The heart of the Old Testament : a manual for Christian students

THE HEART OF
THE OLD TESTAMENT

JOHN R. SAMPEY, d.d., ll.d..

THE HEART OF
THE OLD TESTAMENT

A Manual for Christian Students

BY

JOHN R. SAMPEY, d.d., ll.d.

Professor of Old Testament Interpretation in the

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Louisville, Kentucky

Author of "Syllabus for Old Testa?nent Study," "The

International Lesson System," "The Ethical Teaching

of Jesus" etc.

NEW xQP YORK
GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY

COPYRIGHT, 1922,

BY SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD

OF THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

Second Edition, Revised
and Enlarged

COPYRIGHT, 1909, BY SUNDAY SCHOOL BOARD OF THE
SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION

THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. II
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

TO THE MEMORY OF

BASIL MANLY, Jr.

MY HONORED PRECEPTOR AND FRIEND

PREFACE

"Where can I find an Old Testament manual written
by a modern scholar who believes thoroughly in the
supernatural in both Testaments ?" You hold the answer
in your hands. It is not an Old Testament History,
though it follows the thread of the story from beginning
to end; it is not a book on Old Testament Literature,
though it opens up the poetical and prophetical books to
the student; it is not a treatise on Old Testament The-
ology, though it calls attention to the rise and develop-
ment of the great doctrines of the Hebrew Scriptures.
The author has not limited himself to biography and his-
tory, nor to literary analysis and appreciation, nor to the
growth of Bible doctrines ; but he has freely drawn from
these and other departments of Old Testament study
whatever seemed of most value to young people in Chris-
tian homes and schools in the twentieth century. His aim
is to call attention to what is most worth while.

It may seem impossible to make a book that will be
suitable for popular Bible study, and at the same time be
adapted to use in high schools, colleges, and seminaries;
but the attempt is here made. It is hoped that the book
is not too difficult for the average reader, nor too elemen-
tary for students in schools and colleges.

The gist of the Old Testament revelation is here put
before the student in thirteen chapters. A closing chapter
presents a bird's-eye view of the Bible as a whole. A
chart is appended in which an effort is made to suggest
reasonable dates for the books of the Bible.

The wise teacher will take several recitations for some
of the chapters. He will try to persuade the pupil to read

vii

viii PREFACE

the Bible references in full, that he may get his own first-
hand impressions of the meaning of God's Word. If this
Manual creates a thirst for richer knowledge of the Old
Testament, and starts the reader aright as he opens the
Bible, the author's aim will have been attained.

The favor with which the first edition was received
leads the author to hope for continued usefulness for this
new and revised edition. More than seventeen thousand
copies of the first edition were sold. The Heart of the
Old Testament has also been translated into Portuguese
and into Chinese.

INTRODUCTORY

The Old Testament is part of a progressive revela-
tion. God spoke in ancient times to the fathers through
the prophets in many pieces and in many styles ; in the
fullness of time He spoke to us through His Son (Heb.
1:1, 2). The revelation of grace and redemption, be-
gun in the earliest history of mankind, and continued
through the patriarchs and the prophets, was completed
in Christ Jesus and the Apostles.

The Bible is a unity ; for in all its parts it is a history
of redemption. That redemption was achieved by Jesus
Christ, the central character of the Bible, for whom the
Old Testament prepared the way. To Him all the
prophets bore witness. Well do Christians retain the
Old Testament in their Bibles ; for the earlier stages of
the redemptive process are therein described. The germs
of all the great Christian doctrines are found in the He-
brew Scriptures. They are still "profitable for teaching,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in
righteousness : that the man of God may be complete,
furnished completely unto every good work" (2 Tim.
3: 16, 17). These sacred writings are still able to make
one wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ
Jesus (2 Tim. 3: 15).

What folly to ignore writings of such mighty power!
But there is a folly possibly greater even than neglect
of these books: some Christian scholars interpret the Old
Testament in the spirit of the unbelieving Jews, studi-
ously explaining away all the types and prophecies that
point forward to our Lord Jesus Christ. Let it be our
aim in these studies to focus our attention on those facts

x; INTRODUCTORY

and doctrines in the Old Testament that most concern
us as Christian students. While all parts of the sacred
writings are worthy of careful and frequent reading, some
sections have a richer message for the modern Christian
than others. It is our hope that these studies will give
us many glimpses into the heart of the Old Testament,
to the end that we may thereby get a more glorious vision
of the heart of God.

CONTENTS

Preface

vii

Introductory

ix

CHAPTER

I

The Beginnings

15

II

The Patriarchal Period .

28

III

Job, the Sorely Tried Saint .

42

IV

The Era of Moses and Joshua .

56

V

The Law of Moses ....

77

VI

The Period of the Judges .

89

VII

David and the Psalms

105

VIII

Solomon and the Proverbs

126

IX

The Early Kings and Prophets

. 137

X

The Golden Age of Prophecy .

159

XI

Drifting Toward Captivity

176

XII

The Exile

. 191

XIII

The Restoration

. 202

XIV

A Bird's-eye View of the Bible

. 213

A Chart of the BibLE . 2\

26-227

THE HEART OF
THE OLD TESTAMENT

CONCERNING THE SCRIPTURES

1. Their Origin as Viewed by Peter

We have the word of prophecy made more sure;
whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a lamp
shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-
star arise in your hearts; knowing this first, that no
prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation.

For no prophecy ever came by the will of man : but
men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit.

2. Their Character and Value as Viewed by Paul

Abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and
hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned
them ; and that from a babe thou hast known the sacred
writings which are able to make thee wise unto salvation
through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

Every Scripture inspired of God is also profitable for
teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
which is in righteousness; that the man of God may be
complete, furnished completely unto every good work.

THE HEART OF
THE OLD TESTAMENT

Chapter I

THE BEGINNINGS

1. GOD THE CREATOR

THE first verse of Genesis lies at the foundation of
all the theology of the Bible. Dr. James P. Boyce
had a great sermon on the first part of the verse — "In
the beginning God." Back of all things, before all things,
above all things stands God the great First Cause, the
Creator.

A hearty acceptance of the fact that God actually
created the heavens and the earth without the use of pre-
existing materials, would lift one above the malaria of
most modern heresies. He who begins the study of
religion with this simple truth lays a solid foundation
for all his future thinking. Murphy does not overstate
the significance of these opening words of the Bible
when he remarks: "This first verse denies atheism; for
it assumes the being of God. It denies polytheism, and,
among its various forms, the doctrine of two eternal
principles, the one good and the other evil; for it con-
fesses the one Eternal Creator. It denies materialism;
for it asserts the creation of matter. It denies panthe-
ism; for it assumes the existence of God before all
things, and apart from them. It denies fatalism, for it
involves the freedom of the Eternal Being." Hold fast

15

16 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

always to the fundamental fact that the universe came
into existence through the creative action of God. Mat-
ter is not eternal ; God alone is from everlasting to ever-
lasting. God is not confined within the universe; He is
over all as well as in all. Much of the false philosophy
of our time would fade away, if this truth were univer-
sally accepted.

2. THE ORDER OF CREATION

The universe was not complete and perfect in all its
parts, when God first created it. We are expressly told
that the earth, the planet in which our chief interest lies,
was a desolation and a waste. But for the brooding of
the Spirit of God over the waters, the earth might have
remained waste and void (Gen. 1:2). The creative activ-
ity of God continued. He spoke and light came into
existence. Step by step He prepared the world for the
coming of man.

It is interesting to note the general correspondence
between Genesis and modern science in the order of crea-
tion. In both accounts there is progress from the lower
forms of life to the higher, the series reaching its climax
in the appearance of man on the earth. Those who are
disturbed by minor discrepancies between the theories
of scientists and the statements in Genesis should not
overlook the fact that the author of Genesis did not seek
after scientific precision. He uses the language of ap-
pearance and of every-day life. Had he used scientific
terminology, the religious purpose of the narrative might
have been obscured. Let the astronomer and the geolo-
gist and the biologist pursue their researches with perfect
freedom. We must not forget the wise saying of Car-
dinal Baronius: "The intention of Holy Scripture is to
teach us how to go to heaven, and not how the heavens
go."

Many of the best modern scientists have marveled at

THE BEGINNINGS 17

the wonderful insight of the author of Genesis. Noth-
ing short of supernatural guidance will account for the
width and the accuracy of his knowledge in that early time.
And yet we must not make the mistake of assuming
that the first chapter of Genesis is a scientific treatise.
It is rather a great religious poem celebrating the glory
of God as the Creator of all things. We should study
Genesis as a religious book, if we would get the knowledge
and uplift it was intended to impart.

Many Christian students now recognize the six days
of creative activity as standing for periods of indefinite
length. The universe is possibly millions of years old.
The earth, on which we live, is probably much older
than we ever imagined it wras in our childhood. God
takes time to accomplish His work. One day is with
the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as
one day. God is not in a hurry. Just as the seventh
day of rest from creation seems, according to Genesis,
to stretch all the way from the creation of man to the
present time, so the preceding days of creative activity
were almost certainly long periods. In the language of
the Bible the word day often refers to a period of in-
definite length.

3. CREATION OF MAN

Finally, after long preparation, the earth was ready to
receive its chief tenant. "And God said, Let us make
man in our image, after our likeness : and let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of
the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and
over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth"
(Gen. 1:26). Why does God use the plural, saying,
"Let us make man in our image?" WTith whom is he
taking counsel? Of the many answers to this question
we name only three: (1) Delitzsch thinks the words are
addressed to the angels, as belonging to a higher order

18 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

of spiritual beings. (2) Others suggest that God is
speaking to Himself, using the royal style of earthly
princes. (3) Still others think that there is a suggestion
of a plurality of persons in the Godhead, a foreshadow-
ing of the doctrine of the Trinity, which was afterward
to be more fully revealed. The last view is to be pre-
ferred. Verse 27 tells us that God created man in His
own image.

What is meant by the image and the likeness of God?
Dr. Welton, in his Commentary on Genesis, well says:
"The image of God in which man was created did not
consist in his erect form or features, nor solely in his
intellect, nor yet in his immortality — for he has not like
God a past as well as a future eternity of being; but
rather in the moral dispositions of his soul, in those
qualities of mind and heart which constitute him a sub-
ject of God's law, capable of knowing God and holding
fellowship with him. The rational, moral, and spiritual
nature of man are all included in the image of God."

When God created man, a male and a female created
He them (Gen. 1 :27). In the general account of crea-
tion in Genesis 1:1 to 2 : 3, the story of the creation of
man is told very briefly; in the supplementary account
in Genesis 2 : 4-25, the story is related with many sug-
gestive details. But even in the briefer account it is
made plain that God made man and woman and united
them in holy wedlock. Marriage, with the birth of chil-
dren, was in God's plan for the race prior to the tempta-
tion and the fall. Marriage and the growth of the
family through the birth of children are relics of man's
original inheritance, when he enjoyed unbroken fellow-
ship with God (Gen. 1 :28).

4. THE SABBATH

At length God rested from His creative activity. He
was not wearied; but He could now contemplate with

THE BEGINNINGS 19

satisfaction a completed universe. His work of pre-
serving and renewing the world goes on still.

God gave the sabbath to man as a great blessing.
"The sabbath was made for man," as a reminder of his
kinship to God. Six days man is to labor and do all
his work, and on the seventh, like God at the close of
creation, he is to cease from his regular work (Gen. 2:
1-3). The sabbath is the best day of all the week, when
spent in rest from toil and in deeds of charity and mercy.
Dr. Welton puts the matter properly when he says : "As
God rested on the seventh day from his work of creat-
ing, while yet he continued and continues to work in
the kingdom of his providence and grace, so man, in imi-
tation of his example, must abstain on that day from his
secular occupations, and concern himself with sacred
and eternal things."

The Old Testament in many places puts great honor
upon the sabbath, and pronounces blessings upon those
who observe it properly (Ex. 20: 8-11 ; Isaiah 58: 13, 14:.
Jeremiah 17:19-27). As Christians, we are not under
the strict ceremonial laws of the Mosaic system as to
the sabbath. Our Lord, while observing the sabbath as
God originally meant it to be observed by His chosen
nation, refused to be bound by the burdensome traditions
of the scribes and Pharisees. And Paul proclaims the
freedom of believers from the burdensome requirements
of the ceremonial law (Rom. 14:5, 6; Gal. 4:8-11; Col.
2:16, 17). In the Lord's Day we have the best ele-
ments of the Jewish sabbath, with none of its onerous
restrictions.

5. THE FIRST HOME

Genesis 2:4-25 gives a charming account of man's
first home. There has been much speculation as to the
site of Eden. The most probable location is in lower
Babylonia near the head of the Persian Gulf. Jehovah

20 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

God prepared a delightful home for Adam, and placed
him in the midst of a beautiful garden rich in earth's
choicest fruits. He gave him blessed employment, free
from anxiety and toil, in caring for the garden.

At first man was alone, having no human associate
and helper. Birds and beasts and all the living creatures
of earth could not bring him satisfaction. God is pic-
tured as noting man's incompleteness and lack of perfect
happiness apart from woman. Now follows the charm-
ing story of the forming of woman from the side of
man. Call it an allegory or parable, if you will, but do
not fail to get the great lessons God would teach by this
story. Observe, as a hint of the proper relation between
husband and wife, that she was "not made out of his
head to rule over him ; nor out of his feet to be trampled
on by him; but out of his side, to be equal with him;
under his arm to be protected ; and near his heart to be
beloved." When God made woman He made her to
be man's helper and companion. "I will make him a help
as his counterpart," said God. What nobler mission
could woman desire than this ? Many wives and mothers
have found it a work of joy to be helpers and com-
panions to their husbands and sons.

God's thought about marriage is the union of one man
and one woman in perpetual wedlock. He makes no pro-
vision for polygamy or divorce (Gen. 2: 18-24).

6. THE TEMPTATION AND THE FALL

Adam and Eve were happy and innocent at first in the
beautiful home provided for them by the loving God.
They had useful employment, without the weariness and
pain that attend upon toil. God is a worker; and He
gave man work to do even in the garden of Eden. Ener-
getic natures look forward with joy to active service
in the life beyond. The servants of the King will ever
serve Him.

THE BEGINNINGS 21

We now approach a great mystery — the entrance of
sin into man's heart and life. The story in Genesis,
intelligible to little children by its simplicity and natural-
ness, has kindled the admiration of many of the pro-
foundest philosophers. No other account of the entrance
of sin into the human race will ever displace this won-
derful story ; and we do well to let it make its impress
on our minds, by reading it over and over again. A
score of questions arise that we may not be able to
answer to our own satisfaction ; but we shall not go
astray on the fundamentals, if we let the author of Gen-
esis be our guide.

If our first parents were to be confirmed in innocence
and goodness, they must have moral education. They
must be left free to choose between obedience to God's
requirements and disobedience; and God's requirements
were not burdensome. We must not imagine that God
wished to keep them in ignorance of anything good and
helpful. From the experimental knowledge of evil God
wished to restrain them ; and such a limitation was thor-
oughly reasonable and beneficent. Experimental knowl-
edge of evil brought with it an evil conscience, and so
they were ashamed in the presence of one another and
frightened at the approach of God. Such knowledge
was not a blessing, but a curse.

The first temptation came from without. The tempter
appeared as a serpent, insidious and artful. He raised
the question whether God is not unkind and arbitrary
in withholding from His creatures the right to use the
good things by which they are surrounded. When he
succeeds in winning a hearing, he boldly accuses God of
falsehood, and intimates that God is jealous of His crea-
tures, lest they rise to His own plane of knowledge.
The tempter thus injects a terrible doubt into the mind
of Eve. Who ever parleyed with the tempter and came
away unsoiled in thought ? A look at the tree of the knowl-
edge of good and evil, instead of removing doubt as to

22 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

God's reasonableness and goodness, the rather confirms
it; and Eve deliberately violates the command of God,
and induces her husband to partake with her. Thus
entered sin into the lives of the first human beings. A
sad day for earth and heaven! Spiritual death is now
the lot of man, unless God can find a way out.

God visits Adam and Eve in the garden in the cool of
the day. There is a hint here of the fellowship with
God which our first parents enjoyed prior to their sin.
But now they hide in confusion and shame from the
presence of their Creator and Friend. Soon the whole
story is told Adam tries to transfer the blame, first to
Eve, and ultimately to God, who gave her as his com-
panion. Eve lays the blame on the crafty serpent
that deceived her, Judgment is first pronounced on the
serpent, then on Eve, and finally on Adam. The physi-
cal serpent, as the tool of the tempter, is doomed to a
low and groveling life ; the woman must suffer and serve ;
and the man must toil and sweat. The guilty pair are
expelled from the garden and from access to the tree
of life. Death rules over them as the penalty of trans-
gression.

One ray of light pierces the darkness enveloping guilty
man. Embedded in the curse on the tempter is a promise
of victory to the seed of the woman (Gen. 3: 15). A
terrible conflict is to be waged between the seed of the
woman and the serpent and his progeny, and victory over
the tempter will finally be won by the seed of the woman.
This promise has been aptly called the First Gospel.
It inspired hope in the fainting hearts of the exiles as
they went forth from the garden of Eden to face the
toils and sorrows of a cruel world.

7. GROWTH OF THE HUMAN RACE

The sacred writer follows the fortunes of our first
parents as the Lord gives to them sons. Eve little imag-

THE BEGINNINGS 23

ined that the son whom she welcomed as a gift from
Jehovah would one day make his hands red in his broth-
er's blood.

Why did Jehovah accept Abel's offering and reject
that of Cain? Chiefly because Abel offered in faith, and
Cain offered in unbelief. The Lord was patient toward
Cain, and sought to turn him from the murderous im-
pulse in his heart. Genesis 4 : 7 should probably be ren-
dered : "If thou doest well, shall there not be a lifting
up (of thy countenance) ? and if thou doest not well,
sin is crouching (like a wild beast) at the door, and
unto thee is its desire; but thou shouldest rule over it."
The Lord urges Cain to conquer the wild beast of hate
before it springs to do murder. But Cain nursed his
hatred until the opportunity came to slay his brother in
secret. Speedily Jehovah came to reckon with the mur-
derer. Cain's angry question, "Am I my brother's
keeper?" has often come unbidden to selfish human lips
down the centuries. The murderer becomes a wanderer
on the face of the earth.

From the wicked line of Cain there came wonderful
discoveries and inventions. One of his descendants, a
polygamist, celebrated in martial song his prowess in
slaying a man that wounded him. Violence began to
fill the earth.

The knowledge of God was kept alive in the family
of Seth. We are told that in the days of Enosh
men began to call upon the name of Jehovah in wor-
ship.

The fifth chapter of Genesis has been called by a
famous preacher the History of Nobodyism. The author
gives a catalogue of names with little additional informa-
tion. When we remember, however, that many genera-
tions may be omitted in the summary, it is a distinction
to appear in that roll of honor. Just as Matthew omits
in the genealogy of our Lord the names of Ahaziah,
Joash, and Amaziah, so Moses may have omitted from

24 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

this genealogical register many unimportant names (Matt.

1:8>-

One verse in the midst of this long catalogue keeps it
from being dull and commonplace. "And Enoch walked
with God: and he was not; for God took him" (Gen. 5:
24). In the midst of wickedness and infidelity, Enoch
led a life of faith and piety ; not apart from his fellows,
but as the head of a household. His fellowship with
God was so pleasing to the Almighty that He took him
away from the sinful world to be with Himself. God
translated him, that he should not see death.

The longevity of man in the beginning was far greater
than it has ever been in the historic period. Perhaps
man's life was shortened as a punishment for sin.

8. THE FLOOD

The human race, as it multiplied and spread abroad
over the earth, grew in violence and wickedness. It
seemed that it was almost a mistake that man had ever
been created. The inspired writer puts the case strongly,
representing God as being deeply grieved that he had
made man (Gen. 6:6). Of course the language is
highly figurative, and should be so interpreted. We
should neither lower the conception of God to the realm
of human blunders and vain regrets, nor empty these
figures of the real grief of God over the spread of sin
among mankind.

Jehovah decided to destroy the sinful race by the
waters of a flood. Righteous Noah and his family found
grace in the eyes of Jehovah. He would make a new
beginning with Noah.

The question is often asked whether the Flood was
strictly universal, or whether it merely covered the west-
ern part of Asia. The main purpose of the Flood was
to destroy sinful men. Possibly a partial deluge was
sufficient to accomplish that purpose. Of course nothing

THE BEGINNINGS M

but the mighty power of God could account for the
Flood described in Genesis. All who reject the super-
natural must reject the Flood as a historical fact. Our
Lord Jesus refers to it in such a way as to seem to teach
that it was a historical fact; and His authority is suffi-
cient for all who believe in Him as the Son of God. He
who existed before Abraham, He who was in the midst
of the heavenly glory before the foundation of the world,
surely He knows the story of the Flood.

After the terrible deluge, Noah came forth and offered
sacrifices to Jehovah. The promise was made that never
again should the earth be destroyed by a flood. The
sacredness of human life receives a new emphasis in the
covenant with Noah (Gen. 9:5, 6). The rainbow is
invested with a rich significance as the pledge that Jeho-
vah will no more destroy the earth with a flood (Gen. 9:
8-17).

The Bible does not show partiality to the pious, but
tells the truth about them. Noah drank wine until he
became drunk. The conduct of his younger son was
disgraceful, and brought upon him a curse. Shem and
Japheth inherit a rich blessing as the reward of their
filial reverence (Gen. 9:20-27).

9. FROM NOAH TO ABRAHAM

The tenth chapter of Genesis contains much informa-
tion concerning the tribes and peoples adjacent to Israel.
It is not intended, however, to be a history of the world
between Noah and Abraham.

The eleventh chapter of Genesis tells the story of the
tower of Babel, and traces the genealogy of Shem down
to Abraham. The inspired author moves on rapidly
until he comes to Abram.

26 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

10. FACTS AND DOCTRINES OF GREAT VALUE TO THE
CHRISTIAN

What facts and doctrines, from the brief account of
the Beginnings in the first eleven chapters of Genesis,
have been taken up into the faith and life of Christians ?
It may be instructive to name some of the most im-
portant.

(1) God created the physical universe. The heavens
and the earth came into existence by the creative activity
of God.

(2) All life, whether plant or animal, owes its exist-
ence to the creative power of God.

(3) Man is a special creation. He was made in the
likeness of God. He is akin to the lower animals, as
possessing a body like theirs ; he is akin to God, as pos-
sessing a moral and spiritual nature like God's.

(4) Marriage is ordained of God. He created woman
as man's associate and helper. Polygamy and divorce
are perversions of God's thought.

(5) The human race is a unity sprung from one pair.
All men are brothers.

(6) In his original state, man was innocent. Through
the temptation of the old serpent, Satan, sin entered the
heart of man, and the image of God in man was almost
destroyed. Physical and spiritual death came into man-
kind along with sin, as its penalty.

(7) The promise of Redemption follows closely upon
the Fall. Even in the early generations there was for-
giveness for sinful man. Abel was accepted, when he
offered sacrifices in faith. Enoch walked with God in
delightful fellowship. The promise as to the seed of
the woman attaches itself to the line of Shem. His
descendants were to give mankind the religion of
Jehovah.

(8) The universe is under moral law. Sin leads to
punishment. Justice and mercy are blended in the divine

THE BEGINNINGS 27

rule. Sin and violence grew in volume and power until
the earth had to be cleansed by the great judgment of
the Flood. The grace of God shone forth in the preser-
vation of Noah and in the covenant God made with him
after the Flood.

Chapter II

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD

11. THE WORLD IN ABRAHAM'S DAY

RECENT research makes x^braham a comparatively
modern character. He was brought up at Ur, an
ancient city in the fertile valley of the lower Euphrates
near the head of the Persian Gulf, about 2000 B.C.
Babylonia already possessed a civilization centuries old.
Ur was a city of note, a center of the worship of Sin,
the moon-god. The cities of Babylonia contained tem-
ples dedicated to the various deities of the country.
Irrigating canals brought water into all parts of that
fertile plain. The sciences and the arts of civilized life
were well advanced. The art of writing had long been
cultivated, and many records of events and contracts
long prior to Abraham have been brought to light by the
spade of modern explorers. Two thousand years before
Abraham there were kings in the ancient cities of the
region from which Abraham came. The sun and the
moon and the stars were objects of worship throughout
Babylonia. Polytheism, or the worship of many gods,
prevailed everywhere.

Egypt was also hoary with age. The great pyramids
had been standing for centuries before Abraham visited
the Nile valley. Egyptian civilization had already
reached its zenith.

Syria and Canaan were also inhabited long before the
days of Abraham. Haran, the city at which he sojourned
for a while on the way from Ur to Canaan, was also a
center of the worship of the moon-god.

28

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD 29

The coming and going of Abraham perhaps made little
impression on the countries he visited. He came and
went as the head of a family possessing flocks and herds
and sojourning in tents. He was regarded as a sort of
Bedouin chieftain by the peoples among whom he so-
journed. Men little dreamed that the future moral and
religious progress of the world depended in great meas-
ure upon the life and work of this dignified chieftain.

12. THE CALL OF ABRAM

How did it come about that Abraham should mean so
much to the religious progress of mankind? The secret
is disclosed in Genesis 12:1-3: "Now Jehovah said
unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy
kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that
I will shew thee : and I will make of thee a great nation,
and I will bless thee, and make thy name great ; and
be thou a blessing : and I will bless them that bless thee,
and him that curseth thee will I curse : and in thee shall
all the families of the earth be blessed." The electing
love of Jehovah calls Abram to be a blessing to all man-
kind. Rich promises are laid as a foundation on which
Abram is to build a life that shall be a blessing to all the
families of the earth. Was there ever a loftier ideal
held before the mind of a man? And right nobly did
Abram respond to the divine promises and command.
He followed Jehovah, as He led him far from his home
and kindred into a strange land.

Whenever Abram's heart stood in special need of re-
assurance, Jehovah graciously renewed His promises.
He also repeated the command that Abram should live
on the highest possible moral and religious plane. Be-
fore entering into the covenant of circumcision, Jehovah
said unto Abram, "I am God Almighty; walk before me,
and be thou perfect" (Gen. 17:1). Jehovah urges

SO THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Abram to live in close touch with Himself and thus lead
a life of moral perfection. High commands these!

13. ABRAM WORSHIPS JEHOVAH

When Abram arrived at Shechem, in the center of
Canaan, Jehovah appeared to him and promised that He
would give to his seed this land. Abram at once built
an altar to Jehovah and worshiped. Wherever the patri-
arch went in the land of promise, he erected an altar to
Jehovah, and called upon His name in public worship.
Heathen altars were smoking on the hills about him, and
the immoral and cruel rites of heathen religion were
enacted before his eyes. Abram gave them an example
of spiritual worship. He was not ashamed of the sim-
plicity of the worship which Jehovah required. He
bowed before a God of grace and love.

During the sojourn in Egypt, Abram seems to have
left off the habit of public worship. This may help to
account for the lower moral plane on which his life
moved at that crisis. As soon as he was expelled from
Egypt he returned through the South to the place of the
altar near Bethel, and there he again called upon the
name of Jehovah. The patriarch strengthened himself
for his high calling by the habitual worship of the living
God.

14. ABRAM NOT PERFECT

We should be tempted, like some modern critics, to
think the picture of Abram legendary or mythical, if
there were no instances of moral lapse in the record of
his life. His "white lie" concerning his beautiful wife
shows him as our brother in moral weakness. The
patriarch leaves Egypt in disgrace, after suffering rebuke
at the hands of a heathen king.

The goodness of Jehovah rescued him from similar

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD 31

peril a second time at a later period. Some critics deem
it unlikely that Abram would have repeated his blunder in
representing that Sarah was his sister rather than his
wife; but sin has a tendency to repeat itself in every life.
Abram was not sinless. He climbed far up toward
the peak of moral perfection ; but its exalted crest ever
beckoned him higher.

Abram's acquiescence in Sarah's suggestion that her
handmaid take the place of the wife as the mother of
the promised heir, seems to us now in Christian lands a
serious moral lapse ; but it was not so regarded in
Abram's day; and he must be judged by the standards
of his own time. We must rather regard it as a test of
his faith, and count it as a momentary failure of the
man of faith to leave all in God's hands.

15. abram's generosity and nobility

It is pleasant to turn from the picture of Abram's
disgrace in Egypt to the scene on the uplands of Canaan,
when he generously offered to his nephew half of the
land which Jehovah had already promised as his own
inheritance. He might have dismissed Lot in anger, re-
minding him that his prosperity had come through their
association together. He did nothing of the kind.
Recognizing Lot as his near kinsman, he urged that they
part in love, and offered Lot the choice of either the
northern or the southern half of the land. Lot foolishly
plunged down from the hills into the wicked district of
Sodom, in the Jordan valley. Jehovah graciously renews
to His generous servant the promise of a goodly land and
a numerous posterity (Gen. 13:14-18).

16. abram's courage and unselftshness

When Lot was swept away by the four kings from the
East, the courage and resourcefulness of Abram were

32 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

equal to the occasion. Calling to his aid all his allies,
he mustered the men of his own camp and pursued the
invaders. By a skillful night attack he put the enemy
to flight, and recovered Lot and all the other captives
from Sodom.

On his return from the victory over the invaders, he
was met by Melchizedek, king of Salem, with bread and
wine. Abram received the priestly blessing from Mel-
chizedek, rejoicing to find in him a worshiper of God Most
High. The patriarch gave him a tenth of all. Abram
refused to take even a thread or a shoe-latchet from the
wicked king of Sodom. Abram's courage and generosity
and dignity of character are writ large in the fourteenth
chapter of Genesis.

17. Abraham's intercessory prayer

Lot returned to Sodom. The sinners of Sodom re-
fused to heed the appeals of righteous Lot. He seemed
to them to be fond of money, like other men. Finally
the cry of the city went up to heaven, and Jehovah came
down to see whether the city was hopelessly given over
to sin. When Abraham learned of the danger, he began
to plead for Sodom. He knew that there was one right-
eous man in the wicked city; and he hoped there might
be more. Surely Lot had won at least nine others to a
righteous life. So he pleaded with Jehovah to spare it
for the sake of the few righteous men, who would perish
along with the guilty. Abraham was earnest and im-
portunate, and Jehovah was gracious and generous.
Abraham did not succeed in averting the destruction of
the wicked cities of the Plain; but "God remembered
Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the over-
throw" (Gen. 19:29). Abraham's prayer was really
answered. "The narrative of Abraham's intercession
for Sodom teaches the long-suffering mercy of God, the

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD S3

efficacy of prayer, and the value in a city or nation of the
leaven of righteous persons."

18. Abraham's faith sorely tested

When the great patriarch is first introduced in the
sacred story, he appears as a man of faith. He obeyed
the command of Jehovah to leave his home and kindred
and follow the beckoning of his divine Friend as He led
him forth into an unknown land. He counted Jehovah
as faithful, and put all into His keeping. Wherever he
went he worshiped Jehovah. Every promise from Je-
hovah he took at its face value. He wavered not through
unbelief. His life was pitched on a high moral plane,
and he enjoyed constant fellowship with the Most High.
Jehovah had promised to make his descendants as the
dust of the earth, innumerable.

After the night attack on the kings from the East,
Jehovah graciously appeared to Abram in a vision to
encourage him not to fear that he would be destroyed
on account of his brave deed. "Fear not," said Jehovah
in the vision ; "I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great
reward" (Gen. 15:1). This gracious revelation encour-
aged Abram to speak of his childlessness. Often had
he wondered why God had given him no son. The word
of Jehovah came to him with the assurance that he
should have a son and descendants innumerable as the
stars. "And he believed in Jehovah ; and he reckoned
it to him for righteousness" (Gen 15:6). Such strong
faith in God is the finest righteousness men can offer.
This is not mere intellectual belief, but a complete sur-
render of heart and life to God who promises. Such is
the faith that brings justification (Gal. 3:6-9). It is
also a faith that brings forth works of righteousness
(James 2:20-26).

As time went on, Sarah seems to have lost hope of

34 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

the fulfillment of the promise through her, and, in a
moment of foolish generosity, suggested that Abram take
Hagar as a secondary wife, that through her the promise
might be fulfilled. Jealousy and heart-burning thus in-
vaded Abram's home.

God presently promised that Sarah should be the
mother of Abraham's heir. It seemed too wonderful at
first to be a possibility; and Abraham begged that Ish-
mael might be his heir; but Abraham's faith rose to the
height of believing that God could do what seemed im-
possible. His faith stood the test.

In due time Jehovah gave Abraham a son in his old
age. Every one laughed for joyous wonder at the birth
of the child, and so Abraham called him Isaac (laugh-
ter). His birth brought unspeakable joy to his father
and mother. All their hopes centered in him. He grew
up in an atmosphere of love and tender care.

God decided to subject Abraham to the severest pos-
sible test. The heathen about him in Canaan sometimes
offered their sons on the altar of Moloch. Would Abra-
ham be willing to make such a sacrifice to Jehovah?
The test was made once for all; and the representative
of the true God passed through the ordeal nobly. In
his heart he made the great sacrifice, and gave back to
God the son of promise. It was a terrible experience,
nevermore to be repeated in this form among the wor-
shipers of Jehovah. The angel of Jehovah arrested the
uplifted hand of the patriarch as he was on the point
of slaying his son. No man in his right mind who has
read this story could ever imagine that the God of Abra-
ham would require him to offer his son as a burnt-offer-
ing to Jehovah. The Old Testament speaks frequently
with abhorrence of human sacrifices.

With Abraham the trial was almost unbearable; but
his faith stood the test. He believed that God was able
to restore the lad by a resurrection from the dead (Heb.
11:17-19).

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD 35

When did Abraham see Christ's day ? Was there in
his career a more favorable moment for this great rev-
elation than the hour in which he made the sacrifice of
his son? Then was he qualified in some measure to
receive the revelation of the great sacrifice God meant
to make on behalf of the world (John 8: 56-58).

God must be often grieved when His worshipers fail
under trial. What a satisfaction the noble self-sacrifice
of Abraham must have been to his divine Friend ! We,
too, may rejoice that the great representative believer of
the Old Testament stood the test successfully. It ought
to give us hope, as we face our own trials.

19. Abraham's place in the history of redemption

1. The people of Israel, God's chosen nation, look
back to Abraham as their father. He is the real foun-
tain, rather than Jacob, from which the stream of Israel-
itish history flowed. See Isaiah 51:1, 2. Jehovah is
the God of Abraham. Gen. 26:24; 31:42; Psa. 47:9.

2. Abraham was honored in a preeminent degree with
the friendship of God. Isa. 41 : 8 ; 2 Chron. 20 : 7 ; James
2 : 23. The Arabs to-day refer to him as "the Friend."

3. Abraham was powerful in intercessory prayer.

4. Abraham was, in a real sense, a prophet of Jeho-
vah. Gen. 20 : 7. Through him the world received won-
derful revelations of God's character and purposes. The
mission of Abraham received fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
Gal. 3:13, 14.

5. Abraham enjoys a preeminence among the spirits
of the blessed. Matt. 8:11; Luke 16:22.

6. Abraham enjoys the distinction of being called the
Father of Believers. Gal 3 : 6-9, 29. His faith rested
on the bare promise of God. Jews, Mohammedans, and
Christians unite in honoring him as the representative
man of faith. Luther once said, "If I had Abraham's
faith, I should be Abraham."

36 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

20. ISAAC THE MEDITATIVE

Isaac was a youth of quiet habits. He was not strong
and aggressive like Abraham and Jacob. He grieved
much over the death of his mother. He was meditative
and prayerful. "His life is an echo of the life of Abra-
ham. All its vibrations arise from the powerful im-
pulses given in the life of Abraham."

21. REBEKAH THE AGGRESSIVE

Rebekah was industrious and polite in her youth. Her
courtesy to a stranger won for her an invitation to be-
come the wife of Abraham's heir. She was quick to see
the salient features of a situation, and knew how to
achieve her purposes. She was by no means scrupulous
in the use of means to attain her ends. She was ambi-
tious and aggressive. Her younger son inherited much
of her enterprise and ambition, and learned from her
how to outwit a rival.

22. ESAU AND JACOB

The relations of these twin brothers to each other,
to their parents, and to the plan of redemption, have
given rise to much discussion.

1. What are the facts concerning Esau, the firstborn
son?

a. He was fond of hunting and out-door life, his hairy
covering being an index to his love of the field and the
chase. He was of a roving disposition, fond of the
sword and the bow. He was in his glory when at the
head of a body of armed men with flashing swords.

b. He was attentive to his father. They petted each
other.

c. He was a man whose animal appetites ruled him.

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD 37

Hunger in sight of an inviting meal could not be re-
sisted. He sold his birthright tor one mess of pottage
(Heb. 12:10, 17). Voluntary polygamy among the
heathen is an index to his character.

d. He did not appreciate the value of the spiritual
blessings granted to Abraham and Isaac. He longed
for temporal prosperity and worldly power. He lacked
the firm will and pious aspirations of Jacob. We hear
of no Peniel in his history.

2. What are the facts concerning Jacob?

a. He was ambitious. He wished the very best in
life.

b. He was shrewd and self-possessed. He knew how
to attain his ends, and did not hesitate to employ ques-
tionable means.

c. He was persevering. The constancy of Jacob is
a notable characteristic.

All these traits are elements of strength. He who
possesses them may become a strong and selfish man,
building himself up at the expense of others; but divine
grace can utilize them in growing a strong and beautiful
character.

d. Jacob had a growing appreciation of the covenant
blessing. When he sought to win his father's blessing
by deception, he perhaps thought chiefly of the material
benefits that would accrue; but as he battled against
dangers and trials, he came to appreciate more highly
the spiritual elements in the promises made to Abraham
and renewed to Isaac and himself. To be sure, even at
Bethel he seems inclined to drive a bargain with the
Almighty, promising the tithe in exchange for the divine
protection in his wanderings (Gen. 28:20-22). During
the long sojourn with Laban, Jacob did not lose sight of
the God who appeared to him first in the dream at
Bethel. Jehovah protected him and enriched him.

At Peniel Jacob's longing for the divine blessing be-

38 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

came a passion, and he said to the mighty wrestler who
asked to be released, "I will not let thee go, except thou
bless me" (Gen. 32:26).

e. Jacob's troubles led him to lean on Jehovah. His
character ripened as he grew older.

At Peniel, when he thought of the near approach of
the brother whom he had wronged, he was far more
spiritual than he was when he deceived his blind old
father. He betook himself to earnest prayer, confessing
his unworthiness and pleading for protection for his
family. He craves the fulfillment of God's promise
(Gen. 32:9-12).

When the troubles in connection with his daughter
assailed Jacob, he was told to go up to Bethel and erect
an altar unto the God who appeared to him there as he
fled from Esau. Jacob there entered into a closer fellow-
ship with God.

The death of Rachel was a heavy blow to Jacob; but
a few years later the most staggering blow of all fell
upon the old patriarch, when his sons came home bring-
ing in their hands Joseph's fine coat all covered with
blood. He refused to be comforted over the loss of his
favorite son. For years he mourned for Joseph.

Next came the famine, and the captivity of Simeon
in Egypt. When his sons informed him that Benjamin
must accompany them on their next visit to the granaries
of the Nile, the old patriarch's cup of sorrow was full
to overflowing, and he cried out: "Me have ye bereaved
of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and
ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against
me" (Gen. 42: 36). But it was the dense darkness that
precedes the dawn. Ere long Jacob was on his way to
Egypt to see his son Joseph. Near the border of Egypt
father and son were once more united; and the patri-
arch's closing days were spent under the loving protection
of his noble son.

When Joseph led his father into the palace to meet

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD 39

the king of Egypt, it was not Jacob the wily supplanter,
but Israel the saint, who lifted his hands to bless Pha-
raoh. Divine grace achieved a wonderful triumph in
the life of Jacob. God demonstrated in his case that
grace can transform a selfish man into a saint.

Faith was the power in the experience of the patri-
archs that lifted them above their contemporaries.
Delitzsch happily describes Abraham as "the man of
world-conquering faith, as Isaac was the man of quietly
enduring faith, and Jacob the man of wrestling faith."

