News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-09-06
THE |. S. S. LESSON.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
SEPTEMBER o.
Lesson Text: ''The Unbelief of the
People, Mum. xiv, 1-1O-Gold-
en- Text: Heb. iii, 19-Com-
mentary on the Lesson.

and shows the sad results of unbelief .Jeh,
yah had delivered them from the power an
bondage of Pharaoh; had made way fl
them through the Red sea; had fed theI
with food from heaven day by day; ha
brought them water out of the rock; ha
given them flesh to eat in abundance; ha
fought for them against Amalek and cor
Quered; had spoken to them from the burn
ing mountain; had shown them his grea
love and power in so many ways and ha
come to dwell viSibly among them in tn
tabernacle erected for Him in their midst
the pillar of cloud ami of fire, symbol of Hi
presence, was visible TO all the millions o
israel, and yet these ten unbelieving rulers il
Israel speak OF the strength of the son
OF Anak as an obstacle too formidable L
be Overcome. Was there ever such unbe
lief and such utter forgetfu ness of a present
almighty God Your Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ is able to save to the uttermost
all who come unto God by Him, IS able tC
save you from your SINS is able to keep you
from falling, and you have only to yield
yourself fully to Him and be obedient and il
shall be done
!. "All tie congregation cried" but it was
neither cry of victory nor cry for help;
IL was cry of despair, because they saw 10
helper, had no faith in God. Contrast the
cry Of Abijah, and Asa, and Jehoshaphat,
and the speedy answers granted to them III
ChoD. xiii, II; xiv, IL; xviii, 81, and be of
good courage.
And the people wept" In XII, we find
them weeping because they had nothing to
eat but mama and they were longing for the
food of Egypt; now they are within sight and
reach Of the grapes and pomegranates and
1igS of the land flowing with milk and honey,
hut in their ewes the difficulties were too
great, and as they left God out of their cal
culationS they wept in despair, and well they
might, for where there is no God there must
lie utter despair. But how sad TO see this
weeping when He who dries all tears is ready
and waiting TO deliver if they would only let
HIM.
= And all m1rmured1 In CHI. xii, it
was Miriam and Aaron speaking against
Moses; now it is all Israel murmuring against
Moses and Aaron. They deSpiSed the pleas
ant land; they believed not HIS word; but
murmured in their tents, and hearkened not
unto the voice of the Lord" tPs. evil, 24-25.)
They had murmured at MaZah and in the
wilderness of sin Tex. XIV, "a; xvi, l-it),
and all these murmurings were against the
Lord lex. xvi, 81, for all that is done to or
for a servant of the Lord He counts as done
to himself. luke x 16) The love of God
which brought them out of Egypt was bring
ing them, in the best and kindest way, to
e oriouS Inheritance, but they deSpiSed it and
Him, and murmured and complained. Our
God, who redeemS US by the precious blood OF
His dear Son, is bringing us to HIS kingdom
in the very best and kindeSt way, and every
event of every day is the best His love can
devise, and every disappointment is His ap-
pointment, so that any murmuring or com
planning on our part Is not only displeaslng
to God Mum. XII, u, but is finding fault with
infinite love. Confidence in God leaves no
room for murmuring.
3, +. Return into Egypt The wish for
death was twice repeated IN V. ?; the return
to Egypt is twice suggested in these verses.
At HOreb they made a calf and wOrshiped
It instead OF God; now they want human
captain instead of God himself, who was
with them as their captain III. Chron xiii,
12) Nehemiah says that lin their rebellion
theT appointed a captain to return to their
bondage tNeh TX, Ia Oh, what sin AMI
rebellion on the 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
cur learning. Paul says: Il count all things
but loss for the excellency of the knowledge |
Of Christ Jesus my Lord forgetting /
those things which are behind, and reaching /
forth unto those things which are before,
press toward the mark for the prize of the
high calling of God in Christ Jesus" phil.
H., 5, IS, H. How few there are like Paul,
now many like Lots wife, who though es-
,aped from SOdom left her heart there AMI
ooked back. Jesus said no man, having
put his hand to the plOw, and looking back,
S fit for the kingdom of God lisa. tx, GO; so
these murmurers could not enter in because
IF unbelief, but their carcases fell in the
wilderness Heb. iii, 10; Mum. xiv,
Z7-2g.
). Moses and Aaron fell on their faces |
See also xvi, 4, -, -: Xxx, g. This was the /
only thing TO do in such a case; cry unto God I
and leave them to Him How wonderful
that God Will let plead with Him and be
-aa---SISslIull- and -Galeb rent their clothes.-
Caleb hal spoken before fxiii-, so, but
Joshua Joins him in faithful testimony, and
these are the only two of all the thousands in
Israe who were over twenty years of age
when they left Egypt who entered the good
land Tvs 30. 81. God does always honor
those who have faith in him. aud though the
unbelief OF others may cause long waiting on
the part of the men Of faith, yet they are
blessed while they wait
Z S. AN exceeding good land" Even the
unbelievers had to confess that xiii, "a;
but hear further these two faithful ones: ''lf
the Lord delight in US, He will bring us into
of any power or wisdom above the other ten,
but testify to the power of the Lord. Il
labored more abundantly than they all, y says
Paul, yet not !, but the grace of God which
was with me- He that glorieth, let him
glory in tie Lord" Il Cor. XIV 10: l., 81 /
If any ask how can the Lord take delight in
such as we are3 the answer is: The Lord /
taketh pleasure in them that fear Him, in |
those that hope in His mercy" (Ps. cxlvii, |
IL
q Rebel not against the Lord" s'Fear
not the people, y 1.-The Lord is with US" Con-
fidence in and obedience to God. seeing no |
one but Jesus only; this would give perfect /
rest and peace and Constant victory. To !
Moses and Joshua and Gi ~ to Jeremiah |
and the prophets, and the asst word of Jesus /
to the apostles was simply Il am with YOU |
A clearer apprehension of the meaning of |
that promise, and of the unchanging |
love of Him who uttered it, would re, |
move all fear and urge us to a cheer |
full obedience at all times. How little |
they knew him, those other ten and that |
favored nation, and how they did misunder-
stand II M 1t was Just so when He came in |
human form in the person of Jesus of Naza- |
reth they knew Him not, they received Him |
not: and even the twelve whom He chose as |
his apostles misunderstood Him even unto the |
end All our mUrmuringS and fears and dis |
ObedlenceS are simply evidences that we, too, |
misunderstood Him and do not appreciate |
HIS love; for His perfect love casteth out all |
fear, and mind stayed on Him has perfect |
peace.
TO- "Stone them with stones" So they
would have done to Moses lex xvii, A.; so |
they were ready to do to Christ John viii,
50; x, Sd: so they did to Stephen and Paul
tActs vii. 81: xiv, 49,. Truth is never popu-
lar: hate him." said Ahab of Micaii.h, the
prophet; put him in prison, and # ID him
with bread of affection and with water of af
Fiction III Chron. xviii, Z, 26l. SO those
who stand for the truth will find hatred even
in our day from those who are of the world
The faithful have ever been, and will be till
He come. "a little flock" buttheir comfort is
the Joy of His presence and fellowship with
Him.
In this chapter ". 21 we have the first as
surance that ''all the earth shall be filed with
the glory of the Lord" and the statement
follows the assurance of the forgiveness of |
the sins of Israel; even shall it be, now an |
elect church, soon an elect nation restored, |
then the conversion of the world.-LesSon |
HeLper.
1T is recalled in connection with the |
celebration of the golden wedding of
Mr.. and Mrs. Gladstone recently that