The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1891-03-20

M4fHu ~ 1881
Especially Arranged from s. 4. Quarterly.l
LESSON TExr-a Kings 9: SIS
GOLDEN TKxT-Fear not; for they that b
with vs. are more than they that be with them
- Kings @: TO-
CENTRAL TRrTH-M Many and powerful unseen
defenders guard Gods people from evil
TINn-PFobably between ID. q. koO and 50
Whether before or after the events OF the iass
lesson Is uncertain
PLACE Samaria the capital and Dothan. =
small city twelve miles TO the north. Here J0-
eph WAS sold BY his brethren Gen. 81 II, etc)-
HELPS OVER BARD PI-AcEs-a The King OF
Syria" Benhadad II. "Warred;" sent rowing
bands for plumber and to weaken his enemy. IL
was kind Of guerrilla warfare o Beware.
that thou pass not such place" do not 60
there and expose yourself. or do not pass over
n. but guard II. The 6yrians are GOMEZ" are
coming. Such was their plan. H. Sore:"
Exceedingly (which Of Us Is for the King of.
Israel" ~ their plans we're known only 20 tho
leaders. he was sure that some one az them
must be . traitor. ~. Elisha telleth tho
king they must have learned this from some
Of their captiycs or.the men OF Israel with whom
they came In contact. ia "He IL IN Dothan:"
(Scc Place. u. "A great host" great COM
paratiyciy for such purpose H. Tho
mountain was full OF horses and chariots Of
fire." the mountain was the hill on which
Dothan was situated The Syrians we're ON
the surrounding hills. The space between
them and Elijah was nlled with the unseen de-
tenders The ehariofs OF nrc were symbols Of
the angels and spiritual beings and secret
forces Of nature. which are always around Gods
people. i8 when they" the Syrians. "Smote
them with blindness" the word means not
complete blindness. but dazed and bewildered
vision. that could not see things Is they were-
Elijah could not lead host Of totally blind
people twelve miles. When Elisha, in the
next verse. says that This Is not the way
neither Is this the city, he spoke the plain
simple truth Dothln was not Ehsha's city
nor was IL possible. defended as Elisha was.
for them TO md him there. He took them 70
his home city. and they found there the man
they were seeking. The fact that they did not
understand how II was TO be done. and imag-
ined some other way. does not destroy the facs
that Elisha told them the plain. exact truth.
LESSON COMMENTS.
The main points Of the story to-day
are the plans of the King Of Syria for
the overthrow of Israel. and their re-
peatcd failure. owing TO the supernat-
ural knowledge Of Elisha. Bcnhadad
could not understand why he was SO
often frustrated in his designs. and
thought there must be a spy in his own
camp. When told the cause Of all his
failures, he at once set 10 work to
capture Elisha himself. To this end he
sends an army to Dothan to seize Elisha
One morning, on awaking. Elishas serv-
ant is filed with alarm on seeing tho
Syrians all around the small city Ho
cries to Elisha in despair. Then. 1T tho
prayer OF the prophet, the servants
eyes are opened SO that he sees that tho
hosts of God are just as near as those
OF the enemy. Again, at Elisha's re-
quest. the eyes Of the Syrian host are
affected. and they are so mystified about
things, as not to recognize places or
people. Elisha then apparently de-
ccived them, and led them into Samaria,
where they were com plctely in the
power OF the King of Israel. Elisha,
however, refused to let the King fall
upon them, but treatedthc Syrians kind
ly, and sent them safely homo. Thus.
for awhile, at least, the land was dcliv-
cred from Syrian invasions.
| How strangely Benhadad must have
| felt when he realized that all his most
| secret movements were perfectly well
| knywn to his opponent! Against such
| q man the King was simply powcrlcss-
| All his armies availcd him nothing; for
| Elisha's knowledge brought their plans
TO naught. So he rightly felt that. II
possible. he must put this one man out
| Of the way before he could again pros
per- In this. however, he failed. for God
helped His servant; and the result Of II
| all was that the Kings armies marched
out and marched back again without
having accomplished any thing.
| Would we like to feel that any ono
| knew all that we did. and even all that
| we wanted to do. There Is no one who
| would like to be in that condition. We
! do too many sinful things, and think
| far too many evil thoughts, to make IL
| pleasant for us to have any one know
| them all. Yet God knows them all.
| from our childhood until the present
| moment. What record that Is even
| for the best man that ever lived!
| my thoughts. before they are ray own.
| Are 10 my God distinctly known;
| He knows the words mean TO speak
| Ere from my opening lips they break."
| II the King Of Syria was astonishcd
| at Elisha's knowledge. no less was
| Elisha's servant amazed when his eyes
| were 50 opened that he saw into the
spiritual world and discovered 80 many
defenders Of Gods servant near at hand
lie had thought I'LL was lost, because
he only saw the Syrian army. But he
had only TO see Gods army to realize
that all was well. Now there arc hints
in the Bible that leads us TO believe that
Gods angels do watch over Gods chill
drcn in this world. In Heb. TIA the
apostle says: Are they tthe angels)
not all ministcring spirits. sent forth to
minister for them who shall be heirs Of
salvationy' Even children have guard
ian angels, for Jesus said: Take heed
that We dcspisc not one Of these little
ones, for say unto you. that in Heaven
their angels do always behold the face
Of my Father which Is in Heaven"
Matt. is:i0).-Rev. A. 4. Schaufiler.
ID. y.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
l. We should be patriotic, and aid our
country even when our rulers are inn
perfect
.. God knows every secret thought
and feeling.
3. This is comfort 10 tho friends Of
God. for he understands MS while others
misunderstood. lie knows when we