The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1907-12-04
Sunday School Column
Side Lights on Next Sundays Les
son for Teachers and Pupils
By cHAs. K. MEYERS

Sunday School Association Officers.
President. w. C. Van Ness Denison
Vice President, j. B. Alfred. Manila.
Secretary and Treasurer. Chas. X. Meyers
Denison.
Department secretaries are as follows: Home
department. Mrs Pierce. Denison. Normal de-
partment, Prof. E. w. Fellows Denison. House
to house. Mrs. Harper Dow City. Primary. Mrs.
yoss, Denson. Temp. rance. Sears McHenry.
Denison. Missionary Miss Sadie Medley. Manila.
Dec. s.-Ruth's Wise Choice. Ruth.
l. 14-22. The lesson for this day
calls to mind one of the most beauti-
full women characters of the bible.
The little book of Ruth recounts how
a Jew named Elimelech. his wife
Naomi. and two son went out from
Bethleham- Judah to the heather land
of Moab. because of a famine about
his native village. The sons grew up
and married Moab women. In time
the father and sons died and the three
women were left widows. Naomi
decided to return to her native land.
For short part of the journey she
was accompanied by her daughters-in
law Ruth and Orpha. She urged
them both to return back to Moab to
be with their own people. Orpha
consented to do this, but Ruth chung
to Naomi. with words of love. faith
and devotion which are historic in
their line. She said 'sIntreat me not
to leave thee or return from following
after thee: for whittier thou goest l.
will go: where thou lodgest l will
lodge; thy people shall be my people
and thy God my God.
OF many strong points of this lesson
we call attention to three. First-The
life of Naomi had been such in the
heather land as to cause Ruth at least
to love her and to believe that the
God of the Jews was worthy of trust
and true faith. The lesson urges
Christian people to live such life
that those about will desire to have
the Christ for their Savior and friend.
If christians are not more tender
hearted. honest. truthful. consider
ate. highminded than those not
christians. then their belief in Christ
in vain.
Second Both of the daughters-in-
law had presumably the same oppor-
tunity to judge of the character OF
Naomi and to be informed of the reli-
gion of the Israelites. The way was
as open to Orpha as to Ruth TO put
away the heather Gods of Moab and
cleave to the true God, but she re-
fused to do so. She returned to her
idols and drops out of sight. The
choice is before each person today to
chose the true God or reject Him.
The way is open. no one binders.
Shall it be the God of the bible or a
abandonment of Him?
Third-Naomi told her people on
return that she felt as if God had
.smitten her in that she had lost her
husband and sons. This is not the
way Jesus and St Paul told US to
consider such things. Jesus remon-
strated into those who said that be-
cause tower fell on certain people
it was sign they were more wicked
than others. Trials and sorrows
but work out for the one suffering a
more exceeding reward. if they bear
all in humble spirit. The choice
of Ruth should be that of all. She
came to be one of the ancestors of
David. one of the honored women of
Israel. There is no telling the honors
of this world. and the next for those
choosing to have Jesus the Christ TO,
their Savior and friend.