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chapter 10. The animosity in chapter 9 seen in Saul of Tarsus
is reflected in Peter in chapter 10, He would not eat of what
was coming down from heaven. And yet, in spite of that, the
grace of Christ has come down, that is the idea. It was His
choice. He said to the disciples, and they were Jews, “Ye have
not chosen me, but I have chosen you”, John 15: 16. That
could be equally said about ourselves, about the nations; He
has chosen us. The Cushite was black, but she said, I am
comely. We want to bring that out, how the comeliness is
reached from the side of history. It is a very important truth,
how comeliness is arrived at, admitting history—not the history
being left, but taken up and settled.
And so, as I said, this upset Aaron and Miriam to such an
extent that God comes down. He talks to them, and the
outcome is that Miriam is leprous, and they did not journey for
seven days; as long as she was leprous the camp did not
move. That is the present national position of the Jew; he is
leprous, and the camp is not moving; they are without king,
without prince, without sacrifice, and no teaching priest (Hosea
3: 4). They are leprous at the moment, and during the time this
is taking place Jehovah is bringing out the superiority of the
man Moses.
Now “the man Moses was very meek, above all men”, not
‘among all men’, it is “above all men”. During this long period
when the camp is stationary; so to speak, God is bringing out
the perfection of Christ. Before the Jews are taken up again,
before the camp moves, God is bringing out the greatness of
Christ. “Why then were ye not afraid to speak against my
servant, against Moses?”, Numbers 12: 8. He says, I will come
and speak to him like a friend, face to face, “and the form of
Jehovah doth he behold”.
Oh, how great Christ is! God regarded Moses as a friend, and
the form of Jehovah did he behold. All that remains, while the
glory departs, from Israel and their state is leprous. But I want
to bring out as regards ourselves, dear brethren, the side of