deliverance, “the people bowed the head and worshiped.”[392] The glad
hope of freedom, the awful knowledge of the impending judgment upon
their oppressors, the cares and labors incident to their speedy
departure,—all were for the time swallowed up in gratitude to their
gracious Deliverer. Many of the Egyptians had been led to acknowledge
the God of the Hebrews as the only true God, and these now begged to be
permitted to find shelter in the homes of Israel when the destroying
angel should pass through the land. They were gladly welcomed, and they
pledged themselves henceforth to serve the God of Jacob, and to go forth
from Egypt with his people.
The Israelites obeyed the directions that God had given. Swiftly and
secretly they made their preparations for departure. Their families were
gathered, the paschal lamb slain, the flesh roasted with fire, the
unleavened bread and bitter herbs prepared. The father and priest of the
household sprinkled the blood upon the door-post, and joined his family
within the dwelling. In haste and silence the paschal lamb was eaten. In
awe the people prayed and watched, the heart of the eldest-born, from
the strong man down to the little child, throbbing with indefinable
dread. Fathers and mothers clasped in their arms their loved first-born,
as they thought of the fearful stroke that was to fall that night. But
no dwelling of Israel was visited by the death-dealing angel. The sign
of blood—the sign of a Saviour’s protection—was on their doors, and the
destroyer entered not.
At midnight “there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house
where there was not one dead.” All the first-born in the land, “from the
first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the
captive that was in the dungeon; and all the first-born of cattle,”[393]
had been smitten by the destroyer. Throughout the vast realm of Egypt
the pride of every household had been laid low. The shrieks and wails of
the mourners filled the air. King and courtiers, with blanched faces and
trembling limbs, stood aghast at the overmastering horror. Pharaoh
remembered how he had once exclaimed, “Who is Jehovah, that I should
obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not Jehovah, neither will I let
Israel go.” Now, his heaven-daring pride humbled in the dust, he “called
for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from
among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the
Lord, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have
said, and be gone; and bless me also.” The royal counselors also and the
people entreated the Israelites to depart “out of the land in haste; for
they said, We be all dead men.”
[Illustration: “The hyssop used in sprinkling the blood was the symbol
of purification.”]
Footnote 380:
Ex. 4:22, 23.
Footnote 381:
Ex. 11:4-8.
Footnote 382:
Ex. 12:1-28.
Footnote 383:
Num. 3:13.
Footnote 384:
Num. 8:16.
Footnote 385:
Num. 18:15, 16.
Footnote 386:
1 Cor. 5:7.
Footnote 387:
Ps. 51:7.
Footnote 388:
Ex. 12:46; John 19:36.
Footnote 389:
John 6:53, 54, 63.
Footnote 390:
John 1:14.
Footnote 391:
1 Cor. 5:7, 8.
Footnote 392:
Ex. 12:27.
Footnote 393:
Ex. 12:29-33.
THE EXODUS—25
With their loins girt, with sandaled feet, and staff in hand, the people
of Israel had stood, hushed, awed, yet expectant, awaiting the royal
mandate that should bid them go forth. Before the morning broke, they
were on their way. During the plagues, as the manifestation of God’s
power had kindled faith in the hearts of the bondmen and had struck
terror to their oppressors, the Israelites had gradually assembled
themselves in Goshen; and notwithstanding the suddenness of their
flight, some provision had already been made for the necessary
organization and control of the moving multitudes, they being divided
into companies, under appointed leaders.
And they went out, “about six hundred thousand on foot that were men,
beside children. And a mixed multitude went up also with them.”[400] In
this multitude were not only those who were actuated by faith in the God
of Israel, but also a far greater number who desired only to escape from
the plagues, or who followed in the wake of the moving multitudes,
merely from excitement and curiosity. This class were ever a hindrance
and a snare to Israel.
The people took also with them “flocks and herds, even very much
cattle.” These were the property of the Israelites, who had never sold
their possessions to the king, as had the Egyptians. Jacob and his sons
had brought their flocks and herds with them to Egypt, where they had
greatly increased. Before leaving Egypt, the people, by the direction of
Moses, claimed a recompense for their unpaid labor; and the Egyptians
were too eager to be freed from their presence to refuse them. The
bondmen went forth laden with the spoil of their oppressors.
That day completed the history revealed to Abraham in prophetic vision
centuries before: “Thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not
theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred
years; and also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge; and
afterward shall they come out with great substance.”[401] The four
hundred years had been fulfilled. “And it came to pass the selfsame day,
that the Lord did bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt
by their armies.”[402] In their departure from Egypt the Israelites bore
with them a precious legacy, in the bones of Joseph, which had so long
awaited the fulfillment of God’s promise, and which, during the dark
years of bondage, had been a reminder of Israel’s deliverance.
Instead of pursuing the direct route to Canaan, which lay through the
country of the Philistines, the Lord directed their course southward,
toward the shores of the Red Sea. “For God said, Lest peradventure the
people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.”[403] Had
they attempted to pass through Philistia, their progress would have been
opposed; for the Philistines, regarding them as slaves escaping from
their masters, would not have hesitated to make war upon them. The
Israelites were poorly prepared for an encounter with that powerful and
warlike people. They had little knowledge of God and little faith in
him, and they would have become terrified and disheartened. They were
unarmed, and unaccustomed to war, their spirits were depressed by long
bondage, and they were encumbered with women and children, flocks and
herds. In leading them by the way of the Red Sea, the Lord revealed
himself as a God of compassion as well as of judgment.
“And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the
edge of the wilderness. And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar
of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to
give them light; to go by day and night. He took not away the pillar of
the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the
people.” Says the psalmist, “He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire
to give light in the night.”[404] The standard of their invisible Leader
was ever with them. By day the cloud directed their journeyings, or
spread as a canopy above the host. It served as a protection from the
burning heat, and by its coolness and moisture afforded grateful
refreshment in the parched, thirsty desert. By night it became a pillar
of fire, illuminating their encampment, and constantly assuring them of
the divine presence.
In one of the most beautiful and comforting passages of Isaiah’s
prophecy, reference is made to the pillar of cloud and of fire to
represent God’s care for his people in the great final struggle with the
powers of evil: “The Lord will create upon every dwelling-place of Mount
Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining
of a flaming fire by night; for above all the glory shall be a covering.
And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the
heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from
rain.”[405]
Across a dreary, desert-like expanse they journeyed. Already they began
to wonder whither their course would lead; they were becoming weary with
the toilsome way, and in some hearts began to arise a fear of pursuit by
the Egyptians. But the cloud went forward, and they followed. And now
the Lord directed Moses to turn aside into a rocky defile, and encamp
beside the sea. It was revealed to him that Pharaoh would pursue them,
but that God would be honored in their deliverance.
In Egypt the report was spread that the children of Israel, instead of
tarrying to worship in the desert, were pressing on toward the Red Sea.
Pharaoh’s counselors declared to the king that their bondmen had fled,
never to return. The people deplored their folly in attributing the
death of the first-born to the power of God. Their great men, recovering
from their fears, accounted for the plagues as the result of natural
causes. “Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving
us?”[406] was the bitter cry.
Pharaoh collected his forces, “six hundred chosen chariots, and all the
chariots of Egypt,” horsemen, captains, and foot soldiers. The king
himself, attended by the great men of his realm, headed the attacking
army. To secure the favor of the gods, and thus insure the success of
their undertaking, the priests also accompanied them. The king was
resolved to intimidate the Israelites by a grand display of his power.
The Egyptians feared lest their forced submission to the God of Israel
should subject them to the derision of other nations; but if they should
now go forth with a great show of power and bring back the fugitives,
they would redeem their glory, as well as recover the services of their
bondmen.
The Hebrews were encamped beside the sea, whose waters presented a
seemingly impassable barrier before them, while on the south a rugged
mountain obstructed their further progress. Suddenly they beheld in the
distance the flashing armor and moving chariots betokening the advance
guard of a great army. As the force drew nearer, the hosts of Egypt were
seen in full pursuit. Terror filled the hearts of Israel. Some cried
unto the Lord, but far the greater part hastened to Moses with their
complaints: “Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us
away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us,
to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell
thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?
For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we
should die in the wilderness.”[407]
Moses was greatly troubled that his people should manifest so little
faith in God, notwithstanding they had repeatedly witnessed the
manifestation of his power in their behalf. How could they charge upon
him the dangers and difficulties of their situation, when he had
followed the express command of God? True, there was no possibility of
deliverance unless God himself should interpose for their release; but
having been brought into this position in obedience to the divine
direction, Moses felt no fear of the consequences. His calm and assuring
reply to the people was, “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the
salvation of the Lord, which he will show to you to-day; for the
Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more
forever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”
It was not an easy thing to hold the hosts of Israel in waiting before
the Lord. Lacking discipline and self-control, they became violent and
unreasonable. They expected speedily to fall into the hands of their
oppressors, and their wailings and lamentations were loud and deep. The
wonderful pillar of cloud had been followed as the signal of God to go
forward; but now they questioned among themselves if it might not
foreshadow some great calamity; for had it not led them on the wrong
side of the mountain, into an impassable way? Thus the angel of God
appeared to their deluded minds as the harbinger of disaster.
But now, as the Egyptian host approached them, expecting to make them an
easy prey, the cloudy column rose majestically into the heavens, passed
over the Israelites, and descended between them and the armies of Egypt.
A wall of darkness interposed between the pursued and their pursuers.
The Egyptians could no longer discern the camp of the Hebrews, and were
forced to halt. But as the darkness of night deepened, the wall of cloud
became a great light to the Hebrews, flooding the entire encampment with
the radiance of day.
Then hope returned to the hearts of Israel. And Moses lifted up his
voice unto the Lord. “And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest
thou unto me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward.
But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and
divide it; and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the
midst of the sea.”
[Illustration: DELIVERANCE OF ISRAEL AT THE RED SEA. “The path where God
leads the way may be through the desert or the sea, but it is a safe
path.”]
The psalmist, describing the passage of the sea by Israel, sung, “Thy
way was in the sea, and thy paths in the great waters, and thy footsteps
were not known. Thou leddest thy people like a flock, by the hand of
Moses and Aaron.”[408] As Moses stretched out his rod, the waters
parted, and Israel went into the midst of the sea, upon dry ground,
while the waters stood like a wall upon each side. The light from God’s
pillar of fire shone upon the foam-capped billows, and lighted the road
that was cut like a mighty furrow through the waters of the sea, and was
lost in the obscurity of the farther shore.
“The Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea,
even all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it came
to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the
Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the
host of the Egyptians.”[409] The mysterious cloud changed to a pillar of
fire before their astonished eyes. The thunders pealed, and the
lightnings flashed. “The clouds poured out water; the skies sent out a
sound; thine arrows also went abroad. The voice of thy thunder was in
the whirlwind; the lightning lightened the world; the earth trembled and
shook.”[410]
The Egyptians were seized with confusion and dismay. Amid the wrath of
the elements, in which they heard the voice of an angry God, they
endeavored to retrace their steps, and flee to the shore they had
quitted. But Moses stretched out his rod, and the piled-up waters,
hissing, roaring, and eager for their prey, rushed together, and
swallowed the Egyptian army in their black depths.
As morning broke, it revealed to the multitudes of Israel all that
remained of their mighty foes,—the mail-clad bodies cast upon the shore.
From the most terrible peril, one night had brought complete
deliverance. That vast, helpless throng—bondmen unused to battle, women,
children, and cattle, with the sea before them, and the mighty armies of
Egypt pressing behind—had seen their path opened through the waters, and
their enemies overwhelmed in the moment of expected triumph. Jehovah
alone had brought them deliverance, and to him their hearts were turned
in gratitude and faith. Their emotion found utterance in songs of
praise. The Spirit of God rested upon Moses, and he led the people in a
triumphant anthem of thanksgiving, the earliest and one of the most
sublime that are known to man.
“I will sing unto Jehovah, for he hath triumphed gloriously,
The horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my song,
And he is become my salvation;
This is my God, and I will praise him;
My father’s God, and I will exalt him.
The Lord is a man of war;
Jehovah is his name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea;
And his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea.
The deeps cover them;
They went down into the depths like a stone.
Thy right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power;
Thy right hand, O Lord, dasheth in pieces the enemy....
Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like thee, glorious in holiness,
Fearful in praises, doing wonders?...
Thou in thy mercy hast led the people which thou hast redeemed;
Thou hast guided them in thy strength to thy holy habitation.
The people have heard, they tremble....
