The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1889-09-25
DEATH OF SAUL.
International Sunday School Lesson for
September 22. 1850.

16Au ~ VT oAOIs /
International Sunday School Lesson for
September 2a. 1850.
Especially arranged from S. S. Quarterly.l
LESSON TEXT Sam. 81 :1-13.
GOLDEN TExr-The face Of the Lord Is
against them that do evil-Ps. "a :16
CENTRAL TRurH-''They shall eat the fruit
of their own way, and be filed with their
own devices"
TME-B. c. 1856. Four or five years
after the last lesson.
PLACE-The plain Of Jezreel, part Of the
plain Of Esdraelon, between little HermOn
on the north, at whose base the Philistines
were encamped at Shunem; and Mount
Gilboa on the south, on whose slopes the
Israelites were encamped. The two camps
were thus four or five miles apart This
was the same battle-ground where Gideon
and his 800 overthrow the Midianites.
PARALLEL. ACCOUNT Chron. 1o:l-H.
SAUL-Sixty or seventy years old; capital
at Gibeah.
HELPS OVER HARD PLAcEs-1. The Pitts
tines: the old enemy Of Israel, on the coast
OF the Mediterranean. Fought against israel:
see Place. Their object was to ravage the
country, and to take possession Of the great
caravan route to Damascus, for their COM
merce. 2. Sdul's sons: all of his sons were |
killed, except the youngest, Ishbosheth. 4.
Took strord, and fell upon It: his army is |
routed; his trust gone; his sons slain; God |
has forsaken him. David might have been |
there to help, but he has prosecuted ms |
only true friend. g. Died Nth him: being
answerable for the kings life, he feared |
punishment. 6. All his men: probably the
soldiers of the royal body-guard. Q. His
head: placed in the temple of Dagon at
Ashdod Il Chron. 10: 10Y. 10. Armour: in
the temple of Ashtaroth at Beth-shan Of,
Ashkelon. Beth-shdn: fortress on the
heights overlooking the Jordan, twelve
miles south of the Sea Of Galilee. II.
Jdbesh-Gilead: town east Of the Jordan,
ten miles from Beth-shan.
LESSON FACTs-Between the events of the
last lesson and this five years intervene.
David knows no rest for tho sole Of his foot.
Jonathan sees him once, but clings with
tilial devotion to his father. Things go from
bad to worse with Saul. At last the end
draws near. The old-time enemy, the Phil
istine, appears; Saul is defeated; good JON
athan and his two brothers are slam with
the edge Of the sword; Saul fees; is over
to slay him to save him from the disgrace
Of capture and the ignominy Of torture
His armor-bearer refusing, he draws his
own sword, and wildly falling upon it, COM
mits suicide. The armor-bearer follows his
example In their exultation the Philistines
cut of his head and sent 1t in triumphal
procession around among their cities, while
they nail his headless body to the city wall
at Beth-shan. Finally the men of Jabesh.
Gilead, hearing Of this indignity to the
body of their King, organize a rescuing
party, march in the darkness Of the night,
recover the body, and, burying it under a
| tree in Jabesh, fast seven days as token
of respect for their fallen monarch.
| CoMMENTs-That which will impress many
scholars as remarkable in this lesson, is
the fact that men SO utterly different in
character as Saul and Jonathan should be
united in their deaths. One would think
that while so vile man as Saul deserved
| so inglorious an end, SO magnanimous q
man as Jonathan merited different death.
Any novel would have brought things out
differently. The word Of God, however, is
more novel than any novel, and is often
very hard to understand, unless we take in
to account the other world. Judged merely
| by experiences Of this world, things are all
wrong. II there be no future life, then all
IL frightfuliy bad in this world. II 30 noble
| a man as Jonathan Is to have SO little in
this world, and SO cruel a man as Saulis to
have 80 much; II Herod is to sit on the
throne in luxury, while John languishes in
prison; if the Nazarene is to be nailed to
the cross, while Caiaphas reclines on dam
ask cushions in ease; il, say, that is all
that there is to look at, then Of all imagina-
BILE worlds this is the worst
Death does not end all. Our Golden Text
is again good this week, for its says: 1.-THE
wicked is driven away In his wickedness,
but the righteous hath hope In His DEATH"
What il Saul and Jonathan lie In the same
field, deadl Nay, what If Jonathan alone is
slain, and Saul live and reign many years.
What If John suffer and Herod rejoice, and
what If Jesus pine away on the cross, and
PLATE complacently carry on his earthly gov
ernmentl The end will So all right, for then
will appear the true char .cter of all that is
earthly. Then the true gold Of character
will be found to be the only thing that will
stand the fire Of the refiners. Let all SUI
ferers be patient, committing the keeping
| of their souls to Him in well doing, as unto
q faithful Creator. The fire shall try every
mans work Of what sort it is. Then will
Saul and Jonathan, Herod and John, Plate
and Jesus, stand no longer in such ap-
parently false positions. Our scholars may
as well know first as last that Jonathan is
apt in this world to fare worse than Saul,
and David often has to bear in patient, for
giving manner what he never has deserved.
The true Christian recognizes this and en-
dures patiently, for he has respect unto the
recompense of the reward. Looked at
from the standpoint of time, the rectitude
of q Jonathan ia folly. Looked at from
the standpoint Of eternity, the envy Of
Of Saul is suicidal. Thus while the Mount
Gilboa draws the same dark curtain over
the lives Of such different men, the curtain
rising and displaying the scenes of another
world reveals them in very different as
poets, and we are led to exclaim: "Let me
die the death Of the righteous, and let my
last end be like His Prev. A. F. Schauf.
fer.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
1. God gives US all many opportunities to
live happy and useful lives.
Q. Life Is probation, testing US whether
we will serve God or not.
8. God gives Us the aids necessary to
make our lives success.
L. II we fail we shall have only ourselves
to blame.
s. Many people have done nobly unde,
more difficult circumstances than ours.
9. The finest qualities and the highes,
position, without the love Of God in the
heart, will fail OF making true and noble
man.
q Those who reject God grow worse ant
| yvorse