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T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
the people who lived a long tim e ago ever steal and do very wicked things also? Yes, people’s h earts are th e same wherevter they live, for th e Bible tells Us our h earts are wicked and sinful, and th a t is why no ohe can be saved Until they give th e ir h ea rt to Jesus, for He is the only one who can make our h earts pure, and forgive sin. We have learned to love brave, tru e Joshua, and how we will enjoy meeting him up in heaven and have him tell us these sto r ies, and O so many other in teresting things th a t happened along th e way. Today we are to h ear of ano ther brave leader, for God had taken Joshua away from ea rth to live w ith Him. I believe some of you can tell me the name of th e new leader, when you th in k of th e pitchers, trum pets and lights. Yes, E arl you have guessed righ t, his name was Gideon. Now a while afte r Jo shu a’s death, .the chil dren of Israel began to disobey God, and while they were now living in the beautiful land of Canaan, yet th ere were many of the people th ere who did no t love God, and were enemies to God’s people. These people would steal the cattle belonging to Israel, and spoil th e ir crops, so it made Israel poor and hungry. Ju st as long as Joshua lived he led th e people in th e rig h t way, b u t now they were not being tru e to God. Some of God’s people were m arrying unsaved people, and they knew God had forbidden them to do so. Now God told Gideon to gath er an arm y to go out and fight against th e ir enemies. Gideon was a brave and obedient soldier, and God knew he would obey. Gideon gathered a g reat big army and God told him he had too many men, so Gideon told all the men who felt afraid they could go home, and a very large number went home. God told Gideon he still had too many. Gideon though t of the g reat num ber of men in th e enemy camp, bu t he did as God commanded. (Continue th is in teresting n arrativ e of the sifting down to 300 m en). Now Gideon divided his men into th ree groups of 10 0 each; he gave each man a pitcher, a trum p et and a light, for it was night, and they quietly marched down to where th e enemy arm y was sleeping. They pu t th e ir lights into the pitchers, and Gideon told them to do ju s t as he did, and when they circled around th e enemy’s camp, Gideon blew his trum p et and broke his pitcher, and all th e 300 did th e same, and th e enemy see ing th e ligh t and hearing the crash of pitchers and trum pets, became frightened and ra n from them , and they were so afraid they tu rned th e ir swords against each other, and Gideon’s men did not have to fight to destroy all th e wicked men. Gideon was brave because he obeyed God, and God was w ith him and his arm y of 300. Are we like the Gid eons letting our ligh t shine? Teach Memory Verse. Aite.m MARCH 2, 1924 The Revival Under Samuel Golden Text: “P repare your h earts unto th e Lord and serve Him only.” 1 Samuel 7:3. Lesson Text: 1 Sam. Chapters 1 to 7. Devotional Read ing, Psa. 51:1-10. National life usually centers ab o u t a personality. A good man a t th e head of th e nation means a good nation. A bad man a t jthe head means a bad nation. Quality is worth more th a n quantity. There are times when one man is worth more th an a m ultitude. Samuel LESSON was such a man in th e history of Israel. EXPOSITION Noah is the g reat preacher of th e Old Dr. F . W. F a rr Testam ent, Moses is the g reat prophet b u t . Samuel is th e g reat pray-er. He stood be tween the living and th e dead. He was th e chief factor in th e national and religious life of Israel. W ithou t his in te r cession Israel would perish.
In our lesson two weeks ago we studied abou t Israel’s sad failu re a t Kadesh-B araea. L ast week we were led into an altogether different atmosphere as we though t of Is ra e l’s g reat victories and blessings as recorded in Joshua. “And Israel served th e Lord all the DEVOTIONAL days of Joshua-, and all the days of th e COMMENT elders th a t outlived Jo shu a’’ (Josh. Jo h n A. H ubbard 2 4 :31 ). In our present lesson on “The Period of th e Judges” we again see terrib le failu re on th e p a rt of Israel. B u t over against the d ark background of th e people’s unfaithfulness shines the ligh t of God’s mercy and grace. “The book (of Judges) records seven apostasies, seven servitudes to seven heathen nations, seven deliverances.” "Apostasy, punishm ent, repentance, mercy and deliverance — th is was the round Israel went for centuries.” An exceedingly helpful summary of Israel’s history a t th is and la ter periods is given in Ps. 106:34-46. (Space will no t perm it th e quoting of the passage. I t will pay you to look it up ). Note the steps in Israel’s downward course. “They did n o t destroy” (versé 34, compare Judges 1:21, 2 7 - 3 3 ) 1 - “ b u t m ingled,” and so “learn ed th e ir works,” th en “served th eir idols” (vs. 35, 36). “Resist begin nings.” Spiritual d isaster follows when we to lerate known sin and fail to “ come ou t and be separate” (2 Cor. 6:14 to 7 :1 ). “Nothing is more fatal to th e Christian calling th a n alliance w ith th e wicked. He who makes th e experi m ent of such entangling alliances will speedily discover th a t his power is lost; th a t w hat he builds w ith the one hand, he pulls down w ith th e other. Separation, th is is God’s call.” (Dr. Moorehead). But let us not overlook th e o ther side of th e sto ry of Judges, namely, God’s marvelous grace in delivering the unfaithful, afflicted people when they tu rn ed to H im w ith penitent hearts. “And th e children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee” (1 0 :1 0 ). “And his soul was grieved for th e m isery of Israel” (10: 16). “When th e children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer” (3 :1 5 ). And in the deliverances, “ no flesh could glory in His presence” (1 Cor. 1 :2 9 ). He raised up Ehud, “a man left-handed” (3: 1 5 ); Shamgar, “w ith an oxgoad” (3 :3 1 ); Deborah, a wo man (ch. 4 ); Gideon, w ith his th ree hundred, arm ed w ith empty pitchers and torches (ch. 7 ); Samson, armed w ith a jawbone of an ass (1 5 :1 5 ). Truly “God h ath chosen the foolish things, th e weak things, base things, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nough t things th a t are ” (1 Cor. 1:26-31). Ü I m The Storjj Of A B rave Leader. Judges 7:2-21. Memory Verse.— “Be strong and of good courage.” Joshua 1 : 6 . Approach.— Boys w hat kind of weapons do soldiers carry when they go fo rth to b attle? A gun and a sword. Now I am going to show you th e kind of weapons some soldiers who lived a long, long tim e ago carried. (B ring to class a pitcher, trum p et and to rch ; any ELEMENTARY earth en pitch er will answer purpose Mabel L. M errill and toy h o rn ). Now h ere is a pitcher, a trum p et and a torch or light. Do you not th ink those are funny weapons for soldiers? “Not by m ight nor by power, b u t by my sp irit, saith th e Lord.” Let us bow our heads and offer Up a prayer of praise and thanksgiving for a God who loves us and will always help us when We tru s t and obey Him. Lesson Story.—We read in th e daily papers of men steal ing and killing, and doing such wicked things. Jam es did
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