News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-08-16
THE |. S. s. LESSON.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
AUGUST 10.
Lesson Text: 1.-The Feast of Tab
ernacles," Lev, xiii, 33-44-
Golden Text: Ps. cxviii.,
15-CommentaryO on
the Lesson.

This chapter may well be called "The
Chapter of the Feasts of the Lord or "The
Chapter of the Hoy Convocations," the
former expression beginning and ending the
chapter, and foun1 also in verses 4, 81, while
the latter is found no less than eleven times
in this chapter. The word feast in these
! four verses referred to signifies "a set or
appointed time or season. and in the ex
preston tabernacle of the congregation
found so often in Exodus, Leviticus and
| Numbers it is the same word there TRANSLATED
| Congregation Convo alton signifies an
! assembly or calling together OF the people,
| and in Nehemiah viii, 3, it is rendered
reading" that which caused the peo
| pie to come to rether. We have then before
| US account of the set times in the
/ year when God would have His people Israel
| to come before Him to remember His merci-
the forgiveness OF their sins, and rejoice
| because of their manifold lessings enjoyed
| at His hands. in Ex. xiii, 14-l7, we find
that three times in the year they were to
keep a feast unto Him, at which times all the
men must be present. This command is re-
peated in Ex. xxxiv., %; Deut. xvi, 10; and
lest they might fear any harm coming to
their thus apparently unprotected homes in
their absence, God assures them that when
they go up to appear before Him, He will see
to the safety of their possessions. lex. xxxly.,
24.)
are apt to think of this most weighty state
ment. 1t ought to cause us to give heed with
all our powers as we remember that while
other things pass away ''the word OF our
God shall stand forever" This statement is
found in verses l, 9, %. 26, 33, of one chapter,
thus dividing it into five sections the last OF
which is our lesson. We do we'll to keep in
mind that the Lord speaks to Moses from off
the mercy seat, between the cherublm, that
blood sprinkled mercy seat which we saw IN
last weeks lesson.
"a. Speak unto the children of Israel"
Moses was simply the Lords mouthpiece to
the people and had only to say what the Lord
told him. "Speak with Ny words unto them
hear the word at My mouth and
give them warning from me- (Ezek. ill, 4,
~, was the command to Ezekiel, and when
we hear our Lord Jesus saying: "The Father
who sent me, gave me a commandment, what
l should say and what | should speak" CJohn
xii, 49,. How careful all teachers and
preachers should be not to utter their own
words, but seek to yield unto the Holy Spirit
that He may speak.
1.-The fifteenth day of the seventh month
1t is for God to appoint the day, and for us
to be obedient. 1t was on the first day OF
this month that they blew with the trum-
pets, and on the tenth day was the great an
nual atonement of last weeks lesson. The
fifteth year or year of jubilee was ushered
in by the blowing of trumpets on the atone
ment (xxv., 9, lOD.
1.-The feast of tabernacles seven days unto
the Lord.n In Ex. xiii, IL; xxxiv., % it is
called the feast of ingathering because they
had gathered in all their fruits out of the
field also V. 80 of our lessonl. Verses 40 to
43 tell us why it is called the feast OF the
tabernacles; they all took boughs and
branches of trees and made booths in which
they dwelt seven days, rejoicing before the
Lord, as they remembered their forty days
in the wilderness, when they had no crops to
gather in, but they dwelt in tents and God
fed them. In Neh. viii, 14-lS, we read that
as they kept this feast they built their booths
on the roofs of their houses, or in their
courts, or in the streets; but we also READ
there that the nation greatly neglected this
command, for from Joshua to Nehemiah
they kept not this feast. Who can tell how
much the neglect of this and other commands
had to do with the downfall of the nation2
35 "An holy convocation,n because 1T was
a gathering unto, and in the name of the
Holy One Of Israel. He was their holiness,
even as he is ours, and apart from Him there
is no holiness.
mo servile work. Nine times in this
chapter are we told of no work, or no man.
ner of work, or no servile work Tvs; 8, 2, 8,
q, 25, 2S, 81, 35, 36) in connection with these
holy DAYS. All true service ought to be JOY
full service, glad thank offering to Him who
speaks from off the mercy seat, who Himself
is our mercy seat. All slavish work. or work
done because we ought to do it, or must do
it. should have no place in the service of such
a Redeemer, whose service is perfect free
dom"
V. Sc. "An offering made by fire unto the
Lord Twice in this verse, and five times
elsewhere in the chapler do we find this ex-
preston Tvs. s, 13, Is, 25, 20. 1t was be-
cause of this offering by fire that there was
to be no servile work but only joy in the
Lord, with deep humility of soul. Every day
in all the year there was offered the contin-
ual burnt offering morning and evening, be-
sides the special offerings of all special
occasions: and if you would know
how much labor devolved upon the
priests on the special occasion of the
feast of tabernacles, you have only to read
carefully Mum. xxx, 12-3S
81. Everything upon His day" Sac
rifices and the number of them, feasts and
the order of them all appointed by God and
everything upon His day; the priests and the
people had only to read Alright and be obedi'
ent, and the command was: ITO write the
words of the law very plainly Deut.
xvii, s. Day by day we are to rest in Him
who once for all became our sacrifice; day
by day we are to rejoice in Him who ever
liveth to make intercession for us; and day
by day we are to do joyfully what our hands
find to do everything upon His day."
3S. Beside the Sabbaths. gifts vows
e.. and free will offerings, which ye give
unto the Lord" Israel was required to give
unto the Lord for his special worship and for
their own great good, every seventh day IN
the whole year, besides these three annual
when everything ordinary had to be laid
aside; they had also to give one-tenth of all
their increase besides their special gifts and
VOWS and free will offerings. Let all who
study this lesson consider whether with all
our great privileges and increased light we
are anything like Israel in the matter of
faithfulness or unfaithfulness, in reference to
worship or gifts