“I WISH you had been with us yesterday, Aunt Edith,” said Charley; "we had such a nice talk with a friend of papa's, who has just come from Syria. He told us ever so many stories about the country and the people. Just think, he met with robbers and with men almost as wild as wild beasts in his journeys along the banks of the Jordan; and he has lived quite a long time in the very places of which we read in the Bible. I do wish you had heard him, for I can never tell you half he said.”
“I am sure I should have enjoyed hearing the stories, Charley; and I should like, too, to have seen your papa's friend, for I have heard of him as one who has suffered many hardships, leaving country, and friends, and home-pleasures and comforts behind, that he might be the means of bringing the word of God, to many who, though they live in Bible lands, are still in darkness and the shadow of death.”
“Then he must be a missionary," said May, "like that friend of yours who told the poor women of Galilee the 'story of Jesus.' You remember, don't you?”
“Yes, May; this gentleman, who was so good to you, is a missionary, and has spent many a long year traveling about the most unfrequented parts of Palestine and Egypt, sometimes speaking the Name which is above every name to ears which had never heard it, leaving here and there in lonely places an Arabic gospel, or a little book which should tell, when he was far away, the story of Jesus and His love; quietly, day by day, bearing poverty, and loneliness, and toil for the sake of Him who said, ‘If any man serve Me, let him follow Me; and where I am there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will My Father honor.’ I believe this servant of Christ has suffered many things in His service, but we need not be sorry for him; no one ever yet was unhappy while suffering for Christ's sake.”
“I am glad to think of that, Auntie," said May; "but I did not know this missionary had suffered such hardships and dangers; he only told us of pleasant things, of the blue sky without a cloud, and of the lovely flowers, and how he had bathed in the Dead Sea and in the River Jordan.”
“Oh, and he showed us beautiful pictures, too, which he had drawn—pictures of Bethlehem and Nazareth, and of the Mount of Olives," said Charley.
“I liked best of all that one where some Jews were crying over the stones of their Temple; a few stones—such large ones they looked in the picture—are built into an old wall, and there the poor Jews stood, pressing their faces close to them, and praying that God would soon build their city and temple again.”
“And Jerusalem will be a beautiful happy city one day—‘the joy of the whole earth,’ papa said—and then God's temple will be there," said Charley. "But, Aunt Edith," he added, thoughtfully, "a great deal was said about this which I did not understand, and I could not ask questions just then. Papa said it pleased God to dwell with men, and he spoke of God having chosen a place on this earth to dwell in, and of how wonderful it was to think of such a thing. I thought when he spoke of ‘the sanctuary of God’ he must mean the temple, but May says he was speaking of the tabernacle. You know we saw a model of it not long ago.”
“I should like to make this, if I can, plainer to you, Charley. A little while ago, you remember, we were speaking of houses; now we will have a little talk about the place in which God was pleased to dwell in the midst of His people.”
“Where shall we begin?" said Charley; "I suppose I had better find about King Solomon's reign, for he built the temple?”
“You are right; Charley, the Temple was indeed that ‘exceeding magnifical’ house which God allowed Solomon to build for Him. But just now I want you to go farther back in the history of God's ancient people, that we may see where the wonderful fact of His being pleased to dwell in the midst of His redeemed ones is first recorded. You remember, do you not, that when the Israelites stood upon the shore of the Red Sea, in their first joy and thankfulness for the great deliverance God had wrought for them, they sang a song of triumph and victory?”
“Oh, yes, Aunt Edith, I know where that song is—in the fifteenth of Exodus;" and Charley found the place and read the first two verses: "I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and He is become my salvation: He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt Him.”
“Now will you, May," said her aunt, "find the last chapter but one in the Bible, and read the third verse?”
“Here it is, Auntie," said May; and she read the beautiful words written by the aged apostle John in the Isle of Patmos: “'I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.'”
“I asked you to read these verses, dear children," said their aunt, "that you might see that as soon as God had a redeemed people upon this earth, He put into their hearts the desire to prepare a dwellingplace, that they might have their God ever with them, and then graciously answered the desire He had Himself given, by saying to Moses, 'Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them'; and that, at the very end of God's book, there is the same thought still, for there we read, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men.'”
“I remember, when I was learning the eighth chapter of Proverbs to say to you, Aunt Edith, you told me that it is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who says there, 'My delights were with the sons of men.'”
