Part 16

Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven; and he said, "O Lord, the God of Israel, who keepest covenant and lovingkindness with thy servants, that walk before thee with all their heart, let thy word, I pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my father. But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? behold heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded! Yet hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: yea, hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place; and when thou hearest, forgive."

D. THE BENEDICTION

And it was so, that when Solomon had made an end of praying all this prayer and supplication unto the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread forth toward heaven. And he stood, and blessed all the congregation of Israel with a loud voice, saying, "Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by Moses his servant. The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us: that he may incline our hearts unto him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and his statutes, and his ordinances, which he commanded our fathers."

And the king, and all Israel with him, offered sacrifice before the Lord.

=Sec.80. The Greatness of Solomon= (I Kings 10:1-10, 13, 23-25)

A. THE VISIT OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA

And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions.

And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bare spices, and very much gold, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. And Solomon told her all her questions: there was not anything hid from the king, which he told her not.

And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built, and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their apparel, and his cupbearers, and his ascent by which he went up unto the house of the Lord; there was no more spirit in her. And she said to the king, "It was a true report that I heard in mine own land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the words, until I came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, behold, the half was not told me: thy wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame which I heard. Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand continually before thee, and that hear thy wisdom. Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the Lord loved Israel for ever, therefore he made thee king, to do justice and righteousness."

And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, besides that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants.

B. HIS WEALTH AND WISDOM

So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. And all the earth sought the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. And they brought every man his tribute, vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and raiment, and armor and spices, horses, and mules, a rate year by year.

THE MEANING OF THE STORY

290. We are to study the story of the man whom the Hebrews loved to think of as one of their heroes, because of his great wisdom and wealth. He was the most splendid of all their kings. To be sure he laid very heavy taxes upon the people to raise money for his magnificence, but the later ages forgot all that in admiration of his glory.

291 (Sec.78). When David died he left a throne to his son that was secure from all enemies. The young king had a great opportunity to be a noble ruler. Read carefully the story of the young man's dream. What offer did God make to him in the dream? In what spirit did Solomon reply? When he says he is a little child he means that he is young and inexperienced. Remember that one of the important duties of an eastern king was to hear cases, as a kind of chief justice. What quality did Solomon ask for? Why was the Lord pleased? What did he give Solomon?

292 (Sec.78). It is often true that the young man who desires above all things to fit himself to do his duty, without thinking of honor or wealth, actually obtains those also. Washington never sought greatness, but what do we think of him? Tennyson wrote of the great Duke of Wellington,

Not once or twice in our fair island story The path of duty was the way to glory.

Learn these lines.

293 (Sec.79A). One of David's great hopes was that he could build a noble house of worship. He had been unable to do so, partly because of his many wars. Solomon therefore decided to carry out his father's plan. But the Hebrews were not skilful as artists or mechanics. They were at that time mostly farmers and shepherds. Solomon therefore decided to secure the help of the people of Phoenicia, called the Sidonians, who lived on his northwest border. Locate the country. What are its two chief cities? Who was the king who sent to congratulate Solomon on his succession to the throne?

294 (Sec.79A). Read carefully Solomon's message to Hiram. What proof does he give that he is able to build the temple? What trees does he ask for? These were the noble trees that grew in the mountains of Lebanon. Locate this region to the north of Israel. What reason does Solomon give why the Sidonians (that is, the people of Sidon) should cut the trees?

295 (Sec.79A). Read Hiram's reply. Notice the plan of getting the timber to Jerusalem. The lumbermen from Tyre and Sidon would cut it in the mountains. It would be hauled by the nearest route to the sea. Note on the map where that would be. Then how was it to be taken by sea to the port nearest to Jerusalem? This port was probably Joppa. Locate it. What then was to be done with it before it was hauled up the steep roads to Jerusalem? It was a hard job in those days when they had no railways. How different from the way our lumber trains carry the great timbers! What was Solomon to give Hiram in exchange? This is a very old story of trade between nations.

296 (Sec.79B). When did Solomon begin to build? The building itself was not very large. A cubit is rather less than two feet, so the structure was about 100 feet long, 35 feet wide, and 50 feet high. Do you know any building about that size? Inside, one-third of the space was partitioned off for the ark. How was this room ornamented? How long did it take to finish the work?

