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T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
III. The Intercession of Moses. (See also W. 32 and 33.) Thelre are few more touching in stances recorded in th e Word of God, th a n th is one. How beautifully th is man Moses, again st whom th e people have rebelled and murmured, now- in tercedes fo r them w ith God. Notice how he rem inds Jehovah of w h at He has already done for th is people, as though he would urge God’s very good ness in th e p ast as an argum en t for H is forgiving them now. Notice again, how jealous he is for Jehovah ’s good name, lest th e Egyptians should speak slightingly ■ and sneeringly of Him, and a ttrib u te to Him purposes of cruelty instead of love. Notice in th e th ird place, how he rem inds Jehovah of His covenant w ith Abraham , Isaac and Israel. Notice, again (vv. 31 and 32), how th a t afte r Moses comes down from th e m ount and sees for him self the aw fulness of th e sin of th e people, he seems to wonder how God can forgive them , w ithou t some propitiation, and listen to th e catch in his voice, as he says “and if not,— blot me, I pray you, out of Thy book which Thou h ast w rit ten .” How in all this, Moses pictures fo rth for us, th e m ighty Intercessor, who was to come, th e Son of God, H imself, Who was to be actually forsaken of God on th e cross of Calvary, th a t aw ful mo m ent when He hung th e re as your rep resen tative and mine. W h at a need th e re is today fo r in te r cessors, who will give them selves defi nitely to th e w ork; for th e ir own loved ones, for our beloved nation, fo r th e work of th e m issionaries among th e heathen, for th e proper solution of the trem endous issues th a t are now up be fore th e nations fo r solution. We do no t so much n e e d . more in stru ction on praying as we need to p u t into • practice w h at we already know about it. The poorest praying th a t we
I. The Condition of Israel. Moses, a t God’s invitation, had gone up into th e Mount to m eet Him, leav ing Aaron in charge of th e camp, ■which should have been a perfectly s a f e arrangem ent. LESSON Y ielding to th e de- EXPOSITION mands of th e people J . H. H u n ter who were in an ugly mood, Aaron made for them , ou t of th e ir earrings, a golden calf, first casting it and th en finishing it w ith a graving tool. I t is h ard to understand how Aaron could give him self to any such work. To make the calf was bad enough, b u t th en to build an altar, on which to oiler b u rn t of ferings and peace offerings to it, was «till worse. The idolatrous worship was accompanied, as usual, w ith eating and drinking and dancing. Undoubt edly, the usual excesses grew ou t of these. The people, and th e ir leader w ith them , completely tu rn ed th eir backs upon God, who had done every th ing for them . They p u t Him ou t of th e ir thoughts. H. The Anger of Jehovah. Moses, up in th e m ountain w ith Je hovah, knew nothing of w hat was going on in th e plain, un til Jehovah told him. If th e people had forgotten God, He had n o t fo rgo tten them,. The laws th a t he had given them in H is love ,in o rder th a t they m ight be a holy people in whom He could delight, they had broken and scattered to th e winds. His anger, his righteous anger, was k in dled ¿gain st them as it m ust always be kindled again st sin, and ag ain st sin ners who p ersist in it. This is a side of.God’s ch aracter th a t even th e church seems to have lo st sigh t of today, and yet th e love of God is no t more clearly revealed in th e S criptures th a n His holiness and H is righteous w rath. The only th ing th a t dan separate a man from God effectually, is sin, b u t sin does it w hether men choose to believe it or no.
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