PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Notes on the book of Numbers
Mackintosh, Charles Henry, 1820-1896 · 131,881 words · 179 reading sections
Part 121
Such, beloved reader, is infidelity. It is of Satan, who ever has been, is, and will be the great question-raiser. Wherever you trace Satan, you will always find him raising questions. He fills the heart with all sorts of “ifs” and “hows,” and thus plunges the soul in thick darkness. If he can only succeed in raising a…
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“And Moses brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Israel; and they looked, and took every man his rod. And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘Bring Aaron’s rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from Me, that the…
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Nothing can be more forcible, nothing more lovely. That dry, dead stick was the apt figure of Israel’s condition, and indeed of the condition of every one of us by nature. There was no sap, no life, no power. One might well say, “What good can ever come of it?” None whatever, had not grace come in and displayed its qui…
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It is most necessary to be clear as to the distinction between gift and local charge. There is the utmost confusion of the two things throughout the entire professing church, and the consequence is that ministry is not understood. The members of the body of Christ do not understand their place or their functions. Human…
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But ere we turn from this subject, we deem it most necessary to impress upon the reader the importance of distinguishing between ministry and priesthood. The sin of Korah consisted in this: that, not content with being a minister, he aimed at being a priest; and the sin of christendom is of the same character. Instead …
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We shall not pursue this subject any further just now. Enough, we trust, has been suggested to lead the reflecting reader to follow it up for himself. We only add, and that with special emphasis, let him follow it up _only_ in the light of Scripture. Let him resolve, by the grace of God, to lay aside every thing which …
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But we have to notice particularly that Aaron’s sons, and his father’s house, are associated with him in his high and holy privileges and responsibilities. The Levites were given as a gift to Aaron, to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. They were to serve under Aaron, the head of the priestly house. …
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There is a pernicious tendency in some minds to depreciate every line of work save their own. This must be carefully guarded against. If all were to pursue the same line, where were that lovely variety which characterizes the Lord’s work and workmen in the world? Nor is it merely a question of the line of work, but act…
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This settles the great question as to priesthood and sacrifice for sin. Christians cannot be too clear or decided in reference to it. It lies at the very foundation of true Christianity, and demands the deep and serious attention of all who desire to walk in the clear light of a full salvation, and to occupy the true C…
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It demands a very large measure of spiritual capacity to enter into the depth and meaning of this marvelous passage. To eat the sin-offering or the trespass-offering is, in figure, to make another’s sin or trespass one’s own. This is very holy work. It is not every one who can, in spirit, identify himself with the sin …
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What a figure have we in all this of our portion in Christ! The olive, the grape, and the finest of the wheat were pressed and bruised, in order to feed and gladden the priests of God; and the blessed Antitype of all these has, in infinite grace, been bruised and crushed in death, in order that, by His flesh and blood,…
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All this is divine. It is a striking figure of that which we should look for in the Church of God now. As we have already remarked, God’s people are presented, in this book, under three distinct phases, namely, as warriors, workers, and worshipers; and in all three they are viewed as in the attitude of the most absolut…
380 wordsSECTION 133CHAPTER XIX.
One of the most important sections of the book of Numbers now lies open before us, presenting for our consideration the deeply interesting and instructive ordinance of “The Red Heifer.” A thoughtful student of Scripture would naturally feel disposed to inquire why it is that we get this type in Numbers and not in Levit…
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This is only what we might expect, and it is well to remember it nowadays. “God is His own interpreter” in Scripture as well as in providence; and if we wait on Him, He will assuredly make it plain. But as in providence “blind unbelief is sure to err, and scan His ways in vain,” so in Scripture it is sure to err, and s…
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From all these passages, taken in connection with Numbers xix. 3, we learn two things, namely, that the death of Christ is not presented as the proper, ordinary act of priesthood; and further, that heaven, not earth, is the sphere of His priestly ministry. There is nothing new in these statements—others have advanced t…
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Now, it is most needful for the reader to understand and enter experimentally into the connection existing between these two things. It is quite possible to miss this grand link, even while holding and contending for a vast amount of evangelical truth; and it may be confidently affirmed that where this link is missing,…
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But further—“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. 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…
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“And every priest _standeth daily_ ministering and _offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins_: but this Man, after He had offered _one sacrifice_ for sins, _forever sat down_ on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool. For _by one offering_ …
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Here, blessed be God, we have the stable ground-work of “purification for sin,” and of perfect peace for the conscience. “The atoning work is done.” All is finished. The great Antitype of the red heifer has been slain. He gave Himself up to death, under the wrath and judgment of a righteous God, that all who simply put…
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It is remarkable how constantly the Spirit of God presents, in intimate connection, the full relief of the conscience from all sense of guilt, and the deliverance of the heart from the moral influence of this present evil world. Now, it should be our care, beloved Christian reader, to maintain the integrity of this con…
