The Watchtower, June 15, 1921

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No. 12

Unon the earth distress of nations with perplexity; the sea and the waves (the restless, discontented) roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear and for looking to t>.e tilings coming upon the earth (society); for the powers of the heavens (ecclesiasticsm) shall be shaken . . When ye see these things begin to come to pass then Know that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Look up, lift up your heads, rejoice, for your redemption draweth-nigh.—Matt. 24:33; Mark 1S29; Luke 21:25-31.

WJ$*n»ing

VOL. XLII

Semi-Monthly

Anno Muftdi 6049—June 15, 1921

CONTENTS

„ ROCKiOFAGES^ 'Other founciation can 'no man

* AJ.RAH'SOM'FOR"a l

Murmuring against Jehovah...........

“Our Fathers Understood Not”.......

“They soon Forgat His Works”.....

“Is the Lord Among Us or Not?”. “Up, Make us Gods”.........................

“Despised the Pleasant Land”.......

Aaron’s Rod that' Budded...............

Sacrifices of the Dead.....................

The Conversion or Saul...................

Visions of Guidance.......................-

Saul Proclaims Jesus as Christ...

Perils from Brethren......................

Away to Tarsus.................................

Saul Teaching at Antioch...............

The News to Jerusalem...................

Interest in Palestine (Letter) .......

..179 ..180 ..181 ..181 ..182 ..183 ...184 ...185 ...186 ..187 ...187 ...188 ..189 ...189 ...190 . 191

“I will stand upon my watch and will set my foot upon the Tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me, and what answer I shall make to them that oppose me."—Habakkuk 2:1.

THIS JOURNAL AND ITS SACRED MISSION

THIS journal is one of the prime factors or instruments in the system of Bible instruction, or “Seminary Extension”, now being presented in all parts of the civilized world by the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, chartered A. D. 1884, “For the Promotion of Christian Knowledge”. It not only serves as a class room where Bible students may meet in the study of the divine Word but also as a channel of communication through which they may be reached with announcements of the Society’s conventions and of the coming of its traveling representatives, styled “Pilgrims”, and refreshed with reports of its conventions.

Our ‘Berean Lessons” are topical rehearsals or reviews of our Society’s published Studies most entertainingly arranged, and very helpful to all who would merit the only honorary degree which the Society accords, viz., Verbi Dei Minister (V. D. M.), which translated into English is Minister o/ God’s Word. Our treatment of the International Sunday School Lessons is specially for the older Bible students and teachers. By some this feature is considered indispensable.

This journal stands firmly for the defense of the only true foundation of the Christian’s hope now being so generally repudiated —redemption through the precious blood of “the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom [a corresponding price, a substitute] for all”. (1 Peter 1:19; 1 Timothy 2:6) Building upon this sure foundation the gold, silver and precious stones (1 Corinthians 3: Ills; 2 Peter 1:5-11) of the Word of God, its further mission is to “make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery which. . .has been hid in God, ... to the intent that now might be made known by the church the manifold wisdom of God’’—“which in other --res was not made known unto the sons of men as it is now revealed”.—Ephesians 3:5-9,10.

It stands free from all parties, sects and creeds of men, while it seeks more and more to bring its every utterance into fullest subjection to the will of God in Christ, as expressed in the holy Scriptures. It is thus free to declare boldly whatsoever the Lord hath spoken—according to the divine wisdom granted unto us to understand his utterances. Its attitude is not dogmatic, but confident; for we know whereof we affirm, treading with implicit faith upon the sure promises of God. It is held as a trust, to be used only in his service; hence our decisions relative to what may and what may not appear in its columns must be according to our judgment of his good pleasure, the teaching of his Word, for the upbuilding of his people in grace and knowledge. And we not only invite but urge oui; readers to prove all its utterances by the infallible Word to which reference is constantly made to facilitate such testing.

TO US THE SCRIPTURES CLEARLY TEACH

That the church is “the temple of the living God”, peculiarly his workmanship” ; that its construction has been in progress throughout the gospel age—ever since Christ became the world’s Redeemer and the Chief Corner Stone of his ’temple, through which, when finished, God's blessing shall come “to all people”, and they find access to him.—1 Corinthians 3 :16, 17 ; Ephesians 2 :20-22; Genesis 28 :14 ; Galatians 3 : 29.

That meantime the chiseling, shaping, and polishing of consecrated believers in Christ’s atonement for sin, progresses ; and when the last of these “living stones”, “elect and precious,” shall have been made ready, the great Master Workman will bring all together in the first resurrection ; and the temple shall be filled with his glory, and be the meeting place between God and men throughout the Millennium.—Revelation 15 : 5-8.

That the basis of hope, for the church and the world, lies in the fact that “Jesus Christ, by the grace’ of God, tasted death for every man.” “a ransom for all,” and will be “the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world”, “in due time”.— Hebrews 2:9; John 1: 9 ; 1 Timothy 2 : 5, 6.

That the hope of the church is that she may be like her Lord, “see him as he is,” be “partakers of the divine nature’,’ and share his glory as his joint-heir.—1 John 3:2; John 17:24; Romans 8:17; 2 Peter 1:4.

That the present mission of the church is the perfecting of the saints for the future work of service; to develop in herself every grace; to be God’s witness to the world ; and to prepare to be kings and priests in the next age—Ephesians 4:12; Matthew 24: 14; Revelation 1: 6 ; 20:6.

