The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1891-01-09


LESSON TExT--i Kings ie:>5a
GorDEN TExr-Thou shalt not make unto
thee any craven imarc.-Ex. 2O;A
CENTRAL TnrTH-The brightest hopes are
ruined By disobedicnce.
TINE a. G M Jerobcam reigned twenty
Two years. Till u. O. Sol
PLACE Kingdom Of Israel The capital %
shechem. and Tuzah; the ceniers Of worship ~
Bethel and Dan
PARALLEL AccorST-e chron. chaps II, -
HELPS OVER HARD PLACEs-c5. ''Bnilt:''
built o. fitted fcr his capital. rShcchem" tho
largest town In Erlram. his own tribe; cen
traliy situated for his capital. Mount Eph-
rain" the hill country o. Ephraim. Pcnuel'
face Of Goi): east OF the Jordan on the brook
Jabbok II was for . defense Of his eastern
borders Here Jacob had wrcsfled with the
angel Gen. 3e:ss3.) q. III this people do
sacrifice" etc. n Jerusalem should continue
10 be the religious capital. and the people went
up there three times year as commanded
there would soon be reunion OF the kingdoms
xiii me-" Jcrohoam; 10 make the reunion
possible. IS Two calves" probably oxen
with wings. limitations 81 the chcrubm over
the ark. and the colossal ones In Solomon
temple "a Kings :xl2Sl. one Of whose fourfaces
was that or an OK lie allied his worship 20 the
old. They were not intended 20 be false gods.
but symbols Of Jehovah. ~. Bethel house
az Cod : an ancient place Of worship On the
southern borders Of Ephrairn. twelve miles
north OF Jerusalem. Dan: an old heathen
shrine Ia the extreme north. nj the sources Of
the jordan fScc Jndg 1871 :29) 30 became
sin" Il II broke the second comm andment,
(o) II led 20 dolatry; 49, IL made the people
irreligious: "a II led 70 the irmoraiites OF
idol Worship. 81. Lowest 81 the pcopic."
rather ali classes Of the people. The priests Of
the Lcvites had gone over 20 Rchoboam. q
chron li.i3f4) g. Feast In the eighth
month" November. instead OF feast Of Taber-
nacles. their thank sgiying day. In the seventh
month As ordained by God- Their harvest was
later than the harvest OF Judah
LESSON COMMENTS.
Jeroboam was afraid lest his people.
IL they went to Jerusalem TO worship,
would revolt against him. So TO avoid
this result he committed q great sin. II
Jeroboam had only had more faith in God
he would never have adopted SO wicked
a course. For God had promised him IL
he evercame to His throne that III thou
wilt hearken unto all that ! command
thee, and wilt walk in my ways. and do
that is right in my sight to keep my
statutes and my commandments, as
David. my servant did. then will be
with thee and build thee sure house.
as built for David. and will give Israel
unto thee" Il Kings l1:3sl. But the
wicked King thought he knew better
than God, and so he forsook Gods law
and established idolatry.
Did Jeroboam's evil device for estab-
fishing his kingdom really help him?
| No; for though hand join in hand, the
wicked shall not 60 unpunished' prov.
| 11:an. In the very next chapter but
| one we arc told how the anger OF God
1 burned against this wicked King. God
| said II will bring evil upon the house
! OF Jeroboam" because OF his iniquity.
| That sin. which Jeroboam thought
| would help him. in reality was the
stumbling block over which be fell into
ruin.
| Jcroboam's sin consisted in 'doing
evil, that good might come therefrom. =
and just here lies the sin Of great
many people in modern days. There
are many people, for example, who deal
dishonesty in their business, and then,
a. an excuse, they say: I'VE must live
That they must earn : living Is true,
but Il Is not true that in order
to do this they must be dis
honest For the same bad reason
many break the Sabbath day.
and keep their stores open. plead
ing the excuse that. unless they do
this, competition will ruin them. This
same excuse leads others into telling
lies. Then there are many more who
have not even as good an excuse IS this
to offer. They sin openly. merely g
that they may get on" faster in this
life. 50 Satan deludes them as be de
ludcd Jcroboam- In the very face o.
Gods solemn warnings, Satan promises
them success in their sinful undertak
ings.
Are such evil courses ever successful
Yes; for time many Of them seem to b
very prosperous. Many. indeed, fai
very soon. for he must have : long mem
DRY. who Is to be successful liar; and
many > thief or dishonest man ends hi
days in Jail. hut some seem to succeed
This thought made the Psalmist YER,
sad once. He said: IL was envious =
\ the foolish, when saw the prosperit,
| OF the wicked Behold these are thu
ungodly who prosper in the world; the,
increase in riches" He could not =
irst understand this. and was temples
to think that IL did not pay IS we'll y
be honest Is TO be dishonest. So Satal
leads many young man TO think to-day
But the Psalmist saw IL all in its true
light, when he went TO Gods house
Then .-he understood their end" Thu
he was led to exclaim in awe and won
der: How are they brought into desola
tion, as in moment! They are uttcrl,
consumed with tcrrors" (Ps- 7s). Cox
does not square all his accounts will
sinners on this side Of the grave. Blu
his warnings Will none the less Prov
truc and the punishments lie Ia
threatened upon evil-doers will be full
filled in eternity, = surely Is Jeroboan
was punished, or Is Rehoboam had tn
kingdom torn from him. The mills o
God grind slowly. but grind exceeding
small and Though hand join in hand
the wicked shall not &c UNPUBLISHED. -
Rev. A. II. Schaufier. ID. d.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
1. God gives us many bright prospect
and blessed hopes for this life and 70
that to come.
. We can rcceive the fulfillment q