Lesson 2 The Crisis (Within and Without) October 3-9

Memory Text: “ 'Israel was holiness to the Lord. The firstfruits of His increase. All that devour him will offend; disaster will come upon them,' says the Lord” (Jeremiah 2:3, NKJV).

If we could pick one word to describe the human condition since the Fall, it would be “crisis,” the extent of which can be best understood by what it took to get us out of the crisis: the death of Jesus on the cross. The crisis must be pretty bad; after all, look at the extreme measures needed to solve it.

All through the Bible, many stories took place against the backdrop of one crisis or another. The situation during the time of Jeremiah and his ministry was no different.

God's people faced many challenges, both from within and from without. Unfortunately, despite the terrible military threat from foreign powers, in many ways the greatest crisis came from within. “Within” meant not just a corrupt leadership and corrupt priesthood, which were bad enough, but “within” was in the sense of people whose hearts had been so hardened and damaged by sin and apostasy that they refused to heed the warnings that God was sending them, warnings that could have spared them from disaster.Sin is bad enough, but when you refuse to turn away from it-talk about a crisis!

Sunday A Quick History October 4 4

When the Israelites had finally entered the Promised Land, after years of wandering in the wilderness, it wasn't long before troubles began. All it took was for a new generation to arise, one that didn't “know the Lord” ( Judg. 2:10 … ‘When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.’), and a spiritual crisis started that, in many ways, infected the nation all through its history. It's a problem that, indeed, has infected the Christian church as well.Read Judges 2:1-15. Israels Disobedience1 Then the Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: “I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you.

 2 And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?

2. Make no league. See Ex. 34:12. It is evident from the record of the first chapter of Judges that the Israelites had made many leagues with the heathen inhabitants of Palestine. The Israelites probably argued that these leagues were forced upon them because of their inability to drive the native inhabitants from their strong positions.

Throw down their altars. See Ex. 34:13. These “altars” were the peculiar stone pillar altars so prevalent in Palestine. Social intercourse with the local inhabitants was the first step in Israel’s unfaithfulness. The next step was taken when some of the people, through this means, were led to join in festivities around heathen altars, sacred trees, and pillars. Once the barriers were broken down, apostasy, like a flood, swept in among them. In only a short time their course of fusion had wrought havoc with high religious principles. The same results follow a similar course today. The Lord has warned, “Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).1

3 Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be thorns   in your side,   and their gods shall be a snare to you. ’”The failure to drive out the inhabitants of the land brought its own punishment. So it is with all sin. Lust and corruption not only cut off the grace of God but bring retribution and punishment as a result of the sin itself. God often punishes sin with sin (see PP 728). 4 So it was, when the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.5 Then they called the name of that place Bochim; Bochim. Literally, “weepers.” and they sacrificed there to the   Lord . 6 And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land.

5. Bochim. See on v. 1. The stern rebuke administered by the messenger caused the people to break into weeping. It was a weeping of shame, and only partially of repentance. The name served thenceforth to recall the tears of disappointment and disgrace. The place and the incidents connected with it remind us of the modern wailing wall in Jerusalem. Like the Hebrews in this experience at Bochim, many today melt under the preaching of repentance, only to harden again before they can be cast into a new mold.

It is noteworthy how quickly these erring people were touched by the preaching of this messenger. The Word of God has the power to move and convert men, and one who is thus moved may properly weep over his past failures and mistakes. “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted” (Matt. 5:4). However, it would be much better if, instead of naming the place in such a way as to lay the principal stress on the feelings and demonstrations of sorrow, it might be called “Repentance.” It is this latter experience that God is looking for. This expectation is well expressed in the words of Paul: “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of” (2 Cor. 7:10). Too often religion is an experience of sentiment and emotion rather than of

1 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1976). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 2, p. 317). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

It is difficult to ascertain of whom the writer is speaking when he refers to “an angel of the Lord.” The word “angel” literally means “messenger.” The term “messenger of the Lord” may refer to a prophet whom God used to give His message to Israel (Haggai 1:13), but it may also refer to the Lord Himself, who is sometimes referred to by this title (see Ex. 23:20, 23; 33:2). The fact that the message is not introduced with a “Thus saith the Lord,” which was the custom of later prophets, suggests that the speaker was the Lord Himself. The use of the first person also supports the latter view.

faith and obedience.2

Death of Joshua7 So the people served the   Lord   all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the   Lord   which He had done for Israel.   8 Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died when he was one hundred and ten years old. 9 And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. 10 When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.Israels Unfaithfulness11 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the   Lord, and served the Baals; 12 and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14   And the anger of the   Lord   was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. 15 Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed. What caused the crisis, and how was it made manifest? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: The fact that they made agreements with the heathen nations around them and did not tear down their alters precipitated the crisis. It was made manifest by their serving other gods and worshipping the same. That coupled with the anger of God and His disciplining them by foreign conquest and plundering of their possessions.

Judges 2:11 says: “Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord” (NIV). Each generation, one after the other, moved one step further from God until the nation was doing exactly what the Lord had told them not to do. Due to their sin, they faced one crisis after another, but even then the Lord had not given up on them. He sent them judges ( Judg. 2:16 ) , who delivered them from their immediate woes.

