The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-09-19
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson XIl.-Third Quarter, For
Sept. II, 1918.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text of the Lesson, Ex. xxxii, 1920; 30
35-Memory Verses, 10, 2o-Golden
Text, John v, Fl Commentary
Prepared by Rev. D. M. Stearns.

We may summarize Elk. XIV to XXI,
inclusive, as the Lords instructions to
Moses concerning the tabernacle, of
which the principal vessel was the ark
of the covenant containing the two
tables of the law. We cannot think Of
Israel as a nation without taberna-
Gle or temple, and when finally restor-
ed we shall see a fulfillment Of Eek.
xl to Xviii.
The reason why of the tabernacle is
seen in Ex. XIV, 8, LET them make me
q sanctuary that l may dwell among
them," and concerning the temple that
is yet to be we read in Eek. xiii, 7,
"Son of man, the place of My throne
and the place of the soles of My feet,
where | will dwell in the midst of the
children of Israel forever, and My holy
name shall the house of Israel no more
defile." Compare Rev. xxi, 3-5. The
section concerning Moses with God in
the mount ends with these words:
"And He gave unto Moses when He had
made an end of communing with Him
upon Mount Sinai two tables of testl-
mony, tables of stone, written with
the finger of God" (Ex. XXI, 1S).
Today's lesson gives us the sad, sin
full, earthly side of the story while
Moses was Nbsent scarcely six weeks
The people who had seen the love of
God to them and His power on their
behalf in Egypt, at the Red sea, in the
giving of the mama and quails and
water from rock, and had heard His
voice out of the midst of the fire, could
not live an ordinary, uneventful life
for forty days without wondering what
had become of God and Of Moses, their
leader.
If we see special providences, spe-
cial indications that God is working
for us, handfuls of purpose dropped
for us ruth ii, 16), manifest tokens Of
His loving care, we are ready to sing
and praise; but, If weeks or months or
even days come and go and there Is
nothing out of the ordinary, do we
give Him occasion to say of US,
BLESSED are they that have not seen,
yet have believed" or 20 ye Of little
faith?" When they came to Aaron
with their complaint concerning the
absence of Moses and their request for
something visible to worship, what a
splendid opportunity Aaron had to
stand for God to remind them Of the
command they had just heard out of
the midst of the fire-not to bow down
to the likeness of anything, to call
their attention to the daily mamma as
an evidence Of the constant care Of
Jehovah and to insist that they wor
ship the Lord their God and serve Him
only.
1t seems as If Joshua would have
done so, or a man like Daniel or his
friends. How can we account for
Aaron's listening to them, asking for
their gold earrings, melting them into
the form of calf and deliberately fash
ioning it with craving tool? Verse
A. When Moses rebuked Aaron for
his great sin, hear part Of his reply:
Thou knowest the people, that they
are set on mischief, for they said unto
me, make us gods which shall go be-
fore us. 1 asked for their gold,
SO they gave it to me; then 1 cast 1t
into the fire, and there came out this
calf" (verses 22-24.
Then just think of the death of the
5000, for which he was responsible
(verse 2S). This is called q temperance
lesson, and if used as such it seems to
me that the harm brought to many by
the misconduct Of one comes in here
very strongly.
But what shall be said of preachers
who, to please the people and keep
their position, either keep back the
truth or teach what is not truth? All
who stand before others as leaders
should remember Gal. /, 10; l Thess.
Ii, 4.
Notice how Moses stood with God
in his showing them by a most strlk-
ing object lesson how they had broken
the law, in his grinding the calf to
powder and making them drink it, in
his call for those on the Lords side to
slay even their own kindred if guilty
of worshiping the idol. The response
of Levi is referred to in Nal. ii, 81,
some of the words being ''the fear
wherewith he feared Me and was afraid
De1Ofe My name; lie walked
with Me in peace and equity and did
turn many away from iniquity."
Their faithfulness that day is re-
ferped to by Moses in these words:
"Who said unto his father and to his
mother, 1 have not seen him; neither
did he acknowledge his brethren nor
knew his own children Oeut. xxxiii,
81. This is part Of what it means to
be on the Lords side, not simply Civ
ing a testimony in meeting, but stand
ing against our dearest ones if they
stand against God, even as our Lord
said, ''He that loveth father or mother
more than Me is not worthy of Me,
and he that loveth son or daughter
more than Me is not worthy Of Me-
(Matt. X, 1880.
Consider the pleading of Moses with