The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-20
STUDIES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

OLD TEST LAMENT.
j. Kings xviii: 3o-4s.
ord be God follow him. ~ I Kings
,nerlesn socletyo Of Religious Education
csS-->s,-~><>~s-s-,-,-
by order Of the wicked Ing displaced g
The burnt Offering signiied the pressent Z
Hon of the 50 crjficer himself, soul ana an
body to q the submission q tns W ,,I
his viii to t he viii Of the Father. Phil.
If: 81 Elijah was bringing back clS again alii
that which the pntriarychs nag ~, SsIen NV,
viii: 2o) and Abraham Gen. xxi; l0 pre-
served and transmitted and which ougnt
to have been maintained, until the lamb n
WIS offeTea 9nse fer w AL tie prposc 81
Elijah to show'to those about lin that
there was no deception IN Anything ne
did. 1'hey had seen him build the ultar,
and hey thfrsiofhs ad seen m
the wood III its regular order, and an they
had seen the bullock slain. cut sup and
laid upon the wood. All this, done Pc.
fore their eyes !, was t,ousht e 81
duplicity. One other point needed EtoF he
guarded In order to produce the best ef-
feet. The heather We're accustomed is' 10, g
e eosnc i,oies y Proceeding from these we're
tunnels Communicating &ithS.the TOP Of
Tie altar, SO that the wood might, be
;giited and the simple madesttoaabeiey,ee
that be T peItS T fau prevent suea
iso5pposItion IN this case, Ell1nhsadop ted q
novel expedients & II G dug n trench about
the altar, Then he commanded /. wat &,
sacrifice. Tho wood was saturated and 4 q
the trencl, q was filled. (yerses 30 35D
Ordinarily the broth poured on the VIC,
S9 (Judges 20 helped the ia o1,
extinguish the funniest spark. III "a
THE EPRAYER,-All these prepare tons
were completed as the. hour approached
when, under the law he evening sncr 7 !,
stretched II forth his hands u I'M prayer
There was nothing In his gmanner..to, in-..
5dicate and perturDat ton Of spirit Ra ther3
his language theut e GGn
voking the national $De city and calling:
the people anslsI
4 that God would then 50 q ispla ~ aIdi M
self that the speopl 0 might kno that He
end not (, 3aal was tie God Of Israel:
,nn 1li}a Els that
$mand. This call upoui the SAlmiYhtys$wa
5reyerent and fervent,8 Blu submissiv e.and5
gal g The prophet prescrib ed nothing
aeeopathE tne
slepea ted . verse 80 In slightly changed
sforma with the words '.hear me, w twice!
uttered as ..if The great soul,3sof the
@ G the Rst1rs
but; laying hold more firmly upon God,
wall Ing, H expecting, Il wrestling, .jacoh-lille
" Gen xXxiii: 81 26), until the blessing was
praying the answer came. u en-, xx,xit i:
40 The fire Of the Lord-that Is, n flre
from sth ne Lord a tulal tire.feli
rpen ljne sacree This 81
Of the old time symbol or divine approval
lJud,,V Viz p granted to those who ha q
served Sc the Lord. Il 5Chron., Xxx u 26) So
he saerlileeef pavd and q Solomon had
as as an emblem AS known all through
the. old dlspensation from M oses GEN. III :
n n down owl the last o. 1theprophets Nlal,
and farrie int New
significance; Rev, xx:: 81 This IRE Of
Carmel, while the prophet 81 prayed and
Inc .i people wondered, consumed the Ssacri-
lice,;tnd the wood and the stones and the
burn from below VI ward II az fire would
have done II set by human hands FIRST
the wood and them the bullock. B but fro N
npowe DOWNWARD, proving hat $
all-consuming flanc.S In answer to he
prophets spra ycr,Ss 3wns unlike anything
eye u, ne11 4, or,after witnessed hymen
3c sat There was no room for doubt In
any mind The demonstrate was COM
plete, md mo one. however. ohtuse...o or
perverse could resist the, onclusion.# The
faces lin token of their5reverence Mum,
'xiv: J. after Oriental custom q Joshua,
NJ ~, whenever the presence Of God was
manifested, tEzel5iel, ~ 49,? This act Of
Ing, been performed. the.multitude5a
and shouted to. ca CHI other: The I, II Lord
He Is the God. Jehovah, the God OF
Israel, The true God. II This testimony, so
tual conversion Of those present Verse
800, "a rejection of Baal, san acceptance OF
the Almighty as International Deity The
value of snch6an utterance was $incalcu-
liable. Shortlived though At was the con-
ylction for. the time being moved many
hearts, and stayed q temporarily the tide
5of5immorallty that was fast sweeping. the
kingdom onward to Its overthrow. There
seems TO have been no counter opinion,
no{dvidcd sentiment, no opposing thought
or. act. y 81 II
REFLECTION.-Thi nara tive submits
the value Of n single man when devoted
10 God. Elijah had no confederates. All
tho other prophets of God had been slain
by Iezehel Obadiah, All officer In the
government, believed In the Lord. but
feared openly to profess his faith or5stand
for Its defense, One man challenged the
prophets Of the zidonian sun god. Include
Ing the king and all who We're In author
ity, The sublime courage which prompt,
ed him at the beginning, was exhibited
at every stage afterwards. Not for an
instant did he WAIVER. And he became
The honored Instrument Of marvellous
display, securing public acknowledge
mcnt is 1t. any wonder that the, name
of Elijah was handed down 70 po ste, ): !:
Matt, XVII; 80 Luther at the <. Diet 4, q
.lsh mob, Daniel assigned TO the Ions
den, Stephen suffering martyrdom. were
like him lin their devotion and self-sacri-
flee. but Elijah outranks them all, ne
noblest specimen Of Go 4, man,
sonal peril. Such men are needed IN
every land and age. a .5