Signposts, like people, are not al ways trustworthy. Both of these sign posts bear the names of familiar towns. If you were a traveler, un familiar with the road, you would confidently follow a signpost which was standing as straight as Sam stands. You would have no confidence in one which was leaning as Silvester leans. You would be afraid that the wind which had blown it over might have changed the direction in which it pointed. It is a foolish traveler who follows a leaning signpost. The people of God are His sign posts, pointing the travelers of earth to Heaven. If we are to have the con fidence of those who pass along the- roadway of life, we must keep straight, and not be changed by the winds of the world. In the Bible we find a man named Habakkuk who reminds us of Sam Signpost. He was constantly pointing the people to God and warning them against the worship of idols. In Ha bakkuk 2:18 we read, “What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?” In the 20th verse of this same chapter, we find him pointing to God and saying, “But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.” I mentioned the fact that a sign post to be believed must be standing straight. I told you that Habakkuk was this kind of a man. Let us read what he said, “ Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will re joice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3:17,18). God is looking for people today who will, without wavering, point the way to Him. July 17, 1955 W in d a n d W a r n in g OBJECTS: A compass and a weather vane. (An imitation weather vane can be cut from cardboard.) LESSON: I brought two strange-look- ing things with me this morning. One is a compass which tells the trav eler the direction. The other is a weather vane which tells the way the wind is blowing. It changes with the wind. The compass always points to ward the region of the north star. The ancient people of Israel were very often like the weather vane. They were blown about by the chang ing winds of worldly circumstances. We find this condition mentioned in
Christian Education
Illustrated by Gladys Bowman
Elmer L. Wilder, Th.D.
message, so he took a knife, cut the scroll in pieces and burned it in the fire. We will take this knife and cut this scroll to show you what the wick ed king did. Now we will burn ' it with this match. What is left of the ashes and burned pieces, we will put back in the envelope and seal, show ing that the king refused God’s mes sage. We will cut the end of the envel ope and show you what happened. Here is an unbumed and uncut scroll with the word “ judgment” the same as the first, and on the bottom a skull and crossbones, speaking of death. (Cut the end of the envelope off with scissors, blow open the back compart ment and remove the scroll. The en velope again appears to be empty.) As soon as the king had destroyed the first message, the Lord ordered Jere miah to write the same message again, with many th in g s added, among them the message of death. It is unwise to attempt to destroy God’s message. It would have been far better had the king repented of his sin and asked God for mercy.
July 3, 1955 A M essage M arred
OBJECTS: Two correspondence envel opes, two pieces of paper cut repre senting scrolls, a small pocket knife, a match and a pair of scissors. (Cut down both sides and across the bot tom of one of the envelopes. Discard the irregular half of the envelope, keeping the complete side that bears
the flap. Insert this side and flap in the uncut envelope with the gummed portion in the normal position for sealing. Write the word “ Judgment” on both scrolls. On one scroll near the bottom draw a skull and crossbones, representing death. Place this scroll between the insert and the back of the envelope, before sealing the two flaps together. Place the other scroll in the front compartment, but do not seal. Address the envelope: “ To King Jehoiakim, from the Lord, through Jeremiah.” ) LESSON: This envelope is addressed to Jehoiakim, king of Judah, a very wicked king. Because of his wicked ness, the Lord sent a message to him through Jeremiah. We will open this letter and see what we find. It con tains a scroll on which the word “ judgment” is written. Some of the friends and servants of Jehoiakim were fearful when they heard God’s message of judgment, but he was not afraid. He thought that all he needed to do to free himself from God’s judgment was to destroy God’s
July 10, 1955 T h e S ig n p o s t B ro th ers
OBJECTS: Two cardboard signposts, with names of familiar towns on each.
LESSON: People are so much like sign posts that I have given these real names. The one standing straight I have called Sam. The other which is leaning, ready to fall, is Silvester.
THE KING'S BUSINESS
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