Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-09-08
BELIEF OF THE PEOPLE.
LESSON xl, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. 9.

CONDENSED from Lesson Helper Quarterly, by
permission of II. s. Hoffman, Philadelphia,
publisher.l
This is the continuation of our last lesson,
and shows the sad results OF unbelief. Jeho-
yah 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 out of tho rock; had
given them flesh to eat in abundance; had
fought for them against AmalelI and con-
quered had spoken to them from the burn
ing mountain; had shown them his great
love and power in SO many ways and had
come to dwell visibly among them in the tab
ernacle 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
in Israel speak of the strength Of the sons of
Anak as an obstacle too formidable to be
overcome. Was there ever such unbellef and
such utter forgetfulness of a present
almighty God9 Let us see Some one
who reads this has been told Of
a Saviour who will give victory over
every besetting sin and cause tho weakest
and most unworthy to live even here q life of
rest and peace and joy; and not only so, but
y
the lives of some who are known to you. 1t
is good land they have found, and you
know it. But to your eyes there are great
difficulties in the way of your getting there,
and you say; 81 am not able, it is not for
me.n Now, what is that but just the
language of these ten faithless rulersl
/. Gan the congregation cried" but it was
neither a cry of victory nor a cry for help;
it was a cry of despair, because they saw no
helper, had no faith in God Contrast tho
cry of Abijah, and Asa, and Jehoshaphat, and
the speedy answers granted to them QI Chon.
xiii, IA; xiv, IL; xviii, 81, and be of good
courage
q "And all murmuredn In eh. xii, it
was Miriam and Aaron speaking against
Moses now il is all Israel murmuring against
Moses and Aaron. "They despised tho plea
SAINT land; they believed not His word; but
nlurmured in their tents, and hearkened not
unto the voice of the Lord" Cps. cvi, 24-25.)
They had murmured at Mazah and in the
wilderness of sin Hx. XIV, "a xvi, 1-10), and
all these murmurings were against the Lord
ok. xvi 81, for oil that is done to or for a
servant OF the Lord lie counts as done to
himself. Luke x, 16l The love of God
which brought them out of Egypt was bring
ing them, in the best and kindest way, TO
ktOI1OuS Dub Iale1 Q6SDlStu IL anu
Him, and murmured and complained
3, 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
it instead Of God; now they want a human
captain instead of "God Himself, who was
with them as their captain" QI Chron. xiii,
12.) Nehemiah says that sin their rebellion
they appointed a captain to return to their
bondage" (Neh. TX, ~ Oh, what sin and
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
our learning. Paul says: 81 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 Jesusn Phil.
iii, s, 13, 14). How few there are like Paul,
how many like Lots wife, who though es-
| capped from Sodom left her heart there. and
looked back. "Jesus said no man, having
put his hand to the plow, and looking back,
is fit for the kingdom Of God Qsa TX 62); so
these murmurers could not enter in because
of unbelief. but their carcases fell in the
wilderness" Heb. iii, 10; Mum xiv, 27-20).
5. 'Moses and Aaron fell on their faces !"
| See also xvi, 4, %. 45; Xxx, g. This was
the only thing to do in such a 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 it. Gen. xviii, 23-32) 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 name. 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, u, nor the righteousness Of Noah,
Daniel and Job have saved them lEzek. xiv,
HOO. "He that being often reprovod, hard
eneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed,
and that without remedy" prov. xix, u.
6. Joshua and Caleb rent their clothes I"
/ Caleb had spoken before (xiii, 30, but
now Joshua joins him in faithful testimony,
and these are the only two Of ali the thou
sands in Israel who were over twenty years
I OF age when they left Egypt who entered tho
/ good land Tvs. 30, 3s). God does always
honor those who have faith IN him.
rs. "An exceeding good land" Even the
unbelievers had 70 confess that txiii, 21;
but hear further these two faithful ones: IF
the Lord delight in rs, He win bring us into
this land and give it u.s." They do not boast
Of any power or wisdom above the other ten,
but testify to the power of the Lord "I
labored more abundantIy thar they an
| says Paul, 'syet not I, but the grace of God
which was with mep 'sHe that glorieth, let
him glory in the Lord" q Cor XIV, 10; /,
31.) If any ask, How can the Lord take de-
light in such as we areg the answer is, 1.-THE
Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear Him,
in those that hope In His mercy" Ps
cxlvii, Ill "The Lord taketh pleasure in
| His peoples He win beautify the meek with
salvation" tPs cxlix, ~ And as to victory
over all enemies, ssThis Is the victory that
aze-Soueth the M0rd. even ouf faith4p q