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Moses, the Servant of God
(in 2 parts)
"And they sing the Song of Moses the
servant of God,
and the Song of the Lamb, saying,
Great and marvellous are Thy works, LORD God Almighty;
Just and True are Thy ways, Thou King of Saints"
(Revelation 15:3).
Portions from the Pentateuch,
the King James Version by The Holy Spirit through Moses
with notes by Katie Stewart
PART ONE
---New
Window
PART TWO
Exodus
/ Chapter 19
Preparation to Meet with the LORD
n the third month, when the children
of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the
wilderness of Sinai. 2 For they were departed
from Rephidim, and were come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness;
and there Israel camped before the mount.
|
|
3 And Moses went up unto God, |
7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid
before their faces all these Words which the LORD commanded him. 8 And all the people
answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses
returned the words of the people unto the LORD.
9 And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a
thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe
thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.
10 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify
them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes, 11 and be ready against the third day: for the third day the
LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai. 12 And
thou shalt set bounds unto the people round about, saying, Take heed to yourselves,
that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it: whosoever toucheth the
mount shall be surely put to death: 13 there shall not an hand touch
it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or man, it
shall not live: when the trumpet soundeth long, they shall come up to the mount."
In Exodus 32:9, the Record of these people stands forever formed in the opinion of
God Himself. "The LORD said unto Moses,
I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people." These people were much worse than just being "forgetful hearer[s]" (James 1:25), they were "forgetful
seers." Having seen with their own eyes their own deliverance
firsthand, and knowing Whose Hand had miraculously worked for them,
to then SO SOON have bewailed their freedom by condemning Moses for their desert
trials-- God righteously judged them as "stiffnecked".
"Die in the wilderness!" "Die in
the wilderness!" "Die in the wilderness!"
God knew these men would forever complain, and He knew that only two adult men (and
possibly their wives, although not mentioned) would enter the Promised Land, along
with the "then" children (who would do their growing during the time that
they "wandered in the wilderness" [Joshua 14:10] for forty years). God gave them "according
to [their] faith" (Matthew 9:29), "for the LORD
had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not
left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun" (Numbers 26:65).
It was to these people that the LORD GOD tried to impress with severity the importance
of His Holy Self. He wanted them to take Him seriously-- to FEAR Him! "Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you;
take heed and do it: for there is NO iniquity with the LORD our God" (2Chronicles 19:7). Hence, the warning: "Take
heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the mount, or touch the border of it:
whosoever toucheth the mount shall be surely put to DEATH: there shall not an hand
touch it, but he shall surely be stoned, or shot through; whether it be beast or
man, it SHALL NOT LIVE."
Fear Has Its Place
by C. H. Spurgeon
"Happy is the man that feareth alway" (Proverbs 28:14).
"The fear of the LORD is the beginning and the foundation of all true religion. Without a solemn awe and reverence of God there is no foothold for the more brilliant virtues. He whose soul does not worship will never live in holiness.
He is happy who feels a jealous fear of doing wrong. Holy fear looks not only before it leaps, but even before it moves. It is afraid of error, afraid of neglecting duty, afraid of committing sin. It fears ill company, loose talk, and questionable policy. This does not make a man wretched, but it brings him happiness. The watchful sentinel is happier than the soldier who sleeps at his post. He who foreseeth evil and escapes it is happier than he who walks carelessly on and is destroyed.
Fear of God is a quiet grace which leads a man along a choice road, of which it is written, 'No lion shall be there, neither shall any ravenous beast go up thereon.' Fear of the very appearance of evil is a purifying principle, which enables a man, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to keep his garments unspotted from the world. Solomon had tried both worldliness and holy fear: in the one he found vanity, in the other happiness. Let us not repeat his trial but abide by his verdict." --from "Faith's Checkbook" ---New Window. by C. H. Spurgeon ---New Window.
"14 And Moses went down
from the mount unto the people, and sanctified the people; and they washed their
clothes. 15 And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third
day: come not at your wives."
The people were to ready themselves to be presented before the LORD.
"16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 18 And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly. 19 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God answered him by a Voice."
"20 And the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of
the mount: and the LORD called Moses up to the top of the mount; and Moses went up.
21 And the LORD
said unto Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the LORD
to gaze, and many of them perish... 24 And the LORD said unto him,
Away, get thee down, and thou shalt come up, thou, and Aaron with thee: but let not
the priests and the people break through to come up unto the LORD, lest He break
forth upon them. 25
So Moses went down unto the people, and spake
unto them."
Exodus
/ Chapter 20
The Giving of the Ten Commandments
nd God spake all these Words, saying, 2
I Am the LORD thy God, which have brought
thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness
of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the Earth beneath, or that is
in the water under the Earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself
to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a Jealous God, visiting the iniquity
of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that
hate Me; 6
and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My Commandments.
7 Thou shalt not take the Name of the LORD thy God in vain;
for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain.
8 Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. 9 Six
days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 but the seventh day
is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy
son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy
stranger that is within thy gates: 11 for in six days the LORD made
heaven and Earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore
the LORD blessed the Sabbath Day, and hallowed it.
12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long
upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
13 Thou shalt not kill.
14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
15 Thou shalt not steal.
16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not
covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox,
nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's."
What the LORD is simply saying to Israel, and to anyone who follows after Him, "I Am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out
of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."
Love ME. Live for ME. Obey ME. "Love the
LORD thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL thy mind" (Matthew 22:37). [Please read D. L. Moody's
most excellent examination of "The
Ten Commandments" ---New Window.]
"18 And all the people
saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain
smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. 19 And
they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let NOT God speak
with us, lest we DIE. 20
And Moses said unto the people, Fear not: for
God is come to PROVE you, and that His fear may be before your faces, that ye
sin not. 21
And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew
near unto the thick darkness where God was. 22 And the LORD said
unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that
I have talked with you from heaven. 23 Ye shall not make
with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. 24 An
altar of Earth thou shalt make unto Me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings,
and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record
My Name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee."
God's purpose in visually showing Himself to these obstinate people, by means of
"the thunderings, and the lightnings,
and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking", and then "the thick
darkness where God was", He performed
that they might believe. "Ye have seen
that I have talked with you from heaven."
Why? "That His fear may be before your
faces, that ye sin not." What does a reverential
trust in God accomplish? No sinning!
Exodus
/ Chapter 24
nd the LORD said unto Moses, Come
up to Me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and
a Law, and Commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.
13 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went
up into the mount of God. 14
And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here
for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if
any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them. 15 And Moses went up
into the mount, and a Cloud covered the mount.
16 And the Glory of the LORD abode upon Mount Sinai, and the
Cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day He called unto Moses out of the midst
of the Cloud. 17
And the sight of the Glory of the LORD was
like DEVOURING FIRE on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.
18 And Moses went into the midst of the Cloud, and gat
him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights."
The LORD wanted to give the Children of Israel a test, a test which would prove openly
what lay at the core of their hearts. Moses has gone away from the camp. It appears--
by sight-- that he is not coming back. What will they do?
Exodus
/ Chapter 25
Preparation to Build the Tabernacle of the LORD
nd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring Me an
offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take
My offering. 3
And this is the offering which ye shall take
of them; gold, and silver, and brass, 4 and blue, and purple,
and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats' hair, 5 and rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins, and shittim
wood, 6 oil for the light,
spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, 7 onyx stones, and
stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate.
8 And let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among
them. 9 According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of
the Tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye
make it.
10 And they shall make an Ark of shittim wood: two cubits and
a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof, and
a cubit and a half the height thereof. 11 And thou shalt overlay
it with pure gold, within and without shalt thou overlay it, and shalt make upon
it a crown of gold round about. 12 And thou shalt cast four rings
of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be
in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it. 13 And thou shalt make
staves of shittim wood, and overlay them with gold.
14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides
of the Ark, that the Ark may be borne with them. 15 The staves shall
be in the rings of the Ark: they shall not be taken from it. 16 And thou shalt put
into the Ark the Testimony which I shall give thee.
17 And thou shalt make a Mercy Seat of pure gold: two cubits
and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work
shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the Mercy Seat. 19 And make one cherub
on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the Mercy Seat shall
ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. 20 And the cherubims
shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the Mercy Seat with their wings,
and their faces shall look one to another; toward the Mercy Seat shall the faces
of the cherubims be.
21 And thou shalt put the Mercy Seat above upon the Ark; and
in the Ark thou shalt put the Testimony that I shall give thee. 22 And there I will
meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the Mercy Seat,
from between the two cherubims which are upon the Ark of the Testimony, of all things
which I will give thee in Commandment unto the children of Israel."
Exodus
/ Chapter 31
nd the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
13 Speak thou
also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily My Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it
is a Sign
between Me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I Am the
LORD that doth SANCTIFY you."
We don't keep ourselves from sinning. We recognize the LORD's Will and Power-- we
FEAR Him (i.e., give Him reverential trust)-- and by our own freewill which He gave
to us, we put our wills into His keeping. We leave our wills in His keeping. And
for as long as we leave our wills in His keeping, we do NOT sin. "For it is God which worketh in you both to
will and to do of His Good Pleasure" (Philippians 2:13).
"14 Ye shall keep the
Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely
be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off
from among his people. 15
Six days may work be done; but in the seventh
is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath
Day, he shall surely be put to death. 16 Wherefore the children
of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations,
for a Perpetual Covenant. 17 It is a Sign between Me and
the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and Earth,
and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed.
18 And He gave unto Moses, when He had made an end of communing
with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of Testimony, tables of stone, written with
the Finger of God."
Exodus
/ Chapter 32
nd when the people saw that Moses
delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto
Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for
this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what
is become of him."
Obedience is based on love. If it's not for the love that we have for the LORD, then
it's NOT obedience. These rebellious children wasted no time in showing their true
colors. And Aaron seized the moment for his own aggrandizement.
