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84-662: According to 2 Kings 18 :4, King Hezekiah instituted an iconoclastic reform: "He abolished the shrines, smashed the pillars, and cut down the sacred post. He also broke into pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until that time, the Israelites had been offering sacrifices to it; it was called Nehushtan." "Nehushtan" is a pun off either the Hebrew word for "snake" ( נָחָשׁ , nāḥāš ) and/or "brass" ( נְחשֶׁת , nəḥošeṯ ), and thus may mean "The (Great) Serpent" or "The (Great) Brass". The English Standard Version of

168-648: A 'printed history of the Tabernacle'. The book has 15 chapters and of these 5 are given over to what he called 'Societies and Institutions'. The Five Chapters are: xi. The Almshouses. Explaining how the New Park Street Chapel site was sold to allow the Tabernacle to build an Almshouse and school. xiii. The Stockwell Orphanage. This opened for 240 boys in 1867 (and later for girls in 1879). These orphanages continued in London until they were bombed in

252-631: A 'ultra-righteous king' who relied on YHWH ( verses 1 –8), the most David-like king since David (verse 3, cf. verse 7 with 1 Samuel 18:14). It is contrasted to the apostate northern kingdom which was then destroyed by the Assyrians (verses 9–12). Prompting by Hezekiah's rebellion (verse 7), Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, came to attack Judah, and even after given large amount of tribute (verses 13–16) still demanded Jerusalem to surrender with convincing argumentation (verses 17–37). The narrative of

336-530: A Deuteronomic compiler in the seventh century BCE, with a supplement added in the sixth century BCE. This chapter records the events during the reign of Hezekiah , the king of Judah , a part of the section comprising 2 Kings 18:1 to 20:21 , with a parallel version in Isaiah 36 – 39 . This chapter was originally written in the Hebrew language . It is divided into 37 verses. Some early manuscripts containing

420-411: A brother with a Bible Carriage in the streets of London. Would not some other communities of young people do well to have their own man at work in the regions where they dwell? THINK OF IT", On the almshouses: "WE GREATLY NEED AT LEAST £5000 TO ENDOW THE ALMHOUSES, AND PLACE THE INSTITUTION UPON A PROPER FOOTING. Already C. H. Spurgeon, Thomas Olney, and Thomas Greenwood have contributed £200 each towards

504-404: A consequence. Not so very long ago our nation tolerated slavery in our colonies. Philanthropists endeavored to destroy slavery; but when was it utterly abolished? It was when (William) Wilberforce roused the church of God, and when the church of God addressed herself to the conflict, then she tore the evil thing to pieces. I have been amused with what Wilberforce said the day after they passed

588-543: A corner, it may come to what I fear. Bones must be set, and the sick must be cared for; the poor must not be left to die, in order not to have to go to the Government for help. So let us all try to give what we can. It is your duty to give, not merely as Christians, but as men. I like the Hospital Sunday movement, for all Christian people can meet, as we are met here to-night, on one platform. A controversy among

672-482: A cottage at Teversham while filling in for a friend. From the beginning of Spurgeon's ministry, his style and ability were considered to be far above average. In the same year, he was installed as pastor of the small Baptist church at Waterbeach , Cambridgeshire, where he published his first literary work, a Gospel tract written in 1853. In April 1854, after preaching three months on probation and just four years after his conversion, Spurgeon, then only 19 years old,

756-400: A heavy tribute, which also conforms with Sennacherib's record: Sennacherib decided that the tribute from Judah is not enough, so he sent his "big guns", his main officers, consisting of: ' Tartan , Rabsaris , and Rabshakeh ' to force the capitulation of Jerusalem verse 17) . The Assyrians started by using psychological warfare, with Rabshakeh speaking directly to the people of Jerusalem at

840-462: A large operating budget compared with other Tabernacle activities. xiv. The Colportage Association. Colporters were employed to take Bibles, good books and periodicals for sale, from house to house. They also were involved in visiting the sick and holding meetings. xv. Other Institutions Connected with the Tabernacle. Here Spurgeon describes 21 other 'Institutions'. Two examples are: The Ordinance Poor Fund which distributed money amongst poor members of

