The system of education established in Eden centered in the family. Adam was "the son of God" (Luke 3:38), and it was from their Father that the children of the Highest received instruction. Theirs, in the truest sense, was a family school.
In the divine plan of education as adapted to humanity's condition after the Fall, Christ stands as the representative of the Father, the connecting link between God and the fallen race. He ordained that men and women should be His representatives. The family was the school, the parents were the teachers.
The education centering in the family was that which prevailed in the days of the patriarchs. The people who were under God's direction still pursued the plan of life that He had appointed in the beginning. Those who departed from God built for themselves cities, and, congregating in them, gloried in their splendor, luxury, and vice. But the families who held fast to God's principles lived among the fields and hills. They were tillers of the soil and keepers of flocks and herds. In this free, independent life, with its opportunities for work and study and meditation, they learned of God and taught their children of His works and ways.
This was the method of education that God desired to establish in Israel. But when brought out of Egypt the parents themselves needed instruction and discipline. Victims of lifelong slavery, they were ignorant, untrained, degraded. They had little knowledge of God and little faith in Him. They were confused by false teaching and corrupted by their long contact with heathenism. God wanted to lift them to a higher moral level, and to this end He endeavored to give them a knowledge of Himself.
In His dealings with the wanderers in the desert, in their exposure to hunger, thirst, and weariness, in their peril from heathen foes, and in the manifestation of His providence for their relief, God was seeking to strengthen their faith by revealing to them the power that was continually working for their good. And having taught them to trust in His love and power, it was His purpose to set before them, in the precepts of His law, the standard of character to which, through His grace, He desired them to attain.
Precious lessons were taught to Israel during their sojourn at Sinai. This was a period of special training, and their surroundings were favorable for accomplishing God's purpose. On the summit of Sinai, overshadowing the plain where the people spread their tents, rested the pillar of cloud that had been the guide of their journey. A pillar of fire by night, it assured them of the divine protection, and while they were locked in slumber, the bread of heaven fell gently upon the encampment. On every hand, vast, rugged heights, in their solemn grandeur, spoke of eternal endurance and majesty. The people were made to feel their ignorance and weakness in the presence of Him who has "weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance." Isaiah 40:12, KJV. Here, by the manifestation of His glory, God endeavored to impress Israel with the holiness of His character and requirements, and the exceeding guilt of transgression.
But the people were slow to learn. Accustomed as they had been in Egypt to material representations of the Deity, and these of the most degrading nature, it was difficult for them to conceive of the existence or the character of the Unseen One. In pity for their weakness, God gave them a symbol of His presence. "Let them make Me a sanctuary," He said, "that I may dwell among them." Exodus 25:8.
In building the sanctuary, Moses was directed to make all things according to the pattern of things in the heavens. God called him into the mount and revealed to him the heavenly things. In their similitude the tabernacle was fashioned.
So to Israel, whom He desired to make His dwelling place, He revealed His glorious ideal of character. The pattern was shown them in the mount when the law was given from Sinai and when God passed by before Moses and proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth." Exodus 34:6.
But in themselves they were powerless to attain this ideal. The revelation at Sinai could only impress them with their need and helplessness. The tabernacle, through its service of sacrifice, was to teach the lesson of pardon of sin, and power through the Savior for obedience unto life.
Through Christ was to be fulfilled the purpose of which the tabernacle was a symbol--that glorious building, its walls of glistening gold reflecting in rainbow hues the curtains inwrought with cherubim, the fragrance of ever-burning incense pervading all, the priests robed in spotless white, and in the deep mystery of the inner place, above the mercy seat, between the figures of the bowed, worshiping angels, the glory of the Holiest. In all, God desired His people to read His purpose for the human soul. It was the same purpose long afterward set forth by the apostle Paul, speaking by the Holy Spirit: "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17, NRSV.
A Stupendous Task
Great was the privilege and honor granted Israel in the preparation of the sanctuary; and great also was the responsibility. A structure of surpassing splendor, demanding for its construction the most costly material and the highest artistic skill, was to be erected in the wilderness by a people just escaped from slavery. It seemed a stupendous task. But He who had given the plan of the building stood pledged to cooperate with the builders.
"The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship. ... And I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you.'" Exodus 31:1-6.
