The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1911-02-09
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson W'.-First Quarter, For
H. Feb. H. 1911.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text Of the Lesson, | Kings xviii, 25-
3e-Memory Verses, SO, 39-GoIden
Text, Josh. xiv, documentary
Prepared by Rev. D. NJ. G.larns.


verse / and chapter xvii, 2, s. The
majority Of believers are appointed
TO s!orify God in a very quiet, COM
menplace kind of life, not often SO
quiet and lonely as Cherith nor SO
lowly as Zarephath and yet very or
binary. May the thirty years of Jesus
at Nazareth be great encouragement
to all such.
Then as to knowing when to move
from where We are. may the pillar
Of cloud and fire be our guide. See
Num- tx, 1923 Remember also that
when Joseph was sent to: Egypt with
Mary and the child Jesus it. was said
! to him, "Be thou there until bring
! thee word" Matt. ii. 49, No will but
| His and prompt obedience to His
| word will give us days Of heaven on
earth Deut. ri, %. AS plainly as he
was told, Get thee hence and hide
myself xvii, 81, so now he is told.
$50 shew thyself unto Ahab." We
think of Ezekiel, who was told, "Arise;
go forth into the plain" and later,
go shut thyself within thine house"
Qzek. iii, 22-2N. Perfect acquiescence
and unquestioning obedience are the
only way of rest and peace.
We are now introduced to Obadiah,
the governor of Ahabs house, good
man in hard place. But Joseph and
Daniel We're somewhat similarly sit
uated, though they did not choose
fIni Gil,
diah did or not we are not told. We
are glad to learn that he was the
means of preserving the lives of
hundred prophets and that he was a
man who feared the Lord from his
youth. His name means servant Of
Jehovah" and we trust that as good
servant his aim was to pie Use God
rather than man Eph. vi, g..
When Elijah would have Obadiah
tell Ahab that he had come he was at
first afraid, but afterward went. and
so Ahab and Elijah met, with the
greeting from the former, cart thou
he that troubleth Israeli to which
Elijah replied that the guilt was upon
him and his fathers house And with
out further talk he ordered him to
gather to Mount Carmel the $50
prophets who ate at JeZebel's table.
Ahab seems to have been promptly
obeIient, and soon Elijah is face to
face with the prophets Of Baal and
challenges them and the people with
the wards: How long halt We between
two opinions? If Jehovah be God fol-
low Him, but if Baal then follow
him. Verse 2D. ...-
1t is probable that many of the
people were in doubt about Baal, mas
much as he did not deliver them from
their distress. The proposition that
they and Elijah should each prepare a
sacrifice and then decide upon the God
, that should answer by fire commended
!, itself to the people, and all the people
! answered and said at is well spoken"
Or, as in the margin, 1.-The word is
good.' Elijah gave the prophets of
7 Baal the first opportunity, and, having
, prepared their sacrifice, we see them
from morning until noon and from
, noon until the time of the evening sac
: rifice calling upon their gods, Elijah
urging them on with his Cry aloud,
! for he is a god. Either he is talking
or he hath pursuit, or he Is in n
: journey. or paradventure he sleepetll
and must be awaked.' But. although
they cried aloud and cut themselves
till the blood gushed out there was
no response whatever One would
think that the devil would have done
something to encourage his devoted
. worshipers, but the hand of the Lord
! must have restrained him.
a When they had utterly failed then
Elijah said unto all the people, Come
' near unto me-" With what interest
t or perhaps in sullen silence they must
! have watched the repairing of the
, altar Of the Lord. the placing of
! twelve stones to represent the twelve
:, tribes. the digging of a trench and
! then the placing of the sacrifice on the
q Wocd! If they had been at all indif-
e ferent up to this time they would sure
ly be amazed at the threefold drench-
ing of everything with twelve barrels
of water until even the trench was
hiiNu- A>oN, "Adl SouIu Hle uO EVEN
D If 1t came? Listen now to the prayer
verses SO, 80 which, uttered distinct
~ and slowly, does not occupy half
a minute. The fire Of the Lord fell
consuming even the stones and the
dust and the water in the trench.
: When the people saw it they fell on
their faces and said: Jehovah. He is
r the God! Jehovah, He is the Godr'
!, Then Elijah had all the prophets of
S Baal brought to the brook Kishon and
slain there. Not one escaped. Ahab
' went up to eat and drink, and Elijah
went up to the top Of Carmel to pray
Note in Elijah's prayer for fire that
O his one cry was that Jehovah would
/ show Himself as God, and he asked
nothing for himself but to be known
as the Lords servant Consider the
Lord answering by fire in Lev. tx. "a
: Judg. Vi, p; Chron. xxi. %; II Chron
: vii, 1. and l have no doubt that the
sacrifice OF Abel was also accepted in
the same way-fre from the sword in
8 Eden reaching out to the sacrifice
while Gains Offering was untouched
| May we all be consumed with suc!
!. soya to God as shall make it manifest
that Jesus lives.