61 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 2 If any one sin and act unfaithfully against Jehovah, and lie to his neighbour as to an entrusted thing or a deposit or [that in which] he hath robbed or wronged his neighbour, 3 or have found what was lost, and denieth it, and sweareth falsely in anything of all that man doeth, sinning therein; 4 then it shall be, if he hath sinned and transgressed, that he shall restore what he robbed or that in which he hath defrauded, or the deposit, or the lost thing which he found, 5 or all that about which he hath sworn falsely; and he shall restore it in the principal, and shall add the fifth part more thereto; to [him to] whom it belongeth shall he give it, on the day of his trespass-offering. 6 And his trespass-offering shall he bring to Jehovah, a ram without blemish out of the small cattle according to thy valuation, as a trespass-offering, unto the priest. 7 And the priest shall make atonement for him before Jehovah, and it shall be forgiven him concerning anything of all that he hath done so as to trespass therein.
8 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 9 Command Aaron and his sons, saying, This is the law of the burnt-offering; this, the burnt-offering, shall be on the hearth on the altar all night unto the morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it. 10 And the priest shall put on his linen raiment, and his linen breeches shall he put on his flesh, and take up the ashes to which the fire hath consumed the burnt-offering on the altar, and he shall put them beside the altar. 11 And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place. 12 And the fire upon the altar shall be kept burning on it: it shall not be put out; and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt-offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace-offerings. 13 A continual fire shall be kept burning on the altar: it shall never go out.
14 And this is the law of the oblation: [one of] the sons of Aaron shall present it before Jehovah, before the altar. 15 And he shall take of it his handful of the fine flour of the oblation, and of the oil thereof, and all the frankincense which is on the meat-offering, and shall burn [it] on the altar: [it is] a sweet odour of the memorial thereof to Jehovah. 16 And the remainder thereof shall Aaron and his sons eat: unleavened shall it be eaten in a holy place; in the court of the tent of meeting shall they eat it. 17 It shall not be baken with leaven. As their portion have I given it [unto them] of my offerings by fire: it is most holy; as the sin-offering, and as the trespass-offering. 18 All the males among the children of Aaron shall eat of it. [It is] an everlasting statute in your generations, [their portion] of Jehovah's offerings by fire: whatever toucheth these shall be holy. 19 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 20 This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons, which they shall present to Jehovah on the day when he is anointed: the tenth part of an ephah of fine flour as a continual oblation, half of it in the morning, and half thereof at night. 21 It shall be prepared in the pan with oil: saturated with oil shalt thou bring it: baken pieces of the oblation shalt thou present [for] a sweet odour to Jehovah. 22 And the priest who is anointed of his sons in his stead shall prepare it: [it is] an everlasting statute; it shall be wholly burned to Jehovah. 23 And every oblation of the priest shall be wholly burned; it shall not be eaten.
24 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 25 Speak unto Aaron and to his sons, saying, This is the law of the sin-offering. At the place where the burnt-offering is slaughtered shall the sin-offering be slaughtered before Jehovah: it is most holy. 26 The priest that offereth it for sin shall eat it: in a holy place shall it be eaten, in the court of the tent of meeting. 27 Everything that toucheth the flesh thereof shall be holy; and if there be splashed of the blood thereof on a garment—that whereon it is sprinkled shalt thou wash in a holy place. 28 And the earthen vessel wherein it hath been sodden shall be broken; and if it have been sodden in a copper pot, it shall be both scoured and rinsed with water. 29 All the males among the priests shall eat thereof: it is most holy. 30 And no sin-offering whereof blood hath been brought to the tent of meeting, to make atonement in the sanctuary, shall be eaten: it shall be burned with fire.
71 And this is the law of the trespass-offering—it is most holy: 2 in the place where they slaughter the burnt-offering shall they slaughter the trespass-offering; and the blood thereof shall he sprinkle on the altar round about. 3 And he shall present of it all the fat thereof; the fat tail and the fat that covereth the inwards, 4 and the two kidneys, and the fat that is on them, which is by the flanks, and the net above the liver, which he shall take away as far as the kidneys. 5 And the priest shall burn them on the altar, an offering by fire to Jehovah: it is a trespass-offering. 6 Every male among the priests shall eat thereof; in a holy place shall it be eaten: it is most holy. 7 As the sin-offering, so is the trespass-offering; [there shall] be one law for them: it shall be the priest's who maketh atonement therewith. 8 And [as to] the priest that presenteth any man's burnt-offering, the skin of the burnt-offering which he hath presented shall be the priest's for himself. 9 And every oblation that is baken in the oven, and all that is prepared in the cauldron and in the pan, shall be the priest's who offereth it; to him it shall belong. 10 And every oblation, mingled with oil, and dry, shall all the sons of Aaron have, one as the other.
