The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-08-30
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson lx.--Third Quarter, For
Sept. 1, 1912.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

teNS OF Sn@ LESSON MARX VII I9"<Ss
Memory Verses, ~, 2s-ooldsn Text
Rsv. Il, 10 tR. v.)-commentary Pre-
pared by Rev. o. M. stearns.
This lesson Is a look backward to
the murder of John the Baptist and
the cause of 1t. Tidings OF the mighty
works done by Jesus and His follow
ers had reached the ears of King Her
cd, and he was perplexed and thought
that John must be risen from the
dead. Others said, TT is Elijah" and
still others said, 1T is one of the old
prophets risen again" Herod said,
John have / beheaded, but who is
this Of whom I hear such thingsT'
Iuke tx, T-9) 1t is said that he de-
sired to see Him, and when just be-
fore His crucifxion PLATE sent Him
to Herod, who was Ia Jerusalem at
that time, it is written that he was
exceedingly glad, for he was DESTROYS
to see Him of a long season, because
he had heard many things of Him,
and he hoped to have seen some mira
Gle done by Him duke xiii, 8. Her
DDS question, ''Who is thisY' is one
of the greatest of all questions. We
find it In Jer. xxx, q, In connection
with His becoming surety for His peo-
pie; in lisa, xiii, /, in connection with
His coming in Judgment; in Luke v,
21, In connection with His forgiving
sins, and In Luke vii, 40, also; in
Matt. XXI, 10, as He entered Jerusalem
on the ass colt. Blessed indeed are
all who know Him, not only as IsraeT's
Messiah and the great head of the
church and the King Of kings and
Lord of lords, but as their own per-
sonal Saviour, who became surety for
them, bore their sins in His own body
and has assured them Of the forgive
ness Of their sins. Apart from this
personal knowledge of Him as the one
who loved me and gave Himself for
me Gal If, 2o), all else is as nothing. F,
The record goes on to tell us why
Herod had killed John. He had taken
Herodias, his brother Philips wife, to
be his wife, and John had told him
that it was not lawful to do this.
Therefore Herodias had an inward
grudge against John and would have
killed him If she could verse 10, mar
gin). But Herod, knowing John to be
a just and holy man, heard him glad
~ and did many things and kept and
saved him (verse 90, margin). Thus
things went on, Herod knowing and
admiring the right, yet doing the
xyWsnaoN aud ETarO1fmC a rnr& - Y1-.Tzf
to help him in the wrong, and the
devil controlling all. What a picture
Of real life 1t is. for the devil is still
the god Of this world, and the world
lieth in the wicked oneI
Now we have an account OF one OF
the devils supreme occasioRs-Her-
DDS birthday and a supper for his
lords, high captains and chief estates
Of Galilee. 1t must have been a great
gathering Of the notable people of the
land, to which multitudes would con
slider it an honor to be inVited-a kind
Of Belshazzar's feast on q smaller
scale, but with the same spirit Of i'm
piety and disregard Of God. Oh, how
much there is Of it today and even
among those who are called Chris
tiansl But the world is aver the same,
whether the ungodly OF the religious
world, and "aIl that is In the world,
the lust of the flesh and the lust OF
the eyes and the pride OF life, is not
of the Father, but is Of the world"
'@The friendship Of the world is enmity
with God" Il John Il, 1917; Jas. iv, ~.
There would no doubt be royal wine
In abundance, according to the state
Of the king, and the eating and drink
ing would be according to every mans
pleasure (Est. 1, Z, 81. There was
some special dancing also, and the
daughter of Herodias danced so well
that the king said unto her with an
oath, whatsoever thou shalt ask of
me / will give 1t thee unto the half of
my kingdom" oversees %, 23). Being
instructed by her mother, she asked
for the head of John the Baptist In
a charger. The kings order must be
obeyed, and Immediately the execu-
toner does his awful work, and the
grudge of the wicked Herodias is
gratifed as she obtains possession of
the head of him she SO hated for dar-
ing to rebuke her sin. Naboth's
death at the hands of Jezebel or by
her command was somewhat on the
same line Of things, as far as the
death of the innocent and u~noffending
to please the wicked was concerned.
But the crest murderer has been at
work ever since he caused the death
Of Abel, and he is not through yet.
Those who are willing to do his work
cannot complain IL some time they
share his doom In the lake of fire pre-
pared for the devil and his angels. II
was a wretched birthday for Herod,
and we saw at the beginning Of our
lesson that he could not forget his
part in the murder of John. He has
not forgotten it yet, for we conclude
from Luke xvi. %. that memory plays
a very important part In the torment
of the lost. Although it seemed hard
for John to be thus taken off the
earth, 1t was In reality a good day for
him. for he had the gain, the very far
better of Phil. /. 81, %, and he has
been well and happy V e since, and
the glory OF the kingdom still awaits
him. Els disciples buried his body,
but John was not at the burial. II
has long been a comfort to me to con
slider that IL the Lord does not come
xrhiIn 7 live oy,H Ahfn rorrkoi ho1v chay