The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1888-07-07
TIE GOLDEN CALF.
LESSON II, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY 8.

NATIONAL SERIES, JULY 8.
The Text of the Lesson Is to Ee Found
In Ell. xxxii, i5-2G-Golden Text,
John ', ai-Comnaentary by Lev. ID. 81.
steaTns.
Ifoodepsed from Lesson Helper Quarterly, ky
pcrmlaaoa Of Fl 8 Hoffman Phiadelphia, pub
Usher
"And Moses turned md went down
from 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 cloud
covered it After six days God called
INTO Moses from the midst CT 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-xxN, He
then gave him two tables of testimony, tables
of stone, written with the finger of God
xxi, lSl, and said TO him TO 60 down from
the mount, for the people had made a molten
calf and were worstiping it. The Lord
also said to Moses that he would consume the
people in His wrath and make Of Moses o
great nation, but in answer to the interces-
Sion of Moses on behalf Of the people lie con-
scented TO spare them
''The Work of God-the Writing OF God"
Written with the finger of God' tx. xxi,
Is, Deut. TX. 10. The second set OF tables
which Moses received in place of these to put
In the ark were also written By God, but the
t6ee 'liio ant lDeut- <, -. The righteousness
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 OK
planned by the Lord Jesus In His sermon on
the mount, and that ..whosoaver shall offend
in one point is guilty of all' DANES H. 10,
we may well exclaim, who, then, can be
savedf" But blessed be God for Moses the
intercessor VINO saved the people from the
wrath Of God and what shall we say OF the
propheJ like unto Moses, who not only In His
life fulfilled all righteousness, but in His
death became q sacrifice for our sins, and
now risen from the dead becomes ''the end of
the law for every one that beleveth" from
2, q, and because He ever hveth to make
iptercession, lie is able TO save to the
utmost margin ''evermore'1 them that come
unto God by Him Heb vii, 25y.
10. "1ioses cast the tables ont 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,
and 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 ia not executed speedily,
therefore the heart OF the sons of men is
fully set in them to do evil" Feel viii,
H. But ''Our God shall come, and shall not
keep silence, a fire shall deyour before Him,
and it shall be very teinpestuous round about
Him. Now consider this ye that forget God
lest He tear you in pieces and there be none
to deliver" FPS. /, 8, Pr
% The calf which they had maden-
In verse 30 it Is written: "They made the
calf which Aaron made" and ia Deut. il, 81.
Moses says; Il took your sin, TIE calf which
ye had made Moses burnt it, ground it to
powder, strained it upon the water and made
the children Of Israel drink it. ''Thcy eat
the fruit Of their own way" prov /, 81
We would suppose that after the Judgment
and plague tvs $3.50 which came upon them
because of this sin, their descendants TO all
generations would shuddcr at the mere men
tion Of golden calf. and yet we fad the ten
tribes for 1856 years worshiping Che golden
calves which were made and set up by Zero
beam at Bethel ard al Dan Il Kings xii, %
so, bnt 1t resulted in the destruction Of the
house of Jeroboa1n and in o captivity tor the
ten tribes, from which they have not yet re-
turned There is nothing inoIe sure than
that SIN will in due time be found out aud
punished, and hstsoeyer man soweth
that shall he also reap" Gum xxi, p,
Gal Vi, u The Like Of Fire Is for all who
arc not written IL the Book of Life Rev Xxx,
l5l, and even the works Of believers are to be
tried BY fire, which, If they endure, shall be
rewarded, but Il they cannot endure tho FIRE
they shall be buried up, and the person
saved yet so as by fire. u Cor iii, i1-l5l
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 III Cor. 2, 2lJ, and so let Him
live in Us that Ee may do the works, fer
whatever He does VIII surely endure the Ere
and be rewarded.
2l-2t Aaron tries TO excuse himself and
place the guilt of this sin upon the people,
somewhat like Adam, who said, "the woman
whom thou gavest TO be with me, she gave
me of the tree and did oat.n Gen. III, lo1
But he was willing partner In this sin, and
his excuses were in vain ''I'ha Lord vas
very angry with Aaron to have destroyed
him, and prayed for Aaron also the sarae
heart saw the guilt Of Aaron in this meter,
and only 10y the intercession Of Hoses was be
saved from wrath. Il VIC could sec our guilt !
because Of the sin which we allow by not re-
buking it, as veil IS thesin VIC actually con-
NIT, We would be terribly afraid, and would
more fully appreciate Him by whose inter
cesslon we ere spared Here arc q few facts
sin which VIII surely help us if
we receive them: ITO him that knoweth to
Co good and doeth it Dot, TO him it is sin"
jas. iv, II, Whatsoever is not of faith
IS sin" Glom- xiv, 81 az ye have respect
10 persons ye commit sin" GAS Il, o.
"EH iglrightoousness e sin.n q John Y. III
''The transgresS5ion OF tie law Is sim Il
John Iii, ~ Tho thought Of foolishness is
SIN" prov xiv, 81
-. The peopie were NAKED" O. ", broken
loose,. 1t wss when Ada;n end Eve brol,s
loose from God that they lost their glorious
clothing of light FPS. civ, 2, Gen. i, IN,
and became absolutely naked.
%, Who is on the Lords side?" The sons
OF Levi respond to this cali, end 5000 OF the
guilty ones fall before their swords. Tic
whole nation was professedly on lis sldo.
but their conduct spote differently; tho
whole visible church Of Christ ca earth pro
fosses to Be ''on the Lords side" but if g sim
iler conservation service wGs to be called for
today in order to slay al ''worahipers Of the
golden calf, who would stand forth with a
clear conscience, and what would be The
number Of the slain' How many Of us can
say in our hearts, before God, that we are
with Moses, and Joshua, and Caleb, and the
sons OF Levi, that We are worshiping God in
spirit and in truth, that we are walking by
taita, and not by sight; and that wo have
not Ii or hearts turned back to Egyptl
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