(1) “Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and encamped beside the spring of Harod: and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. (2) “And Jehovah said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against Me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. (3) Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. (4) “And Jehovah said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. (5) So he brought down the people unto the water: and Jehovah said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. (6) And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. (7) And Jehovah said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thy hand; and let all the people go every man unto his place. (8) So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets; and he sent all the men of Israel every man unto his tent, but retained the three hundred men: and the camp of Midian was beneath him in the valley.”
Golden Text.—“It is better to trust in the Lord, than to put confidence in man.” Ps. 118:8.
Special Helps.—“Patriarchs and Prophets,” Ch. 53, pp. 546–559.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) With whom were the Israelites having trouble? Whom did the Lord raise up to deliver His people from their enemies? Where did they encamp? Where were the Midianites encamped? Verse 1. Note 1. (2) What did the Lord say to Gideon about the size of his army? Why was it too large? Verse 2. Note 2. (3) What direction did the Lord give in the matter? What was the result? Verse 3. Note 3. (4) Then what did the Lord say about the number? What further order was given? Verse 4. (5) How did the Lord propose to choose an attacking party? Verse 5. Note 4. (6) How many lapped as a dog lappeth? How did the others act? Verse 6. (7) Then what did the Lord decide? Verse 7. Note 5. (8) And what disposition did Gideon make of the people? Verse 8. Note 6.
NOTES.
1. After the deliverance of Israel from the Canaanites, by the hands of Deborah and Barak, there was peace forty years. But “the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.” Judges 6:1. Every year the Bedouin hordes would pour into the land with their camels and other stock and literally devour the harvests. They came in such multitudes that the Israelites were forced to retire to dens and caves and strongholds in the mountains. At last the Lord called Gideon to the rescue. An angel came to him as he was threshing wheat in a secluded place, and gave him his commission. He gathered an army from his own tribe of Manasseh and from the northern tribes of Zebulun and Asher and Naphtali, the Midianites being camped in the great valley of Esdraelon.
2. “Lest Israel Vaunt Themselves.”—The Lord knows that man's worst enemy is pride, and He knew that Israel's greatest danger was self-confidence. For their own good and future safety, the victory must be such as to leave no room for self-aggrandizement. They must know beyond doubt that the hand of the Lord had saved them.
3. This test was one to bring humiliation to the people; two-thirds of the army confessed that they were cowards. Of course they could not well claim any glory in connection with the victory.
4. Even with ten thousand there might be some who would think the prowess of the army had won the day. Then the Lord would have an army composed entirely of His own choosing. It was more than setting aside those who were unwilling, as in the first test; it was a choice from among those who were willing to fight. So we see that a mere willingness to engage in the conflict is not always a qualification for service in an important emergency, or in a position requiring special tact and steadiness of purpose.
5. The Three Hundred.—Marcus Dods remarks: “The three hundred did not break rank, or stop in their march, but dipped their hollowed palms into the stream, and tossed a little in their mouths as they marched, as a dog, running along the bank of a shallow stream, without stopping, snatches mouthfuls or tonguefuls of water, too intent on his pursuit to take a leisurely drink, never even while slaking his thirst turning aside or pausing from the chase.”
6. Trumpets were carried only by leaders of bands. So the trumpets were taken from the leaders among the host that were left behind and given to each of the three hundred. The same was done with the lamps, or torches. Judges 8:19, 20. Each man was to appear to the enemy as the leader of a band, and thus greatly augment in their minds the numbers of their assailants. There is another reason why the Lord Himself chose the personnel of the “little flock.” Each was to be a leader, and it required a courage that could only be actuated by strong faith to stand before so great a host as a leader without a visible command. It always requires more than mortal wisdom to choose efficient leaders in God’s cause; so in great crises He always selects the directors, and they are usually just the ones whom men would pass by.
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LESSON 10.—DECEMBER 6.—THE CONTINUAL SERVICE.
