Date: Tue, 27 Feb 1996 08:37:17 +-100
Reply-To: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel
Sender: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel
From: Teus Benschop
Subject: ChrExp, The Scriptures opened, 72
Contents
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1. Exodus 28:36-38 - Aaron bearing the people's iniquity
2. Jeremiah 3:1 - Return to Me, ye harlot
3. 1 Peter 2:24,25 - Flesh withers but the Word is forever
1. Exodus 28:36-38 - Aaron bearing the people's iniquity
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Weekly reading: Exodus 27:20 - 30:10
Exodus 28:36-38
36 And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it,
like the engravings of a signet,
HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
37 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.
38 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 all their holy gifts;
and it shall be always upon his forehead,
that they may be accepted before the LORD.
And the LORD spoke unto Moses, that he should make a plate of pure
gold, and grave upon it these words: "Holiness To The LORD" The
engraving should be like the engravings of a signet: clear and
evident. "Holiness To The LORD", because our God is holy, and nothing
unholy may appear before Him. That is why we, sinful and unholy
people, cannot stand before Him. God is holy, and we are unholy.
The golden plate was fixed upon Aaron's forehead, as we read. When
Aaron was busy in the holy things, he hereby was always reminded that
God is holy, and that also His priests should be holy. The priests
should not be unholy, so as to devote themselves to the worldly
things, but they always should be holy, devoted to the LORD. Our God
is holy, and let all His ministers be so. When Aaron was coming to
you, the golden plate with the words regarding God's holiness, was
easily readable. The plate was publicly visible. Therefore, if we
profess our God, let it be done publicly. Let we openly profess, and
show through our faith and holy works, that we belong to the LORD. Let
our profession be public to everybody. Everywhere where we are, let it
be seen that we are the priests of the New Testament to the Lord. Let
we never think that we are at liberty not to be holy at some time, but
let we always bear on our foreheads this plate in public: "Holiness To
The Lord".
In the 38th verse, we read: "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 all their holy gifts; and it shall
be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the
LORD." In other words: The golden plate should be upon Aaron's
forehead. Why? That the priest might bear the iniquity of the holy
things of the people. The children of Israel will hallow holy gifts to
the LORD. Even their holy gifts, devoted to the LORD, will contain
iniquity. This Aaron should bear, that these gifts may be accepted
before the LORD. Let then Aaron, the high priest, bear the iniquity of
the best works and most holy gifts of the people. We see that even
their best works are defiled, because they need to be sanctified to
make them acceptable before the LORD. Let then none of the Israelites
think that their works are acceptable before the Lord. Why not?
Because they are defiled, as our text says. They need to be sanctified
by the high priest, before they are acceptable before God. The
offerings of the people could not be so perfect, but some fault would
be in them. This sin the high priest bore and pacified God.
Let none of us therefore think that his works are acceptable before
the LORD, unless they are sanctified through the high priest. Let
Aaron come, and bear our iniquity. But..., this first high priest,
Aaron, no longer lives. So, let then his posterity come, and bear our
iniquity, that our works may be acceptable before God. But..., also
Aaron's posterity has died. There is no human high priest on earth any
longer. All the people have a problem them, because their gifts will
never be made acceptable before the LORD. God will always be and
remain angry with their defilements, and will never be pacified. There
is no high priest on earth, to cleanse them from their sins. No high
priest will bear the iniquity of the people, to make their gifts
acceptable before God. All the high priests are dead.
Instead of the high priests of old (which all have died), we have a
better High Priest. The old ones always and ever died, but our High
Priest will perform His office for always and ever. Christ Jesus, the
Son of David, is our new High Priest. The old priests were prevented
from staying high priest, because the death intervened. But Jesus
Christ has conquered death, hell, satan, and every perishing thing,
and will live forever and ever. He is our High Priest. In the 38th
verse, we read: "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 all their holy gifts; and it shall be always upon his
forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD." Because Aaron is
dead, and because Christ is our High Priest, we fill in Jesus' Name in
the text. We then read in the 38th verse: "And it shall be upon Jesus
Christ's forehead, that Jesus Christ 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 Jesus Christ's forehead, that they
may be accepted before the LORD."
Aaron bore the iniquity of the people, and was a type of Christ.
Christ took away the sin of His people. Of Jesus it is said, "Behold
the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29.
Even the best and the most holy works of the people contain their
sins. Even their most holy works need to be cleansed through Jesus our
eternal High Priest. It is a truth, "that God was in Christ,
reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto
them", 2 Cor. 5:19. And John writes: "My little children, these things
write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an
advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous", 1 John 2:1.
Christ is our High Priest; through Him our sins are forgiven us, and
not laid to our charge. Our persons, our doings, are pleasing to God
upon the account of Christ, and not otherwise.
Here arises a problem for those that have no longer a high priest
(because all high priests have died), and yet refuse to believe in the
eternal High Priest, Christ Jesus. They have a great problem, because
the sins in their works are not washed away. They have no high priest,
bearing the iniquity of their holy things. Their works, therefore, are
never accepted by the LORD. Why not? Because God is so holy, that He
cannot have anything to do with the defiled works of us. We have a
High Priest, Jesus Christ, reconciling us unto God, but the
unbelievers have not such a Mediator. Their sins will remain therefore
on them, and they will be condemned before His tribunal. There is only
one way of escape: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt
be saved", Acts 16:31.
