The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-01-18
Sunday School Column
Side Lights on Next Sundays Les
son for Teachers and Pupils
By CHAS. K. MEYERS.

| AA-AA~->~~>>~~~~
Jan. 22.-Ormi and Ahab Lead Is
rael Into Greater Sin. Kings 16, Is
49,
We are now studying the history of
the Jewish people in the years imme-
diately wollowing the death of Solo
mon. 1t was a time about 800 years
before the birth of Christ. 1t will be
remembered that one the death OF Sol
ONION his kingdom became divided,
two tribes living about Jerusalem
made Rehobiam their king an dthe ten
northern tribes revolted under the
kingship of Jeroboam. Last week we
studied about King Asa, who lived at
Jerusalem. This week we will learn
about two kings who were successors
of Jeroboam, king of the northern ten
tribes.
1t will be remembered that Jerob-
oam led the people into idolatry. From
this sad beginning the kings coming
after and the people had grown worse
and worse in sinful lines and we have
presented in the lesson of today the
fearful conditions of affairs in the
northern kingdom.
| We often hear that the darkest hour
is Just before morning and the dark
est hour in the history Of the northern
kingdom is given today. In the lesson
of next Sunday the light will begin to
shine. One king had followed anoth-
err, the changes coming after murder
and fierce blOOdshed. At the time we
are considering Omri, a general of the
army, was king. He was such great
man from a worldly point of view, that
he has a name not only in bible his
tory, but on an immense stone now in
existence his name appears, stating
that he was a victorious general. This
is called the Moabite stone. While he
gained this distinction among the en-.
emies he overcame, in moral point
of view he was very wicked, leading
his people into grosser immoralities
than they had before practiced. He
left another monument to his fame,
in that he founded a new capital at
Samaria.
He was succeeded by Ahab, his son,
whom we are told was by far the
worst king who had ruled over this
people. AS a browning act of sin he
married an idoatorous woman, Jeze-
bel. She was a proud, wicked woman,
who soon became the leading spirit
over her husband. TO please her,
Ahab built an altar for the heather
God Aal in the palace.
Of course the mere recital by name
of the kings over Israel is not OF much
interest, but the lessons which we can
draw from what they did are very i'm
portant. The wrong course entered
into by the kingdom, under the lead
ership of Jeroboam, ended in the ut
ter abandonment Of the worship of the
true God in the days of Omri and
Ahab. At first the leading away from
God was said to be for the purpose OF
making religious worship easier for
the people, At that time it is prob
able that they had no idea that their
actions would lead into pure idolatry
and the worship of Baal.
SO in our day many girl or boy
is led into a wrong course OF action
littel thinking that it will end in dis
grace and abandonment of all relig-
ious worship. We thus learn the dan
ger of the first steps toward sin. In
the beginning reform seems impossi-
BILE. but in the course of time it re-
quires terrible effort to regain lost
ground. The great power of God has
to step in and rescue. In the lesson
for the next week we will find the
means which God took to bring the
people of Israel to sense of their con-
dition. The teachings of Jesus and
the Apostles tell us at this day what
| Steps we SuOulu tdhe " i've llSuI
lives in Gods sight when we have
gone aStray.
In our own nation the leaders led
year after year toward making slavery
perpetual with the right to occupy
every state of the union. 1t required
fearful bloody war to wipe out the
curse, and we will find that most Sc
we're things had to be done to con-
vince the people under Ahab that idol
airy must be rooted out root and
branch. 1t often requires seemingly
terrible warnings and trials in the case
of man or woman today to awake
them to sense Of their true position
in Gods sight. Jeroboam, Omri, Ahab,
might be set forth in many life as
strong drink, headstrong self WILL
gambling, nasty thoughts and actions.
All these lead on to wretchedness and