MOSES APPROVES THE WORK. — V. 32. Thus Iwas all the work of the Tabernacle of the Tent of the Congregation finished; and the children of Israel did according to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did they. V. 33. And they brought the Tabernacle unto Moses, both the inner and the outer covering, the fine damask being intended for the inner wall, and the curtains woven of goat-hair for the outside, the tent, and all his furniture, his taches, his boards, his bars, and his pillars, and his sockets, v. 34. and the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers' skins, the tough and pliant seacow leather, which served to shelter the tent, something on the order of a fly-top in our days, and the veil of the covering, the curtain for the door of the Most Holy Place, v. 35. the Ark of the Testimony, and the staves thereof, and the mercy-seat, v. 36. the table, and all the vessels thereof, and the showbread, v. 37. the pure candlestick, with the lamps thereof, even with the lamps to be set in order, the burners as they were regularly to be renewed by trimming and filling the lamps, and all the vessels thereof, and the oil for light, v. 38. and the golden altar of incense, and the anointing oil, and the sweet incense, literally, the incense of sweet odor, and the hanging for the Tabernacle door, v. 39. the brazen altar and his

grate of brass, his staves and all his vessels, the laver and his foot, v. 40. the hangings of the court, his pillars, and his sockets, and the hanging for the court gate, his cords, and his pins, and all the vessels of the service of the Tabernacle for the Tent of the Congregation, the various articles being enumerated in the order of their importance, v. 41. the cloths of service to do service in the Holy Place, and the holy garments for Aaron, the priest, and his sons' garments, to minister in the priest's office. V. 42. According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work, the majority of them by donating the materials, and the artisans by producing the articles. V. 43. And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it; a careful inspection showed that the instructions of the Lord had been carried out in every detail. And Moses blessed them. "The readiness with which the people had brought in abundance the requisite gifts for this work, and the zeal with which they had accomplished the work in half a year or less, were delightful signs of Israel's willingness to serve the Lord; and for this the blessing of God could not fail to be given." (Keil.)

The Erection and the Dedication of the Tabernacle.

THE TABERNACLE SET UP.-V. 1. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, v. 2. On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the Tabernacle of the Tent of the Congregation. This was on the first of Nisan, or Abib, at the beginning of the second year after the children of Israel had left Egypt. The Tabernacle was to be in readiness for the first anniversary of the Passover Festival. V. 3. And thou shalt put therein the Ark of the Testimony, where the Decalog, the testimony of the Lord to the people, was deposited, and cover the ark with the veil, hide it from the eyes of the people by the heavy curtain which screened the Most Holy Place. V. 4. And thou shalt bring in the table of showbread, and set in order the things, literally, arrange the order, that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. V. 5. And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the Ark of the Testimony, that is, to the east of it, before the veil of the Sanctuary, and put the hanging of the door to the Tabernacle, the door-curtain before the Holy Place. V. 6. And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the Tabernacle of the Tent of the Con

gregation, out in the open court. V. 7. And thou shalt set the laver between the Tent of the Congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein, since it was to serve for the ablutions of the priests, both before entering the Sanctuary and before going up to the altar of burnt offering. V. 8. And thou shalt set up the court round about, both the posts and the curtains, and hang up the hanging at the court gate, the splendid variegated entrance curtain. V. 9. And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the Tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it and all the vessels thereof; and it shall be holy, set aside for the worship of Jehovah. V. 10. And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar for the service of the Lord; and it shall be an altar most holy, literally, holiness of holiness, everybody and everything that touched it being thereby consecrated to the Lord. V. 11. And thou shalt anoint the laver and his foot and sanctify it, set it apart for the sacred use for which it was intended. V. 12. And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and wash them with water, chap. 29, 4. V. 13. And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him,

and sanctify him, that he may minister unto Me in the priest's office. V. 14. And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats, the white byssus garments which were the distinctive dress of the ordinary priests; v. 15. and thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto Me in the priest's office; for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations. The priesthood was hereditary among the sons of Aaron, but their consecration did not take place until the special ordinances of the sacrifices had been given. Cp. Lev. 8. V. 16. Thus did Moses; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so did he.

