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Class-Book of Old Testament History

<hr class="sect_35" /> <h3> CHAPTER <abbr>IV.</abbr> HOLY TIMES AND SEASONS. <abbr title="Exodus">Exod.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 20">xx.</abbr>   <abbr title="Leviticus">Levit.</abbr> <abbr title="chapters 23 and 25">xxiii. xxv.</abbr>   <abbr title="Deuteronomy">Deut.</abbr> <abbr title="chapters 15 and 16">xv. xvi.</abbr></h3> THE Holy Times and Seasons of the Israelites may be arranged under three heads. <abbr title="Roman numeral 1">I.</abbr> Those that were connected with the Seventh Day of Rest, such as (a) the Weekly Sabbath, (b) the Month-Sabbath or New Moon, (c) the Year-Sabbath, (d) the Year of Jubilee. <abbr title="Roman numeral 2">II.</abbr> The Day of Atonement. <abbr title="Roman numeral 3">III.</abbr> The Great Historical Festivals; (a) The Passover, (b) The Feast of Pentecost or Weeks, (c) The Feast of Tabernacles. <abbr title="Roman numeral 1">I.</abbr> Those connected with the seventh Day of Rest. (a) The observance of the weekly Sabbath, or day of Rest, is not improbably thought to have been known to the Israelites before the giving of the Law (<abbr title="Exodus">Ex.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 16">xvi.</abbr> 22, 23), as, indeed, the words of the Fourth Commandment, “Remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy,” seem to imply (<abbr title="Exodus">Ex.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 20">xx.</abbr> 8<abbr title="through">–</abbr>11, <abbr title="Compare">comp.</abbr> <abbr title="Genesis">Gen.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 2">ii.</abbr> 1<abbr title="through">–</abbr>3). The observance of this day was appointed for a perpetual covenant, as a sign between God and the children of Israel for ever (<abbr title="Exodus">Ex.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 31">xxxi.</abbr> 16, 17). It was to be shared by the whole people with the stranger; and, to complete the picture of tranquillity, with the animals. Bodily labour was strictly prohibited: it was unlawful to kindle a fire for cooking food (<abbr title="Exodus">Ex.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 35">xxxv.</abbr> 3; <abbr title="Numbers">Num.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 15">xv.</abbr> 32), or to go out of the camp to gather manna (<abbr title="Exodus">Ex.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 16">xvi.</abbr> 22<abbr title="through">–</abbr>30). Wilful desecration of the day was punished by stoning (<abbr title="Exodus">Ex.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 31">xxxi.</abbr> 14; <abbr title="Numbers">Num.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 15">xv.</abbr> 35). In the Tabernacle-service the daily burnt-offering was doubled (<abbr title="Numbers">Num.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 28">xxviii.</abbr> 9), the shew-bread was renewed (<abbr title="Leviticus">Lev.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 24">xxiv.</abbr> 8), and the priestly course for the week commenced their duties. The Sabbath was not regarded as a fast, but a day for rest from worldly occupation and holy joy; it was ordained by God for man and the furtherance of his truest and highest interests (<abbr title="Mark">Mk.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 2">ii.</abbr> 27, 28). “The thought of Him, who is raised above all change, and who after the completion of the works of Creation rejoiced that everything was very good; this coupled with the cessation from work was to lead man up to the contemplation of his own origin from God. As the bodily refreshment restored his physical energies, so should the consciousness of union with the Almighty and the Eternal restore the true life to the soul93.” (b) The Month-Sabbath, or New Moon Festival, was ushered in by blowing with the silver trumpets, and by the sacrifice of eleven victims in addition to the daily offering (<abbr title="Numbers">Num.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 10">x.</abbr> 10; <abbr title="chapter 28">xxviii.</abbr> 11, <abbr title="and so on">&c.</abbr>). Business and trade were in later times suspended (Amos <abbr title="chapter 8">viii.</abbr> 5), sacrificial feasts were held (<abbr title="First Samuel">1 Sam.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 20">xx.</abbr> 5<abbr title="through">–</abbr>24), and the people resorted to the prophets for religious instruction (<abbr title="Second">2</abbr> Kings <abbr title="chapter 4">iv.</abbr> 23). The New Moon of the seventh month (Tisri, October), being the commencement of the civil year, was observed with still greater solemnity. It was one of the seven94 days of Holy Convocation. Not merely were the trumpets blown at the time of offering the sacrifices, but it was a day for the blowing of trumpets (<abbr title="Numbers">Num.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 29">xxix.