The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1904-09-15
THE SUNDAY BIBLE SCHOOL
Lesson In the International Series
for September 1s, 19O4-"Is-
rael Reproved."
(Prepared by the Highway and By
way" Preacher.)

NNOpyTfBHt, lrOt, Wy huSVhsI
LESSON TEXT.
(Arnos 5:l-l5: Memory verses, II, f5)
l. For thus saith the Lord unto the house
Of Israel: Seek ye Me- and ye shall live
s But seek not Bethel. nor enter into Gil
gal and pass not to Beersheba; for Gflgal
shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel
shall come to naught.
9. Seek the Lord and ye shall live lest
He break out like fire in the house of Joseph.
and devour II. and there be none to quench
II In Bethel.
Z. Ye who turn Judgment to wormwood,
and leave or righteousness In the earth,
5. Seek Hin that maketh the seven stars
and orion. and turneth the shadow of death
into the morning and maketh the day dark
with night; that calleth for the waters Of
the sea, and poureth them out upon the
face Of the earth The Lord is His name;
v. That strengtheneth the spoiled against
the strong. 80 that the spoiled shall come
against the fortress.
TO- They hate him that rebuketh in
the gate, and they. abhor him that speak
eth uprightly
IL. Forasmuch therefore as your treading
Is upon the poor, and ye take from him
burdens of wheat; ye have built houses OF
hewn stone. but ye shall not dwell In them;
ye have planted pleasant vineyards. but ye
shall not drink wine of them
IL. For know your manifold transgrcs-
sioDs and your mighty sins; they afiiict the
Just. they take bribe. and they turn aside
the poor In the gate from their right.
10. Therefore the prudent shall keep
silence In that time; for 1t is an evil time.
H. Seek sood and not evil. that ye may
live: and so the Lord the God of Hosts,
shall be with you, as ye have spoken.
15 Hate the evil and love the good. and
establish judgment In the gate: 1t may be
| that the Lord God OF Hosts will be gracious
unto the remnant Of Joseph.
SCRIPTURAL SECTlON.-The entire
chapter should be read, and 1t would be we'll
| to read the nine short chapters of the book,
also
| GOLDEN TENT.-"Seek ye the Lord and
| ye shall live."-Amos 5:6
| TIME.-Amos prophesied during the lat
ter part of the reign of Jereboam III. tsee
Amos I'D. Jonah Hosea and Joel were
| contcmporaneous with Amos. 1t was a
period considerably later than that OF the
lessons which we have been having.
PLACE Amos home was at Tekoa,
q few miles south of Jerusalem. but his
field of labor was In Israel, with Bethel as
probable center
INTRODUCTORY NOTE.-Amos period
was marked by great national prosperity
| Ul. Kings H:23-2D, but great moral cor
| ruption The book of Amos Is made up OF
a series of discourses, % Concerning the
nations-Chaps. l-2:3; (O Concerning Judah.
2:i-5: (D Concerning Israel. 2:6-9:l5. The
lesson is taken from the fourth discourse
against Israel
God and the Sinner.
In the lesson to-day we have striking
ly emphasized that which has been
brought out in the lessons Of the quarter
namely: Q) Gods patient, persistent
effort to turn His people from sin. (2)
The certain punishment for sin, and (3)
the equally certain reward of right
eousness. If individuals are to be lost
and nations destroyed, as the result OF
sin, it must be in spite Of Gods reproof
and appeal: 1t must be In the face OF
Gods infinite love and His exceeding
great mercy and saving grace During
the consummate wickedness of Ahab's
reign. God sent His greatest prophe,
Elijah, to seek to turn the hearts of the
people back to God. And when the
whole world was lost in the darkness o
sin then 1t was that God sent the Light
His Son, into the world to light ever,
soul back to Him.
Evidence Of Gods Love.-Ths rebuke!
and warning which God sent to His peo
pie through the prophets was one stronl
evidence of Gods love and faithfulness
Rev. 3:19 Heb 1876 True love does no
condone or overlook sim but on the con
trary 1t reveals and rebukes It, that 1
may be put away. The proof of God
love to man is that He condemned sir
and provided deliverance in Christ. Th
proof of mans love to God is that he re
ceives Gods rebuke and obeys him.
Gods Reproof.-God was qualified I,
rebuke Israel because CD He was the All
! knowing God. He knew all about tn
idolatrous and iniquitous practices a
, Bethel and Dan. and Gilgal and Beer
sheba and Samaria ". 81. and the cor
, ruption and oppression which prevaile
I Tvs, I, 1919. Man may sin and hid
1t from the eyes and knowledge of men
but he cannot so do with God. Ps. 9:5
) Jer. 1917; 2:l9; Prov 5:21; Job "a: 2l
/ God saw every wicked act The hatre
D in the heart against any who dared (
. denounce evil tv 1OD; the oppression
/, OF the poor the eXtortion. the luxury "
' III. the judicial corruption ". 12). e
! He was the All-Powerful God Tvs. SO
/. He who rebuked Israel was the Creator
| Wv VI udN anu HlSul, tHt GlNPT q
sunshine and rain, bringing life and sus
tenance to man. the destroyer of til
. wicked and the preserver of the right
eous What weight has rebuke. If be
hind ii there is not the power to exc
cute judgment The God who rebuke
Is the God who is able to punish. (S
He was the Gracious God. No matter ho'
. stepped in sin. If Israel would only see
q Him He would be gracious unto thel
q ". l5). Where sin abounded. grace di
I much more abound, Rom. SEQ; p
y S6:l5; lll:4. ca He was the Appea
q Ing God, Four times over in the 1
verses of the lesson He pleads wit
Israel to seek Him, and promisin
abundant blessing IL they would. Is
He was the Warning and Avengin
God. Note VS. S. 6. II. The punishmer
that is to fall is captivity and the cor
suming fire of war pestience and fan
inc, The only way of escape was I
seek the Lord Life could be had in n
other way,