Abraham, and setting him as a light to the nations. It was the unfaithfulness of
the descendants of Abraham that caused them "to suffer a life of bondage in
Egypt." In Egypt, amid its darkness of every sort, the ideas that they had received
in descent from Abraham were more and more obscured until they were
practically lost. And thus "in their bondage the people had, to a great extent, lost
their knowledge of God, and of the principles of the Abrahamic covenant."
As they had thus lost the law of God from their minds, all this must be
renewed. But, having no true conception of the law of God as in the Abrahamic
covenant, this had to be taught them. Therefore God proclaimed his law with his
own voice to all the people, then gave it in written form, that they might under his
guidance, discern its deep, spiritual principles. And that this might the better be
done in their obscurity of mind, the principles of the ten commandments were
drawn out in detail, in the writings of Moses, which the people had in their hands,
and which they were to study constantly until these words of God and these holy
principles should be engraved upon their hearts, imbedded in their souls and
written in their minds; that is, until they had attained to the glory of the covenant
with Abraham.
Now, since all this was necessary to Israel because of her unfaithfulness and
the confusion of Egypt, it is certainly plain enough that all these things were
necessary to the people of Egypt and the other nations that were in darkness, as
she was, that these might find the knowledge of God and his salvation. Then, in
the very nature of things, all these things, and all this teaching that came to Israel
to bring them to the light of God, were intended by the Lord to be passed on by
Israel to the other nations, that these also might be brought to where they should
walk in the light of God.
Thus it is perfectly plain that the law of God in all its forms–as spoken from
heaven, as written on the tables, and as drawn out in detail in the writings of
Moses–was just as much for the nations of the world as it was for the people of
Israel. And both Israel and the nations made the mistake of thinking that it was
only for Israel,–Israel thinking so, and confining it to herself, and shutting it away
from the nations; and the nations thinking so, and therefore despising it. And the
nations were, indeed, helped in their mistake by the attitude that was assumed
by Israel in her mistake. For when, in her self-righteousness, Israel shut herself
away from the nations, despising them, this only resulted in the nations seeing
her as shut away from them in self-righteousness, and despising them, and
consequently, further resulted in their despising her, and all that was given to her
for their benefit. And that same thing continues to this day concerning those
things in the Bible which were given to Israel for all the nations.
This is true, not alone of the moral law, but of the ceremonial law–the
sacrificial system–as well. Before Adam left Eden, the sacrificial system was
instituted. By Noah it was observed. Thus the sacrificial system pertained to all
mankind; it was simply the means of expressing faith in God's sacrifice, which he
had made to save man from sin. As God has given the firstling of his flock, the
best that he had, so every soul who accepted that gift of God, and would show
his faith therein, would, in very gratitude to God, offer the firstling of his flock, the
best of all that he had. That was true faith in God, and in the Lamb that he had
given. "By faith Abel offered unto God" his sacrifice, "the firstlings of his flock,"
"by which he obtained witness that he was righteous." Thus Abel's righteousness
was true righteousness by faith. And that was the way for all mankind.
But as the nations apostatized, and came more and more under the
darkening influence of Satan,
