The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 363

a feeble and faltering delivery (" brokenhanded "), but a facile, skilful " handling of the Word of God." We may note, before we pass, that the God whom we serve is expectant, but is not inconsiderate. He who refuses to allow a priest with any blemish "to approach to offer the bread of hie God," expressly desired that such priest should "eat the bread of hie God, both of the most holy, and of the holy" (ver. 22); he might not serve, but he should not suffer, on account of a bodily misfortune. God requires of us that, in approaching him, we should bring not our exhaustion but our freshness, not our hurried but our patient preparation, not our remnants but our substance, not our worthless belongings but our worthiest self; at the same time, he makes every allowance for our weakness, our infirmity, our human feebleness and frailty: "he knoweth our frame j he remembereth that we are dust." III. .A FUBTHEB TRUTH, RELATING TO THE FUTURB LIFE, We dare not hope to render to God any absolutely unblemished service here. 11 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves" (1 John i. 8). Here our holiest services are marred by spiritual imperfection. It should be our aim, our prayer, our endeavour to make our worship, our work, and our life as little blemished as may be; to make all our service as elevated in spirit and motive as may be; and doing this, we may look confidently and joyously onward to the time when "his servants shall serve him" in the very fulness of their strength and joy, and when their service shall be not -0nly undimmed by any gathering tear, but unstained with any riaing thought of sin.-C. Vere. 1-24.-The perfection of the priesthood. The priests, when officiating, and eminently so the high priest, were types of Christ. It was, therefore, needful that they should be holy and without blemish. They were also types of Christians, in which capacity also they must be holy, for true Christians are so, though not always without blemish. In any case, then- I. THE PBIESTB MUST BE HOLY. 1. They mu.st 'h.holy, as types of Ohrist. (1) They "offered the bread of their God." So the "offerings made by fire" are called (ver. 6). The fire of the altar of Calvary is the Godhead in which the body of Christ became a sacrifice upon which the justice and mercy of God can feast. Christ, as our Priest, thus offers himself unto God. (2) They are II crowned" with the II anointing oil of their God" (vers. 10, 12). The anointing represented the lustre of the Holy Spirit's grace. When Jesus was "anointed with the oil of gladness" on the holy mount, he was "crowned with glory and honour,n and that too II for the suffering of death" ( comp. Hcb. ii. 9; 2 Pet. i. 17). Thus was he "consecrated to put on the garments" of his resurrection, to enter the holy places for us (ver. 10). 2. They must not defile them- selves by mourning for the dead. (1) If not officiating, they might defile themselves for kindred of the first degree. For a mother, father, son, daughter, brother, and for a sister that is a virgin. But not for a sister that is married. She is "one flesh" with her husband, incorporated in another family. (2) For his wife he sho.11 not mourn (see ver. 4, margin; also Ezek. x.xiv. 16-18). The wife of the true Priest is his Church; and she can never die; the gates of Hades cannot prevail against her (Matt. xvi. 18). Even her members do not suffer through death; it is but the gate or their promotion (John xi. 25, 26). (3) He must not make marks of distraction-baldness, quarters in the beard, cuttings in the flesh (ver. 5). What has the type of Christ to do with the abominations of the heathen? In profaning themselves they profaned their God (see ver. 6; and comp. John i. 14). (4) The priest officiating must not mourn; nor shall he leave the sanctuary to defile it. Jehovah dwells in the sanctuary of Christ's Body. The priesthood can never leave that sanctuary (ver. 12; Heb. vii. 23-28). 3. They must be holv in their marriage. (1) No priest must marry a whore, or one deflowered or divorced (ver. 7). The Babylonish harlot, then, however impudent and specious her pretensions, cannot be the Bride of Christ. Those who would be joined to Christ must not seek membership with her (Rev. xvii. 1-5; xviii. 4). (2) The bride of the high priest must be a virgin of his own people (vers. 13, 14). The descriptions of the true Church of Christ are widely different from those of the woman of the seven-billed city (see 2 Cor. xi. 2; Eph. v. 27; Rev. xii. and xxi.). (3) His children must be holy (ver. 14). They are the children of tho truth; the seed of Abraham's faith. If his daughter play the whore, she defiles him; and to purify him- 328 THE BOOK OF LEVITIOUS. [OB. llll, 1--38.