"2 And Aaron said unto
them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your
sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.
3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were
in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4 And he received them
at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten
calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out
of the land of Egypt."
How could Aaron, knowing God the way he did, being an instrument in God's Own
Hand during the miracles performed in Egypt-- how could Aaron be so vile-- attributing
divinity to an object made with his own hand as the "GOD" "which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt"? Take heed. "Ye
therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being
led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness" (2Peter 3:17). Any man can fall. And if a man who has been used so mightily
by God can so quickly and easily fall-- so can you and I. "Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and
ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them" (Deuteronomy 11:16). Do a Bible study on "take
heed". The sheer number of verses
is a warning in itself!
"5 And when Aaron saw
it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow
is a feast to the LORD.
6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt
offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink,
and rose up to play.
7 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy
people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which
I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and
have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought
thee up out of the land of Egypt.
9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and,
behold, it is a stiffnecked people: 10 Now therefore let
Me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them:
and I will make of thee a great nation.
11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why
doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people, which Thou hast brought forth out of the
land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? 12 Wherefore should
the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did He bring them out, to slay them
in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the Earth? Turn from Thy fierce
wrath, and repent [not of sin, of course, but
to change His mind] of this evil against Thy
people."
Moses knew his people deserved God's just punishment,
but it was foremost in his mind that the LORD's reputation and glory among the heathen
that he interceded for Israel. Meekness defends God, and, remember, Moses was-- by
God's Own Mouth-- the meekest man "above
all the men which were upon the face of the Earth"
(Numbers 12:3).
Moses also knew there was a Bigger Plan involved, and that there was a Covenant made
with Abraham, and being the meekest of men that he was-- defending God and not SELF--,
he shied away from the honour that God was ready to give him. "I will make of thee a great nation."
Pleading with God, presenting your argument or case before Him, was best described by A. T. Pierson ---New Window, concerning God's prayer warrior, George Mueller ---New Window --
"George Müller stored up reasons for God's intervention. As he came upon promises, authorized declarations of God concerning Himself, names and titles He had chosen to express and reveal His true nature and will, injunctions and invitations which gave to the believer a right to pray and boldness in supplication-- as he saw all these, fortified and exemplified by the instances of prevailing prayer, he laid these arguments up in memory, and then on occasions of great need brought them out and spread them before a prayer-hearing God. It is pathetically [pathos, or compassionately] beautiful to follow this humble man of God into the secret place, and there hear him pouring out his soul in these argumentative pleadings, as though he would so order his cause before God as to convince Him that He must interpose to save His own name and word from dishonour!"--from "Pleading With God and Argument in Prayer" by A. T. Pierson, taken from "George Müller of Bristol," chapter 10: "The Word of God and Prayer."
"13 Remember Abraham,
Isaac, and Israel, Thy servants, to whom Thou swarest by Thine Own Self, and saidst
unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that
I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
14 And the LORD repented of the evil which He thought to do
unto His people."
As we mentioned before, when Scripture talks about God repenting, it is not for sin,
of course, but simply that God is changing His mind. "The
Judge of all the Earth" (Genesis
18:25) has the right to change His Omnipotent
Mind.
"Just as Jeremiah threatened God's judgment upon Jerusalem, i.e., '4 If ye will not hearken to Me, to walk in My Law, which I have set before you... 6 Then will I make this house like Shiloh, and will make this city a curse to all the nations of the Earth' (Jeremiah 26:4,6), Micah had previously pronounced the certainty that 'Jerusalem shall become heaps' (26:18) to Hezekiah-- who believed him and caused reformation in the land.
The point was that Micah had pronounced the certainty of judgment against the land during Hezekiah's reign in Jerusalem. Micah prophesied that the 'LORD cometh [present tense, is coming] forth out of His place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the Earth' (Micah 1:3). The result will be that 'Jerusalem shall become heaps' (3:12). Hezekiah led Judah in repentance before the prophecy could be fulfilled. 'Notwithstanding Hezekiah humbled himself for the pride of his heart, both he and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the wrath of the LORD came not upon them in the days of Hezekiah' (2Chronicles 32:26). But, who was complaining about the lack of fulfillment of Jerusalem's destruction, since 'the LORD repented Him of the evil which He had pronounced against them' (Jeremiah 26:19)? A situation had developed which changed God's mind... As the LORD of All the Earth (Joshua 3:13) is sovereign in His judgments, He is completely justified in holding back the fulfillment of a prophecy-- that He promised by the mouth of His prophets. 'And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that He had said that He would do unto them; and He did it not' (Jonah 3:10). God can rightly and sovereignly change His mind about the fulfillment of something He said He would do. 'And the LORD repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people' (Exodus 32:14)."--from "How to Identify A False Prophet" ---New Window by Tom Stewart.
"15 And Moses turned,
and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the Testimony were in his hand:
the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were
they written. 16
And the tables were the work of God, and the
writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted,
he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. 18 And he said, It is
not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that
cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.
19
And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh
unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot,
and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in
the fire, and ground it to powder, and strowed it upon the water, and made the children
of Israel drink of it.
21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee,
that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?
22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou
knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. 23 For they said unto
me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought
us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 24 And I said unto them,
Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast
it into the fire, and there came out this calf."
Aaron spends a lot of time blaming others for his own sin. This is NOT repentance.
How he makes what he did sound so simplistic. "I
cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf."
He makes it appear that this calf just happened miraculously. "Godly sorrow"
(2Corinthians 7:10)
in a man is the picture of abasement, self-denunciation, and reproach. There is no
excuse for sin and the man of "Godly sorrow" makes no excuse whatever for his own sin. He freely admits
his hatred of God and deeply feels he is the "chief" of "sinners" (1Timothy 1:15). [Please read "How to Deal with Backsliders" ---New
Window, for a picture of what Biblical sorrow demonstrates.]
The Deuteronomy Account of the Breaking of the Tables
(Deuteronomy 9:16-20) "16 And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD had commanded you. 17 And I took the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and brake them before your eyes. 18 And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. 19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also. 20 And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time."
"25 And when Moses saw
that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame
among their enemies:) 26
then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and
said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of
Levi gathered themselves together unto him."
Separation... a fact in this world as demonstrated clearly in our next world. "There is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would
pass from hence [Heaven] to you [in Hell] cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from
thence" (Luke
16:26). Only the pure in heart live with God
in Heaven. "Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God" (Matthew
5:8). The impure cannot enter the Gates Beautiful,
for "there shall in no wise enter into
it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie" (Revelation 21:2).Those who will not separate from this world now will be
separated into Hell later. "32 And
before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another,
as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 and He shall set
the sheep on His Right Hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King
say unto them on His Right Hand, Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world... 41 Then shall He say
also unto them on the left hand, Depart from Me, ye cursed, into Everlasting Fire,
prepared for the Devil and his angels... 46 And these shall go
away into Everlasting Punishment: but the righteous into Life Eternal" (Matthew 25:32-34,41,46).
"In January, 1834, all teachers who were not believers were dismissed from the Sunday-school; and, in the Dorcas Society, only believing sisters were accepted to make clothes for the destitute. The reason was that it had been found unwise and unwholesome to mix up or yoke together believers and unbelievers... Such association proved a barrier to spiritual converse and injurious to both classes, fostering in the unbelievers a false security, ensnaring them in a delusive hope that to help in Christian work might somehow atone for rejection of Jesus Christ as a Saviour, or secure favour from God and an open door into heaven. No doubt all this indiscriminate association of children of God with children of the world in a 'mixed multitude' is unscriptural. Unregenerate persons are tempted to think there is some merit at least in mingling with worshippers and workers, and especially in giving to the support of the gospel and its institutions. The devil seeks to persuade such that it is acceptable to God to conform externally to religious rites and forms, and take part in outward acts of service and sacrifice, and that He will deal leniently with them, despite their unbelief and disobedience. Mr. Mueller and Mr. Craik felt keenly that this danger existed and that even in minor matters there must be a line of separation, for the sake of all involved." --from "George Mueller of Bristol" by A. T. Pierson ---New Window, chapter 21: "The Church Life and Growth."
"27 And he said unto
them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and
go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother,
and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.
28 And the children
of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day
about three thousand men. 29
For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to
day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow
upon you a blessing this day.
30 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto
the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure
I shall make an atonement for your sin.
31 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people
have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. 32 Yet now, if Thou
wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy Book
which Thou hast written."
A meek man defends God, not himself. Moses executed judgment, in God's behalf, and
slew a great number of the idolaters. "And
there fell of the people that day about three thousand men." Of those remaining, Moses makes intercession for them to the LORD.
"Peradventure I shall make an atonement
for your sin." He was hoping that the
whole nation wouldn't need to die. There was still a Covenant; there was still a
witness. But most of all, there was still the Glory of the LORD to be honoured. A
debt for sin still needed to be met. God's Glory demanded retribution. His Law required
it and it must be paid. Moses offered himself, in Christ-like fashion, as a substitute
for the sin of his nation. "Blot me,
I pray Thee, out of Thy Book." The
Apostle Paul felt the same way when he said, "2 I
have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3 For I could wish
that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according
to the flesh" (Romans
9:2-3). They were willing to pay an
Eternal Death for others! (What trophies are Moses and Paul
as everlasting testaments to the Inner Working of God's Great Love!) A debt truly
needed to be paid. "Let them be blotted
out of the Book of the Living, and not be written with the Righteous" (Psalm 69:28). But Moses and Paul-- as willing to substitute themselves
as they were that "God's chosen people" not be blotted out of the Book
of Life forever-- had not, in themselves, that Divine Ability and Power needed to
accomplish that selfless goal. That is exactly why Christ Jesus died. No one else
could pay that amount! Each man is liable for his own debt, and his own Eternal Punishment
could only cover his own sin. Only God Himself, the Perfect Sacrifice, Who had NO
debt for personal sin Himself, Who had the Omnipotence that only The Creator has,
only He could pay the debt for others. And He did! "He
died for ALL, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but
unto Him which died for them, and rose again"
(2Corinthians 5:15).
