We now enter upon a new section of our marvelous book. The discourses
contained in the first eleven chapters having established the
all-important principle of obedience, we now come to the practical
application of the principle to the habits and ways of the people when
settled in possession of the land. "These are the statutes and
judgments which ye shall observe to do in the land which the Lord God
of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live
upon the earth."
It is of the utmost moral importance that the heart and conscience
should be brought into their true attitude in reference to divine
authority, irrespective altogether of any question as to details.
These will find their due place when once the heart is taught to bow
down, in complete and absolute submission, to the supreme authority of
the Word of God.
Now, as we have seen in our studies on the first eleven chapters, the
lawgiver labors, most earnestly and faithfully, to lead the heart of
Israel into this all-essential condition. He felt, to speak after the
manner of men, it was of no use entering upon practical details until
the grand foundation-principle of all morality was fully established
in the very deepest depths of the soul. The principle is this (let us
Christians apply our hearts to it): It is man's bounden duty to bow
implicitly to the authority of the Word of God. It matters not, in the
smallest degree, what that Word may enjoin, or whether we can see the
reason of this, that, or the other institution. The one grand,
all-important, and conclusive point is this: Has God spoken? If He
has, that is quite enough. There is no room, no need, for any further
question.
Until this point is fully established, or rather until the heart is
brought directly under its full moral force, we are not in a condition
to enter upon details. If self-will be allowed to operate, if blind
reason be permitted to speak, the heart will send up its endless
questionings; as each divine institution is laid before us, some fresh
difficulty will present itself as a stumbling-block in the path of
simple obedience.
What! it may be said, are we not to use our reason? If not, to what
end was it given? To this we have a twofold reply. In the first place,
our reason is not as it was when God gave it. We have to remember that
sin has come in; man is a fallen creature; his reason, his judgment,
his understanding--his whole moral being is a complete wreck; and
moreover, it was the neglect of the Word of God that caused all this
wreck and ruin.
And then, in the second place, we must bear in mind that if reason
were in a sound condition, it would prove its soundness by bowing to
the Word of God. But it is not sound; it is blind, and utterly
perverted; it is not to be trusted for a moment in things spiritual,
divine, or heavenly.
If this simple fact were thoroughly understood, it would settle a
thousand questions and remove a thousand difficulties. It is reason
that makes all the infidels. The devil whispers into man's ear, "You
are endowed with reason; why not use it? It was given to be used--used
in every thing; you ought not to give your assent to any thing which
your reason cannot grasp. It is your chartered right as a man to
submit every thing to the test of your reason; it is only for a fool
or an idiot to receive, in blind credulity, all that is set before
him."
What is our answer to such wily and dangerous suggestions? A very
simple and conclusive one; namely, this: The Word of God is above and
beyond reason altogether; it is as far above reason as God is above
the creature, or heaven above earth. Hence, when God speaks, all
reasonings must be cast down. If it be merely man's word, man's
opinion, man's judgment, then verily reason may exert its powers; or
rather, to speak more correctly, we must judge what is said by the
only perfect standard--the Word of God. But if reason be set to work
on the Word of God, the soul must inevitably be plunged in the thick
darkness of infidelity, from which the descent to the awful blackness
of atheism is but too easy.
In a word, then, we have to remember--yea, to cherish in the very
deepest depths of our moral being, that the only safe ground for the
soul is, divinely wrought faith in the paramount authority, divine
majesty, and all-sufficiency of the Word of God. This was the ground
which Moses occupied in dealing with the heart and conscience of
Israel. His one grand object was, to lead the people into the attitude
of profound, unqualified subjection to divine authority. Without this,
all was useless. If every statute, every judgment, every precept,
every institution, were to be submitted to the action of human
reason, then farewell to divine authority, farewell to Scripture,
farewell to certainty, farewell to peace; but, on the other hand, when
the soul is led by God's Spirit into the delightful attitude of
absolute and unquestioning submission to the authority of God's Word,
then every one of His judgments, every one of His commandments, every
sentence of His blessed book, is received as coming direct from
Himself, and the most simple ordinance or institution stands invested
with all the importance which His authority is fitted to impart. We
may not be able to understand the full meaning or exact bearing of
each statute and judgment,--that is not the question; it is sufficient
for us to know that it comes from God. He has spoken; this is
conclusive. Till this great principle is grasped, or rather till it
takes full possession of the soul, nothing is done; but when it is
fully understood and submitted to, the solid foundation is laid for
all true morality.
The foregoing line of thought will enable the reader to seize the
connection between the chapter which now lies open before us and the
preceding section of this book; and not only will it do this, but we
trust it will also help him to understand the special place and
bearing of the opening verses of chapter xii.
"Ye shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the nations which ye
shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the
hills, and under every green tree. And ye shall overthrow their
altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and
ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the
names of them out of that place." (Ver. 2, 3.)