Terror and dread falleth upon them;
By the greatness of thine arm they are as still as a stone;
Till thy people pass over, O Lord,
Till the people pass over which thou hast purchased.
Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine
inheritance,
The place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in.”[411]
Like the voice of the great deep rose from the vast hosts of Israel that
sublime ascription. It was taken up by the women of Israel, Miriam, the
sister of Moses, leading the way, as they went forth with timbrel and
dance. Far over desert and sea rang the joyous refrain, and the
mountains re-echoed the words of their praise,—“Sing ye to Jehovah, for
he hath triumphed gloriously.”
This song and the great deliverance which it commemorates, made an
impression never to be effaced from the memory of the Hebrew people.
From age to age it was echoed by the prophets and singers of Israel,
testifying that Jehovah is the strength and deliverance of those who
trust in him. That song does not belong to the Jewish people alone. It
points forward to the destruction of all the foes of righteousness, and
the final victory of the Israel of God. The prophet of Patmos beholds
the white-robed multitude that “have gotten the victory,” standing on
the “sea of glass mingled with fire,” having “the harps of God. And they
sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the
Lamb.”[412]
“Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy
mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.”[413] Such was the spirit that pervaded
Israel’s song of deliverance, and it is the spirit that should dwell in
the hearts of all who love and fear God. In freeing our souls from the
bondage of sin, God has wrought for us a deliverance greater than that
of the Hebrews at the Red Sea. Like the Hebrew host, we should praise
the Lord with heart and soul and voice for his “wonderful works to the
children of men.” Those who dwell upon God’s great mercies, and are not
unmindful of his lesser gifts, will put on the girdle of gladness, and
make melody in their hearts to the Lord. The daily blessings that we
receive from the hand of God, and above all else the death of Jesus to
bring happiness and heaven within our reach, should be a theme for
constant gratitude. What compassion, what matchless love, has God shown
to us, lost sinners, in connecting us with himself, to be to him a
peculiar treasure! What a sacrifice has been made by our Redeemer, that
we may be called children of God! We should praise God for the blessed
hope held out before us in the great plan of redemption, we should
praise him for the heavenly inheritance, and for his rich promises;
praise him that Jesus lives to intercede for us.
“Whoso offereth praise,” says the Creator, “glorifieth me.”[414] All the
inhabitants of heaven unite in praising God. Let us learn the song of
the angels now, that we may sing it when we join their shining ranks.
Let us say with the psalmist, “While I live, will I praise the Lord: I
will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.” “Let the people
praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee.”[415]
God in his providence brought the Hebrews into the mountain fastnesses
before the sea, that he might manifest his power in their deliverance,
and signally humble the pride of their oppressors. He might have saved
them in any other way, but he chose this method in order to test their
faith and strengthen their trust in him. The people were weary and
terrified, yet if they had held back when Moses bade them advance, God
would never have opened the path for them. It was “by faith” that “they
passed through the Red Sea as by dry land.”[416] In marching down to the
very water, they showed that they believed the word of God as spoken by
Moses. They did all that was in their power to do, and then the Mighty
One of Israel divided the sea to make a path for their feet.
The great lesson here taught is for all time. Often the Christian life
is beset by dangers, and duty seems hard to perform. The imagination
pictures impending ruin before, and bondage or death behind. Yet the
voice of God speaks clearly, “Go forward.” We should obey this command,
even though our eyes cannot penetrate the darkness, and we feel the cold
waves about our feet. The obstacles that hinder our progress will never
disappear before a halting, doubting spirit. Those who defer obedience
till every shadow of uncertainty disappears, and there remains no risk
of failure or defeat, will never obey at all. Unbelief whispers, “Let us
wait till the obstructions are removed, and we can see our way clearly;”
but faith courageously urges an advance, hoping all things, believing
all things.
The cloud that was a wall of darkness to the Egyptians was to the
Hebrews a great flood of light, illuminating the whole camp, and
shedding brightness upon the path before them. So the dealings of
Providence bring to the unbelieving, darkness and despair, while to the
trusting soul they are full of light and peace. The path where God leads
the way may lie through the desert or the sea, but it is a safe path.
Footnote 400:
Ex. 12:34-39.
Footnote 401:
Gen. 15:13, 14; see Appendix, Note 6.
Footnote 402:
Ex. 12:40, 41, 51; 13:19.
Footnote 403:
Ex. 13:17, 18, 20-22.
Footnote 404:
Ps. 105:39; 1 Cor. 10:1, 2.
Footnote 405:
Isa. 4:5, 6 (margin).
Footnote 406:
Ex. 14:5-9.
Footnote 407:
Ex. 14:10-22.
Footnote 408:
Ps. 77:19, 20, R. V.
Footnote 409:
Ex. 14:23, 24.
Footnote 410:
Ps. 77:17, 18, R. V.
Footnote 411:
Ex. 15:1-16, Rev. Ver.
Footnote 412:
Rev. 15:2, 3.
Footnote 413:
Ps. 115:1.
Footnote 414:
Ps. 50:23.
Footnote 415:
Ps. 146:2; 67:5.
Footnote 416:
Heb. 11:29.
FROM THE RED SEA TO SINAI—26
From the Red Sea the hosts of Israel again set forth on their journey,
under the guidance of the pillar of cloud. The scene around them was
most dreary,—bare, desolate-looking mountains, barren plains, and the
sea stretching far away, its shores strewn with the bodies of their
enemies; yet they were full of joy in the consciousness of freedom, and
every thought of discontent was hushed.
But for three days, as they journeyed, they could find no water. The
supply which they had taken with them was exhausted. There was nothing
to quench their burning thirst as they dragged wearily over the
sun-burnt plains. Moses, who was familiar with this region, knew what
the others did not, that at Marah, the nearest station where springs
were to be found, the water was unfit for use. With intense anxiety he
watched the guiding cloud. With a sinking heart he heard the glad shout,
“Water! water!” echoed along the line. Men, women, and children in
joyous haste crowded to the fountain, when, lo, a cry of anguish burst
forth from the host,—the water was bitter.
In their horror and despair they reproached Moses for having led them in
such a way, not remembering that the divine presence in that mysterious
cloud had been leading him as well as themselves. In his grief at their
distress, Moses did what they had forgotten to do; he cried earnestly to
God for help. “And the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast
into the waters, the waters were made sweet.”[420] Here the promise was
given to Israel through Moses, “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the
voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight,
and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will
put none of these diseases upon thee which I have brought upon the
Egyptians; for I am the Lord that healeth thee.”[421]
From Marah the people journeyed to Elim, where they found “twelve wells
of water, and threescore and ten palm-trees.” Here they remained several
days before entering the wilderness of Sin. When they had been a month
absent from Egypt, they made their first encampment in the wilderness.
Their store of provisions had now begun to fail. There was scanty
herbage in the wilderness, and their flocks were diminishing. How was
food to be supplied for these vast multitudes? Doubts filled their
hearts, and again they murmured. Even the rulers and elders of the
people joined in complaining against the leaders of God’s appointment:
“Would to God we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt,
when we sat by the flesh-pots, and when we did eat bread to the full;
for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole
assembly with hunger.”[422]
They had not as yet suffered from hunger; their present wants were
supplied, but they feared for the future. They could not understand how
these vast multitudes were to subsist in their travels through the
wilderness, and in imagination they saw their children famishing. The
Lord permitted difficulties to surround them, and their supply of food
to be cut short, that their hearts might turn to Him who had hitherto
been their deliverer. If in their want they would call upon him, he
would still grant them manifest tokens of his love and care. He had
promised that if they would obey his commandments, no disease should
come upon them, and it was sinful unbelief on their part to anticipate
that they or their children might die of hunger.
God had promised to be their God, to take them to himself as a people,
and to lead them to a large and good land; but they were ready to faint
at every obstacle encountered in the way to that land. In a marvelous
manner he had brought them out from their bondage in Egypt, that he
might elevate and ennoble them, and make them a praise in the earth. But
it was necessary for them to encounter difficulties and to endure
privations. God was bringing them from a state of degradation, and
fitting them to occupy an honorable place among the nations, and to
receive important and sacred trusts. Had they possessed faith in him, in
view of all that he had wrought for them, they would cheerfully have
borne inconvenience, privation, and even real suffering; but they were
unwilling to trust the Lord any further than they could witness the
continual evidences of his power. They forgot their bitter service in
Egypt. They forgot the goodness and power of God displayed in their
behalf in their deliverance from bondage. They forgot how their children
had been spared when the destroying angel slew all the first-born of
Egypt. They forgot the grand exhibition of divine power at the Red Sea.
They forgot that while they had crossed safely in the path that had been
opened for them, the armies of their enemies, attempting to follow them,
had been overwhelmed by the waters of the sea. They saw and felt only
their present inconveniences and trials; and instead of saying, “God has
done great things for us; whereas we were slaves, he is making of us a
great nation,” they talked of the hardness of the way, and wondered when
their weary pilgrimage would end.
The history of the wilderness life of Israel was chronicled for the
benefit of the Israel of God to the close of time. The record of God’s
dealings with the wanderers of the desert in all their marchings to and
fro, in their exposure to hunger, thirst, and weariness, and in the
striking manifestations of his power for their relief, is fraught with
warning and instruction for his people in all ages. The varied
experience of the Hebrews was a school of preparation for their promised
home in Canaan. God would have his people in these days review with a
humble heart and teachable spirit the trials through which ancient
Israel passed, that they may be instructed in their preparation for the
heavenly Canaan.
Many look back to the Israelites, and marvel at their unbelief and
murmuring, feeling that they themselves would not have been so
ungrateful; but when their faith is tested, even by little trials, they
manifest no more faith or patience than did ancient Israel. When brought
into strait places, they murmur at the process by which God has chosen
to purify them. Though their present needs are supplied, many are
unwilling to trust God for the future, and they are in constant anxiety
lest poverty shall come upon them, and their children shall be left to
suffer. Some are always anticipating evil, or magnifying the
difficulties that really exist, so that their eyes are blinded to the
many blessings which demand their gratitude. The obstacles they
encounter, instead of leading them to seek help from God, the only
source of strength, separate them from him, because they awaken unrest
and repining.
Do we well to be thus unbelieving? Why should we be ungrateful and
distrustful? Jesus is our friend; all heaven is interested in our
welfare; and our anxiety and fear grieve the Holy Spirit of God. We
should not indulge in a solicitude that only frets and wears us, but
does not help us to bear trials. No place should be given to that
distrust of God which leads us to make a preparation against future want
the chief pursuit of life, as though our happiness consisted in these
earthly things. It is not the will of God that his people should be
weighed down with care. But our Lord does not tell us that there are no
dangers in our path. He does not propose to take his people out of the
world of sin and evil, but he points us to a never-failing refuge. He
invites the weary and care-laden, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Lay off the yoke of anxiety
and worldly care that you have placed on your own neck, and “take my
yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye
shall find rest unto your souls.”[423] We may find rest and peace in
God, casting all our care upon him; for he careth for us.[424]
Says the apostle Paul, “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you
an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”[425] In
view of all that God has wrought for us, our faith should be strong,
active, and enduring. Instead of murmuring and complaining, the language
of our hearts should be, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is
within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget
not all his benefits.”[426]
God was not unmindful of the wants of Israel. He said to their leader,
“I will rain bread from heaven for you.” And directions were given that
the people gather a daily supply, with a double amount on the sixth day,
that the sacred observance of the Sabbath might be maintained.
Moses assured the congregation that their wants were to be supplied:
“The Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning
bread to the full.” And he added, “What are we? Your murmurings are not
against us, but against the Lord.” He further bade Aaron say to them,
“Come near before the Lord; for he hath heard your murmurings.” While
Aaron was speaking, “they looked toward the wilderness, and, behold, the
glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.”[427] A splendor such as they
had never before witnessed, symbolized the divine presence. Through
manifestations addressed to their senses, they were to obtain a
knowledge of God. They must be taught that the Most High, and not merely
the man Moses, was their leader, that they might fear his name and obey
his voice.
At nightfall the camp was surrounded by vast flocks of quails, enough to
supply the entire company. In the morning there lay upon the surface of
the ground “a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost.” “It was
like coriander seed, white.” The people called it manna. Moses said,
“This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat.”[428] The
people gathered the manna, and found that there was an abundant supply
for all. They “ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it
in pans, and made cakes of it.” “And the taste of it was like wafers
made with honey.”[429] They were directed to gather daily an omer[430]
for every person; and they were not to leave of it until the morning.
