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half. Pharaoh had repeatedly asked for Moses’ interces sion, hut not Israel. God graciously responded to the cry of Moses and de vised a remedy, in which the whole mystery of redemption is typed. The brazen serpent, lifted up in the camp of Israel, is God’s symbol of salvation. The Lord illustrates the new birth by this illustration in the third chapter of John. We may be sure, then, that we have here the real secret of salvation. God sent death to Adam and his posterity in conformity to the law “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Christ was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, after the fashion of the first Adam. “He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteous ness of God in him.” In justice God condemned and punished sin. In mercy,- God hears the cry, “ We have sinned” and sends forth a remedy. It is a beautiful picture—-the' proud, rebellious Israelite, now humbled and broken, suffering the tortures of the poison, turning his eyes with longing and faith to the God-prepared remedy lifted before him. “When he be held the serpent of brass, he lived.” Then and there the poison was nullified and the consciousness of the vigor of life was in his veins. “Look and live!” Blessedly simple! One look of faith at the crucified Christ means life to the dead.B-everlasting, eternal life! (3) THE CITIES OF REFUGE, 35:9-34, “Six cities shall ye have for refuge,” v. 13. We can only call attention to the salient features of this portion. We find the law to be observed in connection with these cities of refuge in this chapter and in Deut. 19 and Joshua 20. The lesson might easily be considered in a simple outline,— (1) The Purpose. (2) The Promise. (3-) The Penalty. Human life is sacred in God’s eyes, therefore He has laid down definite laws for its protection. The Purpose. Before the Mosaic law was instituted God had declared: “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made he man.” (Gen. 9:6). He required the blood of man from every beast, as well as from man (Gen. 9:5). He put a curse upon Cain, but spared his life and commanded a seven-fold vengeance upon the one who should take it. The Provision. When a man has been killed acciden tally, it is necessary that proof of the innocence of the slayer be adduced. Every nation seeks to protect innocent lifei—-therefore a court, a jury and a, verdict. The object here was to safe-guard justice, and for this reason, six cities of refuge were assigned—three on each side the Jor dan, in different sections of the land, that they might be accessible to all. The joads leading to them were broad and kept smooth. No person was punished in the city of refuge, and no criminal was safe without the city. The Typical Teaching. Christ is our Kedesh (Sanctu ary)—a sacred asylum (John 3:16; 5:24). The sinner is a law-breaker, and the law is the avenger, demanding death. Christ is our Shechem (a shoulder), our High Priest (1 Pet. 2:24). He is our Kirjath-Arba (strength) Psa. 27:1. He is our Bezer (stronghold—fortification) Rom. 8:1, 35, 36. Our Ramoth (the heights—heavenly places) Eph. 1:3. Our Golan (circle) which includes all that He is to us and for us.
Ch. 20 This was a deeply trying moment to the spirit of Moses. We can form no conception of what it must have been to encounter six hundred thousand murmurers, and to be obliged to listen to their bitter invectives, and to hear himself charged with all the misfor- COMMENTS tunes which their own unbelief had FROM THE conjured up before them. All this was COMMENTARIES no ordinary trial of patience; and most V. V. Morgan assuredly, we need not marvel if that dear and honoured servant found the occasion too much for him. “The Rock,” and “The Rod.” They both present Christ, most blessedly, to the soul; but in two distinct aspects. In 1 Cor. 10:4, we read, “They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” This is plain and positive. It leaves no room whatever for the exercise of the imagination. “That Rock was Christ,”—‘Christ smitten for us. Then as regards “the rod,” we must remember that it was not the rod of Moses, —the rod of authority,—the rod of power. This would not suit the occasion before us. It had done its work. It had smitten the rock once, and that was enough. _ (Ex. 17:5, 6 ). (See Ex. 7:20). Here we have a type of Christ smitten for us, by the hand of God, in judgment. It was the rod which turned the water into blood that was to smite “that Rock which was Christ” in order that streams of life and refreshment might flow for us. Now, this smit ing could only take place once. It is never to be repeated. (Rom. 6:9, 10; Heb. 9:26, 27; 1 Pet. 3:18). There can be no repetition of the death of Christ; and hence Moses was wrong in smiting the rock twice with his rod,—wrong in smiting it at all. He was commanded to take “the rod,” -—Aaron’s rodii—the priestly rod, and speak to the rock. The atoning work is done, and now our Great High Priest has passed into the heavens, there to appear in the presence of God for us, and the streams of spiritual refreshment flow to us, on the ground of accomplished redemption, and in connection with Christ’s priestly ministry, of which Aaron’s budding rod is the exquisite figure. Hence, then, it was a grave mistake for Moses to smite the rock a sec ond time,—a mistake to use his rod in the matter at all. To have smitten with Aaron’s rod would, as we can easily understand, have spoiled its lovely blossom. A word would have sufficed, in conneeton with the rod of priesthood,—- the rod of grace. Moses failed to see this,—failed to glorify God. He spoke unadvisedly with his lips; and as a conse quence he was prohibited going over Jordan.—C. H. M. Ch. 21 The Brazen Serpent is an illustration of Christ. (Jno. 3:14-16). (1.) Its design was the same, to save suffering, sinful, dying men. (2.) It was made in the form of the fiery serpents, but was itself perfectly harmless. So Christ was made sin for us, took the form of our sinful human nature, was subject to human conditions, yet with out sin. (3.) Like the serpent, Christ was lifted up upon the cross to draw all men unto him. Christ crucified is the most conspicuous object in the history of the world. It is the center around which the whole moral and religious warfare of the world is gathered. (4.) The power did not lie in the brazen serpent, but in God Himself who could be stow healing upon those who showed by their looking up to it at His Word that they believed in God and repented of their sin. The wood of the cross could save no one, but from the Son of God yielding up His life upon it as a sacri fice for sin there radiates every power that can touch the heart of man and draw him to his heavenly Father. (5.) Salvation was by faith, the only way in which free pardon can be offered without increasing the sin of the world. ( 6 .) The faith that God requires is not an arbitrary, but a necessary condition of salvation. For if men do not believe Christ they will will not obey His instructions about heaven and the way there. Faith is the test of obedience. Christ is the sum of God’s character; and the test is whether we will obey all God’s commandments, and not merely such as we may choose. Faith in Christ is a test of our loyalty to God and His kingdom. It is the choosing God, not only as our Saviour, but our King. (7.) The testimony of those who have been healed is one of the most effective means of leading others to be saved,—the testimony not only of words but of facts of the actual change produced by be lieving.—-Peloubet. Oh. 35. In the application of the types to us, the Of fender is the sinner, the Avenger is the law that demands the death of the sinner, the City of Refuge is Christ (Psa. 143:9; Rom. 8:1; Heb. 6:18; 7:25). These cities of refuge were of divine appointment and so is Christ (Jno. 3:16;
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