The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1885-07-09
The Sunday Schools.
LESSON FOR NEXT SUNDAY

, Kings IL. 25-33.
25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mo un
Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went ou
from thence, and built Penuel.
26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shal
the kingdom return to the house of David:
27 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
of Judah.
2S Whereupon the king took counsel, and
made two calves of gold, and said unto them
1t is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem
behold thy gods, o Israel, which brought them
up out Of the land of Egypt.
20 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other
put he in Dan.
80 And this thing became sin: for the peo-
pie went to worship before the one, even unto
Dan.
81 And he made house of high places, and
made priests of the lowest of the people, which
were not of the sons of Levi.
80 And Jeroboam ordained feast in the
eighth month, the fifteenth day of the
month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and
he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel
sacrificing unto the calves that he had made:
and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high
| places which he had made.
| 80 So he offered upon the altar which he had
made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth
month, even in the month which he had de-
vised of his own heart; and ordained a feast
| unto the children of Israel: and he offered up
on the altar, and burnt incense.
GOLDEN TEXT.-Thou shalt have no other
gods before me. Exod. 20. 3.
TIME-B. G. $40.
PLACES.-1. Shechem, in Central Palestine:
2. Penuel on the brook Jabbok, in Eastern
Palestine; 3. Dan, at the source of the Jordan:
4. Beer-sheba, on the southern border of JUDAH
5. Bethel, in the tribe of Benjamin; 6. Jerusa-
lem, the capital of Judah.
When Rehoboam, King of Judah,
sought the advice of his young men, and
concluded to increase the burdens of Is
rael, Jeroboam appeared as the champion
and spokesman for the tribes of Isaael,
asking that the burdens of the people be
lightened. When, in consequence of a
refusal on the part of the King, the ten |
tribes took to their tents, and renounced |
allegiance to Rehoboam, Jeroboam ima-
gined himself great leader, as he really |
was in some respects, but being King ov-
er the ten tribes, he could not see beyond |
the present in his conception of glory.
He hoped to establish a new form of re-
igion, for his own Kingdom, which
should have the outward form of true
worship, in many respects. Shechem be
built in the center of Palestine, and Pen
uel was the place where Jacob wrestled
with the angel
He hoped to hold together his people
to this new form of worship.
but he had little faith in them, and
feared that they would kill him and again
return to their allegiance to Rehoboam,
King of Judah. But he would hold
them. Therefore he made two calves of
gold, and called his people to behold their
true form of worship. This a sad thing
for the King because the people, possess
ing idolatrous tendencies, eagerly fiocked
to the worship of the idols, and were not
long in being led into career of evil.
His selection of Priests of the lowest of
the people was perhaps to strengthen
himself with the people, through these.
Like the true politician, he sought to
make himself great name among his
own people, and made great feasts, and
demonstrations Of zeal in their behalf.
The points of this lesson are, first, the
evil of trusting to our own wisdom, sec
ond, the deceitfulness of sin; third, the
power of q wicked mans influence; let ,
is shun all of them.