Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-04-01
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
BY DR. MARION McH. HULL
For April 6The Kingdom Rent Asunder Kings 1871 1925

their advice was very fooling, If
people are FESTIVE under present
taxation it is mighty poor policy to
say to them, mo, we will not re
! duce your taxes, and what is more
we will make them a great deal
heavier"
They revolted, of course. ITO your
tents, o Israel! What have we to
do with David anyway" Oh, there
was the secret. Way back in the
period of the judges, jealousy had
arisen between Ephraim, Joseph's
tribe and Judah's. David had been
strong enough and wise enough to
! keep the loosely adhered tribes to-
gether by his wars of conquest Solo
mon had asked for wisdom to lead
this heterogeneous mass and had
done. it by his big building projects;
but now the dynamite fuse has been
lighted and the explosion nad 10
occur. Ten tribes followed Jeroboa
while the tribes of Judah and Benja-
min study with RehobOam
But Rehoboam's folly didn't stop
here. The next move was more silly
than the first one. What do you
think? He sent a tax collector to get
their taxes from them! Poor tax col
lector; there was nothing left of him
but pile of rocks on his bruised
and bleeding body. Then Rehoboam
organized an army to go and fight
them, to compel lem by force to
come back to him, but God stopped
that; he must not fight against God s
will. His next move may have been
wise, or it may not. He began build
ing cities and forts, and stocking
them with provisions and ammunl-
ton, and manning them with strong
leaders. Abijah put his trust wholly
in God and won a great and decisive
victory over him. From that time
on to the day Of his death, only a
short time l alter Jeroboam grew
weaker. He was succeeded by his
son Nadab, who reigned only two
years and then was S, ain by Baasha,
of the tribe Of JssachAr. Baasha slew
every one of the kings sons to make
revolt impossible, and thus uncon-
sciously carried out the prophecy of
the man of God.
The histo.y of the northern. king
dom was a series of regicides.
Baasha reigned "a years, and was
succeeded by his son, Elah, who aft
er a brief reign Ct two years was
slain by Zeinri, tho captain Of over
half his army. He reigned only
week, and when he found the
throne. he got inside of the palce
and set fire to it losing his life
with the building in the flames. But
Omri's claim was contested by Teb-
nah, another captain, and only after
some struggle did he make his claim
secure.
All this time, while dynasties were
rising and falling in the kingdom of
Israel, Asa the grandson Of Rehoboam
was reigning in Judah. For forty
one years he swayed the scepter
and followed God as David had done.
The dynasty of Judah never chang
ed, it was always the eldest son of
the eldest son of DaVid's line (until
just before the dispersion when
brothers were replaced by brother)
God was keeping His covenant with
David.
Reflection develops many interest.
ing suggestions about this period.
Neither Rehoboam nor Jeroboam
had a premiT~l on foolishness. One
was not more nor less foolish than
the other, but in different ways. The
foolish man in the Bible is the man
who loses all consciousness of God.
Both did that. Neither looked to
God Neither reckoned with Him.
And yet God in His marvellous grace
never once forgot His covenant with
David.
Gods word Is out today. His
promises, many of them are uncon-
ditional. He may have to chastise
you, but He will not turn away from
you. His is an everlasting, I'M
changeable love. How are you
treating it?