17. From an attentive survey of all the incidents recorded to have happened after the exodus from Egypt, it appears that about six months intervened between that event and the commencement of the work of the tabernacle. Consequently they were about six months employed in the work itself; for the tabernacle was set up at the beginning of the second year after they had left Egypt. Considering the vast amount of curious and costly workmanship that was requisite, the undertaking was carried through with great expedition. Bush.

20. The testimony.** The tables of stone with the Ten Commandments engraved on them. Nothing else is said to have been put into the ark. These were found there by themselves in the time of Solomon. The pot of manna was “laid up before the testimony” (Ex. 16 : 34); Aaron’s rod was also placed “before the testimony” (Nu. 17 : 10); and the book of the Law was put at “the side of the ark” (De. 31 : 26). The expression “before the testimony” appears to mean the space immediately in front of the ark.

20-30. The tabernacle owed its character and significance to the ark with its sacred contents and the mercy-seat that covered it. Above the mercy-seat, in a concentrated sense, was the spot where Jehovah communed with his people. The furniture of the holy place held a subordinate position, and all its symbolism pointed to the truth which had its deepest and fullest expression in the ark. In the form and materials of the tabernacle itself there appears to have been nothing, either in its word-work or its curtains, but what was most convenient for the arrangement and protection of the holy things and most becoming for beauty. It was in fact a regal tent, in which the ark symbolized the constant presence of Jehovah, who now condescended to dwell among the people whom he had redeemed. Clark.

Every square inch of the sacred enclosure was a place of meeting between Jehovah and his people, according to the terms of the Divine revelation; but it was at the altar of burnt-offering in the court that the non-priestly worshippers approached most nearly to their God; it was at the golden altar in the holy place that the priests were admitted to closest access; and it was as the high priest approached most nearly the space beneath the outstretched wings of the cherubim that he drew nearest to the throne of intercession. Cave.

In the holy of holies was the throne of God. That throne was a “mercy seat.” Under the mercy-seat was “the testimony,” the holy Law in its ark of gold. The throne, then, was a throne of grace, founded on holiness. Here we have the two leading thoughts of God which the tabernacle symbolizes: his HOLINESS and his MERCY. As in every revelation of himself which God has given us, “mercy and truth meet to gether, righteousness and peace embrace each other.” That which is prominent, that which is uppermost, that which appears, is the mercy; but the mercy is ever founded on justice. His throne is a throne of mercy; but in order to obtain the mercy we must approach it in the way of holiness. In the outer apartment was the shew-bread, literally “bread of the presence,” the seven-branched candlestick, all lighted up, and the golden altar with sweet incense rising from it. Though the presence of the Lord cannot be seen on this side of the veil, there is bread of the presence for those who come into his sanctuary. There is also light, not like the glory within the veil, but light as of a lamp, fed perpetually with oil, the well-known symbol of Divine grace. And then right in front of the curtain is the golden altar, with the incense rising from it and wafted within, teaching that, though there is a veil between man and God, yet by prayer we can penetrate within it and reach the mercy-seat, the throne of God. And in the court without was the altar of burnt-offering, with the laver between. The only way by which sinful men can enter into the apartment, where are to be found the bread of the presence, the light of the lamps, and the incense altar of devotion, is by the altar of burnt-offering and the laver—i.e., by atonement and by washing. J. M. G.

31,32. Moses and Aaron and his sons.** The things had been made expressly for the service of Jehovah, by his command, and in this fact lay their essential sanctity, of which the anointing was only the seal and symbol. Aaron and his sons, on similar ground, having had the Divine call, took part in the service of the sanctuary as soon as the work was completed. But Moses took the lead until they were consecrated and invested and publicly set apart for the office. Clark.

The Cloud Covers the Tent, and the Glory Fills the Tabernacle (Ex. 40:34, 35. Nu. 9:15, 16).

The covering cloud revealed the constant, visible, and guiding presence of Jehovah among his professing people, resting above the outer tent that covered the tabernacle. But within that tabernacle itself there was yet another and unapproachable presence. For “the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle. And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of Jehovah filled the tabernacle.” A. E.—The tabernacle was God’s dwelling-place among his people: “Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them;” “And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God;” “I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people” (Ex. 25:8:29:45; Lev. 26:11, 12). No words could more clearly express the object of the structure; and it was in conformity with this that, while “a cloud covered the Tent of meeting, the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” Milligan.—By the visible tokens of God’s coming among them to take possession of the tabernacle, he owned them, showed himself well pleased with what they had done, and abundantly rewarded them. God will dwell with those that prepare him a habitation. Where God has a throne and an altar in the soul, there is a living temple. And God will be sure to own and crown the operations of his own grace, and the observance of his own appointments. H.

