The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1902-11-21
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
lessen II the International ssSfos
for November 23, IDO2-cid~ss
and the Three Hundred

THE LESSON TEXT
Judges 7:l-s)
Ihen JerubbaAi. Who n GlCeon. ard o.
the people that we're with him rose ur
early. and pitched beside the we.l-of III rod
80 that the host Of tho Milianltes were on
the north side Of them. by the hill "a Moreh
III the valley.
: And the Lord said unto Gideon. Tho
people that are with thee are TOO many 10
ne 10 give the Mloianlies into their hands
"st Israel v1unt themselves against Me.
saying Mine owr hand hath saved me.
NOW therefore 40 10. proclaim in the
caIs OF the people, saying WhosOever IL
Ieaiu! ard atra!c, LEI him return and de-
part carly from mount GA,ac, And there
returned Of the people twenty and two
sand
4 Anc the Lord said unto Gideon. The
people are YET too many: bring them down
unto the water and ! viii Try them for
NEE there; anc II shall be. than Of whom
! say unto thee. This shan 20 with thee,
.Ie same shall 40 with thee. and Of whom
soeser ! say unto thee. This shalt not 20
win thee. the same stail not go
o 80 he brought down the people unto
tne water and the Lord said unto Gicton.
every ore that lappeih o. the water With
ne tongue. as = cog iappeih. him shalt
shou set by himself. likewise every one that
oo"eth cow Upon his knees 70 drink.
1hc he number OF ihem that lApped,
putting their hand TO their mouth. were
tlree hundred men: but an the rest of the
people bowed down upon their knees 10
| drink water
- And the Lord said unto Gideon. ny the
three hutdred men that tapped will save
you. ana deliver the Midianites into thlns
80, ahu 4et Az the other people go every
r,aI unto his place
T. 50 the people took vlctuals IN their
name, aac their irumpets: and ne sent all
ths rest 81 Israel every man unto his teri,
aLe retained those three hundred men. and
valley.
coLDEN IEAT.-It IL better to trust
IN Inc Lord than 10 put confidence in
nan.-fs. tls:~.
OUTLINE or scRIPTt-Rr SECTION
! Iiecoi eA4l..---.. -Julges &
1 cleeon's victory .....................Ju Judges,
ciccor reward .....................Jucg d
! IlMH.-B. G. l25s and lz4s
fLACE-Ophrah. Valley Of Jezreel and
Canaan.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
God used Gideon, as He had used the
other judges TO teach lesson 10 Is
rael. That lesson was that in God
was the nations help. 1t was diff
cult Tor the people to learn this truth,
just as 1t il for nations nowadays to
grasp II. Whenever the people were
faithful TO Jehovah, lie protected
them from their enemies: when they
forsook Him they became SUBJECT TO
oppressors.
The period of the Judges has been
called 1sraers Iron age" and Of
course we read the stories Of its bloody
deeds with horror and yet even here
we find gradual moral development.
The historian makes the accounts Of
the early days of His people teach
powerful religious lesson--the same
lesson over and over again. The chill
dren Of Israel do that which is evil
in the sight of Jehovah" He delivers
them into the hands Of their enemies:
He hears their cries-for He loves |
them, and raises up for them these |
deliverers, during whose lives they |
have peace. The events Of cha n.ers u.s. |
are selected from a period Of perhaps
$50 years.
Chapter vi gives US picture Of the
way in which the rich farming eountn
OF the valley of Jezreel was continual
~ raided in harvest time by the
Bedonin Arabs from beyond the Jor-
dan. They descended upon the fields in
hordes with their camels; the inhab-
itants fed before them. and they did
not leave till the country had been
stripped OF everything that could be
carried away Famine could be the
only result. The situation was des-
perate. At such time as this the
angel tmessenger) Of Jehovah appears
10 Gideon. and commissions him to rid
the land of the Midianiie invaders. He
is assured Of Jehovah's help and bless
ing. without which he could hope 70 {
do nothing and the assurance is con-
Armed by miracle (v. 2l) In verses
25-32 Gideon forsakes Baal worship I
and destroys the family altar TO the {
local Baal There is rising Of the
surrounding tribes al his call (33-35). :
and he Is assured Of victory bv the !
of the fleece (36-i0) !
Gideon's army now numbered 49,
Doc men. but Jehovah wished TO DO /
more important than rid /
the land Of the Midianites that day. \
he wanted to teach the people that {
their security lay not in themselves !
md their might. but in faithfulness 10 c
Him. Deliyerance by 200 men would d
certainly he attributed to God. while /,
Z the victory had been won by g.. 900 n
{ would have seemed like purely hu- \
nan occurrence. and Gods main OBJ y
ect would not have been accom- 4
lished.
"Jerubbaal:" Another name for v
'ideon. whatsoever Is fearful" God I
vas going to do the work. but He h
wanted good material 10 wosk with. b
'wc-thirds Of the army were afraid Z,
'ut victory by the 10000 yet remain
ng would not seem miraculous
nough. The number must be reduced
gain. At the brook II ~as seen that a
he vast majority bowed down upon Il
heir knees to drink" Only 800 lapped m
Z the water "as a dog lappeth." vet q
y this handful Of men Jehovah chose a
o deliver Israel. This may have in y
icated watchfulness and temperance. n,
r may have been simply an arbitrary "a,
evice for reducing the number. Thoss n,
rho were rejected took mai RI IN Nhs -.