Offering the Bread of God

Leviticus 21:16-22 lists a number of things that hinder a person from offering the bread of God. They are called defects, and even if a single one of them is found in a person’s life, he is not allowed to offer the most holy things of the Lord.

Now we have been baptized with one Spirit to be one body. Christ is the Head and we are the members. As such, we have the right to eat His flesh and drink His blood, for His flesh is food indeed and His blood is drink indeed. This is how the body comes into being and grows up to Him who is the Head. We have received bread from God and by this we have been enabled to offer the bread of God.

If this is not a fact in the church as a whole, or in an individual’s life as a member of the body, there is a reason for it: he has a defect. One can be along for years and listen and receive spiritual food, but one never really awakens to the point where one feels personally re­sponsible for having God’s bread to give. The time for us to be pre­sented without spot or defect is short; therefore we need to view this matter with great seriousness.

No one who was blind was allowed to approach to offer the bread of his God. It is great blindness when a brother or sister holds on to something, even though it causes a break in fellowship with the elder brethren. It is a deliberate evil and a serious breach of the laws of humility and submission. Such a person has placed himself on the outside. Even if such a person acknowledges his bad condition, he still has a defect if he cannot love and forgive from the heart, and lay down his life for his friends.

No one who had a limb too long was allowed to approach to offer the bread of God. There was someone who was healed from a serious illness, and he kept repeating this experience in his testimonies for several years. This was the great and central thing in his life. Exhorta­tions to godliness disappeared completely. Concerning this brother it can be said that he had a limb that was too long.

Someone who wants to be somebody in the church in a human way, does it at someone else’s expense. It is “I” who come with something weighty; they need to hear “me.” This is a limb that is too long. One of the finest soccer players in the land was criticized in the newspaper for liking the ball too much. When a person has become quite adept at using his skills he displays them in such a way that people admire them, but it is at the expense of playing together with the others.

The same danger exists in the church when someone has attained to a certain “position” after so many years. Such a person wants to manage everything by himself. He does not have the confidence that God also works in the others. He has a limb that is too long and God does not give him permission to offer His bread.

Nobody who had a white spot in his eyes was permitted to offer the bread of God. The spot in the eye causes one not to see the whole picture clearly. Consequently one is unable to judge the entire situa­tion correctly. The spot influences the way we view a matter, and we can cause much damage if we are zealous and obstinate. Wherever the spot is, it will always cause our vision to be defective.

One has a spot in one’s eye if one thinks it is only “I” who has something important to say, who can say it clearly; and whatever the others have to say is of little significance and not so clear. The inten­tion is that the body shall grow forth. One has clear eyes if the fruit of one’s ministry is that the members thrive, grow, and develop.

Nobody who had a scab was allowed to offer the bread of God. A scab is something impure that is added to the body from the outside. A servant of the Lord is in Christ’s stead and proclaims the word of God. If he receives anything beyond that, his preaching becomes im­pure. A brother who gives in to his wife, and who has a difficult time making decisions without first consulting her, has a scab. Those who stood together with the Lamb on Mount Zion were not defiled with women.

A defect in the old covenant usually meant that one could never be rid of it. A defect in the new covenant is of a spiritual nature, but it can be just as visible as in the old covenant. Now there is salvation to be had from all such things so we do not need to have a defect for the rest of our life. “. . . and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:39.

Something new came with Christ which forever puts an end to the sad and heavy burden of having a defect. There is salvation to be had for every single person no matter how wretched he is, if he deeply and thoroughly acknowledges and sorrows over his wretched state.

Jesus is coming soon to fetch those whom John saw together with the Lamb on Mount Zion, and they were without fault.