Author–Unknown
1) Review and Herald, 5/6/1875
“God’s people, … were privileged with a TWO-FOLD SYSTEM OF LAW; the MORAL and the CEREMONIAL. The one, pointing back to creation … will exist through all time and eternity. The other, given because of man’s transgression of the moral law, the obedience to which consisted in SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS POINTING TO THE FUTURE REDEMPTION. Each is CLEAR AND DISTINCT FROM THE OTHER.
THE TYPICAL SYSTEM of sacrifices and offerings was established that through these services the sinner might discern THE GREAT OFFERING, CHRIST. … THE LAW OF TYPES reached forward to Christ. All hope and faith centered in Christ UNTIL TYPE REACHED ITS ANTITYPE IN HIS DEATH. THE STATUTES AND JUDGMENTS SPECIFYING THE DUTY OF MAN TO HIS FELLOW-MEN, were full of important instruction, DEFINING AND SIMPLIFYING THE PRINCIPLES OF THE MORAL LAW, THE STATUTES … were designed of God to keep his people separate from other nations. … If ancient Israel needed such security, we need it more, to keep us from being utterly confounded with the transgressors of God’s law.”
2) Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 310
“The minds of the people, blinded and debased by slavery and heathenism, were not prepared to appreciate fully the far-reaching principles of God’s ten precepts. That the obligations of the DECALOGUE might be more fully understood and enforced, ADDITIONAL PRECEPTS were given, ILLUSTRATING And APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. These laws were called JUDGMENTS, both because they were framed in infinite wisdom and equity and because the magistrates were to give judgment according to them.”
3) Spiritual Gifts, vol. 3, p. 299
“If man had kept the law of God, as given to Adam after his fall, preserved in the ark by Noah, and observed by Abraham, there would have been no necessity of the ordinance of circumcision. And if the descendants of Abraham had kept the covenant, which circumcision was a token or pledge of, they would never have gone into idolatry, and been suffered to go down into Egypt, and there would have been no necessity of God’s proclaiming his law from Sinai, and engraving it upon tables of stone, AND GUARDING IT BY DEFINITE DIRECTIONS IN THE JUDGMENTS AND STATUTES GIVEN TO MOSES.”
4) Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 365
“The CEREMONIAL SYSTEM was made up of SYMBOLS POINTING TO CHRIST, TO HIS SACRIFICE AND HIS PRIESTHOOD. THIS RITUAL LAW, WITH ITS SACRIFICES AND ORDINANCES, was to be performed by the Hebrews UNTIL TYPE MET ANTITYPE IN THE DEATH OF CHRIST, the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Then all the SACRIFICIAL OFFERINGS WERE TO CEASE. It is this law that Christ “took. . . out of the way, nailing it to His cross.” Colossians 2:14.”
5) Testimonies vol. 2, p. 574
“God gave direction to the Israelites to assemble before Him at SET PERIODS, in the place which HE SHOULD CHOOSE, and observe special days wherein no unnecessary work was to be done, but the time was to be devoted to a consideration of the blessings which He had bestowed upon them. … THUS THE CHARACTERS OF THE PEOPLE WERE PLAINLY DEVELOPED. … God requires no less of His people in these last days, IN SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS, than He did of the Jewish nation. … Let all who possibly can, attend these yearly gatherings. ALL SHOULD FEEL THAT GOD REQUIRES THIS OF THEM. … Come, brethren and sisters, to these SACRED CONVOCATION MEETINGS, TO FIND JESUS. HE WILL COME UP TO THE FEAST. … These camp meetings are of importance.”
6) 1BCp.1104
“In consequence of continual transgression, THE MORAL LAW was repeated in awful grandeur from Sinai. Christ gave to Moses RELIGIOUS PRECEPTS WHICH WERE TO GOVERN EVERYDAY LIFE. THESE STATUTES WERE EXPLICITLY GIVEN TO GUARD THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. THEY WERE NOT SHADOWY TYPES TO PASS AWAY WITH THE DEATH OF CHRIST. They were to be BINDING UPON MEN IN EVERY AGE AS LONG AS TIME SHOULD LAST. These commands were ENFORCED BY THE POWER OF THE MORAL LAW, AND THEY CLEARLY AND DEFINITELY EXPLAINED THAT LAW”
7) Patriarchs and Prophets p. 364
“But He (God) did not stop with giving them the precepts of the Decalogue. The people had shown themselves so easily led astray that He would leave no door of temptation unguarded. Moses was commanded to write, as God should bid him, JUDGMENTS AND LAWS giving minute instruction as to what was REQUIRED. These directions RELATING TO THE DUTY OF THE PEOPLE TO GOD, (statutes), TO ONE ANOTHER, AND TO THE STRANGER (judgments) WERE ONLY THE PRINCIPLES OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AMPLIFIED AND GIVEN IN A SPECIFIC MANNER, that none need err. THEY WERE DESIGNED TO GUARD THE SACREDNESS OF THE TEN PRECEPTS ENGRAVED ON THE TABLES OF STONE.” (Words in parenthesis supplied)
8.) Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, p. 371
“Shall we not keep HOLY FESTIVALS unto God? .. Let the school and the church henceforth HAVE FESTIVALS OF REJOICING UNTO THE LORD.”
NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS ON THE STATUTES AND JUDGMENTS OF GOD
1) The above excerpts make it clear that the Statutes and Judgments of God are SEPARATE AND DISTINCT from the Ceremonial Laws. They belong to the category of MORAL LAWS. To confuse “two-fold system of law” is poor exegesis.
2) The Ceremonial Laws, consisting of “sacrifices and offerings,” were abolished by the Cross, while the Statutes and Judgments, deriving from and directly explicating the 10 commandments, are as binding now as when first proclaimed at Sinai! (See excerpt #6)
3) With the annulment of the Ceremonial Laws it is certain that the shedding of blood is no longer necessary, and indeed, is an abomination before God. Nevertheless, “God REQUIRES NO LESS of His people in these last days IN SACRIFICES AND OFFERINGS, THAN HE DID OF THE JEWISH NATION! . . .“ (See excerpt #5) Obviously, therefore, there must be a SPIRITUAL counterpart to the blood sacrifices of the ancient church, and only THIS PRINCIPLE can be obeyed today.
4) In like manner, the Statutes and Judgments, with their BINDING CLAIMS, are REQUIRED of God’s people today, but with the proviso, implicit yet unmistakable, that where bloodshed was called for in the old observances, we are now to offer SPIRITUAL sacrifices and offerings. Mrs. White in different places has elaborated on the deeper meaning of the various offerings God required of His people then, and how they apply now. (See for example 2T 598 & c)
5) In using the terms Festivals, Holy Convocations, and Feasts interchangeably with Camp meetings, Mrs. White is undoubtedly referring back to the Statutes given by Moses. (Cf excerpt #8 & Leviticus 23 & c). She thus indicates the manner in which they are to be observed today.
6) That the timing of the Feasts is significant may be understood from a reflection of the events and circumstances the feasts were designed to bring to mind and commemorate. Their importance to God may be gauged, too, from noting the meticulousness with which He detailed the exact date and time to be observed. To keep the convocations at any time other than when designated is to depreciate their true intent and purpose and to belittle the Author who gave them. (Like celebrating a friend’s birthday deliberately on a wrong date!). Further, it is God’s presence and approbation alone that can make any occasion or period holy. By identifying the convocations as “SABBATHS” He emphasized their sacredness as “hallowed” times, times when He was present in a special, unique way (The etymology of the “Sabbath” conveys the distinct idea of God’s particular resting time and place!) It is obvious that God appreciates worship at times other than Sabbaths (as at prayer meetings), but such can never usurp the place of the Seventh-day Sabbath which is mandatory and non-negotiable. Likewise, convocations at any time outside the designated times may be good and acceptable, but cannot rightly be called “holy” since they are not hallowed or set apart by God.
7) From all that Mrs. White has to say on the subject, it is very likely she would have readily joined in the observance of the ancient Feasts, if the Lord had raised another individual to take the lead in the matter. It may be recalled that she was seldom given the responsibility of breaking new ground although she knew and understood the truth. This is especially clear with respect to the 1888 messages. God used her to indicate and confirm His mind to His people, but not to initiate the movement. The fact that no one was raised back then to recapture the lost truth of the Feasts is a clue that God knew it was not yet time for the Sabbaths to be declared more fully—an event to be associated only with the final generation in the remnant of time. (See EW 33 & 85)
8) Rejoice, beloved, the signs in the world and in the church all point to the imminent consummation of our hopes! WE ARE THE FINAL GENERATION! MARANATHA!