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But here let us ask, Why is not this great practical truth more pressed home upon the hearts of evangelical Christians at the present moment? why are we so slow to urge upon one another the separating power of the cross of Christ? If my heart loves Jesus, I shall not seek a place, a portion, or a name where He only fou…
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But the anxious reader, whose whole soul breathes after holiness, may eagerly inquire, What, then, are we to do, if it be true that we are thus surrounded, on all hands, with defiling influences, and if we are so prone to contract that defilement? Furthermore, if it is impossible to have fellowship with God with unclea…
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And be it carefully remembered that we can never get rid of defilement in any other way. We may seek to forget, to slur over, to heal the wound slightly, to make little of the matter, to let time obliterate it from the tablet of memory. It will never do; nay, it is most dangerous work. There are few things more disastr…
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And let the reader observe that it was not a question of offering a fresh sacrifice, nor yet of a fresh application of the blood. It is of special importance that this should be distinctly seen and understood. The death of Christ cannot be repeated. “Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more d…
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Putting both these together, we learn, as another has said, “that any one who has to do with the sin of another, though it be in the way of duty, to cleanse it, is defiled; not as the guilty person, it is true, but we cannot touch sin without being defiled.” And we learn also that in order to lead another into the enjo…
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“Then 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.” (Ver. 1.) The chapter which now opens before us furnishes a very remarkable record of wilderness life and experience. In it we see Mo…
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It is deeply touching to find Moses, again and again, on his face before God. It was a sweet relief to make his escape from a tumultuous host and betake himself to the only One whose resources were adequate to meet such an occasion. “They fell upon their faces; and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them.” They do not…
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There can be no repetition of the death of Christ, and hence Moses was wrong in smiting the rock twice with _his_ rod—wrong in smiting it at all. He was commanded to take “_the rod_”—Aaron’s rod—the priestly rod, and speak to the rock. The atoning work is done, and now our great High-Priest has passed into the heavens,…
826 wordsSECTION 149CHAPTER XXI.
This chapter brings prominently before us the familiar and beautiful ordinance of the brazen serpent—that great evangelical type. “And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. And the people spake against Go…
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Now, it is in close connection with the foregoing statement that our Lord expressly teaches that He was the antitype of the brazen serpent. As the Son of God sent forth from the Father, He was, most assuredly, the gift and expression of God’s love to a perishing world. But He was also to be lifted up upon the cross in …
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Thus it was then, and thus it is now. We must have to do with Jesus for ourselves. The Church cannot save us—no order of priests or ministers can save us. There must be the personal link with the Saviour, else there is no life. “It came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten _any man_, when _he_ beheld the serpent of br…
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These three chapters form a distinct section of our book—a truly marvelous section, abounding in rich and varied instruction. In it we have presented to us, first, the covetous prophet, and secondly, his sublime prophecies. There is something peculiarly awful in the case of Balaam. He evidently loved money—no uncommon …
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This is a point of deepest interest. The great question is not so much what the enemy may think of God’s people, or what they may think about themselves, or what they may think of one another. The real—the all-important question is, What does God think about them? He knows exactly all that concerns them, all that they …
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The foregoing line of truth is most forcibly illustrated in Balaam’s four parables. To speak after the manner of men, we never should have had such a glorious view of Israel as seen in “the vision of the Almighty”—“from the top of the rocks”—by one “having his eyes open,” had not Balak sought to curse them. Jehovah, bl…
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Here we find ourselves on truly elevated ground, and on ground as solid as it is elevated. This is, in truth, “the top of the rocks”—the pure air and wide range of “the hills,” where the people of God are seen only in “the vision of the Almighty”—seen as He sees them, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing—all their…
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But let us particularly notice the rich grace that shines in this third parable.—“How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel!” If one had gone down to examine those tents and tabernacles in “the vision” of man, they might have appeared “black as the tents of Kedar;” but looked at in “the vision of…
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We shall close this section by a brief reference to Balaam’s last parable. Balak, having heard such a glowing testimony to Israel’s future, and the overthrow of all their enemies, was not only sorely disappointed, but greatly enraged.—“And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and B…
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Here a new scene opens upon our view. We have been on the top of Pisgah, hearkening to God’s testimony respecting Israel, and there, all was bright and fair—without a cloud, without a spot; but now we find ourselves in the plains of Moab, and all is changed. There, we had to do with God and His thoughts; here, we have …
648 wordsSECTION 159CHAPTER XXVI.
This, though one of the longest chapters in our book, does not call for much in the way of remark or exposition. In it we have the record of the second numbering of the people, as they were about to enter upon the promised land. How sad to think that out of the six hundred thousand men of war which were numbered at fir…
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Now, it was the lack of this blessed faith that kept Israel out of Canaan, and caused six hundred thousand carcasses to fall in the wilderness; and it is the lack of this faith that keeps thousands of God’s people in bondage and darkness, when they ought to be walking in liberty and light—that keeps them in depression …
234 wordsSECTION 161CHAPTER XXVII.
