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The Sunday School

The Sunday School image
Parent Issue
Day
30
Month
October
Year
1896
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

1. "And fliram, king of Tyre, sent hls servants unto Solomon, ior ho had lieard that thuy had anointed liim king in the room of Kis father, for Hiram was over a lover of Da vid ." The association of H irara and David in the building of David's house is seon in II Sam. v, 11. Isaiah spoaks of Tyre in these words, "Tyre, the crownlng city, whose inerchants are prinoes, whose trafïickors are the honorable of the oarth" (Isa. xxiii, 8), but it is in tho samo conneotion that weread of the Lord of Hosts staining tho prido of all glory and bringing into contempt all the honorable of the earth. From Ps. xlv 13, we concludo that in the coming king Tvre shall be renresented, and wo thii-u t suoh as the woman of Math. xv, 21, i, and the "more tolerable" of Math. xi, Sá In connection thcrewlth. 2, 3. "Thou knowest how that David, my father, could not build an houso unto the namo of the Lord his God for tho wars which were about hini on every side, until the Lord put them under tho soles of his feet." How succestiveof Him who"mur.t reign till Ho hath put all enemies under His feet, that God may be all in all" (I Cor. xv, 25, 28.) When tlio Lord told David that ho could not build the temple, He said to him, "Behold a son sball be bom to thee, who shall be a man of rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about, for his name shall be Solomon - that is, peaceablo - and I will give peaoe and quietness unto Israel in his days" (I Chron. xxii, 9, 10.) "He shall build an houso for my name, and he shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever." Truly a greater than Solomon is here whose kingdom shall have nu end. The timo of war on earth is not yet over, for the groatest is yet to come, but Isa. il. 1-4. shall bo fulfllled, and vrhen the Son of David shall judge aniong the nationa "nntion shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they lenrn war any more." 4. ''But now the Lord my God hath glven me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil occurrent." He does not mentlon tholnstrumentallties which God had used to bring this rest, but aoknowledges it as the gift of God. Instruments are nothing exeept as God uses them, but God Is all. He gives rest to all who are willing to coase from thoir own works and let Him control. When In the nest age our Lord shall have cast tbe beaat and false prophet into tho lake of flre and the devil Into the Dit then it shall be true in largo moasuro that there shnll be nelthcr adversaiy nor evil to contend with. 5. "And, behold, I purposo to build an house unto the name of the Lord my God, as the Lord spakeunto David, my father." He was ready to be used of God to carry out his purposes. This is rest indeed, to believe that God has a purpose (Isa. iiv, 24) and lot God work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Phll. ii, 13), sure that "every purpose of the Lord sball beperformed" (Jer. 11, 29). Heghall not fail nor be discouraged, but shnll see of the travail of His soul and be satisfled (Isa. xlii, 4; lili, 11). Tberefore we have only to dwell with Him for His work. 6. "Thou knowest that there is net among us nny tbat can skill to huw tlinbor liko the Sidonians." He gives his order for oedar trees and promises to pay Hirarn's servants and then adds these words of praise. Not all are callod to the same work. The Lord gives "to evory man his work," and the Spirit divides to every one His gifts "severally as He will" (Mark xiii, 34; I Cor. xli, 11). Talents aro glven to oach according to his several ability (Math. xxv, 15). If we are fully yiolded, God will flll us witb wisdom of linifrt to work all manner oí work that He may require of us. 7. "Whon Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said, Blessed be the Lord this day which hath giveu unto David a wise son over this great people. " Every good gift is from above, and a man oan receive nothiug except ifc bo given him írom heaven (Jas. i, 17: John iii. 27 ). 8. "I will do all thy desire conoerning timber of codar and concerning timber oí ílr." Thus Hiram sent ansvrsr to Solomon. All such records in Scripture are suggestive oí the great love of God, who, having not spared His own Son, will with Him also freely give us all things (Rom. viii, 32). "Delight thyself in the Lord, and He shall givo thee the desires of thiuu heart" (Ps. xxxvii, 4). 9. "Thou shalt accomplish my desire in givingfood for my household." Thework in hand to be acoomplished by this partnership was the building of the temple of the Lord. A temple is now being builded, of which our Lord Jesus is both foundation and top stone, and believers are living stones in the temple. If we seek flrst the kingdoni of God and Hia righteousnesa, all tliat we need in the way of food and raiment will be made sure to us (Math. vi. 33). 10, 11. "So Hirara gave Solomon codar trees and fir trees, according to all his desire. And Solomon gave Hiram tvventy thousand measures of wheat for food to his household and twenty raeasuros of pureoil; thus gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. " Solomon was seven years buildiDg the temple and thirteeu years building his own house (chapter vi, 88; vil, 1), so that thiswas a partnership covering niany years. Our partnership is with the Lord Jesús Christ, and the work on hand is the completion of the church, whioh is the body of Christ. If we give our attention wholly to thls work, our Master will see to the supply of all the need. To attend meroly to our own church or denomination may not be the best way of completing the church, but we ara suroly safe in send ing forth missionaries as fast as we can, or, rather, as fast as He oan, to gather out of all nations tha elect body of Christ, the building of Enh. ii. 19-22. 13. "And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom, as He promised him, and thero was pence betwoen Hiram anti Solomon, aud chey two made a league togother." We must distinguish betweon Hiram the king and Hiram, Tyrian, widow's sou (I Kings vii, la, 14), the skilled workman in brass who made all the bright brasswork for the houso of tho Lord (I Kings, vii, 45), and yet both Hirams were identified with King Solomon in the work. To be identifiod with Israel in the age to come will suraly be a groat thiug, but it is much greater to be in thiB age fully identified with the Kiug of .Israel, the Son of God (John i, 49, 50). Of Him it Is written, 'Bohold tho man whose name is the braneh, and Ho shall grow up out of His placo, and Ha shall build the temple of the Lord.

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Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Democrat