After the era of the judges, the nation entered a time of relative peace and prosperity under what has been called “the United Monarchy,” the rule of Saul, David, and Solomon, which lasted about one hundred years. Under

2 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1976). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 317–318). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

David, then Solomon, it grew into a regional power.The “good” times, though, did not last. After the death of Solomon (about

931 b.c.), the nation split into two factions, Israel in the north and Judah in the south. Much of the blame can be placed on the misguided rule of Solomon, who, for all his wisdom, made numerous mistakes. “The tribes had long suffered grievous wrongs under the oppressive measures of their former ruler. The extravagance of Solomon's reign during his apostasy had led him to tax the people heavily and to require of them much menial service.”-Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings , pp. 88, 89 . Things were never the same again for God's chosen nation. Everything the Lord had warned them not to do, they did, and thus they reaped the doleful consequences.

Think about the problem of the next generation not having the values and beliefs of the one before it. How have we, as a church, dealt with this issue? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: We have use initiatives like “mentorship”, “buddy system” other programs that involve empowering the youth to minister but by and large we have failed to see the realization of God’s method of modeling and joint participation according to en-giftedness and calling that is occasioned by keeping the ideal in view. How can we learn to transmit our values to those who follow us? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: Teaching them from birth. Be an example of what we desire them to replicate. Demonstrating the blessings of the Christian lifestyle. By being watchful of the ‘worldly elements while administering loving discipline when needed.7T 217 “the believers who….

Monday The Two Kingdoms October 5

After the division of the nation, things went from bad to worse. In the Northern Kingdom (Israel), King Jeroboam made some terrible spiritual choices that had a long-lasting impact for evil.Read 1 Kings 12:26-31. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: 27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah.”28 Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!” 29 And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. 31 He made shrines on the high places, and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi.

What should this tell us about how immediate circumstances can so blind our judgment? ? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: Jeroboam King of Israel in the northern kingdom thought that if his people went to worship in Jerusalem in Judea that the people would be turned to Rehoboam king of Judah in the south and they would end up killing him, so he tried to consolidate his kingdom by making two calves of gold to worship as gods, one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. He also made shrines on the high places, and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi. The entire thing underscores that ones perception alters their reality.

The king's introduction of idolatrous worship helped set the nation on a disastrous course. “The apostasy introduced during Jeroboam's reign became more and more marked, until finally it resulted in the utter ruin of the kingdom of Israel.”-Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings , p. 107 . In 722 b.c., Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, put an end to the country and deported its inhabitants to different parts of his empire (see 2 Kings 17:1-7). There was no turning back from this exile. For a time, Israel disappeared from history.Things weren't as bad in the Southern Kingdom, at least not yet. But they weren't great either, and, as with the Northern Kingdom, the Lord sought to spare these people from the calamity that the Northern Kingdom faced, only now from the threat of the Babylonians. Unfortunately, with rare exceptions, Judah had a series of kings who continued to lead the nation into deeper apostasy.

What do these verses say about the reign of some of Judah's kings? 2 Chron. 33:9-10, 21-23; 33:9 So Manasseh made Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to err, [and] to do worse than the heathen, whom the LORD had destroyed before the children of Israel. 33:10 And the LORD spake to Manasseh, and to his people: but they would not hearken.

33:21 Amon [was] two and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned two years in Jerusalem. 33:22 But he did [that which was] evil in the sight of the LORD, as did Manasseh his father: for Amon sacrificed unto all the carved images which Manasseh his father had made, and served them; 33:23 And humbled not himself before the LORD, as Manasseh his father had humbled himself; but Amon trespassed more and more. 2 Kings 24:8-9 . The Reign and Captivity of Jehoiachin8 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mothers name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. 9 And he did evil in the sight of the   Lord, according to all that his father had done.

2 Kings 24:18-1918 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mothers name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. 19   He also did evil in the sight of the   Lord , according to all that Jehoiakim had done. MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: Some of them did just as bad and even worst then their fathers and heathen kings in turning the people away from God.

GTFF6-VK24D-G7VV9-3496X-VPKCQDespite all the terrible leadership, so many of the prophetic books of the Bible, including Jeremiah, are the words of the prophets whom God sent to His people in an attempt to turn them away from the sin and apostasy that was eating at the heart of the nation. The Lord was not going to give up on His people without giving them ample time and opportunity to turn from their evil ways and be spared the disaster that their sin would, inevitably, bring.It's so hard to step out of your own culture and environment and look at yourself objectively. In fact, it's impossible. Why, then, must we constantly test our lives against the standard of the Bible? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: We must test ourselves against the Bible because it is the only standard of right and is a reliable reference point in all of life’s experiences. What other standard do we have? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: We do not have anther standard as such but one can say the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy, which supports the Bible, are also references points.

