J^ THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL m -■f %^^ ^' BV 4510 .B45 Bettex, Fr ed eric, 1837 1915. The hunger of Israel iiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii The Hunger of Israel iiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiHiiiiiiiiii»^ lllll| 1 THE 1 HUNGER OF f ISRAEL f 1 FR. BETTEX 1 i = 1 1 i English Translation by Andreas Bard = = , „„„„ II [ j iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii C/l 1 i THE GERMAN LITERARY BOARD i 1 BURLINGTON, IOWA |i 1 = i 1 i ill nil nil III! Illllll Illlllllll Ilillllllllllll Ill Illllllill Illllillllllll Illllllll Illllllll Illliillll J Copyright 1915 By R. NEUMANN BURLINGTON, IOWA Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll^ The Hunger of Israel great people. EHOVAH led Israel from Egypt into the desert. This mob of slaves, enervated and degraded by serfdom, He aimed to train into a truly He first increased their troubles. He shook them out of that lazy attitude which for a few onions and Egyp- tian melons would willingly give a hard day^s labor. Their task had to grow so heavy, the sting of Pharaoh so sharp, that out of the deep of suffering they would turn to Jehovah and cry for help. Is not this God's method of dealing with us today? Because He desires to come to our assist- ance, He so intensifies our sorrows and afflictions that we are forced to go to Him for succor. Only when we recognize our own impotence, we can appreciate His om- nipotence! This is the foundation of spir- 3 THE hu:n^ger of iseael itual progress. Because man is need and God is help, the soul looks upward. The Egyptians had been severely pun- ished for whatever wrongs they had com- mitted against the chosen people. They had paid the penalty for their cruelty. Their sensuality terminated in disgusting diseases; their avarice in losses and fail- ures. Their own blood had to atone for the blood they had shed. Through a series of plagues, deeply significant and little under- stood in their symbolic character, God led them at last into utter darkness, the com- mon lot of those who harden their hearts. Some of these plagues were shared by the people of Israel; the usual course of God's judgment impressing us with the fact that not one of us are worthy to be spared. At other times God's right arm was stretched protectingly over His people; for to do so is His glorious privilege. And when after many disasters, affecting Egypt's pride and prosperity, God at last touched the very heart of Pharaoh by slaying the firstborn. He symbolized by this action His eternal 4 THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL plan of salvation. "All of you," He meant to say to Israel, "together with your first- born, are worthy of death through your transgressions ; but I will give my own Son, the firstborn, to be a propitiation for your sins; with the blood of the innocent lamb, which is a symbol of the blood of Christ, you may mark the door-posts. I will con- sider this your plea for forgiveness and accept it. But those who refuse this token of grace will surely perish!" Thus emigrated about six hundred thou- sand people, amid the lamentations of their oppressors; a whole people rejoicing; res- cued from the lash of the taskmaster, hence- forth to be free! Through the magnificent row of palaces and temples, of obelisks and sphinxes flowed on the stream of this mighty throng. While torches were wafted to and fro, excited women and trembling children, laden with gold and silver, the hard-earned fruit of their labor, followed in the ceaseless train. God was their leader. Memorable night ! That Israel should never forget it, is Jehovah's warning. Finally 5 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL the stream is ebbing out. The Egyptians remain behind with their dead — stupefied, horror-struck. Like lightning ruin had come to them. A whole nation followed two old men into the wilderness, the un- known — by faith! Slavery, long continued, makes cowards. Israel needed to be inspired with courage. This God planned to do by a mighty sal- vation, impressive and distinct. He leads Israel into the sea, into apparent destruc- tion, and while the vast waters stretch out before them, they notice behind them, like an approaching storm, the horses and char- iots of Pharaoh. Again there are voices of fear and despair and finally a loud appeal to Jehovah. History tells us, how might- ily God came to their rescue. Wonderful indeed Jehovah^s help against the iron wheels of Egyptian chariots which were about to crush the women and chil- dren loaded down with booty. Over the rising surf sounds the song of Moses and Miriam : ^^Sing to the Lord ; horse and rider He has dashed into the sea!" 6 THE HUNGEE OF ISRAEL Thus God placed in His wise pro\ddence at the threshold of Jewish history this man- ifestation of His visible presence. Israel should remember at all times that it had an all-powerful Protector. At dead of night, in the midst of the Red Sea, aye, amid the very pangs of death was born the chosen people of God. In the morning it stood on the shore, hearing the call to the new life ; it gazed upon the illimitable des- ert and discerned with eyes of faith the promised land of liberty beyond. And now the Supreme Pedagogue pro- ceeds with the education of this barbarous people, composed of irreligious, undisci- plined and lawless slaves. The time of training is short, especially when we con- sider the mighty aim of the Most High. His plans, conceived before the foundation of the world, are to be imparted to a race which spectre-like emerges from eternity and as mysteriously