TheBooksofthePentateuch 10200920

E XP O S ITO R Y WO RK S
By W ILLIA M E V A N S
A ssocia te Dean of B ible Insti tu te L a: A ngeles Cahfamza
. .
Ep o c hs in t he Life o f Chr ist

1 2mo clo th ne t , ,
A series o f add r e sse s, giv e n o n S unday aft erno o ns t o

large audience s, d ealing w it h t he b irt h, Bap tism, Te mp
t at io n, T rans figurat io n, Deat h and R e surr e ctio n o f o ur
L o rd , and p r e s e nt ing co gent and c o ncr et e ar gume nt s
fo r t heir invio lab ilit y and accep tanc e as chief amo ng
t he t e ne t s o f t he Christian fait hs C o uched in p o p ular
.
language and p re sent ed in p o p ular st yle .
THRO UGH THE BIBLE BO O K B Y B O O K
The B o o k o f G e ne sis
1 2mo , c otl h ,
ne t S OC .
The Bo o ks o f t he P e ntate uch

Genesis Exo dus Leviticus Nu
— — — mb ens- Deutero no my
1 2mo , l
c o th, ne t
The Go sp e l and t he B o o k o fA ct s
l Z mo c lo t h in p r ess
, ,
Th p a tical nd p p ula xp iti n f th S ip

e r c a o r e os o s o e cr
t ures c o ntained in this v o lu me have b e en b ut slightly
alt ere d in fo rm fr o m t hat in w hich t he y w e re d elivered
t o t he audience s c o nst it ut ing t he Po p ular Bib le Classes .
The aim o f the se exp o sitio ns was t o p o p ulariz e Bib e l

stud y— t o m l
ake it no t o n y aut ho ritat ive in t eaching,
b ut inter est ing in p resentatio n hat t his aim has
. T
b een realiz ed is evid ent fr o m t he fact that at seven
o clo ck each Fr iday night fro m o ne t ho usand t o fift e en
’
,
hundred p eo p le have met t o gether fo r t his fo r m o f
Bib le st udy .
THRO UGH THE BIBLE BO O K BY BO O K —
T he B o o ks o f t he
Pe nt at e uc h
G e nesis, Ex o d us, L evitic us,
N umb e rs, De ut er o no my
By
WILLIA M EV A N S , Ph. D DD . .
Associate Dean Bio/e Instit ute of Los

, A ngeles, Co l .
A utfi or of Gr ea t D o ctr ine: of tb e B ible, “ P er sona l

”
S ou l Winn ing,
- ” “
How to P r epa r e S er mons a nd B ible
B o ok Metfi od
” “
A dd r esses, !
O utline S tudy of tfie B io/e,
o
f B i b le S tudy,
” “
How to Memor iz e, ”
Tb e
” ”
Cr eed a nd Conduct, Tlie B ook of B ooks, etc .
N EW Y O R K Cnrcaoo TO R O NTO
Fle mi ng H . R e ve ll C o mpany
LO N DO N A N D E DIN B UR G H
Co pyright, 1 9 1 6, b y
F LE MIN G H . R E VEL L CO MPA NY
New 1 58
C icago : 1 7 No rth Wab ash Ave

h .
To ro nto : 2 5 Richmo nd S treet, W .
Lo nd o n 21 Paterno ster S quare

Edinb urgh [ 00 Princes S tree t
Pr e fac e
T is the purp o se o f this vo lume as o f tho se to fo l
I
,
lo w in the series “
Thr o ug h the B ible B o o k by
B ook ” to present the c o nte nts o f the E nglish B ible
,
in a p o pul ar and pr actical as well as an auth o ritative

m anner There has bee n co nti nual reference m ade to the
.
o rig i nal Hebrew in the prep ar ati o n o f the m atter co m
p osing thes e b oo ks o f the P e ntateuch altho ugh the reader

,
is no t co nfro nted and c o nfused by the appe ar ance o f the

Hebrew tex t o n the p age F o r this reas o n it is ho ped
.
th at the ex p o siti o n will appeal to bo th mi nister and lay

men it bei ng simple and yet deep deep and yet simple
, , .
Genesis has received a much fuller tr eatment than any

o ther o f the fo ur b o o ks. The reaso n i s o bvi o us .Gene
sis h o l d s a m o re imp rt
o a nt pl ce It is the seed pl o t o!
a .
-
the who le B ible It co ntai ns in seed and germ all the

.
great truths develo ped in all the b o o ks that fo ll o w it .
Genesis is the boo k o f begi nni ngs in a very real sense) .
A g ai n ce rtai n events ar e p assed o ver in the ex p o siti o n if

,
they have been dealt with in a precedi ng b o o k If any .
new features ar e emph as ized in the sec o nd acco u nt refer

ence is made to this additi o n .
Much time and care have been d evo ted to the sy no psi s
precedi ng each boo k It sh o uld be carefully studied b e
.
fo re taki ng up the m o re mi nute e xp o siti o n . Time thu s

spent will be well rewarded by a be tter u nderst andi ng o f
the co nte nts o f the b o o k u nder co nsiderati o n.
This i niti al v o lume o f the seri es is se nt o ut with the

3
4 Prefac e
earnest prayer th at Go d will thro ugh its p ages lead the

reader i nto a deeper and m o re i nte lli gent understandi ng
o f the sacre d S criptur es which are ab le to m ake wi se
u nto salvati o n.
W E
. .
L os A ngeles, Cal
.
C o nt e nt s
The Bo o k o f Genes is
Int d u ti n
ro c o
Part I The Hist o ry o f the Human R ace

.
as a W ho l e Chap t e rs i x i
( ) .
—
.
I
. Th R l ti n f G d t th W ld ( Ch p i )
e e a o o o o e or a . .
II Th R l ti n f M n t G d S inl s nd S inful
. e e a o o a o o — e s a
( Ch p ii iii )
a s . .
— .
III Th R l ti n fM n t Hi F ll w m n (Chp i -
. e e a o o a o s e o e a s . v . v .
IV Th D l pm nt f S in in th R
. e ev e o Th P n lty e o e ace— e e a
o f S in ( Ch p ii iii ) a s . v .
—v .
Part II . The His to ry o f the Patriarchs

(C ha p t e rs x ii
A b aham t h Fath o f th Faithfial (Chap
r , e li xx er e s . x .
— v.
Th Hi t y f I aa ( Chap
e s or xx v 1 9 xx iii
o s c s. .
— v
9,
Chap . v
) x xx u
Th Hi t y f J
e s or b ( Chap xx 1ii 3 5— xlvi 1
o ac o s . v . .
Th Hi t y f J ph ( Chap x xxv1 1 l )
e s or o o se s. .
— .
The Bo o k o fExo dus

Int du ti n
ro c o
I
. The Hi t i l S ti n
s o r ca ec o o f the Bo o k ( C hap s . i — xvi11
. .
)
II Th L gi l ti
. e eS ti s a ve ec on of the Bo o k— A t S in ia
( Cha
p xix s . .
III The S
. d t l S ti n
ac er o a ec o o f t he Bo o k— The T ab ernac e l
Mat ter s o f W o r ship xl
'
and ( C ha s
p . x xv .
- .
6 Co nt ent s
The Bo o k o fLe viticus

Int du ti n ro c o
The Law f the O fi erings— Ded c at o n— The i i Way

'
to Go d Th r o ug i h
h S acr fice ( C ap s i — v1i ) . . .
II . The Law o fthe Priestho o d — M di ti n ( C h p

e iii )
a o a s . v .
—x .
III . The Law s of Clean a nd Un l n Th W lk with

c ea — e a
Go d Th ro u h S e ar a
g p ti n Cha
(
o
p xi vi ) s . .
—x .
IV . The Law s o f Ho li n s
e s — C n ati n
o
( Ch a
secr
p x 11 o s . v .
xx v ii ).
The Bo o k o fNumbers
Int ro d uc t o n i
Pr eparat o n fo r i the March , or Depar ture fro m S inai
( C p h
a s i — x . . .
)
II . The J o ur ne
y
— Fr o m Sin i t Mo ab (Chap xi
a o s . .
— x x1
III . O n the li
P a ns o f M ab ( Chap x x
o x x x vi
) s. 11 . — .
The Bo o k o fDeutero no my
Int du ti n ro c o
The Fi t Di ur Hi t i l R i w ( Ch p
rs sco se — s o r ca ev e a s .
i 6 iv .
—
. .
II Th S
. nd Di
e u L gi l ti
eco R i w (C h p sc o r se — e s a ve ev e a s .
v l x iii 6 8 )
.
—x v .
III Th Thi d Di u
. e
( Ch p xi r
x l x 2
) sc o r se a s . x .
— xx . 0
IV Cl ing E nt in M Life (Ch ps x i 1

’
. os ve s o ses a . xx .
x xiv 1 2
) x .
The Bo o k o f Ge nesi s
S yno psis o f Ge nesis
PA R T I
The Histo ry o f t he Human R ac e as a Who le »
(Ch ap t ers i — x i
) . .
I
. THE R ELATIO N O F GO D TO THE WO R L D (Ch ap i ) . .
II . THE R E LATIO N MA N TO GO D— S INLES S O F A ND S IN

FUL (Ch ap s ii iii ) . .
— .
1
. Man S inl nd Unf ll n ( Chap
as ess a a e .
( ) M an O i gi n nd N
a tu
’
s r a a re .
( )
5 Man s Enviro nment ’
— Eden .
()
t Man s C o m anio n
p
’
— Eve .
d
( ) The Do minio n Given t o Man .
2. Man as S inful and Fallen ( Chap .
III . THE R E LA IO N T O F MAN TO HIS FE LLO WME N

haps iv -v
(C ) . . .
IV . THE DE VE LO P ME NT O F S IN H IN T E R ACE— THE

PE NA LTY S IN Ch v ii -viii
O F
( aps .
). .
PA R T II
The Histo ry o f t he P atriar chs
(Ch ap t e rs x ii - l
) . .
I . A BRAHAM THE F A T HE R o n THE F A ITHF U L (Ch aps

, .
x ii — x x v
.
) .
l The Fi st Manif stati n f G d t Ab raham

. r e o o o o
— The C ll to S arati n Cha xi 3 1
p ( p a e o s . .
x1i .
z. The S eco nd Manifestatio n o f Go d to Ab raham

-
Enco ura ge ment ( Chap . xii .
7
9
Io S yno pfi s
The i
F r st Ep so de — Egypt ( C aps x ii 1 0 i h . .
x iii
1 3 c f C ha
.
p . .
Lo t— A S t udy in Bac ksl d ng— A no t er Epi ii h

so de
( C h a
p 5 . xiii .
The r d Man festat o n o f G o d to A b aham

Thi i i r
— Reassur ance
( C a
p x 1
4 h . iii .
Th e S eco nd E p so de — T he Batt e o f the Kin s

g i l
( C a
p h .
The Fo ur t Man festat o n o f Go d to A br a am

h i i h
-The Pr o m se o f a S ee d and the Land i
Reaflir me d ( C ap x v 1 h . .
The rd Thi
Ep so de — g
a ar and s m ae i H Ih l
( C h a
p x vi 1 . .
The F ft Man festat o n o f Go d to A bra am

i h i i h
A dde d A ssuranc e ( Chap x v 1 . ii .
The S t Man festat o n o f Go d to Ab a am

ix h i i rh
I
nter c ess o n (Chaps x v i . iii .
Fo ur t Ep so de— A b ra am and A b me ec
h i h i l h
( C a s
p h and x xi 2 2 . xx . .
The S event Man festat o n o f Go d to Ab a h i i r

ham— The S upr e me e st of Fa t T ih
( C a s
p h
x x1 1 . .
i h i
F ft Ep so de— The Deat o f S a a ( C ap h rh h .
THE HIS TO RY O F IS A AC (Chaps . x xv . 1 9 -x x viii .

9,
Chap . x x xv .
)
I aa N ame (Chaps xvn 1 7 — 1 9 ;
B rti h and
’
1 . s c s . .
x viii 1 2— 1 3 . x xi .
z . The Marriage o f Isaac ( Chap .
3 . Isaac s Career ( Chap x x vi 1 -2 2 , 2 3

’
. .
T e Fir st Manif est atio n o f Go d to Isaac

( )
a h
C x x vi
( h a
p 1 .
( )
h T he S e c o nd M ani festati o n o f Go d to
Isaac— Beer -sheb a ( Chap xx vi 2 3 . .
4 . Isaac s Death (Chap x xx v 2 8,

’
. .
III . THE HIS TO R Y O F J A CO B (Chaps . xx viii -x x x v

. .
;
x lvi . I
l . The Fir st Manifestatio n o f Go d to J aco b
Be the l — “
i
Fl ght ( C hap .
S yno p sis II
2. The S e co nd Manifestatio n o f Go d to J ac o b
Padan-ar am— Re t ur n ( Chap .
The h r d Man festat o n o f G o d to

T i i i J aco b
Mahana m ( Chap i .
The Fo ur th Man festat o n o f Go d toi i J aco b
il
Pen e ( C hap x 2
4 . xx ii .
The F ft h Man fe stat o n o f Go d to

i i i J ac o b
The Fo r go tt en V o w ( Chap v . xxx . 1
The S t Man festat o n o f Go d to

ix h i i J ac o b
l
Bethe A ga n ( C ap i v 9 h . xxx .
The S e venth Man festat o n o f Go d to i i J ac o b
Beer -sheb a ( C ap x lvi I h . .
HIS TO RY O F JO S EPH
(Chap s . x xx vii -l )
. .
The Cho sen V essel in Pr epar atio n ( Chaps .
xxx v ii -
. xli.
( )
a
J o se
p h
as a S o n
( C ha
p .
e h as a S lave ( Cha xxx

( ) J p
5 o s
p ix 1 . .
J o se h as a Pri so ner i
()
e p ( C ha
p x xx x . . 21
xh 6
3 ) . .
2. Th Cho sen V essel in S ervice ( Chaps x li

; 37
. .
( )
4
pJh n d Pha a h ( Chap xli 37
o se
a r o s . .
( ) J p
5 h n
o sed t h Egyptian ( Ch p
a e s a s . x li.
4 6 5 7 ; x lvii 1 3
—
.
(e ) J p h
o se an d hi B th n ( Ch a
p s re re s . x ln.
1 —45 ; I
. 1 5
— 2 1 cf Chap . .
( )
d J o se h and his Fat er (C h hp xlvi
p
a s . .
The Dissolutio n o f the Cho sen V essel (Chap .
1. 22
1 2
The Bo o k o f G e ne sis
The Eight Gr e at Wo r ds o f G enesis

Int r o duc t i o n
HE b o o k o f Genesis is the o ldest boo k in the
wo rld It co ntai ns the o ldest reli able info rma
.
ti o n o n the m atter o f which it treats It co vers .
a peri o d o f a b o ut ye ars o f hum an hi s to ry — fro m the

cr eati o n o f the wo rld (yea even befo re the creati o n o r r e
, ,
fo rm ati o n O f thi s prese nt ear th , i 1 ) to the d eath o f

,
.
Jo seph in Egypt .
Genesis is the seed pl o t o f the wh o le B ible and the

gro undwo rk o f the entire revel atio n as co ntai ned in the
r emai ni ng si x ty fi ve b o o k s co mp o si ng the sacred S crip
-
tures The o ther bo o ks in the B ible refer to the great

.
facts which beg i n in Genesis fo r ex ample man the S ab , , ,
bath marriage sin sacrifi ce wo rship

, , , ,
.
It is do ubtless fo r this reaso n that Genesis has been

called the B o o k o f B eginni ngs ”
There is the begin .
ni ng o f everythi ng but Go d in it .
! uo tati o ns fro m Genesis i n o ther p arts o f the S cr iptur e

ar e numero us In the N ew Testament al o ne it is said
.
,
th at Genesis is referred to six ty times O ur Lo r d Him .
sel f quo te s fro m it in abo ut fifteen di ffere nt pl aces (cf .
Matthew x ix 4—1 6 ; x x iv 3 7 3 9 Mark Vii 4 -1 0 x 3 8 ;

. .
—
. .
—
Luke x i 4 9 -5 1 ; x vii 26 29 3 2 ; Jo h n i 5 1 vii 21 —23 ;

. .
—
,
. .
v iii 4 4
. May no t thi s be the reaso n— the imp o rtant
pl ace o f Genesi s in the S criptures— why destructive
higher critici sm has turned its guns o f attack agai nst this
boo k mo re than any o ther bo o k in the B ible It pro b
ably seems to them th at if Ge nesi s can be dethr o ned it is ,
a c o mp aratively e asy m atter to d o away with the o ther
boo ks o f the B ible A nd yet altho ugh this b o o k has

.
,
been attacked fo r centuries no t o ne chap ter o f it has fallen

, .
IS
1
4 T he Bo o k o f G e ne sis
This b o o k still c o mmences with the w o rd s In the ,

“
begi nni ng and e nds with Jo seph s co ffi n in E gypt

”
,
’
.
Geo lo gy has ch ang ed its fi ndi ng s and science its co n ,
elusi o ns ag ain and agai n but Ge nesis remai ns the same

, , .
Th e N ame o f t h e B o o k The name Ge nes is is pr o b .
ably derived fro m its title in the S eptu ag i nt ( ii 4 The .

—
b o o k o f the generati o ns o f the he ave ns and o f the

“ .
earth cf with Matthew i 1

”
, . The b o o k o f the ge nera .
ti o n o f Jesus Thi s title was ad o pted by the

tr ansl ato rs o f the K i ng James V ersi o n .
The Jews named it fr o m its O peni ng w o rds “

In the ,
begi nni ng and thus called it The B o o k o f B egi n

”
,
“
,
ni ngs ”
It is i nteresti ng to no te the begi nni ngs referred
.
t o i n thi s b oo k We h ave the begi nning o f the w o rld

.
,
the e arth man the S abbath m arri age the family sin
, , , , , ,
sacrifice pr o phecy pr o mi se I sr ael the nati o ns the Jew

, , , , , ,
l anguage death arts and scie nce and m any o ther thi ngs
, , ,
.
I ndeed there is the beg i nni ng o f practically everythi ng

,
in c onnecti o n with the redempti o n and the wo rld the b e ,
ginning o f everythi ng but Go d .
Th e A ut h o rs hip o f t h e B o o k Ge nesis bei ng a p art .

,
o f the P ent ateuch was writte n acc o rdi ng to the testi

, ,
m o ny o f Jewish histo ry and traditi o n o f t he S criptures ,
themselves as well as o f Christ by Mo ses ( cf Jo shu a

, ,
.
i 7 8 ; viii 3 1 3 4 ; x x iii 6 ; 1 K i ngs ii 3 ; 2 K i ngs

.
,
.
,
. .
x iv 6 ; x x iii 25
. 1 Chro nicles x x ii 1 2 1 3 ; 2 Chro nicle s ,
. .
x x v 4 ; x xx iii 8 ; E zr a iii 2 ; vi 1 8 ; N ehemi ah i 7 8 ;

. . . . .
,
viii 1 ; Jo h n i 1 7 ; v 45 47 ; V II 1 9 23 ; Luke x x iv
.
- — . . . .
27 ,
Th e P ur p o s e rder to u nderstand
of t he B o o k . In o
the purp o se o f Genesis we must get a gli mp se o f the pur ,
p o se o f the O ld Testame nt in its entirety The O ld Tes .
tament is the b o o k o f Israel It is tr ue that o ther natio ns .
and pe o ples ar e dealt with but o nly i ncide nt ally and in ,

,
so far as they ar e necessary to the develo pment o f Israel s

’
I6 The Bo o k o f G e nesis
disappears and Isaac the ch o sen seed l e rem ai ns

,
— — a on .
In c hapte r thirty six Es au and his descendents disap

-
pear and Jaco b o nly the cho se n seed is left The

,
— — .
purp o se o f Genesis there fo re is ver y cle ar ly reco gnized , ,
fro m a c areful study o f these facts .
Th e Div i s i o ns o f t h e B o o k Genesis may be divided .

,
to pic ally g enealo gically o r acco rdi ng to its subject

, ,
analy si s .
Top ically I P rime val Histo ry Hi sto ry o f the .

—
hum an race as a wh o le (chap s i II P atri arch al . . .
Hi sto ry Histo ry o f the Jewish p atri archs : A braham

—
,
Isaac Jaco b and Jo seph (chaps x ii

, , . .
Genealogically A cc o rdi ng to the geneal o gies o f Gen

esi s the b o o k divides itself i nto eleven ch apters each
, ,
o ne o f which begi ns wit h the w o rds These ar e the gen

“
,
er atio ns o f
” A cc o rdi ng t o thi s meth o d o f dividi ng the
.
bo ok Genesis has really but eleven ch apters i nstead o f

,
fifty and it is a very serio us questi o n as to whether this

,
is no t the pro per way to study the b o o k A cco rdi ng .
to this analysis the fo ll o wi ng ar e the divisi o ns o f the ,
bo ok
i 1-. ii . 3 .
“
In the begi nni n , Go d g .
”
Cre ati o n in general .
11 . 4—iv 26 . . Generati o ns o f the heavenand

the earth (creati o n o f man) .
v . l— vi . 18 . Generati o ns o f A d am S eth —
,
ch o sen seed (v .
v i 9 ix 29
— . . . Generati o ns o f N o ab S hem -
,
cho sen seed (x i .
x .
-
1 xi . 9 . Generati o ns o f the so ns of
N o ah .
x i. 1 0— x i 26 . . Generati o ns o f S hem .
x i 27 x x v 1 1
— . . . Ge nerati o ns o f Terah A bra — o
ham ch ose n see d (x ii

,
.
V III . xx v . 12 —
xx v . 18 . Generati o ns o f I sh mael .
Int ro d uc tio n I
7
xx v . 1 9 xxx
— v . 29 . Ge ner ati o ns o f Isaac— Jac o b ,
cho sen seed (xx v .
x xx vi . l x xx
— vii . 1 Generati o ns o f E sau .
x xx vi i . 2—
l 26
. . Ge er ti s
n a o n o f Jaco b J o
—
soph cho sen seed (cf Gen

, .
esis xx x v 22 x x x i x 8 9
. .
, ,
with 1 Chr o nicles v 1 .
,
1 . ex tr a amo unt o f sp ace given to ch apters

N o te the
seve n ni ne and eleven as c o mp ared with the o ther ch ap
,
ters Why ! B ecause they deal with the men thro ugh
.
who m the pro mises were to be fulfi lled and who co use , ,
quently were to play so l arge a p art in the histo ry of the

,
r ed em pti o n o f the race .
2 .Why was Jo seph cho se n rather than Reuben the ,
fi rst b o r n o r Jud ah as the o ne thr o ugh wh o m the p ro m

-
, ,
ised blessing sh o uld c o me ! The answer is fo und by a

co mp ar iso n o f the p assag es fo u nd u nder X I abo ve So .
d o es Go d punish sin alth o ugh at the time o f its o ccur ,
r e nce it seem ed as if Go d had wi nked at it (cf 2 Chr o n .
icles x vi .
3 . N o te
that tho se who ar e not in the di rect li ne o f
the Messiah ar e given fi rst fo r example Cai n befo re S eth , ,
( iv
. 1 7 v J ap h eth s ( x. 2) a n d H a m s (x 6 ) be fo re
’
.
’
.
S hem s (x i 1 0) ’
Ishmael s (xx v 1 2) befo re Isaac s
.
’
.
’
( x x v E s
.au s (xx x vi 1 ) be fo re Jac o b ’
s (x xx vii .
’
.
Why all thi s ! Is it no t in full acco rd with the divi ne

o rder o f thi ngs as set fo rth in 1 Co ri nthi ans x v 4 6
,
.
Ho wbeit that was no t fi rst which is spiritual but th at ,
which is natural and afterw ards th at which is spiritual 1
I . Generati o n— The Creati o n o f the Heavens and

the Earth (ch aps i . .
II . Degenerati o n— The F all o f Man and Its Co use

quen c es o n A d am and the R ace ( c hap s iii . .
I8 The Bo o k o f G e ne sis
III . R egenerati on— The Cal l o f A b rah am and the De

v eIO p me nt of the Cho sen R ace (chaps . x ii .
It has bee n cl aimed by so me th at Genesis i 1 2 sum .

,
up the c o ntents o f the wh o le b oo k Thi s may be set

'
5fo rth as fo ll o ws : Co nstructi o n i 1 Go d cre ated the ,

.
h eavens and the earth ”

Destructi o n i 2 A nd the ,
.
ear th was w aste and v o id Re co nstructi o n i 2

”
A nd ,
.
the S pirit o f Go d mo ved up o n the face o f the waters ”

.
Genesis may also be divided i nto two great divi si o ns

I . The Histo ry o f the Hum an R ace as a Who le
(ch ap s i . .
II . The Histo ry o f the Cho sen N ati o n Israel (ch ap s — .
x ii .
Th e Gr e at F act s It will help the

of t he B o ok .
stude nt to get a c o mprehe nsive gr asp o f Ge ne si s if he
reco g ni z es the great facts th at ar e dealt with in thi s b o o k .
Th ey ar e five : Cre ati o n (ch ap s i F all (ch ap s . .

,
.
iii . The F l o o d (ch ap s v i The N ati o ns (ch ap s . .

.
x. P atri arch s i ncludi ng Jo seph ( ch aps x ii

,
. .
The o utli ne th at we sh all use i n o ur study o f Ge nesi s is

t wo fo ld : (a ) The Hi sto ry o f the Hu man R ace as a
Wh o le (ch ap s i b
( ) T h e
. Hi st o
. ry o f the P atri arch s
( ch a p s .
Under the first divisio n we sh all gr o up the co ntents as ,
fo ll o ws : The rel ati o n o f Go d to the w o rld ( ch ap The .
rel ati o n o f man to Go d (ch ap s ii The rel ati o n o f . .

,
man to fell o w men (ch ap s iv The devel o p ment o f sin

. .
,
in the r ace The pe nalty o f si n ( ch ap s vi

— . .
U nder the seco nd divisi o n we shall co nsider the co n ,
te nts o f these ch apters as gro upi ng themselves ar o u nd

the p atri archs : A braham (ch aps x ii x x v ) Isaac . .
— .
( ch a p s x x i . J
. ac o b (ch a p s x x vii -l ) a nd . . .
Jo seph (ch ap s xxx vii . .

P A RT I
The Hi st o ry f t he Hu man R ace

o
as a Who le
( Chap ter s i .
Let us recall in this co nnection these

ch apters are a b ack g ro und for the i ntro ducti o n
o f G o d s meth o d purp o se and de ali ng with the
’
, ,
cho sen race the children o f Israel

,
.
The R e latio n of Go d t o t he Wo r ld
( Chap ter i .
)
E i nterested in o ur p r esent study in

ar e no t , ,
the questi o n as to ho w thi s reco rd came ,
whether it was directly revealed to Mo ses by

Go d o r came to the h and s o f Mo ses by way o f traditi o n
, .
The i nspirati o n o f the S criptures v o uches fo r the accur acy

o f the rec o rd whether th at rec o rd c ame by direct revel a
,
ti o n o r is reco rded fro m previ o usly ex isting m ateri al

, .
In o ur st udy o f Gene si s we ar e assum i ng the i nspi r ati o n

,
o f the S criptures .
This ch apter with the pr o b able ex cepti o n o f verse o ne

, ,
gives the account o f the co nstructi o n o r pro bably better , ,
the reco nstructi o n o r prep arati o n o f the earth as a dwell

,
Ing pl ace for the hum an r ace It is likely that this chap
.
ter gives an acco u nt o f an o ri g i nal creati o n In the b e

g inning Go d created the heavens and the earth which
,
—
,
by reaso n o f so me catastro phe pro b ably the fall o f S atan ,
and his a ngels had beco me waste and vo id (ver 2 cf

”
“
.
,
.
,
Jeremi ah iv 23-26 Isai ah x x iv 1 ; x lv 1 8 ; also E zekiel

. . .
x x viii 1 2— 1 5 ; Is ai ah x iv 9
. Ho w l o ng these o rigi
.
nal heavens and earth r em ai ned be fo re they became

“
was te and v o id we d o no t k no w The wo rds In
”
, .
,
the begi nni ng may represent all the milli o ns o f year s

”
,
that geo l o gists spe ak abo ut and acco unt fo r all fo ssil,
r em ai ns .
Beginni ng with the seco nd verse and co nti nui ng thro ugh
o ut the ch apter we ar e to ld o f a reco nstructi o n o f these
,
heave ns and earth which by reason o f so me catastr o phe

,
z r
22 The Bo o k o f G e ne sis
had beco me waste and vo id i fit dwelli g pl ace fo r

,
nto a n -
man Ho w wo nderful are thes e prep arati o ns ! The sec

.
o nd d ay s creati o n did no t t ake pl ace u ntil the fi rs t d ay

’
had all bee n prep ared fo r it and so with each succeedi ng

,
d ay . The anim als were no t m ade u ntil the vegetati o n

had been prep ared fo r them Man was no t m ade u ntil
.
everythi ng was in prep arati o n fo r his appearance N o tice .
each d ay s prep aratio n fo r what fo ll o wed and their r e

’
,
member that all thi s was fo r man If the future be as .
mo me nto us in its reali ty as the p ast was in its p repara

ti o n then we may ask Wh at is man ! Wh at ki nd o f a
, ,
“
being is he th at Go d sho uld m ake such wo nderful prep a

rati o ns as this fo r him I The psal mi st says
“ “
Wh at is
man that th o u ar t mi nd ful o f him i and the so n o f man
,
“
,
that th o u vi sitest him ! F o r th o u h ast made him a little

lo wer than the angels (literally a little less than Go d )
”
,
.
I am no t a creature o f blind mechanical fo rces I am .
the child o f my heavenly F ather Wh at a beautiful .
wo rld this must have bee n ! It is said th at the creatio n

was g o o d “
to l o o k up o n ”
Go d m ade everythi ng beau
.
ti ful in its seaso n We ar e to ld th at Christ has go ne i nto

.
the heavens to prep are m ansi o ns fo r us Ho w beauti ful .
th o se m ans io ns must be !
It is no t o ur purp o se to set fo rth the rel ati o n between
these early chapters o f Genesis and the results o f geol o gy .
It may be suffi cie nt fo r us to say th at the mo re clearly

defi ned and c o nclusively stated the results o f science ar e ,
the nearer they co me to the truth o f this ch apter P r o .
fesso r Dana o f Y ale is qu o ted as sayi ng th at no t o ne d efi

nitely as cer tai ned fact o f science is co ntr ary to S cripture .
It is imp o ssible to acco unt fo r the h ar mo ny between true

science and the first ch apte r o f Genesis ex cept o n the
theo ry o f divi ne i nspiratio n so free is the Genesis acco unt
,
fro m c o nflict with scie nce The Go d o f the Wo rd and
.
the w o rld is o ne and the same .

24 The Bo o k o f Genesis
co nsider these m atters witho ut agai n aski ng himself the

questio n If the future be as mo mento us in results as the
,
p ast was in prep arati o n is it no t ex ceedi ngly imp o rtant

,
that we manifest so me inter est in p ar ti cip ating in the

blessed results I ‘
The creati o n o f man is the cr o wning act o f this chapter .
He is described as bei ng created in the imag e and like

“
ness o f Go d ”
(i 26 .
“
Image means the shado w
,
”
o r o utli ne o f a fig ure while likeness de no tes the r e

“ ”
,
semblance o f that shado w to the fi gure These two w o rds .
ar e practic ally sy no nym o us We may ex press the lan .
g uag e as fo llo ws : Let us make man in o ur image to be

o ur likeness .
” Th at man was m ade in the im age and
“ ”
“
likeness o f Go d is fundamental in all Go d s deali ng s
” ’
with man (cf ix 6 ; 1 Co ri nthi ans x i 7 E phesi ans iv

. . . .
21 24 ; Co l o ssi ans iii 1 0 ; James iii

—
. .
What is the meani ng o f the term image and like

ness Ar e we to u nderstand th at Go d has p ar ts and
p assio ns as a! man and th at these terms desi gnate phys
,
ical likeness ! Deutero no my iv 1 5 co ntradicts such a .
physical view o f Go d : Take ye therefo re go o d heed

“
u nto y o urselves ; fo r ye saw no m anner o f similitude o n

the d ay th at the L o rd sp ake u nto yo u in Ho reb o ut o f
the midst o f the fi re ” N o r d o es P sal m x vii 1 5 de no te
. .
physical likeness to Go d fo r the R evised V ersi o n m akes ,
the verse r ead : I sh all be satisfi ed when I awake with

“
beh o ldi ng thy fo rm ” It is fair h o wever to believe th at

.
, ,
erectness o f p o sture i ntelligence o f co u nte nance and a

, ,
quick gl anci ng eye characte rized the fi rst man The .
ter ms im age and likeness ar e i nterpreted in B ible lan

“ ”
guage as referri ng to m o ral i ntellectu al and S piritual , ,
qualities “
k no wledge righteo usness and h o liness o f
, ,
tr uth ”
(E phesi an s iv 2 3 24 ; Co l o ssi ans iii
.
,
P ro b .
ably d o mi ni o n autho rity o ver the rest o f G o d s creati o n

,
’
is invo lved in im age and likeness (1 Co ri nthi ans x i

“ ” .
II
The R e lati o n o fM an t o G o d— S inless and S inful

( Chap ter s ii . and iii .
)
I. Man as S inl ess and Unfallen (ch ap Ch apter .
two is no t a seco nd and di fferent acc o u nt o f the creati o n

reco rded in chapter o ne but a detailed acco unt o f o ne p art ,
o f it namely the creati o n o f man

, ,
Man is but a p ar t .
o f the gener al creati o n in ch apter o ne his cre ati o n bei ng ,
S p o ke n o f in co nnecti o n with t hat o f trees pl ants flo wers , , ,
birds beasts and fishes The seco nd ch apter sep arates

, ,
.
man fr o m all these and discusses his o rigi n his nature, , ,
and his enviro nment In o ther wo rds in ch apter o ne

.
,
y o u h a ve the a cc o u nt o f the cre ati o n o f man in ge ner al ;

in ch apter two in detail Here is sh o wn Go d s i nterest
,
.
’
in man as the cro wni ng w o rk o f His creati o n F o ur .
thi ngs especi ally ar e o f i nterest in thi s ch apter

, ,
F ir st Man s O r igin and N atur e

.
’
A nd the Lo rd God .
fo rmed man o f the dust o f the g ro und and breath ed i nto ,
his no strils the breath o f li fe ; and man bec ame a livi ng

”
so ul (ii F ro m this verse we le ar n that man is dust
.
inbreathed by dei ty When God m ade the pl ant He .

,
gave it a b o dy When He m ade the beast He gave it a

.
,
bo dy and a so ul (th at is a certai n ki nd o f so ul for the , ,
so ul o f the be ast is di ffere nt in o ri gi n nature and desti ny , ,
fr o m th at o f man A beast may have will but no t sel f

.
,
will determi nati o n but no t self-determi nati o n co n

,
sci o usness but no t sel f-c o nsci o u sness)

,
When Go d made .
man He gave him a b o dy as the pl ant ; a so ul as the

, , ,
beas t ; but also a spirit fro m Hi mself which was the r e ,
sult o f divi ne i nbreathi ng It was the i nbreathi ng i nto .

man o f the divi ne S pirit (o r S pirit) th at m ade man a liv

ing so ul , and it is thi s very S pirit o f Go d in man w hich
di fferenti ates him fro m the beast and that u nites him ,
with Go d A man witho ut religi o n is no t a man

. .
Fo r what are men better than sh eep o r go ats,

If, kno wi ng Go d , they li ft no t hand s o f prayer
Bo th fo r the mselves and tho se who call them friend !
S o l o mo n says F e ar Go d and keep his co mm and

“
,
ments : fo r this is the wh o le (duty o f) man (E cclesi aste s

”
x ii . A man with o ut religi o n is no t a full c o mplete , ,
wh o le man A ny system o f educati o n th at o mits the

.
religi o u s element is no t true educati o n E ducati o n has .
bee n defi ned as the devel o pment o f the no rm al faculties

.
o f man Greek Lati n German F rench mathematics

”
,
.
, , , ,
and m any o ther such studies ar e no t ab so lutely necessary
to a no rm al man A man may be no rm al and no t be

.
versed in any o f these subj ects R elig i o n h o wever is a

no rm al faculty o f m
,
.
,
an and no man is educated and no
sy stem o f ed uc ati o n is truly w o rthy o f the name th at d o es
no t i nclude the care o f the so ul O ur m o der n sy stem .
o f educati o n is i nc o mplete and insuf fi cie nt i n so far as it

do es no t devel o p the religi o us which is a no rm al faculty ,
of man .
Man b o dy so ul and S pirit ; o r m o re pro perly

is , , , ,
S pirit ,
so ul and bo dy (cf 1 Thess al o ni ans v 23
, . .
Hebrews iv . The b o dy is th at which may be pl ayed

up o n by the spirit o r so ul and thu s a man in as far as, ,
he all o ws either o ne o f these to predo minate o ver the

b o dy is either so uli sh o r S piritu al
,
” ” P aul S peak s .
o f the natur al (so uli sh) man and the S piritual man
“ ”
( 1 C o ri nthi ans ii 1 4 .
,
A d am and E v e were created with S i nless natures but ,
with the p o ssibility o f si nni ng .

The R e lat io n o f Man to Go d 27
O ur a ttenti o n i s drawn to the i ntellectu al po wer o f o ur

fi rst p arent Genesi s ii 1 9 is very clear in its teachi ng
. .
th at man was created and endo wed with superi o r i ntel

lectual faculties A dam had no t o nly the p o wer o f
.
S peech but the p o wer o f reaso ni ng and th o ught in co n

,
nectio n with speech He co uld attach wo rd s to ideas

. .
Thi s is no t the picture as evo luti o n wo uld h ave us b e

,
lieve o f an i nfantile savage slo wly gro pi ng his way

,
towards articulate speech by imitati o n o f the so unds o f

ani mals .
F ro m all thi s it is evident that m an s o rigi nal state was ’
no t o ne o f sav agery Indeed there is abundant evidence

.
,
to S h o w th at man has been degr aded fr o m a very much

higher stage B o th the B ible and science agree in mak
.
ing man the cro w ni ng w o rk o f Go d and th at there will ,
be no higher o rder o f bei ngs here o n the earth th an man .
We must no t fo rget th at while man fro m o ne side o f his ,
nature is li nked to the ani mal creati o n he is yet supr a

, ,
natur al a bei ng o f a higher o rder and mo re S ple ndid

—
nature ; he is in the
“
image and likeness o f Go d ”
Man .
has devel o ped no t fr o m the ap e but away fro m it He , .
never was anythi ng but p o te nti al man N o S i ngle .
i nstance has yet been adduced o f the transfo rm ati o n

o f o ne ani m al S pecies i nto ano ther either by natural ,
o r artifici al selecti o n ; much less has it bee n de mo nstrated
th at the b o dy o f the brute has ever been dev el o ped i nto

th at o f the man The li nk s th at sh o uld bi nd man to the
.
mo nkey h ave no t been fo und N o t a si ngle o ne can be .
S h o wn . N o ne have been fo u nd th at sto o d nearer the

m o nkey th an the man o f to -d ay — A gassiz .
’
.
S eco nd Man s E nvir o nment E d en A d am and E ve

.
’
.
were pl aced in the g arde n o f E d e n i n which ev e rythi ng ,
was i n a state o f per fecti o n There was no thi ng to defile

.
or destro y E verythi ng was b eauti ful in its seaso n

. .
This E denic c o nditi o n is c alled P aradi se

“ ”
Its lo cati o n .
28 The Bo o k o f G ene sis
and b o u ndar ies ar e disti nctly sta ted in this ch apter

( vers .9 Ju st in what p art o f the wo rld it was
l o cated we may no t be able defi nitely to state at the
,
present The wo rk o f man was to dress it and to keep

.
“
it
.
”
Here do ubtless was w o rk with o ut weari ness a per
, , ,
feet envir o nment fo r a perfect man It may be o f i nteres t

.
to no te th at the first t wo and the l ast two ch apter s o f the

B ible deal with a perfect c o nditi o n o r ex i stence in which
there is no thi ng to defile hurt o r destro y The fi rst
, ,
.
p aradise was lo st thr o ug h sin ; the seco nd is regai ned

thro ugh Chri st and can never be l o st The tr ee o f
,
“
.
li fe we read o f in the seco nd and third ch apters o f

”
Ge nesi s is no t menti o ned agai n thr o ugh o ut the wh o le

B ible u ntil we c o me to the b o o k o f R evel ati o n in w hich ,
is described fo r us the e nvir o nme nt o f redeemed and

gl o rified humanity .
Thir d Man s Comp anion E ve Here we h ave the ao

.
’ —
.
co unt o f the creati o n o f E v e the co mpani o n o f A dam

,
.
G o d s th o ught and purp o se fo r man ar e i ndicated here

’
— th at purp o se is m arri ag e G o d m ade them

.
“
m ale and
femal e ”
fo r the purp o se o f m arri ag e and the pro p agati o n
o f the r ace Do men and w o men thwart G o d s pl an whe n
.
’
they d o no t carry o ut His i ntended purpo se ! G o d s ’
creative purp o se fo r the race is m arri age There ar e .
so me reco g nized ex cepti o ns to thi s rule o f c o urse ,
(Matthew x ix 3 . b ut o therwi se the purp o se o f Go d is

clearly decl ared It is o f i nterest to no te th at wo man
.
was taken no t fro m m an s head to be ab o ve him ; no r

,
’
,
fro m his feet to be bel o w hi m but fr o m his S ide to be

, ,
equal with him and his c o mp ani o n in life Y et see .
1 Co ri nthi ans x i 2— 1 1 fo r w o man s rel ati o n to man

.
’
.
In thi s c o nnecti o n we S h o uld remember th at m arri age

is an i nstituti o n o rd ai ned o f Go d and has co me d o wn to
us fr o m m an s st ate o f i nno c e ncy
’
The u niti ng in mar
.
r iage o f man and w o man m akes the m fo rever o ne O ur .

The R elatio n o f Man to Go d 2
9
Lo rd Jesus b ases very defi nite teachi ng regardi ng divo rce

o n thi s p assage and le ad s us to believe th at a sec o nd
,
m arri age co ntrac ted by either o ne o f the p arties duri ng

the li fetime o f the o ther p arty co nstitutes adultery .
N o thi ng b ut the death o f the o ther p artner gives the right

to ano ther m arri age (cf Matthe w v 3 2 ; x ix 3 9 ; Mark
. . .
—
x 2— 1 2 ; Luke x v i It is the b asi s al so o f P aul s ’

. .
, ,
teachi ng (Ro mans vii 1 -3 ; 1 Co rinthi ans v ii . .
F o ur th The Dominion Given to Man In m an s h and

. .
’
was placed by Go d the scepter o f d o mi ni o n o ver all

, ,
thi ngs that Go d had created Thi s d o mi ni o n l asted until .
S in e ntered i nto the r ace With o ut do ubt the beasts o f

.
the field were subject to the will o f o ur first p arents It .
is a ch aracteri stic o f the mille nni al age that the beasts

S h all be subject to the will o f the redeemed ( Isai ah
xi 6 . It is i nteresti ng to no te that o ur Lo rd duri ng ,
H is temptati o n was “
with the wi ld beasts in the
,
”
wilder ness (Mark i and yet they did no t h arm Him

. .
A ll the creati o n was i nv o lved in the fall o f man

(R o m ans viii 1 9 . N o w i nstead o f the be asts bei ng ,
afraid o f man man is afraid o f the beasts

, S o me d ay it .
w ill be o ther wise ( Isai ah x i .

,
2 Man as S inful and F al len (chap

. Man was .
created, no t o nly S i nless but a free agent and a mo ral ,
bei ng Co m mu ni o n with Go d was b y o bedience and

.
,
r ighteo u sness by testi ng The purp ose o f this ch apter is

.
to S h o w the e ntrance o f S in i nto the human r ace no t i nt o —
the wo r ld fo r sin was in the wo rld befo re A d am fell and

, ,
was pr o bably i ntro duced i nto the wo rld by the fall o f

S atan and his angels (see p age
The d octr ine of the fall of man (chap .
O ther religi o ns b eside Chri sti anity reco gnize thi s great
and awful fact Did we no t p o ssess such an acco unt as
.
we fi nd in Genesi s iii o f the fall o f man fro m his o r i g i nal

.
3 0 The Bo o k o f G e nesis
co nditi o n, we wo uld h ave to i nvent o ne fo r with o ut such ,
a narr ative the pre sent aw ful c o nditi o n o f man in such
striki ng c o ntrast to the pict ure o f ch apters o ne and t wo

wo uld h ave to be acco unted fo r This ch apter in Genes is .
gives the fullest acco unt o f this awful tragedy in the ex

p e r ience o f m anki nd O ther scriptures h o wever S h o uld
.
, ,
be co nsidered in this co nnec ti o n (Genesi s vi 5 viii 21 . .
P salm x iv R o m ans iii 1 0 23

. v 1 2—1 9 ; 1 Ti mo thy
.
— .
ii
. When we co mp are Genesis i 26 m an s o rig i nal .
— ’
,
S i nless c o nditi o n with vi 5 S etting fo rth m an s S i nful

— — ’
.
and depl o r ably falle n state we natur ally ask fo r a reaso n

,
fo r the di ffere nce between these t wo c o nditi o ns The .
r eas o n is give n in t hi s acc o u nt o f the fall .
This ch apter is to be l o o ked up o n as actu al liter al his ,
to ry It is no t fair to call so me p arts o f thi s ch apte r

.
liter al and o thers allego rical mythical figurative The

, , ,
.
wh o le ch apter must be i nterpreted in the same manner .
The ge o graphical l o cati o ns i n co nnecti o n with the sto ry

o f the fall ar e hi st o ric al The curse pro no u nced o n the
.
man the w o m an and the gr o u nd ar e certai nly literal

, , ,
.
Is it no t a fact th at de ath is in the w o rld to d ay as the

wages o f S in and no t si mply as a debt o f nature ! Is it
no t a fact th at the gro und bri ngs fo rth th o r ns and brier s !
“
Is i t no t a fact th at man e ar ns his bread by the sweat o f

his br o w ! IS it no t a fact th at children ar e b o r n i nt o the
“
wo rld o ver the ever tho rny way o f a w o man s p ai n and ’

,
angui sh and fear 3

,
”
U nquestio nably Chri st and the S crip
ture writers regarded the eve nt as hi sto rical and l iteral
(Matthew x ix 4 Mark x 6 2 Co ri nthians x i 3
. . .
1 Tim o thy ii 1 3 1 5 1 Co ri nthi ans x v

.
— .
It mu st be kept in mi nd th at A d am and E ve were free

m o ral age nts that while they were S i nl ess bei ngs it was ,
yet p o ssible fo r them to S in j ust as it was p o ssible fo r ,
them no t to S in A careful readi ng o f the narrative leads

.
to the fo ll o wi ng rem ark s o n the fall

3 2 The Bo o k o f G enesis
P hysical and S piritual death (Genesis iii . 19 iii . 2

v . 5 vR o m ans .
O f c o urse with all this c ame also a fear o fGo d a S h ame

, ,
becau se o f sin a hidi ng fro m Go d s presence and finally,

,
’
,
an ex pulsi o n fro m the g arde n (Ge nesis iii 8 1 1 22 .

—
,
The results o n the r ace may be summed up in the state

ment o f P aul in R o m ans v 1 2 Wherefo re as by o ne .
,
man S in entered i nto the wo rld and death by sin and so ,
death p assed up o n all men fo r th at all h ave sinned ”

,
.
F o r the j udgme nt was by o ne to c o ndem nati o n (v ” .
“
F o r as by o ne m an s di so bedience many were m ade S in ’
ner s ”
(V A l l m
. e n were i n A d a m whe n he si nn ed
fallen he fallen they , Herei n lies the truth o fthe o rganic
.
u nity o f the race “

In A d am all die ” . .
A ll men no w si nce the fall with o ut respect o f c o ndi

, , ,
ti o n o r cl ass ar e S i nners befo re Go d There may be a

,
.
di fference in the degree but no t in the fact o f sin A ll ,

.
men Jew and Gentile h ave missed the mark and failed
, , ,
to attai n to G o d s stand ard There is no ne righte o u s no

’
.
, ,
no t o ne (R o m ans iii 9 1 0 22 23 ; P salm x iv Isai ah

.
, , ,
.
liii . The wh o le w o rld rests u nder c o ndem nati o n ,
wrath and curse ,

“
Th at every mo nth may be sto pped ,
and all the w o rld may bec o me guilty befo re Go d (R o m ans

”
iii . The law o f Go d dem and s a perfect o bedience ;

but no son o f man can yield such o bedience ; hence the
curse o f a bro ke n law rests up o n th o se breaki ng it (Gal a
ti ans iii 1 0 E phe si ans ii
. The wrath o f Go d abides .
o n all no t vitally u nited by faith to Jes us Chri st

( J o h n iii .
U nrege nerate men ar e reg arded as childre n o f the devil ,

”
and no t so ns o f Go d Y e ar e o f y o ur father the dev il
.
(1 Jo h n iii 8 1 0 ; Jo h n viii A nd we k no w th at
— “
. .
we ar e o f Go d and the wh o le wo rld lieth in wicked ness

,
( the wicked o ne R V ) ( 1 Jo h n v
in ,
. . .
The wh o le r ace o f men ar e in helpless c aptivity to S in

The Relat io n o f Man to Go d 33
and S atan (R o m ans v1 1 . J o hn viii . 31 —36
; E phesi ans
ii .
entire natur e o f man mentally mo ral ly, S pir i

The , ,
t ually physically is sadly affected by S in

, , The u nder .
standi ng is darkened (E phesi ans iv 1 8 ; 1 Co ri nthi ans .
ii . the hear t is deceitful and wicked (Jeremi ah

x vii 9 1 0) the mi nd and co nscience ar e d efiled (Ge nesis
.
,
vi 5 . Titus i 1 5 ) the flesh a nd S pir it ar e d efiled

.
( 2 C o ri n thi a ns v ii the will is e n feebled (R

. o man s
v ii 1 8 ) ; and we ar e utterly destitute o f any G o dlike qu ali
.
ties which meet the requirements o f Go d s h o li ness ’
( R o m a n s vii .
What d o es all this me an ! “

It do es no t mean the en
tir e absence o f co nscience (Jo hn viii 9 ) no r o f all mo ral .
qualities (Mark x 21 ) no r that men ar e pro ne to every .
ki nd o f S in (fo r so me S ins ex clude o thers ) It does mean .

,
h o wever that man is to tally destitute o f l o ve to Go d

,
which is the all-abso rbi ng co mm andment o f the law (Jo hn

v . th at the natural man has an aversi o n to Go d
( R o m a n s vi ii 7 ) th at all th at is s.tate d ab o ve is true o f
man ; th at man is in p ossessi o n o f a nature th at is co n
stantly o n the d o wn g r ade and fr o m the d o mi ni o n o f which ,
he is to tally unable to free himsel f (R o mans v ii 1 8 .

,
— Dr S tr ong . .
this ch apter (iii 1 5 ) we fi nd the fi rst Messi anic

In .
“
pro mi se The R edeemer o f the r ace is to be o f the seed
.
o f the w o man
” that is hum an (cf Gal atians iv 4 ; Mat
, ,
.
.
thew i 1 6 G o d s graci o us pro visi o n at the m o ment

.
’
o f m an s awful S in is here set fo rth and fro m this time

’
,
o n the entire B ible is o ccupied with the devel o pment and
fulfi llment o f this Messiani c p ro m ise .

The R e latio n of Man t o His F e llo w men
Chap ter s iv . and v .
)
BB Bis set befo r e us the devel o pment o f S in in
the family li fe The image o f Go d had been
“
.
”
lo st in the fall S O we ar e no w to ld that A d am

,
begat a son in his o wn likeness after his Own imag e ”

,
(cf Genesis v 1 N o te the ex pressi o n after his o wn

“
.
,
.
im age — no t after the im age o fGo d ” Did David h ave .
thi s tho ught in mi nd when he said “

B eh o ld I was ,
sh apen in i niquity and in sin did my m o ther conceive

me (P salm li
” .
Ch apter fo ur co ntai ns the sto r y o f the two bro thers ,
their o ccupati o ns and their o fferi ngs In Cai n we see the .
resul t o f nursi ng evil th o ug hts until they gro w i nto mur

der (cf 1 Jo hn iii 1 1
. . Cai n s o fferi ng was rej ected’
because o f the co nditi o n o f his heart The heart no t the .

,
altar sanctifi es the gi ft (cf 1 Jo h n iii A bel s o ffer ’

, . .
ing was accepted bec ause he was in ri ght rel ati o ns with
Go d : B y faith A bel o fi er ed u nto Go d a m o re ex cellent
‘
sacrifi ce than Cai n (Hebrews x i There was no .
respect o f perso ns with Go d Had Cai n been willi ng to .
tur n fro m his evil way the S in-o fferi ng was at the d o o r ;
,
he co uld have o ffered that and fo u nd favo ur with Go d

, ,
j ust as A bel o f
f ered an accept able sacri fi ce T here seem s .
to be no do ubt but wh at o ur fi rst p are nts and Cai n and

A bel had received i nstructi o ns with refere nce to their
pro per appro ach u nto Go d A bel came in the right way
.
,
b o th as to life and sacr ifi ce b y faith and with blo o d ;

—
Cai n did neither alth o ugh he co uld h ave d o ne b o th

,
.
34
The R elat io n o f Man to His Fello wmen 35
It seems app ar ent that the m ai n purp o se o f ch apters
fo ur and five is to set befo re us the begi nni ng o f t wo d if
fere nt li nes o f devel o pment— Cai n represe nti ng the go d ,
less (iv 1 . and S eth representi ng the go dly seed

,
( iv. 2 5 —v . C h a pte r fo ur sh o ws t he gr o wth o f the li ne

fro m Cai n and it is w o r th no ti ng th at the li ne beg i ns
,
( iv. 8 ) and e nds ( iv 2 3— 25 ) with mur der ; where as the

.
li ne o f S eth begi ns with go dli ness (iv 26) and ends w ith .
transl ati o n i nto Go d s presence (v ’

It is evidently
.
the purp o se o f the writer o f Genesis to set befo re us the

begi nni ng o f the pro mised li ne thro ugh which S h o uld ,
co me the Messi ah Here begi n two di fferent tendenci es

.
,
dis po siti o ns o rders two di fferent races as it were two

, , , ,
great classes with different attitudes to wards Go d and His

pro mises the li ne o f S eth and his p o sterity submitti ng
—
,
to Go d by faith the li ne o fCai n and his p o sterity S h o wing ,
o bsti nate es tr angement fro m Go d These two li nes S ho w

.
the devel o pment o f evil and the devel o pment and c ar ry

,
ing o ut o f the purp o se o f Go d in the wo rld .
The li ne o f Cai n and his p o sterity is traced in iv 1 —25 . .
The devel o pment o f S in and wicked ness is no ticeable .
N o te the pr o g ress o f w o rldli ness in the buildi ng o f cities

which Cai n named after his p o steri ty the i nventi o n o f ,
the arts and weap o ns o f war ; the li ne finally beco mi ng , ,
so deb ased as to write p o etry ab o ut murder The seventh .
in the li ne o f Cai n was a murderer Th at is as it were .

, ,
the co mpleti o n o f the devel o p ment o f thi s li ne .
In the li ne o f S eth and his p o sterity ( iv 26— v 3 2) is . .
set fo rth the go dly seed : This li ne is traced to its sev

cuth ,
E no ch who w alked with Go d and e nd s i n endless
, ,
li fe N o w men began to call themselves by the name o f

.
Jeho vah (iv 26 ; cf A cts x i

. . Thi s w o uld seem to
.
i ndi cate an O pp o siti o n to tho se who pro bably called them

selves after the names o f ido ls .
S tr ik i ng differ ences are no te d in the g eneal o gies o f Cain

The Bo o k o f G enesis
and S eth . The Cai nites mentio ned first ; the S eth
ar e
ites last (of 1 Co ri nthi ans x v

. N 0 ag es o r p ar ticu
.
lar s ar e attached to the li ne o f Cai n but ar e always to the

,
li ne o f S eth The li ne o f Cai n stands fo r an u ngo dly civ

.
iliz atio n as its ultim ate aim while the li ne o f S eth r ep r e

,
sents a develo pment built o n p ri nciples go ver ned by the

fear o f Go d .
IV
The Develo pme nt of S in in the R ac e— The

P e nalty o f S in
( Chap ter s vi .
F chapters fo ur and five sh o w the develo pment and

results o f sin in the family l ife then ch apters six to ,
eight give us the results in the ex perience o f the

race Chapter six presents an awful picture o f the g uilt
.
o f the r ace i ts lewd ness and m o r al depravity

,
The in .
ter mar r iage o f the Cai nite s and S ethites is d o ubtles s ao

co untable fo r it B y the so ns o f Go d here the writer
.
”
believes the S ethites ar e meant and by the daughters “

,
o f men the descendents o f Cain the go dly and un

” —
,
go dly seed The awful mo ral decay here described r e

.
sulted fr o m believers and u nbelievers bei ng u nequ ally
y o ked to gether (2 Co ri nthi ans vi 1 4 The gi ants

“
.
”
S p o ken o f here may refer as much to ch aracter as to
stature Wh at is i ndicated is th at might no t ri ght

.
, ,
ruled in th o se d ays ; that men were no ted fo r their

mighty deeds and achievements r ather than fo r their
go dly character .
A mid this u ni vers al wickedness there is one ex cep

t i o n E no ch who w alked with Go d
—
, S o it is p o ssible to .
stand al one even in a go dless wo rld

, .
The evil c o nditi o n o f the r ace bro ught S orr o w to the

hear t o f Go d He repented that He had m ade man B y
. .
“
repent we ar e to u nderstand no t th at Go d ch anged
”
,
His mi nd but His p urp o se and de ali ngs o nly with refer
, ,
ence to the race There was o nly o ne thi ng to d o and

.
37
38 The Bo o k o f G e nesis
th at was to wipe o ut the race and make a new begi nni ng

in N o ah, whi ch He did (vi 5 .
The F lo o d vi l -viii T h fl d w m i
( S . e o o . as a an
festatio n o f mercy as well as o f j ud g me nt Wh at o ther .
alte r native c o uld a ho ly Go d h ave l The S criptur al ao

“
co unt o f the fl o o d is co rro b o rated by the traditi o n o f all

nati o ns Geo lo gy also c o rro b o rates it Y et the sto ry is
. .
to be co nsidered fr o m the reli g i o u s r ather th an fro m the

scienti fi c p o i nt o f view B y the wh o le ea rth we ar e
“
.
”
to u nderstand the earth th at then was by which is

“ ”
,
meant that p ar t o f the earth which was o ccupied by the

race .
The eno rm o us size o f the ar k need cause no c o ncern .
Men used to laugh at its tremendo us size as bei ng nu

wieldy Ther e ar e steamships to -d ay which ex ceed the
.
ar k in dimensi o ns and yet they ar e m anipul ate d with ease

,
.
There is no di screp ancy betwee n the c o mm and o f Go d

to N o ah to take t wo anim als o f each ki nd and the co m ,
mand gi ven pro b ably a hundred years later to take

, ,
”
seven o f each ki nd i nto the ark Do ubtless the two s
,
“
.
’
were fo r future i ncrease and the seven s bei ng clean

,
” ’
,
beasts were fo r sacrifi ce

,
.
The N ew Testame nt makes use o f the flo o d in the fo l

l o wi ng ways : To sh o w the c o mpleteness o f G o d s w o rk ’
,
th at He will have ho li ness at any co st (cf 2 P eter iii . .
4 th at there is a Judge o ver the earth who is no t to o

g o o d to pu ni sh sin ; th at Go d will remember His co ve
nant pr o mi se (o f b o w in the cl o ud s Ge nesi s ix 1 1
.
,
.
th at the earth will so me d ay be destro yed by fire (2 P eter

iii 4
.
O ther references to the fl o o d in the B ible : J o b xx ii .
1 5 1 6 ; P salm x c 5
, Matthew x x iv 3 8 39 ; Luke x vii
. .
,
.
26 27 ; Hebrews x i 7 ; 1 P eter iii 20 ; 2 P eter ii 5 ;

, . . .
iii 4—7
. .
The D e v e lo p ment o f S in in the R ac e 4 1
blessi ng o f N oah o n his children has been p r o v en true by

hi sto ry . Canaan rem ai ns cursed u ntil thi s d ay Je .
hovah is the Go d o f S hem fo r thro ugho ut all the ages

,
the Jews h ave preserved m o no theism J ap heth has en .
ter ed i nto the blessi ngs o f S hem and his descende nts ,
co ntro l the wo rld to d ay .
Ch apter ten gives an acc o u nt o f the g enerati o ns o f

N o ah the seco nd head o f the r ace j ust as ch apter fi ve
, ,
gave the generati o ns o f A dam the first head o f the race , .
These geneal o gies ar e given to sh o w the Messi anic li ne .
These tables may be l o o ked up o n also as Go d s farewell , ,

’
to the nati o ns ere He ch o o se s A br ah am ; and yet they

,
ar e a l o vi ng remi nder th at the nati o ns ar e His even as ,
Israel and that He is their Creato r This list o f names

,
.
is used almo st unch anged in 1 Chro nicles sh o wi ng th at ,
its c o rrectness was rec o gnized up to that time

'
This ch apter sets fo rth the begi nni ng o f nati o ns We .
have here the unity divisi o n and dispersi o n o f the race

, , .
The fact o f the u nity o f the r ace is al so set fo rth A ll .
manki nd has sprung fro m o ne co mm o n so urce Go d .
h ath m ade o f o ne bl o o d all nati o ns that dwell o n the

earth (A cts x vii This is an ar g ument fo r the
.
bro therh o o d o f man .
Chap ter eleven describes the buildi ng o f the to wer o f

B abel and re ally bel o ngs to ch apte r t en
,
G o d s co m .
’
m and to N o ah and his descend ents to scatter and peo ple

the earth was evidently di so beyed fo r here we fi nd co n ,
centr ated u ng o dli ness sel f- seeki ng and defi ance agai nst
, ,
Go d. Men wo ul d m ake a name fo r themselves r ather

th an glo rify Go d Go d co mmanded di ffusi o n ; men de
.
ter mined o n c o nce ntr ati o n The buildi ng o f the to wer

.
o f B abel was a m ani fest ati o n o f the defi ance o f G o d s

’
co mm and the co nfusi o n o f to ngues an evidence o f Go d s

,
’
d etermi natio n th at His c o mm and to disperse sho uld be

carr ied o ut .
4 2 The Bo o k o f G ene sis
The co nfusi o n o f to ngues sh o ul d be studied in co nnec

tio n with the gi ft o f t o ngues o n the d ay o f P e nteco st
(A c ts ii ) a nd R.evel ati o n vii 9 W h ere si n ab o u nds . .
,
g race much mo re abo unds .
O ne canno t read the geneal o gy in this ch apte r witho ut

bei ng impressed with the decrease o f lo ngevity si nce the
fl o o d It seems th at the farther away we get fro m E den
.
,
the sho rter is the li fe o f man “

Dyi ng th o u sh alt die ”
.
,
.
Meth uselah lived ni ne hu ndred and si x ty -ni ne years ; the

lo ngest li fe in thi s ge neal o gy (chap x i ) is abo ut fi ve . .
hundred years ; David (P salm x c ) says The d ays o f

“
.
,
o ur ye ars ar e threesc o re year s and ten the averag e

le gth o f li e to d ay is thirty -three year s
n f - .
N otes on The N ations

1 . O rigi n o f N ati o ns Genesis ix 1 8—x 32
,
. . .
2 . S c tteri g o f the N atio ns Ge nesis x i 1 9

a n —
,
. .
3 . B abyl o n and E gypt fo unded by Ham Genesi s ,
x . 620 .
4 . A ssyri a fo u nded by S hem Genesis x 1 1 1 2 21 3 1 ,

.
, , , .
5 . E uro pean N ati o n fo unded by J ap heth Ge nesis 1 , .
2—5 .
Israel Genesis x ii 2 ,
. .
6 A br ah am the father o f Many

. N ati o ns Genesis ,
x vii 4—6 . .
7 A ll the N ati o ns blessed in A br ah am Ge nesis x ii 3

.
,
.
x x ii 1 8 . .
8 N atio ns derived fro m A brahamic sto ck Genesis

.
,
x ix 36 3 8 xxv 1 2 —1 6 ; xx v
. 1
— —4 x xx vi 6-8 . . . .
A n i nteresti ng study o f the d o ctri ne o f sin may be

fo u nd in the ch apters we have j ust co ver ed (ch aps .
iii x i )
.
—
.
I . Its S o ur ce ( ch ap .
II . Its Develop ment ( ch aps iv . .