The reality of the whole Gospel is found in God’s gift of His Son to humanity and man’s acceptance of this gift through his faith. John 3:16. This means the forgiveness of sins. Gal. 1:3, 4. This means fulness of life. John 10:10. This means the utter overthrow of the devil (Heb. 2:14), and a complete victory over death (Isa. 25:8). All this was involved in the original promise of the Seed of the woman who should bruise the serpent’s head. Gen. 3:15. Thus was a Saviour promised who identified Himself with humanity (Luke 2:10, 11), that sin might be condemned and righteousness fulfilled in our flesh (Rom. 8:3, 4). This complete Gospel was revealed in the sanctuary, the central idea of which was the indwelling presence of God. Ex. 25:8. This divine presence was manifested in the holy of holies, over the mercy-seat, and between the cherubim. Ex. 25:21, 22. In the typical service performed by the priests, especially in the offering of gifts and sacrifices, the separation which sin had made between God and His people (Isa. 59:1) was overcome, the people found access to God, and a continual fellowship was established between God and His people.
“The daily service consisted of the morning and evening burnt-offering [Ex. 29:38-42], the offering of sweet incense on the golden altar [Ex. 30:7, 8], and the special offerings for individual sins.
Every morning and evening a lamb of a year old was burned upon the altar, with its appropriate meat-offering, thus symbolizing the daily consecration of the nation to Jehovah, and their constant dependence upon the atoning blood of Christ. . . . In the offering of incense the priest was brought more directly into the presence of God than in any other act of the daily ministration. . . . The incense, ascending with the prayers of Israel, represents the merits and intercession of Christ, His perfect righteousness, which through faith is imputed to His people, and which can alone make the worship of sinful beings acceptable to God. Before the veil of the most holy place was an altar of perpetual intercession, before the holy an altar of continual atonement. By blood and by incense God was to be approached,—symbols pointing to the great Mediator through whom sinners may approach Jehovah [Heb. 10:19-22], and through whom alone mercy and salvation can be granted to the repentant, believing soul.
. . . The showbread was kept ever before the Lord [Num. 4:7], as a perpetual offering. Thus it was a part of the daily sacrifice. . . . It was an acknowledgment of man’s dependence upon God for both temporal and spiritual food, and that it is received only through the mediation of Christ.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, pages 352-354. These offerings were all continual offerings, just as the breastplate of judgment was a continual memorial (Ex. 28:29, 30), and as the light of the lamp was a continual light (Lev. 24:2). Thus was performed a continual service, through which was revealed the continual intercession (Heb. 7:24, 25) of the continual One (Heb. 1:11, R.V.), and by which the abiding (continual) union is maintained (John 15:4).
QUESTIONS.
In what Scripture statement is the whole Gospel summed up?
What relation does the gift of Christ sustain to forgiveness of sin?
For what purpose did Christ come in the flesh?
What has been made sure by His death in the flesh?
How will He finally dispose of death itself?
In what original promise was all this involved?
In what experience did the Saviour identify Himself with humanity?
What was accomplished by the manifestation of the Son of God in sinful flesh?
What was the central idea in the preparation of the sanctuary? What was thus revealed?
Where did the Lord meet and commune with His people?
What was accomplished in the typical service of the sanctuary?
What constituted the continual burnt-offering? When was it offered?
When was the continual incense-offering made?
What was symbolized by the continual burnt-offering?
What did the continual incense represent?
What was found before the inner veil?
What was found before the outer veil?
Who was set forth in these continual offerings?
What was the lesson of the continual showbread?
How and for what purpose was the breastplate of judgment used in the typical service?
For what purpose were the lamps to be supplied with oil?
What idea was emphasized in all these offerings and services?
What kind of service was thus performed in the sanctuary?
What was revealed through it?
What was thus maintained?
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Practical Lessons from the Experiences of Israel
By F. C. Gilbert
FOR THE CHURCH OF TO-DAY
By F. C. GILBERT, a Hebrew Christian
Its central thought is to present Jesus Christ as He is, Saviour, Messiah, Prophet, Priest, King,—which was the specific mission God had for the Jewish nation. This original plan of God with the Jews, and the causes which led to their failure in not revealing Jesus to the world as the only Messiah, are considered in an interesting manner. Their condition at Christ’s first advent, and their refusal to accept Him as the Saviour, are presented in a very practical way, as related to the church of the present time.
Many of the customs and traditions of the Jews, existing at the time of Christ, are vividly portrayed, as well as a number of their laws and commandments which Christ so frequently condemned as the traditions of men. All these things naturally make plain many of the Scriptures in the New as well as in the Old Testament, and thus create a stronger desire to understand the Bible.
