Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-10-06
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON FOR OCT. 10
SECURED EXCLUSIVELY BY THE
BANNER FOR ITS MANY
READERS
ACCORDING TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SERIES
Text of the Lesson, IL Kings III, LIZ
Memory Verses, IL, 12-GOlden
Text, Ps. XVI, documentary
Prepared by Rev. ID. Nj. Stearns.

| sun aHdZluH, WHO Wuiheu III the ways
OF his father and mother and Of Jero-
boam, the son of Nebat, who made
Israel TO sin. There is also the record
of the death OF Jehoshaphat, as well as
brief record of his good reign The
second book of Kings opens with a
record Of the sickness and death of
the son of Ahab, how he sent to in
| quire of Baal-zebub instead of the true
! God, and the Lord sent Elijah To meet
the messengers and tell them that be-
cause the king had turned from God
to idols h would surely die. Then
| follows the record OF the two captains
and their lifties who were sent to take
Elijah but were destroyed by fire
from hcaNeiL Compare Rev. XII, SO.
and note taat one of the two witnesses
of tho5, days will probably be this
same elijah
Turning 20 our lesson for the day.
we have O!4e of the most interesting and
rascinali.ig records in the Bible. the
translation 10 heaven without dying Of
the man who lay down under the iuni-
per tree and wanted to die. There will
be generation of believers who will
not die, but be caught up. changed In
moment, 10 meet the Lord in the air.
and for aught we know, it may be the
generation now living q Cor. XIV, 51-53:
| Thess. iv, 16-1S). The last walk TO.
gether of these two men, Elijah and
Elisha, Is thrillingly suggestive. AS
they went from place TO place Elijahs
larry here, | pray thee" and. Elisha's
reply, "As the Lord liveth and as thy
soul liveth | will not leave thee" re-
mind us of the devotion of Ruth and
of lttai ruth /, 1918; III Sam. XIV,
2D and also Of Paul when he said !:
None Of these things move me; nei
Their count | my life dear unto myself"
Il am ready not to be bound only, but
also to die at Jerusalem for the name
of the Lord Jesus" Yea. doubtless,
and l count all things but loss for the
excellency Of the knowledge Of Christ
Jesus my Lord (Acts Xxx. "a; XXI. 49,:
Phil. iii, g.
Nothing less than this should be our
devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. The
words in verses 2, 4. q, 8 and IL are
continually with me. So they went
down. so they came. and they two
went on, and they two stood. they two
went over. they still went on. Thus.
no doubt. that other translated man.
Enoch. walked with God until he went
home. The only requisite for such
walk Is, first, redemption by His blood
and then to be fully agreed with Him
about everything amos iii. 81. How
wonderful that God Himself will dwell
in us and walk in us. and how we do
fail TO appreciate or realize it! Oh Cor.
vi, 49, AS they went on together on
the east of Jordan the waters Of the
river having parted for them. Elijah
said to his companion. ASK what |
shall do for thee before be taken
away from thee" Verse 81.
Wicked men have oft said something
like this. at least the first part of 1t.
as the king to Esther and Herod to
Herodias. 1t is not long since we
heard the Lord say 1t TO Solomon. Our
Lord Jesus said il TO the blind man,
but what shall we say of John xiv, Is.
IA, written for us and being said TO
us continually. Whatsoever We shall
ask I'm my name that will | do. that the
Father may be glorified in the Son"
Elisha wanted something very definite
ly, and he asked for it. and he full.
filled the conditions, and he received 1t.
The conditions seemed easy, but they
implied intense and unwearied stead
fastneSs.
If we would walk with the Lord and
look upon Him and unto Him as in
tently as Elisha looked upon Elijah
that day we would see some desires
granted. We must ask expectantly,
believingly, persistently, in His name
and for His glory. Well. Elisha did
not fail in looking He saw Elijah
taken and received what he sought,
and others saw that he had received
1t. He rent his own clothes, suggest
ing the end of self, took up the mantle
of Elijah that fell from him, smote
the waters. and they parted hither and
thither, and Elisha went over. The
sons of the prophets were watching,
anu lhty lht VI LliJdh
doth rest on Elisha verses IA, 15).
IL we are redeemed we are here in
Christ's stead to manifest His life and
do His works by His spirit dwelling
in us.
The request OF the young man to be
permitted to look for Elijah lest the
spirit of the Lord might have taken
him to some mountain or valley was
finally granted by Elisha, though he
knew how vain Il would be. When
Enoch was taken he also was sought
for, but was not found. as we learn
from Heb. xi. 8. What a search for
the missing ones there will be when
the church is taken. but not one shall
be found. Yet as truly as Elijah was
seen with Christ on the Mount OF
TRANSPORTATION about 900 years later,
so when Christ, who Is our life, shall