p. 15 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 39. (9/27/1899)

LESSON III.—SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1899.

ESTHER PLEADING FOR HER PEOPLE.

Lesson Scripture, Esther 8:3-8, 15-17, R.V.

3 "And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews. 4 Then the king held out to Esther the golden scepter. So Esther arose, and stood before the king. And she said, If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in 6 all the king's provinces: for how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? 7 Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the 8 Jews. Write ye also to the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse."

15 "And Mordecai went forth from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a robe of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan shouted and was glad. 16 The Jews had light and 17 gladness, and joy and honor. And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had gladness and joy, a feast and a good day. And many from among the peoples of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews was fallen upon them."

Golden Text: "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass." Ps. 37:5.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

(1) Give the events which intervene between this and the last lesson. Note 1. (2) What did Esther further appeal to the king to do? V. 3. (3) How did the king receive her? V. 4. Note 2. (4) What particular request did she prefer? V. 5. (5) What reasons did she present? V. 6. (6) What did the king say he had given? V. 7. (7) What authority did he give her to carry out her request? V. 8. Note 3. (8) What followed? See vs. 9-14, note 3. (9) How was Mordecai honored? and how was the city of Shushan affected? V. 15. (10) How were the Jews affected? V. 16. (11) In what way did the Jews celebrate their deliverance? and how were others affected? V. 17. Note 4. (12) What lessons may we draw from this book of Esther? Note 5.

NOTES.

1. Our last lesson closed with chapter 3:11, with the king's grant to Haman. Then followed the royal decree for the destruction of the Jews on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar, and the people were enjoined to be ready. The king and Haman drank, but Shushan was perplexed; evidently the best citizens were Jews. The weeping and mourning of the Jews, Haman's plotting and exaltation, honor to Mordecai, the revelation of Haman's treachery, the death of Haman on the gallows he had caused to be erected for Mordecai, and the giving of Haman's property to the faithful Jew, are given. Read the whole book to our lesson, which begins here.

2. The golden scepter.—A token of favor, held out to those who came into his court unsummoned. Esther's mission was dangerous. The king was wicked and fickle. He had not summoned her for a month; his love had probably cooled. It was not an uncommon thing for an Eastern monarch to kill his favorite. She took the step only after prayer by herself and people, and the king held out to her the token of favor.

3. May no man reverse.—The decree by Haman could not be reversed. The people may destroy the Jews if they will; but the king permitted Esther under royal authority to give a counter decree, as Mordecai dictated, to give the Jews permission to slay their enemies. All who were not especial enemies of the Jews of course would not slay them; and the Jews slew their enemies, under royal authority. The second decree was a practical reversal of the first, tho not technically so.

4. A feast.—Here was the beginning of the feast of Purim. See chapter 9:14, 26. Read the rest of the book. Many from among the peoples.—God made the wrath of man to praise Him. He turned all the wicked devices to bring to honest souls throughout the world the knowledge of the true God.

5. The lessons are many. Note the evils of drunkenness, licentiousness, and fickleness, as manifest in the king; of pride and selfish ambition and hatred, as seen in Haman; of virtue, as seen in Vashti; of integrity, faith, and courage on the part of Mordecai and Esther; and of God's power and wisdom to deliver, despite all the power and machinations of men.

S. S. S

By Editor

If enough acceptances of the offer made at the bottom of this column are received before November 1, we will publish paper-covered editions of

THE STORY OF PITCAIRN ISLAND

POLITICAL SPEECHES AND DEBATES

and send BOTH BOOKS post-paid to subscribers for 85 cents.

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Both volumes are too well known to make an extended description necessary, therefore we only give a very brief notice here, but will send further information if desired. The first title is

THE STORY OF PITCAIRN ISLAND

in which is given the romantic account of the mutiny on board the English sloop of war "Bounty," and the subsequent adventures of the mutineers. A book of thrilling interest. Contains 266 pages and is well illustrated. Regular price in cloth, $1.00.

POLITICAL SPEECHES AND DEBATES

Edited by Alonzo T. Jones

This book contains the public speeches and debates of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas from 1854 to 1861, also Lincoln's great speech at Gettysburg and his second inaugural Address. The principles over which these giants of the political arena contended are again manifesting themselves, hence it is important that we become intelligent concerning them, and this volume will greatly aid to that end.

Then again, Lincoln's speeches were always to the point, and afford good examples of effective use of the English language, and are well worthy of study on that account alone. It contains 555 pages, and the regular price in cloth is $1.75.

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Not Always So.

