Covenanter Witness Vol. 55 - Rparchives.org

another."wedding."son,". . fromservants,"rifice, but in spiritual service, in thatwhich had to do with their inner life,they were indifferent.Israel Had Failed in Her ObligationsOne to AnotherLove for God demands love for man.Indifference to the rights of God andindifference to the rights of men gohand in hand. Malachi shows that sincewe are the, children of God our Father,we profane the covenant of God if wedeal treacherously with our brothers. Inthe verses following, (not given in thelesson) Israel is charged with violatingthe sacred relation of husband and wife.The prophet continues to pile up evidence, showing how they have reachedthe point where instead of finding greatjoy at the table of the Lord (which included the service of the Temple and allthe exericses of worship), they found ita "weariness" (1:13), and a dolefullthing that caused them so much suffering that they wept! We can sit on ahard seat in a cold wind for two hours,at a time that is called "the preparationfor the Sabbath." (Mark 15:42), and ifthe score is a tie several times with repeated overtime plays, so much the better. If the period for God's worship in acomfortble church on the following day,runs over the scheduled time, we become wearied. Perhaps God does too.We notice that weariness was mutualbetween God and the returned Jews.Satis verborum.Two Forms of Conduct Contrasted(Malachi 3:7-18).One group is charged with robbingGod. That's terrible. They are alarmed."Wherein have we robbed Thee?" Theanswer is very definite "In tithes andofferings."No attempt is made to denythat the tithe is the Law of Moses. Havewe a less duty since Christ came thanthe Jews had before His coming? Ifwe do not keep account, our giving maymagnify itself in our memory until wethink that we give more than we do.I knew one man who said he did notbelieve in the tithe because it would decrease his giving. Finally he made anaccounting, and became a tither. Itdoubled his giving. Few who are nottithers pay the tithe. In our day, can aChristian afford to be less generousthan the Jews?Another group was of those who Fearthe Lord. Of course they would obeyHim, which included the paying of thetithe, God called them to a duty, andpromised a rich reward if they responded.I never saw amore terrific stormthan one I encountered in Sharon, Iowa.Every farm had a windmill, and morethan half of those in the township were140blown down. Every farm in the township save one received damage. Everyfarm in the township except that one,was insured. The farmstead of ElderCarithers, father of Dr. W. W. Carithers, was not insured, and received nodamage. Mr. Carithers in addition toofferings and tithes, gave the full rate ofinsurance to the American Bible Societyevery year.The prophets were not candidates forelection. They did not wear gum shoes.They framed their message in obedienceto God, not to please men. They spokethe truth, though they knew it wouldoffend. Their opportunity with manywas shown in every way from indifference to murder. One does not need to gobeyond prophetic example to be calleda joykiller, or wet blanket. But cheerup!There Are Always Some Who Fearthe Lord (v. 16)."Then they that feared the Lord,spake often one to The formof this statement suggests that they mettogether in some form offellowshipmeeting. They discussed their problemsin a group. What they said is not recorded. But they Feared the Lord, and theywon God's approval. What God approved, He wrote in a Book of Remembrance. If you want to know how anxious folks are to be remembered, go toa cemetery. How long are they remembered?Within a month I saw in acemetery a noble stone with the nameclearly carved. The date was just acentury old.Inquiry*was made thirtyyears ago, and even then no one couldbe found who had any record or memoryof the person named on that stone.God's Book of Remembrance is eternal. Blessed are those whose names arewritten there. In this world, they maybe poor and ragged, but in God's world,they are God's children, and are guardedas precious jewels. "Then shall ye return"from captivity of sin, to the freedom of Truth.Psalms:PRAYER MEETING TOPICSeptember 21, 1955THE MARRIAGE OF THEKING'S SONMatt. 22:1-14Rev. W. C. McClurkin81:1, 6, 7, page 20045:1, 2, 8, 9, page 11645:10-17, page 117106:1-4, page 260References: Isa. 54:5; 61:10; 62:5Jer. 3:14; Hos. 2:19, 20; Zeph. 1:7, 8Zech. 3:4; Matt. 25:1, 2; Luke 14:16-18John 3:29; Rom. 2:3, 4; II Cor. 11:2;Eph. 5:25-27; Heb. 10:28, 29; Rev. 19:7-9; 21:9; 22:17.wedding,"For "theannounced in thisParable, we have all received our invitations. Presumably, too,a public profession of our faith,notification of our acceptance.when we madewe gaveBeing at the prayer meeting is someevidence of our interest, and attentionto the necessary preparations for "theSo the prayer meeting itselfis a happyoccasion for prospective"guests."Also, the ordinances of God'sHouse, including the sacraments, arepreliminary high spots in our experiencewhen we preen ourselves and one another, so to speak, for the coming event.The WeddingIt's to be a grand affair, an occasionfor royalty. "A certain king," God theFather, planned it in eternity. He, according to the Parable, "made a marriage for his the Lord Jesus Christ.In the Covenant of Grace the Sonagreed to woo and betroth the elect, andto pay the price of her dowry. This Hedid in the period from the Incarnationto the Ascension. But the actual marriage and marriage supper, as appearsfrom Rev. 19:7-9, is a heavenly affair,and not consummated until after the final Judgment, after "His wife hathmade herself ready.The Wedding GuestsAll that are "bidden" do not becomeactual "guests," but they have the opportunity and are accounted as potential"guests."Those first invited were Jews. Collectively, as a race of people, "theywould not come," as said in the Parable, and in the factual, historical record. The "servants," Old Testamentprophets, John the Baptist, and firstdisciples, sent with the earlier invitations before Pentecost, apparently didn'tget much for their pains. Yet it is onthe Record that, individually, the faithful among them experienced the promised privilege to "sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the Kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 8:11).So also shall ."many the eastin the "highways" traveledand west"by Gentiles as well as Jews. "Both badand good"that is, as rated among themselves and by one another, get the invitation from "other the Apostles and their successors, sent out later.And many of these are fitted out for"the wedding," "and the wedding.furnished with guests.". .On the ether hand, many of these"guests"potential declined the invitation, "made light of it," and stiU do.They go "their ways, one to his farm,another to his merchandise," esteemingCOVENANTER WITNESS