The Sabbath-School by Ellet Joseph Waggoner

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jan 25, 1883

The Sabbath-School.

By Ellet Joseph Waggoner

Thoughts on Review Lesson for Feb. 3.

GOD'S PURPOSE IN DEALING WITH PHARAOH.

THOSE who are disposed to cavil, make a great deal of capital out of Ex. 9 : 15, 16: "For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth." One who is not predisposed to find fault with the Bible, will have little difficulty with this passage as it stands; but the best critics, among whom is Dr. Clarke, tell us that our translation does not convey the idea of the original. As Dr. Clarke says, God did not bring a pestilence upon Egypt, although the first-born were slain; nor was Pharaoh cut off from the earth at that time. The true meaning is said to be expressed by these words: "For now indeed had I stretched forth my hand and smitten thee and thy people with the pestilence, then hadst thou been cut off from the earth. And in very deed for this cause have I made thee to stand [allowed thee to live until the present time], for to show in thee my power," etc.

This relieves the subject of all difficulty, and makes the passage harmonize with the context. In verse 13, God tells Moses to command Pharaoh to let his people go. If he refuses, he says that he will send all his plagues upon him and upon his servants and upon his people. Verse 14. In order that he may not think lightly of the judgments of God, or that he has already exhausted his power, God tells Pharaoh that if he had so ordered it, he would have been cut off from the earth. And then he assures him that it is only an act of mercy that his life has been spared. God might have destroyed Pharaoh at the very outset, and delivered Israel at once; but that, to short-sighted man, would have appeared to be an act of unwarranted cruelty. Instead of this, he allowed Pharaoh to show out his real character, and so vindicated his course, and at the same time displayed his wonderful power.

THE HARDENING OF PHARAOH'S HEART.

"And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them." With what avidity skeptics seize upon this passage! "If the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, he was not to blame for what he did, and the Lord was arbitrary and cruel to punish him for what he could not help." Thus they will talk, and having once satisfied themselves that God is a hard taskmaster, and a cruel tyrant, they feel justified in refusing to serve him. But before we jump at such a conclusion, let us see just how it happened that Pharaoh's heart was made hard.

Notice first the character of the king. He was ungrateful, as is shown by the statement that he "knew not Joseph." This does not mean that he was not familiar with Joseph's history, and what he had done for Egypt; but that he cared nothing for him. The fact that Joseph had saved all Egypt from starvation, did not seem to the king to be any reason why he should befriend Joseph's people. His was a nature upon which kindness had no softening effect. His treatment of the Israelites shows that he was selfish, cruel, and vindictive, and utterly regardless of human life. He had grown insolent and haughty, and when the demand was made upon him to let Israel go, he replied, "I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go." Then plagues were sent upon him. When the frogs covered the land, and the magicians could not remove them, he relented, and promised that if they were taken away, he would let the people go. He was taken at his word, but what was the result? "But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them." Ex. 8:15.

Again another plague was sent, but he remained stubborn. Then swarms of flies filled their houses, so that everything was corrupted. This induced the king to say, "I will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness." So Moses intreated the Lord, and the flies were removed at the time appointed; but the result was the same as before. The record says: "And the Lord did according to the word of Moses; and he removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; there remained not one. And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, neither would he let the people go." Chap. 8:31, 32.

Yet again, after the cattle had been killed by the murrian, and boils, and the hail; when the terrible storm of thunder and fire had devastated the land, Pharaoh was alarmed. Sending for Moses and Aaron, he said, "I have sinned this time; the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Intreat the Lord (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer." Chap. 9:27, 28. As before, Moses set a time for the removal of the plague, and the result is stated in verses 34, 35 thus: "And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go."

Now we can see just how it was that the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart. He did it by his manifestations of mercy. The king was very humble in the face of death, but as soon as the fear of fear was removed, he became stubborn. Had he not been so willful, the mercy of the Lord would have moved him to repentance; but he was one of those persons who think that an exhibition of kindness is a manifestation of weakness. Having nothing like mercy or kindness in his own nature, he was unable to appreciate it in others.

Theodoret very aptly says: "The sun by the action of heat makes wax moist, and mud dry, hardening the one while it softens the other, by the same operations producing exactly opposite results; thus from the long-suffering of God some derive benefit, and others harm, some are softened while others are hardened." Numerous cases, besides that of Pharaoh, might be cited to further illustrate this. The same words and actions of Christ that bound his disciples closer to him and gained him many devoted followers, hardened the hearts of the wicked priests, and moved them to kill him. It will ever be found the case that when a man falls, he falls on the side of his natural inclination.