23. THE INSPIRING CAREER OF JOSEPH

It has been well said that Joseph was a Christian before
the advent of Christ. He is in many respects the most
Christlike character in the Old Testament. What are,
some of the chief lessons of permanent value to be
gleaned from the story of his life?

1. The value of a high ambition. While yet a lad he
was dreaming dreams of future greatness. He saw him-
self at the head of his family. No doubt a selfish ele-
ment entered into these youthful dreams; but persecution
and fiery trials purged out the dross, and left remaining
the pure gold of an exalted ambition.

2. A lesson of personal purity. Though sorely
tempted, he kept himself pure. He might have excused
himself on the ground that he was not the tempter, and
that the fault would be that of his master's wife. But
for Joseph's deep religious life, the temptation would
probably have swept him into the abyss of impurity ; for
he had all the attractions and impulses of a vigorous
manhood. Gratitude to a kind and confiding master had
its part in restraining Joseph from surrendering to the
solicitations of the temptress; but it was his religion that
helped him most. "How then can I do this great wick-
edness, and sin against God ?" Long ago he had resolved
to lead a clean life. Pie could not now consent to do

40 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

what would displease and dishonor the God of his fathers.

3. A successful business career is possible for the
faithful servant of God. Religion and business need
not be divorced, as many weak Christians have imagined.
Joseph never lowered the standard of right in order to
win success. He climbed to the giddy height of suc-
cess and power, without in the least compromising his
principles.

4. The importance of caring for our kindred. Joseph's
treatment of his brothers when they first appeared be-
fore him in Egypt seems at first blush rather harsh.
We learn, however, that it cost him much effort to con-
trol his feelings of love and compassion. He adopted
a wise course, and held himself firmly to it. Just as soon
as it was wise and safe for him to make himself known,
he lavished upon his brothers the affection which already
filled his heart almost to bursting. He was not ashamed
of his brothers in their poverty. His kindness to his
aged father was beautiful to behold. He led the stoop-
ing patriarch into the presence of Pharaoh and the court,
and introduced him to his distinguished friends. Busy
as he was with the affairs of the empire, he found time
to visit his father repeatedly. He provided bountifully
for his kindred, and rejoiced that they could be with
him to share his glory.

5. Through the cross to the crown! Before the com-
ing of God's Son to die for our sins on the cross, Joseph's
career taught men the value of suffering. He was per-
secuted and slandered and neglected. He spent the best
years of his youth and early manhood in slavery and in
prison, not for doing wrong but because he refused to
do wrong. And he endured it all without complaint.
He believed that the God of his fathers would bring
good out of evil. His faith did not fail. He believed
that all things work together for good to them that love
God. Wherever the story of Joseph is told, faith in
God's fatherly care of His children is strengthened.

THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD 41

Like Moses, Joseph endured, as seeing Him who is in-
visible.

24. judah's self-sacrifice

Judah's early life will not bear favorable comparison
with that of Joseph. Appetite and passion asserted their
power over him. As time went on, however, the char-
acter of Judah became transformed. Endowed with
qualities of leadership, he became the spokesman of the
brothers in their dealings with their father and also with
strangers. Judah became surety for the safe return of
Benjamin. When Joseph's stratagem puts Benjamin in
his power, Judah pleads the cause of his youngest
brother, and nobly volunteers to abide in his stead as a
slave to Joseph (Gen. 44: 18-34). Judah's speech on
behalf of Benjamin is the most pathetic in all literature.
He, too, like Joseph, is brought face to face with the
doctrine of the cross ; and he hesitates not, but bravely
offers himself as a substitute for his guilty brother.
Surely a book containing such exalted teaching will
never become antiquated.

Inasmuch as Judah anticipated the substitutionary sac-
rifice of the Christ, it was fitting that he should be placed
at the head of his brethren as ruler. From Judah should
spring the Prince of Peace, unto whom the peoples shall
be obedient (Gen. 49:8-12).

Chapter HI*

JOB, THE SORELY TRIED SAINT

25. THE AUTHOR OF JOB

THE author of the Book of Job was one of the great-
est thinkers and writers in all literature. Who
he was, and when he lived, no man knows. Biblical
scholars differ widely as to the age in which the author
of this magnificent poem lived. At one time it was
thought that Moses was the author; and much can be
said in favor of this view. Most recent critical scholars
favor a much later date for the composition of the book.
Fortunately for the Christian reader, the question of
date is not very important. No one disputes the right
of the book to a place among the Scriptures of the Old
Testament; and all who have ever really studied it have
assigned it a place among the great books of the world.

26. IS THE BOOK HISTORICAL?

Bible students have not been agreed as to the historical
character of the book. Some have even contended that
the story is altogether a parable; while others have
thought that the book is literal history from beginning
to end, and that the speeches are reported just as they
were spoken. Most scholars have taken a position be-
tween these two extreme views. They believe that Job
was a historical character; that he suffered terrible af-
flictions as a test of his faith ; and that he came through
the fiery trial without renouncing his faith in God. The

* Chapter III may be omitted by teachers who use this Manual
as a guide to the study of Old Testament History.

42

JOB, THE SORELY TRIED SAINT 4.:

references to Job, in Ezekiel 14: 14, 20 and James 5:11,
seem to establish the fact that Job really lived and suf-
fered and came off victorious. But it is highly improb-
able that four men would carry on a lengthy debate in
the most elevated poetry. Here the Revised Version
comes to the aid of the English reader by printing Job,
Psalms, Proverbs, and Lamentations in the form of
poetry. All the speeches of Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zo-
phar, Elihu, and the Almighty are in poetry of the high-
est type. "Poetic license" is a familiar phrase in the
study of all literatures. The poet is free to shape his
material in ways that would be considered improper in
a historian. The author of Job, under the inspiration
of the Spirit of God, discusses some of the deepest prob-
lems connected with God's government of the world.
He was not a mere historical reporter trying to give
verbatim the speeches of a group of men living in the
patriarchal period. We may not be able, on this view,
to separate sharply the historical kernel of the story
from the poetic covering: nor do we need to be unduly
curious on the subject; for the message of the book is
substantially the same, whether we conceive of it as a
parable, or literal history, or history worked over with
poetic embellishment. The inspiration inheres in the
teachings presented by the great poet who wrote the
book. God gave the author a message that suffering
saints need to hear. He cleared away imperfect notions
as to the relation between suffering and sin, and laid a
foundation for the teaching of our Lord and His Apos-
tles as to the place of suffering in the experience of the
saints. Whatever the author of Job teaches, is part of
the progressive revelation of God to mankind.

27. WHEREIN IS THE BOOK INSPIRED?

How are we to regard the utterances of Job and his
friends? Are the views advanced by the three friends

44 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

to be accepted as true, because they are found in an
inspired book? We are warned against such a mistake
by the author of the book, when he represents Jehovah
as saying to Eliphaz : "My wrath is kindled against
thee, and against thy two friends; for ye have not
spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job
hath" (Job 42: 7). Are we to infer from this statement
that all Job's utterances are endorsed by the Almighty?
Not as authoritative teaching ; for we are told that Jeho-
vah answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said —

"Who is this that darkeneth counsel
By words without knowledge?"

(Job 38:1,2.)

Jehovah even refers sarcastically to Job as claiming too
much for himself (Job 38:19-21); and Job himself
refers to his ravings as the speeches of "one that is des-
perate" (Job 6:26). In contrast with his three friends,
Job spoke what was right; for he never wilfully per-
verted facts to carry his point. He grew desperate, and
criticized adversely God's moral government, because the
facts, as he understood them, seemed to force him to do
so; but he still yearned for an interview with God, and
hoped for light on the dark problem that oppressed his
soul. Let it be understood once for all that the Book
of Job must be studied and interpreted as a whole, if
we would get from it the lessons God would have us
learn. Although there is much truth in the speeches
of Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, Elihu, and Job, the inspired
author of Job did not endorse all that any one of them
said. He even reports the false insinuations of Satan;
but no sane student of the book would think of quoting
these as true and authoritative utterances. It ought to
be plain to the reader who has followed the discussion
thus far, that the student of the Book of Job must be

JOB, THE SORELY TRIED SAINT 45

alert and painstaking, if he would not go astray in his
thinking.

28. A PROLOGUE IN PROSE (CHAPTERS 1 AND 2)

The author tells the story of Job's great prosperity
and unique piety (1:1-5). The scene suddenly shifts
from earth to heaven, and Jehovah calls the attention of
Satan to Job's remarkable piety. Satan replies that it
pays Job to be pious, because Jehovah has protected him
and made him very prosperous. He boldly asserts that
Job will renounce God, if his property is snatched away.
He receives permission to put Job to the test (1 : 6-12).
Armed with power over Job's property, including his
family, Satan brings calamity after calamity upon the
head of the unsuspecting patriarch. One messenger
treads upon the heels of another with tidings of disaster
and death. The climax is reached when the last mes-
senger announces the sudden destruction of all Job's
children by a cyclone. The bereaved saint bows his head
in submission to the divine will, and praises the name
of Jehovah (1: 13-22).

Satan does not surrender his contention that Job will
renounce God, if a test severe enough is applied. "Skin
for skin, yea, all that a man has will he give for his
life," says the Adversary. He boldly affirms his belief
that severe bodily affliction will make Job surrender his
allegiance to God. He receives permission to afflict Job
as he pleases; only he must not kill him (2: 1-6). Satan
afflicts Job with sore boils. He is such a loathsome sight
that even his wife urges him to renounce God and die;
but the patriarch, on his ash-heap, rebukes his wife for
her foolish suggestion, and bows to the will of God
(2:7-10).

Job's three distinguished friends visit him to bemoan
him and to comfort him. Amazed at his pitiable condi-

46 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

tion, they rend their robes and sit with him on the ground
seven days and seven nights in painful silence (2:11-
13).

29. THE DEBATE BETWEEN JOB AND HIS FRIENDS

Next follows the main body of the book, in the form
of a debate between Job and his three friends (chapters
3-31). Job is the first to break the silence with a vehe-
ment curse on the day of his birth. He longs even now
for death (chapter 3). Eliphaz, the eldest and most
dignified of his friends, rebukes him for fainting under
his affliction, and reminds him that the innocent do not
perish. Mortal man cannot be just before God; and it
is foolish to become vexed. He counsels Job not to
despise the chastening of the Almighty, but to seek unto
God and get right with Him (chapters 4 and 5).

Eliphaz and the other friends think that Job must have
fallen into some serious sin ; else grievous disaster would
not have been sent upon him. The theory which they
stubbornly defend may be stated in three propositions:
(1) All suffering is due to sin. (2) Great suffering is
proof that God has discovered serious sin in the life.
(3) Therefore Job must have fallen from his integrity;
since God is punishing him so severely. They argue
that God never punishes the innocent. Their theory
leaves no room, in God's providential rule, for suffering
as the trial of a righteous man's faith.

Job almost certainly held the view advocated by his
friends, until his own experience led him to call it in
question. He knew that he had not turned away from
God. He was never more faithful and upright than he
was when disasters and afflictions overtook him. He
could not, in the light of his own experience, any longer
hold the view that terrible suffering is sent only as a
punishment or chastisement of fearful sin.

Job rebukes his friends for the unkind insinuation

JOB, THE SORELY TRIED SAINT 47

that he needs to get right with God, and challenges them
to show wherein he has erred (chapters 6 and 7).

Bildad emphasizes the justice of God, intimating that
Job's children were destroyed on account of their sins,
and asserts that the godless man always perishes (chap-
ter 8). Job is so absorbed in the problem of his relation
to God that he pays no attention to Bildad's argument
(chapters 9 and 10).

Zophar calls attention to God's wisdom. The Al-
mighty knows Job thoroughly. He urges Job to get
right with God, and put iniquity far from him (chapter

ii).

Job grows sarcastic and asserts that he is not inferior
to his friends in knowledge. They are forgers of lies
(chapters 12-14).

The friends were unable to bring Job to confession
and repentance by their arguments founded on the char-
acter and attributes of God. They next try to arouse
Job to confession and amendment of life by picturing
the horrible fate of the wicked man. Job understands
well that they regard him as now belonging among the
wicked, though they hope to win him back to a life of
integrity and consequent prosperity. He tells them that
they are miserable comforters, and boldly denies that
the wicked man always comes to a sad end. Often he
prospers to old age, and receives honorable burial. The
insinuations and doctrines of the three friends are alike
false (chapters 15-21).

Eliphaz next openly accused Job of great wickedness.
He, of course, had no evidence to that effect, except only
the theory that great suffering was infallible proof of
great sin. Instead of readjusting his theory to conform
to all the facts, he perverted the facts in the interest of
the theory. Bildad, when his turn comes, deals out a
few platitudes ; while Zophar remains dumb. Job in-
sists more vigorously than before that all sorts of wicked
men live in prosperity and security. The friends have

48 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

signally failed to sustain their theory (chapters 22-26).

Now that Job has the field all to himself, he describes
the calamities that overtake the wicked. He perhaps
felt that he had, in his earlier speeches, overstated the
case, and now wished to look at the subject from an-
other side. He, too, believes that the fear of God is
wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding (chap-
ters 27 and 28).

Job next reviews his case. He describes first his for-
mer prosperity and the reverence shown him (chapter
29) ; then pictures his present abject condition (chapter
30) ; and finally repeats his plea of "not guilty" (chapter
31).

30. A YOUNG MAN SPEAKS

Elihu, a young man, who had listened carefully to the
discussion between Job and his three friends, could no
longer hold in, but gave vent to his desire to speak. He
expressed surprise that the aged friends had shown so
little wisdom in answering Job ; and he rebuked Job for
self-righteousness, and for irreverent speech about God's
moral government. Elihu emphasizes the value of suf-
fering as a means of recovering men from pride and
from other sins. God chastens men with pain, in order
to win them from sin to a more righteous life. Elihu
points to God's greatness in nature as an evidence of
His wisdom and justice (chapters 32-37).

31. THE ALMIGHTY SPEAKS

The Almighty then answered Job out of the whirl-
wind, and rebuked him for darkening counsel by words
without knowledge. God's wisdom in the universe at
large, and in the animal world, is described. Keenly
sensible of his littleness, Job declines to reply to the Al-
mighty. Jehovah next asks Job if he can capture the

JOB, THE SORELY TRIED SAINT 49

hippopotamus or the crocodile. The vision of God over-
whelms Job; and he repents in dust and ashes (38:
1 to 42:6).

The Epilogue, in prose, relates how Jehovah rebuked
the three friends and vindicated Job. Jehovah doubles
the prosperity of Job (42:7-17).

Having given a summary of the contents of the book,
with special emphasis on the debate between Job and
his friends, we turn next to trace the progress of the
struggle in Job's mind, until he becomes victorious at
every point. Let us try to see things through Job's eyes.

32. job's condition prior to his trial

1. He was the most pious man of his time. Jehovah
Himself said so.

2. He was one of the most prosperous men of his
time. He was held in honor by all.

3. Job was limited in knowledge of the divine gov-
ernment, the divine nature, the future life, and all other
religious subjects within the confines of knowledge pos-
sessed in the patriarchal period. Job was far in advance
of the idolaters of his time; for, like Abraham, he be-
lieved in and worshiped the One Living God. He be-
lieved in God's power, wisdom, holiness, and providential
care of His creatures. He believed that it would always
be well with the righteous, both in his outer life and in
his inner fellowship with God. Job gives no evidence
of any knowledge of Satan and his relation to men.

If we wish to understand the struggle in Job's mind
and heart, we must try to forget all that we have learned
from the Bible. Not a book of the Old Testament had
been written in his day ; for he lived before Moses. The
New Testament came many centuries later. Job never
heard a single promise to the tempted and the suffering.
He could not comfort himself with the thought that,
"whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth." Close the Bible

50 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

and lay it aside, if you really wish to understand Job's
fearful struggle. Remember, too, that the author of the
Book of Job, in the opening chapters, lets us into a
secret. Poor Job did not know what the author adver-
tises to his readers, that Satan was trying to make Job
renounce God. If Job could have known that Jehovah
believed in him all the time, and claimed him as the most
loyal servant He had in the earth, how much easier it
had been to endure the afflictions that fell upon him!
If Job had known about heaven and hell, as we have
learned of them from Jesus, he would not have been
oppressed with thoughts of Sheol as a land of darkness.
He would not have been crying out of the gloom, "If a
man die, shall he live again ?"

33. job's trials

1. Loss of all his property, including his family. He
stands the test nobly : "Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has
taken away ; blessed be the name of Jehovah." He looks
upon the loss as directly due to Jehovah's will.

2. Loss of health. Job is smitten with a form of
leprosy. He suffers tortures, and has no hope of recov-
ery. Seated among the ashes, and scraping himself with
a potsherd, he rejects his wife's suggestion that he re-
nounce God and die. "What? shall we receive good at
the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all
this did not Job sin with his lips.

3. Job loses his good name. His three most distin-
guished friends, according to the orthodoxy of their time,
regard him as having committed some sin to which his
calamity may be directly traced. Hence they seek to
lead him to confession of sin and repentance.

Recall these two facts: (1) Job seems to know noth-
ing of Satan's enmity to the righteous. He seems wholly
ignorant of his activity on the earth. (2) Like his three
friends, Job regards his calamities as coming directly

JOB, THE SORELY TRIED SAINT 51

from the Almighty. What can such blows from God
mean? Job knows that he has not turned away from
God. Why, then, has the Almighty become his adver-
sary? His heaviest, most intolerable trial is the loss of
God's friendship and help.

34. STAGES IN THE STRUGGLE

1. A cry for death. 3 : 1-26 ; 6 : 8-13.

2. A plea for mercy, mingled with remonstrance.
7:12-21.

3. A threefold complaint: (1) That man cannot have
an interview with God, and if he could, there is no um-
pire between them. 9:11-21, 32-35. (2) That God
seems to treat the righteous and the wicked alike.
9:22-24. (3) That early blessings from God were only
a preparation for severe treatment later on. 10: 8-17.

4. A desperate resolve — "I will argue my ways before
Him." 13 : 13-28, especially verse 15 in American Stand-
ard Revision.

5. A great question — "If a man die, shall he live
again?" 14:1-22, especially 7-15. There is a longing
for future vindication ; but the hope dies away on the
sufferer's lips.

6. A prayer for vindication. 16:18 to 17:3. Job's
sense of the divine anger reaches a climax in 16:6-17.
Torn and bleeding, his face red with weeping, he asserts
his integrity, and breaks out into a loud cry for vindica-
tion. Let not the earth cover his innocent blood ! Then,
turning to God, Job appeals to the inner God of grace
and justice to maintain his right with the God of outward
providence, who now afflicts him. Job's cry for a Divine
Umpire, or Mediator, is a prophecy of the Incarnation
and the Atonement. This great longing in the human
soul receives satisfaction in the person and work of the
Christ. Job closes with no hope. 17:6-16.

7. A confession of faith. 19:25-27. There must be

52 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

a future life, and in that future day my Kinsman-Re-
deemer shall vindicate me. God shall no longer appear
as my enemy, but as my friend. On bleeding hands and
feet, the suffering saint of this early time has climbed
up the rough mountain side until, at last, with beating-
heart, he gets a glimpse over the crest into the glorious
life beyond.

In 19 : 23, 24, Job expresses an earnest wish that his
protestation of innocence might be preserved to all gen-
erations. He then rises to a higher platform, and de-
clares his firm assurance, that, after death, he will be
vindicated by God. The Hebrew word Go'cl, translated
redeemer, refers among men to the nearest blood-relation,
on whom certain duties devolved in connection with the
deceased whose Go'el he was. The Go'el avenged the
murder of his kinsman ; bought back or redeemed for his
heirs property that had passed from his possession; and
in general represented him after his death. In the pro-
phetic Scriptures, the idea is deepened and widened so
as to include atonement for sin. God is the Go'el, or
Redeemer, of His people and of individual believers. Isa.
49:7; 54:5; Pss. 19:14; 103:4.

"Without my flesh" is in the Hebrew somewhat am-
biguous. It might mean, "Looking from my flesh, I shall
see God;" or, "After I have surrendered my flesh, I, as
a disembodied spirit, shall see God." The latter seems to
be the true meaning — i.e., "After I have died under the
ravages of my disease, I shall see God."

"Mine eyes shall behold, and not a stranger," might
mean, "I myself, and not some other, shall see him," or
"I shall see him, not as a stranger, or opponent, but as
a friend." The latter is preferable.

"My reins consume within me" means "my feelings
overcome me."

Job's anguish is not so acute after this magnificent
declaration of faith, though his intellectual difficulties
remain, and he still longs for an interview with God be-

JOB, THE SORELY TRIED SAINT

fore death. He finally puts his three friends completely
to rout, and challenges the Almighty to enter into judg-
ment with him (31:35-40;. At the close of Elihu's
speech, the Almighty responds to Job's challenge. The
vision of God awes Job into silence: he will Dot try to
reply to Jehovah (40:1-5). At the close of Jehovah's
second address, Job confesses his ignorance and his
fulness. He leaves himself entirely in God's hands
(42:1-6).

Satan has signally failed to make Job renounce God.
In the midst of bereavement and bodily affliction, he bows
in penitence before the Almighty. He can trust Jehovah,
without an explanation of the afflictions that have over-
taken him. He no longer demands to know why the
righteous suffer, while the wicked often prosper. Faith
lifts the sorely tried saint above his doubts and per-
plexities.

The test is at an end. Satan's work is reversed by
Jehovah, who restores Job to a prosperity twice as great
as that he formerly enjoyed. Weeping came in to
lodge during the long night of trial, but joy came in the
morning (42: 7-17).

35. THE THEOLOGY OF THE BOOK OF JOB

The book must be interpreted as a whole. What did
God reveal through the inspired author? We can only
indicate certain doctrines that receive special emphasis in
Job.

I. The Teaching as to Satan.

1. He is the adversary of good men. We cannot infer
from the company he keeps that he is a good angel, a
son of God. Some would make him a servant of God
to whom has been committed the business of opposing
men in their pretensions to a right standing before God.
See Job 1 and Zechariah 3:1. He is not good, nor is he

54 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

morally indifferent ; for he takes a malignant pleasure in
accusing the pious before God. He richly deserves re-
buke for trying to incite God against good men (Zech.
3:2). He really tries to make Job renounce God; and
he attempts to secure the rejection of the high priest
Joshua. He is the accuser, the slanderer of the saints.
He can afflict and greatly hinder good men.

2. Satan is subject to the power of God, and can do
nothing without His permission. We may well rejoice
that he is neither omnipotent nor omniscient nor omni-
present, though far transcending man in power, cunning,
and speed.

3. The Book of Job, apart from other Scriptures,
leaves the attitude of Satan to the Almighty open to
some doubt; though Davidson perhaps errs in saying
that he is "zealous for God's honor" (Davidson's Old
Testament Theology, pp. 303-4).

II. The Teaching as to God's Nature and Character.

1. Many passages from all the speakers in the book
portray the power, wisdom, and holiness of God.

2. His justice in dispensing rewards and penalties on
earth is the subject of keen debate. Job finds the solu-
tion in the future life.

3. The God who presides over outer events is con-
trasted by Job with the inner God, the God of provi-
dential rule with the God of love and faithfulness. This
looks toward the doctrine of a plurality of persons in the
Godhead. Job's appeal from God to God reveals a deep
need of the human soul that could only be satisfied by
the coming of the Son of God as the Mediator and
Saviour.

III. The Teaching as tc Eschatology.

1. Sheol cannot hold the righteous in prison and away
from the presence of God. Compare Psalms 16, 17, 49,
and 73.

JOB, THE SORELY TRIED SAINT 55

2. There will be a judgment after death. The inno-
cent sufferer will be vindicated, while the persecutors will
be in danger.

3. The resurrection of the body is not clearly taught ;
but the way is prepared for the coming of that doctrine.

IV. The New View of Suffering in the Book.

Afflictions may be sent upon the righteous as a trial
of their faith. If patiently borne, they lead to higher
knowledge of God, a deepening of trust, a beautifying of
character, and other rewards. They do not mean that
God is angry with His servants. Moreover, God wishes
His servants to trust Him, even in the dark. He does
not try to vindicate His ways by argument, but shows
Himself to the sufferer, that He may widen and deepen
his thought of God's greatness. We can well afford to
leave our case with the wise Creator and Preserver of
all things. Trust Him always and everywhere !

Chapter IV

THE ERA OF MOSES AND JOSHUA

THE family of Jacob, in the course of centuries in
Egypt, grew into a nation. A new king arose who
knew not Joseph; and, at his suggestion, the Egyptians
put the Hebrews under the yoke as bondmen. The Egyp-
tians "made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar
and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field"
(Ex. 1:14). As the Hebrews continued to grow and
multiply, notwithstanding the rigor of their bondage, the
decree went forth that all their male children should be
put to death at birth (Ex. 1 : 15-22). In these troublous
times a beautiful babe was born in a Hebrew home, who
was predestined to be the deliverer, leader, and lawgiver
of Israel.

36. PRESERVATION AND EDUCATION OF MOSES

The beautiful story of the babe in the basket-boat is
such a favorite with children that we do not need to
repeat it here. The mother of Moses, in her plan to
save the life of her babe, happily combined faith and
common sense. She did all that she could to achieve
success, and trusted in Jehovah for His blessing on her
efforts. She placed the ark where it would be found by
the good princess, and set her daughter near by to make
a happy suggestion at the right moment. Recent students
of the mind are putting great emphasis on the power of
suggestion. Happy the person who knows how to make
a good suggestion at the psychological moment !

The babe was adopted by the princess as her son, and

56

THE ERA OF MOSES AND JOSHUA 57

his earliest education was entrusted to his own loving
mother. Pharaoh's daughter offered her wages; but what
wages did she wish other than the privilege of nursing
her own babe under the protection of the court? While
he was still a toddling infant, the boy learned the secret
of his Hebrew birth, and received at his mother's knee
a religious training that shaped his whole future career.
These early years were the most important in his educa-
tion. God brought it to pass that the oppressor should
protect and train the deliverer of Israel.

While yet a small boy, Moses was taken into the palace
as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. The best teachers in
the land trained him, until he was instructed in all the
wisdom of Egypt. No doubt Moses received his school-
ing in one of the best universities of the time. Promo-
tion awaited him in any form of public service he might
choose to enter, whether army, or navy, or civil rdminis-
tration.

37. THE CHOICE OF MOSES

The education of Moses is complete. He stands forth
as a man in the prime of his powers, to do a man's work.
He makes up his mind to cast in his lot with the people
of God. He decides to visit his Hebrew brethren, and
see how they fare. His soul was stirred by the sight of
the heavy burdens laid upon them. When at length he
came upon a cruel Egyptian beating a Hebrew, his wrath
burst forth. "And he looked this way and that way, and
when he saw that there was no man, he smote the Egyp-
tian, and hid him in the sand" (Ex. 2: 12). The fierce
temper of Moses, which here burst all bounds, was later
brought under admirable control, so that he became the
meekest and most enduring man of his time (Num.
12:3).

The choice of Moses "rather to share ill-treatment with
the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for

58 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

a season," was a noble choice. The method, however,
by which he undertook to deliver his people was rash and
foolish. Almost immediately after the murder of the
cruel Egyptian, Moses was compelled to flee for his life
beyond the borders of Egypt. It seemed that his life
must now prove a failure. In the wilderness of Midian
he became a shepherd. A man trained to rule over an
empire must now keep sheep for a living !

38. THE CALL OF MOSES

While Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law
near Horeb, in the peninsula of Sinai, the angel of Je-
hovah appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst
of a bush. When the bush kept burning without being
consumed (an apt illustration of the preservation of
Israel in the fiery trial of Egyptian bondage), Moses
turned aside to see why the bush was not consumed.
God at once directed Moses to take off his sandals and
stand at a respectful distance. Jehovah announces the
good news that He has seen the affliction of Israel in
Egypt, and is come down to deliver them from their op-
pressors. He calls Moses to undertake the task of lead-
ing Israel out of Egypt.

It seems to Moses that he is the last man in the world
for such a task ; for he had tried once and signally failed.
"I will surely be with thee," is the reply of God. Under
divine leadership, Moses will not fail (Ex. 3:1-12).
Moses now inquires more particularly as to the divine
name. "Who is it that sends me to Israel ? What is the
name of the God who will deliver the children of Israel
from bondage ?" God replies : "Thus shalt thou say unto
the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."
Henceforth His memorial name, as the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, shall be Jehovah. As the God of grace
and redemption, God Almighty (El Shaddai) wishes to
be known as Jehovah. The revelation of power and

THE ERA OF MOSES AND JOSHUA 59

mercy made to the patriarchs will be greatly surpassed
in the redemptive grace about to be made known to their
descendants (Ex. 3:13-22; 6:2-8). The children of
Israel are to have experimental knowledge of God's grace
superior to any revelation of earlier times.

Moses now raises the objection that his people will
not believe him, when he tells them that Jehovah has sent
him to deliver them. God equips him with three mir-
aculous signs as evidences of a divine call (Ex. 4:
1-9).

A third objection occurs to Moses: he is not a good
speaker. Let Jehovah seek a more eloquent messenger.
Jehovah replies : "I will be with thy mouth, and teach
thee what thou shalt speak" (Ex. 4: 10-12).

Excuses having failed, Moses tries to beg off entirely :
"Send any one except me." The anger of Jehovah was
kindled against Moses, as it is against all who refuse
to hear His call to any form of service, however difficult,
and He makes him dependent on Aaron as his spokes-
man (Ex. 4: 13-16). The two brothers meet at Horeb,
and set out together to undertake the task of delivering
Israel from bondage. They assemble the elders of Israel,
who rejoice over the good news that Jehovah has come
down to deliver them (Ex. 4: 27-31).

39. CONTEST BETWEEN MOSES AND PHARAOH

Moses and Aaron had an audience with the king of
Egypt, requesting that the children of Israel be allowed
to go into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to Jehovah,
their God. Pharaoh understood fully that this was only
a polite way of asking that the Israelites be permitted to
leave Egypt, no more to serve as bondmen. He re-
sponded by making their work heavier than before. He
boldly defied Jehovah, as a God unknown and powerless
to execute His purposes. Under the lash of the task-
master, the soul of Israel was more distressed than it had

60 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

been. Even Moses seemed on the point of giving up, be-
cause Jehovah did not at once deliver His people (Ex.
5:1-23).

When Pharaoh refused to hearken to the sign of the
rod that became a serpent, Jehovah brought in rapid
succession the Ten Plagues upon the land of Egypt. The
plagues became heavier with each refusal of Pharaoh to
release the people of Jehovah. The conduct of Pharaoh
had been described to Moses before he returned to Egypt.
Jehovah foresaw the stubbornness and deceit with which
Pharaoh would resist the attempt to lead Israel out of
Egypt, and announced to Moses that He would harden
Pharaoh's heart, so that he would resist the divine will to
the bitter end. It may be instructive to notice the Scrip-
ture report of Pharaoh's attitude at the close of each
plague. After the first plague, Pharaoh's heart "was
strong. And Pharaoh turned and went into his house,
neither did he lay even this to heart" (Ex. 7:22,23).
When the plague of frogs had been removed, "Pharaoh
made heavy his heart" (Ex. 8:15). The third plague
made the magicians exclaim, "This is the finger of God ;"
but "Pharaoh's heart was strong, and he hearkened not
unto them" (Ex. 8: 19). When the plague of flies was
removed, Pharaoh once more "made his heart heavy,"
and refused to let Israel go (Ex. 8 : 32). Divine forbear-
ance gave Pharaoh another chance A grievous murrain
destroyed the cattle of the Egyptians, while of the cattle
of the children of Israel not one died. For the fifth time
"the heart of Pharaoh was heavy, and he did not let
the people go" (Ex. 9:7). At the close of the sixth
plague, we read for the first time that "Jehovah hardened
(made strong) Pharaoh's heart." The stubborn and de-
ceitful king had repeatedly refused to bow to the will of
Jehovah. The God of the Hebrews now informs the
haughty monarch that He will send all His plagues upon
his heart and upon his people. He means to make of
Pharaoh an object lesson and a warning to all the world

THE ERA OF MOSES AND JOSHUA 6l

(Ex. 9: 13-16). The thunderings and hail of the seventh
plague so terrified Pharaoh that he confessed that he
was in the wrong, and promised to let Israel go. The
false king broke his promise again, as soon as relief came,
"and hardened (made heavy) his heart, he and his serv-
ants" (Ex. 9:34,35). His day of grace is past. Noth-
ing remains but divine retribution for such treachery and
stubbornness. At the close of the eighth plague, "Jehovah
hardened (made strong) Pharaoh's heart" (Ex. 10:20).
The plague of darkness leads Pharaoh to offer to let all
the people go into the wilderness, if only their flocks and
herds remain in Egypt. When Moses rejects the offer,
"Jehovah hardened (made strong) Pharaoh's heart, and
he would not let them go" (Ex. 10:27). When Jehovah
smote the first-born at midnight throughout Egypt, Pha-
raoh at last gave his consent to let all the people and their
flocks go. But it was not many days until he regretted
the step he had taken, and set out in pursuit of the Israel-
ites to bring them back as slaves. Jehovah shook off His
puny adversary in the Red Sea, and thus made him a
warning to all who begin to resist His will.

What God did to Pharaoh He will do to men now, if
they imitate that lying and stubborn king. The man who
begins to harden his heart will presently find God co-
operating with him through the laws of the mind. He
will pluck up courage to fight God to a finish; and that
course spells destruction.

40. THE PASSOVER

The blood sprinkled on the side-posts and the lintels
of the Israelite homes on the passover night was sacri-
ficial blood. The blood of the innocent lamb slain for
the passover atoned for the people who sprinkled it on
their doors. The whole story of the institution of the
passover is instructive to the Christian ; for Christ is our
passover. To the devout Israelite this annual feast was

62 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

a reminder of the grace of Jehovah in sparing the first-
born of Israel on the night when He led forth the people
from the house of bondage.

41. ISRAEL ENRICHED WITH PRESENTS

On the night of the passover, when the Egyptians were
urgent that the people of Jehovah should at once depart
from the land, the Israelites asked for rich presents of
jewels and raiment. There was no suggestion of borrow-
ing, but merely a request for gifts from those who had
been their masters (Ex. 12:33-36, Revised Version).
No doubt these rich gifts enabled Israel to build the
costly tabernacle and its furniture.

The display of mighty power by Israel's God led a
mixed multitude to cast in their lot with the Israelites
and march forth under the leadership of Moses (Ex.
12:38). This mixed multitude of foreigners later led
Israel into sin (Num. 11 : 4).

42. PILLAR OF CLOUD AND PILLAR OF FIRE

By day and by night Jehovah gave to the children of
Israel a visible symbol of His guiding presence. He went
before them to lead them in the way. When the Egyp-
tians pursued them closely at the Red Sea, the pillar of
cloud removed from before the camp and stood between
Israel and the Egyptians. Jehovah thus encouraged His
people to look to Him as their protector. He led them
through all their journey from the land of bondage to
the land of promise.

43. DELIVERANCE AT THE RED SEA

The contest with Pharaoh and the gods of Egypt be-
fore the Exodus gave Jehovah occasion to display His
power in the ten plagues. He now decided to show forth

THE ERA OF MOSES AND JOSHUA 63

His power and grace toward Israel by a more signal vic-
tory over Fharaoh and his host. He leads Israel into a
position from which it would seem to be impossible for
them to escape from the pursuit of a trained army.
Pharaoh, whose stubborn heart refused to learn the les-
son his experience ought to have impressed upon him, at
once resolved to pursue the runaway slaves and bring
them back to their former tasks. Boldly pushing into
the arm of the sea, which had been miraculously opened
before the Israelites, Pharaoh and his host perished under
the returning waters. Jehovah, by this signal deliverance
of Israel, made good His title as the owner of the chosen
people. He redeemed them and made them His forever.
He left Israel without the slightest excuse to forsake Him
for the worship of other gods. This notable deliverance
could not fade from the memory of Israel. It was used
by prophets and psalmists of later generations as an un-
answerable argument for loyalty to Jehovah on the part
of Israel. We, who have been redeemed by the blood of
Christ, are under even stronger obligations to honor and
serve the One who redeemed us from sin and took us into
fellowship with Himself.

Moses celebrated the grace and power of Jehovah in a
song of singular beauty and fervor. We, too, do well to
celebrate the mercies of the God who has delivered us
from the slavery of sin. If the deliverance at the Red
Sea was worthy of commemoration in song, how much
more the redemption through the cross ! We should
girdle the earth with songs of gratitude and praise to our
Redeemer.

44. TRIALS OF THE DESERT

Jehovah led Israel into a barren region where bread
and water could not be found in quantity sufficient
for the sustenance of a great host. Would the people
trust Him as a God able and willing to give them all that

64 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

they needed ? Were not His power and grace sufficiently
manifest in the deliverance from Pharaoh to make, them
lean upon Him for help in the presence of any danger?
Before we allow ourselves to look upon the fearful, mur-
muring Israelites as inferior to ourselves in faith, it would
be well to try to put ourselves in imagination in their
place. The trials of the march through the wilderness
were greater than we may have imagined. Hunger and
thirst assailed them before they arrived at Sinai, and
there was no visible supply of either water or food in
the long wilderness journey ahead of them. The situa-
tion was rendered more trying by the presence of women
and little children. Jehovah did not see fit to anticipate
their needs, but allowed thirst and hunger to assail the
camp. Apart from supernatural aid, all must certainly
perish together. Moreover, enemies began to lurk in
the rear of the camp and cut off the feeblest of the
people. The situation called for courageous faith; and
Israel was unequal to the strain. Do not modern be-
lievers often fail under similar conditions? Do we always
bring our troubles to God in believing prayer, trusting
Him to find a way out? Unbelief and murmuring dis-
honor God in the twentieth century, just as they did in
the long ago.

Jehovah always came to the relief of Israel, even
though they murmured and complained. He sweetened
for them the bitter waters (Ex. 15:22-26). He gave
them bread from heaven for their hunger (Ex. 16: 1-36).
The only possible explanation of the manna is that God
fed His people forty years in a supernatural way. Israel
would have perished in the wilderness if Jehovah had not
graciously fed them in a miraculous way. When the
supply of water failed, He caused a copious stream to
flow from the rock in Horeb (Ex. 17:1-7). When
enemies assailed the camp, Jehovah gave victory to the
men of war under Joshua (Ex. 17 : 8-16). Moses helped
with his prayers and Joshua with his sword.

THE ERA OF MOSES AND JOSHUA 65

45. A BUSY LEADER

While Israel was encamped at Rephidim, near Sinai,
Jethro, father-in-law of Moses, came to visit him, bring-
ing with him the wife and the two sons of Moses. He re-
joiced greatly because of Jehovah's great kindness to His
oppressed people, and worshiped Him with a burnt-offer-
ing and sacrifices (Ex. 18: 1-12). Jethro observed Moses
surrounded by the people all day long with cases requir-
ing his attention as leader and judge in Israel. He sug-
gested a division of labor by the organization of the
people into thousands and hundreds and fifties and tens,
with a leader over each group with authority to settle all
disputes except the most difficult : only great matters were
to be brought before Moses. This sensible plan, which
was at once adopted, brought much relief to the busy
leader of Israel. The divine presence and leadership in
Israel did not relieve Moses from the necessity of exer-
cising common sense and good judgment in his work.
We may note, in passing, how an outsider may render
signal service to the people of God by bringing to their
aid his valuable experience and business sense (Ex.
18:13-27).

46. THE GIVING OF THE LAW

Perhaps not more than a year had passed away after
the call of Moses at Horeb, when he found himself back
at the sacred mount at the head of a great host of people.
It had been an eventful and significant year in the history
of the kingdom of God. Jehovah, after long waiting, had
redeemed the seed of Abraham from bondage, and
brought them to Himself in the wilderness, apart from
the busy life of the world, that He might impart to them
His laws and precepts. The year spent at Sinai, though
not so stirring and eventful as that immediately preced-
ing, was truly epoch-making; for it witnessed the an-

66 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

nouncement of the Ten Commandments from the smok-
ing mount, the ratification of the covenant between Je-
hovah and Israel, and the promulgation of most of the
civil and ceremonial laws that were to govern the life of
the people of Jehovah.

