The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-11-19
WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
The Sacredness OF The Home
D., uICuT r MOORE
By HIGHT {. MOORE

..a.. BY HIGHT
Scripture: Exodus 20:14; Mat |
thew 5:27, %; Mark 10:2-16.
The sacredness Of the home IS
embedded in the Seventh Com
mandment wherein chastity IS
commanded and impurity forbid
den. In the Sermon on the Mount
Jesus, quoting this Commandment
extended it's meaning and appiica-
ton from act to motive, thought,
and desire. Jesus also magnificd
marriage rs human bond which
should be sacredly kept as God
planned from creation. The bless
ing of the little children gives a
beautiful glimpse of happy family
life where children are dedicated
to God and receive the blessing OF
Jesus.
CHASTITY COMMANDED
Exodus 2O:14-Thou shalt not
commit adulteryO
BE CHASTE IN LIFE; for
chastity is commanded and con
iugal fidelity bases the home. In
the Seventh Commandment the
right to chastity is recognized ana
the Righteousness of chastity is
inculcated. Adultery is expressly
forbidden. The lewd life is utter |
ly corrupting to the individual,
the family, society, the nation,
and the world. Chastc conduct is
the divine bulwark against the
dissertation and overthrow of that !
divine institution, the home. Moth
inc is so ruinous to peace and
happiness around the fircsidc as
marital infidelity. And nothing SO !
subverts the higher interests of
society as the corruption of youth |
by obscenity, lewdness, and SEN
suality.
PURITY REQUIRED
Matthew 5:27-2S)
BE PURE IN THOUGHT; for
purity is required and the lustful
look blights the home. 1t is not
enough, then, to be outwardly |
correct and chaste merely in con
duct. Jesus quotes the law against
adultery for the purpose of com
pleting its meaning. To cherish
the look of lust is to have the
spirit and motive, and stain of
the awful sin. Therefore the first |
and the tiniest uprising of wrong
desire must be checked, crushed,
and cast out as a fleshly lust that |
wars against the soul.
MARRIAGE MAGNIFIED
mark 10:2-l2)
BE TRUE TO NJ A r | T A l.
vows; for marriage is magnified
by the Master and faithfulness
builds the home. Listen to the |
Lords answer to the question J
about divorce. Cd The question
was live one at the time as 1t |
is today. 1t came from Pharisaic |
sources. 1t was this: Is it lawful !
for a man to put away his wife?
There were two great schools OF |
thought divided on the answer.
The followers of Shammai were |
very strict in their views and they |
allowed divorce only on the one !
ground of infidelity. The follow
ers of Hillel were more lax in
their opinion and so considered
divorce lawful on the grounds of
incompatibility, dislike, disobe-
dience, and so on. They were di-
vided in their Interpretation of
Deuteronomy "a: /, 2, Shammai
having held that the words "some
unseemly thing in her" referred
to lewdness, while Hillel declared /
that it meant nothing more than |
something disagreeable. Hence,
the wide divergence of view. (2)
The purpose of the question was
to entrap Jesus if possible. If he
should declare divorce unlawful,
he would array against him the
richer and more prominent classes
in society. If he should declare
divorce lawful, he would antago-
nize the teaching of Shammai,
generally regarded as the highest
moral code, and diScredit himself
as teacher of the loftieSt moral
ity. (3) The counter question of
Jesus, however, threw the inQuir-
ers back upon their own resourc-
es. What did Moses command?
They replied that he permitted a
bill of enforcement. Jesus assent
ed to their answer but declared
that the permissive mandate of
Moses was due to their hardness
bf heart which kept them from
conforming fully to the law of
God. Even so, it exercised a re-
straining influence in favor of
the wife of a cruel husband and
was a great advance over the
polygamous paganism overspread-
ing the world The Mosaic statute
was the best that could be en-
acted under the conditions. (4)
The Interpretation by Jesus car
rled the question back to its his
torlc' basis in creation when the
marriage of Adam and Eve in
Eden by their Creator is the mod
Ell Tor every home in all the world.
The exclusiveness of the marriage
tie IS seen also in the, duty of the
contracting parties in their sep
arateness from their parents to
form a new unit of society. In
DONG so they themselves consti-
luted a unity which is wildly as
serted in the doctrine that the
Two are no longer twain but one
1lesh. Every marriage ought to be
contracted according to the will
OF God and the union thus formed
IS OF should be indissoluble. 60
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