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 JEWISH HISTORY 
 
 ETHICALLY PRESENTED 
 
 FOR PRIVATE OR SUNDAY-SCHOOL USE. 
 
 THE PENTATEUCH. 
 
 BY H. PEREIRA MENDES, 
 
 Minister Spanish and Portuguese Congregation, 
 K. K. S. I., New York. 
 
 NEW YORK : 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR, 6 WEST QTH ST., 
 5656-1896.
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1895, 
 BY H. PEREIRA MENDES. 
 
 Press of 
 
 HHILIP COW EN, 
 213-215 East .f4th St. 
 New York.
 
 DEDICATED TO 
 
 THE MEMORY OF 
 
 MY BELOVED FATHER, 
 
 |pendes, 
 
 FOR OVER FIFTY YEARS 
 PREACHER AND TEACHER 
 
 IN ISRAEL. 
 AS ONE OF THE FIRST TO PREACH 
 
 THE HOLY WORD 
 IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, 
 
 AS THE AUTHOR OF JEWISH SCHOOL BOOKS, 
 
 AND AS A PRACTICAL TEACHER OF OUR YOUTH, 
 
 HE WILL LONG BE .REMEMBERED 
 
 WITH HONOR 
 BY ENGLISH-SPEAKING HEBREWS. 
 
 " HE SOUGHT THE GOOD OF HIS PEOPLE 
 AND SPAKE PEACE." 
 
 2096137
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 This book is meant for teachers, not for lesson-hearers. 
 
 It was designed originally for the second or interme- 
 diate grade, hence the reference to Grade II. 
 
 It will serve as a Reader also. 
 
 The language of the English Bible has been preserved 
 almost wholly, not only on account of its simplicity and fa- 
 miliar turns of expression, but because it is recognized as 
 classical English and is interwoven in English literature. 
 
 The text may be studied at home or read in class, with 
 or without the notes, at the teacher's discretion. 
 
 The teacher should^use the text, and, if possible, each 
 verse, as the basis for questions to be answered in the class- 
 room. 
 
 The notes are designed to answer many questions asked 
 by teachers and students. They will be extended in a 
 future edition if desired. 
 
 Suggestions to this end will be welcomed. 
 
 H. PEREIRA MENDES. 
 6 West Ninth Street, 
 
 New York City.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGB. 
 
 DEDICATION, ........ v 
 
 PREFACE, ......... vii 
 
 INTRODUCTION God is Love, . ... .5 
 
 LESSON I. Adam and Eve. God is Just, . . 7 
 
 1. (Continued.) Cain and Abel, 9 
 
 II. The Flood. God is Just, . . . n 
 
 II. The Flood. (Continued.) . . . 15 
 
 HI. Abraham. God is Holy, . . . . 19 
 
 The Story of Sodom, . . . .22 
 
 IV. Abraham. (Continued.) The Story of 
 
 Ishmael, . .... 26 
 
 The Sacrifice of Isaac, . . .28 
 
 The Death of Sarah, . . 29 
 
 V. Isaac Marriage with Rebekah, . . 33 
 V. (Continued.) Isaac's Blessings to Esau 
 
 and Jacob,- ..... 36 
 
 VI. Jacob and Laban, . . . . . 43 
 
 VI. (Continued.) Jacob's Night Struggle. His 
 
 Meeting with Esau, . . . .48 
 
 VII. Joseph in Adversity, .... 54 
 
 VIII. Joseph Before Pharaoh, . . . . oo 
 
 IX. Joseph Testing his Brethren, . . 66 
 
 X. Joseph Makes himself Known to his 
 
 Brethren, ..... 74 
 
 XI. The Hebrews in Egypt, . . . -84 
 
 The Call of Moses, ... 87 
 
 XII. Moses Before Pharaoh, . . . .95 
 
 XII. (Continued.) 98 
 
 XIII. The Departure from Egypt, . . . 106
 
 LESSON XIV. Massah and Meribah, . . 115 
 
 The Visit of Jethro, . . .116 
 
 The Giving of the Ten Command- 
 ments, . . . . . .119 
 
 XV. The Departure of Moses to Receive 
 
 the Law, . . . . .121 
 
 The Tabernacle, . . . . 122 
 
 The Golden Calf, . . . -124 
 
 XVI. The Revelation of God, . .128 
 
 XVII. Leviticus, . . . . . -134 
 
 A Solem:i Charge to the People, . 137 
 
 XV11I. Numbers. The Blessing for Israel, . 141 
 
 The Dedication of the Tabernacle, 142 
 
 Order and Discipline, . . . 142 
 
 XVI 1 1. (Continued.) The Appointment of a 
 
 Council of Seventy, . . .150 
 XVIII. (Continued.) Spying out the Land, 154 
 
 XIX. Korah, 161 
 
 XX. The Death of Miriam. The Sin of 
 Moses and Aaron. The Death of 
 Aaron, . . . . .166 
 The Brazen Serpent, . . . 169 
 The War with Sihon and Og, . 170 
 XXI. Balak and Balaam, . . . .173 
 XXII. The Appointment of Joshua as Leader, 182 
 The Two and a Half Tribes, . 183 
 XXIII. Religion as Moses Preached it. Man's 
 
 Duty to his God, . . .188 
 XXIV. Religion as Moses Preached it. Man's 
 
 Duty to his Neighbor, . . 197 
 
 XXV. The Shemang, . . . 205 
 
 Appendix, ... ... .212
 
 INTRODUCTION. GOD IS LOVE. 
 
 TEXT : 'Thus saith the Lord that created the heavens . He is the 
 God who formed the earth, and made it. He established it. Not 
 for confusion did He create it; He formed it to be inhabited. I am 
 the Lord and there is none else." Isaiah XLVI. 18. 
 
 "And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God ask of thee but 
 to reverence the Lord thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to 
 love Him and to serve Him with al 1 thy heart and with all thy 
 soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and His statutes, 
 which I command thee this day for thy happiness." Deut. x: 12-13, 
 
 God created earth to be inhabited by man. In His love, 
 He designed man to be happy thereon, aud to render human 
 happiness possible here and in life hereafter. He gave man 
 laws of conduct to guide and ideals to strive after. They are 
 all found in the book called the Bible. The Bible teaches u$ 
 that God is Love, God is Just, and God is Pure. Therefore, 
 we must be loving, just and pure. This is what we call 
 religion. 
 
 God prepared earth for human habitation by six successive 
 creative acts : 
 
 First: Light appeared. 
 
 Second: The atmosphere was formed, to separate the 
 waters of our earth from the ether above in which float all the 
 planets. 
 
 Third: The waters < f our earth were gathered, dry land 
 appeared, and plant life therefore sprang into existence. 
 
 Fourth: The light of the sun, moon and stars became visi- 
 ble upon earth. 
 
 Fifth: The lower orders of animal life appeared: insects, 
 fishes and birds. 
 
 Sixth: The higher orders of animal life were created: 
 animals and man. Man is the only creature made out of
 
 6 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 earthly elements with a divine essence in him. This 
 essence we name the soul It is the source of what we call 
 the mind, intelligence, thought and conscience. 
 
 Man's material wants were thus provided for by the creation 
 of earth, stored as it was with minerals and containing vege. 
 table and animal life. But inasmuch as in pursuing material 
 or only worldly wants'man's better nature becomes blunted. 
 God instituted the Sabbath. The Sabbath is designed for rest 
 of the body and for education of our spiritual or better natures- 
 God so loves us that He has thus provided for our material and 
 spiritual wants. Man was created to work to develop earth's 
 resources. Woman was created to be a help-mate for him. 
 The first man was called Adam, because he was made from 
 the earth (in Hebrew, Adamah), and the first woman was 
 called Eve, from the Hebrew word meaning "Life," because 
 she was the mother of all living. They were placed in a 
 garden called Eden, or Happiness.
 
 LESSON I. 
 
 ADAM AND RVE. GOD IS JUST. 
 
 TEXT: "Observe and obey all these words which I command 
 thee, that thou mayest be happy, and thy children after thee for- 
 ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight 
 of the -Lord thy God." Deut., xn: 26. ' 
 
 SECOND GRADE: 
 
 And the Lord God commanded Adam, saying, Of 
 every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat. 
 
 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, 
 thou shalt not eat ; for in the day that thou eatest 
 thereof thou shalt surely die. 
 
 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of 
 the field which the Lord God had made, and it said to 
 the woman: Yea, has God said, Ye shall not eat of 
 every tree of the garden ? 
 
 And the woman answered : We may eat of all the 
 trees except the one that stands in the middle of the 
 garden, for God hath said, " Ye shall not eat of it nei- 
 ther shall ye touch it, lest ye die." And the serpent 
 said unto the woman: Ye shall not surely die. For 
 God doth know that in the day that ye eat of it, your 
 eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing 
 good and evil. 
 
 And when the woman saw that the tree was good 
 for food and that it was pleasant to the sight, and a 
 tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the 
 fruit thereof, and did eat; and gave also to her hus- 
 band to partake with her, and he did eat. 
 
 And they heard the voice of the Lord God in the
 
 3 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 garden and they hid themselves from His presence in 
 the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called to 
 Adam, and said to him, where art thou? And he said, 
 I heard thy voice in the garden and I was afraid, and I 
 hid myself. And he said, Hast thou eaten of the tree 
 whereof I commanded thee not to eat? Then the man 
 said: The woman whom thou gavest to be with me. 
 she gave me of the tree and I did eat. 
 
 And He said: Because thou hast hearkened to the 
 voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I 
 commanded thee saying: Thou shalt not eat of it; 
 cursed is the ground for thy sake, in sorrow shalt thou 
 eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and 
 thistles shall it grow for thee; and thou shalt eat the 
 herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou 
 eat bread, until thou returnest to the ground of which 
 thou wast taken; for dust thou art; and to dust thou 
 shalt return. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Man needs to learn certain lessons lest his own reason should 
 mislead him. 
 
 From this story we learn the necessity of implicit or exact 
 obedience to the commands of God whether we understand the 
 reason for them or not. Adam and Eve may well have asked 
 why the tree was planted at all, if they were not to eat of its 
 fruit. It was not for them to question, it was for them to 
 obey. We learn also the necessity of self-control; that is, not 
 to allow ourselves to do what we want, if it is in any way forbid- 
 den by God. 
 
 We must also notice that one wrong leads to another. The 
 disobedience of Adam and Eve led to untruthfulness. When
 
 Adam said, "The woman which Thou gavest me, she gave me 
 of the fruit and I did eat it," it was not the exact truth. The 
 real truth was that he was not strong-minded enough to refuse 
 to do what he knew God had forbidden. Similarly Eve made 
 her excuse. Finally we must notice that wrong-doing always 
 brings suffering in the end. They suffered, for God's justice 
 turned them out of the Garden of Eden or happiness, where 
 with little labor their wants had been supplied, to work for their 
 living by the sweat of the brow. 
 
 That sin or wrong-doing brings suffering, is true always. If 
 we do wrong by not speaking the exact truth, or by not doing 
 our work conscientiously, we suffer for it; because people will 
 learn to doubt our word and our work will not be successful 
 Even if we disobey the laws of health, sooner or later we will 
 suffer. 
 
 LESSON I. (Continued.) 
 
 CAIN AND ABEL. 
 
 TEXT. Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart. Thou 
 shalt indeed rebuke thy neighbor, and not sin through him." 
 (Leviticus xix., 18). 
 
 And Adam and Eve had a son, and he was called 
 Cain. 
 
 And they had another son, named Abel. 
 
 And Abel was a keeper of sheep and Cain was a 
 tiller of the ground. 
 
 And in process of time it came to pass that Cain 
 brought of fruit of the ground as an offeiing unto the 
 Lord. 
 
 And Abel also brought of the firstlings of his flock 
 and of the best of them. And the Lord heeded Abel 
 and his offering.
 
 10 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 But unto Cain and to his offering He paid no heed. 
 And Cain became very wroth and his face fell. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth, 
 and why hath thy face fallen? 
 
 If thou doest well, wilt thou not be forgiven? But if 
 thoudoest not well, sin croucheth at the door; and 
 unto theejis its desire, but thou canst rule over it. 
 
 And Cain talked with Abel his brother. And it came 
 to pass when they were in a field that Cain rose up 
 against Abel his brother and killed him. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy 
 brothei? And he said, I know not; am I my brother's 
 keeper? 
 
 And He said, What hast thou done? The voice of 
 thy brother's blood crieth out to me from the ground. 
 And now thou art accursed from the ground which 
 hath opened its mouth to receive thy brother's blood 
 from thy hand. 
 
 When thou tillest the ground it shall henceforth 
 not yield to thee its strength; a fugitive and a vaga- 
 bond shalt thou be on the earth. 
 
 And Cain said, my punishment is greater than I 
 can bear. 
 
 Hehold, thou hast driven me out this day upon the 
 face of the earth; and from Thy face shall I be hidden; 
 and I am to be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth ; 
 and it will come to pass that whatever may find me 
 may kill me. 
 
 And the L^rd set a sign for Cain, lest any finding 
 him should slay him.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS II 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 We must give the best of what we have to God. 
 
 Cain appears to have offered whatever he laid his 
 hands upon. 
 
 Abel took the trouble of selecting the very best that he had. 
 
 Cain's carelessness and want of respect for God led to the 
 rejection of his sacrifice. Here again we find that one fault 
 leads to another. 
 
 For his carelessness and want of respect led to jealousy, and 
 jealousy is a great and foolish sin. From jealousy he passed 
 to quarreling. From quarreling he passed to hatred and 
 anger. Then he committed murder, and immediately after 
 he uttered falsehood by saying he did not know where his 
 brother was. 
 
 We notice also that when we do what is wrong, we often 
 cause sorrow to others as well as to ourselves. For Cain's 
 wrong-doing brought suffering upon his parents. They had lost 
 Abel through him and he himself was driven away. So they were 
 left childless until Seth was born ; but even then they must 
 have mourned for their murdered son and his brother, exiled 
 and branded as a murderer. 
 
 LESSON II. 
 
 THE FLOOD. GOD IS JUST. 
 
 TEXT: The Lord was enthroned by the flood. Yea, the Lord 
 , was enthroned as King forever. Psalm xix: 10. 
 
 And God looked upon the earth and behold it was 
 corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the 
 earth. 
 
 And God said unto Noah, the end of all flesh is
 
 12 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence 
 through them; and behold, I will destroy them with 
 the earth. 
 
 Make thee an ark of cypress wood ; rooms shalt 
 thou make in the ark and thou shalt pitch it inside 
 and outside with pitch. 
 
 And this is how thou shalt make it. The length of 
 the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of 
 it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. 
 
 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a 
 cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the 
 ark shalt thou set in its side, with lower, second and 
 third stories shalt thou make it. 
 
 And behold I, even I, do bring a flood of waters 
 upon the earth, to destroy all flesh wherein is the 
 breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that 
 is on the earth shall die. 
 
 But with thee will I establish My covenant, and 
 thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and 
 thy wife and thy sons' wives with thee. 
 
 And of ever* living thing of all flesh, two of every 
 sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive 
 with thee, they shall be male and female. 
 
 Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their 
 kiud, of ever; creeping thing of the earth after his 
 kind; two of ever/ sort shall come unto thee, to keep 
 them alive. 
 
 And take tl. into thee of all food that is eaten, 
 and thou shr cither it to thee ; and it shall be for 
 food for thee 3r them.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 13 
 
 Thus did Noah according to all that God commanded 
 him so did he. 
 
 And the L/ord said unto Noah : Come thou and all 
 thy household into the ark; for thee have I seen 
 righteous before Me in this generation. 
 
 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by 
 sevens, the male and his female; and of beasts that 
 are not clean by two, the male and his female. 
 
 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the 
 female ; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the 
 earth. 
 
 For in yet seven days I will cause it to rain upon 
 the earth forty days and forty nights ; and every living 
 creature that I have made will I destroy from off the 
 face of the earth. 
 
 And Noah did according unto all that the I/ord 
 commanded him. 
 
 THIRD GRADE. (Primary), use Child's First Bible, 
 chapter II. 
 
 NO TES. 
 
 Not only does wrong doing bring sorrow to others 
 and to ourselves, as we learn from the stories of Adam 
 and Eve, and Cain and Abel, but even if nations do 
 what is wrong, they also suffer and in time perish. 
 
 The people of the world at this time were doing what 
 was wrong. They were committing horrible crimes; 
 animal life was dying out, and men and women were 
 becoming depraved, and mentally and physically unsound 
 in health. 
 
 As God created eart'i to be inhabited, and to be a
 
 14 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 sphere of human happiness, this state of things had to be 
 corrected. Hence the flood, for, as the Bible says : "Vio- 
 lence," or the violation of all morality, " filled the earth. 1 ' 
 
 Let us, however, observe that although it is a law* of 
 God that sinning shall be followed by disease or death* 
 yet we must not forget to notice that the people were 
 warned, and must have known that they could not for- 
 get God and their duty to Him without suffering punish- 
 ment. God's justice demanded their punishment, but in 
 justice He gave them warnings. 
 
 They must have known of the punishment of Adam 
 and Eve for disobedience and want of self-control. They 
 must have known of the punishment of Cain for his dis- 
 respectful worship, and how passions, such as jealousy, 
 anger, hate, lead to falsehood and murder. They knew 
 also that Enoch, who was known to be a good man, had 
 been mysteriously taken away as if he was too good to 
 be allowed to live with them. As the Bible says: "Enoch 
 walked with God, and he was not, for God had taken 
 him." To walk with God means to obey His laws. 
 
 And, again, they saw with their own eyes Noah and his 
 sons building the Ark. So that they must have learned 
 that God intended to destroy them for being wicked 
 men. But they did not pay attention to these warnings 
 and they, therefore, perished. 
 
 The Ark is calculated to have been 450 feet long, 75 
 feet wide, and 45 feet high, (42,413 tons burden accord- 
 ing to Hale).
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 15 
 
 LESSON II. (Continued.} 
 THE FLOOD. 
 
 And it came to pass after seven days that the waters 
 of the flood were upon the earth. And the flood was 
 forty days upon the earth ; and the waters increased, 
 and bare up the ark, and it was lifted up above the 
 earth. And the mountains were covered, and all 
 creatures animate with the breath of life on dry land, 
 died. And the waters prevailed on the earth a hun- 
 dred and fifty days. And God made a wind pass over 
 earth, and the waters were assuaged. The fountains 
 also of the deep and the windows of heaven were 
 stopped and the rain from heaven was restrained. 
 And the ark rested on the mountain range of Ararat. 
 
 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that 
 Noah sent forth a raven; and it went to and fro until 
 the waters were dried up. And he sent forth a dove: 
 but she found no rest and she returned. And he 
 waited seven days and sent her forth again and she 
 returned at evening time with a plucked olive leaf. 
 So Noah knew the waters were abated. And he waited 
 seven days and sent forth the dove, which returned no 
 more. And God said unto Noah, Go forth from the 
 ark. And Noah and all with him went out of the 
 ark. And Noah built an altar unto the Lord and 
 offered sacrifice. And God blessed Noah and his 
 family, and gave them laws to guide them. And He 
 said, There shall no more be a flood upon earth. I 
 have set my bow (rainbow) in the clouds. Let it be 
 as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth,
 
 l6 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 that the waters become no more a flood to destroy all 
 flesh. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 The sacrifice of Noah when he came out of the Ark 
 was especially acceptable to God, because He knew that 
 Noah had no animals to spare. 
 
 God told Noah that he would not destroy the earth 
 again with a Hood. We shall presently see how God 
 designed to prevent mankind sinning the same way so 
 as to deserve the same fate. 
 
 As a sign of His promise God pointed to the rainbow, 
 which happened to be visible at that moment, and said 
 that it should always be a reminder of His promise for 
 all mankind. 
 
 When Noah's descendants became more numerous they 
 erected a tower in the midst of a very wide plain to serve 
 as a landmark in case they should wander and be scat- 
 tered abroad upon the face of the earth. But God had 
 designed that the whole earth should be inhabited, and 
 that mankind should spread in every land. 
 
 He, therefore, caused every language to be so changed 
 that they could not understand one another. As a result, 
 whole families moved away to other countries. 
 
 (See Appendix B.) 
 
 To Noah and his sons seven commands were given 
 which are considered binding upon all nations, because 
 all nations are descended from them. These commands 
 include : 
 
 First: Acknowledgment of the Creator. 
 
 Second: Reverence for the Divine name. 
 
 Third: The sacredness of married life. 
 
 Fourth : Order and justice in government.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 17 
 
 Fifth : The sacredness of human life. 
 
 Sixth : Forbearance, or love for mankind. 
 
 Seventh: Consideration for animals. 
 
 But the memory of these commands given by the lov- 
 ing God for mankind's benefit, their interpretation, the 
 very idea of God, became more and more changed as 
 time passed, especially after the dispersion of Noah's 
 descendants. With only human reason to guide, man- 
 kind soon fell into religious error. 
 
 Thus, those on the plains of Syria began to honor, then 
 to worship the sun. For they soon perceived its influ- 
 ence to make earth produce harvest, its warmth and 
 brightness, its power to drive away the night and the 
 wild animals. This was the origin of the worship of 
 Baal, so often mentioned in the Bible. Baal means 
 master; he who is masterful, he who accomplishes much. 
 
 In opposition to this, our Bible calls our God, the 
 41 Baal Geburoth," or the Master of Mighty Achievements. 
 
 To the worship of the sun, mankind speedily added 
 the worship of the moon and stars, on account of their 
 supposed influence upon human life and fortune. The 
 later superstition of stars and planets affecting us, is 
 preserved to this day in such Hebrew expressions as 
 <4 Mazal Tov " or "Good Luck." It literally means "a 
 good constellation " or " star." And in English we say: 
 " To be born under a lucky or an unlucky star, 1 ' "An ill- 
 starred event," "His evil star was in the ascendant," etc. 
 
 The worship of the moon was the origin of the worship 
 of Ashtaroth or Astarte, in which horrible immoralities 
 were practised. 
 
 Ts>ebaism, the worship of all the heavenly hosts, 
 was thus commenced. To propitiate them, offerings
 
 1 8 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 were brought. First, simply fruits of the earth. Then 
 greater valuables, such as cattle. Finally men and 
 women sacrificed what they loved and valued most 
 their own children, especially their only child. In 
 addition, vice the most awful, was practised in the name 
 of religion. 
 
 Other people, such as those in the land now called 
 Egypt, began to reverence animals, first as symbols of 
 God's power, then as gods themselves. Yet others such 
 as those settled in Greece, created a religion which we 
 call Mythology, out of early traditions, wonders of 
 nature and respect for dead heroes. 
 
 Priesthoods arose whose interest it was to keep the 
 people in ignorance, and to nurse these superstitions. 
 
 In order to rescue mankind from these immoralities 
 which, if unchecked, would surely prevent human pro 
 gress and render human happiness impossible, and in 
 order to teach mankind what is and what is not true re- 
 ligion, God chose a certain family to become a Kingdom 
 of Priests, that is, to minister to the religious wants of all 
 humanity. This Kingdom of Priests was to receive the 
 revelation of God's wishes, the laws for humanity to 
 obey, and the ideals for mankind to strive after. They 
 were revealed by the loving God in order to make human 
 happiness possible. This kingdom of Priests is known 
 to-day as Hebrews, Israelites or Jews." (See Appendix C.) 
 
 REVIEW. 
 
 TEXT. Happy is the man whom Thou dost correct and whom 
 Thou dost teach from Thy law. Psalm xciv. 12. 
 
 God is Love. In His Love for us He has not only 
 made human happiness possible, by providing for our
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 19 
 
 material and spiritual wants, but He corrects us 
 when we need it. Love, to be true love, must correct 
 us. He means us to profit by the lessons of Adam 
 and Kve, Cain and Abel and the Flood. We will be 
 all the happier for doing so. 
 
 God is just. His justice requires that these and 
 all other lessons necessary for man's happiness shall 
 be constantly kept in view; and since we are only 
 human, and therefore likely to do wrong, His 
 justice further demands that He should give laws to 
 guide mankind. He therefore chose a nation 
 designed to teach these lessons of experience and laws 
 for human guidance to all men. 
 
 LESSON III. 
 
 ABRAHAM. GOD IS HOLY. 
 
 TEXTS : ' ' Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart 
 and with all thy soul and with all thy might." Deut.vi: 5. The 
 Shemang, or morning prayer. 
 
 " Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Lev:, xix: 18.) 
 
 Now the Lord had said unto Abram : Get thee out 
 of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy 
 father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee. 
 
 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will 
 bless thee, and make thy name great and be thou a 
 blessing. 
 
 And I will bless them that bless thee, and blight 
 him that injures thee; and in thee shall all families 
 of the earth be blessed. And Abram went as God 
 bade him.
 
 20 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 < 
 
 Aiid was very rich in cattle and in silver and in 
 gold. 
 
 And Lot, his nephew, also had flocks and herds, and 
 tents. 
 
 And the laud was not able to bear them, for their 
 substance was great, so that they could not dwell 
 together. 
 
 And there was strife between the herdmeu of 
 Abrain's cattle and the herd men of Lot's cattle ; and 
 the Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelt then in the 
 land. 
 
 And Abram said unto Lot : Let there be no strife, 
 I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my 
 herdmen and thy herdmen, for we be brethren. 
 
 Is not the whole land before thee? separate thyself, 
 I pray thee, from me; if thou wilt take the letc hand 
 then I will go to the right ; or if thou depart to the 
 right hand, then I will go to the left. 
 
 And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain 
 of Jordan, ihat it was well watered everywhere, before 
 the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as a 
 garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou 
 comest unto Zoar. 
 
 Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan, and 
 Lot journeyed East, and they separated themselves 
 the one from the other. 
 
 Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt 
 in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward 
 Sodom. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 21 
 
 separated from him : Lift up now thine eyes, and 
 look from the place where thou art, northward, and 
 southward, and eastward, and westward. 
 
 For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I 
 give it, and to thy seed for ever. 
 
 And 1 will make thy seed as the dust of the earth 
 so that if a man can number the dust of the earth 
 then shall thy seed also be numbered. 
 
 Arise, walk through the land in the length of it 
 and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto thee. 
 
 Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt 
 in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built 
 there an altar unto the L,ord. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Abraham knew that God would help him, if he himself 
 did what was right. He had implicit faith in Him, there- 
 fore he went fearlessly into an unknown land and 
 preached that his God was the true one in the very face 
 of those who did not believe him. In this he showed 
 great courage. We can t>how similar moral courage by 
 always speaking respectfully of religious matters and 
 rebuking those who speak disrespectfully. And we show 
 what true religion is, when it gives us courage always 
 to do what is right, to bear all our sorrows and afflictions 
 with contentment and resignation, and to look upon God 
 as a loving friend always near us, always able and always 
 icady to help us, if we have faith in Him. 
 
 The separation from Lot shows us what a peaceful 
 nature was Abraham's. As the uncle and senior, he 
 might have said to Lot, " I will choose such and such a 
 district, you go elsewhere." But he simply said : "Do
 
 32 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 not let us quarrel, for we are brethren, separate from me 
 and go to the right hand or left hand, whichever you 
 like." 
 
 The duty of Abraham was to preach that God is Holy, 
 besides being Loving and Just. Hence he was opposed 
 to anything that would cause unholy feelings. Disputes 
 between relatives or friends should always be avoided, 
 and at all cost. For they always cause the worst feel 
 ings. 
 
 Lot went to live first near, and then in Sodom, 
 where the people were exceedingly wicked. Going near 
 to bad people leads us into danger of being silent before 
 their wickedness, and then joining them in it and becom- 
 ing as bad as they are. 
 
 THE STORY OF SODOM. 
 
 TEXT : The soul that sinneth it shall die. I have no pleasure in 
 the death of one that so dieth wherefore, repent, and live (Ez., 
 xxiii: 4-32). 
 
 And it came to pass in course of time, that four 
 kings made war against the kings of Sodom aud 
 Gomorrah and three others, and they fought in the 
 vale of Siddim which was lull of slimepits ; and the 
 kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled and lell there, and 
 they that escaped fled to the .mountains. 
 
 And the four kings took all the goods of Sodom and 
 Gomorrah and all their provisions, and Lot who dwelt 
 in Sodom, and his goods. 
 
 And there came one that had escaped, aud told 
 Abram the Hebrew; who dwelt in the plain of Mamre; 
 the Amorite, brother of Eschol aud brother of Aner, 
 and these were confederate with Abram.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 23 
 
 t 
 
 And when Abram heard that his brother was taken 
 captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his 
 own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued 
 them unto Dan. 
 
 And he divided himself against them, he and his 
 servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued 
 them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of 
 Damascus. 
 
 And he restored their property. And the king of 
 Sodom afterwards went out to meet him. And Malchi- 
 Zedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine; 
 and he was a priest of the most high God. 
 
 And he blessed him, and said : Blessed be Abram 
 of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth. 
 
 And blessed be the most high God, which hath 
 delivered thine enemies into thy hand and he gave 
 him tithes of all. 
 
 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram : Give me 
 the persons, and take the goods -to thyself. 
 
 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I do 
 lift up mine hand unto the L,ord, the most high 
 God, the possessor of heaven and earth, protesting 
 
 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoe- 
 latchet, and that I will not take anything that is 
 thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram 
 rich. 
 
 Save only that which the young men have eaten, 
 and the portion of the men which went with me, 
 Aner, Eschol, and Mamre ; let them take their por- 
 tion.
 
 24 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, and sinners 
 before the Lord exceedingly. 
 
 And the Lord said : Because the cry of Sodom and 
 Gomorrah is great and because their sin is very griev- 
 ous, I will go down now, and see whether they have 
 done altogether according to the cry of it, which is 
 come unto me; and if not, I will know. 
 
 And Abraham drew near, and said : Wilt thou also 
 destroy the righteous with the wicked ? 
 
 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the 
 city, wilt Thou also destroy and not spare the place 
 for the fifty righteous that are therein. 
 
 That be far from Thee to do after this manner, to 
 slay the righteous with the wicked, and that the 
 righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from 
 Thee ; shall not the Judge of all the earth do justice? 
 
 And the Lord said : If I find in Sodom fifty right- 
 eous within the city, then I will spare all the place 
 for their sakes. 
 
 And Abraham answered and said: Behold now, I 
 have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, I who 
 am but dust and ashes. 
 
 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty right- 
 eous, wilt Thou destroy all the city for lack of five? 
 And He said, If I find there forty and five, I will not 
 destroy it. 
 
 And he spake unto Him yet again, and said, Perad- 
 venture there shall be forty found there. And He 
 said, I will not do it for forty's sake. 
 
 And he said unto Him, Oh, let not the Lord be
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS . 25 
 
 angry, and I will speak : Peradventure there shall 
 thirty be found there. And He_said, I will not do it, 
 if I find thirty there. 
 
 And he said, behold now, I have taken upon me to 
 speak unto the Lord : Peradventure there shall be 
 twenty found there. And He said, I will not destroy 
 it for twenty's sake. 
 
 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I 
 will speak yet but this once, Peradventure ten shall 
 be found there. And He said, I will not destroy it 
 for ten's sake. 
 
 And the Lord went away as soon as He had left 
 communing with Abraham; and Abraham returned 
 unto his place. 
 
 And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the 
 place where he had stood before the Lord. 
 
 And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and 
 toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and lo, 
 the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a 
 furnace. 
 
 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities 
 of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent 
 Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when, he over- 
 threw the cities in the which he dwelt. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 When the King of Sodom and Lot were taken prisoners 
 in war Abraham rescued them, but he refused to accept, 
 any compensation from the captured spoil. This teach- 
 ing was in accordance with his religion which says, "to 
 the victor the spoils do not belong," for the voice of
 
 2 6 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 justice must first be obeyed. When Sodom and the other 
 cities were to be destroyed, Abraham's love for humanity 
 made him plead for them. 
 
 The distinguishing features of Abraham's character 
 were, therefore, faith in God, love of God and love for 
 man, justice in his dealings and purity of personal life. 
 
 We notice in this story again the lesson, that God is 
 Holy. We find that the lives of the inhabitants of Sodom 
 and Gomorrah were so unholy that their existence could 
 not be permitted. Impurity or unholiness in personal life 
 brings death even to individuals. God desires us to 
 lead holy lives, that is, lives that are not marred with 
 the faults of the people of Sodom. Among these faults 
 were pride, intemperance, idleness, selfishness, want of 
 consideration for the poor and needy (Ez., xvi: 49 50). 
 
