Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1898-07-06
ELIJAH THE PROPHET.
sunday School Lesson in the Inter-
national Series for July 10,
1851 Kings 17,1.10.

Sunday School Lesson in the Inter-
national Series for July 10,
1851 Kings 17,1-16.
BIASED upon Peloubet's Select Notes.1
GOLDEN TExT.-And the barrel of meal
wasted not, neither did the cruise of oil
fail. according to the word Of the Lord
LESSON NOTES.
I. General View of the Course of the
History of Israel from the Division to
Ahab, About 70 Years.. Jeroboam's
worldly policy brought forth bitter
fruits both for himself and his king
dom. His golden bulls used as symbols
of Jehovah soon led the people to real
1dolatry and to the immoralities and
cruelties of heather worship. All this
weakened the kingdom. When Jero-
boam died, after reign of "a years, rev.
olution followed revolution, in dark,
restless times. Then Omri came to the
throne. He was strong ruler and i'm
pressed himself on the surrounding ma
tions, as we learn from the inscriptions
on the Moabite stone and the black
obelisk. But as to idolatry, he followed
in the steps of Jeroboam. The next
king was his son Ahab. He was great
warrior. His greatest mistake was his
marriage, for the sake of political al
lance, with the heather princess, Jeze-
bel of Tyre, who left a terrible mark
on the annals of the nation.
II. Elijah's Message to Ahab.-V. l..
~And Elijah the Tishbite CHS name
means my God is Jehovah), who was of
the inha bitants of Gilead" The fish
bite may mean "of Tshbe." The only
Thisbe mentioned in history is in Gal
lice, in which case Elijah, though ma
| tive Of Galilee, had become citizen of
Gilead, east of the Jordan. "Said unto
Ahab:" With sudden abruptness, al
most like a flash of lightning from a
clear sky, the prophet of God appears
before Ahab in his palace at Samaria
with message from Jehovah. "As the
LORD Jehovah, as Lord always means
when prn ted in capitals in our Bible)
God of Israel liveth. Before whom I
<tand:" AS an officer, and ambassador
bearing His authority. There shall
not be dew nor rain:" The fertility of
Palestine is entirely dependent upon
the regularity and copiousness of the
rains, and, during the long intervals
between them, upon the heavy dews.
"But according to my world" Not &C.
cording to his own caprice or judg.
ment, but till the Lord, when He saw
that the famine's work was done, should
make known His will through His serv.
ant Elijah, thus proving that he was
His servant.
III. Elijah's Experiences During
Three Years and Their Meaning-Vs
PIG. First. At Cherith. Elijah imme.
diately left Ahab's presence and hid
himself till Gods time came for His
message to be delivered.
3. Get thee hence, and return thee
eastward" i. e., toward the Jordan and
Gilead, his own country. 'And hide
thyself by (rather "in') the brook (the
torrent course, or wady) Cherith, that is
before Jordan" Elijah would natu
rally go to his own country, whose
wiids and Businesses would be perfect
ly familiar to him.
| 4. For drink he had ''the brook Fo1
food, II have commanded the ravens tt
feed thee:" Farrar and many critic!
think this highly poetic expression
a metaphor, conveying the lesson tina
the prophet was maintained by marked
interventions of that providence of Coz
which is itself in all its workings super
natural" But equally simple and NOR,
natural is the literal statement.
| Second. At Zarephath. Time, two o.
more years. When the brook dried VI
Elijah could no longer remain a: Che
rith. In some way, we know not how
! God made known to him where b.
should go. Possibly. too, if he remained
too long in one place Ahab might dis
cover his abode.
9. "Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which
belongeth to Zidon:" On the shore be
tween Tyre and Sidon. Here tn
| prophet would be safe from Ahab, wht
would scarcely think of looking fo1
Elijah in the territories of Jezebel's ia
Their in the house of peasant II hav.
commanded" Put it in her heart.
10. ''The Tor AZ widow woman:" Tn,
"AuO" 1VSu W INC OdAu, DIS OtuOVdI
| thy God liveth," that she was wor
shipper of the true God. "Gathering o.
sticks:" For her fire. ''Fetch m.
. little water:" His first neet
after his long walk through the famine
stricken land would be water.
~. Sand she said, AS the Lord thy
| God liveth, l have not a cake, but a hand
| full of meal In barrel, and little OF
in cruise; and, behold, am gathering
two sticks, that may go in and dres!
it for me and my son, that we may eat il
and die:" The famine prevailed there
and she was in the last extremity.
ID. "Fear not:" Do not be troubled
but take heart and trust God. snake
! me thereof little cake first:" Thi:
must have seemed very strange ane
hard to her at first, ''amazingly cool,
| but the favor was not asked from thu
selfishness of the prophet. twas tes'
of her faith in the promises of God
whether she were worthy of the hell
Elijah offered.
IA. "For thus saith the Lord God of Is