Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1907-05-30
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
MENTs FOR JUNE 2, BY THE
REV. I. w. HENDERSON,
Subject: Moses Called to Deliver
Israel, Elk. .3:f-14-Golden Text:
Ex. 3:12-Mcmory Verses, "a

1ix. S:1S-McmOry verses, "a
commentary.
The call of God to Moses to do
the work which he did among the
children of Israel is shown in the
third and the fourth chapters of the
book of the Exodus. In this call we
find many lessons that are applicable
to human life to-day.
To us each day God comes with a
duty, be it great or small, as He came
to Moses In the unconsuming fire of
the bush at Horeb. To some of us
1t Is given to do work beside which
the work of Moses was a gigantic
task: to others of us it is given to
shape the destinies of a people even
as Moses shaped the career of Israel.
Moses gave His people higher, no.
bier. more uplifting economic and
religious system.
The first lesson that we have here
is in the emphasis that Is laid on the
holiness OF the place where the spec
1al presence of God Is conceived to
be. To Moses the place about the
burning bush was holy because there
he communed with God in an espec-
ial and peculiar manner. To-day we
consecrate the house of God to His
use and then oftentimes without any
reasonable excuse whatsoever treat
that place without proper and due
consideration. We do not have to
take our shoes off as do the Eastern
peoples when we go into church.
Neither should we take off our man.
ners or lose our sense of the propri.
eties. The church is entitled to es-
pecial consideration. In it we meet
for the holiest purposes and in 1t we
enter into our finest visions of God,
oftentimes. 1t should be treated
with respect. To be sure a church
building Is only so much wood, and
brick, and stone, but the memories
and the influences which hallow 1t
consecrate 1t. or ought to consecrate
1T, In a special manner. While not
forgetting that God is everywhere
and that His dwelling place is not
made with hands, we ought not to
, forget that the places where we meet
in common worship and communion
are inexpressbly dear to God and
that they ought to be incomparably
sacred to us. And we should teach
our youth the sacrednoss of the
church building. Too often they
leave their manners outside when
they go into church. And too Of
ten their elders do the same thing.
The second thing that the lesson
| points out to us is the value of hum
ility and dependence upon God. When
God charged Moses to go down to
| bring the children of Israel out of
Egypt he was not over-cOnfident.
Moses felt the weight of the respon-
sibility. Like true and strong man
Moses saw Immediately that the
task was too great for his unaided
| powers. He saw that his education,
his intellectual endowments, his
spirituality, We're not sufficient for
the upbuilding Of an enduring work.
| WHO am l." says he, that should
go unto Pharaoh and that | should
/ bring forth the children of Israel
out of Egypt" His humility was
that of a strong man. We must
: gain this Mosaic humbleness if we
| would do true work. For this is not
the humility of self-depreciation but
OF open-minded self-valuation.
The third lesson is dual one.
Gifted of God with divine task and
with the evidence of the validity Of
his call Moses still feels himself un-
equal to the work. His tongue is
Slow of speech. lie pleads for a
spokesman. And God gives Aaron to
him to be "instead of a mouth" to
him. The lesson that we ought to
learn Is that men of power should
be ready and willing to receive assis-
tance from other men of power, es-
pecially when the help they may be
able to secure is superior to their
own abilities. Moses was a thinker.
a seer, an organizer of immense abil-
ity, wise lawyer, but he was no
speaker. Moses recognized that he
needed aid along the very line in
which personally he was inefficient.
Ihis shows his greatness. An honest
declaration of the limits of personal
ability is, with the power to select
able helpers and use them at their
value. true test Of greatness.
The lesson also reveals to us the
power of God in the world. His
power Is shown through His deal
1ngs with humanity. Israel, repent
Ing of her sin and lifting up her
prayer to God for deliverance from
the heavy hand of the Egyptians is
not forgotten. God never forgets
a people who turn to Him believ.
Ing that He can and will aid.
Steadfast prayer, in every national
crisis, reaches the ear of Jehovah.
Jehovah replies to every petition.
For each crisis God perpares a master.
Moses led Israel out of bondage. He
Is leader of liberators. The class
of which He is a prototype EXISTS in
every land. He was the man for the
hour. And God supplies every pray
ing people with fit leader.
To-day, in this land, God Is rails
Ing up men who shall lead humanity
nearer to Himself. They ale being
divinely nurtured in every walk in
life. To-day and in America we have
conditions that need rectifying Just
as the conditions in Egypt among the
Jews needed to be rectified. And we
need Moses. We need man who
shall guide this people out of the
darkness of sin and ignorance into
the promised land where the econo.
mics Of Christ shall rule and where
the eternal and spiritual principles oi
the Christ life shall control.