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Testimony Volume 7 is now in press. Following are some of the subjects treated:—
The Work of Soul-Saving
Work for Church Members
Workers from the Ranks
The Work in the Cities
Delay No Longer
Family Worship
Responsibilities of Married Life
Extent of Sanitarium Work
A Message to Our Physicians
Value of Out-door Life
Out of the Cities
Medical Missionary Work in the Cities
Our Restaurant Work
Manufacture of Health Foods
God’s Purpose in Our Publishing Work
Our Denominational Literature
The Canvasser
Danger from Improper Reading
Debt
Ministers and Business Matters
The Work of the Ministry
Committee Meetings
Church Discipline
To the Teachers in Our Schools
Aged Pioneer Workers
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It Has Been Tried.
A daily paper, in speaking of the proposed union of the various branches of the Presbyterian Church for Home-Mission work, remarks:—
No one has a right to say that Christianity is a failure. As yet Christianity has never been tried. But, judging from the actions of the Presbyterians of the United States, it looks as tho it might be tried before long.
No, Christianity is not a failure, for it has been tried. It was tried and demonstrated a glorious success in the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth. Its success was demonstrated in the lives of the lowly men He chose as His disciples and apostles. Its success was demonstrated in the work that primitive Christianity did for the world in an empire environed with every possible hostile element. Its power was demonstrated in surviving the darkness, the superstition, the persecution of the Dark Ages. Its success has been demonstrated in every regenerated soul since man sinned and fell. It will be successful in this contemplated association of Presbyterians, if the object is the salvation of souls by the power of the truth, and the union is one of truth, not of policy. Otherwise, it will be Christianity only in name.
God Is Not Only Creator, but Recreator
God Is Not Only Creator, but Recreator.—In this lies the hope of mankind. Scientists will reluctantly admit that there must somewhere, and somewhen, and somehow, have been a First Cause, but that after the First Cause had set things in motion, they were left to run as they might, and eventually into inevitable destruction. An astronomical writer of Berlin, Dr. M. W. Meyer, tells us in a recent book that the moon will sometime fall to the earth, other satellites to their planets, the planets to the sun, the lesser suns to the greater, till finally there will be left but one dying sun, eventually to lose all heat and light, sole monarch of a cold, dark, habitless universe. And that would be the case, if sin’s dominion had continued. It would be with the universe, even as with those who sin beyond hope, “the blackness of darkness forever.” But God lives. Jesus Christ has broken the reign of sin and death, and is demonstrating that power in behalf of men. When the elect number of mankind is made up, then shall the material universe itself be set free from the bondage of sin and death, by the same mighty power of God which has transformed characters. God’s pledge of the complete is the creation He has wrought and the work of regeneration through Jesus Christ. The Christian scientist sees no endless future of dead worlds wandering through a starless void, but a restored creation in which every law of life and movement is in harmony with the law of God’s love.
Read the Advertisements
Read the advertisements printed on the previous page. There is nothing better in a home than good literature, if it is read.
The Law Manifest in Christ
Read the article entitled “The Life of Christ,” on pages 4 and 5. Note the Ten Commandments as there given, and the many texts from the Old and New Testaments placed in juxtaposition. Surely, God’s Word furnishes sufficient proof of the claims of God’s law upon us, and of its perfect, unchangeable fulness. The character of Jesus was but the law manifest in human form.
Our Next Issue
By Editor
The date of our next issue is November 26, just one day before Thanksgiving, the day set apart by custom, State, and nation as a time for offering thanks to God at the close of the year's ingathering. It is well so to do. The custom is very ancient, going back to old Hebrew times. It is good to give thanks to God at all times; it is good to give thanks on special occasions. The SIGNS OF THE TIMES will join its readers in thanksgiving, and try to help the unthankful to be thankful. This number ought to have a special circulation. We can not tell you all the good things it will contain; but this we can say, It will be a good number to circulate. Prices of extra copies are as follows: 10 to 25 copies 2 cents each, over 50 copies 1½ cents each.
For Doing as the Master Did.
