The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1895-07-24
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOE
JULY IS.
Lesson Text: "Journeying to Ca
man." NuIa. K, 20-36-Golden
Text: Mum. K, 29-
Commentary.

29 "And Moses said unto Hobnh. the son
Of Racucl the'Midanite. Moses's father-iE.
law, We are iourneying unto the place OF
which the Lord said. will give it to you;
come thou with us. and we will 90 thee
good. for the Lord hath spoken good con-
cerning Israel" They had been encnInped
at Horeb many months. On the first day OF
the first month Of the second year the taber.
nacle was erected and accepted by God and
filled with His glory (Ex. IL, II. 81. Just
fifty days later the cloud lifted. and they
journeyed from Sinai (Num. X, II. 12) in the
order described in this chaper. Raguel, or
Ruel, or Jethro (Ex. H.. 1S; ill.,. y was the
father Of Zipporah, Moses's wife. HooaD Is
here said to 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 EX. w., 6-S.
that wondrous sevenfold, II will. beginning
and ending with Il, Jehovah" Moses be-
lieved the word of the Lord. He had respect
unto the recompense OF the reward (Heh. xi:.
26), and because of 1t had forsaken all MS
prospects in Egypt. Being fully persuaded
of the good things awaiting Israel, he would
fain have Hobab to enjoy them too. Have
we this spirit?
80. "And he said unto him. 1 will not go.
but I will depart to my own land and to
as opened up to the mind Of Moses, and rs
far as appearances went he 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 had.
and take up the cross and follow Him. went
away grieved because he had great pos
sessions. Jesus and His sufferings now,
with glory hereafter. is the programme for
the Christian. If we prefer the world ana
its pleasures now, we must not complain IL
we lose the kingdom hereafter.
81. ''And he said. Leave US not. pray
thee, forasmuch as thou knowest how we
are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou
mayest 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 If for the moment be 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
confessing that Jesus was the Christ, the Son
of the Living God. and the next acting as
satan's mouthpieee to tempt the Lord to
pity Himself and turn from the cross (Math.
xvi, 16. 23). How we do reed TO pray, ''Set
watch. o Lord, before my mouth; keep
the door of my lips
80. ''And it shall be if thou 20 with us.
yea, it shall be. that what goodness the Lord
shall do unto us the same will We do unto
thee" Moses now talks more correctly. for
we are fully authorized to offer all the riches
of Gods grace and glory to all who will ac-
cept 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 xviii, 22). 'lhe glory which
Thou gavest me, have given tnem." Again
he said, GAIL things that the Father hath are
mine" John xvi. 15). And again it 10
written ''All are yours. and ye are Christs,
and Christ is Gods" Il Cor. ill.,, 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 10 make it known to the millions
who are still in heather darkness?.
SO. And they departed from the Mount
of the Lord three days journey. and the ark
of the covenant of the Lord went before
them in the three days journey, to search
out resting place for them" This was
surely better than the eyes or the wisdom OF
Hobab How could Moses seem to forget
that God had led them and would still lead
them? Yet we are apt to do this very thing
we do forget 50 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 crucl-
fled and risen. If He be not risen, there is
no salvation for any one Il Cor. XIV. l4-lS).
But since He died and rose again and ever
liveth, He becomes resting place Tor all
who receive Him. This rest becomes a
glorious reality when we, having accepted
Him, see ourselves as crucitled and risen
nd faA Arit m n hnDV-
enlies (Eph. H., 4-6). Ceasing from our own
works, we rest in Fills finished work (Hab.
iv., 8, 1O), and wherever He pitches our tent
He Is our rest.
"a. "And the cloud Of the Lord was upon
them by day when they went out OF the
camp" The cloud was the visible symbol OF
the Lords presence with them, and He ny
1t was their guide. their light, their shield,
their avenger. their oracle. their covering
(Ex. xiii, 21; xiv, 10, 20, 24-28; Mum. tx,
1923; x, 81; xiv, IA, in fact, all that they
Testament story we think of the cloud on the
Mount Of TRANSPORTATION, the cloud that re-
ceived Him as He assembled from Olivet and
the clouds with which He will come again.
II we are truly His, we have the assurance
that He is with lis all the days: that He will
never leaveus nor forsake us; that He will in
struct US in the way In which we should 60;
that He Will hold our nanu ana nelp us, ana
that He will perfect that which concerneth
us (Math. xviii, 20; Heb. xiii, s.; Ps. xxxii.
8; lisa. xiii; 19; Ps. cxxxviii., 81. The COM
fort of all this comes by simply believing it.
35. "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 fee before Thee" David, by
the spirit. afterward embodied this in at
least two of the psalms (Ps. xviii. l, 2; Ps.
cxxxii.. 81. In Joshua iii, 13, the ark Is
called "the ark OF the Lord, the Lord Of all
the EARTH" When the people relied upon
God who dwelt between the cherubim, their
enemies fed before them, but when they re-
lied upon the ark (Which was only the SYM
boil OF His presence) then their enemies OBJ
tanned the victory q Sam. iv., g. 1D. II we
rely upon anything but upon the Lord Him
self, we will not have peace or victory.
Sc. "And when it rested he said. Return,
Lord, unto the many thousands OF Israel. "
Thus, whether on the march or at rest, the
great reality of Israel's life was Jehovah IN
their midst In proportion as they realized
this and acted accordingly, they prospered.
but when they forgot Him they failed. 1t is
80 with Us. He says, "Lo, am with you al
ways" and when we believe, and thus real
! ize His presence. and count ON Him, we have
| Joy and peace and victory, but when we Tor
get His presence we fail.-Lesson Helper.