Before we turn to 18:1-14, I would like to give a further word on the two signs in chapters sixteen and seventeen.
These two signs, one negative and the other positive, were produced through the rebellion of Korah and his company. The negative sign is the cover of the altar made of the censers belonging to the two hundred fifty men who had been judged (16:36-40). This altar, on which the sacrifices were offered, is a type of the cross of Christ. God's judgment of these two hundred fifty men signifies the judgment of the cross on all of man's service to God which is according to man's opinions, by his flesh, and in rivalry with others. The two hundred fifty men were burning incense in the service of God, which was according to their own way. Their service was judged by God, and the result of that judgment was a negative sign, the covering on the altar. The positive sign is Aaron's budding rod, which signifies Christ in resurrection, the budding Christ.
These two signs, signifying Christ in resurrection and His judging cross, are with us today as a reminder and a warning to us regarding our service to God. The negative sign warns us not to serve God according to our opinion, by our flesh, or in rivalry with others, for that kind of service, we should remember, was judged thirty-five hundred years ago. On the positive side, the budding rod—the budding Christ in His resurrection, who not only buds but also blossoms and bears fruit to maturity—is with anyone who truly stands with God and is one with Him.
The almonds produced by Aaron's budding rod point to the enjoyment of Christ. Such terms as enjoying Christ, eating Christ, and drinking Christ are part of a new vocabulary that came to this country with the Lord's recovery. Christ is enjoyable, and He is our portion for our enjoyment. However, as we will see, in the typology of 18:8-10, the Christ who is the priests' portion is actually a part of God's portion reserved for the priests to share. The priests not only eat God's food; they also eat with God and feast with Him. They are invited by God to share His portion.
The divine thought concerning enjoying, eating, and drinking Christ is in the holy Word, but it has been hidden for nearly two thousand years. We did not see the matters of eating and drinking Christ until 1958, at which time I gave a series of messages on enjoying the Lord by eating and drinking Him.
When we come to 18:31, we will see that the vindication of the priesthood is not only by the budding rod but also by the reward given to the priests. This reward is Christ. The more the priests serve, the more they receive Christ as their reward and the more they enjoy Christ. Such a reward is the divine food to be enjoyed by the faithful priests. This is much greater than the budding rod.