Some attempted to keep a supply until the next day, but it was then
found to be unfit for food. The provision for the day must be gathered
in the morning; for all that remained upon the ground was melted by the
sun.
In the gathering of the manna it was found that some obtained more and
some less than the stipulated amount; but “when they did mete it with an
omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered
little had no lack.”[431] An explanation of this scripture, as well as a
practical lesson from it, is given by the apostle Paul in his second
epistle to the Corinthians. He says, “I mean not that other men be
eased, and ye burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your
abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may
be a supply for your want; that there may be equality; as it is written,
He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered
little had no lack.”[432]
On the sixth day the people gathered two omers for every person. The
rulers hastened to acquaint Moses with what had been done. His answer
was, “This is that which the Lord hath said, To-morrow is the rest of
the holy Sabbath unto the Lord. Bake that which ye will bake to-day, and
seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you
to be kept until the morning.” They did so, and found that it remained
unchanged. And Moses said, “Eat that to-day; for to-day is a Sabbath
unto the Lord. To-day ye shall not find it in the field. Six days ye
shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the Sabbath, in it
there shall be none.”[433]
God requires that his holy day be as sacredly observed now as in the
time of Israel. The command given to the Hebrews should be regarded by
all Christians as an injunction from Jehovah to them. The day before the
Sabbath should be made a day of preparation, that everything may be in
readiness for its sacred hours. In no case should our own business be
allowed to encroach upon holy time. God has directed that the sick and
suffering be cared for; the labor required to make them comfortable is a
work of mercy, and no violation of the Sabbath; but all unnecessary work
should be avoided. Many carelessly put off till the beginning of the
Sabbath little things that might have been done on the day of
preparation. This should not be. Work that is neglected until the
beginning of the Sabbath should remain undone until it is past. This
course might help the memory of these thoughtless ones, and make them
careful to do their own work on the six working days.
Every week during their long sojourn in the wilderness, the Israelites
witnessed a threefold miracle, designed to impress their minds with the
sacredness of the Sabbath: a double quantity of manna fell on the sixth
day, none on the seventh, and the portion needed for the Sabbath was
preserved sweet and pure, when if any were kept over at any other time
it became unfit for use.
In the circumstances connected with the giving of the manna, we have
conclusive evidence that the Sabbath was not instituted, as many claim,
when the law was given at Sinai. Before the Israelites came to Sinai
they understood the Sabbath to be obligatory upon them. In being obliged
to gather every Friday a double portion of manna in preparation for the
Sabbath, when none would fall, the sacred nature of the day of rest was
continually impressed upon them. And when some of the people went out on
the Sabbath to gather manna, the Lord asked, “How long _refuse ye_ to
keep my commandments and my laws?”
“The children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a
land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of
the land of Canaan.”[434] For forty years they were daily reminded by
this miraculous provision, of God’s unfailing care and tender love. In
the words of the psalmist, God gave them “of the corn of heaven. Man did
eat angels’ food,”[435]—that is, food provided for them by the angels.
Sustained by “the corn of heaven,” they were daily taught that, having
God’s promise, they were as secure from want as if surrounded by fields
of waving grain on the fertile plains of Canaan.
The manna, falling from heaven for the sustenance of Israel, was a type
of Him who came from God to give life to the world. Said Jesus, “I am
that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and
are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven.... If any man
eat of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give
is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”[436] And
among the promises of blessing to God’s people in the future life it is
written, “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden
manna.”[437]
After leaving the wilderness of Sin, the Israelites encamped in
Rephidim. Here there was no water, and again they distrusted the
providence of God. In their blindness and presumption the people came to
Moses with the demand, “Give us water, that we may drink.” But his
patience failed not. “Why chide ye with me?” he said; “wherefore do ye
tempt the Lord?” They cried in anger, “Wherefore is this, that thou hast
brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle
with thirst?”[438] When they had been so abundantly supplied with food,
they remembered with shame their unbelief and murmurings, and promised
to trust the Lord in the future; but they soon forgot their promise, and
failed at the first trial of their faith. The pillar of cloud that was
leading them seemed to vail a fearful mystery. And Moses,—who was he?
they questioned, and what could be his object in bringing them from
Egypt? Suspicion and distrust filled their hearts, and they boldly
accused him of designing to kill them and their children by privations
and hardships that he might enrich himself with their possessions. In
the tumult of rage and indignation they were about to stone him.
In distress Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do unto this people?”
He was directed to take the elders of Israel and the rod wherewith he
had wrought wonders in Egypt, and to go on before the people. And the
Lord said unto him, “Behold, I will stand before thee there, upon the
rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water
out of it, that the people may drink.” He obeyed, and the waters burst
forth in a living stream that abundantly supplied the encampment.
Instead of commanding Moses to lift up his rod and call down some
terrible plague, like those on Egypt, upon the leaders in this wicked
murmuring, the Lord in his great mercy, made the rod his instrument to
work their deliverance.
“He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the
great depths. He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters
to run down like rivers.”[439] Moses smote the rock, but it was the Son
of God who, vailed in the cloudy pillar, stood beside Moses, and caused
the life-giving water to flow. Not only Moses and the elders, but all
the congregation who stood at a distance, beheld the glory of the Lord;
but had the cloud been removed, they would have been slain by the
terrible brightness of Him who abode therein.
In their thirst the people had tempted God, saying, “Is the Lord among
us, or not?”—“If God has brought us here, why does he not give us water
as well as bread?” The unbelief thus manifested, was criminal, and Moses
feared that the judgments of God would rest upon them. And he called the
name of the place Massah, “temptation,” and Meribah, “chiding,” as a
memorial of their sin.
A new danger now threatened them. Because of their murmuring against
him, the Lord suffered them to be attacked by their enemies. The
Amalekites, a fierce, warlike tribe inhabiting that region, came out
against them, and smote those who, faint and weary, had fallen into the
rear. Moses, knowing that the masses of the people were unprepared for
battle, directed Joshua to choose from the different tribes a body of
soldiers, and lead them on the morrow against the enemy, while he
himself would stand on an eminence near by with the rod of God in his
hand. Accordingly the next day Joshua and his company attacked the foe,
while Moses and Aaron and Hur were stationed on a hill overlooking the
battle-field. With arms outstretched toward heaven, and holding the rod
of God in his right hand, Moses prayed for the success of the armies of
Israel. As the battle progressed, it was observed that so long as his
hands were reaching upward, Israel prevailed, but when they were
lowered, the enemy was victorious. As Moses became weary, Aaron and Hur
stayed up his hands until the going down of the sun, when the enemy was
put to flight.
[Illustration: THE PRAYER OF MOSES. “As Moses became weary, Aaron and
Hur stayed up his hands until the going down of the sun, when the enemy
was put to flight.”]
As Aaron and Hur supported the hands of Moses, they showed the people
their duty to sustain him in his arduous work while he should receive
the word from God to speak to them. And the act of Moses also was
significant, showing that God held their destiny in his hands; while
they made him their trust, he would fight for them and subdue their
enemies; but when they should let go their hold upon him, and trust in
their own power, they would be even weaker than those who had not the
knowledge of God, and their foes would prevail against them.
As the Hebrews triumphed when Moses was reaching his hands toward heaven
and interceding in their behalf, so the Israel of God prevail when they
by faith take hold upon the strength of their mighty Helper. Yet divine
strength is to be combined with human effort. Moses did not believe that
God would overcome their foes while Israel remained inactive. While the
great leader was pleading with the Lord, Joshua and his brave followers
were putting forth their utmost efforts to repulse the enemies of Israel
and of God.
After the defeat of the Amalekites, God directed Moses, “Write this for
a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua; for I will
utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”[440] Just
before his death the great leader delivered to his people the solemn
charge: “Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way, when ye were
come forth out of Egypt; how he met thee by the way, and smote the
hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast
faint and weary; and he feared not God.... Thou shalt blot out the
remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.”[441]
Concerning this wicked people the Lord declared, “The hand of Amalek is
against the throne of Jehovah.”[442]
The Amalekites were not ignorant of God’s character or of his
sovereignty, but instead of fearing before him, they had set themselves
to defy his power. The wonders wrought by Moses before the Egyptians
were made a subject of mockery by the people of Amalek, and the fears of
surrounding nations were ridiculed. They had taken oath by their gods
that they would destroy the Hebrews, so that not one should escape, and
they boasted that Israel’s God would be powerless to resist them. They
had not been injured or threatened by the Israelites. Their assault was
wholly unprovoked. It was to manifest their hatred and defiance of God
that they sought to destroy his people. The Amalekites had long been
high-handed sinners, and their crimes had cried to God for vengeance,
yet his mercy had still called them to repentance; but when the men of
Amalek fell upon the wearied and defenseless ranks of Israel, they
sealed their nation’s doom. The care of God is over the weakest of his
children. No act of cruelty or oppression toward them is unmarked by
Heaven. Over all who love and fear him, his hand extends as a shield;
let men beware that they smite not that hand; for it wields the sword of
justice.
Not far distant from where the Israelites were now encamped was the home
of Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses. Jethro had heard of the
deliverance of the Hebrews, and he now set out to visit them, and
restore to Moses his wife and two sons. The great leader was informed by
messengers of their approach, and he went out with joy to meet them,
and, the first greetings over, conducted them to his tent. He had sent
back his family when on his way to the perils of leading Israel from
Egypt, but now he could again enjoy the relief and comfort of their
society. To Jethro he recounted the wonderful dealings of God with
Israel, and the patriarch rejoiced and blessed the Lord, and with Moses
and the elders he united in offering sacrifice, and holding a solemn
feast in commemoration of God’s mercy.
As Jethro remained in the camp, he soon saw how heavy were the burdens
that rested upon Moses. To maintain order and discipline among that
vast, ignorant, and untrained multitude was indeed a stupendous task.
Moses was their recognized leader and magistrate, and not only the
general interests and duties of the people, but the controversies that
arose among them, were referred to him. He had permitted this, for it
gave him an opportunity to instruct them; as he said, “I do make them
know the statutes of God, and his laws.” But Jethro remonstrated against
this, saying, “This thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to
perform it thyself alone.” “Thou wilt surely wear away,” and he
counseled Moses to appoint proper persons as rulers of thousands, and
others as rulers of hundreds, and others of tens. They should be “able
men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness.”[443] These
were to judge in all matters of minor consequence, while the most
difficult and important cases should still be brought before Moses, who
was to be to the people, said Jethro, “to God-ward, that thou mayest
bring the causes unto God. And thou shalt teach them ordinances and
laws, and shalt show them the way wherein they must walk, and the work
that they must do.” This counsel was accepted, and it not only brought
relief to Moses, but resulted in establishing more perfect order among
the people.
The Lord had greatly honored Moses, and had wrought wonders by his hand;
but the fact that he had been chosen to instruct others did not lead him
to conclude that he himself needed no instruction. The chosen leader of
Israel listened gladly to the suggestions of the godly priest of Midian,
and adopted his plan as a wise arrangement.
From Rephidim, the people continued their journey, following the
movement of the cloudy pillar. Their route had led across barren plains,
over steep ascents, and through rocky defiles. Often as they had
traversed the sandy wastes, they had seen before them rugged mountains,
like huge bulwarks, piled up directly across their course, and seeming
to forbid all further progress. But as they approached, openings here
and there appeared in the mountain wall, and beyond, another plain
opened to view. Through one of these deep, gravelly passes they were now
led. It was a grand and impressive scene. Between the rocky cliffs
rising hundreds of feet on either side, flowed in a living tide, far as
the eye could reach, the hosts of Israel with their flocks and herds.
And now before them in solemn majesty Mount Sinai lifted its massive
front. The cloudy pillar rested upon its summit, and the people spread
their tents upon the plain beneath. Here was to be their home for nearly
a year. At night the pillar of fire assured them of the divine
protection, and while they were locked in slumber, the bread of heaven
fell gently upon the encampment.
The dawn gilded the dark ridges of the mountains, and the sun’s golden
rays pierced the deep gorges, seeming to these weary travelers like
beams of mercy from the throne of God. On every hand, vast, rugged
heights seemed in their solitary grandeur to speak of eternal endurance
and majesty. Here the mind was impressed with solemnity and awe. Man was
made to feel his ignorance and weakness in the presence of Him who
“weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance.”[444] Here
Israel was to receive the most wonderful revelation ever made by God to
men. Here the Lord had gathered his people that he might impress upon
them the sacredness of his requirements by declaring with his own voice
his holy law. Great and radical changes were to be wrought in them; for
the degrading influences of servitude and a long-continued association
with idolatry had left their mark upon habits and character. God was
working to lift them to a higher moral level by giving them a knowledge
of himself.