The conduct of the daughters of Zelophehad, as recorded in the opening section of this chapter, presents a striking and beautiful contrast to the unbelief on which we have just been commenting. They most assuredly belonged not to the generation of those who are ever ready to abandon divine ground, lower the divine stan…
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“And Moses brought their cause before the Lord. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ‘_The daughters of Zelophehad speak right: thou shalt surely give them a possession of an inheritance among their father’s brethren; and thou shalt cause the inheritance of their father to pass unto them_.’” (Ver. 5-7.) Here was a g…
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The “fathers” of the house of Joseph must be heard as well as the “daughters.” The faith of the latter was most lovely; but there was just a danger lest, in the elevation to which that faith had raised them, they might forget the claims of others, and remove the landmarks which guarded the inheritance of their fathers.…
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Thus it is in the closing scene of our chapter. When Moses hears that he is not to go over Jordan, instead of being occupied in regrets as to himself, he only thinks of the interests of the congregation. “And Moses spake unto the Lord, saying, ‘Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congr…
337 wordsSECTION 165CHAPTERS XXVIII. & XXIX.
These two chapters must be read together; they form a distinct section of our book—a section pregnant with interest and instruction. The second verse of chapter xxviii. gives us a condensed statement of the contents of the entire section. “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ‘Command the children of Israel, and say …
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So also at the beginnings of their months (ver. 11), in the feast of the passover and unleavened bread (ver. 16-25), in the feast of first-fruits (ver. 26-31), in the feast of trumpets (chap. xxix. 1-6), in the feast of tabernacles (ver. 7-38). In a word, throughout the entire range of feasts, the leading idea is, Chri…
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Having, in our “Notes on Leviticus,” offered to the reader what God has given to us in the way of light on the sacrifices and feasts, we do not feel led to dwell upon them here. That little volume can be had of the publishers, and the reader will find in chapters i.-viii. and chapter xxxiii. what may interest and help …
80 wordsSECTION 168CHAPTER XXX.
This brief section has what we may term a dispensational bearing. It applies specially to Israel, and treats of the question of vows and bonds. The man and the woman stand in marked contrast in relation to this subject. “If a man vow a vow unto the Lord, or swear an oath to bind his soul with a bond; he shall not break…
821 wordsSECTION 169CHAPTER XXXI.
We have here the closing scene of Moses’ _official_ life, as in Deuteronomy xxxiv. we have the closing scene of his _personal_ history. “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, ‘Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites; afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.’ And Moses spake unto the people, saying, ‘A…
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The fact recorded in this chapter has given rise to considerable discussion. Various have been the opinions advanced in reference to the conduct of the two tribes and a half. Were they right, or were they wrong in choosing their inheritance on the wilderness side of Jordan? This is the question. Was their acting in thi…
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And now let us look at the consequences of this line of action. Let the reader turn to Joshua xxii. Here we have the first sorrowful effect of the equivocal conduct of Reuben and Gad. They must needs build an altar—“a great altar to see to,” lest in time to come their brethren might disown them. What does all this prov…
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These are the men for the present crisis. What can be more deplorable, more saddening and discouraging, than to find those who make a lofty profession, who talk loudly of death and resurrection, who boast of their high doctrines and heavenly privileges, but whose walk and ways give the lie to their words? They love the…
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The first of these sections gives us a wonderfully minute description of the desert wanderings of the people of God. It is impossible to read it without being deeply moved by the tender love and care of God so signally displayed throughout the whole. To think of His deigning to keep such a record of the journeyings of …
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The opening lines of this most interesting chapter set before us the gracious provision which Jehovah made for His servants the Levites. Each of the tribes of Israel was privileged—that we say not bound—to furnish the Levites with a certain number of cities with their suburbs, according to their ability. “All the citie…
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Now, we believe that this beautiful ordinance had special reference to Israel. They have killed the Prince of Life; but the question is, As which are they viewed by God? as the murderer, or as the slayer? If the former, there is no refuge—no hope. No murderer could be sheltered within the city of refuge. Here is the la…
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One grand point there is common to both, and that is, the point of exposure to imminent danger, and the urgent need of fleeing for refuge. If it would have been wild folly on the part of the slayer to linger or hesitate for a moment, until he found himself safely lodged in the city of refuge, it is surely still wilder …
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[1] Now six. [2] We ought perhaps to inform the reader that many able scholars render the last clause of Galatians v. 17 thus: “In order that ye may not do the things that ye would.” We assuredly believe this rendering to be in full keeping with the spirit of the context; though we are each day more convinced of the u…
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[14] Even in the matter of appointing deacons, in Acts vi. we see it was an apostolic act. “Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom _we may appoint_ over this business.” The brethren were allowed to _select_ the men, inasmuch as it was their money t…
550 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.