The Yale expositor., 1905-09-08
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON xl, THIRD QUARTER. INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. 10.


pared by Rev. ID. M. Stearns.
[CopyEight. 1905, by American Press Association
We have in this lesson the record OF
river of living water Issuing forth
flowing eastward to the Dead sea.
bringing life and health everywhere.
On either side of the river are seen trees
of unfading foliage, fruit bearing, the
fruit being for meat and the leaf for
medicine, or, as in the margin, for
bruises and sores. Referring to tho
same time to which Ezekiel refers, the
Spirit says in Joel i'll, II, Is, $50 shall
We know that am the Lord your God,
dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain,
+ y and fountain shall come forth
of the house of the Lord and shall wa
ter the valley of Shittim." Again in
Zech. xiv, 3, He says: And it shall be
| in that day that living waters shall go
out from Jerusalem, half of them to-
ward the eastern sea and half of them
| toward the hinder sea. In summer and
in winter shall it be-" In verse 8 Of
our lesson we read OF "pivers' and in
| the margin 1.-TWO rivers" doubtless the
same as those of Zechariah.
Our lesson is in Il portion OF Scrip
ture which tells of the future glory Of
Jerusalem, with its literal temple re-
stored, the name of the city from that
day being Jehovah-shammah Qi.e Lord
| is there. The context in ZechaTiah tells
| of a change in the cOnfiguration Of the
earth in and abouts Jerusalem, and
there is no reason why we should not
expect a literal fulfllmcnt Of every
prophecy concerning the land and the
people, but every reason why we
should expect it, for the mouth of the
Lord hath spoken it.
Now, while the principle ''literal, If
| possible" stands for all Scripture, we
must remember that as in the story OF
| Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac these
| things had also another meaning, so
| here we must seek the lesson for our
hearts which will work out in us more
| of the life of Christ, for to that end all
our study of the Scripture must tend.
| God, who commanded the light to shine
out of darkness ca literal event, not
| only hath shOne in our hearts Qf we
have truly received Christi, but will
increasingly shine there as we meekly
receive His word in our hearts Oh Cor.
iv, 6; Ps. cxix, 800. A literal rock in
the wilderness gave forth literal water
with which literal men and women
quenchcd their literal thirst (Ex. xvii,
g., but the other meaning is seen in
! Cor Y, f. where we read, THAT rock
was Christ"
In Jer. ii, 13, the Lord speaks of
Himself as the fountain Of living wa
ters and complains that His people had
forsaken Him for water from their
own broken cisterns. In John iv, 10.
IA, the same Lord told the woman of
Samaria of water that did not satisfy,
and also of water that would satisfy
| and become in the believer a well OF
water springing up unto everlasting
| life. The line Of truth suggested by
water in the first seven chapters OF
Johns gospel is most refreshing and
inspiring, but the complete story takes
us back to Gen. /, 0-S, and Oh to Rev.
xxi, and the cry Is ever sounding
forth: no, every one that thirstcth,
come we to the waters;' "WhoSoever
will, let him take the water of life free
ly;" "If any man thirst let him come
unto me and drink" Elsa. ", 1; Rev.
xxi, II; John vi, 37J.
The four times measured river of
our lesson may suggest to some the
| ,.tu hot Of nd 9
| parted into four, or the fourfold story
in the gospels Of Him who is the foun-
tain Of living waters. But it certainly
suggests the ever increasing revelation
of God in His wonderful word and the
breadth and length and depth and
height of His love, which little child
can grasp in some measure. but which
is also too deep for even the most spir-
ftual to understand.
Our range of vision must take in not
only the present blessings Of the Cos
pei while the church Is being gathered
out, but the greater blessing to all ma
| tons when Israel shall blossom and
| bud and till the face of the earth with
fruit" when "the earth shall be full Of
the knowledge of the Lord, as the wa
tiers cover the sea- when 'the nations
of them which are saved shall walk in
the light of the new Jerusalem and
they shall bring the glory and honor of
the nations into it lisa. xvii, 6; xi, o;
Rev. xxi, 81. 2G.
Who shall see and share all this
WhJSoever chooses now to take the
water of life freely. But how can they
take it who have never heard of it?
There is our responsibility as stewards
of the grace of God. Let him that
hearcth say come! What are you do
ing about it? If we really know what
it is to drink Of the pure river of the
water of life, clear as crystal, proceed
ing out of the throne of God and of the
Lamb Rev. xxi, y we cannot but
want TO have others drink also. And
If we do not most earnestly desire that
others may know and drink it is n
| question whether we ourselves have
| lasted.