The manslayer distinguished from the murderer. 16 And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. 17 And if he smite him with throwing a stone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. 18 Or if he smite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death. 19 The revenger of blood himself shall slay the murderer: when he meeteth him, he shall slay him. 20 But if he thrust him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die; 21 Or in enmity smite him with his hand, that he die: he that smote him shall surely be put to death; for he is a murderer: the revenger of blood shall slay the murderer, when he meeteth him. 22 But if he thrust him suddenly without enmity, or have cast upon him any thing without laying of wait, 23 Or with any stone, wherewith a man may die, seeing him not, and cast it upon him, that he die, and was not his enemy, neither sought his harm: 24 Then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the revenger of blood according to these judgments: 25 And the congregation shall deliver the slayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation shall restore him to the city of his refuge, whither 26 But if the slayer shall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled; 27 And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the slayer; he shall not be guilty of blood. 28 Because he should have remained in the city of his refuge until the death of the high priest: but after the death of the high priest the slayer shall return into the land of his possession. 29 So these things shall be for a statute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings. 30 Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. 31 Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death. 32 And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest. 33 So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. 34 Defile not therefore the land I dwell: for I the LORD dwell awhich ye shall inhabit, wherein mong the children of Israel. LECTURE 302. Christ the Redeemer, the Spouse, and the Avenger of his people. The value attached to human life is manifested, in the exact distinctions here set down, between the crime of murder, and unintentional manslaughter. If one man should kill another with any weapon of iron or of wood, or by "throwing a stone wherewith he may die," it might be concluded, from the use of so much force with such weapons, that death was intended. And even a blow with the hand, or with any instrument whatever, that proved fatal, would convict a man of murder, if it could be shewn to have been inflicted" in enmity," or "by laying of wait." In these cases no satisfaction might be taken instead of the life of the murderer. If "the revenger of blood" were to meet him, he might slay him. Or if he should first escape to the city of refuge, he must on proof of guilt be given up to death. Whereas if any one should slay another unintentionally, he was protected by the law from the revenge of the next of kin, as long as he stayed within "the border of his city of refuge." Thence however he could not move out, without being exposed to the violence of the next of kin to the deceased. And there he must abide, in a kind of exile from his house, and family, and friends, until "the death of the high priest, which was anointed with the holy oil." So that even he who slew another unintentionally suffered no small inconvenience for his carelessness. Whilst in the captive exile looking for his deliverance to the death of the high priest, we see a lively image of our own only hope of peace and safety, through the precious blood of Christ our Saviour. Nor shall we be mistaken in looking also for a resemblance to our Lord, in the character of the next of kin, so often spoken of in the law as revealed by Moses. It was the office of this kinsman to redeem the land of his relative, or his person, if sold by reason of want. See Lev. 25. 25, 49. Our Lord took our nature upon Him, and became our Kinsman, on purpose that He might be our Redeemer. Again, it was the office of the next of kin to marry the widow of his relative dying childless. See Deut. 25. 5. And what is this but Christ saying to his church, "Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear;" "for thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of Hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel?" Is. 54. 1, 5. And once more, when we read of the avenger of blood, of his zeal in the cause of his relation slain, we may think of Him, concerning whom it is written, with reference to his love in behalf of those, whom He vouchsafes to call his brethren; "He shall deliver their souls from falsehood and wrong and dear shall their blood be in his sight." Ps. 72. 14. Heiresses are forbidden to marry out of their respective tribes. And the chief fathers of the families of the children of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, of the families of the sons of Joseph, came near, and spake before Moses, and before the princes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel: 2 And they said, The LORD commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Israel: and my lord was commanded by the LORD to give the inheritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters. 3 And if they be married to any of the sons of the other tribes of the children of Israel, then shall their inheritance be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and shall be put to the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall it be taken from the lot of our inheritance. 4 And when the jubile of the children of Israel shall be, then shall their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received: so shall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers. 5 And Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the LORD, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said well. 6 This is the thing which the LORD doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, saying, Let them marry to whom they think best; only to the family of the tribe of their father shall they marry. 7 So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. 