Grainger County news. (Rutledge, Tenn.) 1917-current, 1917-05-24
LESSON FOR MAY 20
ThE IMPORTANCE OF sELF-coN.
TRoL-TEMPERANcE LESSON.
LESSON TExT-Isa. 2s:1-ia.

LESSON TEXT-Isa. 2sI-13.
GOLDEN TExT-Eyery man that striv.
eth for the mastery Is temperate In al
things.-I Cor. s:25.
Wine In the Scriptures Is spoken OF
under four aspects. First, social, That
as illustrated by its use at the mar
riage In Cana. We must not, however,
confuse this wine with the spirltuous,
strong drink of this present day. Sec
Ond, medicinal prov 81 :0-7; Tim.
5 :23). These passages do not COM
mand us to use it as such, and God
has very graciously revealed 10 US
In modern medical research the full.
ity of the use of alcohol In the patteF
Of medicine as remedy. Third, sacri-
fetal wine Matt. 26:27-29 Luke p IT
10Y, and fourth wine is spoken about
as productive of the woes of men (See
Amos Ell; Heb. 2:15; Prov. q :2O).
It is also mentioned by way of contrast
(See Eph. 5:1S):
The Scriptures speak of drunkards
n four different ways: ~ They are
o be stoned (Deut. q :20); (2) Drunk
ards lead to poverty prov. % :2D !;
| t3) Drunkards are to be separated
from other men Il Cor. 5:11l: (D
they are to be finally separated from
God U Cor. 6:9).
Abstinence from strong drink Is en-
joined in the Scriptures under three
heads: ~ the priest and Nazarite
(Num. 6 30; Luke :15); (2) the ruler
(Prov. 81 ~; (3) those who are to
worship Jehovah Uev. 1879.
This particular lesson is taken from
portion of Isaiah's prophecy where
he is anticipating what Is about to hap
pen to Samaria, and uttering his warn
lngs unto Judah.
|. The Steps Of lntemperance. First,
Disgrace and Dishonor ". ~. The
city of Samaria is compared to q
chaplet of flowers on drunkard's
brow, which shall be trodden under
foot because of his inebriety. Drunk
enness seemed to have been so wide
spread as to become national sin.
Second, Disease and Deeeneracy ". %.
The pride of beauty spoken OF In verse
one is to fall to the earth" This
glorious beauty was after all only a
fading flower" q Pet. 1:24). The
coming of the Assyrians upon Samaria
Is described In a three-fold way: ~
AS "tempest of hail" (2) asA sde-
stroyIng Storm" (3) as 'tempest
Of mighty waters OVERLOOKING" The
thought contained is that Of wide
spread and overwhelming destruction.
Back of this work of devastation and
destruction and desolati0n was the
wrath of God against sin (Ch. 2:4-9).
All earthly pride shall be trodden nm
der foot Samaria, "a fading flower.
was to be greedily eaten up by the on
coming enemy.
II. Those Reached by intemperance.
Strong drink causes men to err In their
conduct, in their moral insight, in their
judgments. 1t reaches the beautiful
". ~; it reaches the learned ". y
1t reaches those in authority; in fact
all classes. 1t leads men to the depths
| u anu w biiC ioSS VI LhNAA
Wills ". 81; it makes men to become
beasts, wallowing in their own vomit
Not only Samaria, but "these also
wv. Z and 81, that is people of Jeru'
salem have erred through wine and
strong drink. Even the priests and
the prophets had and do so now (See
Oh. 56:10-12; Micah 2:11). The priests
were especially inexcusable because Of
the plain directness of Gods wore
Lev. 10 $40; Ezekiel Al :21). The
result of their intemperance was thai
they utterly failed in their officia
acts. They reeled in vision and STUN
bled in Judgment. The use of win'
and strong drink made their socia
J gatherings filthy and disgusting. TEN
perance Is the habit of abstaining from
everything that destroys. 1t Is the con
troll and right use of Gods good gift
for service. Intemperance is lack o
control or the wrong use of God
gifts in self-indulgence.
III. The Lesson in Contrast. Jeru
salem VS.. Samaria. Samaria's crow
Of pride was not the glory of God
is beauty was a fading flower ". Al
his wisdom condemned through tn
ignorance of Samaria wv. 6, Z, 12)
his strength versus their weakness an,
wickedness wv. 6, 49,. God teache
by contrast as well as by direc
precept. Verses nine and ten may b
. taken as hooking answer of the pee
pie to Gods prophet. Isaiah intimate
that the time to begin our instruction
is in childhood e.. 81, that precep
? must be upon precept, and line npo
: line, here a little and there little
There never is time when we can le
Eup in this struggle against the might
, evil of intemperance.
] Take as reply ". 81 this woul
: seem to indicate that God took them
be babies just weaned. If the prophe
himself, is the speaker, then Jehoya
| is represented as teaching knowledg
+ to babes and not to. the self-sufficien
( 1t is these whom he "makes to unde
stand his message" Or. V. }, and tn
method of his teaching is precept upc
, precept. If we will not hear God
loving and patient call to repentanc
he will speak to us through cruel en-