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Passover should beobserved exactly a month later, it being at the same time added, to
guard against any willful, notnecessary, neglect, that whoever omitted the ordinance
without such reason should "be cut off fromamong His people." (Numbers 9:13) For,
as the significance of symbolical rites depended upon theirentirety, so that if any part
of them, however small, had been omitted, the whole would have beennullified, so, on
the other hand, Israel's compliance with the prescribed rites required to be completein
every detail to secure the benefits promised to the obedience of faith. But not to
receive thesebenefits was to leave an Israelite outside the covenant, or exposed to the
Divine judgment. Morethan that, being caused by unbelief or disobedience, it involved
the punishment due to open rebellionagainst God and His Word.
(^)