The cultus itself was more than a mere
paying of court to Jehovah, more than a mere expedient for
retaining His sympathies against times of necessity; the Torah of
Jehovah, the holy administration of law, was conjoined with it.
This had first of all been exercised, at the instance of the
priest of Midian, by Moses at the well of Kadesh; it was
continued after him, at the sanctuary, within the circle of those
who had attached themselves to him and were spiritually his heirs.
In cases where the wisdom or the competency of the ordinary
judges failed, men turned direct to the Godhead, i.e., to the
sanctuary and those who served it. Their decisions, whether
given according to their own lights or by lot (according to the
character of the question), were not derived from any law,
but were received direct from Jehovah. /1/
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1 They were consulted chiefly on points of law, but also on all
sorts of difficulties as to what was right and to be done, or
wrong and to be avoided.
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The execution of their decisions did not lie with them; they
could only advise and teach.
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