News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-11-29
THE |. S. S. LESSON.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
DECEMBER ..
Lesson Text: "IsraeI Under Judges,
Judg. H., 11-23-Golden Text:
Heb. iii, 12-Commentary
son the Lesson

Heb. iii, documentary
son''the Lesson.
In studying the story of Israel it is neces-
sary TO keep in mind that the Lord God had
CHOSEN them to be a special people unto Him
self, above all Peep upon the face of the
earth; an holy pope unto the Lord their
God, that He might dwell among them, and
that they might magnify His name Lefore
the nations. He only asked of them cheer
1ul and whole hearted obedience and submis-
sion promising on HIS part that they should
be made TO en- Oy the greatest possible tenn
poral prosperity and be the head of all ma
tons, no one being able to stand before them.
Their history during the forty years that
Moses led them is found in the books of Ex-
oduS, Leviticus, Numbers ami Deuteronomy
We have just been studying their history
under the leadership of Joshua. as recorded
in the book of joshua and now we come to
their history under the Judges for about 45O
301 - >'- - ''-'' NO'>' '->0'0 >''''
II. 1.-The children of Israel did evil in the
sight of the Lord, and served Baalim." At
least seven times do we find this statement
concerning their doing evil in this book, and
reason IS given in the preceding verse. that
a generation had ar sea which knew not the
Lord, nor yet the works which He had done
for Israel. They certainly knew of the Lord
and hal heard of his mighty works; His
tabernacle was in their midst, and His priests
were among them, but Him they knew not;
they knew of Him. but they trusted not in
Him; they turned their back upon the only
living and true God, and served Baalim, the
idol god of the PHI enicians AMI Canaanit-s s
The first mention of Baal, which signifies
lord or Possessor, is found in Mum. xxi. 4 ,
n Gin of oal
and the death of twenty -four thousand by the
plague because of that sin is found in Mum.
XIV; therefore they were commanded 70
Smite and utterly destroy the idoatrous
people, make no lea%n9 with them, destroy
their affairs, cut down their groves and burn
their craven images; but they disobeyed
God, AMI did no. drive out the lido aters, thus
grieviug God and causing themselves much
sorrow tDeut vii, Is; Ju lges H., ID.
u. They forsook the Lord God of their
fathers" Some of Joshua's parting words
were: IF ye forsake the Lord and serve
strange gods, then will He turn ami do you
hurt and con ume you" Josh XIV, 2O), but
these words are now forgotten or UNDECIDED;
and worse still, the Lord who brought them
out of the land of Egypt, aud made them
nation an gave ttem this geo land, is for
gotten and fOrsaken. Ingratitule, disobe-
dience and rebellion was thus man fest on
their part towards the in ieScribable love
and long suffering of the Lord Col of Israel.
IISledu Oh lNlll9 III the SuilNllne OIL his love,
and the JOY and strength OF His presence,
they turn away from their deliverer and pro
tectOr, and 5oin Lands with His and their
enCm es. They are sinful nation. a seed of
evil doors, forsaEing the Lord and provoking
the Holy One of israel to anger; they forSake
the fountain of living waters, and hew them
out broken c.sterns that can hold no water
Qsa i, /: Jer ii, IL,
Is. They forsool the Lord, and served
Eaal and Ashtaroth" These were the male
and female divinitits of the nations before
mentioned and their worship was associated
with the most cruel and also the most impure
practices, the very extreme opposite of that
required by the pure and holy and loving
God of Israel.
H. The anger of the Lord was not against
Israel" In the account of this sin written in
Ps cvi., 34-46, it is said the wrath of the
Lord kind ed against II people, inSomuch
that l. abhOrreI His own inheritance, and
He gave them into the hand of the heathen.''
