Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1904-12-08
lHE SUNDAY SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR DECEMBER IT.
Subject, Captivity of the Ten Tribes IL
Kiugs xviii, 6-1S-Golden Text, Peter
iii,, Ie-Memory Verses. II, 15-Co'n'
mentary on the Days Lesson.


mentary on the Days Lesson.
I. Israel carried away captive ". 81. q.
"Ninth year of Hoshea." Hoshca was
merely IA vassal of Assyrla and PAID tribute
to Shalmaneser ". -, but seeing what ap
pcared to be favorable opportunity ne
made bold dash for liberty. Ile formed
an alliance against the Assyrlans with so,
the Pharaoh of Egypt, and refused longer
to pay the tribute This brought Snat
maneser and the Assyran army upon them
and for three years they besieged Samaria
w. 81. The length of the siege shows the
strength of Samaria. Its horrors may pe
inferred from lsa 2Sl-4; Hosea io;n,
1915; Amos COLA. Took Samaria., The
to capitulate From the Assyrian inscrip'
lions it appears that during the siege Shal,
maneser was succeeded by Sargon, one OF
his generals, and that it was Sargon Whc
finally took Samara. Carried lsraei
away" What became OF the lsraehtes!
MANY thousands were carried away INTO
the northern districts OF Assyra, while the
poorer ones who remained were mingled
with foreigners deported there by tue AS
syrians aud became the SamarltaDs, those
carried away to Assyria never returned as
tribes Doubtless many would lose theil
nationality by intermarriage with the
heather; while the more sturdy and rells'
ious ones probably Joined with those who
returned with the Jews to Jerusalem IN
der Ezra and Nehemiah. "1lalah, etc
See dictionary.
II. The cause Of Israes downfall Tvs
7-l2). =,
7. "Sinned," Here was The secret OF
thei, downfall. They forgot God and it's
mercy toward them and walked in the
WAYS of the heather and worsnpcd heath
ell deities. 8. Did secretly They were
hypoc!itical Literally thcy concealed Je,'
hovah so that He could not be recognized
They worshipcd God in the ways, OF Their
own invention and made Him like Idols
"The tower" Erected on lonely spots to
guard vineyards and iocks. The meaning
is that idolatry was general. ,r :,
10. Images aud groves, Pillars ana
Asherim." r, V. The pillar or obelisk
was placed by the altar as a symbol of the
cod worshiped at the altar Ashcrm OF
Ashcroft is the plural form of the proper
name of the heather goddess OF the ado
mans. The singular form Is Asherah or
Ashtoreth. Asherah was the female anh
Baal was the male divinity, High hiil,
etc. On every cmincncc there were I'M
ages of heather gods, and under the trees
booths were built for the purpose OF en-,
gagng in abominable practices In honor o.
these deities. H. AS did the heather,
etc. heN were uplllB int NCiS IuihS0 WV
caused the Lord to destroy heather nations
before them Anger" Gods anger, -
His Indignation against sin II. Idols
literally, "flthS," term OF contempt
Shall not The prohibition is N the
commandments and elsewhere (EXod. ~: ~
III Cod, efforts to save Israel ". ~
Is. Testified against Israel. " Israel had
been warned with tremendous cmphd,,i'
by Amos aud Hosea. Repentance, on the
one hand and destruction by AesvIla, on
the other. had been set before them III me
name OF jehovah a. the only roNNhlt
courses Prophets s1cl>. Though boti
OF these names are used .Or prophc! they
have 4 distinct designation; pcrhdp, some
thing Ike ordained and lay preachers IN
modern DAYS. Seer was the older aud dp.
narcntlv los dtgnlticd name. lurn We.
Compare ,Icr. 49, ls:ll But all the pro
phets from Samuel to Malachi delivered
the same message.
~. Israel rebelhous aud wicked Us.
llSi.
II. Hardened their i,ccs>.' Dchhcr
atelv chose their way oi wlCkeGncsS III the
face OF all light warning and cntrcaty
This is metaphor derived from those
oxen WHO. N spite OF al efforts 10 guide
! them. hold then nr5k- set IN the way tnt}
determine to g.. 1t Expresses unhchuln2
oh.tiuacv and self will See EXod. q: =,
0; 2 Iron 36.l3, lisa. iS4. Did mol ne.
lleyc." Tn, iAld the toundlti"n al All t"e''
SINS. They did not believe God prophets.
hui haikcncd Ia dcrclvcr,, I" reject
God through unbelIet = our ot the wor-,
sin, Of which mention j. made IN the Bible
The unhrIClcr will be destroyed l];"v
.2lS).
Mosaic l.N lENod Ia.t, A4.SD They
agreed to keep tins law, and God PROMISED
10 bless them on that condition l)snt 20
! o IN. "Tcstnnor,d,s His law is the
testimony for truth aud against nlln'N'
Followed vlnty," Literally. breath or
'vapor'-a familiar imagr tor nouentiy'. e.,
Soc ,Icr. -, S:la, l..22 Became vain.
As idols are vanity and 'nothngness,
10 idolatcra are VAN and 'mpotcnt'
Their energies wasted. their time ms,
spent: they have missed The real object ot
existence, and the result Is utter power
le>sncss. >.
j6. They left" "For,ook" 4. y.
! The sin OF the calves is connected with the
casting away of all the divine law A. noo',
as any other object is set up instead OF tod
| all He values has persisted from lnan wor'
ship Rom. 6l6l. 'NorNmped-~host OF
heaven" The Assvrian astral worship
| Prohibited tDeut 4;l9; l7:3,, That God,
people did fall into th- SIN we hno" tier
50; 1913; Zeph. / 81.
| II. Through the fire. Desperately
cruel and wicked they stood hctore the
great man .hNaded OK, and amidst the cries
! and ,hneks OF their babes, east them mto
! his outstretched arms. to bc carried thence
into the flame, raging inside. Nose:
warned against this abominatlon tl.eV. Is,
| 81; Deul l0D. "So!i themselves 20 dt
! evil" Surrendered themselves into com
/ plcte slavery to idoatrous practices;
| 49, Removed them That Is, the LORD
| removed Israel out OF the Holy Land where
Jehovah had His dwelling place. "Nont
lett but-Judah" "All OF Benjamin and
Levi and all the lsraelites who abandoned
their idolatries Joined with Judah. The
ten tribes were carried away by the Assy
rians This ended the kingdom OF Israel
after it had lasted pa years, from Tho
death of Solomon and the sChlsm OF Jero
hoam.' "The disaster was overwhelming
Israel lost her country, her national exist
eucc, her identity as . people, ana wa
| cast off from the gracious care and lovlnl
favor of Cod They that forgot God wcr'
forgotten: that studied to be like the ma
tons, were buried among them; thai
would not serve God in their own land
served their enemies in a strange land
| Yet we find number sealed OF each OF TN
twelve tribes except Dan Rev. 1867
James writes to the twelve tribes scatteret
abroad (Jas. III. Paul speaks of th'
twelve tribes which instantly served Got
day and night acts 26:7l.