Witnesses to Truth

by Edward Hoare

It may refer to the spreading of the Europeans into all the nations of the world, and so dwelling in the tents of Shem; and if there were nothing more than our own settlements in foreign lands, there would be the most complete fulfilment of the prophecy.

But surely there is more. And especially there is one remarkable fulfilment, which I cannot help thinking must have been intended in the prophecy. Now let us remember that the Lord and His coming is the centre, or turning-point, of the whole prophetic Word. Let us not forget how we found that the prophecy respecting Shem appeared distinctly to foretell His advent. Now when the predicted time came, and the promised Jehovah appeared, why did He not take His place on the throne of David, and why did He not reign in the tents of Shem? The Holy Land had all been given to Abraham, and belonged to the family of Shem; but when the Lord, the God of Shem, came, there was neither throne nor kingdom for Him, and He had not even where to lay His head. How could this be? And what had become of the royal throne? The answer is most remarkable. The Romans were on it, or, in prophetic words, Japheth was dwelling in the tents of Shem. The Romans were sons of Japheth, and by them the Lord, the God of Shem, was supplanted on His throne.

But, though that was a clear, literal, and most remarkable fulfilment of the prophecy, I cannot help thinking that in these words the Spirit of God referred to something higher. When St. James was speaking of the call of the Gentiles at what has been termed the council of Jerusalem, as recorded, Acts xv. 15, he quoted the words, “I will build again the tabernacle of David.” The conversion of the Gentiles was compared, therefore, to their admission into the tabernacle of David. And so the safety of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is compared by David himself to the shelter of God’s tabernacle, as, e.g., in Psalm xxvii. 5, where we read, “In the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me.” Now, bearing in mind the great fact that Jehovah is the God of Shem, and that the predicted Redeemer came from Shem, may we not believe that the tent, or the tabernacle of Shem, was the prophetic figure of the safety provided in the promised Son of God? The word Shem means “name,” and there may be something in the passage not unlike those other words, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.” Now if the passage were so understood, it would lead to the conclusion that Japheth would shelter himself under the Jehovah of Shem, and so dwell, as it were, in his tent, or under his tabernacle. It would lead us to expect a salvation through the Jehovah of Shem, bestowed on Japheth in such a way that Japheth should become possessor of Shem’s inheritance.

Now if that view of the prophecy commend itself to your judgment, remember that Noah spoke more than 4,000 years ago, and then look at the present position of the world. In what quarters of the globe do we find at this present time the most general recognition of the God of Shem? Which of the continents are most prominent in the honour paid to His name? Certainly neither Africa nor Asia; neither Ham nor even Shem itself. Beyond all controversy the two great Christian continents that are dwelling under Jehovah of Shem are the two peopled by Japheth; viz., Europe and America. Explain it as we may, the facts are most remarkable. The Lord Jesus Christ came from Shem, and, according to the language of scientific men, was Semitic, whereas by far the great majority of those who believe in His Name are from Japheth, or, according to men of science, Aryans. Shem has rejected its own Saviour; but Japheth has received Him, so that, under our own eyes, and at this present time, Japheth is dwelling in the tents of Shem. I know well how grievous a perversion of truth there is throughout Europe, and I do not for one moment maintain that the worship is pure; but still the name of Jehovah, the God of Shem, as manifested in the Lord Jesus Christ, is avowedly honoured, and we sons of Japheth are at this present moment abiding in His tent.

Now how are we to explain all this? How are we to explain the agreement between the conclusions of modern science and the historical fact of the threefold division which occurred more than 4,000 years ago? How again are we to account for the fulfilment of the prophetic Word? How do we explain the fact that, in exact accord with the prophecy, Canaan is the servant of servants; that it was from Shem that the Lord appeared; that Japheth is at this day remarkable for enlargement; and that we ourselves at this very moment are assembled to worship in the house of the God of Shem? It is impossible to believe that the book of Genesis was written to suit the conclusions of modern science; for these conclusions were utterly unknown at the time of its composition. It is impossible to believe that it is the result of design in our scientific men, for such an idea would indeed dishonour science. It is equally impossible to believe that the agreement was the result of chance or accident; for there are far too many points, both in the history and prophecy, to render such accidental coincidence possible. It is like a complicated lock which can only be opened by the key that was made to fit it. No; there is only one solution of the problem. As for the history, science agrees with it, and therefore confirms its truth; and as for the prophecy, it could have had its origin in no human calculation of the future; for how should Noah make any calculation respecting the state of this nineteenth century? But all is plain if we believe it to be inspired. He who inspired the prophecy, He saw the end from the beginning. He knew all, and by the lips of Noah he foretold what he foreknew; and thus we are brought to the conclusion, so plainly stated by St. Peter—“The prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

THE JEWS.

I am about, if God permit, to speak now of, by far, the most remarkable people in the world. In the last chapter we studied the Races, and found that through the labours of scientific men the three patriarchs of 4,000 years ago reappear in this nineteenth century as most important “witnesses to truth.” We put, as it were, Shem, Ham, and Japheth into the witness-box, and the result of their testimony was that Noah was inspired, and the Bible true. Such a subject as that has a tendency to lose power through the vastness of its extent. Our reading is not sufficiently wide, nor our minds sufficiently large, to enable us to take in the whole. We are dependent, moreover, on scientific men; and it is a strange thing, but a fact, that those who talk most of science are generally the least disposed to receive the conclusions of scientific men, when those conclusions differ from their own. But now I am about to call witnesses, in the examination of whom we do not want the help of science; for in their case there are no scientific difficulties. Their evidence is within reach of us all, and if we choose we may test it for ourselves. I am not about to speak of what happened 4,000 years ago; but of what is going on now, of what took place last year, and what any one may see for himself, if he will take the trouble to go to Houndsditch or Petticoat Lane. There he will find a most remarkable people, eager, quick, and intelligent, exceedingly different from the rest of the inhabitants of London, and separated from their fellow-townsmen by a social barrier, which is very seldom overstepped. These remarkable people are the Jews.

Now there are five undoubted and indisputable facts respecting the Jews that I propose, if God permit, to bring before you, and may He be pleased to help our study to the confirmation of our faith, and to the increase of our interest in His own ancient people!

(1.) Their Expatriation, or their expulsion as a nation from their country.

Now it is a curious fact, that there is no other nation in the world which has such a right to its own country as the Jews. Other nations claim their country simply through the right of occupation. We live in England, and our fathers lived there before us, so we consider it ours, and are ready to lay down our lives for its safety. But we have no title-deeds, and we have no documents to prove that it is ours. But it is very different with the Jews. They have the clearest possible documentary evidence of their covenant right to Palestine. There is not a person in any town who has a better title to his house than the Jews have to their country. It was distinctly given to them by God Himself, as we read in Gen. xv. 18. And yet after having occupied it for fifteen centuries, and after having shown the utmost courage and determination in its defence, they were driven from their homes by their Roman conquerors. Their city was sacked, their temple burnt with fire, their country laid desolate, and they themselves scattered homeless through the world. The result is that at this present time there are many more Jews in London than there are in the whole of Palestine. Now these are plain, well-known facts, and facts so well established that they are beyond the reach of contradiction.