,
1 . In the fam ily Cai n and ,

A bel ( cha p .
The D ev e lo p ment o f S in in th e R ac e 43
2. Inso ciety— the t wo li nes (ch ap .
3. In the race (ch aps v . .

,
The P enaltyand P unishment of S in (chaps vi . .
1. The fl o o d (ch aps v i. .
2. The di spersi o n (chap .
3. Th e c o nfusi o t
n of o ng ues — to wer o f B abel
( ch a p x i. .
PA R T II
Hi st o ry o f t he Pat r i ar c hs
The seco nd m ai n divisio n o f Genesis is o ccupied

with the histo ry o f the p atri archs A braham ,
Isaac Jaco b and also with the life sto ry o fJo seph
, ,
.
O ur study then o f these ch apters will be g ro uped

, ,
ar o u nd these fo ur great ch aracters A brah am ,
x ii -x x v
. Isaac x x i -xx viii Jaco b x xv ii -l
.
, . .
, . .
Jo seph xx x vii l
,
.
—
.
The Bo o k o f Ge ne sis
v anced tep in the reli gi o us ex perience o f A braham

s .
A fter visi o ns two three fo ur six and seven there is , , , , ,
reco rded an epi so de either histo rical o r religi o us setti ng , ,
fo rth so me l apse o r advance with refere nce to the

p atriarch s rel ati o n to Go d The who le li fe o f A brah am
’
.
,
then can be gro uped aro und seve n divi ne m ani festatio ns
, ,
and five episo des in c o nnecti o n therewith .
1 Th e F ir s t Mani fe s t at i o n o f G o d t o A br ah am
.
(x i 3 1 —.x ii This m ani festati o n is c o nnected with the

.
call o f A braham to sep arate him sel f fro m ido l atry (of .
J shu xx iv 3 1 5 N ehemi ah ix 7 ) and to surrender his

o a - . .
li fe with all o f its plans and purp o ses to Go d (x ii 1 -4

, ,
.
cf Hebrews x i 8
. .
A br ah am app arently had t wo call s (x i 3 1 x ii 1 ; cf

, ,
. . .
A cts vii 2 4 ; Isai ah li.

—
The resp o nse to the fir st .
call seems to have been p arti al When Go d called the .
seco nd time A braham surrendered co mpletely (x ii 4

,
.
,
A three fo ld blessi ng is pr o mi sed A brah am : a l and a ,
seed a blessi ng (x ii 1
,
He had left the l and o f his .
fathers no w Go d w o uld be with him and be his F ather

,
(2 Co ri nthi ans vi 1 4 Th o ugh o ne o f the y o u ngest

.
cf the family his name wo ul d be m ade g re at and the

, ,
family blessi ng sh o uld c o me thro ugh him Th o ugh child .
less his seed w o uld be i nnu merable A s c o mpensati o n

,
.
fo r the surrender o f his li fe to Go d he w o uld be the ,
so urce o f blessi ng to all the families o f the e arth .
A s Go d called A br ah am so He c all s us t o sep ar ati o n ,
(2 C o ri nthi ans v i 1 4 to s urre nder ( R o m an

.s x ii .
and to put the pl ans o f o ur lives i n His h and s (Is ai ah
lv 7 E phesi ans ii
. Ho w d o we resp o nd to thi s c all !
.
P arti ally ! If so there will be no full bl essi ng o r vi si o n

,
.
A brah am did no t receive a full vi si o n u ntil he had made

the full surrender If we fully surrender then Go d will .
,
make us useful and a blessi ng to o thers .

A b raham t he
, Fathe r o f the Fait hful
2 . Manife s tat io n o f Go d t o A b r ah am
Th e S e c o nd
(x i i 7 . Th i s vi si o n o f Go d w as nece ssary pr o b ably , ,
because o f what is said in verse six The Canaanite was

then in the l and ”
Co urag e was needed in the face o f
.
d anger if A braham was to p o ssess the l and The mes

,
.
sage o f Go d is sho rt “
U nto thee will I g ive this l and ” .
There were d ifli culties i nv o lved in the fulfillment o f t hi s

pro mi se : gi ants were in p o ssessi o n o f the land .
A br ah am s resp o nse to the call o f Go d was m ani fested

’
in buildi ng an altar and in pitchi ng his te nt The .
altar indicated his dependence up o n Go d and the

“ ”
,
“
te nt his surrender t o a pil g rim li fe His tent was
”
.
pitched with B ethe! , the h o use o f Go d in fro nt o f ,
him and with Hai a heap o f rui ns behi nd him Like

, , ,
.
Mo ses he lo o ked to that city that had fo u ndati o ns

,
( Hebrews x i 1 5 1 6 P hilippi
. a ns iii,
.
There ar e practical lesso ns here fo r us We to o h ave .

, ,
enemies who co ntest the p o ssessi o n o f o ur spiritual in

heritance These ar e the wicked pri ncip alities and
.
“
p o wers in the heave nly pl aces (E phesi ans vi 1 2

” .
O ur strength to o must co me thr o ugh means

, ,
We h ave .
need to build an altar o f prayer (Luke x viii 1 — 8 Isai ah .
x 1 28 . When tempted to be dazzled by the glo ry

o f the wo rld and thus hi ndered in o ur pilgrim j o urney ,
we as A br ah am must l o o k away to the gl o ries o f o ur

, ,
eternal h o me and pitch o ur tents to wards th at city no t

,
“
made with hands eternal in the heavens (2 Co rinthi ans ,

”
v .
The F ir st Ep iso d e Egyp t (x ii 1 0— x iii 1 3 ; cf ch ap

—
. . . .
In a se nse A brah am b ackslides ; he devi ates fro m the

,
cho sen p ath We mu st ex pect to fi nd temptati o ns

.
,
al t h o ugh we ar e in the p ath o f G o d s ch o o si ng E ve n ’

.
Jesus Chri st was no t free fro m temptati o n B ut temp ta .
ti o n is no t sin nor need it beco me so , .
Thi s is the first menti o n o f E gypt in the B ible E gypt .

A b raham the , Father o f the Faithful 5 1
means to bi d straighte
n , ” “
to tro uble E gypt n, ” “
to .
”
is always a type o f the w o rld G o i ng do wn to Egypt .

”
w as no t alto gether like go i ng b ack to U r o f the Ch aldees .
It was a ki nd o f mid way ex perie nce between the o ld li fe

and the new E gypt was no t alto gether irreligi o u s but
.
,
it was no t spiritual The i nflue nce o f this side -steppi ng

.
is seen in A br ah am s h avi ng to reso rt to lyi ng ex

’
,
p e d ie ncy
,
and co mpr o mise while in E gypt Th e frie nd .
o f Go d has bec o me the servant in the p al ace o f P h arao h .
Ho w are t he mi ghty fallen

A brah am s statement reg ardi ng hi s wife b ei ng his
’
si ster was a h al f truth fo r she was his h alf-

,
sister (xx .
A h al f tr uth h o wever is a lie when it is uttered with

, ,
i ntent to deceive as was clearly the case with A brah am

,
.
It is i nteresting to no te in this co nnecti o n th at even as far

back as A brah am s ti me the m arri age v o w was held so
’
,
s acred amo ng the E gypti ans th at in o rder to p o ssess
ano ther m an s wi fe the husband must first be killed

’
.
,
A cco rdi ng to twentieth ce ntury m o ral stand ards a m an s ,

’
wi fe may be taken fro m him while the husband still lives ,
and ye t we talk ab o ut ev o luti o n and the pr o gress in the
civiliz ati o n o f the race A brah am s selfi sh ness is sh o wn

.
’
by the fact that he was will i ng to sacrifice his wi fe s ’
ho no ur to save his o wn li fe .
Just why Go d allo wed A brah am to go d o wn i nto

E gypt we d o no t k no w
,
He lets us fo ll o w o ur o wn way
.
so metimes th at we may learn a needed lesso n The cause

, .
o f the desce nt i nto E gypt was o utw ardly the fami ne but , ,
i nwardly and really it was a l ack o f faith in Go d

,
.
A brah am pro spered whe n in E gypt but he was no t ,
happy and the p o ss essi o ns he gai ned while there caused

,
him great tro uble in the future He learned th at it was .
bette r to be in Canaan with fami ne th an in E gypt with

prosperity th at it was better to be a d o o rkeeper inthe
“
ho use o f the Lo rd th an to dwell in the tents o f wicked

5 2 The Bo o k o f G e ne s is
e
n ss ” . He l o st his fell o wship with Go d and his i nfluence ,
with his family He was repr o ached by the heathe n fo r

.
his i nco nsiste ncy o f c o nduct His ex treme sel fi sh ness .
was sh o w n in bei ng willi ng to s acri fi ce the h o no ur o f his

wi fe to save his o wn li fe He mu st ever afterwards h ave .
seen th at l o o k o f repro ach in the face o f S arah as she r e ,
called this i ncident A brah am had no vi si o n no altar

.
, ,
no w o rship while he was in E gypt It was a so re mis .
t ake he made and he snfl er ed keenly fo r it

,
.
There ar e i nstructive lesso ns in thi s epi so de in the p ath

o f A braham fo r us N o child o f Go d is free fr o m temp ta
.
ti o n yet no o ne needs to yield to temptati o n N o t

,
.
temptati o n but yieldi ng to it is sin There is great

, ,
.
d ang er to the child o f Go d i n steppi g b ack h a f way

n l -
,
no t necessarily alto g ether i nt o the o ld li fe but a step , ,
d o wn fro m the p o i nt already reached in spiritu al ex p er i

e nce The results ar e c o mpro mise in livi ng sile nced
.
,
testim o ny l ack o f i nfluence fo r Go d no co mmuni o n o r

, ,
fell o wship with Him the repr o ach and sh ame o f the ,
wo rld and the l o ss o f j o y and peace in o ne s o wn soul

,
’
.
We with A brah am must learn the lesso n that Go d is

, ,
well able witho ut o ur diplo macy to carry o ut His o wn

, ,
plans .
A brah am fi nally retur ned to B ethe! N o te the ex pres .
si o n we nt d o wn to E gypt but went up to B ethe!

“ ” “
.
, ,
He we nt back to the starti ng p o i nt That was a brave .
thi ng to d o in the face o f his family servants and h o use , ,
h o l d A nd th at is the thi ng fo r the Chri sti an to d o to

.
—
g o b ack to the p o i nt he le ft u nt o the pl ace o f the,

a lt ar ,
and d o the fir st w o rk s o ver ag ai n b ack to B ethel ” .
The sad thi ng ab o ut thi s epi so de is th at the time spent

by A brah am in E gypt was l o st time and co uld never be
regai ned The time spent by the children o f I srael in
.
E gypt is reck o ned as l o st time The d ay o f their de .
liverance was to be the begi nni ng o f year s to them

A b raham, the Fathe r of the Faithful 53
(E x o du s x ii We d o no t really begi n to live until we

.
ar e m ade p artakers o f the li fe o f Go d (Jo h n iii 3 5 ; .

,
x vii 3 ; 1 Ti mo thy v
. .
L ot— A S tudy in B acksliding A nother Ep isode (x iii —

.
5 The stri fe between the herdmen o f Lo t and

A brah am aro se o ver the g o o d s they had g o tten while
they were in E gypt It is supp osed by so me that Lo t go t
.
his wi fe there to o and she was the cau se o f much o f his

, ,
tro uble The name Lo t is said to i ndicate the man

.
“
with the veil o n (cf 2 Co ri nthi ans iv . Certai nly his .
eyes were bli nded to real S pi ritual v alues .
Thi s i ncident gives us an i nsight i nto the sel fi sh ness

o f L o t and the m ag nani mity o f A br ah am Lo t ch o se the .
best o f the l and bec au se it was go o d fo r cattle He was .
to o sh o rt sighted to see th at it was b ad fo r his family

- .
He ch ose all the pl ai n (x iii 1 0) because it was so at

“
.
tractive fo r its beauty Later o n we fi nd th at thi s plai n .
was d o o med (x ix and L o t was bidden flee fr o m it

. .
It was to be ab ando ned fo r its danger and was fi nally ,
o verthr o w n bec au se o f its wicked ness (x ix .
Lo t is an i nteresti ng study in b ack slidi ng .
N o tice the gr adu al pr o cess He beheld (ver 1 0) cho se . .
pitched his tent to ward s (1 2) dwelt in (x iv .
sat in the g ate (x ix 1 ) li ngered (x ix 1 5 1 6) and was

. .
,
l o ath to leave S o d o m (chap He first went to .
soj o urn the n he c o nti nued and fi nally dwelt i n S o d o m

, , ,
.
S atan s strategy is here illu str ated

’
He d o es no t plung e .
men all at o nce i nto sin He l ead s them gradually step .

,
by step Ho w careful the Chri sti an need s to be in cho o s

.
ing a pl ace o f r eside nce Lo t l o st his family and alm o st

.
his o wn so ul ; i nd eed we w o uld h ave th o ught th at was

,
l o st to o had it no t been fo r the reference in 2 P eter ii 7 8

,
.
,
.
A brah am s m agnanimity and pe ace ful di sp ositi o n is

’
here beautifully set fo rth He is a go o d illu strati o n o f .
the ap ostle s i nj uncti o n Let the peace o f Go d arbitr ate

’ “
,
in yo ur hearts (Co l o ssi ans iii

”
and . The servant ,
“
o f the Lo rd mu st no t strive im o thy ii

”
( 2 T Ho w .
shall quarrels between Chri sti ans be S ettled ! S hall we

g o to law ( 1 Co ri nthi ans vi 1 O r S
. h all we yield as
A br ah am trusti ng Go d to d o fo r us th at which is ri ght

,
and j ust i
3 . Th e Thir d Manifes t at io n o f Go d to A b r ah am
(x iii . 14 This vi si o n o f Go d was granted to A br a
ham fo r the reassur ance o f the pro mised blessi ng It was .
do ubtless to c o mfo rt him in the reacti on which he m ust

have su ffered fro m his ex perie nce in E gypt and with
Lo t It was also to reward him fo r his unselfi shness in
.
co nnecti o n with the Lo t epi so de A perso nal element is

.
i ntr o duced i nto thi s reassured pro mise The land which .
had befo re bee n pr o mi sed to his seed (x ii 7 ) is no w .
pro mi sed to A brah am perso nally The servants o f A bra

.
ham who no d o ubt had witnessed the c o ntro versy b e

, , ,
tween A braham and Lo t may h ave been tempted to

,
thi nk th at A brah am was fo o lish in allo wi ng his nephew

to g et the adv antage o ver him in the ch o ice o f l and Go d .
wo uld teach them as well as His ser vant A brah am that

, ,
the meek sh all i nherit the earth

“ ” We ar e to ld in
.
x iii 1 0 th at Lo t lifted up his eyes and beheld all the

“
.
pl ain o f Jo rdan We are here to ld (ver 1 4) th at Go d said

”
. .
to A br ah am Li ft up no w thine eyes and lo o k fr o m the

“
,
pl ace where th o u ar t no r thward and so uth ward and , ,
eastward and westward : F o r all the land which tho u

,
seest to thee will I give it and t o thy seed fo rever

”
, .
,
The S eco nd Ep iso de— The B attle of the K ings (chap .
It is no t l o ng si nce that destructive hi g her criticism

so ught to d o away with the hi sto ricity o f the events nar
r ate d ih thi s ch apter but arche o l o gists in their ex cava
, ,
ti o ns have b ro ught to light hiero glyphic wr itings which

,
clear ly establish their histo rical b asis .

5 6 The Bo o k o f G e ne sis
The fir t menti
thi ngs in the B ible is imp o r tant
s o n ”
of
to no tice becau se as a rule the ch aracteri stic fe atures

, , ,
menti o ned in co nnecti o n therewith ar e u sually true o f

every o ther me nti o n o f the same thi ng thro ug ho ut the
S criptures alth o ugh m o re fully devel o ped
,
.
The Go d of A br aham It is i nteresti ng to no tice as .

,
a deducti o n fr o m thi s ch apte r A br ah am s c o ncepti o n o f

’
,
Go d as revealed in this b o o k : “
He is the P o ssesso r
o f the heave ns and the e arth (x iv 22 xx iv 3 ) the S o v . .
er eign Judg e o f the nati o ns (x v and o f all the earth .
(x viii the
. D i sp o s er o f all the p o wer s o f na ture
(x viii 1 4 ; x ix 24 ; x x 1 7 ff ) the ex alted (x iv 22) and
. . . . .
eternal O ne (x x i the o nly Go d a perso nal Go d in

.
,
cl o seness o f fell o wship with His peo ple (x x iv 4 0 He .

,
is j ust (x viii righteo us (x viii . faithful (x x iv . .
wise (x x go o d (x ix
. and merci ful (xx . .
4 . The F o u rt h Manife s t atio n o f G o d t o A b r ah am

Th e P r o mi s e of a S e e d a nd t h e L and R e affi r med (x v .
1 Thi s
divi ne m ani festati o n w as d o ubtless fo r the
enco urag ement o f A brah am after the g reat surrender he
had m ade in c o nnecti o n with Lo t s ch o ice and the b attle ’
o f the ki ng s It was also d o ubtless an enco ur agement to

.
the p atri arch in the reacti o n which he mu st h ave suf

fer ed fr o m the tenseness and strai n o f the eve nts o f
chapter fo urteen .
There is an advance here in the pr o mised blessi ng .
R efere nce is agai n m ade to the pr o mi sed l and and its ,
specific b o u nd aries ar e me nti o ned in c o nnecti o n there
with It was to be a future p o ssessi o n o f A brah am s

.
’
seed .
Then ag ai n A brah am was pro mised a so n o ut o f his

, ,
o wn l o i ns B e fo re he had been pr o mised a so n but no t

.
,
in the sense in which thi s pro mi se is made The pr o m .
ised seed sho uld no t be Ishmael no r E liezer (cf fo r ex .

A b raham t he , Fat her o f the Faithful 57
p ansio n o f the pro mi se x iii 1 4

x ii -
1 3, 7
. A bra .
ham is herei n sh o w n th at the pr o mi se is to ex te nd b ey o nd

himself th at the nati o n o f which he is the father and its
ex periences ar e i ncluded in the pro mi se A brah am had .
asked two q uesti o ns : reg ardi ng a so n (ver 3 ) and a l and .
(ver . T he se t wo questi o n s G o d a n swers .
S o far we h ave had the A d amic Co ve nant (ch ap .
the N o ahic Co venant (ch ap N o w we h ave the

.
A brah amic Co venant in thi s ch apter .
The R ighteousness of F aith A braham s attitude .

’
to wards the pro mi se o f Go d is th at o f u nwaveri ng belief

and faith and thi s ,
“
was c o unted to him fo r ri ghte o us
ness Here we h ave ano ther first menti o n faith
” “ ” —
. .
“
A brah am believed Go d ”
Thi s means th at A brah am
.
said A me n to Go d s pr o mi se Wh at Go d say s sh all

“ ” ’
be . Go d had to ld A brah am th at o ut o f his l o i ns and ,
by S arah his wi fe sh o uld co me nati o ns children as num

, ,
b er less as the dust o f the e arth and the stars o f the

heavens N atural l aws were agai nst the fulfillment o f
.
s uch a pro mi se Go d m ade no ex pl anati o ns as to ho w

.
the pr o mi se sh o uld be fulfilled Thi s c alled fo r faith o n .
the p art o f A braham w hich he ex ercised , .
Here ar e three great Chri sti an wo rds which we d o

well to no te : believed
“ ” “
c o unted
” “
righteo usness
,
”
,
.
Paul tell s us th at thi s ex perience o f A brah am w as fo r o ur

sakes (iv 23 25 ; Gal ati ans iii
.
, .
F aith is re sti ng up o n the wo rd o f the Lo rd acti ng

up on it A bram sh o wed his faith by ch angi ng his name
.
t o A br ah am which me ans fathe r o f a multitude fro m

“ ”
, ,
th at very m o ment He als o ch anged his wi fe s name

.
’
fro m S ara t o S arah F aith me ans al so to live acco rdi ng

.
to the w o rd an d pr o m ise For t w e nty -fo ur year s A bra

.
ham saw no i ndicati o n o f the fulfill ment o f thi s pro mise .
He believed agai nst all o dds To believe when we can .
no t see th at is faith
,
S o we ar e c alled up o n to believe
.
G o d s testimo ny regardi ng His

’
S o n, and o ur faith is
co unted fo r righteo u sness .
The Thir d Ep iso d e— Hagar and Ishmael (x vi . 1

S ar ah had beco me imp atient because o f the l o ng del ay in
the fulfi llment o f G o d s pr o mise S he co nceives o f a
’
.
scheme which she thi nks will help Go d to ful fi ll His

pro mise A cco rdi ng to the m o ral standar ds o f the time
.
,
S ar ah did no wro ng in g ivi ng her m aid to A br ah am to

wi fe That was the custo m o f the d ay and was really
.
m ag nanim o us o n her p ar t O f co urse it was a vi o lati o n

.
,
o f Go d s purp o se and i nte nti o n in m arri ag e which was

’
,
m o no g amy that man sho uld be the husb and o f o ne wi fe

—
( Ge nesi s ii .
P r o b ably A br ah am was m o re to bl ame th an S ar ah fo r

li steni ng to and co mplyi ng with her suggesti o ns V isi o ns .
o f Go d had been g ranted to A br aham th at S ar ah had
no t witnessed A br ah am sh o uld co nseque ntly h ave bee n

.
the m o re S piritu al o f the two The n agai n the pro m .

, ,
i sed heir was to be o f the seed o f A brah am but the ,
pro mise had no t yet i ncl uded S arah S peci fi cally as the , ,
mo ther o f the pro mi sed so n Imp atie nt waiti ng was tell .
ing o n S ar ah and A brah am app are ntly cau g ht the spirit

,
o f imp atience .
The result o f no t waiti ng fo r G o d s time was th at a ’
child was b o rn o f Hagar the b o ndm aid o f S ar ah S he

,
.
was d o ubtless a pro duct o f E gypt and was g o tten whe n

A br ah am and S arah went d o wn t here to s oj o ur n Here .
is ano ther illustrati o n o f m o re tro uble fro m E gypt .
There ar e so me practical lesso ns we may lear n fr o m

thi s i nterrupti o n the sto ry o f H agar and Ishm ael
— We .
sh o uld w ait Go d s time If He tarry let us wait fo r

’
.
,
Him We sho uld never li sten to u nspiritual peo ple to

.
,
wo rldly -wi se men no r eve n to u nspiritu al Chri sti ans

,
.
S o metimes o ur dearest c an advi se us wro ngly (De ute

'
‘
r o no my x iii 6 .We sho uld never use wro ng means

A b raham, the Fathcr o f the Faithful 59
fo r ri ght ends ttenti o n is drawn to the awful re

. O ur a
sults o f o ne S in fo r the wh o le o f the Mo hammedan pro b

,
lem to d ay with its O pp o siti on to Chri sti anity is the

, ,
fr uit o f this o ne sin The flesh and the spir it can never
.
get o n well to gether (Galati ans iv R esults may .
be go tten witho ut Go d s help o r appro val but they al ’

,
w ays bri ng tro uble .
The divine eye is an eternal detective Go d k no ws .
and sees detail s Did no t Go d k no w th at Hagar was

.
“
S arah s m aid 1 Thi s ch apter is no t a mere h o useho ld
”
’
i ncident but a reco rd given to S ho w the pro cesses thro ugh

,
which A brah am became father to the heir o f the pro m

i sed seed even tho ugh the pro mi se was l o ng delayed
,
.
There is always so methi ng miraculo us in co nnecti o n with

the birth o f the pro mised seed .
5 . F ift h Manife s tati o n of Go d t o A b r ah am (x vn .
1 This
ppearance a o f Go d to the patri arch is fo r
the sake o f emph asizi ng the pro mised blessi ng o f a seed

and a l and p articular reference bei ng m ade to the seed
,
.
There was need o f j ust such enco ur agement as was co n

v eye d in thi s the o ph any to A br ah am fo r o ver twenty
,
years had p assed si nce the co venant in ch apter fi ftee n ,
and thirteen years si nce the birth o f Ish mael Ther e had .
app are ntly been no w o rd fr o m Go d reg ardi ng his pr o m
i sed so n and heir duri ng these years and A brah am is ,
no w abo ut ni nety -ni ne year s o ld N atur ally the o b stacles .
in the w ay o f fulfil lment o f the pro mi se o f a seed th at

sh o uld be as numberles s as the sand s and the star s were
bigger than ever S atan hi msel f wo uld be very active

.
in seeki ng t o put d o ubt i nto the mi nd o f A brah am es ,
p ecially i n c o nnecti o n with the li ne o f the pr o m ised seed .
It is fo r thi s reaso n d o ubtless th at the name ,

“
El ,
S ad d
h i ” which means the all suffi cient sel sufficient
,
“ - f-
, ,
almigh ty Go d is the name give n to Jeh o v ah in this

”
,
m ani festati o n pro mi se in thi s vi si o n i ncludes mul

. The
tit ud es o f p e0p 1e (v er ki ngs and pri nces (vers 1 6. .
,
Go d w o uld h ave A br ah am k no w th at His p o wer and

ability to ful fi l ! His pr o mise is abso lutely u nlimited .
Thi s is a less o n we to o need to learn , ,

.
There ar e seven thi ngs o f which Go d is i ndependent

ir
F s t— O f numbers O ne with Go d is a m aj o rity. O ne .
sh all ch ase a th o u sand and two sh all p ut ten th o u sand ,
to flight (cf Leviticus x x vi 8 Deuter o no my x xx ii 3 0 ;

. . .
Judges vii 4— 7 2 K i ngs v ii 3

. .
S ec o nd O f m o ney we alth and pr o perty

—
The silver
, ,
.
is His and the g o ld is His (cf 1 K i ngs x vii 1 2 Haggai . .
ii
.
Third O f time —
Wh at it w o uld take a man a hundred
.
o r a th o us and years to acc o mplish Go d can d o in a mo ,
me nt o r a d ay (of P salm x c 4 ; Isai ah lx vi 8 ; 2 P eter

. . .
iii .
F o urth — O f m an s wisd o m (1 Co ri nthi ans i 20 21 ;

’
.
,
ii.
F ifth O f hum an p o wer (P s alm ii

—
Jeremi ah xxx ii . .
1 7 Zech ari ah iv 6 Daniel ii 20 . .
S i x th O f natural law th at is o f the o rdi nary O pera

—
, ,
s
ti o n o f natural fo rces (E x o dus x iv 22— The R ed S ea ; .
Daniel iii 1 9 25 The fiery furnace ; vi 22 The li o ns

— — .
— .
’
d en) .
S eve th
n — O f all o rdi nary means (2 Co rinthi ans v ii . 6
x ix .
previ o u s pr o mise in co nnecti o n w ith the pr o mi sed

The
l and is i ncreased it is to be an ever lasting p ossessi o n
— .
The c o venant is no t o nly with A brah am and his seed but ,
with their children fo rever A sign o f circumci si o n is .
given no t o nly fo r A brah am and his childre n then liv

,
ing but as a S ig n fo r the childr e n no t yet b o r n

, Here is .
ano ther call fo r faith fo r A br ah am himsel f was alm o st a ,
hundred years o ld .
A b raham, t he Fathe r o f t he Faithful 61
Thi s pro mise s ets time fo r the birth o f Isaac

a
( ver 21 .cf x x i . . and names S ar ah as the m o ther
o f Isaac (vers 1 5 .
B o th A brah am (x vii 1 7 1 8) and S arah (x viii 1 1 1 5 ) .

,
.
—
laugh at the anno uncement o f so great and gl o rio u s a

pro mise but the l augh o f credulity p assed i nto the l augh
,
o f faith : B y faith eve n S ar ah hersel f received p o wer to

“
co nceive seed when she was p ast age si nce she co unted ,
him faithful who had pro mised ; wherefo re also ther e

S pr ang o f o ne and him as g o o d as dead so m any as the
, ,
stars o f heaven in multitude and as the s and which , ,
is by the se asho re i nnumerable ”

( Hebrews x,
i 1 1 1 2 .
, ,
R . Isaac s name which means l aughter the

’ “ ”
, ,
ch ange in A braham s (x vii 5 ) and S arah s name (x vii ’

.
’
.
1 5 ) ar e i ndicati o ns o f their faith in Go d (of Ro mans iv . .
13
Wh at nee d there is o f such faith to d ay ! What is
m o re scarce in Chri sti anity than faith 9 “
When the S on ‘
o f man c o meth sh all he fi nd faith o n the e ar t h !

,
Ho w
d o we treat G o d s pr o mi se s ! Devo utness is co mm o n ;
’
piety is plentiful c o ntempt fo r evil is abundant ; right

e o usness is everywhere m ani fest ; but faith Who h ath
believed o ur r ep or t ! “
Is anything too har d for the
Lo rd 2
‘
6 . Manifest atio n o f Go d t o A b raham

The S ixt h
( ch aps x v iii , . These ch apters reco rd the visit o f
.
the three angel s o ne o f wh o m is evidently the seco nd

,
P erso n in the Tri nity to A br ah am in his te nt These

,
.
heavenly messengers co nveyed to the p atri arch the im

pendi ng do o m o f S o do m and G o m o rrah .
This i ncident is m o re th an a lesso n in h o spitality even ,
tho ugh an ex h o rtati o n to practice th at grace (Hebrews

x iii 2) is b ased o n this i ncide nt
. We have here an .
i ntim ati o n o f the i ncarnati o n— the d o ctri ne o f the A ngel

of the Lo r d When a Jew

.
y tells us th at we
-
to d a
blas pheme whe n we pray to Jesu s we may ask him who ,
that was to wh o m A braham prayed in these ch apters .
We h ave here given a glimp se i nto the i nti mate friend

ship ex isti ng between Go d and A brah am and a revel a ,
ti0n o f the ch ar acter o f the p atri arch We ar e to ld th at .
wh o m Go d fo rek new He did predesti nate Go d s friend

,
.
’
ship with A br aham was b ased o n wh at He k new A br ah am
to be and what he w o uld d o (x viii 1 9 ; of J o h n x v 1 4 1 5

. . .
,
1 Co ri nth ians ii 1 0 ; P salm x x v

. .
The questi o n may be asked here Why d id Go d reveal ,
the do o m o f S o d o m and G o m o rrah to A brah am ! In

r eply we m ay say
F irst. B ecau se A brah am had bee n the dep o sito ry o f

blessi ng fo r the nati o ns The p atriarch had undo ubted ly
.
been p onderi ng the o ft repeated pro mise o f Go d and had

-
,
co me to recognize himsel f as in so me degree resp o nsible

fo r the nati o ns Were he to w aken in the mo rni ng and
.
see S o d o m and G o m o rrah go i ng up in sm o ke might he ,
no t w o nder why this city had been remo ved beyo nd the
S phere o f his blessi ng with o ut his havi ng had a ch ance to
i ntercede fo r it Cert ai nly there was a reaso n why in

.
this sense Go d felt Hi mself u nder o bligati o n to tell

A br ah am ab o ut thi s co mi ng disaster (cf A m o s iii 7 . .
Jo h n x v .
S eco nd It was an o bject lesso n to A brah am s chil

.
’
dren A braham was a true head o f a family In setti ng

. .
befo re his children the aw ful results o f sin he co uld p o i nt ,
them to the d estructi o n o f S o do m and G o m o rrah S o in .
all the ages to c o me the R e d S ea which is said to co ver

“
, ,
S o d o m and G o m o rr ah wo uld be a perpetu al lesso n and

,
warni ng Chri st and the pro phets refer to the d estr uc

.
ti o n o f S o do m and G o m o rrah as the wages o f wickedness

(D euter o no m y x x i x 22— 25 .M atthew x 1 5 x i 24 ; . .
Mark vi .
64 . The Bo o k o f G enesis
S o do m , illustratio n o f which is g iven in ch apter

an
ni netee n had put an e nd to the fo rbearance o f Go d

,
We .
sho uld no t fo rg et th at there is a time when the p atience

o f Go d ceases and when no i ntercessi o n can avail (E zekiel
,
x iv 3 1 4 20; 1 Jo h n v
.
, ,
.
There ar e certai n less o ns we may le ar n fro m the de

structio n o f S o do m and G o m o rrah
F irst That Go d is no t to o go o d to pu nish sin (2 P ete r
.
1 1 6 ; Jude
.
S ec o nd It is a war ni ng fo r future generati o ns and is

.
a pictur e o f the end o f the age There will be m o ckers .
o f this truth j ust as there were in th o se d ays (x ix 1 4 ; .
Luke x vii 28-32 ; 2 P eter iii 3 . .
Third It is a picture o f co nditi o ns as they will ex ist

.
at the e nd o f t he age The wo rld will no t gro w better .

,
but wo rse (Luke x vii .
F o urth L ot was saved as by fi re

. His trust in Go d .
saved him but his life and i nflue nce h ave no t co u nted
,
much in his favo ur S o will it be with many Chri sti ans .
( 1 C o ri nthi an s iii 1 2 .
F i fth It is o ur duty to warn and save o ur l o ved o nes

.
if we can N o te the w o rds in x ix 1 2

. E ast th o u here .
any besides ! bri ng them o ut ”

.
S i x th O ne may be like Lo t s w i fe
.
“
alm o st a Chri s ,
’
,
ti an and yet l o st A man may be ar o u sed and m o ved

”
,
.
by the ex ample o f o thers o r by a mightier p o wer even ,
an angel hand and yet lo o ki ng back may be l o st

—
, ,
.
“
R emember L o t s wi fe ”
(L uke x vii ’
.
F o ur th Miso d e— A br aham and A bimelech (ch ap s x x , . .
x x i 22 . Thi s is the sto ry o f a great S in after a g reat

victo ry O fttimes o ur greatest temptati o ns c o me after
.
o ur gre atest ble ssi ngs It was after Jesus was baptized .
th at He was r ushed i nto the wilderness to be tempted o f

the devil .
Here is the repetitio n o f a fo rmer sin and an illustr a

A b raham, the Fathe r o f the Faithful 65
tio n o f the tr uth that what I h ave wr itten I sh all write

ag ai n
. S in is a repeater E ach sin we co mmit m akes
.
the nex t sin easier mo re necessary and certai n It w o uld

, ,
.
be easier to fi nd a perfectly i nno cent and S inless man

than to fi nd o ne that had sinned but o nce .
O ne w o uld h ave th o ug ht th at the simil ar ex perience in

chapter thirte en w o uld h ave taught A brah am a lesson .
Twenty years had p assed si nce the ex perience in E gypt,

and pr o bably the impr es si o n o f the si nful ness o f the act
had beco me deade ned Ho w co ul d A brah am repeat such

.
a sin ! The questi o n may be answered by aski ng o ur

selves ho w we can d o agai n the thi ng s whi ch we kno w
ar e wr o ng .
Go d s restr ai nt o f sin is emph asized in this nar r ative

’
in withho ldi ng A bimelech fro m do i ng wro ng Go d r e .
str ai ns sin in the wicked when their acti o ns wo uld i nter

fere with His redemptive purp o ses It wo uld no t d o fo r.
S arah s child to be the o ffspri ng o f A bimelech

’
He mus t .
be A brah am s seed Go d m akes the wrath o f men to

’
. .
praise Him; the remai nder He restr ai ns R o mans i . .
21 —3 2 is an ill us trati o n o f wh at h appens when Go d with

draws His grace P h arao h also is a case i n p o int (Ro
.
, ,
m ans ix 1 7 . Go d restrai ns sin in the Christi an by

His preventi ng and restrai ni ng grace In the deni al o f .
P eter with hi s cursi ng and sweari ng we see an illu stra

, ,
ti o n o f a li fe fro m which the hand o f Go d has b een tem

p o r ar ily wit hdraw n .
A braham s ex ample was ex cee di ngly b ad in its effect

’
.
A child o f Go d was chided by a heathen fo r his dis

lo y alty and l ack o f trust in Go d “
F o r the name o f God
is bl asphemed amo ng the Ge ntiles thro u gh yo u (R o m ans
ii
. Thi nk o f a pr o fess i ng Chri sti an leadi ng a man
o f the w o rld i nto temptati o n and s in
O ne wo nder s whether this i ncident o f A b rah am and

A bimelech is no t ano ther attempt o f S atan to neutraliz e
66 The B o o k o f G e nesis
the pro mi se with regard to the co mi ng Messi anic seed as

set fo rth i n Genesis iii 1 5 (cf Ex o du s i 1 6 22 ; Matthew
. . .
—
ii 1 6
.
The F ulfi llment of the P r o mise f

o a S on (xx i . 1
At l ast after years o f waiting the pro mise o f Go d to
, ,
A brah am and S arah is fulfilled I saac the child o f .

,
pro mise is b o rn Thi s ch apter narrates the sto ry o f his

,
.
early years and also the c o nflict and j eal o u sy which seems
t o h ave ari se n between S ar ah and H ag ar resulti ng in ,
Hagar s flight taki ng her so n I shm ael with her Here

’
,
.
we h ave the begi nni ng o f two great nati o ns and two

religi o ns b o th em anati ng fro m A braham Mo h ammed
,
—
anism and J ud aism which fo u nd its ful fi llme nt i n Chris

, ,
tianity Mo h ammed and Christ

. These ar e in perpetu al .
co nflict o ne with the o ther .
O ne c anno t but be impressed with the abso lute reli a

b ility o f the w o rd and pro mise o f Go d Jeho vah will .
keep His w o rd even th o ug h years el apse between the

,
anno u ncement and ful fi llment o f the p r o mise If the .
visi on tar ry wait for it

,
.
Un n w r d y t
a s e e e
The prayer yo ur lips have pleaded
In ago ny o f heart these many years
Do es faith b egin to fail is h0pe d eparti ng , ,
A nd thi nk yo u all in vai n tho se falling tears !

S ay no t the Father hath no t heard yo ur prayer ;
Y o u shall have yo ur d esire so me time so mewhere , , .
Un n w r d y t !
a s e e e
Tho ugh when yo u first presented
This o ne peti tio n at the Father s thro ne ’
,
It seemed yo u co uld no t wait the ti me o f aski ng ,
S o urgent was yo ur heart to make it kno wn .
Tho ugh years have passed since then d o no t despair ; ,

The Lord will answer yo u so me time so mewhere , .
Abraham the Father o f the Faithfu l
,
U nanswered yet P
Nay, d o no t say ungranted
Perhaps yo ur part is no t yet who lly do ne ;
The wo rk b egan when first yo ur prayer was uttered,
A nd Go d will finish what He has b egun
If yo u will keep the i ncense burni ng there,
His glory yo u shall see so me time, so mewhere .
U nanswered yet P
Faith canno t b e unanswered ;
Her feet were firmly planted o n the R o ck ;
A mid the wild est sto rm, prayer stand s undaunted ,
No r q uails b efo re the lo udest thund er sho ck .
S he kno ws O mnipo tence has heard her prayer,

A nd cries, It shall b e d o ne, so me ti me, so mewhere
’
.
7 . The S ev e nt h Mani fe s t atio n o f Go d t o A b r aham

(ch aps . xx ii . Three g reat facts are set befo re us in
F irst . supreme test o f A brah am s faith the o ffer

The ’ —
ing up o f Isaac the so n in wh o m all the pr o mises were

,
to be ful fi lled (x x ii 1 .
This was the supreme test o f A br aham s faith A t all ’

.
o ther times he had bee n given a pr o mise to step o ut o n ,
but no pro mi se is co nnected with thi s i ncident A bra .
hamis to ld to tak e his so n his o nly so n the so n in wh o m

, ,
all the pr o mises were to be ful fi lled and o ffer him for a ,
sacrifice o n Mo unt Mo ri ah This was really the l ast o f

.
the fo ur great surrenders in A brah am s li fe which he ’

,
had bee n called up o n to m ake These surrenders were.
The sacri fi ce o f h o me and ki ndred (ch ap x ii ) the sep . .
arati o n fr o m Lo t ( ch ap x iii ) the givi ng up o f his o wn

. .
pl an o f li fe (ch ap and no w the sacri fi ce o f his

.
o ly a d well bel o ved so n Isaac

n n - .
It was go o d fo r A brah am th at thi s supreme tes t did

no t co me at the begi nni ng o f his pilgrim li fe but after ,
y ear s o f co mmu n i o n and fell o wshi p with G od This is a .

68 The Bo o k o f G e ne s is
m ark o f Go d s go o d ness and ki ndly co nsideratio n

’
The .
“
valley o f the sh ad o w o f death is no t at the begi nni ng

”
,
but in the middle o f the Twe ty third P salm N o t

n ,
- .
u ntil we h ave been well fed in green p astures and satis ,
fi ed to the full o ur thirst i n still waters ; no t u ntil we

h ave had so ul refreshment and the blessed ex perience o f
w alki ng in the p ath s o f righteo usness with Go d as o ur
Co mp ani o n ar e we called up o n to p ass thr o ugh the valley
,
o f the S h ad o w Ho w g o o d Go d is ! There will no te mp

.
t atio n take yo u but s uch as man can be ar and “

Go d is ,
faith ful who will no t suffer yo u to be temp ted ab o ve th at

,
ye ar e able ; but will with the temptati o n also m ake a

way to es c ape th at ye may be able t o be ar it
,
”
(1 Co ri n
thians x .
“
A S thy d ays so sh all thy stre ngth be ”
,
( D eut r my iii
m
e o no x x x .
A brah a go t hi s gre a te st ble ssi ng thr o u g h this the

greatest o f all surrenders His servants o bserved the .
glo ry th at sh o ne o n his face as he returned and fo r thi s ,
reaso n the pr o verb o rigi nated In the mo unt o f the Lo rd

“
,
it shall be seen (x x ii
” .
There ar e so me thi ng s in this narr ative th at need a wo rd

o f ex pl anati o n
F irst . There is the w o rd tempt ” N o w the Lo rd

did tempt A braham ” This w o rd is u sed in the S crip
.
tures in at leas t two se nses When used o f S atan in his .
rel ati o ns with m anki nd it ex presses an evil i ntent and , ,
means to seduce o r cau se man to fall (Matthew iv 1 .
1 Co ri nthi ans x i In thi s se nse tempt ati o n c anno t

.
,
be attributed to Go d fo r Go d never thus tempts any man

,
( Ja me s i 1 3 . T he w o rd “
tempt ”
u sed o f G o d is to
be u ndersto o d in the sense o f testi ng o r pro vi ng the go o d

th at is in man sep arati ng the wheat fro m the chaff the
, ,
go ld fro m the dro ss but always in o rder th at the wheat

and the g o ld may be the p ro mi ne nt thing (Genes is x x ii .
1 Matthew vi .
A b raham t he , Fathe r o f t he Faithful 69
S eco nd . co mmand to o ffer up Isaac is to be u nder

The
sto o d literally A braham did no t mi sunderstand the
.
co mm and o f Go d when with uplifted hand he was ready

, , ,
and willi ng to o f fer his so n N o r was A braham feig ni ng

.
o r mi srepresenti ng whe n he said to his serv ants A bide ,
ye here and I and the lad will go y o nder and
worship and co me agai n to yo u (x x ii

,
” When he .
used the pro no u n we he was no t usi ng the lang uag e

“ ”
,
o f dissimul ati o n but o f victo rio u s faith This we ar e

,
.
given to understand in Hebrews x i 1 7 1 9 Co uld A bra .

— .
ham believe in Go d now with o ut his so n as he had b e ,
liev ed befo re without hi m l Was he persu aded th at Go d

‘
was able to rai se Isaac fro m the dead if th at was necos

sary in o rder fo r the fulfillme nt o f His pr o m i se (R o m ans
iv 1 6 1 7 21 Hebrews x i 1 7 1 9 R o mans iv 24
.
, ,
.
,
.
,
Third . It is app arent th at A braham did no t th ink it

wr ong to thus sacrifice his so n A k no wled ge o f the cus.
t o ms o f the time leads us to believe th at such a sacrifi ce

was regarded as the highest virtue and the supreme test
o f reli gi o n Had A brah am co nsider ed it to be wr o ng he
.
,
wo uld no t h ave do ne it no r wo uld he h ave co nsidered

,
such a vo ice to have been the vo ice o f Go d O ne so me .
times wo nders if this sacri fi ce was necessary because o fthe

pro b able co nditi o n o f A brah am s religio us ex perience ’
.
Is it likely th at he had entertai ned h ard th o ughts o f Go d

fo r sendi ng Ishm ael aw ay and th at this led him to m ake
,
co mpensatio n by the gl ad sacrifice o f Isaac ! Ho wever

the c omm and came to him it became his co nvi cti o n that
,
Go d w anted him to o ffer up his o nly so n .
F o urth . It do es se em h o wever th at alth o ugh A bra

, ,
ham did no t thi nk the sacrifice o f Isaa c to be wr o ng the ,
actu al sl ayi ng o f Isaac w o uld h ave bee n wr o ng in the
sight o f Go d Ho w then can this be reco nciled with the

.
, ,
direct co m mand o f Go d ! May it no t be suffi cient to r e

ply that Go d meant A braham to o ffer Isaac in so
7 0 The Bo o k O f G e nesis
far he himself was co ncerned that Go d i nte nded th at

as
A br ah am sh o uld o ffer I saac in S pirit o nly and no t in o ut ,
ward act even th o ugh A br ah am him self u ndersto o d Go d

,
to desire the literal sacrifice O f I saac that wh at Go d de

sired O f A braham was an O fferi ng O f the spirit and no t O f ,
bl o o d ! Do es no t the nar r ative bear o ut thi s view in ,
as much as A br ah am is all o wed t o pro ceed as th o u g h Go d
actu ally w anted him to O f fer up hi s so n literally !

In any eve nt it is clear th at Go d w o uld teach A brah am
,
so me imp o rtant lesso ns He w o uld teach him the true .
meaning O f sacri fi ce th at it lay in spirit m o re than in act

th at the co nsecr ati o n o f a livi ng so ul is far m o re imp o r
tant th an the O fi er ing O f a dead b o dy (R o m ans x ii .
B ey o nd all questi o n Go d i ntended th at A br ah am sh o uld

,
k no w that hum an sacrifice was no w to receive a fi nal bl o w .
It is not go i ng too far to say th at Go d gave to the p atri

arch th at d ay a lesso n in sub stituti o n and vic ari o u s s acri
fi ce . May it no t be that in the sub stitutio n o f the r am

fo r I saac th at the ex pressi o n O f the N e w Testament is
ful fi lled “
A brah am rej o iced to see my d ay and he saw
,
it and was glad (Jo h n viii

,
”
and P re ached befo re
.
the go spel unto A brah am (Galati ans iii

” .
In m an s ex tremity G o d s O pp o r tu nity was m ani fest

’
,
’
.
N o t u ntil the h and O f A braham was upli fted and so far , ,
as father and so n were c o ncer ned the who le s acri fi ce

,
co mplete was the substituti o n pro vided It must h ave

,
.
seemed to A br ah am as th o ugh to O ffer his so n t o m ake ,
th at sacri fi ce meant the end o f all his hO p es th at no th

,
ing m o re was left B ut whe n A br ah am had g o ne all the

.
way with Go d then we ar e to ld th at the Lo rd pr o vided

,
.
It was seen in the m o u nt th at Go d do th pro vide Him

“ ”
sel f a sacrifice Then came the greatest O f all blessi ngs to

.
A brah am (x x ii 1 5 .
Is no t thi s the way Go d de al s with men to d ay !

.
N ot
until we h ave c o me to the end O f o urselves and l aid ab so
ti o n fro m the dead a type O f Christ s resurr ectio n (of

,
’
.
Hebrews x i 1 7 1 9 R o m ans iv 20
.
— .
F ift h Ep iso d e— The Death of S ar ah ( ch ap This .
ch apter co ntai ns the first detailed acco unt O f a funeral ,
j ust as ch apter twe ty fo ur co ntai ns the fi rst detailed ao

n -
co u nt O f a weddi ng .
The faith o f A br ah am is agai n S h o wn in purch asi ng a

buri al pl ace in Canaan rather th an in Ur O f the Chaldees .
Thi s was the first re al pledg e th at the p atri arch had

ab and o ned the O ld li fe and l and never to retur n to it , .
The piece o f l and A br ah am b o u g ht was no t a p asture

th at c o uld be so ld ag ai n no r a buildi ng lo t that co uld be
,
disp o sed O f but a grave so methi ng that he co uld no t

, ,
well ab ando n .
The detailed descripti o n O f the g ro und and the mi nute

accuracy and publicity O f the tr ansacti o n (vers 3 1 1 .
, ,
1 7 — 20) emph asize the fact th at this purch ase was l o o ked
upo n by A brah am as an ear nest o f the future p o ssessi o n
O f the wh o le l and The death O f S ar ah his wi fe surely
.
, ,
O ffered a legitim ate O pp o rtu nity fo r him to go b ack to
Ur O f the Chaldees if he had wanted to The purchase .
o f a gr ave fo r his dead b o u nd him to th at l and j u st as ,
the graves O f o ur dead d o to o urs That grave was an .
earnest a fir st frui ts ; the rest w o uld fo llo w

, .
A br ah am c ame to the g r ave to weep and to m o urn .
S urely it is no t wr o ng fo r us to weep o ver o ur dead o r to

m o urn o ver their lo ss Jesu s wept at the gr ave o f Laz
.
arus .Te ars o f so rr o w and bere avement wet a h o lier eye

and stai ned a mo re sacred cheek th an o urs We sh o uld .
no t o f c o ur se
,
“
so rr o w as th o se which h ave no h o pe
,
”
,
fo r faith in Chri st has i nspired the Chri sti an with a liv

ing h o pe th at sustai ns the so ul in the h o ur O f bereave
ment (1 Thessal o ni ans iv 1 3 .
A brah am speak s O f the de ad as my dead ” Th o se .
who die in faith ar e no t l o st to us O nce o ur o wn they

.
,
A b raham, the Father of t he Faithful 73
ar e o ur o wn fo rever . gave J o b twice as much pro p

Go d
er ty and cattle as he had befo re his afi ictio n but no t ,
twice as m any children Why ! B ecause he had l o st

.
his l and and cattle but he had no t l o st his children who

,
had died . They had S i mply g o ne o n befo re .
The ex pressi o n “
buried with his fathers is signifi
”
cant Ho w desiro us the O ld Testament sai nts were O f

.
bei ng buried as families E ven to d ay in o riental l ands

.
the family buryi ng gro und is sacredly mai ntai ned It is .
their belief that they S hall rise as families Will family .
life be reco gnized in heaven ! What d o es P aul mean by

the ex pressi o n F o r this c ause I ho w my k nees u nto the
“
,
F ather o f o ur Lo rd Jesus Chri st O f wh o m the wh o le

,
family in heaven and earth is named (E phe s i ans iii .
1 4 1 5 ) 1 Is no t the th o u g ht O f family reu ni o n a very

,
sacred o ne 1
d
Beyo n the s ent ve , il
ri r
In the g o y summe an ,
lr rl d
b i l r r
In the eaut fu fo eve ,
W e e the j ewe e c ty stan s,
hr ld i d
W e e eve - o o m n fl o we s
hr r bl i g r
S en fo t t e sweet pe fume ,
d r h h ir r
My ea t s mo st o ve and c e
h ’
r l d h rished ,
In eave n s eauty oo m
h b bl
’
.
A nd when I cro ss that river,

The firs t I will adore,
The first to bid me welco me,
U po n th at go l d en sho re ,
Will b e my lo ving S avio ur,

The O ne who d ied fo r me,
That in the lo ng fo rever,
Fro m sin I might b e free .
The ill greet me

nex t o ne who w ,
In the mansio ns fair and bright ,
Will be my sainted mo ther ,
Arrayed in garments whi te ,

h h r y h ir d h r
A nd t e n t at g a - a e fat e ,
l r i
C o se p e ss ng b y her s d e, i
W c asp my an w t fe o
ill l h d i h rv ur ,
J '
ust o er the swe ng t e lli id .
Then rly -headed bro ther

cu ,
A nd little sister d ear ,
A nd bright -eyed little baby ,
With merry laugh and cheer ,
Will all then cluster aro und me

To bid me welco me ho me ,
A nd watch with me the gathering

O f loved o nes yet to co me .
O h, thej h at
oyth t
ere aw ai ts me
When I reach that golden sho re ,
And clasp the hand s O f lo ved o nes ,
TO part with them no more .
Death of A br aham (xx v . 7 A braham

lived to be
o ne hundred and seve nty fi v e ye ars O ld He died in a
- “
.
go o d O ld age an O ld man and full O f years ; and was

, ,
gathered to his peo ple Here agai n we co me acro ss

” .
the co m fo rti ng ex pressio n “

gathered to his peo ple ”
.
Just what is meant by thi s ex pressi o n we have seen

u nder the descripti o n O f S arah s death A brah am was
’
.
buried in the same sepulchre with his wi fe S arah in the , ,
cave O f Machpel ah in the p arcel o f gro u nd which A bra

,
ham b o ught fr o m E ph ro n the Hittite .

The Hist o ry o f Isaac
(
xxv .
—wwviii . 9 xxxv
.
)
we h ave O bserved that the history O f the p a
0 far ,
triarchs A br ah am Isaac a d Jaco b have crys
— n ,
—
,
talliz ed ar o u nd a number O f visi o ns o r m ani festa ,
ti o ns O f Go d : S eve n to A brah am ; two to I saac ; and

seven to Jaco b The nature O f these vi si o ns is deter
.
mi ned by the character O f the men to wh o m they ar e

given Tho se to A brah am were fo
. r r evelati on— all that
A brah am needed to lead him to d o the will O f Go d was a

k no wledge O f that will th o se to Isaac were fo r cor r obo
r ation — being a timid quiet man he was in danger O f lo s
, ,
ing heart and c o mpr o mi si ng ; th o se to Jaco b were fo r

,
the purp ose o f r estr aint bei ng will ful impul sive and
—
, ,
full o f selfi sh i niti ative he was c o nstantly ru nni ng ahead

,
O f Go d and c o nti nually substituti ng his o wn pl ans for
th o se O f Go d .
N o t much is s aid in the S criptures ab o ut Isaac al ,
th o ugh he lived to be the O ldest O f the p atri archs His .
v alue in hi sto ry seems to lie i n the fact th at he was the

co nnecting li nk in the p atri arch al histo ry He led a .
quiet uneventful li fe He was ch aracteristic ally a man

,
.
, ,
O f peace When A bimelech required himto leave Gerar

.
,
he left ; when the P hili sti nes filled his wells he dug ,
o thers ; when herd me n wrangled o ver a well h e g ave it ,
up ; when thi s well to o was disputed he gave it up

, , ,
also ,
retired and set to wo rk o n a third Y et all the .
time his fl o cks and herds i ncreased and he was pr o s

pered Like his father he went do wn into Egypt and
.
,
75
7 6 The Bo o k o f Ge nesis
fell i nto sin His death cl o sed a co mparatively unev ent

.
ful li fe .
Isaac s histo r y is no t as o rderly ar r anged as th at O f

’
A brah am his father The bro ken ch ar acter therefo re

,
.
, ,
O f this histo ry necessitates th at we l o o k at it fro m a d if
fer ent vi ew -p o i nt There ar e fi ve pro minent thi ngs to

.
r emember in Isaac s life : hi s name ; birth ; m arr i ag e ;

’
career which crystalliz es ar o und t wo visio ns O f God ; and

,
his d eath .
1Is aac s B irt h and N ame (xvn 1 7 —1 9 ; x v ui 1 2-1 3 ;

.
’
. .
x i Like Chr ist s Is aac s b irth was miraculo us and

.
’
,
' ’
,
his name fo reto ld His birth o ccur red in the divi ne li ne

.
in whi ch b arrennes s seemed to be pro mi nent and co n ,
sequently mir acul o us and supernatural i nterventi o n was

necessary We sho uld no t fail to no tice this fact in co n
.
nectio n w ith the p ro mised seed up to and i ncludi ng

Christ .
Isaac s name means laughter and was in all pro b

’“ ”
, ,
ability a d aily remi nder

,
no t o nly o f S ar ah s sin but
’
, ,
also O f the faith O f S arah and A b rah am It was also a .
daily r emi nder o f the p o wer O f Go d S arah co uld say .

