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THE KING’S BUSINESS
Defeat Through Drunkenness (Temperance Lesson) SEPTEMBER 19, 1915. LESSON XII. 1 Kings 20:10-21. (Commit vs. 11, 12.) G olden T ext : “Wine and new wine take away the heart.”—Hosea 4:11.
DAILY BIBLE READINGS Mon., Sept. 13—1 Kings 20:1-12. (The Lesson.) Tries., Sept. 14—1 Kings 20:13-21, (The Lesson.) Wed., Sept. 15—Dan. 5 :l-9. The terror-smitten king. Thurs., Sept, 16—Isa. 28:1-7. They err and stumble. Fri., Sept. 17—Lev. 10:8-11. A divine command.
Sat., Sept. 18—Prov. 20:1-7. A warning. Sun., Sept. 19—Titus 2. Christian duties.
EXPOSITION AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
ard (cf. v. 16). Every drunkard is doomed to defeat sooner or later (cf. 16:9; 1 Sam. 25:36 ; 2 Sam. 13:28; Dan. 5 :2, 30. You can always trust a drunkard to make a fool of himself at the critical moment (cf. Prov. 31:4, 5; Luke 21:34; Eph. 5:18). v. 13. “And behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the LORD, hast thou seen all this great mul titude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD." It looked dark, indeed, for Ahab and Israel until the prophet of God came upon the scene. Even then all that Ahab had to depend upon was, “Thus saith the LORD.” But that is enough to depend upon (Titus 1:2). God first asked Ahab a question, “Hast thou seen all this great mul titude?” Yes, Ahab had seen the multi tude ; that was about all he had seen, but now he was to see Jehovah. The multitude had seemed very great compared with his little seven thousand (v. 15), but the multi tude dwindled into absolute nothingness in comparison with Jehovah. If we could only get our eyes off from the multitude of our enemies, and onto the one infinite Jehovah, who is on our side, our fears would soon vanish (John 14:1; Rom. 8:31). The one grave question that had disturbed Ahab Was, “What shall I do against this great multi tude?” But God answers this question, “I
v. 10. “And Ben-hadad. sent unto him, and said, The Gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me." This is called a temperance lesson, and it may properly be so, for undoubtedly drunk enness was one of the secondary causes of Ben-hadad’s defeat. But the title given to the lesson, “Defeat Through Drunkenness,” is not warranted by thè facts in the case. Ben-hadad’s defeat was through something more fundamental and serious than drunk enness, it was through contempt for •Je hovah (vs. 13, 23). Ben-hadad’s treatment of Ahab and Israel had been most over bearing, arrogant and contemptuous (vs. 1- 11). He seemed to have ground for his contempt, for his forces were ^apparently overwhelming ; but of course they were not so vast as he boasts that they were in this verse. On the other hand, the forces ap parently at Ahab’s disposal were most in significant (v. 15). Nevertheless, Ben- hadad had no good ground for his confi dence ; for there was one on Ahab’s side who more than outweighed all the forces of Ben-hadad—God (v. 13, cf. Rom. 8:31). One with God is always a majority. v. 12. “And it came to pass when Ben- hadad heard this message, as he_ was drink ing!’ Ben-hadad seems to have been not only an occasional, but an habitual drunk
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