The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1898-07-13
THE SUNDAY oUnVUL.
LESSON ~, THIRD QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY ~.
Text of the Lesson. Kings xviii, $3.50.
Memory Verses, 36-39-Golden Text,
Kings xvii, AZ - Commentary by the
Rev. ID. M. stearns.

Rev. ID. NJ. ssearns.
copyright. 1898. by d. NJ. stearns.l
80. "And Elijah said unto all the peo-
pie, Come near unto me. And all the peo-
PIE came near unto him. And no repaired
the altar of the Lord that was broken
down" In the third year Elijah Is told
( to 90 and show himself To Ahab and that
the Lord will send rain. He is as usual
obedient, and starts To seek Ahab, but on
the way he meets Obadiah, "a servant of
Ahab and commissions him To go and say
TO his master, behold, Elijah Is here!"
Obadiah informs him that he has been
searched for everywhere, and that king
doms and nations had been caused To take
an oath thai they could not find him.
How securely hidden are all whom God
hides How gloriously safe are all whose
lives are hid with Christ in God (Col. ill.,
81. On being assured that Elijah would
surely show himself TO Ahab that day
3 Obadiah goes TO Anab with the news, and
Ahab starts to meet Elijah. The result of
the interview is that all Israel, with the
prophets of Baal and of the groves, are
summoned to meet Elijah at Carmel They
are TO provide two bullocks, and the proph-
cts of Baal (450) will take one and Elijah
the other and prepare them TO be con-
sumed by the flie that shall come from the
true God, whether Baal or Jehovah, and
the God that sends the fire, is to be &C
knowledged as the true God.
81. And Elijah took IL stones, accord
ing 10 the number of the tribes Of the sons
of Jacob, unto whom the word of the Lord
came, saying Israel shall be thy name. "
1t was when Jacob was made helpless by
having his thigh put out of joint that he
chung in conscious weakness and obtained
the blessing and the new name of l. rael.
His descendants were chosen that through
them and their helplessness God might
make Himself name for the benefit of all
nations Oh Sam. vii, 23; lisa. xiii, ~, 14).
In their deliverance from Egypt, life in
the wilderness, crossing the Red sea and
the Jordan, it is the Lord alone who is
seen working so marvelously in spite of
their unworthiness.
32. "And with the stones he built an
iltar in the name of the Lord, and he
made trench about the altar, as great as
would contain two measures of seed.
| Elijah had but one motive-the glory of
God-and but one aim-to make Him a
name. He knew and believed that he
stood before God, and he cared nothing for
the opinions of Ahab or all his people if
only God was gloriiled. With great calm
ness therefore and quiet confidence we may
imagine him building this altar in the
name of the Lord. See what wonders
might be wrought through us if only we
were willing to live in the name of the
Lord John xiv, 10, Ia XIV, 16; xvi, %,
24).
33. And he put the wood in order and
cut the bullock in pieces and laid him on
the wood and said, Fill four barrels with
water and pour it on the burnt sacrifice
and on the wood" This would entirely
destroy any possibility of deception as to
the source of the fire that was expected.
The wood Is suggestive Of the cross and
the bullock of the burnt offering of Lev i
and of Him who is the only true Offering,
the antitype of all sacrifice, with the tax
ing of whose life human hands had really
naught To do except as God permitted.
"a, 35. And the water ran round about
the altar, and he filled the trench also with
water" The second and third time was
the sacrifice and altar deluged with water,
until even the trench was filed. How
amazed the prophets of Baal must have
been to see such strange preparations! Did
you ever try TO kindle a fire with wet
wood? If not, you can hardly appreciate
this situation. 1t is only when things are,
humanity speaking, impossible that God
really has opportunity TO show Himself.
When Moses thought that the deliverance
of Israel from the hand of Pharaoh was a
hopeless task, then God said, Now shalt
thou see what l will do" (Ex. vi, II.
So Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and
of Israel, let it be known this day that
Thou art God in Israel and that am Thy
servant, and that l have done all these
things at Thy word" Having made all
81
evening sacrifice having come, the servant
of the Lord calmly looks up to heaven and
talks confidently with his God. He says
that he has done everything as God had
told him. So the arrangement about the
" alter was no thought of Elijah's but a
command of God Now he asks that God
will accept and seal it all as His, that His
great name may be known. 1t is only
when we are walking with Him, self sub
dued and fully agreed with Him about ev-
erything, that we can expect to see His
name magnified.
81. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that
this people may know that Thou art the
Lord God and that Thou hast turned their
heart back again" All has been done
that the people may know that Jehovah is
the true God. This was the great aim of
all Gods dealings with Israel, that all
people of the earth might know the hand
of the Lord (Joshua iv, 2D. Can we say
that, as far as we know, we are living day
by day simply that the hand Of God may
be seen upon us to His glory? Is it our
one aim that regardless of what it may
cost us or of how or where He may lead
Us, we want above all things the life of
Jesus made manifest in u.s. (II Cor. iv, H.
3S. "Then the fire of the Lord fell and
consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the
wood, and the stones, and the dust, and
licked up the water that was in the
trench" Was there ever fire like that2
All, Lord God, there is nothing too hard
for Theel Water and even stones are as
easily consumed by Thy fire as wood or
flesh. How quickly the answer came and
on Eliiah's part there was no striving or
wrestling, but calm and holy confidence.
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