That the hope for the world lies in the blessings of knowledge and opportunity to be brought to all by Christ’s Millennial kingdom, the restitution of all that was lost in Adam, to all the willing and obedient, at the bands of their Redeemer and his glorified church, when all the wilfully wicked will be destroyed.—Acts 3:19-23; Isaiah 35.

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Vol. XLII

June 15, 1921

No. 12

MURMURING AGAINST JEHOVAH

“neither murmur ye as some of them also murmured and icere destroyed of the destroyer."—1 Corlnthiuiis 10:10.

THE English word murmur means “to speak com-plainingly in a subdued or half articulate voice; grumble; repine; hence, generally to express dissatisfaction with one’s circumstances or destiny”. As used in the Scriptures the murmuring of God’s professed people has associated with it the thought of obstinacy, the choosing of one’s own will in preference to the will of God. The murmurer does not come out into the open but prefers to express his discontent in a more secret and sullen manner. In Isaiah 29:4 the Prophet, speaking of the woes that were some time coming and that have now come upon Ariel, the professed people of God, shows that in the humiliation of the ecclesiastical systems that are falsely claiming to represent him in the earth, “their speech shall be low out of the dust, and their voice shall be as one that hath a familiar spirit’. This is a good description of a murmurer. What sane child of God would wish to have his speech sound like one with a familiar spirit?

A TERRIBLE INDICTMENT

The Apostle Jude says some terrible things about a class of professed Christians that would be living “in the last time”. He says of them that “these are spots in your feasts of love when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear”. Every assembly of the Lord’s saints is a feast of love. It is not possible for worldly people to comprehend the intensity of the love which the Lord’s saints have for each other. The moment we learn that any heart has committed its all to the Lord for time and eternity, happy and thankful for the privilege of being consumed upon the Lord’s altar in the service of the truth and the brethren, our hearts instinctively go out to that one with a love that passes understanding. It would be impossible for us to make plain to our nearest and dearest earthly relatives how and why it is that these new-found members of our Father’s family are dearer to us than even the ties of the flesh. Sometimes when they catch glimpses of this love they are disposed to object, and can hardly be blamed for it, not having the higher viewpoint of members of the divine family.

The Apostle continues to describe a class associated with the Lord’s saints in the last time, saying of them that they are “clouds without water, carried about of winds”. One of the principal offices of a cloud is to bring showers of water to a thirsty earth. One of the principal offices of a Christian is to bring refreshing of heart to all with whom he comes in contact. But here is a class that casts a shadow over others and brings no refreshment, but rather the reverse. Continuing, the Apostle says of them that they are “trees whose fruit withereth”, indicating that at one time they did have fruitage toward God, the fruitage of the holy spirit, but that now they are “without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots”. This is a picture of some who have committed the sin unto death. What a beautiful appearance a tree presents when filled with foliage and fruit and when firmly imbedded in its native soil; but how ugly the tree whose foliage and fruit is gone, whose bark has been stripped from it and whose upturned roots are exposed to the sun, so lately the source of its life, but now its swift purveyor of death.

Continuing his description, the Apostle says of this class that they are “raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame”, an indication that an unwise use of the tongue has brought them to a condition of uselessness and of disgrace.

Again, they are “wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever”. As the true apostles were light-bearers and as the seven angels to the seven epochs of the Christian church were lightbearers, all of these fitly represented by the planets of our solar system, or by the fixed stars of heaven; so there are false stars, pseudo-light-bearers, which claim to have a special brilliancy of their own, and which are fitly represented by meteors. Now meteors are pieces of dead planets rushing through space, which, caught in the atmosphere of the earth, burn brilliantly for a moment by the friction which they create as they rush through the air to their final ruin. Many of these meteors disintegrate completely before reaching the surface of the earth, and those which do reach the surface of the earth are thoroughly burned and devoid of everything that could support life in any form. The Apostle terminates his description of this class by saying, “These are murmurers, complainers”. (Jude 12, 13, 16) What a terrible indictment is this!

When the Lord’s saints are engaged in the work of murmuring it is not the new mind that is doing the murmuring. It is the flesh. Addressing new creatures the Apostle savs, “Ye died [according to the flesh] and your life is hid with Christ in God”. (Colossians 8:3) It is hard for the new creature to realize that from God's viewpoint the human hopes, privileges, and prospects are dead from the time when the begetting of the spirit takes place. But the difficulty is that the flesh itself is not dead. All of its tendencies remain, and need to be regulated by the new will.

MURMURINGS OF FLESHLY ISRAEL

In the words of our text the Apostle is calling our attention particularly to the experiences of fleshly Israel in the wilderness as being helpful to us in overcoming any tendencies we might have along this line. The Psalmist sums up these murmurings of the fathers in the wilderness in the one hundred and sixth Psalm, giving in verses 7 to 23 six illustrations. The illustration given in verses 16-18 belongs chronologically between verses 27 and 28, so that we have here an opportunity to murmur against David himself if we feel so inclined. Because David said a thing of this kind some in David's time might have been inclined to say that David had gone out of the truth, but that did not make it so. There was probably some reason for stating the envy against Moses and Aaron early in the narrative, perhaps because of the very great responsibility which any take upon themselves who find fault with the arrangements which the Lord has made for the feeding of the sheep of his pasture.

