The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-09-19
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON FOR SEPTEMBER ~
Death of saui aud His Sons, I sam,
XXI, f-t3-Goidcn Text: Ps xiv,
f0-Notcs.

THE Lord shall smite him, or his day shall
some to die or he shall descend into battle
and perish" The last Of these predictions is
fulfilled in the lesson of to-day. The events
between the last lesson and this are; The
death of Samuel: the death Of Nabal, upon
whom David was restrained from taking ven
yeance; David marries Abigail and Ahinoam;
se spares Saul a second time; he goes to the
Philistines and lives at ziklag; Saul again
iisobeys God by consulting the witch of En-
dor: Davids town OF Ziklag is smitten dur
ing his absence with his six hundred. and
women, children and hocks all carried cap
live, but David pursucs and recovers all.
l. "Now the Philistines fought against
israel and the men of Israel fled from before
he Philstines" This was the battle to
which David and his men had started, when
they were sent back by the Lords of the
Philistines only 10 find Hiklng desolate and
burned with fire: God again hindered David
from having anything 10 do with the death
of Saul. IL is sad sight to see the people Of
God fall before the defiers of God, when tho
promise was that one should chase thousand
and two put ten thousand To flight CDcut.
xxi, 30 but the best Of men are nothing
u God is not with them and Israel, through
Saul, had forsaken God, and the dearly bs'
loved of His soul II given again into the
hands Of hor enemies because of her sins
Jer. xii, n that she may by Christening learn
to know God.
g. 'The Phiistincs slew Jonathan, and
Abinadab, and Melchishun, Saurs sons IL
makes ones heart ache TO read this, especially
concerning Jonathan, the loving, the brave,
the noble How David lamented for him is
recorded in then chapter, and We do not
wonder at the depth Of his lamentations over
one whose soul was knit with his own, but we
do wonder when we read that IL was
lamentstion over Saul as well rs Jonathan
QI Sam. l., 17) The secret of it Is that David
saw not the man Saul. his enemy, but he
saw the King Saul, the nnointcd of the Lord
IL we could only see the children of God as
dear 20 Him, and as they will he when per-
fected, we would have moro pity for their
failings and sorrow for their sins.
3. "The battle went sore against Saul, and
the archers hit him" He was not any
longer in merciful hands. but in the hands Of
those who knew no mercy. Long suffering
and mercy had followed him many years; he
had been spared many time and warned
often; but che tnat being often rcproved
hnrdencth his neck shall suddenly bo de-
stroyed, and that without remedy and now
mercy is past for him and Judgment has
reached him.
g. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell
upon it, Saul being sore wounded asked his
armor bearer to slay him: but notice the
reason: Lest these uncircumclsed come and
thrust me through and abuse me- What
fear he has Of being dishouorcd 10y those uu-
circumCised what q keen sense Of honor, hut
10 is the old story as when h" pleaded with
Samuel "Honor me now before the elders oi
my people aud before Israel CHAP. Nv.. 30.
10 was his honor and not the honor OF God,
that he was careful about. In SGuIs case 1t
was Saul and his glory that was uppcrmost;
but in David's case, David was nothing and
the Lord and His glory was everything.
8. ''Ilis armor bearer fell like
wise upon his sword and died with him
This looks heroic and like n spirit of devotion
to his master, but had he been devoted To
God instead Of 10 Saul, or more devoted To
!. God than to Saul, he would not have
done so. No man who fears God will take
his own life and anyone who believes God
concerning the awful future ot the ungpdy
as revealed in Scripture could not think OF
rushing madly intoit Simple unbclief is the
cause Of all such conduct.
u. 80 Saul died and his three sons and
his arnor bearer and all his men, that same
day together" What them The words Of
the Lord Jesus. in Luke xvi. and other
words of the Spirit plainly recorded in Scrip
ture teach us that If we believe God and nro
redeemed by the precious blood Of His dear
Son, "tO die is gain, ITO depart and he with
Christ is far better and whon the spirit
leaves the body, our conscious personal liio
continues, aud the angel, guide or carry uS
| 10 perfect bliss in His presence, But II We
die in our sins and disObcdlont n is equally
plain that the portion of such, while also per-
sOnaly conscious, is darkness, torment,
gnashing OF teeth and fearful looking for Of
Judgment.
:. Israel o forsook the cities and
hcd, and the Philistines came and dwclt III
Them Here Is not only the defeat aud
slaughter of the Lords people Israel but
| their possessions, which they ought to have
| kept and enjoyed are possessed by their enc
mics This is sad, indeed. and the only rea-
SON is that the people of God had turned
| their backs upon Him.
y The IhilstinCs came TO strip the slain v
/ The Iafi..g al God gup lg ,nguuh tn AbaNy
| their hatred of Him and His profcssed fol.
| lowers. IL is the devil who posscsst, them and
| who is called truly dGyOurer aud destroyer,
.. "They cut of his head and stripped oil
| his armor, and sent 10 publish II
y among the people" Thus what Saul
| feared came upon him. and these uncircum-
| Cised Philistines abused his body. But worst
! of all il was published abroad among these
| idolatrOus dotiers of the Living and True
| God. When one who bears the name of
| Jesus is in any way overcome 10y the world,
| the flesh or the devil that Holy Name is
| blasphemed and thus dishunored by the sins
| thus committed, and not only are such Chris
| tans if they are Christians laughed at and
| despsed by the world, but the precious name
/ they bear, instead Of being exalted, Is de-
| spised also ON their account.
| 10. "They put his armur i'm the house of
| Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the
wall Of Bethshan" What n victory for the
| idolaters, but IL will not continue Blessed be
| God that all the victories of His enemies are
only for little time but the victory of His
| dear Son is for eternity.
| II. 'The inhabitants Of Jabesh Giliad
| heard.p Thank God for the faithful in all
| ages who will not tolerate an insult 10 His
name or His people If he can prevent il, He
| has always had them, has them to-day, and
will have them, a little flock until His body
| is completed and then shall the whole earth
| begin to be field with them.
IL. "All the valiant men arose and went
| all night" We are not told how many We're
| valiant men, but il il was with them as with
! the men of Gideon, there were but few and
| vet God can do more with 300 like Gideon's
| band than with 5000 or 10, 900. or 300, 600
| who are half hearted or fearful or afraid.
Jesus our Captain, knowing all things that
were to befall Him went steadily forward 10
the contamination Of His agony and our sal
walton. never stopping or turning aside.
l3. They took their bones and buried them
under tree at Jabesh, and tasted seven
days. 1t was only their bodies they rescued
after all. We arc after souls, and our Cap
tain will rescue the bodies, too, in due time
not 10 be buried, but 10 be raised incorrupti-
be immortal, Just like His own gloriiied
body. This is the end of the story of Saul
raised by the God of Israel TO be King over
His people: if he had only obeyed God what
a blessing he might have been and what n
different record he might have left Are you
walking in Gods way or in your own way,
and what record will YOU leaycy- Less -