Exodus
29
THE
CONSECRATION OF THE PRIESTS (vs. 1-37)
From
the description of the priestly attire, the Divine Law-giver passed to the form
of priestly consecration, whereof investiture
in the “holy
garments” was a part. The
ceremony of consecration was to consist of four
things:
In the
directions given, we have, first, the preparation of the offerings (vs. 1-3);
secondly, directions for the ablutions (v. 4);
thirdly, directions for the investiture of
Aaron
(vs. 5-6), of his sons (vs. 8-9); fourthly, directions for the anointing (v.
7);
and fifthly, directions as to the mode in
which the sacrifices should be offered and
disposed of (vs. 10-34). A command is then given
that the ceremonies should be
repeated every day for a week (v. 35); and another,
that the altar should receive
consecration at the same time as the priests (vs. 36-37).
Additional light is thrown
on most of these matters by the account
contained in Leviticus (ch. 8.), of the
manner in which Moses carried oat the directions
here given to him.
vs. 1-3 – “And this is the thing that thou shalt
do unto them to hallow
them,
to minister unto me in the priest’s office:
Take one young bullock, and two
rams without blemish, - Literally “perfect.” On the
offence to God of offering
Him
blemished offerings, see Malachi 1:6-14 - and unleavened bread, (fermentation
is sort of corruption) and cakes unleavened tempered with oil, and wafers
unleavened anointed with oil: of wheaten flour shalt thou
make them. And thou
shalt put them into one basket, and bring them
in the basket,
with the bullock
and the two rams.”
The Ablution
v. 4 – “And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water.
It is a true
instinct which has taught men the analogy between
physical and moral purity, and led them
to typify the removal of spiritual, by the cleansing from
physical, defilement. The religion
given at Sinai set a stamp of approval in many points
on what may be called
“the religion of nature;” and among them on this. Ablutions
were required of the
priests, not only at consecration, but every time that
they entered the tabernacle, or
sacrificed on the altar of burnt-offering (ch. 30:20). Washing was a main feature in
the cleansing of leprosy (Leviticus 13:54, 58) and of the
leper. (ibid.
14:8). It was
also employed for the purification of many minor
defilements (ibid.
11:25; 15:5;
17:15-16). At what date it
first came into use in the admission of proselytes is
uncertain. Whether
the washing of consecration extended to the whole body, or
was limited to the hands and feet, is also a point on which
critics have disagreed,
but one of no great importance. (See John 13:9-10.)
The
Investiture of Aaron
vs. 5-6 – “And thou shalt
take the garments” - The directions, as here given,
are incomplete, and not quite in the right order. In the LXX. (Septuagint) they are
still more incomplete. For the full process of investiture,
we mast look to
Leviticus
8:7-9. There we find that the process included nine acts:
1. The putting
on of the linen tunic.
2. The girding with the
under-girdle.
3. The putting on of the robe
of the ephod.
4. The putting on of the ephod.
5. The girding with the curious
girdle of the ephod.
6. The putting on of the
breast-plate.
7. The putting into the
breast-plate of the Urim and Thummim.
8. The putting on of the mitre.
9. The affixing to the mitre of the golden plate.
The second
and seventh are omitted here; and the order of the fifth andsixth
is
inverted - “and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the
ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the
ephod:
And thou shalt
put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon
the mitre.”
- It marked
the royal character of the high priest, who, as the main type of
Christ in the Mosaic law, was bound to be “Prophet, Priest, and King.”
(Compare
Leviticus 8:9.)
The
Chrism or Anointing
v. 7
– “Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour
it upon his head, and
anoint him.” - The “anointing
oil” had been
mentioned previously in ch. 25:6,
when “spices” had been required from the congregation to form
a portion of it. Its
composition is given in ch.
30:23-25; a passage from which
we gather that it was
exceedingly rich and costly. “And pour
it upon
his head” . Compare Psalm 133:2.
