The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-08-18
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson vIIl.-Third Quarter, For
Aug. %, 1915.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.


Memory Verses, I, Golden Text,
Jas. iv, documentary Prepared by
Rev. D. M. Stearns.
In the story of Jeroboam we had
sample of all the kings of the ten
tribes, for there was not q good king
among them. They all walked in the
ways of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, who
made Israel to sin. There were a few
just eight, think-among the kings
of Judah who did right in the eyes of
the Lord, and Asa of today's lesson
was one of them oversees 1, p. His IA
Their. Abijah, son of Rehoboam, reigned
only three years (xiii, 1, p. The Lord
gave him and his army victory over
the army of Jeroboam because they
relied upon the Lord God of their IA
theirs (xiii, II, 49,. His words in xiii,
IL, are always helpful-"Behold, God
Himself is with us for our captain"
While the story of Asa is told in part
of a chapter in the book of Kings
q Kings XIV, S-24, it occupies three
chapters in Chronicles xiv, XIV, xvii.
the first two telling of his thirty-five
years of faithfulness and blessing and
the last telling of five years of disobe-
dience. What pity that such good
king with such a long reign should
waste his later years in wandering
from Godi But such always is man
when he turns away from God. We
cannot think of Asa as a lost man,
though he acted so badly at the last,
but he lost part of the full reward
HI TAh
8; Cor. ill, HID.
Quietness and rest on every side and
a whole hearted seeking, the Lord God
marked the first ten years or more of
his reign xiv, II; XIV, 12-15). Such
rest and peace and quietness is the
privilege of every true believer, and
when He giveth quietness who then
can make trouble whether in the case
of nation or man only Dob XxXiv,
29). 1t is our privilege thus to fore
taste the kingdom when the work of
righteousness shall be peace, and the
effect or service of righteousness quiet
ness and assurance forever lisa. xxi,
1, ID. The same Lord is ever saying
to all, Come unto me, " and 1 will
give you rest" Matt. XII, 2S-30), and it
is written. 1--WE who have believed do
enter into rest's(Heb. iY, 81. The great
adversary hates peace always, and so
he stirred up the Philippians with an
army of over million to go against
Asa, who had only about half as many
men, but Asa cried unto the Lord his
God in the words of that ever memo
rable prayer of chapter xiv, IL, so brief
yet so comprehensive, which has help
ed me many a time, and will prove a
comfort and strength to all who appro-
pirate it.
Every day and hour we should say,
I'VE rest on Thee, and in Thy name
we CO." Compare part of the prayer
OF Jehoshaphat in chapter Xxx, II,
which we may also continually appro-
pirate. Although the Philippians were
such a huge host, yet because Asa re-
lied on the Lord He delivered them
into his hand, for the eyes of the Lord
run to and fro throughout the whole
earth to show Himself strong in the
behalf of Tor as in the margin, strongly
to hold with them whose heart is per-
feet Tor whole toward Him (chapter xvi
8, 81. This ninth verse is and has been
for long years a continual strength and
comfort to me and is working in me
an increasing desire to have a whole
heart for Him, and to see no one save
Jesus only. The Spirit of God brought
a message of encoura cement to Asa by
AZariah, whose name means the
strength of Jehovah, which is found in
! lesson verses II, and the eXhortation
in verse is for us also who believe
BE We strong, therefore, and let not
your hands be weak, for your work
shall be rewarded" Salvation is never
of works, but always to him that work
| eth not but believeth CRom. iv, 81; but
we are thus saved by grace in order to
serve the Living and True God, and
| all true service unto Him shall be re
warded duke xiv, IA; Rev. xxi. II
| II John s..
We need always the exhortation OF
Eph. vi, 10, BE strong in the Lord
| and in the power of His might" Asa
being thus encouraged, cleansed the
land of idols, even destroying that OF
his own mother, but this cleansing was
| chiefly in Judah and Benjamin, many
of the high places still remaining ir
Israel, over which he had no control
and yet many out of Ephraim. and Ma
nasseh, and Simeon. and other tribes
fell to him in abundance when they
saw that the Lord his God was witt
him; an because he was seeking the
Lord with all his heart and sou
(verses $50. They also renewed the
altar and offered sacrifices, and there
was no more war until the thirty -fiftf
year of his reign. But the next yea
the king of Israel came against him
and, instead of relying upon the Lord
he made a league with the king o.
Syria. This brought a repfoof from
the Lord by Hanani the seer. who re
minded Asa how the Lord had wrough
marvelously for him against the Eth
opians because he relied upon Him and
how foolishly he had now acted by re
lying upon the king of Syria (xvi, 7-9).
Asa, being out of fellowship will
the Lord, gave place to the devil. be
came angry with the seer, and put hin
in prison and oppressed some of tn
people xvi, 10). Near the close of hi
reign he became greatly diseased in hi
feet, but in this also he turned ava.
from the Lord TO purely human help.