The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-09-15
The SMiTTEN ROCK.
International Sunday-School Les
son for September 10, 1888.
The Children of Israel In the Desert
Again They Rail Against God
Moses at Gods Command Brings
Water from the Rock.


| LESSON TEXr-Num. 20: i.l3.
GOLDEN TEXr-They drank Of that spirit
ual rock that followed them; and that rock
was Christ.
CENTRAL TRuTu- Jesus Christ is the
Rock whence flows the living water for all
the thirsts of the soul.
| TIME March, April, BIC. l452 81 years
after the last lesson. Compare Mum. ii;
20: |, %; and 81: IS
PLAcg-Kadcsh-B arnea, near the south
ern border of Canaan.
Moses REVIEW Deut. 3: 2::-22S. See also
Ps. 1867 II; 1906; 30, 80.
A SIMILAR INCIDENT-EX. II: IL.
New TESTAMENT LIGuT-l Cor 10: i-l3.
| INTERVENING HlsToRY-We have now
come to the beginning of the 10th year after
the exodus. Little is said of the interven-
ing 3139 years But it was atime Of testing
Of discipline, of preparation for the prom
issd land
HELPS OVER HARD PLAcEs--l Thsn came
the ThOle c0ng't. alton: who had been dis
persed over wide region for support dur
ing the long years. Frat month: of the
forticth year Of the exodus; Abb, includ-
ing parts Of our March and April; compare
Mum. N:l ; 81 SS, and Deut. 2:l-7. Kadesh !:
in the edge of I'm on one side, and Paran
on the other. Miriam. Moses older sister,
who watched him in the Nile. She must
have been about 1870 years old. g. ChOde:
strove, reproached bitterly. 9. The glory Of
the Lord appeared. probably in terrific flashes
from the cloud over the tabernacle. s. Take
the rod: with which the former miracles had
been done. SpedE; not strike. TO- H. " now,
ye rebels; Moses is angry, and seems 20 have
felt hard because God gave water a. the un-
worthy people; as Jonah complained that
Nlneveh was not destroyed Mast ,re: shall
we. 1t is right to bring water for those who
have rebelled against us and insuted us!
ii. SmOte the rock: either in anger when
commanded only to speak, or in unbelef, as
If the word would not be enough. IL. Be
cause We belieyed 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 me as holy being. Sin in
one of Gods best servants dishonors God.
Yc shall not bring this congregation, etc. 1t
was necessary for God to show that He alb
horred all sin, by Furnishing it in His highest
servant. IL. Mer6dh: strife. Golden 1ert:
Christ is the Rock, is the source Of living
water. The Rock, Christ, was Jehovah, who
led them all through the wilderness, and thus
followed them. He, as The source Of supply,
never failed them.
| COMMENTS Between the lesson for last
Sunday and this, we must put an interval
of thirty eight years During that time the
people had wandered in the desert, as God
had said they must, and all the generation
OF those who were twenty years old and
upward when they left Egypt had died.
This meant that at least one hundred and
fifty funerals had gone out of that camp
every day, during that whole time. Our
lesson finds them together in the wilder
ness at Kadesh Here they experience a
scarcity Of water. This was great priva-
tion to so vast a multitude. But instead of
crying to God for deiverancc, they again
took to murmurng and faultfnding. They
tainted Moses with having brought them
into the desert to die 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 10
take his rod ana 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 scolded the people,
and struck the rock in his anger. Water
did gush forth in great abundance, but God
was dIspleased with His servant. In conse-
quence Of his sin, God told Moses that He
would not allow him 10 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
! peoplci The spirit OF murmuring and re-
! plnlng. Had they good cause for the exer-
else Of this spirit! No; for God had never
deserted them. If they had earnestly prayed
and then received no answer. they might
| then have had some cause to rcpinc But
they always took to murmurng before they
| had laid their troubles before God. This
was the worst part of their conduct. How
was 1t 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 mercics OF God. True,
they had not deserved these mercies For
they had very often broken the law that
they themselves had SAID they would keep.
Yet God in His mercy filled their cup 10
overlooking with good things. Had they
began to count up their mercies,
they would have been astonshed 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 mercies that they were not
consumed. There they were in full health
and vigor, their long journey almost at an
end. The God who had brought them 80
far had not now deserted them. They had
but to cry TO Him to receive an answer OF
peace. Had He not often delivered them, and
would He not do so againi g. They should
have remembered the future For they
had the promise Of God that He would
bring them safely through, And was not
His promise goodl 1t had always been
good in days gone by, and why not nowi
AT all events, 1t i'll became them TO muir
muir before they had tried Him and re
ceved at His hand denial. If He had
then denied them, it would have been the
first time in all their history. Rev. A. f..
ScI.du9ter.
| PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
| |. The soul has many thirsts-for for
giveness for higher life, for happiness,
for knowledge, for power, for everlasting
life.
| q The world can never satisfy the soul
| 3. Jesus Christ is the living water. He
satisfies every thirst.
T. In trials we should not murmur and
rebel bat go to God in prayer.
1