PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy
William Lindsay Alexander [1808-1884] · 519,671 words · 561 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 421
!'it her one or the other. And so, before the Holy Land is taken possession of, they aro rPmind<'<l how very much the realization of the promises of temporal good depends on what they nre. We cannot be too frequently reminde<l of the fact, however, that, I hough 1m·ma facie this chaptrr looks as if people were then und…
915 wordsSECTION 422The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 422
TDIR BLEBSINO TO TilE OBEDIENT. (Ver. 12.) It may, at first 3ight, seem to be an nntiqunted setting of things which we find in this verse, in which it is sairl virtufllly that tho amount of rain will depenrl on the amount of virtue, and that the ac~umulaLio~ of men'd possessions will depend on their fidelity to God I T…
916 wordsSECTION 423The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 423
ns G0d hns given to us. Our theme is-Leve veiled in frown; or, the terrors of the Lord a necessity (!{ his in.finile love. I. There nrc some in c,·cry nation whom it is absolutely necessary to sway by deterrents, and in the infancy of a nation fear is more potent than faith. II. God has a curse ns well as a blessing.…
771 wordsSECTION 424The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 424
not sever Uie connection between godliness and prosperity. It gives it a new ~anctir,n (~ 'l'im. iv. B?. Wern the ~bedience of_ ?o<l's children more uniform and perfect, an,! prnty more widely cl11Tused rn communities, the connection would be more manifest thnn it is. But on tho wl1ole, temporal prosperity occupies a l…
883 wordsSECTION 425The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 425
Yer. 9.-Esta.bl,~hed. Probation, in the case of the faithful, ends in establishment. If Israel would keep the commandments, God would "perfect, stablish, strengthen settle" them as "an holy people'' to himself, and so confirm the promises made to th~ fathers. A like promise to the Church and to Christians (Acts xvi.…
778 wordsSECTION 426The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 426
nlikc to consci11_nce am! the facts or life, which the Greeks sou,-,l,t to personify in the Erinycs, in Nemesis, a:r:id in Ate, who.clung to a m~n o~ to a fa7nily in punishment for some half-forgotten cnme. 4. By literature, which 1s full of the rrco,,nition of nvenging powers. The Bible confirms the substance of this …
1,204 wordsSECTION 427The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 427
Yers. 37-42.-God, Ruler in natu':"e, I. NATURAL OBJECTS ARE OF ms CREATION. Tlie Psalmist bids us lift up our eyes to the bills, and seek help from God," who made l,caYen and earth" (Ps. cxxi. 2). It is this which enables him to help us, and makes it reasonable in us to implore and trust in his assistance; as well as l…
519 wordsSECTION 428The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 428
shame be it spolwn) by Christian nations; and still remaining a distinct people thouah without a home" (Whntely,' Evidences'). (4) "To serve other gods" may ~~an ~- 0 more than to be banished from the territory of Jehovah, and to dwell in and be com- pelled to conform to the laws of a country where other gods are reco…
837 wordsSECTION 429The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 429
prove a pAssport to respect in any society. It is different with the fastidious and excessi,e delicacy of the belle. So entirely is this an appendage of I\ certain social position that, when that is gone, it perishes like a crushed flower. 'l'he admirers of the delicate lady hBve deserted her, She is treated with coldn…
810 wordsSECTION 430The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 430
Vers. 1-14-.-The pwrpose of tempMol blessing. After the "Amens" from Mount Ebal had been faithfully given, the Levites turned to Gerizim with the detail of blessings, and received from the Bssembled thousands the grand" Amen." We have in these verses before us the purpose of the blessing. The children of Israel had bee…
720 wordsSECTION 431The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 431
. ~o,v. it. is well known that Palestine rn~1st have been very populous, contnining :wout as many human beings to the square mile as the most densely populated countries nt th<' present time,1 and iii its densely filled country district.s te~tified to tho general securilv which then existed. IY. ;J'hey will be VALI…
812 wordsSECTION 432The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 432
will become, through drought and carelessness, a barren waste, like the wr,rn-rmt hn,l, of slave-holding people, which once were glorious virgin soil. And traveller~ havrJ nr, difficulty in believing that Palestine is under the curse of Gorl.1 The threat r,f Deuteronomy has become II sad reality, and the land stands as…