"For God so Loved THE WORLD, that He gave
His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,
but have Everlasting Life" (John 3:16). [Please
read, "The Heart of
the Gospel"
---New Window, by A.
T. Pierson, (1837-1911),
to understand how God accomplished this amazing Gift for us. And also, see our "Jehovah Jesus" section
---New Window for more
on THE CROSS, and our "Topical
Links On Salvation" ---New Window for help
in receiving your own Paid Gift.]
"33 And the LORD said
unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of
My Book. 34 Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which
I have spoken unto thee: behold, Mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in
the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.
35 And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf,
which Aaron made."
Exodus
/ Chapter 33
nd the LORD said unto Moses, Depart,
and go up hence, thou and the people which thou hast brought up out of the land of
Egypt, unto the land which I sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying,
Unto thy seed will I give it: 2 and
I will send an angel before thee; and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite,
and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite: 3 unto a land flowing
with milk and honey: for I will not go up in the midst of thee; for thou art a stiffnecked
people: lest I consume thee in the way. 4 And when the people
heard these evil tidings, they mourned: and no man did put on him his ornaments. 5
For the LORD had said unto Moses, Say unto
the children of Israel, Ye are a stiffnecked people: I will come up into the midst
of thee in a moment, and consume thee: therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee,
that I may know what to do unto thee. 6 And the children
of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments by the Mount Horeb. 7 And
Moses took the Tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp, afar off from the camp,
and called it the Tabernacle of the Congregation. And it came to pass, that every
one which sought the LORD went out unto the Tabernacle of the Congregation, which
was without the camp. 8
And it came to pass, when Moses went out unto
the Tabernacle, that all the people rose up, and stood every man at his tent door,
and looked after Moses, until he was gone into the Tabernacle.
Return to Exodus 8-- "Note"."9 And
it came to pass, as Moses entered into the Tabernacle, the Cloudy Pillar descended,
and stood at the door of the Tabernacle, and the LORD talked with Moses. 10 And
all the people saw the Cloudy Pillar stand at the Tabernacle door: and all the people
rose up and worshipped, every man in his tent door. 11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man
speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant
Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the Tabernacle."
No earthbound man, not even Moses, has ever seen the face of God the Father. Who's
face "no man can approach unto; Whom no
man hath seen, nor can see: to Whom be honour and Power everlasting" (1Timothy 6:16), but Who is seen ONLY with the heart, this is "FAITH IN GOD"
(Mark 11:22).
And yet... "the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend." The Father in Heaven spoke to Moses as "face to face" as any earthbound man can. And the Father spoke as warmly and intimately as the Best Friend of any friends any man has ever had
"12 And Moses said unto
the LORD, See, Thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and Thou hast not let me
know whom Thou wilt send with me. Yet Thou hast said, 'I know thee by name, and thou
hast also found grace in My sight.' 13 Now therefore, I pray Thee,
if I have found grace in Thy sight, show me now Thy way, that I may know Thee, that
I may find grace in Thy sight: and consider that this nation is Thy people.
14 And He said, My Presence shall go with thee, and I will
give thee rest.
15 And
he said unto Him, If Thy Presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. 16 For wherein shall it be
known here that I and Thy people have found grace in Thy sight? is it not in that
Thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and Thy people, from all the
people that are upon the face of the Earth.
17 And
the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou
hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name."
What makes God's people different from all other people in the world? He goes WITH
us! "Behold, a virgin shall be with Child,
and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His Name Emmanuel, which being interpreted
is, God with us" (Matthew
1:23).
This art print, "The Word of the Lord" by Arnold Friberg
is provided courtesy of Christ-Centered Art ---New Window
"18 And he said, I beseech Thee, show me Thy Glory.
19 And He said, I will make ALL My GOODNESS pass before thee,
and I will proclaim the Name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom
I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20
And he said, Thou canst NOT see My face: for
there shall no man see Me, and live. 21 And the LORD said,
Behold, there is a place by Me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: 22
and it shall come to pass, while My Glory passeth
by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with My hand
while I pass by: 23 And I will take away
Mine hand, and thou shalt see My back parts: but My face shall not be seen."
So it was that Moses, while on this Earth, did NOT see the Father's face, even though,
as Scripture tells us, Moses did speak with the LORD (i.e., "the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto
his friend") on the friendliest terms
that man can possibly be with Almighty God. Moses did not see the Father's face,
yet I will ask, "What man in the flesh has ever seen any part of the
Heavenly Father's spiritual body?" What human, while in the flesh of this life,
has ever been as honoured by the Father, in this manner, as Moses was that day in
the "clift of the rock"? "Canst thou
by searching find out God?" (Job 11:7). "Who only hath Immortality, dwelling in the Light which no man
can approach unto; Whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to Whom be honour and power
everlasting. Amen" (1Timothy
6:16).
"And the LORD said unto Moses,
I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken:
for thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name."
Exodus
/ Chapter 34
nd the LORD said unto Moses, Hew
thee two tables of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables
the Words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. 2 And be ready in the
morning, and come up in the morning unto Mount Sinai, and present thyself there to
Me in the top of the mount. 3
And no man shall come up with thee, neither
let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed
before that mount.
4 And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first; and
Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto Mount Sinai, as the LORD had
commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone.
5 And the LORD descended in the Cloud, and stood with him
there, and proclaimed the Name of the LORD.
6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed,
The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness
and Truth, 7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression
and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity
of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third
and to the fourth generation.
8 And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the Earth,
and worshipped. 9
And he said, If now I have found grace in Thy
sight, O LORD, let my LORD, I pray Thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people;
and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Thine inheritance.
10 And He said, Behold, I make a Covenant: before all thy people
I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the Earth, nor in any nation:
and all the people among which thou art shall see the Work of the LORD: for it is
a terrible thing that I will do with thee.
11 Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold,
I drive out before thee the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the
Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the
inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of
thee: 13 but ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and
cut down their groves: 14
for thou shalt worship no other god: for
the LORD, whose Name is Jealous, is a jealous God: 15 lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land,
and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one
call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; 16 and thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their
daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their
gods. 17 Thou shalt make thee
no molten gods. 18 The feast of unleavened
bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded
thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.
19 All that openeth the matrix is Mine; and every firstling
among thy cattle, whether ox or sheep, that is male. 20 But the firstling
of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou
break his neck. All the firstborn of thy sons thou shalt redeem. And none shall appear
before Me empty. 21 Six days thou shalt
work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou
shalt rest. 22
And thou shalt observe the feast of weeks,
of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of ingathering at the year's end.
23 Thrice in the year shall all your menchildren appear before
the LORD GOD, the God of Israel. 24 For
I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any
man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice
in the year. 25 Thou shalt not
offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven
[Biblically symbolic of sin]; neither shall
the sacrifice of the feast of the Passover be left unto the morning. 26
The first of the firstfruits of thy land thou
shalt bring unto the house of the LORD thy God. Thou shalt not seethe a kid in his
mother's milk. 27 And the LORD said
unto Moses, Write thou these Words: for after the tenor of these Words I have made
a Covenant with thee and with Israel.
28 And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights;
he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the
Words of the Covenant, the Ten Commandments.
29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai
with the two tables of Testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount,
that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. 30
And when Aaron and all the children of Israel
saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh
him. 31 And Moses called
unto them; and Aaron and all the rulers of the congregation returned unto him: and
Moses talked with them. 32 And afterward all
the children of Israel came nigh: and he gave them in Commandment all that the LORD
had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. 33 And
till Moses had done speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. 34
But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak
with Him, he took the veil off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto
the children of Israel that which he was commanded. 35 And the children
of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put
the veil upon his face again, until he went in to speak with Him."
"One result of communion with God is to make us tender of all that respects God's honor. Moses forgot himself; he had no room for thought of self; hence God was able to clothe him with a halo of glory. An earthly king likes to clothe his servants in fine robes, and God is pleased when we enable him to bless us. -- ANDREW A. BONAR." --from "For Each New Day"
Moses' face shone with the Glory of the LORD as a visible warning to the people that Moses had truly been with the LORD. Therefore, the Words which Moses gave the people, were God's Words, commanded by God, and were to be obeyed.
"20 The Redeemer shall
come to Zion,
and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD.
21 As
for Me, this is My Covenant with them, saith the LORD;
My Spirit that is upon thee, and My Words which I have put in thy mouth,
shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed,
nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD,
from henceforth and for ever.
1 Arise, shine; for thy Light is come, and the Glory of the
LORD is risen upon thee.
2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the Earth, and gross
darkness the people:
but the LORD shall arise upon thee,
and His Glory shall be seen upon thee"
(Isaiah 59:20-60:2).
"For God, Who commanded the Light to shine
out of darkness,
hath shined in our hearts,
to give the Light of the Knowledge of the Glory of God
in the face of Jesus Christ"
(2Corinthians 4:6).
Exodus
/ Chapter 40
nd
the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 On the first day of the first month shalt thou set up the Tabernacle
of the tent of the congregation. 3 And thou shalt put therein
the Ark of the Testimony, and cover the Ark with the veil.
4 And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the
things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick,
and light the lamps thereof. 5 And thou shalt set the altar
of gold for the incense before the Ark of the Testimony, and put the hanging of the
door to the Tabernacle. 6
And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering
before the door of the Tabernacle of the tent of the congregation. 7 And thou shalt set
the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water
therein. 8 And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up
the hanging at the court gate. 9 And thou shalt take the anointing
oil, and anoint the Tabernacle, and all that is therein, and shalt hallow it, and
all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy."
