A School Clock and Its Hours

From: Messages of God's Love: 1973

• 2 min. read • grade level: 7

TODAY the hours on the school clock face, so familiar to you all, shall be our subject. The Bible tells us that “there are twelve hours in the day” (John 11:9⁹Jesus answered, Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any man walk in the day, he stumbleth not, because he seeth the light of this world. (John 11:9)). This clock shows what they are.

ONE reminds us “there is one God” (1 Tim. 2:5⁵For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (1 Timothy 2:5)), whose name is Love: all other gods are idols.

TWO families—“children of God” (John 3:2²The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. (John 3:2)) and “children of the devil” (John 8: 44); two roads, the broad and the narrow, tell of the saved and lost and no middle class.

THREE graces — faith, hope, and love (1 Cor. 13:13¹³And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (1 Corinthians 13:13)) — found in all true believers. Three tells of resurrection — the Lord Jesus rose from the dead on the third day and all who believe in Him, have passed from death unto life and stand on redemption ground (John 5:24²⁴Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24)).

FOUR noble youths stood firm for God in the court of Babylon. They would not sin against God to please the greatest king on earth in that day. Four also tells of the four corners of the earth and of the gospel going forth to sinners everywhere.

FIVE barley loaves which a lad gave up to the Lord Jesus — and were used to feed 5,000 men besides mothers and little children (John 6:9⁹There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? (John 6:9)). He uses the weak things to do His mighty works.

SIX cities of refuge were set apart for the manslayer to run into for safety (Josh. 20). The sinner who flees to Christ finds in Him a refuge from coming judgment. (Heb. 6:18¹⁸That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: (Hebrews 6:18)).

SEVEN — the perfect number often used in the Bible: the seven Spirits before the throne of God (Rev. 1); also used in perfection of evil — seven demons which the Lord cast out of Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9⁹Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. (Mark 16:9)); seven nations of Canaan destroyed by God for their sins (Deut. 7:1¹When the Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than thou; (Deuteronomy 7:1)).

(To Be Continued)

ML-11/04/1973

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