BIBLE CHARACTERS AND PERIODICAL SUPPORT TO THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE BIBLE LESSON* November 22, 2012 C.

Norman Wood, 214 Lower Field Road, Dunnsville, VA 22454 703-898-8818, woodcn@aol.com SUBJECT: THANKSGIVING Norton, C.A.Q., Thanksgiving, POEM, Journal, Vol. 13 (June 1895), p. 121. O Thou Supreme, Eternal Good! Thou art Life and Love, the Divine Infinitude. In Thee alone is All that truly is. Beyond, before, above, below, there is None save Thyself, O God. All time and space Are as naught in Thy omnipotent sway. Thy touch divine, Thy Word, the Truth, doth heal All who keep Thy law supreme, and, barring Mortal sense of power and might, only In Thee behold themselves as whole, complete. Father, Mother, Almighty Cosmos, from Thee hath come the Light Divine, for Thou art The Light, which to the higher sense of her Who understood, gave the awakened sight To see and know, what all shall comprehend, That in Thy thought no evil is, nor can Thyself contain a wrong. GOLDEN TEXT: Gods blessing is more than enough (Mal 3: 10) TIME LINE AND AUTHOR: Written by Malachi, the last Old Testament writing prophet in Israel, most likely during Nehemiah's return to Persia c. 433-424 BC. In answer to their query about how they have deviated from Gods way and the need to return, the prophet picked an illustration of their spiritual defection that is very visible and undeniable. (MacArthur Bible Commentary) When tithes were unpaid [Bring ye all the tithes, v. 10], the priests were deprived and had to give up their ministry and begin farming. (Ibid) Whitmore, Elmo Baker, Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse," Sentinel, Vol. 28 (6 March 1926), p. 525. --Christians to-day are turning more and more to the Bible for help in everyday affairs, and it is gratifying to who many who are ready to testify to the great profit in doing so. One of the practical rules given in the Bible for obtaining blessing is found in the tenth verse of the third chapter of Malachi, which reads, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that

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there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it." ---How wonderful the promise! Is it possible of fulfillment? --In order to receive this great overflowing blessing it is required that something be first done on our part; for are we not specifically commanded to "bring" in and to "prove"? Like the Scriptures, Christian Science comes to illumine the way. ---In the Glossary of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 595), its author, Mary Baker Eddy, gives in part the following metaphysical definition of the word "tithe": "Contribution; tenth part; homage; gratitude." SECTION I: The blessings for obedience from Mt Gerizim (Deut 28: 2, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12 [to :]) RELATED SCRIPTURE: Joshua 21: 45; 23: 14, 15; I Kings 8: 56 TIME LINE AND AUTHOR: Though nominally attributed to Moses, Deuteronomy may have resulted from a collective effort of the prophetic circles of its day, or the Levitical priestly tribe, or the wisdom of the scribes of the day. The event occurred sometime just before the death of Moses c. 1400 BC. Chapter 28 contains a list of blessings and curses either of which may result, depending on the behavior of the people.only eleven verses contain blessings (28:3-13), the curses are expansive (28:15-68). (Theological Bible Commentary) These beatitudes [vv. 3-6] summarize the various spheres where the blessings of God would extend to Israels life. Gods favor is also intended to permeate all their endeavors as emphasized further in the expanded summary in 28: 7-14, on the condition of obedience (vv. 1, 2, 9, 13, 14). (MacArthur Bible Commentary) Beck, Herbert W., The Spiritual Awareness of Good, Journal, Vol. 59 (September 1941), p. 305. --God is spiritually aware of man, conscious of him, tenderly, completely protecting him; and so man is the satisfied expression of God's goodness. This good is always pressing on us for attention, not physical, but spiritual attention. And to the extent that we are attentive to good, we turn from contemplating or expecting evil. Our awakened thought drinks in good as the desert absorbs the rain. Wise, it is, to be ever desirous of the good which God gives. --[We have] proof that God's love is active goodness; that He is always mindful of His children, always caring for them. Well is it written in Deuteronomy, "And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God." --God, good, divine substance, infinite intelligence, knows us, loves us, keeps us close within the peace and security of the kingdom of heaven. SECTION II: Jesus talks about trusting (Matt 6: 25, 26, 28-33) RELATED SCRIPTURE: Matt 3: 2 TIME LINE: The Year of Popularity and Fundamental Principles (Jesus 2nd year of ministry), 28 AD. The word therefore (v. 25) shows the close connection of this passage with that which has gone before.
