(at nny re.te) the nrk went before the host ; thousands (literally, myriad thoUMnds; see tor if it he.d remained in the midst, it would eh. i. 16) of Israel. l"I~~~ being construed not hnve stirred until he.If the tribes he.d with the accusative is of somewhat doubtful moved off, nor would it he.ve halted until interpretation. It may be as in the beautiful hnlf the ce.mp was pitched, whereas it is and familiar rendering of the A. y., evident that its settin~ forwe.rd e.nd stand• which nothing could be more obviously Ill th~n ing still were the dec1Sive moments of the harmony with the circumstances, and the de.y. They hnd, a.s it were, e. sacra.mental -feelings whioh gave rise to the prayer. Or it che.ra.cter ; they were visible signs, corre- may be necessary to translate it by a transi- sponding to invisible realities, as the move- tive verb, and then it will be either, with ments of the hands on the dial correspond many modems, "RestCYre, 0 Lord, the myriad to the action of the machinery within. thousands of Israel," i. e. to their promised When the nrk and the cloud set forward, it home; or, with the Septuagint, "Convert, 0 was the Almighty God going on before to Lord (hriarpup,, Kup<E), the thousand myri- victory ; when the ark and the cloud rested, ads of Israel." If the ordinary reading be it was the all-merciful God roturniug to pro- (as it appears) grammatically defensible, it is tect and cherish his own. This is clearly unquestionably to be preferred. Only Moses, recognised in the morning and evening prayer as he looked upon that huge multitude cover• of Moses. The typical and spiritual charac- ing the earth far and wide, could rightly feel ter of that setting forward and that resting how unutterably awful their position would could not well have been lost upon any re- be if on any day the cloud were to rise and ligious mind-that God going before us is melt into the evening sky instead of poising the certain and abiding pledge of final victory, itself above the sanctuary of Israel. 'fhe Sep- that God returning to 119 is the only hope tuagint transposes ver. 34 from its proper of present safety. Rise up, Lord, and let place to the end of the chnpter, apparently thine enemies be scattered. The sixty-eighth in order to keep together the verses which Psalm, which we have learnt to associate speak of the movements of the ark. Many with the wonders of Pentecost and the tri• Hebrew l'rISS. mark vers. 35, 36 with inverted umphs of the Chw·ch on earth, seems to be nuns, C, but the explanations given are fanci• an expansion of Moses' morning prayer. ful, and the meaning uncertain. Ver. 36.-Betum, 0 Lord, unto the me.n7
HOMILETICS. Vera. 33-36.-The lieavenward march. Spiritually, we have here the journey of the Church of God or of the faithful soul, towards heaven under the guidance of the Sa,;our. For the' ark, whereon rested the Shechinah, and in which was carried the law, is the type of Jesus, in whom dwelt the whole fulness of the Godhead bodily (cf. 2 Cor. iii. 18; iv. 6 b.; Col. ii. 9), and in whom as manifested to us is found the new law of love and liberty (Ps. xl. 8; cf. Mark xii. 30, 31 ; Rom. vii. 6 ; Jas. i. 25; 1 Pet. ii. 21 6. ). Therefore we have here Jesus going before his own, (1) to guid0 them in the daily path, (2) to lead them to their rest when the journey is over (cf. John x. 4; xiv. 2). In the cloud, again, we have (it may be) the refreshment of the Holy Spirit(" another Comforter"), when we face the burden and heat of life. Lastly, w0 have the devout prayers of the faithful for the help of God in their spiritual warfare, for the presence of God with their souls. Consider, therefore, on vers. 33, 34- I. THAT THE HOUR OJI' DEPARTURE 1/'ROM liOREB 1 SO LONG DELAYED, AND THE PLUNGE INTO THE STONY DESERT, so 01/'TEN AN'rICIPATED, CAME AT LAST. Many may have thought it would never really arrive, but it did ; and in a few hours the mount, which had been the scene of such wondrous events, was hidden for ever from their eyes. Even so we cannot abide on the heights of contemplation (with Moses), or in tho plains of instruction (with the people).· There is a time to receive marching orders; there is a much longer and more trying time to march accordingly amidst hard trio.ls and difficult undertakings-and this time will surely come to each and all (Matt. x. 38; Acts xiv. 22 6.; 2 'rim. ii. 12; iii. 12). II. THAT THE ISRAELITES WERE NOT REQUIRED TO FIND '!'HEIR OWN WAY, OB TnUST TO HUMAN GUIDANCE: THE ARK WENT DEFORE THEM. They only had to follow as best they might. Even so Jesus goes before his own; once for all, by his doath, resurrec- tion, aud ascension ; daily, by his example and encouragement. Ail he ~as gone before us all into heaven to prepare o. "rest" for the people of God, so he goes before each weary soul in life and death to find out resting-pl&ces and places of refreshment for it (Ps, xxiii, 4; John viii. 12; xii. 26; xiv. 2, 6). 112 100 THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. [OB. X. 88-36.