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in Judah. (18.) Adoram, see Notes; the tribute, the taxes; to Jerusalem, he was made king at Shechem. v. 1. (19.) rebelled, Heb. "fell away.' (20.) All Israel, the ten tribes, probably a general meeting (v. 1); the delegates only may have come; made him king, having rebelled against Rehoboam; house of David, now Rehoboam; the kingdom was divided; two kings, one at Jerusalem and the other at Shechem.

II. Questions.—What was the effect of Rehoboam's answer on the people? What did they say? Who left him? Who submitted to him? Who was sent to bring the rebellious party back? How was he treated? What effect did this have on the king? Whither did he flee? How many of the tribes rebelled? Who was made king over them? Where? What portion of Israel was left to Rehoboam?

What facts in this lesson teach us

(1.) The value of wise counsels?

(2.) The folly of answering the oppressed roughly?
(3.) The danger of neglecting the counsel of the aged?

Illustration.-Bad counsel. Lord Bacon wisely says: "The kingdom of Israel was first rent and broken by ill counsel; upon which counsel there are set for our instruction the two marks whereby bad counsel is for ever best discerned-that it was young counsel for persons, and violent counsel for matter."

Disregarding good counsel. "Be sure not to go beyond your depth in the river," said Mr. Wise to his son Herbert. "The surface looks fair, but there is an ugly eddy which may prove too strong for you. I have tried it, and it nearly overcame me. So beware!" Herbert kept near shore for a time, but seeing the river smooth proposed to go a little way. His companion urged him not to go. "I will not go far; if it is dangerous, I can come back," he replied, "for I can swim now." He went; his companion watched him; soon saw him throw out his arms and wildly shout for help; but when help came, it was too late. He lost his life in the treacherous stream by not regarding his father's counsel.

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HYMN, "Come, oh come, with thy broken heart.”—Calvary Songs,

p. 70.

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THE SIN OF JEROBOAM.-1 Kings xii. 25-33. [About 975-954

B. C.

RECITE VS. 28-30.

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt 26 therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel. | And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the 27 house of David: | If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king 28 of Judah. | Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up 29 out of the land of Egypt. | And he set the one in 30 Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan. | And this

thing became a sin: for the people went to wor31 ship before the one, even unto Dan. | And he made

a house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the 32 people, which were not of the sons of Levi. | And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Beth-el, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Beth-el the priests of the high 33 places which he had made. | So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Beth-el the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

GOLDEN TEXT.-And he shall give Israel up, because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.-1 Kings xiv. 16.

CENTRAL TRUTH. Selfpleasing leads to idolatry.

DAILY READINGS.

M. Josh. xxii. 21-29.
Deut. xii. 1-15.

T.

W. Ex. xxxii. 1-18.
Th. Deut. iv. 14-20.
F. 2 Kings x. 18-28.
Sat. Isa. xliv. 9-20.
8. 1 Kings xii. 25-33.

CONNECTED HISTORY.-Jeroboam ruled over the ten tribes, forming a nation known as the "kingdom of Israel;" the other two tribes, clinging to the old government, were called the "kingdom of Judah.' Jeroboam reigned for twenty-two years.

ORDER OF EVENTS.-(48.) Jeroboam becomes king of the ten tribes. (49.) His wicked reign.

TO THE SCHOLAR.-Read the whole chapter carefully, and notice-(1.) That Jeroboam and his party had a just cause of complaint. (2.) They were an swered harshly. (3.) But the spirit they showed was a rebellious spirit: and their next step was into idolatry-rebellion against God.

NOTES.-She'-chem, an old city (Gen. xii. 6); spoiled by Simeon (Gen. xxxiii. 18; xxxiv. 27); a city of refuge (Josh. xx. 7); burialplace of Joseph (Josh. xxiv. 32); capital of the ten tribes; centre of Samaritan worship, now called Nablus, 34 miles north of Jerusalem, and 7 miles south of Samaria; population about 13,000.— Mt. E-phra-im, a range of mountains in the territory of Ephraim, of which Ebal and Gerizim are the most noted peaks.-Pe-nu'-el, or Peniel (Gen. xxxii. 30), a place between the brook Jabbok and Succoth, destroyed by Gideon; rebuilt by Jeroboam; its exact site is not certainly known.-Beth'-el, a place about 12 miles north of Jerusalem; where Abraham built an altar; named by Jacob; Samuel judged there; became a seat of idols (Hosea x. 5); modern name is Beitan.-Dan, the most northern city of Israel, first called Laish; made a seat of idolatry 400 years before Jeroboam's time (Judg. xviii. 30); was about 3 miles west of Cæsarea-Philippi (Banias).