924-507: A message given on 11 January 1866, regarding Psalm 51:7: "Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." The book has been and is still used to teach people without reading skills and people of other cultures and languages – young and old – around the globe about the Gospel message. On the death of missionary David Livingstone in 1873, a discoloured and much-used copy of one of Spurgeon's printed sermons, "Accidents, Not Punishments,"

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1008-439: A mighty hive of bees – eager to secure at first the best places, and, at last, any place at all. After waiting for more than half an hour – for if you wish to have a seat you must be there at least that space of time in advance… Mr. Spurgeon ascended his tribune. To the hum, rush, and trampling of men, succeeded a low, concentrated thrill and murmur of devotion, which seemed to run at once, like an electric current, through

1092-711: A mural of the Israelites' deliverance from the plague of serpents by the creation of the bronze serpent. 2 Kings 18 2 Kings 18 is the eighteenth chapter of the second part of the Books of Kings in the Hebrew Bible or the Second Book of Kings in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible . The book is a compilation of various annals recording the acts of the kings of Israel and Judah by

1176-687: A sanctuary or public space as a political maneuver following the Israelite settlement. Hebraist and Old Testament scholar R. H. Kennett hypothesized that Moses made the Brazen Serpent and that the Ark of the Covenant was created specifically to contain it despite no known written reference made to the Ark's contents. Kennett also theorized that should Nehushtan truly date back to the time of Moses, it

1260-511: A short time many cities of Judah were occupied and Jerusalem was besieged. King Sennacherib depicted his victory over Lachish in a stone relief in his palace at Nineveh ( Lachish reliefs , now in the British Museum ) and described Hezekiah's desperate situation on several victory monuments ( Sennacherib's Annals ): The Bible text records that Hezekiah initially tried to free himself from Assyrian pressure by conceding defeat and paying

1344-625: A structure in the speech mocking YHWH's power to emphasize that 'YHWH is only one among many gods': Rabshakeh's argument rises from the polytheistic worship system of the empire with the boast that Assyria has the king 'before whom no gods can stand'. This leads to the confrontation and the display of YHWH's power in chapter 19. Other than in the Books of Kings , Ahaz is mentioned in the Book of Isaiah , Books of Chronicles , Gospel of Matthew ( 1:9 ), and Assyrian inscriptions ( ANET 282–284 ), such as

1428-606: A symbol of Yahweh at the time of its destruction. Instead, Rowley theorized that the bronze serpent destroyed by King Hezekiah was a sacred pre-Israelite symbol of serpent worship associated with a Canaanite god and was adapted by the Israelites following the occupation of Jerusalem. W.W.G. Baudissin was also of the belief that the Canaanite bronze serpent was adapted by the Israelites between 850–750 B.C.E following their settlement in Jerusalem. Egyptologist Henry Hall supports

1512-577: A thousand years by all the most earnest men of the school, it would never renew a soul, nor overcome pride in a single human heart. The standoff caused division amongst the Baptists and other non-conformists and is regarded by many as an important paradigm. Spurgeon strongly opposed the owning of slaves. He lost support from the Southern Baptists , sales of his sermons dropped, and he received scores of threatening and insulting letters as

1596-400: Is Jesus Christ." My venerable predecessor, Dr. Gill, has left a body of divinity admirable and excellent in its way; but the body of divinity to which I would pin and bind myself for ever, God helping me, is not his system of divinity or any other human treatise, but Christ Jesus, who is the sum and substance of the gospel; who is in himself all theology, the incarnation of every precious truth,

1680-501: Is not the serpent that either brings to life or puts to death, but it is God (Mishnah R. H. 3:8, B. Talmud R.H. 29a). In the course of time, however, the people lost sight of the symbolical meaning and regarded the serpent itself as the seat of the healing power, and they made it an object of worship, so that Hezekiah found it necessary to destroy it ( 2 Kings 18:4 ; see also Ber. 10a). The question that puzzled Heinrich Ewald ("Gesch. des Volkes Israel," iii. 669, note 5) and others, "Where

