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The Commoner
SEPTEMBER, 1922.-a
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s Bible Talks
A HEART DEDICATED TO GOD
By WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
BIBLE TEXT LESSON FOR AUGUST 20
(Kzra 7:10; ,8:21-23, 31, 32)
For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law
of th' Lord, and to do it, and to teach in Israel
statutes and judgments.
Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of
Alma that we might afllict ourselves before our
find to seek him a right 'way for us, and for our
little ones, and for all our substance.
For I was ashamed to require of the king a band
of soldiers and horftomen to help us against the
enemy In the way: because we had spoken unto
the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all
them for good that seek him; but his power and
his wrath is against all them that forsake him.
So we fasted and besought our God for this: and
He was intreated of us.
Then we departed from tho river of Ahava on tlio
12th dav of the first month, to -go unto Jerusalem:
and the hand of our God was upon us, and he de
livered us from the hend of the enemy, and of such
as lay In wait by the way.
And we camo t6 Jerusalem; and abode there
three days.
He was the servant of a heart dedicated to
God.
So Ezra has came down to us through the
centuries, not only as a great leader of the
Jews, but as one whose life, is a model for all
times for those who believe and give their
hearts to God.
The great lesson that Ezra's life holds for us
is abundantly revealed in -that phase of his
career centering around the second return of
the Jows to Jerusalem from their enforced exile,
as human spoils of war, in Babylon. Gyrus,
King of Persia, successor of the great Nebuchad
nezzar, who had carried away the Jews captives,
was moved of God to bring about the first re
turn to Jerusalem, and the-same Divine influ
ence caused Artaxerxes, "king of kings," to
commission Ezra to lead the second band of
exiles home.
Ezra Is a fascinating character; he was a
Lovite, a member of the priestly branch of tho
family. Ho camo from a long line of priests;
his great-great-grandfather was put to death by
Nebuchadnezzar, and he had a still more remote
ancestor in Hilkiah, who discovered the Book of
tho Law, the basis of our Bible today, after it
had long been lost to the Jews during the reigns
of their idolatrous kings.
A HEART PREPARED TO SEEK THE LORD
As a youth in Babylon Ezra had every op
portunity for receiving an education, but his
learning, instead of becoming a substitute for
religion, was the servant of a heart dedicated
to God. We are told that Ezra "had prepared
his heart to seek tho law of the Lord, and to do
" and to teach in Israel statutes and judg
ments.' it was an ambition formed early. As
ascribe, he entered upon his duties at 13, and
" required 17 yeard of preparation to fit him
for his work.
The world does not change rapidly in some
respects it does not seem to change at all. All
ijirougu history and in every land we find in
ances of early consecration to a life work.
a countless multitude of hoys devote them
Ees, havilg a good time, with seemingly no
Sfl i Bot life's realities; they have no plan
EL t llither and thither as some promised
Sf p6 poiuts the wa While this is often tho
timni,i e narents, it is not always so; some
furnfi most favorable environment fails' to
inceiti needod restraint and the -necessary
tw ?S goes on tnis multitude divides into
viint. .?rent sroups. Some catch a belated
N, ?? i life's Possibilities and attempt to make
lesq! st opportunities, Some become worth
ice q i,UGglect Priceless opportunities for serv
ant a V l tners wander from idleness into crime
Buardian UveS in the CUBtody of eociety's
Th i ,BLAME FOR WASTED LIVES
Partiv i Q ' or wasted lives must be borne
Who iv y 1?ctety, Even Christians may not bo
BelvAH syfJJteBB if they think only of them
them S i, thelr ow children while those about
ho nJf7 , told of a very charitable woman
not only refused to apeak evil of others,-
but would not allow evil to be spoken in hor
SST?ieS;clllldron th0UBht onc dV?o P
ei to the test. By agreement they assembled
in her room and one after another begun to criti
cize the devil, just t6 see if she would permit lie
censure. n.mu we
They, had not gone far when sho interrupted
them with the protest:- "Well, children, if we
wore all as industrious as the devil is, we would
accomplish more."
Is it not true? If all Christians were as zeal
ous in their efforts to save souls as the devil is
in his effort to lead them astray, the number of
the lost would be greatly reduced.
But while the many are hard to awaken, a
few scattered over the world begin early, as
Ezra did, to plan for life. Great inventors often
manifest their interest in that line of work while
they are children; great business men often in
dicate a fondness for merchandising; great law
yers begin to prepare themselves for their pro
fession; great statesmen commence as embryo
debaters, and great preachers sometimes indi
cate in their early years the direction in which
they travel through life.
WHERE MANY FAIL IN GOOD WORKS
I know an Oriental student who, when only
18, had become so absorbed in tho study of gov
ernment that he left his home with only a few
dollars, traveled to a distant country and worked
his way among strangers until he finally secured
the information which he sought. Then, as the
bee carries the honey back to its hive, this stu
dent returned to his native land to give to his
countrymen the benefit of garnered wisdom and
the zeal of a devoted heart.
Ezra's life is one that should arouse hearts
from lethargy and put high purpose into aimless
lives.
It will be noticed that Ezra set his heart to do
according to the law, as well as to learn the
law. This is a very necessary addition to knowl
edge. Many who know the law fail to live up to
it. Knowledge that is not translated into action
is of little value.
Ezra carried his plans a step farther; his pur
pose found a triple expression; ho learned, he
acted, and he taught. He went at his work in
an orderly way; he could not act until ho
learned, and he could not teach effectively until
he embodied his learning in his own life.
