Passaic City record., 1898-07-23
THE SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR JULY %.

the Lesson by the Rev. ID. NJ. Stearns'
1. "And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah
had done and withal how he had slain all
the prophets with the sword" That was
record that would stir all the devil that
was in her. But she was fast filling up the
measure of her iniquity, and her time
would soon be over; then the outer dark
ness. 1t is good when husbands and wives
tell each other everything. Let us as be-
levers be sure that we tell Jesus every
thing, both what we do and what we teach
mark vi, 30).
2. $50 let the gods do to me, and more
also, if make not thy life as the life of one
of them by tomorrow about this time.
Vain threat of a wicked womani For did
she not know that the God of Elijah had SO
securely hidden him for three years that
he could not be found? But she was angry
now and stopped to think OF nothing but
the vengeance that was in her heart against
God and his servant.
8. "And when he saw that, he arose and
went for his life and came to Beersheba,
which belongeth to Judah, and left his
servant there.' Desperate people are
sometimes permitted to do desperate
things, and it might have been very unwise
to have remained within reach of such
one. When they prosecute you in one city,
it is sometimes right to flee to another.
Yet in this case it looks as if Jezebel and
her threat came for the time between Eli
jah and his God.
4. "It is enough. Now, o Lord, take
away my life, for am not better than my
fathersl'' This was his prayer to God, as
derness he sat down under juniper tree
and wished he was dead. Yet this is the
same man who stood before all Israel on
Carmel in the name of the Lord. Then he
stood with God and for God, and thought
not of himself, but now he considers him
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fathers. His mind is not staid upon God.
He is considering feelings and cireum-
stances, and God is not ruling in him.
5. "And as he lay and slept under juni-
per tree, behold, then an angel touched
him and said unto him, Arise and eat"
He was weary and needed rest, and God
gave it to him. 1t is wonderful how diff
refreshed by sleep. We are often like fret
full children who do not know what ails
them, but mother knows that it is time
they were asleep. He giveth His beloved
in sleep.
6. "And he looked, and, behold. there
was cake baken on the Goals and cruise
of water at his head. And he did eat and
drink and laid him down again." God
saw that His child was hungry as we'll as
weary. little sleep quieted and prepared
the body to receive the food which an
angel had prepared, and without seeming
to count it at all strange to be thus pro-
vided for he eats and drinks and sleeps
again.
7. "And the angel of the Lord came again
the second time and touched him and said,
Arise and eat, because the journey is too
great for thee" How wonderfully minis
tered unto is this poor, weak child of God,
who is SO discouraged and wants to die,
little thinking that he is never to die, but
be gloriously received up when his work is
Erorv child nf God ic in ct c we'll
cared for. Father, Son and Holy Spirit
and the angels are all ministering unto US.
8. "And he arose and did eat and drink
and went in the strength OF that meat forty
days and forty nights unto Horeb, the
mount of God" The Lord Jehovah is our
true bread from heaven. When it is our
meat, as it was His to do the Fathers will.
we can go in that strength of that meat to
our journeys end. We do not live by bread
alone, but by every word OF God.
9. ''What doest thou here, Elijah?" This
is the word of the Lord to him as he lodges
in cave at Horeb. 1t is a good word OF
it for US If we are never found where He
has not sent US. Better still if we can say
truthfully, "Lord, I am on Thy business,
for Thou didst send me-"
TO- ''And he said, I have been very jeal-
GUS for the Lord God of Hosts.' Then he
tells what the Lord we'll knew about Is
rael's sins, but adds that he is the only
prophet living, and his life is in danger.
What God would do if he should be killed
he does not dare to hint but he evidently
thinks the Lords cause is in great peril.
II, 10. He is told to stand on the mount
before the Lord, and. behold, the Lord
passed by. There was n mighty wind,
then an earthquake, then a fire, but the
Lord was not in either of them. Then
there was still, small voice. How slow
we are to learn that God often works in
the most unlikely ways and through most
unlikely people-the still, small voice
rathe- than the storm or earthquake or
fire.
10, IA. To the repeated question, "What
doest thou here, Eliiah?" after all that
great object lesson, he gives the same reply
as before, indicating that he was so pre-
occupied with himself and his champion
ship for God that the lesson was lost upon
him. 1t is true that he did not know till
God told him (verse 1S) that there were
not bowed to Baal, but he did not know,
for Obadiah had told him (chapter xviii,
13) that there were 100 whom Obadiah
himself had cared for.
Is, 16. He is told to return and anoint
king over Syria and king over Israel,
and the Lord adds. Elisha, the son OF
Shaphat, of Abel-Meholah, shalt thou
anoint to be prophet in thy room" When
any worker with God gets so exalted in
his own estimation that he thinks himself
the only one capable of doing the work, it
Is then time to appoint his successor In
office. God will use any vessel that is will
ing to be used by Him and to His glory,
but when the vessel begins to think itself
important it is time to break it or set it
aside. Although Paul wrought more than
others, he said, mot 1, but the grace OF
God which was with me" q Ger. xv., 10).
John the Rantist insisted that he was only