Evening star., 1922-09-23
Sunday School Lesson

living God keeping watch over His
people and providing for their Sc
curity.
In the work of the restoration
Zerubbabel, Ezra and, Nehemiah were
the leaders. whose activities and en-
deavors we studied. We followed the
expeditions across the dangerous
Euphrates river, around by Damascus
and over the desert to the Holy Land.
The first expedition that returned to
build the temple met with trials and
difficulties that tested the value of
the exile experience in their lives
While they succeeded in rebuilding
the temple and restoring the worship.
they failed to rebuild the walls. They
had to face the bitter trials OF op-
position until Gods time was fulfilled.
He then raised up Nehemiah to full
fill the task. which demonstrated that
there was time in the affairs of
men which agreed with prophecy and
proved beyond question the blessings
of the exile.
The exile. which appeared to be
the end of the Hebrews. had a differ
ont effect. The trials of those days
served to crystalize and intensity
their national consciousness. Their
political dissolution resulted In a
moral and spiritual development. The
same may prove true concerning
some of the nations that have been
crushed by the world war. We have
similar trial. History testiftes TO
some Of the advantages of defeat as
we'll as disaster to men and nations;
The revival of the Jewish people and
their restoration to Palestine was
the result Of their obtaining an en-
larged vision of God. Before the
exile they associated Jehovah with
Palestine, but in the exile they learn
ed that He was the God of all the
earth.
nv ,sonbo+. ,,toca ,,,eccapes we
have studied, gathered up the funda-
mentals of religion that their coun-
trymen had been taught and forgot
ten. They proclaimed to their dis
couraged patroits the revealed truth
that the God who had chastised them
would prove His love for the He
brews by the coming of Messiah
They learned that Jehovah was a
spiritual and omnipotent God and not
a local god like those worshipped by
the heather. Their knowledge OF
Jehovah resulted in their becoming a
definite and distinct people. whose
devotion to Jehovah proved that they
had learned the lesson of the exile.
In all their latter history they never
faltered in their devotion to Jehovah.
They kept themselves from becom-
ing. as their fathers had in Pales-
tine, worshippers of heather gods.
Judaism, as we know it. was born
in the exile. They returned to Je-
rusalem with a faith based upon the
holy word. This has given them
their prominence and power in the
religious thought OF the world The
three great world religions have
been given to humanity by Jewish
teachers and thinkers. No other race
has ever developed a faith free from
the limitations of nation, race ana
land. They also brought with them
to Jerusalem the synagogue, which
=, hi
of Jesus, concerning. whose coming
Malachi spoke and who fulfilled by
His life all the Messianic hopes OF
His race and countrymen. the cradie
of modern democracy and human lid
erty.
Our study for the quarter will have
been failure unless we have learned
the same lessons which the Hebrews
learned in exile. They were taught
not only the value of nationality to
Gods program. but their personal re-
sponsibility to help, by life of purity
and devotion to Him, to carry out His
will in the affairs of men. They priced
the sacred Scriptures. and made them
the guide of their individual and ma
tional life. If We fail to follow their
example, then America may some day
have to tread the pathway of suffer
ing and sorrow for her neglect to do
the will of the Lord. The Church of
Christ holds the key to the future. Let
us devote our all to the glory of God,
and thus help advance and per-
petuate America among the nations
by life devoted to Gods service and
the welfare OF humanity. We have
seen in our studies the value or
prayer A few weeks ago the nation
poured out their prayers for the be-
loved wife of our President. Amer
ica's great specialists who were
studying her condition noted, just. as
the churches were praying. an i'm
provement Jehovah still hears
PRAYER. God has done great things
for us, as He hath done for the He
brews Let US be glad and conse-
crate our lives and talents to His
service and try to bring in a new
era of righteousness. peace and joy
among men.