The tabernacle could not now be entered even by Moses, without a special summons to that effect from Jehovah himself. The same thing happened at the dedication of the temple of Solomon, when, we are told (1 Kings 8 : 10, 11) “The cloud filled the house of the Lord; so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord. . .” It was the Great Jehovah who appeared in the Shekinah, and who through that medium manifested his presence and communicated his will to the chosen people. Besides “Shekinah,” the title which the Chaldee paraphrases very frequently give to the appearances of the Divine Being spoken of in the Hebrew records, is mēmra da-Yehovah, which as the Greek language prevailed and acquired a fixed predominance was translated “the Logos, or Word of the Lord.” Words, either written or spoken, are the established vehicle for conveying the thoughts and feelings of one human being to another. The Shekinah, in like manner, by addressing the senses communicated the designs and will of God to men. How natural, therefore, and how proper to call the Shekinah “the Word of the Lord”? Accordingly the evidence is superabundant that this appellation in reference to the Shekinah was perfectly familiar to the Jews at and before the time of our Saviour; and as used by their writers, it is impossible to question that the term “Logos” or “Word” is repeatedly employed as equivalent to the Shekinah. But Jesus Christ is called by John the “Logos” or “Word.” And have we not now obtained an adequate solution to this title as applied to him, without going out of the bounds of the established Jewish usus loquendi? He was “the Word” in the most emphatic and preeminent sense. He was the great organ of communication between heaven and earth. He was the Divine Declarer of his Father’s purposes of grace and redemption to lost men. There can be no doubt that all previous Divine communications and appearances were prospective, preparative, and preintimative in their scope, pointing to him who was subsequently to come forth from the bosom of the Godhead and tabernacle or shekinas in our nature as the incarnate “Word.” Accordingly we are told by the apostle (Heb. 1 : 1) that “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath, in those last days, spoken unto us by his Son.” So truly then as the Shekinah of the earlier economy is identified with the Jehovah of the Old Testament, and the Shekinah is the same as “the Word” that was made flesh, so truly is Jesus Christ also the Jehovah of the inspired Scriptures, “God over all and blessed forever.” Bush.

The tabernacle, as a whole, is a finger-post directing me to that mystic person in whom “God in very deed dwelt with man upon the earth.” Its white-robed priest is the shadow of him who was “holy, harmless, undefiled,” and whom I recognize as my true high-priest. Its bleeding lamb laid upon the altar is the likeness of that Lamb of God by whose precious blood I have been redeemed from all iniquity; its innermost sanctuary is the type of that heaven into which he has entered to make atonement for my sin, and its outer apartment is the analogue of the present world, in which we are to serve him with the incense of our devotions, the light of our characters, and the fruit of our lives. The incarnation in the person of Christ, the mediation and expiation of his priestly work, and the consequent obligation under which his redeemed people lie to honor him with unceasing service and shining holiness—or, putting it all into four words, INCARNATION, MEDIATION, EXPIATION, CONSECRATION—these are the things of which the tabernacle, with its furniture, services, and attendants, were the special types; and as thus we condense its teachings into their essence, we come to a larger and more comprehensive view of the doctrines of the Gospel itself, and discover that we have been studying the same truths, only under a different form. W. M. T.

It was a tabernacle, beautiful and complete when Moses finished it; it became a choice palace and a holy sanctuary the instant that the glory entered into it. It is so still. A church is not a building, neither cathedral, chapel, nor meeting-house; but it is the company of God’s people. What makes a church is a people met in Christ’s name with Christ the Shekinah dwelling in the midst of them. And if Christ in the midst of his people be to us what the glory was in the tabernacle, then in the house of God Christ’s name should be above every name; Christ’s glory should supersede all glory; Christ’s presence should fill the hearts of his people. J. C.

“Christ all and in all” is the grand central truth in which the many trains of thought springing from the tabernacle-architecture converge and terminate. The sanctuary and the vessels of the sanctuary all speak this one voice.

