十一月二十七日
大祭司約書亞站在耶和華的使者面前。（亞3：1）
我們從大祭司約書亞就看到了神的每一位兒女，他們因基督的血得以近前、受教作服侍神的聖工，幷進入幔子內。耶穌使我們成爲君王和祭司歸于神，就是還在世上的時候我們也能使用我們祭司的權柄，過著分別爲聖的生活，幷作聖工。但這位大祭司是“站在耶和華的使者面前”，就是說站著執行職務，這是每一位真正信徒的永久地位。現在到處都是神的殿，他的民在日常的工作上都能侍奉他，和在他的殿裏是一樣的。他們應當常常這樣“侍奉”，獻上禱告和贊美的靈祭，幷獻上自己當作“活祭。”
但要注意約書亞站在什麽地方侍奉神？乃是站在耶和華的使者面前。我們這些污穢的人只能藉著一位中保才能成爲神的祭司。我把我所有的獻陳在使者面前，就是新約的使者主耶穌基督；藉著他，我們的禱告因爲包在他的禱告裏便得蒙悅納，我的贊美也因藏在基督園中所出的乳香、沒藥和沉香袋中而馨香無比。若我別無所有，只把我的眼泪獻上，他必與他自己的眼泪一同藏在泪囊之中，因爲他也曾哭過；若我只能把我的呻吟和嘆息帶給他，他必接納這些蒙悅納的祭，因爲他也曾傷心，也曾在靈中嘆息過。我自己站在他裏面，在愛子裏蒙悅納；我一切不潔的工作，本當被神所憎惡但在他裏面，神一聞這香氣，就悅納了它們。他得了滿足，我得了賜福；那末，你看到基督徒的地位了嗎？“祭司……站在耶和華的使者面前。”
November
27
“Joshua
the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord.”–Zechariah 3:1
In Joshua the high priest we see a picture of each and every child of
God, who has been made nigh by the blood of Christ, and has been taught to
minister in holy things, and enter into that which is within the veil. Jesus
has made us priests and kings unto God, and even here upon earth we exercise
the priesthood of consecrated living and hallowed service. But this high priest
is said to be “standing before the angel of the Lord,” that is,
standing to minister. This should be the perpetual position of every true
believer. Every place is now God’s temple, and his people can as truly serve
him in their daily employments as in his house. They are to be always “ministering,”
offering the spiritual sacrifice of prayer and praise, and presenting
themselves a “living sacrifice.” But notice where it is that Joshua
stands to minister, it is before the angel of Jehovah. It is only through a
mediator that we poor defiled ones can ever become priests unto God. I present
what I have before the messenger, the angel of the covenant, the Lord Jesus;
and through him my prayers find acceptance wrapped up in his prayers; my
praises become sweet as they are bound up with bundles of myrrh, and aloes, and
cassia from Christ’s own garden. If I can bring him nothing but my tears, he
will put them with his own tears in his own bottle for he once wept; if I can
bring him nothing but my groans and sighs, he will accept these as an
acceptable sacrifice, for he once was broken in heart, and sighed heavily in
spirit. I myself, standing in him, am accepted in the Beloved; and all my
polluted works, though in themselves only objects of divine abhorrence, are so
received, that God smelleth a sweet savour. He is content and I am blessed.
See, then, the position of the Christian–“a priest–standing–before the
angel of the Lord.”
