Drief Thoughts "
For Busy Teachers
International Sunday School Lessons by J. H. Sammis Comment "Pith and Pivot" by T. C. Horton
Lesson for May 7, 1911
THREE JUDEAN KINGS. Amaziah, Uzziah, Jotham. Lesson VI.—2 Chon. xxv.-xxvli.
worshipping the' gods of Idumea; (11) and the fool thing in honoring idols whose.vot- aries. he had just conquered. Thus the want of a perfect heart in the beginning 'led to all the wrongdoing of his life and to his undoing at the last. Out of fellowship with the Lord he fell into the snare of the -devil; crediting himself with his successes he chal- lenged a stronger than he, and in his conceit he lost his treasures, his strong- holds, his glory, his prestige with his own subjects who rose up and murdered him. Had he served the Lord with a perfect heart, that is, a full surrender to seek first His glory, his end would have been glorious Instead of shameful. II. UZZIAH. 1. Uzziah succeeded at sixteen years of age and ruled for more than half a century. "He did right according to all that his father did" (26:4),' and, like his father, lacked the "perfect heart." Under him and Jothani, his successor, Judah rose to great power and prosperity. 2. One cause' of this was his deference to Zechariah, a prophet "who had understanding in the visions of God" (26:5). "Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye prosper" (20:20). The prophets had visions of the Lord and in their "light we shall see light" (Psa. 36:9). Zechariah died, but the "vision," the "Word of the Lord llveth and abideth forever" (1 Pet. 1:24, 25), and therefore if we--fall we are less excusa- ble than Uzziah. 3. Uzziah proved a worthy ruler by (1) subduing his people's enemies (25:6-8); (2) fortifying his eapitál (26:9); (3) promoting I. AMAZIAH. 1. This king, the son of Joash, reigned in Jerusalem twenty-seven years, and did right in the sight of th.e Lord, but not with a perfect heart" (25:2). The deeds and the hearts of men are both under the eye of the Lord (1 Sam. 16:7). The thought of God's "eye" is a help or a hindrance as we think Him a kind or a hard Master. To know that He is pleased with our endeavor and ¿ompassionate toward our infirmities (Heb. 5:15) should be a eheering incentiye to please 11 im; otherwise we have no freedom and are liable to rebel against Him. 2. Had his heart been right his life would have been right, for out of the heart are the issues of life (Pro. 4:23). Character, like the body, grows by;a principle within and determines the outward act. 3. To say "but not with a perfect heart" is to say that Amaziah "did right, and did wrong." (1) Right in executing his father's murderers (Num. 35: 33); (2) right in sparing their children by the law of Moses (rDeut. 24:11), the justice of God (Eze. 18:1-32), even the sons of Adam die because of their individual sins (Rom. 5:}2); (3) right in mobilizing his army to punish the Edomites who harassed the people on the borders (Amos 1:11), for it is the duty of kings to protect their sub- jects; (4) wrong in hiring idolatrous mer- cenaries to fight his theocratic battles (25:6). Let the godly learn that partnership with the ungodly is always displeasing to God and disastrous in the end. The Church needs neither the men lior the money nor the methods of the world. (5)-He did right in listening humbly to the word of reproof (25: 7, 8). and it would have been better for him if he had continued to do so (25:6); but wrong in weighing obedience over against expedience, dollars agaipst .duty (25:9). No matter what one has. invested in a bad busi- ness it should be abandoned at any cost so soon as right judgment is roused to condemn it (Acts 19:19). (7) Amaziah did right, in so doing (25:10)r and it reassures every hesi- tating- soul as it' counts the cost to remem- ber that "The Lord Is able to give much more" (¿5:9. Pull out of bad business, "God will take care of you." -But get out any- way (Hab. 3:17, 18). (8) He did right in "smiting the children of Seir" (25:11), who robbed, enslaved, and slew his people; (9) but wrong in dashing ten thousand captives on the rooks; that was the custom of' his contemporaries but not the will of the Lord. (10) He did the wrong thing in adopting and
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