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THE CENTRAL AND ULTIMATE POINT OF THE PRIESTHOOD

“You shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it; two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. And you shall set them in two rows, six in a row, on the table of pure gold before Jehovah” (Lev. 24:5-6). We know that this table is the table of the bread of the Presence. This part of the Word tells us that on the table there were twelve cakes in two rows and that every cake was of two-tenths of an ephah.

“You shall make its lamps, seven; and set up its lamps to give light to the area in front of it” (Exo. 25:37). On the table of the bread of the Presence there were twelve cakes, and on the lampstand there were seven lamps.

These two numbers, seven and twelve, are the main numbers in the book of Revelation. In that book there are the seven churches, the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven bowls, etc. Eventually, there is the number twelve in the New Jerusalem: twelve gates, twelve layers of foundation, twelve names of the tribes of Israel on the twelve gates, and twelve names of the apostles on the twelve layers of foundation. The fruit of the tree of life is also twelve in number. In Revelation there is first the number seven and then the number twelve. Later on, we will see the meaning of these two numbers in God’s economy.

Now we must read Exodus 28:9-10: “You shall take two onyx stones and engrave on them the names of the sons of Israel, six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the remaining six on the other stone, according to their birth.” These two pieces of onyx stone were put on the two shoulder pieces of the ephod of the high priest.

“You shall make a breastplate of judgment, the work of a skillful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it; of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet strands, and of fine twined linen you shall make it…And you shall enclose in it enclosures of stones, four rows of stones” (vv. 15, 17). There are two rows of the bread of the Presence, but here there are four rows of stones, each row with three precious stones.

“They shall be set in gold in their enclosures. And the stones shall be according to the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to their names; they shall be like the engravings of a signet, each according to its name, for the twelve tribes” (vv. 20-21).

“Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastplate of judgment on his heart when he goes into the sanctuary, for a memorial before Jehovah continually. And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be on Aaron’s heart when he goes in before Jehovah, and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel on his heart before Jehovah continually” (vv. 29-30). In addition to the four rows of twelve pieces of precious stones, two other things are put on the breastplate: the Urim and the Thummim.

We must also turn to Numbers 27:21: “He [Joshua] shall stand before Eleazar the priest, and he shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before Jehovah. At his word shall they go out and at his word they shall come in, both he [Joshua] and all the children of Israel with him, even the whole assembly.” Joshua and all the people had to go out and come in according to the judgment they received through the high priest with the Urim on the breastplate.

THE BREASTPLATE AS A TYPE OF THE BUILDING OF THE CHURCH

In this last chapter we must come to the central and ultimate point of the priesthood, the breastplate. We have seen in past chapters that this breastplate is made of two kinds of materials: gold and twelve pieces of precious stones. Gold is the setting to hold the different pieces of precious stones, and the precious stones are used as the materials to build up the breastplate.

This is in figure and in principle very much like the building of the New Jerusalem. The New Jerusalem is a city of gold. This is the setting. Then, upon the gold, many pieces of precious stones are built up to be the city. The twelve layers of the foundation are twelve pieces of precious stones, and upon the foundation the wall is built with jasper. So the whole city is a building of precious stones set in the golden setting. In principle, the building of the New Jerusalem is exactly the same as that of the breastplate.

In previous chapters we have seen that the breastplate is a type of the proper building up of the church. This comes from the expression of Christ, which issues out of the enjoyment of Christ. As we have seen, the priests must experience all kinds of offerings as their food and enjoyment, and these offerings are all the different aspects of Christ’s riches. So we must feed on the riches of Christ as our enjoyment, and issuing out of this, we will have the expression which is typified by the clothing of the priests. After the priests enjoy Christ within, they express Christ without. It is in this expression of Christ that there is such a building. Thus, the breastplate is the product of the enjoyment of Christ, resulting in the expression of Christ. This is the central and ultimate point of the priesthood.

THE REDEMPTION OF BLOOD

The priestly office is quite involved with the whole situation of the tabernacle. We have seen clearly that in the outer court there are the altar of the offerings and the laver. In the Holy Place there are the table of the bread of the Presence, the seven lamps on the one stand, and the incense altar. In the Holy of Holies there is the Ark. The priestly office is very much involved with the tabernacle. Because God is at the expiation cover, which is the cover of the Ark, and His shekinah glory is in the Holy of Holies, a priest must get to the expiation cover to contact God. But to get to the expiation cover, the priest must first come to the altar, where he gets the redeeming blood. This is the foundation. Without the redemption of blood there is no possibility for fallen man to contact God. So, at the altar there is mainly the blood.

