Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-09-14
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON n. THlan QUARTER. INTsa-
NATIONAL sEEaEs; SEPT. is.

NATIONAL SEEiEsi SEPT. IS.
Esxt ~ ths Lssssas JeshaA ~. i-s--afsm-
cry VERSE; = eosa>sa rexs, Hes. Vi,
Is-Csmms~..zs by ths Rev. D. ~.
stearns.
!. "The Lord also spake unto Joshua,
saying" There was time when God
spake to Hen face to face as with Adam,
Abraham, Moses and Joshua He after
ward spoke through the prophets bat he
last spoke through His Son. our Lord
Jesus Christ tHeb. |, /, %. Even Hisoom-
munications to Abraham and the others
were through tho Son, for. ssNo man hath
seen God at any tinio, the only Bcgotten
Son who Is In the bosom OF tho Father, He
hath declared Him" (Johni, 49, Whether
through the prophets or Ills Son 1t was al
ways by the Spirit and the same Holy
Spirit now speaks to us In His word Il
Pet l. IL. II Pet. / 81; John wi. rs;
John Il, e7)
9. speak to the children Of Israel, say
ing, Appoint out for you cities Of refuge,
whereof i spakc unto You by the hand Of
Moses The commands concerning tho
scities OF refuge arc found In Ex- xxi,
IS; Mum xxxv, 1i-l5, and Deut. XIX,
80 Our lesson Is tho fourth reference to
them, and tho number four Is suggestive
Of completeness CONCERNING Gods dealings
with tho earth. The four gospels, the
| four faces Of the cherubim, the four cor.
ners OF the earth--ail suggest Gods pur-
poses Of grace in Christ Jesus for the whole
earth.
s. "That tho slayer that killeth any per-
SON unawares and unwittingly may Zee
thither, and they shall be your refuge from
the avenger of blood" The word .smiglat"
here translated refuge Is a word which
Is used only of tho cities of refuge. 1t Is
| from root which signifies ito receive
and makes as think Of Him Of whom 1t Is
said, This man recelveth sinners. The
,ities of refuge wero only for the innocent
who had killed accidentally and without
malice; the Lord Jesus Is Saviour and q
refuge for tho guilty, and yet the cities of
refuge were God s way Of saving those who
otherwise would have perishcd-
4. ''They shall take him Into the city
unto them and give him place that he
may dwell among them" His dwelling
among them calls to mind another word
which Is translated refuge only once.
It is In the passage, "rhe eternal God Is
thy refuge" (Dent. xxxiii. e7l, and Is in
the Ninetieth and Ninety first Psalms and
elsewhere translated dwelling place" and
sshabitation. When wo have fed TO Je-
sus our refuge, He becomes our dwelling
place, and We may 'abide In Him."
g. "And u the avengcr of blood pursue
after him, then they shall not deliver tho
slayer up into his hand" Tho way to tho
city was prepared (Dcut. xix, 81 and ev-
erything made as plain and easy for the
unwilling slayer as possible, but he had to
| fee to the city and fiee for his life lest the
| avenger should overtake him. There Is al
ways a danger OF the sinners being out Oft
In his sins Then there Is no possibility Of
redemption, for IL Is written: because
| there Is wrath, beware lest He take thee
away with His stroke Then great ran
som cannot deliver thee" Job xxxvi, 1877.
God Is not willing that any should per-
ish, and He has made every possible proyi'
sion for every sinner who will come. 50
that the guilt Is either upon the sinner
| who has heard and viii not come. or upon
those who, knowing OF the refuge, have
not informed those who know 1t.
o. "And he shall dwell in that city un-
til he stand before the congregation for
| Judgment, and until the death Of tho high
priest that shall DO In those days" His
| liberty depended upon the death Of the
high priest Our High Priest has died and
risen from the death and Is alive forever
moro. because He ever iiveth He Is able
to save eycrmoro all who come unto God
| by Him. None who ever come to Him will
be cast out and because He lives nil who
come to Him shall live also (John vi, 81;
xiv, 49, We have only to abide In Him,
live unto Him and rejoice in Him who
has made us free.
Z. "And they appointed Kedesh In Gall
lee In Mount Naphtali, and Shechem In
| Mount Ephraim, and Kirjath- aria, which
Is Hebron In the mountain Of Judah. ("
| There were three cities on each side of
Jordan. Three Is suggestive Of the 1rini-
ty and Of resurrection, and these names
are all suggestive of Him who reveals the
Father by the Spirit and by His death and
resurrection becomes refuge for U.S. Ke-
desh means holiness, and Naphtaii means
wrestling. He becomes our holiness when
we yield to His wrestlings and are willing
to acknowledge no good thing In Us. She-
chem Is shoulder. and Ephralm Is fruitful.
| 1t Is only when wo cease from our wres-
things against Him and rest quiet on His
shoulder that He can make us fruitful
| Kirjath-arba Is the city Of Arba, OF OF
four. Hebron Is n company, or fellowship
and Judah is praise Resting from our
wrestling In Him who is our holiness we
become fruitful through fellowship with
the Father and tho Son by the Spirit and
are thus praise unto God. 1t all comes
| through coming unto and abiding In HIM
who Is our only refnge.
8. "Bezer, out of the tribe OF Reuben;
Ramoth, out OF the tribe Of Cad, and Go
Ian, out of the tribe of Manasseh." These
were tho three on the east OF Jordan and
are also very suggestive Of Him. Bezer
signifies strong, and also gold or silver
something precious Reuben Is ''see q
son." There Is no real strength or wealth
or preoiousness apart from the Son in
whom dwelieth all the fullness OF the God
head bodily (See Prov. Iii, IA, Is; 1 Pet.
Il, 2; lisa. xii, 3; ri, 2o). Ramoth Ia height
or exaltation, and Cad Is troop or CON-
pany. This makes us think OF the host Of
exalted ones who have fed for refuge to
lay hold upon tho hope sot before them.
Redeemed by His precious blood they are
1 now by faith sealed with Him In the heav-
enlies---in due time shall be actually with
Him, spirit, soul and body, and shall come
with Him among the armies OF heaven
Golan Is q circle, or Joy or rejoicing, and
Manasseh Is forgetting When the circle Is
completed and we become manifestly q
part OF Him from whom our new life be-
gan, then will our Joy be full and We shall
forget all our miseries and remember them
as waters that pass away Dob II, 1s).
4 Then shall we see that all the snfferin9s Of
! this present time aro not worthy to be
compared with the glory that shall be re-
vealed from. viii, 49,.
o. "These were the cities appointed for
all the children Of Israel and for the stran-
ger that sojourncth among them" Tho
benefit was for all, Jew or geafile. It was
for "whosoeyer" killsth any person at un-
awares that be might not perish. Consider
| the waosoevers OF John III. 10; ", 10; II,
| 90; Acts I, 4s; Rom. Z, IL; John v, /;
Rev. xiii L. What a responsibility rests
| upon all who know Of this refuge for SIN
ners to make Him known 10 all as speedily
M possible
n 9A n