Tuesday October 6 Two Evils

It was against this background that the young Jeremiah began his prophetic ministry. “The word of the Lord” came to him, and he spoke it in hopes that the people, if they would heed these words, would be spared the ruin that otherwise was sure to come.Read Jeremiah 2:1-28 and answer the following questions:Gods Case Against Israel 2 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Go and cry in the hearing of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I remember you,The kindness of your youth,The love of your betrothal,When you went after Me in the wilderness,In a land not sown.3   Israel   was   holiness to the   Lord,The firstfruits of His increase.All that devour him will offend;Disaster will come upon them,” says the   Lord.’” 4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the Lord: “What injustice have your fathers found in Me,That they have gone far from Me,Have followed idols,And have become idolaters?Are become vain. Men take on the nature of the object they worship (see Deut. 7:26; Rom. 1:21–23; PP 306,

334, 335).3

6 Neither did they say, ‘Where is the Lord, Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, Who led us through the wilderness, Through a land of deserts and pits, Through a land of drought and the shadow of death, Through a land that no one crossed And where no one dwelt?’6. Neither said they. The people were basely ungrateful for the providential deliverances and beneficent care that God had lavished upon them, and lightly esteemed their Benefactor.4

7 I brought you into a bountiful country,To eat its fruit and its goodness.But when you entered, you defiled My landAnd made My heritage an abomination.8 The priests did not say, ‘Where   is   the   Lord?’And those who handle the law did not know Me;The rulers also transgressed against Me;The prophets prophesied by Baal,And walked after   things that   do not profit.”

8. The priests. This verse describes the delinquencies of the three ruling classes, the priests, the pastors, and the prophets (see on v. 26; Micah 3:11).

That handle the law. The priests were to be experts in the law (see on Deut. 31:9; Ps. 19:7; Prov. 3:1), and to explain it to the people (Deut. 33:10; Mal. 2:6, 7).

The pastors. Literally, “shepherds.” This expression designates responsible leaders in Israel’s theocracy, both civil and religious (see Jer. 3:15; 10:21; Jer. 22:22; Jer. 25:34–36; 1 Kings 22:17; Isa. 44:28; Zech. 10:3; 11:5).5

9 “Therefore I will yet bring charges against you,” says the Lord, “And against your children”s children I will bring charges. 10 For pass beyond the coasts of Cyprus and see, Send to Kedar and consider diligently, And see if there has been such a thing. 11 Has a nation changed its gods, Which are not gods? But My people have changed their Glory For what does not profit.

Yet no gods. The clause reads literally, “and they are no gods.” The “yet” translates the Hebrew conjunction and must not be interpreted as a temporal adverb. The gods of the nations are unreal. The gods that the idol is supposed to represent do not exist.

Changed their glory. Israel bartered the real for the unreal and traded the truth for falsehood (see Ps. 106:20; Rom. 1:23). “Their glory” was God, the source of all prosperity (see Deut. 10:21; 1 Sam. 4:21; Ps. 3:3). Elsewhere God is spoken of as the “excellency,” or, more accurately, the “pride” of Israel (Amos 8:7; Hosea 5:5). Other nations could have forsaken their false gods without any loss to themselves. But Israel, in forsaking their God, Jehovah, had acted not only contrary to the custom of other nations but also contrary to the dictates of reason.6

12 Be astonished, O heavens, at this, And be horribly afraid; Be very desolate, says the Lord. 13 “For My people have committed two evils:They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,And hewn themselves 3 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, pp. 357–358). Review and Herald Publishing Association.4 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, pp. 357–358). Review and Herald Publishing Association.5 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 359). Review and Herald Publishing Association.6 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 359). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

cisterns - broken cisterns that can hold no water.”13. Two evils. The two evils may be defined as: (1) rejection of the real, and (2) the adoption of the unreal.

The first naturally leads to the second.Forsaken me. The “me” is emphatic in the Hebrew.Living waters. That is, “flowing waters.” The Hebrew phrase thus translated occurs in Gen. 26:19; Lev.

14:5; etc. On the figure, compare Jer. 17:13; John 4:10; 7:37; 3T 467; PP 413.Broken cisterns. Water has always been a precious commodity in the Near East. Anyone who possessed a

gushing spring of life-giving water would be foolish to trade it for a leaky cistern of stagnant water.7

14 “Is Israel a servant?Is he a homeborn slave?Why is he plundered?15 The young lions roared at him, and growled;They made his land waste;His cities are burned, without inhabitant.16 Also the people of Noph and TahpanhesHave broken the crown of your head.17 Have you not brought this on yourself,In that you have forsaken the Lord your GodWhen He led you in the way?18 And now why take the road to Egypt,To drink the waters of Sihor?Or why take the road to Assyria,To drink the waters of the River? 19   Your own wickedness will correct you,And your backslidings will rebuke you. Know therefore and see that it is an evil and bitter thingThat you have forsaken the Lord your God,And the fear of Me is not in you,” Says the Lord God of hosts.

19. Correct. Rather, “discipline,” or “chastise.”Backslidings. Heb. meshuboth, “apostasies,” “turnings back,” or “defections,” a word occurring most

frequently in Jeremiah. Of the 12 certain occurrences in the OT 9 are in this book (chs. 2:19; 3:6, 8, 11, 12, 22; 5:6; 8:5; 14:7).

