Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1904-07-28
A ROYAL REF0RmeR.

roel and Judah arc worth studying as
parallels OF life and conduct. The mer
who move through them are cal flesf
n blood men, with all the faults anc
virtues OF persons whom we know by
name. The center of the story set fol
present study fs JchOsha phat. who as
sumed the throne OF Judah. the south
ern kingdom, upon the death of his
father Asa. whose good reign was las
weeks lesson. Jehoshaphat was ever
better than his father. He followed
the divine program In being an I'm
provement upon his predecessor. Ad.
ded TO his many virtues he had the
good quality of hard business III
which shines out through all his gooC
deeds. He was a practical admins
traitor. Upon taking the reins Of gov
eminent he set about rehabilitating thu
national dcfences. creating q muster
oil Of the Kingdoms fighting men, anc
establishing a remarkable system OF
national religious education. His vir-
tues, 1t Will be seen. ran in the direction
Of careful, far-sighted Judgment.
But the king was very human. This
same practical sagacity which prompt
ed him to so many wise undertakings
led him into AN alliance with Ahab, tho
wicked king of Israel. Here he rar
counter to the plain law Of s%eparateness
which underlay the very life OF the
jew. Ahab and his people a fallef
upon idolatrous ways. They were cor
rupt. J~eho0haphat had no more bust
ness allying himself with them than the
Christian today has In Identifying him
self with the worlds way and fash
ions. and the worlds viewpoints. Je-
h~oshaphats even permitted his son tC
take to wife the daughtre OF the wicked
Jezebel. and by this gate there entered
into Judah influences which babe fai,
to corrupt 1t even as the northern
kingdom was corrupted. BY his ALI
ance with Ahab. Jehoshaphat wal
called upon to fight the iatter's battle.
with h Syrians, and he barely es.
capped out Of the alliance with his life
and his religion.
HOME AGAIN.
These wanderings northward hac
been evil. They were against the plair
will OF jehovah. Jehoshaphat had M
business mixing in ~heathenish wars
AS n inevitable consequence, hi.
proper work at home had been neg
J~ehOshaphat learned at such tremen.
dous cost, namely, that when a mar
has a work of his own to do he mus
not turn aside from 1t at the behes
Of every reckoning finger. ITO ever,
man his work." Is a later Scripture
which might be written probably upol
the heart Of a great man, person.
WbbO = tC0ASCShA8 Rl0lLb uuty 10Y III
sake Of what they consider good causes
The mothers. whose little ones suffe
from their interest in church and WON
ii clubs. and the fathers who's SON
are almost strangers to them, Will
they are engr0ssed in money-makini
and public affa6rs. may well ponder OF
this phase OF Lehoshaphat's experience
There are too many Jehoshaphats en-
gagged on foreign wars who ought to b
attending to atfairs in their OWL home
plUckY PROPHET.
Az the king was returning from tn
battle with the Syrians, thankful tina
he had escaped with a whole skin, h
was me by Iehu. one Of Gods proph
cts. who DID not wait until the kim
had become comfortably %ensconced ii
his palace. He went out to meet him,
and while the king was. most At t
heed 1t.
Now a prophet takes head in hi
hands when he undertakes to tell tn
powerful what fools they had beer
There 10 no more thankless task tina
that Of speaking the plain truth to tn
mighty. Yet Jehu ave faltered. H
delivered the MESSAGE that was by n
means . package OF sweetmeats. Their
was rebuke. condemnation and exhor
tation in the words that he spoke t
Jehoehaphat. Lehu represented tn
salt that was the OF judah. On
Of the highest needs OF every natio,
10 men with a vision Of prophets an,
the courage Of heroes. It would be
should fail US to point out to W on
national duty AZ 1t 10 revealed by tn
clear light Of the Davine Word.
PLAYING WITH PITCH.
Here are the words Of Jehu
"Shouldst thou help the uneodly an,
love them that hate Jehovah? for thi
thing. wrath 10 upon thee from Jeho
YAH" The king and hia kingdom ha,
been soiled with the contamiuatinl
touch OF idolatry. Their religion
eensibilitiee had been dulied. thei
ideals had been lowered. and they ha,
departed . step from that simpl al
legiance to Jehovah which was the onl,
program Of prosperity for them. The,
had been hidden TOT touch NOT the un
clean thing. Over and over, Jehoval
had en5oined them to have no dealing
with idolatsy. CeaDing to be separat
meant ceesing to b. strong. even q Il
the church today. Worldliness IL weak
ness. A conforming church transform
nothing. Just ~ the grounded wiz
has its power stolen from It, % til,
Christian In friendly touch with tn
world ands his spiritual power fiowinl
from him.
The prophet did more than utter al
excoristin9 sentence. He vas leve
headed ana fair-mlnded and not gtvei
70 the sweeping donunciatione which
are always weak because all-compre
henseve. He praised the king wherei,
he was to b praised. This very FAC
added to the power Of his critism. "a
Men turn IN indignation from condem
nation which they bellev to be uufai
q indiscStmineetng. No man ID Who'll
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