The Tupelo journal., 1907-03-08
ISAAC LOVER
OF PEACE
Sunday School Lesson for March 10, 1907
Specially prepared for this paper.

-
GOLDEN TExT.-"Blessed are the
! peacemakers, for they shall be called the
| children of God."-Matt. SO.
Understanding to time given In
Bible margins Isaac was born ABOUT
| 1896 b.. C. and died 1716 B. c. at the age
| Of $50 years.
PLACE.-Born in Beersheba. he spent
| most of his life in the south, including
such places as Hebron, Beershepa,
Gerar, Beer-Lahai-Roi.
sCRIPTURAL REFERENC s.
Prophesies and promises concerning
Isaac: Gen. 17:16-21; 1S:10-14; 21:12; 1928,
"a; Elk. 32:13; 1 Chron. 1916; Rom. s1'
Gal. 4:2S.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
A Long, Simple Life Of Peace
| VS.. 1925. Isaac lived with his father
in the great eneampment of The
Oaks" near Hebron, till Abraham's
death, B. C. 1921. He inherited his
fathers property and position, and
continued the same kind of life as a
| farmer chieftain.
Moving towards the well of Lahaf-
roi, 1.-THE well of the Living One that
Seeth Me-" George Adam Smith and
| Henderson in Hastings Bible Diction-
airy place it about SO miles south land
a little southwest) of Beersheba, on
one of the caravan routes to Egypt
Here it was that IshmaePs mother
Hagar found a resting place and a
fountain Of water after her hopeless
w~anderings in the desert.
Alexander Whyte thinks that Isaac
was attracted to this place, and pitch
ed his tent toward ~Beerlahai-roi, be-
cause he had heard from his nurse
| Hagar's lips her wonderful story OF
this place. Isaac could never walk
round that well, or sit down beside 1t,
or drink out of it, but his tears would
| come fast for poor, ill-used Hagar and
poor, outcast Ishmael, till he wished
again that he had never been born
rather than that they should both be
outcast from their proper home on
his account" and there God visited
/ Isaac also"
"a. The Lord Appeared Unto Him.
In what way we know not, but prob
ably as in other appearances to his
people. "The God of Abraham" God
is not the God of the dead, but of the
living Therefore he is assured
that Abraham is not lost by death,
nor Gods covenant with him lost"
Gear not" AS a man of peace, I'M
willing to strive or fight, he may have
feared that his enemies woul take
advantage of his god disposition, and
injure him. God forbids him to have
no fear so long as he is serving God
and doing right. He is assured against
any doubts or fears he may have had,
or any feeling of unworthiness from
his having so different a career from
| his father, that the covenant with
| Abraham, with all its blessings, Is
continued to him. the son and heir.
The Man of Peace.-The only way
to overcome evil is with good. Pull
ing up weeds never, alone, makes a
good garden. 1t is true that so long
as there is evil in the world there will
be conflict and connection.
Peacemaking does not mean thai
we are o to oppose that which Is
wrong or disturb the quiet of corru2-
ton and crime. Nothing is settled
till it's settled right. There can be
no peace to the wicked. Dur first
| duty, therefore, is, at any cost, of dis
turbance, to get things where peace Is
possible.
Character Study of isaac.-There
are two kinds of men useful as exam
pies:
First. There are those who do he
roic things, great, grand, and visibly
glorious. who are ideals set before us,
mostly far, far beyond our hope of at
| tanning, but yet visible illustrations
of spiritual greatness and heroism.
without which every life and the
whole world would be poor indeed.
Second. There are those who live
our common, everyday life with such
nobleness, such sweet and holy spirit,
doing everything from the highest mo-
| tives, Giving" as Starr King once
said. "all the beatitudes daily" that
they are a perpetual inspiration to
us every day of our lives. They touch
our character, not in special emer-
gencies, but in every act of every day.
Jesus Christ embodies both qualities.
His coming to save, his death on he
cross, and, in a sense, all between
were the utmost heights of heroism
and ~self-sacrifice. But his daily life
was, in many ways, like that of the Or
| binary man brought up to the perfect
| ideal. And this kind of life, touching
our daily needs and cares and duties.
was essential to our best welfare.
Now, Isaac was al example of daily
| living, such as belongs to us, filled
with the spirit which should pervade,
inspire, and elevate our daily lives.
| His life was uneventful. almost mo-
n~otonous. He has been called "the
| Wordsworth of the Old Testament"
| We find in him those refined, sensi-
tive. pleasant, passive virtues which
make tender and helpful the home re-
lations. and which are the grace Of all
| social intercourse"
Practical Points.
We are apt to underestimate the
value of commonplace, uneventful
| lives. On the contrary we should
thank God for putting some very or
| binary, commonplace men In his gall
| lery of Scripture portraits"
The unseen powers of the world are
far mightier than the visible mani
| festations of power we see around us.
In a single drop of water there is
| electricity enough to kill a man.
The great battles of life, the Mara
thons, the Waterloos, the Gettysburgs,
oro oftan fought on the silent battle