THE TREE OF PROMISE THE TREE OF PROMISE The Mosaic Economy a Dispensation of the Covenant of Grace Alexander Stewart Free Presbyterian Publications Free Presbyterian Publications 133 Woodlands Road, Glasgow, G3 6LE. First published 1864 First FPP edition 1999 This edition © Free Presbyterian Publications 1999 ISBN 0 902506 30 7 Printed and typeset by Tentmaker Publications 121 Hartshill Road, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs., ST4 7LU. CONTENTS BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION .................................................. 11 THE MOSAIC DISPENSATION ESTABLISHED AT SINAI .................... 27 PART I THE TABERNACLE, THE PRIESTS, AND THE LEVITES THE TABERNACLE I. The Setting up of the Tabernacle ................................. 33 II. Anointing of the Tabernacle ......................................... 34 III. Contributions for the Service of the Tabernacle ......... 36 IV. The Offering of the Princes .......................................... 40 V. Consecration of the Altar .............................................. 41 VI. God dwelling with Men ................................................. 43 VII. The Incarnation of the Word ........................................ 50 VIII. The First Promise ........................................................... 53 IX. Union of the Human and the Divine ........................... 56 X. The Only-begotten......................................................... 61 XI. The Glory of Christ as the Son of Man ........................ 63 XII. The Glory of Christ seen ............................................... 66 THE PRIESTHOOD I. Consecration of the Priesthood .................................... 72 II. Consecration of the Priesthood (continued) .................. 74 III. Priests’ Entry on Office .................................................. 77 IV. Death of Nadab and Abihu ........................................... 79 V. Laws regulating the Priests ........................................... 83 VI. Duties of the Priests ....................................................... 86 VII. Our Great High Priest ................................................... 89 VIII. Sympathy of Christ ........................................................ 92 IX. Sympathy of Christ (continued) ...................................... 96 X. Intercession of Christ................................................... 102 6 The Tree of Promise THE LEVITES I. Appointment of the Levites ........................................ 109 II. Consecration of the Levites......................................... 111 III. Order and Service of the Levites ................................ 113 IV. Order and Service of the Levites (continued).............. 117 V. The Law entrusted to the Sons of Levi ...................... 120 VI. Maintenance of the Priests and Levites ..................... 122 VII. Tithes ............................................................................ 125 VIII. The Second Tithe ........................................................ 128 REBELLION OF KORAH I. An Attempt to revolutionize the Priesthood .............. 131 II. An Attempt to upset the Government of Moses ........ 135 III. The Plague Stayed ....................................................... 143 IV. The Effect upon the People ........................................ 145 V. Aaron’s Rod Blossoming.............................................. 147 PART II THE ORDINARY AND SPECIAL SACRIFICES ORDINARY SACRIFICES .................................................. 153 THE BURNT-OFFERING I. Characteristics and Ritual of the Burnt-Offering ..... 157 II. The Ritual and its Meaning ........................................ 161 III. Variety in the Ritual, and its Lessons ......................... 166 THE MEAT-OFFERING I. The Rite and its Typical Meaning .............................. 171 II. Its Use as Food for the Priests..................................... 177 THE PEACE-OFFERING I. The Ritual and Accompaniments ............................... 181 II. Import of the Offering ................................................ 187 Contents 7 THE SIN-OFFERING I. A Sacrifice for the Priest and the People.................... 195 II. The Modified Sin-offering .......................................... 199 III. Under the Curse .......................................................... 204 IV. The Curse of the Law .................................................. 209 V. Christ Suffering............................................................ 212 VI. Christ made a Curse .................................................... 216 VII. Christ’s Sufferings ........................................................ 220 VIII. Christ’s Conflict and Victory ....................................... 224 IX. Redemption from the Curse ....................................... 227 X. Obedience unto Death— Holocaust and Sin-offering compared .................. 230 XI. The Poor Man’s Offering ............................................ 232 THE TRESPASS-OFFERING I. The Type and its Fulfilment........................................ 235 II. The ‘Chattath’ and the ‘Asham’ .................................. 236 NATURE OF THE OFFENCES FOR WHICH THESE SACRIFICES WERE APPOINTED .............................................................. 240 EFFECT OF THE ATONEMENT MADE BY THESE MOSAIC SACRIFICES ...................................................................... 243 SPECIAL SACRIFICES LEPROSY AND ISSUES I. Testimony of Moses ..................................................... 247 II. Cleansing of the Leper ................................................ 250 III. Typical Meaning of the Purification of the Leper ..... 254 THE RED HEIFER I. The Ritual .................................................................... 259 II. Cedar, Hyssop, and Scarlet Wool................................ 262 III. Sacrifice of the Heifer ................................................. 266 IV. The Heifer a Type of Christ........................................ 268 8 The Tree of Promise PART III THE STATED SERVICES OF PUBLIC WORSHIP APPOINTMENT OF THE STATED FESTIVALS ............ 277 THE DAILY SACRIFICE I. Ritual of the Daily Sacrifice ........................................ 279 II. Fulfilment of the Type ................................................. 281 THE SABBATH SERVICE I. Ritual of the Sabbath Service ...................................... 285 II. The Rest that remaineth ............................................. 286 THE MONTHLY SACRIFICE ........................................... 291 APPEARANCE THRICE-A-YEAR I. Its Lessons .................................................................... 295 II. Its Purposes .................................................................. 298 III. Its Typical Meaning ..................................................... 301 THE PASSOVER I. Ritual of the Passover .................................................. 305 II. The Passover Discriminative and Commemorative .... 307 III. The Passover a Typical Institution.............................. 308 IV. The Last Passover ........................................................ 311 V. Christ our Passover ...................................................... 316 VI. The Passover a Sacrifice and a Feast .......................... 318 PENTECOST, OR THE FEAST OF WEEKS..................... 321 FEAST OF TRUMPETS I. The Type....................................................................... 325 II. Christ’s Office as a Prophet ......................................... 327 III. Unwillingness to come to Christ................................. 332 Contents 9 THE DAY OF ATONEMENT I. Ritual of the Day of Atonement .................................. 337 II. Character of the Sacrifice ............................................ 338 III. Spirit of the Worshipper .............................................. 341 IV. Further Details of the Ritual ....................................... 342 V. Lesson taught by the Ritual ........................................ 344 VI. Typical Meaning of the Day of Atonement ................ 347 VII. Necessity of the Great Atonement .............................. 348 VIII. The Price of Remission................................................ 352 IX. All Men dead in Adam ................................................ 355 X. Christ made Sin ........................................................... 357 XI. Our Iniquities laid upon Christ .................................. 363 XII. Christ’s Voluntary Sacrifice ......................................... 365 XIII. Redemption through the Blood of Christ .................. 367 THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES ...................................... 371 BIOGRAPHICAL INTRODUCTION ALEXANDER STEWART OF CROMARTY LEXANDER Stewart was born in the Church of Scotland manse at A Moulin, near Pitlochry, on 25 September 1794. He was the son of Dr. Alexander Stewart1 the minister of the parish. Three events were to mould his childhood. The first was his father’s conversion in June 1796, when the Church of England evangelical, Charles Simeon2 , accompanied by James Haldane,3 visited Moulin for two days and stayed in the manse. The minister showed Simeon to his bedroom. There the vicar of Holy Trinity, Cambridge, held a short heart-to-heart conversation with Dr. Stewart that was the means used by the Holy Spirit to bring new life to his soul. The second event that helped to shape Alexander Stewart’s childhood was the revival at Moulin4 that followed his father’s conversion. Dr. Stewart’s preaching became very different — he began to teach