nomic, commercial and moral considerations' through even public and ¡Sunday school in-%1 struction. But our real hope can be based only on t h at Christian teaching that im- parts a vertebrae the spinal marrow of which is the fear and faith of God. d. Ahab's opportunity was the drinking bout in the enemy's camp. This was of God.'** "Whom .-.the gods will destroy they first make mad." And the intoxication of suc- ; cess will lead King Alcohol to such excess that the young men will see their oppor- tunity and smite this Syrian with effect,,! the citizens of Samaria pouring out after them. III. CLOSING CONSIDERATIONS. <+ 1. The Immediate cause of Benhadad's de- feat was over-confidence. "Let him that«, thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall"' (1 Cor. 10:12). May ho youth indulge an over-weening assurance that, he shall not fall under the assault, of temptation. ' 2.' The immediate cause of Benhadad's defeat was convivial companions and' strong drink,* This, as certain, as fate, will bring a dis- mal end to any life-campaign, and almost certainly involve defeat in all the battles of v that campaign. 3. Young men, be advised, "Let not him that girdeth on his harness bo • Ht himself as he that putteth it 1 off" (v. 11). Let him put on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:11, and let him that glorieth glory in the Lord (1 Cor. 1:31). Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess, but be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). making thé conquest of that land and divid- ing it into tribal sections among them (see the book of Joshua). Joshua's death left them without a leader. The tribes, loosèly federated, led à checkered career, now sub- ject to enemies, and again independent; and yielding a more or less general obedience to the heroes who from time to time liber-«' ated them from their oppressors. Their re- ligious life was as anarchic and spasmodic as their political. All this we find in the book of Judges. Under Samuel the people chose a King, and Saul, of the tribe of Benjamin, was anointed by permission but not by the good pleasure of the Lord. He soon proverd 'his unfitness as a theocratic king. David, of the tribe of Judah, was anointed in his stead, and on the death of Saul, after a reign of forty years, come taj the throne. He chose and fortified Jeru- salem for his capitol; subdued' the surround- ing nations; extended his authority as far; as the Euphrates on the north, and Egypt on the south ; established the worship of Jehovah in Jerusalem and throughout the- land, and was a true theocratic ruler "after God's heart." The execution of his purpose to build a worthy temple to the Lord in Jerusalem was frustrated by his death and the command of the prophet (1 Chron. 28:3) David reigned forty years and Solomon his son became his successor. Solomon built the proposed temple in great magnificence, and made Ms capitol a city of palaces. He was a great organizer and administrator, and brought the kingdom Into unprecedented prosperity and fame. But trusting to worldly sagacity rather than to the divine power and promise he entered into alliance
panic; the government itself is in dread of destruction; and the very minister of the Gospel fears for his salary and the church. Oh election day all hasten to the polls and vote. "My lord, O King, according to thy saying, all that I have is thine and i am thine." 3. Sobriety, morals, backbone, faith, all give way before bluster and bluff. 2. His Complaint to the Council (v. 7, 8), Ben Hadad went too far. The most cow- ardly brute will fight as a last resort. The .elders said, "Hearken not, nor consent." They should have resolved this at first, and they would had they stood for principle, not property-. The situation is. similar. The liquor power gets to carrying things with such a high hand, debasing morals and pol- itics, controlling councils, legislatures, con- gresses; filling jails and penitentiaries, that at last the exasperated rraolic rises and pro- tests. But these reactions are local. and spasmodic, and, as in Ben Hadad's case, a counter reaction occurs the next year (v. 26). 3. His Courageous Charge (v. 19). a. His inspiration, a promise of God (v. 13); His instructions, He should order the battle, and the young princes should make the charge. The Lord took things into His own hands that it might be clear that the victory was His. If at last His people have utterly failed, yet the wicked shall not go on for- ever. c. Our hope, too, is in the young men. An army of youth is gathering, drilled in anti-drinking tactics, from scientific, eco- It is good to keep in mind an outline of Israelitish history. Its supernatural call and origin. The God of glory appeared to Abra- ham (Acts 7:2), no doubt as literally as the Lord of glory appeared to Saul (Acts 9:3, 17), and told him to migrate to Canaan. There the same Lord Jehovah appeared to Abraham arid Isaac and Jacob uncondition- ally promising a great people through them, and to bleSs and makes them a blessing (Gen. 12:2, 3, etc.). Jacob and his descend- ants migrated to Egypt in time of famine and sojourned there four hundred years. At first regarded as guests and allies of Egypt, they were later, under a new dynasty, re- duced to servile peonage. At length Moses was raised up and the opposition of Pharaoh and his people being broken by a series of miraculous plagues, he led the Hebrews, now a great multitude, out of Egypt into the STinaitic Peninsular. Here they led a nomadic life for forty years. And received by supernatural communication, the moral, civil and religious codes which were to govern their national life. These codes were of the nature of a covenant agree- ment between them and Jehovah, on which their career as a nation was conditioned (under the absolute unconditioned covenant with the patriarchs ultimately to be es- tablished in perpetuity). On the death of Moses, Joshua was called to' leadership and led them into Canaan, REVIEW. Lesson xiii. I, EARLIER HEBREW HISTORY.
Lesson for March 26, 1911
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