Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-08-31
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON X, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. 4.

!
cxvi. 15-Commentary by the Rev. d. m
Stearns.
Il "Now Elisha was fallen sick of his
sickness whereof he died. And Joash, the
king of Israel, came down unto him and
wept over his face and said, o my father,
my father, the chariot Of Israel and the
horse.nen thereof This chapter records
the death of FIVE people and the resurreo-
ton of one. Why should not Elisha be
translated and escape death as well as
Elijah2 God doeth according to His will,
and none can stay His hand or say unto
Him, "What doest thouf" dan. Nv, 35).
The king Of Israel uses the same words to
him that he had used of Elijah. Prophets
and kings may die, but God, and not they,
Is the chariot of Israel. When Uzziah died.
the prophet Isaiah looked up and saw Q
King who never dies Elsa. w. u, and thia
is the only way of peace.
Is. "And Elisha said unto him, Take
bow and arrows And he took unto him
bow and arrows" The king was wise to
obey the man of God without questioning.
] The one thing that brings salvation to tho
sinner is obedience. God commands us to
repent and believe (Acts xvii, 30, 81;
/
Ing can do, for the reception Of the Lord
Jesus Christ implies repentance or q
change of mind on our part and faith in
Him. Truly receiving Him, the soul is
saved John !, 12). Then if as saved peo-
pie we would DO blessed and made bless
ing the one way is simple. trustful obedi-
ence Elsa. 1; IS, 1917.
10. "And he said to the king of Israel,
Put thine hand upon the bow. And he
put his hand upon it, and Elisha put his
hands upon the kings hands" Elisha's
hands upon his meant tho hand of God,
for Elisha was a man of God representing
God before the people. The great Joy of
our Lord was that the Father sent Him
and that He was on earth for God to glo-
rify Him, and that God was with Him,
speaking and working through Him. He
says to us, GAS the Father sent me, SO
send I you," and 81, the Lord, thy God,
will hold thy right hand, saying, Fear not,
will help thee John Xxx, 81; Isa xii,
49,.
IL. "And no said, Open the window
eastward, and he opened it. Then Elisha
said, Shoot And he shot. And he said,
The arrow Of the Lords deliverance. !"
God was directing the prophet to encour-
age the king to have confidence In Him;
for none can deliver like Him and none
can deliver but Him. In verse we
read that "The Lord gave Israel Sa-
viour." In lisa. xiv, 81, %, it Is writ
ten, "There is no God else beside Me, q
Just God and Saviour, there is none be-
side Me; look unto Me and be ye saved,
all the ends of the earth, for I am God and
there Is mono else."
IS. "And he said, Take the arrows
| 4. And ha cai
king of Israel, Smite upon the ground.
And he smote thrice and stayed" Five
times he was told just what to do without
any possibility of his doing otherwise II
, perfectly obedient, but this sixth time
there is Q possibility of much or little, as
he will, for he is not told how oft to smite.
10. Sand the man of God was wroth
with him and said, Thou shauldest have
smitten five or six times, then huist thou
smitten Syria till thou hadst consumed
it." The exceeding abundantly OF the
Lord is always within our reach, but we
limit Him by our lack of faith and lack OF
zeal for Him. He Is saying unto us, IF
ye shall ask anything in My name, Twill do
it." and "Call unto Me, and will answer
. thee and shew thee great and mighty
things which thou knowest not" (John
, xiv, IA; Jer. xxxiii, 81.
90. "And Elisha died, and they buried
him. And the bands of the Moabites in
vaded the land at the coming In Of the
year,. Elisha died-that Is, his work be-
, ing done, he found himself "absent from
the body and present with the Lord. +"
Some of the angels who watched over him
while In the body received him as he left
the body and bore him or escorted him
, home to his God and Saviour, to Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob, to Moses and Joshua and
David and to Elijah, who had called him
to his public service.
81. "And they cast the man into the
sepulcher of Elisha, and when the man
was let down and touched the bones OF
Elisha he revived and stood up on his
| feet" It looks as II some Israelites were
burying a man, and, seeing a band Of
these invading Moabites, they, being near
Elisha's sepulcher, put the dead body
therein with the result described, suggest
ing the resurrection of all who truly touch
! Him Of whom Elisha was type, God my
!, Saviour. II 1t was the Moabites who were
) burying the man, then there Is q sugges-
. ton of life to tho Gentiles through the God
/ of Israel. / think there are but three res
! direction stories in the Old Testament
l., the widows son, tho Summarizes son and
} this one-and all associated with Elijah
; and Elisha.
! %. "But Hazael, king of Syria, op.
pressed Israel all the days of Jehoahaz."
In verse we read that it was because OF
sin He delivered Israel into the hands OF
the Syrians The book of Judges is rec
.. ord of repeated expressions of Israel by
their enemies when they sinned against
:. God and Of Gods deliverances when they
called upon Him.
) 23. "And tho Lord was gracious unto
them and had compassion on them and
: had respect unto them, because OF His
: covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob,
and would not destroy them, neither cast
: Ho them from His presence as yet. Not
for their sakes, but for His own names
sake and because He had seen fit to enter
into covenant with them, an unconditional
covenant with the parties just mentioned.
: This covenant still stands, and because OF
|, 1t and because of His faithfulness Israel
. shall DO placed In the promised land with
all His heart and soul, after much tribu
! lation deep conviction Of sin shall be
given them, they shall look upon Christ
!. as He shall como in glory for their deliv.
: erance and shall receive Him and become
: righteous nation forever Mic. vii, 1920
! Jer. xxi, Al; Zech. XII. 10; Kill. o; lisa.
= XIV, o; TX, 21).
"a, 25. "Three times did Joash beat him