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November 1929
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day which was based upon 1 the infallible Word of the Living God. II. Worshiping God. Micah 4:1, 2; Psa. 122:1-9. As stated in the introductory note, Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah. He, like the great evangelical prophet, looked forward to the future, in the latter days, and saw Jerusalem, the religious capital of the world, to which all nations shall go and render worship and praise to God who shall be present there. ■ This mountain of Jehovah’s house, re ferred to in both passages (Isa. 2:1-5; Micah 4:1-5), is Mount Moriah, upon which the temple was built. When this vision is fulfilled the temple site will be lifted physically above all of the sur rounding hills.. There will be a general change in the topography of the land sur rounding Jerusalem, according to other predictions. At that time Jehovah will be present in Jerusalem in the person of King Messiah, who is none other than the blessed Lord Jesus Christ. It was to this thought that Jesus referred when He, in the Sermon on the Mount, forbade His disciples to swear, ending His exhortation by saying that they should not swear by “Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king.” During that time, the great mil lennial age, all nations, will go up to Jeru salem to worship God and to be taught of Him. Christ will be there in person and will give the instruction. Then will go forth the Word of the Lord from Jeru salem, and likewise the Law. Psa. 122 was, as stated above, one of the "Songs of Ascents" which were used by the pilgrims as they went up from year to year to the annual feast. It Was proper for them to sing this hymn, but their visit to Jerusalem then was only a partial ful fillment of the great predictions contained therein. This Psalm will find its fullest realization when the vision -of Isaiah and Micah of universal worship shall be ful filled. III. Fellowship of the Lord’s People. Heb. 10:19-25. All of God’s people are one. There should be no factions nor divisions among them; but they should be joined together in the same mind and in the same judg ment (1 Cor. 1:10). Fellowship of the Lord’s people means association, joint participation in spiritual blessings and the like. With verse 18 the writer of the He brew Epistle closes his argument. With verse 19 he reiterates the propositions which he has established and upon them bases his exhortations which run through out the book. His exhortation thus runs: Since Christ by His death opened up a new and living way into glory and has taken His • seat in the heavens as the great High Priest of God’s people, they are urged to draw near in “fulness of faith," holding fast their confession of “hope," and pro voking one another “unto love” (cf. 1 Cor. 13). In drawing near unto God they are urged hot to forsake their assembling to gether (doubtless a reference to the weekly assembly of God’s people for the worship: cf. Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1, 2). The urgency for this exhortation is based upon their ability to see “the day drawing nigh” —the day of the Lord, the Great Tribulation. Christians can see that day
drawing near; they see it by the signs of the times. It becomes imperative that they should exhort one another to attend the weekly .assembly. IV. World-Wide Commission. Matt; 28: 18-20. At one of the post-resurrection appear ances Jesus (verse 18) declared that all authority in heaven and earth was His. Everything at ■present is in His hands. During His absence, however, the Holy Spirit is carrying on the work which He began (cf. 1 Cor. 3:8). In view of His having all authority, He urged His followers to spread the glad tidings and to make disciples of all the nations, charging them to baptize their converts “into the name of the Father and of the Son and of. the Holy Spirit.” These baptized converts are, according to verse 20, to be taught all things th'at Jesus com manded. In the concluding statement Jesus promised to be with His faithful evan gelists always, i.e., unto the consumma tion of the age. He will be with them to assist, to bless, and to protect. P ith and P oint “A life without hope would be comfort less.” "Only love finds its way to the hearts of men.” The fellowship of saints is heavenly. “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee” (Psa. 119: 11 ). Thanksgiving All th e Year V \JH E N a barrel of pork was received into Franklin’s boyhood home and grace before meals had been said for sev eral days, the boy inquired why it would not do just as well to ask a blessing over the whole barrel, and let the thanking stop at that. Many still feel as he felt. They want to lump their thanksgiving, instead of daily repeating it. Milton brands in gratitude as besotted and base. Shake speare makes King Lear denounce it as a marble-hearted fiend, declaring that to have a thankless child is sharper than a serpent’s tooth. If blessings are contin uous, our thankfulness should have no spare days. On our national calendar only one day is set aside for Thanksgiving, wherein President and Governor exhort us to cease from our daily work, and in pur homes and accustomed places of wor ship devoutly give thanks to the Almighty for the many and great favors we have received. It would be preferable to have just one day wherein to voice our croaks and complaints, our disappointments and dissatisfactions, our grunts and growls and grumbles, and leave the other 364 days in which to bless the Lord, who sat isfies our mouths with good things, for gives all our iniquities, redeems our life from destruction, and crowns us with loving-kindness and tender mercies. As Ebenezer Scrooge, when Christmas got into his heart, tried to keep it every day, so let us honor Thanksgiving in our hearts, and observe it all the year.— Watchman-Examiner.
What a window is to a room, ofttimes an illustration is to a message. It sheds light. In the field of helps for the leader of a C. E. meeting, there appears to be an ample supply of good suggestions on how to conduct the meeting, but a great dearth of pointed illustrations on the topic for the evening. The editor of this department there fore seeks in these pages from month to month to give the leader carefully selected illustrations on the topic and daily read ings. These may be used by the leader in his talk, or cut out, numbered and handed to different members to read ■when called for. November 10, 1929 Uprooting th e Causes of War Acts 17:24-31; Jas. 3:13-18; Jas. 4:1-3. D aily R eadings Nov. 4. Selfishness. Gen. 13:7-ll. Nov. 5. Ambition. Gen. 11:4-9. Nov. 6 . Greed. Judges 6:1-6. Nov. 7. Lies. Eph. 4 :25. Nov. 8 . Pride. Dan. 4:28-37. Nov. 9. Conquest. 2 Kings 18:28-37. — o — C hoice N uggets War in men’s eyes shall be A monster of iniquity In the good time coming. Nations shall not quarrel then, To prove which is the stronger; Nor slaughter men for glory’s sake;— Wait a little longer. -r-Chas. Mackay. If Christian nations were nations of Christians, there would be no wars.— Soame Jenyns. Nine hundred years ago a dispute be tween Modena and Bologna over a well bucket began a war which devastated Europe. A Chinese emperor once went to war over the breaking of a teapot; Sweden and Poland flew at each other’s throats in 1654 because the king of Sweden discovered that his name in an official dispatch was followed by only two etceteras, while the king of Poland’s had three. The spilling of a glass of water over the Marquis de Torey led to war be tween France and England, and a small boy, by throwing a pebble at the due de Guise, led to the massacre of Vassy and the thirty years’ war.— Argus. Even the mightiest fighters themselves realize that it is better to walk in the paths of God. “As Stonewall Jackson
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