With the blood, the priest gets into the tabernacle to contact God. He first has to pass the altar, and then, with the blood, he arrives at the table. From the table he turns to the lampstand, and from the lampstand he goes to the incense altar to burn the incense. The burning of the incense releases to God the sweet odor by which the priest is accepted. It is by the blood and through the incense that we are accepted into the presence of the holy God of glory.

The high priest enters into the Holy of Holies with a plate upon his breast, which is a building of gold and precious stones. There are the two shoulder pieces and the breastplate. On the two shoulder pieces there are twelve names divided into two groups. One group of six names is on one side, and the other group of six names is on the other side. In this way, twelve names are divided into two groups of six. But on the breastplate there are four rows of precious stones, each row composed of three precious stones. All of this is upon the priest’s robe. When the high priest passes all the places of the outer court and the Holy Place to get into the Holy of Holies to stand before the expiation cover, there is such a building upon him.

THE DISPENSATION OF LIFE

How many pieces of bread are on the table of the bread of the Presence? There are twelve in two rows of six each. This is quite interesting. The Hebrew word for row means an army in a kind of military array. So the twelve cakes are in a kind of array to display twelve pieces in two rows.

Then there are the seven lamps on the lampstand. In order to help us get into the full meaning of the breastplate, we must know why there are twelve cakes and seven lamps. If we read the whole Bible carefully to find out the proper meaning of the number twelve, we will see that it not only means eternal perfection but also dispensation, economy, or a kind of divine arrangement.

When we look at the table of the bread of the Presence, with twelve cakes arrayed in two rows, we are given the sense of a kind of dispensational arrangement. This is the dispensation in the divine life. Dispensation means God’s economy, God’s arrangement, God’s dispensing in and with His life. Here at the table we can realize a kind of dispensation, a kind of arrangement in life and with life. God’s economy is simply a kind of dispensation in His life and with His life. God dispenses Himself into us as life. The divine dispensation, the divine arrangement, is a kind of economy in the divine life. So at the table we have the economy of dispensation in life.

THE ADMINISTRATION OF LIGHT

After the life, there is the light. “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4). The life becomes the light. When we have the life, then we are in the light. When we get into the light, there is the number seven. Seven lamps are on the one stand.

In the Bible the number seven in a sense means perfection, but if we read the book of Revelation carefully, we will see that it is also the number of God’s administration. There are seven churches for God’s administration, seven seals for God’s administration, seven trumpets for God’s administration, and seven vials for God’s administration. The whole book of Revelation is a book of God’s administration in these four big sevens. Eventually, in the Bible seven means perfection in God’s administration.

So at the lampstand there is the divine administration, and at the table of the bread of the Presence there is the divine dispensation with and in life. After the life, there is the divine administration, the divine operation. Life is for enjoyment, and light is for operation in the divine administration. This is quite meaningful. When we are in the enjoyment of Christ, we are in the dispensation of life, and the enjoyment in the divine dispensation of life will give us the light. When we get into the light, we are in God’s administration, God’s operation, God’s move, and God’s activity. Then in this light we burn the incense. In other words, this light brings us into the presence of God.

At the table of the bread of the Presence there is the dispensation, at the lampstand there is the administration, and at the altar there is redemption. First, there is redemption, and this redemption brings us into the enjoyment of the dispensation of life. Then the dispensation of life turns us to the divine administration in light.

Do not think that the word dispensation means “period” or “age.” No, it means the dispensing of something. When we get into the enjoyment of Christ, we are in the divine dispensing of God Himself in Christ through the Spirit as life to us, and this life turns us to the light. When we are in the light, we are in God’s movement, God’s administration, and God’s divine operation. This will bring us to the presence of God.

THE TRANSFORMATION OF BUILDING

In the presence of God, the priest wears the breastplate. There is something built up with gold and precious stones, the divine nature, and the transforming work. All the stones are something transformed. Therefore, to arrive at the transformation of building requires four main stops. The first stop is for redemption. The second is for the divine dispensation of life. The third is for the divine administration in light. Then eventually we come to the last stop, which is the divine building, a building built up with the divine nature and the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. There is redemption, dispensation, administration, and building. At the altar there is the blood, at the table of the bread of the Presence there is the life as the nourishment, at the lampstand there is the light, and eventually at the breastplate, there is the building by transformation. The process starts from the blood and passes through the nourishment of life and the enlightening of light to bring us into the transformation. Then our whole being is transformed into the pieces of precious stones. We are fully changed and transformed in nature. There is no clay, only precious stones. Then we are the proper material to be built up with others in the golden divine nature.

At the table there is the number twelve, and on the breastplate there is also the number twelve. But the same number is grouped in two different ways. At the table, twelve is composed of two by six. Two is the number of testimony, and six is the number of man, because man was made on the sixth day. Here in the dispensation of life there is the testimony of man.