1,132 wordsSECTION 433The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 433
Vers. 1-14.-The present portion of a good man. The natural world may be fitly regarded as the ,isible symbol or the spiritual world, the earthly state a lower copy of the heavenly. The order of cause and effect is as uniform in the spiritual sphere as in the material Fire in contact with gunpowder will result in explos…
476 wordsSECTION 434The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 434
tend to pormnncncc nnrl constitute character nnd foreshadow destiny. All proceeds by virtue of an eternnl lnw: "God helps those who help themselves." It is easier for o. good man to resist tcmpto.tion now than it was in the first stages of his Christian llfe. Devotion ho.s become the natural outflow of his soul, the fr…
1,051 wordsSECTION 435The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 435
, crs. 45-68.-'.nie ,·emoter consequences of rebellion. The evil if uncured aggravate~ 1tself-dernlops new symptoms; a.nd as the evil grows, so misery increases likewise. The man of God forsees a yet further stage of misery in the distant future. His predictions of woe plainly point to the domination of the Roman eagle…
658 wordsSECTION 436The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 436
EXPOSITION. 11,'0od nnclerstanding and improvement of RJ:NEWAL 011' TUE COVENANT IN TilE PLAINS God's works; and partly to agg,-,wate their OF MOAD, sin, anrl to intimate that, although the hear- (Ch. xxviii. G9-Ch. xxx.) ing ear and the seeing eye and the under- standing heart are the workmanship of God CHAPTER X…
783 wordsSECTION 437The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 437
generations. That thou ahouldest enter into twist ~gether, to be tough or firm); the oovenant. The expression in the Hebrew word 1s 11lw11ye used in a bad sense in is n s(rnng one, indicating not n me-re formal Hebrew, though not in Aramaic (cf. Ps. <'ngaf:vment, but e. going thoroughly into lxxxi. 13 [12] ; Jer. iii…
992 wordsSECTION 438The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 438
horror, Wherefore hath the Lord done th12.1 its letterB, the ~. larger thrm the rest, and unto this land 1 what mennoth the heat of nnother letter, •, which should be after the this great anger 1 H ie evident from this ~. is omitted; on which "Baal Hattorim thnt Moeee oontomplntee, e.nd in f11Ct here noteth, Thero is e…
936 wordsSECTION 439The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 439
I. TrIEnE IS A MEANING, RICH AND FULL, IN THE INCIDENTS OF LIFE, Each ono's life is fnll or_ incident, from morning till evening, from the beginning of tho year unto the <'nd of 1t. There may not have been the succession of what is startling and ~triking, as there w11s in the case of Israel, but simply common mercies c…
894 wordsSECTION 440The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 440
pnrngmph there is e.n expression of which the writer to the Hebrews makes use as a warning. It is found in the eighteenth verse : "Lest there should be amona you a root that bee.reth gall nnd wormwood." In the Epistle to the Hebrews xii. 1o the sacred writer says, "Looking diligently . . . lest any root of bitterness s…
889 wordsSECTION 441The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 441
reign, and cYil passions be under no adeqUBte control. Inferior power may cmb the m1mifestation of p11.11sion, but only Divine power can tear up its roots. 3. Such defection from the fe.ith will "defile" many. The evil will not stop with one. It will k infectious. 4. Such dishonour done to the Son of God will bring up…
883 wordsSECTION 442The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 442
Ver. 20.-Secret things, "Secret things belong unto the Lord our God." So says tho great lawgiver. On II not dissimilar topic, Bishop Butler says, "We do not know tho whole of anything." Js it not so? Who can tell oJ,l about a stone or about a blnde of grass? Who can aver that the furthest star has been yet discovered, …
722 wordsSECTION 443The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 443
HOMILIES DY VARIOUS AUTHORS. "Vers. 2-9.-Seeing, yet not seeing. The Israelites had seen God's mlgllty works (,:er. 9), yet God had not given them a heart to perceive, nor eyes to seo (ver. 4). I. NATURAL SIGHT WITHOUT SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT. Moses accuses the people of blindness to the facts of their own history. The…
787 wordsSECTION 444The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 444
exemplifications in the Scotch covenants, and in the "Solemn Leagne and Covenant" of 1643-14. Irrespective, however, of the particular stipulations of these covcnant.s, tho propriety of ench engngernente must be pronounced doubtful. The case of Israel c~n ecarcoly bo pleaded as a precedent. Certainly, were God to revea…
