Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-07-12
THE SABBATH SCHOOL
International Lesson Comments For
July Is.
Subject: The Ten Commandments, Duties to
God, Ex. Xxx. i.ii-Golden Text, Luke r..
27-Memory Verses. 3.ll-Commen.
tary on The Days Lesson.

i. ana God spake After the glorious
and tremendous display of the special pres
ence of God on Mount Sinai hN solemn
lied the minds OF the people and excited
| their awful expectations, it may be sup
+! posed that the sound OF the trumpet
| ceased. and Jehovah Himself Immediately
| spake in voice loud enough to be distinct
| ly heard by the immense assembled multi
| .ude. Afterward God wrote the law with
| His own finger on two tables of stone, and
| to-day He writes it on the ''heshly tables
| of our hearts" These words" The words
spoken are generally called the ten com
| mandments: although sometimes they are
called the moral law. because they lay
are also called the decalogue. In the Old
Testament they are called covenant
| tDeut. 4: 49, or testimony. They are the
| simple words OF Gods loving covenant to
His people. and not arbitrary command
ments to His subjects. They bind God and
| His people in mutual affection
.. Il am the Lord tiny God" "Jeho-
! yah, self-e;;istent, independent. eternal. the
fountain OF all being and power. He thai
, gives being may give law, therefore He is
able to reward obedience and punish dis.
! obedience. Though all the people are here
included in this address it was intended
for them individually. that each might feel
that he was hound for himself to hear and
obey all these words" (which have
brought thee Therefore they were bound
in gratitude TO obey Him. They had been
] cye-witnesses of the great things God had
| done for their deiveranee. They were now
! enjoying the fruits OF their deliveranee and
in expectation of speedy settlement in
| Canaan. By redeemng them He acquired
! further right 10 rule them. They owed
| their service to Him to whom they owed
their freedom and whose they were by pur
chase.
The First Commandment; g. Thou"
/ In the singular. and personal, because each
individual must obey Tor himself. Shalt
! have" The commandments are given with
| authority They are definite and positive.
| NO other gods before Me-" alone must
be your God. | must have the whole heart.
This is reasonable. l. Because there is TO
other true God. .. He is orr Creator. 3.
We are entirely dependent on Him. 1. He
Is holy being, and His nature is worthy
| OF our supreme affection. 5. Ply loving
| Him we receive the greatest good and the
highest happiness that can possibly come
/ to us in this word. G. To love Him is the
foundation Of all true religion. 7. Because
apart from Him there Is no true happiness.
Il IS not necessary to actually bow down
before dumb idols to be spiritual idolators.
Whatever we hold first in our affections is
our God. 1t may be ourselves, or our pos
| sessions, o: the honors and delights of this
: world. or II NAV be our Heavenly Father
The Second Commandment. vs.. 40. 4.
Any craven image" Nothing shall be
made to represent God. or as a means of
worshiping God. We have included here
every species OF idolatry known to have
been practiced among the Egyptians Ad-
vocates of idol worship declare that the
material images are merely to call up the
mental idea of God, but this is positively
forbidden by this commandment Those
who worship Jehevah must not have any
image before them. to direct, excite or as
sist their devotion. Though the worship
was designed 70 terminate in God. it would
not please Him il it came TO Him through
an image. That is in heaven" The ibis.
stork, crane and hawk. were objects of
Egyptian idolatry. I'm the earth beneath"
The OK, heller. crocodile. serpent and bee
tie were also objects OF Egyptian idoiatry.
I'm the water" All fish were considered
sacred among the Egyptians.
5. "A jealous God God is not willing
that any other should occupy the first place
in the affections of His people. Visiting
the iniquity," etc. While this is not in.
tended to teach that the punishment of the
personal sins OF the parents will be in.
flieted on the children Eek. Is: 2D). and
while It is true that we will not be con-
demned by divine justice for crimes OF
which we were never guilty. yet the law of
| heredity is such that even remote de-
| scendants inherit the consequences of their
| fathers sins in disease. poverty and captiv-
ity; with all the influences OF bad example
and evil communications, but such suffer
ing mIs- always be free from the sting of
| conscience"
8, .Shewing mercy Mercy is Gods
delight He shows His favor and kindness
| to thousands of generations. while His
| judgments reach only to the third or
fourth. Keep Ny commandments" By
keeping His commandments we will show
our love and put ourselves in position to
receive His mercy
The Third Commandment. T. The
| name" By the name of God We art to un-
derstand His titles by which He maketh
Himself known TO US. In vain" Either
| by false oaths, common swearing, or light
and irr.verent mention of God Guilt
less" The Lord will not treat him as in
ncs S and allow him to go unpublished.
The Fourth Commandment. vs.. s.ll. s.
new law. but reviving an old one. 1t may
have been forgotten by the Hebrews, or
possibly denied 10 them while in Egypt
The Sabbath day Sabbath means rest,
and this day was to be rest day. To
keep it hoy. The Sabbath must be kept,
(l As day OF rest from worldly business.
% As day to be spent IN holy exercise.
God. by blessing it. had made it holy and
they. by solemn,y blessing Him. must keep
1t holy. Ii was not merely to be a day of
rest from labor, but it was to be day set
apart for divine worship.
| y. Snat tnou loor. Labor Is duty
as we'll as necessity" Here is positive
commandment. explicit as that which
enjoins the Sabbath OF rest
10. The seventh day" Every seventh
day. One seventh OF our tirle should be
given to God. Not do any work" From
this it is evident that the commandment
was understood IS forhidding all sorts OF
ordinary work. and was to Be applied to
the cattle. that is. TO the beasts OF burden.
1t was also applied to the stranger. or for
eigner. who settled in any OF the cities of
Israel.
IL. For in SIX days" etc. Gods rest
at the close of tie creative week Il made a
reason for the sanctity of the sevaAth day.
In the new dispensation we have sse Chris
tiaa Sabbath which is observed on the first
day OF the week called the Lords day. be.
cause on that day Christ rose from the
tomb bringing new hope and life to the
world. The God who had the authority to
institute the Sabbath in honor Of the work
OF creation, had authority to change the
Siobath in honor of still greater work,
the work of human redemption. The Chris
tian church has always obse-ved the first
day of the week as the Christian Sabbath.