The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-01-27

GoLDEs TExr-Not by might, nor by power,
but by my Spirit saith the Lord OF hosts
Zcch- "a
TInE.-March, u. G.. $40. The twcnty.foursh
day OF the eleventh month. In the second year
u Darius HystaspcA The same night - our
last lesson. 4
PLAcE-Jerusalem. III
PLACE IN BIBLE HIsToRY. ChapA y
and Q, and just After the close OF Hassais propn'
coy.
observation-disclosures was building
the second templco OF Jerusalem amid formid-
able dihcultes and great dtscourAgements-,
mountains Of perplexities from scanttness Of
workmen end material; mountains OF hindraneo
from the intimidat ions and intrigues OF IL
malicious Samarftsns; mountains OF risk nom
the jealousy OF the Persian power: mountains
Of opposition from the weakness ana
fears Of his own people But tho people
had been at work for nve months, though
apparently discouraged and ready 70 revolt
against their leader; for II Was . long and cost
~ work In which they were engaged zeche-
riah had had four visions, which we studied In
our last lesson. 70 arouse and encourage oo
people. The next one, In to-day's lesson. wes
70 inspire the people with confidence In their
leaders ~ divinely sustained. and the leaders
with confidence in their divine appointment 70
the work. and to lead al 20 The true sousee q
strength and success.
LESSON NOTES. I
The Tision AZ the Golden Cdndslabrum.
Behold . candlestick. Rather q lamp
stand, . candelabrum, formed In gen.
eral after . pattern of the seven
branched golden candlestick In the
tabernacle and the temple lex. 25:sl-
37). 1t was . significant and impressive
vision the prophet Zechariah had. He
sees . candlestick of pure gold AID i'm
mense size, with it,. seven lamps, burn
ing before him. Seven golden pipes
connect each lamp with . bowl at the
Top, which serves a. q reservoir for the
oil feeding them. Two olive trees
stand near the candlestick, one on each
side, continually pouring out oil from
their branches into golden spouts in
clining from them into the bowl; SO
that the supply of oil in the candel-
abrum is never exhausted, and
replenished from any other source.
The Golden Cdndkstick. The golden
candlestick was represented on the arch
Of Titus, and the careful copy made
under the direction Of Roland in ITO.
and published in his work, de Spolis
Templi," gives probably the best idea
that can be formed Of it. 1t was COM
posed of a straight stem, rising perpen-
dicularly from q base, and having on
| either side Of it three curved arms or
branches, all Of them in the same plane.
and all rising to the same level. The
| stem and arms were ornamcntcd with
representations of almond flowers,
pomegranates, and lily blossoms, re-
peated as there was room for them, the
top ornament being in every case a
lily blossom, which held q hemis-
pherical lamp. It was made of q
talent of pure gold. worth tive nty-cight
thousand dollars. Upon the seven lamp
stands were sever golden lamps; the
ancient lamp being simply n bowl, not
unlike q gravy-boat in shape, with the
wick hanging over the spot. There was
only one lamp stand, denoting the unity
OF Gods people; but it had various
branches and lamps, denoting their
multiplicity in unity; and the number
was seven, the symbol Of their COM
pletenesS The church, each branch Of
the church, each heart, should be >
''candle Of the Lord" lighted by Him;
burning continually, because continual
~ fed from the beaten oil OF the
sanctuary; shining in the dark places;
Of pure, solid gold, very precious, true,
incorruptible, sincere all through.
The Light. Light is mysterious in M
turc, incffably bright and glorious.
everywhere present, swift-winged, un-
deflcd and unde6lablc. Light is the
source Of life, Of beauty, of manifested
reality, of warmth, comfort and JOY, Of
health and Of power. 1t destroys all
darkness; it unites in itself purity and
clcarncss. Without it the world would
be but q mass of coldne.s and death.
Now these few and feeble returned cx-
lies were the candlestick from which in
future ages the light was to shine.
They were the chief light in that dark
world. Zcchariah held 1.-The tremen-
dous. daring belief" Gays Prof. Elmslic.
"that the most important of the worlds
population in that era was the handful
Of Jews Mt Jerusalem; that that
little community would do more in the
future history Of the world than all the
mighty empires around them" And
history proves that he was right.
The OHrc Tres, one on each side OF
the lamp, express the source of supply.
The bowl Of oil would oon be cx-
hausted, unless q continual supply
flowed into it. The trees represent On
~inexhaustiblc fountain, connected with
the very nature of the creator.
The Tro Brdnchss, one from each
tree. which connected the tree with the
candclabrum, signifcd, according to the
angels Interpretation tvers. 1914, the
two anointcd mes who would ''natur-
ally be understood by the prophets
hearers to mean Zcrubbabcl and
Joshua; or the civil and the priestly Tor
rcligious) representatives Of God on
earth; the state and the church. Perhaps
there is a further meaning to be sought
in Paul's figure in Rom. 11:l7-24, the
new graft on the old tree, and in the
figure in Rev. 11:4, where the language
is plainly borrowed from this vision in
Zechariah."
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
1. They arc one, joined to one head,
filed with one spirit, rejecting one
light, but in many forms.
.. God sends Ills blessings through
the fundamentally of men.
3. Note that the light which symbol