The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Chronicles — Section 106

transgression of him who brings it, or to some act, such as that of Phinehas, which because it vindicates the Divine honour, Law, and righteousness, is recrarded as covering over iniquity, a.nd making possible the pardon of the transgressors. But some chancres passed in the connotation of the term, so that the New Testament Greek equival~nt became the word "reconciliation," which appears to regard the word as at-one-ment but does not carry over the isea of covering transgression by a sacrifice or a loyal act'. The appointment of .Aaron and his sons for this particular work emphasizes the fact that, under the older dispensation, there was constant need for atonement. Every indi- vidual needed that it should be made for him again and again, and every year a great public atonement was made for the sins of the people. The reason appears to be this : every fresh act of wilfulness and .:;in imperilled the standing of the individual and the nation as within the Divine covenant, and brought down upon them all the penal- ties of the broken covenant-penalties involving even the surrender of life. It would help greatly to clearness of view if we recognized that atonement always bears relation to man's standing before God, and not to man's personal cleanness or cleansing. The constant atonement covered the sin which broke the covenant-relations, and restored, for the individual and the nation, the old covenant-conditions. The daily burnt offer- ing was a daily atonement, or vindicatory act, which covered the people's sin and set them again in full covenant-standing. The private burnt offerings did the same thing for the indi viduaL .And the "day of atonement" did it, in a sublime way, as a grand national spectacle, for the due impression of the entire nation. .As carried over into Christianity, and gaining its moral and spiritual aspects, we must duly conserve the features illustrated in the Old Testament atonements. These are: 1. Man's lost standing with God by reason of his transgressions. 'l'his is fully argued by St. Paul in the earlier chapters of the Epistle to the Romans. Beyond and besides other effects of human sin, this must be folly recognized-it sets us all out of our true standing with God, out of the covenant-relation which is conditioned by our obedience and faithful- ness. 2. J.fan's standing recovered on the ground of something offered to God that is in.finitely acceptable to him. In Judaic symbol, the spotlessly pure and absolutely complete animal presented entire. In Christian history, the offering or the person of the Son of God and Son of man, the Lamb without blemish or spot, on the altar of the Divine will. 3. The full acceptance ef the atoning sai:rifice, by the offerer, as the repre- sentation to God of his own will and purpose. This declared the sincerity or a Mosaic atonement; this makes Christ's offering to be for us. There is, however, for us no need of a constantly renewed atonement. The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews argues this from the surpassing dignity and worth of the atonement offered by Christ, and from ihe relation in which he, the Divine Son and Divine man, stands both to God and to us. But that one sacrifice is our constant daily pledge to God that we will keep in the covenant of holy service to him. Every morning to name Christ's Name is to do, in effect, what the Jew did every morning by sharing in the burnt offering. It is to declare our standing within the new covenant, and to pledge ourselves afresh that we will be true and fait.hful to all its responsibilities and claims.-R. T. Ver. 54.-0arnal provisions for spiritual men. The references here made to the provisions for the support o_f the_ priests, 3:nd the allot~ent o! cities fo_r their residence, are designed to confirm their claim for rernstatement lil their properties on the return from the Captivity. Priests and Levites had a right to this independent support by the appointment of God and the good will of the people they served. Levi had no proper tribal allotment. Thie tribe was separated for the religious e~rvice of the whole nation. Its material sustenance was made dependent on the people 1t served, and each tribe gave up certain of its towns for the habitation of Levitical families, and certain lands to provide them with necessary food. So we have introduced for consideration, the dependence of religious teachers on _those the)'. serve in spiri~ual thin~s for t~e due supply of their material wants-a subJect to which St. Paul gives careful cone~dera- tion, urcring that they who "preach the gospel" may reasonably expect to " live of the gospel.'' Those engaged in spiritual ministrations properly expect to receive carnal ministrations. I. THE DIVINE DESIGNATION OF MEN TO SPffilTUAL WORK. Seen in .Aaron and his descendants, in the prophets, in the Lord Jesus Christ himself, in apostles, and OIi, VL 1-81.] THE FIRST BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES. !li