THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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is holy where God is. A bush may be a temple, and the body of th e least child th a t confesses Him, is of g rea ter value to Him th an th e g reatest cathedral. F ire is a symbol of H is presence; it is a symbol of His holiness. Sin is judged by fire; the works o f believers are judged by fire, and unquenchable fire is th e doom of th e lost. Out of Christ, God is a consuming fire. There is a prophecy in th e bush; the history of Israel is one of furnace afflic tion,— robbed, peeled, abused; th e sub ject of Satanic hatred , yet never con sumed. The church for two thousand years a feeble flock of sheep in a world of sin, bu rn ing in th e fierce flames of opposition. The Bible is God’s burning bush, the center of attac k th rough the centuries. Men have sought to destroy it, cut it to pieces, te a r it to shreds, put it to th e flames, and ob literate it,— bu t not a jo t or tittle shall pass un til all be fulfilled. The life of th e believer is a burning bush. "T h ink it no t strang e concern ing th e fiery tria l which is to try you,” bu t th a t “ ligh t shineth more and more unto th e perfect day.” Christ H im self was a Man, lowly in b irth , arrestin g atten tion , revealing God’s purpose, seem ingly so easy to de stroy, bu t n eith er death nor th e grave could quench the fire. By all of these things God is saying, “T u rn aside; tak e off th y shoes; listen to God’s message which is presented to you.” T u rn aside,— look a t th e Cross; 1 two pieces of wood; a man dying be tween two thieves; w hat can eventuate from th is strang e sight? By th is the world is to be revolutionized. Go, tell the story of th e burning bush; let its message bu rn into your life. PRACTICAL POINTS (1 ) H ere is a lesson of God’s methods w ith men. (2 ) The ch aracter of work one is to do
is determ ined by his p reparation for th e work. (3) Every soldier expects a summons. (4) Whosoever God calls, He commis sions. (5 ) There is no ripened fru it w ithout th e sun; no gold, w ithou t th e fiery furnace; no real greatness, w ithout rigorous discipline. (6) Who would h esitate to serve who can say “ I Am h ath sent m e?” A L ead er Identified w ith H is Followers. During one of th e campaigns in the American Civil War, when th e w inter w eather was very severe, some of Stonewall Jackson’s men, having crawled out in the LESSON morning, from th eir ILLUSTRATIONS snow-laden blank- W. H . P ik e ets, h alf frozen, be gan to curse him as ' th e cause of th e ir sufferings. He lay close by under a tree also snowed under, and heard all this, but, w ithou t notic ing it, presently craw led ou t too, and shaking off th e snow, made some jocu la r rem ark to th e nearest men, who had no idea he had ridden up in th e night and lain down am ongst them ! The in cident ran th rough the arm y in a few hours, ' and it reconciled his followers to all th e hardships of th e expedition and fully re-established his popularity. Moses had experienced th e d esert life and could sympathize w ith his follow ers. So has the Lord Jesu s been touched w ith the feeling of our infirmity. Moses Knew th e G reat Leader. Horace Bushnell once said to a friend : “ I know th e Lord Jesus Christ b etter th a n I know any man in H art ford, and if He were to meet us He could say, ‘There comes Horace Bush nell; he is one of my best friends.’ ” “The Lord spake unto Moses, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” Ex. 33:11.
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