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Date: Tue, 30 May 1995 09:40:56 +0200
Reply-To: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel
Sender: Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel
From: Teus Benschop
Subject: The Scriptures opened, 33
To: Multiple recipients of list CHR-EXP
Contents
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Numbers 1:1,2 In the wilderness of Sinai
Isaiah 40, part 2 The voice of the crier
Revelation 1:10,11 The Alpha and Omega
Numbers 1:1,2 - In the wilderness of Sinai
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Weekly reading: Numbers 1:1-4:20
And the LORD spake unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the
tabernacle of the congregation, on the first [day] of the second
month, in the second year after they were come out of the land of
Egypt, saying, Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children
of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with
the number of [their] names, every male by their polls; (Numbers
1:1,2)
This is the beginning of the book Numbers. It begins with "And the
LORD spoke unto Moses". Happy people, who begin with the word of God
spoken to them. The LORD had elected them, and therefore He made His
word known to them. Before the Bible was written, God often spoke unto
men by dreams or by an audible voice. Here, He speaks unto Moses. But
now, while the Bible is ready, He uses Scripture to speak to us.
The LORD spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai. They
journeyed through the wilderness. Very hot on the days, and cold in
the nights. It is a living picture of the lives of all children of
God. While living on this earth, they make a journey through the
wilderness. Sins attack from all around them. They feel like Israel of
old, journeying through the wilderness. But happy are they, when the
LORD speaks to them. Either by their minister, or by His Word, or in
their heart.
The LORD spoke unto Moses. Where? In the tabernacle of the
congregation. This is important to notice. God often speaks to His
elect people when they are in the congregation. Of course, He
sometimes speaks to them on other places. But here, in our text, He
spoke in the tabernacle of the congregation. While we know this, let
we therefore go to the church; the present tabernacle of the
congregation. He speaks to the people while they are in the church,
and listen to the sermon of the minister, or while they are singing
the Psalms of David.
It is remarkable that Moses well knew when the LORD spoke unto him.
It was on the first day of the second month, in the second year after
they were come out of the land of Egypt. He precisely knew where and
when the LORD spoke to him. That is always the case. When the LORD
speaks to His people, they know it. He does not speak doubtfully, so
that they cannot say: "Did he speak or not?" True oracles of God will
never be forgotten.
The LORD had led Israel out of Egypt, that house of bondage. They
had for a long time been slaves there. It was, however, foresaid to
Abram, there forefather. God "said unto Abram, Know of a surety that
thy seed shall be a stranger in a land [that is] not theirs, and shall
serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years." (Genesis
15:13) What has been foresaid, also has happened. They were strangers
in Egypt, abhorred by the inhabitants. They have served them, with
hard labour. They are also afflicted for a long time. But now, the
LORD has redeemed them; He took them out of Egypt. Happy are those,
whom the LORD takes out of the house of bondage, out of their sins,
and redeems them through the precious blood of His eternal Son, Jesus
Christ.
The LORD commanded Moses to take up the sum of all the congregation
of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their
fathers, with the number of their names. He had to count from twenty
years old and upward. When he had completed this counting, it appeared
that they were an exceedingly great multitude. They were with six
hundred thousand and three thousand and five hundred and fifty men. In
this number are not included their wives, and all the people younger
then twenty years. We see that God abundantly has fulfilled His
promise to Abraham, that his seed would be like the stars of heaven in
multitude, and like the sand of the sea. In four hundred years, they
were become several millions of people, including wives and children.
When God's temporal blessing is so abundantly, how much more must
be His eternal blessing, namely for those who fear and love Him, and
obey His voice. Let we then serve this God. Let we not do like many of
the Israelites in the desert, who deserted God, and perished there.
When we then enjoy His temporal benefits, let us keep in memory, that
they are given us in order that we love Him.
He led Israel through the wilderness to promised Canaan. Likewise
now, He leads His elect people through the waste howling wilderness of
this life, unto the heavenly Canaan, whereof the earthly Canaan was a
picture. Let we then take heed, lest happens to us the same as
happened to them. Of the more then six hundred thousand of people,
older then twenty, but two men reached Canaan. The rest perished in
the desert, through their disobedience. Let we take heed, lest happens
the same to us. Let our walk then, while we are still on earth, be in
heaven, like Paul said. When this is so, through belief in God and His
Son Christ, then we will enter that Canaan.
Isaiah 40, part 2, The voice of the crier
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3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way
of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Here we hear the voice of the crier in the wilderness. He is calling
us up to repentance. It is known that in later times, John the Baptist
was crying, preaching, in the wilderness. What is the message of the
man that cries? He says: "Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make
straight in the desert a highway for our God". We hear it: the LORD is
coming, and we must prepare our ways. He calls us op to prepare for
His coming. We know, that God is a Spirit, and that He does not need
real ways through a desert, to come. He does not need that we clean
the ways from stones, to prepare it. He is spiritual, and the
preparation of our ways is also spiritual. The message is: stop
sinning, people, and become righteous. Become straight, and desert the
crooked ways. People are wont to make their says crooked, especially
in the darkness, when no man sees them. Make then your ways righteous,
in preparation of the coming of the LORD. Make your walk righteous in
the wilderness of your sins, cries the preacher. It is just the same
as what John the Baptist preached. Rightly is he a fulfilling of this
prophecy. He prepared the way for the coming of the LORD, our God,
namely Jesus Christ.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be
made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places
plain:
Every valley shall be exalted. What does this mean? We already know
that God is spiritual, and that He hasn't need of an exalted valley,
to come through. Here is meant, that all must become evenly. The
depths of sin must be levelled out; that means, stop sinning. Likewise
every mountain and hill shall be made low. Nothing is in the way of
our Lord, to come to us. Mountains often are a symbol of might, in
Scripture. So, we may understand it thus, that no earthly powers can
prevent the coming of our Lord. The powers shall be made low; that is,
they have no power against our God. All pride shall be abased for our
Lord Jesus. Further, he says that "the crooked shall be made
straight". For crooked is used the same word as in "The heart is
deceitful above all", (Jeremiah 17:9) The crooked, deceitful heart
shall be straight. We see, looking around us, and above all, in us,
that it is time for the LORD, to come, and to make our hearts upright.
