Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-05-03
ISRAEL OFT REPR0VED.
LESSON v. SECOND QUARTER, IN.
reRNAT OVAL SERIES, MAY 8.

xix. documentary ny bhe iNeN' ~ Va
stearns.
Compiled from Lesson Helper Qo'~terly by per
mission of Il S Hoffman, publisher, Philadel
phia.
Gods love for His people Israel is seen
not only in His bringing them out of Egypt
and placing them in the good land OF
Canaan, but also in His sending them His
servants, the prophets, who showed them
their sins and pleaded with them to turn
from their sins unto God (chap. ii, 9-lD.
The prophets were in themselves weak
ane fallible men, but God gave them
message for His people, and they had only
tcheliver thHt message faithfully in His
naihe But there were many false proph-
cts, who spoke lies in the name Of the
Lord and perverted His word (Jer, xiii,
1882, 36).
Amos was a prophet to Israel (the ten |
tribes) in the days Of Uzziah, king of Ju.
dab, and Jeroboam, son of Joash, king |
of Israel And about the same time lived
the prophets Isaiah and Hosea (Amos /, l; |
lisa l. |; Hos l. y. Amos was called to be
a prophet while keeping sheep, and the
chief place of his prophecy was Bethel
(chap. vii, l0-15) Israel's sin was that be
cause prosperous they were at ease and in
different to the claims of God wi, 80;
greedy of gain and expressing the poor
Gi, 6. I; iv, l, v, IL, IL; viii, 40; needed
not the voice of God in judgment dv, CID,
and despised the word of God iii, 4; v, 10;
vii, lO-I3) Yet He loved them, and bore
patiently with them, and entreated them
and kept before them the blessings of the
sure covenants with Abraham and David
Read very carefully chapter tx, ll-l5.
- 1 uN
QiIsal multiply transgression."
With all their sin they were outwardly
very religious. At Bethel and at Gilgal
they had many affairs; Hosea says they
were as plentiful as heaps of stones in the
field But there was only one altar in
all the land where since the building OF
the temple, God commanded sacrifice to
be offered (Deut xii, 10, II; Ps cxxxii, 49,
40 that all sacrifice at Bethel or Gilgal was
simply transg 'eseion.
y s. "And Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving
with leaven, for this liketh you, 0 ye chill
dren of Israel, saith the Lord God"
Leaven is everywhere in Scripture sym
Dol Of evil With the meal Offering there
was to be melt her leaven nor honey, and at
the Passover there was to be no leaven
found in their houses.
6. And | also have given you cleanness
of teeth in all your cities, aud want OF
bread in all your places; yet have ye not
returned unto me- saith the Lord.
Observe in this verse and in verses s, D.
10, IL, the five times repeated sad refrain
e'Yet have yc not returned unto Me, saith
He Lord This shows us the heart OF
God and His one great longing for HIS
erring people, that they in true penitene'
return to Him
81. I h.r,o the FniT
from YOU wien there were yet thre'
months 70 the harvest; and caused it u
rain upon one city, and caused It not
rain upon another osty.'
That He would also thus chasten them
recognized by solomon in his prayer at tn
dedication Of the temple q Kings Vll, 81
36l Who among Va ever stops TO consde
that when it rains Ia one place and not u
another God has anything TO do VIII
it. or that when va one place there Is
drought and ia another much rain, u
the hand OF the Lord that doeth thhsS An
vet il we belirve His word we must bsiiey
that the balanoings Of tbs clouds are til
" wondrous works Of Him who u perfeet !
knowledge: wks saith 10 the snow, BE tho
on the eartA likewise to the small raj
and the great rssn ef His strength"
so two or thres cities wandered int
one city TO drink ustsr, but they were nj
satisfied, yet have ys not retsFned UNI
zoe. saith the Lord.
tThey for.ook God, the fountain of hviu
waters. and he-ed them out cistern
broken cisterus that could hold no waite
O. Il have s4aittos yoa with Blasting al
mildew
This also he had forewarned tbsrn
when He set bcsore than the blessings al
cursings which would surely follow oh
dience or disobediencc (Deut. Exvfh, ~.
10 Il have sent sHlong you the pes
Ience after tie manner of Egypt"
This, too, He had Threatened (Dsut. XVI
a. co. while at the same time be HI
, promised that il they would dihgent
hearl1en TO His voice and do right In II
eight He would Pat none Of the diseas
upon them which He had brozght up
the Egyptians lex. XIV, %; xiii, 70; Del
vii, 49,
Your young men have slain with
sword"
The result of obedience would have be
that one would have chased II thousar
and two have put ten thousand to fig
Deut. xxi, 3d. but instead OF this tb
enemies Cypress them and Stay them.
IL. N have overthrown some Of you,
God overthrow Sodom and Gomorrah, a
We were as a tirebrand plucked out of
burning
In Zech. iii, 2, Jerusalem is called
brand plucked out of the fire, and in
- Mo, they are called rulers of Sodom a
yI people Of Gomorrah, while in Matt. XII.
Jesus says it will be more tolerable in
day Of Judgment for Sodom than for di
bedient Israel BY famine and sickn
and war and by direct judgment He plei
with them to return unto Him. but Il
refuse.
IL. Therefore, thus will do unto q
O Israel, and because win do this u
thee. prepare to meet thy God, o Israel.
The long account of love sighted, &
mands disobeyed blessings abused, q
transferred to other lovers, while all
time keeping up an outward profession
devotion, must some day be settled,
how will ISRAEL meet her God, whose m
loving and persistent entreaties she
spurnedf Tue only preparation Is
- penitence ami consequent forgiveness,
lowed by fruits meet for repentance.