T h e K i n g ’ s B u s i n e s s
October 1932
446
COMMENTARY Children’s Division In Holy Places B y H elen G ailey B y H erbert H. T ay
LESSON Golden Text Illustrations B y A lan S. P earce
Outline and Exposition B y B. B. S utcliffe
Blackboard Outlines B y B essie B. B urch
him.” There are many prophecies, both in the Old and New Testaments, which speak o f this universal dominion (cf. Zech. 8 :20- 23; PsaL 2 :8 ; 1 Cor. 15 :25;1 Tim. 6:15). II. T he B eneficence of the D ominion of the P rince of P eace ( P sa . 72:12-16). The Lord Jesus Christ will be the cham pion of the oppressed (vs. 12-14). The weak, the poor, and the distressed will lay down their burdens and find rest, security, and peace. From other prophets who speak o f this time, we know that there will be an end o f physical sickness and of dying, and all people will dwell in freedom from fear and alarm (cf. Isa. 66:21, 22; 33:24; 11:9; Mic. 4 :4 ; Ezek. 34:25; Rom. 8:19- 23). Deceit, the weapon of the weak, and violence, the weapon o f the strong, will then be powerless to inflict injury. All trickery, as well as all war, will be done away. Of this also the prophets have much to say (cf. Jer. 23:5, 6; Psa. 96:13; 67:1-4; 101: 8; 66:1-3; Isa. 2:1-4; Mic. 4:1:4). The priestly character of Christ’s reign is suggested in verse 15. This verse does not mean that prayer will be made on His behalf. The word “ for” here means “be cause o f” ; that is, because of His being what He is and where He is, much prayer will be made continually, and will be heard and answered. The material prosperity o f that time is suggested in verse 16. There will be plenty everywhere, and seasons of depression will be unknown. The whole earth will find prosperity, both city and country enjoying it together. One will not flourish at the expense of the other, as too frequently is the case under our present system. There will be abundance everywhere, and such a thing as famine will be but a sad memory among men. Even the wilderness will blos som into beauty and productiveness, and all the earth will rejoice in the world-wide peace and plenty which shall then prevail (cf. Isa. 35:1; 11:1). III. T he P ermanency of the D ominion of the P rince of P eace ( P sa . 72:17). The permanency of Christ’s reign is as sured because of the enduring character of His name. The name stands for what He is in His own person. Men shall be blessed in Him, and all nations shall call Him blessed. There will be universal recognition of His wisdom and His grace in conduct ing His dominion, and because o f this, all nations will acknowledge not only His au thority, but also the blessing which comes from the exercise o f that authority. The promise to Abram will then be made good, and “all the families o f the earth” will be blessed in him (Gen. 12:3). From the be ginning, man has been trying to make a name for himself and has been ever failing (c f. Gen. 3 :5 ; 4:17; 11:4; Psa. 49:11; Dan. 4 :30). This effort to make a name will at last culminate in the name “ Blasphemy” (Rev. 13 :1). There is only one to whom a name has been given (Phil. 2 :9 ), and this is the One whose “name shall be continued
NOVEMBER 6, 1932 THE CHRISTIAN AND WORLD PEACE P sa . 22:27, 28; 67:1-7; 72:8-19; I sa . 2:1-4; M att . 28:16-20; E ph . 2:13-19 Lesson Text: Psa. 72:9-17; Eph. 2:13- 19.
erally recognized that this promised time o f universal peace is to be brought to earth only by the second coming o f Christ. It is because He is coming to inaugurate His rule over the whole world that world peace will finally come. Such a time o f peace cannot and will not come through the efforts of the peoples o f the earth.' The dream o f universal peace, through treaties and pacts between the nations, is a dream with no reality behind it. .This is abundantly proven on every page of his tory. But the prophets o f the Bible unitedly speak o f a time of world peace to be usher ed in at the time o f thè second coming of Christ. It is sometimes taught that these prophecies concerning the Lord’s second coming are to be interpreted in a spiritual sense, and that it is a grave mistake to in terpret them literally., But it must be re membered that they are all closely linked with prophecies concerning Christ’s first advent. The prophets minutely described many events which were to occur at His first coming, and these have all been ful filled literally. There is, therefore, no scriptural, not to say logical, reason for supposing that the numerous prophecies describing His second coming will not have a literal fulfillment. Furthermore, if these prophecies relating to the Lord’s second coming are not to be taken literally, is there any warrant for supposing that any prom ised time o f universal peace is literal ? The book o f Psalms, particularly, is full o f prophecies describing future times. Psalm 72, a portion o f which forms our lesson today, is one which tells of the sec ond coming of Christ and o f the character o f the government which He will set up upon this, earth. The first verse o f the psalm contains a prayer that judgment and righteousness might be the portion of the coming King. This is the first requirement for any proper government. The prayer is followed, in verses 2 to 7, by the declara tion that His reign upon earth will be one o f strict justice and , equity; and that, growing out o f such a rule o f righteous ness, blessedness and beneficence will mark the reign of this Prince of Peace. I. T he D ominion of the P rince of P eace (P sa . 72:8-11). Christ’s dominion will be over the whole o f the land of Israel (vs. 8, 9 ). This will be His domain as King of the Jews. It will reach “ from sea to sea,” that is, from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf ; and “ from the river unto the ends o f the earth,” that is, from the River Euphrates to the farthest limits o f the land. His dominion will also extend over the whole world (vs. 10, 11). “All kings shall fall before him : all nations shall serve
Golden Text: “Blessed are the peace makers : for they shall be called the chil dren o f God” (Matt. 5 :9 ). Peace in Israel T he portion of our lesson taken from the Epistle to the Ephesians refers to the peace which exists between Jews and Gentiles when they are “in Christ Jesus.” In the present dispensation, there is peace among men only when men are at peace with God. The Scriptures assure us
that there will be no p e r m a n e n t world peace until the Prince of Peace rules in per son. Yet some of the e v id e n c e s of peace among the tribes of Israel today are fore tastes of that perfect peace o f the kingdom age.
The woman at the well told Jesus that “the Jews have no dealings with the Sa maritans.” That has been true for over two thousand years. Yet that “wall of partition” is now being broken down. When we arrived at Shechem to visit the Samaritan Passover, the son of the high priest called on us shortly after we had found a room in a hotel. He invited us to be his special guests at the ceremonies of the following day, and offered to assist us in any way possible in visiting points of interest in the vicinity. W e were at a loss to account for his friendliness until we discovered that he thought we were Ameri can Jews. lie was most cordial to us be cause the Samaritans wish to have friendly relationships with the Jews. At this same Passover ceremony, there were about three hundred Jews. They were the newly arrived Jewish colonists, and had come to the Passover to indicate their good will toward their Samaritan cousins. The Samaritans received them gladly, and a spirit o f peace prevailed be tween them. This attitude was a present indication of what shall be when Israel and Judah are joined according to the words of the prophet. Outline and Exposition The Bible has much to say concerning a time when universal peace will come to this world, when the implements o f war fare will be turned into those of peaceful avocations, and when the noise o f battle will be hushed. It will be a time, the proph ets declare, when all the nations o f the earth will dwell with each other in amity and friendship. It is not, however, gen
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