disappears. God wills the annihilation of sin and sorrow. With this point in view a fixed number of human souls is to be created. Within a period of 7 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiy^ THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL fifty years, the average life-time of a gen- eration, sixteen hundred million human beings appear on the earth, to give way in turn to another generation. Where are now the multitudes, aye, where is a single one of the millions who a hundred years ago were men of affairs and acted as if they owned the world forever? And again, after a century, ( but a stroke of the pendulum of the celestial clock which measures the hours of suns requiring thirty million years for a single revolution) where will they be who at this present hour stir on the face of the earth with their commerce and industry, their prayers and blasphemies, their vices and virtues? Gone like a dream! '^Thou turnest men to destruction; again Thou sayest, come again, ye children of men.'' But in this brief period between two eter- nities is to be decided the great issue of immortal souls. Will they rise to the light or sink into utter darkness? God begins the education of His people by confronting them with the very ques- tion of existence. He causes them (after 8 THE HUNGEK OF ISRAEL the manner of every new-born babe) to be hungry. Hunger is the mysterious long- ing for food, strength, sufftciency, exper- ienced by every creature. "The whole cre- ation groaneth," says St. Paul; and the whole creation is hungry. The earth is hungry for rain, the fire for combustibles, the plant for water, the flower for the sun- beam. And thus the human body hungers for food, as the mind hungers for thought, the soul for faith, hope and love; and the spirit for the good, the true and the beau- tiful, for God ! It is a grand, profound and sobering fact that we have no life in our- selves; we cannot exist independently; we are in constant, pressing need of nourish- ment without which we should instantly wilt and die. Oh the depth of our impo- tence and poverty! We must have food; seek some suitable nourishment or we are instantly doomed. Whether he wander through the desert or travel the seas, whether he dwell on the height of the moun- tain or grovel in the depth of the earth, the child of dust is ever asking the helpless 9 Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllü^^^ THE HUNGEE OF ISRAEL question, ^What shall I eat; what shall I drink; wherewithal shall I be clothed?'^ How shall I support this little loam-cottage of mine to keep it from tumbling down? How shall I fill the void within me that I may gain strength and vigor for my daily task? How can I cover my nakedness and adorn my body, that I may not stand un- covered in all my humble nothingness? Aye, there is none that would have his fel- lowmen see him as he really is, his denuded soul, his naked self! Why does the Creator force his creatures to be ever hungry? Easily He could have averted this condition. By a slight change of our organs and by combining air and food we might have inhaled whatever nour- ishment we required. But God wants us to be hungry. Why? First of all to teach us humility. A father, discovering the fa- vorite vice of his son, will aim to eradicate it. Now the fundamental sin of the human race is pride, the very thing that drove Satan from heaven. It was pride that caused Adam and Eve to want to be like 10 THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL God and to know good and evil. They ate of the forbidden fruit; and ever since hunger has seized the human race. Hunger for food and knowledge, for pleasure and riches and art and science and honor and happiness. Hunger! But because God's punishment is also grace and discipline, this hunger is to train us in humility. Mortifying indeed that the same people who are continuously bragging about their scientific and commercial triumphs have to look for something to eat every few hours ! Humiliating, too, the hard labor we have to perform to gain our little share of the daily bread! We should grow humble in the presence of this everlasting hunger and more humble at the thought of the thou- sands "whose belly is their god" and whose aim in life seems to reach no higher than to eat as much and as good as the world affords. And just as our physical hunger bears daily witness to the fact that we are dust and must return to dust, so the hunger of the soul for spiritual food proves that there 11 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH THE HUNGEE OF ISRAEL is a divine breath within us which is in- satiable, because it is severed from its orig- inal source. In vain we try to feed our soul with the fruits of this world, those wild, sour, bitter and indigestible fruits of the cursed acre (Matth. 