The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-28
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The Revolt Predicted .......IK Kings ri, 11-33.
The Revolt OF Sheba. II Sam Xxx, ID
An Updutiful Son. -..............II Sam. XIV, TIA
The Only True Adviser. --....... Pisa. cxviii LIP
The Result of Evil Doing Prov. xiii, 1-25
Soon after the death of Solomon, the kingdom
he left SO rich and prosperous was divided into
no less that five parts. Moab and Edom were
east and south of the Dead sea. and were tribu
tary to the people of Israel Syria included Da
mascus and all north of the Euphrates. The re-
naming two divisions were of Palestine proper,
between the two different kingdoms of Judah
and Israel.
We have in this lesson the incident that led
to this separation, but the causes must be found
in study of the history of the times. There
were three great factors in the case: Jealousy
of Judah, the enforced system of taxation, and
the foolish pride and pomp of Rehoboam, and
the plan of God to have a division of the people
as a punishment of Solomon's sin of idoatry.
All the people OF Israel had come to Shechem
to make Rehoboam king Had ne been wise and
clear headed he might have had the goodwill of
the people, and, without yielding honor or prin-
lar favor as those before him. The people took
the opportunity to petition him for lighter
burdens and less service than they had been
obliged to yield in the preceding reigns.
Kings xii, 4.
l. Advice of the Elders Tho kings first
thought was wise, and he consulted with the old
men that stood before Solomon, his father, men
VINO, from their experience and wisdom, would
advise him wisely. The answer Of the old men
was very wise. 1t was a counsel to humility and
kindness to the people. If thou wilt be a servant
of the people this day, if thou wilt yield thy will
to theirs in this thing and wilt answer them with
kind and good words then they will be thy
servants forever-thou canst do anything with
them, How very sensible. How very proud and
foolish he was not to have seen it. But he
torsook the counsel of the old men for
z Advice of the Young Men.-The King turns
to the young men who had been chosen as his
associates, and seeks their counsel. They
the last persons in the empire to 60 to for advice
All their selfish interests were in the line of
large taxes and levies of which they would
receive large amounts. Very few men can give
unselfsh counsel under such circumstances
Then they were without that knowledge of
human nature and the intense resentment that
comes to men who have been ground down by
oppression They counseled the young king to
add to the heavy yoke, so that his little finger
will be as heavy as his fathers loins to lay
upon them taxes that shall be as much larger
as Solomon's body was larger than Rehoboam's
little finger and to drive them to their tasks,
not with ordinary whips, but with lashes having
thorns braided into them that would sting like
scorpions
g. The Decision of the King-On the third
day, at the appointment of the King, the people
came to Rehoboam. He answered them roughly,
and openly declared his purpose to refuse their
request 1t is hard to conceive how he could
have acted SO foolishly, but he infatuated by
his pride and self-conceit. So are men made
foolish by their own sins and indulgences. In
this case the folly of man worked out Gods plan,
prophet, Ahijah the Shilonite. 1 Kings XII,
11-3l The time had come when division OF
the twelve tribes into two governments would
be better for the world than their union, so long
as union increased their idolatry and their neg
lect of religion. Had they been true to their
duties, disruption would not have been best.
But, separated, and each kingdom would zeal
ously keep the law of Moses. Hence, God
allowed Rehoboam's folly and the consequent
result.
T. The Revolt of the Tribes. When the
people saw the madness of the king, and that
the descendant of David had no love for them,
then they most naturally answered: What por
ton, or interest, have we in Davidl None of
course, and their leaders. seeing that they had
no inheritance or interest in the son of Jesse
Through David and Solomon), uttered cry
familiar in the wilderness: To your tents, o
Israel! and prepare for war; now see to thine
own house David-see for the future, to your
own tribe, and how we'll you can reign over it
phrase that showed their dislike to the house
OF David, that had grown with the years. The
members of the ten tribes who happened to live
in the territory of Judah continued to reside
there under the rule of Rehoboam.
APPLIED TRUTHS.
Take counsel with those who will dare to tell
you the truth Every one, at times, needs coun-
sci. We may habitualy 60 to those who see
everything as we do, and who will but echo our
own thought. Old meI. are not always wise, nor
always competent to advise 1t is not age so
much as the wisdom that comes from experience
that fits a man to advise
He that walketh with wise men shall be
| wise" Association begets kinship. Good coun
sci is priceless heritage. When example and
nrvS r x,ukYt s,a,. -
an Unreasonable good to those who walk in that
way.
Listen to the Cry of the Oppressed. -There
are many sorrows and wrongs in this world
to be righted. Wise men will hearken and
examine into the meaning and Justice of the
cry. Socialism, Nihlism, terrorism, are so
many protests against the authority and the
custom of those in power.
Duty of Those High in Place--It is the
divine idea of place and power that they
are given that we may serve others The
true king is the servant of his people, and as he
serves he wins love and power
''The companion Of fools shall be destroyed"
When one spurns wisdom he must be content
premium on vice. For willful folly there is but
one end-itself is death. He who digs the pit
will be compelled to lie in it,
Value of Kind Words.-There are very few
quarrels that could not be prevented in the be-
ginning by kind words. 1t takes two to make a
quarrel and the hot and hasty answers stir up
strife
Division is sometimes valuable, whatever the
cause In the the church, for instance. De-
nominations is not without compensation The
word, the doctrines, the spirit of Christianity
are the more carefully guarded, as each sect de-
sres to be most thoroughly scriptural and
Christ.like.
Red Lead In Pepper.
New York Sun.
II dislike to SEQ you eat cayenne pepper" said
wholesale grocer to a friend who was putting
the stuff on some raw oysters.
''Why?" said the friend.
The grocer busted a little of the pepper on the