PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Notes on the book of Numbers
Mackintosh, Charles Henry, 1820-1896 · 131,881 words · 179 reading sections
CHAPTER VIII.
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ‘Speak unto Aaron, and say unto him, When thou lightest the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.’ And Aaron did so; he lighted the lamps thereof over against the candlestick, as the Lord commanded Moses. And this work of the candlestick was of bea…
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This is divine order. It is, we are bold to say, one of the ten thousand illustrations which lie scattered over the surface of Scripture, tending to demonstrate the divine perfectness of the volume as a whole, and of each book, section, and paragraph therein. And we are glad—intensely glad to point out these precious i…
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Nor is this all we learn from our type. “The seven lamps shall give light over against the candlestick.” Were we to clothe this figure in New-Testament language, we should quote our Lord’s words when He says to us, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is …
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Here we have, in very deed, “the seven lamps giving their light over against the candlestick;” or, in other words, the sevenfold or perfect display of the Spirit’s light in distinct testimony to the name of Jesus. “Why,” said these faithful vessels of the Spirit’s light, “look ye so earnestly on _us_?” No need of the s…
587 wordsSECTION 65CHAPTER IX.
“And the Lord spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first month of the second year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, saying, ‘Let the children of Israel also keep the passover at his appointed season. In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep it in his appointed season: acco…
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“And Moses said unto them, ‘Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you.’” Lovely attitude! Moses had no answer to give; but he knew who had, and he waited on Him. This was the very best and wisest thing for Moses to do. He did not pretend to be able to give an answer. He was not ashamed to s…
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Has this no voice for us? Assuredly it has. We must ever remember, as we pass along through the pages of this marvelous book of Numbers, that the things which happened unto Israel are our types, and that it is at once our duty and our privilege to hang over these types and seek to understand the holy lessons which they…
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These are, pre-eminently, lessons for the wilderness—lessons for this very day—lessons for _us_. They are suggested, very forcibly, by the inspired record of the passover in the second month—a record peculiar to the book of Numbers—the great wilderness-book. It is in the wilderness that human failure comes so fully out…
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And may we not ask, in the face of this solemn fact, Is it nothing now—is it a matter of no moment for Christians to neglect, from week to week and month to month, the supper of their Lord? Are we to suppose that the One who, in Numbers ix, declared that the neglecter of the passover should be cut off, takes no account…
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Nor is it merely a question of subjection to the authority of Scripture. It is that, most assuredly, as we have abundantly proved by quotation after quotation from the divine Word; and that alone is amply sufficient for every pious mind. But there is more than this. There is such a thing as the response of love in the …
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“And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up, the cloud covered the tabernacle, namely, the tent of the testimony: and at even, there was upon the tabernacle as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. _So it was alway_: the cloud covered it by day, and the appearance of fire by night. And when the cloud…
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Such was Jesus when He lived in this world; and we, as partakers of His nature—His life, and having His Spirit dwelling in us, are called to walk in His steps, and live a life of simple dependence upon God, from day to day. Of this life of dependence, in one special phase of it, we have a graphic and beautiful type at …
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There is nothing in all this world more deeply blessed than to lead a life of habitual dependence upon God; to hang upon Him moment by moment, to wait on Him and cling to Him for every thing, to have all our springs in Him; it is the true secret of peace, and of holy independence of the creature. The soul that can real…
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“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ‘Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them; that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camp. And when they shall blow with them, all the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the taber…
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This is most simple and deeply practical. We can have no difficulty in seeing its force and application in the case of the congregation in the wilderness. But let us remember that all this was a type; and further, that it is written for our learning. We are solemnly bound, therefore, to look into it; we are imperativel…
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The answer is as plain as a sunbeam. Let us ponder it: it has a lesson for us. Let us apply our hearts to it. The silver trumpet settled and ordered every movement for Israel of old: the testimony of God ought to settle and order every thing for the Church now. That silver trumpet was blown by the priests of old: that …
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We have now reached, in our meditations on this precious book, the moment in the which the camp is called to move forward. All is duly ordered, according to that grand regulator, “the commandment of the Lord.” Each man according to his pedigree, and each tribe according to the standard thereof, is in the divinely appoi…
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Thus it is with us; but, blessed be God, His grace abounds toward us, as it did toward Israel on the occasion to which we are now referring. If Moses will look to Hobab for guidance, Jehovah will teach His servant that He Himself is all-sufficient as a guide. “And they departed from the mount of the Lord three days’ jo…
469 wordsSECTION 79CHAPTER XI.