An evil thing. Defined as being twofold: (1) apostasy from God, and (2) indifference to God.8

20 “For of old I have broken your yoke and burst your bonds;And you said, ‘I will not transgress,’When on every high hill and under every green treeYou lay down, playing the harlot.21 Yet I had planted you a noble vine, a seed of highest quality.How then have you turned before MeInto the degenerate plant of an alien vine?How then? The perverseness and degeneracy of Israel were not the result of any neglect on God’s part but of their own perversity.9

22 For though you wash yourself with lye, and use much soap,Yet your iniquity is marked before Me,” says the Lord God. 23   “How can you say, ‘I am not polluted, I have not gone after the Baals’?See your way in the valley;Know what you have done:You are   a swift dromedary breaking loose in her ways,24   A wild donkey used to the wilderness,That   sniffs at the wind in her desire;In her time of mating, who can turn her away?All those who seek her will not weary themselves;In her month they will find her.7 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 359). Review and Herald Publishing Association.8 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 360). Review and Herald Publishing Association.9 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, pp. 360–361). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

23. How canst thou say? This question is evidently more than the prophet’s anticipation of a possible attempt by these sinners at self-vindication. It appears that the inhabitants of Judea repeatedly voiced this objection (see v. 35). Since Josiah had revived the appointed public worship of Yahweh, the people evidently persuaded themselves that they worshiped the true God, in spite of the fact that idolatrous heathen rites still continued (see ch. 9:13, 14).

Baalim. A transliteration of the Hebrew plural for Baal. The word is equivalent to the “other gods” of ch. 1:16.

In the valley. The prophet substantiated his charges by an appeal to the facts. Jeremiah probably referred to the abominations carried on in the valley of the son of Hinnom, south and west of Jerusalem (chs. 7:31, 32; 19:2, 6, 13, 14; 32:35). On the southern brow of the hill overlooking this valley, Solomon had erected a high place for Molech, the god of Ammon (see on 1 Kings 11:7). From time to time later idolatrous kings revived the horrid rites in the same vicinity. Ahaz and Manasseh made their children “pass through the fire” (2 Kings 16:3; 21:6; 2 Chron. 28:3; 33:6). To put an end to the abominations of this valley, the good king Josiah polluted the site with bones and refuse (see on 2 Kings 23:10).

Dromedary. Heb. bikrah, “a young she-camel,” here represented as running around in the heat of desire. Such is the ardor for idolatry shown by the people of Israel.

24. A wild ass. In her zeal Israel resembles this wild, unbridled creature (see Job 24:5; 39:5).Snuffeth up the wind. In the ardor of her heat she sniffs the wind to ascertain where the he-ass is to be

found.Weary themselves. She is searching out the he-asses; they have no need to weary themselves in searching

for her. In the same way the false gods would not need to court Israel’s favor. In her wild lust she pursued them (Eze. 16:34; see Hosea 2:7).

Her month. Her mating season.10

25 Withhold your foot from being unshod, and your throat from thirst.But you said, ‘There is no hope.No! For I have loved aliens, and after them I will go.’” 26 “As the thief is ashamed when he is found out,So is the house of Israel ashamed;They and their kings and their princes, and their priests and their prophets,27 Saying to a tree, ‘You are my father,’And to a stone, ‘You gave birth to me.’For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face.But in the time of their troubleThey will say, ‘Arise and save us.’28 But where are your gods that you have made for yourselves?Let them arise,If they can save you in the time of your trouble;For according to the number of your citiesAre your gods, O Judah.”

What promises had God made to the nation when they were faithful? (See Jer. 2:2-3.)

Kindness of thy youth. Grammatically the phrase may mean either the kindness of God toward Israel or Israel’s kindness toward God. Here the latter seems to be emphasized. In her youth Israel had responded to the wooing of God’s love. In poetic figure God is represented as the Lover and Israel as His betrothed.

Espousals. Literally, “betrothal time,” or “state of being a bride.” The bridal state was at the beginning of her history.

A land … not sown. Israel demonstrated the sincerity of her love by forsaking the comparative comforts and security statute of Egypt in order to follow God in the barren wilderness.11 The firstfruits. The figure of first fruits was familiar to the Jews (see on Ex. 23:19; Num. 18:12, 13). Israel was as the most precious part of the

10 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 361). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

harvest, the part that was dedicated as God’s portion. Shall offend. No heathen nation was to be allowed to devour Israel (Jer. 10:25; 50:7; cf. Deut. 7:16).12

MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: That they as the first fruits of His harvest, would be protected and no nation would overcome them.

What were some of the priests, pastors, and prophets doing that was sinful? (See Jer. 2:8.) The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’And those who handle the law did not know Me;The rulers also transgressed against Me;The prophets prophesied by Baal,And walked after things that do not profit.”MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: They were not seeking God or directing the people to God, nor encouraged them to have a personal relationship with Him. Because they did not know God, they inevitably sinned against Him and wrongly advised people. The prophets prophesied falsely and ended up practicing and involving themselves in that which was of no benefit.

In what terrible ways were the people self-deceived in regard to their true spiritual condition? (See Jer. 2:23-24. 23   “How can you say, ‘I am not polluted, I have not gone after the Baals’?See your way in the valley;Know what you have done:You are   a swift dromedary breaking loose in her ways, 24   A wild donkey used to the wilderness,That   sniffs at the wind in her desire;In her time of mating, who can turn her away?All those who seek her will not weary themselves;In her month they will find her.)MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: They were deceived in their thinking that they were sinless… that they were not practicing false worship and as pronged to those things as a donkey on heat.

