18 The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib 19 thou camest out from Egypt. All that openeth the matrix [is] mine, that is, every firstborn; and every firstling among thy cattle, [whether] ox or sheep, [that is male.] 20 But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb : and if thou redeem [him] not, then shalt thou break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear before me empty. See chap. xxiii. 15. Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest in earing time and in harvest, in the most busy times of the year, thou shalt rest; nothing shall excuse you from this. 21 22 And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks, of the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end, that is, the feast of Pentecost and Tabernacles, 23 Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the LORD God, the God of Israel. And at that time fear 24 none of thine enemies, For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man de sire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.* 25. Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leaven; neither shall the sacrifice of the feast of the passover be left 26 unto the morning. The first of the first fruits of thy land thou shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his mother's milk, See chap. xxiii. 19. Deut. xiv. 21. 27 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words in the book of the law: for after the tenor of these words I 28 have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights, (beside those, chap. xxiv. 18.) he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he, that is, God, wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. 29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.† And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to 31 come nigh him. And Moses called unto them; and Aaron 30 This was exactly fulfilled; it was a remarkable circumstance, and a glorious attes tation of the truth of the Mosaic religion. This was an evident token of his conversing with God; he had seen a brighter glory than before, and his face still reflected some of the rays of the Shekinah which had fallen upon him. This was designed to do honour to Moses, and secure a greater regard to the law, which was now renewed. and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him : 32 and Moses talked with them. And afterward all the chil dren of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in commandment all that the LORD had spoken with him in mount Sinai, 33 And [till] Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil 34 on his face. But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the veil off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel [that] 35 which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him. 1. L REFLECTIONS. ET us remember and meditate upon this awful, this delightful name of God; consider it at large; he is pitiful, compassionate as a father, kind and generous, universally benevolent, abundant in goodness and truth. How proper an object for our love, and trust, and confidence! Let us fear the Lord and his goodness; and endeavour in all things to be like him, to be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. 2. Those who are favoured with views of the divine glory, should improve those precious moments: so Moses fell down, and interceded for Israel. When we have clear and raised conceptions of God, when we find his attributes possessing and influencing our minds, and taste and see that he is good; then let us exercise humility, joy, and trust, and plead for mercy for ourselves and others. The more we see of God's goodness, the more humble, serious, and devout it should make us; and the more solicitous to express our good wishes for all our fellow crea tures. 3. Let us attend to the demands of God's covenant, if we desire to enjoy the blessings of it. Behold, I make a covenant; Observe thou that which I command thee. We should always remember what God requires of us; how reasonable his demands are, and cheerfully comply with them. To expect the blessing without such a compliance, is affronting to God, and deceiving our selves. 4. Let us reflect on the obscurity of the Mosaic dispensation, as intimated by the veil on Moses' face. See 2 Cor. iii. 13, &c. where Paul so explains this by way of allusion. The Jews did not then understand the spiritual meaning and design of the law; and there is still a veil on their hearts; but when they are converted it shall be taken away. But we all, with unveiled faces, behold, by reflection, the glory of the Lord, and are changed into his image, by the Spirit of the Lord. The veil is now taken away; life and immortality are brought to light by the gospel. Let us be thankful that we are not under the law, but under grace; and rightly employ and improve our religious privileges. 5. Let us be careful that, in a spiritual sense, our faces shine by converse with God. Wisdom, says Solomon, makes a man's face to shine, gives him an amiable, engaging lustre; it commands esteem and regard. We should show to the world that we have communion with God, by the lustre of our piety and holiness. Converse with him should quicken us to a temper and conduct ornamental to religion. Let your light then so shine before men, that they, seeing your good works, may glorify your Father which is in heaven. CHAP. XXXV. From this chapter to the tenth of Leviticus, contains an account of erecting the tabernacle, and consecrating Aaron and his sons to the priesthood. Little is said upon these things, for the reasons given at the beginning of the twenty fifth chapter. 1 Α ND Moses gathered all the congregation of the children of Israel together, and said unto them, These [are] the words which the LORD hath commanded, that [ye] should 2 do them. Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be to you an holy day, a sabbath of rest to the LORD whosoever doeth work therein shall be put to death. 3 Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day, either to dress food, or for any worldly employment. 4 And Moses spake unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying, This [is] the thing which the LORD com5 manded, saying, Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD whosoever [is] of a willing heart, let him bring 6 it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass, And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' [hair,] 7 And rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim 8 wood, And oil for the light, and spices for anointing oil, and 9 for the sweet incense, And onyx stones, and stones to be set 10 for the ephod, and for the breastplate. And every wise heart ed among you, shall come and make all that the LORD hath 11 commanded; The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets, 12 The ark and the staves thereof, [with] the mercy seat, and 13 the veil of the covering, The table, and his staves, and all his 14 vessels, and the shew bread, The candlestick also for the light, 15 and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light, And the incense altar, and his staves, and anointing oil, and the sweet incense, and the hanging for the door at the entering 16 in of the tabernacle, The altar of burnt offering, with his brazen grate, his staves, and all his vessels, the laver and his 17 foot, The hangings of the court, his pillars, and their sockets, 18 and the hanging for the door of the court, The pins of the 19 tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords, The cloths of service, to do service in the holy [place,] the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office. 20 And all the congregation of the children of Israel departed 21 from the presence of Moses. And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, whose judgment and understanding in such kind of work inclined him to a willingness to undertake it, [and] they brought the LORD's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy gar22 ments. And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, [and] brought bracelets, and earrings and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold and every man that offered [offered] an offering of gold unto the LORD, contribut ing these things now as willingly for the service of the taberna23 cle, as before toward making the golden calf. And every man, with whom was found blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' [hair,] and red skins of rams, and badgers' 24 skins, brought [them.] Every one that did offer an offering of silver and brass brought the LORD's offering: and every man, with whom was found shittim/wood for any work of the 25 service, brought [it.] And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, [both] of blue, and of purple, [and] of scarlet, 26 and of fine linen. And all the women whose heart stirred them 27 up in wisdom spun goats' [hair.] And the rulers brought onyx stones, and stones to be set, for the ephod, and for the 28 breastplate; And spice, and oil for the light, and for the 29 anointing oil, and for the sweet incense. The children of Is 30 rael brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses. And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, 31 of the tribe of Judah; And he hath filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in 32 all manner of workmanship; And to devise curious works, 33 to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in the cutting of stones, to set [them,] and in carving of wood, to make any 34 manner of cunning work. And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, [both] he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, 35 of the tribe of Dan. Them hath he filled with wisdom of VOL. I. U u heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, [even] of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning .work. CHAP. XXXVI. Contains an account of the offerings being delivered to the workmen, and the liberality of the people restrained. 1 THEN wrought Bezalel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had 2 commanded. And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, [even] every one whose heart stirred him up to 3 come unto the work to do it: And they received of Moses all the offering, which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it [withal.] And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning. And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made; 5 And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the 6 LORD commanded to make. And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make any more work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were 7 restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much. 8 And every wise hearted man among them that wrought the work of the tabernacle made ten curtains [of] fine twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet: [with] cher9 ubims of cunning work made he them. The length of one curtain [was] twenty and eight cubits, seventeen yards and two inches, and the breadth of one curtain four cubits: the 10 curtains [were] all of one size. And he coupled the five curtains one unto another and [the other] five curtains he 11 coupled one unto another. And he made loops of blue on the edge of one curtain from the selvage in the coupling : likewise he made in the uttermost side of [another] cur12 tain, in the coupling of the second. Fifty loops made he in one curtain, and fifty loops made he in the edge of the curtain which [was] in the coupling of the second: the loops held : |