2. The Jewish Institution

In this age of improvement of divine institutions, we read and hear much of "two dispensations of the covenant of grace;" thus making the Jewish and the Christian institutions dispensations of one "covenant of grace." Why not make the patriarchal, (still more venerable for its antiquity, and which continued a thousand years longer than the Jewish,) also a dispensation of the covenant of grace, and then we would have had three dispensations of one covenant? This is but a "show of wisdom." The Holy Spirit calls them "two covenants," or "two institutions," and not two modifications of one covenant; and it speaks of each as established upon promises. The Jewish was established upon temporal and earthly promises, contained in the first promise made to Abraham; but the new, says Paul, "is established upon better promises," growing out of that concerning the blessing of the nations in the promised seed.11

The Jewish institution began and continued about 1500 years before the Reign of Heaven began. It was not substituted for family worship, but added to it; affecting, however, the patriarchal institution in some respects, as far as concerned the single family of Abraham. The individual families of the nation of the Jews, as such, still had their family worship — still the worship of God was heard in the homes of the righteous; and, like Joshua, every good Israelite said, "As for me and my family, we will serve the Lord."

In four hundred years the family of Abraham had, in the line of Isaac and Jacob, in fulfillment of the first promise, grown into millions. Not less than two million12 came up out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses. The heavenly Father, in progressive development of his plan of blessing all nations, leaves the whole world under the family worship institution, and establishes the entire offspring of Abraham that came up out of Egypt into one great national institution. He condescends to appear in the character of King of the Jews, and to make them a kingdom of God, as preparation for the appearance of his Son, who is predestined to be the King of the whole earth, and to have a kingdom which will ultimately include all the nations of the world.

The twelve tribes were brought into the form of one great worshiping family, presenting through the common High Priest their united worship to God. This gave rise to the erection of one public house consecrated to the Lord, as the place of meeting in their social and national character. A constitution, political, moral, and religious, was submitted to the people; and upon their adoption of it, they became the covenanted people of God. This constitutional kingdom was built upon precepts and promises; and its worship when fully developed was little more than the extension of family worship to one great national family. They had one king, one high priest, one national altar, one national house of God, one morning and evening service, one great national sacrifice, and one great annual atonement. The nation was a family of families, and whatever pertained to a single family in its family worship was extended and adapted to this great confederate family.

Various mystic and significant institutions distinguished this nation from all others; for it was one principal purpose of its institution to keep its subjects separate and distinct from all other people until Messiah (the promised seed) should come. Another purpose was to portray in appropriate types the spiritual worship of the kingdom of heaven, and to exhibit the great doctrines of faith, repentance, forgiveness, adoption, and inheritance, by vivid images, cleverly designed to foreshadow the whole doctrine of reconciliation and sanctification to God.

The Jewish institution is not to be regarded only in its political, moral, and religious aspects, but especially in its figurative and prospective character. God so wisely and benevolently designed it from its origin to its close, that its whole history — the fates and fortunes of its subjects from their descent into Egypt, their travels from there to Canaan and settlement in the promised land — their fortunes in that land to their final catastrophe, should exactly and impressively shadow forth the new institution with the fates and fortunes of the subjects of this new and more glorious order of things. "All these things happened to them for types," (examples,) says Paul, "and they are written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the world have come." The same great commentator on this institution not only presents the history of its subjects as instructive to the citizens of the new institution, but of the tabernacle he says, "It was a figurative representation for the time then present," and the furniture thereof "the patterns of things in the heavens." "The law," he adds, "contained only a shadow of the good things to come." A shadow, indeed, proceeding from a man, a house, a tree, is not, and cannot be, an exact image or representation of them; yet, when explained by a verbal description, it greatly helps an easy and correct understanding of them.

So full of the doctrine of the new institution was the old, that we find all the Apostles and Christian writers freely applying everything they quote from the law, the prophets, and the psalms, to the Messiah, his kingdom, and the fortunes of his people; as if the Jewish writings had no other purpose than to unfold the kingdom of heaven. Jesus begins with Abraham seeing his day on Mount Moriah in the typical resurrection of Isaac. Paul regards Hagar, Ishmael, Sarah, Isaac, as the best illustration of the two institutions; and John ends with the description of the descent of Jerusalem from heaven.

Everyone, then, who would accurately understand the Christian institution must approach it through the Mosaic; and anyone who would be proficient in the Jewish must make Paul his commentator. While the mere politician, moralist, or religionist contemplates one without the other, though he may find much to admire in both, he will never understand either. A veil, as thick as that which concealed the glory of the face of Moses from the Israelites, will hide the glory of the Jewish and Christian institutions from his view.

