The Sacred Meal Fellowship with God at the Table

[Study Aired July 15, 2025]

Introduction

Scripture reveals that every significant heavenly encounter involves a meal. From Eden’s first commandment about food to Revelation’s marriage supper, God establishes covenant relationship through sacred dining. These meals demonstrate that fellowship with the Almighty transcends mere physical nourishment, creating spiritual communion that sustains eternal life.

The biblical narrative shows that sacred meals serve as celestial invitations to intimacy. When God provides food, He offers more than sustenance—He extends covenant relationship. This pattern begins in Eden where eating from the Tree of Life represented eternal fellowship, continues through wilderness manna that sustained Israel, and culminates in Christ’s sacrifice that enables eternal communion.

Understanding these sacred meals requires recognizing their dual nature: they address both physical hunger and spiritual longing. Each meal serves as both historical event and prophetic shadow, pointing toward the ultimate feast where all believers will dine eternally with their Creator.

Eden’s Table: The Foundation of Sacred Fellowship

In the beginning, God established the sacred meal as the foundation of human relationship with Himself. “And God said, Behold, I have given [Qal tense] you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding [Qal tense] seed; to you it shall be [Qal tense] for meat” (Genesis 1:29). The Hebrew word for “meat” here is oklah (H402), derived from the primitive root akal (H398) meaning “to eat, consume, devour,” which includes the sense of fire consuming completely. This encompasses not merely eating but intimate ongoing participation in heavenly provision that transforms and sustains.

Eden’s abundance revealed God’s heart for generous fellowship. “And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9). The Tree of Life, chayyim (H2416), provided access to continued life. Scripture later reveals this tree’s significance: “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7), and “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14). The connection between eating from this tree and eternal communion with God becomes clear through these passages.

God’s first restriction came with this sacred meal: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it dying you shall die” (Genesis 2:16-17, CLV). This commandment established the sacred boundary between heavenly provision and human presumption. The Hebrew da’at (H1847) for knowledge suggests intimate, experiential understanding—the kind that belongs to God alone.

Eden’s meal fellowship demonstrates that access to spiritual life comes through trusting obedience to God’s word. The Tree of Life points forward to Him who would declare, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). This connection reveals that Eden’s fellowship prefigures the eternal feast where believers will eat from the Tree of Life bearing twelve fruits for the healing of nations (Revelation 22:2).

The Passover Meal: Deliverance Through Sacrifice

The sacred meal reaches its first major development in the Passover, where God establishes deliverance through sacrificial dining. “And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; and with bitter herbs they shall eat it” (Exodus 12:7-8). This meal combines sacrifice (zebach, H2077) with communal eating (akal, H398), establishing the pattern that fellowship with God requires sacrificial blood.

The Passover lamb must be without blemish, pointing to the perfect sacrifice required for deliverance. “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year” (Exodus 12:5). The blood applied to the doorposts provides protection, while the flesh must be completely consumed that same night. “And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s passover” (Exodus 12:11). This demonstrates that sacred meals require both the sacrifice and the participation.

God commands this meal as a perpetual memorial: “And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance forever” (Exodus 12:14). The Hebrew zikkaron (H2146) for memorial indicates more than remembrance—it means bringing the past event into present reality. This shadows the spiritual reality that Christ’s sacrifice, though accomplished in history, becomes present and effective for each believer through faith, as Paul declares: “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come” (1 Corinthians 11:26). 

The unleavened bread was commanded as part of the feast observance. “Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread” (Exodus 12:15). During their actual departure, “they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry” (Exodus 12:39). The bitter herbs were also commanded as part of the meal: “and with bitter herbs they shall eat it” (Exodus 12:8).

Paul reveals the Passover’s ultimate fulfillment: “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8). Christ becomes both the Passover lamb and the unleavened bread, providing both sacrifice and sustenance for the spiritual journey.

Wilderness Manna: Daily Bread from Heaven

God’s provision of manna in the wilderness reveals the sacred meal as heavenly sustenance for the covenant journey. “Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you” (Exodus 16:4). The Hebrew lechem (H3899) for bread represents essential sustenance, while shamayim (H8064) for heaven indicates celestial origin. This bread comes not from earth but from the throne of God.

The people called it man (H4478), meaning “what is it?”—expressing wonder at this mysterious provision. “And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey” (Exodus 16:31). The honey suggests sweetness and abundance, reflecting the delight of God’s provision for His people.

