The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-11-30
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON x, FOURTH QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, DEC. 4.

Eext Of the Lesson, II Chron. XIX,
1S-31-Memory Verses, 2S-3o-Gold-
en- Text, Sam il, 3O-Commentary
Prepared by Rev. q. NJ. Stearns.
Copyright, 1905, by American Press Association
The lessen today tells Of the cleans
ing Of the temple and the re-establish-
ment of the worship Of God in the
reign Of He3ekiah, for his father, Ahaz,
did not right in the sight Of the Lord,
but worshiped Baal and the gods OF the
kings Of Syria and put at2rs to idols
in every corner Of Jerusalem and IN the
cities Of Judah and destroyed the YES
sells Of the house Of God and shut up
the doors Of the house Of the Lord, SO
that the Lord brought judah low be-
cause Of Ahaz, king Of Israel. He was
not king Of the ten tribes, but OF the
two, yet he is called the king OF Israel
{chapter xviii, Q, 19, %, 24) perhaps
because Israel is always one nation be-
fore God
When King Hezelsiah kept his great
passover, although he was not king OF
all Israel. yet he sent to all Israel and
Judah to come to Jerusalem to keep
the passover, and, while some only
laughed and mocked, there were many
of Asher and Manasseh and Zebulun
who humbled themselves and came to
Jerusalem chapter Xxx, !, 10, III.
When Hezekiah began to reign he be-
gan at once to do right in the sight OF
the Lord by opening the doors Of the
house Of the Lord and repairing them
In the very .Irst month Of his reign
(7erse 81, nrI, calling the Levites, ne
said, "Hear me, ye LeVltes; sancu1y
now yourselves and sanctify the house
of the Lord God Of your fathers and
carry forth the flthiness out Of the holy
place tYerse 3. They were obedient to
the word Of the king and began at orce,
but they were eight days cleansing the
temple proper and eight more before
they finished the work (verses 16, 10.
At least ten times in this chapter we
have the expression "the house Of the
Lord" once "the habitaton of the
Lord and once tsthe temple Of the
Lord,' making Twelve in all, so that we
see at cnce the heart Of the chapter,
and the great work in hand IS the
cleansing and sancufying Of the house.
The practical suggestion comes to eacn
believer, Am clean before God as HIS
temple? If not, how shall I, as His
temple, be clean and fit for His serv-
ice?
The last verses Of the previous chap
ter show US the condition Of things
which is all too common today-con-
formity to this present world, notw1th-
standing the commands here plainly
given-and that in Rom xii, !, 2, BE
not .c1.nformed to this world, but be ye
transformed (ransfgured) by the re-
newing Of your mind that ye may prove
what is that good and acceptable and
perfect viii of God" By the precious
blood Of Christ the sinner receiving
Him is cleansed and made fit for the
presence Of God (Col. j, 12-14;; Eph. ], g
o, bat, then, there is a daily cleansing
needed to fit us for Ills daily service,
for it is as true Of US as it was Of the
Levites, .'The Lord hath chosen you to
stand before Him, to serve Him, aDo
that ye should minister unto Him ano
offer sacrifice" (verse II, margin), the
last clause having an explanation IN
Heb. xiii, Is, 16 This necessary cleans,
ing reminds US Of the request IN our
Lords prayer, "Sanctify them through
Thy truth; Thy word is truth" tJohn
xvii, 10, and Of Eph. Y, 26, THAT He
might sanctify and cleanse it with the
washing Of water by the word"
When The Leyites reported the cleans
ing completed, the king rose ea'ly and and
gathered the rulers and went to the
house Of the Lord and offered sin Of
ferings and burnt offerings for all lsra-
Z el verse 24). If we had the spirit OF
Hezekiah, we would not think so much
of our church or denomination as Of the
church, the body Of Christ, Of which
we form part if we are true believers
and which we are here to hasten to Its
completion, FOR the church will be COM
pleted and presented to Himself glo-
rious church, holy and without blenish.
Then all Israel shall be saved and after
that the whole earth filed with his
glory.
The sin offering speaks Of Christ
made sin for US, and the burnt Offering
points to Christ wholly for God QI Cor.
V, q; Heb. <, 6. .. We must see Him
as our sin Offering before we can have
fellowship with Him as the burnt offer
ing. In connection with the burnt Of
fering the singers sang and the trump
eters sounded until the burnt offering
was finished Terses % and 20, for the
Lord requires joyful service on the part
Of His people. Our Lord Jesus could
say, 81 delight to do Thy will, O my
Cod Even Paul could say by the
grace Of God, 81 take pleasure in in
frmities, in reproaches, in necessities,
in prosecutions, in distresses, for
Christ's sake" III Cor. xii, 1O, and
since He could take pleasure in these
things that the power Of Christ might
rest upon him all believers should be
able at least to "serve the Lord with
gladness" Cps. c, p. They used the
words Of David and Of Asaph and sang
praises with giadness (verse 3O.
Then Hezekiah said, 'sNow ye have
consecrated yourselves unto the Lord
come near and bring sacrifices and
thank offerings into the house Of the
Lord (verse 81. So the service Of the
house Of the Lord was set in order, and
the king and all the people rejoiced
that the Lord had so prepared their
hearts (verses 35 and 36). 1t is the
Lords pleasure that His Joy should be
fulfilled in US (John xvii, 13); that His
JOY should be our strength Neh. viii,
10); that we should rejoice In the Lord
always Phil. ", y, but this cannot be
so long as we tolerate any flthiness OF
the flesh or spirit.
4 - u = k~JI III ND