297 (Sec.79C). What solemn procession was held? How was the glory of the Lord shown? Read carefully the prayer of Solomon and see that it is reverent and trustful. What is his great hope that God will do for the people when they pray? We are quite sure that God will do that. Read I John 1:9.

298 (Sec.79D). Who pronounced the benediction upon the people? What does he feel that God has done for them? What does he hope that God will do for them?

299 (Sec.80A). This is one of the stories showing the fame of Solomon. Sheba was in Arabia. Note how much information the story gives us of the products of those times. Tell the story of the visit.

300 (Sec.80B). What does the story tell us finally of Solomon's wealth and wisdom?

WRITTEN REVIEW

Recall the lines about the Duke of Wellington and write them in your notebook. Find out if there is any man in your own state of whom that would be true. Find someone in politics or business or in one of the professions who has been more anxious to do his duty than for anything else and to whom reward has come. Write an account of it.

TWO PROPHETS

XXVIII. ELIJAH, THE CHAMPION OF PURE RELIGION

XXIX. ELIJAH, THE CHAMPION OF JUSTICE

XXX. ELISHA, THE HEALER AND COUNSELOR

XXVIII. ELIJAH, THE CHAMPION OF PURE RELIGION

THE STORY

=Sec.81. Elijah and the Drought= (I Kings 16:30-17:24)

A. THE STARTLING PROPHECY

Ahab the son of Omri did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. And it came to pass, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab did yet more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the sojourners of Gilead, said unto Ahab, "As the Lord, the God of Israel, liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word."

B. ELIJAH AT THE BROOK

And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, "Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there."

So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

C. THE WIDOW'S CAKE

And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, "Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Sidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee."

So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow woman was there gathering sticks: and he called to her, and said, "Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink."

And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, "Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand."

And she said, "As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in the barrel, and a little oil in the cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die."

And Elijah said unto her, "Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it forth unto me, and afterward make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, 'The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.'"

And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. The barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.

D. THE WIDOW'S SON

And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. And she said unto Elijah, "O thou man of God? thou art come unto me to bring my sin to my remembrance, and to slay my son!"

And he said unto her, "Give me thy son."

And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the chamber, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried unto the Lord, and said. "O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?" And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, "O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again."

And the Lord hearkened unto the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, "See, thy son liveth."

And the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth."

=Sec.82. Elijah's Victory= (I Kings 18:1-46)

A. THE SEARCH FOR PASTURAGE

And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, "Go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth." And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab.

And the famine was sore in Samaria. And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly: for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.) And Ahab said unto Obadiah, "Go through the land, unto all the fountains of water, and unto all the brooks: peradventure we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts."

So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

B. ELIJAH'S CHALLENGE TO THE KING

And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, "Is it thou, my lord Elijah?"

And he answered him, "It is I: go, tell thy lord, 'Behold, Elijah is here.'"

And he said, "Wherein have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, 'He is not here,' he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not. And now thou sayest, 'Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.' And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth. Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, how I hid a hundred men of the Lord's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water? And now thou sayest, 'Go, tell thy lord, Behold Elijah is here': and he shall slay me."

And Elijah said, "As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him to-day."

So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah. And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, "Is it thou, thou troubler of Israel?"

And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed the Baalim. Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, which eat at Jezebel's table."

C. THE TEST AT CARMEL

So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.

And Elijah came near unto all the people, and said, "How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him." And the people answered him not a word.

Then said Elijah unto the people, "I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under. And call ye on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God."

And all the people answered and said, "It is well spoken."

And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, "Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under."

And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us." But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped about the altar which was made.

And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, "Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked."

And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them. And it was so, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

And Elijah said unto all the people, "Come near unto me." And all the people came near unto him.

And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was thrown down. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob. And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed. And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, "Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt offering, and on the wood." And he said, "Do it the second time." And they did it the second time. And he said, "Do it the third time." And they did it the third time. And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.

And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, "O Lord, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that thou, Lord, art God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again."

Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, "The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God."

And Elijah said unto them, "Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape."

And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

D. THE COMING OF THE RAIN

And Elijah said unto Ahab, "Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain." So Ahab went up to eat and to drink.