,
N o w yo u may l au g h with me but yo u c anno t l augh at ,
me ” N O d o ubt the birth o f Is aac bro ug ht j o y and gl ad

.
ness to A br ah am and S ar ah j ust as did the birth O f Jesus ,
Christ to His m o ther and the wor ld (of Luke i 4 6—5 6 ; . .
ii.
2. Mar r iage o f Is aac (chap

Th e This is .
the fi rst detailed acco unt O f a wedding in the B ible and ,
si ty seven verses ar e devo ted to it While there ar e

x - .
m any spiritual lesso ns and typical signifi catio ns in this

ch apte r great care sh o uld be ex erci sed lest o ne fall i nto
the di culty O o ver spiritu alizi ng and lo o ki ng fo r typ es
ffi f -
,
where in r eality they ar e no t fo und .

The H isto ry o f Isaac 77
It might be well in this co nnecti o n to lay do wn a safe

rule fo r the study o f typ o l o gy in the Wo rd O f Go d It is .
unquesti o nably a safe rule to fo llo w in the study o f the

types O f S cripture no t to make anythi ng in the O ld Tes
,
tament a type which the N ew Testament d o es no t sanc

tio n o r declare to be such F o r illustrati o n we kno w
.
,
that the P asso ver was a type fo r 1 Co ri nthi ans v 7 dis

,
.
tinctly teaches this truth Melchizedek (Genesis x iv )

. .
i s typic al O f Chri st fo r the writer O f the epistle to the

,
Hebrews clearly says so (Hebrews v 1 0 ; vii 1 . .
There may be m any p o i nts O f similarity between O ld

Testament ch ar acters and Christ th at S h o uld no t be
called types O f o ur Lo rd Jesus We w o uld no t b e.
u ndersto o d as sayi ng th at there is abso lutely no thi ng

typ ical in the O ld Testament but wh at the N ew Testa
ment disti nctly and clearly states to be such We wo uld .
be u ndersto o d h o wever as disti nctly stati ng th at the

, ,
rule j ust given is a safe o ne to fo llo w and keeps o ne ,
fr o m falli ng into the erro r so prevalent in m any quarters

, ,
O f o ver d o i ng the typic al teachi ng O f the Wo rd o f Go d .
S o me ex p o sito rs see in thi s ch apter a picture O f Christ

ch oo sing a Ge ntile bride fo r Himself set fo rth u nder the
,
fi gur e histo rical o f c o ur se O f the c all o f R ebek ah to be

—
,
—
the bride O f Isaac A brah am s steward Eleaz ar is lik

.
’
, ,
ened to the Ho ly S pirit A t all events there ar e fi ve

.
,
lesso ns in co nnectio n with m arri age in this ch apte r :

F irst
. There is the resp o nsibility O f p arents to see
th at their children ar e m arried withi n the circle O f relig
io n and in acc o rd ance with the will O f Go d Many p ar
well m
.
ents seem to thi nk that their children ar e arried

”
and have m ade a

“
go o d mate if auspicio us circum
”
stances h ave ch aracte rized the m arriage It does no t .
seem to h ave o ccurred to them to i nquire as to whether
the o ne seeki ng the h and O f their child is a Christi an o r

no t
. Thi nk O f it p arents ; p ause and p o nder ere yo u
, ,
a llo w yo ur co nsent to be g iven to an u nchris ti an mar

r iage ! Thi nk O f a Christi an p arent g ivi ng his d aughter
to be the li fe co mp ani o n O f an u nbeliever P arents ar e ,
y o u g ivi ng y o ur childre n i n m arri age t o a c hild O f Go d ,
o r a child O f t he d evil which ! B efo re Go d yo u mu st

,
answer this questi o n DO yo u say yo u d o no t k no w ! It

.
is yo ur busi ness to fi nd o ut Go d h o lds yo u resp o nsible .
fo r this thi ng The r elig i o us questi o n in m arri ag e is the

.
pri me questi o n .
S ec o nd Th at there must be no intermi ngli ng o f

.
seeds ; that is to say there must be no m arri age O f the

,
Chr isti an to the w o rldli ng (xx iv 3 Li ght c anno t .

,
have fell o wship with dark ness no r he th at believeth ,

.
with an i nfi del The ethics O f Christi an m arri ages ar e

.
set fo rth clearly in 2 Co ri nthi ans vi 1 4—1 7 and 1 Co r .

,
inthians vii . 39
1 4 Be.
ye n o t u nequ ally yo ked to ge ther wi th un
believers fo r what fello wship hath righteo usness with
unrighteo usness and what c o mmunio n h ath lig ht
with d arkness i’
r5 A nd what co nco rd hath Christ with Belial

.
o r what part h ath he that believeth with an infid el

1 6 A nd what agre ement b ath the templ e O f Go d
.
with idols P fo r ye ar e the temple O f the living Go d ;

as Go d h ath said , I will d well in them, and walk in
them; and I will b e their Go d , and they shall b e my
peo ple .
1 7 . Wherefore co me
fro m amo ng them, and o ut
b e ye separate, saith the Lord , and to uch no t the un
cl ean thing and I will rec eiv e yo u .
39 T h
.e w i fe is b o und b y t he law as l o ng as her
husb and liveth ; b ut if her husband b e d ead , she is
at liberty to b e married to who m she will ; o nly in
the Lord .
F ro m these wo rds it is evident th at the m atter o f the

cho i ce O f a p ar tner in m ar ri ag e is o ne th at sh o uld be O f
80 The Bo o k o f Ge ne sis
to help and co m fo rt yo u fo r yo u yo u rself ar e no t able to

,
pray think o f it Chri sti an yo u ng wo man to be married

—
, ,
to a man who canno t mi ni ster to yo u in the m o st s acred

thi ngs o f yo ur so ul in the m o st desperate ho ur s o f life !
Thi nk and p o nder befo re yo u leap .
Do no t be deluded by the fal se phil o so phy th at yo u may

m arry an unco nverted man in o rd er th at yo u may lead
him t o Chri st The O dds ar e a tho usand to o ne th at yo u
.
will be led away fro m the Lo rd A ny p asto r who wo uld .
thi nk it wise to give y o u a le f o t o his ote b o o k will

a u f n -
tell yo u th at so me o f the saddest i ncidents which h ave

co me u nder his no tice and deali ng h ave been th o se O f
bro ke n hearted wives who o nce were sweet Christi an
-
, ,
yo u ng wo men but who m arried u nc o nverted men thi nk

, ,
ing th at they wo uld refo rm them after they were m arried

to t hem . There can be no agreement betwee n a Chri sti an
and an u nbeliever If an agree me nt is reached it is an
.
,
agreeme nt alm o st al way s to give up pr ayer aski ng the

, , ,
blessi ng at the table and g o i ng to church

,
.
Y et it shall b e : tho u sh alt lo wer to his l evel d ay b y

d ay,
What is fine within thee gro wing co arse to sympa
thiz e with c l ay,
A s the husband is, the wife is tho u art mated with
l
a c o wn
r
A nd the g o ssness O f his natu e w av e we g t to r ill h i h
r h
d ag t ee d o wn,
He w o ill h ld h h
t ee , w en his pass o n s a av e s ent i h ll h p
l r
its no v e fo ce ,
S o met ng ette t an his d o g, a tt e d ea e t an
hi b r h li l rr h
his o se hr
”
.
— Tennys o n .
Third . res p o nsibility att ached to the cho ice o f a

The
residence (xx iv 4—9 3 7 . We h ave already in the
, ,
case o f Lo t (Genesi s x iii x viii s ee n the d an

.
, .
,
The Histo ry o f Isaac 81
gers th t c me fr m
a o o a Chri sti an man l o c ati ng himself and
family in the midst o f u ngo dly surr o undi ng s A brah am .
is very c areful to i nsist th at his servant E leaz ar sh all , ,
bri ng Isaac s bride back with him to his co untry Isaac

’
.
must no t u nder any circu mstances go i nto th at heathen

, ,
c o untr y to take up his residence there (Genesi s x x iv .
F o urth . There must be h armo ny o f religi o us faith .
Ho w can two walk to gether in peace and unity ex cept

they be agreed
F i fth The imp o rtant p art th at prayer has to pl ay in
.
the ch o ice o fa li fe p artner This ch ap ter is h o neyco mbed .
with the tho ught o f prayer in co nnecti o n with the cho ice
O f a bride (o f vers 2 3 7 12
.
— 1 4 40 4 3 4 8
.
—
, ,
O ne can
, , , ,
no t fail to be i mpressed with the quick answers to prayer

rel ated in this ch apter (cf vers 1 5 45 ) A nd it came to
. .
,
p ass befo re he had d o ne speaki ng

,
“
A nd befo re I
had d o ne spe aki ng in my heart these ar e the ex pres —
si o ns th at i ndicate quick answers to prayer This mar .
r iag e was surely made in he aven It was prayer and no t .

,
ch ance which gave Isaac his wi fe Why sh o uld y o u ng

,
.
men and wo men to -d ay neglect to pray with reference to

the matter O f m arri age and the ch o ice O f a li fe p artner ,
which nex t to their so ul s salvati o n is the mo st i mpo r

,
’
,
tant event in their lives .
3
. I s a a c s C a r’
e e r (x x v i 1 -22 23 T he c.areer o f ,
Isaac crystalli z es aro und t wo m anifestati o ns O f Go d to him ,
the first bei ng in co nnecti o n with A bimelech (xx vi 1 .
and indic ati ng th at retro gres si o n had t aken pl ace in the
religio u s li fe o f the p atri arch The seco nd was in co nnec .
ti o n with the B eer S heba i ncident (x x vi 23

- and r e .
sul ted in pr o gress bei ng m ade by Isaac in his religi o us
li fe
.
( )
a T he Fi r st M a n ife sta ti o n of Go d to Isaa c (xx vi 1 .
The first vi i s on the li fe o f Isaac is co nnected

of Go d in
with Gerar in E gypt It wo uld seem fr o m the narrative
.
,
O f the ch apter that a thre ate ned fami ne caused Isaac to

,
take a trip do wn to E gypt j ust as his father befo re him ,
had d o ne . We d o no t k no w whether Isaac k new o r did ,
no t k no w th at his father had m ade a S imil ar j o ur ney with

,
di sastro us results If he did kno w he S h o uld have been

.
,
war ned by his father s ex ample N O physical co nditi o n

’
.
sh o uld be able to drive the peo ple O f Go d i nto fo rbidde n

territo ry.
While I saac was o n his way d own to Egypt Go d met ,
him a nd st pped him h al f way He fell i nto the same S in

o - .
th at his father had fallen i nto This fact need no t cause .
us am azeme nt fo r “
,
as father so so n
”
is tO O O ften illus , ,
tr ated u nder o ur o wn eyes .
This i ncident is no t a sec o nd acco unt o f th at narrated

in c o nnecti o n with the li fe o f A br ah am (x ii 1 0 al .
th o ugh the same name A bimelech is used With o ut , ,

.
questi o n A bimelech like P h arao h was an O ffi cial

,
” “ ”
, ,
name fo r the ruli ng he ad o f the pe o ple .
B o th A br ah am s and Is aac s wives were h and so me and

’ ’
,
their go o d l o o k s were m ade a curse to them B eauty is .
O f Go d and is c au se fo r g ratitude but ho w O ften has it ,
been the means O f destructi o n to th o se p ossessi ng it .
O ne w o nders why Go d publicly blessed Is aac even ,
while he was in this state O f di so bedience to Go d We .
canno t tell Go d sometimes do es th at He so metim es

. .
ho no urs His pe o ple in the sight o f men but punishes them ,
in priv ate fo r wr o ng -d o i ng Go d d o es no t alway s all o w

.
His serv ants to be dish o no ured befo re the w o rld but th ey ,
will be disciplined nevertheless S o metimes h o wever as

,
.
, ,
in the case o f David Go d rebuke s His serv ants o penly fo r

,
si ns c o mmitted privately (2 S amuel x ii We mu st .
no t fo rget h o wever th at the very pro sperity O f Isaac

, ,
aro used the e nvy m ani fested in ver se fo urteen .

The Histo ry O f Isaac 83
( )
b T S M
he an f
i estati oecond
n of G o d to I s aa c B eer —
sheb a (x x vi 23 T his .vi s i o n o f G o d c ame to I saac

after he had determi ned to l e ave E gypt and rem o ve to
B eer S heb a
- In th at “
. same night Go d appeared unto
”
him and said, I am the Go d o f A brah am thy father

“
fear no t fo r I am with thee and will bless thee and mul

, , ,
tip ly thy seed fo r my serv ant A br ah am s sake

,
” “
A nd ’
.
he builded an altar there and called up o n the name O f ,
the Lo rd and pitched hi s tent there

,
” .
A simil ar vi si o n had c o me to A brah am when he left

Egypt and we nt back to B ethe! b ack to the pl ace O f the ,
altar and the te nt .
Go d m ade Is aac s enemies to be at peace with him

’
(ver They saw pl ai nly as A bimelech s aid : We “

.
,
saw certainly th at the L o rd was with thee : and we s aid ,
Let there be no w an o ath betwi x t us eve n betwi x t us and ,
thee and let us m ake a co venant with thee ; Th at tho u

,
wilt d o us no hurt as we h ave no t to uched thee and as

, ,
we have do ne unto thee no thing but go o d and h ave sent ,
thee away in peace th o u ar t no w the blessed O fthe Lo rd

( vers 28 . Is aa
,
c w a s a timid m an a n d yet it w as o
p s ,
sible fo r him to live so as to i nflue nce the l ives O f the nu
go dly and m ake them understand that Go d was with

him .
4 . Is aac
’
s De at h (xxx v
Isaac died at the . 28 ,
age o f o ne hu nd red and eighty ye ars His death was as .
u neventful as his li fe He did no t die h o wever as so o n

.
, ,
as he th o ught he wo uld (x x vii 1 but lived fo rty .

,
years l o nger at least u ntil Jo seph was ab o ut thirty years

,
O ld. The sto ry O f Isaac s li fe cl o ses with the w o rd s’
“
A nd the d ays o f Isaac were an hundred and fo ur sco re
years A nd Isaac gave up the gh o st and died and was
.
, ,
g athered u nto his peo ple bei ng O ld and full o f d ay s and

,
his s o ns E sau and Jac o b bur ied him ”

(x xx v 28 .
,
The Hist o r y O f J ac o b
(
xx viii . 35 x lvi 1 7)
—.
histo ry o f Jaco b co ntai ns two clearly mar ked

HE
divi si o ns : in the first we see the restless wil , ,
ful sel f assertive man Jac o b ; in the seco nd

-
, , ,
we see the restful trusti ng submi ssive o bedi ent man

, , , ,
Israel .
The B ible has o ften bee n likened t o a p o rtrait gallery ,
ad o rned with the faces o f rem ark able histo ric men in ,
which every variety o f feature and type o f ch aracter

may be fo und N o ne o f the ch ar acters which the p en O f
.
i nspi rati o n has rescued fro m O blivi o n is m o re i nteresti ng

to read and i nstructive to c o ntempl ate th an th at o f
, ,
Jaco b the tricky deceitful suppl anti ng man who by

, , , , ,
the p o wer and grace o f Go d was transfo rmed i nto the ,
faith ful tru sti ng p atri arch

, .
The hi sto ry o f Jaco b revo lves ar o u nd seven visi o ns ,
fo ur O f which may be pl aced under the fi rst divi si o n

S p o ke n o f ab o ve ; the o ther three u nder the sec o nd di ,
vi si o n .
1 . Manifest at io n o f Go d t o J aco b
The F irs t
B e e l F light (ch ap
t h — This visi o n is co n
.
nected with the p ast ( ch ap x x vii -the sto len blessi ng )

. .
and the futu r e ( ch aps x x i x Jaco b s flight and — ’

xxx . .
,
.
residence with Lab an) .
Ch apter twenty -seven narr ates the i ncident O f Jaco b s ’
theft o f E sau s blessi ng A careful study O f the ch apter

’
.
will r eveal that the fo ur p arties engaged in the trans

84
The Histo ry o f J aco b 85
ac ti o n wer e all o f them in the e ng in so me point o r

o ther :
Isaac the father sh o uld h ave remembered that at the

, ,
time o f the birth o f the children the blessi ng was pro m

ised to Jaco b He sh o uld no t therefo re h ave made
.
, ,
preparati o n to give it to E sau Isaac was evidently also .
wro ng in assumi ng that the time o f his death had co me ,
which in po int O f fact did not co me u ntil fo rty years

, ,
afterwards .
R ebek ah the m o ther was in the wro ng in the deceit

, ,
ful and hyp o critical means she reso rted to in o rder to

bri ng ab o ut the result which she desired ; namely the ,
besto wal o f the birthright blessi ng up o n her fav o urite

so n . P arti ality t o w ards children in a family whether ,
by father or m o ther alway s bri ngs tr o uble Thi s is evi

,
.
dent in the life O f I saac s family and al so O f Jaco b s

[
’
,
’
.
I ndeed it was Jaco b s manifest favo uritism to wards

,
’
Jo seph that aro used the ire and j eal ous y o f his brethren ,
and c aused him to be s o ld i nt o E gypt .
E sau was grievo u sly wr o ng in this transacti o n in th at he

had despi sed this birthright and hence had fo rfeited the
!
r ight to the birthright blessi ng It was no t until he saw .
the unhappy res ults th at c ame fro m the light estimate he

had put up o n divi ne blessi ng th at he was so rry fo r wh at
he had do ne The N ew Testament (Hebrews x ii 1 6 1 7 )
. .
,
makes use o f thi s i ncident to warn us agai nst treati ng

lightly the blessi ngs o f Go d The repentance S p o ken
“ ”
.
O f in Hebrew s x ii is no t g o spel repentance and no argu

.
,
me nt th at a man may so me ti me in life desire to repent

but will no t be able to d o S O sh o uld be based o n this in
eident Wh at E sau failed to d o was no t to fi nd true r e
.
p en t ance but to fi n
,
d any w ay by which he m ight c han ge
his father s mi nd and get him to transfer the blessi ng
’
,
which he had already given to Jaco b to him ,

.
Jaco b s wro ng in thi s transacti o n co nsisted in the fac t

’
86 The B o o k O f G e nesis
that he to o k advantage o f his bro ther s weakness and ’

,
used wro ng means to bri ng ab o ut a right end F urther .

,
he sh o uld h ave w aited G o d s time fo r the bri ngi ng ab o ut ’
o f the fulfillment O f the pr o mi s e O f the birthright blessi ng .
The facts o f thi s ch ap ter ar e emph asized because they

ar e cl o sely rel ated to this first vi si o n o r m ani fe st ati o n o f
Go d to Jaco b The wh o le tr ansacti o n reco rded in chap

.
ter twenty seven S h o wed that the perso ns invo lved so ught
-
wro ng ways to o btai n the rightful blessi ng o f Go d A p .
p a r e ntly these wr o ng w ays h ad succeeded Ja c o b s mi n d .

’
must h ave been filled with these th o ughts as he p ur sued

hi s way to w ard s the h o me o f L aban It must no t be .
,
h o wever th at thi s man who is to pl ay so l arge a p art in

, ,
the hi sto ry o f Israel sh all thi nk th at tr ickery rather

, ,
th an trust in Go d and righteo usness is the way to suc ,
cess To teach Jaco b this lesso n God g rants himthis

.
,
m ani festati o n o f HM self .
There ar e so me practical lesso ns here for us We to o .

, ,
ar e O ften tempted t o be imp atient and ar e no t alw ays ,
willi ng to await the time O f Go d s activity Like A bra ’

.
ham and S arah we w o ul d i nterp o se H agar ; like Isaac

,
and R ebek ah we w o uld pr actice deceit in o rder to bri ng

,
ab o ut the thi ng which has been pr o mised to us Thi s is .
o f S atan Just as the d evil tempted Christ in the wil

.
derness (Matthew iv ) to acco mplish rig ht ends by wr o ng

.
means so he temp ts us
,
.
Jaco b s ex perience in ex ile with Laban must also be

’
co nsidered in co nnecti o n with this fi rst m ani festatio n o f

Go d to Jac o b Trickery can be met with trickery
. .
O thers to o ar e shrewd in m atter s O f deceit

, ,
Jaco b is to .
fi nd thi s o ut in his d e ali ngs with Lab an (ch ap s xx i x . .

,
Ho w like his o wn deali ngs with his bro ther and

father were Lab an s de ali ngs with him ’
Ho w Lab an
deceived Jaco b in the matter O f his wives (x x ix 1 5 .
his fl ocks and p o ssessi o ns (x x x i 1 Had Jac ob no t .

,
t e th at he had put fo r his pill o ws and se t it up fo r a

s on ,
pill ar and p o ured o il up o n t he to p o f it A nd he called

, .
the name O f th at pl ace B ethe! but the name o f th at city

was c alled Luz at the first A nd Jaco b v o wed a vo w .
,
saying If Go d w ill be with me and will keep me in this

, ,
way th at I go and will g ive me bre ad to eat and r ai

, ,
ment to put o n S O that I co me agai n to my father s

,
’
h o use in peace ; then S h all the Lo rd be my Go d : A nd

this sto ne which I h ave set fo r a pillar S hall be Go d s
, ,
’
ho use : and o f all th at th o u sh alt give me I will surely

g ive the tenth u nto thee (x x viii 1 2
” .
In thi s visi o n Go d pr o mi ses fi ve thi ng s to Jac o b

F irst divi ne c o mp ani o nship
,
Ho w co mfo rti ng thi s .
must h ave been to Jaco b in his l o neli ness and with the
pro spect o f an alien co untry befo re him .
S ec o nd pr o tecti o n
,
Jac o b wo ul d feel the need o f this
.
,
k no wi ng the vengeance o f E sau and apprehendi ng the ,
d ang ers th at lay befo re him in S yri a .
Third suste nance

,
With no thi ng but his staff in his
.
hand Jac o b must have felt gre atly e nco uraged th at Go d

,
had pr o mi sed to c are fo r his physic al needs thr o ugho ut

all the d ay s O f his li fe .
F o urth favo ur ,
Ho w much he w o uld need it beinga
.
,
stranger in a strange co u ntry .
F i fth s alv ati o n

,
Greatest O f all blessi ngs is this o ne
.
,
which deals with the so ul s rel ati o n to Go d Jaco b di d ’

.
no t deserve such a vi si o n but G o d s revel ati o ns O f Him

’
,
sel f ar e al ways O f pure grace (E phesi ans ii 8 .
A t the to p o f thi s l adder o r perh ap s better stairway —

,
— S too d Go d while all al o ng its step s were the angels .
,
In Jo h n i 5 1 Chri st is pre se nte d to us as the l adder th at

m
.
le ads to Go d as the mediu between Go d and man and

, ,
man and Go d He is the Way the Truth and the Li fe

.
, ,
no man c o meth u nto the F ather but by Him (Jo h n x iv .
Ho w near Go d is to His peo ple Cl o ser is He th an

breathi ng and nearer than hands o r feet

,
Jaco b do ubt .
”
less lear ned the truth th at Whittier so beautifully p or

tr ays
I kno w no t where His island s lift '
Their fro nded palms in air ;

I o nly kno w I canno t drift
Beyo nd His lo ve and care .
J c b will le rn th t e rth is cr mmed with heaven

a o a a a a ,
and every co mm o n bush afl a me with Go d ” .
V IS IO N S
J c b w ke
a o a o th at the visi o n had go ne but
and fo und ,
the purp o se th at had bee n b o r n in the vi si o n was still in

his heart j u st as in the c ase o f P eter and the visi o n he
,
r eceived and the purp o se fo rmed in his hear t becau se O f
it o n the h o useto p O f S im o n the tanner at JO pp a (A cts

, , ,
x. The real purp o se o f any tr ue visi o n is no t fo r

what it is in itself alo ne but fo r the results it will ,
acco mplish and the i nfluence it will ex ert in o ne s after

’
life Thi s was d o ubtless the th o ught in Christ s mi nd

.
’
when He to ld the disciples who had witnessed the trans

fi gur atio n scene “
to tell no man o f the visi o n There .
wo uld be no need to tell it fo r the w o rld wo uld take ,
k no wled ge o f them th at they had been with Jesus and

learned O f Him S uch visi o ns as this save li fe fro m its
.
m o no to ny and S kepticism They ar e a secret o f go dly

.
livi ng to o for there is a co nstant remembrance that

, ,
“
Th o u Go d seest rue ” Jesus said in speaki ng to the
.
,
F ather o f Hi s disciples Whi le I was with them I kept

, ,
the m The disciples fo und it h ard to sin in Hi s presence

”
. .
S uch a visi o n as Jac o b received mi nister s al so to o ne s

’
co mfo rt and peace fo r Go d had said I w ill no t leave

, ,
thee u ntil I h ave perfo rmed th at which I h ave p r o mimd ”

.
Jaco b raised a pill ar in co mmemo rati o n o f the visio n

( xx viii We
. sh a ll see l ater t hat he came back to
9 0 The Bo o k O f G ene sis
thi s very pill ar He did this d o ubtless to keep fresh in

.
, ,
his mi nd the visi o n th at Go d had given him W o uld it .
no t be a g o o d thi ng fo r us to r ai se s o me pill ar to remi nd

us o f so me vi si o n O f Go d o r so me blessi ng o r o ther we
h ave received fro m His hand S ight helps faith P ro b . .
ably th at is why the L o rd Jesus g ave us the Lo rd s

“ ’
S upper ” We ar e so ap t to fo rget wh at we d o no t see

. .
R eligi o n may be an o utward as well as an i nward thi ng .
Wh at pillar have yo u rai sed because o f so me special

blessi ng fro m Go d ! Is it the g i ft o f the tithe the pro m ,
ise O f stated h o urs o f prayer and B ible re adi ng the ,
assumi ng O f so me de fi nite Christi an w o rk the O fferi ng o f ,
yo urself to missi o ns o r the mi ni stry ! This is wh at

,
vis io ns ar e fo r advancement in the Chri sti an li fe

—
.
Jaco b v o ws a v o w sayi ng “
If Go d will be with me
, ,
and will keep me in this way th at I go and will give me ,
bread to eat and raiment to put o n so th at I co me agai n

, ,
to my father s h o u se in peace the n sh all the Lo rd be my

’
,
Go d ”
(xx viii 20 Th
.e
“
if,
” here d o es no t i ndic ate
a mercenary b arg ai n th at Jac o b w o uld m ake with Go d .
It may be u ndersto o d in the se nse o f S eei ng th at

“
Th o u wilt be all these thi ngs (the fi v e thi ng s menti o ned

ab o ve) to me I d o m ake this v o w
,
”
Jaco b fo rgo t this
.
vow ,
and Go d rec alled it o n two o cc asi o ns (x x x i 1 3 ; .
x xx v . finally he kept it .
V o ws
Much is made o f v o ws in the O ld Testament and
“ ”
,
‘
especi ally in c o nnecti o n with and as a reco gniti o n o f so me

p articul ar blessi ng fr o m Go d O nly two v o ws ar e men .
tio ned in the N ew Testame nt and b o th ar e m ade by P aul

,
(A cts x viii 1 8 x x i 22
. O utside o f these references
.
,
the v o w d o es no t seem to h ave taken its pl ace o r to have

been practiced as a Chri sti an i nstituti o n Chri sti ans ar e .
no t u nder O bli gati o n to m ake a v o w ; but whe n o ne is

The Histo ry o f J aco b 9 1
vo lu ntarily made to bre ak it is fraught with the m o st

,
aw ful c o nsequences (E ccle si astes v 1 6 N umbers x xx .

—
.
Can yo u l o o k back in y o ur o wn li fe and see where yo u

m ade a v o w to Go d and co mmitt ed yo ursel f to a definite
li ne o f Chri sti an acti o n o r service ! Have yo u kept that
vow
“
Go d will surely require it O f thee ”
.
Thi s is the seco nd menti o n o f tithi ng The fi rst was in .
co nnecti o n with A brah am and Melchizedek (ch ap .
N o te th at they ar e bo th in v o g ue befo re the givi ng o f the

Law so th at it is no t ri ght to say th at tithi ng is a Jewish
,
o rdi nance .
Jaco b calls the pl ace o f visi on B ethel which means

”
,
“
the h o use o f Go d (xx viii 1 7 1 9
”
Do ubtless .
,
Jaco b realized Go d s actual presence m o re here than any

’
where else O f co urse Go d is everywhere no t in the

.
, ,
p anthei stic but in the spiritual sense

,
.
Lo rd,where e er Thy peo ple meet’

,
There they fi nd the mercy seat ;

A nd where e er they seek Thee Tho u art fo und
’
, ,
And every spo t is hallo wed gro und ”

.
B ethe! , undo ubted ly m arked the place O f wh at may b e

,
termed Jaco b s co nversi o n To this pl ace and this visi o n

’
.
Jaco b co mes back ag ai n and agai n Here it was he .
v o wed his v o w and erected his pillar (x x x i Go d is .
to him the Go d O f B ethel I am the Go d that appear ed

to thee at B et hel ” Up to thi s time he had kno wn Go d
.
o nly thr o ugh his father and m o ther and their te ach
ing N o w he k no ws Go d fo r himsel f thr o ugh a heart

.
ex perience N O ;wo nder he desires to erect a memo ri al

.
o n thi s sp o t A ll the se thi ngs S h o w th at deep d o wn in

.
,
Jaco b s he art there was so methi ng fi ne and splendid

’
,
.
2 . d Manife s tat i o n
The S e co n of Go d t o J aco b
P ad an-a r am R e t u rn (ch ap —
. This visio n O f Go d
9 2 The Bo o k o f Ge ne sis
was granted to Jaco b w hile still in the empl o y O f Laban ,
and amid circu mstances O f gre at di sco nte nt O n J ac o b s

’
part Thi ngs were no t go i ng smo o thl y between Laban

.
and J ac o b Thi s serv ant O f Go d had bee n l o ng eno ugh

.
in a heathe n co u ntry and must no w sep ar ate himsel f ,
fr o m its e nviro nment if he w o uld m ake pr o gress in his

religi o us li fe There can be no pro gress as lo ng as he
.
remai ns with Lab an the wo rldli ng Go d w o ul d no w

, .
sep ar ate Jaco b fo r his desti ned wo rk It is no t to o much .
to say th at the Lo rd permitted Lab an to act thu s in

o rder that Jac o b m ig ht be disco ntente d with his stay in
S yri a .
We ar e no t to u nderstand th at this disco ntent had arisen

o n acc o u nt o f Jaco b s schemi ng Indeed it is a questi o n
’
,
.
whether he had bee n a schemer thro ugh and thro ugh as ,
so me wo uld h ave us believe duri ng the time he was in ,
Laban s empl o y ’
I ndeed a careful study O f the ch apter
.
,
r eve a ls the fact th a t L ab an n o t J a c o b w as the schemer , ,
( cf x
. x x i 5 —8 1 5. where
,
as ,
J ac o b ha d bee n faith ful
in the service he had re ndered (x x x i 38 and had .
depended up o n Go d (even th o ugh in a limited way) fo r

his success (x xx i 9 1 3 The suc cess th at had at
.
—
,
tended Laban was due to Jaco b s thrift (xxx 27 ; x x x i ’

. .
38
A seco nd purp o se O f this m ani festati o n O f Go d to Jaco b
was to demo nstrate the faith ful ness o f Go d in keepi ng
His pro mi ses and in pro tecti ng His children In this .
vi si o n Go d decl ares Hi msel f to be The Go d o f B ethel

“
,
where th o u ano i nted st the pill ar and where th o u v o wed st ,
a v o w u nto me : no w ari se get thee o ut fr o m thi s l and ,

,
and return u nto the l and o f thy ki ndred

”
Go d had .
pro mised Jaco b at B ethel th at He w o uld bri ng him b ack

ag ai n to thi s pl ace He had watched o ver His child fo r
.
these twenty years (x x x i He had O bserved his .
sufferi ng di sco nte nt and unj ust treatment by Laban

, ,
The Histo ry o f J ac o b 93
( ver . j u st as He h ad see n the affli c ti o n o f His pe o ple

in the b o ndage o f E gypt A s He ca me d o w n t o deliver
.
them fro m the O ppressi o n o f P h arao h so He will no w ,
deliver Jaco b fro m the deceit o f Lab an .
In thi s ch apter Go d is see n pr o t e cti ng His child r en ,
no t o nly fr o m sin but fr o m p er so nal ,

bo dily h arm ,
(ver s 24.
“
The L,
o rd is m i nd f u l o f H is o w n ” .
Th is truth we h ave seen illustr ated befo re in the case o f

A br ah am and A bi melech and Isaac and A bimelech ,
(ch aps x ii . Thi s is the lesso n th at S aul O f

.
,
Tarsus had to le ar n when o n his way to Dam ascus to , ,
persecute the sai nts o f Go d he was st o pped in his ,
mad career by the Head o f the Church the P icket ,
Guard o f His peo ple who was keepi ng watch o ver His ,
o wn .
Go d pro tects His children no t o nly fro m the h arm th at ,
may be d o ne to them by their fel lo w me n but al so fro m ,
the gre at e nemy o f their so ul s even S atan E ve n the , .
d evil can go o nly as far as he is permitted to go by Go d

(o f
. J o b i 6 —1 2 ; ii 1 — 7 L
.uke x x ii 3 1 . .
,
G UIDA N CE DIVIN E
There is a wo nder ful lesso n in divi ne guid ance in this
ch apter in co nnecti o n with Jaco b s leavi ng Lab an to ’
retur n to his o wn co untry F irst Jaco b had the wo rd .

,
and pro mi se o f Go d th at He w o uld bri ng him b ack .
S ec o nd he had the i nw ard i mpressi o n c o rr o b o r ati ng

, ,
th at w o rd O f Go d th at it was time to turn his face to wards

ho me Third he had the o pp o rtu nity in t hat circum
. ,
stances were in his favo ur A ll his family were with .
him in his re so luti o n These three thi ngs o ught to be .
h armo ni o u s in every life th at is truly led o f Go d A .
man may feel th at he has a pr o mi se o f Go d o n which to

step o ut and an i nward co nvicti o n co rro bo rati ng it and
, , ,
yet there may be no favo urable circumstances o r no o pen

94 The Bo o k o f G enesis
do o r in His service O r he may have an i nward impres .
si o n as to a certai n thi ng to be do ne but h ave no clear ,
wo rd o f Go d O r agai n he may h ave b o th a wo rd o f

.
, ,
Go d and an O pe n d o o r o f o pp o rtu nity but no i nward co n

v ic tio n It is no t yet time fo r him to m o ve O f c o urse
. .
,
we sho uld remember in thi s c o nnecti o n th at there ar e

times when even o ur o wn l o ved o nes w o uld seek to hi nder
us fro m c arryi ng o ut the will O f Go d U nder such cir .
cumstances we ar e to ch o o se the will o f Go d in spite o f

,
.
their o bjecti o ns (Matthew viii 21 22 x 34 u nless .

,
.
there be fili al rel ati o nship s which dem and that we care
fo r those who ar e o ur o wn and o f o ur o wn ho useh o ld
(of Mark v ii 1 0 1 3 ; 1 Tim o thy v
. .
— .
A less o n is to be lear ned fr o m R achel and her l o ve o f

ido ls (x ix 3 0 S o metimes tho se wh o m we m o st l o ve
.
pro ve the greatest hi ndrance to us in o ur Chr i sti an j o urney .
The ido ls that R achel Jaco b s m o st bel o ved wi fe bro ught ,

’
, ,
with her go t Jaco b i nto tro uble I nste ad O f buryi ng her

,
.
idols R achel sho uld have burned the m as Mo ses did the
, ,
g o lden c alf B uried ido l s may be dug up bur ned id ols

.
,
canno t .
What a mi suse has b ee n m ade O f the word Mizp ah

(vers 4
. 3 It is u sed no wad ays as a be nedicti o n
whereas it is the l anguage o f j eal o usy suspici o n and , ,
distr ust Has no t the time co me fo r us to cease u si ng a

.
w o rd to i ndicate blessi ng which clear ly i ndicates the

O pp o site
3 . M
The Thirda ni fe s t at i o n o f G o d t o J ac o b — Mah a
nai m (ch ap xx x ii This divi ne m ani festatio n assumes
. .
the fo rm O f two h o sts o f angels and is do ubtless c o nnected ,
with the dep arture o f Laban o n the o ne hand and the ,
appr o ach O f E sau o n the o ther B o th these men to o k a .
h o stile attitude to ward s Jaco b which led the p atri arch to ,
fe ar them b o th It may be that the visi o n o f angels

.
6 The Bo o k O f G e nesis
same pl ace David when pursued by A bsal o m came to

.
, ,
thi s very sp o t and d o ubtless recalled what had h appened

to Jac o b there and ho w the b and s o f angel s had vi sited
him It was o n thi s sp o t do ubtless and certai nly in thi s
.
, ,
co nnecti o n that David wr o te the wo rd s o f the p sal m I ,
will bo th lay me d o wn in peace and sleep fo r th o u Lo rd , , ,
maketh me to dwell in safety so litary th o ugh I am S O ”

, .
died General G o rdo n the hero o f K h arto um sayi ng with , ,
his l ast breath “

The h o sts O f Go d ar e with me— Mah a
,
naim ”
Let us heed G o d s pr o mi ses and no t o nly c o mmit
.
’
,
o ur way u nto Him but tr ust also i n H im , .
The fact o f a “
memo ri al is ag ai n referred to here
” .
S O far we h ave had three references to it

F irst a mem o ri al fo r G o d s h o use- suggesti ng the divi ne
,
’
presence (x x viii .
S ec o nd fo r Go d s h o st ,
sugg esti ng the divi ne p o wer
’ —
(x x x ii .
Third fo r G o d s face,
— suggesti ng the divi ne fell o w
’
ship (xx x ii .
4 . Th e F o u r t h j Manife s t at io n o f Go d t o
b ac o -
u
P e nie ! (x x x ii 24 E ve n after the vi si o n O f Go d s

.
’
ho sts which o ught t o h ave bee n a s o urce o f co mfo rt and

,
as surance t o Jac o b th at Go d was able to deliver him o ut
O f all d if
fi cult- y we fi nd acc o rdi ng t,
o ver se s 3 23 th at
,
—
,
Jaco b set to w o rk to pl an and scheme ho w he might best

o verc o me the anger and e nmity o f his br o ther E sau To ,
.
Jaco b E sau is the mai n b arri er b etween hi msel f and his

,
pl ace in the pro mi sed l and Go d wo uld t each Jaco b by .

,
means o f thi s m ani festati o n th at Jeh o vah Hi msel f and , ,
no t E sau was the real adver sary,

th at b efo re Jaco b can
c o nquer men he must co nqu er Go d Jeh o vah no t E sau
, .
, ,
is the pr o prieto r O f the l and the p o ssessi o n o f which is to ,
be O btai ned by pro mise and no t by carnal p o licy N O , .
such schemer as Jac o b can i nherit Go d s l and N o t as ’

.
The Histo ry o f J a
co b
97
“
Jaco b which means suppl anter but as Israel
,
”
,
” “
,
”
“
the pri nce with Go d can he e nter the h o me l and If
”
,
.
the previ o u s vi si o n was fo r Jaco b s enco uragement this ’

,
o ne is fo r his i nstructi o n He mu st be taught that the “

.
weap o ns o f o ur w arfare ar e no t carnal but S piritual ;

”
,
th at Go d s battles ar e fo ught no t by human p o wer o r

’
,
m ight but by Go d s S pirit (Zech ari ah iv

,
’
.
J aco b Wr estling S O Jaco b after havi ng divided his

.
,
p ar ty i nto two bands and m aki ng prep arati o n fo r meet

ing his bro ther is left al o ne ,
It wo uld h ardly seem fro m .
,
a c areful readi ng o f the narr ative th at Jac o b stayed b e ,
hi nd to pray o r to plead with Go d It is a real questi o n .
whether Jaco b wanted thi s i nterview with the divi ne A d

v er sar y no r is it app arent th at Jac o b was either l o o ki ng
,
fo r o r ex pecti ng such an ex perience Thi s is h ardly the .
picture so o ften presented to us o f a man ago nizi ng in

, ,
pr ayer with Go d It is r ather a picture o f Go d really

.
thrashi ng Jaco b Jeho vah had tried befo re to take all

.
the shrewdness and trickery o ut o fthis man He had tried .
by di sapp o i ntment (ch ap tro uble (ch ap . .
O pp o siti o n (ch ap but to no effect for Jaco b in this ,
ch apter (x xx ii ) is back agai n at his o ld tricks S chem

.
,
ing pl anni ng
,
A ll thi s mu st be thrashed o ut o f him
. .
Go d must bend and also break Jaco b It is wo rthy o f no te .
in thi s co nnecti o n th at no t u ntil Jac o b st o pped wrestli ng

and fighti ng and actually clu ng to Go d did he get the
, ,
desired blessi ng .
Jaco b had co ntended with Esau fo r the birthright and ,
succeeded He had co ntended with E sau fo r the blessi ng

.
,
and succeeded He had co nte nded with Laban for his

.
fl o cks and herd s and succeeded He no w co ntends with

, .
Go d and fails th at is to say he fail s by wr estli ng

, ,
“
Jaco b ,
.
fail s but
,
“
I sr ael wi ns Jaco b s name is ch anged ; now
” .
’
Go d rules and o rders thi s m an s li fe The l and o f pro m ’

.
ise is to be by grace and g ift and no t by Wo rks and human ,

s hrewd ness Go d Hi mself must give h im the land (of

. .
E x cept thou bless me Jaco b had learned his lesso n

— th at no t shrewd ness clever ness o r sm art ness but a trust
, , ,
and c o nfidence in Go d wi ns Go d s b attles and o verc o mes

’
,
diffi culties in the li ne o f duty “

The Lo rd preserveth
.
the simple (P salm cx vi

” The clever take c are o f
.
themselves and this is the r easo n why they S O O ften get

,
i nto such seri o us tro uble .
Jaco b is left lame limpi ng cli ngi ng

, The l ame take
, .
the prey .
”
We enter i nto li fe h alt and m aimed “
The .
men o f the p ast dem anded the flight O f the eagle ; no ne

but Christ w o uld recei ve the bird with a bro ke n wi ng .
They wr o te up o n the p o rtals o f their heavens The h alt ,
and the m aimed enter no t here Greece demanded the ’

.
beauti ful R o me called fo r the stro ng ; Judea summo ned

the go o d ; o nly Jesus Christ called fo r the weary heavy ,
l aden and bro ken o f heart and life The Greek co uld
,
.
o nly c o me in the car o f V enus ; the Jew c o uld o nly ascend
in the chari o t O f E lij ah the Christi an al o ne can limp and

to tter i nto the ki ng do m ” The break o f the d ay c ame to
.
Jaco b and the sun ro se up o n him as well as withi n him

, , ,
in the shri nki ng o f the si new F ro m this p o i nt o n Jaco b

.
,
is a ch anged man he is ,
“
the man with the shru nken
si new .
”
This ch ange in Jaco b is p articul ar ly no ticeable i n the

prayer reco rded in x x x ii 9 —1 2 which is really the fi rst
.
,
perso nal prayer in the B ible A ll o ther prayers up to .
thi s p o int ar e in the nature o f i nte rcessi o n N o te ho w .
Jaco b pleads the pro mises o f Go d Wh at faith humili ty .

, ,
and S implicity ar e m ani fest in this pr ayer
Go d answers this prayer in ch angi ng the mi nd heart , ,
and attitude O f E sau to w ards Jac o b his bro ther The sud , .
d en change o f fr o nt sh o wn by Es au can be acco u nte d fo r

o nly o n the b as i s th at Go d he ard and ans wered the pr ayer
o f Jaco b .Esau certai nly co uld no t have bee n afr ai d O f

seem p ossible fo r the p atri arch and his family to h ave

m ade such pro gress and beco me so settled in this go dless
c o u ntry witho ut havi ng c o mpr o mised in so me respect at ,
least their religi o us co nvicti o ns and practices

,
.
The fear ful results O f Jaco b s soj o urn in this go dless

’
co untry are graphically p o rtrayed in ch apter thirty -fo ur .
His family was p r actically rui ned m o rally and had no t ,
Go d m ani fested His o wn h and in the delivery o f the

p atri arch al family the pro b abilities ar e th at the ch o sen
,
seed wo uld have been o bliterated because o f the sl aughter

th at fo ll o wed (x x x v .Is thi s ano ther attempt O f S atan
to destr o y the pr o mi sed seed !
In the mids t o f the se tr o ubl o us circumstances Go d ap ,
p e a r ed t o J ac o b an d s aid “
A rise ,g o up t o B ethe
,
! a nd
dwell there and m ake there an altar u nto Go d th at ap
p e a r e d u nt o thee whe n th o u fl e d d e st fr o m the fa ce o f
E sau thy br o ther
,
”
. Jaco b s resp o nse to thi s co m mand
’
o f Go d is set fo rth in the fo ll o wi ng w o rds The n Jaco b

“
said u nto his h o useh o ld and to all th at were with him

, ,
P ut aw ay the strang e g o d s th at ar e amo ng yo u and ,
be clean and change yo ur garments A nd let us ari se

, ,
and go up to B ethe! and I will m ake there an altar u nto
Go d who answered me in the d ay o f my di stress and was

, ,
with me in the way which I went A nd they gave u nto .
Jaco b all the strange go ds which were in their hand and ,
all their earri ngs which were in their ear s and Jac o b
hid them u nder the o ak which was by S hechem These .

’
verses give us an i nti mati o n at le ast O f the awful irr elig

, ,
i o us co nditi o n i nto which Jaco b s family had fallen ’

.
Jaco b evidently canno t build an acceptable altar to

Go d in S hechem no r can Go d bless the li fe O f His serv ant
,
as He w o uld like to d o as l o ng as he rem ai ns in the mid st

,
O f such id o l atr o u s surr o u ndi ngs Jaco b must go b ack to

.
B ethe! the h o u se o f Go d
,
.
It seems that Jaco b had lived abo ut twenty years in

The Histo ry o f J aco b 1 01
Sh echem which was b ut thirty miles fro m B ethel— so near

and yet S O far fr o m the pl ace O f blessi ng Thirty years .
had p assed by si nce Jaco b made his v o w to return to

B ethe!. A ll the co nditi o ns o f the v o w had l o ng ago been
fulfilled . Jaco b had pro mi sed to go b ack to the pl ace
w here Go d blessed him to erect a pill ar there to g ive a
, ,
tithe o f all that Go d had given him to co nsecrate him ,
sel f to the service o f Go d The p atri arch app are ntly

.
had fo rg o tten his v o w but Go d had no t (E cclesi astes

,
v 1
.
The so rr o w and tr o uble that c ame i nto the ho me O f the

p atri arch while residi ng in S hechem is used to bri ng to
his remembr ance the v o w he had m ade Go d w o uld h ave .
thi s man k no w th at there is so methi ng m o re fo r His

ch o sen o nes to d o than to rai se sheep o r build h o uses .
Tr o uble leads us b ack to Go d O fttimes when no thi ng else

will (P salm cx ix .
The menti o n o f B ethel agai n w o uld in itsel f be a , ,
S piritu al upli ft and reviv al in the religi o us ex perience O f
Jaco b which had been decayi ng .
A t l ast Jac o b is awake ned and there is m o ral and reli g

,
i o u s h o use cleani ng am o ng his o wn family E ven fro m .
his bel o ved R achel he takes her id o l s He is determi ned .
no w t o go b ack agai n to his fi rst l o ve He will go back .
ag ai n to B ethe! .
The effect o f Jac o b s determ inati o n to d o the wh o le will

’
o f Go d is felt by the nati o ns ar o u nd ab o ut (xx x v .
N o man can be th o r o ughly given up to Go d and th o se ,
aro u nd ab o ut him no t feel the effect o f his li fe (P salm li .
1 2 1 3 Luke x x ii
- .
S o Jaco b came to Luz which is in the l and o f Canaan

, ,
th at is B ethe! he and all the peo ple that were with him
, , ,
.
A nd he built there an altar and called the pl ace E l ,
B ethe! because there Go d appe ared unto him when he ,
fled fro m the face o f his bro ther (vers 6

”
V erse six .
,
tells us th at J ac o b came to B ethe! he and all the peo ple ,
that were with him Do ubtless he fo u nd this altar in a

.
dil apidat ed co nditi o n The revival O f his spiritual life

.
demanded the rebuildi ng o f the altar u nto Go d Ho w .
the ex periences o f the p atri arch resemble the ex periences

o f m any o f G o d s pe o ple to d ay who by reaso n O f their
’
, ,
l ax ity and b ackslidi ng have allo wed the family altar to ,
be fo rgo tten and to fall i nto decay The first S ig n o f r e

v iv al in the S piritual li fe will be m ani fe sted by the r e
establishi ng o f the family altar in the ho me .
6 . Th e Manife s t at io n o f Go d t o J aco b
S ixt h
B et h e l agai n (xx x v 9 This new visi o n o f Go d was
.
give n to Jaco b do ubtless to assure him th at Go d was well

pleased with the advance step he had taken in his relig
io ns li fe .
Here agai n emphasis is laid o n the ch ange in Jaco b s ’
name . Thi s i ndicates a very defi nite de ali ng O f Go d with

Jaco b In xxx ii 27 , 28 it is said th at Jacob s name
. .
’
shall be no mo r e Jac o b but Israel In the p artic ul ar ,

.
visi o n we ar e studyi ng the stateme nt is m ade Thy “

, ,
name is Jac o b thy name sh alt no t be called any mo re

Jaco b but Israel sh all be thy name : and he called his
,
name Israel ” Jaco b had pro bably su fficiently aw akened

.
to the fact th at the O ld “

Jaco b nature must fo rever be
mo rtified and that nature which is i ndicated by Israel
,
“
m ust reig n in his li fe It is i nteresting to no te th at P eter

.
,
the ap ostle p assed thro ugh a si mil ar ex perience In

, .
Jo h n i 4 2 Christ said to the ap o stle Th o u sh alt be

.
“
,
c alled P eter whereas i n Matthew x v i 1 8 Jesus said .
unto him Th o u ar t P eter

,
” Th o u sh alt be called th o u.
,
ar t Isr ael
, Th o u sh alt be c alled tho u ar t P eter
.
, ,
.
It is al so i nteresti ng to no te in co nnectio n with the

ch ange o f Jaco b s name th at B ethe! which befo re had
’
,
been called “
Luz ”
as well as B ethe! is k no w n as ,
1 04 . The Bo o k o f G enesis
7 . Th e S Ma ni fe s a t i
ev e nt h
t o n o f G o d t o J a c o b
B e e r- S h e b a (x lvi 1 N o te here th at it is s aid th at
.
Go d sp ake unto Isr ael (of x x x v Thi s visi o n is

. .
given to the p atri arch in co nnecti o n with an i ntended

vi sit to Egypt It seemed necessary o n acco unt O f the
.
fam i ne th at had c o me up o n the l and fo r Jaco b to se nd

do wn to E gypt fo r fo o d The p atri arch recalled ho w .
,
ever the ex perience o f A brah am and Isaac his father

, , ,
and gr and father ; he was aw are o f the spiritu al l o ss they
had sustai ned by le avi ng the l and o f G o d s ch o ice ’

.
Jaco b do ubtless recalled his o wn ex perience in S hechem

and the tr o uble it had br o ught to him with the result ,
that he was afraid any l o nger to devi ate fr o m the ch o sen

p ath o f Go d He is evidently seeki ng guidance and thi s
.
,
vi si o n is granted pr o bably in answer to a prayer o f Jaco b .
He has learned the lesso n which it is well fo r us to le arn , ,
al so th at it is no t always safe to fo ll o w the ex ample o f

,
o thers eve n o f g o o d men like A br ah am and Is aac

,
Fol .
lo w G o d s le adi ng ’
.
Thi s vi si o n is rec o rded in the fo ll o wi ng w o rds “

A nd
Israel to o k his j o urney with all that he had and came to ,
B eer -S heb a and o ffered sacri fi ce u nto the Go d o f his

,
father Isaac A nd Go d sp ake u nt o Israel in the vi si o ns

.
o f the night and s aid Jaco b Jac o b A nd he sai d

, , ,
.
,
Here am I A nd he said I am Go d the Go d o f thy

.
, ,
father : fe ar no t to go d o w n i nto E gypt fo r I w ill there

m ake o f thee a great nati o n : I will go d o w n with thee
i nto E gypt ; and I w ill al so surely bri ng thee up agai n
and Jo seph S h all put his h and up o n thi ne eyes ( lvi
” x .
1
Jaco b is told to fear no t to go d o wn i nto E gypt
“ .
”
There was gro u nd fo r apprehensi o n ; where S O great a

man as A brah am had failed there w as ro o m fo r fear ,
(o f.Hebre w s iv 1 1 C o ri nthi ans x 1 1 . .
Go d co mm ands Jaco b to “
dwell there ”
The d ivi ne .
10
presence is pro mised even in E gypt It is right fo r us .
to go do w n i nto Eg ypt when we h ave a di sti nct divi ne

co mm and to d o so fo r then Go d will give His angels ,
ch arge to keep us We mu st no t go i nto Egypt ho w .

,
ever o n o ur o wn acco unt O r because we lo se faith in di

,
vi ne pro visi o n fo r then we will surely fall

, .
Go d pro mi ses no t o nly to go do w n i nto E gypt with

,
Jaco b but also to bri ng him up agai n and to co mfo r t

,
him while there fo r the wo rds Jo seph S hall put his

, ,
hand up o n thi ne eyes ”

i ndicate th at his o wn so n Jo seph , , ,
wo uld be with him to co mfo rt him at the h o ur o f his

death Th at Go d did actually bri ng the b o dy o f Jaco b
.
up fro m Egypt is evident fro m 1 7 1 2 1 3 A nd .

, ,
Jo seph went up to bury his father : and with him went

up all the servants o f P h arao h the elders o f his h o use , ,
and all the elders o f the l and o f E gypt

” “
A nd his .
so ns did u nto him acco rdi ng as he co mm anded them

F o r his so ns c arried him i nto the l and o f Canaan and ,
buried him in the cave o f the field o f Machpel ah which ,
A brah am b o ught with the field fo r a p o ssessi o n o f a

buryi ng pl ace o f E phro n the Hittite befo re Mamre
- ”
,
.
The pr o mi se o f Go d to Jac o b which is here r eafli r med , ,
is fo urfo ld and deals

F irst with E nl argem ent
, I will there make o f thee
a great nati o n
” .
S eco nd with P ro tectio n

, I will go d o wn with thee
into E gypt ” .
Third with Co nso l ati o n

, A nd Jo seph sh all put his
hand up o n thi ne eyes ” .
F o urth with R esto rati o n

,
I will al so surely bri ng
thee up agai n ”
.
S O Jac o b the p atri arch after all the v aryi ng v icissi

, ,
tudes o f his religi o us life died in the faith (x lviii ,

.
21 22 ; x li x 1
, and was buried with his father s
.
,
li
'
(x x 2 8
.
—30 l
; .
Jaco b s desire as e x pressed in the wo rds B ury me

’
,
“
with my fathers is p athetically beautiful and striki ngly

”
full o f faith
. The p atri arch died in the fi rm ex pectati o n
o f awaki ng so me d ay in the im ag e o f Go d and in the
midst o f his o wn peo ple .
He will keep me till the river

R o lls its waters at my feet
Th n He will hea me safely o ver
e r ,
Where the lo ved o nes I shall meet .

1 08 The Bo o k O f G enesis
Had the cho sen peo ple i ncreased in number the i nhabit ,
ants O f the l and w o uld h ave feared war and pr o b ably ,
their o wn destructi o n j ust as P har aoh and the Egypti ans

,
did (E x o dus
S ec o nd To set befo re us the fulfillment o f the pr o m
.
ise to A braham regardi ng a perio d o f b o ndag e fo r his

seed (x v Go d wo uld trai n these p atri archs and
.
,
the reco rd o f His trai ni ng He w o uld h ave them p ass \

d o wn in v alu able traditi o n to pro vide less o ns in divi ne
g uidance which in all the cent uries thereafter wo uld
, , ,
serve as o bj ect lesso ns (1 Co ri nthians x .
This bitter and hard ex perience was a p art o f G o d s ’
tr ai ni ng o f His cho sen pe o ple The deliverance fro m

.
this co nditi o n o f b o nd age is set fo rth as a stand ard by

which the p o wer o f Israel s Go d is to be measured Co n
’
.
sequently we O bserve agai n and agai n in the O ld Testa

, ,
ment the ex pressi o n

,
A cc o rdi ng to the p o wer with
,
which I delivered yo u o ut o f E gypt ”

It is i nteresti ng
.
to no te th at while the deliverance fr o m Egypt is the

stand ard by which we are to measure G o d s p o wer in ’
O ld Testament times the N ew Testament st and ard o f

,
G o d s p o wer is the resurrecti o n o f Jesus Christ fro m the

’
dead E phesi ans i 1 9 20 A nd what is the ex ceedi ng

.
,
greatness o f his p o wer to u sward who believe acco rdi ng ,
to the w o rki ng o f his mighty p o wer which he wro ught ,
in Christ when he r ai sed him fro m the dead and set him
, ,
at his o wn right h and in the he avenly pl ace s

”
.
Third To give His pe o ple the p o ssessi o n O f a large

.
l and in which there wo uld be ro o m to gro w (x iii 1 4 .
S o far the o nly l and th at the p atri archs p o ssessed was a

,
buri al lo t They were h ardly stro ng eno ugh to h o ld any

.
m o re no r wo uld it h ave been safe fo r them to d o so In

,
.
o rder therefo re th at they may h ave ro o m eno ugh to

, ,
gro w Go d gives thema pl ace in Go shen a pl ace sep arated

, ,
fro m the E gypti ans i n o rder th at they may have nu

,
The Histo ry o f J o sep h 10
9
mo lested gro wth (x lvi 34 ; x l vii The divi ne pur
. .
p o se in thi s was th at when they did go b ack to p o ssess

the pro mi sed l and they wo uld be stro ng eno ug h numer
,
i cally to p o ssess and h o ld it .
2 . F or the p r eser vation f

o the chosen r ace .
This is the purp o se o f the histo ry o f Jo seph in Egypt

as di sti nctly stated in t he Wo rd o f Go d i tsel f (x lv 5 8 ; .
—
x lvi 34 ; P salm cv 1 7
. Ho w little the brethren o f
.
Joseph knew when they so ld their bro ther that they

, ,
were carryi ng o ut the purp o se o f Go d They meant it .
fo r evil but Go d meant it fo r g o o d

,
P s alm cv m akes . .
very disti nct and clear reference to the purp o se o f Jo seph

in the l and o f E gyp t “
He sent a man befo re them even
.
,
Jo seph who was sold fo r a servant : Wh o se feet they

,
hurt with fetters : he was l aid in iro n : Until the time

that his wo rd came : the wo rd o f the Lo rd tried him .
The ki ng sent and l o o sed him ; even the ruler o f the

peo ple and let him go free He m ade him l o rd o f his
,
.
h o use and ruler o f all his substance To bind his pri nces
,
at his ple asure ; and teach his senato r s wisd o m I srael .
al so c ame i nt o E gypt ; and Jac o b s oj o urned in the l and
o f Ham lm cv
”
(P sa 1 7 .
3 . F o r the tr aining of the chosen p eop le .
G o d s purp o se in the selecti o n o f the ch o sen r ace was

’
th at they might be the ch annels thro ugh which the

k no wledge O f the true Go d might fl o w to the race It .
was necessary therefo re to trai n these ch o sen peo ple in

, ,
arts science and literature such as wo uld fit them fo r

, , ,
thi s great and divi ne w o rk S uch a trai ni ng they co uld .
no t receive had they rem ai ned in Canaan E gypt was .
the center o f culture and civiliz ati o n at th at time Zoar .

