The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 32 – Section 34
SECT. XXXII.
THe day following Nadab and Abihu, the two eldeſt Sons of Aaron (who went up with their Father to the Mount, and had there ſeen the Glory of God, Exod. 24.1, 9, 10.) having undoubtedly been inſtructed by Moſes, that when they went to burn Incenſe in the Tabernacle, they ſhould make uſe only of fire taken from the Altar of Burnt-Offering, which had been kindled by Fire from Heaven,(n)The Devil is Gods Ape, and accordingly He imitated God in his Preſcriptions concerning the continual burning of the Fire upon the Altar, and that in divers places among the Heathens, as among the Perſians, who made a God of it, and among the Grecians, who at Delphi worſhipped it in the Temple of Apollo; and among the Romans who worſhipped it under the Name of Veſta, committing the Charge of it to the Veſtal Virgins, where if it went out, it was held fatal to their City, Rhodig. Antiq. c. 14. they it ſeems raſhly and inconſiderately forgetting or neglecting their duty in this particular, took ſome other fire in their Cenſers (that perhaps with which they dreſs'd the Fleſh of their Sacrifices) and putting Incenſe thereon, ſet it upon the Altar of Incenſe, and ſo offered ſtrange Fire before the Lord; that is, Fire which he commanded them not. For this their great Tranſreſſion they were immediately ſtruck dead*Tantae vindictae ſeveritate nova diſciplina merito ſanciri potuit, in exemplum aliorum. Sanctificatus autem eſt D…us hac poena quia tali exemplo commendatus eſt timor ejus, inquit Auguſtinus. Rigor hic ſub initia neceſſarius in terrorem poſteris, tum carnis Laetitia turgeret Aaron, Anonym. in loc. in the place by Fire from the Lord (poſſibly with Lightning) yet ſo as neither their Bodies nor their Clothes were burnt to aſhes, verſ. 5. Moſes juſtifies God before Aaron in this his ſevere and tremendous ſtroke, declaring that He will be ſanctified by them that come nigh him, and before all the people He will be glorified, [ſee Exod. 19.22.] thereby preſenting unto Aaron two arguments againſt Murmuring: 1. Becauſe the puniſhment was juſt. 2. Becauſe God would be glorified thereby, and both the people in general, and Aaron's Poſterity in particular, ſhould thereby receive great good and benefit. Hereupon Aaron held his peace, and laying his hand upon his mouth gave a notable inſtance of his Piety, and quiet ſubmiſſion to the holy will and pleaſure of God. Then Moſes commanded Miſhael and Elzaphan, Aaron's Coſin-Germans, to carry forth their dead Bodies without the Camp, and to bury them there. And He charges Aaron, and his two ſurviving Sons Eleazer and Ithamar, not to mourn for them, nor uncover their Heads (by taking off their Miters or Bonnets which they wore in the execution of their Prieſtly-Office) nor rend their Clothes, nor go out from the door of the Tabernacle upon this ſad occaſion, leſt they die for it, and thereby alſo bring wrath upon the people. For this was an extraordinary Judgment of God that had befallen their Brothers, and they were to teſtifie their ſubmiſſion thereunto, by not openly lamenting their death. And they being newly anointed, and now at this time prepared for their firſt entring upon the execution of their Prieſtly Office, they might not break off their Service to attend the burial of their Brothers. Yet the whole Houſe of Iſrael were commanded to lament and bewail this burning, which the Lord in conſuming