p. 14 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 34. (8/24/1904)

LESSON 10.—SEPTEMBER 4.—ELIJAH ENCOURAGED.

Lesson Scripture, 1 Kings 19: 9-18, A. R. V.

(9) "AND he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of Jehovah came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? (10) And he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away. (11) And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before Jehovah. And, behold, Jehovah passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before Jehovah; but Jehovah was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but Jehovah was not in the earthquake: (12) and after the earthquake a fire; but Jehovah was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. (13) And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? (14) And he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.

(15) "And Jehovah said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Syria; (16) and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. (17) And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay; and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. (18) Yet will I leave Me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him."

Golden Text.—"Fear thou not; for I am with thee." Isa. 41: 10.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

(1) When Elijah came to Mount Horeb in his flight, where did he find lodging? What word of the Lord came to him there? Verse 9. Note 1. (2) What did Elijah say of his devotion to God? What did he say of the people of Israel? Verse 10. Note 2. (3) Where then did the Lord tell him to go? Who then passed by? What great commotion took place? Did that indicate the presence of the Lord? What phenomenon followed the wind? Verse 11. (4) What marked display followed the earthquake? Did any of these demonstrations indicate the presence of the Lord? After the earthquake what did the prophet hear? Verse 12. Note 3. (5) What did Elijah do when he heard the voice? What was said to him there? Verse 13. Note 4. (6) What was Elijah's reply? Verse 14. Note 5. (7) To what place did the Lord then send His servant? On what mission? Verse 15. Note 6. (8) After this what was he to do? Verse 16. (9) What indicates the sore judgment awaiting Israel? Verse 17. Note 7. (10) What further encouraging word was spoken to Elijah? Verse 18. Note 8.

NOTES.

1. Far away, more than three hundred miles away, from the scene of his victory on Mount Carmel, the lone prophet retires to a mountain cave, and his old enemies at Samaria are either flattering themselves that he is out of the way, or wondering where he will turn up next. However, in his secluded resort the Lord appears to him again, and asks, "What doest thou here, Elijah?" Sure enough, what is the prophet of the Lord hiding away in the wilderness for, when there is so much to do in his appointed field of labor, and just when the way was beginning to open for his labors to bear fruit?

2. This disposition to judge all his brethren, and to reckon them as reprobates, at least partially accounts for Elijah's susceptibility to discouragement and sudden flight. Had he not himself forsaken the cause at a most critical moment in the great conflict? Had he not left the field just when God had manifested Himself in great majesty, and had just begun a great work for His people?

3. The Lord did not further chide His servant (Ps. 103: 8, 9), but immediately began to build him up in the faith.

4. The Lord was not in the windstorm, or the earthquake, or the demonstration of fire. Who, then, was in them?—Evidently it was Satan, the "prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2: 2; 2 Thess. 2: 8-10; Rev. 13: 11-14). He would fain divert the mind of God's servant, and secure his attention by great demonstrations of power, and thus turn him away from the voice of God's Word. That is a favorite scheme of the adversary in our time, and he finds many professed followers of Christ more ready to follow great demonstration and "wonderful works" than they are to heed the "still, small voice," the quiet, calm teachings, of the unerring Word of God. Satan would fain destroy those who honestly desire to serve the Lord in truth, but when he can not destroy them, he aims to deceive them by counter attraction.

5. As if testing the effect of this manifestation of Himself at the scene of His appearance to all Israel when they had been delivered from Egypt, the Lord again said, "What doest thou here, Elijah?" And again the prophet calls attention to his own steadfastness as compared with his brethren, not recognizing any exception to the widespread iniquity of his people. He does not even recognize the hundred prophets who had been hidden in caves during the drought, nor yet Obadiah, the king's steward, who had fed them. Now that he was so ready to die in the wilderness, why had he not been ready to further risk his life in defense of the truth in face of the enemy? There had been a time when he did not fear Jezebel.

6. After being revived in spirit and encouraged by communion with the Lord, Elijah was sent back to do important service. This mission took him to Damascus, as the margin of verse 15 would infer, by way of the wilderness. Thus he was not exposed to the danger of meeting his enemies in Samaria. The commission to anoint Elisha to be prophet in the room of Elijah was an assurance that the work of the Lord was to be continued, notwithstanding appearances.

7. Verse 17 gives Elijah assurance that his enemies in Israel shall all be destroyed. Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha are to be the instrumentalities. On the words, "shall Elisha slay," the "Bible Commentary" says: "We must understand these words in the sense suggested by Hosea 6: 5, 'Therefore have I hewed them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of My mouth.' It is a spiritual slaying by the Word of the Lord, which is 'sharper than any two-edged sword,' and may be said to slay those whose doom it pronounces. (Compare Jer. 1: 10.) Elisha did not do any physical slaying."

