The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1904-07-15
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON ~, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY II.


Text, III Chron. Niv, II-Commentary
Prepared ny Rev. ID. NJ. stearns.
copyright, 1904. by American Press Association ]
In our study of the kings we must
the rightful ruler over Israel and they
sat upon the throne of the kingdom Of
the Lord over Israel, representing Him,
obeying His voice. doing His will Il
Sam. viii, z; l Chron. xviii, %. AS
Isaiah said, "The Lord is our Judge, the
Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our
King; He will save u.s. lisa. xxxiii,
o. The man after Gods own heart
was the one who did right in Ills eyes,
not turning aside from anything that
He commanded Il Kings xiv, =; XIV, %.
The personal application to each be-
lever is that, as the redeemed OF the
Lord. we are here in Christs stead to
manifest His life and show forth His
praises that men may come TO Him I'll
Cor. V, 20; iv, IL; | Pet IL, ~. Jerusa-
lem was the city which the Lord had
chosen out Of all the tribes of Israel to
nut His name there, and believers are
the chosen of the Lord TO bear His
name, that people may be drawn TO
Him Oh Chron. xii, 10; Eph. 1, 4; Acts
tx. 15).
Rehoboam reigned seventeen years,
doing evil. Abijah, his son, reigned
three years and walked in the sins or
his father QI Chron. xii, 13, IA; l
Kings XIV, -; yet In the matter of a
conflict between his army and that or
Jeroboam the Lord delivered him in
great emergency, and the children OF
Judah prevailed because they relied
upon the Lord God of their fathers I'll
Chron. xiii 14-1S). Notwithstanding
our great unworthiness He works for
His own names sake.
Asa. son of Abiiah, reigned forty-one
years, just little longer than either
Saul or David or Solomon, and did that
which was good and right in the eyes
of the Lord his God Oversees l, ,; XVI,
40. He did great deal toward de-
stroying idolatry and turning the peo-
pie to the Lord God of their fathers
oversees 80, even removing the queen
mother because of her idolatry and de-
stroying her idol Il Kings Nv, 49,, but
the high places We're not all removed.
Yet it is said that his heart was per-
feet with the Lord all his days. There
was not one of all the kings of the ten
tribes who did right in the sight OF the
Lord and only seven of all the kings
Of Judah who did so Xxx, 80; xiv, ,;
XIV. .; XVI. 4; xvii, 2; xxx, 2; XXXiv,
p. and some of these only for time.
There is only one Bible record OF an
absolutely perfect man who never fail
ed to do right in the sight of the Lord.
He knew no sin, He did no sin, there
was no sin in Him, He always pleased
the Father, He died for our sins, lie
is alive forever more, our great Priest
King at Gods right hand.
The Lord gave Asa and his people
rest on every side; the kingdom was
quiet before him oversees l, ., g, y. This
leads our thoughts to the time when a
King shall reign in righteousness and
the work of righteousness shall be
peace and the effect Of righteousness
quietness and assurance forever, and
the people shall dwell in peaceable
habitations. sure dwellings and quiet
resting places QSa. xxi, l, il, 49,. In
individual experience, 1--WE who have
believed do enter into rest (Heb. iv,
81; there is no other way. He gives rest,
but we must come to Him in faith and
let Him rest us.
Such rest is too provoking to the adj
vcrsary either in a nation or an indi-
vidual dob XxXiv, 29), and he will dc
his utmost to disturb It, In this case
he stirs up a million OF men against
Asas army of half a million, but Asa
cried unto the Lord his God, and his
prayer in verse II should be carefully
memorized, not only the part assigned
as the Golden Text, but the whole verse
Jehovah changes not, and the heart
that can truly pray this prayer will
find il not in vain.
With such reliance upon God on the
part of Asa and his people, ii is not
strange that we read, $50 the Lord
smote the Philippians before Asa ans
before Judah. and the Philippians fed
(verse 10. But ii does seem strange
that having proved the benefit Of rely
ing on the Lord, he should afterward
rely on the king Of Syria instead of or
the Lord and thus bring upon himself
q rebuke from the Lord through Ha
mani the seer xvi, 10. When he trust
ed the Lord and he and his people turn
ed to the Lord and sought Him with
their whole desire, encouraged by Aza
riah, messenger of God, after the vic
tory over the Philippians, then the Lore
gave them rest round about, and there
was no more war unto the thirty -fiftl
year OF his reign (see the whole OF
chapter XVI.
After that came the fellowship will
the king of Syria, the Lords rebuke 10y
Hanani, the anger of the king with the
prophet (and therefore with God, wh'
sent HIM, even putting him in prison
the kings illness. in Which he also turn
/ cd away from the Lord, and his dealt
ia the forty first year of his reign CHAP
! ter XVII. Taking warning by his fail
ures. let us initiate him in his reliance
upon the Lord and his fight agains
/ idolatry and note that from the tel
/ tribes there came to him an abundance
of people when they saw that the Lore