Exodus
31
THE
CALL OF BEZALEEL AND AHOLIAB (vs. 1-11)
The
directions for the construction of the tabernacle and its furniture being now
complete, and the composition of the holy oil and
the holy incense having been laid
down minutely, it only remained to designate
the persons to whom the oversight of the
work was to be especially entrusted. These were
to be two — Bezaleel, of the tribe of
Judah, as head and chief; Aholiab,
of the tribe of Dan, as his assistant. There can be no
doubt that they were selected, primarily, as
already possessing superior artistic powers
and acquirements; but in appointing them God promised
an infusion of special
wisdom and knowledge, so that they were at once
naturally and supernaturally fitted
for their task. It is important to note that artistic
ability is thus distinctly recognized as
being quite as much a gift of God as any other,
and indeed as coming to man through
the Spirit of God (v. 3). Artistic excellence is not a thing to be
despised. It is very
capable of abuse; (as
evidenced by the corruption of the arts in American society
today, the abuses in grants by the National
Endowment of the Arts and to whom
and how they are awarded, the obsession of
Freedom of Expression in promotion
of things ungodly and anti-Christian – CY
– 2010) but in itself it is a
high gift,
bestowed by God on a few only, with the special intent that it should be used
to
His honor
and glory — not indeed in His
direct service only — but always so as
to improve, elevate, refine mankind, and thus help towards the
advancement
of God’s kingdom.
1 “And the LORD spake
unto Moses, saying, 2 See, I have called by name
Bezaleel the son of Uri the son of Hur, of the tribe of
name” only those
whom He appoints to some high office, as Moses (chps.
3:4; 33:12),
Cyrus (Isaiah 45:3-4), and here Bezaleel and Aholiab. He honours us highly
in even
condescending to “know us by name,” still more in “calling” us. Bezaleel is traced to
Exodus, probably contains two or three
omissions. Hur, the
grandfather of Bezaleel,
is thought to be the person mentioned in chps.
17:10, and 24:14.
3 “And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in
understanding,
and in knowledge, and in all manner of
workmanship,” “And I have
filled
him with the
spirit of God” - The Holy Spirit is the medium of
communication
whereby God the Father bestows all gifts upon us – “in wisdom,
and in
understanding, and in knowledge” - By
the first of these terms is meant the power
to invent and originate; by the second
ability to receive and appreciate directions and
suggestions; by the third, such information
as is acquired by experience and
acquaintance with facts. Bezaleel was
to have all these, and, in addition, was to be
wise in “all manner
of workmanship” i.e. — to
possess manual dexterity, the power
of artistic execution.
Bezaleel and Aholiab (vs. 1-12)
The calling
of these two craftsmen for the work of the sanctuary, and the
statement concerning Bezaleel
that Jehovah had “filled him with the spirit
of God, in
wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all
manner of
workmanship” (v. 3), suggest various important lessons. On
the distinction of the terms — “wisdom,”
“understanding,” “knowledge,”
see the exposition, and consult the valuable notes on Ephesians
1:8,
Colossians
1:9, in the Bishop of Durham’s Commentaries. The general
moral is, that when God has any important work to be done, whether in
Church or
State, He will not fail to raise up, and in due time to “call by
name,” the individuals needed for the doing of it. The preparatory
training
school of these individuals may be far removed from
the scene of their
future labors. Bezaleel and Aholiab were trained in
in “From Log Cabin to White House” of Presidents Lincoln and
Garfield,
of the
built by their fathers, in the wilderness, for family
homes. Both were poor
as mortals can well be. Both were born with talents of the
highest order;
but neither enjoyed early advantages of schools and teachers…
Both
worked on a farm, chopped wood, and did whatever else
was needful for a
livelihood, when eight years of age,” etc. Thus God gifts, trains, prepares
men, without a hint of the use to which He means afterwards to put them.
