Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-08-15
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
AUGUST is.
Lesson Text; "Saul Rejected by the
Lord" 1 Sam. w., 1929
.."' Golden Text; Sam. xV.,
ia 2S Commentary.

s Tho Intervening chapters between this lesa
son and the last one are chiefly occupied with
Saulis first victories over the PhiListines, and
also over the Aoabites, Ammonites and Edo
mitss; but there is O sad statement concern
ing Saul, aud q precious one concerning Jona-
than, his son TO each Of which we ought to
give good heed for our own profit. The first
refers to Saups foolish conduct and disobedi-
ence in the matter of the sacrifice chapter
xiii, S-14), which brought from Samuel the
message; Nov thy kingdom shall not con-
tinpe; the Lord hath sought Him a man after
His own heart.n The second is the noble
conduct Of Jonathan and his ar1nor bearer
and the good words: There is no restraint to
the Lord to save by many or by few" We
may, II we will, be men and women after
Gods own heart and daily profit by the good
word of Jonathan. The lesson to-day is the
story Of Saurs disobedience in the matter of
the Amalelxites
Samuel" Sauls orders were: $50 and smite
Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they
have' ". 81; but he saved Agag the king
alive, and spared the best of the sheep and
oxen tv. 81. Thus as in the matter Of the
sacrifice already referred to, he did what
seemed right to himself, acting upon his own
judgment rather than the express command
Of God
II. SIT repenteth me that I have set up
Saul to be king" So In verse IS ''the Lord
repented that he had made Saul king over
Israeli" and yet In verse 20 it is written:
''The strength of Israel will not lie or re-
pent, for He is not a man that He should re-
pentn Compare also Mum. xiii, 10; .cx.,
4. Now the question is how to reconcile
these apparent contradictions, for the con-
trediction is only seeming, not real. We
must first get firm ground on which
to stand, and we have it in the fnct
that God of Truth lisa. lxv., 16)
cannot lie; and a God tovhom all His works
are known from the beginning of the world
(Acts xv, 49, cannot possibly make a
mistake or be sorry for anything He has
done. Even the treatment by Herod, PLATE,
the Gentiles and Israel was only what God
had determined before to be done (Acts iv.,
27,2S), but that did net lessen the guilt Of
Herod and theothers God certainly knew be-
fore hand just how Saul would turn out how
long He would have to bear with him, and
just when He would set. him aside and put
David in his place. When God, in His infinite
wisdom, doing what He always knew that He
would do seems to US to change His mind and
do new thing, He is said in Scripture to re-
pent; man, on the other hand repents when he
actually does change his mind, and does what
he had not intended before TO do.
IL. saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he
set him up placer The Revised Version
says he set up q monument. 1t seems to have
been, like AbSalom's place III Sam. xviii, 1S),
pillar rather for his own glory than the
glory of God, rather to commemorate his
own name than the name Of Jehovah
13. blessed be thou of the Lord: have
performed the commandment of the Lord"
This was Souls greeting when Samuel came
to him; if in the previous verse we see his
vanity, surely here We see hypocrisy.
IA. What meaneth then this bleating of the
sheep, II and the lowing Of the oxenr'
ALI things are naked and open to the eyes Of
Him with whom we have to do; and from Him
who searcheth heart and veins no secrets can
be hid.
Is. 1.-THE people spared the best of the sheep
and Of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord
thy God" Being cornered as we say, he now
puts the blame on the people, yet seeks to
Justify them by saying it was for the Lord,
but his heart is somewhat shown in his say
ing, the Lord thy God, instead of ''the Lord
our God" 1t is evident that Saul did not
know the Lord; he did not understand that
the Lord wants nothing that belongs to His
enemies.
49, ''Stay, and I will tell thee what the
Lord hath said to me this night" Blessed
Samuel who talked with God and with
whom God talked, who sought only to know
the mind of God and do it; when he came to
die it would not be very great change for
him, for he had from his youth lived with
Goo and served Him. Why should we not
in our daily life thus walk with God, careful
above all things to know what He hath said,
| that we may believe it and do it.
IL. when little in thine own sight,
the Lord anointed thee king over Israeli
Had Saul only continued little in his own
sight and sought to be great in the eyes Of
the Lord who had exalted him, all would
have been well, but he forgot the Lord and
| thought more Of Saul and his deeds.
r o,.l hoo a,.I
said, Co. and utterly destroy the sinners the
Amalekites." Saul was not required to give
his opinion, or make any suggestions, but
| only to do as he was told.
| 10. 'Thou didst not obey the voice of the
Lord, = but didst evil in the sight Of the
Lord" 1t seems hard for some people to
realize that God sees all their actions, and
even the motives for their actions, and no
| tices all things; yet 1t is written that 'The
! ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,
| and He pondereth all his goings;" and again:
| 1.-THE eyes of the Lord are in every place, be-
| holding the evil and the good" prov. W,
21 xv., 81
20. ''Yea, have obeyed the voice of the
Lord and have gone the way which the Lord
! sent me-" Still justifying himself, and re-
| fusing to humble himself before God; making
| out that Samuel was wrong and that God
was mistaken, and that he alone was right;
| insisting that his view of the case was the
| correct one, and that in doing as he did he
| had indeed obeyed God. The time has not
| gone by when people pervert the words of the
| Lord Uer. xiii, 36) and yet insist that they
are right. Saul had to learn that God meant
| just what He said.
81. ''The people took Of the spoil, . .
| things which should have been utterly de-
stroyed." It is sometimes easier to see the
| sins of others than to see our own. He had
! previously said that it was the people who
| spared the best of the sheep and oxen, but
| that they had spared them for a good end,
making the end to justify the deed; now he
| confesses that the deed on the peoples part
was wrong and that sheep and oxen should
! have been utterly destroyed. His eyes are
opening opening out very slowly he sees now now the the
| piercing words Of the next two verses, which
close our lesson, he sees his own sin and con-
| fesses it, but still pleading, an an extenuation
| Of his guilt, that he did it because he feared
the people and obeyed their. voice. That he
| was not truly humbled and penitent man
| even then is evident from verse 80, where he
| begs Samuel to turn and honor him before
| the people Where there is true brokenness
of spirit, there is no honoring but rather a
loathing of self Dob xiii, @, and the eyes
and heart are directed to God and not to the
I people. o 2G2a r lrR'''
| 23. Behold, to obey is better than sacri-
| flee, and to hearken than the fat of rams,~ In
Jer. vii, 21-23, it is written that when God
brought them out Of Egypt He did not talk
| to them of burnt offerings or sacrifices. but
| Of obedience; and in the same prophecy the
Lord complains Of them at least fifteen times
that they obeyed not. The two words, obey
and hearken, in this verse signify, to hear and
| give heed to. 'f Gs
By Because thou hast rejected the word
OF the Lord. He hath also rainctad thaa frnr,a