The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-03-17
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson XII.-First Quarter, For
March 10, 1911.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Text Of the lesson, ! Kings XIX, 1927.
Memory Verse, 13-coIdsn Text,
Prev xxi, 4-commsntary Prepared
by Rev. o. M. stearns.
When godly people seek the help Of
and rely on the ungodly 1t is not only
q testimony against God on the part
OF those who bear His name, but 1t
encourages the ungodly in their IN
goodness. In ii Chron. xvi we read
that Asa, king Of judah, was rebuked
by the Lord through Hanani the seer
because he relied upon Benhadad,
king of Syria.
1t may have been that this fellow
ship OF Asa with him afterward en-
couraged Benhadad to I'll treat Ahab,
king OF Israel, as he did, first demand
ing OF him bis silver and his gold and
his wives and children and then
threatening to send his servants to
search the houses Of the king and his
servants and take away all their de- 4
sirable things oversees 5, o.. Ahab
seems to have borne the first demand
with wondrous submission, but the
second was too much, and Ahab by
the advice Of bis elders so returned
answer to Benhadad. This drew from
him a great threat, to which Ahab re-
piled In these words: "Eet not him
that girdeth on his harness boast him.
self as he that putteth it off, verse IL.
We cannot but be impressed with
the pains which God takes to win peo-
PIE to Him and to deliver them from
the wrath to come, and we are amazed
to see Him working even on behalf OF
such a one as Ahab. But it was all
for His great namesake that Ahab
might know Him as Jehovah (verses
10, 2S). Compare Job xxxiii, 27-30.
and remember always III Pet. ILL., o.
What He has done for Israel in the
past and win yet do for them In the
future was and will be wholly for His
names sake that He may be known
and trusted (Ezek. xxxvi, %; xxxvii,
2S; xxxviii, %; xxx, 1920. Even
to this day He Is wont to show Him.
self strong on behalf of very unworthy
representatives IL only He may be
known through them as the living
and true God, who loves to save and
is not willing that any should perish.
The great hlndrance to His saving
and blessing people and showing Him
self strong on their behalf Ii their I'M
willingness and unbellef. How often
He has had to say: "And We would
not" (Tsa xviii, 10; Xxx, 10; Matt.
xiii, 81; John v. 40). MY people
would not hearken to My voice, and
Israel would none Of Me-" They be-
lieved not in God and trusted not i'm
His salvation" Ups. XXI, IL; xviii,
22).
Ahab's record Is, "There was nona
like unto Ahab, who did sell himself
10 work wickedness In the sight Of the
Lord" chapters XXI, xxv). The only good
thing written of him is his penitence.
which caused the Lord to delay judE.
ment on him (xxl, 2T-29). And yet i'm
this lesson the Lord gave the Syrians
into his hand twice, though bis people
were but few and the Syrians a great
host. He even caused a wall to fall
upon $1,000 of the Syrians. Such a
behalf OF such as Ahab Is most I'M
usual. We must think not OF Ahab,
but OF Israel as the people OF God.
though In rebellion against Him, con-
corning whom He said: How shall I
give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I
deliver thee, Israeli (Hos. ri, 81
30 Israel, thou hast destroyed thy
self, but in me is thine helpr' 20
Israel, return unto the Lord thy Cod"
(Hos. xiii, 0; xiv, H.
As to the syrians who were at this
time overthrown, 1t ls plain that
drunkenness was one OF the sins OF
their leaders, for Benhadad and his
thirty-two royal comrades were drink
ing themselves drunken verses xii, 16,
even while they were Boosting against
the God OF Israel. 1t was not sinful
Israel that they were talking against,
but the wonder working God Of Israel.
who counts all that is done to His
people, however unworthy they may
be, as done TO Himself (Zech. ii, 81.
After the first defeat of the Syrians
they said that the God OF Israel was
a God Of the hills, but not Of the val
leys, and for this they suffered their
second defeat. though the children OF
Israel were like two little flocks OF
kids, while the Syrians tilled the coun-
try verses % 81. The Lord loves
to show Himself strong on behalf Of
all who trust In Him Oil Chron. xvi, 81
But proud. naughty. self sufficient
people win always be overthrown.
There Is nothing that develops the self
in man like wine or strong drink, and
self or the carnal mind Is that part
OF us that Ia ineorrigibly bad and can
never be improved (Rom. will, y. as
to the way In which wine or strong
drink works-and some instances OF
1t In the Scriptures-the cases OF
Noah, David and Uriah, NabaI. Elah
and others might be studied with prof
1t Gen. TX, 20, 81; III Sam. ri, IS:
Sam. XIV, 80; / Kings xvi, o.. The
record stands that drunkards shall not
inherit the kingdom Of God.
And even such guilty ones have
been and may still be saved. Then
there is that staggering and drunken-
ness OF unbelief always to be consid
cred IN which neither wine nor strong
drink III at all I'm evidence lisa XXX.
D-1sy. Sinners OF all grades and kinds
are all about NJ, whom God ii ready
TO save and we IN we'll X, consider