Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-01-27
J. II, MILLER & SONS.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON ", FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JAN. %.

LESSON ", FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JAN. %.
Text of the Lesson, Gen. tx. S-I7-Mem-
DRY Verses. II-I3 - Golden Text. Gen.
tx, 13-Conlmcntary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns.
8. And God spoke unto Noah and to his
sons with him, saying" We have passed
over probably 800 years since the last les
son, during which time the views of Cain
and Abel had full time TO develop and bear
fruit. In the line of Seth. who took the
place of Abel, his brother, the most notable
Of those recorded in chapter was Enoch,
the seventh from Adam tJude i4), who
| walked with God at least 30o years and was
then translated without tasting death. The
descendants of Cain, who turned away
from God, gave their attention to building
cities, inventing musical instruments,
working in brass and iron and trying to
make this world II happy place without
God. The result of Gains way is seen in
chapter vi, 5, and the only remedy was the
deluge, which came after long warning, de-
stroying all except Noah and those with
him in the ark.
0. And |, behold, establish my COW
enant with you and with your seed after
you" This is the first covenant. so called
in the Scriptures and is FIRST mentioned in
chapter vi, is. 1t concerns the whole earth
Then we have some 400 years later the COW
| enant with Abram, Isaac and Jacob con-
corning the land of Canaan and the peo-
pie who should inherit it as center of
I blessing to the whole earth. These twoare
I unconditional. About 400 years later we
! have the conditional covenant at Horeb
I Compare Deut V, 2, 8, and Gal iii, H. Then
| some 400 years after that we have the I'M
conditional covenant with David concern
| ing the throne and the kingdom. Happy
are all who can make the last words of
| David their own and rest quietly in the
| faithfulness of Although my house
| be not so with God, yet He hath made with
me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all
things and sure'' Gil Sam xiii, 81.
| 10. And with every living creature that
| is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle and
of every beast of the earth with you: from
| all that go out of the ark TO every beast of
the earth" The Lord is good to all, and
| His tender mercies are over all His works
| (Ps. cXlv, 81 Even the sparows of which
| five are sold for two farthings are cared for
| by Him duke xii, g. And the whole crcs,-
| ton which still groaneth and travaileth in
! pain because of sin shall yet be delivered
| from the bondage of corruption into the
! glorious liberty of the children of God
rom. viii, n, 22).
| II. And | will establish my covenant
with you. Neither shall all flesh be cut off
| any more by the waters of IL food; neither
I shall there any more be food to destroy
! the earth" The next publication of the
/ earth shall be by fire, after which there
/ shall be a new earth filed with righteous
ness to abide forever II Pet. iii, 6, !, 10, 13).
| The earth will not be destroyed-that is,
annihilated-but purified from all defile-
/ ment, loosed las the word dissolved" sig
/ nifiesl from its bondage of sin. And as it
was in the days CT Noah so shall it be in
the days preceding that publication duke
| xvii, &c. 90
| IL. And God said, This is the token of
/ the covenant which make between Me
| and you, and every living creature that is
/ with you, for perpetual generations" In
| great mercy and loving kindness God con-
1 descends to give to man outward and visi-
| bic signs of His faithfulness The token
1 to Abraham was circumcision; in the pass
/ over it was the blood upon the door; to
/ Rahab it was the scarlet cord; to Gideon
I the fire from the rock; to Ahaz it was the
/ virgin sson Gen. xvii, II; Elk. xii 10; Joshua
/ ii, II, is; Judg. vi, Il, 81; lisa. vii, 14) The
/ last, even JESUS Himself. is to us the sign
I that He will do all that He has said.
! Is. 81 do set My bow in the cloud and it
/ shall be for Il token of q covenant between
Ne and the earth" This is the first time
/ that we read of the rainbow, and it is only
| spoken of in four places, here and in Eek.
| i, %; Rev. iv, 5; X, l. Four in Scripture is
| the perfect number concerning the earth,
and in each of these four places the bow
| speaks of redeemed earth. In the other
( three places as well as in this it is seen in
/ connection with Him who is the only Re
deemer.
J II. And it shall come to pass, when
4 bring cloud over the earth, that the bow
shall be seen in the clouds" The clouds
I would be more interesting to us if we re-
membered that He brings them and that
they are the dust of His feet (Nah. i, 81 He
| led Israel by pillar which was a cloud by
/ day and fire by night, and which He also
! spread over the whole encampment as
covering (Ex. xiii, 81, -; Ps. CIV, 39) At
/ the TRANSPORTATION cloud oversbadowed
4 Him, when He assembled cloud received
/ Him, and when He shall come again in His
/ glory bringing His saints with Him it will
I be in the clouds of heaven tMath. xvii, 5;
XVI, Ga; Acts /, 81. Clouds sometimes
teach that, though His way be not clear to
us, yet we are to trust Him implicitly
Is. And will remember my covenant,
which is between Me and you, and every
/ living creature of all flesh, and the waters
shall no more become food to destroy all
| flesh" See also what He will remember in
I Lev. XVI, ~, 50, and Eek. xvi, Co Con-
slider what we are TO remember in Deut
( vii, IS; viii, ?, Chron. xvi, II; Eccl xii, |;
I Cor. XII, "a, 25 Take comfort also in
what He will not remember lisa xiii, %;
/ Heb. viii, u; X, IN Notice that in the
margin of lisa. Xii, 6, Z. we are called "the
Lords remembrances" and observe care
fully what we are to remind them Of The
r. V. says we are to take no rest and give
Him no rest till He does this. He does
not need to be reminded, but He conde-
sends to let us do this, and loves to have
us plead His promises
IL. And the bow shall be in the cloud,
and will look upon it. that may remem-
Der the everlasting covenant between God
and every living creature of all flesh that is
upon Inc SaFNu- HOW many OF US ever
think when we see rainbow in the clouds
that God is looking specially upon it and is
interested in il; that the cloud is His, and
the bow is His, and the covenant is His,
and when we are interested in that which
interests Him then we have fellowship with
Hims When the clouds come in our lives.
may we by faith see also the bow and re-
ioice that however things may seem to 20
we are in the bonds OF an everlasting cove
nant ordered in all things and sure.
Il. And God said unto Noah. This is the
token of the covenant which have esfab-
lished between Me and all flesh that is upon
the earth. The word for establish is often
translated raise up. confirm" per
form, accomplish and is the very word
used when speaking to Moses Of Christ, Il
will raise them up prophet like unto
thee. +" All things that God says or does are
established in Christ. When we are in
Christ BY simple faith. and just taking
Him at His word, we. too. become estab-
lished, but not otherwise I'll Chron- *. %;
IsA ri. N