With all the ceremony, the impression that the LORD intended to make upon His people
was, "Be ye holy; for I Am Holy" (1Peter 1:16). Don't take the LORD for granted! He is God Almighty and
DESERVES to be obeyed. "Sanctify yourselves
therefore, and be ye holy: for I Am the LORD your God" (Leviticus 20:7). Treat the LORD God with an especial respect. Go the extra mile
for Him. No one justifies more of your attention nor is more worthy of your resources.
"Neither will I offer burnt offerings
unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing" (2Samuel 24:24).
"13 And thou shalt put
upon Aaron the holy garments, and anoint him, and sanctify him; that he may minister
unto Me in the priest's office. 14 And thou shalt bring his sons,
and clothe them with coats: 15 and thou shalt anoint them,
as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto Me in the priest's
office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout
their generations.
16 Thus did Moses: according to ALL that the LORD commanded
him, so did he."
|
"18 And Moses reared
up the Tabernacle, |
|
nd the LORD called unto Moses, and
spake unto him out of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If
any man of you bring an offering unto the LORD, ye shall bring your offering of the
cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. 3 If his offering be
a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall
offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation
before the LORD. 4 And he shall put
his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to
make atonement for him."This is the blood of the Testament which God hath enjoined unto you.
21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the Tabernacle, and all the
vessels of the ministry. 22 And almost all things
are by the Law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things
in the Heavens should be purified with these; but the Heavenly Things themselves
with better sacrifices than these. 24 For
Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures
of the True; but into Heaven itself, now to appear in the Presence of God for
us: 25 nor yet that He should
offer Himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every
year with blood of others; 26 for then must He often
have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now ONCE in the end of
the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of Himself" (Hebrews 9:19-26).
"For Christ also hath once suffered
for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God" (1Peter 3:18). The "Atonement" is "at-one-ment" with God through the unselfish
Sacrifice made by Jesus Christ. "We also
JOY in God through our LORD Jesus Christ, by Whom we have now received The Atonement" (Romans 5:11).The fact that the word "atonement" is used only once in the New Testament testifies
to the completeness of the act. "10 We
are sanctified through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all...
12 But this Man, after He had offered One Sacrifice
for sins for ever, sat down on the Right Hand of God... 14 for by One Offering
He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified"
(Hebrews 10:10,12,14).
"Who needeth NOT DAILY,
as those high priests,
to offer up sacrifice, first for His Own sins, and then for the people's:
for this He did once, when He offered up Himself"
(Hebrews 7:27).
"So Christ was once offered
to bear the sins of many;
and unto them that look for Him
shall He appear the Second Time without sin unto Salvation"
(Hebrews 9:28).
"Neither by the blood of goats and calves,
but by His Own Blood
He entered in once into the Holy Place,
having obtained Eternal Redemption for us"
(Hebrews 9:12).
If the Old Testament "patterns" and "figures" (Hebrews 9:23-24) instituted by Moses and repeated often by the priests by the offering up of the blood of animals, could work sanctification in God's people, then for us now, "how much MORE shall the BLOOD OF CHRIST, Who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, PURGE your conscience from dead works to SERVE the living God?" (Hebrews 9:14).
SIDE NOTE: A Plea to the Professing Christian Who Continues in Sin. Beloved reader, "whosoever abideth in Him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen Him, neither known Him" (1John 3:6). Your assurance in Christ is only as solid as your conscience will allow. "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, THEN have we confidence toward God" (1John 3:21). It's easy to claim Christ Jesus as your own, thereby thinking to escape the Eternal Punishment of Hell. But, "he that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked" (1John 2:6). God's Word says that the PROOF of your claim is seen in the life that you live. "He that saith, I know Him, and KEEPETH NOT His Commandments, is a liar, and the Truth is NOT in him" (1John 2:4). "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?... For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:20,26). Your "knowing"-- your "assurance"-- that you are a Christian is only a product of the Holy Spirit's testimony. "And hereby we do KNOW that we know Him, IF we keep His Commandments" (1John 2:3). And the Holy Spirit is given ONLY to those who obey Him. "The Holy Ghost, Whom God hath given to them that obey Him" (Acts 5:32). Yes, Christ died that you might live-- and yes, live now in Christ as well as eternally in Heaven-- but Christ also died that you would quit sin-- the present tense committing of it! "He that committeth sin is of the Devil; for the Devil sinneth from The Beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the Devil" (1John 3:8).
That a Christian is able to sin and can fall away, yes, that shamefully happens. But he cannot sin at the same time that the Word abides in him. "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not" (1John 5:18). The backslider has no right to the Name of Christ while in that sin. "Of how much SORER punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:29). But that a Christian continues in sin-- what right has he to even call himself a Christian? It's NOT a matter of losing your Salvation. Scripture is clear that no one can lose Life that is Eternal. "My Father, which gave them Me, is Greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's Hand" (John 10:29). But what present tense evidence is there that you EVER were a Christian? The following verses all demonstrate present tense obedience or disobedience-- and as far as man's eternal condition and knowledge are concerned, present tense defines the future.
- (John 15:10) "If ye keep My Commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father's Commandments, and abide in His love."
- (John 14:23) "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My Words: and My Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make Our abode with him."
- (John 14:15) "If ye love Me, keep My Commandments."
- (1Corinthians 8:3) "If any man love God, the same is known of Him."
- (1John 2:15) "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
- (1John 4:12) "If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in us."
- (1John 4:20) "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar."
Even in hoping what is yet to be, the present tense determines the future.
- (Psalm 80:3) "Turn us again, O God, and cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved."
- (Proverbs 28:18) "Whoso walketh uprightly shall be saved: but he that is perverse in his ways shall fall at once."
- (Mark 16:16) "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."
- (Acts 15:11) "But we believe that through the Grace of the LORD Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
- (Romans 5:9) "Much more then, being now justified by His Blood, we shall be saved from Wrath through Him."
"Brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye DO these things, ye shall never fall" (2Peter 1:10).
- (2Peter 3:17) "Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye KNOW these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness."
- (1Corinthians 10:12) "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."
- (Revelation 2:5) "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."
FAITH is alive. FAITH is present tense. "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in Truth. And hereby we KNOW that we are of the Truth, and shall ASSURE our hearts before Him" (1John 3:18). What excuse can there possibly be for professing Christians to continue in sin? "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the Living God" (Hebrews 3:12). With The Gift that Christ Jesus paid for, there is NO excuse for sin. "Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with HIS OWN BLOOD" (Hebrews 13:12). Therefore, beloved, "let us draw near with a TRUE heart in FULL ASSURANCE of FAITH, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience" (Hebrews 10:22). And "keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the Mercy of our LORD Jesus Christ unto Eternal Life" (Jude 1:21).
"And we know that the Son of God is come,
and hath given us an understanding,
that we may KNOW Him that is True, and we ARE IN Him that is True,
even in His Son Jesus Christ.
This is the True God, and Eternal Life"
(1John 5:20).
NUMBERS
Numbers
/ Chapter 11
nd when the people complained, it
displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and His anger was kindled; and the fire
of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts
of the camp. 2
And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses
prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched.
3 And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the
fire of the LORD burnt among them. 4 And
the mixed multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of
Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 5
We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt
freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic: 6
but now our soul is dried away: there is
nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes."
"7 And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour
thereof as the colour of bdellium. 8 And
the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it
in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of
it was as the taste of fresh oil."
In the Scriptures, oil is often identified with the Holy Spirit.
"9 And when the dew
fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.
10 Then Moses heard the people weep throughout their families,
every man in the door of his tent: and the anger of the LORD was kindled greatly;
Moses also was displeased.
11 And Moses said unto the LORD, Wherefore hast Thou afflicted
Thy servant? and wherefore have I not found favour in Thy sight, that Thou
layest the burden of all this people upon me?
12 Have I conceived all this people? have I begotten them,
that Thou shouldest say unto me, Carry them in thy bosom, as a nursing father beareth
the sucking child, unto the land which thou swarest unto their fathers? 13
Whence should I have flesh to give unto all
this people? for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh, that we may eat. 14 I
am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. 15 And
if Thou deal thus with me, kill me, I pray Thee, out of hand, if I have found favour
in Thy sight; and let me not see my wretchedness.
16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Gather unto Me seventy men
of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers
over them; and bring them unto the Tabernacle of the Congregation, that they may
stand there with thee. 17 And I will come down
and talk with thee there: and I will take of the Spirit which is upon thee, and will
put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou
bear it not thyself alone.
18 And say thou unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against
to morrow, and ye shall eat flesh: for ye have wept in the ears of the LORD, saying,
Who shall give us flesh to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt: therefore
the LORD will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. 19 Ye shall not eat
one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; 20 but
even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto
you: because that ye have despised the LORD which is among you, and have wept before
Him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt?
21 And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred
thousand footmen; and Thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a
whole month. 22
Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for
them, to suffice them? or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered together for
them, to suffice them?
23 And the LORD said unto Moses, Is the LORD'S hand waxed short?
thou shalt see now whether My Word shall come to pass unto thee or not.
24 And Moses went out, and told the people the Words of the
LORD, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round
about the Tabernacle. 25
And the LORD came down in a cloud, and spake
unto him, and took of the Spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy
elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied,
and did not cease.
"31 And there went forth
a Wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp,
as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other
side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the Earth.
32 And the people stood up all that day, and all that night,
and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered
ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. 33
And while the flesh was yet between their
teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and
the LORD smote the people with a very great plague. 34 And He called the
name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that
lusted."
Numbers
/ Chapter 12
Return to Exodus 3.
nd Miriam and Aaron spake against
Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian
woman. 2 And they said, Hath
the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath He not spoken also by us? And the
LORD heard it."
When we commit sin, as Miriam and Aaron so
arrogantly did here, it should cause us to tremble and quake to the point of repentance,
that "the LORD heard it."
"3 (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which
were upon the face of the Earth.) 4 And the LORD spake
suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto
the Tabernacle of the Congregation. And they three came out."
