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"Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall
be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people, though all the earth is Mine. And ye
shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation" (Exod. 19: 5, 6).
When Moses descended from the smoking mountain he spake no word concerning
tabernacle, ark or mercy seat, but solemnly sprinkled the people with the blood of the
covenant saying:--
"Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all
these words" (Exod. 24: 8).
After this Moses re-ascended the mountain in order to receive the tables of stone.
During Moses' absence the people headed by Aaron broke the solemn covenant into
which they had entered by worshipping the golden calf, for among the "words" which
constituted the covenant were "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me". The covenant
was broken, and Moses manifested it by breaking the tables of stone (Exod. 32: 15-19).
When the duplicates were given they were placed in the ark of the covenant, which ark
was the nucleus and centre of the whole tabernacle ritual. Israel's destiny is to be a
kingdom or priests.
The attaining of that destined end is the meaning of "perfect", teleios, which is allied
with telos, "end". Israel can never be a kingdom of priests under the old covenant that
was broken, neither can they reach their goal by the typical ritual of the tabernacle. "The
law made nothing perfect." Israel's "perfection", the attaining unto that for which they
had been laid hold of by the Lord (see Phil. 3: 12), can only be accomplished under the
new covenant of which Christ, not Moses, is the Mediator. This new covenant, it will be
observed, is immediately introduced after the comparison between the priesthood of
Christ and that of Levi has been made. The Levitical priesthood and sacrifices:--
"Could not make him that did the service PERFECT as pertaining to the conscience"
(Heb. 9: 9).
Carnal ordinances.
The apostle reduces the ceremonial and typical ordinances to two heads, viz.,
(1) Meats and drinks; (2) Diverse baptisms. A reading of Lev. 11:-15: will give some
idea of the apostle's meaning. Writing to Gentile Believers in another connection he
says:--
"Touch not, taste not, handle not, which all are to perish with the using" (Col. 2: 21, 22).
and shows this man-made prohibition is vain, and he turns the believer's attention away
from the "shadows", for, says he, "the body is of Christ", and directs their hearts and
minds to where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
It will be observed that we do not follow the A.V. and translate "diverse washings",
but "baptisms". This brings the apostle's argument into line with that of Heb. 5:, 6:,
where, in urging the reader to "go on unto perfection", he says, "leave . . . . . not lay again