out, and bring them in, that they might not be as sheep without a shepherd," Numb. xxvii. 15-17. THE SANHEDRIM, OR COUNCIL. This consisted of seventy princes or elders of Israel, instituted at the request of Moses, to assist him with their advice, and to lighten the burden of government, that he might not bear it himself alone, Numb. xi. 4—25. The same, probably, who attended Moses, Aaron, and his two sons to the mount of God, where they were permitted to see the glory of the GOD OF ISRAEL, Exod. xxiv. 1-11. They were, probably, thus elected: twelve princes, or heads of tribes, who were usually the first born of the eldest son's families in each, and fifty-eight heads of families † in the twelve tribes, according to the last muster in the plains of Moab, Numb. xxvi. 1—51, taken from the sons of the patriarchs. THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, OR CONGREGATION OF ISRAEL. During the administration of Moses, this was probably an assembly of all the people, collected together in the encampment. Thus, when he summoned them to recognize the LORD as their GOD, and their LAW-GIVER, “He called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which THE LORD commanded him ;" and when they had communicated them to the congregation, "all the people together answered and said, all that THE LORD speaketh, we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto THE LORD," Exod. xix. 1-9. At this primary convention was settled the magna charta of the constitution, or the original compact between GOD and his people; communicated by him as SOVEREIGN to the judge; proposed to the sanhedrim, and ratified by the congregation. When Joshua afterwards made a league with the Gibeonites, confirmed by the oath of the princes of the congregation, the Naashon, prince of Judah, was not the heir male of Judah, for he was descended from Pharez, the younger son of Judah. He might have been elected for his extraordinary merit among "the renowned of the congregation," in preference to the elder branches, Numb. i. 16; and so might the fifty-eight heads of families. This number was thus collected: Reuben 4, Simeon 5, Gad 7, Judah 5, Issachar 4, Zabulon 3, Manasseh 8, Ephraim 4, Benjamin 8, Dan 1, Asher 5, and Nephtali 4, Numb. xxvi. 1-54. This seems to be a more probable account of the constitution of this celebrated council, than that of the Rabbins. See Lowman on the Hebrew Government, p. 76, 168. people murmured at the fraud of the Gibeonites; but the princes recommended to the general assembly to ratify the league, from regard to the oath; "lest wrath be upon us," for violating it, Josh. ix. 15-20. Joshua, however, and the princes, acted rather precipitately on this occasion; for they ought to have first consulted THE ORACLE, before they entered into any treaty with strangers whom they knew not. THE ORACLE. The Inner Sanctuary, within the vail of the Tabernacle, or Most Holy Place, was called the ORACLE, 1 Kings vi. 15, because there THE LORD communed with Moses, face to face, and gave him instructions in cases of legal difficulty or sudden emergency, Exod. xxv. 22; Numb. vii. 89; ix. 8; xii. 8; Exod. xxxiii. 11; a high privilege, granted to none of his successors. THE URIM AND THUMMIM. After the death of Moses, a different mode was appointed for consulting THE ORACLE, by the High Priest. He put on "the breast plate of judgment," a principal part of the pontifical dress, on which were inscribed the words Urim and Thummim, signifying "lights and perfections," emblematical of divine illumination; as the inscription on his mitre, "Holiness to the Lord" was of sanctification, Exod. xxviii. 30—37; Levit. viii. 8. Thus prepared, he presented himself before THE LORD to ask counsel on public matters, not in the inner sanctuary, which he presumed not to enter, but on the great day of national atonement, but without the vail, with his face towards the ark of the covenant, inside; and behind him, at some distance, without the Sanctuary, stood Joshua, the judge, or person who wanted the response, which seems to have been given with an audible voice, from within the vail, Numb. xxvii, 21, as in the case of Joshua, vi. 6-15; of the Israelites during the civil war with Benjamin, Judges xx. 27, 28; on the appointment of Saul to be king, when he hid himself, 1 Sam. x. 22-24; of David, 1 Sam. xxii. 10; xxiii. 2-12; xxx. 8; 2 Sam. v. 23, 24; of Saul, 1 Sam. xxviii. 6. This mode of consultation subsisted under the Tabernacle, erected by Moses in the wilderness, and until the building of Solomon's Temple: after which we find no instances of it. The Oracles of THE LORD were thenceforth delivered by the pro phets as by Ahijah to Jeroboam, 1 Kings xi. 29; by Shemaiah to Rehoboam, 1 Kings xii. 22; by Elijah to Ahab, 1 Kings xvii. 1, xxi. 17-29; by Michaiah to Ahab and Jehoshaphat, 1 Kings xxii. 7; by Elisha to Jehoshaphat and Jehoram, 2 Kings iii. 11-14; by Isaiah to Hezekiah, 2 Kings xix. 6—34, xx. 1—11; by Huldah to Josiah, 2 Kings xxii. 13-20; by Jeremiah to Zedekiah, Jer. xxxii. 3-5, &c. After the Babylonish captivity, and the last of the prophets, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, the ORACLE ceased; but its revival was foretold by Ezra, ii. 63; and accomplished by JESUS CHRIST, who was himself THE ORACLE, both under the old and new covenants, Gen. xv. 1, &c. John i. 1, &c. REDEMPTION OF THE FIRST BORN OF THE ISRAELITES. Immediately after the last and sorest plague of the destruction of the first born of the Egyptians, the Lord commanded that all the first born of the Israelites, both of man and beast, should be consecrated or devoted to his service, in memory of his sparing them on that occasion, Exod. xiii. 1, Numb. iii. 13. About fourteen months after, they were allowed to be redeemed, and the children of the Levites were accepted as a compensation, to minister unto THE LORD in their stead; probably on account of their zeal for the LORD in punishing the worshippers of the golden calf, Numb. iii. 12, Exod. xxxiii. 