FURTHER OBSRVATIONS ON THE STATUTES OF GOD
A careful analysis of all 166 references to “statutes” in the JKV leads to the conclusion that they are rules concerning THE WORSHIP OF JEHOVAH GOD. As such, they are fundamentally different from “judgments” which were laws given to order the CIVIL LIFE of the Hebrew nation, i.e. the statutes applied to the “Church,” while the judgments governed the “State,” The magistrates, it will be recalled, pronounced judgment in civil and criminal cases based on the “judgments” of Moses – a legal code, if you please. (See excerpt #2) All “civilized” nations of the world today have constitutions directly or indirectly reflecting these civil laws given by God on Sinai, thereby proving their perpetual validity and force.
The statutes are devoid of a person-to-person or horizontal dimension, dealing primarily with a person-to-God or vertical dimension, even in those instances where blood is mandated. In this sense the statutes embraced the ceremonial laws (a term not found in the KJV, it may be added). That is to say ceremonial laws were statutes, but not all statutes were included in the ceremonial category.
The differentiation between a statute that is still binding, and one that was abolished with the ceremonial laws on the Cross, may be made by a simple rule of thumb: If the law is concerned with the services of the sanctuary, and, more particularly, if blood is convolved, it is annulled and non-binding. It will be discovered that, in the main, the covenant declared from Mount Sinai (Exod. 20 thru 24) contains the binding statutes, while the laws given from atop the Mercy seat in the tabernacle (Lev. 1 & C) were annulled.
This understanding is entirely in harmony with the Spirit of Prophecy, and the beliefs and practices of the Apostolic church as portrayed in the New Testament and other extra- biblical sources. Today there can be no ceremony or observance involving a sanctuary (in the OT style), priests, or the sacrifice of animals, since Jesus fulfilled them in His person and ministry. (see excerpt #1). However, the worship of Jehovah God is obviously still in force, and will be throughout eternity! The statutes dealing with this aspect (but excluding the points noted) must undoubtedly be binding today. Here is where the Holy Convocations enter in. It is a wonderful thing that our pioneers understood the obligation we have to keep the Seventh-day Sabbath, but they stopped short of reclaiming all the statutes elaborating the great SABBATH PRINCIPLE, which the Feasts amplify. The final step in re-establishing the Sabbath more fully has been left to us in the last generation.
A word study in Hebrew of the usages of the singular versus the plural forms of “Sabbath” in such passages as Exodus 20 & 31, Leviticus 23, II Chronicles 26, Ezekiel 20, and Isaiah 58 reveals the following important facts: When the plural is used, it is impossible to distinguish between the weekly Sabbath and the yearly, “ceremonial” Sabbaths since they are all grouped together and given equal weight. Ezekiel 20 is a good example, where statutes, judgments and sabbaths are almost always mentioned in the same breath, as it were. It is only when the definite article “the” precedes the singular “Sabbath,” can it be known for certain that the weekly Sabbath is being referred to (as in Isaiah 58:13 and Exodus 20:8). In Exodus 20:10, the original words read in part, “But the seventh day is “A” sabbath of the Lord thy God. The indefinite article is used, implying clearly that the Lord has other sabbaths as well. This fact is of pivotal significance, because the texts we generally use to prove that the Sabbath is a sign of sanctification (Exodus 31:13 & Ezekiel 20:12) both employ the PLURAL form of the word! The conclusion is inescapable: ALL of God’s sabbaths are a sign of sanctification, and not just the weekly Sabbath!
A point worth pondering, too, is the free use of the term “statutes” by Mrs. White in a highly positive manner. (See PK 52, 3SG 299 & c) If this term was strictly limited to the ceremonial laws, she may be charged with poor comprehension of the meaning of the word, or, worse, with perpetuating a dead system. But, praise God, as a true prophet, she cannot be indicted with either! Her writings clearly uphold the sanctity of all the laws of God still in force today. Not once, in all the numerous pages she has written on the Feasts of Israel and kindred topics, does she breathe the suggestion that we are not to observe them as modern Israel. Quite the contrary, her exhortations always tend in the direction of keeping them, albeit in the campmeeting mode. (See Ed 41 -3, COL 220-1, 6T 40 & C)
Significantly, as well, when Mrs. White wrote in “Patriarchs and Prophets” page 540. “Well would it be for the people of God AT THE PRESENT TIME to have a Feast of Tabernacles . . . ,“ the United States and Canada already had a yearly celebration corresponding to this harvest festival of the Jews – Thanksgiving! The “World Book” encyclopedia informs us that, “In 1789, President George Washington issued a general proclamation naming November26 a day of national thanksgiving.” vol. 19, p. 180. Since then, of course, the minor changes in the official date have been made, and today we observe the 4th Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day. To suggest that Mrs. White did not know about this day is absurd, yet she advocates a Feast of Tabernacles for us Adventists! More than likely under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, she was intimating that we should keep it at the proper time designated by God.
