THE DIFFERENCE IN APPRECIATION
Another point concerning the peace offering is the difference in the appreciation of the Lord. This is seen in the different sizes of the offerings. Some might offer a cow, a large offering. Others might offer a lamb, which is smaller. Still others might offer a goat. We all know that in the Bible a goat is not good. Sheep are good, but goats are not good (see Matt. 25:32-33). Why then does the Bible present something which is not so good as a type of Christ? Christ, of course, is always good, but sometimes those of us who are the presenters of Christ are not so good. We are not like a lamb, but rather like a goat with two horns. Moreover, a goat is rather wild; it is not mild like a lamb. There are times when we realize that the dear one who is offering Christ as the peace offering to God is rather wild. There is the feeling that this presenter is just like a wild goat. He is not gentle like a lamb, but he is rather like a goat.
Christ Himself is the same. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. But there can be a difference in our presentation and appreciation of Christ. He is different in the offering not because of Himself, but because of us. Sometimes we appreciate Christ as a large cow and sometimes as a little lamb. But I am afraid that most of the time our appreciation of Christ is rather wild and is just like a goat. So we need some improvement. The Lord does not need any improvement, but we need improvement.
There is a real difference in the apprehension, experience, and appreciation of Christ. Therefore, there is a difference in the presentation of Christ. What we offer in the church meetings depends very much upon our daily experience of Christ. If in our daily walk we experience Christ in a certain way, then surely when we come to the church meeting, we will present Christ in that way. If we experience Christ in our daily walk in a mild way, then surely we will present Christ in the meeting in that way. But if we experience Christ daily in a wild way, then, of course, we can only present Christ in the meeting in the same way. What we present in the meetings depends upon what we enjoy and experience in our daily life. If we enjoy Him more, then we can present more. If we enjoy Him less, then we will present less.
We all know that in Christianity, most of the so-called services do not depend upon the presenter. In a sense, they may not have any presenters. Mainly, they have simply the pew members. Since they do not have any presenters, their meetings do not depend upon the members, but upon the speaker. If they have a good speaker, then they consider that a good service. If they have a poor speaker, that is a poor service. But the church meeting is different. The meetings of the church do not depend upon a speaker, but entirely upon the presenters. We may even have a poor speaker, yet the church can still have the very best meeting. This is because in the church all the presenters are the rich ones. Now we can realize that the church meeting is not a Christianity service, but an enjoyable feast of all those who apprehend, experience, and appreciate Christ. They bring the Christ whom they experience to their meeting and present Him to God, and this portion is God’s food.
THE WAVE BREAST AND HEAVE SHOULDER
With the peace offering there is also the wave breast and the heave shoulder. The shoulder here, as we have mentioned, means the leg. The breast is the loving part, and the leg is the strengthening part. The leg is not only for walking, but also for standing. Our standing strength depends upon our two legs. When we are weak, we simply cannot stand. But as long as we can stand, we are sound and strong. This is why the heave offering is so transcendent and powerful.
The breast is the wave offering in resurrection. The love of Christ is really living and weighty. So we have the breast as the loving part of Christ and the shoulder as the strengthening part of Christ. The shoulder is only for the serving priest, and the breast is for all the priesthood. The wave breast is loving and tender, but it is not as strong as the leg. This is why the leg is for the ministering priest. Then the meat of the peace offering is for the presenter, and there is also a portion for the presenter to share with all the clean ones.
(Christ as the Reality, Chapter 19, by Witness Lee)