All glory be unto our holy LORD,
and unto Jesus Christ our Saviour.
2. Jeremiah 3:1 - Return to Me, ye harlot
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They say,
If a man put away his wife,
and she go from him, and become another man's,
shall he return unto her again?
shall not that land be greatly polluted?
but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers;
yet return again to me,
saith the LORD.
When a man has put away his wife, and she goes away from him, and
marries with another man, shall her first man take her back again? Of
course not, lest the land be greatly polluted. The law forbids this
pollution. In Deuteronomy 24:1-4 we can read this. "When a man hath
taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no
favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her:
then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand,
and send her out of his house. And when she is departed out of his
house, she may go and be another man's wife. And if the latter husband
hate her, and write her a bill of divorcement, and giveth it in her
hand, and sendeth her out of his house; or if the latter husband die,
which took her to be his wife; her former husband, which sent her
away, may not take her again to be his wife, after that she is
defiled; for that is abomination before the LORD: and thou shalt not
cause the land to sin, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an
inheritance." So in human society, when a man has send away his wife,
and she has married another, then she may never return to her former
husband. That would pollute the land.
Is this also the case with God and His people? When the people, who
were formerly in the bond of the spiritual marriage between God and
them, have forsaken the LORD, are they then afterwards forbidden to
return to Him? When they have played the harlot, will they then return
to God? In human society, when a harlot return to her former husband,
the land greatly will be defiled. Is this also the case in the bond of
marriage with God? No, because God says: "thou hast played the harlot
with many lovers; yet return again to Me".
If they will repent, and forsake all these abominations, and return
from these breakings of the covenant, then the LORD will accept them.
God will accept us, if we with a sincere intention of our heart will
return to Him. God will show us mercy, when we return to Him, and
forsake the thing we played the harlot with, that is the world. "You
have played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to Me, says
the LORD". Let they forsake all their idols, wherein they have put
their trust, and rely on God only. Let we forsake all our gods, as our
insurance wherein we trust, and return to God.
Reader, if you are such a harlot; if you have connected yourself with
everything but God; if you have put your trust in anything except God,
then I say you: Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have
transgressed against the LORD your God, and that you have scattered
your ways to the strangers always and everywhere, and you have not
obeyed God's voice. Turn, o backslider, says God. For He is married
unto you. Return, ye backslider, and God will heal your backslidings.
If you will return, return to God. And if you will repent, then put
away your abominations out of God's sight. Wash your heart from
wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your vain thoughts
lodge within you? How long will you trust in anything but God? How
long will you serve the creatures above the Creator? How long will you
keep your relation in higher esteem than God? Put your sins away, that
you may be saved through a living faith in Christ Jesus our Saviour.
3. 1 Peter 2:24,25 - Flesh withers but the Word is forever
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For all flesh is as grass,
and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.
The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
But the word of the Lord endureth for ever.
And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
All flesh is like grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of
grass. All the grass withers, and the flower thereof falls away. A
man, when he is young, is vital, strong and fit. A woman, when she is
young, is beautiful and looks pleasant. But when the man grows old, he
loses his vitality; he loses his strength; he loses his fitness.
Because all flesh is like grass, and all glory of man as the flower of
grass. All the grass withers, and the flower thereof falls away. When
the woman grows old, she loses all her beauty; she loses all her
comeliness. Because all flesh is like grass, and all glory of man as
the flower of grass. All the grass withers, and the flower thereof
falls away. When the man, and the woman grow still older, they at the
end die, and are laid in the earth. Then their bodies perish, and "the
worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered", Job
24:20. Because all flesh is like grass that withers, and like the
flowers of the field that wither away. A man is young and thinks to
have a long future before him. But before he knows it, he has become
old, and stands on the edge of the grave. His glory has gone, and like
a flower he withers away.
But this is the difference between mankind and the Word: all flesh
will die, "but the Word of the Lord endureth for ever". Foolish then
is he that trust in human beauty. He is a fool, and sees wrong on the
glory of humanity. Because this all will vanish away. The fool
delights in the human beauty, but the wise man delights in God, and in
His Word. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the
flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth
away: but the word of the Lord endureth for ever.
Some build their palace on this earth down, but when they have
settled, they also have become old. When they are still building their
paradise on this earth, they have no time for God and His true
worship. And when they are ready, (at least when they are not driven
forth by their endless desires), they also are old, and are about to
die, and to become food for the worms. For they are like grass that
vanishes away. Wise is he then that gathers his treasures in heaven.
All flesh will vanish, but the Word of God will stand forever and
ever. "And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."
The word of truth is again brought to you now. Listen then; forsake
the things that are down, and consider the things above. "Set your
affection on things above, not on things on the earth", Col. 3:2. "For
they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but
they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit", Rom. 8:5.
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chr-exp@nic.surfnet.nl
"A Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel"
Institute Practical Bible-education
Web: http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/ipb-e/ipbe-home.html
Written by Teus Benschop -- t.benschop@pobox.ruu.nl
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file: /pub/resources/text/ipb-e/so: s-open-072.txt
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