God had now redeemed Israel from Egypt. They were delivered from the power of Pharaoh, separated from Egypt by the waters of the Red Sea, and more — they had seen the ark pass into the depths of Jordan; they had followed through that type of death into the land. They had been circumcised; the reproach of Egypt had been rolled away; they had kept the passover in the land and had known some fighting, failure and victory. And now “the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there.”
Before we examine the first lesson of Shiloh, let us ask, How far have we traveled this journey? Can we remember in the days of our wretched slavery to Satan that we had no power or means of escape? Did God, in His deep compassion for us, send His Son to redeem us by His own blood? Have we eternal redemption through His blood? Have we known real deliverance from sin and Satan? Have we been separated from the world, Satan’s world, by the death of Christ, as Israel was separated from Egypt? Have we had wilderness experience and before learned that in us, that is, in our flesh, there is no good? And, further, have we died to it all with Christ and in Him entered the land? If dead with Him and risen with Him, that is the end of wilderness trial of the flesh, of self, under law.
Have we, as dead and risen, been circumcised — that separation unto God, as a sign of that righteousness we had in Him when He called us, as ungodly, Egypt’s reproach being rolled, away? And have we kept our passover, entering with boldness into His presence by the blood of the Lamb? Do we know anything of fightings, failures and victories?
Yes, Israel had now traveled as far as Shiloh. It is well to ask ourselves, Have we reached that point? Can we trace the hand of our God thus far with us? If so, let us ask, What is Shiloh? and what are its lessons to us? The first lesson we have is this: “And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there.”
Shiloh was the place where the Lord set up His name in the land at first (Jer. 7:1212But go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel. (Jeremiah 7:12)) — the tabernacle, His dwelling-place in the midst of Israel. Shiloh, the place where the Lord dwelt, was the very center of all Israel. Is not Shiloh, then the gathering of the whole assembly of Israel together, a striking type of the church, or assembly, of God? There was one assembly of Israel, and the Lord was in the midst. On the day of Pentecost, the one assembly of God was formed by the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven. There are, however, many points of contrast between the type and the antitype. Israel’s redemption was temporal and earthly; the redemption of the church is heavenly — for heaven and eternal. The Lord was in the midst of Israel, but the veil shut them out of His presence. When Jesus bowed His head in death for us, the veil was rent from top to bottom, the way into God’s presence forever opened. The calling of Israel was earthly; the calling of the church is heavenly. How much is involved in this! A great work had been accomplished for Israel, and they were now in the land; they had crossed the Jordan, and they had come to Shiloh, the place of gathering to the Lord. What a work had been accomplished for the church, when the first great gathering together took place and the assembly was formed! In one case, all Israel was together; in the other, “all that believed were together” (Acts 2:42-4742And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. 44And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. 46And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. (Acts 2:42‑47)). “And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart” (Acts 4:32-3732And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 34Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 35And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. 36And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 37Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. (Acts 4:32‑37)). With Israel, “the land was subdued before them.” And with the assembly, the church, what mighty power there was in those first apostolic days! Converts then, by the power of the Holy Spirit, numbered in the thousands.
Now, though Israel had passed the Jordan and was in the very center of the land, yet it was a well-known fact that seven tribes had not yet received their inheritance. Is not this also the case with the assembly, the church, to this day? The church, in the person of its Head, is in possession of the glory, yet how many dear Christians there are who have not received the inheritance!
Have we really laid hold of this truth that all believers are reckoned as having crossed the Jordan, dead with Christ and risen in (with) Him, partakers with Him of the eternal inheritance, joint-heirs with Christ? No doubt we cannot understand this or enjoy it, though in the heavenly position, and we cannot possess it unless we have reached our Shiloh -what God began to do at Pentecost. It is important to know what point we have reached in our own souls. How many have passed through deep distress of soul as to sin and its bondage, like Israel in Egypt! They have just reached the blood of the Lamb, having found there is no other shelter from judgment. And, through the mercy of God, they have taken shelter, though in the dark, beneath the blood-sprinkled dwelling in Egypt. There they remain in that house; truly they are safe but have never known in power what deliverance from Egypt is. Redemption, in full eternal deliverance, they have never yet known. Such souls can have no light, in that state, as to what Shiloh or Pentecost mean.