1764-648: Is said to have produced powerful sermons of penetrating thought and precise exposition. His oratory skills are said to have held his listeners spellbound in the Metropolitan Tabernacle, and many Christians hold his writings in exceptionally high regard among devotional literature. Born in Kelvedon , Essex, he moved with his family to Colchester at 10 months old. The missionary Richard Knill spent several days with Spurgeon while visiting his grandfather in 1844; he announced to him and his family that

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1848-600: The Act of Emancipation . He merrily said to a friend when it was all done, "Is there not something else we can abolish?" That was said playfully, but it shows the spirit of the church of God. She lives in conflict and victory; her mission is to destroy everything that is bad in the land. The Best Warcry , March 4, 1883. In a letter to the Christian Watchman and Reflector ( Boston ), Spurgeon declared: I do from my inmost soul detest slavery… and although I commune at

1932-416: The Book of Mormon , three prophets make reference to this event. The first is the prophet Nephi , son of Lehi in a general discourse, the second is many years later by the prophet Alma , and the third is years later by Alma's great-grandson also named Nephi. Nephi tells the people that many of the Israelites perished because of the simplicity and faith required i.e., "and the labor which they had to perform

2016-811: The Bronze Age : archaeologists have uncovered serpent cult objects in Bronze Age strata at several pre-Israelite cities in Canaan: two at Megiddo , one at Gezer , one in the sanctuary of the Area H temple at Tel Hazor and two at Shechem . Cultic serpent imagery was not isolated to Canaan. It appeared in surrounding areas, including the Esagila or temple of Marduk as tutelary deity in Babylon , where pairs of bronze serpents were erected beside each entrance to

2100-637: The Gospel of John , Jesus makes a comparison between the raising up of the Son of Man and the act of the serpent being raised by Moses for the healing of the people. Jesus says "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up". ( John 3:14 ) Charles Spurgeon preached a famous sermon on "the Mysteries of the Brazen Serpent" and this passage from John's Gospel in 1857. In

2184-551: The Nehushtan , a snake-shaped cultic image traced back to Moses (cf. Numbers 21:9 ), can really be attributed to Hezekiah, despite little details were reported, among other acts of piety (verses 6–7). Next are Hezekiah's early foreign political activities: he liberated the kingdom of Judah from Assyrian subservience and conducted successful campaigns against the Philistines (verses 7–8). An Assyrian source noted that Hezekiah

2268-576: The Second World War . The inspiration for starting an orphanage came from a visit with George Müller . The orphanage changed its name to Spurgeon's Child Care in 1937, and again in 2005 to Spurgeons . Spurgeon was linked more with the Stockwell orphanage than any other Metropolitan Tabernacle endeavour. There are probably four reasons for this: 1. It was a large set of buildings in London occupying four acres [1.6 hectares]. 2. There

2352-547: The restoration of the Jews to inhabit the Promised Land . We look forward, then, for these two things. I am not going to theorize upon which of them will come first – whether they shall be restored first, and converted afterwards – or converted first and then restored. They are to be restored and they are to be converted, too. The Restoration And Conversion of the Jews. Ezekiel 37.1–10, June 16th, 1864 Spurgeon's wife

2436-457: The " Nimrud Tablet K.3751 ", which is the first ancient record for the name "Judah" (Yaudaya or KUR.ia-ú-da-a-a) and "Ahaz" (written as "Jeho-ahaz"). Several bullae with the printed name of Ahaz have been found: Extra-biblical sources specify Hezekiah by name, along with his reign and influence. "Historiographically, his reign is noteworthy for the convergence of a variety of biblical sources and diverse extrabiblical evidence often bearing on

2520-451: The 'Calvinist' nor the 'Baptist' appears in the forefront of the battle which is waged by Mr. Spurgeon with relentless animosity, and with Gospel weapons, against irreligion, cant, hypocrisy, pride, and those secret bosom-sins which so easily beset a man in daily life; and to sum up all in a word, it is enough to say, of the man himself, that he impresses you with a perfect conviction of his sincerity. Spurgeon's work went on. A Pastors' College

2604-586: The Assyrian siege on Jerusalem in chapter 18 and 19 is presented in a parallel structure: From 18:17 onwards the editors seem to insert another source, which is also used in the Book of Isaiah , that indicates the Assyrians breaking their word after receiving the tribute and putting further pressure on Hezekiah in Jerusalem (cf. 1 Kings 20:1–7 for the equivalent chain of events). This section highlights Hezekiah's religious reforms which may contribute to an exceptional evaluation: he and Josiah ( 2 Kings 22:2 ) alone are comparable to David . The destruction of