“I am glad you remember so well, Charley; by-and-bye I hope you will be able to trace all through the book of God the thought, wonderful beyond all our comprehension, of His being pleased to make Himself known, not only as a God of power, but as a God of love,—even taking up His abode with His redeemed people in the wilderness, where the bright cloud which rested upon the tabernacle gave token of His presence amongst them.”
“But you do not mean that God first came to dwell on earth when the tabernacle was set up, do you?" asked May. "There was something like that said at the lecture we heard, but I thought God dwelt with Adam and Eve long ago, before they had sinned?”
“It is true that Adam and Eve in Eden heard the voice of God walking in the garden, but then God could not dwell with His creatures, who, because of their sin, became afraid of Him, and hid from Him. Abraham was called the friend of God, but it was not to Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob that God spoke of making Him a sanctuary that He might dwell among them, but to those people whom He had rescued from the cruel bondage of Egypt—those people upon whose doors the blood of the paschal lamb had been sprinkled, who were emphatically called 'the redeemed of Jehovah.'”
“I know that when the Israelites had killed those lambs, and put the blood outside their houses, they were perfectly safe, and, although the destroying angel was going all through the land of Egypt smiting the first-born in every house, they were saved from death by the blood of the passover lambs. But is that why you call them a ‘redeemed people’?”
“They were a blood-bought people, Charley, belonging to God, His own redeemed possession. God had said, ‘When I see the blood, I will pass over you.’ We know from the New Testament, which so wonderfully explains to us what is taught in types and figures in the Old, that the blood of a lamb could not really avail to take away sin, but that all the sacrifices, from the first lamb which Abel offered to God, pointed to the ‘Lamb without blemish and without spot,’ who ‘was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world,’ the Lamb of God whose blood cleanseth from all sin. You know why Abel brought a lamb as his offering to God, do you not, May?”
“It was because Abel believed what God had told him.”
“Yes, we are told in that chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews which speaks of so many who believed God, that it was by faith that Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain; and that God had respect unto Abel and to his offering.”
“Cain did not bring anything to die instead of himself, so his sacrifice could not be accepted," said Charley. "It was a long time before I understood about the Passover," he added, "and why the people had to put the blood of the lamb outside their houses; but now I know that the blood on the doors showed that a Life had been given instead of the lives of the people inside; a lamb sacrificed for them so that their lives should not be taken.”
“If you understand that it was only because of the sacrifice of the lamb, accepted by God in his stead, that any Israelite could be saved from the destruction which was all around, you will see plainly that it was because they were His redeemed people that God said, ‘I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.’"
“I suppose when the Israelites saw the cloud on the tabernacle they knew that God had accepted the sacrifices which they had offered, for you said the cloud was the sign of His presence with them.”
“Yes, Charley; that beautiful shekinah, or glory-cloud, which rested on the tabernacle, and afterward filled the house which Solomon had built, was the sign of the presence of God among His people until the sad day came when the glory departed, driven away by the sin of the chosen nation, as we read in the prophecy of Ezekiel.”
“Then did the beautiful cloud never come back?”
“The glory-cloud did shine again upon this earth, May, but there were few who saw it, or knew that the blessed Babe who was born in Bethlehem, whose coming was announced by the heavenly host in the words, ‘on earth, peace, goodwill toward men,’ was the One in whom every type and shadow was fulfilled, Emmanuel, God with us. I think you can repeat a verse from the first chapter of St. John's Gospel which speaks of this.”
“I cannot remember any," said May, "though I know when some of the disciples were with Jesus on the mountain, when He was transfigured, and Moses and Elias were talking with Him, a bright cloud overshadowed them;—that must have been the glory-cloud.”
“Is this the verse, Aunt Edith?" said Charley—"'The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us; and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.'”
“That is the very verse I was thinking of, Charley. It is interesting to remember that the word translated ‘dwelt’ contains the idea of taking up one's abode, as in a tent.”
“Oh, I see what you mean, Aunt Edith. And now, will you tell us a little about the tabernacle being set up, and of the time when the children of Israel were going through the wilderness?”
