Omaha daily bee., 1877-01-20
SUNDAY SCHOOL DEPARTMENT.


T1ME-B. C. s2s-sls. PLACE
Kingdom Of Israel chiefly IL
Samaria, the capital. CIRCUM
gTANCEs-Asa was King of Judah
Jehu, son of Hanani, was q prophet
of Judah. Elijah and Micaiat
were prophets of Israel.
CONNECTING LINK.
FOrty-six years interviewed be.
tween the events of the last lesson
and those in the beginning of this.
Jeroboam reIgned twenty-five
years, during the latter part OF
which, Asa, the grandson of Reho.
beam, came to the throne OF Judah
and reigned forty.one years. During
all his reign Israel was in q most
unsettled state, and there were lour
different dynasties -Jeroboam's,
Baasha's, Zonri's and Omri's.
Much of the time there was war be
tween Judah and Israel. Jeroboam
changed his capIlal from Shechem
to Tinzah. l Kings, I4:I7.
EXPLANATORY.
Verse %. "1hirty-frst year OF
Asa" This was the f~orty-seventh
year of the divided kingdom. Asa
was Rehoboam's grandson.-"On-
r' 2Cnron 2:z2. Nadar, In the
second year of Asa, succeeded JerO-
boam to the throne of Israel and
reigned nearly two years. &c was
slain by Baasha, OF the tribe of Is
sacher. at the siege of Gibbethon,
und the same year made himself
king. He utterly destroyed the
house of Jeroboam and reigned
twenty years. Elah, the sou of
Baasha, succeeds his father. Zimri,
one of the captains, conspires
against HIM and Kills him and all
the family of Baacha. The royal
army was in two divisions, and ON.
ri was the other captain, and In the
royal line he was accordingly chosen
king by mis- army, and he marched
against Zimri, the usurper, who fed
and persisted IN the flames of his
hsrem. Oinri reighned over Israel
twelve years.
Verse "a. thought the HILL So-
maria" Zimri had burned the roy.
al palace at Iirgah and Omri chose
the hill Samaria for his residence.
This was six miles from Sheohem,
anu combined strength, beauty and
fertility. The palace was built Of
hown stone and cedar. He paid
Shemar for the sight 5000 with
the condition that the name should
not be changed.
VERSE rs. "Omri wrought euun
I'd Chron. 13:32-2d Kings, 1924
John A. In tbs eyes of the Lord
his conduct on the thorne was
worse than all the kings before him
Omri means = rebellIon-he was a
gross idolator, Michah. Lilo. He
reduced calf worship to a system
which went down to ~posterity. Jer-
oboam made Israel TO sin by exam
pie and temptation, Omri by COM
pulsion. He brought about a mar.
riage between Ahab his Son and
heir and Jezebel daughter of the
king of Tyre. Verse 1913.
VERSE ~. "Acts of Omr." Om-
ri was enterprising and prudent and
secured prosperity to the kingdom,
he greatly furthered trade and COM
merce. "Book of the Chronicles"
Not the Canonical books, but q
record not In any Bible, written by
some authorized person, LIST Kings,
22:s-2d Kings, 14:25.
VERSE ~. "Ahob ths ION of ON.
NJ" A weak man, overcome by
the powerful will of a woman. He
was brave in battle, and persisted
fighting valiantly in battle at
Kamoth.G ilead. He had a palace
of ivory, and founded several cities.
His outward magnificence was
dimmed Oy a darker shadow of in
iquity than that which fell on the
glory OF any Of his predecessors.
VERSE 80. "EWl d6oUe dH." He
made no alteration in the conduct
of the kings, his predecessors. The
king had about him many priests of
Bael and false prophets. He inaug
urated a new species of iniquity for
he adjured Jehovah and entirely
his relation to Israel,
set up for worship Bael and Ashto-
rath, the two devotes of the Sidoni-
ans. The adoption of this worship
was q total apostasy to Jehavah and
a return to the ancient Idolatry of |
the land, so he did worse than all
who had gone before him. ". SO.
Verse 81. "Jezebl is the
first of the northern Kings who
practiced polygsmy; his first and
chief wife, was one OF the old &C.
cursed Canaanitish race, a daughter
of Eth baal, King of Tyre; with this
q new influence, like poi
son transformed the King as into
another person. Jezebil had no
relenting, her great ambi.
was the determination of Jebo-
rah's prophets. Her portrait Shakes
peare drew i'm Lady Macbeth. Her
husband, a plant tool, ana she Jez-
ebil to the end, hooking cOnquarer
beneath whose chariot wheels she
Is crushed to death.
"Eth-bdap' was the great grand
of Pygmalion, and of Dido,
founder of Carthage, whose story
is told by Virgil In his Eneid.
king of Zidonians," also King of
Tyre, the people of both cities COL
Iectively are called In scripture III
donlaps. Judges 1877.
"Served Baaw list Kings, 2l-25.
28.) Master, Lord, or husband.
Very often Baal was a representa-
live of the sun. Nc human sacrifices
Or swine were offered to him, and
the fire constantly burned upon his
altar.
Verse 80. "house of Bdalin tan,-
ana Ut was large enough to con-
tain all the worshippers Of his
northern kingdom. Four hundred
and fifty prophets frequented 1t. In
The interior was an inner secret
apartment In which was seated or
on pillars their deities; In the
,entre was the 'foun-god" Baal;
him were the inferior del.
les. In front OF the temple on q
stone pillar stood the figure of Baal
Verse SS-"Ahab made q groUe."
Kings, 13:6-17:10-2l:S-Jer, 17:1-2.
In olden times alters were only
to the Gods. 1t was thought
wrong to shut up the Gods within
and hence trees were the first
empies. Their high antiquity, g