goats ; (5) verses 9, 10, Aaron to offer the goat on which | two prevalent heathen practices, the eating of blood and the lot falls for Jehovah, and to send away the goat for j fornication. It is remarkable, as showing how inti- Azazel into the wilderness; (G) verses 11-19, Aaron to I mately moral and ritual observances were blended to sprinkle the blood both of the bullock and of the goat j gether in the Jewish mind, that abstinence "from blood to make atonement for himself, for his house, and for the and things strangled, and fornication," was laid down by whole congregation, as also to purify the altar of incense [ the apostles as the only condition of communion to be with the blood ; (7) verses 20-22, Aaron to lay his hands j required of Gentile converts to Christianity. Before we on the living goat, and confess over it all the sins of the | quit this chapter one observation may be made. The children of Israel ; (8) verses 23-25, Aaron after this to | rendering of the A.V. in ver. 11," for it is the blood that take off his linen garments, bathe himself, and put on ' maketh an atonement for the soul," should be, " for it is his priestly garments, and then offer his burnt-offering the blood that maketh an atonement 6y means of the
and that of the congregation ; (9) verse 2G, the man by whom the goat is sent into the wilderness to purify him- self; (10) verses 27-28, what is to be done by him who burns the sin-offering without the camp,
(IV.) Laws cJdefii) intended to mark the Separation be- tween Israel and the Heathen Nations (cliap. xvii-xx). — i , ,-,,/-, j i ■ i We here reach the great central point of the book. All I ^li-eady alluded, ver. 1-5-and in which God claims obe- going before was but a preparation for this. Two great I 'lience on the double ground that he is Israel s God, and truths have been established: first, that God can only ! t^iat to keep his commandments is life (ver. D)--there be approached bv means of appointe.l sacrifices; next, 1 *"oll«^^' twenty enactments concerning unlawful mar- that man in nature and life is full of pollution, which I ^ages and unnatural lusts. I he hrst ten are contained
lifer This is important. It is not blood merely as such, but blood as having in it the principle of life that God accepts in sacrifice ; for, by thus giving vicariously the life of the dumb animal, the sinner confesses that his own life is forfeit.
In ch. xviii. after the introduction to which we have
full of pollution, must be cleansed. Now a third is taught, viz., that not by several cleansings for several sins and pollutions can giult be put away. The several acts of sin are but so many manifestations of the sinful nature. For this, therefore, also must atonement be made by one solemn act, which shall cover all transgressions, and turn away God's righteous displeasure from Israel. Israel is now reminded that it is the holy nation. The great atone- ment offered, it is to enter upon a new life. It is a sep- arate nation, sanctified and set ajiart for the service of God. It may not, therefore, do after the abominations of the heathen by whom it is surrounded. Here, conse- quentl}', we find those laws and ordinances ^vhich espe- cially distinguish the nation of Israel from all other na- tions of the earth.
one in each verse (verses G-15). The next ten range themselves in like manner with the verses, except that verses 17 and 23 contain each two. Of the twenty the first fourteen are alike in form, as well as in the repeated
In chap, xix are three decalogues, introduced by the words, " Ye shall be holy, for I Jehovah your God am holy," and ending with, " Ye shall observe all my stat- utes, and all my judgments, and do them. I am Jeho- vah." The laws here are of a very mixed character, and many of them a repetition merely of previous laws. Of the three decalogues, the first is comprised in verses 3-13, and may be thus distributed: (1) verse 3, to honor father and mother; (2) ver. 3. to keep the Sabbath; (3) ver. 4, not to turn to idols ; (4) ver. 4, not to make mol-
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ten gods (tliese two enactments being separated on the same principle as the first and second commandments in tlie (Jrcat Decalogue or Two Tables) ; (5) verses 5-S, of thank-offerings; (U) ver. 9, 10, of gleaning; (7) verse 11. not to steal or lie; (8) verse 12, not to swear falsely; (9) verse 13, not to defraud one's neighbor; (10) verse 13. the wages of him that is hired, etc.
The next decalogue, verses 14-'25, Bertheau arranges thus: ver. 14, ver. 15, ver. 16a, ver. 1Gb, ver. 17, ver. 18, ver. 19((, ver. 1%, ver. '20-22j ver. 23-25. "We object, however, to making the Avords in 19a, " Ye shall keep niv statutes," a separate enactment. There is no reason lor this. A much better plan would be to consider ver. 17 as consisting of two enactments, which is manifestly the case.
The third decalogue may be thus distributed : verse 2Ga, ver. 2Gb, ver. 27, ver. 28, ver. 29, ver. 30, ver. 31, ver. 32. ver. 33, 34, ver. 35, 36.