Footnote 420:
Ex. 15:25.
Footnote 421:
Ex. 15:26.
Footnote 422:
Ex. 16:3.
Footnote 423:
Matt. 11:28, 29.
Footnote 424:
1 Peter 5:7.
Footnote 425:
Heb. 3:12.
Footnote 426:
Ps. 103:1, 2.
Footnote 427:
Ex. 16:8-10.
Footnote 428:
Ex. 16:14, 15, 31.
Footnote 429:
Num. 11:8; Ex. 16:31.
Footnote 430:
Nearly three quarts.
Footnote 431:
Ex. 16:18.
Footnote 432:
2 Cor. 8:13-15.
Footnote 433:
Ex. 16:23, 25, 26.
Footnote 434:
Ex. 16:35.
Footnote 435:
Ps. 78:24, 25.
Footnote 436:
John 6:48-51
Footnote 437:
Rev. 2:17.
Footnote 438:
Ex. 17:1-7.
Footnote 439:
Ps. 78:15, 16.
Footnote 440:
Ex. 17:14.
Footnote 441:
Deut. 25:17-19.
Footnote 442:
Ex. 17:16 (margin).
Footnote 443:
Ex. 18:13-26.
Footnote 444:
Isa. 40:12.
THE LAW GIVEN TO ISRAEL—27
Soon after the encampment at Sinai, Moses was called up into the
mountain to meet with God. Alone he climbed the steep and rugged path,
and drew near to the cloud that marked the place of Jehovah’s presence.
Israel was now to be taken into a close and peculiar relation to the
Most High,—to be incorporated as a church and a nation under the
government of God. The message to Moses for the people was:—
“Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on
eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will
obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar
treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is mine. And ye
shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.”[450]
Moses returned to the camp, and having summoned the elders of Israel, he
repeated to them the divine message. Their answer was, “All that the
Lord hath spoken we will do.” Thus they entered into a solemn covenant
with God, pledging themselves to accept him as their ruler, by which
they became, in a special sense, the subjects of his authority.
Again their leader ascended the mountain; and the Lord said unto him,
“Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I
speak with thee, and believe thee forever.” When they met with
difficulties in the way, they were disposed to murmur against Moses and
Aaron, and accuse them of leading the hosts of Israel from Egypt to
destroy them. The Lord would honor Moses before them, that they might be
led to confide in his instructions.
God purposed to make the occasion of speaking his law a scene of awful
grandeur, in keeping with its exalted character. The people were to be
impressed that everything connected with the service of God must be
regarded with the greatest reverence. The Lord said to Moses, “Go unto
the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them wash
their clothes, and be ready against the third day; for the third day the
Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai.”
During these intervening days, all were to occupy the time in solemn
preparation to appear before God. Their person and their clothing must
be freed from impurity. And as Moses should point out their sins, they
were to devote themselves to humiliation, fasting, and prayer, that
their hearts might be cleansed from iniquity.
The preparations were made, according to the command; and in obedience
to a further injunction, Moses directed that a barrier be placed about
the mount, that neither man nor beast might intrude upon the sacred
precinct. If any ventured so much as to touch it, the penalty was
instant death.
On the morning of the third day, as the eyes of all the people were
turned toward the mount, its summit was covered with a thick cloud,
which grew more black and dense, sweeping downward until the entire
mountain was wrapped in darkness and awful mystery. Then a sound as of a
trumpet was heard, summoning the people to meet with God; and Moses led
them forth to the base of the mountain. From the thick darkness flashed
vivid lightnings, while peals of thunder echoed and re-echoed among the
surrounding heights. “And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because
the Lord descended upon it in fire; and the smoke thereof ascended as
the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.” “The glory
of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount” in the
sight of the assembled multitude. And “the voice of the trumpet sounded
long, and waxed louder and louder.” So terrible were the tokens of
Jehovah’s presence that the hosts of Israel shook with fear, and fell
upon their faces before the Lord. Even Moses exclaimed, “I exceedingly
fear and quake.”[451]
And now the thunders ceased; the trumpet was no longer heard; the earth
was still. There was a period of solemn silence, and then the voice of
God was heard. Speaking out of the thick darkness that enshrouded him,
as he stood upon the mount, surrounded by a retinue of angels, the Lord
made known his law. Moses, describing the scene, says: “The Lord came
from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from Mount
Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints; from his right hand
went a fiery law for them. Yea, he loved the people; all his saints are
in thy hand; and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of
thy words.”[452]
Jehovah revealed himself, not alone in the awful majesty of the judge
and lawgiver, but as the compassionate guardian of his people: “I am the
Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of
the house of bondage.”[453] He whom they had already known as their
guide and deliverer, who had brought them forth from Egypt, making a way
for them through the sea, and overthrowing Pharaoh and his hosts, who
had thus shown himself to be above all the gods of Egypt—He it was who
now spoke his law.
The law was not spoken at this time exclusively for the benefit of the
Hebrews. God honored them by making them the guardians and keepers of
his law, but it was to be held as a sacred trust for the whole world.
The precepts of the decalogue are adapted to all mankind, and they were
given for the instruction and government of all. Ten precepts, brief,
comprehensive, and authoritative, cover the duty of man to God and to
his fellow-man; and all based upon the great fundamental principle of
love. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy
neighbor as thyself.”[454] In the ten commandments these principles are
carried out in detail, and made applicable to the condition and
circumstances of man.
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”[455]
Jehovah, the eternal, self-existent, uncreated One, himself the source
and sustainer of all, is alone entitled to supreme reverence and
worship. Man is forbidden to give to any other object the first place in
his affections or his service. Whatever we cherish that tends to lessen
our love for God or to interfere with the service due him, of that do we
make a god.
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of
anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or
that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to
them, nor serve them.”
The second commandment forbids the worship of the true God by images or
similitudes. Many heathen nations claimed that their images were mere
figures or symbols by which the Deity was worshiped; but God has
declared such worship to be sin. The attempt to represent the Eternal
One by material objects would lower man’s conception of God. The mind,
turned away from the infinite perfection of Jehovah, would be attracted
to the creature rather than to the Creator. And as his conceptions of
God were lowered, so would man become degraded.
“I the Lord thy God am a jealous God.” The close and sacred relation of
God to his people is represented under the figure of marriage. Idolatry
being spiritual adultery, the displeasure of God against it is fitly
called jealousy.
“Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third
and fourth generation of them that hate me.” It is inevitable that
children should suffer from the consequences of parental wrong-doing,
but they are not punished for the parents’ guilt, except as they
participate in their sins. It is usually the case, however, that
children walk in the steps of their parents. By inheritance and example
the sons become partakers of the father’s sin. Wrong tendencies,
perverted appetites, and debased morals, as well as physical disease and
degeneracy, are transmitted as a legacy from father to son, to the third
and fourth generation. This fearful truth should have a solemn power to
restrain men from following a course of sin.
“Showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my
commandments.” In prohibiting the worship of false gods, the second
commandment by implication enjoins the worship of the true God. And to
those who are faithful in his service, mercy is promised, not merely to
the third and fourth generation as is the wrath threatened against those
who hate him, but to _thousands_ of generations.
“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord
will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.”
This commandment not only prohibits false oaths and common swearing, but
it forbids us to use the name of God in a light or careless manner,
without regard to its awful significance. By the thoughtless mention of
God in common conversation, by appeals to him in trivial matters, and by
the frequent and thoughtless repetition of his name, we dishonor him.
“Holy and reverend is his name.”[456] All should meditate upon his
majesty, his purity and holiness, that the heart may be impressed with a
sense of his exalted character; and his holy name should be uttered with
reverence and solemnity.
“Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor,
and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy
God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy
daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy
stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven
and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day;
wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
The Sabbath is not introduced as a new institution but as having been
founded at creation. It is to be remembered and observed as the memorial
of the Creator’s work. Pointing to God as the maker of the heavens and
the earth, it distinguishes the true God from all false gods. All who
keep the seventh day, signify by this act that they are worshipers of
Jehovah. Thus the Sabbath is the sigh of man’s allegiance to God as long
as there are any upon the earth to serve him. The fourth commandment is
the only one of all the ten in which are found both the name and the
title of the Lawgiver. It is the only one that shows by whose authority
the law is given. Thus it contains the seal of God, affixed to his law
as evidence of its authenticity and binding force.
God has given men six days wherein to labor, and he requires that their
own work be done in the six working days. Acts of necessity and mercy
are permitted on the Sabbath, the sick and suffering are at all times to
be cared for; but unnecessary labor is to be strictly avoided. “Turn
away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day;
and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and ...
honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own
pleasure.”[457] Nor does the prohibition end here. “Not speaking thine
own words,” says the prophet. Those who discuss business matters or lay
plans on the Sabbath, are regarded by God as though engaged in the
actual transaction of business. To keep the Sabbath holy, we should not
even allow our minds to dwell upon things of a worldly character. And
the commandment includes all within our gates. The inmates of the house
are to lay aside their worldly business during the sacred hours. All
should unite to honor God by willing service upon his holy day.
“Honor thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the
land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”
Parents are entitled to a degree of love and respect which is due to no
other person. God himself, who has placed upon them a responsibility for
the souls committed to their charge, has ordained that during the
earlier years of life, parents shall stand in the place of God to their
children. And he who rejects the rightful authority of his parents, is
rejecting the authority of God. The fifth commandment requires children
not only to yield respect, submission, and obedience to their parents,
but also to give them love and tenderness, to lighten their cares, to
guard their reputation, and to succor and comfort them in old age. It
also enjoins respect for ministers and rulers, and for all others to
whom God has delegated authority.
This, says the apostle, “is the first commandment with promise.”[458] To
Israel, expecting soon to enter Canaan, it was a pledge to the obedient,
of long life in that good land; but it has a wider meaning, including
all the Israel of God, and promising eternal life upon the earth when it
shall be freed from the curse of sin.
“Thou shalt not kill.”
All acts of injustice that tend to shorten life; the spirit of hatred
and revenge, or the indulgence of any passion that leads to injurious
acts toward others, or causes us even to wish them harm (for “whoso
hateth his brother is a murderer”[459]); a selfish neglect of caring for
the needy or suffering; all self-indulgence or unnecessary deprivation
or excessive labor that tends to injure health,—all these are, to a
greater or less degree, violations of the sixth commandment.
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
This commandment forbids not only acts of impurity, but sensual thoughts
and desires, or any practice that tends to excite them. Purity is
demanded not only in the outward life, but in the secret intents and
emotions of the heart. Christ, who taught the far-reaching obligation of
the law of God, declared the evil thought or look to be as truly sin as
is the unlawful deed.
“Thou shalt not steal.”
Both public and private sins are included in this prohibition. The
eighth commandment condemns man-stealing and slave-dealing, and forbids
wars of conquest. It condemns theft and robbery. It demands strict
integrity in the minutest details of the affairs of life. It forbids
overreaching in trade, and requires the payment of just debts or wages.
It declares that every attempt to advantage one’s self by the ignorance,
weakness, or misfortune of another, is registered as fraud in the books
of heaven.
“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”
False-speaking in any matter, every attempt or purpose to deceive our
neighbor, is here included. An intention to deceive is what constitutes
falsehood. By a glance of the eye, a motion of the hand, an expression
of the countenance, a falsehood may be told as effectually as by words.
All intentional overstatement, every hint or insinuation calculated to
convey an erroneous or exaggerated impression, even the statement of
facts in such a manner as to mislead, is falsehood. This precept forbids
every effort to injure our neighbor’s reputation by misrepresentation or
evil surmising, by slander or tale-bearing. Even the intentional
suppression of truth, by which injury may result to others, is a
violation of the ninth commandment.
“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy
neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox,
nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.”
The tenth commandment strikes at the very root of all sins, prohibiting
the selfish desire, from which springs the sinful act. He who in
obedience to God’s law refrains from indulging even a sinful desire for
that which belongs to another, will not be guilty of an act of wrong
toward his fellow-creatures.
Such were the sacred precepts of the decalogue, spoken amid thunder and
flame, and with a wonderful display of the power and majesty of the
great Lawgiver. God accompanied the proclamation of his law with
exhibitions of his power and glory, that his people might never forget
the scene, and that they might be impressed with profound veneration for
the Author of the law, the Creator of heaven and earth. He would also
show to all men the sacredness, the importance, and the permanence of
his law.
