Signs of the Times, Vol. 40, No. 13. (4/1/1913)

Signs of the Times

Apr 1, 1913

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Apr 1, 1913

Consider the Lilies

By Felicia D. Hemans

Matt. 6:28-30, 33.

“And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?”

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

Flowers! when the Saviour’s calm, benignant eye Fell on your gentle beauty, when from you That heavenly lesson from all hearts He drew, Eternal, universal as the sky: Then in the bosom of your purity, A voice He set, as in a temple shrine, That life’s quick travelers ne’er might pass you by, Unwarned of that sweet oracle divine.

And tho too oft its low, celestial sound, By the harsh notes of work-day care is drowned, And the loud steps of vain unlistening haste, Yet the great ocean hath no tone of power Mightier to reach the soul, in thought’s hushed hour Than yours, ye lilies! chosen thus and graced!

— Felicia D. Hemans.

Our Bible Band

Schedule for the Week Ending April 5, 1913

Sunday March 30 Joshua 5, 6 Monday " 31 " 7, 8 Tuesday April 1 " 23, 24 Wednesday " 2 Judges 1, 2 Thursday " 3 " 3, 4 Friday " 4 " 5, 6 Sabbath " 5 Psalm 104

The week's readings include chapters 5 to 8 and 23 and 24 of Joshua. The chapters treating of the division of the land, with the multiplicity of details, are omitted. It will take but a little time to read them, to those who wish to go through the whole Bible.

The latter part of the week brings us to the book of Judges, including chapters 1 to 6. This book may have been written by Samuel. So it is thought by some; others think that it was not written until the time of Ezra. The book records some of the experiences of God's people between the time of Joshua's death and the raising up of Samuel. About 350 years is given to it by Usher's Chronology. Some place a period much longer than that—450 years. The truth probably lies between. It is not a pleasant story to read—the ups and downs of God's people, their constant backslidings from Him, their repeated captivities to the enemies that surrounded them. But it reveals to us that God uses very unpromising material sometimes, yet always the best at hand.

We close our readings for the week with Psalm 104, another historical song, rehearsing God's dealings with His people.

Question Corner

“IF YE WILL INQUIRE, INQUIRE YE.”

This Inquirer's Department is conducted for the purpose of helping those who are studying the Bible. The answers are oftentimes only suggestive. They are never to be considered infallible, only as they agree with the infallible Word. The writer who may answer them does not consider that his opinion is infallible. He will simply give the best that he has, and plead with the inquirer to search the Word. Such questions only will be answered as, to the editors, seem to minister to the good of the readers and to the mission of the paper. We can not answer repeatedly in the same volume questions upon the same scripture. The name and address must accompany question, not for publication, but as an evidence of good faith, and that answer may be made by letter if deemed advisable. No letters are answered which do not contain the name of the writer. It is well always to enclose stamp for reply.

4034 — “Their Angels”—Matt. 18:10

Will you kindly explain through your paper Matt. 18:10? Inquirer.

The passage in question reads, “See that ye despise not one of these little ones: for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father who is in heaven.” This does not mean that the little ones spoken of turn to angels, nor does it mean that these little ones are little children: it means they are the humble, teachable disciples of the Lord Jesus, those who are likely to be despised and trodden down in this world. They may be children, they may be women, they may be men, but God counts them among His precious flock, and His heavenly angels are commissioned to have charge of them. “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them.” Psalm 34:7. “Are they [the angels] not all ministering spirits, sent forth to do service for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation?” Heb. 1:14. These angels are sent from the throne of God: back and forth they go to that throne, and return to minister to those whom they are commissioned to care for. And the thought of the text is that men must not despise those over whom God has such care. These angels, of course, are not human beings, nor the spirits of those who have died,—they are in a class by themselves.

4035 — Beauty and Bands

Please explain Zech. 11:10. I heard it stated that this chapter proved that the covenant broken was the Ten Commandments, which was accomplished at the death of Christ, which was represented by the staff Beauty. A Reader.

We quote verses 7-11, inclusive: “And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. And I took unto me two staves; the one I called Beauty, and the other I called Bands; and I fed the flock. Three shepherds also I cut off in one month; and my soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred me. Then said I, I will not feed you; that that dieth, let it die: and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off: and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another. And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder, that I might break my covenant which I had made with all the people. And it was broken in that day: and so the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that it was the word of the Lord.”

