Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-03-13
GEHAM Is PUNISHED.
LESSON xl, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MARCH is.

ieAt VI inc Lessoh IL hihgs W 1871.
Commit Verses, 1917 - Golden Text,
Mum. xxi, e3-Commentary by Rev.
ID. NJ. Stcarns.
Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per
mission of ii. s. Hoffman, publisher, Philadel
phia.
Is. "Behold. now | know that there is no
God in all the earth but in Israel"
Thus spake Naaman as, having returned
with all his company from Jordan, he
stood before the man of God and prayed
him to accept blessing in the form of
money and raiment.
| 16. "But he said, As the Lord iveth, be-
fore whom | stand, will receive none
And he urged him to take it, but he re-
fused"
Thus spake and acted the man of God.
| He was not rich in this worlds goods, and
| yet he turns away from riches when vol
UNFAIRLY offered to him, and apparently
from grateful heart. How different from
most peoplel How different from the
church of today, which in the most ungod
| ly ways seeks to raise money for what Is
called the Lords work!
II. "Thy servant will henceforth offer
neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto
other gods, but unto the Lord"
Naaman seems truly to have turned
| from idols to serve the living and true
God q Thess. i, 81, and he desires to take
| home with him some of the earth of the
| Lords land (IIos tx, -, that when he offers
sacrifice to the Lord he may do it literally
| upon holy ground, though in a far country.
He did not understand the worship of Je-
hovah; he did not know that God would
hear him from any soil q Kings viii, 49,
40, but he seems sincere, and if any one
| sincerely desires to know God He will en-
| Tighten him. "Then shall we know if we
follow on to know the Lord" Hos vi, b.
is. "When | bow down myself in the
house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy
servant in this thing"
10. "And he said unto him, Go in peace"
This is the decision of the man of God in
the matter, and this is his blessing. See
in II Chron. xxx, 1920 how the Lord par
doned His own people. and allowed them
to eat the passover otherwise than as it
was written. And observe that the atti
tude of the heart toward God is more in
his sight than the outward form.
| 20. But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha,
the man of God, said as the Lord
liveth will run after him and take some
| what of him."
Here is an idolater indeed-an idolater
in Israel, an idolater in the house of holy
| man of God, for covetousness is itlolatry
| (Col. iii, 81. He forgot that the law taught
to hate covetousness, and that Achan was
stoned and burned because of his cove
tousness 0x. xviii, 81; Josh. vii, 2D
81. $50 Gehazi followed after Naaman."
When Elisha said go in peace" Naaman
departed; but it seems that he went but a
little way ere this covetous Gehazi overlook
him. Living with one like Elisha how was
it that he had not more of Elisha's spiritY
And when Naaman saw him running
after him he lighted down from the char
lot to meet him, and said, Is all well?"
Or, as in the margin, as there peace?"
| There was little peace in that covetous
soul. There is no peace, saith the Lord,
unto the wicked" lisa. Xviii, -; lvi, 2D.
| The way of peace they know not" lisa.
| lviii, s..
% "And he said, All is well. My mas
| ter hath sent me-
3D. And Naaman said, Be content, take
two talents"
His little scheme was working well.
| Lying seemed to be Il paying business He
had only ventured to ask for one talent of
silver and now two talents are pressed
upon him, which, with some urging (N, he
consents to receive. Some three thousand
| dollars for one lie; many man has lied
| Tor even ten or five dollars or less, and
| boys and girls have been known to lie for
IA very small amount.
"a And when he came to the tower
(Margin, secret place. he took them from.
their hand, and bestowed them in the
house: and he let the men go and they de
parted"
He had no desire to make a great display
Of his riches, at least not for the present.
| He had that which he coveted, il was safely
in his possession and securely deposited,
and no one about the premises was any the
wiser, as he thought; and like the rich
fool of Luke xii, 10, he perhaps said to
himself, What good time lean now havel
| 25. He went in and stood before his
master"
AS if nothing had transpired worth men,
tioning, as if he were very devoted and
faithful servant, as if he would say, MY
dear master, thou man of God what is thy
pleasure" We read in Eek. xxxiii, 81, OF
some who ''sit before the servant of God as
the people of God, and they hear His words
but they will not do them; for with their
mouth they show much love, but their
heart goeth after their covetousness"
and Elisha said unto him, Whence
contest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy
servant went no WHITTIER"
Lie upon lie. This is at least the third in
this transaction. How hard the heart
grows! 1t is deceitful above all things,
and desperately wicked der. xvii, 81. What
"A gulf has opened between him and his
masterl Let some boy tell how he felt,
when, having spent the afternoon in some
forbidden place or way, he was asked at the
tea table where he had been. Let some
Christians say how they feel about prayer
when they have been doing what they know
God does not approve.
26. event not mine heart with thee
when the man turned again from his char.
lot again to meet theei'
All, Gehazl he's got you now Covet
BUSINESS is bad thing, and lying won't
help it any. BE sure your sins will find
you out" "A lying tongue is but for q
moment" Mum. xxi %; Prov. xii 19)
Eve obtained and perhaps enjoyed with
Adam the forbidden fruit. Achan OBJ
tanned and possessed the garments and the
gold. Gehazi obtained and possessed the
coveted silver and raiment; but in no case
did these things bring peace. There can