The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1902-07-25


I visit l will visit their sin upon them;
IS. And the Lord plagued me people,
because they made the cali. which Aaion
GOLDEN TExT.-Thou shalt have ne
other g0ds before MEEK. <osS.
OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURE SCI ~ ~ y. :,
rhe civil law. ..:................HE1 Sli-lS
rhe calf worshiped............, . 800 90
The calf destroyed. :.........n,EA' oS.e,-o0
rhe idolaters punished. sss:sa-S
Moses intercession.... ........''I~. '-''
TIME.-B. c. l49l.
PLACE-Sinai.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
The Law Broken.-By solemn cove
,ant the Israelites bound themselves 10
keepall the law, moral and civil (24:3-s).
rhis covenant they broke when they
made the golden calf. In making TINS
there was no intention to turn away
from Jehovah, but to have materiaI
renresentation of Him which would
help them in their worship. iney
broke. not the first, but the second
commandment.
The Civil Law.-Ex. 2o:22-23, called
the "Book of the Covenant, Is
The earliest of all Hebrew legislation,
;ome Of the laws coming down from the
early days in Egypt. 1t treats OF ~
worship. (2) rights of slaves, f3) as
saults on persons, az domestic animals
~ property, (6) purity, ID Kindness
(s) injustice, and (9) the sacred sea-
sons.
The Calf Worshiped.-Moses and
Joshua had gone up into the noun
tain. The people had been waiting
almost six weeks. expecting every day
that they would return, but still they
.ame not. and the people ut last gave
them up for lost and turned to Aaron
for leadership. There is the sugges-
ton Of a sheer in the expression "as
FOR this Moses, the man that brought
Us up out Of the land of Egypt" At
FIRST thought the coupling Of sheer
with the statement of the great service
Moses had done them. seems like the
basest ingratitude. Perhaps it is,
but to this day, the man who under
takes a thing and fails to carry IL
through. or, in other words. who leads
a people into the wilderness and can
not or does not lead them ont again,
is spoken Of in the same tone OF voice.
That is what Moses seemed to have
done, so the people took things into
their own hands. The life Of the camp
under Moses leadership had been rig
orous. They respected him. but now
that he was gone they asked for lead
ership and worship more to their
} taste. Aaron was in hard place,
So is every leader Of men under similar
circumstances. He probably said to
himself. II wish itwere otherwise. but
can GO no further than public opinion
, will warrant: the time is not yet ripe
for Moses rigorous morality; the peo
ple are not educated up to it. Lead
, ers who lead are still rare. Aaron wa,
following the crowd. The Hebrew
were breaking the command, but they
were not consciously abandoning Jeho
. yah. The calf was thought Of as par
Of the old Jehovah-worship. and tn,
feast proclaimed by Aaron, with all IL
: disgusting and immoral features IRE
: ferred to in the word play was feas
. "to Jehovah" lex. $3.50.
Iutercession and Punishment.--Th
earncstness and self-effacement o
Moses in pleading with Jehovah for hi
: beloved but Maynard people is sublime
We may be sure that II God were ads
, quately represented here He would no
seem more petulant and less forgi,
u ing than His servant. Note in this sec
ton how Aaron lays the blame for hi
own act on the people, and also ho'
Jehovah recognizes the responsible
Of the "voters" for the act Of publ
official. "And Jehovah smote the net
q plc, because they made the calf, whic
Aaron made" (Ex. 32:30. What til
u shifting was we arc not told.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
. II Is a great sin TO break any Of n
: commandments, for 10 do SO shows Iii
D. loyalty to God.
- The breaking Of any Of His comman
e, mcnts. therefore. cannot be light
n overlooked by God.
One who breaks any Of Gods con
n mandmcnts breaks the covenant, ar
therefore cannot plead its promises
The path Of all excellence lies in Il
CO tollowingor advancing ideas which ~
he as we approach them, and which a
a ~rretually calling us 70 LOTT