The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-06-28
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON |, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY 2.

Text of the Lesson, II Chron. xxi.
9-23-Memory Verses. 8. 2In-Goldcn
Text, II Ckron. NXXii. ii.S-COmmcntnrF
Prepared by Rev. D. VI. Stcnrns.
lCopyrisi.t, 1905. By American Press Association.
One OF our last lessons il the Old
Testament six months ago was the sto-
~ of HeZekiah'S reformation in Judah,
his cleansing of the temple and his
great passover for all Israel \ spe
cial zeal for God and His honor is al
ways provoking to the adversary, and
in some way he will surely show it.
The great conflict between God and the
devil, Christ and antichrist, light and
darkness, which will continue till the
second coming of Christ to send tue
last great antIchrist to the lake Of
FIRE (Rev. xix, 10, 20; II Thess. ii, s., is
at times very manifest, as in the case
of Pharaoh and Israel, Goliath and Da-
vid. Hcrod and the babes Of Bethle-
hem. etc, but today's record of Sen
nacherib's blasphemy is one Of the
worst III Scripture. The conflict is
first seen in Cain and Abel, and from
that on it RACES with more or less Sc
verify and will until the final outbreak
ut the end Of the thousand years Rev.
Xxx. no. after which the devil shall
60 to the lake of fire forever and the
earth shall rest.
Note the last two verses Of chapter
XXI, and you have the key to Sen
nacherib's work, for, although seem
insly it was Scnnacherib'S thought and
purpose (xXxii, l-3). there was pow
er behind the scene using the king OF
Assyria as his too! There is 4 very
clear reference to these unseen adver-
saries in Dan. Y, y, 13. 20; Eph. Vi, u,
and, while we have every reason to
praise God that the leader of the pow
ers Of darkness can only so as far as
God permits him Dob i, 10; xNxviii, IL;
Jer. Y. 22), yet we do we'll to recognize
tie fact that there Is such an enemy
and always 60 fully armed according
TO Eph. Vi. 1920.
IIcZelliah did not make light Of the
difficulties. yet. being strong in the
Lord. he encouraged the people, as in
verses and S. Let us rest ourselves
on his words. as his people did, for
they arc written for us. When the ad-
vcrs;lv roars and some visible enemy
threatens let us remember More with
us than with him. :" = With US is the
Lord, our God, to help US and to fight
our battles Compare Rom. viii, 81.
God for US. who against us? Verses
8 to 10 Of our lesson give summary
and sample Of the blasphemy Of this
antichriSt
1t was hard for Hezelliah and bis
people to hear the living God so re
proachcd. but the people held their
peace and answered not 4 word, for
the king had so instructed them Ql
Kings xviii, Sc; lisa. xxxvi, 2D. They
we're helpless to DO anything but pray
and lean upon the Lord and commit
their cause to Him, and this they did.
When our God is reproached there IS
9 time to do as David with Goliath
and also time to act according to Ps.
xxxy1ii, lS. In the present case they
answered not the wicked words, and,
as to the blasphemous letter, HezeHah
received it and read it and spread 1t
before the Lord and prayed QI Kings
xix, 14).
4 wiser and better thing he could
not have done. See in Phil. iv, 6, /,
our authority to do likewise and let
us be obedent, for He will always see
to His peoples enemies for His great
names sake. Consider the prayer OF
Hezekiah Oh Kings xix, 1919 and note
that it was not merely for the safety
of Israel, but that all the kingdoms Of
the earth might know that the God OF
Israel was the only living and true
God. Compare Josh. ", p; kings
viii. 43, GO, and remember that when
this is our aim we may expect to see
great and mighty things for Ills names
sake.
Hezedah had a companion with him
in prayer, even the prophet Isaiah
(yerse 20), and It is well when two can
be agreed to wait on the Lord together
Matt xviii, 19). Now see the glorious
answer, "The Lord sent an angel which
cut off all the mighty men OF valor'
(yerse 2I, only one angel, and that
| night 1S5,O0O died or Kings XIX, 2O).
Behold our mighty God! The time will
come when one angel shall bind the
devil and shut him up and set seal
upon him (Rev. Xxx, 1-3), and as the re-
deemed of the Lord we always have
one or more Of these ministerlng an
gels who excel in strength and del1gh{
to do His will (Heb. i, IA; Ps. Gill, ~
e1) as our constant companions.
Thus the Lord saved Hezekiah iVerse
oo). The Lord Himself did it without
any help from the king Or the prophet
Halleluiah, what a Saviour! Notice
that He saved him from all other enc
mics and guarded them on every sloe'
and 50 Hezekiah was magnihed In the
sight Of all nations, for those who non
or the Lord He will honor Il Sam. H.
SO). 1t is not without some great pur'
nose that the Spirit has written this
story Of the king and the prophet, their
prayer and the mighty del1verance
three times in the Scriptures-1n Kings
and in Chronicles and in Isaiah. He
would at least have US notice and lay
to heart the hatred and boastful olas-
phemy Of the enemy, the power OF pray
er, the ease with which our Goa can
overthrow His enemies and that HIS
people should ever rely upon Him.
have many time been helped by
these words: They that war against
thee shall be as nothing and as thing
Of naught, for T. the Lord thy Goo