Notes of an Address on Ex. 20:22-2622And the Lord said unto Moses, Thus thou shalt say unto the children of Israel, Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. 23Ye shall not make with me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold. 24An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. 25And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it. 26Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon. (Exodus 20:22‑26)
THESE words occupy a very remarkable place in Scripture. They come immediately after the giving of the law at Mount Sinai. They are full of grace and peace; whereas the law is called "the ministration of death" and "condemnation." (2 Cor. 3) They speak of blessing; but elsewhere Scripture declares, that "as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse." (Gal. 3) To cling then to the commandments for salvation, is like a drowning man in the broad Atlantic clinging to a bar of iron to save him—it only plunges him down with the most positive certainty.
You get no idea of happiness or peace with God through the Law of Moses. Quite the reverse. When the people saw the thunderings, and lightnings, and the mountain smoking, and heard the noise of trumpets, we are told that "they removed, and stood afar off." This is the effect of commandments to men as sinners, it puts them "far off." Man's religion too always puts the person at a distance from God. It does not bring him what the gospel brings—"everlasting life," present sonship, present union with Christ, present peace with God. How different these things are from a law of commandments But immediately after the giving of the law we find in a typical way grace brought out; as much as to say, “The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1:1717For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. (John 1:17).) Law and gospel are very distinct. They are set in widest contrast in Scripture. God presents them to us separately; man mixes them up, because it gives him importance to do something for blessing, instead of receiving everything in divine mercy. We may refer to this again by and by.
The first words I read were, "Ye have seen that I have talked with you from heaven. Ye shall not make unto Me gods of silver, neither shall ye make unto you gods of gold." God knows our hearts, dear friends. He says, "I the Lord search the heart." He therefore knows its desperate wickedness, its proneness to idolatry. God saying, Ye shall not make these gods, shows that He cannot trust man in the flesh; for He had just before commanded, saying, "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." What are we about now? Are any of us bowing down to gods? I do not mean gods like the heathen; but are your hearts bowing to and loving something else, instead of the living and true God? There are living idols and intellectual idols, as well as idols of gold and silver; and Satan knows how to put them in our way. Thus we see idolatry forbidden, and then we have what would be according to the Lord's mind. "An altar of earth shalt thou make unto Me," &c. (Ex. 20:2424An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me, and shalt sacrifice thereon thy burnt offerings, and thy peace offerings, thy sheep, and thine oxen: in all places where I record my name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee. (Exodus 20:24).) God must be honored and worshipped; and He has a right to it from His creatures. But how is God worshipped? That is the question. There is nothing, man would say, in a mound of earth, and sacrifices offered on it; but it is everything with God, inasmuch as it typifies the person and work of His beloved Son. And all is of God. Man has had no hand in the matter. The earth and the sacrifices were all of God. Man says, "I will worship God, and go to heaven my own way;" but God points to Jesus crucified and risen, and says that is the way, and there is no other way. Men boast of their own works, prayers, fasting, benevolence, and sincerity; God, however, cannot accept any fruit of mere nature, because man is bad to his heart's core. The source of his doings is polluted. Being a fallen creature in Adam, he is unclean; so much so that Scripture says, "They that are in the flesh cannot please God." The offerings on the "altar of earth" present to us in figure the sacrifice of Jesus as the alone ground of God being approached and worshipped.
The "altar of earth" speaks to us of the lowly Jesus, so despised and rejected of men that they said, "Away with Him!" "Crucify Him!" "Not this man, but Barabbas." Man saw nothing to attract him in Jesus—he saw no beauty in Him. "His visage was so marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men." The sacrifices on the altar of earth speak of peace and acceptance; and how precious the words that are added—"I will bless thee!”
Is there a soul here desiring Jesus for his Savior? Think of Him as He was in the days of His flesh, always ready to bless all who desired it of Him. When distressed ones needed healing, He was always ready to heal—to open blind eyes, unstop deaf ears, cleanse the lepers, or raise the dead. But what did men think of Him? They esteemed Him not. When He died for sinners they thought Him "stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted." But believers rejoice in the blessed fact, that "He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace" (or which purchased our peace) "was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed.”
