Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-10-12
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON u. FOURTH QUARTER, INTER-
RATIONAL SERIES, ccT. Is.

Ie1t CT t1e Less III aEuf VII AS-~c- het1-
orr Verses. u. 20 Golden Text rs.
XVII. s--corazssa Try by tAs Rev. D. u.
stearns.
IS. And when GIG 81 was como, bc-
bold there was /. man at told q dream
unto his fellow Gidcc had been called
and encouraged b. the L-sd to ccsiyer Is
rael from Tic Mic aEis.s, thcir oprrSsors
his principal sire ;els being tho Lords
assurance: Have OF sent thee: Surely
viii 30 with t. e. .,aapter Vi, II, 16).
Tho Lord. hcwovi r, ssaye Kim three signs
to strengthen. hhss Vt further-the meat
offering. accepted ~ f-e, the fleece wet
and the lcecn dry A@tcr Sitting the army
of 81, o0o down } e BY sending homo all
tho fearful IN S {2< t00), and out Of the
remainder II THAI o el their own case
60, 700). lie 81 L fun lcr strengthens him
by sendip ! III 10 IN to the Midianite
host By n.p IL 10 heir what they talked
about IL b ca,.ir- i st as Gideon came
to tho G. M, on< seldsg WAS telling anoth-
er this rcans The c eaia was evidently
from tie .ari ard II tho telling of it ut
this tine.
IA. This IS moth .-iy else save tho sword
of Gideon, xtlo son of Joash, n man OF IS
rael, for int, his hand hath God delivered
INDIAN, azsi all the host The interpre-
tation OF th is dream by the 81 ldier was also
of the Lord as surely Ks were the interprc-
tations by Joseph anG Danio. This does
not prove. however, that the Midianito
soldier W IS q man of God, fur the Lord
used tho mouth OF Balaam. ard also tho
mouth o. the ass on which no rode. to utter
His mes ages.
Is" rise, for she Lord hath delivered
/ into your hand the host of INDIAN Gid
con wa SO strengthened by this dream and
/ its int rpretation that he FASTENED at once
back TO the camp of Israel with t-aese
/ words. Whatever God commands us 10 do
/ He Is ready TO do also, ant. when He asks
| us to do what seems ilnpo :s-hle 1t Is that
4 we may see our weakness and trust Him
TO perfect His strength in our weakness,
for He giveth power to he faint, and q
them that havo no might Ie increaseti
K strength.
16 ''He put trumpet in every man;
hand, with empty pitch, rs. and torche
\ (margin) within the pitcl e:s. - Thus III
did with the three compan cs OF 100 each
Three is a m ghty number and makes ui
think of tho Holy Trinity and also of res
D
| testimony III connection vi III atonement
for both ra ms horns and silver speak o
atonement- and we overon 10 by tho bloo'
of the Lam b and the word If our testimo
ny ready to lay down our lives for Hin
/ trey. xii, III. Tho torch is suggestive o
a eonsists mt life, for "theli o is tie light.
| To be t.ood soldier Of CT rist there mus
be a good testimony and consistent life
/ IL. e-Look on mo and co likewise "A
do. 50 shall ye do" The secret OF VICTOR.
is to sse. Jesus only tNic tn. xvii, s; Heb
xii, I, ~, and follow Him fully, yalkin.
as He walked Il Pet H. ei; John ii, o.
do as ha ve done unto you was Par
of His advice to His disciples (John xiii
10y. and there Is M, perfect example bu
;; Himself. We may W I'll say, ''Who is sun
cient for such life ~ But He answers
i "My grace is suflici. MT for thee sou
sufficiency is of God I'll Cor. ii. 10; iii
J 8; xii, %.
Is. elbow ye tho trumpet and say, TIL
sword of tho Lord aud OF Gideon" TIL
sound from the mouth suggests the tw
edged sword which proceeds from th
mouth (Rcy. /, 16), the word of God whic
is sharper than any Two edged sword (fIel
II iv, 12) the sword of the Spirit, which
the word of God (Eph. Vi, III. This yictc
ry was acccmplis ncd by the Lord throug
Gideon, Gideon's part being simply tina
of visible and obedient partner 1t wa
e so with all the prophets, Tho word was tn
/ Lords, but the mouth was tho prophet,
as in III Sam. ,sxiii, 2; .Jor. /, o. Even on
Lord Jesus gives His Father credit for a
His words and works John xii, 40; xiv
10).
10, 90. "And tho three companies blc'
the trumpets and brake tho pitchers an
held the lamps in their left hands and tn
trumpets in their right hands to blow, an
they cried, The sword of tho Lord and
Gideon" do not know just how the
managed with two banda to accompHs
+ these three things all Mt once, but som
day Gideon will tell us how they did II
! we ask him. Tho principal item in III
story is their cry and its results. II
strength of my li,e and its joy and peaa
I is the partnership with Him who does a
the work, suggested by tho phrase, TT
Lord and Gideon" II IS God who wurl
eth in us both to will and to do (Phil.
10; Heb. xiii, 2l). Tho Lord could as ca
lily have delivered Israel without Gideoi
but He saw fit to use Gideon. So with u
We are none Of us essential to Him. bl
He Is willing to use us IL wo are wiliiT
to be used by Him as He shall please.
81. "And they stood every man in h
place" believe from Eph. ii, 10, tn
q God has u place and work for each Of II
n redeemed (sec also Mark xiii, 80; Mat
!, XIV, 15), and that, as one has said, Ga
ly man is Gods man In Gods place doir
Gods work III God 8 way for Gods glor
As in the tabernacle and temple, Meth
/ Moses nor David nor solomon had any s;
: in the plans, but received all from Ga
/ hal ,Ixs f.s,lt
D should be in all the work of the chur
/ and in the individual life Of every believe
We have the promise Of thoughts, word
I. steps and actions, all controlled by Hi
~ who says Behold, make all things new
, Let our motto, then. DO" mot l, but Chri.
II who livcth in me, the Son of God, WI
@ loved ne and gave Himself for me" (Gs
II, 20l.
90. 1.-THE Lord set every mans swo
against his fellow" So ID was in Sai
=. xiv, 20, and in II Ci1ron. xx, 90. In 4
v later case the people went out praising I
l. Lord as they went to the battle for {
g victory that the Lord was going to 81
n them. for they believed God. In the stor
10 mt sea Paul was of good cheer because
q the deHverance promised, though Tho
Is seemed. humanity speaking, no possibili
, Of deliyerance but he believed God (As
8 xvii, 25). II Is safe to keep right ON
= :. God directs and trust Him 10 manages
" our enemies, our reputation and all ell
Il BE not afraid. Only believe. :"
23. "And the men Of Israel gather
g themselves together and pursu
: after the Midianites.n Those mention
In this verse were such as responded
Gideon's first call for helpers wi, 3!
Then in the next verse we read that Ep
rain came also Sec in chapter vii, /
q how wisely Gideon appcascd their ana
at not being called earlier, and reinemf
that "a soft answer tnrneth away wra.l
prov. XIV, y. May the fact that 9
/ sends us and is with us be our eonsta
strength (chaptcr vi. f4-l6)