13 :38) on which we live. This experience has been made by the wisest and best of men. It is con- tinually being made by the millions who suicidally throw their lives away. Yet ever again Satan lures us with tempting bubbles to vain repetitions of our useless search, while multitudes follow. Pathetic sight to see human beings in greedy pur- suit of gold and honor, of fine houses and gorgeous clothes. Moths flying into the flame! Jehovah caused His people to hunger. Was it necessary? Why, even on the very first day God might have rained quail and manna from the sky. But He did not do that. The reason for the delay is given by the aged prophet: "Remember, Israel, the way which the Lord, thy God, led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble 12 THE HUNGEE OF ISRAEL thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou w^ouldest keep His commandments or not" (Deuter- onomy 8:2). ^'Remember, Israel, the way which the Lord, thy God, led thee." Yes, God leads. With much thought and worry and anxiety we seem to choose our own path. But as a matter of fact, God leads us. We are not tossed on the sea of chance. Whether we will or not, we are being led through the wilderness of the world. Those that go willingly reach the promised land, where they shall "eat bread without scarceness" (Deut. 8:10). But they who remain de- fiant, must perish in the desert of life. But even the just, like Joshua and Caleb, must cross the mlderness for a period of forty years and share in the guilt of the people. Jehovah causes thee to suffer hunger, oh Israel, to "know what is in thine heart." Is not the heart known to God, "whose eyes are everywhere beholding good and evil" ( Prov. 15 :3 ) ? Yes, but God requires man- ifestations. 13 Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll II Illllllllllllllillllllllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllill THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL To try us, to know what is in us, God sends us weal and woe. To know what is in your heart He causes hail to destroy your wheat-crop and mars your hopes, and breaks your trees under their load of fruit. For this reason you inherit or acquire riches ; for this reason you earn but a mere crust for your daily task. For this reason He causes your marriage to be happy or unhappy, your children to be good or bad. For this reason you lose your only child, a beautiful daughter or a promising son — God wishing to see if you ^^hate your life for His sake." "He maketh thee ride on the high places of the earth and maketh thee to suck honey out of the rock to see, if Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked and for- sook the God who made him and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation'' (Deut. 32:13). "What is man, that thou should- est magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him!" (Job 7:17.) Life is a continuous examination from cradle to grave. God tries the soul in myriad ways. He ascertains how the crea- 14 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiii^ THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL ture is related to its Creator. Are we self- centered or God-centered? Do we recog- nize and worship our Maker or do we side with Satan, the enemy of God? If such be not the purpose of life, our existence with all its dole and delight, its ups and downs, has no meaning whatsoever. ^^God makes manifest what is hidden" ( Dan. 2 : 22 ) and Christ emphasizes the same law when He says ^^there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed" (Matth. 10:26). God makes the seed to bud be- neath the soil, but He also causes it to come into the light and produce a plant. Should we receive a revelation of the world in its present condition we should see a con- fused image of varied influences, divine thoughts mingling with the schemes of Satan and with the designs of unbelief. Aye, should you try to empty your own heart, you would find it a veritable ocean of hatred, sordidness and multitudinous sins. Thus we comprehend the meaning of our hunger, and of the work and labor we have 15 Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllli THE HUNGEE OF ISEAEL to perform to gratify such a hunger. The choice of our food, our greed or our grati- tude — all of this reveals what "is in our hearts" and whether we desire to "keep God's commandments" (Deut. 8:2). Hu- mility and manifestation, the twofold pur- pose of life, of which fools and philosophers alike know nothing. Recently a noted writer exclaimed : "It is only too true that human life has no meaning!" Science is unable to solve the problem. Your com- merce and your industry, your colleges and your laboratories, your microscopes and telescopes look for this truth in vain. To the universal question, "Why was I born," there is no answer. And this fact accounts for the hunger of the heart that cannot be satisfied. Oh well for the Christian who has a God not only causing hunger but also providing food! When Israel hungered and murmured, God said, "I have heard your murmuring," and He made manna to fall from the sky. And He does the same today. "The whole congregation of the children 16 THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness'' (Ex. 2:1G). Does not this also apply to us? We growl and groan, and fuss and fret and worry, because this wish has not been gratified, this hope proven false, this loss impoverished us, this sickness interfered with our plans. The hand of rebellion we would raise against the Most High, because our loved one has died. Even about the weather we have our misgivings. In short, the whole congrega- tion is' murmuring. Let us recall the prophet's advice : ^^Wherefore does a living man complain? Let everyone complain about his sins!" (Lam. 3:39.) Aye, if we could look deep enough, we should find that sin is the very root of our sorrow and dis- content. It was a matter of gratitude for the Jews to consider their emancipation from the tyranny of Pharaoh. How they had longed to be freed therefrom ! But all of this is forgotten. Now they only talk of the fleshpots of Egypt, ^^the fish they ate freely, the cucumbers, and the melons and the leeks and the onions, and the garlick" 17 iiiiiiiiiiiMinniiiniiiniiiiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiliillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllN THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL (Num. 