aggravated the discontent by hie oppression towards the cloRe of his reign, eo that Rehoboam had no easy task before him. All we.a ripe for revolt. 1. National strength is impossible without national wnity. Clans must lose their jealousies if they would become 11, strong people. The scvemnce of the rich from the poor, the hostility between capital and labour, the disaffection of :i,ny section of the people must be a source of weakness, e. sign of decadence. 2. The Chwrch's power is sapped by sectarian hostility. There may be diversity in modes of work and worship, but amongst all Christiane should be unity of spirit. "There are diversities of operations, but the same spirit." Each tribe may march through the wilderness with its own banner, but all must find their one centre in the Divine presence, ancl seek their one Canaan ae a land of re9t. Isaiah foretells the clay when "Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim" (cb. xi. 13). II. HEAVY TAXATION. It affected the people's wealth, ar.d still more painfully their personal labour. A more foolish step than that whit.h Rehoboam took coulcl scarcely be imagined. He sent to appease the people"}, doram, who was over the tribute ; '' the very man who represented the oppression they resented ! Quem Deus vult perdere, prius dementat. Show how extravagance, disregard of the rights of others, unjust demands, carelessness of the interests of dependant9, !earl to disaster-in homes, in business, in national and ecclesiastical affairs. Illustra.te this from history; the decline and fall of the Roman Empire ; the dissolution of the formerly vast dependencies of Spain, &c. So if a Church demands too mnch, as Rome does, she loses all. The intelligent men of Roman Catholic countries are sceptics. III. RELIGIOUS INDIFFERENCE. That this existed is evident from the ease with which Solomon set up the worship of Ashtoreth, Milcom, and Chemosh ; and from the fact that Jeroboam, directly after the revolt, erected the calves at Bethel ancl Dan. J. D. Michaelis and others have sought to justify the people in their re- bellion, but there can be no doubt that so far as they were concerned the revolt wa.s criminal. Neither in this nor in any other act of man does higher causality affect the morality of au act. They were anxious about the decrease of ta:s:ation, but not about the removal of idolatry. To them it mattered little whether Jehovah were worshipped or not. But it was to represent Him, to fulfil His pnrpose, to preserve His truth, that the kingdom existed. lndiffereuce to God is destructive of the stability of human hopes, of the kingliness of hum::m chamctor, of the peace and security of human kingdoms. Christ has come into the world to arouse it from indifference, that all men may go out to greet Him as "King of kings, and Lord of lords." If you lose the kingdom of heaven it is because, like Rehoboam, you throw it away. The lost opportunity never came to him again. He wo.s forbidden to try to recover by force what he sacrificed by folly (ver. 24). Over him and over many a man the lament may be heard," Oh that thou hadstknown,·even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace, but now they a.re hid from thine eyos."-A. R.
Vers. 1-20.-The accomplishment of the predicted judgment. I. DANGERS OFTEN COME DISGUISED. 1. It was a, time of joyous expecta.tion. Nothing be- tokened the nearness of rebellion and disaster. All Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. There was no dispute about the succession, and no unwil- lingness to own the sway of the house of David. All was hopeful. Danger may lw·k in joy like a venomous insect in a flower. 2. The people's request was reasonable. Rehoboam could shield himself under no plea of Divine right. David was appointed to shepherd Israel, o.nd the people had o. right to •protest against their burdens. 8. Their demcind seems to have been urged with moderation. Thero was as yet no determination to rebel The issue lo.y with the king. It wo.s to beo.r the sto.mp of his mind as well o.s theirs. There are moments that face us with a sudden demand to manifest tho spirit that is in us o.nd to make or mar our future. Should the demand come to thee to-day, what mark would be left, what work would be done? II. A DANGER WISELY MET. 1. The importance of the jimctiire was felt and 268 THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. [oH. XlI, 1-24,
OtDMd. He took time for consideration. A good decision ls nothing the worse of a calm renew: a bad one needs it. 2. He sought counsel. We :1re helped by the light of others' jndgment, but above all we need the direction of God. III. THE BEGINNING OF DISASTER. 1. A grave defect. Among nil that is said of these three days there is no mention of his inquiring of the Lord, or lifting up one cry for guidance. There is pride and pnssion in us which only God can subdue: these retained are worse than all our foes ; they can only harm us through the enemies we harbour within our breast. 2. The counsels of wisdom are rejected (vers. 7, 8). 3. The counsels of folly accepted (vers. 8-11). He was seeking for the reflection of his own proud, vengeful thought, and he now found it in the advice of _those who wer~ like-min~ed. What we need is not the strengthening of our own Jnclgment, but its correction by the utterance of love and righteousness and truth. IY. FoLLY's HARVEST. 1. The shame of rejection and desertion (ver. 16). 2. Ilis last nttempt to assert his authority defeated (ver. 18). 3. His igno- minious flight. He who might have won a kingdom has to flee :fbr his life. 4. The separation of the ten tribes completed (vers. 19, 20). If Rehoboam had fled from the evil which was in himself, he would not have required to flee from Lis people. We give birth to the terrors which pw·sue us. There is but one flight possiule from loss and death-the flight from sin.-U.