The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1908-11-27
Worlds Temperance
Sunday
Sunday School Lesson for Nov. 20, 1908
Specially Arranged for This Paper

LESSON T~EXT.-Isaiah 2s.i-1s. Mem.
DRY verse, II.
GOLDEN TEXT keep under my
body, and bring 1t into subsection" 80
Cor. 9:27.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
In order to understand this great
prophecy Of Isaiah, our lesson for to-
day, we must first have a vivid realiza.
ton Of
The Historical standardized .
Kings 17:1-23; 1910; Chron. 20, 80.
1t is about 725 B. G. Isaiah, the royal
prophet, was in Jerusalem, the capital
OF Judah. The good King Hezekiah,
the rulers and leaders of the state
were his audience. The nations were
going astray, they were worldly,
drunken, selfish, cruel, luxurious, op.
pressing the poor, neglecting religion,
forgetting God.
From the northwest were coming
great hordes Of Assyrian soldiers dev-
astating everything on their a
They had reached the northern king
dom of which Samaria was the cap
ttal. Like an overwhelming scourge
these semi-savage armies were over
running the country with all wanton
crimes and cruelties, destroying every
thing good.
They were sweeping away cities and
villages, farms, cattle, orchards
everything. The prophet sees them
drifting, as In the rapids of Niagara,
swiftly toward destruction. He sees
the storm-clouds on the horizon threat
ening tempests and lightning blasts
and destruction.
Within three or four years Samaria,
the capital, was captured, and the
northern kingdom swept out Of exist
ence by the A%ssyrians.
But the people of Jerusalem felt
comparatively safe, for their city was
a mighty fortress, a very Gibraltar,
rarely captured, and probably 1t never
could be captured If the people within
were brave, united and trua.
The prophet, pointing to the north.
ern kingdom, warns his own people
that nothing could save them II they
continued to sin. Repent, or that
overwhelming scourge vii. sweep over
Judea and Jerusalem in It's devastat-
ing course"
V. l.. Woe" Not d wish or q
prayer for woe, but a warning that
woe was coming. ITO the crown OF
pride" The capital, SO called, be-
cause 1t crowned the hill, or because
its battlemented walls iesembled q
crown. "ro DIETER 'eY') the drunk.
ards Of Ephraim," put for the whole
kingdom, because Ephraim was the
leading tribe. Whose glorious beauty"
The glorious beauty of Samarla wal
a beauty of magnificent luxury. Sum.
mer" and winter houses" distinct
each from the other (Amos 3:15);
Ivory palaces" Il Kings 22:39; Amos
$3.50; a wealth Of gardens, vine-
yards, hEorchards and olive yards"
(Amos 4:9); residences Of "hewn
stone" (Amos 5:11); feasts enlivened
with "the melody Of viols" (Amos
5:23); beds of ivory (Amos 6:4);
wine in bowls" (Amos 6:6); "chief
ointments" (Amos 6:6) constituted a
total of luxurious refinement beyond
which few nations had proceeded at
the time.-Rawlinson. "Is a fading
iower." 1t was a kind of beauty that
was liable to fade. 1t had nothing
of the riches that endure.
v. 2. "T 3 Lord hath a mighty and
strong one The Lord would use the
Assyrian power, "as a tempest Of hail,
and a destroying storm" to punish the
wickedness which was injuring the
people far more than the Assyrian
hordes could their outward prosper
ity.
v. 4. "As the hasty fruit" R. w.,
the first ripe fig" swiftly decaying or
destroyed by the birds.
v. s. Turning from this Grown of
pride" and fading flower and decay
ing fruit" Of sin, the prophet points to
the only true Grown of glory and .
diadem Of beauty, the Lord of hosts"
v. 6. For he would bring to them
the spirit of judgment" justice, right
e~ousness, and turn back "the battle at
the gate" defeating and scattering
their enemies.
v. Z. Then he shows one source of
their woes, erred through wine . . .
out of the way through strong
drink" therefore they err in vision.
they stumble in judgment"
The Jerusalem drinkers indignant
ly ask:
v. 8. Whom shall he teach knowl-
edge?" What right has Isaiah to
talk to US thus? Are we babies just
weaned from the milk? Are we mere
school children to be chided and
warned in this way?
v. 10. For precept must be upon
p~recept." The r. v. gives the true
meaning: For it is precept upon
p~recept." The prophet Is telling the
same story all the time, continually re-
peating, everywhere, all the time, in
season. out Of season, the same old
warning.