The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1901-07-17
THE SABBATH SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR JULY 2l.

Subject: Noah Saved in tho Ark. Gen
WILL, 1-22-Golden Text, Gen. vi, g.
Memory Verses, 20-2. - Commentary
on the Days Lesson.
Connecting Links. According to the
commonly accepted chronology, more than
1850 years have. passed since our last les.
son. During that time the Old Testament
world became densely populated, and the
race had grown exceedingly wicked, so that
God decided to destroy them from the
face of the earth.
l. "God remembered Noah" Noah
himself, though one that had found grace
in the eyes of the Lord, yet seemed to be
forgotten in the ark, but at length God
returned in mercy to him, and that is ex.
pressed by His remembering him. The
strange work of judgment being over, the
saved family, and all in association with
them, come into remembrance. Made a
wind" Such wind as produced strong
and sudden evaporation.
2. "Was restrained" When Gods pur-
poses were accomplished it was as easy.for
Him to restrain the rain as to cause it to
8. "Returned-continually." They grad
ually departed. The heat of the sun ex-
haled much, and perhaps the subterra'
4. mountains of Ararat." A region
nearly in the middle of Armenia, even now
called by the Armenians Ararat, on the
mountains of which the ark of Noah
rested; sometimes in wider sense as the
whole of Armenia iself. As the drying
wind most probably came from the east
or north, it is likely that the ark was
drifted toward Asia Minor, and caught
land on some hill in the region of the Eu-
pirates. 1t cannot be supposed that it
rested on either of the peaks now called
Ararat, as Ararat was a country, not a
mountain, and these peaks do not seem
suitable for the PURPOSE.
7. "Sent forth" Though God had told
Noah when the food would come, even to
day, yet He had not revealed to him the
time when the waters would disappear;
the knowledge of the former was neces-
sary, while knowledge. of the latter
would serve only to crafty his curiosity,
and the concealing. it from him would
serve the purpose of testing his faith and
forth and returning 1t is generally sup
posed that the raven few off and was seen
no more; it is evident, however, that she
did return, but was not taken into the ark.
8. "He sent forth a dove" He sent
forth the dove three times. The first time
it speedily returned; the second time it
returned bringing with it an olive leaf,
| and the third time it went forth to return
no more. The dove is an emblem Of soul,
which, finding no rest or satisfaction IN
this sinful world, returns to Christ as to
its ark; the carnal heart like the raven
takes up with the world and feeds on the
carrion it finds there. As Noah put forth
his hand and took the dove into the ark,
30 Christ will graciously receive those who
come to Him for rest.
IL. can olive leaf" An emblem Of the
restoration of peace between God and the
! earth: and from this circumstance the
olive has been the emblem of peace among
all civilized nations. Sweet emblem OF
the renewed mind which, amid the sur
rounding desolation,, seeks and finds its
| rest and portion in Christ, and not only
SO, but also lays hold of the earnest of the
| inheritance, and furnishes the blessed proof
that Judgment has passed away and that a
renewed earth is coming fully into view
Ine carnal mind, on the contrary, can rest
in anything and everything but Christ; it
(ike the raven) can feed upon all unclean
ness. >.
IA. Second month";" etc. From this il
appears that Noah was in the ark com
pfete solar year, or 1856 days. -,
l6. go forth of the ark" Noah did
not leave the ark until the command came
from God. 1t was the Lord who was di
recting this whole matter.
20. ''Noah builded an altar" The first
thing that Noah did after his wonderful
preservation was to pay his debt OF graft
tude to God, who had 80 wonderfully pre-
served him. Adam, Cain and Abel Offered
sacrifices, and there can be no doubt thai
| Al. L.
them, but this, builded by Noah, is Ger
tainly the first on record. The word which
we render altar signifies properly place
for sacrifice. Altar comes from the Latir
altus, high or elevated, because places fol
sacrifice were generally either raised very
high or built on the tops Of hills and noun
tains; hence they are called high places II
the Scriptures, but these were chiefly usec
It TT was TaSas unto the Eord he erected this al
tar. Superstition would have Wolshipee
the ark, as being the means of salvation
but Noah's faith passed beyond the arl
to the God of the ark, and hence when b,
stepped out Of it, instead of casting bacl
lingering look at it, or regarding it as al
object of worship, he built an altar untt
the Lord and worshiped Him, and the arl
is never heard of again. Burnt offerings
This was IAN acknowledgment Of guilt ane
an atonement for sin, grateful recogni
ton of Gods authority and goodness, th'
means of securing His favor, and q tokel
of the giver's self-dedication to His serv
ice." At first sacrifices were offered BY
individuals, as Cain and Abel; but aftel
the food by heads of families, or tribes
This offering was q very expressive typ
of the sacrifice of Christ, as nothing les
than His complete and full sacrifice coul9
make atonement for the sin of the world
In most other offerings the oferer had {
share, but in the whole burnt offering al
was given to God.
81 "Smelled a sweet SAVIOUR" That is
He was we'll pleased with this act. "Saic
in his heart" In chap. 8: S-l7, God made
the covenant with Noah that He had il
His heart to make. "Will not again curse.
When Noah and his family first began t.
make their homes on the land there woulc
be a fear at every rain that it might bt
the beginning of another flood. Thu
would interfere not only with their com
fort, but with their progress. What woulc
be the use of building houses or cultivatint
fields that might at any time be destroyed
The covenant was Gods solemn promise il
their behalf. ..
22. Earth remaineth." Here it is plain
" intimated that the earth is not to re
main always; it, and all the works there
in, must be burned up. Pet. 3: Z. seed
time and harvest" etc. The Lord prom
ises two signs as the guarantee, the visible
proof, that the earth would never agair
be DESTROYED by q food. The first wa
that seedtime and harvest and day anc
night should not cease while the earth re
NAMED; the second was the bow set in tn
| cloud Chan @: L.