Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-07-27
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON ". THIRD QUARTER. IN
TERNATIoNAL SERIES. JULY 20.

Text OF the Lesson. Mum. 4. eo-36--Mem-
Z. s9--Commentary By the Rev. D. NJ.
stearns-
%. And Moses said unto 1Iobab the son
of Raguel the Midianise. Moses father-in-
law, We are journeying unto the place Of
which the Lord said. viii give it to you,
come thou with us, and we will do thee
good, for the Lord hath spoken good con
corning Israeli They had been encamped
at Horeb many months. On the first day
Of the first month of the second year the
tabernacle was erected and accepted by
God aud filled with His glory (Ex ri. II,
~. Just fifty days later the cloud lifted.
and they journeyed from Sinai fNum. K, II,
i2} in the order described in this chapter
Raguel. or Ruel. or Jethro lex ii. IS, iii. u
was the father of Zippcrah. Moses wife.
Hobab is here said 20 be his son and WAS
probably an intimate friend of Moses in the
days of his shepherd life. Truly the Lord
had spoken good concerning Israel, as in
Elk vi, 6-s. that wondrous sevenfold, II
will beginning and ending with II, Je-
hovah.r Moses believed the word of the
Lord He had respect uato the recompense
of the reward (IIeb xi, 2G). and because of
It had forsaken all his prospects in Egypt.
Being fully persuaded of the good things
awaiting Israel, he would fain have Hohab
to enjoy them too. Have we this spiritp
80 And be said unto him, will not 60
but will depart to my own land and TO
my kindred Hobab saw no such prospect
as opened up to the mind of Moses. and as
far as appearances went be felt that he
would be better off with his own people. 1t
is difficult for many to esteem the reproach
OF Christ greater riches than the visible
treasures of this world. The young man
whom Jesus told to sell all that he bad, and
take up the cross and follow Him, went
away grieved because he had great pos
sessions. Jesus and His sutferings now,
with glory hereafter. is the programme for
the Christian. If we prefer the world and
its pleasures now, we must not complain
II we lose the kingdom hereafter
81. And he said, Leave US not. pray
thee, forasmuch as thou knowest now we
are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou
maycst be to us instead of eyes" Moses Is
now seeking good from Hobab instead of,
as moment ago offering him good from
God. In this Moses is surely wrong 1t
looks as il for the moment he was forget
ting God, and His cloud, and His unerring
guidance SO unstable is man even at his
best We think of Simon Peter one moment
confessiDg that Jesus was the Christ, the
Son Of the Living God. and the next acting
as satan's mouthpiece to tempt the Lord
to pity Himself and turn from the cross
(Math. xvi, 10. 23l. How we do need to
pray, ''Set watch, O Lord, before my
month; keep the door of my lips"
81. And it shall be if thou go with us,
yea, it shall be, that what goodness the
Lord shall do untous the same will we do
unto thee" Moses now talks more cor
rectly, for we are fully authorized TO offer
all the riches of Gods grace and glory to
all who will accept Him through Jesus
Christ, but we are not expected to seek any
help or guidance from those who are not
His. AS to Offering TO others the same
goodness He bestows upon us. we remember
that Jesus said in His prayer John xvii,
~, 1.-The glory which thou gavest me, |
have given them" Again he said, "All
things that the Father hath are minen
John xvi, Isl. And again it is written
"All are yours, and ye are Christ's, and
Christ is Gods" Il Cor, iii, 23). Now
since God is willing to give His grace and
glory to every one who will come to Him
through Jesus Christ, what must He think
Of us who know this. and yet do little or
nothing to make it known to the millions
who are still in heather darknessi
33. And they departed from the Mount
of the Lord three days journey, and the
ark Of the covenant of the Lord went be-
fore them in the three days journey, to
search out a resting place for them.n This
was surely better than the eyes or the wis
a oF II.,I,
forget that God had led them and would
still lead thems Yet we are apt to do this
very thing-we do forget so soon. Three
days is very suggestive of resurrection, as
in the story Of Abraham and Isaac, Jonah,
our Lord Jesus, etc. God would have us
rest in Jesus crucified and risen. IL He be
not risen, there is no salvation for any one
Il Cor. XIV, 14-1S). But since He died and
rose again and ever liveth, He becomes a
resting place for all who receive Him. This
rest becomes glorious reality when we,
having accepted Him, see ourselves MS cru
Gifted and risen with Him, and seated with
Him in the heavenlies (Eph. ii, 40. Ceas-
ing from our own works, we rest In His
finished work tIiab, iv, 3, l0), and wherever
He pitches our tent He is our rest.
81. And the cloud of the Lord was upon
camp" The cloud was the visible symbol
Of the Lords presence with them, and Ho
by it was their guide, their light, their
shield, their avenger, their oracle. their
covering lex. xiii, 81; xiv, 10, 90 24-2S;
Mum. tx, l5-23; x, 81; xiv, l4), in fact, all
that they needed for all the journey In
the New Testament story we think of the
cloud on the Mount Of Transformation, the
cloud that received Him as He assembled
from Olivet and the clouds with which He
will come again. If we are truly His, we
have the assurance that He is with us all
the days; that he will never leave us nor
forsake us; that he will instruct us In the
way in which we should go; that He will
hold our hand and help us, and that He will
perfect that which concerneth us (Math
xviii, 20; Heb. xiii, 5; Ps. xxxii, s; Isa.
XII, 10; Ps cxxxviii, 81. The comfort of all
this comes by simply believing it.
3j. And it came to pass, when the ark
set forward, that Moses said, Rise up, Lord,
and let thine enemies be scattered. and let
them that hate thee flee before theen
David, by the spirit, afterward embodied
this in at least two Of the psalms FPS
xviii, /, 2; Ps. exxxii, y. In Joshua iii, IS,
the ark is called ''the ark Of the Lord. the
Lord OF all the earth" Whes. the people
.elied upon God who dwelt between the
cherubim, their enemies fled before them,
but when they relied upon the ark (Which
was only the symbol of His presencel then
their enemies obtained the victory q Sam.
iy. 3, IL. five rely upon anything but upon
the Lord Himself, we will not have peace or
victory.
S6. And when it rested, he said Return,
o Lord, unto the many thousands Of L.
rael." Thus, whether on the march or at
rest, the great reality OF Isracl's life was
Jehovah In their midst. In proportion IA
they realized this and acted accordingly,
they prospered, but when they forgot Him
they failed. 1t il SO with us. He says, 10,
am with you always and when we be-
lieve, and thus realize His presence, and
count on Him, we have joy ami peace and
zictory, but when we forget His presence
we fail