The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-07-29

!. ne ENii OOu u bOuly GdfentS.-
VS.. l. ?. We have studied the history
of the great and good King Hezekiah.
who was buried 'in the chiefest of the
sepulchers of the sons of David; all
Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusa-
lem did him honor at his death. These
are the men who redeem history from
contempt. How will the his
tory now run? Surely it has reached
a level from which It cannot drop.
We shall hear no more of bad kings
OF Judah. Joseph Parker Alas! Ma.
nasseh, the son Of Hezekah, was worst
of them all.
/. "Manasseh." The name OF a
tribe in Israel, given perhaps in allu-
sion to the zeal with which that north
ern tribe had joined in Hezekiahs re-
forms, or to the desire which prevailed
in Hezekiah's reign for a union of the
two kingdoms. Stanley. WAS 12
years old" In judah, as in England,
a king was not supposed to be Of age
until he was 1S. For six years Manas-
sch must have been to a great extent
under the influence Of his regents and
counsellors. "-Farrar And much of
this influence was probably bad
when he began to reign" He was
the sixteenth king of Judah. HE
reigned fifty and five years The long.
est reign in the history of Judah and
Israel A comparison. however, with
Assyrian records makes II likely that
this figure Is a ccpyist's error, and that
Manasseh reigned only forty.fve years
2. But did that which was evil"
The sins OF Manasseh's reign appear
to have been those which filed up the
measure OF Judah's iniquity and
brought down the final sentence Of
doom on the last remnant Of the
chosen people--a sentence OF which
not even the piety Of Josiah could OBJ
tain The reversal. Cook In the
sight OF the LORD" Whose judgment
is everywhere in the Bible recognized
as the only final test OF right and
wrong. like unto the denominations
Of the heathen" Catalogued in verses
cS in almost the same words as in
Deut 1914 Whom the Lord had
cast out before the children OF Israel"
The CanaanItes and other original in
habitants OF the land (see the list in
Josh. 3:l0l. whom Jehovah conquered
by miraculous interpositlon. as at the
fall Of Jericho. and also indirectly, by
strengthening the bodies and souls OF
his people.
II. Manasseh's Great sin.-Vs. $40.
Manasseh's great sin rose in four steps
TO a climax.
First Step: The Abominations Of
Idolatry (vs. 3. 81. 3. ''He built again
the high places Idolatrous sanctua-
ries. originally built upon hills; but
the name came to be applied to heath
en- shrlnes even in valleys. Which
Hezekiah his father had broken down.
As one step in his great reformation
q Chrop. Bed "And he reared up
altars for Baalim" r. ", "the Baal-
inn" "Baal was the title Of the su'
preme god of the Canaanites, who was
worshiped in different places under
somewhat different aspects; hence the
plural ('Baalim) here. Cambridge
Bible. "And made groves" tR. v,
"Asherothg. Wooden images or sym.
bols Of a licentious appearance and
significance connected with the wor-
ship of the phoenician goddess OF love
And worshiped all the host Of heay-
en-" The sun, moon. chief stars. and
the twelve signs Of the zodiac From
this superstition Judah had hitherto
been free. Probably II was imported
from Arabia or Babylonia. Hezekiah's
aliy. Wood.
Consider verses 4. s. in connection
with verses Z. s, below.
6. "He caused his children Gin
Kings. his son) to pass through the
fire. The sacrifice or children by fire
was part Of the worship Of the Ammo
mite god Moloch. "At Carthage the
victim was placed on the hands o.
colossal image. from which II rolled on
into a pit Of fire. Hastings. In the
valley OF the son OF Hlnnom. This
valley appears to be that OF the HI
dron. east Of Jerusalem tsee Hastings
Bible Dictionary. Also he observed
times r. ", "practiced aagury.
"'Augury' among the Romans consist
ed chiefly In observing birds and in
terpretlng the observations made, but
auguss observed also various natura
phenomena Cambridge Bible. 'Ant
used enchantments." Serpent
charms. "--woltendale. "And usec
witchcraft." r. ". "practiced sorcery.
And dealt with familiar spirit" r
". with them that had familiar spir
its" And with wizards OWNERS
See Hastings Dictionary Of the Bible
article "Sorcery." No wonder that al
this "evil in the sight Of the LORD
should provoke him to anger"
Second Step: The Dissertation of th'
Temple Tvs. 4. 5, Z. 81. 4. "Also II
built altars Ito his false gods) in tn,
house of the LORD" "The 'altars D
this verse seem to be the same will
those Of V. 8, snd consequently wer,
not in the Temple building, but in tn,
outer and inner courts (cf. 2 King.
23:12) Cook. Whereof the LORI
had said" etc. Speaking to Solomon
nv nfohf 70 C1fron 7-J6l