The Altar From Which We Eat

The Altar From Which We Eat

“We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat.”

Only Aaron and his sons were permitted to serve at the altar and attend to the priesthood behind the veil. The tribe of Levi was to attend to all the needs of the tabernacle. Num. 18:1-7. These Levites were not permitted to eat from the altar from which Aaron and his sons were permitted to eat while ministering before God’s face, because the Levites served before the face of man. Ezek. 44:11-16.

The apostle applies this illustration to the ministry in the new covenant. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and each sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the one who commits adultery sins against his own body. 1 Cor. 6:18-20.

All the sin that comes out of the body is no small matter, and those who serve at the tabernacle have to work hard to keep it pure; but it is kind of hopeless because they sin again just after they have come to faith that their sins are forgiven. So this ministry of cleansing the vessel and the cup outwardly can never be fully satisfactory. This is why Jesus came to consecrate a way through the veil, that is, His flesh, so that we all could have access into the Holiest and stand before God’s face. Heb. 10:19-20.

The fact that He has consecrated the way does not mean, as many people believe, that He has gone the way in our stead. When a way has been consecrated, it has been made passable precisely so that many people can walk on it. Jesus said, “Follow Me.” He is also called our forerunner. Heb. 6:19-20.

The veil, which excluded people from standing before God’s face, is a type of the flesh. We feel it and see it daily. Jesus also had to partake of this veil and this flesh in order to open the way into the Holiest. Heb. 2:14; 9:6-10. He consecrated a completely new and living way.

The old way was to sin, then take an animal and bring it as a sacrifice; then the priest made the atonement. They never came any further on this way. It could never lead to perfection. The priests made a good living off all these sacrifices. Hos. 4:8.

This also applies to all those who, in these days, are in the flesh and yet want to belong to God. They do not have victory and do not believe in victory, but they believe in the forgiveness of sins through Jesus’ death. Such people hire any number of priests to serve at the tabernacle, and many of them make a good living by preaching the forgiveness of sins for all carnality and worldliness. They never advance any further.

The new way that Jesus opened was to offer Himself as a sacrifice. Heb. 9:14. He said, “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” He put the will of the flesh—the will that wanted to close the way to the Father’s will—to death. The veil was rent. This wasn’t just one step; He had a way to go, and when He was perfected, He was called High Priest. Heb. 5:8-10. When He called out that it was finished, the veil was rent.

Jesus said that if anyone wanted to follow Him, he had to take up his cross daily and deny himself. On the way of being dead with Him you, too, will live with Him. You will sin if you don’t want to be sacrificed, and you will have to look to Jesus as your atoning sacrifice and be sanctified by Jesus’ blood. This is the ministry of the tabernacle, and many people live at this altar. But if you want to follow Jesus, you have to surrender yourself to the death of Christ in the power of the Spirit. Then Jesus will be your High Priest, and you will gain the victory over sin. If you enter into the death of Christ, you will have the testimony of the blood and will gain access into the Holiest. This is the way through the veil, the death of your self-life. There we have an altar from which we eat that those who serve at the tabernacle have no right to eat.

“For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp.” In other words, their bodies were considered to be impure. They were to be burnt up outside the camp. Jesus had to go the same way. He became a curse for us. Gal. 3:13. When He was crucified, our old man was crucified. Rom. 6:6. “Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” Are you willing to be considered impure, or do you want to preserve your life in this world? Do you want to stay in the camp and cleanse the vessel on the outside and be satisfied with an appearance of righteousness and boast that Jesus was crucified for you and died for you? Or are you willing to accept the reproach over your life and be considered impure and go out to Him, be crucified with Him (Gal. 2:20; 6:14), and die with Him? 2 Cor. 4:10-11. This is the way, through the veil, so you can live with Him before God’s face. This is the new way that makes you alive. On this way all of us become priests, and we are entrusted with bringing food from the sanctuary so we can build one another up on our most holy faith. This is the church, the body of Christ. There you will find the same kind of fellowship as is exemplified by the oneness that exists between the Father and the Son.

What a precious life this is in contrast to these “recognized” camps where people live for themselves, argue, are envious of one another, compete for positions and salaries, and sing, “Under the blood, under the blood, bend me at the foot of the cross,” and speak so invitingly about living in the shadow of the cross.

“Of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain,” for people become dull of hearing as soon as there is talk about salvation through obedience. Heb. 5:9-11. Most of them have a debased mind. They only want to hear that Jesus has done everything and that we shall not do anything. They never advance past the elementary principles of Christ to go on to perfection. Heb. 6:1.

Jesus Christ our Lord, who gave Paul the apostleship for obedience to the faith has also given us this ministry. Therefore we do not lose courage, for we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not handling the Word of God deceitfully, but we go forth with great boldness. We are not surprised by the fact that our gospel is hidden for the many whose eyes are blinded by the god of this world. 2 Cor. 4:1-5. We rejoice all the more over those who repent and enter into the liberty of the Spirit so that they, with unveiled face, can behold the glory of the Lord. They will all be transformed from glory to glory. 2 Cor. 3:16-18. Thanks be to God for this great ministry, this altar, and this life.