Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-10-01
The SUNDAY SCHOOL.
international Lesson for October 4. 1896
Solomon Amounted KinE-1 King

Solomon Amounted Kine-I KinEs
1859. 3
ARRANGED from Peloubets Notesl
Golden Text-Keep the charge OF the
Lord thy God. to walk in His ways.I
Kings 2:3-
The Section includes Kings to 80:
1 Chronicles Is and 3; and Psalm IS. de-
scribing the marriage, probably of. Solo
mon. with a foreign princess; and Psalm
Y, psalm OF Solomon expressing his ideal
of the kingdom. Both psalms have q typ
ical outlook to the Messiah and His king
dom.
Time.-Solomon became sole king In B.
c. 1a15, having first reigned six months in
conjunction with his father.
Place--His capital was at Jerusalem.
LESSON NOTES.
Three influences brought Solomon
to the throne. ID His inheritance as
the son Of David. (2) His fitness for
the place and the work, while the other
heirs, '.such men as Amnon, Absalom
and Adonijah-men of fierce passions
and naughty temperament-w be
singularly untitled to carry out the
peaceful and religious designs which
David wished to bequeath to his sue
cessor.''-Farrar. (3) His choice and
adoption by the people.
David was growing old, and the in
frmities of age were rapidly growing
upon him. He was not much more
than 20, and in modern times many
men at that age are full of vigor. But
the Jews at this period rarely oulived
the three score and ten of mans allot-
ted time. Indeed Solomon and Manas-
sch We're the only kings of Judah who
survived the age Of 60."-Farrar. The
question of his successor must have
been in everyone's thoughts.
Adonijah, the son of Haggith, who
had been born to David at Hebron, and
was thus man of between 80 and 20,
had become, by the death of Absalom,
the heir to the throne, if the success
sion were determined by strict descent
Like his elder half-brother, he was
famous at once for his manly beauty
and by showing no fitness for the
throne, Intellectually or otherwise.
Taking advantage of David's in
creased feebleness q King I'D. he re-
solved to make himself king. When
Adonijah thought his project ripe he in
vited his adherentS, with all the kings
sons Except Solomon), who seem to
have shared his jealousy, to a great
banquet at the rock of Zoheleth near
Enrogel, a fountain close to Jerusalem
on the southeast, 'in the royal garden"
according to Josephus, and probably
near Sloan. Here, amid the mirth of
the festival the cry was raised: Long
live King Adonijah." Joab, the mighty
warrior, and Abiathar, one of the high
priests, were among the abettors-
But Solomon had been previously,
perhaps secretly, selected by David as
his most fitting successor. Nathan, the
prophet, learning of the proceedings OF
Adoniiah, Immediately set to work to
defeat the plan. He informed Bath
sheba of what was going on, and she
went to David and told him; while
she was yet speaking Nathan himself
came in and confirmed her report.
2S. ''Then King David said. call me
Bathsheba,'' who chad retired be-
fore Nathan entered. in accordance
with oriental ideas of propriety. So
when Bathsheba was again sent for
| ". 2S) Nathan retired " 2.)"-Cool.
20. "And the king sware and said"
| The king had no hesitation, but, with
his old-time energy and rapidity, from
his sickbed he issued his orders. Hath
redeemed my soul out of all distress"
The repeated del:verance out of straits
md danger "out of the hand OF his
enemies, and out of the hand of Saul"
was one OF the most remarkable
features of David's life, and it is no won
| der that he repeatedly commentaries
1t, converting every adjuration into an
act of Thanksgiving Pulpit Common.
| tary.
30. Call me Zadok the priest, and
Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the
son of Jehoida:" The order of names
marks the position of the persons with
| respect to the matter in hand.
80. ''The servants of your Lord" The
| Cherethites and Pelethites, who formed
The royal body-guard (see V. $50. Per
| haps also the Gibborim, or mighty
men," Cause Solomon to
| ride upon mine own mule:" The Rab-
bins tell US that it was death to ride
on the kings mule without permission;
and thus it would be more evident to
all that the proceedings with respect to
Solomon had David's sanction. Bring
him down to Gihon:" Either the val
ley that ran from the Damascus gate
between the temple hill and Mount
| Zion-called afterwards the Tyro-
poeum-or the valley west of Jerusa-
| lem.
81. "Anoint him there:" The anoint-