The people of Israel were overwhelmed with terror. The awful power of
God’s utterances seemed more than their trembling hearts could bear. For
as God’s great rule of right was presented before them, they realized as
never before, the offensive character of sin, and their own guilt in the
sight of a holy God. They shrank away from the mountain in fear and awe.
The multitude cried out to Moses, “Speak thou with us, and we will hear;
but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”[460] The leader answered,
“Fear not; for God is come to prove you, and that his fear may be before
your faces, that ye sin not.” The people, however, remained at a
distance, gazing in terror upon the scene, while Moses “drew near unto
the thick darkness where God was.”
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. Unlike the ten commandments, they were delivered
privately to Moses, who was to communicate them to the people.
The first of these laws related to servants. In ancient times, criminals
were sometimes sold into slavery by the judges; in some cases, debtors
were sold by their creditors; and poverty even led persons to sell
themselves or their children. But a Hebrew could not be sold as a slave
for life. His term of service was limited to six years; on the seventh
he was to be set at liberty. Man-stealing, deliberate murder, and
rebellion against parental authority, were to be punished with death.
The holding of slaves not of Israelitish birth was permitted, but their
life and person were strictly guarded. The murderer of a slave was to be
punished; an injury inflicted upon one by his master, though no more
than the loss of a tooth, entitled him to his freedom.
The Israelites had lately been servants themselves, and now that they
were to have servants under them, they were to beware of indulging the
spirit of cruelty and exaction from which they had suffered under their
Egyptian taskmasters. The memory of their own bitter servitude should
enable them to put themselves in the servant’s place, leading them to be
kind and compassionate, to deal with others as they would wish to be
dealt with.
The rights of widows and orphans were specially guarded, and a tender
regard for their helpless condition was enjoined. “If thou afflict them
in any wise,” the Lord declared, “and they cry at all unto me, I will
surely hear their cry; and my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you
with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children
fatherless.”[461] Aliens who united themselves with Israel were to be
protected from wrong or oppression. “Thou shalt not oppress a stranger;
for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the
land of Egypt.”[462]
The taking of usury from the poor was forbidden. A poor man’s raiment or
blanket taken as a pledge, must be restored to him at nightfall. He who
was guilty of theft was required to restore double. Respect for
magistrates and rulers was enjoined, and judges were warned against
perverting judgment, aiding a false cause, or receiving bribes. Calumny
and slander were prohibited, and acts of kindness enjoined, even toward
personal enemies.
Again the people were reminded of the sacred obligation of the Sabbath.
Yearly feasts were appointed, at which all the men of the nation were to
assemble before the Lord, bringing to him their offerings of gratitude,
and the first-fruits of his bounties. The object of all these
regulations was stated: they proceeded from no exercise of mere
arbitrary sovereignty; all were given for the good of Israel. The Lord
said, “Ye shall be holy men unto me,”[463]—worthy to be acknowledged by
a holy God.
These laws were to be recorded by Moses, and carefully treasured as the
foundation of the national law, and, with the ten precepts which they
were given to illustrate, the condition of the fulfillment of God’s
promises to Israel.
The message was now given them from Jehovah: “Behold, I send an Angel
before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place
which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him
not; for he will not pardon your transgressions; for my name is in him.
But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak, then I
will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine
adversaries.”[464] During all the wanderings of Israel, Christ, in the
pillar of cloud and of fire, was their leader. While there were types
pointing to a Saviour to come, there was also a present Saviour, who
gave commands to Moses for the people, and who was set forth before them
as the only channel of blessing.
Upon descending from the mountain, “Moses came and told the people all
the words of the Lord, and all the judgments, and all the people
answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath
said will we do.”[465] This pledge, together with the words of the Lord
which it bound them to obey, was written by Moses in a book.
Then followed the ratification of the covenant. An altar was built at
the foot of the mountain, and beside it twelve pillars were set up,
“according to the twelve tribes of Israel,” as a testimony to their
acceptance of the covenant. Sacrifices were then presented by young men
chosen for the service.
Having sprinkled the altar with the blood of the offerings, Moses “took
the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people.” Thus
the conditions of the covenant were solemnly repeated, and all were at
liberty to choose whether or not they would comply with them. They had
at the first promised to obey the voice of God; but they had since heard
his law proclaimed; and its principles had been particularized, that
they might know how much this covenant involved. Again the people
answered with one accord, “All that the Lord hath said will we do, and
be obedient.” “When Moses had spoken every precept to all the people
according to the law, he took the blood, ... and sprinkled both the book
and all the people, saying, This is the blood of the testament which God
hath enjoined unto you.”[466]
Arrangements were now to be made for the full establishment of the
chosen nation under Jehovah as their king. Moses had received the
command, “Come up unto the Lord, thou, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and
seventy of the elders of Israel; and worship ye afar off. And Moses
alone shall come near the Lord.” While the people worshiped at its foot,
these chosen men were called up into the mount. The seventy elders were
to assist Moses in the government of Israel, and God put upon them his
Spirit, and honored them with a view of his power and greatness. “And
they saw the God of Israel; and there was under his feet as it were a
paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his
clearness.” They did not behold the Deity, but they saw the glory of his
presence. Before this they could not have endured such a scene; but the
exhibition of God’s power had awed them to repentance; they had been
contemplating his glory, purity, and mercy, until they could approach
nearer to Him who was the subject of their meditations.
Moses and “his minister Joshua” were now summoned to meet with God. And
as they were to be some time absent, the leader appointed Aaron and Hur,
assisted by the elders, to act in his stead. “And Moses went up into the
mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord abode
upon Mount Sinai.” For six days the cloud covered the mountain as a
token of God’s special presence; yet there was no revelation of himself
or communication of his will. During this time, Moses remained in
waiting for a summons to the presence-chamber of the Most High. He had
been directed, “Come up to me into the mount, and be there,” and though
his patience and obedience were tested, he did not grow weary of
watching, or forsake his post. This period of waiting was to him a time
of preparation, of close self-examination. Even this favored servant of
God could not at once approach into his presence, and endure the
exhibitions of his glory. Six days must be employed in devoting himself
to God by searching of heart, meditation and prayer, before he could be
prepared for direct communion with his Maker.
Upon the seventh day, which was the Sabbath, Moses was called up into
the cloud. The thick cloud opened in the sight of all Israel, and the
glory of the Lord broke forth like devouring fire. “And Moses went into
the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount. And Moses was in
the mount forty days and forty nights.” The forty days’ tarry in the
mount did not include the six days of preparation. During the six days,
Joshua was with Moses, and together they ate of the manna, and drank of
“the brook that descended out of the mount.” But Joshua did not enter
with Moses into the cloud. He remained without, and continued to eat and
drink daily while awaiting the return of Moses; but Moses fasted during
the entire forty days.
During his stay in the mount, Moses received directions for the building
of a sanctuary in which the divine presence would be specially
manifested. “Let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among
them,”[467] was the command of God. For the third time the observance of
the Sabbath was enjoined. “It is a sign between me and the children of
Israel forever,” the Lord declared, “that ye may know that I am Jehovah
that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is
holy unto you.... Whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be
cut off from among his people.”[468] Directions had just been given for
the immediate erection of the tabernacle for the service of God; and now
the people might conclude, because the object had in view was the glory
of God, and also because of their great need of a place of worship, that
they would be justified in working at the building upon the Sabbath. To
guard them from this error, the warning was given. Even the sacredness
and urgency of that special work for God must not lead them to infringe
upon his holy rest-day.
Henceforth the people were to be honored with the abiding presence of
their King. “I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be
their God,” “and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory,”[469]
was the assurance given to Moses. As the symbol of God’s authority, and
the embodiment of his will, there was delivered to Moses a copy of the
decalogue engraved by the finger of God himself upon two tables of
stone,[470] to be sacredly enshrined in the sanctuary, which, when made,
was to be the visible center of the nation’s worship.
From a race of slaves the Israelites had been exalted above all peoples,
to be the peculiar treasure of the King of kings. God had separated them
from the world, that he might commit to them a sacred trust. He had made
them the depositaries of his law, and he purposed, through them, to
preserve among men the knowledge of himself. Thus the light of heaven
was to shine out to a world enshrouded in darkness, and a voice was to
be heard appealing to all peoples to turn from their idolatry to serve
the living God. If the Israelites would be true to their trust, they
would become a power in the world. God would be their defense, and he
would exalt them above all other nations. His light and truth would be
revealed through them, and they would stand forth under his wise and
holy rule as an example of the superiority of his worship over every
form of idolatry.
Footnote 450:
See Exodus 19.
Footnote 451:
Heb. 12:21.
Footnote 452:
Deut. 33:2, 3.
Footnote 453:
Ex. 20:2.
Footnote 454:
Luke 10:27; Deut. 6:4, 5; Lev. 19:18.
Footnote 455:
Ex. 20:3-17.
Footnote 456:
Ps. 111:9.
Footnote 457:
Isa. 58:13.
Footnote 458:
Eph. 6:2.
Footnote 459:
1 John 3:15.
Footnote 460:
Ex. 20:19-21.
Footnote 461:
Ex. 22:23, 24.
Footnote 462:
Ex. 23:9.
Footnote 463:
Ex. 22:31.
Footnote 464:
Ex. 23:20-22.
Footnote 465:
See Exodus 24.
Footnote 466:
Heb. 9:19, 20.
Footnote 467:
Ex. 25:8.
Footnote 468:
Ex. 31:17, 13, 14.
Footnote 469:
Ex. 29:45, 43.
Footnote 470:
Deut. 9:10; Ex. 32:15, 16.
IDOLATRY AT SINAI—28
While Moses was absent, it was a time of waiting and suspense to Israel.
The people knew that he had ascended the mount with Joshua, and had
entered the cloud of thick darkness which could be seen from the plain
below, resting on the mountain peak, illuminated from time to time with
the lightnings of the divine presence. They waited eagerly for his
return. Accustomed as they had been in Egypt to material representations
of deity, it had been hard for them to trust in an invisible being, and
they had come to rely upon Moses to sustain their faith. Now he was
taken from them. Day after day, week after week, passed, and still he
did not return. Notwithstanding the cloud was still in view, it seemed
to many in the camp that their leader had deserted them, or that he had
been consumed by the devouring fire.
During this period of waiting, there was time for them to meditate upon
the law of God which they had heard, and to prepare their hearts to
receive the further revelations that he might make to them. They had
none too much time for this work; and had they been thus seeking a
clearer understanding of God’s requirements, and humbling their hearts
before him, they would have been shielded from temptation. But they did
not do this, and they soon became careless, inattentive, and lawless.
Especially was this the case with the mixed multitude. They were
impatient to be on their way to the land of promise,—the land flowing
with milk and honey. It was only on condition of obedience that the
goodly land was promised them; but they had lost sight of this. There
were some who suggested a return to Egypt, but whether forward to Canaan
or backward to Egypt, the masses of the people were determined to wait
no longer for Moses.
Feeling their helplessness in the absence of their leader, they returned
to their old superstitions. The “mixed multitude” had been the first to
indulge murmuring and impatience, and they were the leaders in the
apostasy that followed. Among the objects regarded by the Egyptians as
symbols of deity, was the ox or calf; and it was at the suggestion of
those who had practiced this form of idolatry in Egypt, that a calf was
now made and worshiped. The people desired some image to represent God,
and to go before them in the place of Moses. God had given no manner of
similitude of himself, and he had prohibited any material representation
for such a purpose. The mighty miracles in Egypt and at the Red Sea were
designed to establish faith in him as the invisible, all-powerful Helper
of Israel, the only true God. And the desire for some visible
manifestation of his presence had been granted in the pillar of cloud
and of fire that guided their hosts, and in the revealing of his glory
upon Mount Sinai. But with the cloud of the Presence still before them,
they turned back in their hearts to the idolatry of Egypt, and
represented the glory of the invisible God by the similitude of an
ox![480]
In the absence of Moses, the judicial authority had been delegated to
Aaron, and a vast crowd gathered about his tent, with the demand, “Make
us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that
brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of
him.”[481] The cloud, they said, that had heretofore led them, now
rested permanently upon the mount; it would no longer direct their
travels. They must have an image in its place; and if, as had been
suggested, they should decide to return to Egypt, they would find favor
with the Egyptians by bearing this image before them, and acknowledging
it as their god.
Such a crisis demanded a man of firmness, decision, and unflinching
courage; one who held the honor of God above popular favor, personal
safety, or life itself. But the present leader of Israel was not of this
character. Aaron feebly remonstrated with the people, but his wavering
and timidity at the critical moment only rendered them the more
determined. The tumult increased. A blind, unreasoning frenzy seemed to
take possession of the multitude. There were some who remained true to
their covenant with God; but the greater part of the people joined in
the apostasy. A few who ventured to denounce the proposed image-making
as idolatry, were set upon and roughly treated, and in the confusion and
excitement they finally lost their life.