THE VARIOUS APPOINTMENTS IN PLACE. V. 17. And it came to pass in the first month in the second year, on the first day of the month, that the Tabernacle was reared up, the great tent of worship was solemnly erected. V. 18. And Moses reared up the Tabernacle, and fastened his sockets, the bases of the large planks, and set up the boards thereof, and put in the bars thereof, and reared up his pillars, those from which the two curtains were suspended. V. 19. And he spread abroad the tent over the Tabernacle, first the splendid variegated curtain, and then the curtain of goats' hair, and put the covering of the tent above upon it, the protective covering of rams' skins and seacow leather, as the Lord commanded Moses. V. 20. And he took and put the testimony into the ark, the stone tables with the Decalog, and set the staves on the ark, and put the mercy-seat above upon the ark. V. 21. And he brought the ark into the Tabernacle, into the Most Holy Place, and set up the veil of the covering, and covered the Ark of the Testimony, shut it off from the gaze of all but the high priest on the great Day of Atonement, as the Lord commanded Moses. V. 22. And he put the table of showbread in the Tent of the Congregation, in the Holy Place, upon the side of the Tabernacle northward, without the veil, on the right, or north, side of the altar of incense. V. 23. And he set the bread in order upon it before the Lord, he arranged the showbread in the two heaps according to orders, as the Lord had commanded Moses. V. 24. And he put the candlestick in the Tent of the Congregation over against the table, on the side opposite the table of showbread, on the side of the Tabernacle southward, to the left of the altar of incense. V. 25. And he lighted the lamps before the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses. V. 26. And he put the golden altar of incense in the Tent of the Congregation, the Holy Place, before the veil; v. 27. and he burned sweet

incense thereon, as the Lord commanded Moses. V. 28. And he set up the hanging at the door of the Tabernacle, suspending it from the pillars at the eastern entrance. V. 29. And he put the altar of burnt offering by the door of the Tabernacle of the Tent of the Congregation, and offered upon it the burnt offering and the meat-offering, as the Lord commanded Moses. Both the burning of incense and the bringing of sacrifices at this time were extraordinary acts of Moses, and did not belong to the ordinary worship of the people, as it was done after the consecration of the Sanctuary. V. 30. And he set the laver between the Tent of the Congregation and the altar, and put water there to wash withal. V. 31. And Moses and Aaron and his sons washed their hands and their feet thereat; v. 32. when they went into the Tent of the Congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed, as the Lord commanded Moses. This signified that the Lord wanted not only clean hands, but clean hearts as well, in all those that were and are engaged in His worship. V. 33. And he reared up the court round about the Tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work.

THE CLOUD OF GOD'S GLORY.-V. 34. Then a cloud covered the Tent of the Congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle, shut off from the gaze of sinful men by the screen of cloud. So Jehovah Himself consecrated the Sanctuary by this manifestation of His glory in the sacred cloud, even before it was consecrated by the priesthood. V. 35. And Moses was not able to enter into the Tent of the Congregation, not even he, the friend of Jehovah, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. This shows that the people had now again received the full pardon of the Lord, since He once more dwelt in their midst with His gracious presence. V. 36. And when the cloud was taken up from over the Tabernacle, the children of Israel went onward in all their journeys; v. 37. but if the cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. The people broke camp and moved onward only with the moving of the cloud. V. 38. For the cloud of the Lord was upon the Tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight, before the eyes, of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. Thus did the presence of the covenant God accompany them in all their journeyings, and the Tabernacle served to hold before the congregation the object of its calling and the certain fulfilment of the promises to the patriarchs.

