The Scriptures: Part 5

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From the days of Moses, sacred writings were recognized by the faithful in Old Testament times as the Word of God, therefore demanding implicit subjection and continual obedience. They were not to "add unto the word" or "diminish aught" from that which God commanded. It was so indispensable that the Lord instructed Israel that he might "know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live." (Deut. 4:2; 8:32Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. (Deuteronomy 4:2)
3And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. (Deuteronomy 8:3).) But while God's people were called to hearken to, and hold fast what He had revealed, and to obey it at all cost, yet it is well to observe how remarkably in these times God's blessing was with those who honored Him in obeying His truth. His displeasure followed those who turned away from it. This runs all through Scripture. It will be interesting to notice a few examples.
The disobedience of our first parents in doing what was contrary to the word of God, has been followed with unutterable misery to them and to their posterity. "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Rom. 5:1212Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (Romans 5:12). Cain became "a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth," for he refused to hearken to the voice of God and do His will. Abel Noah believed God's testimony as to coming judgment, because men had corrupted the earth and filled it with violence. He therefore, according to the word of God, prepared an ark to the saving of himself and his house. The world, so overrun with infidelity as to reject the testimony of this preacher of righteousness, was therefore swept away by divine judgment.
Abraham was singularly blest and honored in obeying the word of God, while just Lot vexed his righteous soul from day to day and had to escape for his life. His posterity came under God's curse. All this could be traced to walking after the sight of his eyes and doing his own will instead of being subject to the will and word of God.
When God gave the children of Israel manna in the wilderness, He commanded that no man should leave of it till the morning. But some of the people did not listen to Moses and left some manna till the morning. It bred worms and stank and Moses was wroth with them. On the sixth day the Lord sent them a double portion so as to feed them also on the Sabbath day. They had to lay it up to be kept until the morning according to the word of the Lord by Moses and it did not stink, neither was there any worm in it. Again we find there were some who would not believe God, that there would be none sent down on the seventh day; therefore, some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. "And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep My commandments and My laws?" Ex. 16:2828And the Lord said unto Moses, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and my laws? (Exodus 16:28). Scarcely anything could show more strikingly the divine authority of the Word, the peace and blessing connected with subjection to it, and the evil of departing from it.
The children of Israel, after the solemn covenant of the law when they promised obedience to all the words which the Lord had said, almost immediately rebelled in making a golden calf, and worshiping and sacrificing to it saying, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." Ex. 32:44And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. (Exodus 32:4). Thus they brought upon themselves the just judgment of God in acting so contrary to His holy word. We are told, "There fell of the people that day about three thousand men." v.28.
When Nadab and Abihu, sons of Aaron, entered upon the solemn office of priesthood, they were cut off by instant death because they offered strange fire which the Lord commanded them not to do. The Lord said, "I will be sanctified in them that come nigh Me, and before all the people I will be glorified." Lev. 10:33Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace. (Leviticus 10:3).
Those, too, who were under the Law of Moses, were commanded to keep the Sabbath day holy and to do no manner of work in it. When a man therefore, despised the word of the Lord and was found gathering sticks on the Sabbath day, he was stoned to death. The word of the Lord was, "The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp." Num. 15:3535And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. (Numbers 15:35). These are some of the instances of the sad results of despising the Law of Moses they died without mercy.
Saul lost the kingdom by rejecting the word of the Lord. He was commanded by the Lord of hosts to utterly destroy and not spare Amalek, man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. Instead of this he spared the king of the Amalekites, Agag, the best of the sheep, oxen, lambs, and all that was good and would not utterly destroy them. Saul might have thought hg was doing a good thing in reserving some of the sheep and oxen for sacrifices, but it was contrary to the word of the Lord. Therefore Samuel said, "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king." 1 Sam. 15:22, 2322And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 23For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. (1 Samuel 15:22‑23). C. H. Mackintosh