 LESSON IV. 
 
 ABRAHAM. (Continued.) 
 THE STORY OF ISHMAEL. 
 
 TEXT : Trust in the Lord and do good. Delight thyself in the 
 Lord and He will give thee the desires of thy heart ; commit thy 
 way unto the Lord, trust in Him and He will bring it to pass. 
 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Cease from anger 
 and forsake wrath; fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. (Ps. 
 xxxvii.) 
 
 And Abraham called the name of his sou whom 
 Hagar bare to him, Ishmael, and the son whom Sarah 
 bare to him he called Isaac. 
 
 And Abraham made a great feast the same day that 
 Isaac was weaned. 
 
 And Sarah saw the sou of Hagar, the Egyptian, 
 which she had borne unto Abraham, mocking.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 27 
 
 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this 
 bondwoman and her son : for the son of this bond, 
 woman shall not be heir with my son, even with 
 Isaac. 
 
 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's 
 sight because of his son. 
 
 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous 
 in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy 
 bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, 
 hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be 
 called. 
 
 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make 
 a nation, because he is thy seed. 
 
 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and 
 took bread and a bottle of water, and gave it unto 
 Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and 
 sent her away and she departed and wandered in the 
 wilderness of Beer-Sheba. 
 
 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast 
 the child under one of the shrubs. 
 
 And she went and sat her down over against him a 
 good way off, as it were a bowshot, for she said, Let 
 me not see the death of the child. And she sat over 
 against him, and lifted up her eyes and wept. 
 
 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel 
 of God called to Hagar out of Heaven and said unto 
 her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath 
 heard the voice of the lad where he is. 
 
 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand, 
 for I will make him a great nation.
 
 28 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of 
 water; and she went and filled the bottle with water 
 and gave the lad drink. 
 
 And God was with the lad, and he grew and dwelt 
 in the wilderness, and became an archer. 
 
 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran, and his 
 mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt. 
 
 THE SACRIFICE OF ISAAC. 
 
 And it came to pass after these things that God said 
 to Abraham : Abraham, and he said, Behold, here 
 am I. 
 
 And He said, Take now thy son, thine only son 
 Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land 
 of Moriah, and offer him there for an offering upon 
 one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. 
 
 And Abraham rose up early in the morning and 
 saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with 
 him and Isaac, his son, and clave the wood for the 
 burnt offering, and rose up and went unto the place 
 of which God had told him. 
 
 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes 
 and saw the place afar off. 
 
 And .Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye 
 here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder to 
 worship and come again to you. 
 
 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, 
 and laid it upon Isaac his son, and he took the fire in 
 his hand and a knife, and they went both of them 
 together.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 29 
 
 And they came to the place which God had told 
 him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid 
 the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid 
 him on the altar upon the wood. 
 
 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took 
 the knife to slay his son. 
 
 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of 
 heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham, and he said, 
 Here am I. 
 
 And He said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, 
 neither do thou anything unto him, for now I know 
 that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld 
 thy son, thine only sou, from me. 
 
 And the Angel of the Lord called unto Abraham, 
 out of heaven, the second time. 
 
 And said, By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, 
 because thou hast done this thing and hast not with- 
 held thy sou, thine only son. 
 
 That I will indeed bless thee, and I will indeed 
 multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as 
 the sand which is upon the seashore, and thy seed 
 shalt possess the gate of his enemies. 
 
 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be 
 blessed, because thou hast obeyed My voice. 
 
 So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they 
 rose up and went together to Beer-Sheba, and Abra- 
 ham dwelt at Beer-Sheba. 
 
 THE DEATH OF SARAH. 
 And Sarah died in Kirjath arba, the same is Hebron
 
 30 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn 
 for Sarah and to weep for her. 
 
 And Abraham stood up from before his dead and 
 spake unto the sons of Heth, saying, I am a stranger 
 and a sojourner with you: give me possession of a 
 bury ing-place with you that I may bury my dead out 
 of my sight. 
 
 And the children of Heth answered Abraham, say- 
 ing unto him: 
 
 Hear us, my L,ord, thou art a mighty prince among 
 us : in the choice of our sepulchres bury thy dead, 
 none of us shall withhold from thee his sepulchre, 
 and that thou mayest bury thy dead. 
 
 And Abraham bowed and said : 
 
 Entreat for me Ephron, son of Zohar, that he may 
 give me the cave of Machpelah which he hath, which 
 is in the end of his field, for as much money as it is 
 worth let him give it to me for a burial place. 
 
 And Ephron said, my lord, the field I give thee, the 
 cave I give thee, in the presence of my people give I 
 it to thee, bury thy dead. 
 
 And Abraham bowed and said, I pray thee, hear me, 
 let me give thee monev for the field. 
 
 And Ephron answered Abraham, My Lord, hearken 
 unto me, the land is worth four hundred shekels of 
 silver, what is that betwixt me and thee? Bury there- 
 fore thy dead. 
 
 And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron, and Abra- 
 ham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had 
 named in the audience of the sons of Heth, four him-
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 31 
 
 dred shekels of silver, current money with the mer- 
 chant. 
 
 And Abraham buried Sarah, his wife, in the cave 
 of Machpelah-field before Mamre, the same is Hebron. 
 
 PRIMARY GRADE. See Child's First Bible. Ch. iv. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Abraham's love made him unwilling to send away 
 Ishmael, his son, when he married Hagar. But God 
 assured him that He would protect him and make him 
 also the head of a great nation. Only he was not to be 
 Abraham's successor as the head of the family or nation 
 destined to teach true religion to all mankind. For the 
 influence of Hagar, who was an Egyptian, would have 
 placed in the mind of her sou Egyptian ideas of religion 
 contrary to the religion which Abraham wished to teach 
 Isaac, the belief in the one true God. 
 
 From the son of Hagar are descended certain Arab 
 tribes now Mohammedans. 
 
 The sacrifice of Isaac was to publish Abraham's faith 
 in God and to hold up Abraham as a standard of con- 
 duct to the Canaanites, to teach them that God would 
 not accept child-sacrifice, although they thought that 
 such sacrifice was most praiseworthy. 
 
 It was therefore a protest against the mistaken religion 
 of the time. 
 
 And the purchase of the cave of Machpelah for a 
 separate burial place for his family was in accordance 
 with the policy of separation in religious matters, or in 
 anything which might lead to his descendants being 
 merged- into any nation of different religious faith and 
 ideas.
 
 32 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 We may notice here that Abraham and his successors 
 adopted the following methods in the interests of a new 
 religion they were preaching. 
 
 First : To preach the true religion publicly ; and to 
 protest against every wrong. 
 
 Second : To keep separate from the surrounding peo- 
 ple and not intermarry with them. 
 
 Third : To live lives that were examples of love, jus- 
 tice and purity. 
 
 Fourth: To institute home religious instruction. As 
 the Bible saith: "For I know him (Abraham) that he 
 will charge his children and his household after him: 
 they will preserve the way of the Lord to bring about 
 righteousness and justice; in order that the Lord may 
 bring about by means of Abraham that which He hath 
 announced concerning him. (Gen. xviii : 19.) 
 
 Home religious instruction was afterwards emphasized 
 by Moses, when he commanded us the words, "And thou 
 shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all 
 thy soul and with all thy might." For he adds, *' And 
 thou shalt teach these words diligently unto thy children, 
 and thou shalt speak of them when thou sittest in thy 
 house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when 
 thou liest down and when thou riseth up." 
 
 SUMMARY. 
 
 Home instruction and personal example are essen- 
 tials for the success of our mission as Hebrews, the Na- 
 tion of Priests, chosen to be priests to all the world, to 
 preach and teach true religion to all mankind, especially 
 by example.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 33 
 
 LESSON V. 
 
 ISAAC MARRIAGE WITH REBEKAH. 
 
 TEXT: " The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who 
 call upon Him in truth." Ps. cxlv. 18. 
 
 And Abraham was old, and was blessed in all 
 things. And he said unto his servant, Eliezer of 
 Damascus, the steward of his house : 
 
 Thou shalt not take a wife unto my son of the 
 daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell : 
 
 But thou shalt go unto my country, and to my 
 kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac. 
 
 And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the 
 woman will not be willing to follow me unto this 
 land, must I needs bring thy son again unto the land 
 from whence thou comest ? 
 
 And Abraham said unto him, Beware thou that thou 
 bring not my son thither again. 
 
 The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my 
 father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and 
 which spake unto me, and that promised nte, saying, 
 Unto thy seed will I give this land ; he shall send his 
 angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my 
 son from thence. 
 
 And if the woman will not be willing to follow thee, 
 then thou shalt be clear from this my oath ; only take 
 not my son there again. 
 
 And the servant took ten camels of his master, and 
 departed ; for all the goods of his master were in his 
 hands, and he arose, and went to Mesopotamia, unto 
 the city of Nahor,
 
 ?4 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And he made his camels to kneel down without the 
 city by a well of Water at the time of the evening, 
 even the time that women go out to draw water. 
 
 And he said, Oh Lord God of my master Abraham, 
 I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew 
 kindness unto my master Abraham. 
 
 Behold I stand here by the well of water ; and the 
 daughters of the men of the city come out to draw 
 water. 
 
 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I 
 shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I 
 may drink, and she shall say, Drink, and I will give 
 thy camels drink also. Let the same be she that 
 Thou hast appointed lor Thy servant Isaac ; and 
 thereby shall I know that Thou hast she\* ed kindness 
 unto my master. 
 
 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, 
 that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to 
 Bethuel, on of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's 
 brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. And 
 she spake to him, and gave him and his camels drink 
 as he had prayed for. 
 
 And the man gave her a golden earring and two 
 bracelets, 
 
 And said, Whose daughter art thou ? tell me, I pray 
 thee, is there room in thy father's house for us to 
 lodge in ? 
 
 And she said unto him, I am the daughter of Beth- 
 uel, the son of Milcah, which she bare unto Nahor. 
 And we have provender enough and room to lodge.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 35 
 
 And the man bowed down and worshiped, saying, 
 Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, for 
 the Lord led me to the house of my master's brethren. 
 
 And Rebekah's brother, Laban, ran out unto the 
 man unto the well. 
 
 And he said, Come in, thou blessed of the Lord ; 
 wherefore staudest thou without ? for I have prepared 
 the house, and room for the camels. 
 
 And the man came into the house, and he ungirded 
 his camels, and gave straw and provender for his 
 camels, and water to wash his feet, and the men's feet 
 that were with him. 
 
 And there was set meat before him to eat, but he 
 said, I will not eat, until I have told mine errand. 
 And he said, Speak on. 
 
 And he said, I am Abraham's servant. 
 
 And my master made me swear, saying, Thou shalt 
 not take a wife to my son of the daughters of the 
 Canaanites, in whose laud I dwell. 
 
 But thou shalt go unto my father's house, and to 
 my kindred, and take a wife unto my son. And then 
 he told them all that had happened, his prayer, his 
 meeting with Rebecca and her giving him and his 
 camels drink. 
 
 Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, The 
 thing proceeded] from the Lord ; we cannot speak 
 unto thee bad or good. 
 
 Behold, Rebekah is before thee , take her, and go, 
 and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the Lord 
 hath spoken.
 
 36 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And it came to pass, that, when Abraham's servant 
 heard their words, he worshiped the Lord, bowing 
 himself to the earth. 
 
 And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt 
 thou go with this man ? And she said, I will go. 
 
 And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her 
 nurse, and Abraham's servant, and his men. 
 
 And the servant told Isaac all things that he had 
 done. 
 
 And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, 
 and took Rebekah, and she became his wife ; and he 
 loved her, and Isaac was comforted after his mother's 
 death. 
 
 LESSON V. (CONTINUED). 
 
 ISAAC'S BLESSING TO ESAU AND JACOB. 
 
 TEXT : " Whoso diggeth a pit will fall therein, and upon him 
 that rolleth a stone will it return./ Prov. XXVI., 27. 
 
 And Isaac and Rebekah had two sons, Esau and 
 Jacob. 
 
 And the boys grew ; and Esau was a cunning hunt 
 er, a man of the field ; and Jacob was a plain man 
 dwelling in tents. 
 
 And Isaac loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 
 
 And Jacob sod pottage, and Esau came from the 
 field, and he was faint. 
 
 And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with 
 that same red pottage ; for I am faint. 
 
 And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 37 
 
 And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die ? 
 and what profit shall this birthright do to me ? 
 
 And Jacob said, Promise to me this day : and he 
 promised unto him : and he sold his birthright unto 
 Jacob. 
 
 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils. 
 Thus Esau despised his birthright. 
 
 And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and 
 his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called 
 Esau, his eldest son, and said unto him My son : and 
 he said unto him, Behold, here am I. 
 
 And he said, Take now thy weapons, and hunt me 
 some venison. 
 
 And make me savory meat, such as I love, and 
 bring it to me, that I may eat, that my soul may 
 bless thee before I die. 
 
 And Rebekah heard this. And Esau went to hunt 
 for venison. 
 
 And Rebekah told her son and said to him : 
 
 Go now, to the flock, and fetch me two good kids of 
 the goats, and I will make them savory meat for thy 
 thy father, such as he loveth. 
 
 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may 
 eat, and that he may bless thee before his death. 
 
 And Jacob said, Behold, isau my brother is a hairy 
 man, and I am a smooth man : 
 
 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall 
 seem to him as a deceiver ; and I shall bring a curse 
 upon me, and not a blessing. 
 
 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy
 
 38 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 curse, my son ; only obey my voice, and go and fetch 
 me them. 
 
 And he did so. And Rebekah made savory meat, 
 and put upon Jacob her youngest son goodly raiment 
 of Esau. 
 
 And she put the skins of the kids upon his hands 
 and upon the smooth of his neck. 
 
 And Jacob came unto his father and said, My father, 
 and he said, Here am I ; who art thou, my son ? 
 
 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau, thy 
 first-born ; I have done according as thou badest me : 
 arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy 
 soul may bless me. 
 
 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou 
 hast found it so quickly, my sou ? 
 
 And he said, Because the L,ord thy God brought it 
 to me. 
 
 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Cotne near, I pray thee, 
 that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my 
 very son Esau or not. 
 
 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he 
 felt him, and said, The voice is the voice of Jacob, 
 but the hands are the hands ofEsau. 
 
 And he discerned him not, because his hands were 
 hairy, as his brother Esau's hands, so he blessed him. 
 
 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he 
 said, I am. 
 
 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of 
 my son's venison, that my soul may bless tbee ; and 
 he did so.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 39 
 
 And Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss 
 me, my son. 
 
 And he came near and' kissed him: and he perceived 
 the smell of his raiment and blessed him, and said, 
 See, the odor around my son is as the smell of a field 
 which the Lord hath blessed. 
 
 Therefore, God give thee of the dew,of heaven, and 
 the fatness of the earth and plenty of corn and wine : 
 
 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to 
 thee : cursed be every one that curseth thee, and 
 blessed be he that blesseth thee. 
 
 And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an 
 end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone 
 out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau 
 his brother came in from his hunting. 
 
 And he also had made savory meat, and brought 
 it unto his father. And he said, Let my father arise, 
 and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless 
 me. 
 
 And Isaac his father said unto him, Who art thou ? 
 And he said, I am thy son, thy firstborn, Esau. 
 
 And Isaac trembled very exceedingly and said, 
 Who? Where is he that hath taken venison, and 
 brought it to me and I have eaten of it before thou 
 earnest and have blessed him ? Yea, and he shall be 
 blessed. 
 
 And when Esau heard the words of his father, he 
 cried with a great and exceedingly bitter cry, and 
 said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my 
 father.
 
 40 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And he said, Thy brother came with subtilty and 
 hath taken away thy blessing. 
 
 And Esau said, Is he not rightly named Jacob ? for 
 he hath supplanted me these two times : he took away 
 my birthright ; and, behold, now he hath taken away 
 my blessing. And he said, Hast thou not reserved a 
 blessing for me? 
 
 And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, Behold, I 
 have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I 
 given to him for servants, and with corn and wine 
 have I sustained him. : and what shall I do now for 
 thee, my son? 
 
 And Esau said unto his father, Hast thou but one 
 blessing, my father ? Bless me, even me also, O my 
 father; and Esan. lifted up his voice and wept. 
 
 And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, 
 Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, 
 and of the dew of heaven from above. 
 
 And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve 
 thy brother ; and it shall come to pass when thou 
 shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his 
 yoke from off thy neck. 
 
 And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing 
 wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in 
 his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at 
 hand ; then I will slav my brother Jacob. 
 
 And these words of Esau her eldest son were told to 
 Rebekah ; and she sent and called Jacob her younger 
 son, and said unto him. Arise, flee thou to Laban my 
 brother, to Haran, and tarry with him a few days,
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 4! 
 
 until thy brother's fury turn away, then I will send 
 and fetch thee from thence : why should I be deprived 
 also of you both in one day ? 
 
 And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life, 
 because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife 
 of the daughters of Heth, such as these which are of 
 the daughters of the land, what good shall my life be 
 m e 
 
 And Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and 
 charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take 
 a wife of the daughters of Canaan. 
 
 Arise, go to Padan-araro, to the house of Bethuel, 
 thy mother's father ; and take thee a wife from thence 
 of the daughters of Labaii, thy mother's brother. 
 
 And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee 
 fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou inayest be a 
 multitude of people. 
 
 And give thee the Blessing Of Abraham, to thee 
 and to thy seed with thee ; that thou mayest inherit 
 the land whereon thou art a sojourner, which God gave 
 unto Abraham. 
 
 And Isaac sent away Jacob : and he went to Padan- 
 aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel, the Syrian, the 
 brother of Rebekah, Jacob and Esau's mother. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 If Isaac had married a woman of the land in which he was 
 Jiving, her family would have influenced her and her children. 
 This would have prevented Isaac from educating; his children 
 in the knowledge of the true religion .
 
 42 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 Intermarriage always breaks up religion, usually breaks up 
 family love, and sometimes breaks up a family. As it was, 
 Esau's intermarriage with Hittites was a bitterness of spirit to 
 Isaac and Rebecca. Rebecca, leaving her distant home and 
 going to Abraham, her own uncle, naturally fell under his and 
 Isaac's influence. 
 
 We must notice the effect of sincere prayer, as instanced in 
 the story of Eliezar. Prayer, if sincere, is a means of obtain- 
 ing God's help under all circumstances. We observe, also, 
 that he would take no food until he had told his errand. 
 That is, his master's business was, in his opinion, to be attend- 
 e d to before his own wants. He is the example of a good, 
 faithful and conscientious servant. 
 
 Esau's selling his birthright, or his right, as eldest son, to suc- 
 ceed to his father's duties, showed his unworthiness to be the 
 head of the new religion. His unfitness was announced by the 
 Lord even before his birth. 
 
 Rebecca and Jacob both sinned in deceiving Isaac. Re- 
 becca possibly thought that Isaac'intended to give Esau the 
 blessing of Abraham, as if to constitute him his successor as 
 head of the family and of the new religion. She should have 
 remembered God's announcement that Jacob was to be Esau's 
 superior, though the younger. All that Isaac meant to give 
 Esau was a blessing of material prosperity. The real blessing, 
 or Bircath Abraham (Blessing Of Abraham), he consciously gave 
 Jacob on his departure for Laban's house. 
 
 Rebecca's act brought its punishment. For Jacob had to 
 go away to escape Esau's anger, and she never saw him again. 
 Jacob's act brought him his punishment also, for it was 
 twenty years before he returned home, during which time he 
 had to work as an ordinary shepherd.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 4 3 
 
 THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM. 
 
 The blessing of Abraham is really a summing up of what we 
 call Judaism. It includes : 
 
 1. That God is our God, and we are His people. 
 
 2. That we are to be very numerous. 
 
 3. That Palestine is our fatherland. 
 
 4. That we are to be a source of blessing to all mankind. 
 What these declarations mean will be gradually explained 
 
 in our history. 
 
 LESSON VI. 
 
 JACOB AND L.ABAN. 
 
 TEXT : ' ' Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do with all thy 
 might." (Eccles. ix, 10. ) 
 
 And Jacob went out from Beer-Sheba, and went 
 toward Haran. 
 
 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried 
 there all night, because the sun was set ; and he took 
 of the stones of that place, and put them for his 
 pillow, and lay down in that place to sleep. 
 
 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the 
 earth, and the top of it reached to heaven, and behold 
 the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 
 
 And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I 
 am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God 
 of Isaac, the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I 
 give it, and to thy seed : 
 
 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth ; and 
 thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, 
 and to the north, and to the south, and in thee and in 
 thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
 
 44 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in 
 all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee 
 again into this land : for I will not leave thee, until I 
 have done that which I have spoken to thee. 
 
 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, 
 Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. 
 
 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this 
 place ! this is none other but the house of God, and 
 this is the gate of heaven. 
 
 Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the 
 land of the people of the east. 
 
 And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, 
 lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it ; for 
 out of that well they watered the flocks : and a great 
 stone was on the well's mouth. 
 
 And thither were all the flocks gathered : and they 
 rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered 
 the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well's 
 mouth in his place. 
 
 And Jacob said unto them. Know ye Laban the son 
 of Nahor? and they said, We know him. 
 
 And he said unto them, Is he well ? And they said, 
 He is well, and behold, Rachel his daughter cometh 
 with the sheep. 
 
 And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it 
 time that the cattle should be gathered together: 
 water ye the sheep, and go and feed them. 
 
 And they said, We cannot until all the flocks be 
 gathered together, and till they roll the stone from 
 the well's mouth; then we water the sheep.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 45 
 
 And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came 
 with her father's flock, for she kept them. 
 
 And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the 
 daugher of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep 
 of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, 
 and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and 
 watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother. 
 
 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, 
 and wept. 
 
 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's 
 brother, and that he was Rebekah's son; and she ran 
 and told her father. 
 
 And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings 
 of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and 
 em-braced him, and kissed him, and "brought him to 
 
 his house. And he told Laban all these things. 
 
 
 
 And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone 
 and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a 
 month. And Laban said, Shouldst thou serve me for 
 nothing, because thou art my brother? What shall 
 thy wages be? And he had two daughters, Leah and 
 Rachel. 
 
 And Jacob loved Rachel, and he said, I will serve 
 thee seven years for Rachel thy youngest daughter. 
 
 And Laban said, I would sooner give her to thee 
 than to any other. And the seven years seemed to 
 Jacob but a few days, for the love he had for her. 
 
 And Labau deceived him and made him take Leah 
 for a wife. And he made Jacob promise to serve him 
 seven years more for Rachel.
 
 46 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And at the end of fourteen years Jacob said utito 
 Laban, Send me away that I may go to mine own 
 place and to my country. 
 
 And Laban said, The Lord hath blessed me for thy 
 sake. Appoint me thy wages and I will give it. 
 
 And Jacob said, Give me all the speckled, spotted 
 and black among thy sheep and the spotted and 
 speckled among the goats, and it shall be my hire. 
 And Laban agreed. 
 
 And Jacob through his cleverness so increased that 
 Laban changed the agreement ten times. 
 
 And an angel of God appeared unto Jacobin a dream 
 and said, I have seen all that L^ban doeth to thee, 
 Arise, get thee out of this country, and return to the 
 land of thy nativity. 
 
 So he fled with all that he had ; and he rose 
 and passed over the river, and seNiis face toward the 
 mount Gilead. 
 
 And it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob 
 was fled. 
 
 And he took his brethren with him, and pursued 
 after him seven days' journey, and they overtook him 
 in the mount Gilead. 
 
 And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by 
 night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak 
 not to Jacob either good or bad. 
 
 Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had 
 pitched his tent in the mount, and Laban with hi s 
 brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead. 
 
 And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done,
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 47 
 
 that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and car- 
 ried awav my daughters, as captives taken with the 
 sword ? 
 
 Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal 
 away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might 
 have sent thee away with mirth, and with song, with 
 tabret, and with harp ? 
 
 And hast not suffered me to kiss my sons and my 
 daughters ? thou hast now done foolishly in so doing. 
 
 It is in the power of my hand to do thee hurt, but 
 the God of thy father spake unto me yesternight, say- 
 ing, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob 
 either good or bad. 
 
 And Laban said, Why hast thou stolen my gods ? 
 And Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. 
 And he said, Whoever hath stolen thy gods let him 
 not live. 
 
 And Laban searched and found them not. 
 
 And Jacob waxed angry and said: These twenty 
 years I have been with thee I made good every loss, 
 whether due to wild beasts or stolen by day or night. 
 In the day the heat consumed me, at night the frost, 
 and sleep fled from mine eyes. 
 
 And they made a covenant, with a stone heap to 
 mark it. And it was called Mizpah, meaning, The 
 Lord watch between me and thee when we are absent 
 one from the other. 
 
 And Laban returned to his place.
 
 48 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Jacob could have remained in Syria with Laban, but he 
 would have been merged among the natives. He knew he 
 had to keep his family separate. We can admire the courage 
 with which he, a young man brought up as the son of a rich 
 father, settled down to hard work for twenty years, passing 
 many a sleepless night and suffering the heat of the Syrian 
 day and the cold of its frosty nights. Industry and persever- 
 ance always conquer in the end. Though he left home with 
 nothing save a staff in his hand, he was now returning home 
 rich. 
 
 Nor must we forget that he was returning home in order to 
 continue the mission of his family, even though he was to do 
 only a little towards it. He did not shrink from his duty, and 
 say " I prefer to remain here where I have made my fortune, 
 this is my Palestine." It was enough for him that he was an 
 instrument of God for some wise purpose, and that God had 
 told him he was to return. 
 
 We must notice also how God always protects His servant. 
 He would not allow Laban to hurt Jacob. 
 
 LESSON VI. (CONTINUED). 
 
 JACOB'S NIGHT-STRUGGLE. HIS MEETING WITH ESAU. 
 
 TEXT : "I sought the Lord and he heard me, and He delivered 
 me from all my fears." Psalms, xxxiv., 4 
 
 [Lesson for Grade III. (Primary) Child's First Bible, 
 Ch. v.] 
 
 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau, his 
 brother, unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 
 
 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 49 
 
 speak unto my lord Esau : Thy servant Jacob saith 
 thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there 
 until now. 
 
 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and men- 
 servants, and women-servants, and I have sent to tell 
 my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight. 
 
 And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We 
 came to thy brother Esau, aud also he cometh to meet 
 thee, and four hundred men with him. 
 
 Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed, and 
 he divided the people that was with him, and the 
 flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bauds : 
 
 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and 
 smite it, then the company which is left shall escape. 
 
 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and 
 God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto 
 me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, 
 and I will deal well with thee, 
 
 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and 
 of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy 
 servant ; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan ; 
 and now I am become two bands. 
 
 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my bro- 
 ther, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he 
 will come and smite me, and the mother with the 
 children. 
 
 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and 
 make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot 
 be numbered for multitude. 
 
 And he sent his wives and his women-servants and 
 sent them over the brook, and sent over all he had.
 
 50 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man 
 with him till break of day. 
 
 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him 
 he touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of 
 Jacob's thigh was out ofjoint as he wrestled with him. 
 
 And he said, Let me go, for day break eth. And he 
 said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 
 
 And he said unto him, what is thy name? And he 
 said Jacob. 
 
 And he said, thy name no more shall be called 
 Jacob, but Israel ; for as a prince thou hast power with 
 God and with men and hast been able. 
 
 And Jacob asked him and said, Tell me, I pray thee, 
 thy name. And he said, wherefore askest thou my 
 name? And he blessed him there. 
 
 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and be- 
 hold, Esau came, and with him fonr hundred men. 
 
 And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto 
 Rachel, and unto the two hand-maids. 
 
 And he put the hand-maids and their children 
 foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel 
 and Joseph hindermost. 
 
 And he passed over before them, and bowed himself 
 to the ground seven times, until he came near to his 
 brother. 
 
 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and 
 fell on his neck, kissed him, and they wept. 
 
 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and 
 the children, and said, who are those with thee? 
 And he said, the children which God hath graciously 
 given thy servant.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 51 
 
 Then the hand-maidens came near, they and their 
 children, and they bowed themselves. 
 
 And Leah also with her children came near, and 
 bowed themselves, and after came Joseph near and 
 Rachel, and they bowed themselves. 
 
 And he said: What meanest thou by all this drove 
 which I met? And he said: These are to find grace 
 in the sight of my lord. 
 
 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep 
 what thou hast unto thyself. 
 
 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have 
 found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at 
 my hand, for therefore I have seen thy face, as though 
 I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased 
 with me. 
 
 Take, I pray thee, 'my blessing that is brought to 
 me, because God hath dealt graciously with me, and 
 because I have enough. And he urged him, and he 
 took it. 
 
 And he said, let us take our journey, and let us go, 
 and I will go before thee. 
 
 And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the 
 children are tender, and the flocks and herds are with 
 me; and if the men should overdrive them one day, 
 all the flock will die. 
 
 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his ser- 
 vant; and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle 
 that goeth before me and the children be able to 
 endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir. 
 
 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some
 
 52 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 of the folk that are with me. And he said, What 
 
 needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord. 
 
 So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Jacob doubtless wished to find out whether Esau still hated 
 him for what he had done. Hence he sent messengers, and 
 was much frightened by their report that he was coming with 
 four hundred men, for this seemed to mean that Esau was 
 coming with hostile intention. Wrong-doing sometimes seems 
 never to cease causing sorrow and trouble. Jacob's wrong 
 in stealing his brother's blessing had caused him to endure 
 twenty years of hard and menial work ; it had given him the 
 constant anxiety that he might never see his parents again 
 and as a matter of fact, his beloved mother did die before his 
 return and the constant sorrow that he could not be on hand 
 to cheer their old age and attend personally to their comfort. 
 Now he had the dread that Esau would fight him in his 
 revenge, and naturally exterminate him or capture his family 
 and property. 
 
 But we must note his beautiful prayer. Few people say 
 prayers. They usually say mere words. Prayer means say- 
 ing that which comes from one's own heart to God, believing 
 and feeling that God can help us. The mistake which people 
 make is, that they do not take their troubles and worries to 
 God. We should remember that none of our worries are too 
 trivial for God's notice. The result of a habit of prayer, of 
 daily consultation with God, of what we may call confidential 
 communications with God. will be a wonderful courage, peace 
 and hope in our lives. We must seek God at any hour we 
 need His aid. But we should daily commune with Him and 
 tell Him our heart's desire. If He thinks proper, He will
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 53 
 
 graciously grant or refuse our petition. If He refuse, we may 
 be sure it is because He knows what is best. 
 
 We cannot emphasize too strongly the efficacy of Prayer. 
 Yet it must not be attempted merely as an experiment or as 
 a source of personal advantage. That would be an insult to 
 God. We must approach Him reverently. The Lord is near 
 to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him sincerely. 
 "The wish of those who reverence Him, He accomplished. 
 He heareth their cry and saveth them " (Ps. cxlv., v. 18, 19). 
 
 Jacob's prayer was answered. Whatever Esau's intentions 
 were, he met Jacob peacefully and even lovingly. Jacob, 
 however, would not consent to Esau's remaining with him, as 
 the latter suggested, and on reaching home, succeeded in 
 causing Esau to settle in Edom, to the south of Palestine. 
 
 For Jacob knew that his family must be kept separate and 
 away from influences adverse to the cultivation qf the pure 
 religion he was to teach. This separatist policy of the patri- 
 archs has been already noticed. It is most essential for the 
 survival of our nation and for the success of their mission of 
 "Truth-teaching" among the peoples of the earth in whose 
 midst they are living. 
 
 The struggle of Jacob with the strange person during the 
 night may be regarded as symbolical of the change in Jacob 's 
 life, from being "Jacob," which means the supplanter, to 
 being " Israel," or the one who has power with (not against) 
 God, and proves himself able. Jacob was no longer to sup- 
 plant an Esau or outwit a scheming Laban. He was hence- 
 forth to prove that he possessed power successfully to perform 
 his mission with God's help. 
 
 His work in this direction is brilliantly illustrated by the 
 career of Joseph, his son, to whom he taught that reverence 
 for God which made him so good a man, and able to guide 
 the destinies of the family at a critical time.
 
 54 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 LESSON VII. 
 
 JOSEPH IN ADVERSITY. 
 