Crooked hearts prevail everywhere in the world, especially in
ourselves. What will happen more? "The rough places shall be made
plain". Those places, which formerly were rough, will now become
plain, in order that people may live there.
5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see
[it] together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].
The great grace, and the goodness of the LORD will be made known unto
the people. It will be revealed. Men will experience it, and see it.
The glory of the LORD is so great and eminent, that even all flesh
shall see it. When will it happen? We have just read it: when every
height will be abased, and when all lowly will be exalted. The prophet
adds, to remove all doubt, that it surely will happen, "for the mouth
of the LORD has spoken it". The LORD has so many times proved in the
past, that, what He speaks, also will come; so that we may be assured,
that also this will come. When the mouth of people speak something, we
cannot be sure of it. Totally else is it with the mouth of the LORD.
When He promises something, it will surely come, though it may last
some time to try our faith.
Revelation 1:10,11 - The Alpha and Omega
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I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day,
and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying:
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:
and, What thou seest, write in a book,
and send [it] unto the seven churches which are in Asia;
unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto
Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto
Laodicea.
John, the servant of God, was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. The
Lord's day has this name because of the Lord Jesus Christ. His
resurrection from the death happened in the early morning of that day.
It was Sunday, the first day of the week. On this day, Jesus Christ,
our Lord, has revealed Himself more then on other days, unto His
disciples. Also in our text, we see His revelation unto John, His
servant. John was in the Spirit on the Lord's day. With being in the
Spirit is meant, that he was in a spiritual condition. The Spirit came
upon him, as also happened unto the prophets of the Old Testament. The
Spirit was upon him, and showed him a vision. We know that these
things happened sometimes to the other prophets also. Ezekiel, for
example, got visions. Daniel also, and also Isaiah. There were more.
John was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind him a
great voice, as of a trumpet. The voice was as clear and loud as of a
trumpet. It was God speaking behind him, with a great voice. His word
ought to be preached, as clear and loud as a trumpet. God Himself is
here speaking with a great voice, and also in the Old Testament, He
did so. He commanded the prophet Isaiah, to lift up his voice like a
trumpet: "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and
shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their
sins." (Isaiah 58:1) The present true servants of God will do the
same. They cry aloud; they spare nobody, they lift up their voice like
a trumpet; they show the people their transgressions and sins. They do
so, because they know that it is their duty. Though they speak with a
clear voice also during the weeks, yet, Sunday is their special day.
When their hearers are in the Spirit on Sunday, they also hear God's
voice through the ministers. They no longer hear the minister
speaking, but even Jesus Christ Himself.
Let we now listen to the voice. He said: I am Alpha and Omega,
the first and the last. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek
alphabet, and Omega is the last letter. John wrote the book Revelation
in the Greek language; so he uses the common language of those days.
"I am the first and the last", says the voice of God. He is the first,
because He was of eternity. An eternity before the creation of the
world, God was there. He has no beginning, nor any end. Therefore, He
calls Himself "I AM". Or, "I WAS, I AM, I WILL BE". God lives from
eternity unto eternity. He is the First and the Last; that is, He
comprehends all.
What does the Lord Jesus say? He gives a command to His servant,
to John. "What you see, write in a book, and send unto the seven
churches which are in Asia". John will be shown an vision, and he must
write it down, and sent it to the people. No clearer could be said,
how the Bible is made. God revealed His words unto His servants; they
wrote them down, and sent them to the churches. When I write
"churches", I mean Israel in the Old Testament, and all righteous,
both of Jews and Gentiles in present times. Send this book unto
Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and
Laodicea. Paul has preached a long time in Ephesus, and there was a
Christian congregation. "Send it unto them", the Lord commanded. Also
Paul had written a letter to them.
When we then hear God's voice, coming unto us through the preaching of
the Word, let us not reject it. Of course, many reject it, but when
God Himself, through His Word and Spirit, comes unto them, their mouth
is shut. When God Himself comes with the power of Scripture in their
heart, they no longer contend against the truth, but fall at His feet
as dead. When He cries with a voice like a trumpet, the ungodly fear,
but the godly spring up of joy. "Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O
Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of
Jerusalem." (Zephaniah 3:14) Be glad, because the Lord comes. Let the
ungodly fear exceedingly, because the Lord comes to their destruction.
But let the righteous be exceedingly glad, because the Lord comes to
their salvation. When we then hear His voice, like a trumpet, let we
obey. He says: "Believe in Me, and you will have everlasting life".
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Teus Benschop | t.benschop@pobox.ruu.nl | editor of the list Chr-Exp
"A Christian explanation of the Scriptures to Israel"
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