The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1901-11-14
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson In the international Series
for November IL, IOO1-The
Childhood Of Moses.
THE LESSON TEXT.
ftsz 81 rnN

EXODUS 2:l-l0)
/. And there went a man of the house OF
Levi. and took to wife a daughter OF Levi
. And the woman conceived. ard bare a
son: and when she saw him that he was a
goodly child, she hid him three months.
B. And when she could not longer hide
him. she took for him an ark OF bulrus hes,
and daubed 1t with slime and with pitch.
and put the child therein; and she laid II
In the flags by the rivers brink.
4. And his sister stood afar on, to vii
what would be done to him.
3. And the daughter OF Pharaoh came
down to wash herself at the river: and her
maiders walked along by the rivers side
and when she saw the ark among the flags,
she sent her maid to fetch 1t.
6. And when she had opened II, she saw
the child; and. behold. the babe wept. And
she had compassion on him. and said, This
is one OF the Hebrews children.
T. Then said his sister 10 Pharaoh s
daughter, Shall / go and call to thee a
nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may
nurse the child for thee?
S. And Pharaoh's daughter said to her,
Go. And the maid went and called the
Child's mother.
9. And Pharaohs daughter said unto her,
Take this child away. and nurse 1t for me,
and / will give thee thy wages. And the
woman took the child, and nursed II.
I'. AlQ tle CHI4u grew, anu sNt
him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he be-
came her son. And she called his name
Moses: and she said. Because ! drew him
out of the water.
GOLDEN TENT-Trnin up II child In
the wny he should EO' and when he
is old, he will not depart from It,
Prov. 22,8.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
Moses Birth Tvs. /, 2).-Moses' par
ents belonged to the tribe Of Levi, and
We are told their names in 6:2O; Mum.
&c: 50; Moses father being named Am
ram, and his mother Jochebed. The
scattered conditions under which the
Hebrews lived would make it possible
with care and with the loyalty OF
neighbors to conceal the existence of
child for some time. AS the child
grew older, its cries stronger and the
time close at hand when it would be-
gin to move about, the hiding became
less and less easy. Perhaps signs
that Moses existence was suspected
were visible to the watchful eyes of
his mother.
Moses Rescue Tvs. 3-S).-The bas-
ket in which Moses was exposed was
probably not made especially for
that purpose, the word took" indi-
eating that it was at hand, perhaps
in the equipment of the house. The
bitumen and pitch were carefully
spread over it to make it water-tight.
The flags by the Nile would keep the
basket from floating away. The Sc
lection of a spot near the princess
bathing place was probably designed
by Moses mother, who may have
heard enough about the princess to con-
vince her that she would be inclined to
be tender toward the helpless child,
Miriam was some years older than
Nose, the word maid used of her
in verse indicating girl not much
less than 1e years old at the young
est. To- ark was so placed that the
pr;ncesS could not help noticing it,
and lis appearance was so strange
that her curiosity about it was nat
ural. The crying Of the child thus ap-
parently abandoned would touch her
heart, and Miriam's approach with
definite suggestion while she was in
this mood fxed her resolve very
quickly. The plan for keeping Moses
in his mothers care in infancy and
then having him educated by the
Egyptians worked perfectly.
Moses Training Tvs. o, 10).-The Pc
riod during which Moses would be left
in the care Of his mother-nurse would
last until he was old enough to. begin
his systematic training at court. Dur
ing this time his mother most natural
ly felt that she had him in trust in a
double sense, inasmuch as she must
take care Of him both for the princess
and for God. The wages doubtless
amounted to more than any income the
Hebrew family had had before. Her
training of Moses in the traditions
of the race was thorough, as his later
knowledge of them, when he had not
lived among his people for 60 years,
shows. The formal delivery to the
princess probably took place when
Moses was about eight years old.
After that time Moses would see his
mother only on such visits as it is nat
ural for boy to pay to his nurse. The
education of youth situated as Moses
was, in the palace, involved a thorough
training in reading and hieroglyphic
writings, in athletics and warfare, in
the sciences as they were known 10 the
Egyptian priests. and in certain more
or less spiritual doctrines and myster-
les which were kept secret among the
priesthood. This training was prob
ably on the secular side the best edu-
cation to be had then anywhere in the
world.
Natural Affection Not Universal.
Natural affection is by no means the
possession of everybody. Not every
mother loves her child, ard not every