The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-11
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
FEBRUARY 8.
Lesson Text: "Ahab's Covetous-
ness" I Kings, xxi, 7-16- Z
Golden Text: Luke XIII,
16-Commentary.

AhaO lS however, so NtLe Ii SympdLny Wltn
God that ne after all made frienas with the
king Of Syria, and let him escape. For this
he was rebuked by prophet, and went to bis
house heavy and displeased Xxx, AZ, 49,.
.Naboth the Jereelite" We are now in
troduced to man who is mentioned only in
this chapter and in II Kings * His name
is given here nineteen tiuss, and six times
it Is Naboth the Jezree;it.. Naboth signi-
fss prominent" and Jezreel "tbe seed OF
GOD, )" so that we find the seed Of God prom-,
inent hard by the palac, Of upgodly Ahab.
ways, should have such contrast so close to
him is too much for wicked flesh to stand,
and, like Cam, he is troubled by it.
2. Give me thy vineyard be-
cause it Is near unto my house." A right
eousness life is constant rebuke to unright-
eousness and cannot be tolerated, especially
when the spirit Of Goi is striving with tho
inpenitent as He was with Ahab.
8. 1.-THE Lord forbideth me that l should
give the inheritence OF my fathers unto
thee" Although Ahab offered him better
vineyard or its full value In money, this b
his reply. Naboth fears Jehovah, but doss
not fear Ahab, and the Inheritance of his
fathers is more to him than money or than
any other Inheritance Had he been like
Esau he would have sold it cheap. 4
4. "And Ahab came into his house heavy
and displeased." In the last ctapter We saw
him in his house. heavy and displeased be-
cause the Lord by the prophet had rebuked
him: and now he is in ths same place and In
the same state Of mind because the Lord has
again rebuked him through Naboth. Had
he freauented the house OF the Lord and In
his trouble gone like Elijah into the sane
tuary FPS. kxiii, ~ he would have found
cure for his sadness; but he was not that
kind of a man. He lived for Ahab and
Ahabs will and Ahab's way, and whatever
interfered with that cast him down.
S. "Why is thy spirit so sadT Sad" is
Just the same word as heavy In verse4 and
xx., 43. and it is only found these three
times in the Bible. This is his wife's question
to him. He will not find help in the right
direction from her, for she melted him TO
sell himself to work wickedness in the sight
of the Loro (verse 25.
6. ~ will not give thee my vineyard" DE
rehearses to her his request OK Na6oth and
th:s. Naboth's reply. Thank God for all
who gay to the world, the flesh and the devil:s
I am the Lords property, you cannot nave,
me or anything belonging to me; and no
money nor any other inducement can per;
suade me to give to any but my Lord
that which is truly and only His.
z. Il will give thee the vineyard OF Ma
both the Jezreelite" Thus speaks this woman
Of Satan, this defer Of the true God and His
servants. She talks like the devil himself
when he said to our Lord Jesus, "AH this
will I give thee. to whomsoever l.
will I give it, luke iv., g..
8. $50 she wrote letters in Ahab's name
and sealed them with his SEAL" Thus did
Haman, another adversary OF the people OF
God (Esth. lii, 19. Thus will the beast and
the false prophet act in the power Of the
dragon, that old serpent, the devil, in the
last days before Jesus comes in His glory
rev. xiii, 4, Z, Is, etc.,. In all ages the
wicked watcheth the ris hteous and seekcth
to slay Him" (Ps. xxxyii., 39, and it shall
continue so till Jesus comes.
9. proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on
high among the people," Or as in r. V.
margin, 'at the head OF the people"
child of God may conclude that something Is
wrong when the enemies of God do him an
honor or in any way set him ON high. When
God eieyates man as BE did Joseph and.
David and Daniel He is able to keep them;
vet see how Satan shot at them and sought
their ruin.
10. "And set two men, sons Of Ba.fal. be-
fore him to bear witness against him."
s'Sons of Belialn signify worthless, reckless,
lawless fellows. They abound everywhere,
and are ready to every evil work.
II, H. "And the men Of his city ~ did
as Jezebel had sent unto them" Were the
servants of Christ only half as ready and
obedient as the servants Of the adversary,
how the name of Christ would be magnifed.
God gloriaed, the elect church called out and Z,
the kingdom fastened. These men did just
what Jezebsl said-took her to mean what
Sue said and went about it. So many Of the
professed followers Of Jesus cannot believe
that He means what He says, and will not
do as He says
13 "Naboth did blaspheme God and the
kinp.n This is the lie which these false wit :
nessss give utterance to. Naboth could say
with David and with Jesus: "Falss witnesses
did rise up; they laid to my charge Things
that knew % not They hate me Sott Wt'hons T%vi
50 -61; John xv., 25).
"Tbey stoned him with stones that he died"
It would seem from II Kingsix., 25, that his
sons also were murdered. Thus in later days
they stoned Stephen and Paul (Acts vii, 5S;
xiv, 19. The same hatred of God and HIS
seed murdered Jesus, and has in various cruel
ways out to death multitudcs Of those who
believe in Him. And it seems to human sight
so strange; but we must wait. God Is love. a
God Of love can do no wrong.
A. "Naboth is stoned. and IS dead" Or,
as in tho next verse, 'Naboth is not alive.
but dead" Satan had done his worst.
Jesus taught His disciples not to fear
those who could only kill the body. The
Spirit through Paul, says that ITO die Is
gain" Ito depart and be with Christ is far
better.n Jesus tells US that when Lazarus
died the angels carried hin-not his poor, cor
1upting body, but himself, apart from the
frail tabernacle in which he had been sojourn.
ing-to Abraham's bosom; and He said to
the thief on the cross: To-day shalt thou be
with Me in Paradise"
Is. "Arise, take possession Of the vineyard
Nol lotI 1o vofno ~
give thes for money" Thus speaks Jezebel
to her heavy and displeased husband. The
prominent seed of God is no longer in his
way as q rebuke to him, and the coveted
vineyard Is now his without money.
16. "Ahab rose up to 60 down to the vine.
yard I" to take possession OF it." But
he is not prepared to hear the fearful tidings
which await him from the Lord by the
mouth Of him whom he is pleased to term his
enemy. The Lord has seen it all. dogs
shall lick thy b.ood," dogs shall eat Jezebe"
due time most literally xxi. IS; II Kings
ix., 35, &c., Covetous and God-defying men
and women may seem to accomplish their
purposes aud triumph over the righteous,
but there is a God who sees and hears and
will do right.-LeSson Helper.
A CoMpOsIToR III the once or the
New York Stats Zeitat1eg, white at
work at his case, fell and died before
aid could reach him. He had worked
in the same capacity for the same pa
per for thirty-fve years. He stood at
his case all through the war and did his
share to tell the people the news OF
each anxious morning. He worked be-
fore the perfecting press was dreamed
of, and when the greatest papers print
ed their matter directly from the type;
when the telephone was as far away as