Going back to the story from which David penned his account in Psalm 106, we find no less than fifteen illustrations of this murmuring spirit among God’s professed people, and we cannot fail to be profited if we examine these and try to apply to ourselves the principles which they bring to light.

“OUR FATHERS UNDERSTOOD NOT”

The first instance is recorded in the fifth chapter of Exodus. Moses had come forth from the wilderness of Midian to deliver Israel, and by the signs of the serpent rod and the leprous hand God had testified to Moses that the time for the deliverance of Israel had come. Walking into the presence of Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron informed that monarch that their God had met with them and instructed them that they should lead forth the people of Israel three days’ journey into the wilderness so that they might worship him. This three days’ journey doubtless represents the wilderness journey of spiritual Israel during parts of the fifth, sixth, and seventh thousand-year days of human history. Pharaoh was indignant at the demand, accused Moses and Aaron of disturbing the people in their tasks, and implied if these disturbing prophets thought his slaves had time to go three days’ journey into the wilderness to worship their God it was evidence that they did not have enough to do. He thereupon commanded his overseers to see that thereafter these slaves, for such they were, should make as many bricks as formerly but should gather the straw for themselves.

The brick of that time could not be made without a suitable binder, and it is a significant fact that in the buried city of Pithom, twelve miles from Ismailia, built by the Israelites in the time of Barneses II and enclosed by walls twenty-two feet high made of unburned brick, discovered in 1883, the lower courses are of well made brick with chopped straw in them, while higher up the' brick are not so good, the straw is scanty, and in the last courses the bricks have no straw at all, but rushes instead. This was, in a way, the first test of the Israelites; and instead of having confidence in Jehovah and in the deliverer whom he had sent, the people as soon as they saw their tasks had been made harder said to Moses and Aaron: “The Lord look upon you, and judge because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to slay us”. (Exodus 5:21) In speaking of this and of subsequent experiences while they were still in Egypt, the Psalmist says: “Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt”.—Psalm 106: 7.

“PROVOKED HIM AT THE SEA”

Finally the deliverance from Egypt took place, and with a series of stupendous miracles—the turning of the rivers into blood, the bringing up of the plagues of frogs, of lice, of flies, the murrain upon the cattle, the boils, the hail, the locusts, the darkness, and the death of the firstborn, Pharaoh drove the Israelites forth from his presence and they started on their long journey toward the promised land. With such evidences of God’s care over them, in that these plagues came upon the Egyptians while the Jacobites and their land were spared, how could they henceforth doubt that all then-interests would be cared for? Yet, within three days from the time of their deliverance, they found themselves in a pocket, so to speak, with the Bed Sea in front of them, the mountains shutting off their further progress southward, and Pharaoh and all his horsemen and chariots coming against them. Here was an opportunity for them to exercise the faith which the Lord’s previous care over them should have developed, but the record is: “They said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt? Was not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt, saying, Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians ? For it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.” (Exodus 14:11, 12) The Psalmist in speaking of this said: “They remembered not the multitude of thy mercies; but provoked him at the sea, even at the Bed Sea”.—Psalm 106: 7.

Do we of spiritual Israel ever find ourselves pressed on all sides with difficulties and inclined to think or to say that perhaps it would have been just as well with us or better to have continued walking in the way of the world, the popular way, serving the prince of this world and those who partake of his spirit, rather than ever to have started upon this journey toward the promised land?

“THEY SOON FORGAT HIS WORKS!’

Again the Lord gave.Israel a miraculous deliverance; and when they had safely crossed the Bed Sea and the waters swept the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen for ever from their sight, how happy they were, as the songs of jubilation of Moses and Miriam and the women of Israel showed. And yet within three days after that occurrence when they were encamped by the waters of Marah “the people murmured against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?” (Exodus 15: 24) By another miracle the Lord healed the waters, causing Moses to cast into them a tree, representing the cross of Christ, admonishing them with fatherly love to hearken diligently to his voice and endeavor to do that which was right in his sight so that he might continue to be their caretaker and their guide, terminating with the beautiful words, “I am the Lord that healeth thee”.

When we of spiritual Israel come to some of the bitter experiences of life and we find that the poison of sin, of imperfection in our own bodies and in the bodies of others, tempts us to fear lest we shall never enter into our promised inheritance, are we ever inclined to murmur that the waters of this way of life are not what we could wish? If so, let us look to the cross and remember him who passed through such deep waters on our behalf; and let us think not only of Jesus our Savior and Redeemer as our help in such an hour of need, but let us think of the Father watching over our spiritual interests with tender solicitude and remember that he says to us, as to Israel of old, “I am the Lord that healeth thee”.

“LEANNESS OF SOUL”

Thirty-nine days after the experience at the waters of Marah the Israelites were confronted with the need of food, and instead of remembering how the Lord provided for them when they were in need of water “the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness; and the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt when we sat by the flesh pots and when we did eat bread to the full. For ye have brought us forth into the wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Moses told the people in reply that “in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord; for that he heareth your murmurings against the Lord: and what are we that ye murmur against us-? And Moses said. This shall be, when the- Lord shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him; and what are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord.”—Exodus 16: 2, 3; 7, 8.

