“ON Sunday evening, when it was so wet, I looked at those references you wrote out for me, Aunt Edith," said Charley, "and I see that even while Joshua was alive the tabernacle had been moved from Gilgal to Shiloh; for when Joshua was dividing the land into seven parts he ‘cast lots in Shiloh before the Lord.’ I suppose the tabernacle must have been there?”
“Yes," replied his aunt, "you are quite right; and if you will bring me your Bible I will show you how in the beginning of the chapter which tells us of the division of the land, we find that 'the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there.' Allusion is now and then made to the ‘house of the Lord at Shiloh’ in the book of Judges; and in the last chapter we read of a yearly feast, which caused the people to assemble there. During those troubled and lawless times, however, we find very little mention of the sanctuary of Jehovah.”
“But in the time of Samuel, the tabernacle must have been still at Shiloh, because, you know, when the people were beaten by the Philistines they said they must fetch the ark from Shiloh, that it might give them the victory. Don't you remember, Aunt Edith?”
“Yes, Charley: the people who had so long forgotten their God remembered in their distress the wonderful deliverances He had given them in past times, and they sent for the ark which had been carried in solemn procession around the walls of Jericho, in the vain hope that by its presence amongst them they should be saved from their enemies.”
“Oh, do go on to that time, if we are going to have a talk about anything this evening, for I never could understand how it was that the ark of God could be taken captive by the Philistines.”
“First, will you tell me, Auntie," said May, "where Shiloh was, and whether there is any part of the tabernacle there now?”
“Shiloh was a town in that part of the land which was given to the tribe of Ephraim, situated in the hill country, not far from Bethel. It was an important place during the time that the ark rested there, and the people went to it every year, to the feasts of the Passover, of Pentecost, and of Tabernacles. It is now called Seilun, and is marked only by an old tower and a great many broken pillars lying about.”
“I thought I should like to know about Shiloh, because it was there that Hannah went to pray for her son, and she brought him there that he might belong to God, and came to see him every year, with the little coat she had made him. Now, will you tell Charley about the ark being taken, and me, too, for I don't understand how such a thing could be?”
“Such a thing never could have been, dear children, if the people of God had not forsaken Him, until at last He allowed the very sign of His presence among them to pass into the hands of their enemies. You remember how plainly God had told them they were to destroy every vestige of false worship; He had charged them, as children of the living God, to have nothing to do with the profane customs of the people whom they had allowed to remain in the land, but to go up to the, place where He had placed His name, and worship Him there. If you read their history carefully you will see how very soon they began to make terms with their enemies, letting them live close beside them, under tribute; and how, at last, they began to tamper with their idolatrous worship—perhaps led away by admiration of their religious festivals, which were very grand and showy—and to pay homage to their representations of various objects of nature, particularly the sun and moon. We read of even Gideon having an ephod, or priestly robe, which seems to have been, in some degree, an object of worship. The men of Ephraim had a golden image; Micah had a silver idol.”
“I remember even the priests were wicked in the time of Eli," said May; "perhaps that was partly why God allowed the ark to be taken. It seemed as if His people did not care to have Him for their God any more.”
“And you know," said Charley, "God had said that the family of Eli should never more be His priests, because Hophni and Phineas despised God's offerings; and taught the people to think nothing of them.”
“Terrible things, indeed, were done at Shiloh; but at last the solemn moment came when what had been spoken by God to Samuel was to be fulfilled. When the Israelites were beaten in a great battle fought with the Philistines in the plains of Esdraelon, they seem to have thought the presence of the ark among them would act as a charm, and give them a sure victory. ‘Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of Shiloh unto us,’ they said, ‘that when it cometh it may deliver us out of the hands of our enemies.’ So they fetched the ark from Shiloh.”
“But had God told them He would be with them?”
“Indeed, He had not, May; they might bring the symbol of His presence into the battle, but they only did it to their own confusion. The Philistines were afraid when they heard the shout of the people at sight of the ark, for they said, ‘God has come into the camp. Woe unto us! Who shall deliver us out of the hands of these mighty gods, the gods that smote the Egyptians with all the plagues?’”
“They did not know that the Israelites had offended their mighty God, and so He would no longer do wonders for them,” said Charley.
“Terror only nerved them to fight more fiercely, and with their iron chariots they won a great victory; 30,000 Israelites perished, and the conquerors carried off the ark in triumph to their own country, and placed it in the temple of their fish-god Dagon.”