True meekness defends God-- not self. And being the meekest man "above all the men which were upon the face of the Earth", as credited by God, Himself, Moses certainly didn't defend
himself. He also didn't need to-- for the Meekest Being in Existence was about to
defend him, and as none else could. "Come
out ye three", "suddenly" determines the LORD, preparing the way, as Defense Attorney
in the case of His servant, Moses. And then, acting also as "the Judge of all the Earth"
(Genesis 18:25),
He calls the two offenders to stand before Him.
"5 And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood
in the door of the Tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth.
6 And He said, Hear now MY Words: If there be a prophet among
you, I the LORD will make Myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto
him in a dream."
To any "ordinary" prophet of the LORD, Divine communication comes "unto him in a vision"
or "in a dream". Not so with Moses. He was NOT your "ordinary" prophet!
"7 My servant Moses
is NOT so, who is FAITHFUL in all Mine house. 8 With him will I speak
mouth to mouth, even apparently, and NOT in dark speeches; and the
similitude of the LORD shall he behold: WHEREFORE THEN were ye not afraid to
speak against My servant Moses?"
With great restraint, the LORD presides over the offenders, not allowing them the
freedom of opening "excuses" nor closing "arguments." His anger
kindles, and He leaves them with the Judgment already executed.
"9 And the anger of
the LORD was kindled against them; and He departed. 10 And the cloud departed
from off the Tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron
looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous."
"11 And Aaron said unto
Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done
foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. 12 Let her not be as
one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb."
What does the meekest man on Earth do?
"13 And Moses cried unto
the LORD, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech Thee."
He intercedes to the LORD for the person who offended him. And the LORD hears a meek
man, for "the meek shall inherit the Earth" (Psalm 37:11).
"14 And the LORD said
unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven
days? let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received
in again. 15 And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the
people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again."
Numbers
/ Chapter 20
Return to Exodus 5.
hen came the children of Israel,
even the whole congregation, into the desert of Zin in the first month: and the people
abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there."
We have reached the point in this recounting of Moses where the great servant of
the LORD, and his siblings, are ending their sojourning on this Earth.
"2 And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered
themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.
3 And the people chided with Moses, and spake, saying, Would
God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! 4
And why have ye brought up the congregation
of the LORD into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? 5 And
wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this
evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates;
neither is there any water to drink.
6 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly
unto the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and they fell upon their faces:
and the Glory of the LORD appeared unto them.
7 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 8 Take the rod, and
gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye
unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt
bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and
their beasts drink.
9 And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as He commanded
him. 10 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before
the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out
of this rock? 11 And Moses lifted
up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came
out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also."
Moses disobeyed the LORD. God told him to speak to the rock, not to hit it twice.
It would have been more glorifying to the LORD, and had a more sanctifying effect
on the people, if Moses had obeyed the LORD and brought forth the water from the
rock by merely speaking the words. The LORD knew what effect He wanted. If He had
wanted His servant to strike the rock, He would have told him so. But the children
of Israel had provoked Moses to wrath and disobedience.
"12 And the LORD spake
unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me NOT, to SANCTIFY Me in the eyes of
the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the
land which I have given them. 13 This is the water of Meribah,
because the children of Israel strove with the LORD...
23 And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in Mount Hor, by
the coast of the land of Edom, saying, 24 Aaron
shall be gathered unto his people: for he shall NOT enter into the land which I have
given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against My Word at the water
of Meribah... 28
And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and
put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount: and
Moses and Eleazar came down from the mount. 29 And when all the
congregation saw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all
the house of Israel."
More will be said of Moses' punishment and death subsequently.
Numbers
/ Chapter 25
Return to Exodus 3.
nd Israel abode in Shittim, and
the people began to commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab. 2
And they called the people unto the sacrifices
of their gods: and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods. 3 And
Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against
Israel. 4 And the LORD said
unto Moses, Take all the heads of the people, and hang them up before the LORD against
the sun, that the fierce anger of the LORD may be turned away from Israel. 5 And
Moses said unto the judges of Israel, Slay ye every one his men that were joined
unto Baalpeor. 6
And, behold, one of the children of Israel
came and brought unto his brethren a MIDIANITISH woman in the sight of Moses,
and in the sight of all the congregation of the children of Israel, who were
weeping before the door of the Tabernacle of the Congregation."
The insult of this man "of Israel", in his bold impudence and disrespect of God's Law, to
shamelessly and intentionally affront God Almighty was more than Phinehas, the grandson
of Aaron, was willing to endure. His outrage at the disgrace and insolence of a fellow
Hebrew against their Most Patient and Compassionate God, burned in his breast and
impelled him to immediate judgment.
"7 And when Phinehas,
the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the
congregation, and took a javelin in his hand;
8 and he went after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust
both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her belly. So the
plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
9 And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.
10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 11 Phinehas, the son
of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned My wrath away from the children
of Israel, while he was zealous for My sake among them, that I consumed not
the children of Israel in My jealousy. 12 Wherefore say, Behold,
I give unto him My Covenant of Peace: 13 and he shall have
it, and his seed after him, even the Covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because
he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel."
Numbers
/ Chapter 27
Return to Exodus 5.
nd the LORD said unto Moses, Get
thee up into this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children
of Israel. 13
And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt
be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. 14 For ye rebelled
against My Commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation,
to sanctify Me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh
in the wilderness of Zin."
The LORD God demands holiness from His people. "Ye
shall be holy unto Me: for I the LORD am Holy, and have severed you from other people,
that ye should be Mine" (Leviticus
20:26).
Moses allowed the sin of the people to embitter him, causing him to sin. "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled" (Hebrews 12:15). There is NO excuse for sin. Yes, Moses was provoked by a "stiffnecked people" (Exodus 32:9), but that's why it was all the more important for him to NOT SIN before them. He was God's representative. Aaron and Moses stood in the place of God before these people. "And he [Aaron] shall be thy [Moses'] spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God" (Exodus 4:16). Moses was supposed to justify God's Wisdom in choosing him as their leader. He let God down. Moses did not "sanctify" the LORD before the people when he chose to satisfy his own pride. In this sin, Moses was NOT a meek man-- he did not defend God instead of himself. Yes, it was only one sin. But, "whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of ALL" (James 2:10). A Holy God cannot tolerate even one sin. But even more, this one sin was committed in front of the whole congregation, therefore the punishment had to be equal to the crime. "Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear" (1Timothy 5:20). Therefore, Moses could not lead his people into the Promised Land, even though God had forgiven him. "32 They angered him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes: 33 because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips" (Psalm 106:32-33).
"'As much a lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.' --Romans xii. 18. A lady who was somewhat quick-tempered, but was very desirous of becoming a Christian, once said to me, 'Mr. Peploe, I assure you there is no fault in my case, because I never lose my temper unless I am provoked!' No, and I do not think the devil does! To lose your temper shows that you are out of communion with your blessed Lord. If the peace of Christ ruled in our hearts, we could never again be provoked. Think of that! Moses was so provoked that he spoke unadvisedly, and yet he was the meekest man that ever lived. But Moses had not the risen Christ to dwell in his heart. Be not discouraged or fear lest you may fall to-morrow. You need only live one moment at a time. Can Christ keep you this minute in a good temper? Then he can keep you the next moment, and the next, and so on forever. He can keep you in peace amid the severest trials, even such as he had to bear-- in loss of friends, in persecution, in death. -- H. W. WEBB-PEPLOE." --from "For Each New Day"
"15 And Moses spake unto
the LORD, saying, 16
Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all
flesh, set a man over the congregation, 17 which may go out before them, and which may go in before
them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation
of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.
18 And the LORD said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of
Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; 19 and set him before
Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their
sight. 20 And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all
the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. 21 And he shall stand
before Eleazar the priest, who shall ask counsel for him after the judgment of Urim
before the LORD: at his word shall they go out, and at his word they shall come in,
both he, and all the children of Israel with him, even all the congregation.
22 And Moses did as the LORD commanded him: and he took Joshua,
and set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation: 23
And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him
a charge, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses.
DEUTERONOMY
Chapter 4
oses exhorted his people to
keep God's "Statutes and Judgments": "6 Keep
therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight
of the nations, which shall hear all these Statutes, and say, Surely this great nation
is a wise and understanding people. 7 For what nation is there so
great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that
we call upon Him for? 8
And what nation is there so great, that hath
Statutes and Judgments so righteous as all this Law, which I set before you this
day? 9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently,
lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from
thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons."
(Psalm 121:8)
"The LORD shall preserve thy going out
and thy coming in
from this time forth, and even for evermore."
"10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy
God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me,
Gather Me the people together, and I will make them hear My Words, that they may
learn to fear Me all the days that they shall live upon the Earth, and that they
may teach their children.
11 And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the
mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and
thick darkness. 12
And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst
of the fire: ye heard the Voice of the Words, but saw no similitude; only
ye heard a Voice. 13 And He declared unto
you His Covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even Ten Commandments;
and He wrote them upon two tables of stone. 14 And the LORD commanded
me at that time to teach you Statutes and Judgments, that ye might do them
in the land whither ye go over to possess it.
There is no substitution for obedience-- whether in the Old Testament or in the New
Testament.
"The core principle of Christianity is what? Faith? No; more than that, deeper yet than that; the core principle of practical Christianity is obedience-- obedience to Jesus Christ. The core principle in the commonwealth is obedience to law; the core principle in every well-regulated family is obedience to parental authority. I am afraid there is not so much of that old filial spirit as there used to be. When a boy has learned the difference between 'you may' and 'you must,' that boy has the first start in genuine manhood. Obedience is the first and the great thing in this school of life in which the Master has placed us. Has not the Master said, 'If ye love me, keep my commandments'? The motto for every Christian should be, 'Find out what Jesus Christ wants you to do, and then do it.' -- THEODORE L. CUYLER." --from "For Each New Day"
"15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves; for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the LORD spake unto you in Horeb out of the midst of the fire: 16 lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, [for the purpose of worship] 17 the likeness of any beast that is on the Earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, 18 the likeness of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters beneath the Earth: 19 and lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven. 20 But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto Him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day."
