Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1913-10-24

OF llgnt ~< ,HaN IE@M
from the Mercy Ek HQMlnlfR
Seat in the Most A9L
Holy. They were
instructed to take hoses Vices me Land.
the rod, presumably "Aaron's rod that
5udded," and that was kept In the
Ark in the Most Holy. That rod would
remind the people of the Lords special
acceptance Of Aaron as the high priest
and Moses assistant. 1t would be a
sign to them Of the Divine favor which
hitherto had guided them, and which
would continue to guide all who trust
ed in the Lord.
Shifting the Rock a Sin.
The Lord particularly directed that
Moses should speak to the rock. and
that in response waters would gush
forth. About thirty-eight years before.
in a similar experience neal Mt. Sinai.
Moses had been instructed to smite
the rock. but in this ease the rock was
not to be smitten.
Here Moses and Aaron sinned. THE
meekest man in all the earth" forgot
himself, and allowed a spirit some
what akin to pride. self-suficiency and
anger to control him for the moment.
Shifting the rock, he cried to the peo-
pie, aye rebels. must / bring you water
out of the rock?'
The water indeed anne forth, as the
Lord had promised. The people in.
deed got the blessing needed, but n
of the most illustrious servants of God
there fell under Divine disapprobation.
The Lords decree was that neither
Moses nor his brother should enter
Canaan. Moses, however, was permit
ted to go with the people to the end
of the journey, and then from Mt. Nebo
to see the promised Land of Canaan.
This condemnation docs not ssgEtfg.
Divine reprobation to eternal torment
or to any lasting dishonor. Moses got
his entire punishment then and there,
before death, as do all of Gods sanity
ones. Whatever stripes, chastisements.
punishments, of the future, shall be
melted out to mankind in general be-
cause of wrong-doings in the present
life, there are none reserved for the
saints. The Apostle explains that
they are chastened now that they may
not come into condemnation with tho
world.
They Drank of the Rock-christ. /
st. Paul points out that the shifting
of the rock was symbolical. As the
manna typifed Jesus, so did the smit-
ten rock also. The refreshing water
from the rock symbolized the blessings
flowing from Christ's sacrifice. The
shifting Of the rock at the beginning of
I~srael's experiences was authorized Of
God. 1t was necessary that upon Jesus
should fall the rod of afiiction, even
INTO ~death.-Isaiah 53:5, q.
Just what was symboliZed by the
second smiting, which God did not au-
thorize. is not explained by st. Paul.
The fact that it was punished indicates
that it was wrong, and that it symbol
ICES some improper course on the part
of the professed people of God. Two
suggestions come to us, either or both
of which may be applicable:
"a A shifting of the Body of Christ
in the end of this Age;
% A population of Christ on the
part of those who once have been en-
1%ightened.
Edomites, Moabites, Midianites.
When the time came for entering Ca
naan from Kadesh, the nearest route
was through Edom. When Israel ask
ed permission to
@9 cross Edom, it was
refused. In har-
mony with the
70 covenant between
GGAA9 UNA Esau and Jacob.
| A5EMNIAM1AO Israel detoured to
zIGSaT1. YK the south, and