The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-06

When Jeroboam cam@ to the
throne he found a problem. 1t was
not a very large ora of mfw mfw
not a very large throne, but the prob
lem was one OF the gravest that ever
confronted a king. That problem was
to maintain as a separate nation a
people worshipping n God whose only
temple was at the capital of another
nation. 1t was plain that If the peo-
pie of Israel continued to go up TO
Jerusalem there would be trouble,
| for the fasts. more than anything
! else. kept alive the birds of patriot
ism and religion. And patriotism and
| e'igion would not long endure d.
vided kingdom.
| Golden Text-Thon shalt not make
unto thee any craven image.-Ex.
! 20: 4.
Historical Setting.-Time.-B. c.
! $40. Schechem in central
Palestine; Penuel. on the bank of the
brook Zahbok east of the Jordan;
Dan, town at the northern extrem-
| ity of Israel al the source of the
| Jordan: Beersheha, a town at the
southern extremity of Judah ct
/ seems to have belonged to Israeli {;
| Bethel, twelve miles north of Jeru-
salem.
! The Lesson Text In Everyday Dress.
! When Jeroboam assembled the
throne his first step was to select
! Schechem for his capital, This an
cient town he enlarged and fortified.
Later we find him building up the
town of Penueb an important post
east of the Jordan. And so he Went
on strengthening his kingdom. Mean
while he was wrestling with very
4 grave problem, The people ,.wers
I c. n fn TAr
/ the temple feasts according to the
| law. These feasts always tended to
! stir the religious and patriotic fervor
| OF the people. and it was evident that
/ IL this thing continued the people
would soon begin to yearn for the old
I paths and would want to return TO
/ the old kingdom. This would mean
! death to JerohWagn and a great Vic
| tory for his enemy at Jerusalem.
Jeroboam eounseled with his friends
and finally hit upon the expedient of
setting up two golden calves at con-
venient places in his Kingdom with
| the hope of satisfying the religious
! inclinations of his people, and thus
| eventually weaving them from the
! temple at Jerusalem. 1t was easy to
sooth the canscieneas- of the people
| by telling them that the images were
not idols but only SYM bols of the God
VINO ndQ NFouEflL them out VI TEN PIT.
| BESIDES. the plan appealed to the
| pride of the people. who were made
to feel that il was time that they
I had places of worship of their own.
This pride was further gratified by
the selection OF priests from all the
tribes, making AL the people feel
that they were as good as the Lev
ties themselves Moreover. the change
was made easier by the example of
the king himself who inaugurated
the worship of idols at Bethel.
The Heart of the Lesson.
This case Of idolatry is peculiar,
Many a man before Jeroboams time
had been led into idolatry by the
desire which is implanted in every
man to worship something, or by his
inclination toward the sinful pleas
ures which attend idolatrous wor-
ship. But Jeroboam deliberately
chose idolatry In cold bleed. 1t was
not matter of passion. 1t was not
matter OF satisfying the longing OF
the heart to worship something. 1t
was simply and solely a matter of
saving his throne. To keep his peo-
pie from being drawn away from
him he deliberately drew himself
away from the true God and chose TO
worship. and to have his people wor-
ship. that which he knew to be false.
lie became an idolater for business
reasons
] have said that 1t Is peculiar: hut
IT il not unique. There are many
cases to-day OF the same sort A