Had the Israelites been content to wait upon the Lord they would surely have been provided .with the food as soon as they needed it, but they were not yet -inclined to seek his counsel. The Psalmist says of them: “They waited not for his counsel: but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness and tempted God in the desert. And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their souls.”—Psalm 106:13, 15.

The same evening, great flocks of quail, wearied with their long flight across the Red Sea, came flying through the camp so near the ground as to be easily caught. (This is- a common circumstance on the Sinaitic Peninsula even to this day.) And in the morning manna, bread from heaven, typifying our Lord’s flesh, was deposited in or from the dew by some power of God working in harmony with the natural laws of chemistry not yet thoroughly understood. The Jews were to gather of this manna every morning, representing to spiritual Israel how very necessary is the bread from heaven on the part of all who would partake of life; and the gathering was to be a daily gathering, representing how that our supply of grace in Christ needs to be gathered daily. It will not keep over for succeeding days. None of the Israelites were able to gather too much, and so spiritual Israel is never in any danger of being overfed spiritually. When the attempt was made to keep some of it over until morning it spoiled, but this was not the case with the manna that was gathered the last of the week, seeming to suggest that there is unusual life-sustaining power in the spiritual food which is gathered by the Lord’s saints just -prior to the inauguration of the great seventh thousand year day of rest, and that the food which it is now our privilege to glean from the Word of the Lord will be good and sweet and life-giving throughout the Millennial day.

“IS THE LORD AMONG US OR NOT?”

Sometime within the next fifteen days the Israelites had reached Rephidim, one hundred miles from Marah, well down the peninsula toward Mt. Sinai. In the place where they pitched their camp there was no water for the people to drink. ‘‘Wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses said unto them, Why chide ye with me? Wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this, that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst?” (Exodus 17 : 2,3) Moses, as usual, took his troubles to the Lord, telling him that the people were almost ready to stone him. Then the Lord performed another wonderful miracle, causing the waters to gush out of the smitten rock, representing for spiritual Israel the stream of life that gushed forth for a dying world when the Rock of Ages was cleft on Calvary’s brow for us and for all men.

Moses did not overlook the wrong spirit which the Israelites showed at this time, for he “called the name of the place Massah [temptation], and Meribah [strife], because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us, or not ?”—Exodus 17: 7.

How many times, even in the harvest, time, when the blessings of the Lord have been poured out upon his people as at no other time in history, have the Lord’s saints been tempted to repine because in their judgment the truth on all subjects of God’s Word was not coming forth from the storehouse as rapidly as they thought it should come. How many times when the truth has been gradually finding its way to the light and while discussions respecting the matter were in progress have some of the Lord’s saints been tempted to raise the query, “Is the Lord among us, or not?” How thoughtless for brethren to imagine that they or other human instrumentalities are wiser than the Lord. The truth comes forth from the storehouse as fast as the Lord sees that it is necessary, but no faster, and nothing can prevent it from coming forth when it is due to come forth. Moreover, the effort to force it out of the storehouse is like attempting to force the nut out of a green chestnut burr. Brother Russell once made the statement that when he came into the truth he thought it was his duty to hammer away at the green nuts. Sometimes he was- able to open them and sometimes, with every effort, they would not yield their treasures. But he discovered that in due time the Lord of the harvest would open up the truths as they were needed by the household of faith.

“UP, MAKE US GODS”

On the forty-fifth day after their departure from Egypt the Israelites arrived at Mt. Sinai and made an agreement to keep the divine statutes and commands. There, a few days after their arrival, the Lord descended upon the mountain top in fire. Smoke ascended as the smoke of a furnace, the whole mountain quaked, and the voice of the Lord sounded long and waxed louder and louder, to the intent that the people should believe Moses for ever. Yet sometime within the next forty days “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, Hp, 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 has become of him”. (Exodus 32: 1) Then followed the making of the golden calf, the declaration before it that “these be thy gods, 0 Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt”; and “they sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play”. (Exodus 32:4, 6) The Psalmist speaks contemptuously of these experiences of Israel, saying, “They made a calf in Horeb and worshipped the molten image. Thus they changed their glory [Jehovah] into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.”—Psalm 106:19, 20.

Straightway the Lord sent Moses down from the mountain top, offering to consume these disobedient and obstinate people and to make a new race with Moses as its head. But Moses interce’ded for the people, although in anger he broke the tables of the covenant when he saw their nakedness and general misconduct after the custom of the heathen nations. He burned their golden calf, ground it to powder and mixed it with water, compelling them to drink the mixture. They are not the first people in the world that have swallowed their gods. (Philippians 3:19) Taking their stand upon the Lord’s side, the Levites at this time by the command of Moses slew three thousand of their brethren as punishment for this transgression.

When the Lord has delayed to bring in the great Deliverer, the great salvation, the promised kingdom, as early as we have wished that it might come, have we of spiritual Israel ever been tempted to question the divine arrangement and to seek to set up, in creeds and customs and in the general worship of mammon and politics, another god different from the One of the Bible? Have we made money our god, or our fleshly interests of any kind ? Have we permitted them to have dominion over us, while at the same time murmuring against the Lord’s providences as respects his church?

