The Pulpit Commentary — Leviticus — Section 413

wa.s on the &<tbba.th that the breAdof the presence was replaced. (3) This correspondence further identifies the typical import of the presence-bread with that of the manna. Note in addition that, as the manna came from God out of heaven, this bread is distinguished as that which comes from the Divine presence; and the true Bread of Life came from heaven (John vi. 33, 38, 40, 50, 51, 58). 8. The number of the loaves was twelve. (I) Here was a loaf for every son of Israel. "'l.'here is bread enouah in our Father's house." (2) This number was continued after the revolt of the ten° tribes (2 Chron. xiii. 11). This fact suggests that the number is also typical in relation to the spiritual Israel; a view confirmed by the application of the number twelve to the New Testament Church. Thus upon the head of the sun-clothed woman is a coronet of twelve stars, obviously in allusion to the twelve apostles of the Lamb, who are described as twelve angels at the twelve gates of the mystical city, and whose names are inscribed upon its twelve foundations (Rev. xii. 1; xxi. 12, 14, 21). (3) Twelve also is the number of the Lamb himself. He is the true Tree of Life, having twelve manner of fruits, corresponding to the twelve months in the year (Rev. xxii. 2). So the one Bread of the Presence is distributed into twelve loaves. A.nd "we being many are one bread" in him (see 1 Cor. L 17). (4) This association of the months with the loaves opens a very interesting field of investigation. Is there not a great year of the world to be measured by soli-lunar time (see Gen. i H)? King, in his 'Morsels of Criticism,' has a dis- sertation concerning the sabbath and a sabbatical era, in which he unfolds from the sabbatical intercalation of the Levitical system a more perfect adjustment of lunar to solar time than the Gregorian. Intercalations on the principle of the Jewish sabbatic period will in 400 years adjust the solar and lunar time within one hour and forty minutes. In fifteen such periods, or 6000 years, the adjustment will leave only one hour to be accounted for. But every 144,000 years, which is the square of 12 in thousands, and a number very rema.rkable in the measures of the New Jerusalem, things are brought right to a second (see Rev. vii. ; xiv. 3, 4; xxi. 17). II. WHAT WAB DONE WITH IT. 1. It was placed upon the table before the Lord. (1) It was "before the Lord,'' for the Shechinah was separated from it only by the vail. The glory sometimes streamed out through the vail, as it did through the flesh of Christ on the mount of transfiguration. (2) It was then set in two rows of six over against each other. The purpose seems to have been to show how the tribes -0f the spiritual Israel will feast together in the fellowship of heaven. (3) It was in a sense there "continually," for it was replaced with new every sabbath. 'l'he Jews say, "The hands of those priests that put on were mixed with those that took off, that the table might be never empty." 2. .A memorial of it was burnt. (1) It was "an offering made by fire unto the Lord." But how? Was it not eaten by the priests? When the cakes were removed the frankincense was burnt. This was the memorial of the whole; in this the whole was accepted as a burnt offering (comp. eh. ii. 2). 'l'his will explain the expression in the words of the angel to Cornelius, "Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God" (Acts x. 4). (2) But was this memorial burnt upon the table? We have no reason to think so. It was probably burnt upon the golden altar, which was the altar of incense. Note: the communion table ought never to be spoken of as an altar. It was from the table, not from the altar, that the priests ate the bread of the presence. (3) The spiritual priesthood alone have a right to partake of the true Rread of the PrcRence, and feast in fellowship with God.- J. A. M. Vera. 1-4.-0urselves as lights. There can be no doubt that the seven-branched candlestick in the holy place was typical of the Hebrew Church as the source of heavenly light. We therefore reach the subject of- I. LIGHT DIVINELY KINDLED. A.11 light must be of God, who himself is light (1 John i. 5). He has sought to illumine the human world in more ways than one. 1. He has given us the light of our spiritual nature-our reason, our conscience; "the spirit of man is the candle (lamp) of the Lord" (Prov. xx. 27). 2. This should have sufficed to us, but it did not; and God gave the revelation of himself in his Law. :A-mid the surrounding darkness there was light in Israel. 'l'ho brightly burning lamp in the holy place represented the holy nation, the instructed people, with whom were the oracles of God, into whose minds the truth of heaven wo.s shining. 3. Yet this did  CH. XXIV, 1-9.] THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS. 379