“I should like that, too," said May, "for you know, Auntie, we heard at the lecture all about the way in which the tabernacle was made, and we saw a beautiful little model of it, and of all the golden things which were inside. There was the court all round, and the brazen altar, and the layer, and the most holy place where the ark used to be; and we were even allowed to come quite close and see where the sacrifices were offered, and look at the tablets of stone which were inside the ark, and feel the coverings of skin and goats' hair and the beautiful embroidered veil; and we were told the meaning of all these things so plainly that we could not help understanding. Do you think the Israelites understood the meaning of the tabernacle, and the altar, and the ark, and the candlestick?”
“We cannot tell how much they understood. Many things are plain to us, now that the clear light of the New Testament shines upon the Old, which must have been dark and mysterious to them. Still I think the sight of the tabernacle, where the glory of Jehovah was seen to enter and abide, and where the cloud by day and the fire by night gave token of the presence of God ever with them—the God who guided them through the desert, the God who gave them bread from heaven, the God who 'clave the rock and the waters gushed out,' running in dry places like a river—must have spoken wonderful things, even to the heart of a child, concerning the loving kindness of Jehovah, and the rest and security of being thus cared for by Him.”
“I should think the children must have been afraid to do an unkind thing or say a naughty word, when they could see by the cloud by day and the fire by night that God was so near.”
“I am sure, dear children, the thought that everything we do and say is said and done in the presence of the Holy Lord God should be enough to keep us, as well as those who actually saw the sign of His presence, ‘in the fear of the Lord all the day long.’ Surely there was much that even the youngest child could learn from the fact that Jehovah had thus taken up His abode in the midst of His people; but no child of those days could understand that the skin-covered tent over which the cloud brooded, the beautiful embroidered veil, the holy vessels, all spoke of the perfection and beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ, just as clearly as the never-ceasing sacrifices told of Him who was to offer Himself without spot to God, and having offered one sacrifice for sins, forever sit down at His right hand.”
“I was thinking how much I should have liked to have lived long ago and seen the real tabernacle, and the real curtain, and all the beautiful things," said May; "but it is better to understand what they meant, even if we can only see little models of them, because they were only types, and their meaning was much more beautiful than they were.”
“It is well for us to read of these types and shadows," replied her aunt, "and to take heed to all which those who have been taught by God may have to say to us about them; but we must not be too ready to think we understand their meaning. In the Epistle to the Hebrews the tabernacle and all its ‘furniture’ is spoken of, and we are told that all those things were 'patterns of things in the heavens.' It has been well said that God, Who gave the patterns, alone can teach any of us the deep meaning which lay hidden in them.”
“I suppose," said Charley, "the Israelites must have quite understood all about the sacrifices, for they could remember how they were saved from the destroying angel, which killed the first-born of the Egyptians, because they had the blood of the passover lambs upon their doors.”
“But still it is much better for us, is it not, Auntie?" said May; "for we know that Jesus, the Lamb of God, has died, and that He has finished His work forever. Last night we heard a sermon on the text which says, 'Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, but with the precious blood of Christ;' and the preacher said that, although so many goats, and lambs, and bulls had been sacrificed in old times, God never told us about ‘precious blood’ till His own Son had given Himself for our sins.”
“The tenth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews shows in very clear contrast the great difference between those sacrifices in which there was a ‘remembrance again of sins every year,’ and the one offering by which Christ has 'perfected forever them that are sanctified.' Yes, May, we may well say that God provided 'some better thing' for us; it has been said that 'better' is the motto to this epistle which brings into such strong contrast the shadows of heavenly things and the heavenly things themselves.”
“I don't wonder, since the tabernacle and the beautiful things for the service of God meant so much, that God not only gave Moses the patterns, but chose the workmen to make them," said Charley, thoughtfully.
“No man, however gifted, could be a judge of what was fitting for the house of God. To Moses it was said of these sacred things, 'Look that thou make them after their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount'; and though Bezaleel and Aholiab may have been cunning workmen, yet for this work it was necessary that they should be filled with wisdom and understanding, that they might ‘know how to work all manner of work for the sanctuary.’”
“I suppose God taught the women too, who were wise hearted, to spin the beautiful colors for the curtains, and to work the veil with ‘cunning work’ of cherubims.”