(I
remember as a child at
for unworthy purposes. Our teacher, Ward Correll,
would ask us how many
chapters we read during the week [a sort of daily
Bible readings I guess] and
I would,
on Sunday morning, read a bunch of these shorter psalms to inflate
my numbers.
I am thankful that God overlooks many youthful indescretions
but they are tainted nonetheless and need also
the forgiveness of Jesus Christ –
fortunately – all was not lost as this scripture still
lingers in my heart – CY –
2010) While ablution is a
rite common to
many religions, the religious use of
unction is peculiar to the Mosaic and
the Christian. In the Mosaic it was applied to
initiate into their office the prophet, the priest, and the king. In
Christianity it was
originally a rite by which sick persons were miraculously
cured (James 5:14-15),
from which use it was afterwards extended by
ecclesiastical authority to other
important ceremonies. The typical meaning under
Christianity is clear; the oil
represents the Holy
Spirit, and the anointing the outpouring of that Spirit on those
who are the objects of it. Christ
Himself obtained His title of Christ (or Messiah),
because He was “anointed
with the Holy Ghost and with power” (Acts 10:38).
Under Mosaism this idea was, at most, latent. Unction was understood to mark:
Unction
with the holy oil of the sanctuary no doubt further signified consecration to
God’s service. It was applied not only to the priests, but to
the tabernacle, the ark,
the table of shew-bread with its vessels,
the seven branched candlestick, the altar
of incense, the altar of burnt offering, and the laver, all of
which thereupon became
“most holy” – ch. 30:26-29)
The
Investiture of Aaron’s Sons
vs. 8-9 – “And thou shalt
bring his sons, and put coats upon them. And thou
shalt gird them with girdles, Aaron and his
sons, and put the bonnets (caps)
on them: and the priest’s office shall be
theirs for a perpetual statute: and thou
shalt consecrate Aaron and his sons.”
The
Consecration Offerings
vs. 10-34 – “And thou shalt
cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle
of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons
shall put their hands upon the head
of the bullock.” - in order to identify themselves with it, and transfer to it
the guilt of their
own sins and imperfections, since it was to be a “sin-offering” (v. 14;
compare Leviticus
4:4) – “And thou shalt
kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of
the tabernacle of the congregation. And thou shalt take
of the blood of the
bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar
with thy finger, and pour all the
blood beside the bottom of the altar.” Expiation was obtained by the blood —
“which
is the life “ — of the victim being first smeared upon the four horns,
and then
the remainder poured out at the altar’s base. Such was the
usual practice with
“sin-offerings”
(Leviticus
4:7) whereof this was to be the first example. “And thou
shalt take all the fat that covereth
the inwards, and the caul that
is above the
liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them, and burn them
upon
the altar. But
the flesh of the bullock, and his skin, and his dung, shalt
thou
burn with fire without the camp” – The curse of
sin which was on them, made
them unfit for food and even unworthy of burial within
the camp. On the symbolism
of the burial, see Hebrews 13:11-13 - “it
is a sin offering. Thou shalt also
take
one ram; and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the
ram.” Here,
again, the object was to identify themselves with the victim, and make
it their representative; though now, as the
ram was to be a burnt offering, self-
sacrifice, rather than expiation, was the leading
thought. “And thou shalt slay the
ram, and thou shalt
take his blood, and sprinkle
it round about upon the altar.”
The
blood was to be thrown from a basin, not sprinkled with the hand or with
hyssop.
Rabbinical
tradition says that it was so cast at two of the corners, and thus moistened
all the four sides. This was regarded as
casting it “on
the altar round about.” “And
thou shalt cut the
ram in pieces, and wash the inwards of him, and his legs, and
put them unto his pieces, and unto his head. And
thou shalt burn the whole ram
upon the altar: - This became
the general law of the burnt-offering (Leviticus 1:9,13, 17).
