The Holt County sentinel., 1911-12-22
INTERNATIONAL
SUNDAXSC[1OOL
LESSON
LESSON FOR DECEMBER "a
MALACHI ResUkes JUDAH.
LESSON TEXT Malachi 3:i-4:3.
MEMORY vERSES-3:l6, II.

MEMORY NERSES-316 IL.
GOLDEN TENT. Return unto me.
and I will return unto you. saith the
Lord Of hosts."-Mai 80.
3 UNTO you Is born this day In the
city NJ David a Savior. which IL Christ
| the Lord."-t.uke 2:iI.
TIME,-Some time during the age OF
Ezra and Nehemiah. but u IL not certain
whether about ass u:zrN or ~ or $50.
PLACE-Jcrusaicm and vicinity.
CONTEMPORARY HISTORY Alci-
| blades at Athens. The Peloponnesian
war H3i-i0D. The republic at Rome, gov
erncd by consuls and military tribunes.
| About this time Socrates was teaching
the only approach to pure morality
which Athens ever knew. Iierodotus was
| nearly through his travels ,iSi.Ro). Plato.
the philosopher tJO-3iOD, was now boy.
| listening To- Socrates Xenophon tIA-1i,
leads the retreat ~ the ten thousand
back to Greece too). which retreat ho
has immortalized In his Anabasis.
There IL no certainty as to the
definite time when Malachi uttered
his prophecies. because no data IL
given In the book. and the sins which
he sought to reform were present
throughout the whole period of, Ezra
and Nehemiah. from ass through the
rest OF the century. Most place him
soon after Neheinlah's second coming
to Jerusalem. between 433 and 430.
He II plain spoken, and direct, with
out high eloquence, or supreme poetic
power. but Astounding In effective
SMILES. metaphors and imagery which
hit the mark. and do the work. What
London paper says Of distin.
guished mans straightforward
speeches applies well to the sermons
OF Malachi: "a sound and healthy
-ospel doubly welcome because tho
world is waking TO the consciousness
Of intellectual and moral hunger
which only these truths can satisfy"
n we read the later chapters Of
Nehemiah and compare the sins and
evils which Nehemiah labored to re.
FORM with the sins and evils which
Malachi denounces, II will be seen
that both are laboring for the same
| ends. and realize the same necessity
Of reform. God was dishonored, and
| religion made a mere form and farce.
by Offering mean things for sacrifices.
| AS polluted bread. and lame and sick
animals. by refusing 10 do the sim.
plest service In the temple without
pay. by refusing to pay tithes for the
support Of the temple worship. BY
being weary Of serving the Lord. by
intermarrying with the heather. In
/ all these things they broke the d.
vine law: they showed that their
minds were all wrong.
One OF the peculiar g,orles Of the
Bible Is that from the very beginning
its golden age IL In the future. not. as
In other ancient nations, In the past.
And AZ the golden age must have .
maker. Gods revelation soon brings
into view the one. the Messiah who
alone can make the age OF gold which
IL the Kingdom Of Heaven. Isaiah
tells us that unto us q child 10 born.
unto US q son 10 given: and the gov
eminent shall be upon his shoulder;
and his name shall be called Wonder
full Counsellor. the mighty God, the
everlasting Father, tho Prince Of
Peace"
In the last book Of the Old Testa-
ment. about 400 years before Christ
was born. the last prophet brings the
hope and ideal and goal In the person
Of the Messiah, Christ. the Jesus who
was born on the true Christmas day.
Behold l.. God. will send my messen-
| ger. one coming In Gods name. and
bearing q divine message, whose
! work shall be to prepare the way be.
fore me, the coming Of God himself
This messenger, interpreted by our
4 Lord himself on two occasions. was
one who should come In the spirit
and power Of Elijah. doing the same
work, rebuking sin. denouncing all
wrongs, calling men to repentance.
awakening the conscience.
II ia possible that these words had
a partial fulfilment In Nehemiah. q
foreshadOwing on smaller scale. Of
John the Baptist who completely full
filled the prophecy. Nehemiah's re-
forms were a part Of the preparation
for the coming Of the Kingdom Of
Heaven. and fixed the eyes Of the
people on the great ideal toward
which they were slowly moving,
Suppose we make two maps OF the
world on the plan furnished by the
United States census to show the de-.
gree In which ignorance. certain dis.
eases. and many other things prevail.
BY means Of higher and darker
shades. On one map We will note the
countries where the purest Christian.
ity prevails. by white. A darker shade
will mark the more imperfect forms,
and then let the shades grow darker
and darker through Mohamme danism.
and the various forms Of heathenism
till We come to the blacknsss Of the
lowest fetishism.
Then. with entire independence.
make similar map of the moral and
intellectual condition of men. Where
there 10 the most manhood, the no
bIest womanhood. the highest moral.
ity. the best social conditions, the
Vs,nat AnnA ha ~lnk ga ~.,0~.a~.