Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1904-09-02
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR SEPTEMBER q.
subject: Elijah Encouraged, 1 Kings, xix.
8-1S-Golden Text, lisa. Kill, 1O-Men,-
ory Verses, o, 1O-COmme ntary on tho
Days Lesson.


l. Elijah receives instructions from God
Tvs. 9-l4). o. Game thther" He came
to Horeb, or Sinai. The relation of the
two names is not clear. Horeb was either
"a mountain OF the Sinai range, or the
range of which Sinai is mountain;" prob
ably the latter. "A cave" Hebrew, 1.-THE
cave Stanley says there is nothing tc
affirm or contradict the conjecture that
this may have been the same spot where
Moses stood (Exod. 1922 when Jehovah
passed by. What dost thou here% The
Lord now gives the prchpet an opportunity
to open his heart and tell his grief. The
question here must have different force
from that which it bears after the mani
festaton of Gods presence in verse IL.
Here it must signify, "Why art thou cast
down" What Is thy business here! Why
hast thou left Israel, to whom | sent thee,
and come to these mountains? No doubt
there was in the words gentle reproof.
He who is found out of place in Gods plan
must render an account of himself The
inquiry should pursue Others who have
fled to caves in which they would fain hide
themselves from responsibility. ID 1t
comes to the impenitent in the cave of con-
cealment of their sin. (2) 1t comes to the
penitent in the cave OF dependency. 90
1t comes to the indolent in the cave OF
sloth. az 1t comes to the sorrowful IN
the cave of murmuring. Read this qucs.
ton with the emphasis on the different
words in succession. What ''doest" thou
here? What doest chou here? What
doest thou here"
10. very jealous" Zealously avenging
Jehovah's honor by Staying those who have
brought idolatry into Israel, thus initial.
ing the zeal of Phinebas Mum. 25:l-l3).
There is no boastfulness in these words. Eli.
sab only opens his grief and sets forth that
hcShas done his utmost, but that, in spite
OF an both king and people are still unre-
pentafit. "Forsaken Thy covenant" The
first stage of apostasy. They lightly esti.
mated tire, word of the Lord. Thrown
down Thine affairs" The second stage of
apostasy; desertion from grew into enmity
to; the places OF prayer were destroyed;
they were unwilling to have among them
longer anything that reminded them OF
their Lord. slain Thy prophets" Lowest
stage of apostasy. When a man will not
listen to the truth, he seeks to remove its
witnesses, either by power or cunning. II
only, am left" The same statement in
Kings 1922, but the sense is different.
There Elijah merely said that he alone re-
manned to execute the prophets office,
which was true; here he implies that he is
the only prophet left alive, whereas hun.
dred had been saved by Obadiah, but none
of them had stood by him at Carmel
and he does not count them. He felt him.
self to be alone in an awful deso.aton.
IL. go forth" 1t is not quite clear
whether Elijah went out of the cave now
or after the wind and earthquake had
passed ". 49,. The account seems to indi.
cate that at this time he went to the
mouth OF the cave and looked out. The
Lord passed by" As He passed by Moses,
perhaps in this same cave. God was about
to, teach Elijah a great lesson and send
him back to Israel much wiser man.
''Strong wind" A tornado. Rent" etc.
Literally. Tearing up the mountains and
shivering the rocks. Earthquake" One
of the most terrible manifestations of di.
vine power. IL. Fire" Probably, light.
ming: l myself stood for hours one night,
in Manitoba, watching a most vivid, con-
tinual and terrible display of lightning
Natural phenomena are calculated to i'm.
press the mind with Jehovah's power and
indicate the divine resources for the de.
struction of His enemies. WAS not in"
There was a sense in which the Lord was
in the wind, the earthquake and the fire;
they were symbols of His mighty power
But there was revelation of the divine
nature which God would not give to
Elijah which these symbols could not con-
vey, and in this sense Jehovah was not in
them. "Still small voice" "A sound of
gentle stillness."-R. ", margin We are
not told whether the sound was articu
late or not, but when Elijah heard it he un.
derstood that the time had come for him
to present himself before the Lord, and
/ that some further revelation was about to
be given him.
l3. I'm his mantle" The skins of beasts
dressed with the hair on were formerly
worn by prophets and priests as the sim.
pie insignia of their Office. He covered his
face to show his respect so Moses hid his
face (Exod. $3.50. went out" Elijah
now leaves the cave and listens to the voice
of God. God intended to display Himself
to mankind, not in judgment, but in
mercy; as the wind, earthquake and fire
were only the forerunners of the still
small voice, so the law and all its terrors
were only intended to introduce the Cos
pei of Jesus. What doest thou bere"'
The Lords question and the prophets
answer are repeated. The repetition shows
that Elijah still justifies his course. He
had, indeed, been very Jealous for the
Lord, but he had expected too much from
his triumph at Carmel"
Ill. Elijah sent on a special mission Tvs.
1919. 10, Is. "The Lord said" Three
things God gave to Elijah in this inter
view: |. A purpose in iife-some definite
work to occupy his attention. Q. Compan-
ionship, by having a disciple and success.
sor. 3. Assurance that he had not lived
in vain, since seven thousand we're still
faithful. GO, return" Elijah's mission
is not yet ended.
II. "Shall come to pass" God assures
Elijah that the Almighty is still ruling in
Israel and that idolatry is to be over.
thrown. Hazael, Jehu and Elisha are to
against the house of Ahab." "Shall Elisha
slay" These words cannot be explained
literally, for we do not read of any who
were slain by the hand of Elisha, but "his
voice and his labors for the overthrow Of
false worship were constant, and by the
Sword of his mouth he overthrow the
foes of Jehovah" Is. "Seven thousand
In the judgment to come upon the people
all Israel shall not be cut off. There vii
be found seven thousand who have never
worshiped Baal. Here Elijah learns thai
he is not the only Israelite who remain:
true to God. As seven is the covenant
number, the number of perfection, thu
seven thousand need not be pressed here
to mean an exact designation of the mum
Der of true wOrshipers, but a round mum
Der ever symbolical of the elect of God
III. The call of Elisha Tvs. 1921
Elijah went as he was commanded anC
found Elisha blowing in the field: Thu
prophet threw his mantle upon Elisha ant
passed on. This was a symbolical act OF
the part of Elijah, investing Elisha will
his own prophetic Office. The sign was un
derstood by Elisha who obeyed the call.