Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1911-07-06
Jehovah's Suffering
Servant
Sunday Seheot Lesson e. July 8, 1911
Specially Arranged for Tsis Paper

OSA0Ax60 ~ AkAO kAI10
OF the exile. just before the return. !,
It brought hope, Inspiration, instruction,
life. and light in the darkest period In
the history Of Israel.
Gods peculiar people were in exile
among heather populations. Their
homeland, Palestine, had been deyas-
tated. Jerusalem lay In ashes. The
temple was a heap of ruins. The ma
ton was like the stump OF a mighty
tree which had been cut down. Tbs
tree had been cut down because it re-
fused to bear the good fruit for which
God had planted it. But In captivity
the people had been learning their les
son, and the time had come when It
was possible for q new shoot to
spring up from the barren stump. and
a renewed nation to take up its ap-
pointed mission. But in order to do
this, the nation must be made to see
clearly what they must be and do, and
the deepest motives toward this end
be inspired within them. All this is
a parable for the. world.
It throws no little light on our les:
to realize its relation to the
prophecy as a whole. According to
all critics the whole lesson really be-
longs to the flfty-third chapter OF
Isaiah, the ~ifty-second ending at the
twelfth verse. The prophecy consists
OF n chapters, Of which the ffty-third
is the central one, making the whole
prophecy to consist of three sections
First, the first thirteen chapters are a
trumpet call to the captive Isrealites
who have been hanging their harps
on the willows" unable to 'sing the
songs of Zion," to awake to faith I'M
God, and obedience and loyalty ia
him. and to be prepared for their de-
liverance. Second: Chapter SO pre-
sents the ean by which the re-
demption car be accomplished, the
heroic service of his people, and the
supreme self-sacrificing love of his
son. Third: The succeeding thirteen
chapters present the results of the re-
deeming nation, and the redeemed
world.
The service Of God was a commits
sion to witness and prophesy for God
upon earth" Israel was elected not
to salvation, but to SERVICE" or rather
as in the case Of any individual, the
nation was elected to salvation that
it might be Of service. It was neces-
sary that the servant who was to
carry out Gods purpose of saving the
world should be a nation, from the
condition Of the ancient world. "Of
all possible combinations of men the
nation was the only form which in the.
ancient world stood q chance of sur
viving in the struggle for existence
The servant of God was the nation OF
Israel.
Jesus Christ did Gods service for
the worlds redemption by bearing the
sorrows and sins of man. His suffer-
ings were not because he himself had
done wrong, but in order that he
might save us from them. He bore
them on his heart and sympathy. He
bore them away by his healing power
He bore them as the martyr and the
hero suffers that he may save the OPP
pressed and the wrongsd and perse4
cuted from their sufferings. He bora
them away by Transforming them into
character. He bore them by giving
his life for our sins, SO that by re
moving sin he removed most of the
griefs of man. Christianity has been
the chief power in removing the griefs
and sorrows of mankind.
The prophet foresees these things
fulfilled in Jesus Christ. The picture
in these verses is almost a photograph
OF what took place five hundred years
later. He was oppressed, his suffer-
ings were unjustly inflicted on him.
Read the story of his trial. He opened
not his mouth in protest. He submitj
ted to the wrong.
Jesus was put to death with the
wicked on the cross, and they thought
to bury him In a. criminals gravel
They appointed his grave with the
wicked, but by a striking providence,
the same authority gave permission to-
a rich man, Joseph Of Arimathea, who.
provided him with an honorable burial
in his WI rock-hewn tomb.
Yet it pleased the Lord because hei
saw the good to be gained. He shall
see his seed, his spiritual descendantsj
filed with his spirit and carrying out
his plans. He shall prolong his days.
He rose from the dead, ascended to-
heaven, and ia the everlasting leader
and king. OF all kings hs is the most
glorious. OF all kingdoms his is the
largest. noblest, best beyond all COM
pare.
This far-of vision Of Jesus, and OF
the redeemed world, is one of the
strongest proofs of a revelation FROM
God. Professor Ramsay declares that
the Bible is unique among ancient re-
I.gfons In that Ito the Hebrew proph-
cts, and to them alone, the better e
lay always in future"
"The best is yet to be,
The last of life for which the first waa
made"
We see In this lesson the one sources
OF power for saving man, and trans
forming the world. The path Of un-