On the breastplate twelve is composed of four times three. Four is the number of creation, and three is the number of the Triune God. In Revelation there are four living creatures before God. Four times three means that man is mingled with the Triune God. On the breastplate there is the multiplication which is the mingling of divinity with humanity. The divine nature is mingled with the human nature. This is the building. The building of God is nothing other than the mingling of God with man.

THE URIM AND THE THUMMIM

There are still another two things to be added to the breastplate, the Urim and Thummim. The Hebrew word Urim means “lights.” The word Thummim means “perfecters.” This is quite meaningful. Without these two things we do not have the light, and we do not have the perfection. We need that which is added by these two things.

The twelve pieces of stones with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel represent the transformation of the people of God. But with the people of God themselves, there is no light and perfection. Regardless of how spiritual we are, just by ourselves we are still in darkness. We do not have the light. Regardless of how spiritual we are and how much we have been transformed, just by ourselves we do not have perfection.

Therefore, we can realize that both the light and the perfection are Christ Himself. The need of these two things to complete the breastplate means that Christ is needed. Regardless of how spiritual we are and how much we have been changed in nature, if we are just by ourselves, we are not the light, and we do not have the light. Neither is there any perfection. Only Christ Himself is the light, and only Christ Himself is perfection. We will never reach a place where we do not need Christ.

The material of the breastplate is not clay; it is transformed pieces of transparent, precious stones. They are even shining, but they are not the light. They need the light to be added; then they will shine. They themselves are not perfect. They do not have the perfection in themselves. Only Christ is perfection.

The Lord is so wise, for He has kept these two things a mystery. Christ is a real mystery. He is really mysterious. No one can fully define or describe what this means. Regardless of how completely we are redeemed, how richly we have been nourished with the life, how thoroughly we have been enlightened with the light, and how absolutely we are transformed into pieces of precious stones, without Christ added we are still in darkness, and we do not have the perfection. Even the most spiritual persons need Christ all the time.

The tabernacle is a type giving us all the aspects of Christ. Christ is the offering, Christ is the bread of life, Christ is the light, and Christ is the incense, and now even on the breastplate Christ is the hidden light and the mysterious perfection. No words can fully express how much Christ is to us. How we need Christ! Even if we have attained to the highest spirituality, we still need Christ to be added as light and perfection.

THE BREASTPLATE OF JUDGMENT

Several years ago I read an article concerning the Urim and Thummim written by an authority on Judaism. He said that the Thummim was a piece of stone containing four Hebrew letters. The Hebrew alphabet has twenty-two letters, but only eighteen of those letters are used in composing the names of the twelve tribes. Therefore, the breastplate was short of four letters to form the Hebrew alphabet. So the four missing letters were engraved on this piece of stone and put into the breastplate to make the complete alphabet. This is why it means perfection. Without this piece of stone, the Hebrew alphabet was not complete.

This authority also said that the Urim was a body giving light. But it did not give light until the high priest presented the redeeming blood and, by means of the acceptable incense, went into the presence of God to ask Him something related to His people. Then the Urim began to shine, and it shined upon certain letters on the breastplate. As it shined, letter by letter, the high priest was able to spell out a word, then a sentence, and then a paragraph, until the full judgment of God was determined. This is also why it was necessary to have the complete alphabet of twenty-two letters on the breastplate, so that any word could be made.

I do not say that this definition of the Urim and Thummim is completely accurate, yet this article was written by an authority on Judaism. Whether it is reliable or not, the principle still exists. The principle is this: the breastplate is called the breastplate of judgment. This means that it is the place for the priest to seek the Lord’s guidance for His people. Whenever there was a problem within the nation of Israel, they brought this problem to the Lord by means of the breastplate. It was by this breastplate that the Lord’s mind was revealed.

This is very meaningful and very deep. The children of Israel had to move and take action, not by their own opinion or judgment but by the divine will and judgment. How could they know God’s judgment? It was only by the breastplate that they could know the Lord’s mind and will for their actions. Their action was according to the judgment they received through the breastplate. The priests received the judgment through reading all the letters in the presence of God.

THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE

The meaning of this to us is very deep and very hard to explain. The building of the breastplate is a picture of the building up of all the people of God, that is, the Body of Christ. If we are going to know God’s judgment and God’s will, first of all we need the building of God’s people. If we do not have this building, we simply do not have the breastplate. Second, we need Christ to be added as light and perfection, and third, we need to get into the presence of God. Fourth, after we are in God’s presence, there must be the fresh light for us to read the letters to determine God’s will. These four things are very basic.