Word comes from Batesville, Ark., that L. H. Hustroop and two others have been placed under bonds to appear at next spring’s term of court to answer to the charge of Sabbath-breaking, by which is meant working on Sunday. These men are all observers of the same day of the week that Christ kept, yet professed Christians are instigating the prosecution! Why? What is the object? What can be the motive?
Grace to you and Peace
Be Multiplied
In the Knowledge of God
And of Jesus our Lord;
Seeing that His Divine Power hath granted
Unto Us
All things that pertain unto life and Godliness,
Through the Knowledge of Him that called us
By His own Glory and Virtue;
Whereby He hath granted
Unto Us
His precious and exceeding great
Promises;
That through these ye may become
Partakers of the Divine nature,
Having escaped from the corruption
That is in the world by lust.
Yea, and for this very cause
Adding on your part all Diligence,
In your Faith supply Virtue;
And in your Virtue Knowledge;
And in your Knowledge Self-Control;
And in your Self-Control Patience;
And in your Patience Godliness;
And in your Godliness Brotherly Kindness;
And in your Brotherly Kindness
L O V E.
For if these things are yours and abound,
They make you to be not idle nor unfruitful
Unto the Knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For he that lacketh these things is blind,
Seeing only what is near;
Having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins.
Wherefore, Brethren,
Give the more Diligence
To make your Calling and Election
S U R E:
For if ye do These Things,
Ye shall never stumble:
For thus shall be richly supplied
Unto You
The Entrance into
The Eternal Kingdom
Of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
The Child and Its Training.
A daily paper well points out that it was not Greek or Roman civilization which gave us our estimation and love of children. These came from the Hebrew Bible and the Man of Calvary. In the child are all the possibilities of the man or woman with proper training. Shall we seek for models of training among the nations which never knew or recognized the worth of the child, or from that Book of all books which has taught us its worth, and demonstrated the value of true education in the characters of Isaac, Moses, Samuel, Timothy, John the Baptist, and Jesus? Surely, it would seem as tho the Christians could give but one answer.
Christian Life Requires Personal Effort
President Eliot, of Harvard, told the Methodist ministers the other day in Boston: “We Americans are face to face with the lamentable and extraordinary fact that the influence of the church has visibly declined in our generation.” One of the reasons he gives is this: “It has seemed to me from what I have seen of the Protestant churches, that they are too intellectual and too emotional on the part of the teacher or preacher, and call for too little of personal exertion on the part of the recipient of the inspiration.” And this is true. The church or the church member that receives and never gives, dies. Giving, doing, working, is a law of Christian life and growth.
Some men manifest their loyalty to a cause by dying for it, and are called martyrs. Other men manifest their loyalty by living for the cause. If the cause be unpopular, small, cross-bearing, the latter is more likely to be the true. The Christian does both. He gives his very life to be used as the Master wishes. If it is to die, he goes to the sacrificial altar. If it is to serve, he bows in gladness to the yoke. In one respect he dies before he enters service; he dies to sin. He also lives unto God, a new life. He is a double martyr—witness—constantly dying and living for Christ Jesus.
We are living in the recrudescence of Roman and Greek life, Roman and Greek worship, mingled with some of the most beautiful ideals of Christianity. It was that which made the apostasy and the Dark Ages. Like causes will produce like results. This commingling of the precious and the vile increases our love and affection for the vile, and takes away our affection and respect for the precious, till sense and conscience lose power to distinguish between the good and bad, and in consequence the soul is lost forever.
Avoid Slang
Avoid Slang.—Ella Wheeler Wilcox says of the young woman: “Let her realize that choice language enhances her mental charms, and that slangy words and phrases cheapen her value and bedraggle her mind as much as paste, and brass jewelry, and frayed-out, soiled skirts would ruin her personal appearance.” And this is emphatically true and more. The soiled, frayed-out skirt might be the result of accidents of a journey, but not so the speech. It is the index of the mind.
A Worthy Ruler
It is reported that “Menelek, Emperor of Abyssinia, has forbidden the sale of intoxicants in any part of his dominions, and the culprit who infringes this law is liable to the heaviest penalty. It is said that the emperor felt compelled to take these stringent measures by reason of the lamentable excesses to which many of his nobles gave way. The emperor is himself a total abstainer.” He will find it to the advantage of his whole realm.
