The Life History of the Priest of God

 The Life History Of The Priest Of God(01)

            The Washing of Regeneration

            We have been meditating on the kingly priests being raised by God - a spin off of the priestly considerations of Job 1: 5 – and now on the life of the priest of God on earth today.

             The germ of life of those the Lord is making to priests comes of the washing of regeneration (Titus 3:3): “…., but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit.” Regeneration is for all men. It speaks of rebirth, being born from heaven or being given birth to by God through Jesus Christ. This is swapping of one form of life for another: the natural for the heavenly. Regeneration comes by the ministration of the abundance of water-word of God, as my pastor, Reverend Olabode would explain. A person may have been hearing the gospel preached very often and may not be interested. But one day, under the arrest of the Holy Ghost and according to the Spirit of election and God’s foreknowledge, he is convinced and a new life, heavenly, which is a complete anti-thesis of his present  life supervenes. And he goes from the old to the new; old things pass away, all things become new, that is, spiritually.

            Water-word of God. Just as God birthed the earth by word, the Holy Spirit moving upon the waters of the deep so does He bring forth the new life by the ministration of of His word. The person hears the word and, by faith, accepts it and receives the life of God and immediately begins the journey to the life of the priest of God. This is consecration; it also means being called apart and separated.

           Renewing of the Holy Spirit is about the constant ministration of the Spirit of truth to the one that has come to the life of God. Washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit are clearly typed in the consecration of Aaron and his sons. Leveticus 8:

                         6And Moses brought Aaron and his,…  and washed them with water.

                         7And he put upon him the coat, and girded him with the girdle, and

                          clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod upon him, and he girded

                         him with the curious girdle  of the ephod, …

         Instantly, at the washing of regeneration  and the renewing of the Spirit, the one is become new just as Aaron, after the washing, was no more the old one before the washing. He becomes new, this person. As Aaron was on his life history to become God’s priest so does this person also begins his life history of becoming the priest of God. 

            The coat on Aaron, the one in direct contact with the flesh that can be described today as the inner wear, typed for us the new life he just came into; it was not his own, but graciously given to him. The robe signifies the righteousness that is of God. Aaron came into that status not because of his own righteousness which came out of the Law, but because of the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. The ephod held the breastplate as our new life hangs on the righteousness of Jesus. Girdle is needed in the chosen-of –God for priestly life; it is for gathering together the robe of righteousness.

             The girdle especially is needed so that we may not run away with the idea that grace can abound if we shall “be in sin.” No, grace cannot abound; the look of sin is ugly.  The garments are for beauty on the priest. The priestly life exudes the beauty of righteousness as it attracts the spirit of grace, working in us the divine nature, indicated in the twelve precious stones of the breastplate [of righteousness] on the ephod. Our own breastplate, in Christ Jesus, is made of faith that ensures our excellence of beauty and fullness of the stature of Christ (Ephesians 6: 14).  

                     

             The curious girdle – that means intricately woven girdle – is to hold divine characters or nature firmly in place.

              As  ancient weaving, as opposed to the modern mass production of cloth,  involves patience and is also laborious, so will the Lord patiently, intricately and laboriously work His life into us until we turn out to be Christs. This is saying that we may not find it a smooth sail as the twisting and passing and re-passing of of the weaving shuttle and the rattles and poundings of weaving shafts all begin to do their work.

            Father, you conceived this counsel in eternity. You showed us your thoughts in parables and types and mysteries. Thank you for the unveiling of Divine thoughts in our days. By the spirit of Election, you saved us and you are the one that is able to save us to the uttermost. We are be being saved. your divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of You who called us by Your own glory and goodness. Through and by these we received the precious promises by which we become partakers or participators in divine nature. We receive in us the grace to go through divine processing necessary to come to this estate of the excellence of the beauty of the Lord. Thank you, our Father.