Page images
PDF
EPUB

CHAPTER XLI.

THE FIRE OF THE LORD-ANOTHER MASSACRE-TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY ASSASSINATED.

[ocr errors]

*

#

"And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense. But on the morrow all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses, and against Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord." [Num. XVI: 35, 41.

SECTION 1. The "fire of the Lord," spoken of in the text, above, is that same fire of which something was said in the thirtieth Chapter of this Book; the same fire that was enkindled in the bosoms of the friends of Moses, and was the cause of, and the operating element in, that bloody affray throughout the camp of Israel at Taberah. In Num. XI: 1 and 2, Moses alludes to the emeute at Taberah, and in the following language:

"And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them that were in the nethermost parts of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the Lord, the fire was quenched."

SEC. 2. By way of comment on the foregoing and as additional to the remarks made in the aforesaid thirtieth Chapter, I would say: the truthful rendering, in familiar language, of this extract from Moses' auto-biography is this: The people-the masses-complained of Moses, or, in other words, censured him, alleging that which was true, namely: that he was the cause of the sufferings which they were then enduring. The partisans of Moses took up the matter in defence of him, and, in the fierceness of spirit of per

verted and misdirected religious zealots who are of a party in power, they pitched into the people in murderous assault throughout every part of the camp, wherever there could be found a man, a woman, or a child, who spake disparagingly of their master. The assassination of the people in this attack upon them at Taberah by the party zealots of Moses, was great. In commenting on this destruction of human life, one, so called, orthodox commentator says, that, the consuming power "pervaded the whole camp, from the center to the circumference, carrying death with it to all the murmurers.' Another of this class of commentators says, that the destroying power "consumed some in every part of the camp, where they began to make complaints one to another, of their being still in the wilderness."

SEC. 3. The summary of the foregoing, as was said, in substance, in the Chapter mentioned above, is this: The adherents of Moses, his particular friends, Moses deemed the people of the Lord; they heard the people's complainings of him and Moses wrote it down, the Lord heard their complaints. The anger that rankled in the bosoms of his bigoted adherents, and the ferocious party spirit which stimulated his drilled partisans to massacre the people who censured Moses-that which urged on the assassins in the commission of their diabolical deeds-in his auto-biography, Moses calls "the fire of the Lord." As Moses turned his eyes from the bloody field where his party friends slaughtered the complaining masses, he noted down in his journal, "the fire of the Lord burnt among them." Then, Moses would have us to understand that those who were assasinated by his mob, throughout the camp, were consumed by some supernatural demonstration of an invisible intelligent power, through visible means.

SEC. 4. Then, again, the extract now under consideration says: "The people cried unto Moses;" that is, while the work of slaughter was going on throughout the camp. The true interpretation of this is, the people, or some of them, implored the interposition of Moses in their behalf against

the murderous power and cruelty of his rampant assassins who were dealing death-blows among the masses in every part of the camp. The people knew that Moses held that mob in his power, and guided its action as he would. Who was there, then, except Moses, to whom they could appeal, with any expectation of success, in their earnest solicitations for the suspension of the murderous work of his assassins? According to the text, the appeal to Moses by the people was effectual and the mob stayed its work of slaughter"the fire was quenched," but not till after Moses, in their presence, had played the part of a religious juggler-not till he had "prayed:" so says the record. This apparent devotion by Moses, in invoking divine aid, is not the only case in history of religious impostors where iniquity deep, and of the darkest hue in the catalogue of crimes, was baptized with the prayer of the impostor. Audible public prayer is not positive evidence of devotional emotions of the heart of him, or her, who thus prays.

SEC. 5. To return to the text which is quoted at the head of this Chapter. The foregoing comments upon the quotation from Num. IX, supersede the necessity of extended remarks on the text now to be considered. The language used by Moses to narrate the events of which he was a witness, and in which he was an actor, or rather the language which he used to suppress and conceal the truth concerning the events which he narrated, is nearly the same in both quotations. The language he used is neither direct nor symbolical; for, in any just construction of it, it conveys to the mind of the reader untruthful ideas; nor does it symbolically represent the truth of the matter. The language may be said to be metaphorical, but it is enigmatical, very, and Moses designed that it should be obscure. The words used were selected by him with evil intent-for the purpose of warding from himself the responsibility of his own crimes; and thus far in history his device has proved effective, and as he designed it should. In the commonly accepted meaning of the words he used, they set forth falsehood for

truth, and vice versa-truth for falsehood; and it is doing Moses no injustice to allege it against him that he designed to have it so that he designed to pervert the truth of the history of the events which he narrated.

SEC. 6. I cannot believe that it is necessary to say more, substantiative of my position, in order to convince the unbiased of its truthfulness-of the truth of the averment that the "fire of the Lord," so called by Moses in the texts quoted in this Chapter, was simply the zeal manifested, and the fierceness of spirit exhibited by Moses' partisans in the maintenance of his rule over the children of Israel, and in executing his orders against the lukewarm and the insurgents of his authority. Consequently, I shall drop this question with few additional remarks. As was before stated, indirectly, it is not ascertainable by Moses' record what was the number assassinated at Taberah, of those who complained," but it was evident from it that the number was great. Be it remembered, that this slaughter was the work of a mob which moved, and ceased to move, at the beck of Moses. But the record states definitely the number of those massacred, in one day, who rose up before Moses, with Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and On; and, it gives the character, also social position, of those murdered. The work of Moses' mob on the day referred to was the assassinating of "two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown." By Moses' own testimony, this was the character, and the social position, of the men who were suddenly slaughtered by that fire which went forth from his Lord. In estimating the character of Moses, the murder of the two hundred and fifty princes is to be set to the catalogue of his deeds-to the catalogue of his crimes -for these were assassinated because they ignored his assumptions of authority and disregarded his dictations. It is not necessary that I dwell longer on this question, for it is sufficient for my purpose to merely lift the veil and show to the reader of what manner of spirit Moses was, and by what means he attained his elevated position-by what

measures he attained the rule, and the influence, over his fellow-men, that he did.

SEC. 7. Not to pursue this subject to much greater length, but in order to show that I have not misinterpreted the facts in the case, nor by my remarks, done injustice to Moses, I will cite as evidence a declaration made by the contemporaries of Moses, one which was recorded by him. I call the attention of the reader to the last verse in the quotation at the head of this Chapter. From it, it is evident that "the congregation of the children of Israel," believed that Moses, and Aaron, both, were guilty of the murder of the two hundred and fifty princes of their assembly. They were witnesses to the manner of their deaths. They saw no fire come from the Lord which consumed their friends, but, as before said, they witnessed that work of slaughter, and knew whereof they affirmed. The next day after the massacre the people of Israel came together, and the whole congregation publicly charged Moses and Aaron with the murder of the said two hundred and fifty princes, and they publicly censured them for their criminality in that diabolical work-in public convention the people said to Moses and Aaron: "Ye have killed the people of the Lord." This truthful allegation, and the godly position taken on the subject by the people, still further alarmed Moses and caused him to fear for his success, likewise for his and Aaron's personal safety. Then his mob was called upon to renew its fiendish work of assassination. In this onslaught on the people by Moses' murderous crew there were fourteen thousand and seven hundred of the people massacred; and this time Moses modestly sets down the work of his mob "the plague.” But more of this in the next Chapter.

« PreviousContinue »