LECTURE 576.

Of denouncing judgment upon habitual transgressors. Though Jeroboam had set up a false priesthood of his own, yet when he wished for true information, he resorted to a prophet of the Lord. Strange mixture of impiety and superstition, that the same person should apply for supernatural intelligence, and refuse to obey God's revealed commands ! Strange mixture of unbelief and of credulity; that he should think to deceive a prophet by disguise, and yet expect from the same prophet to learn what should become of his child! Affliction and fear make many a wicked man superstitious. Sickness, and the dread of death, prevail with many an ill liver to resort to the minister of religion, to learn the end of their spiritual disease; in the hope of being told that they may reckon on escaping. And how frequently do such as these disguise themselves as far as possible, and represent themselves as being not the men they are; declaring that they have done no one any harm, when they have been examples of sin to all their neighbours, and professing to have trust in Christ, when they have lived in habits most disgraceful to his name! To such it well becomes the minister of the Gospel to reply, like Ahijah to the wife of Jeroboam, "Why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings." Thou hast had great privileges, but thou hast committed great abominations. Thou hast done evil, and must not expect to be rewarded with good. Thou hast lived in neglect of thy Saviour's will, and must now prepare to encounter his sentence of displeasure. Such is the reproof which would seem no more than fitting for many a one who pretends to be a death bed penitent. Such is the reproof which ought to be administered on due occasions faithfully, though not without the hope held out, that if real repentance be attained, there is yet mercy with God through Christ.

But of what avail, it may be asked, is such a terrible announcement? Of what avail we would reply was the message sent to Jeroboam by his wife; a message tempered with no hope of mercy, no mention of repentance? The unmitigated terrors of the Lord were perhaps the most likely of all means, to move a heart, that was hardened to every other consideration. And the record of those terrors might be salutary for others, though the message should not avail to the repentance of the king. The faithful reproof, given by the Christian minister, at once with courage, meekness, and affection, may be the likeliest means to move the hard heart of an offender, who after a life spent in wickedness is looking for a death of peace. Or if it move not him, it may avail with those who stand around him. Or if it move none, it is a seasonable testimony to God's most holy truth; which if it fail to amend the wicked, may at least put them to shame; and though it should not be the means of saving man, must redound to the glory of God.

The evil reign of Rehoboam.

17 And Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah and when she came to the threshold of the door, the child died:

18 And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by the hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet. 19 And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

20 And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.

21 And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess.

22 And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.

24 And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

25 And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem:

26 And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.

27 And king Rehoboam made in their stead brasen shields, and committed them unto the hands of the chief of the guard, which kept the door of the king's house. 28 And it was so, when the king went into the house of the LORD, that the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard chamber.

29 Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

30 And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.

31 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess. And Abijam his son reigned in his stead. LECTURE 577.

23 For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.

The motives of eternity.

The sentence of the Lord spoken by Ahijah now begins to be fulfilled. The child of Jeroboam dies, as his wife returns and reaches the threshold of the door. He in whom alone of Jeroboam's family some good thing was found toward the Lord, see ver. 13, was taken to his grave in peace; whilst the doom that

hung over all the rest was this, "Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat: for the Lord hath spoken it." Ver. 11. A fearful sentence, and harrowing to the common feelings of our nature, and rendered more painful by contrast with the public and respectful mourning of all Israel for the child Ahijah. And striking to all the Israelites that funeral must have been, as fulfilling one portion of a prophecy, whereof the other part was yet to be fulfilled, in their own uprooting and dispersion, and in the disgraceful end of all the family of their king. Thus at least they ought to have reasoned, when they found the word of the Lord as spoken by Ahijah begin to come to pass. And thus ought we to reason from God's judgments here recorded against sin, and fulfilled in this present world, to the certain execution of those sorer punishments, which are reserved for the world to come.

From the death of Jeroboam king of Israel the history reverts to the reign of Rehoboam king of Judah. It was his privilege to reign "in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord did choose out of all the tribes of Israel to put his name there." But it is mentioned twice to the discredit of his birth that "his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess." He was guilty of allowing his people to build "high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree." Their immorality too was as gross as their irreligion. And in spite of God's command to the contrary, "There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days." So that it would be hard to say which king had most to answer for, in disobeying and dishonouring the Lord; it would be difficult for us to decide, if Scripture had not taught us, by the frequent and special mention of Jeroboam's sin, that he was the most eminent in iniquity. The one allowed Judah to transgress. The other made Israel to sin. And inexcusable as it is, in those who have authority, not to use it for the punishment of evil doers, it is doubly offensive for them to use their power in actually promoting evil deeds.

A sore punishment was inflicted on Rehoboam and his subjects, by the invasion of Shishak king of Egypt, and by his taking away "the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house." But it is remarkable, that both the punishment inflicted on Judah, and that denounced against Israel, for casting off their allegiance to the Lord, went no further than loss, ruin, and disgrace, to take effect in this present world. If we wonder that for such abominable sins no mention is made of everlasting retribution, we may call to mind that all the sanctions of the Law were temporal; and we may note that it was reserved for Christ Jesus in the Gospel to bring life and immortality to light. See 2 Tim. 1. 10. And instead of marvelling that the motives of eternity were not enforced more manifestly of old, we must remember that to us they are plainly revealed, and that with us they ought to supersede all others.

8 And Abijam slept with his fathers; and they buried him all their days. LECTURE 578.

The proof of a heart entirely devoted to the Lord.

The history of the kings of Judah is here continued. Next to Rehoboam came his son Abijam, who walked in all his father's sins, reigning three years, or nearly so. And next to Abijam came his son Asa, a good king, whose reign lasted above forty years; during a great part of which time Judah and Israel were at war with each other. When we think of the close connexion of these kings and kingdoms, how painful is the repeated notice of the perpetual warfare between them. For the second time we are told that "there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life." See Ch. 14. 30. Next we are informed that "there was war between Abijam and Jero

boam." And then, twice it is mentioned, "there was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days." See ver. 32. So little was the reproof of Moses borne in mind, which he addressed to two Israelites, when striving with each other, "Sirs, ye are brethren." Acts 7. 26. So often does it happen, that when those who are near of kin fall out, their enmity is more than commonly implacable. Oh that those of us, who are kindred in Christian faith, may take warning, and avoid the beginnings of strife! Oh that Christian kingdoms, and Christian kings, may, unlike the kings of Israel and Judah, have peace between them all their days!

Of Abijam king of Judah we are told little except the shortness of his reign, the name of his mother, who proved guilty of idolatry, and that he walked in his father's sins, and that God did nevertheless for David's sake "give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem." Wherein we see fulfilled this prophecy which is written in the Psalms, "There shall I make the horn of David to flourish: I have ordained a lantern for mine anointed." Ps. 132. 18. And we also see fulfilled in the case of Abijam these words of the prophet Isaiah: "Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the Lord." Is. 26. 10. May we who dwell in a land highly favoured, and are members of a church greatly beloved, watch that we learn and practise uprightness! And being privileged to behold the majesty of the Lord, may we look thereon, and live accordingly!

The character of Asa is one from which much may be learnt. He "did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did David his father." And again, his "heart was perfect with the Lord all his days." This was proved in his zeal against irreligion and immorality. It was proved by his not sparing idolatry, even in one of such high rank as Maachah the queen mother. It was proved by his bringing into the house of the Lord the silver and gold and vessels, things dedicated by himself and by his father. And it was proved in the sight of God who sees the heart, notwithstanding that he took not away "the high places," where sacrifices were offered which ought to have been brought to the temple at Jerusalem. God will not be extreme to mark what is done amiss, where He sees a heart devout and true. Such was the heart of David before God, except in one chief instance of transgression. Such was the heart of Asa all his days, notwithstanding some sins of infirmity. May such a heart be seen by God in us: and may the proof of our having such a heart be manifested, whatsoever of frailty still adheres to us, in our zeal against all dishonour done to God, and by our giving to his service that which we have dedicated, not only our substance but ourselves!