AN EXAMINATION OF THE TESTIMONY IN BOTH TESTAMENTS.
BY J. H. WAGGONER.
THE acknowledged definition of law is, a rule of action. Law, or rule, is necessary to the development of character. We can form no definite idea of the character of any man except by comparing his life with a rule of right—something that will determine right from wrong. Hence by the law is the knowledge of sin. Rom. iii, 20. And character is not only determined by a comparison with, but it is formed in view of the very existence of such rule or law; for sin is the transgression of the law. 1 John iii, 4. And in the entire absence of such a rule there is no moral character apparent; for where no law is there is no transgression. Rom. iv, 15. Whenever, therefore, we find the recognition of wrong, wickedness, sin, or transgression, it presupposes, of necessity, the existence of a law. Law being a rule of right action, every transgression or sin, is, of course, wrong, and if indulged in with impunity, throws contempt on the author of the rule. To vindicate and maintain the principles of justice, after such wrong doing, penalties were adopted, as soon as man was created, and placed on probation. All things were created for God's pleasure, [Rev. iv, 11,] and as the transgressor instead of giving him glory, is bringing his power and authority into contempt, [Jude 8,] it was determined of God that the soul that sinneth it shall die. Eze. xviii, 4. Thus the fact is established, and its justice must be approved, that the wages of sin is death. Rom. vi, 23.
A rule or law, to be of any force, must be given by authority, and to secure obedience, the author must be known to the individual amenable thereto. Then when we find any class of people spoken of as being wicked or sinners, [Gen. vi, 5; xviii, 20,] according to the above established facts, they must be, not only transgressors of God's rule of action, but have a knowledge of the author of the law and understand the nature of the act committed.
It has been said by some, that the knowledge of God in patriarchal times was confined to a few to whom he especially revealed himself; and that his law was not known by the inhabitants of the earth until it was given on Mount Sinai. To the first declaration we may say, that those of old who "received a good report through faith" were not the only ones who possessed a knowledge of God; but they were chosen; because they alone obeyed God. And the premises already established not only prove that God was known in patriarchal times, but the principles of his law were known and observed before the exode from Egypt, from "righteous Abel" to Moses, the worthy ones were moved, not merely by a knowledge of the existence of God, (which knowledge was shared by Cain, and the wicked in general,) but by faith in God.—Thus Noah condemned the world, [Heb. xi, 7,] because he was righteous. Gen. vii, 1. The righteousness of Noah and Abraham was through faith in God's word; of course the unrighteousness, or sin of those who were destroyed by the flood and at Sodom, was their disbelief and disobedience of God's rule or law; for sin is not imputed when there is no law. Rom. v, 13.
In addition to the propositions above stated, positive evidence may be adduced from the book of Genesis, and that part of Exodus covering the time prior to the giving of the law on Mount Sinai, which makes it perfectly clear, that God has always had a revealed law as the rule of his creature's actions. This evidence may be arranged, so as to bear on the following points, viz:
I. Of the knowledge of God.
II. Of offerings to the Lord.
III. Of the knowledge of Sin.
IV. Knowledge of the principles of the Ten Commandments.
I. In the beginning God communicated with man in person. After the fall he continued to manifest his will to man, not only to the righteous, but to the wicked, as he conversed with Cain, both before and after the murder of Abel. He talked with Noah, commanding him to make an Ark, when he had determined to destroy the inhabitants of the world for their wickedness. After the flood, when Noah and his family were the only persons on the earth, the Lord spoke to them, [Gen. ix, 8,] giving the bow in the cloud, as a token of the promise made to them, which at that time, had under such circumstances, must have been well understood for many generations. An idea of the extent to which this direct knowledge must have been transmitted, may be gained from the fact that Shem, the son of Noah, lived more than two hundred years after the birth of Abram. After Abram had been called into the land of Canaan, God warned Abimelech, king of Gerar, concerning his wife. Gen. xx, 3-8. Some years after this, Abimelech desired to make a covenant with Abraham, because God was with him. Chap. xxi, 22, 23. When Abraham sent his servant to take a wife for Isaac, he found the knowledge of the Lord existing in the land whence he had come out. Chap. xxii, 31. With Isaac also, the king of Gerar desired to make a covenant because he saw that the Lord was with him. Chap. xxvi, 26-29. When Jacob wished to take his wives and return to his own country, Laban desired him to tarry for he had learned that the Lord had blessed him for Jacob's sake. Chap. xxx, 25-27. And when Joseph advised the king of Egypt respecting the coming years of famine, Pharaoh said, can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the Spirit of God is? Chap. xli, 34-38. But the evidence in proof of this point is, also, found in all the texts quoted under the other heads. Thus to show that an offering was made to the Lord, is to show that the one making the offering had a knowledge of the being whose favor they sought by such an act.