11:5). And we are not any better. Even to good Christians the devil will pre- sent a rosy picture of sin and its charms, carefully concealing from their memory the hours of disgust and despondency which followed its gratification. The whole congregation murmured against Moses and Aaron. Moses, the leg- islator, is the State; Aaron, the high priest, his brother, the Church. Even against these two authorities, which should ever be harmonious in the world's affairs, the congregation murmurs. ^What are we that you murmur against us?" This is the question of Moses and Aaron. "Your mur- muring is not against us; it is against the Lord, your God !'' ( Ex. 16 :7. ) They should have murmured against the sons of Aaron who carried desecrating fire into the sanc- tuary of the Lord, provoking His wrath. This concerns them not. But when the question of the daily bread becomes trouble- some, they murmur, rise in revolt, rail against the Almighty and declare : "Would we had perished in Egypt by the hand of 18 THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL the Lord!'' Forgotten God's unceasing kindness, His glorious miraeles, His pro- tecting hand, the march through the Red Sea and the destruction of Pharaoh's host; forgotten, too, the triumphal song of Mir- iam! We hear naught save the cry for death of a defiant and disheartened race. Was it wrong for Israel, tortured by the tooth of hunger, to cry to God? No. God says : "Call to me in thy distress, and I will hear thee and thou shalt praise me" (Psalm 50:15). But in humility they should have gone to Moses and Aaron, saying : "Pray for us to the Lord lest we perish in the wilder- ness, we and our children!" Will God exterminate His thankless people? Will He send down upon them destructive lightning or command the earth to swallow them? No. The gracious Lord, whose patience is infinite, simply says: "I have heard your murmuring; I will make manna to fall from heaven." Day and night the blasphemies of the human race ascend to God; their murmuring and curs- ing, their utterances of ingratitude. And 19 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiii niiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii nil iiiiiiiiiiiK THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL ever again God says : ^^I will make bread to fall from heaven." Where is there a God like our God, forgiving our transgressions? He maketh manna to rain from the sky. The fields provide for multitudes of cattle clover and grass, and for millions of people wheat and fruit and wine and oil. Do we pay attention to this? We thank Him not, but murmur! "And Moses and Aaron spake to the whole congregation: At even ye shall eat flesh and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread, because the Lord has heard your murmuring" ( Ex. 16 : 12 ) . "And the glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud." Thrice the people murmured and thrice ap- peared the glory of the Lord, the Sheshinay visible to all, radiant with incomparable beauty, as if to convey the warning: "Ho not try my patience too long. Who are ye that ye argue with the Lord of Glory?" Cooling night descended from the starry sky upon the burning sands of the desert. The careworn, weary people had fallen asleep. Many a restless pilgrim was kept 20 THE HUNGEK OF ISRAEL awake by the thought: Where shall we find bread on the morrow and the day after, and the many days we are to spend in the wilderness. "And in the morning the dew lay round about the host. And when the dew was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small, round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground'^ (Ex. 16:13-14). Everything connected with the heavenly bread is tyjDical and symbolic. Says St. Paul: "All these things happened unto them for ensamples; and they are written for our admonition'' (1 Cor. 10-11). God works in the very silence of night. He that neither sleeps nor slumbers cares for the helpless human race even w^hile they sleep. He sees to it that we have bread in the morning. This is true also in a spiritual sense. While we are absorbed in our self- ish and material interests, God stirs in our souls the longing for di\4ner things and provides for our religious hunger the true manna from heaven, which is Christ, the Lord. Aye, God moves in a mysterious 21 IIMI IM Illlllllllllll Illlllllll I I II lllllillllllllllllNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll^ THE HUN GEE OF ISRAEL way. This appears everywhere in creation. In the very darkness of the ground the chrysalis is being transformed into a but- terfly and the grain of wheat evolved into the plant. The root of the oak selects and rejects, even under the ground, the diverse forces which afterwards develop into the great and glorious tree the branches of which give lodging to the birds, shade to the cattle and shelter to the storm-lost pil- grim. "A small, round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground." Note the ap- parent insignificance of this miracle. God provides for us without violent manifesta- tions in thunder and lightning. Silently the great harvest is being prepared for the hungering race. ^^And when the people of Israel saw it, they said one to another. It is manna, for they wist not what it was" (Ex. 16:15). We, too, ask this question when God makes bread to rain upon us from the sky. En- forced rest, a medical retreat, caused by some accident; associations which do not 22 THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL particularly please us ; new relatives ; a call to new fields and localities ; interruption of cherished