The Israelites were made familiar with this image in the decorations of
the temple of Solomon, including colossal cherubim. Also the great
molten sea of brass was supported upon oxen of the same material.


THE DAMAGING RESULTS.

"And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before
the one, even unto Dan.

"And he made a house of high places, and made priests of the lowest
of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi."

It was hardly to be expected that any other result than that of sin
would come from this course. It was, to begin with, a violation of the
second commandment, and if Jeroboam did not intend to teach Israel the
worship of false gods, this was the result of it, and repeatedly he is
spoken of in the Scriptures as the one that did cause Israel to sin.

So completely were the people carried away with this bad current, that
they preferred to get as far away from Jerusalem as possible, and went
even to Dan to engage in their idolatrous practices.

At both these places where he had set up the calves, he built houses for
them. Originally and commonly houses of worship were built upon high
places, so that this expression "high places" came to be a description
of the house itself.

It is not a fortunate translation to state that Jeroboam made priests
of the lowest class of the people. It would have been poor policy, and