It
indicated that self-sacrifice was wholly acceptable to God; whereas in
sin-offerings there
was a taint of evil which rendered all but certain parts of the
victim unacceptable (v. 14) –
it is a burnt offering unto the LORD: it is a sweet
savor, an
offering made by fire unto the LORD.” – (the offering would
be pleasing to God) –
“And thou shalt
take the other ram” - Compare v. 15; and see also vs. 1 and 3,
where two rams had been mentioned. This second ram is
called, “the ram
of
consecration” in v. 22,
and again in Leviticus 8:22. It was “by far the most peculiar
part of the whole ceremony” (S. Clark). It must be viewed as a
“peace-offering”
(Leviticus 3:1-17), but one of a peculiar character. The application of the blood
to
the persons of the priests was altogether unique, and most significant. It was the
crowning act of consecration, and implied the complete dedication of their
life and of
all
their
powers to the service of the Almighty – “and Aaron and his sons shall put
their hands upon the head of the ram. Then shalt thou
kill the ram, and take of
his blood, and put it upon the tip of the
right ear of Aaron, and upon the tip of
the right ear of his sons and upon the thumb
of their right hand, and upon the
great toe of their right foot, and sprinkle the
blood upon the altar round about”
- it sanctified that organ, which
was to be ever open to the Divine voice; placed
“upon the thumb of their right hand” it sanctified
their ministerial
actions; placed
“upon the great toe of their right foot” it sanctified
their whole walk in life, their
“going
out,” and their “coming
in.” “And thou shalt
take of the blood that is
upon the altar, and of the anointing oil” - The
mixture of the blood with the
oil is unusual, and presents some
difficulties; but perhaps it is best to view
it as symbolizing the
intimate union which exists between justification and
sanctification — the atoning blood, and the sanctifying grace of
the Holy Spirit -
“and sprinkle it
upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and
upon his sons, and
upon the garments of his sons with him: and he shall be hallowed, and his
garments, and his sons, and his sons’ garments with
him. Also thou shalt
take
of the ram the fat and the rump, and the fat that
covereth the inwards, and
the caul above the
liver, and the two kidneys, and the fat that is upon them,
and the right shoulder; for it is a ram of
consecration: And one loaf of bread,
and one cake of oiled bread, and one wafer out
of the basket of the unleavened
bread that is before the LORD: And thou shalt put
all in the hands of Aaron,
and in the hands of his sons; and shalt wave them for a wave offering before the
LORD.” – The offerings were to be
laid first, on the hands of Aaron, and then on
those of his sons, which were to support them;
while Moses, putting his hands
under theirs, made a waving motion with them
towards the four corners of the heavens,
to indicate that the gifts were offered to the omnipresent
God. This process was that “filling
of the hand,” by
which the actual installation in office took place. Moses, by
the act, transferred the priestly functions,
which he had hitherto exercised, to his
brother and his brother’s descendants. He made
them by his muscular energy perform their
first priestly act. “And
thou shalt receive them of their hands, and burn them
upon the
altar for a burnt offering, for a sweet savor
before the LORD: it is
an offering made
by fire unto the LORD. And thou shalt take
the breast of the ram of Aaron’s
consecration, and wave it for a wave offering before
the LORD: and it shall be thy
part.” - Henceforth Aaron and his sons
were to have the breast of all wave-offerings
(Leviticus
7:31-34); but on this occasion, as Moses officiated, the breast was to be his.