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2688-899: The Baptists flared in 1887 with Spurgeon's first "Down-grade" article, published in The Sword & the Trowel . In the ensuing "Downgrade Controversy," the Metropolitan Tabernacle disaffiliated from the Baptist Union , effectuating Spurgeon's congregation as the world's largest self-standing church. Spurgeon framed the controversy in this way: Believers in Christ's atonement are now in declared union with those who make light of it; believers in Holy Scripture are in confederacy with those who deny plenary inspiration ; those who hold evangelical doctrine are in open alliance with those who call

2772-690: The Bible ( i.e. , they had "downgraded" the Bible and the principle of sola scriptura ). Spurgeon alleged that an incremental creeping of the Graf-Wellhausen hypothesis, Charles Darwin's theory of evolution , and other concepts were weakening the Baptist Union. Spurgeon emphatically decried the doctrine that resulted: Assuredly the New Theology can do no good towards God or man; it, has no adaptation for it. If it were preached for

2856-726: The Bible and the majority of contemporary English translations refer to the serpent as made of "bronze", whereas the King James Version and a number of other versions state "brass". 2 Kings 18:4 is translated as "brasen" in the King James Version. The Douay-Rheims 1899 edition has "brazen". Eugene H. Peterson , in his paraphrase of the Bible The Message (2002), opted for "a snake of fiery copper". Snake cults had been well established in Canaan in

2940-570: The Book of Helaman. Inasmuch as the serpent in the Talmud stands for such evils as talebearing and defamation of character (Genesis 3:4–5), the Midrash finds in the plague of the fiery serpents a punishment for sins of the evil tongue (Numbers 21:5). God said: "Let the serpent who was the first to offend by 'evil tongue' inflict punishment on those who were guilty of the same sin and did not profit by

3024-482: The Government spend something in this direction. I don’t believe in the Government doing anything well. I generally feel sorry when anything has to be left to the Government. I don’t mean this Government in particular, but any Government which may be in office for the time being. It is six of one and half-a-dozen of the other. I have a very small opinion of the whole lot. There are some things which we should try ourselves to do as long as ever we can; but if we are driven up

3108-547: The Lamb of God. Years after, he told this story to one who visited him on his death-bed. On 18 March 1861, the congregation moved permanently to the newly constructed purpose-built Metropolitan Tabernacle at Elephant and Castle , Southwark, seating 5,000 people with standing room for another 1,000. The Metropolitan Tabernacle was the largest church edifice of its day. Spurgeon continued to preach there several times per week until his death 31 years later. He never gave altar calls at

3192-590: The London Baptist Association. Within a few months of Spurgeon's arrival at Park Street, his ability as a preacher made him famous. The following year the first of his sermons in the "New Park Street Pulpit" was published. Spurgeon's sermons were published in printed form every week and had a high circulation. By the time of his death in 1892, he had preached nearly 3,600 sermons and published 49 volumes of commentaries, sayings, anecdotes, illustrations and devotions. Immediately following his fame

3276-460: The Lord's table with men of all creeds, yet with a slave-holder I have no fellowship of any sort or kind. Whenever [a slave-holder] has called upon me, I have considered it my duty to express my detestation of his wickedness, and I would as soon think of receiving a murderer into my church… as a man stealer . Like other Baptists of his time, despite opposing Dispensationalism , Spurgeon anticipated

3360-554: The Mid Eastern world's historical documents". Several bullae bearing the name of Hezekiah have been found: Other artifacts bearing the name "Hezekiah" include LMLK stored jars along the border with Assyria "demonstrate careful preparations to counter Sennacherib's likely route of invasion" and show "a notable degree of royal control of towns and cities which would facilitate Hezekiah's destruction of rural sacrificial sites and his centralization of worship in Jerusalem", with

3444-443: The acoustic properties of the building, cried in a loud voice, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." In one of the galleries, a workman, who knew nothing of what was being done, heard the words, and they came like a message from heaven to his soul. He was smitten with conviction on account of sin, put down his tools, went home, and there, after a season of spiritual struggling, found peace and life by beholding

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3528-501: The all-glorious personal embodiment of the way, the truth, and the life. — The kernel of Spurgeon's first sermon at the Tabernacle Besides sermons, Spurgeon also wrote several hymns and published a new collection of worship songs in 1866 called "Our Own Hymn Book". It was mostly a compilation of Isaac Watts 's Psalms and Hymns that had been originally selected by John Rippon , a Baptist predecessor to Spurgeon. Singing in

3612-421: The arrival of Moses's sacred rod would be a public spectacle with an honorary procession, which would be well documented. Instead, he proposes that the bronze serpent became associated with Nehushtan through process of religious syncretism , citing that the gradual fusion of Canaanite and Israelite beliefs and customs. He hypothesized that symbols representing both religions may have been erected side by side within

3696-472: The brazen serpent existed within Jerusalem before the arrival of the Israelites, Rowley argues that there is no record of Nehushtan before the reign of Hezekiah, aside from the Numbers 21 story of the bronze serpent. Rowley states that had Nehushtan been brought into Jerusalem at any time as a genuine relic , there would be a documented record of its arrival or transfer. In his argument, Rowley also inserts that

3780-476: The breast of everyone present, and by this magnetic chain the preacher held us fast bound for about two hours. It is not my purpose to give a summary of his discourse. It is enough to say of his voice, that its power and volume are sufficient to reach everyone in that vast assembly; of his language that it is neither high-flown nor homely; of his style, that it is at times familiar, at times declamatory, but always happy, and often eloquent; of his doctrine, that neither

3864-402: The capture of Lachish and the siege of Jerusalem , are recorded in a number of ancient documents and artifacts: Charles Spurgeon Charles Haddon Spurgeon (19th June 1834 – 31st January 1892) was an English Particular Baptist preacher . Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations , to some of whom he is known as the "Prince of Preachers." He

3948-508: The child would one day preach the gospel to great multitudes. Spurgeon's conversion from nominal Congregationalism came on 6th of January 1850, at age 15. On his way to a scheduled appointment, a snowstorm forced him to cut short his intended journey and to turn into a Primitive Methodist chapel in Artillery Street, Newtown, Colchester , where he believed God opened his heart to the salvation message. The text that moved him

4032-400: The church has been moved to do, and I beg to say that there are other societies besides those which will be mentioned, but you will be tired before you get to the end of them." and finishes after the list by saying: "We have need to praise God that he enables the church to carry on all these institutions." Spurgeon's encouragement for members of the Tabernacle to be involved in these ministries

4116-551: The church of about £800 annually, and the Ladies' Benevolent Society. This group made clothing for the poor and 'relieved' them, with an income of £105. Eight years later at Spurgeon's fiftieth birthday celebration an updated list of 'Societies and Institutions' was read out. With Spurgeon's strong encouragement and support the 24 groups listed in 'The Metropolitan Tabernacle: Its History and Work', had become 69. Before they are read out Spurgeon says: "I think everybody should know what

4200-471: The city walls' (verses 27–35). Rabshakeh's well-crafted speeches alternate between promises of good things from the Assyrian king and warnings not to trust YHWH nor Hezekiah to protect them: He states four seemingly excellent arguments for capitulation: Rabshakeh hammers on the issue of trust, which is a key issue in 2 Kings 17 , as spoken by the prophets, but here he offers the theological challenge: Hezekiah's acts of destroying places of worship provoke

4284-438: The conclusion of his sermons, but he always extended the invitation that if anyone was moved to seek an interest in Christ by his preaching on a Sunday, they could meet with him at his vestry on Monday morning. Without fail, there was always someone at his door the next day. He wrote his sermons out fully before he preached, but what he carried up to the pulpit was a note card with an outline sketch. Stenographers would take down

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4368-547: The congregation was exclusively a cappella under his pastorate. Thousands heard the preaching and were led in the singing without any amplification of sound that exists today. Hymns were a subject that he took seriously. While Spurgeon was still preaching at New Park Street, he entered the Rivulet controversy over a hymn book. He found its theology largely deistic . At the end of his review, he warned: We shall soon have to handle truth, not with kid gloves, but with gauntlets, –