A quote from D. L. Moody:
"We might go off to other ages or other lands and find people who make images and bow down to them; but we have none here. Let us see if this is true. Let us step into the scales and see if we can turn them when weighed against this commandment.
I believe this is where the battle is fought. Satan tries to keep us from worshiping God aright, and from making Him first in everything. If I let some image made by man get into my heart and take the place of God the Creator, it is a Sin. I believe that Satan is willing to have us worship anything, however sacred- the Bible, the crucifix, the church- if only we do not worship God Himself.
You cannot find a place in the Bible where a man has been allowed to bow down and worship anyone but the God of heaven and Jesus Christ His Son. In the book of Revelation when an angel came down to John, he was about to fall down and worship him, but the angel would not let him. If an angel from heaven is not to be worshiped, when you find people bowing down to pictures, to images, even when they bow down to worship the cross, it is a sin. There are a great many who seem to be carried away with these things." --from "The Ten Commandments" ---New Window by D. L. Moody ---New Window
"21 Furthermore the LORD
was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should NOT go over Jordan, and
that I should NOT go in unto that good land, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for
an inheritance: 22
but I must DIE IN THIS land, I must not go
over Jordan: but ye shall go over, and possess that good land." [Read more on the issue concerning
Moses' punishment and death in Deuteronomy 32 and especially in chapter 34.]
"23 Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the Covenant
of the LORD your God, which He made with you, and make you a graven image, or the
likeness of any thing, which the LORD thy God hath forbidden thee. 24
For the LORD thy God is a Consuming Fire, even
a Jealous God. 25 When thou shalt beget
children, and children's children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, and
shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven image, or the likeness of any thing,
and shall do evil in the sight of the LORD thy God, to provoke Him to anger: 26 I
call Heaven and Earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly
perish from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall NOT
prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. 27 And the LORD shall
scatter you among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the
heathen, whither the LORD shall lead you. 28 And there ye shall
SERVE gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear,
nor eat, nor smell."
The LORD warned His people that if they FELL out of love with Him, that the sin of
worshipping idols would be their downfall. And God does give to "every man according as he purposeth in his heart" (2Corinthians 9:7).
"29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find Him, if thou seek Him with ALL thy heart and with ALL thy soul."
"30 When thou art in
Tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the Latter Days,
if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto His Voice; 31 (For the LORD thy God is
a Merciful God;) He will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the Covenant
of thy fathers which He sware unto them.
32 For ask now of the days that are past, which were before
thee, since the day that God created man upon the Earth, and ask from the one
side of Heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this
great thing is, or hath been heard like it?
33 Did ever people hear the Voice of God speaking out of
the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? 34 Or hath God assayed
to go and take Him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by
Signs, and by Wonders, and by war, and by a Mighty Hand, and by a Stretched Out Arm,
and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt
before your eyes? 35 Unto thee it was
showed, that thou mightest KNOW THAT THE LORD HE IS GOD; THERE IS NONE ELSE BESIDE
HIM. 36 Out of heaven He
made thee to hear His Voice, that He might instruct thee: and upon
Earth He showed thee His Great Fire; and thou heardest His Words out
of the midst of the fire.
37 And because He LOVED thy fathers, therefore He
CHOSE their seed after them, and brought thee out in His sight with His Mighty
Power out of Egypt; 38
to drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring
thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day.
39 Know therefore this day, and consider it
in thine heart, that the
LORD HE IS GOD IN HEAVEN ABOVE,
AND UPON THE EARTH BENEATH:
THERE IS NONE ELSE.
40 Thou shalt keep THEREFORE His Statutes, and His Commandments, which
I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after
thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the Earth, which the LORD thy God
giveth thee, for ever...
44 And
this is the Law which Moses set before the children of Israel: 45 these are the Testimonies, and the Statutes, and the Judgments,
which Moses spake unto the children of Israel, after they came forth out of Egypt.
Deuteronomy
/ Chapter 5
nd Moses called all Israel,
and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the Statutes and Judgments which I speak in your
ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. 2 The LORD our God
made a Covenant with us in Horeb. 3 The LORD made not this Covenant
with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. 4 The
LORD talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire, 5
(I stood between the LORD and you at that time,
to show you the Word of the LORD: for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went
not up into the mount;) saying,
6 I Am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land
of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 7 Thou
shalt have none other gods before Me."
Moses again read the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel.
"22 These Words the LORD
spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud,
and of the thick darkness, with a Great Voice: and He added no more. And He
wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me... 32 Ye shall observe
to do therefore as the LORD your God hath commanded you: ye shall not turn aside
to the right hand or to the left. 33 Ye
shall walk in all the Ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you,
that ye may live, and
that it may be well with you, and
that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess."
Blessings
come as the fruit of obedience. "This
thing commanded I them, saying, Obey My Voice, and I will be your God, and
ye shall be My people: and walk ye in all the Ways that I have commanded you, that
it may be well unto you" (Jeremiah 7:23). A loving God
commands only what is in your best interest. His Ways prosper His purposes, Heavens
purposes, and your purposes. But it takes agreement to have the same purposes. "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" (Amos 3:3). Heaven is Paradise because God resides there and all in residence
there agree with Him. They are blessed because their freewill chooses to obey what
God says is best for them. "As for God,
His Way is Perfect; the Word of the LORD is Tried: He is a Buckler to all them that
trust in Him" (2Samuel
22:31). And blessings follow obedience when
we seek that His "Will be done in Earth,
as it is in Heaven" (Matthew
6:10).
The Ten Commandments, when carefully considered, all relate either to man's treatment
of God or to his treatment of his fellow man. This is why the LORD Jesus said, "37 Thou shalt love the LORD thy
God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL thy mind. 38 This
is the First and Great Commandment. 39 And the Second is like unto
it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these Two Commandments
hang ALL the Law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40).
Deuteronomy
/ Chapter 6
ow these are the Commandments, the
Statutes, and the Judgments, which the LORD your God commanded to teach you, that
ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it:
2 that thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all His
Statutes and His Commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's
son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel,
and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily,
as the LORD God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with
milk and honey.
4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is One LORD: 5 and
thou shalt love the LORD thy God with ALL thine heart, and with ALL thy soul, and
with ALL thy might. 6 And these Words,
which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 and thou shalt
teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest
in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when
thou risest up... 10
And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall
have brought thee into the land which He sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac,
and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, 11 and
houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which
thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou
shalt have eaten and be full; 12 then BEWARE lest thou forget
the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of
bondage. 13 Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve Him, and shalt
swear by His Name. 14 Ye shall not go after
other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; 15 (For the LORD thy
God is a Jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against
thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the Earth.
Deuteronomy
/ Chapter 31
nd the LORD said unto Moses, Behold,
thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in
the Tabernacle of the Congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua
went, and presented themselves in the Tabernacle of the Congregation. 15 And
the LORD appeared in the Tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the
cloud stood over the door of the Tabernacle.
16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep
with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods
of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake
Me, and break My Covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then My anger shall
be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My
face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall
them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because
our God is not among us? 18
And I will surely hide My face in that day
for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other
gods. 19 Now therefore write ye this Song for you, and teach it
the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this Song may be a witness
for Me against the children of Israel. 20 For when I shall
have brought them into the land which I sware unto their fathers, that floweth with
milk and honey; and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and waxen fat; then
will they turn unto other gods, and serve them, and provoke Me, and break My Covenant.
21 And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles
are befallen them, that this Song shall testify against them as a witness;
for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination
which they go about, even now, before I have brought them into the land which I sware.
22 Moses therefore wrote this Song the same day, and taught
it the children of Israel."
The LORD's wrath...
"23 And He gave Joshua
the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt
bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be
with thee. 24 And it came to pass,
when Moses had made an end of writing the Words of this Law in a Book, until they
were finished, 25
that Moses commanded the Levites, which bare
the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD, saying, 26 Take this Book of
the Law, and put it in the side of the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD your God,
that it may be there for a witness against thee. 27 For I know thy rebellion,
and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been
rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death?... 30 And
Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the Words of this Song."
Deuteronomy / Chapter 32
ive ear, O ye heavens, and I will
speak; and hear, O Earth, the words of my mouth. 2 My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil
as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass: 3
because I will publish the Name of the LORD:
ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4 He is the Rock, His work is
perfect: for all His ways are Judgment: a God of Truth and without iniquity,
Just and Right is He. 5
They have corrupted themselves, their spot
is not the spot of His children: they are a perverse and crooked generation. 6 Do ye thus requite the LORD,
O foolish people and unwise? is not He thy Father that hath bought thee? hath He
not made thee, and established thee?"
But they forgot all the wondrous things that God had done for them. They forgot God.
And iniquity always reaps punishment.
Sinning hearts cannot sin unless they first forget
God. "If ye love Me, keep
My Commandments" (John
14:15). "Remember
therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else
I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place,
except thou repent" (Revelation
2:5). Beware, beloved, Laodicea is the age
where "iniquity shall abound, [and] the love of
many shall wax cold" (Matthew
24:12).
"16 They provoked Him
to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they Him to anger. 17 They
sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that
came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. 18 Of the Rock that
begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee."
In treasuring the Word, Moses had tried his best to keep the children of Israel from
wandering away from the LORD. But, even at the end of his life, he received the sad
report concerning them from the very mouth of God.
"19 And when the LORD
saw it, He abhorred them, because of the provoking of His sons, and of His daughters.
20 And He said, I will hide My face from them, I will see what
their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is NO
FAITH. 21 They have moved Me to jealousy with that which is not God;
they have provoked Me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy
with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. 22
For a fire is kindled in Mine anger, and shall
burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the Earth with her increase,
and set on fire the foundations of the mountains."
