Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1917-08-29
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson x.-Third Quarter. For
Sept. z, 1917
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text of the Lesson, Exek. xxxiv, 1f-16,
1927 - Memory Verse. "a Golden
Text, Ps. xiii, 1-commentary Pre-
pared by Rev. q. M. Stearns.

better title for this lesson rather
than the one given would be The
Shepherd Of Restored Israel" for 1t
is the record Of time yet future when
they shall never again be prey to
the nations verses 2T-3D. when the
King OF Israel. the Lord. shall be In
the midst of them and they shall not
see evil any more ,Zeph. Ill, IA. 15).
Then shall the twelve tribes be one
nation in their own land. and one King
shall be King to them all. and they
shall never again be divided int two
Kingdoms, and God shall make with
them an everlasting covenant OF peace
and dwell In their midst forevermore
Geek. xxxvii. 1928. There are still
those who say and teach that God Is
done with Israel as a nation because
of all their sins, but such people must
be wholly deaf to the words OF the
Lord In Jer. xxi. 35-37; xxxiii, % 10.
where He says that until sun. moon
and stars cease to shine He viii never
cast of His people Israel, notwith-
standing all that they have done. The
testimony of the Spirit through Pau is
just the same In Rom ri. 1. 2. 1871
They are the only nation that God ever
chose specially for Himself and called
the everlasting nation (Which Is the lit
eral translation Of two Hebrew words
In lisa. Xiv. Z. given in the A. v. as
the ancient people,. They will he the
first righteous nation on earth. and
then win many nations be Joined to
the Lord and the earth be filed with
His glory lisa. TX, i-3, 81, -; XVII, G;
Zech. Ii, 1919. Our lesson Is one OF
the greatest shepherd chapters In The
Old Testament, but Jer. XIII is anoth-
er. and there we read that when the
King, the Righteous Branch, shall have
been raised up unto David the deliver
ance Of Israel from all nations win be
so great and wonderful that their com
ing out Of Egypt shall not seem any
thing to be compared with Il sJer. xiii.
3-Sl. The title shepherd of Israel"
takes us back to Gen. Xix, 2i and on
to Ps. Xxx. l. and lisa. xl. ii, and Rev.
vii. II. and only in the glorious future
complete fuliillment.
Many cannot see in the lesson Of to
day anything more than the Good Shep-
herd who saves us as individuals and
keeps us and cares for us in every way
and carries us In His arms and on His
shoulders: the Great Shepherd who lives
His life In us and the Chief Shepherd
who will reward us at His appearing
tJohn X; Hea,. Kill; l Pet ", and we
must see and know Him as such before
we can see and know Him as the future
Shepherd of Israel. 1t is strange. in
deed, that so many believers, truly
saved people. have no heart for the
things of His kingdom; so many preach
ers take no interest In Daniel or Reve-
lation or any prophecy, and as one re-
Gently said. IF l can get my people
saved and safely to heaven 1 do not
need to bother with the things OF Dan
lei and Revelation, which I cannot I'M
derstand." Is it not a possibility that
to such our Lord might say what He
said to the two on the way to Emmaus,
20 fools. and slow of heart. to believe
all that the prophets have spoken !"
duke xiv. %.
In the days Of Jeremiah and Ezekiel
there We're those who were more inter
ested in the welfare of themselves than
of others, who ran without being sent
by the Lord, who spoke lies ont of the
deceit OF their own hearts and caused
the people to err by their lies and their
lightness Eek. xxxiv, ?, s, 10: Jer.
xiii, is. II. II. IS. 26, 80. 1t is pos
sible that there are still such false
prophets, and the Lord will reckon with
them in due time, for He Is against
them, and the reckoning will be very
serious matter for them. Every true
prophet or teacher should be the Lord &
messenger with the Lords message, and
His word to them is. Hear the word OF
the Lord, hear the word at My mouth
and give them warning from me" tHag.
1. Is: Eek. xxxiv. I, 8: iii. 4, 10. To
all such the comfort is that His word
will never fail to accomplish His pleas
ure. and He viii watch over 1t to per.
form il lisa. ". IL. Jer. |. II, K. W.
Let US always remember that, while
in all the Bible there are words for
each individual heart, when God says
Israel He means Israel, the descendants
of Jacob. who was called Israel, and
not the church. and have not yet
found any place where the church Is
called Israel or Israel the church
Ezekiel was prophet of the captiv.
fly and evidently carried away in the
second deportation with Jehoiachin
(Ezek. /. l. p. Daniel had been taken
in the first company in the reign OF
Jehoia kim. jeremiah was left in Jeru-
salem ,Jer xxx. l1-14. These men
had Thus saith the Lord" for all
they said. and through them He was
comforting and encouraging His peo-
pie. Our lesson verses. II to 16, are
certainly plain and clear statements
Vsv> II