Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-09-21
DEATH OF MOSES.
LESSON XIII, THIRD QUARTER, IN
TERNATiONAL SERIES, SEPT. as.

Commit Verses E-7-Goldsn Tert, Prov.
~. 1s- Commentary by Rev. d. NJ.
Stearns
rCcudonsed from Lesson Helper Quarterly by
permission of II. s. HonmA Philadslphla
publisher
And Moses went up" Many time had
Moses gone up on mountain to meet and
talk with God, ;but never before had he gone
up not to return. There is something so
mysterious about tho going out Of a person
from the tabernacle in which ono has so
5ourned on eaIth, either for few or many
years, that though one may have witnessed
many such events 1t IL ever a most solemn
sight Whom the one called upon TO depart
can cheerfully say, Even So, Father, am
ready, and quietly arrange all earthly mat
tiers, then ioyfully await the call 1t is indeed
q glorious sight. Blessed be God that He has
taught us in His word, and by the lives of
many of His saints, that 1t is possible, and
cur privilege, SO to walk with Him here that
we may lose all fear of death and daily re-
joice in the prospect of being absent
from the body and present with the
Lord whenever He shall see that our
work here is finished Moses had long
ago forsaken all the pleasures and
vanities of this world, choosing rather tc
suffer afllicton with the people of God than
to enjoy the pleasures Of sin for a season; es-
teeming the reproach of Christ greater
riches than the treasures in Egypt; and for
at least eighty years he had endured, as see
ing Him who is invisible Heb. XII, 2-20.
But now his work in a mortal body was fin
ished; it was the eleventh month of the for
tieth year since they left Egypt Deut j, 81,
and he had rehcarsed to them all the way by
which they had been led, and all the com
mandments of the Lord; he had given them
another song, and had blessed the tribes tchS
xxi, xxXiiD, both song and blessing reach
ing on to the time of their, to us, still future
glory; he had appointed his successor and
laid his hands upon him, and given him a
charge in the sight of all the congregation
Gum. xvii, l2-23l and now he is to be gath
cred unto his people.
1-3. "Aud the Lord Showed him all the
land" He is now alone with God, the people
oil left behind, his earthly work laid down;
but before he departs from earth he is per-
mitted to see that good land which, on ac
count of sin, he was not permitted to enter
He had besought the Lord to let him 60 over
and see the land but the answer was, Let
it suffice thee; speak no more unto me Of this
matter: thou shalt behold it with thine eyes,
but thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
Lord thrice for the removal of the thorn in
the flesh the Lords answer was, my grace
is sufficient for thee In Pauls case the de
NAL of the request and the continuance of
the infirnitv was lest he should he exalted
above measure; in the case of Moses, his re
quest was denied because of his sin (Num.
xvii, IA, which, although forgiven, still
left present unpleasant result. Fourteen
hundred years later Moses did stand III that
good land, when with Elijah he talked with
Jesus of His decease about to be accom-
plished.
4. "This is the land which I swore unto
Abraham" The promise had been made
nearly 5o0years before Gen. xii, =, yet Abra-
ham had received no Inheritance in it; no,
not so much as to set his foot on tActs vii, 81.
His seed, which has grown from one to mill
ions, is now about to take possession of it, but
they did not possess it fully, nor use it well
when they got it, and now for more than
1S00 years they have been out Of it, and yet
1t is their land, and God will make good to
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, personally, his
personal promise to them. Cod lives, the
pcrsonE live 80 whom the ptomiss was made,
Jesus lives who died and rose again, all the
promises Of God in him are Yea and in Him
amen; one day is with the Lord as Il thousand
years, and thousand years as one day; be
patient DO uustful, be stendfast, he fully
persuaded, and rejoice in hope Of the glory
81 God; the resurrection will make il all
plain, see that you take part in the first One
3. 80 Moses, the servant OF the Lord, died"
Although before the deluge people lived
sevpn, eight and niue hundred years, yet in
duo time they died at u appointed unto
men oncs to die" tHeh tx. "a, and yet there
is a common saying " this effect-Gno thing
h net is
rect for the Spirit says through Paul in
l Cor. XIV, 81, 81 that we shall not all
sleep Tor die, but in the twinkling
Of an eye be changed at tho sound
ing Of tho trumpet SO says the Spirit
also in Thess iv, 1918. All true believers
who are alive when Christ returns shall for
His sake be excused from keeping their APP
pointment, and being instantly changed,
shall be caught up to meet Christ in the air.
6. "And He buried him" Most unique
death and burial ever accorded to mortal ;
God and angels welcome him to the spirit
world and the Lord buries his body When
we bury the bodies of our loved ones, though
we lay away the form have looked upon
our friends with form and features lust
as real have passed beyond our reach
and from the dust Of the corrupt
ible body shall come at the resurrection
I'LL ilnHloTudi, lHcOITupJlDle DOuy WIN inc
same form and features, glorified, in which
tho spirit shall again take up its residence,
be rewarded for service done in the mortal
body, be at the marriage of the Lamb, and
then with Christ reign over the earth How
long the body Of Moses remained buried we
are not told; but that he had the risen body
on the Mount of TRANSPORTATION seems evil
dent from Jude tx, for not only does the
devil hate to give up a soul to Christ, but he
also hates to have to give up the body Of a
saint from the grave. And if the Man Child
OF Rev. xii, B, includes the risen saints Of
Israel we can understand something of the
cause Of the war in heaven there referred to
between the same two parties.
8. "The children Of Israel wept for Moses
thirty days" If departed friends have
gained by their departure we cannot mourn
for them. "If ye loved me-said Jesus on
the night of his betrayal-ye would have re-