The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1907-07-03
SUNDAY SCHOOL COLUMN

\ july i-GO0 REEDS lSreal IN the
Wilderness. Exod. l6. lis.
Our lessons for the new quarter
continue study of the journey of
the Children of Isreal through the
now Desert of Arabia. After cross
ing the Red Sea the leading was
southwark parallel with the coast of
the sea. These people had come
out of captivity and had no prepar-
alton for a long march through
desert country. so it is not strange
that their provisions gave out. and
that from human point of view they
began to murmur and to wonder how
they were to live. They began to
long for the ..f1esh pots of Egypt.
The spectacle is here presented OF a
people who had been given wonderful
deliverance fl ON slavery wanting to
get back to fill their stomachs. They
are not the only persons however to
not know when they are we'll off. who
/ do not appreciate what has been done
for them. and who look back longingly
| for the temporal comforts. when they
should be rejoicing at deliverance
from depths of sin and degradation.
| The God who had led them out and
helped them thus far was not to de-
sert them now. and so He provided
that they should have fresh meat in
| the form of quails each evening, and
they should find in the morning a
grain on the ground which they could
grind ard cook for food. The people
called this food MAMA which in
their tongue meant "what is it,.
The Mama was not found cooked
ready for use. God sent the grain
and the people must do their part in
making it ready to eat. 1t is a
peculiar fact that in nearly every
case of Divine intervention. the super
natural only does what the human
! cannot do. and leaves undone what
| people can do themselves. 1t comes
pretty near being strictly true that
God helps those who help themselves
at any rate it is best to do your best.
lSif you want Divine aid.
| The lsrealites were only to gather for
the present day, and cook but sufficient
for that time. on penalty of having
any left over, rot. On the day before
4 the Sabbath they could gather how
ever double amount and it would
not spoil. for no Mamma fell on the Sab
bath. Some would not believe this
and went out to gather it and were
surprised to find that God did just
what He said He would. and sent none
on the Sabbath.
Jesus the Christ made use of the
incident of the falling of the Mama
to liken Himself to it when as re-
corded in John 6-5l. He declares Il
am the living bread which came down
from heaven and added If any
man eat of this bread. he shall live
i forever Jesus told the Jews of His
day that their fathers eat Mama and
died, but that those who ate of Him
should live forever.
j A few of the points of the lesson
are these: l. God will not under
take work for US and not provide
things needful when the situation
gets beyond US. 2. We should not
look back to the 3'flesh pots'' when
once enlisted under Gods banner. 3.
If we have faith God will provide our
wants, but not in such way that we
will be relieved of doing all we car
: to help ourselves. 4. AS the Mama
t came from God to give life from day
to day to the people of old. so Jesus
) comes to give life. but greater
( life eternal. 5. 1t is a miracle W,
see from day TO day. in the corn, pc
tatoes. peas cabbage growing TO
j our food, so we need not turn from
this old bible record with an, expires
sion of unbelief that miracle wa
/ performed for the desert wanderers
for one is before our very sight dairy
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