Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-10-18
REVIEW OF THE QUARTER.
LESSON XIII, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. 90.
The Story of the Life of Samuel. the Choice
of Saul, the Amounting of David. tho
Saul.

of Saul, the Amounting of David, tho
Young Shepherd. and the Final End Of
Saul.
The lessons that have been considered dur
ing the quarter just brought to a close have
covered one of the most important eras of
the history of the chosen people of God.
Lesson had to do especially with the call
ing Of Samuel by the Most High. Samuel
was the son of Elkanah and his wife Han
nah, to whom he had been given by the Lord
In answer to Hannah's prayer. And accord
ing to the vow of his mother the life of Sam
uel was devoted to the service of God. He
was placed in the hands of Eli the priest, as
soon as he had been weaned, and when the
sons Of Eli had scapdalized the people and
offended the Lord with their wickedness, he
was selected to be Ellis successor.
Now "the word of the Lord was precious
In those days" There had been mo open
vision" before that vouchsafed to Samuel for
a long time. Perhaps herein lies one of the
most valuable lessons of the quarter-a lesson
for mothers. If you would raise up your
sons to be mighty men before the Lord, de-
vote them to Gods service from the first
In Lesson ii was told the sorrowful death
of Eli and the humiliating defeat Of Israel
defeat that can be clearly traced to DISC
bedience of Gods command. Israel had at
this time fallen away somewhat from the
worship of the one God. But when a war
arose between Israel and the Philstines,
Israel called upon Jehovah for help. But
howl The sacred ark of the covenant was
taken from Shiloh, where its place was in the
Holy of Holes, to the field of battle. But the
command of the Most High had been vio-
lated; God did not fight with the lsraeites
and they were defeated, for the Philistines
were desperate and fought with fury that
carried all before them. And it is now as it
was then-if you desire the Lord to help you
In the constant contest with the world you
must obey Him.
In Lesson Ill we were told of the repentance
of Israel and the rescue Of His people, after
twenty years punishment, out of the hands
of the Philistines by the Lord of Hosts.
And the hand of the Lord was against the
Philistines all the days of Samuel" In Les
sor w is recorded the action of the Israel
ties in demanding king. Samuel had grown
old and his sons had been made judges Of
the people These sons had done even as had
the sons of Eli before them; they turned
aside after lucre, and took brides and per-
verified Justice" But this was no just excuse
Cor the Israeltes in their demand for a king
God had appointed the method of govern
nent for His people, and there is no doubt
out He, in His own good time and in His
own way, would have corrected the abuses
The people suffered and punished those by
whom the abuses came. But nothing would
satisfy the lsraelites short of a king, and So
as we are told in Lesson Whey were given
one in the person of Saul
Saul had been sent to find some domestic
animals that were lost; he failed, and at last
sought out Samuel, the man of God Sam
uel had been warned of the coming of Saul,
and had been told of God that Saul should be
the king whom the Israelites desired. Saul
was "goodly young man." tall and strong
"a king i'll appearance-just what the Israel
ties desired God was about to try His peo-
ple-to give them an opportunity to learn
that His ways were BEST But even when
Saul had been shown TO the people as he
whom the Lord would have to be their king,
they rejected him, and deridingly asked:
shall Saul reign over usi" But Saul de-
livered them out of the hand of the Ammon-
ties, and then they were convinced. In
Lesson VI we studied the last address of
Samuel, that wonderful speech of the pro-
phet in which he reviewed before the peo-
Pile the history of their nation, and set out
to them the everlasting doctrine that true
prosperity and unalloyed happiness only
come to those who serve God sincerely.
In Lesson VII we learned how the Lord
finally rejected Saul because of the DISC
bedience of the latter. God had told him to
spare not the Amelekites or their cattle OF
goods, but Saul had saved Agag, the king
alive. and had kept alive the best of the
sheep and of the oxen and of the fatlings and
the lambs and all that was good" These he
| had preserved for the use of himself, and God
told Samuel that this was displeasing TO Him
Behold, said the prophet, Ito obey is better
than to sacrifice" Saul, rebuked by the man
of God, became repentant. But it was toe
late.
In Lesson VIII we are told of the anoint
ing of David as the chosen Of the Lord
When Samuel saw Eliab, son of Jesse, who
was tall and strong and of regal bearing, he
said in his heart that here was the future
king, but God said not So The Lord seett
not man seeth, for man looketh upon the
outward appearance, but the Lord looketh OIL
the heart" Oh, blessed assurance, that i.
and will be ever kept in remembrance by
them that love Godl
David, the shepherd boy, David, tn,
youngest, David, whom Jesse had no
thought worthy to be brought before tn,
prophet - he was the chosen one. Truly
Gods ways are not the ways of men.
In Lesson TX is told the story of the killing
of Goliath by this youngest son and shep
herd, David, who went out before the tw,
armies to meet the most mighty man of tn,
Philistines.
Nothing in all the Old Testament is in it
way more affecting than the story of DaviC
and Jonathan, which was the subject of Les
son X Saul had become jealous Of David
for had not the women sung
Saul hath slain his thousands
And David hath slain his ten thousandsi
Saul swore to be the death of David, bu
the bond of brotherly affection between
David and Jonathan saved the shepherd boy
In Lesson X is told the story of David
great heartedness when he had Saul in hi
power Davids magnanimity was prompte,
by two fold motive. He would not smite
sleeping man. He was too truly brave to d,
so cowardly an act. Besides, Saul was still
the Lords anointed.
And in Lesson XII Is told the story of tn
last days of Saul The king had wept tn
tears of the crocodile when, as told in tn
previous lesson, he affected to be reconcile,
| m David and he had continued his nlrslli