Till the
event discloses it, the honor in reserve for them is kept a secret,
even from themselves. The gem is polished in
obscurity by the master’s
hand. Ultimately it is brought to light, and
astonishes the beholders by the
rare finish of its beauty. The tabernacle was built
with the spoils of the
Egyptians in more senses than one. More special lessons are the
following
—
of holiness, of spiritual understanding, but gifts of every kind, from the
highest to the lowest. Grace, in the case of Bezaleel,
Aholiab, and their
fellow-craftsmen, proceeded
on a basis of natural endowment. Compare v. 6 —
“into
the hearts of all
that are wise hearted I have put wisdom.” Skill in
handicraft is a species of mental
excellence, and deserves the name
“wisdom.” It, also,
is from God. So with all natural talents; with, e.g., the
poetic gift; gifts of music,
painting, sculpture, architecture; business faculty;
the gift of statesmanship; the power to “think out inventions”;
the skill of
the artificer. This truth lies at the basis
of the demand for a religious use of
gifts.
ENLARGEMENT
UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF GOD’S
SPIRIT. The
workers in the tabernacle were supernaturally
assisted in their work.
Nothing less than this is implied in the words — “And I have filled him
with the spirit of God” (v. 3); “into the hearts
of all that are wise hearted
I have put wisdom” (v. 6). Grace aids nature. Regeneration is often
accompanied by a mysterious and almost
miraculous improvement in the
powers of knowledge, so much so that, from a state of stolid imbecility, a
person may be seen rising up and
standing forth an acute argumentative
pleader for the truth. (Cf. Dr. Wm. Anderson on
“Regeneration,” p. 37.)
What holds good of the general invigoration of the powers,
may be
expected to apply in the particular. Dedication of self carries with it
dedication of gifts. And if an individual dedicates to God any special
gift
which he possesses, seeking, whether in the Church or
in pursuit of an
ordinary calling, to use the same for
God’s glory, it will be his privilege to
have it aided, strengthened, purified, and largely enhanced in its
operations
by the influences of DIVINE
GRACE! The commonest work will thus be
better done, if done in the spirit
of prayer. And so with the noblest.
speaks of his great epic as a work
“not to be raised from the heat of youth,
or the vapors of wine, like that which flows as
waste from the pen of some
vulgar amorist or the trencher-fury
of a rhyming parasite — nor to be
obtained by invocation of Dame Memory
and her siren daughter, but by
devout prayer to that Eternal Spirit
who can enrich with all utterance and
knowledge, and sends out his seraphim,
with the hallowed fire of his altar,
to touch and purify the lips of whom he pleases.”
instruction on the dignity of labor. It
has no sympathy with the
contemptible foolishness
which looks on labor as degrading. It includes
labor in religion. It sees
in the occupation of the humblest handicraftsman
the exercise of a Divine gift. The good man who, whether he eats or
drinks, or whatsoever he does, does
all to the glory of God (I Corinthians
10:31) does not demean himself by an honest calling, but
transfigures his
calling into part of his service to his Maker. In his case,
laborare est
orate (to work is to pray). The shewbread on the table in the
sanctuary was a recognition of the
sacredness of labor. It had as one of its
meanings the dedication to God of the
exercise of the calling by which
won its daily bread. So manual labor was sanctified
to God in the making of
the tabernacle. But it was reserved for Christianity
to give the crowning proof
of the dignity of labor by showing it ennobled and glorified in the person
of its Founder. The fathers
of the Christian Church, in contrast with the
Greeks and Romans, who looked on artisans and barbarians
with
contemptuous disgust,
preached in their noblest tones the duty and dignity
of honorable toil. “The proudest bishops were not
ashamed to dig; a
Benedict worked six hours a day with hoe and spade; a Becket
helped
regularly to reap the fields. The monks
at once practiced labor, and
ennobled and protected it. The towns
and the middle classes grew up
under their shelter. Laborare est
orate became the motto of Christian life.
THE
SERVICE OF GOD IN THE WORK OF HIS CHURCH.
Transformed by grace, and employed in the service of
religion, gifts
become graces — “Charismata.” All labor, all gifts, admit of being thus
devoted. The handicrafts can still bring their tribute
to God, if in no higher
way, in the erection of places for His worship. Art
can labor in the
adornment of the sanctuary (compare
Psalm 60:13). The service of praise
affords scope for the utilization of
gifts of music, vocal and instrumental.