EXPLANATIONS AND QUESTIONS.

Lesson Topics.—(I.) JEROBOAM'S FEAR. (II.) JEROBOAM'S IDOLATRY.

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I. JEROBOAM'S FEAR. (25.) built, fortified or rebuilt (see Judg. ix. 45); Shechem... Mt. Ephraim Penuel. See Notes. (26.) kingdom return, the people return. (27.) go up, Jerusalem was on the highest tableland of Palestine, hence it was up to that city; house of the Lord, the temple built by Solomon'; turn again, accept Rehoboain as king; kill me, as leader of a rebelloin.

I. Questions.-What place did Jeroboam fortify and make his capital? Describe Shechem. What other place did he fortify? Where was Penuel? What did Jeroboam fear? Why did

he fear this?

II. JEROBOAM'S IDOLATRY. (28.) two calves (see Ex. xxxii. 4; 2 Kings x. 29); behold thy gods, so Aaron had said. (29.) Beth-el, on the south side of his kingdom; Dan, at the north border of Israel. (30.) became a sin, Heb." was a sin;" before the one, either more people worshipped the idol at Dan, or "they went to both," even so far as to the one at Dan. See v. 32. (31.) house of high places, an altar or temple to rival that at Jerusalem; priests of the lowest, Heb. "of the masses," of the people, and not of the Levites only. (32.) a feast, like the feast of tabernacles or of harvests, only one month later. The harvest was later in Northern Palestine; offered, Heb. "went up to the altar," acted as priest. (33.) incense, only priests were to offer this. Ex. xxx. 34-38.

II. Questions.-Why did the king take counsel? What did he make? What reason did he give to the people? Where did he place these calves? Why was this a great sin? What did he build as places of worship? Who were made priests? Why was this a sin? What new feast did he appoint? When? To take the place of what? How much later? Why held later? What other sins did Jeroboam commit? v. 32, 33.

What facts in this lesson teach us

(1.) The danger of leaving God's people?
(2.) Of disobeying any of God's commands?

Illustrations.-In sin in sorrow. In the Golden Text it is said. God shall give Israel up. In the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign, Shishak, king of Egypt, invaded Palestine with a powerful army; captured the walled towns of Judah; and would have taken Jeru salem had not Rehoboam given up the treasures of the temple and of his own palace and promised to pay further tribute to Egypt to procure peace. This success Shishak noted on the outside of the great temple at Karnak, giving a long list of the captured towns and districts; and this record has been discovered and lately deciphered by learned scholars, thus giving new proofs of the accuracy of the Bible record. (See "Rawlinson's Hist. Evidences," p. 109.)

Calf-worship. The picture given on this page is a copy of an old sculpture cut into the face of a tall rock found within sight of the old city of Dan. These stone figures doubtless were connected in some way with the old calf-worship so long practiced in that now ruined and deserted city.

Idols in the heart. Travellers tell us of a tribe in Africa so given to idolatry that they fill their huts and hovels with so many idols that they do not even leave room for their families. How many men there are who fill their hearts so full of the idols of sin that there is no room in them for any love to God or any regard for his law!

HYMN, "It is better to trust in the Lord."-Calvary Songs, p. 100.

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ANCIENT CALF FIGURES CUT ON A ROCK NEAR DAN.

JAN. 21.]

LESSON III. ̧

[About 926-910 B.C.

OMRI AND AHAB.—1 Kings xvi. 23–34.

23

RECITE VS. 25, 30, 33.

In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, twelve years: six years reigned he in Tir24 zah. And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, 25 Samaria. But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all that were before 26 him. For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger with their vanities.

27

Now the rest of the acts of Omri, which he did, and his might that he showed, are they not written in the book of the 28 chronicles of the kings of Israel? | So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.

220

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And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two 30 years. And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. 31 | And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, 32 and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. | And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in 33 Samaria. | And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him. 34 In his days did Hiel the Beth-elite build Jericho; he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun.

GOLDEN TEXT.-But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.-2 Tim. iii. 13.

CENTRAL TRUTH.- Wicked men grow worse and worse.

DAILY READINGS.

M. 2 Kings xvii. 7-17.
Micah vi, 1-16.

T.

W. Deut. vii. 1-11.
Th. Ex. xxxiv. 10-17.
F. 2 Tim. iii. 1-13.
Sat. Rev. 11. 20-29.
8. Josh. vi. 17-27.

"Israel"

CONNECTED HISTORY.-Jeroboam had reigned over twenty-two years; Nadab his son two years; Baasha, captain of the army, slew Nadab and his house, and reigned as king twenty-four years; his son Elah reigned two years; Zimri, captain of the army,

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