8. Elijah must have been greatly encouraged by the assurance that so many of his brethren were still so faithful to the true God that the Lord could recognize them as His. And this is an important lesson to all who are inclined to deprecate the attitude of their brethren before God. It is not the province of fallible man to judge his brother. "Let us therefore not judge one another any more; but judge ye this rather, that no man put a stumbling-block in his brother's way, or an occasion of falling." Rom. 14: 13.

Sabbath-School Lesson Quarterly

By Editor

The Sabbath-school lessons, at the close of this series, are discontinued in this paper. The Lesson Quarterly may be obtained, containing three months' lessons and notes, for five cents. Address, Pacific Press, Oakland, Cal. The Sunday-school lessons will continue.

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THE NORTH-WESTERN LINE RUSSIA-JAPAN ATLAS.

Send ten cents in stamps to R. R. Ritchie, No. 617 Market Street, San Francisco, for Russo-Japanese War Atlas, issued by the Chicago & North-Western Railway, three fine colored maps each 14x20, bound in convenient form for reference. The Eastern Situation shown in detail with tables showing relative military and naval strength and financial resources of Russia and Japan.

Are You Studying the Church-school Problem?

By Editor

IS your church considering the advisability of holding a Church School this winter? If so, you want to study the question in all its bearings, and will certainly want the help contained in the following books:—

“Testimonies for the Church,” Volume Six, has one whole section devoted to “Education.” In this section the following titles appear:—

“The Need of Educational Reform.” “Hindrances to Reform.” “Character and Work of Teachers.” “Words from a Divine Instructor.” “School Homes.” “Industrial Reform.” “Church Schools.” “School Management and Finances.”

The above section contains almost 100 pages, and is deserving of careful study just now. The price of the volume is $1.00 in cloth, or $1.50 in limp leather.

Another help to not only those who are studying Church Schools, but the whole subject of education, is the recent book by Mrs. E. G. White, entitled “Education.” The following paragraph, taken from the opening page, is an indication of the scope of the whole work:—

Our ideas of education take too narrow and too low a range. There is need of a broader scope, a higher aim. True education means more than the pursuit of a certain course of study. It means more than a preparation for the life that now is. It has to do with the whole being, and with the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental, and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the joy of service in this world, and for the higher joy of wider service in the world to come.

To the writer of this notice, who has read this book a number of times, it seems that no college or church-school teacher, no Sabbath-school teacher, no parent, no student, should be without the help which it contains. The price in cloth is $1.25; in full leather, with gilt edges, $2.00.

“Cobblestones”

The orders for the book “Cobblestones” are about as numerous as the cobblestones themselves, which went to make up the wall around Uncle Ben’s house, with which most of our readers are familiar. The children’s letters, telling how much they think of Uncle Ben and his stories, and how anxious they are to show the book to their friends, have been a pleasing addition to our regular office correspondence. Not only have a large number of books been sent to the children direct, but shipments have been made to London, England; Melbourne, Australia; and to various publishing houses throughout the United States. An expert general agent remarked the other day, “This is a book in which every agent would be interested.” The price is 75 cents, post-paid.

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HOW ONE MAN DOES MISSIONARY WORK.

By Editor

The following is from a letter just received from a gentleman in Los Angeles, California, who takes advantage of the offer to furnish the SIGNS for $1.00 a year where four or more subscriptions are sent at one time:—

SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal. Gentlemen:—

Enclosed find money order for $6.00, for which please credit each of the following named persons for one year’s subscription to the SIGNS OF THE TIMES. (He here gives the names and addresses of six different persons). Should anything occur to interrupt the weekly transmission of papers to the above named persons, such as their refusal to receive them at the post-office, please inform me, and I will substitute other names. Yours very truly.

It may not be known to all our readers that where names are sent in this way, the name and address of the sender are recorded, and if for any reason the papers should not be taken out of the post-office, the person is immediately informed. Are there not many of our readers who would like to send the paper to friends, and have similar information furnished them? If so, the special rates given at the top of this column will apply.

Sundown or Midnight, Which?

By Editor

Does the Sabbath begin at sun down or at midnight? This question with many others is answered in the little work entitled, “Scripture References.”

Price 2 cents each. $1.40 per hundred

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The Eden Train Wreck

One of the most terrible train wrecks in the history of the country occurred at Eden, near Pueblo, Colo., on the evening of August 7, in which the engine, tender, baggage-car, and two crowded passenger-cars plunged through an undermined bridge into a raging torrent below. The current carried the cars with their drowning occupants far down the stream.