There is need for care lest art, ministering
to the worship of God, should
overpower devotion; but, considered in itself, there need be no jealousy of
the introduction of the tasteful and beautiful into God’s service. It is meet
that the Giver of gifts should be served with the
best our gifts can yield.
Earthly callings may minister to God’s kingdom in another
way, by
bringing of their lawful gains and
laying them at Christ’s feet. There is,
besides, the private consecration of
gifts to God, as in the case of Dorcas,
making coats and garments for the
poor (Acts 9:39), or as in the case
of a Miss Havergal, or
an Ira D. Sankey, consecrating to God a gift of
song. Minor lessons taught are:
Ø Gifts are
not all alike, yet God can use all.
Ø Some are
made to lead, others to serve and follow, in the work of
God’s kingdom. We glorify
God most when unambitiously content
to fill our own place; when not envious of the
greater gifts of others.
The humblest is needed. Bezaleel
could ill have dispensed with the
artificers; Aholiab,
with the needle-workers. They in turn needed the
master minds to direct them. There
should be no jealousy among
those engaged in the same work (I
Corinthians 12.).
Ø Diversity
of gifts gives rise to division of labor.
Ø Bezaleel and Aholiab, though
of different tribes (Judah and Dan),
wrought together as friends, were not
opposed as rivals. What kept
out the spirit of rivalry was the consciousness
that both were working
in a sacred cause, and for God’s glory, not their
own. The feeling that
we are working for Christ should keep down
dissensions among
Christians.
4 “To
devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
5 and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work
in
all manner of workmanship.” The result of these gifts would be to enable him:
·
To devise cunning works — i.e., to design
everything excellently; and
·
To work in all manner of workmanship — i.e., to carry
out his designs
with success.
It has been
said that “as everything that had to be done was prescribed in strict and
precise detail, there was to be no exercise of original
powers of invention nor of
taste” (Cook); but this was scarcely so. The forms of the cherubim, the patterns
to be woven into the stuffs, or embroidered on them, the
shapes of the vessels,
of the capitals of the pillars, and of the laver were not
prescribed in the directions.
Bezaleel and Aholiab would
have had to design them after such a description as
Moses could
give of the “pattern” which he
had seen in the mount. In doing this,
there would be much room for the exercise of
inventive power and taste.
In
cutting of stones — i.e., “in gem-cutting.” The fabric
of
the tabernacle was entirely of metal, cloth, and wood. In carving of
timber. Rather
“cutting.” The word is the same as that used of the stones.
And no
ornamental “carving” of the woodwork was prescribed.
6 “And
I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of
Ahisamach, of
the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all
that are wise hearted I have
put
wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee” - Aholiab
appears to have had the entire charge of the textile
fabrics, both woven and
embroidered (ch. 38:23). He was “of the tribe of Dan.” It is
remarkable that
Hiram, the
chief artist employed by Solomon forthe ornamental
work of the temple,
was also a descendant of Dan (II Chronicles 2:14). Yet the Danites were in general
rather warlike and rude than artistic (Genesis 49:17;
Deuteronomy 33:22; Judges
13:2;
18:11, 27). “In the hearts of all that are
wise hearted have I put wisdom.” -
“Unto him that hath shall be
given” – (Luke 8:18) – Those who
were already
“wise hearted” —
possessed, that is, of artistic power — were
selected by God
to receive extraordinary gifts
of the same kind.
