The Vision of Consecration

The word "consecration" is a biblical term, which, according to Easton's Bible Dictionary, means the devoting or setting apart of anything to the worship or service of God. In the Old Testament, God's people were to devote or consecrate something to the Lord as a part of worship, such as their fields, cattle, first-born son and first-born beast. And in the New Testament, we all are required to consecrate our whole life to the Lord, as one of my favourite passages in the Bible says:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1 NKJV)

When talking about consecration, I would think of this verse first. But surprisingly, the message this week is mainly based on some passages in the book of Leviticus. And Romans 12:1 has become much clearer to me in the light of God's revelation in that book regarding the offerings, particularly the burnt offering.

Revelation of Christ as the tabernacle and the offerings revealed in Exodus and Leviticus.

The book of Exodus ended with God's revelation concerning the tabernacle, which was God's dwelling place among His people in the wilderness. However, the tabernacle in the Old Testament was just a shadow pointing to its Reality, Jesus Christ, who brought God to man at His incarnation.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 NKJV)

It is noteworthy that the word "dwelt" can be more literally and accurately translated as "tabernacled." Therefore John 1:14 definitely proclaims that the Word who became flesh was the living reality of God's presence on earth among us.

After the book of Exodus, Moses further wrote about another important revelation of God in Leviticus. It was about the offerings. Like the tabernacle, all the offerings were in fact just a shadow pointing to their Reality, Jesus Christ, who became our ultimate Offering, bringing man to God. This was perfectly accomplished at His crucifixion and resurrection.

8 Previously saying, "Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them" (which are offered according to the law),
9 then He said, "Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God." He takes away the first that He may establish the second.
10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Hebrews 10:8-10 NKJV)

 

Christ as our burnt Offering.

There are 5 major types of offerings in Leviticus, all of which are representing Christ in different aspects.

• Burnt offering - Christ for God's satisfaction.
• Meal offering - Christ for the satisfaction of God's people.
• Peace offering - Christ as the peace between God and God's people.
• Sin offering - Christ for the sins of God's people.
• Trespass offering - Christ for the sin of God's people.

Now I am going to focus only on the burnt offering, which is detailed in Leviticus chapter 1, and also in Leviticus 6:8-13

The main purpose of burnt offering is not mainly for redemption of man from sin, but for God's satisfaction. The animal that is offered needs to be male without blemish (v. 3), and will be completely burnt into ashes by the priest. It will become "a sweet aroma to the LORD" (v. 9). This signifies that God is satisfied only when one is perfect and absolute for the Lord.

Definitely, only Christ was perfect and was absolute for the Father. He gave up His life and obediently offered Himself as the ultimate burnt offering for God's satisfaction.

We as burnt offering

Now let's come back to Romans 12:1.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. (Romans 12:1 NKJV)

This is what Paul exhorts us to do. We are to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God. As a burnt offering, an aspect of sacrifice, we are also to become absolute for the Lord for His satisfaction. But how could we do that? We have no strength even to offer our life to God, have we? What should our reaction be?

I would like to apply what Ron Kangas shared in a fellowship when he came to visit the church in Cardiff to this. He was talking about the commandment of Jesus that we "shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48 NKJV), which also seems to be impossible for us. Brother Ron suggested that we should follow these 3 simple steps.

Firstly, we should say "Amen" to what God has commanded us to do or to be. We know that all of God's Word is for our good.

Secondly, we should accept and confess that we cannot do it. We cannot be perfect. We cannot be absolutely for the Lord. We are weak.

Finally, we should trust that Christ in us can do it. He perfectly did it. And now the same Christ is in us. Like the Levitical priests in the Old Testament, we must lay our hands on Him, thereby being identified and united with Him through prayer.

However, another question that may challenge us is that, are we willing to present ourselves a living sacrifice to the Lord?
The world says that if we want to be happy, we need to seek self-glory and prosperity. Could that really us true happiness? By no means.
If we want to experience true joy, we must do something different from what the world says. We must be willing to be identified with Christ. We must be burnt even into ashes. Only when we have been burnt into ashes can we experience true joy and can God transform us to precious materials - gold, silver and precious stones, which will eventually become the New Jerusalem.

Lord, help me that I, as a living sacrifice, will clearly see this vision and willingly offer myself to be continually burnt into ashes, producing aroma for Your satisfaction. May You gradually transform me by renewing of my mind, that I may prove what Your good and acceptable and perfect will is. And by gladly accepting and following Your will, may You ultimately transform me into precious materials for the building up of the Body and the New Jerusalem.

Thirayost Nimmanon (Tony)

 

 Reference

• The Holy Word for Morning Revival: The Heavenly Vision, week 6.
• Witness Lee: Life-Study of Leviticus, messages 2, 3 and 23.