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V. 15. When rulers become insanely wicked as in this case, then God’s will and God’s laws destroy him. For if Rehoboam had become ruler of all Solomon’s kingdom it would have destroyed the kingdom and the purpose for which it was founded. It is a blessed thing that God can and does overrule the plans and counsels of men.—Pulpit Com. V. 16. Josephus says that “they were struck by his words as by an iron rod.” What portion have we in Da vid? What have we of the northern tribes to do with Da vid’s son, Rehoboam, or David’s tribe, Judah. Look after your own tribe of Judah, Rehoboam, for that is all you will have left.-:—Pulpit Com. Rehoboam’s course was marked by selfishness, greed and folly. Thirsting for imperial power, he lost at least two- thirds of what he might have had.—Prac. Com. “We talk sometimes of men who dance on the edge of a volcano, and we have read of Nero fiddling while Rome was burning; but it may be questioned whether history affords a more pitiable instance of folly and infatuation than this.” —Pelonbet. V. 17. Now from this time we must make a distinction. Israel will represent the ten seceding or revolting tribes, and Judah will represent those Israelites who acknowledged Rehoboam as king. This is the great decision.—People’s Bible. Rehoboam’s oppression of the people was a sin; yet, you will observe, the people had no right to complain. They had brought this evil on themselves; they had obstinately courted and struggled after it. They would have “a king like the nations,” a despotic king, and now they had one they were discontented. Samuel had not only earnestly and solemnly protested against this measure, as an offence against their Almighty Governor, but had actually fore warned them of the evils which despotic power would in troduce among them.—Newman. V. 19. Rehoboam’s lost opportunity never came to him again. He was forbidden to recover by force what he had sacrificed by folly. He suffered the shame of rejection and desertion. He was forced to escape for his life. He was defeated in his assertion of authority.—Prac. Com. In studying this lesson of the rending asunder ’of the kingdom, we should note carefully the distinction “be tween the occasion and the cause.” “The lesson deals only with the occasion,” which was Rehoboam’s very foolish de cision. It was the match, so to speak, DEVOTIONAL which set off the fuse. COMMENT Some years ago Mr. Charles G. Trum- John A. Hubbard bull wrote the following helpful com ment: “Rehoboam had two great op portunities, and he threw them both away. His first op portunity was when the people asked him to do his duty. At once he could have said, ‘I will.’ His mistake, was in asking anybody’s advise about a plain duty. His second opportunity came when he had asked the old men’s advise. They showed him God’s will, and he threw that away. In other words, Rehoboam didn’t want to do what he knew was his duty. So he kept on asking people what he ought to do, until he found those who told him he ought not to do his duty; and then he gladly followed their advise.” Thus acted the foolish son of the wisest man on earth (1 Kings 4:30, 31). And yet one of the chief causes of the division of the kingdom is found in the sin of this same wise man: “'Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes,- which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it, for David thy father’s sake; but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son.” (1 Ks. 11: 11, 12). Sin is a terrible thing! It would be bad enough if the one who commits it were the only one to suffer the con sequences. But such is not the case. Solomon’s sin led to
the giving of a part of the kingdom to Jeroboam. Jero boam sinned in making the golden calves (1 Ks. 12:28-30) and thus led Israel into sin. And the outcome was in ac cord with the prophecy of 1 Kings 14:15, 16. “For the Lord shall smite Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land which he gave tq their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their grooves, provoking the Lord to anger. And He shall give Israel up,.because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.” May God deliver you, my reader, and me from all known sin, and thus save us and others from sorrow and disaster! The Story of a Foolish King. 1 Kings 12:1-20. Memory Verse.—“Hear instruction and be wise.” Pro verbs 8:33. Approach.—Once there were two girls who lived near each other, who were very close friends and loved each other very much. They spent a great deal of time to gether in each other’s homes, and they did have such good times. They were two very happy girls ELEMENTARY as they planned their good times to- Mabel L. Merrill gether. Now the next part of the story tells us they were two very foolish girls, for one day they had a quarrel over their grades in school, for one got a little higher mark, and the other girl would not own up to her friend that she received a little lower mark, and the other girl said she did, and of course it ended in a quarrel, and then they would not have any thing to do with each other,- and were never seen together. They each knew they ought to ask the other one to forgive them and be the good friends they once were, but each girl was too proud to give in, and so they stayed unhappy, until one was taken suddenly very ill, and for a time they thought she was going to die. As soon as she was better she asked for her old friend, and of course they forgave each other and became fast friends. Think of the un happy months they spent, because they were proud and foolish. Prayer. Lesson Story.—Just last week one of you told me you had to make a choice between going to Sunday School and going out in the country to visit your uncle, and you gave up the visit and came to Sunday School as you did not want to be absent. That was a wise choice. Paul can you tell me about a king who made a wise choice? Yes, Solomon made a very wisp choice when he chose wisdom, and God was pleased with him: What a splendid king Solomon was as long as he obeyed God, but after a time he disobeyed God, and trouble and sorrow came to Israel, and after Solomon’s death his son Reho boam wanted to be king, but the people were afraid of him, because his father Solomon had disobeyed God and was not a good king before his death, and they feared his son too- would be a b'ad king. (Tell in detail the story of how ten of the tribes chose Jeroboam as king to rule over them, and Rehoboam was only king over two of the tribes. Empha size Rehoboam’s refusal of the elderly men’s advise, and drive home the lesson of obeying parents. They are older and know by experience what is best for the children.) Because Rehoboam made a ‘foolish choice and would not take good advise, God’s people were divided into two king doms, with a king ruling over each kingdom. God has told us in his word that it is wrong for a Christian to marry one who is not a Christian, and this is one way King Solomon (Continued on Page 192)
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