The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1898-06-29
THE SUNDAY School.
LESSON I, THIRD QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY 3.
TEXT Of the Lesson, i Kings Hi. 1925.
Memory Verses, 16-i9-Golden Text,
Prov. Nv. documentary by tho Rev.
ID. M. Stearns.


Copyright. 1898. by ID. M. stearnsl
Is. What portion have we In David?
Neither have we inheritance In the son
Of Jesse; to your tents, . Israel. Now see
10 thine house David. So Israel departed
unto their tents" This was the result of
The refusal of Rehoboam, the son of Solo
mon, to make the grievous service of his
father lighter for the people, but 1t was all
under Gods overruling to fulfill His word
by Ahijah the prophet (verse 10 and chap
ter ri, 80, 81. Because of Solomon's sin
in forsaking the Lord and worshiping
idols he was to lose ten parts of the king
dom, one tribe only being reserved for Da-
vid's sake that he might have a light al
ways before God in Jerusalem Chapter XII
3l-36). Ii was the purpose OF the Lord
that the IL tribes should be one nation, a
wholly righteous nation, in the land given
TO their fathers, and His purpose stands
unchanged, tor the gifts and calling of God
are without repentance, and every purpose
Of the Lord shall be performed, but He
sees the end from the beginning and is
through all seeming discouragements, pa
tiently working out His plan (Rom. XII,
80; lisa. xiv, "a; XVI, ell; TX, 81; Eek.
xxxvii, 22).
IL. but as for the children of Israel
which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Reho-
boam reigned over them" Judah was
David's tribe, TO which he belonged, and
the Son of David, who is to restore all
things of which the prophets have spoken,
is called the Lion of Judah and also the
Root of David, for He is Davids son as
well as David's Lord ACTS iii, 81; Rev V,
8; xxi, l6). Judah prevailed above his
brethren, and of him came the chief ruler
ii Chron. V, y. 1t was well for Benjamin
that they were willing to stay with Judah,
even though seemingly absorbed in the
one tribe of which the Lord spake.
IS. Then King Rehoboam sent Ado
ram, who was over the tribute, and all Is
rael stoned him with stones that he died. I"
This Adoram seems TO be the same as
Adoniram of chapters Nv, g.; V, Ia Per
haps by sending for the tribute Rehoboam
was testing them TO see if they had really
revolted The result must have thorough
ly convinced him, but it was an expensive
test for the collector. Not different, how
ever, from that of Stephen, who for the
sake of the son of David was also stoned
to death.
-. $50 Israel rebellei against the house
of David unto this day" In III Kings
from the house of David, and .Jeroboam
drave Israel from following the Lord "
Jeroboam might have been blessed and
made blessing if only he had been will
ing to keep the commandments of God and
TO walk in His ways. But out of his own
heart he devised evil things and established
idolatry in Israel from Dan to Bethel
chapters XII, So; xii, %, 30, 33).
30. And it came to pass when all Israel
heard that Jeroboam was come again that
they sent and called him unto the congrega-
ton and made him king over all Israel
Jeroboam was widows son and one of
Solomon seft ants, who had been promot-
ed because of his industry. But when the
Lord told Solomon of the division of the
kingdom because of his sin then he sought
To kill Jeroboam, but he fled TO Egypt
and was there till Solomon died (chapter
XII, 2S, 40).
81. And when Rehoboam was come to
Jerusalem he assembled all the house of
Judah with the tribe of Benjamin, an
hundred and fourscore thousand chosen
men,. In III Chron. XII, /, it is said that
this army was from Judah and Benjamin,
and in both passages it says that the object
was TO bring the kingdom again to Reno
boam. This, however, was not Gods way,
and therefore the army was in a sense
vain array of power. We read of another
king who hired 100, 900 mighty men and
paid them a hundred talents of silver,
but was not allowed to use them, for they
were not in Gods plan.
%. But the word of God came unto
Shemarah, the man of God, saying, The
name of this man of God signifies Hear
ing jehovah and true man of God Is
one who hears only the Lord and delivers
His messages as faithfully as Samuel did
the Lords message to Eli. He that hath
My word let him speak My word faithfully
is a good message for every man and wom-
an of God (Jer. xiii, 2S). The next chap
ter Il Kings xiii) is in some respects the
greatest Man of God" chapter in the BIZ
BILE, for in it the title is used not less than
Ia times, and it teaches us that If we turn
from what God says to listen even to an
angel bearing contrary message we may
be set aside as witnesses. Compare Gal. l. 3.
%. speak unto Rehoboam, the son Of
Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the
house of Judah and Benjamin, and TO the
remnant of the people" The messages of
God are plain, and those for whom they
are intended are clearly designated (Deut,
xvii, 8; Hab. ii, ~ See also Hag. ii, 4,
the epistles note also in the utterances of
our Lord Jesus Christ the persons to whom
He is speaking, and you will see among
other things that the much misquoted
words THE kingdom Of God is within
you" duke xvii, 20, 2l) were never said
to disciples, but to murderous Pharisees
thirsting for His blood, and we must there
fore take them as in the margin or the X.
V. rather than as in our A. V. text.
Pa THUS saith the Lord, Ye shall not
go up, nor fight against your brethren the
children of Israel. Return every man TO
his house; for this thing is from Me. f"
They hearkened and obeyed and did well
in SO doing, for obedience always brings
blessing lisa. i, 49, Mans goings are of
the Lord; how can man then understand
his own way. o Lord, know the way of
man is not in himself; it is not in man
that walketh to direct his steps. A mans
heart deviseth his way, but the Lord di-
recteth his steps tier. x, %; Prov. xvi, g.;
Xxx, 24). When Laban pursued Jacob with
evil intent the Lord appeared to him and
stopped his evil purposes. Even satan had
to confess that God had hedge about Job
through which he could not pass. Surely
we will be uuiet IL we believe Rom Will