studies — there are hundreds of gracious things that happen for the ad- vancement of our souls which we fail to trace back to the Di\dne Author. We ask "Man-hu/' what does it mean? The same God who provides for our physical hunger, is also supplying the needs of the soul, sometimes through joy, sometimes through sorrow. Even our punishment is manna. "And Moses said unto them. This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man. And when they did mete it with an omer he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little, had no lack : they gath- ered every man according to his eating'^ (Ex. 16:15-18). We are reminded of the accumulation of spiritual food during con- ferences, religious seasons and special oc- casions, when we aim to gather a super- abundance of manna. But God is a God of Moderation. Hebrew wisdom calls Him 23 iiiniiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiii II I iiiiiiiiniiiiiniiiininiiiiiiiiiiiiiinininnnniiinniiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiN^ THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL UUIU Elshaddaij which means ^^The Temperate.'^ He provides a certain quantity for every soul and no more. We receive our omer, no matter how much we revel in spiritual transports. The poor in spirit, apparently neglected, will also receive his share. God wills moderation. Whether His children are long-lived or short-lived, live in huts or palaces, have joy or sorrow, the Heavenly Father provides exactly according to their needs. His calculations are accurate. There is never a drop too much or too little, though there be those who say "too much" and others who murmur "still more.'' "And Moses said. Let no man leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses" ( Ex. 16 :19-20 ) . When shall we appreciate the lesson of the commonplace and obey its divine injunc- tion? Is it without significance that God withdraws His sunlight every night, forc- ing us in this way to close the day's labor and to seek rest? Is it well that we should fret and worry about the morrow? Should we not rather listen to Him who, while 24 THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL bearing every burden, assured His disciples that "sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof?'^ "Cast your burdens upon me," He says, "I am with you always!" It is enough for you to bear the responsibility of the hour. I know what tomorrow T\ill bring forth and I will help you tomorrow as I help you today. "Who by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stat- ure?" And still we continue to give idle thought to the possibilities of the future. Why? Because we choose to do so. And if there be no reasonable causes for care, we find unreasonable ones. In this way we lose the pri\dlege which God gives us and are tormented by worries, utterly foolish and useless, about the unknown troubles of the morrow. Because our hearts are empty and void, estranged from God, we take thought for a multitude of things, first of all for ourselves, then for our children, for the progress of missions, for rights of women, for humane societies, prohibition movements, etc. Surely God could never accomplish a thing, if we did not aid Him with our cares! 25 illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH THE HUIS^GER OF ISRAEL And Jehovah said: The people shall gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law or not. But they did not obey. ^'Some of them left of it unto the morning and it bred worms and stank" ( Ex. 16 :20 ) . How many well meaning people, even Christians, make arrangements for the well-being of their physical or spiritual children! They settle estates upon them, secure positions for them. They see to it that their daugh- ters are well married and that their sons enter into profitable business connections. They leave legacies for good institutions and appoint able successors for the place they have to vacate. Assured that they have laid up a good supply of manna for the morrow, they step into their graves. And lo, during the night ^'it bred worms and stank." Every man according to his conscience. One is called upon to do some quick, aggres- sive work for God and His kingdom, his is the mission of Paul. Another has to give forty years to the sheep of Jethro, as did 26 THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL Moses, or spend "a long time/' like Elijah, the prophet, serving the widow of Sarepta. ^^Lord, thy will be done. Thou knowest best. I can only go one step at a time." On this subject a great deal has been writ- ten and we may dismiss it without further comment. For the Sabbath the people were told to gather a double quantity. On that day manna was found without worms. This shows that it was not the nature of the bread to spoil. If it did spoil, the cause must be found in the will of God. It is true that there are what we call ^'laws of nature." But these laws have no existence apart from Him in whom all things live and move and have their being. The Bible calls those fools who say "there is no God" ( Psalm 53 :2 ) . And must not our idle talk of the "laws of nature" seem like utter folly to the angels? Some of our modern phi- losophers admit that somehow these laws were arranged by God, but having been arranged they pursued an independent course. Who is this "Nature," pray? Is 27 Illlllllllllllllllllll Illllllll Illlllllllll Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllln^ THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL it the mother of us all, looking after her children with loving care? So they say. But others have come to the