The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-12-11
sABBATH1s
INTERNATIONAL LESSON
DECEMBER Is.
Lesson Text: "Solomon's FALL" Ki19
XII, 4-13-Golden Text: I Cor.
X, 12-Commentarysi

purchase. (Eccl IT,, 10.) No vessel
was used in his house Gt was pld
stone and was thought nothing Of,
of gold; he exceeded all the King
earth for riches and for wisdom, and
earth sought the face Of Solomon to
wisdom, which God had put In his
Chap. K, 21-24) But King Solomon
many strange women Of the nations cod
ing which the Lord had forbidden Iaa
have anything to do with them (sea
and Deut. viii, 8, 4), and these turn
his heart, as God had said they woI
one great popularity Of Israel =
hovah, the only living and tr1
their God dwelling in their mid
they were peculiar people, sepa
all other nations to make known
Jehovah. (Ex. xxxiii, 1877 We ca
to God and at the same time cid
which God forbids, So when Solomon clave
unto these heather women in love ". q God
ceased to occupy His proper place in Solo.
mons heart. ~
''His heart was not perfect with the Lord
his God, as was the heart Of David, his Ia
ther." He had, at the dedication of the tenn
pie, urged the people to let their hearts be-
perfect with the Lord their God that all peo-
pie Of the earth might know that Jehovah =
God and that there Is none else (chap. viii, col
81; but now through these many wives Of his.
his own heart is gone. We are to love
God with the whole heart and whatever else
we love, whether wife or husband, parenl
or children, God Himself must have the fif
place.
5. Solomon went after Ashtoreth,
and after Milcom." These were idols OF
Zidonians and Ammonites. whose wors
was accompanied with abominabfs rites.
as Solomon had taken wives from the$i
tions, and they had probably gone with
to the temple to see the worship Of his
they now persuade him to set up also ii
idols which they had been accustonnedS
worship: and as he had sinned in tak
these wives, he now sins yet more to grait
them.
8. "And Solomon did evil in the sight
the Lord" He did evil in the sight Of nj
he did evil against himself, but the greatla
God. He was the Lords representative, &
he, of al! men, should have been faithful
Jehovah who had so blessed him above al
men. ..-. ~ 81
rs. "Then did Solomon build an high
place for Chemosh, " - and likewisej
did he for all his strange wives" Thus add
ing sin to sin, the more evil associates We
have, the more sin we are likely to comm1t4
and if we put ourselves under the least obi
cation to an ungodly person we cannot well
deny them a favor when they ask 1t, even
Righteousness cannot have fellowship WIT
unrighteousness nor light with darkness
Cor. vi, IA; Eph. ", 1D. Let US walk in
light and avoid all appearance OF evil. Son
Of these denominations which Solomon built
on the Mount of Olives remained over tme1
hundred years, until the days Of Josiah
Kings xiii, 49,; showing us how lasting
and far reaching sin is and how hard TO
undo.
0. 1.-THE Lord was angry with Solomon y
So we read that Jehovah was angry with
tx, s, 90; II XII. xvii, 1S); and that while
He is slow to anger and great in mercy, yet
there is day coming when it will be u for
those who aTe not hid N the Rock of Ages.
~CNa61m l.. b! aep:-H., 2, 81. It is hard for
us to think Of anger apart from sin, bntf
when we read of the anger Of God we must4
think only Of the righteous Indignation OF
holy God who cannot sin. He does not de-
sire the death Of any sinner. but rather that
the wicked turn from his evil ways and live
Ezek. xviii, 80; 1xxiii., il; II Pet. ILL.,, ~;
given, for Jesus's sake, and sing: 20 Lord, ~
will praise Thee; though Thou vast angry
with me, Thine anger is turned away, and.
Thou comfortest me-" lisa. xii, ~
"His heart was turned from the Lord God
Of Israel, which had appeared unto hum ;
twice." The Lord had appeared to him at.
Gideon, when He said "Ask what shall give
thee" and again in answer to his prayer at
the dedication Of the temple tchap. ILL, 5; X,
p, and these high favors in addition to all
the other blessings, should have kept Sole
mon faithful to his God; but alas for the
desperate wickedness of the human heart
and how marvellous the long suffering and
patience of Jehovah? *
10. HE kept not that which the Lord COM
manded." 1t was case OF direct ana WILL
ful disobadience. He was forbidden to multi
ply horses or wives or silver or gold, and yet Z
these were the very things he did; he was
commanded to keep by him copy, OF the
law and read therein all the days OF his hie,
but this he evidently did not do, and conse- {
uuently, not being anchored, ne dritted on
the rocks, (Deut. xvii, 14-20.) What con-
trast to his father, who said: 20. how love
Thy law; it is my meditation all the day"
FPS. cxix., 81; and, "By the word OF Thy hps
/ have kept me from the paths OF the de-
stroyer." Ps. xviii, A. -
II 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 disobedlence roDs
us of our blessings. Listening to the temper
and becoming persuaded by him that 10 eaS
of the tree Of knowledge would prove an au-
vantage,
God. Sought present qualification and thus
brought sin and misery upon the Waoie
human race. Esau, for the present graunc2-
tion of q mess of pottage, despised his olrtn-
right and all it's high privileges. Acham,
for fine present qualification Of some gold and
poodly raiment brought upon himself and MS
Household fearful Judgment. Here we nave
Solomon gratifying himself to the 1uil, re,
eardless of consequences or OF the coniinanu
he lii a.
ham ond Moses, on the other hand, and the
list of worthless of Heb. Xi. got their eyes
and hearts fixed upon the realities or an
etarnal city and kingdom, and thus were en-
obIed 70 walk with God in obedience mere,
setting q right value upon present thlngs
and treating them accordingly. -
10 Notwithstanding, in thy days | VIII
moi, do it. for David thy fathers sake; Wnne
godliness is not hereditary. yet who Can est
mate the benefit of godly parents, on tns3
blessings which come to US through those~
ubo love Lord Jesus. Let tie children con-
s;der this and contrast the condi; ion Oh many
whose parents know not God with the conol-
tion of the children of pious parents. :,
stI will rend it out of the hand OF tiny son:
u.re ;s tbe contrast: Solomon derives beneht
from his fathers piety, while Solomon's son
is to suffer because of his fatleEs lmpie5y;
so that evil doing reaches to others besides
the evil doer.
1s For David My servants sake, and for
,Jerusal ms sake, which have chosen Inc .
blessing that will yet come to Jerusalem ps
cause God has chosen it, shall be seen III nin.
lennial days, but leaving that notice tlas
David was not only Solomons father: he was
the servant of Jehovah; one of the highest
titles that can be given to mortal man, mas,
much as it is one of the titles OF the Lord
Jesus Himself, who shall yet be the salvation
of God unto the ends of the earth lisa. xiii,
/: Xix, g.. and for whose sake any one may