Aaron feared for his own safety; and instead of nobly standing up for
the honor of God, he yielded to the demands of the multitude. His first
act was to direct that the golden earrings be collected from all the
people and brought to him, hoping that pride would lead them to refuse
such a sacrifice. But they willingly yielded up their ornaments; and
from these he made a molten calf, in imitation of the gods of Egypt. The
people proclaimed, “These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up
out of the land of Egypt.” And Aaron basely permitted this insult to
Jehovah. He did more. Seeing with what satisfaction the golden god was
received, he built an altar before it, and made proclamation, “To-morrow
is a feast to the Lord.” The announcement was heralded by trumpeters
from company to company throughout the camp. “And they rose up early on
the morrow, and offered burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerings;
and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.” Under
the pretense of holding “a feast to the Lord,” they gave themselves up
to gluttony and licentious reveling.
How often, in our own day, is the love of pleasure disguised by a “form
of godliness”! A religion that permits men, while observing the rites of
worship, to devote themselves to selfish or sensual gratification, is as
pleasing to the multitudes now as in the days of Israel. And there are
still pliant Aarons, who, while holding positions of authority in the
church, will yield to the desires of the unconsecrated, and thus
encourage them in sin.
Only a few days had passed since the Hebrews had made a solemn covenant
with God to obey his voice. They had stood trembling with terror before
the mount, listening to the words of the Lord, “Thou shalt have no other
gods before me.” The glory of God still hovered above Sinai in the sight
of the congregation; but they turned away, and asked for other gods.
“They made a calf in Horeb, and worshiped the molten image. Thus they
changed their glory into the similitude of an ox.”[482] How could
greater ingratitude have been shown, or more daring insult offered, to
Him who had revealed himself to them as a tender father and an
all-powerful king!
Moses in the mount was warned of the apostasy in the camp, and was
directed to return without delay. “Go, get thee down,” were the words of
God; “thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have
corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way
which I commanded them. They have made them a molten calf, and have
worshiped it.” God might have checked the movement at the outset; but he
suffered it to come to this height, that he might teach all a lesson in
his punishment of treason and apostasy.
God’s covenant with his people had been disannulled, and he declared to
Moses, “Let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I
may consume them; and I will make of thee a great nation.” The people of
Israel, especially the mixed multitude, would be constantly disposed to
rebel against God. They would also murmur against their leader, and
would grieve him by their unbelief and stubbornness, and it would be a
laborious and soul-trying work to lead them through to the promised
land. Their sins had already forfeited the favor of God, and justice
called for their destruction. The Lord therefore proposed to destroy
them, and make of Moses a mighty nation.
“Let me alone, that I may consume them,” were the words of God. If God
had purposed to destroy Israel, who could plead for them? How few but
would have left the sinners to their fate! How few but would have gladly
exchanged a lot of toil and burden and sacrifice, repaid with
ingratitude and murmuring, for a position of ease and honor, when it was
God himself that offered the release.
But Moses discerned ground for hope where there appeared only
discouragement and wrath. The words of God, “Let me alone,” he
understood not to forbid but to encourage intercession, implying that
nothing but the prayers of Moses could save Israel, but that if thus
entreated, God would spare his people. He “besought the Lord his God,
and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which
thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and
with a mighty hand?”
God had signified that he disowned his people. He had spoken of them to
Moses as “_thy_ people, which _thou_ broughtest out of Egypt.” But Moses
humbly disclaimed the leadership of Israel. They were not his, but
God’s,—“_thy_ people, which _thou_ hast brought forth ... with great
power, and with a mighty hand. Wherefore,” he urged, “should the
Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay
them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth?”
During the few months since Israel left Egypt, the report of their
wonderful deliverance had spread to all the surrounding nations. Fear
and terrible foreboding rested upon the heathen. All were watching to
see what the God of Israel would do for his people. Should they now be
destroyed, their enemies would triumph, and God would be dishonored. The
Egyptians would claim that their accusations were true,—instead of
leading his people into the wilderness to sacrifice, he had caused them
to be sacrificed. They would not consider the sins of Israel; the
destruction of the people whom he had so signally honored, would bring
reproach upon his name. How great the responsibility resting upon those
whom God has highly honored, to make his name a praise in the earth!
With what care should they guard against committing sin, to call down
his judgments, and cause his name to be reproached by the ungodly!
As Moses interceded for Israel, his timidity was lost in his deep
interest and love for those for whom he had, in the hands of God, been
the means of doing so much. The Lord listened to his pleadings, and
granted his unselfish prayer. God had proved his servant; he had tested
his faithfulness, and his love for that erring, ungrateful people, and
nobly had Moses endured the trial. His interest in Israel sprung from no
selfish motive. The prosperity of God’s chosen people was dearer to him
than personal honor, dearer than the privilege of becoming the father of
a mighty nation. God was pleased with his faithfulness, his simplicity
of heart, and his integrity, and he committed to him, as a faithful
shepherd, the great charge of leading Israel to the promised land.
As Moses and Joshua came down from the mount, the former bearing the
“tables of the testimony,” they heard the shouts and outcries of the
excited multitude, evidently in a state of wild uproar. To Joshua the
Soldier, the first thought was of an attack from their enemies. “There
is a noise of war in the camp,” he said. But Moses judged more truly the
nature of the commotion. The sound was not that of combat, but of
revelry. “It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is
it the voice of them that cry for being overcome; but the noise of them
that sing do I hear.”
As they drew near the encampment, they beheld the people shouting and
dancing around their idol. It was a scene of heathen riot, an imitation
of the idolatrous feasts of Egypt; but how unlike the solemn and
reverent worship of God! Moses was overwhelmed. He had just come from
the presence of God’s glory, and though he had been warned of what was
taking place, he was unprepared for that dreadful exhibition of the
degradation of Israel. His anger was hot. To show his abhorrence of
their crime, he threw down the tables of stone, and they were broken in
the sight of all the people, thus signifying that as they had broken
their covenant with God, so God had broken his covenant with them.
[Illustration: MOSES BREAKING THE TABLES. “To show his abhorrence of
their crime, he threw down the tables of stone, and they were broken in
the sight of all the people.”]
Entering the camp, Moses passed through the crowds of revelers, and
seizing upon the idol, cast it into the fire. He afterward ground it to
powder, and having strewed it upon the stream that descended from the
mount, he made the people drink of it. Thus was shown the utter
worthlessness of the god which they had been worshiping.
The great leader summoned his guilty brother, and sternly demanded,
“What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin
upon them?” Aaron endeavored to shield himself by relating the clamors
of the people; that if he had not complied with their wishes, he would
have been put to death. “Let not the anger of my lord wax hot,” he said;
“thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. For they said
unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses,
the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is
become of him. And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them
break it off. So they gave it me; then I cast it into the fire, and
there came out this calf.” He would lead Moses to believe that a miracle
had been wrought,—that the gold had been cast into the fire, and by
supernatural power changed to a calf. But his excuses and prevarications
were of no avail. He was justly dealt with as the chief offender.
The fact that Aaron had been blessed and honored so far above the people
was what made his sin so heinous. It was Aaron “the saint of the
Lord,”[483] that had made the idol and announced the feast. It was he
who had been appointed as spokesman for Moses, and concerning whom God
himself had testified, “I know that he can speak well,”[484] that had
failed to check the idolaters in their heaven-daring purpose. He by whom
God had wrought in bringing judgments both upon the Egyptians and upon
their gods, had heard unmoved the proclamation before the molten image,
“These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of
Egypt.” It was he who had been with Moses on the mount, and had there
beheld the glory of the Lord, who had seen that in the manifestation of
that glory there was nothing of which an image could be made,—it was he
who had changed that glory into the similitude of an ox. He to whom God
had committed the government of the people in the absence of Moses, was
found sanctioning their rebellion. “The Lord was very angry with Aaron
to have destroyed him.”[485] But in answer to the earnest intercession
of Moses, his life was spared; and in penitence and humiliation for his
great sin, he was restored to the favor of God.
If Aaron had had courage to stand for the right, irrespective of
consequences, he could have prevented that apostasy. If he had
unswervingly maintained his own allegiance to God, if he had cited the
people to the perils of Sinai, and had reminded them of their solemn
covenant with God to obey his law, the evil would have been checked. But
his compliance with the desires of the people, and the calm assurance
with which he proceeded to carry out their plans, emboldened them to go
to greater lengths in sin than had before entered their minds.
When Moses, on returning to the camp, confronted the rebels, his severe
rebukes and the indignation he displayed in breaking the sacred tables
of the law, were contrasted by the people with his brother’s pleasant
speech and dignified demeanor, and their sympathies were with Aaron. To
justify himself, Aaron endeavored to make the people responsible for his
weakness in yielding to their demand; but notwithstanding this, they
were filled with admiration of his gentleness and patience. But God
seeth not as man sees. Aaron’s yielding spirit and his desire to please,
had blinded his eyes to the enormity of the crime he was sanctioning.
His course in giving his influence to sin in Israel, cost the life of
thousands. In what contrast with this was the course of Moses, who,
while faithfully executing God’s judgments, showed that the welfare of
Israel was dearer to him than prosperity or honor or life.
Of all the sins that God will punish, none are more grievous in his
sight than those that encourage others to do evil. God would have his
servants prove their loyalty by faithfully rebuking transgression,
however painful the act may be. Those who are honored with a divine
commission, are not to be weak, pliant time-servers. They are not to aim
at self-exaltation, or to shun disagreeable duties, but to perform God’s
work with unswerving fidelity.
Though God had granted the prayer of Moses in sparing Israel from
destruction, their apostasy was to be signally punished. The lawlessness
and insubordination into which Aaron had permitted them to fall, if not
speedily crushed, would run riot in wickedness, and would involve the
nation in irretrievable ruin. By terrible severity the evil must be put
away. Standing in the gate of the camp, Moses called to the people, “Who
is on the Lord’s side? let him come unto me.” Those who had not joined
in the apostasy were to take their position at the right of Moses; those
who were guilty but repentant, at the left. The command was obeyed. It
was found that the tribe of Levi had taken no part in the idolatrous
worship. From among other tribes there were great numbers who, although
they had sinned, now signified their repentance. But a large company,
mostly of the mixed multitude that instigated the making of the calf,
stubbornly persisted in their rebellion. In the name of “the Lord God of
Israel,” Moses now commanded those upon his right hand, who had kept
themselves clear of idolatry, to gird on their swords, and slay all who
persisted in rebellion. “And there fell of the people that day about
three thousand men.” Without regard to position, kindred, or friendship,
the ringleaders in wickedness were cut off; but all who repented and
humbled themselves were spared.
Those who performed this terrible work of judgment were acting by divine
authority, executing the sentence of the King of heaven. Men are to
beware how they, in their human blindness, judge and condemn their
fellow-men; but when God commands them to execute his sentence upon
iniquity, he is to be obeyed. Those who performed this painful act, thus
manifested their abhorrence of rebellion and idolatry, and consecrated
themselves more fully to the service of the true God. The Lord honored
their faithfulness by bestowing special distinction upon the tribe of
Levi.
The Israelites had been guilty of treason, and that against a King who
had loaded them with benefits, and whose authority they had voluntarily
pledged themselves to obey. That the divine government might be
maintained justice must be visited upon the traitors. Yet even here
God’s mercy was displayed. While he maintained his law, he granted
freedom of choice, and opportunity for repentance to all. Only those
were cut off who persisted in rebellion.
It was necessary that this sin should be punished, as a testimony to
surrounding nations of God’s displeasure against idolatry. By executing
justice upon the guilty, Moses, as God’s instrument, must leave on
record a solemn and public protest against their crime. As the
Israelites should hereafter condemn the idolatry of the neighboring
tribes, their enemies would throw back upon them the charge that the
people who claimed Jehovah as their God had made a calf and worshiped it
in Horeb. Then though compelled to acknowledge the disgraceful truth,
Israel could point to the terrible fate of the transgressors, as
evidence that their sin had not been sanctioned or excused.
Love no less than justice demanded that for this sin, judgment should be
inflicted. God is the guardian as well as the sovereign of his people.
