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same sp irit of obedience w ith which he acted before, Moses smote the rock of Horeb, and w ater gushed out, and Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 10:4 “T hat Rock was Christ.” In John 7:37 we have Christ H im self'g iv ing the real meaning “ If any man th irst, let him come unto me and d rin k .” Nothing nor no one can ever satisfy th e th irst of th e soul b u t Christ. “Jesus, the w ater of life will give,^- freely.” (5 ) RULES FOR THE REGULATION OF THE CAMP (Ch. 18) “And Moses chose him able men ou t of all Isra el” v. 25. We have Je th ro , the father-in-law of Moses, happening on the scene and a fam ily reunion occurs. Moses had kept Je th ro ’s flocks (Ex. 3 :1 ). Now he is the leader of a g reat band of men and women and children, numbering perhaps two million. Je th ro is convinced th a t th e God of Israel is th e tru e God, bu t is concerned for Moses who is seeking to judge the people unaided and suggests a plan by which Moses could be relieved. Moses adopted it, bu t God never set His seal to it, but afterw ard s gave Moses instructions as to His own purpose for him (Numbers 11:16, 17). ( 6 ) THE REVELATION OF GOD’S HOLINESS (Ch. 19) “The Lord descended upon it in Are” V. 18. Here is a wonderful lesson. God calls Moses (v. 3). Moses ' went up. I t is always up to God. This was the first of six ascents -and descents. God is above all— all things are under His feet. God's call is from above. God bore them on eagles’ wings (v. 4; Matt. 2 3 :37 ). God’s covenant w ith them : “ If you obey you shall be a peculiar trea su re unto me” (v. 5), Israel was a separated, special, secured, sanctified, sacred people. They were only to obey God, and they promised “we w ill.” This is th e beginning of a new relation. They had been under grace; now th ey pu t themselves und er law. The condition God made w ith them was “ If you do, I w ill.” Obedience to law is a blessing in any realm . Thunder and lightning are symbolic of God’s holiness. #Law teaches us th a t our n atu re is sinful. Law makes no allowance for lack of information. The m irro r shows spots; the plumb line shows defects,— bu t n either can remove them. The Israelites heard th e voice of God but did ho t see Him, “ bu t we see Jesu s.” Topics fo r Study (1 ) By w hat process can God make strong, virile Chris tia n men today? (2) W hat needed lesson do we find in the pillar of cloud? (3) W hat means did God use a t th e Red Sea? (4) Can we give expression to the deepest experience of our life in song? (5) Are m iracles impossible today? ( 6 ) W hat is the best remedy for fault-finding? (7) W hat advantage is th ere in dividing duties, and does it always work well? ( 8 ) Are Aaron and H u r illu stration s of a g reat need in th e church? (9) Under w hat conditions can we best hear th e voice of God? ^ 14 . M (15 :22 ) F o r th ree days they marched slowly about ten miles a day th rough an almost w aterless desert. Then they approached th e w aters of Marah, w ith exu ltan t joy, only to find them too b itter to drink, and th e ir disappointm ent was more b itter th an th e w aters.— COMMENTS Peloubet. FROM THE (15 :25 ) The w aters of Marah tested COMMENTARIES the h ea rt of Israel and developed th eir V. V. Morgan m urm uring sp irit; b u t the Lord show ed them th a t there was no bitterness which He could not sweeten w ith th e provision of His own grace. Beauteous figure th is of Him who was, in infinite
In connection w ith th e cloud, was an angel, and from the cloud the Lord looked unto th e hosts,— suggesting to us the T riune God. The Deliverance of Isra el was through death (vs. 21-23). They obeyed and walked through the sea on dry ground. The soul th a t responds to God’s-injunction always finds de liverance. Moses’ rod was a shepherd staff, rough-hewn, b u t God laid hold of it and made it an in strum en t through which were w rought m ighty miracles. Moses was b u t an in stru m ent and God, working th rough Moses or th rough a rod, was mighty. Israel was safer in the w aters th an i n 'their homes in Goshen. The picture is one ch aracteristic of Is rae l’s whole history. The Egyptians paid th e. penalty as all m ust pay who re sist God’s laws,— they were destroyed by death, “And the Lord overthrew th e Egyptians in th e m idst of th e sea” (v. 27). The devilish n atu re which is in all men was manifest in P h araoh ’s action. He was w ilful to th e last. He threw him self against the bu ttress of God. The walls of w ater which protected Israel gave way a t th e wave of the rod, and Pharaoh and his hosts went to th e ir death. There was no embalm ing for th is Pharaoh. The Egyptians found death and destruction where the children of Israel found safety— in the Word of God. (2) THE REDEMPTION SONG, Oh. 15 “Then sang Moses and th e children of Isra el th is song” v. 1. Of course they sang, and th e Spirit of God th a t inspired th a t song has seen fit to hand it down. I t is a paean of praise; an ode w orthy th e pen of a g rea t poet, and Moses was possessed of g reat ability along th is line. If you doubt it, read th e N inetieth Psalm. Moses dedicated th e song “ unto th e Lord” (vs. 1, 2) and describes th e wonders of God’s works (vs. 3-13). There Is the exaltation of Jehovah in it all. He declares th a t dread and fear shall possess th e princes of Edom and Moab and Canaan. Then Miriam and th e women tak e up th e ir tim brels and praise the glorious trium ph of th e Lord. Then follows the te st of faith (vs. 23-27) the experience of th e b itter w ater a t Marah and th e d eligh t of Elim. (S) t h e RAIN OP BREAD FROM HEAVEN (Ch. 16) “This is th e b read which th e Lord h a th given you to e a t” v. 15. We can only touch upon a few facts in th is chapter. The .murmuring of th e people was followed by th e m iracle of bread. “And th e whole congregation of th e children of Israel m urm ured” (v. 2 ). Nothing so dishonors God as a m urm uring believer. God loves th e believers and is do ing the best things for them PROVIDED they are in His will. A surrendered will insures th e best blessings. The m urm uring sp irit belongs to th e old n atu re (Prov. 2 4 :10 ). Ing ratitude, selfishness and unbelief are a t th e root of all complaints against God. Someone has a grace or g ift which we have not. The w eather doesn’t su it us. We don’t like th e preacher. Someone has h u rt our feelings. So we sit and sulk. (Read Phil. 4 :11 ; Rom. 8:28; Phil. 4 :4 .) The practical comment on th is 16th chapter is found in the sixth chapter of John. (4) THE RTVEN ROCK, (Ch. 17) “Thou sh a lt sm ite th e rock” v. 6 . The people murmured, “ Is the Lord am ongst us or n o t? ” (v. 7 ). They wanted water. God had not failed them hitherto , b u t th e ir cry was, “Why have you brought us out of E gypt?” -The illu stration s they had had of God’s guid ance, protection and provision did not mean anything to them . They cried like babies and are an illu stration of the tendency of hum an natu re. W ith th e same rod, and in th e
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