The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1905-07-28
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON v, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY 80.
Text of the Lesson, II ChrOn. xxxfff,
I-I3-MemOry Verses, 1O-13-Golden
Text, Prov. xiv, "a - Commentary
Prepared by Rev. ID. VI. Stearns.


Prepared by Rev. ID. NJ. stearns.
Copyright. 1905. by American Press Association
We return from our two studies con-
corning Him who Is and was the absO-
lutely perfect one, the Messiah OF Is
rael. the King of kings. the Great Head
OF the church. to those who were ex-
pected TO represent Him, sitting Oh
His throne q Chron. xxx, 23). Among
the kings of the ten tribes there was
not one who did right in the sight Of
the Lord. but all walked I'm the steps
Of JerOboam, the son OF Nebat, who
made Israel to sin. Among the kings
Of Judah there were some who did
right in the sight Of the Lord and mag
nitied His name, such as Hezekiah the
father Of Manasseh, and others. In
some respects there was no king like
Hezekiah while in other respects there
was none like Josiah Oh Kings xviii
.; xiii. 25) in the matter of trusting
and turning to the Lord. But as these
two exceeded in righteousness, though
far from perfect, the son of HeZekiah
exceeded in wickedness until near the
close Of his reign. when he turned to
the Lord and was forgiven.
An illustration of "He will abun-
dainty pardon" his fathers name,
HeZekiah. signifies the might or
strength of Jehovah, while his moth
er's name, Hephzibah, signifies my de-
light is in her. and points us onward
to the future glory of Israel as a ma
ton QI Kings xxi, /; lisa. xii, ~.
Manasseh signifies forgetting" and
this man certainly did forget God and
His commandments and turned from
Him with all his heart. Joseph called
his firstborn Manasseh. 'for God" said
he, hath made me forget all my tOiP'
Gen. xii. 81. That was a joyful and
lawful forgetfulness, but that Of Ma
nasseh, the king, was desperately wick
ed and rebellious.
The two statements "evil in the sight
Of the Lord" and right in the sight of
the Lord" cover the life Of every one,
for every life is lived in the sight Of
the Lord. and it is either good or evil
in His sight. The all important ques-
ton Is, What is my life in the sight of
the LOrdY" His word to Abraham Is q
good word for each Of us, Walk be-
fore Me and be thou perfect or sincere
Gen. xvii, /, margin). One Of the
Lords first words to Israel as a nation
was, Thou shalt have no other gods
before Me" (Ex. XXX, -. They were to
be unlike all other people in this mat
ter of their worship of the one only
living ana true God.
Any turning to idols or conformity
to the ways Of other nations was a di-
rect forsaking of and rebellion against
God, yet this they constantly did from
the days of Solomon onward, with the
few exceptions of the good kings al
ready referred to. How pitiful the
cries: Il have nourished and brought
up children, and they have rebelled
against Me-" my people have for
saken Me. the fountain Of living wa
ters;' 80 Israel, thou hast destroyed
thyself. but in Ne is thine help Qsa.
/. .; Jer. ii, IS; Hos. xiii, 81.
AS we read the record OF Manasseh's
sins. his affairs in the very house OF
the Lord and in the two courts of the
house of the Lord, substituting idols
for God Himself and making the in
habitants of Jerusalem TO do worse
than the heather and refusing to
hearken when God spoke to him, we
can only wonder at the long suffering
Of God and are reminded Of their story
recorded in Ps. evil, Neh tx and else
where. 1t was God dethroned and Sa-
tan enthroned
The consummatiOn Of their rebellion
is recorded in these words: They
Knocked the messengers Of God and de-
spised His words and misused His
prophets until the wrath of the Lord
arose against His people, till there was
no remedy" q Chron xxxvi, 16). These
words mo remedy" were used by God
to open the eyes Of a noted Jew Of our
day to see the only remedy, even Je-
sus Of Nazareth, Israel's Messiah, the
only remedy for sin and sinners, for
apart from Him there is none The
last word in the Old Testament as we
have it, "a CURSE was the means Of
leading another Jew to read the sequel
to such book and to find in it Him
who has redeemed us from the curse Of
the law, having been made a curse for
us (Gal iii, 49,.
How gracious it was on the part of
God, whom Manasseh had so rebeled
against and defied. not to take him
away, as He did Koran and his COM
panions Or Ananias and Sapphire, but
to permit him to be taken captive by
the king Of Assyria and carried in fet-
tiers to Babylon. that he might have
time to think and be led to repent!
When he was in affection he besought
the Lord his God and humbled himself
greatly and prayed. and the Lord
heard him and saved him and restored
him to Jerusalem and to his kingdom
oversees u and 49,. What an illustration
OF the truth God is not willing that
any should perish" 0I Pet. Iii. ~, and
how wonderfully this Is set forth I'm
Rev. tx. where we read of hell being
let loose on earth if perchance men,
having had taste Of Satan's admins
tration, may repent and turn to God
and escape the lake Of fire.prepared for
the devil and his angels!