The Pulpit Commentary — Deuteronomy — Section 30

right spirit, explore these sacred pages, we shall ourselves become richer In knowledge, in gladness, in hope. If we cultivate a willingness to do God's will, and seek to know the truth for the purpose or doing ihe right, we shall find that much that Is "hidden from the wise and prudent" is, by means of the Dook, " revealed unto babes." JY. 'l'HE 'MORE 'WE THUS DIG INTO THE BOOK OF THE LAW, THE MORE EXHAUST• LESS IT WILL SEEM. No one is there, who lovingly and prayerfully studies It, who will not come to say, with a feeling that becomes in lenser year by year, "There remaineth very much land to be possessed." "High as the heaven is above the earth, i;o are" God's "ways higher than" our "ways, and" God'11 "thoughts than" our "thoughts" I Y. 'l'HE ACCUlIULATING STORES OF HOLY TIIOUGIIT SIIOULD BE TRANSMUTED DY US rKT0 THE WEALTH OF HOLY LIFE. It is not for nought that our God has so enriched this world with thoughts from heaven. It is not merely that the intellect may be furnished or the taste for research gratified. Oh no; it is for our life. Heaven has poured forth its wealth upon earth, that earth me.y send up its love and loyalty to heaven. Precious are the riches of truth. The riches of holiness are more precious still. God gives us the first tha.t we ma.y yield him the second. ·God would win Israel's love by unveiling his own. So now, "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." How great will be our guilt, how severe our condemnation, if we let such priceless disclosures remain unnoticed and unused! It were better for us not to have known the way of righteousness than, after we have known it, to tum from the holy commandment delivered unto us. May we, through the Spirit, so use the truth:of God as to find our joy and salvation in the God or the truth! Vers. 1-8, together with Exod. xxiii. 20-33.-.7Vie llebrew 'T'ight to Canaan; Moses is re,iewing the career of Israel, and is endeavouring to set before the people the patience and faithfulness of God, as well as their own waywardness. In the part of his re,·iew which is before us just now, he points to the time when their sojourn in Horeh was about to close. Laws and ordinances had been given. '!'he nation was formed. Preparations for departure would have to be w·ade. To this they are incited by a renewal or the Divine gift to them of the land of Canaan. The bare and brief recital in the verses referred to above may be advantageously compared with Exod. xxiii. 20-33. A subject is here brought before us of great importance, viz. The right of the llcbrews to Canaan, and the purpose of the Divine Being in granting it to them, We have here- I. 'I'HE HEBREW mGBT TO CANAAN DTVINELY 0ONPIRMED. A double use has been made of the command to dispossess the Canaanites: 1. By sceptics, to impugn the morality of the Old Testament. 2. By professing Ch1istian men, to justify wars of aggression now. Now we might 1t1eet both these by one short and ready reply, viz. "If God commanded the Hebrews to exterminate the Canaanites, no defence is required; if God did not command them, no defence avails." But there is a moro appropriate way of meeting the two ea.sea. As to the first-, we would say, "Defore you pronounce it immoral, look at the entire bearings of the case, that you may see if the Israelites had an adequate warrant for the course they took." As to the second, "Before you regard this as a pattern, look at the entire bearings of the case, that you may see if there is any ground for adducing the wars of the Hebrews as a justification or palliation of aggressive war now." If men go to the Book to learn what the Israelites did, they must in all fairness go to the Book to see the grounds on which they did it. And the same teaching that will answer the one question, Were they justified? will also answer the other, Should we be justified in imitating them? 'l'hirtcen points prese1.tt themselves for distinct and cumulative consideration. We can but name them. (1) God spake to Moses. (2) In speaking to Moses, God but confirmeu the promise made to AbraLam, Isaac, e.ud Jacob. (3) God defines the bounds of the land to be possessed. ( 4) God makes the claim, "All the earth is mine;" consequently be has a right to give the land to whomsoever he will. (5) In choosing Israel, God would have a people for himself who should be his witnesses. (6) God foresaw the time for carrying out this plan (Gen. xv.). (7) 'fhe preparation of the land was of God (Exod. :i.x.iii. 20). (8) 'l'he ground on which the Canaanites were disposse&Bed was their en. 1. 1-18.J 'l'HE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY. 9