The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-08-14
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Lesson VIl--Third Quarter, For
Aug. is, 1914.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES,

Text Of the Lesson, Matt. &otI, 3s-46.
Memory Verses, 42-44--GoIden Text,
Matt. XXI, 42-comnaOntary Prepared
by Rev. .. NJ. Stearns.
During these last days Of the week
preceding His crucifxton as He taught
daily in the temple and went at night
to the Mount Of Olives He spake many
things in His farewell messages to
this u~nbelieving nation. Most of them
are recorded by Matthew, Mark and
Luke, but some by Matthew only. This
lesson, concerning the vineyard and the
wicked h~usbandmen, is recorded in
each Of the first three gospels. 1t is
the old story OF the love of God and
the base and sinful ingratitude of man.
He loves the whole world, and who
soever" means any one anywhere In
the wide world John I'll, 49,. He chose
Israel to be a peculiar treasure unto
Him above all people, He separated
them from all people to be bis inner
itance, He brought them unto Himself
that they might be a people near to
&&AAS NAA lac AONSA AGoAN bO WALL ahy
other nation. He did this for them
that through them other nations might
learn to know Him for their good.
eek. xix, 4. g.; II Sam. vii, 22-24; I
Kings viii, IS; Ps. cxlvii, 20; cxlviii, II;
lisa. xiii, 11-14.) Israel being set aside
for an age, He is gathering from all
the nations the willing whosoevers to
be a peculiar people unto Himself that
through them the world may believe
and know Him Git, Ii, ID; John xvii.
81, 23). The church, these called out
ones, is failing as Israel failed, but He
shall not fail or be discouraged, and in
His time and in His way there shall
be seen on earth the contamination OF
His eternal purpose In a kingdom Of
righteousness and peace which shall
never end.
His dealings with Israel and their
treatment Of Him were written for our
benefit that we might avoid their fall
ures and bear better fruit than they
did q Cor. X, 6-12; Rom. XIV, A.. We
have seen recently that Israel was
compared to a vine and also to q fig
tree and an olive tree, but the n
thing always desired was fruit. Com
pare Eek. XIV and John XIV. The most
full account Of Israel as a vineyard Is
found in lisa. ". II, where His care
Of 1t is described somewhat as tn our
lesson, and He asks, What could have
been done more to my vineyard that
I have not done in itT' Compare Ps.
Xxx, 8, 8; Jer. ii, 81; Hos. K, l.
The householder's going to a far
country for a long time (verse 80: Luke
XXX, 81 reminds US of the story OF the
pounds and talents, but there is evil
IDENTIFY a backward look here to the
days Of the prophets, as In Matt xiii,
$3.50, as well as to this present age.
A summary Of their treatment Of the
Lord and His messengers is found in
II Chron. xxxvl, 10, ""They Knocked the
messengers Of God and despised His
words and misused His prophets until
the wrath Of the Lord arose against
His people, till there was no remedy"
He was only seeking that which was
His own, fruit from His own vineyard
for which He had done all that he
could, some gratitude for all His love
W I1lSA1 SuAOAy q ACdSS4ldbAO G0PCSId~
ton on His part, but this cruel treat
ment of His servants and thus Of Him.
self was their reply to all that He had
done for them.
Having sent servant after servant,
only to receive the same Ill treatment
last of all He sent unto them His son,
saying, They will reverence My Son"
(verse 80. The record In Mark xii, 8,
is Having yet therefore one Son, His
well beloved, He sent Him also last
unto them" But they said when they
saw Him, This is the heir; come, let
US kill Him and let US seize on His I'm
~heritance." This they did, and our
Lord asks what shall be done unto
such husbandmen. Their reply is in
verse Al. So He condemns them out
of their own mouth. Then he show
ed them from their own Scriptures
that all their evr conduct had been
foreseen by the God who DO loved
them. But 1t was as plainly foretoId
that the rejected one would yet be the
honored one. He called their attention
to Ps. cxviii, %, no doubt having I'm
mind also Gen. Xix, d, for there IL no
more wonderful type Of Christ In the
whole Bible than Joseph in his suffer
lngs and his glory, his cruel treatment
and virtual death at their hands, their
rejection Of him and his dreams and
their literal fulfilling Of the same in
bowling down to him for their lives aft
er 30 many years. Our Lord had prob
ably In mind also lisa. xviii, 16; Dan.
II. 81, 35. 46. See the references OF
Peter and Paul to the same great
truths concerning Christ as the stone
rejected, but yet to be honored (Acts
", II, ~: I Pet. II, 6s; Eph. II. 20.
When men grow angry In their rebel
lion against God and nations rage and
kings and rulers take counsel against
Him He can laugh at their impotence
and say In Quietnesg, "Yet have 1 set
my King upon my holy hill of Zion
(Ps. II, 1-6l. The believer may well
rejoice that "the counsel OF the Lord
standeth forever, the thoughts of His
heart to all generations" that every
purpose Of the Lord shall be perform
ed and say gladly. II know that Thou
canst do everything and that no
thought Of Thine can be hindered' cps.
xxxti, IL; Jer. Il, 20; Job XIII, 2, mar
gin1. But what about the fruit, the
much fruit. which the branches should
be yielding Him because OF His great