The prophecy is one concerning the time of the first advent of our Lord. This is shown by the 13th chapter, which prophesies His death and burial. The two staves Beauty and Bands represent, as the margin indicates, graciousness and binders, or bands,—God's graciousness in His wonderful love and mercy toward the children of Israel: bands, those laws and rules by which the children of Israel had been bound together. That nation had gone on in their rebellion against God until their very shepherds, the very ones who ought to have upheld the truth and work of God, had proven false. So the prophet, speaking for the Lord, said, “I cut off the three shepherds in one month.” The one month would be thirty days, and the thirty days would represent the work of our Lord in the thirty years that He spent here upon the earth to the time of His ministry. Those three shepherds probably represented the kings, priests, and prophets, the three means by which God held His people together, or, as some think, the priests, the teachers of the law, and the civil magistrates, which practically amount to the same thing. All these were set aside when our Lord came. They had utterly perverted their mission, and the Jews were cast off as a nation. Then to show that, having turned away from Christ Himself, the Lord says: “I will not feed you: that that dieth, let it die: and that that is to be cut off, let it be cut off.” God would leave them to themselves, as He was forced to, because they rejected Him in putting to death the Lord Jesus. “And I took my staff Beauty [graciousness] and cut it asunder.” No longer would the mercy of God be extended to that nation as such: it had broken away from Him, it had rejected Him, and He could do nothing else but reject them. But the poor of the flock still remained with Him, and they saw the fulfilment of God's prophecy regarding the Jews. God does not break His commandments. They abide forever. Men may break them, men may cast them aside, men may reject them; but the eternal law still remains, and will face all in the great judgment-day.

4036 — Tithe-Paying

If a woman pays tithe of her own earned money, is she to pay tithe of the money her husband gives her to support the family, when he is not a tithe-payer? M. M. M.

Yes, if he is willing. The simple justice of the thing lies right here. If a man is earning the wages and the wife is keeping the home for the man, she is entitled to a part of his wages. She does not go out and earn them as he does, but she helps to conserve those wages in the home. He can have the home comforts of life and at the same time enjoy himself a great deal better than if he were single and had no wife, that is, if the home and wife are what they ought to be, and he is what he ought to be to appreciate the home and the wife. Consequently, a part of that money would belong to her, and she would have a perfect right to tithe that part which does belong to her. We know wives to whom money is given for the support of the household, who tithe that money with the husband's consent. He is perfectly willing. He has confidence in his wife, that it will be used aright. But if a husband were arbitrary regarding it, we do not believe that the Lord would want the wife to act arbitrarily herself, and tithe the money which he feels belongs to him. She certainly has a right to do what she will with her own.

4037 — The Marking of Cain

Please explain what kind of a mark God put upon Cain. I have heard some people say that the mark was that of a negro. If so, what proof have we, and if this mark was not of the negro from whence did the negro originate? E. A. P.

What the mark was that God put upon Cain we do not know. There are all sorts of suggestions. It was not a brand showing Cain's criminality and wickedness. That was not the object of it. Cain feared that after he had committed that awful crime, the very first person that found him would kill him, and God gave him a sign, the revised version has it, “lest any one finding him should smite him.” In that early day it was probably published throughout all the inhabited world, “and Jehovah appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him.” Gen. 4:15. We certainly do know that it was not the mark of a negro, because all of Cain's posterity perished at the Flood. There was only one family saved at the Deluge, according to Genesis 6, 7, and 8, and that was Noah's. Of Noah's family, Ham and his son Canaan inhabited Africa, and from them the dark tribes came, probably from the curse which the Lord put upon Canaan on account of the character which he possessed. See Gen. 9:26-27. From the three sons of Noah and their descendants, sprang all the various nations on the face of the earth.

4038 — Defiling the Man

I have had Mark 7:18, 19 quoted to me many times, and I have longed for a better understanding of it. Will you kindly explain it? E. L. T.

In order to get a proper understanding of the text, read the context. Note first that Jesus was talking to the Jews, and these Jews believed strictly in clean and unclean meats, so that it was not a matter of the kind of meats of which they were talking, but it was a matter of whether Jesus followed their ceremonies or traditions or not.

