CHAP. IX.] A WORLDLY SANCTUARY. 151 CHAP. IX. `HEN verily the first covenant had also || ordinances of TH a divine service, and a a worldly sanctuary. 2 For there was a tabernacle made; the first, 1. "A worldly sanctuary." "The worldly sanctuary" (its). | Or, cere monies. a Exod. xxv. 8. b Exod. xxvi. 1. Having in the last chapter demonstrated the greatness of the priesthood of Christ above that of Aaron, and the superiority of the New Covenant compared to the old, he now proceeds to speak of the infinitely higher nature of the offering which He presented to God and the perfection of the cleansing by which the people of God were purified from sin. 66 1. "Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divino service." "Then verily," translated by Revisers now even." "The first covenant.' Covenant is not expressed; so we have to choose between covenant and tabernacle. "Ordinances of divine service.' That is, things ordered by God as right and fitting for His service or worship. "And a worldly sanctuary," i.e., a sanctuary made of materials found in this world, and having its place amongst the things of time and sense-in contrast with the sanctuary above. 66 2. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick." It may be well here to notice that it is not the temple, but the tabernacle whose arrangement and furniture the apostolic writer contrasts with those of the heavenly One. Why should this be? Was it because the ordering of the tabernacle was more directly from God? But surely Solomon himself was inspired with wisdom for the accomplishment of this work. May it not rather be explained thus: the tabernacle was ordered by God as to its minutest details, but the temple was only permitted? The terms on which it was permitted were very reserved, as if God gave the permission somewhat reluctantly. Solomon was suffered to build the temple, but God significantly reminded his father that during the time of the existence of the tabernacle, nearly 500 years, He had not said a word to any of the judges or rulers respecting c THE HOLIEST OF ALL. [HEBREWS. wherein was d the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called || the sanc tuary. 3 And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; the erection of a more permanent habitation: 'In all the places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar ? " (2 Saml. vii. 7.) One of the chief significances of the tabernacle was its want of fixity. It betokened a presence which was not permanent, which depended upon the loyalty of the people to the one true God, and on this account, as well as because in its details it was more true to the original idea, the apostolic writer chose it as the text of his remarks. "The first." That is, the outer one. "Wherein was the candlestick." This was the seven-branched lamp stand described in Exod. xxv. 31. It may signify the sevenfold, i.e., the most perfect light of God's presence. In Revel. iv. 5, the seven lamps of fire burning before the throne are the seven Spirits of God, i.e., the Spirit of God in His seven-fold illuminating energy. This must have been the "And the table and the shewbread." table on which the two rows of the loaves of the shewbread were placed. This seems to betoken that God would feed His people who came near to Him. The bread, i.e., the twelve loaves, were considered to be the offering of the people. They were brought near to God, and by this nearness they became hallowed. The shewbread in the Hebrew means "bread of the presence," because it was exhibited on the table just in front of the veil which concealed the mercy seat. "Which is called the Sanctuary," i.e., the Holy Place, literally "holies" ("ya). 3. "And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all." The first veil was that between the Holy Place and the court where the altar was situated. It is described, Exod. CHAP. IX.] THE GOLDEN CENSER. g 4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, i h k and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant: 153 Exod. xxv. 10. & xxvi. 33. 33, 34. k Exod. xxv. 1 Kin. viii. 9, 21. 2 Chron. v. 10. xxxvi. 37. The second veil, which was more costly and ornamented with the figures of cherubim, was between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. This was the veil which was rent at the moment when the Lord expired. 4. "Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant.' There is very considerable difficulty here. Some suppose that it was the altar of incense which was before the inner veil alongside of the candlestick and the table of shewbread; but it seems impossible to suppose that not even by mistake or inadvertence could this altar of incense be said to be in the Holy of Holies, for the most Holy Place could only be entered on one day in the year, and this altar of incense was used twice a day. It is very probable that there was a censer of pure gold which was kept in the Holy of Holies and only used there when the High Priest entered. The reader will find in McCaul on the Epistle to the Hebrews, pages 111-112, ample evidence from Rabbinical writers that they recognized that there was a golden censer for incense