What a school was that in the wilderness, offering training in industries and having for its instructors Christ and His angels!
All the people were to cooperate in the preparation and furnishing of the sanctuary. There was work for brain and hand. A great variety of material was required, and all were invited to contribute. Thus they were taught to cooperate with God and with one another. And they were to cooperate also in the preparation of the spiritual building--God's temple in the soul.
Even before they left Egypt a temporary organization had been effected, with the people being arranged in companies, under appointed leaders. At Sinai the arrangements for organization were completed. The order so strikingly displayed in all the works of God was manifest in the Hebrew economy. God was the center of authority and government. Moses, as His representative, was to administer the laws in His name. Then came the council of seventy, next the priests and the princes. Under these came "leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, leaders of tens" (Numbers 11:16, 17; Deuteronomy 1:15), and, finally, officers appointed for special duties. The camp was arranged in exact order, the tabernacle as the abiding place of God in the middle, and around it the tents of the priests and Levites. Outside of these each tribe encamped beside its own standard.
Thoroughgoing sanitary regulations were enforced. These were not only necessary to health but were necessary to retain the presence of the Holy One among them. Moses declared to them, "The Lord your God walks in the midst of your camp, to deliver you; ... therefore your camp shall be holy." Deuteronomy 23:14.
The education of the Israelites included all their habits of life. Everything that concerned their well-being was the subject of divine solicitude. Even in providing food, God sought their highest good. The manna with which He fed them was of a nature to promote physical, mental, and moral strength. Though many of them rebelled against the restriction of their diet, the wisdom of God's choice was vindicated in a manner they could not deny. Notwithstanding the hardships of their wilderness life, there was not a feeble one in all their tribes.
In their journeyings the ark containing the law of God was to lead the way. The place of their encampment was indicated by the descent of the pillar of cloud. As long as the cloud rested over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. When it lifted, they continued their journey. Both the halt and the departure were marked by a solemn invocation. "So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said, 'Rise up, O Lord! Let Your enemies be scattered.' ... And when it rested, he said: 'Return, O Lord, to the many thousands of Israel.'" Numbers 10:35, 36.
Valuable Lessons Taught
As the people journeyed through the wilderness, many precious lessons were fixed in their minds by means of song. At their deliverance from Pharaoh's army the whole host of Israel had joined in the song of triumph. Far over desert and sea rang the joyous refrain, and the mountains reechoed the accents of praise, "Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously!" Exodus 15:21. Often on the journey this song was repeated, cheering the hearts and kindling the faith of the travelers. The commandments as given from Sinai, with promises of God's favor and records of His wonderful works for their deliverance, were by divine direction expressed in song. They were chanted to the sound of instrumental music, and the people kept step as their voices united in praise.
Thus their thoughts were uplifted from the difficulties of the way, the turbulent spirit was calmed, the principles of truth were implanted in the memory, and faith was strengthened. Acting and working together taught order and unity, and the people were brought into closer touch with God and with one another.
Of the dealing of God with Israel during the forty years of wilderness wandering, Moses declared: "As a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you," "to humble you, and to test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not." Deuteronomy 8:5, 2. "He found him in a desert land, and in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the Lord alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him." Deuteronomy 32:10-12.
God surrounded Israel with every facility, gave them every privilege that would make them an honor to His name and a blessing to surrounding nations. If they would walk in the ways of obedience, He promised to make them "high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor." "All peoples of the earth," He said, "shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you." "The peoples who shall hear all these statutes shall say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'" Deuteronomy 26:19; 28:10; 4:6. In the laws committed to Israel, explicit instruction was given concerning education. To Moses at Sinai God had revealed Himself as "merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth." Exodus 34:6. The fathers and mothers were to teach these principles to their children. Moses by divine direction declared: "These words which I command you today, shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." Deuteronomy 6:6, 7.
These things were not to be taught as a dry theory. Those who would impart truth must practice its principles themselves. Only by reflecting the character of God in the uprightness, nobility, and unselfishness of their own lives can they impress others.
True education is not forcing instruction on an unready and unreceptive mind. The mental powers must be awakened, the interest aroused. God's method of teaching provided for this. In the home and the sanctuary, through the things of nature and of art, by methods and rites and symbols unnumbered, God gave to Israel lessons illustrating His principles and preserving the memory of His wonderful works. Then, as inquiry was made, the instruction given impressed mind and heart.
