The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1895-07-05
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON l. THIRD QUARTER, IN
TERNATlONAL SERIES, JULY 7.
Text Of the Lesson, Tx. xx. 1-i7-Mem-
orv Versus, 3-il-Goiden Text. Luke
4. r.-Commentary by the Rev. ID. M.
stearns.

4. T'-Commentary by the Rev. ID m.
stearns.
l,2. While we now turn back from the
life and work of the Lord Jesus. as revealed
TO Us in the gospels, TO the story of the
Lords dealings with Israel on the way TO
the promised land, we are learning of the
same Lord whose goings forth have been
from of old, from the days of eternity Mic
v, 2, margin). 1t was not because of any
worthness in them, but only because of
His own faithfulness and His promise To
Abraham that He brought them out of
Egypt (Deut. vii, Z, s: Gen. XIV, 10, l4). IL
was now the third month since they had
been redeemed from the bondage of Egypt
They had come to Mount Sinai, and the
Lord had offered 20 make them peculiar
treasure unto Himself above all people.
kingdom of priests, a holy nation, If only
they would obey His voice This they
readily promised 10 do, and now we
see them gathered about Mount Sinai,
the mountain quaking greatly and GOV.
cred with fire and smoke, out OF the
midst of which God speaks the words of
our lesson TO the people. See chapter XIX
and Deut. V, 4. %, pa 20. 1t was day, in
this respect, unlike any before or since in
the history of this world. He first reminds
them that their redemption from Egypt
was wholly His doing without any help of
theirs, for salvation is of the Lord (Jonah
ii, o. and He never asks an unredeemed
soul to keep His commandments. The only
command to the unsaved is To believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ q John Iii, %; Acts
xvi, 81, then when Christ has become to
them the end of the law for righteousness
He will fulfill in. them the righteousness OF
the law, enabling them 10 walk not after
the flesh, but after the spirit (Rom. X, 1;
viii, ~.
3. Since they were redeemed by the only
living and true God, TO make Him name
on the earth in the sight of all nations
UI Sam. vii, %; Isa xiii, ~ l4, therefore
they were forbidden to have aught to do in
any way with the gods of the nations,
idols of wood and stone, the work of mems
hands Oh Kings xvii, 80, 81; Jer. X, 10, I'D.
We who have been redeemed from the curse
of the law by the work of our Substitute
Gal iii, l3) are TO have no idols between
our soul and God, but make it manifest
that we worship only Him.
40 Because they saw no similitude on
the day that God spoke to them out Of the
midst of the fire, therefore they were TO use
no images nor likeness of anything in their
"
a Jealous God. The other six places are
Elk xxxiv, IA; Deut. iv, "a; v, 9; vi, 10;
Joshua xiv, 10; Nah. /, 2. The word
translated jealous also means to buy, pur-
chase or redeem. We are redeemed to be
people for his own possession (Titusii, IA. K.
V and He wants us all for Himself.
Z. The name above every name must be
ever hallowed as Jesus taught us to pray
(Math. vi, 81. Not only Is all kind of so
called profanity forbidden, but as the name
stands for the character (Ex. xXXiv, SO
all that would in any way belittle the char
acter of God must he carefully avoided.
We are here TO honor Him in every way and
magnify His name.
Sill The Sabbath was made for man,
and the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath
Mark ii, 81, 2S). If, then, He is my Lord,
the Sabbath is specially mine that on it
may have special communion with Him. In
lisa. lviii, -, IL, we are taught that we are to
honor Him, not doing our own ways, nor
finding our own pleasure, nor speaking our
own words, and that thus we shall delight
ourselves in the Lord. In Col. ii, 10, IL, we
read that even the Sabbath is a shadow of
things to come, perhaps referring to the
keeping of Sabbath that remains for the
people of God Heb iv, 81 but which we can
foretaste even here Qleb. iv, l0)
- The first four commandments, ordi-
narily known as the first table of the law
are summed up by our Lord Jesus in Mark
xii 80, 81 quoting from Deut. vi, 3 and Jer
xix, lS) as loving God with all the heart
and the last six as loving our neighbor as
ourselves. Or as it Is in Rom xiii, 10,
Love Is the fulfilling Of the law" This
fifth command is spoken of in Eph vi, 2, as
The first commandment with promise p"
Next TO God we are to honor our parents,
and a curse is pronounced upon such as do
otherwise ODeut xvii, 10; Prov 80. ~.
10. Thou shalt not Kill In our Lord $
commentary on this in Math V, q. 90, He
teaches that anger lies at the root OF muir
der. and in John hi, 10, it is written that
"he that hateth his brother is murderer 4"
referring back To the story of Cain and
Abel Not only are we forbidden to hate
any one. but we are forbidden to speak evil
or even imagine evil against another
(James iv, IL; Zech. vii. 10; viii, IL.
ID. Thou shalt not commit adultery !"
| That this command reaches not only to the
sinful act, but is broken by even sinful
thought. is clear from our Lord 5 comment
upon it in Math. V, %, %. Another aspect
/ of it is found in Jas. iv, 1, where we are told
/ that to love or be friend of the world
that hates God is in His sight form Of
adultery. Let us pray
Wash, Lord, and purify my heart
And make it clean in every part,
And when tbs Clean Lord keep IL, too,
For that Is more than l can do.
10 Thou shalt not steal" Many would
scorn to take what does not belong TO them,
as between man and man, who possibly
might have to plead guilty when searched
by the question, will a man rob Gody' In
asmuch as our relation to God is the first
question let the believer ask himself, Am
robbing God of any portion of my being or
my time or my money! He claims our bod Y
as His property Rom. xii, l. 2; Cor vi, 10,
COZ. and at least a seventh of our time and a
tenth Of our income.
10. Thou shalt not bear false witness
against thy neighbor" Some love lying
rather than righteousness (Ps. Iii, 81, but
such are finally found without the city
| (Rev xxi. l5l. "He that worketh deceit
shalt not dwell within my house; he that
telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight" Fps
ci ~ God is a God OF Truth-the Spirit
is Spirit of Truth. and Jesus Is the Truth
lisa. lxv, 10; John XVI. Is; xiv, ~ When they
have full control of us. we will bear no
! false witness