Only three persons escaped from these cars alive. The fireman escaped from the engine, but the conductor and engineer were killed. Two sleepers and a dining-car were stopped on the brink of the precipice by the quick action of a colored porter at the brakes. As it was, the forward end of one of the sleepers projected over the bank. Heavy rains had sent down a torrent that undermined one of the piers of the bridge. Seventy-six persons are known to have perished in the wreck, and forty missing passengers are believed to be dead.

War Against Rulers

By Editor

Secretary Hay has expressed it as the position of this government that coal, other fuel, and raw cotton are not to be considered as contraband of war when shipped by a neutral nation to a non-blockaded port of a belligerent, and points out that Russia herself, some years ago, took a very strong stand against including coal among contraband of war.

War Against Rulers.

A special correspondent of the Hearst papers, cables from Paris, under date of August 6, that "the conspiracy of Nihilists which culminated in the assassination of the Russian Minister von Plehve at St. Petersburg last week is suspected to have emanated from a gang of Russian and Finnish revolutionists with headquarters in this city and Geneva. Important discoveries are said to have been made showing that the revolutionists of all countries are uniting and working in unison in their merciless war against the crowned and uncrowned heads of states." An international anti-anarchist congress may be called soon, and it is hoped the United States will join in any international measures which may be adopted by European governments for the extermination of these plotters against government. It is also believed that the present active measures in Europe will drive many into America. Surely, as our Lord and His apostle predicted, lawlessness abounds, and "perilous times" have come.

CONTAINED IN THIS NUMBER.

By Editor

Poetry.

"I Am the Way," SUSAN B. ROBERTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Fall of Babylon, RICHARD BEESON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Empty Hands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 In the Whitening Harvest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Unconscious Influence, FRANCES E. BOLTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

General.

Our Earth in the Eternal State, WILLIAM COVERT . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Can Prophecy Be Understood? J. F. SHULER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Nehemiah, F. D. STARR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Compilation of Timely Admonition, E. V. SHACKELFORD . . . . . . . . . 4 Mammonism in the Last Days, G. W. RINE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Editorial.

—The Church of God, No. 5—A Misapprehension of Scripture—Nebuchadnezzar's Attempt to Perpetuate Babylon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7, 8

Outlook.

—Our London Letter, M. ELLSWORTH OLSEN—True Americanism—The Russo-Japanese War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8, 9

The Home.

—Faithfulness in the Home, MRS. L. D. AVERY-STUTTLE—One Answer to the Boy Question—Water-drinking and Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10, 11

Question Corner.

—Nos. 1352-1354 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Missions.

—Willing to Spend and be Spent, MRS. WURT—Buenos Aires, SADIE R. TOWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12, 13

International Sunday-school Lesson, Elijah Encouraged . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

International Sabbath-school Lesson, The Return of the King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Publishers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

New Mailing Address After September 1

By Editor

All mail for the Pacific Press Publishing Company, "Signs of the Times," or "Our Little Friend," up to September 1, should be addressed to Oakland, Cal., as heretofore; after September 1, to Mountain View, Santa Clara County, Cal.

International Sabbath-School Lessons Discontinued

By Editor

N. B.—“The Signs of the Times” will discontinue the publication of the International Sabbath-school Lessons at the close of this present series. As there are but few who use the paper for the lessons, space is too valuable. The lessons for the next quarter may be obtained in pamphlet form, worthy and easy for preservation, and much better for review of past lessons, for 5 cents, by addressing Pacific Press Publishing Co., Oakland, Cal. Do not send orders for Lesson Quarterly to Mountain View unless notified. The Sunday-school Lessons will be continued.

The Industrial Conflict Series Concludes

By Editor

Professor Rine's articles on "The Industrial Conflict in the Light of Revelation" come to a close in this issue; that is, this last number rounds out the series. But as the subject is taking ever new aspects, both Professor Rine and the SIGNS will have more to say upon it in the future, the Lord willing. May those who have followed those articles learn their valuable lessons, and may they know the true rest of Christ, which comes by wearing His yoke, and reap the glorious riches of His eternal kingdom.

Strained Relations with Turkey

Strained relations again exist between the United States and Turkey, over Turkey's unwillingness to grant to Americans in Turkey the same rights and privileges that are granted to the citizens of other countries. The American minister, unlike the ministers of other countries, is not given the privilege of audiences with the sultan. A squadron of American war-ships has been ordered to Turkish waters with the intention of bringing pressure to bear upon the sultan, to induce him to grant America's demands.

God Is Love and God Is Fire

"God is Love" and "God is Fire."—In a recent sermon preached by Canon Brock in Halifax, N. S., on the parable of Dives and Lazarus, he is reported as saying:—

"God is love" and "God is fire," and therefore fire is love. Hence we learn that the fire in which Dives was tormented was fire of divine love, which must burn up all the chaff, all that was selfish and self-centered in that rich man who had lived for himself alone, without thought or care for the brother, the Lazarus at his gate. The parable proves that this fire is remedial in its action.

