The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-08-27
TIE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Intsrnational Lesson for August 30. lsee--
Abaolomss Defeat and Dsath-S sam.
lOs O.17. 81, IS.


10, e-15. 81, SS.
ARRANGED from Peloubets Notes.l
Golden Text-The Lord knoweth the way
of the righteous, but the way OF the un-
godly shall perish.-Psa. lie.
The Section includes Chaptevs 16 to II.
Time.-B. c. 1923, q short time after the
last lesson.
csmps), David's temporary capital,
strongly y-fortif1ed town east Of the Jordan
and near the Jabbok. (0 The battlefield
was the Wood of Ephraim, not the high
lands in the tribe of Ephraim, west of the
Jordan, but some part of the great forests
Of Gilead, east Of the Jordan, and within
one day of Mahanaim tChap. 1920.
LESSON NOTES.
The Story of David's Flight.--It was
apparently early on the morning of the
day after he had received the news of
the rebellion that the king left the city
of Jerusalem.
The sad procession moved from the
city down into the deep ravine of the
Kidlon, then stream. The king stood
by the brook while his followers were
crossing over. They passed on little
further and rested by an olive tree at the
branching of the roads beneath the
Mount of Olives. At this point another
procession joined the first one. The
high priest brought the ark of the COW
enant to take it with David, but the
king sent it back to it's place on Mt.
Zion, because that was the place for it
He was not superstitious and would not
use the sacred ark as a charm. The
long procession now began the ascent
of the Mount of Olives, the turn in the
road soon bringing the last view Of
Jerusalem. News of the detection of
Ahithophel now reached him; calam-
ity so great that it evoked a prayer that
his counsel might be defeated. But
David had another counselor, Hushai
the Archite, clan on the southern bor-
ders of Ephraim six miles west OF
Bethel He met David offered his serv-
ices, and was sent to Jerusalem to de-
feat the political wisdom of Ahithophel,
which he succeeded in doing.
David and his company, weary with
the march and the exciting ssenes,
camped toward night in the plain Of the
Jordan, not far from the fords of Jeri-
cho, and awaited news from the capital.
AS soon as Ahithophel had given his
counsel messenger was dispatched to
David, telling him what might take
place. That same night he broke camp
and crossed the Jordan, out of immedi-
ate danger.
Absalom's Brief Reign.-Absalom and
his army, marching from Hebron, took
possession of Jerusalem and the palace
that same day. A council of war was
called, and Ahithophel, whose counsel
was las if a. man had inquired at the
oracle of God," advised an immediate
attack upon David while he was weary
and unprepared. But Hushai, secretly
David's friend, argued against this
course and advised Absalom to wait till
he could gather great army. The lat
ter advice was taken. Absalom was
anointed king, and spent number of
weeks in gathering an army.
The Defeat and Death of Absalom.-.
VS.. 9-17. 9. "And Absalom met the
servants of David" in battle array; and
his troops were defeated. "Absalom
rode upon a mule:" in his fight. "The
mule which he rode-perhaps David's
own-was mark of royalty Il. Kings
1:33-3s). ."-Cambridge Bible. "His
head caught hold of the oak. His
head was caught in the forked boughs
of the tree, and he hung there, stunned
and helpless.
II. "Why didst thou not smite him
there?" But the man knew too much to
be tempted even by girdle, the mark
of friendship, and by money, for he well
knew that it would be known, and Joab
himself would have cast the blame upon
him before David. For David was in
tensely anxious that his wayward son
should be saved.
IA. "Joab took three darts
land thrust them through the
heart of Absalom:" He alone felt strong
enough to disobey the king. He did the
act for David's own sake. Absalom
dead, great though the kings distress
for the time might be, would be the very
salvation of the country.
16. "Joab held back the people:" from
further slaughter. In this way the ma
tion could be more easily reunited un-
der David.
II. "They took Absalom and cast him
into great pit in the wood" etc, The
people of the east indicate their detes-
tation of the memory of an infamous
person by throwing stones at the place
where he is buried.
David's lament for His Son.-Vs 80,
33. Swift runners brought the news
from the battlefield to the king sitting
in the gate of 'Mahanaim, anxiously
waiting to hear.
32. "Cushi:" one of the couriers. "Is
the young man Absolom safe?" David S
first thought, after he knew that the
kingdom was safe, was for the fate of
his wayward son.
33. went up to the chamber:" TO be
alone in his sorrow. The deepest sorrow
treads the wine-press alone. "And
wept:" "Oh, my son Absalom!"
There is not in the whole of
the Old Testament a passage OF
deeper pathos than this. would God
I had died for thee:" So oses (Ex. SO.
| 32) and SO st. Paul (Rom. 9:3) would