The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-12-13
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
- DECEMBER 1o.
Lesson Text: "Soiomon's Fall" kings
ri, Alb Golden Text: I Cor. T..
12-C, mmentary Oh tho
Lesson.

xi, Alb Golden Text: Cor. T..
f2-C mmentary Oh tho
~ "It came to pass when Solomon was old,
that his wives turned away his heart after
other gods.v As TO the things Of this world,
on yhlch thA hes Of peoplein all ages have
them RfchB Va honor he enjoyed to the
full and all the pleasures that wealth could
purchase. Feel. H., 1O.) No vessels Of silver
was used in his house dt was plentiful as
stone and was thought nothing of, all were
of gold; he exceeded all TIE Kings Of the
earth for riches and for wisdom, and ali the
earth sought the face of Solomon to hear his
wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
| Chap. K, 21-2t) But King Solomon loved
many strange women of thonations, concern
| ing which the Lord had forbidden Israel tc
| have anything to do witt, them see v. 2,
| and Deut. vii, 3, A., and these turned away
| his heart, as God had said they would. The
| one great popularity of Israel was that Je-
| hovah, the only living and true God, was
| their God dwelling in their midst, and thus
| they were peculiar people, separated from
| oil other nations to make known the name OF
Jehovah. lex. xxNiii, l6l We cannot cleave
| to God and at the same time cleave to that
| which God forhids, So when Solomon clave
| unto these heathep women in love ". p God
ceased to occupy His proper place in Solo
mons heart.
1
! his God, as was the heart of David. his ia
ther.' He had, at the dedication of the tem-
| pie, urged the people to let their hearts be
| perfect with the Lord their God that all peo-
| pie of the oarS might know that Jehovah is
Ge-l and that ths<e is none else tchap. viii, 60
| 6D; but now through these many wives OF his
! his own heart is gone. We are to love
| God with the whole heart, ard whatever else
| we love, whether wife OF husband, parents
or children, God Hims IF must have the first
| place.
| 5. Solomon went after Ashtoreth,
| and after Milcom.' These We're idols of the
Zidonians and Ammonitcs. whose worship
| was accompanied with abominable rites; but
as Solomon had taken wives from these ma
| tions, and they had probably gone with him
! TO the temple 10 see the worship of his God,
| they now persuade him to set up also their
| idols which they had been accustomed to
| worship; and as he had sinnel in taking
these wives, he now sins yet more to crafty
| them.
g. land Solomon did evil in the sight of
! the Lord" He did evil in the sight of men,
| he did evil against himself, but the greatness
| of his sin was the fact that it was against
God He was the Lords representative, an-l
| he. of all men, should have been faithful to
| Jehovah who had so blessed him above all
| men.
rs. "Then did Solomon build an high
place for Chemosh, i r and likewise
did he for all his strange wives Thus add
\ ing sin to sin, the moro evil associates we
have, the moro sin We are likely to commit;
and if " mt ourselves under the least obi
CATION I'd I'm ungodly person VIC cannot well
deny the favor when they ask it, even
though know it is wrong to grant it.
Righteo,S hess cannot have fellowship with
unrighteS isnesS, nor light with darkness III
| Cor vi, u: Eph. v. II. Let lis walk in the
light ant, ,avoid all appearance of evil. Some
of these denominations which Solomon built
on the Yount of Olives remained over three
hundrcdycars, until the days ot Josiah III
|
and far icachng sin is and how hard to
undo.
o. The lord was angry with Solomon"
So we read that jehovah w2s angry with
Moses aud Aaron and Israel tDeut. iv.. 81:
iX., :. 20; III II. xvii. lsl: and that while
lie is slow Ia arSer aud great in mercy. vet
there is a day coming when IL will be i'll for
those who are not hid in the Rock of Ages.
Nahum l.. 3: tep H.. =. ~. II is hard for
MS to think OF anger apart from sin hat
-r,ihrn we rCad0f the anger ri God we must
think only of tlc righteous indignation rf n
holy God who cannot sin. He does not de-
sire the death o, any sinner. but rather that
the seS wics sy4cis 4i from EHn his EVIL TIys P and live y
81, IS sake. ana sing: 20 Lord, 1
wiz iMGAN a.; though Thou vast angry
with S&i' anger is turned away. and
Thou co tx st me- lisa. xii, ~
His Was turned from tho Lori God
of lsrae. lrch had appeared unto him
twice. ord had appeared 10 him at
,hss S"4 Sn.ws Ak ,H %'St at. s9sl gSS
the {. .Sdn,cif the temple tch@p: iii, ,; ;ix;;;
y, aRks 'righ favors in addition to all
the, {fnfngs. should have kept Solo
mon fYf to his God: but alas for the
desp$ t;sickC;lneSS of the hunan heart:
and " b ..arvclous the long ,ldrcring and
patcncsk jehovah?
10 - kept not that which tine Lord COM
manded 1t was a case of direct and will
fu diSo6tlience. He was forbidden to multi
ply hors Il or wives or silver or gold and yet
these WI the very things lie did; he was
commaI Id to keep by him copy OF the
Jaw and 4nd therein all The days of his life,
but thistS evidently did no. do, and couse-
puently t)t being anchored he drtted on
the rock Il tDeut xvii, l4-2o) What a con-
trast to fHfathcr who said: 80, how love |
Thy lav\Hj is my meditation all the day"
! Rs. cxiK.9k0; and, by the word Of Thy lips
| have kept mo from the paths of the de-
stroyer.' (Ps. xviii, ~
81 will surely rend the kingdom from thee
and give it to thy servant The record of
this will be found more at length in our next
lesson; but notice here how diSobedience robs
us of our blessings. Listening to the tealpter
and becoming persuaded 10y him that TO eat
of the tree OF knowledge world prove an nd-
vantage Adam and Eve, i'll disobedience to
God, sought present qualification and thus
brought sin and misery upon the whoic
human race. Esau, for til" present gratitica-
tion of a meSs of pottaGc, dcspised his birth
right and all its high privileges. Achanl.
for the present qualification OF some gold and
goodly rameut, brought upUnhimsclf and his
household n fearful Judgment Here we have
Solomon gratifying himself !" th" full, re.
garlless of consequences on "f the command
of God, and thus he loses the kingdom. Ahra-
ham and Moses, oi: the other hand, and the
list of worthless of Heb. ri. cot their eyes
and hearts fixed upon tn" realities of IN
eternal city and kingdom, and thus We're en-
abled to walk with God in obedience here,
setting a right value upon present things
and treating them accordingly.
12. notwithstanding, i'll thy days will
not do il, fcr David thy fathers sake. While
godliness is not hereditary, vet who can csti-
mate tho benefit OF godly parents, or the
blessings which come to us through those
who love Lord Jesus. Let the children con.
slider this and contrast the condition of many
whose parents know not God with the condi.
ton of the Chidren of pious parents.
al will rend it out OI the hand Of thy son.
Here is the contrast: solomon dc'iveS hcmejit
from his fathers piety, while SctomonS soi:
is to suffer because of his 'atts"'S imricty;
so that evil doing reaches to others besides
the evil doer.