Schoolmaster to Christ
EXODUS CHAPTER 2

Scripture Reading: Exodus 2 (KJV)

This section of Exodus abounds in the weightiest principles of Divine truth – principles that range under three headings: the power of Satan, the power of God, and the power of faith.

In the last verse of the previous chapter, we read, "And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river." This was Satan's power. The river was the place of death; and by death the enemy sought to frustrate God’s purpose. It has always been so. With malignant eye, and for his own gracious ends, the serpent watches those instruments that God is about to use. Look at the case of Abel, in Genesis 4. What was that but the serpent watching God's vessel and seeking to put it out of the way by death? Look at the case of Joseph, in Genesis 37. There you have the enemy seeking to put the man of God's purpose in the place of death. Look at the case of "the seed royal," in 2 Chronicles 22; the act of Herod, in Matthew 2; and the death of Christ, in Matthew 27. In these cases, we find the enemy seeking, by death, to interrupt the current of Divine action.

But, blessed be God, there is something beyond death. The entire sphere of Divine action lies beyond the limits of death's domain. When Satan has exhausted his power, then God begins to show Himself. The grave is the limit of Satan's activity; but there Divine activity begins. This is a glorious truth. Satan has the power of death; but God is the God of the living; and He gives life beyond the reach and power of death – a life which Satan cannot touch. In the midst of a scene where death reigns, the heart finds relief in this truth. Faith can stand against Satan putting forth the plenitude of his power, because it stands on God's mighty instrumentality of resurrection. It can take its stand at the grave that has just closed over a loved one, and from the lips of Him who is "the resurrection and the life," it can drink in the elevating assurance of glorious immortality. Faith knows that God is stronger than Satan, and, therefore, it can quietly wait for the full manifestation of that superior strength, finding there its victory and settled peace. We have a noble example of this power of faith in the opening verses of our chapter.

"And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived and bare a son; and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could no longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him" (Ex. 2:1-4).

Here is a scene of touching interest. Actually, it was simply faith¹ triumphing over the influences of nature and death; leaving room for the God of resurrection to act in His own proper sphere and character. True, the enemy's power is apparent, in the circumstance of the child being placed in a position of pending death. And, the enemy’s sword was piercing the mother's heart, as she beheld her precious offspring laid, as it were, in death. Satan might act, and nature might weep; but the Quickener of the dead was behind the dark cloud, and faith beheld Him there, gilding heaven's side of that cloud with His bright and life-giving beams. "By faith Moses when he was born was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment" (Heb. 11:23).

This honored daughter of Levi teaches us a holy lesson. Her "ark of bulrushes, daubed with slime and pitch," declares her confidence in the truth that in the case of this "proper child" there was a power that could keep out the waters of death, as in the case of Noah, "the preacher of righteousness." Are we to suppose, for a moment, that this "ark" was the invention of mere nature? Was it nature's mere thought that devised it, or nature's ingenuity that constructed it? Was the babe placed in the ark at the suggestion of a mother's heart, cherishing the fond but visionary hope of saving her treasure from the ruthless hand of death? Replying to the above inquiries in the affirmative, would no doubt cause us to lose the beauteous teaching of this entire scene. How could we ever suppose that the "ark" was devised by one who saw no other destiny for her child except death by drowning? No; we look on that significant structure, as devised by the hand of faith; a vessel of mercy to carry "a proper child" safety over death's dark waters into the place assigned him by the immutable purpose of the living God. When we behold this daughter of Levi bending over that “ark of bulrushes,” and depositing her babe, we see her "walking in the steps of that faith of her father Abraham, which he had," when "he rose up from before his dead," and purchased the cave of Machpelah from the sons of Heth (Gen. 23). We do not recognize in her the energy of mere nature, hanging over the object of its affections, about to fall into the iron grasp of the king of terrors. No; we see instead the energy of faith, enabling her to stand at the margin of death's cold flood as a conqueror, beholding the chosen servant of Jehovah in safety on the other side.

Yes, faith can take those bold and lofty flights into regions far removed from this land of death and wide-spread desolation. Its eagle eye can pierce the gloomy clouds that gather around the tomb, and behold the God of resurrection displaying the results of His everlasting counsels, in the midst of a sphere that no arrow of death can reach. It can take its stand on the top of the Rock of Ages, and listen in holy triumph while the surges of death are lashing its base.

