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"Because the land has become defiled, I visited its iniquity upon it, and the land vomited out its inhabitants" (Lev. 18:25; cf. v. 28; 20:22):
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The good land, signifying the all-inclusive Christ, is the supply for the existence and living of God's people and is also for their enjoyment.
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The good land vomiting out the defiled and unholy people signifies that the all-inclusive Christ as our dwelling place and everything we need for our enjoyment will vomit us out of Himself and not allow us to enjoy Him any longer (cf. Rev. 3:16) if we are not proper in relation to Him.
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Being holy because God is holy (Lev. 19:2; 20:7, 26) signifies walking according to God's holiness, living a holy life (1 Pet. 1:15; 2 Pet. 3:11).
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Leviticus 19:5 and 6 mention the peace offering, indicating that in the holy living of God's holy people, as portrayed in chapters 18—20, it is important that God's holy people have fellowship, communion, mutual enjoyment, in peace:
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The believers' enjoyment of Christ as the peace offering should be kept fresh; stale fellowship with one another and with God is not acceptable but is abhorrent to God (19:5-7; cf. Rom. 6:4; 7:6).
２
The one who participates in stale fellowship is guilty of having despised the holy things of God and will lose the fellowship among God's people (Lev. 19:8).
Morning Nourishment
Lev. 18:25 Because the land has become defiled, I visited its iniquity upon it, and the land vomited out its inhabitants.Rev. 3:16 So, because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am about to spew you out of My mouth.
Three verses in Leviticus 18 and 20 speak of the land vomiting out its inhabitants (18:25, 28; 20:22). Leviticus 20:22 says, "You shall therefore keep all My statutes and all My ordinances, and do them, so that the land into which I am bringing you to dwell in does not vomit you out." The good land vomiting out the defiled and unholy people signifies that the all-inclusive Christ as our dwelling place and everything we need for our enjoyment will vomit us out of Himself (Rev. 3:16).
This matter of the land vomiting out the people implies a great deal. It implies that the land is the supply for the existence and living of God's people. It also implies that the land is for their enjoyment. If the people are proper with the land, the land will allow them to enjoy it. Otherwise, the land will vomit them out; it will give them up. This indicates that if we are not proper with Christ, who is our good land, He will vomit us out and not allow us to enjoy Him anymore. (Life-study of Leviticus, p. 443)
Today's Reading
Leviticus 18 through 20 emphasizes the requirement that God's people be holy because He is holy. "You shall be holy, for I, Jehovah your God, am holy" (19:2). "Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy; for I am Jehovah your God" (20:7). "You shall be holy to Me, because I Jehovah am holy, and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine" (20:26). Being holy because God is holy signifies walking according to God's holiness, living a holy life."When you offer a sacrifice of peace offerings to Jehovah, you shall sacrifice it so that you may be accepted" (19:5). This signifies that the breaking of bread for the remembrance of the Lord should be done in a way that is acceptable to the Lord (cf. 1 Cor. 11:17-21). We must not have the Lord's table in an abusive way but in a proper way.
Leviticus 18 through 20 is not concerned with propitiation but with the holy living of God's holy people. In this kind of living it is important that we have fellowship, communion, mutual enjoyment, in peace. This is fully signified by the peace offering.
The peace offering is the Old Testament type of the Lord's table. When we have the Lord's table,...we enjoy Christ as our peace offering for our fellowship with God and with one another.
"It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it, or on the next day, but what remains until the third day shall be burned with fire" (19:6). This signifies that the saints' fellowship with one another and with God should be kept fresh. Our enjoyment of Christ as the peace offering for our fellowship with God and with one another should be fresh.
"If it is eaten at all on the third day, it is an abomination; it will not be accepted" (19:7). This signifies that the enjoyment of the saints' stale fellowship with one another and with God is not acceptable but abhorrent to God.
We should not have any stale practices at the Lord's table. We should not come to the Lord's table with anything stale. Rather, we should come with something new. For this, we need a new repentance, a new confession, a new dealing, and a new touch with the Lord. In other words, we need a new washing, a new bathing in the Word or in the Spirit, so that we can have a fresh remembrance of the Lord. When we have a fresh enjoyment of the Lord, He also will have a fresh enjoyment because of our fresh enjoyment.
"Whoever eats it will bear his own iniquity, because he has profaned what is holy to Jehovah; and that person shall be cut off from his people" (19:8). This signifies that the one who participates in the saints' stale fellowship is guilty of having despised the holy things of God and will lose the fellowship among God's people. (Life-study of Leviticus, pp. 439-441)
Further Reading: Life-study of Leviticus, msg. 49