that thousands of years ago, the entire history of this remarkable race was divinely foretold. The curse which rests upon them, the condition of their land and the city of Jerusalem, and much else, bear witness that the Bible is the Word of God, that the rejected Jesus is their promised Messiah.

And the Word of God, which has been so literally fulfilled touching the curse, will some blessed day be as literally fulfilled in blessing.

"To Provoke Them to Jealousy."

CHAPTER V.

The next answer to our question is found in the eleventh verse. "I say, then, have they stumbled in order that they might fall? Far be the thought: but by their fall there is salvation to the nations to provoke them to jealousy." We have learned before that the setting aside of Israel is not final, their blindness and hardness of heart is not their permanent condition. They did stumble indeed, but their stumbling was not for the sake of their fall. The second time we find in the chapter the emphatic "Far be the thought." Put this thought as far away as possible from you, that God should permit His own people, His chosen people, the people whom He foreknew, to stumble in order that they might fall. A wonderful fact is now brought to our notice. God's deep councils of mercy and wisdom are being put before us. "By their fall there is salvation to the nations."

This great fact is not altogether unknown

in the predictions of the Old Testament Scriptures, though its fulness is a new revelation, for we read in the Epistle to the Ephesians, that the fullness of the grace of God towards the nations (Gentiles) is one of the mysteries made known through Paul. "For this reason, I Paul, prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles, if ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to youward; how that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery (as I wrote afore in a few words, whereby when you read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the Gospel" (Eph. iii:1-6).

We find, however, while the fact that the unsearchable riches of Christ were to be preached among the Gentiles for the calling out of the church, which is His body, is a new revelation, that the very words in the verse before us point us back to the Old Testament.

In Deuteronomy xxxii, the farewell song of Moses, a God-breathed song and wonder

ful prophecy, the Holy Spirit gives us a history of Israel. Their origin and calling, the mercy and goodness of God towards them, their disobedience and apostasy, rejection and punishment, restoration and glorious future, all is clearly predicted and outlined. Let the infidel and higher critic try to answer this argument of supernaturalism contained in the song of Moses. There is no answer; it is a miracle.

Beginning at the fifteenth verse of that chapter we read: "But Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick-thou art covered! Then he forsook God, which made him and lightly esteemed the rock of His salvation. They provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they Him to anger. They sacrificed unto demons, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. Of the Rock that begat thee, thou art unmindful, and hast forsaken God that formed thee. And when the Lord saw it He abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. And He said, I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is

no faith. They have moved Me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked Me to anger with their vanities, and I will move them to jealousy with those that are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation" (Deut. xxxii).

Here we read of Israel's apostasy. The Rock, whom they lightly esteemed, the Rock of His salvation, is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. In consequence of their unfaithfulness and provoking God, the Lord would move them to jealousy with those which are not a people. We notice that this announcement comes in after their apostasy was fully established. And so it was in its fulfillment. When the Lord Jesus was on earth and preached the kingdom of heaven, He did so to His own and there was no proclamation to the Gentiles. His disciples were commanded by Him, not to go in the way of the Gentiles, but to go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. After His resurrection, ascension and the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, His loving hand was still outstretched towards His blinded, erring people. His mercy lingered over Jerusalem. The first part of the book of Acts is evidence of it. Only after the apostasy was fully established the instrument was called, the Apostle of the