The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1896-11-04
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON VI, FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TeRNATioNAL SERIES, NOV. 8.
Text of the Lesson. i Kings viii. bl-03.
Memory Verses. &c. 03-Golden Text,
Hsb. Il. aO-Commentary by the Rev.
ID. M. stearnA


Memory Verses. &c. 03-0oiden Text,
Hsb. II. sO-Commentary by the Rev.
ID. M. stearna.
81 He arose from before the altar of
the Lord, from kneeling on his knees, with
his hands spread up to heaven" In that
position on IA brazen scaffold QI Chron vi,
1877, In the light of all Israel had Solomon
prayed TO the Lord as he dedicated to Him
the temple which he had been privileged TO
build. The temple being finished, they
brought 10 it the ark of the covenant
from Zion, and the tabernacle from Gideon,
with all the holy vessels, and put all in
the temple (verse 4 and III Chron. 1, 8, Al.
We are not told that any of the tabernacle
furniture was used In the temple except
the ark of the covenant. Everything but
the ark was on much larger and grander
scale. They had ten tables and ten candle
sticks, etc, but the same ark containing
nothing but the two tables Of stone (verse
81. When Solomon had made an end of
praying, the fire came down from heaven
and consumed the burnt Offering and the
sacrifices, end the glory of the Lord filled
the house so that even the priests could not
enter into the house because of the glory
QI Chron vii, /, 2; v, IS, l4).
3d. And he stood and blessed all the
congregation of Israel with loud voice Z"
The eight divisions of his prayer may be
easily recognized by the eight times re-
peated, Hear Thou in heaven" oversees
80, 80, "a, 36, 49, 43, As, 49). The object
of the temple is seen in the oft repeated
phrase, IAN house for the name of the
Lord" or For Thy name" oversees 10, II,
10, 10, 90, 43, A, 4S), in order that "all
people Of the earth may know Thy name,
TO fear Thee. as do Thy people of Israel
(verse 43), for there Is no God in heaven
above or on earth beneath like the Lord
God of Israel (yerse 23), who doeth wonders
for His servants, requiring of them only
that they walk before Him with all their
heart. His people are separated people
unto Him from all the people of the earth
TO be His inheritance" (verse 53).
56 Blessed be the Lord that hath given
rest unto His people Israel, according to
all that He promised. There hath not fail
ed one word of all His good promise, which
He promised by the hand Of Moses, His
servant" Before he prayed he also blessed
the congregation, referring To the Lord S
goodness and faithfulness in having fulfill
ed with His hand all that He spake with
His mouth oversees ID, 24) In Joshua's
farewell he also said, "Ye know In all your
hearts and in all your souls that not one
thing hath failed of all the good things
which the Lord your God spake concerning
you" (Joshua xiii, 14).
81. THE Lord our God be with us, as
He was with our fathers. Let Him not
leave us nor forsake u.s." God had, through
Noses His servant, spoken of this rest for
His people, and this place where He would
cause His name TO dwell (Deut. xii, 10, ID,
and He had also given them these prom
ises: 1.-The Lord thy God, He il Is that doth
go with thee; He will not fail thee nor for
sake thee. Fear not, neither be dismayed"
(Deut. XXI, q, 81. His great encourage
ment to Moses himself and to Joshua and
Gideon was Il will be with thee eek iii,
~; Joshua i, 8; Judg. vi, 16). We may
well be content with such things as we
have since He hath said, II will never
leave thee nor forsake thee" (Heb. xiii, 81.
S. "That He may incline our hearts un-
TO Him TO walk in all His ways " To
know Him is the greatest thing on earth,
and perhaps in heaven too. 1t is better
than wisdom or riches or might Ger. TX,
%, 24). He said in His great prayer, 80
righteous Father, the world hath not
known Thee, but 1 have known Thee"
John xvii, 25), and in verse He said that
it was life eternal TO know God and Jesus
Christ.
SO. "And let these my words, wherewith
/ have made supplication before the Lord,
be nigh unto the Lord our God day and
night" Solomon asks this in order that
the Lord may maintain his cause and the
cause of Israel as each day shall require.
See margin and X. ", and also Jer Iii,
"a, where the Hebrew phrase is the same.
1t is daily relying upon the Lord to man
age all that concerns us, and He will sure
ly do it for all who truly rely upon Him,
not only day by day, but every moment
Qsa xvii, 81.
90. THAT all the people of the earth
may know that the Lord Is God and that
there Is none else. " For that reason was
Jordan divided Joshua iv, 24), and for the
same reason will God yet do wondrous
things for Israel Geek. xxxviii, 23). He
would do wondrous things for His people
today If they, would but live wholly for
Him and serve Him in sincerity with all
the heart. He is still saying, Cali unto
Me and will answer Thee and show Thee
great and mighty things which Thou
knowest not" der. xxxiii, 81. 1t is writ
ten that 1.-THE pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in His hand" And If His saints
would be cheerfully In His hand and at
His feet for His pleasure, what might He
not do? lisa. lii, 10; Deut Xxx, 81
81. LET your heart therefore be perfect
with the Lord our God, to walk in His
statutes and to keep His commandments,
as at this day." David, ere he died, adj
monished Solomon to serve the Lord with
"A perfect heart and with willing mind,
and prayed God to give him a perfect heart
to keep His commandments Il Chron.
xviii, 8; xxx, 19). The Lord said to
Abram, walk before Me and be thou per-
feet, " and to Israel, Thou shalt be perfect
with the Lord thy God" (Gen. xvii, l;
Deut. xviii 49,. As 10 daily nc there Is
no one perfect in the sense of being with
ous sin, for of all men the Lord Jesus
Christ was the only man that ever lived
without sin but any redeemed soul car by
the grace Of God live and walk uprightly
and have "a whole heart for God, which is
the sense Of perfect in these texts.
90. And the king, and all Israel with
him, offered sacrifice before the Lord. F"
Notice the oneness of the king and all
Israel in the matter of the sacrifice Every
sacrifice truly offered TO God from the time
that the Lord God made unto Adam and
Eve coats of skins and clothed them (Gen