THE KING'S BUSINESS
407
B. The Miracle Typically. It is a type of Christ (John 6:32,33). (1) His way prepared by the Spirit (the dew). (2) the gift of God, (3) sent from heaven. (4) enough for each, (S) to be appropriated, gathered by each, (6) by a" fresh daily ex perience, (7) to supply to the journey’s end” (v. 35). Since the written Word is so closely identified with the personal Word, the same principles apply to it. III. C hrist C ertified the M iracle . —John 6:32. “Moses gave you (manna) not that (true) bread from heaven.”
of some their pocket, or some other fleshly idol. See what Jesus said (Matt. 4:4). God give us to prefer famine in the Wilder ness with Jesus, than fulness by the flesh pots of Egypt. “I will rain bread from heaven for you.” O Thou long-suffering God, be yet patient with us and we shall learn better. By this we ,see “the glory of Jehovah” (v. 7) not in the miracle of power, but the miracle of mercy. A. The miracle teaches (1) God will give us bread, (2) daily, (3) enough for each, (4) we must gather in, (5) the head of a family for his household, (6) God’s gifts are not to be hoarded selfishly, dis trustfully or disobediently, (7) if they are they will be corrupt and corrupting, (8) if we suffer loss by obedience (e. g., the Sab bath keeping) He will make it up to us. 1. The Murmuring of the People. As the people went on they came to Rephidim. There was no water, and they came angrily to Moses, saying, “Give us water; have you brought us out to kill us with thirst?” and they were about to stone him (John 10:31, 32; Matt. 23:37). These incidents are wit nesses to the truth of the history. No his torian of the olden time would have re corded a history so uniformly to the dis credit of his nation, nor would that nation have perpetuated and passed down that record, if it had not been true, and written by Divine constraint.' 2. Moses' Appeal to Jehovah. “What shall I do unto this people, for they be al most ready to stone me?” See how treach erous the people are. Today they exalt a benefactor tomorrow they stone him. Moses was a true patriot and a wise man, who rightly estimating popular folly kept his temper and turned to God for counsel. But why did not the people 'seek God rather than strive with His servant and provi dence ?
IV. T he P rovoking P erversity of M en . Some laid it up till the morning; some went out to gather it on the Sabbath. Yet some say the Old Testament presents an unreasonable, angry God! • LESSON IX.—August 31.— I srael at M ount S in a i . —Exod. 17— 19 —Heb. 12:18-24. G olden T ext . —Let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well pleasing to God with reverence and awe. —Heb. 12:28. I. T he S mitten R ock . —17 :l-7.
3. Water Given. “Thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it. that the people may drink.” Neither God’s patience nor resources are ever exhausted. We should not try the former, but quietly wait on the latter. That rock and its wa ters typified Christ (1 Cor. 10:4), smitten to supply the need of ungrateful sinners. 4. Memorial Names. Moses fixed the lesson by affixing the names to the place, Massah, because they tried Jehovah ; Meri- bah, because they quarreled with himself. These places are on the path of most pil grims. II. T he B attle W ith A malek . —17:8-16. 1. Amalek. Were a warlike desert peo ple who attacked Israel on the way to Sinai, either because they regarded them as in truders, or because they coveted their pos sessions. Here we first meet Joshua, whom Moses appointed to conduct the battle, and whose name is the same as Jesus (Heb. Jeshua) the Captain of our salvation (Heb. 12:2, marg.). Moses with the uplifted rod of God (symbolic of intercession, and a
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker