Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1904-08-18
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR AUGUST a..
Subject: Elijah on Mount Carmel.
Kings, xviii., 3O-46-Goiden Text,
Kings, xviii, 21-Memory Verses, So
s9-Comrnentary on the Days Lesson.

Kings, XVIII, 3O-4o-Soi"eh AoA''
Kings, xviii.. 21-Memory Verses, So
39-Comrnentary on the Days Lesson.
I. Ehjah's sacrifice prepared Tvs. 30-35).
80. Come near" He will have them eye
witnesses of all he does, and witnesses to
what God will do. Jesus did nothing in
a corner, so neither the servants OF God
altar, Built in 1sraePs earlier and hap.
pier days, but thrown down by Jezebel
This Elilah restored and consecrated anew.
A hint to baildsis OF SAN tuarlcs. A tyre
of the certain restoration of the true and
the downfall of the false. 81. Twelve
stones" This was an act showing that
the twelve tribes were really one people
and had one God in common; So Gods
true church is one. Tsrael thy
name" Israel signifies a prince who pre-
walls with God. There are two records OF
the bestowal of this name on Jacob See
Gen. 30: %; IS: 2-l0.
80. an the name" etc. BY the author.
ity and for the glory of Jehovah. "a
trench" TO catch the water poured over
the sacrifice, and intensity The effect OF
this solemn object lesson. Measures OF
seed" The seah is estimated as contain
ing from one and half to three gallons.
There is difference of opinion as to the
size of the trench. There would De no
necessity for large trench, and it is
hardly probable that it was as deep AS the
measure that held three gallons, as some
seem to think Terry is probably nearer
correct in supposing the whole trench
held three gallons. g.,
SO. wood in order" He obeyed all the
injunctions of the law with respect to the
offering of burnt sacrifice 1ev. L. 6-8).
He thus publicly taught that the ordr
nanccs of the law were binding upon the
Kingdom of Israel. Barrels" Common
lars still used in the East for carrying wa
ter, containing from three to five gallons,
apiece. "a. Second third
time" To prevent any kind of suspicion
that there was fire concealed under the
altar. Close by the place of sacrifice,
shaded by noble old tree, is large. nat
ural cstern of sweet water, which the
people say is never exhausted. Terry and
others think it more likely that the water
was brought from the brook kishon,
where Elijah slew the false prophets.
H. Fire from heaven Tvs. 5000. 30.
"At the time" About 3 o'clock p. m. The
prophet waited for the usual hour for the
evening sacrifice, thus directing the minds
of the people to the worship of Jehovah;
the duties of the priest While the priest
could not of right be prophet the pro-
phet could, by virtue of his direct com.
mission and his higher function, act as
priest. Game near" He expected an an.
wer by fire, yet came near to the altar
rith boldness, cad feared not that fire.
abraham, Isaac" Words first used by
God at the burning bush when He re.
vcaled Himself in flaming fire (Exod, 3:
6, l6). Known That thou art God
The honor of God is his ruling passion, the
source and end of all his zeal, THY SER
want" That he. Elijah, was not their en-
envy, as Ahab had announced him to be,
but ,Jehovah's servant. AT thy word. y
That his words and works were not of
himself, but of God.
81. "Turned their heart back aga,r.~
The end of a controversy Is never the
mere establishment of truth. but the con
version of the people. Stern and relentt,,
'ess as Elijah had been. his heart was full
ii Gods yearning tenderness, and he
longed for their salvation We are some
times called to preach bitter things, but
the end of our ministry should be CONVEX.
sion not condemnation. 80. Fire, Tell.
1t did not burst out from the a tar. This
might still, notwithstanding the water,
have offered some ground Tor suspicion
that fire had been concealed, after the
manner of the heather, under the altar.
Fire converted apoState Israel The HC>S
Ghost converted many in the apo.Cle's
day. That same fire, invisible to immortal
eyes, works as remarkably to-day. "Con'
sumed.' The process Is remarkable. l..
The fire came down from heaven. (. The
pieces OF sacrifice were first consumed. 3.
The wood next, to show that 1t was not
by the wood that the flesh was burnt. 4.
Twelve stones were consumed, to show 1t
was no common fire, but one whose agen'
Cy nothing could resist. 5. The dist the
earth of which the altar was constructed,
was burnt 6. The water in the trench was,
by the action of the fire, entirely evapo.
rated. 7. The action of this fire was ~
every case downward, contrary to the ma
ture of all earthly and material fire.
Moses altar and Solomon's were conse.
Grated by the fire from heaven; this wac
destroyed.
iii. The decision of tie people Tvs. 80.
O).
80. Fell on their faces." In revrcnt
worship and awe at the divine manliesta
ton, they fell on their faces and with one
voice declared Jehovah, He is God. The
test was convincing and would help the
people to stand against Jezebel and her
terrible prosecutions, 40. prophets Of
Baal." There we're $50 OF them. 1T APP.
pears that the 400 prophets of Asherah
1.-THE grove) were not present. Brook
kishon" This brook flows along the very
base of Carmel on the side towards the
Tea. Here Slsera was overthrow by Ba
rak (Judg. 4: y. "Slew them We can
hardly suppose that Elijah himself put
them to death. He is only said to do that
which he caused the people to do. The
priests of Baal hardened their hearts, per
sisted in their rebellion, refused snbinls-
sion and were destroyed.
". Eljah's prayer and ne answer Tvs.
l-46).
Al. EAT and drink" During the ex
citing scenes OF the day there had Heen no
time or inclination to partake OF lad.
abundance of rain" Faith in God vas
the foundation for this positive declara
ton from the prophet. A. Both Ahab
and Elijah returned to the top OF Carmel,
the one to eat and the other to pray. The
prophet withdrew himself from the pres
ince of the King and cast himself down
upon the earth before the Lord. See
james 5: II. 43. Said to his servant
Tradition tells us that this servant was
the widow son whom he had raised from
the dead Chapter II: 23l. Elijah told his
servant to look towards the sea, for from
that direction the storm would come. The
servant looked and said, There is moth
ing" Then Elijah said go again seven
times" A. At last, at the seventh time,
he reported cloud like a mans hand. I'm
mediately the prophet sent to Ahab to
hasten home lest the rain stop him. As.
"Ahab went to Jezreel.' .Iez-
reel became one of the most famous of the
royal residences. 1t did not supersede
6amara, but here Ahab built a palace
(chaptcr 2l u, and it was his summer
home 49, Ran before Ahab.' The spi~'t
of the Lord was on Elijah and he Gas CIV
en- supernatural strength.