Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1915-01-15
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson Iil.-First Quarter, For
Ian. II, 1915.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.


l often read what copied from one
of DR., Andrew Murray's Bibles in his
study in Wellington. South Africa. In
August. 1888: THE central thought OF
this book is God. Its one object is to
reveal God-His glory, His will. HE
love. In reading it our chief desire
ought to be to know God" | am re-
minded of this as ! read carefully our
lesson chapter and note in these forty
verses some name Of the Deity forty
four times Q.ORD or GOD, 21; God, Z;
Lord, ?; Spirit. |; Angel, y. Thus the
sin of Israel draws forth the love ana
grace of God and this time in eonnec.
ton with great deliverance through
seemingly very weak man called
Gideon.
The chapter opens with the oft re-
peated saying, THE children of Israel
did evil in the sight Of the Lord"
This led to great oppression by the
Midianites for seven years Then they
cried unto the Lord in their trouble.
and He saved them out of their dis.
tresses Oversees |. g; rs. evil, g. 10, 10,
2S). In our lesson verses. 40. He re.
minded them by a prophet of how He
had brought them out of Egypt and
planted them in this good land. warn.
ing them against any fellowship with
the people Of the land. but they dis
obeyed His voice Chapter ii. l, p He
calls us still to separation from this
nxrf1 20
this age. the devil, who also ruled the
inhabitants of the land He gave to
Israel, Is still binding and deeeivine
the people of God and running the so
called church for his own ends, and
those who are willing to see Jesus
only and follow Him fully are com
paratively few.
Since Adam sinned God has been pa
tiently and persistently seeking man,
and mankind has been as persistently,
under the power of the devil, turning
away from God. God has myriads Of
angels who delight to do His will, but
He never had but one man wholly
and utterly at His disposal and under
His control. Many redeemed men and
NOlhCH hdNC OCSu III SlCulSI VI ICSS
degree yielded to Film, but none alb
solutely except the Son of Mary, the
Son of God. the Lord Jesus Christ
We have already read in this book OF
Judges Of His selection of Othniel,
Ehud, Shamgar. Deborah and Barak
and now His choice falls upon Gideon
Of the tribe of Manasseh, whom He
v3cifc tf, nj tollxc with him
a man with his friend.
These appearances of God in human
form before He came as the Son OF
Mary are some of the most fascinating
as we'll as the most profitable of Bible
studies In each instance it is the Son
of God whom we see. whose goings
forth have been from of old. from the
days of eternity (Aiic. v, 2, margin.
for mo man hath seen God at any
time; the only begotten Son hath
declared Him" John /. 1S). The glory
of God can be seen only in Christ I'll
Cor. ~, O.. We are more likely to
have special manifestations of God
when about our ordinary work rather
than when we go aside to seek such.
Gideon was thrashing wheat verse
~; Moses was keeping sheep. as were
also the Bethlehem shepherds; Elisha
was in the field blowing: Zacharias
was ministering as usual, and Mary
of Nazareth was probably about her
household duties. How beautiful and
wonderful the words from the Lord to
Gideon: THE Lord is with thee. Go
in this thy might, have not sent thee.
Surely will be with thee"
| Gideon's seeming unwillingness and
probably his conscious unworthiness
(verse 15) remind us Of Moses and
jeremiah eek. Ill, IL; Nv, 10; Jer. 1, o.
, and show us the Lords difficulty in
finding willing instruments. The Lords
encouragements to these three and to
others were written for us that we
may not hold back us they did. 1t is
never question of what we are or
can do, but only and always, Who :s
He. and what can He do? The incl
dent of verses 1924. the Lord tarrying
while Gideon prepared the kid and the
unlenvened cakes. reminds US Of the
Lord and the two angels waiting for
Abraham and Sarah's preparation, but
in that case they ate the food; in this
1t was consumed By fire, while in the
incident Of Manoah, the father Of Sam
son. the angel of the Lord assembled In
the fame which consumed the Offer
ing Gen. xviii. 8; Judg. vi. 6-21; xiii.
10, 2O).
Gideon's readiness when encouraged
| by this sign is seen in his fearless de
struction of his fathers altar to BaaL
1t is refreshing to see Joash stand
with his son In this matter and to
hear him say concerning Baal. "If te
be god let him plead for himself
verses 25 to 32). II we would b
used of God we must break with nil
ldolatry and serve only the living and
true God. There must be no con.
fOrmity unto or compromise with the
world lying in the wicked one. AS the
| shirt of tho Lord clothed Himself