In Leviticus 21, the Lord teaches Moses who may approach to offer the bread of his God. It had to be a man who had no blemish. “For any man who has a defect shall not approach: a man blind or lame, who has a marred face or any limb too long, a man who has a broken foot or broken hand, or is a hunchback or a dwarf, or a man who has a defect in his eye, or eczema or scab, or is a eunuch. No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to the Lord. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.” We know that everything in the old covenant was written for our instruction. The old covenant is the shadow of things to come. But now the shadow has passed, and we have entered into the Person who cast the shadow—into Christ Himself. If the priests of the old covenant (the priests of the shadow) had to be without blemish to offer the bread of their God, we can conclude that the servants of the new covenant (servants of the Spirit) must be even more free from blemish if they are to stand before Him to receive spiritual food from His table to bring to the people. He must not be blind. The eyes of his heart must be enlightened. Eph. 1:18. He must be able to see clearly so that he can separate the holy from the unholy. He must know the flock by sight and perceive their condition. His eyes must always be looking for the best pastures. He must see that none is unhappy or suffering want. He must not be lame. He must not halt to one side or the other. He must be able to run in the race that is set before him and always stand on the front line. He must always be able to say with Paul, “Imitate me even as I follow Christ.” The sheep must always live with the feeling that they cannot escape from their shepherd’s care to enjoy a freedom that is not permissible. He must be quick on his feet, being shod with the gospel of peace in preparation for war. He must be able to capture and drive off every enemy who tries to break into the sheepfold. He must not have a marred face. His spiritual face must be free from blemish. A disfigured face will rob him of his boldness. He must not feel that he has a reason to hide his face. If he is to offer the bread of his God, his face must not be marred. He must not have any limb too long. He must not have some areas that grow great and strong while other areas remain stunted and underdeveloped. He must be able to relate to everyone if he is to provide them all with the bread of his God. He must not have any limb too long. He must not have a broken foot or a broken hand. A broken hand or a broken foot will impair his ministry; he will not be able to give bread at the right time. Even if the break is healed, he will still feel his weakness. In hand-to-hand combat—if such were necessary—he would not be able to grip as hard as he would like. He has a broken foot or hand and therefore must not offer the bread of his God. He must not be a hunchback or a dwarf. A person who has fallen and as a result has become a hunchback must not offer the bread of his God. Because of his fall, he has received permanent injury. A dwarf shall not approach the table to offer the bread of the Lord because he has stopped growing spiritually and is therefore not able to instruct anyone else. He must not have a blemish on his eye. His eye must be unblemished. A blemish or spot on his eye signifies that he looks at things with warped judgment. He will fail in his discernment and waver in his judgment. His eyes must reflect faithfulness and confidence. No blemish must be permitted to hide that precious jewel. He must be able to openly gaze upon the face of God. There must be no spot behind which he can hide the true condition of his soul from the eye of the Lord Sabaoth. He must not have any scab or eczema. No evil report must cling to him, neither should his flesh be active so that the rash of sin can be seen on his body. He must have his body washed with pure water at all times so that his flesh is pure like that of a young boy. Scab and rash will cause reproach, and therefore he must not offer the bread of his God. He must not be a eunuch. No one shall be able to rob him of his manhood. He must possess life and courage and not be slothful or discouraged. He must be a man whom people respect if he is to offer the bread of his God. “No man of the descendants of Aaron the priest, who has a defect, shall come near to offer the offerings made by fire to the Lord. He has a defect; he shall not come near to offer the bread of his God.” Verse 21. When God wants a person brought to the altar of burnt offering, he cannot use as a co-laborer one who has a blemish. He will always use a soul who is well acquainted with the fire. “He may eat the bread of his God, both the most holy and the holy . . . .” Verse 22. God in His infinite love will not withhold spiritual food from anyone. He desires that all eat of both the most holy and the holy. Those who are blind, lame, disfigured, hunchbacked, who have a broken foot or hand, scabs or eczema, or a blemish on their eye may all eat of the most holy and the holy bread of God. “Only he shall not go near the veil or approach the altar, because he has a defect, lest he profane My sanctuaries; for I the Lord sanctify them.” Verse 23. We learn from this that God cannot use anyone who has a blemish to offer spiritual food. They are permitted to eat and be satisfied with both the holy and the most holy, but they must not profane the sanctuary by drawing near to the veil. The veil is rent by the spirit of judgment and fire. Anyone with a blemish will not be able to withstand this, and they must not approach the veil. The glory of God is revealed within the veil and from there, the bread of God is brought out. But if anyone wants to enter in to find spiritual food, he must first offer himself on the altar of burnt offering where every blemish is consumed. Pray to the Lord of the harvest that He might send many such workers into His harvest.Johan O. Smith

