The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1891-02-04
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON Fob
JANUARY 4.
lesson Text: "The Kingdom Di
vided," Kings xiii, ill.,
Golden Text: Proverbs xp.,
1S-Commentary.

~sSA@NoSe<A4A
the only son Of Solomon, and therefore heir to
the throne. His name. according to Young,
signifies ''Fresr OF the people," but he
proved to be great oppressor. Shechem
was city Of the Levites, also a. city of
refuge, situated in Mount Ephraim. twas
the place OF Abraham's first altar in Canaan,
and the Lords first appearance to him in that
promised land. There also Jacob bought
field and erected an altar calling it God.
the God of Israe'." There the body Of Jo-
seph was buried after the conquest of the
land by Joshua ,tGen. xii, 9, Z, xx1ii., 20;
Josh. xiv, 32). There all Israel gathered
to make Rehoboam King OF Israel, but God
had determined that Solomon's son should
not be King of all Israel CHAP xi., 1880,
and not all Israel nor all nations can over
throw the purpose OF God.
3. "Jeroboam and all the congregation OF
Israel came and spake unto Rehoboam.n This
seems outwardly all fair and submissive, but
Jeroboam cannot have forgotten the promise
OF the Lord by the prophet Ahijah (1i., 80
31l, and he is only quietly awaiting the de-
velopments which shall give him the ten
tribes for his kingdom. 4
4. Thy father made our yoke grievous;
make thou the grieRons service
lighter, and We will serve thee NJ This, 100,
seems fair and reasonable, and it looks as il
all might be well with Rehoboam If be viii
oi1y ilSut. NC SlloNOuo oelflC0 dhi
heavy yoke OF Solomon was fulfllment
of the word Of the Lord by Samuel when the
peopl. demanded King e Sam. viii, 1l-1Sl.
Things always turn out as God says.
s.. Depart yet three days then come
again to me-" The third day in Scripture is
the day Of resurrection and life and deliver
ance Hos vi, 2; John H., 10; Matt, xvi, 21),
but only for sucn rs follow on to know the
Lord. Neither Rhehoboain nor Jeroboam
nor their followers were at this time much
concerned about following the Lord, their
after conduct plainly testiies
Z. "If thou wilt be servant unto this
people this day, " q a and speak good words
to them. then they will be thy servants for
ever.n If he would only seek the welfare and
peace Of his people, as did those Kings who
sought to do right in the sight of ths Lord,
and as did Mordecai (Estb. K, 81 at later
period. then all would be well. But this was
not his spirit. He had not the spirit OF the
King Of Kings, who though BE was rich yet
for our sakes became poor: who land aside
His glory, and for His peoples sake became
who servsth" III Cor. viii, 9; Luke xii,
~. ..... ..Ea.. -
g. "3ut he forsook the counsel OF the old
men :: :: = and consulted with the young
men" The old men had stood before Solo.
mon, his father, but these young men had
grown up with himself and stood before him.
they would be more to his mind, and being
his fellows he would be more apt to listen
to them.' Just as young men to-day are
more likely to heed the advice Of their COM
panions than the advice Of their seniors, who
are too often deemed by them as fossils Of a
past age, having very antiquated ideas.
9. "And he said unto them, What counsel
yeT II he had only cried to the Wonderful
Counselor, "Shew me Thy ways, O. Lord;
teach me Thy paths lPs. XIV, a, how well
it would have been with him. But he pre-
ferred an arm of flesh, and proved in his ex-
perience the truth OF the THUS saith tnef
Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth In,
man, and maketh flesh his arm. and whose
heart departeth from the Lord" tJer. xVli.,
81. ,+ai
10. "My little finger shall be thicker than
nv fathers loins." This is part Of the an
swer which the young men instructed him to
give to the people. The loins are significant
Of strength as in JOB xl., 1G; Prov. XXI. :. 70;
but in the case of Solomon it was strength OF
oppression. Observe that in toe text
the word finger" is in italics, indicating
that there is no word for finger in the he.
brew. The sense seems to be-. My little or
least shall be thicker or heavier than my
fathers strongest: OF the heaviest yoke
which my father put upon you shall seem
light when compared with what Will 90 TO
you. Ny lightest yoke shall be heavier 'nan
the heaviest Of my father"
II. .sMy father hath chastised you with
whips, but l will chastise youwith scorpions
So thew would have him draw his people to
him by encouraging him to act not as a shep-
herd OF his people. but as cruel taskmaster,
a veritable Egyptian Pharaoh; Such insane
advice one would think enough 70 stay ltseii
and those who gave It, !Ls
10. $50 Jeroboam and all the people came
TO Rehoooam the third day as the king had
annointed." It is a dark day for Israel.
They are to hear no comforting words; their
woke is not to be liehtened nor their serVlcs
made easier. And yet this man was KING on
the throne of David, ruling over the Loros
people. A sorry representative OF 1eho'ae
surely he was. How he belied his God and
acted as true representative Of the grea,
oppressor, the father Of lies, whom he served
lS. And the king answered the people
roughly" Roughly" is the same word that
in verse is translated "grievous." Joseph
also spoke roughly" to his brethren tGen.
xiii, Z, 30), but in his case it was only out
ward roughness, yet we'll deserved. while
back Of it there was forgiveness and love.
Jesus, the true King Of Israel, always had
compassion upon the people, and only spoke
roughly to self righteous hypocrites, who
richly deserved it. He was all love, but love
despised brings wrath. s.z.. {.
IA And spake to them after the counsel
Of the young men, Wicked counselors are
great curse, and are all in the service. for
the time at least, of the first wicked coun-
selor. who in the garden led Adam and Eve
astray. 1t is bad enough when friends give
evil counsel, but how much worse when ones
own mother is the evil counselor (Gen. xvii,
l3: II Chron. xii. b.
15. "The Cause was from the Lord" Back
efo,,
ces God was working He cannot DO evil but
He often permits evil to take its course, and
yet overruleS all for the good of His people
III. "All Israel saw that the king
hearkened not unto them" Then they
departed to their tents and made
Jeroboam their king: there was none
that followed the house OF David but the
tribe Of Judah only. And when Rehoboam
would have gone forth to subdue the rebels
God by His servant forbade him, and he had
to be content to have it so Tvs. 1924. Thus
the highly privileged nation was divided be-
cause Of their sins. and to this day they have
never been as whole nation reunited.
II. But as for the children Of Israel
which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam
.eigned over them Not for his sake, nor
Soiomon's, but for David's sake was this one
tribe left him Xxi. l3, 36; and because the
scepter should not depart from Judah till
Shiloh should come Gen. xlix 10). Shiloh
has come and gone, but He is coming again
to make the twelve tribes one nation in their
own land forever, and He Himself will be
their King. the true freer of His people
Ezek. xxxvii, 21-2S: Luke j.. 1888. Let
us not forget that in these there We're soms
faithful witnesses for God (xi., 20: xii, 29,
who believed His word and stood nobly for
Him. Here are the names of the two, but IN
darker days than these He had 7OoG who
bowed not down to Baal. Am I one Of His
faithful few Lesson Helper.