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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
September, 1935
like to hear. When people are d o i n g wicked things, they don’t want to be re minded of it, unless they are sorry in their hearts a n d want to be forgiven. These people were doing a very wicked thing, and they were not sorry about it either.
whole matter is expressed in verse 14,- "this house . . . wherein ye trust.” They were trusting in the “house” instead of in God who gave the house. Likewise, today, some Christians are trusting in forms instead of in God who gave the forms, just as the Jews of Paul’s day were trusting in circumcision instead of in God who ordained circumcision. 2. Verses 6 and 9 reaffirm the fact that immorality and false religion always go together. The modernists’ cry, “Live right; never mind belief,” is utterly false. Your belief will always determine your conduct. The great social sins of dishonesty, mur der, adultery, and injustice, are directly re lated to the walking “after other gods.’* In the Decalogue there are two tables of commandments, one dealing with man’s relation to God, the other with man’s re lation to man. And our relation to the true God comes first (cf. Ex. 20). 3. " For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices” ( v. 22). This is a verse used perversely by certain critical scholars to prove that the Mosaic law was not written by Moses, but is the product of a later age, invented by unknown priests. The real point is that “in the day” Israel came out of Egypt, God was dealing with the people under the patriarchal promises, leading them directly by His voice. But they disobeyed and rebelled, and the Law of commandments and ordinances “was added because of transgressions” (Gal. 3:19). Golden T ext Illustration Dr. Sheldon Jackson tells of this unique missionary experience of an Alaskan mis sionary. The missionary goes on a journey with Indians, who row his boat; they come to a strange town, whose people have heard of him and have requested his coming. He is taken with great honor into the council house, a building sixty by sixty feet, with a great open fire built in the center of the room, the smoke finding egress through a large opening in the roof above. He is given the place of honor. After a little while, from behind a screen an Indian comes dressed in bearskin. Looking through the skylight chimney, he speaks: “The heavens are changing; the heavens are changing.” He retires and another comes forth, dressed in.the skin of a deer. He speaks the same words and then re tires. Then the chief comes forth and goes through that same performance; af ter these forms he bids the missionary tell his message sent them by the Great Spirit. By these forms they were renounc ing the past, turning from its superstitions, its beliefs, its wickedness. These were a declaration that they were ready to hear and to obey what the Great Spirit wanted them to do. Such should be the attitude of those who give audience to the words of the Great Spirit, whether they listen for the first time in Alaska, or in our sanctu aries at home. This is the only proper preparation for the message God would speak.— The Bottles of Heaven, by R evilo . Memory Verse: “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my peo ple” (Jer. 7 :23). Approach: Today we want to talk about some of the messages which Jeremiah brought to the people. You remember that they were messages that the people didn’t W hat Jerem iah Said J eremiah 7:1-11, 21-23
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One has as much as the other has. Why is it that you are partial to one? “The ink is in writing on the good one. and just splashed on the other.” Yes, you are right. It makes a great deal of difference how the ink goes on the check. The ink on the good check went just where the hand guided the pen—it went to no other place. The ink on the worthless check was not guided by a hand—it went its own way. People are like ink. Some are obedient to God’s leading and have useful lives. Others refuse to let God guide them, and their lives are worthless, The boy or girl who learns to obey- at home and at school will be the one most likely to obey the voice of God. This is the reason that the Bible says : “Children, obey your parents,” and “Obey them that have the rule over you.” In the book of Jeremiah we read : “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.” The obedient person is not only the use ful person, but he is happy as well. The one who learns to obey God, parents, and teachers is thé one who gets the most out of life. Don’t be like the rebellious ink—it is worthless. Be like the obedient ink—it is valuable. Memorizing Scripture We cannot go far in mathematics with out memorizing the multiplication table. The Bible is more essential for the spiritual life.— A nderson . In sleepless nights, I let my mind dwell on Psalm 4 :8: “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.’’-1— M urray . Outline and Exposition I . R efusing B elshazzar ’ s G ifts (17). A mysterious writing had appeared upon the wall of the banquet room where Belshazzar the king made a great feast to a thousand of his lords (5:1). The conscience of the king became troubled. None of his wise men and ma gicians were able to interpret the writing. Finally, Daniel was summoned. He was told that if he could and would interpret the writing, he would be lavishly reward ed. Daniel rightly refused the gifts, for he knew that the wisdom of God cannot be bought, but is given freely to men who seek it.
Lesson Story: Jeremiah stood in the doorway of God’s house, for it was in God’s house that the people were doing so wickedly. And as Jeremiah stood there, he called to the people as they entered to worship. He said something like this: “Hear the word of the Lord, for He says to mend your ways, and He will allow you to live in this land.” Why was it that the people needed to m e n d their ways ? Weren’t they going into God’s house to worship Him? Yes, but they had' no right to enter God’s holy place, for they were living wickedly. They were lying and stealing and murdering and worshiping false gods. God said to them through Jere miah, His prophet: “Will you do all of this and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name?” You see, the people were pretending to worship God and obey His laws, when all of the time they were doing the things that God had warned them not to do. God had said: “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people.” But they wouldn’t listen, so Jeremiah went on and told them what sad things would happen to them because they were not willing to mend thei'r(ways.' When we worship God, we must obey His commands and live as His good chil dren. O bject Lesson T h e O bedient I nk Objects: Two checks. (Fill in one' check with date, name, amount, and signa ture. Splash several drops of ink over the face of the other.) Lesson: These two checks are from the same bank. I wonder which one you would rather have. “The one with the writing on it.” Why the one with the writing ? “Because it is worth something.” But these checks both have ink on them.
OCTOBER 27, 1935 BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST (International Temperance Lesson) D aniel S :1-31
Lesson Text: Dan. 5:17-28. Golden Text: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise” (Prov. 20:1). BLACKBOARD LESSON
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