“How long did the ark remain in the country of the Philistines?" asked Charley.
“Seven months. At the end of that time, horror-struck at the mysterious Power which accompanied it, they sent it back. Wherever they moved it, from city to city, the strange gods were overthrown, and famine and disease fell upon the people.”
“Where did the Israelites set up the ark when it was sent back to them, Aunt Edith?”
“The Levites received it, May, and removed it to Gibeon, where it remained until the time of David.”
“Did you say Eli was the last priest at Shiloh?" asked Charley. "I thought," he continued, "that Samuel was a priest?”
“It has been well remarked," replied his aunt, "that the priestly office must needs have ceased at a time when all that gave it importance was in the enemy's hands, and the center of relationship with God had been given up by Him to the enemy. In Samuel God raised up a prophet, by whom He made known His will. But of Samuel we cannot speak to-night. We must pass on to the time when David, having become established in the kingdom as the king after God's heart, laid siege to Jerusalem, and took the stronghold of Mount Zion, which he made his royal residence, and which, when the ark was placed there, became the great sanctuary of the nation. You will find Mount Zion very often spoken of in the Psalms. It is believed that the sixty-eighth Psalm was sung when the king himself went in state, with 30,000 people, and brought the ark from Gibeon with joy and shouting.”
“Oh, yes; and David danced for joy.”
“You are thinking of the second removal of the ark, May. We read in the First Book of Chronicles that after Uzza had been struck dead for touching it, it remained in the house of Obededom until the tent which David prepared for it on Mount Zion was ready. Then, as it was borne on the shoulders of the Levites, the king, not in his royal robes, but in a linen dress, showed his joy by dancing ‘before Jehovah with all his might,’ as they ‘brought up the ark of Jehovah with shouting and with sound of trumpets; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Jehovah, and he blessed the people in the name of Jehovah.’”
“Perhaps David was thinking of how, though he might not be there to see it, there was another great day coming, when there was to be a wonderful time for rejoicing, and a grand procession," said Charley.
“Ah, you mean the day when the ark was to be carried by the priests from the sanctuary on Mount Zion across the beautiful bridge which had been made to connect the two hills, and set down in its place under the overshadowing wings of the golden cherubim in the temple built by King Solomon on Mount Moriah," said their aunt—"Yes, that was indeed a time of rejoicing.”
“Oh, Aunt Edith! how I should have liked to have seen that procession! We have just come to the chapter which tells of the dedication of the temple, in our Bible-class at school; and I remember it is said that the tables of stone which Moses put into the ark at Horeb were still there, and that the priests and Levites, dressed in their white robes, carried the beautiful golden vessels, and that the Levites who were singers, and the priests who were trumpeters, made one sound in praising the Lord. It must have been beautiful-a joyful sound, indeed," said May; "and you know, Charley, although you were not there to hear the beautiful music, you can tell the very words they sang- 'O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth forever.' That was what they sang, wasn't it, Auntie?”
“It has been thought that several of the Psalms were sung then, and that some of them had been especially written to celebrate the joyful day to which David looked forward, though he knew he should not see it. It is probable that the beautiful Psalm beginning, ‘The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof,’ was sung just as the ark was borne in through the court of the temple to its new resting-place. You remember the verses at the close of it—'Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in'? And now," continued their aunt, "I want to ask whether either of you can tell me what was the particular sign which God gave to show that He had taken up His abode among His people when His dwelling-place was first set up in the wilderness?”
“Oh, yes," cried both the children, "it was the cloud of glory!”
“The same bright cloud which had rested on the tabernacle came and filled with glory the beautiful house which Solomon had built for God to dwell in; for we read that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.' God, whom the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain, was pleased to dwell in the house which had been built for His name; and we cannot wonder that the joyful Feast of Tabernacles—for the dedication of the temple took place at that time of the year—was prolonged another seven days, and that the people so favored by their God 'went to their tents joyful and glad of heart, for all the goodness Jehovah had done for David His servant and for Israel His people.'”
“I don't suppose," said May, "that those who saw that magnificent temple thought much about the little tabernacle of old times; yet that was the first place where God showed His glory. I was thinking the other evening when we came home so late, and the moon was shining so that you could see everything almost as clearly as in the day-time, how much I should have liked to have seen the tabernacle at night in the desert, with the tents of the Israelites all around it, and the pillar of fire shining over it, as if God were keeping watch over His people as they slept.”
