The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-11-08
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR NOVEMBER u.


mentary on the Days Lesson.
]. A fast proclaimed Tvs. 21-23). u.
proclaimed fast" Ezra entered
upon his work with fasting and prayer.
The Journey was a dangerous one. es-
pecially with all the treasure he car
ried. Ezra realized the danger. but he
went forward in faith. His chief con-
Germ was TO have God with him. lie
had procured Levites to 20 with him
Tvs. 15-20, but even that would bc OF
no avail If Jehovah did not direct their
steps. "Afflict ourselves" Humble
ourselves lR. W and repent of our
sins. "To seek Him. Era wanted the
people to commit themselves to the
guidance and protection of divine PROV
idence and implore God to give them
prosperous teurnoy Their journey
lay chiefly through the desert. aud the
Arabians and Samaritans were likely
to attack them
%. II was ashamed" etc Ezra Lad
preached trust in God before The
heather rulers and he would not dis.
honor God by asking the usual military
escort. He had represented God the
object of his worship as supremoly
powerful, and as having the strongest
affection for His true followers. Thus
we see that this good man had more
anxiety for the glory of God than for
his own personal safety.
49, $50 we tasted" The people 6id
as Ezra commanded. God heard and
answered their prayers, and they were
kept In safety during the difficult and
dangerous journey.
III. Ezra's charge TO the priests Tvs.
24-30). "a. 81 separated twelve" There
is difference of opinion here as TO the
number of persons Ezra selected as
custodians of the treasure and sacred
vessels. There We're probably twelve
priests and twelve Levites but some
think there were twelve priests and
only ten Levltes. Shercbiah and Hash
abiah were two of the Levites. 2J.
Weighed" We may gather from this
that the gold and silver were in bars or
ingots, and not in coined money 26.
Unto their hand" We have here The
particular care Ezra took of the treas
ure of Gods sanctuary. Having com
mitted the keeping of it TO God. he COM
mitted the care of 1t TO proper men.
though without God they would have
watched in vain. Our prayers should
always be seconded with our endeay-
ors. Do we expect God should by His
providence keep that which belongs to
us? Then ought we by His grace to
care for that which belongs 10 Him: let
Gods honor and interest be our care
The prophet in foretelling the return of
Gods people and ministers out of Bal y
lon gave the solemn charge lisa. Sid.
BE ye clean that bear the vessels of
the Lord" In Zerubbabel's time the
vessels were delivered by number:
here by weight. that it might easily
appear if any were missing. This int
mates that such as are intrusted with
holy things are concerned to remember.
both in receiving their trust and In dis
charging it. that they must shortly give
n very particular account Of IT, that
they may be faithful TO it and so give
up their account with joy. SILVER.
gold" The whole treasure has been
estimated at from four to six million
dollars. A talent OF silver was about
$1,000; gold is usually worth sixteen
times as much as silver.
%. "Basons. E. drains" The word
translated dram" appears TO be in the
Hebrew representative of the Persian
word which the Greek rendered by
"darlc." This was a gold coin. stamped
x.
wearing his crown and armed witt
bow and arrow. According to the most
exact computation each such coin con
tanned somewhat more pure gold than
an English guinea, and was worth five
dollars of our money. The basins"
would be worth about two hundred and
seventy-flve dollars each. Vessels of
fine copper" Probably some fictitious
taI ln fl.aN 30. I'll.
and assumed the brightness of gold.
and because of its hardness was more
There is still II metal OF this
kind made among the Asiatics. 2S.
'Freewill Offering" The silver and
gold were a present to the house OF God
that the king and his counselors had
set apart
III. The journey to Jerusalem Tvs.
81, 32). 81. 1--WE departed. on the
twelfth day" The company began to
form and arrange for the journey upon
the first day of the month Nisan. Upon
1 review of his company Ezra observed
the lack of Levites, and the time used
n securing their union with the return
ing exiles, and in weighing the treas
ure, etc, took up the time until the
twelfth day. Ahava is the name both
Of small town and stream, not far
from the river Euphrates. This would
be natural course to pursue from
Shushan. This account of Ezra's prep
lration and journey is Il beautiful ex-
ample of method and thoroughncss
which is of great value in the work OF
God. Ezra sought first the prosperity
IF Gods cause. but he did not count it
ost time to spend twelve days in prep
ration For fha iournpv 1'in,a ueed