Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-01-13
SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON FOR JAN. Il
SECURED EXCLUSIVELY By THE
BANNER FOR ITS MANY
READERS
ACCORDING TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SERIES
Commentary Prepared IN An Inter-
eyting Way by Rev. ID. M.
Stearns

81 lpr Andrew Murray's Bibles In his
study in Wellington. South Africa ia
August. 1898: The central thought Of
this book Is God. Its one object is 10
reveal God-His glory. His will. His
love. In reading ii our chief desire
ought 10 be To know God" | am re
minded Of this as | read carefully our
lesson chapter and note i'm these forty
verses some name of the Deity forty
four times LORD or GOD. %: God. Z;
Lord, ,; Spirit. |: Angel. a. Thus the
sin OF Israel draws forth the love and
grace of God and this time In connec-
ton with II great deliverance through
seemingly very weak man called
Gideon
The chapter opens with the oft re-
peated saying, The children Of Israel
did evil i'm the sight of the Lord"
This led To great oppression by the
Midianites FOR seven years. Then they
cried unto the Lord in their trouble.
and He saved them out Of their dis
tresses oversees |. q: Ps. evil. 6, l3. TO-
2Sl. In our lesson verses. 40. He re
minded them by a prophet of how He
had brought them out Of Egypt and
planted them in this good land. warn
ing them against any fellowship with
the people Of the land. but they dis
obeyed His voice (chapter ii. |, y He
calls us still TO separation from this
evil age unto Himself. but the god OF
this age. the devil. who also ruled the
inhabitants of the land He gave to
Israel. is still binding and deceivine
the people OF God and running the so
called church for his own ends. and
those who are willing TO see Jesus
only and follow Him fully are com
paratively few
Since Adam sinned God has been pa
tiently and persistently seeking man.
and mankind has been as persistently
under the power of the devil. turning
away from God God has myriads Of
angels who delight 10 do His will. but
He never had but one man wholly
and utterly at His disposal and under
His control. Many redeemed men and
women have been i'm greater or less
degree yielded to Him. but none alb
solutely except the Son Of Mary, the
Son OF God. the Lord Jesus Christ
We have already read i'm this book OF
Judges of His selection of Othniel
Ehud. Shamgar. Deborah anu Barak
and now His choice falls upon Gideon
of the tribe OF ManaSSeh whom He
visits in person and talks with him as
a man with his friend
These appearances OF God In human
form before He came as the Son of
Mary are some of the most fascinating
as well as the most profitable of Bible
of God whom we see. whose goings
forth have been from OF old. from the
days of eternity (Mic. v, .. marginJ
for mo man hath seen God at any
time; the only begotten Son hath
declared Him" John /. lSl The glory
OF God can be seen only In Christ Gil
Cor. Nv, g. We are more likely 10
have special manifestations OF God
when about our ordinary work rather
than when we go aside TO seek such
Gideon was thrashing wheat Verse
III; Moses was keeping sheep. rs were
also the Bethlehem shepherds: Elisha
was In the field blowing; Zacharias
was ministering as usual. and Mary
OF Nazareth was probably about her
household duties. How beautiful and
wonderful the words from the Lord TO
Gideon: The Lord is with thee. Go
in this thy might, have not ] sent thee.
Surely | will be with thee"
Gideon's seeming unwillingness and
probably his conscious unworthiness
verse 15I remind us OF Moses and
Jeremiah QEx. iii. IL: iv. 10; Jer. 1, 81
and show us the Lords difficulty In
finding willing instruments The Lords
announcements TO these three and to
others were written for us that we
may not hold back as they did. Ii is
never a question of what we are or
can do, but only and always, Who Is
He. and what can He do? The incl
dent of verses 1924. the Lord tarrying
while Gideon prepared the kid and the
unleavened cakes. reminds US of the
Lord and the two angels waiting for
ADTdDHIu tllu SdTuu pItpdIdtiOu, Dut
In that case they ate the food; In this
it was consumed by fire, while In the
incident of Manoah. the father of Sam
son. the angel OF the Lord assembled In
the fame which consumed the offer
ing (Gen. xviii. g: Judg. vi, 6-2l; Kill,
10, 20,.
Gideon's readiness when encouraged
by this sign il seen in his fearless de-
struction of his fathers altar TO Baal
II is refreshing TO see Joash stand
with his son In this matter and TO
hear him say concerning Baal. IF he
be a god let him plead for himself"
(rerses % to 32l II we would be
used OF God we must break with all
Idolatry and serve only the living and
true God There must be no con-
formity unto or compromise with the
world lying I'm the wicked one. As the
spirit of the Lord clothed Himself