Notes on the Book of Deuteronomy Volume I Part 1

Notes on the Book of Deuteronomy.

Volume I.

by Charles Henry Mackintosh.

PREFACE

The value and importance of the Word of G.o.d cannot be over-estimated at the present moment. Its integrity and authority are being a.s.sailed from almost every quarter and in every form of attack. "If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Ps. xi. 3.)

Infidel thoughts and principles are not limited to a few literary and speculative minds, as they were fifty years ago, but are now a.s.serted by many who ought to be the true guardians of Christianity and the defenders of the Bible as a revelation from G.o.d.

In this way the mult.i.tude of the simple and unsuspecting are deceived.

If the style of address be pleasing, few care to compare what they have been hearing with the holy Scriptures. The conscience not being aroused, they take no further trouble.

But what of the state of immortal souls, under such a ministry, in view of eternity? On whom does the weight of responsibility rest?

Fine-spun theories will never awaken a soul asleep in sin: the lost sinner must be brought face to face with the plain Word of G.o.d and the solemn realities of eternity. His voice must be heard. All is absolute, positive, and definite here, whatever infidelity may say.

"The Word of the Lord endureth forever."

The burden of the following pages, I am thankful to find, is well calculated to meet and counteract the looseness and indefiniteness of the prevailing teaching of the present day.

And this, I may also say, is the burden of the book of Deuteronomy.

The Jewish lawgiver presses with great earnestness the Word of Jehovah on the heart of Israel. It is not a book of ceremonials, but the reminding of the people of their obligation to keep the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments of the Lord.

This is the first moral duty of man in every age--implicit obedience and submission to the revealed will of G.o.d. Moses speaks to the children of Israel as a father, and appeals to them in the most tender and loving way. "Hearken, O Israel," he says, "unto the statutes and unto the judgments which I teach you ... ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your G.o.d which I command you." And again, he says, "Thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates."

The welfare of the people individually and nationally depended on their faithfully observing these oft-repeated laws. To neglect them was to bring upon themselves the displeasure and chastening of the G.o.d of Israel.

But more need not be said here on these subjects. The reader will find in the following pages the most ample unfolding and practical application of these divine exhortations and warnings. But the writer has not confined himself to what Deuteronomy teaches, but has enlarged on what it suggests. In this way we have brought before us the grand cardinal truths of Christianity: a wide circle of truth is embraced, and much that applies to the individual Christian, the family, the household, and the Church of G.o.d will be found in the accompanying book.

It now goes forth with the earnest desire that the Lord may be graciously pleased to use it for the glory of His own name, the help of His people, and the eternal blessing of many precious souls.

_A. M._

_London, November, 1880._

INTRODUCTION

The character of the book on which we now enter is quite as distinct as that of any of the four preceding sections of the Pentateuch. Were we to judge from the t.i.tle of the book, we might suppose that it is a mere repet.i.tion of what we find in previous books. This would be a very grave mistake. There is no such thing as mere repet.i.tion in the Word of G.o.d. Indeed, G.o.d never repeats Himself, either in His Word or in His works. Wherever we trace our G.o.d, whether on the page of holy Scripture or in the vast fields of creation, we see divine fullness, infinite variety, marked design; and just in proportion to our spirituality of mind will be our ability to discern and appreciate these things. Here, as in all beside, we need the eye anointed with heavenly eye-salve. What a poor idea must the man entertain of inspiration who could imagine for a moment that the fifth book of Moses is a barren repet.i.tion of what is to be found in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers! Why, even in human composition we should not expect to find such a flagrant imperfection, much less in the perfect revelation which G.o.d has so graciously given us in His holy Word. The fact is, there is not, from cover to cover of the inspired volume, a single superfluous sentence, not one redundant clause, not one statement without its own distinct meaning--its own direct application. If we do not see this, we have yet to learn the depth, force, and meaning of the words, "All scripture is given by inspiration of G.o.d."