Artistic
Excellence (vs. 3-6)
mass of the
people such as were “wise hearted.” A natural foundation was
necessary
for His spirit to work upon. It is generally allowed, in the case of
a poet,
that “nascitur,
non fit.” But the same is true of all art-genius. Every
artist, be he poet, painter, sculptor, musician, or mere
designer of furniture,
requires to have a something implanted within him from the first, out of
which his artistic power is to grow, and without which he
could never
attain to excellence. Bezaleel
and Aholiab were such persons. They were
men of
natural genius, with a special aptitude for the task to which they
were set. (But woe
unto those who prostitute their talents and gifts to
dishonor
and despise the God who gave them! – CY – 2010)
IMPROVED BY GRACE. There is a natural affinity between artistic
excellence
and spirituality. God, who gives artistic power originally for
wise and good
purposes, will, if men use the power worthily, augment it by
the direct action of his Spirit on their intellects. Those
poets, painters, etc.,
who have
been good men, have found their artistic ability improve with
time. Those who
have lived evil lives have found it deteriorate. The spirit
of devotion
gave to the
wonderful
power and intensity.
poetry. The best art
has always had a religious purpose, and derived much
of its
excellence from its association with religion. Men who regard their
gifts as a
trust, and exercise them in the fear of God, find constantly that
their
conceptions grow in grandeur and dignity, while their execution
becomes
more and more happy. The spirit of God fills them with wisdom,
and
understanding, and knowledge, and even with “all manner of
workmanship.”
PERVERTED
TO EVIL, AND BECOME A CURSE BOTH TO ITS
POSSESSOR AND OTHERS. (Think of the
influence that x-rated
entertainment
has had in the decline of the
2010) There is no
intellectual power which is not liable to misuse. Artistic
excellence
is perhaps more liable to it than most others. If
it is divorced
from moral goodness, and made a mere instrument of
self-glorification,
it becomes debased at once. And the
decline is easy from bad to
worse.
“Facilis descensus Averni.” There are few things which have worked
greater evil in the world than high artistic genius combined
with moral
depravity. A whole generation may be utterly corrupted by a single
sensualistic
poet. Sculpture and painting have less influence; yet still a
sensualistic
school of either may have a most deleterious effect upon the
morals of
an age. (Of what possible value or return upon its
investment,
could the
National Endowment of the Arts, have hoped for, when it
helped
finance Robert Mapplethorpe’s photography
of a bull whip stuck in
his anus [Mapplethorpe died of AIDS at the age of 42] and Andres
Serrano’s
“Crucifix in Urine” ?-
CY
– 2010) It is of the greatest importance that
such a perversion of artistic genius should not take place. It should
be
impressed on
all that their artistic powers are the gift of God, to be accounted
or just as
much as other gifts; to be used, as all gifts are to be used, to His
honor; to
be made to serve the ends for which His
kingdom has been
established
upon earth — the advance of holiness, the general elevation,
refinement
and spiritualization of mankind, and the special “Jesus
Christ;
who gave Himself for us, that He might REDEEM US FROM ALL
INIQUITY, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people,
zealous of good
works.” (Titus
2:13-14)
Vs. 7-11 contain an enumeration of the various works
already commanded to be
made The same order is observed, except that here
the tabernacle itself is placed
first, and the altar of incense takes its natural position
next to the candlestick.
7 “The tabernacle of the congregation, and the
ark of the testimony, and
the
mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the
furniture of the tabernacle, 8
And the
table and his furniture, and the pure
candlestick with all his
furniture, and the
altar of incense, 9
And the altar of burnt
offering with all his furniture, and the
laver and his foot, 10 And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron
the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister
in the priest’s office, 11 And
the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the
holy place: according to all that I
have commanded thee shall they do.” The cloths of service. Rather
“the vestments
of office’ — i.e., the distinguishing vestments of the High Priest,
which he alone was
allowed to wear. These
were the blue robe, the ephod, the girdle of the ephod, and the
breast-plate (ch. 28:6-35). The holy garments. The rest of the High Priest’s
dress —
i.e., the linen
drawers, the diapered tunic, the inner girdle and the mitre
(ibid.
vs. 39, 43; Leviticus 16:4), which constituted his
whole apparel on the great
day of atonement. The garments of his sons — i.e, the linen
drawers, tunics,
girdles, and caps, mentioned in ch. 28:40, 42.
THE PENALTY FOR NOT OBSERVING THE SABBATH (vs. 12-17)
It is to be
observed that
the present passage is not a mere repetition. It adds to
former notices (chps.
