The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1917-07-19
INTERNATIONAL,
SUNNySQ[10OL
LESSON
(By Il. o. SELLERS, Acting Director OF
the Sunday School Course In the Moody
Bible Institute Of Chicago)
Copyright, 1917. Western Newspaper Union)
LESSON FOR JULY u
SENNACHERIB IN DAYS OF
JUDAH.

JODHfIs
LESSON TEXT-II Kings 19:20-2, %-37.
GOLDEN TExT-God Is our refuge and
strength, very present help In trouble
Psa. 46:1.
Last weeks lesson was a great PFC
ture of the reform of the nation. TO
day we have another picture which
needs to be carefully put before the
children. It Is national picture OF a
ruler and the invasion Of his country.
In reality 1t reveals the principles
which are the same today, and which
affect the lives of boys and girls as
well as men; the dangers, temptations,
the need Of prayer, the need OF ire
of faith In God, the care OF heavenly
father, deliverance and victory. 1t Is
a great thing for any nation or any
individual to have such marvellous
experience Of Gods salvation. 1t oc-
Cured probably b. G. 7O1, the latter
part of Hezeklah's reign. Assyria on
the north was enlarging Its borders
and seeking to overcome Judea. Read
parallel accounts in III Kings 1S; ii
Chron. 80 and Isa. 80 :37 We have on
the Taylor cylinder an account by SEN
nacherlb of the victory over HezeKiah'
found in Nineveh in 1880 and now IN
the British museum.
I. The Situation. When the great
Sargon died at Nlneveh, the Syrian
governments sought to assert their In
dependence. 1t was u good time for
Hezekiah also to assert his independ-
ence. Accordingly they refused to pay
the customary tribute to Assyria. For
n time Sennacherib was too busy at
tending to other portions of the en-
plre to pay much attention to the city
of Jerusalem. Later, however, he SUD-
dued the cities on the coast and threat
ened Egypt itself. While besleglng
Lakish he sent large body of troops
to conquer Judea and take the city OF
Jerusalem for 1t was not safe to leave
such large fortress behind him on
MS mafCn lntO Eeypl'
II. The .Supplication wv. 2o-22).
God does things because we pray.
There was more power in Hezekiahs
prayer than there was in his army.
Through his prayers he laid 1So,eOo
of his enemies In the grave. Hezekiah's
God saved his people out of the hand
of Sennacherib ". 9), God did 1t. One
great reason why he heard Hezekiah's
prayer was because 1t was for Gods
own glory that Hezekiah asked ". 19).
One great reason why so many OF our
prayers are not answered is because
they are selfish-seeking our own
qualification and not Gods honor
(James 4:3 II. W. Rending his
clothes and putting on sackcloth, lie,
zekiah went to the house of God while
his messengers sought out the prophet
Isaiah. From III Chron. 80 30 we find
that Isaiah Joined with Hezekiah In
his earnest prayer Matt. 1919, 2O)
thus the king and prophet worked as
well as prayed. They showed their
faith by their work (James 2:17, 1S)
At the same time they waited upon
God for an answer, not because God
was unwilling to bestow good things
or must be impOrtuned, but that his
gifts may bring the greater benefit
He sometimes delays his answer
thereby fitting us to receive them be
cause of the intensity Of our desire
and to appreciate the things he has
to bestow. God is as ready to say t.
us as to Hezekiah, "Thy prayer Il
heard" II we will not meet the condi
tions of prevailing prayer Il JohI
1922; John 8 IA; Rom. S:26.2O.
III. Gods Glorious 0eiverance wv
23-37). God permitted the Assyrian
to attack and they thus imagined the!
were having their own will and coul'
do as they pleased, but when his rod
had done its work, they found the diff
ference. The God against whom the,
raved guided them as with "bridle
and turned them back to Assyria. Sen
= nacherlb considered himself more thai
match for God (Ch. IS S:23-25) bu
had to return like conquered beas
of burden with Gods "hook" In hi
nose and bride on his lips. God al
lows the enemies of his people to go
certain length in order that his peopl
may be humbled and seek him. The
he puts forth his hand and says, "Thi
far and no further" Jehovah gives u
the same promise he gave Hezeliial
81 will defend this city," Is not tn
city of Jerusalem that God defend
more safe than city defended by n
army? (Psa. 46:5, 6; 27;D. God ha
promised David that his klngdol
|, should not perish, for in 1t lay tn
. hope of the world and his plans fC
, the redemption of mankind. Not b'
. cause of the people did God defend tn
. city, but because Of his oath. This
most dramatic picture, the my
terious destruction Of the Assyria
army wv. 35, 36). The Lord sent HI
. angel, literally his messenger" wf
applied his own plan for the accon
| plishment of his purpose. In Ps
, 1O4 a the "winds" are said to be God
, messengers and In II Sam.s24 :16, "tf
J plague" Whatever the means Of d
{ structlon, it was of God, and when
J smote the camp of the Assyrians "b
| hold the devastation, behold they wei
!, all dead corpses." How empty was Sc
t nacherib's boast and how potent wei
Hezekiahs prayers. Noiselessly, a
unseen, the angel Of Jehovah move
through that Assyrian camp "th'
r night and when the survivors awol