A Divided House

The exodus of the Israelites from Egypt is one of the major historical events recorded in the Bible, in part because, it did not seem a plausible thing for the Israelites to leave. The prevailing situation in Egypt at the time was not favourable for a mass exodus from the land of bondage. The prevailing attitude of the Egyptians towards their Jewish slaves were summed up in the words of Pharaoh in his response to Moses’ demand to let the people go.

Exodus 5:2 “And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.”

So, what made it possible for the Israelites to leave Egypt? The evidence from the Bible is too plain not to see. It was nothing but the miracles of God that He worked through His servant, Moses, that made the impossible, possible. The words of Stephen spelled out this fact for us.

Acts 7:36 “He brought them out, after that he had showed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years.”

Purpose of the Miracles

What was the main aim and objective of these miracles? The Israelites were in Egypt for a period of about four hundred years. Except for a few households wherein the knowledge of the true God was dearly preserved, God was lost in utter obscurity among the children of Israel. Hence, God desired that His people should once again come to the knowledge of the truth and cast their sight away from the gods revered by their Egyptian masters. By these miracles, God also intended that the Egyptians should know that He was the only true God and that their gods were false and not gods to be worshipped and esteemed. In fact, the plagues that fell on Egypt were an attack on the gods that they acknowledged, thereby bringing to their realization that God alone was the true God. The parting of the Red Sea was an example of this.

Exodus 14:1-4 “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, (2) Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pi-hairoth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baal-zephon: before it ye shall encamp before the sea. (3) For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, they are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. (4) And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, that he shall follow after them; and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host; that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.”

The above passage seems to indicate that the sole purpose of hardening the heart of Pharaoh was to let him and his fellow Egyptians know that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was the Lord. But a careful analysis of the events pertaining to the crossing of the Red Sea indicates that it was also God’s purpose to confirm His faithfulness towards the people He promised to deliver.

God’s children were in a dire situation. They understood that the time of complete deliverance was finally unfolding in front of their eyes. But when God led them to the banks of the sea, their hopes were shattered. With nowhere to go but forward, the way was blocked by the sea. It would take only a miracle of immense proportion to complete their deliverance from their over bearing masters. After crossing to the other side, the Israelites sang a song unto God, acknowledging Him as their true God. The following words from the song confirm that their faith and allegiance to Him was, to a great extent, a result of the miracles that were unfolding before them.

Exodus 15:11 “Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?”

THE SPIRIT OF UNITY

After the Red Sea crossing, their next major stop was the foot of Mount Sinai. It was here that another major event in the history of Israel, as a people, transpired. God descended on the mountain and gave the law to His people. But one condition had to be met by the children of Israel for God to finally decide to give the law. That condition was the spirit of unity among the Israelites to unanimously agree to observe the covenant that God was about to make with them.

Exodus 19:3-8 “And Moses went up unto God, and the LORD called him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; (4) ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagle’s wings, and brought you unto Myself. (5) Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine: (6) and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. These are the words that thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel. (7) And Moses came and called for all the elders of the people and laid before their faces all these words that the LORD commanded him. (8) And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.”

Because of this spirit of unity displayed by the children of Israel at the foot of the mountain, God consented to come down in a thick cloud so that all of them would be able to hear His voice when He spoke. God also commanded Moses to sanctify the people and commanded them to wash their clothes as preparations to meet Him when He came down on Mount Sinai. This, they had to accomplish by the third day, for on this day God would descend on the mountain with a thick cloud to give the law to Moses.

The unity of the people was also witnessed in the building of the tabernacle which included the sanctuary furniture, the attire of the priests and the like. All the Israelites had something to contribute towards this project whether it be in the form of freewill offerings which came by way of donation of

materials, or in the form of skills and talents that God had liberally bestowed upon them. The freewill offerings that came by way of kind, far exceeded the amount needed to complete the task that Moses had to tell the people to stop contributing. The contribution that came by way of skills and talents was also not short in supply and the work of building the tabernacle advanced at a fast pace.

Exodus 36:2-7 “And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wisehearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it: (3) and they received of Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal. And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning. (4) And all the wise men, that wrought all the work of the sanctuary, came every man from his work which they made; (5) And they spake unto Moses, saying, The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work, which the LORD commanded to make. (6) And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it to be proclaimed throughout the camp, saying, Let neither man nor woman make anymore work for the offering of the sanctuary. So the people were restrained from bringing. (7) For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.”

