Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1896-08-18

places between instead of the brilliant,
unciouded glories of noon. But our CHIEF
lessons must come from Absalom, as we
look upon his life, his training. his youth.
full conduct, bursting into bitter and poi
sonous blossoms. and ripening into the
Dead Sea fruit of Sodom. These are les
sons of warning. like the angel that
stopped Balaam, like the sign which
Christian and Hopeful placed at the
turning of the way to the castle OF Giant
Despair. The section includes chapters
10 to Is. He who would understand the
story of Absalom's rebellion must read
with 1t Psalms ~ and As, Psalm 4 anu
Psalm 8. Let him read them in that
order. They tell the story of David's
battle and his victory. Lyman Abbott.
Also Psalms 50, Al, 81. and 3d. Historical
setting. Time. Absalom's rebellion oc-
CURED h. c. 1922 and 1923, eleven or twelve
years after our last lesson The caicu-
lation is 20.
Today's lesson includes verses / to Il.
chapter l5 Second Book of Samuel, as
follows:
/. And ii came to pass after this
After the apparent reconciliation OF ABB
SALON. to his father. Prepared him char
lots and horses" Absalom set up ear
riage Il e.. state carriage), and horses,
and fifty men as runners before him;
that is, TO run before him when he drove
out, and attract the attention of the peo-
pie by display of princely pomp, as
Adonijah afterwards did q Kings /: o.
keil. The Orientals are very fond OF such
display.
p And Absalom rose up early So
as to be on hand before the hour when
the king sat in the gate TO hear the COM
plants and right the wrongs of the peo-
pie. BESIDE the way of the gate. BY
the side of the road leading TO the gate
of the kings palace. The gate whers
roads from different directions met. and
in front of which was usually an open
square, was natural place for public
meetings and business Any man that
had controversy" Better suit
verse t.
g. See, thy matters" etc. He artfuly
fiatters each sutton by pronounciug u ia
vorable decision OH his case.-Cambridge
Bible. There is no man deputed OF the
king There is no official nearer APP
pointed. 1t was impossible for the king
TO hear every case in every detail.
L. "Oh that | were made judge" 1t Is
so easy for the outs TO criticize the
ms; and many imagine, because they
can see some details where they could
make improvement. that therefore they
could do the whole work better.
). Put forth his hand and
kissed him" With amazing flattery, All
SALON. feigned humility and condescen-
sion as we'll as justice. He was an un-
scrupulous politician. The only way to
judge such is TO see what they do after
election.
e. SO Absalom stole the hearts of the
men OF Israel" Never was a word more
nttingly employed. 1t was Stealing
Johnson. In unjust ways he obtained
what belonged TO his father, and what
he should have sacredly labored TO have
David retain. His youth and beauty
made him look every inch king
:. And it came 10 pass after forty
years. This is doubtless a transcriber's
error for four, a mistake easily made
when numbers We're designated by letters
often very similar. The Rev. Yer. mar
gin says, Some ancient authorities read
-four years. So does Josephus Let
me so and pay my vow in He
bron." place conveniently distant for
his purpose, and at the beginning OF
David's reign the capital OF Judea.
T. Il will serve the Lord" Rather TO
do service, explained by Josephus &c
mean to offer sacrifice.
~. But Absalom sent spies" Secret
emissaries had been sent out before he
went TO Hebron, TO prepare all the dis
affected ones for revolt. He could easily
secure leaders in every place by prom
ises of office or gifts to them when no
became king. AS soon as We hear the
sound of the trumpet" Glorious believes
that Absalom arranged a succession OF
trumpeters at proper stations from south
TO north. "Absalom reigneth in Hebron"
So the first news the people would have
of the rebellion would be that il was
an accomplished fact.
II. Two hundred men that
were called" Invited to the sacrificial
feast as Absalom's guests. In all prob.
ability they were men of distinction. and
would naturally be regarded. both at Je-
rusalem and at Hebron, as acconiplices
in the conspiracy. They knew not any
thing. This shows the extreme secrecy
with which the conspiracy was conducted.
and accounts for David's having no sus-
picions.
IL. And Absalom sent for AhithopheI."
Dayid's chief counsellor. and a man of
marvellous sagacity H6:23). Absalom
doubtless knew that he was disaTected
with David: perhaps from the dshonor
done TO Bathsheba. his granddaughter;
perhaps from his perception of the grow
ing discomfort among the people. 'Ahi-
thophefs name was itself almost a guar
anty of Absaloms success" Tine
Gilonite." Belonging 10 Giloh. a few
miles south or southwest of Hebron.