Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-08-15
PRAYER FOR RAIN.
scripturaI Study Of a subject That Is
Receiving Statewide Attention.

We have noticed with some interest
the articles, editorial and otherwise,
that have appeared in your paper on
praying for rain. We have no infor-
nation Of our own to offer, but II has
occurred to US that a short study of
the subject from the standpoint of the
Scriptures might prove beneficial.
When the temple was dedicated Sol
omon prayed: When heaven is shut
up, and there is no rain, because they
have sinned against thee; II they
pray toward this place, and confess
thy name, and turn from their sin,
when thou afflictest them: then
hear thou in heaven, and forgive the
sin OF thy servants, and Of thy people
Israel, that thou teach them the good
way wherein they should walk, and
give rain upon thy land, which thou
hast given unto thy people for an in
heritance." /. Kings S.35. 36. In II.
Chron 1912 we find Gods answer:
And the Lord appeared unto Solo
mon by night, and said unto him,
have heard thy prayer I" If I
shut up heaven that there be no rain;
- If my people, which are call
ed by my name, shall humble them
selves, and pray, and seek my face,
and turn from their wicked ways;
then will I hear from heaven, and
will forgive their sin, and will heal
their land"
Now IL we ask Solomon why
droughts are sent he Immediately
| answers: Because Of sin. There Is
abundant reason why he should give
to mind the twenty-eighth chapter OF
Deuteronomy: And 1t shall come to
pass, II thou shalt hearken diligently
unto the voice Of the Lord thy God,
to observe and to do all his COM
| mandments which / command thee
this day. that the Lord thy God will
set thee on high above all nations Of
the earth The Lord shall open
unto thee his good treasure, the
heaven to give the rain unto thy land
in his season, and to bless all the
| work Of thy hand; and thou shalt
lend unto many nations, and thou
shall not borrow" At the same time
| 1t Is said: But 1t shall come to pass,
II thou wilt not hearken unto the
voice Of the Lord thy God, to observe
| to do all his commandments and his
| statutes which / command thee this
day; that all these curses shall come
upon thee, and overtake thee
Any the heaeyn that IL over thy head
shall be brass, and the earth that is
under thee shall be iron. The Lord
shall make the rain Of thy land pow
der and dust: from heaven shall II
come down upon thee until thou be
destroyed" In the light Of this scrip
ture Solomon could make no mistake
In attributing drought to sin.
In I. Kings we have an instance OF
a drought that came on account Of
sin and 1t may be worth our while to
notice the particular sins that caused
| 1t to come. Ahab the SON of Ouri
was the most wicked king that ever
sat upon the throne Of Israel. He
married Jezebel, daughter Of the king
of the Zidonians. Ahab and Jezebel
were worshippers Of Baal and Ash
| toreth and encouraged all Israel in
this sin Of idolatry. Baal was male
deity representing the productive
powers Of the sun. Ashtoreth was
the corresponding female divinity.
This goddess was the impersonation
Of sensuality and debauchery and
her worship was similar to that of
Venus. It was indecent and licenti-
Gus. Ahab and Jezebel led Israel,
then, in the great sins OF materialism
and sensualism. When Elijah pray
ed that it might not rain" he struck
deadly blow at this two-fold idola-
| try. How Baal was discreditedl In
the face Of famine what could the
prophets say for this god represent
ing the productive powers Of the
sun! Moreover, famine casts q
ghastly shadow over the devotees OF
had spent all his money he spent no
more time in riotous living. It Is
worthy Of note that before Elijah
prayed for rain he spent day in
putting away SIM" When God an
swered by fire the people returned
unto the Lord for they fell on their
faces and said. "The Lord, he is the
God" It was "all the people" who
took the prophets Of Baal and fol-
lowed Elijah to the brook where he
beheaded them. They followed the
order laid down by Solomon which
was confession Of His name and turn
ing from their sins.
1t would be a very easy matter to
apply this. How many hearts today
are worshippers of Baal? How many
are laboring to mass wealth utterly
disregarding the lives Of all good?
with mine own hand have I done
this" There are hundreds and thous-
ands Of the worshippers of Ashtoreth
In this country today. Her shrine is
surrounded by the ribald and the IL
centious. Places of public amuse-
ment are her affairs the reeking flames
Of which are stencil In the nostrils
Of Elijah's God. The prodigal Of the
Ahab's time, so in ours how forcibly
God speaks through the unbroken
heat Of the sun!
In the prophecy of Haggai we have
an instance Of the Withholding OF the
rain on account Of another sin. Hag-
gal prophesied during the rebuilding
Of the temple. The work of rebuild
ing was delayed and he was told to
say: rs 1t time for you, o ye, to
dwell in your ceiled houses and this
house lie waste?" He tells them that
Gods commandment: Therefore the
heaven over you Is stayed from dew,
and the earth is stayed from her
fruit: And called for a drought upon
the land, and upon the mountains,
and upon the corn, and upon the
oil, and upon that which the ground
bringeth forth, and upon all the Ia
bour Of the hands" This drought
was evidently sent because the people
were giving too much attention to
their own fortunes in proportion to
house II this was the cause Of a
drought at one time might 1t not be
the cause at another? Another
drought is mentioned in the prophecy
Of Hosea and II is mentioned In con-
nection with the sins Of the ten
tribes.
In the light of Scripture are we
not led to believe that sin is the cause
Of drougts? In the light Of Scripture
are we not taught to pray for rain?
The Spartanburg minister is right in
the light Of the Scripture, in saying
that repentance is first in order. Rain
,t,il in nc n hilf
the impenitent's prayer In regard to
the young champion corn-raiser's as
sertion that 1t would have rained any
where regardless Of the petitions Of
his father, we venture the assertion
that although Jerry knows how to
cultivate corn his father knows more
about praying for rain than he does.
G. L. Kerr.
Hickory Grove, August IA.