MESSIAH'S SUFFERING
What can be more striking than this remarkable proof that all the details of the Lord's passion were fully foretold in the Old Testament! Many will tell us that the Old Testament references only happen to coincide with the incidents. No less than twenty-one coincidences (and I doubt whether this number is exhaustive) in the space of a few hours! The absurdity of it must be apparent. But if they did indeed refer to Christ, how can there be any doubt as to the inspiration of at least these passages?
The Bible is full both in the Old and New Testaments of incidents having no human eye-witnesses. How does the one who does not believe in inspiration explain the accounts of such incidents? Are they all myths? Unless inspired, they must be myths or else received by tradition. Did Adam preserve for the benefit of his posterity a record of his sin, disobedience, his expulsion from Eden, the curse upon the ground, and the barring of the way back to the tree of life? Similarly with other incidents recorded not as man would tell the story, making excuses and pointing out extenuating circumstances were these received thus by tradition? It is impossible. Is the history of Christ's temptation in the wilderness a myth? I leave these questions with you.
MORAL PURPOSE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Now scripture consists, as we said above, not only of facts, but of facts arranged with a view to one over-ruling purpose, which the unassisted mind of man could never have projected or supplied, and while I hope to show this more fully in speaking of the New Testament, it is convenient here to show in support of this statement the purpose of the long series of histories of men seen in the Old Testament. As the Apostle Paul says, “All these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition” (1 Cor. 10:11). Human sinfulness is traced through its manifold disguises. Thus we find scoffing infidelity in the antediluvians (Jude 14, 15; Genesis 6:12); envy in Cain (Gen. 4:5) and Joseph's brethren (Gen. 37:11); malice in Saul (1 Samuel 18:28, 29); slander in Doeg (1 Samuel 22: 9) and Ziba (2 Samuel 16:1-3); contempt for Divine teaching in Korah (Numbers 16:3) and Ahab (1 Kings 20:42); covetousness in Achan (Joshua 7:21), Balaam (Numbers 22:7.), Gehazi (2 Kings 5:20-27); ambition in Abimelech (Judg. 9:1-5); pride in Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:13) and Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 4:30).
Again we find the inconsistency of human nature-Ahithophel (Psalm 55:12, 13), the friend and traitor; Joab (2 Samuel 12:28; 1 Kings 2:28), the faithful servant, yet “doer of evil"; Jehoram (2 Kings 3:1-3), who destroyed the images of Baal, but cleaved to the sin of Jeroboam.
We see the power of self-deceit in David (2 Samuel 12:5, 7) and Balaam (Numbers 23:10); of prejudice in Naaman (2 Kings 5:11-12); of habit in Ahab (1 Kings 21:27, 26) who repented before Elijah, and yet returned to his idols.
We are shown the danger of ungodly connections in Solomon (Nehemiah 13:25, 26); in Jehoshaphat's connection with Ahab (1 Kings 22:2-44), in Ahab's with Jezebel (1 Kings 21:5-14); of worldly prosperity in Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 12:1) and Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:16).
We find moral excellences illustrated: faith in Abraham (Romans 4:12); patience in Job (James 5:11); meekness in Moses (Numbers 12:3); decision in Joshua (Joshua 24:15); patriotism in Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:4; 5:14); friendship in Jonathan (1 Samuel 19:2-4).
Certain characters furnish us with patterns: Hannah (1 Samuel 1:27-28) to mothers; Samuel (I Samuel 3:1-21) and Josiah (2 Chronicles 34:3) to children; Joseph (Gen. 39:9) and Daniel (Dan. 1:8) to young men; Barzillai; (2 Samuel 19:34, 35) to old men; Eliezer (Gen. 24) to servants: David (I Samuel 24:6-10 etc.) to those under authority. And in these examples we must note the evidence of weakness: Abraham (Gen. 20:2) failed through fear; Job (Job 3:1) through impatience; Moses (Deuteronomy 32:51) through irritability and presumption.
And all these things happened as ensamples to us: we have a complete portrait-gallery of man: was this divinely-perfect picture made by man alone? Surely not; we are told of the lives of certain men just sufficient to teach us a specific lesson: do you credit man with this foresight?
THE AUTHORS WRITING BEYOND THEIR OWN KEN
Now to conclude this section of the paper on the inspiration of the Old Testament, I would refer to the fact that both by their own declaration and by the declaration of the apostle Peter, the writers did not in every case understand the meaning of their writings.
First then, all the sacrifices set forth in such detail in Leviticus were types and shadows of Christ—they prefigured every aspect of His work, and His perfection. Yet to the Jews they were mere ordinances, and the meaning of all the ritual was not, and could not be understood by them. The tabernacle itself in every detail figured some aspect of God and His Christ, but until Christ came, all was not understood. Were the sacrifices given by man or by God? If by God, is not Leviticus God's account of these sacrifices and the ordinances connected with them? The tabernacle, says the higher critic, was not erected in the wilderness, but was a copy of the temple at Jerusalem. What a wicked travesty of God's word!
As before stated, David's psalm, “The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand till I make thine enemies thy footstool” (Psalm 110:1) cannot have been understood by David, nor indeed, “Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” If all this was dark and mysterious to David, how can you avoid the conclusion that he was inspired when he wrote it? (Psalm 16:10).
Now look for a moment at another scripture: “And I heard, but I understood not.” We see that Daniel wrote what he understood not, and he was not allowed to have understanding as to what he did write, for the Lord said: “the words are closed up, and sealed till the time of the end” (Dan. 12:8, 9).
Again, Peter testifies to the same thing: “Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things” (1 Pet. 1:10-12).
If the writers had to “search diligently” to find out the meaning of the prophecies, they cannot have written them by their own initiative. I have no need to labor the point. The word of God is sufficiently clear about it, so that I need only call your attention to so striking a passage.
What then? We have shown that Christ, the Son of God, taught the inspiration of Scripture, that He promised great assistance to His apostles, who taught inspiration, that the prophets constantly justify their writings with: “thus saith the Lord,” that David ascribes purity and truth to the “law of the Lord,” that the apostles appealed for support in their writings more than 450 times to the Old Testament, that the Passion was fully foretold by the Old Testament, that the purpose of the histories of men found in the Old Testament is manifold, that the Jew's greatest privilege was to be allowed to keep the “oracles of God,” and lastly, that the writers in some cases at least definitely disclaim understanding what they wrote. Is not all this testimony a sure proof of the inspiration of the Old Testament?
L. H. H.
(Continued from page 298)