The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1904-08-04
THE SUNDAY BIBLE SCHOOL
Lesson in the International Series
for August z, 19O4-"God TAX
ing Care of Elijah"
prepared by the Highway and By
way" Preacher)
Copyright, 1904. by j. n. Edson.)
LESSON TEXT

Il Kings 17:l-16. Memory Verses. 1S. 14
1. And Elijah the Tishbite who was Of the
Inhabitants Of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As
the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom
/ stand, there shall not be dew nor rain
these years, but according TO my word
And the word of the Lord came unto
him. saying,
.. Get thee hence. and turn thee east
ward, and hide thy self by the brook Che
rith, that is before Jordan.
4. And IL shall be that thou shalt drink
OF the brook; and have commanded the
ravens to feed thee there.
| b. SO he went and did according unto the
| word of the Lord; for he went and dwe!t
by the brook Cherith that is before Jordan
6. And the ravens brought him bread
and flesh in the morning, and bread and
| flesh In the evening, ana he drank Of the
| brook
| T. And II came to pass after awhile that
the brook dried up, because there had been
| no rain In the land.
s. And the word Of the Lord came unto
! him, saying,
/ 3. Arise set thee to Zarephath. which be-
longeth to Iidon, and dwell there: behold,
have commanded "a widow woman to sus-
tain thee.
10. So he arose and went to Zarephath.
! And when he came to the gate Of the city,
| behold the widow woman was there gath
| erlhg OF sticks: and he called to her, and
SAID, Fetch me. pray thee. a little water
In vessel, that l may drink.
! IL. And as she was going to fetch II. he
called to her, and said. Bring me. pray
thee, morsel of bread In thine hand.
L. And she said. AS the Lord thy God
! liveth, have not cake, but an handful OF
meal In "a barrel, and "a little oil in a cruise:
and. behold, l am gathering two sticks,
that may 90 in ard dress II for me and
my son. tnat we may eat 1t, and die.
10 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not;
go and do as thou hast said: but make me
thereof a little cake first, and bring II
unto me, and after make for thee and for
thy son
a. For thus saith the Lord God Of Is
rael The barrel Of meal shall not waste
neither shall the cruise Of oil fail, until the
day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the
earth.
10. And she went and did according to
the saying Of Elijah, and she and he, and
her house. did eat many days.
l6 And the barrel of meal wasted not,
neither did the cruise of oil fail according TO
the word Of the Lord, which he spake by
Elijah.
THE LESSON includes all Of the seven
teenth chapter, giving the closing incidents
In the life Of the widow and her son. There
IL no parallel In Chronicles.
GOLDEN TEXT:-"He careth for you"
Il Peter 5:7
TlME.--Ahab reigned from 91s to s97 b. c.,
and Elijah, In the opinion Of Sir George
Grove, began his mission In Israel In the
tenth year of Ahab. and continued to
prophesy for period Of 16 to Is years.
PLACES.-Samaria, Ahab's capital; the
brook Cherith. small stream emptying
into the Jordan from the east; Zarephath. a
town between Tyre and Sidon.
INTRODUCTORY NOTE.-The wicked
, Queen Jezebel had gained complete ascend
ency over Ahab. and Phoeniclan idolatry
was rapidly displacing the worship OF the
true God, when Elijah makes his public
protest and pronounces the Divine judg-
ment Of a long drought
Comparing Scripture with Scripture.
FAITHFUL WITNESS. Elijah was
n) A Man OF Prayer Jas. 5:17-18), and
hence A Prepared Man. He learned
Gods will and he received Gods mes
sage and the answer to his prayer. q
John 5:14-15.) Jesus remarkable min
istry was marked by much prayer, whole
nights being thus spent. One reason
why Christians are often SO lily prepared
to deliver Gods message is because they
have failed to wait before God in prayer
; to learn His will and His message.
(2) A Man Full of Faith.-"Accordine
: 10 my word" that Is Gods word as re-
L vealed by God to E.ijah.-Matt. 1920.
; (3) A Fearless Mantle faced the
wicked king boldly, and spoke his un'
\ welcome message.-Acts 4:29; Matt
1923: Josh. 1:s.
(4) A Plain Spoken Man.-Withou'
, circumlocution or fowery introduction
, Elijah went right to the heart OF his
message, and he declared "the whole
counsel Of God" (Acts 20:2T) As
: witnesses for God there Is solemn obli
cation here.-Ezek. 1878.
,. (5) An Obefient Man.-Protectior
a and food depended upon prompt obedi
, ence Had Elijah delayed departure fol
. the brook Cherith. he might have per
ished with the prophets slain by Jezebel
. Had he failed to go promptly to Zareph
= ath he might have missed the widow
at the gate Do you realize how much
: our safety and welfare depend upor
prompt obedience to God?-Jer. 1926.
4 A FAITHFUL GOD-O In punish
y ment OF sin. Drought was the promised
a punishment for national idolatry.- See
q Deut. 1l:16-17; 2S:23. These years.
:, Luke 4:25 and James 5:17, fixes definite
4 ly the duration of this drought.
n e., In, Care of His Servants.-What 1
comfort the 23d Psalm must hav,
been to Elijah. Elijah was protected
Psalm 3l:20; 34:7. Elijah was fed. Th'
raven was an unclean bird, and yet un
= der Divine dspensation 1t became tn,
holy instrument of ministerng to thu
needs of Gods servant. Faith. humil
ity and submission made Elijah obedien
:, to the Divine will. How this shoult
= teach us to receive at Gods hands Hi
: provision for us. whatever that may be
a The Brook Dried Up."-Here wa
g encouragement to faith, In that Elijal
p saw that Gods word was being fulfilled
q and also fresh test OF faith In tha
q Elijah saw his water supply giving out
= II the prophet had been like man!
h Christians he would have been nerv
!. Gus wreck from worrying ere the las
70 drop had been drunk.-Phil. as. 7, 49,
n THE GOLDEN TEXT.
a "He careth for you" D For the sin
full and disobedient? Yes. The faithful
- Shepherd is out on the mountainside O
II sin seeking the lost sheep. God follow
us by affection and seeks to draw Il