And what was "the king's commandment" to one who was in possession of this heaven-born principle? What weight did that commandment have with one who could calmly stand beside her "ark of bulrushes" and look death straight in the face? The Holy Spirit replies, "they were not afraid of the king's commandment." The spirit that knows about communion with Him Who quickens the dead, is not afraid of anything. Such a soul can take up the triumphant language of 1 Corinthians 15 and say, "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ." He offers these words of triumph over a martyred Abel; over Joseph in the pit; over Moses in his ark of bulrushes; in the midst of "the seed royal," slain by the hand of Athaliah; and in the babes of Bethlehem, murdered by the mandate of cruel Herod; and far above all, he can utter them at the tomb of the Captain of our salvation.

Some of us may not be able to trace the activities of faith regarding the ark of bulrushes. Some may not be able to travel beyond the measure of Moses' sister, when "she stood afar off, to wit, what would be done to him." Evidently "his sister" was not up to "the measure of faith" possessed by "his mother." No doubt, she possessed deep interest and true affection, such as we may trace in "Mary Magdalene and the other Mary sitting over against the sepulchre" (Matt. 27:61.) But there was something far beyond either interest or affection in the one who made the "ark." Some might acquaint her not standing "afar off to wit what would be done to" her child, with indifference on her part. However, it was not indifference, but true elevation of faith. If natural affection did not cause her to linger near the scene of death, it was only because the power of faith was furnishing her with nobler work, in the presence of the God of resurrection. Her faith had cleared the stage for Him to gloriously show Himself.

"And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it she saw the child; and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children."

In sweet accents, the Divine response begins to break on the ear of faith. God was in all this. Rationalism, skepticism, infidelity, or atheism, may laugh at such an idea. And faith can also laugh; but the two kinds of laughter are very different. The former laughs in cold contempt at the thought of Divine interference in the trifling affair of a royal maiden's walk by the river's side – the latter laughs with heart-felt gladness at the thought of God being in everything. And surely, if ever God was in anything, He was in this walk of Pharaoh's daughter, though she knew it not.

The spiritual mind enjoys one of its sweetest exercises while tracing the Divine footsteps in circumstances and events in which a thoughtless spirit sees only blind chance or rigid fate. At times, the most trifling matter may turn out to be an important link in a chain of events through which the Almighty God is helping to forward the development of His grand designs. For instance, look at Esther 4:1, and what do you see? – an unbelieving monarch spending a restless night. No uncommon circumstance, or so we may suppose; and yet, this very circumstance was a link in a chain of providence – the end of which is the marvelous deliverance of the oppressed seed of Israel.

So it was with the daughter of Pharaoh, in her walk by the river's side. Little did she think that she was helping forward the purpose of "the Lord God of the Hebrews." Little did she know that the weeping babe in that ark of bulrushes was to be Jehovah's instrument in shaking the land of Egypt to its very center. Yet, it was so. The Lord can make the wrath of man praise Him, and restrain the remainder. This truth plainly appears in the following passage.

"Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Go. And the maid went and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter said unto her, Take this child sway, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child and nursed it. And the child grew and she brought him unto Pharaohs daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water" (Ex. 2:7-10).

Here the beautiful faith of Moses' mother meets its full reward; Satan is confounded; and the marvelous wisdom of God is displayed. Who would have thought that the one who had said, "If it be a son, then ye shall kill him," and, again, "every son that is born ye shall cast into the river," would have in his court one of those very sons, and what "a son." The devil was foiled by his own weapon, because Pharaoh, the very one he was using to frustrate the purpose of God, is used by God to nourish and bring up Moses, becoming His instrument in confounding the power of Satan. What remarkable providence and admirable wisdom. Truly, Jehovah is "wonderful in counsel and excellent in working." May we learn to trust Him with more artless simplicity, so our path will be more brilliant, and our testimony more effective.

In considering the history of Moses, we must look at him in two ways: personally and typically.

