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Very soon after Aaron and his
sons had been consecrated, they began their holy work. God's
ministers and people must not be idle; all have something to do for God,
and it should be begun directly. The work of the priests was to
offer the sacrifices, and attend to the holy services of God in the
tabernacle. The sacrifice of a lamb was offered every morning and
every evening. This teaches us, that we need to have our sins washed
away every day we live; when we rise in the morning, and when we go to bed
at night, we ought to pray for grace and pardon, and for every blessing
which we want. We should thank God for all He has given us, and ask
Him still to give us that which He sees right we should have. This
was what the Israelites were taught to do; and if they prayed in faith,
God heard their prayer, and gave them His blessings. On
the Sabbath day, two more lambs were offered, besides the morning and
evening sacrifices. We should love to worship God every day; but we
should pray to Him, and think about Him, more on Sunday than on other
days. The Sabbath is a day of holy rest; it belongs to God, and it
must all be spent in His service. The Israelites were not allowed to
do any work on God's holy day; and we should try to be like them, and be
very thankful that God has given us a Sabbath, on which we may learn to
know and serve Him better. In
the beginning of every month, more sacrifices were to be offered; two
bullocks, one ram, seven lambs, and a kid. Besides all these
sacrifices, there were holy days and feasts, which God commanded to be
kept. There were three
feasts in the year, when God commanded all the men of Israel to appear
before Him. First, the feast of the Passover, in remembrance
of the angel passing over the houses of the Israelites, when he destroyed
the first-born of Egypt. They were to take a lamb, and eat it as
they did in Egypt; and to offer sacrifices, and to keep seven days holy to
the Lord. This feast was in the spring of the year. The
paschal lamb was a type of Jesus Christ slain for our sins, to save our
souls from destruction. Second,
The Feast of weeks, or Pentecost, fifty days after the Passover.
This feast was in the summer, when the corn was reaped; and the people
were then to give some of their fruits, as a thank-offering to the
Lord. It is God who gives us all our blessings, and we must thank
and praise Him for them. The Israelites in the feast of weeks, were
to remember that solemn time when God gave them the law from Sinai, fifty
days after they went from Egypt. It was on the feast of Pentecost,
that the disciples of Jesus, many years after, met at Jerusalem, when the
Holy Ghost came upon tem, and gave them power to speak different
languages. Third, In
the autumn, the Israelites were commanded to keep another holy time.
The feast began by the blowing of trumpets, to call the people to
attend. A few days after, was the great day of Atonement. Then
they were to remember their sins, and repent, and be sorry for them.
No work might be done; and sacrifices were to be offered, bulls, and
goats, and lambs, to teach the people that their sins must be washed away
in the blood of the Great Sacrifice, to whom they must, in faith, look for
salvation. And there are days when we should remember our sins, and
pray for forgiveness too. Every day we ought to do so, but some days
more particularly. The beginning of the year, and our own birthdays,
are very solemn times; when we should remember our past sins, and pray
earnestly to God to wash them all away in the blood of Jesus, and to give
us grace to love and serve Him better for the future. Five
days after the day of Atonement, God commanded the Israelites to keep the
feast of Tabernacles. This was a time of joy for seven days.
The Israelites were to gather branches from the trees, palm trees, and
willow trees, and to make booths to live in, seven days. The women
and children staid at their own houses; but the men dwelt in the booths,
praising and thanking God, till the seven days were ended; and then they
went home again to their families. The booths were not their homes;
they lived in them only a short time. The Israelites were taught by
this to remember the time when they lived in tents in the wilderness; and
to thank God, in their pleasant houses in Canaan, for having brought them
safely home. The home of God's people is above, in the Heavenly
Canaan; there they will live for ever, and go out no more into a world of
pain, and sin, and sorrow.
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