“And I," said Charley, "should like to have stood on some mountain near, at sunrise, and seen the fiery pillar disappear when the morning came, and the pillar of cloud take its place; and there, perhaps, as I watched, the cloud might have risen, and I should have seen the great multitude fold their tents and move on through the desert, following the cloud by which God showed them the way. But, of course, the most beautiful part of the tabernacle was inside," he added, thoughtfully. "I wish, Aunt Edith, you had been with us when we saw that model of which I told you. The more I think of it the more sorry I am that such a beautiful thing should have passed away.”
“It was, indeed, a beautiful thing, Charley; but you must not forget that we found, in our last talk about it, that it was only a shadow of that which can never pass away. Now that we have nearly come to the last days of the tabernacle, dear children," continued their aunt, it may be interesting to go back and speak a little of its first days. Have you thought of how the wonderful love of God shines through all this story of His people, which we have been following, while we have been trying to trace the history of the dwelling-place which He allowed them to make for Him?”
“I have not thought much about it, Aunt Edith; but I know that if God had not loved the people and pitied them so, they could never even have got away from Egypt.”
“We are not told, Charley, that the people in Egypt had any thought of God. We know that they sighed by reason of their hard bondage, but we do not read that they cried to God, or asked Him to save them from their cruel masters; they groaned in the bitterness of their labor and sorrow, seeking rest and finding none, and their cry reached the throne of Jehovah. Before they called He heard, and the answer came: ‘God had seen the affliction of His people; He had heard their groaning, and was come down to deliver them.’ This was what the oppressed, heavy-hearted Israelites had never thought of they did not even know the greatness of their misery and helplessness, but God did, and so He undertook to save them out of their distress."
"So, when the Lord Jesus was here,—He knew there were hundreds of poor people who were wanting what He could give, though they did not know it, and He said 'Come unto Me, all ye that Labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,"' said little May.
“God said of the oppressed Israelites, in Egypt, ‘I know their sorrows.’ He knew the unexpressed longings of their hearts, and He knows that, deep in the heart of each of us, there is a sore want, an unsatisfied longing, the dumb cry of a helpless human soul, not knowing its own need, understood only by Him.”
“Do you mean that we are unhappy because we have got away from God, and do not know how to come back?”
“You remind me of some words spoken by one who lived very long ago, Charley: ‘Thou hast made us for Thyself,’ he said, as he thought of these things, ‘and our heart is restless till it resteth in thee.’ Even a child knows what it is to have desires and feelings which he cannot understand and cannot tell to anyone. As soon as the consciousness that he is an immortal creature, and must live forever, breaks upon his mind, he is filled with thoughts of fear and unrest. Eternity stretches before him like a boundless sea, and he asks, what is to become of him during that everlasting existence upon which he knows he has already entered.”
“I know that is true, Aunt Edith, for I remember once when I was staying with you, I woke in the night, and tried to think about what would never end, and I was so frightened that I called you; but when you came I could hardly explain to you how I felt, or what was the matter.”
“I have not forgotten that night, Charley; but did not know that you would remember it,—you were a very little boy then. What did I say to you?”
“You said such thoughts were too great for me, and I must just remember that God, who loved me, was greater than all my thoughts, and that everything belonged to Him, and that the Lord Jesus, who had given Himself for me, and died to save me from all I was afraid of, was close to me, though I could not see Him, and took care of me, and loved me always. I remember I wondered what made Him care for me, but I was very sure He did, and I was not unhappy any more; though you stayed with me till I was asleep, I should not have been afraid if you had gone away.”
“You knew you had a Friend with you, One who had searched your inmost heart and found the trouble that was there.”
“Yes, that was just what I meant to say. I think it was because of the wrong things I had done," Charley went on in a low tone, "that I was so much afraid; but all at once the hymn we used to sing long ago came into my mind. I said it over and over again, and it seemed better and truer each time: -
‘But though we're sinners, every one,
Jesus died’
“Then I remembered how the Lord Jesus had once said to a sinner, ‘Thy sins are forgiven thee,’ and I thought He said it to me. I have never been afraid to die since, because I know if I left this world Jesus would have me.”
“God, who heard the sorrowful sighing of the poor oppressed bondsmen in Egypt, so long ago, heard your cry, and drew near to you that night, as you lay, a little child trembling at the thought of the great unknown future. The heart, with its strivings and longings, only gets further away from God, but at one word from Him all is peace, the struggle ceases, and there is a great calm.”
“I like that text," said May, "‘We love Him because He first loved us.’”
