The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-06-26
BIBLE STUDIES.
International Sabbath School
Lessons for 1883.
Lesson xXVTI for July s-The Golden Calf
Exodus, Thirty-second Chapter,
1926 Verses.

| 1926 Verses.
THESE sundayschool lessons are taken from
"Blble Studies for 1888" by Rev. Geo F, Pentecost
d, d. ana rcpHblished by THE CONSTITUTIONS by
permission Of A. 3. Barnes &c Co., Ill william street,
Now York;
GOLDEN TEXT LaRe children, keep yonrselues
from mo,s.-L Joln, 3. u.
And Moses turned and went down from the
mount and tho two tables Of the testimony were IN
his hand: the tables were written on both their
| sides; on the side and the other werel they
| written. And the tables were the work Of God, and
the writing the Writing Of God, craven upon the
| tables. And when Joshua heard the noise of the
people Gs they shouted, he said unto Moses, There
Is noise of war in the camp. And he said, 1t isnot
the voice Of them that shout for mastery, neither IL
! It the voice Of thom that cry for being overcome;
| but the noise Of them that sing do hear And it
came 10 pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the
/ camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing: and
Moses anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out
Of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
! And he took tho calf which they had made, and
| burnt 1t in the fire. and ground 1t to powder, and
| strewcd It upon the water, and made the children
Of Israel drink Of it. And Moses said unto Aaron,
| What did this people unto thee, that thou hast
brought so great sin upon them? And Aaron said,
Let not the anger Of my lord wax hot thou know
est the people, that they are SET on mischief For
| hey said unto me. Make us gods which shall got
before for Tor this Moses the that brought
up out OF the land of Egypt we wot not what is
| become Of him. And / said unto them, Whoever
hath any gold, let them break IL Off 50 they gave
Il me- then cast it into the FIRE, and there came
out this calf And when Moses saw that the people
were naked, flor Aaron had made them naked unto
their shame among their enemies,) then Moses
stood in the gate Of the camp, and sad Who is on
the Lords side? let him come unto me. And all the
sons Of Levi gathered themselves together unto
him.-Exodus XXxi 1876
It,u4 10, boI alo I,1
read and repeated tho contents Of the Book of
the Covenant in the hearing Of all the people
and they had solemnly ratified it, pledging
themselves unreservedly to the service, and
obedience to Jehovah. Tho prospect for the
intercourse between Jehovah and his people
seemed good. Moses had, in obedience to the
further command of God, gone up into the
mountain to receive from his hands the tables
of tho Law, which was to be the expression of
Gods righteousness and the standard of the
peoples righteousness; the very foundation
upon which all their moral relations with God
should be built. Tho XIV, XVI, xvii, xviii,
xxx, xxx and XXI chapters are taken up with
detailed account of the building and furnish
ing Of the tabernacle, and belongs chronology
cally between the eleventh and twelfth verses
OF the twenty-fourth chapter. What tho
| people were doing during these forty days in
| which Moses was in the mount we are not told,
| except that toward the close OF that period
| they had become restless at Moses long alb
| Rencc; and taking it for granted, in their
DllHu ana unDcileVlug way, thab no litu cllilcF
| forsaken them was dead, they determined to
| take matters in their own hands, and for
| salIng jehovah, they forced or persuaded
| Aaron to join with them in building a Golden
| Calf, which should stand to them for the ysi-
! bic sign of God. and start ON their journey,
| other on toward the promised land, or back
| toward Egypt. They were like that unfaithful
servant IN tho New Testament (Alatt xiv,
| 4S-9) who said: my lord delayeth his coming,
| and began to snite his felloW-servants, and to
| eat and TO drink with the drunken" They
| gathered themselves together, and went to
| Aaron, who was left in charge of the camp.and
| of Gods interests and worship, and said: up,
| make us gods which shall 20 before us; for as
| for this Moses the man that brought us up out
| Of the land Of Egypt we wet not what is
| become of HIM" a declaration of their own
! fathlessness and base ngratitude toward God
and his servant Moses, that no language can
| sufficiently portray. Aaron weakly yielded to
| their demands, aud with the Contributions of
| gold from tho womeh, who wore in the LOT
| breaking out their earrings, cast calf Of gold
| for them, around which they assembled, and
| with noisy songs and probably lascivious
| dancing (for they were naked and had been
| feasting, eating md drinkng), thoy profaned
| and blaSphemcd tho name of Jehovah by pre-
| tending that they wero worshipng him. ,Je-
| hovah saw this from his place in heaven,
| though ii was hid from Moses and spoke to
! Moses declaring his purpose to destroy them;
! which purpose he was turned from by the in
| terccssion Of Moses, whose prayer is one Of tho
| most beautiful expressions of grace anywhere
seen in Gods word, and beautifully typifies
| our Lords intoroesSion for us. This brings US
| to tho text Of our lesson, from which point we
| shall 60 on with moro particularly.