Israel's

Religion Imperfect;

Modes of

their circumstances, or their fancy. But the better part of the nation always recognized Jehovah as Israel's God; and this strenuous worship from a few was responded to waywardly, fitfully, stupidly, according to their natures, by the duller mass. Yet the religion of Jehovah, to the time of Amos and Hosea, perhaps until its culmination Completion. in the books of Isaiah and Jeremiah, was unfinished, and, in comparison with its clearest revelation and highest attainment, lacked in purity, in theological perfectness, and in finer ethical qualities. It lacked in purity because its worship was not sufficiently dissociated from the worship of the Canaanitish gods, and images were tolerated; its theology was still imperfect because, although Jehovah was known as Israel's only God, yet Israel's thoughts had hardly expanded to the complete monotheistic conception of him as the Creator and sole God of all the earth; and finally, although from earliest times Jehovah has been a God of righteousness, and no mere Chemosh, as yet the sublime, self-sacrificing qualities in Jehovah's faith were but inchoate.

The progress of Jehovah's religion to its culmination was to be entire and complete. Theological perfecting brought purification and worked ethical advance. And these modes of progress went on in accordance with the changing fortunes of Israel. The great fact before the eyes of the prophets was Assyria, and afterwards Babylon, moving nearer, irresistible. Israel's faith must show itself living truth; it was doomed, unless it had the strength to carry itself out to its divine logical conclusions. If Assyria's gods were gods at all, they were stronger than Jehovah, a thought to be spurned. Then Jehovah must be God over Assyria, over Babylon, as well as God of Israel; He only is God. Then another matter. Jehovah's righteousness hitherto had been recognized by Israel in his acts of deliverance, his graciousness towards her, his faithful keeping of his covenant. Now he seemed

to be giving his people into the hands of their enemies. Was this righteousness, graciousness, covenant-keeping? Yes, a righteous graciousness which through punishment should keep Israel true to her highest nature and her highest mission, service and knowledge of him. He would set forth this graciousness to Israel through the Assyrian rod of his anger and Babylonian captivity. And the covenant? Here too he was faithful; for he was keeping Israel to the fulfilment of its conditions, so that as a righteous God he might fulfil its promises to her and unto all the world.

Power of

ness.

The prophets make no discrimination between Jehovah's power and Jehovah's righteousness.' Rather the underlying unity of the prophetic conception Jehovah's of Jehovah lies in the recognition that divine Righteous power and divine righteousness are one, and together constitute that power of righteousness which makes, and of necessity must always make, for the furtherance of what is most consonant with eternal verities. This dual-unity of the efficient Godhead is disclosed in Isaiah's vision of Jehovah exalted in righteousness,-Holy! Holy! Holy!'-and more explicitly in a passage of exilic prophecy: "Listen unto me, my people, and my nation, give ear unto me; for instruction shall go forth from me, and my law will I fix for a light of the peoples. Near is my righteousness; gone forth is my salvation; and mine arm shall judge the peoples. For me the countries shall wait, and upon mine arm shall they trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish like smoke, and the earth shall fall to pieces like a garment, and the dwellers therein shall die like gnats. But my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be annulled.

3

This is Jehovah's power of righteousness, eternally

1 See e. g., Isaiah, xlv, 18-25, especially verse 23.

* Isaiah, vi.

Isaiah, li, 4, Cheyne's translation.

efficient to maintain corresponding qualities in his creatures, the qualities which, in the universal harmonizing of things, alone can endure. He will dwell with those who humbly recognize it. "For thus saith the high and exalted One, who dwelleth forever, whose name is Holy One: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is crushed and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of those who are crushed." "

Monotheism.

The prophets set forth the monotheistic conception of Jehovah by declaring his functions in the universe, which imply his sole godhead: "for here is he who formeth mountains and createth wind, and de- Prophetic clareth to man what is his mind,' maketh sunrise into darkness, and marcheth over the heights of the earth, named Jehovah, the God of Hosts." With this from Amos may be compared a passage attributed to Zechariah : "Jehovah which stretcheth forth the heavens and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him."' Again, says Hezekiah: "Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, thou art alone the [true] God for all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made the heavens and the earth." In the latter part of the book of Isaiah the expressions become even clearer: "Jehovah, he that created the heavens, and stretched them forth, that spread forth the earth, with the things that spring out of it, that giveth breath unto the people upon it and spirit to them that walk through it." Very sharply does it then appear that idols, images-and the Hebrews always thought of the gods of other peoples as graven images-are vanities, not-gods. Nothing made by man's hand can be God, even though the image might be

1 Isaiah lvii, 15, Cheyne's translation; and see ib., lxvi, 1, 2. 2 I. c., Jehovah's mind through man's conscience.

* Amos iv, 13, Ewald's translation. ♦ Zech. xii, 1.