The altar tells of Christ as the sacrifice for sin; the laver of Christ as the giver of the Spirit; the candlestick shines on the shew-bread and reveals Christ: the censer is full of Christ in his intercession, and the mercy-seat is Christ the great Mediator. All speak of Christ, for Christ is all. Christ is the hope of the world. In him, in him alone, there is mercy for the rebellious. He is the hope of salvation for each individual sinner, and for a sinful world. No Christ, no hope. Christ is the joy of the Church. Every blessing which believers enjoy flows from Christ. He is the support and strength of his people. He enlightens and warms them with his Spirit. He kindles in their breast the fire of devotion, and presents their prayers and praises before the throne. Christ is the believer’s joy, his delight, his song. Christ is the glory of heaven. His presence makes it what it is. Without him, as the mercy-seat and the high-priest, heaven would be no heaven to us. He prepares it for us, and prepares us for it. Yes, the words from the New Testament which might have been inscribed all over the tabernacle are “Christ is all, and in all.” An.

The tabernacle served its purpose. At the time it was set up the worship of the one living and true God had become almost extinct; but the tabernacle, with its successor, the temple, was a perpetual protest against idolatry—a centre and rallying-point to monotheistic worship. And the doctrine of the Divine unity and spirituality has triumphed. Monotheists, or believers in one God, supreme, self-existent, and distinct from the universe he has created, are not only counted by hundreds of millions, but they include all that is worth naming of the world’s intelligence and civilization. All the inhabitants of Europe are monotheists. Every Christian is a monotheist, so is every Jew, so is every Mussulman. But the tabernacle had a purpose still more practical and home-coming. So to speak, it brought God again into the midst of men. He who in the bowers of Eden had been so friendly and familiar, but who at man’s sin withdrew, and who from that time had rarely broken the silence, this God it again brought into our midst, and recording his name in his appointed place, he declared it to be his fixed abode and chosen dwelling. Hamilton.

After History of the Tabernacle.

The tabernacle, after it had accompanied the Israelites in their wanderings in the wilderness, was most probably first set up in the holy land at Gilgal. But before the death of Joshua, it was erected at Shiloh. Here it remained as the national sanctuary throughout the time of the Judges. But its external construction was at this time somewhat changed, and doors, strictly so-called, had taken the place of the entrance curtain; hence it seems to have been sometimes called the temple (1 Sol. 1: 9; 3: 3), the name by which the structure of Solomon was afterward commonly known. Clark.—It was far, however, from being what it was intended to be, the one national sanctuary, the witness against a localized and divided worship. The old religion of the high places kept its ground. Altars were erected, at first with reserve, as being not for sacrifice (Josh. 22: 26), afterward freely, and without scruple (Judges 6: 24; 13: 19). When the ark of God was taken, the Sanctuary lost its glory; and the tabernacle, though it did not perish, never again recovered it. Samuel treated it as an abandoned shrine, and sacrificed elsewhere, at Mizpeh, at Ramah, at Gilgal. It probably became once again a movable sanctuary. P. S.—For a time it seems, under Saul, to have been settled at Non in Benjamin, not far from Jerusalem. From thence, in the time of David, it was removed to Gibeon. It was brought from Gibeon to Jerusalem by Solomon. After this it disappears in the narrative of Scripture. When the temple of Solomon was built, “the tabernacle of the tent” had entirely performed its work; it had protected the ark of the covenant during the migrations of the people until they were settled in the land, and the promise was fulfilled, that the Lord would choose out a place for himself in which his name should be preserved and his service should be maintained (De. 12: 14, 21; 14: 24). In accordance with its dignity as the most sacred object in the sanctuary, the original ark of the covenant constructed by Moses was preserved and transferred from the tabernacle to the temple. The golden altar, the candlestick, and the shew-bread table were renewed by Solomon. They were subsequently renewed by Zerubbabel, and lastly by the Maccabees. But the ark was preserved in the temple until Jerusalem was taken by the forces of Nebuchadnezzar (2 Ch. 35: 3; Jer. 3: 16). It was never replaced in the second temple. According to a rabbinical tradition, its place was occupied by a block of stone. Clark.

Offerings of the Twelve Tribes by their Princes.

Nu. 9 1 And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, Moreover let the children of Israel keep the passover in its appointed season. In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in its appointed season: according to all the statutes of it, and according to all the ordinances thereof, shall ye keep it. And Moses spake unto the children of Israel, that they should keep the passover. And they kept the passover in the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, at even, in the wilderness of Sinai: according to all that the LORD commanded Moses, so did the children of Israel. And there were certain men, who were unclean by the dead body of a man, so that they could not keep the passover on that day: and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day: and those men said unto him, We are unclean by the dead body of a man: wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer the oblation of the LORD in its appointed season among the children of Israel? And Moses said unto them, Stay ye; that I may hear what the LORD will command concerning you. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your generations shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar

11 off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the LORD : in the second month on the fourteenth day

12 at even they shall keep it ; they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs : they shall leave none of it unto the morning, nor break a bone thereof : according to all the statute

13 of the passover they shall keep it. But the man that is clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the passover, that soul shall be cut off from his people : because he offered

14 not the oblation of the LORD in its appointed season, that man shall bear his sin. And if a stranger shall sojourn among you, and will keep the passover unto the LORD ; according to the statute of the passover, and according to the ordinance thereof, so shall he do : ye shall have one statute, both for the stranger, and for him that is born in the land.

