The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1911-02-16
FLIGHT OF
ELIJAH
Sunday SeiOol Lesson for FEB. 10. 1914
Specially Arranged for This Paper

GOLDEN TEXT-"They that wait up
on the Lord shall renew their strength
lisa. 40:3l.
TIME-The day after the scene on
Mount Carmel b. C. 900 Cor S56-O. in the
wilderness, and 40 yeards later on Horeb.
PI4ACE-I. Jezreel. one OF the royal
residences, 20 miles northeast OF Sa-
maria. g The wilderness beyond Beer
sheba. 40 miles southwest OF Jerusalem,
100 miles from JezreeL 3. Horeb, one OF
the mountains of Sinai.
In our last lesson we left Elijah
running before Ahab's chariot from
Carmel to Jezreel. one of the royal
residences, while the blessed rain was
refreshing the whole country, an en-
blem of what God would do spiritual
ly for the nation. Elijah was too wise
to enter the lair of the tigress. But
Ahab told Jezebel. We can imagine
the bitter objurgations which she
poured upon her covering husband
for having stood quietly by while her
prophets and Balls prophets were be-
ing massacred by a rebellious people.
Then Jezebel. scornfully ignoring
her husband, and undefeated, what
ever may have happened to her proph-
cts, In the intesity of her rage, bound
forty Jews who bound themselves
that they would not eat or drink till
they had slain Paul and sent a mes
senger unto Elijah. She felt that
Elijah was in her power. He fed
and his servant went with him.
Elijah was a brave man IL ever
there was one, but he was not brag-
gadocio. He was brave enough to let
the ignorant think he was a coward.
His going was not a sign of cowar-
dice. bu, OF wisdom and common
sense. Christ himself babe his dis
ciples. when We are prosecuted in
one city flee We to another" kindle
the divine fires elsewhere, and there
shall be two flames instead of one.
''Elijah flies only when he has done
the mighty work of God. and only
when the life is in deadly peril which
he would fajn save for future emer-
gencies OF service"
He went days Journey into the
wilderness. He would be alone with
ane. as Christ when he went in his
agony TO pray alone. He requested for
himself that he might die. He had
hored 10 accomplish the deIiverance
OF the people. bUt he was terribly dis
appcinted. Jezebel still had power
Heathenism would still flourish. All
his efforts had been but trying to dam
lows have gone over me-" He lay
down and slept, utterly worn out. and
exhausted
God gave his beloved sleer. and
who knows what dreams and visions
shone in the darkness. Rest for mind
and body. God sent him a friend
Behold then an angel touched him
Gods messenger. human or angelic.
More probably the latter. one Of the
"ministering spirits. sent forth to
minister for them who shall be heirs
OF salvation Eliiah's lorel'-ess
was broken. He was not forgotten.
The outward visible manifestations
OF power. whether in the natural or
spiritual world while necessary in
their time and place. are but the
smaller results of the power that
produced them. For instance. in the
natural world the storms however
great. express hut the slightest effo~ts
of the air. which gives life to all Nv
Ing beings. men. beasts trees. This
world without air would be as dead
as the moon.
How feeh'e the LIGHTNING compared
with TIE silent invisible work of cleo
tricity lighting ovr cities and bones,
driving our machinery carrying our
messages over the wires. II used 10
be thought that the upheaval of the
continents and the rearing of the
great mountains was due to cata-
clysms and CONGREGATIONS and vast ex-
blossoms OF volcanic force II has
long been known that they are due
only In part to these. but chiefly TO
the inconceivably slow notifications
produced by water. and air and heat.
So long as all real progress in re-
liglon. In reform. in the coming OF
the kingdom OF God. lies always In a
change Of will. OF character, so lorg
the change must be made by motives.
and moral influences not by fore.
1.-THE lion shall lie down with the
lamb" but only when the lions ma.
ture is SO changed that It loves to
eat grass like the OK. and does not
wart to eat the lamb.
Elijah was to return, not yet to
Israel, but around Il to the wilder
ness Of Damascus. Damascus was on
the borders of the desert. Here he
would be beyond the dominions Of
Ahab. He was not for the present to
enter into the scene Of danger. but
to do his work from without. Gradu-
ally better times came; and we find
him in the kingdom, and the schools
If the prophets fiourishing. Anoint.
u was customary to set apart. by
amounting kings and prophets. II oft
on means merely to set apart for
some special service OF God.
Hazael was known as the conf
Dental officer of Bcnhadad, king