The people of Israel remained in the vicinity of Mt. Sinai ten months, and on the first day of the first month of the second year after their departure from Egypt erected the Tabernacle; and always above the Tabernacle the pillar of cloud rose by day and the pillar of fire by night ; so that the people seemingly had no excuse for doubting that the Lord was their Guide and was leading them on toward Canaan. While the Tabernacle was in process of construction the murmuring seems to have entirely ceased; and it is a fact worth noting that those who are busiest with the Lord’s work have the least time and inclination to find fault with the activities of fellow-members of the Lord’s body.

“THE UTTERMOST PARTS OF THE CAMP”

Fifty days after the opening of the second year the Israelites started from Sinai on their march toward Canaan. They had gone three days’ journey when they reached Taberah, and “when the people complained [margin, were, as it were, complainers] 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”.—Numbers 11: 1.

It is very apparent that in the arrangement of the camp there is a picture of relative nearness to the Lord, a picture of relative holiness. The Most Holy represented the presence of Jehovah, heaven itself, the condition of spirit birth. The Holy represented the spirit-begotten condition, the highest form of the spiritual life obtainable on this side the vail. The Court represented justification, the condition of those made acceptable as sacrifices. About the outside of the Tabernacle were grouped the Levites; beyond them was the Camp, representing the condition of all during the gospel age who are professedly God's people; while outside the Camp represented the outcast condition, the condition of rejection, the condition of those who are or are esteemed to be cut oft from. God.

As the Tabernacle moved forward from point to point the more faithful ones of natural Israel would naturally seek to be as close to it as the Mosaic requirements would permit. And most of the murmurers and com-plainers would obviously be. among those who moved along grudgingly, keeping in touch with the Camp only because of the nater and food and companionship to be had. Hence -we may understand that this burning of the fire of the Lord in the edges of the Camp reached particularly the murmurers, the complainers. But when the people as a whole cried unto Moses because of these fires, Moses prayed to the Lord, and the Lord in mercy quenched them.

“LUSTED EXCEEDINGLY”

Sometime between the fiftieth day of the second year after leaving Egypt, or say about June 1 of that year, and the time of the first ripe grapes (which in that climate was perhaps not more than three months later) at a place called Kibroth-hattaavah “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? 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; but now our soul is dried away; there is nothing at all beside this manna, before our eyes. . . . 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.”—Numbers 11:4, 5, 6, 16."

Moses felt the crushing weight of the burden upon him, and prayed that unless the Lord would lift the burden his own life might be taken. The Lord gave him the needed assistance by appointing severity men to share his responsibilities, and instructed him to say to tire people, “'Ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, saying. Who shall give us flesh to eat? Lor it was well with us in Egypt. Therefore the Lord will give you flesh and ye shall eat. Ye shall not cat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days; 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?”—Numbers 11: 18-20.

For two days an enormous flock of quail fell into the camp and the people gathered them in such quantities and ate of them so gluttonously that thousands of them died from the plague which ensued. Is this not an lustration to spiritual Israel of the unwisdom of crying out against the Lord’s providences? Does it not prove that the Lord knows better what is good for us than we know ourselves, and that ofttimes an affirmative answer to our prayers would hot be for our good but for our injury?

“WERE YE NOT AFRAID?”

It was but a few days later,at Hazeroth, that “Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hatl die Lord indeed spoken only by Moses ? Hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it.” (Numbers 12':.1,2) There are many people in this world 'who seem to think it their business to raise objections when their relatives marry. They object on general principles to their relatives marrying at all, and then object more particularly at iheir choice of partners. If there is anything 'in which the Lord’s people should studiously endeavor to mind their own business it is in respect to this matter of marriage. The Lord’s Word encourages an attitude of this .kind, not only by the scriptures which tell us, “■Study to be quiet, and to do your own business,” and “Let. none of you suffer ... as a busybody in other men’s matters” (1 Thessalonians 4: 11; .1 Peter 4:15), but also by the principle enunciated in Psalm 45:10, that it is the privilege and the duty of the prospective bride measurably to forget her own people and her father’s house in taking up her duties and privileges as the mistress of a household of her own.

Moses was too meek to quarrel with his brother and sister, but Jehovah took his part, and with stern justice inquired of Aaron and Miriam why it was that they had not been afraid to speak against his servant Moses; and in a moment Miriam, who was probably the chief transgressor, became leprous, white as snow. Here were two persons very prominent in the Jewish church— two who had already been greatly used by the. Lord— who were engaged in murmuring, thus showing that this sin is not necessarily confined to those in humble positions. But for the intervention of Moses Miriam would have remained a leper until the day of her death. No doubt there was something of pride on the part of Miriam and Aaron that made them take this stand against Moses, a holici-than-thou attitude such as the scribes and Pharisees manifested toward the disciples because of their association with publicans and sinners (Luke. 5: 30)., and such as they also manifested toward the Lord Jesus himself because he was willing to be a guest of Zacchreus, a sinner. The tax collectors were considered sinners by the Jews, including not only the noble Zacchasus but the equally noble Matthew Levi, to whom wc owe the Gospel according to St. Matthew.