</abbr> 1<abbr title="through">–</abbr>6), whence its name the Feast of Trumpets. In addition to the daily sacrifices, and the eleven victims offered on the first day of each month, nine other victims were offered as burnt-offerings with a kid for a sin-offering95. (c) During the Seventh or Sabbatical year the land was to lie fallow, and enjoy her Sabbaths (<abbr title="Exodus">Ex.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 23">xxiii.</abbr> 10, 11; <abbr title="Leviticus">Lev.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 25">xxv.</abbr> 2<abbr title="through">–</abbr>7; <abbr title="Deuteronomy">Deut.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 15">xv.</abbr>). No tillage or cultivation of any sort was to be practised, and the spontaneous produce of the fields, instead of being reaped, was to be freely gleaned by the poor, the stranger, and even the cattle. By this rest the land, like man, was to do homage to its Lord and Creator, and the poorest were to share without stint in those spontaneous blessings which by His will it brings forth, and the Israelite, who every seventh day acknowledged God’s claim on his time, thus acknowledged also His claim upon his land. In <abbr title="Deuteronomy">Deut.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 15">xv.</abbr> we find that the seventh year was also to be one of release for debtors. In spite of the threatenings in <abbr title="Leviticus">Lev.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 26">xxvi.</abbr> the Sabbatical year, as appears from <abbr title="Second Chronicles">2 Chron.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 36">xxxvi.</abbr> 20, 21, was greatly neglected; after the return from the Captivity its observance revived (see <abbr title="First Maccabæus">1 Macc.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 6">vi.</abbr> 49)96. (d) The Year of Jubilee. At the end of seven times seven years, that is, forty-nine entire years, the fiftieth was observed as the year of Jubilee, a word of uncertain meaning. It was proclaimed by the sound of trumpets on the tenth day of the seventh month, Tisri, the Day of Atonement. During this year the soil was to lie fallow, as in the Sabbatical year, but in addition to this, all land that had been alienated was to return to those to whom it had been allotted at the original distribution, and all bondmen of Hebrew blood were to be liberated (<abbr title="Leviticus">Lev.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 25">xxv.</abbr> 8<abbr title="through">–</abbr>16, 23<abbr title="through">–</abbr>35; <abbr title="chapter 27">xxvii.</abbr> 16<abbr title="through">–</abbr>25). “As the weekly Sabbath and the Sabbatical year was intended to restore thorough rest to man and to the land, so the year of Jubilee was designed to raise the whole people, in respect to their rights and possessions, from the changeableness of outward circumstances to the unchangeableness of the Divine appointment; to prevent the inordinate accumulation of wealth in the hands of a few; to relieve those whom misfortune or fault had reduced to poverty; to restore that equality in outward circumstances which was instituted on the first settlement of the land by Joshua; and to vindicate the right of each Israelite to his part in the Covenant, which God had made with his fathers respecting the Land of Promise97.” <abbr title="Roman numeral 2">II.</abbr> The Day of Atonement was observed on the tenth day of the seventh month, Tisri, as the great day of national humiliation, and for the expiation of the sins both of the priests and the people. This was the highest, the most perfect, the most comprehensive of all the acts of expiation, and not only took place but once in the entire year, but was performed by the High-priest alone, and that not in the Holy Place but the Holy of Holies. Its celebration is prescribed in <abbr title="Leviticus">Lev.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 16">xvi.</abbr>; <abbr title="chapter 23">xxiii.</abbr> 26<abbr title="through">–</abbr>32; <abbr title="Numbers">Num.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 29">xxix.</abbr> 7<abbr title="through">–</abbr>11. The day was to be regarded as a high Sabbath, a day of holy Convocation, on which the Israelites, under pain of extirpation, were expected to afflict their souls with fasting and mourning. (<abbr title="Compare">Comp.</abbr> <abbr title="Leviticus">Lev.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 16">xvi.</abbr> 29, 31 with Acts <abbr title="chapter 27">xxvii.</abbr> 9.) The ritual was as follows. The High-priest having bathed, arrayed himself not in his gorgeous robes, but in the white linen garments common to himself and the rest of the priesthood. As a sacrifice for himself and the priests he brought a bullock for a Sin-offering, and a ram for a Burnt-offering, which he had purchased at his own cost; as a sacrifice for the people two he-goats for a Sin-offering, and a ram for a Burnt-offering, which were purchased out of the public treasury. The two he-goats he then brought to the Door of the Tabernacle, <abbr title="that is">i.e.