Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-12-04
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON X, FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TERNATlONAL SERIES, DEC. 6.


A. For it came to pass when Solomon
was old thar his wives turned away his
heart after other gods, and his heart was
not perfect with the Lord his God, as was
the heart of David his father Last weeks
lesson was a picture of great glory to the
honor of the Lord, His fame through Solo
mon reaching to the ends of the earth, but
in this lesson we have record Of great
failure through disobedienccH nd the Lords
name dishonorcd. God. WHO secs the end
from the beginning lisa. XVI, lU), had for
hidden that "a king of Israel should multi
ply horses or wives or silver or gold, but
that he should render strict obedience to
the law and lean wholly upon God (Dcut.
xvii, 1920. The closing verses of the last
chapter aud the opening verses of this show
that solomon went directly contrary to the
word of God. perhaps because il would have
made him SO very peculiar in the eyes of
other nations to be 50 unlike them in these
matters.
8. " For solomon went after Ashtoreth
the goddess Of the Xidonans. and after Mil
COM the ahomination of the Ammonites. "
Loving these strangers to Israel. he would
naturally do many things to please them,
and it is impossible to please God and the
enemies of God at the same time; therefore
the sin of being unequally yokcd together
with unbClicvcrs Gil Cor. vi. 40. The
friendship of the world is cnnity with
God; whOsocvcr therefore will be a friend
Of the world i'm the enemy of God (Jas. iv,
a.. Even i'm preaching the word we are to
speak not as pleasing men, but God who
tricth our hearts; for if we yet please men
we are not the servants of Christ IL Thess.
ii, 4; Gal i, lO) The Master Himself said,
aye cannot serve God and Mammon"
(Math. vi, 2D.
g. "And solomon did evil in the sight
of the Lord and went not fully after the
Lord as did David his father " The OK
preston "in the sight of the Lord" is
found again in verses 33 and IS, and over
81 times in Kings and Chronicles. If we
would set the Lord always before us and
speak and act as in His sight all would he
we'll And is this not included in follow
ing the Lord fully? Does it not mean be
lieving His every word and acting accord
ingly and always as if He were right pres
ent with usy Even Christ pleased not
Himself" but He did always those things
which pleased the Father
Z. "Thcn did solomon build an high
place for Chcmosh. the abomination of
Moab, in the hin that is before Jerusalem. "
Thus he corrupted the mount Of Olives
WIFI INC dDtlltlllllDlt lNOIllTlcS Ol lllt N
DOMAINS the Moabitcs and the Ammonitcs
and became partaker of their evil deeds oil
Kings xiii, 10; II John Y, ID, and for
over 300 years these denominations remain
ed till Josiah destroyed them, and they
were on the hill facing the temple even the
hill from which the Lord assembled, and to
which He will return when He shall come
in His glory for the redemption of Israel
(Zcch xiv, 3, /, -. solomon united these
nations to himself for his own qualification,
but Christ shall draw all people unto Him
for the glory of God.
s. "And likewise did he for all his
strange wives, which burnt incense and
sacrificed unto their gods. - What II time
he must have had with his 700 princess
wives (verse 81 What he did for one he
would have to do for all, and thus was
} gathered at Jerusalem the idolatrics and
denominations of all nations, and this by
one who sat ON the throne of the Lord to
be king for the Lord. Jerusalem had be-
, come Il very Babylon, the habitation of
, devils and the hold of every foul spirit and
a cage of every unclean and hateful bird
(Rev. xviii p
y. "And the Lord was angry with solo
mon, because his heart was turned from
the Lord God of Israel, which had appear
, ed unto him twice" All our privileges in
, crease our responsibilities, and these rcNe-
; lations of Jehovah to solomon and His
special favorS TO him should have deferred
him all the more from all thought of turn
ing away from Him. Israel had oft enough
| in past days provoked God to anger with
their high places and moved Him to jeal-
ousy with their craven images.
a 10. And had commanded him concern
, ing this thing that he should not go after
other gods. but he kept not that which the
Lord commanded. His father had in
a treated him to serve the Lord with per-
feet heart and willing mind. and in no
1 wise to forSakc Him. He had also prayed
specially for him to this end IL Chron.
. xviii, 9; xxx. lg. The Lord Himself had
also admoniSEed him in both of His APP
= pearances to him to he ohcdicnt Il Kings
iii, II; tx, 2-9), then He had done for him
the great things and given him the great
glory of which the queen of Shcba said
that the half had not been told her, yet lie
disobcycd and turned his back upon God
for the sake of earthly show and pleasure.
IL. wherefore the Lord said unto Solo
mon, ForaSmuch as this is done of thee
and thou hast not kept my covenant, and
my statutes, which | have commanded
. thee, | will surely rend the kingdom from
thee and will give it to thy servant" Thus
disobedience, for the sake of present graft
tlcation and praise of men, causes solomon
to lose the Kingdom and brings curse
instead of blessing.
II. Notwithstanding in thy days will
not do it, for David, thy fathers, sake,
d but L will rend it out of the hand of thy
y son. " How wonderful the long suffering
# OF God, how patient with the sinner, how
). unwilling that any should perish I'll Pet.
u Iii, 81. Consider the blessings through
! David and the curse, through solomon,
!. and remembering that no one liyeth unto
k himself, consider whether it is blessing
!; or a curse that is coming upon Others
Il through you.
i -. "Howbeit l will not rcnd away all
j. the Kingdom, but will give one tribe to
# thy son for David, my servant :, sake, and
for Jerusalem sake which | have chos-
ON - EDl1.t..LI.. A-itl. tlia Do u