referred to in verse 16. When a sheaf of grain had been forgotten in the field after it had been pulled up or cut with a sickle it was to be allowed to remain in the field for the benefit of the poor. A special bless ing was promised those who were faithful to this instruction. It is as true now as then that they who are considerate of those less fortunate will receive a blessing. It may not be a material blessing but the inner consciousness of doing that which becomes a follower of Christ. Rebellion In the Gate Amos 5:10-15 Amos was a prophet to the Northern Kingdom. At the time of his utterances it did not seem probable that the things he prophesied would come to pass, yet within fifty years the kingdom was utterly de stroyed. One thing the prophet noted was their dislike of the work of the judges “in the gate” . Amos urged God’s people to act in the reverse of all this. It is pure selfishness and should not exist among the people of God. In verse 24 he sums up the proper Christian attitude in dealings with others. The verse needs no comment, only prac tice. The word judgment is used here in the sense of justice. An Example of Diligence 2 Thess. 3:7-10 In this passage the Apostle Paul de nounces idleness. Christians have no busi ness frittering their time away. Evidently there were some idlers at Thessalonica. In order to not give them any justification for their carelessness in this respect, Paul chose to work with his hands for a living. This, however, was not to be considered a universal practice (1 Cor. 9:14). Helps for the Children A Fair Chance for All Matt. 19:16-22; 1 John 3:17, 18 Memory Verse: "But to do good and to communicate (share what you have with others] forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased" (Heb. 13:16). Not long ago we studied the story of the rich young ruler who came to the Lord Jesus to ask how he might be saved. When the Son of God looked into the heart of this young man He saw that the young man loved his money more than he loved God. This is why the Lord Jesus told him to sell what he had and give to the poor. You will remember that the young man went away sorrowful because he was not willing to obey the Saviour. John tells us that those who say that they love God and yet refuse to help those who are in need cannot truly love God as they should. Can you repeat the memory verse that we learned last Sunday? God intended His gifts for His children every where. Those to whom He has given the ability to gain much are to show their gratitude by sharing with those who have little. Those of His children who have re sponsibility and positions of leadership are to “ stand up” for those who are being mis treated. Do you want to be well-pleasing to your Lord? “ But to do good and to communicate [share what you have with others] forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” . END.
that the multitude was satisfied. How won derful that our Lord continues to do this sort of thing in the spiritual realm! Helps for the Children Food for Everyone Lev. 19:9, 10; Deut. 10:18, 19; Ruth 2:1-18 Memory Verse: . . let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and truth" (1 John 3:18). In Old Testament times God gave to the Jewish people a law which commanded them to share with strangers in their land so that no one would be hungry or in need. When they reaped their harvest they were not to gather the grain from the comers of their fields, nor were they to pick up any grain which might be dropped during the harvest. When they picked their grapes, they were to leave some grapes upon the vines for the poor or the strangers. Strangers were to be loved and cared for as a reminder that the Jews were once strangers in the land of Egypt. The story of Ruth tells us of a young widow and her mother-in-law who had their needs supplied because of this law that God had given to His people. Ruth followed the reapers in the field and pick ed up the ears of com which they dropped. Roaz, the owner of the field, commanded his servants to purposely drop some of the com so that Ruth might have sufficient. Sometimes Christians today forget that the blessings which God has given to them are to be shared with others also. They quote God’s Word about loving one an other, but their actions do not show love for others. Sometimes they are willing to share with those whose skin is the same color as is their skin, but they refuse to help those of a different race. This is what John meant when he said, “ let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and truth” . In which way are you show ing your love for your Saviour and for others? Nov. 29, 1953 Opportunity for A ll Deut. 24:14, 15, 19; Amos 5:10-15, 24 2 Thess. 3:7-10 Pointers on the Lesson Both Old and New Testaments stress the practicality of faith in God. For a person to say that he is godly and not to demonstrate a considerate, unselfish treatment of others is a contradiction. The tree of true godliness always bears fruit in harmony with its nature. Hired servants usually are dependent upon their wages for daily existence and ought to be paid promptly. In the East they are paid at .the close of the day. For employers not to pay their help promptly when payment is due likely will subject the poor man and his family to real suffer ing. There is a principle in the instruction of this passage (14, 15) which ought al ways to operate between employers and employees, especially when the latter are poor. Compare Leviticus 19:13. In Old Testament times another provision was made for the benefit of the poor which is Treatment of the Poor Deut. 24:14, 15, 19
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