First, we consider his personal character. In one way or another, God not only raised him up, but also trained him for a period of eighty years – first in the house of Pharaoh's daughter; and then at "the backside of the desert." To our shallow thoughts, this seems an immense space of time to devote to the education of a minister of God. By this time, most man-made religious systems have long since decided that God’s work is best served by younger workers. But then God's thoughts are not like our thoughts. He knew those years were vitally needed in the preparation of His chosen vessel. When God educates, He educates in a manner worthy of Himself and His holy service. He will not have a novice do His work. In secret, the servant of Christ has to first learn many lessons, undergo many exercises, and pass through many conflicts, before qualifying for public service. Human nature does not like this. It would rather learn in public than in private. It would rather be admired by the eye of man than be disciplined by the hand of God. Man’s way of determining spiritual success is by college degrees, budgets, and membership. But it will not do. We must take God's way. Human nature may rush into the scene of operation; but God does not. He looks for the withered, crushed, set aside. The place of death is the place for nature. To be eternally successful, God’s infallible faithfulness and perfect wisdom must be accepted, or the results of our activity will eventually prove to be utterly defeated and confused. God knows what to do with nature, where to put it, and where to keep it. Regarding self and all that pertains to it, we need to be in deeper communion with the mind of God. Only then will we make fewer mistakes. Only then will our path be steady and elevated, our spirit tranquil, and our service effective.

"And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens; and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand."

This was zeal for his brethren; but it was "not according to knowledge." God's time was not yet come for judging Egypt and delivering Israel; and the intelligent servant will ever wait for God's time. "Moses was grown;" and "he was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians;" and, moreover, "he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them." all this was true; yet he evidently ran before the time, and when one does this, failure results.²

And not only is there failure at the end of a work begun before God's time, but there is also uncertainty and lack of calm elevation and holy independence in the progress. Moses "looked this way and that way." There is no need of this when the details of our work are acting with and for God. If God's time had really come, and if Moses was conscious of being divinely commissioned to execute judgment on the Egyptian, and if he felt assured of Divine presence, he would not have "looked this way and that way."

This action teaches a deep practical lesson to servants of God. There are two things by which it is super-induced: the fear of man's wrath, and the hope of man's favor. The servant of God should not regard either one. What does the wrath or favor of a mortal man mean to one who holds the Divine commission, and enjoys Divine presence? – less than the small dust of the balance. "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest" (Josh. 1:9).

"Thou, therefore, gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak, unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. For, behold, I have made thee this day a defended city, and an iron pillar, and brazen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the Lord, to deliver thee" (Jer. 1:17-19).

When the servant of Christ stands on elevated ground as set forth in the above Scriptures, he will not "look this way and that way;" he will act on wisdom's heavenly counsel, "let thine eyes look straight on, and thine eyelids look straight before thee." Divine intelligence always leads us to look upward and onward. Whenever we look around to shun a mortal's frown or catch his smile, we may rest assured there is something wrong; we are off the proper ground of Divine service – lacking the assurance of holding the Divine commission, and of enjoying Divine presence, both of which are absolutely essential.

True, there are many who, through profound ignorance or excessive self-confidence, go forward in a sphere of service for which God never intended for them; for which He never qualified them. And not only do they go forward, but they exhibit an amount of coolness and self-possession that is amazing to those who are capable of forming an impartial judgment about their gifts and merits. But all this will quickly find its level; not in the least interfering with the integrity of the principle that nothing can effectually deliver a man from the tendency to "look this way and that way," except the consciousness of the Divine commission and presence. When we are consciously aware of God, possessing this Divine commission and presence, there is complete deliverance from human influence and consequent independence. To serve others, we must be totally independent of them. Only when we know our proper place can we stoop and wash our brethren's feet.

The man who turns his eyes away from man, fixing them on the only true and perfect Servant, does not find himself looking this way and that way. Why? – Because he always has his eyes on God, fearing not man’s wrath; seeking not man’s favor. He never speaks to elicit human applause, or keeps silent to avoid human censure and/or loss of income. This gives holy stability and elevation to all He says and does. Only of Jesus Christ can it truly be said, "His leaf shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." Everything He did turned to eternal profit because everything was done to God. Every action, every word, every movement, every look, every thought, was like a beautiful cluster of fruit, sent up to refresh the heart of God. He was never afraid of the results of His work, because He always acted with and for God, and in the full intelligence of His mind. He could say, "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." Hence, He brought forth fruit, "in its season." He did "always those things which pleased the Father," and, therefore, never had any occasion to "fear," to "repent," or to "look this way and that way."

