Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1911-02-16
FLIGHT OF
ELIJAH. 81
School Lessen fer Feb. 10, 1911
Specially Arranged for This Paper

LESSON TEXT Kings 1s:+1-1s:21.
Memory Verses Ills.
GOLDEN TEXT-"They that wait up
on the Lord shall renew their strength
Isa- 4:31.
TIME-The day after the scene on
Mount Carmel. b. C. 800 Cor $500. in the
wilderness. and 40 yeards later on Horeb.
PI4ACE-I. Jezreel. one Of the royal
residences. 20 miles northeast OF sa-
maria. 2. The wilderness beyond Beer
sheba. 40 miles southwest OF Jerusalem.
100 miles from Jezreei. 8. Horeb, one Of
the mountains Of Sinai.
In our last lesson we left Elijah
running before Ahab's chariot from
Carmel to J~ezreel, one of the royal
residences, while the blessed rain was
refreshing the whole country. an en-
blem of what God would do spiritual
to enter the lair Of the tigress. But
Ahab told Jezebel. We can imagine
the bitter objurgations which she
poured upon her covering husband
for having stood quietly by while her
prophets and Baal's prophets were be-
ing massacred by a rebellious people.
Then Jezebel, s%cornfully ignoring
Z huSpdllh, dllu ubuSiSdtSu, "hdI-
eve may have happened to her proph-
cts. in the intesity of her rage, bound
herself by an oath like that Of the
forty Jews who bound themselves
that they would not eat or drink till
they had slain Paul and sen a mes
senger unto Elijah. She felt that
Elijah was in her power. He fed
onI hto nr,,op u,1p& Nth htn,
Elijah was a brave man II ever
there was one. but he was not a brag-
gadocio. He was brave enough to let
the ignorant think he was a coward.
His going was not a sign Of cowar-
dice, buI of wisdom and common
sense. Christ himself babe his dis
ciples. "When We are prosecuted in
n city flee We to another" kindle
the divine fires elsewhere, and there
shall be two flames instead Of one.
Elijah flies only when he has done
the mighty work Of God, and only
when the life is in deadly peril which
he would fain save for future emer-
gencies Of service"
He went a days Journey into the
wilderness. He would be alone. with.
out even his servant. in this Gethsem.
ane, as Christ when he went in his
agony to pray alone. He requested for
himself that he might die. He had
hoped to accomplish the deliverance
OF the people. but he was terribly dis
appointed. Jezebel still had power.
Heathenism would still flourish. All
his efforts had been but trying to dam
Niagara with bulrushes. "All thy bill.
lows have gone over me" He Law
down and slept, utterly worn out, and
exhausted.
God gave his beloved sleep. and
who knows what dreams and visions
shone in the darkness. Rest for mind
and body. God sent him a friend.
Behold. then an angel touched him.
Gods messenger. human or angelic.
More probably the latter. one Of the
"ministering spirits. sent forth to
minister for them who shall he heirs
Of salvation" Eliiah's loneliness
was broken. He was not forgotten.
The outward, visible manifestations
OF power, whether in the natural or
spiritual world. while necessary in
their time and place. are but the
smaller results OF the power that
produced them. For instance. in the
natural world, the storms however
great, express but the slightest effects
of the air. which gives life to all liy.
ing beings. men, beasts, trees. This
world without air would be as dead
as the moon.
How feeble the lightning compared
with the silent invisible work Of cleo.
trfcity lighting our cities and homes,
driving Il machinery, carrying our
messages over the wires. It used to
be thought that the %upheaval OF the
continents and the rearing Of the
great mountains vas duo to cata.
clysms and CONGREGATIONS and vast ex.
%plosions OF volcanic force. II has
long been known That they are due
only In part to these, but chiefly to
the inconceivably slow notifications
produced by water. and air and heat.
So long as all real progress in re.
ligion, In reform. in the coming OF
the kingdom Of God. lies always in a
change Of will, Of character, so long
the change must be made by motives.
and moral influences, not by force.
"The lion shall lie down with the
lamb" but only when the lions ma.
ture is 80 changed that It loves to
eat grass like the OK. and does not
want to eat the lamb.
Elijah was to return. not yet to
Israel, but around II to the wilder.
ness Of Damascus. Damascus was on