Mount Vernon signal., 1904-07-08
TIE SUNDAY BIBLE SCHOOL.
Lesson in the International Series
for July 10, 1o04-"Jere-
1r LII L. y D
prepared by the Highway and By
WaVv Preacher.l
boa-'s Idolatry."

Prepared by the Highway and By
way" Preacher.)
copyright, 1904, by j. NJ. Edson.]
LESSON TEXT.
q Kings 12:25-SS; Memory Verses, $500
-. Then Jeroboam built Shechem III
Mount Ephraim. and dwelt therein; and
Went out from thence. and built Penuei.
Z6 And Jeroboam said in his heart; NOW
shall the kingdom return to the house OF
David:
q If this people go up to DO sacrince III
the house of the Lord at Jerusalem theh
shall the heart of this people turn again
unto their lord. even unto Rehoboahi,
king Of Judah. and they shall Kill me, anu
go again 10 RehOboam king of Judah.
2S. Whereupon the king took counsel. ana
made two calves of gold and said unto
lhem: 1t is too much for you 10 go up TO
Jerusalem; behold thy gods, lsraei.
which brought thee up out OF the lano OIL
Egypt
%. And he set the one in Bethel and
he other put he in Dan.
%. And this thing became sin; for the
people Went to worship before the one. even
.nto Dan.
81. And he made an house of high places,
nd made priests of the lowest of the peo-
,.e. mich Were not of the sons of Levi
81 And Jeroboam ordained feast in the
ghth month, on the fifteenth day OF the
Month. like unto the feast that is in judah,
nd he offered upon the altar. So did he
! Beth-t!. sdcr-hcing unto the calves that
had made; and lie placed in Bethel the
RESTS of the high places which he had
lade
o5. SO he offered upon the altar which he
ad made in Bethel the fifteenth day OF
4e eighth month. even in the month which
{ had devised of his own heart; and Or
dined least unto the children Of Israel;
I'd he offered upon the altar. ard burnt
.cenSe
THE LESSON includes besides the les
Il text the thirteenth and fourteenth
.apters Of l Kings. wherein are recoroeo
,u's warning and retribution upon
reooam. The fuiti.lment of the prOpnt
IS of TIE prophet of Judah against The
TAR at Bethel, and that OF Ahijah th
rophet against Jereboam and his family
ecorded in Kings 25:15-l6 and l King.
1850. should be read.
GOLDEN TEXT-"Keep yourselves
ON ldois."-1 John 15:2l
TlME.-CCmmOn Chronology, 915 B. c.
PLACES.-Jereb0am's capital, at frs:
.chechem, and later T1rzah, among Ia
Ills "a few miles north of Schechem; arc
Sethel, and Dan. where the TWO golden
d.ves were placed
vents in Israel During Jereboam's
Reign.
Prophecy against altar at Bethel-l
,inss 13.
Ahijah's prophecy against Jereboam and
5reDoam's house, Kings 14:l-20
Defeat of Jereboam by Abijah, king of
ddah.-2 Chron l3
vents in Judah During Jerebosm's
Reign
Death of Rehoboam, in about the eight
'nth year Of Jereboam's reign.-1 Kings
li:51
Abijam (called Abijah in parallel pas
ages in Chronicles). son of Rehoboa m.
made king Kings l5:I-7.
Death of Ahijam in twentieth year OF
Jereboam m 5 reign and beginning of reign
II good King Asa.-1 Kings l5:S.
comparing Scripture with Scripture.
''Jereboam said in his heart. Com
are words in verse 33 Instead of TAX
ng counsel of God he searched in his
jwn heart for the solution of problems
i his kingdom.
Now shall the kingdom return I'd
he house of David. Comp. prophecy
+ Ahijah in l Kings 81, 49, Had Jere-
coam believed Gods word from what
i-n would he have been kept and whai
,unishment he would have been
pared. Jereboam acted on expediency
Jut exDediency is worse than folly if
be at the sacrifice OF righteousne.
md truth. He who trusts in his own
cart and takes his own way. is a
ool. TO run before God is to sinl,
nee-deap into the swamp We mus:
1ake all things after the pattern
Lown us on the mount. and take our
ime from Gods almanac. What 4
ontrast to the course of Jereboam ws7
that of the Son of Man, He would dc
| lothing of Himself His eye was al
ways on His Fathers dial plate, and
-hus He knew when His time was not
yet fulfilled. He was always consult
mg the movement of His Fathers will
AID did only those things which He
saw His Father doing. Similarly make
| Gods will and way thy pole-star. Oh
| 70 be able to say with our blessed
Lord: L seek not mine own will. bu,
| the will of Him that sent Mel
Meyer
Jereboam's Three-Fold Iniquity.
Made two calves of gold."-Idola-
tory.
Made priests of the lowest of the
people. "-Sacrilege.
Ordained a feast. Goddess Pre-.
sumption.
ldolatry.-Jereboam broke the sec-
ond of the ten commandments ana
paved :he way for the breaking of ths
| first and third, under later kings moi.
ably Ahab. In this day we need to re-
member tha: covetousness is idolatry
tCol. 6:5). that idolatry is one of the
| works of the flesh or the natural man
(Gal. 5:20), and that we must fee from
idolatry if we would escape this sin
Il Cor. 1914. and l John 5:2D.
Sacrilege.-The Levites had been go,
apart by God for the priestly office
(Num. $40. 12). and for Jereboam 70
assign to the sacred function thos.
| rom among ''the lowest of the moo.
pie was great and awful sin
| Goddess Presumption. - Jereboam
changed the feast of Tabernacles from
the fifteenth of the seventh to tha
fifteenth OF the eighth month. Gods
appointments cannot be lightly Sc;
aside.-See Nix. 7:13.
Seed Thoughts.
Unbelief lay at the root of Jereboam's
mistakes, and it lies at the root of al
sin.
Jereboam's scheme of worship was
one ''he devised in his own heart" an6
the very same thing may be said of man,
of the modern schemes of worship
God is Spirit and they that worshir
Him must worship Him in Spirit and
in truth
Jereboam sought self-glory rathe,