The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-09-02
THE DEATH OF ELISHA.
Sunday School Lesson I'm the Inter-
national Series for September
A, 1852 Kings, 13.14-25.
rBased upon Peioubet,s Select Notes.l

the Lord is the death of his saints.-Psa.
116:15.
THE SECTION includes the two chief
remaining Incidents in the life. of Elisha;
both of them for the good of his country,
and both containing tests of faith and
training in trust. First. Chaps 6:24-7:20
then a glance at the religious progress of
the nation during the intervening time;
and then the lesson verses 13:14-25.
TIME.-Elisha died early in the reign
of Jehoash, S42-S26 B. C. Cor 797-7SD. This
| lesson is 40 years after our last.
EXPLANATORY.
/. The Prophet and the Siege of
Samaria.-A few years after our last
lesson, still in the reign of Jehoram,
the Syrians besieged Samaria so closely
that there was the utmost distress. 1t
is probable that Elisha had shown the
king that this misfortune was the
fruit of his sins.
| Then came the word of the Lord to
Elisha, and he announced to the king
that within "a hours plenty should
reign in the city.
AS promised, the relief came. Dur
ing the night the Syrians heard unac-
countable sounds echoing among the
! hills, as of horses and chariots rush
| ing toward them. They thought that
! the hosts of the warlike Hittites from
the north were coming, and they fed
in panic, leaving their supplies be-
hind them.
Thus was fulfilled the promise of
Elisha. No sooner had the messengers
delivered their glad tidings than the
people of Samaria began to pour tu-
multuously out of the gates, to fling
! themselves on the food and on the
spoil.
II The Political Changes in Israel
were, the extinction of the house of
Ahab, the coming of new dynasty
into power through Jehu, as foretold
by Elijah, the destruction of Baal wor-
! ship and violent reforms, considered
prosperity, several serious invasions
from Syria and Assyria, and at last
very low condition politically at the
time of Elisha's death.
Ill The Dying Prophets Last Gift.
VS.. 1875. After the death of Jehu
the kingdom became greatly weak
ened. The Syrians were the chief enc
mics, and they had taken from Israel
! their possessions east of the Jordan
! G Kings 1O:32-33), and had desolated
and devastated the kingdom, and so
reduced its resources that the king
/ had but so horsemen and ten chariots
in his army of 10000 footmen e Kings
1870 when his young grandson
Jehoash came to the throne.
Elisha, now an old man, over 80 years
of age, is lying on his deathbed in
Samaria. IA. The king came down
! from his palace to the lowly abode of
the prophet, "and wept over his face"
80 my father" Expressing the kind
and loving interest the aged prophet
took in theyoung king. 'The chariot of
Israel, and the horsemen thereof"
/ The prophet of God was of more value
for the defense of the kingdom than an
army with chariots and cavalry.
Is. Take bow and arrows:" VS.. Is
to II describe symbolical action as
1 preparation for the test which was to
/ follow. It said to the king: Shooting
the arrow means victory over your OPP
pressors. And the king understood the
| symbol. For it was an ancient GUS
tom to shoot an arrow or cast spear
into the country which an army in
tended to invade.
16. elisha put his hands upon the
kings handy:" To show that Gods
power would work through the kings
hands.
II. "Open the window, eastward"
Toward the scene of the recent defeats
of Israel by Syria, and where Syrians
fstill held the country. @The arrow of
the Lords deliverance:" This was said
to explain to Joash the meaning of the
symbolical' action and the one to fol-
low. 1t meant deliverance from the
power of Syria. "Aphek:" A Town
now called Fix, six miles east OF the
Sea of Galilee, on the road to Damas~
Gus.
IS. "And he said: Take the ar
rows" That's, those left in the culver.
"Smite upon the ground:" Shoot them
one after another to the ground out
of the same eastward window. "He
was not merely to shoot, he was to
hit" And he smote thrice, and stayed.
He had so little faith, so little earnest
ness that instead of shooting till the
prophet told him to stop, or till every
arrow was gone, he sped three arrows
and basely stayed his hand.
10. "And the man of God was wroth:"
He was indignant that when such
blessings we're offered, when such de-
liverence for his native land was al
most thrust upon him, such noble
and splendid career was opened before
him, the young king should be so weak,
so blind, so wicked as to throw away
his opportunity. Thou shouldest
have smitten five OF six times:" You
should have shown zeal, and faith, and
earnestness by shooting more arrows.
'Now thou shalt smite Syria but
thrice:" Gain only three victories in
stead of entire deliyerance from the
foreign yoke.