,
the leadi ng city o f E gypt was p ar ticul arly no ted fo r its ,
wisdo m ; it p o ssessed a u niversity o f learni ng (of Isai ah .
x ix 1 1
. The disco very O f the co de O f Hammurabi
sho ws us to wh at an advanced state o f cultur e and civiliza
ti o n these peo ple had attai ned The stay in Egyp t fitted .
Mo ses who was learned in all the wi sd o m o fthe E gypti ans

, ,
fo r his futur e w o rk as l awg iver and leader o f G o d s cho se n ’
peo ple .
The Divisi ons of J osep h s Histor y J o seph is o ne o f ’

.
the three men who were ch o se n vessel s o f Go d in co n

ne ctio n with Israel s histo ry The o ther t wo were Mo ses
’
.
and P aul Jo seph s histo ry may be summed up under

.
’
three main divi si o ns : The ch o se n vessel in prep ar ati o n

( x x x vii x li the .ch —
o se n ve
. ssel i n ser vice (x li 3 7 -1 . .
the disso luti o n o f the ch o sen vessel (1 20 Let .
us no w l oo k at these divisi o ns so mewh at in det ail
I Th e Ch o s en V e s s el in P r e par at i o n (
xxx v n .
—x li.
U nder
this m ai n divisi o n we have three general
th o ugh ts Jo seph as a so n (xxx vii ) as a S lave (x x x ix . .
1 20) as a pri so ner (xxx ix 21 x li

—
.
— .
Fir st J osep h as a son (ch ap

. Joseph was .
the favo ur ite so n o f Jaco b The p arti ality O f the o ld .
man fo r the child o f his o ld age is sh o wn by pro vidi ng

him with a co at o f many c o l o urs It was thi s p arti ality .
th at aro used the envy and h atred o f his brethren Isaac .
and R ebek ah had falle n i nto the s ame mi stake o f sh o w
ing p arti ality betwee n their children Jaco b and E s au ,

.
E mph asis is l aid o n the fact th at Jo seph was a dreamer .
It may h ave bee n G o d s meth o d in those d ays in which ’

,
there was no B ible to m ake His will k no w n thro ugh the

,
medium o f dream s (of J o b xx x iii 1 4 To d ay ho w

. .
, ,
ever the Wo rd o f Go d is th at to which we must refer to

,
k no w the will o f Go d (Isai ah viii 1 9 20 ; Jeremi ah .

,
xx iii Go d s ideal fo r Jo seph s li fe was revealed in

’ ’
.
a dre am ; G o d s ideal fo r o ur lives is revealed in the

’
B ible .
Jo seph has been called a vi si o nary and a dreamer .
His dreami ng has been ridiculed B ut after all it is a .

,
1 12 The Bo o k o f Ge nesis
tempt the fi nest o f G od s pe o ple Indeed the mo re ’

.
,
sai ntly o ne is the m o re keenly he will be tempted

,
.
U nd o ubtedly Jo seph w o uld h ave g ai ned much temp o ral

adv ant ag e had he yielded to thi s te mpt ati o n He was a .
sl ave Here was a ch ance to be raised up to the thro ne

. .
We must r ememb er to o in thi s co nnecti o n that Jo seph

»
, ,
had dre amed o f such ex altati o n and th at he believed in ,
dream s Was this the way in which his dream w o uld be

.
ful fi lled ! Was this a sho rt cut to the thr o ne ! Was it

right to d o evil that go o d might co me fro m it This was
hi s temptati o n Co mp are M tthew iv 8 1 0 ; 1 Jo h n ii
. a - . .
1 5
, 1 7 o ur Lo rd s temptati o n to g ai n His k ingd o m by
— ’
sh o rt and easy me tho ds and o ur o wn temptati o n alo ng

,
similar li nes .
The secret o f Jo seph s victo ry lay in his implicit faith

’
in Go d (P s alm li his respect fo r his m aster (xxx ix

. .
and fo r the m arri age tie (x xx i x Jo seph did no t play .
o r d ally with temptati o n he fled fr o m it (vers 1 2 .

,
S O sh o uld we avo id temptati o n p ass it by flee fr o m it , ,

.
N O m o r al o r S piritual g o o d can co me fro m these to urs o f

investig ati o n i nto the redlight districts o f o ur citi es
” .
Di nah we ar e to ld went o ut to see the d aughters o f the

, ,
land ; that is to say to m ake a t o ur o f i nvestigati o n ; and

,
we k no w the results ho w depl o rably she fell i nto im

—
m o rality (Genesis x x x iv 1 .
The result o f Jo seph s victo ry o ver this severe to mp ta

’
ti o n was th at he was fal sely accu sed Thi s false accusa .
tio n Jo seph did no t reply to To h ave do ne so wo uld .
h ave been to i ncrimi nate o thers Thi s Jo seph was no t .
willi ng to d o He co mmitted his case u nto Go d bei ng

.
,
assured th at Go d w o uld c are fo r him S ervants be

“
.
,
subject to y o ur m asters with all fear no t o nly to the

go o d and gentle but al so to the fro ward F o r this is
, .
th ankwo rthy if a man fo r co nscience to wards Go d endure

,
grief sufferi ng wro ngfully F o r what glo ry is it if when

,
.
, ,
The H isto ry o f J o sep h 1 1
3
ye be buffeted fo r y o ur faul ts ye sh all take it p ati ently !
,
but i f w hen ye d o well and suffer fo r it ye take it p a

, , ,
tie ntly thi s is accep tab le w ith Go d

,
F o r eve n hereu nto .
were ye called b ecause Chri st al so su ffered fo r us l eavi ng ,
us an ex ample th at ye sh o uld fo ll o w his step s W ho did

,
no sin neither was guile fo u nd i n his mo uth Who whe n

, ,
he was re viled reviled no t agai n when he suffered he

, ,
threatened no t but co mmitted hi msel f to him th at

j udg eth rig ht eo u sly ( 1 P eter ii 1 8 .
Jo seph to o k care o f his ch aracter and co mmitted ,
his reputati o n to Go d S o me men l o se their characte r

.
in seeki ng to c are fo r their reputati o n We r ecall .
i n thi s c o nnecti o n the sto ry o f a le adi ng Chri sti an

wo rker who was wro ngly accused but nevertheless mai n ,
tained silence becau se any de fe nse fr o m him w o uld in

,
crimi nate o thers He preferred to suffer i nno ce ntly and

.
in silence trusti ng th at Go d w o ul d u nd ertake his defense

, ,
i nasmuch as in the very nature o f the case his o wn de

fense w o uld i ncrimi nate o ther s In a very few ye ars all
.
his accu sers were br o ught t o sh ame The leadi ng co n .
S p ir ator c o nfessed o n his dyi ng bed the seco nd fled the

co untry a third fo urth and fi fth wr o te aski ng fo rgive
, ,
ness ; and the very p aper s th at had published his sh ame

no w publi shed his vi ndic ati o n .
Thir d J osep h as a p r iso ner (x xx i x

. 21 — X1i . .
Jo seph is no w sufferi ng fo r righteo usness sake and yet ’

,
there is no co mpl ai nt defense o r i ncrimi nati o n o n his

, ,
p art He k no ws he is in the p ath o f Go d and th at wh at

.
,
ever co mes to him in th at p ath will w o rk fo r his goo d .
He can safely leave the i ssue with Go d Thi s is tr ue meek .
Meek ness is the co nsci o usness th at o ne s li fe is sur

'
ness
’
.
ro u nded by Go d as an enviro nment and th at no thi ng can ,
co me i nto th at li fe until it has first pierced th at e nviro n

ment and by so do i ng has beco me the will o f Go d fo r
,
th at li fe Wh atever ex perience then such a life is called

.
, ,
The Bo o k o f Ge ne s is
up o n to p ass thro ugh is r eco g nized as o f Go d and the ,
trusti ng so ul says “
B e it u nto me even as th o u wilt
,
”
.
Thi s is true meek ness .
Jo sep h had co nfi dence in G o d s p ro vidential leadings ’
and deali ngs ; he co uld wait Go d s time N o d o ubt ’

.
Jo seph was tempted to thi nk that the ideal of his dreams

was thwarted Ther e was no si g n to i ndicate Go d s
.
’
fav o ur N evertheless Jo seph believed in Go d and in the

.
,
purp o se o f his li fe (x 1 Indeed Jo seph is dreami ng

.
,
agai n even th o ug h in j ail

,
He is no t m aki ng li ght o f
.
the visio ns and dreams o f y o uth He is standing by the .
faith o f his ear ly d ays If the visi o n tarries he has de

.
,
ter mined to wait fo r it We ar e livi ng in d ay s when we

.
ar e te mpted to fo rs ake the tr aditi o ns o f o ur y o uth and the
faith o nce fo r all delivered unto the sai nts Let us be .
careful lest we fall fro m o ur tr ue standar d o f faith in

Go d .
Jo seph rewarded fo r his victo ry o ver this temp ta

was
ti o n The reward o f Jo seph is seen in the fact th at in
.
,
ste ad o f R euben o r Jud ah who were pr o b ably e ntitled to

,
the pl ace o f h o no ur he o ccupies a pl ace in the bo o k o f

,
Genesis with the p atri archs A brah am Isaac and Jaco b , ,

.
R e ube n ( Ge ne si s xxx v 22 x li x 4 ) and Jud ah (xxx viii

. . .
1 5 26 ) had failed to resist a simil ar sin to this with which

—
Jo seph had been tempted and which he so no bly o ver ,
came Co nsequently Jo seph the yo u nger is given the

.
, , ,
pl ace o f the elder “

N o w the so ns o f R euben the
.
,
fi r st -b o rn o f Israel (fo r he was the fi r st-b o rn but fo ras ,
much as he d efi led his father s bed his birthright was ’

,
given unto the so ns o f Jo seph the so n o f Israel and the

geneal o gy is no t to be reck o ned after the birthright F or .
Judah prevailed ab o ve his brethren and o f him came the ,
chief ruler but the birthright was Jo seph s) (1 Chro n ” ’
icles v 1 It may h ave seemed to us as we r ead o f

.
,
the sin o f R euben and Judah and no ted the absence o f the
1 1 6 The Bo o k o f G enesis
a i ms and co me clo se to the great center in which all the

,
r ace meets Men feel themselves safe with the unselfish

.
,
with perso ns in wh o m they meet pri nciple j ustice truth , , ,
l o ve Go d
,
.
B e fo re h o no ur is humility (xli 1 6 ; Jo h n x ii 26 P hi . .
lip p ians ii 5 Go d is the so urce o f pro m o ti o n (x li

. .
38 P salm l xx v 6 ; Daniel iv . .
In thi s c o nnecti o n J o seph s m arri age is narrated Did ’

.
he d o right in marryi ng i nto thi s so ciety (cf E x o dus ii . .
Genesis x x vi 1 5 with x lvi If wro ng was

“
1 0 21
,
.
—
.
,
i t o verruled fo r g o o d !
S econd J osep h and the Egyp tians (x li 4 6 5 7
. x lvii .
— .
13 The fami ne which c ame up o n E gypt at this time

and as fo reto ld by Jo seph in the i nterpret ati o n o f P h ar ao h s
’
dre am was by no means accidental It was rai sed up by .
Go d (P s alm cv and s eemi ngly th at J o sep h might be

.
, ,
k no w n as the savi o ur o f E gypt (x lvii Go d no t o nly .
rai sed up the man fo r the h o ur but also the h o ur fo r the ,
man .
th at Go d prep ared the man first then the o cca

N ote ,
si o n Thi s is G o d s metho d o f w o rki ng Thi s is what

.
’
.
He has d o ne i n all the gre at revivals o f religi o n in the

p ast We hear pe o ple say th at such reviv als ar e no t
.
p ossible no wad ays fo r c o nditi o ns ar e no t such as they

,
were in Mo o dy s P i nney s o r Whitefi eld s d ay ; th at

’
,
’
,
’
times h ave changed N o the times h ave no t chang ed .

, ,
but there is a l ack o f men fo r the h o ur The h isto ry o f .
every great religi o u s m o vement is the hi sto ry o f o ne

man ful ly give n up to Go d : Lutherani sm Luther ; ,
Meth o di sm Wesley P resbyte ri ani sm Calvi n ; Do wie

, ,
i sm Do w ie ; Christi an S cience Mr s E ddy ; Millenni al

, ,
.
Dawnism R u ssell , .
“
Thro ugh faith we u nderstand ho w the ages (o r
”
dispe nsati o ns) were framed (Hebrews x i The age in .
which N o ah lived was o f the nature it was religi o usly , ,

The Histo ry o f J o seph 1 17
because o f the rel ati o n which N o ah su stai ned to Go d

“
B y faith N o ah ”
framed the age in which he lived .
“
B y fai th A br ah am ”
m o ul ded the age in which he
lived Thus it has ever been fr o m th at d ay to this
. .
Jo seph s name is ch anged in this co nnecti o n the

’
,
E gypti an name si g ni fyi ng abu nd ance o f li fe (cf J o h n .
x. In Jo sep h seemed to re st the salv ati o n o f the

w o rld The fo od o f life was in his h ands In these r e
. .
S p ects there is a str iki ng likeness between Jo sep h and
Christ (cf A cts iv 1 2 ; Jo h n v i 4 8

. . .
The wi sd o m o f P h arao h s ch o ice is see n in the skill o f

’
Jo seph When Go d app o i nts a man fo r a certai n office

.
,
that app o i ntment is a gu arantee o f d ivi ne fitness If to .
d ay Go d puts His h and up o n a man and sets him ap ar t

fo r the mi ni stry o f the g o spel to be a preacher o r an ,
ev angeli st He will co nvey with th at call the gi ft to

, , ,
preach If a man has no gi ft to preach he has no call

.
,
to pre ach O f c o urse it will be necessar y fo r him to

.
,
prep are him sel f and thus stir up the gi ft that is in him .
Jo seph was a two fo ld blessi ng first to the ch o sen race ,
and c o nsequently to the w o rld Thi s is the blessi ng o f .
Jaco b the blessi ng which reaches o ut bey o nd itself

, ,
and blesses o thers .
T hir d J osep h and His B r ethr en (x lii 1 -4 5 28 ; 1

. .
,
.
1 5 21 ; cf al so ch ap
— . Here we h ave ano ther
.
phase o f the vi si o n o f Jo seph s y o uth fulfilled In this ’

.
picture o f his brethren d o i ng o bei sance to him we h ave ,
the fulfillment o f his vi sio n o f the sheaves b o wi ng d o wn

to his sheaf .
We sh all no t u nderstand Joseph s treatment o f his ’
brethren u nl ess we cle arly see the purp o se o f the metho d

pursued by him The end Jo seph had in vie w was to
.
pro duce co nvicti o n o f sin in the hearts o f his brethren .
He wo uld have them reali z e the awful ness o f the sin

.
which they had co mmit te d F o ur steps may be men .

1 1 8 The Bo o k o f G e nesis
tio ned in his treatment o f his brethren : first he sp ake ,
ro ughly to them (x lii 7 cf x x x vii 4 ) seco nd he put

.
, . .
,
them in priso n (x lii 1 7 cf x x x vii . third he put

,
. .
,
their m o ney i nto their sacks (x lii 25 cf x x x vii .

,
. .
fo urth he put the cup in the sack o f the y o ungest pro b

, ,
ably to see if they car ed s till fo r y o uth o r w o uld treat ,
him as they had Jo seph (x liv .
Jo seph s metho d o f treatment b ro ught abo ut the de

’
sired results (x lii 21 -22 ; x liv . The c o nsciences o f .
his brethre n began to wo rk The natural elements o f ret .
r ib utio n ar e set fo r th in the w o rd s o f verses 21 22 ,

“
A nd they said o ne to ano ther We ar e verily g uilty ,
co ncerni ng o ur bro ther in th at we saw the anguish o f,
his so ul whe n he beso ug ht us and we w o uld no t hear

, ,
ther efo re is thi s distress co me up o n us A nd R euben .
answered them sayi ng S p o ke I no t u nto yo u sayi ng

, , , ,
Do no t sin agai nst the child ; and ye wo ul d no t hear !

therefo re beho ld also his bl o o d is required
, ,
” There is .
no human accuser her e They said amo ng themselves

[ o r o ne t o ano ther ! (x lii .
In thi s co nnecti o n let us no tice the facto rs withi n us

that m ake up natural retr ibutio n as set fo rth in x lii .
21 ,
22 ; first mem o ry ,
We saw the anguish (this ”
h appened twenty year s befo re) seco nd imaginati o n ,

“
When he beso ug ht us and we wo uld no t hear ,
third ,
co nscience We are verily guilty co ncerni ng o ur
bro ther ; fo urth reaso n
”
Therefo re is thi s distress
,
co me upo n us ”
fifth remo rse which means a biti ng
,
—
b ack like a serpent sti ngi ng its o wn tail the so ul is r e ,
co ili ng o n itself E very si nner carries withi n him sel f

.
eno ugh m ateri al to build a hell if there were no ne in

Go d s pl an S o me o ne has well said th at every man
’
.
carries his o wn bri mst o ne ”

With a memo ry— to recall .
the p ast ; with an i magi nati o n to po rtray the scene

—
o f sin ; with a co nscie nce — to accuse o f the g uilt ; with

1 20 The Bo o k o f G ene sis
Jo seph was no t ash a me d o f his aged father S o me chil .
dren ar e ash amed to take their p arents i nto c o mp any o r

to i ntr o duce the m to peo ple Jo seph s pro visi o n fo r his .
’
fa ther is be auti fully s e t fo rth i n x lvi 3 1 —x lvii 1 2 O ne . . .
can h ardly re ad thes e ver ses with o ut bei ng remi nded o f
wh at the ap ostle tells us in 1 Tim o thy v 8 B ut i f any .
pr o vide no t fo r his o wn and especi ally fo r tho se o f his ,
o wn h o use he h ath denied the faith and is wo rse th an

, ,
an i nfidel
”
.
In th is c o nnecti o n we h ave pr o mi ne nce given to the

blessi ng o f Jaco b which was pro no unced fir st up o n
, , ,
Jo seph s children ( ch ap
’
We sh o uld no te that.
E phraim and Manasseh no t o nly ch anged pl ace s in the

blessi ng but to o k Jo seph s pl ace in the recepti o n o f the
,
’
blessi ng Jaco b cro ssed his h ands in the besto w al o f the

.
benedicti o n thus sh o wi ng th at the blessi ng was by grace

,
and no t by nature O ne w o nders if Jaco b me ant to

.
te ach the g enerati o ns o f men th at sh o uld fo ll o w th at nat

ural disadvantage may be o verco me by grace .
S ec o nd the blessi ng is pr o no u nced up o n the twelve

,
so ns o f J aco b (c hap There ar e m any and wo n

.
d er ful lesso ns i n thi s chapter which we d o no t h ave ti me ,
to d well o n ex cept to no te th at a m an s sin enters i nto

,
’
his future career ; th at p ast sin may be fo rgiven and ,
even fo rgo tten yet it has its blighti ng i nfluence up o n the

,
future Thi s is e speci ally bro ugh t o ut in ver ses three to

.
ni ne . A no ther le sso n w e le ar n fr o m thi s ch apter is th at

each man s S phere as well as eac h m an s pl ace o n the
’
,
’
e arth is ad apted to his o r its peculi ar ch aracter S till

, .
further we ar e taught th at alth o ugh fo r eap p o inte d and ,
fo rek no w n the desti nies o f men and nati o ns ar e fully

,
wro ught o ut by themselves .
The death o f Jac o b which has been menti o ned b e ,
fo re u nder the histo ry o f Jaco b is referred to in x li x ,

.
28— 1 1 4
. .
The Hist o ry o f J o sep h 121
3 . Th e Di s s o luti o n o f t h e Ch o s e n V e s s e l (1 22 .
This practically clo ses the p atri arch al di spensatio n .
Go d s chosen peo ple ar e still o ne seed but no t any l o nger

’
,
o ne perso n They h ave no w bec o me a great peo ple a

.
,
mighty nati o n .
The pr o phetic and h o peful no te is very pr o mi ne nt in

the acco unt o f Jo seph s death There is app arently no ’
.
fe ar and no terro r in his dep arti ng to be g athered to

his fathers ” “
The righteo us h ath h o pe in his death
.
”
( P r o verb s x iv We ar e remi nded

. o f the de scripti o n
o f Christ s death in co nnecti o n with the dep arture o f
’
Jo seph : Therefo re my heart is gl ad and my gl o ry r e

“
,
j o iceth my flesh al so sh all res t (o r pitch her tabernacle)

in hO p e (P s alm x v i .
L ike ne s s B et w e e n J o ph se and Ch r i s t . S o me claim

Jo seph to be a type o f Chri st A safe rule to . fo ll o w in
typ o graphy is as fo ll o ws : Make no char acter institu ,
ti o n o r event o f the O ld Testament a type which the

,
N ew Testament do es no t afii r m t o be such A s illustra .
ti o ns co mp are Melchiz ed ek (ch ap x iv ) with Hebrews

, . .
v A d am (1 Co ri nthi ans x v 22) Jaco b s l adder (Gen

. .
’
esis xx viii of Jo hn 1 .S ear ch fo r o ther types in

. .
Genesi s and co rro bo rate them by the New Testament

teachi ng .
P o i nt s i mil ar it y B etw e e nj o s e p h and Chr i s t

of S .
( )
1 B el o ved o f his father (xx x vii 3 cf Matthew iii .
,
. .
( )
2 H a ted by h is brethre n (x x x vii 4 —1 1 c f J o h n v ii .
,
. .
1 7 and Mark x v
-
( )
3 I n terpreter o.f the w ill o f
Go d (x xx vii 5 1 1 cf Jo hn i 1 8 and Matthew x i
.
—
,
. . .
25 (4) S ent to mi ni ster to his brethren (x x x vii .
1 3 cf Matthe w x x 28 and Jo h n i
,
.
( )
5 . P l a n t o .
kill Jo seph (xx x vii 1 9 20 cf Matt hew x xi .

, ,
. .
(6 ) S o ld (x xx vii 28 cf Matthew xx vi 1 4 .
, (7 ) In. .
,
no cently co ndemned impriso ned with two m alefacto rs ,
( ch ap x l c f L.uke ( 8
.
) E
,
x alted by the.hand o f
Go d (ch ap x li cf A cts ii 32 . .
,
. .
P r o p h e cie s of Chris t in Ge ne s is w it h N ew Te s t a
me nt F ul fi ll me nt Ho w m any ! Lo o k them up and .
mar k them in yo ur B ible Illustr ati o ns The pro mised .
S avi o ur is to be (1 ) O f the seed o f the wo m an ( iii 1 5 , cf . .
R o m ans x vi 20 ; Gal ati ans i v .

( )
2 O f the seed o f .
A braham (x ii 3 ; xx ii 1 8 ; xx vi 4 ; x x viii 1 4 cf Mat

. . . .
,
.
the w i 1 ; Luke i 5 4 5 5 ; A cts iii 25 R o mans iv 1 3

. .
, . .
Galatians iii 3
( ) O f the s eed o f.I saa c (x vii 1 9 ; .
x x vi 2—5 , cf R o m ans ix 6 — 8 H eb r ews x i (4 ) O f

.
; . . .
the tr i b e o f Judah (x lix 1 0 cf Matthew i .

,
. .
The Typ e s type is a divi nely pur of Ge ne s i s . A

p o sed illustrati o n o f so me It may be : (1 ) a per truth .
so n (Ro m ans v 1 4 ) (2) an event (1 Co ri nthi ans x 1 1 ). .
(3) a thi ng ( Hebrews x (4 ) an i nstituti o n (He .
brews ix ( )
5 a cerem
. o ni al ( 1 C o r inthians v .
S chofi eld .
There is need o f great car e in the study o f the types o f

the B ible (see no te ) .
The fo ll o wi ng h ave bee n l o o ked up o n as havi ng typic al

significance
1 The
.
“
greater light (i 1 6 cf Malachi iv 2
”
.
,
. .
the S un o f
2 A d am (ii 1 9 cf R o m ans v 1 4
. 1 Co ri nthi ans.
, . .
x v 21
. 22 45 —4 7 ) a type o fC hrist
, , .
3 E v e ( ii 23 24 cf 2 Co ri nthi ans x i 2 ; E phesi ans

. .
, ,
. .
v 25 32 R evelati o n x ix 7 8 ) a type o f the Church

.
, .
,
.
4 Co ats o f ski ns (iii 21 cf R evel ati o n x ix

. S o me .
,
. .
see in this cl o thi ng a picture o f the righte o usness o f
Christ o btai ned fo r His sai nts by His sacrifici al death

, .
5 A b el s l amb (iv 4 ) as c ontr as ted with Cai n s bl o od

.
’
.
’
The Bo o k o f Exo d u s
1 28 S yno p sis O f E x o d us
G
THE L E IS LA TIVE S E CTIO N O F THE BO O K— m
AT S IN A I
(Ch ap s x ix .
I . The giving o f the Greater Law ( Chaps x ix . .

,
1 The prepar atio n fo r the giving O f the Law (Chap

. .
T e asce nt O f Mo se s u Mo unt S inai x ix 1

() a h p ( .
T r e arati o n o f t he o l e fo r t he r e ce
( )
h h e
p p p p
e
p
i
t o n o f the co venant
(xix 1 . 0
T e di vi ne manif ti n (x ix
( )5 h e st a o 1 6 .
2 . The Gr e ater Law — The Ten Co mmandments

( Ch a
p .
T h e nat ur e o f t he Mo r al Law
( )
4 .
5 T h e divi si o ns o f the Mo r al Law

( ) .
e fir st t ab le — O ur d uties to G o d xx
.
( )
I T h ( .
1— 1 1
( 2
) The sec o nd tab e— l O ur d uties to man
( xx. I2
II . The Lesser Law ( Chaps x x i . .
1 The rights o f perso ns— The duties O f master s

. to
d s aves (x xi 1 — 1 I )
ser vant s an l . .
i a) W th r e ference to man ser vants (x x i 2

i .
( 5 ) W th r efer enc e to ma d se rv ant s x x i 7

i ( i .
W th r egard to perso na nj ury ( x xi 1 2

i li .
( a
) C a
p t a of fenses
( x i l
xi 1 2 .
( h) A ssault and b attery (xxi 1 8 .
i
( r) Inj ur e s d o ne to catt e ( 28 l xxi .
Regar d ng per so na i r o er t
p p y r g h ts
( l i xxi .
33
x xfi 1 5) . .
T
heft s (x x n 1 .
Law o f d ep o s t s (x xu 7 i .
Bo rr o w ng ( I4 , i xxii .
i
S ins aga nst nature and human ty (x xn 1 6 i .
( )
a S e duc t o n and b e st al t i
y( XX II 1 6 i i .
( h ) O p p r ess o n o f t he str an g i
er , w d o w ,
i
or
p han
( x xu . 2 1
(c) Mo ney lending (xxii 5 . 2

Warn ngs aga nst ly ng and d sho ne sty ( xx
i i i i iii . 1
i
C o ncern ng sac re d seaso ns and the S ab b ath (xxiii . .
g)
IO — I .
w The pro mise o f an inheritance (xxiii 2 0 .
o
c The c o nsummatio n o f the giving o f the Lesser
Law — T he glo ry o f the Lo r d ( Chap .
S yno p sis o f Ex o d us 1 29
THE S A CE R D O A L S E CTIO N O T F THE BO O K— THE

TA B E R N A CLE A N D MA TTE R S OF WO RS HIP (Ch aps .
x x v —X L.
) .
I . The Tab ernacle— Its structure and teaching .
I The materials o f the T ab ernacle (x x v 1

. .
2 The Co urt o f the T ab ernacle (x x vu

. .
9
-1 8
Chap .
3 . l
The Braz en A tar (xx vu 1 — 8 x xx v 1 . iii .
The Laver ( xx x 1 8 .
The T
ab er nac e l
r o e r , o r the ent o f Meet n T i
5 .
p p g
( C ha
p x v .
; x xi
x v . 2 0 x iii .
i
A p c ture o f the T
ab ernac e and it s furn sh ng s l i i
arr anged in o rder for the w o r s ip o f eho va h J h
( C ha s x x x x — XL
p .
) i . .
1 32 The Bo o k o f Ex o d us
and has th us e ntered i nto savi ng and co u nti ng r el atio ns

wi th Go d .
d as R e l at e d t o Gene s is In Ex o dus we ar e no
E x o us .
l o nger de ali ng with i ndividu als o r families o r with cl ans ,
as in Genesi s but with a nati o n and nati o ns Indi

, .
v id uals families cl ans ar e no w o rg anized i nt o a nati o n

, , .
The priests o f the family ar e di spl aced by the Levites .
The priv ate family altar while no t suppl anted is sup, ,
p le me nte d and fo rtified by the altar o f Jeho v ah in the

Tabernacle E x o dus reco rds matters o f hi sto ry rather
.
th an o f bi o graphy as d o es Ge nesis When Go d met .
Jaco b at P eniel it was to give him a new name fo r him

sel f (of Ge nesi s
. Whe n Go d met Mo ses at the
bush (Ed as iii ) it was to give him a revel ati o n fo r the
.
nati o n . In Ge nesi s the Canaanites and E gypti ans ar e

menti o ned o nly as they affect i ndividual p atri arch s ,
while in E x o dus they ar e menti o ned in as far as they

affect the nati o n o f Israel In E x o dus eve n as g reat a
.
man as Mo ses is menti o ned o nly because o f his co nnecti o n

with Israel The study o f Ex o dus m akes it very clear
.
th at we ar e no l o nger deali ng with the pro blems o f in

d ividu al li fe as in Genesi s but with great nati o nal issues
, ,
.
E x o dus sh o ws us the devel o p me nt o f I srael fr o m a family

and trib al i nt o a nati o nal e x iste nce
, .
Th e N ame “
E x o dus me ans
” “
. dep arture o r o ut
g o i ng
.
” It is the w o rd used in Hebrews x i 22 The .
d ep arti ng (o r E x o dus) o f the childre n o f Israel ” The .
name is ex ce edi ngly appr o pri ate i nasmuch as the b o o k

deals very l argely with the o utgo i ng dep arti ng o r ex it , ,
o f the children o f Israel fro m their severe b o nd age in
E gypt .
It is also a bo o k o f redempti o n— its types bei ng o f a

redemptive ch aracter It is suggestive to no te in this
.
c o nnecti o n th at the co nversati o n between Mo ses and E li as

and Chri st o n the m o u nt o f tr ansfi gur atio n had to d o
Int ro d uc t io n 1
33
wi th t he d e cease (literally the ex o dus ,
“
which
Chri st sh o uld ac co mpli sh at Jerusalem . The e x o dus
“ ”
which Mo ses be g an but co uld no t fi nish Chri st o n , ,
Calvary s cr o ss will acc o mplish (literally co m

’ ”
, ,
p le te ly fulfill
Th e t ime c o v e re d by the b o o k o f Ex o du s is ab o ut o ne
h undred a n d fo rty fi v e years fro m the death o f Jo seph
- —
to the erecti o n o f the Taber nacle .
Th e his t o ri ci t y o f the b o o k o f E x o dus is amply and

sati sfacto rily c o nfir med by the testim o ny o f arch a eo l o gical
research and di sco very as well as fro m the i nternal
,
evidence o f the bo o k its el f .
Th e Div is i o ns o f t h e B o o k The c o nte nts o f the b oo k

.
may be said to fall i nto three m ai n p arts : Histo rical

(ch a ps . i . setti ng fo rth the gr o wth , o pp r essi o n ,
and deliverance o f the nati o n and pe o p le o f Isr ael ;
Legi sl ative (chap s x ix . in which we h ave a

reco rd o f the pro mulgati o n o f the m o ral civil and , ,
ceremo ni al l aws go verni ng the ch o se n peo ple ; S acerdo tal

( ch a p s
. x x v -x.l .de a li ng alm o st e x clu si v ely with m atters
pertai ni ng to the buildi ng and erecti o n o f the Tabernacle ,
and al so so me m atter s o f w o r ship in co nnecti o n there
with .
The Histo rical S e ct io n o f t he B o o k
( Chap ter s i .
HIS gener l divi i

a several s on may be viewed in
ways In these chapters we h ave t he divi ne
.
r ec o rd o f G o d s prep ar ati o n o f Mo ses who was

’
,
in a sense a redeemer o f the children o f I srael and the

, ,
r edempti o n o f G o d s ch o sen peo ple fro m their c aptivity

’
in E gypt u ntil their arrival at S i nai where they entered ,
i nto relati o ns o f wo rship with Go d If the co ntents ar e .
viewed in thi s li ght then ch apters i v i prese nt the ,

.
— .
prep arati o n o f Mo ses the deliverer o f Israel ; ch apters ,
vii —x iii the redempti o n o f the peo ple in pro cess ;

. .
,
chapters x iv -x viii the redeemed peo ple u nder the

. .
,
guidance o f Go d .
F o r o ur prese nt purp o se h o wever we shall use a little , ,
differ ent arr angement o f the co ntents u nder the hi sto rical
secti o n .
I . The B o nd a g
Is r ae l (ch ap s
e o f th e Chil d r en of .
i. U nder thi s secti o n there ar e three mi no r

divisio ns : the o ppressi o n o f the children o f Israel
( ch ap the.st o ry o f Mo se s birth and e arly ye ar s ’
(ch ps ii iv ) Mo ses and P h arao h ( ch aps v

a - . . . . .
,
1 . The O p p r e s s io n of th e Ch ildre n of I s r ae l
(ch ap .
(a) The N ames of the Childr en of Isr ael (J acob ) (i . 1

What a trange and checkered c areer th ey had all o f
s ,
them ! S urely they c ame o ut o f Jac o b s thigh every o ne ’

,
1 34
1
36 The Bo o k o f E x o d us
h o useh o ld alo ne numbered three hu ndred and ei ghteen

m al es (Genesi s x i v . O n the nu mbe r o f per so ns go
i ng d o wn i nto E gypt c o mp are Ge ne si s x lvi 26 al so r e
,
.
,
member th at Jaco b and Jo seph and his two so ns already

, ,
in E gypt mu st be reck o ned

,
R e member al so the five .
descendants o f E phraim (N umbers x x vi 3 5 Thi s .
w o uld m ake ab o ut seventy fi ve perso ns (cf A cts vii

- . .
11
We must no t l o se sight o f the fact th at the i ncrease in
the nu mber o f the Hebrew peo ple was supernatural and
the result o f divi ne i nterp o si ti o n Thi s seems to be the .
disti nct teachi ng o f P salm cv 23 24 Israel also c ame

.
,
i nto Egypt ; and J ac o b soj o ur ned in the l and o f Ham .
A nd he (Go d ) i ncreased his peo ple gre atly ” It was .
al so the ful fillme nt o f the divi ne pr o mi se m ade to A bra
ham (Genesis x ii 2 ; x vii 4 5 x viii

. .
,
.
It may be i nte resti ng in thi s co nnecti o n to draw atten

ti o n to a note made by a P r o fesso r Curti s who refers to a
vo lume o f family memo irs which says that fi ve th o usand
five hundred and six ty fo ur perso ns ar e k no w n to be de
—
scended fr o m Lieutenant J o h n H o lli ster who i mmigr ated
to A merica in 1 64 2 This is pr o b ably equ al to the rati o

.
o f the i ncre ase o f the childre n o f Is r ael in E gypt (cf The .
E xp osito r N o vember 1 8 8 7 p
, , ,
.
Th e O p p r e s si o n o f Is r a e l This secti o n narr ates in

.
so me d etail the O ppr essi o n o f the children o f Israel

i — 1 4 and sh o ws us the step s th at led t o their i ncreased
( .8 )
sufferi ng Jo seph the li nk th at b o u nd his p eo ple to
.
—
the p ast d ynasty had died A ll Jo seph s brethre n and

— .
’
,
i ndeed his generati o n had p assed away (i

,
A ne w .
ki ng had arisen who k new no t Jo seph s i nti mate rel ati o ns ’
wi th the p ast (i . The supernatural i ncrease in the

number o f I sraelites became an al ar mi ng fact o r to the
E gypti ans who were afr aid if w ar br o ke o ut th at thi s
, ,
great fo reign peo ple might ally them selves with the
The Histo rical S ec t io n o f the B o o k 1
37
enemy and thus fi ght agai nst them P harao h and his
, .
peo ple, therefo re determi ned to put a sto p to the rapid

,
i ncrease o f the Isr aelites P h arao h with thi s end i n

.
,
view gave specific charge to the Hebre w mid wives B e

, .
neath the pl o t o f P h arao h and the E gypti ans we must

l o o k fo r the i ngenuity o f S atan seeki ng to bl o t o ut the
pro mised seed Thi s we sh all see he tries to d o thro ugh
.
, ,
o ut all the histo ry o f the childre n o f Isr ael no t o nly as ,
narr ated in i nspired hi sto ry but al so in the hi sto ry o f

,
the Jews am o ng the nati o ns o f the d ay Go d has a .
desti ny fo r the Jew S atan w o ul d seek to destro y the

.
Jew and thus destro y the desti ny Ho w many attempts .
h ave bee n made to destro y Go d s ch o sen peo ple in S p ai n

’
,
R ussi a Turkey i ndeed the wh o le wo rld ! Man canno t

, , ,
blo t o ut wh at God determi nes sh all remai n .
Go d O v e r rul e s The midwives fr o m fear o f Go d if

.
,
no t fr o m l o ve o f Hi m di so beyed the e di ct o f P h ar ao h
, .
It may o r may no t have bee n true that as they cl ai med , ,
the Hebrew wives were shrewd The midwives do ubt .
less saw the hand o f Go d in the supernatural i ncrease o f

Jewish birth s F urthermo re it may be that they were
.
,
no t wil li ng to be p art ies to the crime o f i nfanticide

which while a p o pular custo m amo ng the E gypti ans
, ,
may have in this i nstance cau sed fear in the hearts o f the
midwives becau se o f their reco gniti o n o f the h and o f Go d .
It is said th at God dealt well with the midwives

“ ”
,
no t fo r their lyi ng o r fal seh o o d if such actually to o k ,
pl ace but for their o bedience to Him There is no ex

,
.
cuse fo r lyi ng u nder any circumstances B y the term .
“
built them h o uses we ar e to understand th at Go d
”
,
m ade them heads o f families (cf 2 S amuel vii 1 1 . .

,
B ar re nness am o ng w o men in th at d ay was a curse To .
be the head o f a family was a blessi ng O ne wo nders .
whether the fear o f Go d is as great a preventative o f in

fanticid e in thi s d ay as in the d ays o f P h ar ao h With .
1
38 The Bo o k o f E x o dus
this atte mpt at destructi o n o f the Hebrew children sh o uld

be c mp ared Her d s destructi o O f the fi r st b o rn in
o o n -
’
Matthew ii .
2 . T he S M t or y B irt h and E arl y Y e ar s

of s
o e s —
( ch aps ii . . Here be g i n s the hi sto ry and the i n
fl uence o f o ne man o n a nati o n and i ndeed o n the w o rld , ,
( c f. Hebrew s x i G o d .t u r ns the s c ale o f eve nt s by

the v ast weight o f o ne man The histo ry o f all great .
wo rld m o vements has been the hi story o f o ne i ndividual .
The E x o dus was Mo se s ; the R efo rm ati o n was Luther

Meth o di sm was Jo h n Wesley P resbyteri ani sm was Jo h n
Calvi n ; Ed d yism was Mr s E ddy Mo rm o nism was B rig .
ham Y o ung ; and so it has ever bee n It still rem ai ns to.
be seen ho w much p o wer Go d will mani fest thro ugh the

li fe o f any si ngle i ndividual who is willi ng to tho ro ughly
and abs o lutely dedicate himsel f to the service o f Go d and
man .
( )
a M o ses B ir th and ’
E ar ly Y ear s ( ch ap M o s es .
was the child o f G o dly p arents (Hebrews x i 23 .

,
They saw and believed in the p o ssibilities o f thei r child .
Here was a h o me in which faith reig ned supreme even ,
in id o l atro us E gypt The faith o f the p arents was fo u nd

.
in the heart o f the child a faith which eve n the tr ai ni ng

,
in the h o me o f P h arao h s daughter c o uld no t er adic ate

’
,
fo r whe n the m o me nt o f ch o ice came betwee n the faith o f

his m o ther and the li fe in the ro y al p al ace Mo ses ch o se ,
the fo rmer N o d o ubt Mo ses k ept in to uch with his

.
h o me duri ng all the years in which he resided i n the

p al ace He go t his faith in Go d fro m his p arents just as
.
he got his learni ng in the p alace o f the P h ar aohs .
Undo ubtedly Go d s pro vidence was m ani fested in the

’
e arly years o f Mo ses It certai nly was in his deliverance

.
in co nnecti o n with the fi ndi ng o f Mo ses in the ar k o f bul

rushes Go d i ntervened and saved Moses o ut o f the j aws
.
1
40 The Bo o k o f E x o d us
buried in a go o d o ld age B ut in the fo urth generatio n

.
they shall co me hi ther ag ai n : fo r the i niquity o f the

A mo rites is o t yet full (Ge esi
n ” n s x v 1 3— 1 6 ; o f 1 24 . . .
,
These g o dly p arents may h ave seen i n their child the o ne

who u nder Go d was to fulfi ll th is pr o phecy
, , .
We are delighted to no te the mo ther i nsti nct in the

heart o f the heathen d aug hter o f P harao h O ur great .
cities swarm with children ex p o sed to a wo rse fate th an

th at baby amo ng the bulrushes Legi sl ati o n and o ffici al
.
ch arity ar e to o co ld to re ach them They need the bo so m.
o f a h o me . These children like Mo ses ,

“
with no lan ,
guage but a cry ar e still in o ur mi dst What are we

”
, .
d o i ng fo r them !
If fate hath given thee no child
To l ean upo n thi ne ar m ,
That b y its presence und efiled

S ho uld st save thy so ul fro mharm
If tho u wert truly mo ther bo rn ,
Tho u wo uld st have played the part ,
A nd fo und so me little o ne fo rlo rn

To fo ld within thine heart .
!
Ho w wo nderfully Go d cared fo r the child th at tho se

p arents co mmitted to Him ! What they gave to Go d ,
th at Go d returned to them glo rified Go d will d o the .
same fo r us and fo r o ur children if we have like faith .
The sl ayi ng o f the E gypti an by Mo ses (ii 1 1 1 6 ) is an .

—
attempt at hum an redempti o n t o acc o mpli sh Go d s w o rk

’
,
by means o f the flesh rather than by Go d s S pirit It is ’

.
a repetiti o n o f the mist ake which A br ah am and S ar ah
m ade when they reso rted tO Hagar to help ful fill the
~
pro mi se o f Go d .
The flight o f Mo ses (ii was al so in the pr o vi

.
de nce o f Go d It was the divi ne way o f trai ni ng Mo ses

.
to be a leader It was thro ugh thi s wilderness in which

.
,
he S pe nt fo rty years th at he sho uld lead the children o f

,
The H ist o ric al S ec tio n o f the Bo o k 1 41
I srael fo r ano ther fo rty years The k no wledge o f the

.
wilderness which Mo ses mu st h ave gai ned duri ng his

years o f pilgri mage was o f u nto ld benefit to him in his
leadership o f the nati o n l ater .
( )
6 M o ses Ca ll and’
Co mm issi o n ( ch aps iii The . .
,
call came while Mo ses was abo ut his usual d aily o ccup a
tio n . S o it c ame to David w hile he w as tendi ng his
,
sheep to E li sh a while he was pl o wi ng to the shepherds

while they watched their flo ck s S o it will al ways co me
. .
Go d call s us fro m w o rk to w o rk never fro m idleness , .
He who fill s well his present p o siti o n is in li ne o f pro mo

ti o n fo r a greater .
Go d s call o ften co mes while in s o litude

’
The m o ther .
co u ntry o f the stro ng is so litude What a ch ange this .
was fro m a bu sy p al ace to a quiet desert but Go d tests

—
,
H is weap o ns b efo re He uses them S litude th at is the

o — .
defi niti o n o f ge nius .
O ne might h ave th o ught th at Mo ses had flung away

bright pro spects in fo rsaki ng P harao h fo r Jethro S o we .
so meti mes say o f many a yo ung man who gives up a

w o rldly pr o spect fo r the wo rk o f Go d It was a d elib
crate ch o ice o n the p art o f Mo ses “
B y faith Mo ses ,
when he was c o me to ye ars refu sed to be c alled the so n

,
o f P h arao h s d aughter ; ch o o si ng r ather t o su ffer affl ic

’
tio n with the peo ple o f Go d th an to enj o y the pleasures

o f s in fo r a seaso n : estee mi ng the repr o ach o f Chri st
greater riches th an the treasures i n E gypt : fo r he had

respect u nto the reco mpense o f the reward B yfaith he
'
fo rso o k E gypt no t fe ari ng the wr ath o f the ki ng : fo r

,
he e ndured as seei ng him who is i nvi sible

,
”
(Hebrews
x i 24
. A wi se ch o ice it was as the centuries th at ,
h a ve p assed by still bear witness .
Go d sp o ke to Mo ses o ut o f the bush th at burned yet did

no t co nsu me The b ush was d o ubtless a symb o l o f Go d s
.
’
h o li ness the divi ne fi r e co nsu mi ng sin fo r the purpo se o f

,
1 42 The Bo o k o f E x o d us
c o nsecrati o n Co mp are Hebrews x ii 29

. F o r o ur Go d
.
is a c o nsumi ng fire ” Jesus drew a lesso n fro m the burn

.
ing bush i n His t alk with the P h ari sees (Mark x ii .
Ju st as the bush burned but did no t c o nsume away so , ,
o nce b o r n the so ul dies no t ti s an eter nal thi ng Th o se

’
.
,
w h o m we c all dead ar e alive The so ul th at is u nited to

.
God by faith never dies .
The title “
Jeho vah li fts Go d up abo ve men The
”
.
title The Go d o f y o ur fathers bri ngs Go d d o wn to

“ ”
men Th at is His mem o ri al to all generati o ns

. .
The pr o gram o f Mo ses c o mmi ssi o n (iii ’

16 .
The end o f the mi ssi o n is k no w n fro m the begi nni ng .
Moses need h ave no fear o f failure A t first sight it .
might seem as th o ugh fro m this very fact Mo ses had a

greater chance th an we h ave A nd yet the fact that we .
d o no t alway s as Mo ses did k no w the end fro m the b e

, ,
gi nni ng sh o uld lead us to cli ng mo re clo sely to Go d for

greater grace and stimulate us to greater effo r t
,
.
The assurance to be given to the children o f Israel

was th at they were to be delivered by Go d Himsel f and
pl anted agai n in their o wn l and .
T e three d ay test (iii 1 8 ) was a picture o f Go d wo rk

h - .
ing al o ng the li nes o f le ast resi stance and fav o ured ,
P h ar ao h. It was no deceit If P h arao h wo uld no t .
all o w three d ays he w o uld certai nly no t all o w them to

,
g o fo r g o o d . W hy did G o d a ppe al whe n He k n ew th at

it w o uld be in vai n ! That is answered by aski ng Why ,
d o es Go d still appe al to us when He k no ws O fttimes the

appe al will be in v ai n ! Go d m akes the least p o ssible
request and with the greatest co urtesy Th at is why .
each time that Mo ses m akes a demand up o n P h arao h

the term s ar e m o re severe N o t even so little as Go d
.
asked w o uld be granted .
The co nflict was to be a rel igi o u s o ne It was a b attle .
between the go ds o f Egypt and the Go d o f Israel This .

1 44 The Bo o k o f Ex o dus
s erpe nt (iv ) w as i nte.nded

2 5
— to c o n vi nce P h ar ao h o f
the fact th at Mo ses c o mmissi o n was fro m Go d The ’
.
Egypti ans w o rshipped the serpe nt Indeed a serpent .

,
was a p art o f the cr o w n o f t he P h arao hs This sh o wed .
that the Go d o f Mo ses was superi o r to the g o ds o f the

E gypti ans fo r He c o uld r aise up e nemies tro ubles and
, , ,
ave ng i ng fo rces ; they were subject to Him and He ,
co uld suppress them The r o d o f Mo ses pl ays an im .
p o rtant p art in histo ry Traditio n re g ards it as the tree .
o f li fe Whether this be true o r no t it d o es sh o w ho w

.
,
Go d uses the weak thi ng s o f the w o rld to c o nfo u nd the

mighty In chapter ii the cry o f a baby ; in ch apter
. .
,
iv the r o d o f a shep herd s aves the natio n (cf 1 Cor

.
,
.
inthians i .
The lepro us h and (iv 6 8) was a sign i ntended fo r the .

—
pe o ple o f Israel Lepr o sy was to them a sign o f the

.
p o wer o f death in its mo st awful fo rm This wo uld co n .
vi nce them th at Mo ses came to them with divi ne cred en

tials and as the messe nger o f the Go d o f I sr ael .
The turning o f the N ile water i nto blo o d (iv 9 ) was .
do ubtless i nte nded to c o nvi nce the Egypti ans The N ile .
was the great go d o f E gypt It was the pride and gl o ry .
o f the l and The N ile was the o bject o f greatest wo rship

. .
To be able the n to tur n this their favo urite river i nto

, , , ,
bl o o d sho wed the p o wer o f Mo ses Go d o ver the go d o f

,
’
the Egypti ans It was perfectly natural th at P h arao h

.
,
the Egyptians and the children o f Israel sh o ul d ask

,
Mo ses fo r credenti als especially so when we co nsider the ,
i mp o rtance o f Mo ses errand and the o bstacles to be ’

,
o verc o me Three miracles ar e give n thus l ayi ng em

.
,
ph asis up o n the cumul ative value o f evidence While .
abso lute pr o o f may no t lie i n any o ne o f these it d o es lie ,
in the three c o mbi ned We m ust no t despi se the evi .
dence to ch aracter ” We h ave the right o f ch alleng e

. .
We ar e to ld to test the S pirits whether they be o f Go d or

The Histo rical S ec t io n o f the Bo o k
no t (1 J hn iv
o When we co nsider the i mp o rtance
. 1
o f the errand the mess age and the i ssues at stake we
, , ,
h ave a right to ask fo r the pro per credenti als .
Thus Mo ses is endo wed with suffi cient credenti als to

co nvi nce P h arao h the Egypti ans and the children o f
, ,
Israel .
Mo ses ex cuse o f timidity and l ack o f speech was

’
wr o ng There is a time when timidity is si nful

. No .
man o ught to thi nk o f himself ab o ve wh at he o ught to

thi nk but there ar e ti mes when we o ught to thi nk
,
so berly (R o mans x ii Israel is no t to be delivered

.
by el o quence but by p o wer We must no t wait u ntil we

,
.
ar e wise o r flue nt but u ntil w e ar e assured o f the divi ne

,
presence Go d co uld h ave given Mo ses the gi ft o f elo

.
q u e nce if th at were nec e ss a ry a s ver se 1 2 cle arly s,

h o w s .
I ndeed Go d might h ave given it to hi m i nste ad o f to

,
A aro n had Mo ses bee n believi ng

,
.
It was sad fo r Mo ses when Go d granted his request

( iv. fo r a s we sh all ,s ee l ater it wa s the el o que nce ,
o f A ar o n th at led the pe o ple to wo r ship the g o lden c al f .
Mo ses was wro ng in allo wi ng resp o nsibility to fall i nto

weaker h ands th at d ay and fi nally fo r th o se we aker ,
h ands led a nati o n to sin .
Mo ses r etur n to Jethro (iv 1 8—23) is i nteresti ng b e

’
.
cause it sho ws us ho w careful Mo ses was in g iving up

his p o sitio n There is a right and wr o ng way fo r a
.
Christi an to surre nder his p o siti o n eve n th o ugh he has ,
been called o f Go d to ano ther What a co ntrast b e .
tween Jac o b steali ng o ff unk no w n to Laban and the ,
pl ai n straightfo rw ard way in which Mo ses d ealt with

,
Go d d o es no t expect us even in the perfo rm ance o f ,
duty to r ush heedlessly i nto peril N o te the divi ne

,
.
statement F or all the men ar e dead which so ught

thy l ife ” .
1 46 The Bo o k o f E x o dus
The i ncide nt o f Zipp o rah (iv ) seems to i ntimate . 24 26

—
th at Mo ses the great leader o f a race had been remi ss in

, ,
the perfo rmance o f a religi o us rite in his d o mestic life .
He had neglected his full duty to his child He had .
failed to rec o g nize it as a child o f the c o ve nant and to

cl aim fo r it its rightful share He pro b ably k new what .
he o ught t o d o but had left it fo r a m o re co nvenie nt

seaso n It was a little thi ng in the midst o f v ast na
.
tio nal i ssues but is any act o f diso bedi e nce little !
,
It
is ano ther illustr ati o n o f ho w g reat men may fail in
litt le thi ng s .
3 . Mo s e s (ch a ps
a nd v P h arao hWe sh o uld . .
,
try to fo rm a picture o f the return o f Mo ses to Egypt ,
to the s ame ro yal p al ace where he had spent his child

h o o d and meeti ng agai n the friends and acqu ai ntances
,
o f fo r mer ye ar s His rugged appearance wo uld d o ubt

.
less cause c o mment if no t a tau nt fro m his co mp ani o ns ,
b ut s o me men like Christ befo re Hero d eve n th o ugh

, ,
they be clo thed in h o mespun by their very attitude ,
pro cl aim that they ar e ro y al Thu s it was with Mo ses . .
We h ave here a wo nderful illu strati o n o f G o d s deal ’
i ng s with two different men wh o m we may co nsider as

typical The susceptibility o f Mo ses to the will o f Go d
.
,
and the h ard ness o f P h ar ao h t o w ard s th at s ame will ar e ,
i nstructive to us The A p o stle P aul m akes much o f thi s

.
i ncident in his ep istle to the R o m ans (ch ap and .
sh o ws th at the c ase o f P h arao h is illustr ative o f Go d s

’
deali ngs with men who persi stently h arden their hearts
ag ai nst Him .
The questi o n may be asked Who h ardened P harao h s ,

’
heart ! A c areful co nsiderati o n in the R evi sed V ersi o n ,
and especi ally i n the Hebrew tex t o f the fo ll o wi ng ver ses ,
will sh o w th at P harao h h ardened his o wn heart befo re

Go d h ardened it (cf v ii 1 4 viii 1 5 3 2 ; ix 7
. . .
,
.
,
1 48 The Bo o k o f Ex o dus
V erse 24 Go , me n and children, but

no t fl o ck s .
x . 25 , 26 F lo ck s to o must go .
”
x i i 3 1 33
— . Go , as ye h ave said .
”
Th e R e al S c e ne Be gi n
ch apter vi we have the s . In .
first real act in the dram a o f the redemptio n o f the ch o sen

peo ple fro mE gyptian b o nd age Go d deal s first with His .
o wn pe o ple even befo re deali ng with P h arao h o r the

,
E gypti ans Mo ses had said : B eh o ld the children o f

.
“
,
Israel have no t hearke ned u nto me ; ho w the n shall

P h arao h he ar me who am o f u ncircu mci sed lips !
,
”
(v i
. The e ntire si x th ch apter is pr actically t aken
up with Mo ses and A ar o n deali ng with the ch o sen people .
II . Th e Ten P l agu e s (chaps

vii The fi rst . .
ni ne pl agues may be divided i nt o three g ro up s It sh o uld .
be no ted th at w arni ngs ar e given o f the fi rst two plagues

o f e ach gro up the third pl ague i n e ach gr o up bei ng in
,
fl icte d with o ut any w ar ni ng We naturally ask why ! .
The pl agues th at the E gypti an m agici ans were able to

duplicate were th o se th at had been already fo re -an
no unced Th o se pl agues th at were S prung suddenly and
.
u nanno u nced up o n the peo ple were no t duplicated by

the m agici ans fo r they d o ubtless did no t h ave time to
,
m ake up the decept i o n which they had previ o u sly

p almed o ff o n P harao h and the peo ple These pl agues .
w ere wro ught up o n a nat ur al b asis ; they were the

credenti als o f Jeh o v ah s messengers and were fo r the
’
,
puni sh ment o f Jeh ovah s enemies and the o verthro w o f ’
Jeh o vah s rival s ’

.
1 . Th e P u r p o s e o f th e P l ague s
( )
1 Th atthe E gypti ans m ight k no w Jeh o v ah (v1 1 .
( )
2 Judgment up o n the go ds o f Egypt (x ii .
( 3) To ho no ur Isr ael (viii 22 .

,
The Histo rical S ect io n o f the Bo o k 1 49
( )
4 reveal the h o li ness justice and p o wer o f Go d
To , ,
( vii s 5 ; i x 1 5 1 6
.
,
.
, ,
te ti m y uture ge er i
\
( )
5 A s o n to f n at o ns ( 1
x .
,
It sh o uld no t be l o st sight o f in the study o f the pl agues

th at they were the mani fest ati o n o f a co nflict between the
go d s o f Egypt and Jeh o vah the Go d o f Israel E ach , .
pl ague was a direct attack up o n so me E gyptian go d .
A n A rr ange me nt o f t h e P l ag ue s The pl ag ues may .
be arranged as fo llo ws givi ng their l o cati o n the go d , ,
ag ai nst wh o m they were hurled the time o f the year ,
when they were i nflicted and whether anno unced o r un ,
anno u nced
1 . B l o o d , vii 1 4-25 — A . g i n t the N ile

a s g ,
o d O sir is .
A nno unced ( Ju ne) .
F ro gs, viii 1 1 A gai nst the fro g

.
—1 —
go ddess Heka ,
.
A nno u nced (S ep te mber ) .
F lie s viii ,
gai nst the ear th go d Leb
. 16 9
1 —
A—
, .
Unanno u nced (O cto ber) .
Be etles viii 20 3 2 A gai nst the beetle go d

,
.
- —
,
K hep ar a A nno u nced (N o vember)
. .
Murrain ix 1 7 A gai nst the cattle go ds A pis

,
.
— —
, ,
etc A nno unced (December)
. .
B o il s ix 8— 1 2— A g ai nst the go ddess N eit

,
. Un .
anno u nced (Janu ary ) .
H ail ix 1 3 35 A gai nst the air g o ds Isis etc

, .
— —
, ,
.
A nno u nced (F ebru ary ) .
Lo cu st x 1 — 20 A g ai nst the i nsect g o ds

, . An — .
no unced (March ) .
9 . Dark ness x 21 -29 — A g ai nst the sun go d Ra

,
.
,
.
U nanno u nced ( A pril ) .
10 . F irst -b o r n sl ai n the fi ni shi ng bl o w to the wh o le ,

p antheo n o f helpless go d s x i and x ii Co m , . .
p are P h arao h s destructi o n o f i nfants (ch ap s ’

.
i .
, and th at o f Her o d (Matthew
Do we ask, Ho w co ul d the mag ici ans duplicate p ar ti ally

1
5 0 The B o o k o f E x o d us
so me these pl agues ! We say p arti ally fo r they co uld

of ,
no t re mo ve them Two reaso ns ar e suggested .
F irst .Th at they were enabled to d o so by the agency

o f S atan (cf 2 Tim o thy iii 8 ; 2 Thess al o ni ans ii 9 1 2 ; . .
—
.
1 S amuel x x vi 8 .
S ec o ndl y B y c o juri g fo r the pl agues which they

n n —
.
duplicated were fo re -anno unced so that the m ag icians ,
had time to prep ar e and practice their decepti o n .
2. Th e P as s o v e r (chaps ttenti o n . xi , . O ur a
sho uld be drawn to the ex plicit details g iven with regard

to the de ath o f the fi r s b o r n as to time (x i
t - ex tent .
(x i . the terrible cry th at wo uld fo llo w (x i the ex .
empti o n o f Israel fr o m the death o f the fi r st -bo rn (x i .
and the acti o n o f P h ar ao h and his serv ants (x i 8 .
Ch apter x ii the P ass o ver e speci ally is o ne o f the

.
, ,
m o st imp ortant in the entire O ld Testament A gai n o ur .

