Evening journal., 1911-04-15
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IM BIBLE. STUDIES.
BIBLE STUDIES.
EAsTER SUNDAYS LESSON

ucdln OF nel husband, became Queen
Dowager OF the Kingdom Of Judah.
her son Ahazlah becoming King. In
Oriental lands the Kings mother is
still the highest authority in the
Kingdom, as, for instance. in China.
This was the custom with the Jews.
AS Queen Dowager. Athaliah had cx-
ercised a powerful and baneful i1-
iiuence against the true God and His
worship and in favor Of Baal worship.
Hers is not the only instance In which
the intermarriage or the kings or
Israel with the daughters Of foreign
Kingdoms brought great injury. Her
mother Jezebel was another notable
illustration. And we remember that
It was Solomon's foreign wives who
ensnared him.
In line with all this we remember
that the Divine command 70 all Jews
was that they should not intermarry
with other nationalities. Every de-
Walton from the Divine Law seems
10 have brought with II serious pen-
alties. This is strictly In harmony
with Gods arrangement with that one
nation alone, that they should be His
people in a peculiar sense, that other
nations were not His pcopls and that
obedience TO His laws would bring
them blessings and disobedience bring
them adversitlos. That Law is still
upon the Jews, but il Is not upon
others.
There should be a proper recogni-
tion Of the antitype, or spiritual sig
nihcance Of that item OF Jewish law
by all Christians who constitute, from
the Divine standpoint, "a holy ma
ton, a peculiar people" Christians
are not TO be uneQually yoked with
unbellevers. Christians are 10 come
out from the world and be separate.
This. however. does not apply 10
nominal Christians, but only TO the
spirit-begotten class, who have made
full conservation OF themselves to
the Lord. These are counselled to
marry "only In the Lord"--only the
consecrated. Those who disregard
this Divine INDUCTION erdanger their
own spiritual development, as we'll as
their own happiness and the happi-
ness Of the worldly person with whom
they become yoked
Numbering for Power.
When King Ahaziah was slain by
Jehu. his mother the Queen Dowager,
realized instantly that this meant her
loss OF rank and power-the power
and honor and riches which her self
ish. proud heart so loved. She real
lied that the moment her grandson
ascended the throne she must vacate
her position in favor Of her daughter
in-law Her selfish, proud heart re-
solved that on no account should this
be. Rather, she would be a MUIR
eress Forthwith she caused her
grandchildren 70 be slain, except one
an infant. who was hidden by his
aunt IN a room used for the storage
OF sleeping mats, and, In our lesson
STYLED a bed-chamher, subsequently
he was nursed until his seventh year,
In one of the rooms connected with
the old temple. which was IN disuse
during Queen Athaliah's reign. as she
favored and upheld the worship OF
Baal
We may we'll hope that many could
not be influenced to become murder
ers. even with such inducements But
not many will ever have a temptation
TO grasp a throne or to retain one.
One lesson for use here Is the pow
er Of pride. We may we'll hope that
MANY could not be influenced TO be-
come murderers, even with such In
ducements. But not many Of us will
ever have such a temptation either 70
grasp a throne or to retain hold OF
one already possessed.
other illustrations of the power OF
pride leading to murder, In the inter-
est OF a throne are mentioned In his
tory. For Instance. King Herods
murder OF all the infants Of
Bethlehem Of two years and
under was to preserve TO himself
and his heirs the throne Of
Israel. History tells US Of how Lao
dice poisoned her six sons, one by
one. that she might be Empress Of
Constantinople. Another mother
named Irene. which name signifes
peace, gouged out the eyes of her own
son that he might be incapable OF
ruling the Empire over which she
sought 10 reign alone.
No wonder the Bible declares that
the heart Of man In his fallen condi-
ton is deceitful above all things and
desperately wicked No wonder the
Bible tells us that the blessing Of
the New Covenant which God will es-
tablish with the world through Israel.
during Messiah's reign. will operate
TO the taking away Of the stoniness
Of the heart and to the return to man
kind OF a heart Of fiesh-a proper hu-
man sympathy such as the perfect
man had when he was created In the
image and likeness Of God! How glad
we are that Messiah's Kingdom viii
not merely restrain sin and sinners.
but. by restitution processes, take
away the stoniness Of heart and
bring as many as are willing Of man
kind back to tender-heartedness and
into harmony with the Divine Law OF
Love for God and for the neighborl
Since we are not kings and queens
and have not their temptations, let
us note that the same principle Of
hard-heartedness operates In the busi-
ness world. in the social world and
I'm the family. In the business world.
Il operates to the destruction Of a
rival concern. In the social world II
cuts rivals, prompts TO misrepresenta-
! tion. slander, etc. In the home, as
between parents and children, broth
ers and sisters, it frequently means
injustice. The correction for all this
is a love Of righteousness which will