Not only did the tabernacle, the temple, their furniture, the service of both, the priests, the sacrifices, the festivals, the convocations, and all the ordinances of that ritual, together with the history of that people, assume the picturesque and figurative character, but almost all the illustrious and highly distinguished personages of that institution were made prophetic or typical of the Messiah or of the great events of his life, sufferings, and triumphs, and the leading affairs of his government. Among persons in the patriarchal and Jewish ages who, in one or more prominent characters or incidents, or in their general history foreshadowed the Messiah and his reign, the following group occupy a lofty place: — Adam, Abel, Noah, Melchizedek, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Samson, David, Jonah. Of things of this class, as well as persons highly figurative and instructive, are the visions of Jacob's ladder — the burning bush — the pillar of cloud and fire — the manna — the rock Horeb, a fountain of living water in the wilderness — the veil of Moses — the bronze serpent — the victory over the nations of Canaan, and the land of Canaan itself. And of ordinances, the Passover, the scapegoat, the red heifer, the year of jubilee, the law of the leper, the kinsman redeemer, the cities of refuge; together with all the sacrifices, washings, anointings, and consecrations of the holy nation.

But a third purpose of the Jewish institution, of paramount importance to the world, was the furnishing of a new alphabet and language (the elements of heavenly science), without which it would appear to have been almost, if not entirely, impossible to learn the spiritual things, or to make any progress in the knowledge of those relations which Christianity reveals. The language of the new institution is therefore explained by that of the old. No one can understand the dialect of the kingdom of heaven who has not studied the dialect of the earlier administrations of heaven over the patriarchs and Jews. The most striking and characteristic attribute of the sacred dialect is that its elements are composed of the incidents of history, or what we call remarkable providences.

I cannot explain myself better, nor render my readers a more essential service, than by illustrating by an actual detail of sacred history, the following proposition, namely: — That sacred history or the remarkable instances of God's providence to the Jews and Patriarchs, are the foundation of the sacred dialect of the new institution. Or, if the reader will understand it better, it may be expressed — All the leading words and phrases of the New Testament are to be explained and understood by the history of the Jewish nation and God's government of them. Take the following as a mere example: —

God called Abram out of Ur, and changed his name to Abraham; and the name of his wife Sarai to Sarah. He promised Isaac as the person in whom his seed would be called. God did test Abraham, commanding him to offer Isaac as a burnt offering — Isaac had two sons — Esau the elder, and Jacob the younger. Esau despised his birthright and sold it to Jacob. Jacob wrestled with God, and prevailed; he obtained a blessing, and was therefore called Israel. He had twelve sons: of these Joseph was his favorite. His brothers envied him, and sold him for twenty pieces of silver. Joseph found favor in the sight of his master. The Lord was with Joseph. He was thrown into prison, and from there was elevated to the governor of Egypt under Pharaoh. A famine in Canaan forced Jacob and his sons into Egypt for bread, and Joseph was made known to his brothers. Joseph died in Egypt and left his father's house in the land. They multiplied exceedingly, and the Egyptians greatly afflicted and oppressed the Israelites. Moses was born and exposed: Pharaoh's daughter found him and adopted him as a son. Moses fled into Midian, and married the daughter of the priest or prince of Midian, and kept his father-in-law's flock in the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. The Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush. The bush burned and was not consumed. Moses drew near, and then first stood on holy ground. God sent him to Egypt to lead his people out of bondage. God made him say to the children of Israel, "I am has sent me to you. Gather the elders of Israel and say to them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham,' etc. 'has sent me to you. I will strike Egypt with my wonders, and bring you up out of the afflictions of Egypt. Tell Pharaoh, Israel is my son — my firstborn. Take Aaron with you, and you shall put words into his mouth; and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth: he shall be to you instead of a mouth, and you shall be to him instead of God. Take your rod in your hand. The Lord sent Aaron to Moses: he met him on the mountain and kissed him. And the Lord visited his people. And the people believed when they heard that the Lord had looked upon their affliction. Pharaoh oppressed them even more. The Lord said, with a strong hand he shall let them go. I will redeem them with a stretched-out arm, and with great judgments. I will give you Canaan for a heritage; I will take you to me for a people. I will be your God.