A modern poet thus writes:— > "Day by day love's rose unfolding, > First the bud and then the bloom, > In our heart of hearts we're holding, > Bringing sunshine to life's gloom. > But, too late, we learn with sorrow, > Shades of night must follow morn; > Joy to-day is grief to-morrow; > Every rose must have its thorn."

If this world were all, this would be true. But there is a glorious beyond. God's flowers of hope bear no thorns. Here realization of joy does not often meet expectation; but in God's glorious fruition His children will say, "Not one good thing has failed [us] of all that the Lord our God has promised." Nay, more, the light afflictions of this time, if borne in faith, work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory in eternal day.

Apostolic Succession.

Upon this the Oriental Watchman (Calcutta) well remarks: "The only apostolic succession that the Bible knows anything of is that of apostolic faithfulness in preaching the Word. 'And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.' 2 Tim. 2:2. The important thing was the teaching, and the command of the Lord was that believers should teach all things that He had commanded, even unto the end of the world: 'I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, . . . preach the Word.' He, then, is in the apostolic succession who preaches the Word. A writer has well said:—

" 'It certainly is very remarkable that the Anglican clergy should claim a special grace of the Holy Spirit coming to them through the worldly, tyrannous, persecuting bishops of the Romish Church in the middle ages, and not through the obscure, holy martyrs whom they persecuted. Surely, if there was such a line of grace, it would be found in those who were faithful unto death for the truth as it is in Jesus, rather than with those who put to torture and cruel death the saints of God.'

"Those who suffered at the hands of a worldly church in possession of power were, in that respect at least, in the apostolic succession; for that was the experience of the apostles of the Lord. The tradition of the church puts in the line of apostolic succession the proud prelates of church history who lorded it over God's heritage—often men of the lowest stamp of vileness and criminality; but God places there the unnamed multitudes who overcame 'by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.' "

OUR “WORLD’S HARVEST” ISSUE.

By Editor

(Ready, the Lord willing, Nov. 1, 1899.)

This special number will contain:—

The Seed-Sowing of the Gospel

BY E. J. WAGGONER, Editor of the Present Truth, London, Eng.

The Seed-Sowing of Sin

BY PROF. E. A. SUTHERLAND, President of Battle Creek College.

The Harvest of Intemperance

BY M. E. OLSEN, Editor of the Gospel of Health.

The Harvest of Disease

BY DAVID PAULSON, M.D.

The Harvest of Crime

BY PROF. P. T. MAGAN, Dean of Battle Creek College.

The Harvest of War

BY URIAH SMITH, Author of “Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation.”

The Harvest of Expansion and Imperialism

BY ALONZO T. JONES, Author of “Two Republics,” and “Great Empires of Prophecy.”

The Harvest of Greed

BY JOHN CLARK RIDPATH, America’s great historian.

The Harvest of Church and State Union

BY LEON A. SMITH, Editor of the American Sentinel.

The Harvest of Righteousness and Life

BY GEORGE E. FIFIELD, Author of “God Is Love.”

The Ripening of the Harvest

BY ALBION F. BALLENGER.

The Harvest of the World

BY MILTON C. WILCOX.

The Coming of the Reaper

BY FRANCIS M. WILCOX.

The Outlook—Prophetic

BY JOHN ORR CORLISS.

The Outlook—Temporal

BY A. O. TAIT, Author of “Heralds of the Morning.”

The Outlook—European

BY HENRY P. HOLSER.

A Great Crisis in the Work of Missions

BY A. T. PIERSON, D.D., Editor of the Missionary Review of the World.

The Building of the Home

BY J. R. MILLER, D.D., Author of “Home Making,” “The Marriage Altar and After,” etc.

The Harvest of Wilkie Kinnear

An excellent practical story BY EMMA HILDRETH ADAMS, Author of “John of Wycliffe,” “Martin Luther,” “Savonarola,” etc.

An excellent article by Mrs. E. G. White.

Beautiful and striking poems by C. M. Snow, F. T. Elkin, Hope Onslow, and T. R. Williamson.

Original song and music, full page.

Beautiful and striking illustrations by well-known artists in New York and San Francisco, under the direction of Mr. W. A. Reaser.

This issue of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES will, in the vital importance of the Gospel message it bears to the world, exceed in value any other publication of its kind ever printed. It ought to have a circulation of 2,000,000 copies.

CONTAINED IN THIS NUMBER.

Poetry.

The Higher Life, L. D. W. . . . . 2
Come to Jesus, CLAUDIA CAMPBELL. . . . . 7
The Christian's Burden, MRS. J. B. GOLDSBOROUGH . . . . 10
The Drunkard's Daughter . . . . 12
Take Up the White Man's Musket . . . . 13

General.