20:8-11; 23:12) two new points:
·
That the sabbath was
to be a sign between God and
badge,” a “sacramental bond” and
·
That its desecration was to be punished with
death (v. 15). These were
supplementary points of so much importance as
to furnish ample reason
against their announcement being delayed.
12 “And the LORD spake
unto Moses, saying, 13 Speak thou also unto the
children of
between me and you throughout your generations;
that ye may know that
I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.” Speak thou
also unto the
children of
between me and you throughout your generations - Hitherto circumcision had
been the only visible “sign” that the Israelites
were under a special covenant with God -
His people,
bound to Him by special ties (Genesis 17:9-14; Acts 7:8). The adoption of
circumcision by the Egyptians and other nations (Herod.
2:104) had produced the
effect that this “sign” was no longer distinguishing. It might be
still” a sign of
profession”; but it had ceased to be “a mark of difference
“; and some other mark was
therefore needed.
Such the observance of the sabbath
by entire abstinence from
servile work became. No other nation adopted it. It
continued to Roman times the mark
and badge of a Jew.(Juv. Sat. 6:159;
14:96) – “that ye may know that I am the
LORD that doth sanctify you.” By keeping
the sabbath day as a day of
holy rest
the Israelites would know — i.e., would realize
severally in their own persons,
that God was their sanctifier.
Sanctification would be a result of their obedience.
14 “Ye shall keep the sabbath
therefore; for it is holy unto you: every
one that defileth it
shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any
work therein, that soul shall be cut off from
among his people.
“Ye shall keep the sabbath
therefore; for it is holy unto you: every
one that
defileth it shall surely be put to death” – To defile the sabbath was to do any
unnecessary servile work upon it. Works of mercy, works of
necessity, and works
connected with religious observance were not prohibited.
(See Matthew 12:1-7;10-12.)
The penalty
of death for breaking the sabbath
seems to moderns over-severe; but the
erection of Sabbath observance into the
special sacramental sign that
covenant with God made non-observance an offence of the gravest character. The
man who broke the sabbath destroyed,
so far as in him lay, the entire covenant
between God and His people — not only broke it, but
annulled it, and threw
out of covenant. Hence, when the sin was committed, no
hesitation was felt in
carrying out the law. (See Numbers 15:32-36.) – “for whosoever doeth any work
therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
15 “Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of
rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any
work in the sabbath
day, he shall surely be put to death.” Six days
may work be done; but in
the seventh
is the sabbath of rest, Literally “in the seventh is complete rest.
–
The sabbath
of restt. Rather, “a sabbath.” There
were other sabbaths besides
that of the seventh day (ch. 23:11; Leviticus 25:2-12; etc.). By the
expression,
“a sabbath of rest” — literally, “a
rest of resting” — the idea of completeness
is given. Perhaps the best translation would be — “in the
seventh is complete rest.”
16 “Wherefore the children of
the sabbath throughout
their generations, for a perpetual covenant.”
For a
perpetual covenant. The sabbath
is itself a covenant — i.e., a part of
the covenant between God and
— i.e., a
perceptible indication that the nation has entered into a special agreement
with God, and undertaken the observance of special
laws. “It is a sign between me
and the children of
earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.”
17 “It is a sign between me and the children of
days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the
seventh day he
rested, and was refreshed.” It is a sign. See above, v. 13. For in six days the
Lord made heaven and earth. See the
comment on ch. 20:11. And
was refreshed. Literally,”
and took breath.” The metaphor is a bold one,
but not bolder than others which occur in holy scripture (Psalm
44:23; 78:65).
It does but
carry out a little further the idea implied in God’s
“resting.” We
cannot speak of any of God’s acts or attributes
without anthropomorphisms.