The land was Jehovah's; they were to hold as tenants under Him, and
therefore their very first duty on entering upon possession was, to
demolish every trace of the old idolatry. This was absolutely
indispensable. It might, according to human reason, seem to be very
intolerant to act in this way toward other people's religion. We
reply, without any hesitation, Yes, it was intolerant; for how could
the one only true and living God be otherwise than intolerant of all
false gods and false worship? To suppose for a moment that He could
permit the worship of idols in His land would be to suppose that He
could deny Himself, which were simply blasphemy.
Let us not be misunderstood. It is not that God does not bear with the
world, in His long-suffering mercy. It seems hardly needful to state
this, with the history of well-nigh six thousand years of divine
forbearance before our eyes. Blessed forever be His holy name, He has
borne with the world most marvelously from the days of Noah, and He
still bears with it, though stained with the guilt of crucifying His
beloved Son.
All this is plain, but it leaves wholly untouched the great principle
laid down in our chapter. Israel had to learn that they were about to
take possession of the Lord's land, and that, as His tenants, their
first and indispensable duty was, to obliterate every trace of
idolatry. To them there was to be but "the one God." His name was
called upon them. They were His people, and He could not permit them
to have fellowship with demons. "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God;
and Him _only_ shalt thou serve."
This might, in the judgment of the uncircumcised nations around, seem
very intolerant, very narrow, very bigoted. They indeed might boast of
their freedom, and glory in the broad platform of their worship which
admitted "gods many and lords many." It might, according to their
thinking, argue greater breadth of mind to let every one think for
himself in matters of religion, and choose his own object of worship,
and his own mode of worshiping also; or, still further, it might give
evidence of a more advanced condition of civilization, greater polish
and refinement, to erect, as in Rome, a Pantheon, in which all the
gods of heathendom might find a place. "What did it matter about the
form of a man's religion, or the object of his worship, provided he
himself were sincere? All would be sure to come right in the end; the
great point for all was, to attend to material progress, to help on
national prosperity as the surest means of securing individual
interests. Of course, it is all right for every man to have some
religion, but as to the form of that religion, it is immaterial. The
great question is, what you are yourself, not what your religion is."
All this, we can well conceive, would admirably suit the carnal mind,
and be very popular amongst the uncircumcised nations; but as for
Israel, they had to remember that one commanding sentence, "The Lord
thy God is one God;" and again, "Thou shalt have none other gods
before Me." This was to be their religion; the platform of their
worship was to be as wide and as narrow as the one true and living
God, their Creator and Redeemer. That, assuredly, was broad enough for
every true worshiper--every member of the circumcised assembly--all
whose high and holy privilege it was to belong to the Israel of God.
They were not to concern themselves with the opinions or observations
of the uncircumcised nations around. What were they worth? Not the
weight of a feather. What could they know about the claims of the God
of Israel upon His circumcised people? Just nothing. Were they
competent to decide as to the proper breadth of Israel's platform?
Clearly not; they were wholly ignorant of the subject. Hence their
thoughts, reasonings, arguments, and objections were perfectly
worthless, not to be listened to for a moment. It was Israel's one,
simple, bounden duty to bow down to the supreme and absolute authority
of the word of God; and that word insisted upon the complete abolition
of every trace of idolatry from that goodly land which they were
privileged to hold as tenants under Him.
But not only was it incumbent upon Israel to abolish all the places in
which the heathen had worshiped their gods,--this they were solemnly
bound to do, most surely; but there was more than this. The heart
might readily conceive the thought of doing away with idolatry in the
various places, and setting up the altar of the true God
instead,--this might seem to be the right course to adopt; but God
thought differently. "Ye shall not do so unto the Lord your God. But
unto the place which the Lord your God shall choose out of all your
tribes to put His name there, even _unto His habitation_ shall ye
seek, and thither thou shalt come; and thither ye shall bring your
burnt-offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and
heave-offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your free-will
offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks; and
_there ye shall eat before the Lord your God_; and ye shall rejoice in
all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the
Lord thy God hath blessed thee."
Here a great cardinal truth is unfolded to the congregation of Israel.
They were to have one place of worship--a place chosen of God, and not
of man. His habitation--the place of His presence was to be Israel's
grand centre; thither they were to come with their sacrifices and
their offerings, and there they were to offer their worship, and find
their common joy.
Does this seem exclusive? Of course it was exclusive; how else could
it be? If God was pleased to select a spot in which He would take up
His abode in the midst of His redeemed people, surely they were, of
necessity, shut up to that spot as their place of worship. This was
divine exclusiveness, and every pious soul would delight in it. Every
true lover of Jehovah would say, with all his heart, "Lord, I have
loved _the habitation of Thy house_, and the place where Thine honor
dwelleth;" and again, "How amiable are Thy tabernacles, O Lord of
hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.... Blessed are
they that dwell _in Thy house_; they will be still praising Thee.... A
day _in Thy courts_ is better than a thousand. I had rather be a
door-keeper _in the house of My God_, than to dwell in the tents of
wickedness." (Ps. xxvi, lxxxiv.)