The third book of Moses received the name which we now apply to it because its precepts are concerned chiefly with the duties of the Levites and priests. It contains detailed ordinances describing the Levitic worship as it was to be observed in the Tabernacle and afterward in the Temple. The laws in Leviticus, mainly of a ceremonial character, constitute a handbook for the use of the priests in the performance of the various duties entrusted to them. A few supplementary rules to this Levitic law were added in the Book of Numbers.

Although this book contains no direct Messianic promise whatever, it is, by the intention of God, in reality one continuous sermon on the salvation of Jesus Christ; for, as the New Testament shows conclusively, the entire magnificent system of sacrifices was nothing less than a typical representation of the vicarious sacrifice of Jesus Christ, which was foreshadowed by every bloody offering on the sacred altars. And as far as the children of Israel were concerned, the laws of sacrifices taught them that God is holy, and that man is sinful; that all are guilty before His Law; that the man who transgresses His Law is worthy of His wrath and displeasure, temporal death, and eternal damnation; that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin; that the holy God desires to enter into fellowship with sinful man, and approaches him, and appoints this way of sacrifice as an atonement for sin, and through His mercy accepts the sacrifice of the victim instead of the death of the sinner. Incidentally, it must be kept in mind throughout the book that the whole system of sacrifices was merely temporary and typical. "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins," Heb. 10, 4. No animal, no mere man, no angel, could atone for sin. God alone could do that, and therefore He became man that He might be able to suffer and die for sin as man's substitute. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself," 2 Cor. 5, 19. All sacrifices looked forward, therefore, to Christ, the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, and on which God laid the iniquity of us all.

The usages

of the Jewish cult were a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ, Col. 2, 17.

"The Book of Genesis shows man's ruin and fall. Exodus pictures the great redemption and salvation which God has provided. Leviticus follows naturally, and is mainly occupied with the way of access to God in worship and communion. It is a book for a redeemed people. Its teaching in the light of the New Testament is for those who have realized their lost condition, and have accepted the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, and are seeking to draw near into the presence of God. It shows the holiness of God and the utter impossibility of access except on the ground of atonement. Such is the main lesson of Leviticus, and it is impressed upon us over and over again in a variety of ways. We come face to face with the great question of sacrifice for sin. The stress laid upon sacrifice is, no doubt, intended to give man a shock with regard to sin. The book stands out for all time as God's estimate of sin. To understand the seriousness of sin we must fathom three oceans the ocean of human suffering, the ocean of the sufferings of the Lord Jesus Christ, the ocean of future suffering which awaits the impenitent sinners. What we have in type in Leviticus we have in reality in the cross of Christ. The cross was indeed an exhibition of God's love, the love of God the Father, and of God the Son, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself. But it was more than this- it was God's estimate of sin. The cross of Christ stands as God's estimate of what sin really is, something so deep and dreadful that it cost that. It was more even than this, it was the atoning sacrifice by which sin could forever be put away." 1)

The Book of Leviticus may be divided into three parts: the precepts concerning the sacrifices and the priesthood; the consecration of Israel for the service of Jehovah by the cleansing of the bodily life; the holiness of Israel as the people of God in life and worship.2)

1) Concordia Bible Class, Feb., 1919, 21-23. 2) Fuerbringer, Einleitung in das Alte Testament, 25.

The Burnt Offerings.

OF THE HERD. — V. 1. And the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, out of the midst of the cloud which enveloped His glory, Ex. 40, 35, saying, v. 2. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the

Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd and of the flock. The sacrifices brought by individuals are described first, voluntary offerings, through which the worshiper intended to draw near to the Lord. The Hebrew word indicates the fact that sinful man, as such, does not dare to draw near to Jehovah. The sacrifice, therefore, is a sym