Precious words! Would they were more thoroughly understood in this our day! It is of the utmost possible importance that the Lord's people should be rooted, grounded, and settled in the grand truth of the plenary inspiration of holy Scripture. It is to be feared that laxity as to this most weighty subject is spreading in the professing church to an appalling extent. In many quarters it has become fashionable to pour contempt upon the idea of plenary inspiration. It is looked upon as the veriest childishness and ignorance. It is regarded by many as a great proof of profound scholarship, breadth of mind, and original thinking to be able, by free criticism, to find out flaws in the precious volume of G.o.d. Men presume to sit in judgment upon the Bible as though it were a mere human composition. They undertake to p.r.o.nounce upon what is and what is not worthy of G.o.d. In fact, they do virtually sit in judgment upon G.o.d Himself. The present result is, as might be expected, utter darkness and confusion, both for those learned doctors themselves and for all who are so foolish as to listen to them. And as for the future, who can conceive the eternal destiny of all those who shall have to answer before the judgment-seat of Christ for the sin of blaspheming the Word of G.o.d, and leading hundreds astray by their infidel teaching?

We shall not, however, occupy time in dwelling upon the sinful folly of infidels and skeptics (even though called Christians), or their puny efforts to cast dishonor upon that peerless volume which our gracious G.o.d has caused to be written for our learning. They will some day or other find out their fatal mistake. G.o.d grant it may not be too late! And as for us, let it be our deep joy and consolation to meditate upon the Word of G.o.d, that so we may ever be discovering some fresh treasure in that exhaustless mine--some new moral glories in that heavenly revelation!

The book of Deuteronomy holds a very distinct place in the inspired canon. Its opening lines are sufficient to prove this.--"These be the words which Moses spake unto all Israel on this side Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red Sea, between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Dizahab."

Thus much as to the place in which the lawgiver delivered the contents of this marvelous book. The people had come up to the eastern bank of the Jordan, and were about to enter upon the land of promise. Their desert wanderings were nearly ended, as we learn from the third verse, in which the point of time is as distinctly marked as is the geographical position in verse 1.--"It came to pa.s.s in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them."

Thus, not only have we both time and place set forth with divine precision and minuteness, but we also learn, from the words just quoted, that the communications made to the people in the plains of Moab were very far indeed from being a repet.i.tion of what has come before us in our studies on the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers. Of this we have further and very distinct proof in a pa.s.sage in chapter xxix. of the book on which we are now entering.--"These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, _beside the covenant which He made with them in h.o.r.eb_."

Let the reader note particularly these words. They speak of two covenants--one at h.o.r.eb and one in Moab; and the latter, so far from being a mere repet.i.tion of the former, is as distinct from it as any two things can be. Of this we shall have the fullest and clearest evidence in our study of the profound book which now lies open before us.

True, the Greek t.i.tle of the book, signifying the law a second time, might seem to give rise to the idea of its being a mere recapitulation of what has gone before; but we may rest a.s.sured it is not so.

Indeed, it would be a very grave error to think so. The book has its own specific place. Its scope and object are as distinct as possible.

The grand lesson which it inculcates, from first to last, is _obedience_; and that, too, not in the mere letter, but in the spirit of love and fear--an obedience grounded upon a known and enjoyed relationship--an obedience quickened by the sense of moral obligations of the weightiest and most influential character.

The aged lawgiver--the faithful, beloved, and honored servant of the Lord was about to take leave of the congregation. He was going to heaven and they were about to cross the Jordan, and hence his closing discourses are solemn and affecting in the very highest degree. He reviews the whole of their wilderness history, and that, too, in a manner most touching and impressive. He recounts the scenes and circ.u.mstances of their forty eventful years of desert life, in a style eminently calculated to touch the deepest moral springs of the heart.

We hang over these most precious discourses with wonder and delight.

They possess an incomparable charm, arising from the circ.u.mstances under which they were delivered, as well as from their own divinely powerful contents. They speak to us no less effectively than to those for whom they were specially intended. Many of the appeals and exhortations come home to us with a power of application as if they had been uttered but yesterday.

And is it not thus with all Scripture? Are we not continually struck with its marvelous power of adaptation to our own very state, and to the day in which our lot is cast? It speaks to us with a point and freshness as if it were written expressly for us--written this very day. There is nothing like Scripture. Take any human writing of the same date as the book of Deuteronomy; if you could lay your hand on some volume written three thousand years ago, what would you find? A curious relic of antiquity--something to be placed in the British Museum, side by side with an Egyptian mummy, having no application whatever to us or to our time--a musty doc.u.ment--a piece of obsolete writing, practically useless to us, referring only to a state of society and to a condition of things long since pa.s.sed away and buried in oblivion.