II. Cain and Abel the first born on earth brought offerings to the Lord. Gen. iv, 3, 4. After the flood Noah built an altar and offered burnt offerings thereon. Chap. viii, 20. When Abram came out from the land of the Chaldees, into the land of promise, and had come to Sichem, the Lord appeared to him, and he built an altar there to the Lord: going on, he pitched his tent between Bethel and Hai, and there, also, he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.—Chap. xii, 7, 8; xiii, 4, 18. When Jacob departed with his family from Shechem he went to Bethel and there built an altar to the Lord. Chap. xxxv, 3, 7. All the above passages furnish proof, also, on the next point, as no offerings (sacrifices) would have been made without a knowledge of sin.
III. When Cain was wroth because his sacrifice was not accepted, the Lord told him he should be accepted "if thou doest well, and if thou doest not well sin lieth at the door." Gen. iv, 7. And Lamech acknowledged his guilt, and that it called for vengeance. Verse 23, 24. Chap. vi is the strongest possible proof on this subject—"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Verse 5. The earth was filled with violence. Verse 11.—And God looked upon the earth and behold it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. Verse 12. As a consequence, God said, I will destroy man whom I have created, from the face of the earth. Verse 7. And behold I, even I do bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh wherein is the breath of life from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. Verse 17. Noah and his family were excepted. The Lord said, for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation. Chap. vii, 1; compare, 1 John iii, 1. In connection with these facts we learn that Noah was a preacher of righteousness. (right doing.) 2 Pet. ii, 5. And the destruction of the sinners was determined one hundred and twenty years before the flood, during which time Noah preached, and the Spirit of God strove with them. Gen. vi, 3; 1 Pet. iii, 18-20. Again, the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly. [Gen. xiii, 13.] Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is very grievous. Chap. xviii, 20. Abraham interceded for the righteous, saying, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Verse 23. We notice here that the character of the wicked appeared in the same light to God and righteous men. Abraham knew that they were wicked and interceded only for the righteous. He knew that God would not regard the righteous as the wicked, and inquired, shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Verse 25. How should it be known that the judge of all the earth judged righteously, unless the standard or rule (law) was known and approved as being in accordance with righteous principles. No one could approve the judgment of God without an acquaintance with his rule of judgment. See Rom. iii, 3-6. Lot, also, regarded them in the same light and reproved them for their wickedness. Gen. xix, 7. When Abraham denied his wife, and she was taken by Abimelech, God said he had withheld the king from sinning against him; and Abimelech told Abraham that he had brought on him and on his kingdom a great sin. Chap. xx, 2-7. These passages are sufficient to show that the knowledge of sin was general before the giving of the law to Israel.—All the passages brought to sustain the remaining point are, also, offered as proof on this.114
IV. When God renewed the promise to Isaac he said he would perform the oath which he sware unto Abraham, "Because that Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes and my laws." Gen. xxvi, 5. As God is no respecter of persons, others might have shared the promise with Abraham if they had kept the commandments of God. But this they refused to do, and in consequence, suffered the displeasure of God for their transgressions. Thus the Apostle declares that the cities of the Plains were condemned with an overthrow in consequence of their "unlawful deeds." 2 Pet. ii, 6-8. Thus it is rendered clear that God had a revealed law before the time of the exode from Egypt.
