The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1911-01-26
REIGN Of
JEE0SHAPHAT
Sunday School Lesson for Jan. 20. 1911
Specially Arranged for This Paper

GDi DEN TEXT-"seek ye first the
ngdom Of God and his rlghteouf1ess
1d all these things shall be added unto
Ju" Matt 6:aS.
TlME-Jo hoshdphats reign OF % wears
as from g. c. % cor S1O to s9l ,3t 40
he 6ist To- The seth years OF the kinsgOu
PLACE. The reform oNteudcd to .he uil
oLntrv OF Ephralrn. The battle AZ tins,
tc .ylIans tooh place at R1rnoth-Gilrrd
the east OF the Jordan The "hllclhJ
Ictory' near TeSod. south Of B-tnte4ein
This les ou covers the entire reig"
1f the good King Jehoshaphat. His
Iame means Jehovah juuged,' d
lame given by mis- religious rather
Ills parents we're Asa. the good King
md Azubdh. about whom nothus
more is known His age at his acces
lon was 30 years. and ne reigned ior
70 years his character was pious,
.rudent enterprisiug. lie was ski
vi general. a wise statesman. cOur-
geous reformer lie was alone
ounted worthy in later ages to rank
NItn I,lchiah and Josiah among the
most uOus rulers OF tie Dayidlc line
Ills reign was among the best and
most Pre- porous in all Judan.s exits.
tence. Ills great error, equally with
ais success. points out TO US the way
of true prosperity lie had great
tdyautaEs i'm having a religious tatn-
er, wno had done much toward re
ornuug his kingdom, and uplifting
Ms people A good Inheritance OF yir.
.ue dud religion is one Of the greatest
blessings ever bestowed upon a young
mau.
Jehosl aphat strengthened himself
gainst Israel because there had been
wars with Israel. there having been a
,Ong rivalry between them. which was
cnewed in border warfare during
.ue ast days Of Asa. Baasha king OF
israel had not only attacked Judah,
nut had fortified Ramah. a town only
few miles north Of Jerusalem. The
warrior Ahab was on the throne OF
Israel when Jehoshaphat began TO
reign tie placed forces. "arsenals
ol the supply OF war material" as
well as soldiers, In all the fenced. for.
.iued. cities set garlisons. probably
ood supplies with leaders to take
uarge OF obtaining and caring for
hem
The Lord was with Jehoshaphat. be-
oansc Jehoshaphat stood for the
things which God loved and wished TO
10 Tor the nation. The Lord cannot
This sense be with those whose
whole life and conduct are opposed TO
u God wants TO accomplish. This
was shown by the fact known to all
hat he walked in the first ways of
his father David. The Greek transla-
tion omits David" The reference
then might be TO tho beautiful life
David lived before his fall and re.
toration, but probably to his father
Asa, who began his reign by devotion
TO Jehovah, and sought not unto BaR-
i'm. the false and impure idols OF the
aeathen
Ills heart was lifted up In the ways
of the Lord; lifted up above worldly
considerations and fears. filed with
high motives and enthusiasms, In the
ause OF God, as in the case OF the
apostles who when filled with the
Spirit ioyfully went on In their hard
task against all the powers OF Jew.
Sanhedrims and Roman emperors
re was lifted up into union with
Cd
,lehoshaphat. like all other men was
not perfect All Gods work through
men is done with imperfect lnstru-
uents, but the nearer perfection they
are, the better work God can do
through them The great mistake OF
Jehoshaphat's life was not his being
a friend to Ahab. and seeking to live
AZ peace with him, but his making so
close an alliance as TO injure both
kingdoms. He Joined Ahab in an un-
necessary war; and he married his
son TO the heather daughter OF Ahah
ana 1eZebel. II was doubtless done
with the good motive OF uniting the
divided nation into one kingdom
again II was beautiful vision and
glorious hope. The church and the
world We're delightfully."- at one" But
II was an almost fatal alliance, for IL
led 10 religious and moral declension,
and TO the almost total extinction of
The royal family
Jehosphaphat took away the high
places. Affairs and places OF worship
on wooded hlltops, where there were
also idols for worship. These places
were near towns, and convenient for
the gatherings OF the people for pleas
ure, and social worship, which was
often of the most licentious character.
And the groves, more correctly as in
r. V Asherim, wooden poles or posts
representing the female goddess Ash
erOth
II must be remembered that there
were two ways of using these high
places, one for heather worship with
Its impure rites the other for the wor.
ship of Jehovah, But the use of
these heather places with their evil
associations, for tho worship OF the
true God, tended to debase that wor-
ship and corrupt II with heather
'ites and immortality.
Jehoshaphat dwelt at Jerusalem