EXERCISES ON SCRIPTURE LESSONS. SEPTEMBER 1.-MORNING LESSON. SUMMARY. God makes the first announcement of a covenant between Himself and the people of Israel. Preparations are made for a more formal declaration of the covenant, and terrible signs are given of its solemn character. A COVENANT PROPOSED.-V. 1–9. A covenant is a contract between two parties. The scene of this is the plain of Sinai.-See Illustration. Moses went up unto God,-probably the cloud of the Divine Presence, ch. xiii. 22, slowly ascended the slope of Sinai. Moses interpreted the movement, and followed. How long he was absent, we are not told. After his return, he sent for the "Elders," the heads of the families and tribes. He told them that God had been speaking with him about them, ver. 7. How anxious they would be to know what God had said. He had promised to take as much care of them in the future as in the past, ver. 4, with Deut. xxxii. 11. The eagle encourages her young to step upon her broad wings; deposits them skilfully on her back between her wings; then off she flies. This simile shows God's power to protect His people. God had said they were His treasure, a costly possession acquired with exertion, and carefully guarded: as men take care of money, pearls, jewels, etc. They were to be His priests; every one of them was to have approach to Him in prayer and worship. Though now they were a confused multitude, they should become a nation, compact, powerful; God's own; holy. This was what God would do for them: His side of the covenant. But what were they to do? Read ver. 5. Moses wanted their answer. What was it? Read ver. 8. PREPARATION.-V. 10 13. The people must be prepared to enter into VOL. VII. NEW SERIES.-September, 1872. the covenant sincerely. This was indicated by washing their persons and their clothes, ver. 10, with Heb. x. 22. Then they were to do it solemnly,because of the majesty and holiness of God. Even the ground which was to be the scene of the transaction was to be counted holy, Exod. iii. 5. Notice the provisions made to indicate this, ver. 12. Only at the sound of a trumpet were those, who were specially called, to ascend the Mount. THE LORD ON MOUNT SINAI.-V. 14-25. Matthew Henry analyses the scene in a style as interesting to children as it is to their elders. The following is a summary of his note. Never was there such a sermon preached before or since, as this which was here preached to the Church in the wilderness. For, 1, The Preacher was God Himself, ver. 18, 20. The Shechinah, or Glory of the Lord, appeared in sight of all the people, Deut. xxxiii. 2. 2. The pulpit (or throne, rather) was Sinai, hung with a cloud, ver. 16; with smoke, ver. 18; Ps. civ. 4, 7; Judges v. 5; Hab. iii. 10. 3. The congregation was called together by the sound of a trumpet, ver. 16, 19, with Rev. viii. 6. 4. Moses brought the hearers to the place of meeting, ver. 17. The encampment must have extended far and wide over the plain in front of the mountain. The people were now apparently summoned from their tents. 5. Moses is God's minister. He is spoken to, ver. 19; his faith and courage are tried by being summoned up the Mount, ver. 20. During the ascent, he is sent down again to keep the people from breaking through to gaze, ver. 21. Some of them were probably desirous to see some similitude, from which an image or idol might be Y made, Deut. iv. 15. Thus did God prepare to make known His law. REFLECTIONS.-1. God calls us also to covenant with Him.-He makes us precious promises; He asks our hearts. 2. He will covenant with us in love.Compare the eagle, ver. 4, with the hen, Matt. xxiii. 37. See Heb. viii. 10. 3. Compare this Lesson with Heb. xii. 22-24. We have a Sacrifice for our sins; a Mediator to intercede for us; we may every one of us come. 4. All worship should be reverent,— ver. 24, with Heb. xii. 28, 29. QUESTIONS.-Mention briefly the contents of this chapter. What induced Moses to ascend the Mount? Whom did he call together after his return? What had God said of Israel? What did the people say in reply? How were the people taught that they must enter into the covenant sincerely and solemnly? How was God's presence on the Mount manifested? How were the people summoned? How would they be impressed with awe? Who alone were to ascend the Mount? Contrast this with the New Covenant. Illustration.