“Yes, May, there was no part of the work left for anyone to do ‘out of his own head,’ as you say sometimes; all was under the direction and guidance of God; and so when the work was finished and the tabernacle reared, we read that 'the glory of Jehovah filled it.' God thus marked the tent in the wilderness as His habitation, and the pillar of cloud which rested there was, as you know, not only the token of His presence with His people, but also their guide during all their desert journeys. The moment the cloud was lifted up from the tabernacle, the silver trumpets sounded and the whole camp began to move; while Moses said, ‘Rise up, Jehovah, and let Thine enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee.' Whenever the cloud rested the whole camp rested, and Moses prayed, ‘Return, O Jehovah, unto the many thousands of Israel.’ You will find an account of their departing from Mount Sinai, Charley, in the tenth of Numbers.”
“I suppose there were a great many people?”
“We read of their being counted in the earlier part of the book; it is believed there were more than two millions.”
“What a great army! It must almost have been like the army of Xerxes. Do you know, May, my history book says there were regular store-houses of food provided for those soldiers all along their march, and that when they came to a river they sometimes drank it dry.”
“And yet God fed His great army in the wilderness, day by day, giving them manna for their hunger and water for their thirst, in that dry and thirsty land where no water was to be found," said Aunt Edith.
“Of course the wilderness was a very dry place, nothing but sand everywhere.”
“I used to think, like you, May, of the wilderness where there was no way, as a sandy waste; but those who have been there, do not speak so much of the sand as of the great rocks. One traveler says:—‘The rocks were the most diversified I ever saw. I noted them upon the spot as being black, green, crimson, lilac, maroon, yellow, golden, and white; and their form was that of a whole host of cones.’ Then, as he went on, up a steep, narrow pathway among there barren rocks, he says he could not help thinking ‘What a place this was for the Hebrew mothers and their babes! They who had lived on the banks of the never-failing Nile and drunk their fill of its sweet waters, must have been aghast at the aspect of a scene like this, where the eye, wandering as it will, can see nothing but bright and solemn rocks.’”
“What a place to be in! They could never have found their way if God had not led them," said May.
“I want to ask you one more question, Aunt Edith; can you tell how large the camp looked when the people were all resting in their tents, and whether they all kept close together or were just scattered about?”
“I am glad you thought of that, Charley; the circumference of the camp is believed to have been more than twelve miles: whether on the march or at rest all was arranged in the most perfect order. When at rest, the tabernacle was guarded by the twelve tribes, which were divided into four camps, each containing three tribes, and altogether forming a perfect square, each side showing its own standard. The families of the Levites were encamped directly around the court, the Gershonites having the charge of the framework and curtains of the tabernacle, the Kohathites having care of the ark, the table, the candlestick, the altars, all the vessels of the sanctuary and all the service thereof, and the Merarites having charge of the boards, bars, sockets, and pillars of the tabernacle and of the court. The Eastern side, the entrance whereby God was approached, was guarded by Moses and Aaron and the priests.”
“Then the tribe of Levi was not counted with the other tribes?”
“That tribe was numbered separately, being set apart for the service of God; but there were still twelve tribes, for the tribe of Joseph was divided, and formed the two tribes, Ephraim and Manasseh. The tabernacle was the center around which all the tribes were ranged, for God, who had promised to dwell with His people, was pleased thus to gather them around Himself.”
“I am sure," said May, "the people must have been glad to hear the sound of the silver trumpets, and to know that they might begin to march on to the land which God had promised them.”
“They had been encamped for more than a year near Mount Sinai, and no doubt it was a moment of glad expectation for them when the cloud was taken up from off the tabernacle, and they first took their journey according to the commandment of the Lord. We can fancy how much they must have looked forward to that good land, and how glad they must have felt to know that they had really left Egypt, where they had suffered such hard slavery, behind forever.”
“Did they march in the same order-the tabernacle in the middle and the tribes, with their standards, around it?" asked Charley.
“No, the order was a little changed; the tabernacle, with its curtains, was carried after the first three tribes-Judah, Issachar, and Zebulon; and the ark was carried first of all, for God Himself would lead His people along their unknown way, and would seek out a resting-place for them.”
“Can people now travel by the very same way?”
“No, May; it has been found impossible to track the Israelites along the journey, for the old names of places are lost, and we cannot really be sure of their route till they reached Kadesh-barnea, which you can find on the map.”
“Here it is," said Charley, close to the land of Edom. I remember, it was from that place the spies were sent.”