</abbr> to the Brazen Altar, and there having presented them before the Lord, cast two lots upon them, one inscribed for Jehovah, the other for Azazel98. This done, as the head of a priesthood itself compassed with infirmity (<abbr title="Hebrews">Heb.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 5">v.</abbr> 2), he first proceeded to make atonement for his own order. Accordingly he slew the bullock, and taking a censer filled with live coals from the Altar of Burnt-offering and two handfuls of Incense, he passed with these through the Holy Place onwards behind the veil into the Holy of Holies, and there threw the incense upon the coals so that the fragrant cloud might envelope the Mercy-Seat. Then returning to the Brazen Altar and taking some of the blood of the bullock in a vessel he once more passed into the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled it seven times before the Mercy-Seat, the seat of the glory of Jehovah. Having thus made expiation for himself and his own order, he slew the goat upon which the lot for Jehovah had fallen as a Sin-offering for the people, and sprinkled its blood as he had done that of the bullock. Then on his return from the Holy of Holies he purified the Holy Place, now solitary and deserted, by sprinkling the blood of both victims seven times on the horns of the Golden Altar of Incense, and, as some think, on those of the Altar of Burnt-offering. The purification of the Tabernacle completed, he came forth and laid both his hands upon the goat, on which the lot for Azazel had fallen, solemnly confessed over it the sins of the people, and then gave it to a man chosen for the purpose to be led away into the wilderness, into a place not inhabited, and there let loose. This done, he once more entered the Tabernacle, bathed, and having arrayed himself in his gorgeous robes, offered the two rams as a burnt-offering, one for himself, the other for the people, and at the same time placed upon the altar the fat of the two sin-offerings99. While these were consuming, the remains of the victims were conveyed outside the camp, nor could they who were deputed for this office, or the man who had led away the scape-goat, return into the camp till they had purified themselves and their clothes with water. The distinction between this solemnity and others is very striking. It took place but once a year, five days before the joyous Feast of Tabernacles, which testified to the nation’s gratitude for the preservation of the seasonable fruits of the earth. In it the High-priest alone officiated. Clad not in his gorgeous robes, but in the simple, pure white robes common to him and the rest of the priesthood, he made expiation for himself, his order, and the people,—an atonement for the sins of the whole year. On this day, and this day only, he entered within the Veil, and sprinkled the blood before the Mercy-Seat seven times. On this day, and this day only, the idea of the remission of sin found its highest expression in the sacrifice of one goat as a sin-offering to Jehovah, and the solemn confession of the sins of the whole people over another, and its dismissal laden with its awful typical burden into a far distant and separated land, a land not inhabited, lying, as it were, under the curse of Jehovah. This solemnity contained the exact antidote to the sombre and often cruel rites of heathenism. The lots were cast over both the goats, both were presented to Jehovah at the Door of the Tabernacle, at His command the Scape-Goat carried away the burden of the people’s sins into an unknown desert land, He sanctified the people, and accepted the atonement for the High-priest, the priestly order, and the entire nation, and the purification of the Place where He had condescended to meet the Israelites. In the Epistle to the Hebrews (<abbr title="chapters 9, 10">ix., x.</abbr>) we have the key to the expressive imagery of this Great Day in the Jewish year. The fact that once in the year the High-priest could enter within the Veil, intimated that under a system of provisional and typical ordinances the way into the Holiest of all was not as yet made manifest. But when the true High-priest, even Jesus Christ, offered Himself unto death on the Altar of His Cross for the sins of the whole world, the Veil of the Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom (<abbr title="Matthew">Matt.</abbr> <abbr title="chapter 27">xxvii.</abbr> 51; Mark <abbr title="chapter 15">xv.</abbr> 38). He died, He rose again, and, clad not in the resplendent robes of that Divine Nature He had before the world, but in the garb of our human nature, He ascended into the Heavenly Sanctuary, the antitype of the Jewish Sanctuary on earth, and there pleads, and will for ever plead, the merits of His blood before the throne of God. <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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