Even though the nation had experienced some spiritual reform under the leadership of Hezekiah and Josiah, the people reverted to their old ways and fell into worse apostasy. As he did all through his ministry, Jeremiah here spoke in no uncertain terms about what was going on.Particularly interesting are his words in Jeremiah 2:13. The people had committed two evils: they forsook the Lord, the fountain of living waters and, as a result, hewed out for themselves broken cisterns that, of course, could not hold any water at all. In other words, having abandoned the Lord, they had lost everything. These words become even more meaningful in light of what Jesus said in John 4:10. “Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

11 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, pp. 357–358). Review and Herald Publishing Association.12 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, pp. 357–358). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

In Jeremiah 2:5, the Lord said that the people had gone after “worthlessness,” and as a result they had become “worthless” (ESV). The Hebrew words for both terms come from the same Hebrew word (hbl) that is used in Ecclesiastes often translated “vanity.” It also means “a vapor” or “breath.” How does going after worthless things make us “worthless”? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: Men take on the nature of the object they worship (see Deut. 7:26; Rom. 1:21–23; PP 306, 334, 335, hence as the things are worthless in themselves so too it produces worthlessness. The worthless lacks the potential to produce that which is of any worth. Further, we are changed into that which we behold. What does that mean? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: It means that because the law of cause and effect comes into play, the end result will be consistent with or like the beginning…the result will be just like the nature of it before the process begun. How does this concept help us to understand those who, at times, feel as if their lives are meaningless or worthless? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: We can understand it because we know that our reality is impacted by our perceptions… and so if our reality is understood to be worthless, then we tend to feel worthless. One’s concepts impact Our perceptions. The emotions and feeling impact our thoughts and our thoughts impact our actions. What is the answer for them? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: Turn to Jesus. Realize that we are of value because He made us and pain and inestimable price to redeem us. Live in the light of the gifts and calling of God in your life. Know that we are an integral part of His plan and are a part of His ‘mosaic’. We are created to fulfill His mission and to live for His glory.

Wednesday October 7 The Babylonian Threat

The background to the political events that shaped the ministry of Jeremiah are, to some degree, lost to history. That is, many of the details are not available. But we do have in the Bible (with the help of archaeological finds) more than enough information to have a general picture of what took place. Though from a human perspective it probably seemed that no one was in control as these nations battled it out for land, power, and hegemony, the Bible teaches us differently.Read Jeremiah 27:6. 6 And now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant; and the beasts of the field I have also given him to serve him. 6. My servant. See on ch. 25:9.The beasts of the field. Conquering armies levied particularly the horses and cattle of the conquered peoples, thus aggravating the distress and despair of the vanquished.

From Jeremiah 25: 12. I will punish. This prophecy against Babylon began to be fulfilled when “the Medes and Persians” captured the city, killed Belshazzar, and ended the Neo-Babylonian Empire (Dan. 5:17–31). Although Babylon was used by God to chastise His own people, this did not relieve the Babylonians from punishment for their own iniquities (see Jer. 50; 51; cf. Isa. 10:5–16).13

What are we to make of this? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: God will use the Babylonians as an instrument to discipline His people.

The little kingdom of Judah had, in the early years of Jeremiah's ministry, found itself caught up in the military battles between Babylon, Egypt, and the waning power of Assyria. With the decline of the Assyrian empire in the late seventh century b.c., Egypt sought to regain power and dominance in the region. However, at the battle of Carchemish in 605 b.c., Egypt was crushed and Babylon became the new world power.This new power made Judah its vassal state. Jehoiakim, king of Judah, could stabilize the country only by swearing allegiance to the Babylonian king. Many in the country, however, didn't want to do that; they wanted to fight and free themselves from the Babylonians, even though that wasn't what the Lord intended for them to do. On the contrary, God was using Babylon specifically as a vehicle to punish the nation for its apostasy.

Read Jeremiah 25:8-12. 8 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Because you have not heard My words, 9 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ says theLord, ‘and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, against its inhabitants, and against these nations all around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, a hissing, and perpetual desolations. 9. All the families. The various races subjugated by Nebuchadnezzar, and which furnished men to serve in the Babylonian armies. My servant. See chs. 27:6; 43:10. Cyrus was similarly designated as God’s “servant” in that he would do a work that God wished to have done (see Isa. 44:24 to 45:5).14

10 Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp.   11   And this whole land shall be a desolation   and   an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.’”

Astonishment. Heb. shammah, “a horror” (see on ch. 5:30). An hissing. That is, derision.10. The voice of mirth. Not only would these sounds of joy (see on ch. 7:34) be heard no more, but also “the

sound of the millstones,” the grinding of corn by women (Ex. 11:5; Matt. 24:41), and “the light of the candle” would cease. The picture presented in Jer. 25:10 is one depicting the complete dissolution of family life, both as to its seasons of rejoicing and as to its daily routine (see Rev. 18:22, 23).

11. An astonishment. Literally, “a horror” (see on ch. 5:30). Seventy years. This mention of the 70-year

13 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 446). Review and Herald Publishing Association.14 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 446). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

period includes the nations immediately surrounding Judah (see v. 9), whereas ch. 29:10 refers to the captivity of Judah only. However, the LXX renders this last clause, “and they shall serve among the Gentiles seventy years,” which agrees with ch. 29:10 in applying the 70 years to the Jews only.