8 And every daughter, that pos sesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers. 9 Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheri tance. 10 Even as the LORD commanded Moses, so did the daughters of Zelophehad: 11 For Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their father's brothers' sons: 12 And they were married into the families of the sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph, and their inheritance remained in the tribe of the family of their father. LECTURE 303. Of concern for the spiritual interests of children. The daughters of Zelophehad had done right in bringing the case of their father before Moses. For the Lord had determined, that his family were entitled to an allotment in the land, though he had no son to inherit it. Their relatives of the tribe of Manasseh appear also to have done right, in protesting before Moses, against the risk of loss befalling their tribe, if these heiresses should marry into any other. For "Moses commanded the children of Israel according to the word of the Lord, saying, The tribe of the sons of Joseph hath said well." And he then declared it to be the law in every like case, that no heiress might marry out of her own tribe; that "every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers." Within their own tribe they might marry whom they pleased. Without it they might not marry at all. There was a limit set to their affections, within which they had ample choice, but without it none. Thus it is with us, in all the connexions which we form on earth. We must look to the revealed will of God, and observe the bounds which He has set us, in this charge of St. Paul to the Corinthians," Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." 2 Cor. 6. 14. And especially in regard to marriage, the same apostle, when he states that a widow" is at liberty to be married to whom she will," is careful to add, "only in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 7. 39. And is there not a like object to be gained, by the intermarriages of those who love the Lord Jesus in sincerity? Are not they entitled to an inheritance very different from that which awaits false professors, or avowed unbelievers? And have not their children after them an interest in their spiritual advantages, which is most likely to be secured if they marry into the family of the tribe of their heavenly Father, and in no small jeopardy of loss if they marry out of it? And is not that tribe itself concerned to see that it incurs no loss like this? Has the church any charge more precious than the infant children of its members? Or is any one of God's gracious purposes, in the Gospel, more manifest, than that the offspring of believers should be adopted at once into his heavenly family, and brought up therein as heirs of his heavenly kingdom? Far be from us the thought of unbelief, that will admit no work of grace within their infant souls, because as yet no fruit of it can be seen! Far be from us the heart of unconcern, that would allow us to risk lightly, for our present pleasure, the eternal interest of those that shall come after us, yea, and spring from us! Rather let us make it our chief ground of rejoicing in behalf of them, that they are, through God's grace, heirs of glory. And let us make it our chief concern throughout their growth, nay, even straightway from the hour of their birth, that they being born again to righteousness, may walk in newness of life, and attain unto the lot of their heavenly inheritance, through Jesus Christ our Lord. The conclusion of the Book of Numbers. 13 These are the command- hand of Moses unto the children ments and the judgments, which of Israel in the plains of Moab the LORD commanded by the by Jordan near Jericho. LECTURE 304. The justice and mercifulness of God. The book of Numbers contains the history of the Israelites in the wilderness, for nearly all the forty years, during which they were prevented from entering into the land of promise. It also tells of their discontented and rebellious spirit, and especially of that one chief act of rebellion, which provoked the Lord to swear in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest. See Ps. 95. 11. And besides this history, it contains many laws, in addition to those recorded in the books of Exodus and Leviticus; either commandments issued direct from the Lord by Moses, or judgments which He vouchsafed to give on cases proposed, and which were to have the force of statutes in Israel. And amongst other commandments, it contains the two remarkable orders for the numbering of the people; the first time "in the wilderness of Sinai," see ch. 1; and the second time in the plains of Moab, see ch. 26; by which orders God made manifest the wonderful increase of the Israelites, according to his promise, and prepared the way for an equitable allotment of the land of Canaan, according to the proportion of each tribe. On a careful review of the whole book, we shall hardly know whether to be most astonished and shocked by the perversity and wilfulness of the people, or most alarmed and warned, by the signal judgments of God, or most surprized by the efficacy of the intercession and atonement, which He so graciously accepted in behalf of sinners, or most encouraged by the freeness and fulness of the pardon, which He so repeatedly extended to their oft repeated sins. Let us endeavour to see correctly, throughout the whole of these wonderful dispensations, both the goodness and severity of God. See Rom. 11.22. Let us not venture to tempt Him, as they tempted Him. Let us not doubt that through the priesthood of our Saviour we also when at enmity by our wicked works may be reconciled, and justified, and saved. And whether we be most moved by terror, or won by love, let us in any case make it our study to know the whole will of God, and count it our delight to fulfil all his pleasure. Grant, heavenly Father, that when the numbers of thy saints shall be completed, and the thousands of each tribe be sealed, we may be found among the true Israelites, who by faith, and patience in well doing, shall inherit thy most precious promises; through Christ our Lord. |