Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-07-28
EAE0TE's VINEYARD.
sunday school Lesson IN the Inter-
national series for July 81.
ISoS-I hInEs 2I;4-IB.
BIASED upon Peloubet's select NotesI

BIASED upon Peioubet's Select Notes.l
GOLDEN TEXT.-Thou shalt not covet
thy neighbours house -Ex 25:l7-
THE SECTION Includes the rest of
Kings, chaps 20-22 brief glance at
the silent progress of the reforms Elijah
( sought. and at the steps OF Ahab toward
his doom and toward the destruction Of the
ldolatry he upheld.
PLAcE.-Samar!a, the capital and me-
tropolis Of Israel; and JeZreel. p miles
to the north a favortte royal residence.
the Windsor Of Israel"
EXPLANATORY
] This story is given because it was
the outward expression OF Ahab's de-
PRAYED character, which led 10 his doom;
as a boil expresses bad blood, or a
furred tongue the inward fever.
! Scene |. Discomfort il Palace.-V. 4
Adjoining Ahab's palace grounds in
Jezreei. on one Of the spurs Of Mount
Gilboa. was the homestead vineyard Of
d native Jezreelite named Naboth. Ahab
wanted 10 buy this vineyard, to en-! Il rye
or complete his pleasure grounds. Ma
both refused 10 sell. The refusal of
Naboth threw Ahab into a fit of the
suik.
4. "AnG Ahab came" from Jezreel,
into his house:" In Sararia. And
be laid him down upon bis bed;" The
bed chamber was in the most retired
and secret part of the palace. "And
turred away his face, and would eat no
bread" Such a manifestation of i'll
tempe 5 thoroughly characteristic Of
an oriental king.
Scene IL. Bad Counsel at Home
vs.. 81. 5. But Jezebel his wife, like
Clytemnestra, of Aeschylus, and Lady
Macbeth, of Shakespeare, came forward
10 help her husband to sin. not to do
right.
Z. "Dost thou now govern ?" Are you
king? and can you not get possession
of this pretty vineyard? Why not use
your power? arise. ard eat bread"
Ahab is fit only to desire and to revel;
it is for holder spirits to act for good
or for evil. Il will give thee the vine
yard" Compare the words of Shakes
peare's parallel character: "Infirm of
purpose. give me the dagger
Scene Ill. The Trial and Execution
of Naboth.-Vs. S-14. s. so she wrote
letters in Ahab's name:" 1t is custom
airy in the east now, as then. for the
government to proclaim one thing pub
Iicly, and at the same time to give pri-
yate instructions to the officials, of
very different nature, with the design
of binding the eyes of European gov
ernments. And sealed them with his
seal:" Documents of every kind, from
a royal decree to private letter, are
never signed with pen and ink in the
EAST, but are simply sealed with a mans
signet.
9. proclaim fast:" As if some great
calamity were overhanging the city for
their sins. like black cloud portendiug
a storm. Set Naboth on high" On
the platform of the court, to be tried.
10. Set two men, sons of Behalf"
Be!ial is not proper noun. but simply
means ''worthlessness, "reckiessaess,
"Blaspheme Cod" The true oriental,
however careless his life, is fanatically
zealous for the honor of Gods name.
To blaspheme Allah in any place where
Mahommedans congregate would prob
ably result in the death of the bias
phelner OH the spot. And the king"
1t would be easy to find some faint
foundation for this charge in pious
man whose whole soul was opposed to
the course of the king in introducing
idolatry. And carry him OUT" A
stonipg always took place outside the
city. And stone HIM" The legal pun
ishment Of blasphemy was indeed death
by stouiug (Lev. 24:16). and Naboth
would have persisted justly had he been
guilty Of the crime. THAT he may
die" 1t appears from 2 Kings 9:26,
that Naboths sons were put to death
at the same time. Thus, there being
no heirs, the property would revert to
the crown.
Scene ". Ahab Meets Elijah in His
ul-Gotten Possession.-Vs. Is. IS. 16.
'Ahab rose to go down to the vineyard
Of Naboth:" The Septuagint adds that
he rent his clothes and put on sack
cloth, as though shocked at his crime,
and anxious 10 prove his innocence to
his own conscience and 10 the people
But the hypocrisy of the act was shown
by his willingness to accept the fruits
of his crime.
At the same time news of the black
crime had come to Elijah, probably in
his lonely retreat in some cave at Car
mel. God babe him go down and meet
Ahab in the vineyard. When Ahab
came 70 the vineyard ITO take posses
sion Of il" there stood the prophet in
his hairy garb.
Half in anger, half in anguish. Ahah
cried: Hast thou found me, o mine
enemy?"
Il have found thee" said the prophet,
speaking in Jehovah's name. Thou
hast sold thyself to work evil before
me, and will requite il and extinguish
thee before me. Surely the Lord saw
yesternight the blood Of Naboth and
the blood Of his sons. "--Sep tuagint.
Voices from Naboth's Vineyard.-1.
Ahab's heart was a nest OF vipers. ~
Avarice. (2) discontentment. CD oppres-
sion. a. impietv, 81 abject moral
weakness, 90 base hypocrisy, % rob