The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1911-12-14
sunday SCHOOL.
Lesson XII.-Fourth Quarter, For
Dec. II, 1911.
THE international SERIES.

THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text Of the Lesson, Neh. viii, liz.
Memory Verses, 2, @GoIden Text.
Ps. xix, 7-commentary Prepared by
Rev. D. M. Stearns.
The temple being finished and also
the wall around the city chapter vi,
Is; Ez. vi. IA, 15), they are better pre-
pared to hear the word of God in Or
der to do it. The Lord Jesus said one
day when some one said what bless
ed woman His mother was. ''Yea. rath-
er blessed are they that hear the word
of God and keep it, On another oc-
casion He said. "My mother and My
brethren are these which hear the
word of God and do it" luke ri, %:
viii, 21) Ezra was a priest and
ready scribe in the law Of Moses and
| had prepared his heart Il. :" \ the law
Of the Lord and to do it and to teach
| was therefore just the right man to
| conduct this Bible conference. 1t was
attended by both men and women and
! all that could hear with understands
| ing verses . -. and they We're an
earnestly attentive congregation. AS
in the building OF the wall, it was
stri!1ingly suggestive that they should
begin and end at the sheep gate. in
asmuch as no work will stand that Is
not connected with the blood Of the
Lamb So in this lesson it seems most
appropriate that the people should
drink of the living water of the word
ut the water gate verses l, b, or, as
in xii. 81, the fountain gate. In Jer
| ii. 13, the Lord calls Himself the
| fountain of living waters, and in Eph-
| Y, %, he is said to sanctify and cleanse
His people with the washing OF water
by the word Compare also Ps. cxix, y
It was long session from morning
until midday verse -. and they kept
it up from the first day unto the last
day of the feast verse 1S). and
there was very great gladness, with
confession Of sin and separation from
the world viii. II; tx, 49,. 1t is in
teresting to notice just thirteen men
associated with Ezra in verses 2 and
Z, and DIR. Bullinger calls attention to
the first use of thirteen as associated
with rebellion (Gen. xiv, ~. 1t was
from the results of persistent rebel
lion that Ezra was seeking to lead the
people back to God 1t was at the
thirteenth march around Jericho that
the walls fell, and this coming back
! to God from all their wanderings was
like the overthrow Of a spiritual Jer
icho. There were just fourteen with
. Ezra. twice seven, suggesting the
\ perfection of Gods dealings with His
people There was one with Ezra In
: visible to ordinary eyes, the only one
worth considering, and His great word
) of encouragement is always, II am
) with you" eek iii, II; Josh. i. 5: Judg
; vi, 1G; lisa. xii, 10; Hag. i, 10: ii, d
, The response Of the people and theil
: attitude before God seem to indicate
!. that their hearts were right with Him
: and the heart is everything I'll Chron
; xvi, 8; Sam. xvi, ..
; Reading and exposition Of the wore
, of God are the great need Of souls ev
: erywhere. and verse s seems to cover
. it simply and fully, ''They read in The
, book in the law of God distinctly an6
: gave the sense and caused them t.
! understand the reading In DeIt
xvii, S: Hab. ii, 2. the instruction:
were to write plainly that those read
! ing might run and tell, The way O.
Baruch in Jer. xxxvi. 8, Is good way
I Reading in the book the words o
the Lord in the Lords house. Jus
the word of God without note o
comment or explanation has oftel
:; wrought the salvation of soul by tn
power of the Holy Spirit. Sometime
the Lord uses the human instrumen
to opcn up the word more fully, as Il
the case of Philip and the Ethiopian
! who said to him. "Hew can l under
! stand except some man should guild
! rection day the Lord Jesus expounde
= or interpreted the Scriptures to tn
- two men with whom He walked t
Emmaus and the same evening oper
!; ed the understanding of the disciple
I that they might understand the ScriI
I lures luke xiv, q, "A, 45>.
& The words of the Lord, in the powe
I Of the Spirit, as Ezra and the Levite
I taught the people. convinced them Q
I sin. and they wept. but the same spi1
it who convinces Of sin also convince
I Of righteousness John xvi, $40, an
I shows that where there is true pen
I tence there are the blotting out of 81
I and the imparting Of perfect RICH
I eousness, so that one can say. Il
! the Lord have l Righteousness an
- strength" dsa. kill, %; XIV, 24,- Con
. pare II Cor v, q: Rom. K, 4 on
lesson chapter is a seventh mont
chapter verses 2, ~. beginning wit
the feast of trumpets and ending wit
the feast of taberna cles. but betwee
the two came the great day OF atom
ment LEV. xiii, "a, q, 34), the onl
true ground Of all real joy LEV. wi
II; Gal. iii, 13). Mourn not nor weel
neither be We gr1eved: neither be J
sorry" verses 8, 10, III. reminds US {
the words of the Lord Jesus to pen
tent sinners. "Son, be Of good chez
daughter. be of good cheer" (Mat
ix, 2. %. R. w We think also of IL
: Ethiopian who went on his way +
n ioicing, of the jailer and his househo