The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-08-23
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
AUGUST 20.
Lesson Text: "Thc Amounting. of
David" 1 Sam. xvii, 1-13-
Golden Text: 1 Sam. xvi,
documentary.

I. "And the Lord said unto Samuel How
| long wilt thou mourn for Saul seeing have
| rejected him from reigning over Israel" So
diffcult is il for us to side with God, regard
less OF our own thoughts or feelings or prefer
ences, that even the great and good Samuel
Is here seen clinging in his heart for he went
not near him, Chap. xv, 35) to Saul after tho
| Lord had rejected him. We must remember
that the Lord did not reject Saul until Saul
had Persistently rejected and disobeyed the
Lord CHAPS. xiii, 13 Il; XIV, 26), SO that Saul
had no one to blame but himself for the loss
OF his position.
2. How can go' If Saul hear it he will
kill me-" This does not sound like the utter.
once OF n faithful, fearless follower of the
| Lord God of Hosts. 1t might be- said to Sam
| uel: Nv no art thou that thou shouldst no
afraid OF a man that shall die, and
forSettest the Lord thy MakerT' Usa., H., 12,
| l8) Had Samuel been i'm full sympathy with
the Lord, i'm the case of Saul he might not
have talked thus; Tut whenever we are in the
least degree out of the fellowship with God
| we are apt to say and do many foolish and
| sinful things. The fear of tho Lord and conf
| dencein the perfect love of God, is an effect
ual cure for all other fear. "Aud the Lord
eaid take an heifer with thee and say, am
come to sacrifice to the Lord" Sinful man
| can do nothing in the way of serving God
| apart from sacrifice and atopement; our
holiest actions, our very best service, cannot
be acceptable to God apart from tho merits
of our Lord Jesus Christ, but the weakest
cry or the fecblest service is made acceptable
through Him.
3. II will show thee what thou shalt do;
namo unto thee" The servant of the Lord
has only to move forward calmly and in pcr
feet confidence in his captain and he is al
ways promised sure guidance.
| 4, And Samuel did that which the Lord
| spake." This is now as it should bc, the
word Of the Lord prevails and the servant is
! simply Obedient and comes to Bethlehem
leaving God to carry out His own plans and
| When we are thus passive and also obedicnt
In His hands, all will bo well and His pur-
pose unhindcred. "The elders of the town
trembled." Here is another indication of lack
of fellowship with God, for II their hearts
were right and their conduct right there
would have been rejoicing instead of trem-
| bling ut visit from tho Lords servant: but
probably they, too, were clinging to the DISC
bcdicnt king.
5. III am come to sacrifice unto tho Lord"
He uses the very words which he was told to
use ". q, and that Il always the right thing
TO do. Jesus Himself said only what the
| Ezekiel were to speak only the Lords words
der. L., 10; Ezol. iii, 4, 10, II, n; and
when we as messengers of tho Lord conttno
ourselves to the Lords message, rather than
| give our thoughts about it, surely we shall be
most pleasing to Hin.
6, z. "The Lord lookcth on tho heart" AS
the first OF JesSe's sons stood before Samuel,
| there was something about him which caused
nointed; but how solemn the word of tho
| Lord: II have refused hm." Let us again
| repeat that In tho matter Of salvation tho
! Lord refuses mono who como to Hin; but
this is n matter of special service, and it is
not stature nor n fair countcnnuce Flo seeks,
but a heart right with Himself, "a man after
his own heart CHAP, xiii, ~.
S-10. Jesse made seven of his sons to pass
| before Samuel; AMI Samuel said unto Jesse,
tho Lord hath not chosen thcSo." Here then,
| Is an apparent failure; the Lord had said to
Samuel that He had provided a king from
nmon% JeSscS sons, and yet here are all the
| sons whom Jesse had thC..ght it necessary to
bring; and for this special service, this place
of honor, all aro set aside, the right man has
not appeared. Gods thoughts and ways arc
as much higher tbanuu as heaven is higher
than earth; and how few seem to know His
thoughts or understand His countenance.
lisa. w., g, 3; Mic. w., l2); but let men he
blind us they may, there is no failure with
God. He has chosen His servant, and will
yet set the man Of His choice on the throne
of Israel and of the whole world. Wait upon
Him and he patient
II. "Scnd and fetch him, FOR VIC will not
sit down till he comes hithcr." So every
thing has to stand still till the sighted son
is brought. In reply to Samucrs question as
to whether these seven were all his sons
Jesse replied that the youngest was at home
keeping the sheep, and it was for him that
they were now sending and waiting
IL. "And he sent and brought him in, = +'s
and the Lord said: Arise anOiut him; for this
is he" As we arc thus for the first time per-
sonally introduced to David, the son Of Jesse,
the history of whose kindom, past and future,
fills so much of Scripture and with whom we
expect to be somewhat intimately associated
when Jesus the son of David, who Is also the
church's bridegroom. shall sit on DavidS
throne we can only stand and gaze upon this
ruddy, good-looking young man and wonder
at the grace of God i'm choosing n amortal man
for such glorious immortal future; and
then turning to our own souswe would say:
o, my soul, see that thou dost never cease
to adore, and cry aloud the praises of Him,
whose grace has called you, passing by so
many Others, to be II king priest unto God
washing you i'm His own precious blood.
13. 'Thcn Samuel took the horn OF oil and
anointed him in the midst of his brethren"
He was afterward, at Hebron, anonted
king over the house of Judah, and some
what later, ut the same place, anointcd king
over all Israel. QI Sam. H.. 1; w. 1-51 Al
ter Samuel anOintcd him that day there were
long years of waiting and rejection and per-
secution ere he camc to the throne. now
I although Jesus, the Son of David, is Gods
chosen and anOinted King Of Israel and of
all nations, we are still living in the time
when He is rejected and prosecuted. '"rhe
spirit of the Lord came nightly upon David
from that day forward" tSee II. w Hero
is the power by which alone can suffer or
serve OF wait or III any way glorify God.
From beginning to end of Scripture the power
of the Spirit of God is the only power re-
vealed for cfTcctual service, and whether it is
playing upon the harp or writing psalms, sub
DUNG enemies or rciSning over Israel, what
! ever David did that was acceptable to God
was by the Holy Spirit.
$50 Samuel rose up and went to Ramah"
For the second time he has anointed a Cap
tain over the Lords inheritance and nov he
retireS to his own home, no doubt to con-
tinue I'm prayer for the Lords people and for
His anointed.-LcSSOn Helper.