The true northerner., 1898-07-20
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
LESSON ~, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY ~.
Text Of the Lesson, i Kings xfx. lilo.
Memory Verses, 9-12-Golden Text, Pa.
xxxvii. 7-Commentary by the Rev. ID.
M. Stearns.

Copyright 1898, by ID. M Stearns.l
1. "And Ahab told Jezebel all that Eli
jah 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
darkness. 1t is good when husbands and
wives tell each other everything. Let us
as believers be sure that we tell Jesus ev-
erything, both what we do and what we
teach Mark vi, 30).
2. $50 let the gods do TO me, and more
also, II i make not thy life as the life of
one of them by tomorrow about this
time" Vain threat Of a wicked woman
For did she not know that the God of Eli
jah had so securely hidden him for three
years that he could not be foundS But she
was angry now and stopped to think Of
nothing but the vengeance that was in her
heart against God and His servant.
g. "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 some
times permitted to do desperate things,
and il might have been very unwise TO
|
one. When they persecute you in one city,
il is sometimes right to flee to another.
Yet In this case IL looks as If Jezebel and
her threat came for the time between Eli
| jah and his God.
T. lit is enough. Now, O Lord, take
away my life, for / am not better than my
fathers!" This was his prayer TO God, as
having gone days journey into the will
derness he sat down under IA 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
himself and sees that he is no better than
his fathers. His mind is not staid upon
God. He Is considering feelings and cir
cumstances, and God is not ruling in him.
8. And ss he lay and slept under a
juniper tree behold, then an angel touched
him and said unto him, Arise and eat. Z"
He was weary and needed rest, and God
gave it to him. 1t is wonderful how diff
ferently things appear when we have been
refreshed by sleep. We are often like fret
full children who do not know what ails
them, but mother knows that 1t is time
they were asleep. He giveth to His beloved
in sleep.
6. And he looked, and, behold, there
was cake baken on the Goals and a 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 well as
weary. A 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.
T. And the angel of the Lord came
again the second time and touched him
and said, Arise and eat, because the jour
ney is too great for thee" How wonder
fully ministered 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 donel Every child of
God is just as well cared for. Father, Son
and Holy Spirit and the angels are all
ministering unto US
3. and he arose and did eat and drink
and went in the strength of that meat 40
days and 40 nights unto Horeb, the mount
of God" The Lord Jehovah is our strength
and song. Jesus Himself is the true bread
from heaven. When il is our meat, as il
was His TO do the Father will, we can 60
! in that strength of that meat to our jour
neys end. We do not live by bread alone,
but by every word of God.
8. What doest thou here, Elijah?" This
, Is the word of the Lord TO him as he lodges
in "a cave Mt Horeb. 1t is good word of
the Lord To us at all times, and happy is
it for us if we are never found where He
has not sent us. Better still if we can say
truthfully, Lord, l am on Thy business,
for Thou didst send me.
L. ii n
Gus for the Lord God of Hosts. Then he
tells what the Lord well 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 Lord S cause is in great peril.
IL, 12 He Is told to stand on the mount
before the Lord, and behold the Lord
passed by. There was mighty wind,
then an earthquake then fire. but the
Lord was not in either of them. Then
there was a 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
rather than the storm or earthquake or fire.
13, IA To the repeated question, What
docst thou here, ElijahP' after all that
great object lesson, he givesthe 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. IL is true that he did not know till
God told him (verse 1S) that there were
1000 still, small voices for God who had
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
l5, 16 He is told TO return and anoint q
, 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, II
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,
2 but when the vessel begins to think itself
important IL Is time To break it or set Ii
aside. Although Paul wrought more than
others, he said, Not l, but the grace of
God which was with me" I Cor. XIV, 10).
John the Baptist insisted that he was only