© 20 Colin Melbourne
The Will of God
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; Not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles which know not God: That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter: because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also have forewarned you and testified.
1 Thess. 4:3-6 KJV
This word is important for every believer, not only giggling teenagers.
The Holy Ghost writes that each of us needs to know how to possess our vessel in sanctification and honour.
It’s difficult to abide by that word if you don’t understand it.
Do you possess your vessel?
What kind of vessel is meant in this Scripture?
A Yorkshire trawler Captain, got saved, sold his vessel, and began a successful soul-winning ministry in South Asia: My friend sold his vessel, and possessed his vessel.
We can see the Lord’s not talking about a fishing boat.
How else does the Holy Bible use the term vessel?
It’s used mostly for washing and cooking vessels, in Leviticus for example; we find; earthen vessels (terra-cotta clay), other vessels are of wood, and brass.
The Lord, through David, applies the word vessel somewhat euphemistically, when he fled from King Saul’s service, once it became clear Saul intended to kill David, 1 Sam. 21:1-6 KJV;
Then came David to Nob to Ahimelech the priest: and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?
And David said unto Ahimelech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed my servants to such and such a place. Now therefore what is under thine hand? give me five loaves of bread in mine hand, or what there is present.
And the priest answered David, and said, There is no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.
So the priest gave him hallowed bread: for there was no bread there but the shewbread, that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot bread in the day when it was taken away.
Here the term vessels is used of the young men’s bodies, in relation to sexual encounters with women.
The context is interesting to consider.
David was a national hero in King Saul’s service, so the priest was eager to comply with his wishes, but questioned why David came alone, instead of with a royal retinue.
David misled the priest with the excuse that he was on a king’s errand requiring the utmost secrecy, so claimed he’d sent his servants elsewhere.
In fact, David was alone, running for his life, desperately in need of food and a weapon.
The priest gave him Goliath’s sword, but said he had no ordinary bread to give, only the bread consecrated to the LORD, the Levitcal shewbread offered before the LORD. Num. 4:7 KJV;
And upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread shall be thereon:
Ahimelech, eager to accommodate, was willing to give even that bread, providing David and his servants were ceremonially pure, in that they had not indulged in sexual activity, as the priest tactfully expressed it;
but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women.
To which David responded in the Holy Ghost,
Of a truth women have been kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and the bread is in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel.
David was fleeing a tyrant King, and by the unction of the LORD spoke prophetically (surely without realising it) and the truth of David’s response is confirmed by Christ’s teachings that the unclean is made clean, acceptable, and holy, when touched by the LORD.
Which every born again child of God confirms from personal experience. Halleluia!
In David’s case, he was fleeing at the prompting of the LORD, and was hungry, so correctly reckoned he was entitled to consume the ceremonial shewbread, because obeying the LORD is better than sacrifice.
What is your vessel?
One of the clearest uses of the word vessel, speaks of believer’s physical bodies, 2 Cor. 4:3-7 KJV;
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
Notice; we have this treasure in earthen vessels, plainly meaning our physical bodies in which we tabernacle during this life.
Heaven and Earth
Mankind was made from the dust of the Earth, as earthen vessels are made from clay; the terra-cotta utensils, widely used to this day, for washing, storage, and cooking.
The divine Spirit was breathed into Adam’s nostrils by God: Divine treasure in an earthen vessel. Genesis 2:7 KJV;
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Conclusion
So we see that to possess one’s vessel, means to be sober and self-controlled, with the believer’s spirit ruling his body and soul: Not allowing fleshly lusts and desires to dominate the spirit.
It is not of course restricted to the sexual context, believers are to have their spirits ruling their flesh in all matters, in order to follow the Spirit’s leading in our hearts. (1 Thess. 5:6,8, 1 Tim. 3:2, Tit.2:6,12, 1 Pe. 1:13, 4:2,7, 5:8 KJV)
By the grace of God we now easily keep our flesh under our spirit by the power of the Holy Ghost within, Gal. 5:16 KJV;
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
That is how to possess your vessel.
© 20 Colin Melbourne
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