09.God's Presbyterian Church under Moses
God’s Presbyterian Church under Moses even before Mount Sinai Also in the time of Moses, the Church was clearly not congregationalistic but presbyterial.
Exo 3:16f & Exo 4:29f. Thus, Owen too acknowledges that the Christian Church thrived under the leadership of Elders in graded Courts alias Presbyteries even before the re-promulgation of the Decalogue at Sinai. In fact, even before the exodus, Owen admits (XVII:504f) that "for the families or principal houses of the fathers, there were ha-Zeqeeniym, ’the Elders,’ who presided over them. These Moses and Aaron gathered together at their first coming into Egypt, Exo 4:29....
"Besides these, there were Officers who attended the service of the whole people as to the execution of justice and order called Shoteriym, ’Shoterim’.... Exo 5:14.... There are two sorts of persons mentioned that were over the people in respect of their works, even in Egypt han-Nogeshiym and Shoteriym; ’exactors’ or task-masters, and ’Officers.’ Exod. v.6.
"The former or the noghesim the Jews say were Egyptians; and the latter, or ’the Shoterim,’ Israelites.... They tell us in Midrash Rabba on Exod. sect. 1, that one of these noghesim was over ten of the Israelitish Officers; and one of them over ten Israelites; whence was the following division of the people into tens and hundreds." The institution of the Passover, says Owen (XVII:460), involved "joining or separating households, Exo 12:4" and indeed precisely under the collective leadership of "the Elders of Israel." Exo 12:21-27. Owen further adds: "They ate it afterwards in societies or fraternities, as our Saviour had twelve with him at the eating of it; and the Jews require ten [mature males] at least in society unto this celebration. Whence the Targum [or Aramaic translation] expressly on this place, Exo 12:4 ’If the men of the house be fewer than the number of ten’; for this was a sacred number with them.
"They circumcise not, marry not, divorce not unless ten [mature males] be present.
Thence is their saying in Pirke Aboth: ’Where ten sit and learn the law, the divine presence resteth on them’ as Ps. lxxxii.1." This is the Presbyterian Church’s system of graded Courts. Such consist, Biblically, of:
Elders-over-ten in the Session; Elders-over-fifty in the Presbytery; Elders-over-hundred in the next higher Court; etc.Exo 18:12-22; Deu 1:13-17; Deu 17:6-9; Ruth 4:2f; etc Right after Israel’s exodus from Egypt, as the apostolic Christian martyr Stephen himself later pointed out under divine inspiration, the national Mosaic Covenant was indeed "the Church in the wilderness." Acts 7:38f. Owen too says (XIX:50fcf. XX:575) that even then, Christ Himself "was upon his throne, when He spake with the Church in the wilderness, Acts vii.38." Because led by Elders alias Rulers (Exo 12:21f & Exo 16:22f & Exo 17:6f), that national Church was in fact Presbyterian.
States the Bible: "Jethro, Moses’ father in law, took...sacrifices for God: and Aaron came, and all the Elders of Israel, to eat bread...before God." Exo 18:12. As Owen explains (XVII:505), "after their coming up out of Egypt during their abode in the wilderness Moses presided over them" viz. as Moderator. "By the advice of Jethro, he took in others unto his assistance, Exo 1:1-26....
"In the wilderness the body of the people was cast into...thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens; all which had their peculiar Officers or Rulers chosen from amongst themselves. Exo 18:25; Deu 1:13-15.... The principal distributions of these, planting themselves together in the cities or towns of Canaan, however afterward they multiplied or were decreased, continued to be called by the name of the ’thousands of Israel’ or Judah. So Bethlehem Ephratah is said to be ’little among the thousands of Judah,’ Mic 2:1-13. "