Moses said, I am a man of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh listen to me? I have made you a god to Pharaoh, and Aaron your prophet. I will multiply my signs, and bring out my people, and harden Pharaoh's heart. When he says, "Show me a miracle," cast your rod before him, and it shall become a serpent. Still Pharaoh refused, and hardened his heart. The magicians, overcome with the signs, said, This is the finger of God. The God of the Hebrews said, Let my people go. I have roused you (like a lion) to show in you my power, and to make my name known throughout all the earth. The Lord killed all the firstborn of Egypt after he had plagued them severely. Pharaoh commanded them to leave; but he pursued them to the Red Sea. Israel fainted at the sight before and behind them. Moses said, Stand still and see the salvation of God. The sea was divided. Covered with a cloud, Israel marched through as on dry ground. The waters stood on either side like a wall. Pharaoh pursued with his chariots and horsemen, but the waters returned, and they were drowned. Thus the Lord redeemed, saved, delivered, and brought Israel out of bondage.

After this deliverance, Moses and the children of Israel sang, "The Lord has become my salvation; he is my God. You have overthrown those who rose up against you. You have led forth your people whom you have redeemed. You have guided them in your strength to your holy habitation. The inhabitants of Canaan shall be still as a stone until your people pass over, O Lord, the people you have purchased. You shall plant them in the mountain of your inheritance; in the sanctuary which your hands have established."

They came into the wilderness of Sin. They cried for bread, and God rained bread from heaven upon them, to test them whether or not they would walk in his law, and they ate manna for forty years until they came to the borders of Canaan.

They complained for water and tested God. And Moses struck the rock in Horeb, and water gushed out. But Moses was angry, and struck the rock twice, and he and Aaron thus rebelled against God, and died in the wilderness. The Lord made a covenant with the whole nation at Sinai, and made them a special treasure above all people — a kingdom of priests, a holy nation; and God spoke all the words of the law, written on two tablets of stone; and spoke to Israel from heaven.

The Lord, through Moses, gave them directions for building a tabernacle, and a pattern for all its furniture. And as a ransom for his soul, every man, rich and poor, was to pay half a shekel as an offering to the Lord to make atonement for his soul; and it was given for the service of the tabernacle. When the tabernacle was built and finished, the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle and the cloud covered it. And when the cloud was lifted, they journeyed; but until it was lifted, they did not journey. The cloud was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all Israel throughout all their journeys.

And before Moses died he laid his hands upon Joshua, and gave him a charge as the Lord commanded; and thus put honor upon him, so that the children of Israel might be obedient to him as their leader. "As I was with Moses, so will I be with you," says God: "I will not fail you nor forsake you."

If we could continue with the history of this people, and add to their history the observance of their religious institutions, we would understand the true meaning of the sacred style of the New Testament more accurately and certainly than from all the commentators of ancient and modern times. This, as a sample, must suffice for our present purpose.

From the premises now before us, the outlines of the Sinaitic and national institution, and the terms and phrases found in the history of this people, we may discover in what relationship they stood to God, and what blessings he bestowed upon them in that relationship.

They were called and chosen, or the elect of God as a nation. As such, they were delivered, saved, bought, or purchased, and redeemed. God is said to have created, made, formed, and begotten them. As such he is called their Father, their God, their Redeemer, their King, their Savior, their Salvation; and they are called his children, sons and daughters; born to him, his house, people, inheritance, family, servants.

As a chartered and gathered people, they are called the city, the holy city, the city of the Lord, Jerusalem, Zion, Mount Zion, the city of David. Other nations in contrast with them, are called not a people, aliens, strangers, enemies, far off, unclean.

Various metaphors expressing the close relationship in which they stood to God are also found in the pages of the ancient institutions — such as husband and wife, shepherd and flock, vine and vineyard, mother and children. They are said to be written or enrolled in the book of God; to be planted, washed, sanctified, clean, separated to God; they are called the house, building, sanctuary, dwelling place of God; a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, a special people, saints, etc.

Those who are curious to trace these phrases describing the relationship and privileges of this ancient kingdom of God would do well (in addition to the passages quoted in their history from Egypt to the Jordan) to examine the following passages: — Exodus 14:30; 15:16; 19:6; Deut. 4:37; 7:6; 10:15; 14:1; 1:31; 7:5; 32:6; 32:18-19; 18:7; 3:18, 20; 12:9. 1 Kings 3:8. Psalm 105:6; 33:13; 105:43; 106:5, 21; 124:2; 149:2. Isa 41:8-9, 43:1, 3, 5, 7; 51:2, 4. Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Psalms of David throughout, etc.

Unless we were to write a full treatise on these earlier institutions, we cannot properly go into more detail. The outlines, as far as they relate to the theme of this essay, are now before the reader; and with this preparation we will now invite his attention to the kingdom of heaven.