The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1905-10-25
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON v, FOURTH QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, OCT. 20.

Text of the Lesson, Zech. iv, lilo.
Memory Verses, S-1O-Goldeo Text,
Zech. iv, documentary Prepared
by Rev. %. n. Stearns.
copyright, 1905, by American Press Association
The prophets Haggai and Zecharlah
were strengthened and commissioned
by God to encourage the people to re-
sumo work upon the temple, which we
saw in last weeks lesson was hindered
by the adversaries. So the governor
and the priest and the people came and
did work IN the house Of the Lord Of
Hosts, their God, in the twentyfourth
day Of the sixth month in the second
year of Darius the king, and it was
finished in the sixth year Of Darius
Hag. l. IA, Is; Ezra vi, II, 15).
Zechariah was strengthened by a
series, Of eight or nire visions, granted
to him, seemingly, in one night, and in
our lesson chapter we have the fifth
Of the series. First he saw horses and
their riders among myrtle trees In a
valley and was taught that, though
Israel returned from captivity was
lowly and depressed, the Lord was
caring for her and would prosper her.
Then he was shown that for every de-
stroyer and scatterer Of Israel there
was q restorer, a repairer; for every
horn a carpenter, and we cannot help
thinking Of the carpenter Of Nazareth. l.
In the third vision he was shown that
Jerusalem would be rebuilded and pro-
tected and many nations blessed
through Israel chapter ID. Next he
was shown that, though Israel was
verify guilty before Cod and the adj
versary had reason to accuse her, the
Lord would stand for her and stand
by her and remove her iniQu1ty and
give her peace Chapter iD.
| In our lesson chapter he is shown
how, Notwithstanding all hindrances,
Israel shall be a bright and steady
light before all nations and lsa. IL,
l-3, shall be fulfilled. ''The Lord shall
arise upon thee, and His glory shall
be seen upon thee, and the ma
tons shall come to thy light and kings
to the brightness Of thy rising" The
vision Of the candlestick or lamp stand,
ell Of gold, with its seven lamps. takes
us back to the tabernacle and its can
dlestick and on to The seven golden
candlestcks Of Rev. j, which latter, we
are told, are the seven churches, In the
midst Of which the risen Christ is seen.
Whether it be Israel or the church, we
see the oneness Of Christ and His peo-
ple and that they are nothing apart
from Him.
In the two olive trees, or ano1nted
ones, through which the oil IS supplied
to the lamps, we see a priest and a
king, for only such were anointed.
Typically we see every true priest and
king, as we'll as Joshua and Zerubba-
bel, Of our lesson. But these only
point us to the true Melchisedec, who
shall sit and rule, a priest upon Hls
throne wi, 13l, in the final restoration
of Israel. No might nor power OF man
shall do this, but the zeal Of the Lord
of Hosts by His Spirit Qsa. ix, q. So in
all the visions the prophet Is shown
what the Lord will do in spite OF al
hindrances. lido not this for your
sakes, o house Of Israel, but for mine
holy names sake which ye have pro
famed, saith the Lord God"
We need just what the prophet
learned, and wrote for our benefit, for
the adversaries are always many, and
the work goes slowly, yet the Lord
shah not fail nor be discouraged Qsa.
xiii, q, and those who dwell with Hin
for His work need never be dlscour-
aged either. During the time Of lsraePs
blindness and rejection, which is now
drawing to a close, the Lord is gather
ing from all nations the material, the
living stones, for the temple, the
church, which is His body Eph. Ii,
1921; I Pet. ii, s; Acts xV, l9, but the
work seems to be hindered by unbehef
and false doctrine and many things.
The only miracle recorded by the
four evangelists, the feeding Of the
5000, seis before rs very strikingly the
present conditions. The multitudes
have no bread. The disciples say, "Send
them away" but the Lord says, "Give
We them to eat" Philip, forgetting
that our Lord fed millions in the viii
derness and brought water from a
rock, says that it cannot be done, and
even if they had 200 pence, an impos-
sible sum Of money, they could only
give every one little (John VI.
Philips view Of the case reminds US
Of verse Z OF our lesson with Its great
mountain. In Andrews remark con-
cerning the lads loaVes and fishes,
.tWhat are they among so nany?" we
see an illustration Of despising the day
Of small things (verse 10y, and from bot
we learn that He who always knows
Just what He viii do John Vi, g would
have US see no one but Himself and,
losing sight Of possibilities and prob
abilities, rely upon Him to perform all
His purposes in His own time and way.
We may feel as downcast and IN
worthy as Israel did, but If we know
Him as our priest and king BE Will
make us shine as lights in the world
In the midst Of a crooked and perverse
generation Phil. il, 15) and by US
gather out from the nations the living
stones for His temple. How shall we
shine and thus be Of use to Him IN
helping forward the work Of complet-
ing the church, His body: We must
first know Him as our anointed priest,
who, having offered Himself sacri-
fee for our sins and thus put all our
sins away forever, now lives to make
intercession for us, ever carrying us
on His breast and shoulders before
God. This gives perfect peace anc
ouietness concerning our salvation,
| T,,4 M