Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-10-17
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
AN INTERESTING AND INSTRUCTIVE
LESSON CoNsrDERED.

ing the Scripturat LESSONS Antohtsonuy
and Probably.
The lesson for Sunday. Oct. 20, may be
| found In Sam. z: 1929.
INTRODUCTORY.
In the lesson before us we como to a
| thank sgiving pause. Piety was the teach
| ing OF last weeks scripture. confession OF
the lesson that is 10 follow; very approrri-
| ately here we give ourselves TO thoughts OF
gratitude and praise. Teachers and schol-
ars have not failed to note that most OF the
scripture lessons passed over in this part
OF Second Samuel are duplicated in First
Chronicles; The similarity and. In some
part. identity OF the narratives. would be
more readily observed but for the strange
principles OF variant readings deliberately
adopted by the translators OF 1911. The
same material was doubtless drawn upon In
both cases. 1t is 10 be borne in mind that
Second Samuel is the earlier compilation.
First Chronicles being prepared five hun
dred years later by Ezra at the time OF the
rebuilding OF the temple. The latter con-
sequently being. written for special
purpose. connected with the ceremonial
history OF the nation. omits much OF the
detail OF political event recorded in the
book we are now studying. l Chronicles Is
the history; Samuel the story.
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
Then. After Nathan had communicated
to David that though he was not TO build
the temple. his family was to be established
In the kingship and his own son was to rear
, the sacred structure. Went King David
in. Into the tent where the ark OF God was.
Sat before the Lord. or took his place.
| Some have preferred. for obvious reasons.
here the word tarried. II is the same word
that is translated abode in His bow abode
in strength" (Gen. 24.)-Who am i?
The same words used by Moses at the
burning bush. lex. 3:11.l Hitherto. Two
words, up TO here. Equivalent to thus far.
The reference is to Gods guidance in all
his affairs.
This was yet small thing. Or yet fell
short; the meaning being that Gods pur-
pose OF mercy far out stripped what had
yet been done.-0 Lord God, or Ny Lord.
Jehovah. A term OF special relationship.
and also OF profound roverence.-Thy
servants house. David's SUCCESSORS.
Is this the manner OF man2 Rather. the
law for man: !. O.. an institution that is to
last Torah is the word used which al
ways means teaching or enactment: e. e..
One law shall be to him that is home-born
and unto the stranger" Ex. II: 49,
Can David say more. Better, tell more.
The word means literally to add here to
impart.-Knowest thy servant. The SER
want idea is strengthened by the reverent
title. Lord God" MASTER which follows in
the original.
Thy words sake. Such as those spoken
through Samuel at David's amounting. Il
Sam. 16-1O According TO thine own
heart. Davd's choice being wholly from
God. ("I have provided me king" Sam.
16:1.-All these great things. rather. all
this greatness. See Revision.-To make
thy servant know them. The them" should
be dropped. as not In the original. David
has just acknowledged that God knows him
perfectly. Now he says God has done these
things that he. David. may. in turn. know
God.
Wherefore. The conclusion David comes
TO alter viewing Gods dealings. as proving
that he isbeginning himself to know. -
Great. God is not spoken of as great
because he has favored David. but as being
recognized by David as great" through
these personal and teaching providences.
None like thee. Gods supremacy
Neither Is there any God besides thee.
Gods unapproachable majesty.-Heard
with our ears. Gods real goodness and
glory exceeding even the hearsay great
ness OF earth.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
Who am /. o Lord? We are naught in
ourselves. To God be the glory for what
has been wrought through us; what OF
good there is In us His grace has accom-
plished. Here at our side lies piece OF
crude gypsum. Opaque. unsightly. Right
over against it is clear. lustrous rock.
catching the light and making itself thing
OF beauty. And yet this also is gypsum;
ouly it is crystallized. The old common
substance has been taken mp and wonder
ously metamorphose by the mysterious
processes OF specialization. SCOT crystal
lied makes the diamond. common lime
stone taken up. secreted. and crystallized.
makes the pearl, ordinary clay crystallized
comes out the sapphire. SO these natures
OF ours. OF the earth earthly, are taken hold
OF by higher power in regeneration and
wrought into some thing OF beauty in Gods
eyes, 1t is all OF grace.
For thy words sake. Our ground OF hope
is Gods spoken word. According to prom
Use" are all our blessings. and II we miss
the Joy OF good things anticipated. the
Christians pleasures OF hope, 1t is because
we have not iamiliarized ourselves with the
Book. His word he hath promised. and he
will perform. Perhaps we know the prom
Use. but have not believed IL. Then IL is to
us the same as the promise unheard of.
The faith needed to- day is faith to trust the
spoken word. That is a significant sentence
which stands out in the midst of the blessed
divulgences OF Revelation 81: And he said
unto me. it is DONE" Think OF 1t. all these
gracious deeds, for which we yet wait
already accomplished in Gods mind. Is IL
not in application OF this same truth that
the words follow? Il am alpha and omega.
worshiping him as the Omega of ultimate
I,lish rst.alst him alss,
the Alpha who sees the end from the be-
ginning and says for our comfort In DAYS OF
waiting. 1T is donei'
To make thy servant know. Know what?
Gods greatness and goodness. In fact. TO
know God himself Thou Lord knowest
thy servant" David has just said. And now
order that there may be answering knowl-
edge ON the part OF the servant. And
VIII better way for man to learn OF God
than through personal experience OF his
grace? 1t is the only way indeed. The
Scotch have an adage that to know a man
you must have some business transaction
with him. To know God We must deal
with him under grace. Come, as some one
has said. to his bank OF mercies and get one
OF his notes OF promise cashed. David had
done so. And no wonder he comes forth
saying. Wherefore Thou art great, o
Lord God"
And thou Lord art become their God. 1t
means personal relationship. We know
God as our own God only after we have
gone to him for his saving power and drink
deep from his wells of salvation. There is
no dearer word to the soul OF man than that
which is spoken to the one athirst. who
yet "overcometh' through faith: Il will be
his God and he shall be my son." 1t is as
we come. one by one. to God, accepting his
preferred grace, that we realize how near
aud intimate are the relations he will bear
toward US. Horatius Bonars words-and
VIC desire to remember this saint OF God
for these lines. IL for none other-tell the
experience OF every renewed soul:
heard the voice OF Jesus sdy,
"Como unto me and rest;
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down
Thy head upon my breast"
came to Jesus rs / was,
Weary and worn and sad;
found in him n resting place,
And he has made me glad.
Therefore hath thy servant found in his
heart TO pray. twas revelation that stimu-
lated David here TO this prayer. God re-
vealed to him the precious promise. Il will
build thee an house." On the basis OF that
discovery he began at once to pray. This
is what the Bible is for. IL teaches us the
ground ofprayer We would not have heart