The Bible, on the contrary, is the book for to-day. It is G.o.d's own book--His perfect revelation. It is His own very voice speaking to each one of us. It is a book for every age, for every clime, for every cla.s.s, for every condition--high and low, rich and poor, learned and ignorant, old and young. It speaks in a language so simple that a child can understand it, and yet so profound that the most gigantic intellect cannot exhaust it. Moreover, it speaks right home to the heart; it touches the deepest springs of our moral being; it goes down to the hidden roots of thought and feeling in the soul; it judges us thoroughly. In a word, it is, as the inspired apostle tells us, "quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Heb.

iv. 12.)

And then mark the marvelous comprehensiveness of its range. It deals as accurately and as forcibly with the habits and customs, the manners and maxims of the nineteenth century of the Christian era as with those of the very earliest ages of human existence. It displays a perfect acquaintance with man in every stage of his history. The London of to-day and the Tyre of three thousand years ago are mirrored, with like precision and faithfulness, on the sacred page.

Human life, in every stage of its development, is portrayed by a master-hand in that wonderful volume which our G.o.d has graciously penned for our learning.

What a privilege to possess such a book!--to have in our hands a divine revelation!--to have access to a book, every line of which is given by inspiration of G.o.d!--to have a divinely given history of the past, the present, and the future! Who can estimate aright such a privilege as this?

But then, this book judges man--judges his ways--judges his heart. It tells him the truth about himself. Hence man does not like G.o.d's book.

An unconverted man would vastly prefer a newspaper or a sensational novel to the Bible. He would rather read the report of a trial in one of our criminal courts than a chapter in the New Testament.

Hence, too, the constant effort to pick holes in G.o.d's blessed book.

Infidels in every age and of every cla.s.s have labored hard to find out flaws and contradictions in holy Scripture. The determined enemies of the Word of G.o.d are to be found, not only in the ranks of the vulgar, the coa.r.s.e, and the demoralized, but amongst the educated, the refined, and the cultivated. Just as it was in the days of the apostles, "certain lewd fellows of the baser sort," and "devout and honorable women"--two cla.s.ses so far removed from each other socially and morally--found one point in which they could heartily agree, namely, the utter rejection of the Word of G.o.d and of those who faithfully preached it. (Comp. Acts xiii. 50 with xvii. 5.) So we ever find that men who differ in almost every thing else, agree in their determined opposition to the Bible. Other books are let alone. Men care not to point out defects in Virgil, in Horace, in Homer, or Herodotus; but the Bible they cannot endure, because it exposes them and tells them the truth about themselves and the world to which they belong.

And was it not exactly the same with the living Word--the Son of G.o.d--the Lord Jesus Christ when He was here among men? Men hated Him because He told them the truth. His ministry, His words, His ways--His whole life was a standing testimony against the world; hence their bitter and persistent opposition. Other men were allowed to pa.s.s on, but He was watched and waylaid at every turn of His path. The great leaders and guides of the people "sought to entangle Him in His talk,"

to find occasion against Him, in order that they might deliver Him to the power and authority of the governor. Thus it was during His marvelous life; and at the close, when the blessed One was nailed to the cross between two malefactors, these latter were let alone; there were no insults heaped upon them--the chief priests and elders did not wag their heads at them. No; all the insults, all the mockery, all the coa.r.s.e and heartless vulgarity--all was heaped upon the divine Occupant of the centre cross.

Now, it is well we should thoroughly understand the real source of all the opposition to the Word of G.o.d--whether it be the living Word or the written Word. It will enable us to estimate it at its real worth.

The devil hates the Word of G.o.d--hates it with a perfect hatred; and hence he employs learned infidels to write books to prove that the Bible is not the Word of G.o.d, that it cannot be, inasmuch as there are mistakes and discrepancies in it; and not only so, but in the Old Testament we find laws and inst.i.tutions, habits and practices, unworthy of a gracious and benevolent Being.

To all this style of argument we have one brief and pointed reply. Of all these learned infidels we simply say, They know nothing whatever about the matter. They may be very learned, very clever, very deep and original thinkers, well made up in general literature, very competent to give an opinion on any subject within the domain of natural and moral philosophy, very able to discuss any scientific question; moreover, they may be very amiable in private life--truly estimable characters--kind, benevolent, philanthropic, beloved in private and respected in public,--all this they may be, but being unconverted, and not having the Spirit of G.o.d, they are wholly unfit to form, much less to give, a judgment on the subject of holy Scripture. If any one wholly ignorant of astronomy were to presume to sit in judgment on the principles of the Copernican system, these very men of whom we speak would at once p.r.o.nounce him utterly incompetent to speak, and unworthy to be heard on such a subject. In short, no one has any right whatever to offer an opinion on a matter with which he is unacquainted. This is an admitted principle on all hands; and therefore its application in the case now before us cannot justly be called in question.

