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in the popular intolerance of pure Gos pel preaching. The people prefer enter tainment to edification. W^ch say to the seers, See not; and to the Proph ets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things. Isamh 30:10. The pulpit and pew act and re-act upon each other. As tbe clouds pour out the rain upon the earth that has been lifted up in evaporation, the pulpit pours out in eloquence upon the pew what has been absorbed from the people, between whiles, and on this ac count nearly every congregation gets the kind of preaching it desires and demands. The faithful preacher, how ever, gets his inspiration from above rather than from beneath and gives his people what they need rather than what they want. Happy is that peo ple who really want what they need. Wednesday, March 8. Amos 5:10-15. Be Generous and Just The message of the prophet Amos is distinctively social and ethical. u speaks as loudly to the twentieth cen tury as to the age when it was spoken. Fundamentally, the conditions in every age are similar. The rich are always prone to self-indulgence and extrava gance. The poor are always viewed with indifference or treated with op pression. The true prophet always ap peals to the eternal verities of jus tice, obligation and certain retribution. By the faithful delivery of his message the prophet transfers the responsibility from his own shoulders to those to whom he speaks, and their destiny is determined by the reception of his mes sage and their obedience to hi3 words. The blindness of sin is beyond the pow er of human comprehension. woe to them that are at ease in Zion. Thursday, March 9. Amos 5:16-27. Brutality Through Intemperance Sin is essentially selfish. When the senses are blunted by narcotics and the passions inflamed by stimulants, there is little regard felt for the rights and well-being of others. A moral agent is responsible for self-induced insanity. A drunkard is therefore doubly guilty. He is responsible for the crimes com mitted while under the influence of liquor and he is responsible for getting in that condition which made the crimes possible. Prohibition is good, in that it makes drunkenness difficult. As long as faHen men have artificial appetites, so long will means be found to minister to their gratification. The only rem-
Sunday, March 5. Homans 11:26-36. Jonah, a Type of Israel The Jew, like Jonah, was intended to be God’s messenger and witness to a perishing world. He refuses the mes sage, turns his back on God, is found asleep in the midst of judgments, is rebuked by unbelievers who are under judgment on his account, confesses be fore them his unfaithfulness, and they fear God. They are delivered from impending judgment and through sym bolic death and resurrection an elec tion out of the Gentiles is saved. The Jew, having gone through the great trib ulation and having learned the power of the death and resurrection of Christ, once more becomes God’s messenger and is sent forth a second time with God’s message to a perishing world which believes, repents and turns to God. The enmity of the unconverted Jews is aroused and they resent the grace shown the Gentiles, cf. 1 Thess. 2:15-16. God enters into personal dealing with them and shows that grace is the only principle by which they can enter into the promised bles sing. Monday, March 6. Amos 6:1-8. Amos Warns Israel After the ministry of Elijah and Eli sha, and under the administration of Joash and Jeroboam, Israel entered up on a period of great temporal prosper ity. With this, however, there came idolatry, spiritual apathy and wicked ness of all kinds. Then God called Amos, a shepherd of Tekoa, and a gatherer of Sycamore fruit, and said: “ Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. Amos had a weighty and solemn mes sage. He foretold the destruction of Israel. He first denounces the sins of the surrounding nations, then he describes the moral condition of Ju(1an and Israel and predicts their doom. He closes his prophecy with an announce ment of the Messianic kingdom and the happiness of the people of God. Chief among the sins which he cries out against is that of intemperance. It is the usual accompaniment of luxury and self-indulgence. Tnesday, March 7. Amos 2:10-16. Tempting God’s Headers The Nazarites were the spiritual ex amples and leaders of the nation. The prophet’s accusation is that they were tempted to break their vows of abstin ence. The modern counterpart is found
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