Was this law the same that was afterwards declared on Mount Sinai? This question is one of the utmost importance, and I shall now endeavor to show from the word of God that it was. Before direct testimony is presented from the book of Genesis to prove that the principles of the ten commandments were known in ancient times, let us examine a few texts from the New Testament, having a bearing on this subject.
Paul, in reasoning to the Romans on the sinful state of the world, and justification through faith in the blood of Christ, said, "The law entered that the offence might abound." Rom. v, 20. Here sin abounded—but sin is the transgression of the law: therefore the law entered that the transgression of the law might abound. And in what manner? Evidently as is expressed in the parallel passage, [Chap. viii, 13,] that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful; as it is said again in Gal. iii, 19, that "it was added because of transgression." To make this clear to every mind, we use this illustration: A child has disobeyed its parent; now to convince the child of disobedience, or to make its sin more manifest, or exceeding sinful, some command of the parent is presented to his mind; and what one? Surely no other than the one transgressed. Would the crime of theft become odious in the sight of any one by having the sixth commandment presented? Or would the blasphemer stand reproved by telling him he should not steal? So, of course, the Israelites were "convinced of the Law as transgressors" when God uttered his law from the Mount, and deposited it with them on tables of stone.—Here were plainly brought to view the principles of love to God and men, to observe which, is the duty, and the whole duty of man, [Matt. vii, 12; xxii, 37-40; Eccl. xii, 13,] but which none have perfectly observed, and all are, therefore, guilty before God. Rom. iii, 9-19, 22, 23.
1. When God spake from Sinai, he first commanded, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." This command not only forbids the holding of gods in preference to him, but, also, having them before him or in his presence; this would exclude the worship of false gods from all parts of the Universe, all parts being present, or "Naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." In considering this command we can appreciate the remark of the Psalmist, "Thy commandment is exceeding broad." Ps. cxix, 96. As every individual is continually a transgressor who does not love God with all his heart, and has not chosen him as his chief good, every object of his pursuit is an idol preferred to God, whom he has rejected.
When Abraham's servant came to the house of Laban, he said, come in thou blessed of the Lord. Gen. xxiv, 31. Afterwards when Jacob had served his appointed time for his wives and desired to return to his own country, Laban requested him to remain because he had learned by experience that the Lord had blessed him for Jacob's sake. Chap. xxx, 27. Notwithstanding this acknowledgment of the true God, and that blessings proceeded from him, we find that he transgressed the first of God's commands, and had other gods. When Jacob fled from Laban, he pursued him, but God appeared to Laban and warned him not to touch Jacob; yet immediately after God had thus manifested himself to him, he accused Jacob of having stolen his gods. Jacob denied the charge, and said, with whomsoever thou findest thy gods let him not live. Chap. xxxi, 24, 29, 30, 32. When the two sons of Jacob had slain the Shechemites, he was told to go to Bethel and build an altar unto God who appeared unto him. And Jacob said to his household, and to all that were with him, "put away the strange gods that are among you and be clean—and I will make an altar unto God who answered me in the day of my distress. Chap. xxxv, 1-4. Here it is not only evident that the first commandment was broken, but they understood that they were unclean in the sight of God, and not fit to approach the altar of God, while the strange gods were among them.
2. Idolatry is manifested in various ways, and the gods they worshipped were of various kinds; while some worshipped the sun and the host of heaven, [Deut. iv, 19; xvii, 3,] others made to themselves images "fashioned with a graving tool." Ex. xxxii, 4; Isa. xl, 19, 20. Against this latter practice the second commandment was given: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image—thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them." The gods that Laban had were of this kind: "And Laban went to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's. Gen. xxxi, 19, 34, 35. The gods, also, that Jacob required his household to put away, were "among them, and in their hands." Chap. xxxv, 1-5.
