News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-12-06
THE I. S. s. LESSON.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
DECEMBER O..
Lesson Text Gideon's Army, Judg
vii, 1-S-GOlden Text: Zech.
w., documentary on
the LIE SON.

the LIE son.
The ummary of the history of Israel
under the Judges for 45J years, as given in
our last lesson, was that they fors >ok the
Lord and served idols, then Their enemies OPP
presse | them, then they cried unto the Lord
in their distress and he raised up Judges who
delivered them, the Lord being with the
Judge; after the Judges death they sinned
again, were again oppressed, cried, we're
again delivered, and thus they lived, SHINING
and repentiGg. The book of Judges opens up
to us this history AMI tells us who the oppres-
s0rs were and who thu delivererS were whom
Go | raised up; the manner and duration of
the various expressions. and the manner of
the deliverance, with the number of years
they rested. Up to the present lesson the
oppreSSors were the Kings of MesopOtamia,
Moab, and Canaan for periods of eight, eight
cen and twenty years; the deliverers were
Athmiel, Ehud and Shamgar, Deborah and
Barak, and the years of rest were forty, eighty
and forty years respectively. After the rule
of Deborah and Birak the next oppressors
were the MidianiteS, who for seven years had
cruelty oppressed Israel when God called
Gideon TO be their de.iverer. The record of
his call and the appearance of the Lord to
him is found in the previous chapter, where
we learn that the secret of his success as a
savior and judge of his people was in these
words of the Lord to him: go in this thy
might, have not | sent thee; surely l will be
with thee wi, 1+16), which is Just the secret
of the life of every true believer to-day.
Being encouraged by God he overthrow his
fathers altar to Baal and built an altar unto
the Lord and offered sacrifice; the spirit of
the Lord came upon him, he blew a trumpet,
sent out messengers and gathered an army of
81, 0JO men. To days lesson tells us of the
sitting of that army down to 300 men, with
whom God wrought lsraels defiverance.
l. "~Jerubbaal, VINO is Gideon" Gideon
signiiei a ''felier or bruiser," and is a type
of the Lord Jesus, the great deliverer and
judge who came to destroy the works of
the devil and who will bruise satan under
our feet shortly. He was the youngest of a
poor family in the tribe of Manasseh wi. 10,
but the spirit OF the Lord qualified him for
the work to which he was called and made
him a successful leader of men. God chooses
the foolish and the weak to confound the
wise and mighty that no flesh may glory in
| His presence.
Jerubb4al signifies "a contender with
Baal, " and Gideon was so called by his father
after he had overthrow the altar of Baal
wi, 81, so; if any one will be filled with the
spirit and used of God they must first be
wi ling to overthrow all the idols of pride
and self and let the Lord alone possess and
control them. Baal signifies ''iord, and all
the other lords must be set aside that Jesus
may reign supreme.
THE we'll of Harold" it is somewhat re-
markable that such a terror-stricken host as
Gideon's army proved to be should camp by
a we'll whose name signifies terror or trem-
Dllng." Inc DeSG we'll IN all Cne blDl6 IS the
one of which the Savior speaks when He says
the water that | shall give him shall be in
him a well of water sDring1ng uD into ever
lasting life" John w., IA; where this well is,
there should be no fear, but rather such
strong and fearless words as these: Though
an host should camp against me, my heart
shall not fear" FPS. xvii, 81
2. The Lord said unto Gideon" Did your
heart ever say: "Oh, if l could only hear the
Lord speak to me l would be strong and of
good courage Well, be sure of this, that
just as truly as the Lord spoke to Gideon, He
is speaking to you to-day in His word; and
until you are sure of This the Biblewill never be
a avery precious book to YOU The people are
too many, lest Israel vaunt themselves
against Me-" A small company surely, when
compared with the great host of indian,
Numbers are not to God what they
are to us, aud until we can see the unseen
Almighty One rather than the seen multi
tude who are only flesh we shall not be val
liant for God. Fear not, - said Elisha to his
servants as they stood apparently helpless
and alone in that encompassed city, for
they that be with us are more than they that
be with them" but he saw the unseen Lord
and His hos's I'll Kings vi, IL, IL. There
is no restraint to the Lord to save by many
or by few" Il Sam. xiv, o., said Jonathan to
his armor bearer. Lord it is nothing with
Thee to help, whether with many or with
cried Asa unto the Lord his God. And who
can tell how much the faith of these men
was strengthened by the memory of Gideon's
three hundred and by the promise that one
should chase a thousand and two put ten
thousand to flight Deut xxxii., 30. God will
show His power wherever there is implicit
reliance on Him, but He will not give His
glory to another nor have any flesh boast
itself in His presence. lisa. xiii, s; Xviii,
IL; l Cor. l., 2l.l
3. "Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let
him return" This was in accordance with
the law, and the reason was, lest they should
To nfhnr to Hn a pfnl and 4 nFTNE he n I
Oeut. xX., 81 A fearful or discouraged per-
son is not one whom the Lord can use; there
fore He so often exhorts His people to BE
strong and courageous" Deut. XXI, 3, q,
%; Josh. l., 6, 9, Is; X, %; xiii. D; is. xvii,
Il; XXI, "a, and many others) There is
one text which, it seems to me, ought to cure
all discouraged workers for Christ, and it is
this: H shall not fail nor be discouraged till
He has set judgment in the earth" lisa xiii,
~ Now if our glorious Captain is SO sure of
success, if He is going to see of the travail of
His soul aud be satisfied lisa. KIM, IL where |
is there any room for a moments fear or
Encouragement on the part of those who be-
lieve i'll Him and are ready to follow Him!