,
atte nti o n sh o uld be dr awn to the ex plicit details with
regard to the prep arati o n for and the c o mmemorati o n o f

the P asso ver supper We sho uld no te : .
F irst . Th at as an instituti o n the P asso ver o ri g i nated

with Go d .
S eco nd Its natur e It was an eap iation, that is to

. .
say it was the acceptance o f an i nno cent victim fo r a

,
guilty soul It was a feast fo r the so ul o f the faithful

.
,
Israelite was m ade glad as he l o o ked up o n G o d s p r o ’
v i si o n fo r redempti o n It was a memo r ial fo r it was to

.
,
be kept thro ugho ut all the generati o ns to co me an i nci ,
dent to be to ld and reto ld b y p arent and child It was a .
p r op h ecy fo r it l o o ked fo rw ard to a greater P asso ver

, .
Third Its typic al teachi ng

. It represented Christ .
,
o ur P asso ver who has been s acri fi ced for us (1 Co r
,
inthians v Is it to o much to say th at i ts chief lesso n

.
lay in the fact that it l o o k ed fo rward to Chri st s s acrifice ! ’
We remember the wo rds o f Jesus when speaking o f His

1
the victo ry o ver G o li ath David rec eives prai se ; i n the ,
victo ry o ver the P hilisti nes S aul receives prai se in the ,
victo ry o ver the Midi anites Jo nathan receiv es prai se ; ,
fo r in e ach o ne o f these i nstances man had pl ayed so me

p art Go d al o ne o perated h o wever in the dividi ng o f
.
, ,
the waters o f the R ed S ea S o we ar e to ld the peo ple .
“
believed in Jeho vah which is a remark able state ment
”
,
because they had believed in Him already It was by .
faith they fo r so o k E gypt ; it was by faith they kept the

P ass o ver ; it is no w by faith i n thi s ne w m ani festati o n
o f Go d th at they cr o ss the R ed S ea (x iv 3 0 3 1 ; cf He .
, .
bre ws x i 27 .
To P h arao h as well as to the I srae lites it seemed as

, ,
th o ugh Go d had blu ndered in leading His peo ple i nto

such a peril o u s p o siti o n They app arently were en .
trapped in the wilderness bet wee n the sea and the m o un

tai ns It was d o ubtless thi s th o ught th at led P h ar ao h to
.
pursue Isr ael He may h ave i magi ned th at Go d was no t

.
a Go d o f war j u st as l ater the e nemies o f Israel th o ught

,
th at Jeho vah was a Go d o f the hills but no t o f the v al

leys (1 K i ngs xx 23 P h arao h learned as Miri am s
.
, ,
’
so ng l ater declared that Jeh o vah is a Man o f war (x v ,

.
V er se s 1 5 - 3 1 sh o w th at it is no l o nger P h ar ao h and
I srael but P h arao h and Jeh o vah who ar e the pri ncip al
,
acto rs in the scene We d o no t h ave to fight o ur o wn

.
battles Go d is resp o nsible fo r o ur wh o le salvati o n It

. .
is fo r His o wn name s sake th at we ar e delivered ’

.
The L o r d s reply to Mo ses ’ “

Wherefo re criest th o u ,
u nto me ! leads to the questio n Is there a time whe n

”
,
prayer is o ut o f place The answer wo uld seem to be ,
Y e s when G o d s will is reve aled as to wh at we sh o uld

,
’
d o ; Y es w he n so me d uty is le ft u nd o ne (cf Matthe w

, .
v 22
.
,
The S o ng of Moses (ch ap The s o ng o f Mo ses .
( x v 1 —2.0) is retr o spective de a li n g with the rece nt d e liv ,

The Histo ric al S ect io n o f the Bo o k 1 53
cr ce (
an x v. pro spective l o o ki ng fo r ward to future
1 — 1 2) ,
deliverance by Go d (x v 1 3 and its sequel is fo u nd

.
in verses 1 9 21 — .
This so ng is o ccupied with Go d and no t with man It .
is a so ng in which man has no p art fo r all he had to d o ,
was to stand still and see Go d w o rk in his beh al f It .
was Go d who br o ught ab o ut the deliverance The peo ple .
si mply l o o ked o n and saw it d o ne .
N o r can we o verl o o k the fact that in c o nnecti o n with

the no te o f p ast victo ry there is the assurance o f future
victo ry to o N o thi ng no w seems imp o ssible The great
. .
est tribe o f P hili sti a (x v 1 3 ) is as no thi ng to them The

. .
ho li ness o f Go d is ex al ted in this so ng It is a so ng in .
which wo man has a p art .
V er se s 22— 27 o f thi s ch apter sh o w us ho w Go d entered

i nto a co venant rel ati o nship with His pe o ple (x v 26) .
and give us the ex perie nces o f the chil d ren o f Isr ael in
the wilderness o f S h ur Go d s peo ple ar e ag ai n entangled

.
’
in di ffi culties but o f a different nature

,
We ar e no t al .
w ays led in green p astures o r by still waters A fter three .
days travel o ver dreary wastes their h o pes and dre ams
’
o f ease and ple nty wer e di sapp o i nted and they fo u n d

themselves in w ant o f water They co mpl ai ned no t .
,
necessarily o pe nly fo r the r ece nt deliverance was to o

,
fresh i n their mi nds They had j ust sung His praises ;

.
no w they fo rget His w o rks Go d h o wever heal s the

.
, ,
waters and bri ngs blessi ng o ut o f disapp o i ntment .
In ch apter x v i the childre n o f Israel ar e taught the

.
impo rtant lesso n o f daily dependence up o n Go d They .
were no t allo wed to gather m o re than o ne day s supply ’
o f m anna .
Here is murmuri ng afte r singi ng Ho w strange .
These pe o ple w o uld s o o ner die amid the glutto ny o f

Egypt th an die no ble in the wilder ness ; they w o uld
so o ner die ensl aved than die free men they wo uld so o ner
h ave o ni o ns and garlic than angel s fo o d ; they w o uld ’
s o o ner h ave fo o d fo r the b o dy eve n th o ugh it bri ng lean
ness o f s o ul they wo uld so o ner die c o mfo rtable becau se

they were u nfi t to be her o ic Thus full ness o f temp o ral
.
pro sperity may be the sig n o f spiritual p o verty and

failure .
S uppl y o f Manna Mir a cul o u s (Deutero no my viii .
It is true th at the m anna was so methi ng like the ex ud a

t i o n o f a certai n pl ant fo und in the desert Th at it was .
no t thi s pl ant h o wever but di ffered very g reatly fr o m

, ,
it is evident fro m the fo llo wi ng facts : the natural pro duct

o f this pl ant is a drug and no t a fo o d it can be g athered
o nly duri ng s o me week s in s ummer whereas the m anna ,
stayed with Israel all thro ugh their j our ney ; it is no t

li able to quick c o rruptio n as was the m anna if kept o ver
o ne d ay ; there w o uld have been no re aso n fo r preserv
ing it in the ar k if it c o uld c o nstantly be fo u nd in cer

tai n pl ants it co uld no t h ave been suffi cient to feed o ne
in a hu ndred o f the Hebre w multitudes let al o ne the ,
milli o n o r m o re who were fed d aily ; no r co uld it h ave

ceased o n the same d ay when they ate the first ripe co rn
of Canaan .
Y et the m anna was no t given with o ut l abo ur It was .
to be g athered e arly in the m o rni ng N o pr o vi si o n was

.
to be m ade fo r the m o rr o w e x cept in the c ase o f the

S ab b ath There was to be e no ugh fo r e ach man no
.
,
mo re no less Ju st as water takes the sh ape o f the

,
.
vessel i nto which it is p o ured so Christ is the bread ,
o f li fe fo r the sati sfacti o n o f the so ul o f e ach i ndivid ual .
The c o nst ant d aily supply nece ssitated a c o nstant d aily

dependence up o n Go d A p o t o f manna was kept as a
.
memo ri al and as a type o f th at hidden manna o f eternal

life which Christ gives to tho se who believe in Him .
Jo hn vi sh o uld be studied in thi s co nnecti o n

. .
The S tr icken R o ck (ch ap Here we have the

.
The L e gislative S e ctio n o f t he Bo o k
A t S inai
( Chap ter s win —xxi v .
)
HIS secti o n deals with two great facts : The giv
ing o f the Law so meti mes c alled The Greater
,
Law th at is the Ten Co mm andments and the

,
givi ng o f the Lesser Laws It is di ffi cult to o verestim ate

.
the great imp o rtance o f this event in the histo ry o f the

children o f Israel the Ex o dus bei ng the fi rst The
,
.
u nique r el ati o nship o f I srael to Go d practically began

,
at S i nai . It was here th at Go d said N o w therefo re ,
if ye will o bey my v o ice i ndeed and keep my c o venant

, ,
then ye sh all be a peculi ar treas ure u nto me ab o ve all

p p
eO le : fo r all the e arth i s mi ne : A nd ye sh all be u nt o
me a ki ngdo m o f priests and an h o ly nati o n These ar e

,
.
the wo rd s which th o u shalt speak u nto the children o f

Israel (E x o dus x ix
”
.
To all m anki nd thi s secti o n has its ex ceedi ngly im

p o rtant lesso ns The m o ral co de given at S i nai still
.
rem ai ns the ex pressi o n o f the m o ral character o f Go d .
Milli o ns o f human lives still l o o k to it fo r wisd o m and

guidance Legislatio n and j urisprudence fro m S i nai
.
u ntil no w h ave been based up o n this revel ati o n o f the

mi nd and will o f Go d .
Th e R e v e l at i o n at S i nai A fter three m o nths o f

.
travel the children o f Israel h ave no w reached H o reb

, ,
the go al o f their deliverance (E x o dus iii Duri ng .
Isr l s st y here the Law is give (ch aps x ix xx iv )

a e
’
a n — . .
I5 6
The Legislat iv e S ec t io n o f the Bo o k 1
57
and the Taber nacle
erected acco rdi ng to i nstructio ns
given to Mo ses b y Go d (ch aps X XV . .
The o utli ne o f thi s secti o n is as fo llo ws The prepara

ti o n fo r the givi ng o f the L aw (ch ap x ix ) the mo ral . .
Law c alled al so t he Greater Law o r the Te n Co mmand

, ,
ments (chap x x ) the Lesser Law (chaps xx i

. . . .
I . Th e Gi v i ng o ft h e Gre at e r L aw (ch aps . x ix .

,
1 . Th e P r e p a r at i o n fo r t h e Gi v i ng o f the L aw
( ch ap . In thi s ch apter cert ai n eve nts preli m i nary
to the givi ng o f the Law ar e reco rded P as t blessi ngs .
ar e rec alled as fo r mi ng a legitim ate b asi s fo r future
o bedie nce I ndeed the o bedience which Go d requires

.
,
o f H is peo ple is b ased o n His redempti o n o f and g uid
ance grante d to H is pe o ple .
Wh at a co ntrast we h ave betwee n Mo u nt S i nai r ep r e ,
se nti ng the o ld and Mo u nt Zi o n the ne w dispe nsati o n

,
( cf .Hebrew s x ii 1 8 Here we h ave .the begi n ni ng

o f a ne w dispe nsati o n th at o f Law S o far we h ave — .
had the E denic Di spe nsati o n (Ge nesis i the P a .
tr iar chal Di spe nsati o n (Ge ne si s iii to E x o du s x ix ) which . .
i ncluded pro bably the A ge o f Co nscie nce (Genesi s iv

, ,
.
l viii
— o f Hum an G o ver nme nt (Ge nes is viii
. 15 .
xi. o f P r o mi se ( Ge nesis x ii to E x o du s No w .
begi ns the third great d i spensati o n— th at o f Law which ,
ex te nd s fro m thi s po i nt to pro bably the bo o k o f A cts , ,

.
(a) The A scent of Moses up Mo unt S inai to R ecei ve the

Divine R evelation (x ix 1 Here Go d e nters i nto c o ve
.
nant rel ati o ns with His peo ple These rel ati o ns ar e in .
a se nse leg al and yet they ar e o f gr ace fo r as we h ave

, , ,
see n they ar e b ased o n redempti o n and the g o o dness

,
o f Go d S o me di ffere nces h ave been m ade between this

.
co venant and th at m ade to A brah am In the A bra .
hamic c o ve nant Go d b o u nd Hi msel f as an aid to A bra

h am s faith In the co ve nant o f Isr ael Go d see ms to
’
.
1 5 8 The Bo o k o f E x o d us
requi re o f the peo ple that they bi nd them selves to

o be die nce so th at in the o ne c ase we h ave an o ath o f
,
allegi ance and in the o ther o ne o f assur ance

, Go d .
w o uld k no w whether these peo ple were willi ng to as

sume the resp o nsibility i nvo lved in thi s co venant o f
o bedience and it is pr o b ably fo r this reas o n th at the
,
o bedie nce o f the pe o ple is ch alle nged ere the nature o f
the co venant is m ade k no w n The pe o ple readily assent

.
to the require ments o f Go d Ho w little they knew o f

.
thei r o wn hearts !
b
( ) The P r ep ar ation of the P eop le fo r the R ecep tion of
the Covenant ( Mo ses is co mm anded to pre
x ix . 10
p are the peo ple fo r the recei vi ng o f the c o venant and
the m ani festati o n o f the divi ne presence This is to be .
acc o mpli shed by an o utward cleansi ng o f the c amp ,
which o f co urse is symb o lic o f i nw ard cleansing o f heart

, ,
(c f A m
. o s iv the n t
.h e setti ng o f b o u nds ab o ut
Mo unt S i nai A ll these prep arato ry arrangements were
.
fo r the purp o se o f teachi ng Israel the lesso n o f revere nce

and awe fo r the divi ne and fo r Go d Thi s was the lesso n
.
taught Mo ses at the bush It is the lesso n Israel w o uld

.
learn when o bservi ng the distance between the ar k and

the marchi ng co lumn th at fo ll o wed it It is the lesso n so .
seri o usly taught I srael in co nnecti o n with the sl ayi ng o f

U z z ah who put o ut his h and to stay the ar k (2 S amuel
vi 2 . The priests ar e especi ally war ned to be c areful
and reverent pr o b ably bec ause they may h ave had the
,
feeli ng th at i nasmuch as they were prie st s they had j ust

as much right as Mo ses and A aro n to bre ak thr o ugh the
b o undaries and ascend the m o unt It may be al so that .
they felt th at the co mm and fo r cleansi ng and puri fi cati o n

had reference to the peo ple and no t to the m .
( ) The Divine Manifestation (x ix 1 6

0 Go d m ani.
feste d Him sel f to these peo ple in a thick cl o ud N 0 man .
co uld bear the sight o f Go d as He is fo r He dwells ,

We ar e no t to l o o k up o n the Mo ral Law as a pl an o f

salv ati o n fo r it is clear fro m the teachi ng o f the N ew
,
Testament th at no man is saved by legal O bedie nce

(G a l ati an s ii 1 6
. 2
—
1 ; R o m an s iii 1 9 It is imp or
.
,
tant t o no te th at E x o dus x x (the g ivi ng o f the Law) .
fo ll o ws E x o dus x ii (the redempti o n o f I srael )

. Thus .
even the o bedience here required is based o n the r ed emp

ti o n o f G o d s peo ple (x x
’
.
The o ft recurrence o f the phrase sh alt no t suggests

“ ”
to us the purp o se o f the Law namely its rev e ali ng ch ar, ,
acter . The Law was given to sh o w the ex ceedi ng si nful

ness o f sin (R o m ans v ii 7 . The Law is still i n e ffect
so far as the u nrege nerate ar e c o ncer ned as a means o f
reveali ng to them the measure o f th eir o wn resp o nsibility

and the ex ceedi ng si nful ness o f si n (cf R o mans vii 7 25 . .
—
Gal ati ans iii 1 0 ; James ii 1 0 ; Matth ew x x ii 3 7

. . .
,
While the Law is no t bi ndi ng o n the believer i n Chri st

either as a way o r a rule o f li fe its pri nciples reve ali ng , ,
as they d o the nature and w ill o f Go d h ave still an abid ,
i ng purp o se and p o wer The Chri sti an s rel ati o n to the

.
’
m
La w is cle arly set fo rth in R o a s vii 7 25 ; Co l o ssi ans
n - .
ii 1 4 1 5 ; R o mans x 4 Th at the L aw is in no sense a

.
,
. .
means o f salvati o n is cle arly app arent by the entire ar gu

m e nt o f the letter to the Galati ans .
( )
b T h e D i v isio n s of the M o r al L a w T here is a gre at .
di fference o f o pi ni o n in thi s matter A ll ar e agreed that .
they w ere written o n two tables o ne representi ng duties ,
t o Go d the o ther dutie s to man (cf Matthew x x ii 3 7

,
. .
There is a di fference o f o pi ni o n ho wever as to ho w , ,
many co m mandm ents w ere o n each t able S o me say five .
and five ; o thers fo ur and six ; o thers ag ai n three and

, ,
se v e n .Certai n it is th at duti es t o Go d c o me first fo r ,
the man who has no respect fo r Go d will surely h ave no

respect fo r man and th ere is no true m o rality th at is
,
no t b ased o n religi o n A ll p o lythei stic and p anthei sti c

.
The L egislat ive S e c t io n o f the Bo o k 1 61
religi o ns ar e immo ral (cf R o m ans N o man can be

.
depe nd ed o n to c o nsider the rights o f his fello wmen if

there is no fear o f Go d befo re his eyes .
The first table accepti ng fo r o ur present purp o se the

—
divi si o ns o f three and seven arranges its teachi ng with —
reference to duties to Go d in the o rder o f thought wor d

.
, ,
and d eed ; whereas the seco nd table deali ng with ,
duties to man fo ll o ws the o rder o f d eed (fifth si x th

, , ,
and seventh) wor d (eighth) and thought (ni nth and

, ,
tenth ) .
The Fir st Table— O ur Duties to Go d The first co m .
m andment asserts the u nity spirituality and righteo us , ,
ness o f Go d and is a w ar ni ng agai nst p o lytheism and

,
id o l atry There was great need o f such an i nj uncti o n

.
,
fo r Israel had j ust left Egypt which c o ntai ned a p antheo n

o f g o ds and the l ater ex perie nce o f the ch o se n peo ple
,
sh o wed th at they were no t yet delivered fr o m p o lythei stic
c o ncepti o ns Wh at great truths ar e taught in this co m

.
m andment R ight at the very heart o f thi ngs there is ,
no t an id o l o f w o o d o r sto ne which can neither speak no r

walk b ut a livi ng perso nal active Go d It is o nly as
, , , .
thi s co ncepti o n is clearly apprehended th at we can under

stand the d o ctri ne o f m o no theism and the pers o nali ty o f
Go d fo r the divi ne cl aim fo r the supreme affecti o n o f

,
manki nd th at Go d sh o uld be l o ved with all the heart

—
,
so ul mi nd
,
and b o dy, is b ased o n the gre at truth o f the
—
u nity o f Go d (of Deutero no my vi 4 ; Matthew x x ii

. . .
37 ,
Thi s co mm andment d e al s with thought .
The sec o nd c o mm andment o f c o urse fo rbid s sweari ng , , ,
but a lso any fl ip p ant use o f the divi ne name as well as

vai n repetiti o n in prayer Ho w o ften the very prayer .
o ur Lo rd s pr ayer so - called but wh ich in reality is the

’
,
di sciple s prayer— which was given by o ur Lo rd to co un

’
ter act v ai n repetiti o n is used as a v ai n repetiti o n

,
R ev .
erence sho uld ch aracterize o ur use o f the d ivi ne name .

1 62 The B o o k o f E x o d us
Thi s co mmandment re fers to wo r d s, as the firs t referred

to tho ughts .
The third c o mmandment deal s with the S abbath which

we ar e to co nstantly remember ei ther by calli ng to
“ ”
,
mi nd wh at it sto o d fo r in the p ast o r by h o no uri ng it as ,
it recurs weekly The S abbath is to be remembered as a

.
memo ri al o f Go d s g o o d ness as see n in pr o vidi ng so w o n

’
d e r ful a d welli ng pl ace as th at reco rded in Ge nesis i and .
ii and th at which He is no w prep ari ng (Jo h n x iv 1 3 )

. .
—
fo r man The S abb ath is no t to be l o o ked up o n as a rest

.
d ay fo r Go d as th o ugh He were tired after six d ays o f

creative l ab o ur no r is it prim arily fo r man a d ay o f
phy sical rest It is a mem o ri al d ay and is to be reco g
.
niz ed as such O n this d ay we w o uld remember all th at

.
God has d o ne fo r us and all th at He is d o i ng fo r us The .
ex pressi o n S ix d ays sh alt th o u l abo ur is no t so much

“ ”
a co mm and to l ab o ur o n th ose six d ay s as a c o mm and r e
g ardi ng cessati o n o f such l ab o ur o n the seventh d ay .
We ar e to d o all necessary labo ur in the six days leavi ng ,
the seventh free fo r the wo rship and service o f Go d .
Thi s co mm andment has to d o w ith o ur d eed s as the first ,
with thoughts and the seco nd with wor ds .
The S econd Table— O ur Duties to Man The fo urth co m .
m and ment Ho no ur thy father and thy m o ther ” O ur .
p arents are nex t to Go d in place o f imp o rtance Hence .
cri mes agai nst p arents are to be co nsidered capital crimes .
We ar e to no te al so th at this co mm andment has attached

to it the pr o mi se o f l o ng li fe .
The fi fth c o mmandment deal s with crimes ag ai nst the

li fe o fmanki nd and co mm ands a sacred ness fo r hum an li fe
,
( c f G.e ne si s ix 5 6 ; M atthew
. v 21 -24 1 Jo h n iii 1 1
;
, . .
The si x th c o mm and me nt deal s with cri mes ag ai nst

marri age and pr o hibits adultery thu s safegu ardi ng the
, ,
sacred ness o f w o man s h o no ur and the m arri ag e b o nd

’
(cf Matthew v 27
. .
1 . Th e R igh t s o f P e r s o ns — Th e Dut i e s of Mas t e r s

to r S S l av es (x x i 1
e v a nt s a nd With reference to .
man servants (xx i 2 m aid serv ants (7 . Co mp are

the fi fth co mmandme nt and also E phesi ans vi 1 9 , .
— .
S tr ange th at the sl ave o r serv ant is treated first in this

mi no r d ecal o gue Why ! Is it because Chri st Himsel f
.
was a sl ave and a servant ( P hilippi ans ii 5 8 I sai ah

'
—
.
,
x lii . S hall the l ast be fi rst and the first l ast ! Is

there an i ntimati o n here as to ho w Go d w o uld ab o lish
sl avery ! B y m aki ng the m asters like a father and the
sl ave a me mber o f the family ! The sl ave sh all be free
after six ye ars and h ave su ffi cie nt means to start his free
li fe with He may h o wever ch o o se perpetual service

.
, ,
.
2. W ith R e g ar d t o P e r s o nal
I nj ury (x x i 1 2 .
Co mp are with thi s the fi fth c o mm andme nt Th o u sh alt ,
no t kill ”
Capital o ffenses ar e dealt w ith in ver ses 1 2 1 7
.
—
.
In cas es o f will ful murder no redre ss o r mercy is ex pected

o r S h o wn There mu st be no c o mmutati o n o f sentence
. .
The culprit may be taken eve n fr o m the altar (of Luke .
xi . F o r u npre meditate d m urder o r m ansl aughter

cities o f refuge were pro vided The severe puni sh ment .
fo r this cri me is d o ubtless to be acc o u nted fo r by the fact

th at man w as created in the image o f Go d (of Genesis .
ix 5 . K id nappi ng is al so a c apit al o ffe nse as is the

, ,
cursi ng o r striki ng o f a p arent which is equivalent to

bl asphemi ng Go d .
A ssault and b attery is de alt with in verses 1 8 27 fo r

-
,
which retributi o n co mpensati o n and damages mu st be

, ,
p aid The ex pressi o n E ye fo r eye t o o th fo r to o th

.
“
,
”
, ,
is no t to be take n liter ally If it were wh at a lo t o f o ne.

,
eyed and to o thless peo ple we wo uld h ave g o i ng aro u nd

Co mpe nsati o n is to be p aid fo r i nj uries d o ne to c attle
(x x i 28 . These verses ar e i mp o rtant fo r they deal ,
wi t h man s resp o nsibility fo r negligence and with si ns o f

’
The L e gislat iv e S ec t io n o f t he Bo o k 1 65
o missio n . They h o w that every man is his bro ther s

S
’
keeper and th at no man liveth unto hi mself A gai n the .
sanctity o f human life even o f sl aves (x xi , is em .
p has iz ed .
3 . R e gar di n g P e r s o nal P r o p ert y R ight s (

xxi . 33
xx ii Thi s secti o n illustr ates the seventh co mm and
.
ment Tho u sh alt no t steal

,
Thefts (x x ii 1 4 ) c all .
fo r pu ni shme nt by fi ne and the restituti o n o f d o uble ,
quadruple and so metimes even fi ve times as much as the

,
amo unt st o len In so me i nstances the perso n co uld be

.
so ld if he co uld no t m ake p ayment If a thief is killed .
while breaki ng i nto a h o use there is no legal guilt The .
law o f dep o si ts (x x ii 7 1 4 ) sh o ws the sacred ness o f hu

.
—
man trust and trusteeship Ho w much m o re sacred is .
the co mmittal o f a so ul ! We ar e to care fo r what we

b o rro w (xx ii l et 1 5 ) and see that it suffers as little as
.
—
p o ssible in the usi ng Wh at is l o st must be repl aced . .
What a lesso n fo s o d ay who bo rro w b o o ks umbrellas

r u t -
, ,
and either keep o r l o se them and yet d o no t even ap o lo
gize much less resto re

,
.
4 . S i ns A gains t N at ur e and Hu manit y (xx u 1 6 .
P r o b ably the entire S piritual ch aracter o f the Decal o gue

is i nv o lved in th is secti o n F irst is the sin o f seducti o n .
and be sti ality (x x ii 1 6 20) then the o ppres si o n o f the

.
—
stranger the wid o w and o rph an ( x x ii 21

, the S in .
o f witchcr aft and spiritu alism (x x ii Car e is to be .
ex erci sed by G o d s peo ple in the matte r o f mo ney lend

’
ing (x x ii 25 Interest seems to be all o wed fro m the

.
rich and strangers but no t fro m the p o o r The questi o n .
here is no t o f lendi ng m o ney fo r c o mmerci al purp o ses ,
but to supply the need o f the p o o r N o man S ho uld .
take advantage o f his neighbo ur s necessity ’

.
5 . W a rni ngs A g ains t L yi ng a nd Di s h o ne s t y (x x iii .
1 Thi s has t o d o with the c o mmandme nt , “

Th o u
sh alt no t bear false witness agai nst thy neighb o ur ” .
N 0 man sh all r aise a fal se rep o rt o r j o i n with o thers in

rai si ng it agai nst a fell o wm an Thi s is a death blo w to .
go ssip The m aj o rity is no t al ways the v o ice o f Go d

. .
The sl o gan They all d o it do es no t m ake it right

“ ”
, , .
The mi no rity is O fttimes the v o ice o f Go d O ur enemi es .
ar e to be l o ved This is a great lesso n fo r Israel to le ar n

.
(c f.M atthew v 4 3 B ribery must n. o t be all o wed to
bli nd j udg ment .
6 . Co nce r ning S bb at h
acr e d S e as o ns and th e S a
(x x iii 1 0 .This is in h arm o ny with the co mm and

ment R emember the S abbath d ay to keep it h o ly and
“
,
”
al so Th o u shalt no t c o vet ” The b asis o f S abb ath

“
, .
desecrati o n lies in m any i nstances in the spirit o f co veto u s

ness The great truth o f this secti o n is th at p art o f o ur
.
ti me bel o ngs to Go d Thi s is true no t o nly o f o ne d ay in

.
seven but al so o f cert ai n p arts o f wh at we c all week d ay s

,
.
The Jew was o bliged to go to Jerusalem three ti mes a

year to attend the feast o f the P asso ver P enteco st and
—
, ,
Tabernacles These feast d ays kept alive the religi o us

.
memor ies o f the Jew It wo uld be well even fo r Chri s .
ti ans to take certai n d ays o ff duri ng the year to meet

with Go d s peo ple to meditate o n spiritu al thi ngs
’
.
7 . Th e P r o mis e
I nh
,
e r i t a nce (x x iii 20 o f an .
This secti o n is in h arm o ny with the pro mi se o f the fo urth

co mmand ment Th at thy days may be l o ng in the l and
“
,
.
It bears testi mo ny to the fact th at no man serve s Go d fo r

no thi ng R ighteo u sness and o bedience h ave their r e
.
w ard .
Ch apter x x i v prese nts to us the c o nsu mmati o n o f the

.
givi ng o f the Lesser Law The gl o ry o f Go d acc o mp ani es .

The S ac e r do tal S e c tio n o f t he Bo o k— The
Tab e rnac le and M at t e rs o f W o rship
( Chap ter s x x v. — ail .
)
n l b r
— r
The Ta e ac e It s S t uct ur e and Te aching .
HE i mp o rtance o f the Tabernacle is seen by r e

c alli ng that while but two ch apters ar e given
to the acco u nt o f the creati o n o f the wo rld ,
si x te en ar e g iven t o the c o nstructi o n o f the Taber nacle .
To o m any peo ple see in the Taber nacle so methi ng purely

Je wish o nly i nstead o f seei ng therei n a wo nd erful picture
,
o f o ur redempti o n. While it is but a shad o w o f heav enly

thi ng s and but a figure o f the true it is nevertheless a ,
faith ful represe ntati o n o f the re alities o f o ur redempti o n .
all S cripture is pr o fitable and if Christ be the

“ ”
If ,
theme o f the e ntire B ible as He is (cf Luke x x iv

,
. .
27,
then we sh o uld ex pect to fi nd in thi s structure in
the wilderness m any lesso ns co ncerni ng Christ .
The P ur p o s e o f t h e Tab e rnacl e Go d had w alked

.
with A d am and vi sited A brah am ; no w He w ill d well

with His peo ple in the Tabernacle in the wilderness ;
th e n i n the te mple at Jeru salem ; the n i n Chri st w ho
taber nacled amo ng men ; no w in the church ; and fi nally
in the gl o ry (R evel ati o n x i .Up to thi s time Israel
had see n Go d o nly at a gre at di stance as d read ful and ,
aw ful and far remo ved fr o m the pe o ple (E x o du s
B ut it was di ffi cult to wo r ship Go d at a di stance ; He

must in so me way be bro ught near F ur ther the peo ple.
,
fel t th at there was a mo ral d i st ance between them and

Go d . Ho w co uld thi s di stance be bri d ged Ho w co uld
1 68
The S ace rdo tal S e c t io n o f t he Bo o k 1 69
Go d be bro ught near to them ! The ans wer is fo und in

the Tabernacle Let them m ake me a sanctuary that I
“
,
may dwell with the m (x x v ”

The Tabernacle was
.
Go d s h o use up o n the earth there w ithi n th at encl o sure

’ —
, ,
was the pres ence o f the K i ng o f ki ng s and the Lo rd o f

lo rds .
Go d W as t h e A r chit ect o f t h e T ab e r na c l e Mo ses .
was si mply the builder The smallest detail was pl anned

.
by Go d S o the wh o le pl an o f redempti o n o rigi nated

.
with Go d (1 Co ri nthi ans ii 6 E v en the skill to c arry

.
o ut the pl ans was o f Go d (E x o du s x x x v 3 0 3 4 o f P hi .

—
,
.
lip p ians ii 1 2 It is wo rthy o f no te th at B ez aleel

.
,
was o f Jud ah the first o f t he tribes while A h o li ab was

, ,
o f Dan the l ast o f the tribes in li ne

,
Thus we h ave an .
illustrati o n o f the first and the l ast S O was it with P eter .

,
the first and P aul l ast o f all (cf 1 Co ri nthi ans x v

, ,
. .
Just as Go d was the architect o f the Tabernacle so was ,
He simil arly rel ated to the b o dy o f Chri st (P salm X! .
6 8 cf Hebre ws x 4
—
,
. He is al so the creat o r o f the
.
resurrecti o n b o dy o f His peo ple (2 Co ri nthi ans v .
Wh at mi nute care Go d sho wed in the co nstructi o n o f

His Taber nacle ; eve n the placi ng o f a p in was no t left to
man s wisdo m Go d Himsel f supplied the necessary
’
.
genius and S kill (E x o d us x x x v 3 0 .

,
Th e Tab e rnacl e a Typ e o f Ch r is t (P salm xx i x .
It was prep ared by Go d (Hebrews x 5 -1 0) and was .
G o d s dwelli ng pl ace am o ng men (Jo h n i 1 4 R V

’
.
,
. .
m argi n tabernacled amo ng

“
The epi stle to the
Hebrews was written fo r the pur p o se o f sh o wi ng that
Chri st is the fulfill me nt o f the e ntire Le vitical ec o no my
as represe nted by the Taber nacle .
Th e T ab e r nac l e no t N e c e s s aril y a P att e r n fo r

Ch r i s t i an Ch ur ch a nd W o r s h ip Indeed the epi stle to .
the Hebrews l ays speci al emph asi s o n the co ntras t b e

t ween the two There se ems to be no identity
. The o ne .
1
is carnal and earthly the o ther spiritual and heave nly

,
.
O f c o urse there ar e certai n fund a me ntal t ruth s and

,
pri nciples such as wi tho ut the sh eddi ng o f bl o o d

—
there is no re mi ssi o n o f si ns -which ar e true o f b o th

co venants These u nderlyi ng truths and pri ncip les r e
.
m ai n ; their cerem o ni al aspects p ass away .
T h e G e ne ral A p p e a r anc e o f t h e T a b e r nac l e At .
first sight and in o ut ward app earance pro bably crude

and h o mely certai nly no t attractive The co mm o nest
, .
co veri ng was o n the o utside u nderneath lay the purple ,
s c arlet fi ne li ne n g o ld
, The se were seen fr o m the ih
,
.
side o nly Is no t this like Chri st and Chri sti anity !

.
B o th must be see n fr o m the i nsid e (ex p erie nced ) in o r d er

to be fully appreci ate d (cf Isai ah liii 4 Chri s. .
,
tianity like the stai ned gl ass w i nd o ws o f a cathedr al

,
must be seen fro m the i nside to be u ndersto o d and ap

p r e ciated .
Met ho d S t r uct ur e
It is i nteresti ng to no te th at
o f it s .
in gi v i ng directi o ns Go d beg an with the i nside o f the

Taber nacle itsel f the H o ly o f H o lies alth o ugh in the
—
,
actu al c o nstructi o n Mo ses beg an (pro b ably) with the

co urt o f the Tabernacle R eligi o n must begi n first .
withi n the hear t S o w as it with Chri st o f wh o m the

.
Taber nacle is a type He came fr o m the b o so m o f the

.
F ather d o w n to man In o ur appro ach to Go d we h ave

.
first the braz e n altar and then the ar k o f the c o venant

, ,
symb o lic o f the very presence o f Go d Christ is no t o ur .
ex ample u ntil He is first received i nto the heart as

,
S avi o ur faith c o mes befo re w o rks

— .
1 . Th e Mat eri al s of It
the Tab e r nacl e (x x v 1 .
is wo rthy o f no te th at o nly Go d s pe o ple o ffered m ateri al ’
fo r the co nstructio n o f the Taber nacle Their willi ng .
offeri ng was the gi ft o f th o se i n wh o se he arts bur ned fir st

lo ve fo r Go d (cf Jeremi ah ii What a co ntrast b e
. .
1 72 The Bo o k o f E x o dus
fro m the mirro rs o f the w o men It was fo r the use o f .
the priests o nly It sto o d midway between the B razen

.
A ltar and the d o o r o f t he Taber nacle pro per .
5
. Th e Tab e r na c l e P r o p e r, M e e t i n o r the
g Te nt of
( ch ap. x x vi . x x x viii 2 0 T his

. structure w as fo rty
fi v e feet l o ng fi fteen feet high and fi fteen feet bro ad
, ,
It .
was divided i nto t wo co mp artme nts the Ho ly o f H o lies

( 1 5 x 1 5 x 1 5 ) an d the H o ly P l a ce ( 1 5 x 1 5 x
The H o ly P l ace and the Mo st H o ly P l ace R ead care .
fully the p articul ars reg ardi ng the b o ards s o ckets , ,
te no ns c o veri ngs etc , in co nnecti o n with its co n

, ,
.
structi o n .
There were two d o o rs : o ne leadi ng i nto the H o ly P l ace ;

the o ther i nto the Mo st Ho ly P l ace
,
.
The fur niture o f the Tabernacle In the H o ly P l ace —
there were the Table o S he b read G o lden Candl estick ,

f w ’
,
and A ltar o f I nce nse In the Mo st Ho ly P l ace there was

.
the A r k o f the Co venant co nt ai ni ng the tables o f the Law

, ,
the p o t o f m anna and A ar o n s R o d

,
B y the side o f the
’
.
ar k was the b o o k o f the law which Mo ses wr o te (cf Deu .
ter o no my x xx i . The Mercy -se at c o vered the A r k .
The n there was the V ail c alled the V ail o f Co veri ng ,
becau se the ar k was wrapped in it when o n the march ,

.
The V ail was supp o rted by fo ur pill ars and sep arated ,
the H o ly P l ace fro m the Mo st Holy P l ace The Mo st .
H o ly P l ace was entered by A ar o n ceremo ni ally o nce a , ,
year by A ar o n and his so ns to p ack up fo r each m arch

by the K o h athites who b o re the sacred articles by
,
Mo ses when he needed A ar o n s r o d and when he co nse

,
’
,
crated the priests (cf Leviticu s viii . .
Ch apters x x x i x and x 1 present us w ith the picture o f

. .
the Tabernacle and its furni shi ngs to gether with its v es
sel s arranged in o rder ready fo r the wo rship o f Jeh o vah .
S o Mo ses fi ni sh ed the wo rk Then a cl o ud c o vered the

.
The S ac e rdo tal S e c t io n o f t he Bo o k 1
73
tent o f the c o ngregati o n and the gl o ry o f the Lo rd filled
,
the tabernacle A nd Mo ses was no t able to enter i nto

.
the tent o f the c o ngregati o n because the clo ud ab o de

,
th ereo n and the glo ry o f the Lo rd filled the tabernacle

,
”
(
x1 . 33
S yno psi s o f Levi t ic us
I NTR O DU CTIO N .
THE LA WS O F THE O F F ER IN G S— DE D ICA TIO N — THE

WA Y To GO D THR O U GH S A CR IF ICE (Ch ap s .
i.
I . The o fferings themselves (i I— vi . .
T erin s
()
a h e ur o se o f the o f
p p f g .
The c o nscio usness o f sin .
x
S in e p o ses man to p e nal c o nsequences .
x i i
S in c alls fo r e p at o n .
h i
The o l ness o f G o d .
A d v nely app o nted w ay fo r s nfu man and

ii i i l a l
ho y
G o d t o meet .
iF gure s o r type s o f Chr st s r edempt ve w o rk i i

’
.
( )
b T h e numb er o f the o f fer n s
g i .
The S w eet S avo ur O ffer ngs ( C aps i i h . .
The Burnt O ffer ng ( 1 i i .
The Mea O ffer ng ( 1

l i ii .
The Pe ac e O ffer ng ( i 1 iii .
i
The S in O ffer ngs (iv I— vi . .
The S in O ffer ng (iv 1 i .
T
The r espass O ffer ng (v I— vi i . .
(r) The g r ades o f the o f fer ng s i .
( d ) T h e o r d e r o f the o f
f er ng s i .
The fir st gro up ( I— i . iii .
The Burnt O ffer ng ( 1 i i .
The Me a O ffer ng (
l i 1 ii .
The Pe ace O ffer ng ( i 1 iii .
The seco nd gr o up— The sin sacr fices (iv i .
The S in O ffering ( iv 1 .
T
The r e spass O ffer ng (v I— vi i . .
2. i
The law s o f the o ffer ngs ( vi 8— vii . .
O f t he Burnt O ffer ng (vi 8 i .
I77
1 7 8 S yno p sis o f Le v it ic us
O f t he Me a O ffer ng (vi 1 4 l i .
O f the S in O ffer ng ( vi 2 5 i .
O f the r es ass O f
p fer n
g ( vTii 1 i .
O f t he Pe ace O ffer ng ( vii I 1 i .
( a) The law o f t he b o o dy sacr fic e s l i .
( )
b Th e
pro cess o f the o ffer ng s
( cf c a
p ) i . h . i .
i
Pr e sentat o n o f the o ffer ng ( 2 , i i .
i
Lay ng o n o f the ands o f the o fferer ( h i .
il i
The k l ng o f the o ffer ng ( 5 , i i .
i li
The spr nk ng o f the b o o d ( l i .
i
Burn ng o f the o ffer ng ( 6 — 9 ; xii 1 3, i i . .
THE LAW O F THE PR IE S THO O D— ME D IATIO N (Chaps .
viii — x
.
1 . The co nsecratio n o f A aro n and his so ns (Chap . iii )

v .
T e ar ati o n o f A aro n and his so ns iii

( )
a h e r
p p (v . 1
6
( ) Th i an inting in ugu ati n ( iii 1 0
e r o or a r o v .
( ) S a ifi
r cr( iii 5 c es v . 2
2 . Th w k f th p i t ( Chap
e or o e r es s .
( )
a F th m
or l (ix 1 e se ve s .
( )
5 F t h p p
or l (ix 1 5
e eo e .
The puni hm nt f th p i ts— The in o f N adab and

’
e o e r es
3 . s s
A bihu ( Chap .
( )
a T h in ( xe s 1 .
( )
5 T h w nei ng (x 8 ar .
THE LAWS CLE A N A N D UN CLE AN— THE

O F WALK
WITH GO D B Y S E PA R ATIO N (Ch aps x i . .
1 . U l nc eanness wh c ih co mes
fro m part i ipating in t in
c c er a
i
k nds o f fo o ds and c o m ng nto i i co nta t with d ad c e
i
b o d es ( Chap .
The me an ng o f t ese i h law t I ra l s o s e .
The mean ng o f the se i l w t us t -day

a s o o .
2 . Fam y unc il l eanness or un l ann

c e fr m natu al ess o r causes
( C a
p h .
3 . U l nc fro m d sease— Lepro sy (Chap

e anne ss i .
Lepr o sy ke sin li .
4 ,
The day o f ato nement (Chap x vi , cf x 2 6— 3 . . . xiii .
a The me an n d i o f ato ne i ii
( ) g a n s gn fc anc e o f t he da
y
ment .
( )
b The cer e mo nies o f the day o f ato nement .
Int r o duc t i o n
O ME pe o ple fi nd it d ifli cult to see any pro fit to be ‘
derived fro m the study of the b o o k o f Leviticus ,
even th o ugh they ad mit its i nspir ati o n “

It is .
fo r the Jew they say no t fo r us in thi s d ay We

s,
”
,
“
.
canno t see ho w it fi nds any applicati o n in present d ay

law and practice ”
We sh o uld no t fo rget th at A ll
.
“
S cripture is give n by i nspirati o n o f Go d and is p r o fi t ,
able
”
( 2 Ti mo thy iii a nd th a t “
Wh
. ats o ever thi ng s
were writte n afo retime were w ritten fo r o ur le arni ng ”
( R o m a n s x v T. h e b o o k o f L eviticus th e n bei ng a , ,
part o f i nspired writi ng is pro fitable fo r the peo ple o f ,
to day even th o ugh it was written afo retime It is a .
mi stake to l o ok up o n Leviticu s as bei ng written fo r the

Jews o nly .
Certai n gre at fu nd ame ntal truths ar e written in this

b o o k which ar e applicable to Jew and Gentile p as t and ,
pres ent equ ally F o r ex ample we h av e

,
.
,
F irst . The revel ati o n o f G o d s ch aracter Go d is still ’

.
i nto lerant to sin and merciful to the s i nner as in the

, ,
days when thi s bo o k was written Go d is still a h o ly .
Go d to the Ge ntile as well as to the Jew o f the p ast

,
.
S ec o nd Le v iti cu s sets fo rth the fu nd ame ntals o f true

.
religi o n The p o siti o n th at the do ctri ne o f the ato nement

.
h o ld s in thi s b o o k bei ng first and pri mary is the p o si

, ,
ti o n it still h o lds o r sh o uld ho ld in the rel igi o us thi nk

, ,
i g a d teachi g o f to d ay The taber nacle altar prie sts

n n n - .
, , ,
and s acrifices are no mo re fo r as the epi stle to the He , ,
bre ws decl ares Chri st o ur great High P riest and sacrifi ce

, , ,
has made the m no l o nger necessary It S h o uld no t be .
fo rg o tte n h o wever th at the spiritu al tru th s t h es e thi ngs

, ,
1 81
1 82 The Bo o k o f Le v it ic us
typified and sig ni fi ed yet abide such truths as ato nement , ,
sacrifice co nsecrati o n h o li ness stewar dship and wo r

, , , ,
ship .
Third The b o o k is o f v alue fr o m the standpo i nt o f

.
j uri sprude nce and sanitati o n A very c areful co m .
p ari so n o f Leviticus with mo dern law and sanitati o n

leads o ne to see th at the fund ament al pri nciples which
u nderlie these even tho ugh the details may no t be
,
ad aptable ar e still o per ative and fo rm ative

,
.
F o urth The pr o blems o f Leviticus ar e still the pro b

.
lems o f to d ay as fo r ex ample the rel ati o n o f civil

, , ,
g o vernme nt to religio n ; the questio n o f capital and

l abo ur ; the questi o n o f l and h o ldi ng ; so ci al questi o ns
and the so ci al evil the questi o n o f m arri ag e and divo rce .
The bo o k o f L eviticus thr o ws a flo o d o f lig ht up o n all

these questi o ns .
F i fth We h ave in the bo o k o f Leviticus a revel atio n

.
o f Chri st as the way o f s alv ati o n Thi s is the lesso n th at .
the epistle to the Hebrews has to teach us fo r Hebrews ,
is a splendid c o mmentar y o n Leviticus The epistle to .
the Hebrews c anno t be u ndersto o d witho ut the light

thr o wn o n it fr o m Leviticus no r can Leviticus be under ,
sto o d ex cept as it receiv es its ex pl anati o n in the epistle
to the Hebrews .
T h e N ame The third b o o k in the P entateuch is

.
called L eviticus because it has to d o l argely with the

Levites and their duties in c o nnecti o n with the Taber
nacle service It is also called The B o o k o f Laws
.
“ ”
( c f.vi 9 1 4
. 25 v ii,
1 1 1 3
, 7 x i 46 ; x iv 5 4 ;.x v 4 3,; , . . .
x x iii 3 7 ; x x vi 4 6 ; x x vii
. presum ably because it
. .
deal s with the Laws o f the O fferi ngs (ch ap s i the . .
L aws o f the P rie sts (ch ap s viii the Laws o f the . .
Cle an and U nclean (ch aps x i and the Laws o f . .
F easts (ch ap s x x iii The Jews were accusto med

. .
to call Leviticus “
The Law o f the P riests also” .
1 84 . The Bo o k o f L e v it ic us
live a li fe o f h o li ness in fello wship with Go d Thi s is .
acc o mpli shed by the sep ar ati o n o f the li fe fr o m thi ng s
th at ar e m o rally o r cerem o ni ally u nclean Hence we .
h ave the Laws o f the Clean and the U nclean .
S eco nd To S h o w th at the way to Go d is by and

.
thr o ugh sacrifice and the sheddi ng o f bl o o d and th at the ,
walk with Go d is by and thro ugh sep ar ati o n fr o m th at

which is u nh o ly and u nclean .
Third N o t o nly is m an s si nful and l o st co nditi o n

.
’
m ani fest in thi s bo o k but al so the sanctity and h o li ness ,
o f G o d s nature and deali ngs with man as well as the

’
,
remedy which divi ne h o li ness has pro vided fo r si nful and

erri ng man .
F o urth It is u nquesti o nably the pl an o f thi s bo ok to

.
furni sh the ne w the o cr acy o f Israel with a new c o de o f

l aws which might secure their physical m o ral and , ,
S piritu al well bei ng

- .
Th e O ut li ne o f t h e B o o k The c o ntents o f Le viticu s .
may be summed up in fo ur suggestive w o rds : Dedic ati o n

( ch a p s i . de a li n
.g with the o fferi ngs and the o fi er er ;
’
Medi ati o n (ch aps viii deali ng with the priests their
. .
,
co nsecrati o n wo rk and the pu ni shment all o tted to mis

, ,
demeano ur in priestly o ffi ce and wo rk S ep arati o n (ch aps .
xi . setti ng fo r th the great truth that a peo ple who
ar e g o ver ned by Go d as their acceptance o f His l aws ,
wo uld i ndicate sh o uld reveal Go d in their m anner o f

,
livi ng ; Co nsecrati o n (ch ap s x vii setti ng fo rth . .
the call to the co nsecrati o n o f time and means to the

service o f Go d .
The o utli ne we will fo ll o w ho wever is as fo ll o ws , ,
I The Law o f the O fferi ngs (ch aps i

. deali ng . .
with the o fferi ngs the mselves and the l aw s go ver ni ng the
o fferi ng s II The Law o f the P riesth o o d (chap s
. .
,
.
viii .setti ng fo rth the co nsecrati o n o f A ar o n and

his so ns to the o ffice o f the priesth o o d t o gether with a ,
Intro d uct io n 1 85
descripti o n o f the wo rk they ar e to d o III The Law s

. .
o f Cle an and U nclean (ch ap s x i . describi ng with

.
mi nute detail the l aws that sho uld go vern the peo ple
with refere nce t o fo o d cl o thi ng and c o ntact
, , IV. The .
Laws o f H o li ness (ch ap s x vii

. . emphasizi ng the
necessity o f a h o ly li fe o n the p art o f b o th priest and
peo ple such h o li ness to be mani fested in the keepi ng o f
,
the S abbath a reco g niti o n o f sacred seas o ns and a li fe

, ,
befitti ng a cho sen peo ple .

The L aw o f the O g De dic atio n ffe r in s-
The Way t o G o d Thr o ugh S ac r ifi c e

( Chap ter s i .
— vii .
)
H E S E chapters deal with the o fferings them
s elves (i 1 vi 7 ) which i nclude the B urnt
.
— .
O fferi ng (ch ap the Meat o r Meal O fferi ng

.
( ch ap t
.he P e ace O f
f eri ng (ch ap the S i n O ffer .
i g (ch ap
n an d .the resp ss O eri g (v
T a ff n 1 — vi . .
The l aws go ver ni ng these o fferi ng s ar e then de alt with

in vi 8 v ii 3 8
.
— . .
If the fo ll o wi ng o rder o f the o fferi ngs and their l aws

is o b served it will m ateri ally assi st in an u nderstandi ng
,
o f this secti o n The l oc ati o n o f the o fferi ngs and their

.
l aws is as fo llo ws
The B ur nt O fferi ng (ch ap i ) and its l aws (vi 8 . . .
The Me al O fferi ng (ch ap ii ) and its l aws (v i 1 4 . . .
The P eace O fferi ng (ch ap iii ) and i ts l aw s (v ii 1 1 . . .
The S in O fferi ng (chap iv ) and its l aws (vi 25 . . .
The Tresp ass O fferi ng (v l vi 7 ) and its l aw s (vii .

— . .
N o te th at the directi o ns abo ut o fferi ngs ar e addressed

“
to the pe o ple (i 2 iv 2) an d t
.h e directi o ns reg
. ard
ing the l aws “
to the pri ests ”
,(vi 9 .
,
1 .Th e O ffe ri ng s Th e ms e l v e s (i 1 — vi . .
(a ) The P urp o s e of th e O fi er i ngs T h e co ns cio usness .
of s in There was in th at d ay, as i n thi s, a need th at the

.
peo ple sho uld u nderstand the awful reality o f sin . S uch
1 86
o ur ppro ach to Go d The co nstructi o n o f the Taber

a .
nacle emph asi z ed the truth o f the ap artness and ho li ness

o f Go d F r o m the braz en altar at the d o o r o f the c o urt
.
o f the Taber nacle e v en t o the m o st h o ly pl ace where the
ar k dwelt as it were al o ne and in the d ark

,
everythi ng
,
—
testified to the fact o f Go d s h o li ness and the need o f ’
reverence in appro ach t o Him .
A d ivinely ap p o inted way f or f

sin ul man and a ho ly
Go d to meet . There
be no c ommu ni o n o r fello wship
can
between Go d and the si nner u nless the fact o f sin has

been dealt with and settled R eco ncili ati o n must t ake .
pl ace befo re there can be co m mu ni o n The divi ne way .
by which man who is a si nner can enter i nto co m

, ,
mu ni o n and fello wship with Go d who is ho ly is the , ,
way o f sacrifice Thi s is no t a priest -made but a Go d

.
made way We sho uld no t dwell o n wh at so me call the

.
arbitr ari ness o f G o d s way o r the must o f appro ach

’
.
,
We S h o uld rather be grateful fo r the privilege o f the

way and rej o ice th at we may dr aw near to Go d Go d s .
’
way is a narr o w way but it is effective and the o nly ,
way .
F igur es f or typ es o bl
Chr ist o o d ’
s r ed e mp tive wor k . The
o f bulls and g o ats c o uld no t t ake aw ay sin These .
sacrifices were valu able p articul arly in th at they l o o ked
fo rward t o the c o mi ng and co mplete w o rk o f Chri st .
The Jews in Levitical times were saved by l o o ki ng fo r

ward to a hO p e the cr o ss o f Chri st j ust as we in th is
— —
,
d ay ar e saved by l o o ki ng b ack ward to a fact the cr o ss

,
—
o f Chri st E verythi ng i n c o nnecti o n with the o fferi ngs

.
was fulfilled in Chri st The o fferi ngs c anno t be u nder .
sto o d ex cept in the light o f the fi ni shed w o rk o f the
S avi o ur In the tr ansfi gur atio n sto ry Mo ses represe nt

.
,
ing the Law and E lij ah the P r o ph ets v ani shed o ut o f

, , ,
sight ; Chri st al o ne r emai ned Chri st is o ur P asso ver .
(1 C o ri nthi an s v a n d o ur S weet S av o ur O fferi ng

.
The Law of t he O ffe rings 1 89
(E phesi ans v . crifices o f Leviticus were sym

The sa
b o lic no t savi ng (cf Hebrews x

,
.They were tem .
p o r ar y p o in
,
ti ng to C hri st .
( )
b Th e N u m ber of th e O fi er ings There ar e five It . .
may be d ifli cult if no t imp ossible to say why ther e ar e

, ,
ju st five o fferi ngs and no mo re It may be th at we have .
here five pictures o f Chri st j ust as we have fo ur go spel ,
acc o u nts o f the li fe o f Chri st Do we ask why there .
were fo ur go spel accounts The answer is becau se that ,
nu mber evide ntly was necess ary to g ive a co mplete pic

ture o f the li fe and wo rk o f the Lo rd Jesus Chri st S o .
it is pro bable that fi ve o fferi ngs were necessary in o rder

to adequ ately describe the per fect S avi o ur the c o mplete ,
d eliverance o f the si nner fro m his S in and the bri ngi ng ,
o f the sep ar ated so ul i nto c o mmu ni o n and fello wship
with Go d .
The o fferi ngs seem to be divided i nto two gr o ups o f

three and t wo The fir st gr o up o f three the B ur nt
.
, ,
Meal and P eace O fferi ng may be said to set fo rth the

, ,
perfect life o f Jesus Christ They ar e S weet S avo ur .
O fferi ngs and as such d o ubtles s present to us a picture

,
o f the co mplete and perfect o bedience and surrender
which characterized the life o f o ur Lo rd Jesus The .
s eco nd gro up the S in and Tresp ass O ffering d o ubtless

, ,
typi fi es and sets fo rth the o fferi ng and death o f o ur Lo rd

Jesus Christ in bo th the active and p assive sense and as ,
renderi ng perfect sati sfacti o n to Go d and to man In the .
fi rst gro up c alled the S weet S avo ur O fferi ngs Chri st

, ,
may be c o nsidered as givi ng Himsel f as an o fferi ng to

Go d . It is to be no te d in this co nnecti o n th at the o fferer
c ame as a w o rshipper In the seco nd gro up called the .
,
S in O fferi ng s Christ is represented as giv i ng Hi msel f

,
fo r the S i ns o f men Here the o fi er er came as a si nner ‘
h avi ng guilt up o n him which must be j udici ally dealt

with .
1
9 0 The Bo o k o f Le v iticus
( )c The Gr ades of the O fi er ings

’
. The O fferi ngs ranged ,
as thei r nature all the way fro m a h and ful o f fl o ur to
to ,
a bull o ck This arrangeme nt was d o ubtless to te ach the

.
peo ple that no p o verty co uld debar any o ne fro m availi ng

himsel f o f presenti ng an o fferi ng to Go d j ust as it is true ,
to d ay th at no p o verty o f so ul can debar any penitent

man fro m fi ndi ng p ard o n and fo rgiveness “
Thi s is a .
faithful sayi ng and wo rthy o f all acceptati o n th at Christ

, ,
Jesus came i nto the wo rld to save si nners o f wh o m I am

chief (1 Tim o thy i
”
S o me h ave th o ught th at the
.
di ffere nt g rades o f o fferi ngs i ndicated the o fferer s ap ’
preci ati o n o f the value o f Chri st s redemptive w o rk ’

.
Can this be tr ue ! Is it my appreci ati o n o f Chri st and

His wo rk that saves me ! O r is i t the wo rk o f Christ
itsel f Is no t a little faith real faith ju st as much as ,
g re at fa it h ! Is no t the dewdr o p j u st as much re al w ater

as the gre at t o rre nt o f N i ag ar a ! Is no t a sp ark j ust as
much real fi re as the fl ames th at belch fro m the volc ano !
A fter all is it no t Chri st r ather th an my faith th at
, ,
saves ! O thers h ave suggested th at the di fferent grade s

o f o fferi ngs i ndic ate the di f ferent grades o f acceptance o f
the o fi er er Can thi s be true A r e no t all s o uls equ ally
‘
fo rgiven if they ar e fo rgive n at all A r e no t all so uls

equ ally accepted in the B el o ved if they ar e accepted at
all ! S till o thers i nti mate th at the d ifi er ent gr ades o f
o fferi ngs i ndic ate di f ferent aspects o f the v alue o f Chri st s ’
O fferi ng in the sight o f Go d Can thi s be ! Was no t

.
every aspect o f Chri st s redemptive w o rk acco mplished

’
in the same spirit o f j o y ful and gl ad surrender !

O ne thi ng in c o nnecti o n with the gr ade o f o ffer i ngs
th at is co nstantly i nsisted o n is th at whether great o r ,
sm al l whether o ffered by rich o r p o o r they sh all be with

, ,
o ut ble mi sh and with o ut S p o t The re aso n fo r this is th at

.
each o fferi ng represe nted Chri st in s o me phas e o f His

r edemptive w o rk The abso lute perfecti o n o f Christ in
.
192 The Bo o k o f Le v it ic us
Tresp ass O fferi n g

thus thro ugh the o fferi ng fo r sin is
and
led to the S weet S avo ur O fferi ngs i ndicati ng o bedience , ,
surrender and acceptance with Go d The S in and Tres

,
.
p ass O fferi ng m ake ex pi ati o n fo r sin The B urnt O ffer .
ing O pe ns the way fo r full surrender while the P eace and ,
Thank O fferi ng S ho w that ex pi ati o n and full surre nder

ar e fo ll o wed by sacrifices o f peace and j o y Christ t he .
,
fully c o nsecr ated O ne m akes pro piti ati o n fo r the si ns

,
o f man while man thro ugh th at pr o piti ati o n is led to

, , ,
the c o nsecrati o n o f his li fe to Go d .
TH E F IV E O F F E R IN GS
F ir s t Gr o u p (i . l— iii .
F irst The B ur nt O fi er i ng (i 1 is called the This

’
. .
B urnt O fferi ng becau se the e ntire o fferi ng was bur ned .
It is the ascendi ng o fferi ng as co ntrasted with the de

scendi ng o ffering (the S in O fferi ng) It may be viewed .
in a tw o fo l d m anner : Chr ist war d and in its rel ati o n to ,
the believer .
V iewed Christ ward it t ypi fi es the per so nal co nsecr a

,
ti o n and the abso lute surrender o f Chri st to the F ather .
The bl o o d o f thi s o fferi ng is said to ascend j u st as the ,
o d o ur o f a sweet -smelli ng sacrifice ascends to heaven and

is in co ntras t as we h ave s aid with the S in O fferi ng the
, , ,
bl o o d o f which descends E very detail o f thi s sacrifice .
p o i nts to Jesus Chri st The o fferi ng mu st be a m ale and

.
with o ut blemi sh o n the head o f which the priest must

,
lean his hands heavily S o Chri st was with o ut blemi sh .
and with o ut S p o t (E phesi ans v 2 1 P eter i 1 8 It

; . .
,
was o n the sacred head o f Chri st th at the si ns o f the wo rld

leaned h ard “
A nd the Lo rd h ath l aid (m ade to lean o r
.
fall heavily) o n him the i niquity o f us all ( I sa i ah liii 6 .
Hebrew) With thi s o fferi ng as with Chri st Go d was

.
, ,
well pleas ed (Matthew iii 1 6 If Go d had no t been .

