Founding of a Nation

Exodus 18:19-24; 19:3-8

GOLDEN TEXT: “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.”—Proverbs 14:34

THE nation of Israel was founded upon the promises of God and the instructions of His law. While there can be no failure in the plan of God as outlined in His promises, the position of the Israelites in that plan, and the position of all others as well, is conditional upon obedience to the divine will. Our British Israelite friends seriously err in their interpretation of God’s promises, due to their failure to take this important fact into consideration. “Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people. … And ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.”—Exodus 19:5,6

It was evidently in God’s providence that Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, gave the great lawgiver the timely advice contained in the first section of today’s lesson. Moses was a hard and willing worker. He was quite willing to lay down his life for his brethren, but his father-in-law, observing the situation from a disinterested standpoint, could see not only that Moses was wearing himself out unnecessarily by his endeavor to hear and judge in all their petty difficulties, but also that the people themselves were not being served efficiently. The work was simply too much for one man to care for properly.

Jethro was evidently a man of wisdom and of high righteous principles, as is revealed in his advice to Moses. He not only advised his son-in-law to appoint helpers—rulers or judges—over various numbers of the Israelites, but admonished that these be men of principle, not the selfish, covetous type Jethro realized, as Moses certainly must have known, that rulers who would seek their own interests before those of the people over whom they ruled would be a curse to the nation rather than a blessing.

These “elders” in Israel served the people under the guidance of Moses. God’s overruling providence in their selection is seen by the very important service they performed in connection with the giving of the Law. When Moses received the Law from God, with the instruction that he communicate it to the people, he called these elders, or representatives, together and gave the message to them, and they in turn communicated it to the people. This would have been an almost endless task for Moses to have performed alone.

Six hundred thousand Israelitish men of mature age left Egypt. This would mean a total of probably a million and a half, counting women and minors. It is not difficult to imagine the problems one individual would encounter in endeavoring, unaided, to instruct such a multitude in the Law of God. There was no printed page in those days, no radio, no public address system—none of our modern methods of instruction. It was well indeed that Moses had a well organized group of men to whom he could assign the important task of relaying to the people the necessary details of the Law as he had received it from God on Mount Sinai.

Later, of course, when members of the tribe of Levi were ordained to be the religious instructors and servants of the nation, the function of the “elders” of Israel was probably somewhat changed, but there would still be many ways in which they could serve their brethren. They were in a position of influence, and that influence could be used for good or evil, hence the wisdom of Jethro’s advice that unselfish men of high principle be chosen for these key positions in the nation.

But despite Moses’ faithfulness and the warnings of God, the national experience of Israel was one of failure. They did not obey the voice of God, nor did they keep His covenant, although they agreed to do so. Because of their failure they did not qualify to, be God’s peculiar treasure, and lost the honor of being a kingdom of priests to be used by God for the instruction and blessing of all nations during the thousand years of the Messianic Kingdom.

These honors have been transferred to the church of the Gospel Age. Jesus explained to the Israelites of His day that the Kingdom was taken from them and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. This statement has been erroneously interpreted to mean that the kingdom was taken from the two-tribe branch of the nation, and given to the ten “lost tribes.” But the apostles did not so understand it. James addressed a letter to all “twelve tribes.” (James 1:1) Peter explains that the footstep followers of Jesus, Jews and Gentiles together, constitute the “holy nation,” the “peculiar people,” the “royal priesthood,” who now have the hope of joint-heirship with the promised Messiah.—I Peter 2:9,10

From God’s standpoint, His dealings with the natural seed of Abraham were not a failure, not a waste of time. He used them as illustrations. The tabernacle and its services; the Law Covenant; the priesthood; in fact all of Gods providences over the Israelites, pointed forward to “good things to come.”—Heb. 10:1

QUESTIONS:

Were the promises of God to Israel unconditional?

What is the nation to which the kingdom privileges were given when they were taken from the nation of Israel?

What was accomplished by God’s dealing with Israel during the Jewish age?

| Home Page | Table of Contents |