bol of his desire to enter into fellowship with Jehovah, and its value consisted in its foreshadowing the greater Sacrifice, through whom we have peace and access to the Father. The voluntary offering was regarded as a gift of the worshiper, no matter whether it was an actual sacrifice or a dedicatory offering. When the individual Israelite had determined to bring such a gift, the Lord's instructions as to the selection of the animal and as to the manner of offering were inclusive and exact. V. 3. If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish, a strong, healthy animal, with all its limbs and members intact; he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation before the Lord. The formal dedication of the sacrifice to the Lord took place at the great entrance of the court, or perhaps inside the court itself, where the altar of burnt offering stood. At a later period such a perfect system of offering sacrifices was put into operation that both the slaughtering of the animals and their dissecting was performed with the greatest possible speed, a row of pillars holding heavy beams with hooks being used to suspend the animals after their blood had been caught by the officiating priests. V. 4. And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering, in token of the transfer of his sin to the animal as his substitute, as the victim destined to die in the worshiper's stead; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him, that his sins might be covered over before the face of the Lord. Note that here, as always, the acceptance of a substitute is in itself an act of grace and mercy on the part of the Lord. V. 5. And he shall kill the bullock before the Lord, each worshiper, in a case of this kind, performing the function of a priest of the Lord, as a member of the kingdom of priests, Ex. 19, 6. And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall bring the blood, as it was caught up in basins after the slaughter of the animal, and sprinkle the blood round about upon the altar, against its four sides, that is by the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. The last was an exclusive priestly function, and even the catching of the blood was performed by the Levites only in cases of emergency. V. 6. And he shall flay the burnt offering, this part of the work being done either by the offerer or by a Levite, and cut it into his pieces, dissect it according to the rule concerning the disposition of the various parts. V. 7. And the sons of Aaron, the priest, shall put fire upon the altar of burnt offering, and lay the wood in order upon the fire, which was always kept burning; v. 8. and the priests, Aaron's sons, shall lay the parts, the head and the fat, chiefly the loose fat of the abdominal and thoracic cavities, in order upon the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar;

v. 9. but his inwards and his legs, the intestines, as the lower viscera, and the lower parts of the legs, especially beneath the knees, shall he wash in water, to remove any outward impurities that might be clinging to them; and the priests shall burn all on the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord. The animal, with its flesh and bones, was burned entire, for the offering signified that the worshiper dedicated himself to the Lord with all his heart and mind, with all the powers of his body and soul, and the rising of the smoke, as the animal was consumed, caused its essence to ascend as a pleasant, acceptable odor to the Lord. In other words, the Lord graciously accepted the worshiper and his service as a member of His Church on earth. God was well pleased with such sacrifices, if they were offered in faith.

OF THE FLOCK. — V. 10. And if his offering be of the flocks, namely, of the sheep or of the goats, for a burnt sacrifice, the worshiper being too poor to afford a bullock, he shall bring it a male without blemish, a perfect animal in every respect. V. 11. And he shall kill it on the side of the altar northward, the usual place for slaughtering sacrifices, before the Lord. The various parts of the court were soon used for special purposes, its eastern end being used for the ashes of the altar, and the place south and southwest of the great altar being devoted to the priests. On the south side of the altar was also the incline for the officiating priests. And the priests, Aaron's sons, shall sprinkle his blood round about upon the altar, in the act symbolizing the atonement of sins. V. 12. And he shall cut it into his pieces, as the disposition of the parts required, with his head and his fat, these parts being severed from the carcass; and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire which is upon the altar. V. 13. But he shall wash the inwards and the legs with water, as in the case of the bullock. And the priest shall bring it all and burn it upon the altar; it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord.

OF FOWLS. - V. 14. And if the burnt sacrifice for his offering to the Lord be of fowls, in the case of very poor people, then he shall bring his offering of turtle-doves or of young pigeons, either the wild or the tame species being acceptable for a gift-offering. V. 15. And the priest shall bring it unto the altar, and wring off his head, separate his head from his body by pinching, and burn it on the altar, toss the head into the fire; and the blood thereof shall be wrung out at the side of the altar, since there was hardly enough to be sprinkled or poured. V. 16. And he shall pluck away his crop with his feathers, either the crop with the entire in

testinal tract and its filth, or the entire intestinal tract while the dove was unplucked, and cast it beside the altar on the east part, by the place of the ashes, where all the refuse was heaped up. V. 17. And he shall cleave it with the wings thereof, split it open lengthwise, or make an incision at its wings, but shall not divide it asunder; and the priest shall burn it upon the altar, upon the wood that is upon the fire; it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord. The sacrifice of the poor was just as acceptable to the Lord as the more costly sacrifice of the rich.

