The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 11

about the tabernacle and the dress of the priests, hEI will see that there is h:m!ly OM of thoso details, whether of substance, material, or colour, which is not demonstrnhly eymbolicnl, and which did not tend to the one purpose of witnessing to the presence nnd holiness of God.I This is sWI more the case with the whole system of sacrifice~, of which tho moat offerings were eucharistic, the sin offerings propitiatory, and tlrn burnt offerings typical of self-dedication. Although Moses makes no mention of prayer as n part of public worship, yet these sacrifices were preparations for prayer, nnd wero themselves "prayers without words." They said to the Israelite, Sho•,i thy thankfulness to God; mako thy peace with God ; dedicate thy life to God. In the chapter which gives the method of declaring the purification of the leper (Levi t. xi 1·. ), and the magnificent ceremonial of the day of atonement, the student will see in its highest development the rich significance of the Levitic law as symbolising man's relationship to God, and God's restoration of fallen man. 3 t. But, further than this, we seo in many regulations that in the Old Testament, as in the New, love is the fulfilling of the law. In spite of concessions to rude times and hard hearts, there is a singular tenderness in the spirit of the Mosaic code. There is tenderness to slaves, whom in every way it sheltered from oppression ; 3 to the accidental homicide, for whom it provided the cities of refuge; 4 to the poor, whom it protected from cruel usury; 6 to the depressed toilers, whose lands it re- stored in the Sabha.tic year; 8 to the destitute, in whose interest it forbad the harrl stripping of the fields, the mean exhaustion of the gleaned vineyards, or the nig- gardly beating of the topmost olive boughs. 7 There is even tenderness to the dumb nnimals. To show that God cared even for the falling sparrow and the dumb cattle, the grent legislator was bidden to lay down a rule that the heedless boy should not take the mother-bird when he took from the nest her callow young; 8 that the oxen were not to be muzzled when they trod out the corn ; 9 and that the ox and nss were not to be yoked together at the plough, that the burden might not fall on the smaller und weaker beast. 10 Even the thrice repeated rule, "Thou shalt not seethe the kid in its mother's milk," 11 be6(des the :leep warning which it conveys of the horrible sin of destroying human beings by means of their best affections, was right1y inter- preted as a reprobation of unfeeling cruelty, because it looks like a hard mockery, an offence against the mercifulness of nature, to seethe the youngling in the very milk which nature had designed for its sustenance ;-for "God's tender mercies are over nll his works." 12 2. Turning from the Law to the historical books of the Bible, how rich in all moral lessons is the great narrative which unfolds before us the story of the chosen people. One grand lesson runs through it all-that neither for men nor for nations is there any true life apart from God. There, as in no other books, shall we find the true statesman's manual and the true philosophy of history. It is reluted that when King Frederic William I. of Prussia asked one of his chaplains to give him in one sentence a proof of Christianity, the chaplain replied, "The Jews, your Majesty.'' An entire systc,m of evidences of religion lies in that answer. The whole history of Israel may well be called the history of a prodigal-of n prodigal terribly punished yet freely forgiven. " When Israel was a child God loved him, and out of Egypt he called his son. The son grew up. In the days of prosperity he did not choose 1 See on this subject Bii.hr's 'Symbolik,' and Kalisch on Exodus. 3 Levit. xvi • Dea~ v. 15; xii. 18, &c. 'Numb. xxxv. 13. 6 Deut. xx.iii. 19 ; x.xiv. 6, &c. •8 Levit. xxv. 4, &c. 1 Deut. xxiv. 20. 1 Deut. u:ii. 6. Dent. xxv. f. 10 Deut. xxii. 10. 11 Exod. xxii.i. 19, u Ps. cxlv, 9, xiv GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE OLD TESTAMENT.