2. There is no evidence whatever to show that our Lord Himself departed from the law of Moses respecting the meats clean and unclean, but the Jews had piled upon these laws various traditions, that is, of the Pharisees and of the Jews, such as washing of hands diligently, eating and not eating, holding to various traditions of the elders, and they had seen Jesus and His disciples eat with unwashed hands, altho their hands may have been fairly clean. The disciples had not observed the tradition of the elders. The words of our Saviour to His disciples were a rebuke to them,—“Are ye so without understanding also?” What goes into the man does not defile him. It is that which exists in the man himself,—in the heart of the man, that which man cherishes, that which man loves, that defiles. The object of Jesus was to show His disciples and these people that the heart must be cleansed, that the fountain itself must be made pure, for from within—out of the heart of man—proceed fornication, thefts, murders, adulteries, railing, pride, foolishness, etc., etc. If a man has a low, base appetite, that leads him to worship the food that he eats; this appetite is wrong. It leads him to lust after certain things, and he can not be satisfied without these things; but the mere taking of nourishment, altho the hands were not ceremonially clean that conveyed it to the mouth, does not defile the man. Now the expression “This He said, making all meats clean” simply meant this, that the food was not defiled because the man had not followed the ceremonial traditions of the Jews. The word “meats” does not mean necessarily flesh foods. It does not necessarily mean that flesh foods must be connected with them. It is a general term, simply meaning food,—“bromata.” That is, the words of Jesus showed that all food that He and His disciples had eaten, or that might properly be eaten, was clean despite traditional ceremonialism.

4039 — Inquirer; Russell's Sermons.

Regarding the sermons of Pastor Russell, which are sent out as plate matter to the various country papers throughout the United States, usually free, if not always, we have simply this to say, that they contain some truth. He preaches on some things that are greatly neglected at the present time that ought to be preached on by ministers everywhere, but there is connected with these sermons of his an error that is so extremely pernicious, that the sermons are doing vastly more harm than good. The only saving quality there is in this respect is that people can not understand, many times, what he means; but his teaching concerning the person and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ and the age to come is an utter denial of the Word. We have thought, many times, that if sermons like those of Alexander Maclaren, or some of the other great preachers of the world, were only syndicated in the place of these of Russell, how much better the world would be for them. See No. 48 of Words of Truth Series tracts, “False Hope of a Second Probation,” price 2 cents.

A Study of the Sanctuary

By E. E. Andross

By E. E. Andross

II. Its Daily Services

AND let them make Me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” Ex. 25:8. These were the words of the Lord to His servant Moses after Israel had reached Mount Sinai on their way to Canaan. Till then the sacrificial offerings had been presented on rude stone altars erected by the worshiper to suit his convenience wherever he might dwell. Henceforth the Lord was to have a dwelling-place among His people, their offerings were to follow a prescribed form, and were to be far more elaborate than hitherto.

Beginning with Abraham, the people of God were more emphatically separated from the rest of the world. God was preparing them to occupy the land He had promised to His servant. For a time the descendants of Abraham dwelt in Egypt; but when the time of the promise drew near, the Lord raised up Moses to lead forth His people from the land of their bondage to the land of Canaan, where for many centuries they made their home, and where in due time the Saviour was born. From the dedication of the tabernacle at Sinai to Christ, tent and temple served as His visible habitation among men. Much of this time the Lord’s presence was manifested in the shekinah glory of the sanctuary. Never has the Lord given to men more marvelous manifestation of His great power and goodness than when Israel’s invisible King dwelt with His people in the sanctuary.

Specific Directions about Its Use

When “the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, . . . Let them make Me a sanctuary; and that I may dwell among them.” He gave specific instruction as to how it should be built. “According to all that I show thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.” Ex. 25:9. When the work was finished and the sanctuary was ready for dedication, Inspiration declares: “According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so the children of Israel made all the work. And Moses did look upon all the work, and, behold, they had done it as the Lord had commanded, even so had they done it; and Moses blessed them.” Ex. 39: 42, 43.

The sanctuary was a movable structure, which could easily be taken down and transported from place to place. Its walls were made of detachable boards set upright and joined together with bars. All the wood of the building was overlaid with gold. At the entrance were five pillars upon which was suspended a richly embroidered curtain which formed the door of the tabernacle. Over the sanctuary were four coverings. The inner covering was of “fine-twined linen, and blue, and purple, and scarlet; with cherubims of cunning work.” The other three were made of goats’ hair, or rams’ skins dyed red, and of badgers’ skins so arranged as to afford complete protection. The building was thirty cubits in length, ten in width, and ten in height. It was divided into two apartments by a beautiful curtain or veil suspended from four pillars overlaid with gold. This, with the veil at the entrance, and the inner covering which formed the ceiling, was of blue and purple and scarlet; inwrought with threads of gold and silver were cherubim.

