The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-04-07
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson lI.-SeCond Quarter, For
April 9, 1911.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Rev. .. M. stsarns.
The beginning of this lesson chap
ter, the story of the iron that did
swim Verse 81, carries me back full
forty years to the days of my school.
teaching in Halifax, N. s., when after
telling this story at the opening serv-
ices / have seen boys stay In at re-
cess to read 1t again for themselves.
We cannot help thinking OF Him who
Is able to restore lost people, or, rath-
er, save them, however far down they
may be. The piece of tree which
made the iron swim reminds us Of tho
tree which made bitter waters to be-
come sweet eek. XIV, 90 and of Him
who is the tree Of life to all who come
to Him, making us to be trees of
righteousness, the planting of the Lord
that He may be glorifed lisa. Xxi, 81.
The lesson Of today opens to US the
realities Of the unseen and Elisha's
beautiful faith in God and communion
with Him. / am fascinated with the
title man Of Cod" so often used of
Elisha and Of others, suggesting, ~
1t does, one whom God owns for Him
self and whose one desire is to live
for Him, to please Him and to be His
faithful messenger. In chapter fv, 8,
it is ian holy man of God" and this
is more full Of significance, for not all
men Of God are as willing to be holy
as they should be. The world, the
flesh and the devil are too much for
any of us, but victory is possible Oh
Cor. ii, IA; John v, 4; Rev. xii, III.
The king Of Syria did not take into
account the God Of Israel when he
warred against Israel. Not many do
even in the twentieth century. Even
a great many preachers do not seem
to know much about Him and still
less about a people called Israel, al
though God never wrought for any
other nation as He has done and will
yet do for Israel III Sam. Z, %; Ps.
cxlvii, 20).
The king Of Syria was more than
once surprised to find the king Of
Israel elude him and thought that
there must be some traitor in the
camp who gave away his plans.
When one of his servants reminded
him that there was prophet in Israel
who could tell what he said even in
his bedchamber Verse 12) he foolish
ly thought that he could take him
captive, not considering that If the
prophet could save the king OF Israel
he could also save himself Learning
that the prophet was in Dothan, he
sent thither horses and chariots, a
great host, and compassed the city
about. And now they had him sure.
So they had some reason TO think,
leaving out the supernatural.
The servant of Elisha seemed to
think that the case was hopeless. But
how grand the confidence Of the
prophet, Fear not, for they that be
with us are more than they that be
with them" verse 16). How like
Paul's "If God be for us who can be
against us?" (Rom. wifi, 81 or Da-
vid's Though an host should encamp
against me. my heart shall not fear
ops. xvii, 81.
How blessed and comforting the
fear nots" are from Gen. XIV, 1,
all the way through this heavenly
book! How simple and confident the
prayer of Elisha, Lord, / pray thee,
open his eyes that he may seer How
swift the answer, and he beheld the
mountain full Of horses and chariots
Of fire round about Elisha (verse ~.
THE chariots OF God are 10000, many
thousands Of angels" Cps. xviii, ~.
John saw more than a hundred mil
lions of angels all worshiping the
Lamb CRev. v, IL, 12). These are some
of the unseen realities. May they be
real TO us also.
AS the soldiers came to take him
he asked the Lord to smite them with
blindness, and He did So Then he
led them to the man whom they really
wanted, the king of Israel, and prayed
the Lord to open their eyes, and they
found themselves in Samaria in his
power. The king of Israel would fain
have smitten them, but Elisha for
babe him and told him to feed them
and send them home verse 22). SO
the bands Of Syria came no more into
the land of Israel verse %. !. c).
Again we have a fulfllment of
Deut. xxxii, 30, How should one
chase a thousand and two put ten
thousand to fiight?" A study Of the
many different ways in which God
at different times has shown His pow
or on behalf OF His people would be
most inspiring to a believer and posi-
bly, helpful to one who does not as
yet know the Lord
Take another instance from the next
when the Lord made the
host of the Syrians to hear noise Of
chariots and a noise OF horses, even
the noise Of great host, so that they
arose and fed, leaving their tents and
horses and asses and everything in
their camp and fed for their lives
vii, en-. 1t Is still true that ''the an
gel of the Lord encampeth round
about them that fear Him and dellv-
ereth them" ops. xxxiv. y.
Sometimes It is more for His glory
to let the enemy take us and iii treat
us, as in the case OF Joseph, Micaiah,
Jeremiah, Daniel and his friends Pc
ter and John, Paul and others. The
night on which orr Lord Jesus gave
Himself into the hands OF His enc
mics for our sakes He could have had
Iegions OF angels for the asking Matt
XVI. 1854. AS a spectacle to an
gels as well as to men we can some
times giorify Him most in suffering
phil. !, 2e).
A New York dentist was lately sent