,
pleas ed with Chri st there wo ul d be no h o pe fo r us

, .
The Law o f the O fferings 1
93
V iewed with rel ati o n to the believer it sh o ws th at Go d ,
accepts him in Chri st a n d th at He s well pleasi ng in the

i -
B el o ved ; th at Go d has “
his i nheritance i n the sai nts ”
and th at He is well pleased with us in Chr i st (E phesi ans
i 6
.
,
It sh o uld be no ted th at in every case (in P r e
sc utati o n) the B urnt O d eri ng was o f fered after the S in
O fferi ng it was o ffered d aily remi ndi ng us o f the need ,
o f c o nstant d aily surre nder (R o m ans v ii 6 1 3 It .

,
must be a m ale o f the flo ck thus typi fyi ng the surrender

,
o f the best we h ave The o fferi ng as ce nd s u nto Go d

.
,
thus i nti mati ng th at we ar e to seek th o se thi ngs that

ar e ab o ve where o ur li fe is hid with Chr i st (Co l o ssi ans
iii 1 —3) and th at our citizenship is in heaven (P hilip

.
pi ans iii .
The B urnt O fferi ng co uld be an o fferi ng fro m the herd ,
fr o m the fl o ck o r fro m am o ng the fo wls pr o bably de

, ,
ter mined by o ne s ability and p o siti o n in li fe

’
Go d is .
w o rthy o f the best we h ave (2 S amuel xx iv Thi s .
S pirit must ch ar acterize o ur o fferi ng which must be pre ,
se nted befo re the Lo rd i ndicati ng an o fferi ng made

“ ”
,
with the c o nscio usness o f G o d s presence ’

.
It is i nteresti ng to no te the wo rds He shall lay the

“
wo o d in o rder up o n the altar (i 7 ”

Thi s phrase is .
,
emph asized ag ai n and again Go d is a Go d o f o rder and .
no t c o nfusi o n (1 Co rinthi ans x iv The same thi ng .
is true o f the attire o f the prie sts when presenti ng them

selves to Go d O ne so metimes w o nders if this d o es no t
.
bri ng h o me the lesso n th at we need to be car eful neat , ,
and o rderly in o ur atti re and presentati o n o f o urselves

,
be fo re Go d .
S eco nd The Meal O fi er ing (ii 1

.
’
This O ffering .
sig ni fi es the c o nsecrati o n o f o ne s li fe -wo rk to Go d It ’

.
was bl o o dless bec au se no t ex pi ato ry O f co urse pri .

,
m arily it typifi es the co nsecrati o n o f Chr ist in His li fe

,
and ch aracter It is never sep arated fr o m the B urnt

.
1
O fferi ng ( iii
cf . It xxc o uld c.o n s i s t o f brui sed
wh eat sco rched ears b lo o d o r a dri nk o fferi ng Leave n
, , , .
a nd h o ney sig ni fy i ng i mpurity o f li fe were pr o hibited

, ,
i n thi s sacrifice F r anki nce nse i ndicati ng a fr agr ant

.
,
li fe and salt standi ng fo r faith ful ness to the co venant

, , ,
w ere t o be c o mp o ne nt p ar ts o f the o fferi ng The Meal .
O fferi ng is c alled Co rb an, th at is a gi ft thereby sig

”
, ,
nifying th at the o fferer rec o g ni z ed th at all his li fe and

p o ssessi o ns bel o nged to Go d S uch a surrendered li fe .
,
i n all its detail and minutia is set fo rt h by thi s o fferi ng , ,
j ust as such a surrendered li fe as a wh o le is sig nified by

t he B ur nt O fferi ng “
Jesus saith u nto them My riieat
.
,
is t o d o the will o f him th at se nt me and to fi nish his ,
w o rk ”
( J o h n iv H o w w. o nd r o u sly the per fect
righteo usness o f Chri st is pro vided fo r unrighte o u s man
Wh at a w o nderful picture o f the believer s fell o wship ’
w i th Go d in and by a ho ly li fe and wh at a w ar ni ng th at ,
he sh o uld le ave o ut o f his li fe and service all th at is im

p ur e and co rrup t The believer reco g nizes the supremacy
.
o f Go d i n all his li fe and gl adly submits to it by the

,
of feri ng o f hi msel f and his gi fts in l o y al service .
Third . The P eace O ffer ing (iii 1 Thi s is the .
mo st j o yful o f all the o fferi ngs It speaks o f co mmu ni o n .
with Go d It is an o fl er ing no t fo r peace but because of

.
°
p eace The fem ale o f the fl o ck c o uld be o ffered as a sac

.
r ifi ce bec au se the effect o f the at o neme nt r ather th an the ,
act o f at o ne me nt itsel f is set fo rth It fo ll o ws the B urnt

,
.
O fferi ng bec au se the B urnt O fferi ng is its gro u nd (cf .
R o mans v It was a j o i nt fe ast a sacrifici al meal in

.
, ,
w hich Go d the pri ests and the o fferer p art o o k

, ,
B ecause .
o f the B ur nt O fferi ng Go d Chri st and the believer r e , ,
j o ice t o gether in fello wship in the P eace O fferi ng (cf .
1 Jo hn i . We have p eace with Go d which is the peace

o f r el ati o nship (R o mans v We h av e the peace of .
Go d which is the pe ace o f security (P hilippi ans iv 7 ; .

1
9 6 The B o o k o f L ev it ic us
theft etc ,
p oke n o f in c o nnecti o n with the sacrifice
.
,
ar e s .
The S in O fferi ng sh o ws wh at we a r e — fo rgiven the Tr es

p ass O fferi ng wh at we h ave d o ne The S in O fferi ng
,
.
deals with will ful k no wn si ns si ns o f co mmi ssio n the

, ,
Tr esp ass O fferi ng with si ns o f ig no r ance and o mi ssi o n .
The S in O fferi ng deals with ex pi ati o n and has reference

t o Go d The Tresp ass O fferi ng deals with the sati sfac ti o n
.
as reg ards the s in o f man B o th the S in and Tresp ass .
O fferi ng s set fo rth th at ex pi ati o n t akes pl ace b y an ad e

quate penal ty and sati sfacti o n by a perfect rep arati o n ,
fo r the wr o ng d o ne S o Jesus Chri st o ur R ed eemer .

, ,
bo re the penalty due o ur si ns and m ade redress fo r every

bro ke n cl ai m o f Go d .
F irst The S in O fi er ing (iv 1

. The S in O fferi ng .
is the l ast o f the o rder in which Go d gave the ritual to

Mo ses alth o ugh it is the fi rst in the o rder o f presentati o n
,
o n the p art o f man fo r as we h ave see n viewed fr o m , , ,
Chri st s s ide the fitness o f Chri st t o per fo rm the r ed emp

’
,
tive wo rk is the vital thi ng ; whereas fro m man s side ’

,
s i n m u s t be put aw ay be fo re he c a n be well pleasi ng to

-
Go d .
The S in O fferi ng stands abso lutely fo r ato nement and

typifies o ur Lo rd Jesus Chri st who was m ade sin fo r us .
“
Him who k new no sin he m ade to be sin o n o ur behalf ;
th at we might beco me the righteo u sness o f Go d in him
( 2 C o ri nthi an s v 2 1 R V Th e w o rd u.sed fo r
, s in an
.d .
s in-of feri ng is the same sh o wi ng ho w co mpletely Chri st ,
identified Himsel f with sin Christ to o k the si nner s .

’
pl ace Th at is the pr o mi nent th o ught in thi s o fferi ng

.
which pl aces the emp hasIS o n the si nner m o re th an o n

his sin E x pi ati o n fo r sin is br o ught ab o ut by a sub sti
.
tuted li fe o nly In Isai ah liii 1 0 Chri st is set fo rth as a

. .
S in O fferi ng
- Thi s o fferi ng presents us with a w o nder
.
ful picture o f Chri st o n the cr o ss as the great S in B ear er .
Thi s o fferi ng was m ade when the co nscience o f the

The Law o f the O ffe rings 197
priests the co ngregati o n o r the natio n began to wo rk

, ,
and thus ar o us ed these cl as ses to the need o f ato neme nt
(iv. 1 4 ,
23 ,
There is no eati ng o f this o fferi ng either o n the p art o f

the priests o r peo ple Certai n p arts o f the o fferi ng were
.
bur ned with o ut the camp by which is meant the pl ace

“ ”
o f the c o ndem ned so Christ suffered witho ut the camp

( cf
. Hebrew s x iii 1 3 ) .
The lesso ns t he believer may derive fro m the S in

O fferi ng ar e m any He lear ns that he must co me befo re
.
Go d in the per so n o f a sub stitute S uch a substitute is .
abs o lute ly imperative as is als o such an o f , feri ng O ther .
o fferi ngs may be v o lu ntary but no t this o ne When ,

.
co nscience co nvicts o ne o f sin there S ho uld be an im

medi ate seeki ng o f the cleansi ng bl o o d o f Chr ist This .
is true no t o nly o f will ful S i ns but al so o f S i ns o f igno

rance si ns that surprise us o r ar e the result o f i nattentio n
,
o r neglect fo r igno r ance d o es no t ex cuse the g uilt o f sin

, .
The S i ns referred to here ar e si ns d o ne u nwitti ngly as

c o ntrasted with sins co mmitted with a hi g h h and o r as , ,
David calls them “

p resumptuo us si ns (P salm x ix
,
”
.
12, S i ns o f i gno rance i ncur guilt and need the

cleansi ng bl o o d o f Chri sti; fo r this reaso n there is no such
thi ng as S i nless perfecti o n O n the matter o f will ful sin.
and the awful guilt i ncurred thereby S ee N umber s x v .
3 0 3 1 ; P salm x ix 1 2 1 3 ; Heb rews x 26— 29

,
.
,
P o ssibly . .
by will ful si n in this co nnecti o n is meant persi ste nt

T
h abitual unrepentant sin and describes an attitude

, , ,
pro b ably rather th an a specific act for surely no sin

, , ,
even a sin will ful ly co mmitted is beyo nd the p ardo ni ng ,
grace o f Go d (o f Isai ah i 1 8 ; 1 Timo thy i

. . .
S ec o nd The Tr ewass O fi er ing (v 1 vi B o th the

’
. .
— .
S in and Tresp ass O fferi ng s d e al with ex pi ati o n by an

adequate penalty and sati sfacti o n by the per fect rep ar a
,
tio n fo r the wro ng do ne S o Jesus Chri st o ur Redeemer,

.
,
1
9 8 The Bo o k o f L e v it ic us
b o re the penal ty due fo r every sin and m ade redress fo r

every br o ken cl ai m o f Go d .
The Tre sp ass O ffer g o debt o d eri ng as it is so me

in r -
,
times c alled was O ffered o n three p articul ar o ccasi o ns

,
F ir st in beh al f o f the ig no r ant tresp ass in h o ly thi ng s

,
.
S in is sin whether reco g ni z e d by us as s uch o r no t .
S ec o nd because o f the breaki ng o f the c o m mand ments

,
o f Go d even ig no rantly Ig no rance do es no t ex cuse

,
.
guilt Third fo r i nj ury to o r defraudi ng o f a neighb o ur

.
,
.
S in ag ai nst a neighb o ur is l o o ked up o n as a sin ag ai nst

Go d The ide a o f co mpensati o n o r restituti o n is pro mi
.
nent in thi s o fferi ng S o Chri st no t o nly m ade c o mplete

.
ex pi ati o n fo r us b ut also co mplete redress fo r every sin

,
.
The practical lesso n to be derived fr o m this o fferi ng is

th at it is no t eno ugh to c o nfess o ur si ns u nto Go d We .
must al so m ake restituti o n fo r the wro ng we h ave d o ne

and make it right s o far as it li es i n o ur p o wer We .
have the n a right to e x pect th at o ur o fferi ng will be ac

cep te d (v 5 ; N umbers v 7 8 ; Matthew v 22
. .
,
-
.
,
Where wro ng had been co m mitted ag ai nst Go d sacrifice ,
was first m ade then re stituti o n ; w here the wr o ng had

,
been co mmitted ag ai nst man r estitu ti o n was first m ade , ,
then sacri fi ce (cf Matthew v 22 . .

,
2 . Th e L aw s o f t h e O ffe r i ngs (vi . 8—vii . The

l aws o f the o fferi ngs ar e fo u nd as fo ll o ws : The law o f
”
the B urnt O fferi ng (vi 8 o f the Meal O fferi ng (vi . .
1 4— 23 ) o f the S in O fferi ng (vi 25 3 0) o f the Tresp ass .

—
O fferi ng (vii 1 7 ) o f the P e ace O fferi ng (vii 1 1

.
— .
The l aws o f the o fferi ng s c o ncer n them selv es first , ,
with the sacrifices k no wn as the bl o o dy o fferi ngs namely , ,
the B ur nt P eace S in and Tresp ass O fferi ng O ur at

, , ,
.
tenti o n is drawn to t wo m ai n th o ughts regardi ng th ese

o fferi ngs : fi rst the ki nd ; seco nd the pr o ce ss o f the
, ,
of feri ng .
presented publicly Death was the p enalty fo r present

.
i ng the o ffe r i ng el sewhere .
The lesso n we lear n fro m the prese ntati o n o f the o ffer

ing is t hat every man mu st accept Chr i st perso nally fo r
hi mself He m ust by faith l o o k up o n Christ as the
.
, ,
O ne pro vided as his sub stituti o nary o fferi ng He must .
no t o nly receive Christ perso nally but mu st also m ake ,
public co nfessi o n o f that acceptance .
S e co nd The l ayi ng o f the h ands o f the o ffer er up o n

.
the head o f the sacrifice (i N o pr o x y was all o wed in

.
thi s act It mu st be the o fferer s o wn h ands th at ar e

.
’
l aid up o n the o fferi ng thus signi fyi ng his identifi cati o n

,
with the victim and the transference o f his sin and guilt
,
to the i nno cent victim (cf x v i 21 ; P salm l xxx viii . . .
S uch an actual ide nti fi c ati o n was necessary in o rder to

m ake ato nement that is to co ver the si nful o fferer fro m
, ,
the gaze o f Go d who is o f to o pure eyes to beho ld evil .
The eye o f God then rests up o n the victim and no t up o n

the o ffe nder .
S o in I sai ah liii 6 A ll we like sheep h ave go ne

.
as tray ; we h ave turned every o ne to hi s o wn way ; and
the Lo rd h ath l aid o n him the i iquity us

n o f a ll — we
ar e t aught th at Chri st is the O ne o n wh o m o ur S i ns wer e
l aid (cf P salm l x x x viii 7 2 Co ri nthi ans v

. . .
My faith wo uld lay her hand h

o n t at c ea l r head o f thine ;
While like a penitent I stand , and there co nfess my sin .
!
I lay my sins o n J esus the spo tless Lamb o f Go d ;

,
He bears them all and frees me fro m the accursed lo ad .
Third killi ng o f the o fferi ng The o fi er er mu st

The
'
. .
kill it himsel f (i 5 O n the victim with which he

.
,
has identified him sel f must the str o ke fall S h all we ever .
se e Christ as o ur o wn perso nal S avi o ur u ntil we h ave re
aliz ed th at it was o ur perso nal sin th at nailed Him to the

The Law o f the O fferings 201
cro ss ! No t so much the si ns o f the w o rld no r the si ns ,
o f o thers but my sin nailed Him to the cro ss

,
We ar e .
crucified with Him .
F o urth The spri nkli ng o f the bl oo d (i

. This was .
the wo rk o f the priest The wo rk o f the o fferer was do ne

.
when the s acri fice was killed It was necessary h o wever .

, ,
that the bl o o d o f ato nement be spri nk led o n the altar and ,
thus the bloo d whi ch represented the li fe be bro ught

, ,
into the presence o f Go d This the priest alo ne co uld d o .

,
fo r the way i nto the h o liest was no t yet m ade pl ai n fo r all

men S o is it with us Havi ng beco me by fai t h id enti
. .
fi ed with Jes us Chri st as o ur s i n bearer we must then

- ,
leave it to o ur great High P riest to i ntercede fo r us in

the ho ly place i nto which He has entered with His o wn
bl o o d .
F i fth and fi nally

,
The bur ni ng o f the o fferi ng (i 6— 9
. .
x ii 1 3
.
,
The bur ni ng i ndic ated the c o mplete co nse
crati o n o f the victi m and the life to Go d such a co nsecr a ,
ti o n as is always abso lutely necessary to true wo rship .
The bur ni ng was in a sense G o d s accept ance o f the

, ,
’
o fferi ng In the B ur nt O fferi ng the e ntire s acrifice was

.
bur ned ; there was no thi ng left fo r o fferer o r priest

everythi ng was fo r Go d The burni ng i ndicate d al so .
th at the o fferi ng had p assed eve n bey o nd the recall o f the

o fi er er S o Go d accepted Chri st s w o rk fo r us the pro o f
‘
’
.
,
o f which lay in the r es ur recti o n fr o m the g rave the ex ,
altatio n to His o wn ri g ht h and to gether w ith the descent ,
o f the S pirit at P e ntec ost The H o ly S pirit is given to .
us as a seal o f the acce pt ance o f Christ s w o rk with Go d

’
(A cts ii 3 2—3 4
; R.o m ans viii 1 4— 1 6 G al ati an s iv 6 ; . .
Ep hesi ans i 1 3 .
,
The Law o f the P r iest o oh d — M e diat io n
( Chap ter s viii — w ) . .
secti o n deal s with the i ntro ducti o n and in

HIS
augur ati o n o f the o ffi ce o f the prie sth o o d Up .
to thi s p o i nt in the divi ne revel ati o n it wo uld ,
see m th at the head o f the family had act e d as the priest .
N o w the tribe o f Le vi and the ho u se o fA ar o n ar e ch o sen

,
as medi ato rs bet wee n Go d and the peo ple .
P ri esth o o d is esse nti al t o every religi o n There is no .
direct i nterco urse with Go d Medi ati o n is abso lutely .
nec essary The w o rd priest is a s acred w o rd and

”
“
.
o ught alway s to c arry with it the sense o f s acred ne ss It .
is a name w hich sh o uld sig ni fy o ne who st and s bet ween

Go d and ithe pe o ple i n a S piritual o ffi ce In th at sense .
the o ffi ce o f the priestho o d was typical o f Chri st fo r there ,
is no w o ne medi ato r between Go d and man eve n Chri st ,
Jesus (cf 1 Timo thy ii

. The Levites were ch o se n to
.
mi ni ste r in the priest s o ffi ce and to sep arate themselves

’
ex clu sively to sacred service .
Thi s secti o n (ch aps viii x ) co ntai ns three lead i ng

. .
— .
th o ughts : The Co nsecrati o n o f A aro n and his so ns

( ch ap . Th e W o rk o f the P rie s ts fo r the m selves —
and the peo ple (ch ap ix ) The P unishment o f the

. .
P riests (ch ap .
r . Th e Co ns e c r at io n of A ar o n and His S o ns
( ch ap viii ). V e rs es 1
. 9 set fo rth the prep ar
— ati o n o f
A aro n and his so ns ; verse s 1 0 24 their ano i nti ng o r —
,
i naugurati o n i nto o ffi ce ; verses 25— 36 the nature o f the ,
2 02
2 04 The Bo o k o f Lev it ic us
had bee n made fo r the si ns o f the peo ple P rayer is ao

.
cep tab le unto Go d o nly o n the g r o u nd o f the redempti v e
w o rk o f o ur Lo rd Jesus Chri st It is in His name and

.
,
in His name al o ne th at prayer has any effi cacy

, . The
sacrifi ces and i ndeed every detail o f the Levitical sys
, ,
tem typified o ur Lo rd J esus Christ and His wo rk fo r o ur

,
redemptio n N adab and A bihu therefo re in lighti ng

.
, ,
the censers with str ange fi re did vio lence no t o nly to the
co mmand ment o f Go d but to the typical sig nificance o f
,
the preper Levitical pro cedure in this case O ne so me

.
times wo nders fro m the i njuncti o n verses 8 1 1 as to

,
i n —
,
whether N adab and A bihu had no t i ndul ged o vermuch

in wi ne dri nki ng .
The L aw s o f Cle an and U nc le an— The Walk
w ith G o d t hr o ugh S e par at io n
( Ch p e
a t r s ma— x vi )
f
.
HIS ecti o n has a very i ntimate rel ati o n to the

s
t wo m ai n secti o ns precedi ng it We have al .
ready been taught that the way to Go d that is , ,
the way to fi nd p ar do n and favo ur with Go d is thro ugh ,
the o fferi ng o f divi nely -app o i nted sacrifices (I) which ,
must be o ffered thro u gh a divi nely -app o i nted priest

ho o d (II) . The peo ple havi ng by the use o f these di
v inely-app o i nted means been accepted i nto fav o ur and
fell o wship with Go d the questi o n no w arises Wh at

, ,
ki nd o f a li fe sh o uld such cho se n peo ple live in o rder to

m ai ntai n th at fell o wship i nto which they h ave been i ntro
d uced Wh at ar e the thi ng s which separ ate fro m Go d !
The answer is fo u nd in secti o n III dealing with the laws
,
o f clean and u ncle an .
Two ki nd s o f u ncleanness ar e dealt with Cerem o nial

( ch ap s x
. i . th at which arises fro m the use o f certai n
fo o ds the co mi ng i nto c o ntact with dead b o dies the dis
, ,
eas e o f lepro sy and v ari o u s ki nds o f sick ness ; Mo ral uh

cleanness (ch aps x vii . . which was o ccas i o ned by
transgressi o n o f G o d s Mo ral Law whether written in the
’
heart o r o n tables o f sto ne .
The m o r al o ffe nses deal t with in these ch apte rs are

o f two ki nd s : F irst Will ful k no wn sin
, , S uch d iso b ed i
.
ence merits pu ni shment N o o ne can sin with impu nity

. .
N o will ful sin is settled merely by sacri fi ce ; so me p un

ishment must b e mete d o ut fo r it S ec o nd , S ins o f ig
.
20
5
2 06 The B o o k o f L e v it ic us
no r ance, fo r w hich ato ne ment was m ade by o fferi ngs and

co mpensati o n V ery light c ases might be ato ned fo r by
.
certai n ceremo ni als o f w ashi ng ; whereas graver cases

called fo r sacrifices .
The secti o n we ar e no w deali ng with (III) deal s with

Cer em o ni al u ncleanness (ch ap s x i . .
r. Th e Unc l e anne s s W hi ch C o me s F r o m P ar t i ci
p ating in C e r t ain K i nd s o f F o o d a nd t h e Co mi ngInto
C o nt a ct W it h U nc le an B o di e s
(ch a p . U nclean
beasts (x i 1 .fi shes (x i 9 birds (x i 1 3
. . creep
ing thi ngs (x i 20-29 ) that ar e u nfi t fo r fo o d ar e enumer
.
ated .Uncleanness which co mes fro m c o ntact with dead

b o dies o r the h andli ng o f utensil s which render o ne un
cle an is dealt with ih verses 4 1 —4 5 .
T h e Me aning o f t h e s e L aw s t o I s r ael U nquesti o n .
ably the regul ati o n reg ardi ng pro hibited fo o d s is rel ated
,
to the h o li ness o f Go d This is cle ar fro m verses 1 3 4 5

.
4 —
“
Y e sh all no t m ake yo urselves ab o mi nable with any
creepi ng th i ng t h at creepeth neither sh all ye m ake ,
y o urselves u nclean with them that ye sh o uld be d efi led ,
thereby F o r I am the Lo rd y o ur Go d : ye sh all there

.
fo re sancti fy y o urselve s and ye sh all be h o ly ; fo r I am

,
h o ly neither sh all ye defile y o urselves with any manner

o f creepi ng thi ng th at creepeth up o n the earth For I .
am the Lo rd th at bri ngeth yo u up o ut o f the l and o f
E gypt to be y o ur Go d : ye sh all therefo re be ho ly fo r

, ,
I am h o ly ” The h abits o f the u ncle an ani mal s speci

.
fi ed were typical and suggestive o f mo ral vices th at were

to be av o ided by th o se who wo uld live a ho ly li fe .
A vital c o nnecti o n bet wee n the so ul and b o dy (x i 44) .
is i ntim ated by these l aws o f clean and u ncle an The .
fo o d e ate n by an anim al determi nes its natur e We .
k no w the nature o f ani mal s whe n we k no w whether they

eat herb s o r meat S o there is a rel ati o n between the
.
Co l o ssi ans ii 1 6 20
.
,
They d o h o wever i mpress
, , ,
up o n us the necessary relati o nship between a m an s diet ’
and his m o r ality We judge o f the grade o f the civiliz a

.
ti o n o f a peo ple very largely by what they eat The .
nati o ns th at eat the fo rbidde n and creepi ng thi ng s

menti o ned in this ch apter ar e we kno w in a lo w , ,
state o f m o rality mentality and civilizati o n The

, , .
hig her in the scale o f civiliz ati o n any nati o n attai ns ,
and the m o re cul tured it beco mes the mo re d o es it ,
fo ll o w the l aws o f cle an fo o ds as here set fo rth .
Thes e laws imp r ess up o n the believer to d ay the fact

th at the religi o us requireme nts o f Go d have to d o with
the bo dy as well as with the so ul with eati ng and dri nk
,
ing as well as with si ngi ng and prayi ng The b o dy .
o f the believer is rede emed and is the temple o f Go d
( R o m ans x ii 1 . 1 C o ri nthi ans iii 1 6 1 7 vi 1 9 .

, .
,
The Christi an s eati ng and dri nki ng must be in acc o rd

’
ance with G o d s law (1 Co ri nthi ans x 3 1 ; ch ap viii

’
. . .
R o m ans Therefo re the Chri sti an who persi sts in

,
eati ng and dri nki ng certai n fo o ds which he k nows in

j ure his health o r defile his b o dy is no t o nly breaki ng ,
the law o f hygie ne but al so the law o f h o li ness and is ,
co mmitti ng a sin which needs ato nement (cf R o mans .
x iv . 21
O f co urse no man can fo ll o w o ut such a r! gime and it
,
no t c o st him so methi ng to d o it F o r thi s re aso n in.

,
case o f d efi lement certai n vessels were to be bro ken

,
(x i
. sto ves to be destro yed (x i and even seed .
(x i.3 7 ) dem o li shed whe n t ai nted N o r c o uld.an Isr aelite

be clean wi th o ut much care and tro uble fo r frequent ,
washi ngs and o fferi ngs were called fo r but then these .
were co ve nant peo ple ju st as believers are Chri sti an

peo ple and such peo ple will d o m any thi ngs which the
,
wo rld sees no necessity fo r d o i ng (cf Matthew v . .
These l aws o f cle an and u nclean ar e it seems to us , ,

The Laws o f Cle an and U nclean 20
9
the best way to deal with such questi o ns as the h abit

o f s mo ki g liqu r
n o t,
he ter go i ng and o ther h abits th at
a -
, ,
many cl ai m ar e d efi ling in th eir nature “

N everthel ess .
the fo u nd ati o n o f Go d standeth sure h avi ng thi s seal , ,
The Lo rd k no weth them th at ar e his A nd Let ev ery .

,
o ne that nameth the name o f Chri st dep art fro m i niqu i ty .
B ut in a great h o u se there ar e no t o nly vessel s o f g o ld

and o f silver but al so o f w o o d and o f earth ; and so me
,
to h o no ur and so me to dish o no ur
,
If a man therefo re .
purge hi msel f fro m these he sh all b e a vessel u nto

,
’
ho no ur sanctified and meet fo r the m aster s use and

, ,
’
,
prepared u nto every go o d w o rk (2 Timo thy ii 1 9

” .
2 . F amil y Un l
c e anne s s or U nc l e anne s s fr o m N at
u ra l Caus e s (ch ap It is di ffi cult to see wherei n
.
the birth o f a child is co nsidered amo ng the l aws o f the

u nclean u nless it be that Go d wo uld h ave His peo ple r e
member every ti me a child is bo r n i nto the wo rld the
, ,
co nnecti o n o f that birth with the fall o f man and the

curse pro no u nced up o n w o man becau se o f sin as set fo rth ,
in Gene si s iii Th at sin is transmitted by hu man ge ner

.
ati o n is evide nt fro m P sal m li 5 B eh o ld I was sh ape n

.
,
in i niquity ; and in sin did my mo ther co nceive me ” .
E ven the m o ther o f Jesu s br o ught her o fi er ing at the

‘
clo se o f her dayso f purifi cati o n If genius can be her ed

.
itar y why c anno t sin !

, It wo uld see m as th o ugh in the
c e
as o f every child birth there was a reech o in the ears
-
o f wo man o f the se ntence pr o no u nced up o n E v e the first ,
wo man fo r her sin Is thi s the reaso n why seventy d ays

, .
o f u ncle anness ar e me nti o ned fo r the birth o f a fe male
child while o nly fo rty ar e menti o ned fo r the birth o f a

,
m ale child ! We may no t be able to see the reaso n fo r

all thi s no w any mo re th an they did the n but i nability ,
to ex pl ai n d o es no t make v o id the pre p o siti o n o r make

dead the fact We sh o uld no t fo rget h o wever th at the
.
, ,
210 The Bo o k o f L e v itic us
R edee mer the r ace came i nto the wo rld in j ust thi s
of
way and th at the m ag nificent pr o mi se th at we ar e “

saved
thro ugh the child be ari ng gives to wo man the gl o ri o us
privilege and assurance th at j ust as she was the instr u
me nt o f the i ntr o ducti o n o f sin i nto the wo rld so she ,
s h all have the privilege o f bri ngi ng the S avi o ur fr o m sin
i nto the w o rld (1 Timo thy ii 1 1 1 5 cf Luke i .

—
. .
3. U nc l e annes s fr o m Di s e as e— L ep r o sy (ch ap .
x ii ) L epro sy is ch o sen as a representative di sease fo r

i .
hygi enic re aso ns o f c o ur se but pri mari ly fo r religi o us

, ,
reas o ns Lepro sy is a type o f sin : h ateful l o ath so me

.
, ,
fo ul and e ndi ng in de ath

,
It m o re than any o ther d is
.
,
e ase is a pict ure o f death w o rki ng in li fe (1 Tim o thy

,
v . B ei ng m o st vi sible and mani fest it is i n itsel f a ,
parab le o f death which is the w ages o f sin

,
.
The law req uired the same sacrifice fo r the cleansi ng o f

lepro sy as fo r sin thus sho wi ng the cl o se likeness b e
,
tw een th em Two bird s were to be o ffered o ne to be

.
,
kill ed the o ther to fly away (x iv 4

, S o David in .
c o nfessi ng his sin and pl eadi ng fo r it to be put away ,
say s
“
P urge me with hy sso p
,
” wo rds used o nly o f the ,
cleansi ng o f lepro sy S o it co mes to p ass th at lepro sy

.
,
thi s di sease ab o ve all o ther di seases is cho se n by the ,
H o ly S pirit as a type o f sin as sin appear s in the eyes o f

Go d It is fo r thi s reaso n th at the leper had to go to the
.
priest no t to the do cto r fo r cl eansi ng

, ,
.
L e p r o s y L i ke S in Lepro sy is like sin in th at in its

.
begi nni ng it is small and i nsig nificant and even u nal arm
i ng It al so has a brig ht appe arance o r starts in a bright
.
pl ace (x iii S o sin O ftti mes has small b egi nni ngs and
.
app ear s to be brigh t and pl easi ng but de ath l urk s t her e .

,
The n agai n lepro sy is in the blo o d It is a p ar t o f

, .
the nature It is no t w h at t he leper did but wh at he

.
,
was th at sep arated him fr o m fell o wship and co mmu ni o n ,

may be mi stake n deep -seated disease We sh o uld

fo r .
,
therefo re be o n o ur gu ard lest we b e to o suS p icio us and

,
t ak e fo r real evi l th at wh ich o nly resembles evil o r ,
desig nate sin th at which appears like sin (x iii 5 Of .

,
co urse wh atever has the appearance o f evil need s sus

,
p i cio u s tre a t m e n t b ut we need t o ,

be c areful eve n i n thi s
( c.f R o m an s x iv We sh
. o ul d no t be o ver z e al o us to
co ndem n o urselves when Go d d o es no t c o ndem n us

( x iii 2.1 S o me pe o ple m ake a go d o f co nscience .
4 . Th e Day ( ch ap of
x v i A t o ne me nt
cf xx iii . .
, . .
26 Thi s ch apter sho uld pr o b ably fo ll o w ch apter x .
i n o rder The d ay o f ato ne ment w as the greatest d ay o f

.
all the Levitical sy stem It was the cro w n and climax

. .
E ve n after all the el ab o rate cere mo nies and sacrifices

fo r si ns o f c o mmissi o n and o mi ssi o n it was evide nt th at ,
so me s i ns w o uld i n the very nature o f the c ase be o ver

, ,
l o o ked so the d ay o f ato ne ment gathered up the si ns o f

,
the wh o le year and presented them to Go d fo r fo rgiveness .
( ) a The Meaning and S ignifi cance o f the Day of A tone

ment It sho wed the i nc o mpl eteness o f the sacrifici al
.
ceremo nies It was no t p o ssi b le that the bl o o d o f bulls

.
and go ats sh o uld fi nally and co mpletely take away sin

(c f
. Hebrew s i x 8 .
,
The cerem o nies o f th at d ay t o o k pl ace pri marily in the

h o ly o f h o lies This was an i ndicati o n th at the true end
.
o f all S piritu al w o r ship is no t attai ned u ntil the wo r
shipper has free access i nt o the very prese nce o f Go d .
H erei n lies the superi o rity o f Christi anity o ver Jud ai sm .
Chri s ti anity affo rd s such access (of R o mans v 2 ; He . .
bre ws iv 1 6 ix 1 . .
( )
b Th e C er emo nies of the Day f
o A to nement Gre at .
si mplicity ch aracte ri z ed the dress o f A aro n and the

priests o n thi s d ay as co mp ared with o ther d ays (x vi .
P urity and no t displ ay was ch ar acteristic o f the priest

, ,
The Laws o f Clean and U nclean 21
3
as he appear ed befo re Go d th at d ay The high priest .
hi mself may no t h ave been S p o tless in his li fe but his ,
d ress was Th at dress typified the perfect righteo usness

.
o f o ur Lo rd Jesus Chri st the righteo usness which He ,
has pro cured fo r us The high priest was kep t in seclu

.
si o n o r privacy fo r s even d ay s be fo re the d ay o f ato ne
ment les t he sh o uld defile himself It is said by so me

“
.
,
that the high priest sat up the e nti re night befo re the
d ay o f ato ne me nt prayi ng If thi s be true ho w much is
,
.
,
wrapped up in the sayi ng o f o ur S avi o ur the great High ,
P ries t who in the g arde n o f Gethse m ane befo re the

, , ,
great ato nement said to His disciples Co uld ye no t

, ,
watch with me o ne h o ur i ”
The priests had to o ffer sacri fi ces fo r themselves E ven .
the priests supp osed to be h o ly had to o ffer fo r them

, ,
selves and fo r the sanctuary which by their ho ly , ,
mi nistrati o ns had been d efi led IS it p o ssible th at these

,
.
mi ni strati o ns which had been ostensibly fo r the purp ose

,
o f purificati o n and w o rship had in fact p o lluted the ,
Taber nacle ! Then wh at a tre me nd o us lesso n in h o li ness

is here taught ! Every priest fail s in his o ffi ce and so ,
bid s the wo rshipper l o o k fo rward to the great High

P riest who needed no t to ato ne fo r His o wn si ns .
The o fferi ng in beh al f o f the peo ple c o nsisted o f two

go ats fo r a S in offeri ng thereby indicati ng th at S in had
,
been p ar do ned and put away ; and a r am fo r a burnt

o fferi ng thu s i nti mati ng th at their sacrifi ce had fo u nd
,
acceptance with Go d Two go ats were necessary pro b

.
,
ably becau se o ne c o ul d no t fulfill the two p arts o f the

,
wh o le truth which set fo rth the sacrifice fo r S in and the

effect o f that sacrifice There can b e no fo rgiveness un
.
less there has been sacrifice Co nfessi o n is no t eno ugh .
p ard o n rests o n ato nement The wh o le questi o n as to .
whether my S i ns ar e fo rgiven o r no t turns o n thi s ques

ti o n Has Go d l ai d His hand up o n Chr ist and accepted
,
Him as my substitute ! F aith is the attitude and co n

diti o n which l ay s h o ld o f thi s fact The scapego at i ndi
.
cates th at S in had been carried away and was remembered

no m o re by Go d fo rever The d aily sacrifice deal t with
.
d aily S i ns The d ay o f ato nement de alt with si ns as a

.
wh o le and S h o wed the pe o ple th at Go d had no t o nly fo r

given and p ardo ned their S in but had remo ved it e ntirely
,
fr o m His remembr ance .
The ato ne me nt w as m ade withi n the v ail Chri st o ur

.
,
great High P riest has presented the blo o d o f ato nement

,
:
withi n the v ail in the very presence o f Go d Himself

‘
( Hebrews ix 24
.
selves in these thi ngs fo r in all these the nati o ns

any o f
ar e d efile d whic h I c ast o ut befo re yo u A nd the l and is

d efi led therefo re I d o vi si t the i niquity thereo f up o n it ,
and the l and its el f v o miteth o ut her i nh abit ants

” “
(F o r .
all these ab o mi nati o ns h ave the men o f the l and d o ne ,
which were befo re yo u and the l and is d efi led That the

,
l and spue no t yo u o ut also when ye defile it as it spued

, ,
o ut the nati o ns th at w ere befo re yo u F o r wh o s o ever.
sh all co mmit any o f these abo mi nati o ns even the so ul s ,
that c o mm it them shall be cut o ff fro m amo ng their p eo

ple Therefo re sh all ye keep mi ne o rdi nance that ye
.
,
co mmit no t any o ne o f these abo mi nable custo ms which ,
were co mmitted befo re yo u and th at ye defile no t y o ur

,
selves therei n : I am the Lo rd y o ur Go d (x viii 3 24”

.
, ,
25 27
,
The key no te to their c o nduct S h all be
- “
I
the Lo rd ”
a c o nsci o usness o f the immedi ate presence
—
o f J ch o v ab and no t the custo ms o f the peo ple aro u nd

—
abo ut .
b
( ) T h e P eop le of G o d M ust M a nife st P a r i ty in A ll the
Var ious R elationship s of Infe (x viii 6 F irst . In the .
m arri age rel ati o nship (x viii 6 Th is is put first b e

.
cau se it is the mo st sacred i nstituti o n amo ng men and is

vital to the wel far e and m o ral i ntegrity o f so ciety The .
m arri age rel ati o nship is the backb o ne o f all m o rality .
Marri age is no t so much a civil as a divi ne i nstituti o n .
It therefo re sho uld no t be lightly S p o ke n o f no r treated ,
irreverently It is also a figure o f Chri st and His Church

.
( o f E phe
. s i an s v 24 .
S eco nd P urity must be m anifest i n the perso nal

.
habits o f i ndividual li fe (x v iii 1 9 23 29 .

— The , ,
b o dy as well as the so ul is to be ho ly fo r it is the temple

, , ,
o f the Ho ly Gh o st N o thi ng th at d efi les the b o d y sho uld

.
recei ve reco g niti o n in the ex peri ence o f the man who

wo uld be dev o ted to Go d (of 1 Co ri nthians iii 1 6 1 7
. .
,
vi . 18
The Laws o f Ho line ss 21 7
Third . P urity
must be manifested in the nati o nal li fe
(x viii 2
.4 A m an s si n re aches ’
bey o nd him sel f .
The so lidarity o f the race is a fact The s in o f A ch an .
(J os hu a v ii ) i nv
. o lved a n a ti o n i n guilt Wh at a weight .
o f meani ng there is in the w o r d s o f Jes us F o r their

“
,
sakes I sancti fy myself (Jo h n x vii

”
E ight times .
is it said o f Jer o b o am the s o n o f N ebat th at

,
“
he m ade ,
Israel to sin ”
The S i ns o f the nati o n referred to in these
.
ch apters d efi led the l and so th at it stank S in like .

,
lepro sy d efi les the i ndividual the walls o f the h o use

, , ,
and the nati o n It is do ubtless fo r thi s reaso n that Go d

.
p uni sh es nati o ns fo r their si ns j ust as He pu nished the ,
A m o rites (Ge nesis x v .

,
F o urth The h o li ness o f the sanctu ary is i nsisted up o n

. .
N o pl ace is so h o ly but wh at sin may defile it S atan .
to o k Jesus up i nto the h o ly city and i nto the ho liest

pl ace in th at ci ty namely the temple o f Go d and there
, , ,
presented to Him the temptati o n reco rded in the Go spels .
E ven heave n itsel f has bee n affected in so me way by sin .
Hence the necessity o f Chri st cleansi ng the heavenly

thi ngs with bl o o d (cf Hebrews ix 22 . .
(0) The ! uestion of S ocial Mo r ality is Dealt With in

Chap ter a im The imp o rtant th o ug ht o f thi s ch apte r is
.
th at true religi o n and m o rality must be m anifested am o ng

th o se with who m we co me in co ntact The Chri sti an .
sh o uld be eas y to live with th at is u nder o rdi nary cir , ,
cumstances His li fe S h o uld be such that it w o uld co n

.
vict the wicked yet be o ne th at sh all be admired by

,
them The great lesso n o f thi s ch apter is th at all true

.
m o rali ty is b ased o n religi o n (of x ix 2 4 8 1 0 1 1 . .

, , , , ,
The seco nd table o f the co m mandme nts rests o n the fi rst .
A s the r o o t o f the flo wer is necessary to its very li fe so ,
is religi o n to m o rality .
The ch apte r is full o f sundry ex h o rtati o ns resembli ng

so mewh at the S ermo n o n the Mo u nt We are to be .
o b edient p arents because th ey ar e in the pl ace o f Go d

to
(x ix We
. ar e to keep Go d s S ab b a th s (x ix T hi s
’
.
is emph asi z ed because the keepi ng o f the S abb ath is so

easily i nterfered with o n acco unt o f o ur pleasures
(c f A.m o s viii T he e x h o rt a.ti o n c o ncer ni ng id o l atry
is m ade necess ary bec ause the nati o ns surr o u ndi ng Israel
w ere perme ated with it Then th ere was the tend ency .
,
in Israel to w o rship by sight i nstead o f by faith j u st as ,
there is the tendency to w o rship the m ateri al to -d ay

( cf 1.J o h n ii 1 5 T here i.s the n the e x h o rt a ti on , ,
no t to neglec t the P eace O fferi ng (x ix 5 The P eace .
O fferi ng was the o ne m o st frequently o ffered co nse ,
quently the o ne mo st likely to be neglected The .
o fferer was te mpted t o use the me at in the P eace O ffer
i ng fo o d th at rem ai ned after three d ays fo r hi msel f in

, ,
stead o f bur ni ng it and thus he was likely to fall i nto,
the S in o f seeki ng to save at the ex pe nse o f Go d Care .
fo r the p oo r is emph asized (x ix 9 P hil anthro py .

,
and Chri sti anity go t o gether I nfidelity is no t phil an .
thr o p ic Co mp assi o n fo r the weak is ex hibite d as a

.
virtue The survival o f the fittest is no t a h o ly d o c

.
tri ne but a selfish pl atitude The child o f Go d must

,
.
be no tale bearer (x ix must no t c arry any h atred o r

.
grudge to wards a fello wman in his heart (x ix 1 7 1 8 ; .

,
cf 1 Jo h n ii 8— 1 1 ; iii 1 0
. . no r mu st he mix with
.
the u ngo dly (x ix 1 9 ; cf 2 Co ri nthi ans vi 1 4

. . He .
must av o id fal se religi o ns like S piritu ali sm (x ix 26 3 1 ; ,

.
—
cf x x
. and mu st al so S h o w a respect fo r the a ged
.
(x ix . 30
The P unishments fo r the S ins E numer ated in Chap
ter s x viii . and mix . W hat
ar e S et F o r th i n Chap ter xx .
ar e S i ns in chapters x viii and x ix ar e cri mes in chapter . .
xx and merit pu ni sh me nt as w e ll as c all fo r s acrifice

.
, .
The gre at lesso n is th at no o ne can s in with i mpu nity ;

th at every S in merits its pu ni sh me nt Co nsequently we .
li fe such as in times o f m o urni ng (x x i 1

,
at which .
s easo n the priest s w ere no t to m ani fest by o utward sig ns , ,
their so rro w o f heart as did o thers O ne wo nders so me .
ti mes if their co nduct o n such o ccasio ns did no t l o o k fo r

w ard to the N e w Testame nt h o pe whe n believers who ,
h ave l o st lo ved o nes ar e to ld to so rro w no t even as

“
, ,
o ther s which h ave no h o pe hes l i s iv

”
(1 T sa o n an 1 3 .
P riestly purity is to be m ani fested in the marri age

rel ati o nship (xx i 7 8 1 3 The circle fro m which a
.
, , ,
priest co uld cho o se a wi fe was narro wer th an th at fr o m

which the o rdi nary man mi ght ch o o se o ne A priest .
co uld no t marry a wido w a divo rced wo m an o r a , ,
w o man o f u nsavo ry reputati o n The wo man he sh o uld .
ch o o se fo r his wi fe must be a virgi n and o f his o wn

peo ple The family o f the priest is a ho ly family
.
( c f. x x i 9 .T here S
,
h all th er efo r e be no mi x ture , ,
o f seed .
S eco nd The purity o f priests is set fo rth in rel ati o n

.
to perso nal d efo rmities (x x i 1 6 “

F o r wh ats o ever .
man he be th at h ath a blemish he sh all no t ap p r o ach

'
a bli nd man o r a l ame o r he th at h ath a fl at no se o r

, , ,
anythi ng superflu o u s O r a man th at is br o ken- ,

fo o ted o r
bro kenh anded O r cro o kb ackt o r a dwarf o r th at hath a
, , ,
blemish in his eye o r be scurvy o r scabbed o r hath his

, , ,
sto nes bro ken N o man th at h ath a blemi sh o f the seed

o f A ar o n the priest shall c o me ni g h t o o f fer the o fferi ngs
o f the Lo rd m ade by fire ; he h ath a blemish ; he sh all
no t co me nigh to o ffer the bre ad o f his Go d He shall .
e at the bread o f his Go d b o th o f the m o st h o ly and o f , ,
the ho ly O nly he sh all no t go in u nto the vail no r

.
,
co me nigh u nto the altar bec au se he h ath a blemi sh ,
th at he pro fane no t my sanctuaries : fo r I the Lo rd d o

sancti fy them A nd Mo ses to ld it u nto A aro n and to
.
,
his so ns and u nto all the childre n o f Isr ael

,
”
( x x i .
18
The Law s o f Ho line ss 22 1
Third The priest must be careful to m aintai n purity

.
in the detail s o f d aily li fe (x x ii 1 He must be .
clean befo re servi ng at the altar o r p artaki ng o f the

h o ly fo o d Cleanli ness withi n and with o ut must ch ar
.
acter iz e the heart and li fe o f th o se who stand bet wee n
Go d and th e p eo ple (cf 2 Tim o thy ii 20 . .

,
3. S ac r e d S (ch aps
e as o ns
x x iii E very
. r e .
ligio n has its fe asts and fes tivals They ar e necessary to .
its ex iste me They keep alive its mem o ries

. We ar e so .
pro ne to fo rget wh at we d o no t see There is religi o us .
enth usi asm in numbers We ar e j usti fi ed al o ne ; we ar e

.
sanctified to gether Jud ai sm and Christi anity ar e no ex

.
c ep tio ns to thi s religi o u s te nde ncy Go d w o uld h ave His .
peo ple k no w th at there is such a thi ng as the co nsecratio n

o f time O f c o urse all time is s acred and bel o ngs to Go d
.
, ,
and th at is the reaso n why the number seven is so

“ ”
o ften me nti o ned in these ch apters the seve nth d ay o f the

week the seventh week the seve nth m o nth the seventh
, , ,
year and seven sevens o f years Time is pro b ably the

,
.
h ardest thi ng we ar e called up o n to give to Go d The .
sacrifice o f time is the cro wn o f all the sacrifices It is .
easier to give m o ney and thi ngs th an to give time .
Many who thi nk it wr o ng to steal m o ney d o no t h ave

‘
any c o nscienti o us scruples ab o ut steali ng ti me fro m Go d .
Will a man r o b Go d Y et we r o b Him o f time— time fo r

d evo ti o n fo r family w o rship fo r service
, Do we take
,
.
v ac ati o ns fo r the buildi ng up o f the Christi an li fe and fo r

prayer ! We have nati o nal h o lid ays why no t religi o u s ,
ho lid ays ! Is Christ less th an Washi ngto n o r Li nco l n !

Is Cal v ary less th an B u nker Hill ! Is Chri stmas d ay le ss
th an the F o urth o f July ! F raternal o rders fo r ex ample , ,
h ave their co nclaves Why sh o uld no t Chri sti ans have

.
their co nferences ! Thi s is the tho ug ht contained in th at

hymn
Take my mo ments and my d ays ,
Let them fl o w in e nd less pr ai se ;

Take my i ntellec t, and us e
Every po wer as Tho u shal t cho o se .
The setti ng ap art o f certai n time fo r Go d is a preventi o n

o f c o vet o us ness and sh o w s th at a man really b elieves
,
that he d o es no t live by bread alo ne and th at a m an s “

,
'
life co nsisteth no t in the abu ndance o f the thi ngs which

he p o ssesseth (Luke x ii .
( )
a T h e N am es of the S acr ed S ea so ns They a r e c alled .
“
set ti mes rather th an fe asts fo r so me like the Day
”
, , ,
o f A to nement fo r ex ample
,
o f mo ur ni ng
,
A .
“
fe ast ”
was so metimes a “
fast ”
N o t always ar e we
.
led by still w aters and i n gree n p astures We h ave .
sh ado ws as well as su nshi ne but all ends in a perfect ,
d ay the S abb ath o f Go d

,
.
These set ti mes ar e al so c alled fe asts

“ ” “ ”
The dance .
and j o y ar e c o nnected th e ewith S ix o f these fe asts ar e

i .
fo r j o y o ne fo r m o urni ng thu s i ndicati ng the ch ar acter

,
istic o f all true rel igi o n Chri sti anity was b o r n in a so ng

. .
The co m mand is “
rej o ice evermo re no t weep ever
” “
,
m o re ”
.
These sacred times were c alled “

h o ly co nv o catio ns ”
.
They were no t to be idle d ay s but busy d ay s bu sy with ,

—
Go d and the thi ngs o f Go d They ar e c alled my fe asts

.
”
.
Wh at a co ntrast is suggested by the w o rds o f Jesus The “

,
feast s o f the J ews ”

These sacred ti mes ar e o ccasi o ns
thro ugh which Go d speak s to the so ul an“d by which He
ar o u ses and assembles His pe o ple We ar e usu ally so .
busy th at Go d has no ti me to S p eak to us We need to .
“
give ourselv es o r as we may say take lei sure a
”
,
“
, ,
vacati o n fo r pray er
,
”
.
( ) The O r d er of the S acr ed S easons F irst c o meis the

b .
S abbath (x x iii . fi rst because to thi s end all thi ngs

,
2 24 The Bo o k o f L e v iticus
Third the , f F east ( o iii —

the Fi r stfr uits
9 1 4 xx .
,
This w as to be o b served while they w ere in the

l and (no t while they were in the w ilder ness) and i ndi
”
cated G o d s pr o prieto r ship o f the l and It also typified

’
.
Chri st s resurrecti o n
’
Co ri nthi ans x v and o ur s . .
It was held o n the fi rst d ay o f the week the m o rr o w

“
,
after the S abb ath It was o n thi s d ay the m o rro w after ,
the S abbath th at Chri st aro se fro m the dead (cf Matthew

,
.
x x viii 1
. Mark x vi .
F o urth the F east f P enteco st (x x iii 1 5

,
o wh ich was .
o b served fi fty d ays after the F e ast o f the F ir stfr uits .
This was ano th e r fir st d ay o f the week (cf x x iii t he . .
eighth d ay the mo r r o w after the S abb ath The o fferi ng

, .
o f the two le av es in which leave n was all o wed is emph atic
here because it represents no t Chri st no r the Ho ly S pirit

, , ,
b ut the Church P e nteco st was the birthd ay o f the

.
Ch urc h .
F l f i the F east of Tr um
t l
, p ets (x x iii 23 which c o m.
memo r ated either the cre ati o n which is supp o sed to h ave ,
bee n fi ni shed at this time o f the year o r the Law at S i nai ,

.
A t any r ate it was to remi nd the pe o ple o f the S eri o usness o f

,
wh at was to fo ll o w namely the Day o f A to nement which

, , ,
came ni ne d ays late r It was the herald o f an appro ach

.
ing d ay S o will it be with the rapture o f Go d s pe o ple

.
’
whe n the trump o f Go d S h all so u nd the dead in Chri st ,
S h all rise the livi ng believer s S h all be ch anged a nd to

, ,
gether the rai sed dead and the ch anged livi ng S h all meet
the Lo r d in the air (1 Co ri nthi a ns x v 5 1 5 2 1 Th ess a .
,
lo nians iv 1 4 .It is said th at the Jews fill ed the

time between the F east o f Trumpets and the Day o f
A to neme nt with m o re g o o d deed s th an at any o ther time
o f the ye ar The bl o wi ng o f the t ru mpets i ndicated the
.
begi nni ng o f the Jewi sh N e w Y ear which was the b egi n

ni ng o f the seve nth m o nth Thi s d o es no t mean th at
.
trumpets were no t bl o wn o n o ther o ccasi o ns (fo r at the

The Laws o f Ho liness 2 25
intro ducti o n o f almo st every new event there was a bl o w

ing o f trumpe ts) but that this was p articul ar ly tr ue o f
,
this seas o n o f the ye ar .
S i x th the F east of Taber nacles (xx iii 3 3

,
Thi s .
feast was to c o mmem o r ate the time whe n the children o f

Israel lived in tents d uri ng their wilderness j o ur ney It .
is called the feast o f b o o ths

“ ” .
S eve nth the Y ear of J ubilee (xx v 1

, .
4 . Id o l at ry, t he S a bb at h , and Mat t ers P e rt aining

to V ow s (ch aps . xx vi .
,
( )
a The B lessi ngs and Cur sings f
o Chap ter x x vi . The
truth o f this chap ter is abu ndantly co rro bo rate d by the
histo ry o f the Jew and his preservati o n amid persecuti o n ,
al so by the hi sto ry o f P alestine and its des o l ati o n all o f ,
which is a standi ng witness to the abso lute i nerrancy and

fulfillment o f pr o ph ecy .
The blessi ngs and cursi ng s o f thi s chapte r ar e m o re

p articularly nati onal than i ndividual There is such a .
thi ng as nati o nal blessi ng fo r nati o nal o bedience and ,
nati o nal cur se fo r nati o nal diso bedie nce Hi sto ry af .
fo rd s abund ant pro o f o f the fact th at nati o ns th at tur n

fr o m Go d to id o l s and th at h ave d esecr ate d His h o ly
,
S abb ath h ave nati o nally bee n led astr ay

, Go d still .
r ul es am o ng the nati o ns .
O fco ur se there is a se nse in which the blessi ngs and curs

,
i ngs o f this ch apter ar e applicable to men as i ndividuals .
R ighteo usness is alw ays a blessi ng where as sin is always

a curse It is wo rthy o f no te th at Go d appeals to b o th
.
fe ar and h 0pe as leg itim ate i ncentives to a life o f r ight

eo usness .
( )
b The Matter of Sp ecial Vows is Tr eated in Chap ter
emit . The v o ws referred to in thi s ch apter ar e speci al
v ws
o — tho se which h ave been assu med v o lu ntarily p ro b ,
ab ly as the resul t o f so me speci al blessi ng o r ex tr ao rdi nar y

2 26 The Bo o k o f L ev itic us
zeal S uch blessi ngs h ave o ften le d men to dedicate

.
the mselves their childre n their ho uses their g o o ds o r

, , , ,
their mo ney to Go d .
The o fferi ng o f o nesel f is dealt with here (x x vii 1 If .
there was no ro o m fo r his perso nal service because o f the

plenti ful supply o f Levite s he co uld give mo ney to p r o ,
.
vide fo r his substitute Wh at a lesso n here fo r o ne who

.
is c alled to certai n fo rm s o f Chri sti an service who never , ,
theless is u nable fo r leg itim ate re aso ns to e nter i nt o

, , ,
that service If he c anno t go hi msel f he can m ake it

.
,
p o ssible fo r so me o ne el se to go .
S o metime s a man dedic ated his children to Go d This .
he was at liberty to d o pro b ably duri ng the years o f their

,
mino rity fo r the children themselves duri ng their mi

, ,
no r i ty were no t all o wed to dev o te themselve s o r to co m

,
mit them selves with o u t the c o nsent o f their p arents .
Wo men co uld devo te themselves to the ser vice o f Go d

by spi nni ng o r weavi ng o r in S imil ar ways helpi ng the,
pri ests .
A nim al s that were dev o ted were no t to be e x ch anged .
A fter they had p assed u nder the r o d the sacrifice was ,
settled .A n u nclean anim al c o uld be redeemed with a

clean o ne .
N o man was all o wed to imp o veri sh his family by v o w

ing all th at he had S i mply sayi ng . Co rb an (it is a
”
gi ft o f Mark v ii 1 1 1 2) did no t relieve a man fro m r e

. .
,
S p o nsibility fo r the c are o f his family .
A man c o uld no t v o w th at which was alre ady the

Lo rd s fo r ex ample the fi r stling o f the fl o ck the fi r st
’
, , ,
b o r n o r the tithes (x x vii 3 0 3 4 ; cf x x vi

, The .
—
. .
childre n o f Israel were o bliged to supp o rt the Levites .
Thi s was their b o u nden duty .

