PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Separation and Service; or, Thoughts on Numbers VI, VII.
Taylor, James Hudson, 1832-1905 · 16,142 words · 45 reading sections
Part 1
Produced by Free Elf, Verity White and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net Separation and Service…
20 wordsSECTION 2BY J. HUDSON TAYLOR.
London MORGAN & SCOTT, 12, PATERNOSTER BUILDINGS, E.C. CHINA INLAND MISSION, NEWINGTON GREEN, N.…
14 wordsSECTION 3CONTENTS.
Separation and Service. PAGE Introductory 7…
6 wordsSECTION 4PART I.
SEPARATION TO GOD: Numbers vi, 1-21. Institution of the Order of Nazarites 11 Implicit Obedience 13 Entire Consecration 16 Holiness to the LORD 19 Unwitting Defilement 22 The Hei…
62 wordsSECTION 5PART II.
THE BLESSING OF GOD: Numbers vi, 22-27. Why Found Here? 44 The Real Meaning of Blessing 49 The Three-fold Benediction 52 The Blessing of the FATHER 53 The Second Person of the Trinity 60 The …
61 wordsSECTION 6PART III.
PRINCELY SERVICE: Numbers vii. The Constraint of Love 89 GOD'S Delight in Love-gifts 90 Free-will Offerings 93 Gladsome Acceptance 96 According to his Service 101 The Dedicator…
53 wordsSECTION 7INTRODUCTORY.
For many years these chapters had no special interest to me; but I have never ceased to be thankful that I was early led to read the Word of GOD in regular course: it was through this habit that these chapters first became specially precious to me. I was travelling on a missionary tour in the province of CHEH-KIANG, an…
525 wordsSECTION 8PART I.
Separation to GOD.…
3 wordsSECTION 9THE INSTITUTION OF THE ORDER OF NAZARITES.
The first twenty-one verses of Numb. vi. give us an account of the institution and ordinances of the order of Nazarites. And let us note at the outset that this institution, like every other good and perfect gift, came from above; that GOD Himself gave this privilege--unasked--to His people; thereby showing His desire …
162 wordsSECTION 10ABSOLUTE ACCEPTANCE
of the will of GOD, even in regard to matters which might appear trivial and unimportant. So, in the present day, GOD is willing to give to His people fulness of blessing, but it must be on His own lines. Though we are not our own, it is, alas! possible to live as though we were; devotion to GOD is still a voluntary th…
914 wordsSECTION 11Part 11
So now, in the present dispensation, we are told "the very hairs of your head are all numbered"--so minute is GOD'S care for His people, so watchful is He over all that affects them. It is beautiful to see the fond love of a young mother as she passes her fingers through the silken locks of her darling child--her treas…
672 wordsSECTION 12THE HEINOUSNESS OF SIN.
The teaching here, and that of offerings for sins of ignorance, is much needed in this day, when there is a dangerous tendency in some quarters to regard sin as misfortune, and not as guilt. The awful _character_ of sin is shown to mankind by its _consequences_. Man's heart is so darkened by the Fall, and by personal s…
265 wordsSECTION 13CLEANSING ONLY THROUGH SACRIFICE.
Let us not lose sight of the fact that the accidental death of any one near the Nazarite--that the thoughtless putting forth of the hand even--might violate his vow of consecration as truly, if not as guiltily, as an act of deliberate transgression; in either case all the previous time was lost, and the period of conse…
861 wordsSECTION 14Part 14
My heart grew suddenly tender, And something blinded my eyes, With one of those sweet intuitions That sometimes makes us so wise. Dear child, she wanted to help me; I knew 'twas the best she could do; But oh, what a botch she had made it-- The grey mis-matching the blue! And yet--can you understand it? With a tender …
339 wordsSECTION 15THE PRESENTATION OF THE NAZARITE.
Let us now look into the law of the Nazarite when the days of his separation were fulfilled. The first thing that strikes our notice is, "He shall be brought," not, he shall come. Why is this? and why is it that the law is so explicit as to every detail of ritual and service, scarcely leaving any room for voluntary act…
211 wordsSECTION 16THE LAW OF THE OFFERINGS.
When we come to the offerings enumerated in v. 14, we notice that they are mentioned in the almost invariable _order of enumeration_--first the burnt-offering, then the sin-offering, and lastly the peace offering; but when in v. 16 we come to the offering up of the sacrifices, we notice that _as always_ the sin-offerin…
558 wordsSECTION 17THE BURNT-OFFERING.
