Press enter after choosing selection

The Sunday School

The Sunday School image
Parent Issue
Day
16
Month
October
Year
1896
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

25. "And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man uuder his vino and under his lig tree, froui Dalí even to Becr-shoba, all the daya of Soiomon." For a lHtlo wMle he seoms to havo reigned peacefully over all the territory promised to Abraham. Compare verse 21 witb Gen. xv, 18. It was a faint foreshadowing of Jer. xxiii, 5, 6, wben tlie Lord shall raise unto David a righteous Bwinch, and a Kicg shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgment and jus tico in the earth. In His days Judah símil be saved, aid Israel shall dweil eafely, and this is His name, whereby Ho shall Ijo callod ''the Lord, our Rigbteouaness." Then there shall be war no more, and Israel sliall walk in the name of tho Loi. thuir God forever and ever. 2(5. "And Sulomon had 40,000 stalls of horses for his chariots and 12,000 horsemen." Comparo cbapters x, 26-29; xi, 1-6, with Deut. xvii, 15-17, and in the light of those passages this verse of our lesson will nwike onu tremblefor Soiomon. "Won to tbem that go down to Egypt for help and stay on horses and trust in chariots becauso thcy are many and in horsemen becauso Uiey are strong, butthey look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord" (Isa. xxxi, 1). Botter to say, "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God" (Ps. xx, 7). Israel was cbosen to be separate from and unliko all other nations, the ereat distinguishing feature of their national life being the prosence in their midst of the living and true God as their King and Lawgiver, Protector and Deliverer, in whom alone they were to trust. 27. "And those ofHcers provided victual for King Soiomon, and for all that came unto King Solomon's table, every man in his montb. Tbey lacked nothing." It must havo been a great oompany to próvido for and must have required much wisdom and foretbought to havosufSoient for all. But the God of Israel fed millions supernaturally for 40years, and they lacked nothing. The Lord Jesus fed more than 5,000 one afternoon in an emergency, and He had only a few loavesaud fishes to do it with, but all were fllled and an abundance over. When He sent the disciples, without purso or scrip, they testified that they lacked nothing (Luke xxii, 35). 28. "Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man aeoording to his charge." This also must have been a great care, but our God careth for all creaturos which He has rnado. "The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand and satisflest the desire of every living thing" (Ps. cxlv, 15, 16.) Even Darius ordered from his royal bounty all that Israel had nped of day by day without fail (Ez. vi, 9.) How much more will our God supply all the need of all His creatures (Phil. iv, 19.) 29. '-And God gave Soiomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore. " This compared with verse 20, as mentioned in last weok's notes, indicates wisdom sufficient for every difficulty tbat might arise in all the nation. God careth for each individual, and no child of God should hesitate to say, "He careth for me," "He thinketh upon me." The wisdom and understandiug of Soiomon wero the gift of God. He could take co credit to hhnself for it, and it was that God, the God of Israel, might be honored, and not Soiomon. 30. "And Solomon's wisdom excolled the wisdom of all the children of tho east country and all the wisdom of Egypt," because it was the wisdom of God and not of men. So was it also' with Joseph in Egypt and Daniel in Babyion, for each was filUïd with the wisdom of God. The apostle Paul is caroful to teil us that his speech and preaching were not with enticing words of man s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, tbat their faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God (I (Jor. ii, 4, 5.) He also tells us that Christ is the wisdom of God, and the power of God (I Cor. i, 24.) A study of these two chapters is bracing to the simple minded. 31. "For he was wiser than all men, and his fame was in all nations round about. " For thd reason already stated, Solomon's wisdom oxcelled all others, and the fame that spread abroad was "the i faino of Soiomon concerning the name of the Lord" (ohapter x, 1). The most interesting part of this record is the faet tbat He who gave Soiomon such wisdom is also made unto us wisdom (I Cor. i, 30, 31), not, however, that we might glory in ourselves, but in the Lord, our wisdom. His thoughts and ways are as far above ours as heaven is above the earth. Therefore it is surely wisdom to let all our thonghts bo brought intocaptivity to Him (Iaa. lv, 8, 9; II Cor. x, 5). 32. "And hespake tbree thousand proverbs, and his songs were a thousand and flve. " Many of his proverbs we have and will have a study therein next week. Of all his songs we have the one oalled "The Song of Songs, " whioh is all ooncerning Him who is altogether lovely. And yet somo of the wise people of Chicago decided that it was not fit to form a part of a new Bible which has been speeially prepared for the youth of that city. Truly the wisdom of men is foolishnuss with God. David said that his psalma were spoken by the Spirit oL God (II Sam. xxiii, 2), and doubtlessSolomon would acknowledge the same, for it is written very plainly that his wisdom was the gift of God. 33. "And he spake of trees, f rom the cedar tree that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop that spriugeth out of the wall. He spake also of beasts and of fowl and of creeping things and of fishes." Tbus he would seem to boen a great student, and next to the law of God what cuuld he study with more profit than fcbe works of God? All study must, howover, be to the glory of God, and that we nniy the better know Him, for all must be subject to Him who in all things must have the pre-eminence(Col. i, 18). 34. "And thore carne of all poople to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of tho earth which had heard of his wisdom." So it was with "a greater than j Solüinon," and so it, will be in tho coming ! days when Jerusalem shall agiiin bis tho throne of the Lord and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the mime of the Lord, to Jerusalem. May it bo our daily delight to sit at His toet and hear His word, thus giving Him pleasure and bringing thegreatost pussiblo proflt to ourselvos for time and eternity (Jer. iii, 17; Luke x, 39).

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Democrat