Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-07-13
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON Ii. THIRD QUARTER, IN
TERNATloNAL SERIES. July "a.


'. Commentary by the Rev. d. NJ.
stearns.
/. ZIP. make us gods Some one has
said that whenever we turn away FINN
leaning exclusively upon God either for sal
walton or for the necessities of the path
we are virtually saying. up. make us
GODS This is equal to rejection of
God. They had not seen Moses nor heard
from God for several weeks. and they can
trust no longer They cannot walk by
faith. they must have scr sthing to look
rpon Blessed are all who are content to
believe without seeing or feeling-content
to live by faith.
2,s. Aaron, the anointed high priest,
seems to have no word Of warning or help
fos them as from God He was Moses mouth
or spokesman. and Moses was TO him in
stead Of God (Ex. iv, 10; vii. y, and Moses
being absent he, like false prophet, speaks
out of his own heart this evil advice tJer.
xiii, l6). 1t is sad when We depend upon
man instead of upon God for the message
then when the man is absent We have
no message Observe also that as they
gave the ornaments OF their ears to make
an idol, so they gave their ears to the
devil {Deut. xxi. 10, IN.
4 Instead of receiving at their hand the
gold to make an idol, they should have re-
ceived at his hand aud from his lips the
living words OF the living God. 1t is sad
case indeed when the one who ought to
represent the people before God misrepre-
sents God to the people and joins the peo-
pie in heathenish desires and customs.
Through him who should have led them to
the God OF Glory they changed their glory
into the similitude of an OK Ups. cvi, 20)
1t looks as ii Aaron had wholly lost his
reason when we hear him say, These be
thy gods, o Israel" Compare ii Thess. II.
10, IL.
s. And when Aaron saw it, he built an
altar before it, See this sin repeated in
the case of Jeroboam and the very words
of Aaron used q Kings xii, 2s. s3). This is
all the work of the devil from beginning to
end. and so is everything like it in the
churches and among the people Of God to-
day. God IS a Spirit, and they that worship
Him must worship Him in spirit and IN
truth. And when any person or thing
comes between the soul and God it is idol
airy.
6. "The people sat down to eat and drink.
and rose up to play" See Cor x, I, and
it would be well to read the whole chapter
Is it not on the same line of things when In
houses built for the worship Of God people
bearing the name Of Christ meet to eat and
drink and be entertained or amusedf There
is wonderful likeness to the dancing aud
singing of the naked people around the
golden calf verses 10, 25) in some things
done In our midst In the name of religion.
I. The Lord said to Moses that the people
had corrupted themselves, and He ordered
him down from the mountain TO see to it.
All the good is from God, all the evil is on
our side with satan back of it. Long after
ward the Lord said to this people: 80 Israel,
thou hast destroyed thyself, but in Me is
thine help. o Israel, return unto the Lord
thy God, for thou hast fallen by thine in
EQUITY" Hos. xiii, 9; xiv, y. The sin is
ours, the salvation is all His
s. 'sfhey have turned aside quickly out
of the way which l commanded them. -
Blessed are the Undecided in the way who
walk in the law of the Lord FPS. cxix, y.
There is no way for the child Of God to walk
In but THE WAY, which is Jesus Christ
Himself John xiv, O.. We are not to turn
from Him either to the right or the left
(Joshua /, y, and when tempted to turn we
have the promise Of help and guidance If
we are only willing to be guided lisa. XXX,
81; Cor. X, 13l.
80. II will go mp unto the Lord, perad-
venture | shall make an atonement for
your SIM" Before coming down from the
mount Moses had pleaded for Israel and
obtained the assurance that God would
spare them as a nation. The account Of
this, and themeeting with Joshua, and the
destruction and disposition Of the calf is
found in the intervening verses, also the
significance of the question who is on the
Lords sidcS" and the true meaning of con-
secration. Compare Luke xiv, %, q; Math.
z, 50. So
81 And Moses returned unto the Lord y
Willie all sin is sin, and even the thought
OF foolishness is sin prov. xiv, 81. yet
some sins are more heinous than others.
Moses calls this great sin. Jesus himself
spoke of sin that hath never forgiveness
at the same time that lie spoke Of the for
giveness Of all manner OF sins except this
particular sin Mark iii, rs, 29l The sin
that oyertops all others is the rejection OF
Christ the Son of God.
50. "And, If not, blot me, pray thee, ont
Of thy book which thou hast written He
is willing to suffer in their stead il neces-
sary in order to save them. The same
spirit is seen in Paul on behalf OF this same
people Israel (Rom, TX, ~. The reality Is
seen aud fully carried out in the Lord Jesus
Christ. who was made sin offering for
Israel end 70 us that we might be saved
Oh Cor. V, 81.
SO. "Whosoever hath sinaed against me,
him viii blot out Of my book" In Rev.
XIX. 12 we read Of books being opened, and
another book which is the book of life In
Nal iii. Is we read of book of remem-
brance. What hook is referred to in our
lesson we may not now know, but we may
be sure that il it were possible to have a
name blotted out of the book Of life our
Lord would not have made it such great
ground of rejoicing to have ones name
there duke x, 20; Rev. iii, 81.
81. Behold, mine angel shall go before
thee. Nevertheless, inthe day when visit
Iwill visit Il eir sin upon them" The Lord
is slow TO anger and plenteous in mercy,
but sin that is not repcnted Of and forgiven
shall in due time be visited Every penitent
sinner may be forgiven by accepting Him
who died in his stead, but there is no other
way but by the atonement. The guiding
aud protecting angel is mentioned in Tx.
xiii, 20. Behold | send an angel before
shee to keep thee in the way, and to bring
chez into the place which have prepared. I"
THE angel Of His presence saved them"
lisa xiii, 81. Well may we say, IF thy
presence so not with me. carry us no: up
hence" Cfx. xxxiii, ~. But thank God for
Math xviii. 20: Isa XII, 10. 10; Deut. XXI.
3; Heb. xiii, 8, etc.
IS. Aud the Lord plagued the people
because they made the calf which Aaron
made" The Lord iudgeth righteotsly, for
there is 10 uBriShteousncss with Him. HI
lookcth upon the heart and viii render to
every one according to their works. Part.
nership in evil IS an evil partnership.
Robert Louis Stevcnson's literary earn
ings in the last eight years are s1,d to
have bean n',t less than 5000. 600.