“Of the position of even Kadesh-barnea we cannot now be quite certain, but it is a memorable name in the history of the Israelites from this place, so near the borders of the promised land, they had to turn back again to wander for forty years in the dreary, monotonous desert, until of all those who had sung the song of triumph on the shores of the Red Sea, none should be left except the faithful spies, Joshua and Caleb. Such was the terrible punishment of those who, in their unbelieving fear, reproached God.”
“How sad it must have been to hear the people crying all night, after they had heard about the giants in the land of Canaan, and wishing they had died in Egypt, or in the wilderness," said May.
“And then they wanted to make a captain, that he might lead them back to Egypt," said Charley. "I can't help being sorry," he continued, thoughtfully, "that they ever sent the spies at all.”
“But God told them to send them—so it was right, wasn't it, Aunt Edith?”
“It would have been right, May, if God had given them the command; but we find in the first chapter of Deuteronomy, where Moses reminds the people of the great facts in their history, he tells them that it was at their own suggestion that the spies were sent, though Moses himself approved of it. It must indeed, have been a wonderful scene: the despairing, angry people reproaching their God, Moses and Aaron on their faces, while Joshua and Caleb, with their clothes rent in token of grief, pleaded with them, saying, It is an exceeding good land; if Jehovah delight in us, then He will bring us in and give it us. Rebel not against Jehovah, neither fear ye the people of the land, for they are bread for us; their defense is departed from them, and Jehovah is with us; fear them not.' Then, when they were about, in their blind fury, to stone Joshua and Caleb, suddenly the glory of Jehovah appeared in the tabernacle.”
“How little they thought that God had heard all they said, and that they were really going to die in the wilderness," said May. "But, Aunt Edith, did the tabernacle go back into the wilderness with them?”
“Yes; God did not forsake His rebellious people, and the ark, the sign of His presence among them, was with them in all their wanderings during those thirty-eight years of which we know little, except that it was a time when God was teaching them, even by these sad wanderings. It has been thought that the Book of Job was written by Moses during the years in the desert. The Israelites came back to Kadesh at last, the very place from whence they had started, but only the children of those who had displeased God returned; all the generation that had done evil in the sight of Jehovah was consumed.”
“I know they must have brought the tabernacle back with them, Aunt Edith," said Charley, "because, you know, the ark went over Jordan, and was carried round and round the city of Jericho.”
“I remember you read to me about the ark being carried by the priests into the midst of the river Jordan," said May, "and of how it stayed there until all the people had passed over, and was a type of the Lord Jesus going down into the river of death and destroying all its power, and making it life for those that trust Him.”
“You remember very well, May. I think, Charley, you can tell us why the ark was carried round and round Jericho?”
“It must have been as the sign of the presence of God, I suppose. I have often thought how the people inside their strong walls must have watched the procession, and wondered at the army marching past, all silent, and at the ark carried by the seven priests blowing their trumpets of rams' horns. Just imagine all this going on, day after day, for six days: then, on the seventh, the seven marches round, and then the tremendous shout as the walls fell crashing down. But, Aunt Edith, I don't remember what became of the tabernacle after the people came to the Land of Promise.”
It is believed that it remained at Gilgal during Joshua's wars but was removed to Shiloh, and there kept from the last days of Joshua to the time of Samuel. I will write down one or two references about this for you, and you can look at them by-and-bye."And their aunt gave Charley a slip of paper, on which she had written," Josh. 18:1010And Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord: and there Joshua divided the land unto the children of Israel according to their divisions. (Joshua 18:10); Judg. 18:31, 21:19; 1 Sam. 4:33And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. (1 Samuel 4:3).”
“Thank you," said he; "I like sometimes to find out things for myself; I remember them so much better. Are there any ruins at Gilgal now? It must have been such an interesting place to the Jews—the place where they first slept after crossing the Jordan.”
“And it was at Gilgal they set up those twelve stones which were taken from the dry bed of the river," said May.
“It is interesting, too, as being the place where the first Passover in the land of Canaan was kept," said their aunt. "But there are no remains of a town there, Charley; indeed, modern travelers have not been able to decide where Gilgal was, and can only suppose it must have been situated upon a rising ground not far from Jericho. I had no idea," she continued, looking at her watch, “that it was so late; we must have had a much longer talk than usual. And now we must all say good-night, for it is so long past May's bed-time that yours has come, Charley.”