The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1892-05-20

V4U1E4 4uU 0l@ N01m U4N10u&-U4Us Af0~XI~I
Lesson for May -. lC02.
Especially Arranged from =. s Quarteriy1
GOLDEN TEx1.-Dariel purposea In his heare
that he would not deilio himself with the porticn
Of thc kings meat. nor with the wine wsdch he
dran'..-Dan Ia
CENTRAL Tnrrn.-The principles OF righteous
ness and temperance nrc The way TO usefulness
and success.
TiaE-D G ceooa Az The FIRST siege Of
Jerusalem BY Ncbuchadnezzar. aud the three
years that followed
PI.AcEis BiBr.E HISTORY: Kinrs ss;ic; 3
Chron- 31l-z
RULERS Jehoiakim, king Of JUDAH NeDuch-
adnczzar, OF Babylon.
DASIEL-At thls time about sixteen years
old: born at Jerusalem. Of noblc parentagc;
carried captive 70 Babylon. where he lived all
TIE seventy years captivity; q great statesman.
a learned scientific man. . true prophet Of tho
nobiest character; lived ~ least TIL u. G. b3i:
eghfy-lyc years old.
HELPS OVER HARD PLAcEs-About6 COS years
D. G.. anuruber Of captiycs were carried from
Jerusalem 10 Babylon. Among them were four
boys who became noted In history--Danicl. and
the three who were cast into the fiery furnace.
These -four were selected 20 be trained for tho
oricinl service of King Ncbuchadnezzar They
we're taught In the Chaldcan learning, and fed
with The Injuries provided BY the king q
"Purposed that he would not dcfllc himself
with the kings meat" T. G., food. Some Of
the flesh was that forbidden 70 Jews lSee
Lev. ~ Dcut 12:23-.5) Often IL was consc-
Grated 10 idols II was too luxurious for their
best health . "God had brought Daniel into
favour" by direct influence and by giving
Daniel q lov1hie. noble character. 10. 'Endan-
ger my head" lest his head be cut on for dis
obedience IL ''Mclzar:" the meIz=r, or stew
ard: not proper name He had charge OF their
food. This plan was doubtless by permission
Of tho prince o. the cunuchs. Hama niah" etc:
see tncir other names In verse :. Il. Pulse
vegetable food; grains. Pulse originally meant
legu-ailous seeds, as beans. peas Is. END Of
the days" Of the tUee years training, verse 5.
~ "5tood they before the king as his officers
and advisers. Servants always stood when in
the presence ~ the monarch. 20 Better than
oil the raagicians:" the pricstiy. learned class
"Asrologers:" wise men. magi: scientific men
All used and believed in magic and astrology.
The Chaldcans were NJ this time the most
learned people in the world. Fl. First year OF
King Cyrus" d. c. 534 the end Of the seventy
years captivity. Cyrus conquered Babylon
LESSON NOTES.
Among all the boys Of Old Testament
times none stand out in stronger relief
than Joseph and Daniel. In many
things they were alike. Both were in
captivity in their early years. Both
had great temptations and endured
much wrong. And yet each Of them
stood Loyalty by the truth, and feared
nothing in this world SO much as he
feared sin. Joseph lost his place in
Potiphars house rather than commit
sin. and Daniel risked his life rather
| than do wrong thing.
| Daniel declines deflement Tho
wrong in eating Of the kings meat con-
sisted In the recognition Of idolatry
which this involved. Now there were
many specious arguments that might
have been adduced TO make Daniel
yield TO the custom Of the times We
will suggest three OF them:
| I. .'When you are in Rome. do as tho
Romans do This specific proverb had
not been coined in Daniels day, but no
doubt the idea was already in existence.
| lie might have said: .Well, customs
differ in different countries, and what
was possible in Judah Is not possible in
Babylon. II Is hard 20 get our usual
food here. and we may rs we'll yield 70
the pressure under which we are placed.
. God has forgotten and forsalsen
us. Here we are in bondage. Since
God has thus abandoned Us. we need
not be particularly careful about His
laws" How easily the natural mar ac-
cepts such an argument!
?. III we refuse we shall be killed"
There was good reason 70 fear this
And Is 1t not ones duty to save ones
life? Can truth be more valuable than
life itself?" This. too. was a plausible
argument. but Daniel was one 81 those
heroes who counted not their lives dear
unto themselves, but who counted truth
and godlincss as far above anything
that was merely temporal.
| Daniel Is delivered from danger. He
| rislsed all and lost nothing. The test
was successful. and in the end he and
his companions were really better off in
| body than they would have been had he
| yielded. God does not always reward
men both in time and in eternity There
are times when in this life men have to
endure real hardships. and wait for their
reward till eternity. But more fro
quently than we realize. temporal bless
ings arc the reward Of heroic obedience.
as well as the eternal bcncdiction. Tho
<>f<rv~
overreachcs himself. and comes "a Grief.
,v,,;l. ~. ,,,,-;tyhx No., rocs ,l,.ad -