Truly, to turn our back on God, after having KNOWN Him, is the greatest sin of all.
"29 Of how much sorer
punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the
Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified,
an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? 30
For we KNOW Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth
unto Me, I will recompense, saith the LORD. And again, The LORD shall judge His people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living
God" (Hebrews
10:29-31). How fearful? You cannot have a stronger
enemy than the Almighty! You do NOT want to tempt Omnipotence! "For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world
through the Knowledge of the LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled
therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning" (2Peter 2:20).
"23 I will heap mischiefs
upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them. 24 They shall be burnt
with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will
also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust.
25 The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both
the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs... 28 For
they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them. 29 O
that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter
end! 30 How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand
to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up? 31 For
their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. 32 For
their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are
grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter: 33 Their wine is the
poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. 34 Is not this laid
up in store with Me, and sealed up among My Treasures? 35 To Me belongeth
vengeance, and recompense; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of
their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste."
These Warnings are as applicable today as they were when they were given. The sins
are the same, only more grievous "Evil
men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived" (2Timothy 3:13). And the Judgment will be appropriate to the crime.
"36 For the LORD shall
judge His people... 39
See now that I, even I, am He, and there is
no god with Me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any
that can deliver out of My hand... 41 If I whet My Glittering Sword,
and Mine hand take hold on Judgment; I will render vengeance to Mine enemies, and
will reward them that hate Me. 42 I will make Mine arrows drunk
with blood, and My Sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain
and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy."
Return
to Deuteronomy 4.
Moses is commanded by the Almighty to go to the place where he shall soon die.
"48 And the LORD spake
unto Moses that selfsame day, saying, 49 Get thee up into
this mountain Abarim, unto Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, that is over
against Jericho; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of
Israel for a possession: 50
and die in the mount whither thou goest
up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in Mount Hor,
and was gathered unto his people: 51 because ye trespassed against
Me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness
of Zin; because ye sanctified Me not in the midst of the children of Israel.
52 Yet thou shalt see the land before thee; but thou
shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel."
As we said earlier, in Numbers 20, Moses disobeyed the LORD when God told him to
speak to the rock, and instead he hit the rock, and not just once, but twice. It
would have been more glorifying and justifying to God, and would have had a more
sanctifying effect on the people, if Moses had obeyed the LORD and brought
forth the water from the rock by merely SPEAKING the words. If God had wanted His
servant to strike the rock, He would have told him so. But the children of Israel
had provoked Moses to wrath and disobedience.
Deuteronomy
/ Chapter 33
nd this is the blessing, wherewith
Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
2 And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and
rose up from Seir unto them; He shined forth from Mount Paran, and He came with ten
thousands of saints: from His right hand went a fiery Law for them... 3 Yea, He loved the
people... 26 There is none like
unto the God of Jeshurun, Who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in His excellency
on the sky. 27
The Eternal God is thy Refuge, and underneath
are the Everlasting Arms: and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and
shall say, Destroy them. 28 Israel then shall
dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine;
also His heavens shall drop down dew. 29 Happy
art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the LORD, the
Shield of thy help, and Who is the Sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall
be found liars unto thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.
Return
to Deuteronomy 4.
Deuteronomy / Chapter 34
The Death of Moses
nd Moses went up from the plains
of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho.
And the LORD showed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan,
2 and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh,
and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea,
3 and the south,
and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.
4 And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware
unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I
have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.
5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land
of Moab, according to the Word of the LORD. 6 And He [the LORD] buried
him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth
of his sepulchre unto this day.
7 And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died:
his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated.
8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains
of Moab thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended."
The LORD God loved His servant, Moses. All the host of Israel knew that God favoured
Moses with special privileges, which of course was only Just and Fair on God's part.
After all, Scripture is very clear on this point, that if you "draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you" (James 4:8). The Almighty says to anyone, "them
that honour Me I will honour" (1Samuel 2:30). And because
of this intimacy with His servant, for the servant's sake, for the people's sake,
and most of all because of His Own Just Character, God had to judge Moses! "Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also
may fear" (1Timothy
5:20). It was NOT overly harsh of the LORD
to have been so severe with Moses, for the LORD is ALWAYS Just in His dealings with
men. "Sing the song of Moses the servant
of God, and the Song of the Lamb, saying,
Great and marvellous are Thy works,
LORD God Almighty; Just and True are thy Ways, thou King of saints"
(Revelation 15:3).
And the LORD promises to us, in His Word, that,
"If any man serve Me, let him follow Me;
and where I am, there shall also My servant be: if any man serve Me, him will
My Father honour" (John
12:26). Let us heed these Words if we wish
to "follow" the LORD to Where He is, for the time of the LORD's Return is nigh
at hand, "and every man that hath this
hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is Pure" (1John 3:3).
[Please read, "The
Character of God Is Revealed in the Rapture" ---New Window.]
"9 And Joshua the son
of Nun was full of the Spirit Of Wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and
the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the LORD commanded Moses.
10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto
Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 in all the Signs
and the Wonders, which the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and
to all his servants, and to all his land, 12 and in all that mighty
hand, and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel."
As in his life, even so was Moses in his death, a servant of his God. "So Moses the servant of the LORD died there
in the land of Moab, according to the Word of the LORD" (34:5).
And the LORD emphasizes His emotions regarding His dear servant. "There arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses,
whom the LORD knew face to face" (34:10).
Addendum: The Record of Israel's Continual Backslidings / Psalm 106
"7 Our fathers understood not Thy Wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the multitude of Thy mercies; but provoked Him at the sea, even at the Red Sea. 8 Nevertheless He saved them for His Name's sake, that He might make His mighty power to be known. 9 He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up: so He led them through the depths, as through the wilderness. 10 And He saved them from the hand of him that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. 11 And the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left. 12 THEN believed they His Words; they sang His praise. 13 They soon forgat His works; they waited NOT for His Counsel: 14 but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert. 15 And He gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul. 16 They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the LORD. 17 The Earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. 18 And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked. 19 They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image. 20 Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass. 21 They forgat God their Saviour, which had done great things in Egypt; 22 wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red Sea. 23 Therefore He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen stood before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath, lest He should destroy them. 24 Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not His Word: 25 but murmured in their tents, and hearkened NOT unto the Voice of the LORD. 26 Therefore He lifted up His hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness: 27 to overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to scatter them in the lands. 28 They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead. 29 Thus they provoked Him to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them. 30 Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed. 31 And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore. 32 They angered Him also at the waters of strife, so that it went ill with Moses for their sakes: 33 because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips. 34 They did not destroy the nations, concerning whom the LORD commanded them: 35 but were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. 36 And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them. 37 Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, 38 and shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood. 39 Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions. 40 Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against His people, insomuch that He abhorred His own inheritance. 41 And He gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them. 42 Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand. 43 Many times did He deliver them; but they provoked Him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity. 44 Nevertheless He regarded their affliction, when He heard their cry: 45 And He remembered for them His Covenant, and repented according to the multitude of His mercies. 46 He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives. 47 Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the heathen, to give thanks unto Thy holy Name, and to triumph in Thy praise. 48 Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD."
Beyond the Pentateuch, the Scripture has
many reminders for us that Moses' calling in life was to serve God.
JOSHUA
(Joshua 1) "1 Now
after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the
LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,
2 Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. 5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the Law, which Moses My servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to ALL that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest...
13 Remember the Word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, The LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land. 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and help them; 15 until the LORD have given your brethren rest, as He hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the LORD your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD'S servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising.
16 And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go. 17 According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only the LORD thy God be with thee, as He was with Moses.
"But take diligent heed to
do the Commandment and the Law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged
you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in ALL His Ways, and to keep His Commandments,
and to cleave unto Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul."
(Joshua 22:5)
CHRONICLES
(1Chronicles 6:49)
"But Aaron and his sons offered upon the
altar of the burnt offering, and on the altar of incense, and were appointed for
all the work of the place most holy, and to make an atonement for Israel, according
to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded."
(2Chronicles 24:6)
"And the king called for Jehoiada the
chief, and said unto him, Why hast thou not required of the Levites to bring in out
of Judah and out of Jerusalem the collection, according to the Commandment of Moses
the servant of the LORD, and of the congregation of Israel, for the Tabernacle
of witness?"
NEHEMIAH
Another Recounting of Israel's Deliverance from Egypt
(Nehemiah. 9:6-21,23)
"6 Thou, even Thou,
art LORD alone; Thou hast made heaven, the Heaven of heavens, with all their host,
the Earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and
Thou preservest them all; and the host of Heaven worshippeth Thee.
7 Thou art the LORD the God, Who didst choose Abram, and broughtest
him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; 8 and foundest his heart faithful
before Thee, and madest a Covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the
Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites,
to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed Thy Words; for Thou art Righteous:
9 and didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and
heardest their cry by the Red Sea; 10 and showedst Signs and Wonders
upon Pharaoh, and on all his servants, and on all the people of his land: for Thou
knewest that they dealt proudly against them. So didst Thou get Thee a Name, as it
is this day.
11 And Thou didst divide the sea before them, so that they
went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their persecutors Thou threwest
into the deeps, as a stone into the mighty waters. 12 Moreover Thou leddest
them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give
them light in the way wherein they should go.
13 Thou camest down also upon Mount Sinai, and spakest with
them from Heaven, and gavest them Right Judgments, and True Laws, Good Statutes
and Commandments: 14
and madest known unto them Thy Holy Sabbath,
and commandedst them Precepts, Statutes, and Laws, by the hand of Moses Thy servant. 15
And gavest them bread from heaven for their
hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and
promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which Thou hadst sworn
to give them.
16 But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their
necks, and hearkened not to Thy Commandments, 17 and refused to obey,
neither were mindful of Thy Wonders that Thou didst among them; but hardened their
necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but
Thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great
kindness, and forsookest them not. 18 Yea, when they had made them
a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had
wrought great provocations; 19 yet Thou in Thy Manifold
Mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not
from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to
show them light, and the way wherein they should go.
