Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1896-11-12

Golden Text.--Ihe pressing OF the
Lord, it maketh rich. and he .addeth no
/. sorrow with it."--Proy. 10: p.
This lesson Is found In /. Kings, 0:1-19,
and has for its subject Gods blessing up
on Solomon This lesson Is to be placed
some years after the dedication of the
temple, when Solomon's building opera
tions were completed, and he had per-
haps already begun the downward career
which ended in sin. The lesson, as sew
eral writer's remark is poorly named, for
it is the warning rather than the blessing
that is prominent.
Explanatory.
"All Solcmon's desire which he was
pleased to do" phrase of wide meaning.
Solomon had tried almost every pleasure,
including some that were not of the high
est Sort and was upon a lower moral
plane than he had been thirteen years be-
fore when the temple was Dedicated He
is represented in the book of Ecclesastes
as having spent years in vain search
for happiness through the building OF
houses, the planting of vineyards. the
gathering of great numbers of slaves and
other possessions. whatsoever mine
eyes desired kept, not from them;
withheld not my heart frmo any joy.
Then l looked on all the works that my
hands had wrought, and behold all was
vanity and a striving after wind" (Eccl.
=: Aid. Not all his experience is to be
placed before the second appearance OF
God to Solomon recorded in this lesson,
but the beginning of it must already have
occurred.
IF thou wilt walk before me. as David
thy father walked:" here the inappropri-
lateness of the lesson title becomes evil
dent; it is strictly a conditional blessing
that is here promised, and il. as seems
probable, Solomon was in danger of not
complying with the condition, it is rather
warning than a blessing Tho setting
up of David as an example shows Gods
estimate of him. We should be careful
how we judge man like David by our
own imperfect standards, when God in
his all-seeng wisdom pronounces him as,
on the whole, imam after Gods own
heart" Virtue is measured by what is
avoided as well as by what is attained
J 'Then / will establish the throne of my
kingdom upon Israel forever all the
promises and prophecies of an everlasting
kingdom in the Davidic succession were
conditioned upon the righteousness of
kings and people, though it was not al
ways expressly so stated. Even the dis
obedience of the people could not prevent
the ultimate fulfillment of the prophecy
in Christ. but it could and did prevent
any such fulfillment as was looked for by
David.
'But go and serve other gods. and wor-
ship them" this was the national sin of
Israel, from the days of the wandering in
the wilderness down to the Babylonian
captivity. Solomon was largely RESPONSE
BILE for the idolatry of his own and later
ages because his foreign wives were the
cause of the Introduction of much heath
EN- worship.
This house, which / have halowed for
my name, will 1 cast out of my sight" An
important truth is here stated, namely,
that not even for the sake of his own
glory or honor will God bear with the
iniquity of a people beyond certain
point.
Because they forsook the Lord their
God:" the issue is to be clearly drawn.
All the world shall know that the nation
persisted by their own fault, not from any
want Of care or power on the part of the
God to whom they owed allegiance.
Teaching Hints.
Blessing and warning are always close
ly related. When we are most prosper
Gus, the danger of fall is sometimes the
nearest. And tone Of admontion
sounds in some of the brightest promises
of the Bible. Solomon needed the warn.
ing more than the assurance of prosperity
at this time. The trouble was that he
had too much assurance of prosperity,
and felt confident of retaining his posi-
tion whatever befall his successors.
A godly father saves nobody. If Solo
mon walks before God, as David his faith
er walked, then his throne shall be es-
tablished. Otherwise the son shall suffer
for his own sins.
The tremendous responsibility Of lead
er for the destiny of his people. Solomon
represented Israel; his sins were their
SINS his downfall meant their ruin. He
had profoundly realized that this was the
beginning of his reign, and felt his
own inability to meet the demands of his
position without divine aid. Hence he
prayed for wisdom. But now, even the
wisdom did not keep him from forgetting
his public duties in the absorbing search
for pleasure and power.
1t is unsafe to trust in the church. In
ones position in society, in ones pros
perity, in anything except Christ. Solo
mon thought that the magnificent temple
which he had built would somehow nre-
serve the spirit of religion in the land
even though devotion had departed from
his own heart; but the wish was vain
de could not live on n past religious ex-
perience, any more than we can to-day.
Tod remembers our prayers even whom
we have forgotten them. Browning says:
what aspred to be. and was not. COM
forts me-. He might have added: "What
aspired to be, and am not. nor longes
wish to be, is my curse"
Next Lesson-"Rewards of Obedience"
Prov. 3: LII.
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