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August fi.1913.<br />
A {'AMlL-ir papeL<br />
enough. By these directions, Israel was<br />
taught to be diligent in securing God's<br />
blessings; to trust him day by day for nec--<br />
pjsary provision and to be unselfish in metlino-<br />
out to others of that which was given to<br />
them of God.<br />
V. SABBATH SANCTIFIED, (v. 22-<br />
'300<br />
K"On the sixth day tbey gathered twice<br />
as much bread."—"Tbis is that which the<br />
Lord hath said, Tomorrow is the rest of the<br />
loly Sabbath unto the Lord: bake that<br />
which ye will bake today, and seethe that<br />
which ye will seethe; and that whichi remaineth<br />
over, lay up for you to be kept until<br />
the morning." This act was under tbe command<br />
of God and wa^ followed with his<br />
blessing. What was kept over till morning<br />
did not stink, as was usual during the other<br />
days of the week. God still confers a special<br />
blessing on those who follow out the<br />
lieafihing of this passage in regard to making<br />
provision for the Sabbatb tbe day before.<br />
^ How many enjoy this blessing ?<br />
VI, THE MIRACLE OF MANNA<br />
C0J*IMEMORATED. (v. 32-36.)<br />
"Fill an omer of it to be kept for your generadons;<br />
that ye may see the bread wherewith<br />
I fed you in tbe wilderness." God^s<br />
mercies are not to be f<strong>org</strong>otten but to be<br />
had in. everlasting remembrance for our own<br />
encouragemenit and the encouragement of<br />
those who come after us.<br />
•Eskkbridge, Kansas.<br />
Lesson 'VIII. August 24, 1913.<br />
LESSON FOR THE CHILDREN.<br />
By Anna Pritchard Ge<strong>org</strong>e.<br />
The Bread From Heaven.<br />
Exodus 15:27—16:36.<br />
John, suppose you were hungry and could get<br />
no tood? That seems impossible to you, but it<br />
happens to many, in today's lesson the Jews are<br />
in such straits, firstfrom thirst and then from<br />
hunger. We will see how God sends them relief.<br />
Are the Jews in Egypt now, Ge<strong>org</strong>e? "No, they<br />
are on the other side of the Ked Sea." On the<br />
table, sink this long pan of water in the sand for<br />
the Red ..Sea. On the west of the Sea is Egypt<br />
and on the east is the Peninsula of Sinai. These<br />
sticks on the eastern shore are for the Jews, the<br />
f clothes pin for iMoses, and the cardboard animals<br />
tor their flocks. They travel slowly south over<br />
this hot desert, for three days, and flnd no water.<br />
Itis hard enough to ride over the desert for half<br />
a day without water. They come to Marah, thirstjr^^<br />
and weary. Here they flndwater. Are they glad|^<br />
" I guess they shout good and loud." Yes, their<br />
l9y must be great.'^ut when they try to drink<br />
the waters are too bitter. How disappointed they<br />
^fe- Has not God done many wonderful things<br />
tor the Jews? Yes, He saved them from the<br />
made them a path through the Red<br />
. and delivered them from the Egyptians. So<br />
you would think the Jews might trust Him to<br />
•l6lp them now. B.ut, instead of thanking God for<br />
what He has already done, and asking for His<br />
help, the Jews complain. "What shall we drink?"<br />
But God is kinder to them than they deserve. He<br />
shows Moses a tree. Stand this leafy twig in the<br />
sand for it. God tells Moses to cast it into the<br />
water. Moses does so, and immediately the waters<br />
are made sweet. God heals the waters and<br />
the people have all they can drink.<br />
They travel a few hours still farther south and<br />
come to Elim. Here are twelve wells and seventy<br />
palm trees. Stand these tall twigs in the sand<br />
for the trees and pile these stones in circles for<br />
the wells. The Jews camp by these waters and<br />
rest. All these comforts were close at hand when<br />
they were murmuring against God at Marah. God<br />
always has good things in store for us if we will<br />
only do our part and trust Him for the rest. You<br />
would think the Jews would surely be grateful<br />
and remember after this.<br />
They cannot remain at Elim, but must press on<br />
toward Canaan. They come south into the Wilderness<br />
of Sin. Here again they f<strong>org</strong>et God's goodness.<br />
They remember the good thihgs which<br />
they sometimes had in Egypt, but f<strong>org</strong>et about<br />
the slavery from which God has saved them. They<br />
are hungry now. But instead of praying to God<br />
for food, they growl. ^T3o you think God would<br />
have delivered the Jews so many times if He had<br />
intended to let them die of hunger in this wilderness?<br />
No, of course not. But they complain to<br />
Moses and Aaron, really murmuring against God,<br />
"Would to God we had died by the hand of the<br />
Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the<br />
flesh pots."^God is so loving and kind that He<br />
does not ipunish the Jews for their ingratitude<br />
and lack of faith, but sends food at once. "Behold,<br />
I will rain bread from heaven for you."'0.aron<br />