Others may have traveled a step further. They may see distinctly they were slaves of sin and Satan and, as such, may have learned how they found shelter by the blood of the Lamb and more — deliverance: Yes, they have been separated from Satan’s kingdom and power through the death of Christ. But they have not yet learned the surpassing grace of Ephesians 2, Colossians 2 and Colossians 3:1-41If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1‑4). Have you passed through Jordan with the true Ark, which is Christ?
This will introduce you to God’s thoughts of His assembly now on earth and what He expects from it. “And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the Lord God of your fathers hath given you?” God had given them that goodly land, but they had not taken possession. He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies in Christ. How long have we been slack to go to possess our heavenly inheritance?
Shiloh, then, was not only the true ground of worship -there Jehovah dwelt amidst the people — but it was also the center of all operations and conquests. From thence three men from each tribe were to go forth and mark out the land that remained. “And they shall divide it into seven parts.” “Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the Lord our God.” They were solemnly charged to bring the description there to Shiloh before the Lord. And they did so “and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh.” Thus they went forth from Shiloh, and they “divided for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation” (Josh. 18:1, 8-10; 19:511And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them. (Joshua 18:1)
8And the men arose, and went away: and Joshua charged them that went to describe the land, saying, Go and walk through the land, and describe it, and come again to me, that I may here cast lots for you before the Lord in Shiloh. 9And the men went and passed through the land, and described it by cities into seven parts in a book, and came again to Joshua to the host at Shiloh. 10And 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 18:8‑10)
51These are the inheritances, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, divided for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. So they made an end of dividing the country. (Joshua 19:51)).
Here, then, we have two important principles: The tabernacle being set up at Shiloh as the dwelling-place of God, it becomes the center of gathering for worship, and also it is the center from which all operations have their source. It was so with the assembly once set up at Pentecost; it became the dwelling-place of God (Eph. 2:19-2219Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 20And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:19‑22)). “In whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.” All believers were gathered together, were builded together, and from this center, even from the Lord by the Spirit, all service had its spring and power. (See Acts 13:1-41Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. 4So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. (Acts 13:1‑4).)
The land was divided at Shiloh, and all cases for judgment were brought there before the Lord. It was there the fathers of the Levites came to Joshua and unto the heads of the tribes, and there they spake unto them (Josh. 21:1-31Then came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites unto Eleazar the priest, and unto Joshua the son of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel; 2And they spake unto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, The Lord commanded by the hand of Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with the suburbs thereof for our cattle. 3And the children of Israel gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, at the commandment of the Lord, these cities and their suburbs. (Joshua 21:1‑3)). Was not this also, in like manner, in the beginning of the church? (See Acts 4:32-3732And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 34Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 35And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. 36And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 37Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet. (Acts 4:32‑37).) The Holy Spirit had come down from heaven, had formed the assembly, and had united it to Christ in heaven had come to dwell and abide in the midst of the one church. The new Shiloh was set up in the wilderness of this world — the church, the dwelling-place of God the Holy Spirit. Oh, if our hearts realized this, would it not be enough to settle any and every question brought before Him?
We shall now find that Shiloh was not only a striking picture of the assembly, as Shiloh was first set up in the land, after the full accomplishment of redemption, but also of its subsequent history. Those are very significant words at the end of the book of Joshua: “And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the Lord, that He had done for Israel.” This closes the history of the Acts of the Apostles. While the apostles and the elders who had seen the works of the Holy Spirit lived and also those elders who outlived the apostles, the assembly served the Lord and waited with joyful expectation for His return.