“And thou shalt
sanctify the breast of the wave offering, and the shoulder of the
heave offering, which is waved, and which is heaved up, of the ram of the
consecration, even of that which is for Aaron, and of that which is for
his sons: And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’ by a
statute for ever from the
children of
from the children of
heave offering unto the LORD.” A short
digression is here made, from this
particular offering, to all future offerings for
consecration. For the future both the
breast and the right shoulder are to belong to the
priests. The shoulder, moreover,
is to be “heaved,” and only the breast “waved” ....” heaving” being a single lifting
up of the offering towards heaven, while “waving” was a
repeated movement in a
horizontal direction. Wave and heave offerings
are always connected with the
portions of the priests, or with things
dedicated to God’s service. (See chps. 25:2;
35:22, 24;
38:24, 29;
Leviticus 7:30-34; Numbers 18:11, 19, 24) “And the holy
garments of Aaron shall be his sons’ after him, to
be anointed therein, and to
be consecrated in them. And that son that is priest in his stead shall
put them
on seven days,
when he cometh into the tabernacle of the congregation to
minister in the holy place. And thou shalt take
the ram of the consecration,
and seethe his flesh in the holy place.” A sacrificial meal followed on every peace-
offering, in which the offerers
participated. (ch. 18:12.) “And
Aaron and his sons
shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket by the door of
the tabernacle of the congregation. And they shall eat those things wherewith
the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them:
but a stranger
shall not eat thereof, because they are holy.”
An atoning force pervaded all
sacrifice. Sin-offerings were wholly expiatory; burnt-offerings
and peace-offerings partially
so (Leviticus 1:4). “A stranger shall not eat thereof” - “A stranger” in
this
place does not mean a foreigner, but anyone who is
not a priest. “And if ought of
the flesh of the consecrations, or of the
bread, remain unto the morning, then
thou shalt burn the
remainder with fire:
it shall not be eaten, because it is holy.”
THE
REPETITION OF THE CEREMONIAL, AND THE
CONSECRATION
OF THE ALTAR
vs. 35-37 – “And thus shalt thou do unto Aaron, and to his
sons, according to
all things which I have commanded thee: seven
days shalt thou consecrate them.’
The
repetition of the ceremony seven times on seven separate days seems to be
intended. Thus was an ideal completeness given to it. “And thou shalt
offer every
day a bullock for a sin offering for atonement: and thou shalt
cleanse the altar,
when thou hast made an atonement for it” - Rather, “thou shalt
purify the altar by
making an atonement for it.” (see Leviticus 8:15) “and thou shalt anoint it, to
sanctify it.”
In his execution of these directions, Moses separated the
anointing of the
altar from the cleansing, placing it even before the
anointing of Aaron. He anointed it
by sprinkling the holy oil upon it seven times (Leviticus
8:11). “Seven days thou
shalt make an atonement for the altar, and
sanctify it;
and it shall be an altar
most holy: (Literally “holiness of
holinesses” as in ch. 40:10). “whatsoever
toucheth the altar shall be holy. (Rather, “must be holy”)
The
Consecration of the First High Priest (vs. 1-37)
Aaron may
be viewed as either: (1) a type of
Christ, or (2) a
pattern to all ministers
who shall come after him.
character.
ü Christ “glorified not Himself to be made an high
priest” (Hebrews
5:5), but was appointed
by His Father, when He sware to Him, “Thou
art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm
110:4).
So Aaron took not the honor of the high priesthood
to himself
(Hebrews 5:4), but was chosen by God (ch.
28:1-38), and invested with
his office by Moses (Leviticus 8:6-36).
ü Christ was “the
Messiah” — the “anointed
one” — anointed with that
profusion
and abundance, with which none other ever was or will be
for
“God gave not the Spirit unto Him by
measure” (John 3:34).
Aaron received the holy
oil in profusion, by pouring. “The precious
ointment ran down
upon his beard” — nay, “went down to the skirts of
his clothing” (Psalm
133:2).
ü Christ was at once priest and king — “born king of the
Jews”
(Matthew 2:2); crucified
as “king of the Jews” (Matthew
27:37);
crowned
by the soldiers in mockery (ib, 29);
founder of an
imperishable
“kingdom” in
reality. Aaron, in his capacity of priest,
wore
a diadem, a “holy
crown” (ch. 29:6; Leviticus 8:9), and may thus
be
regarded as having had committed to him “a royal priesthood.”