In this, as in everything else, Jesus stands in contrast with His honored and eminent servants. Even a Moses "feared," and a, Paul "repented;" but the Lord Jesus never did either. He never had to retrace a step, recall a word, or correct a thought. All was absolutely perfect. All was "fruit in season." The current of His holy life flowed onward without a ripple or a curve. The best and most devoted men make mistakes; but the more we are able, through grace, to mortify our own will, the more we are able, through grace, to mortify our own will, the more our path is of faith and single-eyed devotedness to Christ, the fewer our mistakes will be.

So it was with Moses. He was a man of faith, drinking deeply into the spirit of his Master – walking with marvelous steadiness in His footprints. True, he anticipated the Lord's time of judgment on Egypt and deliverance for Israel by forty years; yet, in Hebrews 11 we find nothing about this. There we find only the Divine principle on which, for the most part, his course was founded.

"By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing him who is invisible" (vv. 24-27).

This furnishes a gracious view of the actions of Moses. The Holy Spirit deals with the history of Old Testament saints in this way. When He writes a man's history, He presents him as he is, faithfully setting forth failures and imperfections. But, in the New Testament, when the Holy Spirit comments on such history, He merely gives the principle and main result of a man's life. Therefore, even though we read in Exodus that "Moses looked this way and that way" – that "he feared and said, surely this thing is known" – and, finally, "Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh;" we are taught in Hebrews that what he did, he did "by faith" – that he did not fear" the wrath of the king" – that "he endured as seeing him who is invisible."

It will be this way, by and by, when "the Lord comes, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God" (1 Cor. 4:5). This is a consolatory truth for every upright mind and loyal heart. The affectionate counsels of the heart are far more precious to Christ than the most elaborate works of the hand. The latter may shine before the eye of man; the former are designed only for the heart of Jesus. The latter may be spoken of among men; the former will be made manifest before God and His holy angels. May all the servants of Christ have their hearts undividedly occupied with His person, and their eyes steadily fixed on His second coming.

In contemplating the path of Moses, we observe how faith led him against the ordinary course of nature. It led him to despise all the pleasures, attractions, and honors of Pharaoh's court – to relinquish an apparently wide sphere of usefulness. Human expediency would have conducted him along quite an opposite path. It would have led him to use his influence on behalf of the people of God – to act for them instead of suffering with them. According to man's judgment, it would seem that Providence had opened a wide and most important sphere of labor for Moses; and surely if ever the hand of God places a man in such a distinct position, it must be his course. By a marvelous interposition, an unaccountable chain of circumstances (every link displaying the finger of God), by an order of events that human foresight could not have arranged – the daughter of Pharaoh drawing Moses out of the water, nourishing and educating him until he was "full forty years Old." With all these circumstances in view, for Moses to abandon his high, honorable, and influential position, could only be regarded as the result of a misguided zeal – not sound judgment.

Blind nature reasons this way. But faith thinks differently – nature and faith are always at issue. They do not agree on a single point. In fact, perhaps there is nothing in which they differ as widely as what are commonly called "openings of Providence." Nature constantly regards such openings as warrants for self-indulgence; whereas faith finds in them opportunities for self-denial. Jonah might have deemed it a remarkable opening of Providence to find a ship going to Tarshish; but in truth it was an opening through which he slipped off the path of obedience.

No doubt, it is the Christian's privilege to see his Father's hand and hear His voice in everything; but we are not to be guided by circumstances. A Christian guiding in this way is like a vessel at sea without rudder or compass – at the mercy of the waves and the winds. God's promise to His child is, "I will guide thee with mine eye" (Ps. 32:8). His warning is, "Be not as the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding; whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee." It is much better to be guided by our Father's eye, than by the bit and bridle of circumstances. Today the ordinary use of the term "Providence" turns it into another word for the impulse of circumstances.

