June, 1934
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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Chemosh” (Num. 21:29). Jeremiah pre dicts disaster upon Moab, when they shall “be ashamed o f Chemosh” because he will be able to give them no help (Jer. 48:13). The name o f Chemosh occurs twelve times on the famous Moabite Stone which con firms the Old Testament record in the third chapter o f Second Kings. The main characteristic of this cult was evidently human sacrifice, for the Moabite king o f fers his own son as a burnt-offering to appease the god in the hour of defeat (2 Ki. 3:27). 3. Milcom is simply another name of the well-known god Molech, whose worship was one of the horrible abominations con demned by the Old Testament. Micah re fers to it when he cries : “ Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” (Micah 6 :7 ). Golden Text Illustration A gourd wound itself round a lofty palm, and in a few weeks climbed to its very top. “How old may’st thou be ?” asked the newcomer. “About one hundred years.” ' “About one hundred years and no taller! Only look, I have grown as tall as you in fewer days than you count years.” “I know that well,” replied the palm. “ Every summer o f my life a gourd has climbed up around me as proud as thou art, and as short-lived as thou wilt be.” —Sunday Circle. A King Who Was Not Kind 1 K in g s 12:1-20 Memory Verse: “ Pride goeth before de struction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). Approach: Today our story is to be about a king. He lived a great many famous king. When he first ruled the people, he did many things to help them and to make them happy and contented. As he grew older, he grew unkind. He made the people work as if they were his slaves. Then he died, and his son Rehoboam be came king. The people gathered themselves together and wondered how this new king would treat them. They decided to ask him what he meant to do. They came to Re hoboam and said: “If you will treat us better than your father did, we will serve you.” Rehoboam told them to go away and come back three days later, and he would give them his answer. Then he went to the old men who were the advisers in the court, and asked them what he should do. They told him : “ I f thou wilt . . . speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.” Next, he asked the young men who were his own age, what he should say to the people. They said to tell the people that he would be more strict with them than his father had been, and that he would make them work still harder. The young men’s advice seemed good to the king. He felt young and strong and powerful. He didn’t want to help the peo ple. He wanted to make them fear him. 3&S£{*i r / v i A i o ' years before Jesus came to this earth. W e read about him in the Old Testa ment. Lesson Story : The name of this king was Rehoboam. He became the king of the J ewi s h people after his father Solo mon died. Solomon had been a great and
himself to be drawn away from evil. Now that the ticket is fastened to him, he does not sail as straight as he did. (Slip the ticket over the head o f the nail.) A boy can always find some one who is willing to give him a cigarette. This is only an imitation cigarette. It is best never to touch a real one, for if you never touch a real cigarette, you will never learn to smoke. The magnet draws Ned away from the cigarette; Jesus Christ does not want His followers to be bound by harmful habits. Ted thinks it is smart and grown up to smoke, and therefore he does not allow the magnet to influence him. The people with whom he goes to the show will smoke, and he does not want to be dif ferent from them. When this cigarette is fastened to him, he is less steady than he was before. (Push the cigarette over the head and down around the nail.) This little bottle o f vinegar will repre sent whiskey. When it comes near Ned, the faithful magnet draws him away. Ned belongs to Christ, and he lets Christ keep him from the temptations which come. If all people would follow Christ, they would be kept out of trouble. Ted pays no at tention to the pull of the magnet. The crowd he travels with would think that he was a “sissy” if he did not drink whenever they did. Notice how Ted has his head in the bottle, and cannot stand without being held. (The cigarette should snugly fit the neck o f the bottle.) Ned keeps following the magnet. Some day Christ is going to return to earth, and when He does, He will take all Christians out o f this world to dwell with Him for ever. As the magnet comes near to Ned, he jumps to meet it. When Christ comes, the Christians will be caught up to meet Him. prophets o f the Old Testament did not have the Word o f God dwelling in them at all times, but when the Spirit came upon them, they spoke as they were moved by the Spirit. But of our Lord Jesus it could be said: “ Thou hast the words o f eternal life” (John 6:68). According to 2 Chronicles 14, Asa “ did that which was good and right in the eyes o f the Lord,” in commanding that all the idols in Judah should be cast away. When he was attacked by the Ethiopians (2 Chron. 14:9-12), he cried unto the Lord, and the Lord “smote the Ethiopians before Asa.” Asa was reminded o f the conditions which had prevailed in Israel for a long period (vs. 3-6). The Israelites had been for a long time without the true God, be cause they were without a teaching priest, and this was the case because they were without law (v. 3). The result of such conditions was an absence o f peace and quietness in the land, and great vexations came upon the people (v. 5 )—a result that always follows when law breaks down, and when there is no teaching accepted from the Lord. The unhappy condition extended beyond Israel, until cities and nations were involved (v. 6). All these happenings proved the truth o f the prophet’s message that the Lord would forsake the people if they forsook Him. The prophet ended his message with a word o f encouragement for A sa : “ Be ye strong therefore,” because o f the promise
What a mistake he made! He made trouble for himself and for all his people because he was proud and cruel and made the people fear him when he could have made them love him.
Object Lesson N ed and T ed N ail
Objects : An imitation nail carved from wood and painted, a real nail, a large cork split in half down the middle, a card marked “ Show Ticket,” an imitation cigar ette, a small bottle o f vinegar, a pan of water, and a magnet. (Stick each nail in the round side of the half of the cork, al lowing the flat side o f the cork to rest on the water.) Lesson: Here go Ned and Ted Nail sail ing on the sea o f life. Ned accepted Christ as his Saviour, and tried to do what he knew God wanted him to do. Ted was proud and selfish; he wanted to have his own way, like the king about whom we studied this morning in our Sunday-school lesson. When this card marked “ Show Ticket” comes near Ned, the magnet, which represents Christ, draws him away. (Do not let the magnet touch the nail.) Notice how Ned leans toward the magnet and away from evil! No matter how near the magnet comes to Ted, he does not allow Lesson Text: 2 Chron. 15:1-12. .Golden Text: “ The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Heb. 13:6). Outline and Exposition J eroboam , about whom we studied last Sunday, was king o f Israel, that is, of the northern tribes o f the divided king dom. During the greater part o f the same period, Rehoboam was king in Judah. Asa, about whom the lesson is concerned today, was a grandson of Rehoboam. Asa suc ceeded his father Abijah to the throne of Judah. I. T he P rophecy for A sa (1-7). “The Spirit of God came upon Azariah.” Through the prophet, Asa was reminded that the Lord would be with him as long as he sought the Lord; but if he forsook the Lord, the Lord would forsake him. The BLACKBOARD LESSON
. JULY 8, 1934 A SA RELIES ON GOD 2 C hronicles , C hapters 14 to 16
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