The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1898-09-11
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON xl, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. II.

peranee Lesson) Verses. 80.
Golden Text, Isa- xviii, 7-CommentAry |
by the Rev. ID. M. stearns.
1. Come and let us return unto the |
Lord, for He hath torn and He will heal |
us; He hath smitten and He will bind Us
up" The topic of this lesson Is Sinful |
Indulgenco," and it is assigned as the
quarterly temperance lesson. 1t is possible
that the Committee meant the first eight
verses of chapter vii, for there Is reference
in verse to bottles Of wine. But we shall
in our meditation upon these verses con-
slider the book as q whole and thus gather
what we can of the mind Of the Lord.
Hosea In Israel was contemporary with
Isaiah In Judah. as will appear by CON-
pairing lisa. 4, I, with Hos 1, /. The great
sin of both Judah and Israel was that of
turning away from the Lord, as is simply
stated in Jer. II, IS, and Gods constant
cry TO them was that they should turn to
Him again. See Jer. iii, l, Z, 12, IA, %;
iv, !, etc. This Hosea urges them to do
in the first verso Of our lesson, Identifying
himself with them in their sins, ns did all
the prophets, typifying our Lord Jesus,
who took our sins upon Him that He
might save US. See Dan. TX, 8, 6, s, etc.,
and III Cor. V, 21; Pet. II, "a.
2. After two days win He revive us, in
the third day He will raise us up, and we
shall live in His sight" All prophecy is
full of a glorious future for Israel when
their sins shall be blotted out, and they
shall be q righteous nation before God in
the midst of the earth lisa. X, 81; Jer.
xxi, 93, 34). In Eek. xxxvii, 12, 1S, and
| Dan. xii, !, Q, this restoration Of Israel is
associated with resurrection. 1t is possi-
bic that in this verse there is a loUking
back to Isaac being given back to Abra-
ham on the third day, a looking forward
to tho resurrection of Christ on the third
day nnd to the restoration OF Israel two
| days or 1000 years after their scattering.
| Note also the references to the third day
in the life and in the teaching Of our Lord
and take as q constant prayer THAT /
may know Him and the power Of His res
direction" (Phil. iii, 1O).
8. "Then shall we know II we follow on
to know the Lord; His going forth is pre-
pared as the morning" 1t is written in
John vii, IL, "If any man will do His
will, he shall know" There must be O
forgetting and pressing on If we would
know Him (Phil. iii, 13). Israel grew
weary of Him and of His teachings and
guidings and they left off to take heed to
the Lord, forgot His law, joined them
selves Co idols and dealt treacherously
against the Lord (chapters iv, 8, l0;v 4, y.
All intemperance in meat or drink or in
the pleasures or occupations Of life is due
to a lack of the knowledge of God. His
coming in glory, which is doubtless in
cluded in His "going forth as the morn
ing" is the purifying hope of John iii. 8.
1. 80 Ephraim, what shall do unto
thee? o Judah, what shall do unto theeI
For your goodness is as a morning cloud
and as the early dew it goeth away.
Ephraim stands for Israel, the ten tribes
God tried every way to win them, but
their piety was transient as n morning
cloud dispersed by the rising sun (xiii, 81
They cried unto the Lord, even howlec
upon their beds, but it was not with theil
heart, and when they assembled them
, selves, apparently to worship God, it wa!
: really for corn and wine or, in other words
to eat and drink for their own pleasur,
(chapter vii, III. They did not know tha
the Lord gave them their corn and VIM
and silver and gold which they used upol
Baal.
g. Therefore have hewed them by tn
prophets; have slain them by the word
of my mouth, and Thy judgments are a
the light that goeth forth" They consid
cred not that all their doings were befor
Gods face (vii, q, and that He saw thei
3 divided heart *, p. Through the proph
cts by His word, which is like a fire and
hammer that breaketh the rock in piece
(Jer. xiii, 29). He had sought to breal
their pride and their rebellion, but thei
doings would not suffer them to turn unit
: their God (chapter V, 4, margin). Man
know what they ought to do and know @
S @ DDS love TO them and claims upon them
| fhox-e haf nd hnrApn fhkli
4 hearts and prefer their pleasures of sin fo
season. They will not believe that a
they sow SO shall they reap, and they tha
sow the wind shall reap the whirlwin
(chapter viii,7).
, 8 For desired mercy and not sacrifct
q and the knowledge of God moro than burn
+ Offering" Sacrifice was instituted whe
v God in mercy gave to man redemption
, | garments (Gen. Iii, 21), thus foreshadow
ing the sacrifice on Calvary wherein wa
:, manifest the great love of God to sinners
God desires not sacrifice for the blood {
bulls and goats cannot take away sin (Pi
e Il, &; Ii, IS; Beb. TX, I2). He does nc
ask gifts nor religious favOrs from thos
who fancy themselves righteous, but H
desires to give redemption freely, by th
sacrifice Of Himself, to all who will receiv
Him. When we learn to know God an
= His love and His way, we never think
r offer Him anything to win His favor c
: in any way propitiate Him, but acceptin
: His Precipitation, Jesus Christ our Lore
: we yield ourselves to Him, a living an
q will sacrifice, bought by His blood.
, z "But they. like Adam (margin), haV
: transRressed the covenant; there hay
y they dealt treacherously against me-" o
Gods part all is perfect-perfect love an
; grace and faithfulness for the undeservinl
The break and the failure are always upo
mans part. Yet God changes not; h
, abideth faithful and is ever the same Ma
, iii, g.. Although they were guilty Of a
manner OF sin as recorded in the ne1
chapter an elsewhere, yet His cry
0 them was, so Israel, return unto tn
q Lord thy God; will heal their backsliC
Q ing; will love them freely (chapter xi'
N 7 Al