THE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
38 form a nation. They had been freed by Him, they were con secrated to Him and were being trained by and for Him. Hence, as Kalesch remarks, “every subject is as it were a priest and every civil action assumes the sanctity of a re ligious function” and idolatry was an offense against His sovereignty and therefore punishable with death. Disre spect to elders, disobedience to parents (they being the representatives of G-od) were visited with sore penalties. Hence, too, the whole land belonged to God. The people were but tenants. Now the expression, “God’s nation” is the key wherewith to interpret many of the enactments which seem to us unintelligible and many of the punish ments which seem unusually severe. The truth that Is rael is the Lord’s people runs through the Old Testament Scriptures as will be seen if wei note the varied names by which they are distinguished. ( i ) God’s sonfi-Ex. 4:22, 23; Jer. 3:4, 9. (2) First fruits— Jer. 2:3'. (3 ) The people of God— 2 Sam. 7:23; 24. (4) God’s inheritance— Deut. 32:9. (5 ) The chosen ones— Deut. 7:6. (6) His flock— Jer. 13:7. (7 ) His holy peo ple—Deut. 7:6. (8 ) The righteous people— Ex. 19:6. (9) The house or family of God— Isa. 1:2. (10) A King dom— Psa. 89:18. It is no 'wonder then that a people, selected thus for such a close relationship to God should be called “a peo ple of inheritance.”— Selected. Vs. 39, 40. Because God had loved their fathers and had chosen, redeemed, and, settled them in Canaan, Israel was to “consider," never to forget this, and acknowledge that Jehovah alone is God and that there is no other in the uni verse besides Him. He alone is the self-existent, personal God. Alone in His supremacy in heaven and earth, alone in His government of the world, alone in His claims upon men.—McLaren. ¡¡¡g Israel spent nearly a year at Sinai, the record of their stay being in Exodus 19:1 to Numbers 10:11. During this time they learned many lessons of great value. The first truth which God sought to impress upon them was His holiness and righteousness. This is DEVOTIONAL seen in the chapters which are assigned COMMENT for this week’s lesson, as these have John A. Hubbard largely to do with the giving of the law, especially the Ten Commandments and the “judgments.’ The second lesson which Israel learned was that of their own sinfulness and unrighteousness,-as seen, for example, in their sad failure recorded in Ex. 32,— the making of the golden calf. Indeed, to teach this lesson was one of the main objects God had in view in giving the law. Con trary to the thought and teaching of a great many people, the law was not given to teach Israel, or any one else, the way of salvation and life. See, for example, such state ments as found in Rom. 3:19, 20: “Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law; that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before Grid. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (not the cleansing of sin). The law has been likened to a mirror, which reveals dirt, but cannot remove it. Yes, you will have just as much success in trying to cleanse yourself from sin by endeavoring to keep the law as in attempting to wash your face with a looking-glass. Do you believe that, for yourself and for your class (in case you are a teacher)? This leads us to consider the third ”lesson which God sought to teach Israel at Sinai, namely, that a guilty sin ner can find access to arid acceptance with a holy God only on the ground of shed blood. The tabernacle, with its furniture and service said to Israel (and to us— see Heb. 9 ): “Salvation is by grace through faith in atoning blood.” The sacrifices of Leviticus say the same. See, for in stance, the Day of Atonement, Lev-. 16. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the
altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” (Lev. 17:11). God grant that many may learn these same great truths through the study of this lesson! A'fc 9 & God Telling His People How To Live Ex. 20:1-4, 7, 8, 12, 15, 16. Memory Verse.— “All that the Lord hath said we will do.” Ex. 24:7. Approach.—-(Teachers read and study entire 20th chap ter). Harold how do you know what mother wants you to do in the home? She talks to you and tells you just what she wants you to do. Now suppose mother went away- from home for a visit in another part of the ELEMENTARY country, how would she make known Mabel L. Merrill to you and the others at home, what she wished you to do? She would write a letter and tell you. Then when the letter came you would read it, or if you could not read some of the older folks would read it to you; then if you forgot you could look at the letter again and know just what to do. You know boys and girls in our stories we have been enjoying so much, we learn how God spoke to people, and that was because they did not have the Bible at that time, so God spoke through his prophets and leaders of his people. Prayer. Lesson Story.— (Show picture of Israel crossing Red Sea). Children what is the picture? What made the chil dren of Israel afraid at the Red Sea? Yes, they were just like so many of us today, they forgot what a wonderful God they had, and all they could seè was the great numbers of the enemy, but when Moses helped them to remember their powerful God, they became brave, and God took them safely across the sea. Now God had a great many lessons to teach these people, so when they came to Mount Sinai, the cloud stopped, and the people camped there for a long time. Now we remember they did not have the Bible, so God told Moses some of the things he wanted the people to do. These words God spoke to Moses at this tirnd are called the Ten Commandments. Moses went up on thé mountain to talk with God, and while he was up there the whole mountain was in smoke, and the people could hear thunder and see lightning in the mountain, and they heard God’s voice and they were afraid. The people begged Moses to let God speak to them, but for God to speak to Moses for them. Moses told the people God had not come to cause them to die, but to make them fear to sin against Him. And the people stood a great way off from the mountain, but Moses went up to the mountain near to the dark cloud where God was. When Moses came down from the moun tain he wrote the laws God had given him down in a book, and we have them in the Bible today. Later God wrote on two pieces of stone the Ten Commandments. The first one was that they should have no other God but Him. If one was that they .should have no other God but Him. Touch upon the others according to age of children, driving home truths most needed as you know your boys and girls. When Moses told the people the words God had spoken they answered him in these words. They are our memory verse. “All that the Lord hath said will we do.” When ever people disobey God’s word it always brings sadness and unhappiness, just as we see today among the people of Israel. Touch upon, the Hebrew nation scattered and hopeless because they did not obey these words God spoke to them. So all the peo ple today who will not obey God’s word are lost and un happy. Closing Prayer.
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