Ver. 20._-A cake of the first of your 27), and of tho parallel provisions in Levit. .tough. ntrJ}l, only used here and in the iv. 2, 13, points clearly to the neglect of Rny two passages which refer to this enactment one of the Divine commandments. One (Neh. x. 37; Ezek. xliv. SO). It probably yoUI1g bul!ook for a b~t otrering. In the means whole meal coarsely ground, the first case of a sm of co111m1ss1on done ignorantly, preparation of the new corn available for the ~ul_lock was trea~ed 1111 a sin 00'e1ing baking and eating. Septuagmt has a..-apxil (LeVJ.t. 1v. 14, 20), for rn that case the expia- ,pvprifJaror:, an expression used by St. Paul in ~ion of guilt incurred is tho prominent point Rom. :ri. 16. As . . the heave oft'ering of m the atonement; in this case it is the the threahing floor, so shall ye heave it, i. e. necessity of a fresh self-dedication to the the offering of bread from the home was to Lord. Aooording to the m&Jlller. t:)~~~. be made in addition to. the offering of ears or Recording to the ordinance given above. 'one grains from the threshing-floor, and in the kid of the goats for a sin olfering. This IS&me manner. No doubt this latter offerin~ was no doubt offered first, because expiation was a very e.ncient (Gen. iv. 3) and general must precede self-oblation, but the bullock is one, but it is not clearly described in the mentioned first as forming the principal part Law (see, however, Levit. ii 14; xrii.i. 10). of the sacrifice. The kid was probably treated .All these heave offerings were the perquisite according to the regulations of Levit. iv.14, sq. of the priest. Ver. 26.-Seeing all the people were in Ver. 22.-And ifye he.ve erred. The e.b- ignorance. Literally, "because (sc. it hap- .Bence of the usual formula, "and the Lord pened) to the whole nation in ignorance." 11pake unto Moses," is singular, bece.use what As the stranger was counted as of the nation follows has reference not to the enactment just for religious purposes, he she.red both in. its me.de, but to the whole Law. Perhaps it is e. sin and in its forgiveness. There is no record part of the thoroughly unscientific and inar- of this atonement ever having been made, ti.ficial character of the Mosaic legislation although there was abundant occasion for it; that a principle of extreme importe.nce and it may well be that it was intended only to wide applice.tion is appended to an insignifi- stand on record against the Jews, and to cant matter of ceremonial. Provision is here point them to the one true expiation for made for the forgiveness of sins due to ignor- their national as well as for their particular ance and oversight-a llrovision which was transgressions. 11orely needed, considenng the great com- Ver. 27.-And if any soul sin through plexity of the Law, and the bri.d training they ignorance. No doubt by way of omission, had for the accurate observance of it (Deut. as in the preceding case, and thus this regu- xii 8). A similar provision had been ma.de lation will be distinguished from that in in Levit. iv. The two, however, differ, inas- Levit. iv. 27. In either case the ritual is much as that contemplates sins of commis- apparently intended to be the same, although f!ion, while tJ11is contemplates sins of omission, not so fully described here. In ver. 29 the Ver. 23.-From the day that the Lord benefit of the ordinance is extended to colillll&Jlded, . . and henceforward among strangers ; this was natural in e. law which· your generationa. Or, " thenceforward ac- directly contemplates the residence of Israel cording to yoUI generations." These words in their permanent home. are obscure, because they point apparently Ver. 30.-The soul that doeth .. pre- to a much larger lapse of time since the first sumptuously. Literally, '' with a high hand," giving of the Law than had really occUired. i. e. defiantly. A similar phrase is used It may be that they include the possibility of God himself (Exod. xiii. 9). The sa1n& of fresh revelations of the Divine will in the reproacheth the Lord. 'l'.'!Jt;,, revileth. Septu- time to come. 1.gint, ,r-apobvii, In Ezek: x:r. 27 it is trans- Ver. 24.-U ought be committed. Rather, lated "blasphemeth." Perhaps '' afl'ronteth" "if it be committed," i. e. the non-observ- would be better. He that deliberately brob ance of " all these commandments." It the commandment of the Lord avowed him- -can.not, however, be necessary to suppose self his open enemy, and, as it were, challenged that a falling away from the whole boay of him to single combat. Cut o1t. See Gen. the Mosaic legislation is here intended ; such xvii. U. an apostasy could not happen by oversight, Ver, 31.-His Iniquity . . upon hi.Jn, and if it did, the remedy provided would r1:; n~l.ll, "its crime upon it," i. e. the £in, seem much too slight for the occasion. The of that soul must come upon it in puniab• an.a.logy of the provision which follows (ver, ment. OH, XV. 1-31.] THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. 188
HOMILETICS. Vere. 1-31.-0rdinances of samfice. The lawe given in thie section were to be 11 an ordinance for ever," but they have long ago come to an end ae far as the literal