Nadab and Abihu had kindled among them, and thereby threatned them all if they ſinned preſumptuouſly. Moſes upon this occaſion gives to Aaron, and his Sons, and their Succeſſors, a Command to abſtain from Wine and ſtrong Drink, when they went to miniſter before the Lord, leſt they ſhould thorow any diſtemper or indiſpoſedneſs(o)From this Ordinance made on this occaſion, ſome conclude that Nadab and Abibu were raiſed up to this preſumption thorow the fume of Wine or ſtrong Drink. that might ariſe therefore be diſabled from the execution of their Function in the two main parts of it, viz. in diſcerning betwixt Holy and Ʋnholy, Clean and Ʋnclean, and in teaching the Law to the people. And that this ſevere ſtroke (p)Non ſatis probari poteſt eos aeternum damnatos. Peccatum enim ipſum quod attinet, ex infirmitate videtur commiſſum non prae ebrietate ut vult R. Solomoh. Quicquid igitur peccati huic inadverientiae inerat, id omne temporali poena plectitur ut poſt nihil poena id propter iis luendum reſtare videatur, Freidlibius.upon Nadab and Abihu might not ſo caſt down Aaron and his Sons, as to make them neglect their meat, or intermit their Service, or be leſs lightſome in it then before; Moſes encourages them to their duty, by inviting them to participate of the Proviſions of the Lords Table, and to eat of the Meat-Offerings, and of the Shoulder and Breaſt, of the peoples Peace-Offerings, according to the manner that God had preſcribed. It ſo happened at this time that Eleazar and Ithamar, upon the ſuddain and dreadful death of their two Brothers, had, as it ſeems, being under extremity of grief and ſorrow, burned the Goat of the Sin-Offering (mentioned before, Ch. 9. verſ. 15.) without the Camp, which ſhould not have been done, (the blood thereof not being carried into the Tabernacle, ſee Levit. 4.16, 17.) but it ſhould have been eaten by the Prieſts, ſee Levit. 6.26, 30. Moſes not knowing what was become of it, diligently ſought after it, out of a care that Gods Ordinance ſhould be exactly obſerved, and the Prieſts Rights duly maintained, and underſtanding what Eleazar and Ithamar had done, He chides them for their failing therein. But Aaron extenuates his own and his Sons fault as occaſioned thorow grief, and the preſſure of thoſe doleful things that had befallen them, intimating that if they had then eaten of the Sin-Offering it would not have been acceptable to the Lord: For that great heavineſs and ſorrow they were now under, made them unfit to eat thoſe holy things as the Lord required, who would have them eaten with joyfulneſs in his Preſence, ſee Deut. 12.7. and Moſes allows their excuſe, and ſo paſſes the matter by.
Levit. Ch. 10. whole Chapter.
SECT. XXXIII.
HItherto we have ſeen the Laws that concerned the Sanctification of the Prieſts, and the Rites and Ceremonies of the Sacrifices; Now general Laws are given concerning the Sanctification of the people; and firſt for avoiding that uncleanneſs which they might contract from things without them. And in giving theſe Laws God ſpake both to Moſes and Aaron, becauſe it belonged both to the Magiſtrate and the Prieſt to ſee them put in execution; the Prieſt being to teach the difference between things clean and unclean, ſee Ezek. 44.23. and the Magiſtrate to take care that this difference be obſerved; and hence is that Numb. 9.6. And certain men that were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the Paſsover on that day, came before Moſes, &c.
