THOUGHTS FROM THE SEPTUAGINT.
By F. D. Starr
The Glory of Moses’ Face.—In 2 Corinthians 3 the subject is introduced of Moses’ putting a vail over his face when he spoke to the children of Israel. This was on account of the shining of his face. The record of this is found in Exodus 34. It is there stated (verse 29) that “Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone.” In the Septuagint the expression is more like that used by Paul in Corinthians. It reads thus: “Moses knew not that the appearance of his face was glorified when God spoke to him.” It is very evident from the identity of expressions in both the Old and New Testament accounts that it was the ministration that was represented by the glory there revealed. Moses’ face was glorified. It is distinctly stated that that glory was done away. Some have had the mistaken idea that it was the law itself that was done away, but a careful examination of these texts will show that nothing is said about the law being glorified, or that Moses hung a vail over the law; he hung the vail over his face, and that which was done away was the glory of his face, over which the vail was hung. The Brazen Censers.—In the account given in Exodus 39 of the various vessels of the sanctuary, the garments of the priests, etc., in addition to the information given in the Authorized Version, we have this account in the Septuagint, verse 22: “He made the brazen altar of the brazen censers which belonged to the men engaged in sedition with the gathering of Core.” An account somewhat similar to this is given in Num. 16: 37–40, but in the Greek it seems to be introduced here by way of anticipation. Most likely the rebellion of Korah and his company took place after most of the vessels of the sanctuary were made. Sinning Unwillingly.—In Leviticus 4 directions are given as to what various individuals should do in case certain sins had been committed. We read in verse 2, “If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done,” etc. Like expressions in reference to sinning through ignorance are found in verses 13, 22, and 27. Just what would be called a sin of ignorance might be a matter of study. In Heb. 10:26 we read, “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.” No provision was made under the law for willful sins. It is evident also that under the Gospel there is no provision for willful sins. There is a sin unto death, and there is a sin not unto death. 1 John 5:16, 17. Our Saviour has told us that all manner of sins shall be forgiven, except the sin against the Holy Spirit. Such sin must be willful sin, as mentioned in Heb. 10:26. A sin of ignorance then must belong to that class of sins which are said to be not unto death—sins for which there is forgiveness. But can men who have been instructed in the ways of the Lord, and who have fallen from the path of virtue, be said to have sinned ignorantly? Can we say that David sinned ignorantly in the transgression by which he gave occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme? He surely had a knowledge of the will of the Lord, and was not in ignorance. If we will allow the rendering of the Septuagint in this case, we will have a better insight into this question, which otherwise might perhaps present some difficulty. If it were only sins of ignorance, strictly so called, that are to be forgiven, the chances of most of the professors of religion would be very slim. The word employed in the Greek version is rendered “unwilling.” “If a soul of the people should sin unwillingly,” “if a soul shall sin unwillingly,” “if a soul of the people of the land shall sin unwillingly, in doing a thing contrary to any of the commandments of the Lord,” etc. The expression “unwillingly” is of like meaning with the one in Rom. 8:20, “not willingly.” There is such a thing as sinning unwillingly. This is on account of the deceitfulness of sin; for sin is indeed a very deceitful thing, and while the person is not really ignorant of the claims of God’s law, yet for the time being he is blinded—deceived—and he seems to be controlled by a power outside of himself, and this power is an evil power. He is made the unwilling servant of Satan. He longs to be free. He knows the thing that is good, and desires to do it, but somehow he has not the power. “The Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak;” and thus, being a slave in the bondage of an oppressive master, he does those things that ought not to be done, and things that, left to himself, without the influence of another power, he would not do. This man is sinning, not so much ignorantly as unwillingly, going against the law that in his own mind he acknowledges to be holy, and just, and good, and doing service to a power from which he wishes to be free. For those who are thus unwillingly led into sin, “overtaken in a fault,” the Lord has provided a most gracious sacrifice, as typified in the ceremonies of the old dispensation, and fully carried out in the realities of the new. It is glorious indeed to search for and find the Gospel of Christ in the ordinances of the law. How thankful we should be for the hope held before the unwilling servant of sin, that his sin may be forgiven, and he receive power by which to be relieved from the oppression of the devil, and be no longer his unwilling servant! Called Unclean.—It is stated in Lev. 13:45 that the leper should put a covering upon his upper lip, and should cry, “Unclean, unclean.” The rendering of that verse as found in the Septuagint is this: “And the leper in whom the plague is, let his garments be ungirt, and his head uncovered; and let him have a covering upon his mouth, and he shall be called unclean.” This would place the burden of calling the individual unclean upon another, and not upon himself. Inasmuch as verse 46 states that he should dwell alone and his habitation be without the camp, it would hardly seem necessary that he should continually cry unclean. This fact would seem to favor the rendering of the Septuagint, that he was simply to be pronounced, or called, unclean by others. The singular manner in which he was to be attired would signify to others the uncleanness that rested upon him. Living Water.—In Lev. 14:5 a ceremony is described which included the killing of a bird in earthen vessels over running water. The term in the Greek is living water. The reader will call to mind that quite frequently in the Old Testament, as well as in the New, we find the expressions “running water,” or “living water.” The terms are equivalent. Water that came from a fountain or a continually running stream, instead of from a pool or cistern or some standing body of water, was called living water. This living water was not only to be used in the typical service, but the expression was also employed by our Lord in speaking of the work of salvation, which he should accomplish for the race; the free grace and life bestowed upon them were called living water, “a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”