4452-604: The denomination over doctrinal convictions. While at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, he built an Almshouse and the Stockwell Orphanage. He encouraged his congregation to engage actively with the poor of Victorian London. He also founded Spurgeon's College , which was named after him posthumously. Spurgeon authored sermons , an autobiography, commentaries, books on prayer, devotionals, magazines, poetry, and hymns. Many sermons were transcribed as he spoke and were translated into many languages during his lifetime. He

4536-427: The displeasure of YHWH, and the implication: neither Hezekiah nor Egypt nor YHWH can be trusted to deliver the people. He ends his speech with an audacious claim that Sennacherib, not Hezekiah, is doing the will of God (verse 25) and that the Assyrian king will be the shepherd-king for Israel, a composite of Moses , Joshua and Solomon , to bring the people to a land full of prosperity (verse 32). Brueggemann observes

4620-534: The evidence suggesting the use throughout Hezekiah's reign, and the Siloam inscription . An inscription bearing the name "Shebnayahu" was discovered on the lintel above the entrance of a rock-cut tomb which suggests the connection to Shebna , the court officer mentioned in 2 Kings 18:18 and 2 Kings 19:2 . The accounts of Sennacherib of Assyria, including his invasion into the Kingdom of Judah , especially

4704-482: The fall a fable, who deny the personality of the Holy Ghost, who call justification by faith immoral, and hold that there is another probation after death… It is our solemn conviction that there should be no pretence of fellowship. Fellowship with known and vital error is participation in sin. The controversy took its name from Spurgeon's use of the term "Downgrade" to describe certain other Baptists' outlook toward

4788-453: The food which had given any taste desired, should be punished by means of that creature to which everything has the same taste (Tan., ed. Buber, Ḥuḳḳat, xlv. [337]; Midrash R. Num. xix. 22). The Mishnah does not take literally the words "Every one who was bitten by a serpent would look at the serpent and live", but interprets them symbolically. The people should look up to the God of heaven, for it

4872-539: The fund, and we earnestly trust that either by donations or legacies the rest of the £5000 will be forthcoming." Spurgeon had one infirmary built, at the Stockwell Orphanage. However, he also recognised that the poor had limited access to health care and so was also an enthusiastic supporter of the Metropolitan Hospital Sunday Fund . He left us this quote: We must have more hospitals. I do not know whether we shall not be obliged to make

4956-573: The gauntlets of holy courage and integrity. Go on, ye warriors of the cross, for the King is at the head of you. On 5th June 1862, Spurgeon challenged the Church of England when he preached against baptismal regeneration . However, Spurgeon taught across denominational lines as well: for example, in 1877 he was the preacher at the opening of a new Free Church of Scotland church building in Dingwall . It

5040-444: The passage in 2 Kings 18:4, M. G. Easton noted that "the lapse of nearly one thousand years had invested the 'brazen serpent' with a mysterious sanctity; and in order to deliver the people from their infatuation, and impress them with the idea of its worthlessness, Hezekiah called it, in contempt, 'Nehushtan', a brazen thing, a mere piece of brass". The tradition of naming it Nehushtan is not considered older than Hezekiah's time. In

5124-423: The person of Jesus Christ. I am never ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist, although I claim to be rather a Calvinist according to Calvin, than after the modern debased fashion. I do not hesitate to take the name of Baptist. You have there (pointing to the baptistry) substantial evidence that I am not ashamed of that ordinance of our Lord Jesus Christ; but if I am asked to say what is my creed, I think I must reply: "It

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5208-600: The same events. Significant data concerning Hezekiah appear in the Deuteronomistic History, the Chronicler, Isaiah, Assyrian annals and reliefs, Israelite epigraphy, and, increasingly, stratigraphy". Archaeologist Amihai Mazar considers the tensions between Assyria and Judah "one of the best-documented events of the Iron Age" and "Hezekiah's story is one of the best to cross-reference with the rest of

5292-497: The sermon as it was delivered and Spurgeon would then have the opportunity to make revisions to the transcripts the following day for immediate publication. His weekly sermons, which sold for a penny each, were widely circulated and still remain one of the all-time best-selling series of writings published in history. I would propose that the subject of the ministry of this house, as long as this platform shall stand, and as long as this house shall be frequented by worshippers, shall be