Daily gathering of manna taught dependence on eternal provision. Those who gathered much had no excess, while those who gathered little had no lack (Exodus 16:18). This principle reveals that sacred meals come through trust in God’s daily provision rather than human accumulation. The manna spoiled when hoarded, teaching that heavenly fellowship cannot be stored but must be received fresh each day.

The wilderness manna points directly to the greater bread from heaven. “I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:48-51). The manna served as shadow; the substance is the eternal bread that sustains spiritual life.

Sinai’s Covenant Meal: Blood and Fellowship

The sacred meal reaches new significance when God establishes His covenant with Israel through blood and communal dining. “Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink” (Exodus 24:9-11).

This extraordinary meal follows the covenant ratification through blood. “And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, This is the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words” (Exodus 24:8). The Hebrew berit (H1285) for covenant suggests “eating together,” indicating that covenant relationship inherently involves shared meals. The blood seals this relationship, making fellowship possible.

The seventy elders eating and drinking in God’s presence establishes the pattern for covenant meals. They “saw” God, experiencing holy revelation through fellowship dining. This seeing encompasses both physical sight and spiritual perception—the kind of intimate knowledge that comes through covenant relationship.

This Sinai meal prefigures the new covenant established through better blood. When Jesus declares, “For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28), He fulfills the pattern established at Sinai. The disciples drinking from His cup participate in the same kind of covenant fellowship that the elders experienced, but through superior blood that enables eternal access to God’s presence.

Christ’s Table Ministry: Grace Extended Through Meals

The sacred meal finds its fullest expression in Christ’s ministry, where table fellowship becomes the primary means of extending grace to sinners. His eating with tax collectors and sinners reveals the heart of celestial hospitality. “And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them” (Luke 5:29). The Greek sunanakeimai (G4873) for “sat down with” indicates intimate reclining together—the position of closest fellowship.

Christ’s feeding of the multitudes demonstrates His role as provider of both physical and spiritual sustenance. When He gave thanks and broke the bread, He revealed His identity as the true manna from heaven. The feeding miracles connect directly to His declaration: “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35).

His post-resurrection appearances centered on meals, confirming that the sacred meal continues beyond death. “And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him” (Luke 24:30-31). The breaking of bread becomes the moment of recognition, revealing that Christ is known through fellowship meals.

The breakfast by the Sea of Galilee demonstrates restored fellowship through shared food. “Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord” (John 21:12). This meal restores the disciples after their failure, showing that sacred meals heal broken relationships and restore covenant fellowship.

The Last Supper: New Covenant Established

The sacred meal reaches its climax in the Last Supper, where Christ establishes the new covenant through His own body and blood. “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:26-28).

The bread represents His body broken for us, while the cup contains His blood of the new covenant. This meal fulfills the Passover typology while inaugurating the new covenant. The thanksgiving that accompanies this meal establishes the pattern for all Christian fellowship dining.

Paul’s account emphasizes the memorial aspect: “This do in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:24). The Greek anamnesis (G364) for remembrance indicates more than mental recall—it means making present the reality of Christ’s sacrifice. Each celebration of this meal makes present the benefits of His death and resurrection.

The Last Supper connects all previous sacred meals to their fulfillment. Eden’s Tree of Life finds its substance in Christ’s broken body. Sinai’s covenant blood finds its perfection in Christ’s shed blood. The wilderness manna finds its reality in Christ as the bread from heaven. The Passover lamb finds its fulfillment in Christ our Passover. All sacred meals point to this moment when heavenly provision becomes incarnate sacrifice.

Corinthian Warnings: The Danger of Corrupted Fellowship

The sacred meal requires proper spiritual discernment, as Paul’s warnings to the Corinthians reveal. “Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils” (1 Corinthians 10:21). The table (trapeza, G5132) represents the spiritual realm accessed through fellowship meals. Sharing the table of demons corrupts the fellowship and destroys spiritual life.

Paul warns against unworthy participation: “Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 11:27). The adverb “unworthily” (anaxios, G371) describes the manner of participation, not the worth of the participant. Proper participation requires self-examination the kind of testing that reveals spiritual condition.

These warnings connect to Israel’s wilderness failures with food and fellowship. “Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted” (1 Corinthians 10:6). The golden calf incident, where the people “sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play” (Exodus 32:6), serves as a warning about corrupted fellowship through false meals.

