A ß iiU 2oe¿iio*t (jama Dorothy Shrevc Cole
LOVE AND LIGHT
Through love to light! O wonderful the way That leads from darkness to the perfect day! From darkness and from sorrow of the night To morning that comes singing o’er the sea. Through love to light! Through light, O God, to Thee, W ho art the love of love, the eternal light of light! R IC H A R D W A T SO 'N G IL D E R . of study. Mr. Icenbarger, at my re -1 quest, called a council of Dayton Association of ministers, and 35 Bap tist pastors assembled in Central; Church questioned me relative to my personal faith and doctrine. My ordi- I nation took place that evening, and my first call came from Ada, Ohio, where I served as pastor for five years. From there the New Covenant Mission in Pittsburgh, of which Maurice Ruben was founder and superintendent for many years, called me to be their pastor-evange list. After two and a half years of this ministry, I was convinced that God was calling me to a wider sphere in preaching the Gospel to both Jew and Gentile, depending upon the Lord for the support of myself and family. In 1913, we re turned to Ada, the little flock over which I had been under-shepherd for five years being very dear to our hearts. I started out in Bible teaching and God was ever faithful. Were I to write of all the manifestations of His goodness and grace, it would fill a book. Through operations, pub lication of my books, and all our needs, He never failed to care and provide. In Christ I have found my only abiding comfort for every sor row. As a rabbi, I had yearned to give the bereaved some hope on which to lean, but how could I give that which I did not possess? I gave sympathy, but in times of heart breaking grief and tragedy, sympathy is of little comfort. But to the heart broken how satisfying and glorious are the words of our Cord Jesus Christ: "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and be lieveth in me shall never die.” And again: “Verily, verily I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath [possesses now] everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” There is but one eternal life. There is but one source of eternal life; that is God’s Son. What a great and glorious message we, His redeemed ones, are commissioned to deliver to day! May we be faithful to our trust! PAGE SIXTEEN
I. FIRST CLUE
THIRD CLUE Under a rebuke from the Lord, I became humble and repentant, and God’s judgments were stayed. I was buried in the city of David and my son Abijam was king in my stead. I was the first ruler of the smaller remnant in the divided kingdom period which began about 975 B.C. in the history of Israel. WHO WAS I? m. FIRST CLUE I was of humble origin, but I was an efficient, industrious man and under the favor of a great king, I became a leader among men. Later this same king sought my life. I fled to Egypt, but was recalled by the men of Israel and became king according to the word of Ahijah the prophet, when he found me in the field and tore my cloak into twelve pieces. WHO WAS I? SECOND CLUE For political reasons, I caused Israel to worship two golden calves at Shechem. I reasoned in my heart that while I would not turn against God completely, still I decided that He could be worshiped one way as well as another. Following the imaginations of my own heart rather than the Word of the Lord, I ignored God’s choice of Jerusalem as a place of worship, and I made priests of unsanctified and ungodly men. I was sacrificing to the golden calf at Bethel when a man of God ap peared and prophesied upon the altar concerning a child to be bom to the house of David. God confirmed the prophecy by three miracles, seeking to bring me to repentance, but I re fused to let the God of Israel rule in my heart. WHO WAS I? FOURTH CLUE I did not fear God, even after the destruction of a man of God who was deceived into disobedience, when a lying spirit spoke tlirough God’s own prophet at Bethel. . Only when death threatened my beloved son did I remember God. WHO WAS I? (Answers on Page 46). T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S WHO WAS I? THIRD CLUE
I was the grandson of a great and wise king, and my mother was the granddaughter of Absalom. WHO WAS I? SECOND CLUE I was allowed to perpetuate the dynasty for the sake of my grand father who a man after the Lord’s own heart. My words were admirable, but my deeds contradicted my pious profes sion. I reigned but three years, and my reign was characterized by constant warfare with Israel. I made a speech to my enemies which showed that I understood the sinfulness of rebellion against God, but because my heart was not right, my head knowledge did not do me any good, and I walked in all the sins of my father. God gave my people victory in the wars because they trusted in Him. It is nowhere written that I myself ever trusted in the Lord. WHO WAS I? FOURTH CLUE I was the second ruler of the small er remnant of Israel during the di vided kingdom period. WHO WAS I? II. FIRST CLUE I was of royal birth, my father being wise, famous, and prosperous, and chosen of God to rule. My mother was an Ammonitess, a worshiper of idols, who influenced me for evil. Because of the judgment of God against my father, I was rewarded only a remnant of my inheritance, and that remnant was given me for the sake of my grandfather, who was “a man after God’s own heart.” WHO WAS I? SECOND CLUE At first both I and my house served the Lord; then we forsook the law of the Lord; as it is written of me, “he did evil; because he pre pared not his heart to seek the Lord." God allowed the Egyptians to come up in the fifth year of my reign, and seize the temple and the palace in Jerusalem. WHO WAS I? WHO WAS I? THIRD CLUE
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