Concerning minerals, we read of gold, silver, bronze, onyx stones, and “stones to be set for the ephod and for the breastplate.” These materials were not used for decoration or ornamentation; they were all used for building. The onyx stones and other precious stones were used for the shoulder-pieces and the breastplate worn by the high priest. When the high priest entered the Holy of Holies to minister before the Lord, he wore the ephod with the shoulder pieces and the breastplate. Using the Urim and the Thummim along with the breastplate, the high priest could receive a message from God. The breastplate worn by the high priest was not an ornament. In a sense it may be regarded as a divine “typewriter” used to spell out messages from the Lord. The point here is that the breastplate was built with minerals, with precious stones set in gold.
The fact that the minerals were mentioned as the first category indicates that whatever Christ is and whatever He has done and is doing are all for the building. The building is God’s goal. The consummation of the divine revelation is the New Jerusalem built with gold, precious stones, and pearls. The Bible is altogether consistent concerning this. The minerals in 25:1-9 are for God’s building. In 1 Corinthians 3:10 and 11 Paul says that as a wise master builder he laid the foundation, and this foundation is Jesus Christ. Then he says, “Let each one take heed how he builds upon it” (v. 10). In verse 12 Paul goes on to say, “But if anyone builds on the foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, grass, stubble.” Notice that in this verse Paul speaks of minerals: gold, silver, and precious stones. Instead of building with gold, silver, and precious stones, many Christians use wood, grass, and stubble, materials that have no value and are good only for burning. Furthermore, in 2 Timothy 2:20 Paul says that in a great house there are vessels not only of gold and silver, vessels unto honor, but also wooden and earthen vessels, vessels unto dishonor. In the Life-study of 2 Timothy we pointed out that this great house does not signify the church as the house of God, but it signifies Christendom. In today’s Christianity only a small number are using precious minerals to build God’s house. The majority of so-called Christian workers use wood, grass, and stubble. The best of these workers use wood; the others use straw or stubble.
The minerals in 25:1-9 signify Christ as the building material ordained by God and prepared by Him. Although Christ is this building material, God does not use this material directly to build up His dwelling place. Instead, God gives Christ to us that we may gain Him, enjoy Him, and experience Him. Like Paul in Philippians 3, we need to pursue Christ, gain Christ, and take possession of Christ. Eventually, Christ becomes our possession both in resurrection and in ascension. In the meetings of the church we should then offer to God as a heave offering the Christ we have experienced and who has become our special treasure.
When we release our spirit by functioning in the meetings, we need to have Christ as our content. If we merely shout praises to the Lord without Christ as our content, we shall not be offering the surplus of Christ to God. I encourage all the saints to function in the meetings and to release the spirit. But this function and release must be filled with Christ. This Christ is not objective; He is the subjective Christ experienced by us and gained by us as our treasure. In the meetings we should offer this precious Christ to the Father as the material for the building of the church.
If we see that Christ is the material for God’s building, offered to God as a heave offering, we shall mourn over the pitiful situation among Christians today. Many pride themselves on their education and theological knowledge. A few years ago a certain person boasted to me of the large number of people in his organization who have doctoral degrees. But Moses was not a theologian, and the Lord Jesus did not have a doctoral degree. On the contrary, in appearance he was an unlearned Nazarene. Others marveled and said concerning Him, “How does this man know letters, having never learned?” (John 7:15). The Lord Jesus even rebuked the so-called learned ones, calling them a “brood of vipers” (Matt. 23:33). These religious leaders had poisoned God’s people, but the Lord Jesus came to heal the people. Those who boast of their degrees and theological knowledge actually have only a superficial knowledge of the Bible. Have they seen that Christ is the material for God’s building? Praise the Lord that Christ is the precious material for the building of God’s dwelling place!
We have pointed out that the high priest wore a breastplate made of precious materials when he came into God’s presence. If we experience Christ as the building materials and put Him on as the breastplate when we come into God’s presence, we shall receive God’s revelation. The revelation comes through the Christ we have experienced and who becomes the building material worn by us.
The Lord’s recovery is absolutely different from today’s religion. We are not concerned with knowing the Bible merely in letters. We are here to carry out God’s economy in His recovery. It is impossible for there to be reconciliation between the recovery and Christianity. In the recovery we repudiate the wood, the grass, and the stubble. But these inferior materials are not only welcomed by many Christians—they are appreciated, praised, exalted, and advertised. Many Christian publications even make a display of wood, grass, and stubble. In the recovery we would rather have a small amount of gold, silver, and precious stones than a huge pile of wood, grass, and stubble. We deeply regret the fact that the spiritual eyes of many religious leaders and Bible teachers are blind. They may study the Word in letters, but they do not know the mysterious reality of verses such as 25:1-9. We do not care for the traditional teachings, but for God’s revelation in His Word.
The first of the minerals mentioned in 25:1-9 is gold. Gold signifies Christ’s divine nature and it is pure and everlasting. In Jesus, the Nazarene, there was the divine nature, although this “gold” was concealed within Him.
We need to experience Christ’s hidden divine nature. For example, in all that a brother does as a husband, father, or employee he should have Christ’s divine nature hidden within him. Others may wonder about him and sense that there is something weighty and valuable with him.
The religionists were puzzled by the Lord Jesus. They knew that He was a carpenter, and some even knew His brothers. Nevertheless, they wondered how He could do and say certain things. The cause of their wonder was the divine nature concealed within this Nazarene.
Even the young people among us need to experience Christ in His pure and everlasting divine nature. Then they will give the impression to others at school or in the neighborhood that they possess something weighty and valuable. In their speech and behavior they will convey the impression that they have something admirable within. I thank the Lord that many of our young people do bear such a testimony.
What we experience and possess of Christ’s divine nature we should bring to the meetings and offer to God. Those who are still in high school should not think that they are too young to present such a heave offering to God for His building. I can testify that when the young people function in this way, I am edified and built up. We all need the experience of the gold, the divine nature of Christ. Then we need to offer this element of the Christ we have experienced to God as a heave offering. We need to experience Him, possess Him, and then offer Him to God for the building of His dwelling place.