He cuts off those who are determined upon rebellion, that they may not
lead others to ruin. In sparing the life of Cain, God had demonstrated
to the universe what would be the result of permitting sin to go
unpunished. The influence exerted upon his descendants by his life and
teaching led to the state of corruption that demanded the destruction of
the whole world by a flood. The history of the antediluvians testifies
that long life is not a blessing to the sinner; God’s great forbearance
did not repress their wickedness. The longer men lived, the more corrupt
they became.
So with the apostasy at Sinai. Unless punishment had been speedily
visited upon transgression, the same results would again have been seen.
The earth would have become as corrupt as in the days of Noah. Had these
transgressors been spared, evils would have followed, greater than
resulted from sparing the life of Cain. It was the mercy of God that
thousands should suffer, to prevent the necessity of visiting judgments
upon millions. In order to save the many, he must punish the few.
Furthermore, as the people had cast off their allegiance to God, they
had forfeited the divine protection, and, deprived of their defense, the
whole nation was exposed to the power of their enemies. Had not the evil
been promptly put away, they would soon have fallen a prey to their
numerous and powerful foes. It was necessary for the good of Israel, and
also as a lesson to all succeeding generations, that crime should be
promptly punished. And it was no less a mercy to the sinners themselves
that they should be cut short in their evil course. Had their life been
spared, the same spirit that led them to rebel against God would have
been manifested in hatred and strife among themselves, and they would
eventually have destroyed one another. It was in love to the world, in
love to Israel, and even to the transgressors, that crime was punished
with swift and terrible severity.
As the people were roused to see the enormity of their guilt, terror
pervaded the entire encampment. It was feared that every offender was to
be cut off. Pitying their distress, Moses promised to plead once more
with God for them.
“Ye have sinned a great sin,” he said, “and now I will go up unto the
Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.” He went, and
in his confession before God he said, “O, this people have sinned a
great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now if thou wilt forgive
their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou
hast written.” The answer was, “Whosoever hath sinned against me, him
will I blot out of my book. Therefore now go, lead the people into the
place of which I have spoken unto thee. Behold, mine Angel shall go
before thee; nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin
upon them.”
In the prayer of Moses, our minds are directed to the heavenly records
in which the names of all men are inscribed, and their deeds, whether
good or evil, are faithfully registered. The book of life contains the
names of all who have ever entered the service of God. If any of these
depart from him, and by stubborn persistence in sin become finally
hardened against the influences of his Holy Spirit, their names will in
the Judgment be blotted from the book of life, and they themselves will
be devoted to destruction. Moses realized how dreadful would be the fate
of the sinner; yet if the people of Israel were to be rejected by the
Lord, he desired his name to be blotted out with theirs; he could not
endure to see the judgments of God fall upon those who had been so
graciously delivered. The intercession of Moses in behalf of Israel
illustrates the mediation of Christ for sinful men. But the Lord did not
permit Moses to bear, as did Christ, the guilt of the transgressor.
“Whosoever hath sinned against me,” he said, “him will I blot out of my
book.”
In deep sadness the people had buried their dead. Three thousand had
fallen by the sword; a plague had soon after broken out in the
encampment; and now the message came to them that the divine presence
would no longer accompany them in their journeyings. Jehovah had
declared, “I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a
stiff-necked people: lest I consume thee in the way.” And the command
was given, “Put off thy ornaments from thee, that I may know what to do
unto thee.”[486] Now there was mourning throughout the encampment. In
penitence and humiliation, “the children of Israel stripped themselves
of their ornaments by the mount Horeb.”
By the divine direction, the tent that had served as a temporary place
of worship was removed “afar off from the camp.” This was still further
evidence that God had withdrawn his presence from them. He would reveal
himself to Moses, but not to such a people. The rebuke was keenly felt,
and to the conscience-smitten multitudes it seemed a foreboding of
greater calamity. Had not the Lord separated Moses from the camp that he
might utterly destroy them? But they were not left without hope. The
tent was pitched without the encampment, but Moses called it “the
tabernacle of the congregation.” All who were truly penitent, and
desired to return to the Lord, were directed to repair thither to
confess their sins and seek his mercy. When they returned to their
tents, Moses entered the tabernacle. With agonizing interest, the people
watched for some token that his intercessions in their behalf were
accepted. If God should condescend to meet with him, they might hope
that they were not to be utterly consumed. When the cloudy pillar
descended, and stood at the entrance of the tabernacle, the people wept
for joy, and they “rose up and worshiped, every man in his tent door.”
Moses knew well the perversity and blindness of those who were placed
under his care; he knew the difficulties with which he must contend. But
he had learned that in order to prevail with the people, he must have
help from God. He pleaded for a clearer revelation of God’s will, and
for an assurance of his presence: “See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up
this people; and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me.
Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace
in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy
sight, show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace
in thy sight; and consider that this nation is thy people.”
The answer was, “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee
rest.” But Moses was not yet satisfied. There pressed upon his soul a
sense of the terrible results should God leave Israel to hardness and
impenitence. He could not endure that his interests should be separated
from those of his brethren, and he prayed that the favor of God might be
restored to his people, and that the token of his presence might
continue to direct their journeyings: “If thy presence go not with me,
carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy
people have found grace in thy sight? Is it not in that thou goest with
us? So shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that
are upon the face of the earth.”
And the Lord said, “I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken; for
thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.” Still the
prophet did not cease pleading. Every prayer had been answered, but he
thirsted for greater tokens of God’s favor. He now made a request that
no human being had ever made before: “I beseech thee, show me thy
glory.”
God did not rebuke his request as presumptuous; but the gracious words
were spoken, “I will make all my goodness pass before thee.” The
unvailed glory of God, no man in this mortal state can look upon and
live; but Moses was assured that he should behold as much of the divine
glory as he could endure. Again he was summoned to the mountain summit;
then the hand that made the world, that hand that “removeth the
mountains, and they know not,”[487] took this creature of the dust, this
mighty man of faith, and placed him in a cleft of the rock, while the
glory of God and all his goodness passed before him.
This experience—above all else the promise that the divine presence
would attend him—was to Moses an assurance of success in the work before
him; and he counted it of infinitely greater worth than all the learning
of Egypt, or all his attainments as a statesman or a military leader. No
earthly power or skill or learning can supply the place of God’s abiding
presence.
To the transgressor it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the
living God; but Moses stood alone in the presence of the Eternal One,
and he was not afraid; for his soul was in harmony with the will of his
Maker. Says the psalmist, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord
will not hear me.”[488] But “the secret of the Lord is with them that
fear him, and he will show them his covenant.”[489]
The Deity proclaimed himself, “The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and
gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping
mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and
that will by no means clear the guilty.”[490]
“Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.”
Again he entreated that God would pardon the iniquity of his people, and
take them for his inheritance. His prayer was granted. The Lord
graciously promised to renew his favor to Israel, and in their behalf to
do marvels such as had not been done “in all the earth, nor in any
nation.”
Forty days and nights, Moses remained in the mount; and during all this
time, as at the first, he was miraculously sustained. No man had been
permitted to go up with him, nor during the time of his absence were any
to approach the mount. At God’s command he had prepared two tables of
stone, and had taken them with him to the summit; and again the Lord
“wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten
commandments.”[491]
During that long time spent in communion with God, the face of Moses had
reflected the glory of the divine presence; unknown to himself, his face
shone with a dazzling light when he descended from the mountain. Such a
light illumined the countenance of Stephen when brought before his
judges; “and all that sat in the council, looking steadfastly on him,
saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.”[492] Aaron as well as
the people shrunk away from Moses, and “they were afraid to come nigh
him.” Seeing their confusion and terror, but ignorant of the cause, he
urged them to come near. He held out to them the pledge of God’s
reconciliation, and assured them of his restored favor. They perceived
in his voice nothing but love and entreaty, and at last one ventured to
approach him. Too awed to speak, he silently pointed to the countenance
of Moses, and then toward heaven. The great leader understood his
meaning. In their conscious guilt, feeling themselves still under the
divine displeasure, they could not endure the heavenly light, which, had
they been obedient to God, would have filled them with joy. There is
fear in guilt. The soul that is free from sin will not wish to hide from
the light of heaven.
Moses had much to communicate to them; and compassionating their fear,
he put a vail upon his face, and continued to do so thereafter whenever
he returned to the camp from communion with God.
By this brightness, God designed to impress upon Israel the sacred,
exalted character of his law, and the glory of the gospel revealed
through Christ. While Moses was in the mount, God presented to him, not
only the tables of the law, but also the plan of salvation. He saw that
the sacrifice of Christ was prefigured by all the types and symbols of
the Jewish age; and it was the heavenly light streaming from Calvary, no
less than the glory of the law of God, that shed such a radiance upon
the face of Moses. That divine illumination symbolized the glory of the
dispensation of which Moses was the visible mediator, a representative
of the one true Intercessor.
The glory reflected in the countenance of Moses illustrates the
blessings to be received by God’s commandment-keeping people through the
mediation of Christ. It testifies that the closer our communion with
God, and the clearer our knowledge of his requirements, the more fully
shall we be conformed to the divine image, and the more readily do we
become partakers of the divine nature.
Moses was a type of Christ. As Israel’s intercessor vailed his
countenance, because the people could not endure to look upon its glory,
so Christ, the divine Mediator, vailed his divinity with humanity when
he came to earth. Had he come clothed with the brightness of heaven, he
could not have found access to men in their sinful state. They could not
have endured the glory of his presence. Therefore he humbled himself,
and was made “in the likeness of sinful flesh,”[493] that he might reach
the fallen race, and lift them up.
Footnote 480:
See Exodus 32.
Footnote 481:
See Appendix, Note 7.
Footnote 482:
Ps. 106:19, 20.
Footnote 483:
Ps. 106:16.
Footnote 484:
Ex. 4:14.
Footnote 485:
Deut. 9:20.
Footnote 486:
See Exodus 33.
Footnote 487:
Job 9:5.
Footnote 488:
Ps. 66:18.
Footnote 489:
Ps. 25:14.
Footnote 490:
See Exodus 34.
Footnote 491:
See Appendix, Note 8.
Footnote 492:
Acts 6:15.
Footnote 493:
Rom. 8:3.
SATAN’S ENMITY AGAINST THE LAW—29
The very first effort of Satan to overthrow God’s law,—undertaken among
the sinless inhabitants of heaven,—seemed for a time to be crowned with
success. A vast number of the angels were seduced; but Satan’s apparent
triumph resulted in defeat and loss, separation from God, and banishment
from heaven.
When the conflict was renewed upon the earth, Satan again won a seeming
advantage. By transgression, man became his captive, and man’s kingdom
also was betrayed into the hands of the arch-rebel. Now the way seemed
open for Satan to establish an independent kingdom, and to defy the
authority of God and his Son. But the plan of salvation made it possible
for man again to be brought into harmony with God, and to render
obedience to his law, and for both man and the earth to be finally
redeemed from the power of the wicked one.
Again Satan was defeated, and again he resorted to deception, in the
hope of converting his defeat into a victory. To stir up rebellion in
the fallen race, he now represented God as unjust in having permitted
man to transgress his law. “Why,” said the artful tempter, “when God
knew what would be the result, did he permit man to be placed on trial,
to sin, and bring in misery and death?” And the children of Adam,
forgetful of the long-suffering mercy that had granted man another
trial, regardless of the amazing, the awful sacrifice which his
rebellion had cost the King of heaven, gave ear to the tempter, and
murmured against the only being who could save them from the destructive
power of Satan.
There are thousands to-day echoing the same rebellious complaint against
God. They do not see that to deprive man of the freedom of choice would
be to rob him of his prerogative as an intelligent being, and make him a
mere automaton. It is not God’s purpose to coerce the will. Man was
created a free moral agent. Like the inhabitants of all other worlds, he
must be subjected to the test of obedience; but he is never brought into
such a position that yielding to evil becomes a matter of necessity. No
temptation or trial is permitted to come to him which he is unable to
resist. God made such ample provision that man need never have been
defeated in the conflict with Satan.
As men increased upon the earth, almost the whole world joined the ranks
of rebellion. Once more Satan seemed to have gained the victory. But
omnipotent power again cut short the working of iniquity, and the earth
was cleansed by the flood from its moral pollution.
Says the prophet, “When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants
of the world will learn righteousness. Let favor be showed to the
wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness, ... and will not behold the
majesty of Jehovah.”[500] Thus it was after the flood. Released from his
judgments, the inhabitants of the earth again rebelled against the Lord.
Twice God’s covenant and his statutes had been rejected by the world.
