The National tribune., 1891-01-01
SUNDAY MEDITATION.
Practical Dates Taught bT . study of the Inter.
national Sunday-schOOl Lesson Appointed for
Jan. III, 1891. 1 HI, IL 1888.

HatAE. AAa-AA Htuly OF lnLeF-
national Sunday school Lesson Appointed for
Jan. III, 1891. 1 HI, IL 1888.
zone reading these notes should arst carefully
Indicated Ebove.I
SUBJECT: The IDOLATRY, sAcRrLEGE, Pre-
SUMPTION AND DIsTRUsT or JERoBoAM.
!. Preliminary.
The people appealed to Rehoboam to lessen
their national burdens. 10: 3, A. He do
liberated for three days and then declined TO
make any promises. Tvs. Is, H. The ten tribes
TO the north. that is to say AI the tribes except
judah and Benjamin. rebelled and formed q
separate kingdom. (V. 49, They would not
recognize the authority Of RehOboam. and even
went so far as TO Stay his representative,
Adoram, who attempted 70 collect tribute In
the northern territory. Nv. 49, The 10 tribes
invited JerOboam to become their King. ". POI
Judah and Benjamin are practically considered
rs one tribe. The tribe Of Benjamin is, how
ever, specifically mentioned in verses 81 and
%. When Ahijah the prophet mo. Jeroboam
and declared 20 him the future division OF the
u tribes into two parts he used the object
method Of teaching. He took hold Of new
garment which JerOboam was wearing, and
tore it into - pieces. declaring that only 10
pieces were for JerOboam. and therefore hand
ing him that number. The Kingdom Of Israel
was always afterwards known as that Of the
Ten Tribes. JerObOam five years before knew he
was 10 become the King Of the northern Gov
eminent. 1l:3j.) Though Ahijah and Jero-
boam were alone, l11:29,) yet the prophecy
Of Ahijah became known in sOmo way to Solo
mon. III 40) Jeroboam was therefore
obliged to escape. lie fed into Egypt. III:
40; l2:2 RehobOam decided 10 force the
Ton Tribes into subsection 10 his authority.
He got together his military forces and was
about to march against Jer0bOam, when the
prophet Shemaiah brought him q message from
God forbiddiDg any attack on the Ten Tribes.
ti2: 2l-2i.l 10 Is greatly in the favor of Be
hob0am that he Obeyed the command. IL was
well indeed he was not so stubborn IS to for
sake this counsel as he lad tina. OF the old
men. I2:8J
The great purpose of God as TO the Jews was
TO preserve a people from whom the Messiah
might ally descend. The particular branch 10
be thus honored must be kept as much intact
as possible from idolatry. The real object Of
God conld be served if that tribe alone froa
which Jesus was TO spring could be preserved.
That particular tribe was judah. That tribe
therefore must be maintained aud guarded.
III 81, 80 3e.) The narrowing down Of ths
chosen people might promote their separate
ness and purity. The Kingdom of Solomon had
been so grossly evil that punishment by d.
vision was warranted.
The work OF secession was complete. The
two Kingdoms became acknowledged, separate
Governments. Both Kings (Rshoboam and
Jeroboamj began to rule at practically the
same date. Rehoboam reigu5d IL years and
JeEoboaIn % years.
g. Data.
The only Scriptural account we have CT the
facts Of this lesson is that Of XII, ~: 1888.
1t Is supposed tho first book Of the Kings was
written BY the Prophets Cad and Ahiiah. It
covers history of about 11s ysars-frOm lois
y. c. TO 596 b. G.