“DESPISED THE PLEASANT LAND”

thirty-five days after leaving Mt. Sinai the twelve were sent to spy out the land of Canaan, and after forty davs’ investigation returned, ten of them with an uniruthful report that the land was a land of giants, in whose sight the Israelites were as grasshoppers. “And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried; and the people wept that night. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would God we had died in this wilderness!” (Numbers 14: 1, 2) Moses, in speaking of this matter in Deuteronomy 1: 27, says: “Ye murmured in your tents, and said, Because the Lord hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amor-ites, to destroy us”. David, in speaking of the same matter, says: “Yea, they despised the pleasant land, they believed not his word; but murmured in their tents, and hearkened not unto the voice of the Lord. Therefore he lifted up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness.-” — Psalm 106: 24 - 26.

And are not the Lord’s people of spiritual Israel frequently tempted to exaggerate the difficulties in the way? Are they not sometimes inclined to think that the Lord is unable to complete the good work which he has begun in them? And are they not sometimes inclined to wish that they were dead and out of it all? Such ill-considered statements are surely out of place, dear brethren. Let us note that the Lord heard these words of fleshly Israel, “Would God we had died in this wilderness,” and that they did die in the wilderness. How much better it .is for us to accept the providences that God arranges for us, regardless of whether the difficulties in the way seem to be mountain-high or whether they seem to be trivial, as most of them are compared to the riches of the inheritance which awaits us beyond Jordan.

THE RIBBAND OF BLUE

How long it was before the next murmuring experience we may not know; but the command of the Lord at the hand of Moses that the people should. put a ribband of blue upon the borders of their garments developed a situation which had evidently been brewing for a long time. This ribband of blue added nothing of consequence to the Israelites’ garments, and fleshly Israelites found this ribband of blue as objectionable as some of spiritual Israel have found various things connected with harvest associations and activities. Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and two hundred and fifty of the princes of the assembly “gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up vourselves against the congregation of the Lord?”— Numbers 16: 3.

The story that follows shows how these three men, Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, were swallowed up by an earthquake, and how the two hundred and fifty elders who had assumed to stand before the Lord with their censors contesting for the places occupied by Moses and Aaron were consumed by fire. David narrates this incident in the following words: “They envied Moses also in the camp, and Aaron the saint of the Lord. The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan and covered the company of Abiram. And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.” (Psalm 106:16-18) “But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord.” (Numbers 16:41) But for Moses’ intervention the Lord would have destroyed the whole congregation at that time. As it was, a plague broke out which slew 14,700 before incense could be offered and the plague stayed.

Has there not been in spiritual Israel a disposition like that manifested here to blame the mouthpieces of the Lord for driving some of the Lord’s people out of the truth? What folly! No person ever yet was driven out of the truth except by the Lord. It does not lie within the power of any child of God to expel another from the truth. There may be differences of opinion; and it is a favorite custom with some to accuse those who differ from them of being out of the truth; but that does not make it so.

AARON’S ROD THAT BUDDED

Immediately following the earthquake and fire and plague referred to in the last preceding item, Jehovah caused each tribe to write upon a rod the name of the prince of that house, while Aaron’s name was written upon the rod of Levi. The purpose of this was that these might be laid out before the Lord in the Tabernacle of the Congregation. “And it shall come to pass that the man’s rod, whom I shall choose, shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you.” (Numbers 17: 5) All Bible students are familiar with the fact that Aaron’s Tod was the only one that budded, and it not only budded but blossomed and yielded almonds, and was laid up in the ark of the covenant “to be kept for a token against the rebels-; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me that they die not”.

Who can doubt in the face of this story the statement elsewhere made in the Scriptures that God hath set the members in the body as it hath pleased him? (1 Corinthians- 12:18) Who that has been in touch with the harvest work can doubt that the Lord selected those agencies which best pleased him? This view does not mean that Aaron made no mistakes. We have seen in this lesson that he did make a mistake in respect to Moses’ wife. It does not mean that Brother Russell never made a mistake. He did make an occasional one, as he acknowledged in the new prefaces to the volumes of Scripture Studies, which were about the last items that appeared from his pen; however, the notable mistakes that he made were few in number and not such as to interfere with the Lord’s work. Any servants in the church can be removed by a breath from the Lord. He can lift up whom he will and whom he will he can bring low.

WHY MOSES AND AARON DIED

Near the end of their forty years’ wandering in the wilderness, after Miriam had died, the water supply ran short again, “and the people chode with Moses, and spake, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord! And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there ? And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us into this evil place? It is no pla>ce of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.” (Numbers 20:3-5) This murmuring of the people was indirectly the cause of the death of both Moses and Aaron, for on this occasion instead of speaking to the rock as he had been commanded to do, Moses struck the rock twice. And although the Lord honored Moses’ imperious order, “Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?” yet, because both he and Aaron failed to honor the Lord in the eyes of the congregation they were not privileged to pass over Jordan hut each in turn was taken up into a mountain top, there in silent majesty to die in the presence of the Lord, who for a period of nearly forty years they had served so faithfully. Is there not for spiritual Israel a lesson in this, to beware lest they be led into impatience, no matter how long they have been in the way, but to continue to trust their all to the Lord, realizing that he is abundantly able to adjust their affairs in a way that will be to their ultimate joy ?

DESPISING THE BREAD FROM HEAVEN

After being sentenced to death Moses endeavored to arrange for the passage of his people through the land of Moab, promising to touch nothing by the way and even to pay for the water that they drank. This the king of Edom refused, and the Israelites were compelled to encompass the land of Edom through one of the most difficult mountain countries conceivable. The hills are barren, and extremely rough, rugged, and “the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against God and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.”—Numbers 21: 4-6.

