The Afro-American., 1896-02-15
- -
lSABBATH SCHOOL
INTERNATIONAL LEssUN FOR
NOVEMBER 81
Lesson Text: "samueI the Judge. !,
! Samuel vii, 5-15-GoIden
Text: Samuel vii, 12-
Commentary.

1
Mlzpa 4; and J will pray for You INTO tbe
Lord. After the death Of Eli and his sons
the ark which the Phil1stines hdi taken re-
NAMED in their country seven months. bIt
Y brought such trouble upon them that they
| were glad to get rid Of il and 81 cent 4
nome on new cart drawn by two milk cows
ana accompanied by trespaes Offering.
(chapter vi, 10-12): The men OF Beth-she-
Inesh were glad TO see the ark again. but
EIansgressed By looking into it, aud over
oV,900 p6rished. The man of Eiriath-iearim
Lheh came and fetched up the afS IF 4ha
EoLG, ana lt abode in the house of Abindab
| III the Mill Tor twenty years fverse o. It
was some time during those twenty wears
tIat samuel urged the people to put ayav
All tneir idols, turn to the Lord with all theit,
heart and serve Him only and he would
| pray for them.
=. And they gathered togetherto M;zpeh
! ana drew water and poured it out before tbe
| Lorl." The name "Mizoeh" ia found ;nst
! seven times in this chapter aid fdst fo1Irfeen
| times IN Jer. xl.; and xii. It's siis1ifeance i'd
seen, Gen: XXI; 49, to be that oi God inde-
| ing or watching between paapie-God as Il
| witness: The water poured out represented
| their utter helplPssnes5 AMI true napitanna.
| they were rs water potred upon the gr0und
which could not be gathered up again CfT
Sam. xiv, 14>. Samuel lived before GoJ
and sought to lead the people so TO do.
L. "lhe children of Israel were afraid of
the Ph1Hstines." 1t troubles satan when he
sees the people of God giving themselves to
pray ef ana lasting. He seems 10 understand
tnat such conduct means some definite busi-
pess viii God aud some sure results. henna
the PhIiislnes are Stirred to action bv TgrgeI'a
conduct Bat Israel had no cause tn fpa
and would not have feared had thev buf re-
mempered the Lords past dealings ON their
bLehalf III Egypt, and the Wilderness. and in
the days of the judges. To be afraid OF man
8. "Ceas9 not to cry unto the Lord our:
Hoa Tor US, that He will save US out of the
hRnd OF the Phili8tnes." Perhaps thev
tn"Q2At oI the successful pieadines Of Moses
on D9hat Of the people (Num. xiv. 19. 20)
ana o9lleYed that the effectual fervant PRAYER
qo [a [I84teous man availeth much (Jas. v,
59). III rs. l, I6, it is WritleDi "CaIl unon |
AZ NE III the day OF trouble. l will deliver |
9neej and thou Shalt gI0rify Me-" Tn |
Ihess. Vi II; Pet. w. s. we are tn nrav |
without ceas!ng and be sober and vigiIanta
.; samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel |
Hha Inc Lord heard him." The margin saws |
answered him. The burnt offerjny en0ia
OF the merits Of the great sacrifice of whirII
an sacrifices were typical, whose merits alone
can avail anything. 1t also spoke of whole
neaIted surrender to God as fully shown
lottA III Lev. l. and Rom xii, l. 2 Samuel
III measure represent ed both proDLet
priest ana king. The king rules in right
D nPOplH
and the priest is for the people before Goa
On enc0uragements in prayer see Marx XII.
23, 24j / John ", Is. 49,
~. 1.-The Lord thundered with q oroat
Hunaer on that day up0nths PhiIstines and
liScomHted them" Ths Phili5tines drew
II nheaE 10 paltle Whlls Samuel was having
dealings with God III the matter Of he bnrn%
offering. That was q poor time for them tn
louch the people of God when thev were ac-
cepted before him in the Offering iT.ev j Al.
Beheyers are always "acespted in the Be-.
loved (Eph. l., g., and whoever t0ncbes
mem touches Him. Thunder is tbs voice of
qoo, as III rs. xxx, 3, 4; Job xxxvii,. Is.
I'm, I'm XII! 20 when He speaks. none can
3tahu beIora Him. Just two words from
yesus sent the soldiers who came to take |
HIM failing backward to the ground (John
xviii, g.. - 0-'-4
II. And the men of Israel went ont of
ll2peh aud pursued the Philistines and
ihot9 them. When David went forth in
ne name OF the Lord OF Hosts, the God of
ne armies CT Israel, he prevailed over the
,MtSuh3 with sling and with q stone Il
sam. XVII, 50). When the children OF Judab
eIed aron the Lord God of their fathers
ney prevailed over their enemies III ChroD'
-.4,', 49, or Inc eyes of the Lord run to
u Ifo throughout the whole earth to show
IlmseH strong on behalf Of them whose
cart IS n2i,eet (or whole or quiel) toward
lin" (ph hrOn. xvi, 81.
II. ".k44en Samuel took q stone and GOT ir
etWeen Mizpeh and Shen a2d called the
ame OF i Ebenezer (the stone OF help. saw
lg Hitherto hath the Lord helmet us'n
he name Of 'Ebenezer' is found oDIv in
napter5 iv., l. and v, l, and here In the
"o former places it is associated with the
lclory OF the Philstines, but here with
leir defeat. The Philstines triumphed be-
1uS9 Israel relied upon the ark and not
pom the Lord (chapter iv., 81, but now y
1r1I 0r1nr hIy,1
ora. He who reads the heart can always
II whether we really rely upon Him or
ally pretend to DER. xvii, 9, 10l. =,
10. 'Id0 hand OF the Lord was against ii
le Philtstines all the days of Samuel" =
hey were subdued and came no more into q
ee coast OF israel in his days. This was &
The hand OF the Lord" not the work Of
lmUel but it was the hand of the Lord.be.
.use OF Samueps whole heart for God.
IRA could testify that "rhe hand of our III
od was upon US, and He delivered us from E
e hand OF the enemy, and OF such as Law in
ait by the way ezra viii, 80. He also
stiles in chapter vii. 28. 81 was srren0th q
ed as the hand of the Lord my God was ~
)Cn me" y
"A. "And the cities which the Philistines A
II taken from Israel were restored to Is BEt
el. And there was peace between Israel no
d the Amontes. They had peace and --
osperity because the Lord was with them "a
HGL LHou D ways pletS6 the LORD, He 4
aketh even his enemies to be at peace with =,
n" prov. xvi, y. The way Of petce and -
:tory is fully stated in verse 3 of our lesson a
apter-a whole hearted turning to the e
'rd, all idols put away aud a prepared
art to serve Him only. Then we are ready
see some Of the "great and mighty :
ngs" which He will do for those who trust
Him that His name may be gIorifed (Jer.
xiii, 81. "Walk before Me, and be thou
rfect'' is still the word for each believer
en-. xvii, 1; Deut. xviii, 49,.
o. "And Samuel judged Israel all the
Us Of his life.' We shall meet Samuel
ain in connection with Saul and David.
it is well to note here in connection with
Office as judge in Israel that when an old.
'y-headed man, he could call God and ali
people TO witness that in all his life he
/ defrauded nor oppressed nor taken a
be (chapter xii, 2-5).-Lesson Helper.