The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-09-06
! BELIEF OF THE PEOPLE.
hESsON xI, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
i NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. 9.

'ICOoON Nj THU tJUAR IER, INTER-
i NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. 9.
Text of the Lesson, Mum. xiv, Ito.
Commit Verses 2-4-Goldon Text, Heb.
i'll, 19-commentary by Rev. d. n.
Stearns.
lTCondensed from Lesson Helper Quarterly, by
permission OF H. s. Hoffman, Philadelphia,
publisher1
This is the continuation Of our last lesson,
and shows the sad results of unbelief. Jeho-
lvah had delivered them from the power and
bondage of Pharaoh; had made way for
them through the Red sea; had fed them
with food from heaven day by day; had
brought them water ont Of the rock: bad
given them flesh to eat in abundance; had
foughs for them against Amalek and con-
.quered; had spoken t. them from tho burn
ing mountain; had shown them his great
love aud power i'll SO many ways and had
lcome to dwell visibly among them in the tab
iernacle erected for Him In their midst; the
pillar of cloud and Of fire, symbol Of His
presence, was visible to all the millions of
Israel, and yet these ten unbelieving rulers
lin Israel speak of the strength of the sons of
.Anak as an obstacle too formidable to be
overcome Was there ever such 4lnbelief and
such utter forgetfulness of a present
almighty Coda Let us see. Some one
who reads this has been told of
a Saviour who will give victory over
every besetting sin and cause the weakest
and NEST unworthy to live even here life of
rest and peace and joy; and not only SO, but
you have seen it proved in some measure in
the lives OF some who are known to you. 1t
is a good land they have found, and you
know, it.. . Butte your eyes. there are great
difficulties IN the way Of your getting there,
Rnd you say: "I am noS able, It is not for
me-" Now, what is that but just the
language of these ten faithless rulersa
1. Gan the congregation cried, but it was
neither o cry Of victorynor cry for help;
it was O. cry of despair because they saw no
helper, bad no faith in God. Contrast the
cry of AbiJah, and Asa, and Jehoshaphat. and
the speedy answers granted to them QI Chon.
xiii, IA; xiv, ii; xviii, 81, and be of good
courage.
2 "And all murmured.n IN eh. xii, it
was Miriam and Aaron speaking against
Moses; now it is all Israel murmuring against
Moses aud Aaron. "Fhey despised the plea
SAINT land; they believed not His word; but
murmured in their tents, and hearkened not
unto the voice oH the Lord.n (Ps- cvi, 24<25.l
They had murmlred at Mazah and in the
Wilderness of sin (Ex. XIV, "a; xvi, 1-i0), and
hll these murmutings were against the Lord
Ex. xvi, s., for all that is done to or for
servant of the Lord He counts as done to
himself. luke K, 49, The love of God
which brought them out of Egypt was bring
ang them, in the best and kindest way, to
glorious inheritance, but they despised it and
Him, and murmured and complained
8, L. "Return into Egypt" The wish for
death was twice repeated in v. 2; the return
to Egypt is twice suggested in these verses.
AT Horeb they made a calf and worshiped
1t instead of God; now they want a human
captain instead of "God Himself, who was
with them as their captain" QI Chron. xiii,
i21 Nehemiah says. that Sin their rebellion
they appointed captain to return to their
bondage tNeh. tx, 10 Oh, what sin and
rebellion onrthe part of man, what long suf-
fering and love and patience on the part Of
God. This God is our God; we are like
Israel, and all these things are written for
our learning. Paul saysi ~ count all things
but loss forthe excellency of the knowledge
Aof Christ Jesus my@Lord forgetting
those things which are behind, and reaching
forth unto those things which are before,
i press toward the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus.n phil.
iii, g, 13, 1b How few there are like Paul,
how many Ike. Lots wife, who though es-
capped from Sodom left her heart there's eand
Hooked back. "Jesus said no man, having
put hts hand to the pillow, and looking back,
is fit for the kingdom of God lisa. tx, 62j; so
these mlrInurers could not enter in because
of unbelef, but their carcases fell in the
wilderness.s Heb. i'll, 30; Mum xiv, 27-29).
! g. "Moses and Aaron fell on their faces. "
See also XVI, 4, %, As; xx, G. This was
the only thing to do in such case cry unto
God and leave them to Him How wonder
full that God will let us plead with Him and
be moved by our pleading. See Abraham
pleading for Sodom and the Lord promising
to spare the city if ten righteous persons
could be found in 1t. Gen xviii, 23-3e) See
Moses ON this occasion, hear his prayer in
VS. 1910 and note the answer in V. 90.
Moses pleads not for himself, nor for his
glory, but he is-jealous for the Lord and for
the glory of His,pame. The Lord heard and
pardoned, yet in after days there came a
time when neither the prayers of Moses nor
Samuel could have prevailed for them
DER XIV y, nor the Righteousness of Noah,
Daniel aud Job have saved them (Ezek. xiv,
14-2W "Ie that being often reproved, hard
and that without remedy prov. xix, H.
g. "Joshua aud Caleb rent their CLOTHES. ,
Caleb had spoken before xiii, 30, but
now Joshua joins him in faithful testimony
and these are the only two of all the thou
sands in Israel who were over twenty years
of ago when they left Egypt who entered the
good land Tvs. 80, SS). God does always
honor those who have faith in him.
rs. "An exceeding good land.n Even the
unbelievers had to confess that xiii, 20
but hear further these two faithful ones: "Il
the Lord delight in US, He will bring us intl
this land and give it US" They do not boas'
of any power or wisdom above the other ten
but testify to the power of the Lord. q
labored more abundantly thar they all,
says Paul, ''yet not !, but the grace of Coo
which was with me-" "He that glorieth, lot
him glory in the Lord" Il Cor. KY, 10; i
81 If any ask, How can the Lord take de
light in such as we aFe' the answer is, ''Tht
Lord takath pleasure in them that fear Him
in those tha+ hope ip His mercy" Ps
cxlvii, u The Lord taketh pleasure IL
His people; Lie will bcauafy the -peek witt
salvatiapN Us eZiiS 4 And as to victory
over aD enemies ~Shis is the victory tbs,
overcoaastb S9e wpld,' eVeIrour faltb-"
John V, A. 'srhe ha1le is not ours, bu
Gods" QI Chroa. Xxx, 49,
.. "Rebel not against the Lord" "Feal
not the people," ''the Lord is with u.s." Con
fidence in and obedience to Ged, saeing hi
one but Jesus only; this would give perfec
rest and peace and constant victory. II
Moses and Joshua and Gideon, to Jeremiah
and the prophets and the last word of Jesu
to the apostles was simply II am with you
10. "Stone them with stones" So the.
would have done to Moses lex. xvii, 4; s.
they were ready to do to Christ John viii
90; x, BY SO they did TO Stephen and Pau
(Acts VII. 50; xiv, 19. Truth is never POI
ular:. II hate him." said Ahab of Micaiat
the prophet; put him in prison, and fee
him with bread Of atfliction and with waite
of aiiiiction" III Chron. xviii, Z, 26). S
those who stand for tho truth will find hatrc
even in our day from those who are of IL
world.