The Afro-American., 1895-11-30
SABBATH SCHOOL,
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
DECEgfBER l
Lesson Texts "Davfd Anointed, , i
Samuel xvt. 1-13-GoIden
Text Samuel xvi,
Commentary.

ite, for I have provided me a king among
his sons" The last verse of the previous
chapter shows that, although Samuel came
not near Saul any more, vet he chung to him
in his heart. 1t is searching question, Am
I wholly with God in everything, or do I in
| any sense cling to that which He has disaD-
| pr0ved2 Observe the words ''I will send,
| III have provided" In Saurs case it was
! God indulging the people, but now it is God
working and choosing for His pleasure. See
| Ps. xviii, 70; lXxxix., 19, 20.
Q. flake an heifer with thee and say, am
! come to sacrifice to the Lord" 1t is not like
| Samuel to be afraid of q man lisa. H., 1914
| but the least lack of fellowship with God IS
| apt to cause poor vision, and tremblings OF
! heart. and fears and fOrebodings. When God
| speaks, it is not ours ia reason. but simply
| obey. "Willing and obedient" are the words
| for us if we would eat the good of the land
| and see the power of the Lord lisa. l., 19).
| He sees the end from the beginning always
| knows what He will do Elsa. XVII, 10; John
| vi, 81.
8. ~ will shew thee what thou shalt do"
| Here is sure guidance. Samuel had only to
| trust and obey. The Lord sends, provides,
| shows and names. and Samuel watches to
| see His way. The same Lord will guide us
| in all that which He requires of us, and we
| may in quietness and confidence dwell with
| Him for His work Elsa. XXX, IS; l ChrOn.
| w., 2C). As to His guidance see Ps. xxxii.,
l
and be led by Him we must be as clay in the
| hands of the potter, with no will Of our own.
| T. "And Samuel did that which the Lord
| spake and came to Bethlehem, and the eld-
ers of the town trembled at his coming"
| There was no occasion to tremble if they had
| been walking with God. The godly man
| can say, ''What time am afraid l will trust
| in Thee" Or better still, II will trust and
| not be afraid" FPS. wi, 8; lisa. xiii, q. The
| Lords thoughts to His people are always
| thoughts of peace DER. xxx, II; Ps. lXxxv.,
| S; John xiv, 27). To believe what He says
and do what le tells us is always pleasing
| unto Him.
| 5. II am come to sacrifice unto the Lord;
! sanctify yourselves and come with me to the
| sacrifice He uses the very words of the
| Lord (verse p. and in this he was very safe
| and right. The Lords messenger shOuldsay
| exactly what the Lord tells him. Thus did
| Jeremiah AMI Ezekiel and our Lord Jesus
| Christ also DER l.. 7; Eek. H.. 7; ill, 4, II;
| John xii, 49). We are never, under any cir
| cumstances, to lie, but we are not supposed
always to tell all we know to everybody.
| 6. ''Surely the Lords anointed is before
! Him" This said Samuel as he looked upon
| Eliab Jes5es oldest son, but had he been
! looking to the Lord and watching for His
| message he would not have spoken thus.
! It seems so easy for us to look away from the
| Lord and use our own eyes or our own
| Judgment. But all this we must contend
| against, and prayerfully and patiently seek
| and wait His guidance.
| T. "Man looketh on the outward appear
| Ance, but the Lord looketh on the heart"
| Not until the heart is right are we in any
| sense right before God. The natural heart,
| or carna mind, is enmity against God and
| never can be made better (R0m. viii, y, but
| when we receive Jesus Christ we are said to
! be born anew, or from above, and then we
! have a new heart which cannot sin, while
| E1T, hi ie fho
! work of the Spirit through the Word. A per-
son may be outwardly all that can be de-
sired, even to moral character. but II the
| heart is not a new heart, if Christ is not
/ there, all else goes for naught. Ponder
! John ", IL. The whole world is wrong, and
will be till the heart gets right, which is Is
| rael and Jerusalem, and the throne OF David.
8-1O ''Neither hath the Lord chosen
this" "The Lord hath not chosen these"
| AS the seven sons Of Jesse passed before
| Samuel the verdict for each was mot
! chosen" Let us bear in mind that this was
! a question Of service, not of salvation. For
! salvation the word ever stands, Him that
cometh to Me 1 will in ::no wise.cast OUT
John vi. 80. But for service it is still true
that "few are chosen, not because the Lord
does not want them, but because they do not
want Him; they are not willing to submit
wholly to Him, and His Word and His ways;
not willing to have Him think for them, and
| act through them andliVe just to please Him
in all things.
ii. "7here remaineth yetthe youngest, and
| behoT le keepeth the sheep" This was
Jese -eply to SamueIs question as to
W or all his sons were present or not.
| ? sc evidently was expected 70 bring all his
} 0ns, but he supposed the lad David would
/ not be wanted, and that was just where he
was mistaken. 1t is generally tho unlikely
| one that is wanted and the unlikely and un-
expected thing that happens. Let us keep
nothing back from God. but yield to Him
every whit that He may use what IT. Bases
| David was the eighth son (vii., ~, which is
! suggestive of the resurrection Man, and
the resurrection day. the man who to the
| Jews was so unacceptable that they killed
! Him. It has made me laugh in my heart
many time to see all those big brothers
| passed by and set aside, and the whole pro-
| ceedings at a standsttll until little David is
| sent for and arrives upon the scene, We do
| not know how David took his being left at
home that day. Perhaps his mother COM
forted him if he needed any, but we may
| learn this lesson, Where God wants you to
be there He will put you.
IL. "And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him,
| for This is he" When at last the surprised
boy arrived. this was the Lords message to
| Samuel. This is our first introduction to the
| man after Gods own heart, who is mentioned
| about 1000 times in the Old Testament, and
| fifty in the New Even his outward appear
ance is fair to look upon, but his heart Is
right with God, and he has already learned
to trust Him for great things (chapter xvii,
10. 'eThen Samuel took the horn of oil and
Rnointed him in the midst Of his brethren,
and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David
from that day forward" The revised yer,
sion says, "Came nightly upon DAVID,
which makes the meaning more plain, as the
Spirit must have been on him before. By
Comparing II Sam. il, 4, and v, 8, with this
verse we see that David was amounted three
times The full significance of this we shall
see some day in Christ, the true David or BE-
for the throne and suffered much. Our
David is still waiting for His throne and
kingdom, and we must rejoice to wait and
suffer with Him (II Tim. H., a. Rom. wills
| I8).-Lesson Helper.