conclusion that ^^Nature" is an old idiot which to fill the unconscious nausea of her eternity, created generations in order to destroy them again. Unfortunately we cannot discuss this fab- ulous personality, inasmuch as we do not even know her and almost incline to the belief that she does not exist at all. We only know the creation of Almighty God who rules His universe according to His unsearchable wisdom. In His presence the twenty-four elders cast away their crowns and exclaim: ^'Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou hast created all things and for Thy pleasure they are and were created'' (Rev. 4:11). "And it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey" (Ex. 16:31). This is a clear and distinct description, given, no doubt, to counteract any later criticisms of unbe- lief. It proves that manna was not a bread 28 THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL of the imagination and it refutes the charges that it consisted of a ^'perfectly natural'' growth. The report says that it was lying all about the camp, in little white pieces, tasting like wafers made with honey. It also says that it came in such quantities that it amply sufficed for the hunger of an entire people. This means at least one billion pounds a day, reproduced every morning for a period of forty years. In the light of these facts how absurd appears the rationalistic theory that manna was merely a common shrub growing on the peninsula of Sinai! The so-called mana- weed is neither small nor round nor white nor nourishing. Its entire production amounts to about forty thousand pounds per year and would, therefore, not even suffice for a single meal! Note also the naturalness of this divine and miraculous manifestation. Ever and again we are assured that the Bible does not claim to be a scientific book. This is correct, inasmuch as we are not to get in- formation about botany and astronomy 29 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin THE HUNGEE OF ISRAEL from the reading of the Bible. Studies re- lating to a number of plants or a species of animals, to the course of the stars, etc., are left to our scholars who can divulge their wisdom with more or less accuracy and more or less show of importance. But in a deeper and infinitely more valuable sense the Bible (which is the record of the Holy Spirit who Himself co-operated at the creation of the universe) permits us to look into the underlying principles of nature, ever revealing the miracle in the ^'law'' and the ^law" in the miracle. It teaches us that the miracle is not unnatural, as viewed in fairy tales, but supernatural, that is, divinely natural. God could have kept the people of Israel alive without any food whatsoever. But He chose the natural, as well as a miraculous way of feeding them. His miracles are corelated to the natural processes which underly creation. His ac- tions do not clash. They correspond. What- ever God does, is miraculous and yet again "divinely natural. '^ While our poor, pur- blind race defines things that happened for 30 Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll^ THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL thousands of years, as ^^natural'^ and things that only happen once in a thousand years as "miraculous," God has no such distinc- tion. As a matter of fact, we know no more of the mysterious process that turns a seed into a plant than we know of the resurrection of the dead. And should manna have rained regularly from the sky during the past six thousand years, we should have found this miracle just as nat- ural as the falling of rain or hail, w^hich God might have made nutritious, if He had willed to do so. "And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a pot and put an omer full of manna therein and lay it up before the Lord, to be kept for your generations" (Ex. 16:33). "That they may see the bread wherewith I have fed you in the wilderness," ( Ex. 16 : 32 ) said the Lord. So Aaron laid it up. And for decades, aye for centuries, this manna remained pure and unspoiled, because it was kept in the sanctuary, before the Tes- timony, the dwelling-place of the Most High. Whatsoever God takes into His 31 Illllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll^ THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL holy place is removed from the laws of mor- tality and corruption. For such things death has ceased to be (Rev. 21:4). They have entered the realms of eternity. Thus we have in the Old Testament a symbol of the words of Christ : ^Whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die'' (John 11: 26). All things go back to their source. Manna descended from heaven and thither it returned. Long after it ceased to drop nightly from the sky, it was preserved in the sanctuary. Thus all transitory things, creation itself, will be reabsorbed by God. Purified by fire it returns into the Holy of Holies. The early martyrs entered the arena and sang : ^^From God we came; to God we go!" Paul prophesies that ^^God shall be all in all." ^^And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to the land of Canaan." We do not read of Is- rael's gratitude. Did they thank the Lord for His bounty? Or did they ask Moses to do this for them? No. They looked at 32 THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL the heavenly present and said, "man" ("what is it") ? Then they proceeded to load themselves with it for future emer- gencies, notwithstanding God's warning. Exactly as we do ! ! Who offers daily thanks for the bread that nourishes us, for strength of body and soul, for friends and relatives, for