Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-11-28
Lesson for Dec. 4.


disaffection came, must account, on the
other hand, for Saul's growing weakness
and timidity and vaci.!ation. He had an
increasing persuasion of disapproval.
Happy the man who maketh the Lord his
trust and his expectation. To faithful,
waiting David came the amounting and in
due time the crown.
30 human soul with longings fraught
For something higher than thou hast
Watch, pray, and wait, despair thou not!
The blessings sure to come at last.
Hath heightened watching weared thee!
And have thy prayers availed thee not!
Wait thou his time and thou shalt see {,
Thou art not by thy Lord forgot" ,
Lesson Hints.
In search of king, out on hunt for
the Lords anointed. Fill thine horn with
oil and co." So go we, like unto Samuel
of old, our horns filled with oil, looking
for kings. Thus the teacher goes before
his class; thus the preacher before his
congregation, thus the missionary or col
porteur among the lanes and alleys. What
a noble quest is ours!
Are we like unto Samuel in this respect
that we unduly vex our minds about the
Sauls? Spending our time grieving about
the men of our fancy whom the Lord has
rejected, instead of looking for those with
whom Gods Spirit is dealing. Get little
of the strong Calvanistic and Pauline doc
trine of the divine DEGREES into the compo-
sition it will save us from much of fruit
less service in the line of Gods everlasting
purposes.
Listen to Gods voice, II have provided
me King" Jehovah is on the throne
and he rules over the children of men
still. He does not invade the sanctity OF
the human will TO destroy free agency,
neither on the other hand IL he thwarted
from carrying out his high and holy pur-
poses by any supposed hindrance under
heavens. He has people. He is seek
ing and calling them out. 1t is ours to go
forth with the call, assured by the divine
behests that our labor shall not be in vain
in the Lord The households of the King
are scattered here and there. So find
them arA ancint in the name of the Lord.
"How can L go, said Samuel. Take a
heifer," was the answer, land say, am
come to sacrifice" Is there delusion here.
Tactful concealment perhaps, but not de-
ceitful guile. That was unworthy Of
Samuel. not to speak of the voice that
prompted But the spirit of the Hebrew
than the evading. Literally it is, How am
/ to go? Douay: "How shall l go?)"
Samuel, courageous but wise, simply paus-
ed to ask the method of the going. 1t is
a hazardous task; how shall we go about
it? And the Lord gives answer, "Let it
be wrought in the orderly performance Of
your prophetic and priestly functions.
Therein will l reveal myself unto you
and in due time to Saul the reputed king"
But now it is David's turn. Samuel
looks at the goodly but unchosen family
group and says, Are your sohs all here"
Hebrew. completely. Says Jesse, There
is yet the youngest literally the little one),
but, you see, he is taking care of the
sheep" There is mild rebuke in the
word of Samuel, "Send and get him." for
adds he, II will not sit down." /. e., prob
ably to the feast, until he come hither."
Such feast seemed also to have sig
nalized Saurs first selection 9: 22). And
now the climax. The ruddy youth appears
summoned from the sheepfold. A glance
and word. 1t is he! The king is found,
and the amounting oil is poured forth on his
head And now exit Samuel, his work
done. grand old man. "And Samuel rose
up and went to Ramah." But David, the
oil is upon him. We shall hear of him
again. "He must increase, but 1 must
decrease"
Illustrations.
The amounting of David is an encourage
mcnt to inward goodness. Gods eye is
upon the heart. 1t was not chance that
gave David his crown; it was character.
Resolution wins. "Come to find every
thing you want in Christ. Do not come
with load Of your own wealth. Remem-
Der what Pharaoh said to Joseph: Also
regard not your stuff; for the good of all
the land of Egypt is yours Do not bring
your old rubbish with you" Come sim
ply, humbly, like little child. This is
the innermost rcvealment of David's char
acter and conduct-and his conquest, too.
Live high life. In the sheep-fold dwell
In the thought and i'm the air of kingship.
There is said to be an insect that when it
goes down, like diver, to seek its SUBJ
sistence under the wave, carries down
with it tiny globule of the upper atmos-
pherc in which it lives till the air is ex-
hausted, then returns for n fresh supply.
Live down here in the atmosphere of God.
Live kingly life. Say with David, "My
soul cleaveth unto the dust; quicken thou
me according to thy word"
David took his kingship on faith. So
are we to do. Beloved, now are we the
sons of God, and it doth not yet appear
what we shall be, but we know that when
he shall appear, we shall be like him."
Next Lesson-"David and Goliath. -
I. Sam, II: 3S-51.