ü Christ has “all
the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hid away
ajpo>krufoi) in him”
(Colossians 2:3), and could freely declare the
will
of God to man. Aaron had the precious Urim and Thummim hid
away
in the folds of his breast-plate, and by their means could obtain a
knowledge
of God’s will in any practical matter. Lastly,
ü Christ is the “great mediator between God and man”, (I Timothy
2:5) the one and only man who can intercede for his
brethren
effectually, who can make real atonement for their sins,
and reconcile
them to His Father. Aaron’s special office was
to make continual
atonement for all the sins of the people by such
sacrifices as were
appointed by the law, to intercede for his brethren with God
continually, and to be a mediator between them and Him,
representative
of the true mediator.
ü solemnly called by God and set apart for his high
office.
ü Prepared
for it by an ablution, which typifies the removal of all
impurity.
ü Invested
with it by a human authority, viz., Moses.
ü Required on
all occasions of its exercise to wear robes of office.
ü
Anointed with a holy oil, typical of the graces
of the Holy Spirit.
ü Appointed
to minister continually before God in the tabernacle of the
congregation.
ü Appointed
to resolve doubts by declaring God’s will in difficult cases
which
should be brought before him.
ü Required to
bear upon his brow, in the sight of all men, a profession of
“Holiness to the Lord.” The official Aaron is thus, in numerous
respects,
a
pattern and example to all — even Christian ministers; but the
personal
Aaron is, on the
contrary, rather a warning. The weakness which allowed
the
worship of the golden calf, and the presumption which led to
“murmuring against Moses” (Numbers 12:1-12) indicate a character
which,
if it had some virtues, had many and very serious
defects.
THE
DAILY SACRIFICE (vs. 38-42)
The
consecration of the altar, which is made a part of the consecration of the
priests,
is to be followed immediately by the
establishment of the daily sacrifice. Two lambs
are to be offered day by day to the Lord, one
in the morning and the other in the
evening, as “a
continual burnt-offering” (v. 42), in acknowledgment that the life of
the people belonged to
Jehovah (Cook), and that they were bound to offer
perpetually “themselves, their souls and bodies, to be a reasonable holy, and
lively
sacrifice” to
Him. (Romans 12:1-2) The burnt-offerings were to be accompanied
by appropriate “meat and drink-offerings” — i.e., by a certain quantity
of flour
mingled with olive oil for the one, and a certain
quantity of
wine for the other — indications
of the debt of gratitude which the nation owed to God for His continual benefits and
the dedication of life in all its practical
activities.
vs. 38-42 – “Now this is that which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of
the first year day by day continually.” - Compare ch. 12:5. The Septuagint adds
“without
blemish.” But this is unnecessary, as all victims
were to be without blemish.
(Leviticus
22:20; Deuteronomy 15:21) “The one lamb thou shalt
offer in the
morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer
at even: And with the one lamb a
tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth part of an hin
of beaten oil; and the
fourth part of an hin
of wine for a drink
offering. And the other lamb thou
shalt offer at even, and shalt
do thereto according
to the meat offering of the
morning, and according to the drink offering thereof, for a sweet savor,
an
offering made by fire unto the LORD. This
shall be a continual burnt offering
throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation
before the LORD: where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee.”
The
Value of a Daily Sacrifice
Perpetual
remembrance of God is one of the greatest needs for the maintenance and
furtherance of religion. “Pray without
ceasing.” (I Thessalonians
5:17) - “In
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving
let your requests
be made known unto God”
(Philippians 4:6). “I have set the Lord alway before
my face” (Psalm 16:8). These and numerous other texts lay down the perfect law —
constant worship of the Almighty. But human weakness, and
the pressing concerns
of life, make literal compliance with the perfect law impossible. And in His
mercy
God
relaxes the law. “At evening and morning, and at noonday, will I
pray,” says
the man after His own
heart (Psalm 55:17); “and he shall hear
my voice.” Daniel
prayed “three
times a day, with his window open towards
6:10).