There is the real need of the building of the saints together. Without this building, there is no breastplate. If we do not have the breastplate, we simply do not have the means to know God’s will. Today people may say that they know the Lord’s will. But I doubt if they really know it. We only know our own will. It is impossible for us to know the Lord’s will without the Body. Romans 12 says that we should be transformed by the renewing of the mind; then we will prove the will of the Lord. According to Romans 12, to know the Lord’s will is something in the Body. But if we do not have the Body, how can we know the will of God? If the priests do not have the breastplate, they do not have the means to know the Lord’s judgment. In order to know the Lord’s judgment, they must have the breastplate, which is the building up of the Lord’s people.

Besides the building, Christ Himself as light and perfection must be added. We need Christ as light and perfection added to the church life, and we still need to get into the presence of God through the blood, the nourishment, the light, and the incense. Finally, we must have the fresh light to read the letters that we might know the mind of the Lord.

To know the Lord’s mind, the Lord’s judgment, about His people, is not simply to close oneself in a room and consider for some time and then come to a conclusion. No. We must have the church life, plus Christ as light and perfection, and we must stay in the presence of God to have the new light with which to read all the letters.

The spiritual significance is this: we must take the saints as the letters to compose the will of God. We must know how to read the church, the brothers and sisters, with Christ as the light and perfection in the presence of God. Sometimes each brother becomes a letter, then a phrase, then a sentence, and then a paragraph.

Suppose a brother is planning to do a work and wants to know where he has to go. Without the Body he can never know. When he experiences all the aspects of Christ in the tabernacle, then he is in the Lord’s presence. He now must read all the brothers and sisters in order to know to what place he should go.

When a brother seeks a job, if he seeks it by his own mind and desires, he can never be clear. But when he experiences the different aspects of Christ and is in the Lord’s presence, then, in order to know the Lord’s will, he can read all the brothers and sisters with whom he is built up.

It is vital for us to be built up with some brothers and sisters in the Body. It is also vital that we experience all the riches of Christ in the tabernacle. Then while we are in the Lord’s presence, the light will shine on different saints, and they will simply be the letters to us composing the judgment of God. The more we read the saints, the more we are clear. We are clear that we must drop whatever does not correspond with the church life. Many times we do not need to fellowship with the saints to read them. While we are in the Lord’s presence, the light begins to shine upon a certain brother with whom we are built. So we ask ourselves, “What would that brother think about this matter?” Then the light shines on another brother, and then a sister, and then another brother. The more we read the brothers and sisters, the more we are clear about the Lord’s mind. Whenever the Body does not say Amen, we know that the matter we are considering is not of the Lord.

THE BREASTPLATE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT EPISTLES

All the Epistles written by the apostles were written in this way. For instance, the Epistles to the church in Corinth were written by the apostle Paul with all the believers composed together as a breastplate upon his heart. He was so much concerned for the Body of Christ that all the saints were composed upon his heart. He had Christ as his light and perfection, and he stayed in the presence of God to receive the fresh, new light. It was in this light that he considered all the saints in Corinth one by one. He read all the brothers and sisters as the letters. This is how he got the materials to write the two letters.

The apostle Paul did not study the Old Testament to get some wonderful concepts or thoughts and put them together to write to the church in Corinth. The apostles did not write the Epistles in this way. First of all, they were built up in the church life, and all the churches were composed as materials for that breastplate upon their heart. In their heart they were so much concerned about all the churches of all the saints. They had the church life, and they had Christ as their light and perfection. In the presence of the Lord they received the fresh light to read the situation in all the churches. All the saints simply became the letters for them to compose the Epistles.

Today it is the same. If we are going to know the Lord’s will and judgment about His people, we need the redemption, the nourishment, the enlightening, and the building up. Then among us and with us there will be the breastplate, which is the building up of the Body life and the means for us to know God’s will concerning His people. Then we will receive the Lord’s judgment of what we have to do or what we must not do. We will know the Lord’s way. Then the whole church will go on according to the judgment given by the Lord.

THE WARFARE

Whenever the people of God take action in this way, they will get into the battle. Numbers 4:3 says, “From thirty years old and upward even to fifty years old, all who enter into the service to perform the skilled work in the Tent of Meeting.” The word service is the Hebrew word for “warfare” or “military service.” The footnote in Darby’s New Translation says the same thing. The priestly service is a military service. The same word is found in verses 30, 35, 39, and 43.

This tells us that the priestly service is a kind of warfare to fight the battle for the move of God. The gospel preaching is a kind of fighting, and even the teaching of the Word is a kind of fighting. Our Christian life is simply a life of fighting all the time. We are fighting against the world, the flesh, sins, Satan, darkness, and so many evil things. Our Christian life is a life of fighting, and our Christian work is a warfare. The priestly ministry is a matter of fighting.

Redemption, life, light, and building are all that we might enter into the presence of God with Christ as our light and perfection in order to know the judgment of God about His people. This will bring us into the battle. All the activities in this battle must be according to the judgment through the breastplate. So the breastplate is the very central and ultimate point of the priesthood.