PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Notes on the Book of Leviticus
Mackintosh, Charles Henry, 1820-1896 · 108,622 words · 161 reading sections
Part 121
Now, the death of Christ has made provision for all this. It has perfectly glorified God in the very place where all these things have been done; it has perfectly vindicated the majesty, the truth, the holiness, the character of God; it has divinely met all the claims of His throne; it has atoned for _sin_; it has furn…
816 wordsSECTION 122Part 122
[23] The reader will observe, in the above passage, that the words "the sins of" are introduced by the translators, and are not inspired. The divine accuracy of the passage is completely lost by retaining those uninspired words. The doctrine laid down is simply this: In the first clause of the verse, Christ is set fort…
776 wordsSECTION 123Part 123
If it be true that men are prevented by God's secret decrees and counsels from receiving the gospel, which He has commanded to be preached to them, then on what principle of righteousness will they be "punished with everlasting destruction" for not obeying that gospel? (2 Thess. i. 6-10.) Is there a single soul through…
707 wordsSECTION 124Part 124
"And he shall take of the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it with his finger upon the mercy-seat eastward; and before the mercy-seat shall he sprinkle of the blood with his finger seven times. Then shall he kill the goat of the sin-offering that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with tha…
669 wordsSECTION 125Part 125
"And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel." (Ver. 17.) Aaron needed to offer up sacrifice for his own sins, as well as …
822 wordsSECTION 126Part 126
Here, then, we have the other grand idea attached to the death of Christ, namely, the full and final forgiveness of the people. If the death of Christ forms the foundation of the glory of God, it also forms the foundation of the perfect forgiveness of sins to all who put their trust in it. This latter, blessed be God, …
702 wordsSECTION 127Part 127
Reader, pause here, and say, do you know that _all_your sins are forgiven, according to the perfection of Christ's sacrifice? If you simply _believe_ on His name, they are so,--they are all gone, and gone forever. Say not, as so many anxious souls do, "I fear I do not _realize_." There is no such word as "realize" in t…
831 wordsSECTION 128Part 128
Blessed be God, the time is at hand. Every setting sun brings us nearer to that blissful Sabbath. The word is, "Surely, I come quickly;" and all around seems to tell us that "the days are at hand, and the effect of every vision." May we be "sober, and watch unto prayer." May we keep ourselves unspotted from the world; …
205 wordsSECTION 129CHAPTER XVII.
In this chapter the reader will find two special points, namely, first, that life belongs to Jehovah; and secondly, that the power of atonement is in the blood. The Lord attached peculiar importance to both these things. He would have them impressed upon every member of the congregation. "And the Lord spake unto Moses…
727 wordsSECTION 130Part 130
I would desire to call my reader's earnest attention to the precious and vital doctrine of the blood. I am anxious that he should see its true place. The blood of Christ is the foundation of every thing. It is the ground of God's righteousness in justifying an ungodly sinner that believes on the name of the Son of God;…
461 wordsSECTION 131CHAPTERS XVIII.-XX.
This section sets before us, in a very remarkable manner, the personal sanctity and moral propriety which Jehovah looked for on the part of those whom He had graciously introduced into relationship with Himself; and, at the same time, it presents a most humiliating picture of the enormities of which human nature is cap…
803 wordsSECTION 132Part 132
But then we are not to expect that every one will be ready to admit the full force of the divine statutes and judgments. It is as persons walk in the integrity and energy of the divine nature that the Word of God will be owned, appreciated, and reverenced. An Egyptian or a Canaanite would have been wholly unable to ent…
564 wordsSECTION 133Part 133
As to the first, it is manifest that the Spirit of God could never enact laws for the purpose of preventing evils that have no existence. He does not construct a dam where there is no flood to be resisted: He does not deal with abstract ideas, but with positive realities. Man is, in very deed, capable of perpetrating e…
663 wordsSECTION 134Part 134
The book of Ruth furnishes a fine example of one who fully acted out this most benevolent statute. "And Boaz said unto her, [Ruth,] 'At meal-time, come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morsel in the vinegar.' And she sat beside the reapers: and he reached her parched corn, and she did eat, and was suffice…
585 wordsSECTION 135Part 135
Nothing can be more painful to a tender heart than the lack of kindly consideration for the poor so often manifested by the rich. These latter can sit down to their sumptuous repast after dismissing from their door some poor industrious creature who had come seeking the just reward of his honest labor. They think not o…
749 wordsSECTION 136Part 136
But some will say, There are two sides to this question. Unquestionably there are; and no doubt one meets with a great deal amongst the poor which is calculated to dry up the springs of benevolence and genuine sympathy. There is much which tends to steel the heart and close the hand; but one thing is certain, it is bet…
777 wordsSECTION 137CHAPTERS XXI. & XXII.
