Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-06-19
THE sUNDi ,CHOOL.
AN INTERESTING AND lNsTrUC..
TIVE LESSON.

TIVE LESSON.
Reflections OF IN E.cvatins Chnracts7-
Wholesome Food for Thought - study"
Ing tire scr:ptural Lesson In.olil:.crsiT
and Profitab!-.
The lesson for Sunday, June 81. may bs
found ia g Kings IS: 1-1o.
INTRODUCTORY.
"A sad lesson, in many respects. and vet Il
very profitable one, il read Alright. '!te
truth Is always wholesome. This S, ripturu
reveals to US certain facts regarding cur
relations with the great Head OF si.e uni
verse. facts that ought t, be received and
pondered. l. God is King. not mas. 2. Coz
means what he says. 3. Gods messages are
to be needed. =. SIN means destruction and
death. o. Man is his own worst enemy. g.
God Is mans truest friend. Z. The man
that speaks Gods truth, however search
ing, speaks kindness. g. Heavens laws OF
Righteousness are for earth's good; they
are the barrier to evil. 0. BE eure your SIN
will find you out. 10. The wicked al 20
serve the righteous will of heaven. These
ana many other such truths may be learned
from perusal Of this dark chapter in Is
raels career. Why not learn from the ea-
pericnce Of the race? "And thine ears shall.
hear word behind thee. saying. This is
the way. walk We in 1t, when We turn to the
right hand and when We turn to the lcft.n
1t is the voice OF experience--heed it.
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
In the ninth year. SIS to 5s6 3. G.. al
though the Babylonian captivity OF seventy
years counts from the first expulsion. 6e6 d.
nezzar. son of Naborolassar, the de ,,roycr
OF NinaNch and founder Of Bahylonia.
Reisned at Babylon noarly half a century.
one OF the great men OF history.
against. 10 settle down about. hence to
invest. Revision, encamped It is this
M ri hlf 10 ,Gaa
Ps. 81: (sthe angel of the Lori en-
campeth, FORTS, or towers. Original
ly, watch-towers, from the verb to look
out.
Hesieged The word literally means t,
come upon or enter hence to attack. The
Douay suggests, probably in amplitication
OF the thought, shut up and beseged.-
Unto the eleventh year. Beginning a year
and half before this time.
Ninth Cay OF the fourth month. Hebrew.
| ninth of the month. The rest being sup
piled. probably from Jcr. SO: g. The Douay
| is graphic "The ninth day of tho month
and,' ETC.. like our "high noon, and tho
of conquering. They were undone Tho
| famine was too strong for them.
| Broken up. Literally to cleave. So ron l.
| dcred at Elk. II: 16 (divide) A very lunlin-
Gus translation is that at 2 Sam. 90: 49,
Who're the three mighty men broke through
enemy broke through the walls. made Il
breach. SEQ Douay.--Between two walls
Better. between the two walls. The wore.
is In tho dual meaning. more nearly, patr
OF walls.--The kings garden, or, park;
| probably an extensive tract on the south
side of the city. This is the word used at
Gen. 2: S of the garden Of Eden.--Tho
plain, Hebrew, ARABIAN. A wilderness dis
trict, mentioned at Josh. 8: 16.
Pursued. The word means to chase or
army All his force. The word aarmy,
means literally strength. Scattered.
Rendered dispersed at zeph. 8: 10. e. sis
. WHAT raE hpssos TEACHES.
Pitched against. So are VIC at times in
this world, beleagured on all sides by the
armies Of the aliens, and at q loss; and it is
q fair question whether we are not, in large
part, responsible for this pitiful state OF
things. Jerusalem had brought upon her
self here the poverty Of resources that shu
her up, like an eagle in a cage! twas her!
to 20 abroad, it was hers to be on the ag
gressive. but here she is penned in and dcs
tined for destruction. But was 1t not he
own sin that came upon her? We're no
those that pitched so fercely and fatal,
against her the children Of her own dis
trust? Was it not her own unfaith tina
builded those forts against her AROUND
Lord encampeth around about them tina
fear him. "rhou wilt keep him in perfec
peace, whose mind is stayed on thee be
cause he trusteth in thee "The LORD
nigh unto all them that call upon him. t.
all that call upon him in TRUTH Mind tn
emphasis.
And the city was broken up. The city o
God! No, the city Of Gods despisers. Thi!
was not that Jerusalem that Jehova1
planted, the city OF the great King Reat
Jeremiahs terrible portrayal and see. Tn,
city had become place of idolatry ant
| 3rnr W for
other such city-certainly not on Zion's hill
There was room there for city devoted t.
the one God and to his holiness; but the
world, under God, had no use for such ar
impious city as Jerusalem had become. SC
the heather who are Gods sword and
scourge. rose up and wiped 1t out. There
are sober lessons here. There is room or
American soil for God-respecting, Sab
bath-keeping people. There is no place
here for another piece of corrupting En-
ropeanism. To depart from God and hi:
truth as a nation is to fOrsake the regulat.
ing principle about which we were estab.
lished from the first. 1t will mean the for.
feiting of our right to live, the signing OF
our own death warrant. Heaven has nc
need for another Sodom.
And they gave good judgment upon him.
1t was Gods judgment too. Zedekiah had
not only sinncd against the nation, he l,ao
sinped against Jehovah also. The assize.
OF earth are often made the bar for the
vtnd1cattOn OF heavens claims and the
heather, as Gods ordained executioners
perform, albeit unwittingly. the will of high
heaven. After all, judgment is not IN ex-
ternal, arbitrary thing, something foisted
unto the affairs of men because OF some far
, away but angry potentate. 1t tnheres. it
belongs to the very deed itself, as fruit be.
longs to the tree on which it grows 1t is
like the thorn on thistle and brier, growing
out of the nature and character Of the
plant And the time is coming when all
men shall see it so. In the great final tri.
bunal there shall be no one, be he the viii
est, to say nay to Gods decisions in right
eousness. Man shall virtually give judg-
ment, and righteous judgment, upon him.
self.
Vinedressers and husbandmen. Safe en-
ployment, doubtless, but o, what degra-
dation of the high vocation of Israeli! No
temple, no city on the hills, just group Of
toilers for this earth's necessities. Alas for
the church Of Christ when it shall approach
such pass! That eloquent warning of the
honored President of the Missionary Union
at Cincinnati. was it else than timely? IL
the church OF Jesus Christ fulfilling its
lordly mission to this earth2 We're we sim
ply left here to get living and expend it
on ourselves? God pity the people of Zion
when they lose the zeal OF the Lords house