The Education of Israel an Object-Lesson for Us by J. F. HARDER.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jun 6, 1907

The Education of Israel an Object-Lesson for Us

By J. F. HARDER.

“ALL the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers. And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. . . . Thou shalt also consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.” Deut. 8: 1, 2, 5.

In these words we see plainly that the whole work of God with Israel in the wilderness was a work of education; and what is it written for?—“For our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”

A German interpreter, G. D. Krummacher, says that the word “wilderness” is translated from a word in the original text which is derived from a word that signifies “to instruct,” or “instruction.” He further states that “to humble” is translated from a Hebrew word which signifies “to answer.”

So we see that the experiences of Israel in the wilderness were a school for them indeed: God was their great teacher, and precious were the lessons taught to them; the Lord proved them, and tested them, and often it was manifested that they were very slow to learn their lessons. Many times their experiences were like putting test questions to a school, where the pupils could not answer their teacher “one of a thousand.” Job 9: 3. So we see “to answer” meant “to be humbled” for them indeed. Had they not been so slow to learn, the Lord would have lifted them step by step to higher level. Their great Teacher testifies of them: “Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways,” or as the German Bible has it, “and my ways they would not learn.” They “tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years.” Does not that sound very strange? When the Lord, their teacher, would test them, in order to humble them, they would reverse the thing, and tempt (test) and prove the Lord. When the Lord would give them lessons to learn to know him, they “became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

In journeying from one wilderness to another, they wandered from one school to another; and the Lord as their great teacher labored with them to give them one lesson after another, but they would not learn. And the Lord says, “I swear in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.”

What purpose did the Lord have in view in the education of Israel? “Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments. . . . Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” Deut. 4: 5-9. “And ye shall teach them your children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.” Deut. 11: 18-20. The Lord wanted them to be workers together with him in the training of their children, and in being a nation of teachers to the world. For this purpose they themselves needed instruction and discipline. But in all this they as a nation failed. Their whole history is given us as an object-lesson that the Lord may accomplish through us as a people what Israel failed to accomplish.

The Lord has given us instruction after instruction to fit us for our special work as teachers of our children and of the world. The whole power of the Almighty will be with us as a people, to enlighten the dark world, if we will heed the instructions given us. With Israel of old the plan of God could not be accomplished. But this time it will be accomplished, and then Israel will enter into his rest. May our earnest prayer be to have a part in it.

J. F. HARDER.