False Meals: The Corruption of Sacred Fellowship

Scripture reveals that false meals corrupt the sacred fellowship that God intends. The golden calf incident demonstrates how quickly God’s people can pervert holy provision. “And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play” (Exodus 32:6). The Hebrew tsachaq (H6711) for “play” suggests immoral revelry that follows corrupted worship.

This false meal involved the golden calf made of gold. Their eating and drinking in this context represented spiritual adultery—sharing fellowship with false gods rather than the true God who had delivered them from Egypt. The sacrifice they offered was directed toward an idol, corrupting the entire fellowship.

Balaam’s teaching about idol feasts reveals the ongoing danger of false meals. “But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication” (Revelation 2:14). Eating idol sacrifices leads to spiritual compromise and broken fellowship with God.

The connection between false meals and sexual immorality appears throughout Scripture. “And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods” (Numbers 25:1-2). False meals create false intimacy, leading to spiritual adultery and covenant-breaking.

Revelation’s Marriage Supper: The Ultimate Sacred Meal

The sacred meal finds its ultimate fulfillment in the marriage supper of the Lamb. “And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God” (Revelation 19:9). This marriage supper represents the consummation of all sacred meals throughout biblical history.

The Lamb who provides this feast is the same one whose blood established the new covenant. Every previous sacred meal pointed toward this ultimate fellowship where the redeemed will eat and drink with their Creator forever. The marriage imagery reveals that this meal represents the most intimate fellowship possible—the union of Christ with His church.

This meal restores the Tree of Life that was lost in Eden. “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2). The eternal life that flows from this tree provides healing for all who partake.

The river of life flowing from the throne connects to the spiritual sustenance that has been available through sacred meals throughout history. “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1). This river fulfills the promise of spiritual refreshment that accompanies heavenly fellowship.

Conclusion: The Sacred Meal as Sacred Invitation

The biblical pattern of sacred meals reveals that God consistently invites us into fellowship through shared food. From Eden’s abundant provision to Revelation’s marriage supper, these meals demonstrate that heavenly relationship transcends physical sustenance to create spiritual communion. Each meal in Scripture, while rooted in history, unveils a prophetic portrait of the eternal banquet prepared by our Creator.

The progression from Eden through Sinai to the wilderness, from Passover through Christ’s ministry to the Last Supper, from Corinthian warnings to Revelation’s finale shows that sacred meals require proper spiritual discernment. False meals corrupt fellowship and lead to spiritual death, while true meals create covenant relationship and sustain eternal life. The blood that enables access to these meals finds its perfect expression in Christ’s sacrifice, which opens the way for perpetual fellowship with God.

Understanding these sacred meals transforms how we approach both physical and spiritual nourishment. Every meal becomes an opportunity to remember God’s provision, to practice fellowship with others, and to anticipate the eternal feast. The table where we gather reflects the sacred invitation to intimacy, revealing that our deepest hunger is not for food but for fellowship with our Creator who satisfies every spiritual longing through His abundant provision.

Let us therefore come boldly to His table—not merely to eat and drink, but to commune with the One who invites us into eternal fellowship. For in every sacred meal, we taste not only bread and wine, but the goodness of the Lord who prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies and leads us to dwell in His house forever (Psalm 23:5–6).

Mike,
Thank you for your prompt reply. I am surprised at the speed of the reply to be honest with you. I have been following where the spirit of the Lord has been leading me. I suffer from much pain; no need to express sympathy. I have four fused vertebrae in my neck and a spinal cord injury and low brain stem injury that causes much pain. I use voice recognition software at times but not for short letters. I will indeed write you again, as you made the offer and perhaps seek out your insight on a series of events that took place before I had the car accident in March of 1984 that paralyzed me and left me with the nerve damage that at most times is hard to rejoice in. But I do see it as the way God chose to conform me to the image of his son. Anyway I will read your site, and I have a feeling it is the next bread crumb, maybe half a loaf, that God wants me to partake in. The third altar mentioned in Hebrew 13, where it is implied we have the right to eat thereof, is an altar, which of course you know, where the body of sin offerings are burned for use in purification. Jesus said we had to eat of his flesh and drink his blood, and that scripture always seemed quite severe and its implications troubling in a way.
But now I am seeing something more there. If this information is covered on your site, I will of course read it. If not and you have insight in the matter, I would be more than delighted to hear from you.  Thank you, Michael. Oh, and no I do not take affront to you seeing things differently than the men we both mentioned. I have been wandering around in the wilderness for quite some time lost, but I do know enough to follow the column of smoke during the day and camp by the pillar of fire at night. I try not to erect any altars to idols along the way, and you and your work will be enjoyed and then I will move if and when as the spirit leads. You are now on the top of my list in my Front Burner Bookmarks. That is no small honor. 
L____