Coldness and worldliness have in the Christian Church reduced, for the most
part, the “three times” to twice; but still the obligation is acknowledged
under all
circumstances at morn and even to lift the heart to God, and “look up.” Now, it is a
great help towards maintaining this minimum that
there should be, twice a day, a
public service. The daily morning and evening sacrifice were a perpetual reminder to
the Israelites of their duty in respect of prayer — they felt
the “lifting up of their
hands” to be — according to the time of it — a morning
or “an evening sacrifice”
(Psalm
141:2). And so, in the Christian Church, public service twice a day, which
prevails widely, is of great value.
SUPPLICATION — as
keeping it before them, by the sight of open church
doors, and
the sound of chiming bells, that God is, at the least, to be
addressed
twice a day, at morn and even, in earnest, heartfelt prayer; to be
praised and
thanked for His mercies, entreated for His forgiveness, besought
for His
support, and help, and blessing. What is done by public authority
rouses
attention, provokes inquiry, raises a general feeling that it would not
be done
unless it were right. Many a man, who has long neglected private
prayer, has
been led to acknowledge himself wrong, and to revert to the
practice of
it by the witness borne — the protest made — by those
churches
which persistently keep up the substitute for the morning and
evening
sacrifice of the tabernacle and temple, to wit — that daily morning
and evening
service in the sanctuary, which the Church of England, among
others,
enjoins upon her ministers.
WITHOUT DISTRACTION. In many
homes there is no quietness, no
retired spot to which husband, or wife, or child can go
for silent communion
with the Almighty Father, or the Saviour.
All is noise, tumult, bustle, hurry —
nay, sometimes, all is quarrel, angry words, cruel blows,
threats, curses.
Private prayer in
such households, if it was ever known, drops out of use.
Frequently, it is
not allowed — it provokes an outbreak — if done at all, it has
to be done secretly, hastily, in fear and trembling.
In such cases, how great a
blessing is it to those who feel the need of prayer, that
there should be
somewhere near them a sacred spot, whither they can,
occasionally at any rate,
betake themselves to pray their own prayers, or join in the
prayers of others as
may seem best to them, and feel the near presence of the Almighty! “How
amiable are thy
tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts! My soul longeth,
yea, even
fainteth
for the courts of the Lord!” “One day in thy courts is better than
a thousand” elsewhere. (Psalm 84:1-2,10)
GOD’S PROMISES
(vs. 43-46)
The
chapter terminates with a parenthetic insertion of various promises,
intended to
cheer the Israelites under the hard circumstances of
their wanderings in the
wilderness, and growing out of the mention of the
tabernacle as “the tabernacle of
meeting” (v. 42). “There,” says God, “He will meet, not only Moses, to speak
to him,
but also the children of
their requests. There will He meet them, and there His
glory shall be; and the
tabernacle shall be thereby sanctified. He will sanctify
both the tabernacle and the
altar; He will sanctify, moreover, both Aaron and
his sons; and He will dwell among
the children of
and gracious promises, made
absolutely; though, as the result showed (II Chronicles
36:14-18 – “NO REMEDY”), contingent
on their obedience; and faithfully performed,
as long as even a remnant
was obedient, during a space of above seven hundred years
from the Exodus to the Captivity!
vs. 43-46 – “And there I will meet with the children of
might not enter the tabernacle, and could only “meet God” at its
entrance, when
they brought their sacrifices to the altar. He promises,
however, to meet them on
these occasions with favor and acceptance. – “and the tabernacle shall be
sanctified by my glory.” – Compare ch. 40:34. The presence of the Shechinah was
the true sanctification of the tabernacle — all the
rest was mere type and figure. God
not only “put His name there,” but put His
presence there visibly. “And I will
sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar” - See Leviticus 9:24,
where we learn that on the first occasion of Aaron’s
offering sacrifice upon the
brazen altar, “there
came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed
upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat.” Thus the
altar had its
miraculous sanctification, as well as the tabernacle, and
was not merely
consecrated by human instrumentality. “I will
sanctify also both Aaron and
his sons, to minister to me in the priest’s office.” - It would
seem to follow, by
parity of reasoning, that here also something more is
intended than had been accomplished
by the rites of consecration. The verb is in the future — “I will sanctify” — and must
allude to something which has not yet taken place.
