Scripture Reading: Exo. 30:11-21; 38:8, 25-28; Num. 1:45-46; 2:32
Ⅰ
We need to experience Christ as the propitiation silver for God's building and God's move:
A
The prayer at the incense altar issues in the numbering of the children of Israel for the formation of an army to fight for God's interests on this earth—Exo. 30:11-12; Num. 1:45-46:
１
For the church to be the fullness of God, the expression of God, the church must be a warrior fighting against God's enemy—Gen. 1:26; Eph. 1:22-23; 6:10-11.
２
As a result of the prayer at the incense altar, the Lord conducts a "military census" of the saints in the churches; those who are numbered are qualified to go to war for God's move on the earth—Num. 2:32; 4:23; 2 Tim. 2:3.
B
The Passover lamb was purely and absolutely for redemption, and it was available for all the people, but the propitiation silver is applied only to those who are qualified to be formed into God's army:
１
Because our natural man is not qualified to be drafted into God's army, we must pay the price to experience Christ as our redemption, signified by the propitiation silver—1 Cor. 1:30.
２
Redemption means that we are brought back to God, that our natural man is terminated by God, and that we are reconstituted with Christ.
C
The propitiation silver for God's building was called a heave offering, signifying the ascended Christ as the price paid by those who are able to go to war—Exo. 30:14:
１
The one hundred silver sockets, upon which the entire tabernacle rested, signify that the church rests on the ascended Christ experienced by us—Exo. 38:25-27.
２
The silver crowns of the pillars and the silver hooks and connecting rods signify that the ascended Christ experienced by us becomes the glory, strength, and linking power of the church—v. 28.
３
We need to fight the spiritual warfare in the Body by the precious Christ in ascension—Eph. 6:10-12.
４
Our experience of Christ must reach the highest point, the point where we are living in ascension—Eph. 2:6; cf. S. S. 4:8, 12, 16; Phil. 4:12.
D
The half-shekel of silver having to be paid by every male over the age of twenty signifies that it takes maturity in life to fight the spiritual warfare—Exo. 30:13-14:
１
In order to be in the army to fight for God's move, we need to be strong in spirit and grow until we come to the spiritual age of twenty—Eph. 4:15.
２
To be transformed is to be changed in our natural life, whereas to be matured is to be filled with the divine life that changes us—Heb. 6:1:
ａ
God will sovereignly use persons, things, and events to empty us of everything that has filled us and to take away every preoccupation so that we may have an increased capacity to be filled with God—Luke 1:53; Matt. 5:6; Rom. 8:28-29.
ｂ
The fullness of life is blessing, which is the overflow of life into others—Gen. 47:7, 10; 49:28.
３
The more intercession there is at the incense altar, the greater will be the urgency for God's people to grow—Eph. 4:16.
４
A proper, rich, strong, living, uplifted, excellent, and wonderful church meeting is a meeting in which each one pays the same amount—a half-shekel—Exo. 30:15-16; 1 Cor. 14:26, 31.
Ⅱ
We need to experience the exposing, judging, and washing Spirit as the reality of the bronze laver for the operation of God's dwelling place—Exo. 30:17-21:
A
Unless the priests washed in the laver, there was no way for the tabernacle to operate—Exo. 30:20-21.
B
The washing power of the laver is the life-giving Spirit:
１
Regeneration is a washing in God's salvation which continues with the renewing of the Holy Spirit as the process of God's new creation—Titus 3:5.
２
We need to be sanctified by the laver of the water in the word to be prepared as Christ's bride—Eph. 5:26; cf. S. S. 8:13-14:
ａ
Just as the bronze laver was a mirror to expose and judge God's people, God's Word as the laver exposes and judges us—Exo. 38:8; James 1:23.
ｂ
The indwelling Christ as the life-giving Spirit is always speaking an instant, present, living word to metabolically cleanse away the old and replace it with the new, causing an inward transformation.
３
The washing of the laver washed away the earthly defilement of those who drew near to God, so that their fellowship with God and with one another could be maintained—John 13:1-5, 13-15.