The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1911-02-24
EIIJAH MEETS
AHAB
s,,a.v School Lesson for Feb. rs, 1911
Specially Arranged for This Paper

~ - covetousness. Luke 1915.
"TI,,rT-Four or five years after the last
,.sson Prof Beecher puts this story In
.Sa nth year of Ahab, B. c. 9o6 Cor 1863.
sssvrian) between his Syrian campaign.
Einps 20 and the war described In
Kings r.
~abotb,s vineyard In Jezreel. 20 miles to
the north.
For four or five years Elijah seems
10 have retired from public life. He
was practicing the lesson he had
learned on Horeb. He was at work,
Int in a different way. His stormy
work was not in vain. That plowed
the ground, and now was the time for
sowing the seed The seven thousand
hidden believers were permitted to
come into the open. Persecution had
ceased. Others came out and Joined
them. The prophets had no longer to
be hidden in a cave by Obadiah.
Elijah encouraged and was at the
head of the organized communities or
schools of the prophets which existed
as far back as Samuel In his last
tourney he visited the sons of the
prophets" at Bethel and Jericho, and
is spoken of as their head master.
From these centers and from the
schools at Gilgal, Ramah and Gibeah
they exerted a strong influence and
their appearance at any particular
spot was often the signal for the out
break OF contagious religious fervor
These settlements may be described
as training schools for religious pur-
poses Elijah was thus educating the
people in the true religious life. He
was working in accordance with the
still small voice of God.
Elijahs success was in finding and
training Elisha to be prophet in his
fuences and methods. The great
prophet, SO lonely hitherto. had found
friend If there was oce thing Ell.
jah needed 10 mellow him, II was that!
Naboth, native of Jezreel, had for
his vineyard an ancestral possession.
We learn that Naboth was a worship
er of Jehovah, and in spite of the per-
secution Of the prophets did not
shrink from making it known to the
king by his language Here was an
example of one who had not bowed
the knee nor given a kiss to Baal
Jezebel coveted this vineyard
Jezebe said to Ahab, Arise, take
possession of the vineyard And Ahab
went. The Septuagint adds that he
rent his clothes and put on saekcloth,
as though shocked at his crime and
anxious TO prove his innocence to his
own conscience and to the people But
the hypocrisy of the act was shown
by his Willingness TO accept the fruits
OF the crime. This mourning for the
means but acceptance of the fact
would not be in disaccord with Ahab's
moral weakness.
Coyetousness is "a root of all kinds
of evil II is the desire, the motive
mat lies in the heart, the prolific
mother of all sins. the cockatrice's egg
from which breaks forth the viper and
the fiery flying serpent" 1t is not an
awful thought that the deadly sin OF
Judas and OF Ananias sprang from
greed? Still as of old, man by him
sell is priced; for thirty pieces Judas
sold himself-not Christi"
Much of the sin and danger to our
iand springs from covetousness. The
graft, the dishonesty, the liquor sell
Ing, the bribery. the fraud of every
kind.
A clear vision of the evil covetous-
ness works in the covetous mans own
eharaeter and destiny. How Is de
grades him, shuts him up in narrow
ing prison like one described among
.ne tortures of the inqusition. where
inc walls drew nearer together by one
notch each day. The doors OF oppor-
unity are gradually shut against him,
ana his part in the blessing OF the
great world
Inc one essential cure is a change
vi heart that leads to a change of
character II is to give your heart to
"oo' TO consecrate your whole being
nun, 10 love and obey him, to strive
"'th the whole soul to build up his
~'hsaom, Love is the cure Of covet-
BUSINESS love to God and love to man.
use every opportunity of giving and
STRIVING others. Don't complain of SO
many calls, but rejoice in the oppor-
UNITY; search for opportunities as for
Aiu treasure, God loves the whole
eouled hilarious giver. Even the poor
ss' can give. They can say. as Peter
sa.o 10 the lame man at the Beautiful
eaoe OF the temple. such as | have
eNe thee There is much more to
give than mere money; sympathy.
noih' time, aid in sickness. feeding
. as hungry shelter, care and a multi.
'uue OF other things.
niiJah confronted the king In his III
soe'eh property. The word of the Lord
ne 10 Elijah. In what form we do
a. "a Aho", any more than we know all
ways IN which one spirit infu-
,aoes another. But that it was Gods
oiu is fact 'It lie i,arljo5 that