Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1911-02-03

Verses lE1e.
GOLDEN TEXT-"They that seek the
Lord shall not want any good thing
Pisa. A:l0
TIME-Eiijah. lived during the reigns Of
Ahab in Israel. and Jehosaphat in Judah.
and their successors B. c. s2o-9W Tor
Assyrian S7S-S5D.
PLACE-various places in the kingdom
Of Israel. He probably first met Ahao
in Samaria his capital. Cherith was a
brook in a ravine. flowing into the Jor-
dan on the East. Zarapath was town |
in Phenicia between Tyre and Sidon, Sea- !
ports on the Mediterranean.
81
It was a dark day for Israel when
Jezebel set herself. with her hus-
bands tacit connivance, to extirpate
the religion of Jehovah from the land
of Israel, and to substitute in its place
open and avowed paganism-the wor-
ship of Ashtoreth and of Baal. Splen-
did shrines were built, especially one
of vast size In the capital; End the
rites and ceremonies of the new cult
were exhibited on a graId scale, with
sensuous accompaniment Of all kinds
music, statuary, professions Of robed
priests, victims, incense, bands Of ia
natics worked up to frenzy by. relig-
ious excitement, and the like" They
mad "forsaken thy covenants, thrown
down thine affairs, and slain thy proph-
cts with the sword"
A brave, strong prophet dared to
stem the tide alone. And he dared
because he knew that God had COM
manded him, and stood with him, and
worked through him. 1t is probable
that Elijah belonged to the northern
kingdom but was living in Gilead, and
that the parents of Elijah, or Elijah
himself when young man, had gone
from Galilee to Gilead to escape the
prosecutions Of the Baalites, and its
dangerous moral deterioration. Reared
amid exalted and solemnizing scenes,
the young prophet must have medi-
tated long on the glorious past of his
country, and must have been filled
with horror as tidings came of the in
PRODUCTION of rankest heathenism, of
JezebePs denominations, the fierce cru
elites and reeking RIGHTEOUSNESS Of
Ahab's idolatrous capital. Indignation
burned within him like the flames Of
Vesuvius or Martinique, till 1t sud-
denly burst forth upon the king and
his court.
The word of the Lord came unto
him. In what way we do not know.
Perhaps in the ways His word comes
to us. Perhaps in more vivid ways.
But in either case he became sure
that 1t was Gods word. After the an
nouncement Of the famine three and
a half years slowly passed away be-
fore Elijah again appeared before the
king. But the silent work of these
years was as essential as the an
nouncement.
Having taken one course of lessons,
Gcd sends Elijah to another school.
This was best not only that Elijah
might learn other lessons, but in or.
der that he might be safer. Ahab was
seeking everywhere for him. But he
kept outside of Ahab's dominion. Ev.
cry town, large or small, required in
those times a wall for defense. His
first need after his long walk through
the famine-stricken land would be
water. The gift of water to the thirsty
is always regarded as a sacred duty
in the East Note the wisdom of this
way of becoming acquainted, by ask.
ing a simple favor; as Christ asked
the Samaritan woman for drink from
the we'll AS she was going to fetch
the water, Elijah called to her, and
said: Bring me morsel of bread"
This, too, was modest request.
This would have been selfish had
not Elijah known that the meal and
oil would not fail. The recut2t was
also, for the widow, an education in
faith. According to your faith be It
done unto you" All through the re.
naming years Of the famine, she
would need this training, as day by
day she cooked the last visible hand.
ful OF meal, and used the last drops
Of the oil She as a widow may have
needed the same faith for years to
come.
The widows faith was still further
rewarded during Elijah's stay. One
day her young son sickened and died.
In the bitterness Of her grief she
cried out upon the prophet, thinking
that his presence had directed Gods
special attention to her house, and
this calamity had been sent her in
punishment for her sins. Thereupon
Elijah carried the lad to his own up
per chamber, and stretched himself
upon him as If to impart his own vi.
tally, imploring God for his life. And
God heard him; the soul returned to
the boys body and he was delivered
to his rejoicing mother, who testified
eagerly her faith in the prophet as
a man Of God, and her faith in the
divine messages he uttered.
Elijah suffered with the people. The
reformer, the preacher, must partake
Of the sufferings Of those whom he
would help. Like Christ, he must be
tempted like as We are, yet without
sin" He must gain the victory in the
same kind Of battles, and learn les
sons in the same schools.