Love is a desire to offer yourself, to serve, and to give your life for those whom God loves. Therein is the love of God revealed that He sent His Son; and by this we know love: that He gave His life for us. Love can only be revealed through you as you give your life. Paul bore all things for the sake of the elect, even to the point of being bound in chains as an evildoer. 2 Tim. 2:9. The one who suffers the most, loves the most. The outcomes in the kingdom of God are the results of love having given birth with pain. Love finds its outlet in suffering for others; it rejoices when it has reached its goal. An assembly poured out in tears before the face of the Lord for the salvation of sinners and the furtherance of the kingdom of God testifies to a deep love. They sow with tears, but they shall reap with rejoicing. Such love is not a passing mood that vanishes as soon as one has left the assembly. Not at all! It follows each individual soul day and night. It sighs, prays, and suffers unceasingly, in the depths of the heart. The assemblies with the greatest love are the ones that bear the most pain for the others, but they also see the most fruit. A person who loves has no time to be intoxicated with his spiritual well-being as long as “Lazarus” writhes in pain outside the door. Love’s goal is not enjoyment, but serving the others. Love does not have time to speak derogatively about brothers and sisters, but it does have time to pray and suffer for them. Who will join love in its deep sufferings, in its profound sorrow over all unrighteousness, slothfulness, and indifference? He who sows with tears shall reap with rejoicing. You will have no greater joy than that you see others walk in the truth. The apostle John had no greater joy than that his children walked in truth. 3 John 4. This was a mature joy, a fruit of suffering and labor. Paul loved so much that he set the salvation of others and their walk before God higher than his own salvation. Rom. 9:3. See also Exodus 32:32 concerning Moses. The goal of love is truth; therefore truth is its joy. It does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but suffers because of it. Love brought Jesus to the cross. Love is not comforted as long as someone suffers; its nature is to suffer with, and suffer for. Therefore, if you want to be one with love, it will cause you to sacrifice your possessions, your income, your body, your understanding, your feelings, your will, your entire life—all as an offering. Love is obedient right unto death. It brought Jesus into death. Love celebrated its greatest victory in the midst of the greatest pain that anyone ever experienced, forsaken by God and man, alone with its pain and a feeling of being abandoned. He triumphed as the sacrificial Lamb that was slain. Do you want to overcome with Him as a sacrificial lamb? When Jesus sent out His disciples, He sent them out as lambs. Luke 10:1-3. In Romans 8:36 Paul declares that we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Love will bring you into death: first into the death of your self-life so that you can be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity (1 Tim. 4:12), and then in order to serve and lay down your life, as Jesus says about Himself. Mark 10:45. Suffering for others gives birth to an impelling prayer in the soul. The highest expression for “the fullness of the Spirit” is to lay down your life because you are apprehended of love. Let your life be a beacon of the highest expression of God’s will for you.Aksel Smith

“[They] have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit . . . .” Jude 11. Balaam was a prophet of the Lord, and God could surely have used him for great things in His ministry if he had been faithful. But, unfortunately, his heart clung to earthly goods and honor. The children of Moab and Midian were terrified of Israel. They knew that God had led the Israelites out of Egypt by His strong arm, and now, here they were, camped right next to Moab. Num. 22:5. Good advice was hard to come by. Balak, the king of Moab, was willing to give whatever it took if only he could have Israel cursed and destroyed. In his great need, he sent elders and nobles with a message to Balaam, and they carried the diviner’s fee in their hands. Balaam loved money and honor as well as his work as a prophet, and now he was really put to the test. Of course he wanted to be faithful to God, but those noble messengers and the diviner’s fee! What should Balaam do? He wavered between the two: God on one side, riches and honor on the other. If Balaam’s heart had been right before God, he would immediately have sent the messengers away. But now Balaam said, “‘Lodge here tonight, and I will bring back word to you, as the Lord speaks to me.’ So the princes of Moab stayed with Balaam.” Verse 8. The princes of Moab were men of high standing, and they brought costly gifts with them. Balaam’s heart was in a tumult. Just think if he should miss this wonderful opportunity to gain riches and honor! But what about God? He couldn’t simply forget about Him, could he? Balaam should have been a spiritual authority, but now he was in dire straits. Little by little he gave in to Balak. The messengers increased in number and in standing; the gifts also increased, and Balaam was even more deceived. The end result was that Balak became Balaam’s lord, and Balaam became Balak’s obedient slave who faithfully followed his every command so that Israel might be cursed. However, God hindered Balaam from carrying out his purpose. Balaam could not curse the people. Balak’s anger was aroused, and he went so far as to rebuke the prophet. These words were truly fulfilled: You become the slave of the one in whose service you present yourself. Balaam had been a servant of God; now he served Balak. What a tragic error! Gold and honor had deceived the prophet and robbed him of his power. Since Balaam was not able to curse the people, he had to give Balak something in return for the honor and the gifts he had accepted. Therefore he taught Moab to seduce Israel to commit adultery and idolatry, and then the Lord’s curse would come over them. In this he was successful, for when the warriors of Israel returned from the slaughter of Midian, Moses said to them, “Have you kept all the women alive? Look, these women caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the Lord in the incident of Peor, and there was a plague among the congregation of the Lord.” Num. 31:15-16. For the sake of money and honor, Balaam taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit adultery. Rev. 2:14. The love of money drove Judas to sell his Lord and Master for thirty pieces of silver. Moses, however, chose rather to suffer evil with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. That is the reason his end was so blessed. God led him up on a mountain and showed him the Promised Land. Then Moses died, and God Himself buried him. Balaam did the opposite. He forsook God’s people to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin with the princes of this world. He ended his life together with them. God commanded Moses to take vengeance on the Midianites because of what they had done to the children of Israel. Then Moses told one thousand men from each of the tribes of Israel to prepare for war. These men warred against Midian as the Lord had commanded Moses, and they killed all the males. They also killed the five kings of Midian: Evi, Rekem, Zur, Hur and Reba. And Balaam, the son of Beor, they slew with the sword. Num. 31:8. Balaam got what he wanted—he was honored with the princes, but he also had to die with them. Balaam gave himself over to deception for the sake of gain. The apostle Jude says there are also such people within the church. They are shameful spots at the love feasts, feasting with the others without fear, serving only themselves. Let us receive the exhortation in Rev. 3:18: “Anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”Johan O. Smith

. . . for the publishers to hear that Skjulte Skatte has been a blessing for many. It deepens our faith and confidence in our faithful God. We continue to pray that God may give all those who read the periodical a desire for a deeper and richer life in God, and we ask our brothers and sisters to appear before God’s face together with us in sincere prayer on behalf of God’s people. Let us pray down, into the hearts of God’s children, a fullness of the Spirit in which Jesus received strength to lay down His life, which is Jesus’ spirit of sacrifice. Just as He laid down His life for us, so we must lay down our life for Him. He sacrificed His life for us, therefore we must sacrifice our life for Him. In the church we need a fervent zeal for truth and justice—truth and justice accomplished in our inner as well as in our outer life. Let our prayer in this regard be a clear-sighted, purposeful work. Let us, clearly conscious of the need that exists, advance into that inner oneness before God, together with our faithful High Priest, in fervent prayer and supplication for God’s people. Pray that God will send His cleansing fire into their hearts and consume the self-life in all its forms. We must have a spiritual sense for purity. Impurity divides, but whatever is pure melts together. Pray that the more carnal as well as the more refined spiritual sins may be removed. Our desire is that all the readers of this periodical would become co-workers: first in that inner ministry (in prayer), and then in the outer work of spreading the truth. We ask that those who receive this periodical will keep it, for we will take in only those truths that are always new. Therefore let others read this periodical as well. May our progress in God be evident to all. 1 Tim. 4:15.Aksel Smith