Firſt, Then here are Laws given what Creatures were to be accounted clean and unclean, and how they muſt not defile themſelves either with eating or touching (q)As a moral admonition that they ought to refrain from all fellowſhip in evil, ſee Iſa. 52.11.any unclean thing, but muſt walk as an holy people of the moſt holy God. The Laws concerning Creatures which are to be accounted clean (r)No doubt but this diſtinction of clean and unclean Beaſts was by revelation made known to the Fathers from the firſt; whence that direction is given to Noah immediately before the Flood, Gen. 7.2. but this ſeems only in reſpect of Sacrifices, for as to eating or not eating, it ſeems they had no diſtinction then of clean and unclean Beaſts, Gen. 9.3. Every moving thing that liveth ſhall be meat for you, even as the green herb have I given you all things. But now by this Law the Iſraelites are forbidden the eating of divers meats, both Fleſh, and Fowl, and Fiſh, as unclean, and that poſſibly to inure this ſtubborn people to an abſolute dependance on Gods Word and Will in all things; as alſo to reſtrain them from that which was uſually eaten among the Gentiles, and to mind them of the difference God had put between them and all other Nations, and the ſpecial purity He requir'd of them above all other people, ſee Levit. 20.25, 26. And therefore the Apoſtle reckons this among the the legal ſhadows, Acts 2.16, 17. Let no man judge you in meat or drink, &c. which are a ſhadow of things to come, but the body is of Chriſt. See alſo Acts 10.15.or unclean, as to Food, may be reduced to theſe three heads: Firſt, Concerning fourfooted-Beaſts; Thoſe are to be accounted clean that part the hoof, (that is, into two parts, as Oxen, Cows, and Sheep do, and not into many, as Dogs, Cats, &c.) and that chew the Cud, and thoſe to be accounted unclean that do neither; or that chew the Cud but do not divide the hoof, as the Camel, Coney and Hare; or divide the hoof but do not chew the Cud, as the Swine. Theſe they might not eat nor touch their dead Carkaſſes. 2ly, Concerning Fiſhes; the clean are all that have Fins and Scales; the unclean, thoſe that have not. 3ly, Concerning Fowls; the unclean are expreſſed ſome of them by their Names, as the Eagle, Hawk, Kite, Vulture, and ſuch Birds of prey, &c. ſome by their manner of going; all Fowl that creep, going upon all four, being of a mungrel kind, ſuch as the Bat, were to be an abomination to them; yet the Locuſt, bald Locuſt, Beetle and Graſhopper being flying creeping things were excepted, and were all to be accounted clean. But for the other, who ever touched the Carkaſſes of any of them was to be unclean to the end of that day, and though not his Fleſh, but only his Clothes touched them, they muſt be waſhed. Then three ſorts of Beaſts are mentioned, by touching of whoſe Carkaſſes a man was made unclean; 1. Such as divide the hoof, but not into twain, as Lions, Wolves, Apes, Bears, Dogs. 2ly, Such as theſe, the Weeſel, Mouſe, Tortoiſe, Ferret, Snail, Mole, &c. and the very utenſils and other things that touched their dead Carkaſſes were thereby defiled. 3ly, The dead body of any clean Beaſt that dieth of it ſelf, or is ſtrangled, or torn by a wild Beaſt was neither to be eaten nor touched, yet it might be ſold and eaten by a Stranger or Alien that lived among them, ſee Deut. 14.21. and the fat of it in ſuch caſes might be uſed to ordinary purpoſes, of which ſee the Law, Levit. 7.24. And no manner of creeping thing might they eat, whither it went upon the belly as Snakes or Worms, or crawled on all four, as Frogs, or had any feet to creep withall, as Caterpillars. And God gives them theſe Laws concerning Ceremonial Purity, and avoiding any unclean thing, as documents to them that their God (whoſe Nature is tranſcendently holy) required real holineſs both of Heart and Life from them, and had ſeparated them to Himſelf, that they might be an holy people.
Levit. 11. whole Chapter.
SECT. XXXIV.
SEcondly, Laws concerning Womens ſeparation, and purification after Childbirth. After the birth of a Man-Child ſhe was to be unclean ſeven days, according to the days of her ſeparation for her infirmity, [Levit. 15.19.] and on the eighth day her Child was to be Circumciſed, and ſhe was to continue unclean (s)V. 4. In Sanguine purificationis ſuae] hypallage pro in purificatione ſanguinis ſui, i. e. donec ſe perfecte ſanguine, & ſordibus partus liberaverit.33 days more. After the birth of a Female, both the time of her uncleanneſs, and the days of her cleanſing were to be doubled. When the days of her purifying were fulfilled, ſhe was to offer for her purification, if ſhe were rich, a Lamb of the firſt year for a Burnt-Offering, and for a Sin-Offering, either a young Pigeon, or a Turtle-Dove. If ſhe were poor, ſhe was to bring either two Turtle-Doves or two young Pigeons, one for a Burnt-Offering, and the other for a Sin-Offering, and the Prieſt was thereby to make atonement for her.
Levit. 12. whole Chapter.