As a preparation for the meeting with Jehovah, the
people were to become ceremonially clean, and to show
reverence by not drawing nigh to gaze, lest the wrath of
Jehovah consume them. Sinners cannot with safety press
into the immediate presence of the holy God (Ex.
19:1-15).

When all was ready, Jehovah manifested His glory on
Mount Sinai with thunders and lightnings, and a thick
cloud, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud. Moses
led the people out from the camp to meet God and hear
His commandments. Jehovah then proclaimed to the
trembling people at the foot of Mount Sinai the Ten
Words which lie at the foundation of His moral law
(Ex. 19: 16 to 20: 17). That was a notable day in the
history of religion. We reserve for special treatment, in
a separate chapter, the significance of the moral, civil, and
ceremonial law. Here we wish to emphasize the fact
that God condescended to speak in the hearing of a na-
tion the commandments that were to regulate their moral
conduct. God also gave to Moses many ordinances and
statutes for the direction of the elders and judges in Israel
in the administration of justice (Ex. 21 to 23). The
people accept these laws as authoritative, and enter into
a solemn covenant to observe them (Ex. 24: 1-8). Je-
hovah admits Aaron and other leaders of Israel to a
vision of His glorious presence on the mount (Ex.
24:9-11).

Moses next enters the glory on the mount for a long
interview with Jehovah. He receives the pattern of the
tabernacle and of its furniture (Ex. 25 to 31).

THE ERA OF MOSES AND JOSHUA 67

47, THE BREACH OF THE COVENANT AND ITS RENEWAL

Moses tarries so long in the mountain that the people
grow impatient and decide to make for themselves gods
to lead them from Sinai. Aaron's weakness as a leader
lies on the surface of the narrative. Instead of rebuking
the people for impatience and rebellion against the com-
mandments of Jehovah, he asks for jewels with which
to fashion an image, and makes a golden calf. Perhaps
he thought he could stem the tide setting in toward idola-
try by proclaiming a feast to Jehovah. The people might
worship before the image; but they could at least recog-
nize Jehovah as their God (Ex. 32: 1-6).

The anger of Jehovah was kindled against the rebel-
lious nation at the foot of the mountain. But for the
intercession of Moses, He would have consumed them.
The nobility of Moses nowhere appears to greater advan-
tage than in his intercessory prayers for his sinful people
(Ex. 32:9-14, 31-32; 34:9; Num. 11:2; 12:13;
14:11-24; Deut. 9:12-20, 25-29; 33:1-29). Rejecting
all offers of personal promotion as the father of a na-
tion to grow up under Jehovah's protecting care, he
pleaded with unselfish devotion that God would forgive
Israel and lead them into the land promised to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. Jehovah heard the intercession of
Moses and spared them for his sake.

But when Moses drew near to the riotous camp and
caught sight of the idol and the dancing, his anger waxed
hot, and he dashed the precious tables of the law to
pieces at the foot of the mountain. Seizing the image
of the calf, he cast it into the fire, ground it to powder,
and scattered the ashes in the brook, that the people
might be made to drink their miserable god (Ex.
32: 15-20). After rebuking Aaron for his part in the sin,
Moses called for volunteers to destroy the leaders of the
rebellion against Jehovah from the camp. The tribe of
Levi rallied about Moses, and cut down about three thou-

68 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

sand of the traitors (Ex. 32:21-29). Moses again as-
cends the mountain to plead with Jehovah to forgive the
sin of the people. Jehovah promises that His angel shall
go before the people; but announces that the return of
God's presence to the sinful camp will mean punishment
for transgressors (Ex. 32:30-35).

Israel having broken the covenant, Jehovah is free to
do as He pleases. He offers to send an angel before
them to drive out the inhabitants of Canaan; but He
refuses to go up in person among such a stiff-necked
people. He orders the proud sinners to strip themselves
of all their ornaments (Ex. 33: 1-6). Keenly sensible of
his helplessness, Moses pleads for a deeper knowledge of
Jehovah and His ways. He begs that Jehovah will lead
His people in person (Ex. 33 : 12-16).

When Jehovah promises once more to be Israel's
leader, Moses prays for a richer revelation of His glory.
The history of religion shows that the man who is liv-
ing in close fellowship with God is the one who most
longs for a yet clearer vision of the divine glory. Je-
hovah gives to Moses as full a revelation of His char-
acter and glory as it was possible for him to have and
yet live (Ex. 33: 17 to 34:9). He renews the covenant
with Israel (Ex. 34: 10-28).

48. THE SHINING FACE

When Moses descended from the glorious experience
with God in the mount, his face shone with celestial
brightness. The people were at first afraid to draw near
to him by reason of the glory of his countenance; but
when he called to them, they drew near to listen to his
words. Very instructive is this experience of the servant
of Jehovah. Long waiting in the immediate presence of
God illumines the face of the believer and makes him
awe-inspiring to sinners. Thus the face of Stephen, as
he sat on trial for his life, looked to the observer "as it

THE ERA OF MOSES AND JOSHUA 69

had been the face of an angel" (Acts 6: 15). The longer
the saint stays away from close communion with God the
more does the glory of his face and life fade. If the life
is to be full of celestial glory, the interviews with God
must be frequent and prolonged (2 Cor. 3 : 12-18). With
the Christian the transformation from glory to glory
is not dependent on time or place. An uninterrupted fel-
lowship with the Lord Jesus is all that is required. It is
also a mark of the true saint that he is surprised to learn
that his face shines with heavenly glory. lie wonders
that men should discover in his life such brightness that
they are reminded of the glory of God.

49. THE TABERNACLE BUILT

The Israelites had willingly given the treasure required
to make the golden calf. Would Israel give freely for
God's house? Proclamation was made that a free-will
offering should be made of materials for the construction
of the Tabernacle and all its furniture. The gifts that
were brought every morning by both men and women
soon amounted to more than was needed. The Taber-
nacle, and the ark, and the altars, and all the vessels were
fashioned according to the pattern Moses had seen in the
mount. When all was ready for use, the cloud covered
the tent and the glory of Jehovah filled the Tabernacle.
The public worship of the congregation of Israel had at
last a central sanctuary (Ex. 35 to 40).

The rules of acceptable worship at the sanctuary are
now given through Moses (Lev. 1 to 7). Aaron and
his sons are set apart as priests. Nadab and Abihu are
slain for offering strange fire before Jehovah, perhaps
when drunk (Lev. 8 to 10). The ceremonial laws as to
cleanliness of persons, houses, foods, social life, etc., are
given in detail (Lev. 11 to 27). The numbering of the
people, the order of march, additional ceremonial re-
quirements, and the offerings of the princes of the tribes

70 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

for the Tabernacle, etc., are described in the early chap-
ters of Numbers (Num. 1 : 1 to 10: 10).

50. THE JOURNEY FROM SINAI TO KADESH

The people leave Sinai, with the cloud of glory lead-
ing them toward Canaan (Num. 10: 11-36). Soon mur-
murings break out among the people. The mixed multi-
tude begin to long after the flesh-pots of Egypt. Moses
becomes discouraged under his heavy burden, and begs
for relief. Jehovah puts the Spirit upon seventy elders
of Israel, and they prophesy; but they seem not to have
been worthy of such honor, as they exercise the office for
only one day. The beautiful unselfishness of Moses shines
out in his wish that all the Lord's people were prophets
like himself (Num. 11).

Human nature is at best very imperfect. A family
quarrel broke out between Miriam and Aaron on the one
hand and Moses and his Cushite wife on the other.
Miriam was perhaps jealous of the power of the wife of
Moses over the great leader. It is evident from the se-
vere chastisement inflicted upon Miriam that she was in
the wrong. Moses pleads with Jehovah on behalf of his
erring sister, and she is healed (Num. 12: 1-15).

51. THE FAILURE AT KADESH

Having arrived near the southern border of the prom-
ised land, Moses sent twelve spies into the country to learn
all they could about the land and its inhabitants. Ten of
the spies brought back a very discouraging report, stating
that, while the land was fertile and attractive, the inhabi-
tants were too strong for Israel to hope to drive them out.
Caleb and Joshua tried to stem the tide of discourage-
ment and despair that swept over the assembly. Open
revolt against the leadership of Moses broke forth, and
for the moment Caleb and Joshua were in danger of ston-

THE ERA OF MOSES AND JOSHUA 71

ing at the hands of the angry mob. Israel had come to a
great crisis, and the people were unequal to the strain.
Jehovah threatened to destroy them, and offered again to
make of Moses and his descendants a great nation. Once
again the unselfish leader prayed mightily for the faith-
less people. Jehovah heard his prayer, but announced
that He would not lead that cowardly generation into
Canaan. They were doomed to perish in the wilderness
for their repeated rebellion. Jehovah would lead their
children into the promised land (Num. 12:16 to 14:
45).

52. THE YEARS OF WANDERING

The trials of Moses during the long period of aimless
wandering in the wilderness must have been very severe.
The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram against the
priestly supremacy of Aaron and the authority of Moses
as leader was but one of many trying experiences (Num.
16).

53. THE SIN OF MOSES AND AARON

In the first month of the fortieth year, after nearly
thirty-eight years of wandering and waiting, Israel is
back at Kadesh-barnea again. Here Miriam dies. The
generation that came out of Egypt has perished in the
wilderness, and a new generation has grown up in its
stead. Will the sons endure affliction any better than
their fathers? Jehovah tests them by letting the supply
of water fail. Like their fathers, they murmur and com-
plain. The patience of Moses and Aaron at length fails
them, and they make a proud address to the rebellious
people. Moses in anger smites the rock twice ; whereas
God had commanded him merely to speak to it. Because
they thus dishonor the holy God in the presence of the
people, Moses and Aaron are told that they will not be

72 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

permitted to lead Israel into the promised land (Num.
20:1-13).

When God puts men before the world as His repre-
sentatives, He holds them to a strict account. Unbelief
in a great leader of God's people brings reproach upon
God Himself. If even Moses, after a long career of
singular faithfulness, finally failed through human weak-
ness, who may presume upon his past achievements ? "Let
him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."

54. CLOSING LABORS OF MOSES

Aaron died on Mount Hor. Moses, too, must soon
lay down his task. Edom having refused Israel passage
through his borders, Moses led the people first to the
south and then to the east, to find a way to the country
east of the Jordan (Num. 20: 14 to 21 : 20). On the way
they were bitten by fiery serpents. At the command of
God, Moses made a serpent of brass and put it upon a
standard. All who believed in Jehovah looked unto the
serpent of brass and were healed. Our Lord saw in this
story a type of Himself on the cross, as the appointed
means of salvation for all who will look to Him in faith
(John 3: 14, 15).

The fertile districts east of the Jordan were conquered
by Israel under the leadership of Moses and Joshua
(Num. 21:21-35). Balak sent for the famous seer,
Balaam, to curse Israel ; but Jehovah made him the rather
to bless them (Num. 22 to 24). The covetous prophet,
disappointed over his failure to secure a rich reward
from the king of Moab, sought revenge by inducing the
women of Moab and Midian to invite the Israelites to
join in the lascivious rites of Baal worship. He was slain
by the Israelites in the war against Midian (Num.
25: 1-18; 31:8, 16).

Moses asks Jehovah to name a man to lead Israel after

THE ERA OF MOSES AND JOSHUA 73

his death, and Jehovah directs him to ordain Joshua as
his successor (Num. 27: 12-23). Many ceremonial and
civil ordinances were given through Moses in these clos-
ing months of his life (Num. 25 to 36).

55. DEUTERONOMY

This is one of the great books of the Old Testament.
The aged lawgiver pours out his heart in earnest appeals
to his people to love Jehovah and keep all His command-
ments. He reviews all the mighty acts of Jehovah in
behalf of Israel, and exhorts Israel to be faithful and
obedient. The style is free and flowing, as befits popular
address. The Jews made no mistake in choosing six
verses from Deuteronomy as the essence of their re-
ligion, which Jewish lads were required to commit to
memory before being admitted to membership in the syna-
gogue (Deut. 6:4-9). Jesus, who was fond of Deuter-
onomy, makes Deuteronomy 6 : 5 the first and greatest
commandment. He placed alongside of it Lev. 19:18.
The presence of these two sentences in the Pentateuch
is alone sufficient to make the followers of Jesus revere
these ancient books.

Moses not only delivered addresses in his closing days,
but also "wrote this law" and delivered it to the priests
for safe-keeping (Deut. 31:9). While we are nowhere
told that Moses wrote every line of the Pentateuch, his
activity as a writer is expressly asserted in the Penta-
teuch (Ex. 17:14; 34:27; Num. 33:2; Deut. 31:9,22,
24-26). All Israel's historians and prophets and psalm-
ists are agreed in ascribing the Law to Moses, and many
of them speak of him as an author. Our Lord Jesus
gave His endorsement to the view that Moses was a
writer of Scripture (John 5 : 45-47) . Modern radical criti-
cism has gone too far in its opposition to Mosaic author-
ship. The plain reader who ascribes everything in the

74 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Pentateuch to Moses as the responsible author is nearer
the truth than the modern critics who talk learnedly of a
host of unknown authors and editors.

Four poems are ascribed to Moses (Ex. 15; Deut. 32;
S3; Psalm 90), all of them majestic in thought and ex-
pression.

56. GENERAL ESTIMATE OF MOSES

1. Moses was the greatest prophet of the Old Testa-
ment. God communed with him face to face (Num.
12:6-8; Deut. 34:10-12). Moses was a type of Jesus
as prophet (Deut. 18: 15-19).

2. The great Lawgiver. "The law was given by
Moses" (John 1: 17). He thus shaped the moral, civil,
and ceremonial law for the chosen nation.

3. A prince of intercessors (Jer. 15 : 1). He was thor-
oughly unselfish in his praying (Deut. 9:18-20, 25-29).

4. The meekest man of his time (Num. 12:3). Pa-
tient and persevering, he stood up under a load that would
have crushed almost any one else. Michael Angelo's great
statue properly represents him as a man of great physical
strength.

5. A great soul-winner. He induced his nation to put
their trust in Jehovah. His skill and perseverance in win-
ning Hobab to join the people of Jehovah are instructive
and inspiring to soul-winners to-day (Num. 10:29-32).

57. JOSHUA CONQUERS CANAAN

Joshua had been the trusted helper of Moses for forty
years. It was a sad day for him when Moses ascended
to the top of Pisgah nevermore to lead the host of Israel.
But he took up the unfinished task of his great captain,
and led Israel across the Jordan to the conquest of
Canaan. Joshua was well qualified for the work in hand ;
for he was a great general. Jehovah gave him special

THE ERA OF MOSES AND JOSHUA 75

tokens of His presence and blessing at the crossing of
the Jordan and at the capture of Jericho (Josh. 1 to 6).
The temporary reverse at Ai, caused by the covetous deed
of Achan, was speedily followed by victory (Josh. 7, 8).
Joshua drove the wedge through the center of the land by
his great victory at Gibeon. He at once overran the
southern part of the country (Josh. 9, 10). He then
turned his attention to the north, and crushed the power-
ful league of Jabin by the waters of Merom (Josh.
11 : 1-15). Jehovah gave him victory in all parts of the
land (Josh. 11: 16 to 12:24).

58. THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CANAANITES

The work of destroying completely the wicked peoples
inhabiting Canaan was entrusted to Israel as an object
lesson. They were made the executioners of the wrath
of the holy God against peoples sunk in vice and corrup-
tion so great that there was no hope of reclaiming them.
Skeptics have made a great outcry against the Bible and
against the God of the Bible because of the command to
exterminate the Canaanites. We must be frank enough
to recognize the difficulty. Of course, no Christian nation
could now treat a barbarous people thus without raising
a storm of protest from the civilized world. While
frankly recognizing the fact that such a program would
not, in these days of Christian light, be recognized as
coming from God, we ought not, therefore, to conclude
that the Pentateuch and Joshua made a mistake in repre-
senting the command as coming from Jehovah. In the
days of Moses and Joshua, and for centuries afterward,
the nations in and around Canaan recognized the right
of peoples to devote their enemies to destruction in a holy
war. The consciences of the Israelites did not rebel
against such a war, as our enlightened Christian con-
sciences would. Hence it was possible to use the Israel-
ites in that early time as executioners of the just wrath

76 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

of God against the hopelessly corrupt Canaanites. In-
stead of employing pestilence or earthquake, Jehovah saw
fit to destroy them by the sword of Israel. The lesson
would thus be driven deep into the minds of the children
of Israel that moral corruption finally leads to a frightful
doom.

Israel did not, as a matter of fact, carry out fully the
work of destroying the wicked tribes in Canaan. Many
were left, who later taught Israel the impure rites of
heathen life and worship.

59. SETTLEMENT OF THE TRIBES

If Joshua's first great work was the conquest of
Canaan, the second was the division of the land among
the tribes. He tried to stimulate the various tribes to
complete the conquest of the land in every part (Josh.
13 to 21).

60. joshua's closing days

Imitating the great leader Moses, Joshua spoke earnest
words to the people before he laid down his work (Josh.
23 and 24). He tried to commit Israel for all future
time to faithfulness to Jehovah. He succeeded in quick-
ening for the moment the loyalty of the leaders in Israel.
As long as Joshua's associates and personal friends lived,
the people were comparatively faithful. Joshua left a
noble record. There is no serious blot on his character.

Chapter V*

THE LAW OF MOSES

THE uniform teaching of the Bible is that "the law
was given through Moses" (John 1:17; 7:19;
5 : 45-47; Luke 24: 27). Many modern critics take issue
with this view ; but their theories are burdened with more
difficulties than the traditional view that Moses gave to
Israel both its moral and its ritual laws. A brief discus-
sion of each of the great sections of the Mosaic Law
may well prove interesting and instructive to Christian
students.

61. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS FUNDAMENTAL

The ten words spoken by Jehovah from Mount Sinai
and engraved on the two tables of stone lie at the foun-
dation of Israel's laws. They may be described as Israel's
constitution, all else in the Pentateuch comprising the
statutory law. The ordinances and statutes of the civil
and ritual law were subject to modification to meet the
changing conditions in Israel's life; but the command-
ments abide unchanged and unchangeable. Christian
scholars are agreed in accepting all of these great com-
mandments, with the possible exception of the fourth, as
binding upon all men to the end of time. Our Lord Jesus
and His apostles gathered up into the body of their ethi-
cal and religious teaching these ancient prohibitions and
precepts. Jesus took these commandments as a text for

* Teachers using this Manual as a text-book on Old Testament
History will omit Chapter V.

77

78 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

His own higher and perfect teaching. He carried them
into the realm of thought and feeling, requiring His dis-
ciples to abstain from anger and lust and foolish swear-
ing, as being really violations of the commands against
murder, adultery, and false swearing (Matt. 5: 17-37).

62. CHRISTIAN ATTITUDE TO THE SABBATH

Christian opinion and practice have not been uniform
with regard to the observance of the sabbath. A few
small bodies of Christians observe the seventh day (Sat-
urday) as the stricter Jews do. Many have brought over
into the Lord's Day (Sunday) the strict requirements of
the Jewish sabbath, keeping the first day of the week as
a Christan sabbath. These two parties insist that the law
of the sabbath is binding upon Christians. At the other
extreme, some teach that the sabbath idea is wholly elimi-
nated from Christian life and teaching. They support
their contention by our Lord's neglect of the strict Phari-
saic rules for the observance of the sabbath (Luke
6:1-11; 13:10-17), and by Paul's teaching against the
observance of days and seasons (Rom. 14:5,6; Gal.
4:10,11; Col. 2:16,17). Most evangelical Christians
choose a middle course, observing the Lord's Day as a
day of rest from ordinary secular labor, as well as a day
for the worship of the risen Christ. This course seems
to be more in accord with the example of our Lord, who
observed the sabbath without regard for Pharisaic rules,
but in the spirit and manner which God orisrmallv in-
tended. To be sure, He asserted His lordsl-p'o over the
sabbath (Mark 2:28) ; and He might have abrogated it
altogether, if He had so desired. He seems, however,
to recognize the sabbath as one of God's gifts to all man-
kind, and not merely to the Hebrew nation, when He
says, "The sabbath was made for man, and not man for
the sabbath." His own example teaches that works of
charity could be done on God's holy day ; and He shows

THE LAW OF MOSES 79

that even the Law did not forbid works of necessity and
mercy (Matt. 12:9-14).

The transition from the seventh day to the first day of
the week seems to have been made in apostolic times and
with apostolic approval (Acts 20:7; I Cor. 16:2; Rev.
1 : 10). The strict requirements of the Jewish law as to
picking up sticks or kindling fire on the sabbath were not,
so far as we can learn, brought over into the early Chris-
tian observance of the Lord's Day as a day of rest and
worship. Whenever the sabbath becomes a burden rather
than a blessing, God's purpose in its institution is per-
verted. Paul's warning against the observance of days
was a part of his teaching against the laying of the yoke
of the Jewish law on the necks of believers. He stood
for Christian liberty; and would have resisted the effort
to convert the Lord's Day into a strict Jewish sabbath.
Perhaps most Christians now err in allowing too much
secular labor to be brought over into the Lord's Day.

The Ten Commandments fall naturally into two divi-
sions: (1) Duties to God; (2) duties to our fellow men.

63. DUTIES TO GOD

(1) Worship only one God. This commandment is
founded on the unity of God. The Old Testament in
all its parts is opposed to polytheism, or the doctrine that
there are many gods. It is the fashion now in some quar-
ters to say that the prophets of the eighth century before
Christ were the first to teach that there is only one God.
The evidence for such a view is wholly inadequate. Moses
no more believed in the existence of gods other than
Jehovah than did Paul when he said. "There are gods
many, and lords manv" (I Cor. 8:5).

(2) Worship God without the use of images. The
second commandment is founded on the spirituality of
God. There was no image of Jehovah in the Taber-
nacle. The worship of images was expressly forbidden.

80 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Roman Catholics are, in this matter, below the level of
Judaism. The use of images for promoting worship is a
relic of heathenism, and should have no place among
Christians.

(3) Reverence God's name as standing for His nature.
False swearing is an insult to God. Even irreverent use
of God's name, whether in jest or in anger, is a violation
of the third commandment.

(4) Keep God's day holy. (See discussion above as
to the relation of Christians to the sabbath.)

64. DUTIES TO OUR FELLOWMEN

(5) Honor parents. Irreverence is a crying sin. The
fifth commandment aims at the preservation of order in
the home. It is the first commandment with a promise
attached.

(6) Do not commit murder ; for human life is sacred.
Christian teachers in home and pulpit and press and
school need to press this commandment home to the
modern conscience in America. Homicide is frightfully
frequent in our fair land.

(7) Do not commit adultery. This prohibition is
founded on the sacredness of the marital tie. Our Lord
makes it cover the inner realm of thought and feeling as
thoroughly as that of outward acts.

^8) Do not steal. We need to be on our guard, lest we
filch from another that which is his.

(9) Do not lie. Falsehood may rob another of prop-
erty or reputation. The God of truth thunders against
lying in all its forms.

(10) Do not covet. This is the most internal and
searching of all the commandments. Paul tells us how
this prohibition revealed to him his sinfulness (Rom.
7:7-11). Thought and desire are thus included in the
moral world over which the God of Israel presides. He
requires a good heart as well as a right life.

THE LAW OF MOSES 81

65. THE LAW OF LOVE

Our Lord Jesus reduces the commandments of the Old
Testament to two : ( 1 ) Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart. (2) Thou shalt love thy neighbor as
thyself (Matt. 22: 34-40; Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19: 18). He
adds a third, that His followers shall love one another
(John 13 : 34, 35). He evidently means to require a love
among His disciples like His own great love in laying
down His life for others (John 15 : 9-14) . All the law of
Christ is contained in one great command : Thou shalt
love like me ! Jesus loved the Father with all His heart,
His neighbor as Himself, and His disciples with a love
that led Him to lay down His life for them. He asks us
to imitate Him in loving. Our conduct will then be per-
fect like His.

66. FIRST DRAFT OF THE CIVIL LAW

The ordinances found in Exodus 21 to 23, and 34,
while containing some laws as to religious worship, are
for the most part statutes for the regulation of the civil
and social life of the Israelites. Jehovah adapts His re-
quirements to the people. He takes the Hebrews as they
are, and gradually educates them in justice and mercy.
These precepts are not final, but part of a progressive
revelation. God tolerated things then which He would
not allow in the Christian dispensation. The law as to
divorce is a good example of the accommodation of the
laws to the condition of Israel (Deut. 24:1-4). The
Lord Jesus expressly teaches that this lowering of God's
thought for marriage was a concession to the hardness
of heart of the Israelites : "Moses for your hardness of
heart suffered you to put away your wives : but from the
beginning it hath not been so" (Matt. 19:3-9). Many
of the ordinances in the Mosaic Law were temporary, be-
ing adapted to the condition of Israel in that early time.

82 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

We are no more under bondage to the laws concerning
slavery, polygamy, divorce, etc., than we are under the
yoke of the Mosaic ritual. Legislators in Christian lands
may well study these ancient laws for the regulation of
Israel's social life; but they ought not to make the mis-
take of supposing that it would please Jehovah to see
them incorporated, without modification, in the statutory
law of a modern State.

There is a merciful side to all these statutes, if one
studies them in the light of their origin. Abuses that
were common among other ancient nations are expressly
forbidden in Israel. The Law of Moses aims at protec-
tion for the innocent and the application of rigid justice
to the criminal. There is much use of the death-penalty
— far more than would be fitting in a code of laws for a
modern State. Here, again, one ought to compare the
Law of Moses with the Code of Hammurabi of Babylon,
and note how much more severe are the penalties in the
Babylonian Code. Jehovah was educating Israel through
these statutes to set a higher value upon human life.
Even now, however, the death-penalty ought to be in-
flicted for cold-blooded murdei and brutal rape.

67. THE RITUAL LAW

The holiness of Jehovah lies at the foundation of the
ritual laws of the Pentateuch: "Ye shall be holy; for I
Jehovah your God am holy" (Lev. 19:2). There is no
sharp distinction in the Pentateuch between the moral and
the ceremonial. Jehovah requires of Israel both moral
uprightness and ceremonial purity. He wishes His peo-
ple to be clean and pure in every department of their life.
Whatever is distasteful to Jehovah is forbidden, whether
it be a violation of the Ten Commandments or a trespass
against common decency. Vulgarity and indecency of
every sort must be removed from the people among whom
Jehovah dwells. Some modern readers scoff at the laws

THE LAW OF MOSES 83

of decency and hygiene in the Pentateuch ; but they are
needed to-day in many social groups of our own land.
The general effect of the reading of these ancient ritual
laws makes for improved social conditions. Their educa-
tional value did not cease with the passing away of the
ritual as a divine requirement. Christians may now eat
any animal or bird or reptile, if they so desire; but the
most wholesome meats are those which were allowed to
the Israelites.

68. WHAT THE LAW COULD NOT DO

It is thought by many careless readers of the Penta-
teuch that the sacrificial system provided atonement for
all sorts of sins in Israel. Davidson and others have
shown that the Levitical system provides atonement only
for sins of ignorance and weakness, but not for sins donc-
with a high hand. For sins committed unwittingly
(through error) the sin-offering provided atonement
(Lev. 4: 2, 3, 13, 14, 22, 23, 27, 28; 5: 1-6). The tres-
pass-offering likewise made atonement only for sins done
in ignorance or through weakness (Lev. 5 : 14-19). Per-
haps Leviticus 6:1-7 might seem to provide atonement
for all sorts of sins ; but it is probable that here, too, the
sins named (theft, robbery, false swearing) are consid-
ered as flowing from human weakness. They are not
done with a high hand. For many sins there was noth-
ing left but a complete severance from Israel, either by
death or expulsion from the congregation (Lev. 17: 10:
18 : 29 ; 20 : 1-16, 27) . The sacrificial system in the Penta-
teuch made no provision for atonement and forgiveness
for such terrible sins. The blood of bulls and goats could
not cover such sins.

Even the ritual of the Day of Atonement should be
studied in the li.^ht of the distinction between sins
of weakness and sins of open rebellion. The sacrifices of
that annual atonement were intended to cover the sins of

84 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

the high priest and of the nation as a whole (Lev. 16).
Human imperfections in the priest and the people called
for atonement; and this annual ceremony was instituted
for the benefit of those living in covenant relation with
Jehovah. High-handed sinners had no part in the atone-
ment.

Was there no way of escape, then, if individuals or the
nation as a whole should commit sins of rebellion? We
do not need to leave the Pentateuch to discover that the
mercy of Jehovah could be invoked on behalf of rebel-
lious sinners. God heard the prayers of Moses on behalf
of the nation, and also on behalf of individuals (Ex.
32:7-14; Num. 12:9-14). Jehovah revealed Himself to
Moses as "a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger
and abundant in loving-kindness and truth; keeping lov-
ing-kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and trans-
gression and sin" (Ex. 34:6,7). He is also, as the fol-
lowing words show, a God of retributive righteousness,
and will by no means let sin go unpunished. Prophets
and psalmists, throughout the Old Testament period,
unite in exalting the mercy of Jehovah to repentant sin-
ners. The Fifty-first Psalm is proof enough that a soul
guilty of murder and adultery could yet find forgiveness
and cleansing through penitent confession. The righteous
Ruler of Israel was merciful and gracious.

69. LESSONS FROM LEVITICUS

It may be suggestive to Christians to recall some of
the principal rules of the Levitical Law.

(1) All offerings to God must be without blemish.
He requires a perfect offering (Lev. 1 :3, 10; 3: 1, etc.).
There was more leniency in free-will offerings, as not
matters of debt, but of gift to God (Lev. 22 : 23).

(2) The first-fruits belong to Jehovah (Lev. 23: 10).
Do we put our religious offerings last of all? or does
God come first?

THE LAW OF MOSES 85

(3) A sin unwittingly committed must be atoned for
as soon as discovered (Lev. 4:2, 13, etc.).

(4) Official position brings corresponding responsibil-
ity, the sins of rulers calling for more expensive offerings
(Lev. 4:3,22,27,32). Is it worse for a pastor to refuse
to pay his debts than it would be for a layman? See
Matthew 5 : 19 for the sin of false teaching.

(5) Restitution in the case of theft or other wrong
must be made (Lev. 5 : 15, 16 ; 6 : 5 ; 22 : 14 ; Num. 5 : 6-8.
Compare Ex. 22:1-15). A professing Christian who
takes the bankrupt law and afterwards grows rich, with-
out paying his debts, should be sent to school to
Moses.

(6) Care should be exercised in the cultivation of a
life clean in every respect (Lev. 15:31; 18:30).

70. THE DEUTERONOMIC CODE

Perhaps it is hardly proper to speak of the legal sec-
tion of the great address of Moses as a code; for it is a
popular discussion of the moral, civil, and religious laws
already given through Moses. Exhortations and warn-
ings are interspersed among the statutes and precepts.
The great lawgiver plies his people with reasons for ob-
serving Jehovah's commandments, lie does not quote
the laws previously given verbatim; but presents them in
a popular manner, sometimes enlarging upon the brief
code found in Exodus 21-23.

The core of the great lawgiver's closing message is the
command to love Jehovah with all the heart (Deut.
6:4-9). Jehovah has shown His love to Israel by re-
deeming them from bondage and giving them His laws.
Israel is Jehovah's peculiar treasure. He expects, in re-
turn for His electing love and faithfulness, the answering
love and obedience of Israel.

The moral and spiritual interpretation of the laws in
Deuteronomy seems to some scholars too high for the

86 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

period of Moses. The testimony of the Bible in all its
parts is uniform in representing Moses as the greatest
prophet of the Old Testament. Jehovah spoke with him
face to face, and gave him unique revelation of His char-
acter and will. The words ascribed to Moses in Deuter-
onomy are a fitting ^climax to his life and work.

The value of these addresses as an education in mercy
can scarcely be exaggerated. See especially Deuteronomy
15:1-18; 22:4; 23:15, 16, 19; 24:16, 19-22; 25:3;
26:12. Had the Israelites taught their .children the
Pentateuch as they were urged to do, the history of the
nation would have been far different. The mistakes and
s:ns of the period of the Judges would have been well-
nigh impossible to a people saturated with Genesis and
Deuteronomy.

71. INFERIORITY OF THE MOSAIC LAW TO THE GOSPEL
OF CHRIST

While defending the early revelation from unjust at-
tack, we shall not make the mistake of assuming that the
Bible is on a dead level. The fragmentary revelation
made in old time to the fathers through the prophets,
albeit a revelation from God, is as the light of the stars
when compared to the noonday splendor of the revela-
tion through God's own Son (Heb. 1:1-4). We may
represent this inferiority from four different points of
view, in each case taking a New Testament writer as our
guide.

(1) In contrast with the freedom of the Christian life,
the Law was a yoke of bondage. Peter describes the
precepts of the ritual law as a yoke, "which neither our
fathers nor we were able to bear" (Acts 15: 10). Paul
emphasizes the contrast, referring to the Mosaic system as
"a yoke of bondage" (Gal. 5:1). He shows how the
disciples of Christ are not under the law (Gal. 5 : 3, 18).
To the Christian "the whole law is fulfilled in one word,

THE LAW OF MOSES 87

even in this : Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself"
(Gal. 5:14).

(2) The Law was a ministration of condemnation and
death; while the Gospel is a ministration of righteousness
(II Cor. 3:1-11). The old covenant was one of the
letter, on tables of stone ; the new covenant is of the
spirit. The glory of the old covenant was transitory and
fading, like the shining of the face of Moses; the new
covenant is permanent, and its glory shall ever increase.
Paul delights in contrasting the glory of the Christian
system with the inferior system for which he was once
such a zealot (Rom. 4:13-15; 7:7-25; Gal. 2:15-21;
3: 10-14). Our Lord must have had some such contrast
in mind when He said of the great forerunner, the last
prophet of the old dispensation: "Verily I say unto you,
Among them that are born of women there hath not
arisen a greater than John the Baptist : yet he that is but
little in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matt.
11:11-15).

(3) The Law was only a tutor to lead men into the
school of Christ (Gal. 3:24). The Roman lad was led
to school by a slave; at the door of the school he passed
from the care of the slave into that of the teacher. The
law could not make alive ; but in Christ men become sons
of God through faith (Gal. 3:23-29).

(4) The Law was typical of the New Covenant. The
author of the Epistle to the Hebrews is the great expon-
ent of this way of looking at the Old Testament. One
would do well to read the entire Epistle at one sitting,
with this idea in mind. The entire letter is an exposition
of the superiority of Christ and Christianity to Moses and
Judaism. The old, as the type, is inferior to the new (see
especially Hebrews 7 : 18, 19 ; 8 : 3-6 ; 9 : 23 to 10 : 4) . The
Christian, in contrast with the Jew, has a better covenant,
a greater high priest, better promises, a greater and more
perfect tabernacle, better sacrifices. The word "better"
is the keyword in Hebrews.

88 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Law was a preparation for the Gospel. It made
men feel the need of a great Saviour. Hearts were pre-
pared to receive Him joyfully when He came. Though
rejected by rulers of the chosen nation, He found many
hearts hungry for His message.

The symbols and types of the Mosaic system are still
instructive to the Christian. One of the greatest reasons
for the study of the Old Testament is that the Christian
may thereby understand better the office and work of his
great Prophet, Priest, and King.

Chapter VI

THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES

72. INTRODUCTORY

WE pass from Moses and Joshua quickly into the
Dark Ages of Israel's history. The splendor of
revelation fades into twilight, threatening to pass into
the dense darkness of a starless night. The author of
the Book of Judges describes the transition in a graphic
manner : "And the people served Jehovah all the days of
Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived
Joshua, who had seen all the great work of Jehovah, that
He had wrought for Israel. . . . And there arose an-
other generation after them, that knew not Jehovah, nor
yet the work which He had wrought for Israel. And the
children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of
Jehovah, and served the Baalim; and they forsook Je-
hovah, the God of their fathers, who brought them out
of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the
gods of the peoples that were round about them, and
bowed themselves down unto them : and they provoked
Jehovah to anger" (Judges 2:7-12). The generation that
had experimental knowledge of Jehovah's great work
for Israel remained comparatively loyal to Him. There
are clear intimations, however, even before the death of
Joshua, of the entrance of idolatry among the people ; for
Joshua exhorts them, in his farewell address, to put away
the foreign gods which were among them (Josh. 24: 23).
Israel did not teach the rising generation to know all
the glorious deeds of Jehovah on behalf of His chosen

S9

90 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

people. The precepts of the Law were not faithfully-
taught in their homes. The appointments of God for the
culture of the religious life were neglected. Ignorance
and indifference spread among all classes. The sharp dis-
tinction between Israel and the idolatrous peoples about
them and among them rapidly disappeared. They began
to intermarry with the heathen, and so naturally drifted
into the worship of the cruel and indecent gods and god-
desses of Canaan.

73. TWO STORIES INDICATIVE OF MORAL AND RELIGIOUS
DECLINE

The ordinary reader needs to be told that the story of
Micah and the Danites (Judges 17, 18) and the story of
the outrage at Gibeah (Judges 19 to 21) belong to the
period shortly after the death of Joshua. The Levite who
officiated as priest before Micah's graven image was the
grandson of Moses (Judges 18 : 30) ; and Phinehas, the
grandson of Aaron, was high priest at the time of the
war against the tribe of Benjamin (Judges 20: 28). The
careless reader might infer, from the position of these
stories at the end of the Book of Judges, that the events
belong to the period after Samson; whereas they really
describe the state of affairs in Israel shortly after the
death of Joshua.

It is rather startling to discover that the grandson of
Moses was willing to officiate as priest before a graven
image. To be sure, he seems to have worshiped Jehovah
through the image (Judges 18: 6) ; but such worship was
not acceptable to the God who said, "Thou shalt not
make unto thee any graven image" (Ex. 20:4). It is
evident that the ritual laws of the Pentateuch were not
faithfully observed among the people.

The story of the frightful outrage at Gibeah reveals
the presence of moral corruption in the tribe of Benja-
min. The sin of the wicked men of Gibeah is condoned

THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES 91

by the whole tribe of Benjamin, who rally to the defense
of their wicked brethren. Some of the worst fruits of
heathenism have entered the moral life of Israel. The
zeal of the main body of Israel in trying to weed out the
offenders is proof that the nation as a whole had not yet
sunk into Canaanite debauchery.

74. HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

The author represents the experiences of Israel during
the long period of the Judges as a cycle that kept repeat-
ing itself. There were four stages in the cycle: (1)
Israel forsook Jehovah for other gods; (2) Jehovah in
anger sent an enemy against Israel to enslave them. (3)
In their distress Israel cried to Jehovah for deliverance.
(4) Jehovah in mercy raised up a leader to break the
yoke of the oppressor. The victorious leader then be-
came judge for the remainder of his life. Each genera-
tion refused to learn from the former generations the
lesson that apostasy from Jehovah meant slavery to
heathen oppressors.

75. MILITARY HEROES AND THEIR WEAKNESSES

In this period of political confusion the Spirit of God
frequently clothed men with courage and power as sol-
diers. Some of the Judges were quite ignorant of the
laws given through Moses ; and several of them had a low
moral standard. Jehovah condescended to use imperfect
men for the preservation of Israel's national life. Pa-
triotism was an ally of the true religion in Israel. It was
a service to the religion of Jehovah to drive out the
heathen invaders. Hence men like Jephthah and Samson
are enrolled amon^ the heroes of faith. The inspired
writers do not for a moment endorse or defend their
serious moral faults. We should not try to whitewash
Ehud or Jephthah or Samson, any more than we would

92 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

dream of excusing David for immorality or Peter for
denying his Lord. But those modern critics who think
that the Bible would be a better book if Judges were alto-
gether omitted from it, make a great mistake. No sane
student has ever been incited to imitate the sins and fol-
lies of Samson by reading the story of his life. It is one
of the remarkable characteristics of the Bible that it can
speak plainly of matters commonly excluded from polite
conversation, and yet not stimulate the evil in men's
natures.

