The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1890-02-21
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON For
FEBRUARY % y
Lesson Text: "The Temptation ef
jesus" Luke iv., t-18 Golden Text:
Heb. a., fS S-COmmcn!ary on
the LESSON 8

tho midst on the priests shoulders till every
one had passed over; divided again for elijah
both the Ark of the Covenant and the priests
who bare IL, Elijah and Elisha, and all the
prophets, as well as all the Bible and the his.
tory contained in il, point us to HIM whom,
in this lesson, we see returning from Jordan,
filled with the Spirit. If the 14th verse OF
the chapter was included in our lesson, we
would then say that the lesson begins and
ends with record of Jesus returning from
certain places filed with the Spirit first to
be tried and then to minister; and il we are
not willing to be filled with the Spirit for
trial, can we expect that God will fll us with
His spirit for service?
!, Q. "And was led by the spirit into the
wilderness being forty days tempted qf the
birth Of Christi and at His ptjsr and vtiss>
wsssss we sss glas sssa;| s H. lIls..l:ll
working miracles fier{nr Himself a Sl
flee or rising from the dead, &c is the Spirit
In Him that does it all. 49,.
"And in those days He did eat nothing,
and when they were ended. He afterward
hungered." The forty days fast reminds us
wards appeared with Him on the Mount of
TRANSPORTATION. OF Moses it is written, in
reference to both periods of forty days and
nights when he was in the mount with God,
that he did neither eat bread nor drink
water (Deut tx, o, 1S), and of Elijah IL is
written that he went in the strength of that
meal (which the angel had preparedD forty
days and forty nights unto Horeb the Mount
more liz the forty days fast of these won
derful three than we have yet seen or shall
see till the kingdom comes; but we shall do
well day by day to see no man save Jesus
only Matt. xvii, s..
3. "If Thou be the Son of God, command
this stone that it be made bread" The ia
ther Of lies insinuates that perhaps He is not
the Son OF God, but only mere man, Just
poor carpenter from Nazareth, making pre-.
ad ssn
else give some token of His power. 1t is
poor thing for the Son, of God to be hungry
when he can. by n word, turn stones into
bread. Let Him satisfy His hunger. Does
not the reader df he or she be a Christian)
recognize in this tempter the same one who
has often whispered to you: "If you were a
child of God would He let you want for this
or that which you certainly needy Can He
really love you as you think He does and
deny you the very necessaries of life or keep
from you this little qualifications" Thus the
tempter Of Eve and of Christ still seeks to
overcome the children of God by leading
them to question the love of God or to doubt
that they are His children.
a. ut written that man shall not live by
bread alone, but by every word of God"
This is the reply of Christ to the tempter.
The outward indications were that God had
failed him, but Jesus places the word of God
against all other evidences and rests un-
moved on what is written. Believing is bet
ter than seeing.
So. 'If Thou therefore wilt worship me,
all shall be Thine" The statements of these
verses that the devil took Him to an high
mountain and showed Him all the Kingdoms
of the world in a moment of time, cannot be
understood or explained by us, but can bere-
ceived, on the authority Of the Holy Spirit,
who ssssnss ssrsdpt be;sssd elsed wrSts TSs
full power Of the10ey1< ave not fufniiiar
with (nor do we want to b6. nor DlEres
of this world, and Paul speaks of him as the
prince of the power of the air and tho god of
| this world, while John, in Revelation, speaks
| of time when the devil will give to Anti
| christ that which in our lesson he offered to
| Christ; so that his boast in his temptation
| does not seem to have been altogether a vain
| one This world is the Lords by creation; He
| gave it TO Adam but Adam, by his sin, gave
the devil claim to it which he has not failed to
make Use Of and il is true to-day that ''The
whole world lieth in the evil one'' Il John ".
10, r. w. This statement is true not only of
heathendom, but also of ChriStcndOnl, and,
in some measure, of the Christian church. If
the manifest works of the devil indicate his
property then that which he does not con-
troll is small section of earth and small
number of people. But Daniel saw in vision
the kingdom and dominion under the whole
heaven given to the Son of Man and to the
saints of the Most High dan. vii. 13, II,
~.
short cut and apart from suffering that which
in due time viii be all His. (See Rev. xi ,
Is, 1S.
S. "Get thee behind me, Satan; for it is writ
ten Xhaa sRalt HQr5hin w hs sd spirie TIL Is % t6e
successful weapon. The Word of God is more
to Jesus than ali the glory of all the kingdoms
OF THIS world and eagerness to do the will of
God crowds out all else.
Oil. IF Thou be the Son of God cast thy.
self down from hence" The conflict is now
in Jerusalem, the Holy City, and, on a pin.
nacle OF the temple, and in presenting this
temptation the adversary also seeks to WELD
the sword of the Spirit, but he did as so many
do to-day, quoted only the part of the passage
which seemed to suit his purpose, omitting
that which would have condemned him. The
words quoted are given in the Psalm CPs xci,
9-13 as the result of making the Lord, tho
Most High, ones Refuge and nabitation. To
do as the devil suggested would surely be a
ceasing to abide under the shadow of the AL
mighty, or to make the Most High ones habi-
tation, and therefore, the conditions being
Abiding in Christ and in the love of God we
need fear no evil, but are perfectly safe in
His keeping.
12. aAnd Jesus, answering, said unto
him, 1t is said, Thou shall not tempt the
Lord thy God" Again the sword of the
eye shall aiIigsntIy Keep Keep us cofil6sand
ments Of the Lord your God, .n and
thou shalt do that which is right and good In
the sight of the Lord" If we would not be
guilty of tempting the Lord, let us keep His
comma ndments and do right in His sight
listening to any otIer voice but His, even to
the voice of the best of men, we are apt to be
led astray.
13. And when the devil had ended all the
temptation, he departed from Him for a sea-
SON." Matthew and Mark add that angels
came and ministered unto Him. Although
no human eyes witnessed this conflict, who
can tell what hosts of angels, good and bad,
were present the bad in full sympathy with
their leader and eager for his victory, the
good in full sympathy with Christ, but com
PEELED to stand aside till the enemy was van
quisted,. With joyful hearts they now re-
fresh Hinf> as victorious. He accepts their
cheerful mfniStry; while satan and his fol-
lowers retire t0>plan some new device where
by they may perchance obtain victory over
this Holy One of God. And now we are IN
daily conflict with this same adversary.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood.
but against principalities, against powers,
against the world rulers of darkness'
against the spiritual hosts OF wickedness in