Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1915-01-29
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson v.-First Quarter. For
Jan. 81, 1915.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text Of the Lesson, Juds. xiii, 8-16, "a,
25-Memory Verses, 12-14-GoIden
Text, judy. xiii, documentary Pre-
pared by Rev. o. NJ. stearns.
This is another record of the Lord
delivering His people by strange in
strument strong physically. but very
weak spiritually; one who might have
been a very great man for God il he
had kept himself wholly for God, yet
honorable mention is made Of him in
Heb. XII, 30. The story Of Samson COW
ers four chapters. xiii to xvi, of which
our lesson chapter tells Of the an
nouncement of his coming, his birth
and growth to manhood. The other
three chapters tell of his doings. and
whatever was worth while was by the
Spirit of the Lord, who is mentioned.
four times (xiii. IS; xiv. 6. 10; XIV, 14).
1t was during the longest period of
Israel's oppression that Samson was
born and when he came to manhood
began to deliver Israel They did evil
again in the sight of the Lord and
were oppressed by the Philistines for
ty years verse y. The messenger
from heaven, who appeared first to
Manoah's wife and later to ManOah,
is mentioned fourteen times and is
called the angel of the Lord ten times,
the angel of God twice and the man of
God twice. When asked his name by
Manoah he replied it is wonderful
| Verse IS, margin and r. ", text
which is the same name as in lisa. tx.
G, so that we recognize the Son of God
whose goings forth have been from Of
old, from the days of eternity (NIic.
v, y, who appeared to Gideon. to
Moses, to Joshua and others.
AS here He appeared first to Ma
noah's wife, it is at least most inter-
esting to note that He is first called
"the angel Of the Lord" in His ap-
pearing to Hagar, and it is written
that 'she called the name Of the Lord,
who spake unto her, Thou God seest
me" (Gen. xvi, 7-13). This was also
in connection with child to be born,
who was the first named before his
birth, and there We're just six others
SO named. 1t is worthy Of note that
as Manoah and his wife had no child,
so it was also with Zacharias and
Elizabeth, and in some respects the
boys were similar Compare lesson
verses 4, 5 and Luke i, 15-1O.
There is more in these Bible records
than any of us have yet seen, and
some day in the kingdom we will be
surprised at their significance. We
may not be able to tell why this man
and his wife of the tribe of Dan
were chosen to be thus honored
but possibly they were devout, like
the father and mother of John the
, Baptist. We may judge from lesson
! verse 8 that Manoah knew the Lord
and knew how to pray and obtain an
answer. The lesson is called temper
ance lesson because his wife was for
hidden to drink wine or strong drink
: oversees 4, 14) or to eat anything that
cometh of the vine or anything I'M
| clean. The child was to be Naz-
, arite unto God all his life oversees 5, y.
5, ..
The essential thought of such conse-
Grafton was separation unto the Lord,
and the full requirement is given in
Mum. vi, where it is seen that either
man or woman might take such a
. VOW, but If they became defiled the
/ days of their defilement were lost
Verse 12). 1t was VOW only for a
time, and when fulfilled the Nazarite
might drink wine oversees 10, 2O). In
the case of Samson he was to be a
Nazarite from birth to death, but he
with Delilah Chapter xvi, 1920.
There were few Nazarites, and our
Lord Jesus was the only perfect one
in the sense of being wholly and al.
ways separated unto God.
Because 1t is so costly to be a disci-
pie duke xiv, 20, 81, 33) there are few
disciples. 1t seems so much easier to
be in some measure conformed to this
present evil age than to be wholly sep
arated from 1t. Yet the Lord is ever
looking for any willing ones that He
may show Himself strong in their be-
half III Chron. xvi. o.. The Holy
Spirit, the same who came upon Sam
son from time to time and who dwells
in every true believer. has greater
desire to fill us than any of us can
desire to be filed, for it is written.
1.-The Spirit whom He made to dwell
in us yearneth for us even unto jealous
envy Uas. ". 5, r. ", margin). but
the previous verse shows us that the
great hindrance is the friendship Of
this world.