devoted exclusively to the ceremonial of the great day of atonement, a censer of silver being used on all other occasions. "And the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold.” Whether there was any ark in the temple of Herod is more than doubtful. It is mentioned by Josephus that when Pompey intruded into the Holy of Holies, he found it quite empty. He saw without the candlestick, and the table, and the pouring vessels, but not a word about that which was incomparably the most sacred thing of all. "Wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod," &c. It is expressly said that at the dedication of Solomon's temple "there was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt" (1 Kings, viii. 9). "And the tables of the covenant." Such were the glories of the 154 THE CHERUBIMS OF GLORY. [HEBREWS. 5 And 'over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak par 1 Exod. xxv. 18, 22. Lev. xvi. 2. 1 Kin. ticularly. viii. 6, 7. 6 Now when these things were thus ordained, first covenant at its first establishment. They had all disappeared ages before the Epistle was written, and yet the Apostolic writer recounts them, for it is his desire to describe the circumstantials of the first covenant when it was at its best, in its pristine glory, not when it was in a decaying state. It may enter into the minds of some, how was it that these relics of a glorious past were not preserved by the providence of God? but if it had been so, they would have been mere antiquities-mere curiosities. For what would the pot of manna have signified when the Living Bread was given at the altar of the Church—what the rod of Aaron's succession after the Lord had said respecting the Apostles, "As my Father sent me, so send I you "—what the tables written on stone when the spiritual law was written by the Holy Ghost Himself on the fleshly tables of every Christian's heart? 5. "And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat." In all the visions of the manifestation of the presence of God these winged creatures are represented as very near to Him. Thus, in Isaiah vi. (where, however, they are called the seraphim), and in Ezekiel i. and in Revel. iv. If then the presence of God was supposed to be manifested in any local sanctuary, representations of these, his immediate attendants, were very fitting. Prideaux quotes a Rabbinical book which says, "the author of the book Cozri justly says that the ark, with the mercy seat and cherubims, were the foundation, root, heart and marrow of the whole temple and all the Levitical worship therein performed." (Quoted in McCaul, p. 119.) "Of which we cannot now speak particularly." That is, we cannot describe them minutely. Some suppose that he means that he cannot speak at any length respecting their typical meaning. So Chrysostom, "In these words he hints that there was not merely what was seen, but that they were also a sort of figures with hidden meaning." 6. "Now when these things were thus ordained, the Priests went always," &c. The priests entered every day into the Holy CHAP. IX.] NOT WITHOUT BLOOD. 155 m the Priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.. m Num. xxviii. 3. Dan. viii. Priest 11. which 7 But into the second went the High alone 1 once every year, not without blood, he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: n Exod. xxx. 10. Lev. xvi. 2, 11, 12, 15, 34. ver. 25. o ch. v. 3. & vii. 27. Place to trim the seven-branched candlestick, to offer incense on the altar of incense, and once a week to put new loaves on the table of shewbread. 7. "But into the second went the High Priest alone once every year." Into the second, i.e. the Holy of Holies. "The High Priest alone." Not only did he enter into the Holy of Holies by himself, but it was expressly ordained that " no one was to be in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make atonement" (Levit. xvi. 17). "Once every year." This more properly means on one day in the year, for on that day the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies twice at least; later Rabbinical traditions say four times in all. "Not without blood." First he had to offer the blood of a bullock for himself (Levit. xvi. 14), and then that of a goat, the blood of each of which he had to bring with the veil, "and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat." "Which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people." "Errors," apparently sins of ignorance. But the words of Levit. xvi. are not confined to these. "He shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins." It is remarkable, however, that in the accounts of the sin-offerings and trespass-offerings in Levit. iv. and v., only sins of ignorance, or committed in ignorance, seem to be recognized as within the scope of such offerings. There seems to be no atonement by sacrifice contemplated for idolatry, or breaches of the sixth and seventh commandments. This is alluded to by St. Paul in Acts xiii. 39. Calvin has a good remark: "No sin is free from error or ignorance; for however knowingly or ignorantly any one may sin, yet it must be that he is blinded by his lust, so that he does not judge |