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The whole passage [v. 27] is mainly within the traditional thought pattern of Jewish wisdom and stresses the dependence on God with the appeal to the Jew over against the Gentiles [v. 32]. (Peakes Commentary) This phrase [kingdom of God, v. 33] means the same as the kingdom of heaven. It refers to the sphere of salvation. (MacArthur Bible Commentary) Solomon [Sol-mn] (the peaceful) TIME LINE: 961-922 B.C. David = Ahinoam (the Jezreelitess) Amnon (eldest son) = Abigail (widow of Nabel) Chileab = Maachah Absalom (killed Amnon) Tamar (violated by Amnon) = Haggith Adonijah = Bathsheba (Brother, died in infancy)) Solomon (youngest son) (two other brothers?) Solomon was a child of Davids mature age with Bathsheba, and enjoyed all the privileges of being born to the purple. His name, Solomon, means The Peaceful, one whose reign was foretold to be a reign of peace and quietness. He was brought up in luxury and wealth and knew nothing of the hardships which developed much of the character of his father. He received a good education and was placed under the care and training of Nathan, an eminent Hebrew prophet. Intrigue for the Succession. Solomon did not ascend to his fathers throne without opposition. As David grew old, his son Adonijah began to take steps to succeed his father with the support of several court officials, including the general Joab and the priest Abiathar. HarperCollins Dictionary) David honored a promise to Bathsheba and chose Solomon to succeed him because the other sons born in his warrior days were not fit for the throne. Until Davids death, it might be said of Solomon, as of many an adolescent, that he lived by his father Davids God. During Solomons reign the kingdom of Israel took its place among the great monarchies of the East. Large treasures, accumulated through many years, were at his disposal. He reigned for forty years in the second third of the tenth century BC. (Ibid) Solomons Prayer for Wisdom. Solomon was, in fact, unprepared and unqualified to rule. (All the People in the Bible) "Solomon came to the throne probably at the age of twenty or twenty-one and ruled for forty years (971-931 BC). In his first year as king, Solomon traveled to Gibeon where the Tabernacle was located." (Kings of the Old Testament)

=(Daughter of Pharaoh, king of Egypt) =(700 princesses)

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God revealed Himself to Solomon in a dream and asked Solomon what he most desired. Instead of asking for material riches, comfort, or pleasure for himself, Solomon prayed above all things that God would equip him for his task of leadership. "The wisdom granted to Solomon in I Kings 3 is very specific: it is the understanding of how to rule and judge the nation, and it is probably the wisdom for which Solomon was at first remembered." (The Complete Bible Handbook) One of Solomons first major feats was the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem as a place for worship of the God of Israel. The task was enormous, involving much planning and many workers. (Who Was Who in the Bible) "No remains of these [Temple and palaces] have been found." (Oxford Guide to Ideas & Issues) He arranged for Hiram [King of Tyre] to provide architects and artisans, as well as the gold and fine cedar and hardwoods that would so handsomely grace the completed buildings (I Kings 5:10ff.). In return he paid Hiram a huge fee in wheat and oil, and he also ceded to Hiramtwenty cities on the western border of Galilee. (All the People in the Bible) Solomons "prosperity is portrayed in the fulsome description given in I Kings 4: 20-28 and 10: 14-29, in the marriage with Pharaohs daughter (and there was a considerable harem), in the international role indicated by his dealings with Hiram of Tyre and the visit of the Queen of Sheba, as well as the extensive international trade (a fleet at Eziongeber; Tarshish ships; trading in horses and chariots)." (Oxford Guide to People & Places) The Dedication of the Temple (I Kings 8: 22-53/II Chron 6: 12-42) The dedication feast coincided with the Feast Of Tabernacles. It was fitting that