26-29. On numbering all the males of the tribe of Levi, from a month old to thirty years of age, Numb. iii. 34, iv. 3, they were found to amount to 22,000 *. And all the first born males of the other tribes to 22,273. The surplus of the latter, namely 273, which could not be redeemed by the children of the Levites, were allowed to be redeemed at the rate of five shekels a head; and the amount 1375 shekels of the sanctuary, to be given to Aaron the high priest, and his sons the priests, for sacred uses, Numb. iii. 14-51. By an error in the Masorete text, the males of the family of Gershom, the son of Levi, are reckoned 7500, instead of 7200; which Kennicott has ingeniously accounted for, from the similitude of the Hebrew numerals,, Caph final, 500, and ʼn, Resh, 200. Diss. Vol. I. p. 100. The latter is the genuine reading, because with the family of Kohath, 8600, and of Merari, 6200, it exactly makes the amount 22,000. FUNCTIONS OF THE PRIESTS AND LEVITES. The priesthood was exclusively appropriated to the family of Aaron, the eldest son of Kohath, the son of Levi, Exod. xxviii. 1-43; and he and his sons were consecrated at Sinai, Levit. viii. 6-36. Their functions were 1. to offer sacrifices for themselves and for the people, Levit. ix. 1-21: 2. to bless the people. See the form of blessing prescribed, Numb. vi. 24-26, which bears a remarkable analogy to the Christian blessing, 2 Cor. xiii. 14. 3. They and the Levites were bound to attend the high priest in the service of the Tabernacle, Deut. x. 8, Numb. iv. 1-49; and both priests and Levites were to instruct the people in the law, Levit. x. 11, Deut. xxxiii. 10. The wise and salutary institution of public teachers for the religious instruction of the people, was peculiar to the Mosaical law. They were supported at the public charge by tythes, not by lands, for the Levites had no inheritance among their brethren; that they might devote themselves solely to their sacred functions. But they were dispersed throughout all the tribes, in the forty-eight sacerdotal and Levitical cities, that they might be most conveniently stationed for the discharge of their duties. Moses, in his last blessing, marks the functions of the Levites, and the meritorious service by which they redeemed the curse of Levi, in Jacob's prophecy; which, it is remarkable, took place in the time of Moses and Aaron, who were the third generation" from Levi, by the mother's side; and "the fourth," by their father's, Exod. vi. 16—20. And he said of Levi: Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy Saint", And with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah. Who said to his father and mother, I have not seen you, Neither did he acknowledge his brethren, Nor know his own children. For they observed thy word, And kept thy covenant. Aaron is styled "the saint of the Lord," Psalm cvi. 16. He and his successors wore the breast-plate of judgment. The failings of Aaron are here first recorded, and afterwards the meritorious zeal of the Levites, and their consecration to God's service. They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, And Israel thy law; They shall offer incense before thee, And whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar, Deut. xxxiii. 8-10. THE PRIESTS' MAINTENANCE. The provision made for the priests was considerable : 1. A share of the sin-offerings, heave-offerings, and firstfruits of the whole congregation, Numb. xviii. 8—13. 2. Things or persons separated or devoted to the Lord by vow, Levit. xxvii. 1, Numb. xviii. 14. 3. The redemption fees of the first born of men and cattle: which were five shekels a head for the former. Part, however, was reserved for sacred uses, or the service of the Tabernacle, Numb. iii. 51. 4. The tenth of the Levites tythes of every kind, Levit. xxvii. 21-28. 5. A share of the tythe of the spoils taken in war, Numb. xxxi. 28-41. 6. The skins of the burnt-offerings, with some exceptions; and other small articles, Levit. vii. 8. Thus were the priests wisely exempted from the cares of agriculture, and the avocations of a landed property, that they might have leisure to attend wholly to their sacred functions; while their political influence arising from their sacred station, and superior learning and information, was checked, by rendering them dependent on the people for their daily bread. THE TABERNACLE AND ARK. This was a portable tent, built by Moses at Sinai, by the command of the LORD, and after a model furnished by Him, which was to contain the Sanctuary for the LORD, to "dwell" visibly, as the Shechinah, or divine glory, among his people. It was composed of planks of shittim wood, (supposed to have been either cedar or acacia,) curiously jointed together, so as to be easily taken asunder, and put up again, on their journeys and stations. The length of it was thirty cubits, and the breadth and height ten cubits. It was divided into two parts; the outer called the holy place, or sanctuary in general, was twenty cubits long; the inner sanctuary, called the most holy place, was an exact cube of ten cubits; divided from the outer by a rich embroidered vail or curtain, which hung upon four pillars of shittim |