Covenant
Signs (vs. 13-17)
To each
covenant which He has made with man, God has attached some special sign
or signs. And each sign has been significant, has set before
the mind of those to whom
it was given some great religious truth.
destroyed
by a deluge the whole human race, except eight persons. It
pleased
Him, after this, to enter into a covenant with Noah and his sons
(Genesis 9:8-17), and through them
with the human race, that He would
never bring
such a destruction upon the world again (ibid. v. 11). Of this
covenant He
appointed the rainbow to be the sign, symbolizing by its
brightness
and beauty his own mercy (ibid. – vs. 14-17). Here the
religious
truth
taught and impressed by the sign was that precious one, that God is not
only a just, but also a merciful God.
God selected Abraham out of the
entire mass of mankind to be the
progenitor
of the chosen race and of him especially in whom all the families
of the
earth should be blessed, and entered into a covenant with him, it was
in these
words — “Thou shalt
keep my covenant, thou and thy seed after
thee in their generations — this is my covenant which ye
shall keep
between me and you, and thy seed after thee, every man child
among you
shall be circumcised” (Genesis
17:9-10). Hence the covenant itself was
called “the covenant of
circumcision” (Acts 7:8). This rite of initiation,
the
covenant sign of the Abrahamic dispensation, shadowed
forth the great
truth that man has an impurity of nature, which must be put away before he
can be
brought near to God and received into His
full favor.
be a covenant sign is set forth in the words, “Verily, my sabbaths ye shall
keep, for it is a sign between me and
you throughout your generations”
(v. 13). It witnessed
to the truth that God requires
distinct and open
acknowledgment at the hands of men, and not only so, but material worship at
stated times, one day in seven. The
nations, when they served Him at all
(Acts 10:35), served Him irregularly. They knew
nothing of a definite day,
or a formal
apportionment of time, for His service. By the institution of the
Sabbath the Israelites were taught,
and through them the world, that God
is interested in man, claims his thoughts, sets a value on his
worship, and
will not be
satisfied with mere occasional acknowledgment, but demands
that a
fixed proportion of our time shall be dedicated to His
worship
exclusively. (Once
a man was traveling to a village and was approached
by a man
begging. The traveler had but seven
dollars, of which he gave
the beggar
six. As the traveler went on his way,
the beggar waylaid him
and took
his seventh dollar. Basically, this is
what we try to do to God
when we do
not keep the sabbath.
CY – 2017)
until our
Lord came upon earth. Then two were instituted in the
Sacraments.
Ø Baptism
taught the same truth as circumcision — the need
of
putting
away impurity; but taught it by a simpler rite, and one
to which no exception could be taken.
Ø The Lord’s Supper taught a new
truth, the necessity of reconciliation
through the death and atoning blood
of Christ. It witnessed to the certain
fact that man cannot save himself, cannot atone for his own sins, but
needs a
Mediator, a Redeemer, an Atoner, to make satisfaction for him.
The Sabbath (vs. 12-18)
If this
prohibition to work upon the Sabbath is introduced, as probably it is,
lest the people, in their zeal for the service of the
sanctuary, should be
tempted to infringe upon the holy day, it has certain
obvious sides of
instruction turned towards ourselves. We cannot but see in it the high
honor which God puts upon His Sabbath.
1. It is the
one command of the Decalogue to which reference is made in
the conclusion of this series of instructions. This implies its great
importance. It shows that, in God’s esteem, the observance
of the Sabbath
was intimately
bound up with the best interests of
2. The Sabbath
is declared to be a sign between God and the Israelites. It
was to be a memorial to future generations that Jehovah had made a
covenant with the
nation, and had sanctified them to Himself. But its very
selection for this purpose was a tribute to its
importance. The reason of the
selection could only be that the Sabbath was in itself a boon of the
highest
kind to
religion. A well- or
ill-spent Sabbath,
as all history shows, has much to do
with the character both of the
individual and of the community. The
Sabbath,
further, is a “sign” in this
respect, that it is at once a means for the
promotion of true religion, and a test or indication
OF ITS PRESENCE!?
A disregard of Divine authority shows itself in nothing more
readily than in a
disposition to break in upon the day of rest — to take from it its sacred
character.