Ex. 40 36 And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel 37 went onward, throughout all their journeys : but if the cloud were not taken up, then they 38 journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. For the cloud of the LORD was upon the tabernacle by day, and there was fire therein by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

No. 9 17 And whenever the cloud was taken up from over the Tent, then after that the children of Israel journeyed : and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of 18 Israel encamped. At the commandment of the LORD the children of Israel journeyed, and at the commandment of the LORD they encamped : as long as the cloud abode upon the tabernacle they remained encamped. And when the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle many days, 19 then the children of Israel kept the charge of the LORD, and journeyed not. And sometimes the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle ; then according to the commandment of the LORD they remained encamped, and according to the commandment of the LORD they journeyed. 21 And sometimes the cloud was from evening until morning ; and when the cloud was taken up in the morning, they journeyed : or if it continued by day and by night, when the cloud 22 was taken up, they journeyed. Whether it were two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, abiding thereon, the children of Israel remained encamped, 23 and journeyed not : but when it was taken up, they journeyed. At the commandment of the LORD they encamped, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed : they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses.

No. 10 29 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you : come thou 30 with us, and we will do thee good : for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel. And 31 he said unto him, I will not go ; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee ; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the 32 wilderness, and thou shalt be to us instead of eyes. And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what good soever the LORD shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.

No. 9 : 1-5. The Passover was kept at Sinai in the first month of the second year. This was before the census and all the other events previously recorded in this book, except the offerings of the princes (ch. 7). There was, however, an obvious reason for mentioning together the two passovers, the second of which (the supplementary) immediately preceded the departure from Sinai. Espin.

6-14. When certain men, “defiled by a dead body,” complained that they had thereby been excluded from the feast, Moses would not decide the matter himself, but brought their case before God. The direction given was, that under such or similar circumstances the Passover should be observed exactly a month later, it being at the same time added, to guard against any wilful neglect, that whoever omitted the ordinance without such reason should “but cut off from among his people.” A. E.

—For those who, on account of ceremonial disqualification, had not been able to join with the rest in the celebration on the regular day, a special Passover service on the fourteenth day of the second month was appointed. And a general rule was adopted in future for the benefit of those who, for no fault of their own, had been deprived of the privilege at the appointed season. All this goes to show the great importance which was attached to this observance. J. M. G.

The later Jews speak of this as the Little Passover. Coming, as it did, a month after the proper Passover, it afforded ample time for a man to purify himself from legal defilement, as also to return from any but a very distant journey. It was in conformity with the spirit of this ordinance that Hezekiah, at the opening of his reign, celebrated the Great Passover in the second month, being unable to complete the sanctification of the temple and priesthood against the regular season of the feast (2 Ch. 29). Espin.

In this pillar from the first the Lord accompanied and led the people. The appearance of this symbol of the Divine Presence was various, but it is uniformly spoken of as itself one—a lofty column rising toward heaven. By day it would seem to have expanded as it rose and formed itself into a shade between the Israelites and the sun, as the Lord is said by means of it to have “spread a cloud for a covering,” while by night it exchanged the cloudy for the illuminated form, and diffused throughout the camp a pleasant light. At first it went before the army, pointing the way; but after the tabernacle was made it became more immediately connected with this, though sometimes appearing to rest more closely on it and sometimes to rise higher aloft. Sometimes, however, as when a manifestation of Divine glory needed to be given to overawe the people, or when some special revelation was to be given to Moses, the fire discovered itself through the cloud. So that it may be described as a column of fire surrounded by a cloud, the one or the other appearance becoming predominant according as the Divine purpose required, but that of fire being more peculiarly identified with the glory of God. P. F.

