Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1913-11-12
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson vII.-Fourth Quarter, For
Nov. is, 1913.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

We have now come to our last lesson
In the books OF Moses and 10 the record
Of his removal from the earth. The
book Of Genesis covers period of
over 2.200 years, Exodus over 2oo,
Numbers about forty years. but Le-
viticus and Deuteronomy do not brig
us any farther down the stream of
time, The book of Deuteronomy seems
to cover about one month. In which
Moses rehearsed to Israel the Lords
dealings with them.
We have seen that Aaron died In the
fifth month Of the fortieth year and
Miriam in the first month (Nnm. Xxx.
l: xxxh, 3Sl. Moses continued until
tie eleventh or twelfth month He be-
gan his rehearsal In the eleventh month
Of the fortieth year Deut. !, 81 and
continued until the time Of his depart
ure chapter XXI, /, 2. We would
ike to call attention TO msny things in
these closing chapters, bat viii first
consider our lesson chapter. the first
four verses Of which tell US how the
Lord showed him from the top of Pis-
gah, over against Jericho all the land
which He sware TO Abraham. to Isaac
and to Jacob TO give unto their seed.
but which neither Moses ner Aaron
could enter because of his rebellion
against the word Of the Lord at Mari
bah (Num. Xxx, u. "a. 1t is written
that Moses pleaded with the Lord 70
allow him to go over the Jordan and
see the good land. bat the Lord would
not hear him and said 70 him. Let it
suffice thee; speak no more unto me Of
this matter" tDeHt. III, 1920. And
this because he had spoken unadvisediy
with his lips. having allowed his spirit
to be provoked. and had smitten the
rock instead of speaking to it as God
had commanded.
Many a time he had prevailed with
the Lord in prayer for this rebeltious
people. and now because Of them his
request for himself is denied Yet God
is love. and love is kind. Well might
the psalmist say, III Thou. Lord,
shouldst mark iniquities. O Lord. who
shall standT' Ps cvi. 81. IS; cxxx. 81
We cannot but think OF Him who
did not save Himself In order that He
might save US. OF this very event,
His deeease at Jerusalem. Moses and
Elijah talked with Him on the Mount
of TRANSPORTATION some 1900 years
after the event of our lesson luke tx,
so. 81. OF all the events that have
ever transplred on our earth none can
compare with those of GolgUtha-
Though there have been many fore
shadowings, the mind Of man cannot
grasp the awful realities of that day
sins OF the world.
So Moses, the servant Of the Lord,
died. but there was nothing sad in
such a death. It was a release from the
long conflict with the world. the flesh
and the devil and a going home TO
stay with God, whom he had long
known face TO face There was neither
sickness nor suffering. his eye was not
dim nor his natural force ahatsl fverses
5, Z, 10. Aaron had no sickness (Num.
Xxx. 25-2S). Sickness is not necessary
to death. Do We not see Ii all about
us and read Of it in the papers every
day. whether it is called by the name
of heart failure or some other Damc2
Even should il be a violent death our
Lord said, Fear not them which kill
the body" And we are elsewhere
taught that to die Is gain. 1t is to de
part and be with Christ. which is very
far better; 1t is to be absent from the
body and present with the Lord. and
precious in the sight of the Lord is the
death of His saints (Alatt. X, Is; Phil.
i, II. %: II Cor. V, s: Ps. cxvi. ID.
Moses died and was buried in the
land Of Moab, but no man knowsth
where oversees ). g. He and Eieazar
probably buried Aaron's body. but
there was no man present al the death
and burial Of Moses. The Lord did it.
The record is, He buried him" Per-
haps the angels helped.
/ am glad that the body is not the
person. and, though We bury bodies, we
do not, strictly speaking, bury people.
A man once said: You may bury me IL
you can catch me. There is great COM
fort to me In knowing that shall not
be at my own funeral II my body ever
has one" There is always the posi-
bility OF not dying, but OF being caught
up to meet the Lord in the air. for we
shall not all sleep Il Cor. xv, 81; /
Thess. iy. 1919.
Some already have their glorifed
bodies. as Enoch and Elijah. who were
translated. and probably those who
came out of their graves after the res
direction of the Lord Jesus Matt.
xvii. 81. 53l.
II looks from Jude 9 as If the body
of Moses was raised from the dead. for
the devil does hate the resurrection Of
the bodies of the saints. and that may
have been the cause of the contention
there referred to. for Michael is the
special angel of Israel Dan. x, Is, n;
Rev. xii, n. The story OF Joshua. the
new leader. VIII come before us more
x,,st~ IL, ..,.r naxf iaaaon ct rs give