Hitherto we have been occupied, in our study of this book, with God’s mode of ordering and providing for His people in the wilderness. We have traveled over the first ten chapters, and seen in them the illustration of the wisdom, goodness, and forethought of Jehovah, the God of Israel. But now we reach a point at which…
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How often is this the case with us! When once the heart loses its freshness in the divine life—when heavenly things begin to lose their savor—when first love declines—when Christ ceases to be a satisfying and altogether precious portion for the soul—when the Word of God and prayer lose their charm, and become heavy, du…
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May we have grace to think of these things—to think seriously. May we so walk in the Spirit that Christ may ever be a satisfying portion for our hearts. Had Israel in the wilderness walked with God, they never could have said, “Our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes.” That m…
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From all this we learn the urgent need of vigilance on the part of God’s people; and not only of vigilance, but also of absolute dependence upon the Lord, who alone can preserve them from the entrance in of false materials, and keep them free from all contact with men of mixed principles and doubtful character. “The mi…
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What, then, are we to learn from the remarkable outburst of feeling recorded in Numbers xi. 11-15? We learn this at least, that it is the wilderness that really brings out what is in the very best of us. It is there we prove what is in our hearts. And inasmuch as the book of Numbers is emphatically the book of the wild…
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However, we cannot but see that, in shrinking from a position of weighty responsibility, Moses was really giving up a place of high dignity and holy privilege. This seems most evident from the following passage: “And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘Gather unto Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be …
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The true secret of all ministry is spiritual power. It is not man’s genius, or man’s intellect, or man’s energy; but simply the power of the Spirit of God. This was true in the days of Moses, and it is true now. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” (Zech. iv. 6.) It is well for all m…
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May all preachers keep these things before the mind, and then it will not matter whether it be _one_ preacher or _seventy_, one man in the same place for fifty years, or the same man in fifty different places in one year. The question is not at all as to new men or new places, but simply and entirely as to the power of…
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The closing paragraph of our chapter shows us the people in the miserable and fatal enjoyment of that for which their hearts had lusted. “He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.” They got what they longed for, and found it death. They _would_ have flesh, and with the flesh came the judgment of Go…
135 wordsSECTION 88CHAPTER XII.
The brief section of our book to which we now approach may be viewed in two distinct aspects: in the first place, it is typical or dispensational; and in the second, moral or practical. In the union of Moses with “the Ethiopian woman,” we have a type of that great and marvelous mystery, the union of the Church with Ch…
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But in any case, it is a fatal mistake to speak against the very feeblest and humblest of God’s servants. If the servant does wrong—if he is in error, if he has failed in any thing—the Lord Himself will deal with him; but let the fellow-servants beware how they attempt to take the matter into their hands, lest they be …
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The few closing lines of our chapter confirm the typical or dispensational view which we have ventured to suggest. “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.’ And…
165 wordsSECTION 91CHAPTER XIII.
“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ‘Send thou men that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.’ And Moses by the commandment of the Lord sent them from the wilderness of Paran.” (Ver. 1-3.) In …
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If the reader will turn to the opening pages of the first book of Samuel, he will find something similar in the matter of the appointment of a king. The Lord commanded Samuel to hearken to the voice of the people, and make them a king. (1 Sam. viii. 22.) Was it that He approved of the plan? Most surely not; on the cont…
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Here, then, was the fullest confirmation of all that the Lord had said concerning the land—the testimony of twelve men as to the fact that the land flowed with milk and honey—the testimony of their own senses as to the character of the fruit of the land. Furthermore, there was the telling fact that twelve men had actua…
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“And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, ‘The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Ana…
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“And all the congregation lifted up their voice and cried; and the people wept that night.” Need we wonder? What else could be expected from a people who had nothing before their eyes but mighty giants, lofty walls, and great cities? What but tears and sighs could emanate from a congregation who saw themselves as grass…
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It is declared, concerning Israel, by the voice of inspiration, that “they could not enter in [to Canaan] because of unbelief.” (Heb. iii.) So is it with us. We fail to enter upon our heavenly inheritance—fail to take possession, practically, of our true and proper portion—fail to walk, day by day, as a heavenly people…
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But, oh, how important it is to be enabled, like Joshua and Caleb, to bear a full, clear, and uncompromising testimony to the truth of God! How important to maintain the truth as to the proper portion and inheritance of the saints! There is such a tendency to corrupt the truth—to fritter it away—to surrender it—to lowe…
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Hear his marvelous reply. Instead of jumping at the offer contained in the words, “I will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they”—instead of eagerly grasping at the golden opportunity of laying the foundation of his personal fame and fortune, he sets himself completely aside, and replies in accents of the…
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But then there is such a thing as government, as well as grace. This must never be forgotten, nor must these things ever be confounded. The whole book of God illustrates the distinction between grace and government; and no part of it, perhaps, more forcibly than the section which now lies open before us. Grace will par…
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And does not this convey a solemn lesson to us? Most surely. How is it that we, as Christians, so fail in making good, practically, our heavenly position? We are delivered from judgment by the _blood_ of the Lamb; we are delivered from this present world by the _death_ of Christ; but we do not, in spirit and by faith, …
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Now, it is in carrying on this conflict that we so signally fail. We do not aim at apprehending that for which we have been apprehended. Many of us are satisfied with knowing that we are sheltered from judgment by the blood of the Lamb. We do not enter into the deep significance of the Red Sea and the river Jordan; we …
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This is a most weighty principle: “According to your faith, so be it unto you.” Let us remember this. God delights in faith. He loves to be trusted; and He will ever put honor upon those who trust Him. On the contrary, unbelief is grievous to Him. It provokes and dishonors Him, and brings darkness and death over the so…
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Here lay the grand secret. The Lord’s presence with His people secures victory over every foe; but if He be not with them, they are as water poured upon the ground. The ten unbelieving spies had declared themselves to be as grasshoppers in the presence of the giants, and Moses, taking them at their word, tells them, as…
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And, blessed be God, we shall have Him with us in that wilderness journey, though we shall not and cannot have Him with us in our self-chosen path of pride and assumption. Jehovah refused to accompany Israel into the mountain of the Amorites; but He was ready to turn about, in patient grace, and accompany them through …
346 wordsSECTION 105CHAPTER XV.
