Notes on the book of NumbersMackintosh, Charles Henry
Religion
Notes on the book of Numbers
Mackintosh, Charles Henry
Bible. Numbers -- Commentaries
What answer have we to give to all these queries? What but a hearty,
unreserved, unhesitating YES? Well, then, is not this blessed One, in
the deep mystery of His Person, in the moral glory of His ways, in the
brightness and blessedness of His character—is not He enough for our
hearts? Do we want aught beside? Must we get the newspaper, or some light
magazine, to fill up the vacuum in our souls? Must we turn from Christ to
a flower-show or a concert?
Alas! that we should have to write thus. It is most sad; but it is most
needful; and we here put this question most pointedly to the reader:
Dost thou really find Christ insufficient to satisfy thy heart? Hast
thou cravings which He does not fully meet? If so, thou art in a very
alarming condition of soul, and it behooves thee to look at once, and to
look closely, into this solemn matter. Get down on thy face before God,
in honest self-judgment. Pour out thy heart to him. Tell Him all. Own
to Him how thou hast fallen and wandered—as surely thou must have done
when God’s Christ is not enough for thee. Have it all out in secret with
thy God, and take no rest until thou art fully and blessedly restored to
communion with Himself—to heart-fellowship with Him about the Son of His
love.
But we must return to our chapter; and in so doing, we call the reader’s
attention to an expression full of weighty admonition for us,—“And _the
mixed multitude_ that was among them fell a lusting; and the children
of Israel also wept again.” There is nothing more damaging to the
cause of Christ or to the souls of His people than association with
men of _mixed_ principles. It is very much more dangerous than having
to do with open and avowed enemies. Satan knows this well, and hence
his constant effort to lead the Lord’s people to link themselves with
those who are only half-and-half; or, on the other hand, to introduce
spurious materials—false professors—into the midst of those who are
seeking, in any measure, to pursue a path of separation from the world.
We have repeated allusions to this special character of evil in the
New Testament. We have it both prophetically, in the Gospels, and
historically, in the Acts and in the Epistles. Thus we have the tares and
the leaven in Matthew xiii; then, in the Acts, we find persons attaching
themselves to the assembly who were like the “mixed multitude” of Numbers
xi; and finally, we have apostolic reference to spurious materials
introduced by the enemy for the purpose of corrupting the testimony and
subverting the souls of God’s people. Thus the apostle Paul speaks of
“false brethren unawares brought in.” (Gal. ii. 4.) Jude also speaks of
“certain men crept in unawares.” (Ver. 4.)
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