The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-10-24
SUNDAY SCHOOL,
Lesson IV.-Fourth Quarter, FoG.
Oct. rs, 1913.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES,
Text Of the Lesson, Mum. XXX, 1.13
Memory Verses, II, 12-Golden Text,
Ps. xix, 14-commentary Prepared
D. Rev. o. M. Stearna.

~~S bSNSH NESA u IE" O1 Tie mauT
things not included insthe portions az
signed in u lessons, but have proba-
bly, passed by more than I have mem
toned, such as the different offerings.
the annual feasts, the year OF jubilee.
the great day Of atonement and others.
In chapter xix, just preceding our les
son chapter for today, we have the re-
markable ordinance Of the red heifer.
or the Lords provision for cleansing,
by the way, by the ashes Of the heifer
mixed with running water and sprin-
kled by hyssop upon the person to be-
cleansed. To my mind, the central
chapters OF the first five books are
Gen. xii, the lamb provided: Elk. XII,
the passover lamb; Lev. xvi, the an
nual atonement; Mum. xix, the red
heifer; Deut. xviii. the prophet like
unto Moses, for in each we see the
Lord Jesus Christ in a special amer
The present lesson chapter brings US
to the fortieth year Of the wilderness
sojourn and begins with the death of
Miriam in the first month and enda
with the death Of Aaron at the age oc
I23 years, in the fifth month Num.
xxxii, 38, 39j. Moses died at the age
OF 100, so 1t must have been before
the close Of that year, for there werG
just three years difference in their
ages DeuE xxx1v, Z; XXI, q; Elk.
vii, 2.
1t does seem too bad, as we say, that
after all his forbearance with them
and intercession for them during thir-
ty-nine years, that in the fortieth year
he should so fall as to shut himself out
Of the land to which he had been lead
Ing them, and that neither of these
honored three, Miriam, Aaron or Moses.
should enter the land. While those
who are truly in Christ can never per-
ish and shall surely reach home, there
Is much that may be lost In the way Of
service and reward by our failures
along the road John Ill, 16: K, 1928;
l Cor. iii, 4-15); therefore the admoni-
ton to take heed lest we lose a full
reward Oh John viii).
The generation which left Egypt,
6O3,50O men over twenty years of age,
able to go forth to war Num. 1, 45, 46;
IL, 80. 33), not counting the Levites,
had persisted in the wilderness. an
average of over forty deaths every
day. Was it any wonder that Moses
wrote, Thou earliest them away as
with a food . . " We are consumed
by thine anger " " " all our days are
passed away in thy wrath" Cps. &c, S,
z, 81. On passing let me remark that
this is a most inappropriate passage to
read at the funeral Of a believer.
A new generation had arisen, but
were given to murmuring and wishing
they were dead, just like their fathers.
Moses and Aaron do not seem to
have made any reply to the murmur-
ers, but went to the Lord about 1t.
May we ever follow their example In
this. Whoever may complain to us or
about us, let us always take it to the
Lord in prayer committing all things
to Him.
The Lords instructions to Moses
were simple and very plain. '"Take
the rod o . speak ye unto the rock
and it shall give forth His wa
ter" oversees 7, 81. Moses took the rod,
gathered the people, spoke in anger to
them and smote the rock twice oversees
9-1I. Note his words. Must we fetch
you water out Of this rock?" We are,
reminded OF bis words to the Lord
nearly forty years before when He
said that He would give Israel flesh
to eat for q whole month. Shall the
hocks and the herds be slain for
themY (Num. II, 22). On neither of
these occasions did he act with I'M
shod feet, as If the affair was wholly
the Lords and not his Eek. lii, B.. How
apt we are to fail in like manner.
Then as to shifting the rock. that
rock typifled Christ q Cor. x, IL, and it
had beer smitten eek. xvii. O.. The
sunerings Of Christ for US as our sub.
stitute were once for all, and there can
be no repetition: hence the awful sin
OF the SO called mass Of the Church Of
Rome. Christ having suffered, the for q
giveness of sins and all the benefits of
His finished work are free to all with
out money or mass or earthly priest.
The Lords word to Moses was, aye
believed Me not, to sanctify Me in the.
eyes Of the children Of Israel" eye re-
belled against My commandment"
aye t~respassed against Me" (verse IL;
xvii, Il; Deut. xxi, sly.
The words of Moses to Israel CON
corning it were, '"The Lord was angry
with me for your sakes, saying, Thou
shalt not go In thither." '"The Lord
was wroth with me for your sakes and
would not hear me. and the Lord said
unto me, Let it suffice thee: speak no 4
more unto me Of this matter" Deut.
l, 81: lii, 26). The comment of the
psalmist Is, '@They angered Him also
ut the waters Of strife, SO that 1t went
with Moses for their sakes. because
they provoked his spirit so that he
spake unadvisedly with his lips" ops.
cvi, 80. 33).
We do greatly need to pray the pray
or Of our Golden Text. and when we
that meekness was the man:
ner of Moses life and yet he failed
In that particular, now 1t should hum
BILE US before God and lead us neva
TO trust ourselves n moment.
acf Cl,aa1cn0 ffoe.c