The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1912-03-27

| mankind from the reign of sin ant
death was made, not publicly, not tc
| all Of the race. but merely to one man
| the friend of God-Abra ham. To hin
| it was disclosed as q secret that the
great Creator. although permitting jus
| tice to hold full sway ia q relentless
exhibition of Divine wrath against the
sinner, had loving purpose in His
heart which would yet find expression
| and include all the human family In
the blessing it would bring. How as
tonished we are to learn of such
"A Wilderness in Gods mercy,
Like the Wilderness of the seal"
But God gave Abraham words only,
"Wonderful words Of life"-that in
him and in his posterity eventually all
the families of the earth shall be
blessed But there was not q sign of
change so far as the Divine dealings
were concerned. Sin and death were
still allowed to reign, and their reign
has continued century after century
since Abrahams day. Doubtless it
was because God foreknew that ap-
proximately four thousand years would
intervene before the blessing Of the
roboration Of His promise. Saint Paul
tells us that He so did in order that
by these two immutable, unchange-
able things-the Word of God and the
Oath of GOd-we, who by faith are be-
come the spiritual Seed Of Abraham.
might have strong consola tion-we
who have fled for refuge to lay hold
upon the hope set before us" in that
Gospel Message which God gave to
Abraham.
"Israel Hath Not Obtained"
Centuries passed. Abraham and
Isaac and Jacob, to whom that prom
Use was successfully made. all died;
and Jacob on his death bed handed
down the gracious inheritance Of the
wonderful promise TO his twelve sons.
who there became the nation of Israel.
The foundation Of Israel's hopes as
nation is that promise made to Abra-
ham, in which they still trust. The
spectacle of a faith triumphing for
four thousand years is a glorious one,
and it will shortly have It's reward.
In due time, at Mount Sinai God en-
tered into Covenant with the chill
dren Of Israel. by which He agreed to
bless them and to fulfil in them the
Abra hamic promise that they, as Abra-
hams seed, should bless all the M
lions Of the earth. The only condition
connected with the promise was that
they we're to show their fitness to be
the Divine channel Of blessing to the
world and their obedience to the Di-
vine Law which was delivered to them
on two tables of stone. Full of joy
and faith the Israeites obligated
themselves thus.
All! much they knew not. They did
not realize their own weakness and
through the fall and their
Inability to fulfil the Divine require
ments, the spirit Of the Law Of their
Covenant. They soon found that while
the Law said, "He that doeth these
things shall live" they were not able
to do those things; and therefore they
were all dying like other men. Had
God deceived them and entrapped
them? No. Gods proposition was
simple enough. He was merely teach
ing them great lesson-that sin as a
disease had taken hold upon humanity
and that, however willing they might
be, all were weak and perverse In the
flesh and unable to fulfil their good
Intentions.
IsrasI's Promised Deiiverer.
that He would send the Deliverer,
One still greater than Moses who had
delivered them from the Egyptian
bondage. This greater Deliverer would
deliver them from the greater bondage
of sin and death, so that they would
be able to obey the Divine Law and
be used of God in blessing and In
other nations. This Greater
than Moses they We're assured would
inaugurate New Law Covenant,
based upon better sacrifices than the
blood Of bulls and goats, and He was
known to them as Messiah, the Mes
sen&er of the New Covenant. In Him,
therefore. they came to hope; for Him
they waited in the prospect OF His
coming they delighted.
But although the Law Covenant
made nothing perfect-elthough It did
not accomplish the thing Israel had
hoped. 1t did accomplish much. 1t
served to lift that one nation, reli-
Siously, high above all the other na-
tieAs Of their day, 10 that whom the
time came for God to sand Els Son
into the world to b mans Redeensr--
to die, the Just for the unjust, for
mans recon citation, as the Atonemsnt
for his sin--st tAat time there were
a few thousand sanity Jews who
waited for the consolation, the com
fort, the blessing which God had
promised them through Messiah--re-
lease from the bondage OF sin and
death.
Thus the Law was a pedagogue, q
servant, to lead the Israelites to the
Great Teacher: and at Pentecost and
subsequently several thousand of them
thus led entered the School of Christ
to be His disciples, TO walk in His
steps, to suffer with Him and later on.
in due time TO reign with Him