health, sunshine and good cheer? Manna tastes good — this seems to be the only thought. Who lives in im- plicit faith, without taking thought for the morrow; who refrains from gathering manna for the unknown future? "That thou may est know that man does not live of bread alone, but of every word that proceedeth from the mouth of Jeho- vah" (Deut. 8:3). In every respect, abso- lutely and relatively, our bodies, souls and minds live of the word of God. And not only we, but all angels of heaven, all devils of hell. Thy word, O God, is their nour- ishment and ours ! Where, in all creation, is there a single atom not made and sus- tained by Him? Did not His word create the colors that please the eye, the forces 33 mm THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL whose intricate relationship we call Na- ture? Through all the pores of our body we inhale the life-giving air, and our soul receives impressions, thoughts, suggestions by the contemplation of nature. The at- mosphere we breathe, the ideas we con- ceive — all proceeding from the mouth of God. Aye, we are words of God ourselves. For this reason we can live in and of each other. The child is nourished not only physically, but mentally, by its parents. The man lives through the woman, the woman through the man, and every human being through all those with whom he came in contact. And because Satan is the counterpart of God, his word is death and ruins the soul. We live by God^s everlast- ing "Yes;" we die by Satan's everlasting "No.'' Creation is the very expression, the word of God, uttered in myriads of forms and infinite variations. "Jehovah, thy God, bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and 34 THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL barley, and vines and fig trees; a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness ; and when thou hast eaten thou shalt bless the Lord for the good land which He hath given thee" (Deut. 8:7-10). The hunger in the wilderness is not of eternal duration. God who makes us feel want here, will give us food in abundance. This promise is repeated again and again throughout the Scriptures. '^To him who thirsteth I will give of the water of life freely." Waters of life, fruits from the tree of life, words from the mouth of God will feed body, soul and mind. ^^They shall neither hunger nor thirst, for the Lamb will lead them to fountains of living water." Since time immemorial the poor, hungry race of men has looked forward to this land of satisfaction. The Arab under the burning rays of the desert sun; the inhab- itant of Saharah, "that country of thirst," is longingly waiting for paradise where the waters flow crystal clear and without ceas- ing. The Indian traversing the prairie for days and weeks without a bite to eat; 35 IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH^ THE HUNGEE OF ISRAEL the Eskimo returning empty-handed from his fishing trip; the Tunguese lost on the frozen and shelterless steppes — they all look for the promised land. And the hu- man heart hungering for light and life and love, often disappointed, restlessly seeking like Ulysses, hopes ever for the satisfaction which earth does not give. And the Lord who causes us to be hungry to humble us, to try us and to know what is in our hearts and whether we would keep His command- ments, will not leave us to starvation and want. He will not give us a stone when we ask for bread, not a scorpion when we ask for a fish! ''And the manna ceased on the morrow and the children of Israel ate of the fruits of the land of Canaan" ( Josh. 5 :12 ) . For us, too, the day is approaching, when after long pilgrimage through the burning wil- derness of this world, we cross the Jordan to enter the promised land where milk and honey flow. This God has sworn He will give to us for an eternal possession. Then the earthly manna, which has taught us 36 THE HUNGER OF ISRAEL that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, will cease and we shall eat of the fruits of the promised land and drink of the clear fountain of life, which quenches our thirst forevermore. This food will not give us the life eternal which we already possess as "the gift of God," but it will enrich this life and deepen it. Oh that many be called to the joys of Canaan ! 37 iililillilllilliliiiiiiiiiiililiiillliilllliliiiiiiiiiii IUI Ill iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiliiliiiiilllliiiiiii iiiiiiiiiii mil iiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii THE BETTE X BOOKS NEW! NEW! 1 — The Treatise on the Son of God. What Think Ye of Christ? From the German of FR. BFTTEX. By J. F. KRUEGER. Price, bound in handsome artistic style, 50 cents. THIS book in the original has seen six large editions and is being considered the strongest book extant on the personality of our Saviour. In thirteen short chapters the author treats the Bib- lical Doctrine on the subject in a most exhaustive manner, taking issue against the various forms of unbelief in the fundamental doctrine: JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD, THE GOD-MAN. 2 — The Book on Creation. The First Page of the Bible By FR. BETTEX. Translated from the German by W. R. Price, bound in vellum, 20 cents net, prepaid. REV. G. Campbell Morgan, D. D., says : It is a long time since I have read anything that has given me more real pleasure. It is a quiet, dig- nified and scholarly dealing with the first chapter of Genesis. To my own mind nothing I have seen is quite equal to it, and I should like to know that it circulates by thousands. The Ivutheran Observer: This is an examination