The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1904-07-29
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON v, THIRD QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY 81.

Text of the Lesson. Kings xvi, 23-
33-Memory Verses, 30-33-coIden
Text, Prov. xiv, 34-Commentary
Prepared by Rev. ID. NJ. stearns.
Copyright 1904. hy American Press Association
Last weeks lesson told us of events
in judah under Jehoshaphat. follow.
ing the death of Ahab. king Of Israel;
now we return TO consider in todays
lesson two Of the worst kings that ever
ruled over the ten tribes, Omri and
Ahab. All Scripture is profitable III
it is all equally profitable. Whatsoever
things We're written aforetime were
written for our learning, that we
through patience and comfort of the
Scriptures might have hope (Rom. XIV,
A., and when we see the patience of
God from year TO year with such men
the Lord Jesus with Judas Iscariot we
do well to consider His patience with
ourselves and trust Him to work in us
patience with others, forbearing threat
ening, forbearing and forgiving (Eph.
vi, %; Col. iii, 49,, as children OF our
Father who is in heaven Matt. V. 40.
Our lesson says of Omri that he
wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord
and did worse than ali that were be-
fore him (verSe 2J). and of Ahab, his
son, that he did more TO provoke the
Lord God of Israel to anger than all
the kings of Israel that were before
him verses 80, so; there was none
like unto Ahab who did sell himself to
work wickcdnesS in the sight Of the
Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred
up xxi, POI. The next six lessons will
bring before us the story of Elijah,
that great servant of the Lord, and we
have just had in the last two lessons
men who did right in the sight of the
Lord; it seems almost pity that we
should be asked to turn aside even for
one lesson to the story of such re-
bellion against God as is here set before
us, but il we shall see, as never be-
fore, what an awful thing sin is and
study will not have been in vain.
BY one man sin entered the world,
and death by sin from. V, 10, and who
can estimate the havoc wrought? But
even before sin entered a sacrifice
for sin had been ordained Il Pet. /, IS
% and was revealed to man as soon
as he had sinned Gen. iii. 10, 21).
Then developed among men the two
lines OF believers and unbeievers, and
who accept Gods way and those who
rebel against Him, the former repre-
scented by Abel and the latter by Cain.
So it has gone on, some believing and
some believing not, until this day, and
SO it will continue until all the Omris
and Ahabs, the Absaloms and Ma
nasSehs and all rebels against God
shall be concentrated and fully mani
tested i'm the man of sin. who as God
shall sit in the temple Of God show
ing himself that he Is God. but the
Lord shall consume him with the
breath Of His mouth and destroy him
with the brightness OF His coming I'll
Thess. ii. 3-10). He shall influence
the kings Of the earth TO gather their
armies against the Lamb OF God, but
they shall be vanquished, and he and
his companion. the false prophet, shall
be cast alive into Il lake Of fire burning
with birthstone QRev. xix, 1920. He
shall do according to his will and
shall exalt himself and magnify him
self above every god and shall speak
marvellous things against the God OF
gods and shall prosper. Yet he
shall come to his end and none shall
help him dan. xi, 36, 40.
1t is written OF each of the kings Of
our lesson that he provoked the Lord
God Of Israel to anger verses 2G, 33).
1t is written of Israel that away back
in the wilderness they provoked the
Most High and grieved Him, tempting
Him. limiting Him and speaking
against Him Cps. xviii, 1910. 40,
Al, and the final testimony concerning
even Judah is, "They Knocked the mes
sengers of God and despised His
words and misused His prophets until
the wrath OF the Lord arose against
His people till there was no remedy"
QI Chron. xxxvi, 10. Through the
prophets He cried, Notwithstanding all
this, 30 Israel, thou hast destroyed
myself, but in Me is thine help. o
Israel, return unto the Lord thy God
for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity"
(Hos. xiii, 8; xiv, II. God is love. and
though sin is that abominable thing
which He hates, He loves the sinner
and is not willing that any should per
ish DER. Xiv. A. Rom V. s: II Pet. iii.
81.
Jeroboam. the son of Nebat. who
made Israel TO sin verse 2G). need not
have done so: Omri and Ahab who fol
lowed in his steps. outdoing him in sin,
need not have done So but refusing to
yield TO the love of God or TO listen TO
His voice. God allowed them to have
their own way and gave them up to
their own hearts desire. How sadly
He says: II have nourished and
brought up children and they have re-
belled against me. My people would
not hearken to my voice, and Israel
would none Of me. SO | gave them up
unto their own hearts lust and they
walled i'm fhpfr own pauncplS" lisa