The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1902-08-07
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lease. In the International series
for August 10. IOO2-Temper-
ance LeaSOn.
THE LESSON TEXT.
D.eyiticus lO.lllN

|
not
2. And there went out Are from the
Lord. and devoured them, and they died
before the Lord.
3. Then Moses said unto Aaron. This
Is II that the Lord spake, saying. l will
be sanctified in them that come nigh me.
and before all the people l will be glori-
he'd And Aaron held his peace.
4. And Moses called Mishael and Eliza
phan. the sons OF Uzzlel the uncle of
Aaron, and said unto them, Core near.
carry your brethren from before the
sanctuary out of the camp.
S. So they went near. and carried them
In their coats out of the camp: as Moses
had said.
6. And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto
Eleazar and unto lthamar. his sons Un-
cover not your heads. neither rend your
clothes: lest ye die, and lest wrath come
upon all the people: but let your breth-
rem. the whole house of Israel, bewail
the burning which the Lord hath kindled.
, I. And ye shall not go out from the
door OF the tabernacle of the congrega-
tion, lest ye die: for the amounting oil
OF the Lord is upon you. And they did
| according to the word OF Moses.
| s. And the Lord spake unto Aaron. say
ing.
| 3. Do not drink wine nor strong drink.
thou, nor thy sons with thee when ye go
into the tabernacle of the congregation
lest ye die: it shall be statute for ever
throughout your generations:
TO- And that ye may put difference be-
tween holy and unholy, and between
clean and unclean.
| ii. And that ye may teach the children
Of Israel all the statutes which the Lord
hath spoken unto Them by the hand Of
Moses.
GOLDEN TENT.-Let us watch and
he sOber.-1 Thess. $40.
OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURE SECTION.
The profanation............ 10:l-3
The prohibition............. Lev. lO:S-ll.
| TIME.-B. G. 1890.
| PLACE.-Sinal.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
Strange Fire--lf God were to be
honored and revcrenced by His peo-
pie, it was essential that the forms
of approach to Him should be strict
ly regarded otherwise their concep.
tion of Him would be greatly low
cred. II is quite probable that Nadab
and Abihu were under the influence
of wine or they would not have Of
fered strange fire"
Profaning the eAltar.-The strange"
| fire was fire kindled in some irregu-
lar manner or taken from some un.
hallowed source. The offense seems
slight, but az showing n lack of rev.
The sin was one of the heart. Wor-
! ship that is not rcverent is n mock
4 cry. "Sanctificd" in this place means
recognized as holy" not made
holy"
The Burning Bewailed.-Then men
upon whom Moses called to bury the
dead priests were near kindred, prob
ably elderly men. They took the bod
les without special preparation to a
place outside the camp. The priests
were forbidden the usual signs of
mourning-disheveled hair and torn
clothing-because they had died by
reason of Jehovah's judgment on
their sin. Do we not sometimes la
ment and perhaps rebel against Gods
decisions when we should bow in ST.
lence as Aaron did? A terrible ca
lamity had befalen the house of
Aaron because of irreverence and dis
obedience, but irreverence and dis
obedience generally begin at home,
parents. Yet who will say that the
fathers punishment was not greater
than that of his sons?
The Prohibition.-The command to
abstain from wine and strong drink
is thought by some, on account of its
insertion here, to hint that Nadah
and Abhu were intoxicated when
they brought strange fire, but this
is very uncertain indeed There is
nothing uncertain. however, about
the command itself, which. with the
reason for it (1O:iO, ~, is one of the
clcarcst passages in the Bible in its
teaching of abstinence. The reasons
given are absolutely free from the
fanaticism which sometimes in the
past has made it seem that the worst
foes of the temperance cause were
they of it's own household. There
is grain of truth in the saying that
"a large part of the business of the
wise is to counteract the efforts OF
the good" The priests were forbid.
den strong drink because Jehovah
wanted men, strong, clear-eyed, self
respecting men. to stand before him
The religion of Jehovah was to he
the religion of purity, self-respect
manhood and womanhood. The frs,
suggestion of a debased priesthood
such as was common in other re,
ligions. had to be met in way to
prevent its appearing again. Forty
seven American railroads discrimi
nate against persons who drink-be
cause they want to employ men
Most great business enterprises dc
the same thing, and for the same rea
son. The doors that young men who
drink close upon themselves by theil
own free act should not be forgot
ten. The opportunities they lose, the
confidence they forfeit, the manhood
they are willing to risk, should make
drinking in any form appear very
poor proposition to any sane man
To make the most of himself Is 9