In 'ier. Xii, Z, concerning n later sin it is
written: II have given the dearly beloved of
my soul into the hands OF her enemies 1t
was because Of His great love for them that
He thus christened them for their sins as it
is wri. ten: "NOI only have ! known of all
the families of tie earth; therefore, l VIII
punish you for all your iniquities." Amos
Ill, ,.
u. The hand of the Lord was against
distressed" The way of the iransgr te 1r Is
hard prov. xiii, 15l, but they were the re-
deemed of the Lord and bis hand was upon
them for evil only to make them see the evil
of their ways and turn from it, that He
might do them good. His cry to them in all
their sin is ever the same: Return thou
baCkslId.nT Israel. saith the Lord, and [ will
not cause mine anger to fail upon you. for 1
am merciful; turn, . Cksl.dirg children, for
L am mario unto YOU" der. Iii , 12-l4.l
If they had only obeycd the Lord and walked
in His ways, HIS hand would always have
been upon them for good.
10. ''Neverthe' ess, the | ord raised up
Judges which delivered them.n Nevertheless
He REGARDED their aefiit on
(Ps. cvi, 44-45l. Do not our hearts
say: 80, foolish peope, why grove and
turn away from such love; why not abide in
such a friend; why not constantly rejoice in
such power:n Then voice whispers: Thou
art the man; ISraeis sin is Just thine own,
and the same Col of Israel regards to day
the cry of the oft erring, oft repenting one,
and delivers those who call upon Him, such
rs call upon Him in truth. Why not abide
ever in His love!
IT, Turned quickly out of the way"
He heard their cry and raised them
up judges who delivered them, they soon fell
away into sin as bad as ever, and would not
hearken to the judges; their hearts seemed
fully set in them to do evil. Love seemed
lost upon them, and past warnings seemed
utterly in vain; they were full of self and
sin, and it appeared to be useless to do
anything for them; yet He loved them and
for His names sake forgave them and
restored them many a time
Is. The Lord was with the Judge" If it
were not so the judge could have done
nothing. The Lord was with Moses, and
Joshua, and David, and the kings who did
right in His sight, and the prophets who
spoke in His name. And thesame Lord says
to us to day: 10. l am with you AWAY"
1T repented the Lord" This expression,
often used in reference to God, and first
found in Gen. vi, 6, refers to Gods visible
procedure as it appears to us. That God :
should ever change His mind or His pur-
pose or be sorry for anything He does is
simply impossible. Il am the Lord: | change
not. God is not man. that He should lie,
nor the son of man, that He should repent.
The strength of Israel will not lie nor re-
pent" (Mal. iii, 8; Mum. xiii, 10; Sam
XIV, 2H. The best explanation L have ever
heard of these apparently conflicting state
ments is as follows: When man is con-
WINGED that he is in the wrong and desires to
do right, he changes his mind. and conse-
quently his line of action, and thus manifests
God, who sees the end from the
beginning, and knows all things that He
ever intended to do, AMI does only what He
always knew He would do. or be compelled
TO do by mans sinfu ness, comes to place in
the line of events where, according to our
view of things, He makes new departure,
md thus He is said to repent while He is
have to do just at that point.
10. They ceased not from their own do
lngS, nor from their stubborn WAYS" Mans
ways are not Gods ways, neither are his do
ings in the line of Gods will for the carnal
mind is enmity against God and does not
choose to be subject to God. The man who
submits cheerfully 10 the will and the way |
of the Lord has evidently received a Spirit |
which is not n itural to him; but not all who |
profess to be born again, and perhaps it |
would be safe to say that not all who are in |
deed born again, are found denying self an |
accepting the will of God in all |
things. Many a Christian has evidently not !
ceased from his own doings and his stubborn |
way.
20. 1.-The anger of the Lord" We had the |
same expression in verse II, and it is found |
again in tn book in chapters ill.,, 8; x, T. !
It is difficult for US to think of anger without |
I'm, although we are told in one place to be |
lngry and sin not (IIph, iv.. 2j; however |
lifficu!t that may be for US we cannot think |
Of any sin in connection with the Lords |
niger or wrath, for He is of purer eyes than |
10 behold evil and cannot look upon inquity. |
heb l., 49, A righteous Indignation against |
base iugratitu lie and eDelion and slightel |
love viii in some measure describe the an er |
Dr wrath of the Lord; hut tn sre is much in is
hat is Undesirable, and only the great day |
It His wrath when it is come will fully show
What 1t means; may we all be hid in thai
lay.
2l-23. THAT NAV prove Israel" Beca1Ss |