LESSON IV.—SABBATH, JUNE 16, 1900.
THE CHRISTIAN'S TREASURE-HOUSE AND PROVIDER.
19 "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust doth consume, and where thieves break through 20 and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves 21 do not break through nor steal; for where thy treasure is, 22 there will thy heart be also. The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of 23 light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, 24 how great is the darkness! No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye can not serve God 25 and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than the 26 food, and the body than the raiment? Behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather 27 into barns; and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are not 28 ye of much more value than they? And which of you by 29 being anxious can add one cubit unto his stature? And why are ye anxious concerning raiment? Consider the lilies of the 30 field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not 31 arrayed like one of these. But if God doth so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the 32 oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 33 Be not therefore anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, 34 What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek; for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these 33 things. But seek ye first His kingdom, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Be not therefore anxious for the morrow; for the morrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." [The best help on this lesson is "Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing."] NOTE.—The texts inclosed in marks of parentheses, while not essential to the lesson study, will be found to throw much light upon the lesson, and are suggested for those who wish to study further. - Where does Jesus warn us not to place our treasures? Verse 19. (1 Tim. 6:17-19.)
- Where is a safe place of deposit? Verse 20.
- What is the result of the deposit of our treasures in any place? Verse 21.
- What is the light of the body? What is the effect of having the attention undividedly and clearly centered upon God? Verse 22. Note 1.
- What is the result of an evil or perverted vision? If that which alone can bring us light is perverted, what will follow? Verse 23.
- How is this principle further illustrated? How many different masters can we serve? Verse 24. (James 4:4; 1:8; 4:8.)
- What practical conclusion does Jesus draw from this? What is the most important? Verse 25. Note 2.
- What illustration does He give of trust and confidence? How are we regarded as compared with the fowls? Verse 26. (Job 38:41; Ps. 104:27, 28.)
- How much will our thoughts add to our stature or change our age? Verse 27.
- For what else are we not to be anxious? What example of trust and beauty is given here? Verses 28, 29. Note 3.
- What may we conclude from these lessons of God's care for us? Verse 30.
- What, then, should not be anxious questions in our lives? Verse 31.
- Of whom are such questions characteristic? What great Provider knows all our temporal needs? Verse 32. Note 4.
- What is our first duty? What is our Father's promise? Verse 33. Note 5. (1 Kings 3:11-13.)
- What, then, is our duty as regards future evil? What evil is always sufficient? Verse 34. Note 6.
1. The lamp of the body.—The body, with its passions, is naturally dark; its light comes alone through the eye. The single, clear eye gives correct ideas. The perverted eye distorts all outward things to the dark body. So if our spiritual vision is single (seeking only God's glory), clear (trusting Him as He declares Himself to be), His light will flood the soul and enlighten the dark body. But if this vision is perverted by sin and selfishness, it will further pervert the naturally base passions and make blacker the natural darkness within.
2. Therefore.—The word "therefore" shows this verse to be a conclusion from previous verses. Jesus anticipated that souls would be tempted to believe that we can not get clothing or food unless we serve the world or ourselves. His effort in all this instruction is to lead men to the higher service alone, that of God. Whatever we do, do it as unto God, and leave results with Him. "Take no thought," is better expressed in the Revised Version, "Be not anxious." The word means anxious, troubled, worried thought. So also in verses 27, 28, 31, 34.
3. "Consider the lilies;" they teach many lessons. Growing in the soil or decay of earth, they turn their faces to the light, and God through them transmutes the base soil of earth into glorious beauty. So let God's will be the first, and our character will adorn whatever physical clothes God may in His providence give us.
4. After all these things.—It is the Gentiles, nations of the world, who seek such things, whose hopes are only temporal, earthly. The children of God should have higher objects.
5. All these things.—This lesson does not in any way indorse laziness. The Christian will be diligent and industrious. Rom. 12:11; 1 Thess. 4:11; 2 Thess. 3:10-12.
6. Be not therefore anxious.—Borrow no evil of the future. God gives us to-day strength for to-day's duties, trials, sorrows, evils. We can borrow no grace for future troubles. How foolish it is, then, to borrow a trouble which we can not meet! The day brings sufficient evil and care, but there is always grace for the day. God is a present help in trouble.