To return to the order of enumeration: the burnt-offering is always mentioned first, because it is the highest in character, and gave most pleasure to GOD. It was wholly the LORD'S; no part of it was eaten by the priest who offered it, nor by the offerer who presented it, it was all and only for GOD'S satisfaction. Whe…
205 wordsSECTION 18THE SIN-OFFERING AND THE PEACE-OFFERING.
The sin-offering, as its name indicates, recognized the offerer as guilty and defiled, but obtaining forgiveness and cleansing through the death of the victim in his stead. We see CHRIST as our sin-offering in Isa. liii. 4-10. But guilt removed still leaves the believer needing the imputed righteousness of CHRIST, and …
188 wordsSECTION 19PART II.
The Blessing of GOD.…
4 wordsSECTION 20NUMB. VI. 22-27.
We have already seen the grace of GOD making provision that His people, who had lost the privilege of priestly service, might draw near to Him by Nazarite separation and consecration. And not as the offence was the free gift: those who had forfeited the privilege of priestly service were the males only, but women and e…
107 wordsSECTION 21WHY IS IT FOUND HERE?
And the reply is twofold. There is the Divine side. Flowing from GOD'S heart of love first came the _privilege_ of Nazarite consecration; and then, by the _act_ of consecration, His loving heart is so gladdened that it further overflows in these rich benedictions. Looking, on the other hand, at the human side, we may …
734 wordsSECTION 22THE REAL MEANING OF BLESSING?
We frequently use the word so vaguely as to lose much of its preciousness, and to overlook the primary meaning in some of its secondary significations. For instance, we use it frequently as a synonym of praise, and in speaking of blessing GOD, we think of praising Him. But blessing does not merely mean praise, for GOD …
565 wordsSECTION 23"JEHOVAH, THE SPIRIT, LIFT UP HIS COUNTENANCE UPON THEE, AND GIVE THEE PEACE."
So read, we see in these words fuller beauty and appropriateness. Let us now notice the first clause in particular.…
20 wordsSECTION 24THE BLESSING OF THE FATHER.
Considered as a father's blessing could anything be more appropriate than "The LORD bless thee, and keep thee"? Is not this just what every loving father seeks to do--to bless and keep his children? He does not find it an unwelcome task, but his greatest delight. Offer to relieve him of the responsibility and to adopt …
849 wordsSECTION 25Part 25
[B: When we speak of GOD as a FATHER we must not forget that He is only such in its full meaning to those who have become His children by faith in CHRIST JESUS; and that the sad and solemn words of the loving Saviour to the unconverted were, "Ye are of _your_ father, the devil." The prodigal was a backslider: when furt…
78 wordsSECTION 26THE SECOND PERSON OF THE TRINITY.
The second clause of the blessing is the blessing of the SON, which is not less full and appropriate. Through eternal ages the SON of GOD, He became, in the fulness of time, the SON of Man. The Brightness of His FATHER'S glory, the SUN of Righteousness, He came to manifest, as well as to speak of, the FATHER'S love. He…
407 wordsSECTION 27JEHOVAH, THE SON, MAKE HIS FACE SHINE UPON THEE, AND BE GRACIOUS UNTO THEE.
The first clause of the three-fold blessing told of the going out of the heart of the invisible FATHER; now, when we come to the blessing of the SON, we read, "The LORD _make his face shine_ upon thee," or, in other words, make visibly _manifest_ His favour towards thee. The SON of GOD is the KINSMAN who has the right …
761 wordsSECTION 28Part 28
What a wonderful view of the light of His countenance the favoured disciples must have had, who were witnesses of His transfiguration: we are told that His face did shine as the sun. To the proto-martyr Stephen the heavens were opened, and the face of the LORD shone upon him: and when he saw Him he became so like Him, …
229 wordsSECTION 29THE LORD, THE SPIRIT.
We have considered the bountiful overflow of the FATHER'S love; and our hearts have burned within us as we dwelt upon and felt the glow of the love of the SON. Now, as we think of the blessing of the LORD, the SPIRIT, may He reveal Himself to us through these holy Words, which were written by His inspiration and which …
363 wordsSECTION 30"JEHOVAH, THE SPIRIT, LIFT UP HIS COUNTENANCE UPON THEE, AND GIVE THEE PEACE."