Here was _the_ one grand and all-important point. It was the
dwelling-place of Jehovah which was dear to the heart of every true
Israelite. Restless self-will might desire to run hither and thither,
the poor vagrant heart might long for some change, but, for the heart
that loved God, any change from the place of His presence, the place
where He had recorded His blessed name, could only be a change for the
worse. The truly devout worshiper could find satisfaction and delight,
blessing and rest, only in the place of the divine presence; and this,
on the double ground,--the authority of His precious Word and the
powerful attractions of His presence. Such an one could never think of
going anywhere else. Whither could he go? There was but one altar, one
habitation, one God,--that was the place for every right-minded, every
true-hearted Israelite. To think of any other place of worship would,
in his judgment, be not only a departure from the word of Jehovah,
but from His holy habitation.
This great principle is largely insisted upon throughout the whole of
our chapter. Moses reminds the people that from the moment they
entered Jehovah's land there was to be an end to all the irregularity
and self-will that had characterized them in the plains of Moab, or in
the wilderness. "Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here
this day, _every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes_. For ye are
not as yet come to the rest and to the inheritance, which the Lord
your God giveth you. _But when ye go over Jordan_, and dwell in the
land which the Lord your God giveth you to inherit, and _when He
giveth you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in
safety_; then there shall be a place _which the Lord your God shall
choose_, to cause His name to dwell _there; thither_ shall ye bring
all that I command you.... Take heed to thyself that thou offer not
thy burnt-offerings _in every place that thou seest_; but _in the
place which the Lord shall choose_ in one of thy tribes, there thou
shalt offer thy burnt-offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I
command thee." (Ver. 4-14.)
Thus, not only in the object, but also in the place and mode of
Israel's worship, they were absolutely shut up to the commandment of
Jehovah. Self-pleasing--self-choosing--self-will was to have an end,
in reference to the worship of God, the moment they crossed the river
of death and, as a redeemed people, planted their foot on their
divinely given inheritance. Once there, in the enjoyment of Jehovah's
land, and the rest which the land afforded, obedience to His word was
to be their reasonable, their intelligent service. Things might be
allowed to pass in the wilderness which could not be tolerated in
Canaan. The higher the range of privilege, the higher the
responsibility and the standard of action.
Now, it may be that our broad thinkers, and those who contend for
freedom of will and freedom of action, for the right of private
judgment in matters of religion, for liberality of mind and
catholicity of spirit, will be ready to pronounce all this which has
been engaging our attention extremely narrow, and wholly unsuited to
our enlightened age, and to men of intelligence and education.
What is our answer to all who adopt this form of speech? A very simple
and conclusive one; it is this: Has not God a right to prescribe the
mode in which His people should worship Him? Had He not a perfect
right to fix the place where He would meet His people Israel? Surely
we must either deny His existence, or admit His absolute and
unquestionable right to set forth His will as to how, when, and where
His people should approach Him. Will any one, however educated and
enlightened, deny this? Is it a proof of high culture, refinement,
breadth of mind, or catholicity of spirit to deny God His rights?
If then God has a right to command, is it narrowness or bigotry for
His people to obey? This is just the point. It is, in our judgment,
as simple as any thing can be. We are thoroughly convinced that the
only true breadth of mind, largeness of heart, and catholicity of
spirit is, to obey the commandments of God. Hence, when Israel were
commanded to go to one place and there offer their sacrifices, it most
assuredly was neither bigotry nor narrowness on their part to go
thither, and to refuse, with holy decision, to go any where else.
Uncircumcised Gentiles might go where they pleased; the Israel of God
were to go _only_ to the place of His appointment.
And oh, what an unspeakable privilege for all who loved God and loved
one another to assemble themselves at the place where He recorded His
name! and what touching grace shines in the fact of His desiring to
gather His people around Himself from time to time! Did that fact
infringe their personal rights and domestic privileges? Nay, it
enhanced them immensely. God, in His infinite goodness, took care of
this. It was His delight to minister to the joy and blessing of His
people, privately, socially, and publicly. Hence we read, "When the
Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border, as He hath promised thee, and
thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat
flesh, thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. If
the place which the Lord thy God hath chosen to put His name there be
too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock,
_which the Lord hath given thee_, as I have commanded thee, and thou
shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after. Even as the
roebuck and the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat them; the unclean and
the clean shall eat of them alike."
