Yes, truly wonderful, and far more so than the most of us have ever realized. Yet, there they stand, three great outstanding facts, which we can neither ignore nor deny, once they assume in our minds their true proportion. We may be like the country shepherd, who was asked to examine through a microscope a little wild flower, revealing the wonder of the Creator in its exquisite shape and coloring. He burst into tears to think that he had trodden on the hillside hundreds of these beautiful little flowers under his feet, not knowing how wonderful they were. We therefore ask the reader to give the closest attention to what we have to say about these three great outstanding facts. By the time you have read this pamphlet to its closing lines, we shall find ourselves faced with a question of supreme importance, not only affecting this life, but also that which is to come.
These three great facts circle round the little land of Palestine, a country considerably smaller than Wales, yet there is no country so packed full of historical associations, and these unlike in kind to those of any other land. It is indeed an arresting thought that the oldest history book in the world, the Bible, comes to us from Palestine. It tells us more about that land, than of all the mighty empires that surrounded it of old time. Would Egypt, Babylon, Assyria, Syria have been mentioned, save as their history impinged on that of the children of Israel?
The first wonderful fact we would draw attention to, is that this little land of Israel is intimately linked up with the most wonderful code of morals the world has ever known.
The Ten Commandments were announced by God from Mount Sinai in the desert of Arabia. They were given to the children of Israel in view of their going into the land, promised by God to Abraham and his heirs long before. One of the great glories of the children of Israel was " the giving of the law " (Rom. 9:44Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; (Romans 9:4)), which has been entwined in their history from that day to this. Amid the dense darkness of superstition and idolatry, that cast its horrible gloom on the surrounding nations, the light of God and His claims shone brightly in the favored land of Israel.
It was truly a day of days in the history of the world, now over 3,500 years ago, when Moses was commanded by God to ascend Mount Sinai, that forbidding peak in the desert of Arabia. The whole Mount smoked like a furnace. The LORD descended in fire upon it. The earth trembled under His mighty footstep. The trumpet sounded long, growing louder and louder. In their terror the Israelites besought that " the word should not be spoken to them any more." (Heb. 12: 19). Even Moses confessed, " I exceedingly fear and quake." (Heb. 12:2121And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) (Hebrews 12:21)). Such were the sublime and awe-inspiring circumstances attending the giving of the Law.
But it may be asked at this stage, What about the laws of Hammurabi, King of Babylon, which were known five or six centuries before the time of Moses? Were they not as wonderful as the Ten Commandments, and more so, being so much older? It suffices in answering this question to point out a very striking and vital contrast. Hammurabi was a heathen idolater, and his laws only pertained to conduct between man and man. There was no acknowledgment whatever of the only true God, or of any responsibility to Him. In vivid contrast to this the Ten Commandments begin with the assertion of God's claim to be the only true God, and the consequent responsibility of man towards Him. In the light of this it is clear that the Ten Commandments take an altogether much higher ground than those of Hammurabi.
If only the man-ward side of the Ten Commandments were observed what a happy peaceful world this would be. If that monster, Hitler, had been governed by them, would he have launched the cruelest and most uncalled-for was the world has ever known? Were Stalin governed by them, would we have the spectacle of the mighty land of Russia behind " the Iron Curtain," feverishly and secretly piling up munitions of war, including the hydrogen bomb with its devilish powers, and for what?
The Law plainly says, " Thou shalt not kill " -" Thou shalt not covet "—" Thou shalt not commit adultery "—" Thou shalt not steal "—" Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." If these were observed there would be no murderers, no adulterers, no thieves, no liars. There would be no necessity for Navies, Armies, Air Forces, Prisons, Policemen, Divorce Courts. The nations of the world would live in peace and amity.
On the God-ward side of the Ten Commandments, and far away the more important, is the following,
If God's will were done on earth as it is done in heaven what a wonderfully happy world this would be. The world is suffering badly, and heading rapidly towards complete disaster, all for the lack of the practice of the Ten Commandments. A godless state is bound to be rotten at the core, and to perish of its own iniquity. It is true undoubtedly that the Ten Commandments constitute the most wonderful code of morals the world has ever seen.