The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-09-21
The International
Sunday-School Lesson
Third Quarter. Lesson XII Deuteronomy
xxxly. i-1a. sepcmber 2.. 1901
TIE DEATH or MOSES.

TIE DEATH or MOSES
No human life was ever more full OF
see mic incident than that of Moses From
his wave.rockcd cradle onward It was II
march OF stirring. and often tragic events.
prolific or themes for the artist and poet.
There is no need TO name these c,rcum-
stEnecs They come at once to memory win
the mere mention Of Moses name
The climax of this series OF events was
reached in Moses death. No human demise
surpasscs II in certain quality OF weird
ness The story Ia that. on one of the many
oce asions on which the 1sraeiites MUIR
INJURED" In the wilderness. Moses and Aaron
were unusually incensed against them.
Nc ses cried. Hear now. we rebels! Must
we fetch YOU water out OF this rock?" For
some quality In this action which is not
clearly defined. the brothers were denied tho
privilege Of entrance 70 Canaan. Aaron was
token. He uttered his stately farewell.
cEanted hts tong. and pronounced his bless
ing. and then began his solitary death jour
ney to Ncbo. There Is no word OF protest
on his part against his fate. he MAJ csr-
tairly gained in submssiveness since he ut
tered that pteous cry. II pray Thee. let me
go over" Josephus says he Withdrew amidst
tho tears Of the people the women beating
their breasts and tho children giving way
To Uncontrolled wailing. and that the elders
and Eliezcr and Joshua followed part way
up the mountain. At length he reached the,
peak named Nebo. In honor of tho heathen'
god. A miraculous vision OF the entire land
or promise is not necessarily involved In the
terms OF the narrative. 1t Is expressly af-
fl med that Moses vision was undimmed
and the height commanded an cxceedin ely
wide range. What he saw was a sample OF
the whole to the remotcst limits named
The death OF Moses has been idealizcd
also. Here one can be easily lost IN a mazc
of curious II not idle. speculation. The
rahbis say, for example. that Moses died by
kiss OF the Lord. In the act OF klssin s
him. Jehovah drew his life from him. All
this is elaborated from the simple phrase,
tina. Moses died by the mouth OF the Lord.
And the burial OF Moses has been made a
my stery also. The venerable tradition is
that Jehovah Himself buried him. The sep
| tun gent, however. has It. they buried him.
| and the third person, singular. would allow
of the verb being taken as impersonal. ~
those who attended to the burial OF Moses
| kept their secret. and made no record OF 1t.
after their death, 1t could be trnthfully at.
1 fsrf1 ed, ethat mo man knoweth the place OF
| his sepucher.'' Jude is evidently making
| reference and concession Cwithout OF neces-
sity approving it,, to some Jewish tradition
| when he speaks OF Michael the ArchanSe
| &C Intending and disputng with Satan about
the body OF Moses. The quotation Is prob
4 ably from the lost arooryphal book men.
| toned by Origen as the Ascension OF
| Nc SEES These are matters largely curl
/ QUO and speculative. They afford Ter
| tile field for the imaginative and poetic
/ but for tho average person the moral quail
/ ties OF the man are confessealy and vastly
| E,ore important than the accidents OF hi
! death and burial.
Thus for example. the death OF Moses wa
| undoubtedly intended to be exemplary. ~
! was a awgiver but he was also himself
/ Law -breaker. He must suffer In sight of al
J the people the penalty OF the law which n
| NOT only gave, but also broke. Again. Moses
| in an age OF practical materialism. which
was always asking. What shall we cat, drin'