Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 1 · Part 8
EXERCITAT. VIII. Of the Temple of Ieruſalem. Commandement 2.
1 King. 8.30. Hearken thou to the ſupplication of thy ſervant, and of thy people Iſrael, when they ſhall pray towards this place.
THe Lord made choiſe of this Temple, not ſo much for himſelfe as for his people;The Lord cauſes to build the temple not ſo much for himſelfe as for mans cauſe. for God dwelleth not in houſes made with hands, Act. 7.48.
God fitting himſelfe to mans capacitie, doth as a Prince uſeth to doe; for as a Prince maketh choiſe of ſome great Citie for his reſidence; ſo doth the Lord make choiſe of Ieruſalem: The Lord compared to a Prince in his princely houſe.therefore it is called the Citie of the great King, Matth. 5.36. and as a prince hath his palace within a great Citie; ſo hath the Lord his Temple within Ieruſalem; and therefore it is called the place of his habitation, Pſal. 76.2. and as a Prince hath his palace diſtinguiſhed in ſo many courts: ſo was the Temple of Ieruſalem: and as they have their furniſhed Tables; ſo the Lord hath his Altar for his Table, Mala. 1.7.The Lord had his Table and appointed times, as it were, for dinner and ſupper. and and his appointed time for dinner and ſupper, were the morning and evening Sacrifices, Pſal. 50.10. Every beaſt of the forreſt is mine, and the cattell upon a thouſand hils. If I be hungry I will not tell thee.
This Temple was called the throne of his glory, Iere. 14.21. So the perfection of beauty, and the joy of the whole earth, Lament. 2.15. So the place of his reſt, Pſal. 132.14. and 1 Chro. 6.41.
It was divided into three parts, and therefore,The Temple divided in three parts. Iere. 7.4. uſeth a threefold repetition to note theſe three parts of the Temple.
The firſt was the holieſt, the Seventy call it foreign,Divers names …en to the holieſt. it is alſo called Oraculum; Exod. 25.22. and it called Sanctum Sanctorum, the holy of the holieſt, becauſe it was ſeparated from all profane uſes, Heb. 9.14. and becauſe it was holy, the Highprieſt who went into it, behoved to ſanctifie himſelfe before hee went into it, and hee was a type of Chriſt, who was holy, blameleſſe and undefiled, and ſeparated from ſinners, Heb. 26.7.
The ſecond part of the Temple was called foreign vel Sanctum, and here the Prieſt did foure things, firſt,What things the Prieſts did in the holy place. hee trimmed the lampes and lighted them, ſecondly, hee cleanſed the Altar, thirdly, he prepared the Table for the ſhewbread, and fourthly, he offered incenſe.
Before they entred into the holy place,The two Pillars what they ſignified. there ſtood two great pillars, Iachin and Boaz, Stabilitie and ſtrength, 1 King. 7.21. which ſignifieth the indurance of the ſpirituall Temple the Church, that the gates of Hell ſhould not prevaile againſt her, Matth. 16.17. So they ſignified the Apoſtles, who are called pillars, Gal. 2.9. and likewiſe all Chriſtians, Reve. 3.12. him that overcommeth will I make a piller in the Temple of my God.
What things were done betwixt the porch and the Altar.Betwixt this porch and the Altar the Prieſts humbled themſelves, and wept in the day of humiliation, Ioel. 2.17. it was in this place that Zacharie was ſtoned to death, 2 Chro. 24.21. So here ſtood five and twenty men, with their backs towards the Temple, and their faces toward the Eaſt, and they worſhipped the Sunne, Ezek. 8.16. and there was the court of the people, and laſt the court of the Gentiles, where the Proſelytes ſtood when they were converted, this was fartheſt from the holieſt of all; therefore it is ſayd, that the Publican ſtood afarre off, Luk. 18.13. meaning from the holieſt, it was out of this place where Chriſt drove away the buyers and ſellers, and the entrie to this was called the beautifull gate, or Salomons Porch, Act. 3.2.
Why the court of the Gentils was left out.This court of the Gentiles was to be left out and not to be meaſured, Reve. 11.2. but the court which is without the Temple, leave out, and meaſure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles, this was done to ſignifie the multitude of the Gentiles that were to be called, that this court could not containe them.
A compariſon betwixt the first and ſecond Temple.
FIrſt, both the firſt and ſecond Temple were builded by Iewes and Tyrians; the firſt Temple, 1 King. 5.18. and Salomons builders, and Hirams builders did hew them, The Iewes and Tyrians were builders of the firſt and ſecond Temple.&c. So the Tyrians helped to build the ſecond Temple, Ezr. 2.7. and they ſignifie the diverſitie of gifts which are requiſite for the building of the Church, and that people of all Nations ſhall have acceſſe to the Church.
The ſecond Temple was built after the manner of the firſt, the patterne of the firſt Temple was ſhewed to David, and he ſhewed to it to Salomon. The ſecond Temple was built after the manner of the firſt.So the patterne of the ſecond Temple was ſhewed to Ezekiel, and hee ſhewed it to Zerubbabel.
The glory and ſplendor of the firſt Temple farre exceeded the ſecond:The outward beautie of the firſt Temple exceeded the Glory of the ſecond. the firſt Temple was all built of hewen and poliſhed ſtone, but not the ſecond; and where it is ſayd in the Goſpel that the Temple was adorned with goodlie stones and gifts, Luk. 21.5. that is meant onelyonly of Solomons Porch, & that part which looketh towards mount Olivet, for Chriſt fate upon mount Olivet when they ſhewed him that goodly ſight; but the reſt of the Temple was not of ſuch poliſhed ſtone.
