T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
it; When the : cloud moved, Israel moved; when it stayed, Israel rested. Such is the simplicity with which God directs His own,' both then and now. But the guidance of the Lord is given only to those whose eyes are toward Him alone. H. T he H esitation in the M arch (29-32) Even Moses appears to have had a desire for some human guidance rather than to be wholly dependent upon the supernatural leading of the pillar of cloud (vs. 29, 30). He proposed that his father-in-law go with them, under the guise of doing the father-in-law good. But Hobab was a Midianife and, however related to Moses by marriage, should have had no authoritative place among Israel. On first consideration, Hobab de clined Moses’ invitation (v. 30). Then Moses yregsed the point (vs. 31, 32). We* cannot say dogmatically that the word "they” in verse 33 i n c l u d e d Hobab, though the- record shows that his descendants were later found in the land. It is Moses' attitude and ac tion, rather, than Hobab’s, that should concern us chiefly. Moses seems to have revealed that it was not so much for Hobab’s good but for his own that he wished him to go with the people. He wanted Hobab’s guidance, seemingly thinking that Ho bab’s eyes were better than God’s, and his knowledge .superior to God’s con cerning the right way to go. It is true that Hobab, by reason of his familiarity with the rugged country through which the children of Israel were to pass, was able to be of assist ance to them. The emphasis of the passage is not upon the fact that we should not seek the help of those who are older and more experienced than we; but the stress is, rather, upon the vital importance of believing that God’s own provision for His children is entirely adequate for every need. Let us be careful to remember that we, too, are prone to seek a "Hobab” who can be seen, rather than to simply trust in the living and unseen God. The lesson of walking by faith is d if ficult to learn (2 Cor. 5:7), but.when true faith and readiness tp obey are present, God’s guidance is sure and plain. III. T he S ufficiency for the M arch (33-36) Not only did they have the cloud above, but the Lord’s people had also the ark before them, in both of which it pleased God to manifest His pres ence. Moses appealed again to God as the ark was set forward. He had come to where he thought of the Lord and His glory and honor rather than of him self or even of "the people.
glory m a r k e d out their p a t h (Ex. 13:21, 22). 3. "And the cloud of the Lord was upon them by- day" (v. 34). Psalm 105:39 is a beautiful commentary upon this .statement, God caused His, glory cloud to spread over the camp of Israel during the heat of. the day like a g i gantic umbrella. O t h e r w i s e Israel •would have perished under the scorch ing sun. How gracious is the Lord in anticipating all the needs of His chil dren! 4. '"Rise up. Lord... Return O Lord” (vs. 35, 36). It appears from these two verses that all the m a r c h e s of the Israelites began and ended with prayer. There would be more successful Chris tian service if their example in this respect was followed more faithfully today. Golden Text Illustration N umbers 10:29 According to the Brooklyn Eagle, “ a -man on lower Fifth Avenue, New York City, overheard a conversation one day between an American and an elderly Italian who had just come to this country; his son had lived here for many years. ‘America,’ said the Ital ian in broken English, ‘hasn’t much art that it can boast of, or much mu sic that it can call its own, but it has taken my son and made a man of him.’ “The New York minister, who vouch es for the truth of this incident, added: "That is what American citizenship has done in thousands of cases.’ ” If America w ill thus “ do good” to those who come here, how much more truly does the Lord Jesus Christ give spiritual benefit to those who follow Him!—Selected. Moses' Invitation to Hobab N umbers 10:29-36 MEMORY VERSE: “What goodness the Lord shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee” (Num. 10:32). AIM: To stress the importance of ac cepting Christ’s invitation to us. (To the teacher: Effort has been made here to present a positive, gospel message for children. At the same time, the teacher should be aware of the fuller teaching of the passage. See “Outline and Exposition” and “Points and Prob lems” for this lesson.) APPROACH: I have brought with me two envelopes. Each one has an invita tion inside. One of them is from a
B LAC K BO ARD LESSON
The ark, r e p r e s e n t mg the Lord’s presence, went before them, and when it stopped, Moses called to the Lord to return to Israel. Here is a striking picture of a coming day when the Lord literally w ill return to Israel, from the destruction of His enemies. The people were led in a strange way, along a path they never before had traveled, but every day revealed to them the patience, goodness, and compassion of their God., While the way was strange, it was safe, for it was controlled by the vigilant eye of the Lord and by His loving heart. Obe dience alone would reveal whether or not they fully trusted their God. Obedi ence is the test of our trust as well. Points and Problems 1. "We are journeying un t o the place of which the Lord said. 1 will give it you" (v. 29). God had prom ised .Israel a better country than that from,which they had recently been de livered. Moses b e l i e v e d confidently that God was now leading them to it, and that nothing could keep them from an ultimate arrival. Today God has promised His people rest in the gospel. No powpr can keep them from possessing it, if they w ill but receive if. Believers should repose in this quiet confidence. 2. "And thou mayest be to Us in stead of eyes" (v. 31). Some find a problem here. God h a d provided abundant guidance for His people— the pillar of cloud, the pillar of fire, the silver trumpets, and His visible glory. He had offered Himself as the Leader of His people. He was to be eyes for them! Why then was it neces sary for Moses to seek for the human eyes of Hobab? The answer is, it was not necessary. The difficulty seems to center in the weakness of Moses’ faith. Like most of God’s children, he found it hard to keep from leaning on the arm of flesh. The natural tendency of man is to walk by sight rather than by faith, to trust in the things of this world rather than in the promises of God. Surely the God who had supplied every previous need of His children would not fail to give direction in the matter of their guidance to the land He had given them. And thus it came to pass: “Thè ark of the covenant of the Lord went before'them” (v. 33). It pointed out the way and the cloud of.
friend, asking us to a party at her house. T h e other doesn’t look l i k e an invitation, but it is; it is a clip ping from a paper, asking people to work in factories to h e l p b u i l d planes and ships.
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