20 Thou gavest also Thy Good Spirit to instruct them,
and withheldest not Thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.
21 Yea, forty years didst Thou sustain them in the wilderness,
so that they lacked nothing; their clothes waxed not old, and their feet swelled
not... 23 Their children also multipliedst Thou as the stars of heaven,
and broughtest them into the land, concerning which Thou hadst promised to their
fathers, that they should go in to possess it.
DANIEL
Daniel served the LORD similarly as did Moses. He praised the operation of His Maker's
hands in benefitting His human creations. "I
thought it good to show the Signs and Wonders that The High God hath wrought toward me.
How great are His Signs! and how mighty are His Wonders! His Kingdom is an Everlasting
Kingdom, and His Dominion is from generation to generation" (Daniel 4:2-3). Daniel also had the testimony of being called God's servant. "And the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant
of the Living God, is thy God, Whom thou servest continually, able to deliver
thee from the lions?" (Daniel
6:20).
(Daniel 9:11)
"Yea, all Israel have transgressed Thy
Law, even by departing, that they might not obey Thy Voice; therefore the Curse is
poured upon us, and the Oath that is written in the Law of Moses the servant of
God, because we have sinned against Him."
JOHN
Moses gave us the Law and Jesus fulfilled it.
(John 1:14,17) "14 And the Word [Jesus] was made
flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the Only Begotten
of the Father,) full of Grace and Truth... 17 For the Law was given
by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ."
The LORD Jesus and His servant, Moses, gave testimony to all of mankind that the
Father gave us His Truth. "I [Jesus] have given
them Thy [the Father's] Word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the
world, even as I am not of the world"
(John 17:14).
Moses endured suffering to give God's people the Law. Jesus Christ not only fulfilled
the Law, but died doing so. "Did not Moses
give you the Law, and yet none of you keepeth the Law? Why go ye about to kill Me [Jesus]?" (John 7:19). Moses came to
"bear witness" of "the Truth". "To this end
was I [Jesus]
born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness
unto the Truth. Every one that is of the Truth heareth My Voice" (John 18:37). Jesus Christ
is "The Truth". "Jesus saith
unto him, I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but
by Me" (John 14:6).
Moses led God's people to freedom.
Jesus is Freedom to God's people.
"And ye shall know the Truth [Jesus], and the
Truth shall make you Free"
(John 8:32).
HEBREWS
(Hebrews 3:5)
"And Moses verily was faithful in all
his house, as a servant, for a Testimony of those things which were to be spoken
after."
(Hebrews 11:23-29)
"23 By FAITH Moses, when
he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper
child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment. 24 By FAITH Moses, when
he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; 25 choosing
rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of
sin for a season; 26
esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches
than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward.
27 By FAITH he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the
king: for he endured, as seeing Him Who is Invisible. 28 Through FAITH he
kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest He that destroyed the firstborn
should touch them. 29
By FAITH they passed through the Red Sea as
by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned."
REVELATION
The last written Testimony from God to His people.
(Revelation 1:1-3) "1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to show unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John: 2 who bare record of the Word of God, and of the Testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the Words of this Prophecy, and KEEP those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."
As we read "in The Beginning" (Genesis 1:1), the Law of God came from the heart of God, and was given to Moses, to be given to men. The Pentateuch (the first five Books of the Bible) are a written Testimony from God to His people. Moses was the human tool with which God wrote His Eternal Words. Moses was also the instrumentality, or conduit, which God dramatically used in giving to mankind the Ten Commandments. "And He gave unto Moses, when He had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of Testimony, tables of stone, written with the Finger of God" (Exodus 31:18). The LORD thus impressed forgetful and unloving men with their necessity to always obey God. But this was, by no means, the end of God's demonstration.
"I am Alpha and Omega, The
Beginning and The Ending,
saith the LORD,
which Is, and which Was, and which Is To Come,
The Almighty"
(Revelation 1:8).
The mighty depiction of God's Love for His Word, of His regard for man's obedience to His Word, by visually writing His Law with His Finger, was only a "shadow of Heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God" (Hebrews 8:5). This demonstration of Love was fulfilled, as was the Law (for "Love is the fulfilling of the Law" [Romans 13:10]), by Jesus Christ, Whose very Being is Love. "God is Love" (1John 4:8). Love always obeys and satisfies the Law. "If ye love Me, keep My Commandments" (John 14:15). That Standard for Loving Obedience will FOREVER BELONG to "JESUS CHRIST, Who is the Faithful Witness, and the First Begotten of the dead, and the Prince of the kings of the Earth... Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His OWN BLOOD" (Revelation 1:5).
And "Moses the servant of God" (Revelation 15:3), in authoring the first quarter of the entire Old Testament, who is mentioned periodically throughout the Bible in 774 verses, and finally, as being an important part of God's plan at the very end of the Scriptures, totally justifies The Word's title of him as "The Servant of God" (15:3). For we believe that one of the "Two Witnesses" spoken of in the Book of Revelation will be Moses. "And I will give Power unto My Two Witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth" (Revelation 11:3).
"Both Moses and Elijah met with the LORD Jesus at His Transfiguration, which depicts their importance to our LORD's program for the future salvation of Israel. "30 And, behold, there talked with Him two men, which were Moses and Elias: 31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of His decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem" (Luke 9:30-31). Though the Revelation tells us that the ministry of the Two Witnesses will be cut short by their death, i.e., the "Beast that ascendeth out of the Bottomless Pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them" (11:7), in the case of Moses, it will not be the first time that someone died, was resurrected, and (presumably) died again, i.e., Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha. "43 And when [Jesus] thus had spoken, He cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. 44 And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go" (John 11:43-44)." --from our "Commentary on the Book of Revelation" ---New Window, chapter 11: "The Two Witnesses and the Seventh Trumpet" ---New Window. [For more background on Elijah, please read our "Elijah and the Prophets of Baal" ---New Window]
There is soon to be some Heavenly singing. And
Moses will have his part in that also, as this last Book records for us.
(Revelation 5:9-13)
"9 And they sung a New
Song, saying,
|
Thou art Worthy |
|
10
And hast made us unto our God kings and priests:
and we shall reign on the Earth.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the Throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice,
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength,
and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13 And every creature which is in Heaven, and on the Earth, and under the Earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying,
Blessing, and honour, and glory,
and power,
be unto Him that sitteth upon the Throne,
and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
(Revelation 15:3) "And they sing the Song of Moses the servant of God, and the Song of the Lamb, saying,
Great and marvellous are Thy
Works, LORD God Almighty;
Just and True are Thy Ways, Thou King Of Saints"
Let us learn from Moses, that to be a "servant of God", we must KNOW God-- His Character, His Motives, and His Goals. And then, in knowing God, in knowing His "Works" and His "Ways", we shall be able to serve God with a meek and pure heart-- in love. "Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with ALL thy heart, and with ALL thy soul, and with ALL thy mind... Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" (Matthew 22:37,39).
"Looking for that Blessed Hope, and the Glorious Appearing
of the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Who gave Himself for us,
that He might redeem us from ALL iniquity,
and purify unto Himself a peculiar people,
zealous of good works"
(Titus 2:13-14).
THE END
.
Dawn on Mount Nebo
The Burial of Moses
by Cecil Frances Alexander*
(1818-1895)
By Nebo's lonely mountain,
On this side Jordan's wave
In a vale in the land of Moab,
There lies a lonely grave.
And no man knows that sepulchre,
And no man saw it e'er,
For the angels of God upturned the sod,
And laid the dead man there.
That was the grandest funeral
That ever passed on earth;
But no man heard the trampling,
Or saw the train go forth:
Noiselessly as the daylight
Comes back when night is done,
And the crimson streak on ocean's cheek
Grows into the great sun;
Noiselessly as the springtime
Her crown of verdure weaves,
And all the trees on all the hills
Open their thousand leaves;
So without sound of music
Or voice of them that wept,
Silently down from the mountain's crown
The great procession swept.
Perchance that bald old eagle
On gray Beth-peor's height,
Out of his lonely eerie
Looked on that wondrous sight:
Perchance the lion stalking,
Still shuns that hallowed spot,
For beast and bird have seen and heard
That which man knoweth not.
But when the warrior dieth,
His comrades in the war,
With arms reversed and muffled drum,
Follow his funeral car;
They show the banners taken,
They tell the battles won,
And after him lead the masterless steed,
While peals the minute-gun.
Amid the noblest of the land
We lay the sage to rest,
And give the bard an honored place,
With costly marble drest,
In the great minster transept
When lights like glories fall,
And the organ rings and the sweet choir sings
Along the emblazoned wall.
This was the truest warrior
That ever buckled sword,
This the most gifted poet
That ever breathed a word;
And never earth's philosopher
Traced with his golden pen,
On the deathless page, truths half so sage
As he wrote down for men.
And he had not high honor,--
The hillside for a pall,
To lie in state while angels wait
With stars for tapers tall,
And the dark rock-pines like tossing plumes
Over his bier to wave,
And God's own hand in that lonely land,
To lay him in the grave?
In that strange grave without a name,
Whence his uncoffined clay
Should break again, O wondrous thought!
Before the judgment day,
And stand with glory wrapped around
On the hills he never trod,
And speak of the strife that won our life
With the Incarnate Son of God.
O lonely grave in Moab's land!
O dark Beth-peor's hill!
Speak to these curious hearts of ours,
And teach them to be still.
God hath his mysteries of grace,
Ways that we cannot tell;
He hides them deep like the hidden sleep
Of him he loved so well.
*Cecil Frances Humphreys was born in Miltown House, country Tyrone, Ireland, and
married the Right Reverend W. Alexander, Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, in 1850. She
wrote nearly 400 hymns, among which her work for children established her reputation
as a poet.
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