Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1904-08-19
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR AUGUST Il.


39-Cominentary on the bays Lesson.
I. Elijah's sacrifice prepared Tvs. 80 So.
| 80. Come near" He will have them eye
witnesses of all he does, and witnesses to
what God will do. Jesus did nothing in
a corner, so neither the servants OF God
need do anything in secret. "Repaire.. the
altar" Built in IsraeIs earlier and hap.
pier days. but thrown down by Jezebel
| This kl1ah restored and consecrated anew.
| A hint to hGilG5is OF san tuarcs. A type
of the certain restoration of tn, true and
the downfall of the false. 81. Twelve
stones" This was an act showing that
| the twelve tribes were really one people
and had one God in common: So Gods
| true church is one. Israel thy
name Israel signifies a prince WHO pre-.
| walls with God There are two records OF
| the bestowal of this name on Jacob. See
Gen. 80: Is; 81: 2i0.
80 "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
seed" The seah is estimated as contain.
ing from one and half to three gallons.
There is difference Of opinion as to the
size of the trench. There would be nc
necessity for a large. trench, and 1t 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
iniunctions of the law with respect to the
! offering of burnt sacrifice LEV. /; 6-S).
| He thus publicly taught that the ordi
nances of the law were binding upon the
Kingdom of Israel Barrels" Common
Jars still used in the East for carrying wa
ter containing from three to five gallons
apiece. "a. Second third
time" To prevent any kind of suspicion
that there was fire concealed under the
altar. Close by the place of sacrifice,
ural cistern of sweet water, which the
people say is never exhausted. Terry and
others think it more likely that the water
was brought from the brook Kshon,
where Elijah slew the false prophets.
II. Fire from heaven Tvs. $685. SO.
"At the time" About 3 o'clock p. m. The
! prophet waited for the usual hour for the
evening sacrifice, thus directing the minds
of the people to the worship Of Jehovah;
"The prophet But here he performed
the duties of the priest. While the priest
phet could, by virtue of his direct COM
mission and his higher function, act as
priest. Game near" He expected an an.
wer by fire, yet came near to the altar
With boldness, and feared not that fire.
abraham, Isaac" Words first used by
God at the burning bush. when He re.
tealed Himself in flaming ife (Exod. 3:
6, l6). known" That thou art God.
The honor of God is his ruling passion, the
source and end of all his zeal. Thy SER
want" That he, Elijah, was not their en-
| o,,, Abah had aunouncpd 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 asrn.~
The end of controversy is never the
mere establishment of truth, but the con-
version of the people. Stern and relent..
'ess as Elijah had been, his heart was full
ST Gods yearning tenderness, and ne
longed for their salvation. We are some
times called to preach bitter things, out
the end of our ministry should be CONVEX:
sion. not condemnation. 3S. Fire, fell"
1t did not burst out from the a tar. 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 Hc,y
Ghost converted many in the .apoCfes
day. That same fire, invisible to immortal
eyes: works e sstaS,y sf
The fire came down from heaven. q. Inc
pieces of sacrifice were first consumed. 3.
The wood next, to show that 1t was not
bv the wood that the flesh was burnt. 4.
Twelve stones were consumed, to showit
| tas no common fire, but one whose agen-
cy nothing could resist. 5. The dast, the
earth of which the altar was constructed,
was burnt. 6. The water in the trench was,
| nxyorl
rated. 7. The action of this fire was 10
every case downward, contrary to the ma.
ture of all earthly and material flre
Moses altar and Solomon's were conse-
Grated by the fire from heaven; this was
destroyed. ~
| III. The decision of tie people Tvs. 80.
O).
80. Cell on their faces." In reverent
worship and awe at the divine manifesto
ton, they fell on their faces and with one
voice declared, Jehovah, He is God; The
test was convincing and would help inc
people to stand against Jezebei and her
, terrible prosecutions. 40. Prophets OF
| Baal" There were 450 of them. 1t ap.
pears that the 400 prophets of Asherah
1.-THE grove) were not present. BROOK
Kishon." This brook flows along the very
base of Carmel on the side towards the
Tea. Here oisera was overthrown by Ba'
rak (,Judg. 4: y. "Slew them" We can
hardly suppose that Elijah himself put
them to death. He is only said to do that
which he caused the people to do. The
priests of Baal hardened their hearts, per-
sisted in their rebellion, refused submls'
sion and were destroyed.
". Elijah's prayer and ne answer VS.
N-46).
Al. Cat and drink" During the ex.
citing scenes of the day there had een 20
time or inclination to partake OF .sSrsd.
abundance of rain" Faith in God was
the foundation for this positive decara'
ton from the prophet. AZ. Both Ahab
and Elijah returned to the top of Carmel,
the one to eat and the other to pray. The
prophet withdrew himself from the pres.
{nce of the King and cast himself down
mon the earth before the Lord See
James S: II. 40. Said to his servant.
Tradition tells us that this servant was
The widows son whom he had raised from
the dead (chapter II: 23).. Elijah told his
servant to look towards the sea, for from
that direction the storm would come. Inc
servant looked and said, There Is moth
ing" Then Elijah said, $50 again sever
tines" a.. At last, at the seventh time,
he reported cloud like mans hand; I'm
mediately- the prophet sent to Ahab to
hasten home lest the rain stop him. 40.
"Ahab = went to Jezreel." Jez-
reel became one of the most famous OF the
roval residences. 1t did not supersede
Samaria. but here Ahab built palace
(chapter 81: -, and it was his summer
home 46. "Ran before Ahab." The spir't
of the Lord was on Elijah and he ~ds CIV
en- supernatural strength.