The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-12-15
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson xlI.-Fourth Quarter, For
Dec. II, 1911.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Texe o. ghe lesson, Men, Will 1s12.
Memory Verses, 2, s--0eIdsn Text,
Pc. xix, 7--cemmentary Prepared BY
Rev. q. N. stsarns.
The temple being finished and also
the wall around tie city Chapter vi,
10; 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 a bless
ed woman His mother was, sYea, rath-
err blessed are they that hear the word
Of God and keep it." On another oc-
casfon he said, @My mother and My
brethren are these which hear the
word OF God and do It" QIuke xi, Is;
viii. 21). Ezra was a priest ana a
ready scribe in the law OF Moses and
had prepared his heart TO seek the law
of the Lord and to do it and to teach
Il verses /, 2; Ez4 vii. 8, 1O). He
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 understand
Ing, Oversees 2, 81, and they were an
earnestly attentive congregation. AS
in the building Of the wall. it was
strikngiy suggestive that they should
begin and end at the sheep gate, in
asmuch as no work viii 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
at the water gate verses /, 81, or, as
in xii, 81, the fountain gate. In Jer
ii, 10. the Lord calls Himself the
fountain Of living waters, and In Eph
v, 26, he Is said to sanctify and cleanse
His people with the washing OF water
by the word. Compare also Ps. cxix, 8.
It was long session from morning
until midday (verse 81. and they kept
It up from the first day unto the last
day OF the feast Verse 49,, and
there was very great gladness, with
confession Of sin and separation from
the world (yiii, IT; TX, 1-S). It is in
teresting to notice just thirteen men
associated with Ezra in verses 2 and
I, and Dr. Bullinger calls attention to
the first use OF thirteen as associated
with rebellion (Gen. xiv, A.. 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 spiritual Jer
icho. There were just fourteen with
Ezra, a 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
81 encouragement is always, 81 am
with YOU" (Ex ill. IL; Josh. /, s; Judg
Vi. f6; lisa. XII, 10; Hag. /, 10; II, A.
The response Of the people and their
attitude before God seem to indicate
that their hearts were right with Him
and the heart is everything QI Chron
xvi, 8; Sam. xvi. y.
Reading and exposition OF the word
Of God are the great need Of souls ev.
erywhere, and verse seems to cover
It simply and fully, "They read In the
book I'm the law Of God distinctly and
gave the sense and caused them to
understand the reading" In Deut
xvii, s; Hab. II, 2, the instructions
were to write plainly that those read
ing might rum and tell The way Of
Baruch In Jer. xxxvi, 8, Is a good way,
Reading in the book the words Of 1
the Lord In the Lords house" Just
the word OF God without note or
comment or explanation has often
wrought the salvation OF soul by the
power Of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes
the Lord uses the human instrument
to open up the word more fully. as in
the case OF Philip and the Ethiopian
who said to him, How can I under
stand except some man should guide
me7" (Acts viii, 30, 30. On the resur-
rection day the Lord Jesus expounded
or interpreted the Scriptures to the
two men with whom He walked to
Emmaus and the same evening open
ed the understanding OF the disciples
that they might understand the Scrip
lures duke xiv, 81, 44, 40.
The words Of the Lord, In the power
OF the Spirit. as Ezra and the Levites
taught the people. convinced them OF
sin. and they wept, but the same spir-
It who convfnces Of sin also convinces
Of righteousness John xvi, s-10l and
shows that where there IS true peni.
tence there are the plotting out OF sin