Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-07-07
TIE GOLDEN CALF.
LESSON n. THlRC QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY 8.


in Rx. xxxii. I5-e6-Golden Text,
John '. si-commentasy BY Hev. d. n.
stearns.
fCondense6 from Lesson Helper Quarterly. by
permission oS II. S. Hoffman, Philadelphia, pub.
lisher.l
''And Moses turned and went down
ho1a the mount In our last lesson we
saw Moses going up into the mount; after
the revelation Of God to Aaron and his
sons and the seventy elders. Moses took
Joshua, and bidding Aaron and the eld-
ers to tarry till they should come again,
they went up into the mount and a cloud
covered it After six days God called
unto Moses from the midst of the cloud and
Moses went into the midst of the cloud and
was there forty days Just where he left
Joshua, and what Joshua did these forty
days, we are not told But we are told that
after God had given Moses the instructions
concerning the tabernacle and priesthood
which are recorded in chapters xxv-xxxi, He
then gave him two tables of testimony, tables
of stone, written with the finger of God
txxxi, 1Ss, and said TO him to 60 down from
the mount, for the people had made molten
calf and were worshiping it. The Lord
also said to Moses that He would consume the
people in I4s wrath and make of Moses
great nation; but in answer to the interces-
sion of Moses on behalf of the people He con-
sented to spare them.
'sThe Work Of God-the Writing Of God"
written with the finger of God" Ex. XXI,
IS; Deut tx, f0. The second set of tables
which Moses received in place of these to put
in the ark were also written by God, but the
tables Moses hewed, and took with him up to
.t.~f.a
set forth in these ten commandments is that
which the holiness of God requires of those
who would draw near to Him and enjoy His
favor, and this is shown forth in many a
type and symbol When we remember the
deep significance of each command as ex-
planned by the Lord Jesus in His sermon on
the mount, and that sswhosoever shall offend
in one point Is guilty of all" James ii, l0,
we may well exclaim, sWho, then, can ba
savedn But blessed be God for Moses the
intercessor who saved the people from the
wrath of God; and what shall we say of the
prophet like unto Moses who not only in His
life fulfilled all Righteousness, but in His
death became a sacrifice for our sins, and
now risen from the dead becomes 1.-THE end of
the law for every one that believeth" rom.
K, A., and because He ever liveth to make
intercession. He is able to save to the
utmost Cmargin 'evermore'1 them that come
unto God by Him tHeb vii. 25)
10. .Moses cast the tables out of his hands
and brake them beneath the mount" Thus
he does in symbol what the people had done
and were doing literally; and yet they seemed
perfectly happy Notwithstanding the broken
law Of God How sin does blind the eyes,
end stop the ears, and harden the heart. We
see on every side of us today the laws Of God
continually broken, and yet the people seem
perfectly happy, and because sentence
against an evil work is not executed speedily,
therefore the heart of the sons of men Is
fully set in them to do evil" H1ccI. viii,
Ill But "Our God shall como, and shall not
keep silence; fire shall devour before Him,
and it shall be very tempestuous round about
Him. Now consider this We that forget God
lest He tear you in pieces and there be none
to deliver" FPS. |, 8, 22.)
90 "The calf which they had made. -
In verse IS it is written "They made the
calf which Aaron made" and in Deut. tx, 21,
Moses says II took your sin, the calf which
ye had maden Moses burnt it, ground it to
powder, strained it upon the water and made
the children of Israel drink it, 'sThey eat
the fruit of their own way" prov. /, 31.D
We would suppose that after the Judgment
and plague Tvs. 2S-35l which came upon them
because of this sin. their descendants to all
generations would shudder at the mere men
tion of a golden calf, and yet we find the ten
tribes for $50 years worshiping the golden
calves which were made and set up by Jero-
boam at Bethel and at Dan Il Kings xii, 28-
3O): but it resulted in the destruction of the
house Of Jeroboam and in captivity for the
ten tribes, from which they have not yet re-
turned There is nothing more sure than
that sin viii in due time be found out and
punished, and "whatsoever a man soweth
that shall he also reap Mum xxxii, %;
Gal. vi, ~ The Lake of Fire Is for ell who
are not written in the Book Of Life REV. Xxx,
l51, and even the works of believers are to be
tried by fire. which. If they endure. shall be
rewarded; but IL they cannot endure the fire
they shall be burned up, and the person
saved yet so as by fire. Il Cor iii, 11-l51
The only thing to do, and to do quickly If
not already done, is TO stand where the fire
has already fallen, even in Christ, who be-
came sin for Us dI Cor. v, 81, and so let Him
live in US that He may do the works, for
whatever He does viii surely endure the fire
and be rewarded.
2l-21 Aaron tries to excuse himself and
place the guilt Of this sin upon the people,
somewhat ike Adam, who said, 'sthe woman
whom thou gaveSt TO be with me, she gave
mo Of the tree and did cat" Gen. iii, III
Eut be was a willing partner in this sin, and
bis excuses were in vain. 1.-The Lord was
very angry with Aaron to have destroyed
him; and prayed for Aaron also the same
time" Deut X, 2Ql lie who reads the
heart saw the guilt Of Aaron in this matter, .
and only by the intercession OF Moses was lie
saved from wrath If we conld see orr guilt
because Of the sin which we allow by not re-
bulin@ 10, as well as tbe6 sin we actually cosrl-