OUR BIBLE BAND

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Sep 15, 1909

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 36, No. 36.

Day	Month	Date	Morning	Evening
Su.	Sept.	19	Eccl. 1, 2, 3	2 Cor. 11:16-33
Mo.	"	20	" 4, 5, 6	" 12
Tu.	"	21	" 7, 8, 9	" 13
We.	"	22	" 10, 11, 12	Gal. 1
Th.	"	23	Song 1, 2, 3	" 2
Fr.	"	24	" 4, 5	" 3
Sa.	"	25	" 6, 7, 8	" 4

Suggestive Notes

Our morning readings cover the books of Ecclesiastes and Canticles (or Song of Solomon). The book of Ecclesiastes was probably written by Solomon the son of David who was king in Jerusalem. They present before us the vanity of human life and the utter uselessness of all human pursuits apart from God. The internal evidence shows that it was written by Solomon after he had his unsatisfying experience in wealth and luxury and idolatry, and his heart was led away by his many wives. It gives us his conclusion in the 12th chapter: “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” There are some striking passages in the book. Excellent missionary instruction is also given in chapter 11.

The Song of Solomon is an Oriental love poem, setting forth in the warm coloring of the East the love of Christ for His church. It may have been some of the experiences of Solomon which are regarded as typical of Christ and His church. There are some very beautiful and poetic passages in the Song, as the picture of the spring in chapter 2. The triumph of the church is set forth in the 10th verse of chapter 6. Two passages that are commonly referred to the Lord are: “The chiefest among ten thousand,” “the One altogether lovely.”

The New Testament lessons conclude the book of Corinthians and include Galatians 1 to 4. The epistle to the Galatians was probably written in A.D. 58, addressed to those Christians which inhabited the regions of Galatia in Asia-Minor, settled originally by Gauls from the North. The church there consisted of some Jewish converts and some who were converted from heathendom. This is shown by the epistle itself.

In the first chapter the apostle gives us the ground of his commission, not revealed by man or through man, but directly from the Lord. He tells us of His experience with the apostles and those of repute at Jerusalem; reproves the apostle Peter for his dissimulation, and points out the great fact that the only life acceptable is Christ living in us; shows the Galatians that to go to any other means of justification is to repudiate Christ, and would turn them back into the idolatry from whence they came. This freedom in Christ is illustrated by the parable of Abraham’s two wives.