The true northerner., 1895-10-11
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON u. FOURTH QUARTER. INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, OCT. t3.
Text OF the Lcss,n, Judg. vii. i3-23-Mem-
ory v rses, 10. 90 = Golden Text. Ps.
xvii. documentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns.


ory " rses, 10. 30 = Golden Text. Ps.
xvii. documentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
stearps.
13. And wien Gideon was come be-
hold there WIS a man that told a dream
unto his fellow" Gideon had been called
and encouraged by the Lord to deliver Is
rael from the Midianites, their oppressors,
his principal strength being the Lords
assurances: "Have not sent thee? Surely
will be with thee" (chapter vi, IA, 16).
The Lord, however, gave him three signs
to strengthen him yet further-the meat
Offering, accepted by fire, the fleece wet
and the fleece dry. After sitting the army
of 80, 900 down to 800 by sending homo all
the fearful ones (s2, 000), and out of the
remainder all that loved their own ease
60, 700), He still further strengthens him
by sending him down to the Midianite
host by night to hear what they talked
about in the camp. just as Gideon came
to the camp one soldier was telling anoth-
er this dream. The dream was evidently
from the Lord, and also the telling of 1t at
this time
IA. "This is nothing else save the sword
y
rael, for into his hand hath God delivered
indian, and all the host" The interpre-
tation of this dream by the soldier was also
of the Lord as surely as were the interpre-
tations by Joseph and Daniel This does
not prove, however, that the Midianite
soldier was a man of God, for the Lord
used the mouth of .Balaam, and also the
mouth of the ass on which he rode, TO utter
His messages.
15." Arise, for the Lord hath delivered
into your hand the host of Midian." Gid
con was so strengthened by this dream and
its Interpretation that he fastened at once
back TO the camp of Israel with these
words. Whatever God commands us to do
He is ready to do also, and when He asks
us to do what seems impossible it Is that
we may see our weakness and trust Him
to perfect His strength in our weakness,
for He giveth power to the faint, and TO
them that have no might He increaseth
strength.
16 "He put trumpet in every mans
hand, with empty pitchers, and torches
| (margin) within the pitchers" Thus he
did with the three companies of 100 each.
Three is mighty number and makes us
think of the Holy Trinity and also of res
direction. The trumpet Is suggestive of
for both rams horns and silver speak of
atonement and we overcome by the blood
of the Lamb and the word of our testime-
ny ready to lay down our lives for Him
| (Rev. xii, IL. The torch is suggestive of
a consistent life, for ''the life is the light"
To be good soldier of Christ there must
be good testimony and consistent life
II. Look on me and do likewise. AS
1 do, so shall We do" The secret of victory
is to see Jesus only (Math. xvii, s.; Heb
xii, /, p, and follow Him fully, walking
as He walked U Pet. ii, 21; John ii, g.
"Do as / have done unto you was part
of His advice to His disciples (John xiii
15), and there is no perfect example but
! Himself We may well saw "Who is suffi-
cient for such life?" But He answers
my grace is sufficient for thee" "Our
sufficiency is of Cod II Cor. ii, 16; ill.,
s. xii, o..
IS. "Blow ye the trumpet and say, The
sword of the Lord and of Gideon The
sound from the mouth suggests the two
edged sword which proceeds from the
mouth (Rev. l. 49, the word of God which
is sharper than any two edged sword Heb.
iv, 12), the sword of the Spirit which is
the word of God (Eph. vi, 10 This victo-
ry was accomplished by the Lord through
Gideon, Gideon's part being simply that
of visible and obedient partner. 1t was
so with all the prophets, the word was the
Lords, but the mouth was the prophets,
as in III Sam. xiii, 2; Jer. i, 8. Even our
Lord Jesus gives His Father credit for all
His words and works (John xii, 40; xiv,
l0).
10, 90. "And tho three companies blew
the trumpets and brake the pitchers and
held the lamps in their left hands and the
trumpets in their right hands 10 blow, and
they cried, The sword of the Lord and of
Gideon" / do not know just how they
managed with two hands to accomplish
these three things all at once, but some
day Gideon will tell us how they did it IL
we ask him. The principal item in the
story Is their cry and its results. The
strength of my life and its joy and peace
is the partnership with Him who does all
J the work, suggested by the phrase, "The
Lord and Gideon" 1t Is God who work
eth in us both to will and TO do (Phil. Ii,
13; Heb. xiii 21). The Lord could as cas-
lily have delivered Israel without Gideon,
but He saw fit to use Gideon. So with us.
. We are none of us essential to Him, but
He is willing to use us il we are willing
to be used by Him as He shall please.
! 21. And they stood every man in his
place. l. DelleNe from Epn. ii, lO, that
God has place and work for each Of His
, redeemed (see also Mark xiii, "a; Math.
XIV, 15), and that, as one has said, Cad
i. ly man is Gods man in Gods place doing
Gods work In Gods way for Gods glory.
/. As in the tabernacle and temple, neither
Moses nor David nor Solomon had any say
in the plans but received all from God
and had only to be obedient, so 1 believe 1t
, should be in all the work of the church
and in the individual life of every believer
} We have the promise of thoughts, words,
2 steps and actions, all controlled by Him
who says, Behold, make all things new 4"
Let our motto, then, be Not /, but Christ,
, who liveth in me, the Son of God, who
) loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal
ii, 20).
22. 1.-The Lord set every mans sword
against his fellow" So it was in Sam
xiv, 90, and in III Chron. Xxx, SO. In the
later case the people went out praising the
Lord as they went to the battle for the
r victory that the Lord was going to give
! | -. - III