Hi again L____,
Thank you for the honor of being placed on “the top of your list in your Front Burner Bookmarks” for the present time. You seem to be doing very well at trying the spirits, so I will only commend you for doing so and encourage you to continue to do so for my writings and all others.
You ask about the altar mentioned in Heb 13. That altar is mentioned in connection with the admonition to avoid the false doctrines mentioned in the previous verse:

Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them
that have been occupied therein.
Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. 

The phrase “they have no right to eat” at our altar” is a direct reference to the tribe of Levi which was given to the house of Aaron as a gift for the purpose of “serving the tabernacle.” Those Levites were never to enter the holy place or ever touch any of the holy implements at pain of death.

Num 8:19  And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary.

All of this is covered in depth in the series which are posted both on video and in study notes on iswasandwillbe. com. The title of that series is The Law of The Offerings. I would strongly urge you to read that series because it is in that series that I cover the “altar at which we eat” and why “they that serve the tabernacle have no right to eat at our altar.”

‘Food’ in scripture is doctrines. ‘Leaven’ in scripture is also “the doctrine of the Pharisees” in its negative application.

Mat 16:12  Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Christ broke bread and gave it to His disciples and said, “Take eat, this is my body…” and of the cup of wine He also said, ” This is my blood in the New Testament...” So Christ, Christ’s body and Christ’s words are all one and the same. They are all God’s means of bringing all of us to know God and His son Jesus Christ.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

We have recently begun a series of studies in the book of Revelation. It presents the sayings of this book in the way they were meant to be presented as a book which words were to be ‘kept’ in John’s day and in the day of any who hear and read the words written therein and who are given ears to hear what the spirit says to the churches, because the time is at hand.”

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

If you have not yet done so, I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to join us in our weekly Bible studies live on video on Ustreamtv at 3 P. M. every Sunday afternoon. If there are 5 Sundays in a month, then we take the fifth Sunday off to have some time with our family.
The studies are live, and we invite your participation.
I hope to see you there this Sunday. If you cannot make it, then all the studies are alway available in video and in study notes on iswasandwillbe. com
Your brother in Christ,
Mike>

Audio Links

Animals – The Ox, Part 2

Introduction

Pro 14:4  Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.

Last week we saw the Hebrew word for ox is also translated as bullock, bull, cow or oxen. We also established that the spiritual significance of the ox in scripture is as the symbol of that part of us which God uses to increase our spiritual welfare and wealth. It is that part of our spirit which works tirelessly to get the job done. It was by the strength of the ox that the rich man was able to tear down his old barns and build new ones to house his riches:

Luk 12:15  And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.
Luk 12:16  And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
Luk 12:17  And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
Luk 12:18  And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
Luk 12:19  And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
Luk 12:20  But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
Luk 12:21  So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Yes, even the ox has a negative application in the word of God. When all of our efforts are spent to preserve and provide for the flesh at the exclusion of the things of the spirit, we will soon learn that we have wasted our lives trying to save the very symbol of corruption, the flesh, which cannot be saved.

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

The ox, in its symbolism, very closely parallels the Hebrew word ‘charuts,’ one of the six Hebrew words translated ‘gold.’ Charuts appears six times translated as gold, but it is also translated ‘diligent’ five times. What connection has gold to the ox? Only that the word charuts also has the meaning of diligence.

חרץ / חרוּץ
chârûts
BDB Definition:
1) sharp-pointed, sharp, diligent (adjective)
2) strict decision, decision (noun masculine)
3) trench, moat, ditch (noun masculine)
4) gold (poetical) (noun masculine)
Part of Speech: see above in Definition

A Related Word by BDB/Strong’s Number: passive participle of H2782
Total KJV Occurrences: 19
gold, 6
Pro 3:13-14 (2), Pro 8:10, Pro 8:19, Pro 16:16, Zec 9:3
diligent, 5
Pro 10:3-4 (2), Pro 12:24, Pro 12:27, Pro 21:4-5 (2)
decision, 2
Joe 3:14 (2)
sharp, 2
Job 41:30, Isa 41:15
threshing, 2
Isa 28:27, Amo 1:3
pointed, 1
Job 41:30
wall, 1
Dan 9:25

The symbolism of the ox is that of tireless diligence and service in the things of the spirit. It is “by the strength of the ox” that we fill up our spiritual “cribs” and “by the strength of the ox” that we “buy gold tried in the fire” and “lay up for ourselves treasure in heaven.”

