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THE
BIBLE
THE LORD JESUS
AND YOU
by
John Roberts
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The
Bible
Chapter 4
MY father used to speak of a man who did not believe in miracles.
He used to point to the drying up of the Red Sea or the River
Jordan as examples. Never could he accept that Israel had
crossed the sea and the river on dry ground.
Then, somehow, he found himself fortunate enough to do what
Israel had done. I do not remember exactly where it was. However,
he was able, somewhere abroad, to walk across a wide stretch
of water on dry ground. The reason was that there had been
a landslip upstream. For a while the water was completely
cut off.
Yet that man would still not believe in miracles. He maintained
that it was a sheer coincidence. Some freak event had enabled
him to cross the river like Israel had done. No doubt something
similar had occurred in their day.
In fact it was strong winds that held the sea waters back
for Israel. The Bible tells us so. It says that God sent a
mighty east wind and made the waters stand up as a wall. God
often uses the elements of nature which are in His control.
His power operates them to achieve His purpose.
But it was a miracle all the same. Israel was trapped. The
sea was in front of them. Behind them was the Egyptian army
in hot pursuit. Moses stood on the bank. At God's word he
raised his rod above him. At that precise moment the waters
parted to allow Israel across. That was the miracle that saved
Israel.
Israel Leave Egypt
The book of Exodus is about the exit of Israel from Egypt.
They had become slaves there. As a nation they were thoroughly
demoralised. They were unable to rebel.
Then God intervened. He sent Moses as a leader of the people
to rescue them. After a prolonged display of His power through
ten plagues, God brought Israel out. He saved them from their
bondage. At the Red Sea He saved them from death.
Exodus continues with details of the nation's journey through
desert. They were en route back to the land God promised Abraham.
It is the land, part of which is called Israel today.
God halted the nation at Mount Sinai. There He gave them His
law. He taught them how they were to worship Him. God made
a covenant with Israel. His mercy made them His specially
chosen people.
Here are the verses which tell us about this:
"You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I
bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore,
if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, then
you shall be a special treasure to me above all people; for
all the earth is mine. And you shall be to me a kingdom of
priests and a holy nation."
(Exodus 19:4-6)
Some people object to what God did here. They feel it was
unfair. They cannot accept that the Jews are the chosen people
and point to their wickedness to prove it.
Responsibility and Privilege
However, above all else, God shows that He is just and fair.
In the first place God did not choose the Jews from mere favouritism.
He chose them because He had made promises to their ancestors.
We looked briefly at this when we considered Genesis.
Secondly, God's purpose was not with the Jews alone. His promise
to Abraham was to bless all nations through him. If you have
been the oldest child in a family, you will know how it feels.
There are certain privileges - your bedtime may have been
later than the others, for example. But there are great responsibilities,
too. The oldest often takes the blame for things. He, or she,
was the one who should have known better.
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It
was like that with Israel. God described them as His firstborn,
or eldest son. That blessing brought a weight of responsibility.
Israel were to keep God's covenant. They were to be true in their
response to His mercy. History shows that the nation was not.
Their destiny is clearly described in that phrase, "a kingdom
of priests". The Jews were not all priests of course, but they
had a priestly work to do.
A priest stands between God and the people. His work is to teach
them true worship and to bring them to God. He also gives God's
blessing to the people. The Jews were to stand between God and the
other nations. Their job was to teach those nations. In this sense
they were priests. They were to turn the nations from their idols
to the true God. Then God would bless them as He promised Abraham.
The nation was unfaithful in this calling. Instead of bringing other
nations to God, Israel went to the other nations. They copied their
idols. They became like them. Eventually God let them go to those
nations. He scattered them all over the world. Though He was patient
with them, He had at last to reject them for a time. Yet His purpose
cannot be defeated, as we shall see.
The family of Levi was chosen to be the priests for Israel themselves.
The book of Leviticus is about the priesthood. It tells of the sacrifices
that Jews had to offer and the feasts they had to keep.
The book of Numbers is so called because it contains two numberings
of the nation. The first census was taken when they came out of
Egypt. Then, through lack of faith, they failed to enter the land
God had promised them. Therefore they were forced to wander in the
wilderness. Forty years they spent there. Numbers tells of their
wanderings. The doubters died there.
It is a tragic story. The people who had come from Egypt were now
condemned to death through their unbelief. They wandered around
without any destination. Life had no purpose now. They were just
passing the time, waiting to die. Life is like that for many people
today. They have no real aim in life. Without God, life has no meaning.
Such people are just filling in the time between the cradle and
the grave.
God's purpose now lay with the children of those unbelievers. Numbers
contains a second census of the new generation.
Moses' Reminder
Deuteronomy is a second reading of the law. Moses gives a brief
history of the nation, their failures and hopes. In his last speech
before his death, he urges them on in faith. He outlines blessings
and curses which witness against them in their later history. Many
of the prophets use this book to warn the nation.
Here are some interesting verses. They dramatically reflect the
experiences of the Israeli nation. They speak of Jews suffering
as they did in the concentration camps of Europe this century. They
show how remarkably accurate is our Bible and how up to date:
"And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword
among all nations where the LORD will lead you ... And among those
nations you shall find no rest, nor shall the sole of your foot
have a resting place; but there the LORD will give you a trembling
heart, failing eyes, and anguish of soul. Your life shall hang in
doubt before you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance
of life. In the morning you shall say, 'Oh, that it were evening!'
And at evening you shall say, 'Oh, that it were morning!' because
of the fear which terrifies your heart, and because of the sight
which your eyes see:"
(Deuteronomy 28:37, 65-67)
The period covered by Exodus to Deuteronomy is only 40 years. Israel's
experience is valuable to us, however. The New Testament shows that
we are to be warned by their history. Paul, the apostle, says it
was written for our learning. Israel's experiences were examples
to us. They show us what to do and what not to do. They help us
to appreciate what God wants.
Here then is another part of the Bible that cannot be thrown away
or ignored. It is important to the true Christian. It is another
essential part of the God-given guide.
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quotations in this book are from the Revised Authorised Version of
the Bible. The reader will find it helpful to follow the quotations
made in any version of the Bible. The words used will be different,
but the basic meaning will be the same. Exodus 19:4-6 means the book
of Exodus, chapter 19, verses 4 to 6. |
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THE BIBLE
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