 TEXT : " The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the 
 soul that seeketh Him. " Lameu. , iii, 25. 
 
 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, 
 because he was the son of his old age ; and he made 
 him a coat of many colors. 
 
 And when his brethren saw that their father loved 
 him more than all his brethren, they hated him, aud 
 could not speak peaceably unto him. 
 
 And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it his 
 brethren, and they hated him yet the more. 
 
 And he said unto them, Hear, I pray you, this 
 dream which I have dreamed. 
 
 For, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, 
 and, lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; aud, 
 behold, your sheaves stood round about, aud made 
 obeisance to my sheaf. 
 
 And his brethren said to him, Shalt thou indeed 
 reign over us ? or shall thou indeed have dominion 
 over us? And they hated him yet the more for his 
 dreams, and for his works. 
 
 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his 
 brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream 
 more; and behold, the sun and the moon and the 
 eleven stars made obeisance to me. 
 
 And he told it to his father and to his brethren, and 
 his father rebuked him, and said unto him, What is 
 this dream that thou hast dreamed ? Shall I and thy
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 55 
 
 mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down 
 ourselves to thee to the earth ? 
 
 And his brethren envied him; but his father ob- 
 served the saying. 
 
 And his brethren went to feed theii father's flock 
 in Shechem. 
 
 And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren 
 feed the flock in" Shechem ? Come, and I will seui thee 
 unto them. And he said to him here am I. 
 
 And he said to him, Go, I pray thee, see whether it 
 will be well with thy brethren, and well with the 
 flocks, and bring me word again. So he sent him out 
 of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. 
 
 And a certain man found him, and behold, he was 
 wandering in the field and the man asked him, saying, 
 What seekest thou ? 
 
 And he said, I seek my brethren, tell me I pray 
 thee, where they feed their flocks. 
 
 And the man said, They are departed hence, for I 
 heard them say, let us go to Dothan. 
 
 And Joseph went after his brethren, and found 
 them in Dothan. 
 
 And when they saw him afar off, even before he 
 came near unto them, they conspired against him to 
 slay him. 
 
 And they said one to another, Behold, this dreamer 
 cometh. 
 
 Come now, therefore, and let us slay him, and cast 
 him into some pit, and we will say some evil beast 
 hath devoured him; and we shall see what will 
 become of his dreams.
 
 56 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And Reuben heard it, and said unto them, Shed no 
 blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilder- 
 ness and lay no hand upon him, that he might save 
 him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father 
 again. 
 
 And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto 
 his brethren, that they stripped Joseph out of his coat 
 of many colors that was on him. 
 
 And they took him and cast him into a pit, and the 
 pit was empty, there was no water in it. 
 
 And they sat down to eat their bread, and they 
 lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold, a com- 
 pany of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their 
 camels bearing spices and balm and myrrh, going to 
 carry it down to Egypt. 
 
 And Judah siid unto his brethren, What profit is it 
 if we slay our brother, and conceal his blood ? 
 
 Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and 
 let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother 
 and our flesh: and his brethren were content. 
 
 Then there passed by Midianite merchantmen and 
 they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and 
 sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of 
 silver, and they brought Joseph into Egypt. 
 
 And Reuben returned unto the pit, and, behold, 
 Joseph was not in the pit; and he rent his clothes. 
 
 And he returned unto his brethren, and said, The 
 child is not; and I, whither shall I go? 
 
 And thev took Joseph's coat, and -killed a kid of 
 the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 57 
 
 And they sent the coat of many colors, and they 
 brought it to their father and said, This have we found, 
 know now whether it be thy son's coat or no. 
 
 And he knew it, and said, It is my.son's coat, an 
 evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt 
 rent in pieces. 
 
 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon 
 his loins, and mourned for his son many days. 
 
 And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to 
 comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he 
 said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son 
 mourning. Thus his father wept for him. 
 
 And the Midianites sold him into Egypt unto Poti- 
 phar, an officer of Pharaoh's and captain of the 
 guard. 
 
 And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Poti- 
 phar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an 
 Egyptain, bought him. 
 
 And his master saw that the Lord was with him. 
 
 And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served 
 him, and he made him overseer over his house, and 
 all that he had he put into his hand. But the mas- 
 ter's wife falsely accused him to her husband. 
 
 And Joseph's master took him and put him into the 
 prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound, 
 and he was there in the prison. 
 
 But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him 
 mercy and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper 
 of the prison. 
 
 And it came to pass after these things, that the 
 king of Egypv, Pharaoh, was wroth against two of
 
 58 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 his officers, against the chief of the butlers, and 
 against the chief of his bakers. 
 
 And he put them in ward in the house of the cap- 
 tain of the guard, into the prison, the place where 
 Joseph was bound. 
 
 And the captain of the guard charged Joseph with 
 them and he attended them. 
 
 And they dreamed a dream, each man his dream in 
 one night. 
 
 And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, and 
 looked upon them, and, behold, they were sad. 
 
 And he asked, Wherefore look ye so sadly to-day ? 
 
 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a 
 dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph 
 said, Do not interpretations belong to God ? tell me 
 them, I pray you. 
 
 And the chief butler told his dream to Joseph, and 
 said to him, In my dream, behold a vine was before 
 me, 
 
 And in the vine were three branches, and it was 
 as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and 
 the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes. 
 
 And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand, and I took the 
 grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup and I 
 gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. 
 
 And Joseph said uuto him, This is the interpreta- 
 tion of it; The three branches are three days. 
 
 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine 
 head, and restore thee unto thy place; and thou shalt 
 deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former 
 manner when thou wast his butler.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 59 
 
 But think on me when it shall be well with thee, 
 and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make 
 mention of me unto Pharaoh and bring me out of this 
 house. 
 
 For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of 
 the Hebrews, and here also have I done nothing that 
 they should put me into the dungeon. 
 
 When the chief baker saw that the interpretation 
 was good, he said unto Joseph, I also was in my 
 dream, and, behold, I had three white baskets on my 
 head. 
 
 And in the uppermost basket there was of all man- 
 ner of bakemeats for Pharaoh, and the birds did eat 
 them out of the basket upon my head. 
 
 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpre- 
 tation thereof: The three baskets are three days. 
 
 Yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thy 
 head from off thee, and shall hang thee on a tree, 
 acd the birds shall eat thy flesh from off thee. 
 
 And it came to pass on the third day, which was 
 Pharaoh's birthday, that he made a feast unto all his 
 servants; and he lifted up the head of the chief but- 
 ler and of the chief baker among his servants. 
 
 And he restored the chief butler unto his butler- 
 ship again; and he gave the cnp into Pharaoh's hand. 
 
 But he hanged the chief baker, as Joseph had inter- 
 preted them. 
 
 Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but 
 forgot him.
 
 60 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 The expression "Son of his old Age," means he (Joseph) 
 used to attend to the wants of his aged father. 
 
 Undoubtedly Jacob's favoritism and Joseph's taking home 
 tales, caused the hatred of the brothers for the latter. But 
 they should not have allowed their hatred to grow. Our 
 hatred unrebuked, leads into awful crimes. With them, it 
 led them into contriving the murder of Joseph, for with the 
 exception of Reuben, they certainly desired that he should 
 die of starvation in the pit. As it was, they sold him, received 
 money for his sale, and told a most awful falsehood to their 
 aged father and caused him intense grief. Joseph, however, 
 by his diligence, good character, and evident truthfulness, 
 gained the confidence of his master, until Potiphar was 
 misled by his wife. But even in prison he gained the confi- 
 dence of his keeper. 
 
 We must notice his religious feeling. He never forgot God, 
 as his answer to the butler and baker showed. 
 
 As for the butler forgetting Joseph, how often we forget 
 those who have benefited us when we are out of our trouble. 
 
 LESSON VIII. 
 
 JOSEPH BEFORE PHARAOH. 
 
 TEXT: "Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it 
 after many days." Eccles. xi, i. 
 
 [Lesson for lowest Grade. Child's First Bible, 
 Ch. vi.] 
 
 And it came to pass at the end of two full years, 
 that Pharaoh dreamed: and, behold, he stood by the 
 river.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 6 1 
 
 Aud, behold, there catne out of the river seven well 
 favored kine and fat fleshed, and they fed in a meadow. 
 
 And, behold, seven other kine cams up after them 
 out of the river, ill-favored and lean fleshed, and stood 
 by the other kine upon the brink of the river. 
 
 And the ill-favored and lean fleshed kine did eat up 
 the seven well favored and fat kine. So Pharaoh 
 awoke. 
 
 And he slept and dreamed the second time: and be- 
 hold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, 
 rank and good. 
 
 And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the 
 east winds sprang up after them. 
 
 And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank 
 and full ears. Aud Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it 
 was a dream. 
 
 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit 
 was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magi- 
 cians of Egypt and all the wise men thereof: and Pha- 
 raoh told fi& 'his, dreams; but there was none that 
 could interpret them unto Pharaoh. 
 
 Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, 
 I do remember my faults this day. 
 
 Pharaoh was wroth with his servants, and put me 
 in ward in the captain of the guard's house, both me 
 and the chief baker. 
 
 And we dreamed a dream in one night, I and he; 
 we dreamed each man according to the interpretation 
 of his dream. 
 
 And there was there with us a young man, a He-
 
 62 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 brew, servant to the captain of the guard; and we told 
 him, and he interpreted to us our dreams; to each man 
 according to his dream did he interpret. 
 
 And it came to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it 
 was; me he restored unto mine office, and him he 
 hanged. 
 
 Then Pharaoh sent, and called Joseph, and they 
 brought him hastily out of the dungeon; and he 
 shaved himself, and changed hfe raiment, and came in 
 unto Pharaoh. 
 
 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a 
 dream, and there is none that can interpret it: I have 
 heard say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream 
 to interpret it. 
 
 And Joseph answered Pharaoh saying, It is not in 
 me, God shall give Pharaoh an answer of peace. 
 
 And Pharaoh told unto Joseph his dream. 
 
 And Joseph said, The seven good kine are seven 
 years; and the seven good ears are seven years, the 
 dream is one. 
 
 And the seven thin and ill-favored kine that came 
 up after them are seven years; and the seven empty 
 ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of 
 famine. 
 
 This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pha- 
 raoh. What God is about to do he shewed unto 
 Pnaraoh. 
 
 Behold, there come seven years of great plenty 
 throughout all ths land of Egypt. 
 
 And there shall arise after them seven years of farn-
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 63 
 
 ine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land 
 of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land. 
 
 And plenty shall not be known in the land by rea- 
 son of that famine following: for it shall be very 
 grievous. 
 
 And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh 
 twice; it is because the thing is established by God, 
 and God will shortly bring it to pass. 
 
 Now therefore let Pharaoli look out a man discreet 
 and wise, and set him over the land of Egypt. 
 
 Let Pharaoh do this, and let him appoint officers 
 over the laud, and take up the fifth part of the land of 
 Egypt in the seven plenteous years. 
 
 And let him gather all the food of those good years 
 that come, and lay up corn under the hand of Pharaoh 
 and let them keep food in the cities. 
 
 And that food shall be for store to the land against 
 the seven years of famine, which shall be in the land 
 of Egypt: that the land perish not through the famine. 
 
 And the thing was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, and 
 in the eyes of all his servants. 
 
 And Pharaoh said unto his servants. Can we find 
 such a one as this is, a man in whom the spirit of 
 God is? 
 
 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God 
 hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet 
 and wise as thou art. 
 
 Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto 
 thy word shall all my peop^ be ruled : only in the 
 throne will I be greater than thou.
 
 64 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, See I have set thee 
 over all the land of Egypt. 
 
 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and 
 put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vest- 
 ures of fine linen; and put a gold chain about his neck. 
 And he made him to ride in the second chariot 
 which he had: and they cried before him, Bow the 
 knee: And he made him ruler of all the land of Egypt. 
 
 And Pharaoh said unto'Joseph, I am Pharaoh, and 
 without thee shall no man lift up his hand or foot in 
 all the land of Egypt. 
 
 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath- 
 Paaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath, the 
 daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. And Joseph 
 went out over all the laud of Egypt. 
 
 And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood be- 
 fore Pharaoh, king of E^ypt, And Joseph went out 
 from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout 
 all the land of Egypt. 
 
 And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought 
 forth by handfuls. 
 
 And he gathered up all the food of the seven years, 
 which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food 
 in the cities: the food of the field, which was round 
 about every city, laid he up in the same. 
 
 And Joseph gathered corn as the sand of the sea, 
 very much, until he left numbering: for it was with- 
 out number. 
 
 And unto Joseph were born two sons, before the 
 years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of 
 Potiphera priest of On bore unto him.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 65 
 
 And Joseph called the name of the first born Menas- 
 seh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my 
 toil, and all my father's house. 
 
 Aud the name of the second called he Ephraim, for 
 God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my 
 affliction. 
 
 And the seven years of plenteousness, that was in 
 the land of Egypt, were ended. 
 
 And the seven years of death began to come, ac- 
 cording as Joseph had said; and the dearth was in all 
 lands ; but in all the land of Egypt there was 
 bread. 
 
 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the 
 people cried to Pharaoh for bread, and Pharaoh said 
 unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he 
 saith to you do. 
 
 And the tamine was over all the face of the earth : 
 and Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto 
 the Egyptians: and the famine waxed sore in the land 
 of Egypt. 
 
 And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to 
 buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all 
 lands. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Egypt, in ancient days and in the later days when Greece 
 and Rome were so mighty, was a great wheat- producing 
 country. Several ears grow on one stalk. 
 
 We cannot but observe the truly religious spirit of Joseph- 
 Called before Pharaoh suddenly, and accosted with all the 
 splendor of the royal court, he never forgot he was a He-
 
 66 SUNDAY SCHOQ'- LESSONS 
 
 brew, a witness for God. He answered Pharaoh at once 
 God, not he, would interpret his dream. This was very daring 
 for him to say, for he knew that Pharaoh neither knew nor 
 worshiped his God. It was as much as saying that his God 
 was superior to all the gods of Egypt. Again and again 
 Joseph speaks of God to the king in the interview. 
 
 And when he was made first after the king in rank, and 
 was married, the names he gave to his children show that his 
 heart was still with his God in spite of his prosperity. 
 
 The reason for the king's making him marry a priest's daught- 
 er was doubtless because the priests constituted the highest 
 order or grade in Egyptian society. This gave Joseph at once 
 a proper position of respect. Doubtless he had no choice 
 himself, but had to obey the king's command and marry 
 Asenath. Even as Esther had to go to Shushan and marry 
 Ahasuerus when he wanted her, as we read in the siory of 
 Purim. 
 
 LESSON IX. 
 
 JOSEPH TESTING HIS BROTHERS. 
 
 TEXT: Many are the afflictions of the righteous man, but the 
 Lord delivereth him out of them all. (Ps. xxxiv. 19.) 
 
 LESSON FOR LOWEST GRADE Child's First Bible, 
 Ch. VI I. 
 
 Now, when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, 
 Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon 
 another ? 
 
 Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt ; 
 get you down thither, and buy us from thence: that 
 we may live, and not die.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 67 
 
 And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn 
 in Egypt. 
 
 But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not 
 with his brethren, for he said, Lest peradventure 
 mischief befall him. 
 
 And the famine was in the land of Canaan. 
 
 And Joseph was the governor over the land of 
 Egypt, and he it was that sold to all the people of the 
 land, and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down 
 themselves before him with their faces to the earth. 
 
 And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, 
 but made himself strange unto them, and spake 
 roughly unto them, and he said unto them, Whence 
 come ye ? and they said, From the land of Canaan to 
 buy food. 
 
 And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not 
 him 
 
 And Joseph remembered the dreams which he 
 dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies: 
 to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. 
 
 And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy 
 food are thy servants come. We are all one man's 
 ,sons; we are true men; thy servants are no spies. 
 
 And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the naked- 
 ness of the land ye are come. 
 
 And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, 
 the sons of one man in the land of Canaan : and, 
 behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and 
 one is not. 
 
 And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake 
 unto you, saying, Ye are spies.
 
 68 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 Hereby ye shall be proved, by the life of Pharaoh 
 ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest 
 brother come hither : 
 
 Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, 
 aud ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may 
 be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else 
 by the life of Pharaoh, surely ye are spies ! 
 
 And he put them all together into ward three days. 
 
 And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, 
 and live, for I fear God : 
 
 If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound 
 in the house of your prison : go ye; carry corn for the 
 famine of your houses : 
 
 But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall 
 your words be verified, and ye shall not die. Aud 
 "they did so. 
 
 And they said one' to another, We are verily guilty 
 concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish 
 of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not 
 hear, therefore is this distress come upon us. 
 
 And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not 
 unto you, saying, Do not sin against' the child ; and 
 ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood 
 is required. 
 
 And they knew not that Joseph understood them; 
 for he spake unto them by an interpreter. 
 
 And he turned himself about from them, and wept: 
 and returned to them again, aud communed with 
 them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him 
 before their eyes.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 69 
 
 Then Joseph commanded to fill, their sacks with 
 corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, 
 and to give them provision for the way : and thus did 
 he unto them. 
 
 And they laded their asses with the corn, and 
 departed thence. 
 
 And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass 
 provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, 
 it was in his sack's mouth. 
 
 And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored ; 
 and, lo, it is even in my sack; and their heart failed 
 them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, 
 What is this that God hath done unto us? 
 
 A'nd they came unto Jacob their father unto the 
 land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto 
 them. 
 
 And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, 
 that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his 
 sack; and when both they and their father saw the 
 bundle of money, they were afraid. 
 
 And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye 
 bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon 
 is not, and ye will take Benjamin away; all these 
 things are against me. 
 
 And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay 
 my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him 
 into my hand, and I will bring him to ihee again. 
 
 And he said, My son shall not go down with you, 
 for his brother is dead, and he is left alone; if mis- 
 chief befall him by the way, in the which ye go, then
 
 70 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrows to the 
 grave. 
 
 And the famine was sore in the land. 
 
 And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the 
 corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their 
 father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. 
 
 And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did 
 solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my 
 face, except your brother be with you. 
 
 If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go 
 down and buy thee food. 
 
 But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: 
 for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, 
 except your brother be with you. 
 
 And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, 
 as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? 
 
 And they said, The man asked us straitly of our 
 state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet 
 alive? have ye another brother? and we told him 
 according to the tenor of these words: Could we cer- 
 tainly know that he would say, Bring your brother 
 down? 
 
 And Judah said unto his father, Send the lad with 
 me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and 
 not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones. 
 
 I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou 
 require him If I bring him not unto thee, and set 
 him before thee, then let me bear the blame forever: 
 
 For except we had lingered, surely now we had 
 returned this second time.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 71 
 
 And their father Israel said unto thein, If it must 
 be so now, do this : take of the best fruits in the land 
 in your vessels and carry down the man a present, a 
 little balm, and a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts 
 and almonds. 
 
 And take double money in your hand : and the 
 money that was brought again in the mouth of your 
 sacks, carry it again in your hand ; peradventure it 
 was an oversight. 
 
 Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the 
 man : 
 
 And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, 
 that he may send away your other brother, and Benja- 
 min. If I be ( bereaved of my children, I am 
 bereaved. 
 
 And the men took that present, and they took 
 double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose 
 up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. 
 
 And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he 
 said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, 
 and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine 
 with me at noon. 
 
 And the men did as Joseph bade ; and the man 
 brought the men into Joseph's house. 
 
 And the men were afraid, because they were 
 brought into Joseph's house; and they said, Because 
 of the money that was returned in our sacks at the 
 first time are we brought in ; that he may seek occa- 
 sion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for 
 bondmen, and our asses.
 
 72 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 Aud they came near to the steward of Joseph's 
 house, and they communed with him at the door of 
 the house. 
 
 And said, O, Sir, we came indeed down at the first 
 time to buy food : 
 
 And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that 
 we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money 
 was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full 
 weight : and we have brought it again in our hand. 
 
 And other money have we brought down in our 
 hapds to buy food, we cannot tell who put our money 
 in our sacks. 
 
 And he said, Peace be to you, fear not : your God, 
 and the God of your father, hath given you treasure 
 in your sacks : I had your money. And he brought 
 Simeon out unto them. 
 
 And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, 
 and gave them water, and they washed their feet ; 
 and he gave their asses provender. 
 
 And they made ready the present against Joseph 
 came at noon: for they heard that they should eat 
 bread there. 
 
 And when Joseph came home, they brought him 
 the present which was in their hand into the house, 
 and bowed themselves to him to the earth. 
 
 And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is 
 your father well, the old man of whom ye spake ? Is 
 he yet alive ? 
 
 And they answered, Thy servant our father is in 
 good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down 
 their heads, and made obeisance.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 73 
 
 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Ben- 
 jamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger 
 brother, of whom ye spake unto me ? And he said, 
 God be gracious unto thee, my son. 
 
 And Joseph made haste; for he yearned for his 
 brother : and he sought where to weep; and he entered 
 into his chamber, and wept there. 
 
 And he washed his face, and went out, and re- 
 frained himself, and said, Set on bread. 
 
 And they set on. for him by himself, and for them 
 by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat 
 with him, by themselves : because the Egyptians 
 might not eat bread with the Hebrews : for that is an 
 abomination unto the Egyptians. 
 
 And they set before him, the first born according to 
 his birthright, and the youngest according to his 
 youth; and the men marvelled one at another. 
 
 And he took and sentshares of food unto them from 
 before him : but Benjamin's share was five times as 
 much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were 
 merry w 7 ith him. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Joseph could not welcome his brethren into Egypt until he 
 had ascertained whether their wild natures had been tamed 
 by the twenty years which had passed since he had been sold 
 by them as a slave. If they were still possessed with such 
 ungovernable tempers and were still as cruel, as unprincipled 
 and as dishonorable as they had shown themselves in their 
 treatment of his father and himself, they certainly would not 
 be long in Egypt without compromising him in some way, or
 
 74 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 doing something which would bring discredit upon him as 
 governor of Egypt. He owed faithful duty to his adopted 
 country. Like all true Hebrews, where duty to one's country 
 clashes with family duty or with personal affections, he 
 sacrificed the latter to the former. 
 
 By his abstaining from making himself known to them and 
 putting them to various tests, he knew he would discover the 
 truth. He was soon rewarded, for almost immediately he 
 heard them reproaching each other for their cruelty to him! 
 
 Possibly hiis insisting upon Benjamin being brought down 
 to him was to keep him in Egypt if he discovered that they 
 were treating him in the same unbrotherly way that he had 
 experienced. 
 
 Let us also remark how frequently he and his brothers 
 mentioned God in their conversation, showing the home- 
 training of Jacob. God for them was an intimate word, full 
 of meaning in their daily life and in their daily doings 
 
 LESSON X. 
 
 JOSEPH MAKES HIMSELF KNOWN TO HIS BRETHREN 
 TEXT: O consider and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the 
 man that trusteth in Him. (Ps. xxxiv. 8.) 
 
 And Joseph commanded the steward of his house, 
 saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as 
 they can carry, and put every man's money in his 
 sack's mouth. 
 
 And put my silver cup in the sack's mouth of the 
 youngest, and his corn money. And lie did so. 
 
 And at dawn the men were sent away.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 75 
 
 And when they were not yet far off, Joseph said 
 unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when 
 thou dost overtake them say, Wherefore have ye 
 rewarded evil for good? 
 
 Is not this it in which my lord drinketh? 
 
 And he overtook them, and he spake unto them 
 these same" words 
 
 And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord 
 these words ? God forbid that thy servants should do 
 this. 
 
 Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' 
 mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land 
 of Canaan, how then should we steal out of thy lord's 
 house silver or gold? 
 
 With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both 
 let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen. 
 
 And he said, Now also let it be according unto your 
 words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant, 
 and ye shall be blameless. 
 
 Then they speedily took down every man his sack 
 to the ground, and opened every man his sack. 
 
 And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left 
 at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's 
 sack. 
 
 Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man 
 his ass and returned to the city, even to Joseph's 
 house, for he was yet there; and they fell before him 
 on the ground 
 
 And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that 
 ye have done ?
 
 76 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord ? 
 What shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? 
 God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: 
 behold we are my lord's servants, both we, and he 
 also with whom the cup is found. 
 
 And he- said, God forbid that I should do so: but 
 the man in whose hand the cup is found, h'e shall be 
 my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto 
 your father. 
 
 Then Judah came near unto him, and said, O my 
 lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my 
 lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy 
 servant; for thou art even as Pharaoh. 
 
 My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a 
 father, or a brother ? 
 
 And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an 
 old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and 
 his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother 
 and his father loveth him. 
 
 And thou saidst uuto thy servants, Bring him down 
 unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. 
 
 And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his 
 father; for if he should leave his father, his father 
 would die. 
 
 And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your 
 youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see 
 my face no more. 
 
 And it came to pass, when we came up unto thy 
 servant, my father, we told him the words of my 
 lord.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 77 
 
 And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little 
 food. 
 
 And we said, We cannot go down : if our youngest 
 brother be wihJ us, then will we go down; for we 
 may not see the man's face, except our youngest 
 brother be with us. 
 
 And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know 
 that my wife bare me two sons. 
 
 And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely 
 he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since. 
 
 And if ye take this also from me, and mischief 
 befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with 
 sorrow to the grave. 
 
 Now, therefore, when I come to thy servant my 
 father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his 
 life is bound up in the lad's life. 
 
 It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is 
 not with us, that he will die, and thy servant shall 
 bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father 
 with sorrow to the grave. 
 
 For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my 
 father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I 
 shall bear the blame to my father for ever. 
 
 Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide 
 instead of the lad a bondman to my lord, and let the 
 lad go up with his brethren. 
 
 For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be 
 not with me ? lest peradventuie I see the evil that 
 shall come on my father. 
 
 Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all
 
 78 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 them that stood by him, and he cried, Cause every man 
 to go out from me. And there stood no man with him 
 while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. 
 
 And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the 
 house of Pharoah heard. 
 
 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph I 
 doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not 
 answer him, for they were troubled at his presence. 
 
 And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to 
 me, I pray you, and they came near; and he said: I 
 am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 
 
 Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with your- 
 selves, that ye sold me hither, for God did send me 
 before you to preserve life. 
 
 For these two years hath the famine been in the 
 land, and yet there are five years in the which there 
 shall neither be earing nor harvest. 
 
 And God sent me before you to preserve you a 
 posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a 
 great deliverance. 
 
 So now it was not you that sent me hither, but 
 God, and He hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and 
 lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the 
 land of Egypt. 
 
 Haste ye and go up to my father, and say unto him, 
 Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of 
 all Egypt, come down unto me, tarry not. 
 
 And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and 
 thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, 
 and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy 
 herds, and all that thou hast.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL. LESSONS 79 
 
 And there will I nourish thee, for yet there are five 
 years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and 
 all that thou hast, come to poverty. 
 
 And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my 
 brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh 
 unto you. 
 
 And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and 
 wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. 
 
 Moreover, he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon 
 them; and after that his brethren talked with him. 
 
 And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, 
 saying, Joseph's brethren are come, and it pleased 
 Pharaoh well, and his servants. 
 
 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy breth- 
 ren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you 
 unto the land of Canaan. 
 
 And take your father and your households, and 
 come unto me and I will give you the good of the 
 land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. 
 
 Now thou art commanded, this do ye, take you 
 wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, 
 and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. 
 
 Also regard not your stuff, for the good of all the 
 land of Egypt is yours. 
 
 And Joseph gave them wagons and provisions for 
 the journey according to the command of Pharaoh. 
 
 To all of them he gave each man changes of rai- 
 ment, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces 
 of silver and five changes of raiment. 
 
 And to his father he sent after this manner: ten
 
 8o SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten 
 she-asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his 
 father by the way. 
 
 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed 
 and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the 
 way. 
 
 And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the 
 land of Canaan unto Jacob their father. 
 
 And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he 
 is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's 
 heart fainted, for he believed them not. 
 
 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which 
 he had said unto them, and when he saw the wagons 
 which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of 
 Jacob their father revived. 
 
 And he said, It is enough, Joseph my son is yet 
 alive; I wiH go and see him before I die. 
 
 And Jacob and all his family went down to Egypt. 
 And Joseph went to" meet him. And he fell on his 
 neck and wept a good while. And Jacob said, Now 
 let me die, since I have seen thy face, that thou art 
 yet alive. 
 
 Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My 
 father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their 
 herds, and all that they have, are come out of the 
 land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of 
 Goshen. 
 
 And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father 
 and thy brethren are come unto thee 
 
 The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL. LESSONS 8 1 
 
 land make thy father aiid brethren to dwell, in the 
 land of Goshen let them dwell, and if thou kuowest 
 any men of activity among them, then make them 
 rulers over my cattle. 
 
 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set 
 him before Pharaoh; ano! Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 
 
 And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou ? 
 
 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years 
 of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years, few 
 and evil have the days of the years of my life been, 
 and have not attained unto the days of the years of 
 the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. 
 
 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from 
 before Pharaoh. 
 
 And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and 
 gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the 
 best of the land, in the land of Raamses, as Pharaoh 
 had commanded. 
 
 And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, 
 and all his father's household, with bread, according 
 to their families. 
 
 And there was no bread in all the land, for the 
 famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt, and 
 all the land of Canaan, fainted by reason of the 
 famine. 
 
 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was 
 found in the laud of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, 
 for the corn which they bought; and Joseph brought 
 the money int6 Pharaoh's house, and afterwards their
 
 82 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 cattle and fields. And he supported them and gave 
 them seed. 
 
 Aud Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen 
 years, so the whole age of Jacob was a hundred and 
 forty and seven years. 
 
 And the time drew nigh that Israel must die, and 
 he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, Bury me 
 not, I pray thee, in Egypt. But I will lie with my 
 fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and 
 bury me in their burying place. And he said: I will 
 do as thou hast said. 
 
 And Joseph brought to him his two sons Menasseh 
 and Ephraim. And Jacob could not see them clearly 
 for his eyes were dim with age. And Joseph brought 
 them near and he kissed them. And he said, L,o, I did 
 not think to see thy face, and behold, God has allowed 
 me to see thy children. 
 
 And Joseph held them Menasseh toward Jacob's 
 right hand ani Ephraim to his left. But Jacob put 
 his right hand on Ephraim and his left on Menasseh. 
 And he blessed Joseph and said, May the God before 
 whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, who 
 has sustained me all my life, He who saved me from 
 all evil, bless these lads; and let my name and the 
 name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, be named 
 upon them. May they grow to a multitude in the 
 midst of the earth. And Joseph tried to change his 
 father's hands, but Jacob said, I know, I know, but 
 the younger brother shall be the greater.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 83 
 
 And he blessed them that day, saying: In thee shall 
 Israel bless, saying, May God make thee as Ephraitn 
 and as Menasseh. 
 
 And he mentioned Ephraim before Menasseh. 
 
 And Jacob said to his sons, Gather that I may tell 
 you what will happen to you in the latter days. 
 
 And he told them. And when he had made an end 
 he died. And Joseph fell upon his father's face and 
 wept and kissed him. 
 
 And Joseph commanded the physicians to embalm 
 him, and Pharaoh gave him permission to leave Egypt 
 to bury him. 
 
 And the sons of Jacob carried him into the land of 
 Canaan, and buried him in the cave of Machpelah. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 The character of Joseph is much to be admired. Although 
 he had to test his brothers, he forgave them completely when 
 he found they were worthy. 
 
 We must notice that Pharaoh invited the father and bro- 
 thers to Egypt. 
 
 We now find the Hebrews in Egypt destined to grow there 
 into a people, forced to keep separate from the Egyptians by 
 reason of the Egyptian caste system. This divided the nations 
 into classes, each looking with contempt upon the class 
 beneath it. 
 
 The book of Genesis, which we have now concluded, pre- 
 pares us for the appearance of the Hebrews as a nation, 
 ready to receive a further development of the Abrahamic 
 blessing, and accordingly to proclaim that our God is the true
 
 84 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 God. We shall find first, That the idea of God given to them 
 to present to the world is a Being who is Love, Justice and 
 Purity; second, That they were to protest against any other 
 conception of God; thirdly, That they were to keep separate 
 from any contaminating religious influences. 
 
 LESSON XI. 
 
 THE HEBREWS IN EGYPT. 
 
 THIRD GRADE, Child's First Bible, chapter VIII. 
 
 TEXT: The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who 
 call upon Him in truth. Ps.. civ., 18. 
 
 Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which 
 knew not Joseph. 
 
 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of 
 the children of Israel are more and mightier than we. 
 Come on, let us deal wisely with them, lest they mul- 
 tiply, and it come to pass, that when there falleth out 
 any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight 
 against us, and so get them up out of the land. 
 
 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to 
 afflict them with their burdens. And they built for 
 Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. 
 
 But the more they afflicted them, the more they 
 multiplied and increased. And they were grieved be 
 cause of the children of Israel. 
 
 And the Egvptians made the children of Israel to 
 serve with rigor.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 85 
 
 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, 
 in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service 
 in the field; all their service, wherein they made them 
 serve, was with rigor. 
 
 And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every 
 son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every 
 daughter ye shall save alive. 
 
 And there went a man of the house of Levi, and 
 took to wife a daughter of L/evi. 
 
 And the woman had a son : and when she saw him 
 that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. 
 
 And when she could not longer hide him, she took 
 for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime 
 and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she 
 laid it in the flags by the river's brink. 
 
 And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be 
 done to him. 
 
 And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash 
 herself at the river: and her maidens walked along by 
 the river's side, and when she saw the ark among the 
 flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. 
 
 And when she had opened it, she saw the child ; 
 and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compas- 
 sion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' 
 children. 
 
 Then said his sister to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I 
 go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, 
 that she may nurse the child for thee ? 
 
 And Pharaoh's daughter said to her, Go. And the 
 maid went and called the child's mother.
 
 86 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And Pharaoh's daughte; said unto her, Take this 
 child away, and nurse it for me and I will give thee 
 thy wages. 
 
 And the woman took the child and nursed it. 
 
 And the child grew, and she brought him unto 
 Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. And 
 she' called his name Moses; and she said, Because I 
 drew him out of the water. 
 
 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was 
 grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked 
 on their burdens; and he spied an Egyptian smiting 
 a Hebrew, one of his brethren. 
 
 And he looked this way and that way, and when he 
 saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, 
 and bid him in the sand. 
 
 And when he went out the second day, behold two 
 men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to 
 him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy 
 fellow ? 
 
 And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge 
 over us ? intendest thou to kill me, as thou didst kill 
 the Egyptian? 
 
 And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is 
 known. 
 
 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to 
 slay Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and dwelt 
 in the land of Midiau, and he sat down by a well. 
 
 Now the priest of Midiau had seven daughters and 
 they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to 
 water their father's flock.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 87 
 
 And the shepherds came and drove them away, but 
 Moses stood up and helped them and watered theii 
 nock. 
 
 And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, 
 How is it that ye are come so soon to-day? And they 
 said, An Egyptian delivered us out the hand of the 
 shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and 
 watered the flock. 
 
 , And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? 
 Why is it that ye have left the man; call him that he 
 may eat bread. 
 
 And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and 
 he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. 
 
 And she bare him a son, and he called his name 
 Gershom; for he said, I have been a stranger in a 
 strange land. 
 
 And it came to pass in process of time, that the 
 king of .Egypt died, and the children of Israel sighed 
 by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their 
 cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. 
 
 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered 
 His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with 
 Jacob. 
 
 THE CALL OF MOSES. 
 
 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, 
 the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to" the back 
 of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even 
 to Horeb. 
 
 And the Augel of the L/ord appeared unto him in a
 
 88 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, 
 and, behold, the bush burned with fire and the bush 
 was not consumed. 
 
 And Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this 
 great sight why the bush is not burnt 
 
 And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, 
 God called to him out of the midst of the bush and 
 said, Moses. Moses, And he siid, Here am I. 
 
 And He saH, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes 
 from off thy feet; for the place whereon thou|standest 
 is holy ground. 
 
 Moreover He said, I am the God of thy fathers, the 
 God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of 
 Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to 
 look toward God. 
 
 And the Lord said I have surely seen the affliction 
 of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard 
 their cry by reason of their task-masters: for I know 
 their sorrow. 
 
 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand 
 of the Egyptian and to bring them up and out of that 
 land unto a good and wide land, into a laud flow- 
 ing with milk and honey: into the place of the 
 Canaanites and the Hittites, and the Amorites and the 
 Perizzites and the Htvites and the Jebusites. Now 
 therefore behold the cry of the children of Israel is 
 come unto me; and I have also seen the oppression 
 wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. 
 
 Come now thou, therefore, and I will send thee unto
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 89 
 
 Pharaoh that thou mayest bring forth my people, the 
 children of Israel, out of Egypt. 
 
 And Moses said unto God, Who am I that I should 
 go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the 
 children of Israel out of Egypt ? 
 
 And He said, Certainly I will be with thee, and this 
 shall be a token unto thee that I have sent thee: When 
 thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye 
 shall serve God upon this mountain. 
 
 And Moses said unto God, Behold when I come 
 unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, 
 The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and 
 they shall say to me, What is His name? what shall 
 I say unto them ? 
 
 And God said unto Moses, I am that I am. And He 
 said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, 
 I AM hath sent me unto you. 
 
 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt 
 thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God 
 of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of 
 Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you ; 
 this is Myname forever and this is My memorial unto 
 all generations. 
 
 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say 
 unto them, The I/ord God of your fathers, the God of 
 Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me 
 saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which 
 is done to you in Egypt. 
 
 And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou
 
 90 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the 
 king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The Lord 
 God of the Hebrews hath met with us. 
 
 And now let us go (we beseech thee) three days' 
 journey into the wilderne-s, that we may sacrifice to 
 the Lord our God. 
 
 And I am sure that the king of E^ypt will not let 
 you go, no, not by a mighty hand. 
 
 And I will stretch out my hand and smite Egypt 
 with all My wonders which I will do in the midst 
 thereof, and after that he will let you go. 
 
 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the 
 Egyptians; and it shall come to pass that when ye go, 
 ye shall not go empty. 
 
 But every woman shall demand of her neighbor, 
 and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of sil- 
 ver, and jewels of gold, and raiment : and ye shall put 
 them upon your sons, and upon your daughters, and 
 ye shall spoil the Egyptians. 
 
 And Moses answered and said, But behold they will 
 not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice, for they 
 will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. 
 
 And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine 
 hand ? And he said, A rod. 
 
 And He said, Cast it on the ground, and he cast it 
 on the ground and it became a serpent, and Moses fled 
 from before it. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand 
 and take it by the tail, and he put forth his hand and 
 caught it, aad it became a rjd in his hand.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS t)I 
 
 And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now 
 thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand 
 into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his 
 hand was leprous as snow. 
 
 And He said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. 
 And he put his hand into his bosom, and plucked it 
 out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as 
 his other flesh. 
 
 And it shall come to pass if they will not believe 
 thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, 
 that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. 
 
 And it shall come to pass if they will not believe 
 also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, 
 that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour 
 it upon the dry land, and the water which thou takest 
 out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses. When thou goest to 
 return into Egypt, see that thou do all these wonders 
 before Pharaoh which I have put in thine hand ; but 
 I may harden his heart, should he not let the peo- 
 ple go. 
 
 And thou snalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the 
 Lord, Israel is My son, even My first-born. 
 
 And I say unto thee, Let My son go, that he may 
 serve Me ; and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I 
 will slay thy son, even thy first-born. 
 
 And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together 
 all the elders of the children of Israel. 
 
 And Aaron spake all the words which the Lord
 
 92 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 had spoken unto Moses, and did the signs in the sight 
 of the people. 
 
 Arid the people believed, and when they heard that 
 the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that 
 He had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed 
 their heads and worshiped. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Pharaoh was the general title of all the kings of 
 Egypt. 
 
 The tribe of Levi, according to tradition, Jcept alive 
 the hopes of the Hebrews, and retained the religious 
 lessons of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob more than the other 
 tribes did. Moses doubtless learned these through his mo- 
 ther, who had him in charge at first, and naturally would 
 be always able to see him for years afterwards. This 
 accounts for his sympathies being with the Hebrews, 
 and even throwing up a most promising career which 
 was open to him as the adopted son of the king's 
 daughter. 
 
 Moses was forty years in Midian, with ample oppor- 
 tunity as a shepherd to meditate upon his people's past, 
 present and future: upon the purpose of God concern- 
 ing them, as revealed to the patriarchs, and concerning 
 mankind ; and, above all, upon His nature and how 
 much of it could a mortal man understand. He thus 
 prepared his mind for the reception of Divine Light, or 
 spiritual messages, which we call Revelation. And he 
 was the more fitted for it by reason of purity of charac- 
 ter, without which no such message can reach the mind 
 of a human being.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 93 
 
 LESSON XII. 
 
 MOSES BEFORE PHARAOH. 
 
 TEXT: Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit 
 before a fall. (Prov. xvi., 18.) 
 
 THIRD GRADE, Child's First Bible, chapter IX. 
 
 And afterwards Moses and Aaron went in and told 
 Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let My 
 people go that they may hold a feast unto Me in the 
 wilderness. 
 
 And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord that I should 
 obey His voice, and let Israel go ? I know not the 
 Lord, neither will I let Israel go. 
 
 And they said, The God of the Hebrew hath met 
 with us, let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey 
 into the desert and sacrifice unto the Lord. 
 
 And the king of Egypt said unto them, vVherefore 
 do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their 
 work?:, get you unto your burdens. 
 
 And to the task-masters he said, Ye shall no more 
 give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore, let 
 them go and gather straw for themselves. 
 
 And the tale of bricks which they did make hereto- 
 fore ye shall lay upon them, ye shall not diminish 
 aught thereof, for they be idle, therefore they cry say- 
 ing, Let us go and sacrifice unto God. 
 
 So the people were scattered abroad, throughout 
 the land of Egypt, to gather stubble instead of straw. 
 
 And the taskmasters hasted them saying, Fulfil 
 your works, your daily tasks as when there was straw.
 
 94 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And Moses was fourscore years old, and Aaron 
 fourscore and three years old when they spake unto 
 Pharaoh. 
 
 And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, 
 Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the 
 waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their 
 rivers and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools 
 of water, that they may become blood throughout all 
 the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and vessels 
 of stone. 
 
 And Moses and Aaron did so, as the Lord had com- 
 manded, and he lifted up the rod, and smote the 
 waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharoah 
 and in the sight of his servants, and all the waters 
 that were in the river were turned into blood. 
 
 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, 
 and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, neither did he 
 hearken unto them as the Lord had said. 
 
 And Pharaoh turned, and went into his house, 
 neither did he set his heart to this also. 
 
 And all the Egyptians digged round about the 
 river for water to drink, for they could not drink of 
 the water of the river. 
 
 And the Lord spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, 
 Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the 
 streams, over the rivers and over the ponds, and cause 
 frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. 
 
 And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters 
 of Egypt and the frogs came up, and covered the land 
 of Egypt.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 95 
 
 And the magicians did so with their enchantments, 
 and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt 
 
 Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and 
 said, Entreat the Lord that He may take away the 
 frogs from me, and from my people, and I will let the 
 people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord. 
 
 And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me, 
 when shall I entreat for thee and for thy servants, 
 and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and 
 from thy houses, that they may remain in the river onl>? 
 
 And he said, To-morrow. And he said, Be it accord- 
 ing to thy word, that thou mayest know that there is 
 none like unto the Lord our God. 
 
 And the frogs shall depart from thee and from 
 thy houses and from thy servants, and from thy 
 people; they shall remain in the river only. 
 
 And the Lord did according to the word of 
 Moses, and the frogs died out of the houses, out of 
 the villages, and out of the fields. 
 
 But when Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he 
 hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them, 
 as the Lord had said. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, say unto Aaron, 
 Stretch out thy rod and smite the dust of the land, 
 that it may become vermin throughout all the land of 
 Egypt. And they did so. 
 
 Then the magicians said unto Pharaoh, This is the 
 finger of God, and Pharaoh's heart was hardened and 
 he hearkened not unto them as the Lord had said.
 
 '96 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Rise up early in the 
 morning, and stand before Pharaoh (lo, he cometh 
 forth to the water) and say unto him, thus saith the 
 Lord, Let my people go that they may serve me. Else 
 if thou will not let my people go, behold I will send 
 swarms (of flies) upon thee, and upon thy servants, 
 and upon thy people, and into thy houses, and the 
 houses of the Egyptians shall be full of the swarms, 
 and also the ground whereon they are. 
 
 And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in 
 which my people dwell, and no swarms shall be there, 
 to the end thou mayest know, that I am the Lord, in 
 the midst of the earth. And I will put a division be- 
 tween my people and thy people. To-morrow shall 
 this sign be. 
 
 And the Lord did so. And there came a grievous 
 swarm (of flies) into the house of Pharaoh and into his 
 servants' houses, and into all the land of Egypt. And 
 the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm. 
 
 And Pharaoh called for Mo?es and for Aaron, and 
 said, Go ye, sacrifice to your God in the land. 
 
 And Moses said, It is not meet so to do, for we shall 
 sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians to the Lord 
 our God: Lo, shall we sacrifice the abomination of the 
 Egyptians before their eyes and will they not stone us? 
 
 We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, 
 and sacrifice to the Lord as He shall command us. 
 
 And Pharaoh said, I will let you go, that you may 
 sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wildermess, only 
 ye shall not go very far away: entreat for me.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 97 
 
 And Moses said, Behold I go out from thee, aud I 
 will entreat the Lord that the swarms may depart from 
 Pharaoh, and from his servants, and from his people 
 to-morrow, but let not Pharoah deal deceitfully any 
 more, in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the 
 Lord. . 
 
 And Moses went out from Pharaoh, and entreated 
 the Lord. And the Lord did according to the word 
 of Moses, and he removed the swarms of flies from 
 Pharaoh, and from his servants, and from his people: 
 there remained not one. 
 
 And Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also, 
 neither would he let the people go. 
 
 Then the Lord said unto Moses, go in unto Pharaoh 
 and tell him, Thus saith the Lord God of the He- 
 brews, Let my people go that they may serve me. 
 
 For, if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold 
 them still, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thy 
 cattle which is in the field, upon the horses and upon 
 the asses, upon the camels, and upon the oxen, and 
 upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous 
 murrain. 
 
 And the Lord shall sever between the cattle of 
 Israel and the cattle of Egypt, and there shall nothing 
 die of all that is the children's of Israel. 
 
 And the Lord appointed a set time, saying, To- 
 morrow the Lord shall do this thing in the land. 
 
 And the Lord did that thing on the morrow and all 
 the cattle of Egypt died, but of the cattle of the chil- 
 dren of Israel died not one.
 
 98 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 Apd Pharaoh sent, aud, behold, there was not one 
 of the cattle of the Israelites dead, and the heart of 
 Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people 
 RO. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 It will be remembered that the Divine instructions to 
 Moses at the moment of entering Egypt to demand from 
 Pharaoh the freedom of the Hebrews, announced that Israel 
 was the son of God, even His first-born. 
 
 This implies that all other nations are also God's children. In 
 fact, Moses subsequently calls Him " God of the spirits of 
 all mankind," and our prophets speak of Him as "God of 
 all the earth," whose house is to be "a House of Prayer for 
 all peoples," "the Father of all." 
 
 Let it be remembered also that the Egyptians were exter- 
 minating the Hebrews by the cruel law commanding that all 
 males should be cast in the Nile. God, therefore, commanded 
 Moses to tell Pharaoh that He would slay the first born of 
 Egypt unless they freed His first-born, Israel. Justice de- 
 manded this, and God is Just. 
 
 LESSON XII. (Continued.) 
 
 TEXT: For sovereignty is the Lord's, and He is Ruler over 
 nations. (Ps. xxii. 28 ) 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses and unto Aaron, 
 Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let 
 Moses sprinkle it towards heaven in the sight of 
 Pharaoh. 
 
 And it shall become small dust in all the land of 
 Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blatns
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 99 
 
 upon man and upon beast, throughout all the land of 
 Egypt. 
 
 And they took ashes of the furnace and stood before 
 Pharaoh, -and Moses sprinkled it up toward Heaven, 
 and it became a boil, breaking forth with blains upon 
 man and upon beast. 
 
 And the magicians could not stand before Moses, 
 because of the boils, for the boil was upon the magi- 
 cians and upon all the Egyptians. 
 
 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and 
 he hearkened not unto them, as the Lord had spoken 
 unto Moses. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine 
 hand towards Heaven that there may be hail in all 
 the land of Egypt, upon man and upon beast, and 
 upon every herb of the field throughout the land of 
 Egypt. 
 
 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven, 
 and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran 
 along the ground, and the Lord rained hail upon the 
 land of Egypt. 
 
 So there was hail, and fire mingled with the fire, 
 very grievous, such as there was none like it in all 
 the laud of Egypt, since it became a nation. 
 
 All the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt 
 all that was in the field both mau and beast, and I he 
 hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every 
 tree of the field. 
 
 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of 
 Israel werej there was no hail.
 
 100 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, 
 and said unto them, I have sinned this time, the Lord 
 is Righteous, and I and my people are wicked. En- 
 treat the Lord, for it is enough, that there be no more 
 mighty thunderings and hail, and I will let you go, 
 and ye shall stay here no longer. 
 
 And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out 
 of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the 
 Lord, and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there 
 be any more hail, that thou mayest know how that 
 the earth is the Lord's. But as for thee and thy 
 servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the Lord 
 God. And Moses did so. And when Pharaoh saw 
 that the rain and the thunder and the hail ceased, he 
 continued to sin, he hardened his heart, he and his 
 servants. 
 
 And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh and 
 said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the He- 
 brews, How long will thou refuse to humble thyself 
 before Me? Let My people go, that they may serve 
 Me; else if thou refuse to let My people go, behold 
 to-morrow I will bring the locusts into thy coasts. 
 
 And they shall coyer the face of the earth, that one 
 cannot be able to see the earth, and they shall eat 
 the residue of that which is escaped which remaineth 
 to you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which 
 groweth for you out of the field. 
 
 And Pharaoh's servants said to him, Letthe men go. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine 
 hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS IOi 
 
 may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every 
 herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left. 
 
 And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of 
 Egypt, and the L,ord brought an east wind upon the 
 land all that day and all that night: and when it was 
 morning, the east wind brought the locusts. 
 
 And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt 
 and rested in all the coasts of Egypt, very grievous 
 were they, before them there were no such locusts as 
 they, neither after them shall be such. 
 
 For they covered the face of the whole earth, so 
 that the land was darkened, and they did eat every 
 herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which 
 the hail had left, and there remained not any green 
 thing in the trees or in the herbs of the field, through 
 all the land of Egypt. 
 
 And Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste 
 and said, I have sinned. Forgive me only this time 
 and entreat your God that He may take away this 
 affliction. And Moses did so. And the Lord turned 
 a very strong west wind which took up the locusts 
 and drove them towards the Red sea. But Pharaoh's 
 heart wa,s hardened, and he did not let the people go. 
 
 And the L/ord said unto Moses. Stretch out thine 
 hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over 
 the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. 
 
 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven , 
 and there was a thick darkness in all the laud of Egypt 
 three days. 
 
 They saw not one another, neither rose any man
 
 102 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 from his place for three days, but the children of 
 Israel had light in their dwellings. 
 
 And Pharaoh called to Moses, Go serve the Lord, 
 but leave your cattle; take your children also. 
 
 And Moses said, Do thou also give us to sacrifice. 
 Our cattle must all go with us, for thereof we must 
 take to sacrifice. 
 
 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart; he would 
 not let them go and he forbade Moses entering his 
 presence again; 
 
 And Moses said, Thus saith the Lord, About mid- 
 night, I will go out into the midst of Egypt. 
 
 And all the first-born in the laud of Egypt shall die, 
 from the first-boru of Pharaoh, that sitteth upon his 
 throne, even unto the first-born of the maid servant 
 that is behind the mill, and all the first-born of beasts. 
 
 And there shall be a great cry throughout all the 
 land of Egypt such as there was none like it, nor 
 shall be like it anymore. 
 
 But against any of the children of Israel, shall not 
 a dog move his tongue, against man or beast, that ye 
 may know how that the Lord doth put a difference 
 between Egypt and Israel. 
 
 And all these thy servants shall come down unto 
 me, and bow down unto me saying, Get thee out, 
 and all the people that follow thee, and after that I 
 will go. 
 ' And he went out from Pharoah in a great anger. 
 
 Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, 
 and said" unto them, Draw out, and take you a lamb 
 according to your families, and kill the passover.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 1 03 
 
 And ye shall take a buuch of hyssop, and dip it in 
 the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel, 
 and the two side posts, with the blood that is in the 
 basin, and none of you shall go out at .the door of his 
 house, until the morning. 
 
 For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egypt- 
 ians, and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel and 
 on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over door, 
 and will not suffer the destroyer to come into your 
 houses to smite you. 
 
 And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance, 
 to thee, and to thy sons forever. 
 
 And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to 
 the land which the Lord will give you according as 
 He hath promised, that you shall keep this service. 
 
 And it shall come to pass, when your children 
 shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service ? 
 
 That ye shall say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord's 
 passover, who passed over the houses of the children 
 of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, 
 aud delivered our houses. And the children of Israel 
 went away, and did as the Lord had commanded 
 Moses and Aaron, so did they, 
 
 And it came to pass, that at midnight the Lord 
 smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from 
 the first-born of Pharoah, who sat on his throne, unto 
 the first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon, 
 and all the first-born of cattle. 
 
 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his 
 servants, and all the Egyptians and there was a great
 
 104 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there 
 was not one dead. 
 
 And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and 
 said, Rise up and get you both from among my 
 people, both ye, and the children of Israel, and go 
 serve the Lord as ye have said. 
 
 Also take your flocks and your herds as ye have 
 said, and be gone, and bless me also. 
 
 And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, 
 that they might send them out of the land in haste, 
 for they said, We be all dead men. 
 
 And the people took their dough before it was leav- 
 ened, their kneading troughs beine bound up in their 
 clothes upon their shoulders. 
 
 And the children of Israel did according to the 
 word of Moses, and they demanded of the Egyptians 
 jewels of silver and jewels of gold and raiment. 
 
 And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of 
 the Egyptians so that they let them have such things 
 as they required, and they spoiled the Egyptians. 
 
 And the children of Israel journeyed from Raamses 
 to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot, that 
 were men, besides children. And a mixed multitude 
 went up also with them, and flocks and herds, even 
 very much cattle. 
 
 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough 
 which they brought out of Egypt, for it was not leav- 
 ened, because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could 
 not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves 
 any victual.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 105 
 
 Now the sojourning of the children of Israel who 
 dwell in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. 
 
 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred 
 and thirty years, even the self same day it came to 
 pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the 
 land of Egypt. 
 
 It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord, 
 for bringing them out from the land of Egypt, this is 
 that night of the Lord to be observed of all the chil- 
 dren of Israel in their generations. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 This death of the first-born was the first plague threatened, 
 but the last inflicted. For God always tempers justice with 
 mercy. Love demands this and God is Love, lie therefore 
 sent nine other punishments or plagues to induce Pharaoh to 
 free the Hebrews and so render it unnecessary to destroy the 
 first-born. These nine were of gradually increasing severity. 
 The first, the waters of the Nile changed to blood, was simply 
 a source of inconvenience. The next three plagues pre- 
 vented worship. For we learn from ancient classic writers that 
 the priests could not perform their duties with any uncleanli- 
 ness around or on them. The fifth (murrain or death of the 
 animals), like the seventh and eighth (storm and locusts), 
 meant loss to the country the sixth (boils and blains) was 
 bodily suffering; the ninth, (darkness for three days) was men- 
 tal suffering. All this while, human life had not been touched. 
 At last when nine had been inflicted and Pharaoh remained 
 obstinate, the tenth was sent. 
 
 All these plagues, however, had a deeper purpose yet. 
 They were specially directed against all of Egypt's false gods.
 
 106 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 The Egyptians held the Nile as sacred. It was turned into 
 blood. They revered certain fishes. The fish all died. They 
 worshiped frogs. Frogs became a pest. The priests might not 
 worship when infested with vermin. Thus all worship was 
 stopped , and it was thus proved that Egypt's gods could not 
 help themselves. That they could not save themselves nor 
 the country of their worshipers, nor the worshipers, was proved 
 by the remaining plagues. Even their god of life, Osiris, was 
 proved false, for he could not save the first-born. Hence the 
 Bible states that God executed judgments on all the gods of 
 Egypt. 
 
 Concerning the expression, the hardening of Pharaoh's 
 heart, it must be remarked that Pharaoh appears to have 
 thought that God could not or would not fulfill His original 
 threat of slaying Egypt's first-born. 
 
 If a child believes his father is not in earnest when he 
 threatens a punishment and does not inflict it and forgives 
 him ovei and over again just for the asking, the father's 
 clemency helps to make the child obstinate. The father may 
 thus be called the cause of the child's hardening his heart. 
 It is in this sense that we must understand the phrase ' God 
 hardened Pharaoh's heart." It was God's clemency and 
 constant forgiveness which hardened Pharaoh's heart. 
 
 LESSON XIII. 
 
 THE DEPARTURE FROM EGYPT. 
 
 TEXT: Trust in Him at all times, ye people; pour out your heart 
 before Him , God is a refuge for us. (Ps. Ixii. 8). 
 
 LESSON FOR GRADElIL- Child's First Bible, Ch.XI. 
 
 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the 
 
 people go, that God led them not through the way of
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 1 07 
 
 the land of the Philistines, although that was near, 
 for He said, Lest peradventure the people repent 
 when they see war, and they return to Egypt. 
 
 But God led the people about through the way of 
 the wilderness of the Red Sea, and the children of 
 Israel went up armored out of the land of Egypt. 
 And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he 
 had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God 
 will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones 
 hence with you. 
 
 And they took their journey from Succoth, and 
 encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness. 
 
 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar 
 of cloud to lead them the way, and by night in a 
 pillar of fire to give them light, to go by day and night. 
 
 He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, 
 nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. 
 
 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying : 
 
 Speak unto the children of Israel that they turn 
 and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and 
 the sea over against Baal-zephon; opposite it shall ye 
 encamp by the sea. 
 
 For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, They 
 are entangled in the land; the wilderness hath shut 
 them in. 
 
 And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he shall fol- 
 low after them, and I will be honored through Pharaoh 
 and through all his host, that the Egyptians may know 
 that I am the Lord. And they did ?o. 
 
 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people
 
 108 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 had fled ; and the heart of Pharaoh, and of his servants, 
 was turned against the people, and they said, What 
 is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from 
 serving us ! 
 
 And he made ready his chariot, and took his people 
 with him. 
 
 And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all 
 the chariots of Egypt, and the captains (see note) over 
 every one of them. 
 
 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the 
 horses and chariots of Pharaoh and his horsemen and 
 his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, 
 beside Pi-hahiroth before Baal-zephon. 
 
 And Pharaoh drew nigh and the children of Israel 
 lifted up their eyes, and behold Egypt was marching 
 after them, and they were sore afraid, and they cried 
 out unto the Lord. 
 
 And they said unto Moses, Was it because there 
 were no graves in Egypt that thou hast taken us to 
 die in the wilderness? What is this thou hast done 
 to us to take us forth out of Egypt? 
 
 Is this not the word which we did tell thee in 
 Egvpt, saying, Let us alone that we may serve the 
 Egyptians? For it had been better for us to serve the 
 Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness. 
 
 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand 
 still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will 
 show to you to-day, for the Egyptians whom ye have 
 seen to-day ye shall see them again no more forever. 
 
 The Lord shall fight for you, but ye shall hold your 
 peace.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 109 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Wherefore criest 
 thoti unto Me? Speak unto the children of Israel that 
 they go forward. 
 
 But lift thou up thy rod and stretch out thine hand 
 over the sea and divide it, and the children of Israel 
 shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 
 
 And the angel which went before the camp of 
 Israel removed and went behind them, and the pillar 
 of the cloud went from before them, and stood behind 
 them. 
 
 And it went between the camp of the Egyptians 
 and the camp of Israel, and it was a cloud, and dark- 
 ness, but it illumined -the night, and one came not 
 near the other all the night. 
 
 Aad Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and 
 the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east 
 wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and 
 the waters were divided. 
 
 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the 
 sea, upon the dry ground, and the waters were a wall 
 unto them on their right hand and on their left. And 
 the Egyptians pursued and went in after them to the 
 midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his 
 chariots, and his horsemen. 
 
 And it came to pass that in the morning watch, the 
 Lord looked unto the hosts of the Egyptians through 
 the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and confused the 
 host of the Egyptians, and took off their chariot 
 wheels, and they drave them heavily, so that Egypt 
 said, Let me flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord 
 fighteth for them against Hgypt.
 
 110 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine 
 hand over the sea, that the waters may come again 
 upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and upon 
 their horsemen. 
 
 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the s^a, 
 and the sea returned to its strength towards morning, 
 and the Egyptians fled from meeting it; and the Lord 
 overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 
 
 And the waters returned and covered the chariots 
 and the horsemen of all the host of Pharaoh, that 
 came into the sea after them: there remained not so 
 much as one of them. 
 
 But the children of Israel went upon dry land in 
 the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall unto 
 them on their right hand and on their left. 
 
 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand 
 of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead 
 upon the seashore. 
 
 And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did 
 upon the Egyptians, and the people reverenced the 
 Lord, and believed in the Lord and in His servant 
 Moses. 
 
 Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this 
 song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing 
 unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously, the 
 horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. 
 
 And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, 
 took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went 
 after her, with timbrels and with dances. 
 
 And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the Lord,
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 1 1 I 
 
 for He hath triumphed gloriously, the horse and his 
 rider hath He thrown into the sea. 
 
 So Moses made Israel journey from the Red Sea, and 
 they went out into the wilderness of Shur, and they 
 "went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 
 
 And when they came to Marah, they could not 
 drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter, 
 therefore the name of it was called Marah. 
 
 And the people murmured against Moses, saying, 
 What shall we drink? 
 
 And he cried unto the Lord, and the Lord shewed 
 him wood, and he cast it into the waters, and the 
 waters were made sweet; there he made for them a 
 statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them. 
 
 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken unto the 
 voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is 
 right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His command- 
 ments and keep all His statutes, I wilt put none of 
 these diseases upon thee which I have brought upon 
 the Egyptians, for I am the Lord that healeth thee. 
 
 And the children of Israel came to Elim, and there 
 were twelve wells of water and seventy palm (groves), 
 and they encamped by the waters. And they jour- 
 neyed to the wilderness of sin. And they murmured 
 against Moses and Aaron. And they said unto them, 
 Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in 
 the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, and 
 when we did eat bread to the full ! For ye have brought 
 us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assem- 
 bly with hunger.
 
 112 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain 
 bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go 
 out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may 
 prove them, whether they will walk in My law or not.^ 
 
 And it shall come to pass, that on the sixth day 
 they shall prepare that which they bring in, and it 
 shall be twice as much as they gather daily. 
 
 I have heard the murmurings of the children of 
 Israel. Speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall 
 eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with 
 bread, and ye shall know that I am the Lord your 
 God. 
 
 And it came to pass that at even the quails came 
 up and covered the camp, and in the morning the 
 dew lay round about the host 
 
 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, 
 upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round 
 thing, as small as the hoar frost upon the ground. 
 
 And when the children of Israel saw ft, they said 
 one unto another, It is manna, for they wist not what 
 it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread 
 which the Lord hath given unto you x to eat. 
 
 This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, 
 Gather of it every man according to his eating, an 
 omer for every man, according to the number of your 
 persons, take ye every man for them which are in his 
 tents. 
 
 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some 
 more, some less. 
 
 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the 
 morning.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 113 
 
 Notwithstanding, they hearkened not unto Moses, 
 but some of them left it until the morning, and it 
 bred worms and stank, and Moses was wroth with 
 them. 
 
 And they gathered it every morning, every man 
 according to his eating, and when the sun waxed hot, 
 it melted. 
 
 And it came to pass that on the sixth day they 
 gathered twice as much bread, two omersforoue man, 
 and all the rulers of the congregation came and told 
 Moses. 
 
 And he said unto them, This is what the Lord hath 
 said, To-morrow is the rest of the holy Sabbath unto 
 the Lord; bake that which ye will bake to-day, and 
 seethe that which ye will seethe, and that which 
 remaineth over, lay up for you to be kept until the 
 morning. 
 
 And they laid it up till the morning as Moses 
 bade, and it did not stink, neither was theie any 
 worm therein. 
 