This period of 70 years has generally been equated with the 70-year period of Jewish captivity (ch. 29:10). Both of these periods may be reckoned from 605 B.C. to 536 B.C. inclusive (for a discussion of this 70-year period see Vol. III, pp. 90–92, 94–97).15

12 “Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity,” says the Lord; “and I will make it a perpetual desolation.” What was Jeremiah's message to the people of Judah? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: That because Judah hasn’t heard God’s words, He will use Babylon to seize them and their possessions… thus depicting the complete dissolution of family life, both as to its seasons of rejoicing and as to its daily routine (see Rev. 18:22, 23).

Over and over Jeremiah warned the people about what would happen because of their sin, and time and again many of the political and religious leaders refused to heed the warnings, believing instead what they wanted to believe, which is that the Lord would spare them. After all, were they not God's specially called people?When was the last time you believed what you wanted to believe, no matter how obviously wrong that belief turned out to be? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: Hopefully a long time ago. Don’t recall every believing that. It was more so the wicked heart desiring what it wanted. What lessons have you learned so that the same thing doesn't happen again? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: that it doesn’t make sense doing wrong or choosing to go outside God’s will. I suffer and everything else.

Thursday October 8 Swearing Falsely

In Jeremiah 5:1, the Lord tells the people to run through the streets and see “if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth, that I may pardon her [Jerusalem]” (ESV). This brings to mind two stories. One is from an ancient Greek philosopher of the fourth century b.c. named Diogenes who, according to legend, used to walk around in the marketplace in the daytime, claiming that he was looking for an honest man. The other story, of course, one that we know is true, is that of God speaking to Abraham, telling him that if He could find 50 righteous men (soon reduced to 10), He would not destroy the city.The point, though, in the Lord's words through Jeremiah was to reveal just how widespread the apostasy and sin had become among His people. Was there no one who did justice and sought truth?15 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 446). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

Read Jeremiah 5:2-3. 2 Though they say, “As the Lord lives,” Surely they swear falsely. 3 O Lord, are not Your eyes on the truth? You have stricken them, But they have not grieved; You have consumed them, But they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; They have refused to return.

2. The Lord liveth. To swear by the name of the living God (see Deut. 6:13; 10:20, 21; Ps. 63:11; Isa. 45:23) was to acknowledge Yahweh as the supreme Lord.

3. Thine eyes upon. God sees through the pretense of man and scrutinizes the motives that govern conduct (see 2 Chron. 16:9; Prov. 5:21; 15:3; Jer. 16:17; 32:19).

Truth. Heb. ’emunah, “firmness,” “faithfulness.” ’Emunah is translated “faith” in Hab. 2:4, where, however, “faithfulness” is probably the more accurate translation. God is seeking for men of “faith,” or “faithfulness,” for He Himself is a God of “truth” (Heb. ’emunah, Deut. 32:4).16

What is being said here that shows just how bad things were becoming? (See Lev. 19:12.) MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: What is been said is that things had become so bad that they dared to claim the acknowledgement of God as supreme but had not responded to the chastening of the Lord as seen in the words ‘stricken/grieved’ and ‘consumed/received correction’… their hearts were hardened.

These verses bring up a point that appears all through the book. No matter how deeply fallen the nation had become, many of the people believed that they were still faithfully following the Lord! They were uttering His name, but they were doing it “falsely” instead of “in truth, in justice, and in righteousness” (Jer. 4:2, ESV) as the Lord had commanded them. They did not listen to the warning coming from God, but they went on in their lives and religious practices as if everything were all right between them and God, when in fact almost nothing was right between them.

The depth of their deception can be seen in Jeremiah 7:4, when the people would take a false comfort in these words, hekhal yhwh hekhal yhwh hekhal yhwh hemma! (“This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord”), as if having the temple there were all that they needed in order to ensure that all would go well with them. It's one thing to know you're in a crisis; but when you are in one and don't know it, that's an even worse situation.With all the wonderful truth we have been given as Seventh-day Adventists, how can we make sure we don't fall into a similar deception of believing our unique calling itself is enough to save us? MY POSSIBLE ANSWER: By prayerfully searching our hearts in the light of what the word of God says. By looking unto Jesus and responding to the Holy Spirit. By remembering that it is not primarily outward profession but our relationship with Jesus

16 Nichol, F. D. (Ed.). (1977). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary (Vol. 4, p. 376). Review and Herald Publishing Association.

that is transforming. By remembering that it is the reflection of the character of Jesus that is the goal as we accept the imputed and imparted righteousness of Christ that appropriates salvation.2SM “I am instructed to say”

Friday Further Thought: October 9“Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes” (Deut. 12:8). “When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the Lord thy God” (Deut. 13:18). “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 17:6, 21:25).There's a crucially important contrast presented in these verses, especially in this day and age when many people revolt against the idea of being told by an outside authority what to do, or being told what is right and wrong. Yet we can see here a clear distinction between these two worldviews. In one, people do whatever they think is “right” in their own eyes; in another, people are to do what is right in the “eyes of the Lord thy God.” The problem with the first position is that, so often in history, what is “right” in someone's own eyes is often wrong in God's. That's why we have to submit everything, even our own conscience, to the Word of God.

Discussion Questions:

1 What are some examples you can think of where “good” people did very bad things, even though they thought at the time that what they were doing was right? Many cultures today look back in horror at what were once common practices. What lessons can we draw from this for ourselves today about why we not only need to submit to the teaching of the Bible, but also need to be very careful in how we interpret the Bible? This is especially important when we realize that, in some cases, some of the “bad” things that were done were done by those who believed they could justify their actions by the Bible. What should this tell us about how basic and foundational to all our beliefs the Ten Commandments need to be?