S y no psi s o f N u mb ers
I NTR O DU CTIO N .
PR E PA RA TIO N F O R THE MA R CH , O R DE PA RTU RE

F R O M S IN A I (Ch ap s i . .
1 . The nu mb ering o r or gan z ati i

o n o f t he c h o sen i
nat o n
( C h a s
p . i .
( )
a The nu mb ering o f the p eo
pl e ( Cha s i
p . .
,
Th p o ld
ree f , p ur o se War Registratio n , Ped gree i .
The o r der ng o f the i c am C

p ( ha
p .
( )
6 The number ng o f the Lev i it es
( C hap iii s . .
, iv . c f
.
4 7 5 4) 1 —
2. The sanc tificatio n o f the c amp (C aps v , h . .
()
a T he law d e al ng w t r e st tut o n
( 5
v i —1 0
, cf ih i i . .
E o d us x1 xxii .
( )
h T he law o f ea o us
j y( v 1 4 l . ,
()
r Th e vo w o f the N az ar te ( vi 1 i .
d
( ) T he A ar o nic Bene d ct o n vi 2 2
( i i .
3 . The necess t e s fo r the j o urney met (vii l -x

ii . .
( )
a T he O ff er n s o f the
g pr nces i (C a
p i h .
( )
5 n I
str uc t o ns w t i
r efer enc e to the
p ih
o s t o n o f the ii
c ande ab ra v
( 1 l iii .
( t ) The
p ill
ar o f c o ud , and o f fir e
( C a
p. l h
( ) he s ver tr ump ets ( C ap
d T il h .
THE J O U R NE Y — FRO M S INA I TO MO A B (Chaps .
xi .
l . The fir st murmuring— Tab ah er , w hi ch means

pl a c e o f b urn n
g i (xi 1
2. The murmuring— K ibro th-hattaavah whic h

seco nd ,
means graves o f l ust (xi 4

“
.
3 The
. thir d mur murin g
— A ainst
g G o d s leader s ( x1 1
’
.
4 . The fo ur th murmuring— Because o f the land ( Chaps .
x iii .
, x iv .
2
3 0 S yno p sis o f N umb e rs
5 . K o ra h ’
s re be lli o n— Murmuring against t he p i h r est oo d
x vi.
( 1
6 . The i h mu mu ing—
s xt r r Bec ause o f the
j m
udg ent o f G o d
(xvi 4 1
7 . The se vent h mu mu ing r r — O n acco unt o f the la kc o f
w ater ( x x 1 .
8 . The e g t murmur ng— Because

i hh i o f la k o f b
c r ead an d
w at e (x xi 1r .
O N THE PLA INS MO AB (Chap s x x 1 1O F . .
1 . Th e
pp i ti no f I l
os en m oi T hoe t y o f
sr ae
’
s e e s— s or
Bal am and Balak ( Chap x xii

a s . .
2. Th nd
e seco n u ( Ch p ce s s a .
3 . M o ses u
’
— In t u ti n
s ccesso r r g ding sa ifi s r c o s e ar cr ce
Pa titi n f Canaan (x x ii 1 x x xiii

r o o v .
—
.
( )
a T h u f M a
e s c cesso r o
pp in t d ( C ha
p o ses o e .
T d f a l i fi h x iii
( )
b h th
e
yor
y er e
(oC a
p x e e r sacr c s . v .
,
() V o w s o f w o men
r ( C a
p h .
T e de str uc t o n o f t he M d an tes i C ii i h x i
( )
d h ( a
p x x . .
( e ) T h e lo t o f th e t w o a n d a h alf tr b es C ha
( p x i . xxii .
T e r e c o r d o f t he e o f mar c li h xiii
(f ) h n
( C h a
p xx . .
4 F n .a i l i
n st r uc t o ns w th r eg i i
ar d to t he e ntranc e nt o the i
pr o mse d land
( i
x xx
5 0 — Xx v iii . xi .
( )
a T h e c le ar anc e o f the land
( x
5 0 xxiii .
( )
5 Its b o undar e s and
p ar t t o n Cha
( i p ii .
r ) The appo ntment o f c t es fo r t he Lev t es and the

i ii i
(
c t es o f r efu e ii
g ( C h a
p v . xxx .
( )
J M arr ag e i n i i
ts r e a t o n t o n e r tan c e
( C a
p l i ih i h .
2 32 The Bo o k o f N umb e rs
o ther at the clo se O f the b o o k (ch ap These num .
beri ngs sho wi ng as they d o the m iracul o us gro wth o f

, , ,
the nat i o n are a wo nderful illustrati o n o f the fulfillment

,
O f G o d s pr o mi se t o A br ah am th at his seed S h o uld be

’
very nu m ero us (Genesi s x v N umber s is c alled the .
“
B o o k o f Wanderi ng s o r the
”
B o o k O f Jo ur neyi ng s ”
because it reco unts the ex periences O f the Israelites in the

desert Indeed the bo o k O pens with the w o rds In the
.
,
“
desert ”
It has al so been c alled the B o o k O f Murmur
.
“
i ngs because it reco unts the murmuri ngs o f Is rael

”
,
ag ai nst Go d and their leaders Thi s peri o d is d escribed .
by the P salmi st F o rty ye ar s l o ng was I grieved with

this generati o n and said It is a peo ple th at d o err in
, ,
their heart and they have no t k no wn my ways (P salm

,
”
x cv 1 0 ; cf Hebrews iii 1 0 1 7
. . Deute ro no my viii 1 5 ;
.
, .
xx x ii .
The Ti me Co v e r e d b y t h e B o o k A b o ut thirty . .
eight year s and six m o nths are co vered by the events r e

co rded in this boo k Genesi s co vers abo ut twenty -three
.
h undred years ; Ex o dus and Leviti cus ab o ut eighteen ,
m o nths The thirty -eight years and six mo nths o f time

.
which the b o o k O f N umbers co vers may be divided

as fo ll o ws : Ch apters i —x ni netee n d ay s ; ch apters
. .
,
x x — xx x iii
. thirty -eight years ch apters x x x iv -xx x vi
.
, . .
,
fi ve m o nth s .
R e l at i o n o f N umb e r s t o E x o d us a nd L ev it icus .
N umbers is r eally an appendi x to E x o dus and Levitic us ,
fo r the first ch apter o f N umbers c o uld be pr o perly re ad

after the ni netee nth ch apter o f E x o dus In E x o d us x ix . .
the children o f Israel arrive at S i nai in N u mbers 1 th ey .
ar e still at S i nai leavi ng there in the tenth ch apter

,
.
The theme o f E x o du s x ix and N umbers i — x is p r ac . . .
tically the same and has to d o with the sep arati o n and
,
sanctifi catio n O f G o d s peo p le Thi s relati o n can be set

’
.
fo rth as fo ll o ws : E x o du s i -x viii —E x o du s fro m E gypt

'
. .
Int ro d uc tio n 2
33
to S i nai ; E x o dus x ix to N umbers x
. .
— at S i nai ; N um
bers x i —x xx vi — fro m S i nai to Jo rdan
. . .
Gene ral O ut line o f t h e B o o k The general o utline o f

.
the bo o k falls i nto three mai n divisi o ns : P rep aratio n fo r

the march o r dep arture fro m S i nai ch aps i -x Jo ur
, ,
. . .
ney fro m S i nai to Mo ab ch ap s x i x x ii

,
. . F r o m Mo ab to
— .
the b o rders O f Canaan c haps x x iii xxx vi

,
. .
— .
Pr e paratio n fo r t he M arc h, or De par t ur e
fr o m S inai
Ch -
( p a ter s i x .
1 . Und e r t his ge ne r al div i s io n w e h av e p r e se nte d

t o u s t h e num b e r ing a nd o r g aniz at i o n o f th e cho se n
nat io n (chap s . i .
( ) T
ah e r e is F ir st the N umber ing of the P eop le (ch aps .
i ,
. The threefo ld purp o se O f this numberi ng seem s to
be fo r war , registrati o n, and pedigree (ch ap Canaan .
was no t to be i nherited witho ut a co nquest and co nflict

with the nati o ns already p o ssessi ng the l and F o r thi s .
appr o achi ng c o nquest and c o nflict Israel mu st be o rg an
iz ed The war O f ex termi nati o n up o n which they were

.
no w e nteri ng is t o be c o nsidered s o mewh at in the nature

O f a pu nitive ex pediti o n The Canaanites who then p o s
.
sessed the l and had by their vile wickedness fo rfeited

, ,
all right to it Jeho vah therefo re had a perfect right

.
, ,
to de stro y these peo ple fo r the cup o f their i niquity was

,
full .F o r thi s punitive ex pediti o n Go d used Israel j u st , ,
as later He u sed A ssyri a to pu nish Israel .
The regi strati o n rec o rd in thi s ch apter was d o ubtless

fo r p o litical and eccle si astic al purp o ses S O th at it wo uld ,
be co nvenient and co mp aratively easy at any time to se

cure statistics fo r the religi o us and p o li tical wel fare o f
the nati on The numberi ng o f the peo ple al so affo rded
.
them the o pp o rtu nity o f decl ari ng their pedigree thus ,
layi ng the basis fo r the future geneal o gic al tables so

2 34
2
36 The Bo o k o f N umb e rs
but great l angu age many ways o f do i ng thi ngs but

o ne ,
o ne gre at mo tive m any creeds but o ne great faith , .
E ach Chri sti an o ught to be able to decl are his pedigree

'
and trace his li ne age b ack to Go d In o ther wo rd s .

,
every believer o ught to k no w and be assured o f the fact

th at he is a child o f Go d (cf R o mans viii 1 4—1 6 ; 1 Jo hn
. .
v . Y et there ar e m any Christi ans who d o no t e nj o y

this assurance They are like the Israelites sp o ken o f
.
in ano ther pl ace who “

so u ght their register am o ng tho se
that were reck o ned by g eneal o gy but they were no t ,
fo u nd ”
(E zr a ii 5 9 62 ; cf . N ehemi
— a h vii . A r e we .
sure th at o ur names ar e enro lled in the Lamb s B o o k O f ’
L i fe ! (cf Luke x 20 ; R evel ati o n x x 1 2—1 5 ; x x i

. . . .
( )
b Th e N umber ing of the L evites (chaps iii iv of . .
, .
, .
i 47
. The Levites had to d o with the o utsid e o f the
Tabernacle (cf x viii 1 j ust as the priests had to d o
‘
. .
with the service o n the insid e The service o f Go d was .
to o g reat fo r the priests al o ne to perfo rm c o nseque ntly ,
there aro se the necessity o f the S ervice o f the Levites .
S o t o d ay i n the Christi an Church the w o rk o f Go d is to o

great fo r the mini stry al o ne to acco mpli sh Chri sti an .
l aymen have their p art to pl ay and sh o uld fi nd their

p laces in the w o rk o f the Church This was true also in .
the c ase o f Mo ses and the app o i nti ng o f the seventy elders
( N umber s x i 1 3 5 ).an d o f —the ap o stles an d th e app o i nt
ing O f de aco ns (A cts vi 1 .
The service O f the Levite s was o f c o urse b ased o n r e , ,
m
de pti o n They were sub stituted f the fi s b o rn who
. o r r t -
had bee n saved th at d ark night i n E gypt when the

destro yi ng angel p assed thro ugh the l and Their service .
co nsi sted in l o o ki ng aft er the sacred v essel s utensils and , ,
fur niture in c o nnecti o n with the Taber nacle (x viii 1 .
To this service they were to dev o te their e ntire time .
They seem to have bee n in apprenticeship u ntil the age

o f t we nty -fi ve i n ful l se rvice fro m thirty until fifty at
, ,
P re p arat io n fo r t he Marc h 2 37
which ti me th ey were retired fro m certai n fo rms but no t ,
fr o m all ki nd s O f service (viii 25 Their m ai nte

.
,
nance h o wever did no t ce as e at the age o f fi fty

, , They .
were war ned frequently to ex ercise great care in the han

d ling O f the h o ly thi ngs co nnected with the Taber nacle .
They must no t o verstep their pr o vi nce “

lest they die ”
,
( iv
. 1 6
There are so me practical less o ns fo r us to learn fr o m
the nu mberi ng o f the Levi tes There is still call fo r a
.
lay mi ni stry and fo r men and w o men to dedicate their

lives to e x clu sive Christi an service even o utside o f the
r eg ul ar mi ni stry Go d o f c o ur se must i ndicate such a
.
, ,
call fo r He is S o vereig n in the besto w al o f His g i fts and

,
the di stri b uti o n o f o ffi ces in co nnecti o n with the Church

(E phe s i an s iv 1. G o d h as the righ t to m a ke s uch a
call fo r we ar e His by redempti o n (1 Co ri nthi ans vi

,
.
The Church sadly needs such men and wo men who will
give their lives and service to Chri st just as the Levites
were given to A aro n and the priests fo r thei r service .
The fact th at such p art icul ar atte nti o n is given to the

m atter O f age in co nnecti o n with the service o f the Levites
wo uld seem to teach us F irst th at we lay h ands sud
“
,
d enly o n no man ”
(1 Tim o thy v 22) and put no t a
“
.
no vice ”
i nto the service o f the Church (1 Ti mo thy iii .
S eco ndly th at pro vi si o n S h o uld be m ade fo r the supp o rt

,
in O ld age O f th ose who h ave given their lives to the

service o f Go d The lesso n o f revere nce is c o nstantly
.
needed .We ar e also w arned by the reference to N adab

and A bihu (iii 4) th at w e mu st be c areful no t to fill o ur
.
ce nsers with strange fire th at is no t to use wr o ng

, ,
meth o d s in the pursuit o f Go d s w o rk ’

.
2. The S anct ifi catio n o f the C amp (cha ps v . .

,
The peo ple ar e no w ready to fo ll o w Go d s le adi ngs but ’

,
they must fi rst be sanctified ,

fitted in heart and life to
fo ll o w h o ly Go d The mi scell aneo u s l aws herei n set

a .
fo rth all c arry with them the ide a o f mai nt ai ni ng the

h o li ness o f the camp .
The law o f lepr o sy has been dealt with in Leviticus

(c f p
. age T h e gre a t le ss o n t aught is th at e nu nci ated
by the pro phet B e ye clean th at bear the vessels o f the
“
,
Lo rd ”
(Is a i ah 1 ii a.n d c o rr o b o r at e d by the N ew
Testament “
If a man therefo re purge hi msel f fr o m
,
these he sh all be a vessel u nto h o no ur sanctified and

, , ,
meet fo r the m aster s use and prep ared unto every go o d

’
,
w o rk (2 Timo thy ii
” .
The law de ali ng with restituti o n (v 5 1 0) is i nteresti ng .

— .
It has been de alt with befo re (cf E x o dus x x ii 1 . but .
a new ph ase o f the subj ect is here pres ented In E x odus .
the culprit has been fo u nd o ut and co nsequently mu st ,
resto re d o uble Here the culprit has no t been fo u nd o ut

.
but his o wn c o nscience has sh o wn him his sin the idea

o f re stituti o n ari ses fro m withi n ; c o nseque ntly he i s
required to ad d o nly o ne fi fth because it is a m atte r o f

-
co nscience and not law There is also ano ther i nterest .
ing th o ught i n c o nnecti o n with re stituti o n here So .
clear is it th at fo rtunes m ade by fraud must no t be

all o wed to be a s o urce o f g ai n to the o ne h avi ng d o ne the
wro ng th at he is o bliged to use it in the service o f man .
If th o se to wh o m restituti o n is o wed ar e no t livi ng then ,
restituti o n mu st be m ade to the priests th at is it must , ,
g o to the service o f G o d H a s thi s th o ught

. a n y be a ri ng
o n the que sti o n o f t ai nted mo ney 2 A ny ato nement
“ ”
with o ut such restituti o n is o f no avail .
The law o fj eal o u sy (v 1 4 3 1 ) emp hasizes the fact th at

.
—
the th o ught o f sin in the face o f i nsuffi cient evidence

is to be pr o hibited The m arri ag e estate mu st be p r o
.
tec ted .
The vow o f the N az arite is the n dealt with (vi . 1 — 21

cf . R o m ans x ii . The vow o f the N az arite was a
co rdi ng as h ath pro spered

Go d is to be the measure us, ”
o f o ur g i fts The v alue o f o ur gi fts is k no wn to Go d

.
,
and no gi ft h o wever sm all th o ugh it be but a cup o f

, ,
c o ld w ater sh all l o se its reward (of Mark x ii 4 1 —44 ;

,
. .
Matthew x 42 ; Mark ix. O ne s o metimes wo nders

.
if the g i fts ar e e numerated here fo r the purp o se o f e n

c o ur aging o thers to give There is a sense in which it
.
is true th at we o ug ht no t to let o ur right h and k no w

what o ur left hand d o eth but we sh o uld no t fo rget that ,
it is o ur o bligati o n to let o ur light so shi ne befo re men

th at they may see o ur go o d wo rks (Matthew v 1 6 ; of . .
2 Co ri nthi ans ix .
( )
b The Instr uctio ns Given in Chap ter viii . with R efer
ence to the P ositi on f
o the Cand elabr a ar e Inter esting . The
candelabra must be so arranged th at the lights will shi ne
up o n the cente r sh aft which had been w o rked with divi ne
skill The candel abra d o ubtless represents Christ ; and
.
, ,
the light o f the candel abra the Ho ly S pirit S o we may ,

.
u nderstand by thi s that it is the o ffi ce o f the Ho ly S pirit

to gl o ri fy Christ as it is the privileg e and o b ligati o n
,
o f the Church also to gl o ri fy Him The Churc h is .
likened u nto lamp stand s in the center o f which the ,
Lo rd st and s o r walk s (R evel ati o n i 1 2 1 3 20; ii 1 ; cf .

, ,
. .
P hilippi ans ii 1 5 1 6 ; Matthew v 1 4

.
, .
In the ni nth ch apter “

the pillar o f cl o ud is g iven to
”
guide the children o f Israel by d ay and the pill ar o f

“
,
fire by night It is ex ceedi ngly i nteresti ng to no te the

.
mi nute and repeated p articul ars regardi ng the mo ve

ments o f the pill ar and the effect o f the m o vements o n
Israel When the pill ar o f clo ud was stati o nary the
.
,
Israelites had to rem ai n where they were ; whe n the

cl o ud m o ved they were to take their j o urney
,
“
A nd .
so it was when the cl o ud ab o de fro m eve n u nto the

,
m o rni ng and th at the cl o ud was taken up in the m o rn

,
ing then they j o ur neyed

, whether it was by d ay o r b y
Prep aratio n fo r the March 24 1
n ight th at the cl o ud was taken up they j o urneyed O r , .
whether it were two d ay s o r a mo nth o r a year th at the

, , ,
clo ud tarri ed up o n the tab ernacle re mai ni ng thereo n , ,
the children o f Israel abo de in their te nts and j o urneyed ,
no t : but whe n it was taken up t hey j o ur neyed ”

,
(ix . 21 ,
O ne step a t a time they were guided .
They did no t k no w whether they were to stay a night ,
a week a mo nth o r a ye ar in o ne pl a ce
, ,
Whenso ever .
the cl o ud mo ved they m o ved ; whitherso ever it led

, ,
they fo ll o wed .
The pill ar o f cl o ud is a type o f the Lo rd Jesus Christ

who Himself said “
I am the light o f the wo rld he th at
,
fo ll o weth me sh al l no t w alk in d ark ness but sh all h ave ,
the light o f li fe ”
(J o h n viii T h e childre
. n o f Isr ael
had the figure ; we h ave the re ality S uch a sig n was .
needed in the wild erness j o ur ney Chri st as o ur guide

.
is no ne the less needed in the wilderness o f this wo rld

thro ugh which we ar e travelli ng To fo ll o w Chri st is .
to succeed ; to mi ss Him is to fail O nce the children .
o f Israel refu sed to fo ll o w the guid ance o f Go d and were
defeated (x iv 44 . These thi ng s h appened u nt o them

,
fo r o ur e nsamples The believer has no t o nly the guid

.
ance o f the per so nal Chri st but also o f the writte n Wo rd

, .
Chri st is his guide the Wo rd is his ch art Ju st as the .
j o urney o f the children o f Isr ael was already k no wn to

Go d but r evealed to them step by step as they were
o bedient so the pl an o f the believer s li fe is k no w n b e
,
’
fo reh and to the F ather (of E phesi ans ii 1 0) and is r e

. .
vealed to His children step by step (cf R om ans viii . .
The r eference to the silver trumpets in ch apter x is .
i nteresti ng and i nstructive The trumpets were so u nd ed

.
fo r two reaso ns : to g ather the pe o ple to gether fo r wo r

ship and also fo r the li ne o f march
,
These trumpets .
were m ad e o f silver which typically symb o li z es r ed emp

, ,
tio n . O nly o n the gr o u nd o f redempti o n can we wo rship

2
4 2 The Bo o k o f N umb ers
Go d wal k well pleasi ng i n His sight N o r can Chri st

or - .
b e o ur ex ample u nl ess He is fir st o ur S avi o ur .The

tru mpets as well as the cl o ud were a means o f guidance
, ,
to the ch o sen pe o ple S o the believer i n additi o n t o the

.
,
p erso nal presence o f Chri st and the written Wo rd o f

Go d w ill hear withi n him a still sm all v o ice sayi ng
, , , ,
Thi s is the way walk ye in it ” .

2 44 The Bo o k o f N umb ers
mur mured because o f the h ardship o f the way (o f x . .
They had petiti o ned fo r guid ance and no w they co m

pl ai n abo ut the guid ance pro vided They had app ar .
ently fo rgo tten the hard ship s o f the E gypti an b o nd age .
The practical lesso n fro m thi s murmuring is app arent .
S o me to d ay c o mpl ai n th at the Chri st i an li fe is h ard and

-
,
all the ti me they fo rget the di f fi cult and peril o u s ex p er i

e nce s o f the d ay s previ o us to their c o nvers i o n It is the .
way o f the tr ansgresso r th at is h ard (P r o verb s x iii .
the y o ke o f Chri st is easy (Matthew x i 28 Then .
ag ai n there ar e m any pe o ple who grumble eve n t ho ugh
they h ave no thi ng specific to grumble ab o ut They .
gro wl abo ut the weather and ab o ut their luck It is t he .
S pirit o f grumbli ng th at is dealt with here r ather th an
any S pecific thi ng which c aused it and so it c o vers ,
everythi ng in li fe s daily t ask w hich wo uld lead us to

’
co mpl ai n The h abit o f grumbli ng is ap t to beco me

.
tyrannical and co nsumm ate in a naggi ng di sp o siti o n

,
.
The believer sh o uld cultiv ate a spirit o f c o ntentment .
Grudge no t o ne agai nst ano ther brethren lest ye be , ,
co ndem ned beh o ld the j udge standeth befo re the do or

,
( J ames v 9 Hebrews
. x iii 5 .
,
2 . Th e Mur muring K ib r o t h -h at taav ah

S e c o nd —
,
w h i ch Me a ns G r av e s o f L u s t (x i 4 The .
peo ple co mpl ai ned first o f the way ; no w they co mpl ai n

, , ,
o f the fo o d which Go d had pr o vided Do ubtless the .
“
mi x ed multitude (x i 4 ; of Ex o dus x 1 1 3 8 N ehemi ah
. . .
x iii 3 ; Ge ne si s x iii 5 1 4 ; 2 Co ri nthi a s vi

. . n— 1 4— 1 7 ) had .
no t really felt the kee n p ang o f the b o nd age o f E gypt no r

tasted the j o y o f the deliverance fro m b o nd age Israel .
was pro ne to fo rget that it is i mp o ssible to h ave the fo o d

o f E gypt w ith o ut the b o nd age and o ppressi o n o f E gypt .
Mo ses prayer and G o d s fo rbearance with the great

’ ’
le ader as well as His answer to the petiti o n ar e ex ceed

, ,
Fro m S inai to Mo ab 2 45
ingly i nstructive Mo ses really o ught to h ave had more

.
faith . Had he no t see n and sho uld he no t h ave remem

bered the great wo nders that Jeh o vah had wro ug ht in
E gypt
Go d answered Mo ses prayer in all o wi ng him to divide
’
up the duties o f his o ffi ce (x i 1 6 Mo ses saved him

.
sel f tro uble but he l o st dig nity

,
.
The prayer o f the peo ple was answered Go d sent them

fullness o f b o dy but le anness o f so ul (x i 3 1 Go d .
supplied the need o f the peo ple by miraculo usly sendi ng

qu ail The flo ck s o f quail pro bably descended in their
.
flight to ab o ut three fe et abo ve the gro u nd and so were ,
easily captured Go d sati sfied their hu nger but He also

.
,
smo te them with a great pl ague because o f their murmur

ing (x i 33 O ne o ften w o nders if it wo uld no t h ave
.
bee n bett er had their prayer been left u nanswered S h all .
we no t thank Go d so me d ay fo r unanswered as well as

answered pr ayer !
3
. Murmuring A g ains t Go d s L e ad e r s
Th e Th ir d — ’
( x i
.i 1 M iri am an d A ar o n s i s ter and br o ther
,
of
Mo ses seem to h ave been the ri ngleaders in the murmur

,
ing agai nst their bro ther The c ause o f the murmuri ng
.
may have been fro m envy and jeal o usy either o n acc o u nt ,
o f the divi si o n o f h o no ur which had taken pl ace in the
app o i nti ng o f the seve nty elders ch p bec u

( a o r a se .
o f Mo ses new wi fe Miri am hersel f d o ubtless w anti ng to

’
,
be seco nd to Mo ses .
It is a great sin to speak agai nst Go d s mi nisters o r ’
tho se wh o m Go d has put in pl aces o f auth o rity a truth ,
which bo th Miri am and A aro n fo und o ut to their so rro w ,
Miri am bei ng smitten with lepro sy (x ii and A aro n .

,
while no t bei ng thus smitten bei ng nevertheless p un ,
ished l ater in li fe fo r thi s sin Go d did no t smite A aro n

.
with lepro sy as He had do ne Miri am pro b ab ly because ,

2 46 The B o o k o f N umb e rs
of the h o no ur attached the o fiice o f priesth o o d (c f to .
xx . 24 ,
The N e w Te stament al so is se vere in its
w arni ng with regard to S p eaki ng agai nst th o se wh o m
Go d has put in auth o rity (o f 2 P eter ii 1 0 1 2 ; Jude . .
—
8 1 0 ; Hebrews x iii
— .
The me ek ness o f Mo ses stand s o ut pro mi ne ntly in thi s

i ncident His unselfi shness is evident fro m the ex pres
. .
si o n
“
Wo uld Go d th at al l the Lo rd s peo ple were ’
pro phets and th at the Lo rd w o uld put his S pirit up o n

,
them 2 (x i 29 ) fro m his app arent S pirit o f satisfacti o n

” .
wi th all th at Go d se nds and do es ; fro m his i ntercessi o n

fo r his si ster Miri am (x ii 1 1 1 5 ) and fr o m the e mph atic .
—
stateme nt o f verse 3 o w the man Mo ses was very
meek ab o ve all the men which were up o n the face o f the

,
We h ave here a splendid illustrati o n o f the virtue and

victo ry o f silence and al so o f the fact that Go d takes
,
c are o f the reputati o n o f th ose who seek to h ave their

ch aracters bl ameless befo re Him We can affo rd to trust .
Go d with o ur reputati o ns O f c o urse if we ar e deter .

,
mi ned to co nduct o ur o wn defense Go d will let us d o it , ,
and we will very likely get i nt o deeper tr o uble Jo seph .
is ano ther illu strati o n o f a man who c o mmitted his repu

tatio n to Go d (Genesi s Chri st did likewi se
(1 P ete r ii 21 24 ; of P hilippi ans ii 5
.
— S o S h o uld
. .
we (R o mans x ii 1 7 .
4 . M u r m
Th e F o ur t h
uri ng
— B e c aus e o f t h e L and
(ch ap s x iii . S o far the pe o ple had c o mpl ai ned

.
, ,
o f the way o f the their w they om

fo o d o f , lead er n o c , , ,
pl ai n o f the land They wante d to fi nd o ut the si z e o f

.
Canaan the number o f its pe o ple the nature o f i ts stro ng

, ,
h o lds and the ch aracter o f its pro duce all o f which

,
—
there was no need fo r the m to se nd S pies to as certai n fo r ,
Go d had already made kno wn these facts to the m .

the children o f Israel o f th at generati o n were permitted ,
to e nter the pr o mi sed l and The puni sh me nt fo r um .
belief is seen in the di saster th at met the peo ple in their

e nco u nter with the A mal ekites and Canaanites (x iv .
40 We have al so ano ther sad illustrati o n o f an

swer ed pr ayer (o f x iv 2 with x i v 28 , al so x i 3 1
. . . .
The fi fteenth ch apter is a bit o f blue in a d ark sky It .
co ntai ns h 0pe amidst gl o o m In it the peo ple ar e assured

.
th at the wilderness ex perience will no t l ast fo rever B y .
the grace o f Go d they S hall enter i nto their i nheritance .
N o te the ex pressi o n “
When ye be co me i nt o the l and
,
o f y o ur h abitati o ns which I give u nto yo u (x v 2

”
, .
,
cf x v
. . This chapter c o ntai ns also certai n su ndry
laws which ar e to g o vern the peo ple when in the
pro mised l and .
5 . K o r ah
’
s M r m
R e b e lli o n—
u ur in g A i
g nst t h e
a
P ries t h o o d (x vi 1 . K o rah was a Levite but was ,
no t sati sfi ed with his p o siti o n and aspired to the o ffice ,
o f the priesth o o d S eemeth i t but a sm all thi ng u nto

.
y o u ,
th at the G o d o f I s r ael h ath sep ar ated y o u fr o m the
c o ngregatio n o f Israel to bri ng yo u near to him sel f to
,
d o the service o f the Taber nacle o f the Lo rd and to stand ,
befo re the c o ngregati o n to mi ni ster unto them ! A nd

he h ath bro ught thee near to him and all thy brethren ,
the so ns o f Levi with thee : and seek ye the priesth o o d

al so
”
(x vi 9 .
,
This c o mpl ai nt was agai nst Mo ses and A aro n and ,
pro b ably ex hibited a S pirit o f disco nte nt fro m the in

ferred fact th at Mo se s had gi v e n prefere nce t o a y o u nger
rel ative o f K o rah s (cf iii 30) in the o ffice o f the priest
’
. .
h o o d K o rah reb elled agai nst A aro n b ecause o f the

.
ex clusiveness o f the priestho o d A s pu ni sh me nt fo r his .
rebellio n he was swall o wed up by fire this pu ni shment ,
bei ng fro m abo ve fo r he had tr ansgressed agai nst the

,
Fro m S inai to Mo ab 24
9
d i vine rder Dath an and A biram rebelled agai nst the

o .
supremacy o f Mo ses in m atter s o f civil auth o rity co n ,
seque ntly in their pu ni sh ment the e arth swall o wed them ,
up fo r they had S p o ken ag ai nst the earthly autho rity

,
app o i nted by Go d Here is di saffecti o n in the high

.
rank s ! uarrelli ng with the gi fts Go d gives a man is

.
qu arrelli ng with Go d (of R o mans ix We can . .
no t all be equ ally pro mi ne nt in the service o f Go d but ,
we sho uld no t therefo re fi nd fault N 0 man has all the .
gi fts but may h ave all the graces The bo dy has m any
,
.
members and no t all o f the same imp o rtance o r pro mi

,
nence S o is it with the b o dy o f Christ ; all members

.
h ave no t the same o ffi ce (of 1 Co rinthi ans x ii 4-31 ; . .
Ephesi ans iv 7 B ut in a gre at h o use there ar e

.
no t o nly vessel s o f g o ld and o f silver but al so o f wo o d ,
and o f earth ; and so me to h o no ur and so me to dis
ho no ur If a man therefo re purge hi m

,
. sel f fr o m these ,
he sh all be a vessel u nto h o no ur sancti fi ed and meet fo r , ,
the master s use and prep ared u nto every go o d wo rk

’
,
”
(2 T i m o thy ii 20 .
,
Mo ses again pl aces the m atte r o f rebelli o n in the hands

o f God who di sp o ses o f it fo r the best interest o f all
co ncerned and the c o nserv ati o n o f the o f

fi ce and dig nity
o f priest and ruler .
6 . The S ixt h Mu r muring— B e caus e of th e J ud g

me nt o f Go d (xv i 4 1 The peo ple co mpl ai ned b e
.
cause o f the death o f the r ebel s S trange th at they .
sh o uld h ave thus co mpl ai ned whe n the eve nts o f verses
25 —3 0 m ust h ave still been fresh in their mi nds ! Go d s

’
pu ni shment fo r their murmuri ng (x vi 4 1 5 0) was vi sited .

—
o n the pe o ple in the fo r m o f a pl ague as the result o f ,
which died Thi s punishment was sto pp ed thro ugh

.
the i ntercessi o n o f Mo ses .
Cha pters x vii - x ix fo rm a sep arate secti o n and d eal

. .
,
250 The B o o k o f N umb e rs
with the wh o le co nditi o n rights practice privileges

, , , ,
a nd re sp o nsibilities o f the priesth o o d .
7 . T h e S e v e nt h Mu r muri n g — O u A cc o u nt o f t h e
L ac k o f W at e r (x x 1 . This murmuri ng o ught to

h ave been prevented had the peo ple remembered ho w
Go d had befo re supplied a simil ar l ack (Ex o dus x v .
22 Here we h ave reco rded the st o ry o f the r o d and

the r o ck and the sin o f Mo ses in co nnecti o n therewith
,
.
In wh at did the sin o f Mo se s c o nsist ! In verse 8 Mo ses

was c o mm anded to t ake the r o d and sp eak to the r o ck ,
and it sh o uld give fo rth w ater V erse 9 says th at Mo ses

.
to o k the r o d as Go d had co mmanded him V erse 1 0 .
sh o ws th at Mo ses app arently l ost his temper and co n , ,
t r ar y t o wh at we k no w o f the meek ne ss o f Mo ses r ather ,
gl o rified him self th an Go d when he said Hear no w ye

“
, ,
rebels mu st we fetch yo u water o ut o f thi s ro ck i In “
verse 1 1 we ar e to ld th at Mo ses smote the ro ck twi ce It .
is al so stated th at he to o k his r o d whereas verses 8 and 9

seem t o i ndicate th at A aro n s r o d was the o ne Go d co m
’
mand ed to be u sed In the wh o le m atter Mo ses failed

.
to gl o ri fy and sancti fy Go d b y preci se o bedience to

His co m mand (x x vii 1 4 ; Deutero no my i 3 7 ; iii 26 ;
. . .
x x x ii . O f c o urse there is a sense in which the

,
smitte n r o ck was a type o f Christ (1 Co ri nthi ans x 4 ) .
who was o nce o ffered fo r the si ns o f the w o rld (Hebrews

ix 25
. To smite the r o ck twice was o ut o f h armo ny
with th at which the r o ck typified .
The death o f A ar o n is rec o rded in thi s ch apter In .
h ar mo ny with wh at we h ave said with r eference to the

s miti ng o f Miri am with lepr o sy but w ith no such vi sita
ti o n up o n A aro n (cf x ii 1 0
. the manner o f A aro n s
.
,
’
death see ms to sh o w the divi ne respect fo r th e o ffice o f the

pri esth o o d The l ast vi si o n o f A aro n the high priest
.
, ,
that the peo ple g ather is th at o f A aro n fully arrayed in

O n t he P lains of M o ab
Th e O p p o s it io n Is r ae l E ne mie s (chap s
’
r . of s .
xx ii .
HE S E ch apters narr ate the sto ry o f B al ak and

B alaam Much li g ht is thro wn o n these
.
ch apters by c o mp ariso n with the fo llo wing N ew

Tes tament p assages “
Wo e u nto them for they have
go ne i n the way o f Cai n and r an greed ily after the erro r
,
o f B al aam fo r reward and perished in the g ai nsa i ng

, y
o f Co re
”
(J ude H avi ng eyes ful l o f adult e ry an d ,
that canno t cease fro m sin ; beguili ng u nstable so uls : an

heart they h ave ex ercised with c ovetous practices ; cursed
children : Which have fo rsaken the right way and ar e ,
go ne astray fo ll o wi ng the way o f B al aam the so n o f

,
B o s o r who l o ved the wages o f u nrighteo u

,
sness ; B ut
was rebuked fo r his i niquity : the du mb ass spe aki ng
with m an s vo ice fo rbade the m ad ness o f the pr o phet
’
( 2 P eter ii 1 4 .
B al aam l o ved the w ag es o f u nrighte o us ness and in

o rder to o bt ai n the same so ught to be a frie nd o f G o d s
‘
frie nds and G o d s enemies at the same ti me a thi ng

’
,
which is abso lutely i mp o ssible fo r no man can serve ,

“
Go d and m amm o n ( M atthew vi an d wh o s

. o eve r
w o uld “
be a friend o f the wo rld is the enemy o f God
( J ame s iv .
There is an i nteresti ng le sso n in c o nnecti o n with Isr ael s ’
fall in these ch apters B alaam pr o b ably led the chil

.
dren o f Israel into si nful relati o ns with the Mo abites o n

25 2
O n t he Plains of Mo ab 25 3
the b asis that they were a c o venant peo ple and co uld no t ,
t herefo re be cast o ff by Go d
,
The great trut h taught i n
.
these chapte rs is that there is no c o ve nant rel ati o nship

which will ful S in will no t vi o l ate Y e t no te G o d s .
’
i nterest in His even u nwo rthy peo ple (cf Zech ari ah iii . .
1 O ne can h ardly p ass by the fall o f the Israelites

wi th o ut rec o g nizi ng th at the same thi ng has cau sed the
fal l o f the Ch urch ag ai n and agai n namely wo rldli ness , ,
o r p articip ati o n i n the festivities o f the w o r ld (cf 2 Co r .
inthians vi 1 4—1 7 . 1 Co ri nthi ans x 6 .
2 . The S e c o nd Ce ns us (ch ap . The first

census (chap s i -iv ) sh o wed . . .peo ple and ,
Levites ; the sec o nd censu s (ch ap x x vi ) sh o wed . .
peo ple and ,

Levites N o t a man o f the first .
numberi ng (ex cept Jo shu a and Caleb xx vi 6 4 6 5 ) en ,

.
,
ter ed the pr o mi sed l and Miri am A aro n and Mo ses

.
, ,
died o n the b o rders o f the l and Thus the law co uld no t .
gi v e the peo ple rest (Hebrews iii .

,
The lesso n to be derived fro m all this is to be fo und by

a c o mp ari so n o f the fo ll o wi ng p ass ag es P salm x cv 1 0 .
Hebrews iii 1 0—1 7 1 Co ri nthi ans x 1 3

. . .
3 . M o s e s S uc c e s
’
s o r I n s t r uc t i o n —
s R e ga r d i ng S ac
r ifi c e P art it i o n o f Canaan (xx vii l —x xxi ii
— The . .
pri ncip al events narr ated in th is secti o n ar e as fo ll o ws

The successo r o f Meses app o i nted (ch ap The .
o rder o f the yearly sacrifice ch ap s xx viii i x ) V w s

( xx o . .
,
.
o f w o men (ch ap xxx

) T he
. de s tructi
. o n o f the M idi an ites
(ch ap . The lo t o f the two a nd a h al f tribes
(ch ap . and the rec o rd o f the li ne o f m arch
( ch a p .
4 . F i nal Ins t ruct i o ns W it h R e g ar d to t he En

t r anc e Into t he P r o mis e d L an d (x x x iii . 5 0— xxx v i .
The Bo o k o f N umb ers
The pri ncip al subj ects co v ered ar e : The clearance o f the

l and (x x x iii 5 0 5 6) Its b o und aries and p artiti o n
.
—
( ch ap. x x x iv
.
) The a pp o i ntme nt o f cities fo r the L evite s
and the cities o f refuge (ch ap x x x v )

. . and Marri age in
its rel ati o n to i nherit ance (ch ap xxx v 1

.
S y no psi s o f De u t e ro no my
I NTR O DU CTIO N— Place , Ti me, Circumstances ,
Pur
p o se (i 1 .
THE F IRS T DIS CO URS E— HIS TO R ICA L R E VIEW (i 6 .
IV .
1 in ipal in id nt f th wild n j u n y h wing

. Pr c c e s o e er ess o r e s o
th p id nti l l di ng f G d (i 6 iii
e ro v e a ea o o .
— .
( )
a R i w f nt p
ev e d ing th thi ty- ight y a
o e ve f s r ec e e r e e rs o
w nd ing (i 6 a er .
( )
5 R i w f n
ev e t d u i n g th thi
o t -ei ht
y g y a
ev e f s r e r e rs o
w and ing (ii I iii er .

— .
Th all t b di n n th b a i f G d w nd u
’
z . e c o o e e ce o e s s o o s o ro s
l ading f Hi p pl (i 1
e o s eo e v .
THE S E CO N D DIS CO U R S E — LE G IS LA TIVE R E V IE W

v I-x x viii
( . .
l Th m al law in g n al i d alt with ; i

. e or th g at e er s e . v .
, e re
th ti p in
eo c ra i pl w hi h i
c t g nr I a l cin th e c s o o ver sr e e
land G d i l nd — oign L d (Chap s so e a so ver e or s v . .
z Th xp iti n f p i l l w ( Chap xli x x viii

. e e os o o s f ec a a s s. .
— . c .
i 5 ; i I ; v I)
. v . . .
()
a T h li g i u d u t ie f
re t h p p (l x 11
o I x vi
s es o e eo e .
— .
Publi w hi p (xii I 1 c o rs .
P ivat w hi p (xii I 5
r e o rs .
Id l t y i f bidd n (xii g—xiii

o a r s or e . z .
Fal t a hing nd t a h se e c a e c er s .
Th g n i in l ding p pl int id latry

r ee a e c es ea eo e o o
Fal p ph t (xiii 1 se ro e s .
A m n f mily (xiii 6 1 I )
’
a s a .
— .
A man n ighb u ( xiii 1

’
s e o rs . 2
H lin f lif ( iv 1
o ess o e x .
Th ligi u u f m n y ( iv z z -x vi I 7
e re o s f ses o o e x . . c .
xxi 1 2 v .
Argum n t ag ain t v t u n e ( v 1 s co e o s ess x .
K indn t th p ( xess 7 o e o or v .
Th imp rtant thing n ning o u relatio n to

ree o s co cer r
the p oor
S yno p si s o fi D e ute ro no my
The po o r have a c a l im o n the fo rb ear anc e o f the
i
r ch
( xv . 1
Th e
y hav e a c la im o n the ass stanc e o i f the r cih
( 7
xv .
Hli e n
p g h
t o se in ne e d te nd s to o ur o wn enr ih c
ment (xv .
—
4 7,
S acred x vi
seaso ns
( . 1
Go d
’
s a
pp o int e d of
fi c er s ( x vi. 1 8— x iii
v .
J udges
(x vi . I 8— x ii v . I3 ) .
C h ar ac ter st c s i i and re
q i m ntu re e s describ ed ( xvi.
1 8
li i
Re go us qua fic at o ns (x vn 8 li i .
hi
C o c e o f a k ng (x v 1
4 i ii .
l i
The se ect o n o f pr e sts ( v 1 i x iii .
l i
The se ec t o n o f pro p ets ( x v i 9 h ii .
Pr O phe tic r eferenc e to t he Lo r d J esus Christ

( vx iii1 5— 1
9 ; A c ts. 2 2, iii .
S pe cifi im c cr
( es x ix . 1
Murder , un reme ditate d—

p C iti es of refuge
(x ix .
I- I o
) .
Murder p , re meditated (xix . I I— I 3 ; c f N umbers

.
x xx
v 31
) . .
Perj ury ( xix . 1 5

S undry law (xx s . I— x x v i .
Human e c o n uct d in t im e o f w ar
( xx . 1 — 20 ; x xi.
10
Fo ur gr o unds o f e x emptio n fro m ser vice in w ar

( x x
5 .
The dedic atio n o f a new ho use ; The planting

o f a vine ar d ; The t aking o f a wife ; The
y
s IrIt o f c o w ar di ce
p .
Instructio ns regardingho micide (xxi 1 .
Regulatio n o f family matt er s (x x i I 5 .
Miscellaneo us law s (x xii . I— x x v .
The law o f bro therho o d (x xii . 1 -4

) Wo men fo r
i
b dden to p in t h
w ear t at w
t m n h hi h c er t a e o e
x xii f b i d li xxii
The pro tec t
f in
( .
( o o r e .
6 8)
— Mi llan u l w ga d ing p
sce n l eo s a s re r er so a
p u i ty (
r xxii 1 3 x xiii L w g .d i ng di — . a s re ar
x xi N m all t ak f m nu
v o rc e
( 1 an hv. o s e ro
o ther hi m ans o f su xxi 6

s
pp t
( e or v.
Int r o duc t i o n
HE ch o sen nati o n has no w reached the bo rders

o f the pr o mi sed l and ; they stand re ady to e n
ter It is necessary h o wever befo re they enter

.
, ,
i nto thei r i nheritance that they understand that pro s

p e r ity
, success h
,
appi ness pe a ce an d
, c o nques
,
t ar e de
pendent upo n o bedience to Go d and His revealed will as
set fo rth in the l aw s th at h ave been give n to them We .
h ave al ready seen th at at Mo unt S inai the peo ple had

ch o sen to put themselves u nder Law We need h ardly .
b e remi nded fro m wh at we k no w o f the w ayward ness ,
willful ness and stubbor nness o f the peo ple as m ani fested
,
in the wilderness ex perience ho w mi serably they failed ,
to yield such an o bedience ,

E ve n Mo ses the represe nta
.
,
tive o f the Law was no t able to lead the pe o ple i nto res t
, .
He him sel f had failed to keep the perfect Law o f Go d

( N umbe rs xx vii 1 4 ;
. D eute r o no my i 3 7 iii 26 ; x x
. x ii . .
5 1 ; cf Hebrews iii l — iv
. . Man is a failure u nder
.
the di spensati o n o f Law N o w we k no w th at wh at

.
thi ngs so ever the law saith it saith to them who ar e nu

,
der the law th at every m o uth may be sto pped and all ,
the wo rld may beco me guilty befo re Go d Therefo re by .
the deeds o f the law there S h all no flesh be j u stifi ed in his

sight : fo r by the law is the k no wledge o f sin (R o m ans
iii 1 9
.
, B o th the wilder ness and Canaan ex perie nce s
sh o w the imp o ssibility o f li fe and blessi ng by law The .
reaso n fo r thi s failure lies not in the law itsel f but in the ,
we k ess the flesh o keep it (o f R o m a s vii 1 viii

a n o f t n .
- . .
Dis p e ns at io ns It may be i nteres ti ng at thi s p o i nt to

.
l
”
S ee O utline S tud y o f the B ib le , b y the A utho r .
26 1
26 2 The Bo o k o f D ut
e e ro no my
present an o utli ne Vie w o f the v ari o us d ispensati o ns me n

tio ned in the S cripture .
Go d has S p o ken to the hum an r ace at s und ry ti me s

“
and i n divers m anner s

”
( Hebrew s i 1 c f 2 Ti m o thy . . .
ii. If we w o uld under s tand the S cripture s we mu st ,
learn to di sti nguish di scrimi nate and rightly divide

, , .
A dispe nsatio n is a meth o d o f G o d s de ali ng wi t h the ’
hum an race duri ng a given time acco rdi ng to certai n

specific pri nciples o f m ani festati o n o r re vel ati o n o f the
will o f Go d peculi ar to th at time ; a time o r peri o d dur
ing which any speci al fo rm o f G o d s admi ni str ati o n is ’
carried o n .
It is o bvi o us that Go d s deali ngs with men h ave di ffered

’
acc o rdi ng to the di fferent peri o d s o f the hum an r ace F or .
ex ample G o d s deali ngs with man befo re the fall and

,
’
,
after di ffered quite materi ally

, s o His de ali ngs with the
race u nder law and u nder grace varied greatly In so me .
ages certai n truth s were hidden which in o ther age s were
revealed fo r ex ample the d o ctri ne o f the Church was

, ,
hidden in the O ld Testament but reve aled in the N ew .
It is abso lutely necessary to reco g nize these di sti nctio ns

lest we read i nto o ne di spensati o n wh at really bel o ngs to
.
ano ther .Thi s is well illu strated in 1 Co ri nthi ans x 3 2 .
“
Give no ne o ffe nse neither to the Jews no r to the Gen
, ,
tiles no r to the church o f Go d

,
”
Thu s we see th at Go d
.
deal s o nly with three cl asses o f perso ns : the Jews “ ”

,
“
the Gentiles and the church o f Go d and He d eals
”
,
”
,
with them in di sti nct ages and ep o ch s ; so we re ad o f

“
the ti mes o f the Gentiles ” A ll S cripture is writte n fo r
.
a s but no t to a s (e g
, E x o dus x x was written to Israel
. .
,
.
,
but fo r us in a S piritual sense ; cf 1 Co ri nthi ans x . .
Th e N umb e r o f Di s p e ns ati o ns The nu mber o f dis

.
p en s atio ns v arie s a cc o rdi n g t o di ffere n t writer s all the ,
way fr o m fo ur to seven S eve n is the mo st c o mpre

o st scriptur al nu m
m
.
hensiv e as well as the ber A seven .

2 64 The B o o k o f D e ute ro no my
2Th e A ge o f Human Go v e r nme nt (Genesis viii 1 5
. .
xi 9 )
. This was i ntro duced by the de ali ngs o f Go d with
.
N o ah Here was the go vernment o f man by man the

.
,
age o f hum an g o ver nme nt the c o ntr o l o f the w o rld co m ,
m tte to
i d m an T hi s a l so
. e nds in fa ilure — the dispersi o n
o f the r ace at B abel Here m anki nd fail s as a r ace j u st
.
,
as i t had failed co llectively (II 1 ab o ve) and individually ,
(1 ab o ve) .
3 The A ge o f P r o mi s e (Genesis x ii 1 to Ex o dus

. .
x ix . This peri o d is di sti nctly Jewi sh begi nni ng ,
with A brah am and endi ng with I srael at S i nai at which

, ,
pl ace Israel ex ch anged grace fo r law and in so do i ng ,
m ade a sad mi stake .
There ar e certai n ge ner al ch ar acte ristics pr o mi nent in

this (p atri archal) peri o d which it may be o f i nteres t to
no te It was with o ut law as co ntras ted with u nder
“ ” “
.
law ; the
” “
times o f ig no rance are in co ntrast with
”
“
but no w (A cts x vii
”
Go d o verl o o ked the n wh at
.
He c o uld no t o verl o o k later wh at were si ns then l ater

“ ”
, ,
u nder law were tr ansgressi o ns

“
,
” These di sti ncti o ns .
we sh o uld reco gnize fo r they fo rm a if no t the bas i s o f

, , ,
j udgme nt (R o mans ii We must nevertheless reco g

.
nize th at while man was duri ng thi s di spe nsati o n with , ,
o ut a writte n law he was no t with o ut an u nwritten law

,
the law o f c o nscience Thi s is evident fro m several .
thi ngs : F irst man was taught t h at the way b ack to Go d

,
w as by sacr ifi ce so we have the law o f sacrifice as to uch

—
i ng Cai n and A bel (Ge nesis iv S ec o nd man was taught .

,
al so the v alue o f an alt ar and a pl ace o f w o rship It is .
no t at all i mpr o b able th at there was a defi nitely app o i nted

pl ace c alled the presence o f the Lo rd (Ge nesi s iv 1 6
“ ” .
c o mp are al so the w o rd s at the d o o r iv

“ ” Third ,
.
,
Melchised eck was a priest (Genesi s x iv and we h ave .
a right to believe th at the h ead s o f fami lie s acted in thi s
cap acity (J o b i 5 Ge nesi s . i ndeed tithes were al ,

Int ro d uc t io n 2 65
ready p aid (Hebrews vii F o urth certai n l aws such

.
, ,
as th at o f the S abb ath and circumci si o n the clean and ,
unclean were kno wn and in effect ( of Genesis v ii 2 1 5

,
. .
,
Leviticus N o twith standi ng all thi s we mus t yet

reco gnize th at while men were no t alto gether left to
themselves duri ng thi s dispensati o n G o d s d eali ngs with ,
’
the peo ple were quite di fferent fr o m Hi s deali ngs with

tho se o f l ater d ays .
III The Di s p e ns at io n o f L aw (Exo dus xx to

. .
A cts Here G o d s peo ple deliberately put them’
selves u nder law and Go d de al s with them acc o rdi ngly

,
.
Here we h ave the co venant o f wo rk s as co ntrasted with ,
the co venant o f grace fo und in the N ew Testament .
Then it was “
he that d o eth no w it is he th at b e
” “
,
liev eth sh all live

”
Israel is here dealt with ex clu sively
. .
The l aws cere mo ni al civil and m o ral were given to

—
, ,
—
I srael no t to the heathen nati o ns r o u nd ab o ut O nly

,
.
such o f these l aws as ar e u nivers al in their nature and
applicati o n may be applied to m anki nd in gener al .
IV . Th e Di s p e ns at io n the R apof Gr ace (A cts 11 . to

ture o f the Church) Thi s is so meti mes c alled the A ge
.
o f the Church o r the Church P eri o d

, The ch aracteri stic .
o f this age is th at s alv ati o n is no l o nger by leg al o bedi
ence but by the perso nal acceptance o f the fi ni shed wo rk

,
o f Jesus Chri st who by His merito ri ous mi nistry has

, , ,
pro cured fo r us a righteo usness o f Go d Go o d wo rks .
h ave a pl ace in salvatio n but they ar e subseque nt and ,
no t antece de nt t o it ; they ar e dem o nstrative no t meri ,
to r io us B o th Jews and Gent iles ar e de alt w ith as tr ans

.
g r ess o rs ; b o th alike a r e c alled o ut o f the w o rld a nd

co nstitute the Church which is the my stery (R o mans ,
x v i 25
.
,The -purp o se o f thi s di spensati o n is no t the
co nversi o n o f the wo rld but the calli ng o ut o f the Church
, ,
2 66 The Bo o k o f D ut e e ro no my
the buildi ng and filli ng up o f the b o dy o f Christ The .
K i ng d o m is in mystery no w j ust as the Ch urch was in ,
my stery in the O ld Testament .
V . Th e Di s p e ns at i o n of J u d gm nt e (R evel ati o n
iv. Israel agai n beco mes the centr al o bj ect al ,
th o ugh dealt with here u nder j udg ment and no t as , ,
fo rmerly u nder law Thi s peri o d has al so to d o with

,
.
the Gentiles but no t with the Church o f Chri st Israel

,
.
may no w h ave a right to r ej o ice o ver all her enemies .
The imprec ato ry psalms will pr o b ably fi nd their place

here .
VI Mill e nnial Di s p ens atio n (R evel atio n

. Th e
N o w m anki nd is d ealt with as a wh o le fo r a peri o d o f
'
o ne th o u sand year s This peri o d begi ns with the bi nd

.
ing o f S atan i ncludes the great white thr o ne j udgment

, ,
and cl o ses with the l ake o f fire fo r the wicked The .
pri nciple o f G o d s deali ngs duri ng this di spensati o n is

’
no t law grace o r j ud g ment, but r i g hteo us ness, p o wer

, ,
and gl o ry .
V II . The E t e r nal Dis p e ns at io n (R evel ati o n xxi , .
It beg i ns with the i ntro ducti o n o f the new

h eavens and the new earth but no th i ng is said ab o ut ,
its end — it sh all e ndure u ntil the ag es o f the ag es tum ,
bli ng up o n ages .
S e v en F e at ur e s Ch a r a ct e r is tic of E ach o f the F ir s t

S ix Dis p e ns at i o ns 1
1 . A new revel ati o n o f great light .
2 . Decl ensi o n i nto d ark ness .
3 . U ni o n between believers and the wo rld .
4 . Gigantic w o rldly ci vil iz ati o n grand but go dl ess , ,

.
1
A T P ierso n
. . .
268 The Bo o k o f D ut e e ro no my
3 . Th e Dis p e ns at i o n of Gr a c e . F r o m A cts to
R evel ati o n Here Go d deals with the Church o f Go d
.
,
ch o sen fro m am o ng and co mp o sed o f b o th Jews and

Gentiles who believe o n the Lo rd Jesus Chri st .
“
God ’
s L aw The L aw of the Sp ir it of L ife in Chr ist
J esus
”
viii
(R o m ans .
It is m o re in h arm o ny with the dispensati o nal te achi ng

o f the B ible h o wever we thi nk to h o ld to the seven
, , ,
dispensati o ns .
Th e N ame o f t h e B o o k The name o f thi s b o o k is .
derived fr o m the Greek which deno tes S econd L aw“ ”
or a
“
R ep etitio n of the L aw ” The necessi ty fo r thi s .
repetiti o n o f the Law lay in the fact that the generati o n

o f adults th at le ft E gypt had perished in the wilderness .
The seco nd generati o n who were children when Israel ,
was driven b ack t o w ander thirty -eight year s in the

wilderness ar e no w ab out to enter the pro mi sed l and
,
and need to hear and u nder stand the law o f the L o rd .
Y et Deuter o no my is mo re th an a mere review o r repe

titi o n o f the l aws previ o usly g iven fo r there ar e al so ad ,
d itio ns to (i 4 5 ; iii 4 ; x x v 1 7 1 8 ; x x ix
. . and m o di .
,
.
fi catio ns o f the Law (x v i 1 1 7 ; L eviticus x x iii N um .

— .
bers x x viii The necessi ty fo r such additi o ns

.
,
and m o dific ati o ns lay i n the fact th at wh at w o uld be
applic able in the wilder ness w o ul d no t be when the
peo ple d welt in Canaan (Deuter o no my x ii 1 5 Leviticus .
x vii 3 . The repetiti o ns additi o ns and m o dific ati o ns

, , ,
o f Deuter o no my ar e no t by any me ans to be c o nsidered
co ntradicti o ns o f previ o usly ex i sti ng l aws They ar e .
given to ex cite study and to devel o p the spiritu al facul

ties o f the student (of Hebrews v 1 1 vi Take as
. .
—
.
an ex ample Deuter o no my x i v Y e S hall no t e at

— “
21 .
o f any thi ng th at dieth o f itsel f tho u sh alt give it u nto

the stranger th at is in thy g ates that he may eat it ; o r ,
tho u mayest sell it unto an alien fo r th o u ar t an ho ly

Int ro d uc t io n 26
9
peo ple u nto the Lo rd thy Go d Here is an ex ample as

.
”
to ho w the W o rd o f Go d ex cites deep study and o ffers

o pp o rtu nity fo r the devel o pment o f the S piritu al faculties
o f the stud ent It might seem fro m a mere glance at

.
,
thi s verse as th o ugh Go d m ade an unfair disti ncti o n b e

,
tween the Israelite and the stranger th at fo o d that was —
u nfit fo r an Israelite and might be thro wn o nly to do gs

, ,
might be so ld to a fo rei gner The same thi ng is true in

.
ano ther i nstance in thi s b o o k where an I sraelite c o uld
co llect mo ney fro m a fo reig ner duri ng the year o fjubil ee

and no t fro m an Isr aelite The m atter is m ade very clear
.
and there is no u nfair p ar ti ality m ani fe sted in thi s de ol a
rati o n when we remember th at fo o d th at was fo rbidden to

Israel bei ng a co venant and h o ly nati o n was no t fo r
, ,
bidden to fo reigners and therefo re co uld be eaten by

,
them A lso that an Israelite was co mmanded to let his

.
gro und He fall o w duri ng the seventh and j ubilee year

and c o nseque ntly had no i nc o me fr o m it ; whereas the
fo reig ner was u nder no such c o mpul si o n Therefo re the .

,
Jew had a right to dem and that the fo reig ner who had ,
an i nc o me th at year meet his o blig ati o ns

,
.
Deute ro no my is also called “

The B o o k of R evi ews .
The c o ntents o f the b o o k ar e pr actic ally a revie w o f all

o f G o d s de ali ngs with His pe o ple thr o ugh o ut their ex
’
istence as a nati o n Indeed wh at there is in the b o o k

.
,
by way o f practical ex ho rtati o n to o bedience and there —
is a gre at deal o f it is based o n the deali ngs o f Go d His

—
,
rede mpti o n and pro vide nti al care o f His people duri ng
,
the time He had k no w n them It is pro b ably fo r thi s

.
r eas o n that the c o nju ncti o n ” d o es not O pen thi s

“
A nd
b o o k as it d o es E x o du s Leviticu s and N umbers fo r it
, , ,
is no t a c o nti nu ati o n but r ather a review o f the his

,
to ry o f the children o f Israel and G o d s deali ngs with .

’
them .
The review set fo rth in thi s b o o k is bo th divi ne and

2
7 0 The B o o k o f D e ute ro no my
hu man N o t o nly d o es Go d revie w the way He has led
.
the peo ple but He call s up o n them to remember all

,
“ ”
the way He has led them We canno t fail to be i m .

»
pressed with the frequent o ccurre nce O f the wo rd r e

me mber (cf v 1 5 ; v ii 1 8 ; viii 2 1 1 ; ix 7 x v 1 5 ;
” . . . .
,
. .
x vi 3 1 2 ; x x iv 9
.
,
1 8 22 ; xx v 1 7 x x x ii
. No , ,
. .
greater blessi ng can c o me to the peo ple o f Go d than th at

which co mes thro ug h the review o f G o d s leadi ngs We ’
.
S h o uld remember h o wever wh at thi ngs we ar e to r e

, ,
view namely o nly tho se thi ngs which h ave to d o with

, ,
o ur rel at i o n t o Go d and the times o f spiritu al upli ft and
bl essi ng This d o es no t mean th at we sh o uld no t r e

.
member o ur failures Thi s we sh o uld d o but by no .