-SINAI. Sinai is rather a group of mountains than one only. Dean Stanley selects Ras Sufsafeh as the one whose position and surroundings most correspond to the narrative. He thus describes the scene:-"That such a plain should exist at all in front of such a cliff is so remarkable a coincidence with the sacred narrative, as to furnish a strong internal argument, not merely of its identity with the scene, but of the scene itself having been described by an eye-witness. The awful and lengthened approach, as to some natural sanctuary, would have been the fittest preparation for the coming scene. The low line of alluvial mounds at the foot of the cliff, exactly answers to the 'bounds' which were to keep the people off from 'touching the Mount.' The plain itself is not broken and uneven and narrowly shut in, like almost all others in the range, but presents a long retiring sweep, against which the people could remove and stand afar off.' The cliff, rising like a huge altar in front of the whole congregation, and visible against the sky in lonely grandeur from end to end of the whole plain, is the very image of the mount that might be touched,' and from which the 'voice' of God might be heard far and wide over the stillness of the plain below, widened at that point to its utmost extent by the confluence of all the contiguous valleys. Here, beyond all other parts of the Peninsula, is the adytum, withdrawn, as if in the end of the world,' from all the stir and confusion of earthly things." SEPTEMBER 1.-AFTERNOON LESSON. 66 For repetition, Luke xi. 9, 10. INTRODUCTION. -To-day we have a child's question in the lips of men. Read ver. 1. If one of you could have got in amongst the twelve, and have heard that question, I think you would have said, That is just what I want to know. I know how to say my prayers,' but what is it 'to pray?" " Let us study the Lord's answer. A PATTERN.-Luke xi. 2-4; Matt. vi. 9. The Lord repeated to His disciples what He had said to the multitudes. Why ? Because He attached great importance to the words. So when a father sends his boy with a message; he repeats it, that the boy may remember and understand it. If we would know how to pray, we must remember our "Father in heaven," and pray that His gracious purposes for the world may be accomplished, ver. 2; we must think of our necessities, and pray for their supply, ver. 3; of our sins, and pray for their forgiveness, ver. 4; of the danger we are in of committing sin, and pray to God to take care of us, ver. 4, last part. As scholars look often at the "copy slip," and try to imitate every stroke; so in our prayers we must frequently look at the pattern which our great Master has set us. We must thoughtfully use the very words, for He said, "When ye pray, say." We A PARABLE.-Luke xi. 5-8. must forget old England, with its cold climate, and think of Judæa, with its sultry days: here, we travel by day; there, they travel by night. must forget English, and think of Jewish, homes: here, little children We have their own little cots, and there are many bedrooms in one house; there, there is one large sleepingroom for the men and children, another for the women. So here comes the poor traveller, hungry, and his friend has no food, ver. 5, 6. Now see what he does. What does the man inside say? ver. 7. How selfish he is! He does not like to be disturbed; he may awaken the children; besides, the door is barred, and he cannot be at the trouble to undo the bolts. Yet what does the suppliant outside do? He keeps on knocking, and gets his loaves, ver. 8. What is the meaning of the parable? It centres in the word "importunity," which means to ask, and keep on asking. Now look at ch. xviii. 2. But is God like that selfish, indolent householder? No: God is bountiful. But if persevering prayer can persuade a selfish man to give, and an unjust man to do right, how much more certainly will the good Lord listen and answer? A PROMISE.-Luke xi. 9, 10. The Canaanitish woman obtained her wish by repeated asking, Matt. xv. 28. . A lost piece of silver was found by continued seeking, Luke xv. 8. Peter had the door opened to him because he continued knocking, Acts xii. 16. So Jesus tells us we are to continue praying, for if God does not at once answer our prayers, it is not because He does not love us, but that He may call out our earnestness and faith. A PARALLEL. Luke xi. 11-13. What do you mean by parallel lines? You have seen them on a sheet of ruled paper, on a railway. They are lines which start from two points at a distance from each other, and continue the same course at the same distance. So here our Saviour speaks of two lines; at the points from which they start, there is the same word written, love; but there is a great distance between the points, one is love in man, the other is love in God. They travel in the same direction, giving. They stop at the same point, children; man's gifts to his, God's gifts to His. A stone may be very good for a great many purposes, but it is useless for food. A serpent is very beautiful, but its bite is deadly. A scorpion is a small thing, but it carries a poisonous sting in its tail. No father would give his children for food what is useless or mischievous. Neither will God. But the lines are not strictly parallel. Man's line is imperfect, he is "evil;' in his conduct there are curves and irregularities; he gives his children what is mischievous sometimes. There are breaks, too, in his line; sometimes he will not give his children good things because he is angry and illtempered, and sometimes he cannot, because he has not got them to give. There are no breaks, no irregularities in God's line; therefore Jesus says, "how much more." REFLECTIONS.