The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-08-16
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR AUGUST I'll.


Kings, xviii, 21-NKenory Verses, BE-
39-Com1nentary ON the bays Lesson
I. Eiiah's sacrifice prepared (vs. 3035)-
Il 40. Come near" He viii have them eye
witnesses Of all he does, and witnesses to
! what God will do. Jesus did nothing IN
a corner, so neither the4seryants Of God
need do anything in secret. skepalresl the
altar. Built IN Israel seariier ana nap
pier days, but thrown down by JezeDeL
4 This Enjah restored and consecrated anew.
| A hint to builders Of sane tuarles. a type
4 of the certain restoration OF the true and
the downfall Of the false. q Twelve
stones" This was an act showing that
the twelve tribes were really one people
and had one God in common. So Sod 9
true church is one. Israel thy
name" Israel signifies prince WHO pre-
walls with God. There are two records OF
the bestcwal Of this name on Jacob. See
Gen. 80: Is; So: 2-l0.
50. IN the name, etc. BY the author
! ity and for the glory Of Jehovah. a
trench" To catch the water poured over
! the sacrifice, and intensity the effect OF
this solemn object lesson. Measures Of
4 seed" The seah is estimated as contain
/ ing from one and half to three gallons.
size Of the trench There would be no
necessity for a large trench, and it is
/ hardly probable that it was as deep as the
measure that held three gallons. as some
seem to think Terry is probably nearer
correct in supposing the whole trench
held three gallons.
SO. "Wood in ORDER He obeyed all the
/ injunctions Of the law with respect to the
| offering Of a burnt sacrifice (Lev. i: 6sSl-
He thus publicly taught that the ordi-
nances Of the law were binding upon the
jars still used in the East for carrying wa
apiece 81. Second third
time" To prevent any kind of suspicion,
that there was fire concealed under the
altar. Close by the place Of sacrifice,
shaded by noble old tree, is a large, nat
nral cistern of sweet water, which the
people say is never exhausted. Terry and
3thers think it more likely that the water
was brought from the brook Kishon,
where Elijah slew the false prophets .
Ill. Fire from heaven Tvs. 36-38). Sc.
.At the time" Abouts3l clock p. m. The
prophet waited for the usual hour for the
evening sacrifice, thus directing the minds
IF the people to the worship Of Jehovah.
sThe prophet" But here he performed
the duties of the priest. While the priest I.
phet could, by virtue Of his direct COM
mission and his higher function, act as
priest. Game near" He expected an an
swer by fire, yet came near to the altar
Abraham, Isaac Words first used by
God at the burning bush, when He re-
realed Himself in flaming fire Exod g.:
B, l6). Known" That thou art God.
The honor of God is his ruling passion, the
source and end Of all his zeal Thy ser
rant" That he, Elijah, was not their en-
smy, as Ahab had announced him to be,
but Jehovah's servant. AT thy word.
That his words and works were not OF
himself, but of God.
81. Turned their heart back agar"
The end of controversy is never the
MOI pofc Holm Of t,.,fh b.1f ho
version ofsthe people. Stern and releDt-
less as Elijah had been, his heart was full
IF Gods yearning tenderness, and he
longed for their salvation. We are some
shines called to preach bitter things. but
the end Of our ministry should be CONVEX.
sion. not condemnation. 38. Fire, fell =
1t did not burst out from the altar. This
| might still, notwithstanding the water,
have offered some ground for suspicion
that fire had been concealed, after the
manner of the heather, under the altar
Fire converted apostate Israel. The Holy
Ghost converted many in the apostles
day. That same fire, invisible to immortal
eyes, works as remarkably to-day. Con.
sumed" The process is remarkable /.
The fire came down from heaven. 2. The
pieces Of sacrifice were first consumed q.
The wood next, to show that it was not
by the wood that the flesh was burnt. 4,
Twelve stones were consumed, to show III
was no common fire, but one whose agens
4 cy nothing could resist. 8. The dust, the
earth of which the altar was constructed,
was burnt. 6. The water in the trench was,
by the action of the fire, entirely evapo-
rated. 7. The action Of this fire was in
every case downward, contrary to the ma
ture of all earthly and material fire.,
Moses altar and Solomon's were conse-
Grated by the FIRE from heaven; this was
III The decision Of the people Tvs. 3d.
fO).
SO. "Fell on their faces" In revsrent
Worship and awe at the divine manifesta7S
ton, they fell on their faces and with ones
koice declared, Jehovah, He is God. The
test was convincing and would help the
people to stand against Jezebei and her
terrible prosecutions. 40. Prophets Of
Baal.'' There were 400 of them. 1t APP
pears that the 400 prophets Of Asherah
1.-THE grove) were not present. Brook
sSishonD This brook flows, along the very
base of Carmel on the side towards the
sea- Here Sisera was overthrown by Ba-
rak (Judg. 4: ID "Slew them" We can
hardly suppose that Elijah himself put
them to death. He is only said to do that
priests Of Baal hardened their hearts, per-
sisted in their rebellion, refused submis-
sion and were destroyed.
". Ehjahs prayer and the answer Tvs.
4l-46)
citing scenes Of the day there had been no
time or Inclination to partake Of food.
abundance Of rain" Faith in God was
tbs foundation for this positive declara,
ton from the prophet. AZ. Both -Ahab
1.-THE one to- eat and the other to pray. The
prophet withdrew himself from the pres
ence of the King and cast himself down
4 upon the earth before the Lord See
4 James S. "a. 49,. Said to his servant. ;,
Tradition tells us that this servant was
4Lo h<I