Now, the inspired apostle tells us, in his first epistle to the Corinthians, that "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of G.o.d; for they are foolishness unto him; _neither can he know them_, because they are spiritually discerned." This is conclusive. He speaks of man in his natural state, be he ever so learned, ever so cultivated. He is not speaking of any special cla.s.s of men, but simply of man in his unconverted state--man dest.i.tute of the Spirit of G.o.d.

Some may imagine that the apostle refers to man in a state of barbarism, or savage ignorance. By no means; it is simply man in nature, be he a learned philosopher or an ignorant clown. "He cannot know the things of the Spirit of G.o.d." How, then, can he form or give a judgment as to the Word of G.o.d? How can he take it upon him to say what is or what is not worthy of G.o.d to write? And if he is audacious enough to do so (as, alas! he is), who will be foolish enough to listen to him? His arguments are baseless, his theories worthless, his books only fit for the wastepaper basket; and all this, be it observed, on the universally admitted principle above stated, that no one has any t.i.tle to be heard on a subject of which he is wholly ignorant.

In this way we dispose of the whole tribe of infidel writers. Who would think of listening to a blind man on the subject of light and shade? And yet such a man has much more claim to be heard than an unconverted man on the subject of inspiration. Human learning, however extensive and varied--human wisdom, however profound, cannot qualify a man to form a judgment upon the Word of G.o.d. No doubt a scholar may examine and collate MSS. simply as a matter of criticism; he may be able to form a judgment as to the question of authority for any particular reading of a pa.s.sage; but this is a different matter altogether from an infidel writer undertaking to p.r.o.nounce judgment upon the revelation which G.o.d has, in His infinite goodness, given to us. We maintain that no man can do this. It is only by the Spirit, who Himself inspired the holy Scriptures, that those Scriptures can be understood and appreciated. The Word of G.o.d must be received upon its own authority. If man can judge it or reason upon it, it is not the Word of G.o.d at all. Has G.o.d given us a revelation, or has He not? If He has, it must be absolutely perfect in every respect; and being such, it must be entirely beyond the range of human judgment. Man is no more competent to judge Scripture than he is to judge G.o.d. The Scriptures judge man; not man the Scriptures.

This makes all the difference. Nothing can be more miserably contemptible than the books which infidels write against the Bible.

Every page, every paragraph, every sentence, only goes to ill.u.s.trate the truth of the apostle's statement, that "the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of G.o.d; ... _neither can he know them_, because they are spiritually discerned." Their gross ignorance of the subject with which they undertake to deal is only equaled by their self-confidence. Of their irreverence we say nothing; for who would think of looking for reverence in the writings of infidels? We might perhaps look for a little modesty were it not that we are fully aware of the bitter _animus_ which lies at the root of all such writings, and renders them utterly unworthy of a moment's consideration. Other books may have a dispa.s.sionate examination; but the precious book of G.o.d is approached with the foregone conclusion that it is not a divine revelation, because, forsooth, infidels tell us that G.o.d could not give us a written revelation of His mind.

How strange! Men can give us a revelation of their thoughts (and infidels have done so pretty plainly), but G.o.d cannot! What folly!

What presumption! Why, we may lawfully inquire, could not G.o.d reveal His mind to His creatures? Why should it be thought a thing incredible? For no reason whatever, but because infidels would have it so. The wish is, in this case a.s.suredly, father to the thought. The question raised by the old serpent in the garden of Eden nearly six thousand years ago, has been pa.s.sed on from age to age by all sorts of skeptics, rationalists, and infidels, namely, "Hath G.o.d said?" We reply, with intense delight, Yes; blessed be His holy name, He has spoken--spoken to us. He has revealed His mind; He has given us the holy Scriptures. "_All scripture is given by inspiration of G.o.d_, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of G.o.d may be perfect [a?t???], thoroughly furnished unto all good works." And again, "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." (2 Tim. iii. 16, 17; Rom. xv. 4.)