Probably, sanctification of the spirit
is intended — that Divine influence upon the heart which
alone makes men really and truly “holy.” (Compare Leviticus 21:8, 15; 22:9, 16.)
But in this
ease the promise must have been conditional. God would sanctify
them so
far as they would allow Him. “And I
will dwell among the children of
will be their God.” - Compare ch. 25:8. Primarily, the indwelling of the Shechinah
in the holy of holies is, no doubt, meant; but the expression
need not be limited to this.
God would be present with His people in manifold ways — to
direct, sustain,
enlighten, defend, and
save them. “And
will be their God.” Compare ch. 6:7.
What treasures of love, protection, bounty, tenderness,
and pardon, are there
in this phrase! “And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that
brought them forth
out of the
When they
experience my protection, bounty, love, tenderness, pardon, they shall
truly feel and know in their inmost hearts, that I am
the same God who delivered
them out of the bondage of
“dwelling among them.” “I am the
LORD their God. “I am Jehovah, their God” –
No other
God could deliver after this sort. No other God could be
so long-suffering to
a “stiffnecked
people.”
God’s
Promises to His People
Here we may
note:
PROMISES, Man has no
claim upon his Maker. Our “goodness
extendeth
not to Him.” (Psalm 16:2) - So far forth as we “do him true
and laudable
service,”
we are “unprofitable servants — we have
done that which was
our duty to do” - (Luke 17:10). But how little of such
service is rendered!
How great are our shortcomings! How many our “sins, negligences, and
ignorances!” How little do we deserve anything but evil at
God’s hand!
And yet, He not only bears with us, but makes us gracious
promises. He
binds Himself
to us beforehand by express engagements — He pledges
His own sacred word to bestow upon us divers
blessings. Here He promised
ü The
sanctification of the tabernacle by the Shechinah;
ü The
sanctification of the altar;
ü Holiness in
Aaron and his sons;
ü His own
permanent abiding presence with them as their God; and
ü Their own
recognition of Him as their Lord God — the deliverer who
brought them out of
to Christians He has promised far more — pardon, redemption,
acceptance, sanctification by the Holy Spirit,
eternal life!
Utterly unworthy as we
are, these promises have been made to us.
God’s infinite goodness
has caused Him to condescend to enter into
covenant
with His creatures; and the promises which He has made to
us,
“He for his part will most surely keep and
perform.” (Romans
4:21)
OF THE PROMISES
MADE.
ü The
sanctification of the tabernacle was effected by the entrance
into it of the Shechinah (ch. 40:34);
ü That of the
altar by the fire which “came out from
before the Lord”
(Leviticus 9:24);
ü Aaron and
his sons were sanctified to the effectual performance of all
their
ministerial acts, and were further personally sanctified, so far as
their
own wills would permit;
ü God did
abide with His people
for at least seven
centuries; defended them from their enemies; taught them
by his prophets; made them a praise and a wonder among the nations. And,
on the whole,
ü Notwithstanding
occasional defections,
as their God, did maintain His worship, did observe His
laws, did
believe that He dwelt among them, and was “the Lord their God.”
Shall we think
that to us He will be less faithful? Shall we doubt that
He will give to
us the covenanted blessings — pardon, and redemption,
and acceptance, and sanctification, and eternal life?
Surely, “God is not
a man that he
should lie, or the son of man that he should repent.”
(I Samuel 15:29)
- He is “the faithful and the true” (Revelation
19:11).
He never broke a promise. All to which He is pledged He will most
assuredly perform, if we only
are not wanting on our part.
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