February 1943
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of sin and rebellion. It becomes a symbol of the result down through the ages of living only for the riches and pleasures of this life. No matter what the glamour and glitter of the riches and enjoyments of this life may be, they are as fading flowers. Man should live for eternity, not just for “Samaria.” 5. 'The priest and the prophet have erred" (Isa. 28:7). It is especially sad when the spiritual leaders of the peo ple are faithless to their responsibil ity. If the spring -is polluted, what can be expected of the Stream? The influence of the sin of leaders in Chris tian service is far greater than that of others: therefore they need to ex ercise great care to keep themselves as “ensaniples to the flock” (1 Pet. 5:3). , - Golden Text Illustration I saia ' h 2 4 :9 A manufacturing company needed a manager. The salary was $6,000 a year. The Officers considered many candidates, and decided to offer the position to a young man of unusual ability. The president and general manager invited the young,, man to lunch with them at a business club. They wanted to “look him over” just onpe more. ■An elaborate luncheon was ordered. The waiter was a long time in bringing the first course, and the guest began to appear,ill at ease. He seemed uninterested in the con versation. Finally he turned toward the president and said, “Would you mind if I ordered a cocktail?” The other men exchanged surprised and significant glances, b u t t h e y called the waiter and the cocktail was ordered. In a little while the president excused himself and wrote this message on a telegraph blank: “The job is too big for a boozer. We can’t run our business on cocktail power.”:— The Expositor. Sin Never Pays 1 S am u el 30:16, 17; I saiah 28:1-4, 7 ; G alatians 5:19-21 MEMORY VERSE: “Strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it” (Isa. 24:9). TO THE TEACHER: A lesson de voted entirely to B i b l e teachings against drunkenness might be inap- propriété for
nity to accept Christ. Then you can tell them of the Christian’s need for daily cleansing. Ask them to name some of the things that Christian boys and girls should not do. They w ill easily name a great many, such4as lying, stealing, and swearing. It cer tainly will be all right to name some of the, sins of older people, too. Show the children some beautiful maga zine advertisements of liquor to illus trate how the devil likes to make sin attractive so that it will fool people.' A very young child can be taught to hate liquor so much that he Will not be tempted by it later on. LESSON STORY: A long time ago, the Amalekites invaded and burned the city of Ziklag and- carried the women’ and children away captive. What do you think your father would do if you and your mother were taken away like that? David asked God what he should do. Listen to what God said to him: “Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and with out fail recover all” (1 Sam. 30:8). David obeyed God, and what do you suppose happened? While on the way, he and "his men found a starving Egyptian. They fed the man, and in return for saving. his life, he told David where the Amalekites were. When David found these wicked peo ple, they were eating,, drinking, and dancing because of all the things they had, stolen. David and his men smote all of them except four hundred young men who escaped on Camels. The captives were all rescued. Boys and girls were with their parents again. This story certainly shows us that sin never pays. R • t> • ,M •— S - V •' 4 S
In the midst of this fearful list, there is drunkenness. And the warn* ing is that “ they which do [R. V. “practice” such things, shall not in herit the kingdom of God.” Clear, plain, simple, but almost universally forgotten, this forceful statement is still as true today as it was when it was written. Drunkenness is soul-de stroying. Points and Problems 1. " 'Eating and drinking, and danc ing' (1 Sam. 30:16) hâve been the soft and pleasant w a y in Which many have gone down to the congregation of the dead” (Matthew Henry). When men fasten their attention only upon the things that please the flesh, they have no time for the things, that lift the Soul. Sooner or later those who sow to the flesh will reap as they have sown. They who “ spread” them selves in sin and dissipation, as the Amalekites and the revelers at Bel shazzar’s feast, will some day read the handwriting upon the wall. Judg ment always catches up with the sin ner. 2. "Woe to the crown of pride . . . whose glorious beauty" (Isà. 28:1). Viewed from certain points Of van tage, Samaria gave the appearance of a crown. It was beautifully situated on a hill surrounded by fertile val leys. Its position Overlooking all thé rich country round about, made it ap pear like a king watching, guarding, and keeping his. dominions. The site of the city was so well chosen that it continued to be the capital of thé northern kingdom until the captivity. The Hebrew rendering in connection with the “crown of pride” is, “Woé to the proud crown of the drunkards.” The city was a t h i n g of “glorious bèauty,” but one of the things that contributed to its downfall waS drunk enness. 3. "Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one" (Isa. 28:2). In this case the rod of chastisement was the Assyrian (Isa. 10:5). Whenever God sees that His children need correc tion, He has a, “rod” at His disposal. That rod may assume many different forms. Sometimes God uses sickness, business reverses, bereavement, dis appointment, or calamity, although the presence Of these does not always indicate that the child of God is be ing corrected. “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth” (Heb. 12:6). When God permits the rod to fall, .the dutiful child of God should immediately stop to consider the rea son for the visitation lest a worse thing befall him. 4. "Glorious beauty . . . a fading flower" (Isa. 28:4). The direct réfer ence hèrê is tó the desolation that shall come upon Samaria as a result
Object Lesson T he T h inker and th e D rinker OBJECTS: F o u r English Walnuts and a hammer. (Separate the two halves of each walnut, and remove the meats. Fill the first shell with some rags and a small perfume bot tle filled with vinegar; the second with a small imitation cigarette; the third with an imitation playing card, an imitation theater ticket, and a miniature dancing d r e s s , and thé fourth with a book-shaped piece of paper On which the Word “Bible” is printed. A small red cross appears on the inside of the “Book.” Glue the shells back together.)
; children s classes. However, this Sun day would be an excellent time to talk to the children about the terrible- ness Of sin, to point them to the Sav iour who died on the cross to save them, and to give them an opportu
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