Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1904-07-09

ST. John 1921.
pure worship of Jehovah was often
carried on at these local shrines q.
Kings S:2-D. but after the temple was
built they became wholly identified
with idolatry.
And made priests of the lowest Of
the people," The literal rendering OF
the Hebrew is. from the end of the
people, that is, from all ranks of
the people" Or. ", from among all
the people"). and not, as heretofore.
from the Levites alone. Which were
not the sons of Levi" the priestly
tribe. Doubtless Jeroboam would
gladly have retained their services.
but they refused to celebrate idola-
trous rites. and went south to Reho-
beam OH. Chron. IL: 1850
The next step downward in idolatry,
the establishment of new feast days,
was speedily taken. Josephus Cant.
new religion was suggested to Jero-
boam by the approach of the Feast of
Tabernacles, the joyous harvest festi-
val, to attend which great numbers
of the people went yearly to Jerusa-
lem. Jeroboam felt it necessary to
hold his subjects by a counter attrac-
ton.
Therefore, (32) "Jeroboam ordained
feast in the eight month" (Novem-
ber). The law expressly fixed the
Feast of Tabernacles in the seventh
month Uev. 90: 34). On the IF
teenth day of the month" 1.-THE day
was retained because. the months be-
ing lunar, the fifteenth was the day of
the full oon."-Pulpit Commentary.
He offered upon the altar" r. ", He
went up unto the altar; assembled it,
by steps or by an inclined plane lex
20: 26). Like Solomon at the dedica-
ton of the temple, the king himself
officiated at the Inauguration of the
new worship. so did he in Bethel"
THE more distant Dan, perhaps, was
inagurated by some of the newly made
priests. "-Cambridg Bible. And he
placed in Bethel" Dan already hav-
ing its hood-descendants of
Moses Uudg. IS: 30)-
80. $50 he offered" etc. This verse
recapitulates what has gone before.
Which he had devised of his own
heart" 1.-The entire system of Jero-
boam receives its condemnation In
these words. His main fault was that
he left ritual and worship where
all was divinely authorized for cere-
mones and services which were who'll
ly of his own devising. Cook
XiRrpingSsAgainst Idolatry,-1
Kings Il: ia. "a slns cnaptsf Mau<
rice says: There is none which a
timid. distrustful reader of the Bible
would be more ready to pass over, and
few which throw more real light upon
its moral and method" II Is the story
of how Jeroboam. while sacrificing up
on his altar at Bethel. was solemnly
warned by man of God" whom Je.
hovah had sent out of Judah. THE al
tar shall be rent" he cried, "and its
ashes poured out" Then, as the en-,
ragged king called on his guards to
seize the prophet. and put out his own
hand to lay hold on him. the hand
was withered, and an earthquake rent
the altar. Jeroboam entreated the
man of God to restore his hand, and
this was done through the prophets
prayer. The honest historian goes on
to relate how the heroic man of God
himself fell on his way home, being
tempted to disobedience by one Of the
unfaithful prophets of Bethel. But
apparently the witness which the
man of God bore, and the death which
he died. were In vain. Maurice.
Jeroboam returned not from his evil
way"
V. Idolatry Punished Kings IL:
1-20. The disasters and ruin that all
idolatry causes came soon upon Jero-
boam and his kingdom.
His son Abijah fell sick and died,
though the queen made a pilgrimage
to Shiloh and begged the old prophet
Abijah to intercede with God on her
boys behalf. Jeroboam won for him.
self an evil repute in history. Twenty.
three times in the books of Kings he
IS pilloried as the one who made
israel to SIM" Jeroboam's kingly line
was short, ending with his son.
With the Levites. the most God-fear-
ng inhabitants of the northern king.
ION, left 1t q Chron. IL. 13-17)), and
greatly strengthened the kingdom OF
both in material resources
md in character. while Jeroboam's
,ingdom was correspondingly reduced.
Illustration.-It is said that a mum.
yer of the best German officers OF
he army which conquered France
we're the descendants of the Hugue.
lots. the best and most Christian
blood of France. who were driven
rom their country by the Roman
'atholic leaders on account of their
eligion. Saint Bartholomew day was
venged.
Irreligion ami idolatry and immorali
y prevailed in the northern kingdom,
nd sOwed the seed for the harvest OF
uin.
The final result was the destruction
{ the nation one hundred years be
pre- the captivity of Judah. See
.ings II: 6-23. All this was foretold