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In both cases Elijah had to be where God wanted him, in order to receive food. If we want God to provide for us, we must receive Christ as Saviour, and follow His guidance. When we follow the Lord, He provides for us just as surely as He did for the children oi Israel.
I am reminded of the prophet Elijah. He was told to go to the brook to hide, and the Lord said: “I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there” (1 Ki. 17:4). When the brook dried up, again the voice of God spoke to him, saying: “Arise, get thee to Zarephath . . . I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.”
cry. They should have remembered that their heavenly Father, who had
m a d e them free w h e n they h a d b e e n slaves, and had made a path f o r them r i g h t through t h e sea, would not let them go hungry. When their lead er, Moses, prayed, God said, “I will
AUGUST 22, 1943 GOD GIVES LAWS FOR HIS PEOPLE E xodus -19 to 24; D euteronomy 1.1:18-21; G alatians 3:23-28; 5:13, 14
rain bread from heaven for you” (v. 4). In the morning, the people saw the ground covered with small round flakes. “This is the bread which the Lord has given you” (v. 15), Moses told them. They were to gather as much as each family needed. “Take just enough food for a day,” they were told, “for the manna will not keep.” Some did not believe—and they were sorry. On the sixth day, Moses said something like this, “God wants you to pick up twice as much manna to day, and what you gather today will not spoil. Tomorrow, the Sabbath day, no manna will fall. It is God’s day.” That is just what happened, and again the ones who had not believed what they were told were sorry. /For forty years—all the time the people were in the wilderness—God gavé them this wonderful food. He wanted them to learn to think of Him first at all times, even when they ate their meals. (Apply John 6:35.)
ly at enmity with Him, will acknow ledge that each and every one, even to Satan himself, is judged righteously. The people must always deal in equity (vs. 6-9). False witness must not be given, and the poor, the in nocent, and indeed all men, must have just treatment. God reminded them that “the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.” He meant that they must not accept bribes of any kind. II. T he L aw C oncerning F aith (G al . 3:23-28) “Before faith came,” which means the faith in Jesus Christ referred to in previous verses, there was nothing except the law by which to seek jus tification before God (vs. 23, 24). As no one could, or ever did, keep the whole law, there was, and could be, no justification by it. The law, by re vealing the need of justification, was to drive, or lead, to Christ by whom alone justification could De obtained. By its very nature, all the law could do was to withhold punishment as long as the law was strictly observed. It was therefore “a tutor” to lead the individual to Christ in order that he might be justified by faith in Him. After that faith had come, the law's work was ended (v. 25). ( Believers become children of God by faith in Christ (v. 26), having as real a birth from God as that received by natural generation from human par ents. Being “baptized into Christ,” they have “put on Christ” (v. 27). Putting on Christ means putting off self. “In Christ,” all believers are one; there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond nor free. The believer who is in Christ is as free from the law as is Christ Him self. But he Is not free to break the B LACK BO ARD LE SSON
E xo d u s 23:1 T ho u shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand w ith the w icked to be an unrighteous w itness. 2 T ho u shalt not follow a m ultitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after m any to w rest Judgm ent: 3 N either shalt thou countenance a poor m an in his cause. 4 If thou meet thine enem y’s ox or his a ss going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to h im again. 5 If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, l and w ouldest forbear to help him , thou shalt surely help w ith him. , , . ^ . 6 T h o u shalt not w rest the Judgm ent of th y poor in h is cause. 7 Keep thee fa r from a false m atter: and the innocent and righteous sla y thou not: for I w ill not ju stify the wicked. 8 A n d thou shalt take no gift: for the gift bllndeth the w ise, and perverteth the w ord s of the righteous. 9 A lso thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye w ere stra n g e rs in the land of Egypt. G alatians 3:23 B u t before faith came, we w ere kept under the law, shu t up unto the faith w hich should afterw ard be revealed. 24 W herefore the law w a s our sch ool m aster to b ring us unto C hrist, that we m igh t be justified D y faith. 25 B u t after that faith is come, w e are ho longer under a schoolm aster. 26 F o r ye are all the children of God by faith In C h rist Jesus. • 27 F o r as m a n y of you as have been baptized into C h rist have put C h ris t 28 T here is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond n or free, there Is neither m ale nor fem ale: for ye are all one in C h rist Jesus. 5:13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty: only use not liberty for an o c casion to the flesh, but b y love serve one ani°4t h F i r all the law Is fulfilled In one w ord, even In this: T h o u shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. - LE SSON , T E X T : Ex. 23:1-9! Gal. 3:23-28; ! ’ G O L D E N T E X T : “ T ho u shalt love the Lord th y God w ith all thy heart, and w ith all th y soul, and w ith all thy strehgth, and w ith all th y m ind; and th y neighbor as thyself” (L k . 10:27). D E V O T IO N A L R E A D IN G : Psa. 19:7-14. Outline and Exposition I. T he L aw C oncerning N eighbors (Ex. 23:1-9) H E WHO is a witness must be ways be right. Hence, the people were warned against following “a multi tude to do evil.” Enemies must be treated jusfly (vs. 4, 5). God reminded His people that He is a God who always deals righteously, without respect of persons. It is be cause He is the just God that in a com ing day every created intelligence, in cluding those who will remain eternal
Object Lesson F ollow the F eeder
OBJECTS: A fluffy ball of cotton and a cracker. (Fasten one of these objects to each end of a white thread about a foot long.) LESSON: You will remember that last week we talked about the cloud God used in guiding His people. Here is the same ball of cotton to re mind us of that cloud. Wherever the cloud goes, the cracker that is attached follows. This cloud and cracker remind me of the chil dren of Israel. As long as they fol lowed the cloud, they received the manna. The food that God provided appeared in the path in which the cloud guided them. As long as they were under the cloud, they were sure of receiving the food.
truthful (vs. 1-3). He must be ware of agreeing with the ma jority, for the majority might not al
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