The ordinary form which it assumed was that of a pillar, which moved forward at the head of the Israelites, and showed the way to the hindmost ranks of the whole procession (Ex. 13 : 21 ; De. 1 : 33). When the people were to encamp for the purpose of resting, the cloud descended; and when they were to set out again, it was taken up. The fire in the pillar was a symbol of the holiness of God, which moved before the sanctified people, both as a covering and a defence. It was the same fire which Moses had seen in the bramble, and the same which came down upon Sinai enveloped in a thick cloud. As the fire was a symbol of the holiness of God, the cloud in which it was enveloped was a symbol of his mercy. In and with the symbol was Jehovah himself, with his holiness and mercy, or the angel who represented him in the Old Testament, and foreshadowed his future incarnation. Thus in the pillar of cloud and fire there dwelt the holiness of the Lord (cf. Ex. 16 : 10 ; 40 : 34 ; Nu. 16 : 42).

This relation between the symbol and that which it represented was afterward designated in Jewish theology the Shekinah. From it proceeded all the commands of Jehovah; from it he terrified the enemies of Israel; from it he threatened the murmuring people; and from it went forth the devouring flame, which slew the disobedient and rebellious. K.

The lifting of the cloud was the signal of departure. The cloud by day and the fire by night were conspicuous before the eyes of “all the house of Israel in all their journeys.” Young and old, male and female, the numbered and marshalled host and the wandering clans tending their flocks and herds, were alike spectators of this wondrous sign of the Divine presence, of the central encampment of their race, and of their perfect security under the Divine protection. M.—It was a threefold token of the Divine presence, protection, and guidance. In this sublime symbol the journeying host could but feel that God was always nigh them, resting with them when they rested, and moving with them when they moved. Never could they cast their eyes upon that towering pillar, ever dark by day and bright by night, always maintaining its position, and not, like other clouds, changing, breaking, and dissipating into the surrounding air; never could they look upon this august object without being reminded that “a God at hand, and not afar off, was the Lord in his holy habitation.” It conducted them in all their movements, and indicated to them all their rests. They rose up and journeyed whenever it began to move; they stopped when it became stationary. When it rose they knew not whither it would go, but it led them constantly in the right way; they had nothing to do but to yield themselves implicitly to its guidance. Bush.

And as he chooses, so he guides their way. That they might not err in that sandy and untracked wilderness, himself goes before them: who could but follow cheerfully, when he sees God lead him? He that led the wise men by a star leads Israel by a cloud: that was a higher object, therefore he gives them a higher and more heavenly conduct; this was more earthly, therefore he contents himself with a lower representation of his presence; a pillar of cloud and fire: a pillar, for firmness; of cloud and fire, for visibility and use. The greater light extinguishes the less; therefore in the day he shows them not fire, but a cloud: in the night nothing is seen without light; therefore he shows them not the cloud but fire: the cloud shelters them from heat by day; the fire digests the rawness of the night. The same God is both a cloud and a fire to his children; ever putting himself into those forms of gracious respects that may best fit their necessities. Bp. II.—There it glows whenever night begins to fall: no clouds conceal it, no tempest drives it hence: and when once more the sun arises in the east, its brightness fades, but changes then into a pillar of cloud, hovering above and sheltering the camp or the march. Well might, centuries thereafter, the Psalmist in ecstasy claim: “He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light in the night” (Ps. 105:39). Van O.—And the conduct of this cloud is spoken of as signifying the guidance of the blessed Spirit (Is. 63:14); The Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest, and so didst thou lead thy people. We are not now to expect such sensible tokens of the Divine presence and guidance as this was, but the promise is sure to all God’s spiritual Israel. That he will guide them by his counsel (Ps. 73:24), even unto death (Ps. 48:14). That all the children of God shall be led by the Spirit of God (Rom. 8:14). That he will direct their paths, who in all their ways acknowledge him (Prov. 3:6). Those that by faith commit their works to the Lord, though they are bound to the prudent use of means, yet may be easy in the expectation of the event; “Father, thy will be done; dispose of me and mine as thou pleasest; here I am, desirous to be found waiting on my God continually, to journey and rest at the commandment of the Lord. What thou wilt, and where thou wilt, only let me be thine, and always in the way of my duty.” H.

All these circumstances are recited thus particularly by Moses, to show that the Israelites did not wander so long in the wilderness from being bewildered and unable to find their way out; but that all their motions were directed by the special appointment of God. Patrick.—These tokens continued with them throughout all their journeys: for, notwithstanding their frequently repeated disobedience and rebellion, God never withdrew these tokens of his presence from them till they were brought into the promised land. When, therefore, the tabernacle became fixed, because the Israelites had obtained their inheritance, this mark of the Divine presence was no longer visible in the sight of all Israel, but appears to have been confined to the holy of holies, where it had its fixed residence upon the mercy-seat, between the cherubim; and in this place continued till the first temple was destroyed; after which it was no more seen in Israel till God was manifested in the flesh. A. C.