The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-07-14
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson Ill.-Third Quarter, Fol
July rs, 1911.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

ieNt OF the Lesson, u Chron. N,<xiii,
1-13-Memory Verses, IL, 13-Golden
Text, lisa. !, 10, 17--commentary Pre-.
pared by Rev. o. M. stearns.
That Hezekiah. who was such a good
king. should have had such a bad IA
Their as Ahaz and such a bad son as
Manasseh is one OF the-to us-seem-
ingiy strange things. In the case OF
David's sons and Ellis sons the trouble
seems to have been lack Of home disci-
| pllne, for It is written of the former
concerning one of his sons that his IA
Their never displeased him and never
said to him as much as why hast
thou done this?' Il Kings /. 6.l OF
Eli 1t Is written that "his sons made
themselves vile and he restrained
them not" q Sam iii. 49, AS Manas-
sch was twelve years old when he be-
gan to reign in the stead Of his father
he must have been born three years
after his fathers recovery from his
illness Of which he would have died
had not the Lord added fifteen years to
his life.
His words were very humble after
his recovery from that sickness. but
later there was much pride and self as
sertiOn, especially when the ambassa-
doris came with gifts from Babylon
lisa. xxxvin and xxxix). Would it
have been better for Hezekiah to have
died at what seemed to be his appoint
ed time rather than to become the IA
Their OF such son? Let those tell who
know. but let us in all things be Who'll
~ subject to God.
Verses 8 and 10 of our lesson sum-
Marie his iniquity in these words:
so Manasseh made judah and the in.
habitants Of Jerusalem to err and to
DO worse than the heather, whom the
Lord had destroyed before the children
Of Israel. And the Lord spake to Ma
nasseh and to his people. but they
would not hearken." Note the love
and compassion of Jehovah in His
speaking to him to warn him and turn
him from his evil ways: note the worst
phase of his sin in his refusing to lis
ten to God. The special phases of his
sin are mentioned in the previous
verses as manifold idolatry. building
idol affairs even in the house of the
Lord, using witchcraft. dealing with
familiar spirits, etc. 1t was a fore
shadowing OF the still greater wicked
ness which led to the captivity of Ju-
dab when they Knocked the messengers
of God, despised His words and misused
His prophets till there was no remedy.
Although God is so long suffering.
there is sometimes a limit. and the
time came when God allowed Manas-
sch to be taken prisoner, bound In
chains and carried to Babylon (verse
I'D. 1t was grand thing for him to
be thus afflicted. for In prison be be-
came truly penitent and humble and
prayed earnestly to God. and the Lord
heard him and saved him and brought
him again to Jerusalem into his king
dom verses II. 49,. The Lord is not
willing that any should perish. and He
does everything 10 prevent people
from going down to the pit dob xxxiii.
20, 3O). Even the judgments Of the
great tribulation period. after the
church shall hare been removed, will
have as their object the repentance of
the ungodly (Rey. tx. 20. 81; xvi. 81.
Who can tell how much his mothers
prayers had to do with his turning to
God? Her name was Hephzibah, and
she seems TO have been a godly wom-
an. If she was on earth when be was
carried to Babylon she might have
said. as Jacob did. "All these things
are against me-" but in her case, as in
his. Rom. viii. %. was true.
After he turned to the Lord and was
restored to his kingdom he seems TO
have done what he could to undo the
evil he had done before by removing
the affairs and the strange gods. by
repairing the altar of the Lord and of
fering sacrifice thereon and by COM
handing judah to serve the Lord God
Of Israel verses 1910. but there was
no lasting result in the kingdom from
his reformation. and bis son ANON
walked in the wicked ways Of his IA
Their verses 21-23l. II seems more easy
to lead people away from God than to
lead them to Him. to do evil than to
undo 1t. but there is nothing too hard
or wonderful for the Lord
The salvation OF the thief on the
cross. Saul OF Tarsus and the jailer at
Philippi are notable Bible illustrations
Of the grace of God. Our lesson chap
ter refers to the prayer Of Manasseh
and the words of the Lords servants
to him. but we have no record OF them.
In the Apocrypha just preceding the
FIRST book of Maccabees there is por-
tion entitled '4The prayer of Manasseh
when be was holden captive in Baby
lon.s in which he confesses. among
other things. that he had sinned above
the number OF the sands OF the sea,
and he says that II God viii save him
he will praise Him forever all the days
Of his life. But even IL this be cor
rect record, which is doubted. 1t is mel
ther his prayer nor his promises that
we should consider. but the great mer-
ey Of God toward one who had been
so great a sinner
All mercy to all sinners can only be
because Of the great sufferinGs Of Him
OF whom we read in last weeks lesson
who was set apart before the fOunda-