Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-08-09
SAMUELS LAST ADDRESS.
LESSON vi, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, AUG. II.

Text of the Lesson, Sam. xii, I-15-Com-
NIT to Memory Verses i4-15-Golden
Text, 1 Sam. xii, "a Commentary by
the Rev. u. NJ. Stearns.
compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per-
mission of II. S. Hoffman, publisher, Philadel
phia.
After the servant passed on leaving Saul
and Samuel alone, Samuel took vial of oil
and anointed Saul captain over the Lords in
heritance, at the same time telling him of
several events which would happen to him as
he returned home; all of which signs came to
pass that day
|. And Samuel said unto all Israel" The
place of todays 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 out
and to which he returned as he subdued the
land; where, also, they had just now been
offering sacrifice and renewing the kingdom
Chap. xi, IA, l5) This election of king
being rejection of God CHAP. X 19) and a
new departure in their history, may be the
reason why Gilgal was selected rather than
Shiloh or Kirjath-j earim, where the taber-
nacle and ark of the covenant were.
q "And now, behold, the king waiketh be-
fore you" When Samuel says in the first
verse that he had hearkened unto their voice
and made them king he was speaking as
Gods representative, for In verse 10 he says,
"The Lord hath set king over YOU" and
whatever Samuel did he did as Gods servant
and as in His sight; if the new king would do
likewise all might yet be well.
g. "Witness against me before the Lord"
With all his life from his youth up lived be-
fore the people, he now asks them to testify
if they have ever known him to defraud, or
Cypress, or take bride.
4 "Thou hast not defrauded us, nor op-
pressed us, neither hast thou taken aught of
any mans hand" Surely here is Il righteous
man, one against whom, like Daniel, they
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, a..
B. THE Lord is witness against you"
Their testimony to Samuel's faithfulness was
their own condemnation, his faithfulness tes-
titled against their unfaithfulness; their &C.
acknowledgement of his Righteousness was their
own evidence against their unrighteousness;
to believe God is to condemn self.
g. at is the Lord that advanced appointed,
R. W Moses and Aaron, and that brought
your fathers up out of the land of Egypt"
Samuel would now keep them face to face
with God and remind them of His love to
them and His gracious dealings with them.
T. "Now, therefore, stand still, that l may
.eason with you before the Lord Of all the
righteous acts of the Lord" Or as in verse
d, 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 Aaron" Samuel
reminds them first how God heard the cry
from the iron furnace of Egypt and delivered
them and brought them into the land of
Canaan. This great deliverance from cruel
bondage and gift of land flowing with milk
and honey ought to have been enough to bind
them forever to such deliverer in the most
loving and grateful service, but alas for hui
man ingratitude; and are not Christians to-
day just as bad, when so many who profess
to have received the forgiveness of sins and
1eliverance from the bondage of Satan seem
so ungrateful that, instead of serving the
Lord constantly and wholly, they do not even
seem to acknowledge Him as their Lord or
think their dellverance worth mentioning.
Oil. They forgat the Lord their God:
they cried unto the Lord;
the Lord sent and delivered" This covers
The history of the nation for about $50 years,
or from the first of the judges until Samuel
(Acts xiii, POI, when, Notwithstanding their
oft repeated tranSgressions, forsakings and
idolatry, rs soon as they truly repented and
cried unto the Lord, He sent them judges
who delivered them and caused them to dwell
in safety. How sad that they should forsake,
forget and grieve such a gracious God, but
how wonderful that He should again and
again forgive them and shower His mercies
upon them.
IL, Is. Now therefore behold the king
whom ye have chosen whom We have de-
sired" God had given them the desire of
their hearts and they now had a king like
other nations, but it was on their part de-
parture from a sole reliance upon God, and
putting of a man in His plsce 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 ever
present Lord Jesus Christ Ask yourself,
dear reader, which you in your experience
prefer, some one or something seen and
tangible, or the unseen God and His sure
promises. If Jesus is to you in reality the
friend whom you sing about and in whom
you find more than enough to supply your
every need then you must be in the eyes of
many very peculiar person, but have no
doubt very happy person and great bless
ing to many. Is it SO, and are you content
to have the Lord alone as your Lord, your
portion, all your desirel Or while bearing
His Name as one of His redeemed have you
chosen some other Lord to have dominion
over you, so that you may be like other peo-
plef Are you rs protesting Christian ever
found u slave TO the theatre, the opera, the
card table or to any worldly fashion or folly
or besetting SIM If SO you cannot find fault
with Israel for choosing a king instead Of
Jehovah, and you had better remember that
"To whom ye yield yourselves servants to
obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey"
Rom. vi, 49,
H. 10. Continue following the Lord your
God" Although they have sinned, and God
has given them their desire, yet here is
way of blessing still left to them If they
and their king will fear the Lord as Samuel
did, and serve Him and obey His voice, and
not rebel against Him, then the band of the
Lord will still be upon them for good; but if
not, His hand will be against them as in the
days of the judges. They had done wickedly