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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
July, 1935
and no wine. At the end of that time, sure enough, Daniel and his three friends looked the healthiest of all of the young men gathered in the palace. Soon the king called to have the cap tives brought before him. He looked care fully at all o f them. Out of all of the cap tives, he found that Daniel and his three friends were the best. The king had them remain in the palace and serve him. And Daniel went on living in the palace, and in the Bible we read of many more ways that Daniel used to show this heathen king that there was a true God.
how pure and sparkling the water looks. I place the lily in the glass, but she is not satisfied to remain there. The other glass over there looks much more- interesting and beautiful. She thinks that perhaps it has something in it which would be dif ferent from this plain water. Now watch the silly lily. She climbs out and walks over to the beautiful glass. Yes, it is more beautiful looking than the plain one from which she has come. After ex amining the outside and admiring its beauty, she decides to investigate the in side. (Hold by the stem and place a part o f the blossom in the acid.) Look! The lily is marred and burned. The outside of the glass was beautiful to cover up the ugly inside. In thinking o f this silly lily, I am re minded o f how different Daniel was. He was willing to eat plain food in order that he might keep his body clean and strong. He could have eaten the rich foods and drunk the wines which were offered to him, but he was wise in refusing them. He kept his body and mind clean, to be used hy God. The lily also reminds me of boys and girls who are living today. They very often get tired o f living a plain, clean life, and they think that others who have more liberty than they are allowed are really getting more out of life. They want to smoke, dance, and drink. They think that the boys and girls who are allowed to go to shows are much better off than they; but they forget that the pleasures o f the world are not as they appear on the out side. It is best to do only the things that can be done to the glory of'God. to become absorbed in the doing of tem poral things, when service could be turned into worship. Martha could not or would not take that quiet place herself, and she felt aggrieved when any one else occu pied it. II. M artha ’ s I nstruction (L k . 10:41, 42); The Lord recognized the service that Martha had rendered. But He would teach her that while her work was good and necessary, there was something bet ter. This lesson is a hard one for many of the saints to learn today. We are tempt ed to think that the busier we are in the Lord’s cause, the more acceptable we are to Him. This mistaken view leads us to overlook the importance o f sitting at the feet of the Lord to learn of Him, in or der that the service may become profitable. Lacking this quiet communion with Christ, the believer’s best service is mere beating o f the air and stirring of the dust. The Lord gave a number o f lessons to BLACKBOARD LESSON
Martha which it would be well if all His people would learn. He showed her that it is more important to listen -to the Lord than to work for Him. The Lord is not eager for what we can give to Him, but He waits to give to us. He wants us to take from Him and of Him, in order that what He gives may return to Him through the love and worship of our hearts. One thing is needful for life, for growth, for service, for happiness, for all, and that is fellowship with Himself. III. M artha ’ s C omfort (J ohn 11:17-28). While the sympathy o f other human be ings is sweet and necessary, in the loss of a loved one there is a hurt which is too deep for human consolation to reach. Mar tha and Mary found little comfort in the ministrations of those who had come to console them in the loss o f their brother (vs. 17-19). Only the Lord could heal their wounded hearts. When the Lord at last appeared, Mar tha immediately addressed Him in a man ner which implied rebuke because He had not answered their call at once (vs, 20-22). But even though she felt that the Lord should have come earlier, she recognized that there was still the possibility that He would work a miracle and give back to them their brother who had died. There is a hint in Martha’s words that she did not really believe as yet in the absolute deity o f Jesus. She suggested that He would have to ask God, and that God would give Him power. But Jesus replied with the declaration that Lazarus would rise again (vs. 23-27). We must not confuse this restoration of Lazarus with resurrection. L a z a r u s , though in the grave many days, was mere ly restored to natural life. Each student must decide for himself whether, so far as Lazarus was concerned, it was better to be restored to life than to await the resur rection day. When resurrection occurs, one shall never die again. Jesus said: “I am the resurrection, and the life.” Those memorable words have, ever since their utterance, brought comfort to sorrowing hearts (vS. 25, 26). Not only can the Lord bring life from the deafl, but He is Himself the resurrection, as He is the life. The one who believes in Him is removed entirely from the power o f the realm of death. Martha’s answer seems to suggest that she had once believed, but that since the death of her brother, she doubted. The Re vised Version should be carefully con sidered here: “ I have believed” (v. 27). The implied question is : I f He were in deed the Son o f God, as Martha had be lieved, would Christ allow such sorrow and trouble to come upon her and her sis ter as that which they bore in the separa tion from their brother? This is the rea soning of the natural man._ The intro duction o f doubt is one of Satan’s best weapons for defeating the Lord’s people. •Martha called Mary. She said: “ The Teacher is here, and calleth thee’' (v. 28, R .V .). The following verses should be in cluded in the lesson, because they reveal Mary’s attitude toward the Lord. She fell at His feet, and while her words were identical with Martha’s, her attitude showed that they were uttered in a differ ent spirit. Mary had learned some things while sitting at the Lord’s feet, that Mar tha never knew. The lesson here for us is that time must be taken to commune with the Lord if we are to be poised and forti fied when the trying experiences o f life shall come.
Object Lesson A S illy L ily
Objects: A lily, a glass of water, and a ’ small glass containing sulphuric acid. (Handle the acid with care, so as not to touch the bare hands. Cover the glass with beautiful paper, such as is found in lined envelopes.) Lesson: I have called this a silly lily, because of the foolish things it does. God intended that a lily should drink pure water such as is found in this glass. See
AUGUST 18, 1935 M A R TH A ( A Home-Maker) -L uke 10:38-42; J ohn 11:1-44
Lesson T ext: Lk, 10:38-42; John 11: 17-28. Golden T ext: “Now Jesus loved Mar tha, and her sister, and Lazarus” (John 11:5). Outline and Exposition I. M artha ’ s S ervice (L k . 10:38-40). I n this passage there are a number of contrasts drawn between Martha and Mary which reveal the character of each. Martha received the Lord into her house, Mary received Him into her heart; Martha gave Him service, Mary gave her self; Martha was doing her duty, Mary was occupied with the Person; Martha was cumbered with much service (R. V. margin, “distracted” ), Mary served with calmness; Martha provided for Christ, Mary received from H im ; Martha spoke to Him, Mary listened to Him ; Martha greeted Him as a visitor, Mary treated Him as One who abides. Martha was dis tracted,. and she probably was distracting also. Mary enjoyed fellowship with the Lord. Martha seems to have been a woman who felt it necessary to be constantly do ing something to entertain the guest in her house. She was critical o f others who ■could be content to sit down and rest with the guest, allowing him to direct the activity desired. Martha indicated that her sister had already performed her service, all that was necessary, when she said: Mary has “left me to serve alone.” In other words, Mary would not shun her duty, but neither would she permit herself
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