The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-02-11
ELIJAH TAKEN TO HEAVEN.
International sunday-schoo. lesson fo
February ID, 1891.

ELIJAH TAKEN TO HEAVEN.
International sunday-schoo! lesson for |
February ID, 1891.
Especially Arranged from S s QUARTERLY
LESSON TExT-2 Kings 2:l.il.
GOLDEN TExT-And Enoch walked with Cod
and he was not; for God took him Gen o:aa.
CENTRAL TRUTR--"Let ME die the death Of
the Righteous. and let my last end be like
His" H3
TME-B. C. about So2s90
PLACE-Q) GilgaL near Mt Aphraim, niue
miles west Of Bethel (9) Bethel, twelve miles
az The eastern shore Of the Jordan In Gilead.
Elijah's native country.
RuLERs--Jehoram. son Of Ahsb, King Of ID
real Jehoram, son Of JehoshAphat King Of
Judah. He married Athaliah, the daughter Of
Jezebel, and sister Of Jehoram Of Israel
HELPS OVER HARD PLAcEs-l when the
Lord" Our times are in His handA 'NGilgAr
In Ephraim, where was one OF the schools Of the
prophets. g. 'Tarry heres" either Eliiah's love
Of solitude returned, or He would prove Elisha, or
would spare him the pain OF the sudden parting
1.-THE Lord hath sent me-" the impulse to re-
visit His loved prophet-colleges once mosc was
from God. "As the Lord lvoth, and as thy
soul liveth:" solemn oath by Gods eternity
and mans immortality. .Down:" q descent OF
six hundred feet in eight and half miles. s
"Sons Of the prophets" those belonging to the
schools Of the prophets, who were engaged In
giving religious instruction to - people.
From thy head" from being thy master.
"Hold We your peace:" the subject is too sacred
for words. 4. Jericho:" twelve and o half miles
from Bethel, and twelve hundred feet lower.
In each Of these places was = school Of the
tGtOnd IN viaw ~ Watching O
Before be taken away" not What interces-
sion can make In Heaven! "A double por.
tion:" thy spirit, thy prophetic spirit; that is,
he desires the eldest sons portion (Deut.
2l:1D, and thus to be the successor OF tho
prophet In his work. II does not mean that he
desired twice as much as Elijah possessed. 10.
"A hard thing" IL might not be Gods will III
thou sec me-" that would be sign that God
had chosen Elisha Eliiah's successor.
LESSON COMMENTS.
FIRST STEP Elijah taken. The long.
est life has turning, and the longest
lane has an end. We can net say how
! old Elijah was at the time Of his remov.
al from earth; but his work was done,
and SO his Master called him home. The
story is very touching. Show how II
came to pass that Elisha became Elijah's
constant attendant (see Kings 19:19-21)
As the end Of Elijah's work drew near
the "sons Of the prophets" seem in some
way to have known that God was to take
him away (see verses 8, 5, Of the les
sony. It may be that God had revealed
it to some Of them directly; or it may
be that Elijah himself had been told o.
itby God, and had in turn told them tina
he was soon to leave them. Howeve
that was, evidently they were awe
struck, and evidently Elisha had feel
ing that he could by no means abandon
his master until the very last moment
That solemn experience on the east sid
Of the Jordan can never be fittingly de-
scribed. No words can improve on thu
simple narrative of verses 11-13. Never
but once before, and never but once
since, has any OF earth's sons gone Il
Heaven with his physical body.
SECOND STEP-Elisha's request. Eli
jah seems to have had a most kindl,
feeling for his associate prophet, as tn,
end of their partnership was drawing
near, and to have felt that he would lik
to give him some parting gift, If posi-
BILE. So he asked him what he woul'
like. To this Elisha answers, that b
craved double portion Of the spirit tina
had dominated his master. "Thou has
asked hard thing" says Elijah, ''bu
II thou see me when l am taken fron
thee, it shall be so unto thee, but II not
1t shall not be So" Exactly why thi
condition was laid down it is not posi-
BILE for us to say. Nor need we stop t.
inquire. That to which we may NOR
profltably direct attention,is the nature
of the request that Elisha made. Itwa
request for spiritual power. He nigh
have asked for temporal things, sucl
as fame, Or wealth, or long life
But none Of these things seems t.
have had any attraction for him, Il
comparison with that spiritual powe
which he had seen so prominent in tn
life Of his master. Elijah's life wa
we'll known to his pupil, and he Q
course knew that this spiritual powe
had brought the prophet into trouble
, He had had to fee more than once 70
his life from Ahab, and from Jezebel
Hardship had been his lot, instead @
that ease which he might have enioye
had he lived like the priests Of Baal or q
!. the Groves. say, Elisha knew all thi!
and yet, in spite Of the fact that doubl
portion of Elijah's spirit might bring t
= him the same Affections, he asked for i
This shows that he was Of such stuff Q
martyrs are made Of. Well would
> have been for Israel had she had but on
4 prophet Of the Groves, and one of Baa
" and seven hundred and fifty such 6
? Elisha. The end OF Israel would NJ
}, have been what it was. To have tn
spirit Of Elijah, spirit Of uncompr,
a missing hostility to wrong, and Of etc
. nal fidelity to the right, is blessing ,
every man, and an inestimable blessin
to any community. The great danger
our days is that we shall crave IL
u spirit Of Ahab and not that of Eliza
. Oh, for the Elijah spirit in all our pul
lie men, and in all our business mart
tina: shall fear dishonesty more tina
e failure, and crookedness more than po
d erty, and speculation more than o
security! Elisha's choice brought gre
Z blessing to his people; and so the hone
q choice by every boy and girl Of RICH
y eousness is blessing, not only to ther
q but to all in the family and in the cor
n munity in which they live. See how
recent event illustrates this In Ne
5, York State murderer has been late
e executed who has cost the State OF