THE KING’S BUSINESS
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PRACTICAL POINTS
make men hear by one means, He! will by another. The sinner welds the rivets and chains that bind him. Thank God if things go wrong, if you get right. Mortification and supplication are the steps down on the way up. If there was hope for Manasseh, who
( 1 ) “The woman gave,” but the man ate it. (Gen. 3:10). ( 2 ) When. One devil moves out, seven move in. (Matt. 12:45). (3) Not face (v. 9) but grace, makes the difference. (4) Men are optimists by profession, but pessimists by practice. (5) God is a great aurist; if He cannot
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need despair?
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Josiah’s Good Reign AUGUST 12, 1917. LESSON VII. .2 Chron. 34:1-13. (Memorize vs. 2, 3). G olden T ext : “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.”—Ecc. 12:1.
DAILY BIBLE READINGS Mon., August 6 —2 Chron. 34:1-13. (The.Lesson).
Tues., August 7-UDeut. 17:14-20. Wed., August 8 —1 Sam. 9:17-10 :1. Thurs., August 9—1 Sam. 8 :10-22. Fri., August 10—2 Chron. 15:1-15. Sat., August 11—2 Kings 11:1-12. Sun., August 12 —Psalm 2 .
EXPOSITION AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
law of God that led to the larger reforma tion in the kingdom. The account of Josi ah’s life and reign found in the 22 nd and 23rd chapters of 2 Kings should be care fully read. The prophets Jeremiah and Zephaniah flourished in Josiah’s time (Jer. 1:2; Zeph. 1:1). Doubtless they, espe cially Jeremiah, had a large influence upon Josiah. Joash began to reign a year younger than Josiah (2 Chron. 24:1), and the good part of his reign was due to the influence of Jehoiada, a man of God. As Manasseh’s evil reign is summed up in the words, “he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD,” so Josiah’s reign is summed up in the words, “he did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord” (cf. 14:2; 17:3; 29:2). This is said of very few of Judah’s kings. Of many of them it is said “they did that which was evil
vs. 1, 2, “Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years ( thirty and one years in Jerusalem'). And he did that which was right in the sight {eyes) o f the LORD, and walked in the ways of David his father, and declined neither ( turned not aside to) the right hand, nor {to the right hand or) to the left." We have a refreshing change here in the his tory of Judah from a thoroughly bad reign to a thoroughly good one. Manasseh began his reign at an early age and reigned badly: Josiah began his reign at a still earlier age and reigned well. What the earlier influences were that led Josiah into a dif ferent line of conduct from that pursued by his wicked father and wicked grand father we are not told, but further on in his life it was the discovery of the long lost
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