1,180 wordsSECTION 445The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 445
,ers. 22-28.-171e stranger's wonder. The state of the Holy Land- I. .AN EVIDENCE OF THE TRUTH OF REVELATION. The sterility of Palestine has been urged in disproof of Dible representations of its former fruitfulness and plenty. It should rather be remembered that, were the Holy Land in a less desolate state than it is,…
451 wordsSECTION 446The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 446
imperfect apprehension of tl,e facts revealed-from the overlayinu of them with mistaken theories nn<l falso interpretations. This last class of dillicultics rlocs n1Jt concern_us here, If ~o nsk, Why should so much be left unrevealed in Scriptnrc? the answer 1s: 1. There 1s much that cannot be revealed-would not be int…
863 wordsSECTION 447The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 447
desert and every conquest in Canaan contained a kernel of spiritual promise. These c'l"ents through which the Hebrews passed, both prosperous events and adverse, were "temptations," or tests, by which to develop their faith and fortitude. Every carnal bat.tie was drill and discipline for spiritual conflict. Ve,y instrn…
841 wordsSECTION 448The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 448
II. WE LEARN THE GREAT UBEB OF EXPERIENOE. "Yo have seen their abomina- tions." To e. generation that had not seen the obscenities, impurities, and social corruptions of illolatry, it would be difficult to convey an adequate idea of Lhc evil. It was, therefore, of the first importance that the experience of tho Hebrews…
825 wordsSECTION 449The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 449
JJ. TIE,ELATION TB NOT COEXTENSIVE WITH REALITY AND FACT. There is yet II, !'<'Alm 0f the unknown which God bas not disclosed to men. 'l'be class of "secret thin[!s" is in God's kC'cping. Such confidence have we in the benignity of the Most High. that rrc anticipate further revelations, yea, an unending series of di…
841 wordsSECTION 450The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 450
II. T1_IERE IS_ l'l'O vmTUE IN RAOOEDN~ss. I? f~ct, one of the prophets, in order to convey 1mpress1vely the worthlessness m Gods sight of our self-riahteousness uses this very figure: "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness~s are as filthy rngs; and we all do fade 11s a leaf; and our iniquities,…
840 wordsSECTION 451The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 451
rnffcrs through the deterioration of its component particles. If the individual witbors, the nat.ion withcrs too. II. h"DffIDUAL WAYWARDNESS MAY WORK THE RUIN OF A LAND. When WO look into the admirable work of Yan Lcnnep, we find him ascribing the barrenness of l'alestine at present to the cutting down of forests, …
1,017 wordsSECTION 452The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 452
EXPOSITION. Ver. 3.-The Lord thy God will tum thy CHAPTER XXX, captivity. This does not mean will cause thy captives to return, for (1) the verb in Kal Vera.1-10.-Though rejected and exiled ( as it is here, :11.i) never has the force of the because of rebellion and apostacy, Israel Hiph.; and (2) the returning of t…
608 wordsSECTION 453The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 453
whioh St. Pnnl describes in Rom. xi., when ' again enter into oovenant union with the the brnnches that hnd been broken from the Almighty, and would bo enriched with all ol i,e tree shall be again grafted into it, nnd the blessings of his favour (of. oh. xxviii. 11, Rll Isrnel shall he se.ved nfter the fnlncss of 63); …
965 wordsSECTION 454The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 454
n11tion is plunged e.re the exact fulfilment of the Word of God, yet that same Word declares this to ha e. tre.nsi tion, and not a final state of things. " Go(l hath not ca8t away his people," Concerning them there is e. twofold promise : ( 1) of their conversion to God ; (2) of their restoration to their land. Both ar…
804 wordsSECTION 455The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 455
:aew co'l"enants; i.e. between the coYcnant made through Moses e.nd the.t propounded nnd ~~akd rhrough the Lord Jesus Christ. I. LET us NOTE THE POINTS OF COMPARISON. 1. Doth are made with " people formed for God (Isa. :.:]iii. 21; 1 Pet. ii. 9). 2. Doth make God all in e.11 (eh. xiv. 2; 1 Cor. vi. '.?O). 3. Hoth i…
902 wordsSECTION 456The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 456
He came. The work is don&--done for all, without distinction of persons. Done- once and for ever, Hence-I. How large the encouragement to call on the Lord .Jesus and be saved! 2. Men need not remain unsaved. 8. Men onght not to remain unsaved. Vere. 16-20.-.A dread alternative. While handling substantially the same m…
