The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 405

eartb, causing the seed to germinate, and perfecting and ripening it with sun, air, and rain. Israel thus rebuked the folly of surrounding nations, who deified the earth as a personal goddess ; and the conceptions of the modern materialist who refuses to see in nature any trace of an overruling Deity, and of the pantheist who identities God with his works, may be similarly reproved. And if the blessings received from Providence are to be acknowled~~d, surely the same argument will apply to all the many favours, temporal and spmtual, that stream upon us as the children of God. In fact, what have we of intellectual, physical, or propertied endowment that did not proceed from him? 2. Recogniud by the congregation as a whole. Family, corporate, national religion is distinct in a sense from individual worship, and God may honour the one as such apart from the pa.rticula_r merits of _the other. The entire body ought, however, to resern ble the component units; otherwise there ia felt to be an incon"'ruity that mocks the Being whom we intend to magnify. The Americans have shown°that, apart from what is ea.lied State religion, there may be hearty national recognition of God. 3. The general does not exd'Ude the personal aeknowledgment of God's goodness. In eh. ii. 14 are found regulations respecting the presentation of free-will individual firstfruit offerings. The service of the sanctuary should stimulate and not serve as a substitute for pri rnte prayer and praise. Let the congreiational dedication be seconded by a personal self-surrender to the glory of God. II. THE METHOD OF ACXNOWLEDGMENT. 1. ..dn offering brought to the Lord, viz. a sheaf of barley, which is "waved" by the priest, the symbolical act indicative of eurrender of property to God. By returning a portion of what was originally bestowed, God's proprietorship and man's stewardship are signified in fitting manner. Each Church and family should pay its tithe to the Lord, separating some of its members to religious work. 2. Such an offering may provide for the suppO'l"t of Gorl1s appointed servants. This sheaf was not consumed upon the altar, but was for the benefit of the priests. Those who by reason of exclusive devotion to the altar cannot find leisure to sow and reap, must be remembered by the people in whose behalf they labour, To assist the servants of Christ is to render help to the Master himself. Let the wealthy in the receipt of their dividends think upon the men who are their representatives in Clir:stian effort. The division of labour must not allow one field of industry to be entirely isolated from the rest. 3. Other offerings naturally accompany the particular presentation. The one food reminds of other blessings, and so, besides the ti.rstfruit sheaf, there are brought a burnt offering, a meat offering, and a drink offering, consti- tuting a festal sacrifice. One gift prepares the way for another, opens the door so that a presentation of a different kind may follow. He who sets apart a portion of time for God is not likely to stop there, but will contribute U1oney and influence likewise. Ill. TBE PRIORITY OIi' Goo's CLAIM TO HONOUB. 1. It precedes our own enjoyment. No br2ad, nor parched corn, nor green ears must be tasted till Jehovah has been duly acknowledged as the bountiful Giver. The rent must be paid ere we can settle down to comfortable possession of the house. Men think they can without impropriety reverse this order, attending first to their own needs and pleasures, and then to God's requirements. In two ways they err-they dishonour their Maker, and they fail to hallow the enjoyment of their daily food and privileges by the happy consciousness that a porlion has been previously dedicated to God. To aclmowledge our indebted- ness is to send us back rejoicing to our dwellings. 2. It is not right to wait until the whole amount of blessing has been reaped. At the very beginning of harvest this ceremony occurs, consecrating the harvest toil, ensuring the favour of God upon the remainder. Men who delay an offeling until they know the exact amount of their savings, are likely to find the total lees than they hoped. It is well to give in faith, seein"'O quite sufficient reason already to evoke a testimony of gratitude. "Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the ti.rstfruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine." For the first convert in a place that seems teeming with promise of fruitfulness, we would at once give thanks. Ere the multitudes of happy dead can be raised and gathered into the hea,·cnly garner, Jesus Christ is risen and become the Firstfruits of them thl\t sleep. His appearance before God as the Perfect Offering guarantees an ample blessed ha.rnat,-S, R. A. on. XXIU. 1-44.] THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. 371