The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-07-09
THE SABBATH SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR JULY l3.

ence of God on Mount Sinai had solemn
ized the minds Of the people and excited
their. awful expectations, Il may be SUP
posed that the sound Of the trumpet
ceased. and Jehovah Himself Immediately
spake in voice loud enough 10 be distinct.
ly heard by the immense assembled multi.
tude. Afterward God wrote the law with
His own finger on two tables Of stone. and
to-day He writes i on the "aeshly tables
spoken are generally called the ten com.
mandments; although sometimes they are
called the moral law, because they lay.
down rules for the conduct OF men" They
are also called the decalogue. In the Old
Testament they are called Q covenant
(Deut. 4: I3) or testimony. They are tho
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.
2. II am the Lord thy Cod" "Jeho-
yah, self-exissent. independent, eternal. the
fountain Of all being and power. He .thas
gives being may give law, therefore He 70
able to reward obedience and punish dis.
obedience: Though all the people are here
included in this address it was intended
obey all these words" (Which have
brought thee" Therefore they were bound
in gratitude to obey Him. They had been
eye-witnesses Of the great things God had
done for their deliverance. They were now
enjoying the fruits OF their deliverance and
in expectation Of . speedy settlement in
Canaan. By redeeming them He acquired
a further right to rule them. They owed
their service to Him to whom they owed
their freedom and whose they were by pur.
chase.
The First Commandment. 3. Thou"
In the singular, and personal, because each
individual must obey. for himself. SHALT
authority. They are definite and positive
mo other gods before Me-" alone must
be your God. must have the whole heart.
This is reasonable. !. Because there is no
other true God. 2. He Is our Creator. 8.
We are entirely dependent on Him. 4. He
is holy being, and His nature Is worthy
of our supreme affection. 5. BY loving
Him we receive the greatest good and the
highest happiness that can possibly come
to US in this world. 8. To love Him is the
foundation Of all true religion. 7. Because
apart from Him there is no true happiness.
II is not necessary to actually bow down
before dumb idols to be spiritual idolators.
Whatever we hold first in our affections 10
our God. It may be ourselves, or our pos.
sessions, or the honors and delights Of this
The Second Commandment. vs.. -. 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 TINS is positively
forbidden BY this commandment. Those
who worship Jehovah must not have any
image before them, TO direct, excite or 40.
sist their devotion. Though the worship
was designed to 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" J"
tie tie were also objects OF Egyptian idoiatry.
in 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 no. in
tended to teach that tie punishment OF the
personal sips Of tue parents viii be in:
Hcted on the children (Ezek. l8: 2O), and
While it is true that we will not be con.
demned By divine justice for crimes ot
which we were never guilty, yet the law oi
hercdity 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 must always be free from the sting OF
conscience"
6. "shcwing mercy" Mercy is Gods
delight He shows His favor and kindness
judgments reach only to the third or
fourth. keep Ny commandments" BY
keeping His commandments we will ehow
our love and put ourselves in o position to
receive His mercy.
The Third Commandment. 7. THE
name" By the name OF God we art to un.
derstand His titles BY which He maketh
Himself known to US. I'm vain" Either
by false oaths, common swearing, or light
and irreverent mention OF God. Guilt
less" The Lord will not trea. him as in
nocent and allow him to 90 unpunished.
The Fourth Commandment. We. S-ll 8,
Remember" This was not enacting a
new law. but reviving an old one. It may
have been forgotten by the Hebrews. OF
possibly denied to them while in Egypt
The Sabbath day" Sabbath means rest
and this day was to be . rest day. To
keep it holy" The Sabbath must be kept,
~ As day Of rest from worldly business
(2) As a day to be spent in holy exercise:
God, BY blessing it, had made it holy and
they. by solemnly blessing Him, must keep
it holy. 1t was not merely to be day oi
rest from labor. but it was to be day set
cpart for divine worship.
0. Shalt thou labor Labor is duty
as we'll as necessity" Here is a positive
commandment. as explicit as that which
enjoins the Sabbath OF rest" -,
10. The seventh day Every seventh
day. One seventh OF our time should be
given 70 God. Not do any work" From
this it is evident that the commandment,
was understood as forbidding all sorts oi
ordinary work. and was to be applied to
the cattle, that is. to the beasts OF burden
It was also applied to the stranger. or for
eigner. who settled in any OF the cities oi
IL. For in six days" etc. Gods res;
at the close Of the creative week b made
reason for the sanctity OF the sevss,h day
In the new dispensation we have Vac Chris
tian Sabbath which is observed on the arss
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
Saobath in honor of a still greater work
the work Of human redemption. The Chris
tian church has always observed the tirsi
lay Of the week as the Christian Sabbath