Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-12-27
REVIEW OF THE QUARTER.
LESSON XIII, FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TERNATlONAL SENlES, DEC. 20.

given the thrilling details OF that mOmentOus
transition period in Israelitish history-the
change from commonwealth ruled by
judges to centralized monarchy, the errors
and follies of Saul, the first monarch, and
then his melancholy failure and destruction.
Following in natural order, the lessons of the
quarter now closing tell of the consolidation
of power in David, the rise of the Jewish
kingdom and its marvellous glory under Solo
mon, followed, alasl all too soon by apostasy,
idolatry, division and the beginning of long
decay
In all the histories written by man there is
no such instructive lesson in government as
is contained in these chapters. Each succeed
ing age, since the civilized world became
Christian has studied this history with new
light as events taught wisdom, and successive
governments have prospered or decayed as
they obeyed or neglected the teachings of
these chapters Even If we could lay aside
the purely moral lesson and study this his
tory guide in the science of government.
we should still find in every chapter of it
prophecy of what painful experience has so
often shown modern nations, namely, that
all the nations which forget God shall be
given over to destruction Israers kings
obeyed God and received wisdom and guild
ance; wisdom and the favor of God brought
national freedom and glory; prosperity and
glory corrupted ruler and people and they
apostatized apostasy brought division decay
and destruction, and that right speedily.
Shall the divine lesson be lost in our own be-
loved nationi
The quarter opens with the union of the
tribes under David. 1t was the final act in
the construction of nation. Seven years
and half he had reigned in Hebron, and he
was to reign thirty three years in Jerusalem,
but his first duty was to complete its con-
quest from the Jebusites. 1t then became the
capital of the nation, and, despite the later
division between the tribes, it remained the
great Israelite center for 1,ll6 years, for
David conquered the Jebusites 1916 B. c., and
Titus destroyed Jerusalem 70 A. D. But dur.
ing some fifty years of this period Jerusalem
lay desolate, the people having been dispersed
or taken into Babylon. Little by little in
the first six centuries of the Christian era a
new and inferior Jerusalem rose upon the
ruins of the old, and today, 1888 years after
David's conquest, Jerusalem remains the hope
of the Israeltes and place of pious pilgrim.
age to Chrlstians-a continuing witness of
the fulfilment of prophecy.
The successive lessons of the quarter tell
us of the national union under David, the
bringing of the ark to Zion, the triumphs of
David by which he secured peace to the peo-
pie, his SIM punishment, repentance and
death. The scene then suddenly changes
The man Of war has cleared the way and
partially collected the materials, now the
man of peace is to build the temple and usher
in the golden age of Jerusalem. Solomon
takes the kingdom, adds vastly to its wealth
receives from God a special gift of wisdom
builds and dedicates the temple, and the
fame of his wisdom is great among all the
nations of the east This was the golden age
of Judaism, and here the devout Christian
and the patriotic Israeite alike would fair
pause and dwell lovingly on such situation
But the time was short. Solomon sinned
against light and knowledge, He had before
him the divine command not to multiply
wives lest his heart turn away" But he
transgressed the law, and soon it was said OF
him that 'his heart was not perfect with tn,
Lord his God, was the heart of David, hi
father" He took wives of the ueighborinl
nations, though expressly forbidden to do 5,
Deut viii, and they led him into idolatry
"For Solomon went after Ashtoreth (o
Astarte), the goddess of the Zidonians, anC
after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammo
nites," imaginary deities, worshiped with Oh
scene and disgusting ceremonies
Then did Solomon build high place fo
Chemosh, the abomination of Moab
And likewise did he for all his strange ttha
is, foreign wives, which burnt incense an,
sacrifice unto their gods" and the punish
ment came swiftly. God spared him for hi
time. but told him his son should lose most o
the kingdom. And SO tproved for Jeroboan
stirred up rebellion against Rehoboam, sol
and successor of Solomon, and all Israel fol
lowed Jeroboam except the tribe of Judai
and the tribe of Benjamin.
Then began the decline of Israel, and 70
about 20 years the kingdom Of Judah all,
the kingdom of Israel continued side by side
sometimes at peace, often at war, ever jeal
Gus of each other and in condition of per
petual decay. At length the condition of Is
rael became wretched to an extreme usurpa
ton, conspiracy, revolt and murder of king
became common. Baasha massacred the of
spring of Jeroboam; his son, Elah, was mur
dered while drunk by Zimri, and Zimri wa
in few days overthrown by Tirzah, Zmr
being burned in his own palace And so tn
regime of murder, tyranny and idolatr
went on till the Assyrians came, and abou
I'll B. c. utterly destroyed the remains O
the miserable kingdom and scattered the dc
graded inhabitants through Asia. These ar
the Ten Lost Tribes" whose location wa
long matter of speculation to the learned
but it is now known that they never gath
cred into one place, but remained "a hssin
and byword," and fragments of them ar
found to this day in all the east, even to tn
"Black Jews" of China and India
The Bible does not give particulars. but W
can easily see how the miserable Israelitt
looked back with mingled pride and sorro'
to those days when Solomon still enjoyed tn
favor of God and the glory of the Lord wa
visible on Mount Zion, when the nation we
one, when the Almighty was Himself its Law
giver and His choice was their anointed kinl
How often must they have shed bitter teal
at thought of the apostasy of their father
and the idolatry of their great king no
often did they cry aloud for mercy and Ion
for return of the scepter to Israel But
vain The whole tenor of Bible histor
teaches that a nation may sin away its da
of grace-the scattered Israeltes must wa
and suffer till Gods appointed time to reca
them Meanwhile their presence in all lane
isl continuing witness If prophecy-a mirac
as stupendous as any recorded. Would
wise men have sought TO discredit the mir,