The Testimony of the Bible Concerning the Assumptions of Destructive Criticism | Page 9

the earth,
to be thine inheritance, as thou spakest _by the hand of Moses, thy
servant_." (1 Kings viii. 53.)
20. "There hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he
promised by the hand of Moses his servant." (1 Kings viii. 56.)
21. "So that they will take heed to do all that I have commanded them,
according to the whole law and the statutes and the ordinances by the
hand of Moses." (2 Chron. xxxiii. 8.)
22. "To kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your
brethren, that they may do according to the word of the Lord, by the
hand of Moses." (2 Chron. xxxv. 6.)
23. "Thou ... madest known unto them thy holy Sabbath, and
commandedst unto them precepts, statutes and laws, by the hand of

Moses thy servant." (Neh. ix. 14.)
24. "Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and
Aaron." (Psa. lxxvii. 20.)
Paul was familiar with these statements of the Jewish Scriptures. He
believed them. (2 Cor. iv. 13.) He believed that God gave "the whole
law and the statutes and the ordinances _by the hand of Moses_" (2
Chron. xxxiii. 8), who was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians,
and was mighty in words and deeds. (Acts vii. 22.) Hence he called the
Scriptures "The Law of Moses."
Some of the critics will concede that many things were done by Moses,
but not recorded until after the exile. Think of it! The laws, statutes,
and ordinances which were vital to the life of the Jewish nation, which
had been given at Sinai, and were announced with the sanctions of life
or death, were not recorded by God's appointed leader, whom he had
trained in all the learning of the times, but were left for almost a
thousand years to uncertain tradition!
Paul had not forgotten the above statements concerning Moses'
personal connection with the giving of the law. Before Felix he was
arraigned, and testified "what the prophets and Moses did say." (Acts
xxvi. 22.)
To the Jews at Rome "he expounded and testified the kingdom of God,
persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the laws of Moses and
out of the prophets." (Acts xxviii. 23.)
In his Epistle to the Roman Christians he says (quoting from Lev. xviii.
5): "For Moses writeth that the man that doeth the righteousness which
is of the law shall live thereby." (Rom. x. 5, R.V.)
To the Corinthian Christians he says: "It is written in the law of Moses.
Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox when he treadeth out the
corn." (1 Cor. ix. 9.) Here again he quotes from Deut. xxv. 4, and
repeats the quotation in 1 Tim. v. 18. But the critics deny that it was
written until after the exile, at least nine hundred or one thousand years
later.
The Apostle James adds his testimony to that of Paul, while addressing
the assembly of the apostles at Jerusalem, saying: "For Moses of old
time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the
synagogues every Sabbath." (Acts xv. 21.)
We have learned in these quotations from Matthew, Luke, John,

Stephen, Peter, and Paul, their repeated testimony, their unvarying faith
that Moses both spoke and wrote the scriptures contained in the
Pentateuch. We have seen that their faith was founded on twenty-four
inspired declarations that these five books were given "by the hand of
Moses." These statements are found in the books themselves, from
Leviticus to the Psalms. If inspired testimony is worth anything, the
case is closed, and the critics' case goes out of court, more than
disproved.
WAS CHRIST MISTAKEN?
The reader will be interested to know what Christ has to say of the
critics' denial of the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch. For he who
"spake as never man spake," he of whom the Father said, "This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, _hear ye him_," this same
Jesus had some very positive opinions on the subject before us. He has
spoken clearly and definitely. We may not turn away from his
testimony.
1. After healing the leper, our Lord said to him: "Go thy way, show
thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded for a
testimony unto them." (See Matt. viii. 4, Mark i. 44, Luke v. 14.)
Our Savior here quotes from Lev. xiv. 2-8. Moses had been
commanded to write the words that God had given him. (Exod. xxxiv.
27.) "And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord" (Exod. xxiv. 4),
hence our Lord quotes the passage in Leviticus from Moses.
2. The Pharisees, always captious and controversial, sought to entangle
the Savior in a discussion on the subject of