76. GLIMPSES OF THE LEADING JUDGES

1. Othniel drove out the invaders from Mesopotamia,
who had oppressed Israel eight years. In his youth Oth-
niel had won the hand of Caleb's daughter by his brave
and successful attack on the strong town of Kiriath-
sepher (Josh. 15:16-19). The Spirit of Jehovah came
upon him one day as he was meditating on the suffer-
ings of Israel, and he drew his sword and chased the
invaders out of the land (Judges 3:7-11).

2. Eglon of Moab mightily oppressed Israel for
eighteen years. Ehud, a left-handed Benjamite, resolved
to assassinate the cruel king and free his people from the
Moabite yoke. He drove a sharp sword through the body
of the fat king, and then destroyed his army completely.
The Bible tells the story of Ehud's deed without either
praise or censure (Judges 3 : 12-30).

3. Deborah, a prophetess and female judge, possessed
inspiration, skill, and courage. In emergencies God some-
times uses women to do work ordinarily committed to
men. Deborah is perhaps the greatest character de-
scribed in the Book of Judges. Whether seated under
the palm-tree in the hill country of Ephraim, or going
with Barak at the head of Israel's army, or singing the
praises of Jehovah for the victory over Sisera, she is a
picturesque and noble figure. She was the wife of Lappi-

THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES 93

doth, and calls herself "a mother in Israel" (Judges

4'5)-

4. The story of Gideon is a favorite with both young
and old. God found Gideon discouraged and timid ; but
led him first to a stronger personal faith in Himself and
then by degrees brought him to the point of attacking
the host of Midian. Gideon hardly dared at first to
assail idolatry among his own people; but when he had
once made a beginning, by breaking down the altar of
Baal and cutting down the image of Astarte beside it,
the Spirit of God gave him courage to gather an army
against the invaders. Jehovah stripped him of all his
army but three hundred brave men anxious to drive out
the plundering Midianites. By a skillful night attack he
routed the Midianite host, and then pursued the foe until
victory was complete. The story abounds in dramatic
scenes. Gideon seems to have been uninstructed in the
Mosaic Law, like most of the military leaders of the
troubled period of the Judges. He made a costly golden
ephod, which became an object of worship to his family
and to all Israel. He also took many wives. Though re-
fusing to accept the office of king over Israel, he yet
lived in royal state (Judges 6-8).

5. Jephthah delivered the Israelites east of the Jordan
from the inroads of the Ammonites. If one stops to con-
sider the story of Jephthah's early life, he can well un-
derstand how such a rude chieftain would mingle with
his devotion to Jehovah much of heathen ignorance and
superstition. When diplomacy failed with the king of
Ammon, Jephthah went out to battle, after having made
a rash vow (perhaps in secret) that he would offer up as
a burnt-offering the person who should meet him out of
the door of his house, if he should return victorious. It
was wrong to make such a vow, and it was wrong to
execute it when made ; but Jephthah felt in honor bound
to keep it, even though it meant the sacrifice of his only
daughter on the smoking altar. We can no more defend

94 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

this sacrifice than we can defend Samson's immoral acts.
The Spirit of Jehovah clothed Jephthah with power in
battle, and used him as a deliverer of Israel, so that he
has a place among the heroes of faith (Judges 10-12).

6. Samson was a mixture of strength and weakness.
How often must his pious father and mother have won-
dered at his strange tastes and peculiar deeds ! He gam-
bles and plays practical jokes and gives the reins to his
animal appetites. He is not strong enough in his moral
life to resist the charms of the Philistine women. One
cheats him out of the secret of his riddle, and another
betrays him into the hands of his enemies. Here we be-
hold Samson the weakling.

When a young lion roars against him, he rends the
fierce beast as he would rend a kid. When the Philis-
tines shout against him, ropes and thongs are snapped
like threads, and he leaps among them and slays a thou-
sand men with his own hands. In desperation, the blind
hero pulls a house down upon himself and his foes, that
he may be avenged for the loss of his eyes. Here we
behold Samson the mighty man (Judges 13-16).

77. THE STORY OF A BEAUTIFUL LIFE

It is refreshing to turn from such pictures of blood and
iron in this dark period of Israel's history to the charm-
ing story of Ruth. The narrative belongs to "the days
when the judges judged," and "every man did that which
was right in his own eyes.,, While Ruth and Naomi and
Boaz would be interesting characters in any age, the story
of their faith and noble conduct is all the more attrac-
tive in its setting. We cannot help believing that there
were other instances of charming home life even in the
darkest periods of Israel's history.

The heroine of the book is Ruth. Naomi and Boaz
were noble in thought and deed, but Ruth surpasses them
in faith and devotion. She was probably converted to

THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES 95

faith in Israel's God by the beauty of the lives of the
family into which she married. We know that Naomi
was a woman of faith. Religion meant more in this
Hebrew home than it did in Moabite households. Hence
Ruth became a worshiper of the God of Israel.

The love of Ruth for her mother-in-law is beautiful
and touching. The women of Bethlehem were right in
their estimate, when they said to Naomi that her loving
daughter-in-law was better to her than seven sons (Ruth
4: 15). Industrious, modest, faithful, confiding, and af-
fectionate, Ruth was a model daughter, and became a
model wife. She was known throughout the community
as a worthy woman. She not only had faith in God, but
also had faith in good men. In obedience to Naomi's
suggestion, she put herself in a position that would have
been dangerous, if virtue in man were only a myth. She
passed through every trial unscathed. The story of her
life still ministers to the purity and beauty of sweet home
life.

78. A GOOD MAN AND HIS WICKED SONS

The story of the Judges is not completed in the book
of that name ; for the early part of First Samuel tells the
story of Eli and of Samuel, both of whom judged Israel.

The high priest Eli judged Israel forty years. There
is no account of the campaign in which Eli earned the
title of judge; but it was probably a campaign against
the Philistines. Perhaps Samson and Eli were contempo-
rary. The union of the two great offices of high priest
and judge in one man gave to Eli a wonderful oppor-
tunity to elevate the moral and religious life of Israel.
He seems to have been blameless and gracious, but by no
means a strong and aggressive character. Sins of omis-
sion marred his career. He neglected the moral discipline
of his two sons, who grew up slaves to appetite. They
were adulterers and gluttons. The Tabernacle was pol-

96 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

luted by their vile deeds. Pious men in Israel went to
worship reluctantly, because it seemed impossible that sac-
rifices interrupted by the gluttony of the priests should be
pleasing to Jehovah. Jehovah sent a warning to Eli
through an unnamed prophet; but the weak old man did
nothing; in fact, it was too late now to train his sons
aright. Jehovah's first revelation to the boy Samuel was
a repetition of the judgment upon Eli for failing to re-
strain his sons from wickedness. At length war broke
out between Israel and the Philistines; and Eli's wicked
sons perished miserably beside the ark of God, which
had been brought into the camp of Israel, that it might
save them from the Philistines. Jehovah refused to
honor the superstitious trust in the ark, but allowed it to
fall into the hands of the enemy. When the Philistines,
however, presented the ark before Dagon as a captured
deity, Jehovah humbled Dagon and all his worshipers.
The Philistines were finally glad to send the ark away
(1 Sam. 1 to 6).

79. A PIOUS WOMAN AND HER NOBLE BOY

Hannah was truly a great woman. Her husband loved
her devotedly. Two things, however, kept Hannah from
perfect happiness : she had a rival in her home, and she
had no son. Polygamy, at its best estate, was a per-
version of God's thought for the home. Jealousy and
heart-burning always attend upon the presence of more
than one wife in the home. Hannah's rival provoked
her by constantly reminding her of her childlessness.
She did this all the more at the time of their annual visit
to the Tabernacle to worship.

Hannah took her trouble to God in earnest silent
prayer. Eli at first mistook her for a drunken woman;
on learning his mistake, he invoked the blessing of God
upon the pious suppliant. Hannah asked for a son, and
promised to give him back to Jehovah all the days of his

THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES 97

life. As a sign of his complete dedication to God, no
razor should come upon his head.

In due time Jehovah gave Hannah a son. She gave
her whole thought and time, for the next two or three
years, to the care of her child. Hannah was a great
mother. She knew that the first years are the most im-
portant in education; and so she nursed and trained her
child. When she had weaned him, she went once more
to the house of God to present him to the aged high
priest as Jehovah's representative, that he might min-
ister unto Jehovah all his days. Samuel was a Levite
by birth (1 Chron. 6:33), and so was qualified to be a
helper at the sanctuary.

Eli soon discovered that the small boy had been well
trained. He was alert and reliable and respectful. As
Eli's eyes grew dim, the bright and industrious boy led
him about and ran errands for him. Eli pronounced a
blessing on Samuel's parents, and prayed that Jehovah
would give them other children. Samuel ministered to
Jehovah in the presence of Eli through the early years
of childhood. The annual visit of his parents was the
gladdest week of all the year to the growing boy. His
mother always brought him a little robe which she had
made with her own hands. Many confidential talks they
had together during these yearly visits. Hannah now
urged her boy to imitate pious old Eli and to avoid as
far as possible all contact with his wicked sons. What
would become of growing boys, if it were not for
thoughtful, loving mothers?

Samuel's courtesy and self-control shine out in the
story of his call to be a prophet. He was perhaps a lad
twelve or thirteen years old when Jehovah called to him
as he lay on his bed at night. Samuel thought it was
Eli who was calling, and ran to the couch of the high
priest to respond to the call. This he did three times,
without the slightest hint of impatience or annoyance.
Samuel loved Eli and took great pleasure in waiting on

98 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

him. At length Eli saw that it was Jehovah who was
calling, and he told Samuel to answer the voice by saying,
"Speak, Lord; for thy servant is listening." Jehovah
announced to Samuel the rejection of Eli and his family
from the priesthood. Samuel hesitated to tell Eli what
he had learned. The next morning he was busier than
he had ever been with the care of the sanctuary; for he
did not wish to face Eli ; but when he called Samuel and
demanded to know what Jehovah had said, the lad told
him every whit, and hid nothing from him.

The fame of Samuel soon spread throughout all Israel ;
for Jehovah kept coming to him with fresh messages,
and all that he predicted came to pass.

We hear nothing of Samuel in connection with the
capture of the ark. He perhaps remained at Shiloh with
Eli during that fateful day, and sought refuge elsewhere
after the death of Eli.

80. QUIET YEARS OF PREPARATION

During the next twenty years there is silence as to the
events of history. What was Samuel doing during these
years of Philistine oppression ? We cannot think of him
as idle. At the close of the period Samuel appears at a
great assembly at Mizpah as the leader of Israel. He
had preached a reformation among the people, urging
them to put away the foreign gods and goddesses and to
serve Jehovah alone. He became known far and wide
as a great prophet and a man powerful in prayer. At
Mizpah, Samuel led Israel in prayer and confession.
He also presided as judge for the settlement of all dis-
putes among the people. He was the leader in a great
reformation. Jehovah heard his prayer for help against
the Philistines, who planned to take the assembly by
surprise, and gave Israel a great victory. Samuel set
up a monument in commemoration of Jehovah's help.
The people now threw off the Philistine yoke.

THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES 99

81. A NOBLE JUDGE

Samuel was now recognized as the Judge of Israel.
He was loved and honored by all the people. He estab-
lished a circuit in the central district about his home at
Ramah, and held court at stated seasons in several dif-
ferent towns. Samuel was honest and just in all his
decisions. Toward the close of his life he challenged
the world to point to any case in which he had taken a
bribe or perverted justice (1 Sam. 7:15-17; 12:1-5).
He made a noble record as a judge.

82. THE DEMAND FOR A KING

Samuel was ambitious to perpetuate his name and in-
fluence through his sons. He therefore appointed them
as judges at Beersheba, in the extreme south. Soon
complaints began to be made that Samuel's two sons
were taking bribes and perverting justice. They were
wholly unlike their father in character and in conduct.
The story of Eli's terrible mistake, which ought to have
been deeply impressed upon Samuel above all others,
seems to have been forgotten amid the cares of a busy
life. While Samuel was teaching all Israel how to live
right, he neglected the training of his own sons. Evil
associations corrupted their morals. Too late the
great prophet woke up to the sad fact that his sons had
low ideals and were given to dishonest practices. A man
has no other business so important as the moral training
of his own sons.

War clouds began to lower on Israel's border. The
Ammonites on the east and the Philistines in the south-
west began to break in upon Israel; so that the people
felt keenly the need of a strong leader and a well organized
government to cope with the situation ; hence the decision
to ask for a kin£. Samuel was deeply grieved that he
and his sons should be set aside by the people ; but Jeho-

100 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

vah gave him to understand that he had less cause for
anger than Himself ; for the clamor for a king was, in
effect, a rejection of Jehovah as king in Israel. Samuel
was told to protest solemnly against the movement, and
warn the people of the evil that would come in with the
change from the theocracy to government by an earthly
king. When the people insisted on having a king, Jeho-
vah let them have their way (1 Sam. 8).

83. SAMUEL AND SAUL

The first man chosen as king was a man of command*
ing physical presence, towering above the heads of his
fellows. Saul had not been known as a religious leader ;
and when he was seized with the prophetic enthusiasm that
swayed other young men of his time, his experience came
as a surprise to all who had known his former life.
Saul's modesty and self-control at the time of his first
public recognition as king won the respect of the people,
and encouraged men to hope that he would be a wise and
good ruler (1 Sam. 9, 10). His courage and skill in
scattering the Ammonite invaders won the admiration
of all Israel. Saul now had the enthusiastic support of
the nation. Samuel proposed that the people celebrate
the victory by a second recognition of Saul as king (1
Sam. 11).

Samuel's address at the renewal of the kingdom was
a distinct disappointment to Saul. Instead of praising
the people for desiring a king, Samuel reminded them
that it was a lack of faith in Jehovah that made them de-
mand a king to fight their battles. He warned the peo-
ple that disobedience to the God of Israel would mean
that both they and their king would be consumed ( 1 Sam.
12). Samuel was very fond of Saul, and wished him
well in his rule over Israel; but he gave Saul to under-
stand that he was under the authority of Jehovah, and
must rule as a faithful servant of Israel's God. Saul

THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES 101

seems to have begun to look upon Samuel with suspi-
cion and jealousy. He resolved in his own mind to be
king and rule as he thought best. His lower nature be-
gan from this day on to assert itself more and more.

While Saul had scattered the Ammonites by one sud-
den blow, he found the Philistines far more stubborn
and skillful in war. They invaded Israel in overwhelm-
ing numbers and took possession of most of the country
west of the Jordan. The Israelites, unable to keep the
field against the superior forces of the enemy, "hid them-
selves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in
coverts, and in pits." Some of them fled to the country
east of the Jordan. Saul did his best to keep the field;
but his army "followed him trembling."

Samuel had promised to come to Gilgal within seven
days to offer sacrifices to Jehovah on behalf of His op-
pressed people. He was late in coming, and the He-
brews began to desert from Saul's army. It seemed to
the jealous king that he would be excusable in usurping
the functions of the aged leader, who had tarried beyond
the appointed time. So he offered the burnt-offering
himself. Just as he had finished the sacrifice Samuel
came. He rebuked Saul for his folly in disobeying the
commandment of Jehovah, and announced that such con-
duct would lead to the rejection of Saul as king. He
left the foolish king to his own resources and went back
to Gibeah. Saul had thrown off the yoke of Samuel,
apparently overlooking the fact that the prophet, as Jeho-
vah's appointed representative, had a right to direct the
conduct of Israel's king. It was not a mere personal
quarrel between Saul and Samuel ; for the prophet was
Jehovah's mouthpiece. In rebelling against Samuel's
directions, Saul was really throwing off the authority of
Israel's God (1 Sam. 13: 1-15).

Through the bravery of Jonathan, the Philistines were
routed and chased out of the land of Israel. Saul's
fickleness and cruelty are manifest in the story of his

102 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

rash vow and his effort to put Jonathan to death ( 1 Sam.
13:16 to 14:46). Saul's courage and capacity as a
general receive generous recognition at the hands of the
inspired historian (1 Sam. 14:47-52).

Saul receives through Samuel a command to destroy
the Amalekites, who had made a cowardly attack on the
Israelites as they were on their way out of Egypt to
Sinai. These freebooters and robbers of :he desert had
no doubt continued their enmity toward their neighbors.
The time had come for a reckoning. Saul disobeyed the
commandment of Jehovah in sparing Agag and the best
of the sheep and the cattle. His pride was gratified by
the presence of the captive king ; and the sheep and oxen
would enable Israel to offer a great sacrifice to Jehovah
without cost to themselves. When Samuel came down
to meet Saul, he brushed aside the excuses of the self-
willed king, and announced the final rejection of Saul:
"Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt-offerings and
sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold,
to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the
fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
and stubbornness is as idolatry and teraphim. Because
thou hast rejected the word of Jehovah, He hath also
rejected thee from being king" (1 Sam. 15:1-23).

Saul now realizes that he has made a great blunder.
He makes confession of his sin, and begs Samuel to
pardon him, and recognize him as king by publicly wor-
shiping Jehovah in his presence. If Samuel leaves him
without some such recognition, he fears that he may
actually lose his throne; for the aged prophet has great
influence with the people. At first Samuel refuses, even
to the point of tearing away from the grasp of the per-
sistent king. Samuel speaks brave words to the foolish
king; but finally, in a moment of weakness, he consents
to offer sacrifice with Saul standing beside him as king.
Saul has outwitted the good man. He can now say that
Samuel's conduct does not square with his words. Saul

THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES 103

is resolved to keep his throne at any cost. He persuades
Samuel to perform an act which nullifies his words.
Samuel's inconsistency gave Saul the advantage, and
encouraged him to pay no attention to the decree of re-
jection. Samuel became afraid of Saul ; and any servant
of God who compromises on a matter of principle will
lose his courage in combating evil. He may assert his
courage, as did Samuel when he seized a sword and
hewed Agag in pieces in the presence of Saul; but the
man who tempts him to compromise will ever after dis-
dain him (1 Sam. 15:24-35).

84. Samuel's closing labors

Samuel's closing labors included the anointing of a
king to take the place of Saul. The aged prophet had
a weakness for men of fine physical presence. He
imagined that the tall Eliab must surely be Jehovah's
choice for the throne ; but the Spirit checked the impulse
to anoint him ; "for man looketh on the outward appear-
ance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart." When the
ruddy and beautiful David was brought in from the
fields, Jehovah commanded Samuel to anoint him in the
midst of his brethren : "and the Spirit of Jehovah came
mightily upon David from that day forward" (1 Sam.
16).

Samuel withdrew as much as possible from public gaze
in his closing years, devoting his time and energy to the
teaching of young men in the schools of the prophets.
In these guilds or schools young men studied sacred
music and the history of God's rule in Israel. Revival
fires were kindled in these prophetic centers, sometimes
attended by great emotional excitement. David came
for a short time under the influence of Samuel and the
prophets (1 Sam. 19:18-24). Samuel died at an ad-
vanced age. during the period when Saul was pursuing
David in the wilderness of Judah ; "and all Israel gath-

104 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

ered themselves together, and lamented him, and buried
him in his house at Ramah" (1 Sam. 25 : 1).

85. GENERAL ESTIMATE OF SAMUEL

1. Samuel was a prophet, the first of a long line of
prophets, and second only to Moses in molding the life
of Israel.

2. He was a great and noble judge.

3. He was powerful in intercessory prayer (Jer.
15:1).

4. He was a teacher of young men. Many of the
leaders of the next generation caught from him their
inspiration to noble endeavor. He found Israel a medley
of dissevered tribes ; he left them a united nation. He
led Israel out of the Dark Ages into the era of their
greatest national glory and prosperity.

Chapter VII

DAVID AND THE PSALMS

86. DAVID AND SAMUEL

DAVID was easily the foremost of all the young
men whom Samuel led to dedicate themselves to
the service of Jehovah and His people. The paths of
these two heroes of faith perhaps crossed only two or
three times; but these interviews were epoch-making
events in David's life.

When Samuel was sent by Jehovah to Bethlehem to
anoint one of Jesse's sons to be king instead of the will-
ful Saul, the Spirit held him back from the natural im-
pulse to anoint the tallest of the eight brothers. When
the youthful shepherd boy, with the beautiful eyes and
the well-knit frame, was ushered into the presence of
Samuel, Jehovah said, "Arise, anoint him ; for this is he f
"and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon David
from that day forward" (1 Sam. 16:1-13). Brave al~
ready from his earliest youth, David became even more
courageous in defending his flock; gifted already as a
musician, he brought yet sweeter notes from his harp ;
fond of the beauties of earth and sky, he saw new
glories in the heavens, as he watched his flock by day
and by night. The dreams and aspirations of his soul
took more definite and substantial form after the anoint-
ing oil out of Samuel's horn descended upon his head.

When David was driven from the court of Saul, he
took refuge for a while with Samuel at Naioth, near
Ramah (1 Sam. 19:18-24). The aged prophet must
have given much wise counsel to the young general, upon

105

106 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

whom rested the future of Jehovah's people. David
found great inspiration in association with the noble
prophet, who had done so much for the unification and
spiritual uplift of Israel.

87. DAVID AND SAUL

Soon the brilliant harper was summoned to court to
soothe the frenzied soul of the king, who was now living
in open rebellion against the will of Jehovah. See
Browning's Saul for a deeply interesting account of the
shepherd boy's sublime devotion to his task. The world
had never before heard such music, and seldom since has
such a singer arisen. David found the keenest joy in
chasing the evil spirit from the melancholy king. He
learned to love Saul with a love that no injustice and
cruelty could ever wholly quench.

We are not told how long this relation of mutual love
and helpfulness lasted. It would seem that David, after
some time, went back to his humble calling at Bethlehem.
War broke out again between Israel and the Philistines ;
and David performed the brilliant feat of slaying the
Philistine champion with a smooth stone out of his trusty
sling. When the women met the returning victors, sing-
ing

"Saul hath slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands,"

Saul began to suspect that David was the man who was
to supplant him on the throne of Israel. He "eyed
David from that day and forward" (1 Sam. 16: 14 to
18:9).

For several years Saul sought to destroy David. He
tried to smite him to the wall with a javelin. He in-
sulted David in every way possible. Then he tried to
persuade others to slay him. At length he tried to cap-

DAVID AND THP: PSALMS 107

turc David in his house, and pursued him to Ramah,
where Samuel had given protection to the fugitive. Wal-
lowing on the ground in intense physical excitement,
Saul was unable to find and kill David (1 Sam. 18: 10 to
19:24). David escaped from Ramah, and returned to
seek Jonathan. The generous prince, having tried in
vain to remove his father's jealousy, renewed his cov-
enant with David and sent him away (1 Sam. 20).

88. DAVID AN OUTLAW

Saul's enmity made David an outlaw, though he was
ever loyal to Saul, patiently waiting for Jehovah to open
the way to the throne in His own time and way. David
fled by way of Nob to Achish, king of Gath. His de-
ception of the high priest on the way thither led later to
the destruction of all the priest's family, except one son,
who fled to David for refuge (1 Sam. 21:1-9; 22:
6-23).

Wise men sometimes play the fool. David walked
into Gath, a fugitive from Saul's court, wearing the big
sword of Goliath, who was once the pride of that very
city. He was quickly identified as the man who had
killed Goliath, and who was now aspiring to the throne
of Israel. Detectives dogged his steps and reported
their observations to Achish. David's mother wit saved
him from the trap, though at great loss of dignity and
peace of mind. He escaped to the cave of Adullam,
where he received his family, and collected a band of
four hundred desperate men. By courage and firmness
and tact, he soon became the idolized leader of this band.

David celebrated his deliverance from the Philistines
in Gath by composing Psalm 56. The poem has many
points of contact with his experiences at that time. The
face of Saul looks out of verse 1 ; the detectives in Gath
appear in verse 6 ; David's wanderings and tears in verse
8. The hairbreadth escape of the psalmist is celebrated

108 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

in the closing verse. See, for another monument of
David's deliverance from Gath, the beautiful alphabet-
ical poem known as Psalm 34. Jehovah's good angel
delivered him (Psa. 34:7).

After a brief trip to the land of Moab for the pur-
pose of providing a refuge for his father and mother,
David returned to the south of Judah. The prophet
Gad had meanwhile joined his band; and presently the
only surviving son of the high priest came to him at
Keilah with an ephod in his hand ( 1 Sam. 22 : 3-5 ; 23 :
1-6). Psalm 52 seems to have been composed by David
when he received the news of Doeg's lying and cruelty
in compassing the death of the high priest and his fam-
ily. It is a fearful indictment of the liar.

As soon as Saul heard of David's expedition to Keilah,
he planned to take the field against him with a picked
force and capture him. For months he pursued David,
sometimes almost overtaking him. Twice he fell into
David's hands and was spared (1 Sam. 24, 26). The
nobility of David shines forth in his generous treatment
of the man who was continually hunting for his life.
Psalms 54, 57, and 142 belong to this period.

89. DAVID GOES OVER TO THE PHILISTINES

David made the mistake of commencing the formation
of a harem during the period of his flight from Saul.
Naturally, he could no longer flee with his former speed
and secrecy from one cave to another. He lost heart
and resolved to go over to the Philistines. He was
kindly received by Achish, who gave him Ziklag for a
home. He made forays against his heathen neighbors
south of Philistia (1 Sam. 25,27). When the Philis-
tines planned an invasion of Israel, Achish took David
and his men along as part of his force. David's mind
must have been disturbed, as he faced the alternative of

DAVID AND THE PSALMS 109

fighting against his own people or else of turning traitor
to his great benefactor, Achish. The suspicions of the
other Philistine lords happily relieved him of his di-
lemma. But when he and his men returned to Ziklag
to see their families, lo, the city had been burned and
their families carried captive. David's men naturally
blamed their leader for this calamity, and openly spoke
of stoning him. It was a crisis in David's career. His
religion was his only solace, and he "strengthened him-
self in Jehovah his God" ( 1 Sam. 29 : 1 to 30 : 6) . Jeho-
vah encouraged him to pursue the troop that had carried
captive the women and children. After a long and
fatiguing pursuit, he recovered everything (1 Sam. 30).
When the news came that Saul and Jonathan had fallen
in the disastrous battle of Gilboa, David composed a
beautiful elegy, which he taught his people to sing. He
generously couples the name of Saul, who had sought
his life, with that of Jonathan, his noble friend (1 Sam.
31 to 2 Sam. 1). Even radical critics accept the genu-
ineness of this elegy, though, in doing so, they cut the
ground from beneath their own feet; for if David was
noble enough and gifted enough to be the author of this
poem, there is no longer any good reason why he may
not have composed the many psalms ascribed to him in
the Psalter.

90. DAVID KING OF JUDAH

Why did not all Israel turn to David as their king
after the death of Saul and Jonathan? Why did Abner
make the weakling, Ish-bosheth, king over the land?
Why did the tribe of Judah alone recognize David's
right to the throne? The explanation lies near the sur-
face, though it seems to have escaped many students of
David's life. All Israel at one time rejoiced in David's
leadership in the army. He was the most popular man

110 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

in Israel. The fact of his anointing was perhaps un-
known to the people at large at that time. It must have
become known a little later, for Saul and others speak
of David as the one who is to be king over Israel.
Jonathan generously promises to support David as his
prime minister (1 Sam. 24:20-22; 23:15-18). It be-
came widely known that Jehovah had anointed David as
the rightful king over Israel. Why, then, did the nation
at large refuse to make David king after the death of
Saul? For the good and sufficient reason that he had
joined hands with the Philistines and marched out with
them to battle. The story of his presence in the army
of invasion had spread abroad among the men of Israel,
and they could not understand it. Why should they
make a man king to-day who but yesterday marched in
the army of their oppressors? Who could blame them
for feeling thus ? The fault for this tangle was David's.
When he took to himself two wives in the wilderness,
while Saul was pursuing him, he made the first false
step. That led naturally to a growing fear that Saul
would some day capture him or his family; for women
and children cannot flee so rapidly as men of war.
Hence David decided to go into a foreign country, where
he would be safe from attack by Saul. Being kindly
received by Achish, he settled in his country, and was
counted as a valuable ally. He could not well refuse to
go forth with Achish to battle.

David ought to have learned from this bitter experi-
ence to avoid the first false step. Had he taken the
lesson to heart, his name might never have been tarnished
with the terrible sins of adultery and murder.

The tribe of Judah at once accepted David as king, and
he reigned at Hebron for seven years and a half. His
men were victorious in the war with the house of Saul.
David behaved himself wisely, and gradually won back
the northern tribes. Soon all Israel resolved to accept
him as king (2 Sam. 2:1 to 5:5).

DAVID AND THE PSALMS 111

91. DAVID THE PROSPEROUS KING OF ISRAEL

David wisely decided to transfer the capital to a place
nearer the center of his kingdom. He captured the
fortress of Jebus, which was thought by the Jebusites
to be impregnable, and made it the capital of Israel. The
king of Tyre became a valuable ally to David, sending
men and materials to build him a palace. David repulsed
two invasions by the Philistines, who were jealous of
his growing power (2 Sam. 5).

David resolved to transfer the ark to Jerusalem, and
thus make the city the religious center as well as the
political capital of Israel. His first attempt failed, be-
cause the precious symbol of Jehovah's presence was
handled irreverently. A little later he brought the ark
into the city of David with joyous shouting and blowing
of trumpets. He offered sacrifices before the ark, and
distributed presents of food to the assembled multitude.
The king led the rejoicing procession, as the ark was
brought into the city, leaping and dancing for joy (2
Sam. 6). Psalm 24 was probably sung as the ark came
to the gates of the ancient city. The first six verses
were probably sung as the procession drew near to the
city. At the gates a single voice or a chorus sang:

"Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors:
And the King of glory will come in."

A voice from within responds to the challenge :

"Who is the King of glory ?''

The chorus without shouts back :

"Jehovah strong and mighty,
Jehovah mighty in battle. "

112 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

This is all repeated before the gates swing open to
admit the symbol of the King's presence.

David had many wars with the peoples surrounding
the land of Israel, in all of which he was victorious. He
first conquered the Philistines, who had been Israel's
most stubborn foes for at least a century. He then sub-
dued the peoples east of the Dead Sea and the Jordan.
His fiercest struggle was with the Arameans or Syrians,
northeast of Israel ; but he finally tamed them effectually.
Edom was also subdued after a bloody war (2 Sam. 8).
Psalm 18, one of the greatest of the Psalms, celebrates
the help of Jehovah against all foes.

As soon as David was firmly established on his throne,
he expressed to the prophet Nathan a desire to build for
Jehovah a temple. His pious desire pleased Jehovah so
much that He sent Nathan with the great promise that
David's throne should be established forever (2 Sam. 7).
During all of David's later life he was collecting mate-
rials for the great temple to be erected by his son.

The promise that David's throne should stand forever
was really Messianic, receiving its fulfillment in the reign
of One who was David's son and at the same time his
Lord. Psalm 110 describes the victory of this Priest-
King, who marches against His foes at the head of an
army of volunteers. Jehovah at His right hand beats
down all who oppose His reign. Psalm 2 is a compan-
ion song, announcing the stability of Messiah's throne,
though earth's puny kings attempt to throw off His rule.

David could never forget Jonathan, the best friend he
ever had. For Jonathan's sake, he invited the poor crip-
ple, Mephibosheth, to sit at the king's table as an hon-
ored guest continually (2 Sam. 9).

A fool came to the throne of the children of Ammon.
He insulted David's messengers, who were sent on a
peaceful errand, and thus brought on a war with Israel.
David had now been on the throne for years. He was
perhaps fifty years of age. Jehovah had blessed him,

DAVID AND THE PSALMS 113

on every hand, so that he seemingly had all that heart
could wish. But luxury and idleness had undermined the
moral and religious nature of the great ruler. He was
beginning to degenerate into an Oriental despot (2 Sam.
10:1 to 11:1).

92. david's great sin and its consequences

David's love of ease led him to stay at home to enjoy
the pleasures of his palace while his brave soldiers,
under Joab, went forth to fight their country's battles.
Suddenly a great temptation presented itself, and David,
in an evil moment, yielded. He perhaps thought the
matter would never become public, and kings are not
held accountable like other men. But his sin threatened
to have consequences of which he had not dreamed. He
at once set on foot a plan to cover up his sin; but the
brave soldier whom he had wronged refused to enjoy
the pleasures of home life while his comrades w:ere in
tents fighting for their country. In desperation, David
resolved to put Uriah out of the way. He made the
brave soldier the bearer of his own death-warrant.
Under the walls of Rabbah, Uriah fell by the sword of
the Ammonites ; but Jehovah charged to David the blood
of the man whom he had sent to his death. The God
of Israel was displeased with David (2 Sam. 11).

How long David lived in terrible unrest, with a guilty
conscience lashing him, we do not know. At length
Nathan the prophet came to him with a story of cruelty
that roused the king to vengeance. When the prophet
turned upon him with the bold words, "Thou art the
man," the king's head fell upon his breast with the con-
fession, "I have sinned against Jehovah." God gra-
ciously forgave David's sin, so that he was not de-
throned nor slain ; but the natural consequences of his
evil conduct were allowed to work themselves out in his
after life (2 Sam. 12).

114 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

The ancient title of Psalm 51 represents it as David's
cry for forgiveness for his horrible sins. It is the great-
est of the seven Penitential Psalms. Read it in the light
of its origin and note the depth of penitence. Many
sinners, from the days of David to the present, have
found these words the most satisfactory expression of
their own desire for cleansing and a new heart.

Psalm 32 reflects David's experience at a slightly later
period, when he had made a clean breast of all his sins,
and the sense of forgiveness had come to gladden his
soul. The contrast between the feverish unrest of the
period in which he maintained a stubborn silence and
the peace that came after full and frank confession re-
ceives striking expression in verses 3 to 5. David wishes
others to learn the lesson of his experience (Psa. 32:6).
He promises to teach transgressors the way back to God
(Psa. 51:13).

David's sins repeated themselves in his own family.
Inasmuch as he had given great occasion to the enemies
of Jehovah to blaspheme, his later history must serve as
a warning to all who might be tempted to imitate his
evil deeds (2 Sam. 12: 14). David must have felt that
he was reaping what he had sown, when his eldest son
gave the reins to unnatural lust, and when, a little later,
another son put to death his guilty brother (2 Sam. 13).
Absalom's rebellion was a further harvest from David's
sowing (2 Sam. 14 to 20). David must have felt that
he deserved the heavy chastisements that fell upon him
in rapid succession.

Psalms 3, 4, 61, 62, and 63 were probably composed
during the period of Absalom's rebellion. Psalms 41
and 55 probably refer to the treachery of Ahithophel and
other secret foes at this crisis. Psalm 3 is a morning
prayer (Psa. 3:5), and Psalm 4 is an evening prayer
(Psa. 4:8), in both of which the psalmist's trust in God
is beautifully expressed. The same note of confidence
in God is struck repeatedly in Psalms 61 to 63.

DAVID AND THE PSALMS 115

After Absalom's rebellion David seems to have grown
old rapidly. His heart was almost broken by his sad
experience with an ungrateful son. He lost interest in
life. For a brief moment he was roused out of his
stupor by the news of Adonijah's effort to seize the
throne, and gave his personal attention to the crowning
of Solomon. He gave Solomon an earnest charge, and
completed his preparations for the building of the temple
(1 Kings 1:1 to 2: 12; 1 Chr. 22 to 29).

93. GENERAL ESTIMATE OF DAVID

1. A born musician. Amos 6:5.

2. A great lyric poet, the founder of Hebrew psalm-
ody.

3. A superb general.

4. A successful organizer and administrator. Psalm
78:70-72.

5. A man of remarkable religious experience. Though
he fell into horrible sins, he recovered himself by repent-
ance. To understand him fully we must study the history
in 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles in connection with
the psalms composed by David.

6. David is a type of Christ, both as a persecuted
man and as the king of Israel.

94. DAVID THE FOUNDER OF HEBREW PSALMODY

Many modern critics deny that David wrote any
psalms. They brush aside as worthless the superscrip-
tions or titles of the psalms, found in the Hebrew text
and thence brought over into modern versions of the
Psalter. Rut these titles, while not a part of the poetry,
are very ancient; and they are in harmony with the
uniform tradition that David composed many psalms.
The question is one of such importance for the under-
standing of the history of revelation in Old Testament

116 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

times that we invite attention to some considerations
which favor the view that David was the chief psalmist
of Israel.

I. THE AGE OF DAVID FURNISHED PROMISING SOIL FOR
THE GROWTH OF POETRY

1. The political and religious reforms of Samuel gave
a new sense of national unity and kindled the fires of
religious patriotism.

2. Music received an impetus from Samuel and the
sons of the prophets, and was used in religious exercises.

3. The victories of war under David, and the conse-
quent internal development of the national government
and life of Israel, would naturally stimulate the poetic
instinct of men of genius. Compare the Elizabethan age
and the Victorian era in English literature.

4. The removal of the ark to the new capital and the
organization of the Levitical choirs would stimulate poets
to compose hymns of praise to Jehovah.

ii. david's qualifications for composing psalms

1. He was a gifted musician. He had a sense of
rhythm and an ear for pleasing sounds.

2. He is recognized by critics of all schools as a poet
of no mean ability. The genuineness of his elegy over
Saul and Jonathan is commonly accepted (2 Sam. 1 :
19-27); also his lament over Abner (2 Sam. 3:33f).
In the elegy over Saul and Jonathan, David displays great
generosity of soul, as well as poetic skill of the highest
order. The poem confirms the representations of the
author of Samuel as to David's kind treatment of Saul.

3. David was a man of deep feeling and imperial
imagination. His successful generalship would argue for
imagination, as well as his vivid imagery in the elegy.
He was magnetic in the highest degree.

DAVID AND THE PSALMS 117

4. David was an enthusiastic worshiper of Jehovah.
All the records of his life agree in representing him as
devoted to Israel's Goa. We should have been surprised
had no trace of religious poetry come from his pen. The
known facts of his life and times prepare us for an
outburst of psalmody under his leadership.

III. THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST THE POSSIBILITY OF AS-
CRIBING TO DAVID ANY OF THE HYMNS EN THE

PSALTER REST UPON ASSUMPTIONS THAT ARE THOR-
OUGHLY ANTIBIBLICAL

The Hebrews of all later ages unite in making David the
chief psalmist of Israel. How did these traditions arise?
How did the Chronicler come to regard David as the
father of psalmody? If David actually wrote many
psalms, all is plain; if not, it is difficult, if not impossible,
to explain the origin of the view that he was Israel's
greatest lyric poet.

95. PSALMODY AFTER DAVID

More than half of the psalms are ascribed to other
writers than David, or else are anonymous. Solomon
and Asaph and the Sons of Korah are credited with
twenty-six psalms. Many reflect the period of the exile,
and others were first sung after the return to the Holy
Land. The Psalter probably contains some prayer or
hymn from almost every crisis in the life of Israel, from
the days of David to the time of Nehemiah. Some think
that Psalms 44, 74, and 79 reflect the sufferings and per-
secutions of the Maccabean wars after 167 B.C. While
this is doubtful, the Psalter certainly contains the prayers
and praises of devout Israelites through six centuries
or more.

118 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

96. TWO MORAL DIFFICULTIES IN THE PSALMS

I. ASSERTIONS OF INNOCENCE

Seethe following: 7:8; 17:1, 5; 18:20-24; 26:1-6;
44:17-22.

In explanation of such claims of innocence, note the
following :

1. The psalmists are sure they are in the right as
against those who persecute them. At least, they have
committed no great sin, such as would call for severe
punishment.

2. In some cases the psalmists confess their sinful-
ness in God's eyes, while, with their next breath, denying
that they have wronged their bitter foes.

3. Such terms as integrity, perfect, righteous, etc.,
must be interpreted in accord with the context and gen-
eral usage of the Old Testament times. They are freely
used of any man whose heart is on God's side, even
though occasionally he should fall into grievous sins.

