obedience here on the ground that the 'times are bad', 'all is against us', 'we cannot help it', 'this is how we are made'. Here and now is our need. Our course lies through the wilderness.
The burden and aim of this book, designed to keep God's people on course, are summarized by a number of key verses.
1. "That he may be accepted ..." (1:3).
This means unbroken contact with 'Mission Control'. The careful maintaining of sensitive lines of communication and channels of power are of the first importance. To sin wilfully or unwilfully breaks the contact, and cleansing and renewal must be sought. To walk in the light means to be on course and to prove 'co-ordination' (fellowship). What would have been the situation in that small space ship had the three men fallen out with each other? It would only require one to lose his contact with 'Mission Control' for this to happen, and the result could have been disastrous. Fellowship means access to the Father and oneness with Him on His basis. Hence the primary emphasis on [81/82] worship, and that together'. Thus we have the 'table', a focal point ordained of God where the tremendous fact of 'being accepted before the Lord' is powerfully demonstrated, and, alas, tragically weakened by those whose contact is broken.
2. "That ye may put a difference between the holy and the common, the clean and the unclean" (10:10).
That we may discern! How do we know what is true and what is false in a day of imitation and synthetics? It is necessary for us to bow to a Superior Informer -- we may not be under law, but we are under the God of law and perfect order, whose purpose is to bring us safely home. It is vital that we develop taste for what is right and true and clean. This involves all we see and read. It involves the friends we make and the places to which we go. If details mean anything, then all, body, soul and spirit, must be brought subject to Him, and whatsoever we do -- in any area of life -- must be for Him. We simply learn and must accept that we cannot do as we like.
This lack of discernment is one of the biggest single factors for deflecting a Christian off course, and we must in all honesty and sincerity say: 'Lord, where have I gone wrong?' We may be surprised by His answer -- we failed to recognize the common and unclean.
3. "To teach when it is unclean" (14:57).
Infection and the danger of contamination where not only to be found on a person, but in his dress and in his house. It is important to recognize this. The beginning may be small and undetected, but the end result can mean a spiritual epidemic. The small root -- many defiled (Hebrew 12:15). The onus for detection and dealing lies with both the individual and the spiritual leader, and requires an acute spirit of discernment with a skilful hand at spiritual surgery. "If a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one" (Galatians 6:1). If honest detection of a 'spot' (in person, dress or house) were to result in 'our going to him alone', and following the details for disciples in Matthew 18:15-17, infection could be arrested and healing be secured.
The New Testament has many practical examples of the warnings of uncleanliness and the removal of the unclean. We must give earnest heed!
4. "The Glory of the Lord" (9:6).
This was to be a foretaste of home! An incentive to get there -- and for us it is the 'extra'! The reality of God amongst us in power. To disregard the details will disqualify for 'glory'. Yet this is to be our experience, and many know that seemingly indefinable 'difference' between meetings and meetings, and places and places. Is the God of glory there? Does His glory appear to all the people? This is the evidence and thrill of being on course. "Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God" (Philippians 1:11). These are not words without meaning, unattainable, but to prove and enjoy them God has made full provision. Let us, then, obey and apprehend! - W. E. T.
----------------
No comments:
Post a Comment