They were silent for a little while, and then their Aunt said—"Will you tell me, dears, a little about that model you saw, which so much interested you?”
“I will try, Aunt Edith," said Charley. "You must imagine a square, or rather an oblong open space, in the desert, enclosed by pillars,—twenty brass pillars on the north, twenty on the south, ten on the west, and six on the east, for there the entrance was. The tops of these pillars were of silver, and so were the hooks from which the curtains hung. We saw these curtains of white linen set up, and the curtain hung before the entrance.”
“Oh, yes; and you know, Aunt Edith, that beautiful curtain of blue and purple and scarlet was instead of a door, and we were told to think of how the Lord Jesus had said, ‘I am the Way.’ The gentleman who explained it all to us said the altar, too, was a type of Christ; but Charley must tell you.”
“No one could come in to the outer court except by this veiled gateway, and just inside was the great altar, made of wood covered with brass, where the fire burnt the sacrifices. Every morning and every evening a lamb was offered on this altar for the whole people, and they could see the smoke rise up to heaven. It was to this altar, just inside the gate of the outer court, that the people brought their offerings; the offerer laid his hand upon the head of the offering and then killed it, and the priest sprinkled the Blood around the altar, and put it also upon the four horns of the altar—the corners, you know.”
“Can you tell me why the sacrifices were offered, May?”
“To make atonement for sin. God saw the blood of the sacrifice, which was the life of the animal which had been killed, instead of the sin of the man who offered it.”
“And the man who offered it saw the blood, too, on the horns of the altar," said Charley; "and you remember, May, when a priest had sinned, the blood of his offering was put upon the horns of the golden altar, on which the sweet incense was burnt, in the place called the holy.'”
“We learn from this, dear children, that God, against whom the sinner has sinned, alone could appoint what should make an atonement or covering for sin, and He had said that by blood, and blood alone—the life of another given instead of the forfeited life of the one who had done the wrong-atonement could be made. Thus God Himself provided the means by which His ancient people could approach Him, and because of which He could dwell among a rebellious people, with hearts no better than ours, sinning every day. You know why the offerer laid his hands upon the head of his offering, do you not?”
“Oh, yes," said May; "it was to show that whatever creature it was that he brought was to be counted guilty of what he had done, and that he had deserved to be treated just as his offering was treated. It must have made him very sorry for his sin when he saw an innocent creature die because of it.”
“The sight must indeed have brought the solemn truth, ‘the wages of sin is death,’ right home to the conscience of the offerer; but how thankful he must have been to God, who thus allowed him to bring his offering, and who said of his sin, ‘it shall be forgiven him!’ It was God who provided the sacrifices, and even appointed what the poorest of the people should bring; but we know that only the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, His holy Son, could ever really atone for sin. It was only after His precious blood had been shed that the veil which shut all the people out from the presence of God was torn, and the way to heaven, of which the most holy place was a type, made open for every one who should come unto God by Him. But will you not go on with your description, Charley?”
“Next to the altar stood the great brass laver, where the priests washed their hands and feet, and then came the tabernacle itself, in which the beautiful veil hung which divided the ‘holy’ from the ‘most holy.’ The outer court, where the great altar and the layer stood, was called the ‘holy place.’”
“You must not forget to say what was in the ‘holy,’” said May.
“The golden candlestick, the golden altar of incense, and the table of shewbread were there. The priests kept incense constantly burning on the, beautiful little altar, and the great golden lamp, with seven branches, ornamented with flowery work, lighted up the whole place, so that the priests who entered it could see the blood that made atonement for their sin on the horns of the altar, and the beautiful curtain worked with figures of cherubim, and all the splendor of the gold.”
“The priests might see the beautiful veil," said May, "but they could never go inside.”
“No," replied her brother; but don’t you remember what we were told about the great Day of Atonement? On that one day in the year, the high priest lifted the veil and went into the ‘most holy’ where the ark was, and he carried in the blood of the sacrifice and sprinkled it upon the mercy-seat, which was the covering of the ark.”
“Were you told what the high priest going in and sprinkling blood upon the mercy-seat typified?”
“Yes, we were told, Auntie, but I can't tell how to explain it.”
“God has Himself given us an explanation, so that we cannot doubt its wonderful meaning. In the ninth chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews we read that Christ, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, entered in once for all into the holy of holies, having found an eternal redemption.
“I want you to find that chapter, Charley, and read from the verse beginning, ‘For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true,’ to the end.”