The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1889-07-25
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udeb14 .Tnxr-J 6vpttheless the peoplere-
iused' 70 obOy the voic0of Samuel; and they
said, Nay but we.will have king over 10.
CSsllAi ~ 1Nurn4we should seek 70 know
GSd's wili, rather Than insist on our own.
rrHs-B. 9. 1O01.A about twenty years
after the last lesson, tOthersmake the date
BIC. i0e0l iUIKf s ~ =
PLAcE-sHarnah, The home Of Samuel, four
miles northwest Of Jerusalem. Samuel,
now about seventy years old. For forty
years he had been prophet Of Israel, and
FOR twenty years Judge.
INTERVENING HfsroRY-A season OF peace
and prosperity followed the victory Of our
last lesson. Samuel had grown old, and
made his sons Judges in Beersheba, forty
i've Or fifty miles to the southwest. @
HBIPs OVER HARD PLAcEs--4. Tho eldsrs Of
Isrdsl: the heads OF families and leading
persons, forming kind Of legislature. B.
Sons wd,k not IN thv scdys. they took bribes
and perverted justice (v.8. Q. Tho thing
dtspledsed Samuel: II was not wrong to have
Q king (Deut. 17:l4-20), but the request was
o slur upon his administration, rejection
Of God, refusal TO be as noble and holy q
nation as God would have them to be. Why
did they desire kingl ~ To be like other
nations (2) To have . visible leader for
war (v.9. (9 To give unity 10 the nation.
(G Samuel would not long be able to rule
them, and his sons were not fit for the place.
T. They haze not rejected thee, chiefly, but they
haze rejected me; in rejecting Samuel. Howl
O They did not ask what was best, but
were determined to have their own way.
(2) They were unwilling to be such nation
as God thought best. G) They wanted sue
cess without obedience, and hoped they
could have 1t by king. (4) They distrusted
God as their invisible leader. (5) Their mo-
tive was bad--to be like other nations. 0.
Hcdrken unto their uoice: grant their request.
For so sinful people king was the best,
as o punishment for their not being more
worthy. H. THIS pal be the manner Of the
King: ny He would bring in luxury at the
peoples expense. (2) He would limit their
freedom. (3 He would impose high taxes
and drain the wealth Of the people.
LESSON FACTs-Samuel was growing old,
being OF the time Of our lesson seventy
years Of age. Twenty years had elapsed
since the events of the last lesson. They
had been years Of considerable prosperity.
Hitherto the people had been governed
directly by God through the medium Of
judges or prophets. The example Of sur
rounding nations, however, proved conta-
gious, and at last the people wanted q king
like the nations around them. The imme-
date occasion Of this request for q king
was the misrulo Of Samuels two sons. This
led the elders to assemble and ask of Sam
uel that some fitting man should be chosen
as their permanent king. God told Samuel
to hearken to the request Of the people, but
to warn them that it would not be at all to
their advantage If they had king; for the
burdens that q king would lay on their
shoulders would be far heavier than any
thing that they had yet been called upon to
bear The argument Of the aged prophet
was in vain, however; for the people were
bent on having their own way, as we see
| from the sequel of the lesson. Compare
this lesson with Kings BILLY
| (a) A WRONG REQUEsT-Thatit 1t was wrong
| Is evident from the way in which God re-
| spends at the first. It involved lack OF
trust In Gods method Of governing them.
| II Samuel's sons were evil, the way out OF
| the difficulty did certainly not lie In the
| direction Of q monarchy. Any one could
have told them that. The fact was that
| they were weary Of seeming to be at dis
advantage rs against the snowy monarch
les around them. Now God had always
told them that in case they came to have a
king, he should be particularly careful to be AZ
unlike other mondrehs as possible. (See Deut
17:16-20.) In making their request, there
fore, they showed spirit markedly at vari
ance with the one they ought to
have cherished. (b) AREouEsT vEHEMENTLI
URGED. It might not have been so evil 9
thing To make the request they did had they
| quietly yielded when it was evident that
their desire was not acceptable in God's
sight. But they were welded to thei,
purpose, and no clear and prophetic be
trayal Of consequent disasters at all affect
ed them. "Nay, but zoe tou haze KING
Is their reiterant request, or rather de
msnd. It was this vehement insisting or
having their way that aggravated theil
guilt. (c) THE REQUEST GRANTED. Thi.
was strangel To human reason 1t would
seem almost 40 though God would have
done better to deny them out and out, and
punish them for wilfulness But we mus,
never forget that God always treats men
not o machines, but as free agents. 80 He
treated Israel. In this way they learned
many lesson, both In the desert and In
Canaan, which otherwise 1t would have
been impossible to teach them.-Rev. A. +
Schauf1er.
| PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
!. The best Of men sometimes have bad
2. We often earnestly desire things no,