In the arrangements for the education of the chosen people it is demonstrated and proved that a life centered in God is a life of completeness. Every desire and drive He has implanted, He provides to satisfy; every faculty imparted, He seeks to develop.
God, the Author of all beauty, Himself a lover of the beautiful, provided to gratify the love of beauty in His children. He made provision also for their social needs, for the kindly and helpful associations that do so much to cultivate sympathy and to brighten and sweeten life.
Education Through Religious Festivals
As a means of education, an important place was filled by the feasts of Israel. In ordinary life the family was both a school and a church, the parents being the instructors in both secular and religious lines. But three times a year seasons were appointed for social exchange and worship, first at Shiloh and afterward at Jerusalem. Only the fathers and sons were required to be present, but none desired to forgo the opportunities of the feasts, hence, so far as possible, all the household were in attendance. With them, as sharers of their hospitality, were the stranger, the Levite, and the poor.
The journey to Jerusalem, in the simple, patriarchal style, amidst the beauty of the springtime, the richness of midsummer, or the ripened glory of autumn, was a delight. With offerings of gratitude they came, from the elderly with white hair to the little child, to meet with God in His holy habitation. As they journeyed, the experiences of the past, the stories that both old and young still love, were recounted to the Hebrew children. The songs that had cheered Israel in their wilderness wandering were sung. God's commandments were chanted, and, bound up with the blessed influences of nature and of kindly human association, they were forever fixed in the memory of many a child and youth.
The ceremonies witnessed at Jerusalem in connection with the paschal service--the night assembly, the men with their girded loins, shoes on feet and staff in hand, the hasty meal, the lamb, the unleavened bread and bitter herbs, and in the solemn silence the rehearsal of the story of the sprinkled blood, the death-dealing angel, and the grand march from the land of bondage--all were of a nature to stir the imagination and impress the heart.
The Feast of Tabernacles, or harvest festival, with its offerings from orchard and field, its week's encampment in the leafy booths, its social reunions, the sacred memorial service, and the generous hospitality to God's workers, the strangers, and the poor, uplifted all minds in gratitude to Him who had crowned the year with His goodness.
By the devout in Israel, fully a month of every year was occupied in this way. It was a period free from care and labor, and almost wholly devoted, in the truest sense, to purposes of education.
Owners of the Land
In apportioning the inheritance of His people, it was God's purpose to teach them, and through them the people of later generations, correct principles concerning ownership of the land. The land of Canaan was divided among the whole people; only the Levites, as ministers of the sanctuary, were excepted. Though a family might for a time dispose of its possession, it could not barter away the inheritance of the children. When able to do so, a person was at liberty at any time to redeem the land; debts were remitted every seventh year, and in the fiftieth, or year of jubilee, all landed property reverted to the original owner. Thus every family was secured in its possession, and a safeguard was afforded against the extremes either of wealth or of poverty.
By the distribution of the land among the people, God provided for them, as for the dwellers in Eden, the occupation most favorable to development--the care of plants and animals. A further provision for education was the suspension of agricultural labor every seventh year, the land lying fallow and its spontaneous products being left to the poor. Thus was given opportunity for more extended study, for social conversation and worship, and for the exercise of benevolence--activities often crowded out by life's cares and labors.
If the principles of God's laws regarding distribution of property were carried out in the world today, how different would be the condition of the people! Observance of these principles would prevent the terrible evils that in all ages have resulted from the oppression of the poor by the rich and the hatred of the rich by the poor. It would aid in bringing a peaceful solution of problems that now threaten to fill the world with anarchy and bloodshed.
The consecration to God of a tithe of all increase, whether of the orchard and harvest field, the flocks and herds, or the labor of brain or hand, the devotion of a second tithe for the relief of the poor and other benevolent uses, tended to keep fresh before the people the truth of God's ownership of all, and of their opportunity to be channels of His blessings. It was a training adapted to kill out selfishness, and to cultivate breadth and nobility of character.
A knowledge of God, fellowship with Him in study and in work, likeness to Him in character, were to be the source, the means, and the aim of Israel's education--the education imparted by God to the parents, and by them to be given to their children.