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T h e
K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
November 1929
ple were gathered together as one man at the water-gate. At this meeting, Ezra, the scribe, who was well versed in the Law, brought the book of the Law of Moses which God had commanded Israel. Those constituting this assembly, verse 2, were people, both men and women, who could understand. All recognized that it was the Law of God through Moses which Ezra brought before them. The assumption that Moses wrote no Law, is pure speculation which is contrary to all of the positive evidence both archeologic al and Biblical. It is unthinkable that such an intelligent audience as that which stood before Ezra could be deceived and caused to accept some forged documents that were being foisted upon them by self- seeking, conniving priests. According to verse 3, Ezra read from early morning until midday to a very ap preciative audience that listened most at tentively to this book of the Law. When the Bible is read, God is speaking to men. When God speaks, everyone should with reverence give absolute attention. Isaiah, in delivering his first recorded message to Israel (Isa. 1:1, 2), called upon the heav ens and the earth to give heed because it was God who was speaking. At this service Ezra and his colaborers stood upon a platform and led in the ser vice. At the opening of the Book, the people, with the deepest feeling of rever ence and worship, arose as an act of true piety and worship. Immediately Ezra blessed God, the great God, the God of Israel—in response to which the people said, “Amen, amen,” and lifted up their hands in holy reverence, at the same time bowing their heads in worship. This ini tial worship being over, the assistants of Ezra read from the Law distinctly, which statement means that they read it clearly and gave .the interpretation, since the message was written in Hebrew and his audience no longer understood the pure Hebrew but spoke the Aramaic, a sister dialect. Ezra, like Paul, preferred _to speak five words with understanding, i.e., that the people could understand, rather than five thousand in an unknown lan guage. Language is a vehicle of thought. If the message is not clothed in language which the audience can understand, it is a fruitless attempt. The reading and the exposition of the Word of God made such a profound im pression upon the hearts of the people that they mourned and wept. Ezra, see ing their contrition and their broken spir its, declared unto them, “This day is holy unto Jehovah your God; mourn not, nor weep." Mourning is proper under certain con ditions. When one is all broken up be cause of conviction of sin, blessed is the one who mourns. It does not seem, how ever, that this mourning was necessarily caused because of the conviction of deep sin; otherwise Ezra would not have ex horted them to cease mourning. It is quite probable that the streams of joy over the great spiritual blessings which were theirs, mingled with those of regret for the past, expressing themselves in this outburst of mourning. Therefore Ezra urged them, on the other hand, to show their appreciation and gratitude for what God had done, by sending portions of food unto those for whom nothing had been prepared, for, said he, “the joy of Jehovah is your strength.” Thus there was a mighty revival begun in Israel that
FRED S. SHEPARD ’S BLACKBOARD OUTLINE
last journey to Jerusalem there were those who were bringing little children to Him in order that He might touch them and bless them. There is associated in the Old Testament the idea of the imparta- tion of some gift or power or the trans ferring of something in the spiritual sense from one to the other by the laying on of hands. That idea is brought over into the New Testament. Thus when these chil dren were brought to Jesus, He, laying His hand upon them, pronounced a bless ing upon them. Though the life of Jesus was crowded with most important events, He always had time for the individual. No soul was unimportant in His sight. He took His precious time to instruct and to draw a poor, fallen Samaritan woman unto Him self and to eternal life. He had the time to implore the blessings of the Father upon these little ones. He has time to lis ten to the cry of His people and to an swer their petitions. The apostles, not realizing the ideals of the Master and not properly recognizing the value of spiritual blessings, began to rebuke those who were bringing the chil dren. J e s u s immediately reprimanded them and urged the people to continue to bring the little children, “for to such be- longeth the kingdom of God.’’ To this statement He added, “Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a lit tle child, he shall in no wise enter there in." Having spoken thus He took them into His arms and, laying His hands upon them, blessed them. P ith and P oint Little children, like dewdrops, reflect the glories of heaven. “Ever since that day when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the world has had a new reverence for childhood and mother hood.” “Bethlehem is just a symbol of God’s presence wherever man is found.” “The reverence for childhood and motherhood is the key to a nation’s great ness.” “We receive this little child as a great opportunity to do a part of God’s work in the world.” “The child is a beam of sunlight from the Infinite and Eternal; with possibili ties both of virtue and vice—but as yet unstained.” — o — December 29, 1929 Fellowship Through Worship Scripture References: Neh. 8:1-12; Mic. 4 3 - 1 , 2; Psa. 122:1-9; Matt. 28:18- 20; Heb. .10:19-25. Devotional Reading: Rev. 7 :9-17. Golden T ext: “And he came to Naz areth, where he had been brought up: and he entered, as his custom was, into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up to redd" (Luke 4:16). L esson in O utline Introduction: Historical Setting. Beginning the Lesson. I. Studying the Word of God. Neh. 8 : 1 - 12 . II. Worshiping God. Micah 4:1, 2; Psa. 122:1-9.
W ORSHIPING ORKING FOR
ITNESSING FOR That the world may know. —John 17:23.
III. Fellowship of the Lord’s People. Heb. 10:19-25. IV. World-Wide Commission. Matt. 28: 18-20. Introduction: Historical Setting. The eighth and ninth chapters of Ne- hemiah give an account of a great revival of Bible study in the twentieth year of Ahasuerus (Darius Hystaspes), the year
502 B.C. M i c a h ’s ministry fell in the days of Isaiah, i.e., somewhere during the period 740-695 B.C. Psalm 122 is “A Song of As cents,” written, ac cording to the su
perscription, by David, and used by the worshipers as they made their pilgrim journeys to Jerusalem. The Great Com mission, recorded in Matt. 28:18-20, was spoken by the Saviour on a mountain in Galilee at one of His post-resurrection appearances. The authorship of the Epis tle to the Hebrews is unknown, but from both external and internal evidence it was written by an inspired man of God to a community of Hebrew Christians some time just prior to the destruction of the Jewish state, which calamity occurred in 70 A.D. Beginning the Lesson. A reference to a revival, or protracted meeting, which has been recently held, and the great blessings which came to each member of the class, will prove helpful as a point of contact with which to intro duce the lesson of the day. I. Studying the Word of God. Neh. 8 : 1 - 12 . When Nehemiah came from the Per sian court to Jerusalem he found not only that the walls of the city had not been re built properly but that the conditions, both morally and spiritually, were very deplorable. That first enthusiasm and earnestness which characterized the re turned exiles, had all but died out. Many evils had begun to appear within the re stored community. Injustices were being practiced. The wealthy leaders took ad vantage of the 1 situation and lent money to their poor brethren at exorbitant prices. Seeing these deplorable condi tions, Nehemiah’s heart was stirred and he began a great moral reformation. It v/as natural that these reforms should lead directly to the Word of God which constituted the foundation of the Jewish theocracy. In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, in which occurred three of the outstanding feasts of the Jews today— Rosh Hashanah, New Year’s Day; Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement; and Suc- coth, the Feast of Tabernacles— the peo
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