Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-11-14


Golden Textile obey In better than
sacrifice."--I. Sam, 1922.
! This lesson Is found In /. SAM, 15:1O-2S.
"How are the mighty fallenT When
David sang thus on Saul, he voiced for
us a lament that speaks not only OF ply
steal but of moral decay and dissolution.
We have just two lessons In our series
regarding Saul. They might be termed
the making and the unmaking of man.
In one Saul stands forth grandly and
with many of the marks of nobility. In
the other he appears weakling and shorn
of his power. And what Is the secret OF
the sad declension? The same that We
discover in most falls Of moral sort still
-disobedience toward God. pride go
eth before destruction and naughty
spirit before fall. Saurs selfishness
and self-conceit have been growing until
mt last In the campaign against the Amale-
kites he is brought to open and conspicu-
GUS declaration. From this time on his
course is downward and God Is bringing
forward, slowly but surely, another man
to take the place of the stalwart Saul
upon the throne of Israel. The lesson is
plain. 1t pays to obey God; 1t does not
pay to disobey him. BLESSED are the
hndefiled (single-hearted) in the way, who
walk in the law of the Lord"
Lesson Hints.
1T repenteth not" Does God change?
No; but relations change. God abides
the same, always righteous and faithful
and true, but when hearts turn away from
him, everything is altered, everything;
and it is as though he had withdrawn his
face from us and reversed his gracious
lot. D.,As - n &C - oil te, 90 n
described at lisa. 5c:2 "Your iniquities
have separated between you and your
God, and your sins have hid his face from
you. that he will not hear"
HE is turned back from following
me-" Here was the turning. 1t was not
God but man that turned. In an abso-
lutely true sense with God is mo varia-
bleness, neither shadow of turning" (as
of heavenly body going into eclipse).
But Saul turned and shadow came upon
the brightness of his shining. Saul
turned back" o that king should do
this! Kings were meant to lead forward.
Saul was at the head, and when the head
of the flock swerves and turns back, it
goes i'll with all the sheep. SauPs mis-
doing was all the more irhquitous because
of his high station.
And it grieved Samuel; and he cried
unto the Lord all the night" That was
true grief, and there was occasion for it.
Would God we might have somewhat of
it to-day, on the part of Gods prophets.
Sin, disobedience there is, all about us,
and in high station. Who is weeping
about it? Where is there Samuel cry
ing all night over it? Alas for them who
are at ease in Zion! If there were more
fearful vigils of the night. there would
be more weeping between the porch and
the altar. fearful prayers make fearful
preaching, and there are no strong cries
in the pews where there are none in the
pulpit.
saul came to Carmel, and behold he
set him up a place." i. e., a stone or a
hand. Afterward he went to Gilgal to
acknowledge the Lord. 1t was Carmel
first, Gilgal second; Saul first, afterward
God. Here was the core of the Kings
offending. He had grown proud and self
conferred. Gods interests, and Gods be-
hests were secondary considerations with
him. But the man that puts God any
where save first puts himself none else
than last and least.
Saul is sorry sight here. How he
cries in his excuses, how'he falters! Sec
the use of the pronouns in his lame re-
Spouse to Samuels challenges regarding
the bleating sheep and loving oxen. "They
have brought them,' l. e., 1.-THE people
spared the BEST" land the rest we q. ..
Saul have utterly destroyed" Guilt is
written doubtless upon every feature of
the face as upon every syllable of the
language of the false king. "Be sure
your sin will find you out"
And his second apology is no better.
Sec how Saul contradicts himself YEA
/ have obeyed the voice of the Lord and
have gone the way which the Lord sent
me and have brought Agag the King of
Amalek.' The last part of his declara-
ton gives the lie to the first part, for he
was sent out to utterly destroy the Amale-
kites; why then has he brought the king?
And now we have Samuel the Judge
ascending the bench and giving utterance
to law and sentence. How bold and
strong it is! Rebellion is as the sin of
witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniqui-
ty and idolatry. Because thou hast re-
jected the word of the Lord, he has also
rejected thee from being king" Terrible
words but true. Saurs rejection of God.
was virtual rejection of himself. Little
in his own sight, he let God lead him,
great Ill MS own esteem, ne Threw GOu
guiding and restraining hand aside and
plunged into his own destruction. These
is lesson here for king and people, for
nations and individuals. Mans own way
is always worst; Gsd's way is best.
illustrations.
Let us not criticise Samuel here and
name him trucuient or cruel. There is u
weak sentimentalism abroad that depre-
ciates his summary treatment of Agag.
But he had obliterated himself, slain him
self first He was simply Gods instru-
ment for destroying Israel's hereditary
foe and saving the nation. There are men
in the sacred desk to-day, who, rather
than take up the weapon and hew the
Agags of sin, will let Israel herself be
hewn to pieces of the Lords enemies.
Brave old Samuel. In his whole con-
duct here in their demand for king,
he stands forth. hero In his self-renun-
citation and self-forgetfulness. He count
ed himself out for the sake of the people.
His own life and Office We're as nothing
compared with the safety and the ongoing
of the nation.
Beware of Saul's fate. He is before us
here for an example. Learn wisdom while