Priestly Perfection - Part 2

                                                   (Understanding Leviticus 21 for Today)

By Iverna Tompkins
Transcribed by Jane Vaughn

We are looking at Leviticus 21 to discover what it is God expects in His priests.  And we reviewed the fact that God sees us together as a Kingdom of priests – not a separation between the priesthood and laity.  This Scriptural context presents a list for us from a negative perspective.  The first disqualifying mark for the priesthood was blemishes. 

The second thing God says about His priesthood is: “I don’t want any blind priests (v.18b).  What is it the Bible says?  “Without a vision…” what?  “The people perish” (Pr.29:18).  How many of you are like me and admittedly so, when you finally do see something about yourself – a blemish, a.k.a. “sin”  :-)  – how many, having received that illumination or revelation from God, cannot fathom having been blind to it for so long?  I do that often.  I respond apologetically, “My God.  Why is it I didn’t see that 20 years ago?”  His reply often is, “You would have denied it then.”  Can you relate to that? 

It’s embarrassing to admit to our failings, but God knows exactly when to bring to light our areas of blindness.  He seems to bring them immediately following a song we sing like, “Take my life and let it be…”  And He quickly responds, “Okay.  Now, by the way…” :-)    How many of you have been having God deal with you this past year in ways that He never has before?  It may even seem as if He’s almost knit-picking – the “little things” in our lives He goes after.  Large or small, they have been blind spots.

Have you noticed He is shining His light on every little attitude?  I mean, God seems to be having greater difficulty with them than people do.   :-)   Because we have people trained.  They say, “That’s just old Iverna.  What do you expect?”  But, never make such an excuse to the Lord!  :-)   I explain, “Lord, it’s just me.  That’s the way I am.  What do You expect?”  He says, “PERFECTION!  ‘Be ye perfect – even as…’” (Mt.5:48).  “Oh, my dear God, no one is that perfect.”  But He contends, “I’ll tell you why I dare to say that to you.  Because I intend to affect it in you too – because I AM.”  Oh, Hallelujah!  I AM is like saying “ising” – God is continuously everything we need Him to be!

My friends, I promise you.  Sooner than most of you believe, we are going to walk as Paul of old.  And we will say, “None of these things move me (Ac.20:24).  I am determined to know no one but Jesus Christ (1Cor.2:2).  I am determined to preach nothing but Jesus Christ.  If He tells me to do it, I’ll do it.  And if He doesn’t, I’m not afraid of your faces!”  We’re going to be brought into this new place of expectation because we have become a part of God’s family through the Blood of Jesus and thereby each has declared with our own lips, “I am a royal priesthood” (1Pet.2:9).  God’s response then is: “Alright, let’s heal your eyes – no blind priests.”

As we move along in each of these facets or categories (of Lev.21), I’m going to show you how to minister to “marred” people.  How do you minister to people with a blemish?  How do you minister to the blind?  And we will go into that.  But you see, we can’t minister to others if we’re a part of the problem or have the same problem!  And that has been the situation in the Church – we have been like the blind leading the blind (Mt. 15:14a).  And when that happens, what does Matthew report Jesus concluded?  “Both” – what? – “both fall into a ditch” (14b). 

A person who swims upstream against the norm could be labeled rebellious.  This may not make total sense to you at this very moment but I guarantee you, you’re going to benefit from this understanding in the near future.  We’re going to see some people that are functioning successfully in ministry.  And there will be others that God literally has apprehended for His divine reasons and purposes but will say to them, “That course is not for you,” referring to a certain kind of “proven ministry."  And they will respond obediently by reversing course to begin swimming upstream.  They’ll probably be labeled rebellious, undisciplined, unwilling to be a part of the unity.  But, they’re going to be men and women with a true vision from God.  Hallelujah!

Do you remember the time when the blind man from Bethsaida was brought to the Lord? (Mk.8:22ff)  He was totally, absolutely blind.  Couldn’t see a thing.  Jesus separated this blind man from the “sighted” ones that brought him by taking him out of the town (vs.23).  (That would preach for about a month!)  And when He separated him from the others, Jesus just reached over, spat, and touched the man’s eyes, asking if he could see anything.  And suddenly, the man could see – something.  I can just hear him: “Glory!  Glory to God in heaven!  Glory!  I can see!”  Jesus said, “What do you see?”  “I see men as trees, walking” (vs.24). 

I’ve watched people that have been touched spiritually as that man was physically.  “He that hath an ear to hear – let him hear.” (see Mt. 13:9).  Then they have walked around ever since with this testimony: “I tell you, the Lord has touched me!  I just got saved, and now I see men – and they’re all rootless and fruitless!