The blessing of the SPIRIT is essential to the completeness of the benediction. We are struck, however, with the similarity of this blessing to that which precedes it; nor is the similarity surprising. For, as the SON came to reveal the FATHER, so the SPIRIT has come to reveal the SON. CHRIST was a true COMFORTER; but …
131 wordsSECTION 31HIS COUNTENANCE.
"Lift up His _countenance_ upon thee." We have already dwelt on the significance of the face or countenance (the same original word) as revealing the emotions of the heart. We see from these words that it is the purpose of GOD that the presence and the love of the SPIRIT should be made known to those in whom He dwells.…
192 wordsSECTION 32THE PEACE OF THE SPIRIT.
The LORD JESUS, when on earth, said, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." But here it is the SPIRIT who is spoken of as bestowing peace: why is this? Because the SPIRIT of GOD makes real things real to _us…
412 wordsSECTION 33SHALL NEVER THIRST,"
nearly thirty years ago. As we realized that CHRIST literally meant what He said--that "shall" meant shall, and "never" meant never, and "thirst" meant thirst--our heart overflowed with joy as we accepted the gift. Oh, the thirst with which we had sat down, but oh, the joy with which we sprang from our seat, praising t…
876 wordsSECTION 34Part 34
In Rev. xiii we find the great tribulation in progress, and those still left on the earth persecuted sorely, many of them to the death, by the beast. But the hundred forty and four thousand of Rev. xiv are not among them; they were caught up before the tribulation commenced, having been accounted worthy (Luke xxi. 34-3…
436 wordsSECTION 35PART III.
Princely Service.…
2 wordsSECTION 36NUMB. VII.
We learned from Numbers vi, GOD'S requirements of those who desire to take the privileged position of separation to Himself. We found also in the conclusion of the same chapter the overflow of GOD'S love in the rich and comprehensive blessing which so appropriately follows, and forms the connecting link between Nazarit…
90 wordsSECTION 37SERVICE THE CONSTRAINT OF LOVE.
Is it not that just as separation to GOD issues in blessing, so does blessing from GOD constrain to service, and especially to the highest form of service, that which is most GOD-like, that of _Giving_? GOD so loved the world that He _gave_; CHRIST so loved the Church that He _gave_; the HOLY SPIRIT so loves the Church…
199 wordsSECTION 38GOD'S DELIGHT IN LOVE-GIFTS.
Is it not in order to reveal the heart of GOD? to show His delight in the loving offerings of His servants? The record is _not_ tedious to Him; and it becomes marvellously interesting to us, when we get the key, and are brought into sympathy with the heart of Him who finds infinite satisfaction in each gift, of each on…
867 wordsSECTION 39Part 39
The offerings themselves were remarkable: rude bullock-wagons, probably rough both in material and workmanship, much like those we now are familiar with in the unchanging East; they must have presented a striking contrast to the beauty of the skilfully prepared vessels of ministry. We may well imagine the thought to ha…
879 wordsSECTION 40Part 40
And yet they were the richest tribe in Israel, for the LORD Himself was their inheritance. When one of the other tribes was taken into captivity, he had to leave his inheritance behind; but the godly Levite was as rich in Babylon as in Palestine: death itself could not rob him of his portion. Happy indeed are they who …
898 wordsSECTION 41Part 41
Do we not need to remember this in the present day, when false teachers deny the atoning character of the death of CHRIST, and vainly imagine that GOD can be served with the unhallowed fires of fleshly activity?…
38 wordsSECTION 42THE DISPLAY OF THE GIFTS.
The twelve princes, the representatives of the Israel of GOD, brought their offerings before the altar, and would have left them there: they were all exactly alike, and the gifts might have been speedily accepted, and briefly recorded, if recorded at all. But the LORD said unto Moses, They shall offer their offering, e…
869 wordsSECTION 43Part 43
And, lastly, a princely offering for a sacrifice of peace-offerings; two oxen, five rams, five he-goats, five lambs of the first year--sacrifices on which GOD feasted, as it were, together with His people, and in which the sacrificing priest, the offerer and all his friends had their full share. And this, all this, wa…
268 wordsSECTION 44THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ALTAR.
In this glad summing up of the great aggregate value of the offerings, we not only get a further view of the Divine complacency in the love-gifts of His people, and in the persons of the offerers, but the object of the offerings is also brought into special prominence. As the list of each prince's offerings was precede…
515 wordsSECTION 45THE END.
+------------------------------------------------+ |Transcriber's Note: | | | |Mismatched and inconsistent punctuation has been| |retained as it appears in the original book. | +------------------------------------------------+ End of Projec…
27 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.