These chapters unfold, with great minuteness of detail, the divine requirements in reference to those who were privileged to draw near as priests to "offer the bread of their God." In this, as in the preceding section, we have conduct as the _result_, not the procuring _cause_ of the relationship. This should be carefu…
754 wordsSECTION 138Part 138
The spiritual application of all this is as simple as it is practical. To be a child of God is one thing; to be in the enjoyment of priestly communion and priestly worship is quite another. The latter is, alas! interfered with by many things. Circumstances and associations are allowed to act upon us by their defiling i…
459 wordsSECTION 139Part 139
Now, we have both the perfect priest and the perfect sacrifice in the Person of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. He having "offered Himself without spot to God," passed into the heavens as our great High-Priest, where He ever liveth to make intercession for us. The epistle to the Hebrews dwells elaborately upon these two…
690 wordsSECTION 140Part 140
Dear Christian reader, let it be our care so to walk, so to "keep ourselves unspotted from the world," so to stand apart from all unhallowed associations, that we may enjoy the highest privileges and discharge the most elevated functions of our position as members of the priestly house of which Christ is the Head. We h…
433 wordsSECTION 141CHAPTER XXIII.
One of the most profound and comprehensive chapters in the inspired volume now lies before us, and claims our prayerful study. It contains the record of the seven great feasts or periodical solemnities into which Israel's year was divided. In other words, it furnishes us with a perfect view of God's dealings with Israe…
871 wordsSECTION 142Part 142
We have already remarked that the Sabbath occupies quite a unique and independent place in this chapter. This is evident from the wording of the fourth verse, where the Lord seems to begin afresh with the expression, "These are the feasts of the Lord," as if to leave the Sabbath quite distinct from the seven feasts whi…
823 wordsSECTION 143Part 143
"And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 'Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest; and ye shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, to be acce…
763 wordsSECTION 144Part 144
But furthermore, when we find mention made of "a _first_ resurrection," is it not evident that all are not to be raised together? Why speak of a "first" if there is but the one? It may be said that "the first resurrection" refers to the soul; but where is the Scripture warrant for such a statement? The solemn fact is t…
756 wordsSECTION 145Part 145
But, blessed be God, the evil which was divinely recognized was divinely provided for. This gives great rest and comfort to the heart. It is a comfort to be assured that God knows the worst of us; and, moreover, that He has made provision according to _His_ knowledge, and not merely according to _ours_. "And ye shall o…
699 wordsSECTION 146Part 146
We are not, however, to suppose that the spiritual blessings with which the Church is endowed in the heavenlies with Christ are set forth under the figure of a stranger gleaning in Israel's fields. These blessings are as new to the seed of Abraham as they are to the Gentile. They are not the gleanings of Canaan, but th…
889 wordsSECTION 147Part 147
Now, when such results shall have been reached in the experience of Israel in the latter day, for what should we look? Surely, THE GLORY. When the "blindness" is removed and "the vail" taken away, when the heart of the remnant is turned to Jehovah, then shall the bright beams of the "Sun of righteousness" fall, in heal…
612 wordsSECTION 148Part 148
This feast points us forward to the time of Israel's glory in the latter day, and therefore it forms a most lovely and appropriate close to the whole series of feasts. The harvest was gathered in, all was done, the storehouses were amply furnished, and Jehovah would have His people to give expression to their festive j…
761 wordsSECTION 149CHAPTER XXIV.
