The Carlisle independent., 1915-12-23
LESSON FOR DECEMBER 2e
JEHOVAH'S GRACIOUS PROMISES
 TO ISRAEL (REVlEW).
LESSON TExT-Hosea IA.


 and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kirdness.-Psa. 103:S R. V.
 The burden of punishment descend ed upon Israel, not because of the vindictive character of Jehovah, but because of the persistent pursuit of sin on the part of the nation.
 The lessons of the past quarter ex- tend from the latter days of Elijah, about 906 B. C., to the fall and cap tivity of Israel (the northern king dom) B. c. 722 (Beecher), period of 180 years. Some contend that the les son for November IA, Daniel at the Kings Court, is chronologically the last and ought to have been put at the end of the series. During the past quarter we have studied about six kings, Ahab, Joash, Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Nineveh, UzZiah and Ho- shea; also six prophets. Elijah, Eli sha, Daniel. Jonah, Amos and Hosea; and one soldier, Naaman.
 A good method of review would be to have assigned to different scholars or classes each of the foregoing per sonages and to give report of his chief characteristics. Material for such a review is easily accessible An other method of review would be to take up the lessons serially and in connection with each read some ap- propriate Scripture verses that will serve to emphasize or to illustrate the chief fact of each lesson.
 Lesson |. The weak King Ahaz (strong in his perversity) is easily persuaded to do evil in order to grati- fy his covetousness. Elijah at God s command goes to meet Ahab who cries out, Hast thou found me, O my enemy" In reply Elijah delivers Gods word; that word to us is found in Ex. 2C:17 (Let each Scripture ref erence be read in full)
 Lesson II. The veteran champion Elijah is about to go home and his more youthful follower, Elisha, has one chief desire (see II Kings 2:9), which consistently followed is abund- antly rewarded The lesson for us is sound in the masters prayer, John 14:16.
 Lesson III. The stricken soldier, Naaman, at child's suggestion, ap- peals to Gods prophet, Elisha, for healing. He is directed how he may be cured and after some hesitation returns home cleansed. The lesson for us is that of being faithful amid life's experiences and of doing and living for others (see also Romans 1920, 21)
 Lesson w. The servant of Elisha is very much excited King and camp are in despair, yet the prophet is not disturbed. Why? Let us read II Kings 6:17. Remember that Jesus, the master of men, refused to avail himself of like angelic assistance in his great battle concerning sin (See Matt. 26: 53). Christianity is a religion of love, not of force.
 Lesson V. The faithful priest pre-. serves the rightful king, Joash, and makes a covenant between him and the Lord, viz, that prince, priest and people should be the Lords people QI Kings HID. Through the mer- it's of our high priest there has been made better. even an everlasting covenant (Heb. 1920 2D.
 Lesson VI. Again refers to the good king, Joash. The neglected temple is restored and refurnished through che liberality of the people. This temple is type of our bodies, which are spiritual temples (Eph 2:22), and the lesson for us is not only the care of the body, but of liberality towards the work and worship of Gods house.
 Lesson VII. This is the lesson which is chronologically out of order, but is used for it's temperance applica- tion. Daniel the clean youth, staked his life and position upon obeying the word of God (Dan. 1:8) The lesson for us is the exhortation of the apos- tie Paul (Eph. 5:13-17, see also I Pet 5:8).
 Lesson VIII is the foreign mission ary lesson. Jonah's life story is not fiattering one, yet when he faithful ly proclaimed Gods word it wrought marvellous transformation in great and wicked Nineveh. (Read carefully Matt. 16:10 and Isa. 55:10, ID. We are to herald, witness to the truth and leave the results with God.
 Lesson K presents Amos, the stur dy prophet of civic and moral right eousness, the great messenger of the "rightness" of things (Amos 5:14) The gist of this lesson for us will be found in the words of Jesus (Matt 6:33).