5376-404: The serpent's example". One of the complaints in this case was dissatisfaction with the manna . Whereas the manna is said to have had any taste desired by the person eating it (Shemot Rabbah 25:3), to the serpent all things had the taste of dust, in accordance with the words: "And dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life" (Genesis 3:14). It was very appropriate, therefore, that they who loathed

5460-493: The serpents. Verse 9 says, "Moses made a copper serpent and mounted it on a standard; and when bitten by a serpent, anyone who looked at the copper serpent would recover." The term appears in 2 Kings 18:4 in a passage describing reforms made by King Hezekiah , in which he tore down the high places , cut down symbols of Asherah , destroyed the Nehushtan, and according to many Bible translations, gave it that name. Regarding

5544-678: The temple. According to Lowell K. Handy, the Nehushtan may have been the symbol of a deity for snakebite cure within the Temple in Jerusalem . In the biblical story, following their Exodus from Egypt, the Israelites set out from Mount Hor to go to the Red Sea . However they had to detour around the land of Edom ( Numbers 20 :21 , 25). Impatient, they complained against Yahweh and Moses ( Numbers 21:4–5 ), and in response God sent " fiery serpents " among them and many died. The people came to Moses to repent and asked him to ask God to take away

5628-866: The text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century ), and Codex Leningradensis (1008). There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint , made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus ( B ; G {\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}} ; 4th century) and Codex Alexandrinus ( A ; G {\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}} ; 5th century). This chapter introduces Hezekiah as

5712-412: The theory that the Nehushtan destroyed by Hezekiah was not associated with Yahweh, but Hall alternately suggests that it was an ancient serpent image carried from Egypt by the ancestors of the Israelites. This theory is supported by acknowledging the standard Egyptian practice of using the image of a serpent as to defend themselves against snake bites, in a form of sympathetic magic . In his notion that

5796-536: The wall of the city using the Hebrew language and employing shrewd rhetoric on Israelite faith while undermining it. The Rabshakeh is not a common messenger, as he is a 'propagandist and skill negotiator' with the ability of speaking the 'language of diplomatic disputation', with a purpose to divide the people of Judah along calls lines ( verse 27 ). The envoy delivered two speeches: one directed to King Hezekiah and his officers/negotiators, including Shebna and Eliakim , (verses 19–25) and one to 'the (warring) people on

5880-412: Was Isaiah 45:22 ("Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else"). Later that year, on April 4th, he was admitted to the church at Newmarket. His baptism followed on 3rd May in the river Lark , at Isleham . Later that same year he moved to Cambridge, where he later became a Sunday school teacher. Spurgeon preached his first sermon in the winter of 1850–51 in

5964-703: Was a strong figure in the Reformed Baptist tradition, defending the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith , and opposing the liberal and pragmatic theological tendencies in the Church of his day. Spurgeon was pastor of the congregation of the New Park Street Chapel (later the Metropolitan Tabernacle ) in London for 38 years. He was part of several controversies with the Baptist Union of Great Britain and later he left

6048-517: Was an annual fundraiser at which Spurgeon chose to celebrate his birthday, and often the laying of a foundation stone. The event was called ‘one of the largest bazaars and fancy fairs ever held in South London’ – in one day 1,000 was raised – a lot considering entry was sixpence. Spurgeon accepted money gifts for his birthday, which all went to the orphanage. 3. The Orphanage choir and bell ringers performed concerts to fundraise 4. It had such

6132-619: Was called to the pastorate of London's famed New Park Street Chapel in Southwark (formerly pastored by the Particular Baptists Benjamin Keach , and theologian John Gill ). This was the largest Baptist congregation in London at the time, although it had dwindled in numbers for several years. Spurgeon found friends in London among his fellow pastors, such as William Garrett Lewis of Westballs Grove Church, an older man who along with Spurgeon went on to found

