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The Bible Year

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park, Washington, D. C. · Feb 3, 1916

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 93, No. 6.

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The Bible Year

Assignment for February 6 to 12
FEBRUARY 6: Exodus 39, 40.
FEBRUARY 7: Leviticus 1 to 4.
FEBRUARY 8: Leviticus 5 to 7.
FEBRUARY 9: Leviticus 8 to 10.
FEBRUARY 10: Leviticus 11 to 13.
FEBRUARY 11: Leviticus 14, 15.
FEBRUARY 12: Leviticus 16 to 18.
For Further Study
FEBRUARY 6: Review the book of Exodus. It is a history of rebellion and forgiveness, of murmurings and mercy. It may be divided into four sections: Slavery, salvation, Sinai, service. Mark these divisions in your Bible.
FEBRUARY 7: Study the different offerings mentioned till they are clearly defined in your mind.
FEBRUARY 8: Prepare a table showing the five kinds of offerings (burnt, meal, peace, sin, trespass) showing (1) purpose of; (2) manner of.
FEBRUARY 9: Make a list of prohibitions of the use of strong drink found elsewhere in the Bible.
FEBRUARY 10: Study the restrictions given in regard to food.
FEBRUARY 11: Read what the Bible Dictionary says about lepers and leprosy.
FEBRUARY 12: Note how often and how minutely the thought is brought out that God is particular about details.

Civilization of the Ancient World

“A few years ago hostile critics declared that the account of the making of the tabernacle and its structure could not be true, as the times were too primitive to admit of it; but now through research we have ample evidence of the great skill in such matters long before the exodus. Fine linen was used in many ways. The whole process of working gold is depicted in the tombs of Beni-Hassan as early as the twelfth dynasty. A remarkable collection of exquisitely wrought jewelry (now in the Bulak museum) was found in the tomb of Queen Ahotep of the eighth dynasty.” — Henry T. Sell.

Leviticus

This name is given to the third book of the Bible because it deals chiefly with the Levites and the priests, and their services and duties in connection with the sanctuary and its worship. It also sets forth the duties of the people in regard to worship, offerings, and sacrifices.
“Leviticus opens with an account of the laws which governed the offerings and ritual of the Lord’s house. Henceforth God is not to dwell apart from, but with, his people; not on a lonely mountain top, but in the tent which has been set up for him. There must be a suitable and proper approach to God. This book contains the laws of approach to the holy God by a sinful yet chosen people. We have in Leviticus what is known as the priests’ code. The contents are purely legislative, and the laws enacted are civil, ceremonial, moral, religious and sanitary. Those which receive the most attention are the religious and ceremonial. A large part of the book is occupied with instructions for the service of the sanctuary. The only historical portions are the accounts of the consecration of the priests and the death of Nadab and Abihu (chapters 8-10); also the punishment of the blasphemer (chap. 24:10-14).”
Do not make the mistake of thinking that because this is a book of ancient laws and rites and ceremonies, therefore it is unimportant, and may be lightly passed over. Read carefully chapter 16, dealing with the cleansing of the sanctuary; note what is said concerning tale-bearing, acceptable offerings, the sacredness of the tithe, etc.; especially notice how often, and in how many ways, the duty of loving our neighbor is enjoined.

Holiness

The great theme of Leviticus is holiness,—a holy God, a holy priesthood, a holy people. “The holiness of God shines like a white, fearful light upon the whole book. It is in contrast with that holiness that the sin of man is seen and understood. . . . Leviticus speaks forevermore of the awfulness of sin in the light of the holiness of God, of the plenteous redemption springing from the love of God, of the possibility of holiness of life, created by communion with God.”

The Key to the Hieroglyphics of Ancient Egypt

A little over a hundred years ago, the world’s knowledge of Bible times began to be increased. In 1799, as one result of Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign, the Rosetta Stone (so named because it was unearthed near Rosetta, at the mouth of the Nile) was discovered. This stone was of black granite, three feet nine inches high, two feet four and one-half inches wide, and eleven inches thick. It is thought to have been originally several inches higher, and to have had a rounded top.
The smooth face of the stone was divided into three parts, one above another. On each of these appeared an inscription,—the upper one resembling the hieroglyphics seen everywhere on monuments and obelisks in Egypt; the middle section covered with another kind of script; and the lower written in Greek. This last “was readily readable, and told the story of the stone. It was set up in 195 B. C., in honor of Ptolemy Epiphanes,” and recited various creditable deeds attributed to him. It was at once assumed that the other two inscriptions were a repetition of this story, and the value of the stone was immediately recognized. After making copies of the writings, the stone was carefully packed and sent to England. It is now one of the treasures in the British Museum.
In 1818, after years of painstaking study, a French scholar succeeded in deciphering the remaining inscriptions of the Rosetta Stone, and in so doing “unlocked the old door to the civilization of the Nile Valley. . . . The stately obelisks and majestic columns were still as the tomb, but their story now rings through the enlightened nations of the earth. Their designers and builders perished thousands of years ago, and their kings lie silent in their tombs or in our museums; but their testimony abides, unchallenged, chiseled in imperishable rocks.”
In the great mass of material yielded by the Nile Valley since the discovery of the Rosetta Stone and the deciphering of its inscriptions, the Christian world finds abundant “testimony to the accuracy of the records and hints of the Old Testament regarding the character of the ancient Egyptians.”