Covenanter Witness Vol. 54 - Rparchives.org

unrighteouness."
you."
you."
you."
mourn."
Look at the drunkard! Doesn't
his
appetite enslave him It makes him
barter all his possessions for liquor. Our
hospitals and mental institutions would
not be so full if it weren't for so many
victims of their own evil habits. If
you visit our prisons, you will see how
selfishness, jealousy, lack of self-control
and dishonesty have caused the downfall
of the inmates. It is the same with
every kind of sin.
Lowell in his beautiful poem, "The
Vision of Sir Launfal," says:
Earth gets its price for what earth gives
us;
The beggar is taxed for a corner to
die in,
The priest has his fee who comes and
shrives us,
We bargain for the graves we lie in;
At the devil's booth are all things sold,
Each ounce of dross costs its ounce
of gold:
For a cap and bells our lives we pay,
Bubbles we buy with a whole soul's
tasking;
'Tis heaven alone that is given away,
'Tis only God may be had for the
asking.
You see, boys and girls, that the devil's
wares are expensive while the riches of
God may be had free. But slavery to
sin need not bind us forever. Jesus
Christ has said,
truth and the truth will
free.''
"Ye shall know the
make you
Go to Him then if you are en
slaved by selfishness, jealousy, a weak
will or a multitude of other sins. He
alone can set you free. "If we confess
our sins, he is faithful and just to for
give us our sins and to cleanse us from
all
Questions
How many Israelites went down into
Egypt
About how man ywere delivered by
Moses
Were the Israelites enslaved during
the life of Joseph
What sins do the Ten Commandments
tell us not to commit
How can we keep from enslaving
ourselves to sin
References Gen. 46:27; Ex. 1:7; 1:
8-12; 20:1-17; John 8:32; First John
1:19.
To the leader, refer to lesson 6, "The
Land of the Free" in the new book
"Taught of the Lord."
SABBATH SCHOOL LESSON
April 24, 1955
Rev. W. J. McBurney
(Lessons based on International Sunday School
Lessons ; the International Bible Lessons for
Christian Teaching, copyrighted by International
Council of Religious Education.)
ASA's RELIGIOUS REFORMS
April 6, 1955
2 Chron. 14-16.
PRINTED: 2 Chron. 15:1-12.
MEMORY: 2 Chron. 15:2 "The Lord is
with you, while ye are with Him; and
if ye seek Him, He will be found of
Lt
From the story of the kings of Judah,
would appear that moral character
is not so much a matter of inheritance
as of teaching. Rehoboam was born
about the time Solomon became king.
Solomon, in the early years of his reign,
was much engrossed with the affairs
of government, in which he showed re
markable wisdom, and in social life
where he was famed for his luxurious
extravagance. He had little time for his
children, and Rehoboam seems to have
been left to the influence of his mother.
Then when Solomon was older and tried
to impress his son with the need of
godliness, (see early
chapters of Eccle
siastes) it was too late, Rehoboam had
been too deeply influenced by the lux
uries of life learned in his father's court.
and the idolatries of his mother's court,
to accept the wiser advice of this same
father in his old age.
Abijah followed his father Rehoboam
in the kingdom and seemed to build
a strong
government. When threaten
ed by a strong enemy, he appealed to
God for help, and God gave him a re
markable victory. His story
(2 Chron.
13) appears to show him as a righteous
king. That, however, is the story of his
administrative life. In 1 Kings we get
a glimpse of his inner life and influence,
that is, his, religious life, his heart; "he
walked in all the sins of his father Re
him."
hoboam, which he had done before
Then we find another problem when
Asa comes to the throne. Why
was he
so much better than his father and
grandfather For we read (14:2), "And
Asa did that which was good in the
eyes of the Lord his God." How did
Asa escape the evil of his environment
The Lord, through His Holy Spirit, op
ened the eyes of Asa to see the right
and wrong
and turned his heart to ac
cept the right and follow God's will.
We do not know what human agencies
God may have used. Even the sins of his
parents may have served as a warning
to him, and influenced him to seek the
better way.
A splendid Christian man told me that
there were two influences that kept him
from being a drunkard; first, his father
who drank and sometimes got drunk,
but sent him to Sabbath School. Then
his brothers,
who were drunkards. Sec
ond, the work of the Holy Spirit in lead
ing him to the better life.
Perhaps the evils of Asa's surround
ings were used by the Holy Spirit to
strengthen his battle for the right. Then
perhaps the pleading
of the aged Solo-
mon that failed to save his son and
grandson, appealed to the heart of his
great-grandson and helped him to see
the way
out of his sinful surroundings
so that he could become good in the eyes
of the Lord.
GOD
WILL GIVE NATIONS WHAT
THEY ARE PREPARED TO RECEIVE
The prophet Azariah encouraged Asa,
"The Lord is with Promised, "If
ye seek him, he will be found of you."
And warned, "If ye forsake him, he will
forsake
These have been fulfilled
through the centuries. Man is still on
earth, God is still in Heaven. It is not
needful that God should speak to nations
now through prophets. The law and the
prophets have been fulfilled in the ex
perience of men and nations for six
thousand years. We have more instruc
tion than Asa had, a full statement of
invitation, promise and warning,, and
these illustrated by the experience of
peoples and nations for many centuries.
A NATION WITHOUT GOD
For half a century, Israel, including
Judah, was without God; that is, they
did not serve Him. In desperate need,
Judah turned to the God of Israel, and
found Him. In every war, we have
turned to God in some measure, (tem
porarily). And each time He has given
us victory, temporarily. We are on pro
bation now. Faithlessness in public life
is more devastating than the H bomb
and is not confined to desert areas.
Judah and the nations around, when
without God, were broken in pieces.
War abroad followed strife at home.
"Man's inhumanity to man, makes
countless thousands
not begin on the battle field.
Strife does
WHAT D7 WE RECOGNIZE GOD'S
LAW IN BUSINESS
Ford planted an empire of rubber in
Brazil, for the benefit of his company
and the United States. He failed, because
he could not control the natives working
for him. Le Tourneau has started re
claiming projects in Africa and Peru,
and has his eye on Brazil. He is taking
teachers to teach the natives modern
methods of farming and industry, and
no outside interests will be allowed to
compete with the natives. His workers
are all Christians, and Christian mis
sionaries are taken everywhere they go.
His ideas and practice in Christian Big
Business is much worth watching. He
looks on his business as a service for
God and his fellow men.
It is not hard to see that if all busi
ness enterprises were in reality adminis
tered as a service to God and man, not
for a group of men, we would have both
peace and plenty. We have labored too
long
under the delusion that God has
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