The power of faith may constantly be seen in refusing and forsaking the apparent openings of Providence. It was so in the case of Moses. "By faith he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;" and "by faith he forsook Egypt." Had he judged according to the sight of his eyes, he would have grasped the dignity as the manifest gift of a kind Providence; he would have remained in the court of Pharaoh – in a sphere of usefulness plainly thrown open to him by the hand of God. But, that could not be because Moses walked by faith, and not by the sight of his eyes. Therefore, he forsook all.

Observe what it was that Moses "esteemed greater riches than the treasures in Egypt;" it was the "reproach of Christ." It was not merely reproach for Christ. "The reproaches of them that reproached thee have fallen upon me." The Lord Jesus identified Himself with His people. He came down from heaven, leaving His Father's bosom – laying aside all His glory. He took His people's place and bore their judgment on the cursed tree. Such was His voluntary devotedness. He did not merely act for us, but He made Himself one with us; perfectly delivering us from all that was or could be against us.

Thus, regarding the people of God, we see how much in sympathy Moses was with the spirit and mind of Christ. He was in the midst of all the ease, pomp and dignity of Pharaoh's house, where "the pleasures of sin," and "the treasures of Egypt," lay around him in richest profusion. All these things he could have enjoyed. He could have lived and died in wealth and splendor. From first to last, his entire path could have been enlightened by the sunshine of royal favor: but that would not have been "faith;" it would not have been Christ-like. From his elevated position, he saw his brethren bowed down beneath their heavy burden, and faith led him to see that his place was with them. Yes; with them, in all their reproach, bondage, degradation, and sorrow. Mere benevolence, philanthropy, or patriotism, could have caused him to use his personal influence on their behalf. After all, he might have succeeded in inducing Pharaoh to lighten their burden, and, by royal grants in their favor, render their path somewhat smoother, but this would never do; this would never satisfy a heart that had a single pulsation in common with the heart of Christ. Such a heart Moses carried in his bosom. Therefore, with all the energies and affections of that heart, he threw himself, body, soul, and spirit, into the very midst of his oppressed brethren – "by faith" he "chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God."

Let us ponder this deeply. We must not be satisfied with wishing well to the people of God, doing service for them or speaking kindly on behalf of them. We should be fully identified with them, no matter how despised or reproached they may be. In a measure, to a benevolent and generous spirit it is an agreeable thing to patronize Christianity; but it is a wholly different thing to be identified with Christians – to suffer with Christ. A patron is one thing, a martyr is quite another. This distinction is apparent throughout the entire book of God. Obadiah took care of God's witnesses, but Elijah was a witness for God. Darius was so attached to Daniel that he lost a night's rest, but Daniel spent that same night in the lion's den, witnessing for the truth of God. Nicodemus ventured to speak a word for Christ, but a more matured discipleship would have led him to be identified with Christ.

These considerations are eminently practical. The Lord Jesus does not want patronage; He wants fellowship. The truth concerning Him is declared to us, not that we might patronize His cause on earth, but have fellowship with His Person in heaven. He identified Himself with us, at the heavy cost of all that love could give. He might have avoided this, continuing to enjoy His eternal place "in the bosom of the Father." But then, how could that mighty tide of love in His heart flow down to guilty and hell-deserving sinners? Only the surrender of everything on His part could bring about oneness between God and His people. But, thanks be to God, that surrender was voluntarily made. "He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (Titus 2:14). He would not enjoy His glory alone. His loving heart would gratify itself by associating "many sons" with Him in that glory. "Father," He says, "I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with Me where I am, that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me; for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world" (Jn. 17:24). Such were the thoughts of Christ in reference to His people; and we can easily see that the heart of Moses was in sympathy with these precious thoughts. Unquestionably, he partook largely of his Master's spirit, manifesting that excellent spirit in freely sacrificing every personal consideration; unreservedly associating himself with the people of God.

