The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1889-11-08
HIS GRIEF FOR HIS son.
LESSON vi, FOURTH QUARTER, I'M
TERflATIoNAL SERIES, NOV. 10.

TERflATIONAL SERIES, NOV 10.
Text of the Lesson, II Sam. xviii, 1888.
Commit Verses 81, 33-Golden Text,
PROV. xvii, a5-Commentary by tho Rev.
\ d. NJ. Stearns,
Compiled from Lesson Helper Quarterly by per-
|! mission of III. S. Hoffman, publisher Philadel.
| phia.
David, hearing of Absalom's rebellion, took
his servants, and followed by six hundred
faithful Philistines under Ittai the Gittite,
fled from Jerusalem. Zadok and Abiathar
also, with the Levites bearing the ark, went
with him, but David sent back the ark, say
ing that If God delighted in him he would
brlng nm back to his city and throne
Hushal, the archite, David's friend, was also
sent back, in order that, perchance, he might
be used of God to defeat the counsel of
Ahithophel, who had turned traitor to David
and become Absalom's counselor 1t turned
out as David had trusted it would; Absalom
accepted the advice of Husha rather than
that of Ahithophel, and Hushai seut word to
David which led him and all who were with
him to cross over Jordan to the other side.
and they came to Mahanaim a Levitical city
OF God, where long before the angels of God
| met Jacob (Gcn. NXNii, 2). Absalom s.d his
army also crossed the Jordan, and then fol-
lows the record of the conflict, and the death
OF Absalom at the hands of Joab as he hung
by his head in an oak Ths verse immediate.
ly preceding the one which begins our lesson
says, They took Absalom and cast him into
great pit in the wood, and laid very great
heap OF stones upon him" Thus perished
beautiful Absalom.
B "Absalom's monument" This is the
Il. " translation instead of "Abs@lo,n's
place" Here is the record of something this
wicked willful, waywuri son had done in his
lifetime that his nalne might be i,eipetuatetl.
Saul, the king did the same thing ufter lie
defeated the .Anaiei;ites d s3all XIV. la,.
like those whose inwal',! thought is that their
| houses shall continue to' ever, and who call
| their lands after their oNn names. Gos Xix.
I'D In Absaloms life everything was iol
Ahsalon, and his name, and his pleasure: il
might be said of him OF Belshazzar, ''Tlle
God in whose hand thy breath is, and whose
i are all thy ways, hast thou not glorilicC."
! dan V, 23., The life of a Christian is to
deny self and please God. magnifying His
name; unto such He says II will give in
nine house, and within nly walls, Il place and
name better than of sols and of daughters;
will give them an everlasting name that
shall not be cut of" Gsa. lvi, 81
10, 20. ",Ihen said Ahimaaz the son of
Iadok, Let ine now run and bear the kil.. |
| tidings" This was the son of Zatok the /
priest, and he had already endangered his
life for David when he and Jonathan, son of
Abiathar, brought word from Hushai to
David that he should flee across the Jordan
CHAP. xviii; now he is anxious to convey to
David what he thought would be glad It'd
ings for him, but Joab will not consent.
2l. Then said Joab to Cush, Go tell the
king what thou hast seem We do not know
anything more about this man than is here |
Recorded. nor why Joab sent him instead of |
Ahilnaaz, unless the reason is found in the |
words what thou hast seen.'' His name sig
mites Hblack," and he may have been a per-
sonal attendant upon Joab and seems to
have witnessed the killing of Abs;,losn.
y, %. Then Ahitnaaz ran by the way Of |
the plain and overran Cushi." This power
fEl brother" for such is the significance of
his anle '-;s so eager to bear ttlilgs that l.e.
again PLEADED with Joal, to let him run after
CusAi, AID Joab finally consented. lie was
so swift OF foot that he outran Cushi and 9 t
to David first. This reminds us of that ctlal.
disciple who outran Peter and came first TO
the sepulcher John XIX, 4).
2l. And David sat between the two gates
and the watchman wentup to the roof over
the gate" Wenow pass from the battle field
With It's twenty thousand slain VERSE u, and
the monument which 4ibsaon did not build
for himself tthe heap of stones, to behold
David as he receives the ttlings from the mes
sengers AhinaaZ and Cushi AS the thou
sands OF David's soldiers marched out of the
city of Mal,anaim he stood by the gate side,
and all the people heard as he charged the
captains Joab and .Ahishai and Ittai, to eleal
gently with Absalc.:! for his sake 1t NAV be
that herenained there until the tdmgs came,
soan%ious was he concerning his son Absalonl
% 2G. And the wutchman cried and told
the king" He SEES first the one and then the
other running alone, and he reports each to
the king as he comes in sight, and now we
may fancy the anxiety of the kings trembling
heart till he hears the tidings.
q, IS. 'iAll is we'll" This was the shout
Of Ahmaaz as he drew near to the king with
the tidings that the kings enemies were over
come. Say ye to the righteous that it shall
be well with him. g g Woe unto the
wicked! 1t shall be i'll with him. 81 know
that it shall be well with them that fear God,
which fear before Him; but it shall not be
well with the wicked, neither shall he pro-
long his days which are as a shadow because
he feareth not before God" lisa, iii, 10, IL:
Eccl. viii, IL, l2.y The time will come when
all who make war with the Lamb shall be
overcome, for He is King of Kings and Lord
of Lords tltev. xvii, lH.
49, so. ''And the king said, Is the Young
man Abss.lo.a safe.n Ahimaaz had cried,
"lt is we'll but the king replies, sIs it well
with Absalon.!' He seemed to have no heart
for any but this wicked son.
81. "And cushi said, Tidngs, my lord the
king; for the Lord hath avenged thee this
day of all them that rose up against thee
Thus from the mouth of two witnesses the
fact is established l..lt the enemies of the
king are defeated. FOR the ninth time in
this lesson we find i'll this verse the word
'tidings;" it would almost seem as if the
Golden Text should have been a verse con-
corning tidings, such as Isa. Xxi, l. or xl, g. We
should always be as ready these runners
to lear good tidings, but we see how the best
tidlngs may fail to affect heart that has all
idol, and prefers its idol to the welfare of
others.
81. 1.-The enemies of my lord the king be
as that young man is still unaffected by
the good tidinss of the defeat of the enemy
tho king again asks rs the young man Alb
salon safe and receives his reply in these
not dou5tful words which declare that Als,-
lon is dead. The thing which he feared has
come upon hin,, and now is his heart shown |
forth, and it Is proved that wicked Absalom
is more to him than his faithful soldiers OF
captains OF all his people.
80. 20 my son Absalom my SON. my son
Absalom! would God had died fu:. thee. o |
Absalom my son, my SON. Perhaps there