The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1905-03-03
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON X, FIRST QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, MARCH S.


Memory Verse, ~ - Golden Text,
John vii, 4O-Commentary Prepared
by Rev. ID. NJ. stearns.
copyright, 1905. by American Press Association.
In this lesson the symbol is again
water, but this time it is 'rr1eas of liv-
ing waters" reminding us of Eek.
Xvii, 10; lisa. xii, 3; Ps. XVI, 4. The
water here represents the Spirit Verse
30, but the word is included according
to chapter vi, G3, 1.-THE words that /
speak unto you, they are Spirit and
they are life" The Spirit always
speaks by and works by the word. Be
ing filled with the Spirit and filed with
the word seem TO me very intimately
associated in Eph. V, 1921; Col. iii, 16,
II, as in each case the results are the
same. III Acts iv, 81, when they were
filed with the Spirit they spake the
word of God with boldness. In this
lesson and in chapters iii and iv we
have three experiences in the Christian
life-born of water. well of water,
rivers of water-yet few of those who
are born from above become wells, and
fewer still become rivers, because of
unwillngnesS or half heartedncSs or
lack of conservation. There is in verse
II very searching principle which eX-
plains many things. If any MIN is
willing or willeth to do His viii, he
shall know" Or. W.
This was the Lords feast of taber-
nacles appointed by Him to begin on
the fifteenth day of the seventh month
and to continue seven days, with sin
offerings, burnt offerings and other of
ferings every day OLcv. xiii, Bib;
Mum. xxx. 12-16. 3j-3Sl. time of spe-
cial rejoicing before Him because of
the harvest home, and time Of dwell
ing i'm booths to remind them of the
way He led ana kept them in the will
derness This feast shall have q spe-
cial and marvellous fultillmcnt in the
next age after Israel's restoration and
conversion. when all nations shall send
their representatives, to Jerusalem from
year to year to worship the King, the
Lord of Hosts, and to keep the feast Of
tabernacles Czech. xiv, lG). The Pass
over also shall have fulfillment in
such Il gathering OF Israel from all ma
tons as shall make the coming out of
Egypt seem as nothing. Compare care
fully Luke xxi, -, 10; Jer. xvi, II, 10;
xiii. 5-S. The feast of our lesson is
not the feast of the Lord, but the Jews
feast of tabernacles, with the Lord
el, ~
offerings? Or, if they had them, they
were such as the Lord could not ac-
cept, for they were without significance
to them or to Him because of their
unbelief.
| At this time His own brethren did
not believe in Him Verse 81, so if you
| have brothers or sisters or members of
your own household who do not be-
lieve, while it may be because or part
| ly because of some lack of Christlike-
ness in you, it is not necessarily so, for
| Jesus was God manifest in the flesh
perfect manifestation Of God, and
! yet some of those who were nearest to
Him did not for a time believe. The
carnal mind, even under the most
| favorable circumstances, is enmity
against God and there must be a new
birth by the Spirit and the word before
there can be any real life.
How full and free and wonderful the
invitation, eff any man thirst let him
come unto me and drink" The first
three words remind us of John vi, 81,
and Rev. iii, 20, while the whole invita-
ton takes us to lisa. ", /; Song v, /;
Rev. XXI, G; xii, II. Freely is the
word whether it refers to our justifica-
ton or all that accompanies it (Rom.
iii, "a; viii, 32). The Spirit Himself is
given unto us that we may know the
things that are freely given to us of
God q Cor. ii, 12), and as we know and
rejoice in the things that are freely
ours in Christ we become wells and
rivers of living water.
1t Is so simple to eat, to drink, yet
instead OF accepting His invitation they
began to argue as to whether He could
be the Christ or not. They did not know
their Scriptures, for it is as plainly
written there that He should be found
in Galilee and come out of Egypt as
that He should be born in Bethlehem
Qsa. tx, /, 2; Hos. Xi, u. 1t is true of
many now as it was then, "Ye do err,
not knowing the Scriptures nor the
power of God" Matt. xii, 29). What
unnecessary divisions unbelief does
make even among the children of God,
all because we have our own opinions
about this and that instead of meekly
receiving His word JAS |, 81.
If we simply receive and speak the
word of God today, believing it all to
be written by the Holy Spirit and TAX
ing it in its plain obvious sense, we
shall not lack fellowship with Christ in
this matter, for the scribes and Phari-
sees are as critical and unbelieving 20
day as in the days of which our lesson
tells. They longed to kill Him; they
virtually do it now for many preach
ers. professors and teachers will not
believe in His supernatural birth nor
in His resurrection from the dead, MOI
will they allow that He knew as much
| n.rN n..l~ oil hn,.