A Fit Man - A Study Of The Garments Of Aaron - Introduction Series

Leviticus 16:21 KJV And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:

Exodus 19:1-6 KJV In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai. [2] For they were departed from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there Israel camped before the mount. [3] And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; [4] Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. [5] Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: [6] And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.

I. INTRODUCTION—THE PRIORITY OF A PERSONAL PRIESTHOOD

The beginning thoughts for this Bible study series started in January 2013. I had been studying for a Sunday school lesson concerning when the blood was applied to the life of a believer. During that preparation time, the phrase from Leviticus 16, “a fit man” seemed to lodge in my mind as a very apt and descriptive phrase of a man who is to be involved in the priestly ministry. We have to remember that the setting of Leviticus 16 is the Day of Atonement which was literally the highest day of worship for Israel during the entire year. All of the other sacrifices, feasts, and so forth were important but it was on this Day of Atonement that the sins of Israel would be pushed back for another year. It was a solemn, humbling, and serious day in the life of Israel.

As I began to even more deeply contemplate this idea of a man fitting into this role of being approved by God, the passage in Exodus 19 seemed to pull at me with a vengeance. Moses was clearly told by God that Israel would be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. It is no mistake that when Peter addressed the state of the redeemed in 1 Peter 2:9, he picked up this same understanding when he noted that we would be a in a royal priesthood and in a holy nation. For a New Testament believer, no matter what status he is in the apostolic church, he must be approved by God to serve in this role.

The next week, I went to Because of the Times and as I listened to Sister Vesta Mangun, she related about how that Elder G. A. Mangun would pray through the Tabernacle every day in the routine of his prayer life, this thought of a “fit man” pulled at me again. To some degree, I have attempted to work through the pattern of prayer that Brother Mangun practiced for years. Furthermore, I am certain that there are others both preachers and saints alike who have followed his advice to move down this avenue of prayer. To those who are interested, there is a sermon series done by Pastor Anthony Mangun entitled “Heaven to Earth: The Tabernacle Today” which is a nine-part series on praying through the Tabernacle. I would recommend that series to you (www.thepentecostals.org or 318.487.8997) as you will find it to be inspirational and convicting which is the kind of preaching this generation sorely needs.

With all of those things rolling about in my soul, Sister Mangun stimulated some questions for me as she noted praying through the Tabernacle. I share those with you to kindle your own thoughts:

• Does it still matter what the condition of a man’s heart when he approaches God in prayer?

• If a qualified priest was needed in the Old Testament act of worship, does God need the condition of my soul to be qualified in the New Testament era?

• If there were physical requirements of the priests and their garments in the Old Testament Tabernacle, are there related spiritual requirements for a New Testament saint to approach God?

• If the priest had to dress in the fine white linen as a sign of purity, what kind of purity is enjoined for me as I approach God in prayer, worship, thanksgiving, and praise?