The sacrificial worship was a shadow of things to come, in the person of the Messiah. In anticipation of the perfect sacrifice of Christ God accepted these figurative offerings as atonements for sin. But Christ is the only true Sacrifice, who bore the sins of all men in His body on the tree, burning under the wrath of the just God and dying as the Substitute for all men. In view of this sacrifice, whose blessings are ours through faith, we Christians are bound to offer ourselves to the Lord in daily obedience and service. Such sacrifice is a sweet savor to the Lord, a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, Rom. 12, 1. 2.

The Meat-Offerings.

THE VARIOUS KINDS OF MEAT-OFFERINGS. V. 1. And when any will offer a meat-offering unto the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour. This also was an oblation, or gift, brought near to the Lord with the purpose of establishing true fellowship, and could be made by any member of the congregation, no matter whether man or woman. Only the finest wheatflour was to be used in these oblations. And he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon. The incense was not mixed with the flour and the olive-oil, but added in such a manner as to permit its entire removal from the vessel in which it was offered. V. 2. And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons, the priests; and he (the officiating priest) shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof and of the oil thereof with all the frankincense thereof, as much as the hand would hold of flour and oil; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to cause Jehovah to remember the worshiper in His mercy, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord, well-pleasing and acceptable to the Lord, as the burnt offering had been, chap. 1, 9. 13. 17. V.3. And the remnant of the meat-offering shall be Aaron's and his sons; all of it was offered to the Lord, who, in turn, bestowed the bulk of it upon the priests as a part of the emoluments due them; it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire. This is said of all sacrificial gifts which were wholly devoted to God, but of which portions were hallowed to Him by being given to the priests. These gifts the priests used for food in a place in the court of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, near the altar of burnt offering, chap. 6, 26; 10, 12. V. 4. And if thou bring an oblation of a meat-offering baken in the oven, a small portable earthen oven in the form of a pot or jar, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour, mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers, anointed with oil. The unleavened dough used in making

these cakes was mixed with olive-oil, and the thick, biscuitlike cakes were pierced with holes. V. 5. And if thy oblation be a meat-offering baken in a pan, it shall be of fine flour unleavened, mingled with oil, the only difference between this sacrifice and the preceding one being this, that it was fried in an open pan. V. 6. Thou shalt part it in pieces and pour oil thereon; it is a meat-offering. The finished cakes were to be broken into small fragments and then saturated with olive-oil. V. 7. And if thy oblation be a meat-offering baken in the frying-pan, boiled in a pot, it shall be made of fine flour with oil, apparently cooked in the oil. The olive-oil, which figures so prominently in these sacrifices, is a symbol of the Holy Ghost. The good works of the believers are done in the power of the Holy Ghost. If these sacrifices are accompanied with the incense of prayer, they will be wellpleasing in the sight of the Lord. V. 8. And thou shalt bring the meat-offering that is made of these things unto the Lord; and when it is presented unto the priest, as the representative of God, he shall bring it unto the altar. V. 9. And the priest shall take from the meat-offering a memorial thereof, to bring the worshiper in remembrance before God, and shall burn it upon the altar; it is an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto the Lord. V. 10. And that which is left of the meat-offering shall be Aaron's and his sons'; it is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire. The men that served in the Sanctuary were to receive their sustenance from these gifts, just as to-day they that preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel. V. 11. No meat-offering which ye shall bring unto the Lord shall be made with leaven, leaven being considered an impure addition in this case on account of its fermenting property; for ye shall burn no leaven nor any honey, against which the same objection was made as against the leaven, in any offering of the Lord made by fire.