The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-06-16

suddenly he destroyed, and that With
ont remedy.-Pros. 20: l.
When Hegek}ah was trying with all
his might to pull Judah ont OF the
mire. Israel 1.-THE Northern Kingdom)
was Mastering to it's downfall
What Were IsraeI's Sins?
First of all. ingratitude. They had
aimed against the God who brought
them cut OF the land of Egypt" God
had delivered them out of slavery and.
led them away to one OF the choicest
spots on earth, and had given the
land to them and hcdged them IN.
and cared for them as a father cares
for his children. And after he had
dcne everything hat could tc done
for them they turned away and went
after other gods. They took every
thing he gave them and then did
everything that he hated. Think a
moment. Have YOU not often said,
'Ingratitude! ] can stand anything
nnt that"
second. disobedience II seems to
me that IL n man should find me, a
poor orphan boy. in slavery. my poor
heart crushed by the cruel treatment
of my master. and should deliver me,
set me free, and then care for me
~ seems 20 me that the very least |
could DO for him would be TO obey
hirn. Bpt that was what Israel would
rot de.
Third, idolatry. hat means trea-
vel At Sinai Israel took JEHOVAH to
he their God and swore eternal al
legiance to him. And II WAS but n
little while before they had deserted
to the camp of the enemy and were
serving the gods of the heather. Then
they got into trouble and came back
and swore eternal allegiance to God
again, and no sooner had he helped
them out OF trouble than they hurried
over to the enemy's camp again. And
so II went on. year after year, century
after century. h ices the world
DO with a trattore This world does
not know what to do except to hang
him.
d1le Lesson Text In Everyday Dress.
In the sixth year OF Hoshea Shall
naneser ~. king of Assyrta. invaded
Israel and laid siege to SaInaria. Dur
ing the siege he died and was sue
cceded by Sargon. who had been his
Eenerai-in-chief. After three years
the city fell. According to sargon's
own account. written on a stone found
IN "A palace at NineVeh, the AsEyrians
carried away twenty seven thousand
two hundred and eighty OF the citi-
gens. Il chose fifty chariots for my
self from tho whole number taken:
Bll the other property Of the people
oj AG WV VI 4 Jfit U MY eFihaUtN 10
take. | appointed resident officers
over them and imposed on them the
"a me tribute as had formerly been
paid. In the place of those taken
into captivity / sent thifher inhAbi~
tants Of other lands conquered by me,
and imposed the tribute on them
which / required from the Assyrians.'
b terrible calamity was not a
mere accident, but a direct visitation
frnfa JRhnSnh For tina reanr1la ha ri
sinned against God until there was
no longer any reason for their ex-
fstence as a nation, They had re-
belied against him to whom they owed
their very existence-against him who
had delivered them out OF slavery
and had led them from the and of
darkness to the land Of promise. They
had moi only turned away from him
who had chosen them 10 be his peo-
pie, but they had turned unto other
gods. They had played the traitor
They had gone after he gods OF the
nations that were Jehovah's worst
enemies. And they showed a zeal In
the worship of idols such as thes
had rarely shown In the worship ot
Jehovah. They built places Of wor-
ship not only In the walled cities
but in out-of~the-way villages and
haInlats. The lonely watch-tower In
the field had it's altar, and there was
hardly n hill or a green tree In AT
Judah where the image of a heather
god was not set up, and incense burn
ed in his honor. The whole nation
literally wailowed in the filth Of the
most horrible forms of pagan wor-
ship. And all this was done not
f~gnorantly, hut viIfuily. In the face
of repeated warnings Time and agar
God had sent his prophets TO them
10 rebuke them for their sins and tt
warn them OF the calamities they
were bringing down upon their heads
but they put their fingers in their
ears. and hardened their necks, and
went on their way as If insanely bent
upon their own destruction The,
rejected the statutes OF God. They
~repuduated the solemn covenants into
which God had entered with their
fathers. They oliowed In the foot
steps Of the nations that were ar
Abomination to the Lord. They mad,
molten images contrary TO the com
mand Of God. They abandoned them.
selves to their viiest appetites in tht
worship Ut BaaI. They even burn
their children in fire to propitiate Mo
iech. They literally sold themselve.
TO Satan Therefore. the Lord was
angry with his people and removed
them out Of his sight. and only the
tribe of Judah WAS left to preserve
his name among men.
The Heart OF the Lesson.
God does not spare the rod to the
a spoiling child. This much even OF the
spelling Of the child. This much even
cur modern settlers Of parents TO
rights s~orrowfully admit. IT Is not
only true that he chastsns those whom
he loves: he also lays the rod upon
the dlsohedient.
He is not fond Of using 1t. He Is
not impressed with its virtue quite as
much as certain old-time parents who
are said to have given their children
"a good dressing down" every morn
Ing before breakfast to make them
ottedfsnt the rest Of the day. Won
oerfni lis his long suffering toward us,
How patiently he waits upon us, How
earnestly he pleads with us before
the rod Is raised! How often the rod
Is dropped at our cry and we are given
another hance And when IL IL raised
Tor the last time how long IL is sus-
pended In the a~ir-waiting for one
sign Of repentance from us!
But the rod does fall. He waits,
but he does not wait forever. AS sure
as we live. II we dcspise the riches of
his goodness and forbearance and
ong~sHHering. we shall treasure up
Tor ourselves wrath against the das
Of wrath and revelation of the right
eous judgment Of o tRom. z; 4, 81