The Wisdom of the
People of God
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The Wisdom of the People of
God
Signs of the Times Articles
By Ellen G. White January
6, 1888
"Now therefore
hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you,
for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the Lord
God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command
you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments
of the Lord your God which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the Lord did
because of Baal-Peor; for all the men that followed
Baal-Peor, the Lord thy God hath destroyed them from
among you. But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of
you this day."
The claim has been made
that the commandments of God are a yoke of bondage, that it is impossible for
man to keep them, and that ancient Israel found them unendurable, and failed to
fulfill their righteous obligations; but such a claim is proven to be false by
the words we have presented. The commandments were not grievous while the
people were firm in their allegiance to God; but when they separated from him
and gave their powers to the service of the prince of evil, they became aware
of their inability to execute the holy enactments of Heaven. The law that had once been
their delight, became an unendurable weight, because they had deprived
themselves of the love and power of
God, and had
taken a willful course to resist the authority of the Most High.
The ancient Israelites had
not too much will,--it needs will to be a servant of God,--but when they fixed
it on the side of self-indulgence, and in opposition to the direct commands of
God, it only wrought for their destruction. They placed their will on the side of the
first great rebel, and followed his example in complaining of the precepts of
Heaven. All murmuring against the law of God is instigated by the lawless one
who first created dissatisfaction in the courts of Jehovah, and incited
rebellion among the ranks of the angels.
Satan is ever on the alert
for the first word of complaint against God and his service. He takes advantage
of a spirit of murmuring, and fills the mind with his dark doubts and
suggestions. He is constantly seeking
to sow the seeds of dissatisfaction in the heart, concerning the requirements
of God, presenting them as unjust in their restraints, and unreasonable in
their demands. It is the work of Satan to belittle the law that condemns him, and all who love sin show the characteristics of their
commander. Many of the people of God had fallen under his temptations and left
their allegiance to God, but here was a living testimony, presented by the
faithful servant of the Most High, setting forth the blessedness of obedience. It was transgression that had brought
disaster, and laid the nation under the curse of God. Those who had left their loyal service and
turned to idolatry, were smitten with disease and
death. In contrast
to the fate of the transgressor, Moses points out the prosperity of those who had kept the commandments
of the Lord; no harm had befallen them; they were alive every one of them that
day.
All who have determined to
serve God will seek to know and to do his will, at whatever cost to themselves. The true servants of God will be made manifest by their willing
obedience to all the commandments of their Master. They will not be murmuring
and finding fault with the law, but will declare by word and action, "This is the love of
God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not
grievous." In obeying
the law, they are doing that which is well-pleasing in the sight of Heaven, and
all the promises of the word of God are pledged to the support of the faithful
and obedient. They may hope in his mercy, build on his immutable counsels, obtain the desires of their hearts, because their wills are
placed on the side of God's will. It is their meat to do the will of God and to
finish his work. The gates of the eternal city shall open for the nation that
has kept the truth. The servants of God shall eat of the tree of life, and enjoy the
unsearchable riches of eternity.
What astonishing
benevolence on the part of God to make conditions for the re-instatement of
rebel man to his divine favor! Oh that the mercy of God might not be lightly
esteemed! Oh that we might appreciate the forbearance of the great God of the
universe, comply with his requirements, and receive the great reward that he
has promised to those who love him! Should we not from humble and grateful
hearts present our services to him who "so loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life"? We may become the sons of God, the heirs of an
eternal inheritance, partakers of the divine nature, kings and priests unto
God. The most
exalted privileges are offered to the obedient. Shall we turn away in rebellion and
unbelief, and propose to go back to Egypt? Never! Our march should be onward,
toward the heavenly Canaan. Every step should be from faith to a greater faith,
from obedience to a more perfect obedience, from light to a brighter light; for
"the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth
more and more unto the perfect day."
We are the Israel that God
is leading out of the errors of the world in these last days to live by every
word that proceedeth out of his mouth. The truth for this time will not fail to
sanctify the soul that receives the love of it and obeys it from the heart. It
will enable us to overcome every besetting sin, and to surmount every
difficulty in our onward march. We can run and not be weary, walk and not
faint.
"Behold, I have taught
you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to
possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your
understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes,
and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and
understanding people." (Deut. 4:5,6)
The wisdom and
understanding of ancient Israel before all the nations, was their obedience to
God's law. This doing of God's
commandments worked an elevation of character and life that even the heathen
world recognized and commended. Those who have rendered obedience to God in all ages, have been
transformed in character, and in these last days, when iniquity abounds on
every hand, our wisdom and understanding before all people will consist in our
obedience to the standard of righteousness. The servants of God will not be foolish,
ignorant, uncourteous, and coarse; but as they conform their lives to the holy laws of Heaven, they become
like Jesus Christ, who was a living example of perfect obedience to the
statutes of Jehovah. They will
become refined, ennobled, elevated, and will manifest that courtesy that
forgets the interests of self, that others may be blessed
and benefited.