2 As we study Jeremiah this quarter, keep in mind the idea that despite warning after warning, the people believed that they were right with God. What could have caused them to be so deceived about their true condition? What message should this have for us as well?

===============Inside Story

A Most Satisfying Career -Part 2Some Christian lay workers visited the prison each week to teach prisoners about God. One of the prisoners invited Harry to join them. He went, but his mind focused on a way to escape from prison. A lay worker gave him a book called The Great Controversy. Harry read it, but he was sure that with all the crimes he’d committed, God wouldn’t bother with him.Often at night, some of the prisoners would sing and pray together from their cells. One night the words of their song touched Harry’s heart. “I’ve wandered far away from God, now I’m coming home,” they sang. In the darkness, tears fell unchecked from Harry’s eyes. Then he began sobbing. The same thing happened again a few nights later. Harry realized that God was calling him to come home, and he couldn’t refuse.Harry hesitated to join any one religious group, for he didn’t know which one taught Bible truth. He began studying many different religions. He even learned Arabic so he could read the Koran. But none of these religions seemed to hold the truth.

Then Harry remembered the book that he had received. He pulled it out and began reading it again. As he read The Great Controversy, he sensed that this book was teaching the truth.Harry began meeting with the Bible class taught be the Adventists. He joined the baptismal class and prepared to be baptized. But because of Harry’s reputation for escaping, the guards refused to allow Harry to leave for his baptism.A month later Harry was transferred back to the original prison from which he had escaped. When he entered the prison, the guards greeted him. Some of them had heard that Harry had changed, and they watched to see if it was true. They even bribed other prisoners to spy on him.Harry rejoiced to learn that Adventists held worship services in this prison, too. He joined them and continued studying the Voice of Prophecy lessons he had started several months earlier. Finally he was allowed to be baptized.Harry wrote to his family and told them that he had given his life to God. When they visited him, they were amazed at the changes they saw. When Harry and his family prayed together, the guards bowed their heads too. They even left him alone with his mother, for they were convinced he would not try to escape again.Harry threw himself into prison ministries from the inside. He held meetings, enrolled other prisoners in the Voice of Prophecy Bible courses, and shared books by Ellen White with other prisoners. The Adventist group worshipping in the prison grew to about 100 before Harry was released.When Harry returned home, he began working as a literature evangelist. He loves sharing his faith with those he meets and leading them to God. “Leading souls to Jesus is a new and satisfying career, far better than the one that landed me in jail,” He testifies._____ * Alex is a pseudonym. Harry Mitengo lives in Liwonde, Malawi. Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.   email: info@adventistmission.org     website: www.adventistmission.org

All Rights Reserved. No part of the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide may be edited, altered, modified, adapted, translated, reproduced, or published by any person or entity without prior written authorization from the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.Sabbath School Lesson Ends

Sunday – A Quick HistoryEllen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pp. 87 - 91. Chapter 6 - The Rending of the Kingdom

"Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the City of David his father: and Rehoboam his son reigned in his stead." 1 Kings 11:43.

Soon after his accession to the throne, Rehoboam went to Shechem, where he expected to receive formal recognition from all the tribes. "To Shechem were all Israel come to make him king." 2 Chronicles 10:1.

Among those present was Jeroboam the son of Nebat --the same Jeroboam who during Solomon's reign had been known as "a mighty man of valor," and to whom the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite had delivered the startling message, "Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee." I Kings 11:28, 31.

The Lord through His messenger had spoken plainly to Jeroboam regarding the necessity of dividing the kingdom. This division must take place, He had declared, "because that they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of

Ammon, and have not walked in My ways, to do that which is right in Mine eyes, and to keep My statutes and My judgments, as did David." Verse 33.

Jeroboam had been further instructed that the kingdom was not to be divided before the close of Solomon's reign. "I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand," the Lord had declared; "but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David My servant's sake, whom I chose, because he kept My commandments and My statutes: but I will take the kingdom out of his son's hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes." Verses 34, 35.

Although Solomon had longed to prepare the mind of Rehoboam, his chosen successor, to meet with wisdom the crisis foretold by the prophet of God, he had never been able to exert a strong molding influence for good over the mind of his son, whose early training had been so grossly neglected. Rehoboam had received from his mother, an Ammonitess, the stamp of a vacillating character. At times he endeavored to serve God and was granted a measure of prosperity; but he was not steadfast, and at last he yielded to the influences for evil that had surrounded him from infancy. In the mistakes of Rehoboam's life and in his final apostasy is revealed the fearful result of Solomon's union with idolatrous women.

The tribes had long suffered grievous wrongs under the oppressive measures of their former ruler. The extravagance of Solomon's reign during his apostasy had led him to tax the people heavily and to require of them much menial service. Before going forward with the coronation of a new ruler, the leading men from among the tribes determined to ascertain whether or not it was the purpose of Solomon's son to lessen these burdens. "So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spake to Rehoboam, saying, Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore ease thou somewhat the grievous servitude of thy father, and his heavy yoke that he put upon us, and we will serve thee."

Desirous of taking counsel with his advisers before outlining his policy, Rehoboam answered, "Come again unto me after three days. And the people departed."And King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people? And they spake unto him, saying, If thou be kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be thy servants forever." 2 Chronicles 10:3-7.