Successful Preaching of the Gospel Demands Unity

The building of the tabernacle typifies the work of the gospel commission. Like the Israelites who wandered in the wilderness, the church of God, too, needs to be united in order to carry out the gospel commission successfully. It is true that today we do not need to build a physical tabernacle as a dwelling place of God. But we are required to be builders of the spiritual temple, that is, the church of God.

God’s church comprises of people from different walks of life who are bound together in Jesus Christ. It is in these people or this church that God makes His dwelling place. In other words, the ‘temple’ that we ought now to build is God’s church by adding more souls to it which is ‘the body’ of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:19-22 “And therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; (20) and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; (21) in whom all the building fitly framed together grow unto a holy temple in the Lord: (22) in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.”

Romans 12:5 “So we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.”

God calls every member of His church to be actively involved in the spreading of the gospel through their contribution towards the cause of God. Their contribution can be in the form of funds or in the form of talents that God has bestowed upon them. The mere presence of the members, as a way of rendering their support for the gospel, is also a boon to the morale of the cause as a whole.

Let no one think that his or her contribution is too small. No matter how small the contribution is, God looks at the motives and the intentions of the heart. God accepts these contributions, no matter how small, if they come from a heart that is generous; for God “loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Paul, speaking of the church as the body of Christ, likens the individual members to the different parts of the body. He reminds how each part of the body works in close co-ordination with each other and how all these parts depend on each other for the proper function of the entire being.

1 Corinthians 12:21-27 “And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. (22) Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary. (23) And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon those we bestow more abundant honour; and our comely parts have more abundant comeliness. (24) For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: (25) that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. (26) And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. (27) Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”

It is essential, therefore, for God’s people to come together and finish the work of preaching the gospel because if this is not achieved, the end would not come.

Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of this kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”

Similarly, the Israelites in Moses’ day were required to finish the task of building of the tabernacle before they could make their way into the promised land.

The Four Criteria

Apart from the completion of the building of the tabernacle, God’s people had to satisfy certain criteria to be qualified to inherit the land of Canaan. In examining the scriptures, I found out that God did not wait for a perfection of character to be manifested among the Israelites before they could enter the promised land. Instead, there were four conditions upon which were based their qualification to enter Canaan. Firstly, their knowledge of who God was, was of prime importance. Secondly, it was their unwavering and complete faith in Him. Thirdly, the spirit of unity which was brought about by this uniform faith in a common God. And fourthly, the law that God handed over to Moses. This law was what set this nation apart. These laws were given so that, by observing them, the other nations that surrounded them would witness that they were a wise and an astute people. (Deuteronomy 4:5,6) These were the conditions upon which rested their assurance of inheriting the land that God had given them. Because these conditions were fulfilled by the Israelites, God commanded them to take over the land of Canaan and possess it.

Deuteronomy 1:21 “Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.

UNITY TO DISUNITY

As a consequence, twelve men were selected, one from each tribe, to spy out the land which they were about to conquer. On their return, to the camp of Israel, the spies gave a report of the land. The report was of two kinds – the good and the bad.

The good report was well received by the Israelites and it kindled hopefulness in the hearts of the listeners.

Numbers 13:27 “And they told him, and said, We came unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it.”

However, the bad news seemed to be more powerful than the good, so much so that the people began to lose all hope of ever conquering the land which God had promised unto them.

Numbers 13:28,29 “Nevertheless the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw the children of Anak there. (29) The Amelekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of the Jordan.”

Numbers 13:32,33 “And they brought up an evil report of the land which they have searched unto the children of Israel, saying, the land through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. (33) And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in out own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”

This bad report rattled the Israelites to the very core. Now the camp was split into two groups. The first grouped which comprised of Caleb, Joshua, Moses and Aaron, were not moved by these discouraging words. The majority, on the other hand, were not in favour of invading Canaan. They had forgotten that some time ago they were able to defeat the very same people whom they now feared, the Amalekites, on account of their enormous size. The battle with the Amalekites in Rephidim (Exodus 17:8-16) was won because God was with them. Instead of looking to God and believing that He would deliver them once again, the Israelites lost sight of Him and began to focus on themselves. They now thought that they were too weak and too small to defeat their foes.

We see here that their knowledge of God was not enough to get them through. The knowledge that the promised land flowed with milk and honey was also not the key ingredient that made the impossible possible. What was needed was faith. Knowledge without faith amounts to nothing. The words of Paul in his letter to the Hebrews speaks volumes of the prevailing condition of God’s church in the time of Moses.