 And Moses said, Bat that to-day, for to-day is a 
 Sabbath unto the Lord; to-day ye shall not find it in 
 the field. 
 
 Six days ye shall gather it, but on the seventh day, 
 which is the Sabbath, in it there shall be none. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 When the Hebrews left Egypt, they inarched westward 
 towards the Red Sea, which in Hebrew is called the Sea of 
 Flags, in allusion to the flags or rushes growing by it.
 
 114 SUN1MV St.'HOoI. LESSON- 
 
 It was easy for Pharaoh s army to overtake them ; for the 
 Hebrews could not march as rapidly with the women, chil- 
 dren and cattle in their midst . 
 
 The captains of the chariots were probably the three men 
 in each chariot, as the root of the Hebrew word means three. 
 These three were one man to drive, a second man to fight, 
 and a third to defend all three as much as possible with a 
 large shield, so that the first and second could drive and attack 
 more freely. The pictures on ancient Egyptian ruins amply 
 illustrate this method of warfare. 
 
 We cannot but notice how quickly the Hebrews lost cour- 
 age when they saw the Egyptians in pursuit. We must 
 remember, however, how totally unaccustomed they were 
 to war, and afeo that the less educated are always more 
 likely to be panic-stricken. As slaves, they had never been 
 educated up to meeting emergencies. Moses, on the other 
 hand, was fearless, and bade the people remain silent or 
 tranquil, for he had firm faith in God, who would fight for 
 them. 
 
 Our traditions tell us, however, that some of the Hebrews 
 actually wanted to face round and fight, that others wished to 
 surrender, and yet others to try and escape by flight. 
 
 The date of the Exodus was about the year 1492 before the 
 common era a date easily remembered, as the departure from 
 Spain was 1492 years after the common era began, and the 
 same year when Columbus discovered America. 
 
 The song of Moses forms part of the ritual to-day in nearly 
 all Jewish congregations in America, and in all, except one. 
 in Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. 
 
 The fact that Miriam and the women of Israel sang by 
 themselves, separated from the men, must not be considered 
 any reflection upon the se.x.. For women were regarded
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS I 5 
 
 always in the Bible as the equals of men, and, as we read 
 therein, there was a queen, a woman-prophet and a woman- 
 president (2 Kings, xi. 1-3; xxii. 14; Judges iv. 4). 
 
 LESSON XIV. 
 MASSAH AND M ERIE AH. 
 
 TEXT: Our help is in the name of the Lord \vho made the 
 heavens and the earth. (Ps. cxxiv. 8.) 
 
 LESSON FOR GRADE III. Child's First Bible, 
 Chapter XII. 
 
 And they journeyed from Sin to Rephidim, and 
 there was no water for the people to drink. 
 
 Whereupon the people did chide with Moses, and 
 said, Give us water that we may drink. And Moses 
 said unto them, Why chide ye with me, wherefore do 
 ye tempt the Lord ? 
 
 And the people thirsted there for water, and the 
 people murmured against Moses and said, Wherefore 
 is this, that thou hast brought us out of Egypt. to kilj 
 us, and our children, and our cattle, with thirst? 
 
 And Moses said unto the Lord, saying, What shall 
 I do unto this people ? They be almost ready to stone 
 me. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go on before the 
 people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel, and 
 thy rod wherewith thou smotest the river take in 
 thine hand and go. 
 
 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock
 
 Il6 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 in Horeb, and thou shall smite the rock, and there 
 shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. 
 
 And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. 
 
 And he called the name of the place Massah and 
 Meribah, because of the chiding of the children .of 
 Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is 
 the Lord among us or not ? 
 
 Then came Amalek and fought against Israel in* 
 Rephidim. 
 
 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, 
 and go out, fight with Amalek : to-morrow I will 
 stand at the top of the hill, with the rod of God in 
 mine hand. 
 
 So Joshua did as Moses had said to him, and fought 
 with Amalek; and Moses, Aaron and Hur went up to 
 the top of the hill. 
 
 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand 
 that Israel prevailed, and when he let down his hand 
 Amalek prevailed. 
 
 But Moses' hands were heavy, and they took a stone 
 and put it under him, and he sat thereon, and Aaron 
 and Hur held up his hands, the one on the one side, 
 and the other on the other side; and his hands were 
 steady until the going down of the sun. 
 
 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with 
 the edge of the sword. 
 
 THE VISIT OF JETHRO. 
 
 And Jethro the priest of Midian, Moses' father-in- 
 law, heard of all that God had done for M oses, and
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS It7 
 
 for Israel his people, and that the Lord had brought 
 Israel out of Egyp'; 
 
 And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, came with his 
 sons and his wife unto Moses into the wilderness, 
 where he encamped at the mount of God. 
 
 And he said unto Moses, I, thy father-in-law Jethro, 
 am come unto thee, and thy wife and her two sons 
 with her. 
 
 And Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, and 
 did obeisance, and kissed him, and they asked each 
 other of their welfare, and they came into the tent. 
 
 And Moses told his father-in-law of all that the 
 Lord had done unto. Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for 
 Israel's sake, and all the travail that had come upon" 
 them by the way, and how the Lord delivered them. 
 
 And Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the Lord 
 had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the 
 hand of the Egyptians. 
 
 And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord who hath de- 
 livered you out of the hands of the Egyptians and 
 out of the hand of Pharaoh, who hath delivered the 
 people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 
 
 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods; 
 for in the thing wherein they dealt presumptuously 
 He was above them. 
 
 And Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, took a burnt offer- 
 ing and sacrifices for God, and Aaron came with all 
 the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses' father- 
 in-law before God. 
 
 And it came to pass on the morrow that Moses sat
 
 I I 8 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 to judge the people, and the people stood by Moses 
 from the morning until the evening. 
 
 And when Moses' father-in-law saw all that he did 
 to the people he said, What is this thing that thou 
 doest to the people? Why sittest thou thyself alone, 
 and all the people stand by thee from morning unto 
 even. 
 
 And Moses said unto his father-in-lav^, Because the 
 people come unto me to inquire of God. 
 
 When they have a matter they come unto me, and 
 I judge between one and another, and I do make them 
 know the statutes of God and His laws. 
 
 And Moses' father-in-law said unto him, The thing 
 thou doest is not good. Thou wilt surely wear away, 
 both thou and this people that is with thee, for this 
 thing is too heavy for thee, thou art not able to per- 
 form it thyself alone. Hearken now unto my voice, 
 and I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with 
 thee. Be thou for the people instead of God, that thou 
 mayest bring the causes unto God. 
 
 And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and 
 shalt show them the way in which they must walk, 
 and the work that they must do. 
 
 Moreover, thou shalt provide out of all the people 
 able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating cov- 
 etousness, and place such over them to be rulers of 
 thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and 
 rulers of tens. 
 
 And let them judge the people at all seasons, and it 
 shall be that every great matter they shall bring unto
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS Iig 
 
 thee, but every small matter they shall judge, so shall 
 it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear the burden 
 with thee. 
 
 If thou shalt do this thing and God command thee 
 so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this 
 people shalt go to their place in peace. 
 
 THE GIVING OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 
 
 In the third month when the children of Israel were 
 gone out of the land of Egypt, the same day came 
 they unto the wilderness of Sinai. 
 
 For they departed from Rephidim and were come 
 unto the wilderness of Sinai and had pitched in the 
 wilderness, and there Israel encamped before the 
 mount. 
 
 And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called 
 unto him out of the mountain saying, Thus shalt thou 
 say unto the house of Jacob, and tell the children of 
 Israel 
 
 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and 
 how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you 
 unto myself. 
 
 Now, therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed and 
 keep my covenant, then shall ye be a peculiar treas- 
 ure unto me above all people, for all the earth is mine. 
 
 And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and 
 an holy nation. These are the words which thou 
 shalt speak unto the children of Israel. 
 
 And Moses came and called for the elders of the 
 people, and laid before their faces all these words 
 which the Lord commanded him.
 
 120 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And all the people answered and said, All that the 
 Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned 
 the words of the people unto the Lord. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo ! I come unto 
 thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when 
 I speak with thee, and believe thee forever. 
 
 And Moses told the words of the people unto God. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, 
 and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow, and let them 
 wash their clothes. 
 
 And be ready against the third day, for the third 
 day, the Lord will come down in the sight of the 
 people, upon Mount Sinai. 
 
 And thou shalt set bounds to the people round 
 about, saying, Take heed to yourselves that ye go not 
 into the mount or touch the border of it: whosoever 
 toucheth the border of the mount shall be surely put 
 to death. 
 
 There shall not a hand touch it, but he shall surely 
 be stoned or shot through, whether it be beast or man 
 he shall not live, when the trumpet soundeth long 
 they shall come up to the mount. 
 
 And Moses went down from the mount unto the 
 people, and sanctified the people, and they washed 
 their clothes. 
 
 And it came to pass on the third- day in the morn- 
 ing, that there were thunders and lightnings and a 
 thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the 
 trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people that was 
 in the camp trembled.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS l2Oa 
 
 And Moses brought forth the people out of the 
 camp to meet with God, and they stood at the nether 
 part of the mount. 
 
 And Mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, be- 
 cause the Lord descended upon it in fire, and the 
 smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and 
 the whole mount quaked greatly. 
 
 And when the voice of the trumpet sounded long, 
 and waxed louder and louder, Moses spake, and God 
 answered him by a voice. 
 
 And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai on the 
 top of the mount, and the Lord called Moses up to the 
 top of the mount, and Moses went up. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go down, charge the 
 people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, 
 and many of them perish. 
 
 And let the priests also which come near to the 
 Lord sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break forth 
 upon them. 
 
 And Moses said unto the Lord, The people cannot 
 come up to Mount Sinai, for Thou chargedst us saying, 
 Set bounds about the mount, and sanctify it. 
 
 And the Lord said unto him, Away, get thee down, 
 and thou shalt come up, thou and Aaron with thee, 
 but let not the priests and the people break through to 
 come up unto the Lord,lest He break forth upon them. 
 
 So Moses went down unto the people, and God spake 
 unto them. 
 
 And God spake all these words saying, 
 
 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 of the land of Egypt, and out of the house of bondage. 
 
 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 
 
 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, 
 or any likeness of anything that is in the heaven 
 above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the 
 water under the earth. 
 
 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve 
 them, for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visit- 
 ing the sins of fathers upon children, unto the third 
 and fourth generation of them that hate Me, 
 
 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that 
 love Me, and keep My commandments. 
 
 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God 
 in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who 
 taketh His name in vain. 
 
 Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. 
 
 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work, 
 
 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy 
 God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou nor thy 
 son, nor thy daughter, thy man servant, nor thy maid 
 servant, nor thy cattle nor thy stranger that is within 
 thy gates. 
 
 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the 
 sea and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh 
 day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and 
 hallowed it. 
 
 Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may 
 be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth 
 thee. 
 
 Thou shalt not kill.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS l2Of 
 
 Thou shall not commit adultery. 
 
 Thou shalt not steal. 
 
 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy 
 neighbor. 
 
 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou 
 shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his man serv- 
 ant, nor his maid servant, nor his ox nor his ass, nor 
 anything that is thy neighbor's. 
 
 And all the people perceived the thunderings and 
 the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the 
 mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they 
 lemoved and stood afar off. 
 
 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, 
 and we will hear: but let not God speak with us 
 lest we die. 
 
 And Moses said unto the people, Fear not, for God 
 is come to prove you and that His fear may be before 
 your faces, that ye sin not. 
 
 And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near 
 unto the thick darkness where God was. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 The inability of the Hebrews to endure any privation is 
 frequently evident. They complained at Shur, Marah, Sin 
 and Rephidim within two months after their departure from 
 Egypt. 
 
 The battle of Rephidim was notable, not only because of 
 the cowardice of Amalek, who attacked the old and infirm, 
 the weary and weak of the Hebrews who happened to stray 
 from the march, and not only because it is the first appear-
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 ance of Joshua as a leader, but because the method of fight- 
 ing was most significant. 
 
 As long as Moses held his hand heavenward, invoking God's 
 help, the Hebrews prevailed. As long as he did not and it 
 seemed as if he was relying on the human strength of the 
 Hebrews the Hebrews were beaten. 
 
 So, in all ages, our victories have only been obtained by 
 Divine aid. 
 
 The visit of Jethro shows his loyalty to the God of , the He- 
 brews. His advice to Moses teaches how wrong it is to over- 
 work oneself. We must, however, notice that those chosen 
 to help him were to be " able men," such as " reverence " God, 
 " men of sincerity," men who " hate gain " or notoriety. 
 
 Our leaders must always be such men to enjoy our confi- 
 dence and re=pect. 
 
 And we shall see, later, that when a council was formed, 
 the members had to be of the " elders of Israel." For ripe 
 age is also an essential for proper judgment. 
 
 We now come to the wonderful revelation of the ten com- 
 mandments. 
 
 The Hebrews heard but a sound (Deut. iv. 12.), but to 
 Moses the sound took the form of words. 
 
 The Ten Commandments are in accord with the three great 
 teachings of our religion, Love, Justice and Purity. The first 
 of the commandments, or, more properly, '' articles " (or pro- 
 clamations) declares who it is to whom we owe our rescue from 
 Egypt. The bringing up out of Egypt was because God is 
 Love. God loves us. (Deut. iy. 37, vii. 8, xxiii. 6.) 
 
 The second teaches God is Just. For idolatry, which it 
 forbids, meant immorality, which, if continued, induces 
 hereditary disease. Those who commit sin must suffer. 
 Those who love Him and keep His commandments deserve 
 His mercy.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 121 
 
 The third forbids any unholy use of God's name, or to use 
 religion to cloak unholy or impure purposes. God is Holy 
 and Pure. 
 
 The fourth gives us a day, through God's loving provision 
 for His children, for physical rest and spiritual development, 
 as necessary for true happiness. The greater our spiritual 
 development, the greater are the possibilities of happiness 
 which come in our reach. 
 
 The fifth breathes loving duty, and teaches Loye. 
 
 The sixth, eighth, ninth, tenth, teach Justice. 
 
 The seventh and tenth teach Purity. Even to think about 
 sin is wrong, for, as our sages teach, "the thoughts about sin 
 are more dangerous than the sin itself." (Talmud, Yoma.) 
 
 LESSON XV. 
 
 TEXT: God giveth to men that which is good in His sight, 
 wisdom, knowledge and happiness. Eccles, ii, 26, 
 
 LESSON FOR GRADE III. Child's First Bible, 
 Chapter XIII. 
 
 And Moses came and told the people all the words 
 of the Lord, and all the judgments, and all the people 
 answered with one voice, and said, All the words 
 which the Lord hath said, will we do. 
 
 And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and 
 rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar 
 under the hill, and twelve pillars according to the 
 tribes of Israel. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to Me into 
 the mount, and be there, and I will give thee tables of
 
 122 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 stone and a law, and commandments which I have 
 written that thou inayest teach them. 
 
 And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua, and 
 Moses went up into the mount of God. 
 
 And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us 
 until we come again unto you, and behold Aaron and 
 Hur are with you, if any man have any matter to do, 
 let them come unto them. 
 
 And the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, 
 and the cloud covered it six days, and the seventh 
 day, He called unto Moses out of the midst of the 
 cloud. 
 
 And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like 
 devouring fire on the top of the mount, in the eyes ot 
 the children of Israel. 
 
 And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and 
 gat him up into the mount, and Moses was in the 
 mount forty days, and forty nights. 
 
 THE TABERNACLH. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak unto the 
 children of Israel that they bring Me an offering; 
 from everyone who giveth willingly, ye shall take My 
 offering. 
 
 And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may 
 dwell among them. 
 
 Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab and every wise- 
 hearted man, in whom the Lord put wisdom and un- 
 derstanding to know how to work all manner of work 
 for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that 
 the Lord had commanded. 
 
 And Moses called Btzaleel and Aholiab and every
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 123 
 
 wise-hearted man, in whose heart the Lord had put 
 wisdom, even everyone whose heart stirred him up to 
 come unto the work to do it. 
 
 And they received of Moses all the offerings which 
 the children of Israel had brought for the work of the 
 service of the sanctuary to make it withal. And they 
 brought yet unto him free offerings every morning. 
 
 And all the wise men that wrought all the work of 
 the sanctuary, came every man from the work which 
 they made. 
 
 And they spake unto Moses saying, The people 
 bring much more than enough for the service of the 
 work which the Lord commanded to make. 
 
 And Moses gave commandment, and they caused it 
 to be proclaimed throughout the camp saying, Let 
 neither -man nor woman make any more work for the 
 offerings of the sanctuary. So the people were 
 restrained from bringing. 
 
 And it came to pass in the first month in the 
 second year, on the first day of the month, that the 
 tabernacle was reared up. 
 
 And he reared up the court round about the 
 tabernacle and all the furnishings and set up the 
 hanging of the court gate: so Moses finished the work. 
 
 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congrega- 
 tion, and the glory of the Lord filled the taber- 
 nacle. 
 
 And Moses was not able to enter into the tent of 
 the congregation. And the glory of the Lord filled 
 the tabernacle.
 
 124 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And when the cloud was taken up from over the 
 tabernacle, the children of Israel went on in all their 
 journeys. 
 
 And if the cloud weie not taken up, then they 
 journeyed not till the day that it was taken up. 
 
 For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle 
 by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of 
 all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys. 
 
 THE GOLDEN CALF. 
 
 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to 
 come down out of the mount, they gathered unto 
 Aaron and said, Up, make us gods which shall go 
 before us, for we wot not what hath become of this 
 man Moses who brought us up out of the land of 
 Egypt. 
 
 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden 
 earrings of your sons and daughters, and bring them 
 unto me. And they did so. 
 
 And made it a molten calf, and they said, These 
 be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of 
 the land of Egypt. 
 
 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it, 
 and proclaimed, To-morrow is a feast to the Lord. 
 
 And they rose up early and offered, and sat down to 
 eat and to drink, and rose up to play. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down, 
 for thy people which thou broughtest out of the land 
 of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: 
 
 They have turned aside quickly out of the way 
 which I commanded them, they have made them a 
 molten calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacri-
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 125 
 
 ficed thereunto and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, 
 which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 
 
 I have seen this people, and behold it is a stiff- 
 necked people. 
 
 Now, therefore, let me alone that my wrath may 
 wax hot against them, and that I may consume them, 
 and I will make of thee a great nation. 
 
 And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, O, 
 Lord, why doth Thy wrath wax hot against Thy people 
 which Thou hast brought forth out of the land of 
 Egypt, with great power and with a mighty hand? 
 
 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and sav, For 
 mischief did He bring them out to slay them in the 
 mountains, and to consume them from the face of the 
 earth. Turn from Thy fierce wrath and be appeased 
 concerning the wickedness of Thy people. 
 
 And Moses went down the mount, and the two tables 
 of testimony were in his hand, tables written on both 
 sides. 
 
 And the tables were the work of God, and the writ- 
 ing was writing of God, graven upon the tables. 
 
 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as 
 they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of 
 war in the camp. 
 
 Arid he said, It is not the voice of those who shout 
 for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry 
 for being overcome, but the noise of them that sing 
 do I hear. 
 
 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto 
 the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing, and
 
 t 2O SUNDAY SCHOOL, LESSONS 
 
 Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of 
 his hands and brake them at the foot of the mount. 
 
 And he took the calf which they had made, and 
 burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and 
 strewed it upon the waters, and made the children of 
 Israel drink it. 
 
 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people 
 unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon 
 them? 
 
 And Aaron. said. Let not the anger of my lord wax 
 hot, thou knowest the people they are in evil com- 
 pany. And he told him all. 
 
 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, 
 Who is on the Lord's side, let him come unto me. 
 And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves to- 
 gether unto him. 
 
 And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God 
 of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go 
 in and out, from gate to gate throughout the camp, 
 and slay every man his brother, and every man his 
 companion, and every man his neighbor. 
 
 And the children of Levi did according to the word 
 of Moses, and there fell of the people that day about 
 three thousand men. 
 
 And Moses said, Consecrate yourselves to-day unto 
 the Lord, even every man through his son and his 
 brother, that He may bestow upon you a blessing this 
 day. 
 
 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses 
 said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin, and
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 127 
 
 now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall 
 make an atonement for your sin. 
 
 And Moses returned unto the Lord and said: O this 
 people have sinned a great sin, and have made them 
 gods of gold. 
 
 Yet now, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin, and if not, 
 blol me I pray Thee out of Thy book which Thou 
 hast written. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath 
 sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book. 
 
 Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of 
 which I have spoken unto thee. Behold mine angel 
 sUall go before thee, nevertheless in the day when I 
 visit, I will visit their sin upon them. 
 
 And the Lord punished the people, because they 
 made the calf which Aaron made. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 We are brought face to face with the methods of Divine 
 communication with man. They evidently differ according to 
 man's intellectuality. 
 
 It appears that the messages of God come much as our 
 thoughts come according to our education, purity or intelli- 
 gence. Some can grasp high thoughts, others cannot. Some 
 can distinguish all colors, some can detect the finest variation 
 of shade; others are partly color blind, others are totally color- 
 blind. Most people can hear certain music with pleasure; 
 some cannot perceive the beauties of classical music. But 
 some people are tone deaf, they cannot sing in tune, or they 
 can detect no variation in notes, much less grasp the beauties 
 of higher music, such as counterpoint, fugue, or general har-
 
 128 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 mony. Similarly, some cannot detect or enjoy the various 
 shades of spiritual light the beauties of religion. Some can- 
 not hear God speak in nature, much less the voice of God 
 in conscience, and not at all can they hear God speak to them 
 or to humanity. 
 
 God's voice may seem to them as it was to the Hebrews, 
 only "a sound," and at the sound they may be ''frightened and 
 stand afar off." His glory rnay look like a ''flaming fire." 
 To a Moses, God's voice meant words in his mind, and the 
 glory had no terrors, but only waked his reverential awe. 
 
 If we do not hear God's yoice in our own conscience, it is 
 our own fault. Much less are we likely to hear God's voice 
 speak to us otherwise. 
 
 The erection of the tabernacle was to be a visible reminder 
 of God inhuman life. "Whosoever sought the Lord," as the 
 Bible says, "went to the tabernacle of the congregation." 
 
 The surroundings and associations of such a holy place 
 would bring the mind into proper condition for prayerful com- 
 munion with God, to receive His messages of guidance, cour- 
 age or consolation. 
 
 LESSON XVI. 
 
 THE REVELATION OF GOD. 
 
 TEXT: But Thou, O Lord, art an Almighty God, compassion- 
 ate and gracious, forbearing and abundant in loving kindness, and 
 true. (Psalm Ixxxvi. 15.) 
 
 Ye nations all, your voices raise 
 
 In unison the Lord to praise. 
 
 Ye peoples all, the chorus swell 
 
 And sing to Him in great Hallel 
 
 Exceeding mercy doth He bear, 
 To us, His children, 'neath His care. 
 His truth's for aye, O praise the Lord, 
 Who thus is worshiped, thus adored. 
 
 Psalm Icxvii.
 
 . SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 129 
 
 And Moses said unto the Lord, See, Thou sayest 
 unto me, Bring up this people, and Thou hast not 
 let me know whom Thou wilt send with me. Yet 
 Thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast 
 found grace in My sight. 
 
 Now, therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found grace 
 in Thy sight, show me, I pray Thee, Thy way, that 
 I may know Thee, that I may find grace in Thy sight, 
 and consider that this nation is Thy people. 
 
 And He said, My presence shall go with thee, and I 
 will give thee tranquility. 
 
 And he said unto Him, If Thy presence go not, 
 carry us not up hence. 
 
 And wherein shall it be known here that I and Thy 
 people have found grace in Thy sight? 
 
 Is it not in Thy going with us? So are we separ- 
 ated, I and Thy people, from all the people that are 
 on the face of the earth. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, I will do this thing 
 also that thou hast spoken, for thou hast found grace 
 in My sight, and I know thy nature. 
 
 And he said, I beseech Thee, shew me Thy glory. 
 
 And He said, I will make all My good ness pass be- 
 fore thee, and I will proclaim in the name of the Lord 
 before thee; and I will be gracious to whom I will be 
 gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew 
 mercy. 
 
 And He said, Thou canst not understand My nature 
 for there can no man see Me and live. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables
 
 13 SUNDAY SCHOOL I.KSS<>\- 
 
 of stone, like unto the first, and I will write upon 
 these tables the words that were on the first tables 
 which thou brakesf. 
 
 And be ready in the morning and come up in the 
 morning to Mount Sinai, and present thyself there to 
 Me, on the top of the mount. 
 
 And no one shall come up with thee, neither let 
 any one be seen throughout the mount, neither let 
 the flocks nor herds feed before that mount. 
 
 And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, 
 and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up 
 unto Mount Sinai as the Lord had commanded him, 
 and took in his hand the two tables of stone. 
 
 And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood 
 with him there, and proclaimed in the name of the 
 Lord. 
 
 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, 
 The Everlasting, the Everlasting, Almighty, merciful 
 and gracious, forbearing and abundant in loving- 
 kindness and true. 
 
 Maintaining loving-kindness for thousands, forgiv- 
 ing iniquity and transgression, and sin, and who will 
 by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity 
 of fathers upon children, and upon children's children 
 unto the third and to the fourth generation. 
 
 And Moses made haste, and prostrated his head 
 toward the earth and worshiped. 
 
 And he said, If now I have found grace in Thy 
 sight, O Lord, let my Lord, 1 pray Thee, go among 
 us /for it is a stiff-necked people) and do Thou pardon
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 131 
 
 our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Thine 
 inheritance. 
 
 And He said, Behold, I make a covenant: Before all 
 thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been 
 done in all the earth, nor in all the nations; and all 
 the people among which thou art shall see the work 
 of the Lord, for what I am doing with thee is 
 tremendous. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these 
 words, for after the tenor of these words, I have made 
 a covenant with thee and with Israel. 
 
 And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty 
 nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water; 
 And he wrote upon the tables the words of the cove- 
 nant, the Ten Commandments. 
 
 And it came to pass when Moses came down from 
 Mount Sinai (with the two tables of testimony in 
 Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount), 
 that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone 
 while He talked with him. 
 
 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw 
 Moses, behold the skin of his face shone, and they 
 were afraid to come nigh him. 
 
 And Moses called unto them, and Aaron and all the 
 rulers of the congregation returned unto him, and 
 Moses talked with them. 
 
 And afterward all the children of Israel came nigh, 
 and he gave them in commandment all that the .Lord 
 had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. 
 
 And till Moses had done speaking with them, he 
 put a veil on his face.
 
 132 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And when Moses went in before the Lord to speak, 
 with Him, he took the veil off until he came out. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Our teacher, Moses, prince among wise men, asked to know 
 God's real nature and His ways or methods. But he was told 
 that no human being could understand, grasp, or perceive His 
 real nature, but that man could only perceive God ihrongh 
 the manifestations or results of His passing by or of His pres- 
 ence. Every man is known by his works. We are known to 
 our friends by the results of our good or bad natures, and 
 according as they appreciate our characters. Our nature, in 
 their opinions, is, as far as they can know, decided by that 
 which comes after our contact with them after "our passing 
 by" them, or "our presence" among them. 
 
 Similarly, God's nature, or as far as we can ever know, 
 must be determined by the results of His presence or of His 
 passing by in our lives or, to use the Bible language, by the 
 "that which comes after Him." 
 
 Thus a person in sorrow appeals to God. God becomes 
 known to him by the result, by 'what comes after" his prayer. 
 If it is sorrow for sin committed, distress through worldly 
 trials or pain or bereavement, God's answering with forgive- 
 ness, help or consolation, as the case may be, is the result, or 
 the "that which comes after." And God is accordingly re- 
 vealed as merciful or forgiving, helping, consoling or loving. 
 
 In the episode before us, the sin of the golden-calf, 
 revealed on the part of the Hebrews a tendencv to immor- 
 ality and to disloyalty to God, which must have made Moses 
 wonder how He could find Israel a fit instrument for any 
 mission, especially for the old Abrahamic or national mis- 
 sion, to be a source of blessing to all the families of earth.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 133 
 
 But when he asked to know God's methods and to know 
 God's nature, he was told that that was impossible. But that 
 all he could hope to know of God was announced in the pro- 
 clamation made, declaring that God was eternal, almighty, 
 merciful, forbearing and loving. These attributes of God are 
 what come after God's contact with man they will wipe out 
 the record of all humanity's sins, just as they wiped out the 
 record of Israel's sin of the golden calf, its idolatry and the 
 immorality connected with it. 
 
 God was working and would work through Israel for man- 
 kind's happiness. Israel was destined to be a blessing to all 
 the families of earth. God would accomplish marvels in the 
 very presence of Israel, such as had never been done in all the 
 earth, nor among all the nations. And all Israel shall recognize 
 that it is the work of God, and that that which He did, does 
 and will accomplish, is awe-inspiring. 
 
 The expression, "the tables of stone were the work of 
 God," means they were stones in their natural condition, 
 unhewn. Anything in natural condition is called the work 
 of God. The second tablets were hewn by Moses. The ex- 
 pression, "And the writing was the writing of God," or 
 "written with the finger of God," is a figurative phrase, for 
 finger of God and word of God are in Holy Writ used syn- 
 onymously. In Verse i, Ch. xxxiv. , God says, "I will write.*' In 
 Verse 27 He commands Moses to write; and in Verse 28 it says, 
 "Moses wrote the words of the covenant, the Ten Com- 
 mandments.''
 
 1 34 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 LESSON XVII. 
 
 LEVITICUS. 
 TEXT: " Love ye the truth and peace." Zech. viii, 19. 
 
 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 
 
 If a person sin and commit a trespass against the 
 Lord, and lie unto his neighbor in that which was de- 
 livered him to keep, or in fellowship, or in a thing 
 taken away by violence, or hath deceived his neighbor; 
 
 Or have found that which was lost, and lieth con- 
 cerning it and sweareth falsely, in any of all these 
 that a man doeth, sinning therein, 
 
 Then it shall be, because he hath sinned and is 
 guilty, that he shall restore that which he took 
 violently away, or the thing which he hath deceitfully 
 gotten, or that which was delivered him to keep, or 
 the lost thing which he found, 
 
 Or all that about which he hath sworn falsely, he 
 shall even restore it in the principal, and shall add the 
 fifth part more thereunto, and give it unto him to 
 whom it appertaineth in the day of his trespass offer- 
 ing. 
 
 And he shall bring his trespass offering unto the 
 Lord out of the flock, a ram without blemish, in thy 
 estimation, for a trespass offering unto the priest. 
 
 And the priest shall make an atonement for him 
 before the Lord, and it shall be forgiven him for any- 
 thing of all that he hath done in trespassing therein. 
 
 THE DEATH OF NADAB AND ABIHU. 
 
 And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took 
 each ofthem his censer, and put fire therein and put
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 135 
 
 incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the 
 Lord, which He commanded them not. 
 
 And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured 
 them, and they died before the Lord. 
 
 Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord 
 spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come 
 nigh Me, and before all the people I will be glorified. 
 And Aaron held his peace. 
 
 And Moses called Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons 
 of Uzziel, the unele of Aaron, and said unto them, 
 Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanc- 
 tuary, out of the camp. 
 
 So they went near, and carried them in their coats 
 out of the camp, as Moses had said. 
 
 And Moses said unto Aaron, and unto Eleazar and 
 unto Ithamar, his sons, Uncover not your heads, 
 neither rend your clothes, lest ye die, and lest wrath 
 come upon all the people, but let your brethren, the 
 whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the 
 Lord hath kindled. 
 
 And ye shall not go out from the door of the taber- 
 nacle of the congregation lest ye die, for the anoint- 
 ing oil of the Lord is upon you. And they did 
 according to the word of Moses. 
 
 And the Lord spake unto Aaron saying, 
 
 Do not drink wine, nor strong drink, thou nor thy 
 sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the 
 congregation, lest ye die; it shall be a statute forever 
 throughout your generations. 
 
 And that ye may mark difference between holy and 
 unholy, and unclean and clean.
 
 136 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And that ye may teach the children of Israel all the 
 statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the 
 hand of Moses. 
 
 And Moses spake unto Aaron, and untoEleazar and 
 unto Ithamar, his sons that were left, Take the meal 
 offering that remaineth of the offerings of the Lord 
 made by fire, and eat it, without leaven, beside the 
 altar, for it is most holy. 
 
