Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1888-07-06
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
Third Quarter: Lesson u. July 8. 1893.
THEME: The GOLDEN CALF-Exodus
xxxII;l5-26. parallel tDeut. 9:ll-2l.)

lHE GOLDEN tAIF.-EAOuuS
xxxII;l5-26. parallel, LDeut 9:ll-2l.)
Is. And Moses turned, and went down
from the mount, and the two tables of the
testimony were in his hand the tables were
written on both their sides; on the one side
and on the other were they written. III. And
the tables were the work of God, and the
writing was the writing Of God, craven up
on the tables. II. And when Joshua heard
the noise OF the people as they shouted, he
said unto Moses, There is a noise of war In
the camp. IS. And he said, 1t is not the
voice OF them that shout for mastery, neither
is IL the voice Of them that cry for being
overcome; but the noise of them that sing
do hear. 10 And il came TO pass, as soon
as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw
the calf and the dancing: and Moses anger
waxed hot and he cast the tables out of his
hand and break them beneath the mount.
20. And he took the calf which they had
made and burnt IL IN the fire and ground il
10 powder, and strewed IL upon the water,
and made the children OF Israel drink OF IL.
81. And Moses said unto Aaron, What did
this people unto thee, that thou hast brought
so great "A sin upon them. -. And Aaron
said, Let not the anger OF my lord wax hot:
thou knowest the people, that they are set
on mischief. %. For they said unto me,
Make us gods, which shall go before u.s. for
as for this Moses, the man that brought us
up out Of the land of Egypt, we wot not
what has become Of him "a And / said
unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let
them break il off So they gave il me: then
/ cast it unto the fire, and there came out
this calf. %. And when Moses saw that the
people were naked; (for Aaron had made
them naked unto their shame among their
.enemies0 26. Then Moses stood in the
gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the
Lords sidei let him come unto me. And
all the sons of Levi gathered themselves
together unto him.
GoDDEN TExr.-Little children, keep
yourselves from idols.-l John 5:2l.
AS mentioned in the last lesson, Moses
was called TO ascend alone the mountain
heights where he remained for forty days.
Here he was div inely enlightened concern
ing future duties, the erection of the taber-
nacle, the appointment of the priesthood
and the services of the sanctuary. AT the
conclusion of this course Of instruction, he
received divinely written book Of the law,
its pages Of stone.
The time, so short TO Moses, its hours
fully occupied with new attachments of
knowledge, was long 10 the surging multi
tude in the plain below. BE il remembered
that within a short time, Moses remained
hidden in the mountain as many days as he
had been with Israel. Only fifty days after
their departure from Egypt was the law
promulgated from Sinai and seven weeks
in all was Moses absent with the Lord. IL
was very natural lsraeI shouIu nave mis-
givings.
The people had been dazed by the swiftly
succeeding miracles but to the human eye,
now, ii looked as if they had been led out
OF Egypt into the Wilderness TO perish far
from the promised land. Enemies hedged
them round about in the mountains; and in
the weary days OF suspense, even the mirac-
ulous mama assumed To them an appear
ance OF commonness. Possibly some wise
ones ventured the affirmation that this food
was the natural product of the country,
with which only the God Of nature had 10
do, and IL was liable 10 fail.
The absence was necessary TO Moses as
season of religious experience; il was also
needed by Aaron 10 teach him his weakness
and how unfit he was for the responsibility
OF Office Of high priest. He, who was 10
offer atonement for others, was q sinner in
need OF atonement himself. 1t was also a
time Of testing for the people. They had
lust taken the oath Of allegiance to God in
the presence Of wonderful displays OF
divine power. They were not aware OF
their weakness and lack of discipline.
In their unsettled condition they sum
moned Aaron. This was an opportunity of
a lifetime for Aaron, but he was unequal
10 il. When the people clamored for "a
visible image of Jehovah he INDUCED them.
To satisfy in measure his own conscience,
doubtless he proclaimed il a festival to
Jehovah. The idol, he reasoned TO himself,
is TO be but an objective point of vision
The eye may rest on this, while the aspira-
tons ascend higher. Such is the sophistry
of the 18th century when ii is claimed that
pictures and images are aids 10 worship.
Sin, as is observed, lay not in worshipping
another god, but in disobeying the second
commandment which stricly forbids the
making Of visible symbol 10 represent the
great Jehovah, whom no symbol can repre-
sent, so far short does human art fall be-
low the requirements Of divine representa-
ton.
V. Is. And Moses turned and went down
from the mount While Joshua had re-
manned on the mountain at a lower eleva-
ton and returned with Moses there is no
evidence that Moses communicated to him
the knowledge he had received of the dis
loyalty of the people. And when Joshua
heard the noise, his first thought was of
war. No one can fully realize how strange
ly music in valley strikes the ear OF those
on the mountain side. Especially marked
is il in the Yosemite valley, surrounded by
high mountains whose precipitous sides,
clothed with ire 5 and shrubs, obscure the
vision, the Businesses seem alive with voices.
AS the Amalekites had once attacked Is
rael, the suspicion Of Joshua was very nat
ural But il was the loud song Of revelry
which often follows the oriental banquet,
leaping dancing and weird orgies common
in heather countries. Dancing was q part
OF the ancient religious ceremonial, some.
times solemn and decorous, like that OF
DaVlO De1Ore the ark. III Egypt, however.
the form seems to have been OF a sensual
and degrading type. This sort of dancing,
80 familiar to Israel from long residence in
Egypt, was doubtless the cause OF Moses
extreme anger, as the lewdness and degra-
dation Of the scene burst upon has view.
The anger OF Moses and his casting down
the tables Of law and breaking the divinely
inscribed tablets has always been a wonder
ment TO mankind. One would have thought
the first impulse would have been 10 cling
closer TO the divnely written words and
works Of Jehovah. But may IL not have
been most forcible method of impressing
Israel, that theirs was the heritage of the
broken law, the first page they had broken
in bowling down in image worship, and the
second they had broken in their licentious
dance. They were most forcibly impressed
that law, however deeply engraved in stone,
could not change the life; that divine pre-
cepts must be engraved in the heart and be
come part Of the life il they were 10 be
effective. The broken tables must there.
after ever rise before them as a reminder OF
broken covenant; they could no longer
claim the promise Of blessing and protection,
it must be Of grace"
". 20. And he took the calf. How won