Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-11-15
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON VII, FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TERNATlONAL SERIES, NOV. ~.

TERNATlONAL SLRIES, NOV. q
Text of the Lesson, Sam. XIV, 1O-23-Mem-
DRY Verses. 10, 11-Golden Text, Sam.
Nv, 2e-Commentary by the Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns.
10, II. at repcntcth Me that have set
up Saul to be king for he is turned back
from following Me and hath not performed
My commandments" When the kingdom
was given to Saul, both he ald the people
were reminded by Samuel that if they
would only obey the Lord and serve Him
in truth all might be well (chapter xii, Il,
24). But Saul had only reigned two years
when he proved disobedient and was told
that the kingdom would be given to an
other, even man after Gods own heart
(chapter xiii, 1, 10, 14) In the chapter for
today another act of disobedience is record
ed, which brings matters to u crisis AS
to the Lords repcntiGgs so often referred
to- we must remember that He never
changes His mind, nor is sorry for any
thing He does (verse 20; Mum. xiii, 19),
but when He comes to point where He
seems to us to make new departure,
which from eternity He knew that He
would just at that point, He is said to re-
pent. See Acts XIV, 49,
~. "He set him up n place" Or as in
II Sam. xviii, Is, a pillar after his own
name. 1t was not, as in chapter xiv, 30, an
altar unto the Lord, but something to
magnify himself Jesus never magnfied
Himself, but always His Father (John
xvii, A.. Paul determined that Christ
should be magAifled in his body either by
life or death phil. j, 20).
. b,, n.1. hat
performed the commandment of the Lord. "
When we compare verses and 9 of this
chapter, we wonder how Saul could say
that he had performed the commandment.
Either he misunderstood the command, or
perverted it, or deliberately lied. There is
generation that are pure in their own
eyes, but whose cOvCrcth his sins shall
not prosper CProv. Xxx, II; xviii, 49,.
Unless we have heart right with God
and honestly seek only His pleasure the
devil will make us believe that black is
white Oil Thess. ii, 10, ~.
IA what meancth then this bleating
of the sheep in mine ears and the lowing
of the oxen which heary" 1t is an old
word, but true rs God Himself % Be sure
your sin will find you out" (Num. xxi,
23). The word was to smite Amalek and
utterly destroy all that they had (verse b.
Dead sheep and oxen tell no tales, but these
were telling that Saul had not obcyed God.
10. "The people spared the best of the
sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice unto the
Lord thy God. - Under the plea of for u
good object" Saul seeks to justify the
thing done. That his heart is wrong, and
he knows it, is seen in his saying that the
people did it, and it is also seen in his
saying 1.-THE Lord thy God" instead of
I frs,I1 1t,
from the enemy either for sacrifice or serv-
ice.
l6 "Thcn Samuel said to Saul, Stay
and l will tell thee what the Lord hath
said to me this night. And he said unto
him, Say on" We look back to the morn
ing when Samuel said to Saul, "Stand
thou still awhile that | may shew thee the
word of God (chapter tx, 27), but what
contrast Then it was a message of
grace, but now one of judgment. Observe
that as in Samuels childhood, so now in
his advanced years God still talks with
him in the night season.
II. when thou vast little in thine own
sight the Lord anointed thee king over Is
rael. See chapter tx, 2l, and compare
Judg. vi Is 1t is good to be and to
continue little in our own estimation. 1t
is better to say with Paul, Il know that i'm
me-that is, in my flcsh-dwellcth no good
thing (Rom. vii, lS). We read that King
UZZiah was marvelously helped till he
was strong, but when he was strong his
heart was lifted up to his destruction Oh
Chron. XVI, 10, ld). My highest place is
lying low at my Rcdeemer's feet.
Is. 1.-The Lord sent thee on IA journey.
and said, Go, and utterly destroy the sin
ners the Amalckites. The reason of this
command is seen in FIX. xvii, SIG, and
the Lords determination is in verse IA.
But He is long suffering, not willing that
any should perish and so He suffered them
to continue over 400 years-surcy al
abundant time for repentance, but they
continued sinners before God.
10. Wherefore then didst thou not obey
the voice of the Lord:' Being redeemed
to God by the precious blood of Christ, tn,
great word for all the rest of our life is
willing and ubedient" lisa. i, Is, 49,
See tx. xix, ,, g. 1t is not ours to ques
ton or reason or to put our construction