And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees. And he said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea."

And he went up, and looked, and said, "There is nothing."

And he said, "Go again," seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, "Behold, there ariseth a cloud out of the sea, as small as a man's hand."

And he said, "Go up, say unto Ahab, 'Make ready thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.'"

And it came to pass in a little while, that the heaven grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

THE MEANING OF THE STORY

301. In the beautiful city of Florence in Italy there was once a great prince named Lorenzo, whose reign was very splendid, but who oppressed the people and lived an evil life. The people followed his bad example and there was great immorality in Florence. But a fearless preacher came to the city who told the prince and the people plainly of their sins. Great crowds went to hear him and he became the most influential man in Florence. By his stirring words he compelled the government to give back the liberties to the people, and he led the citizens to promise to serve God with good lives. His enemies finally proved too strong for him and killed him, but this noble Italian preacher, Savonarola, left an influence that has lasted to this day.

Among the heroes of Israel were some bold preachers, called prophets, who did not hesitate to denounce the sins of kings and people. One of the greatest of these was Elijah.

302 (Sec.81A). Ahab was a very wicked king who married a princess from Sidon. Locate the city on the coast of Palestine. The Sidonians worshipped a god called Baal, and so the king built a temple for this idol in his capital. He thought he could go on serving the Lord and serve Baal also. Suddenly a man appeared in the court. He was roughly clad, not a man of the city. What startling message did he bring?

303 (Sec.81B). While the drought came upon Israel the prophet was taken care of. Tell the story of Elijah at the brook. What happened to the brook at last?

304 (Sec.81C). Elijah was east of the Jordan. He was sent to Zarephath near Sidon. Locate it. Tell the story of his conversation with the widow. The "cruse" was a flask or small jug for holding liquids.

305 (Sec.81D). Many wonderful stories were told of this great prophet. Tell the story of the widow's son. Think of the prophet waiting all this time till he should be sent back to the king.

306 (Sec.82A). At last Elijah's message came. How long had he waited? Meantime what was the condition in Israel, and Samaria the capital? Who was Obadiah? What had he done? What did the king and Obadiah undertake?

307 (Sec.82B). Tell the story of Elijah's conversation with the timid Obadiah. This man was good, but he was having a hard time as the servant of a bad king. What bold answer did Elijah make to the king? What is a challenge? What challenge did Elijah make?

308 (Sec.82C). This is the important part of the story. Find Mt. Carmel on the coast. Imagine the scene: the king, the prophets of Baal, and Elijah, as the actors, and the great crowd as an audience. What was Elijah's first question to the people? We have a saying that no one can be on the fence: everyone must be on one side or the other. Whenever there is a right and wrong, people must take sides.

309 (Sec.82C). What test did Elijah propose? Who prepared the bullock for the sacrifice first? How did they try to gain the attention of their god? Could Baal hear them? How did Elijah mock them? What was the result of all the excitement?

310 (Sec.82C). Notice how serious Elijah was. How did he prepare for the sacrifice? How did he arrange so that nobody could say there was a trick? What prayer did Elijah offer? Learn this noble prayer so that you can recite it. What happened? How did it affect the people?

311 (Sec.82C). Those were days when men were very stern. What awful punishment did Elijah inflict on the false prophets?

312 (Sec.82D). Elijah was sure that the drought would now be over. What did he say to Ahab? They had eaten nothing all day, so everyone went eagerly to the food. But Elijah went back to the mountain. Who went with him? What happened? What message did the prophet send to Ahab? Notice how quickly the storm came up. Elijah was a man of the desert, hardy and strong; he was also under great excitement from the events of the day. It was sixteen miles from Carmel to Jezreel. Locate these places on the map. The king drove his horses hard in the storm. What did Elijah do?

WRITTEN REVIEW

Imagine yourself present at the scene on Mt. Carmel and that your parents were unable to go. How would you tell them the story of all that happened that day? Write it out just as you would have told it, if you were a young Israelite on that great occasion.

XXIX. ELIJAH, THE CHAMPION OF JUSTICE

THE STORY

=Sec.83. Elijah's Discouragement= (I Kings 19:1-21)

A. THE BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT