SUNDAY SCHOOL continued June 19, 1955 Preparing for Worship The sincerity of King Josiah was fur ther manifest in his desire to have his people engage in the observance of the Passover service. This service had no doubt been neglected under other kings who were careless about spiritual things. But Josiah was determined that his peo ple should follow the Lord in obedience to His commands. (See Ex. 12:14-28.) Preparation for the Passover vv. 1-6 Josiah did all that he could to have the Passover observed exactly in accordance with its institution. He planned its ob servation at the proper time (v. 1). (Cp. Ex. 12:6.) He arranged the priests in their courses so that the service might be car ried on with order and purity (v. 2). (See 29:5.) The Levites who were the instructors of the people in all matters pertaining to the Divine worship, were commanded to “put the holy ark in the house which Solomon did build.” Some think that it had been taken away from the temple by some idolatrous king, prob ably Manasseh, who set a carved image in the house of God (33:7), or Amon. Others think that Josiah himself may have deliberately removed it into an ad joining chamber while repairs were un dertaken. At any rate, from now oh the Levites would have no need to bear the ark upon their shoulders in view of a re stored and permanent temple (w . 3-5). It would remain in its appointed place in the holy of holies. This significant arti cle of the temple furnishings, so full of typical importance, must needs be in its proper place ere the Passover was ob served. This leads us to remark that God’s worship should be carried on in the way prescribed in God’s Word. It must be in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 14:6). It should also be noted that in connec tion with the preparation for the Pass- over of Josiah’s time, the people were urged to “ sanctify” themselves. That is, they needed to separate themselves unto the Lord. Only such persons have the right to worship the Lord. (Cp. 1 Cor. 11:28.) Observance of the Passover vv. 16-19 Having carefully prepared for the Pass- over, it was observed with all solemnity. The Passover looks forward to the Lord Jesus Christ who is “ our passover” (1 Cor. 5:7). Israel also observed immediately following the Passover the feast of un leavened bread. It lasted for seven days. It was typical of the new life that the redeemed soul should live following his redemption. Remember that leaven is the type of sin in the Scriptures. Christians should live apart from sin. In addition to the observance of the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread, burnt-offerings were presented to the Lord (v. 16). This indicated a full dedication of the people to the Lord. Altogether it was the most remarkable occasion since the days of Samuel. It 40 2 Chr. 35:1-6; 16-19 Pointers on the Lesson
shows what happens when God’s people yield themselves to Him. Helps for the Children A Great Day in Jerusalem 2 Chr. 35 MEMORY VERSE: "I was glad when they said unto me. Let us go into the house of the Lord" (Ps. 122:1). When God led the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, He commanded them to have a feast each year to remind them of their wonderful deliverance from their enemies. This feast was to be called the feast of the Passover. For many years the Jews had neglected to observe the feast of the Passover. When young king Josiah cleansed the temple and caused his people to again worship God, he also had the Jews keep the Passover Feast. From the reign of King Saul until that of Josiah there had never been such a great celebration of the Passover. Eagerly God’s people prepared the feast just as He had commanded many years before. As they ate the feast, they were reminded of God’s faithfulness in the past. Christians today celebrate the Lord’s Supper to remind them of the death, and the burial and the resurrection of the Saviour. God’s Word warns Christians not to partake of the Lord’s Supper carelessly. Their hearts are to be filled with thank fulness for the gift of God’s Son and for their own salvation. Rather than attend ing God’s house just because they feel that it is their duty, God’s children should be able to joyfully say from their hearts: “ I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” June 26, 1955 God and the Nations Zeph. 3:1-5; 14-20 Pointers on the Lesson Zephaniah, one of the so-called minor prophets, prophesied “ in the days of Jo siah” (1:1). He was a contemporary of Jeremiah and ministered to a nation which in spite of an external revival un der Josiah was headed toward captivity to Babylon because of the inner charac ter of its life. Beyond the present the prophet is able to see the final blessings which will be bestowed upon the nation in the days of the Messiah’s Kingdom. In judgment God remembers mercy. Jerusalem's Actual Condition vv. 1-5 Jerusalem is here chosen to depict the moral and spiritual condition of the entire southern kingdom. The Holy City was the capital. It was the center of the cere monial system of the country. The rest of the land could not be expected to rise above this favored place. But what about Jerusalem? It was rebellious (a better translation than filth y), v. 1. It was pol luted, v. 1. It was oppressive, v. 1. The latter probably refers to its treatment of the poor, the weak, the widows and or phans. The city was disobedient, incor rigible, and had little place for God in its life, v. 2. In Josiah’s day there was some evidence of revival as we have seen in the two preceding lessons, but evident ly it was quite superficial and concerned only a fraction of the people. Moreover,
Jerusalem’s civil leaders were self-seeking, v. 3 (ARV ), and her spiritual leaders were unworthy of being trusted, v. 4. In spite of the fact that the Lord was present in the city to bless, yet the people went on in their sin and heeded not His will, v. 5. It was because of this situation that Jerusalem and Judah would surely find themselves in captivity in a few years. Jerusalem's Prophetic Future vv. 14-20 As was so often true of the prophets, Zephaniah was given the privilege of look ing down the corridors of time past sor rows and judgments into the millennial day when the Messiah will establish His Kingdom upon the earth. The prophet saw Jerusalem in that day. What a con trast compared to the Jerusalem of the prophet’s day! It will be a city (1) of rejoicing, v. 14, (2) of righteousness, v. 15, (3) of fearlessness, v. 16, (4) of the Divine Presence, v. 17, (5) of reunion, w . 18,19 and (6) of vindication, v. 20. In that day the Lord will make good His many promises concerning the future of the children of Israel. They will in deed then be the head and not the tail among the nations (Deut. 28:13,44). When Messiah comes to be their King they will be “ a praise among all the people of the earth.” God is not yet through with His people Israel. A study of Romans, chapters 9-11, makes this clear. Helps for the Children God's Love for All People Zeph. 3 MEMORY VERSE: "O praise the Lord all ye nations . . . For His merciful kind ness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever . . ." (Ps. 117:1,2). During the past three months we have read from God’s Word stories about kings who ruled the children of Israel. Some of these kings grieved God by their evil lives; other kings ruled their people in a manner that caused God to be well pleased with them. Near the end of the Old Testament we find a short book written by the proph et Zephaniah. This godly man served God while Josiah, the boy-king, ruled. Zeph aniah told the people that God was going to punish them for their sins, but he reminded them that in the future God would richly bless the Jews and give them peace and joy. Zephaniah reminded God’s people that God loves all nations and desires that all might worship Him. He showed the Jews that righteousness or right living makes a nation strong, while sinful living causes it to be weak and possibly destroyed. Perhaps you have wondered why so many of the kings of the Jews refused to obey God’s laws which would have made their reigns prosperous and happy. If you will think of your own words and actions and thoughts, you will realize that you, too, frequently refused to obey the Word of God. Like king Josiah, you will ask for God’s forgiveness for your sins and will pray each day that whatsoever you do in word or deed, you will do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” END. THE KING'S BUSINESS
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