Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-10-06

Ezekiers ministry was drawing to a
close. The first part of it was prior to
the fall of Jerusalem; the latter part
after that catastrophe. The first part is
filled with a note of despair; the latter
is triumphant with hope. The first is
an appeal to forsake their sins lest the
city be destroyed; the latter paints
prophetic picture of the glorious city
yet to be.
The Sunday school lesson for today is
taken from the last of Ezekiels prophe-
cies. the date of which he gives as the
tenth day of the first month of the 18th
year of their captivity; or the 18th year
after the city was destroyed. This
prophecy covers the 10th through the 4Sth
chapters. In as much as it is one whole,
the proper understanding of this can
only be had by getting at least a birds
eye view of the whole. Briefly let US
sketch it.
Ezekiel was transported, in a vision,
to hill where the city had stood, and
God gives vision of what he is going
to do for his people, the vision of the
fall and restoration of the city, where
ruins now stood; he sees the city re-
stored. After he has had his vision he
speaks to the people, probably from time
to time throughout the rest of his minis
try, the message that God gives them,
and encourages them to hope.
The prophecy has seven divisions, as
follows: First, the law of the house, in
which Ezekiel tells of the restored tenn
pie measured in all of its minuteness of
detail, and shows the temple larger and
more glorious than Solomons. Second,
the ordinances of the altar, or Gods plan
for carrying out the worship in the new
temple. Third, directions for entering in,
and going out of the sanctuary, show
ing who might get in, and how. Fourth.
the holy portion of the land. or the part
set aside for the use of the priests
Fifth, the obligations and offerings,
which in this case were many times
greater than that prescribed by Moses,
IMPLYING the greater HberaIity expected
because of greater blessings. Sixth, the
healing waters, which constitutes the
basis of our lesson today. And seventh,
the borders of the tribes, or the divisions
which were to be made amongst the
tribes after the restoration. It is re-
markable that while all of the first six
sections are figurative, the seventh is lit
eral. These borders correspond exactly
to the land which God gave to Moses;
thus teaching US that the restoration
must be a literal one to literal Pales-
tine.
THE HEALING WATERS.
Look at this vision that he had of
the healing waters; coming out from be-
meath the altar. Ezekiel noticed a tiny
stream which issued out through the door
of the sanctuary, trickled down the
mountain into the valley of the Kidron,
and which ever deepens and ever widens,
from ankle deep to knee deep, to waist
deep, to flood deep, and from a narrow
stream to an overlooking torrent too
broad to cross. On either side of the riv
er are trees which are watered by its
waters, which give life to everything
with which it comes in contact.
This scene was no doubt suggested to
him by his familiarity with Jerusalem
and its environments; for he remembered
the tiny stream which beginning on the
mountain side, tricl1led down the Kidron'
and passing through the Arabah, finally
Joins the Jordan to lose itself in the Salt
Sea. 1t was also suggested by the lack
of vegetation which exists around the
Arabah and the Salt Sea. As Ezekiel
in captivity pondered over the perils and
privations of his people, he thought OF
these things which had been failiar with
him as a youth, and they furnished the
medium of the message, which God had
to teach his people through him.
What does ii mean? Notice in answer
ers came. Notice also that although
there are not tributaries, the stream be-
came ever deeper and ever wider. No
tice that everything ii touched was re-
viyed by it. 1t can only mean one thing,
that grace coming from God is ever more
and more sufficient for the needs of all
with whom it deals. 1t is an illustration
Of the law of getting by giving. As in
so many instances the law of the spirit
ual kingdom is so entirely opposite to
the law of the temporal kingdom, so we
here find 1t true. Naturally a stream
which had no tributaries would get small
err as it passed along, because of absorb
tion and evaporation. This stream is the
opposite, it grows as it goes.
In the temporal world man gets by
savingf in the spiritual world man
gets by giving. There is no surer way
to dry up and choke the springs Of love,
of prayer, of faith, of knowledge, and
of liberality. than by keeping them self
ishly to yourself. But there is no surer
way of increasing in geometrical pro-