of the account of creation as given in Genesis, showing the harmony of the narrative with the best accredited finding of science. It abounds in eloquent descriptions of the wonders of nature, and shows how all creation, through both inorganic and organic ranges, is a perpetual hymn in praise of the Creator. A timely and interesting tract on a great subject. IJSl GOOD TRANSLATIONS 3 — The Book on the Miraculous in the Word of God. The Miracle Translated by H. M. Price, 50 cents. THE book closes with these well said words : "We consider the rejection of the miraculous a sign of mental weakness, and the evasion of the miraculous like the blind faith of the rustic who has been told that beyond the blue hills the earth comes to an end, and believed it. The miracle is our hope and delight. Soon, for what matter a few centuries, we hope to rejoice in the wonderful body of our resurrection and in a world of heavenly miracles where we shall forever contemplate God, the fountain and origin of all miracles." Says the New York Observer : A vigorous de- fense of the idea of the supernatural, as unfolded in the Bible and illustrated in nature, written in simple style, understandable by those who have no acquaintance vdth the teachings of philosophy. 4— The Book of the Day. Science and Christianity By F. BETTEX. Translated from the German. Price, 11.50. THE author among other things says in the Preface: I wish to make clear to my readers how little real science is hidden behind the fine phrases and sounding words of the infidel, and how little he himself understands of the material crea- tion which he aflBrms to be the only one. * * ♦ The Christian and Biblical conception of the uni- verse is more logical, more harmonious, more in accordance with facts, therefore, more scientific than all philosophies, all systems, materialistic and atheistic. Illlllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll^ THE BETTEX BOOKS Contents of the book : Chapter I. Progress. Chapter II. Evolution and Modem Science, Chapter III. Christians and Science. Chapter IV. Science. Chapter V. Materialism. One of the many favorable reviews: It is a view of much scope, and so far as it attempts reconcilia- tion between science and Christianity, is eminently successful. There can be no doubt that at present when there is so pronounced a disposition to follow every fad in science, especially if it opposes the Bible, such a book should have a wide reading and is adapted to accomplish much good. 5— The Best Book for the Bible Student. The Bible, the Word of God By F. BETTEX. Translated from the German. Price, $1.50. THIS striking volume, by this able, strong and well-equipped scholar, is another evidence that the destructive higher criticism is spending its force. Scholarship is recoiling from its rational- istic methods audits false pretensions. Its guesses, set forth as truth, no longer pass unchal- lenged. It is being seen that the methods and principals not only challenge the testimony of the Church, but of Christ Himself. The fancies and hypothesis that have and are being set forth in the name of science are simply preposterous, having no shred of evidence on which to rest. It is a book that will do the scholar of the Bible good to read. The opening discussion is on ' 'Knowledge and Faith," the second on "The Bible," the third on "Objections," the fourth on "Biblical Criti- cism," the fifth and last on "Biblical Faith." IN GOOD TRANSLATIONS The Glory of the Triune God By Fr. Bettex. Translated by Andreas Bard. Bound in artistic paper cover; size 8x5^. 68 pages. Price, 35 cents. THREE VIGOROUS CHAPTERS. 1 — Great Is the Lord and His Greatness Is Unsearchable. 2 — Great Is Also the Son. 3 — / Believe in the Holy Ghost Who Spake by the Prophets. 'T^HESE chapters, one on each of the Trinity, -'■ are true to the revelation God made through the prophets, and finally through His Son. and are devotional in character. There is abundant evidence that Bettex has meditated long on the deep things of God and has a heart warm with the experience of faith. He is happy in his con- ception and presentation of the Majesty and Holiness of God, and makes one conscious of His presence. The treatment of the inspiration of the Bible in the chapter on the Holy Ghost is logical and convincing. The truths we have learned from our childhood, and that now beat hopefully within us, find an able defender in Prof. Bettex. Take and read. iirmiiiiiiiiMiiiiriiiiiiiiMiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiMiiiiMMiiiiiiMtMiiiiMifiiiiiiiii THE BETTEX BOOKS The Word of Truth By Fr. Bettex. Translation by Andreas Bard.. Bound in flexible doth, size 5^^ x 7^. Price, 50 cents. T^ HREE things may be said of this little book : •*■ 1 — It holds the attention; 2 — It is easy to read; 3 — It does what the author has written it to do, as he states in his foreword, "To reassure those faltering in faith." It is a good book for everybody and especially for those whose faith in the Book of Books is wavering. The Bible and Modern Criticism By Fr. Bettex. Bound in modern pamphlet style and printed in two colors. Price, 20 cents; dozen, $1.80. T^HE title of this book is an accurate descrip- -'- tion of its contents. It is an able, pointed, simple, profound, easily-to-be-understood pre- sentation of the unreasonableness of the ground occupied by critics who would substitute reason for orthodoxy. Says the Herald of Gospel Liberty: "Bettex strikes sledgehammer blows at the theory of higher criticism and bravely stands for the Bible." Caylord Bros. Makers Syracuse, N. Y. PAT. JAN. 21. 1908 1 1 012 01006 5938