-Children are apt to make mistakes about prayer, read Luke xviii. 35, etc. What is prayer? 1. Is it merely saying words of prayer? -That, and more. Did the blind man go only to say, "give," "give?" No, he meant it. So we; when we "say the Lord's prayer, or "say our prayers" morning and night. 2. Is it merely a duty ?-That, and more. The blind man did not go to the wayside, because some one told him he must: nor the traveller to ask bread of his friend, nor the son to ask food of his father. 3. Are we to pray simply because it is a pleasure?-It is a pleasure; every child knows that the mind is happier for even a little prayer. God has made it to be so, that we might find our duty, our delight. But yet that is not all; for pleasure will not fit the case of the knocking suppliant, the asking child, the blind beggar. 4. Prayer is asking for what we want, expecting to receive it.-That fits all three cases. Try if it does not. 5. We must believe when we pray. God's character (Luke xi. 11-13) and promises (ver. 9, 10) are the ground upon which our faith may rest secure. 6. God may delay the answers.-Recall the reasons why. QUESTIONS. What question opens this Lesson? Why did the Lord repeat the injunction concerning the Lord's prayer? Give the principal thoughts in that prayer. How are we to use it? Give the parable of the traveller in your own words. What is meant by importunity? But how does the householder differ from God? Give the words of the promise made to prayer. By what illustration did our Lord enforce the promise? In what respects is our Heavenly Father better than an earthly father? What does the Lesson teach you about prayer? SEPTEMBER 8.-MORNING LESSON. THE LAW GIVEN.-Exodus xx. 1-21. INTRODUCTION.-When Solomon had built his temple, he brought in the ark of the covenant. It was then opened, and in it there was nothing found" save the two tables of stone, which Moses put there at Horeb," 1 Kings viii. 9. Τνο pieces of red granite with words on them, engraved nearly five hundred years before! Yet we read those words still; they are read in many languages all over the world. Millions of men and women, hearing them read, bend their heads and pray, "Write all these Thy laws upon our hearts, we beseech Thee." Millions of little children are taught them, that they may know the way to grow up good men and women. Wonderful words, three thousand years old! When were they spoken? How? What are they? What their meaning? We shall get answers to these questions in the Lesson of this morning. WHEN WERE THEY SPOKEN? Nearly fifteen hundred years before Jesus was born. God had proposed a covenant to His people, ch. xix. 5; the people had professed themselves willing to enter into the covenant, ch. xix. 8. So now God speaks to them. HOW WERE THEY SPOKEN ?-God spoke them, in a voice which the people heard, in words which they understood; see ver. 19, 22; Deut. v. 4. But the voice was heard amidst a scene of sublimity and terror; read ver. 1821. These were signs of God's greatness and glory, and were intended to teach the people that it would be a terrible sin to disobey the words which the voice spoke, Heb. xii. 18-21. These words God afterwards gave to Moses, written on two tables of stone, ch. xxxi. 18; and these were the tables which Solomon found in the ark. WHAT ARE THEY?-For we have them yet. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.— Read ver. 1-17. Now let us put them in the shortest possible form, and count them. 1. Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. 2. Thou shalt not make to thee any graven image. 3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. 4. Thou shalt remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy. 5. Thou shalt honour thy father and thy mother. 6. Thou shalt not kill. 7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 8. Thou shalt not steal. 9. Thou shalt not bear false witness. 10. Thou shalt not covet. Now go over them again, once more; so you will remember these great words of God. 37; WHAT IS THEIR MEANING ?