We shall, in closing this section, quote, at length, for the reader, the statements of “the law of the Nazarite, when the days of his separation are fulfilled: he shall be brought unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; and he shall offer his offering unto the Lord, one he lamb of the first year without blemish for a burnt-offering, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, for a sin-offering, and one ram without blemish for peace-offerings; and a basket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat-offering, and their drink-offering. And the priest shall bring them before the Lord, and shall offer his sin-offering and his burnt-offering. And he shall offer the ram for a sacrifice of peace-offerings unto the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread: the priest shall offer also his meat-offering and his drink-offering. And the Nazarite shall shave the head of his separation at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall take the hair of the head of his separation, and put it in the fire which is under the sacrifice of the peace-offerings. And the priest shall take the sodden shoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them upon the hands of the Nazarite, after the hair of his separation is shaven; and the priest shall wave them for a wave-offering before the Lord: this is holy for the priest, with the wave breast and the heave shoulder: _and after that the Nazarite may drink wine_. This is the law of the Nazarite who hath vowed, and of his offering unto the Lord for his separation, beside that that his hand shall get: according to the vow which he vowed, so he must do after the law of his separation.” (Num. vi. 13-21.)
This marvelous “law” leads us onward to something future, when the full result of Christ’s perfect work shall appear, and when He, as the Messiah of Israel, shall, at the close of His Nazarite separation, taste true joy in His beloved people, and in this earth. The time will then have come for the Nazarite to drink wine. From all this He set Himself apart, for the accomplishment of that great work, so fully set forth, in all its aspects and in all its bearings, in the foregoing “law.” He is apart from the nation, and apart from this world, in the power of true Nazariteship, as He said to His disciples on that memorable night, “I will not drink henceforth [απ’ αρτι] of this fruit of the vine until _that day_ when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” (Matt. xxvi. 29.)
But there is a bright day coming, when Jehovah-Messiah shall rejoice in Jerusalem and joy in His people. The prophets, from Isaiah to Malachi, are full of the most glowing and soul-stirring allusions to that bright and blissful day. To quote the passages would literally fill a volume. But if the reader will turn to the closing section of Isaiah’s prophecy, he will find a sample of that to which we refer, and he will find many similar passages throughout the various books of the prophets.
We must not attempt to quote, but we would warn the reader against the danger of being led astray by the uninspired headings attached to those magnificent passages which refer to Israel’s future, such, for example, as “The blessings of the gospel”—“The enlargement of the Church.” These expressions are calculated to mislead many pious readers, who are apt to take for granted that the headings are as much inspired as the text; or, if not inspired, that they at least contain a correct statement of what the text sets forth. The fact is, there is not a syllable about the Church from beginning to end of the prophets. That the Church can find most precious instruction, light, comfort, and edification from this grand division of the inspired volume is blessedly true; but she will do this just in proportion as she is enabled, by the Spirit’s teaching, to discern the real scope and object of this portion of the book of God. To suppose for a moment that we can only derive comfort and profit from that which exclusively or primarily refers to ourselves, would be to take a very narrow, if not an egotistical, view of things. Can we not learn from the book of Leviticus? and yet who would assert that that section refers to the Church?
No, reader; you may rest assured that a calm, unprejudiced, prayerful study of “the law and the prophets” will convince you that the great theme of both the one and the other is, God’s government of the world in immediate connection with Israel. True it is that throughout “Moses and all the prophets” there are things concerning (the Lord) Himself. This is plain, from Luke xxiv. 27; but it is “Himself” in His government of this world and of Israel in particular. If this fact be not distinctly seized, we shall study the Old Testament with little intelligence or profit.