The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1895-07-12
THE Sunday SCHOOL
LESSON u THIRD QUARTER, ~
TERNATioNAL SERIES, JULY IA.
Text of the Lesson. Eek. xxi. Ia, 3O-35
Memory Verses. =. s-Goiden Text. John
v. 2I-Commentary by the Rev. ID. M
Stearns.

said whenever we turn away from
lean. lysively upon God either for sal
waite Tor the necessities of the path
we are virtually saying, up, make rs
gods This is equal 10 rejection OF
God. They had not seen Moses nor heard
from God for several weeks, and they car
trust no longer. They cannot walk by
faith. they must have something TO look
apon. Blessed are all who are content c
believe without seeing or feeling-content
10 live by faith.
2, 3. Aaron, the anointec high priest
seems 10 have no word of warning or help
for them as from God He was Moses mouth
or spokesman, and Moses was TO him In.
stead of God Eek Nv. 10: vii, II, and Moses
being absent he like false prophet. speaks
out of his own heart this evil advice ,Jer
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, l6, 10.
4. Instead of receiving at their hand the
gold 70 make IN idol, they should have re-
ceived at his hand and from his lips the
living words of the living God. Ii is sad
case indeed when the one who ought to
represent the people before God misrepre-
sents God 10 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 Fps. cvi, co.
1t looks as If Aaron had wholly lost his
reason when we hear him say, These be
thy gods, . Israel" Compare Ii Thess. H.
10, IL.
5. 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 Il Kings xii, %, 33). 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 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 1t is IDOL
airy
g. 1.-THE people sat down to eat and drink,
and rose up to play" See'I Cor x, z, and
il would be well TO read the whole chapter
Is il not on the same line of things when in
houses built for the worship of God people
drink and be entertained or amusedp 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.
Z. 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: 20 Israel,
thou hast destroyed myself, but in Me is
thine help. O Israel, return unto the Lord
thy God, for thou hast fallen by thine in
iquity" Hos. xiii, 8; xiv, -. The sin is
ours, the salvation is all His.
S. They have turned aside quickly out
of the way which | commanded Them
Blessed are the undefiled in the way who
walk in the law of the Lord Cps. cXiX. II.
There is no way for the child of God To walk
in but THE WAY, which is Jesus Christ
Himself 81 ohm xiv, O.. We are not to turn
from Him either TO the right or the left
(Joshua i, 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. Y, 49,.
80. Il will go up unto the Lord, perad-
venture | shall make an atonement for
your sin" Before coming down from the
mount Moses had pleaded for Israel and
obtained the assurance that God would
spare them as nation. The account Of
this. and the meeting 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 sidei' and the true meaning of CON
secration Compare Luke xiv, 20, %. Math
X. 81. So
81. And Moses returned unto the Lord -
While 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 a great sim Jesus himself
spoke of n sin that hath never forgiveness
at the same time that he spoke Of the for.
giveness of all manner of sins except this
particular sin Mark iii, rs, 29). The sin
that overtops all Others is the rejection OF
Christ the Son of God
80 And IL not. blot me, pray thee. out
of thy book which thou hast written" He
is willing TO suffer in their stead if neces.
sary in order to save them The same
spirit is seen in Paul on behalf OF this same
people Israel (Rom tx. 3D. The reality is
seen and fully carried ont in the Lord Jesu.
Christ, who was made sin Offering for
lSrdel anu us lDdl we might De SdNtu
Gil Cor V, 2D.
80 "Whosoever hath sinned against me
him will blot out of my book In Rev.
Xxx. 10 we read of books being opened. and
another book which is the book of life In
Nal. iii. l6 we read of book of remem.
brance What book 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 IA great
ground of rejoicing to have ones name
there luke X, 20; Rev. iii, 81
"a. Behold, mine angel shall go before
thee. Nevertheless. in the day when visit
] will visit their sin upon them" The Lord
is slow TO anger and plenteous in mercy,
but sin that is not repented 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
and protecting angel is mentioned i'm Elk
xiii, 20, Behold | send an angel before
thee to keep thee in the way, and 10 bring
thee INTO the place which have prepared "
THE angel of His presence saved them"
/ lisa xiii. 81 Well may we say. IF thy
presence go not with me, carry us not up
/ -. D. Al 4. 4