Зображення сторінки
PDF
ePub

"Moreover, when ye shall divide by lot the land for an inheritance, ye shall offer an Oblation unto the Lord, an Holy Portion of the Land; the length shall be the length of five and twenty thousand reeds, [the reed being six cubits long, Ezek. xl. 5, or nearly eleven feet English,] and the breadth shall be ten thousand. This shall be holy in all the borders thereof round about. Of this there shall be for the Sanctuary five hundred in length, with five hundred in breadth, square round about; and fifty cubits round about for the suburbs thereof. And of this measure shalt thou measure the length of five and twenty thousand, and the breadth of ten thousand and in it shall be the Sanctuary, and THE MOST HOLY PLACE." Ezek. xlv. 1-3. This is farther described, and its relative situation determined, in another chapter: "And by the border of Judah, from the east side unto the west side, shall be the offering which ye shall offer of five and twenty thousand reeds in breadth, and in length as one of the other parts, from the east side unto the west side, and the Sanctuary shall be in the midst of it." Ezek. xlviii. 8. Concerning this it is said, "The Holy Portion of the land shall be for the priests, the ministers of the Sanctuary, which shall come near to minister unto the Lord; and it shall be a place for their houses, and an holy place for the Sanctuary.” Ezek. xlv. 4. Another portion of equal size with that described above, is reserved for the Levites, who formerly had no inheritance: "And, over against the border of the priests, the Levites shall have five and twenty thousand in length, and ten thousand in breadth; all the length shall be five and twenty thousand, and the breadth ten thousand. And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange nor alienate the first fruits of the land: for it is holy unto the Lord." Ezek. xlviii. 13, 14. This is also confirmed in the 45th chapter: "And the five and twenty thousand of length, and the ten thousand of breadth, shall also the Levites, the ministers of the House, have for themselves, for a possession for twenty chambers." Ezek. xlv. 5. It is worthy of remark that this portion called the Holy Oblation, which, as we shall afterwards show, is to contain the New Jerusalem, the residence of the Redeemer

and glorified saints, is situated between the lots of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, which formed the Kingdom of Judah. Christ himself belonged to the tribe of Judah, of the seed of David; and the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, having respect to the promise of God that he would give to the Seed of David his father's throne, remained faithful in their allegiance, when the kingdom of Israel revolted. This passage gives a more peculiar significance to the inscription over the cross of Him who said, "I am King of the Jews." The Division of the land into its various portions is in the following order, beginning at the north border, and descending southward: The portions of Dan, of Asher, of Naphtali, of Manasseh, of Ephraim, of Reuben, and of Judah (xlviii. 1-7); next of the Holy Portion or "Holy Oblation four square," offered unto the Lord (xlviii. 8—22); then follow the portions of the remaining tribes, of Benjamin, of Simeon, of Issachar, of Zebulun, and of Gad." (xlviii. 23-28.) And "this is the land which ye shall divide by lot unto the tribes of Israel for inheritance, and these are their portions, saith the Lord God." ver. 20. But in this Division is to be noticed another and most remarkable circumstance. Besides the ancient city of Jerusalem which is to be rebuilt, and in which the Sanctuary of the Lord is to be re-erected, particular mention is here made of another City of nearly ten miles square, separated by the portion of the Levites, twenty miles in breadth, from that in which the Sanctuary is placed: "And the five thousand that are left in the breadth, over against the five and twenty thousand, shall be a profane place for THE CITY, for dwelling and for suburbs, and the City shall be in the midst thereof," ver. 15. The measurements of this city with its suburbs follow; and it is added, " And the residue in length, over against the Oblation of the Holy Portion, shall be ten thousand eastward and ten thousand westward, and it shall be over against the Oblation of the Holy Portion; and the increase thereof shall be for food unto them that serve THE CITY. And they that serve THE CITY shall serve it out of all the tribes of Israel." Ezek. xlviii. 15-19. These three compartments, into which

the Holy Oblation is divided, consisting of two of ten thousand reeds each, in breadth, and one of five thousand, all being of equal length, render it in whole a square of fifty miles: "All the Oblation shall be five and twenty thousand by five and twenty thousand; ye shall offer the Holy Oblation four square with the possession of THE CITY." Ezek. xlviii. 20. .

This remarkable allotment offered to the Lord, it is to be observed, is situated nearly in the centre of the different portions of all the tribes of Israel, "between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin," and it is said, "shall be for THE PRINCE." After describing the boundaries of the remaining five tribes of Israel, (the relative situation of which is also different from what they were formerly,) and again adverting to the measurements of this remarkable City, with the number and names of its gates, the prophecy closes by declaring of it, that "The name of THE CITY from that day shall be, THE LORD IS THERE. ""*

SECTION VII.
SECTI

ISRAEL THE MOST HIGHLY HONOURED NATION.

DEGRADED as Israel now is and has long been, when restored they shall be highly esteemed among the natinos, and perpetually enjoy the peculiar favor of God. The promises of this are numerous. And in quoting a few, it will not be necessary, on this head, to prove their reference to future times, this being universally admitted. But, being very generally claimed, like the promises of previous Sections, as the property of the entire Christian Church, we must still endeavour to ascertain their rightful owner.

One of these delightful predictions is given by the prophet Isaiah: "For Zion's sake will I not hold my

*To some other particulars concerning this City we shall have occasion to advert in the 23d Section, on the New Jerusalem.

peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings [or kingdoms] thy glory; and thou shalt be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken, neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate; but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah; for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee." Is. lxii. 1-5. As it is the literal Jerusalem which has been termed "Forsaken," and the literal land of Israel which has been termed "Desolate," so surely it is the literal city and land which will be "no more" so called, when this promise is fulfilled. The distinction between the Gentiles and those apostrophized by the prophet, is besides clearly expressed: "The Gentiles shall see thy righteousness." It is not therefore their own but Jerusalem's righteousness, (as is common in all languages, the place for the people,) which the Gentiles shall see; and accordingly the prophecy proceeds; "I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace, day nor night. (Ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence; and give Him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.) The Lord hath sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast labored: but they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness." ver. 6-9. That it is the literal Jerusalem (the city for the people) that is addressed, is thus more obvious. It is the literal Israel's "corn" that has been meat for their "enemies," and the wine for which they laboured have strangers

66

E

drunk. It will, therefore, be in the literal Israel's better days that this shall "no more" be the case, even when the Lord shall make the now forsaken Jerusalem “a praise in the earth." And accordingly, in the following verse the call is made to "prepare the way" for their restoration: "Prepare ye the way of the people." And when their highway has been "cast up," and when the "stones" which impede them in their journey Zionward, have been removed; and when a "standard" has been elevated, around which they may rally; and when their "Salvation" shall have come, then men "shall call them, The Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord, and, [again apostrophizing Jerusalem,] thou shalt be called, Sought out, [in contrast to her name during the dispersion,] a city not forsaken." ver. 11, 12.

In this bold but beautiful figure of personification the Lord again addresses Zion: "Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee; for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee. Therefore thy gates shall be open continually, they shall not be shut day nor night, that men may bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that their kings may be brought. For the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly was ted.....The sons also of those that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee; and all they that despised thee bow themselves down at the soles of thy feet; and they shall call thee, The City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated; so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver, and for wood brass,

« НазадПродовжити »