871 wordsSECTION 457The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 457
tbou~ands of ears, and was he11.rd of by m11.ny thousands more. By the very directions l'f our Lord, we are to proclaim to the many, not to whisper to a few. ~ VI. Suell OPEN HERALDING SHOULD PREVENT ANY ONE WHO HEARS THE MESSAGE FROM CHERISHING THE HOPE OF SCREENING HIMSELF UNDER FALSE PRETENCES, 'l'he following pass…
833 wordsSECTION 458The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 458
Inclination to do-what, as years go on, he is getting the more disinclined even to think about, Will he do it? Is it likely? Is it certain? If ever it is to come about, what agonies of soul must be gone through before so grea.t a. revolution can be produced I II. TIIAT CONVERSION IS SOMETIMES A RESULT OP THE EXPERH:NC…
846 wordsSECTION 459The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 459
for granted the nnderlying evangelical element above referred to. Without that, the "commnndnwnt" would but ha.ve mocked their weakness. And it is this evangelical element in Moses' "commandment" which comes clearly to light in Christ, and which is embo~ied_in Paul's doctrine of the "righteousness of faith." 'l'he word…
939 wordsSECTION 460The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 460
Ver. 19.-Nalure a wilness. (See for other instances, eh. iv. 26; xxxi. 28; xxxii. 1; Isa. i. 2.) Tho invocation of heaven and _earth as witnesses turns on deep principles. 'l'hey arc "called to record"- 1. BECAUSE THE MIND IlECOGNIZES THEffi PRESENCE AB WITNESSES OF ITS TRANSACTIONS. It projects its own consciousness …
684 wordsSECTION 461The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 461
and exiled was humiliation unspeakable. Such degradation is the native fruit of sin, 2. The curse woul~ be felt the more as a contrast to former blessing. The yloughboy does not bemoan his lot, but for a prince to be tied to a plough would be a ga ling pain, So the pro~igal boy, in the parable, was stung by the remembr…
827 wordsSECTION 462The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 462
obligations too, they aver, are impracticable, beyond the power of man to fulfil. Self- indulgence and impiety have never yet failed to frame excuses for their rejection of the Divine Word. Dut excuses avail them nothing. The indolent man has for loner acrer past learnt to say," 'l'here is a lion in the path,n Honest i…
860 wordsSECTION 463The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 463
of all st.rcn.£:th l\nd goodness and joy. This love arises from near relationship. He Is 011r God ; he bas entered into loving covenant with us-joined for ever his interests with ours. (2) By the man's habit of life. He" walks in God's ways." In those ways he finds God. It is the King's highway. Ho has dnily companio…
891 wordsSECTION 464The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 464
all the elements of weakness and pain and decay shall be eliminated. Compared with tho future life of the righteous, the pre110nt life is but childhood-the feebleness and ignorance of infancy. '!'ho life which Is promised to the righteous is nothin" less than the life of Goel. "We shall be like him." 2. The destiny ef …
795 wordsSECTION 465The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 465
JEWB, TO WHICH, ALAS! THEY .lRE STILL IN SOME QUARTERS SUBJECTED. For It muet be remembered that the persecution of Israel, though allowed as a just retribution for their rejection of God, may be prosecuted in such an unholy spirit as to entail upon the persecutors the merited curse of God. Because there may be Shylock…
817 wordsSECTION 466The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 466
unto b11bce. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight" (Matt. xi. 2:3 26). The rnvclation is for babes; for men of a childlike-not a childish-spirit; for men' who liave laicl r1Siclo their pride and presumption, and can take truth trustfully from the Infinito F11ther. The idc11 is surely monstrous that God …
844 wordsSECTION 467The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 467
God's, and the riches of his life flow into us. Ae Emerson, writing of gifts, ee.ye, "The gift, to be true, must be the flowing of the giver unto me1 correspondent to my flowing unto him. When the waters are 11,t a level, then my gooas pass to him and his to me. All his are mine, all mine his." It is exactly in this ma…
585 wordsSECTION 468The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 468
PART IV. FAREWELL ADDRESS OF MOSES, WITH HIS PARTING SONG AND BENEDICTION. CHAPTER XXXI.-CHAPTER XXXIII. EXPOSITION. MOSES hocl now finished his work e.e the with Rnschi and others, to the expedient of legislator and ruler e.nd leacler of Israel. reading "for" instead of "and" in tbo But ere he finally retired from…
790 wordsSECTION 469The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 469
