Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-08-28
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON TX, THIRD QUARTER, INTER-
NATIONAL SERlESS AUG. 80.

ID. NJ. Stearns.
g. "And Absalom rode upon a mule"
The rebellion Of last lesson developed,
David fled from Jerusalem, and crossing
the Jordan camo to Mahanaim, where he
was kindly cared for by Barzilai and
others (chapter xvii, 24-29). David's army
went forth to battle in three divisions I'M
der Joab and Abishai, his relatives, and
lttai the GittitC. See lttai's devotion to
David in chapter XIV, ", and now see his
position as "a leader in David s. army. Those
who are now faithful to Christ in the time
of His rejection will be surprised at their
appointments in His Kingdom by and by.
10. And u certain man saw it and told
Joab and said, Behold ! saw Absalom
hanged in an oak. Evidently the man
was no friend of a bsalon 5, or he would
have released him. Whore were all his
friends? Every one failed him, and, as he
was an enemy to God rs well as to his
father, he was desperately alone. When
God is for US we are ncvor alone and need
never fear though all be against us.
Blessed are those who trust in Him.
IL. "Behold, thou savest him, and why
didst thou not smito him there to the
ground?' Thus spake Joab to the man
who brought the tidings. There was no
pity in the heart of Joab nor any regard
for the entreaty of David, though it may
be that he really believed that the death
Of Absalom was the only way to the peace
of the Kingdom. After David's death Joab
followed Adonijah rather than solomon
and was slain while holding on to the horns
of the altar Il Kings ii, 2S-34)
~ In our hearing the king charged
thee and Abishai and 1ttai, saying Be
ware that none touch the young man Alb
SALON." If, then, he would not lay finger
upon AbsHlom, not even for great re
ward why did he not for Davids sake re
lease Absalom from his peril. Was he
afraid of Joab's wrath as well as of gricv-
ing the king, or did he hope that .Toab
would take Absalun "a prisoner and bring
him unframed to the king; The fear of
man bringeth IL SNARE but to do the right
thing, as in the sight Of God. requires moro
grace than many seem to have.
10. "Thcrc is no matter hid from the
king" Well whatever David might or
might not know, we are sure that "all
things are naked ana opened unto the eyes
Of Him with whom we have to do" (Hob.
iv, 13). 1.-The Lord scarcheth all hearts and
UNDERSTANDABLE all the imaginatuns Of the
thoughts q ChrOn. xviii, -. There is
not II word i'll my tongue but so, o Lord,
Thou knowest it altogether" ops. cxXxix,
~. 1t is even written, Il know the things
that come into your mind, every one of
them" (Ezck. ri, o.
II, 10. And ten young men that bare
Joabs armOr comprised about and smute
AbsalOm and slew him. Joab having
thrust three darts into his heart while he
was yet alive in the oak, his young mon
finish the work and Absalom is dead The
beautiful but cruel AbsalUm, who had it
in his heart to kill even his own father, is
slain There was nothing brave or noble
in killing a man who could not defend
himself, SO Absalom may be said to have
persisted miserdbly. Truly the way of the
ungodly shall not prosper.
Ii. And Joab hleW the trumpet, and
the people returned from pursuing after
Israel, for Joab held back the people"
The leader being dead the back Of the re-
belliOn was broken ana there was no rea-
son for unnecessary slaughter; therefore
the people are recalled from pursuing In
the conflict in which we are engaged we
are for our David, GOd's beloved Son, and
He gives armor sufficient to protect us
and IA sword which will conquer every enc
my (Eph. vi, 1919. Our great enemy will,
however, not be slain by any of us; Mother
will he be conquered till Jesus comes.
H. "And they took Absalom and cast
him into il great pit in the wood and laid
very great heap of stones upon him, and
all Israel fled every one to his tent" Thus
they disposed of his body. But where was
hey When Paul was stoned TO death and
left for dead at Lystray, he himself was
enjoying glorious things in paradise. Com
pare ii Cor. xii, "a, with Acts xiv, 10,
and observe the dates. Sec also Stephens
experience as he WAS being stoned to death
in Acts vii, 80, o. so. Blessed are the
dead who die in the Lord. To die is gain
But concerning such rs Absalom, our
Lord Jesus has drawn aside the veil in
Luke xvi, 3d. See also Rev. xiv, Gil. And
although these things are fearful to con-
template they are written by a God of
Love, who is not willing that any should
perish (John iii, Is; ii Peter iii, o. Absa-
lom in his lifetime had built pillar and
called 1t by his own name, but there is
something better than name on earth
Compare Jer. xvii, 10, and Luke X, 20. In
the following verses of our chapter we
have the story of one who ran with tidings
for the king, and also of one who insisted
upon running but who had no tidings,
and who, therefore, although he was the
fleetest runner had to stand aside 1t is
folly to run without being sent and hay
Ing no tidings to carry. The message in
the word of God is plain, THAT he may
run that readeth it, (Hab. ii, y, not as is
often quoted, THAT he that runs may
read" The idea is, first get your message
and then run and tell it. 1t is the privi-
lege of every believer to be bearer of It'd
ings, not such as Cushi bore, but glad It'd
ings Of great joy for all people.
81 And tho king said unto Cushi, Is
the young man Absalom safer" The kings
one thought was for his erring son more
than for The welfare of the Kingdom. As
Joab said, II perceive thatif Absalom had
lived and all we had died this day, then it
had pleased thee we'll" Chapter xix, %.
Does not DaNid's love for this bad son
shadow forth the love Of God, who loved us
even when we were dead in sins; (Eph. ii,
4, o. How great the love that would die
for His oucmirs behold what manner