- The ecclesia of Israel failed miserably in this. They
did spiritual works externally, but within they lacked that deeper
spirituality which is so vital for acceptable sacrifice. They
honoured with their lips, but their heart was far from God; they
kept His commandments, but they frustrated their intention by
not letting them influence their essential selves (Mk. 7:6-9).
They fiercely guarded the pronunciation of His Covenant Name;
but in reality, they forgot that Name (Jer. 23:27). And so with
the temple; they so loved it, it was the apple of their eye; but
in real principle, they desecrated all that it stood for. The
Gentile destruction and desecration of it was only a material
reflection of what they in principle had done; and the invasions
were doubtless intended to teach Israel this. Stephen pointed
out, by the inflection which he gave to his OT quotations, that
Israel's service of God was meaningless because at the same time
they worshipped their idols: " O ye house of Israel, have
ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space
of forty years in the wilderness? Yea, ye took up the tabernacle
of Moloch" as well as Yahweh's (Acts 7:43). This was a rhetorical
question. They offered the sacrifices, but actually they didn't.
And what is the difference between " slain beasts" and
" sacrifices" ? Aren't sacrifices only slain beasts?
The point is that the animals they gave were only slain beasts;
nothing more, not real offerings, not real, acceptable sacrifice.
" They sacrifice flesh for the sacrifices of mine offerings,
and eat it; but the Lord accepteth it not" (Hos. 8:13). And
likewise we can dress up our devotions with the appearance of
real sacrifice when there is nothing there at all. Like Peter,
we can seem to desire to enter deep into the meaning of the cross
(Jn. 13:36 'where are you going?'), when actually we do nothing
of the sort (Jn. 16:5 'none of you ask me where I'm going'). We
can ‘sacrifice’ only in ways which happen to reinforce our own
personality type. The Jews in Babylon were like this: “When ye
fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh month, even those
seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me…? And when ye did eat
and when ye did drink [in sacrifice] did not ye eat for yourselves,
and drink for yourselves?” (Zech. 7:5,6). I cannot help but make
the point that there has been such a huge emphasis on 'coming
to the meetings' and 'attending the breaking of bread' in
themselves, that the new Israel are in danger of going where
the old Israel went: to an external observance of ritual, a concentration
on the surface level rather than on the essence. There are many
who find it hard to mix with their brethren, and yet intensely
believe and express their spirituality in more private ways. Their
attendance at public functions may be minimal. But let's not write
these off as spiritually inferior to those who, perhaps for social
reasons, if the truth was known, revel in the social ambience
of a Christian gathering.
- And let us all be especially careful of our attitude
to the memorial meeting. The Corinthians went through the motions
of the breaking of bread; but they were told that in spiritual
reality, they weren't doing it at all: " When ye come together
therefore into one place, this is not to eat the Lord's
supper" (1 Cor. 11:20)- although externally, that was what
they were doing. They drunk the cup of the Lord and also that
of idols (10;21)- but in reality, they didn’t drink the Lord’s
exclusive cup of grace. Israel kept their Passovers throughout
the wilderness years, one would assume- but they never remembered
the day that God brought them out of Egypt (Ps. 78:42)- although
notice how although Israel didn't remember God, yet He remembered
them in His grace (Ps. 106:7, 45). We can read of the cross, speak
of it; and yet totally fail to realize the powerful imperatives
which abound in its’ message. Andrew and John heard John the Baptist
call Jesus the “lamb of God”, and followed Him, in apparent acceptance
that He was the Messianic sacrifice. And yet in reality, they
could not at that time accept the saying that Jesus was to die
at Jerusalem in sacrifice, and that they were to shoulder His
cross and follow Him there.
- Paul exhorted the Corinthians to give money to the Jerusalem
Poor Fund, “as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness”
(2 Cor. 9:5). We can give money generously, apparently, but do
so from a motive of covetousness- the very opposite of
true generosity and acceptable sacrifice. We can covet respect,
admiration from our brethren...and not give as a pure and private
reflection of the endless grace we have received.
- In a Levitical family, any male child was dedicated to the
Lord from birth. But Hannah vowed that if God would “give unto
thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord”
(1 Sam. 1:11). She was saying: ‘I’ll really do it, I
won’t just offer my children to You on a surface level’.
- The sensation of working for the Lord can be so self-deceptive.
He draws the difference between doing many wonderful works in
His name, saying “Lord, Lord”; and really doing the will
of the Father (Mt. 7:21,22). The parallel Lk. 6:46 has that men
will say “Lord, Lord” but not really hear His words. To hear them
is to do the will of the Father. Putting all this together, it
is perfectly possible to bear His Name, call Him Lord, work hard
for Him- and yet never really hear His words, and thereby never
really know the will of our Father.
- One can appear to be zealous for their Lord, risking life even.
And yet this may not necessarily be truly motivated, self-sacrificial
zeal. At times one can’t tell their courage from their desperation,
their faith from their deep inner fears which motivate bold and
unusual actions.
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