the spiritual and Be<'ular rulers of the ron- pillar of a oloud (cf. Exod. :nxlii. 9; xl. 88: gre!!"nti0n: and hence the singular, Thou Lev. xvi. 2; Numb. xii. 5). eha!t rcRd this Law to nil Israel" (Keil). Ver. 16.-Behold, thou aha.It sleep with B~- the Law here is meant the Pentntcuch; thy fathers (cf. 2 Snm. vii. 12…
1,299 wordsSECTION 470The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 470
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-13.-.A new generation receiving the heritage of the past. The closin:; scene of Moses' life is drawing nigh. The time is at hand when he and Israel must part, and the leadership must be undertaken by another. As far as can be done, two things have to be ensured-viz. the conservation of Israel's Law…
442 wordsSECTION 471The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 471
t.he rC'rC'iYcr, transcriber, and guardian of the Law. As the nntion bec&mc consolid&tcd, 1h1s d1 111hlc work wonld certainly become too heavy for one man to discharge. Hence he conunissions one man to be the leader of an army, and another set of men to be tho conserrntors of the truth. Joshua is leader. 'l'he priest…
927 wordsSECTION 472The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 472
(Seo Ps. xix.; cxlx.; John xxi. 31, et al.) That object is the rc"ulation of life on 0 mirth, anrl tho preparation of it for heaven. Aurl tho Book seoks to secure this by enforcement of duty, revelations of truth, disclosures of love, and offers of power. JIJ, l\o AMOUNT OF NATURAL I,EARNING OAN EVEB COMPENSATE FOR D…
879 wordsSECTION 473The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 473
1'-liatc,-cr ,kvclopments of ungodliness or of unbelief, of immorality or of heresy, may de,·clop themseh-cs, are all known to him who seeth the end from the beginning, II. \\"ITH FUTURE EVIL FOLL IN VIEW, GOD HAS IIAD !IIS OWN WORD PUT DOWN IN ,rnrTn-G. The words of Moses, of i11e prophets, of the Lord Jesus Christ…
891 wordsSECTION 474The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 474
Vere. 1, 2.-Moses the aged, I. A MAN MAY BE HI HEALTH AND VIGOUR, YET !'AST 0APA0ITY FOR A OEP.TAIN WORK. Moses' "eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated" (eh, xxxiv. 7), yet he felt thnt he lacked the fire, the activity, the youthful energy, the elasticity of mind and body, which would have made him a suitable l…
826 wordsSECTION 475The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 475
'crs. (), 24-26.-.The autl1orship of the book. A clear testimony to the Mosaic authorship of the Book or Deuteronomy. 'l'he book, as Moses gave it to the priests, has plainly been re-edited, with the additions of Moses' song, Moses' blessin", and tho account or his death; but only the wantonness of criticism can see…
851 wordsSECTION 476The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 476
guote~ as further ev,i,den~e of diversity of ~~thor~hip._ S~ one bo~~ uses the expression to ~111 any rerson,. wh)le th_o other bas to _kill his neighbour -a difference snrely n?t mcompo.t1bl0 with 1dent1ty ?f authorsh!P: '.' The_ dcta,'.ed description of tho d1fforenco between murder and accidental hom1c1de 1s entire…
938 wordsSECTION 477The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 477
etatrnwnts in Chronicles, Ezra, and Nelwmiah, by robbing these books of their hls- t.oncal ch:uact.cr. 3. 7'he position of the Levite.~. Instead of being furnished with cities and pas I urnges, and enjoying an independent income from the tithes, they arc repre- sented as homeless and dependent, wandming from place to …
896 wordsSECTION 478The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 478
Vars. 9, 24-27.-The written ~Vorrl. The L,iw here put in writing and solemnly deposited in the sido of the ark, is the foundation of our present Bible. All Scripture is built up upon H. On this consignment of the first instalment of the Word, we remark- I. 'l'IIE W!UTTEN \Vono EMBODIES AND IS THE VEHICLE 011' AN AUTHO…
932 wordsSECTION 479The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 479
,er,;. lG-22, 28-30.-God's.foresight of Israel's declension. We learn- I. 'l'HAT THE FUTURE IS PERFECTLY UNVEILED TO Goo. God claims this power 0.9 0uc of his prerogatives (Isa. xii. 22; xiii. 9; xliii. 25, 2G; xlv. 20, 21). And no one can questi0Il but that these predictions have been strikingly fulfilled. Tho peop…
717 wordsSECTION 480The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 480
nil thnt cnn be ngninst them. Their vantage-ground is that they can be "strong in tho Lord, nnd in the power or his mi~ht." And this is the ono question to be asked always: Js God with us? If so all is well. The work nl ways succeeds of which he is the head. ' III. 'l'1m WORK BEFORE THEM IS TO BE JUDGMENT. They are t…
1,023 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.