The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-03-09
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Promise of New Heart-Ezek. 36;g5-3S
Memory Verses 1921.


Especially Arranged from S. S. Quarterly
LESSON FOR MARCH Is, 1892
GOLDEN TExT.-A new heart also will give
you, and a new spirit will put within YOU
Eek. 80 20
CENTRAL TRurH-A new heart AMI a new
life are the need and the hope Of the world
EZEKIEL was the son OF Buzz, Of priestly
family living in or near Jerusalem. He was
born about b. c. 623 was carried captive 10
Babylonia with King Jehoiachin, BIC sos and
dwelt ON the river Chebar. branch OF the
Euphrates 800 miles north Of Babylon. He
began TO prophesy in 59S, when thirty years
old Q:D, and prophesied for % years C29;l0.
He was married, but his wife died about the
time that Nebuchadnezzar began his last seige
of Jerusalem C2I;1, 16).
THE BOOK OF EZEKIEL covers % years,
5s357l. IL is divided into three parts; chapters
/ TO "a, before the siege OF Jerusalem; chapters
25 to 90, during the siege; chapters 80 to As
after the siege, full OF promise, comfort, and
hope TO the exiles.
CONTEMPORARY PROPHETS. in
Jerusalem, and Daniel in Babylon
PLACE IN BIBLE HIsToRY.-2 Kings, chaps.
"a %; 2 Chron., chap. So
DATE OF THIS LEssoN.-Soon after the de-
struction of Jerusalem. Between B. c. SIS
| (33:2D and 572 (40:D.
PLACE-Written on the banks OF the Chebar
| the modern Khabour a large branch Of the
| Euphrates, entering that river at Carchemish
THIS PROPHECY has its first application &c
the cxiles. But the same principles apply tc
| the church OF God in all ages. Only through
| new hearts can the world be redeemed.
HELPS OVER HARD PLACEs.--25. Them
when God would restore Israel TO their OWE
J land. Clean water" as symbol Of cleansing
| from sin "Filthiness:" sin is filthy, vile, un-
clean. "All your idols:" After their return the
Israelities never again fell into idolatry. 20
| "a new heart" the heart Is the center and
| source of life, sending the life blood to every
| part of the body. New heart here is h new dis
position, Jew character, new love. stony
heart" q sinful heart is cold hard, and dead
| like stone. 81. my Spirit" the Holy Spirit
| fulfilled at Pentecost ana ever since. The
source of life. Judgments" laws, things Goo
| Judges to be right. 30. Save you," etc. hi
repeats that only by being saved from sin car
they enjoy their land. 81 Remember YOU
own evil ways" Gods goodness and love will
| make them TO see the vileness of their sins
| 'Loathe yourselves" sin is not merely wicked
| IL is vile, loathsome, hateful. 80. mot TO
| your sakes:" not because you deserve II. Sal
walton is Gods free gift. 80. LAS the hol.
| fiock" the inhabitants shall be many like thu
sacred hocks driven IN great numbers to TIT
sacrifice of the passover.
THE FULFILLMENT of these prophecies wa
partly on the return from exile, still more whel
Christ came, and the complete fulhllment viii
be in the new Jerusalem and the redeeme'
| world
LESSON COMMENT.
In it we find Ezekiel prophesying tina
the time was to come when God woult
give Israel new heart, and would re
store her to the land of her fathers, ant
give her renewed prosperity. This Coz
proposes to do, not because of the fac
that Israel deserves such blessings a
His hands, but on account of His owl
love and favor. Remember that all thi
was said after both Israel and Judal
had gone into captivity for their sin
and were in far-off land, slaves, a
they had once been in Egypt. Thi
will give much point to the words o
the prophet, who himself was also
captive by the great river.
Now to anyone looking at Judah i
her restitution and captivity, it nigh
seem strange that the prophet dwell
so much on a great blessing that is som
day to come to her, and then says tina
the blessing is to be one that shall b
purely spiritual. The natural ma
would say that what Judah needed mon
than anything else was some powerfl
, nation that would take up its cause an
defeat the Assyrian, and liberate thel
frpm their captivity. But in realit
this would not have helped Judah
any permanent prosperity.
! Now supposing that God should rails
up for them some powerful ally, and d.
liver them from their captivity, an
/ bring them back to the land from whic
they had SO recently marched, bl
, should leave them in the same ev
, heart of unbelief, would it have bee
, any permanent blessing? Would the
/ not have gone back to their idols an
all their former iniquities, so that &c
, would have again been forced to sen
them into a second captivity? Assured
! ". This shows that the one thin
that they needed, above all others, We
something inward, and not anythin
outward.
Now the experience of Israel is
, kind of object lesson for individu;
| Christians all the world over. VIII;
they experienced as a nation, that
/. true for us as individuals. There al
: thousands of poor snd destitute peop
in this world, made SO by their ow
sins. Drink alone has done this in mu
! titudes of cases. Now to raise none
, and clothe and house and feed all thes
would not really do them any goo
They would simply go on in their sil
, and not be radically helped. Many
man is poor to-day because he h;
: squandcred his money in foolish {
, riotous living. What is it that he meet
!, most of all? Not food, or rent paid,
> garments, but something inward az
l spiritual If he gets new heart the
, all else will come right in course
time. But so long as he goes wit
out that. nothing will ever come RICH
|. for the fountain source of all is corrup
> Can you get sweet water from a foI
/ fountain? No more can you get a su
; cessful life from foul and CORFU
l heart This is why all the injunction
? of the,Bible aim at the heart of man; f,
] out of the heart are the issues of lif
What we then need, most of all, is to ST
, to it that our hearts are right befol
God; for while they are wrong. all