This experience of the Israelites murmuring at the bread from heaven reminds us of the murmuring of those Jews at the saying of Jesus, “I am the bread which came down from heaven”. And we remember also that even some of Jesus’ own disciples murmured on this occasion, calling it a hard saying. (John 6: 41, 60 61) As the Lord healed the fleshly Israelites when bitten by the fiery serpents by causing them to look upon a serpent of brass nailed upon a pole, so the same Lord heals all who have been bitten by the serpent of sin when they look upon the One who was made a sin-offering for us, the One who was nailed upon a tree in our behalf.

SACRIFICES OF THE DEAD

The last experience of murmuring—distrust of the Lord—on the part of fleshly Israel before they crossed the Jordan was when they were down on the plains of Moab, opposite Jericho. Thore the daughters of Moab enticed numbers of the people to sacrifice unto their gods, “and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods”. (Numbers 25:2) The Psalmist, in speaking of this matter, ■ says: “They joined themselves unto Baal-peor, and ate the sacrifices of the dead”. (Psalm 106: 28) Because of this, twenty-four thousand of the Israelites were slain by a plague. We understand this eating the sacrifices of the dead to mean that the gods of the Moabites were really nothing but dead human beings deified after their wickednesses and meannesses had been largely forgotten. Such deifications occur in our own day, it being a custom of the various Catholic Churches to deify or turn into saints some very wicked men who have nevertheless been instrumental in helping to build up their systems.

It is the place of the Lord’s people not to worship men, good or bad, living or dead, but to make sure that at all times the worship of their hearts is toward the ever living God; and all who would have their hearts filled with a holy joy such as the world can neither give nor take away should gladly accept at the hands of their God whatever cup the Father in his wisdom may see fit to pour for them, and to do all that they do as unto the Lord, “without murmurings and disputings, that [they] may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God; without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom [they] shine as lights in the world”.—Philippians 2:14, 15.

The Apostle’s inspired comments on these murmurings of fleshly Israel imply that the reason for their murmurings against and provocations of God lay in their unbelief, their lack of faith. So he warns us: “Take heed, brethren, lest haply there shall be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God: but exhort one another day by day, so long as it is called Today; lest’ any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin: for we are become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our confidence [that confidence and assurance with which we made a consecration] firm unto the end” —Hebrews 3 : 12-14.

‘‘The human heart is prone to entertain Presumptuous thoughts, and feelings which arraign Th’ appointed course of things.; but what are we, Short-sighted creatures of an hour, That we should judge? Tn nnrt alone we see.”

THE CONVERSION OF SAUL

--,ln,Y 17 —Acts 9:1-19--

“Sudtlciili/ then

A DAJKK JOUBNEY ENDS

uhonc round about hint, a liylit out of heaven.”—Acts !>:S.

IN EIGHT — THREE DAYS Ol' GROPING—SAUL ENTERS THE LIGHT.

CONVERSION means a change from one state or character to another. In the case of Saul of Tarsus it was a change of miud, and to a certain extent a change of heart; for no one can shift from Judaism to Christianity without experiencing a revolution in thinking.

This ninth chapter of the book of Acts is the commencement of a very important part of apostolic history, since the remainder of the book is chiefly occupied with accounts of the activities of Saul, of his trials and labors in the establishment of churches and in spreading the gospel throughout the gentile world.

Saul was “breathing out" tnreatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord Jesus. He was not satisfied with what he had done in the case of Stephen, and probably of others. (Acts 8:3; 26:10) The expression breathing out’ indicates deeply agitated emotion, breathing rapidly and violently. Emotion is absorbing, exhausting, and demands more rapid circulation, which in turn calls for more active use of the lungs. The figure of speech is therefore a very strong one, calculated to convey the thought that Saul was very strenuous in his denunciation of Christianity, which he did not look upon as a separate religion but as a heresy springing up among the Jews. The situation so spurred up his Pharisaic animosity that he was threatening the adherents of the Messianic society, so to speak, with every breath. His was the action of a man violently enraged. We are not left to guess on this subject; for the Apostle liimself in later years tells exactly how he felt: “Being exceedingly mad against them. I persecuted them even unto strange cities". (Acts 26:11) Nothing can more forcibly express his rage and violence. He was so indignant that he laid aside all appearances of moderation and endeavored to exterminate the despised heretics from the earth.

PAPERS OF AUTHORITY

In furtherance of his designs Saul sought out the high priest to secure from him letters commissioning him to carry on the work of persecution In points outside of Judea. The fact that he “desired" these letters shows the intensity of his wish to persecute the Christians, that, he was willing to ask for such employment.

Such letters, in order to be authoritative, would have to be sanctioned or ratified by the Sanhedrim, of which Hie chief priests were a part, but only a part. Such papers were in the nature of a blanket search warrant, and warrant for the arrest of all those who would not deny Jesus as being the Messiah.

