NOTE.—This lesson is a summing up of the long wicked career of Judah and Israel, and the inevitable consequences which fell upon Israel as a nation. Judah was spared to a later date, not because the people were any better, but “for David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake,” as God’s chosen servant and chosen city. See 1 Kings 11: 13, 32. Israel had also been long spared, not because of any merit of their own, but because of the “covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” 2 Kings 13: 23. So in our own time, if some nations are spared and prospered in the providence of God, it is not necessarily because of the innate goodness of the people (however much they may incline to think so), but because of some purpose which the Lord has in view.
9 “And the children of Israel did secretly things that were not right against the Lord their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city. 10 And they set them up pillars and Asherim upon every high hill, and under every green tree; 11 and there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the nations whom the Lord carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger; 12 and they served idols, whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing. 13 Yet the Lord testified unto Israel, and unto Judah, by the hand of every prophet, and of every seer, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by the hand of My servants the prophets. 14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their neck, like to the neck of their fathers, who believed not in the Lord their God. 15 And they rejected His statutes, and His covenant that He made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He testified unto them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the nations that were round about them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should not do like them. 16 And they forsook all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made an Asherah, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal. 17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. 18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of His sight; there was none left but the tribe of Judah only.”
Golden Text: “If thou seek Him, He will be found of thee; but if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off forever.”1 Chron. 28: 9.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) What is said of the hypocrisy of Israel? How did they carry on this work? V. 9. Note 1. (2) How extensive was their image-worship? V. 10. Note 2. (3) What shows that their idol-worship was in imitation of the prescribed worship of God? V. 11. Note 3. (4) What has the Lord said about serving idols? V. 12. (5) Where is this commandment recorded? (6) By whom did the Lord testify against Judah and Israel? What was this testimony? V. 13. Note 4. (7) How was this admonition regarded by the people? V. 14. (8) What was their attitude toward the statutes of the Lord? What effect did this rejection have upon their conduct? V. 15. Note 5. (9) To what extent did they reject the law of God? V. 16. Note 6. (10) What extreme presumption did they manifest? V. 17. (11) How was the Lord affected by their persistent disobedience? What did He do to Israel? Who only were left of the covenant people? V. 18. Note 7.
NOTES.
1. “Secretly.”—Not hidden from view, but under cover of a pretense of serving God. This is evident from the fact that they chose the most conspicuous places in which to carry on their worship.
2. “Groves.”—These were clusters of carved pillars, or images set on pillars, somewhat after the manner of the “totem poles” now used by some heathen tribes. They were not groves of trees, for they were set up under trees; but probably took the name from being placed in groves of trees where worshipers could have the benefit of the shade.
3. “Burned incense.”—In imitation of the prescribed ceremony in the temple. All false worship originated in imitation of the true. Satan’s shrewdest devices for deceiving the people are his imitations of the good ways of the Lord. “There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” Matt. 24: 24.
4. “By all the prophets, and by all the seers.”—This shows that Israel’s final casting off was the result of generations of transgression. And the same testimony is against transgressors of to-day, “for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning.” Rom. 15: 4. If Israel was without excuse, much more we of the present. Yet the spirit of our time is fairly expressed by Solomon: “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” Eccl. 8: 11.
5. “They rejected His statutes, . . . and His testimonies.”—This is why they “became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them.” And the same cause produced the same effect before Israel had an existence, as also since that time. Sin came into the world through Adam’s disobedience, and “sin is the transgression of the law” (1 John 3: 4); so “the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8: 7); and God gave His Son that the world might be reconciled to Him, and brought again into harmony with His statutes and testimonies (see 2 Cor. 5: 17-21). The necessity of a Saviour, and of the help of His Spirit, is emphasized by the fact that “it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Gal. 3: 10.
6. “They left all the commandments.”—The logical result of coveting the pleasures of the world, and compromising in the least degree. Baal-worship was made especially seductive to the carnal mind by catering in excessive degree to the “lusts of the flesh.” Thus those whose minds were not stayed on God (Isa. 26: 3), whose meditation was not in “the law of the Lord” (Ps. 1: 1, 2), would fall an easy prey to the fascinating orgies of Baal-worship. And so it is with all worldly allurements. So David prayed, “Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken Thou me in Thy way.” And James tells us that “whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” Chapter 2: 10.
7. “Removed them out of His sight.”—Such was the ultimate fate of Israel as a nation, because of rejecting the commandments of God; and such will be the result to every individual who does so, whether he professes to be a worshiper of God or not. But the lesson of Israel’s apostasy is especially to the church of God, as Israel was a typical church.