 And ye shall eat it in the holy place, because it is 
 thy due, and thy sons' due of the sacrifices of the 
 Lord made by fire, for so I am commanded. 
 
 And the wave breast, and heave shoulder, shall ye 
 eat in a clean place, thou and thy sons and thy 
 daughters with thee, for they be thy due, and thy 
 sons' due which are given out of the sacrifices of peace 
 offerings of the children of Israel. 
 
 The heave shoulder and the wave breast shall they 
 bring, with the offerings made by fire of the fat, to 
 wave it for a wave offering before the Lord, and it 
 shall be thine, and thy sons with thee by a statute 
 forever, as the Lord hath commanded. 
 
 And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin 
 offering, and behold it was burnt, and he was angry 
 with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron which 
 were left alive, saying, 
 
 Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the 
 holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given 
 it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to 
 make atonement for them before the Lord ? 
 
 Behold, the blood of it was not brought in within 
 the holy place as I commanded.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 137 
 
 And Aaron said unto Moses, This day have they 
 offered their sin offering, and their burnt offering be- 
 fore the Lord, and such things as these have befallen 
 me, and if I had eaten the sin offering to-day, should 
 it have been accepted in the sight of the Lord? 
 
 And when Moses heard that, he was content. 
 
 A SOLEMN CHARGK TO THE PEOPLE. 
 
 Ye shall make you no idols, neither rear you up a 
 graven image or a standing image, neither shall ye 
 set up any image of stone in your land to bow down 
 unto it, for I am the Lord your God. 
 
 Ye shall keep my sabbaths and reverence My sanc- 
 tuary, I am the Lord. 
 
 If ye walk in My statutes and keep My command- 
 ments and do them, 
 
 Then I will give you rain in due season, and the 
 land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field 
 shall yield their fruit. 
 
 And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, 
 and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time, aud 
 ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your 
 land safely. 
 
 And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie 
 down, and none shall make you afraid, and I will rid 
 evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go 
 through your land. 
 
 And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall 
 before you by the sword. 
 
 Aud five of you shall chase an hundred, and an
 
 138 SUNDAY SCHOOL I.KSSONS 
 
 hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight, aud 
 your enemies shall fall before \ou by the sword. 
 
 For I will turn unto you, aud mike you fruitful, 
 and multiply you, and establish My covenant with 
 you. 
 
 And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old 
 because of the new. 
 
 And I will set My tabernacle among you, and Ms- 
 soul shall not abhor you. 
 
 And I will walk among you, and will be your God, 
 and ye shall be My people. 
 
 I am the Lord your God, which brought you forth 
 out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their 
 bondmen, and I have broken the bonds of your yoke, 
 aud made you march in security. 
 
 But if ye will not hearken unto Me, and will not do 
 all these commandments; 
 
 And if ye shall despise My statutes, or if your soul 
 abhor My judgments, so that ye will not do all My 
 commandments, but that ye break My covenant, 
 
 I must do this unto you, I must even appoint over 
 you terror, and cause sorrow of heart, aud ye will sow 
 your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it. 
 
 And I must break the pride of your power, and 
 make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass. 
 
 And your strength will be spent in vain, for your 
 land will not yield her increase, neither shall the trees 
 of the land yield their fruits. 
 
 And they that are left of you will pine awav in 
 their iniquity, in your enemies' lands.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 139 
 
 And also through the iniquities of their fathers, will 
 they pine away with them- 
 
 And if they sh?ll confess their iniquity, and the in- 
 iquity of their fathers, with their trespass, which they 
 have trespassed against Me, and that also they haye 
 walked contrary unto Me. 
 
 (Yea, I will walk contrary unto them, and will 
 bring them into the land of their enemies,) if then 
 their unpurified heart be humbled, and they then 
 accept of the punishment of their iniquity. 
 
 Then will I remember My covenant with Jacob, and 
 also My covenant with Isaac, and also My covenant 
 with Abraham will I remember, and I will remember 
 the land. 
 
 The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy 
 her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them) 
 and they are accepting the punishment of their 
 iniquity because, even because, they despised My 
 judgments and because their soul abhored My statutes. 
 
 And yet for all that, when they be in the land of 
 their enemies, I will not despise them, neither will I 
 abhor them to destroy them utterly, and to break 
 My covenant with them, for I am the L,ord their God, 
 
 But I will, for their sakes, remember the covenant 
 of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the 
 land of Egypt, in the sight of the heathen, that I 
 might be their God. I am the Lord. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 We shall speak of the sacrificial method of worship and its 
 true meaning in our next lesson. Enough to remark for the
 
 140 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON- 
 
 present, that, from the passage quoted in the text above, it is 
 evident that the sacrifice was secondary. The motive or prac- 
 tical religion was everything. The mere sacrifice did not 
 obtain pardon for the wrong doer; he had to make his wrong 
 right, and be punished in addition by a fine. 
 
 The punishment of Nadab and Abihu, as swift and as mys- 
 terious as if the ark had become charged with electricity and 
 they had received a shock from it, is regarded as a warning 
 against all improper worship, or worship while in an improper 
 condition. The context would almost imply that they had 
 lost the power of thinking clearly, through indulgence in wine, 
 Wine wrongly indulged in deprives man of his reason and 
 reduces him to brute condition. In this connection we must 
 remember that when Nadab and Abihu were consecrated to 
 be priests, the ear, the thumb and the toe were touched in the 
 ceremony. 
 
 Because man alone, in all animal creation, has the shell-shaped 
 ear, combined with the power of motivity and shape of the 
 thumb and corresponding member of the foot. Man, and 
 especially a priest, must preserve all distinguishing traits of 
 character also, or he becomes brutalized. 
 
 Among the references to mourning customs conveyed in the 
 words of Moses to Aaron, we find, besides rending the gar- 
 ments, the custom of abstaining from meat pending interment, 
 cited by Aaron as an excuse why he had not eaten certain 
 parts of the sacrifices, and received as a sufficient excuse by 
 Moses. 
 
 We must notice that the expression, "Moses was angry,'' is 
 used only of him as a public man. In his public life, as 
 a leader for God, he was angered at any disobedience of God's 
 will. So far as his private life went, he was "the meekest of 
 men."
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 141 
 
 The solemn charge to the Hebrews contains the teaching 
 that national prosperity will depend upon national obedience 
 to the command of God. 
 
 When a plant opens itself to the air and light around it, and 
 drinks in its nourishment and beauty from them and from 
 the minerals around its roots, all goes well with it; if not, it 
 becomes blighted. When an an individual or a nation lives 
 according to God's laws, all goes well. History attests this. 
 Even as history attests the truth of the prophecies of Moses, 
 set forth in this chapter, that the result of national dis- 
 obedience is the blighting of national prosperity. 
 
 But though it all should happen, though Israel should prove 
 disobedient, and the natural result of blighting of his prosperity 
 follow, yet would God's love prevail, and His mercy, forbear- 
 ance, loving kindness and truth rescue Israel, and through 
 him, all humanityfrom sin, to bring all to universal happiness. 
 
 LESSON XVIII. 
 NUMBERS. 
 
 THE BLESSING FOR ISRAEL. 
 
 TEXT: " Look unto Me, and be saved, all ends of the earth. "- 
 Isa. xlv. 22. ) 
 
 And the L >rd spake unto Moses, saying, 
 
 Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, In 
 this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying 
 unto them: 
 
 The Lord bless thee and keep thee; 
 
 The Lord make His face shine upon thee, and be 
 gracious unto thee ; 
 
 The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee and 
 give thee peace.
 
 14^ SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 THE DEDICATION OF THE TABERNACLE. 
 
 And it came to pass on the day that Moses had 
 fully set up the tabernacle, and had anointed it and 
 sanctified it, and all the instruments thereof, both the 
 altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed 
 them and sanctified them, 
 
 That the princes of Israel, heads of the house of 
 their fathers, who were the princes, and were over 
 them that were numbered, offered. 
 
 And they brought their offering before the Lord: 
 six covered wagons, and twelve oxen, a wagon for two 
 of the princes, and for each one an ox, and they brought 
 them before the tabernacle. 
 
 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 
 
 Take it of them, that they may be to do the service 
 of the tabernacle of the congregation. 
 
 And thou shaltgive them unto the Levites, to every 
 man according to his service. 
 
 ORDER AND DISCIPLINE. 
 
 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, say- 
 ing, 
 
 Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by 
 his own standard, with the ensign of their fathers 1 
 house; far off, about the tabernacle of the congregation 
 shall they pitch. 
 
 And on the east side, towards the rising of the sun, 
 shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch 
 throughout their armies.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 143 
 
 And those that do pitch next unto him shall be the 
 tribe of Issachar, then the tribe of Zebulun. 
 
 On the south side shall be the standard of the camp 
 of Reuben, according to their armies. 
 
 And those which pitch by him, shall be the tribe 
 of Simeon. 
 
 Then the tribe of Gad. 
 
 Then the tabernacle of the congregation shall set 
 forward with the camp of the Levites in the midst 
 of the camp ; as they encamp so shall they set for- 
 ward, every man in his place by their standards. 
 
 On the west side shall be the standard of the camp 
 of Ephraim, according to their armies. 
 
 And by him shall be the tribe of Menasseh. 
 
 Then the tribe of Benjamin. 
 
 The standard of the camp of Dan shall be on the 
 north side, by their armies. 
 
 And those that encamp by him shall be the tribe 
 of Asher. 
 
 Then the tribe of Naphtali. 
 
 But the Levites were not numbered among the 
 children of Israel, as the Lord commanded Moses. 
 
 And the children of Israel did according to all that 
 the Lord commanded Moses, so they pitched by their 
 standards, and so they set forward-, every one after 
 their families, according to the house of their fathers. 
 
 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Make 
 thee two trumpets of silver: of an whole piece shalt 
 thou make them, that them mayest use them for. the 
 calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the 
 camps.
 
 144 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And when they shall blow with them, all the 
 assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the 
 door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 
 
 And if they blow with but one trumpet, then the 
 princes, which are heads of the thousands of Israel, 
 shall gather themselves unto thee. 
 
 When ye blow an alarm, then the camps that lie 
 on the east parts shall go forward. 
 
 When ye blow an alarm the second time, then the 
 camps that lie on the south side shall take their jour- 
 ney: they shall blow an alarm for their journeys. 
 
 But when the congregation is to be gathered to- 
 gether, ye shall blow, but ye shall not sound an alarm. 
 
 And the sons of Aaron, the priests, shall blow with 
 the trumpets, and they shall be to you for an ordi- 
 nance for ever throughout your generations. 
 
 And if ye go to war in your land against the 
 enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an 
 alarm with the trumpets, and ye shall be remembered 
 before the Lord your God, and ye shall be saved from 
 your enemies. 
 
 Also in the days of your gladness, and in your 
 solemn days, and in the beginnings of your months, 
 ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offer- 
 ings, and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings, 
 that they may be to you for a memorial before your 
 God. I am the Lord your God. 
 
 And it came to pass on the twentieth day of the 
 second month in the second year, that the cloud was 
 taken up from off the tabernacle of the testimony
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 145 
 
 and the children of Israel took their journeys out of 
 the wilderness of Sinai, and the cloud rested in the 
 wilderness of Paran . 
 
 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Reuel, the 
 Midianite, Moses' father-in-law: We are journeying 
 unto the place of which the Lord said, I will give it 
 to you; come thou with us, and we will do thee good, 
 for the Lord hath spoken good concerning Israel. 
 
 And he said unto him, I will not go, but I will de- 
 part to mine own land and to my kindred. 
 
 And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee, for as much 
 as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilder- 
 ness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes. 
 
 And it shall be if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, 
 that what goodness the Lord shall do unto us, the 
 same will we do unto thee. 
 
 And they departed from the mount of the Lord 
 three days' journey, and the ark of the covenant of 
 the Lord went before them in the three days' journey 
 to search out a resting place for them 
 
 Aud it came to pass, when the ark set forward, 
 that Moses said, Rise up, O Lord, and let thine 
 enemies be scattered, and let them that hate Thee 
 flee before Thee. 
 
 And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, to 
 the many thousands of Israel. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 The blessing of the priests, as the blessing at the beginning 
 of this lesson is often called, is the expression of the loftiest 
 ideals of divine love, protection, compassion and forgiveness.
 
 146 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 God's love for us all will prosper and protect us. It will illumine 
 our lives and shed His gracious compassion upon us; it will 
 cause Him to turn towards us instead of causing Him to turn 
 away from us and it will cause Him to grant us happiness. 
 
 The dedication of the tabernacle provided for an ever 
 present source of inspiration for "Whoever sought the Lord" 
 (Ex. xxxiii. 7). Here the sinner could hold communion 
 with God (Lev. v. 5), with the additional advantage of solemn 
 surroundings to properly attune his soul. Here the happy 
 mother could express her gratitude for her child ( Lev. xii. 6). 
 the festive pilgrim his thanks for past blessing (Deut. xxvi 
 i i r), and the sorrowing heart its secret grief or private peti- 
 tion (Ex. xxxiii, 7). 
 
 The tabernacle is also called "Tent of the congregation," 
 "House of the Lord." In later days it was located permanently 
 at Shiloh until the Temple at Jerusalem was built. Other 
 houses for worship, or synagogues, as we find them called in 
 Ps Ixxiv. 8, were naturally erected as a result of the command 
 to make every Sabbath a day for holy convocation or for 
 sacred readings or study. It appears from II. Kings iv. 23, 
 that also on the first of every month, people used to assemble 
 to hear exposition by a religious leader. 
 
 The Sabbath, New Year, Atonement-Day. Passover, Pente- 
 cost and Tabernacles were seasons for "Holy Convocation," 
 family worship at home or national worship at Jerusalem. 
 Home religious education was commanded to parents "thou 
 shalt teach them (My words) diligently to thy children, when 
 thou sittest in thy house, when thou walkest by the way, when 
 thou liest down and when thou risest up. " 
 
 Worship was by holy readings, or naturally by prayer (cf. 
 Deut xxvi.) or by sacrifices. 
 
 Sacrifices were optional in most cases. For national sacri-
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS IJ 
 
 fices, one lamb, and one only, was to be offered morning and 
 evening, with the tenth part of an ephah of fine-flour, mingled 
 with a quarter of a hin of beaten oil, and a quarter of a hin of 
 wine 'to be poured out as a drink-offering. It would appear 
 thus to have been mere formality, for all the priests and their 
 families could not subsist on two lambs per day, even though 
 on Sabbaths and Holydays the number was slightly increased. 
 
 Voluntary and penalty offerings were frequently vegetable; 
 the constant expression "meat offering." is misleading. It 
 should be meal offering. At the time the Bible was translated 
 into English, "meat" was used for substance, even more than 
 to-day, when we still speak of the meat of an orange, meat of 
 an egg, or meat of a nut, etc., etc. Voluntary offerings were 
 simply expressions of private emotions, like money or syna- 
 gogue furniture or seat-rentals given to-day. Penalty offerings 
 for sin or trespass were to prove that the sinner's contrition 
 did not consist in empty phrases; they were accompanied with 
 a proportionate fine which went to the injured party. 
 
 The priesthood was supported by certain parts ot the 
 offerings, tithes and first fruits When the nation entered Pal- 
 estine, forty- eight cities with suburbs were given them and the 
 Levites instead of a tract of land. But they might reside in 
 any city. These cities were judiciously chosen so that all 
 parts of the country were near a priest- city. The priesthood 
 thus could neither become a wealthy body nor interfere as a 
 body in political matters. Its duty was to " teach judgments 
 to Jacob and the Law to Israel, ' and to take charge of cer- 
 tain ministerial duties (Deut. xxxiii 10). 
 
 Sacrifices became in time a mechanical method of worship, 
 just as is ritual worship too often to day. The prophets con- 
 demn not sacrifice itself, but "empty formality" sacrifices, 
 and especially sacrifices offered by men who led sinful lives.
 
 148 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 " Sacrifice and offering Thou didst not desire: mine ears hast 
 Thou opened; burnt- offer ing and sin offering hast Thou not 
 required." (Ps. xl. 6). 
 
 " I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he-goats out of 
 thy folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle 
 upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains, 
 and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, 
 I would not tell thee, for the world is Mine and the fulness 
 thereof." 
 
 ' Will I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of he-goats?" 
 (Ps. 1. 9-13.) 
 
 "Thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it; Thou 
 delightest not in burnt -offering." (Ps. li. 16). 
 
 " I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify 
 Him with thanksgiving. This also will please the Lord better 
 than an ox that hath horns and hoofs " (Ps. Ixix. 30 31). 
 
 "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination unto the Lord, 
 but the prayer of the upright is His delight " (Prov. xv. 8). 
 
 " To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto 
 Me ? I am sated with burnt-offerings of rams and the fat of 
 fed- beast* , and I delight not in the blood of bullocks or of 
 lambs, or of he-goats. Bring no more vain oblations, incense 
 is an abomination to Me." (Is. i. 1 1 13). 
 
 "To what purpose cometh there to Me incense from Sheba 
 and the sweet cane from a far country ? Your burnt-offerings 
 are not acceptable, nor are your sacrifices sweet unto Me. " 
 (Jer. vi. 20 . 
 
 " Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself 
 before the High God ? 
 
 "Shall I come before Him with burnt -offerings and with 
 calves of a year old ? 
 
 " Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with 
 ten thousands of rivers of oil?" (Micah vi. 67).
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 149 
 
 It is abundantly evident, therefore, that the mere act of 
 sacrifice never was, never can be accepted as an act of 
 worship itself. 
 
 What alone can be acceptable, is the prayerful or humble 
 spirit in which the sacrifice is brought, and provided also that 
 the personal life of him who brings the offering is of sweet 
 savor to the Lord, that is to say, provided the life of him who 
 offers is a life of love, justice and purity. 
 
 This also is abundantly proved in Holy Writ: 
 
 Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt -offerings and sacri. 
 fices as in obeying the voice of the Lord ? Behold to obey is 
 better than sacrifice, and to hearken, than the fat "of rams." 
 (I. Sam. xv. 22.) 
 
 " Bring an offering, and come before Him: worship the Lord 
 in the beauty of purity." (I. Ch. xvi. 29.) 
 
 " Offer sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the 
 Lord." (Ps. iv. 5). 
 
 " Offer unto God thanksgiving, and keep thy promises to 
 God." (Ps. 1. 14.) 
 
 "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a 
 contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise." (Ps. li. 17). 
 
 " Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, and 
 declare His work with rejoicing" (Ps. cvii. 22). 
 
 "To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the 
 Lord than sacrifice.'' (Prov. xxi. 13). 
 
 '' For I, the Lord, love judgment, I hate robbery with burnt 
 offering." (Isa. Ixi. 8). 
 
 ' ' For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge 
 of God more than burnt-offerings." (Hos. vi. 6). 
 
 " He hath showed thee, O man, what is good, and what doth 
 the Lord require of thee, but to do justice, and love loving- 
 kindness and to walk humbly with thy God." (Micah. vi. 8>.
 
 15 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 ' ' Let them be the Lord's bringers of offering with right- 
 eousness." (Mai. iii. 3). 
 
 " And (then) the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be 
 pleasant unto the Lord, as in days of old, and in former years." 
 (Mai. iii. 4.) 
 
 LESSON XVIII (Continued.) 
 
 THE APPOINTMENT OF A COUNCIL OF SEVENTY. 
 
 TEXT: " Keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking 
 guile. Depart from evil and do good ; seek peace and pursue it. 
 (Ps. xxxiv. 13, 14.) 
 
 And the mixed multitude that was among them 
 fell a lusting, and the children of Israel also wept 
 again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? 
 
 And Moses said unto the L/ord, Wherefore hast 
 Thou afflicted Thy servant ? and wherefore have I 
 not found favor in Thy sight, that Thou layest the 
 burden of all this people upon me ? 
 
 Whence should I have flesh to give unto this peo- 
 ple, for they weep unto me, saying, Give us flesh that 
 we may eat? 
 
 I am not able to bear all this people alone, because 
 it is too heavy for me ; and if Thou deal thus with 
 me, kill ine, I pray Thee, out of hand, if I have found 
 favor in Thy sight, and let me not see my wretched- 
 ness. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto Me 
 seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou know- 
 est to be the elders of the people, and officers over
 
 SUNI>A V SCHOOL LESSONS : 5 I 
 
 them, and bring them unto the tabernacle of the con- 
 gregation, that they may stand there with thee, 
 
 And I will come down and talk with thee there, and 
 I will take of the spirit which is upon thee and will 
 put it upon them, and they shall bear the burden 01 
 the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself 
 alone. 
 
 And say unto the people, Sanctify yourselves against 
 to-morrow, and ye shall eat flesh, for ye have wept in 
 the ears of the Lord, saying, Who shall give us flesh 
 to eat? for it was well with us in Egypt ; therefore 
 the Lord will give you flesh, and ye shall eat. 
 
 Ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five 
 days, neither ten days, nor twenty days, 
 
 But even a whole month, until it come out of your 
 nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you, because that 
 ye have despised the Lord that is among you, and 
 have wept before Him, saying, Why came we forth out 
 of Egypt 
 
 And Moses said, The people among whom I am are 
 six hundred thousand footmen, and Thou hast said, 
 I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole 
 month. 
 
 Shall the flocks and the herds be slain for them to 
 suffice them, or shall all the. fish of the sea be gathered 
 together for them to suffice them ? 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord's hand 
 waxed short? thou shalt see now whether My word 
 shall come to pass with thee or not. 
 
 And Moses went out and told the people the words
 
 152 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON^ 
 
 of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the 
 elders of the people, and set them round about the 
 tabernacle. 
 
 And the Lord came down in a cloud and spake 
 unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, 
 and gave it unto the seventy elders, and it came to 
 pass that when the spirit rested upon them, they pro- 
 phesied, and did not cease. 
 
 But there remained two of the men in the camp : 
 the name of the one was Eldad, and the name of the 
 other Medad, and the spirit rested upon them, and 
 they were of them that were within, but went not out 
 unto the tabernacle, and they prophesied in the camp. 
 
 And there came a young man and told Moses, and 
 said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. 
 
 And Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, 
 one of his young men, answered and said, My lord 
 Moses, forbid them. 
 
 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my 
 sake? Would God that all the Lord's people were 
 prophets, and that the Lord would put His spirit upon 
 them. 
 
 And Moses gat him into the camp, he and the eld- 
 ers of Israel. 
 
 And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and 
 brought quails from the sea and let them fall by the 
 camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as 
 it were a day's journey on the other side round about 
 the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the 
 face of the earth.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 153 
 
 And the people stood up all that day, and all that 
 night, and all the next day, and they gathered the 
 quails : he that gathered least gathered ten homers, 
 and they spread them all abroad for themselves round 
 about the camp. 
 
 And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, 
 ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled 
 against the people, and the Lord smote the people 
 with a very great plague. 
 
 And he called the name of that place Kibroth- 
 Hattaavah, because there they buried the people that 
 lusted. 
 
 And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because 
 of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married, for 
 he had married an Ethiopian woman. 
 
 And they said, Hath the Lord indeed spoken only 
 by Moses? hath He not spoken also by us? And the 
 Lord heard it. 
 
 Now, the man Moses was very meek, above all the 
 men which were upon the face of the earth. 
 
 And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses and unto 
 Aaron and unto Miriam, Come forth, O ye three, unto 
 the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three 
 came forth. 
 
 And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, 
 and stood in the door of the tabernacle,, and called 
 Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forth. 
 
 And He said, Hear now My words : If there be a 
 prophet among you, I, the Lord, will make myself 
 known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him 
 in a dream.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 My servant Moses is not so : who is faithful in all 
 my house. 
 
 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even 
 .apparently, and not in dark speeches, and the simili- 
 tude of the Lord shall he behold; wherefore, then, 
 were ye not afraid to speak against My servant Moses? 
 
 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against 
 them, and He departed. 
 
 And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle, and, 
 behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow, and 
 Aaron looked upon Miriam and, behold, she was 
 leprous. 
 
 And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas ! my lord, I 
 beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us wherein we have 
 done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. 
 
 And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her 
 now, O God, I beseech Thee. 
 
 And Miriam was shut out of the camp seven days, 
 and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought 
 in again. 
 
 And afterwards the people removed from Hazeroth, 
 and pitched in the wilderness of Paran. 
 
 LESSON XVIII. (Continued.) 
 
 SPYING OUT THE LAND. 
 
 TEXT: Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any- 
 thing too hard for me?" Jerem. xxxii. 27. 
 
 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Send thon 
 men that they may search the land of Canaan, which
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 155 
 
 I give unto the children of Israel, of every tribe of 
 their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a prince 
 among them. 
 
 And Moses, by the commandment of the Lord, sent 
 them from the wilderness of Paran, all those men were 
 heads of the children of Israel. 
 
 And he said unto them, Get you up this way south- 
 ward, and go up into the mountain. 
 
 And see the land, what it is, and the people that 
 dwelleth therein, whether they be strong or weak, few 
 or many. 
 
 And what the land is that they dwell in, whether it 
 be good or bad, and what cities there be that they 
 dwell in, whether in tents or in strongholds. 
 
 And what the land is, whether it be fat or lean, 
 whether there be wood therein or not. And be ye of 
 good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land. Now 
 the time was the time of the first ripe grapes. 
 
 So they went up and searched the land from the 
 wilderness of Zin an to Rehob, as men come to 
 Hamath. 
 
 And they ascended by the south, and came to 
 Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the 
 children of Anak, were. 
 
 Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in 
 Egypt. 
 
 And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut 
 down from them a branch with one cluster of grapes, 
 and they bare it between two, upon a staff, and they 
 brought of the pomegranates and of the figs.
 
 156 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 The place was called the Brook of Eshcol, because 
 of the cluster of grapes, which the children of Israel 
 cut down from them. 
 
 And they returned after searching of the land after 
 forty days. 
 
 And they went, and they came unto Moses and unto 
 Aaron, and to all the congregation of the children of 
 Israel, unto the wilderness of Paran to Kadesh, and 
 brought back word unto them, and unto all the con- 
 gregation and showed them the fruit of the land. 
 
 And they told him and said, We came unto the land 
 whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with 
 milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it. 
 
 Nevertheless, the people be strong that dwell in the 
 land, and the cities are walled, and very great; more- 
 over we saw the children of Anak there. 
 
 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south, and 
 the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites dwell 
 in the mountains, and the Canaanites dwell by the 
 sea, and by the coast of Jordan. 
 
 And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, 
 Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well 
 able to overcome it. 
 
 But the men that went up with him said, We be 
 not able to go up against the people for they are 
 stronger than we. 
 
 And they brought up an evil report of the land 
 which they had searched, unto the children of Israel, 
 saying, -The land through which we have gone to 
 search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 157 
 
 thereof, and all the people that we saw in it are men 
 of a great stature. 
 
 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak 
 which came of the giants, and we were in our own 
 sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. 
 
 And all the congregation lifted up their voice 
 and cried, and the people wept that night. 
 And all the children of Israel murmured against 
 Moses and against Aaron, and the whole congrega- 
 tion said unto them, Would God that we had died in 
 the land of Egypt, or would God we had died in the 
 wilderness. 
 
 And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this 
 land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our 
 children should be a prey, were it not better for us to 
 return unto Egypt? 
 
 And they said one to another, Let us make a cap- 
 tain, and let us return to Egypt. 
 
 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before 
 all the assembly of the congregation of children of 
 Israel. 
 
 And Joshua, the son of Nun, and Caleb, the son of 
 Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the 
 land, -rent their clothes. 
 
 And they spake unto all the company of the children 
 of Israel, sayiug, The land which we passed through 
 to search it, is an exceeding good land. 
 
 If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into 
 this land, and give it us, a land which floweth with 
 milk and honey.
 
 IS** SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye 
 the people of the land, for they are bread for us, their 
 defence is departed from them, and the Lord is with 
 us, fear them not. 
 
 But all the congregation bade stone them with 
 stones. And the glory of the Lord appeared in the 
 tabernacle of the congregation, before all the children 
 of Israel. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this 
 people provoke Ivle, and how long will it be ere they 
 believe Me, for all the signs which I have showed 
 among them. I should smite them with the pestilence 
 and disinherit them, and make of thee a greater 
 nation, and mightier than they. 
 
 And Moses said unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians 
 would hear it (for thou broughtest up this people in 
 Thy might from among them). 
 
 And they would tell it to the inhabitants of this land, 
 for they have heard that Thou, Lord, art among this 
 people, that Thou, Lord, art seen face to face, and 
 that Thy cloud standeth over them, and that Thou 
 goest before them by day-time in a pillar of a cloud, 
 and in a pillar of fire by night. 
 
 Now, if Thou shalt kill all this people as one man, 
 then the nations which have heard the fame of Thee? 
 will speak, saying: 
 
 Because the Lord was not able to bring this people 
 into the land which He sware unto them, therefore 
 He hath slain them in the wilderness. 
 
 And now, I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord 
 be great, according as Thou hast spoken, saying;
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSOXS 159 
 
 The Lord is long suffering and of great mercy, for- 
 giving iniquity and transgression, and by no means 
 clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers 
 upon children, unto the third and fourth generation. 
 
 Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people, 
 according to the greatness of Thy loving-kindness, 
 and as Thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt 
 until now. 
 
 And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to 
 thy word. 
 
 But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be rilled 
 with the glory of the Lord. 
 
 Because all those men which have seen My glory 
 and My miracles which I did in the wilderness, and 
 have tempted Me now these ten times, and have not 
 hearkened to My voice 
 
 Surely they may not see the land which I sware 
 unto their fathers, neither can any of them that pro- 
 voked Me see it. 
 
 But My servant Caleb, because he had another 
 spirit with him, and hath followed Me fully, him will 
 I bring into the laud wherein he went, and his seed 
 shall possess it. 
 
 Now the Amalekites and the Canaanites dwell in 
 the valley. To morrow, turn you, and get you into the 
 wilderness, by the way of the Red Sea. 
 
 And the Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron 
 saying, 
 
 How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, 
 which murmur against Me, I have heard the murmur-
 
 l6o SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 ings of the children of Israel which they murrain 
 against Me. 
 
 Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as 
 ye have spoken in Mine ears, so must I do to you. 
 
 Your carcasses must fall in this wilderness, and all 
 that were numbered of you according to your whole 
 number from twenty years old and upwards, which 
 have murmured against Me. 
 
 Doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concern- 
 ing which I sware to make you dwell thereiu, save 
 Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of 
 Nun. 
 
 But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, 
 them will I bring in, and they shall know the land 
 which ye have despised. 
 
 But as for you, your carcasses, they must fall in the 
 wilderness. 
 
 And your children must wander in the wilderness 
 forty years, and bear your unholy waywardness until 
 your bodies be wasted in the wilderness. 
 
 After the number of days in which ye searched the 
 land, even forty days, each day for a year, must ye 
 bear your iniquities, even forty years,, and ye shall 
 know My alienation. 
 
 I the Lord have said, I will surely do it unto all 
 this evil congregation that are gathered together 
 against Me, in this wilderness they shall be consumed, 
 and there they shall die. 
 
 And the men which Moses sent to search the land, 
 who returned and made all the congregation to mur-
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS l6l 
 
 mur against him, by bringing up an evil report upon 
 the land, died by the plague before the Lord. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 The appointment of the council of seventy elders is 
 regarded as the origin of the Sanhedrin or Congress. 
 
 The difference between Moses and other prophets is that 
 God conveyed Divine impressions into the mind of the 
 former while he was awake and in full possession of his 
 senses; but to the latter the impressions were conveyed in 
 visions or dreams. 
 
 Moses was the meekest of men, so far as his private affairs 
 went, but as the servant of God, he was very zealous, and 
 at times angry for his Master's honor. 
 
 The episode of the twelve spies shows us the moral 
 courage of Joshua and Caleb in standing up for the right, 
 despite the majority against them. 
 
 LESSON XIX. 
 
 KORAH. 
 
 TEXT : "Follow not a multitude to do evil." Exod. xxii, 2. 
 
 Now Korah, great-grandson ofLevi, aud Dathan, 
 Abiram and Ou, descendants of Reuben, rose against 
 Moses and Aaron with two hundred and fifty princes 
 of the congregation, famous and men of renown, and 
 said unto them: Ye take too much upon you, seeing all 
 the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the 
 Lord is among them ; wherefore then lift ye up your- 
 selves above the congregation of the Lor ( \ ? 
 
