The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-08-08
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
AUGUST II.
Lcsson1 Text; "samuci's Farewell
Address," I Sam. xiii, f-f5--
Golden Text; 1 Sam. xiii,
"a - Commentary.

"a - Commentary.
After the servant passed on leaving Saul
and Samuel alone, Samuel took vial of oil
and annointed Saul captain over the Lords
inheritance, at the samo time telling him of
several events which would happen 10 him as
hc returned home; all of which signs came TO
him that day. Soon after that Saul was pub
Icly elected and ordained as king, the lord
ordering the lot In the instruction of Sam
uel TO Saul that memorable day there is one
sentence which believe IL is the privilege Of
4 every true follower of Jesus to appropriate
and enjoy, and yet / find but few have noticed
/ 1t; IL is in chapter K, Z: "Do as occasion
serve thee, for God is with thee" IL is a
helpful precept and find great comfort in
It, May every reader appropriate it,
| l. And Samuel said unto all Israel" Tho
place OF to-day's lesson Is Gilgal, the first
/ camping ground Of Israel in the promised
land, after they crossed the Jordan where
the twelve stones from Jordan were set up,
the people circumcised and the reproach OF
Egypt rolled away the passover kept, and
Joshua's headquarters from which he set ont
and TO which he returned rs he subdued tho
land; where also, they had just now been
offering sacrifice and renewing the kingdom.
Chap. xi,, Ia, 15l
9. "And now, behold, the king wall,eth be.
fore you" When Samuel says In the first
verse that he had hearkcned unto their voice
and made them king he was speaking ms
Gods representative for in verse Is he snys:
Tho Lord hath set n king over you:n and
whatever Samuel did he did as Gods servant
and rs in His sight: IL the new king would do
likewise all might yet bc we'll
7 VI have walked before you from my child
hood until this day." There are two Sides to
your life and mine ms we'll as 60 that Of Sam
uol, that which IS seen of men and that which
Is seen onlyby God. Tho outward words and
acts and the motives back Of all; happy the
man whose first thought always is, "What
does God think Of thisy and governs himself
accordingly.
3. Witness against mo before tho Lord
with nll his life from his youth up lived be-
fore the people, he now asks them to testify
II thoy have ever known him 20 defrnud or
oppress or take bribe; he places himself be-
fore the Lord and asks their closest scrutiny,
ready to make anything right which they
may say has been wrong.
4. "Ihou hast not defrauded us nor on
pressed us neither hast thou taken aurht Of
any mans hand" Surely here is righteous
man, one against whom, like Daniel tney
could find none occasion nor fault; for as
much as he was faithful, neither was there
any error Of fault found in him dan vi ~ !;
and this life he began to live rs a child and
any boy or girl may begin to-day to live tho
same righteous life and live IL oil their DAYS
on the earth, for the same Holy Spirit who
lived this life In Samuel and Daniel and i'm
many others, is ready TO live 10 again in any
3. THE Lord is witness against YOU y
Their testimony 10 Samucl's faithfulncss was
their own condemnation; his faithfuness tcs-
titled against their unfaithfuln0ss; thcir nc
acknowledgement of his Righteousness was their
own evidence against their unrighteousucss.
To believe God is 90 condemn self. and To re-
tcct the counsel Of God against self as did
the lawyers In the time of Christ luke viii
30), is TO condemn God and confess ourselves
His enemies.
0. ut is the Lord that advanced zap
pointed, X. W Moses and Aaron, and that
brought your fathers out of the land Of
Egypt Samuel would not keep them face
to face with God and remind them of His
love to them and His gracious dealings with
thom, as when Paul tells us in Acts xviii
si-2s. that IL is God who giveth TO all life and
breath, and all things, and that In Him We
live and move and have our being; or as
whom Daniel said 10 Delshazzar. "fho God
In whose hand thy breath is, and whose arc
nll thy ways, hast thou not glorified." Dan.
", 3)
I. "Now, therefore, stand still that may
reason with you before the Lord of all tlsc
righteous acts OF the Lord" Or as In yerse
~, consider how great things He hath done
for You, and therefore fear the Lord, and
serve Him in truth with all your heart.
s. "Your fathers cried unto the Lord, then
the Lord sent Moses and Anrun.n Samuel re-
minds them first how God heard the cry from
the iron furnace of Egypt and delivered them
!, aud brought them into the land of Canaan
, This great dclverance from cruel bondage
and gift of land flowing with milk and
honey ought 20 have been enough TO bind
them forever TO such dclvorer In the most
loving and grateful service but alas for hui
man ingratitude; and are not Christians to-
day Just rs bad, when many who profess
70 have received the forgiveness of sins aud
deliyerance from the bondage Of Satan seem
30 ungrateful that, instead Of serving the
Lord constantly and wholly, they do not even
seem 10 acknowledge Him as their Lord or
think their dcliverance worth mentioning.
Oil. "rhey forgat the Lord their God: =
= they cried unto tho Lord: y q
the Lord sent and Delivered This covers
the history of the nation for about $50 years,
or from the first of tho judges until Samuel
(Acts xiii, 2Ol, when, notwithstanding their
oft repeated transgrossions, forslkings and
idolatry, as soon rs they truly repentcd and
cried unto tho Lord He sent them Judges
who delivered them aud caused them todwpll
in safety. How sad that they should forsakc
forget and grieve such "A gracious God, but
how wonderful that He should again and
again forgive them and shower His mcrcics
upon them.
, 12, 10. "Now, therefore, behold the king
whom ye have chosen, whom ye have de
= sired" God had given them the desire Of
their hearts and they now had king like
other nations, but IL was on their part II de-
parture from n sole reliance upon God, and
a putting of n man in His place The same
sin Is manifest now when the people Of God in
any way lean on an arm of flesh rather than
on the almighty arm of the unseen but over
present Lord Jesus Christ
II, 10. Continue following the Lord your
God Although they have snned, and God
has given them their desire, yet here is way
OF blessing still left 10 them. lf they and
their King will fear the Lord as Samuel did
and serve Hin and obey His voice, and not
rebel against Him. then the hand of tho Lord
will shll be upon them for good but il not,
His hand will be against them as in the days
. Of the judges eSsOH Helper