A LESSON OF TRUST.

The Israelites were commanded to gather of the manna "an omer for every man." This was sufficient for the wants of one day, and as they were to "go out and gather a certain rate every day," it would have been useless to take any more, even if it would have kept. But the people were not content to follow the Lord's directions; some gathered more than the required amount. They doubtless reasoned thus: "It is true that this manna is promised every day, but there may come a time when it will fail, and it is no more than prudent to prepare for such a time, while we have abundance." By gathering more than the specified quantity, more than they could use during the day, they showed their lack of faith in God's promise. They thought that they could provide for themselves better than God could.

But their planning proved to be useless, for "when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack." Thus there was an equality. During their sojourn in the wilderness, God wished to have his people learn to trust him.

As we look back on this incident, the course of the Israelites seems foolish; but we will not have to search far in order to find its counterpart. Paul makes their case the text for a lesson in giving. He desires that there should be an equality, that all should give in the same proportion. Then he quotes, "He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack." God has promised to care for each of his children; to give them their bread day by day. If we gather millions, we can have no more than our daily sustenance, and if we are in the depths of poverty, God is able to provide for our daily wants. Are we not, then, even more culpable than were the Israelites, if we refuse to return to God his rightful portion of our means? God is testing us just as he did them, but how many of us prove to be dull scholars. We have more faith in ourselves than we have in God.

THE MURRINGS OF ISRAEL.

As we look at the wanderings of this people, the most prominent thing seems to be their murmuring disposition, and lack of faith. We can hardly realize how they could so easily forget God. Through all the fearful plagues that had been visited upon the Egyptians, they had been miraculously preserved; yet no sooner are they brought into a difficult place by the sea than they complain. They were taken through the Red Sea on dry ground while the pursuing Egyptians were drowned. This raised their spirits once more, and they joined with Moses in singing that wonderful song of deliverance, found in the 15th chapter of Exodus; yet within three days they were murmuring because the water was bitter. Why could they not remember that He who could divide the Red Sea, could provide water to drink? Water was miraculously provided, but in a few days their stock of provision ran low, and again they murmured. They even wished themselves back in their former bondage. Again their wants were supplied; bread was furnished, and a series of miracles was begun, that lasted for forty years, yet it seems to have made but little impression on them. In a short time they came to Rephidim, and here their complaints were renewed, the same as before. Because there was no water at hand, they were about to stone Moses. The former miraculous provision of water seems to have been utterly forgotten.

Now all this was extremely wicked. They were tempting God, and there can be no excuse for their course. But while we justly condemn their actions, let us see if we are not condemning ourselves. Human nature has not changed much since that time. We have received blessings innumerable from the hand of God. We can truly say with the psalmist that "goodness and mercy have followed us all the days of our life." Israel had a standing manifestation of God's power and goodness in the manna, which was furnished fresh every day. But it is just as true in our case that the mercies of the Lord are "new every morning." And yet we murmur and become discouraged at everything that crosses us. If discouragements come, we, like the Israelites, are tempted to turn back, and imagine that we cannot gain the promised land. It is doubtful if we possess any more faith than they did.

We can easily see how much better it would have been for the Israelites if they had been grateful to God for his favors, and had trusted him in times of need. It is well that we are able to do this, for the apostle says, "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." 1 Cor. 10:11. If we can see wherein they erred, let us see to it that we do not follow their course. "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."

THE FLIGHT FROM EGYPT.—ITS MEMORIAL.

It is claimed by many that the Sabbath commemorates the flight from Egypt. They argue thus, because in Deut. 5:15 their deliverance from Egypt is noted as a thing for which the Israelites should be grateful, and an additional reason why they should remember his commandments. But the fourth commandment itself shows what the Sabbath is intended to commemorate, and no hint of the flight from Egypt is given. That claim is so palpably absurd that it must disappear upon the slightest candid investigation. It may not, however, be amiss to notice Ex. 12:41, 42, in this connection. "And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the land of Egypt; this is that night of the Lord to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations." The people fled in the night, and the passover, which was the true memorial of their deliverance (See Ex. 12:26-28), was celebrated in the night. Ex. 12:6-10; Deut. 16:6. God's memorials are always fitting and appropriate; when man attempts to improve upon God's plan, he always makes confusion.

E. J. W.