II. IMPRECATIONS OR CURSES ON ENEMIES

Read Psalms 7, 35, 55, 56, 59, 68, 79, 83, 137. Note
especially 69 : 22-28 and 109 : 6-20. Compare Jeremiah
18: 18-23 and Nehemiah 4:4, 5. How ought we to re-
gard these utterances of inspired writers? (a) Are
they merely predictions, and not prayers? (b) Do they
refer to spiritual foes? (c) Are the foes of the psalm-
ists always incorrigible enemies of God and righteous-
ness? Compare Psalms 7:14-16; 69:4; 109:16-18;
Gal. 5:12. (d) Are they to be rejected by Christians
as belonging to a time when revenge was not forbidden?

Now, as we know, the Old Testament repeatedly
teaches the law of kindness. Ex. 23:4, 5; Lev. 19: 17,
18 ; Job 31 : 29, 30. Moreover, the New Testament often

DAVID AND THE PSALMS 119

notes with pleasure the overthrow of the wicked. 1 Cor.
16: 22; 2 Tim. 4:14; Rev. 6: 9, 10; 16: 5, 6; 18:20.

In order to understand the presence of such earnest
prayers for the overthrow of enemies, it will he neces-
sary for us to remind ourselves of several important
facts :

1. We are dealing with poetry, and must allow the poet
larger liberty in the vivid and dramatic expression of
his thought.

2. We are interpreting the language of Orientals.

a. They are exceedingly fond of hyperbole, or rhet-
orical exaggeration.

b. They have no taste for abstract thought. The
psalmists conceived of sin as incarnate in the sinner ; nor
had they become accustomed to distinguish, as have we,
between the sin and the sinner.

c. The terrible curses pronounced on the family of the
wicked men in Psalm 109 can only be properly under-
stood, when one remembers the ancient oriental concep-
tion of the solidarity of the family. The doctrine of
individualism, though recognized in the Pentateuch, is
first emphasized by the later prophets Jeremiah and
Ezekiel. It permeates the entire New Testament.

3. We should not forget that the heaviest imprecations
are found in the Psalms ascribed to David. It is mani-
fest from the history in Samuel that David was not a
cruel, revengeful man, but that he showed marked self-
control and a snirit of forgiveness. As the ruler of
Israel, it was his dutv to cut off wicked men among his
own people, and to defend the chosen nation against the
aggression of the surrounding nations. If it was his
duty literally to use the sword, might he not also pray
for success in destroying incorrigible foes? Compare
Stonewall Jackson, the Christian soldier.

4. It is but fair that we should remember, too, that
we are yet in the twilight of Old Testament revelation,

120 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

and not in the noonday splendor of the revelation made
by God's own Son. We cannot expect David, even when
inspired, to display so high a knowledge of God's for-
giveness as we now have in the light of our Saviour's
character and teachings. The Old Testament did not
attain finality in the matter of polygamy and divorce.
May not David's knowledge be below the New Testa-
ment standard in respect to love to enemies?

In this connection we should remember that many
expressions in the Psalms concerning the destruction of
enemies have an added severity for the Christian reader,
who is liable to forget that "blotting out of the Book of
Life" means far more for us than it did for David, the
doctrine of future rewards and punishments having been
greatly extended by the New Testament.

We may at least learn from these imprecations that
it is our duty not only to love righteousness, but to hate
sin. We should be extremely careful never to use them
in a manner inconsistent with the precepts or the ex-
ample of the Lord Jesus.

97. THE DOCTRINE OF A FUTURE LIFE IN THE PSALMS

The future life was to the Old Testament saints prac-
tically an unexplored country. Sheol, the place of de-
parted souls, was a vague, shadowy region. In moments
of depression, they even wondered whether there was
any such life. Even now men often ask, "Does death
end all?" Most of our knowledge of the future life
comes from the teaching of our Lord and His Apostles.
Cf. John 14, and a hundred other passages in the New
Testament.

In moments of exaltation, some of the Old Testament
saints assert earnestly that their communion with God
shall never be broken by death. Pss. 49: 15; 73:23-26.
If these classic proofs of the existence of faith in a life
beyond the grave stood alone in the Old Testament, they

DAVID AND THE PSALMS 121

would still be sufficient to show that such a faith had
taken root in Israel's life.

The Psalter, in common with the other Books of the
Old Testament, sounds two different note^ with regard
to the future life; one a note of doubt or fear, the other
a note of hope and sublime assurance.

1. Expressions that seem to oppose the doctrine : 6: 5 ;
30:9; 39: 13; 88: 10-12; 115:17.

A careful examination will reveal the fact that most
of these passages are questions rather than affirma-
tions. Men wondered what light and joy could come
to the departed in Sheol. They praised life in this
world, in contrast with the unexplored land of the
shades.

Moreover, the speakers are often men looking on the
dark side of things and giving utterance to human fears
natural in seasons of depression. The same persons,
in calmer or more hopeful hours, voice their belief in a
future life. Job 19 : 25-27 ; Eccl. 12 : 7, 14.

2. Expressions clearly foreshadowing the Christian
doctrine of the future life: 16:10, 11; 17:15; 23:6;
49:15; 73:23-26. The future life of man is more
clearly described here than anywhere else in the Old
Testament. Compare Gen. 5:24; Ex. 3:6; 2 Kings 2:
11; Job 19:25-27; Eccl. 12:7; Isaiah 26:19; Dan. 12:
2, 3.

Belief in a future life was a doctrine firmly held in
ancient Egypt and Babylonia. Moses and the other Old
Testament writers use it far less as a motive to right
living than did Jesus and the Apostles. It seems to have
been reserved for the Son of God to reveal to men heaven
and hell in their fullness of blessedness or of woe. He
could describe the Father's house better than any mere
prophet. But the passages cited above show clearly that
in moments of exaltation the Old Testament saints had a
full assurance of a life of communion with God beyond
the grave.

122 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

98. THE GOSPEL IN THE PSALMS

The Christian discovers in the Psalms a religious life
such as he would wish to lead. He longs to enter into
the close fellowship with God attained by the ancient
psalmists. These saints of olden time knew how to ap-
proach God with reverence and godly fear. They com-
bined dignity and fervor in their worship.

(1) The Hebrew title for the Psalms is "Book of
Praises." When we consider the fact that more than
twenty of these poems have for their keynote praise, and
that there are outbursts of thanksgiving in many others,
the fitness of the Hebrew title dawns upon us. For the
benefit of the diligent student, we give a list of the
Psalms of Praise: 47, 66, 67, 96, 98, 100, 103, 107, 113,
117, 118, 134 to 136, 138, 145 to 150. Note the mar-
velous variety with which the singers describe the good-
ness and the glory of God. Here is a rich vocabulary
of praise for stammering lips. Psalm 103, in its call to
praise, unites the tender notes of the flute with the ring-
ing notes of the trumpet. Shall we not also try to get
into the spirit of Psalm 145, which has been called the
Te Deum of the Old Testament? Ker says: "The Jews
were accustomed to say that he who could pray this
Psalm from the heart three times daily was preparing
himself best for the praises of the world to come."

(2) The psalmists had great joy in the house of Jeho-
vah. Psalms 84 and 122 give beautiful expression to
the delight of the Old Testament believer in the temple
worship. The chief attraction of the temple was the
presence of Jehovah in His sanctuary. David expresses
this longing for the vision of God's face in Psalm 27 :

"One thing have I asked of Jehovah, that I will seek
after ;
That I may dwell in the house of Jehovah all the days
of my life,

DAVID AND THE PSALMS 123

To behold the beauty of Jehovah,
And to inquire in His temple."

(3) The psalmist also loved God's Word. Psalms
19 and 119 give expression to this joy in the Bible of
their day. Martin Luther's life was full of dangers and
conflicts with men and demons. He was sometimes
brought very low in body and in mind. Written on his
Bible in his own hand are the words of Psalm 119:92:

"Unless thy law had been my delight,
I should have perished in mine affliction."

(4) The Old Testament saints "practiced the presence
of God." Psalms 91 and 23 picture Jehovah and the
saint in loving fellowship. The saint is with his Shep-
herd and Protector in bright days and in dark days, in
joy and in sorrow, in danger and in quiet hours.

(5) The inspired poets of Israel saw God's glory i?i
nature. See especially Psalm 19, in which the heavens
are telling the glory of God; Psalm 29, the Song of the
Storm; and Psalm 104, appropriately called "Hymn of
Creation."

(6) God's care of all things finds beautiful expression
in Psalms 8, 65, and 121. "The river of God is full of
water" (Psa. 65:9). His resources are without limit
and always available for His saints. He never slumbers
nor takes a vacation.

(7) The soul's thirst for God and its delight in His
protecting presence have found classic expression in the
Psalter :

"As the hart panteth after the water brooks,
So panteth my soul after thee, O God."

Psa. 42:1.

The longing of the human soul after God, as voiced
in Psalms 42, 43, and 63, may seem to cold Western

124 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

readers unnatural in its fervor; but the fault is with us,
and not with the psalmists.

(8) The figure of taking refuge in God is quite com-
mon in the Psalter. Psalms 46, 61, and 62 exalt God
as the refuge of His saints.

"God is for us a place of refuge and a stronghold,
A help in troubles exceedingly findable."

(Psa. 46:1.)

"Only He is my rock and my salvation,
My high tower; I shall not be moved."

(Psa. 62:6.)

(9) We have space for only one other topic — Sin and
Forgiveness. The seven Penitential Psalms (6, 32, 38,
51, 102, 130, 143) admit us to the heart of experimental
religion in the Old Testament times. What a keen sense
of sin! What depth of penitence! What earnestness
in seeking forgiveness! Of the seven, Psalm 51 is the
greatest. One might justly term this prayer of the
penitent the holy of holies of the Psalter ; for, with these
earnest words on their lips, many wanderers have come
back to God. The ritual law, as we have already seen,
made no provision for atonement in the case of sins
done with a high hand; but there was forgiveness, even
for adultery and murder, when the sinner came to God
with a broken spirit and a crushed heart (Psa. 51 : 17).

99. AN INSPIRED PRAYER-BOOK AND HYMNAL

Every Christian ought to know this prayer-book well ;
for it was given by inspiration. It contains model
prayers, meditations, songs and benedictions. Confes-
sion, complaint, petition, thanksgiving, aspiration — all
the soul's emotions find a voice in the Psalms. The
Psalter is a book for the culture of the heart, a book

DAVID AND THE PSALMS 125

with which to deepen one's friendship with God. If one
wishes to learn how to approach God acceptably in wor-
ship, this is the best manual to put into his hands. We
cannot estimate too highly the influence of this book in
winning men to God. Penitents have come seeking for-
giveness with the words of the 51st Psalm; the forgiven
have voiced their joy in words taken from the 32nd ; the
trusting have pillowed their heads on the 23rd ; and the
grateful have poured forth their praises through the
103rd. Perowne has well said : "No single book of
Scripture, not even of the New Testament, has, perhaps,
ever taken such hold on the heart of Christendom. None,
if we may dare judge, unless it be the Gospels, has had
so large an influence in moulding the affections, sustain-
ing the hopes, purifying the faith of believers." Luther
spoke of the Psalter as "a Bible in miniature."

Chapter VIII

SOLOMON AND THE PROVERBS

THE era of David and Solomon was the golden age
of the Hebrew monarchy. The religious and polit-
ical revival under Samuel led to a new sense of national
unity in Israel. Saul at first advanced the political
power of Israel by his victories in battle ; but he presently
became self-willed and disobedient, and Israel's glory
faded before the rising power of the Philistines. David,
who was Israel's greatest general, smote his foes hip
and thigh, and beat down all opposition on every side.
He conquered and organized a respectable empire. The
weakness of Egypt and Assyria in his day gave him his
opportunity, and he was prompt to seize it. David be-
queathed to Solomon a rich and well-organized kingdom.

100. PROMISING BEGINNINGS OF SOLOMON'S REIGN

Solomon, in the early part of his reign, removed four
men who might have endangered his throne. Adonijah
was slain for his ambition. Abiathar, who had taken
the side of Adonijah, was deposed from the priesthood,
and sent away to his home at Anathoth. Joab was put
to death for all his crimes; and Shimei was slain for
disobedience (1 Kings 2).

Solomon's interest in religion was shown by the great
sacrifice which he offered at Gibeon. Jehovah appeared
to the young king in a dream by night, and said, "Ask
what I shall give thee." Solomon's request for wisdom
in judging the people greatly pleased Jehovah, and He
promised to do all that Solomon asked and much more
besides (1 Kings 3:1-15).

126

SOLOMON AND THE PROVERBS 127

The young king's skill in judging was put to the test
by two women. By a clever stratagem, he discovered the
real mother of the babe over which the two women were
contending (1 Kings 3:16-28). Men came to stand in
awe before such a discerning judge; "for they saw that
the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice."

101. Solomon's growing prosperity

Solomon inherited a great kingdom. David had
broken the power of all the hostile peoples around the
land of Israel. Moab and Edom and Ammon and Syria
paid tribute to Solomon, as they had done to David.
Tyre cultivated friendly relations with both David and
Solomon, providing materials for the new buildings in
Jerusalem and skilled architects and artisans to erect
them. Solomon put the Canaanites in h's dominions to
task-work. He also perfected the organization for the
collection of taxes from his own people. He maintained
a wise and strong administration of the internal affairs
of the kingdom. He chose able officers of state. His
fame as a wise man spread far and wide, so that men
came from other nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon.
"And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, each man under
his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beer-
sheba, all the days of Solomon" (1 Kings 4, 5).

102. Solomon's building operations

David had collected much costly material for the build-
ing of the temple. Solomon added to this, and employed
the best artists and artisans of Tyre to superintend the
work. Only the choicest materials were used in the edi-
fice. The work having been completed in seven years
and a half, Solomon assembled the elders of Israel at
Jerusalem for the formal dedication. The priests
brought the ark of the covenant out of the Tent which

128 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

David had pitched into the most holy place of the Tem-
ple. At once the cloud of glory filled the house of Jeho-
vah. Solomon then stood before the altar of Jehovah
in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread
forth his hands toward heaven, and prayed Jehovah to
cause His name to dwell in the house he had built for
Him. He asked Jehovah to hear every prayer directed
toward the Temple. Solomon followed his prayer of
dedication with elaborate sacrifices. All Israel rejoiced
greatly over the completion of the Temple. It was a
time of great prosperity and joy for all the people (1
Kings 6 to 8). While David did much to make Jeru-
salem the Holy City, Solomon added to its glory by erect-
ing the beautiful edifice, which would henceforth be the
center of Israel's religious life. Pious souls longed for
the privilege of worshiping in Jehovah's house in Jeru-
salem. Pilgrims poured into the Holy City at the great
annual feasts.

Solomon also built for himself a magnificent palace.
Jerusalem became more and more the center of Israel's
life. The king also fortified other cities throughout his
realm. Having put the Amorites and other tribes of
Canaan to forced labor, Solomon was able to carry on
these elaborate building operations. He also built a
fleet of ships to trade in the Red Sea and the Indian
Ocean. Commerce with foreign lands filled Solomon's
coffers with gold. The trade between Egypt and Asia
Minor flowed through Israel. Kings and queens came
great distances to see the glory of Solomon and to hear
his wisdom. Israel's historians and poets describe Sol-
omon's era as the golden age of prosperity and peace
(1 Kings 9, 10).

103. THE DECLINE OF SOLOMON

Solomon's great mistake was the formation of an ex-
tensive harem. He imitated the oriental despots in col-

SOLOMON AND THE PROVERBS 129

lecting a great number of wives and concubines, many
of whom were foreigners. "And he had seven hundred
wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines ; and his
wives turned away his heart" (1 Kings 11:3). Solo-
mon built heathen sanctuaries in which his foreign wives
could worship their gods. East of the temple hill, and
in full view from Jehovah's sanctuary, rose columns of
incense to cruel Molech and lascivious Ashtoreth. We
are not surprised to read that Jehovah was angry with
Solomon. He raised up adversaries to vex Solomon in
his old age, and announced the secession of ten tribes
from the rule of Solomon's son. Jeroboam received the
promise of a throne in northern Israel (1 Kings 11).
Solomon's decline is a sad commentary on human wis-
dom : the wisest man of his time played the fool, and left
the world under a cloud. We have reason to believe that
the pleasure-loving Solomon was not finally cast off by
Jehovah like the willful, rebellious Saul.

104. SOLOMON AS AN AUTHOR

Three books in the Old Testament are commonly
ascribed to Solomon, — Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the
Song of Solomon. As to Ecclesiastes, there is almost
unanimous agreement among modern scholars that the
book was written toward the close of the Old Testament
period. The lessons of Solomon's experience are gath-
ered up by a later writer, who puts himself in Solomon's
place and writes as if he were Solomon. He gives full
vent to his scepticism and to the sense of disappointment
with life. He preaches vigorously and fearlessly on the
vanity of human life. "All is vanity and a feeding on
wind." The book, however, comes to a sane and rev-
erent conclusion : "Fear God, and keep His command-
ments; for this is the whole duty of man" (Eccl. 12: 13).

The Song of Songs is a collection of love songs, greatly
admired by orientals for their beaut}' and chasteness.

130 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

To our western taste they seem too fervid, and enter too
much into the description of physical charms. Many
devout souls in Christian history have interpreted the
book as referring to the mutual love of Christ and the
Church. Recent scholars, for the most part, think that
the book celebrates the strength and constancy of human
love. On this view, Solomon tries in vain to win the
love of a beautiful girl, who remains true to her shepherd
lover. If this view is correct, we have in the Bible a
book in praise of the strong, sweet love between man and
woman, a love on which the home is built. It would be
fitting that such love should receive recognition in God's
Word.

While the traditional view as to the authorship of
Ecclesiastes and of the Song of Songs has been set aside
by recent criticism, it is still generally recognized that
Solomon's name is correctly associated with the Book of
Proverbs, as the most brilliant proverb-maker of the
ages. There is wide difference of opinion as to the
parts of the book to be credited to Solomon. Chapters
30 and 31 are expressly ascribed to Agur and King Lem-
uel, and Proverbs 22: 17 to 24:34 is anonymous, being
described as "the words of the wise men." The large
collection of brief proverbs in Proverbs 10 : 1 to 22 : 16
is expressly ascribed to Solomon; also the group in
Proverbs 25 to 29, said to have been copied out by the
men of Hezekiah. There remains the magnificent sec-
tion on Wisdom in chapters 1 to 9. Fortunately we do
not need to know the author of a wise saying in order
to appreciate its beauty and accept it as a guide to con-
duct. The tendency in recent criticism of the Bible is
to reduce every book to fragments and to multiply unduly
imaginary authors and editors. Common sense will con-
tinue to discount the claims of an over-confident criticism.
Solomon's wisdom forms the core of the Book of
Proverbs, just as David's psalms are the crown of the
Psalter.

SOLOMON AND THE PROVERBS 131

105. A BUSINESS MANUAL FOR YOUNG MEN

While the Hook of Proverbs offers increase in learn-
ing to the wise man, its chief aim is "to give prudence
to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discre-
tion" (Prov. 1: 1-6). It is a business manual to guide
young men to success in life. Its constant appeal is to
young men. The author does not indulge in speculative
thought, but gives his attention to practical life. What-
ever will stimulate young men to honesty and industry
and purity he gladly uses. How to make the best of
life is the problem in which the Old Testament sages
took the keenest interest. Although the Book of
Proverbs as a whole is intended to be a manual for young
men, the closing chapter paints the portrait of the ideal
Hebrew matron. In general, the position of woman in
Proverbs is high, and her power for good or ill in the
home and in society is fully recognized.

106. WISDOM AND FOLLY CONTRASTED

The first nine chapters of the book introduce the young
man to two women who seek to win his confidence and
affection, — Wisdom and Folly. Much of the language
of these chapters is put into the mouth of Wisdom.

The author recommends religion as the foundation for
a successful life : "The fear of Jehovah is the beginning
of knowledge" (Prov. 1:7). Dr. Toy well says: "The
thought of the greater part of the Book is definitely re-
ligious, standing in sympathetic and reverent contact
with the conception of a just and wise divine govern-
ment of the world. The sages are independent thinkers,
but refer their wisdom ultimately to God."

After an earnest warning against joining a band of
robbers, the author introduces Wisdom as making her
appeal to the simple : she will mock when calamity over-
takes those who reject her reproof (Prov. 1). If a

132 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

young man will earnestly seek Wisdom, he shall know
God and righteousness, and be preserved from wicked
men and from the strange woman (Prov. 2). In his
relation to God, let the young man trust in, honor, and
submit to Jehovah (3: 1-12). Happy the man that finds
Wisdom (3:13-26). In his relations to his fellows,
let the wise man avoid stinginess, treachery, contentious-
ness, violence, and the like (3:27-35). Wisdom is the
principal thing. Let the young man avoid the path of
the wicked and walk straight forward in Wisdom's way,
guarding his heart above all else (Prov. 4). Shun the
strange woman (Prov. 5 : 1-23 ; 6 : 20 to 7 : 27 ; 9 : 13-18) .

"Her house is the way to Sheol,
Going down to the chambers of death."

The author inveighs against security debts, laziness,
and sowing discord (6:1-19). He personifies Wisdom,
and pictures her as appealing to men to receive her in-
struction. Wisdom is attractive, and her fruit is better
than gold. She was present with Jehovah at the crea-
tion. Happy the man that seeks and finds Wisdom
(Prov. 8). Wisdom and Folly both invite the young
man to a feast. The harlot Folly says to the young
man,

"Stolen waters are sweet,
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant."

This is the language of the vile woman, and ought not
to be lightly used by decent persons.

There is no book better than Proverbs for the teach-
ing of personal purity. Vice is pictured clearly, without
being made attractive. Sweet home life is exalted, and
impurity is seen to be dangerous and damnable.

SOLOMON AND THE PROVERBS 133

107. STRIKING ETHICAL AND SOCIAL TEACHINGS

After the connected discourse in the first nine chap-
ters, the book is composed of brief proverbs on a great
variety of subjects. The attentive reader will discover
here and there groups of sayings dealing with a common
topic. Thus in 12: 13-23 most of the proverbs refer to
human speech, in 26:1-12 to the fool, in 26:13-16 to
the sluggard, and 26: 17-28 to the mischief-maker. It
is a profitable exercise to go through the book and collect
all the proverbs dealing with a given topic.

(1) Industry and its opposite, laziness, receive fre-
quent mention in this manual for young men. The wise
man prods the sluggard with such goads as the follow-
ing:

"As the door turneth upon its hinges,
So doth the sluggard upon his bed.
The sluggard burieth his hand in the dish ;
It wearieth him to bring it again to his mouth."

(Prov.26: 14,15.)

"The sluggard saith, There is a lion without:
I shall be slain in the streets."

(Prov.22:13.)

"Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty ;
Open thine eyes, and thou shall be satisfied with bread."

(Prov.20:13.)

"He also that is slack in his work
Is brother to him that is a destroyer."

(Prov.l8:9.)

Such ringing words are like the sting of a whip-
cracker to a lazy ox. See also the classic picture of the
sluggard in Proverbs 24 : 30-34, and the proverbs found
in 12:11, 24, 27; 13:4; 14:23; 15:19; 16:26; 19:

134 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

15, 24; 20:4; 21:5, 25; 22:29; 26:13-16; 27:23-27;
31:27.

(2) The good and evil uses of the tongue are the sub-
jects of many proverbs. Let the student make a list
for himself of the proverbs that refer to human speech,
putting on one sheet all references to speech as good and
helpful, and on another all uses that are harmful. We
call attention to a few only of the many striking sayings
concerning the tongue:

"A soft answer turneth away wrath;
But a grievous word stirreth up anger."

(Prov.l5:l.)

"A perverse man scattereth abroad strife ;
And a whisperer separateth chief friends.'*

(Prov. 16:28.)

"The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water ;
Therefore leave off contention, before there is quar-
reling." (Prov. 17:14.)

"It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife ;
But every fool will be quarreling."

(Prov. 20: 3.)

"It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop,
Than with a contentious woman in a wide house."

(Prov. 21: 9.)

"A man hath joy in the answer of his mouth ;
And a word in due season, how good is it!"

(Prov. 15: 23.)

"A word fitly spoken
Is like apples of gold in network of silver."

(Prov. 25: 11.)

"He kisseth the lips
Who giveth a right answer."

(Prov. 24: 26.)

SOLOMON AND THE PROVERBS 135

(3) The wise man gives much sound counsel as to the
conduct of one's business. He warns the young man
against standing as surety for other men's debts (Prov.
6:1-5; 11:15; 17:18; 20:16; 22:26; 27:13). The
book has been criticized by some as teaching selfishness
in these warnings against security debts; but the history
of security debts, if it could be written fully and frankly,
would vindicate the wisdom of the Hebrew sage. It is
a beneficent provision of the modern business world
that guaranty companies will now, for a reasonable con-
sideration, go on the bonds of all officials, thus relieving
their personal friends of the heavy burden. This prin-
ciple ought to be extended to loans in bank, and any
man ought to be willing to pay a company for its en-
dorsement. It is just as dangerous and foolish for a
man to let another trade on his credit now, as it was in
the days of Solomon. We ought to lend and give freely;
but it is not wise to go on another man's paper. Sooner
or later the indorser will smart for it.

(4) The warnings against wine are often quoted:

"Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler ;
And whosoever erreth thereby is not wise."

(Prov. 20:1.)

"Look not thou upon the wine when it is red,
When it sparkleth in the cup,
When it goeth down smoothly :
At the last it biteth like a serpent,
And stingeth like an adder."

(Prov. 23:31,32.)

(5) The Book of Proverbs exalts true friendship:

"A friend loveth at all times;
And is born as a brother for adversity."

(Prov. 17:17.)

136 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

"He that maketh many friends doeth it to his own de-
struction ;
But there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother."

(Prov. 18:24.)

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
But the kisses of an enemy are profuse/'

(Prov. 27: 6.)

For additional proverbs on friendship, see 27 : 9, 10,
14, 17. The wise man taught that a man can have only
a few real friends; if he tries to form intimacies on
every hand, it will be to his own undoing. A true friend
is one of God's noblest gifts.

The wise man does not hesitate to employ riddles and
conundrums, if they will convey his message (Prov. 1:
6; 30: 15-31). God uses all methods of approach to a
man's mind and heart, that He may lead him to a higher
ethical and spiritual life.

The Christian student can learn much from the Book
of Proverbs as to the wise conduct of his life in business
and in society. The New Testament writers make about
twenty quotations from this book of practical precepts.
As a further encouragement to the student to make him-
self familiar with its teaching, we quote the testimony
of Professor C. H. Toy, one of the most learned com-
mentators on Proverbs : "The high ethical standard of
the Book is universally recognized. Its maxims all look
to the establishment of a safe, peaceful, happy social
life, in the family and the community ; the supposed ex-
ceptions, cases of alleged selfish prudence (as, for ex-
ample, the caution against giving security), are only
apparent, since proper regard for self is an element of
justice."

Chapter IX

THE EARLY KINGS AND PROPHETS

108. INTRODUCTORY

AFTER the death of Solomon (931 B.C.), his son
Rehoboam faced a crisis. The people asked that
the burdens imposed upon them by Solomon be made
lighter. Discontent was widespread among the northern
tribes, who found in Jeroboam the son of Nebat a capable
leader. When Rehoboam followed the counsel of the
younger men, who advised him to lord it over the people
and treat them as slaves, all the tribes except Judah and
Benjamin openly revolted and chose Jeroboam as their
king. From 931 B.C. to 722 B.C. the two kingdoms
existed side by side, sometimes in friendly alliance, but
often at war with each other. In 722 B.C. the Northern
Kingdom fell before the mighty Assyrians, and the peo-
ple of Samaria were swept into exile. The Kingdom
of Judah continued until 587 B.C., when Nebuchadnez-
zar destroyed Jerusalem and carried the people captive
to Babylon.

109. glimpses of Israel's early kings

Let us first take a rapid survey of the history of the
Kingdom of Israel or Ephraim. Jeroboam I. was not a
deeply religious man. He was a warrior and a politician.
It seemed to him unwise to let his subjects go to Jeru-
salem to worship in the Temple, lest the king of Judah
might win them back to their allegiance to the house of
David. Hence Jeroboam set up golden calves at Bethel

137

138 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

near his southern border and at Dan in the far north,
and invited his people to worship Jehovah through these
images. He changed the time of the feast of Taber-
nacles from the seventh to the eighth month, and allowed
anybody who wished to do so to become priests before
the golden calves. He thus lost the support of the
Levites, who flocked to Jerusalem in great numbers ; and
the prophets denounced the calf worship as a sin. An
unnamed prophet from Judah thundered against Jero-
boam's altar ; and Ahijah, the prophet who had promised
to Jeroboam the rule over ten tribes, in his old age pre-
dicted the complete rejection of Jeroboam and his house
(I Kings 12 to 14). His son Nadab reigned two short
years, when he was assassinated by Baasha.

Baasha fought against Asa of Judah, in a vain attempt
to stop the exodus of religious people out of Israel into
Judah, where a great revival was in progress. Asa hired
Benhadad of Damascus to attack Baasha in the rear.
Baasha at once gave up his attempt to build a city that
would enable him to threaten Judah. Baasha's son was
assassinated after a reign of only two years (I Kings
15: 25 to 16:14).

The assassin Zimri lived only seven days to enjoy the
fruits of his treason. He was succeeded by Omri, the
founder of a new dynasty. Omri chose a new site for his
capital, showing the eye of a trained soldier in his selec-
tion of a strong hill surrounded by a valley. Samaria re-
sisted many sieges. It took the trained engineers of As-
syria over two years to force their way into the fortress.

Omri also strengthened himself politically by securing
for his son Ahab the hand of Jezebel, a princess of Zidon.
This marriage, which seemed to Omri a happy diplomatic
stroke, precipitated a religious struggle which shook Israel
from center to circumference. Ahab was a brave general ;
but he cared little for the religion of his fathers. When
Jezebel decided to change the religion of Israel, importing
the prophets of Baal and the priests of Astarte to teach

THE EARLY KINGS AND PROPHETS 139

Israel the religious rites and customs of Zidon, Ahab
made no objection. Jezebel ruled him by her superior
intelligence and iron will. When the prophets of Jehovah
thundered against the foreign teachers and their patron,
Jezebel replied with the sword. They were hunted down
by her cruel soldiers. Soon all open opposition to the
queen's program ceased. It seemed that she had sup-
planted the religion of Jehovah by the religion of Baal
and Astarte. Her high-handed methods stirred the soul
of a mountaineer in Gilead, and Elijah stepped forth as
the champion of Jehovah to engage in combat with the
champion of heathenism (I Kings 16).

1 10. ELIJAH THE PROPHET

Had there been no Jezebel, there had been no need for
an Elijah. Jehovah could not afford to let a heathen
princess uproot His worship from Israel. His answer to
her challenge was the mission of Elijah.

The prophet was perhaps now a man in the prime of
his powers. For months he had been engaged in anxious
thought and earnest prayer, as the news of Jezebel's cam-
paign against Jehovah and His religion came to him in
his mountain home. He began to pray that it might not
rain on the land given up to idolatry. As he prayed, there
came to him the conviction that he must go forth as
Jehovah's representative to fight the forces of Baal. Je-
hovah gave to His servant the keys with which to lock
the heavens, so that no rain nor dew should fall upon the
sinful land.

Elijah's first appearance before Ahab was sudden and
unannounced, and the message was startling: "As Je-
hovah, the God of Israel, liveth, before whom I stand,
there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according
to my word." Every word weighed a pound. The
prophet's departure was as sudden as his coming; for
the Lord bade him to hide.

140 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Elijah took refuge by the brook Cherith, probably east
of the Jordan. Here he was put in training for his future
task. His food was provided in a miraculous way, but
his water supply was dependent upon the brook, which
gradually dwindled away, until no water was left. He
was thus thrown back upon faith in Jehovah.

Now the command comes to go to Zarephath, a town
near Jezebel's home in Zidon, and to take refuge with a
widow. This was another test of the prophet's faith. It
looked like putting one's head into the mouth of the lion-
ess. But the prophet's faith stood the strain, and soon
he was the guest of the widow, who literally divided her
last crust with the prophet of Jehovah. Day by day their
food was supplied. This sojourn in the home at Zare-
phath was a part of Elijah's discipline for his later tasks.
One day a great shock came to the widow and her guest,
when her son breathed his last in her arms. Elijah's
heart was touched; for he had learned to love the lad,
and the widow's grief was piteous to behold. Taking the
boy in his arms, he strode up the stairway to his own
room, and laying the lad on his own couch, Elijah prayed
Jehovah to let the soul of the child come into him again.
Three times he prayed and stretched himself on the lad.
Jehovah heard the prophet's prayer and restored the boy
to life. Taking up the lad in his strong arms, the prophet
stalked down the stairs into the family room and pre-
sented him alive to his mother. The good woman came
into a larger and richer knowledge of God through her
great trial (I Kings 17).

111. THE TEST ON MOUNT CARMEL

After three years and a half, Elijah is commanded
to show himself a second time to Ahab. On the way he
meets Obadiah, prime minister at the court of Ahab and
Jezebel, and yet a devout worshiper of Jehovah. Elijah

THE EARLY KINGS AND PROPHETS 141

was great enough to recognize in Obadiah a fellow serv-
ant of the God of Israel, though he could not have held
his office at court for a single day.

As soon as Ahab heard of Elijah's approach, he drove
rapidly to meet him. When he drew near to the prophet,
he called aloud, "Is it thou, thou troubler of Israel?"
Perhaps he thought that Elijah would show signs of fear.
If so, he was badly mistaken ; for Elijah charges upon the
king and the court the sins that have brought calamity
upon the land. He directs the king to assemble the four
hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred
prophets of the Asherah to Mount Carmel. What could
Ahab do in the presence of a man who carried the keys
of the heavens? He at once sent messengers to assemble
the prophets on Mount Carmel.

Elijah had a strenuous day on Mount Carmel. He first
made an address to the people, urging them to quit limp-
ing between two sides, and to come out openly either for
Jehovah or for Baal. He then challenges the prophets of
Baal to a contest by fire. The people say that the test
is fair, and the prophets of Baal are forced to show what
their god can do. Elijah watches them closely, lest they
slip fire under the wood on the altar. After a while he
mocks them and their god. At length, he builds an altar
to Jehovah, and calls down fire from heaven. Before
the heathen prophets can slip away, he orders that they
be arrested and put to death at the foot of the mountain.
It only remains to bring down rain upon the thirsty
earth; so Elijah goes to the top of the mountain to pray
for rain. Seven times his servant goes to look, before he
discovers a tiny cloud coming up from the sea. Elijah
had been praying with all his soul for the coming of rain.
As the storm gathers, Elijah girds up his loins and runs
before Ahab's chariot all the way across the plain to Jez-
reel, sixteen miles away. As he bounded along he was
thinking of the wonderful events of the day. It seemed

142 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

to him the greatest day in history. He had surpassed
Moses and Joshua and Samuel. He felt himself to be
better than his fathers (I Kings 18).

112. THE FLIGHT TO H0REB

No doubt he expected an invitation to spend the night
in the king's palace. But when they entered Jezreel,
Ahab rode to his palace, and Elijah was left in the streets.
He was worn out by the exciting experiences of the day.
Before he had time to rest and refresh himself, a mes-
senger from the queen came to him with the threat that
she would kill him before another day passed by. Elijah
was limp and weak physically after the most exhausting
day's work in all his life. He was also disappointed and
chagrined that he should be neglected by the king. He
felt that he deserved unique honors at the hands of his
people. He was rudely awakened from his musings by
the fierce queen's threat. He had no reserves to put in the
battle. He made haste to get out of Jezreel before the
city gates closed, and turning his face southward, he went
for his life. At Beer-sheba he left his tired servant, and
plunged on for another day into the wilderness. At
length, exhausted, he sank under a juniper tree, and asked
that he might die. A good angel brought bread and water
to the faint and weary prophet. He was also refreshed
by sleep. He finally reached Horeb, the mount from
which Jehovah spoke to Moses and the fathers. Here he
dwelt in a cave and went to school to the God of Israel.

What, then, did Elijah learn at this period?

(1) A lesson of humility: "I am no better than my
fathers."

(2) A lesson of courage. Do not run until Jehovah
commands it.

(3) A lesson in gentleness. Do not trust too much in
violent means for promoting religion.

THE EARLY KINGS AND PROPHETS US

(4) A lesson in patience and perseverance. God knows
better than we do when our work is finished.

(5) A lesson of hopefulness: "Yet will I leave me seven
thousand that have not bowed the knee to Baal." God
has more servants than we sometimes imagine.

113. Elijah's closing ministry

God sent Elijah back to call and train Elisha as his
successor in the prophetic office. Elisha was not indo-
lent, though living in the hot valley of the Jordan, and the
son of a man in good circumstances financially ; for he
both plowed and superintended the work of many others.
He gladly left home and farm to be the companion and
helper of Elijah. Happy the pupil that has an Elijah for
his teacher ! Equally happy the teacher that has an Elisha
for his pupil! For months, and possibly years, Elisha
pours water on the hands of Elijah (1 Kings 19).

Ahab by divine aid won signal victories over the
Syrians, but failed to follow them up (1 Kings 20). His
treatment of Naboth brought Elijah to confront him at
the very moment he was about to take possession of the
vineyard of the man whom Jezebel had slain. Elijah's
old-time fire and courage have returned. He predicts the
bloody death of Ahab and Jezebel (1 Kings 21).

Ahab made a league with Jehoshaphat of Judah against
the Syrians of Damascus. Before going to battle pious
Jehoshaphat insisted on consulting a prophet of Jehovah.
He did not put much confidence in the four hundred
prophets who encouraged Ahab to attack the Syrians.
When Micaiah the son of Imlah was called into the pres-
ence of the two kings, he at first sarcastically repeated
the encouraging words of the false prophets ; but when
Ahab insisted that he speak the truth, he announced the
death of Ahab and the defeat of Israel in the approaching
battle. The brave man was sent to prison for speaking

144. THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

unwelcome truth. Evidently Elijah was not the only true
prophet of Jehovah in Israel. Brave Micaiah is worthy
to be remembered along with the great Elijah (1 Kings
22).

Ahab fell in battle at Ramoth-gilead, as Micaiah had
foretold, and was succeeded by his son Ahaziah. When
this wicked king fell from the second story of his palace
and was sorely wounded, he sent messengers to Baal-
zebub, the god of Ekron, to inquire whether he would re-
cover. Elijah planted himself squarely in front of the
messengers, and sent them back to their master with the
announcement that he should certainly die. When the
king tried to arrest Elijah, fire came down and devoured
the first two captains and their men. The third was more
respectful to Jehovah's prophet. With him Elijah went
into the palace and repeated the prediction that Ahaziah
would not recover (2 Kings 1).

It was probably in the early part of the reign of
Jehoram of Israel that Elijah went up by a whirlwind
into heaven. Elisha kept close to his teacher all that
last day, knowing that he would not long be permitted
to enjoy his instruction. He longed greatly to be Elijah's
successor, and God granted his request. He returned to
the Jordan, after the ascension of Elijah, with Elijah's
mantle, and the waters parted for him as they had done
for his great teacher.

114. elisha's words and works

The sons of the prophets recognized Elisha as the
successor of Elijah, and bowed before him as their in-
structor and leader. Elisha was clothed with power by
the Spirit to work many miracles. While most of his
miracles were works of mercy, in at least two instances
he meted out justice to offenders. When the lads mocked
him he pronounced a curse upon them, and two she-bears
tore forty-two of the irreverent lads (2 Kings 2:23-25) ;

THE EARLY KINGS AND PROPHETS 145

and Gehazi was stricken with leprosy as a punishment for
lying and covetousness (2 Kings 5:20-27).

The following miracles of mercy were wrought by
Elisha :

(1) Healing the spring at Jericho by casting in salt
(2 Kings 2:19-22).

(2) Supplying the allied armies of Israel, Judah, and
Edom with water (2 Kings 3).

(3) Supplying oil to the widow for the redemption of
her sons (2 Kings 4: 1-7).

(4) Raising from the dead the son of the Shunam-
mite (2 Kings 4:8-37).

(5) Removing the bitter taste from the pottage (2
Kings 4: 38-41).

(6) Multiplying the loaves for the people (2 Kings
4:42-44).

(7) Healing Naaman's leprosy (2 Kings 5).