,
means to dwell o n them to o ur di sco urageme nt We .
m o st certai nly S h o uld no t dwell up o n th o ughts th at

ar e i nj uri o us u nh o ly a nd that d o no t rel ate us to
,
Go d .
Nor h o uld we o verlo o k the fact that Go d Himsel f is

S
the reviewer in Deutero no my S o so me d ay the li fe o f .
t he Chri sti an will be reviewe d at the j udgme nt se at o f

Chri st (o f 2 Co ri nthi ans v 1 0 ; 1 Co ri nthi ans iii 1 0
. . .
as will the d o i ng s o f the u ng o dly at the gre at white
thro ne (R evel ati o n x x 1 1 The c o nsiderati o n o f .
such fac ts S ho uld lead to repentance and go dli ness o n the

p art o f the u ng o dly and to a m o re careful wal k and ab ,
so lute surre nder o u the p art o f the believer .
Th e Time C o v e r e d b y t h e B o o k The time c o vered .
by the co ntents o f Deutero no my is the l ast m o nth o f the

wilderness j o urney in all ab o ut fo rty d ays (of i 3 with ,
. .
Jo shua iv 1 9 and Deutero no my x x x iv

. What a co n .
trast between the time co vered by Deutero no my and Gen

esi s for ex ample Genesi s co veri ng abo ut twe ty three
,
n —-
hu ndred ye ars N o twi thstand i ng hOw cr o wded with

.
,
events is thi s b o o k co veri ng o nly fo rty d ays ! It illus

trates the truth well ex pressed in the verse
27 2 The Bo o k o f De ute ro no my
the l aws o f Go d and manifested in the r edempti o n and

,
preservati o n O f the ch o sen peo ple .
The O ut li ne o f t h e B o o k There ar e fo ur m ai n di .
vi sio ns in the bo o k A fter an I ntro ducti o n (i 1 we .
have the first great di sc o urse which may be te rmed A

Histo rical R eview (i 6 — iv S eco nd we h ave an
. .
,
o ther disco urse reviewi ng Legisl ative m atters (v 1 .
x x viii . Third we h ave ano ther di sco ur se (x x ix 1

,
.
xxx . F o urth we h ave the cl o si ng events in Mo ses

,
’
li fe (xxx i l xxx iv
.
— .
Intr o ductio n i 1 5 P l ace Time Circumstances

,
.
— —
, ,
.
The first verse o f the b o o k decl ares its Mo saic auth o r

ship and asserts th at the wo rds were sp o ken to Israel at
,
the pl ace menti o ned O n this side Jo rd an in the wil

derness in the pl ai n o ver agai nst the R ed S ea (i
,
”
.
N o te th at verse 2 decl ares th at there were ab o ut eleven

d ays j o ur ney fro m Ho reb to K adesh b arnea yet we r e
’ -
,
member it to o k Israel thirty -eight years Ho w l o ng we .
make the time which Go d wo uld m ake sho rt The time

o f the auth o rship as well as the s ubj ect and its i nspira
ti o n ar e reco rded in verse 3 A nd it c ame to p ass in

the fo rtieth year in the eleve nth m o nth o n the first d ay
, ,
o f the m o nth th at Mo ses sp ake u nto the childre n o f

,
Israel acco rdi ng unto all th at the Lo rd had given hi m

,
in c o mm andment unto them ” .
The purp o se o f the b o o k is set fo rth in verse 5 On

this side Jo rdan in the land o f Mo ab began Mo ses to
, ,
decl are thi s law sayi ng ” The w o rd decl are in this

,
“ ”
.
verse means to dig up agai n to dig deeper to search as , ,
a survey o r o r as a pr o spect o r
,
A c areful study o f the .
b o o k no ti ng the full ex pl anati o n it gives o f l aws m o re

,
briefly menti o ned in the precedi ng bo o ks bears wi tness ,
to its purp o se as decl ar ed in this ver se .

The First D isco urse — Histo ric al R e vie w
( Chap ter s i 6 — i.v .
N these ch apters Go d reviews His deali ngs with His

ch o se n peo ple and al so their treatment o f Him in
View o f these deali ngs .
1 . Inci d e nt s o f t h e W ild e rne s s J o u r ne y

P ri ncip al
S h o w i ng t h e P r o v id e nt i al L e a di ng o f Go d (i 6 iii .
— .
The tr ai n o f events fro m Ho reb to K adesh -b ar nea ar e r e

viewed In these ch apters we see the real reaso n why
.
the peo ple were turned back a reaso n which is no t ,
cl early given in the b o o k o f N umbers .
We al so have a clear ex pl anati o n given to us with

reference to the tro uble ari si ng b ecause o f the app o i nt
ment o f the twelve S pies The wh o le m atter is r etr o sp ec
.
tive and reviews the eve nts precedi ng the thirty -eight
y ears o f wanderi ng (i 6—46) and the events duri ng the
.
thirty eight years o f wa deri g (ii iii

- n n 1 — . .
2 . The C all to O b e dienc e on i

t h e B as s o f G o d s
’
W o nd r o us ding o f His P e o p l e (iv 1

Lea The .
ch o se n peo ple ar e remi nded th at they had been eye

witnesses o f Jeh o v ah s mighty w o rk s and th at they had
’
heard with their o wn car s the divi ne i njuncti o ns P ro ne .
to fo rget as these p eo ple had sh o w n themselv es e asily

cap able o f d o i ng there was need o f c o nti nu al warni ng
,
lest they sho uld let th ese w o nderful ex perie nces slip fro m
their mind s and thu s be led to i ngratitude and l ack o f
Go d -c o nsci o u sness fi nally endi ng up o n the p ar t o f b o th
, ,
themselves and their children in id o latry ,

.
27
3
The S e c o nd Di sco ur se — L e gislative R e vie w
(
'
Cfi ap ter s v . I-xx vizi 6 8 ) .
HE fi r t di c urse dem nd bedience ; the

s s o a s o sec
di sco urse detail s the nature o f the l aws to

o nd
be o beyed and the ki nd o f o bedience to be r en

,
dered to gether with the blessi ngs o f o bedience, and

,
curses o f di so bedie nce In the first di sco urse o bed ience

.
,
is b ased o n the pr o vide nti al leadi ngs o f Go d i n secti o n

two it is b ased o n the facts o f r e de mpti o n and o w nership
,
by Go d : B ecause the Lo rd thy Go d therefo re .
1 . Th e Mo r al W it h ; 11 a ,
L aw in Ge ne r a l is De alt .
the great theo cratic pri nciple which is to go vern Israel

in the l and Go d is so le and so vereign Lo rd (ch ap s v
— . .
Go d is to be l o ved l o y ally (ch ap who lly (chap .
sep ar ately (ch ap co nsci o usly (ch ap

. humbly .
(ch ap depe
. nde ntly ( ch ap an d the n the future .
pro sperity o f Israel is assured .
2 . Th e E x po s i t i o n
p e c i al L aw s (chaps X1 1
of S . .
x x v iii of i 5 ; iv 1 ; v
. . . Thi s ex p o siti o n sets fo rth the
. .
nature o f the o bedience required and the c o nsequent p un

ishment devo lvi ng up o n di so b edie nce We h ave here no t .
a mere pr o mulg ati o n o f l aw s but a p r o mulg ati o n alway s ,
with a h o rtato ry purp o se and with ex pl anati o ns which,
ar e an aid to o bedie nce to the se l aw s It co ncer ns i tsel f .
w ith duties which Go d c o mmanded and there fo re ar e

right and which ar e right b e cau se co mm anded by Go d
, .
2 74
2
7 6 The Bo o k o f
“
D ut e e ro no my
S ec o nd Id o l atry is fo rbidden (x ii
. iii In . 29 x
— .
thi s secti o n the questio n o f fal se teachi ng and fal se te ach

er s is de alt with quite fully as bei ng t o gether with id o l ,
atry a me ans o f leadi ng G o d s peo ple aw ay fr o m Hi msel f

’
.
,
Three agencies in leadi ng peo ple i nto id o l atry and

a way fr o m Go d ar e me nti o ned here : F al se pr o phets (x iii .
a man s family (x ii i a m an s neighb o urs

’
1 63 .
’
( x iii 1 2
. We a r e w ar ned not to be deceived by any
sig ns which these d e cei v er s may be able to per fo r m .
Wo nders and sig ns are no t in themselves divi ne cr ed en

tials E ve n fo ll o wers o f S atan can perfo rm such w o nders
.
(2 Thessal o ni ans ii 3 1 2 ; cf Matthew vii 21 29 ; R eve

.
—
. .
—
l ati o n xi ii 2 .
,
The treat me nt to be meted o ut to th o se who lead G o d s ’
peo ple i nto id o l atry is the same as th at received by th o se

who had bee n guilty o f t aki ng hu man li fe Capital p un .
ishme nt is the pe nalty Thi s seems so me wh at severe but

.
,
we must re member th at the destruct io n o f the so ul is

i nv o lved in false teachi ng and thi s is a far m o re i mp o r
,
tant matter th an the destructi o n o f the bo dy (cf Luke .
x ii . 4,
Thi s ecti o n remi nds us o f the N ew Testament teachi ng
s
o n the same subj ect (1 Jo h n ii 1 8 28 iv 1 6) by which .

— .
—
w e ar e e x h o rted no t to li ste n to fal se teacher s even th o ugh ,
they Sho uld be co u nted amo ng o ur neighbo urs o r the mem

bers o f o ur o wn family (cf Matthew x 34 . N or ar e .
we to let signs wo nders and miracles deceive us These

, ,
.
w o ndro u s phe no mena d o no t pr o ve th at th o se per fo rmi ng

them ar e o f Go d unless the true d o ctri ne o f Go d is t aught
in c o nnecti o n therewith S igns may be all o wed by Go d
.
to pro ve His pe o ple F al se te achers and te achi ng ar e to

.
be stro ngly o pp o sed and c o nte nd ed agai nst We ar e no t .
to be h o spit able to either the t eachi ng o r the te achers .
“
F o r m any decei v er s ar e e ntered int o thi s w o rld who ,
co nfess no t th at Jes us Chri st is co me in the flesh This .

The S eco nd D i co urse
s 2
77
is deceiver and an antichri st Lo o k to yo urselves that

a .
,
we l o se no t tho se thi ngs which we h ave wro ught but th at ,
we receive a full reward Who so ever tr ansgr esseth and

.
,
abideth no t in the d o ctri ne o f Chri st h at h no t Go d He , .
that abideth in the d o ctri ne o f Chri st he h ath b o th the ,
F ather and the S o n If there c o me any u nto yo u and

.
,
bri ng no t thi s d o ctri ne receive him no t i nto y o ur ho use

, ,
nei ther bid hi m Go d speed : F o r he th at biddeth him
Go d speed is p artaker o f his evil deed s (2 Jo h n 7

”
Third x iv
. 1 21 detail s the great th o ught o f th at
.
—
ho li ness o f life which must be ch aracteri stic o f Go d s ’
peo ple I nas much as thi s ch apter deals largely with the
.
l aws o f clean and unclean which h ave been ex pl ai ned in

Leviticus (pp 205 . it will no t be necessary to dwell
o n the subject in thi s c o nnecti o n .
F o urth The religi o u s uses o f m o ney (x iv 22— x vi 1 7

. . .
cf x x iv 1 2
. . A striki ng argume nt agai nst c o veto u s
ness is set fo rth in x v 1 -6 There mu st be no o ppressi o n
. .
o f the debto r o n the p art o f the credito r R elease fro m a .
debt in this c o nnecti o n d o es no t mean th at the debt is

remo ved fo r th at wo uld lead to abuse but th at the
, ,
credito r is no t t o press his co llecti o n duri ng thi s specific

time (seventh o r seventieth ye ar) because duri ng that ,
time the gro u nd had to lie fallo w and yielded no i nco me ,

.
Herei n lies the reaso n fo r the i nstructi o ns given wi th r e

gard to the stranger fr o mw h o m debt co uld be co llected
“
,
i nstructi o ns which seem hard to th o se who d o no t under

stand the setti ng o f thi s p assage We must remember .
that the stranger did no t h ave to let his gro u nd lie

fall o w and thu s be deprived o f its i nco me F urther .
,
even the Jew hi mself might b o rro w o f a fell o w J ew the

year befo re j ubilee year purp o sely calcul ati ng th at such
a debt c o uld no t be c o llecte d duri ng the nex t ye ar and ,
thus the law o f Go d be bro ught i nto ill repu te The

- .
credito r also if he were co veto us co uld abuse this co m

, , ,
278 The B o o k o f D ute e ro no my
m andment by sayi ng to hi mself If I canno t m ake any ,

“
mo ney mysel f thi s j ubilee year then I can c o llect it fro m ,
o thers
”
.
O ur Lo rd s te achi ng agai nst c o ve t o usness is very in

’
struc tive and is set fo rth in o ne i nstance at least in the

, ,
p arable o f t he rich fo o l (Lu k e x ii 1 6 O ur S avi o ur .
sh o ws th at c o veto us ness i ndic ate s a wr o ng view o f li fe
( ver s e th at it is peril o u s (verse an d th at it is
fo o li sh i n its nature (ver se s 20 ,
K i nd ness to the p o o r is a virtue very emp hatic ally

i nsis ted o n by Go d fro m His peo ple (x v 7 It is in .
ter esting to study this p assage with light fr o m the N ew

Testament shi ni ng o n it “
Hereby perceive we the l o ve
o f Go d bec au se he l aid d o w n his li fe fo r us : and we
,
o ught t o lay d o w n o ur lives fo r the brethren B ut wh o so .
h ath thi s wo rld s go o d and seeth his brot her h ave need
’
, ,
and shutteth up his b o wels o f c o mp assi o n fr o m him ho w ,
dwelle th the l o ve o f Go d in him My lit tle childre n let .

,
us no t l o ve in w o rd neither in t o ngue ; but in deed and

,
in truth A nd hereby we k no w th at we ar e o f the truth

.
,
and sh all assure o ur he arts befo re him (1 Jo h n iii

” .
16 “
Let him th at sto le ste al no m o re : but r ather
let him lab o ur wo rki ng with his hands the thing which
,
is g o o d th at he may h ave to g ive to him th at needeth

,
( E phesi a ns iv .
The fi fteenth ch apter has three imp o rtant thi ngs to say
ab o ut o ur rel ati o n to the p o o r : F irst the p o o r h ave a ,
cl aim o n the fo rbearance o f the rich (1 seco nd the ,
p o o r h ave a claim o n the assi stance o f the rich (7

third th at helpi ng th o se in need tends to o ur o wn en
,
r ich ment (4— 7 ,

The sacrednesstime and the necessity o f devo ti ng
of
cer tains easo ns o f the ye ar t o the service o f Go d ar e dealt
with in x v i 1 1 7 This al so has been di scussed in

.
—
.
Leviticus (pp 221 .

2 80 The Bo o k o f D e ute ro no my
th em here There is h o wever in thi s co nnecti o n (x viii

.
, ,
.
1 5 -1 9 ) a pr o ph e tic re fere nce to t he L o rd Je sus Chri st as

the co nsummati o n o f the p r O p hetic w o rd It is to this .
p assage th at P eter refers in his speech i n A cts iii 22 23 .

, .
Mo ses then in his p ro phetic cap acity was a type o f o ur

, , ,
Lo rd Je sus Chri st .
S o me atte nti o n is give n to the m atter o f sp ir itualism

x viii 9 T h childr en o f I sr ael ar e w ar ned to h ave
( . e
ab s o lutely no thi ng t o d o w ith th o se who pro fe ss to h ave
deali ngs with famili ar S p irits wi z ardry o r necro mancy, ,

.
It was fo r co nsulti ng such th at Go d slew S aul S o S aul

died fo r his transgressi o n wh ich he co mmitted ag ai nst
the Lo rd eve n ag ai nst the wo rd o f the Lo rd which he
, ,
kept no t and al so fo r aski ng c o u nsel o f o ne th at had a

,
famili ar S pirit t o e nquire o f it A nd e nquired no t o f the

,
L o rd : therefo re he S le w him and turned the ki ngd o m ,
u nto David the so n o f Jesse (1 Chro nicles x 1 3

” .
,
( ) p i
0 S ec fi c C r imes (x ix 1 F ir st . M ur d er pre .
,
meditated and unpremeditated is dealt wi th in the fo l ,
l o wi ng m anner : If a man caused the death o f ano ther

man u ni ntenti o nally o r by accident the app o i nted cities ,
o f refuge pr o vi d ed a h ave n o f safety fo r him (x ix 1 .
F o r deliber ate and i nte nti o nal murder no such pro visi o n
was made no r c o uld any rede mpti o n price be sub stitute d
,
fo r the li fe o f the murderer (x ix 1 1 1 3 ; of N umbers .

— .
x xx v . He was slai n w ith o ut mercy .
S eco nd The guilt o f p erj ur y is the n described (x ix

. .
15 If all men S p o ke the tr uth always the n o ne w it ,
ness w o uld be e no ugh I nasmuch h o wever as men ar e

.
, , ,
pro verbially li ars it is necessary to h ave c o rro b o rative

, ,
testi mo ny Wh at Jesu s meant i n Matthew v 3 7 when

. .
He said Let y o ur co mmunicati o n be Y e a yea ; N ay

“
, , , ,
nay ,
”
was th at we sh o uld h ave such a reput ati o n fo r
veracity that o ur mere w o rd w ith o ut any o ath wo uld be
sufficient gu aranty o f its truth and accuracy The fact .
The S ec o nd D is
co urse 28 1
th at o aths h ave to be ad mi ni ster ed in o ur co urts o f

justice is a t estimo ny to the depravity o f man P erj ury .
is a S in ag ai nst Go d as well as ag ai ns t man P erso ns .
co mmitti ng perj ury had to suffer retributi o n ; all the

wr o ng th at the witness had th o ught t o h ave do ne u nto
his br o ther S h o uld be d o ne to him We have an illus .
tr at io n o f thi s in the c ase o f H aman and Mo rdecai
( E s ther v i B y the
. e x pre ssi o n A n eye f o r an
eye ,
and a t o o th fo r a t o o th ” is no t me ant priv ate
retali ati o n b ut the compensati o ns affo rded by public
,
justi ce F alse witness i ncludes deliberate i nventi o n and

.
circ ul ati o n o f falseh o o d false suggesti o ns the sup p r es

, ,
si o n o f essenti al circu mstances necessary to a right un
d er stand ing o f the facts in the c ase o r g iv i ng a wr o ng ,
co l o uri ng to the facts .
(d) S und r y L aws (x x 1 xx vi These sundry

.
— .
l aws ar e bo th civil and d o mestic and deal with the fo l ,
l o wi ng pr o blems
F irst Humane co nduct in time o f war (x x 1 — 20 ;
. .
xxi 1 0
. It is i nteresti ng to no te in thi s co nnecti o n .
th at no autho rity o r sancti o n is gi ven fo r wars o f aggros

si o n and i nv asi o n no e nco ur ageme nt t o i ncre ase p o sses
si o ns plunder o r cruelty N o thi ng must be d o ne to
, , .
pro mo te natural pride o r l o rdly suprem acy The wars .
o f Isr ael were t o be pu nitive and defe nsive w ars purely .
They were to be h o ly crusades and w ars o f the

“ ” “
Lo rd in the real se nse

”
.
F o ur gr o u nd s o f ex empti o n fr o m ser vice in war ar e

menti o ned (xx 5 The dedicati o n o f a new h o u se ;
.
the pl anti ng o f a vi neyard the t aki ng o f a wi fe ; and the

S pirit o f c o wardice .
S ec o nd xx i 1 9 gives i nstruct i o ns reg ardi ng h o mi

. .
—
cide The so lemni ty o f the ceremo ny pro vided in such

.
c ases w as such as to seek to prevent S uch hidden acts o f

vi o lence .
2 82 The Bo o k o f D ute e ro no my
Third The regul ati o n o f family m atters is then pre
.
s e nt e d (x x i 1 5 . especi ally with regard t o the treat

me nt o f the childre n o f two m arri ages E mph asi s is laid .
up o n deali ng acco rdi ng t o pri nciple and no t prej udice .
N o thi ng mu st be do ne by p ar ti ality Di so bedie nce to .
p arents is regarded as di so bedience to Go d fo r the p ar ,
e nts stand in the pl ace o f Go d with regard to the child .
F o urth x x ii 1 x x v 1 9 deals with a number o f mis

. .
— .
cellaneo us l aws such as th at o f br o therho o d w hich em

,
p h a s iz e s the n ece ss ity o f s y m p a thy an d help ful n ess

bet wee n man and man (x x ii 1 Wo me n ar e fo rbid
.
d en to wear th at which pertai neth to men (xx ii It .
was custo mary in c o nnecti o n with the w o rship o f heathen

g o d s so me o f which were supp o sed t o be b o th m ale and
,
fe mal e fo r its dev o tees e speci ally w o men to w o rship

, , ,
these go d s in m ale attire Thi s led to lice nti o usness and .
l o o seness o f li fe S uch thi ngs Go d s peo ple ar e to av o id

.
’
( c f
. 1 P eter iii 1 . E ve n such a m atter as the pr o te o
ti o n o f bird li fe (x x ii 6-8 ) is no t o verl o o ked Miscel

. .
laneo us l aws reg ardi ng matters o f pers o nal purity ar e set

fo rth i n xx ii 1 3 —
. x x iii 8 reg a rdi n g div
. o rce (x x iv 1 — 5 ) .
no man sh all take aw ay fr o m ano ther man his me ans o f

supp o r t (x x iv 6 22) . i nstructi o ns co ncerni ng the admi n
—
istr atio n o f j u stice (x x v 1 co mpensati o n fo r l ab o ur

.
( x x v. 4 —1 2
) j u s t weight s a n d m e asures (x x v 1 3 to .
gether with a divi ne ex pl anati o n as to the real nature o f

the S in o f A malek and the reaso n fo r the destructi o n o f
the A m alekites (x x v 1 7 1 9 ) co mpletes the c o ntents o f
.
-
the twenty fi fth ch apter

- .
The o fferi ng o f the first fruits to Go d as rec o rded in

the t we nty si x th ch apte r is a rec o g niti o n o f Go d as the
-
pr o prieto r o f the l and and the pro vider o f the needs o f

His peo ple In verse s 5 1 1 ti thi ng is d e manded fo r the
.
-
S e p arate m ai ntenance o f the priests and al so a tithe o f
what was left to be di stributed amo ng the p o o r and for

2 84 The Bo o k o f D e ut e ro no my
P r o vi si o n is made
repentance and resto ratio n to
fo r
fav o ur and to the l and Ho w truly these ch apt ers h ave
.
b ee n fulfilled in the hi sto ry o f the Jews It has b een .
well r emarked that histo ry fur ni she s no p arallel to the

awful and pr o l o nged retributi o n Vi sited up o n thi s nati on
o nce fav o ured as no o ther no w ch asti sed as no o ther

, .
N o thi ng at the ti me co uld h ave been m o re unlikely th an

s uch a nati o nal desti ny ; yet in every re spect the L o rd
h ath d o ne wh at He said and the Jew is to d ay the stand

,
ing mir acle and the histo ry o f mir acle .
The supreme lesso n in these ch ap ters o f blessi ng and

cursi ng is thi s “
th at b ack o f all that we call o r co u nt
,
accide ntal ,i ncidental due to natural causes o r hum an

,
c o nflicts to co mmerce o r war to nati o nal aggressi o n o r

, ,
submi ss i o n there is a Divi ne Hand In thi s fearful

, .
catal o gue o f c al amities Jeh o vah appears as a ch astiser

and avenger He c o ntro l s the vi sitati o ns o f disease in
.
the hu man b o dy and mi nd ; in the realm o f anim al li fe

and in vegetati o n the i nv as i o ns and reve rs es o f war the
; ,
O ppressi o n and e nsl ave me nt o f subj ect r aces : all th at
me n attribute to the atmo sphere the so il the schemes , ,
o f the am b iti o u s and the mater iel o f war the Wo rd o f ,
Go d ascribes pri marily t o the permi ss i o n and co mmi ssi o n

o f a presidi ng Deity wh o se will wi nd s and w aves cl o ud s ,
,
and te mpests heat and fro st fire and fl o o d micro bes ,

, ,
and b acilli men and dem o ns alike o bey ! We must

, ,
sto p b ani shi ng the Creato r fr o m His cre ati o n the pr o vi ,
dence o f Go d fro m the i ncidents o f hi sto ry the c o ntro l ,
o f Go d fr o m the wh o le c o ur se o f thi ngs and in this ,
materi alistic age resto re Jeh o vah to His thro ne as the

u niversal G o verno r o ver i ndividual s families and na , ,
e
tio ns .
“
We must learn th at o ne o f the pri nciples o f His ad
mi ni strati o n is to bl ess virtue acco rdi ng to its measure ,
even when it may ex i st side by side with vice and to ,

The S e co nd Di
sc o u rse 28
5
curse vice acco rdi ng to its measure even when it ex i sts ,
side by side with virtue We h ave a si ngul ar ex ample

.
in o ur o wn l and There is no questio n o f the vice o f

.
p o lygamy and its acco mp anyi ng sensuality and family

degrad ati o n ; yet t he Mo rmo ns h ave been singularly
pro sper o us as a peo ple in temp o ral thi ngs because they
, ,
h ave been a co mmu ni ty o f to tal abstai ners and h ave ,
been i ndustrio us and sagacio u s in redeemi ng an alk ali

desert fr o m sterility by irrigati o n and cultivati o n The .
Lo rd d o es no t bless their do me stic li fe fo r He canno t ,
while it vi o l ates His ideals no r can He bless their r e ,
ligio us life fo unded up o n wh at is b o th erro r and fraud ;

,
but He can and do es bless their i ndustry fru gality , ,
temperance and mutual co operati o n Health wealth

, .
, ,
well -bei ng ar e not accidents no r due to a blind inex o

, ,
rable fate They h ave their fi x ed l aws and co nditio ns ;

.
and they who o bey o ther thi ngs bei ng equ al will re ap
, ,
wh at they so w fo r Go d is no t mo cked by the caprice o f

,
man o r the chance o f hi sto ry — A T P ier son . . . .
The blessi ngs o f the twe nty -eighth ch apter i nclude al

mo st every sphere o f human ex perience and activity .
Israel was an earthly peo ple with an earthly co venant

and earthly pr o mi ses It was natur al therefo re th at
.
, ,
the blessi ngs accrui ng fro m o bedience w o uld be such as

ar e here set fo rth such blessi ngs as pertai n to earthly
—
thi ngs It is d ifi er ent with believers in the N ew Testa

.
ment di spensati o n They are a S piritual people with a

.
S piritual co venant and spiritu al pro mi ses Temp o ral .
pro sperity d o es no t always fo ll o w piety and go dli ness in

thi s present di spensati o n N o r d o es go dli ness always
.
receive its reward so far as temp o r al thi ngs ar e co n

cerned duri ng o ur li fetime “
Ho pe is so wn fo r the
.
righteo us.
” The full reward o f the believer lies in the
These chapters o f blessi ng and cursi ng have so methi ng

2 86 The Bo o k o f D ute
e ro no my
to say us with regard to the m o tives and emo ti o ns to
to
which Go d appeal s B o th fear and l o ve ar e appealed to
.
as a b asi s fo r o bedie nce .We ar e al so t aught th at a

m an s desti ny is in his o wn h ands ; he can ch o o se bless
’
i ng o r cur si ng death o r li fe
,
.The blessi ng s and ours
i ngs o f these chapters may be i ndividual as well as na
tio nal and c o rp o rate (cf x x i x 1 8
. . What a great
tho ught th at a S ingle i ndividual is no ticed in his S in o r
his go o dness 1
2 88 The Bo o k o f Deut e ro no my
the seed wo man (3 ) F i nal victo ry o f the wo m s
o f the . an’
seed thro ugh suffering (4 ) The so rro ws o f m aternity . .
( )
5 T he sub o rdi nati o n o f t e w o m an
h ( 6 ) Cre ati o n en .
slaved (7 ) P hysical death S ee G al atians iv 4 ;

. . .
1 John iii 8 ; Matt hew iv 1 ; Matthew x iii 3 7 —39

. . .
Luke viii 1 4 ; Jo hn x iii 2 ; Hebr ews ii 1 4 ; Jo hn

. . .
x iv 30; Luke xx ii 5 3
. . .
2. The N o ahic Co v e nant .
1 . The Co venant fo rmed (Genesis vii 20 ix

i — . .
2 . E lements of the
race no t to b e Co venant ( )
1 The
agai n destr o yed ( )

2 T he n a tur al o rde r o f
. t h e s e as o ns to
be p r eserved (3) The so ns o f N o ah to be each the head

.
o f a disti nct di vi si o n of the r ace ( )

a S h em to h a v e a .
peculi ar relati o n to Jeho v ah-El o him F r o m S hem .
spri ng the Hebrew A r abi an A rmeni an, etc ,

r ac es
,
.
, .
b
( ) H am s desce nd a n ts ’
to f o rm the i nferi o r a n d se rv il e
races (c) Japheth to b e enl arged and to dwell in

.
“ ” “
the tents of S hem ”

They for m the Gentile and Ind o
.
E ur o pean races .
3 . Th e A b r ah amic Co v e nant .
1 . The Co venant fo rmed (Genesis xii -

1 3 ; A cts
.
vii . A dditi o nal details (Genesis x iii .

- -
1 4 1 7 xv 1 1 8 ; .
x vii . 1
2 . Elements ri ginates the na
of the Co ve nant : ( )
1 O
ti o n o f Israel (2) V ests the title to the l and o f Canaan
.
in the “
seed of Abraham who is Chri st (G al ati ans
”
,
iii.
( )
3 C o nt ai ns the C o ve n a nt o f red empti o n .
( )
4 P r o mises the divi ne pr o tecti o n t o the A br ah ami c
sto ck (5 ) A nd all this abso lutely u nco ndi tio nal

. I .
will ” .
4 . The Mo s aic Co v e nant .
1 . The Co venant fo rmed (E x o d us x ix . It is in

The T hird D isc o urse 2 89
two parts : (1 ) Law o f Duty o r Ten Co m mandments ,

.
w f Mercy o r P rie sth o o d and S acri fi ce s (Leviticus

( )
2 L a o ,
iv 27 3 1 ; Hebre ws ix 1
.
— .
2 When give
. n ye rs fter creati o , 4 30years
a a n .
—
afte r the A brah amic Co ve nant .
3 To wh o m given (E x o du s x ix 3 ; Deutero no my
. .
v 1 3 (but law d o es its wo rk wherever it go es) ; R o

.
—
m ans ii 1 ; iii 1 9 ; 1 Timo thy i 9 1 1 )

2 .
- . .
4 The purp o se o f the law ( 1 ) N egatively (R o

. .
m ans iii 1 9 20 ; Galati ans ii 1 6— 21 ; Hebrews vii

.
,
. .
1 8 1 9 ; G alati ans iii 1 6

, ( )
2 P o sitively (
. R o m a ns
,
iii 1 9 ; vii 7 1 3 ; Galati ans iii 1 0; iii 23

. .
—
. .
,
5 Chri st s rel ati o n to the Mo saic Co venant

.
’
(1 ) He .
was u nder it (Gal ati ans iv 4 ; Matt hew iii 1 3 1 5 ; . .

,
Luke x vii 1 2— 1 4 ; x x ii .
( )
2 He kept it (J o h n viii
. .
46 xv ( )
3 He . b o re the curse o f the law v i c ari o u sly
fo S i
r n ners (G lati a s iii 1 0 1 3 ; 2 Co ri nthians v 21 ;
a n — . .
G al ati ans iv 4 ( )
4 H is sa crifice
.
,ful filled a n d to o k
the pl ace o f the P riestho o d and sacri fi ces (Hebrews ix .
1 1 — 1 5 ; x 1 — 1 2, 26 , .
6 The believer in Christ

. is under the N ew Go v
enant and no t the O ld (R o m an s viii 1 ; G al ati ans iii . .
13
5 . The De ut e r o no mic Co v e nant .
1 . The Co ve nant fo rmed (Deutero no my x xx . 1

2 . Elements of the Co ve nant
It is establi shed in : ( )
1
view o f a fo resee n wo rld -wide di spersi o n o f Israel (verse
( )
2 It fo re s ee s the repe n t an ce o f I sr ael i n such a d isp er
si o n (ver se (3 ) It c o ve nan ts in view o f s uch repe n t ,
ance the ret ur n o f the Lo rd (verse

, ( )
4 Th e L o rd ,
h avi ng returned will regather di spersed Israel and ,
bri ng the nati o n agai n i nto its o wn l and (verses 3

(5 ) It co venants the c o nversi o n o f resto red Israel (verse
( )
6 It pr o mises judgme n t up o n Isr a e l s o ppress o r s (see ’
29 0 The Bo o k o f D ut e e ro no my
Genesi s x ii 3) (verse 7 ( )
7 .It c o ve nants gre at bless i ng
and pr o sperity fo r re sto red I sr ael (verses 8 ,
N or m— I srael enter ed P alestine und er t he Deuterono mic

Co venant, no t und er the A b rahamic Co venant .
6 . Th e Dav id i c Co v e nant .
1 . The Co venant fo rmed (2 S amuel vii 5 .
2 . E lements of the Co venant : (1 ) A “

ho use ” or
p o sterity (2) A thro ne. ro y al auth o rity (3) A “ ”—

.
“
ki ngdom S phere o f auth o rity (4) These ar e ever
— .
l asti ng fo rever ”
( )
5 A c o nditi o n : D i so bedie n
.ce to
be fo ll o wed by ch asti sement but no t by the abro gati o n ,
o f the Co ve nant .
3 The K i ng hum an and divi ne (Isai ah vii 1 3 1 4 ;

. .
,
ix 6 ,.
4 . the ki ng do m is to be established (Isai ah ix

Ho w .
1 0 - 1 ; Jeremi ah xx iii 3 8 ; xx
2 x iii 1 4 —21 ; Ezekiel .
— .
x x x vii 22 28 ; Ho se a iii 4 5 ; Mic ah v

.
— .
,
.
5 S u mmary o f Co venant in O ld Testament

.
( )
1 T h e .
Co venant assures to David an u ndyi ng p osterity ro y alty ,
and ki ngd o m in his S eed o r S o n who is David s S o n

’
,
and Go d s S o n ( )
’
2 T h at ki ngd o m . is t o be est a b
lished o n the earth is fi rst Isr aeliti sh and P alesti ni an , ,
and begi ns by the re st o r ati o n o f Jud ah and Isr ael to
P alesti ne after wards beco mi ng u niver sal

,
.
6 The Davidic Co venant in the N ew Testament

. .
(1 ) The Co venant co nfirmed to the V irgi n (Luke i 26 .
( )
2 T he K i ng b o r n i n B ethlehe m a cc o rdi n g t o M ic ah
v 2 ; Matthew ii 1 6 (3 ) The ki ngdo m at hand
. .
“— .
(M atthew iii 1 2 iv 1 7 x
. 5 , (4 ) T he K i n.g c o me s .
“
meek and l o wly acc o rdi ng to Zech ari ah ix 9 ; Mat
”
.
thew x x i 1 5 (5 ) The r ej ecti o n o f the ki ngd o m evident

.
— .
(M atthew x i 1 6-3 0 x ii 1 4
; .
( )6 T he my stery
.
fo rm o f the ki ngd o m reve aled (Matthew ( )

7 T h e
church anno unced (Matthew x v i 1 3 ( )

8 T h e K i n g .
29 2 The Bo o k o f D ut
e e ro no my
4 .He bo re the curse o f the Mo saic Co venant (Gal a
tians iii 1 0 .
,
5 .He lived as a J ew in the l and o bediently under the

Deuter o no mic Co ve nant (Jo h n viii 4 6 ; x ix , .
6 . He is the seed heir and co mi ng K i ng u nder the

“ ”
Davidic Co venant (Luke i 3 1 .
7 . His sacrifice is the fo undati o n o f the N ew Co venant

( M atthew x x vi 2 7 .
II P r o mis e o f R es t o r at io n in t he E v e nt o f F ail ure

.
( x x i x 9 — xx x
. .
It wo uld seem as th o ugh Mo ses speaki ng by i nspira

,
ti o n was able to l o o k ahead thro ugh the centuries o f the

,
future and see ho w the ch o sen peo ple wo uld in S pite o f ,
the g oo d ness o f Go d wander fro m the way o f His co m

,
m andment and so pro visi o n is made fo r their r esto r a

,
ti o n in the event o f failur e and co nsequent so rro w and

repentance .
Clo sing Ev e nt s in M o ses Life
’
A B irth d ay A d d re s s De liv e r ed b y Mo s es (xxx i .
1 4, 1 5 ,
NE so metimes w onders if the ninetieth P salm ,
which is called the P salm o f Moses d o es not ,
fi t in j ust at this peri o d in Moses li fe ’

.
2. A rr angement fo r th e P ublic R e a d ing and P re s

e rv at io n o f t h e L aw Mo ses is i nstructe d
(x xx i . 9
to see th at the law is put i nto perm anent fo rm (x x x i .
14 Two c o pies ar e to be m ade ; o ne is to be pl aced

in the ar k ; and the o ther delivered to the pri ests
( cf
. 2 K i ng s xx ii .
3 . The S M
o ng o fo s e s (ch ap This so ng
.
co nsists o f a call to hear and the reaso n fo r it The

,
.
perfecti o ns o f Jeh o vah ar e very clearly set fo rth (xxx ii .
1 The go o d ness o f Jeh o v ah to Israel is p o rtrayed

—1 4 where as the return o f evil fo r g o o d o n the
( x xx i i 7.
)
part o f Israel is decl ared (x x x ii 1 5 The divi ne
.
p ro v o catio n becau se o f Israel s co nduct (x xx ii 20

’
.
,
together wi th predicted and threatened tr ib ul atio n (x xx ii .
22-25 ) and the scatteri ng o f the ch o sen pe o ple (xx x ii .
26— 3 3) -all o f which m o ve Jeh o v ah to pity (xx x ii 3 6 .
In the midst o f the divi ne j udg ment (x xx ii 3 9 .
Jeh o vah will m ani fest Him sel f and victo ry fo r Israel
,
will co me at last (xx x ii .
4 . Th e M
B le s s ing
o s e of
s (xxx iii 1 T his .
ch apter gives a detailed acco u nt o f Mo se s blessi ng u po n

’
29 3
29 4 The Bo o k o f D ute e ro no my
the v ari o us tribes It al so p o rtrays the ch aracteri stics
.
o f s o me o f these tribes The structur e o f the so ng is as

.
fo ll o w s : I ntro ducti o n (xx x iii 1 co nnected with the

.
givi ng o f the Law ; The i ndividu al blessi ngs up o n the

tr ibes (x xx iii 6 25 ) Co nclusi o n (xx x iii 26
— . Go d .
ab o ve guides His peo ple beneath .
G o d s peo ple ar e described in a sevenfo l d way in this

’
chapter They ar e : (1 ) A saved peo ple (x x x iii

. .
( )
2 A se ated pe o ple (x x x iii ( )
3 A . sa n ct i fied pe o ple
(xx x ii i .
(4 ) A sep a r ated pe o ple (xx x iii ( )
5 A .
satisfied pe o ple (xxx iii ( )

6 A. s upp o rt e d pe o ple ,
this supp o rt bei ng set fo rth in a fi vefo ld way : In His

h ands fo r securi ty (verse at His feet fo r lear ni ng
(verse between His sh o ulders fo r strength (verse

at His S ide fo r fell o wship (verse in His arms fo r rest
( ver s e ( )
7 A s ac rifici n g p e o ple (xxx iii G o d .
calls fo r three ki nds o f sacrifi ces fro m His peo ple : A

sacri fi ce o f o ur p erso ns (R o m ans x ii o f o ur pr aises
.
( Hebrews x iii o f o ur purses (Hebrews x iii

. .
5 T.he D e at h o f Mo s e s ( chap x xx iv ; cf xx xii . . . .
45 This chapter is m o re a ch apter o f visi o n than o f

death There has been so me questi on as to who wr o te
.
ch apter S o me cl aim that Mo ses co uld no t h ave wr it

‘
thi s .
ten it because it co ntai ns the acc o u nt o f his o wn death ;

therefo re Jo shu a o r so me perso n livi ng l ater mu st h ave
,
written it and added it to the bo o k O ne so metimes .
w o nders seei ng th at Mo ses himself was a pro phet why

, ,
it was no t p o ssible fo r the m anner o f his death to be

r evealed to him j u st as o ther thi ng s were reve aled to
him fo r him to fo retell it j ust as he fo reto ld o ther thi ngs

,
.
Ho wever the i nspirati o n o f a bo o k is i ndependent to a

, ,
l ar ge ex tent o f its autho rship If Moses d id not wr ite

,
.
it th en who did 3 S o far as we k no w he was the o nly

,
“
man present at the time of his death .

B IB L E S TU DY , DE V O ’
I IO N AL, Etc
‘
A . T RO BERTS O N , D D z LL D
. . . . .
S t ud ie s in the N e w T e stament
A Handb o o k fo r B ib le Clas ses in S und ay S cho o ls '
Teacher Tr aining Wo rk fo r use in S eco ndary

.
fo r ,
S cho o ls and Iz o , c lo th, net so c

Co lleges . m .
In it ar e no r efer e nce s to b o o ks a any kind o u tsi d e tho

Bib le W
it h t he he lp o f t he map s an a N ew Testa e nt o ne ! m
can stud
.
y
thi s w o r k wit h no o t he r b o o ks hand m
.
REV . J O S EPH T GIBS O N

,
. DD . .
J e sus Chl iSt The Unique Revealer o f Go d

’
2
8vo , clo t h ,
The au
thor has s o ught to se e, and aid o t he r s in seeing
J e sus Chr i st He is He b u
.
as r e se n e d
t in t he S cr ip t ur e s
mp iled
.
”
co a Life ne i
ico no clastic b ut d e
er c r i t ical no r
signe d fo r t ho se who r eg ar d t he Wo r d o f Go d as be ing no t
o nl y
the infalliab le guid e t o fai th and d ut , b ut t he aut he ntic
c hr o nicle o f t he e ar t hl li fe o f o u r Lo r d Dr y ib so n has
y G
harmo niz e d t he G
o s p els a nd fro m t he m co ns t r ucte d a gr ap hic
nar r at ive w hich, co nt r iv e s , t o t e -hmu an o ld p i ct ur e with
. .
fr e s hne ss and char m .
RE V GEO H Y O UN G MA Au ’
t Pn f. R heu m a ll mm
S t ea l ing, Geige r: Univ mio'
.
. .
, . .
'
Ihe Illustrativ e T eac hings o f J e sus

‘
-
a
The Parables S imilies , and Metapho rs of Christ .
xz moclo t , net h
m
,
“
A m
o st r ead ab le and p r act ical t r e at ent o f t he etho d. m
o f t he M
aste r fo r t he ge ne r al B ib le s t ud e nt and Chr ist ian
wo r ke r
’
A v aluab le co nt r ib ut io n to o ne s co nce p t io n o f J esus
as t he
‘
.
Te ache r co e fro
t e nt o f inst r uctio n and
’
m m
Go d , and r ev ealin in life , co n
m
etho d o f p r ese ntatio n the wi ll o f
g
”— .
t he F ather R evi ew and E x posi tor .

.
The S o c ial T eachings o f Christ J esus

A Manu l fo r B ible Classes Chri stian A sso cia ,
ti o ns S o ci a S tudy Gr o up s etc I6 mo clo th net soc
l
.
d
,
ifi i l i d d f
y
In a se ries o f tw e nt stud ie s, t he t e achin s o f J e sus are ap
-
d ay. s uch as po v e rt y.
, .
g , , .
p i e t o s p e c c so c a s ns an
and o nly so lut io n o f t he p r o b lem

nee s o t o
k m
p le asure , war , t he d r in tr a e, e tc , and sho wn t o be the our .
s o f so m e ty
.
.
RO BER T FREEMA N
The Ho ur of Prayer
Helps to Devo ti o n When A b sent fr o m C ur ch h .
xz mo clo th
,
net 7 5 C , .
A v o lume o f r ev e r e nt
“
fo r
0
ur po se d e sngned e sp eci all
st r e ss o f cir cu
h so me fo r m 0 S u nd a o b se rv ance , o r w o . b y
m
ar e p r ev e nte d fr o
p
at t e nd ing s e ry
y m
stances
ice s in t he chur che s o s hut- ins , T
o ther s w it h
.
d r en, nur s es and o t he r s w ho ar e unab le t o atte nd ub li c wo

ou chilc m y ng m
k
!
olup , the b oo W1 11 p ar t icular ly appea l

”—
B u fi olo r en . .
W
FREDERICK W . PEABO DY
The Me dical
R eligio - Masque rad e
N ew Edi ti o n clo t , net. 12 mo , h
Te n y ear s o f critical inve stigatio n o f Chr istian S cience , t e
p eate d l
i n w hi ch
w y
i t h t he aid o f legal p r o ce s s in im
M
r s Ed d y was a p art and he ex am
p o r t ant lit i atio n.
i ne d und e r o ath y g
m an y .
o f her clo s e st ad her e nt s , hav e qu alifi e d r P e ab o dy ,

ab o ve all o t her s , t o giv e a t r ut hful r e p r e s e ntat io n o f the char
M .
acte r o f t he o ve m
ent and it s le ad e r s m He w as t he as a
s . M
chuse tts law ye r fo r
’
M
rs. Ed d y s so ns in t heir p ro tracted li ti
cati o n .
I. M HA LDEMA N , D D
. . .
Christian S c ie nc e in t he Light o f Ho ly
S c r ip tur e
N ew R evis ed Edi ti o n Iz mo , c o t , net . l h
sr
“
Dr Hald e man b r in s e v ery quest io n he co ns id e r s
.
g g
f t hat hi he st t r b unal, and t e s t s it in t he full 11 ht o f
i
.
to t he
m
o
t he d i v ine r e v e lat io n Al l t he r eso ur ce s o f his inti at e no wl
‘
fe ct iv e p r e se ntatio n ar e d r aw n upo n
.
e dge o f t he B ib le and o f his p o we r s o f ke en ins i ht and e f

He has so w ell suc .
g
cee d e d t hat w e d o no t s ee what mo re c an b e s aid The pr o of
Ex amm¢r
.
”— _
is ab so lut e ; it is clear ly state d ; it is e x haustw e . .
PHILLIPS Mz d M e Met hod is t E £3 5 0fl a !

m Ma rg
'
I A f
o t h
i i m/
r
a z S o u r/z
o
R o man Catho lic ism A nalyz e d

A Disp assio nat e Ex aminatio n o f Ro ms i h Claims
WAh dFi
.
it o r e w o r d b y Bis o p Bur t 8 v c , net h .
“
s p as s io nat e e x a inat io n t o the clai s an m
d o ct r ine s m
o f t he R o m
an Catho lic Chu r ch The ar gu e nt s ar e cle ar m
m m
.
and co nclus iv e Th e lo gic i s aste r ful, i ncis iv e , e r cile ss
nd fascinat ing
.
and b ase d up o n und isp ut e d fact s The st le is cle ar , lucid

-
It is an arse nal o f anti Catho li c facts ”
. y .
i
. .
00ko ut .
WILLIAM PARKER
The Fundamental Erro r of Wo man
S uffr age
12 mo l h
c o t , net so c
gm m
.
,
M os t o f t he ar u e nt s ad v ance d against o an S uf fr age Wm
m
a e p ur e ly e co no ic The aut ho r o f t his v o lu e ado pt s an m
m
.
!o ther c o ur se , d eclar ing t he fund a e ntal e r r o r t o lie in t he

r a
lm of o r als mF ro m
this v ie wpo int he d iscus s e s his sub j e ct
m
e
m
.
in i t s o r al r ela i n to t he chie f p hase s o f

to o d e r n life— ar m
m
.
g, h e , r e li i o n, so ci al inte r co u r se , ci v ic and p o lit i cal

g
r ia e o
act i v i ti e s, and so
.
o r th .
W HA LL CA LVERT, M D
. . .
The Furt he r Ev o lut io n of Man

1 2mo clo th net
A vi or g ,
o t
,
u s c o unte r b last t heo r ie s o f Ne t
o t he D r wini n
a a
ur al Se lecti o n and t he S urv xv ral o f the F i tt s t T
o
e h e co nst r ue
m m
.
t i ve ai o f t he v o lu e i s t o p r o v e t hat s o ci al ame lio r at i o n is

a nece s sit y o f t he sp ir it ual e vo lutio n no w in p r o ce ss i n o ur
W e ste r n c xv rli z at i o n .
B IB L E S T UD Y , E tc .
B . H . CARRO LL, DD . .
A n Inter p r e tat io n o f t he English Bible

N umb e r s t o R ut h 8v0, l h
c ot net
T y
.
,
“
he s e wo r ks ar e d e s i ne d e sp e ciall fo r clas s us e in t hegg
m y
S e i nar , Chr is t ian Co lle e s and B ib le S cho o ls , as w e ll as
m
y
t he S un d a
e nt ar
S cho o l Th at t he w ill make the r eate s t co m
.
g
o n t he En lis h B ib le e v e r p ub lis he d , is o ur s incer e
y g
y ! —
co nv ict i o n B apti s t and R efl e ct o r
. .
O THE R V O L UME S N O W R E A DY
T he B o o k f R e v e lat io n o 8 v 0 clo th ne t . . ,
T he B o o k o f G e ne s is 8 vo clo th net .
, ,
E xo d u s a nd Le v it ic u s 8 v o clo th net . . .
My Fat her ’
s Busine s s -A nd Mine
Iz mo , clo th, net
Dr S mit h d e v o t e s
the e ar lie r p ar t o f his b o o k t o a st u d
; g g
.
o f Chr is t s his to r ic p r o no unc e me nt c o nce r nin His F at her s

’
g
b u sine s s , p r e s e nt in an e x ami nat io n o f t he analo ical c o nt e nt
y
o f t he w o r d
“
F at he r , ”
a n d an anal s is o f t he aste r s o wn
’
M
y g
sa in s r e sp e ct in His e ar t hl g is s io n ym .
J O HN F S TIRLING
25:f gm
A u :I:0 A A t! of fl u
.
4 o h
q
t
g
f the A c t s and Ep ist le s
A n A tlas o
A Co mp let O utline o f A p o sto li Histo y S ho w
e c r ,
hxg th Detail o f the A p o tle s J o u ney and the

'
’
e s s r s
A a o f the Epist les in S p ecially Dr awn Map s 8vo
re .
,
limp clo th n t 40C , e .
Gi
“
l mp l t nd g phi tlin f
t li hi
o y gh li f ll w h
t
c
v es
st o r
o f t he A p o s tle s, s up p le
a
.
a
ti
ance
f th a
e g
a co
n ar r a ve o
o ut ne
m
e ct s
e nt e d b y t he d at a fur nis he d in t he
o
e e
o
a
s t e
ra c ou e o o.
e p is t le s , an d int er p r e t e d in t he li ht o f t he b e st scho lar s hip

The histo r ic al d et ails ar e p r e s e nt e d in t he ir g e o r ap hical and
g g .
g gm
chr o no lo ic al s e t t in , o n a se r ie s o f sp e cially d r aw n aps , so
e nt s o f t he m m
m
that t he s tu d e nt ay fo llo w e as ily t he ove
”
le ad ing figu r e s in the g r o wt h o f the ear ly church.
J ES S E FO RES T S IL VER
The Lo r d ’
s R e t urn
S ee n in Histo ry
in S c r ip tur e as P r e-M ennial and ill
and Imm ne nt Wit an Intr o duct o n by Bis op
i h i h
W so n T Ho gue, P h D 8vo , c o t , net
.
il . . . l h
In his Int r od ucto r y P r e face Bisho p Ho gue o f the F r es
M o dis t
Chu r ch sa s :
n at io n co nd e nse d into a
y “
An
co nve nient
e nc
,
y clo p e d ia o f v aluab le
hand -
b oo k fo r
.
InfO fi
ready r d
\
EDO UARD NAVILLE, LL D,
g
xor .
. .
Ar c he o lo gy o f the O ld T e stame nt
Was theTestament Wri tten in Heb r e w !
O ld
Libr ary o f His to r ic Theo lo gy 8vo clo th net
y k
.
, ,
P r o fe sso r A H S a ce s ay s A ve r y r e mar ab le w o r k.
g
and co min as i t d o es fr o m o ne o f t he lead in Eg pt o lo ists
.
.
.
g y g
o f t he d ay, w ho is als o a p r act ical ar e hz o lo gist , i ts ar m
ments and co nclusio ns carr y unusual wei ht ”
g .
PHILIP MA URO
EXPO S ITO R Y REA DIN GS IN THE EPIS ILE
Go d Go sp el and Go d s R ighteo usness

’ ’
s
Ro mans I-
V 1 2mo clo t h ne t S O C
.
, , .
Go d Gift and O ur R esp o ns e

’
s
Ro mans VI-
VIII l Z mo clo th net S O C , , .
Go d
’
s Lo v e Go d s Childr e n
and
’
Ro mans XV II 1 2mo clo th net 5 °C

IX-
ym y
. .
, ,
A he lp ful and -
wr itt e n b o d
cle ar l o f c o m e nt on S t . m
Paul s Le tte r to the Ro ans The aut ho r is a la man who .
’
wo r k is ha
.
1: and v alued o n b o t h s ide s o f the A tlantic

y
M M aur o no t w r ite fo r scho lar s , b ut fo r d evout an d
- -
r
fo r men and wo me n who se fasth h
.
wo r shipful be liev
w h y t ar o oa th or d o f theW ving u m
DEV O T IO N A L
My Daily Me ditatio n f or the l

Circ ingY ear
Ia mo clo th , , net
A
‘
se ri es of ta lks — a s pir itual
cho ice , tab lo id e d itatio n m
fo r ev e r y d ay i n the y e ar Dr J o w e tt p e i nt s e v e r wo r d o f
!
. .
t he s e b r i e f e x po sit io ns so t hat it t e lls , while t he

s ee ks to co nv e
st an d in g
o f his r e ad e rs alo n
y
ar e s o p r o p ou nd e d as to
a p at hw a
e nt e r
g
e s so ns he
t he unde r
The w ho le g
y o f li ht
v o lume is o f t ru e mi nta e , b e ar i n
ripe s t t ho ught and fr uit ful ind
g m g
t he i p r ess o f Dr Io wett s
.
’
.
m
.
! uiet Talks A b o ut t he Cro wne d Christ

12 mo l h
c ot net 7 5 C
yy
, , .
A fte r man
’
e ar s o f t he o ne b o o k o f the Bib le
d ev o t e d to t he s ub j e ct cr o w ne d Chr is t — t he Re v e latio n
o f J o hn ll r m
. G
o r d o n has p ut t he s e lat e s t t alks t o e t he r
b oo k o f t he s ix t y -s ix has se e me d so mu ch li e a r id d le , and
Ne
k g .
s e t so m a ny gue s s ing Mr Go r do n, ho w e ve r , s t he d ee
3
. .
.
z
co nv ict io n t hat it is w ho l a pr ac ti ce ! bo o k,
who lly wit h o ur p r act ical j ly lives .
F B . . ME Y ER,
My Daily Praye r
ho rt S upplicati n f E
A S o or v er y Day in the Y ear .
3 2 mo leath r net 3 s ; l th n
,
e , e c o ,
et 2 5 C .
“
This is in t he Y e t A n
a t iny v o lu me
o ther Day
‘ ’
se r ies ,
o f t he p e t it io ns co ntai n o n!
y
and co nta ins a b r ie f pr a e r fo r e ac h d ay i n t he y ear
o ne s e nt e nce , b ut e ach
,
o ne
S o me
is
s im le e r t ine nt and he lp fu - Z io s s He
’
p , p ,
GEO RGE MATHES O N
A Brie f P rayer fo r Eve y r Day . N ew Editio n;

1 6mo , c o th net soc l ,
.
The se p wil l b
cho ic e
e value d b
ra ers
y the Chr istian
wo r ld fo r the sti mu us, insp ir ati o n, and w i d e s ir itual o ut
lo o k which hav e made the me mo ry of t he ir e at o r a choo
iehe d po s ses sio n .
HENK Y WARD BEECHER
A Bo o k of Pub lic Prayer

m o clo th , , ne t 75C .
A “
d isti nct ad d it io n t o o ur d e v o tio nal lit e r at ure It is go o d .
fo r p rivate read ing ; b ut w o uld b e e spec i a lly v aluab le fo r

minister s as an aid to the difi eult, b ut i mme ns ely i mp o r tant,
ser vice o f v o icing t he pean ut o f a congr e gat o n l l p ub he
o
-
i
”
pr aye r 3d . .

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E XP O S ITO R Y WO RK S

Ep o c hs in t he Life o f Chr ist

A series o f add r e sse s, giv e n o n S unday aft erno o ns t o

language and p re sent ed in p o p ular st yle .

THRO UGH THE BIBLE BO O K B Y B O O K

The Bo o ks o f t he P e ntate uch

Th p a tical nd p p ula xp iti n f th S ip

The aim o f the se exp o sitio ns was t o p o p ulariz e Bib e l

Associate Dean Bio/e Instit ute of Los

A utﬁ or of Gr ea t D o ctr ine: of tb e B ible, “ P er sona l

C icago : 1 7 No rth Wab ash Ave

To ro nto : 2 5 Richmo nd S treet, W .

Lo nd o n 21 Paterno ster S quare

T is the purp o se o f this vo lume as o f tho se to fo l

in a p o pul ar and pr actical as well as an auth o ritative

o rig i nal Hebrew in the prep ar ati o n o f the m atter co m

p osing thes e b oo ks o f the P e ntateuch altho ugh the reader

is no t co nfro nted and c o nfused by the appe ar ance o f the

th at the ex p o siti o n will appeal to bo th mi nister and lay

Genesis has received a much fuller tr eatment than any

the who le B ible It co ntai ns in seed and germ all the

great truths develo ped in all the b o o ks that fo ll o w it .

Genesis is the boo k o f begi nni ngs in a very real sense) .

A g ai n ce rtai n events ar e p assed o ver in the ex p o siti o n if

they have been dealt with in a precedi ng b o o k If any .

new features ar e emph as ized in the sec o nd acco u nt refer

fo re taki ng up the m o re mi nute e xp o siti o n . Time thu s

This i niti al v o lume o f the seri es is se nt o ut with the

earnest prayer th at Go d will thro ugh its p ages lead the

Part I The Hist o ry o f the Human R ace

Part II . The His to ry o f the Patriarchs

The Bo o k o fExo dus

The Bo o k o fLe viticus

The Law f the O ﬁ erings— Ded c at o n— The i i Way

II . The Law o fthe Priestho o d — M di ti n ( C h p

III . The Law s of Clean a nd Un l n Th W lk with

IV Cl ing E nt in M Life (Ch ps x i 1

II . THE R E LATIO N MA N TO GO D— S INLES S O F A ND S IN

2. Man as S inful and Fallen ( Chap .

III . THE R E LA IO N T O F MAN TO HIS FE LLO WME N

IV . THE DE VE LO P ME NT O F S IN H IN T E R ACE— THE

I . A BRAHAM THE F A T HE R o n THE F A ITHF U L (Ch aps

l The Fi st Manif stati n f G d t Ab raham

z. The S eco nd Manifestatio n o f Go d to Ab raham

Lo t— A S t udy in Bac ksl d ng— A no t er Epi ii h

The r d Man festat o n o f G o d to A b aham

Th e S eco nd E p so de — T he Batt e o f the Kin s

The Fo ur t Man festat o n o f Go d to A br a am

The F ft Man festat o n o f Go d to A bra am

The S t Man festat o n o f Go d to Ab a am

The S event Man festat o n o f Go d to Ab a h i i r

THE HIS TO RY O F IS A AC (Chaps . x xv . 1 9 -x x viii .

z . The Marriage o f Isaac ( Chap .

3 . Isaac s Career ( Chap x x vi 1 -2 2 , 2 3

T e Fir st Manif est atio n o f Go d to Isaac

Isaac— Beer -sheb a ( Chap xx vi 2 3 . .

4 . Isaac s Death (Chap x xx v 2 8,

III . THE HIS TO R Y O F J A CO B (Chaps . xx viii -x x x v

Padan-ar am— Re t ur n ( Chap .

The h r d Man festat o n o f G o d to

The Fo ur th Man festat o n o f Go d toi i J aco b

The F ft h Man fe stat o n o f Go d to

The Fo r go tt en V o w ( Chap v . xxx . 1