Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1889-09-19

SERIOUS SUBJECTS CAREFULLY AND
ABLY coEsIDERED.

tion-Half an Hours Study Of the scrip
tures-Time Well spent
The lesson for Sunday. Sept. ~. may DO
found in l Sam. 81: l-l3
INTRODUCTORY.
Saul has now been king forty years, and
In the Providence OF God his reign Is ended.
The scene OF h . taking on Is a Hitting one.
1t Is the historic battle-ground OF the Is
rael,tes, the plain OF Esdraelon. it was
here. besides other great engagem sn ,h,
Midanites occurred. The place OF won
drous victory Is TO be turned into the place
OF wretched defeat- The cause OF tne
altered denouement Is not far TO seek.
Gideon was fighting In the stren2th oil tho
Lord and at the Lords call. Saul Is con-
tending In his own Il ength anu fighting.
not only against Philistla. Tut at variance
with Jehovah. The outcome might be an
David periodically sings. is slain upon thy
high places" And there Is deep ssgnii-
cameo In the words that come presently AT
ter. For there the shield OF the mighty Is
vllcly cast away. the shield OF Saul (and let
us read IL without tho translator's add,
tions), not ano.nted with OIL" Saul had
gone into tattle in this case. had he not.
/ with an unanointed shield. And Saul fell.
WHAT THE LESSON SAYS.
Now. In the meantime Saul has been
consulting the witch OF sEndor to the north
OF the Philistne camp. and David has found
4 himself fortunately. indeed. on many ac-
! couLts. sent back from the field OF battle TO
Ziklag.-The Philistines fought they
! were a beligeront Ieople,ever vexing Israel
| during the days OF the Judges and the ea.ly
DAYS OF the Kings.-Fell down slain. The
last word means literally followed out.
worn out, worsted. Hence, more properly,
smltten. or. as In margin. wounded. :"
| Mount Giiboa. To the east OF the pla n OF
| Esdraelon. Israel had pitched. as we read
| at 20: /, by a fountain which Is in JeZreeL"
Followed hard. The word signifies to
| cleave TO, as In the chase. The Douay YER
sion says, fell upon. --Abinadab. In IA: 49
he seems to be called lshui. lshbosheth
was left. In Sam 2: 8 we read OF his
pseudo coronation. or the panic which
| occurred In the royal househo old at Gibeah
we have some int nation in the story OF
Mephibosheth's manning q Sam. A: ~.
| Sore against Saul Heavy Is the nrst
meaning of the word. The Philistnes seem
10 have picked him out and endeavored TO
| overwhelm him.-Archers. More accu-
rately the shooters. men with bows. The
language Is such as might lead us 10 sus-
pect that the disciplined archer was new
and untried antagonist. Not so hereafter.
See 2 Sam /: IL. fThe revisers, however.
| translate or interpret differently at this
| point, ii being q disputed matter.) Hit
him. Literally. fought him or got hold OF
him. The revision suggests overlook.
When once they caught sight OF him they
probably pushed him TO his death.-Sore
wounded. The word signifies. to vince.
Very suggestive here. The revision sug-
costs he was greatly distressed. The
pouay. the whole weight of battle
Armor- bearer, kind OF body-guard to
the king.-Abuse me. The literal mean
ing Is TO turn or to repeat Taken in the
connection it seems to signify. to thrust
again and again or to mutilate; perhaps
torture.
Dead. Military suicide.-He fell like
wise. Yet see the impostor who afterward
claimed TO have slain Saul q Sam i: III. }
All his men. Probably his relatives and
retainers. In Chron. 1876 we read FALL his
house. Together In fraternal loyalty.
1t must have presented something like the
appearance Of "the hornets nest" I'm our
late war.
WHAT THE LESSON TEACHES.
The Philistlnes followed hard upon Saul
and upon his sons. The enemies Of Israel
were shrewd and sagacious in that olden
day. They are no less 80 now. Fell upon
Saul" is the way the Douay version puts it.
Followed up, we might say. The willy war
riors OF the seacolst turned their weapons
upon the crested heads of Israel's hosts and
held them there until Saul and his sons
were brought low. The adversary is not
slow to take similar advantage still. He
trains his guns upon the Generals; his
sharpshooters try 10 pick them of. II but
Satan can destroy the great leading doc
trines. the master principles in the struggle
he knows that the battle is his. Watch him
Christian soldier. He is aiming at the
|
had she rallied about Mt. Gilboa. stout
hearted for the RI hit Stand firm about the
hill Golgotha where a better than Saul has
planted his royal ensign.
And he was sore wounded OF the archers.
1t was superior Philistine archery that
seems to have been one Of the nearer
causes OF Saurs overthrow. Israel was
probably not as skillIul with the bow as heI
neighbor. Jonathan had used 1t. but we
read OF no band OF disciplined archers
The sword and spear, OF which also the
Philistines had a shrewd monopoly. are
oftener spoken Of up to this date. as the
accepted weapons OF the tribes prior tC
| David's career. There, in that solemn
dlrge over the death o: Saul and Jonathan
: recorded in the opening chapter OF the
succeeding book OF the Bible. right in the
midst OF the majestic poetry OF grief IL
thrust this prosaic parenthetlcal sentence
Also he babe them teach the children oil
judah the use of the bow; behold It is writ
ten in the book OF Jasher." We find the
, sufficient explanation of it in this brie
chronicle OF the disastrous battle at Mt
Gilboa. The trained Philistine arch 4 4.
David lamented deeply over the discom.
future OF Saul and his sons, he took care
} that such catastl ophe should not again
, occur; -he bade them teach the children o.
Judah the use of the bow" Suppose we dc
the same. While we lament our shortcom.
ings and defects in tuneful hymn or IL
humble prayer. let us at the same time
overthrow. Learn to quench all the fiery
darts OF the wicked" and to SO resist the
devil" that he will flee from YOU"
But his armor-bearer would not. That
proved him true armor- bearer; faithful
} and obedient in Saul's defense. he would
not lay hands upon him to do him hurt
For Saul was king. and. erring though he
was. the king person was sacred. To touch
that he was sore afraid" SO also was
David. That Amalekite who came to him
after the battle found IL out to his sorrow
$50 stood upon him aud slew him." he
said. That falsehood did not pay. Never
did willful lie receive more summary reward
How vast thou not afraid to stretch forth
thine hand to destroy the Lords anointed p
And one OF David's loyal young men "smote
him that he died." David had an exalted
conception OF the kingship. Leadership in
Israel was no trifing thing. to be assumed
or sighted as personal within. Ahigh and
holy vocation demands sentiments In keep
ing. Touch not mine anointed."
Publish IL in the house OF their idols.
Satan has arroclamation. too. The devil
breaches. Give him for a text the down.
fall OF arr leader in Israel and he will pub
lish !. from every housetop in the city
-GlGd tidings" for him Is the good news
that a saint has been brought to the dust
md Inundated through Philistia's SHARP
arrows. Out among the people" goes the
swift winged word. Newspaper, interview
gossip. by every channel il is sent on its
way, till all the world knows it. Alas
for evil report. But this let us see to. that
we are as wise and diligent to spread good
news as the adversary Is to scatter the bad.
GO home to thy friends and tell them how
great things the Lord hath done for thee
and hath had compassion on thee" And
mark you. when he began to publish" such
news--all men did marvel" So will they
tn-dav