The Medical Missionary, vol. 17
April 15, 1908
“Through the Bible—IV” The Medical Missionary, 17, 16, pp. 310-312.
ALONZO T. JONES
GOD made the world to be man’s dwelling-place with God. Genesis 1:28-28; Malachi 2:15. MEDM April 15, 1908, page 310.1
But the man forsook God, lost his dominion, and lost his dwelling-place with God. Hebrews 2:7, 8; Genesis 3:1-6, 24. MEDM April 15, 1908, page 310.2
Yet God came to man in his lost condition, to dwell with him in the darkness, to lead them in the light and back to dwell with God in the light of God, and in the world of the light of God forevermore. Genesis 3:8-15; Isaiah 9:2; Isaiah 60:1, 2; Micah 4:8; Revelation 21:1-4. MEDM April 15, 1908, page 310.3
Yet there were those who would not allow God to dwell with them, to lead them into the light; but against all that even he could do, went further into the darkness, and would not have the light: Cain and his descendants, as in Genesis 4:5-24. MEDM April 15, 1908, page 310.4
Nevertheless, there were those who welcomed God to dwell with them, in order that they might walk with him. These gladly called upon the name of the Lord, and even called themselves by the name of the Lord. These were the children of God, the people of the Lord: Seth and his descendants, as in Genesis 4:26, with margin, to 5:32. MEDM April 15, 1908, page 310.5
Through ten generations these were true to God, and held their own and the way of right and truth against the growing tide of evil from the children of the darkness. And then, ah saddest to tell, the children of the light forsook the way of the light; those who knew the way of right and truth went in the way of falsity and wrong; “the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and took them wives of all which they chose.” Genesis 6:1, 2. MEDM April 15, 1908, page 310.6
The consequence was that with this mighty encouragement in the wrong, the children of darkness swung away into overwhelming wickedness with no thought of any restraint. Then the wickedness speedily grew so all-prevailing that “every imagination of the thoughts of the heart, the very spring of every purpose and desire, was only evil continually.” The whole world became so corrupt and filled with violence that nothing short of the mighty waters of the Flood could stop it. And the Flood did stop it. But it should not be forgotten that it was not of itself the wickedness of the ones who were only wicked, but it was apostasy of those who knew God and the right that brought the Flood. MEDM April 15, 1908, page 310.7
The Flood cleansed the earth of the wickedness and violence that had cursed it to its ruin; and again mankind and the world were started with those who were willing to have God dwell with them to lead them in the way of light. But again there were those who loved darkness rather than light, and practiced the deeds of evil. Strife and violence grew until force became the only prevalent authority; and this itself developed the mighty imperial power of Nimrod. MEDM April 15, 1908, page 310.8
However, the particular evil of Nimrod’s imperialism lay not so much in its civic or political aspect as in its religious bearing. This was the country of Chaldea, the extreme southern portion of the Mesopotamian plain from a little below Erech to the very waters of the sea that is now the Persian Gulf. But it was not long after Nimrod had passed from the world before Chaldea herself followed his example, and in the same spirit. Ur was the capital of Chaldea, and the King of Ur and Chaldea, brought under the power all of the country of the two rivers to the borders of Assyria. Uruldt was this King of Ur who established the empire of Chaldea, and was succeeded in it by his son Ilgi. MEDM April 15, 1908, page 311.1
And it was just in this time of the imperial sway of Ur and Chaldea that Abram and his relatives went forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. When all the power of imperial combination was used to compel all to worship idols and the sun and the moon and the constellations; when the worship of the true God was then forbidden, and his worshipers were persecuted, God separated his own true worshipers from it all. He called out Abram from Ur of the Chaldees, and removed him, far from the seat and the bounds of empire, into the land of Canaan, where there was no such thing, but where all was open and free. Genesis 11:13; 12:1; Acts 7:2-4. MEDM April 15, 1908, page 311.2
Thus and then God began to take one of the Gentiles, to call out from the heathen, a people for his name. He would make Abram to be father of a multitude, numberless as the stars, who would be of faith. Thus God began to build his church, his selected assembly or called-out ones. And he began it by calling them out and away, by separating them, utterly, from all that was, or was of, any state or empire; and joining them to himself as their only Lord and king. These, through the experiences of Egypt and the wilderness, He brought into the land of Canaan, a congregation of the Lord, his church, all of faith; a people who knew the mighty works of the Lord, and whom he called to enter into his rest. Acts 7:38; Joshua 3:11-17; 6:2-20; Hebrews 3:16-19. MEDM April 15, 1908, page 311.3
But lo! even with these called-out ones, these especially his own, there was a forsaking of God for idols, and in forsaking of him as only king and Lord, for a man in the place of God as king and Lord—“like all the nations.” MEDM April 15, 1908, page 311.4
And when they had thus rejected God and had chosen a king and kingdom of this world “like all nations,” even this kingdom God would make a type of the wisdom and righteousness and peace and plenty and joy of his own true kingdom. And again the people were shown the mighty work and ways of God, and were called to enter into his rest. 1 Chronicles 29:23; 2 Chronicles 9; 1 Kings 4:20-34; Hebrews 4:10. MEDM April 15, 1908, page 311.5
But even from this there was a falling away—a forsaking of God for idols, and of his way for the ways of the kingdoms of the world. (1 Kings 11.) This evil way was continued and persisted in to the destruction of the kingdom and to the destruction or captivity of the people. MEDM April 15, 1908, page 311.6
Through the experiences of the captivity, God brought into the land again a people who knew his way. But again there was a falling away. God’s way was forsaken for the ways of the kingdoms of this world; again “like all the nations,” only worse. Yet after all this, even after these, God called and be- sought that they would let him come to them and dwell with them. In his own son he came to them to redeem them to himself. And even in this way they rejected him, and threw themselves over bodily to the kingdom and king of this world, vehemently exclaiming, “We have no king but Caesar!” MEDM April 15, 1908, page 311.7
Again God began to build his church, and to visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his name. Matthew 16:18; Acts 15:13-17. MEDM April 15, 1908, page 312.1
But again there came a falling away, a forsaking of the way of God for the ways of the world; a rejection of God as only king and Lord for a man in the place of God; and worse than all the nations. Revelation 2:7; Acts 21:17, 29, 30; 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4, 7; 3 John 9 :lo. MEDM April 15, 1908, page 312.2
And still the same old question abides as fresh and urgent as ever, Will those know the Lord, even the Lord’s own people—will these, after so long a time, allow the Lord to be their king—king and Lord indeed, and they his people and of his kingdom in very truth? Thank the Lord! there is yet to be a people of God, and the time is just now,—a people who will have God their true and only king according to his own mind and wish as purposed through all the ages. For it stands written with a mighty oath that in these our days the mystery of God, which is God manifest in the flesh, should be finished: and it will be finished to the true glory of God. Revelation 10:5-7; Ephesians 5:25-27. MEDM April 15, 1908, page 312.3