HOMILETICS. VerB. 1-10.-Arrangementa of the firBt covenant. The Epistle to the Hebrews is the New 'festament LeviticuB. In itself, the book of the Jewish ritual is rather dry reading. " Nothing can well be duller or more dingy than the appearance of a stained- glass cathedral window to one who iB looking on it from the outside of the buildincr; but, when you enter and gaze at it from within, the whole is aglow with beauty" (Dr. W. M. Taylor). Now, from this Epistle we learn to read Leviticus with the bri"'ht gospel Bunlight for a background, and we thus diBcover how rich that ancient 8cript~re is, in instruction regarding the way of access to God, and the means of fellowship with him. I. THE HEBREW BANCT!JARY. (Vers. 1-5.) The tabernacle was the Divine palace, the symbol of Jehovah's residence among his ancient people. There was a grncious presence of God in Israel which other nations did not enjoy. Mention is made here of the two chambers of the sacred tent, each of which had a" veil" covering the entrance, and of the principal articles of furniture in these two chambers respectively. 1. The holy plaoo. (Ver. 2.) This anterior apartment was oblong in shape, being thirty feet in lcn!sth, fifteen in width, and fifteen in height. Three articles are named as belonging to it. (1) The lamp-stand: symbol of the spiritual light which Christ imparts to his Church. (2) The table, with (3) the shewbread: symbol of the spiritual meat provided by God to strengthen for his service. 2. The holy of holie.~. (Vers. 3-5.) This innermost recess of the sanctuary, separated from the outer chamber by a richly wrought curtain, was the dwelling-place of Jehovah. It was a smaller apartment than the other, mea.~uring fifteen feet in length, breadth, and height, and thus forming a perfect square. Seven thin~s are named as belonging to it. (1) The golden censer. Whether we understand by this the altar of incense itself, which stood in the holy place close to "the second veil," or the actual censer which was carried from the altar into the holy of holies on the Day of Atonement-in either case the symbol is that of the heart's devotion. (2) The ark. This was the most sa.cred piece of furniture in the tabernacle ; indeed, the purpose of the whole structure was just to accommodate the ark, as the central symbol of the presence and majesty of the covenant God of Israel. (3) The pot of manna: emblem of the true Bread from heaven, which feeds the mind with truth, the conscience with righteousness, and the heart with love. (4) .Aaron's staff: a type of the intrans- ferable priesthood of Christ, and a symbol of the spiritual priesthood of believers. (5) The two tables of the Law: the revelation to the Jews of Jehovah's righteous will, which should be written on the hearts of men. (G) The cherubim: repre8enting the angels, and surrounding the luminous cloud of" glory" which appeared above the ark. (7) The mercy-seat: the footstool of God, and the propitiatory lid of the ark; which, sprinkled with atoning blood, covered the sins of the people, by concealing from the Divine eye the Law which they had violated. The Hebrew sanctuary in its innermost symbolism thus represented the wondrous scheme of redemption. It shows us God's throne of grace standing upon his righteousness (Ps. lx.xxv. 10). II. ITS SERVICES. (Vers. 6, 7.) While the outer court of the tabernacle was open to the whole congregation of Israel, except to such as might at any time be ceremonially unclean, only the sons of Aaron were allowed to minister at the altar, or within the sanctuary proper. 1. The holy place was for the daily ministration of the ordinary priests. (Ver. 6.) Their duties were such as these: They sprinkled the blood of the sin offerings before the" second veil;'' they lighted and fed and trimmed the seven lamps of the candelabrum; they offered incense upon the golden altar; they changed the shewbread every sabbath day. 2. The holy of holies was/or the annu.al ministration of the high priest alone. (Ver. 7.) None of the ordinary priests ever dared to enter the inner sanctuary, or even to look into it. And even the high priest could only do so ou one day in the year-on the great annual fast day, the Day of Atoneme~t. In the cou!se of that day, however, he went into the holy of holies at least three tn1;1es: first, with the censer and incense• secondly, with the blood of the bullock, for his own and the priests' sins; and, thirdly, with the blood of the goat, for the people's sins. He went_ iu "not without blood," the presentation of the blood being neces,;ary to the completion of the sacrifice, 238 THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. [ OH. IX, 1-28,
III. Tm: BIGNIFIOANOE OF BOTH. (Vers. 8-10.) These verses remind us that the institutions of Jude.ism were est11blished b_v the Holy Spirit himself 1\8 a symbol of Old 'l'eRtament facts, and as a prefignr11tion of the privileges of the new covenant spoken of in eh. viii. 8-12. It WI\S not Moses who ordained the Levitioal ceremonial• it was the Holy Ghost. And by this means the Spirit taught the great truth that' on the ground of nature access to God is barred for all sinful men; and that even under the "first covenant" of grace this blessing was only most imperfectly realized. The division of the sacred tent into two apartments, and the exclusion of the ordinary priests from the holy of holies, illustrated the great defect of the old covenant. The nature of the sen·ice~,. too, reflected its imperfections. The rites of Jude.ism cle3:nsed the body from ceremomal defilement; but they could not wash the soul from sm. They involved indeed, a continual remembrance of sins, rather than a putting away of sins for ever'. And yet, notwithstanding this, the tabernacle-worship was a bright promise and prophecy of the "opening of the kingdom of heaven to all believers" at the time of rectification foretold by Jeremiah (xxxi. 31-34).