Urim" and Thummim. Thus did God not only vindicate the honor of His servant Moses, but also show that

the office which Moses had filled was, in its n ature, unique, being typical of that committed in all its fullness

to the Great Head of the Church.

3. Now that the people were about to take possession of the land, the sacrificial ordinances were once more

enjoined, and with full details. The daily morning and evening sacrifice had already been previously

instituted in connection with the altar of burnt-offering (Exodus 29:38-42). To this daily consecration of

Israel were now added the special sacrifices of the Sabbath -symbolical of a deeper and more s pecial

dedication on God's own day. The Sabbatic and the other festive sacrifices were always brought in addition

to the daily offering. Again, the commencement of every month was marked by a special sacrifice, with the

addition of a sin -offering, while the blast of the priests' trumpets was intended, as it were, to bring Israel's

prayers and services in remembrance before the Lord. If the beginning of each month was thus significantly

consecrated, the feast of unleavened bread (from the 15th to the 21st of Abib), which made that month the

beginning of the year, was marked by the repetition on each of its seven days of the sacrifices which were

prescribed for every "new moon." The Paschal feast (on the 14th of Abib) had no general congregational

sacrifice, but only that of the lamb for the Paschal supper in each household. Lastly, the sacrifices for the

feast of weeks were the same as those for the feast of unleavened bread, with the addition of the two "wave

loaves" and their accompanying sacrifices prescrib ed in Leviticus 23:7-21.47 This concluded the first festive

cycle in the year.

The second cycle of feasts took place in the seventh or sacred month - seven being the sacred number, and

that of the covenant. It began with new moon's day when, besides the daily, and the ordinary new moon's

offerings, special festive sacrifices were brought (Numbers 29:1-6). Then on the 10th of that month was the

"Day of Atonement," while on the 15th commenced the feast of tabernacles, which lasted seven days, and

was follo wed by an octave. All these feasts had their appropriate sacrifices.48

The laws as to sacrifices appropriately close with directions about "vows" (Numbers 30). In all the

ordinances connected with the sacred seasons, the attentive reader will mark the symbolical significance

attaching to the number seven - alike in the feasts themselves, in their number, their sacrifices, and in that of

the days appointed for holy convocation. Indeed, the whole arrangement of time was ordered on the same

principle, ascending from the Sabbath of days, to the Sabbath of weeks, of months, of years, and finally to

the Sabbath of Sabbatic years, which was the year of Jubilee. And thus all time pointed forward and upward

to the "Sabbatism," or sacred rest, that remaineth for "the people of God" (Hebrews 4:9).

4. All that has hitherto been described occurred before the expedition against Midian, by which Israel was

"avenged" for the great sin into which they had by treachery been seduced. That expedition which was

accompanied by Phinehas, whose zeal had formerly stayed the plague (Numbers 25:7, 8), was not only

completely successful, but executed all the Divine directions given. The Midianites seem to have been taken

by surprise, and made no resistance. The five kings of Midian, or rather the five chieftains of their various

tribes (comp. Numbers 25:15), all of whom seem to have been tributaries of Sihon (comp. Joshua 13:21), were

killed, as well as the great bulk of the population, and "their cities," and "tent-villages" (erroneously

rendered in the Authorised Version "goodly castles") "burnt with fire." Besides a large number of prisoners,

immense booty was taken. To show their gratitude for the marvelous preservation of the people, who had

probably surprised their enemies in one of their wild licentious orgies, the princes offered as an "oblation"

to the sanctuary all the golden ornaments taken from the Midianites. The value of these amounted,

according to the present standard of money, to considerably upwards of 25,000l.

The d estruction of the power of Midian, who might have harassed them from the east, secured to Israel the

quiet possession of the district east of Jordan, which their arms had already conquered. All along, from the

river Arnon in the south, which divided Israel from Moab, to the river Jabbok and far beyond it, the land of

Gilead49 and of Bashan, their borders were safe from hostile attacks.