The Pulpit Commentary — Genesis — Section 50

In patriarchal times, sacrifices were offered by the head of the family, though the case of Melchizedec and probably also that of Jethro 1 are instanoes of a priest- hood among the servants of the true God ; while in heathen lands, ae in Egypt, the priests had long held the position of a privileged class. At the time of the gi,ing of the law from Mount Sinai priest.s are mentioned, before the Levitioal priesthood was established, but these were probably, as Jewish interpreters and the Talmud assert, the firet-bom of the nation, and the same as the "young men of the children of Israel" (Exod. xxiv.) who were appointed by Moses to offer those burnt- offerings and peace-otEerings by the blood of which the Sinaitic covenant was ratified. But under the law, while the whole nation of Israel, if they kept God's covenant, was to be "a kingdom of priests," 3 the sacerdotal functions were restricted hence- forth to one family, that of Aaron, the elder brother of Moses; the tribe of Levi, to which Aaron himself belonged, being given to him and hie descendants as a substi- tute for the first-born of the nation, to assist the priests in the service of the tabernacle.• Thus the tribe wa.s representative of the whole priestly nation. But it was not only that a priesthood was established; the duties of the priestly office were now strictly defined and their prerogatives jealously guarded by Divine law. •. We know, from the teaching of the New Testament, that this represented the imperative necessity of a mediator in order that sinful man might draw near to God, and that no man could take that office upon himself but one called of God, as .Aaron was ; ' and no devout Israelite could fail to apprehend the general force of that teaching of the law. On the other hand, the selection, by Divine authority, of one tribe,-whether or not it was selected for its zeo.l against the worshippers of the golden calf,6-and of a particular family out of that tribe, was to the nation o. test of obedience to law. There were those who were unwilling to submit to this law, because they did not fully understand the reason of the appointment.' . They said to Moses and .Aaron, "Ye take too much upon yon, seeing all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them.'' But Israel was taught by terrible proofs that the law of Jehovah was law indeed, and that death was the certain consequence of wilful transgression. Other limitations made by the law in regard to sacrifices were those of place and time. It was provided the.t when Israel should have entered into the possession of the promised land, offerings of every kind should be made only II in the plu.ce which the Lord thy God she.ll choose to put his name in." 7 Tiie practical purpose in this was obviously to secure both purity of worship and the unity of God's covenant people. Thie kind of limitation, indeed, as well as that of times and see.sons as specially holy, was a principle that entered largely into the religious provisions of the law; but it is unnecessary to our argument to consider these limitations beyond ob~erving, that important as they were, as educating the chosen nation both in the knowledge of God's relation to themselves, and as a test of their obedience to his law, they were indications of an imperfect, and, to the same extent, unspiritaal -economy, one that could only be a preparation for an enduring and universal covenant.• 1 Exod. iii l • rviii. 1, 12. The original meaning of the word cohen is "chief" or "prince," and ~ some~es used in ~hie ,sense (see 2 Sam. viii. 18; xx. 26), but in the Epistle to the Hebrews 1t lS translated cfpn,i:: .. 2 Exod. xiL 6. 1 Num. VUL 6, &c. ' Heh. v. 1-4. e Ex.od. x:aii. 25-29 ; and of. ver. 29 with Deut. xxxliL 9. • Nnm.. x:vi. It must be observed that Korab was the son of the second-bom of Kohe.th, .and Dathan e.nd Abiram were sons of Eliab, a member of one of the leading families of the tribe of Reuben, cf. Num. xxvi. 8, 9, It is evident that they considered the selection ot the priesthood arbitrary. 1 Deut, xii. 6-11, &c. e Cf. St. John iv. 21-27; GaL iv, 31 9, 10  INTMbUO'l'ION 'ro TlIE PENTATEGCn. xxxvii