Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-01-15
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
SERIOUS SUBJECTS CAREFULLY
CONSIDERED.


Thoughts Worthy OF Calm Reflection
Half an Hours Study OF the Scriptures
Time Well Spent
The lesson for Sunday, Jan. Is, may be
found In Kings, II: 1-16.
INTRODUCTORY.
A little more than "A half century inter-
vened since the events of the last lesson,
years, they have been, full OF just such
moral degeneracy as might have Deen ek-
pected from SO bad beginning. Naoap'
Baasha, Elah, Zimri, and Omri have relgned.
Ahab the worst of all the kings. led by
still more wicked queen, is on the throne.
But right here occurs one OF those episoues
of history which go TO show that COD Is
sovereign even where iniquity seems ram
pant Elijah flashes upon the scenes ana
the incidents of his marvellous career and
those of his successor Elisha stand out
against the background OF Jsraels SHINING
like the clear shining OF torches against
black night. IL Is a good opportunity 20
enforce the prevalence of Gods grace In
tad times.
WHAT THE EssoN SAYS.
Elijah-From two Hebrew words FL and
Jah God and Jehovah, the intervening
icing possessive-My God jehovah Glieao
across the Jordan, the root Of tho word inhaD-
itants, means to reside (Revision, soJourn)'
and Is the same word weed OF JeroDOam
when he Sdwelt in Egypt" az: 2) Asnot In
the Hebrew but implied; literally it Is;
Liveth the Lord God of Israel and there
shall not be, as Israel, it might be added
had forgotten she had God. Before whom
or In whose presence (see Douayl. Inc a'-
titude of a messenger or slave attendant.
Word. AS interpreting the sword" ". ~,
same expression, davar.
Get thee hence. A quiet spoken work
like out OF this! He had spoken boldly and
must now be wary for his life. Eastward
or toward the east Douay), the mere direc
tfon being given at first. Hide thyself ThS
word means n covert T. e., find hidins
place in. Brook or torrent (Douay). A
mere wady-stream such as might be found
in any glen or gully. Before Jordan. This
| side of Jordan.
The ravens. The word is quite similar to
| that from which comes an Arab, the same
| cOnsonants being present. But there IS no
more reason to so interpret 1t here than
there is to say at Gen. s:7, where the same
] word Is used, that Noah sent forth an Arao
| from the ark.
Dwelt. Same word translated In another
| form, inhabitants, V. l., T. O., he took up his
residence in the hills, just as before IL had
| been in Gilead.
Bread and flesh. aDaily bread" or the
brook. God using natural means.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
| And Elijah the Tishbite. This is the first
| we hear of him. He stalks with startling
| suddeuness upon the stage of IsraeIs lfe.
| Dean Stanley reminds us of the saying OF
| the astute Frenchman, "The great events or
history, like the mysterious personages
| in old romances, come through door In
the wall which no one has noticed" In
| fact it is God and not man that con-
| fronts us here. There is no great herald
| ing of the human instrumentality. whence
| he comes no one knows and no matter he
| is Gods man. Worship God
Before whom l stand. Some one points
/ our attention TO the fact that In those olden
days of loyalty to the king there were GER
tain ones who stood close up to the throne
| and, by their a'ert and ready attitude, sig
ni6ed that they were prepared, loins girded,
feet shod to hear the monarch's instant
summons and to go at once wherever he
he might bid them Possibly 1t Is of such
| that the Queen of Sheba speaks when she
| says to Solomon, in his royal magnihcente.
| GHappy are these thy servants which stand
| continually before thee" Certainly Elijah
was such a servant, n ready attendant upon
God, waiting to do his errands with faithful
| alacrity. Over in the first of Luke we have
| a true angels introduction of himself: III
am Gabriel that stand in the presence OF
God and ana sent.n o, to do Gods bidding
as the angels do I'll "Thy will be done on
earth as 1t is done in heaven"
And the word OF the Lord came unto him.
| All, then we understand the sentence just
before: @There shall not be dew nor rain
these years but according to my word y
| That would sound like boasting--it would
which follows: "And the word of the Lord
came unto him. His word is Gods word.
The word he declares is noe man's-poor,
pitiful worm that he Is. 1t is the word OF
the Lord Jehovah, and so with sure and
lofty trust he may proclaim 1t, fearing no
fault nor fall When the church of God
comes to have that sort of faith then it may
do what it will-rather what God Will
aMaster,D cries Peter, @behold"-as IL 10
were a strange thing-asthe fig tree which
/ 4l&A.. Cf fc Vuff
looks at him, and there seems something OF
rebuke I'm his word as he answers, "Have
faith in Godn The faith of God, says the
margin, following the Greek. Surely when
we have Gods faith we shall see Gods
works.
Over in verse 10, we read, ale arose and
went.n That is very good, so far as IL goes.
| A great many OF us get about to that point.
No, we just arise, that Is all, we do not ago.
Some OF us go In, perhaps, but there we stop
| We manage to reach Cherith, but we find no
arrangements for us. There Is no food In
sight, and as for drink there is no well of
| cool waters, only running brook.
pretty situation of affairs! and away we
go, back the way we came. But now see
Elijah. "He went and did according unto
| the word of the Lord.n The first thing for
him to do was to go. So he. went until be
came TO Cherith and there he stopped-n0
matter how it looked The next thing for
him to do was to walt. So he waited. He
did not find the table set Never mind.
Presently food came along with the even
ing and the morning. Even ravens turned
angels for Gods servants. Presently he
| was thirsty enough to drink OF the brook,
and he was refreshed. The fact Is he was
living by faith, not by sight. And so just as
he was told, abe went and did," 80 also
did the widow of Zarephath Oh, for such
faith to-dayl
The barrel of meal shall not waste. Elijah
knew whereof he spoke. He had put the
matter to the test there at Cherith. and he
makes the same experiment of trust here al
Zarephath for the Lord has hidden him.
The God that brought food In ravens
mouths could replenish the meal, the God
who sends the brooks of water sends also
the streams of oil. His hidden fountains OF
refreshing who can fathom, or indee1 ind
Trust God, Is the lesson. Plainly In the
path OF Gods requirement., lean ON God and
J. no forward. ale is waiting for some better
business TO offer itself.p Says one brother
regarding another engaged In unchristiar
trafHc: alf he only would have falti
enough TO come night out and trust Godl'
IL Is the trouble with us ALL We want q
experience first and then afterward We VII
believe; we will not launch forth, taking
God at His word. sMartin,n said satan
s,do you feel that you are a child OF Godf'
ENo.n answered Luther. "but / am sur'
of it!p
Boaes-That was q very restful ser
mon this morning. Trotter--Restful
was nearly tired to death. It wa
- 1-~- Rrnnu--I huHf