It’s so precious that God’s will is the meaning of my life. But the core in His will is for us to be very close to Him and to draw near to Him. He wants us to enjoy Him and His love, and to respond to His love. He desires you and I the most. He desires to gain our hearts. The Lord didn’t ask Peter about the things of this world. He only asked, “Do you love me?” Proverbs chapter 23, verse 26 reads, “My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.”
We ought to understand what is most important. What is the purpose? What’s the core? David knew the answers. He said, “One thing… will I seek after.” You should know what this “one thing” refers to. The Lord once told Martha, “One thing is necessary.” He was referring to what Mary did. She was drawing near to Him, enjoying Him and listening to His word. David sought only one thing. It was to dwell in the house of the Lord, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, to be drawn by Him and enjoy Him.
I talked about priesthood earlier. To live the life of a priest, this one thing is the most important. To live out the life of a firstborn, first and foremost, we need to live out the life of a priest. God gave the people of Israel a very precious blessing. In the Old Testament time, God wanted them to be a nation of priests. They could have been priests. But they worshiped the golden calf. As a result, only the sons of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi, could become priests. Only the sons of the tribe of Levi could serve God.
It’s very precious that now God’s will has come true—all of us have become priests. Since we are priests, we ought to live it out. This is also the most precious blessing as one of the firstborn. To live as a priest every day, we should first draw near to God, experience Him, and be filled by Him. This way we can bless many and bring many to God.
There are so many scriptures concerning priests that I don’t know where to start. And I’m not sure how much you have read about this topic in the Bible. Man started making offerings before the commandments were given. One example is Abel. I believe that God once taught Adam about offerings even though this is not written in the Bible. At least, God already said that the offspring of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head, and the serpent would bruise His heel. (Genesis 3:15) God made a garment for Adam. It was not written what animal God used in order to make it. My guess is a lamb. The lamb had to shed its blood. God regarded Abel and his offering, and considered him righteous. This offering foretold that the Saviour would come to die for us and bear our sins.
Before the commandments were given, the firstborn became the head of the household when the parents were no longer around. In other words, he served as the priest of the household. From the book of Genesis, I believe you remember how the following people made offerings: Abel in chapter 4, Noah in chapter 8, Abraham in chapter 22, and Jacob in chapter 31. It’s also written in Job chapter 1, where Job offered burnt offerings for the family. I’m sure you remember Melchizedek, who also acted as a priest for the household. No man can become a priest by himself unless God gives him that honour. Even someone as great as a king could by no means take this position for himself. Saul was a king, yet he sinned against God by offering the burnt offering. This resulted in his removal from the throne. It’s so precious that all of us are priests today. Although Uzziah was a king, he was wrong to be proud and perform the work of a priest. Because of his wrongdoing, leprosy broke out on him. It’s so precious that we are now a royal priesthood. We are priests as well as kings. It’s similar to how God appointed the Lord to be the Christ. The Christ is a prophet, a priest and a king all at the same time. It’s so precious that we are priests and kings. This is related to the blessings of the firstborn.
Now I want to talk about priesthood. God has prepared what man needs—the prophet, the priest and the king. I have shared about the Lord’s qualities as a king before. It’s so precious that the Lord is our “Royal Beloved” and King of manifold love. Of course He is also the most precious and amazing priest. He came in person, just as described in Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 and 2. This passage reads, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” (Hebrews 1:1-2)
It’s so precious that the Son of God came in person to speak to us. His coming perfectly expressed the beauty of God’s heart. Even though this world was full of sin, the most beautiful and perfect Lord still came. How the world treated the Lord showed how sinful the world was. But it also showed the beauty of the Lord. He led a beautiful life in such an unfavourable environment. He reflected the glory of God and manifested God. The Lord expressed His love for us through His life, even though He was living in a world of darkness. I treasure this so much. My visit to Israel was very unforgettable. I treasure so much that the Lord once came. Isn’t that so precious? He once lived on earth. The scars from his hands, feet and side will remain on His body forever.
I really treasure that He is forever a man. Even though I haven’t seen Him, He did come and became the Son of Man in flesh. Because I’m a man, He also desires to be a man forever. I heard about a British king who gave up his throne to pursue a love relationship. Many would consider such an act very precious. What the Son of God did was even more precious, wasn’t it? He is very glorious. He is the infinite everlasting God. Because of His love for us, He is willing to be a man forever. It is not a simple matter at all. He desires to be most like me and closest to me. I think that this love of God is very romantic! It’s considered romantic when a king gives up his throne for love. But the Lord wants to be the closest to me because He loves man. This love compels Him to desire to be a man forever. Otherwise, I would feel a sense of separation with Him. He even lives in our heart. It’s truly stunning and precious! This must be His desire. Because of love, He wants to be the closest to us, and most deeply embrace us!
He desires to be my priest because I’m His love dream. It’s His desire to gain us. In order to be the closest to us and be in love with us, He had to be our priest and take away our sins. The Father knew the Lord’s desire very well. This is why He has sworn and will not change His mind to appoint the Lord as our priest forever. The stunning love of the Father and the Son is very precious! It’s amazing! It’s truly precious that one among the Trinity God is a man forever. I can’t think of anything more precious! God delights to be a man forever. His choice to love us in such a way is most amazing, most romantic. This is God’s love. Forever He is God and man at the same time.