The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1889-07-25
ISRAEL ASKS FOR A KING.
LESSON ", THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, JULY %.

Text Of the Lesson, Sa:a. VII, 4-2O-Com-
NIT to Memory Verses 4-7-Goiden Text,
/ Sam. viii. t9-Commentary BY the Rev.
ID. Nj. stearns.
[Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per
mission OF II. S. Hoffman. publisher, Philadel 4
rhia.
L. Then all the elders OF Israel gathered
themselves together, and came to Samuel
unto Ramah" After the defeat of the Phil
istines recorded in the last lesson, they trou-
bled Israel no more all the days of Samuel,
for the hand Of the Lord was against them;
there was peece also between Israel and the
Amorites chap. vii, 13, IA, 50 that their re-
pentaace aad reliance upon the Lord brought
then, victory over their enemies, and peace
and pTosI -rity because the Lord was with
them s.: muel was the Lords representative
in their I..ilst, and sought their true welfare
in the sight of God. AS their judge he went
In cizsEaft from year to year to Bethel, Gil
gal and MI 1eh, and had his home at Ranah,
OF Ramathaim Zophim, in Mount Ephrsim,
where also his father and mother had lived,
and where he in due time died and was
buried q Sam. i, /; XIV, y after hav
ing anointed to their Office the first |
two kings over all Israel. Saul and David !
Samuel's house, and altar unto the Lord at |
Rarnah chap. vii, Ii remind us OF Abrams |
tent and altar (Gen. xii, 8; xiii, lSl; as pill |
grims here we should be well content with |
any place of sojourn that the Lord may give |
US, but be sure to have In the home an altar
unto the Lord, whole hearted reliance upon
the merits Of His sacrifice, and constant COM
munion with Him. Only as we see more of
! God than of man, and abide in Him, can we
be faithful servants of His in this present evil
! world That Samuels sons walked not in
his ways ". 81 is simply proof that right
eousness is not hereditary; consider the sons
of David and also ManaSseh son of Hezekiah;
and impress it upon the children that they
must each one for himself accept Jesus as
their Saviour; that the fact of father OF
mother being Christian will not save them.
5. Make MS king to judge us like all the
| nations God had chosen Israel that they
| might be unto Him peculiar treasure above
| all peope-a kingdom of priests, an holy ma
| tion (Ex xix, 5, o., or, rs Balaam said, The
people shall dwell alone and shall not be
reckoned among the nations" Mum xiii, 81.
| God had made them higher than all nations.
He Himself was their king; His power was
their strength, His presence their glory, and
this request was like saying, I'VE do not
care to be SO different from other nations;
let us have king that we can see and let US
be like other people"
| o.
Samuel prayed unto the Lord" Samuel was
one with God; from child he had minis
tered to the Lord, and in this request he saw
their sin and downfall, and was grieved for
them and jealous for the glory of God
| Z "And the Lord said unto Samuel y
they have not rejected thee, but they have
rejected me that l should not reign over
, | them Their conduct not surprise to
God; He had foreseen it ALL and knew from
, the beginning their evil hearts and how they
would treat Him de. xvii, ~, yet He loved
them, many u time He forgave them, heard
|, | them and delivered them when they cried
unto Him, sent them prophet after prophet to
! win them back to him. and finally sent His
| own Son as their Messiah, but even Him they
l rejected and crucifed, saying, 1--WE have no
r king but Caesar" The time will yet come
r when they shall receive the Lord Jesus a:
: their King and rejoice in Him and He In
: | them before all the nations of the earth (Jer.
=: xiii 5-s; Lu. |, ~, 81. The great question
K for my soul and for your soul, dear reader
I is Gam checrfully accepting Jesus as my
! King and do delight in His willf'
= 8. "TLey have forsGken me and serve(
i other gods; SO do they also unto thee Sam
u uel seems to have fclt that they were turning
, against him, and that it was poor treatmen
of him even IL he was old to ask for king K
|
= we are all apt to give way to 1t, but the serv
:, ant of the Lord must remember that whel
f he is despised or rejected OF prosecuted TO
i the truths sake, that it is the Lord who
- thus treated and not the servant merely, an
- the Lord will see to it.
y O. "Hearken unto their voice,
u yet protest solemnly." God wants cheerful
% willing service, the love of Christ constrair
70 ing; He does not love that which is don
IL grudgingiy.
10. "6alnuel told all the words of the Lor
unto the people" Just as when, as chilt
], he told Eli every whit of the Lords messag
IN (chap. iii, 1S, even though it was messag
t. of Judgment, 50 now he declares faithfully a
in the words of the Lord. He is no man please
to he will speak the Lords message faithful
q Gal l. 10; Jer. xiii, 2S leaving results to Co
g, 1t is to be feared that many things are left u
ho said from many pulpits, because if sail the
~ might offend some prominent people.
l" IL This will be the manner OF the ku
d. that shall reign over you" God Of lo'
ce will not let His people rush into ruin Blind
)r. lily. ''He will take" Six times in the
he verses are these three words repeated; 1t
We the number of perfect oppressor as o66
in the number of the last great oppreSsor Of Z
ed people of God ere the kingdom comes QRe
,m xiii, lS). Contrast the seven u wills
Id. God in Ex. vi, 6-8; Lev XVI, 3-l3, and L
nv tice how God is always giving while this XII
av is said to be always taking, and not once
ri he spoken Of as giving. Not only VIII he
a an oppressor of the people, but he will be
-: ~! robber of God, for it is twice said Tvs Is,
IIo that he will take the tenth, which is Co
~ special portion (see Lev. xvii, 80, 32), a
teu appropriate it to himself
lIn IS "And ye shall cry out In that day,
.hu cause of your king, which ye shall la
ish chosen you; and the Lord will not hear y
ted in that day" God fills His people with su
il blessings that they cry out and shout for
oh lisa. XII, O., but this will be cry because
the oppression, and inasmuch as they voluntar
vht | accept the oppressor instead of the deliver
Pod they are told that it will be vain for them
,o,, cry unto the Lord prov. /, 25-2S; lisa. i,
,od Mic. iii, ~ As we sow we must reap &C
80 vi. Z; Hos. viii, o. How insane we must
81 If we refuse the goodness and the love
alI God and persist in sowing for ourselves Il
hfii which will bring a harvest of misery inst'
anu of harvest of glory.
YER 10. NAY, but we will have king over I
one Thus though fully forewarned, they per
ouy | In their mad career, determined to have I'll
~. own way regardless of consequences. Fai
oe's full Samuel is to them man OF q past age,
Ing Is behind the times, good old man, but ia ii
and estimation now In his dotage; 50 like the |
hat | ple in the days of jeremiah they seem to S
~oat t'As for the word that thou hast spoken IL
past us in the name of the Lord, We will
ure, SearLen unto thee. but we win certainly
rod. Whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our Q
mo- mouth" tJer Xiv, 10, ~ Is it not a Il
shadowing of the time when this same siI
nation had to choose between their true
sah and robber, and they decided In ia
Of the robber and murderer, saying, ..
this man, but Barabbas." John xviii, 10
% That we may be like all the natio
de- Thus our lesson begins and ends. They W
OF O a man rather than God, visible king to
over them, go before them, and Fight Z
,,,.o battles.