Hebrews 4:2 “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.”

The Aftermath of the Disunion

What followed as a result of their disunion was disastrous. They began by rebelling against God in turning away from Him and the men He chose to be their leaders. Then they considered going back to Egypt and appointed another leader from among themselves who would lead them in their journey back to Egypt. As a result, God punished the children of Israel by making them wander in the wilderness for another forty years before they could actually enter Canaan. (Numbers 14:1-4, 33)

Spiritually, the Israelites were rebelling against Christ whom Moses was the type. Their desire to elect another leader in Moses’ stead, pointed to the election of a mere man as the head of the church. Their desire to go to Egypt was the desire of God’s people to go back to the life of slavery under sin. And finally, the forty years of wandering through the wilderness points to the long years of waiting to finally go to the heavenly Canaan that God had prepared for His people.

NO NEW THING UNDER THE SUN

There is a popular maxim that goes like this: “History repeats itself.” And the word of God affirms this saying through Solomon.

Ecclesiastes 1:9 “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”

The events leading to the giving of the law and the subsequent disunity among God’s chosen people would be repeated all over again. It was the spirit of unity among the members of the early Christians that paved the way for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the day of Pentecost.

Acts 1:12-14 “Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey. (13) And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. (14) These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.”

Acts 2:1-4 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (2) And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the house where they were sitting. (3) And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. (4) And they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

In passing, this event was typified in the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. It is also a direct fulfilment of the prophecy that God gave through His prophet Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 “Behold the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: (32) not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which My covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith the LORD: (33) But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the LORD, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. (34) And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sins no more.”

This covenant involved the writing of the law in the hearts of God’s people. How was this accomplished? This was accomplished when Christ, the one who lived the law perfectly, lived in the hearts of the believers. Christ who is the Living Law, also lived and continues to live the law in and through the lives of God’s children.

But the church that met at the Council of Jerusalem was a divided house. There were those who held to the idea that human efforts alone could give them the much-needed victory over sin whereas, there were those who clung on to Christ as the only way to victory and salvation.

As a result of this disunity in the church, the spirit of rebellion against Christ as the only way to salvation was manifested. Eventually, separation from the Saviour bore fruit. The members of the church wanted to go back to spiritual Egypt which was a state of being sinful. They even elected a new head in the form of James, the brother of Jesus. The work of finishing the gospel was greatly hindered and the church had to wait many more years before Christ could come again. The church that was once the apple of God’s eye later evolved into the apostate organization of Catholicism.

The same can be said about the experience of the Seventh-Day Adventists as a Church. The gospel of Righteousness in Christ, as presented by A.T. Jones, E.J. Waggoner and supported by Mrs. Ellen G. White, came to the Adventist church in the 1880s. This message was unpopular among the Adventist circle that, when it was put to vote in the General Conference of 1888, held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the message was summarily rejected. Like the church of God that met in the Council of Jerusalem, the church that met in 1888 was divided on the basis of the way to salvation.

The majority held to the idea that salvation was by strict observance of the law, particularly the law of the Sabbath which is the fourth commandment. While they were right to a certain extent, to a very large extent they were way off the mark. Yes, they had to keep the law, but they thought that this was possible by human efforts alone. Their focus was on the law and not on the Living Law, which is Jesus Christ.

The result was that the church esteemed mere mortals, and elected men as their heads and leaders who would direct and dictate the conscience of the church members. Jesus Christ was lost sight of and all efforts to gain eternal life rested on human efforts alone! The work of spreading the message of righteousness by faith was deliberately receded by men who held positions of responsibility in the church. Yet this organization boasts that it is basking in the righteousness of Christ. But the fact remains that a hundred and thirty years later, Christ is yet to come. In other words, the church that was called to carry the gospel of the kingdom to all the world has failed miserably to carry out its duty faithfully.

But let us not be carried away by the faults and mistakes of other groups. The same problem persists among the OTG community as well. There is widespread disapproval over the idea that faith is the key ingredient that can eradicate sin. While professing to believe in Jesus, many do not really believe in Him and what He says He can do. Once again, the church is a divided house.

What conclusions do I draw as I trace the history of God’s church through the ages? I see that the words of Christ ring true in my mind.

Mark 3:25 “And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”

The gospel of the kingdom is once again being preached to us and anybody who wishes to lend an ear. However, the questions remain: Have we not learned anything from the past? Are we content to continue in the state of disunity? How much longer will we spend our time here on this earth while souls are perishing in the darkness?

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