11 And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace-offering, which [a man] shall present to Jehovah. 12 If he present it for a thanksgiving, then he shall present with the sacrifice of thanksgiving unleavened cakes mingled with oil, and unleavened wafers anointed with oil, and fine flour saturated with oil, cakes mingled with oil. 13 Besides the cakes, he shall present his offering of leavened bread with the sacrifice of his peace-offering of thanksgiving. 14 And of it he shall present one out of the whole offering as a heave-offering to Jehovah; to the priest that sprinkleth the blood of the peace-offering, to him it shall belong. 15 And the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offering of thanksgiving shall be eaten the same day that it is presented; he shall not let any of it remain until the morning. 16 And if the sacrifice of his offering be a vow, or voluntary, it shall be eaten the same day that he presented his sacrifice; on the morrow also the remainder of it shall be eaten; 17 and the remainder of the flesh of the sacrifice on the third day shall be burned with fire. 18 And if [any] of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace-offering be eaten at all on the third day, it shall not be accepted, it shall not be reckoned to him that hath presented it; it shall be an unclean thing, and the soul that eateth of it shall bear his iniquity. 19 And the flesh that toucheth anything unclean shall not be eaten; it shall be burned with fire. And as to the flesh, all that are clean may eat [the] flesh. 20 But the soul that eateth the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offering which is for Jehovah, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from his peoples. 21 And if any one touch anything unclean, the uncleanness of man, or unclean beast, or any unclean abomination, and eat of the flesh of the sacrifice of peace-offering, which is for Jehovah, that soul shall be cut off from his peoples. 22 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 23 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, No fat, of ox, or of sheep, or of goat shall ye eat. 24 But the fat of a dead carcase, and the fat of that which is torn, may be used in any other use; but ye shall in no wise eat it. 25 For whoever eateth the fat of the beast of which men present an offering by fire to Jehovah, the soul that hath eaten shall be cut off from his peoples. 26 And no blood shall ye eat in any of your dwellings, whether it be of fowl or of cattle. 27 Whatever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, that soul shall be cut off from his peoples. 28 And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, 29 Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, He that presenteth the sacrifice of his peace-offering to Jehovah shall bring his offering to Jehovah of the sacrifice of his peace-offering. 30 His own hands shall bring Jehovah's offerings by fire, the fat with the breast shall he bring: the breast, that it may be waved as a wave-offering before Jehovah. 31 And the priest shall burn the fat on the altar; and the breast shall be Aaron's and his sons'. 32 And the right shoulder of the sacrifices of your peace-offerings shall ye give as a heave-offering unto the priest. 33 He of the sons of Aaron that presenteth the blood of the peace-offerings, and the fat, shall have the right shoulder for [his] part. 34 For the breast of the wave-offering, and the shoulder of the heave-offering, have I taken of the children of Israel from the sacrifices of their peace-offerings, and have given them unto Aaron the priest and unto his sons from the children of Israel by an everlasting statute.
35 This is [the portion] of the anointing of Aaron and of the anointing of his sons, from Jehovah's offerings by fire, in the day [when] he presented them to serve Jehovah as priests, 36 which Jehovah commanded to be given them by the children of Israel in the day that he anointed them: [it is] an everlasting statute, throughout their generations. 37 This is the law of the burnt-offering, of the oblation, and of the sin-offering, and of the trespass-offering, and of the consecration-offering, and of the sacrifice of peace-offering, 38 which Jehovah commanded Moses in mount Sinai, in the day that he commanded the children of Israel to present their offerings to Jehovah, in the wilderness of Sinai.
251 Then shall the kingdom of the heavens be made like to ten virgins that having taken their torches, went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were prudent and five foolish. 3 They that were foolish took their torches and did not take oil with them; 4 but the prudent took oil in their vessels with their torches. 5 Now the bridegroom tarrying, they all grew heavy and slept. 6 But in [the] middle of [the] night there was a cry, Behold, the bridegroom; go forth to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their torches. 8 And the foolish said to the prudent, Give us of your oil, for our torches are going out. 9 But the prudent answered saying, [We cannot,] lest it might not suffice for us and for you. Go rather to those that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 But as they went away to buy, the bridegroom came, and the [ones that were] ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut. 11 Afterwards come also the rest of the virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us; 12 but he answering said, Verily I say unto you, I do not know you. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour.
