The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1889-07-04
SAMUEL CALLED.
International Sunday -ydAooi Lesson sss
July Z, 1855.

International Sunday y-S6Aool lesson Sbl
July Z, 1859.
Especially arranged from B. q cuarterly.i
LEssoN THxT-1 nam. 8:1-14.
(. GOLDEN THxT-Then Samuel answered,
Speak, for Thy servant hearsth.-I Sam.
$50.
z CENTRAL TRUTH God calls 40 to love and
serve Aim. sN
TixR-B. Q. 1884, when Samuel was twelve
years old.
PLAcE-Shiloh, the religious capital Of
Israel, seventeen miles northwest Of JerS.
salem.
CONTEMPORARY HISTORY - Samson wss
born about the same time a. Samuel, and
was Judge in another part Of the country.
INTRoDuCT1oN-We now take up our les
sons where we left Of at the close Of 1883.
The judges ruled over three hundred years,
to the time Of Samuel Now we enter upon
new era in the history Of Israel.
HELPS OVER HARD PLAcEs--1. Samuel sAtn.
tstered' did such work as lighting lamps,
opening doors, etc. Before En. under tho
direction Of the high priest. He seems to
have been personal attendant. Word rds
precious: !. e., rare. No open vtston: no pub.
Tic prophesy, such as had been through
Moses and Joshua. 3. Ere the lamp tcent
sleep. in one of the buildings within the
court Of the tabernacle, and built around It,
Not in the tabernacle itself. 10. And tho
Lord came and stood. in some manifest pres
ence, or vision. Not merely voice a. bo-
fore. II. Both the ears tfn0le: with horror.
12. Al things Whtch I haze spoken: some
time before this by q prophet Il Sam. 2:27-
A). 13. Made Themselves utle: probably bet
ter rendered, have cursed Themselves: !. g.,
brought curses upon themselves. Cook.
Elrs sons had blasphemed God and made
light Of him by their infamous conduct in
his very presence He restrained them not:
and hence was partly to blame. IA. Shall
not be purUed: cleansed away, but the pun
ishment would surely come
GoD CALLING THE YoUNd-God Is calling
every child as he called Samuel. 1t is an
individual call, by name, for HE calleth
His own sheep by name." God calls (1) by
His Word; (2) by His own loving attrac-
tive character; (0 by what He has done
for us in Jesus Christ; az by the influences
Of the Holy Spirit; (5) by various provi-
dences; (6) by conscience; (D by Sabbaths
and religious services; (S) by the invita-
tions and influence of friends; N) by the
living water which satisfies every thirst OF
the soul; (10) by the attractions Of good
ness and Of Heaven.
LESSON FAcTs-We now return to the Old
Testament for our lessons. And more
beautiful story than that OF the text It is
impossible to find. Let the teacher first
tell the class about the birth Of little Sam
uel, and how his mother at tender age
brought him to the temple, there to minister
to the Lord. Having made that clear, the
way will be open to 20 on to the story Of the
lesson.
Much is implied in the first verse. The
teacher may well try to set before the class
the simple duties Of the young lad ~ he
went about his daily task. Among his
other duties was the opening and closing
Of the doors Of the tabernacle each day,
and perhaps, also, the lighting Of the
golden candlestick. Besides this, he was
kind Of personal servant Of the aged Eli.
There was nothing at oil romantic about all
this, but 1t was fidelity in small things that
opened the way for the larger privileges Of
which our lesson speaks. At last there
came O day which, in the life Of this boy,
was most marked.
Ono day the lad had gone to his rest -
usual in some one Of the chambers around
the tabernacle. The night had worn away
silently, and the morning was approaching.
No profSne priests or pious worshipers
have yet appeared at the tabernacle. All
was wrapped In that profound silence
which betokens the approach of the dawn.
Then, without warning, Samuel heard his
name distinctly spoken. 1T is ELL" he
thinks, and with quick obedience he an
swers the call. II called thee not" says
old Eli; "go lie down again" Perplexed,
and perhaps thinking that he had been
dreaming, the boy returns to his lowly
couch. Again the voice speaks his name,
and again, thinking that 1t must be his
master, he runs, but only to be sent back.
A third time this experience is repeated,
and then only does it dawn upon Ellis mind
that God Is calling the boy. "Go lie down."
says the old man, land it shall be that il He
call thee, thou shalt say: Speak, Lord, for
Thy servant heareth.'" For the fourth
time God called, and now the lad, in
structed, says: "Speak, Lord, for Thy
what He proposes to do in the family Of
Eli, and how He will bring judgment upon
the house Of the high priest for his failure
to do what he should have done in the bring
ing up Of his sons.
CoMMENTs-There are other ways in
which God speaks to US, besides in His
Holy Word. To every one He has given
conscience, which tells them that II 10
wicked to do wrong. What is that In our
hearts which condemns US when we have
told lie or disobeyed our parents? 1t is
really the voice Of God, just as plain as that
which addressed the boy SO many years ago
In the tabernacle. There is no one in this
class who has not had the privilege of hear
ing the voice Of God speaking directly To
him. No one will ever be able to say: II
have not had as great privileges as that boy
had" In fact, we must confess that we
have, in reality, had higher advantages
than he, for the revelation that we have in
our hands is far fuller and far more help.
ful than that which the boy Samuel en-
joyed. How did Samuel act as soon as he
understood that 1t was God who was speak
ing to him? He said: "Speak, Lord; for Thy
servant heareth." That was a good way to
answer the Lord By "heareth" he meant
not only that he was ready to listen, but to
obey as well. That is exactly the attitude
that every one should take when God speaks
to them, whether 1t be by the voice Of their
own conscience or by the written page of
His Holy Word. II, In this particular, we
are careful to obey what we hear, we shall
receive many messages from Him that will
gladden. our lives and lead uR In the xvav