6216-583: Was criticism. The first attack in the press appeared in the Earthen Vessel in January 1855. His preaching, although not revolutionary in substance, was a plain-spoken and direct appeal to the people, using the Bible to provoke them to consider the teachings of Jesus Christ . Critical attacks from the media persisted throughout his life. The congregation quickly outgrew their building and moved to Exeter Hall , then to Surrey Music Hall . At 22, Spurgeon

6300-490: Was during this period at the new Tabernacle that Spurgeon found a friend in James Hudson Taylor , the founder of the inter-denominational China Inland Mission . Spurgeon supported the work of the mission financially and directed many missionary candidates to apply for service with Taylor. He also aided in the work of cross-cultural evangelism by promoting " The Wordless Book ", a teaching tool that he described in

6384-647: Was either maintained by priests after fleeing to Nob from Shiloh or accompanied the Ark as it was carried off by the Philistines . This is not widely accepted due to no known tradition or association between the Serpent and Ark. There is a Brazen Serpent Monument on Mount Nebo in Jordan created by Italian artist Giovanni Fantoni. Similarly, on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel , Michelangelo painted

6468-402: Was emotionally impacted by the event and it had a sobering influence on his life. For many years he spoke of being moved to tears for no reason known to himself. Walter Thornbury later wrote in "Old and New London" (1898) describing a subsequent meeting at Surrey: a congregation consisting of 10,000 souls, streaming into the hall, mounting the galleries, humming, buzzing, and swarming –

6552-455: Was found among his few possessions much later, along with the handwritten comment at the top of the first page: "Very good, D.L." He had carried it with him throughout his travels in Africa. It was sent to Spurgeon and treasured by him. In 1876, 22 years after becoming pastor, Spurgeon published "The Metropolitan Tabernacle: Its History and Work". His intention stated in the preface is to give

6636-629: Was founded in 1856 by Spurgeon and was renamed Spurgeon's College in 1923, when it moved to its present building in South Norwood Hill, London. At the Fast Day , 7 October 1857, he preached to his largest crowd ever – 23,654 people – at The Crystal Palace in London. Spurgeon noted: In 1857, a day or two before preaching at the Crystal Palace, I went to decide where the platform should be fixed; and, in order to test

6720-530: Was the 'leader of an anti-Assyrian coalition from 705 BCE onwards', and he even 'arrested a pro-Assyrian king of Ekron in this capacity'. The editors included the description of the northern Israel kingdom's defeat to the Assyrians (cf. verses 9–11 with 2 Kings 17:3–6 ), as well as the cause of it, namely, the 'entire population's lack of loyalty to the Torah' (verse 12). The Assyrians stormed Judah, likely in response to Hezekiah's rebellion (verse 7) in 701 BCE. In

6804-576: Was the brazen serpent till the time of Hezekiah?" occupied the Talmudists also. They answered it in a very simple way: Asa and Joshaphat, when clearing away the idols, purposely left the brazen serpent behind, in order that Hezekiah might also be able to do a praiseworthy deed in breaking it (Ḥul. 6b). Old Testament scholar H. H. Rowley proposed that Nehushtan, as it was known during Hezekiah’s reign, had no origins in Yahwism despite being regarded as

6888-548: Was the most popular preacher of the day. On 8th of January 1856, Spurgeon married Susannah , daughter of Robert Thompson of Falcon Square, London, by whom he had twin sons, Charles and Thomas born on September 20th, 1856. At the end of that year, tragedy struck on 19th of October 1856, as Spurgeon was preaching at the Surrey Gardens Music Hall for the first time. Someone in the crowd yelled, "FIRE". The ensuing panic and stampede left several dead. Spurgeon

6972-437: Was to look; and because of the simpleness of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished." In the latter narrative, Alma tells the people of Antionum that many of the Israelites died because they lacked the faith to look at the brazen serpent. He then compared the brazen serpent to a type of Christ and exhorted the people to look to Christ and spiritually live. These same themes from Alma were reiterated by Nephi in

7056-566: Was very strong. Spurgeon's own regular contributions to them meant that he left his wife only 2,000 pounds, when he died, despite having earned millions from his published sermons and books. He encouraged others to give, with comments like these: On the Green Walk Mission: "Here a good hall must be built. If some generous friend would build a place for this mission, the money would be well laid out", On colporters: "Mr Charlesworth’s two Bible classes have generously agreed to support

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