The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1904-09-02
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON x. THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. 4.


cave. What sustenance he found here
for his body we are not told, but If he
lived on locusts and wild honey, as
John the Baptist afterward did Matt.
iii. A. he probably found sufficient.
However that may have been, the God
who cared for him at Cherith and Sa-
repta and sent an angel 10 provide for
him i'm the Wilderness would not fail
TO care for him anywhere. There Is
great comfort in this, that the Lord
loves His people with an everlasting
love. and knowing all about us loves
us to the end der. xxi, 3; John xiii, -.
Here i'm this cave the word of the Lord
came to him as at other times xvii,
p, :; xviii, u. In Eek. i, >, ii is writ
ten that the word Of the Lord came eX-
pressly to Ezekiel the priest, and un-
less we receive the messages from the
book as coming expressly 10 us indi-
vidually there is no benefit, yet there
are many who profess TO believe the
Bible who look with surprise upon
those who say God has spoken to me
in His word" Unless the word of God
speaks directly to our hearts we have
not yet learned TO know Him very well.
As plainly rs by voice from heaven
has He said TO my soul as / have read
His book-John j, u; iii, 16; " "a; X,
27-29: xiv, l, -; John ii, -; iii, l, >,
3; lisa. xii, 10, 10; Kill, %; Gen. xviii,
-, and many, many more messages
which are engraven on my heart and
for which do heartily praise Him.
what doest thou here, ElijahY' Is
the great question Of our lesson oversees
0, 49,. and a great question for each OF
us. Happy are those who can say, Il
am here, Lord, for Thou didst send me,
and | am here at Thy bidding for Thy
pleasure" Elijah could not reply thus,
but he did say something about the sin
of Israel. his own falthfulness and
zeal, and that he was the only repre-
sentative the Lord had left, and his
life was being sought, and therefore
ne was hiding in this cave in this out
of the way place. He was not seeking
the glory of God, as on Carmel, nor
was he sent Of God, as when he went
to Cherith or Sarepta, but he was seek
ing only his own personal safety.
Adams reply TO the Lords Where
/ art thOu? was a very sad one Gen.
! iii. 1O). Abraham's reply to Abimeleck
| rs to why he had done as he did was
anything but hOnorlng 10 God (Gen.
/ xX. ID, and the reply OF Elijah at Ho-
reb was not like the Elijah OF Carmel
/ 1t is great thing to be able to con-
tinue little In our own sight and to
seek always and only the glory of God,
and to give a testimony like Paul in
/ Gal. ii, 20; Cor. XIV, 10. The reply Of
Elijah I'm verses 10. IA, Of our lesson
would almost, If not wholly. indicate
that, he being the only true servant
OF Jehovah left, it would be poor day
for the Lords cause if anything should
happen 10 him And they seek my
life TO take it away" What then
would become Of the Lords cause;
When we allow ourselves TO be thus
deluded by him who would, If he could,
dethrone God himself, il is poor day
for us. for it indicates that the Lord
may not be able to use us much longer,
as we shall see in this lesson.
eco forth and stand upon the mount
before the Lord" Verse ID is the
Lords message to Elijah, and he could
hardly fail to recall that on this very
mount God had said to Israel and 10
Moses, Il am the Lord thy God which
brought thee out of the land OF
Egypt, out Of the house Of bondage
(Ex. Xxx, .; xiv, ~, and as he
thought of II a sense OF his OWL
nothingness and Gods mightinesS
may have come over him. Then came
the mighty wind, the earthquake anc
the fire, but the Lord did not re
veal Himself in either Of these; ther
the still small voice in which the LORD
spoke to His servant, and one needs e
be very still to hear still small voice
God has many ways of dealing witt
people. and different ways at dilTeren
times of dealing with the same person
He had spoken to Israel from this yer!
mount i'm fire and earthquake; He hao
lust recently spoken to the people
through Elijah by fire on Carmel, bu
/ llOW IL IL ~ Niit oNili 49,
Some one may be looking for fire o.
, earthquake experience because SOM
one else has had it or because the.
themselves have had it in former times
but now God is speaking in still
small voice and they do not hear be
cause they want the former expert
ence. Let us bow head and heart an'
! say, Speak, Lord, as it pleaseth Thee
: for Thy servant heareth." Not method
: nor experiences. but Himself alone, ca
4 satisfy the heart
{ And the Lord said unto him, Go, re
+ turn and anoint a king over Syria,
( king over Israel, and Elisha TO b
e prophet i'm thy room Oversees -, 10
This is what we said n little before
that when man thinks that the wor
cannot get along without him 1t
e time to appoint his successor. No on
a is essential TO God or TO His work, bu
@ He is graciously pleased to use such q
g are willing TO continue little in thei
n own sight and let God be glorfled
d them We must learn TO magnify tn
e Lord Jesus as He magnified the Ia
e Their yet have / left me seven thoI
sand i'm Israel which have not bowe