3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. No mention is made of this command or its transgression in the book of Genesis; but when the Lord took the children of Israel from Egypt to bring them into the land of Canaan, he said to them, "after the doings of the land of Canaan whither I bring you shall ye not do;" and in enumerating these doings he said, "neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God." "For all these abominations have the men of the land done which were before you, and the land is defiled."—Lev. xviii, 3, 21, 27. These instructions were delivered to the Israelites within one year from the time that the law was given on Mount Sinai; for working these abominations the inhabitants of the land were defiled, [verse 24,] and the Lord abhorred and destroyed them, in consequence of their wickedness. Lev. xx, 23; Deut. ix, 4, 5; xviii, 12.—If these nations, living in the land of Canaan before the law was given at Sinai, were ignorant of the matter of the third commandment, then profanity was not an abomination in them—certainly not deserving of the punishment they received at the hand of the Lord, for "sin is not imputed when there is no law." Rom. v, 13.
The fourth commandment we omit for the present, and proceed to examine the other six.
5. Honor thy father and thy mother. Ham, the second son of Noah, transgressed this commandment and was cursed in consequence. Gen. ix, 21-25. Here, also, we may apply the rule laid down by the Apostle, [Rom. v, 13,] as quoted above.
6. Thou shalt not kill. Whatever excuses have been framed for others on this ground of ignorance, Cain has been universally considered a murderer. God dealt with him as a transgressor of a known law, and an inspired writer has declared that he was "of the wicked one, and his works were evil." 1 John iii, 13. Lamech transgressed the same command, and judged himself more guilty than Cain. Gen. iv, 8-11; 23, 24. God made known to Noah his disapprobation of this sin. Chap. ix, 5, 6. Beyond this it might be urged that the principle of self-preservation would lead to human enactments, as safe-guards for human life, and that mere regard for such laws, deterred from the commission of this crime; but this reasoning will not hold good in the case of the Hebrew midwives, recorded in Ex. i, 16, 17. Here the command was to kill all the male children; but the midwives would not obey this human law: for "they feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them." Then they must have known that the law of man was contrary to the law of God:
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Numerous passages in the book of Genesis show that this was known to be sinful by mankind in general. When Abraham denied his wife and she was taken by the king of Gerar, the Lord suffered him not to touch her, and Abimelech said he had taken her in the integrity of his heart and innocency of his hands; and plead that Abraham had told him she was his sister; showing that he knew before that it would have been sinful to have taken another man's wife; and he said to Abraham, "thou hast brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin." Gen. xx, 5-9; xii, 12, 13, 18, 19; xxiv, 1-8, 31. When Judah was made acquainted with the trespass of Tamar in this respect, he said, "bring her forth and let her be burnt." Chap. xxxviii, 24.—In the absence of any revelation on this subject it truly might be regarded as a singular fact that Judah had the same idea of the desert of this crime that the Lord revealed to Moses more than two centuries afterwards. See Lev. xxi, 9. Abimelech, king of Gerar, also, took the wife of Isaac, supposing her to be his sister, and afterwards said to Isaac, "One of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldst have brought guiltiness upon us. Chap. xxvi, 9, 10. Positive testimony is afforded on this point by the case of Joseph.—Refusing to comply with the immodest request of his mistress he said, how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God. Chap. xxxix, 7-9.
8. Thou shalt not steal. By reference to Gen. xxx, 33, it will be seen that Jacob and Laban understood the matter of the commandment. Laban reproved Jacob for stealing his gods. Chap. xxxi, 19, 30. Now Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them, and gave sentence that whosoever, the gods were found with should not live. Verse 32; see, also, verse 39. When Joseph's messenger accused his brethren of having stolen his silver cup, they declared their honesty in that they had brought again the money which they had found in their sacks' mouths, and said, "how then should we steal out of our lord's house, silver or gold?"—They made the same decision in this case that their father had made before them, namely: "With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die and we also will be my lord's bondsmen." Chap. xliv, 4-9.
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Nothing positive can be found in the book of Genesis relative to this particular command, but Joseph was wickedly imprisoned, because his mistress bore false-witness against him. Gen. xxxix, 7-20.
10. Thou shalt not covet. The transgression of this command is also rather implied than plainly brought to view; but the fact that the transgression of the tenth must precede the violation of the eighth, and that the eighth was known and its violation considered worthy of death, is sufficient evidence on this point for the present, as we intend to offer proof that the whole ten were known and observed before the days of Moses.