3. The Sabbath is not
to be infringed upon, even for
the work of the
tabernacle. There was no such excessive haste, no such
imperative call, for
the sanctuary being finished, that the Sabbath
needed to be broken by the
plying of handicrafts, in order to get it done. (or car parts, light bulbs, or
harvesting corn or soybeans – CY – 2017) We are taught that even our
zeal for God’s work is not to be allowed to betray
us into unnecessary
infractions of the day of rest. . This is not, of course,
to be applied to
spiritual work, to afford an opportunity for which is one
end of the giving
of the Sabbath.
4. The breaker of the Sabbath was to be put to death. This was
not too
severe a punishment for the deliberate breaking of a
law so repeatedly
enforced, and the observance of which had been made by
Jehovah a “sign”
of the covenant between Himself and
in this case, a crime of a very flagrant
order. It was
punished as an act of
treason. (No doubt
there are myriads of American citizens who condemn
not standing before the flag or during the National Anthem that
would
ignore working on the sabbath
in the mill, the factory or the hay field?
CY – 2017) At the conclusion
of these commands, God gave to Moses the
two tables of testimony, “tables of stone, written
with the finger of God.” A
symbol:
a.
of the perpetuity of the law,
b.
of its want of power to regenerate (II Corinthians
3:7).
THE
TABLES OF TESTIMONY (v. 18)
It had been
assumed, in the directions given for the construction of the ark, that God
would give, in some material form, a document to be
called “the
testimony,” which
was to be laid up inside it (ch.
25:16). It is not too much to say that the tabernacle,
with its various appurtenances, was constructed for
this purpose; the rest of the
tabernacle was designed with a view to the holy of holies
- the holy of holies was
designed as a receptacle for the ark — and the ark was
designed as a receptacle for
the tables of testimony. This section could, therefore, scarcely be
concluded without
some definite account of the document which was to
give the ark and the tabernacle
itself, its main significance.
18 “And He gave unto Moses, when He had made an end of communing with
him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony,
tables of stone, written with
the finger of God. And He
gave unto Moses, when He had made an end of
communing (Literally, “when He had finished speaking”) with him upon mount
Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of
stone, WRITTEN WITH THE FINGER
OF GOD”. “inscribed supernaturally” — not cut
by any human hand. Compare
ch. 32:16.
The TABLES OF TESTIMONY
were in many respects like the document
impressed upon them. For instance, they were:
IMPERISHABLE. Few things are more enduring than some kinds of
stone. Inscriptions
exist, engraved on stone, which are certainly anterior to
Abraham. No remains in metal go back
so far. Gold and silver are,
comparatively
speaking, soft. Iron corrodes. Steel was unknown at the
period. The material selected to receive the moral law was as nearly
indestructible as possible. The tables
may still exist, and may one day be
discovered
under the mounds of
The character of the material was
thus in harmony with the contents of the
tables,
consisting, as they did, of laws whereof
no jot or tittle shall pass
away till the fulfilment of all
things (Matthew 5:18). “Heaven and
earth will pass away but my words shall not pass away” – (Matthew
24:35).
engraved
upon them by a Divine agency which is called “the finger of
God.” The laws themselves had been long previously
written with the
finger of
God in the fleshly tables of men’s hearts. The Divine power,
which was competent to do the one, could no doubt with can
accomplish
the other. The human heart is the most
stubborn of all materials, and the
most
difficult to impress permanently.
So was the law of the tables
two-fold — containing:
ü Man’s duty to God, and
ü His duty to his neighbor.
It is uncertain how the Ten
Commandments were divided between the two
tables, but
quite possible that the first four were written on one table, and
the last six
on the other. In that case the material division would have
exactly
corresponded to the spiritual.
law of the Decalogue — is written both
within and without the human heart —
presses externally upon men as a rule
of right which they are constrained to
obey, and approves itself to them from
within, as one which the voice of
conscience declares to be binding,
apart from external sanction. The book
seen in vision by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 2:9) was “written within and without”
(ibid.
v. 10), like the tables; but its entire contents were “lamentation, and
mourning, and woe.” The moral
law, as convincing us of sin, has a painful
side; but it sustains as much as it alarms, and produces as
much effort as
mourning.
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