the temple was dedicated during one of the three yearly festivals, the Feast of Tabernacles. "Immediately after the dedication, the Lord appeared to Solomon once again. He assured the king that his prayers had been heard and that the Temple had been blessed." (Who Was Who in the Bible) Solomon formed alliances with other countries that improved the economic success of the kingdom. The most significant were with Egypt and Tyre. Solomons control of the southern trade routes eventually gave him control over Arabian commerce as well. This was a commerce in rare spices and exotic textiles and was extremely profitable. It was through this enterprise that he came to know the Queen of Sheba. (All the People in the Bible) However, Solomon is best known for taking action on a dream of repentance when he chose wisdom as the gift of God in preference to wealth or long-life. He was the author of much of the Book of Proverbs and perhaps also the author of the Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes. Cass, Charlotte H., Seek ye first, POEM, Sentinel (7 October 1972), p. 1780. I cannot seek again for worldly things. My goal has changed. I range the sky on newfound wings And listen as my free sense sings Of Truth. The Truth is God, Love's name, Implied by all the things of worth, Ever unchanging, not of earth;
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I know that Truth Is God. I know that I am His Child of His creating, and His heir. What does earth have to compare With this? The joy I share With every Father's son. Leishman, Thomas L., Solomon in All His Glory, THE CONTINUITY OF THE BIBLE, Journal, Vol. 86 (January 1968), p. 32. --Further aspects of Solomons career deserve our consideration, contributing as they do to the brilliance of his reign but also to its limitations. --His literary efforts were numerous and varied. Like David, he was famed as a poet; he was credited with over a thousand songs (see I Kings 4:32). Tradition ascribed to him the famed Song of Songs, implying in Hebrew idiom, the most beautiful of songs. --Solomon appears to have been equally noted for his proverbs, three thousand of which are assigned to him. Passages in the book of Proverbs do contain references to the proverbs of Solomon, but other contributors are also mentioned. --The immediate wealth amassed by Solomon came to him largely through foreign trade, for he seems to have maintained a fleet of ships at Ezion-Geber, near Eloth on the Gulf of Aqaba. --Later Christ Jesus could refer to Solomon in all his glory (Matt 6:29), noting that all the magnificence of Solomon could not compare with the beauty of the wild flowers of Galilee. Indeed Jesus knew Ye cannot serve God and mammon (verse 24). SECTION III: Peter heals the crippled man at Jerusalem (Acts 3: 1-8) RELATED SCRIPTURE: Lev 21: 18; Duet 15: 21; II Sam 5: 8; Ps 55: 17; Isa 35: 6; Mal 1: 8, 13; Luke 22: 31,32; Acts 2: 43; 3: 16; 4: 10 TIME LINE AND AUTHOR: Summer, 30 AD, in the temple courts of Jerusalem. Written by Luke c. 62 AD Peter and John a certain man lame (See 3.25.12 notes) Ker Seymer, Miss Violet (CSB, Lecturer, and Associate Editor) , The Gate Beautiful, EDITORIAL, Sentinel, Vol. 32 (19 July 1930), p. 910. --What a transformation came to the beggar who, year after year, had been carried by his friends to the gate of the temple and lay there helpless, when Peter and John one day paused beside him, and he was instantly raised up in mind and body! Perhaps he had grown resigned to his condition as many had in our day, until Christian Science came to lift them from their mental infirmities and their sick beds. --On page 132 of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany Mrs. Eddy writes, Divine Love hath opened the gate Beautiful to us, where we may see God and live, see good in good, God all, one, one Mind and that divine; where we may love our neighbor as ourselves, and bless our enemies. --If we would enter through the gate Beautiful, it is not enough that we accept the eternal spiritual facts of being in theory: we must actually utilize them. The way into the temple is the way of overcoming and of holiness; there is no other way.