The First Apartment

In the first apartment, or holy place, were the golden candlestick, the table of showbread and the golden altar of incense. The candlestick was of beaten gold with seven lamps, some of which were kept burning continuously for the purpose of lighting the sanctuary. The table of showbread and the

altar of incense were made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold. Upon the table of showbread twelve cakes sprinkled with frankincense were placed every Sabbath day. Those that were removed were eaten by the priests in the holy place. Before the veil separating the holy from the most holy place stood the golden altar of incense. Upon it was burnt sweet incense every morning and evening. The fire upon this altar was kindled by God Himself, and was never permitted to go out.

The Second Apartment

In the second apartment, or most holy place, was found the ark of the testimony, so called because it contained the “two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” Ex. 25:16, 21; 31:18. The ark was made of acacia wood and was overlaid within and without with pure gold. Within this sacred chest were deposited the tables of stone upon which God Himself had inscribed the ten holy precepts. Above the law of God and forming a cover to the ark was placed the mercy-seat. This was wrought of one solid piece of gold, surmounted on either end by a golden cherub. Above the ark, over the mercy-seat and between the cherubim, was the shekinah, the manifestation of the divine presence.

The Outer Court

Within the court that surrounded the sanctuary and before the door of the tabernacle of the congregation stood the brazen altar of burnt offering, upon which the bodies of certain of the offerings were burned, and at the base of which the blood was poured out. Between the altar and the door stood the laver where the priests bathed themselves before entering the sanctuary in their daily ministration.

“No language can describe the glory of the scene presented within the sanctuary,—the gold-plated walls reflecting the light from the golden candlestick, the brilliant hues of the richly embroidered curtains with their shining angels, the table, and the altar of incense, glittering with gold; beyond the second veil the sacred ark, with its mystic cherubim, and above it the holy shekinah, the visible manifestation of Jehovah’s presence; all but a dim reflection of the glories of the temple of God in heaven, the great center of the work for man’s redemption.” (“Patriarchs and Prophets,” page 349.)

Significance of the Service

We are now brought in our brief study of this subject to that which is of special significance,—the daily service. When the sanctuary was completed, and all things were found to be according to the pattern shown to Moses in the mount, “then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” The majesty of heaven was revealed. The people were thus assured that the work of their hands was accepted, and that God would henceforth abide with them. Heb. 8:5; Ex. 40:34.

By divine direction the tribe of Levi was set apart for the service of the sanctuary, but the priesthood was restricted to the family of Aaron. A special dress indicative of their holy office was provided for the priests. The priest stood as a mediator between God and man. He was the representative of the people in “things pertaining to God.” The daily burnt offering consisted of two lambs of the first year, one offered in the morning and the other in the evening. At the same time sweet incense was offered on the golden altar. There were also special offerings for individual sins, besides those that were made on the Sabbath, the new moon, and on special feasts.

Every morning and evening the priest brought a lamb in which was no blemish and burned it upon the brazen altar within the court. This offering symbolized the daily consecration of Israel to God, and was an expression on their part of their entire dependence upon Him. While the smoke of this offering was ascending from the brazen altar, the priest reverently approached the golden altar before the inner veil that separated him from the law of God and the holy shekinah, and offered sweet incense. As the cloud of incense ascended, the divine glory descended upon the mercy-seat and filled the most holy place. Far out over the camp of Israel floated the fragrance of the burning incense, which represented the righteousness of the coming Messiah and which by faith was imputed to them. Here we have an example by divine appointment for morning and evening worship. The Lord to-day looks with pleasure upon the household where the family altar is erected, where morning and evening His Word is read, and where with songs of praise and prayer the throne of grace is approached.

Another important feature of the daily service in the sanctuary was that which was performed in behalf of the individual. The penitent transgressor brought his offering to the door of the tabernacle, and after placing his hands upon its head confessed his sin over it, thus in figure transferring his sin from himself to the innocent victim. The sinner with his own hand took its life, and the blood was carried by the priest into the holy place and sprinkled before the veil. In figure the sin was thus transferred to the sanctuary, where it rested till the great day of atonement. In certain cases the blood was not taken into the sanctuary, but instead the flesh of the offering was eaten by the priest in the holy place. Lev. 10:17. In either case, however, the sin was figuratively borne into the sanctuary. This constituted the daily round of service in the sanctuary, every part of which was fraught with deep meaning. The full import of this service, however, must be left for future articles.

