Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-24


line of march lay down the shores
of Egypt toward the Red Sea; ap-
parently into "cul de sac." but
really into a great deliverance that
would forever eliminate Pharaoh
and his hosts as factor to be
| feared. q
An Army or Mob
Even a disciplined army sIcum-
bersome in its movements; those
who have seen a great unorgantzed
mob of people know how difficult 1t
is to handle. So the leadership of
this raw company was no small task
for Moses, The Israelites were Zach
carrying such of his Iteagre posses
sions as he could bear away, and
the whole were encumbered with
ocks- and herds and the inevitable
impedimentia of an army of fam
lilies.
- Yet 1t was an army. notwithstanA- =
ing all. It had large measure Sf
homogeneity, a common purpose and
a childlike dependence upon the
man who represented its divine
leadership. The national sentiment
which pervaded the people was indiI
Gated by the fact that the mummy
of Joseph was carried among the
most precious treasures. And be-
| lOE0 Lnc hOSl WOht th0 Cot
| banner that ever an army followed:
| q pillar of cloud by day and n pillar
of fire by night, signalling Jehovah's
| projection, providence and leader
ship.
| Harder than the slaves task of
making bricks without straw was
that which fell to Moses in leading
on victorious way a people whose
spirits had been broken by subjec-
ton to tyrannous masters. Sorely
as the Egyptians had smitten the
Israelites In their bodies, more sore
Iy had they smitten them in the
| spirit. They bequeathed to Moses
a company of craven hearts. So at
the first sight of pursuit-Pharaoh
having realized the value to him of
| his slaves after he had let them 90
-the children of Israel began to
whimper and complain. in ignoble
fashion, Thereupon Moses spake
| unto them the word that God Is ever
declaring into the ears of His peo-
pie, the word that weak and timor-
Gus hearts to-day most need to hear,
| Fear ye not Jehovah will
| fight for YOU" God may discipline
His own but He never deserts them.
| "They Shall Not Pass'
! 1t is easy to, be braFe, as all brag-
CARTS are, when no enemy is In sight.
| But the truly courageous are they
who can stand fast in the presence
of danger. Consider what drew
nigh to these fugitives, not yet
emancipated' from the slave spirit,
and with the crack Of the overseer's
whip still in their ears. 1 quote
| Edersheim:
1T must have been as the rays of
the setting sun were glinting upon
| the war chariots, that the Israelites
first described the approach of
Pharaoh's army. 1t followed in their
track, and came approaching them
from the north, there was no escape
in that direction. Flight was i'm
possible; defence seemed madness.
Once more the faith Of Israel sig
nally failed, and they broke into
! murmuring against Moses. But the
Lord was faithful. What now took
| place was to be not only the final
| act of sovereign deliverance by Gods
| arm alone, nor yet merely to serve
lever afterwards as a memorial by
which Israel's faith might be upheld,
but also to teach, by the judgments
upon Egypt. that Jehovah was a
righteous and holy Judge"
| John Knox before Mary, Queen of
Scots, and Luther at the Diet of
Worms. are suggested by the answer
| which Moses made when the people
| began to show fear. It was the tre-
| mendous certainty of a man of I'M
shaken faith. There is something
terrible about the assurance and
boldness of the man who knows that
he speaks for God. Here the swish
of the sword OF battle in these words
to the faint-hearted: Fear yet not,
nfxsz a
Jehovah, which He will work for
you today; for the Egyptians whom
yo have seen today, We shall see them
again no moro forever. Jehovah will
fight for you, and ye shall hold your
peace" Doesn't 1t make one shud-
der at the thought of undertaking
combat with the will of the Lord of
hosts? This surely must be the
crowning horror of the fugitive ex-
kaiser's' tormenting thoughts. He
now knows that the Supreme Being
Whom he biasphemed fought
against him.
The Interposed Cloud
Speak unto the children of Israel
that they go forward" cried Jeho-,
yah to Moses. The divine programme
Tor humanity is progress. That is
Gods message to every individual
life and to the race as a whole. To
! emphasize it he often mercifully
shuts all paths except the one that
means advance. True, real progress
is not always along the line of the
least resistance; there are Red Seas
to be crossed in every experience.
But when God points the way He
also prepares 1t.
AS protection pending the pas
sage, the cloud which had led the
vanguard became the rearguard: II
was interposed between the Israel
ties and their pursuers. Little won
der that the sweet singers of Israel
loved to contemplate Jehovah as a
Shield" On His own side of that,
mysterious veil the Lord was pre-
pairing great things for His own.
and terrible things for His enemies.
1t was soon to be demonstrated, as
Moses sang. Jehovah is a man of
war;"
The Great Miracle
And wonderful weapons He
wields. Since He holdeth the winds
in His fist, it was easy for God by
| a great east wind to pile up the
waters of the turbulent sea. SO
where the fishes had swum the Is
| raelites walked dry shod. This pas
sage of the Red Sea was a miracle;
| why try to minimize 1t, or explain
it away? Only the direct interposi-
ton of the Lord of creation could
have wrought this mighty wonder.
making a way ofsescape for the Is