The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-11-14
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson VI.~~FourtF Quarter, Fol
Nov. IS, 1918. lie.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES,

M. Stearns.
We have now come to our last lesson
In the books of Moses and to the record
or his removal from the earth. The
book Of Genesis covers a period of
over 1900 years. Exodus over 200,
Numbers about forty years, but Le+
v1ticus and Deuteronomy do not bring
us any farther down the stream Of
time. The book Of Deuteronomy seems
to cover about n 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 Num. xx,
i; xxxii, 39l. Moses continued until
the eleventh DR. twelfth month. He be-
gan his rehearsal in the eleventh month
OF the fortieth year (Deut. 1, 81 and
continued until the time of his depart,
ure Chapter XXI, l, 2. We would
like to call attention to many things in
these closing chapters, but will first,
consider our lesson chapter, the first
-FOUR verses If which tell us how this
Lord showed him from tho top of Pts
gah, over against Jericho, all the land
which He sware to Abraham, to Isaac
and to Jacob to give into their seed.
but which neither Moses nor Aaron
could enter because Of his rebellion
against the word Of the Lord at MARI
bah (Num. Xxx, IL, "a. It is written
that Moses pleaded with the Lord to-
allow him to go over the Jordan and
see h good Land, but the Lord would
not hear him and said to him, Let it
suffice thee; speak no more unto me OF
this matter (Deut. iii. 23-2T). And
this because he had spoken unadvisedly
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 rebellious
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, "If Thou, Lord,
shouldst mark iniquities, o Lord, who
shall standT" Cps. cvi, 80, SO; cxxx, 81
We cannot but think Of Him who
did not save Himself in order that Ha
might ave us. or this very event,
His decease at Jerusalem, Moses and
Elijah talked with Him on the Mount
OF TRANSPORTATION some 1900 years
after the event Of. our lesson duke IL,
30, 81. OF all the events that have
ever t%ranspired On our earth none can
compare with those Of Golgotha.
Though there have been many fore
shadowings, the mind Of man cannot
grasp the awful realities of that day
and the Son Of God suffering for the
sins of the world.
SO Moses, the servant of the Lord,
died. but there was nothing sad in
such a death. It was q 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 abated Oversees
8, Z, 10). Aaron had no sickness (Num.
XXX, 25-2S). Sickness Is not necessary
to death. Do we not see 1t 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 name9
Even should it be a violen& death our
Lord said, Fear not them which kill
the body" And we are elsewhere
taught that to die Is gain. It is to de-.s
part and be with Christ. which is very
far better; 1t is to be absent from thss
body and present with the Lord, and
precious in the sight Of the Lord is the
death OF His saints (Matt. K, %; Phil:
l, ri, %; III Cor. v, s; Ps. cxvi. 15). II.
Moses died and was buried In. the
land Of Moab. but no man knoweth
where oversees 5, g.. He and Eleazar
probably buried Aaron's body, hut
there was nc man present at 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 nan once said: "You may bury me lie
you can catch me. There is great COM
tort to me in knowing that ] shall note
be at my W funeral If my body ever.
has one" There is always the pnsst-
bility OF not dying, but Of being caught
up to meet the Lord in the air, for we.
shall not all sleep q Cor. XIV, 81; II
Thess. iv, 1919.
Some already have their gierihed
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. Sc. 53l.
Il looks from Jude 8 as lie 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. K, 10. ZIG
Rev. xii. u. The story of Joshua, the.
new leader, will come before us more
fully in our next lesson. Let us give.
attention TO some OF the last, words Of
Moses. Notice how he set before them
life and good or death and evil: life
and death. blessing and cilrsing. urging
them to choose life and to set their
hearts unto all the words which he had
spoken as their very life Deut. IKE,
Is. 10: xxxii, 46, Al.
Birmingham, Ala. II. Willis
suffered greatly from asthma and.
bronchitis. He writes: II got no lp