5 Isaiah xxxvii, 16.

6 Ibid., xlii, 5, Cheyne's translation.

connected with Jehovah's worship, clear consciousness of which came to Hosea: Jehovah "hath cut off thy calf, O Samaria. The workman made it, and it is no god. And Isaiah cries that Judah is "become full of not-gods; to the work of their hands they do homage.

1

Jehovah, the creator of earth and heaven, is also the creator of man's life and spirit. Only spirit can create spirit. The spiritual nature of Jehovah is implied in many passages.' His mind is shown in his purposeful ordering of human affairs. "He also is wise, says Isaiah scornfully. Kings of the earth are but his instruments. It is Assyria's supreme arrogance to think herself strong in her own might, who is but Jehovah's rod. "Is the axe to vaunt itself against him who heweth with it?" "Should the potter be accounted as clay, that the work should say of him that made it, He made me not? and the thing formed say of him that formed it, He hath no understanding?'' •

5

Jehovah

Peoples.

6

And

Israel always thought herself in very special sense Jehovah's people. But if Israel was near Jehovah, so much the more stringently were obedience and God of all righteousness demanded of her: "You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities." This was Amos' reversal of popular ideas. the same prophet looks on the sins of Israel, and declares that Jehovah will punish her as he punishes other evil peoples, whose destinies also he controls: "Are ye not as the sons of the Kushites unto me, ye sons of Israel? saith Jehovah. Have I not led up Israel from Egypt, and the Philistines from Kaftor, and the Syrians from Kir? Behold, the eyes of the Lord Jehovah are upon the sinful kingdom that I should destroy it from the face of the land, only I will not utterly destroy the house of

1 Hosea viii, 5.

Isaiah ii, 9; see Isaiah xl, 19-26; xliv, 9–20. 3 E. g., Isaiah xxxi, 3.

▲ Ib., 2.

5 Isaiah x, 15. Is. xxix, 16, cf. Is. xlv, 9, etc. Amos iii. 2.

Jacob, saith Jehovah. For behold I shake the house of Israel as corn sifted in a sieve, yet not the least grain falleth to the earth. By the sword shall die all sinners of my people who say, The evil will not reach and fall

upon us.

If Amos declares that Jehovah will punish Israel like other nations, Isaiah declares that other nations shall come to know him, and be regarded by him with Israel; "the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. In that day shall Israel be a third to Egypt and to Assyria, even a blessing within the earth, forasmuch as Jehovah Sabaoth hath blessed him, saying, Blessed is my people Egypt and the work of my hands, Assyria, and mine inheritance Israel.""

A clearer consciousness of Jehovah as God of all peoples imparted a more absolute nature to the conception of his righteousness. He set the heathen nations up, his hand sustained them; yet, inasmuch as they denied him, boasting in their own strength and in the idols of their hands, Jehovah, just as he must punish Israel, could not fail to do more to these more evil nations. He was absolutely righteous, merciful with that absolute mercy which destroys sin for the sake of man's higher welfare, and gracious with that absolute benevolence which can foster only what is good. To such as Assyria, despite the prophetic hope expressed for her, Jehovah's graciousness and mercy could be but the besom of destruction."

His Love

Jehovah had chosen Israel; and since his nature was righteous, faith-keeping, just, creative, seeking and fostering like qualities in men, it followed that he desired the highest welfare, the righteousness, of his people. And what is the perfect desire of another's welfare but love pure and holy, pure because of the perfectness of its motive, holy because of its aloof

of Israel.

1 Amos ix, 7-10. Special reference here, as throughout Amos, to the destruction to come on the northern Kingdom.

Is. xix, 23-25, Cheyne's translation. 3 Compare the later story of Jonah.