Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-07-13
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON III, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERlCs, JULY IS.

IL Commentary by the Rev. d. NJ.
stearns.
1. "Now when Jesus was born in Beth
lehem of JudRa, in the days of Herod the
king, behold, there came wise men from
the east to Jerusalem, " Matthew gives us
what is specially known as the gospel of
the kingdom. Here only do we find the ex-
preston Kingdom Of heaven" At His
birth Jesus is called "King of the Jews"
and at the beginning and end of this gos-
pei other rulers are II oubled because of
Him. See Herod and PLATE. 1t is suggest
i've of the time when He shall come in glo-
ry, and the nations shall be angry, and all
kindreds of the earth wall REV. XII, IS; l.,
y. He was called Jesus before He was
born (Math. /, 2l). At least five Others are
mentioned by name before their birth, Ish-
mael, Isaac, Josiah, Cyrus and John the
Baptist. Note the lesson in lisa. XVI, 9, 10;
Eph. ii, 10, and apply it believingly to
yourself.
?. Saying, Where is He that is born
king of the Jewsy for we have seen His
star in the east and are come to worship
Him." We shall have to wait until 1.-THE
morning" to know all we would like to
about these wise men, who they were, how
many they were, what they knew about the
king of the Jews and how, what lane they
caIhe irohl' What was the effect OF their
tidings upon their countrymen when they
returned, etc. But they make us think
VI - lNNl, ~, ~ lsa' IN, l-9i Hech. XIV,
io' Jef' Ill, Il, when all nations shall
nave thelr representatives IN Jerusalem to
worship the King
o When Herod, the King, had heard
these things, he was troubled and all Je-
rusalem with him." 1t is not strange that
the enemies of God should be troubled
by the presence OF HIM against whom they
are in rebellion. Some day they shall be
SO troubled hat they will want rocks and
mountains to fall upon them and hide
them from His face (Rev. vi, 15-l7).
4. "And when he had gathered all the
chief priests and scribes of the people to-
gether he demanded of them where Christ
should be born" Literally it is ''the
Christ" the wise men asked for the King
of the Jews, but Herod asks for the Christ,
which in Hebrew would be the Messiah,
and in English the Amounted. See how
on the cross the chief priests Knocked Him
with the title "Christ, the king of Israeli
(Nlark XIV, 32). 1t looks as if Herod had
heard some talk of n coming king Of Isra-
ell, just as today many hear of the possible
return in an unexpected hour of this same
Jesus.
5. "And they said unto him. In Bethle-
hem of Judaaa. for thus it is written Inv the
prophet" They do not seem to have asked
time to look it up. as many teachers would
need to do now if asked concerning the re-
turn of Christ. They seem tn have been
familiar with this prophecy and TO have
answered promptly, and vet they were not
personally Interested. their knoyledge liz
-.
6. "And thou. Bethlehem. in the land of
Juda, art not the least among the nrinces
of Juda, for out of thee shall come a gov
ernor that shall rule nv people Israel -
This is quoted from Mic. v .. tbe last
clause of which saws that His ooings forth
have been from the DAYS of eternity mar
GIN. The ruler of Israel was to he "a
son born, a child given" but He was also
1.-the Mighty God, lisa. tx. 6. n AS
truly as He has fulfilled mart of the nronh-
ecy, He will fulfill the rest and sit on Da.
vid's throne at His second coming.
7. "Then Herod. when he had nriviIv
called the wise men, inquired of them dii.
igently what time the star appeared
He is getting interested in the child. but
it is the interest of satan to destroy. not
the interest of the wise men who came to
worship.
3. And he sent them to Bethlehem
and said, Go and search diligently for the
young child, and when We have foInd him
bring me word again, that | NAV come
and worship Him also" We NAV rejoice.
the wise men might have said. for we have
gained a convert, but God was reading
Herod's heart, and perbaps the wise men
could read him too. Ever since sin made
Adam and Eve foolish enough to trv to
hide from God behind tbe trees in the
garden Gen. iii, s.. man has been Noting
and planning and acting as if God conld
not see nor read the heart. not knowing
that all is open to Him deb. iv. 1877.
9. "When they had heard the king. they
departed. And, 10, the star which they
saw in the east went before them tiIl If
came and stood over w here the voung child
was" Is it possible that they lost the
star when they turned aside to see Herod
and might have been puided bv 10 +or