Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1895-07-06
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON !, THIRD QUARTER, IN
TERNATloNAL SERIES, JULY 7.


Z. Commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
stesrns.
L. While we LOW turn back from the
life and work of the ord Jesus. as revealed
TO us in the gospels, to the story OF the
Lords dealings with Israel on the way to
the promised land, We are learning 81 the
same Lord whose goings forth nave been
from of old, from tue DAYS OF eternity Mic.
", Q, margin). II was not because OF any
worthiness in them. but only because Of
His own faithfulncss and His promise TO
Abraham that He brought them out of
Egypt CDeut. vii, :, 5: Gen. xv, 10. ~. 1t
was now the third month since they had
been redeemed from the bondage of Egypt.
They had come TO Mount Sinai, and the
Lord had offered To make them peculiar
treasure unto Himself above all people, a
Kingdom Of priests, holy nation, If only
they would obey Ills voice. This they
readily promised To do. and now we
see them gathered about Mount Sinai,
the mountain quaking greatly and COW
cred with fire and smoke, out of the
midst of which God speaks the words OF
our lesson TO the people. See chapter xix
and Deut. v, I, ~. -. ~ IL was IA day, in
! this respect, unlike any before or since in
the history OF this world. He first reminds
them tn; their redemption from Egypt
was wholly His doing without any help of
theirs, for salvation is 81 the Lord" (Jonah
ii, %, and He never asks au unredeemed
soul to keep His commandments. The only
command TO the unsaved is To believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ Il John Iii, %; Acts
xvi, 81, then when Christ has become to
them the end OF the law for righteousness
He will fulfill in them the righteousness Of
the law, enabling them TO walk not after
the flesh, but after the spirit from. Y, 4;
viii, d.
s. Since they were redeemed by the only
living and true God, TO make Him n name
on the earth in the sight of all nations
III Sam. vii, %, Isa. xiii, l2, ~. therefore
they were forbidden TO have aught TO do in
any way with the gods OF the nations,
idols OF wood and stone, the work Of men 5
hands I'll Kings xviii &c. 81; Jer. X, 10, III.
| We who have been redeemed from the curse
Of the law by the work of our Substitute
| (Gal. iii, 49, are to have no idols between
our soul and God, but make IL manifest
that we worship only Him.
40. Because they saw no similitude on
the day that God spoke TO them ont of the
midst Of the fire. therefore they We're to use
no images nor likeness of anything in their
worship of God. God is seven times called
a jealous God. The other six places are
Eek. xxxiv, II; Deut. iv, "A; v. 8; vi. IS;
Joshua xiv. 10; Nah. i, 2. The word
translated jealous also means to buy, pur-
chase or redeem We are redeemed to bee q
people for his own possession Titus ii, II, r.
| W and He wants us all for Himself
Z. The name above every name must he
4 L.
(Nath. vi. 81. Not only is all kind of so
called profanity forbidden. but as the name
stands for the character EEK. xxxiv. SO
all that would in any way belittle the char
acter Of God must he carefully avoided
We are here to honor Him in every way and
magnify His name.
SILL. The sabbath was made for man.
and the son OF Man is Lord Of the sabbath
| MARX ii, -, 2s). II then, He is my Lord,
the sabbath i specially mine that on IL /
may have special communion with Him. In
lisa. lviii. H. Il, we are taught that We are to
honor Him, not doing our own ways. nor
! finding our own pleasure, nor speaking our
own words. and that thus we shall delight
ourselves in the Lord IN Col ii, IL. Il, we
read that even tile sabbath is shadow of
things to come. perhaps referring To the
keeping of Sabbath that remains for the
people OF God (lleb. iv, ~ but which We can
/ foretsste even here Heb, ~, 10).
I IL The first four commandments, ordi-
narily known a. the first table OF the law,
are summed up by our Lord Jesus Ia Mark
xii. 80, 81 quoting from Deut vi, Band Jer.
xix, 49, as loving God with all the heart,
and the last six as loving our neighbor as
ourselves. Or rs it is in Rom. xiii, 10,
Love is the fulfilling of the law" This
fifth command Is spoken Of in Eph. vi, ., as
The first commandment with promise "
Next 10 God we are to honor our parents,
and a curse is pronounced upon such as do
otherwise (Deut. xvii, ii, Prov. 80, 10.
49, Thou shalt not kill" In our Lord :
commentary on this in Math V, 81, -, He
teaches that anger lies mt the root of MUIR
der and in John hi. Is, il is written that
''he that hateth his brother is murderer"
referring back TO the story OF Cain and
Abel. Not only are we forbidden to hate
any one but we are forbidden to speak evil
or even imagine evil against another
(James iv, II; Zech. vii. 10; viii, IL.
"a Thou shalt not commit adultery"
That this command reaches not only to the
sinful act, but is broken by even II sinful
thought. is clear from our Lords comment
upon il in Math V, %, = Another aspect
Of II is found i'll JAS iv, !, where we are told
that 10 love or be a friend of the world
that hates God is in His sight form OF
adultery. Let Us pray:
Wash. Lord. and purify my heart,
And make il clean in every part
And when tits clean, Lord keep il, too,
For that is more than can do.
IS. Thou shalt not steal" Many would
scorn to take what does not belong TO them,
as between man and man, who possibly
might have TO plead guilty when searched
by the question, will a nan rob God?" In
asmuch AS our relation TO God is the first
question, let the believer ask himself, Am
robbing God Of any portion of my being or
my time or my money! He claims our body
as His property Rom. xii, /, 2; Cor. vi, 10,
| 20), and at least Il seventh OF our time and a
tenth of our income
10. Thou shalt not bear false witness
against thy neighbor." Some love lying
rather than righteousness FPS lii, 81, but
such are finally found without the city
REV xxi, l5l. He that worketh deceit
shall not dwell within my house; he that
telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight Ps
CT, y. God is God OF Truth-the Spirit
is Spirit Of Truth, and Jesus is the Truth
lisa. lxv. Ii; John xvi. -; xiv, g.. When they
have full control of us. We will bear no
false witness.
IL. Thou shalt not covet" We might
infer from Rom. vii, :. in connection with
Phil iii. &, that Paul fancied that he had
kept the law pretty thoroughly except ON
This one point, but he learned, as james
also did, that Ia keep the whole law and
offend only Ola one point makes one guilty
OF all tJas ii, 10. Rom vii. Isl. Guilty"
is the word for every one Rom. iii, ~, ~
Some one has W. said, To do whut the
law requires | must have life, and to b.
what the law requires must have right
sousncSS but by nature have neither and
am therefore cursed When I receive
Christ, lie become MY lie and righteous
less and viii fuliil III, ls,v in n4,