-They teach us our duty towards God. The first four refer to this. The first condemns the worship of any god but the One Living God. Repeat it. "Before Me" means, besides, in addition to, in preference to Me. God alone is to be worshipped. The second condemns idolatry. Give the words of it. A " graven image" is one first cast rough, and then graven or cut with tools. The third condemns profanity; read ver. 7, with Matt. v. 34— James v. 12. The fourth sanctifies the Sabbath, though the Sabbath was not then first instituted; compare Gen. ii. 2, 3; Exod. xvi. 26. How many commandments are left? They teach us our duty towards man. The fifth is "the first commandment with promise," Ephes. vi. 2. What is the promise? Contrast Prov. xxx. 17. With the sixth, compare Matt. v. 21-24. But "love is the fulfilling of the law." The seventh condemns all wicked thoughts as well as acts, Matt. xv. 19. The eighth includes dishonesty by negligence or waste as well as by theft. The ninth condemns falsehood of every kind, but especially falsehood uttered to the injury of another. The tenth reaches at once to the heart, and forbids a feeling to which the heart is prone. What is it? REFLECTIONS.-1. God has a right to our entire service, both as our Creator and Redeemer,-ver. 2. 2. The law of God is the only standard of right and wrong.-A traveller in a strange land takes his map with him, that he may know the way in which he ought to_go. Children should commit the Ten Commandments to memory, that they may have their guide always with them." 3. The fear of the Lord is true wisdom, -ver. 20. 4. It is a fearful thing to sin against the majesty of God.-Heb. xii. 26, 27; John v. 25; 1 Thess. iv. 16, 17. QUESTIONS.-Where was the law given? What were the tokens of God's immediate presence? What were the feelings of the people? What request did they make? How long ago did this take place? How were the commandments delivered? How were they preserved where? Can you repeat them briefly? Which teach our duty towards God? our duty towards man? SEPTEMBER 8.-AFTERNOON LESSON. A DUMB MAN HEALED, AND A CONTROVERSY THEREUPON.-Luke xi. 14-28. For repetition, verses 21, 22. INTRODUCTION.-An exposition on the corresponding narrative in Matthew, will be found in the Lessons of November, 1871; here the expository notes are therefore of the briefest kind; the Reflections usually found at the end of the Lesson are brought under each head, and an attempt made to illustrate and enforce them. It is said of the Great Teacher, that" without a parable spake He not unto them." Here an instance; a short Lesson, and in it four similes or parables! THE DIVIDED HOUSE.-V. 14-20. 1. What a warning we have here against rash language.—Prov. xiii. 3; xxi. 23; James i. 19. Jesus had done a great miracle; some, out of an evil heart, (let us take care of the heart!) said that He had done it through the power of Satan, here called Beelzebub. But Jesus calmly shows them that they had better have kept "their mouth and their tongue." If Yorkshire and Lancashire were fighting against Cornwall and Devon, or Scotland with England, our enemies would soon make a prey of us; France, Prussia, or Russia would say, now is the time to humble old England! Satan would be wiser than let one of his own subjects destroy his power. Besides, would a family always quarrelling be prosperous? Satan would certainly keep his children from injuring the prosperity of his evil family. There is no reason in Think before you speak. 2. Be most careful of speaking evil of good persons and good deeds.-Suppose a bad companion should be converted, "Satan cast out," do not laugh at him, or call him names. He is right; you are wrong. Such feelings and language would only show that you are yourself an enemy of Christ. rashness. THE STRONG MAN SPOILED.-V. 21, is 22. Now let us ask one or two questions about the "strong man: who is he? where is his palace? what are his goods, his armour, his spoils ? Satan is the strong one; and his palace is the world, John xii. 31; xiv. 30; xvi. 11. His goods, upon which he prides himself; his armour, weapons or tools with which he works; his spoils, taken from their rightful owner, are men, 2 Tim. ii. 26. Without these arms and tools he would be powerless. The "Stronger than he' Jesus; He was already come into the palace, the world; was already binding the strong man, and taking men out of his grasp and power. This great victory of Christ is still proceeding. Think of Mary Magdalene, the penitent thief, the Samaritan woman, the multitudes converted on the first WhitSunday, Saul of Tarsus; all the godly people living to-day. Jesus said, "Ye cannot serve two masters."-Here they are; we must make our choice between the "strong" and the "Stronger One." Now, answer for me three questions. Which is the better master; which ought we to serve? the King or the usurper? Which is the better service? To be the tools and instruments of Satan, or the servants of Christ? Shall Satan boast of us, or Christ rejoice over Which service will have the better us ? issue? Satan is branded with defeat, bound over to punishment, Rev. xx. 2, 3; so will it be with his servants. Not so the servants of Jesus, Rev. vii. 9. Jesus is still in the strong man's palace setting his captives free.-Illustrate by the capture of a slaver; the English captain goes down into the hold, amongst the slaves; who will be free? This is just what Jesus says to-day. GATHERING AND SCATTERING.-V. 23. |