We now turn over the leaf to the book of Judges, and what a picture of the failures of the church! Who that knows anything of history can question the rapid increase of evil in the professing church? Let us not forget that all through the book of Judges, the tabernacle remained at Shiloh. And, in like manner, all through the dark history of Christendom, the Holy Spirit has remained in it, however grieved. When Joshua and all that generation were gathered unto their fathers, “there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which He had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim: And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about” (Judg. 2:8-128And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old. 9And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. 10And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. 11And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim: 12And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. (Judges 2:8‑12)). Is not this a sad picture of the church, as seen in its responsibility on earth? How soon it linked itself with the idolatry of the nations of the earth. The presence of the Holy Spirit was soon practically set aside — yes, complete redemption was almost forgotten. Where is it to be found in the so-called fathers of the church?
How little is said about the tabernacle at Shiloh during the days of the judges! Yet it was surely there. It is not until Judg. 18 that it is even named. “And they set them up Micah’s graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh” (Judg. 18:3131And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. (Judges 18:31)). Have there been no graven images set up in the so-called church? Yet the Holy Spirit is still here. Again, we find a man going up to the house of the Lord. (See Judg. 19:1818And he said unto him, We are passing from Bethlehem-judah toward the side of mount Ephraim; from thence am I: and I went to Bethlehem-judah, but I am now going to the house of the Lord; and there is no man that receiveth me to house. (Judges 19:18).) And what scenes of cruelty and fearful wickedness did he witness! This aroused all Israel, and they gathered together and came unto the house of the Lord and wept and sat there before the Lord and fasted. (See Judg. 20:23-2723(And the children of Israel went up and wept before the Lord until even, and asked counsel of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother? And the Lord said, Go up against him.) 24And the children of Israel came near against the children of Benjamin the second day. 25And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword. 26Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the Lord, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 27And the children of Israel inquired of the Lord, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, (Judges 20:23‑27).) What terrible destruction fell on Benjamin that day! This ended in leaving Benjamin without wives. And again Shiloh comes before us — yes, its locality needed to be accurately described. “Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of the Lord in Shiloh yearly in a place which is on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goeth up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah.” And it was as the daughters of Shiloh came out of the city to dance, every man caught his wife, to go to the land of Benjamin.
Thus, in the book of Judges, we see the sad downward failure of Israel, with times of revival and deliverance, from time to time, as God raised up deliverers, but the very locality of the tabernacle at Shiloh had to be pointed out. Very, very little is said or known, apparently, about the presence of Jehovah and the place where He recorded His name Is it not equally so in what is called church history, after the first century? Failure, departure and worldliness crept in, but the true church of God, as seen in the Acts and the epistles, was scarcely named — scarcely known. Yes, the heavenly calling and principles of the church were so effaced from men’s minds that, even in this day, not a few lie in wait and steal them, as the sons of Benjamin stole the daughters of Shiloh. Yes, how many steal precious truths, not to remain at Shiloh, the gathering together unto Him, but to take and trade with them in the land of Benjamin! Yes, the books of Joshua and Judges read like a prophetic sketch of the church, as seen in its history on earth.
Before we proceed to that deeply interesting and solemn warning of our subject — Shiloh — as found in 1 Samuel, let us ask, beloved brethren in Christ everywhere, are we not slack, in every sense, in possessing the land? The whole period of the history of Christendom, before its final apostasy, and perhaps into it, is also divided into seven divisions, or epochs, of its history (Rev. 2-3). But even at this time, how many towns and villages are there where the Lord’s people have not got possession of the heavenly inheritance! Are we not slack to go up to help them? Yes, souls need help all along the way from the darkness of Egypt to Shiloh. Yes, do we not all need to arise and take possession? If we are at Shiloh, God’s center, still let us remember we are in the midst of enemies, far more subtle than the children of Canaan. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:1212For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12)).