 And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face.
 
 1 62 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And he spake unto Korah, and unto all his com- 
 pany, saying, Even to-morrow the Lord will show you 
 who are His, and who is holy, and will cause him to 
 come near unto Him, even him whom He hath chosen. 
 
 This do, take you censers, Korah and all his com- 
 pany. 
 
 And put fire therein, and put incense in them be- 
 fore the Lord to-morrow, and it shall be that the man 
 whom the Lord doth choose, he shall be holy: ye take 
 too much upon you, ye sons of Levi, 
 
 And Moses said unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, ye 
 sous of Levi. 
 
 Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that He 
 hath separated you from the congregation of Israel , to 
 bring you near unto Himself to do the service of the 
 tabernacle, and to stand before the congregation to 
 minister unto them ? And seek ye the priesthood ? 
 
 And Moses sent to call Dathan and Abiram, and 
 they said, We will not come up. 
 
 Is it a small thing, that thou hast brought us up out 
 of a land that floweth with milk and honey, to kill us 
 in the wilderness, except thou make thyself altogether 
 a prince over us? 
 
 Moreover thou hast not brought us into a land that 
 floweth with milk and honey, or given us inheritance 
 of fields and vineyards: Wilt thou put out the eyes of 
 these men? We will not come up. 
 
 And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord,. 
 Respect not thou their offering, I hax'e not taken one 
 ass from them* neither have I hurt one df them.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 163 
 
 And Moses said unto Kornh, Be thou and all thy 
 company before the Lord, thou and they, and Aaron 
 to-morrow. 
 
 And take every man his censer and put incense in 
 them, and bring ye before the Lord every man his 
 censer, two hundred and fifty censers, thou also and 
 Aaron, each of you his censer. 
 
 And they took every man his censer, and put fire in 
 them, and laid incense therein, and stood in the door 
 of the tabernacle of the congregation, with Moses and 
 Aaron. 
 
 And Korah gathered all the congregation against 
 them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congrega- 
 tion, and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the 
 congregation. And the Lord spake unto Moses and 
 unto Aaron saying: 
 
 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, 
 that I may consume them in a moment. 
 
 And they fell upon their faces and said, O God, the 
 God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and 
 wilt Thou be wroth with all the congregation ? 
 
 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying: 
 
 Speak unto the congregation, saying, Get you up 
 from about the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan and 
 Abiram. 
 
 And Moses rose up and went unto Dathan and 
 Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. 
 
 And he spake unto the congregation, saying, 
 Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these -wicked men 
 and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all 
 their sins.
 
 164 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, 
 Dathan and Abiram on evtry side, and Dathan and 
 Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tent, 
 and their wives, and their sons, and their little 
 children. 
 
 And Moses said, Thereby ye shall know that the 
 Lord hath sent me to do all these works, for I have 
 not done them of my own mind. 
 
 If these men die the common death of all meu, or if 
 they be visited after the visitation of all men. then 
 the Lord hath not sent me. 
 
 But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth 
 open her mouth and swallow them up, with all that 
 appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the 
 pit, then ye shall understand that these men have 
 provoked the Lord. 
 
 And it came to pass as he had made an end of speak- 
 ing all these words, that the ground clave asunder that 
 \vas under them. 
 
 And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed 
 them up, and their houses, and all the men that apper- 
 tained unto Korah, and all their goods. 
 
 They and all that appertained to them went down 
 alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them, 
 and they perished from among the congregation. 
 
 And all Israel that were round about them fled at 
 the cry of them, for they said, Lest the earth swallow 
 us up also. 
 
 But on the morrow all the congregation of the chil- 
 dren of Israel murmured against Moses and against 
 Aaron, saying, Ye have killed the people of the Lord.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 165 
 
 And it came to pass when the congregation was 
 gathered against Moses and against Aaron, that they 
 looked towards the tabernacle of the congregation, 
 and, behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the 
 Lord appeared. 
 
 And Moses and Aaron came before the tabernacle 
 of the congregation. 
 
 And the Lord spake, unto Moses saying, 
 
 Get you up from this congregation that I may con- 
 sume them as in a moment, and they fell upon their 
 faces. 
 
 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer and put 
 fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and 
 go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atone- 
 ment for them for there is wrath gone out from the 
 Lord, the plague is begun. 
 
 And Aaron took as Moses commanded, and ran into 
 the midst of the congregation, and, behold, the plague 
 was begun among the people, and he put on incense, 
 and made an atonement for the people. 
 
 And he stood between the dead and the living, and 
 the plague was stayed. 
 
 Now they that died in the plague were fourteen 
 thousand and seven hundred, besides them that died 
 about the matter of Korah. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 Great men always have enemies, and usually among the 
 very ones who should be their supporters. For there will 
 always be some who are jealous of greatness and who would 
 attempt to occupy coveted positions, even if unfitted. Korah,
 
 l66 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 as one of the priestly tribe, should rather have supported 
 Moses and Aaron, also members of that tribe, all the more 
 vigorously. 
 
 It is said that the sons of Korah repented at the last 
 moment. Their descendants became renowned in the Tem- 
 ple choral service. 
 
 The whole story shows how wicked and wilful men can 
 disturb a community. 
 
 LESSON XX. 
 
 THE DEATH OF MIRIAM. THE SIN OF MOSES AND 
 AARON. THE DEATH OF AARON. 
 
 TEXT: " Buy the truth and sell it not." Prov. xxiii, 23. 
 
 Then came the children of Israel, even the whole 
 congregation into the desert of Zin, in the first month, 
 and the people abode in Kadesh, and Miriam died 
 there and was buried there. 
 
 And there was no water for the congregation, and 
 they gathered themselves together against Moses and 
 against Aaron. 
 
 And the people chode with Moses, and spoke saying, 
 Would God that we had died when our brethren died 
 before the Lord. 
 
 And why have ye brought up the congregation of 
 the Lord into this wilderness that we and our cattle 
 should die there ? 
 
 And wherefore have ye made us to come out of 
 Egypt to bring us into this evil place, it is no place 
 of seed, nor of figs nor of vines nor of pomegranates, 
 neither is there any water to drink.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 167 
 
 And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of 
 the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the 
 congregation, and they fell upon their faces, and the 
 glory of the Lord appeared unto them. 
 
 And the Lord spake unto Moses saying, 
 
 Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, 
 thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the 
 rock before their eyes, and it shall give forth water; 
 and thou shall bring forth to them water out of the 
 rock, so thou shalt give the congregation and their 
 beasts drink. 
 
 And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as 
 He commanded him. 
 
 And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation 
 together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear 
 now ye rebels, must we fetch you water out of this 
 rock? 
 
 And Moses lifted up his hand, and with the rod he 
 smote the rock twice, and the water came out abund- 
 antly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. 
 
 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because 
 ye believed Me not, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the 
 children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this 
 congregation into the land which I have given them. 
 
 This is the water of Meribah, because the children 
 of Israel strove with the Lord, and He was sanctified 
 in them. 
 
 And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh unto the 
 King of Edom, Thus saith thy brother Israel, Thou 
 knowest all the travail that hath befallen us,
 
 1 68 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we 
 have dwelt in Egypt a long time, and the Egyptians 
 ill-treated us and our fathers. 
 
 And we cried unto the Lord, and He heard our 
 voice and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth 
 out of Egypt, and behold we are in Kadesh, a city in 
 the uttermost of thy border. 
 
 Let us pass, I pray thee, through thy country; we 
 will not pass through the fields, or through the vine- 
 yards, neither will we drink of well-water; we will 
 go by the king's high-way, we will not turn to the 
 right hand nor to the left until we have passed thy 
 borders. 
 
 And Edom said unto him, Thou shalt not pass by 
 me, lest I come out to meet thee with the sword. 
 
 And the children of Israel said unto him, We will 
 go by the highway, and if I and my cattle drink of 
 thy water, then I will pay for it, only I will go 
 through on my feet without doing anything else. 
 
 And he said, Thou shalt not pass through. And 
 Edom came out against him with much people, and 
 with a strong hand. 
 
 Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through 
 his border, wherefore Israel turned away from him. 
 
 And the children of Israel, even the whole congre- 
 gation, journeyed from Kadesh and came to Mount 
 Hor. 
 
 And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in Mount 
 Hor by the coast of the land of Edom saying, Let 
 Aaron be gathered unto his people, for he shall not
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON'S 169 
 
 enter into the land which I have given unto the chil- 
 dren of Israel, became ye rebelled against My word at 
 the water of Meribah. 
 
 Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them 
 up unto Mount Hor. 
 
 And strip Aaron of his garments, and put them 
 upon Eleazar his son, and Aaron shall be gathered 
 unto his people, and shall die there. 
 
 And Moses did as the Lord commanded, and they 
 went up into Mount Hor in the sight of all the con- 
 gregation. 
 
 And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put 
 them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on 
 the top of the mount, and Moses and Eieazer came 
 down from the mount. 
 
 And when all the congregation saw that Aaron was 
 dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, even all 
 the house of Israel. 
 
 And when King Arad the Canaauite, which dwelt 
 in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way 
 ofthe spies, then he fought against Israel, and took 
 some of them prisoners. 
 
 And Israel vowed, saying, If Thou wilt, indeed, 
 deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly 
 destroy their cities. 
 
 And He hearkened and delivered up the Canaanites, 
 and they utterly destroyed them and their cities. 
 
 THE BRAZEN SERPENT. 
 
 And they journeyed from Mt. Hor by way of the
 
 170 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 Red Sea, to get round the land of Edom, and the soul 
 of the people was discouraged on the journey. 
 
 And they spoke against God and against Moses, 
 Wherefore have ye brought us up from Egypt to die 
 in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is 
 there any water, and our soul loatheth this light 
 bread. 
 
 And He sent fiery serpents among the people and 
 they bit the people and many died. 
 
 Therefore the people came to Moses and said, We 
 have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and 
 against thee. Pray unto Him that He take the ser- 
 pents away. And Moses prayed for the people. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery 
 serpent and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to 
 pass, that every one that is bitten, when he shall look 
 upon it, shall live. 
 
 And Moses made a serpent of brass and set it on a 
 pole. And it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten 
 a man, when he beheld the brazen serpent he lived. 
 
 THE WAR WITH SIHON AND 'OG. 
 
 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon, king of the 
 Amorites, saying, 
 
 Let me pass through thy laud ; we will not turn into 
 the fields or into the vineyards; we will not drink 
 well-water, but we will go along by the king's high- 
 way until we be past thy borders. 
 
 But Sihon would not suffer it ; he gathered all his 
 people, and advanced against the Hebrews in the wil- 
 derness; and he fought at Jahaz.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 171 
 
 And Israel smote him and conquered his land, and 
 took and dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites. 
 
 And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they captured 
 its villages and drove out the Amorites that were 
 there. 
 
 And they turned and went up by way of Bashan. 
 And 'Og, king of Bashan, advanced against them, he 
 and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Fear him not, 
 for I have delivered him into thy hand and all his 
 people and his land. And thou shalt do to him as 
 thou didst unto Sihon, king of the Amorites, which 
 dwelt in Hes-hbon. 
 
 So they smote him and his people and possessed his 
 land. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 The high esteem in which Miriam was held testifies to 
 the honor and respect paid to womanhood in Jewish Law 
 and custom. 
 
 Whenever womanhood has been degraded by Hebrews, it 
 has been due to outside example. 
 
 In the Bible, woman is always the equal, sometimes the 
 superior of man. 
 
 Our sages rank Miriam with Moses and Aaron. As the 
 latter taught the men religion, so she taught the women. In 
 the public thanksgiving-service for the escape at the Red 
 Sea, Miriam led the women. 
 
 Our sages lovingly remark that Moses, Aaron and Miriam 
 alone of all prophets and pious people, expired as God 
 kissed them. They mean that these three died in an ecstasy
 
 If 2 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 derived from their knowledge of God and their love for 
 Him. 
 
 The sin of Moses was first, that he lost his temper and 
 spoke in anger to the people; secondly, he struck the rock 
 instead of speaking to it as God commanded. The sin of 
 Aaron was that he stood by and allowed Moses to do so. 
 Those who stand silently by, while wrong is being done, are 
 as bad as those who do it. 
 
 These sins, when committed by Moses and Aaron, the 
 highest chiefs of the people, became all the more dangerous 
 to the welfare of the nation, because they set precedents or 
 examples for strife and disobedience. The higher we are in 
 position and the greater our education, the more careful we 
 must be 
 
 The message to Edom bears a strong resemblance to the 
 message to Sihon, king of the Amorites. But the Hebrews 
 were not allowed to attack Edom, first, because God gave 
 Edom to the Edomites, and secondly the Edomites were not 
 of the Canaanite nations destined to be destroyed for their 
 wickedness. Possibly some teachings of Esau, founder of 
 the Edomite nation, and brother of Jacob, the patriarch, 
 yet lingered in his tribe. 
 
 The memory of Aaron is tenderly treasured as is that of 
 Miriam. He was essentially a man of peace. He would 
 try to lead the wayward back to righteousness by even per- 
 sonal association. 
 
 His action in the affair of the golden calf was condemned. 
 But he was not directly punished, because his seeming 
 acquiescence was only to delay the people, in the hope that 
 Moses would meanwhile reappear. Moreover he saw that 
 the people had killed Hur, who had been left with him by 
 Moses as associate leader, for resisting their mad cry for a
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 1 73 
 
 new god. If Aaron had also been killed, there would have 
 been nobody ready to take advantage of any chance to bring 
 the people to their senses. But God's anger against Aaron 
 is of course recorded. That is to say since God cannot be 
 angry in the meaning of the word as we understand it, his 
 conduct could not be reconciled with God's holiness and 
 was, therefore, to be condemned in the severest terms. 
 
 Concerning the brazen, or more correctly, the copper ser- 
 pent, our sages are careful to teach that it was not the mere 
 looking at it that cured those who had been bitten. It was 
 a test to prove whether they had faith or not in God, who 
 so commanded them to look up if they wanted to be healed. 
 
 The metal serpent was long preserved. But King Heze- 
 kiah broke it to pieces, as some of the people had begun to 
 be superstitious about it and even to worship it. 
 
 LESSON XXI. 
 
 BALAK AND BALAAM. 
 
 TEXT : ' ' The angel of the Lord encampeth around those who 
 fear Him, and deliverelh them." Psalm xxxiv. 8. 
 
 And Moab was sore afraid of the people because 
 they were many, and Moab was distressed because of 
 the children of Israel. 
 
 And Moab said unto the'elders of Midian, Now this 
 company licketh up all that are round about us, as 
 the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak 
 the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that 
 time. 
 
 And he sent messengers unto Balaam the son of 
 Beor, to Pethor, which is by the rivfcr of the land
 
 174 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 of the children of his people, to call him, saying, Be- 
 hold, there is a people come out from Egypt; behold^ 
 they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over 
 against me: 
 
 Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this 
 people ; for they are too mighty for me : peradventuie 
 I shall be able to smite them, and I will drive 
 them out of the land : for I know that he whom 
 thou blessest is blessed, and whom thou cursest is 
 cursed. 
 
 And the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian 
 departed with the rewards of divination in their hands, 
 and they came unto Balaam, and spake unto him the 
 words of Balak. 
 
 And he said unto them, Lodge here this night, and 
 I will bring you word again, as the Lord shall speak 
 unto me: and the princes of Moab abode with Balaam. 
 
 And God came unto Balaam, and said. What men 
 are the^e with thee ? 
 
 And Balaam said unto God, Balak the son of Zip- 
 por, king of Moab, hath sent unto me saying, 
 
 Behold, there is the people come out of Egypt, and it 
 covereth the face of the earth : come now, curse me 
 it; peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and 
 drive it out. 
 
 And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with 
 them, thou shalt not curse the people, for they are 
 blessed. 
 
 And Balaam rose up in the morning and said tc 
 the officers of Balak, Go to your country, -for the
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 175 
 
 Lord refuseth to give me permission to go with you. 
 And they did so. 
 
 And Balak again sent nobles, more, and more honor- 
 able than they. 
 
 And they said to him, Thus saith Balak, son of 
 Zippor: Be not restrained from coming to me. For 
 I will indeed honor thee, and all that thou sayest to 
 me I will do ; come now and curse for me this people. 
 
 And Balaam answered, Were Balak to give me his 
 house full of silver and gold, I could not transgress 
 the word of the Lord my God to do anything unim- 
 portant or important. And now, abide here to-night; 
 and I will know what the Lord will continue to say 
 to me. 
 
 *And God came to Balaam in the night and said to 
 him, If the men have come to call thee, arise, go with 
 them, and only the thing which I say to thee, that do. 
 
 And Balaam arose in the morning and saddled his 
 ass, and went with the nobles of Moab. 
 
 And God's anger was kindled because he went, and 
 a messenger of God stood in the way to hinder him ; 
 and he was riding on his ass, and his two young men 
 with him. 
 
 And the ass saw the messenger standing in the path 
 and his drawn sword in his hand; and the ass turned 
 from the path and went in the field. And Balaam 
 struck the ass to turn her in the way. 
 
 And the messenger stood in the lane between the 
 vineyard, a fence on both sides. And the ass saw the 
 messenger and crouched by the wall, and
 
 176 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 Balaam's foot against the wall ; and he again struck 
 her. 
 
 And the messenger continued to pass, and he stood 
 in a narrow place, where there was no place to turn to 
 the right or left. 
 
 And the ass saw the messenger and crouched under 
 Balaam. And Balaam was angry, and struck the ass 
 with a staGF. 
 
 And the Lord opened the in^uth of the ass and she 
 said to Balaam, What have I done to thee that thou 
 hast smitten me thus three times? 
 
 And he said to the a>s, Because thou hast been 
 obstinate against me. Would there were a sword in 
 my hand, for now would I slay thee. 
 
 And the ass said, Am I not thy ass, on which thou 
 hast ridden from when thou hadst me until this day? 
 Was I ever wont to do so to thee? and he said, No. 
 
 And the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw 
 the messenger standing in the path with drawn sword 
 in his hand, and he bowed and worshiped. 
 
 And the messenger said, Wherefore hast thou struck 
 thy ass these three times? Behold, I came forth to 
 hinder thee, for the way is perverse before me. 
 
 And the ass saw me and turned aside these three 
 times : if she had not turned from me, then now I 
 would have slain thee and kept her alive. 
 
 And Balaam said, I have sinned. I knew not that 
 thou stoodest to meet me. And now if it is wrong in 
 thine eyes, I will return! 
 
 And tha messenger said, Go with these men, but 
 only the thing which I say to thee, that do.*
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 1 77 
 
 And Balaam went with the nobles of Balak. 
 
 And Balak heard he was coming and went to meet 
 him, and said, Did I not indeed send to thee to call 
 thee ? why didst thou not come to me : verily, could 
 I not honor thee ? 
 
 And Balaam said, Behold I have come, aud now 
 can I say anything? The word which God putteth in 
 my mouth, that I must speak. 
 
 And they went to Kiryath Hutzoth. And Balak 
 sacrificed, and sent for Balaam and the nobles with 
 him. 
 
 And in the morning he took Balaam on the high 
 places of Baal, and he saw thence a part of the 
 people. 
 
 And Balaam said, Build here seven altars, and pre- 
 pare seven bullocks and seven rams. And he did so, 
 and they offered a bullock aud a ram. 
 
 And Balaam said to Balak, Stand by thy sacrifice : 
 I will go ; perhaps God will chance to meet me, and 
 what word He showeth me I will. tell thee. And he 
 went meditating. 
 
 And he said to God, I have prepared the seven 
 altars and offered a ram aud a bullock. And the Lord 
 put the word in his mouth, and said, Return to Balak 
 and thus speak. 
 
 Aud he returned to him, and, behold, he was stand- 
 ing by his sacrifice, he and all the nobles of Moab. 
 
 And he took up his parable and said, From Aram 
 did Balak, king of Moab, lead me, from the moun- 
 tains of the east: come, curse for me Jacob, and come, 
 contemn Israel.
 
 178 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 How can I curse whom God hath not cursed ? and 
 how can I contemn whom the Lord hath not con- 
 temned ? 
 
 From the crests of the rocks I see Him, and from 
 the hills do I behold him. Behold, the people dwelleth 
 alone, and doth not count itself among the nations. 
 
 Who can count the dust of Jacob and the number 
 even a fourth of Israel ? O may my soul die the death 
 of the righteous, and may my end be like his? 
 
 And Balak said, What hast thou done ? I fetched 
 thee to curse my enemies, and, behold, thou hast em- 
 phatically blessed them ! 
 
 And he answered and said, Is it not that which God 
 putteth in my mouth, that I must heed to speak? 
 
 And Balak said, Come to a place whence thou canst 
 see only a part and not all (the camp), and curse him 
 for me thence. 
 
 And he took him to the top of Pisgah. And he 
 built seven altars and offered a bullock and a ram. 
 
 And he said to Balak, Stand here by thy sacrifice 
 "and I will be met there. 
 
 And the Lord met Balaam and put a word in his 
 mouth, and said, Return to Balak and thus speak. 
 
 And he came to him, and, behold, he stood by his 
 offering, aiid the princes of Moab with him. And 
 Balak said, What hath the Lord said? 
 
 And he took up his parable and said, Arise, Balak, 
 and hear ; give ear to me, O son of Zippor. God is 
 not a rnan that he should lie, or a human being that 
 He should repent Himself. Hath He not said, and
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 179 
 
 shall it not be done? Hath He not spoken, and shall 
 it not be established ? 
 
 Behold, to bless I am possessed ; and He hath 
 blessed, and I cannot reverse it. 
 
 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, nor hath 
 he seen guile in Israel. The Lord his God is with 
 him, and the acclamation of king is with him. 
 
 For there is no divination in Jacob and no enchant- 
 ment in Israel : when it is time it shall be said to 
 Jacob and to Israel, What God hath wrought ! 
 
 Behold, a people shall rise like a strong lion, and 
 as a young lion shall it raise itself; it shall not lie 
 down until it hath consumed prey and it shall drink 
 the blood of slain. 
 
 And Balak said, If thou wilt not curse them, do not 
 bless them. 
 
 And Balaam answered, Have I not told thee, all 
 that God saith, that must I do? 
 
 And Balak said, Come, let me take thee to another 
 place; perhaps it will be right in God's eyes, and 
 thou mayest curse them for me thence. And he took 
 him to Peor, opposite the desert. And Balaam said, 
 Build seven altars and prepare seven bullocks and 
 seven rams. And Balak did so, and offered a bullock 
 and a ram. 
 
 And Balaam saw that it was good in God's eyes to 
 bless Israel : and he went not as before to seek en- 
 chantment. 
 
 1 And he lifted up his eyes and saw Israel dwelling 
 by his tribes, and the spirit of God came upon him. 
 
 And he took up his parable and said ;
 
 l8o SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 Thus saith Balaam son of Beor, the man endowed 
 with mental vision, who heareth God's words, and 
 seeth, entranced, the vision of the Almighty. 
 
 How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob! and thy dwell- 
 ings, O Israel ! 
 
 They stretch like streams, like gardens by the 
 brook-side, like aloes of God's planting, like cedars 
 by the waters. 
 
 God brought him forth from Egypt he consumeth 
 nations his enemies. He croucheth, he lieth down like 
 a strong lion, and as a young lion who dare rouse 
 him ? Blessed are they that bless thee, and blighted 
 are they who would blight thee ! 
 
 And Balak was angry with Balaam, and clapped 
 his hands (in anger) and said, I called thee to curse my 
 enemies, and, behold, thou hast emphatically blessed 
 them three times. Now, flee to thy place. I said I 
 would honor thee ; but, behold, the Lord withholdeth 
 thee from honor. 
 
 And Balaam spake to the messenger, and said, 
 Were Balak to give me his house full of silver and 
 gold, I could not transgress the word of the Lord to 
 do good or evil from my heart. What the Lord saith, 
 that I must speak. 
 
 And now, behold, I go to my people : come, let me 
 advise thee what this people will do to thy people in 
 later days. 
 
 And he took up his parable and said : 
 
 I see him but not now ; I behold him but not nigh; 
 there steppeth forth a star out of Jacob and there aris-
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS l8l 
 
 eth a sceptre out of Israel, and he pierceth the chiefs 
 of Moab and destroyeth all the children of Seth. 
 
 And Edom shall be a conquest, and Seir for his en- 
 emies, aud Israel shall do valiantly. 
 
 And one from Jacob shall rule, and he will destroy 
 whatever escapeth from the city. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 The verses between the two asterisks are all in Balaam's 
 dream. Balaam evidently wished to accept Balak's invita- 
 tion for the sake of promised rewards, despite God's prohi- 
 bition in his first vision. What occurred in his second vision 
 effectually reduced Balaam to submission to God, to whose 
 will he had to subject his own desire, If it was not a dream, 
 Ittt would have been impossible for Balaam to have acted 
 as he did; for the ass to speak and injure his foot; for 
 Balaam to fall prostrate before the messenger, without the 
 "two young men" who were with him noticing it, even if 
 the messenger himself was invisible. If Balaam's foot was 
 injured, he could not each time have walked away 
 while leaving Balak by the altars. If the nobles of 
 Moab had witnessed anything supernatural, they would have 
 told Balak, who would probably have taken the hint, dis- 
 missed Balaam, and accepted the inevitable. Certainly, 
 Balak would not have attempted to carry out his will so 
 strenuously in the face of other evidence than Balaam's 
 ecstatic utterances. 
 
 The " spirit of God " resting on Balaam means that he 
 was inspired or subjected to psychical influence from God 
 which forced him to speak.
 
 l82 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 LESSON XXII. 
 
 THE APPOINTMENT OF JOSHUA AS LEADER. 
 
 m*fe4(/ 
 
 TEXT: "The Lord is righteous in all His ways and SMMMW in 
 all His doings." Ps. cxlv. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Get thee up unto 
 this Mount Abarim, and see the land which I have 
 given unto the children of Israel. 
 
 And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be 
 gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was 
 gathered. 
 
 For ye rebelled against My commandment in the 
 desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to 
 sanctify Me at the water before their eyes (that is 
 the water of Meribah in Kadesh, in the wilderness of 
 Ziu). 
 
 And Moses spake unto the Lord saying, 
 
 Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set 
 a man over the congregation which may go out before 
 them, and which may go in before them, and which 
 may lead them out, and which may bring them in, 
 that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep 
 which have no shepherd. 
 
 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua 
 the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay 
 thine hand upon him. 
 
 And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before 
 all the congregation, and give him a charge in their 
 sight. 
 
 And thou shalt put some of thine honor upon him, 
 that all the congregation of the children of Israel 
 may be obedient.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 183 
 
 And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall 
 ask counsel for him after the judgment of the Urim 
 before the Lord; at his word shall they go out, and at 
 his word shall they come in, both he and all the chil- 
 dren of Israel with him, even all the congregation. 
 
 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him, and 
 he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest> 
 and before all the congregation. 
 
 THE TWO AND A HALF TRIBES. 
 
 Now the children of Reubeu and the children of 
 Gad had a very great multitude of cattle, and they 
 saw the land of Jaazer and the land of Gilead, and 
 behold, the place was a place for cattle. 
 
 Wherefore said they, If we have found grace in thy 
 sight, let this laud be given unto thy servants for a 
 possession, and bring us not over Jordan. 
 
 And Moses said unto them, Shall your brethren go 
 to war, and shall ye sit here ? 
 
 Wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children 
 of Israel from going over into the land which the 
 Lord hath given them? 
 
 Thus did your fathers when I sent them from 
 Kadesh-Barnea to see the land. 
 
 For when they went up into the valley of Eschol 
 and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the 
 children of Israel that they should not go into the 
 land which the Lord had given them. 
 
 And the Lord's anger was kindled at that time, and 
 He declared, saying, Surely none of the men that cam e
 
 1 84 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, 
 shall see the land which I promised unto Abraham, 
 unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, because they have not 
 wholly followed Me. 
 
 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, the Keuizzite, and 
 Joshua the sou of Nun, for they have wholly fol- 
 lowed the Lord. 
 
 And the Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, 
 and He made them wander in the wilderness forty 
 years, until all the generation that had done evil in 
 the sight of the Lord was consumed. 
 
 And, behold, ye are risen in your fathers' stead, an 
 increase of sinful men, to increase yet the fierce anger 
 of the Lord toward Israel. 
 
 For if ye turn away from after Him, He will yet 
 again leave them in the wilderness, and ye will de- 
 stroy all this people. 
 
 And they came near unto him and said, We will 
 build sheep-folds here for our cattle and cities for our 
 little ones. 
 
 But we ourselves will go ready armed before the 
 children of Israel, until we will have brought them 
 unto their place; and our little ones shall dwell in the 
 fenced cities, because of the inhabitants of the land. 
 
 We will not return unto our houses until the chil- 
 dren of Israel will have inherited every one his in- 
 heritance. 
 
 For we will not inherit with them on yonder side 
 Jordan or forward, because our inheritance will have 
 fallen to us on this side Jordan, eastward.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 185 
 
 And Moses said, If ye will indeed do so, this country 
 shall be to you a posssession. 
 
 But if ye will not do so, behold ye sin against the 
 Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out. 
 
 Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for 
 your sheep, and do that which hath proceeded out of 
 your mouth. And they said, Thy servants will do so. 
 Our wives, herd and cattle will be there in the cities 
 of Gilead and we thy servants will pass forward armed 
 for battle. 
 
 And Moses commanded Eleazar, the high-priest, 
 Joshua, son of Nun, and the heads of the chiefs of the 
 tribes, saying, If the children of Gad and the children 
 of Reuben pass the Jordan armed for battle and the 
 land is subdued before them, then ye shall give them 
 the land of Gilead for a possession. 
 
 If not, let them be assigned possessions in your 
 midst, in the land of Canaan. 
 
 And the children of Gad and of Reuben repeated 
 their promise. 
 
 And Moses gave to them and to the half tribe of Me- 
 nasseh, son of Joseph, the kingdoms of Sihon, king of 
 the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 The time was approaching for Moses to die. For the 
 forty years decreed for the desert-wandering were nearly 
 over, and Moses was not to enter Palestine for the reason 
 stated in the text. 
 
 To many of us it happens that we are not allowed to
 
 1 86 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 reap the results of our life-work. At most, we some- 
 times see its fulfilment within sight. Moses' life-work had 
 been to rescue Israel, educate him and establish him in 
 Palestine. He could not complete it, but its fulfilment was 
 within sight. As with Moses, so with us: it is our own 
 fault usually if we do not see the complete fulfilment of 
 our efforts. 
 
 True to his love for his flock, however, he begs God to 
 appoint a successor. Let us observe that, in doing so, he 
 does not appeal to God as the God of the Hebrews, as he 
 was told to do when pleading in His name before Pharaoh^ 
 but as God of the spirits of all flesh. From this we learn 
 that our God is the God of all mankind. He is Father of all 
 of us, Jew or Gentile. He is the universal Lord, and not a 
 tribal God or a God of one people only. This teaching of 
 Moses, the first of our great prophets, is the constant theme 
 of all, and is one of the last declarations of our prophets, as 
 voiced by Malachi. 
 
 Thus Israel's mission is a spiritual one. The Hebrews 
 were on the threshold of Palestine about to enter it. They 
 were to establish a republic so influenced by religion for 
 Love, Justice and Purity, that they would attract all nations 
 by their example and convert them to their religion by 
 the evidence of its beauty and its power to fill life with 
 happiness. 
 
 Israel's mission was, therefore, to be the spiritual guide 
 for all mankind. Hence it was most appropriate for Moses 
 when he was asking for some one to succeed him as leader 
 of Israel, to address God as the "God of the spirits of all 
 flesh." 
 
 Joshua was chosen as a man "in whom there was spirit," 
 the right spirit. He had shown this by his skill as a warrior,
 
 ' SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 187 
 
 (Exod. xvii), by his solicitude for his people (Exod. xxxii. 
 17), by his modesty and force of character on that occasion; 
 (Exod. xxiii, n), by his zeal for Moses* honor as the 
 inspired of God, above all, by his zeal for the respect due to 
 Divine Inspiration (Num. xi. 28); and by his manly and 
 noble words, in defiance of the majority against him, when 
 he stood up for God and the right (Num. xiv. 6). 
 
