November 1924
T HE ' K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
718
their grain; for the soldiers had plenty of food for man and beast. The four beggars quietly slipped into a tent and there found food, which they ate hungrily. Then they began to search the tent. They exclaimed in joy as they found fine garments and pieèes of gold and silver. Hurriedly each made up a bundle to take away. When they left the tent all was still. They could hear no voices nor sound of sol diers moving about. Quickly, they looked into the other tents and found nò one. The camp was deserted, so they made Still larger bundles of food, garments, gold and silver, until they had enough to supply them for many a day. As they were walking down the valley, one beggar stopped. “We do not well,” he said. “ This day is a day of good things, and we do not tell others of the deserted camp and the food we have found.” “ Some mischief will come to us if we wait until morning,” remarked another; “ let us go now and tell the King’s household, for he and his people are starving in Samaria.” Happily agreed, the four beggars ran back to the city gate, called the porter and told their story. The porter at once sent a messenger to the King’s palace, even though it was nearly midnight. The King rose, but as he listened to the story about the four beggars finding the soldiers’ camp deserted, but the food and the animals left, he shook his head and said, “ The Syrians know we are hungry, and they are hiding outside the camp so that when we còme for the food they shall catch us alive and get into the city.” ‘' One of the King’s servants said, “ Let me go and see.” The King consented, and soon the servant returned, telling the King that the road all the way to the Jordan river was scattered with the soldiers’ garments: they had been fright ened away and had left everything in the camp. Then the King sent his men out and, in the tents of the soldiers, they found food enough for all the starving people. Elisha’s word had come true. God used the four beggars to find the food for the starving city— but suppose the beg gars had been selfish and kept it all for themselves! Aren’t you glad they wanted to share what they found with the others? And I believe the people must have been so grate ful that they took care of thè sick beggars all the rest of their lives. What is our memory verse? “ Give and it shall be given unto you.” Luke 6:38. When the Lord Jesus comes into our hearts to live we want to give to others. What song do you think fits our lesson today? Yes, “ Help Somebody Today,” and let us remember that the very best way to help some body to be happy is to tell them about the Lord Jesus ànd His love. NOVEMBER 16, 1924 (LESSON 59) JEHU’S REIGN 2 Kings, Chapters 9, 10 Golden Text: “ Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23. OUTLINE: (1) Jehu, the Anointed, 9:1-10.
concerning a terrible famine in Egypt, in the year 1200 , when the people, after resorting to the most unclean and abominable food in the extremity of their hunger, began to feed on young children; and it was not uncommon to sur prise parties with children half boiled or roasted. At first this was treated by the authorities as a horrible crime; but by and by the horror entirely subsided, and every one spoke of it, and heard it spoken of, as an indifferent and ordinary matter,-^Hom. Com. 7:7. This illusion of the sense of hearing, whereby the besiegers imagined the tramp of two armies from opposite quarters, was a great miracle which God wrought directly for the deliverance of his people.—-J.F. & B. 7:12. Similar stratagems have been so often resorted to in the ancient and modern wars of the East, that there is no wonder Jehoram’s suspicions were awakened. But the scouts, whom he dispatched, soon found unmistakable signs of the panic that had struck the enemy, and led to a most precipitate flight.— J.F. & B. 7:18. The spoil of the deserted Syrian camp fulfilled the promise of cheap food; and the death of the unbelieving nobleman, who was crushed by the overwhelming crowd of famished citizens, in their wild eagerness to press through the gate, fulfilled the threat, "Thou shalt see with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof." With what gratitude and with what awe should we regard the Word of God! With gratitude, because its promises are so rich and sure, and with awe, because its threatenings will be inevitably ful filled.—Horn. Com. ELEMENTARY Mrs. S. W, Barrett Scriptune: 2 Kings 6:25-30; 7:3-17. Memory verses: Luke 6:38; 2 Cor. 8:9; 2 Cor. 9:7. Do you know someone who is very, very selfish? Oh, wouldn’t this be a horrid world if everyone was just as selfish as that person! Who was the most unselfish person that ever lived upon earth? Yes, the Lord Jesus, He came
and died on the cross that He might save us from sin and give us everlasting life. The Lord Jesus said, “ Give and it shall be given unto you.”,, In the Bible God tells us a story of— Four Beggars Who Were Not Selfish The King of Israel paced back and forth upon the wall around his palace, wondering what he could do to bring in food for his starving people. As he looked down across the soft, velvety green terraces of the city of Samaria, he could see in the valley below the tents of the Syrian soldiers,
who had surrounded the city determined to starve the King and his people into surrender. The people were suffering. There was no grain, no flour, no meat, no food of any kind, and in despair, mothers were killing their own children! Elisha the prophet sent word to the King that God would send food to the people, but the King refused to believe. At the gate sat four beggars, weary and faint from hun ger. They were lepers and not allowed within any city. “Why sit we here till we die?” asked one of the beggars. “ If we steal into the city, there is no food and we shall die there!” answered another. “ Let us go into the camp of the soldiers,” said a third beggar in a hopeful voice. “ They may give us food.” The others hesitated; “ But what if they kill us?” “ We shall but die here,” reasoned the hope ful beggar. So, as twilight fell upon the green hills, the four beggars started across the valley toward the camp of the Syrian soldiers. As they came near the tents they could see no one about, but the horses and the mules were tied and were munching
(2) Jehu, the Announced, 9:11-13. (3) Jehu, the Avenger, 9:14-10:29. (4) Jehu, the Approved, 10:30, 31. INTRODUCTION:
About eight or ten years subsequent to the famine in Samaria, Hazael had been anointed king of Syria, in place of
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