The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1915-01-21
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson N.--FiTst Quarter, Fer
Ian. a, 1915.
TIE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

-'is-- emery verse, I--LcldeN ie%Ii
Z5o!. iv, g. Commentary Prepared
by Rev. D. u. Stesrns.
The call of Gideon to be the Lords
representative in the deliverance of
Israel 1T this time was made very
plain in our last lesson. Today's les
son and The chapter following tell of
the actual delivcrance and that under
Gideon the country was in quietness
forty years Cchapter wifi, 2S). In these
three chapters Gideons name is men
Toned tlirty-nine times, but some
name of God is used sixty times. In
all things lie must be pre-cmineut. 1t
Is God who worketh: we are only in
struments. Interesting references to
this great delivcrance, with an onward
look to a greater deliver1nce by Il
greater Deliverer. are found In Isa. il.
II; Y, %. p; ps. lxxXiii. 0.
When the Spirit Of the Lord clothed
Himself with Gideon and he blew the
trumpet $1,000 from several of the
tribes were gathered unto him. which
seemed a very small number TO 40
against an army which was without
number and as grasshoppers for mui-
titude Chapter vi, >. 1850. Acrording
to Deut. xxi. 80, they would. howev-
er, be equal to 32.O00GOO Of the enemy
or even lG0,000,OC0. but the Il,rl sail
to Gideon. THE people that are with
thee are too many for Me to give the
Midianites into their hands lest Israel
v9unt themselves against Ne" and so
all the fearful and afraid ones were
requested to return home oversees =. -.
This was according to the law IN Deut.
XX, 3, and reduced Gideons army to
10000.
| am interested to know what Gideon
thought when the Lord said The peo-
PIE are yet too many or If he made
any remarks when he saw the 10000
dwiudle down to only 800. but | shall
have to wait. The lesson Of II Chrou.
xiv, II. is strongly impressed upon me
Lord, it is nothing with Thee to
help, whether with many or with them
that have no power" As then. so now.
God IS seeking the whole hearted ones
whom He can use. lie is ready to save
all who will come to Him and not will
ing that any should perish John vi,
81; II Pet. iii. 81, but for service it is
still true that of the many who are
called few are willing to be His choice
ones. The cost Of discipleship seems
too great luke xiv, 33). If all the
fearful ones and the ease loving ones
in our churches were turned down
would there be only one in a hundred
ready to deny self utterly?
An interesting incident Of encourage
ment for Gideon is found in verses
Ola, for though listeners are not sup
posed to hear any good of themselves,
this was certainly an exception, for
il was Of the Lord, both the dream and
the Interpretation ana the time Of tell
ing 1t. Now. try 10 imagine Gideon's
advance-three companies Of 100 each
and each man with trumpet in one
hand and a concealed lamp in the 9th
err Was there ever anything so SEEM
ingly ridiculous in the annals of war
fare? But He did it who uses things
that are not to bring to naught things
that are. He filed with food thousands
Of hungry people by means Of a few
loaves and fishes which a little boy
had. He overthrow an army of 1885,
600 by one angel. His name is Won
derful." Look on Me and do likewise.
As / do so shall We do" verse 10.
These are the Captains orders, and to
us today the word is Follow Thou
Me-
Not worldly ways nor schemes of
any kind to draw or hold the PEOPLE,
young or old. but just the clear note
of the gospel trumpet and the lamp of
a consistent Christian life, for the life
is the light When the 800 lights shone
forth, and the trumpets sounded, and
the cry arose on the midnight air The
sword Of the Lord and of Gideon"
and every man stood in his place round
about the camp. then the host Of the
enemy ran and cried and fed and slew
each other, and the Lord wrought the
victory verses 1928. 1t is still true
that the weapons of our warfare are
not carnal hnt mighty through God to
the pulling down of strongholds III Cor.
X, A..
There will always be faultfnders
like the men of Ephraim. and we are
apt TO forget that soft answer turn
eth away wrath (chapter viii. IS; Prov
XIV. y. There are often ungrateful
scoffers who need to be taught by
thorns and briers (chapter viii 90, 10,
10, and there is rarely an Abigail to
plead for the fools who act thus fool
ishly Il Sam. XIV, 10, II. 23-31. The
wisdom of Gideon is seen in his say
ing to those who desired him to rule
over them, 81 will not rule over you;
the Lord shall rule over you"
viii, %, 23). The folly Of Gideon is
seen in his leading Israel to worship
an ephod instead of the Living God,
who had spoken to Israel by the Urim
and Thummim in the breastplate on
the ephod viii, 24-27; Elk. xviii,
6-15, 3O).
oh, the weakness and sinfulness Of
our poor humanity, and how neceFetb
the admonition, Let him thahe fall"
he standeth take heed III again that
Il Cor. X, 12D So wn of human ma .
there is no peEst Jesus. no perfect
ture but indler but Himself, no per-
I,NIst ff,Y.