The follower of Jesus will
place his will on the side of his Master's will. He will have a consciousness
of the nearness of God's presence. Doubts will vanish before the beams of the
Sun of Righteousness, as the shadows fly before the morning. The true Christian
identifies his interest with the interest of Christ, wears the yoke of his
Master, lifts his burden, bears his reproach; but no murmur escapes his lips.
No, he rejoices that he is counted worthy to suffer for His sake who suffered
for him. You may expect complaint, but you will hear only the language of
thanksgiving from Christ's burden-bearers. They do not bear the load alone; for
He whom their soul loveth, walks with them, and the
heaviest weight is borne by his loving and mighty heart. Those who come to
Christ, weary and heavy-laden, find rest unto their souls. Those who learn of
him and take his yoke upon them, find that his yoke is easy, and his burden is
light. "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever," promises,
"Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of
the world." Yes, this God is our God forever and ever. Then why should we chafe
and fret under the commandments of our God? He who leadeth
us and teacheth us to profit, declares, "I have
kept my Father's commandments;" and those who follow Christ will do as he
has done. Their steps
will fall in his foot-prints all along the path of obedience that he has
trodden before them as their example. The law of our God "is holy, and
just, and good," and it is to our highest interest that we come into
perfect harmony with its precepts. It is ordained unto life. The world knows
that it is wisdom to serve the God of Heaven. However reluctant men may be to acknowledge
it, they look upon the obedient children of God as favored of Heaven.
Moses asks: "For what
nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God
is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great,
that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this
law, which I set before you this day? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy
soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and
lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life; but teach them thy
sons, and thy son's sons."
Here is the solemn charge
that was given to ancient Israel, and it comes echoing down the ages to us,
with accumulated force; for we are under greater obligation and increased
responsibility, because we have the record of their experiences to teach us to
avoid their errors and profit by their mistakes. Their departures from God,
their backslidings, their murmuring, their sins "are written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." The judgment of God
in the destruction of the guilty is marked before us, that we may take heed to
the warnings, and escape from the paths of transgression. The rich rewards and
blessings bestowed upon the obedient are recorded as encouragements to those
who will follow the way of the Lord and delight in his testimonies.
In the commendation of God
to the faithful among ancient Israel, is unmistakable evidence that he highly
appreciates those who are peculiar in character, because they render perfect
obedience to his holy laws. The spiritual excellency
of these people is manifested in their words and works. They are branches of
the living vine, and partakers of the divine nature.
Like seeks
like. Like appreciates like. Christ recognizes his own Spirit and
image in his followers. As they become more like him, they seek a closer
association with him. His character shines with new attractions. They see
matchless charms in their Redeemer, and he becomes "the chiefest among ten thousand," and the one
"altogether lovely." His ways are precious to them, and it is their delight to
do his will.
The words of Jesus test the
profession we make. He declares: "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to
him. . . . If a man love me, he will keep my words;
and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with
him. He that loveth me not keepeth
not my sayings; and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's
which sent me." "If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father,
and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever: even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot
receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."
The conditions and promises
are the same in the Old Testament as they are in the New. The favor of God is
promised only to those who obey him. "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall
abide in my love," says the Master. If we would claim the rich promises, if we
would have the pardon of our sins, and eternal life at last, we must yield a
royal service to the God of Heaven. In our faithful performance of his
requirements consists our prosperity as a church and as individuals.
Not in great
talents, not in great possessions, not in grand appearances, but in humble service to our Maker is our strength, wisdom, and understanding.
We must not take a feeble,
vacillating course; but with unchangeable purpose, place our wills on the side
of God's will, become rich in faith, rich in the knowledge of his word, and
rich in the power of his Spirit. If we do those things that are pleasing in the sight of our God, we
may hold the keys of the invisible world. We may unlock Heaven's storehouses,
and draw upon their inestimable treasures.
Then let none of us
entertain the thought that it is of little moment whether we heed the
commandments of God, or pass them by with indifference. When the great books of
Judgment are opened, and the motives of every heart are laid bare, there will
be no excuse for those who trifle with God's plain words. "The wages of
sin is death." This is the awful and inevitable sentence pronounced upon
the transgressor. But the righteous shall enter into life. Says the Son of God,
"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that
they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates
into the city."
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