The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-10-02
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON I, Fourth QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, OCT. 2.

D. NJ. Stearns.
2. "And Asa did that which was good
and right in the eyes of the Lord his God. ~
Last quarter was spent chiefly with the
prophets Elijah and Elisha, men of God,
and now we are to have several lessons on
kings who we're men of God Asa was the
third king of Judah after the kingdom
was divided at the death of Solomon. and
the first to do right in the sight of the
Lord. This statement Is made concerning
seven other kings of Judah, but not once
concerning any Of the kings of the ten
tribes. The throne was called the throne
OF the Lord, or the throne of the kingdom
OF the Lord over Israel, and the king was
said to be king for the Lord his God II
Chron. xxx, g. xviii, 5; II Chron.
tx, 81.
s. HE took away the affairs Of the
strange gods" Although the law OF God
said, "Thou shalt have no other gods be-
fore me- (Ex. xx, 81, yet Solomon in
troduced many strange gods to please his
wives, and both Rehoboam and Abijah
continued the idol worship 1t Is difficult
to go against the customs Of your father
and grandfather, but Asa feared God rath-
or than man and was determined to do
right before Him.
4. "And commanded Judah to seek the
Lord God of their fathers" In verses
and of the next chapter we read that
Israel had been for long season without
the true God, and without teaching priest,
and without law, but when they turned
to tho Lord and sought Him He was found
| Of them. In verses 12 and 10 we read that
| they sought Him with all their heart and
soul, even with their whole desire, and He
gave them rest round about. Tho Lord
takes heed to our hearts rather than our
words and will fulfill the desire of them
| that fear Him.
5. The kingdom was quiet before
him." Verse says, "In his days the land
was quiet ten years." Quietness is one Of
tho great gifts of God which shall yet be
fully enjoyed not only by all Israel but by
all the world, when "the work of right
| eousness snail be peace, and the effect (or
service) Of righteousness shall be quietnesl
and assurance forever" lisa. xxi, 10. In
| quietness and in confidence is strength,
and the ornament of a meek and quiet
spirit is in the sight of God of great price
lisa. xxx, Is; Pet. iii, -.
6. 1.-The land had rest, because the Lord
had given him rest" In Joshua xiii, l, it
is written that the Lord had given rest
unto Israel from all their enemies. In ]
Chron. xxi, y, the Lord had told David
that his son Solomon (peaceable) would be
a man of rest and that Israel would enjoy
peace and quietness in his days. Lamect
said concerning his son, "This shall COM
fort US concerning our work, and so ht
called him NOAH. e., rest or comfort
The earliest rest is that Of Gen. ii, 8
which was broken by the devil doubling
Gods word and Gods love, and thus hC
still seeks to break all rest.
Z. Because we have sought the Lore
1
side" When Solomon was about to builC
the temple, he said to Hiram, 1.-The Lore
my God hath given me rest on every side
SO that there is neither adversary nor evi
occurrent" q Kings V, a. The rest o
the Kingdom that is coming will be glori
Gus lisa. xi, 10), or, as in the margin
glory. Even now He says, "Come unit
, Me, and 1 will give you rest, " and "WheI
Ho giveth quietness, who then can max
troublef" (Math. xi, 28; Job 4xxiv, 20.
: When, even in our ordinary daily affairs
we allow the government to be upon Hi
shoulder and the peace of God to rule Elsa
{ tx, z; Col. iii, 15), we will have a gloriou
0 foretaste of the rest of the Kingdom. Som
I say that they seek Him yet do not seem t
a find Him as their rest, but it must be tina
. they do not seek Him with the Who'll
heart (Ier. xxx, 13).
$40 The adversary will not allow as t
rest If he can help it, SO here we have owe
a million of EthiOpians gathered agains
? Asa in battle, and he has but littlo owe
3 half as many with which to meet them
r Wars will not wholly cease from the cart
: until the devil is cast into the lake Of fir
at the end of the thousand years REV. xx
7-10), for, while the millennium will be
time of peace, it will end with a grea
war. Israel had no reason to fear her enc
| for fhfo uni
t of God was that one should chase thou
0 sand and two put 10, 600 to flight. Th
: deliverance from Egypt and the conques
o of the Canaanites, with the many deliver
ances and victories in the days of tn
7 Judges and in the time of David, woul
strengthen the hands of any one VIII
;, feared God. David could say, 81 will nc
be afraid of ten thousands of people tha
g have set themselves against me roun
: about ''Though a host should encam
: against me, my heart shall not fear (PI
r Iii, 6; xvii, 3; XVII, l, %.
= II. "And Asa cried unto the Lord b
God and said, Lord, it is nothing wit
Thee to help, whether with many or wit
: them that have no power" Jonathan sal
a to his armor bearer, sit may be that u
8 Lord will work for us, for there is no r
d straint to the Lord to save by many or B
It few Il Sam. xiv, 81. The greatest hiI
drance to tho Lords work is generally OF
!. fancied strength or wisdom, and there
no proverb much more unscriptural tina
this, that God helps those who help then
/ selves In the matter of salvation it
i only the lost and helpless and ungodl
/ for whom it is provided, and it has bee
o provided wholly by our Lord Jesus Chri
and is given freely to every penitent sil
a ner In the daily life for God it is &C
q who works all our works in us and for !
lisa XVI, 12). He delivers the needy, Il
poor also and him that hath no help
Il FPS lxxii, 12). When Gideon had on
Is s., 600 men against an innumerable hos
y the Lord said to him, THE people that Al
70 with thee are too many, lest Israel vauI
% themselves against me, saying, Mine ow
, hand hath saved me- (Judg. vii, 2