Here we have, most surely, a broad margin afforded by the goodness and
tender mercy of God for the fullest range of personal and family
enjoyment. The only restriction was in reference to the blood.--"Only
be sure that thou eat not the blood; _for the blood is the life_, and
thou mayest not eat the life with the flesh. Thou shalt not eat it;
thou shalt pour it upon the earth as water. Thou shalt not eat it;
that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when
thou shalt do that which is right in the sight of the Lord."
This was a great cardinal principle under the law, to which reference
has been made in our "Notes on Leviticus." How far Israel understood
it is not the question; they were to obey, that it might go well with
them and with their children after them. They were to own, in this
matter, the solemn rights of God.
Having made this exception in reference to personal and family habits,
the lawgiver returns to the all-important subject of their public
worship.--"Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou
shalt take, _and go unto the place which the Lord shall choose_; and
thou shalt offer thy burnt-offerings, _the flesh and the blood_, upon
the altar of the Lord thy God; and the blood of the sacrifices shall
be poured out upon the altar of the Lord thy God, and thou shalt eat
the flesh." (Ver. 26, 27.)
If reason, or self-will, were permitted to speak, it might say, Why
must we all go to this one place? Can we not have an altar at home?
or, at least, an altar in each principal town, or in the centre of
each tribe? The conclusive answer is, God has commanded otherwise;
this is enough for every true Israelite. Even though we may not be
able, by reason of our ignorance, to see the why or the wherefore,
simple obedience is our obvious and bounden duty. It may be, moreover,
that, as we cheerfully tread the path of obedience, light will break
in upon our souls as to the reason, and we shall find abundant
blessing in doing that which is well-pleasing to the Lord our God.
Yes, reader; this is the proper method of answering all the reasonings
and questionings of the carnal mind, which is not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed can be. Light is sure to break in upon our
souls as we tread, with a lowly mind, the sacred path of obedience;
and not only so, but untold blessing will flow into the heart in that
conscious nearness to God which is only known to those who lovingly
keep His most precious commandments. Are we called upon to explain to
carnal objectors and infidels our reasons for doing this or that? Most
certainly not; that is no part of our business: it would be time and
labor lost, inasmuch as objectors and reasoners are wholly incapable
of understanding or appreciating our reasons.
For example, in the matter now under our consideration, could a carnal
mind--an unbeliever--a mere child of nature understand why Israel's
twelve tribes were commanded to worship at one altar, to gather in one
place, to cluster around one centre? Not in the smallest degree. The
grand moral reason of such a lovely institution lies far away beyond
his ken.
But to the spiritual mind, all is as plain as it is beautiful. Jehovah
would gather His beloved people around Himself, from time to time,
that they might rejoice together before Him, and that He might have
His own peculiar joy in them. Was not this something most precious?
Assuredly it was, to all who really loved the Lord.
No doubt, if the heart were cold and careless toward God, it would
matter little about the place of worship,--all places would be alike;
but we may set it down as a fixed principle that every loyal, loving
heart, from Dan to Beersheba, would rejoice to flock to the place
where Jehovah had recorded His name, and where He had appointed to
meet His people. "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go unto
the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O
Jerusalem [God's centre for Israel]. Jerusalem is builded as a city
that is _compact together_; whither the tribes go up, the tribes of
the Lord, _unto the testimony of Israel_, to give thanks unto the name
of the Lord. For _there_"--and no where else--"are set thrones of
judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of
Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy
walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. _For my brethren and
companions' sakes_, I will now say, Peace be within thee. Because of
the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good." (Ps. cxxii.)
Here we have the lovely breathings of a heart that loved the
habitation of the God of Israel--His blessed centre--the
gathering-place of Israel's twelve tribes--that hallowed spot which
was associated, in the mind of every true Israelite, with all that was
bright and joyous in connection with the worship of Jehovah and the
communion of His people.
We shall have occasion to refer to this most delightful theme again
when we come to study the sixteenth chapter of our book, and shall
draw this section to a close by quoting for the reader the last
paragraph of the chapter before us.
"When the Lord thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee,
whither thou goest to possess them, and thou succeedest them, and
dwellest in their land; take heed to thyself, that thou be not snared
by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee; and
that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations
serve their gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so
unto the Lord thy God: for every abomination to the Lord, which He
hateth, have they done unto their gods; for even their sons and their
daughters they have burnt in the fire to their gods. _What thing
soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto,
nor diminish from it._" (Ver. 29-32.)
The precious Word of God was to form a sacred inclosure round about
His people, within which they might enjoy His presence, and delight
themselves in the abundance of His mercy and loving-kindness, and
wherein they were to be entirely apart from all that was offensive to
Him whose presence was to be, at once, their glory, their joy, and
their grand moral safeguard from every snare and every abomination.
Alas! alas! they did not abide within that inclosure; they speedily
broke down the walls thereof, and wandered away from the holy
commandment of God. They did the very things they were told not to do,
and they have had to reap the terrible consequences. But more of this
and of their future by and by.