The personal character and actions of this honored servant of God will come before us again in the next chapter. We shall now briefly consider him as a type of the Lord Jesus Christ. That he was such a type is evident from the following passage, "The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken" (Deut. 18:15). Therefore, we are not trafficking in human imagination by viewing Moses as a type; it is the plain teaching of Scripture. In the closing verses of Exodus 2, we see this type in a double way: first, in the matter of his rejection by Israel; and, secondly, in his union with a stranger in the land of Midian. In some measure, these points have already been developed in the history of Joseph³ , who, being cast out by his brethren, according to the flesh, forms an alliance with an Egyptian bride. In Moses we see Christ's rejection by Israel, and His union with the Church foreshowed, but in a different phase. In Joseph we have the exhibition of positive enmity against his person; in Moses it is the rejection of his mission. In Joseph's case we read, "they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him" (Gen. 37:4). In the case of Moses, the word is, "Who made thee a prince and a judge over us?" In short, the former was personally hated; the latter, officially refused.

So, in the history of these two Old Testament saints, the great mystery of the mode of the Church is exemplified. "Asenath" presents a different phase of the Church from the person of "Zipporah." The former was united to Joseph in the time of his exaltation; the latter was the companion of Moses in the obscurity of his desert life.⁴ True, both Joseph and Moses were rejected by their brethren at the time of their union with a stranger; yet the former was "governor over all the land of Egypt;" whereas the latter tended a few sheep at "the backside of the desert."

Therefore, whether we contemplate Christ as manifested in glory: or as hidden from the world's gaze, the Church is intimately associated with Him. And now, because the world does not see Him, neither can it comprehend a body that is wholly one with Him. "The world knoweth us not, because it knew him not" (2 Jn. 3:1). By and by, Christ will appear in His glory, and the Church with Him. "When Christ our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory" (Col. 3:4.) And, again, ‘The glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved Me’ (Jn. 17:22, 23).⁵

This is the Church's high and holy position. She is one with Him Who is cast out by this world, but Who occupies the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. The Lord Jesus made Himself responsible for her on the cross, so that she might share with Him both His present rejection and His future glory. Would that all who form a part of such a highly privileged body were more impressed with a sense of what becomes them regarding the course and character down here. Certainly there should be a fuller and clearer response to that love wherewith He has loved us on the part of all children of God to that salvation wherewith He has saved us, and to that dignity wherewith He has invested us. The walk of the Christian should always be the natural result of realized privilege, and not the constrained result of legal vows and resolutions; the proper fruit of a position known and enjoyed by faith, and not the fruit of one's own efforts to reach a position "by works of law." All true believers are a part of the bride of Christ, owing Him those affections becoming that relation. The relationship is not obtained because of the affections, but the affections flow out of the relationship.

Footnotes:
¹ It has been thoughtfully suggested that the ABC’s of faith are: ‘A’ction, based on ‘B’elief, sustained by ‘C’onfidence.
² In Stephen's address to the council at Jerusalem, there is an allusion to Moses' actions. "And when he was full forty years old it came into his heart to visit his brethren, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian; for he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God, by his hand, would deliver them; but they understood not" (Acts 7:23-25). It is evident that the object of Stephen's address was to bring the nation’s history to bear on the consciences of those before him; and it would have been foreign to this object to raise a question regarding Moses acting before the divinely-appointed time. Steven merely says, "it came into his heart to visit his brethren." He does not say that God sent him. This also does not touch the question of the moral condition of those who rejected him. "They understood not." This was the fact regarding them, no matter what Moses might have personally needed to learn. The spiritual has no difficulty in apprehending this. Looking typically at Moses, we can see the mission of Christ to Israel; their rejection of Him and refusal to have Him reign over them. On the other hand, looking personally at Moses, we find that, like others, he made mistakes and displayed infirmities; sometimes going too fast and sometimes too slow. All this is easily understood and tends to magnify the infinite grace and exhaustless patience of God.
³ For more information on Joseph, see Genesis, part I of ‘The Pentateuch’ in Contents section of StudyJesus.com.
⁴ Compare Genesis 41:41-45 with Exodus 2:15; 3:1.
⁵ There are two distinct unities spoken of in John 17:21, 23. The first is unity that the Church is responsible to maintain, but in which she has utterly failed; the second, that unity which God will infallibly accomplish and manifest in glory. A careful study of the passage will at once demonstrate the difference of the two – both as to character and result.

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