The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-27

Golden Text-For a while after his
victory over Zerah. Asa was more
xeaious for Jehovah than ever: but
as he grew older his ardor grew cold,
and by and, by when another oppor-
funity came for him to look To the
Lord fer help he preferred to look
to the king of Syria instead. Finally.
In the forty-first year Of his reign,
he was gathered to his fathers. and
the narrative ends with the melau-
ehofy statement that in his last sick
ness he sought not Jehovah.
Golden Text-Seek We first the
Kingdom Of God and his righteous
ness; and all these things shall be
added unto you.--Matt s; SS.
The Lesson Text in Everyday
Dress.
Asa was succeeded by his son Je-
hosnaphat. whose zeal for the Lord
>sSgs even greater than that Of his ia
Their in hts best days. The efforts
which Asa had made TO rid the land
of idoiatry seem to have been only
temporarily successful, and the work
had TO be done over again. Jehosha-
phat chose a more effective way. He
realized that il was not enough TO re-
move the idols; the people must be
taught the sin OF idoiatry: and so he
sent a commission of sixteen men
throughout the land to teach the poo-
pie the will of the Lord out of the
book of the law. AS result of this
remarkable campaign OF education
there was a. great awakening of re-
ligious and patriotic fervor, and the
nation started forward on a career of
prosperity such as IT, had not seen
since Solomon's day.
The Heart of the Lesson.
If we study only the verses that
are printed, the central truth of the
lesson Ia the truth taught by the gold
en- text, but IL we take in the whole
life of Jehoshaphat the kernel of the
matter is to be found in the wisest
act of his hfe---his organisation OF a
system of religious instruction to
bring about a permanent reformation
among his people.
It was a great step forward when
Asa took away the affairs OF the
strange gods and Commanded Judah
20 seek the Lord God OF their IA
theirs" But when Jehoshaphat came
to the throne there was little to indi-
cate that his father had taken a step
forward at all. Jehoshaphat put his
finger upon tho trouble. Putting away
idols was a good thing; issuing de-
crees calling upon the-people TO seek
the Lord was a good thing: but men
cannot be saved by royal enactment,
or by burst of enthusiasm. 1t was
not enough to take away the idols;
the people must be taught the sinful
ness of idoiatry, or they Will soon
make for themselves other idols. II
Is not enough TO exhort men. to turn
unto the Lord; they must be faith
fully and persistently taught how to
serve the Lord. Jehoshaphat was
wise above his time-wise above
many of our own time: he realized
what we are so slow to learn even
now--that a reform without cam.
paign of education, and without per.
manent organization is like setting
up thing that cannot stand alone
and leaving 1t to fall down again
Therefore he sent his princess
To teach in the cities Of Judah" And
they taught in Judah and had tht
book of the law OF the Lord with
them. and went throughout all the
cities j HAah aHa-tatsfft the peo'
pie
Put in sentence, the lesson tell,
us that Jehoshaphat had great faith
in the Lord and leaned hard upor
him, hut he did not despise the means