From the wording of the account it seems that it was not certainly known whether there were Christians in Damascus or not. Doubtless Saul had some good reason for thinking that there were, otherwise he would not have undertaken so long a journey. His intended method was to call at every Jewish house and hold a sort of peremptory inquisition. If the members of the household disclaimed any belief in or allegiance to Jesus as the Messiah would pass on: but if anyone confessed Jesus as being the Christ he was to be taken in custody and brought, along with others like minded, to Jerusalem to be heard before Hie great Sanhedrim, which alone was empowered to determine in cases of blasphemy. The men who journeyed with Saul were probably in the nature of deputy marshals to look after the prisoners as they would be taken. The fury of the whole movement is shown in that no distinction was made between men and women. Three times the Apostle refers to his persecution of women.

As the dread party neared Damascus, a city since before Abraham’s time, something happened which turned the tide in Saul’s mind: “Suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven”; The light must have been something in the nature of lightning, as far as the swiftness and brilliancy are concerned. Yet its chief intensity was centered upon Saul; for while other members of the party were smitten to the ground, they were not injured by the light, which was more brilliant to Saul titan the sun at noonday. This is no chance comparison. It was noontime (Acts 22:6) and the heavenly tight did actually exceed the sun’s brilliance. In the Near East travelers are accustomed to rest during the most heated portions of the day, and the fact that this party was pushing on adds but additional color to the impatience with which they sought to reach the city and begin their work.

This heavenly glory was like the shekinab, or glory-light of old, which accompanied the appearance of Jehovah’s messengers to and among his people.

JESUS THE NAZARENE

When. Saul fell to the earth he heard a voice saying. “Saul, Saul, why persecutes! thou me?” This mode of address is emphatic. The repetition*' of a name has the effect of fixing the attention. This mode of address was used by our Lord to Martha (Luke 10: 43 I. to Simon (Luke 22:31). ami toward the city of Jerusalem. (Matthew 23:37) Saul's answer was: “Who art thou, sir?" The Master’s reply was: “I am Jesus, whom thou porsecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks”. Years afterward, ir. giving an account of this incident, the Apostle says that the words ‘of Nazareth were contained in the Master’s reply. It was this word 'Nazareth which was so loathsome and disgusting to the Pharisees and chief priests of that time. They fairly turned up their noses at the thought of the Messiah being identified with that despised village. Jesus answer: ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, the object ot your contempt and scorn.’ must have been quite as startling and quite as penetrating to the sensibilities of Saul as had been the light itself. Indeed, the Scriptures associate tlr-truth with light. “The entrance of thy words gitetli light." (Psalm 1-19:1:10) Here there was an overwhelming light and an overt. lining truth. The one was brilliant enough to shame the sun at noonday; the other was illuminating enough to make brilliant not only all the remaining years of Saul’s life but also the lives of many thousands of those who have walked in the same way with him.

From the Master's words, “It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks” (Acts 26: 14). we may safely understand that some arguments in favor of Jesus as the Messiah had come to the attention of Saul prior to this time. Instead of examining them dispassionately, out of pure love of truth, he kicked back at these goading and sharp-pointed ideas aud manifested an obstinate and refractory disposition. Like a goaded ox. lie resisted the authority of Him who has a right to command, opposed the leadings <>1 Providence—to his own injury.

“All truth is calm, refuge and rock and tower ;

Tlu mono >f truth the more of.calm, its calmness is its power. Truth is not strife nor is to strife allied

It is the error that is bred of storm, by race and pride. Calmness is truth, and truth is calmness soil :

Truth lifts its forehead to the storm, like some eternal hill ”

Opposition to the truth is seldom marked on the part of those who have no truth at all. Its chief enemies art those who have some measure of illumination and who therefore have pre-judice or pre-judgment on matters of doctrine. Their minds are already made up, and it is difficult for even the minutest ray of additional light to find lodgment. It is likely to be unwelcome, in proportion as the mind of the individual inclines to be orderly; for he has arranged and classified his previous knowledge in such a wayr.as to make it appear to fill out the space, very much as an orderly housewife arranges bits of furniture in a carefully cared-for room. Something like this was the mental state of Saul. Nothing short of a veritable cyclone would induce him to rearrange his mental furniture and to admit of new pieces.

18G

“He, trembling and astonished, said. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” This question indicates a subdued and humbled spirit. Just before this he had sought only to do his own will (believing that will to be In harmony with the divine will, as conscientious zealots are apt to do) ; now he was inquiring after the will of Jesus of Nazareth. Just before he was acting under a commission from the Sanhedrim ; now he was asking what the Lord Jesus would have him to do. Too much cannot be made of this question, however. It may have been merely the natural question of a very much surprised and astonished man, very much as anyone would say if suddenly accosted by a robber: “Wliat do you want?” or “What do you want me to do?”

We incline strongly to the thought that Saul’s conversion to Christianity was not so instantaneous as It is popularly pictured. It seems evident from the account that his conversion, or change of mind, took place gradually throughout the ensuing three days. In fact, it was three years before the Pharisaic cobwebs were quite brushed out of his mind and he was ready for the great work to which the Lord had called him. The effect of the great light was to arrest his attention and to make him a witness of Jesus, who appeared either in the light or as the light itself. The leader had to be first led into the city, apparently to the same house for which he was originally headed, that of one Judas or Judah. The Lord was dealing with him as gently as possible. He was not interfering with his social arrangements, knowing that in his blinded state he could think quite as well in the house of Judas as in that of Ananias. In fact, he would feel more at home there.

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