The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1888-09-06
THE sMITTEN ROCK.
International Sunday-School Les.
son for September 10, 19ea
Especially arranged from s. s. Quarteriy.l

l5peCIhliv HrrEnRcu IrOm D. .. Nluartcflysy
LESSON TExT-Num. 20: 1-13
GOLDEN TExT-They drank OF that spirit
ual rosls that followed them; and that rock
was Christ.
CENTRAL TRurH-Jesus Christ is the
Rock whence flows tho living wator for all
the thirsts Of the soul.
TrME-March, April, Be 1452, 37k years
after the last lesson. Compare Mum. Ill;
20: 1, 90; and 80: 8S
PLACE-Kadesh-Ba -Barnea, near the south.
ern border of Canaan.
MOSES REviEw-Deut. 3: 1928. SEQ also
Ps. 105: Al; 1O6: 3o, 33.
A SIMILAR 1NCIDENT-Ex. II: IL.
New TESTAMENT LrGuT-1 Cor. 10: 1.1a
INTERVENING HisToRY-we have now
come to the beginning of the 10th year after
tho exodus. Little is said of the interven-
ing 375 years. But it was time Of testing,
Of discipline, Of preparation for the prom
ised land.
HELPS OVER Hard PLACEs-1. Then came
the wholc congye ,dtion who had been dis
persed over wide region for support dur.
ing the long ycars First month: Of tho
forticth year Of the exodus; Abb, includ-
Ing parts Of our March and Aprll compare
Num- 30;1; $685. and Deut. 2:1.7 Kadesh:
In the edge Of Zin on one side, and Paran
| on the other. Ni,i1m: Moses older sister.
who watched him in the Nile. She must
have been about 100 years old. 8. Chode.
strove, reproachcd bitterly. G. The Dlo,p of
the Lord appeared. probably In terrific flashes
from the cloud over tho tabernacle. s. Take
the rod: with which the former miracles had
been done. Speak: not strike. 10. IL II no,c,
ye rebels: Moses Is angry, and seems 20 have
felt hard because God gave water t. the un.
worthy people; as Jonah complained that
Nineveh was not destroyed. Must ,rc. shall
we. 1t is right to bring water for those who
have rebellcd against us and insulted usl
IL. Smote the rock: either in anger when
commanded only to speak, or in unbelief, as
II the word would not be enough. 12. Be-
cause NC believed not: the root of his sin was
unbelief. A larger trust would have ena.
bled him to hold his indignation. To sane
tgy me: to honor mc as holy being. Sin in
one OF Gods best servants dishonors God.
fe shdu not bring this congregation, etc. II
was necessary for God to show that He ab-
horred all sin, by furnishing 1t in His highest
servant. 13. Mcrsyah! strife. Golden Y.r,.
Christ is the Rock, Is the source Of living
water. The Rock, Christ, was Jehovah, who
led them all through shc wilderness, and thus
followed them. He, as the source OF supply,
never failed them.
CoMMENTs-Betwoen the lesson for last
Sunday and this, we must put an interval
OF thlrty-eight years During that time tho
people had wandered in the desert, az God
had said they must, and all the generation
OF those who were twenty years old and
upward when .hey left Egypt had died.
This meant that HG least one hundred end
fifty funerals had gone out of that camp
every day, dpring that whole time Our
lesson finds them together in the wilder
ness at kadcsh Here they experience q
scarcity OF water. This was great priva-
tion TO so vast multitude. But instead of
crying to God for dclverancc, they again
took to Eurnuring and fault-flnGiug. They
taunted Moses with having brought them
into the desert to dio of thirst. They even
went so far as to wish that they had died
when their brethren d d. AS usual, Moses
went to God in prayer, and God told him to
take his rod and speak to the rock, and
there should gush out an abundance Of
water. But Moses was very angry, and in
stead OF doing this, he scoldcd the people,
and struck the rCck in his anger. Water
did gush forth in great abundance, but God
was displeased with His servant. In conse-
Quencc Of his sin, God told Moses that He
would not allow him to enter the land of
PROMISE He might see it, but he was not
to be allowed to enter it.
Let the teacher now ask the class what
kind Of spirit we have often seen in the
peoplca The spirit Of nurmuriug and re-
pining. Had they good cause for the exer-
else Of this spirit! No; for God had never
deserted them. II they had earnestly prayed,
and then received no answer, they might
then have had some cause to repine. But
they always took to murmuring before thcy
had laid their troubles before God. This
was the worst part Of their conduct. How
was it that they so soon fell to fault finding?
1t was because they soon forgot. Had they
used their memories better, they would not
have fallen into this SIN SO often.
They should have remembered the past.
That was full OF the nercies of God. True,
they had not deserved these mcrcies. For
they had very often broken the law that
they themselves had SAID they would keep.
Yet God in His mercy filled their cup to
overfowing with good things. Had they
begun to count up their mercies,
they would havo been astonished at
their great number. And If they had
remembered that they really deserved
none OF them, they would have realized that
God was very good God to them. (2)
They should have remembered the present.
1t was OF Gods morcics that they were not
consumed There they were in full health
and vigor, their long journey almost ut an
end The God who had brought them sc
far had not now deserted them They had
but to cry to Him TO receive an answer oi
peace. Had Hc not often delivered them, and
would He not do so again! (3) They should
have remembered the future For they
had the promise of God that He would
bring them safely through. And was moi
His promise good' 1t had always beer
good in days gone by, and why not now
At all events, 1t i'll became them to mur
mur before they had tried Him and re
ceived at His hand denial II He hat
then denied them, it would have been the
first time in all their history.-Iler. d. +,
SchauDir.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
/. The soul has many thirsts--for for,
giveness, for higher life, for happiness
for knowledge, for power, for everlasting
life.
g. The world can never satisfy the soul.
3. Jesus Christ is the living water. He
satisfies every thirst
4. In trials we should not murmur and