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responds to the Christian faith of her citizens, and without that kind of strength, no nation can become really great or have any abiding civilization. The Bible is the source of the Chris tian’s faith. To ignore the Bible is therefore to become the inheritors of a decaying civilization. Our palla dium—not a superstitious charm like Minerva’s statue, but a mighty quick ening power that gives to a people the elements of real worth and to a nation the source of a real- ability to preserve and prosper. Let this Book be taken from us, and our boasted civilization will be doomed.—W. E. B. The Beautiful Temple 1 K ings 7:51; 8:1, 14,' 15 a MEMORY VERSE: “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord” (Psa. 92:1). AIM: To show that when we love the Lord, we want to give to Him— the gift of our hearts first of all. APPROACH: We like to do things for those we love. [Make the lesson personal by calling attention to gifts the children may have made for par ents or others.} King David loved the Lord, and he wanted to make a beauti ful building—a temple—which could be called the Lord’s house, where people could come to worship Him as we do in our church. The heavenly Father was pleased because David had such loving thoughts of Him (cf. 8:18). But the Lord wanted others to feel that way toward Him, too. He want ed David’s son Solomon to love and trust Him, so He let Solomon build the temple instead of David. That way, Father David and Son Solomon each would have a part: the father would have the idea for the building, and the son would haye the work to plan. The Lord likes people to work together (1 Cor. 3:9). The house of God that David thought about and that Solomon built was just as beautiful as loving hearts and hands could make it. You see, it was a love gift for .the Lord. It had in it the choicest wood, cut from cedar and fir trees (5:10). The best work men were called to build it. “The whole house was overlaid with gold,” even the floor (6:22, 30). Seven long years it took to finish it. When the temple was ready, Solo mon and all the people were glad. They had made something very beau tiful for their heavenly Father. But they could hot be one bit proud about their work, for they knew that if the Lord had not helped them, they could not have done it at all. “The Lord has performed his word,” Solomon said (8:20), for every day the Lord had shown the people how to do something lovely that would please Him. Don’t you think they felt like saying together the words of our Memory Verse?
Points and Problems 1. “The Lord appeared to Solomon the second time" (1 Ki. 9:2): The time was critical. The building of the temple was completed. The serv ice of dedication was ended. It was a time when the temptation to relax in the Lord’s work would be strong. What would Solomon and Israel do now? It was at such a time that God appeared to Solomon in order to en ergize him spiritually. Ministers and churches in the present day have sim ilar experiences. A goal is reached. Perhaps a building project has been completed or a successful revival has been consummated. What next? At a time like this the pastor and his people need a sense of the Lord’s pres ence lest the church become spirit ually stagnant. 2. "Mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually" (v. 3). God is always present in His house. Too often, however, His children have hearts that fail to respond to His presence. Their ears are dull of hear ing. Many times professing Christians attend the house of worship without having experienced fellowship with Him. The first purpose of attending church should be to meet God who has promised to be there. 3. "As David thy father" (v. 4). This has been called the key phrase of First Kings (cf. 3:3, 14; 11:4, 33, 38; 14:8; 15:3, 11). It establishes a new standard for godly living. Parents are to be a constant challenge to their offspring. 4. "And Solomon gathered together chariots and horsemen" (10:26). This statement reflects one of the elements in the king’s failure. He gathered to himself the things of the world. He hugged them to his heart until he had little room for God. He formed unholy alliances (11:4). The result was failure to grow to spiritual ma turity. He never became the man he could have been had he trusted in God instead of in the alluring things of this world (cf. Psa. 20:7). Golden Text Illustration P salm 33:12 How often we have heard it said that the Bible is the palladium of our American civilization! The word comes to us in connection with the f/ill of Troy. The Trojans were the proud possessors of a celebrated statue of Minerva called the Palladium. In this staiue the Trojans rested their security, and that of the city. Among the Greeks were two: Ulys ses, famous for sagacity, and Dio- medes, second only to Achilles as a hero. These two entered the city of Troy in disguise and carried the Pal ladium away to* the Grecian camp. Soon after this, the city fell. The Bible is our palladium. It is no idle aphorism that the spiritual and moral strength of this nation cor
Object Lesson G ift or R ift
OBJECTS: A large envelope and a piece of white paper. (Cut the ends off the envelope, leaving a sleeve. In the middle of the sleeve, cut a hole about an inch square through one thickness of the paper. On the paper showing through this hole, print the word “IF.” To the left of the hole, on the front, print the letter “L.” To the right of the hole, print the let ter “E,” completing the word “LIFE.” Make horizontal slits above and be low the letters “L” and “E,” in order that they may be folded backwards. With the white paper, make an in sert wide enough to fill the sleeve, and long enough to extend about 3 inches above and below the sleeve. A rectangular opening will need to be cut at the center, allowing the “IF” to show. On the top of this paper print the word “GOD,” arid at the bot tom the word “SIN.” Fold the “L” and “E” backwards, leaving the word “ IF” showing. Pull the paper down through the sleeve, until the word “ GOD” disappears. Using the word “IF” print “GIFT,” the “G” and “T” printed on the slip of paper. Pull the paper up until “SIN” disappears in the sleeve, and using the word “IF” complete the word “RIFT”.) LESSON: This is strange-looking paper. In the middle we see the word “LIFE.” Near the top we find the word “GOD,” and near the bottom the word “SIN.” As I open the word “LIFE,” we find an “ IF” left. This “ IF” reminds me of God’s promise to Solomon, “If thou wilt walk before me . . . to do according to all that I have commanded thee . . . Then I will establish the throne of thy king dom upon Israel for ever” (1 Ki. 9:4, 5). With God in his life, Solomon was promised a great gift. When the word “GOD” comes down into “LIFE” see what happens. We see the word “GIFT,” reminding us of God’s great gift which He promised to Solomon. Supposing “SIN” enters “LIFE” in stead of God. We now see the word “RIFT” instead of the word “GIFT.-” The word means “to separate into parts.’’ When sin entered the life of Solomon his kingdom was separated. / You. too, may have a “ GIFT” or a fRIFT” in your life, depending on Whether God or sin is allowed to enter.
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