tells the children of Israel to "Come near before<br />
the Lord; for He hath heard your murmurings."<br />
As Aaron speaks to the people, they look toward<br />
the wilderness, and "the glory of the Lord appeared<br />
in the cloud." The Lord says to Moses, "1<br />
have heard the murmurings of the children of<br />
Israel: Speak .unto them, saying, at even ye shall<br />
eat flesh,and in the morning ye shall be filled<br />
with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord<br />
your God."<br />
At evening the camp is covered with quails.<br />
Scatter these tiny dark paper birds for them. The<br />
people have all they can eat. In the morning the<br />
dew is heavy. When it lifts, the earth is covered<br />
with "a small round thing, as small as the hoar<br />
frost on the ground." The Jews look at it and<br />
wonder. They cannot understand. "What is it?"<br />
They question. "What is it" in their language is<br />
"Manna." So they call this little white thing<br />
"Manna." This is the bread God gives them to<br />
eat. It is good and tastes "like wafers made<br />
with honey." God tells the people to gather it,<br />
each man enough for himself. All who are able<br />
must work. God does not believe in lazy people.<br />
He does His part and wants us to do ours—not<br />
loaf and let others do our share. The people are<br />
told to gather each morning just enough for that<br />
day, a certain amount for each person, and not<br />
try to keep some over for the next day. Some<br />
disobey, but what ip left by the next morning is<br />
spoiled, and must be thrown away, nrvery other<br />
morning God has them gather enough for just one<br />
day, but the day before their Sabbath He sends a<br />
double portion, and orders them to gather enough<br />
for two days. They are to prepare the food the<br />
day before so as not to work on Sabbath. This<br />
time when Sabbath comes the manna is not spoiled.<br />
Moses says, on Sabbath morning: "Eat<br />
that today; for today is a Sabbath unto the<br />
Lord; today ye shall not find it in the<br />
fleld." Some disobey this time too, and go<br />
out Sabbath to gather. Do they find manna?<br />
No, God sends none on the Sabbath Day.<br />
He says, "For that the Lord hath given you the<br />
Sabbath, therefore He giveth you on the sixth<br />
day the bread for two days; abide ye every man<br />
in his place, let no man go out of his place on the<br />
seventh day." So the people rest on the Sabbath,<br />
just as God wishes us to do. For forty years<br />
God feeds His people with manna as they travel<br />
through this wilderness.<br />
Children, if God provided for the Jews every<br />
time they were in need—at one time with a way<br />
of escape, at another with water, at anot;her<br />
with food—do you not think He can and will provide<br />
for us? God made us and He will care for<br />
us if we do our part and obey. We need never<br />
worry, only trust Him.<br />
Montclair, N. J.<br />
USING THE EUPHRATES.<br />
The flrstinstallment of the vast works planned<br />
by Sir W. Willocks for the irrigation of Mesopotamia<br />
by the storage of the Euphrates water is<br />
now nearing completion. Details as to the<br />
present position of the work, which is being carried<br />
out for the Turkish Government by the engineering<br />
firm of Sir John Jackson, Limited, are<br />
quoted in the Geographical Journal. The part of<br />
the scheme firsttaken in hand has been the building<br />
of the great barrage at Hindier, with associated<br />
works by which the water is to be distributed<br />
down the old branch of the river, past the site<br />
of Babylon, to Hilla. The barrage is being built<br />
to the east of the present bed of the Euphrates<br />
and will be 250 meters long, with 35 arches fitted<br />
with sluice-gates. The piers of these arches are<br />
now completed up to the springing of the latter.<br />
This barrage will raise the level of the water by<br />
seven meters, while a subsidiary barrage immediately<br />
below will provide for a further difference<br />
of 2% meters. Adjoining the upper barrage there<br />
will be a lock for the use of the river traffic,<br />
while the lower barrage consists of a lock and<br />
huge shelf of masonry. Work has also been begun<br />
on the Hilla regulator, a little above the barrage,<br />
which will consist of fivearches. The excavation<br />
for this has been done and the masonry<br />
begun. These works finished, an earthen dam<br />
will be thrown across the stream, which will thus<br />
be turned into its new bed between the barrage<br />
and the regulator. The old branch has been<br />
cleared out and will he properly canalized, while<br />
at Habbania an escape is being constructed by<br />
which the flood-waterwill be carried off into the<br />
old Babylon reservoir. It is estimated that<br />
600,000 acres of land will be plentifully irrigated<br />
as a result of these works. The operations have<br />
involved a great amount of excavation, concrete<br />
work, masonry, pitching, etc., but there has of<br />
late been a plentiful supply of local labor.—<br />
Science.