(8) Making the ax to swim (2 Kings 6: 1-7).

(9) Leading the Syrians into Samaria and sending
them away kindly (2 Kings 6:8-23).

Elisha also made the following predictions :

(1) Announcement of plenty in famished Samaria
(2 Kings 6:24 to 7:20).

(2) Warning the Shunammite of a seven-years' famine
(2 Kings 8:1-6).

(3) Prediction of Hazael's cruelty to Israel (2 Kings
8:7-15).

(4) Interview with Jehoash, and announcement of vic-
tory over Syria (2 Kings 13 : 14-19).

115. JEHU DESTROYS THE HOUSE OF AHAB

The house of Omri and Ahab was blotted out by
the fierce reformer Jehu. Elisha sent a young prophet
into the army to anoint Jehu as king. With his own
hands Jehu slew Joram, the last king of Ahab's line.
He also trampled Jezebel under foot as he drove into

146 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Jezreel (2 Kings 9). Jehu destroyed all the sons of
Ahab, and also slew all the worshipers of Baal; but he
retained the golden calves set up by Jeroboam the son
of Nebat. In his days the Syrians under Hazael made
serious inroads upon Israel, especially east of the Jordan
(2 Kings 10). Under his son and successor Jehoahaz,
Israel was brought low by the Syrians ; but under Jehoash
Israel regained its independence, as Elisha had predicted
on his death-bed.

116. CONTRAST BETWEEN ELIJAH AND ELISHA

Elijah and Elisha were quite unlike in their personal
history and in the character of their work. Elijah's home
was in the mountains of Gilead ; Elisha's in the hot Jordan
valley. Elijah seems to have owned nothing but a mantle
and girdle ; Elisha was the son of a man who could send
twelve plows to his field. Elijah was much alone, not
being magnetic and companionable; Elisha was the
trusted friend and counselor of kings, and the favorite
guest of both rich and poor. Elijah was the avenger and
destroyer; Elisha was the quiet statesman and religious
teacher, his miracles being chiefly works of mercy. The
words and deeds of Elijah remind us of John the Bap-
tist; the miracles of Elisha point to the work of Jesus.

Still it remains true that Elijah is the greater char-
acter. He ranks with Enoch and with Moses. He was
not, like John, a forerunner; for Elisha was merely his
greatest disciple.

Before taking up Jeroboam II., with whose reign three
of the Minor Prophets are associated, it will be well for
us to turn back for a rapid survey of the history in
Judah from the accession of Rehoboam in 931 B.C.

117. GLIMPSES OF JUDAH's EARLY KINGS

Rehoboam played the fool more than once. For a few

THE EARLY KINGS AND PROPHETS 147

years after the division of the kingdom he seems to have
been comparatively faithful to Jehovah ; but when he be-
came strong, he forsook the law of Jehovah. Shishak
invaded the land and plundered Jerusalem (2 Chron.
10 to 12). Rehoboam's son and successor, Abijah, was
successful in battle against Israel (2 Chron. 13).

Asa, the third king of Judah, was contemporary with
the first seven kings of Israel, coming to the throne in
the twentieth year of Jeroboam I., and continuing to the
fourth year of Ahab. He was victorious in battle with
the Ethiopians and Egyptians (2 Chron. 14). Asa
wrought reforms in Judah, and stirred up a revival. He
made the mistake of forming a league with the heathen
kingdom of Syria (2 Chron. 15, 16).

Jehoshaphat was a good king. His chief fault was his
readiness to join in with men like Ahab on some fool's
errand. Jehu the son of Hanani the seer rebuked him
for his alliance with the wicked Ahab. Jehoshaphat im-
proved the administration of justice among his people.
He was wonderfully delivered from a great invasion of
peoples from the east of the Dead Sea (2 Chron. 17
to 20).

Jehoshaphat made the mistake of taking Athaliah, the
daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, to be the wife of his son
Jehoram. The names of Jehoram and Athaliah are blots
on the pages of Judah's history. Jehoram's short reign
was full of sins and of calamities. Men were glad when
he was dead (2 Giron. 21).

118. THE PROPHECY OF OBADTAII

It is possible that the prophecy of Obadiah, which ap-
pears as fourth in the roll of the Minor Prophets, was
delivered about the close of Jehoram's reign (S45 B.C.).
Many good scholars put it shortly after 587 B.C. On
the whole, we prefer the early date, though fully aware
of the strong case that can be made out for a date shortly

148 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

after the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadrezzar.
Obadiah's message is directed against Edom. The
proud Edomites need not fancy that they are unassail-
able in their lofty fastnesses. Jehovah will bring them
down because of their violence and cruelty to Israel.
They took part with Judah's enemies and helped on the
calamity. Retribution shall certainly overtake them.
Jehovah's people shall again enjoy prosperity in their
own land. The most significant expression in the book is
the closing affirmation, "and the kingdom shall be Je-
hovah's" (Obadiah 1 to 21).

119. A CRISIS IN JUDAH

After the death of Jehoram, Ahaziah began to reign.
In less than a year he fell mortally wounded by Jehu's
archers. His mother Athaliah slew all the seed royal,
except the infant Joash, and seized the reins of govern-
ment. Baal worship was introduced into Jerusalem and
the temple was neglected. After six years of heathen
domination, Judah enjoyed a gracious revival under the
boy king Joash, who was guided by his benefactor, the
aged high priest Jehoiada. As long as Jehoiada lived,
Joash worshiped Jehovah and governed his people accord-
ing to the law. During the minority of Joash (about 830
B.C.), when the high priest directed affairs in Judah,
probably occurred the plague of locusts described by Joel.

120. THE PROPHECY OF JOEL

Joel was well acquainted with the priestly rites and
sacrifices. He was at home in the Temple. This renders
it probable that he lived in Jerusalem; and he may have
been a priest.

The prophet first describes a double scourge of locusts
and of drought. All classes are called upon to lament
and mourn over the desolation of the land. The priests

THE EARLY KINGS AND PROPHETS 149

are urged to sanctify a fast and call a solemn assembly
of all classes in the house of Jehovah. The prophet him-
self cries to Jehovah on behalf of his suffering people
(Joel i).

The prophet describes the approaching "Day of Jeho-
vah," under the figure of a yet more terrible scourge of
locusts. Seme think that the locusts are a figure for a
great army of men about to invade Judah. Whether lit-
eral locusts or men, the scourge threatens to break in
upon the land, and it is Jehovah who marshals the host.
Hence the call to repentance. If Jehovah can be per-
suaded to withhold the scourge, the land will not be dev-
astated. The call to repentance reveals Jehovah's mercy
and the sort of repentance that is acceptable in H:s eyes:
"yet even now, saith Jehovah, turn unto me with all your
heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with
mourning: and rend your heart and not your garments,
and turn unto Jehovah your God ; for He is gracious
and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in loving-
kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil" (Joel 2: 1-17).

Joel's message bore fruit. The repentance of the
people must have been deep and thorough ; for the
prophet tells us: "Then was Jehovah jealous for His
land, and had pity on His people" (Joel 2: 18). Jehovah
promises both material and spiritual blessings. He will
destroy the locusts and send seasonable rains, so that
there shall be abundant pasturage, grain, and fruits (Joel
2:19-27). He will also pour out His Spirit upon all
classes (Joel 2:28-32), a promise gloriously fulfilled at
Pentecost (Acts 2:14-21). Jehovah also promises to
destroy all nations that oppress His people. He will be
a refuge to Israel, and will dwell in Zion, His holy
mountain (Joel 3).

Joel is one of the most deeply spiritual of all the
prophets. We should naturally expect him to be mission-
ary also in his outlook ; but he describes the heathen only
in their attitude of opposition to Jehovah's kingdom.

150 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Isaiah and the later prophets will develop the missionary-
idea in all its glory. The prophet Jonah, about 800 B.C.,
shortly after Joel, according to our view, became a mis-
sionary to the capital of the heathen world.

121. FROM JOASH TO UZZIAH

King Joash repaired the temple of Jehovah. He seems
to have taken greater interest in the work than the priests
and Levites (2 Chron. 24:4-14). After the death of
Jehoiada, Joash fell into idolatry and other sins. He even
murdered the son of his great benefactor (2 Chron.
24:15-27).

Amaziah was an ambitious and vainglorious king.
After conquering the Edomites, he was foolish enough
to bring their gods to Jerusalem that he might worship
them. He challenged Jehoash of Israel to battle. He
was captured, and part of the wall of Jerusalem was
broken down by Jehoash (2 Chron. 25).

Uzziah (or Azariah) was one of Judah's strongest
kings. He was successful in war, and also built up the
agricultural resources of Judah. He reopened the trade
through the Red Sea. Toward the close of his reign he
tried to usurp the functions of the priest and offer
sacrifice in the temple. He was smitten with leprosy for
his sacrilege (2 Chron. 26). "In the year that king
Uzziah died," the greatest of the writing prophets re-
ceived his call to be a prophet (Isa. 6:1).

122. THE REIGN OF JEROBOAM II

This is a good place to leave off the story of Judah' s
early kings and prophets. We return now to the story
of Israel's prophets in the days of Jeroboam II. (790
to 750 B.C.).

In 2 Kings 14 : 25 we read of Jeroboam : "He restored

THE EARLY KINGS AND PROPHETS 151

the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath unto
the sea of the Arabah, according to the word of Jehovah,
the God of Israel, which He spake by His servant Jonah
the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gathhepher."
Israel's borders were enlarged by Jeroboam so as to in-
clude the country from the entrance of Hamath, in the
far north, to the Dead Sea, in the south. This era of
prosperity had been foretold by the prophet Jonah. It
was a privilege for the young prophet to announce to
his countrymen the good times ahead. Jonah did not re-
sist a call to the prophetic ministry. Patriot as he was,
he rejoiced to bear Jehovah's message of cheer to his
people. Jonah had almost certainly seen Elisha, and may
possibly have sat at his feet in one of the prophetic
schools. Happy in his ministry to Israel, he was one day
startled by a command to go far hence to the Gentiles.

123. JONAH AN UNWILLING FOREIGN MISSIONARY

"Now the word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the son
of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city,
and cry against it ; for their wickedness is come up be-
fore me" (Jonah 1 : 1,2). Instead of going to Nineveh,
Jonah rose up to flee to the farthest known point in the
opposite direction. Why did Jehovah's prophet behave
thus? He himself tells us, as he complains because Je-
hovah had decided to spare Nineveh : "O Jehovah, was
not this my saying, when I was yet in my country?
Therefore I hasted to flee unto Tarshish ; for I knew
that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger,
and abundant in lovingkindness, and repentest thee of
the evil" (Jonah 4:2). Jonah did not wish Nineveh
to be spared, lest it devour Israel with open mouth.
Jonah was an intense patriot, narrow-minded and ex-
clusive in his devotion to Israel's welfare.

Jehovah taught Jonah a lesson through the gourd that

152 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

came up to protect him from the rays of the sun. As
Jonah sat begging in anger that he might die because of
the loss of the grateful shade of the vine, Jehovah said:
"Thou hast had regard for the gourd, for which thou
hast not labored, neither madest it grow ; which came up
in a night, and perished in a night : and should not I have
regard for Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more
than a hundred and twenty thousand persons (infants)
that cannot discern between their right hand and their
left hand ; and also much cattle ?" Let these closing words
introduce us to the main lesson of the Book of Jonah.
God cares enough for a heathen city to send to it a true
prophet to warn its people of approaching destruction.
He accepts the repentance of the heathen, just as He does
that of His chosen people. If it was wrong in Jonah to
refuse to bear the message of Israel's God to a foreign
nation, it is even worse for us to refuse to carry the good
news about Jesus to peoples sitting in darkness and the
shadow of death.

124. AMOS AN AGGRESSIVE HOME MISSIONARY

Jonah probably prophesied about 800 B.C., just prior
to Jeroboam's accession to the throne of Israel (or
Ephraim). When Jeroboam's prosperous reign had
brought in luxury with its attendant evils, Jehovah sent
to Israel a missionary from Tekoa, in Judah. It was
only twenty-two miles from Tekoa, the home of Amos,
to Bethel, where he opened his ministry to Israel. Amos
could eat breakfast at home and take supper in Bethel.
The ministry of Amos probably came in the latter part
of the reign of Jeroboam II. (about 760 B.C.). He was
a herdsman and a dresser of sycomore trees. He was
not educated for a prophet ; but Jehovah called him from
his humble employment to bear His message to the North-
ern Kingdom. He was a keen observer of men and
things, burning with righteous indignation at the wrongs

THE EARLY KINGS AND PROPHETS 153

heaped upon the poor and helpless. He was a fearless
prophet of God, who would not be turned aside by threats
of violence.

125. JUDGMENT ON THE NATIONS

The text from which Amos preached was a trumpet
call to repentance : "Jehovah will roar from Zion" (Amos
1:2). The God of Israel will come to judgment. Amos
makes his appeal to conscience and reason.

Taking his stand at Bethel, perhaps on a feast day,
Amos begins by announcing the overthrow of Israel's
neighbors on account of their crimes. The heathen na-
tions are to be punished for cruelty or inhumanity in some
form. God holds them to a strict account for doing what
they knew to be wrong. Judah and Israel He judges by
a higher standard ; for they had the Law of Moses and
the teaching of the prophets to guide them in their moral
and social life. The prophet arraigns Israel for covetous-
ness, injustice, lasciviousness, and sacrilege ; also for hav-
ing forgotten Jehovah's kindness, and for having rejected
His messengers (Amos 1, 2).

126. THREE DISCOURSES ON ISRAELIS SINS

Three discourses on Israel's wickedness form the core
of the Book of Amos. He announces the certain and
terrible chastisements that are about to come upon the
sinful nation.

(1) Jehovah brought Israel — both Ephraim and Judah
— out of the land of Egypt, thus showing them favor
above all the peoples of the world. Would He hold them
accountable for their sins, or would they be excused as
the favorites of Jehovah? "You only have I known of
all the families of the earth ; therefore I will visit upon
you all your iniquities" (Amos 3:2). Privilege brings
corresponding responsibility. Amos cannot refrain from

154 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

prophesying, because he has heard in his soul the roar of
Jehovah's righteous wrath against Israel (Amos 3:3-8).
On account of violence and robbery, the rich and luxuri-
ous shall perish, and the idol altars and ivory palaces shall
be destroyed (Amos 3:9-15).

(2) Amos addresses the carousing and heathen women
as "cows of Bashan" (Amos 4:1-3). With biting sar-
casm, he invites the people to continue their sacrifices
before the altars of Bethel and Gilgal (4:4, 5). Jehovah
has sent chastisement after chastisement to turn Israel
away from sin, but all in vain. Therefore let Israel get
ready for a severer contest (4:6-13).

(3) The prophet's heart softens as he faces Israel's
sad future. He pleads earnestly with Israel to seek Je-
hovah and live. Bribery and injustice are visible on
every side; but Amos pleads for a radical change of
heart in Israel: "Hate the evil, and love the good, and
establish justice in the gate: it may be that Jehovah, the
God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of
Joseph." Moral reformation, if deep enough and thor-
ough enough, may avert exile (5:1-15). Amos pro-
nounces a woe upon the hypocrites who are wishing for
the Day of Jehovah: it can bring nothing but greater
distress to a people sunk in idolatry and injustice. The
prophet gives expression to one of the noblest appeals
ever uttered by a reformer: "But let justice roll down
as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream"
(5:16-27). A further woe is pronounced against the
luxurious oppressors who feel secure. Judgment will
overtake them; for Jehovah is going to send against
Israel a nation that shall afflict them in all their borders
(Amos 6). Amos evidently refers to Assyria, which
first came into hostile contact with Israel under Ahab at
the battle of Karkar in 854 B.C. Jehu paid tribute to
Assyria in 842 B.C. During the greater part of the reign
of Jeroboam II., Assyria was weak; but in 746 B.C. a
great general came to the throne, and Assyria went forth

THE EARLY KINGS AND PROPHETS 155

to conquer the world. Amos foretells the coming in-
vasion.

127. FIVE VISIONS AND A STIRRING ENCOUNTER

The last three chapters of the Book of Amos relate five
visions concerning Israel. (1) The prophet sees locusts
eating up the land : he intercedes for Israel, and the
scourge is not allowed to come in. (2) When fire threat-
ens to burn up the land, Amos again prays for Jacob,
and God withholds the threatened visitation (Amos
7: 1-6). (3) Amos sees a plumbline in Jehovah's hand,
and is told that judgment must come upon Israel : the
idol altars shall be desolate, and Jehovah will "rise against
the house of Jeroboam with the sword" (7: 7-9).

This last sentence gave the priest of Bethel the open-
ing he had been seeking for. He longed to be rid of Amos
and his stern preaching, and this reference to the king
seemed to give him a weapon with which to run Amos
out of the country. He sends a messenger to Jeroboam
to inform him that Amos has conspired against him.
Meantime the priest urges Amos to seek a living in Judah.
He wishes Amos to know that he is not popular in
Israel, and that a rustic prophet is out of place in the
cultivated community at Bethel (7:10-13). Amos an-
swers with heat that he is no professional prophet, but
a man with a call direct from Jehovah (7: 14-17). God
reserves the right to choose His messengers, and He
sometimes takes men from humble callings. A "conse-
crated cobbler" became the great leader in the modern
missionary movement.

(4) Amos beheld in vision a basket of summer fruit.
Iniquity was ripe for punishment (Amos 8). (5) Finally
the prophet saw Jehovah preparing to destroy the sanc-
tuary at Bethel and to punish the idolaters. But Jehovah
would preserve every kernel, while sifting out the chaff
(9:1-10).

156 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

The book closes with a prediction of better days for
Israel and the house of David (9: 11-15).

128. IIOSEA THE PROPHET OF THE BROKEN HEART

Hosea began to prophesy toward the close of the reign
of Jeroboam II. The Indian summer of Israel's history
was fast passing over into the winter of their discontent.
After Jeroboam came a period of anarchy and confusion.
Zechariah was slain after a reign of six months; Shallum
after only one month. A dozen years later Pckahiah was
assassinated by Pekah, who afterwards met the same fate
at the hands of Hoshea, the last king of Kphraim. All
these were ungodly rulers, the morals of the nation sink-
ing to the lowest ebb. The language of the prophet is
influenced by the confusion about him in the nation and
in his own home, lie writes in broken sentences, be-
cause his heart is broken. Sin is everywhere. "There
is nought but swearing and breaking faith, and killing,
and stealing, and committing adultery ; they break out,
and blood toucheth blood" (Hosea 4:2).

Of all the views concerning the marriage of Hosea, that
advocated by Kirkpatrick and others seems to be the
best. Hosea was directed to marry a woman given to
idolatry — an idolatry which was often associated with
licentiousness, although his bride was not an actually
unchaste woman at first, but only a spiritual adulteress.
She bore to the prophet three children, to whom sym-
bolical names were given. Later on idolatry brought
forth its natural fruitage, and Hosea's wife became an
actual adulteress. Whether she then deserted Hosea, or
whether he divorced her, we are not told. Now Hosea
could understand why Jehovah was grieved with unfaith-
ful Israel to the point of casting her off. The unspeak-
able love and compassion of God for His unfaithful
spouse prepared Hosea in some measure to obey the
divine command to recover his own unfaithful wife and

THE EARLY KINGS AND PROPHETS 157

restore her to his home. Hosea's bitter domestic sorrow
became an object lesson for himself and his people. His
heart was almost broken by shame and grief, but he was
thereby fitted to portray the heinousness of apostasy, on
the one hand, and, on the other, Jehovah's tenderness and
compassion toward His unfaithful people.

129. HOSEA REVEALS THE HEART OF GOD

Hosea expresses the divine jealousy as no other prophet
could express it. He pictures Jehovah as a moth consum-
ing Ephraim. He piles up figures to set forth the fierce-
ness of His jealousy: "Therefore am I unto them as a
lion; as a leopard will I watch by the way; I will meet
them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will
rend the caul of their heart ; and there will I devour them
like a lioness; the wild beast shall tear them" (Hosea
13:7,8). V

Are we sorry that Jehovah is jealous? What does jeal-
ousy imply? Out of what does it grow? Is it not love
that prompts to jealousy? Can one be jealous without
loving? Let us rejoice that God is jealous, when we for-
sake Him in our hearts to go off after any sort of idol.

Jehovah's deep love for Israel finds a voice in Hosea
11 : 8, 9 : "How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall
I cast thee off, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah?
how shall I set thee as Zeboim? My heart is turned
within Me, My compassions are kindled together. I will
not execute the fierceness of Mine anger, I will not re-
turn to destroy Ephraim : for I am God, and not man ;
the Holy One in the midst of thee; and I will not come
in wrath."

Our Lord Jesus quotes Hosea 6 : 6, one of the greatest
verses in the book : "For I desire goodness, and not sac-
rifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt-
offerings."

The closing chapter of the book is truly beautiful. The

158 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

superiority of Jehovah over all the gods of the heathen
lies chiefly in His goodness and mercy (Hosea 14:3).
The love and free grace of Jehovah are beautifully set
forth in 14 : 4-8. The strength and beauty and fragrance
of piety are illustrated in the people on whom Jehovah
descends as the dew.

Chapter X

THE GOLDEN AGE OF PROPHECY

130. uzziah's prosperous reign

UZZIAH'S reign in Judah was perhaps the most pros-
perous since Solomon's. In the year that this strong
king died, Isaiah received his call to be a prophet. The
country had enjoyed an era of agricultural and commer-
cial development under Uzziah. Tribute flowed in from
the Ammonites, and the avenue of trade through the Red
Sea was open, as in the days of Solomon. The country
was at peace with its neighbors. Wealth increased in the
hands of the nobility and other landowners. Luxury,
with its attendant train of evils, entered Jerusalem. There
was sore need of a prophet to call the people to repen-
tance and reformation.

131. isaiah's vision and call

A young man of rare culture found himself caught
up in vision into the heavenly temple. "In the year that
king Uzziah died," he writes, MI saw the Lord sitting
upon a throne, high and lifted up, the skirts of His train
filling the temple. Above Him were standing the sera-
phim, each one having six wings ; with two he was accus-
tomed to cover his face, and with two he would cover
his feet, and with two he would fly. And one kept call-
ing to another, savin?, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of
hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory. And the
foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him
that cried, and the house was filling with smoke. Then
said I, Woe is me ! for I am undone ; because I am a man

159

160 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of
unclean lips : for mine eyes have seen the King, Jehovah
of hosts."

It was commonly believed in Israel that a vision of
Jehovah meant death to a sinner. The vivid narrative
continues : "Then flew one of the seraphim unto me,
having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with
the tongs from off the altar: and he touched my mouth
with it, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and
thine iniquity shall depart, and thy sin shall be covered.
And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall
I send, and who will go for us? Then I said, Here
am I; send me."

It was not presumption on the part of the prophet to
tender his services in the spirit of a volunteer; for he
could not doubt that he had been brought into the pres-
ence of the King for this very purpose. Had he known
how hard and discouraging his work would be, he might
have hesitated to volunteer. Now follows his commis-
sion: "And He said, Go, and tell this people, Keep on
hearing, but perceive not ; keep on seeing, but understand
not. Make fat the heart of this people, and make their
ears heavy, and shut (smear over) their eyes; lest they
see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and perceive
with their heart, and turn again, and get healed."

We can well understand how the young prophet would
be distressed at such a dismal prospect, and would wish
to know whether light would yet break out of the dark-
ness. "Then said I, Lord, how long? And He answered,
Until cities be waste without inhabitant, and houses with-
out man, and the land become utterly waste, and Jehovah
have removed man far away, and the forsaken places be
many in the midst of the land. And if there be yet a
tenth in it, it also shall in turn be consumed: as a tere-
binth, and as an oak, whose stock (stump) remaineth,
when they are felled; so the holy seed is the stock
thereof." A small remnant shall be saved out of the over-

THE GOLDEN AGE OF PROPHECY lGl

throw. The preservation of this pious remnant becomes
a characteristic doctrine in Isaiah.

132. ISAIAH S EARLY MINISTRY

There was work for the young prophet to do while
his country was yet prosperous and secure. He de-
nounced the sins that were rife in Jerusalem. Isaiah
was almost certainly brought up and educated in the
capital city of Judah, and all his thoughts center in her.
How he loved Jerusalem and longed to see her the joy
of the whole earth! He has done more than any other
prophet to paint the contrast between the actual Jeru-
salem and the ideal. His words have done much to make
Zion the religious capital of the world, the city that pious
souls see in their dreams, the type of the heavenly city,
the New Jerusalem that is to come down from God out
of heaven.

Chapters 2 to 4 perhaps were spoken during the pros-
perous reign of Jotham, about 738 B.C. First comes a
splendid picture of Zion exalted at the head of the world's
mountains, the rallying point of all nations, where Jeho-
vah teaches men His law and decides all controversies.
War, that dreadful scourge of nations, disappears forever
(Isa. 2:2-4). This beautiful prophecy of Zion's ulti-
mate glory is also found in Micah 4:1-3. The great
prophet of the city and his contemporary from the coun-
try town of Moresheth-gath unite in picturing the glori-
ous Zion of the future.

But the actual Jerusalem stands in striking contrast
with Jehovah's thought for her. The land is full of
soothsayers, of the idle rich, of rattling chariots, and,
what is worse than all, idols abound. Jehovah must
come to judgment with His sinful people. He will de-
stroy the things that minister to pride, and will give the
land up to anarchy and ruin. The grasping rulers and
the dress-loving women shall be severely punished. The

162 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

prophet dumps the finery of the fashionable woman of
the time all in a heap before our eyes (Isa. 2: 5 to 4: 1)

He closes with a picture of the chastened and purified
Jerusalem of the future enjoying the protecting presence
of Jehovah, as did Israel in the march through the wilder-
ness to Canaan (4:2-6).

Perhaps chapter 5 belongs to this same period of pros-
perity, before the weakling Ahaz came to the throne.
I he prophet wins a hearing by proposing to sing a song
concerning a vineyard. He describes a disappointing
Vineyard, and then suddenly identifies it with Israel and
Judah (Isa. 5:1-7).

The prophet proceeds to pronounce a series of woes on
six different classes of sinners. If,- firsl arraigns the

land sharks. Monopoly will overreach ; | lead to

lation (5:8-10). Drunken revelers are next at-
tacked. The drink problem confron ,h, as it has
faced earnest patriots in all age.. Cv, :^\ch
always accompanies intemperance, ia pushing into
ca_plivity (5:11-17). Woe to defiant, sinful unbeliei
(5:18,19)! Woe to the pcrverters of moral distinc-
tions, who try to erase the line separating right and
wrong (5:20) ! A woe is next pronounced on the con-
ceited politicians (5:21). The concluding woe is aimed
at the drunken, corrupt judges (5 : 22. 23).

The address closes with a vivid tion of the com-

ing of a fierce invading army (5:24-30).

Such pungent preaching ought to have awakened the
rulers and the people of Judah to the dangers gathering
hke storm clouds over the land ; but men were too intent
on business or pleasure to heed the brilliant prophet's
warnings.

133.

ISAIAH FACES A CRISIS

Jotham, who had been regent for several vears before
the death of his father Uzziah, had only a brief separate

THE GOLDEN AGE OF PROPHECY 163

reign. He was succeeded by the weak Ahaz, who was
completely under the influence of the heathen party at
court. He plunged into idolatry in its coarsest and most
cruel forms (2 Chron. 28 : 1-4) . During the early part
of the reign of Ahaz war broke out between Judah and
the allied kings of Syria and Israel. It would seem that
Rezin and Pekah wished to form an alliance of all the
kings in Syria and Palestine against the Assyrians, who
were becoming more and more aggressive under the mili-
tary genius Tiglath-pileser III. (745 to 727 B.C.). When
Ahaz refused to join the league, Rezin and Pekah re-
solved to dethrone him and put one of their own tools
on the throne of Judah. Isaiah pictures the consterna-
tion in Judah when the news came that Syria and Israel
were about to attack Jerusalem (Isa. 7:1, 2). What
could Ahaz do to stem the tide of invasion? Would it
not be wise to ask the Assyrians for aid in this crisis?
The more the politicians at court discussed the matter
in secret council, the more the plan of inviting aid from
Tiglath-pileser commended itself to them as a politic
stroke. Isaiah thought otherwise. He foresaw that the
Assyrians would fasten the yoke on Judah, as well as
on Syria and Israel.

The war at first went greatly in favor of the allied
kings. The army of Judah suffered serious defeat in
the field (2 Chron. 28:5-15). Jerusalem resisted attack
successfully; but the enemy would probably return to
besiege her. Hence Ahab sent messengers to Tiglath-
pileser with a large present of money to obtain his aid.
Nothing could please the Assyrian conqueror more than
to hear that the petty kings of Syria had fallen out
among themselves, and that one of them wished his help
against the others. He promptly set his forces in motion
against Rezin and Pekah.

Isaiah sought an interview with Ahaz, as the king was
outside the city looking after his water supply in the
event of a siege. The prophet tried to encourage the king

164 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

to be quiet and fear not on account of the schemes of
the two petty kings on his northern border. He warned
Ahaz against unbelief (Isa. 7:3-9). In a second inter-
view Isaiah offers Ahaz a sign to strengthen his faith ;
but the king, in mock piety, declines to tempt Jehovah by
asking a sign. Jehovah's messenger loses all patience with
the unbelieving trickster, and announces the birth of Im-
manuel. The Assyrians, whom Ahaz has recently invited
into the land, will shave Judah clean from top to toe
(7:10-25).

Perhaps the first chapter in the roll of Isaiah belongs
to this first political crisis in Isaiah's ministry. Judah
had been overrun and devastated by the forces of Rezin
and Pekah. Jerusalem itself was in a state of siege.
The moral condition of the city was deplorable. The
princes and judges took bribes and consorted with thieves.
This chapter has been well called by Ewald "the great
arraignment." The prophet first rebukes the nation for
its ingratitude, folly, and stubborn rebellion ( 1 : 2-9). He
then shows that observance of the Mosaic ritual is no
substitute for right living. Formal and heartless wor-
ship is an abomination to Jehovah ; but repentance and
obedience will bring forgiveness and safety (1:10-20).
He closes, after a contrast between Jerusalem's former
purity and present corruption, with a prediction that the
city shall be thoroughly purged by the destruction of
transgressors, a holy remnant being left (1 : 21-31). The
picture of the strong sinner as tow and his own work as
the spark to set him on fire is very suggestive. Sin is a
fire. As long as sin rules in a man he is a son of hell
and will be aflame from his own deeds.

The Syrian crisis passed. At first it seemed that the
policy adopted by Ahaz in calling in the Assyrians might
be justified by the outcome. The Syrians and Ephraim-
ites withdrew from Judah to look after their own coun-
tries, which were overrun by the fierce Assyrian soldiers.
But soon it became evident to all that Tiglath-pileser

THE GOLDEN AGE OF PROPHECY 165

would demand an annual tribute from Judah, as well as
from Syria and Ephraim. From the beginning Isaiah had
looked upon the Assyrians, not as allies and friends, but
as a menace to the very life of the kingdom of Jehovah
as represented by the people of Judah. During the nearly
forty years in which he continued to prophesy in Jeru-
salem the Assyrian was constantly in his thoughts.

134. JEHOVAH AND ASSYRIA

When the Assyrian River overflowed its banks and
swept onward into Judah, reaching to the neck, Isaiah
heartened himself by presenting the danger to Immanuel,
the divine owner of the land. He who bore that noble
name — "God with us" — would be a defense against all
foes. Let Judah fear to sin against Jehovah, who dwells
in Mount Zion. Those who turn to wizards and necro-
mancers will only go on into blacker darkness of despair
(Isa. 8).

Isaiah soon saw that Jehovah was using the Assyrian
as a rod with which to chastise Israel and Judah. But
the proud Assyrian took quite a different view of the
situation. To him Jehovah was only the god of a small
nation, and not to be compared with Asshur and Ishtar,
whom the Assyrians worshiped. The Assyrian king never
dreamed that he was merely an instrument in the hands
of Jehovah. Isaiah claimed him as such from his first
entrance into Judah. Soon the prophet began to an-
nounce the ultimate overthrow of the Assyrian in the
Holy Land. This message he repeated many times. Per-
haps the skeptics mocked as the years went by, and the
Assyrians still lorded it over Judah and all the other
peoples in Syria and Palestine. But Isaiah kept on pre-
dicting that Jehovah would tread the Assyrian under foot
on His mountains (Isa. 10:12, 15-19, 24-27, 33, 34;
14:24-27; 17:12-14; 29:5-8; 30:27-33; 31:8,9;
33: 1-12; 37:29). He makes it plain that the blow is

166 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

to be a supernatural stroke, and not a victory achieved by
man : "And the Assyrian shall fall by the sword, not of
man ; and the sword, not of men, shall devour him."

135. ISAIAH AND SENNACHERIB

In 701 B.C. Sennacherib invaded Judah at the head of
an immense army of trained soldiers. Forty-six fortified
cities fell before the battering-rams of the besiegers.
More than two hundred thousand persons were swept
away into exile. Hezekiah was shut up like a bird in a
cage in Jerusalem. The proud Assyrian was sweeping
all before him. He sent a part of his army, under Rab-
shakeh, to demand the keys of the capital city. He ridi-
culed the idea that Jehovah would deliver Jerusalem out
of his hands. When Rabshakeh's mission failed. Senna-
cherib wrote a letter to Hezekiah, warning him that no
gods had ever delivered their lands out of his hand-.

How, then, could Jehovah save Jerusalem from nil

In this crisis all eyes are turned to1. iah. Hi

kiali asks him to pray for the remnant left in the land.
Isaiah predicts that Sennacherib shall leave Judah and
return to his own land. Jehovah is God of all the earth,
though the Assyrian knows it not. Through Isaiah He
replies to the challenge of the Assyrian : "Because of thy
raging against Me, and because thine arrogancy is come
up into Mine ears, therefore will I put My hook in thy
nose, and My bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back
by the way which thou earnest" (Isa. 37:29).

Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia and Egypt, tried in vain
to drive Sennacherib out of Judah. The Assyrians were
preparing to close in upon Jerusalem and capture it, when
a sudden disaster of supernatural proportions overtook
them. In one night one hundred and eighty-five thousand
soldiers perished (Isa. 37:36-3SV Isaiah's prophetic
foresight was at last vindicated. For the few remaining

THE GOLDEN AGE OF PROPHECY 167

years of Hezekiah's reign he was perhaps greatly hon-
ored by both king and people.

136. hezekiah's good reign

Hezekiah reversed the religious policy of his father
Ahaz, and at the very beginning of his reign cleansed the
temple and made provision for the worship of Jehovah
according to the Law of Moses. He decided to keep the
Passover in the second month, as the temple was not
ready in time to celebrate it in the first month. He also
encouraged many to take part in the feast who had not
made the proper preparation for doing so. The pious
king prayed Jehovah to overlook the irregularity and to
accept the worshipers. He also made provision for the
support of the priests and Levites. "And in every work
that he began in the service of the house of God, and in
the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he
did it with all his heart, and prospered" (2 Chron' 29
to 31).

Hezekiah was perplexed by the political questions that
confronted him. Some of his courtiers favored an al-
liance with Egypt against Assyria. They hoped in this
way to escape the heavy annual tribute demanded by the
Assyrian king. Isaiah opposed this policy with great
earnestness. He estimated Egypt and Ethiopia at their
real strength, and foretold that the Assyrian would con-
quer them. The folly of trusting in Egypt and Ethiopia
is the theme of several discourses (Isa. 18 to 20; 30: 1-7;
31:1-3). Hezekiah was finally won over by the Egyp-
tian party to rebel against the Assyrians, relying upon
Egypt for help. We have already seen that he was
brought low, and but for the sword of Jehovah, which
destroyed the greater part of Sennacherib's army, Heze-
kiah would have been captured and all his people swept
into exile. Isaiah, the inspired statesman, was shown to

168 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

be wiser than the politicians who insisted on an alliance
with Egypt.

137. THE MESSIANIC KING

To speak of Isaiah and omit his prophecies of the Mes-
siah would be to leave out the heart of his message.
Already in the days of Ahaz he predicted the birth of a
son who should bear the great name Immanuel — "God
with us" (Isa. 7: 14-16). Taken alone, this prophecy
is very much of an enigma ; and so the commentators
have a good time speculating on its meaning. We can
understand it better in connection with the other Mes-
sianic prophecies in Isaiah. In 8:8 Isaiah suddenly ad-
dresses Immanuel as the owner and protector of Judah.
We might even yet think that we were dealing with a
purely imaginary character; hut I-aiah 9:1-7 and
11: 1-10 make it plain that Isaiah expected a great De-
liverer to sit on the throne of David. I lis name shows
that He is more than a mere man. The best grouping
makes the name fourfold — "Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." The
Prince bearing this great name is to sit on the throne of
David.

Isaiah 11:1-10 adds to the picture several important
touches. The Messianic King is to spring from the stock
of Jesse. The Spirit of Jehovah will equip Him for His
work. Pie administers justice with supernatural skill.
His reign will introduce the era of perfect peace, all de-
structive activity ceasing in the entire animal creation.
Moreover, the Gentiles will come to the Messiah. For
additional glimpses of the Messianic King see Isaiah
16:5; 32:1-5.

138. ISAIAH AND THE EXILE

In the midst of Isaiah's ministry Samaria fell into

THE GOLDEN AGE OF PROPHECY 169

the hands of the Assyrian, and her people were carried
away to the Far East. The idea of an exile was often in
the prophet's mind. It was a present reality for Israel,
and he often asked himself whether Judah would not also
be swept away before the invaders. Sennacherib claims
to have carried into exile over two hundred thousand of
the people of Judah. But Isaiah was sure that Assyria
would not swallow up Judah. Jehovah would crush the
Assyrian with miraculous power.

Isaiah predicted that Babylon would carry the Judeans
into captivity (Isa. 39). Micah also named Babylon as
the scene of the exile of Judah (Micah 4:9, 10). For
additional references to captivity, see Isaiah 6:11-13;
5:13.

Does Isaiah foretell the return from exile? If he is
the author of all parts of the roll bearing his name, as
was almost universally believed until 1780 A.D., he cer-
tainly predicted the return many times and in striking
sentences. Recent radical criticism finds at least three
main authors in the roll of Isaiah, and possibly a goodly
number of editors. Here again subjective criticism must
be checked by common sense. Of course, only one believ-
ing in supernatural revelation can accept the great proph-
ecy in Isaiah 40 to 66 as coming from a prophet of the
eighth century B.C. How could Isaiah describe the ca-
reer of a king born more than a century after his own
death ? Many noble Christian scholars have accepted the
view that the last twenty-seven chapters of Isaiah are the
work of a prophet of the Exile contemporary with Cyrus
the Great (550 to 529 B.C.). Canon Driver and Dr.
George Adam Smith have argued with great skill and
earnestness for the correctness of this view. Still, the
argument is by no means all one way. We prefer to treat
the roll of Isaiah as a unity. In almost all the sections
transferred by the divisive critics to the sixth century or
later there are predictions of a return from the Exile
(Isa. 14:1,2; 27:12,13; 35:10; 44:24-28; 45:13;

170 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

48 : 20, 21 ; 49 : 8-26 ; 51 : 3, 1 1, 14 ; 52 : 7-12, etc.) . Micah,
Isaiah's contemporary, also predicted the return from cap-
tivity (Micah 4:6-10; 7:11-13).

