IN THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE BIBLE LESSON April 19, 2010 Issue

'THE PATH OF LIFE'

MICHAEL HAMILTON

THIS WEEK'S BIBLE LESSON, titled "Probation After Death," begins with this resounding proclamation: "The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up" (Matt. 4:16, Golden Text). The gospel writer, quoting Isaiah (9:2, citation 1), is particularly interested in showing that Christ Jesus, as the light of the world, fulfills the prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Section I begins with those words of Isaiah, and continues with prayers contained in three psalms. The Psalmist trusts in God as "my buckler" and "the horn of my salvation" (Ps. 18:2, cit. 2). A buckler is a shield, and the horn symbolizes strength. "The right hand of the Lord" (Ps. 118:16, cit. 3) personifies His power. This imagery points to God not as the cause of death but as showing "the path of life" (Ps. 16:11, cit. 4), and defending it! Science and Health affirms that "God, divine good, does not kill a man in order to give him eternal Life, for God alone is man's life" (p. 203, cit. 3).

To "lay hold on eternal life" (I Tim. 6:12, cit. 5) requires a heartfelt commitment to living. The Message renders the whole verse this way: "Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses."

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