THE words with which our chapter opens are peculiarly striking, when taken in connection with the contents of chapter xiv. There, all seemed dark and hopeless. Moses had to say to the people, “_Go not up_, for the Lord is not among you; that ye be not smitten before your enemies.” And again, the Lord had said to them, …
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Thus, then, the opening lines of Numbers xv. must be read in the light of the whole volume of God. It falls in with the entire history of the ways of God with man, in this world. Israel had forfeited all title to the land. They deserved nothing better than that their carcasses should fall in the wilderness. And yet suc…
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Beloved reader, we beseech thee, by the most weighty arguments that can possibly be urged upon the soul of man, not to turn away from this subject until thou hast come to a right conclusion. By God’s great love, by the cross and passion of Christ, by the powerful testimony of God the Holy Ghost, by the awful solemnity …
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Are we not forcibly reminded, by the teaching of this part of our book, of that profound section of dispensational truth presented in Romans ix.-xi, particularly of its magnificent close? “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance. For as ye [strangers] in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtain…
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Is this not so, reader? Well, then, why should we plead ignorance when the claims of Christ are in question? Does it not prove that while we are quick, earnest, energetic, all alive, when _self_ is concerned, we are indifferent, sluggish, slow-paced, when Christ is concerned? Alas! alas! this is the plain, humbling tru…
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This is no sin of ignorance, but a presumptuous, willful sin, for which nothing remained but the unmitigated judgment of God. “Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” (1 Sam. xv. 23.) These are weighty words for a moment like the present, when man’s will is developing itsel…
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But why, it may be asked, had they to put the man in ward? Because, although the commandment was explicit, yet the breach of it had not been anticipated, nor had any penalty been enacted. To speak after the manner of men, Jehovah had not contemplated such folly on man’s part as the interruption of His rest, and therefo…
616 wordsSECTION 112CHAPTER XVI.
The chapter on which we have just been dwelling is what may be called a digression from the history of Israel’s wilderness life, except indeed the short paragraph respecting the Sabbath-breaker. It looks forward into the future, when, spite of all their sin and folly, their murmuring and rebellion, Israel shall possess…
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“Ye take too much upon you.” Such was their charge against “the meekest man in all the earth.” But what had Moses taken upon him? Surely, the most cursory glance back at the history of that dear and honored servant would have been sufficient to convince any impartial person that, so far from taking dignity and responsi…
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Now, looking at the subject in the light of that marvelous illustration of 1 Corinthians xii, what sense would there be in the feet charging the hands, or the ears charging the eyes, with taking too much upon them? Would not the notion be preposterous in the extreme? True, those members occupy a prominent place in the …
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This was placing the matter in the proper hands. Moses gives great prominence to the sovereign rights of Jehovah.—“The Lord will show,” and, “The Lord will choose.” There is not a syllable about himself or Aaron. The whole question hinges upon the Lord’s choice and the Lord’s appointment. The two hundred and fifty rebe…
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But Korah had not learnt this simple, but wholesome, principle. He was not content with his divinely appointed place and service, but aimed at something which did not belong to him at all,—he aimed at being a priest. His sin was the sin of rebellion against God’s high-priest. This was “the gainsaying of Core.” It is i…
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This is the Christian priesthood. And let the reader note it carefully, that to aim at any other form of priesthood than this—to assume any other priestly function—to set up a certain priestly class—a sacerdotal _caste_—a number of men to act on behalf of their fellows, or discharge priestly service for them before God…
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Oh to walk humbly with our God! to be content with His will! to be satisfied to fill a very humble niche, and to do the most unpretending work! This is true dignity and true happiness. If God gives us a crossing to sweep, let us sweep it, as under His eye and to His praise. The grand and all-essential point is, to be f…
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Here is another opportunity for Moses. The whole congregation is again threatened with immediate destruction. All seems hopeless. The divine long-suffering seems at an end, and the sword of judgment is about to fall on the whole assembly. And now it appears that in that very priesthood which the rebels had despised lie…
629 wordsSECTION 120CHAPTERS XVII. & XVIII.
These two chapters form a distinct section, in which we have presented to us the source, the responsibilities, and the privileges of priesthood. Priesthood is a divine institution. “No man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.” This is made manifest in a most striking manner in cha…
775 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.