El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1898-07-16

Observation-Disclosures.
80. "And with the stones he built an
altar in the name lof the Lord, and he
made astrench abouttthe altar, as great as
would contain two measures of seed. !"
Elijah had but one .motive-the glory OF
God-and but one atim-to make Him a
name He knew ard believed that he
stood before God, and .hecared nothing for
the opinions of Ahab or all his people If
only God was glorifedA With great calm
ness therefore and quiet%comfdence we may
imagine hiIa building Sthis altar in the
name sof the Lord. ga, what wonders
might be wrought through us If only we
were willing to live in the name of the
Lord John xiv, 10, 49, xv, i16; xvi, 2S,
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.
and of Him who is the only trueeofering,
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 filed 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 Bhal must have
been to see such strange preparations! Did
you ever Try to kindle a fire with wet
wood? If lot. you can hardly appreciate
this situation. 1t is only'when things ars,
humanity speaking, impossible that God
really has opportunity to show Himself.
When Moses thought that the deEiveranoe
of Israel from the hand Of Pharaoh was
hopeless task, then God @aRd, "Now shalt
thou see what I win do" ok. vi, u.
SO. "Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and
of Israel, lee it be known this day that
Thou art God in Israel and that am Thy
servant, and that. I have done all these
things at Thy woyd.'' Having made all
these preparations and the time Of the
evening sac rifice having come, the servant
of the Lord calmly looks up to heaven and
talks confden tly with his God. He says
that he has clone everything as-God had
told him. Sc, the arrangement about the
water was no thought of Elijah's, but a
command Of God. Now he asks that God
will accept ar ID 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 fulh agreed with Him about ev-
erything, that we can expect to see His
name magniA ed.
81. clear me, o Lord, hear me, that
Lord God and that Thou hast turned their
heart back al ,ain." All has been done
that the peopI. may know that Jehovah is
the true God. This was the great aim Of
all Gods dcsa ,ings with Israel, that all
people of the arth might know the hand
OF the Lord q oshua iv, 24). Can we say
that, as far as We know, we are living day
by day simply,5hat the hand of God may
be seen upon us to His glory? Is it our
"a oi bat opS1ln Of yUh IN
c. >st us or of how or where He may lead
we want above all things the life OF
Jesus made In anifest in us? Oh Cor. iv, III
80. "Then the fire of the Lord fell and
consumed theI burnt sacrifice, and the
wood, and the. stones, and the dust, and
licked up Jh o water that was In the
trench" Was' there ever fire like that?
All, Lord God, there is nothing too hard
for Thee! Wa ter and even stones are as
easily consum. I'd by Thy fire as wood or
flesh. How gu dckly the answer came, and
on Eljahs pa rt there was no striving CT
but u calm and holy confidence.
Thus the fire came at the dedication of
the tabern acle and of the temple and on
other occas ions (LIev. TX, "a; II Chron. vii,
!; Judg. wi, 81 :: Chron. xxi, 26). And
doubt not.dbut hat Abel's sacrifice was ao
cepted by the sword of flame touching and
it.
L39. 'tAnd when AL the people saw it
i .ey fell ON their faces, and they said, The
ord, He is the God., the Lord, He is the
3od." How mach they meant by their
confession God knCsw, who read their
hearts, and He knows just how much or
how little we mean by'our professions and
confessions May we have that truth in
the inward parts which He SO desires Ps.
Ii, 81. AS the prophets Of Baal were over
come, SO will every one be who sets him
self against God Elsa. ii, II, II; II Thess.
!, 7-10). May He now cast down every
high and proud thing in or about us ana
subdue us wholly to Himself that we may
magnify Him.