The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1913-10-03

| HIS leSSOu Is taken ITOnl the book
of Numbers, the book of journey
ings, or aptly called the book of muir
murings." The events OF Exodus and
! Leyiticus cover perhaps one or two
| years, whereas those recorded in Num-
| bers occupy about 3S years. Read in this
| connection Ps 95: 10 and Cor. 10. From
| Sinai TO Kadesh-Barnea are found four
| general murmurings. The first was
at Taberah, 11:3, and the events of to-
! days lesson which occurred at
kibroth, 1884. The other two were
at Hazeroth, 1915, N16, and Kadesh,
26. This book is full of impress
i've warnings about worldliness
Moses Was Human.
|. Complaint and Controversy, Wv.
1915. Moses was great but he was
human. No man is faultless, and in
| this lesson We have another incident
illustrating the weakness of Moses
Yet despite all this we find inserted
in the very next chapter Gods esti-
mate of his character. 1873. Moses
had been subjected to a terrible strain,
the details of his leadership the CON
| der this load he gave way, just as he
had previously yielded to impulse. Elk
PIP, and as he did subsequently, Oh.
20:10-13. The Israelites are a strik-
ing illustration of the natural discon-
tent of the human heart. Any af-
Fiction, and discomfort or privation,
and we forget Gods marvellous works
rpI
ness. That God was displeased is in
Gicated by verse 10, but that did not
imply that Moses, too, was to lose
his temper, TO resort to murmuring,
and to accuse God of being respon-
sible for the burden or that he would
not help to share the load, V. IL God
placed great honor upon Moses by
calling him to this task of leadership
and now he complains, and doubts for
a moment Gods sustaining grace. 2
Cor. 1879; Phil Ais The language
here used, Wv. 1914, is wonderfully
suggestive. The utter weakness OF
the lsraelites, the promised goal, the
hunger of soul and body, the sorrows
or affliction are all graphically set
revealed ". 49, by his words, where
should | have flesh to give?" He seems
to forget absolutely Gods dealings
with Israel before they reached Sinai
EEK 16), as though God expected any
such thing from him. The height of
his petulance and bitterness is reach
ed when he exclaims, kill me / pray
thee and let me not see my
Wretchedness," V. IS What a fool
ish prayer and how vastly different
from Pauls desire to depart" but
willingness to remain, Phil. 1:23,24 To
know that others have been guilty OF
this same folly should set us on guard,
l King 1874; Job 3:20-23, 6 $40 and
Jonah 4:3, 8, 9. To crawl under some
juniper tree and pray God to trans
late US is not the part of a true sol.
der, l Kings 10 and Eph. GIBBS.
Burden Distributed.
II. Comfort and Counsel. Wv. 1918,
"a, 25. Moses had been warned not to
bear the entire burden of leadership
by his father-in-law, Jethro, Elk. 1877,
IS. Now that he is unwilling to take
God most graciously grants his re-
quest and appoints others to share the
burden and responsibility. There was
no more power, however but more
machinery. God distributed the bur-
den and revealed the fact that Moses
power was in proportion to his burden
Human nature always looks for the
ap -
such a reliance usually brings curse
not a blessing upon those who seek 1t,
Jer. 17:5 God dealt in mercy with
Moses. Notice how gently he passes
by this exhibition of infirmity and
notwithstanding this lapse, bears tes-
timony 10 his faithfulness (12:O. Yet
he is impartial in chronicling his faults
and thereby giving US an incidental
and thereby giving us the truth.
What suggestion in the words Il
will come down and talk with thee"
yet that is the privilege of the believ-
er in Christ, John f4:16, II and 16: 10.
God calls tent meeting" V. 16 R. ",
but before he meets them they must
sanctify themselves, for so only Is
one prepared to meet God, Elk. 1910,
Is, 22. These people had been lust
ing for the food of Egypt even as to-
day many who have professed to ac-
cept Christ are forever longing for the
pleasures of time and sense. They
forget the bitterness of past slavery in
the privations of the present, entire
ly forgetful of the goal of luxury and
freedom, Rom. 1925. 2 Cor All. God
granted their request, v 10, to their
sorrow, V. 20. The whole trouble was
then rejected the Lord v. 20 r. V.
The granting Of material prosperity
tends to leanness of soul, Ps. 106:15
1t frequently happens that God does
not answer our prayers because he
knows that to answer them actually
and literally would spell disaster In
our lives. Once before at Jethro's
suggestion Moses had chosen elders,
Elk IS: 1926, but here he chooses at
the behest Of Jehovah which illus
trates the contrast between ministry
exercised in human strength and in
the divine strength, Zech. 4:6: Luke
Alb and Acts 2. The word "prophe-
sled" v. %, is not restricted to the
foretelling of events, but implies any
kind of an utterance that is prepared
by God, without reference to time.
Gods answer to Moses bitter cry
was first challenge, rs the Lords
hand waxed short?" " %. Second, the