The Confession of Faith (21)

The Ceremonial Laws also speak about the great feasts of Israel, namely, Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. The Passover was held on the fourteenth day of the month Nizan, which is around the first of April. On that day, Israel remembered how the Lord had delivered them out of Egypt. All the first born of the Egyptians had died, but the Israelites were safe behind the blood. This feast pointed to Christ, who would work out the true deliverance from the hellish Pharaoh, and would go as a lamb to the slaughter. It was also the beginning of the harvest; the people were not allowed to eat of the new harvest prior to the Passover. This is our Easter. Pentecost was held fifty days after Passover and is also called the Feast of Weeks. Passover was the beginning of the harvest while Pentecost was the end. On this day two loaves of bread, baked from the new harvest, were brought before the Lord. Israel also remembered that they had received the Law from Sinai on that occasion, and we commemorate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

The Feast of Tabernacles at the end of the year was the third great feast of the Israelites and lasted seven days. During those days Israel lived in tabernacles made of branches to remember the wandering of their fathers in the desert from Egypt to Canaan. Great thankfulness was also shown to the Lord for the blessings bestowed upon them in the land of Canaan. We can compare this feast to our Thanksgiving Day.

There were also smaller feasts which they observed, such as the day of blowing of trumpets, which would be comparable to our New Year (Numbers 29:1). Another is the Day of Atonement, at which time atonement was made for sin (Leviticus 23:26-31). A third is the Sabbath Year, during which the whole country must rest. In that year they were not allowed to sow or to harvest. The last one we will mention is the Year of Jubilee. Then all the slaves were freed, and all the possessions were given back to their brothers who had been forced to sell because of poverty. You can understand that many Israelites were anxiously awaiting the beginning of that year. All these things the Lord had described in the Ceremonial Law.

The Ceremonial Law also spoke of sacred things, which included all kinds of offerings to be brought before the Lord. Each offering, such as burnt, sin, thank, and cleansing offerings, was brought under different circumstances. When an animal died in the place of a sinner, it pointed to Christ, who was yet to come. In Colossians 2:17a Paul, speaking about the Ceremonial Law, says “Which are a shadow of things to come.” However, when Christ was come, they no longer had any power. This is also the meaning of this article. It seems to be very simple, but it has in the past given many problems. The article says, “We believe, that the ceremonies and figures of the law ceased at the coming of Christ, and that all the shadows are accomplished; so that the use of them must be abolished amongst Christians.” Since everything of the Ceremonial Law is fulfilled in Christ, they are no longer in use. In essence the Old and New Testaments are both the same as both speak of the grace by and in Christ. We may not say that we do not need the Old Testament any longer because both are God’s Word and are one. However, the form is different; the Old Testament is the promise, and the New Testament is the fulfillment of the promise in Christ.

Several prophets had foretold that the Ceremonial Law would not remain forever. In Isaiah 19:19 we read, “In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD.” We read in Jeremiah 3:16 that the time will come when the tabernacle will no longer be visible in Israel and in Daniel 9:27 that the Lord shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. The Apostle Paul spoke very clearly of these things in Galatians 4:3-5, “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” This is a testimony that the Ceremonial Law came to an end.

The Lord Himself has broken down the middle wall of partition between Jews and heathens. At the Synod in Jerusalem this matter was spoken about in Acts 15:10, and Peter said, “Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” The Lord Jesus Himself has shown the way in this, when in John 4:23-24 He said, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” This also points to the end of the Ceremonial Law.

The decision of the Council at Jerusalem was maintained for some time, but later the church turned the wrong way. After this Synod, especially the Judaists caused much trouble in the early Christian church. However, the struggle was even heavier against the doctrine of Rome which gradually returned to the Ceremonial Law in many parts of their religion. Calvin says that the Church of Rome imitates the Ceremonial Law as a monkey. The veil of the most holy place, rent when the Lord Jesus died, is repaired by Rome in their human institutions. In the Reformation the Lord delivered out of the house of bondage although there remained some differences between Luther and Calvin. Luther wanted to keep that which was not forbidden in God’s Word while Calvin and Zwingli wanted to keep only those things which God’s Word commanded. In England John Knox fought for the liberation of the church and the abolishing of the ceremonies. Many followers of the Reformers immigrated to North America. In Holland there have been differences about the holy days, about the official robes, and later on about the observance of the Sunday. Especially during the years 1658-72 there were many problems since Coccejus taught that the fourth commandment is ceremonial and no longer necessary to be observed. For many it became a day of feasting with only one church service; in harvest and haying time the people worked in the fields on Sunday, even the ministers. Voetius and Brakel, based upon the Word of God, fought against it with all their might. Gradually the consciences of the church people were awakened, and they began to understand that it was God’s commandment to observe Sunday, also under the New Testament.

In our days our governments and people in general do not listen to God’s Word but go their own way. Many things are done on Sunday which previously were not allowed. We think only of visiting each other on Sunday and going on holidays on that day so that there is no possibility to go up to God’s house, and the time, or a major part of it, is spent in the world. That must be condemned as it will lead to a complete break with God’s Day. When we have company on Sunday what, in general, is spoken about? Is it not the world? It is a means of the devil to pick away the seed. It is against the fourth commandment.

We read further in the article, “So that the use of them must be abolished amongst Christians; yet the truth and substance of them remain with us in Jesus Christ.” This does not mean that a part of the Old Testament no longer has value for us. In our dispensation we must also read and consult the Old Testament Books of the Bible. This was done by the Lord Jesus when He spoke of His own sacrifice, work, and person. The apostles very often used the Old Testament to defend their doctrine. We must live according to the spirit of the Old Testament, which was to the honor of God, and this is the same in both the Old and New Testaments.

When we say that the shadow of the law came to an end, it does not mean that the law is no longer a rule in the life of a Christian. The law explains God’s will to us. Out of the law we know our misery, but it is also a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, and this under the administration of the Holy Ghost as it is His special work to glorify Christ.

Is this also found in us? Do we seek the honor of God, or is it a burden to keep the law of God? I wish there would come a time in your life that you felt the responsibility of keeping the law and that it became a burden too heavy to carry any longer. Then a crying would be born for that Mediator who is very God and real righteous man. He has fulfilled everything which is necessary for the salvation of His Church.

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen