El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-08-27
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON X, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, AUG. %.

s. "Then the king of Syria warred
against Israel and took counsel with his
servants, saying In such and such a place
shall be my CAMP" From the story of
Cain and Abel onward all the characters
in the Bible are either for God or against
Him and areseen either leaning upon His
wisdom or upon their own. But the Dor
rowed AK at the bottom of the river tells
the condition of all men apart from God.
An arc lost and helpless to recover them
selves and how can such think to do aught
for or effectually against God? The stick
that caused the iron to swim and be recov-
cred is, like the tree cast into the waters
of Mara, suggestive of Him who is the
Tree of Life, who only can recover lost
souls or make bitter waters sweet.
9. ''And the man of God sent unto tho
king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou
pass not such a place, for thither the Syr-
ians are come down." Surely the Lord
God will do nothing, but He revealeth His
secret unto His servants. the prophets
(Amos iii, y. AS He told Samuel about
Saul whom He would send to him to be
anointed king, and also told him what
would happen to him the day he left him,
adding, do occasion serve thee, for
God is with thee, - so He secs the end from
the beginning of every day for each of us,
and if we leave our way with Him He will
bring it to pass and order our steps to HIS
glory and to our highest good.
10. "And the king of Israel sent to the
place which the man of God told him and
warned him of and saved himself there,
not once nor twice" Thus illustrating IL
Chron. Xxx, 20, 'FBelieve in the Lord, your
God, so shall ye be established; believe
His prophets, SO shall ye prosper. There
Is nothing on earth sure as the Word OF
God, for it is forever settled in heaven
Cps. cxix, S9), and, though all else may
fade and fail, the Word of our God shall
stand forever Elsa. xl, s..
IL. Therefore the heart of the king or
Syria was sore troubled for this thing. and
he called his servants and said unto them,
Will We not shew me which of us is for the
king of Israel?' For unless there was
traitor among his men, how else could his
plans be made known to his enemy? Thus
reasoned the king of Syria, for he knew
naught but human wisdom, and yet he
knew that the incurable disease of leprosy
had been healed in Israel, and was it not
possible that one who had connection with
| such power might also be able to reveal
secrets?
| IT, "And one of his servants said, None,
| my lord, o king, but Elisha, the prophet,
that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel
| the words that thou speaketh in thy bed
chamber Can any hide himself in secret
| places that shall not see him? saith the
|
said the Lord (Jcr. xiii, 24). Thou COM
passest my path and my lying down and
| art acquainted with all my ways, for there
| is not word in my tongue, but, 10, .
! Lord, Thou knowest it altogether. Yea,
the darkness hideth not from Thee, but the
| night shineth as tho day; the darkness
| and the light are both alike to Thee ops.
cxxxix, 3, /, 12). 1t was one Of the serv-
ants who told the king about Elisha, and
it was the servants who persuaded Naaman
| to wash and be clean.
| ID. And he said, Go and spy where he
is, that 1 may send and fetch him. And
it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in
| Dothan." How blind and stupid people
| are who know not Godi Even the devil
| himself seems at times to act like a perfect
fool. Might not the king of Syria have
| said, ''Well, If this man somehow knows
| my secret plans and tells his king, there is
no use in my trying to get him, for he
| will know that am coming and can hide
| himself from me- But he is blinded by
his master, the devil, and goes heedlessly
on, bent on his own purposes.
ii. Therefore sent he thither horses
| and chariots and a great host, and they
| came by night and compassed the city
| about He must have felt that Elisha
| was more than an ordinary man or he
would not have thought it necessary to
send such host to take one man. So he
| uCeS the DeSU ne Knows no" TO ReC his
man, and to DO more sure of taking him
he does it secretly by night, SO that no hui
man eyes can SEQ what he is doing, for he
knows nothing of Him to whom the dark
ness and the light are alike.
| 15. And when the servant of the man
of God " as risen early and gone forth, be-
hold. an host comprised the city, both with
horses and Chariuts And his servant said
unto him, Alas, my master, how shall we
| In tN,n b1 Is
wiser than their masters, but this servant
| does not seem to have prOfited as he might
| by having such IL master. Even our Lord
had to say to one of His disciples, Have
been so long time with you and yet hast
thou not known me. Phillip" (John xiv, -.
IL. And he answered, Fear not, fol
they that be with us are more than they
that be with them" Here is faith seeing
| the unseen. Moses endured seeing Him
who is invisible. The things seen are TEN
| poral, but the things unseen are eternal
Happy are those who have learned to set
the things that are invisible to ordinary
eyes, who, like Stephen, look up steadfast
ly into heaven and see the glory of Goo
and Jesus and find comfort in His words
because l live, We shall live also" (.JohI
xiv, 49,. God would have His people with
out fear, and a prayerful study of tn,
fear nots" from the first one in Gen. XIV
1, onward would greatly tend To this hap
py state of mind which would he very
much to Gods glory.
II. And Elisha prayed and said, Lord
pray thee, open his eyes that he may see
! And the Lord opened the eyes of the young
. man, and he saw, nd, behold, the noun
tain was full of horses and chariots of fire
round about Elisha" We read in Rev
V, II, that the angels are 10000 times 10,
, 900 and thousands of thousands, and a few
: of these would be sufficient to take care o
Elisha. Our Lord said that His Father
would give Him IL legions of them If HI
asked for them, and we told that they
are ministering spirits. ministering untt
the heirs of salvation Heb. i, 14).
Is. And when they came down to him
Elisha prayed unto the Lord and said
Smite this people, / pray thee, with blind
ness. And He smote them with blindness
. according To she word of Elisha" Notice
also Elishas third prayer and answer il
this incident in verse 20, and if you earn
estly covct such intimate fellowship will
: God, make John xiv, -. Ii, "a very prayer
full study, understanding that sin Hi
name" means ut least ''On His business,
and asking such things as He Himself
would ask. We must not imagine Elish;