The Tupelo journal., 1904-09-30
THE SUNDAY BIBLE SCHOOL
Lesson in the International Series
for October 2, 10O4-"Elisha
Succeeds Elijah"
prepared by the Highway and By
way" Preacher.)

IESSON IEAl.
QI. Kings 2:12-22; Memory verses, 12-14)
II. And Elisha saw it, and he cried: My
Father, my Father, the chariot of Israel,
and the horsemen thereof. M he saw
him no more. and he took hold of his own
clothes, and rent them in two pieces.
Is. He took up also the mantle OF EllJah
that fell from him. and went back, and
stood by the bank of Jordan.
IA. And he took the mantle of Elijah that
fell from him, and smote the waters, ana
said: Where is the Lord God OF EiJah!
And when he also had smitten the waters,
they parted hither and thither; and Elisha
went over.
Is. And when the sons Of the prophets
which were to view at Jericho saw him,
they said: The spirit of Elijah doth rest
on Elisha. And they came to meet him. and
bowed themselves to the ground before
him..
l6. And they said unto him: Behold now,
there be with thy servants fifty strong men:
let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy
MASTER: lest peradventure the spirit OF
the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him
upon some mountain, or into some valley.
And he said: Ye shall not send.
II. And when they urged him till he was
ashamed, he said: Send. They sent there
fore fifty men; and they sought three days.
but found him not.
Is, And when they came again to him (1or
he tarried at Jericho), he said unto them:
DID I not say unto you: Go not?
10. And the men Of the city said unto Ell
sha: Behold, I pray thee, the situation OF
this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth; but
the water is naught, and the ground bar
rem.
30, And he said: Bring me a new cruise.
and put salt therein. And they brought 1t
to him.
q. And he vent forth unto the spring Of
the waters, and cast the salt In there, and
said: Thus saith the Lord, l have healed
these waters; there shall not be from
thence any more death or barren land.
%. So the waters were healed unto THIS
day, according to the saying Of Elisha
which he spake.
sCRIPTURAL SECTION.-The entire
chapter. with a review of Elisha's call in
I Kings 1916, 1874.
GOLDEN TEXT,-'Let a double portion
Of thy spirit be upon neil, Kings 2:9.
TIME.-Immediately following the events
of the lesson for September II. The proph-
cts ministry extended through about fifty
years.
PLACE.-The scene of Elijah's transla-
ton, and at Jericho.
Beginning of a Great Mission.
The Place of Observation-Disclosures
was destined to fill the place OF a great
prophet. and Jul lesson to-day intro
duces us to the initial events In hrs
career, which are preparatory to and
prophetic of the future success OF his
mission. If Elisha were to fill EliJah's
place he must be endued with EliJah's
spirit. The disciples to perform the
Lords service must wait for enduement
of power, for the descent OF His Spirit
(Acts l.: 8, 2: la. The servant OF the
Lord to-day must wait for the power
and inspiration which will equip for
service. What had brought Elisha
here? The place of such enduement is
always marked by % Watchfulness,
Elisha watched. ca Revelation. Elisha
saw the presence and glory OF God as
Elijah was snatched from earth to
Heaven, and IT quickened his heart to
a new consciousness of God and His
owe The soul that watches eagerly
and persistently will be rewarded with
a revelation of God which will thrill
the whole being and call into life new
capabilities and create new possibili-
ties.
The. Place of Testing.-The place OF
testing always lies just beyond the
place of enduement. Elisha in the
wilderness beyond Jordan gazing up
into the heavens, would never prove
an efficient or worthy successor of Eli
jah. The too-long gazing up into
Heaven needs Divine rebuke (Acts 1:
~. Elisha must return, and in the
pathway of the return lay the broad.
u%nfordable Jordan, the Place of Test
ing. All that he had was the bare
word of the prophet and the mantle of
Elijah, which was the evidence of Eli
jah's departure. The testing was for
the double purpose of revealing to Eli
sha himself and to the sons Of the
prophets gazing from the hills of Jeri-
cho the fact that Eltjah's spirit had
descended upon Elisha. ELISHA went
over''-the place of enduement and the
place of testing were just behind. but
the place of discipline lay before him.
The Place of Discipline.-For three
days while the willful, unbelieving
students of the college pursued their
fruitless search, Elisha waited at Jeri-
CuO. luOSc WcIc udyo VI uloClplluc.
While the search was on for Elijah,
Elisha must wait, and waiting is the
most trying kind of discipline.
The Place Of Service.-And now we
come to the place of service. Endue-
ment, testing, discipline and at last
service. The discipline ended, Elisha
finds his position strengthened in the
city. Doubtless during those three
days there was much discussion in the
city of Elijah's disappearance, which
tended to advertise Elisha. People got
to discussing the miraculous events Of
the past few days and as a result
faith in Elisha increased. Then came
the opportunity of service. The men
Of the city came making request that
the noxious waters might be healed.
Here was a call to service. But why
salt to cure the brackish waters? Like
cures like" has long been a familiar say
ing. The use of salt suggests Gods meth
cd of healing the worlds sin. The she'd
ding of blood to cleanse the crimson
stains of sin. Death to cure death.
Bits for Contemplation.