The understanding outlined in this paper resolves, to my mind at least, the inconsistency of lumping all the statutes under the defunct ceremonial system, while at the same time straddling the fence in promoting them as worthwhile laws of God, in seeming harmony with the Spirit of Prophecy.
Excerpt #7 points out that God “did not stop with giving them the precepts of the Decalogue,” but that He amplified them by giving them additional “judgments and laws.” The laws referred to here are unquestionably the “statutes” defined in other places. (see excerpt #3) If these statutes were no longer in force it would be obvious that only the judgments were binding today, and further use of the term “statutes” was redundant and confusing, to say the least. This would then lead to great difficulty explaining how BOTH tables of the Law were amplified and guarded by God, since the judgments deal exclusively with the horizontal perspective, or only the second table of the Law (man’s relationship to his fellowman). It would appear, therefore (quite erroneously), that an entire protective arm of the Decalogue was severed with one stroke, as God would seem to have forgotten about the first table of the Law. But close examination reveals that the statutes are anything by invalidated, elucidating as they do, the perpendicular perspective of the Commandments, the first table of the Law (man’s relationship to God). Thus, it is manifestly seen that BOTH, the statutes and the judgments of God, are moral, deriving from the great standard of all morality, the Decalogue. And, as such, it is inconceivable that any part of them can ever be abrogated while time lasts without doing despite to God Himself, the Author of them all. (See also excerpt #6)
This being the case, does Mrs. White contradict herself in DA 652 where she is emphatic that the Passover was done away with forever and supplanted by the Lord’s Supper? And does not the abolishment of this ceremony provide a model for the cancellation of all, other feast statutes as well? The answer is an unequivocal No! To concede a disharmony of such major degree would be to seriously call in question the prophetic gift of the Lord’s messenger. Nevertheless, a superficial reader might understandably be puzzled over this apparent inconsistency. But, praise God, a conclusive answer is available.
The key to solving this dilemma is to remember that the Passover was in reality two separate, yet interlocking celebrations, as brought to view in Exodus 12:3-20 and Leviticus 23:5-8. The Passover itself occurred on the 14th of Nissan in the evening when, just BEFORE SUNSET, the sacrificial lamb was slain. However it was not eaten until AFTER SUNSET, when the 15th of Nissan had already begun. (See Exod. 12:8. Remember the “even to even” reckoning of days in biblical times!) From the 15th to the 21st of Nissan the FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD was observed. Only the 15th to the 21st days of the month (the 1st and 7th days of the feast) were to be “Holy Convocations” or Sabbaths when “no servile work was to be done. See Lev. 23:7 & 8. Thus the 14th, when the Passover was killed, was actually only an adjunct (albeit extremely important!) to the holy week and not really a part of it. This makes perfect sense because the killing and roasting of the lamb entailed a great deal of labor and was to be finished before sunset, which closed out the regular work day and ushered in the Sabbath – the 1st day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. As time went on the term “Passover” came to signify both facets of the festival, hence the confusion today. This is most unfortunate because what Jesus did in His person and ministry was to fulfill only the sacrifice which took place on the 14th of Nissan. Of course, this mighty deed was a “once for all” (Heb. 9:26) accomplishment, and did away with any further shedding of blood, and expunged from the books the whole ceremonial system of laws (the document nailed to the cross, Col. 2:14). But, without question, it left intact those statutes dealing with character development, namely, the Feast of Unleavened Bread as well as all the other Holy Convocations.
It may help to remember that Jesus was crucified on Friday and died the very moment of the evening sacrifice, before sunset. The Desire of Ages describes this epic moment in graphic language (see page 757). He was buried just before sunset too, when everybody was concerned about getting ready for the Sabbath and the commencement of the “Passover” feast, which actually was the start of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In the year of the crucifixion this was a “high” Sabbath, because the yearly Sabbath, in its cyclic trek through the week, coincided significantly with the weekly Sabbath.
