But the Lord did more than that for Israel. As these people had not listened to Moses, he called Moses and Aaron to him, and he renewed their charge. He laid it upon them—gave them again their marching orders: “He gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.” A monstrous thing it did look. They would not even hear Moses but the Lord will have his servants stand to their work. Moses and Aaron have to do it, however impossible it may appear. There is to be no backing out of it. They must know of a surety that Israel is to be delivered by their means. It is a grand point when the Lord lays the conversion of men on the hearts of his ministers, and makes them feel that they must win souls. Moses was bound to bring out Israel. “But there is Pharaoh” Pharaoh is included in the divine charge. They have to beat Pharaoh into submission. “But those children of Israel will not obey.” The Lord put them in the charge: did you not observe the words, “He gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh “? Moses and Aaron, you have to bring Israel out, Pharaoh is to let them go, and Israel is to go willingly. God has issued his royal decree, and be you sure it will stand. I believe that God is saying to his church “You have to do it. You have to gather out mine elect out of every nation under heaven.” To the church in London, he says, “Bring this people out of the bondage of sin.” That terrible London with all its poverty, its drunkenness, its infidelity, and licentiousness: you are to save it in the name of the Lord Jesus. Its darkness is dense; you are to shine till it is enlightened. You have to save London. So do not back out of it. “Oh,” says one man, who lives down some street near this place, “Sir, I can hardly live in the street. It teems with ill-living women.” You have to save them. Passing a little shop as I did the other day, I saw written up in the window, “If any poor girl that wishes to lead a better life will only step inside she will find a friend.” That is one of our dear members. I felt so pleased as I saw it. I should like to see such a notice in a great many windows. I would like to see you live among the wicked, and put up in your windows, “If anybody wants a friend, there is one inside. Come in.” You are called to save them! They must not be lost. Somebody says, “What are you talking about, Mr. Spurgeon? We cannot save them.” I am talking as God said, when be told Moses and Aaron that he gave them a charge to bring his people out of Egypt. They could not do it: but yet they did it. Anyone can do what he can do, but it is only God’s servant that can do what he cannot do. We, my brethren, are called to perform the impossible; we are to be familiar with miracles. Look at Ezekiel. There is a valley full of dry bones. Ezekiel is to go and say to them, “Thus saith the Lord, Ye dry bones, live.” What a preposterous thing! An able divine of good repute once said that, to preach the gospel to dead sinners, was as preposterous as to wave a pocket-handkerchief over a grave. Ah, just so! Therefore, I would not have him do it. If the Lord has not sent him to do it he would do no good if he were to attempt to preach to the sinner dead in sin; but it is a different thing when it is my case, for I feel that I am sent to do it, and therefore I am not vexed at being thought to be acting absurdly. If God had sent me to wave a pocket-handkerchief over the dead in Nunhead cemetery, that they might live, I would go and wave that pocket-handkerchief, and they would live. To the eye of reason there is no use in preaching to men dead in sin. I freely admit that; but if it is a commission from God, then it is not ours to raise questions, but to do as we are bidden. God has commissioned his servants to preach the gospel to every creature. Whatever those creatures may be, we are to say to them, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be dammed.” This is our message and our mission, and we are just to tell the truth, and leave God to apply it to the heart. Oh that he may give us grace to tell out the gospel, and to keep on doing it till he has brought his own elect out of the bondage of sin and Satan, and saved them with an everlasting salvation!
Once more. As I told you in the reading, I greatly admire this chapter. I cannot help admiring the next thing that God did when he told his servant what to do. The Lord began to count the heads of those whom he would redeem out of bondage. You see the rest of the chapter is occupied with the children of Reuben, and the children of Simeon, and the children of Levi. God seemed to say, “Pharaoh, let my people go!” “I will not,” said the despot. Straightway the Lord goes right down into the brick-town where the poor slaves are at work, and he makes out a list of all of them, to show that he means to set free. So many there of Simeon. So many here of Reuben. So many here of Levi. The Lord is counting them. Moreover he numbers their cattle, for he declares, “There shall not a hoof be left behind.” Men say, “It is of no use counting your chickens before they are hatched”; but when it comes to God’s counting those whom he means to deliver, it is another matter; for he knows what will be done, because he determines to do it and he is almighty. He knows what is to come of the gospel, and he knows whom he means to bless. And so let Satan rage, and let adversaries do what they will, “The foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his”; and to prove this, he goes on writing down their names, and taking an account of them. “They shall be mine, saith the Lord, in that day when I make up my jewels.” Now, my hearers, if you do not come to Christ, it will be your own loss, and not his. If you refuse him, it will be because you are not Christ’s sheep, as he said to you. He has a people, and he will save them, whether you, my hearer, believe in Jesus or wilfully refuse to do so. Out of the mass of mankind a company shall come to him, and shall glorify his name, as it is written, “This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise.” Oh, that you had such a mind in you that you would accept his gospel! Will you do so even now? Trust Christ, and you are saved. Look unto him, and be ye saved The Lord bless you, for his name’s sake. Amen.
“This article originally appeared here at Bible Bulletin Board.”