139. THE POOK OF COMFORT

There is a shorter book of comfort in Isaiah 24 to 27.
In it are found some of the most beautiful passages in
the roll of Isaiah. What could be more beautiful and
touching than the picture of the feast spread by Jeh<
in Mount Zion for all the peoples of the earth? "And
He will destroy in this mountain the face of the cover-
ing that covereth all peoples, and the veil that is spread
over all nations. He hath swallowed up death forever ;
and the Lord Jehovah will wipe away tears from oft' all
faces'1 ( tsa. 25:6-8). The grace and t- • | of God

arc here in perfection. Chapter 26 not only contains the
promise of the resurrection of dead Israel, but also an
assurance that has guided many into the way of peace:
"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose imagination
is stayed on Thee; because he trusteth in Thee"

But Isaiah 40 to 66 is justly entitled "V '. of

Comfort;" for the saints for more than two thousand
years have bound up their broken hearts with its com-
forting promises. It is full of descriptions of God's
character and of His plans for His distressed people.
We are in sight of God or the Suffering Servant or the
Holy Spirit all the way through. God tells of the good
things He means to do for His people. There is no
better way of comforting the saints than to fill their minds
and hearts with the sense of God's power and wisdom
and goodness and free grace. A vision of the Sen-ant of
Jehovah suffering instead of the sinner also melts the
heart to tears of gratitude. And when the Spirit draws
the veil from the future and lets the believer see some of
the glories that await him, this, too, strengthens the heart
to bear present trials and afflictions.

THE GOLDEN AGE OF PROPHECY 171

140. THE PROPHET'S TEACHING CONCERNING GOD

Who ever described the might and the tenderness of
God as they are pictured in Isaiah 40 : 10, 11 ? The figure
of the conquering king is quickly followed by that of
the good shepherd. What theologian ever impressed on
the mind of man the power and wisdom of God as the
prophet does in 40: 12-31? Such a Personality cannot
forget His people in their distress. They shall have
strength for all their duties — their commonplace tasks as
well as their more notable achievements (Isa. 40:31).

No other writer surpasses Isaiah in persuasive appeal
to a higher faith. Take a few out of many examples:
"Thou art My servant; I have chosen thee and not cast
thee away; fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not
dismayed, for I am thy God ; I will strengthen thee ; yea,
I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right
hand of My righteousness'' (41:9,10). "Fear not, for
I have redeemed thee; I have called thee by thy name;
thou art Mine. When thou passest through the waters
I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall
not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire,
thou shalt not be burned ; neither shall the flame kindle
upon thee" (43:2). "Remember these things, O Jacob,
and Israel; for thou art My servant: I have formed
thee; thou art My servant: O Israel, thou shalt not
be forgotten of Me. I have blotted out, as a thick
cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: re-
turn unto Me; for I have redeemed thee" (44:21,22).

Here are many precious and exceeding great promises :
"And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will
answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear"
(65 : 24) . "As one whom his mother comf orteth, so will
I comfort you ; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem"
(66:13).

The merciful and loving God is seen in all the wealth
of His sympathy : "In all their affliction He was afflicted,

PHE in.AK v o\ nil 01 D n STAMBti r

ami i tlu m : in His love

ami in 1 [is pit) 1 Le redeemed t' -

.cm all ti Id" (63

141. Tiir PIOPB

In Isaiah 40 to 55 the word j

I
ngular throughout tl

to K:.u 1 in BOOM

it a'

.'. iilenti:

— th<

.■A. as He Wl

rform.

!

Suffering S

fall
. h. The

- is the

the

and
I

THE GOLDEN AGE OF PROPHECY 173

b. "Rejected of men" (53:1-3). He came unto His
own, and they received Him not.

c. The Servant's sufferings are vicarious (53:4-6).
He takes the place of the guilty and dies in their stead.
The doctrine of substitutionary suffering is taught over
and over again in these verses. Is there a greater verse
in the Old Testament than Isaiah 53 : 5 ? It is the Old
Testament equivalent of John 3 : 16. Let its words ring
in our souls forever: "But He was wounded for our
transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities ; the
chastisement of our peace was upon Him ; and with His
stripes we are healed." We may translate the first half
of the verse more literally : "But He was pierced through
(mortally wounded) for our transgressions, He was
crushed for our iniquities. "

d. The Servant, innocent as a lamb, goes to death
without resistance (53:7-9). Pilate marveled at the
silence of Jesus.

e. The Servant's death, far from being an accident,
was in Jehovah's plan for human redemption. The Serv-
ant will be satisfied with the results of His travail
(53:10-12).

The New Testament application of this great prophecy
to Jesus is not an accommodation of words originally
spoken of Israel as a nation, but a recognition of the
fact that the prophet painted in advance a portrait of
which Jesus Christ is the original.

142. the prophet's teaching as to the future of
god's kingdom

From Isaiah 2 : 2-4 we learn that the world is to get its
religion from Zion. In Isaiah 19 : 24, 25, is a prediction
that the world empires will one day unite with Israel in
the worship of Jehovah. The God of Israel admits the
great heathen nations to fellowship with His people and
with Himself. He will make a feast for all nations on

174 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Mount Zion and wipe tears from off all faces (Isa.
25:6-8). Zion will be greatly enlarged as a result of
the Servant's sufferings (chapter 54). She will yet shine
resplendent, and be the center of the world's worship
(chapters 60, 62). The most distant future will reveal
the safety and the glory of Zion (65: 17-25; 66: 10-14).

143. THE MINISTRY OF MICA II

Micah was contemporary with [saiah, and is worthy
to be associated with that wonderful genius. He is vig-
orous and fearless in denunciation of wrong, and clear
and forceful in his doctrinal teaching, and tender and
persuasive in appeal. He reveals the source of his fear-
less denunciation of wrong, when b "But as for
me, I am full of power by the Spirit of Jehovah, and of
judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his trans-
gression, and to Israel his sin" (Micah 3:8). He arraigns
the political and religious rulers as the leaders in sin :
"Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob,
and rulers of the house of Israel, that abhor justice, and
pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood, and
Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for
reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the
prophets thereof divine for money : yet they lean upon
Jehovah, and say, Is not Jehovah in the mid ? no
evil shall come upon us.'' Was there ever a more pungent
indictment of a nation's ruling cl What must be
the outcome of such conduct? "Therefore shall Zion
for your sake be plowed as a held, and Jerusalem shall
become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high
places of a forest" (Micah 3:9-12).

The prophet's burning words went home to the con-
science, and Hezekiah prayed to Jehovah for forgiveness
(Jer. 26:17-19).

It was Micah who foretold that the great Ruler of the
future would come out of little Bethlehem (Micah

THE GOLDEN AGE OF PROPHECY 175

5:2-6). He describes the future glory of the pious
remnant of Jacob under the figure of the refreshing dew
and of the mighty lion (5:7-9).

Micah's greatest contribution to the religious thought
and life of the world is his admirable summary of Jeho-
vah's requirements (Micah 6:6-8). He asks not for
sacrifices nor gifts. "He hath showed thee, O man, what
is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to
do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with
thy God?"

Chapter XI

DRIFTING TOWARD CAPTIVITY

WITH the passing of Isaiah and Micah and Ilczckiah,
three great and good men whose were not

far apart, Jndah fell upon evil times. Even with these
great men to guide her affairs, Judah had suffered seri-
ously from the in invasion under Sennacherih.
The country was impoverished, and many of the inhabi-
tants swept into exile.

144. MANASSEII'S LONG AND WICKED REIGN

I Iezekiah was succeeded in 698 B.C. by his son Man-
asseh, a boy of twelve years. '1 he heathen party at once
assumed control. The historian says of Manasseh : "And
he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts
of the house of Jehovah. He al^o made his children to
pass through the fire in the valley of the son of Hinnom ;
and he practiced augury, and dealt with them that had
familiar spirits, and with wizards : he wrought much evil
in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke Him to anger." "And
Manasseh seduced Judah and the inhabitants of Jeru-
salem, so that they did evil more than did the nations
whom Jehovah destroyed before the children of Israel"
(2 Chron. 33:1-9).

The God of Israel sent prophets to warn Manasseh;
but he gave no heed. According to a Jewish tradition,
the prophet Isaiah was sawn asunder by his order. Per-
haps this tradition is untrustworthy; but it is an evi-
dence of the evil name left in Judah by the cruel king.
The author of 2 Kings adds to his indictment of this

17G

DRIFTING TOWARD CAPTIVITY 177

wicked man, "Moreover, Manasseh shed innocent blood
very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to
another" (2 Kings 21:16).

Manasseh's reign really decided the fate of Judah. He
made it well-nigh impossible for a good king like Josiah
or a great prophet like Jeremiah to wean the people from
idolatry and heathen immorality. "And Jehovah spake
by His servants the prophets, saying, Because Manasseh
king of Judah hath done these abominations, and hath
done wickedly above all that the Amorites did, that were
before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his
idols; therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel,
Behold, I bring such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that
whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle" (2
Kings 21:10-15). Captivity became inevitable through
Manasseh's long and wicked reign.

When Manasseh was bound by the Assyrians and taken
in fetters to Babylon, he repented and prayed God for
forgiveness. He was restored to his land, and there tried
to undo the work of his previous life. He was only par-
tially successful (2 Chron. 33: 10-20).

Amon imitated his father's wicked practices during his
brief reign (2 Chron. 33:21-25).

145. josiah's good reign

Josiah was the last good king of Judah. He came to
the throne as a boy of eight. In the eighth year of his
reign he began to seek after Jehovah, and in the twelfth
year he began to break down the images of Baal and
Astarte. In the eighteenth year of his reign (623 B.C.)
Josiah repaired the temple. Hilkiah the high priest found
in the temple a copy of the book of the law, which he
delivered to Shaphan the scribe, who read it and then
brought it to the attention of king Josiah. As soon as
the book was read before the pious king, he rent his gar-
ments as a sign of his grief and fear, and sent messengers

178 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

to inquire of Jehovah what he should do (2 Kings
22:1-13). The messengers inquired of Huldah the
prophetess, who informed them that the threats of the
book of the law would be fulfilled. Because of Josiah's
humility and penitence, the evil should not come in his
days (2 Kings 22: 14-20).

Josiah assembled his people to hear the words of the
newly-found book of the covenant, and led them to
promise to stand to the covenant. He then went forth
to destroy idol images in Jerusalem and throughout his
realm. With iconoclastic zeal he broke in pieces all the
pillars, and cut down the wooden images of Astarte, and
defiled with dead men's bones the places of idol worship.
He showed no mercy to idolatry and superstition, but
smote them hip and thigh (2 Kings 23:1-25). So far
as the king could elevate the moral and religious life of
his people he did so. During the latter part of Josiah's
reign there was outward conformity to the law of Jeho-
vah; but the hearts of the people were largely set on
idols, and they were only waiting for a change of kings
to plunge once again into heathen license. It was a sad
day for Jeremiah and the spiritual element in Judah, when
Josiah was brought home from Megiddo dead in his
chariot (2 Chron. 35:20-27).

146. NAHUM ANNOUNCES THE FALL OF NINEVEH

The prophecy of Nahum has for its theme the ap-
proaching capture and sack of the cruel capital of the
Assyrian empire. The character of Jehovah is the foun-
dation on which Nahum builds : "Jenovan *s a jealous
God and avengeth; Jehovah avengeth and is full of
wrath ; Jehovah taketh vengeance on his adversaries, and
He reserveth wrath for His enemies" (Nah. 1:2). The
side of retributive righteousness is turned toward the
cruel oppressor. "Jenova^ *s &°°d> a stronghold in the
day of trouble ; and He knoweth them that take refuge in

DRIFTING TOWARD CAPTIVITY 179

Him" (Nah. 1:7). All who turn to Jehovah for help
find Him good and kind.

The second chapter of Nahum is a vivid picture of the
siege and capture of Nineveh. The third chapter indi-
cates constant war and violence as the cause of her down-
fall. Jehovah is against her, and He will surely bring
her to the ground.

Nahum perhaps prophesied about 630 B.C. Nineveh
was destroyed by the Medes and Babylonians about
606 B.C.

147. ZEPHANIAH PROCLAIMS THE DAY OF JEHOVAH'S
WRATH

Zephaniah was probably of princely birth, a descendant
of good King Hezekiah. He prophesied during the reign
of Josiah, probably between 630 and 625 B.C. (Zeph.
1:1). He may have helped forward the reforms in-
augurated by the young king.

Zephaniah is known chiefly for his description of the
day of Jehovah's wrath against sinners. The famous
Latin hymn by Thomas of Celano, beginning, Dies woe
dies ilia, is founded on Zephaniah 1 : 14-18. Under the
shadow of that day of darkness the prophet cries aloud :
"Seek ye Jehovah, all ye meek of the earth, that have
kept His ordinances; seek righteousness, seek meekness:
it may be that ye will be hid in the day of Jehovah's
anger" (Zeph. 2:3).

Heavy judgments will overtake the Gentiles for their
pride (Zeph. 2:4-15). At least one great blessing will
come from these judgments: "Jehovah will be terrible
unto them; for lie will famish all the gods of the earth;
and men shall worship Him, every one from his place,
even all the isles of the nations" (Zeph. 2:11). Jehovah
will yet starve the idols to death. Then all men will rec-
ognize Him alone as God.

Zephaniah paints the sin of Jerusalem in colors as dark

180 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

as those of any previous prophet: "Her princes in the
midst of her are roaring lions; her judges are evening
wolves ; they leave nothing till the morrow. Her prophets
are light and treacherous persons ; her priests have pro-
faned the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law"
(Zeph. 3:1-7). What hope, then, is there for such a
wicked city? It is found in the presence of another Per-
son : "Jehovah in the midst of her is righteous ; He will
not do iniquity; every morning doth He bring His justice
to light, He faileth not" (Zeph. 3:5).

Jehovah has purposes of grace for both Judah and the
Gentiles: "For then will I turn to the peoples a pure
language, that they may all call upon the name of Jeho-
vah, to serve Him with one consent" (Zeph. 3:9). To
Jerusalem it shall be said: "Jenovan thy God is in the
midst of thee, a mighty one who will save; He will re-
joice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love; He
will joy over thee with singing" (Zeph. 3: 17). If Zeph-
aniah is first of all a preacher of judgment on sinners,
he also has a gospel for both Jew and Gentile.

148. HABAKKUK AND HIS PROBLEM

The prophecy of Habakkuk probably belongs in the
reign of Jehoiakim, who reigned from 609 to 598 B.C.
We know nothing of the personal history of the prophet ;
but his mind is revealed with singular frankness. He
thinks aloud, stating to others the problems that press
upon him for solution.

The book opens with a cry to Jehovah, because the law
is slacked, and injustice triumphs in Judah (Hab. 1 : 2-4).
In answer, Jehovah points to the terrible Chaldeans,
whom He has raised up as a scourge to the nations (Hab.
1:5-11). Instead of affording a solution of the problem
that disturbed Habakkuk, the treacherous and cruel Chal-
deans present another phase of the same problem. Why
does Jehovah let a nation as wicked as the Chaldeans tri-

DRIFTING TOWARD CAPTIVITY 181

umph over peoples better than they? Habakkuk com-
forts himself with the thought that the Rock of Israel
will protect His people from annihilation (I lab.
1:12-17). He takes his stand upon his tower to see
what Jehovah will say in reply to his complaint. He
receives a revelation of many woes on proud and cruel
Babylon. Judgment will overtake her for all her crimes.
"But the righteous shall live by his faith" (Hab. 2:4).
A beautiful prayer, in the most elevated poetry, closes
the book. The prophet prays for a revival of Jehovah's
work. He recalls Jehovah's former notable deliverances
of His people. He is thus enabled to rise to a plane on
which he is free from the dominion of outward circum-
stances. Rough Chaldean invaders may press in upon
Judah and rob and plunder, but the prophet will rejoice
in Jehovah :

"For though the fig-tree shall not flourish,
Neither shall fruit be in the vines;
The labor of the olive shall fail,
And the fields shall yield no food ;
The flock shall be cut off from the fold,
And there shall be no herd in the stalls :
Yet will I rejoice in Jehovah,
I will joy in the God of my salvation."

(Hab. 3:17,18.)

Habakkuk rose to the level of Christian experience in
his attitude toward troubles and calamities.

149. jeremiah's early ministry

Jeremiah is easily the foremost man in the seventh
century B.C., as Isaiah was the greatest man in the cen-
tury preceding. We have reserved the study of his life
and work until we could pursue it without a break.

Jeremiah was called to be a prophet in the thirteenth
year of the reign of Josiah (628 B.C.), about the time

182 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

that the young king had begun his reforms. At first
Jeremiah tried to decline the office, on the ground that he
was too young ; but Jehovah renewed the call, and encour-
aged him by putting forth His hand in the vision and
touching the young man's mouth, saying: "Behold, I have
put My words in thy mouth : see, I have this day set thee
over the nations and over the kingdoms, to pluck up and
to break down and to destroy and to overthrow, to build
and to plant" ( Jer. 1 : 9, 10) . Here are four words of
destructive activity and only two of constructive work.
In this we have a hint that most of Jeremiah's work
would be to destroy false hopes ; only then could he build
on a solid foundation.

Jeremiah is told in advance that he is to be opposed by
princes, priests, and people alike ; but Jehovah will be with
him to strengthen him. The timid and sensitive young
man is promised all the help he needs. Orelli well says
of Jeremiah: "As man he melts in tears and pines away
in sympathy, as the bearer of God's word he is firm and
hard like pillar and wall, on which the storm of a na-
tion's wrath breaks in vain."

The early discourses of Jeremiah reveal a state of re-
ligious apostasy and moral degeneracy in Judah. Even
the heathen stick to their gods ; but Israel has exchanged
the living God for worthless idols. Jehovah complains:
"For my people have committeed two evils: they have
forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed
them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no
water" (Jer. 2: 11). As Jeremiah first wrote his early
prophecies in the fourth year of Jehoiakim (605 B.C.),
it is probable that much of his denunciation refers to the
wickedness of Judah under the cruel Jehoiakim.

In process of time Jehovah's people will recognize
their terrible blunder: "Thine own wickedness shall
correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee"
(Jer. 2 : 19) . Superficial reformation will not suffice :
"For though thou wash thee with lye, and take thee

DRIFTING TOWARD CAPTIVITY 183

much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me, saith
the Lord Jehovah" (Jer. 2:22). Every city in Judah
has its own god (Jer. 2:28). Jeremiah looked beneath
the surface of Josiah's reformation, and saw that the
hearts of the people were not in it : "And yet for all
this her treacherous sister Judah hath not returned unto
me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith Jehovah"
(Jer. 3:10).

Jeremiah announces the approach of an invader, pos-
sibly the irruption of the Scythian hordes from the north.
The prophet is in distress: "My anguish, my anguish!
I am pained at my very heart; my heart is disquieted
within me ; I cannot hold my peace ; because thou hast
heard, O my soul, the sound of the trumpet, the alarm
of war" (Jer. 4:19). The people flee to the thickets
and the crags; but the pursuers overtake them (Jer. 4:
27-31).

Jehovah offers to pardon Jerusalem if a single just and
faithful man can be found in her (Jer. 5:1). The des-
perate situation in Judah is stated by the prophet thus:
"A wonderful and horrible thing is come to pass in the
land : the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear
rule by their means ; and my people love to have it so :
and what will you do in the end thereof?" (Jer. 5:30,
31).

After another chapter of warnings and appeals, the
prophet concludes that the nation is doomed: "The bel-
lows blow fiercely : the lead is consumed of the fire : in
vain do they go on refining: for the wicked are not
plucked away. Refuse silver shall men call them,
because Jehovah hath rejected them" (Jer. 6:29,
30).

In 610 B.C. Josiah fell in the battle of Megiddo.
Jeremiah composed a lamentation over the death of the
pious king. Jehoahaz held the throne for three months,
when he was removed by Pharaoh-oecho, and Tehoiakim
came to the throne. He was the most treacherous and

184 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

cruel of the four wicked kings that followed Josiah in
Judah.

150. jeremiah's ministry under jehoiakim

In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim Jehovah
commanded Jeremiah to stand in the court of the temple
and to warn the people that their beautiful sanctuary-
would presently be made a desolation like Shiloh. The
substance of this stirring discourse is found in Jeremiah
7:1 to 8 : 3. The sermon so angered the religious lead-
ers that they seized him to put him to death. Jeremiah
was put on trial before the princes, the priests and the
prophets being his chief accusers. The prophet replies
that Jehovah has sent him, and that the proper thing to
do is to amend their ways and their doings. If they put
him to death, they will bring innocent blood upon them-
selves ; for Jehovah verily sent him to speak these words
in their ears (Jer. 26:1-16).

The civil rulers were better men than the priests and
the prophets, and they cite the case of Micah and his
severe prediction against Zion as a precedent for releas-
ing Jeremiah (Jer. 26:17-19). Matters went worse
with the prophet Uriah, who spoke in words similar
to Jeremiah's. He was slain with the sword by
Jehoiakim (Jer. 26:20-24).

Jeremiah's sermon in 7:1 to 8 : 3 is a fine specimen
of earnest, fearless preaching. Read it, and you will
not wonder that the false prophets clamored for his blood.

Jeremiah's grief becomes more intense, as he discovers
that Judah's idolatry is incurable. He longs for com-
fort against sorrow. He sometimes wishes that his eyes
were a fountain of tears. He would like to leave his
sinful people for a lodge in some wilderness (Jer. 8 : 18
to 9:6).

One of Jeremiah's heaviest trials was the knowledge
that his prayers on behalf of Judah could not be heard.

DRIFTING TOWARD CAPTIVITY 185

Jehovah forhids him to pray for the people given over
to high-handed rebellion (Jer. 7:16-18; 11: 14; 14: 11).
But the prophet cannot refrain from praying for his
people. The spirit of intercession seizes him, and he
pleads with Jehovah not to abhor His people (Jer. 14:
19-22). Jehovah replies: "Though Muses and Samuel
stood before me, yet my mind would not be toward this
people : cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth"
(Jer. 15: 1). Prayer cannot now save Judah from exile.

Besides the struggle within the sympathetic soul of
the prophet at this time, there was conspiracy without;
for the men of Anathoth, his native village, were plot-
ting against his life (Jer. 11: 18-23). Even Jeremiah's
own kindred were in the plot (Jer. 12:5,6). Problems
of the divine government bore heavily upon Jeremiah,
just as they did upon his contemporary Habakkuk (Jer.
12:1,2). The false prophets contradicted Jeremiah
continually, and called him a croaker or a traitor (Jer.
14: 13-18). It seemed to the sensitive prophet that
every one was cursing him (Jer. 15: 10). lie opens his
heart to God and tells of his disappointment in connec-
tion with his fruitless ministry (Jer. 15:10-21).

Jeremiah's loneliness was a great trial. Isaiah had a
wife in sympathy with him in his great work; but Jere-
miah was forbidden to marry (Jer. 16:1-4). Hated
and cursed by the people for whom he kept praying, he
had scarcely a soul to whom he could turn for sympathy
and counsel. He was shut up to dependence on Je-
hovah, with whom he pleaded: "Be not a terror unto
me: Thou art my refuge in the day of evil" (Jer. 17:
17).

Jehovah made revelation of His freedom to change
His attitude to meet the changed attitude of a nation
(Jer. 18: 1-12). This is one of the most important
chapters in the roll of Jeremiah. Men have often fancied
that they could get God in a corner and compel Him
to do that which they wished, even though it might be

186 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

unworthy of God. Not so, says the word of Jehovah
through Jeremiah; for God is free to adapt Himself to
changed conditions. He often predicts evil, in order
that it may be averted through the repentance of those
upon whom it would otherwise have fallen. He also
predicts blessing; but no one can presume upon God's
promises and demand the blessing, if his life has been
unworthy.

Jeremiah was finally arrested, smitten, and put in the
stocks by Pashhur the priest, who was chief officer of
the temple. As persecution became severer the sensitive
prophet suffered keenly in his soul. It seems that he
tried to quit prophesying: "And if I say, I will not
make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name,
then there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut
up in my bones, and I am weary with forbearing, and I
cannot contain" (Jer. 20: 9). In desperation the prophet
curses the day wherein he was born (Jer. 20:14-18).

In the fourth year of Jehoiakim (605 B.C.), Jehovah
commanded Jeremiah to take a roll and write therein
all the words He had given him to speak against Israel
and against Judah. Jeremiah called Baruch the son of
Neriah and dictated to him the substance of the mes-
sages he had delivered to Judah from 628 to 605 B.C.
Baruch then read from the roll in the temple in the
hearing of the people.

In the following year (604 B.C.) Baruch again read
from the roll in the ears of the people of Judah on a
fast-day. When Micaiah reported the substance of the
book to the princes, they sent for Baruch to read the
roll in their hearing. It seemed to them important that
King Jehoiakim should know the contents of the book.
They warned Baruch to hide and to cause Jeremiah also
to hide, lest Jehoiakim should seek to slay them.

When the princes reported to the king concerning the
roll, he sent for it, and after hearing three or four
columns read, he seized it, cut it with a pen-knife, and

DRIFTING TOWARD CAPTIVITY 187

threw it into the fire in the brazier. lie also sought to
kill Jeremiah and Baruch; "but Jehovah hid them" (Jer.
36:1-26).

At the command of Jehovah, Jeremiah reproduced the
words that were in the roll which Jehoiakim had burned
in the fire; "and there were added besides unto them
many like words" (Jer. 36:27-32).

Jeremiah was in great danger of losing his life through-
out the reign of Jehoiakim. Then came the very brief
reign of Jehoiachin. Nebuchadrezzar took the young
king captive to Babylon, leaving Zedekiah on the throne
of Judah (2 Kings '24: 8-17).

151. jeremiah's ministry under zedekiah

Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, was inclined to treat
Jeremiah with kindness; but he was a weak man, with-
out sufficient energy and courage to do what he knew
to be right. From the fourth year of Jehoiakim (605
B.C.), when Nebuchadrezzar defeated the Egyptians at
Carchemish, Jeremiah preached submission to the Baby-
lonian king (Jer. 25: 11). Throughout Zedckiah's reign
(597-587 B.C.) Jeremiah taught that Jehovah had given
Judah and the other nations into the hand of Nebuchad-
rezzar. He claimed the great Babylonian conqueror as
a servant to Jehovah (Jer. 27:6). He uiged Zedekiah
and his people to serve Nebuchadrezzar faithfully (Jer.
27:12). He denounced the false prophets who were
encouraging the people to hope for a speedy return of
the vessels of the temple carried off by the Babylonians
in 605 and 598 B.C. (Jer. 27: 14-22).

In the fourth year of Zedekiah (594 B.C.) the prophet
Hananiah predicted that within two years the yoke of
Nebuchadrezzar would be broken, and that Jehoiachin
and the captives would return to Jerusalem. Hananiah
gave emphasis to his prediction by taking the bar from off
the neck of Jeremiah and breaking it. A few days later

188 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Jeremiah foretold the death of Hananiah as a punish-
ment for making Judah trust in a lie (chapter 28).

Jeremiah also had a contest by letter with the false
prophets among the exiles in Babylon (chapter 29). He
predicted that at the end of seventy years the people in
exile would pray to their God and be brought back home
(Jer. 29:10-14).

Encouraged by the false prophets and by promises of
help from Egypt, Zedekiah finally rebelled against
Nebuchadrezzar. Jeremiah preached submission and
surrender from the beginning of the Babylonian invasion
until the capture of Jerusalem (chapters 21, 34, 37, and
38). At first Jeremiah was not molested, though he
must have been exceedingly unpopular. Under the pres-
sure of fear, Zedekiah and the people made a covenant
to release all their Hebrew slaves; but when the Chal-
deans raised the siege of Jerusalem in order to meet the
army of Pharaoh-hophra, the people forced their former
slaves back into bondage (chapter 34). Jeremiah pre-
dicted that the Chaldeans would return and burn Jeru-
salem with fire (Jer. 37:1-10).

The prophet thought it a good time to leave Jerusalem,
while the Chaldeans were busy elsewhere, and so he set
out for Anathoth ; but an officer arrested him as he was
in the gate of the city, and accused him of deserting to
the Chaldeans. The princes smote Jeremiah, and put
him in the dungeon in the house of Jonathan the scribe
(Jer. 37:11-15).

The Chaldeans defeated the Egyptian army, and re-
turned to the siege of Jerusalem. Zedekiah sent for
Jeremiah to learn whether there was any word from
Jehovah. The prophet told him that he would be de-
livered into the hand of the king of Babylon. He re-
quested the king not to send him back to the dungeon.
He was transferred to the court of the guard, where he
received a loaf of bread daily until all the bread in the
city was spent (Jer. 37:16-21).

DRIFTING TOWARD CAPTIVITY 189

As Jeremiah kept preaching submission to the Chal-
deans, the princes demanded of Zedekiah that he be put
to death as a traitor. The prophet was cast into the
mire of a dungeon in the court of the guard. An Ethi-
opian interceded for Jeremiah, and received permission
to draw him out of the mire. He then remained a pris-
oner in the court of the guard until the city was taken
(chapter 38).

152. jeremiaii's closing days

Jeremiah was not carried to Babylon with Zcdekiah
and the other captives, but was encouraged to abide with
the remnant that was left in Judah. He remained with
the new governor, Gedaliah. After the assassination
of Gedaliah, Jeremiah went with Johanan to Bethlehem
(chapters 40, 41).

The old prophet was carried by force into Egypt, where
he foretold the coming of Nebuchadrezzar to the Nile
valley (chapters 42, 43). In his old age Jeremiah made
an earnest appeal to the Jews in Egypt to turn away
from idolatry; but they flatly refused to do so, openly
affirming that they were better off when they worshiped
the queen of heaven (chapter 44). There is a Jewish
tradition to the effect that the people finally stoned Jere-
miah to death.

The ministry of Jeremiah, though long and faithful,
was seemingly a complete failure. An intense patriot,
he was accounted a traitor; longing to turn his people
from sin and captivity, he must constantly announce the
certainty of exile; a lover of peace, he spent his life
battling against idolatry.

153. jeremiaii's life not a failure

Jeremiah helped the people of God to go through the
temptations of the Exile without making shipwreck of

190 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

faith. He showed that Jehovah's hand was in the down-
fall of Judah. He claimed Nebuchadrezzar as a servant
in the hands of Jehovah. The gods of Babylon had
nothing to do with the successes of Nebuchadrezzar.

Two doctrines taught by Jeremiah helped to make the
transition to a higher stage of religious thought and life.

(1) His doctrine of individualism,. He attacks the
proverb by which the captives were excusing themselves :
"In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have
eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on
edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity:
every man that eateth the sour grapes, his teeth shall be
set on edge" (Jer. 31:29,30).

(2) Jeremiah's doctrine of the new covenant marks
a transition from a covenant on tables of stone to a cov-
enant in the heart. See Hebrews 8:7-13. New Testa-
ment religion emphasizes individualism and spirituality.
God deals with every man; and He requires of him
love and faith and fellowship.

Chapter XII

THE EXILE

154. THE EXILE A PROCESS

THE Exile was a process rather than an event. The
Assyrians were busy from 734 to 722 B.C. with
repeated invasions of the country occupied by the Ten
Tribes. Several companies of captives were taken to
the East. We usually think of 722 B.C. as the year of
the Assyrian Exile, because Samaria fell in that year,
and its inhabitants were transported into the country of
the Medes; but Tiglath-pileser had already carried cap-
tive the people east of the Jordan and in Galilee.

The same process was repeated in the Babylonian Ex-
ile. As early as 605 B.C., Daniel and others were car-
ried from Jerusalem to Babylon. In 598 B.C. King
Johoiachin and many of his people were carried to Baby-
lon. The climax was reached in 587 B.C., when Jeru-
salem was captured and the temple burned by the
Chaldeans. Zedekiah and most of the people remaining
in Judah were carried captive to Babylon.

155. EFFECT OF THE EXILE ON THE JEWS

It was a sorrowful time when the Jews were gathered
together by their captors for the long journey away from
the home land into a foreign country. When at last the
temple was burned and the kingdom of Judah wafl
crushed altogether, many must have come to think that
Jehovah was not equal in might to the gods of Babylon.
Some gave up their religious faith and were assimilated

191

192 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

to the heathen. Others listened to the false prophets,
who predicted that Jehovah would soon restore His peo-
ple to their own land. Jeremiah and Ezekiel taught their
people that the captivity itself was brought about by
Israel's God as a chastisement for their idolatry and
immorality. The Exile was Jehovah's school of disci-
pline for His rebellious people. As soon as it should
accomplish its work in leading Judah to a higher moral
and religious life, Jehovah would deliver His people
from their captors.

There is no evidence to prove that the sufferings of
the Jews in Babylon were exceptionally heavy. They
were allowed to settle in Babylonia and to engage in
commerce. The artisans found employment in their new
home. There seems to have been no serious persecution
of the Jews for their religious views or practices.

Of course, the ritual of the temple worship ceased
with the destruction of Jerusalem. Strict Jews like Dan-
iel and his three friends kept the dietary laws peculiar
to the Jews, and pious souls prayed and fasted and led
clean lives among the heathen. The more patriotic and
pious Jews lived according to the laws of their fathers,
and longed for a return to the Holy Land. These be-
came intense and outspoken in their hatred of idolatry.
The discipline of the Exile brought forth fruit in the
chastened characters of the more noble Jews. These
encouraged their hearts by the promises given through
Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

156. ezekiel's vision and call

Ezekiel was a priest before he became a prophet. He
was carried captive with King Jehoiachin in 598 B.C.,
and was called to the work of a prophet five years later.
He prophesied to the Jewish captives by the river Chebar
in lower Babylonia from 593 to 571 B.C.

Ezekiel paints his pictures with much attention to de-

THE EXILE 193

tails. Isaiah preferred to use a few bold strokes that
appealed to the imagination. Ezekiel's opening vision,
complex and involved as it is, has a grandeur and im-
pressiveness all its own. It is important that the reader
should go on to the revelation of Jehovah on the throne
above the firmament. It was this vision of Jehovah that
caused Ezekiel to fall on his face (Ezek. 1).

Then there came a voice from the throne calling Ezek-
iel to become a prophet to the children of Israel. Ezekiel
must not be afraid of the rebellious people to whom he
is sent, though briers and thorns are with him, and he
dwells among scorpions. Jehovah says to him : "And
thou shalt speak My words unto them, whether they will
hear, or whether they will forbear; for they are most
rebellious" (Ezek. 2:1-7).

In vision the prophet saw a roll of a book extended
to him, and the command came, "Eat this roll, and go,
speak unto the house of Israel." The prophet remarks :
"Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey
for sweetness" (Ezek. 2:8 to 3:3). This was because
the roll contained the words of God, and not because the
messages were cheering and pleasing. The prophet is
told that Jehovah will make him strong to speak His
word with boldness to the rebellious people (Ezek. 3:
4-11). The prophet's feelings under the influence of
the Spirit are described. He felt himself in the grip of
the Almighty. His spirit was bitter and hot within him,
as he turned to face his people (Ezek. 3: 12-15).

The fearful responsibility of the prophetic watchman
is brought home to Ezekiel, as he takes up his work.
Every pastor and Christian teacher ought to read the
searching words of Jehovah in Ezekiel 3:16-21.

157. ezekiel's ministry prior to the fall of

JERUSALEM

As long as Jerusalem was in the possession of the

194 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

people of Judah and the temple worship kept up, the
hopes of the patriotic Jews both at home and in Baby-
lonia gathered about the holy city. They could not be-
lieve that Jehovah would permit the heathen to destroy
His sanctuary. Jeremiah in Jerusalem and Ezekiel in
Babylonia warned their people of the approaching de-
struction of Jerusalem and of the utter collapse of the
kingdom. From 593 to 587 B.C. Ezekiel's message was
one of warning and threat. He tried to brush away the
false hopes of a speedy return to the Holy Land. Jeru-
salem, because of her unparalleled wickedness, is to be
given up to famine and the sword. The decree of exile
has gone forth from Jehovah. "Make the chain; for
the land is full of bloody crimes, and the city is full of
violence" (chapters 4 to 7).

As Ezekiel sat in his house in the midst of the elders
of Judah, suddenly the hand of the Lord Jehovah fell
upon him. The form of a hand seized him by a lock
of his hair, and lifted him up between earth and heaven,
and brought him to Jerusalem. In this vision God
showed him all the sins and crimes practiced by the peo-
ple still remaining in Jerusalem (chapters 8 to 11).

Ezekiel was fond of symbols. It has been well said
that he thought in figures. He performed many sym-
bolic actions that pointed to the capture and destruction
of Jerusalem (chapter 12). He denounced the prophets,
who daubed with untempered mortar, and the prophet-
esses, who hunted for souls (chapter 13). Jehovah
informs Ezekiel that the presence of Noah, Daniel, and
Job in Jerusalem would not cause Him to spare the city
(chapter 14). Jerusalem is a worthless, half-consumed
vine branch (chapter 15). She is a wanton harlot, and
will be humiliated in the presence of her lovers (chapter
16). The covenant-breaking Zedekiah shall not escape
(chapter 17). Jehovah will deal with each individual,
and not with the nation as a whole. Each man must
suffer for his own sins (chapter 18). The prophet

Tin: EXILE 195

continues his denunciations of wrong in Jerusalem, and
repeats his warnings of the approach of the sword in
the hands of the king of Babylon. Samaria and Jeru-
salem are both vile harlots (chapters 19 to 23).

In B.C. 589, as the king of Babylon drew near to the
siege of Jerusalem, Ezekiel was commanded to write the
name of the day. The Spirit of God gave him knowl-
edge of an event occurring hundreds of miles away.
Later on the Jews learned that on the selfsame day named
by the prophet the Babylonians invested Jerusalem (24:
1-14).

One day the prophet received a revelation that must
have cost him much pain : "Son of man, behold, I take
away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke :
yet thou shalt neither mourn nor weep, neither shall thy
tears run down. Sigh, but not aloud, make no mourn-
ing for the dead; bind thy headtire upon thee, and put
thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat
not the bread of men." The prophet tells the sad story
in a sentence : "So I spake unto the people in the morn-
ing; and at even my wife died; and I did in the morn-
ing as I was commanded" (Ezek. 24: 15-18).

He had to explain his strange conduct to his people,
who were presently to have a similar experience (24:
19-27).

158. EZEKIEL's LATER MINISTRY OF HOPE AND CHEER

As a preliminary to the hopeful teaching concerning
the restoration of Israel to divine favor in their own
land, the prophet describes the judgments that are to
fall upon the proud nations which have Oppressed Israel
(chapters 25 to 32). He then describes the restoration
of Israel and their happy future (chapters 33 to 48).

False shepherds must give wav before the Second
David (chapter 34). In 34: 15 Jehovah says, "T Myself
will be the shepherd of My sheep ;" but in 34 : 23 He

196 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

makes it plain that the Messiah is to be the immediate
shepherd in charge of His flock : "And I will set up one
shepherd over them, and He shall feed them, even My
servant David ; He shall feed them, and He shall be their
shepherd."

159. ezekiel's doctrine of individualism

Ezekiel follows Jeremiah in emphasizing the freedom
and the responsibility of each individual soul. He at-
tacks even more sharply than Jeremiah the proverb by
which the generation in exile excused themselves and
laid the blame on their fathers. "What mean ye," says
Ezekiel, "that ye use this proverb concerning the land
of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes,
and the children's teeth are set on edge?" The prophet
announces as a general principle : "The soul that sinneth,
it shall die: the son shall not bear the iniquity of the
father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the
son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon
him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon
him (Ezek. 18:2,20).

The teaching of Ezekiel in chapters 18 and 33 con-
cerning individual freedom and responsibility may be
thus summarized:

(1) No man is necessarily under the dominion of the
conduct of his ancestors. He is free to choose for him-
self. He may turn away from his father's sins, and he
may also turn away from his righteous life. A good
father may thus have a wicked son ; and a wicked father
may have a good son. Jehovah will judge the son as an
individual separate from his father. Heredity is not
an insuperable barrier to one who chooses to be other
than his father.

(2) No man is necessarily under the dominion of his
own past conduct. He cannot presume on his past good-
ness; and he ought not to despair by reason of the sins

THE EXILE 197

and follies of his past life. He is free to turn away
from his own past. Habit, powerful as it is, cannut bind
the man who wills to change.

160. THE NEW HEART

The prophet pleads with his people to turn from their
sins and to make for themselves a new heart and a new
spirit (Ezek. 18:31). In such a noble endeavor they
can count on the help of Jehovah; for He takes no
pleasure in the death of the sinner. "As I live, saith
the Lord Jehovah, I have no pleasure in the death of the
wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live:
turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways ; for why will ye die,
O house of Israel?" (Ezek. 33 : 11). Jehovah will renew
the nature of all who wish to be free from the dominion
of sin. Ezekiel encourages his fellow exiles with the
promise of a new heart: "and I will take the stony heart
out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh;
that they may walk in My statutes, and keep Mine
ordinances, and do them: and they shall be My people,
and I will be their God" (11 : 19,20).

