The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-07-25
u NOTES AND COMMENTS.
THE LESSON TEXT.

l. c-FSS w.
TIME.-B. C, 1891.
PLACE-Sinai.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
The Law Broken.-By solemn cove
nant the Israelites bound themselves to
keep all the law, moral and civil (24:3-S).
This covenant they broke when they
made the golden calf. In making this
there was no intention to turn away
from Jehovah, but to have material
representation of Him which would
help them in their worship. They
broke. not the first, but the second
commandment.
The Civil Law.-Ex. 20: 1928, called
the 'Book of the Covenant is
the earliest of all Hebrew legislation,
some of the laws coming down from the
early days in Egypt. 1t treats of (D
worship, (2) rights of slaves, f3) as
saults on persons, (D domestic animals,
90 property, (6) purity, (7) kindness,
(s) injustice, and 10y 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
came not, and the people at last gave
them up for lost and turned to Aaron
for leadership. There is the sugges-
ton of sneer 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 a 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 it
through, or, in other words, who leads
people into the wilderness and can
not or does not lead them out 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 a worship more to their
taste. Aaron was in hard place.
So is every leader of men under similar
circumstances. He probably said to
himself, 81 wish it. were otherwise, but
I can go no further than public opinion
will warrant; the time is not vet ripe
for Moses rigorous morality; the peo-
pie are not educated up to it. Lead
ers who lead are still rare. Aaron was
following the crowd The Hebrews
were breaking the command, but they
were not consciously abandoning Jeho-
yah. The calf was thought of as part
of the old Jehovah-worship, and the
feast proclaimed by Aaron, with all its
disgusting and immoral features ire
ferred to in the word play, was feast
''to Jehovah" Eek. $3.50.
Intercession and Punishment.-Th
earnestness and self-effacement of
Moses in pleading with Jehovah for his
beloved but hayward people is sublime
We may be sure that if God were ade-
quately represented here He would not
seem more petulant and less forgiv-
ing than His servant. Note in this sec
ton how Aaron lays the blame for his
own act on the people, and also how
jehovah recognizes the responsibility
of the voters" for the act of public
official. "And Jehovah smote the peo-
pie, because they made the calf, which
Aaron made" (EX. 32:35). What the
shifting was we are not told.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
1t is a great sin to break any of the
commandments, for to do so shows dis
loyalty to God.
The breaking of any of His command
ments, therefore, cannot be lightly
overlooked by God.
One who breaks any of Gods com
mandments breaks the covenant. and
therefore cannot plead its promises. 3
The nath of all excellence lies in II :