The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-08-11
Sunday SCHOOL.
Gsxsm Wl.-Third Quarter, For
Aug. Is, 1915.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

-3sas sT'She Lesson, I Kings xii, 1888.
sRepzaey Verses, %, 2s-Golden Text,
E~11 4, 5a-commentary Prepared
Icy REV. D. M. Stsarns.
-E1Ehen we hear Jeroboam saying in
GZflS tNsart, "::Now shall the kingdom re-
s#stcthe house of David, . they
.s7rxal kill me and go again to Reho-
GsExn1 king Of Judah" (verses &c, 20,
zan6 7Nsmember that God had said to
gii11 af he would walk in His ways. and
eMnsght. in His sight, BE would be with
.Msann .azad build him a sure house (XI 81,
I'VE cannot see any evidence In
~Ez,deoam of any faith in God or any
an.zrt for Him. When he took counsel
sSAna. made the calves Of gold and set
esaesn up. at Bethel and Dan for Israel
I'm. warship, saying. Behold thy gods,
.eGF ISRAEL, which brought thee up out of
che Gand Of Egypt" oversees %, 29, he
.ucasTed himself an idolator and a liar
.-xuG :. true child of the devil. He pre-
.tfaznnd his own way to Gods way,
srisz5Eness rather than light, the service
~ fhe devil rather than that Of God.
EIS sacrifices and his feaStS, his altar
=lnM nis incense, were all the device
~1t Els own heart (verse 33), and 1t is
ssrzttaR of him again and again through
SEN IRE story Of the ten tribes, Zero
EsSszn, the son Of Nebat, who made
9SryA so sin" He never turned from
.SIfSs.Su way, but did worse and worse.
sEaEafter reigping twenty-five years he
sEaaS and was succeeded by his son
Nsa5as, who followed in his fathers
ysssssseaps xiv, 20; XIV, %, 26). Reno
EH,trn reigned In Judah seventeen
.ys1Is, but he also did evil in the sight
asss she Lord, and led the people into
.SSafatxy and into all the denominations
or the nations which the Lord cast out
siseGsxe the children of Israel xiv, 21-
.sa
This is a.story of long ago, but is be-
Wig Teps2ted On all sides before our
,aszsss today, and as truly as the time
.asarose when both the ten tribes and the
,RsEae tribes went into captivity for their
sssrs, so the time will come, is even
tanzT drawing near, when the Lord will
=ssFssae out of His mouth the protesting
~f.Narca because Of her sins and set up
IE9zs Kingdom Of Righteousness. and
1xaszoe on this earth Rev. lii, 1922.
~.Ese church. the company of believers,
&4s expected tt represent Jesus Christ
~zIn this earth, as Israel was expected
d9s represent the Lord God of Israel;
Efss walk in His ways and do right In
EaEs sight. From the beginning God
aEzs wrought by His Spirit and His
vpaard and His own power. Thus He
~sresrsd all things in the beginning, and
'aaars He restored all things after the
catastrophe Gen. IL; II, 8; Ps. xxxin.
IF En- all the history of Israel He re-
eaasmed, He fed, He guided. He said
Gin His apostles, at is not We that
"as1sa&, but the Spirit Of your Father
rsGMbch speaketh in you CMatt. K, 2O.
HI rs written of Stephen. "They were
raasat able to resist the wisdom and the
$SSs5frr by which he spake" (Acts vi, 10y.
when we consider the worldly abom-
faRz1ons which are found in the
ra5aSrches Of our day and the false
SssaEEng, such as the denial Of the vir-
sgin birth, the deity Of Christ, His
v9hcSSfeus atonement Oils suffering for
GEE sins In our stead, His literal resur-
Essstisn from the dead, present ministry
-szE hntercession for His people, *and
..1smfng again for His own and later
vRgfh His own to set up His kingdom,
~eapcs 1t not seem as If many Of the
lIszsters of our day are, with their in
<urpesed light, worse in their idolatry
-Gx1ak a1nbelief than were Jeroboam and
Bsnoboam? In all ages God has had
&3Ss 1swn faithful ones, though. always
,sYnRy$-a few comparatively. One day as
~-NsrSboam stood by his altar a 'Bethel
tbs Durn incense there came a man OF
"sIaad out of Judah with a message from
the Lord, and he said that one would
.S5srne from the house David, called Jo-
..aza, who would burn the bones Of the
Ea1se priests upon that altar; and as a
-@ssga that it would be so the altar was
lSnen rent and the ashes scattered.
Eer6boam attempted to lay hold Of
tsSae man Of God. but his hand dried
'Sgn and he could not draw it back
asrSin' until the man Of God prayed for
Tfnz- Then he asked the man Of God
CIV go'home with him that he might re-
Gzesh him with food and give him a
w1sward; but he replied that he was
charged by the Lord not to do this.
Snsrtly after this an old prophet Of
Bethel, who had been told by his sons
w this incident, saddled his ass and
.'Rfnd the mar Of God sitting under
5x1 oak and invited him home, but the
wHsa of God replied as he did to Jero-
Xseam. Then the old prophet said that
>sx2 angel had told him to come for
'&SNa and to bring him home. (But the
':f5M man lied.) To this the man Of God
yielded and went home with the old
GEEsphet. AS they sat at table a strange
IaEsessage came through the old prophet,
-ryYiS|h .vss fu1flIad whom rho man Of