The Brinkley argus., 1915-01-01
INTERNATIONAL. SUllDAYS0DOL
 LESSON CBy E. o. SELLERS, Acting Director or
 Sunday School Course.)
LESSON FOR JANUARY 3
GODS PATIENCE WITH ISRAEL

I
 LESSON TExT-Judges f:7-19.
 GOLDEN TEXT-I will heal their Dack- sliding, will love them freely.-Hos. h'4 | This year we again return to tne I history of the chosen people ana ior | low them through the period or the judges, the days of the monarchy un- der Saul. David and Solomon, and the | divided kingdom iD the times or Ell iah. Amos. Hosea and Jonah. down to the time of Daniel during the cap tivity.
 I. Another Generation, w. 7-1o: During the days of Joshua israei served Jehovah, but his influence dio not last long after his. death. Ever and anon God must needs raise up | a Joshua to lead his church. we have another "Joshua"-Jesus-wno is ever with his people and we do not need any earthly leader (Ps. 0z:o' Phil. 2:12). Still God is working through human agents and in every crisis raises up his spiritclotned leaders. No doubt this another gen. eration" honored Joshua as nero but they did not follow in his oDedl- ence to Jehovah. It is easy to d1s- miss Gods mighty deeds among men by calling them myths and traditions or to deny the accuracy of the rec ords." Doubtless the lsraelites 1eit | their obligations to their neighbors and fellow-tribesmen, but they lost a realizing sense of their obligations 10 God.
 Sin of Idoiatry.
 II. They forsook the Lord, w. 11:13. Backsliding Israel is a prov erb. Over and again there was re- turn to true worship and just as often a forsaking. For centuries Je- hovah bore with, forgave, restored and punished this "stiffnecked" peo- ple, until the final overthrow and cap tivity burned into their consciousness the sin of idolatry. The reason for this was their disobedience in not putting out of the land "the gods Of the peoples that were round about them" Liberality of this sort always results in spiritual ruin. A nations ideals about God not alone determine its moral status but eventually it's physical and temporal welfare as well. Their way was not evil in their own sight and doubtless they were con- sidered very progressive, and their course an evidence of greater wisdom than that of their fathers but 1t Sx %1o i~h% Af tho nrd ?, We do not understand that these Israelites took up the worship of Baal. the sun god, with all of it's abominations at once, but rather sought combination, compromise worship, which of course led to the inevitable forsaking of God. Verse F indicates the base ingratitude of such course for he it was which brought them out of the land of Egypt" (Titus 2:14; 2 Pet. 2:D.
 III. The Anger of the Lord, w, IA, IS. There is no anger like that of outraged love. We are apt to forget the other attributes of God, those of justice, holiness and purity and that God can not look upon iniquity (Hab 1:13). The light men enjoy only heightens and makes more black their offenses. Gods angsr can "wax hot and here he delivered them into the hands of the spoilers that spoiled | them."
 God Keeps Ills Promises. w. And the Lord Raised Ur | Judges, R. V. w. 16-19. These were men who felt the bitterness of the distress of their nation. God keeps | to the letter his promises, both of blessing and of punishment, but fin wrath he remembers mercy" These judges had higher aspirations than simply to judge, for they saved" the people, We who live in this present dispensation~o grace have one who is now the savior but who shall yet
 be the judge. That these righteous
 leaders of the people had difficult
 task is suggested by verse IT. The
 hearts of the people went whor
 ing" lusted after the things repre-
 sented by Baal and Ashtaroth, which
 history tells us were too vile to be cHuiAcIdtco. luO Juu6CS oCCuACu ioA
 the people of Israel their rights ac
 cording to the mercy of Jehovah. Al
 the same time they were rulers. and
 as such secured for individuals their
 rights.
 The worship of Jehovah always
 taught and impressed moral and
 spiritual truth and required the con
 fessing and forsaking of evil These judges were God-endowed aud did not
 prostitute their gifts. They were God
 led, saw Israel's need and had cour
 age, faith and zeal enough to show
 Israel that the first thing they needed
 to do was to forsake the evil and re
 turn to life of obedience to God.
 Their equipment was in that "the
 Lord was with the judge" (v. 18)
 Notice that God was with those whom
 he raised up" Of course not all
 of the time, nor all of the land al
 Ill times was thus torn and being
 punished as is clearly suggested by
 tie stories of Ruth. Hannah and
 Samuel. As Jehovah was with the
 judges. as they were exercising fidel
 ity in their obedience of his word
 they brought to the people deliver
 ance as long as they lived (v. 19)
 The word "repented," which is iu
 verse IS, is one which signifies gr!o1
 and sorrow.