Notes on the book of NumbersMackintosh, Charles Henry
Religion
Notes on the book of Numbers
Mackintosh, Charles Henry
Bible. Numbers -- Commentaries
This is divine. And may we not say that this seventh chapter of Numbers
is one of those specimen-pages from the book of eternity, on which the
finger of God has engraved the names of His servants, and the record
of their work? We believe it is; and if the reader will turn to the
twenty-third of second Samuel, and the sixteenth of Romans, he will
find two similar pages. In the former, we have the names and the deeds
of David’s worthies; in the latter, the names and the deeds of Paul’s
friends at Rome. In both, we have an illustration of what, we feel
persuaded, is true of all the saints of God and the servants of Christ
from first to last. Each one has his own special place on the roll, and
each one his place in the Master’s heart, and all will come out by and
by. Amongst David’s mighty men we have “the first three,” “the three,”
and “the thirty.” Not one of “the thirty” ever attained a place among
“the three,” nor did one of “the three” ever reach to “the first three.”
Nor this only. Every act is faithfully set down, and the substance and
style most accurately put before us. We have the name of the man, _what_
he did, and _how_ he did it. All is recorded, with sedulous care and
minuteness, by the unerring and impartial pen of the Holy Ghost.
So also, when we turn to that remarkable sample-page furnished in Romans
xvi, we have all about Phebe—what she was and what she did, and what a
solid basis she had on which to rest her claim upon the sympathy and
succor of the assembly at Rome. Then we have Priscilla and Aquila—the
wife put first,—and how they had laid down their own necks for the
life of the blessed apostle, and earned his thanks and that of all the
churches of the Gentiles. Next we have “the _well_-beloved Epænetus;”
and “Mary, who bestowed,” not merely labor, but “_much_ labor” on the
apostle. It would not have expressed the mind of the Spirit, or the
heart of Christ, merely to say that Epænetus was “beloved,” or that Mary
had bestowed “labor.” No; the little adjuncts, “well” and “much,” were
necessary in order to set forth the exact _status_ of each.
But we must not enlarge, and we shall merely call the reader’s attention
to verse 12. Why does not the inspired penman place “Tryphena, Tryphosa,”
and “the beloved Persis” under one head? Why does he not assign them one
and the same position? The reason is perfectly beautiful—because he could
only say of the two former that they had “labored in the Lord,” whereas
it was due to the latter to add that she had “labored _much_ in the
Lord,” Can aught be more discriminating? It is “the three,” “the first
three,” and “the thirty” over again. There is no promiscuous jumbling of
names and services together—no haste—no inaccuracy. We are told what each
one was, and what he did. Each one gets his own place, and receives his
own meed of praise.
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