lossus. We feel sure that there never was its equal, but perhaps God sees it as He saw those nations and described them as many wild beasts. We must see things from God's standpoint; we must look at them through the mirror of His Word. Here we have the lesson of the down grade of national life,— Rehoboam, Omri, Ahab,—earthly, sensual, devilish—is the order. Solomon allowed his wives to have their idols, but did not join in their worship.; Ahab joined with Jezebel. Ahab was the limit— the worst of all, and did more to provoke the God of Israel than all of the kings that were before him. The logical sequence of sin is sinning. Sinners never get any better, but rather the worse. Sin is the most illogical thing in the world. It is paradoxical. It is the law of our nature, and yet the most significant violation of the law of our being; it is suicidal. He who sins is insane. We can imprison the man who inflicts wounds upon his own body, and put him into a padded cell for protection, but how shall we arrest the sinful soul? Ahab and Jezebel, as Herod and Herodias, will go on to the bitter end, their names and fame associated with all that is cruel and repulsive. Sin is selfishness. Love of country, true loyalty, real patriotism is not that which usually finds expression in . Fourth of July orations, which exalts the rich resources and splendid temporal progress and prosperity of the nation, but rather that loyalty which recognizes the righteousness of God, and dependence upon His Grace and good- nk§s, which recognizes sin as in the heart and salvation from sin as only found through the merits of atoning sacrifice, and which acknowledges that as the true prosperity which comes from conform- ity to His will, and that the true blessedness which proceeds from His benign benediction.
LESSON FOR JANUARY 29, 1910.
Jehoshaphat: Loyal, Royal, Rewarded. II Chron. 17:1-18. I. His Disease. I. Asa's Slip. 1. His Disease... Asa, great and good, was not perfect. No man is. In his eld age Asa tripped. Me had trouble with his feet. The feet "are frail members. Solomon said, " T h e ir feet run to evil," Prov. 1:16; David even, that ' ' My feet were al- most g o n e "; and " T h e P r e a c h e r ' s" wisdom, " K e e p thy f o o t ," Bee. 5:1. Hence, a« with Asa, this foot-disease is "exceeding great." There is no help but in the Great Physieian who washes the feet of His disciples, Jno. 13. But
As's trouble was, also,' physical. 2. Did he err in calling the doctor? We have noted that he used means for heal- ing the political evils that afflicted his people, just as other kings. 1 ' God did not reprove him; nor did ft hinder his trust in God. Doctors and remedies are recognized in the Bible. Jesus granted that the sick need the physician, Matt. 9:12; Proverbs likens a merry heart to "me d i c i n e ," doing good, 17:22; Isaiah used a fig poultice, 38:21; the leaves of Paradise are medicinal, Eze. 47:12. Here if only in a figure medicine has a fa- vorable aspect. God would not discount His own gracious gifts in the myriad balms, herbs, and salts to which we are indebted for so much relief; no, nor
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter