be rent :md its ashes poured out, the pride of the king who stood there as a priest was mortified, and his resentment was manifested o.e described in the text I. JEROBOAM WAS A TYPICAL SINNER. 1. He tr=gressed, God's law-(1) In making iina_qes. The law forbad this (Exod. xx. 4, 5). But he mncle two golden calves. Note: Images of God must be caricatures, n.ud God will not be mocked, solemnly or otherwise, with impunity. How many frightful caricatures of Deity has the "man of sin" perpetrated I (2 Thess. ii. 3-12.) (2) In multiplying altars. Legn.l worship wn.s limited to one altar "in the place which the Lord should choose" (Deut. xvi. 16). This was to keep before men the one only Mediator (John xiv. 6; 1 Tim. ii. 5). Therefore other altars than that at J crusalem were " altars unto sin " (Hos. viii. 11). (3) In cren.ting priests. According to the law, none bnt sons of Aaron had a Divine vocation to the priesthood (Exoll. xxx. 7, 8; 2 Cl.iron. nvi. 18; Heb. v. 4). According to the gospel, Christ is sole Priest. Jeroboam, an Ephrathite, invaded the la.w-principle, making himself high priest, and making subordinate priests of the lowest of the people. 2. He did so impu- dently. (1) His sin was not of ignorance, for he had access to the Scriptures; but it clicl not serve l.iis purpose to refer to them. (2) Propl.iecy was particularly distasteful to l.ii.m, for his doom is written there. Jeroboam bad this from the lips of Ahij;ih, and now has it from the man of God from Judah. Beware of the spirit that would discourage a stndy upon which God has pronounced a blessing (Rev. i. 3). (3) The spirit of his religion was political. He would not have troubled himself with it had he not political ends to serve (eh. xii. 26-29). And to carry out these he dissembled : " It is too much for you to go to Jerusalem I " II. Hrs DOOM ALSO WAS TYPICAL. 1. He was confronted by the word of God. (1) With this the man of God from Judah withstood him at his altar. So by the word of the Lord, and especially with the spirit of prophecy, has the man of sin been confronted by Waldenses, Paulikians, Hussites, Luthern.ns, and such-like men "from Judah." (2) But against this testimony he invoked the civil power under his usurped control (ver. 4). The spirit of persecution was there. 'l'he modern Jeroboam carried it further (Dan. xii. 21; Rev. xiii. 7; xvii. 6). 2. He was humbled by the power of God. (1) His hand was withered ; bis power to persecute was paralyzed. How powerless is the hand of man when arrested by the hand of God I Behind the political restraints which now hold the persecuting J..iaud of our enemies we must discern the invisible hand of God. (3) The altar, then, was cloven, and the ashes of the spurioUB sacrifices poured out as with con• tempt. This also was effected by the same invisible hand. Who can resist the might of God? (4) Constrained by these judgments, be confessed the finger of Goll, and entreated the man of God to pray for the restoration of his hand (see Exod. x. 16, 17; Nnm. xxi. 7; Matt. v. 23, 24). 3. Yet he persisted, in his ain. (1) His humiliation was selfish. It was the creature of his terror ancl suffering, so it wo.s transient. (2) True repentance is of a loftier principle, and is enduring. It is a life, as faith also is a life. (3) Instead of using his restored hand to demolish his high places, he used it to repair the altar at Bethel, and persisted in his sin (vers. 33, 34 ; 2 Chron. xiii. 20). But Josiah executed the judgments of prophecy in due time. So will the modem Jeroboam and his monstrous organization of sin perish in the fires of the judgment (Dan; vii 10, 11 ; 2 Thess. ii. 8). Note: Let those come out of Babylon who would escape her ple.gues.-J. A. !II.
Vere. 7-10.-The Man of God. We may view "Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin," as the " man of sin" of his time, and a forerunner of the Antichrist of more modern times (2 Thess. ii. 3). In contrast to him we have to consider the" man of God," in which character this prophet who confrontetl Jero- boam at Bethel, is described. The instructions under which.he acted teach us how a saint should behave amongst workers of iniquity. I. HE MUST HOLD NO FELLOWSHIP WITH THEM. 1. He muat not eat and drink with thern. (1) For this was anciently a profession of fellowship. llence the Hebrews in Egypt would not eat with the Egyptians (Gen. xliii. 82). The Jews would not eat with the Samaritans (Johu iv. 9); and the1 were shocked to ee{I CH, XIII, 1-10.] THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. 291