Both the people before the flood and the descendants of Noah cast off
the divine authority. Then God entered into covenant with Abraham, and
took to himself a people to become the depositaries of his law. To
seduce and destroy this people, Satan began at once to lay his snares.
The children of Jacob were tempted to contract marriages with the
heathen and to worship their idols. But Joseph was faithful to God, and
his fidelity was a constant testimony to the true faith. It was to
quench this light that Satan worked through the envy of Joseph’s
brothers to cause him to be sold as a slave in a heathen land. God
overruled events, however, so that the knowledge of himself should be
given to the people of Egypt. Both in the house of Potiphar and in the
prison, Joseph received an education and training that, with the fear of
God, prepared him for his high position as prime minister of the nation.
From the palace of the Pharaohs his influence was felt throughout the
land, and the knowledge of God spread far and wide. The Israelites in
Egypt also became prosperous and wealthy, and such as were true to God
exerted a wide-spread influence. The idolatrous priests were filled with
alarm as they saw the new religion finding favor. Inspired by Satan with
his own enmity toward the God of heaven, they set themselves to quench
the light. To the priests was committed the education of the heir to the
throne, and it was this spirit of determined opposition to God and zeal
for idolatry that moulded the character of the future monarch, and led
to cruelty and oppression toward the Hebrews.
During the forty years after the flight of Moses from Egypt, idolatry
seemed to have conquered. Year by year the hopes of the Israelites grew
fainter. Both king and people exulted in their power, and mocked the God
of Israel. This spirit grew until it culminated in the Pharaoh who was
confronted by Moses. When the Hebrew leader came before the king with a
message from “Jehovah, God of Israel,” it was not ignorance of the true
God, but defiance of his power, that prompted the answer, “Who is
Jehovah, that I should obey his voice?... I know not Jehovah.” From
first to last, Pharaoh’s opposition to the divine command was not the
result of ignorance, but of hatred and defiance.
Though the Egyptians had so long rejected the knowledge of God, the Lord
still gave them opportunity for repentance. In the days of Joseph, Egypt
had been an asylum for Israel; God had been honored in the kindness
shown his people; and now the Long-suffering One, slow to anger, and
full of compassion, gave each judgment time to do its work; the
Egyptians, cursed through the very objects they had worshiped,[501] had
evidence of the power of Jehovah, and all who would, might submit to God
and escape his judgments. The bigotry and stubbornness of the king
resulted in spreading the knowledge of God, and bringing many of the
Egyptians to give themselves to his service.
It was because the Israelites were so disposed to connect themselves
with the heathen and imitate their idolatry that God had permitted them
to go down into Egypt, where the influence of Joseph was widely felt,
and where circumstances were favorable for them to remain a distinct
people. Here also the gross idolatry of the Egyptians and their cruelty
and oppression during the latter part of the Hebrew sojourn, should have
inspired in them an abhorrence of idolatry, and should have led them to
flee for refuge to the God of their fathers. This very providence Satan
made a means to serve his purpose, darkening the minds of the
Israelites, and leading them to imitate the practices of their heathen
masters. On account of the superstitious veneration in which animals
were held by the Egyptians, the Hebrews were not permitted, during their
bondage, to present the sacrificial offerings. Thus their minds were not
directed by this service to the great Sacrifice, and their faith was
weakened. When the time came for Israel’s deliverance, Satan set himself
to resist the purposes of God. It was his determination that that great
people, numbering more than two million souls, should be held in
ignorance and superstition. The people whom God had promised to bless
and multiply, to make a power in the earth, and through whom he was to
reveal the knowledge of his will,—the people whom he was to make the
keepers of his law,—this very people Satan was seeking to keep in
obscurity and bondage, that he might obliterate from their minds the
remembrance of God.
When the miracles were wrought before the king, Satan was on the ground
to counteract their influence, and prevent Pharaoh from acknowledging
the supremacy of God, and obeying his mandate. Satan wrought to the
utmost of his power to counterfeit the work of God and resist his will.
The only result was to prepare the way for greater exhibitions of the
divine power and glory, and to make more apparent, both to the
Israelites and to all Egypt, the existence and sovereignty of the true
and living God.
God delivered Israel with the mighty manifestations of his power, and
with judgments upon all the gods of Egypt. “He brought forth his people
with joy, and his chosen with gladness; ... that they might observe his
statutes, and keep his laws.”[502] He rescued them from their servile
state, that he might bring them to a good land,—a land which in his
providence had been prepared for them as a refuge from their enemies,
where they might dwell under the shadow of his wings. He would bring
them to himself, and encircle them in his everlasting arms; and in
return for all his goodness and mercy to them, they were required to
have no other gods before him, the living God, and to exalt his name and
make it glorious in the earth.
During the bondage in Egypt, many of the Israelites had, to a great
extent, lost the knowledge of God’s law, and had mingled its precepts
with heathen customs and traditions. God brought them to Sinai, and
there with his own voice declared his law.
Satan and evil angels were on the ground. Even while God was proclaiming
his law to his people, Satan was plotting to tempt them to sin. This
people whom God had chosen, he would wrench away, in the very face of
Heaven. By leading them into idolatry, he would destroy the efficacy of
all worship; for how can man be elevated by adoring what is no higher
than himself, and may be symbolized by his own handiwork? If men could
become so blinded to the power, the majesty, and the glory of the
infinite God as to represent him by a graven image, or even by a beast
or reptile; if they could so forget their own divine relationship,
formed in the image of their Maker, as to bow down to these revolting
and senseless objects,—then the way was open for foul license; the evil
passions of the heart would be unrestrained, and Satan would have full
sway.
At the very foot of Sinai, Satan began to execute his plans for
overthrowing the law of God, thus carrying forward the same work he had
begun in heaven. During the forty days while Moses was in the mount with
God, Satan was busy, exciting doubt, apostasy, and rebellion. While God
was writing down his law, to be committed to his covenant people, the
Israelites, denying their loyalty to Jehovah, were demanding gods of
gold! When Moses came from the awful presence of the divine glory, with
the precepts of the law which they had pledged themselves to obey, he
found them, in open defiance of its commands, bowing in adoration before
a golden image.
By leading Israel to this daring insult and blasphemy to Jehovah, Satan
had planned to cause their ruin. Since they had proved themselves to be
so utterly degraded, so lost to all sense of the privileges and
blessings that God had offered them, and to their own solemn and
repeated pledges of loyalty, the Lord would, he believed, divorce them
from himself, and devote them to destruction. Thus would be secured the
extinction of the seed of Abraham, that seed of promise that was to
preserve the knowledge of the living God, and through whom He was to
come,—the true seed, that was to conquer Satan. The great rebel had
planned to destroy Israel, and thus thwart the purposes of God. But
again he was defeated. Sinful as they were, the people of Israel were
not destroyed. While those who stubbornly ranged themselves on the side
of Satan were cut off, the people, humbled and repentant, were
mercifully pardoned. The history of this sin was to stand as a perpetual
testimony to the guilt and punishment of idolatry, and the justice and
long-suffering mercy of God.
The whole universe had been witness to the scenes at Sinai. In the
working out of the two administrations was seen the contrast between the
government of God and that of Satan. Again the sinless inhabitants of
other worlds beheld the results of Satan’s apostasy, and the kind of
government he would have established in heaven, had he been permitted to
bear sway.
By causing men to violate the second commandment, Satan aimed to degrade
their conceptions of the Divine Being. By setting aside the fourth, he
would cause them to forget God altogether. God’s claim to reverence and
worship, above the gods of the heathen, is based upon the fact that he
is the Creator, and that to him all other beings owe their existence.
Thus it is presented in the Bible. Says the prophet Jeremiah: “Jehovah
is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting King.... The
gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall
perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. He hath made the
earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and
hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.” “Every man is brutish
in his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image; for
his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are
vanity, and the work of errors; in the time of their visitation they
shall perish. The portion of Jacob is not like them; for he is the
former of all things.”[503] The Sabbath, as a memorial of God’s creative
power, points to him as the maker of the heavens and the earth. Hence it
is a constant witness to his existence and a reminder of his greatness,
his wisdom, and his love. Had the Sabbath always been sacredly observed,
there could never have been an atheist or an idolater.
The Sabbath institution, which originated in Eden, is as old as the
world itself. It was observed by all the patriarchs, from creation down.
During the bondage in Egypt, the Israelites were forced by their
taskmasters to violate the Sabbath, and to a great extent they lost the
knowledge of its sacredness. When the law was proclaimed at Sinai, the
very first words of the fourth commandment were, “Remember the Sabbath
day, to keep it holy,”—showing that the Sabbath was not then instituted;
we are pointed back for its origin to creation. In order to obliterate
God from the minds of men, Satan aimed to tear down this great memorial.
If men could be led to forget their Creator, they would make no effort
to resist the power of evil, and Satan would be sure of his prey.
Satan’s enmity against God’s law has impelled him to war against every
precept of the decalogue. To the great principle of love and loyalty to
God, the Father of all, the principle of filial love and obedience is
closely related. Contempt for parental authority will soon lead to
contempt for the authority of God. Hence Satan’s efforts to lessen the
obligation of the fifth commandment. Among heathen peoples the principle
enjoined in this precept was little heeded. In many nations, parents
were abandoned or put to death as soon as age had rendered them
incapable of providing for themselves. In the family, the mother was
treated with little respect, and upon the death of her husband she was
required to submit to the authority of her eldest son. Filial obedience
was enjoined by Moses; but as the Israelites departed from the Lord, the
fifth commandment, with others, came to be disregarded.
Satan was “a murderer from the beginning;”[504] and as soon as he had
obtained power over the human race, he not only prompted them to hate
and slay one another, but, the more boldly to defy the authority of God,
he made the violation of the sixth commandment a part of their religion.
By perverted conceptions of divine attributes, heathen nations were led
to believe human sacrifices necessary to secure the favor of their
deities; and the most horrible cruelties have been perpetrated under the
various forms of idolatry. Among these was the practice of causing their
children to pass through the fire before their idols. When one of them
came through this ordeal unharmed, the people believed that their
offerings were accepted; the one thus delivered was regarded as
specially favored by the gods, was loaded with benefits, and ever
afterward held in high esteem; and however aggravated his crimes, he was
never punished. But should one be burned in passing through the fire,
his fate was sealed; it was believed that the anger of the gods could be
appeased only by taking the life of the victim, and he was accordingly
offered as a sacrifice. In times of great apostasy these abominations
prevailed, to some extent, among the Israelites.
The violation of the seventh commandment also was early practiced in the
name of religion. The most licentious and abominable rites were made a
part of the heathen worship. The gods themselves were represented as
impure, and their worshipers gave the rein to the baser passions.
Unnatural vices prevailed, and the religious festivals were
characterized by universal and open impurity.
Polygamy was practiced at an early date. It was one of the sins that
brought the wrath of God upon the antediluvian world. Yet after the
flood it again became wide-spread. It was Satan’s studied effort to
pervert the marriage institution, to weaken its obligations, and lessen
its sacredness; for in no surer way could he deface the image of God in
man, and open the door to misery and vice.
From the opening of the great controversy it has been Satan’s purpose to
misrepresent God’s character, and to excite rebellion against his law;
and this work appears to be crowned with success. The multitudes give
ear to Satan’s deceptions, and set themselves against God. But amid the
working of evil, God’s purposes move steadily forward to their
accomplishment; to all created intelligences he is making manifest his
justice and benevolence. Through Satan’s temptations the whole human
race have become transgressors of God’s law; but by the sacrifice of his
Son a way is opened whereby they may return to God. Through the grace of
Christ they may be enabled to render obedience to the Father’s law. Thus
in every age, from the midst of apostasy and rebellion, God gathers out
a people that are true to him,—a people “in whose heart is his
law.”[505]
It was by deception that Satan seduced angels; thus he has in all ages
carried forward his work among men, and he will continue this policy to
the last. Should he openly profess to be warring against God and his
law, men would beware; but he disguises himself, and mixes truth with
error. The most dangerous falsehoods are those that are mingled with
truth. It is thus that errors are received that captivate and ruin the
soul. By this means, Satan carries the world with him. But a day is
coming when his triumph will be forever ended.
God’s dealings with rebellion will result in fully unmasking the work
that has so long been carried on under cover. The results of Satan’s
rule, the fruits of setting aside the divine statutes, will be laid open
to the view of all created intelligences. The law of God will stand
fully vindicated. It will be seen that all the dealings of God have been
conducted with reference to the eternal good of his people, and the good
of all the worlds that he has created. Satan himself, in presence of the
witnessing universe, will confess the justice of God’s government, and
the righteousness of his law.