As far as the disciples were concerned, they had already participated in the Lord’s Supper with Jesus the previous night, at which time the Passover was officially replaced, pending His actual death later THE SAME DAY. It was not necessary for them to kill a lamb ever again. Whether they in fact understood this at the moment is doubtful, but they had already completed the preliminary requirements to the observance of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (cleansing the soul temple from sin), and could keep it without the leaven of sin and malice, as Paul was to later exhort in I Corinthians 5:7 & 8.
It is important to underscore that this event (The Lord’s Supper) occurred on the 14th of Nissan too, i.e., the night portion of that date, the exact day that the lamb, chosen four days earlier, was to be killed according the statutes of Moses. If it is grasped that it was only the events of this one day that Jesus fulfilled, forever effacing any trace of blood from the subsequent celebrations, it will be seen clearly that the Passover was indeed done away with, but that the statutes concerning the rest of the Feast days, including the Feast of Unleavened Bread, were preserved inviolate. It is only as this crucial point is apprehended, will it begin to make sense how that the statutes can still be binding while the Passover is abolished.
For the skeptic who still doubts the Feasts have any moral value, I would urge a prayerful study of all the references of Mrs. White to the festivals of Israel. Unfortunately its full treatment is outside the scope of this paper. Additionally, Elder S. N. Haskell’s masterpiece, “The Cross and its Shadow” will provide further insights into the enduring purposes and objectives of the ancient Feast statutes, as will Leslie Hardinge’s “With Jesus in His Sanctuary.” The bottom line is, THE FEASTS WERE INTENDED TO DEVELOP THE CHARACTERS OF THE PEOPLE (see excerpt #5). One’s character is the only commodity one may take to heaven in the end, and its development is the prime objective of all true education. It is inconceivable that what was good for the characters of one generation can be considered irrelevant for another, however sophisticated.
Interestingly, the Sabbath School lesson quarterly for the 2nd quarter of 1992, in dealing with the book of Psalm, gives the correct perspective on the meaning of the Statutes (See lesson for June 4, and the “Teachers comments” if possible). Their abiding qualities are brought out without actually delineating them. It might serve to open some eyes, too, if in place of “statutes,” the expression “ceremonial laws” was substituted in the 11 9th Psalm. The utter insanity of this exercise will be readily apparent, for the Psalmist will seem to be extolling the gruesome rites of death as a thing to meditate upon!
God’s ways are always the best, and the principles of His dealings with us humans never change for the simple reason that He does not make a mistake which He later needs to amend. Far better would it be for us to err on the side of obeying the feast statutes, which by no stretch of the imagination can be considered evil or an abomination, than to run the risk of losing out on the blessings God wishes to bestow on His obedient children. At worst, the keeping of the Holy Convocations is going to disrupt our secular rat race to make more money (which really may not be all that bad for many of us), while at best it will enhance our growth in the similitude of Jesus! God help us to obey Him, not because we feel coerced or are frightened into it, but because we love Him and wish to enter into a fuller, more meaningful relationship with Him. Any motive short of this would be legalism.
It is no secret what sorry results accrue from a mindset that would attempt to “improve” on God’s revealed methods of carrying on His work. The history of the Seventh-day Adventist church is but a sad replay of that of the Jewish church. With our schools and colleges turning out products virtually indistinguishable from those coming out of the institutions of the world; our medical approach a carbon copy of the world’s methods and operated by “experts” trained by the world to generate more revenues; our evangelistic and worship mercenary philosophy of a business enterprise; and all while we have had in our possession the very directions of God Himself on how these lines of work should be conducted, is it any wonder that over 71% of our young people are leaving the church every year, our medical work is all but bankrupt financially, our divorce rate is almost the same as the world’s, almost half the converts to our faith are back in the world by year’s end, etc., etc., etc.? The mournful litany may be continued ad nauseum, but the point must be evident. We are reaping the consequences of our rebellion against heaven. Our willy nilly embrace of everything smacking of Babylon has proved to be our undoing. And yet we refuse to acknowledge our disobedience. The enemy has not only seduced us to partake of the wine of Babylon, he has also deluded us into thinking we are doing great when from head to toe we are one big putrefying sore. It is this same wily foe who originally succeeded in obscuring the obligations of God’s Sabbaths and their value toward character development, who is now vitally interested in preventing their reclamation by God’s people. Let us in the name and power of Almighty God thwart the devil’s designs, and step over the line to full compliance with His will, as it is revealed to us in ever increasing clarity before the end of all things. MARANATHA!
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The author of this paper is unknown, but whoever this person is/was had a tremendous understanding of the Spirit of Prophecy. All emphases’ were supplied by the unknown author.