Twenty-Five thousand returned, leaving only
10000 who were not afraid; more than two
thirds were counted out among the fearful.
Is there as large a proportion of the same
kind in the army of Christ to day? What
think you? And if so, what will become of
them!
4. 1.-THE people are yet too many: bring
VI NOfAA UNIV WV ffAOC IAA L vi u
them for thee there" If 900 was a COM
paratively small army with which to con-
tend with Midiau, what shall we think of
only 10, 600; and what must Gideon have
thought when the Lord said to him: 1.-The
people are yet too many.' The process of
weakening down our apparent strength for
service is not an one; hut the
Lord knows what He is doing, and He must
have well tried material; faith says: even
so, Father" and yields and obeYs, although
it seems more and more like counting utter
failure. Gideon might have said: Lord, if
You send me with less than II, 900 / cannot I
go. for it would be sheer madnesS;n but he
evidently had no such thoughts; lie was not
managing this business and he had perfect
confidence in the Lord.
81 by the three hundred men that
Tapped will l save you" The 10000 were
brought down to the water to drink; 9, 100
knelt down to drink, while the other 800
lifted the water 20 their mouths with their
hands, and that simple test decided who
should go. What a little thing, and What
was there in it! Why should not a solder
kneel down and take a g1oddrink, and what
virtue was thsre in tapping it Xix a dog! 1t
was simply a matter of self indulgence or
qualification in a very innocent and harm
less thing, but it was at a very critical time.
The three hundred seemed to feel the import
ance of the work before them so much, and
their hearts were SO set on the conquest of
their enemies and the deliverance of their
people that they had no time nor inclination
- 1900 $1,000
fort or qualification; theirs was a whole
hearted service for their God and
their country, and this test was Gods
way of selecting them. in the mat
ter of the fearful ones it is elsy to see
why they should go home, but it is not so
easy, at first sight, to see why these 900
should be set aside, Until we remember that
anything less than complete and persistent
denial of self, i'll things harmless ~ tneIn-
selves but evidencing a desire for sell ease or
indulgence, is unbPcomiuG in followers OF
Him who pleased not HimSelf-dIl not his
own will-sought not His own glory; VINO
has said: eff any man VIII come alter me,
let him deny himself, and take up ms cross
daily and follow mel "WhOsoever he be OF
you that forsaketh not all that he hath he
cannot be my disciple" The Christian is not
at home in this world, but is supposed to be
with all his might pressing his way on
through it; and, as one running a race, he
1oes not seek amusement here and there by
the way along the race course, but with his
eye upon the goal and his heart upon the
prize before HIM he rid5 himself of every
weight AMI hindra1ce that he may attain to
the blessedness of the first resurrection and
the joys of the marriage of the Lamb. This
Is his own personal attitude; then as to
the Midianites and all Oppressors of Coils
people, he VIII with equal zeal seek their
overthrow; and as to those who run the race,
or war the warfare with him, he would have
them share his JOY by an equal degree of
zeal and self denial.
g. $50 the people took ~victua's,
and their trumDptSn When the time of cou-