There is very much to interest the spiritual mind in this brief section. We have seen in chapter xxiii. the history of the dealings of God with Israel, from the offering up of the true paschal Lamb, until the rest and glory of the millennial kingdom. In the chapter now before us, we have two grand ideas, namely, first,…
662 wordsSECTION 150Part 150
Now, it is well to see that we are not sacrificing sound judgment or divine truth on the altar of fancy, when we venture to interpret, after such a fashion, the mystic furniture of the sanctuary. We are taught in Hebrews ix. that all these things were "the patterns of things in the heavens;" and again, in Hebrews x. 1,…
802 wordsSECTION 151Part 151
"And the son of an Israelitish woman, whose father was an Egyptian, went out among the children of Israel: and this son of an Israelitish woman and a man of Israel strove together in the camp: and the Israelitish woman's son blasphemed the name of the LORD, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses; ... and they put …
828 wordsSECTION 152CHAPTER XXV.
The intelligent reader will discern a strong moral link between this and the preceding chapter. In chapter xxiv, we learn that the house of Israel is preserved for the land of Canaan; in chapter xxv, we learn that the land of Canaan is preserved for the house of Israel. Taking both together, we have the record of a tru…
515 wordsSECTION 153Part 153
Here, then, we have the special feature of the Lord's land. He would have it to enjoy a sabbatic year, and in that year there was to be the evidence of the rich profusion with which He would bless those who held as tenants under Him. Happy, highly privileged tenantry! What an honor to hold immediately under Jehovah! No…
853 wordsSECTION 154Part 154
"And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neith…
683 wordsSECTION 155Part 155
It is, then, I repeat, immensely important to get a firm hold of this interesting line of truth with respect to the land of Canaan. Of that land Jehovah hath said, "IT IS MINE." Who shall take it from Him? Where is the king or the emperor--where the power, human or diabolical, that can wrest "the pleasant land" out of …
797 wordsSECTION 156Part 156
This teaches us a fine lesson. If our hearts are cherishing the abiding hope of the Lord's return, we shall set light by all earthly things. It is morally impossible that we can be in the attitude of waiting for the Son from heaven, and not be detached from this present world. "Let your moderation be known unto all men…
195 wordsSECTION 157CHAPTER XXVI.
This chapter requires little in the way of note or exposition. It contains a most solemn and affecting record of the blessings of obedience on the one hand, and the terrible consequences of disobedience on the other. Had Israel walked in obedience, they would have been invincible. "I will give peace in the land, and ye…
826 wordsSECTION 158Part 158
Here we find God in government, meeting, in long-suffering mercy, the very earliest and faintest breathings of a broken and penitent spirit. The history of the judges and of the kings presents many instances of the exercise of this blessed attribute of the divine government. Again and again the soul of Jehovah was grie…
260 wordsSECTION 159CHAPTER XXVII.
This closing section of our book treats of the "singular vow," or the voluntary act whereby a person devoted himself or his property unto the Lord. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 'Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the Lord by th…
800 wordsSECTION 160Part 160
I would just add that I believe this entire chapter bears, in an especial manner, upon the nation of Israel. It is intimately connected with the two preceding chapters. Israel made "a singular vow" at the foot of Mount Horeb; but they were quite unable to meet the claims of law--they were far "poorer than Moses' estima…
321 wordsSECTION 161_C. H. M._
Transcriber's note: Variations in spelling, punctuation and hyphenation have been retained except in obvious cases of typographical error. Page 80: "I shall now preceed to quote at length" ... "preceed" has been replaced with "proceed". Page 224: "a pair of turtle-doves or to young pigeons" ... "to" has been replace…
94 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.