The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-08-20
The international Sunday School |
Lesson for Aug. 22 10 "Asa's Good
Reiqn."-li. Chron. f5:t-f5.
(sY WILLIAM T. ELLis.)

(6V WILLIAM 7. ElliS.)
Whom does the baby resem bic ?"
Is the question asked concerning al.
most every new life. II we could
see into that potential soul. the an
swer would be more significant. For
should the baby take after" his
noble grandfather, rather than his
shiftless. cbaracterless father. the
result would be important to the
world. The weakness OF the argu-
ment about heredity is that a child
has so many ancestors, Of such var
led sorts. and he often shows the
characteristics of remote forebears
whose worth overpowers the worth
lessness of nearer progenitors.
There was Prince Asa. our pres
ent instance. Surely he was DOOM
ed to q bad life. with both heridity
and environment to operate against
him. He lived In a corrupt court
Rotten heather practices prevailed
all about him. His father, Abijam,
had yielded to them; and his grand
father, Re beam, whose folly had
split the kingdom. was more inter
ested in being "a good fellow" than
in being a good king. One OF his
heather wives. Maacah, mother OF
Abijam and grandmother of Asa.
was the most forceful personality
In the palace; and her influence
was wholly bad.
The outlook was dark for Asa.
Your modern sociologist might write
his case down in advance as hope
less. But stay. Was not Solomon
Asa's great-grandfather and King
David his great-great grandfather?
So the strain was not wholly bad.
The virile qualities OF these great
est kings OF the Jews would surely
assert themselves.
And they did. Asa came to the
throne OF judah as a young man. In
time OF peace. He was good"
young man. God and religion meant
most to him. He loved his people
more than he loved himself. His
heart was afame with a passion for
reform: and all great reformers
must become such while young.
Well nigh hopeless is the case OF
the young man who passes the peri
Cd Of impressional idealism with
out yielding to noble and unselnsh
ambitions. Like his shepherd boy
ancestor, who In boyhood sang
songs OF Jehovah and did battle
with giant. Asa early became fred
with resolutions of righteousness.
The Harvest Of War.
A notable fact OF peculiar inter
est just now. Is that Asa came TO
his throne at the beginning Of q
period Of peace for judah. War had
been the rule during the reigns OF
his father and grandfather. Now
peace gave him an opportunity for
internal reform. With the dlstrac-
ton of enemies at the gates. Asa's
great work OF cleansing could not
have been done. II needed quiet
and self-examination TO make pos
sible this purging Of the people
from pollution. Progress and peace
go hand In hand. Not on the bat.
tleneld. but in the quiet times Of
industry. education. invention and
social consciousness. a nation comes
to Its greatest height. This truth
might be amplifed, with illustra.
tons from every days newspaper
Asa's reign was righteous. in
times OF peace: war made him for
get his holy purpose. Toward the
end OF his days he even clapped a
prophet into prison for telling him
the truth. and he oppressed the peo.
pie and permitted return Of idol.
airy. Good King Asa IL a striking
instance OF wars deteriorating ef
feet upon character. Other exam
pies may be gathered from recent
cablegrams.