Hence we read, "I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." To have to do with God's sacrifice is always the true place of blessing. Some spend half their days in trying to do better, or to be better, or feel better; but the moment they see Jesus the Son of God lifted up upon the cross for sinners, they say, What a wonderful sacrifice I What love Do not talk then, dear friends, about keeping commandments for salvation. There is nothing for you to do to be saved. It is all done, and needs nothing to be added to it. It is finished. Eternal redemption for us has been accomplished. From God's heart it all springs, and to Him be all the glory. The question then is not, What will you do? but, Do you believe that Christ has satisfied God, glorified God, established the righteousness of God about your sins? Are you thus satisfied with Christ? Are you saying, like another,
Give me Christ, or else I die,
None but Christ can satisfy;
None but Christ to me be given,
None but Christ on earth or heaven.”
Observe then that the reason why God can bless you now and forever, is because the sacrifice of Christ has been offered, and is the alone ground of peace with God. The mound of earth with its burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, figured what God was going to do in the all-sufficient sacrifice of His beloved Son upon the tree; hence it is added, "I will bless you." Yes, true believers can say, Christ has by Himself purged our sins; He has redeemed us to God by His own blood. He has gone into heaven itself by His own blood; and this is our sure title to glory. We approach God in peace now, and shall enter glory by and by entirely through the finished work of Jesus.
But further, we read, "If thou shalt make an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone; for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou Nast polluted it." (v. 25.) God knows what man is. He knows that he always wants to glory in the work of his own hands, in some way or other, and not give all the glory to God. Man likes to bring something to God, and does not like to be altogether a receiver from God. Therefore God said, if you make a stone altar, it must be of stones just as you find them; you must not lift a tool upon it; if you do, it is polluted. Ah, no saint in heaven will be able to say that he got there because of anything he did, for "no flesh shall glory in His presence. He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”
But you say, Must I not trust in something of my own and in Christ too? No, not in a prayer, or a feeling, or any other work of your own; if you do, you believe not in Christ's finished work. If you lift up a tool-add anything, however small, to Christ's work, you have something of your own to glory in; you ignore the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Even a true child of God may lose his peace, if he turns back from Christ, like the Galatians, to add an ordinance, or anything else to it. "If ye be circumcised," said the apostle, "Christ shall profit you nothing." (Gal. 6:22Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2).)
The history of most Christians, I believe is, that they began at the wrong end. Their consciences were awakened to a sense of sin and guilt, and they immediately began to do something with the thought of appeasing an offended God, until they so learned their helplessness and wretchedness, that they gladly rested in the finished work of the Lord Jesus, as the alone ground of peace. Then worship, service, and devotedness follow in their right place—"We love Him, because He first loved us.”
The last verse is equally solemn. "Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon." (v. 26.) Be assured, dear friends, there are no steps in salvation. Christ is the way, and a person is either in Christ, or he is not in Christ. He has either come to Christ and received Him as his Savior, or he has not. There are no steps in this—"Jesus cried and said, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink;" and again, "I am the door"—not a flight of steps, but the door; "by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved." Some are priding themselves on their doings, and of the number of religious steps they have taken, but in God's presence they will learn the utter folly of it. Saul of Tarsus thought he had gained some steps. He said he had been circumcised the eighth day, was of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law, a Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. What a flight of steps But when the glory of the Lord Jesus shined upon him, he soon fell from this eminence, and said, "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ." There are no steps then in salvation. No, it is only one step of faith which takes the vilest sinner, in his guilt and ruin, straight into the loving arms of God; for
“Jesus did it, did it all,
Long, long ago.”
Happy will it be for you, dear friends, if you now see that you have nothing to do, but simply receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior, for
“Everything was fully done,
Hearken to His cry;
'It is finished!' Yes, indeed,
Finished every jot.
Sinner, this is all you need,
Tell me, Is it not?”
Going up by steps, as we have read, only makes the nakedness manifest. How little do those think who boast of gaining heaven by keeping ordinances, being charitable, and the like, that they only expose their own nakedness, only make manifest that they have not actually received Him, whom God sent into the world to save sinners. How many are thus going religiously and respectably to hell! How different was the apostle's testimony! "This is the word of faith which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Surely there are no steps here—it is simply receiving salvation by faith, through the already accomplished work of the Lord Jesus Christ!
“Cast your deadly doings down,
Down at Jesus' feet;
Stand IN HIM, IN HIM ALONE,
Gloriously complete.”