Evening star., 1926-08-21
BY REV. HUGH r. STEVENSON

Three months after the departure
selves encamped at Mount Sinai.
Here before the lofty granite peaks
of the Mount of God, where Moses
had learned the character of God and
been given his commission to free
Israel, Jehovah had brought the peo-
pie, whom He had delivered through
the efforts of Moses, for one of the
most gigantic undertakings ever at
tempted in the history of the world.
During their encampment before the
mount 5000 900 freedmen had to learn
their obligations as citizens, regulate
their habits and develop the moral, So
cial and civil qualities necessary to
inspire them with the esprit de corps
that would hold them together by it's
national spirit of patriotism into
permanent nationality.
The dramatic experiences through
which they had passed had unfolded
to them Il knowledge of God. The
passing through the Red Sea in
safety. the satisfying of their desire
for water. bread and meat had de-
veloped their faith in His loving care.
Their victory over the AmalekiteS had
revealed His protecting power In
great public meeting. that was the
germ of our town meeting, they had
entered into a covenant with Jehovah,
who had informed them of His desire
that they should be His peculiar peo-
pie. They had agreed to be king
dom of priests and a, holy nation" to
represent God among the inha abitants
of the earth. They had complied with
His orders. to fit themselves for the
greatest event in their history, by
wa ashing themselves and abstaining
from everything that would give SEN
SuousneSs to their lives for three days
preceding Jehovah's promised revela-
ton of Himself from the mount.
1t was the greatest hour in the
life of Moses. when, in response to
the Divine command. he received the
law from God to deliver it to the
Hebrews. In our study of the law
we are apt to overlook the personality
of Moses. In the Ten Commandments
we see his human ability. as we'll as
the Divine wisdom. He had the abil-
ity to grasp the meaning of the pro
gram of Jehovah and reproduce it
to the people. God used the heart,
conscience, judgment and intelligence.
as we'll as the speech Of Moses, to
give to the Jewish people the Ten
Commandments. which became the
L.
The ma jestic rules for the regila
ton of human life became the center
Of their system and the foundation
Of modern civilization. They have
embedded themselves in the three
great religions OF the world by their
simple, clear and unmistakahle mean
ing through the absoluteness of their
authority and the universally of their
range.
Foundation of Religion.
One eminent preacher has we'll said
that Gods interest in mans attitude
toward Him is the corner stone of re-
liSion-religion which neither creator
ship nor sovereignty of themselves
can bring into existence. God can
create and control and be interested
in creation. but religion remains un-
born until God cares what His crea-
lures think of Him. Without this
there may be control. as in ali nature.
but not religion. IF God reigned over
man. Indifferent to mans heart feeling
toward Him, there would be divine
government, but that is all. Govern
ment rests upon the supremacy of
law, religion rests upon an interest
which Graves a kindred response" The
Ten Commandments are prohibitions.
with the exception of two (the fourth
and fifth. but they prove that God Is
a lover seeking the love of all man
kind. They reveal His longing for the
first place in mans heart.
He hungers and thirSts after the in
divdual love of every soul. The gov
ernment of Israel was. tribed, vet the
great word of the commandments is
Thou" If YOU will count the mum
Der Of times that thee, thou, thy and
thyself' occur in these few words you
will find them used 90 times in the
part assigned for this weeks consider
alton and eight times in that Of next
weeks lesson. This reveals the fact
that although God plans to stablish
His kingdom among men, He seeks to
do so by obtaining first the individual
love of men In His passion for our
fellowship He appeals for us to volun-
tarly observe His principles Of re
ligious life by bringing to bear the