The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-09-04
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
DAVID AND JONATHAN.
LESSON X, THIRD ;QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. 8.

LESSON X, THIRD ;QUARTER, INTER-
| NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. 8.
Text of the Lesson, Sam. TX, 1-13-Com-
NIT Verses 8, 4Go1den Text, Prov.
xviii, 2A-Commentary by the Rev. d. M.
Stearns.
Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per
mission Of d. 8. Hoffman, publisher, Philadel'
ph1a]
!. "And David fed from Naioth in Ramah
and came and said before Jonathan, What
haveI done2' Saul, being constantly troubled
with an evil spirit, had sought on two differ
emit occasions to slay David CHAPS. xviii, 10;
xix, 10y, but David escaped out Of his hand,
for the Lord was with him, and the last time
he fed to Samuel, and he and Samuel went
and dwelt in Naioth. If we are true chill
dren Of God the presence Of the Lord IS ever
with us, as wall of fire round about us, and
nothing can reach us without His permission:
and whatever He may permit to reach us,
nothing can by any means harm us, for our
life is hid with Christ in God. Enemies may
seem to prosper, but God will make even the
wrath or man TO praise him.
2. ''Thou shalt not die."' David inquiries Of
Jonathan why Saul, his father, should thus
persistently seek his life, and what he had
done to merit such i'll treatment at the hands
Of Saul. Jonathan assures him that he shall
not die, and that inasmuch as his father will
do nothing without telling him, and has given
him no hint Of such a purpose, therefore 1t
cannot be; but the sequel proves that m this
case the mind Of Saul was hidden from Jona-
than, and that he was really determined to
kill David Tvs: 80 -S8, because, as he said,
while David lived Jonathan, his own son,
could not be established in his kingdom
8. "There is but step between me and
death" This was, humanity speaking, true Of
David and is true Of every one of us. In
Gods hand is our breath and by His kind care
we live and move and have our being day by
day, and whether on land or sea it is equally
true that the next step may usher US into
eternity. This may well cause the unsaved
to tremble, but it should give no anxiety to
one who is redeemed by the precious blood Of
Christ and is therefore seeking day by day to
''do Justly, love mercy and walk humbly with
God.n There is no real death to the soul that
has eternal life; such can never perish; to
serve Christ in this mortal body is the great
est Joy on earth, to be with Him apart from
tho body will be great gain, and to reign with
Him in body immortal and incorruplble
shall be the consummation Of bliss, and to
that there shall be no end. What then, though
there be but step between us and death,
nothing could keep David from his throne
beyond the appointed time, and nothing can
keep us. Therefore, Be strong, Fear not
4. "Whatsoever thy soul desireth, will
even do it for thee" Thus said Jonathan to
David in his great love for him. A greater
love said to poor blind man: "What wilt
thou that should do unto theea"
81. "If he say thus It is well; thy servant
shall have peace; butt By thus absenting
himself from his accustomed place for three
days, David would surely learn the mind Of
Saul towards him, and Jonathan would see
it and then know for himself his fathers
thoughts toward David. If any think that
they SEQ deception here on the part Of David in
his speaking of going to Bethlehem, let them
remember that God cannot possibly in any
way tolerate sin; and never does he excuse it,;
and if David sinned in this matter itmust have
brought him Christening.
s. Therefore thou shalt deal kindly with
thy servant, for thou hast brought thy SER
want into O covenant Of the Lord with thee." J"
David had already the love Of Jonathan, and
the love of all Israel and Judah xviii, l, 16,
but his one great enemy caused him to fear,
and Jonathan was now to be the mediator
standing between David and his enemy on
behalf of David, and there was covenant
between them which David calls covenant
Of the Lord.
8. 'Would not tell it thees' David had
asked Jonathan to kill him, If he was guilty,
rather than let him be brought to Saul JON
athan's reply is that if he knew evil was de-
termined against David he would surely tell
him. Now Scripture plainly states that our
great adversary seeks to devour us, and that
If men refuse the deliverer and deliverance
so lovingly provided for them, they must 60
to the everlasting fire prepared for that ad-
versary and his angels. q Pet. v, s; Matt.
XIV, 41) Can we who are called Christians
be in any sense worthy Of the name, or be
said truly to love our fellow men, If we be-
ieve that such evil awaits them and never
open our mouths to warn them or to entreat
them to behold the love Of God and receive
Jesus as their personal Savioura
10. "Who shall tell mep' Now David wants
to know how he shall find out the result of
the interview between Jonathan and his
father He surely does not honor the love of
his friend, nor seem to esteem bis friend, or
his friends word very highly by these
questions. He seems to be greatly moved, he
does not now sing II will not fear, though
the earth be removed" Ps. Xvi, q; he does
not talk like valiant David, O man after Gods
own heart, but rather like the spies who saw
the giants and walled cities instead Of seeing
God. Let us learn from him that nothing
must ever be allowed to come between us and
God lest we too be filed with fears and dis
honor Christ
IL "Come and let us go out into the field"
"Come apart" said Jesus to the disciples.
"Bid the servant pass on, but stand thou still
awhile" said Samuel to Saul It is wise,
when we would have fellowship with God, to
get alone with Him and shut out all else. 1t
Is wise, also when you would deal personally
with soul in His name, to take them alone,
with not even third party near, and thus
always found it so. There is also power
ofttimes in being, when possible, apart from
everything human; Gods fields or forests
around you and Gods sky your canopy.
Alone with God is the place of power for
your own soul, and also for fellowship with
others in His Name; but you can in some
sense be alone with Him also in tho crowded
streets and scenes Of great city.
IL, 49, "That thou mayest 20 in peace, and
the Lord be with thee" Jonathan now SOL
emnly calls the Lord God to witness that
whether the tidings from his father be good
or evil, he will surely let David know; and
in the following verses, in most remarkable
words, he speaks of time when ali the enc
mics Of David shall have been cut of from
the face of the earth and as If anticipating