Lesson for June 11, 1911
said, (a) " S a n c t i fy yourselves." c h a r i ty m u st begin, at home. F i r st r e f o rm yourself; you c a n n ot revive others w i th no life in your own soul; (b) " C a r ry forth t he filthlness out of t he holy place." In spirit- ual decline t he world, „gets into t he " t e m- ple of God" w h e t h er viewed a s a church or a h e a rt (1 Cor. 3:16, 17). B a r r i e rs a re in- terposed b e t w e en us a nd the m e r cy s e a t ," ( " t he doors of t he porch and s h u t ," 29:7); t h e Wo rd is neglected, or discredited, ( " t he lamps a re put o u t ," 29:7); p r a y er and praise cease ("incense is not b u r n e d ," 29:7); t he blood of t he cross, a nd t he b e a r i ng of t he cross a re despised, ("nor burnt-offerings in t h e holy place," 29:7). A nd this is t he cause of all t h e trouble. (5) T he words were ef- fective. They " g a t h e r ed their b r e t h r e n" (29:15) and t he revival spread, t he work b e g a n: T h ey cleansed t he s a n c t u a r y—( a) " b r o u g ht out all t he uncleanness," (b) " o ut abroad to t he brook Kidron," which de- bouched into Gehenna. E i g ht days they w r o u g ht in t he s a n c t u a r y; eight m e re in t h e courts (20:16-19). Thorough work. R e- vivals a r e too often a t t e m p t ed w i t h o ut first cleansing t he L o r d 's house; or, at least, without c a r r y i ng out all t he uncleanness, dropping it into G e h e n na whence it cannot r e t u rn a s soon as " t he revival" is over. (6) Then in solemn and joyous service they restored t he worship. The series of offer- ings (Lev. 1:7) were duly observed and they m a de "reconciliation (atonement) with . . . blood upon t he a l t a r" (29:24). L et all " r e f o r m e r s" and revivalists set t h at down. T h e re can be no effective and last- ing work t h a t is n ot m a de on a nd by " t he blood upon t he a l t a r ," t he blood of t he L a m b of God shed on t he cross is t he sine q ua non of all regenerative power. (7) " Wh en t he b u r nt offering began t he song of t he Lord b e g a n" (29:27). The b u r n t - o f- f e r i ng m e a nt total consecration, full sur- render. It w as all consumed on t he altar. No surrender, no song! B ut then—cymbals! psalteries! h a r p s! (29:25). P i e ty like (8) T H E PASSOVER. among t he f e a s ts of t he Jews. Its season coincided with our E a s t e r. It celebrated (a) T he birth cf t he y e a r; (b) T he Birth of t he n a t i o n; (c) The Blood of t he L a m b, t he seal of t he Grace of God. (See E x. 12.) (2) Hezeklah's g r e at Passover m a r k ed a new E x o d us f r om subjection to o t h er gods; a r e - f o r m a t i on of t he nation;" a n ew m a n i- festation of t he Grace. A t r ue Israelite t he king- ignored the u n t h e o c r a t ic division of the tribes and s e nt his me s s e n g e rs (evan- gelists?) to invite "whosoever will" to come; and would h a ve t he Om, Israel,* t he One Family, f e a st on t he One L a mb, for all those m a n y were, ideally, t he "One Sacri- fice f o r e v e r" (Heb. 10:12). (3) T h e r u n n e rs passed f r om one end of t he land to the other. Some " l a u g h e d ," others " mo c k e d" at them, b ut they obeyed t he king's c omma nd to "go into all the(ir) world, and preach t he Gospel to every c r e a t u re (Matt. 28:19,' iO). They had a Gospel though men laugned; t h ey were t r ue to their mission though men (1) This w as chief
REFORM UNDER HE Z EK I AH. Lesson XI.—2 Chron. 29:31.
I
T HE ROYAL REFORMER. (1) Hezekiah: good son of bad f a t h e r; good f a t h er of bad son; (2) crowned at 25; reigned 29 years. (3) Israel under Its last king, Hoshea, w as n e ar its end. (4) Hez- ekiah's policy prolonged J u d ah 150 years. (5) J u d ah w as t r i b u t a ry to Assyria. (6) Impoverished, Its poor were oppressed; its " b e t t e r" classes addicted to vice, d r u n k e n- ness, injustice (Isa^ 1:5). (7) Priests w e re like t he people. (8) T he temple w as closed; its courts t he scene of p a g an altars, s y m- bols and orgies, (9) Such Hezeklah's her- itage. (10) His character, note (a) his early pious resolution (29:10) ; (b) p r o m pt devo- tion to it (29:3); (c) forceful leadership (29: 4-ll>; (d) spiritual insight (30:18, 19; Jno. 4:24); (e) persistency a nd consistency (31:20, 21). B ut he showed h u m an infirmity, u n- der s t r e s s: (a) Theocratic distrust in his f e a r f ul concession to Sennacherib; (b) his v a n i ty and folly in t he Babylonian incident (2'jKgs* 20:12-19),. Yet we should not for- get (a) hjs prayer- of f a i th t h at baffled d e a th (Isa. 38:9-21), (b) his p r a y er of faith t h a t vanquished the Assyrians (2 Kgs. 19:14- 19; 35). (11) T he cause of his slips: "God left him to t ry him, t h a t H e m i g ht k n ow all t h a t w as in his h e a r t" (2 Kgs. 32:31). T he best m u st fall w i t h o ut t he divine support. '•'Trust in t he Lord and lean not to thine own u n d e r s t a n d i n g ." II, T H E REFORMATION. (1) It began in one m a n 's consecration, " a c o v e n a nt w i th t he L o r d" (29:10). One need not be a king to be a r e f o r m e r; though t he t r ue r e f o r m er is a t r ue king. I t. w as a monk,.. one poor monk, who w as t hé "leading spirit in t he 16th century. It w a s a s h o ema k er in t he missionary move of t h e 19th. (2) P r ompt action followed, "In t he first y e ar o f . his reign." Strike while; t he heart, is, hoÇ! Zeal is a coal t h at soon cools, and" is m o s t . difficult to rekindle. If a y o u ng man' . does not m a ke good in his t w e n t i es he. is p r e t ty s u re to prove a fail- ure. . (3) It had a tongue. " He g a t h e r ed t h em . .togethér" (29:4-11). E v e ry r e f o rm m u st h a ye : : its preaching stage. A h e a rt on: fire Mjéts t he tongue on fire, t he b r a nd t h a t infla'meë'- t he h e a r t. Cultivate t he art, or .better, t he habit, , of public speech, of p e r- suasive " speech. No g r e at work of r e f o rm can be done single-handed; and t he con- version of others , t o the' good work is re- form, revival, so f ar accomplished. (4) He
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