The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1904-08-12
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON VII, THIRD QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, AUG. ~.

Prepared by Rev. ID. vi. Stearns.
copyright, 1904. by American Press Association
In our study of the life of Elijah we
must ever see him as man Of God.
standing before God, hearing the voice
of God and speaking the word of God.
Hearing implies obeying, SO we see
him doing just what God told him un-
hesitatingly. A man of God is a God
controlled man, wholly in the hand OF
God, that God may be glorifed in him.
We left Elijah in our last lesson in
the home of the widow of Sarepta, the
three inmates of the home witnessing
day by day the miracle of the con
slant increase of the meal and oil ac-
cording to the word of the Lord.
The incident of the death and resur-
rection of the widows son and the
widows testimony "Now by this |
know that thou art a man of God and
that the word of the Lord in thy mouth
is truth" closed the chapter, showing
that the Lord God of Elijah could not
only miraculouSly sustain life, but also
give life TO the dead. What an honor
TO be n representative Of such a God
and to be i'm constant and conscious
touch with Him, as Elijah was.
According to the Spirits testimony
through the Lord Jesus and through
James duke iv, p; JAS. Y, Ia Elijah
spent three and a half years by the
brook and in the widows home a full
year being spent in the latter Il Kings
xvii, 15), but now the same word Of
the Lord that sent him TO his hiding
places comes to him with the message,
eco, shew thyself unto Ahub, and |
will send rain upon the earth" xviii,
u; and obedient Elijah went TO show
himself to Ahab. When Joseph was
told to take Mary and the child Jesus
and go down to Egypt, the command
was, BE thou there until | bring thee
word" and the same messenger
brought him word when ii was time
for him to leave Egypt God was man
aging; Joseph had only to obey Matt.
ii, 13 20).
Turning from Elijah for a moment,
we learn that Ahab had as ruler of his
house a God fearing man named Oba-
diah, who, as his name implies (serv
ant Of Jehovah), served the Lord in
that ungodly house, reminding us of
Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Baby
lon and suggesting TO us that it is pos
sible to serve the Lord under any cir
cumstances in which He may permit
US to be placed.
About the time that the Lord sent
Elijah to meet Ahab both Ahab and
Obadiah started forth, Ahab going one
way by himself and Obadiah another
way by himself Verse O., TO see if they
could find water and grass to save the
horses and mules alive Elijah met
Obadiah and said to him, GO tell thy
Lord, Behold, Elijah is here" Verse s.
Obadiah replied that ii was as much
as his life was worth 10 DO such
thing, inasmuch as Ahab had caused
search TO be made for Elijah every
where and had taken an oath of every
kingdom and nation that they could
not find him oversees Old. Although
Obadiah feared the Lord and was
brave enough TO risk the vengeance of
JeZebel when he saved alive a hun
dred of the Lords prophets by hiding
them i'm caves at the time that she at
tempted TO kill them all, yet he feared
death, for note his threefold, He will
Stay me" Oversees 9, -. IA. But this is
not strange, for Abraham asked Sarah
TO lie, and he himself was not truth
full concerning their relationship, for
fear that he might be slain.
They had not revealed to them in
those days that which we have re-
vealed to us concerning the gain that
death is to the believer Phil. i, 81, %;
III Cor. V, 81, nor was it quite the same
10 the believer to die before Jesus
Christ died and rose again that it has
been since The caEtives whom He
set free, according to Eph. iv, 8, may
have been the redeemed of the Old
Testament days who until the resur-
rection and ascension Of Christ had
not the happiness which then became
theirs. There are still many believers
who are all their lifetime subject to
bondage through fear Of death, but
there is no need of it, for He is able to
deliver from all such fears.
EllJdu reply 10 ODduldu Tears was,
"As the Lord of hosts liveth before
whom | stand. | will surely shew my
self unto him this day" Verse 15).
Compare xvii, l, and let us take as one
Of our watchwords, THE Lord liveth
before whom | stand" Note i'm con-
nectiOn with it Gabriel's testimony i'm
Luke /, 10, and our Lords own words
in John vi, 81, "As the living Father
hath sent Me, and live by the Father,
so he that eateth Me, even lie shall
live by Me-"
Obadiah, being encouraged and as.
sured. went and told Ahab, and Ahab
went to meet Elijah, and when they
met Elijah fearlessly told Ahab that
ne, not Elijah, was the cause Of all
this trouble upon Israel. and he com
manded him to summon the prophets
of Baal TO Carmel, with all Israel, that
the God of Israel might publicly give
a token that He only is the living and
true God Our next lesson will fully
describe this. There is great need to-
day of Elijahs who will promptly and
fully obey God and either hide them
A. II