Secondly, the glory of the firſt Temple,The Temple is called gold. it was all gilded within, and therefore it is called gold, Lament. 4.1. How is the gold become dimme? How is the moſt fine gold changed? the ſtones of the Sanctuary are powred out in the top of every ſtreete, but there was no ſuch gilding in the ſecond Temple.
Thirdly,The firſt Temple was built without noyſe, but not ſo the ſecond. there was no hammer heard in the building of the firſt Temple, but there was much noyſe heard in the laying of the foundation of the ſecond Temple, Ezra. 3.12. and in the building of it, for with the one hand they wrought in the worke, and with the other hand held a weapon, Nehem. 4.17.
Fourthly, the firſt Temple was filled with a cloud,Many things wanting in the ſecond Temple which were in the firſt. but not the ſecond. In the firſt Temple there came a fire from heaven to kindle the Sacrifice, but not in the ſecond; the Arke and the holy oyle were not in the ſecond, there were many more Prophets in the firſt than in the ſecond; the ſecond Temple was often defiled by the Greekes, by the Romans, by Antiochus; but not the firſt,
Yet the glory of the ſecond Temple farre exceeded the glory of the firſt, Hag. 2.9.The ſecond Temple exceeded the firſt Temple in glory. The glory of this latter houſe ſhall be greater than of the former, ſaith the Lord of hoſts; for in this place I will give peace, ſaith the Lord of hoſts.
In place of the gold in the firſt, was Ieſus Chriſt in the ſecond Temple, in whom are hid all the treaſures of wiſedome and knowledge, Coloſſ. 2.3. In place of the poliſhed and hewen ſtones in the firſt Temple,How the ſecond Tem- exceeded the firſt. was Ieſus Chriſt in the ſecond Temple, a living ſtone, and his members, as lively ſtones, are built up a ſpirituall houſe, 1 Pet. 2.4.5. The glory of which was in the firſt Temple left it; but the glory of the ſecond Temple, Ieſus Chriſt, promiſeth to bee with us unto the end of the world. Salomon who built the firſt Temple fell away to Idolatry, but Zerobabel who built the ſecond Temple fell not to Idolatry; the firſt Temple had the holy oyle; but in the ſecond Temple came Ieſus Chriſt, who was anointed with the oyle of gladneſſe above his fellowes, Pſal. 45.7. Now becauſe of all theſe priviledges of the ſecond Temple above the firſt, therefore Chriſt is ſayd to come to his Temple, Malac. 3.1.
A compariſon betwixt the Temple and Chriſt.
All that was in the Temple were types of Chriſt.EVery thing which was in the Temple, was a type of Chriſt; the vaile was a type of his fleſh, Heb. 10.20. the golden Altar, of his interceſſion, Reve. 8.3. and the braſen Altar, of his paſſion.
Becauſe this Temple was a type of the bodie of Chriſt, Ioh. 2.19. deſtroy this Temple, and in three dayes I will raiſe it up. Therefore no man might carry a veſſell through it, The reverence that was had to the Temple being a type of Chriſt.Mark. 11.16. No man might walke upon the top of it, therefore when the Divell tooke Chriſt up and ſet him upon it, and his ſlaves who tooke Iames the Apoſtle and threw him downe from the top of it, they did that which was altogether forbidden to the Iewes.
A compariſon betwixt the Temple and Heaven.
THe Temple was made in weight number and meaſure, Ezek. 43.10.foreign expendit numero, pondere & meaſura. and this word is applyed to the Heavens, Ezek. 40.12. to teach us to make an anagogicall application from the Temple to the heavens; and therefore the Temple is called Heaven, 2 Chro. 6.30. Pſal. 11.4. The Lord is in his holy Temple, the Lords Throne is in Heaven.
There was a controverſie betwixt the Samaritans and the Iewes, whether the Temple of Ieruſalem, The contention betwixt the Samaritans and Iewes for the place of Gods worſhip.or the Temple of Samaria was the place of Gods worſhip. Chriſt endeth this controverſie, Ioh. 4.21. when hee ſaith, The houre commeth, when yee ſhall neyther in this mountaine, nor yet at Ieruſalem worſhip the father. And to ſhew how that Ieruſalem ſhould be no more the place of Gods worſhip, firſt he ſeparated the Arke from the Tabernacle; ſecondly, the Arke from the Temple;God remooved from the Temple by degrees. and then ſhortly afterwards he deſtroyed the Temple. Ieremiah complayneth in his time, that the Lord was like a ſtranger in the Land, and as a wayfaring man, that turneth aſide to tarrie for a night, Iere. 14.8. A wayfaring man that tarrieth but for a night in an Inne, hath but little care of it: So the Lord began now to bee a ſtranger, and to take little care of this Inne his Temple, where he was wont to lodge, and now he was to forſake it for ever.
Concluſion. The Concluſion of this is, there is now no appointed place for the worſhip of God, nor ever ſhall bee; therefore the Iewes, who have the veile upon their hearts, are very blind, who hope yet, that the Tem- of Ieruſalem ſhall be built againe. When they pray, they ever turne their faces towards the Temple of Ieruſalem; and when they ſee a new houſe builded, they marke the white wall with a blacke ſticke,foreign a contraction which is foreign nigrum ſuper album, Recordare vaſtationis. and they leave a little ſpace wherein they write thoſe words, nigrum ſuper album, and under this they write, recordare vaſtationis; they marke the white wall with a blacke ſticke, to ſignifie, that they mourne, becauſe Ieruſalem is not built as that new wall is built; and they pray the Lord to remember the deſtruction of Ieruſalem, and to have pitie upon it, and they ſay, Pſal. 137.4. If I forget thee, O Ieruſalem, &c.