OUR BIBLE BAND by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Apr 26, 1910

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 37, No. 16.

OUR BIBLE BAND

By Editor

Schedule for Week Ending May 7


Sunday	May 1	1 Kings 3-5
Monday	" 2	" 6, 7
Tuesday	" 3	" 8, 9
Wednesday	" 4	" 10-12
Thursday	" 5	" 13-15
Friday	" 6	" 16-18
Sabbath	" 7	" 19-21

OUR readings for this week are wholly historical, covering a large part of the book of 1 Kings, beginning with the third chapter and closing with the 21st. It is a sad, sad record, but full of important lessons. From the time of David the general moral tendency was downward in the kingdoms of Judah and Israel, tho there were times of reviving. Whenever the people sought God, God wrought for them and through them abundantly. We have also the great fact brought out again and again of the responsibility which rested upon the leaders of His people. Whenever king and priest were faithful to God and strong for Him, they molded immensely the people; but whenever the leaders failed to lead in right ways, the people also failed with them. See Judges 5:2.

We have in these chapters covered the reign of Solomon, the building and dedication of the house of God, the wonderful wealth of his kingdom, his awful mistake of multiplying wives to himself and allying himself with the idolatrous nations around him. The division of the kingdom after his death between Judah and Israel, are told in much detail. His own son, Rehoboam, who came to the throne, was himself degenerate and effeminate. Jeroboam, who was given the kingdom of Israel, was a strong king, but not devoted to God.

Following Rehoboam in Judah we have the reign of Abijam, a wicked reign; then Asa, whose reign was largely for the better; Jehoshaphat his good son, yet who made the great mistake of allying himself with the house of Ahab.

In the worship of the calves, Jeroboam's reign over Israel was a curse to the ten tribes from that time forward. The king designed it to be that which would simply hold the people from going up to Jerusalem to worship. It was purely a political measure on his part. He still doubtless believed, if he believed in anything, in the great Jehovah, and those calves were evidently representatives of Jehovah to the people, or designed for that; but the effect of them is stated over and over again in the constantly descending history of the ten tribes, that Jeroboam's act made Israel to sin; and the sin persisted notwithstanding God's solemn warnings.

After Jeroboam's long reign, came the reign of his son Nadab, which terminated in two years in a conspiracy against him by Baasha of the house of Issachar, who utterly destroyed the house of Jeroboam, "for the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and wherewith he made Israel to sin." Baasha reigned twenty-four years, but he walked in the sins of Jeroboam, and therefore came God's prophecy against his house. Baasha's son, like Jeroboam's son, reigned but two years, when one of his generals, Zimri, conspired against him, slaying him when he was drunk; and Zimri did as Baasha had done before him, slew all the reigning house. Zimri reigned but seven days, when the people made Omri king; Zimri committing suicide by burning himself with his house. Omri seems to have been a man of character, who reigned over Israel twelve years, building in the meantime Samaria, and beautifying it for his capital.

Following Omri was his son Ahab, a weak king, but who had a strong, unprincipled, dissolute wife, Jezebel. At this time also comes the prophet of God, Elijah, upon the scene. That history becomes a type of later histories, even as Elijah becomes a type of the later reforms. The lesson of the week closes with the only record we have at all of any good traits in Ahab. We read that he humbled himself before God, and his repentance seems to have been even for the little time accepted.