The Glory of Buildings. . . . . 1
"Some Better Thing," T. E. BOWEN . . . . 2
The Outpouring of the Spirit, No. 2, MRS. E. G. WHITE. . . . . 2
Signs of Christ's Coming, FRANCIS M. WILCOX . . . . 3
The Volcano, an Object Lesson, BAXTER HOWE . . . . 4
Man's Primitive and Best Diet . . . . 5
Christ and the Sabbath, G. E. FIFIELD . . . . 6
"Blind Kittens." . . . . . 7

Outlook.—Protected Criminality—Some Spiritist Theories 8, 9

Missions.—New Mexico's Spiritual Needs—Guam . . . . 10, 11

The Home.—Divine Law in Disease, DAVID PAULSON, M.D. —The Harvest of the Rich, A. SMITH . . . . 12, 13

International Sabbath-school and Sunday-school Lessons . . . . 14, 15

Publishers . . . . 15

The Christian Daily Newspaper Proposal

By Editor

Mr. Charles M. Sheldon, the author of “In His Steps,” proposes to raise $1,000,000 for the immediate establishment of a Christian daily newspaper. We agree most heartily with the Christian Work that “that sum can be better employed than by sinking it in establishing a daily religious newspaper. Such a paper would be of no use, and would be a failure in advance, that catered only to Christian readers.” The Christian Work thinks that there is “a bit of Christian selfishness in this proposition.” “We have an idea that all that is needed is the best utilizing of the forces we have,—the church, the home, the Sunday-school. Put the Christian life into these as it should be put, and the dailies will be all right. Anyway, we would rather see a million raised for putting Christianity into the home than for starting a daily Christian paper, with its inevitable conflicts in the political field; no, we don’t need that.” Suppose that such a paper were started, how long would it last?

Revelations of Spiritualism.

Referring to the new developments in Spiritualism the Independent says:—

“The most melancholy thing about the spectral world, as revealed to us by Mr. Hyslop and Dr. Hodgson, is that none of its shadowy inhabitants appear to have any useful or agreeable occupation of their own—occupations commensurate with their high estate. The glory of the universe is theirs, theirs is the music of the spheres, yet they swarm into a medium’s squalid parlor, holding ‘amiable disquisitions,’ and talking the saddest of sad twaddle at her behest. Gone is the majesty and sullied is the holiness of death.”

And that is a fair setting forth of the whole immortal-soul theory and the delusions which have sprung from it, all of which are based upon that ancient lie, “Ye shall not surely die.” The author may be found by the context.

Mormons and Fulfilled Prophecy

One of the striking fulfillments of prophecy is the Mormons. The Lord, in speaking of His second coming, refers also to those who are deceived and deceivers. He tells us that there shall be many of these who will do great signs and wonders; and thus He speaks of one class: “Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth.” Matt. 24:26. That is where Mormons tell us He will appear. They settled in Utah, then a desert; and they started a paper, called the Deseret News, or the News of the Desert, published to present day, the chief Mormon paper in Utah.

Freedom From Sin’s Bondage

The worst tyrant in this world is Satan. The worst slavery is sin. God gives us freedom from its bondage—freedom to do right, to obey God, to exist forever; for, tho Satan may lock us in the grave, the keys are in the hands of our Liberator.

Stirring Appeals

By Editor

Stirring appeals are being made throughout the country for the starving, storm-stricken people of Porto Rico. Over 2,000 are dead, and nearly 200,000 are said to be homeless, desolate, and starving. Any of our readers who may wish to contribute, may send it to Porto Rican Famine Relief Work, 160–170 Bible House, New York. The Christian Herald is doing good work in this direction.

What Would Jesus Do?

From a political point of view, there is no use asking the question, “What would Jesus do?” He showed, while here upon the earth, that He would have nothing to do with politics. He would not judge between brethren; He would not promise certain disciples a place; He would not be made a king; He would not shelve principle for policy. He would do no differently to-day.

The World’s Harvest Issue

By Editor

We are already receiving orders for the SIGNS containing Mr. Ridpath’s article on “The Harvest of Greed.” This and many other striking articles will appear in the World’s Harvest issue, ready for delivery November 1.

Separation of Religion and the State

By Editor

There are yet two or three articles more to be published from the pen of Alonzo T. Jones, on the “Separation of Religion and the State,” but they have not yet come to hand. We hope soon to receive them.

Subscribe for the Signs

By Editor

There is no better time than now to subscribe for the SIGNS OF THE TIMES. Are you a subscriber?—Get your neighbor to subscribe.

The Diet Question

By Editor

There have been many queries on the diet question of late. Read the article on that subject in the first part of the paper. This will be followed by others.