Dissatisfied, Rehoboam turned to the younger men with whom he had associated during his youth and early manhood, and inquired of them, "What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter?" 1 Kings 12:9. The young men suggested that he deal sternly with the subjects of his kingdom and make plain to them that from the very beginning he would brook no interference with his personal wishes.

Flattered by the prospect of exercising supreme authority, Rehoboam determined to disregard the counsel of the older men of his realm, and to make the younger men his advisers. Thus it came to pass that on the day appointed, when "Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam" for a statement concerning the policy he intended to pursue, Rehoboam "answered the people roughly, . . . saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions." Verses 12-14.Had Rehoboam and his inexperienced counselors understood the divine will concerning Israel, they would have listened to the request of the people for decided reforms in the administration of the government. But in the hour of opportunity that came to them during the meeting in Shechem, they failed to reason from cause to effect, and thus forever weakened their influence over a large number of the people. Their expressed

determination to perpetuate and add to the oppression introduced during Solomon's reign was in direct conflict with God's plan for Israel, and gave the people ample occasion to doubt the sincerity of their motives. In this unwise and unfeeling attempt to exercise power, the king and his chosen counselors revealed the pride of position and authority.The Lord did not allow Rehoboam to carry out the policy he had outlined. Among the tribes were many thousands who had become thoroughly aroused over the oppressive measures of Solomon's reign, and these now felt that they could not do otherwise than rebel against the house of David. "When all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents." Verse 16.

Monday – The Two Kingdoms

Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pp. 105 – 108.The Lord seeks to save, not to destroy. He delights in the rescue of sinners. "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked." Ezekiel 33:11. By warnings and entreaties He calls the wayward to cease from their evil-doing and to turn to Him and live. He gives His chosen messengers a holy boldness, that those who hear may fear and be brought to repentance. How firmly the man of God rebuked the king! And this firmness was essential; in no other way could the existing evils have been rebuked. The Lord gave His servant boldness, that an abiding impression might be made on those who heard. The messengers of the Lord are never to fear the face of man, but are to stand unflinchingly for the right. So long as they put their trust in God, they need not fear; for He who gives them their commission gives them also the assurance of His protecting care.Having delivered his message, the prophet was about to return, when Jeroboam said to him, "Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward." "If thou wilt give me half thine house," the prophet replied, "I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: for so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest." 1 Kings 13:7-9.Well would it have been for the prophet had he adhered to his purpose to return to Judea without delay. While traveling homeward by another route, he was overtaken by an aged man who claimed to be a prophet and who made false representations to the man of God, declaring, "I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water." Again and again the lie was repeated and the invitation urged until the man of God was persuaded to return.Because the true prophet allowed himself to take a course contrary to the line of duty, God permitted him to suffer the penalty of transgression. While he and the one who had invited him to return to Bethel were sitting together at the table, the inspiration of the Almighty came upon the false prophet, "and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee, . . . thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulcher of thy fathers." Verses 18-22.This prophecy of doom was soon literally fulfilled. "It came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass. . . . And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcass was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcass. And, behold, men passed by, and

saw the carcass cast in the way, . . . and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt. And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the Lord." Verses 23-26.The penalty that overtook the unfaithful messenger was a still further evidence of the truth of the prophecy uttered over the altar. If, after disobeying the word of the Lord, the prophet had been permitted to go on in safety, the king would have used this fact in an attempt to vindicate his own disobedience. In the rent altar, in the palsied arm, and in the terrible fate of the one who dared disobey an express command of Jehovah, Jeroboam should have discerned the swift displeasure of an offended God, and these judgments should have warned him not to persist in wrongdoing. But, far from repenting, Jeroboam "made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places." Thus he not only sinned greatly himself, but "made Israel to sin;" and "this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth." Verses 33, 34; 14:16.Toward the close of a troubled reign of twenty-two years, Jeroboam met with a disastrous defeat in a war with Abijah, the successor of Rehoboam. "Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the Lord struck him, and he died." 2 Chronicles 13:20.The apostasy introduced during Jeroboam's reign became more and more marked, until finally it resulted in the utter ruin of the kingdom of Israel. Even before the death of Jeroboam, Ahijah, the aged prophet at Shiloh who many years before had predicted the elevation of Jeroboam to the throne, declared: "The Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and He shall root up Israel out of this good land, which He gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the Lord to anger. And He shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin." 1 Kings 14:15, 16.Yet the Lord did not give Israel up without first doing all that could be done to lead them back to their allegiance to Him. Through long, dark years when ruler after ruler stood up in bold defiance of Heaven and led Israel deeper and still deeper into idolatry, God sent message after message to His backslidden people. Through His prophets He gave them every opportunity to stay the tide of apostasy and to return to Him. During the years that were to follow the rending of the kingdom, Elijah and Elisha were to live and labor, and the tender appeals of Hosea and Amos and Obadiah were to be heard in the land. Never was the kingdom of Israel to be left without noble witnesses to the mighty power of God to save from sin. Even in the darkest hours some would remain true to their divine Ruler and in the midst of idolatry would live blameless in the sight of a holy God. These faithful ones were numbered among the goodly remnant through whom the eternal purpose of Jehovah was finally to be fulfilled.