161. EZEKIEL THE PROPHET OF HOPE

Ezekiel describes the wonders of Jehovah's grace. His
people, whose bones are bleaching in the valley, are re-
stored to life by the power of God; and Israel and Judah
are reunited under the Messianic King (chapter 37).
A glorious vista of hope is opened by the promise, "and
David My servant shall be their prince forever. More-
over I will make a covenant of peace with them ; it shall
be an everlasting covenant with them" (37:25, 26).

The foes of Jehovah's people may assemble all their
forces; but ultimate defeat awaits them. Jehovah will
protect His people (chapters 38, 39).

One of the most hopeful passages in all the Bible is

198 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

the description of the transformation of the Wady of
Fire and of the Dead Sea by the life-giving stream that
takes its rise beside Jehovah's altar and flows thence
in ever-increasing volume, until it makes the sea of death
a picture of life and prosperity (Ezek. 47:1-12). So
shall it be with the religion of Jehovah. The life-giving
stream will finally transform all the drought and desola-
tion and death of this sinful world into a scene of life
and prosperity and peace.

162. daniel's piety and promotion

Daniel was taken into captivity in 605 B.C., the year
in which Nebuchadrezzar first invaded Syria and Pales-
tine. He was put in training along with his three He-
brew friends in the royal university in Babylon. He
was to be educated for the king's service. The young
Jew resolved to live according to the law of Jehovah in
Babylon, just as he had always done in Judah. We are
told that "Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not
defile himself with the king's dainties, nor with the wine
which he drank" (Dan. 1:8). It was not easy to gain
his request to be fed only with vegetables; but after a
test had been made, he and his three friends were found
to be in better physical condition than the youths who
ate of the king's dainties. Moreover they made such
progress in their studies that they surpassed all their
fellows in wisdom and understanding, and so were ap-
pointed to stand before the king (chapter 1).

163. DANIEL FAMOUS FOR WISDOM

Because of his prophetic visions, we are apt to think
of Daniel as a prophet ; but in his own day he was most
renowned for wisdom (Ezek. 28:3; Dan. 1:20; 2:48;
4:9; 5:10-12). He was not only an interpreter of
dreams, but also a wise statesman and governor. He

THE EXILE 199

was not merely a student of books and of the mysteries
of the world, but a man among men, a leader in the
world's work. His influence was thrown on the side of
justice and of kindness. He sought the highest good of
all men. His record was such that no fault could be
found with his administration.

Daniel's wisdom was not all the fruit of study. Jeho-
vah revealed through him the course of history for cen-
turies to come. Daniel himself expressly ascrib
God the wisdom with which he interpreted dreams and
foretold future events (2:28).

164. MIRACLES OF DELIVERANCE

The Book of Daniel contains several of the greatest
stones of the supernatural deliverance of individuals to
be found in the Bible. They are so familiar to old and
young alike that we need only to name them. First
comes the preservation of the three Hebrews in the
fiery furnace (chapter 3) ; then the insanity and the
restoration of Nebuchadrezzar (chapter 4), and finally
the story of Daniel in the lions' den (chapter 6).

We cannot always give an explanation of God's deal-
ings with men ; but it is plain that the Exile was a crit-
ical period in the history of redemption. The heathen
world seemed to be triumphant over Jehovah and His
captive people. It was a suitable time for the God of
Israel to work wonders on behalf of His exiles.

165. THE FUTURE UNVEILED

Most of Daniel's work as a prophet was in the field
of prediction. He did not preach. like Amos and Isaiah
and Jeremiah. He was a counselor of kin^s and an
administrative officer rather than a prophet. But Daniel
made many predictions. His writings are apocalvp-e^.
or revelations of the future.

200 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Two of the greatest predictions Daniel ever made are
those contained in Daniel 2 : 44 and 7:13, 14. Jehovah's
kingdom shall stand forever.

Daniel describes the physical effects of the great rev-
elations made to him (7:15; 8:15-18; 10:7-11). He
was sometimes overwhelmed and made weak by what he
saw.

166. REWARDS OF THE SOUL-WINNERS

Not even Daniel himself understood fully the visions
which he describes. Time has made clear the meaning
of some of them, while others are still interpreted dif-
ferently by different minds. But the great promise to
winners of souls is intelligible to all. It is founded on
the revelation of the resurrection. "And many of them
that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting con-
tempt. And they that are wise shall shine as the bright-
ness of the firmament ; and they that turn many to right-
eousness as the stars for ever and ever" (Dan. 12: 2, 3).
The doctrine of the resurrection is here clearly taught.
The Christian Scriptures make it plain that all that sleep
in the dust of earth shall awake, thus completing the
fragmentary and progressive revelation through the
prophets of the Old Testament. Soul-winners do well
to be earnest and patient ; for the issues are eternal.

167. PSALMS OF THE EXILE

Psalms 74 and 79 seem to refer to the burning of the
city and of the temple by the Chaldeans. They voice
the grief of pious and patriotic Jews over the destruc-
tion of the sanctuary.

Psalm 137 expresses the passionate devotion of one
of the exiles to Jerusalem and her worship. He prays
that her bitter foes may be requited for their cruelty.

THE EXILE * 201

Psalm 102 is the prayer of an afflicted soul on the eve
of die return from the Exile (Psa. 102:12-14). The
psalmist looks forward to the time

"When the peoples are gathered together,
And the kingdoms, to serve Jehovah."

The Psalter perhaps contains other prayers and hymns
composed during the Exile. Historians and sages were
also at work among the captives.

The knowledge of the religion of Jehovah was spread
abroad in the Babylonian Empire. The glory of Jeho-
vah as the God of faithfulness and love and holiness
was already dawning upon the world's great minds. The
Exile put Jehovah's worshipers in the midst of the
heathen. God made this contact a blessing both to Jew
and to Gentile.

Chapter XIII

THE RESTORATION

THE long night of the Exile at length came to an
end. The promises of Jehovah through Isaiah
and Jeremiah and Ezekiel were about to be fulfilled.
The Babylonian supremacy had given place to the rule
of a liberal-minded king from Anshan, known to us as
Cyrus the Great. Babylon fell into his hands in 538
B.C. Two years later he takes the reins of government
into his own hands, and devises ways and means for the
pacification of his new subjects and for the strengthen-
ing of his throne.

168. THE PROCLAMATION OF CYRUS

About 536 B.C., Cyrus issued the following proclama-
tion: "Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the king-
doms of the earth hath Jehovah, the God of heaven,
given me ; and He hath charged me to build Him a house
in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whosoever there is
among you of all His people, his God be with him, and
let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build
the house of Jehovah, the God of Israel, (He is the
God,) which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever is left,
in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his
place help him with silver and with gold, and with goods,
and with beasts, besides the free-will offering for the
house of God which is in Jerusalem" (Ezra 1:2-4).

It was once thought that Cyrus was a monotheist, and
that he may have come to recognize Jehovah as the true

202

THE RESTORATION 203

God; but the decipherment of the inscriptions of Cyrus
has revealed him as a polythcist courting the favor of all
the gods, lie was a mild ruler governing according to
higher standards than had prevailed before him. It was
part of his policy to let captive peoples return to their
former homes; and he sought the favor of the deities
by rebuilding their temples and restoring their wor-
ship.

169. THE RETURN TO JERUSALEM

More than forty-two thousand Jews responded to the
proclamation of Cyrus and prepared to return to their
land. They also took with them more than seven thou-
sand servants. The entire caravan numbered nearly
fifty thousand souls. Their leaders were Zerubbabel
(or Sheshbazzar) the prince and Jeshua the high priest.
They made the journey in safety and settled in Judah
(Ezra 1, 2).

Many Jews remained in Babylonia, some because they
had given up faith in Jehovah, and many because of
business interests. Some of them probably returned to
Jerusalem as soon as they could sell their property at
a fair price. The Jews of the Dispersion were perhaps
as devout and conscientious as those who returned to
Judah. They were more liberal and humane.

170. TRIALS AND DISCOURAGEMENTS

The people who returned from Exile found much to
discourage them on their return to Judah. The land
was desolate and Jerusalem in ruins. They tried to en-
courage their hearts by observing the feast of Taber-
nacles in the seventh month. Next year (534 B.C.)
they laid the foundation of the temple with shouts and
praises. The old men who had seen the temple of Solo-
mon in its glory wept when they thought of its superior-

204 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

ity to any house they could now hope to build (Ezra

There were many heathen in Judah and in the dis-
tricts adjacent, and these now came forward with a
request that they be allowed to join the people of Judah
in building the temple. Had they come with a sincere
desire to honor Jehovah and to help His people, it would
have been wrong to decline their offer; but the leaders
of the Jews knew that these heathen would not worship
Jehovah according to the Law. The admission of for-
eigners to the temple would bring discord into their
worship. Hence they flatly refused to accept the aid of
their heathen neighbors. As a natural consequence, they
incurred their enmity. "Then the people of the land
weakened the hands of the people <»f Judah, and troubled
them in building" ( Lzra 4: 1-5). Xo doubt many of the
Jews almost wished that they had remained with their
brethren in Babylonia.

171. IIAGGAI URGES THAT THE TKMPLE BE REBUILT

For fourteen years the discouraged people of Judah
let the work on the temple cease. In 520 B.C. Haggai
came to Zerubbabel. the governor of Judah, and to
Joshua, the high priest, with a rebuke for the people for
neglecting the house of Jehovah, while building and beau-
tifying their own houses. Jehovah had sent drought as
a punishment for their selfishness (Haggai 1:1-11).

Zerubbabel and Joshua and the remnant of the people
obeyed the voice of Jehovah through Haggai the prophet,
and resumed work on the temple (Haggai 1 : 12-15).
Jehovah encourages them to go forward and complete the
temple, promising to supply them with money enough.
Let them not lose heart when they remember the beauty
and glory of Solomon's temple. "The latter glory of
this house shall be greater than the former, saith Jehovah
of hosts ; and in this place will I give peace, saith Jeho-

THE RESTORATION 205

vah of hosts" (Haggai 2:1-9). Jehovah promises
blessing to the people, because they have gone to work
on His sanctuary. He will bestow a special blessing
upon Zerubbabel, the leader in the work (Haggai 2:
10-23).

172. ZECHARIAH ENCOURAGES THE BUILDERS

Two months after Haggai began to preach to the peo-
ple about rebuilding the temple (520 B.C.) the word of
Jehovah came to Zechariah, a young man in Jerusalem,
and he presently spoke words of encouragement to the
builders.

Zechariah received his revelations in connection with
a series of visions, all of which were encouraging to the
people at work on the temple. Jehovah's horsemen have
been among the nations on a tour of inspection; He is
getting ready to show mercy to Jerusalem and to rebuild
His temple (Zech. 1:7-17). Judah's oppressors are
about to be broken (1:18-21). The nations will one
day be gathered in to be the people of Jehovah, and Jeru-
salem shall be filled with inhabitants (chapter 2). The
high priest shall be forgiven, cleansed, and anointed
(chapter 3). Zerubbabel, whose hands have laid the
foundations of the sanctuary, shall also finish it. He will
overcome all obstacles through the Spirit's help (chapter
4). A curse is pronounced on the thief and the liar;
and wickedness is banished to her proper seat in Baby-
lon (chapter 5). The high priest is crowned. The
Branch of Jehovah will unite in Himself the royal and
the priestly lines (chapter 6). The fasts of exilic days
will be converted into days of joy and gladness (chapters
7,8).

The preaching of Haggai and Zechariah was eminently
successful. "And the elders of the Jews builded and
prospered, through the prophesying of Haggai the
prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo" (Ezra 6:14).

206 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

The sanctuary was finished in four years, and was dedi-
cated with joy in 516 B.C. (Ezra 6: 14-22).

173. Till: LATER MINISTRY OF ZECHARIAII

Zechariah probably lived for many years after the
building and dedication of the second temple. Jehovah
gave him important messages concerning brad and the
heathen powers that were near Israel Zechariah U
the term Israel to designate the people who had returned,
whether they were of Judah or of other tril

These later chapters of Zechariah a ially rich

in Messianic prophecies. Thus th« entry of /inn's 1
King is described in {):\K 10; the mournil the

Pierced One in 12: 10-14; the smiting of the Shepherd
and the scatteri:: • flock in L3:7,

Jerusalem, after terrible chastisement, i-- I ms-

formed, and, under the protection of Jehovah, shall be

the center of worship for the world. Everything be-
comes holy in Jerusalem, the secular being merged into
the sacred (chapter 14).

l/"4. ESTHER SAVES II! R PEOPLE

The story of Esther belongs to the reign of Xerxes,
the vainglorious Persian king who was defeated by the
Greeks at Salamis in 480 B.C. On his return to Persia,
he gave himself up to the pleasures of his palace. Then
it was that Esther was chosen as his favorite in the place
of Vashti (Esther 1, 2). We next learn how the J
fell under the ban of extermination (chapters 3 to 5) ;
and finally how danger was turned into deliverance
through the skill and courage of Esther (chapters 6 to
10).

The story of Esther inculcates patriotism. It has al-
ways been a favorite story with the Jews. The doctrine

THE RESTORATION 207

of Providence is admirably taught without a single occur-
rence of the name of God in the book.

175. EZRA LEADS A CARAVAN TO JERUSALEM

The Jews in the Holy Land had many trials and dis-
couragements in the years that followed the return from
captivity. Even after the temple had been rebuilt and
the ritual worship resumed, there were still many dis-
couragements. The colony was hardly strong enough
to protect itself against its heathen neighbors. It must
have been exceedingly gratifying to have a reinforce-
ment of earnest men from among the Jews still remain-
ing in Babylonia.

Ezra was a ready scribe in the law of Moses. He was
zealous for the customs peculiar to Israel. He resolved
to lead a caravan from Babylon to Jerusalem to strengthen
the hands of the faithful in the Holy City. As Ezra was
in favor at court, he could have had a strong escort of
Persian horsemen for the asking; but he was ashamed
to make the request, because he had told the king that
Jehovah was a God who protected His worshipers. He
secured a decree from Artaxerxes granting him authority
to conduct a caravan to Jerusalem, and to preside over
the administration of affairs in Judah (Ezra 7:1 to 8:
30). The journey was made in safety, and Ezra de-
posited in the temple the rich presents he brought from
Babylon (8:31-36). These events occurred in 458 B.C.

176. ezra's reformation

Ezra was greatly distressed when he learned that the
people of Judah were intermarrying with their heathen
neighbors. Heathen customs were thus coming in among
the people, and the chosen nation was fast losing its
peculiarity as a people separate from all others. Ezra

208 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

was overcome with astonishment and grief when the
facts were brought to his attention. He rent his robe,
plucked off the hair of his head and of his beard, and
sat down astonished. Soon a great crowd assembled
about him to see what would be done.

In the middle of the afternoon Ezra arose, fell upon
his knees, and confessed aloud the sins of his people.
"Now while Ezra prayed, and made confession, weeping
and casting himself down before the house of God, there
was gathered together unto him out of Israel I very
great congregation of men and women and children; for
the people wept very Shecaniah prop I I ■

reformation, urging Ezra to take the lead in the move-
ment. Ezra at once took an oath of the leaders that
they would do as Shecaniah had said.

A proclamation was made that all the people of Judah
should assemble at Jerusalem, and that failure to come

would he punished by confiscation of goods and expul-
sion from the O ion. Owing to the cold and the
winter rains, the people were allowed to return to their
homes. Certain men were appointed to supervise the
work of separating the heathen women from the people.
Within two months the work was completed (Ezra 9,
10).

177. NEIIEMIAH REBUILDS THE WALL OF JERUSALEM

In 445 B.C. Nehcmiah, who was the cuphearer of
Artaxerxes of Persia, inquired as to the condition of
Jerusalem and of the Jews who had returned home. He
was greatly disturbed to learn that there was no wall
around the city, and that the people were in great afflic-
tion and reproach. He fasted and prayed on behalf of
his people, and resolved to undertake the task of forti-
fying the Holy City (Xeh. 1).

Nehcmiah secured permission from Artaxerxes to go
to Jerusalem and rebuild its wall. He obtained letters

THE RESTORATION 209

to the governors west of the Euphrates, and also a letter
to the keeper of the king's forest, that he should give
him all the timber he might need. The journey was
made in safety (Neh. 2:1-11). After a rest of three
days, Nehemiah inspected the wall secretly in the night.
When he had all the facts in hand, he assembled the
people and urged them to arise and build the wall of the
city, informing them of the king's permission to do so.
They responded with alacrity that they would do it.
Sanballat and Tobiah and the other enemies of the Jews
scoffed at the movement (Neh. 2).

Nehemiah distributed the people along the entire wall,
giving to each group of laborers a definite portion to
repair (chapter 3). Sanballat tried to stop the work;
but Nehemiah checkmated him (chapter 4).

In this busy and critical time Nehemiah had to face a
serious financial problem. He organized his forces skill-
fully, and broke up the custom of charging interest and
taking mortgages (chapter 5). In the face of opposition
within and without the city he pushed the wall to com-
pletion in fifty-two days (chapter 6).

178. A GREAT REVIVAL

The completion of the city wall put new hope and
confidence into the hearts of the people of Jerusalem.
They came together as one man into the broad place be-
fore the water gate, and requested Ezra the scribe to
bring the book of the law of Moses and read to them.

From a pulpit of wood Ezra read in the hearing of all
the people from early morning until noon. All were
attentive, both men and women and children old enough
to understand. The Levites assisted in making the peo-
ple understand what was read. It was not a merely
formal reading, but an effort to teach the people the
meaning of God's Word. Soon the people were in tears ;
for they had not obeyed the commandments of Jehovah.

*J10 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Nehemiah and Ezra urged them rather to rejoice and
make a feast, reminding them to send portions to those
who had nothing.

On the following day the people returned to hear the
law again. When they heard the command to
the feast of Tahernacles in the seventh month, they de-
cided to obey the commandment at once, as it was the
season for the feast Every day they returned for
further study of the book of the law of God ( Xeh. 8).

The revival culminated in a renewal of the covenant
with Jehovah (Xeh. 9, 10). It was thou ropriate

to dedicate the city wall, which had been completed by
Nehemiah in the face of great difficult!
(Neh. 12:27-43). Provision was made for the collec-
tion of the tithes for the Levites ( Neh, 12:44-45

179. A VIGOROUS RI

On his return from the court of 1 hortly after

433 B.C.), Nehemiah cleansed the temple, out

the household goods of Tobiah the Ammonite. lie al>o
compelled the people to bring in the tithe for the SUO]
of the Levites. Sabbath desecration he broke up by
threatening to lay hands on those who tn. the

Sabbath. Intermarriage with the heathen he forbade,
punishing severely some who had taken foreign wives.
In all things he acted with vigor.

Modern reformers may learn many lessons from Ne-
hemiah. We name the following:

(1) Watch and pray.

(2) Work and pray.

(3) Stick to your main work.

(4) Cultivate sanctified common sense.

180. MALACIII'S TRUMPET CALL TO REFORM

Malachi was probably contemporary with Nehemiah,

THE RESTORATION 211

inasmuch as he rebukes the same evils which disturbed
Jewish social life in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah.

The people offered blind and lame animals in sacrifice
on Jehovah's altar, thus insulting their God. He will
accept no such worthless offerings. "Oh that there were
one among you that would shut the doors, that ye might
not kindle fire on mine altar in vain!" (Mai. 1). The
priests are also at fault in accepting such contemptible
offerings. They have departed far from Jehovah's ideal
for the priesthood (2:1-9).

The prophet attacks the custom of divorcing Jewish
wives and taking heathen women in their place. Jehovah
hates divorce (2:10-16). The accusation that Jehovah
favors the wicked will cease when He draws near to
judgment against sorcerers and adulterers and false
swearers and oppressors (2:17 to 3:6). Judah robs
God by withholding the tithe that should support His
ministers (3:7-12). The separation between the right-
eous and the wicked shall certainly come (3: 13 to 4:3).

Malachi's last word urges the people to keep the law
of Moses and wait for the forerunner of the King (4:
4-6).

181. OTHER LITERATURE OF THE RESTORATION

Many psalms were composed in this period. See
Psalms 85, 118, 119, 126, 146-150. The Psalter became
the hymnal of the Jews of the Restoration. Perhaps the
sages also added to the wisdom literature of the Old
Testament. Ecclesiastes is put in this period by almost
all recent scholars. The Books of Chronicles, Ezra, Ne-
hemiah, and Esther were composed in this latest period
of the Old Testament. Daniel is placed at the beginning
of the period by conservative scholars and toward the
end by radical critics.

212 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

182. A GLANCE FORWARD

There is a gap between the Old Testament and the
New. The Judaism of Ezra and Xehcmiah is not the
legalism of the Pharisees in the time of our Lord. The
Maccabean struggle for a generation after 167 B.C. was
a period in which the parties of later Judaism took their
rise. The liberal Jews became more lax, and the strict
became more exclusive. The letter of the law killed the
spirit. The weightier matters, Mich as justice and mercy,
were forgotten in the effort to tithe mint, anise, and
cummin.

Into this legalistic circle there came One who I
that lov§ was the central word in the Old Testament
He found in Genesis and Deuteronomy and Isaiah and
the Psalms rich revelation- of the character of God, and
ethical and religion-; teaching which will inspire and
guide men to the end of time. Because He held tin- I
Testament in high esteem as a revelation of the Father's
will, we also come to it for instruction in right!

Chapter XIV

A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE BIBLE

THE Bible is a history of Redemption. It is not a
history of the world, nor even a history of the
Hebrew people. Whatever bears on the redemption of
sinful man finds a place in the Bible. All else, however
interesting and valuable for other purposes, is passed by
in silence.

I. THE BEGINNINGS

The first eleven chapters of Genesis lie at the founda-
tion of the Bible. They tell us that God created the
universe; that man, the crowning work of the creation,
at first enjoyed fellowship with God; that the old ser-
pent tempted our first parents and led them into sin;
that God announced final victory to the seed of the
woman in the long struggle with the serpent; that sin
grew among men until God felt impelled to destroy all
the race except one righteous family; that sin continued
among the descendants of Noah, the progenitor of all
the families and nations of earth. This foundation sec-
tion of the Bible leads up to the birth of Abram, whom
Jehovah elects to be a blessing to all the world. It
covers far more time than all the remainder of the Bible;
perhaps far more than the common chronology would
suggest.

II. THE PATRIARCHAL PERIOD

God makes a new era to begin with Abraham, the
father of believers. Rich revelations of the character

213

214 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

and purposes of Jehovah are made to Abraham and his
descendants. The inspired writer portrays the patri-
arch's life and character vividly and fully. In the his-
tory of redemption Abraham holds a large place. The
lives of [saac, Jacob, and Joseph are .. -ecdingly

instructive. God waited a long time while His plans
were maturing, and then advanced His redemptive pur-
rapidly through the great patriarchs. Genesis is
truly one of the world's

in. Tin: i i;.\ OF MO

The family of Jacob had grown into a nation in Egypt
Tin enslaved by the Egyptians and so:

pressed. Jehovah calls M - be the deliverer, lea

and lawgiver o! [srael. The character of h is

revealed in much of glory through Moses. The

en nation b under the dominion of right,

statutes and ordinances. The ethical charac eho-

vah becomes the model after which lib
to shape their lives. Much redempti
wrapped up in the symbols and t the Ml

Law.

es led [srael romised 1 L

It v rved for Joshua to conquer Canaan and to

ign to the various tribes their inheritance. The

■n with Israel in ■ in a foreign land; it closed

with Israel in | :i of a land flowing with milk

and honey. Israel is called to be a holy nation, and to

this chosen nation are intrusted the oracles of God.

Jehovah redeemed Israel by a mighty arm from the

bondage of Egypt He claims Israel as Tlis own per-

&1 property. Tie i- Israel's king. Through Israel

He wishes to reveal His character and purposes to all

mankind.

The life and work of Moses are describe 1 in Exodus,
Leviticus. Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Joshua gives

A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE BIBLE 215

an account of the conquest of Canaan and of the allot-
ment of the land among the tribes of Israel. During
this period the Pentateuch was written.

IV. THE PERIOD OF THE JUDGES

After the death of Joshua, heathenism repeatedly at-
tacked and threatened to engulf the religion of Abraham
and Moses. Here we come to the Dark Ages of Israel's
history. Every man did that which was right in his
own eyes. Even the best men of the time were on a
plane far below that on which Moses and Joshua and
their associates had lived. It looked as if the knowledge
of Jehovah's character might fade from the minds of
men. But there were a few faithful souls who kept
alive the knowledge of the holy and merciful God. Sam-
uel, the last of the Judges, became the first of a long line
of prophets. Under the guiding hand of Samuel a great
revival breaks out, and Israel comes into an era of politi-
cal power and of moral and spiritual energy.

The story of the period is told in Judges, Ruth, and 1
Samuel 1-7. The Book of Joshua was probably com-
posed in this period.

V. THE UNITED KINGDOM

Under Samuel the transition from a pure Theocracy
to a Constitutional Monarchy is made. An earthly king
is seated on Jehovah's throne over Israel. When Saul
proves a failure, Jehovah chooses a man after His own
heart and places David on the throne. David as king
becomes significant in the revelation of Jehovah's re-
demptive purpose. The promise of God attaches itself
to David's house. The Ideal King of the future will be
a second David.

Perhaps David's harp was more important to the plan
of Redemption than his scepter. Through the many

216 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

psalms which he composed he has brought men of all
succeeding ages into a closer fellowship with God.

Solomon contributed out of his stores of worldly wis-
dom many proverbs to guide the young to success and
honor.

The period of the United Kingdom was one in which
real advance was made in the redemptive plan of Jeho-
vah. Prophets and psalmists and sages united in pro-
moting faith and morality and Spirituality in Israel.
Times of reaction and moral declension may be tf
in the later history of Lsrael, but never any long period
in which Israel is without prophets or other leaders to
keep alive the knowledge of Jehovah.

The account of the events of this period is found in
1 Samuel 8 to 1 Kings 11 ; also in 1 Chronicles 10 I 2

Chronicles 9. Judges, Ruth, and 1 and 2 Samuel were
probably composed in this period; also many psahns and
proverbs and the Song of Solomon.

VI. Tin-: DIVIDED KINGDOM

The taxes were heavy under Solomon. His foolish
son refused to make them lighter, and the northern tribes
revolted. This brings us to the period of the Divided
Kingdom (931-587 B.C.). Ill 722 B.C, Samaria was
captured by the Assyrians, and the kingdom of Israel
(or Ephraim) ceased to be. The kingdom of Judah was
destroyed by Nebuchadrezzar in 587 B.C. and the people
carried captive to Babylonia. As early as 605 B.C.,
captives were taken from Jerusalem to Babylon. Daniel
and others were carried into exile in that year. In 598
B.C. Jehoiachin and many of his people were transported
to Babylon.

The ministry of Elijah and Elisha in the Northern
Kingdom made memorable the period from 870 B.C. to
800 B.C. In Judah, Obadiah and Joel were probably
contemporary with Elisha. Jonah, shortly after 800

A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE BIBLE 217

B.C., prophesied first to his own people and then to
heathen Nineveh. Amos (about 760 B.C.) thundered at
Bethel against the sins of Israel, and Hosea (about 750-
725 B.C.) pleaded with Israel to return to Jehovah. In
Judah, Isaiah and Micah filled the period from 740 to
695 B.C. with brilliant ministries. Amos, Hosea, Isaiah,
and Micah made prophecy a mighty power in the eighth
century B.C. To Isaiah it was given to picture the Mes-
sianic King in His glory and to describe the character
and achievements of the Suffering Servant of Jehovah.
Hezekiah, one of Judah's best kings, led his people to
turn from idols to the worship of Jehovah. Isaiah and
Micah found in him a sympathetic hearer.

With the fall of Samaria in 722 B.C., the Kingdom
of the Ten Tribes passed away. No doubt pious indi-
viduals of these tribes later united with their brethren
of Judah, so that the Ten Tribes were not wholly lost to
history.

After the death of Hezekiah and Isaiah, Judah lapsed
into gross idolatry under Manasseh. There was a notable
reformation under Josiah about 623 B.C. Jehovah raised
up a group of faithful prophets at this crisis. Nahum
(about 640-630 B.C.) announced the approaching down-
fall of cruel Nineveh. Zephaniah (about 630-625 B.C.)
described the terrible day of Jehovah's wrath against sin,
but predicted that a remnant both of Jews and Gentiles
would be saved. Habakkuk (about 609-600 B.C.) gave
voice to the longing for justice in a time of oppression.
Jeremiah commenced about 628 B.C. a faithful ministry
that was continued in the face of multiplied discourage-
ments and dangers until after the fall of Jerusalem in 587
B.C. He announced the transition to a new era in which
Jehovah would write His law, not on tables of stone,
but on the hearts of His people. He preached the doc-
trine of individualism. God will deal with each person as
a separate entity. The Kingdom of God as represented
by the people of Judah as a nation was about to go to

218 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

pieces, but only as a preparation for a higher stage in the
history of Redemption. The spirituality of the Kingdom
of God received new and helpful interpretation from Jere-
miah. Long before the destruction of Jerusalem in 587
B.C., Jeremiah had committed to writing the substance of
Jehovah's messages through him. The roll of his prophe-
cies was completed in the early years of the Babylonian
Exile. During the discouraging experiences of the Exile
devout men were heartened by his earnest words, and
the spiritual element kept alive the hope of ultimate vic-
tory for the people of Jehovah.

During this long period the singers of Israel made
additions to the Psalter, and the sages continued to put
forth proverbs embodying worldly wisdom. It is pos-
sible that the author of the Book of Job lived in this
period. Of the writing prophets, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah,
Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Jeremiah certainly belong
in this period; and it seems to the writer that Obadiah,
Joel, and Jonah should be placed in the early part of this
period.

VII. THE BABYLONIAN EXILE

As already stated, the Exile was a process beginning
in 605 B.C. with the captivity of Daniel and others, con-
tinuing with the captivity of Jehoiachin in 598 B.C., and
leading up to the great captivity at the destruction of
Jerusalem in 587 B.C.

Ezekiel, a priest carried off with Jehoiachin in 598 B.C.,
was called to prophesy in 593 B.C. among the captives
by the river Chebar in lower Babylonia. He continued
his ministry until 571 B.C. Through Ezekiel Jehovah
emphasized the doctrine of individual responsibility.
Every man is treated justly, and every man is a separate
entity before God. He may even break away from his
own past life, and will be judged as he is, and not as he
was before he changed his course. Ezekiel is a prophet

A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE BIBLE ill)

of hope, picturing the growth of the kingdom of God in
his image of the stream of lite-giving waters that *
from under the altar of God.

Daniel as a Statesman and wise man gave bis testimony
before kings and courts. God also made through him
wonderful disclosures of the future struggles of Jehovah's
people. Daniel teaches the doctrine of the resurrection of
individuals to everlasting life or cvcrla ame, and

gives a great promise to soul-winn

During the Exile were composed the Books of 1 and
2 Kings; Jeremiah (completed), Lamentations, and Eze-
kiel.

VIII. FROM THE RESTORATION TO THE MACCABEAN
REVOLT

The return from captivity had been foretold by Isaiah,
Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. When Gyrus conquered Babylon,
he gave permission to the Jews to return to their own
land and to rebuild their temple. In 535 B.C. Zerubbabel
led a company of about fifty thousand exiles back to
Palestine. The worship of Jehovah through sacrifices
was resumed, and plans were laid for rebuilding the tem-
ple; but, owing to opposition from their heathen I
bors, the work was discontinued for fourteen ;
Then Jehovah sent Ilaggai and Zcchariah, in 520 B.C.,
to stir up the spirits of the rulers of th< to under-

take the task of building the temple. The work was
completed in 516 B.C., and the temple was dedicated
with joy.

Many Jews remained in Babylon and Persia. The
Book of Esther relates how, in the reign of X about

47S B.C.)i the Jews of the world were threatened with
extermination, and how they were saved by the interces-
sion of Esther.

In 458 B.C., Art ra permission to lead

a caravan of Jews from Persia to Jerusalem. Ezra came

220 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

to Jerusalem and wrought important reforms among the
people.

In 445 B.C., Nehemiah, the cuphearer of Artax-
asked permission to return to Jerusalem and to rebuild
the walls of the city. lie accomplished his difficult task
speedily, in spite of many serious dangers. On his return
from Persia, about 432 B.C., he wrought several im-
portant reforms in Jerusalem. Ik* was a wise and effi-
cient governor. Ezra and Nehemiah cooperated to I
the Jews separate from the heathen world, which threat-
ened to assimilate them to its low religious and moral
life. Ezra and Nehemiah paved the way for the develop-
ment of Judaism.

The prophet Malachi was probably contemporary with

Nehemiah. as he attacks the abttSCS which Nehemiah over-
threw in Judah.

The Jews continued under the comparatively mild Per-
sian rule until 331 B.C, when they passed under the
yoke of Alexander the Great. From 320 to \9B B.C the
Jewa were subject to the Ptolemies oi Egypt Then they

became subject to Antiochus the Great of Syria, and con-
tinued tributary to Syria until the revolt against An-
tiochus Epiphanes in 167 B.C Mattathias and his brave
sons led their country men in a desperate struggle for the

right to worship God according to the laws of Moses.
They refused to become hellenized and heathenized.

During the period from 535 B.C. to 166 B.C. were com-
posed the prophetic Rooks of Daniel, Ha chariah,
and Malachi ; the historical Books, 1 and 2 Chroni
Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther; also some Psalms, and
probably Ecclesiastes, which describes the lessons to be
learned from Solomon's experiences. Several of the
Apocryphal Books, such as Tobit and Ecclesiasticus, were
also composed in this period.

A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE BIBLE 221

IX. FROM THE MACCABEAN REVOLT TO THE BIRTH OF
JESUS

For this period we are dependent upon sources other
than the Bible. From 1 Maccabees and Josephus we
learn that the Maccabees, after many battles, won inde-
pendence for the Jews. Native kings and queens once
more ruled over the Jewish people. But in 63 B.C.
Pompey captured Jerusalem, and in 37 B.C. Herod the
Great became king, and held the office until after the
birth of our Lord. The chronology computed in later
times seems clearly to have put the birth of Jesus about
five years too late. Hence modern chronologers usually
assign that event to 5 B.C.

During this period the Jewish sects developed, so that
in the New Testament we hear of the Pharisees and the
Sadducees. Judaism hardened into Pharisaic legalism.

X. THE LIFE OF OUR LORD JESUS

Here we come to the heart of the Bible. Fortunately
the story is so familiar that we do not need to repeat it.
Our Lord's public ministry probably lasted a little over
three years. After the early Judean ministry He passed
through Samaria to enter upon the great Galilean min-
istry, which took Him three times over that populous dis-
trict. Then He withdrew into the region of Tyre and
Sidon and other districts around Galilee. During the
last six months He seems to have visited all parts of the
land on both sides of the Jordan. Then came the dis-
courses of the last week, the crucifixion, the resurrection,
and after forty days the ascension.

Jesus wrote no books, but He promised the Twelve the
gift of the Holy Spirit that He might bring to their
remembrance the words they had heard from His lips.
Never man spake like this man. Jesus Christ made atone-
ment for sin on the cross. In Him were fulfilled the

222 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

Scriptures of the Old Testament. All the New Testa-
ment sets forth ilis life and death and resurrection as the
hope of the world. Whatever in the Bible has no relation
to Him may be safely ignored — but take care lest the re-
lation be missed through inattention.

XI. LABORS of PETEB and OF I

(Chiefly among the Jews.)

The most probable date for the ascension of our Lord
is the late spring of 30 A. I). Ten i <-r the I

Spirit fell with mighty pov the disciples in the

upper room, hi BOttls v.

verted tu personal acceptance of .; Christ and

Saviour. The progress of the revival thu m is

Sketched in the early c1 Of cor.

the advc 1 up opposition and . but

the church grew wonderfully. The Del

pel sufficient for all his needs. Y< The

•:i to have forgotten the command to make
disciples of all the nations. S

comes more violent, and the ' rs are scattered

abroad, preachinj . nrney.

God calls Peter to receive into the church the
Gentil irertS. Presently others are won at Antioch

through the labors of other men. Meantime Saul of
Tarsus has been converted to the new faith. He is busy
idling and teaching in Cilicia, V. in which

he was burn. Fourteen or fifl way

since our Lord left the earth, and the time 19 ripe for a
great ingathering of the Gentiles. The gospel of Christ
has been tested by many, and it has stood the test.

A BIRD'S-EYE VIEW OF THE BIBLE 223

XII. MISSIONARY LABORS OF PAUL AND OF HIS ASSOCIATES

(Gentiles and Jews.)

Barnabas, seeing that there was a great door opened
in Antioch, went forth to Tarsus to seek Saul. He found
his man and brought him face to face with a great oppor-
tunity. These were busy days in Antioch. Presently the
Holy Spirit designated Barnabas and Saul for work on
a wider field. Then follows the great missionary journey
to Cyprus, Pisidia, and Lycaonia. Many converts are
won from among the Gentiles. Now the question is
raised whether Gentiles becoming Christians should not
also become Jews and keep the law of Moses. At the
Council in Jerusalem in A.D. 50, Gentile freedom was
won, largely through the efforts of Paul and Barnabas.

About 48 or 50 A.D., it is supposed, James wrote his
Epistle.

In A.D. 51-54 followed the second missionary journey.
Paul and Silas were called into Macedonia, and thence
into Greece. From Corinth, in A.D. 52 or 53, Paul wrote
the two letters to the Thessalonians.

During the period from A.D. 54 to A.D. 58, Paul was
engaged in the third missionary journey, spending much
time at Ephesus. Toward the close of this campaign he
wrote a group of great letters, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Gala-
tians, and Romans. This group belongs to the years 57
and 58 A.D.

Finally Paul falls into the hands of his enemies, and
lies in prison at Caesarea for two long years. Then he
goes to Rome as a prisoner. During his confinement in
Rome he probably wrote Philippians, Colossians, Phile-
mon, and Ephesians, another group of great letters.

It seems that Paul finally was released, and had op-
portunity to resume his missionary labors. But once
more he was arrested, about A.D. 67, and is said to have
suffered martyrdom in A.D. 68. During his last im-

tS4 THE HEART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

prisonmmt lie wrote 1 Timothy, Titus, and 2 Timothy.

Hebrews is probably not directly from the hand of
Paul, although reminding one a good deal of the great
Apostle. It was probably composed between 60 and
70 A.I).

1 Peter, Jude, and 2 Peter probably date from 65 to
67 A.D.

Mark, Matthew, and Luke probably wrote the Gospels
bearing their names before A.D. 70, though some good
scholars think them later.

xin. en \r.MRs of joiin and or ins associates

When rid Paill 'hn, the

disciple, became easily the foremost Chri the

world. He i a and influential while these mij

men lived, but ] n willing to yield to

Peter as spokesman. John ; have Ir ripe

old age in Ephesus. For a while he «
Between A.D. 80 and ft D. 95 he probably wrote the
pel of John, the three Epistles <>( John, and the R

lation. The heart of God is re

They form a fitting dOM and climax to the revelation
contained in the Bible. The ultimate triumph of Chri>t
over all foes is predicted in the Revelation. God's plan
of redemption will not fail. The Son of God shall rei^n
forever. Satan shall be locked up in the bottomlc-s pit,
no more to tempt the saints.

The Bible is a unity. The style and manner of each
book contain elements that give it a right to a place in
God's great Book. Every part of the Book contains the
red blood of Redemption. The Bible is an organism.
Cut it and it will bleed. It contains the progressive reve-
lation of God's will. Holy men wrote it as they were
borne along by the Spirit of God.

A CHART SHOWING THE BIBLE AS A
WHOLE

Date Due

RSW*^

^f--i

**»

<il^

i -•. ...

riafr

m

i<4fe4

*^*r

"«^3

1 "**

fc

^■■■■■H

F"^

1

-T

vf