SIN THE SILENT BLACKMAILER
Inconsistency between practice and preaching
has often nullified the efforts of those who
thought to instruct while they themselves failed
to live up to the light that they had. A dual
life is possible only when one of the lives is
concealed; when both lives are known one can
live but one life, and that is the lower one. And
it must be remembered that a failure to practice
usually silences one who might otherwise teach.
Sin is the silent blackmailer that paralyzes the
usefulness of many who might be towers of
strength to the community. Consciousness of
secret sins palsies the purpose and weakens the
ln WhenEzra set out with his little band of
exiles to return to Jerusalem ho stopped at the
river Ahava and proclaimed a fast, that they
might humble themselves before God, "to seek
of Him a right way for us, and for our little
onos, and for all our substance.
The fast had long been regarded as a re-
li&ious rite. It is a temporary turning away
rom the multitude; it is .a short Journey into
thp wilderness a communion with God. It Is a
suppression of that which is most natural-- he
app
nd Pray,,.THE HAND OF OUR GOD''
pressed his confidence m u guards
the expedition. He jays. ft
Ti; UStoXl&to help us against
band of s0Jdf "y. because we had spoken
the enemy in tho way, w. Qur God Ifl
unto the King, .saying. The n But
mlaa.?toi? a11 them that
0rutGth?smame confidence that led him to be al-
most boastful beforo Artaxorxos sustained him
on tho journoy. After they had fasted and
prayed they started on their journey, trusting
in God to guard them from enemies, and thoir
trust was rewarded. Ezra took his little band
through a hostile country infested by robbors
and none molostcd him.
Tho unboliovor may speculate as to the rea
sons that accountod for Ezra's security; ho may
guess that the robbers wcro busy "plying thoir
profession along somo othor highway, but Ezra
gave credit to Jehovah. "The hand of our God
was upon us, and He dollvored us from the hand
of the enomy, and of such as lay in wait by the
way. And wo camo to Jerusalem."
FAITH THAT UNLOCKS THE FUTURE
Here is another losson of faith a faith that
unlocks tho future to those who possess It.
Ezra's fuitli blossomed oarly, long before reason
could have boon of much aid to him. His faith
led him to seek to know the law of the Lord, and
to do it, and to teach it. This faith developed
in him a life that impressed a King and a lifo
that furnished leadership for au oxpedltion.
Eight hundred miles Ezra led his followers
through tho desert from tho Euphrates to the
promised land. It was in tho spring and the
flowers of the desert cheorod tho travelers as
they journeyod the flowors that God has scat
tered over all of oarth's wildorne3808 as Ho scat
ters evidences of His lovo throughout all the
lonely portions of life's pathway.
Never wavering, Ezra coniplotod his journoy
and undertook tho refurnishing of tho temple.
Only those who bollcve attempt tho soomingly
imposslblo, and, attempting, prove what can bo
accomplished.
"Faith, mighty faith, tho promise sees,
And looks to that alone;
Laughs at impossibilities,
And cries, 'It shall be done.' "
HOW SHALL WE PRAY?
By WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
BIBLE TEXT LESSON FOR AUGUST 27
(Nehemlah 1:1-11)
The words of Nehemlah tho . son of Ilachaltah.
And It ciiino to pass ln tho month of Chisleu. In the
twentieth year, at, I was In Shushan the palace.
That Ilananl, onc of my brethren, came, he and
certain men of Judah; and I asked them concern
ing tho Jews that had escaped, which wcro left of
the captivity, and concerning Jerusalem.
And they said unto me, The remnant that aro
left of the captivity there in the province arc ln
great affliction and reproach: tho wall of Jerusalem
also Is broken down, and. tho gates thereof aro
burned with fire.
And it came to pass, when I heard theso words,
that 1 Hat down and wept, and mourned certain
days, and fasted, and prayed before the God. of
heaven.
And I said, I beseech thee, O Lord God of heaven,
tho great and terrible God, that kecpeth covenant
and mercy for them that lovo him and. observe his
commandments:
Let thine ear now be attentive, ryes open, that
thou mayefct hear tho prayer of thy servant, which
I pray beforo thee now, day and night, for the
children of Israel thy servants', and confess tho
sins of tho children of Israel, which wo have
sinned against thee: both I and my father's house
have sinned.
"We have dwelt very corruptly against thee, and
have not kept thy commandments, nor tho statutos,
nor the judgments, which thou cornmandest thy
servant Moses, J
Remember, I boseech thee, tho word that thou
cornmandest thy servant Moses, saying, If ye
transgress, I will scatter you abroad among tho
nations:
But If ye turn unto me, and keep my command
ments, and do them; though there were of you
cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet
will I gather them from thcnce and will bring
them unto the placo that I have chosen to set my
namo there.
Now theso are thy servants and thy people,
whom thou hast rodeemod by thy groat power, and
by thy strong hand.
O Lord, I bospoch the, let now thine oar be at
tentive to tho prayer of thy Rcrvant, and to tho
prayer of thy servant, who doslro to fqar thy
name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy sorvant this
day, and grant him mercy In tho sight of this roam
For I was tho king's cup bearer.
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Prayer is the keynote of our Talk today. The
text is the first chapter of Nehemlah, wherein is
recorded one of the truly great prayers of the.
Bible the supplication that one of the moat roc
markable of Biblical characters made to God be
fore he sought permission from tho Persian king
to whom he was cup bearer that he be allowed
to go to Jerusalem ancT rebuild" that desolate
city.
"The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous
man availeth much," God assures us In, His
Word;-or, as tho revised version has ft, "The
supplication of a righteous man availeth much in
its working." Nowhere is this better illustrated
than in the important consequences flotwing
from Nehemiah's prayer. And his is a prayer
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