What do you think a walking tree would be?  I think they’re the ones in every church that the pastor tries to pray over to his neighbor: “God send them over there.”  :-)  “They don’t like any body.”  Jesus says to the myopic man, “That’s what you see, is it?”  “Yes, that’s what I see.  But, I’m glad to see it because I didn’t used to see anything, but now I see something.”  Jesus says, “Look up” (vs.25).  The Scripture actually says Jesus “made him look up.”  He said, “You need to look up.” 

I believe that’s the Word of the Lord to many of us today.  “You need to look up.  You’ve been looking down long enough.  You’ve been staring straight across at people long enough.  And all you have focused on was the blights and the problems in someone else.”  Jesus said, “Why don’t you try lifting your eyes?”  “I lift my eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help.  My help cometh from the Lord” (Ps.121:1).   He said to the once-blind man, “Look up.”  And when the man looked up (Selah!), Jesus touched him a second time.  Oh, Hallelujah!  The Bible says, “And he saw all men clearly” (vs.25b).

I heard a song some years ago, many years ago.  I guess it never reached a realm of popularity because I haven’t heard it more than a half-dozen times since.  But it said, “Lord, You know I need another touch.  My strength from yesterday is gone.  If You’ll give me now another touch, I’ll have the strength to carry on.”  That should be our heart’s cry!  It ought to be the cry of the Charismatic Church today!  “God, we need another touch!  We’re seeing things partially.  We’re so confused.”  What do we need?  We need to have the Lord cause us to look up higher than we’ve looked and touch us anew with a refreshing – that we might have eyes to see as He sees.

Thirdly.  God says, “I don’t want any lame priests” (v.18c).  By implication, the word “lame” means, “a person who walks with hesitation.”  I think in terms of people that are unable to walk straight.  I hope this doesn’t come across as harsh or loveless when I describe spiritual lameness this way.  And let’s remember, we are all priests unto Him – so this is not prejudicial, but all-inclusive.  I am tired out by this situation now so rampant in the Body of Christ.  Please weigh this carefully with the Spirit and see the balance, will you?  I believe the Lord is weary of the constant repeats of individuals who answer altar calls in service after service after service and remain unchanged – still walking with a limp.  It’s because they can’t walk straight yet.  We have more people in the United States of America calling themselves “born again Christians” today than in any previous period in history.  We have more who even declare themselves to be “Spirit-filled, tongue-speaking, Bible-centered Christians” and yet our world has never been so distraught!  How can that be?

There’s a revival of evil going on again in the USA.  Years ago, I read the book by Shirley McLain.  It was representative of what turned out to be a great spiritual revolution – of evil.  McLain made spiritism friendly and non-threatening.  As I read, I became angry and angrier all the way through the book.  I reported to friends, “You know what upsets me about this, is their use some of the very terms we use to describe how God flows through us.  They’re now calling this evil spirit activity ‘channeling’ and it sounds so – credible.”  And I added, “What scares me is that I see young people across our nation who have been searching for reality and solutions and this counterfeit will grab them.”  

In the TV mini-series that followed, McLain tells of her search for truth and reality.  In all sorts of sinful lifestyles, she concludes none contain her answer; not one satisfies her longings.  In that search, she meets a kind of low-keyed but certainly successful, non-threatening movie star, who gently, step by step, leads her into what she labels “truth.”  But I clearly could see the diabolical suavity used and that is what is so frightening.  Hers was actually a journey into the occult.  In the séance, though they never called it that, Shirley and the viewers are led to believe that great practical wisdom is found in this “spiritual experience.”  She is enthralled.  “This has to be reality!” she says, “because it’s supernatural.”  Hang in there, Church. 

There was a revival to evil in this nation, and it came in a different package than we had had it before.  That was the subterfuge, the trickery, the deception the enemy used.  And it worked.  If they had said “spiritism” and “séance” and “witch” or “medium” and other such things, we would have identified it instantly: “This is nothing but the occult!”  You better believe it!  But new things were happening – with a new vocabulary – new for us.  It opened the way to what we call New Age today, and it’s not really “new” at all!  It’s the same old crooked walk up a crooked path.  Today, when God says you’d better walk straight and make your paths straight and make the path of the Lord straight – He says so because no one who’s walking crookedly will make it.

There is another aspect of being lame: those who hesitate.  There are always those who hold back.  They say, “Oh boy!  I think this is God but I’m just going to wait and see.  I’m going to look at it but I don’t want to get too involved yet.  I got involved before in a church and I was a member and in this thing and that small group and I supported almost everything – but I was so deeply hurt.  I won’t get that involved in another church.”  Have you ever heard that?  I pray to God you weren’t looking in the mirror when you heard it!  Jesus never promised we wouldn’t get hurt!  He did promise to heal us – every time.  And if you spend the rest of your life running from things that have hurt you, you’re going to run out of places to hide! 

It’s not a day to falter, Church.  It’s not a day to hesitate around everything you see in God until a more convenient time.  Hear this – under God I promise it’s true.  There is an ability for you to do whatever you see in God – if you take hold of His faith and act on it.

Jesus walked to a place in Jerusalem and saw a man who had been there 38 years – lying down, crippled, unable to walk (Jn.5:2ff).  Jesus did not at once say, “Be healed.”  He inquired, “Do you want to get over that problem?  Will you be made whole?” (vs.6).  “Well, let me tell You why I’m like this,” the man said.  “The reason I’m not whole is someone else’s fault” (vs.7).  How many in the church today claim the same excuse?  “It’s someone else’s fault.” 

The lame man explained, “You see, Lord, I don’t have anyone to pick me up and put me in the water when it’s stirred.”  We say, “I’ve never had anyone teach me the right way.”  Or, “I’ve never had anyone who believed in me.”  Or, “I’ve never had anyone who delivered me.”  “I’ve never had anyone tell me the truth.”  Or, “God never answers my prayers.”  Jesus said, then and now, “Get up and take that filthy bed with you!” (vs.8).

Fourth.  “I don’t want any priests with flat noses” (v.18d).  That sounds pretty strange, but it won’t be when I finish explaining it!  :-)   “Smelling” in the Bible speaks of “discerning.”  Isn’t it interesting how often clichés or vernacularisms we use in the world are so apt, so applicable to our Christian experience?  We say, “I don’t know – the thing just didn’t smell right to me.”  That is a description of a healthy nose; of clear discernment.  Leviticus declares: “I don’t want anyone with a flat nose being My priest.”

Hebrews 5:13 and 14 will bring greater understanding to this.  “Anyone who lives on milk being still an infant...”  Is it a sin to be an infant?  No, only if you stay that way.  Is it a sin to live on milk?  No, not if you’re an infant.  Milk is an important food for infants just beginning to grow.  We certainly don’t want to get spiritual rickets!   :-)   But even our contemporary health professionals have decided it’s not the perfect food as we once believed it to be!  Selah.

“Anyone who lives on milk being still an infant is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.  But solid food is for the mature who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil (vss. 13,14)”  Or, it may be more familiar to you from the King James: “who by reason of use have discerned… have their senses exercised to discern….”  Exercising your spiritual sense of smell is learning to discern – “both good and evil.”

It’s amazing what satan has done to the people of God because of his fear (and our threat) that we might actually grow up.  Are you ready for this?  Because – if we really grew up and actually, practically, walked in the level of teaching we have had in the Church over the past few decades, he knew we would be able to sniff him out! 

Satan preceded that maturity in the Body of Christ with a threat of his own making.  He asserted, “You don’t have a right to smell out something if your leader doesn’t smell it first.”  And we believed him!  Now you know I believe in the local church.  I believe in authority.  I believe in submission and all those true biblical doctrines.  But, I also believe it’s a new day – and God is talking to individuals – as well as leaders.  Remember we are all priests unto Him, a Kingdom of priests (Ex.19:6).  But I’ve seen some of the tactics of satan that have been levied at us and caused many of God’s people to be too fearful to rise and speak up about what they discern.

Sometimes it is productive to tell you how NOT to do something in order for you to do it. :-)   If you want a flat nose, every time the Holy Spirit speaks to you – ignore Him.  Do not listen to what He tells you, and do not act on what you are hearing. 

The Lord begins bringing revelation to a baby by shouting loudly, so we can’t miss the Voice.  But as we grow in maturity and are more exercised in discerning Him, the softer His voice becomes.  I know the old-timers understand this and agree that it is the way of God.  And it is absolutely true, my friends.  When the Holy Spirit brings you to a place where He can “guide you by His eye” (Ps.32:8b), without having to accompany His directions with obvious physical phenomena like Holy Ghost goosebumps, you’re not a flat-nosed priest.  On the contrary, “by reason of use” you’ve had a keenness developed within you and you no longer have to question what people think of this leader and that speaker.  You grow to a place where you can declare, “I know when a thing is of God and I know when a thing is not from God.” 

That’s what God wants to bring us to – to the place where we are not living in a state of panic and uncertainty.  “Well, who do you believe?  This one or this one or this one?”  And God says, “Yooo-hoooo.”   :-)

                                                                                               Go to Part 3