Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-05-24
CAPTIVITY OF ISRAEL
LESSON Vii, SECOND QUARTER, IN
TERNATioNAL SERIES, MAY "a.

[CompiSed from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per
mission of II. s. Hoffman, publisher, Philodel-
phia
9. an the ninth year Of Hoshea, the king
Of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel
away into Assyria."
After more than $50 years Of continued
rebellion against God, during which time
nineteen kings reigned over them, not one
Of whom did right in the sight OF the Lord, |
Shafmanszer, king OF Asayra, besieged |
Samaha, the capital OF Israel q Kings xvi, |
a. in the sixth year of Hoshoa, and after |
three years took 1t and carried Israel into |
car4ivity Tvs. 10. That God would do
Mis- IL they refused to obey Him He had
Mainly fure&old by His servant Moses Lev.
Ixvi, 27-s3; Dout. xviii, SO, o.. snd by the
prophets He had given them many q warn-
ing, so that they woro without excuse.
T. "For 30 It was, that the children OF
Israel had sinnsd against the Lord their
God, which had brought them up ont OF
the hand of Egypt, etc"
God through Moses, and through his scr
wants Hossn, Amos and Jeremiah, makes
troquepe reference to His bringing them out
Of Egypt as a reason why they should obey
8. "And walked in the statutes of the
heather, whom the Lord cast out from be-
fore the children of Israel"
O. And the children of Israel did secret
those things that were not right against
the Lord their God"
Not only publicly but secretly were they
mingled among the heather and learned
their works" Ops cvi, 80. In the dark they
did wickedly, saying The Lord seeth US
not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth"
10. And they set them up images and
gloves in every high hill and under every
green tree
Even Judah did this also in the days of
the son OF solomon q Kings xiv, u, 23),
and then followed the plundering Of the
temple by the king Of Egypt, only thirty
four years after its dedication Il Kings vi,
IS; xiv, Is, 26). When we consider the
plain commands of God not only not TO
set up these places, but to destroy all such
things and places which the heather had
set up Deut. xvi, 81, q; XII, 81 we are apt
to ask, How could they thus fly in the
face of GodP' But we had better ask our
own hearts.
H. "And there they burnt incense in all
the high places, as did the heatben whom
the Lord carried away before them; and
wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord
to anger"
u. For they served idols, whereof the
- Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do
this thing"
Besides the second commandment re
corded in Elk. Xxx, and Deut. V, listen to
Lev. XVI, l, I'VE shall make you no idols
nor craven image, to bow down
Aineo- 1t, for | am the Lord your God "
n Jehovah their creator and covenant keep
ing God desired 10 be their portion. He
wanted them all for Himself, and He would
be wholly for them. He would be their
shield and their exceeding great reward, az
He said TO Abram.
ID "Yet the Lord testified against Israel
and against Judah, by all the prophets
and all tho seers, saying, Turn ye from
your evil ways"
See some Of His pleading with them ir
Isa- T. 10, Il; lv, Z: Jer. iii, u; XIV, 5; Eek
1xxiii, II; Hos. xiv, l. Thus saith the Lort
God, the Holy One Of Israel, In returning
and rest shall We be saved; in quietness snc
in confidence shall be your strength; and y
would not" lisa. Xxx, l5).
A. Notwithstanding they would nJi
hear, but hardened their neeks, Ike TO- thu
neck OF their fathers, that did not beliey'
in the Lord their God"
- On the last verse we quoted from lsaiat
the sad words, And ye would not" /
was the same all through their history, til
Jesus Himself uttered the same word
N rs. "And they rejected his statutes, an,
is covenant, and they followed vanity an'
Necame vain"
He is wisdom, and wisdom is the princi
pal thing, better than rubies or gold o
silver; but fools despise wisdom; it is to-
high for them prov. iv, 4; viii IL, 10; /, :
XIV, y. In Jer. x, 8, IA, l5 idols ans
idolatry are called lies and vanity. WheI
the people Of Lystra took Paul and BarDa
bas for gods and would have worshipe'
them, Paul exhorted them TO turn from
these vanities unto the living God VIII
made all things Acts xiv, 15).
16. And they left all the commandment
OF the Lord their God, and made ther
molten images"
The calves at Dan and Bethel, and th
idol groves everywhere proclaimed thei
folly. They turned their backs on tn
Creator and worshiped the works Of Hi
hands, sun, moon and stars, rather thai
Himself. It seems TO me that IL we as be
levers think more Of the gifts of God thai
of Himself; If it is Heaven or happiness
or our own personal welfare we are ehsef
seeking, we are in danger Of committin
Israels sin. God Himself is our safv5
ton, and His commandments should b
our delight because He has given Himsel
to us, and obedience TO His last command
go ye into all the world, and preach tn
Gospel 10 every creature" should give u
the greatest JOY of all But If we are MOI
cRcerned about our idols, our own peac
or happiness, or il may be the molte
images we carry in our purses what dos
He think Of usi
H. "And they cas,sed their SONS an
their daughters to pass thruugh the fir
and sold themselves to do evil In the sigh
OF the Lord"
The Moiochs of today are society, fasl
:, ion, pleasure, the dance, the theatre, II
card table, and to this destroying n
from the pit how many sons and dsugl
ters are consecrated God only knows. Fc
an evenings pleasure many who bear tt
name Of Jesus will for the time being sc
themselves to the devil Jesus has bougt
our bodies and souls, and He wants a
there b to us for His glory. Neither II
world, the flesh, nor the devil has q
least claim upon us, nor any right to us.
1S Therefore the Lord was very angr
IL ov.1 ~