The Stanford interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1911-1912, 1911-04-04

4 Ihp berihulnE or thlS lesson CHAP
ter. the story " the iron that did
swim ivcrsc O.. carries me back full
forty years 10 the days Of my huol-
teaching In Halifax, y. s., when after
telling this story at the opening scrv.
! ices l have seen boys stay In nj re-
cess 10 read IL again for Themselves.
/ We cannot help thinking of Him who
| Is able Ia restore lost people. or. rath-
or, save them. however far down they
may be. The piece Of tree which
liadc the iron swim reminds us 81 the
! tree which made bitter waters to be-
come sweet (Ex. Nv, ~ and Of Him
4 who is the tree Of life to all who come
/ 10 Him, making US to be trees of
| righteousness. the planting of the Lord
! that lie may he glorlfied lisa. Xxi, 81
The lesson Of today opens 10 US the
realities ~ the unseen and Elisha's
, beautiful faith IN God and communion
! with Him. am fascinated with the
| title man OF God 50 often used of
Elisha and of others. suggesting. rs
I It does, one whom God owns for Him
self and whose one desire IL To i've
( for Him. 10 please Him and to DC His
| faithful messenger In chapter ", 2.
I Il Is "nn holy man NJ God" and this
/ IL more full ~ significance. for not all
men ~ God are ~ willing to- hr holy
ms they should he The world. the
flesh aud the devil are too much for
any Of MS. but victory is possible Ill
Cor ". II: John Y. 4; Rev. xii. III.
The king of Syria did not take int"
account the God of Israel when he
warrcd against Israel Not many do
even in the twentieth century. Even
a great many preachers do MOI seem
20 know much about Him and still
less about people called Israel. al
though God never wrought for any
other nation NJ He has done and viii
cxlvii. 2OD.
The king ~ Syria was more than
once surprised ~ find the king OF
Israel eludc him and thought that
there must Lee some traitor in the
camp who gave away his plans.
When one II his servants reminded
him that there was prophet in Israel
who could tell what hc said even in
his bcdchamber Verse To- ne foolish
" thought that he could take him
captive not considering that if the
prophet could save the king Of Israel
he could also save himself Learning
that the prophet was In D0thHn. he
sent thithcr horses and ohariu1s. a
great host. and compaSscd the city
about. And now they had him sure.
So they had some reason O" think,
leaving out the supernatural
The servant IL Elisha seemed ~
/ think that the ease wss hopeless. But
| how grand the confidence ~ the
prophet. Fear moi. for they that he
with us are more than they than De
with them" verse 1Gl. How Ike
Paurs "If Cod lie for MS who can he
/ against u.s." Rom. viii. 81 or pa
vids Though an host should cncamp
against me. my heart shall not fear
! Ps. xvii. ~.
How blessed aud comforting the
fear nots" are from Gen. w, I.
all the way through this heavenly
| book! How simple ana confident the
PRAYER Of Elisha. Lord. / pray thee.
/ open his eyes that ne may see" How
swift the answer, and ne behold the
I mountain mn 81 horses and chariats
NJ fire round about Elisha verse IL.
THE chnriofS ~ God are 10000. many
I thousands 81 angels GpS xviii. ~.
| John saw MORE than hundred mil
| lions ~ angels al worshipng the
| Lamb ORcv. V. ~. ~. These are some
Of the unseen realities. May they be
real to MS also.
As the soldiers came To take him
ne asked the Lord 10 smite them With
blindness. and He did so. Then he
led them 10 the man whom they really
wanted, the king of Israel. and prayed
the Lord 10 open their eyes, and they
found themselves in Samaria in his
power. The king OF Israel would fain
have smittcn them. but Elisha for
babe him and told him 10 feed them
and send them home ,verse 22l. So
the bands Of Syria came no more into
the land Of Israel verse -, L e..
Again we have fulfllment OF
Deut xxi, 80. How should one
chase thousand and two put ten
thousand to flightT' A study of the
many different ways in which God
at different times has shown His pow
or ON behalf Of His people would he
most inspiring to believer and posi-
bly, helpful Ia one who does not ms
yet know the Lord.
Take another instance from the next
chapter, when the Lord made the
host of the Syrians 20 hear a noise OF
chariots and II noise Of horses, even
theonoise Of great host, so that they
arose and fed. leaving their tents and
horses and asses and everything In
their camp and fed for their lives
(vii, 60. II is still true that "the an
gel Of the Lord encampeth round
about them that fear Him and deliv-
ercth them" Ps, xrxiv, u.
Sometimes II n more for Ills glory
10 let the enemy take us and Ill treat
us, as In the case Of Joseph, Micaiah, |
Jeremiah. Daniel and his friends Pc |
ter and John, Paul and others The |
night on which our Lord Jesus gave 4