The Yale expositor., 1904-12-09
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON xl, FOURTH QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES. DEC. II.


The first verse Of our lesson and the
opening verses of the chapter state the
fact that Shalmaneser, king Of Assyria,
carried the ten tribes Of Israel into cap
tivity. He first subdued them and
made them tributary TO him, but when
he found that Hoshea. their king, was
secretly treating with the king of
Egypt and failing to pay tribute TO
Assyria, then he made him prisoner
and carried Israel away. Verses Z to II
give the reason why God permitted
this. The ten tribes had persistently
sinned against Him, doing just like the
heather whom He had east out before
them, walking In their statutes and
serving their idols, whereof the Lord
had said unto them, "Ye shall not do
this thing" Verse 10. In chapter
xviii, 1912, the summary is that in the
sixth year of HeZekiah, king of Judah
which was the ninth year of Hoshea.
king of Israel, Samaria was taken,
after a three years siege, and Israel
was carried away into Assyria, because
they obeyed not the voice of the Lord
their God, but transgressed His cove
nant and all that Moses, the servant ot
the Lord, commanded, and would not
hear them nor DO them.
Hosea, the prophet, had warned them
that because of their rebellion against
God Samaria would be desolate and
her people fall by the sword CLOS. xiii
1G). In the very beginning of their
history He had warned them by His
servant Moses that if they would walk
contrary to Him and persist in it He
would bring their land into desolation
and scatter them among the heather
Oev. XVI, 81. SO; Deut. xviii, SO, ca;
xxx, %, 2S). Because He is slow to
anger and plenteous in mercy He bore
long with them. From Jeroboam, son
of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, to
Hoshea's ninth year was about 2GO
years, and during all that time there
was not one ruler who taught them to
do right IN the sight of the Lord. All
walked in the steps of Jeroboam, Omri
and Ahab being two Of the worst. Be
cause judgment was not promptly
melted out to them they probably
thought that II would never come
that God did not see or did not care.
1t was and is ever true that because
sentence against an evil work is not
executed speedily therefore the heart
Of the sons of men is fully set in them
to do evil' (Eccl. viii, III. The scoffers
Of the last days are in our midst. They
walk after their own lusts and say,
where Is the promise of His coming?
for since the fathers fell asleep all
things continue as they were from the
beginning OF the creation" Oh Pet.
iii, 3. ~.
There were scoffers in the days Of
Noah Job xii, 1913, in the days of
Lot (Gen. xix, ~ and in the days Of
Enoch Jude 14-16), but the deluge
came and the fire from heaven, and all
the ungodly persisted. And so 1t will
be again, for the mouth of the Lord
hath spoken 1t, THE Lord Jesus shall
be revealed from heaven with His
mighty angels, In flaming fire taking
vengeance on them that know not God
and that obey not the gospel Of our
Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be pun
ished with everlasting destruction from
the presence of the Lord and from the
glory Of His power when He shall
come to be glorif1ed In His saints and
to be admired IN all them that believe
In that day" Oh Thess. 1, 40.
These and similar sayings seem hard,
and many will not receive them, but
they are from God, who IL love and
who Is not willing that any should per
Nab, and he has In love warned people
Of the result OF despistng His love. He
loves all people, but He cannot love sin.
Concerning Israel He said. II have CIV
en- the dearly beloved Of Ny soul into
the hand Of her enemies" Ger. Xii, ~;
20 Israel, thou hast destroyed myself.
but in Ne Is thine help" 20 Israel. re-
turn unto the Lord thy God" (Hos. Xiii,
o; xiv, II. By all the prophets He tes-
tilted against Israel and against Judah,
saying, Turn ye from your evil ways
and keep My commandments and My
statutes" but they would not hear Him.
They did not believe In the Lord their
God. Therefore the Lord was very
angry with Israel and removed them
out OF His sight. There was none left
but the tribe of Judah only oversees
! 1873.
For little while longer He bore with
judah, but they also 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 Oh
Chron. xxxvi, 16). In due time, long
after their return from captivity, God
sent to them His Son. but Him they
also despised and rejected and cruel.
fed, and among His last words to them
are these: "How often would l have
gathered you and ye would not. Be
hold, your house is left unto you desc
Iate for l say unto you, Ye shall not
zee me henceforth till We shall say,
Blessed is He that cometh in the name
Of the Lord" Matt xiii, $780,
In this age the age of Israel's rejec-
ton, we are now living, and the risen
Christ at Gods right hand is gathering
out from all the nations by His spirit
and His word. His body, the church
which shall reign with Him when He