Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1917-08-22
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson N.-Third Quarter, For
Aug. 26, 1917.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES,

Text Of the Lesson. u kirss XIV. 1-2f.
Memory Verses, 10, ff-0eldsn Text.
Ezsk. xxxiii, ft-commsntary Prs-
pared BY Rev. o. N. Stsarns.
The topic Of this lesson ID the cap
tivity OF Judah. fol. although such men
as Hezekiah and Josiah did what they
could to turn the people from their sins
to the Lord. the results we're only par
tial and temporary. and their sins In
creased The Lord God had compass
sion on them. Notwithstanding their
rebellion against Him. and sent them
His messengers. His servants the
prophets. to tell them Of His love and
His readiness to forgive them and
bless them II only they would turn to
Him with the whole heart, but they
Knocked the messengers Of God and
despised His words and misused His
prophets until the wrath OF the Lord
arose against His people, till there was
no remedy III Chron. xxxvi. Is. l6h
Many times He had told them IN the
beginning Of their national history how
He would bless them In the land he
had given them If only they would obey
Him and honor Him and keep them
selves from the idolatries Of other ma
lions. See for example Lev. xvi lib.
He told them just as plainly what
He would do to them and how He
would punish them II they would not
hearken to Him and keep His COM
mandments QIev. XVI. l4-S9,. Three
times In that chapter He told them
that II they persisted In disobedience
He would punish or chastise them
seven times for their sins. an express
sion which we will consider later In
our lesson Uev. XVI. IS. "a. 81. Not
only during their wilderness journey.
but also while the judges ruled. and
afterward when He gave them kings.
He many a time forgave their iniquity
and delivered them and saved them for
His names sake FPS. xviii. 50; cvt. s.
43,. but the time had come when there
was no remedy but the captivity.
Josiah was succeeded By four kings.
three sons and q grandson each Of
whom did evil in the sight of the Lord.
and during the twenty-five years Of
their reigns Judah was carried into
captivity in three different companies
until all but the very poorest were car
ried away. The fourth year Of Jehoia-
kim was the FIRST year Of Nebuchad-
nezxar. aud In that year. which would
be about COG B. c.. some Of the princes.
including Dantel and Others. and part
OF the vessels OF the house Of God
were carried to Babylon tJer. XIV. l.:
Dan. 1, 1-3,. About seven years later
Jehoiakim. who reigned only three
months. was taken to Babylon. with
his mother and servants and princes
and officers and 10000 others perhaps
$4,000 ii Kings XIV. s. l6. and this
was the second deportation. Eleven
years later. in the nineteenth year Of
ACKNOWLEDGMENT. the captivity Of Judah
was completed by the carrying away
Of Zedekiah and the rest Of the people
except the poor. who were left to be
vinedressers and husbandmen. Then
was the house OF the Lord burned and
the remaining vessels destroyed or car
ried away al Kings XIV. lin. Then
was fulfilled the strange prediction
through Ezekiel concerning Zedekiah.
II will bring Nm to Babylon. yet shall
be not see it, for after his sons were
slain before his eyes they put out his
eyes and bound him and carried him to
Babylon Ezek XII. Is; Kings'xxv. y.
However seemingly impossible any
prediction Of the Lord may appear, it
win surely be literally fulfilled in His
time. either by a near or far distant
fulfillment. or ofttimes by both. for as
one has said. prophecy may have many
a germinal fuifillment, while the full
accomplishment may be still In the
future. The Lord had said through
Jeremiah that this punishment Of Ju-
dab would continue seventy years and
that then they would return. pnd 30 It
came to pass. as we shall see In fu-
ture lessons (Jer XIV. -: II Chron-
xxxvi. 1923. Because Israel rejected
their Messiah. when In the fullness Of
time He came to them. they have ever
since been scattered among all nations.
and He said that Jerusalem would he
trodden down by the gentiles until the
times Of the gentiles be fulfilled Luke
xxi, pa.
The times Of the gentiles began with
Nebuchadnezzar. coo b. c.. and cor
respond with the seven times already
referred to In this lesson. during which
God said that He would punish Israel
for their sins. According to Dan. XII.
13. margin. times are years. and In
Mum. xiv. "a, there Is a way Of the
Lord revealed. wherein He used years
for days Seven times 800. the days In
Scriptnral year. equals 2.520. which
seems to cover the seven times Of Is
rael's punishment In Lev. xvi. or the
times Of the gentiles Eow. COG r. c..
added to 1914. the year in which the
present European war began. gives
2.s20. and there seems therefore to be
good reason for believing that the