The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-02-24

Memory Verses, 17-19-Golden Text,
Luke xii, t5-commsntary Prepared
by Rev. q. NJ. stearns.
In our last lesson Elijah was commits
stoned to anoint Elisha as prophet in
his stead. He found him blowing with
. the twelfth OF twelve yoke of oxen and
cast his mantle upon him. Elisha
babe farewell to his father and mother,
prepared a feast for the people, cook
ing the flesh of a yoke of oxen with the
instruments Of the oxen, thus burning
the bridge behind him, and went after
Elijah and ministered unto him CHAP
ter xix, 19-2I, and we shall see a Sc
quel to such whole heartedness in our
next lesson.
The story of chapter TX we shall
have for a lesson ON March 10: there
fore we pass 1t by for the present, and
Elijah does not appear I'm 1t.
In the lesson of today we come to a
story of the greatest possible cruel
heartlessness ON the part OF Ahab and
Jezebel, with prediction of the doom
Of each from the Lord through Elijah,
which was, like all the Lords predic.
lions, literally fulfilled.
A man called Naboth had a vineyard
hard by the palace Of Ahab, which
the king coveted, as he said, for gar
den Of herbs because il was near his
house. The king offered him the worth
of it in money or a better vineyard i'm
Its stead, but Naboth refused to let the
king have it, saying, THE Lord forbid
1t me that should give the inheritance
of my fathers unto thee" verse 81. It
is refreshing to meet a man who seeks
no favors from and has no fear of
even king.
What contrast to Naboth is this des-
plcable king, who, because he cannot
have what he wants, goes home and
to bed, turns away his face and win
not eat! How contemptibly small some
great men are, and how noble are some
in lowly circumstances A vineyard
makes me think Of the vine Of John
Nv, and Naboth's clinging to the vine
yard which was the inheritance of his
fathers is in striking contrast to the
readiness with which many preachers
and teachers of today give up all that
their fathers held dear concerning the
true vine. May we prove ourselves
abiding branches in the vine and zeal
onsly guard the vineyard from all evil
ones, even though it cost our life or our
position to do this.
The garden of herbs for which the
king said that he wanted the vineyard
brings to mind the saying concerning
evildoers and workers of iniquity In
Psalm xxxvii, 1-2, "They shall soon be
cut down like the grass and wither as
the green herb"
In JeZebel we see those who. like
Herodias, do not scruple TO take OF
the earth any one who happens to be
in their way, true children of the devil,
who has the power of death and was a
murderer from the beginning HIeb. Il,
II; John wifi, 44) II will give thee the
vineyard Of Naboth the Jezreelite'
(verse y were her words to Ahab, as
If she owned it and Naboth, too. and
could do as she pleased. Her true lord
and master, the devil, once said to the
Lord Jesus as he showed Him all the
Kingdoms of the world and the glory
Of them, "All these things will / give
thee If thou wilt fall down and wor-
ship me" (datt. iv, 8, 81. Because He
would not worship him he proceeded
to kill Him, which he finally did.
So Jezebel proceeded forthwith to
kin Naboth, which she did by means of
two sons of BeliaI, who lied, like their
father, and others who did her bidding,
afraid not to, / suppose. lest they, too,
might lose their lives at the hands of
this murderess. Note their false accu-
sations Of Naboth. "He blasphemed
God and the king" What an awful
association OF the living and true God
with one who represented the devil.
and yet when Jesus Christ was on
earth, God manifest in the flesh. his
enemies told Him that He had a devil
John vii, 20; viii. 50: K. 20). They also
raised up false witnesses against Him
who laid to His charge things that
He knew not Cps. xxxv, III. We are
still in an enemy's country and cannot
expect better treatment than our Mas
ter received and must remember that
all who live godly in Christ Jesus shall
suffer persecution QI Tim. iii, 12).
With what seeming triumph Jezebel
says TO Ahab: ARISE, take possession
of the vineyard of Naboth. . for
Nabofh is not alive. but dead fvprsn
10. But the word OF the Lord came
again to Elijah with a message for
Ahab and Jezebel: "Thus saith the
Lord: In the place where dogs licked
the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick
thy blood, even thine. The
dogs shall eat JezebeI by the wall OF
Jezreel" oversees 1928. And so It lit
orally came to pass (22-3s: Ii Kings
TX, 36).
Whatsoever a man soweth that shall
he also reap. Her sins have reached
unto heaven. and God hath remembered
her inQuities How much she hath
glorified herself and lived deIiciousIy,
so much torment aud sorrow give her
tGal vi, Z; Rev. viii, ST.. What an
epitaph upon these two, "Ahab, who
did sell himself to work wickedness I'm
the sight OF the Lord, whom JezebeI
his wife stirred up verse 25). How
far from peaceful the manner OF their
death, but what about their condition
ever SINGER The words Of Luke XVI
28-26; Rev. xiv, 10, II, are fearfully
suggestive.