Unity of the Church

By Ellen G. White

By Mrs. E. G. White

As all the different members of the human system unite to form the entire body, and each performs its office in obedience to the intelligence that governs the whole, so the members of the church of Christ should be united in one symmetrical body, subject to the sanctified intelligence of the whole.

None of us can occupy a neutral position; our influence will tell for or against. We are active agents for Christ or for the enemy. We either gather with Jesus or scatter abroad. True conversion is a radical change. The very drift of the mind and bent of the heart should be turned, and life become new again in Christ.

God is leading out a people to stand in perfect unity upon the platform of eternal truth. Christ gave Himself to the world “that He might purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” This refining process is designed to purge the church from all unrighteousness and the spirit of discord and contention; that they may build up instead of tear down, and concentrate their energies on the great work before them. God designs that His people should all come into the unity of faith. The prayer of Christ to His Father, just prior to His crucifixion, was that His disciples might be one, even as He was one with the Father, that the world might believe that He had sent Him. This most touching and wonderful prayer reaches down the ages, even to our day, for His words were: “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word.”

Seek to Answer the Prayer of Christ

How earnestly should the professed followers of Christ seek to answer this prayer in their lives? Many do not realize the sacredness of their church relations, and are loth to submit to restraint and discipline. Their course of action shows that they exalt their own judgment above that of the united church; and they are not careful to guard themselves lest they encourage a spirit of opposition to its voice.

Those who hold responsible positions in the church may have their faults in common with other people, and may err in their decisions; but notwithstanding this, the church of Christ on earth has given to them an authority that can not be lightly esteemed. Christ, after His resurrection, delegated power unto His church, saying, “Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained.”

A relation to the church is not to be easily canceled; yet some professed followers of Christ will threaten to leave the church when their path is crossed, or their voice has not the controlling influence which they think it deserves. True, in leaving the church, they would be the greatest sufferers themselves, for in withdrawing beyond the pale of its influence, they subject themselves to the full temptations of the world.

Every believer should be whole-hearted in his attachment to the church. Its prosperity should be his first interest, and unless he feels under sacred obligations to make his connection with the church a benefit to it, in preference to himself, it can do far better without him. It is in the power of all to do something for the cause of God. There are those who spend a large amount for needless luxuries, and to gratify their appetites, but feel it a great tax to contribute means to sustain the church. They are willing to receive all the benefits of its privileges, but prefer to leave others to pay the bills. Those who really feel a deep interest in the advancement of the cause, will not

hesitate to invest money in the enterprise whenever and wherever it is needed.

Character to Illustrate the Teaching of Christ

They should also feel it a solemn duty to illustrate in their characters the teachings of Christ, being at peace one with another and moving in perfect harmony as an undivided whole. They should defer their individual judgment to the judgment of the body of the church. Many are living for themselves alone. They look upon their lives with great complacency, flattering themselves that they are blameless, when in fact they are doing nothing for God, and are living in direct opposition to His expressed word. The observance of external forms will never meet the great want of the human soul. A profession of Christ is not enough to stand the test of the day of judgment. There should be a perfect trust in God, a childlike dependence upon His promises, and an utter consecration of self to His will.

There is nothing too precious for us to give to Jesus. If we return to Him the talents of means He has intrusted to our keeping, He will give more into our hands. Every effort we make for Christ will be rewarded by Him; and every duty we perform in His name will minister to our own happiness. God surrendered His dearly-beloved Son to the agonies of the crucifixion, that all who believe on Him should become one through the name of Jesus. When Christ made so great a sacrifice to save men and bring them into unity one with another, even as He was united with the Father, what sacrifice is too great for His followers to make, in order to preserve that unity?

Harmony a Powerful Evidence

If the world sees a perfect harmony existing in the church of God, it will be a powerful evidence to them in favor of the Christian religion. Dissensions, unhappy differences, and petty church trials dishonor our Redeemer. All these may be avoided if self is surrendered to God, and the followers of Jesus obey the voice of the church. Unbelief suggests that individual independence increases our importance, that it is weak to yield our own ideas of what is right and proper, to the verdict of the church. But to yield to such feelings and views is unsafe, and will bring us to anarchy and confusion. Christ saw that unity and Christian fellowship were necessary to the cause of God, therefore He enjoins it upon His disciples. And the history of Christianity from that time until now proves conclusively that in union only there is strength. Let individual judgment submit to the authority of the church.

The apostles felt the necessity of strict unity, and they labored earnestly to this end. Paul exhorted his brethren in these words:

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

He also writes to his Philippian brethren, “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”

Continue reading: The Sabbath