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--One and all who earnestly study and apply the teachings of Christian Science may find themselves among the many who to-day are passing through the gate Beautiful and entering the temple of true consciousness, walking, and leaping, and praising God. Tsuda, Margaret, Silver and gold have I none, POEM, Journal, Vol. 100 (July 1982), p. 398. There might have been a breaths pause then. A pause in which, perhaps, a millisecond of disappointment clutched at the crippled beggar expecting the pious almsgift. After all, the two men Had looked so compassionately on him while saying Look on us. The next millisecond would make all the difference. And so the gift of healing came. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth Rise up and walk. And the lame man arose leaped in praise not of men but of God from whom all healing comes! Rise and Walk, POEM, Journal, Vol. 5 (January 1888), p. 527. At the Beautiful Gate sat the lame one, Bewailing a fate so forlorn, Oft wishing, since all men forgot him, He had never in this world been born. Through the wide entrance crowded the Zealot, The Pharisee, Sadducee, Scribe; Of them all scarcely one gave a penny, Or a thought to the poor of their tribe. "Oh if I could walk stalwart as they do, Not long would I beg at the door, But work with the friends of Jehovah, And gladden the weak with my store!" That way came the Christian apostles; Of silver and gold had they none;
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To strength and to joy and to manhood, Their word raised the sorrowing one. You may sing of the Beautiful Portal, All blazoned with silver and gold; But more beautiful far the thought Christian, Which leads us to health in Love's fold. SECTION IV: David praises God for his greatness, power, glory, and majesty (I Chron 29: 1113) RELATED SCRIPTURE: I Chron 17: 16-27; Ps 8; Matt 6: 13 TIME LINE AND AUTHOR: Jewish tradition strongly favors Ezra the priest (cf. Ezra 7:1-6) as the chronicler. These records were most likely recorded c. 450-430 BC. (MacArthur Bible Commentary) The event itself occurred c. 1000 BC. This magnificent prayer [vv.10-20], one of the best-known passages in the books of Chronicles, comes at the completion of Davids preparations for the Temple, just as his earliest prayer (17:16-27) stands at the beginning enclosing his activities. (HarperCollins Bible Commentary) "David responds to the phenomenal offering, involving amazing sacrifices of wealth, with praise in which he acknowledges that all things belong to and come from God. He concludes that God is everything and that man is nothing, much like Psalm 8." (MacArthur Bible Commentary) Everything belongs to God (the tenfold repetition of the keyword thine cannot be a coincidence). In his hand is power and might. (Oxford Bible Commentary) This verse [11] has been identified as the source of the closing for the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:13. These concepts (Both riches and honour come of thee, v. 12) were meant to place the power of kings in perspective, so that the people and the kings themselves would never forget whose bounty and benevolence were actually in operation. Bretherton, Martin, Riches and honour, Sentinel, Vol. 23 (23 April 1921), p. 658. --Want, or superabundance, of material riches cannot affect man's spiritual growth. As we grasp the true status of man we must similarly fail to judge him by the inaccurate scale of "class" universally obtaining in mortal mind. On no other basis than this can man's equality be demonstrated since on no other grounds are men equal; but on a spiritual basis equality can and must be demonstrated, in the strictest accordance with that which is most elementary in Christian teaching. Nothing but the recognition of the true, spiritual birthright of man can constitute worth, position, and power. A man is great, therefore, only as he realizes that he is no greater than his neighbor; well-born only as he acknowledges the one Father-Mother, Love, as his parent; wise only as he reflects the one Mind; and rich and mighty only as he wields the "charmed rod" that breaks the chains of error that seemed to keep him from exercising his "dominion over all.". David sang, "Both riches and honour come of thee," and the four and twenty elders of the Revelation, worshiping before the throne, said, "Thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." BIBLIOGRAPHY: The Bibliography is provided only in the first Sundays Lesson each month.
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*The weekly Bible Lessons are made up of selections from the King James Version of the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science.