Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-07-06
international gessolt.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON u, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY ~.


Rom. v, 2O-Commentary Prepared
by the Rev. d. NJ. stearns.
Copyright, 1901, by American Press Association.I
Is. This is our introduction to the
great enemy of God and man, that old
serpent, the devil and satan utev. xii, 81;
TX, q, the prince of this world, the
prince of the power Of the air, the spirit
that now worketh in the children of dis
obedience John xiv, 80; Eph. ii. p. He
would come between God and man, he
would break up their fellowship and rob
man of his inheritance, and to do this he
comes in the guise of a friend, using the
wisest and perhaps the fairest of oil the
beasts of the field Us his medium, for it
Is evident from verse IA that it was
something new, and the result Of the
curse, for the serpent to SO upon his belly
and eat dust. From this chapter to Rev.
Xxx we see the devil in conflict with God
and man, yet tolerated by God until the
time shall come to put him in the pit and
later in the place prepared for him-the
lake of fire. We are taught to resist
him, to give him no place, to stand
against him Il Pet. Y, 8, 8; Eph. iv, 2I;
vi, III, but we cannot we'll do this if we
are ignorant of his devices. Therefore
we are here and elsewhere made ac-
auainted with him and his ways that we
may recognize him and resist him and
overcome him with the shield Of faith
and the sword of the Spirit even as our
Lord Himself did in the wilderness. In
his first recorded utterance, Yea, hath
God said?' we see that he questions the
word of God. and when any one from
that day to this questions the word OF
God he is for the time being in the
service Of the devil. He questions the
love of God, suggesting to the woman
that il God loved them He would not
keep from them even the fruit OF one
tree.
6-8. In the company Of and listening to
the adversary the woman quickly be-
.omes deceived and blinded and led
astray. She adds to the word of God
verse 81 and actually seems to think that
her evil counselor is right and God is
wrong, and she desires the fruit which
now seems to her so pleasant. and she
took it and ate it and gave it also to her
husband, and he ate it. Thus by one
man sin entered into the world. and
death by sin and by the disobedience OF
,ne many were made sinners (Rom.
v, II, 19). Their fellowship with God
was broken, they were afraid Of Him and
sought to hide from Him, they lost their
glorious garments Of light and made for
themselves as a substitute aprons Of hg
leaves. As to their being clothed with
light, they were made in the image Of
God, and Ps. civ, 2, says that God covers
Himself with light as with garment.
This does not conflict with Gen. Ii, 20,
for as to putting on clothes they were
naked. How seemingly small, but how
great and farreaching, their sin. affect.
ing all mankind. for Gin Adam all die"
Il Cor. XIV, 22).
8. "And the Lord God called unto Ad-
am and said unto him. Where art thou!
The first recorded question Of God in
Scripture shows Him to us seeking the
lost that He may forgive and restore
them. 1t was evidently His custom to
walk and talk Familiarity with Adam and
Eve in Eden. but a change came over
man because of sin, and we have the sad
and sorrowful sight Of the creature seek
ing to hide from his loving Creator.
Mans sin only makes more manifest the
love and loveliness Of God. and we see
Him who afterward came to earth as
God manifest in the flesh to seek and
save the lost (for every manifestation Of
God is through His Son, John j, 1S). low
ingly seeking His erring ones. He is still
doing this, and His question to each one
still is, Where art thou? Happy are
those who can gratefully reply. In Christ,
redeemeh by His precious blood.
1910. The man, the woman and the
serpent each are brought before Him,
and He pronounces judgment upon the
serpent, the woman and the man, but in
His word to the serpent He tells Of a
coming deliverer. In this verse (15) We
have the new birth (enmity with the dev-
Id, the conflict between the unrighteous
and the righteous (thy seed and her seed),
the humanity Of the Saviour (the seed Of
the Toman). His sufferings (thou shalt
bruise His heeD, His divinity and glo-
rious victory lHe shall bruise thy head
at least q fvefold abundant statement
Of the great redemption. In the sentence
upon Adam the earth is included, and
thorns and thistles grow as result Of
the curse. Thus the creation was made
subject to vanity not willingly; it had
no voice nor choice in the matter, and it
shall yet be delivered and made to re-
joice in the liberty Of the glory Of the
children Of God (Rom. viii, 20, 2D, for
our Lord wore a crown Of thorns, and
the curse shall in due time be removed
from the earth Rev. xxi, 3. AS re-
suit of the work of Christ the whole
earth shall yet be filed with righteous
ness and peace and the glory of the Lord
(Num xiv, 21; lisa. XII, 8: Hab. ii, IA; lisa.
xxi. 1. 10. If we would see and share
this glory. we must be able to say from
the heart at least the first four clauses Of
lisa. Xxi, 10, and we cannot do this unless
we see the significance of verse q Of this
Gen. iii and profit by 1t. See then the
Lord God with His own hand, by the
shedding Of the blood Of the sacrifice,
providing redemption clothing for Adam
and Eve typical Of the garments Of sal
walton which He has provided for us by
His great sacrifice, taking our place and
dying in our stead. Adam and Eve, with
their fig leaf aprons, represent all sim
ners in their sins. having nothing but
their own morality. If any, or fancied
righteousness. which If they cling to are
like those In Rom. <, 3. The Lord God
Himself without any help from mortals
provides the righteousness He demands
and offers it freely to all who are willing
to drop their fig leaf aprons Rom. i'll,
"a: viii. 1; <. y. Eden was preserved
after man was driven from it. and we
have every reason to believe that 1t con-
tinued till the deluge. The flaming
sword points on to Zech. xiii. 7. and to
Golgotha. where the sword was satisfied
and the way opened to enter paradise.
The cherutI;,p tell Of the future glory of
IL ,,-boy, tba u-bo1a oo rfh eho VI