FRANCIS MONROE BURG by Francis Monroe Burg

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · Jun 18, 1914

FRANCIS MONROE BURG

By Francis Monroe Burg

Moses and Christ—No. 3

FRANCIS MONROE BURG

“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a soul shall sin through ignorance against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which ought not to be done, and shall do against any of them: . . . let him bring for his sin, which he hath sinned, a young bullock without blemish unto the Lord for a sin offering.” Lev. 4: 1-3.

“If any soul shall sin . . . against any of the commandments of the Lord.” This language contains a thought of the utmost importance, involving the leading question under consideration in these papers; namely, the relation between Moses and Christ in the working out of God’s plan for man’s salvation. Sin is defined in the Scriptures as “the transgression of the law.” See 1 John 3: 4. Paul said, “By the law is the knowledge of sin.” Rom. 3: 20. Again he says, “I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.” Rom. 7: 7. This thought is of the most vital importance in connection with the matter of human salvation. The guilt which man incurred by his transgression of the law, demanded the sacrifice and death of the beloved Son of God for its expiation. Nothing short of this great price could pay the debt.

It follows, in the nature of the case, that man must be led to sense his guilt and to sincerely repent if the benefit provided in the sacrifice in his behalf is to be realized by him. It needs no argument to convince the reader that the Spirit, through the law which has been broken, will bring a sense of guilt and a conviction to the sinner that will lead him to a confession of his sin and to accept the salvation which is offered through Christ. The apostle states this primary object of the law in working out man’s salvation in the following language: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” Rom. 3: 19.

When a sinner feels the weight of condemnation and his heart is broken with conviction till he cries out, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” he is where he will appreciate the great deliverance purchased for him through Christ. Just as surely as his faith grasps the salvation offered freely to him, an everlasting song of gratitude and praise to God for his salvation is awakened in his heart.

This was David’s experience. His testimony is given in the following familiar language: “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God.” Ps. 40: 1-3.

He said further: “I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, Mercy shall be built up forever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens.” Ps. 89: 1, 2.

David and all the redeemed will spend the ages to come in praising God for the mercy shown them in purchasing their redemption. The apostle expresses this thought as follows:—

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace are ye saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” Eph. 2: 4-7.

The law in written form, to make sin abound (Rom. 5: 20), came through Moses. The grace that brings salvation came by Jesus Christ. See John 1: 17.

What man of all the Bible record has ever been so honored as was Moses when he was called up into the mount that trembled to its foundations because of the presence of Jehovah? There he received the “lively oracles to give unto us.” This is the testimony that Stephen bore concerning Moses when making his defense: “This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me, him shall ye hear. This is he, that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sina, and with our fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us.” Acts 7: 37, 38.

So in the great typical system connected with the sanctuary the law of God was present, enshrined in the ark; and was to Israel, as it is designed to be now, the great sin detector. This is clearly seen from Lev. 4: 1-3, already cited.

When the sinner was awakened to the consciousness that he was guilty, having broken any of the commandments of God, he was to bring his offering for the sin committed. This bullock or lamb, as the case might be, was a type of Christ, the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” The sinner was to slay the victim with his own hand, in this way acknowledging that his sin had demanded the death of Christ; and as then in the type, so now, confession of sin is necessary for the pardon of the offender. See 1 John 1: 9.

Much more could be written concerning the various phases of the typical system; but others have often covered this ground, and this is not the primary object of this short series of articles.

It must appear that there is a direct relationship between the offices performed by Moses in connection with the working out of God’s plan to save men, as it has thus far been presented, and the fact, as noted in the beginning of these articles, that Moses’ name appears in connection with that everlasting song which the saved will sing when the plan of redemption shall have finished its work.

The next article will conclude this series, and will be based on the third chapter of Second Corinthians.