Now there is a truth, but a perverted truth here. "God is love," and "Our God is a consuming fire," to consume sin. And both love and fire are remedial. But as to whom God's presence shall be remedial depends on the person. If man identifies himself with the chaff, he will perish with it, as did Ananias and Sapphira, and Nadab and Abihu. And yet the fire of God's presence, which consumes sin and all identified with sin, will be the remedy which shall sweep all of sin from the universe, and leave it clean once more. Whether we shall be cleansed, or cleansed away, depends on our attitude to sin.

Trading Stamps

By Editor

"Trading Stamps."—The San Francisco Evening Post, of August 6, devotes nearly a whole page to the showing up of the "trading stamp" swindle. It clearly reveals that the scheme is absolutely of no profit to merchant nor to customer. It is as the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia, in a decision sustaining an act of Congress prohibiting trading stamps in the District, declares it to be:

"One of the most shrewdly planned of the many devices to obtain something for nothing. They have intervened in the legitimate business carried on between seller and buyer, not for the advantage of either, but to prey upon both. There is not a shadow of rational foundation for the stamp company's claim that it confers a benefit upon buyers by procuring for them an actual discount. Their business is the exploitation of nothing more nor less than a cunning device."

The one benefited is the trading-stamp company. Both buyer and seller are swindled.

Antiquities in Abyssinia

Antiquities in Abyssinia.—M. Huguesle, a French explorer, is reported to have found in Abyssinia the oldest record of the relations of the Queen of Sheba with King Solomon in its original form. At present he is engaged in co-operation with an Abyssinian sage in translating this invaluable papyrus manuscript. As soon as this is finished he has received permission from the Negus to make a thorough search of the islands in the Lake Zonai, where the Abyssinians buried all the antiquities during the Moslem invasion, and hopes to make many valuable discoveries in those places, which, as far as known, have never been visited by any white man.

Price of a Religious Newspaper.

By Editor

The editor of the Baptist Standard says: "By observation extending over a period of more than forty years, the conductors of the Standard know that it is impossible to publish a first-class denominational weekly newspaper at a subscription price lower than $2.00 per year. The cost of paper of good quality, of careful press work, fine illustrations, meritorious contributions, and prompt correspondence, is too great, until a newspaper is able to print, say, 50,000 copies weekly, to warrant any publisher of a denominational paper in making a subscription price less than $2.00. This statement applies, also, to other than Baptist journals."

And this is true. The SIGNS OF THE TIMES is published at a very low price. Its circulation ought to be doubled.

Away from Christianity

By Editor

Away from Christianity.—The Baptist Flag of Fulton, Ky., in its issue of May 12, says: "Prof. J. A. Leavitt, president of Ewing College, says the trend of college education is away from Christianity. Is it possible that the infidels will get us on every line? Our preaching, the form of our conversions, the character of our membership, the trend of education, the theological training, the lack of family devotion, the lack of training children, and all the rest, seem to have fallen on the lines of inexcusable Godlessness. What is the saying of Paul? The time for the 'falling away' is surely close at hand."

This sounds very much like the prophecy of the apostle in 2 Tim. 3:1-5. We are in "the last days."

Another Cherished Idea Shattered.

Prof. W. H. Pickering, of Harvard University, tells us after many years' study of the moon, that changes are constantly taking place upon its surface, such as would be caused by vegetation. It seems evident, therefore, that the moon has an atmosphere and moisture; in other words that our moon is a live planet. Professor Serviss remarked, not long ago, to the effect that it is not safe to settle conditions in other planets by those prevailing here; that a theory may be consistent, but facts are not always in harmony with the theory. One great fact scientists always ignore, and that is the perversion of law by the entrance of sin in the universe; hence always misconceptions.

French Ministry Crisis and Roman Church

The French ministry is said to be in jeopardy because of the scandals which have arisen over the expulsion of the Carthusian monks. Charges of attempted bribery are made on both sides, but whether the monks endeavored to bribe or members of the government desired to be bribed, the whole cause of the trouble lies at the feet of the Roman Church. Its priests should be engaged in better business than making intoxicating wine, from which they derive a profit, it is said, of a million dollars a year.

Results of Higher Criticism

By Prof. Goldwin Smith

Results of Higher Criticism.—It would seem that we have come practically to a point at which, evolution and higher criticism having between them done the work of demolition, and the work of reconstruction if it is ever to be done, being still in the future, no small part of educated mankind has renounced, or is gradually renouncing, the hope of a future life, and acting on the belief that death ends all.