The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1904-10-21
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON ", FOURTH QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, OCT. %.

4
Memory Verses, fo-f4-GOiden Text,
Jer. xvii, t1-COs&s-o1tary Prepared
by Rev. II. M. stearns.
copyright, 1901, by American Press Association
A man of God is not only one who is
wholly the Lord S, as Ills messenger, His
faithful witness, but if he is truly n man
of God he is supremacy Indifferent TO
the titles, positions or rewards of men,
rs Elisha in this lesson. The contrast
is between the captain of the host of
the king of Syria, n great and honor
lble man, a mighty man in valor, but
lcper. and the humble man Of God,
unknown to the world as such, yet
In touch with God Himself.
The connecting fiSAz is the little Isra-
elitish maid who had been taken cap
tive by the Syrians and was acting as
maid to Naaman's wife. Over all and
through all is the God Of Israel, who
worketh all things after the counsel of
His own will, and. waso only aoeth won
drous things CEph. i IL; Ps. Xxi, 49,.
A leper is in human estimation hope
lessly unclean and as n rule doomed
to slow and lingering death. The
disease is the most remarkable type of
| sin in Scripture. Consider the most
honorable man of wealth Of whom you
know or have herd, held in great es-
TEEN by his fellows, if he is an unsaved
sinner, Spiritual leper, and should de-
part this life as such, see his future
described by our Lord Himself in Luke
xvi, 90, %, and see also Rev. xiv, 10;
Xxx, 10.
A million times rather be the little
captive maid OF Israel, knowing the
God Of Israel than the leper Naaman,
even though so great man, but not
knowing God. "What shall it profit
man if he shall gain the whole world
and lose his own soulr Matt. xvi, 26)
The little captive maid might have
pined and fretted because of her cap
tivity, but she seems instead to have
felt more for her master, who was
leper, than for herself, and with heart
felt desire for his healing she said to
her mistress, would God, my Lord,
were with the prophet that is in Sa-
maria, for He would recover him OF
his leprosy" (verse 81. have seen little
girls of ten or twelve years in Porto
Rico who go from house TO house
among the mountains saying, peace
to this house." and then ask the privi-
lege of ,'nging of Jesus and Of reading
about Ham from His word.
How this Israelitish maid and such
children as these put to shame many
Christians who never speak of Christ
even under the most favorable circum-
stances. How is h that the love Of
Christ does not mese fully eonstrain
us? DO we really know Him, and do
we in any sense appreciate Him? The
message of the little maid reached Naa-
man, and his masteE, the king OF Syria,
sent him to the kang Of Israel with
great pomp, bearing letter from the
king of Syria and taking with him O
present of much eBeer and gold and
costly raiment. BIN the latter said, 81
have with this sent Naaman, my serv-
ant, that thou mayest recover him OF
his leprOsy' (verse O..
There was n greRt misunderstanding
on the part of tbs king of Syria, and
well might the king Of Israel rend his
clothes and say, AIN / God, TO kill and
to make alive?" 9Su1y in vain is the
help of man, even of a king, in such
case; but the man of God heard Of
It and said to the king of Israel, Let
him come now TO me, and he shall
know that there Is a prophet in Is
rael" verse s.. So 1e came in his pomp
and stood at the door of the house OF
Elijah, thinking that the prophet would
come out, and with some great dem
onstration call on the name of the Lord
his God and make him whole. oh,
these thoughts Of syars as to our own
Importance and aS 10 how God ought
to work or as to What might happen.
See even Abraham led astray by his
thoughts Gen. Xxx, III. Hear our
Lords question, "Why do thoughts
arise in your heartsT duke xiv, 39
and note carefully Der. xxx, IL; III Cor.
5.
When Elisha seDA only a messenger
to tell Naaman what to do, assuring
him that IL he did n he would be clean
and his flesh like little child, his pride
have missed his blessing had it not
been for his servants. Being persuad-
ed to do as he had been told, the word
Of the prophet is fulfilled to him. Then
he honored the Goa Of Israel and Of
fered to reward Ills servant, the proph-
ct Elisha, but the prophet said, GAS the
Lord liveth before whom 1 stand,
will receive none" (verse 16). We think
Of Abram blessed by Melchisedec with
the blessing of the Most High God, pos
SCISSOR of heaven and earth, and there
fore refusing to touch thing belong
ing to the king of Sodom Gen. xiv,
%, %; XIV, u. Contrast the baseness
and the covetousness Of Gehazi as told
In the rest Of the chapter, but note in
the last verse his punishment. Our
Lord said, "Take hkesl and beware of
covetousness, for q mans life con-
sisteth not in the abundance of the
ehings which he possesseth" duke xii,
AZ cain n a. tsssiffen "Godlfnesa