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T H E
K I N G ’ S
B U S I N E S S
October 1924
of Queen Jezebel’s anger. When King Ahab told her of Elijah’s victory on Mt. Carmel, and that the people had chosen the true God, and had killed all the false prophets of Baal, the Queen declared in her rage, “ By tomorrow about this time, Elijah shall be as one of the dead pro phets.” When Elijah heard the Queen’s words he became frightened and ran away without talking to God about the matter. But now, Elijah bowed his head and cried to God, “ Let me die! It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life!” Then, weary, he fell asleep where he lay under the juniper tree. He was awakened by the touch of an angel who said to him, “ Arise and eat.” As Elijah sat up and sleepily looked around, he saw food and water beside him. He ate hungrily, then went to sleep again. The angel awakened him the second time and told him to eat a good lunch for God wanted him to take a long journey. After finishing the food, Elijah started for Mt. Horeb, the mountain of Goa, as the angel directed him. It was a long journey and took Elijah forty days and forty nights to reach the mountain. Mt. Horeb was the place where God spoke to Moses and gave him the Ten Commandments and, naturally, Elijah thought God would speak to him there too. As he came to the foot of the mountain he found a cave and went in to spend the night. Elijah longed to hear God’s comfort ing voice, and as he prayed that night, the faithful prophet told God: “ I have been faithful to the Lord God of Israel, but the people have broken thy covenant and destroyed thine altars, killed thy prophets and I, only, am left, and they seek my life.” Elijah felt that if he climbed to the top of the mountain, God would surely come and speak to him, so up the mountain he went and stood on the very top and listened. Suddenly a fierce wind swept over the mountain and nearly took Elijah off his feet. Great pieces of rock went tumbling down the mountain side. Elijah listened, but could not hear God’s voice in the wind. As the wind ceased, an earthquake shook the mountain, making it trem ble, and groan. Elijah listened, but he could not hear God’s voice. Then he saw a blinding flash of lightning in the sky and he thought it must be a sign from God, but though he listened and listened, he could not hear God’s voice. After the thunder and lightning had ceased, and all was quiet after the storm, out of the very stillness, Elijah heard a still, small voice calling to him, and he knew it was God’s voice. Wrapping his cloak about his face he ran back to the cave, but before entering, he listened again and heard the still small voice say, “What doest thou here Elijah?” Then Elijah told God how he had run away to escape the wicked Queen Jezebel. God’s voice told Elijah to return, for there was work for him to do. God told Elijah to go and find a farmer boy, named Elisha, and teach him to be a prophet like himself, and then to anoint a new king for Syria, and also ;to anoint Jehu, a soldier in King Ahab’s army, to be king over Israel. Elijah no more feared the wicked Queen Jezebel because he had listened to God’s voice and he knew God would pro tect him from all harm. And that is the way with us—when we listen to Satan’s voice we are always doing wrong things that make us afraid, but when we have chosen the Lord Jesus to live in our hearts we are sure to listen to His voice and do right things. What did the Lord Jesus say? “My sheep hear mj voice and I know them and they follow Me.” Let us bow our heads and thank God for sending the Lord Jesus to live and rule in our hearts.
but turns Ms face sullenly to the wall. Can this be the king of Israel? Can this be Ahab, whose recent victories over the Syrians have rung through many lands? It is Ahab indeed. The great conqueror is a slave to himself. We hear his pitiful, almost childish, complaint that he cannot have the vineyard he so much covets.—Pulpit Com. 21:8. Documents of every kind, from a royal decree to a private letter, are never signed with pen and ink in the East, but are simply sealed with a man’s signet, which contains his name; a little ink is rubbed upon it, and it is pressed upon the moistened paper.—Van Lennep. 21:12. Jezebel did not scruple to attempt to cover her cruel perfidy with a cloak of religion.-—Pract. Com. ■ 21:18. Children of Belial “ base fellows.” Belial is not a proper name. It means “ worthlessness,” “ recklessness.” The sons of Belial were ready to become just such witnesses as Jezebel’s conspiracy demanded.—Pract. Com. 21:19. Because of Ahab’s repentance and humiliation (v. 29), this prophecy was not literally fulfilled in him, though at the pool of Samaria dogs did lick up his blood that fell on his chariot (1 Kgs. 22:38); but it was afterward fulfilled in his- son, on whom Jehovah laid the burden (2 Kgs. 9:25).—Whedon. 21:23. For the fulfilment of this verse, compare d Kings ST: 30-37.—Gray. 21:27. Note God’s mercy to the penitent (vs. 27-29) and compare 2 Kings 9:21-26.—Gray.
ELEMENTARY Mrs. S. W. Barrett
Scripture: I Kings 19:1-19. Memory Verses: John 10:27; Luke 9:35; John 8:47 f, c. You always recognize Mother’s voice when she calls you in from play, don’t you? And when you hear her calling you run to see what she wishes. When we have chosen the Lord Jesus to live in our hearts, we know His voice, too,
things that are right. Do you know what the Lord Jesus said when He was here on earth?— “ My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow Me.” John 10:27. God tells us in the Bible , i How Elijah Listened For God’s Voice. How glad were two dusty travelers when they came in sight of the town of Beersheba, for they had traveled 90 weary miles, scarcely stopping to rest. All the way from Jezreel came Elijah, the great prophet of God, and his servant, hurrying when he tells us to do the
as fast as their sturdy mules would go, to escape from the wicked Queen Jezebel. At Beersheba Elijah told his ser vant to stay in the city, but the prophet went on still another day’s journey into the wilderness. Weary, hungry, and very discouraged, Elijah sat down to rest beneath a juniper tree covered with beautiful and cheerful pinky-white blossoms. As he rested, Elijah thought
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