Mat 6:19  Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal [negative application of the ox]:
Mat 6:20  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Mat 6:21  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Rev 3:18  I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.

You can have a clean crib, but you will have no ox. In other words, we can either starve to death or be well fed. We are either poor or we are rich. It all depends upon the presence of the ox within us.

In our last study we saw that we can and do offer the greatest sacrifice possible to give to God. We can and we do offer an ox to God, but if when we offer that offering anywhere other than “the door of the tabernacle,” meaning on the altar at the door of the tabernacle, on the selfless cross of Christ, we are not going to be accepted by God.

This week we will see 1) Why the priest was given certain parts of the sacrifice of an ox, 2) Why the ox is first, both in the order in which the sacrifices are mentioned in scripture and in order of value as that which we offer to our Lord. 3) Finally we will see another graphic Biblical example of how we all steal our own brother’s ox, we all prefer to make our offering to our Lord in the way and in the place we choose, instead of the way and place we have been instructed. It is all written to show us that same stubborn attitude is within the beast within us all.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
1Co 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

The priest’s part of an ox which is sacrificed

Deu 18:3  When you sacrifice a bull or sheep, the priests will be given the shoulder, the jaws, and the stomach.

Yes, it was the same for any sacrifice. The priest was given that part which signifies the parts which give us direction and movement, that is our legs, which give us expression, our mouths, and that part which signifies our meditation or rumination, the stomach of a clean beast. These are all given, without hesitation, to Christ, our high priest.

Christ has no use for any service we might give Him which has not been offered in accord with His directives. What this means is that our service to our Lord must be in accord with His Word or it is an offering which was killed somewhere other than the altar (the cross) of our Lord. Any such offerings are offered in rebellion and will not be accepted by our High Priest. We could give the priest the required parts, but if they were not offered on the altar at the door of the tabernacle, then we are guilty of failing to see what is the significance of the shoulder, the jaws and the stomach.

The ox is the first beast mentioned as being good for food

Deu 14:4  These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the ox, the sheep, and the goat,
Deu 14:5  The hart, and the roebuck, and the fallow deer, and the wild goat, and the pygarg [antelope], and the wild ox, and the chamois [gazelle].
Deu 14:6  And every beast that parteth the hoof, and cleaveth the cleft into two claws, and cheweth the cud among the beasts, that ye shall eat.

Any “strong meat” which is fit for food cannot be taken from words which are “above that which is written.” Any “strong meat” which is fit to be consumed for nourishment must have two witnesses as their foundation. Those witnesses will be “things new and old.”

Mat 13:52  Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man [that is] an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

Mat 18:15  Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16  But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17  And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
Mat 18:18  Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

The Greek here is “shall have been bound… and shall have been loosed.” It was all written in God’s book before we were ever born:

Psa 139:16  Thine eyes did see mine unformed substance; And in thy book they were all written, Even the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was none of them. (ASV)

Another example of  both ‘stealing our brother’s ox’ and failing to bring our offering to “the door of the tabernacle.’

1Sa 15:1  Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
1Sa 15:2  Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
1Sa 15:3  Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
1Sa 15:4  And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
1Sa 15:5  And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
1Sa 15:6  And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
1Sa 15:7  And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
1Sa 15:8  And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
1Sa 15:9  But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
1Sa 15:10  Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,

King Saul in type is not someone else. We are King Saul long before we become King David, “a man after God’s own heart.” We simply cannot bring ourselves to utterly destroy our own flesh. We tell ourselves and we believe that flesh and this physical realm are not sin in and of themselves. After all, it has so many good features. It simply cannot be looked on as sin in and of itself. When we take this attitude, and we reserve parts of our flesh to serve God as we see fit, what is God’s reaction?

1Sa 15:11  It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.
1Sa 15:12  And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.

Here are a couple other versions of this verse:

(MKJV)  And when Samuel rose up early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told to Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a place for himself, and has gone around and passed on and gone down to Gilgal.
(MSG)  He got up early in the morning to confront Saul but was told, “Saul’s gone. He went to Carmel to set up a victory monument in his own honor, and then was headed for Gilgal.” By the time Samuel caught up with him, Saul had just finished an act of worship, having used Amalekite plunder for the burnt offerings sacrificed to GOD.

This is what John refers to as “losing your first love.”

Rev 2:1  Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
Rev 2:2  I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
Rev 2:3  And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
Rev 2:4  Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
Rev 2:5  Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

King Saul had “lost his first love” and repented not. What happened next?

1Sa 15:13  And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
1Sa 15:14  And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? [What are all these false doctrines, I am hearing in my ear, which you equate to “performing the commandment of the Lord?”]
1Sa 15:15  And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
1Sa 15:16  Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the LORD hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
1Sa 15:17  And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?
1Sa 15:18  And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
1Sa 15:19  Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the LORD, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the LORD?
1Sa 15:20  And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and have gone the way which the LORD sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
1Sa 15:21  But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God in Gilgal.

King Saul thought like we all think. He thought that doing 50 to 90 percent of what God said was enough. King Saul had bought into “agreement in the essentials and tolerance in the nonessentials.” It was simply not practical to do what God said to do, down to the last detail, when that meant that the people would not like you if you were that much of a fanatic about “living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” So instead of being a leader, King  Saul became a politician, and a people pleaser, and what was God’s  reaction to His anointed becoming a servant of men?

1Sa 15:22  And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
1Sa 15:23  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
1Sa 15:24  And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
1Sa 15:25  Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD.
1Sa 15:26  And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
1Sa 15:27  And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
1Sa 15:28  And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.

This is all a story about the kingdom of God. What do we know about what is that kingdom?

Luk 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Luk 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

So both of these, the rejected anointed and the “new man,” the “man after God’s own heart,” are both within us all. However, the “old man,” God’s rejected anointed, cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

1Sa 15:29  And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.
1Sa 15:30  Then he said, I have sinned: yet honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people, and before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the LORD thy God.
1Sa 15:31  So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshipped the LORD.
1Sa 15:32  Then said Samuel, Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came unto him delicately. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past.
1Sa 15:33  And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless among women. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.
1Sa 15:34  Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of Saul.
1Sa 15:35  And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

We all honor ourselves for our self-righteous rebellion against what the natural man sees as the unloving laws and sayings and commandments of God. By following the people instead of leading them according to what the Lord had said, Saul was guilty of stealing the people’s oxen, while thinking he was doing God a service by keeping the oxen of the Amalekites. He was also guilty of failing to bring his offering to the altar of the door of the tabernacle. He preferred to offer his ox to God in the camp, but God would have no part of King Saul’s disobedience to His word.

This admonition in Matthew 18:15 -18 is but one more of “the commandments of the Lord” which have no place in Babylon, within or without. It is much easier to “listen to the people” instead of God, and the people will always convince us that it is simply more loving to ‘agree on the essentials and tolerate the nonessentials.’ It is simply easier to just go along to get along with the people, and it just seems more loving to the natural man to ignore God’s sayings rather than become separated from our brothers by obeying “every word which proceeds out of the mouth of God.”

Mat 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

What we have learned today is that the ox of scripture is within us, as a tireless servant to increase our spiritual wealth. It never tires in giving to it neighbors or its enemies, of the “love of God.” On the other hand we have seen that we can and do steal our brother’s ox when we fail to undertand what is the love of God, when we fail to “love God and keep His commandments.”

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

We have seen that when we do anything we do, to keep from losing our friends in this life, instead of doing it to glorify God, we are really killing and offering our sacrifice within or without the camp, both being in rebellion to the commandment of our Lord, and somewhere other than at the altar of God which is “before the door of the tabernacle.”

We have learned that the ox and all clean meats, with the cloven hooves, teach us that we must never speak above that which is written:

1Co 4:6  And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think [of men] above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.

We have seen that the horse is God’s symbol for the spiritual battle being waged in our heavens, but the ox is the symbol of Christ in us serving our fellow man and our Lord. Both reveal a great, and powerful zeal to serve in our Father’s house:

Joh 2:13  And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
Joh 2:14  And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
Joh 2:15  And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;
Joh 2:16  And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise.
Joh 2:17  And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

Christ in us is a bull in a Babylonian china shop, and we are guaranteed to be “hated of all men.”

Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Next week, Lord willing, we will see that the ‘ox,’ along with three other beasts, is “in the midst of and around the throne of God.” And we will see once again who are these four beasts and why they are four.

Rev 4:6  And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
Rev 4:7  And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

[The next installment of this study can be found here.]