Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1904-08-04
TW0 KINGS AN0 A WIFE

IA I "uiN Is NV oaSic VI ONaS -
lesson.-Omri. h sixth king OF Israel.
Ahab, his son and successor. and Jeze-
bel, the latter's wife. The story is a
gloomy one, unrelieved by heroism or
virtue. The northern kingdom a ex-
listed but fifty years, yet in that time
three dynasties had come into being.
and all the kings had ollowed in the
footsteps of the first Jeroboam. who
a Israel to SIM" The people who
had seeded from Rehoboam's reign to
escape Injury and oppression. found
themselves beneath a heavier yoke and
seething in a life of idolatry and cor
ruption.
Peculiar interest attaches to this
story in the light of the famous Moab
lite stone, duplicates of which are to be
found In almost every archaeological
museum. This marvelously preserved
piece of basalt, two feet wide. q feet
high n something over a foot thick.
was found in Palestine In 1865 by a
Prussian missionary. 1t contained
thirty four ines in very ancient Phoe-
nician and reads almost like IL new
chapter of 9 Kings" 1t was mad
Christ by a contemporary of Omri and
Ahab. Mesha, king of Moab, n 1t cele-
brates his deltverance from Israelite
rule. Ofnri and Jehovah are mentioned
by name and In a number of places the
record OF the old testament liz con-
1IAo OIIC - wv Ia lie IDu
vre.
FROM CAMP TO THRONE.
Omir was a fightinb man before he
was a king. He assembled the throne
along a bloody pathway. Elah had
reigned for two years when Zimir, M
OF his captains, %conspired against him
and murdered him and his family.
days. for by that time news a come
to camp to Captain Omri. and he went
up and besieged the city where Zimrf
dwelt. and the latter. to sea a worse
fate at the hands Of the ambitious SOL
der. cremated himself in his own burn
Ing palace. Still the way was not clear
tor Omri to hold the sceptre undisputed.
He had a formidable rival in one Tibri.
who apparently was q favorite Of the
people. but Omri had the soldiers with
him and he narrative Significantly
states. 80 Tibri died, and Omri
lestive of he danger of militarism.
The story ia more than remotely SIM
liar to the recent tragedy in Servia.
1t was a soiled throne hat Omri dis
creditably assumed.
Yet the king was a strong man. So
much the worse for h kingdom, for
9 strong. bad man Is a double menace
1T ake ability to be deeply wicked,
Just as it takes ability to be loftily
good. A weak. Indifferent, lazy man can
30 neither very bad nor very good"
Omri was worse than any Of the kings
that had preceded him on Israel's
throne. He left his kingdom on a low
or plane. spiritually n morally, than
he found 1t. He was a bulwark Of
ldolatry and corruption.
Nevertheless, in things national he
bad q constructive policy. His name is
linked with the city of samaria Of
which he was the builder. He estab-
tished his headquarters there and for
tined It strongly. He made shrewd
political alliances and added to the
prestige and power of his kingdom.
Yet, a. has been the case in more thar
one empire since. the seeds Of decay
were terminating all the while the
flower Of material glory was blossom
Ing. Those virtues. which lie at the
base of all permanent beauty and
strength In a nation as in an Individual.
were corrupted in Omri's reign, and be-
aus his Kingdom was not established
morality and goodness It hastened on
to inevitable destruction. Today.
Sanarta IL but q name and a memory.
with its very site q matter Of dispute.
A man OF brains or power or place
can WELD a vide spread and malign
influence. as the grand Duke Boris has
been doing with the Russian forces In
Manchuria, or he can be a steady. up
lifting factor. as Robert e. Lee vas in
the life OF the confederate army.
One long continued sermon on the
power Of example rum through these
stories Of early Jewish history. It
dent to stand strongly In his own place
for whatsoever things are true,
whatsoever things are honest. whatso-
ever things are just. Whatsoever things
are pure. Whatsoever things are lovely,
Whatsoever things are Of good report"
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON.
BY 90 much ~ Omrt had been worse
than Jeroboam, Ahab was worse than
t Omit: A. t speciai interest at.
elder king because he founded
6amaria and IL mentioned in the Moa-
bite stone. 20 Ahab 10 brought into cele-
br1ty BY his relation with the prophet
Mijah and his marriage to the worst
woman Of his time Il not Of the world.
ing lessons. It 10 suhacient for the
present to say that during his twenty
two years OF reign he pushed the idola-
try and general Generalization Of Israel
70 greater lengths than his father or
King Jeroboam. y 10 said Of him that
In the sins Of Jeroboam." No man who
looks upon Gin % . little thing IAN be
q great man. He 10 in the place Of
peril. AhAb's spiritual vision was 90
that he seems to have lost
9 cleer sense Of right and wrong.
rrece6cnt and tradition had him IN
their clutches and he was pushed easily
along the well.worn groove Of ancient
shining. While we are no to foreet
that Omrl y stand sponsor Tor much
Of Ahab'e Shining. and JeroboAm Tor
much Of the sinnlng Of both OF them.
YET we ar also 70 remember that Ahab
was nee to do assAsa did 70 the south
OF him In launching nm ara NJ rnHnrvm