The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-08-23
| THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR AUGUST 20,

subject: Elijah Discouraged. Kings
AK, 1-s--GoIden Text, Psa. cxx., -
Memory verses, 3, documentary ON
the Days Lesson.
7. The fight OF Elijah Tvs Id. =
scTold Jezebel" She was not affected by
The story as she would have been BY the
actual events Elijah had done, Ana1;
did not appear to recognize the hana q
God in the affair There are eyes 80 Dhnds
"a d Cor 4:4) and hearts 50 stesfeu
against the truth that no evidence can
zach them. Had slain The slaughter
~ fhe DroDhets Of Baal, who were prob-
ablv Of the same foreign nature az tno
queen, was what stirred all the terceness
of her nature. AS she listens to the story
her one thought is revenge. :,
B ssSent messenger Here was lack
Of shrewdness and forethought, II she
really wished and designed to carry OUT
her threat. for such an announcement Of
her purpose gave Elijah full opportunity
to escape her, or prepare to meet her op.
position. But it is possible that ner oD.
iect was to terrify him and: drive nim
away from her city, and that she feared to
cope with him otherwise, lest her own tate
should be like that Of the false prophets
Some have thought that the exact time
which was given him by tomorrow
about this time proof that her
threat was intended and understood as
sentence of Punishment on pain OF DEATH.
sUnto Elijah" The prophet did not 'yen-
ture into the city, and thus put himself in
her power, but waited to see how she
would receive the news. 1t is not the duty
Of even Gods prophets to rush heedlessly
into the lions den unless directly COM
manded to do SO. He used good judgment
in this matter Let the gods. One OF
the most tremendous vows which mark the
history Of the Semitic race, both within
and without the Jewish pale. This was
the most terrible oath she could use I'd
meant that if she did not slay Elijah them
let the gods slay her -sM
8. ssWhen he saw" When he heard Of
/ the rage Of Jezehel, and saw the storm
| that was coming on him. Went for his
| q courage ana the instability OF public
sentiment. 1t seemed to him that his eff
| forts had been in vain, that the bright
prospects on Carmel had resulted in no
permanent good, and that Gods cause
! was utterly .ost Jehovah seems to have
| left him for season to himself. Perhaps
| there was danger that, like the apostle, he
might be exalted above measure by the
| abundance Of revelations and Of power
| which were manifested through him u
| Cor. II: ~, and it was needful to remind
| him by an impressive experience that he
was still man encompassed with human
| passions and infrmities. To many it may
seem that great opportunity to REFORM
/ the worship Of the kingdom was lost by
Ehjah's fight. The people were com
| WINGED, and it would have been an easy
matter for God to have removed Jezebel
and the remaining false prophets. But
| there is point beyond which divine pow
| er will not multiply miracles and the turns
ing point here was the instability Of Ahab.
'tBeer-sheba At the, extreme southern
limit Of Palestine, and about ninety-five
miles from Jezreel. Beer-sheba was orig
inally assigned to the tribe of Simeon
Gosh. 10: y, though in Josh. Is: IS it is
included among the uttermost cities Of
Judah; II appears that the tribe of Si-
neon had now become largely absorbed in
the tribe of Judah. Left his servant
Ths servant must have attended him FROM
| Carmel to Jezreel and from thence to the
south of Judah. The prophet now desires
solitude. In the need of spiritual Commune
MON with God no COMPANION is desired.
Even Jesus Himself said to His disciples.
| sit We here, while go and pray yonder's
| ((Matt. 20: &c., Jewish tradition says the
servant was the son of the widow of Zare-
phath. and no less a person than the pro-
phet Jonah.
II. Elijah in despair Y. A.. 4. Unto
the wilderness" The wilderness here spo-
ken of is the desert Of Paran, through
from Egypt toward the promised land.
He did not feel himself safe until he was
1 beyond the territory of both Ahab and
/ Jehoshaphat. He is now led down into
the dark depths Of temptation. Juniper,
tree" The Hebrew says, literally, one iu-
niper tree, OF broom, shrub, and thus de-
picts the desolation Of the country It
| was stout enough to be used for fuel (Psa.
i20:D and in time of famine its roots
| could be eaten dob, 30s3, a.. 'That he
might die" The prophets depression had
reached its lowest point. Not better =
etc. His life seemed like a great failure.
In moments Of dependency even Shakes
peare thought himself no poet, and RAJ
phael doubted his right to be called a
painter. Il
| III. Elijah fed BY angels Tvs. 5-S). s..
! 'sLay and slept" Elijah was physically
exhausted. It was the reaction after the
| intense nervous strain on Carmel. First Of
| al God supplied his physical necessities:
he glveth l HIS beloved e tS sleep: An angel
trants during the great period of prophetic
activity. The mediation Of angels was
largely supplanted by that of inspired
men. But at times they appear to remind
us that they. ever encamp around Gods
servants; ARISE and eat" Food was
done with him, and He 1niraculously cares
| for him as He did for Jonah when he fed
/ 6. Cake" A round, fiat cake put be-
| tween hot stones laid in embers Of char
/ coal fire, but he is too weary to eat sufi-
cheney and SO falls to sleep again. This is
not the first time that God had given an
! gels food in the desert (Psa. 1925; Neh.
! 1:2I; Deut. S:l6). a cruise" A bottle OF.
jar Z. "Angelcame again. 1t is welk
| to note the fact that Elijah's physical
needs were fully met before any effort was
made TO- encourage his dropping spirit
Ghost and we must keep those temples IN
! repair" Journey great" The journey
he had already taken and that which was
| yet before him. I:
/ 5. Went forty days" He was mirac-
| ulously sustained. On the same mountain
Moses had twice tasted this same length
Of time (Exod. 24:l8, S4:28), and in an
| other wilderness Jesus did the same
| Matt. a:2l. Horeb." This is the same
| as Mount Sinai-the mount at which the
law was given. The distance from Beer
sheba to Horeb is not over 200 miles, Eli
| jah was probably wandering in despond-
! ency and seeking to hid himself The
time spent was not what was required for
! the journey only, but far more in medita-
ton and prayer, and seeking from God a
reason why all the toiling and testimony.
which the prophet had bestowed, mad
proved so unproductive. The spiritual
conflict Of Elijah prefgures the spiritual
conflict Of Jesus. Mount of God" So
called because God here ravealed HE mar