The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-10-24
THE SABBATH SCHOOL,
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR OCTOBER 20.

Subject: The Prodigal Son. Luke Nv.
1874 - Golden Text: Luke xv., Is =
Memory Verses, sO-24 - Comments
/ on the Days Lesson.
II. "a certain man." The simple, un
pretentious beginning of the most beauti
full of all the parallels. The man is here
the image of God the Father. "Two sons.
Both are Jews. The idea that the elder
son represents the Jews, and the younger
the Gentiies is foreign to the parable, but
in character the two sons may be said to
be representative of mankind for we
have in them examples of two great phases
of alienation from God-the elder is blind.
ed by his self-righteousness, the younger
degraded by his unrighteousness.
II. "The younger" He represents
openly wicked persons, such as the publi-
cans and sinners, He also represents the
thoughtless, careless youth. Give me the
when it is considered that it has been a
custom in the East for sons to demand
and receive their portion of the inherit
ance during the fathers lifetime. HE di-
vidcd-his living" The yielding to the re-
quest strikingly sets forth the permission
of free-will to man, and also the fact of
Gods bestowing many gifts upon even
the unthankful and disobedient.
l3. "Not many days" He had decided
upon his course and fastened to be gone.
Gathered all together" Sinners that go
astray from God venture their all. "Took
his journey" He was weary of his faith
erty. As soon as the bride of restraining
grace is taken of we are soon gone. The
journey the prodigal took represents the
sinner in his departure from God. He
went into ''far country" far from truth
and virtue. WASTED his substance" So
sinners waste the gifts God has given
them. Time. talents, energies, life, all
wasted. ''With riotous living" In verse
30 we see how low he fell. His body,
mind and soul were debased and ruined.
ia. Spent all" He did not stop until
| his last dollar was gone. His passions
rcigned. This represents the sinner who
has thrown away the mercy, favor and
love of God. and has wilfully rejected the
salvation of Christ. "a mighty famine"
! The soul living at distance from God,
and shut out from intercourse with Him,
will very soon feel its own utter empti-
ness. A mighty famine will follow. "In
want" Real want is soul want. The
prodigal now felt the effects of his dissi-
/ pated course. The steps downward were
''apostasy, proAgacy, penalty" See Prov.
, "a: "a. ....
Is. ".Joiued himself to a citizen" The
same wicked life that before was repre-
sented by riotous living is here repre-
sented by servile living. for sinners are
perfect slaves. The devil is the citizen Of
that country; he is both in city and coun-
try. "To feed swine" This was doubly
degrading. and especially so to Jew. a
i6. "Would fain have been filled with
the ,husks." (R. W. The husks were not
the pods of some other fruit, but "the
fruit OF the carob-tree. used for feeding
swine" He was driven to the extremity
of trying to satisfy his hunger with the
food that was fit only for. swine. So sin
| earthly and sensual delights. "No man
gave unto him." Those whom he had
called his friends now deserted him,
They had taken his money and then cast
him aside. Satan's agents do the same
to-day. The saloonkeeper will rob a man
OF his money, health and character, and
then kick him out Of the back door TO
die. . ~-la.5 !}S
II. "He came to himself" Sin de-
! thrones the reason. A state Of sin Is a
state of folly and madness, but the mad
ness is in the heart, Feel. 9:S His lack
for his money 2. When he left home..
S. When he went to live with harlets.
T. When he undertook to satisfy his hun
ger with swine's food. But he now begins
to sense his, condition and see his folly.
Those who have once known the Lord can
not derive satisfactiona from the world.
Bread enough and .totspare." The lowest
/ in my fathers housef has bread to give to
the poor. God 81 people are abundantly
supplied with good things! II perish
with hunger Sinners will not come to
Christ until they see themselves ready to
Us. "I will arise. He had left home by
his own free will, and he must return in
the same way. God compels no one to do
right. "And go. Following the deci.
sion there must be an effort put forth.
In returning to God there is something to
do. 81 have sinned." The first thing to
do is to make a full confession of our
sins. John 1:9; Job 80: q, %.
"Against heaven" Against God Every
sin is sin against God. "And before
thee" He. had also. sinned against his
earthly father. It is ever a token of the
sincerity of repentance when one views
even the sins committed against others
as transgressions. against God.
10, .No moreIworthy." He is ready to
his father could Shut the, door against him;
he will plead for mercy only.
20. "He arose." He Immediately did all
of these things that he had decided upon.
ellis father saw him." So God knows
when we start toward Him. Sin had made
| the distance great, but as soon as the lost
one starts to return the father had com.
passion. "And ran," etc. This repre-
sents the readiness with which God re-
ceives returning sinners.
81. ''I have sinned." He makes this
confession PERSONAL; he aliases himself.
This is always the result of true repent.
ance. "And am no more worthy. All
true penitents feel their unworthiness.
They are conscious that they deserve
nothing but death. and their only hope Is
%. "But the father" The father did
not wait until he had finished his confes'
sion. In this we see the great affection
of the father and his willingness to for
give. "Said to his servants" The faith
er's Joy is full, and he instantly issued or
, ders to celebrate his return. Bring
forth quickly" (R. W Let us show at
once by our actions that the wanderer is
fully reinstated. "Put ring on his hand
A sign of affection and that he was free
man. There is no license given here to
adorn the body, as some have vainly tried
to show. The true standard for such
Tim, 2: 9, 10; Pet. g.: 8. T..
%. "Be merry" Be joyful and happy.
The Bible gives the children Of God Ii.
cense to shout for joy. When Christ re.
stores the wandercr there is general re-
joicing, and he is Immediately treated as
SON. The best that God has s given
him, and the past is entirely blotted out;
q. "Was dead" Lost to all good,
given up to all evil" "1s alive ogaln,."