to the being of God in Himself. The character of God and the relation of man to God is made known through action.
The essential element of belief in one God is brought out in the history of Abraham. It lies in personal trust in Him, and not in thought about Him.
So again Moses enforces the belief in one God not as a new truth, but as the inspiration and support of personal and social duty.
Conduct, character, is the one end of the Mosaic system. The heathenthe Canaanite nations speciallyare punished not for false belief but for vile actions: Deut. 12:31; Lev. 18:24 ff.
The fact of monotheistic belief is recognised in others (cf. Gen. 20:2 f.); and if God took Israel for His peculiar people, it was not as a national God (of limited sovereignty), but as the God of the whole earth: Ex. 19:4 ff.; Deut. 10:14 f.
The legislation of Israel has then this moral purpose. God moves among His people to guide them to their end. So it came to pass that the religious development of the Jews was against their nature; while the religious development of the Gentiles was an expression of their nature.
In the fulfilment of this discipline God manifested Himself to the people in different ways, by prophets, kings, priests.
The prophet spoke in the name of God: the king became the representative of the divine action: the priest expressed the idea of the fellowship of God and man.
The work of the priesthood was specially directed to the thoughts of sin: consecration: holiness.
ii.
Organization of the Jewish priesthood.
We notice stages in the organization of the priesthood.
(1) The whole people: Ex. 19:6. See also Num. 16:3 (Korah: sons of Reuben): Ex. 30:11-16 (atonement for each). Compare Apoc. 1:6; 5:10; 20:6; 1 Pet. 2:5, 9.
(2) Then Levi. ( a ) Representatives: Num. 3:9, 12 ( instead of all the firstborn ): ambiguity of the term. Comp. Deut. 10:8.
(
b
) Their consecration: Num. 8:5 ff.
Notice ( a ) sprinkling (contrast Lev. 8:6 of priests); cleansing (comp. Lev. 14:8 of the leper; Deut. 21:12 of woman captive).
( b ) sacrifices: bullock for burntoffering (comp. Lev. 1:3); for sin-offering (comp. Lev. 4:3, 14).
( g ) their dedication to God: children of Israel lay their hands upon them (comp. Lev. 1:4).
( d ) their resignation by God to the priest's service, as waved before the Lord (of a gift resigned by God to priests): comp. Num. 18:6 f.
( e ) offering of victims: the Levites laying hands upon them.
(3) The separation of Aaron and his sons. Their consecration: Lev. 8; Exod. 29.
( a ) Washing. Comp. Ex. 40:12; Lev. 16:4; and contrast Ex. 30:19 f.; 40:31 f.