THROUGH some mistake—the subject for this month was printed as being the subject for July. Hence very few have sent in papers.
On the subject of the passover a correspondent asks: “How is it that the Word says, in 2 Kings 23:2222Surely there was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah; (2 Kings 23:22), ‘There was not holden such a passover from the days of the judges... nor in all the days of the kings,’ when under Hezekiah there had already been such a beautiful celebration of the passover?”
Careful comparison of the accounts given in the Word concerning the two passovers shows several important differences. The following table shows the main differences:
Hezekiah, 2 Chron. 29-31
Begins by purging the temple.
Hezekiah sends out messengers to the remnant escaped, calling them to the Passover.
Passover held on the 14th of second month.
They ate the Passover “otherwise than it was written.”
Feat held “seven days and seven days” (cf. 1 Kings 8:65)
The priests bless the people and are heard (cf. 1 Kings 8:55, and 9:3).
All Israel purge the land and return every man to his possession.
“Since the time of Solomon ... there had not been the like.”
Josiah, 2 Chron. 34, 35
Begins by purging the land.
House is repaired.
Discovery of the book of the law.
A covenant made with Jehovah.
Passover held on 14th of first month.
Ark brought into its place.
Passover held “as I is written in this book of the covenant” (2 Kings 23:21).
Passover held by far more people (cf. 2 Chron. 35:7-9, with 2 Chron. 30:34)
(Josiah had destroyed Jeroboam’s high places, not removed in Hezekiah’s time).
No such Passover “from the days of Samuel.”
Hence the feast in Hezekiah’s time suggests weakness and the true sense of it, and confidence in God. His righteousness is owned in the message sent out. But there is not such a complete restoration as in Josiah’s time, where everything is the result of the recovery of the law — the Word of God. The ark is put in its place, and the passover is held in its proper time and not in the second month as in Hezekiah’s time. The second month was the provision for failure, according to Numbers 9. In Hezekiah’s feast their hearts go back to the glory of the kingdom established in blessing under Solomon, and they keep a feast of double seven days as Solomon did, though not at the same time. Josiah’s passover, going back to Samuel and the lighting up of the lamp of prophecy, seems to bring in what is not found so fully in Hezekiah’s passover with all its joy, viz., the blessed light of a prophetic witness to the full restoration of a day yet to come.
Hezekiah’s passover and its circumstances seem to give a prophetic picture of the moral state of the people produced by the work of the Spirit of God, before the Assyrian comes up to find the city defended by the Holy One of Israel. “After these things and this faithfulness” (2 Chron. 32:11After these things, and the establishment thereof, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, and entered into Judah, and encamped against the fenced cities, and thought to win them for himself. (2 Chronicles 32:1)). We shall be glad of any communication as to the contrast between these two passovers.
We have received the following remarks connection with the Bible Study, which will be of profit and interest to students:
“John, who really unfolds the subject of light, carefully avoids saying that Christians are light. That is said once by the Lord in Matthew 5 and in Paul’s Epistles. The nearest to it in John is 1 John 2:88Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. (1 John 2:8), but then he says ‘darkness is passing,’ not ‘past’ And morally that is of deep moment to remember. The indiscriminate use of the concordance is always dangerous. We have to seek rightly to ‘divide.’ It wants something better than a concordance for that, and it often takes a very long time in the school of God.... In the Old Testament revelation, or gradual unfolding of what God is, there is much about fire and little about light. In the New Testament the converse holds good. The lessons of the Old Testament are supposed to be known when you come to the New (Matt. 13:5252Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. (Matthew 13:52)), and must never be forgotten. The New, in principle, is God manifested in flesh. And that is ‘piety’ (1 Tim. 3:1616And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)). But we cannot expect to profit really by the light unless we know the fire. Every ‘sacrifice’ must be salted with salt, but that comes after the universal truth of being salted with fire. Hebrews does not close without a reminder as to this — a solemn word, surely, for our consciences; and Isaiah 23:1414Howl, ye ships of Tarshish: for your strength is laid waste. (Isaiah 23:14), gives the two sides, the saved and the unsaved, taken up by the Lord at the end of Mark 9.”
The note of warning as to the “indiscriminate” use of concordances is timely, though it need not discourage any from using them rightly. One whose lifelong labors were devoted to the bringing out of the “Englishman’s Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance” has said in reference to it: “The only cautionary remark I would add is this — that without faith, and the Spirit’s aid (never withheld from the humble and prayerful Christian), and a patient examination of the contexts, no one can profit aright from this concordance.”
Many have been led of late, with much blessing to their souls, to read through the books of the Bible in a more consecutive way, and we trust that the effect of any Bible Study appearing in these columns may only be to lead more and more to read the Word of God as it stands patiently and steadily, looking for Christ there, and in no way discouraged if all difficulties do not immediately become clear. Light acts upon the conscience and heart, not upon the intellect. Hence a knowledge of God as revealed in the Word can only go with a quiet and humble walk with God down here. Such was the path learned by the Son Himself in grace. May He give us each to know more of it!
The subject set for this month, but by an error allotted to July, will be dealt with next month, and we hope many will take up this deeply important and interesting subject.
As before, special attention should be given to the typical meaning of the crossing of the Red Sea, following upon the passover.
Those who are able may trace the use made of that wonderful event in the historical books, and especially the very remarkable way in which, after the record of failure is closed, faith takes up the event in the Psalms in its application to Christ. Then in the prophets it becomes the pledge of hope and confidence in God for full redemption by power. Note especially Habakkuk 3, and the effect of the vision upon the soul.
Accordingly the subject of the Red Sea will stand, as announced, for July, and those who send in papers for June will be able to continue their study of this wonderful subject.
One correspondent, who asked a question about the six days of creation, gave no address to which we could reply.
B. S. ED.