We date A. II. 3O29. or g75 3. G. Solomon
Tribes took place only little before this lesson
begins. Jeroboam had just returned from
Egypt. after an absence Of about five years.
ql:4O; 12:2.J
A. Places
Jeroboam made Shechem his Capital. II lay
in valley between Mt. Ebal and ut. Gerizm,
in SamaTa. (St John. 4:5) It was "a miles
north Of jerusalem, aud belonged TO the tribe
OF Ephraim. IL was called Sichem in Gen,
1876; Sychem, Acts, z: 16; Sychar, St. John,
&: ,; NeapOl.s by Yespasian Nablu5 by the
Arabs. IL was known when Abram went into
Canaan. tGen., 10 6.) Near 1t Jacob was
buried. Gen, 80 10, 10. and Acts, 7 49, It
was ono OF the cities Of refuge. Josh, 20:7)
Joshua delivered his farewell address there
Josh, PAIL IL was his place Of burial
Josh, "a 32) Abimelech destroyed it. (Jud.,
9 a. Thither the enemies Of RehOboam led
him that they might the better accomplish
their purpose Of dethroning him. Il XII, ~: IL
Penuel. ~. 25.) The place Is also called
Pencil. Gen, 80 3d. It is the place where
Jacob passed through that fearful struggle be-
fore meeting Esau. (Gen., 80: 24-32.) Gideon
threatened it because 1t refused to supply him
with provisions when he was on q military ex-
ploit. (Jud., 3: 8, o. He destroyed its tower.
tJud., 3:l7.) 1t vas about 20 miles east of the
Jordan. 1t lay in the route from Shechem to
Damascus and gave protection to persons ford
ing the JabbOk. 1t was an important military
defense. 1t became a sort of second Capital to
the Kingdom Of Israel. 1t was Of special SER
vice in attacks from the east. The word PEN
uel means he face Of God and refers to the
fact Jacob met God as it were, face TO face at
that place. Probably Jeroboam had a palace
there aud thoroughly organized detachment
OF sOldiers
Bethel. CY. 29.) Abram stopped near there
when passing through from the northern to the
southern part Of Canaan. (Gen., 1873; 10 81
There Jacob saw the ladder reaching from earth
10 Heaven. Gen, % IL, II 49, Later Jacob
bGiit an altar there. Gen, So: IL There
Samuel judged. There was q school of the
prophets. There several prophets bad been
buried. 10 was crowded with holy memories
Its very name means house Of God, and this fact
would help reconcile the people to making it q
center for religious worship but Jeroboam con-
stituted il headquarters for idOlatry, and the
Prophet Hosea, by sort Of pun, called il
BethaVeD, which means the house Of Udnity
Hos, Is; 1851 1t was on the route from
Shechom 10 Jerusalem, and thus persons would
be intercepted if setting out for Jerusalem. Ii
was handy for people living in the southern
part of the Kingdom Of Israel Within about
20 years Abijah recovered Bethel for the King
dom Of Judah, necessitating the subjects Of
JerobOam and his successors to 60 TO Dan.
Dan. (Y. 29.) That place was at the foot Of
Mt. Hermon, in tho extreme northern part of
Canaan. When Palestine was one it was COM
mon to speak Of it as q whole as the land from
Dan TO Beersheba, the last place being in the
extreme southern part. After the division of
the land into two kingdoms Dan was the ex-
treme city of the Kingdom of Israel to the
north and Bethel to the south, hence one could
describe the Kingdom Of JerObOam az follows
from Dan TO Bethel. Abram rescued Lot at
Dan. (Gen., II: H. 1t was named after Dan.
(Jud., Is: %, 29.) We remember that the DAN
ties at one time, long before this lesson, wOr-
SHIPPED craven images (Jud.. IS: 30, 3D. 1t
was called Leshem. JOSH, 10: Az 1t was
also called Lash. (Jud., Is !: IA Dan was a
handy place OF worship for subjects Of Jero-
bOam.
God designated Jerusalem as the exclusive
place Of worship, aud JerobOam had the hardi-
hood 20 teach his subjects that they could much
more conveniently worship st Dan and Bethel.
He was led by fear. He thought that his sub
jects, by often going up to Jerusalem, would
with greater difficulty be led 10 uphold the
~ - l. Al n -