The Tupelo journal., 1911-12-22
| INTERNATIONAL
LESSON
FOR DECEMBER "a
MALACHI REsUKEs JUDAH.
LESSON rExr-Malachi s:1-4:a.

GOLDEN TEXT. Return UNTO mo-
and / will return unto you, satin the
Lord OF hosts."-Mal. ST.
q Unto you is born this day IN the
city OF David a Savior. which IL Christ
the Lord.'-Luke Ell.
TrME+Some time during the age or
Ezra and Nehemiah. but 1t Is not certain
whether about 45S (Ezra) or ~ or Isl.
PLACE-Jerusalem and vicinity.
CONTEMPORARY HISTORY = Alci-
blades at Athens. The Peloponnesian
war (ls1-4OD. The republic at Rome; gov
About this time Socrates was teaching
the only approach to a pure morality
which Athens ever knew. Herodotus was
NEARLY through his travels (4s<-4o0. Plato.
the philosopher ~t430-350). was now . boy.
listening to Socrates. Xenophon (4A-SbD
leads the retreat Of the ten thousand
back to Greece 600. which retreat No
has immortanxed In his Anabasis.
- -~,~-~aesss-> rsessss
There is no certainty as to the
definite time when Malachi uttered
his prophecies. because no data 10
given in the book, and tho sins which
he sought to reform were present
throughout the whole period Of Ezra
and Nehemiah, from 458 through the
rest OF the century. Most place him
soon after Nehemiah's second coming
TO Jerusalem, between 433 and 43O.
He is plain spoken, and direct, with
out high eioquence, or supreme poetic
but Astounding in effective
ssimiles, metaphors and imagery which
hit the mark, and do the work. What
a London paper says OF q distin-
Sguished mans Straightforward
speeches applies we'll to the sermons
OF Malachi: "a sound and healthy
gospel doubly welcome because the
world is waking to the consciousness
OF intellectual and moral hunger
which only these truths can satisfy"
II we read the later chapters OF
Nehemiah and compare the sins and
evils which Nehemiah labored to re-
Yrm. with the sins and evils which
Malachi denounces, it will be seen
that both are laboring for the same
ENDS. and realize the same necessity
of reform. God was d~ishonored, and
religion made a mere form and farce.
by Offering mean things for sacrifices.
las polluted bread, and lame and sick
animals, by refusing to do the sim
ap4est service in the temple without
pay, by refusing to pay tithes for the
support of the temple worship, by
being weary of serving the Lord, by
intermarrying with the heather. In
all these things they broke the di-
vine law; they showed that their
ripdq woro all wrong
One of the peculiar glories of the
bible is that from the very beginning
its golden age is in the future, not, as
lin other ancient nations, in the past.
And as the golden age must have a
maker, Gods revelation o brings
into view the n the Messiah who
alone can make the age of gold which
is the Kingdom of Heaven. Isaiah
tells us that unto US a child is born,
unto us a son is given; and the gov
eminent shall be upon his shoulder;
and his name shall be called Wonder
full Counsellor, the mighty God, the
everlasting Father, the Prince OF
Peace"
In the last book Of the Old Testa-
ment, about 400 years before Christ
was born, the last prophet brings the
hope and ideal and goal in the person
of the Messiah, Christ, the Jesus who
was born on the true Christmas day.
Behold ], God, will send my messen-
ger, one coming in Gods name. and
bearing a divine message, whose
work shall be to prepare the way be-
fore me, the coming Of God himself.
This messenger, interpreted by our
Lord himself on two occasions, vas
one who should come In the spirit
and power of Elijah, doing the same
work, rebuking sin, denouncfng all
wrongs, calling men to repentance.
awakening the conscience.
It rs possible that these words had
sampartial fulffment In Nehemiah, q
-foresbadoving on a smaller scale, OF
John the Baptist who completely full
filled the prophecy. Nehemfah's re-
forms were a part of the preparation
sfoT the coming Of the Kinsdom OF
Heaven, and f11ed the Eye of thu
people on the great ideal toward
which they we're slowly moving.
Suppose we make two maps OF the
world ON the plan furnished by the
United States census to show the de.
igree In which ignorance. certain dis
eases, and many other things prevail
Thy means Of higher and darker
ishades. On one map We will note the
countries where the purest Christian
sity prevails. by white. A darker shade
Twill mark the more imperfect forms
land then let the shades grow DARKER
and darker through Mohammedanism,
and the various forms OF heathenism
till we come to the blackness Of the
lowest fetishfsm.
Then, with entire independence
make a similar map Of the moral and
Intellectual condition OF men. Where
there Is the most manhood. the no
blest womanhood, the highest moral
fly. the best social conditions, the
most done/for the sick and suffering