Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-12-12
Sunday School Lesson Notes.
BY REV. j. o. SHERBURN

connected with his pursuit of David, Saul
is at last obliged to turn his attention to
the Phlistines who have again invaded
his territory. Our lesson begins in the
midst OF general, and what proved to be
de,isive battle. The leader of Israel was
not the man of power he had been in
former days. God was not with him.
Soon the enemy had the advantage; and
our lesson opens just at the point where
I,rael's S defeat became evident to all, am
fearful carnage prevailed AL over the
ba,le ground As was the custom OF
warfare in those times there was great
elgerness to reach and slay the king and
bis family. 1t was always held to be
matter of great personal honor to have
encountered the king, Or some renowned
captain and 10 have slain him. Then the
Phlistines had good ground to think that
if Saul ard his sons were slain they would
have easy mastery over the people. Before
the time of Saul they had long had Israel
under their power. God was at work, as
well, by these wicked and ambitious
phiistines. David, his chosen king
could not take and hold the Kingdom with
anything like a sure grasp while S ,ul and
his family lived. David would not lift up
his hand against thetu, but God could
ovorrule an invasion Of tho old time
enemies Of his people SO as to make n
clear path to the throne.
1t would seem that the sons of Saul, as
was their tilial duty, sought to protect and
spare their father. At least they all fell
before he suffered much from the enemy,
as the history indicates. At length. how
ever, the person of the king became the
target for his enemies, and we may W. II
conclude that hey made the most of their
aivan age. Saul began 10 see himself in
hopeless plight, His army was routed,
and in Il panic of retreat his ems were
slain, and he himself severely wounded,
In this condition he becomes desperate
and urges bis armor bearer to thlu him
through with the sword. This officer,
who had remained steadfasty by him in
the midst Of general panic, would NJ
consent TO the kings request. Several
reasons may be supposed to have hindered
him In the first place, he was, in IA
sense, accountable for the kings safety.
He was the special guardian of the king $
person, and if his body should be found
by the men of Israel, pierced with Il
sword, one of two things must be appar-
ent, either his armor bearer had taken the
king off with his own hand, or he had
been negligent in defeuce of his royal
master. Either of these would sufficiently
doubtless had something OF the same
feeling that David did, a religious scruple
about lifting up his hand against the
Lords aponted.
Saul, finding himself so hard pre- ssed
that he was likely to fall into the hands ol
the Philis ines soon, and knowing the
barbarity they would likely show him,
drew his own sword and fell upon it. 1t
will be seen that this is case of suicide
but not OF the nature of that act when one
simply is vexed with life and so ends it.
Death had come to be a speedy certainty
with Saul; he only made choice of its
method. According to the common view
of the ancents 1t was much more manly
to die than to fall into the power o. tht
enemy Though there are some example,
of those who dared abide Gcd's time, and
suffer what their cruel foes might please
to put upon them. When the faithful
armor bearer saw that the king was dead
he also fell upon his sword and died will
his master. This may be accounted iol
on the ground of peculiar affection for hi
king, or of fear, if he was found to have
survived the king. If we may Judge BY
the fate of the Amalekite who brough
word to David of oaul's death, we can SCI
that there would have been little hope fol
his armor bearer either if he had obeyet
saul and thrust him through, or if he ha'
been found alive after bis master was slain
The panic which had prevailed in tn
army now spread among the towns east
ward of Mt. Gilbaa, and even to the cite
east of the Jordan.
The inhabitants left their homes an
their cities, and soon the Phiistines occu
pied them. 1t must have been that Sau
was more alarmed for himself than tn
circumstances would warrant. for ther
seems to have been no knowledge of bis
death among the enemy until the mex
dav. If he had been close pursued, i
seems as though they must have know
when he fell, and in that case they woul
have stopped at least to strip the body G
the king. When they did find him anon
the slain they at once sent his head an
his armor about among the Philistin
towns, that all tho people might be sur
for themselves that their great nemy wa
really dead No indignity was too gross
be shown the body of the king; stripped
and beheadcd it was left to hang u
by the wall probably near the gate, q
Beth shan. But while Saul came to sue
disgraceful end thelo were some wh
remembered him as he was in his bette
days, and were forced to honor him for tn
kindness he had shown them. In the fir
of his reign Saul had promptly succore
the city of Jabesh-Gilead, when beset
the Ammonites. Now the inhabitant
learning of his death, and of the indigni.
shown to his remains, rise up to show thi
they had not forgotten the great fave
shown them nearly forty years befor
There is something stirring about the hi
tory of these brave men going all night
the midst of territory held by Il
enemy, that they might save from abus
'ne poor form of their rejected king. The
mo5ably burned the bodies "a thing NJ
u4n,l nj that tirnpl tho hpttpr tO seem