The Pulpit Commentary — Numbers — Section 53

HOl\IILETICS. Ch. iv.-.Duties of the Cliurch militant. In thie ch111rter we have, spiritually, certain duties of the Church on the way to heaven in respect of faith and worship, and the spirit in which matters of religion ought to be conducted. Consider, therefore- !. THAT THE DIVINE RULE IN THE CARE 01!' THE SANCTUARY WAS ONE 011' DISTRI~ DUTION. Each fnmily within the tribe, each group within the family, perhaps each individual in the group, had his own allotted" burden." Kohath did not interfere with Merari, nor did Merari come into collision with Gershon. Even so, in all religious and ecclesiastical labours, distribution is the rule of the gospel, the Holy Spirit dividing to each severally as he will (1 Cor. xii. passim; Eph. iv. 11-13)'. And note that this distribution was not made according to any superiority that we know of, but rather the reverse. Levi himself was by far the smallest of the twelve tribes, and Merari was by far the largest (for the purpose in hand) of the three families. Even so under the gospel no rules of human pre-eminence restrict the Divine distribution of gifts and offices ; rather, the first shall be last, and the last first. II, THAT THE WHOLE FABRIC OF THE TABERNACLE HAD TO BE CONTINUALLY TAKEN TO PIECES AND RECONSTRUCTED, as the host moved on in its appointed path. Even so, in the onward progress of the Church of Christ, the outward form and frame of religion has to be constantly built np afresh with ceaseless lnbour. For each succeed- ing century, for each new generation thnt comes up, for each new nation added to the Church, the fabric of its fuith and worship has to be built up from the beginning. If not, religion, like the tabernacle, would be left far behind, the empty monument of a forsaken faith. Ill. THAT, ON THE OTHER HAND, THE FURNITURE OF THE TABERNACLE AND ITS CON- STITUENT PARTS, THOUGH PERPETUALLY BEING RECONSTRUCTED, YET REMAINED IDENTIC- ALLY THE BAME. Nothing lost, nothing added. Even so the elements of our faith and worship must remain unchangeably the same from age to age; nothing really old cast nwny, nothing really new introduced. "The faith once (for all) delivered to the saints." Worship primjtive nnd apostolic. However fresh the putting together, the substance eternally the same. IV, THAT WHILE THE WHOLE FABRIC WAS TO BE CARRIED WITH GREAT CARE AND REVERENCE, YET THE HOST SOLICITOUS CARE AND THE MOST PROFOUND REVERENCE WERIJ: RESERVED FOR THOSE HOLY THINGS WHICH THE FABRIC ENSHRINED. Even BO nil that is any pnrt of our religion, claiming any Divine authority, is to be handed down ancl carried on with care and with respect ; but it is the few central facts and truths of revelation upon which the loving veneration and extreme solicitude of Christian teachers and people must be concentrated. V. THAT AMONGST THESE THE ARK WAS FIRST AND FOREMOST, having three cover- ings, nnd being distinguished outwardly also by its blue cloth. Even so it is tho incnrnntion of God in Christ-the doctrine of Emmanuel, God with us-which is before nil other things precious ond holy, to be guarded with the most reverent and jealous care, to be distinguished openly with the most evident honour. And note- (1) that as the me-rcy-seat, resting on the nrk, nnd forming its lid, was carried whither- soever the ark went, and shared in all its honour, so the doctrine of propitiation and of God reconciled to men, resting ns it does essentially upon the doctrine of Emmanuel-God with us-is carried ever with it, and honoured with it. And note (2) that ns blue is the colour of heaven, so the blue outer covering of the ark (nlone) rnny signify that the greatest effort of the Church's teachers should be so to present the doctrine of God in Christ before men that it may appenr clad in heavenly love und beauty. VI. THAT THE BHEW•BREAD WAS NOT ALLOWED TO FAIL FnOM ITS TADLE EVEN l>URIN0 i·mi JOURNEY, but was carefully placed upon it and so carried, and thus answered to its name of" continual bread." Even so it is certain that the "living Brend which .came down from henven" must be with the Church as her " continual Bread" in all /ber marches, But it is more commonly considered that the shew-bread in its twelve loaves represents the whole people of God, in all its sections, as alwuys present to th&  THE BOOK OF NUM.BEBS. (OB.. IV. 1--4!1.