Category: EXPOSITIONS

    ‘So it was alway: the cloud covered [the tabernacle] by    day, and the appearance of fire by night.’–Num. ix. 16.The children of Israel in the wilderness, surrounded by miracle, hadnothing which we do not possess. They had some things in an inferiorform; their sustenance came by manna, ours comes by God’s blessing onour daily work, which…

    ‘And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a   one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? And    Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed    thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou    art: Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy    word shall all…

    ‘And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that    Moses said, Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be    scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee.    36. And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto    the many thousands of Israel.’–Num. x. 35, 36.The picture suggested by this text is a very striking…

    ‘After that he is sold he may be redeemed again; one of    his brethren may redeem him.’–LEV. xxv. 48.There are several of the institutions and precepts of the Mosaiclegislation which, though not prophetic, nor typical, have yetremarkable correspondences with lofty Christian truth. They may be usedas symbols, if only we remember that we are diverting them…

    The archers shot at him, but his bow abode in strength,    and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands    of the mighty God of Jacob.’    GENESIS xlix. 23, 24.These picturesque words are part of what purports to be one of theoldest pieces of poetry in the Bible–the dying Jacob’s propheticblessing on his sons. Of…

          ‘I follow after if that I may apprehend that for          which also I was apprehended of Christ          Jesus.’–PHIL. iii. 12.‘I was laid hold of by Jesus Christ.’ That is how Paul thinks of what wecall his conversion. He would never have ‘turned’ unless a hand had beenlaid upon him. A strong loving grasp had gripped him in…

          ‘The Lord direct your hearts into the love of God,          and into the patient waiting for Christ.’–2          THESS. iii. 5.A word or two of explanation of terms may preface our remarks on this,the third of the Apostle’s prayers for the Thessalonians in this letter.The first point to be noticed is that by ‘the Lord’ here is meant,…

    ‘And the Lord said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one    plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards    he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he    shall surely thrust you out hence altogether. 2. Speak    now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow    of his neighbour, and every woman of…

          ‘From you sounded out the word of God.’–1 THESS.          i. 8.This is Paul’s first letter. It was written very shortly after his firstpreaching of the Gospel in the great commercial city of Thessalonica.But though the period since the formation of the Thessalonian Church wasso brief, their conversion had already become a matter of commonnotoriety; and the…

    ‘And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward    Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried    there all night, because the sun was set; and he took    of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows,     and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and    behold a ladder set up on…