 The placing or imposition of hand upon a man, called 
 Semicha (from the Hebrew word Samach) is to-day some- 
 times performed by Rabbis who have themselves received 
 it, when they appoint new Rabbis. 
 
 By a public appointment of Joshua, there could be no 
 dispute after Moses* death as to who was to be his successor. 
 This ensured the loyalty of the Hebrews to Joshua. On 
 the other hand, he was as publicly told his duty to them. 
 For Moses was bidden to "give him a charge," which meant 
 command or commission. 
 
 The meaning of the Urim is variously explained. It is 
 probably connected with the spiritual light or spiritual en- 
 lightenment which the mortal being can obtain when he 
 succeeds in placing himself in spiritual communion with the 
 God of the spirits of all flesh. 
 
 Urim is from the word Ur, light or fire, and was the 
 name applied to one of the two great stones of the breast- 
 plate over the heart of the priest. The other was called 
 Thummim or Perfection. 
 
 In the episode of the two and a half tribes settling east 
 of the river Jordan, Moses remarks to them in the event of 
 their not keeping their word and doing their duty : "your 
 sins will find you out." 
 
 If we sin once we are likely to sin again. Each time it 
 becomes easier, for we hesitate less each time, But in the
 
 1 88 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 end we must be found out. Making inexact excuses leads 
 to making false excuses. This leads to direct falsehood and 
 loss of self-respect. But some day it must be found out, 
 and then we lose the respect of others. So laziness, 
 untidiness, selfishness, all grow upon us; but sooner or 
 later we will assuredly suffer for it by only half-living our 
 lives for usefulness and consequently gaining only half the 
 happiness we might otherwise enjoy. 
 
 Our sins find us out, whether they are sins of character 
 or sins against our health. 
 
 Any departure from Judaism's three teachings, Love, 
 Justice, Purity, is a sin, and unless watched and corrected, 
 will bring us sorrow, regret, suffering or loss, and thus 
 our sins will find us out! 
 
 LESSON XXIII. 
 
 RELIGION AS MOSES PREACHED IT. 
 MAN'S DUTY TO HIS GOD. 
 
 TEXT: "The Lord loveth thee" (Deut vii, 8). 
 
 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes 
 and unto the judgments which I teach you, to do 
 them, that ye may live, and go in to possess the 
 land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you. 
 
 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command 
 you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye 
 may keep the commandments of the Lord your God 
 which I command you. 
 
 Your eyes have seen what the Lord did because of
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 189 
 
 Baal-peor, for all the men that followed Baal-peor the 
 Lord thy God hath destroyed them from among you. 
 
 But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God, are 
 alive every one of you this day. 
 
 Behold I have taught you statutes and judgments, 
 even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye 
 should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. 
 
 Keep therefore and do them, for this is your wis- 
 dom and your understanding in the sight of the Gen- 
 tiles which shall hear all these statutes, and shall say. 
 Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding 
 people. 
 
 For what nation is there so great, that hath statutes 
 and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I 
 set before you this day ? 
 
 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul dili- 
 gently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes 
 have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the 
 days of thy life, but teach them thy sons, and thy 
 sons' sons. 
 
 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the Lord 
 thy God in Horeb, when the Lord said unto me, 
 Gather Me the people together, and I will make 6 them 
 hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me, all 
 the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that 
 they may teach their children. 
 
 And ye came near and stood under the mountain 
 and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of 
 heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. 
 
 And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of
 
 190 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 the fire, ye heard the sound of the words, but ye saw 
 no similitude, only ye heard a sound. 
 
 And He declared unto, you His covenant, which He 
 commanded you to perform, even ten commandments 
 (declarations), and He wrote them upon two tablets of 
 stone. 
 
 And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach 
 you statutes and judgments that ye might do them in 
 the land, whither ye go to possess it. 
 
 Take ye therefore good heed unlo yourselves, for 
 ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the 
 Lord spake unto you in Horeb, out of the midst of the 
 fire. 
 
 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a graven 
 image, the similitude of any figure, a likeness of male 
 or female. 
 
 The likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the 
 likeness of any winged fowl that flieth in the air. 
 
 The likeness of anything that creepeth upon the 
 ground, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters 
 beneath the earth. 
 
 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and 
 when thou seest the sun and the moon and the stars, 
 even all the host of heaven, shouldst be driven to 
 worship them and serve them, which the Lord thy 
 God hath divided unto all nations under the whole 
 heaven. 
 
 But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth 
 out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto 
 Him a people of inheritance as ye are this day.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 191 
 
 Furthermore the Lord was angry with me for your 
 sakes, and declared I should not go over Jordan, 
 arid that I should not go in unto that good land, 
 which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inherit- 
 ance. 
 
 But I must die in the land, I must not go over Jor- 
 dan, but ye shall go over and possess the land. 
 
 Take heed unto yourselves lest ye forget the cove- 
 nant of the Lord your God which He made with you, 
 and make you a graven image or the likeness of any- 
 thing which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee. 
 
 For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a 
 zealous God. 
 
 When thou shalt beget children, and children's 
 children, and ye shall have remained long in the land, 
 and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a graven 
 image or the likeness of anything, and shall do evil 
 in the sight of the Lord thy God to provoke Him to 
 anger. 
 
 I call heaven and earMi to witness against you this 
 day. that ye shall utterly perish from off the land 
 whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it, ye shall 
 not prolong your days upon it, but shall utterly be 
 destroyed. 
 
 And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations, 
 and ye shall be left few in numbers among the gentiles, 
 whither the Lord shall lead you. 
 
 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's 
 hands, wood and stone, which neither see nor hear, 
 nor eat, nor smell.
 
 1 92 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord' thy 
 God, thou shall find Him, if thou seek Him with all 
 thy heart and with all thy soul. 
 
 When thou art in trouble and all these things are 
 come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn 
 to the Lord thy God, and shall be obedient unto His 
 voice. 
 
 For the Lord thy God is a merciful God, He will 
 not forsake thee, neither destroy thee nor forget the 
 covenant of thy fathers, which He promised unto them. 
 
 For ask now of the days that are past, which were 
 before thee, since the day that God created man upon 
 the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto 
 the other, whether there hath been any such thing as 
 this great thing is, or hath been heard like it. 
 
 Did ever people hear the voice of God, speaking 
 out of the midst of the fire as thou hast heard, and 
 live ? 
 
 Or hath God assayed to go and take a nation from 
 the midst of another nation by trials, by signs and by 
 wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by 
 a stretched-out arm, and by great ter-rors, according 
 to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt 
 before your eyes ? 
 
 Thou hast been enlightened to know that the Lord 
 He is God, there is none else beside Him. 
 
 Out of Heaven He made thee to hear His voice, 
 that He might instruct thee, and upon earth He 
 showed thee His great, fire, and thou heardest His 
 words out of the midst of the fire.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 195 
 
 And because He loved thy fathers, therefore He 
 chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in 
 His sight with His mighty power out of Egypt. 
 
 To drive out nations from before thee, greater 
 and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to 
 give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this 
 day. 
 
 Know, therefore, this day and consider it in thine 
 heart, that the Lord He is God, in heaven above and 
 upon the earth beneath, there is none other. 
 
 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the 
 Lord your God, and His testimonies, and His statutes^ 
 which He hath commanded thee. 
 
 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in 
 the sight of the Lord, that it may be well with thee, 
 and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land 
 which the Lord promised unto thy fathers, 
 
 To cast out all thine enemies from before thee, as 
 the Lord hath spoken. 
 
 And when thy son asketh thee in time to come say- 
 ing, What mean the testimonies and the statutes and 
 the judgments, which the Lord our God hath com- 
 mauded you. 
 
 Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Phar- 
 aoh's bondmen in Egypt, and the Lord brought us 
 out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 
 
 And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and 
 soie, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his 
 household before our eyes. 
 
 And He brought us out from thence, that He might
 
 IQ4 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 bring us in to give us the land which He promised 
 unto our fathers. 
 
 The Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to 
 reverence the Lord our God, for our happiness always, 
 that He might preserve us alive as it is this day. 
 
 And it shall be our righteousness if we observe to 
 do all these commandments before the Lord our God 
 as He hath commanded us. 
 
 When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the 
 land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast 
 out manv nations from before thee, the Hittites, and 
 the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, 
 and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, 
 seven nations greater and mightier than thou. 
 
 And when the Lord thy God shall deliver them 
 before thee, thou shalt smite them and utterly destroy 
 them, thou shalt make no covenant with them nor 
 show grace unto them. 
 
 Neither shalt thou make marriages with them, thy 
 daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his 
 daughter shalt thou not take unto thy son. 
 
 For they will turn away thy son from following 
 me that they may serve other gods, so will the anger 
 of the Lord be kindled against you, and destroy thee 
 suddenl . 
 
 But thus shall ye deal with them, ye shall destroy 
 their altars, and break down their images, and cut 
 down their groves, and burn their graven images 
 with fire. 
 
 For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God:
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 195 
 
 the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special 
 people unto Himself, above all peoples that are upon 
 the face of the earth. 
 
 The Lord did not set His love upon you, nor choose 
 you because ye were more in number than any people, 
 for ye were the fewest of all people. 
 
 But because the Lord loveth you, and because He 
 would keep the promise which He had promised unto 
 your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a 
 mighty hand and redeemed you out of the house of 
 bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 We have here a statement of the relations between God 
 and Israel. 
 
 God has chosen the Hebrews, because He loved the 
 patriarchs, and because " He loves Israel," to take them 
 into Palestine where they are to observe the Law He gave 
 them. This Law, Moses declares, is the source of " their 
 wisdom and understanding in the eyes of the Gentiles '' 
 who will admire its excellence and who will concede their 
 spiritual superiority. The admiration would naturally be 
 followed by imitation; and the conversion of the Gentiles, 
 by conviction instead of by force, would have been the 
 result. This would be the fulfilment of the mission of 
 Israel, the son of God, the first-born son, to lead the Gen- 
 tiles, His other children, back to Him. 
 
 "Know, therefore, that the Lord thy God, He is God, the 
 faithful God, which keepeth covenant and loving kindness 
 with them that love Him and keep flis commandments, to 
 a thousand generations."
 
 196 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 And recompenseth direct them that hate Him, to destroy 
 them; He will not be slack, to him that hateth Him, He will 
 recompense him direct. 
 
 God recompensing, repaying or punishing, means only 
 the natural result of disobedience of His laws. 
 
 If we disobey His natural laws for water or fire or air or 
 earth, the result is suffering or loss, such as flood or wreck- 
 age, burning, disease, failure of crop, etc. Or, to use the 
 Bible method of expression, God would " recompense," 
 " repay " or punish " us with flood or wreckage, etc. 
 
 Similarly with His spiritual laws. If we disobey them 
 the result will be spiritual suffering such as contrition, 
 remorse, etc., or loss of God's protection and blessings 
 necessary for our well-being and happiness. 
 
 As for the relations which Israel must preserve to God, 
 he must obey His Law, and make Palestine a centre of 
 religious influence for all the world. The seven Palestinian 
 nations whose religion meant immorality, having neglected 
 all God's warnings (see Notes to Lesson XX.), were to be 
 expelled or exterminated. Intermarriage was emphatically 
 prohibited with them, and as we find later, intermarriage 
 with other nations or with any but Hebrews is forbidden 
 (i Kings xi. i, Nehem. xiii. 23, 26, etc), and condemned. 
 
 Israel must be loyal to God. " The Lord is God, there 
 is none else beside Him " (Deut.iv. 35). ''The Lord is God 
 in Heaven above and on e.irth beneath; there is none other" 
 (Deut. iv. 39). These and similar solemn declarations of 
 Moses answer the question whether the ancient Hebrews 
 were monotheists or believers in One, the only God, or 
 whether they were monolatrists or worshipers of one God 
 while conceding that other gods existed. There are no 
 other gods, saith Moses.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS IQ7 
 
 LESSON XXIV. 
 
 RELIGION AS MOSKS PREACHED IT. 
 
 TEXT: " Righteousness, righteousness, that shalt thou pursue.' 
 Deut. xvi. 20. 
 
 " All that do unrighteously are an abomination unto the Lord." 
 Deut. xxv. 1 6. 
 
 At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a 
 release. 
 
 Every creditor that lendeth aught unto his neigh- 
 bor shall release it, it is the Lord's release. 
 
 If there be among you a poor man, thou shalt not 
 harden thy heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor 
 brother. 
 
 But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and 
 shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that 
 which he wanteth. 
 
 Thou shall surely give him, and thy heart shall not 
 be grieved when thou givest unto him, because for 
 this thing the Lord will bless thee in all thy works, 
 and in all thou puttest thy hand unto. 
 
 For the poor shall never cease out of the land, 
 therefore I command thee saying, thou shalt open 
 thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to 
 thy needy in the land. 
 
 If thy brother, a Hebrew man or Hebrew woman, be 
 sold unto thee, and serve thee six years, then in the 
 seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee. 
 
 And thou shalt not let him go away empty-handed. 
 
 Thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock 
 
 and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy wine-
 
 198 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 press, of that wherewith the Lord thy God hath blessed 
 thee. And it shall be if he say unto thee, I will not 
 go away from thee, because he loveth thee and thine 
 house, because he was happy with thee. 
 
 Then thou .-halt take a piercer, and pierce it through 
 his ear, unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for 
 ever. 
 
 It shall not seem hard unto thee when thou sendest 
 him away free from thee, for he hath been worth a 
 double hired servant to thee in serving thee six years, 
 and the Lord thy God will have blessed thee in all 
 that thou doest. 
 
 Observe the month of Abib and keep the Passov r 
 unto the Lord thy God, for in the month of Abib 
 He brought thee forth out of Egypt, by night. 
 
 Thou shalt eat no leavened bread with it; seven days 
 shalt thou eat unleavened bread therewith, even the 
 bread of affliction. 
 
 And there shall be no leavened bread seen with thee 
 in all thy coasts seven days. 
 
 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee; thou 
 shalt begin to number the seven weeks from the time 
 thou beginnest to put the sickle to the corn. 
 
 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the 
 Lord thy God, with the tribute of a free-will offering 
 of thine hand, which thou shalt give unto Him, ac- 
 cording as He hath blessed thee. 
 
 And thou shalt rejoice before Him, thou and thy 
 son and thy daughter and thy man-servant and thy 
 maid servant, and the Levite that is within thy gates,
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 199 
 
 and the stranger, and the fatherless and the widow 
 that are among you, in the place which He hath 
 chosen to place His name there. 
 
 Andthon shalt remember that thou wast a bondman 
 in Egypt, and thou shalt observe and do these statutes. 
 
 Thou shalt observe the feast of tabernacles seven 
 days; after that thou hast gathered in from thy thresh- 
 ing-floor and from thy wine-press. 
 
 And thou shalt rejoice in thy feast, thou and thy 
 son and thy daughter, and thy man servant and thy 
 maid servant, and the stranger and the fatherless and 
 the widow that are within thy gates. 
 
 Seven days shalt thou keep a solemn feast unto the 
 Lord thy God, and He will bless thee in all thine in- 
 crease and in all the works of thine hands, therefore 
 thou shalt surely rejoice. 
 
 Three times in a year shall all thy males appear 
 before the Lord thy God in the place which He shall 
 choose, in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the 
 feast of weeks and in the feast of tabernacles; and thou 
 shalt not appear before the Lord empty-handed. Every 
 man shall give as he is able according to the blessing 
 of the Lord thy God, which He hath given thee. 
 
 Judges and officers shalt thou make within thy gates 
 and they shall judge the people with just judgment. 
 
 Thou shalt not pervert judgment, thou shalt not re- 
 spect persons; neither take a gift, for a gift doth blind 
 the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the 
 righteous. Righteousness, righteousness, shalt thou 
 pursue.
 
 200 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 If there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment 
 in criminal or in civil law, in conflict of opinion or 
 in matters of controversy within thy gates, thou 
 shalt arise, and get thee up into the place which the 
 Lord thy God shall choose. 
 
 And thou shalt come unto the priests, the Levites, 
 and unto the judge that shall be in those days and in- 
 quire, and they shall show thee the sentence of judg- 
 ment. 
 
 And thou shalt do according to the sentence which 
 they, of that place which the Lord shall choose, shall 
 show thee, and thou shalt observe to do according to 
 all that they inform thee. 
 
 According to the sentence of the law which they 
 shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which 
 they shall tell thee, thou shalt do; thou shalt not de- 
 clin from the sentence which they shall show thee, 
 to the right hand nor to the left. 
 
 And the man that will do presumptuously, and will 
 not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister 
 there before the Lord thy God or unto the judge, even 
 that man shall die, and thou shall put away the evil 
 from Israel. 
 
 And all the people shall listen and have respect and 
 act no more presumptuously. 
 
 When thou art come into the land which the Lord 
 thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after 
 the abominations of those nations. 
 
 There shall not be found among you any one that 
 maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 2OI 
 
 fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, 
 clairvoyant (or an enchanter), or a witch, or a charmer, 
 or a consulter by ventriloquism, or a wizard, or a 
 necromancer; for all that do these things are an abom- 
 ination unto the Lord, and because of these abomin- 
 ations the Lord thy God doth drive them out before 
 thee. 
 
 Thou shalt not see thy brother's ox, or his sheep, go 
 astray and hide thyself from them, thou shalt in any 
 case bring them unto thy brother. 
 
 And if thy brother be not nigh unto thee, or if thou 
 know him not, then thou shalt bring it unto thine own 
 house, and it shall be with thee until thy brother seek 
 after it, and thou shalt restore it unto him again. 
 
 In like manner shalt thou do with his ass, and so 
 shalt thou do with his raiment, and with all lost things 
 of thy brother's which he hath lost and thou hast found, 
 shalt thou do likewise; thou shalt not hide thyself. 
 
 Thou shalt not see thy brother's ass nor his ox fall 
 down by the way, and hide thyself from them, thou 
 shalt surely help him to lift them up again. 
 
 A woman shall not wear that which pertaineth 
 unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's 
 garment, for all that do so are an abomination to the 
 Lord thy God. 
 
 If a bird's nest chance to be before thee in any tree 
 or on the ground, whether they be young ones or 
 eggs, and the mother-bird sitting upon the young or 
 upon the eggs, thou shalt not take the mother-bird 
 with the young.
 
 202 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 But thou shalt in any wise let the mother-bird go, 
 and take the young to thee, that it may be well with 
 thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days. 
 
 When thou buildest a new house then thou shalt 
 make a parapet for thy roof, that thou bring uot 
 blood upon thine house, if any man fall from thence. 
 Thou shalt not sow thy vineyard with divers seeds, 
 lest the fruit of thy seed which thou hast sown and 
 thy vineyard be defiled. 
 
 Thou shalt not plough with an ox and an ass to- 
 gether. 
 
 Thou shalt not wear a garment of divers sorts, 
 woolen and linen together. 
 
 Thou shalt make thee fringes upon the four quar- 
 ters of thy vesture wherewith thou coverest thyself. 
 
 Thou shalt not deliver unto his master the slave 
 which is escaped from his master unto thee. Thou 
 shalt not oppress him. 
 
 Thou shalt not lend upon interest to thy brother, 
 money, victuals or anything upon interest. 
 
 Unto a stranger thou mayest; that the Lord thy 
 God may bless thee in all that thou settest thy hand 
 to in the laud whither thou goest to possess it. 
 
 When thou dost vow to the Lord a thank-offering 
 thou must fulfill it. If thou dost forbear to vow, it is 
 no sin in thee. 
 
 That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep 
 and perform. 
 
 When a man hath taken a new wife he sh?ll not go 
 out to war, neither shall he be charged with any busi-
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 203 
 
 ness, but he shall be free at home one year, and shall 
 make happy his wife which he hath taken. 
 
 No man shall take the nether or the upper millstone 
 to pledge, for he taketh a man's life to pledge. 
 
 When thou dost lend thy brother anything, thou 
 shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. 
 
 Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou 
 dost lend shall bring out the pledge abroad unto thee. 
 
 And if the man be poor, thou shalt not sleep with 
 his pledge. 
 
 In any case thou shalt deliver him the pledge 
 again when the suti goeth down, that he may sleep 
 in his own raiment and bless thee, and it shall be 
 righteousness unto thee before the Lord thy God. 
 
 Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor 
 and needy, whether he be or" thy brethren or of thy 
 strangers that are in thy laud, within thy gates. 
 
 When it is due to him, thou shalt give him his 
 hire, and the sun shall not go down upon it; for he is 
 poor and setteth his heart upon it; lest he cry against 
 thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee. 
 
 Fathers shall not be put to death for children, 
 neither sha'l children be put to death for fathers, 
 every man shall be put to death for his own sin. 
 
 Thou shalt not pervert the judgment of the stranger; 
 nor of the fatherless, nor take the widow's raiment to 
 pledge. 
 
 But thou shalt remembsr that thou wast a bondman 
 in Egvpt and the Lord thy God redeemed thee thence, 
 therefore I command thee to do this thing.
 
 204 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 When thou cuttest down thine harvest in thy field 
 and hast forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go 
 again to fetch it; it shall be for the strangei, for the 
 fatherless, and for the widow, that the Lord thy God 
 may bless thee in all the work of thine hands. 
 
 When thou beatest thine olive tree thou shalt not 
 go over the boughs again, it shall be for the stranger, 
 for the fatherless and for the widow. 
 
 When thou gatherest the grapes of thy vineyard, 
 thou shalt not glean it afterwards; it shall be for the 
 stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widew. 
 
 Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out 
 the corn. 
 
 Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a 
 great and a small. 
 
 Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, 
 a great and a small. 
 
 But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a 
 perfect and just measure shalt thou have, that thy 
 days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord 
 thy God giveth thee. 
 
 For all that do such things, and all that do un- 
 righteously, are an abomination unto the Lord thy 
 God. 
 
 NOTE. The teacher in reviewing should ask a ques- 
 tion upon each verse of this and the foregoing 
 lesson.
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 205 
 
 LESSON XXV. 
 
 THE SHKMANG. 
 
 TEXT: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 
 with all thy soul and with all thy might." Deut. vi. 5. 
 
 I. 
 
 Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God the Lord is one. 
 
 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy 
 heart, and with all thy soul, and with 'all thy might 
 
 And these words which I command thee this day 
 shall be in thy heart. 
 
 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy chil- 
 dren, and thou shalt speak of them when thou sittest in 
 thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and 
 when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 
 
 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy 
 hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 
 
 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy 
 house, and upon thy gates. 
 
 II. 
 
 And it shall come to pass, if ye will hearken dili- 
 gently unto my commandments which I command 
 you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve 
 Him with all your heart, and with all your soul, 
 
 That I will give you rain for your land in due sea- 
 son, the first rain and the latter rain, and thou shalt 
 gather in thy corn and thy wine and thine oil. 
 
 And I will send grass in thy field for thy cattle, 
 and thou shalt eat and be satisfied. 
 
 Take heed to yourselves lest your heart deceive,
 
 206 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 and ye turn aside and serve other gods and worship 
 them. 
 
 And then the Lord's wrath will be kindled against 
 you, and He will close the heavens and there will 
 be no rain, and the land will not yield her fruit, and 
 ye will perish quickly from off the goodly land which 
 the Lord giveth you. 
 
 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your 
 heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon 
 your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your 
 eyes. 
 
 And ye shall teach them your children, speaking 
 of" them, when thou sittest in thy house and when 
 thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and 
 when thou risest up. 
 
 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of 
 thy house and upon thy gates. 
 
 That your days may be multiplied, and the days of 
 your children, in the land which the Lord promised 
 unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven 
 upon earth. 
 
 III. 
 
 And the Lord spake unto Moses saying: 
 Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them 
 make unto themselves fringes in the borders of their 
 garments, throughout their generations, and that they 
 put upon the fringe of the borders a thread of blue. 
 
 And it shall be unto you for a fringe, aud ye shall 
 look upon it, and remember all the commandments of 
 the Lord and do them; and ye shall not turn aside
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 207 
 
 after your own heart, and your own eyes, through 
 which ye are prone to go astray. 
 
 That ye may remember and do all My command- 
 ments, and be holy unto your God. 
 
 I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of 
 the land of Egypt to be your God, I am the Lord 
 your God. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 The above three sections of the Pentateuch form what is 
 called " the Shetnang " from the first Hebrew word of the 
 first piece. 
 
 They are looked upon as most important passages. The 
 child, as soon as he begins to talk, is taught to say. the first 
 line for a morning and an evening praye-r. Then a line, 
 " Blessed be the name of the glory of His Kingdom for 
 ever and ever," is added. Then he is taught gradually the 
 rest of the first section, verse by verse, until the end. And 
 the dying man recites the first verse on his deathbed. 
 
 The reason of the importance of the Shemang, is the 
 meaning of its moral teachings. These are Love, Justice 
 and Purity, the essentials of our religion. They are here 
 taught in connection with the three great doctrines of our 
 religion, namely, the unity of God, Immortality of the Soul, 
 Personal Responsibility. 
 
 The first section teaches the unity of God, that is, that 
 God is one. Therefore, to Him alone we may pray. From 
 Him alone can we obtain forgiveness. Further, He is One 
 in His nature and in His ways or methods. Therefore, He 
 does not change. And the same laws by which He rules 
 the material world around us, govern and hold good in the 
 spiritual world.
 
 208 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 For example. Seeds or growths bring forth better or 
 worse flower or fruit according to surroundings and the 
 care taken of them. Similarly human character develops 
 better or worse results according to its surroundings and 
 the care taken of it. . 
 
 Again. Color depends upon which shades of light are 
 reflected or refracted. So the color of one's character 
 depends upon which rays of Divine light are received or 
 cast off. 
 
 Again. Weeds, useless or injurious in character, are sure 
 to grow up unless vigilance is constantly exercised. So in 
 the human heart, useless or injurious desires or habits are 
 sure to grow unless most vigilantly watched. 
 
 Again. Tides and currents flow by fixed laws. So our 
 moods and tempers succeed each other. But we must guard 
 against evil results or we will find loss and ruin. 
 
 Again. A slight deviation from a right or a straight line, 
 if continued, means going further and further away from it. 
 So a slight deviation from the line of right-doing, right- 
 speaking, or right-thinking, will mean going further and 
 further away from it and greater difficulty to get back to 
 it. 
 
 The section then proclaims the religion of love " Thou 
 shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, with all thy 
 soul, and with all thy might." 
 
 If we love God in this, way, we will never do anything to 
 displease Him, and we will always be trying to please Him 
 And we will find our happiness in this, just as we find happi- 
 ness in not doing anything that may displease our parents 
 or friends whom we love, and in doing anything that may 
 please them. 
 
 To God, our duty, therefore, is love. But he is so superior
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 209 
 
 a being that to us He shows not only love (or Ahaba) but 
 Hesed, which means loving-kindness. Loving-kindness is 
 greater than Love. Therefore, while our religion teaches 
 God is love,, it teaches even more emphatically and fre- 
 quently that God is loving-kindness. 
 
 The teaching or words of the verse " Thou shall love,'* 
 etc.,, are to be impressed into the heart as the next verse 
 enjoins The verse following commands that parents shall 
 " teach, diligently " their children, at home, while walking,, 
 and both morning and night^ The Hebrew text insists that 
 parents shall personally teach, their children and not simply 
 hire a teacher for them or send them, to Sunday SchooL 
 The Hebrew word translated " teach diligently " is from a 
 root, meaning a tooth, or an arrow-head,, or to indent to 
 make an ineradicable mark. That is,. parents must impress, 
 or indent this fundamental teaching, of " love for God " in, 
 the hearts of their children.. 
 
 Needless to say, parents must also teach by the silent 
 but more powerful teaching of example. 
 
 The next verse orders that this teaching of Love must 
 be bound on the hand and on the brow, as much as to im- 
 ply that love must actuate our deeds and our very thoughts. 
 
 And the last verse of this section commands that this 
 teaching must be inscribed" on the doorposts of our houses 
 and our gates," implying that love of God must be the rule 
 of our homes, the rule of our offices and places of business, 
 the rule to guide us as we pass out of our houses into the 
 outside world, as well as when we pass by them back again 
 to enter our homes. Our conduct in. social and business 
 affairs, as well as in our domestic circle, must therefore be 
 regulated by such love of God that we will always act, speak 
 and think only in such a way as will make others Happy.
 
 ilO SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 
 
 Then through the love of God will come the Happiness 
 of His creatures. 
 
 II. The second section of the Shemang contains the second 
 great moral teaching, Justice, and the second of our great 
 doctrines, the immortality of the soul. 
 
 It declares that if we love and serve God, He will reward 
 us; that, if we turn aside and pay homage to other gods, we 
 will be punished by the withdrawal of His blessings. 
 
 Material blessing or punishment is mentioned because 
 Israel is addressed as a nation, and a nation is affected 
 only by conditions in this world. 
 
 But the declaration is made not only that loving and 
 serving God will be rewarded and that turning away from 
 Him will be punished, but that these teachings, like the two 
 teachings of the first section, the unity of God and the duty 
 of loving God, must be impressed on the heart, bound upon 
 the hand and brow to affect our actions and speech, taught 
 to our children at all times and in all places, and inscribed 
 on our doorposts and gates as the rules of our conduct in 
 social, in business and in domestic life. 
 
 Hence we learn that reward for right doing, punishment 
 
 for wrong doing, applies also to the individual as wfell as to 
 
 ' ii ,, 
 the nation. 
 
 But we know that right doing is not always rewarded in 
 this life, for many good people suffer from disease, or loss, 
 or misfortune, or through bad children. And wicked peo- 
 ple often seem prosperous and happy. 
 
 Therefore, knowing that God is just, we believe that this 
 refers also to future life, and thus it intimates the doctrine 
 of the immortality of the soul that there is a future life. 
 This doctrine is more directly set forth later by such teach- 
 ings as those of Solomon who says, "the dust returns to the
 
 SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS 211 
 
 earth and the soul to the God who gave it" (Eccl. xii. 7), or 
 the Psalmist who speaks of "the great happiness which God 
 has in store for those who fear Him, which He has wrought 
 for those who trust in Him in the presence of humanity" 
 (Ps. xxxi. 19). 
 
 The doctrine of immortality of the soul is a natural conse- 
 quence, therefore, of a belief that God is just. 
 
 A further result of the belief in God's justice will be to 
 make us just to each other, in deed and in thought. 
 
 Justice, the second of our great moral teachings, is thus 
 taught by the second section of the Shemang. 
 
 III. The third section of the Shemang teaches us Purity 
 or Holiness. 
 
 The fringe with its thread of blue is to remind us of what 
 is due to God, just as the stripes or uniform worn by an of- 
 ficer or a soldier will remind him of what is due to his coun- 
 try. 
 
 And our duty to God is here declared to be Purity in our 
 actions, and in our desires, in order that we may be holy or 
 consecrated to God, to set the example of godly lives, 
 godly thoughts and godly deeds. 
 
 This is in accord with the declaration that God brought 
 us out of Egypt to be a nation of priests, which means, to 
 minister to the spiritual wants of other nations. We can 
 only do this by setting the example of purity, of social 
 and domestic purity, public or political purity, and personal 
 or private purity. For this example of Purity in all things, 
 we are personally responsible. Personal responsibility is 
 therefore here inculcated.
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 A. Adults will find that some of the notes are designated 
 to emphasize the beauties of our ethics and of Juda- 
 ism in general. 
 
 It is too often erroneously thought that our reli- 
 gion is inferior to Christianity in certain directions. 
 Hence the emphasis placed, for example, on the old 
 Jewish teaching, " God is Love." 
 
 The book can also be used for lower classes of 
 Sunday-schools by any capable teacher. 
 
 B. The Bible account of the origin of nations contained 
 in Chapter X. is recognized by all authorities as of 
 the greatest importance in modern ethnological 
 studies. 
 
 C The word " Hebrews " means, according to some, " de- 
 scendants of Eber, " an ancestor of Abraham, or it is 
 derived from the word meaning "to pass over," and 
 is, therefore, " those who passed over " into Canaan. 
 
 The word " Israelites " means " descendants of 
 Israel," another name of Jacob. Like " Hebrews," 
 it now applies to all his descendants. 
 
 The word "Jews" means descendants of Judah 
 and Benjamin, two tribes, which in subsequent 
 years formed the kingdom of Judah. To their 
 country the Romans gave the name of Judea.
 
 
 , .-