14 For [it is] as [if] a man going away out of a country called his own bondmen and delivered to them his substance. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to each according to his particular ability, and immediately went away out of the country. 16 And he that had received the five talents went and trafficked with them, and made five other talents. 17 In like manner also he that [had received] the two, [he also] gained two others. 18 But he that had received the one went and dug in the earth, and hid the money of his lord. 19 And after a long time the lord of those bondmen comes and reckons with them. 20 And he that had received the five talents came to [him] and brought five other talents, saying, [My] lord, thou deliveredst me five talents; behold, I have gained five other talents besides them. 21 His lord said to him, Well, good and faithful bondman, thou wast faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things: enter into the joy of thy lord. 22 And he also that had received the two talents came to [him] and said, [My] lord, thou deliveredst me two talents; behold, I have gained two other talents besides them. 23 His lord said to him, Well, good and faithful bondman, thou wast faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. 24 And he also that had received the one talent coming to [him] said, [My] lord, I knew thee that thou art a hard man, reaping where thou hadst not sowed, and gathering from where thou hadst not scattered, 25 and being afraid I went away and hid thy talent in the earth; behold, thou hast that which is thine. 26 And his lord answering said to him, Wicked and slothful bondman, thou knewest that I reap where I had not sowed, and gather from where I had not scattered; 27 thou oughtest then to have put my money to the money-changers, and when I came I should have got what is mine with interest. 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it to him that has the ten talents: 29 for to every one that has shall be given, and he shall be in abundance; but from him that has not, that even which he has shall be taken from him. 30 And cast out the useless bondman into the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
(Read Matthew 25:1-13)
The circumstances of the parable of the ten virgins were taken from the marriage customs among the Jews, and explain the great day of Christ's coming. See the nature of Christianity. As Christians we profess to attend upon Christ, to honour him, also to be waiting for his coming. Sincere Christians are the wise virgins, and hypocrites the foolish ones. Those are the truly wise or foolish that are so in the affairs of their souls. Many have a lamp of profession in their hands, but have not, in their hearts, sound knowledge and settled resolution, which are needed to carry them through the services and trials of the present state. Their hearts are not stored with holy dispositions, by the new-creating Spirit of God. Our light must shine before men in good works; but this is not likely to be long done, unless there is a fixed, active principle in the heart, of faith in Christ, and love to God and our brethren. They all slumbered and slept. The delay represents the space between the real or apparent conversion of these professors, and the coming of Christ, to take them away by death, or to judge the world. But though Christ tarry past our time, he will not tarry past the due time. The wise virgins kept their lamps burning, but they did not keep themselves awake. Too many real Christians grow remiss, and one degree of carelessness makes way for another. Those that allow themselves to slumber, will scarcely keep from sleeping; therefore dread the beginning of spiritual decays. A startling summons was given. Go ye forth to meet Him, is a call to those prepared. The notice of Christ's approach, and the call to meet him, will awaken. Even those best prepared for death have work to do to get actually ready, 2 Peter 3:14. It will be a day of search and inquiry; and it concerns us to think how we shall then be found. Some wanted oil to supply their lamps when going out. Those that take up short of true grace, will certainly find the want of it one time or other. An outward profession may light a man along this world, but the damps of the valley of the shadow of death will put out such a light. Those who care not to live the life, yet would die the death of the righteous. But those that would be saved, must have grace of their own; and those that have most grace, have none to spare. The best need more from Christ. And while the poor alarmed soul addresses itself, upon a sick-bed, to repentance and prayer, in awful confusion, death comes, judgment comes, the work is undone, and the poor sinner is undone for ever. This comes of having oil to buy when we should burn it, grace to get when we should use it. Those, and those only, shall go to heaven hereafter, that are made ready for heaven here. The suddenness of death and of Christ's coming to us then, will not hinder our happiness, if we have been prepared. The door was shut. Many will seek admission into heaven when it is too late. The vain confidence of hypocrites will carry them far in expectations of happiness. The unexpected summons of death may alarm the Christian; but, proceeding without delay to trim his lamp, his graces often shine more bright; while the mere professor's conduct shows that his lamp is going out. Watch therefore, attend to the business of your souls. Be in the fear of the Lord all the day long.
(Read Matthew 25:14-30)
Christ keeps no servants to be idle: they have received their all from him, and have nothing they can call their own but sin. Our receiving from Christ is in order to our working for him. The manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. The day of account comes at last. We must all be reckoned with as to what good we have got to our own souls, and have done to others, by the advantages we have enjoyed. It is not meant that the improving of natural powers can entitle a man to Divine grace. It is the real Christian's liberty and privilege to be employed as his Redeemer's servant, in promoting his glory, and the good of his people: the love of Christ constrains him to live no longer to himself, but to Him that died for him, and rose again. Those who think it impossible to please God, and in vain to serve him, will do nothing to purpose in religion. They complain that He requires of them more than they are capable of, and punishes them for what they cannot help. Whatever they may pretend, the fact is, they dislike the character and work of the Lord. The slothful servant is sentenced to be deprived of his talent. This may be applied to the blessings of this life; but rather to the means of grace. Those who know not the day of their visitation, shall have the things that belong to their peace hid from their eyes. His doom is, to be cast into outer darkness. It is a usual way of expressing the miseries of the damned in hell. Here, as in what was said to the faithful servants, our Saviour goes out of the parable into the thing intended by it, and this serves as a key to the whole. Let us not envy sinners, or covet any of their perishing possessions.
