The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-02-03
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson W.-FirSt Quarter, For
Feb. 5, 1911.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

Ps. x<xiv, 1o-commentary Prepared
by Rev. .. M. stearns.
The first sentence of our lesson tells
us all we know of the parentage Of
Elijah. He comes before us as sud-
denly as meteor and disappears
when his work is done in a way that
no one else ever did before or since,
Enoch also was translated without
dying, but we read of no whirIwind or
horses and chariots Of FIRE. Elijah was
honored to stand with the Lord Jesus
and with Moses on the Mount of Trans
figuration, and Jesus said Of him,
Elijah truly shall first come and re-
store all things" adding that he had
already come in the person Of John
the Baptist, but they knew him not
and i'll treated him Matt. xviii. 8: xi,
13). Therefore we conclude that John
the Baptist, who came in the spirit
and power Of Elijah, was to the first
coming of Christ what the real Elijah
will be to His coming in glory to set
up His kingdom. When some who
will be more wicked than Ahab and
Jezebel shall be showing the power of
the devil, then Elijah and a compan-
ion shall be the Lords two witnesses
in Jerusalem (Rev. ri, 3-11).
His name means "my God is Jah."
and one has said that he is the grand
est and most romantic character that
Israel ever produced. His one mis-
sion was to bring apostate Israel back
to Jehovah the true God He was
nurtured in lonely communion with
God, away from the polluting court
amidst his native wilds Fausset).
His hfgt attSYsnce is, "The Lord God
Of Israel liveth hAfore whom
stand (verse 1; see also xvii, 10, and II
Kings ill, Ia. We think CT GDhriel's
testimony, II am Gabriel that STANDS
in the presence Of God" duke /, 19),
and he it was who said that the son
Of Zacharias should go in the spirit
and power of Elijah. Israel had been
faithfully warned that if they turned
aside to serve other gods and worship
them the Lord would shut up the
heaven that there be no rain Oeut.
xi, 10, ID, so that Elijah's prayer that
1t should not rain Jas. V, ~ was
simply a prayer that God would do as
He said and make good His word and
show Himself as the living and true
God, for if He failed to fulfill His
threat the people would think it an
idle tale.
Elijah could say, an the Lord have
righteousness and strength" 81 rest
on Thee, and in Thy name go" Qsa.
xiv, "a; II Chron. xiv, III. Therefore
he was not afraid to meet Ahab or to
deliver his message. This being done,
he receives two distinct messages
from the Lord telling him where to So
journ for the next three years. and
first he is told to hide himself by the
brook Cherith and is assured that the
ravens would feed him there. He did
just as he was told. and the Lord fed
him with bread and flesh by means Of
the ravens morning and evening, and
he drank Of the brook So well did the
Lord hide him that he could not be
found by nation or kingdom (xviii, 10)
If we obey Matt. vi, 80, we may count
on it's fulfillment, but we" must be in
the place where God wants us. Mark
the word there in verse 4. The
word here translated raven" is used
ten times and in each place refers to
bird so called. The Lord Jesus in
dorsed the Elijah story duke iv,
1920, and If any part Of it had been
rot just as recorded He would surely
have told us. These lonely days at
Cherith make us think of Joseph In
Egypt as a prisoner, or Moses in
INDIAN, or John the Baptist in the
wilderness, or Paul in Arabia. Moth
ing can take the place of being alone
with God. Then we must learn TO
wait patiently Gods time and find our
rest and Joy in Himself. If his gifts
seem to fail US, like the brook that
dried up, He has some other way. He
cannot fail; He abidethrfaithful.
He has promised never to try us be-
gond our ability to bear it Il Cor. x,
l3), and in due time He ordered His
aithful servant to another place OF
oiourn, but what an unlikely place it
vas as we see things-the home of a
)oor widow who had no food in the
louse. but a handful of meal and lit
10 oil. Elijah found her gathering
- S11a ~ Hhn
bought, her last cake, and then she
expected that she and her son would
die (Ferse 12). But by giving her all
10 the Lords servant, as the lad did
lis loaves and fishes, several were fed
for many days, and the meal wasted
not, neither did the cruise OF oil fail
verse 16).
From our lesson 1t would seem that
the prophet was sent to the widow
that she might sustain him verse 81,
while from the record in Luke iv, rs,
%, 1T appears that Elijah was sent to
the widow that she might he sustain
ed. Well, it worked both ways. and
the widow was sustained by. her Civ
ing her all to the Lord No doubt He
also cared we'll for that other wiaow
who cast all her living into the treas
urys God was also glorifed In this
Safepta home by the raising to life of
the widows son. thus strengthening
her faith I'm the God OF Elijah, ac-
cording to verse "a, "Non. BY this /
know that thou art man of God and
that the word Of the Lord in thu mouth
Is truth .
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