Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-11-11


Snow this morning has dweit somewhat
upon this principle. / have many timca
thought ana Htlll think u u one of tho
cardinal principles % the Gospel. We
STORY or KING SAUL
read in the OH chapter Of I Samuel
that God designed 10 make king over
Israel lie chose q young man BY the
numc Of Saul. tho son ~ itiah. a Benz
inminlto. II Or said that he was "a
choice young man, ana thCfc was not
among the children OF Israel a Foodlier
person than he. From his shoulders
and upward he was higher than any
ot The people. II seems that the father
VI Saul had lost hlH mules, and he sent
hla aun Saul IN search ~ them. A. he
went forth he met the Prophet samuel,
who had been made acquainted with
tho fact that God had selected this
young man TO be king over Israel. Sam
uol called him IN and nnuintcd him
90 be king. hut Ter me toll you, broth
rDn ANA sisters that it was not sur
ncicut that this young mnu should be
"a choice young man, o. nnc appearance
and taller by head ana shoulders than
any others ln the House OF Israel, but IN
order that be- might be the king aud
n servant uf God. n change must come
over him Man can serve man by the
spirit OF man. but lu order 10 be 70 sery-
ant of God We must have the spirit ~
God. So % proved 20 b. ln this in
stance, Tor Samuel instructed Saul that
DO returning 60 bis parents he would
come up with company 0f prophets,
ana that ~ should Join the prophets.
ana that the spirit OF the Lord would
come upon him. Samuel further said
And thou shalt prophecy with them.
and shall be turned into another man.
-. And let ID be. when these signs are
come unto thee, that thou DO ns oc-
caHlon serve thee. Tor God o. with thee.
ID a.. "a .N .H# lea N.I#H HHH#H
20 gllEni. and behold, I viii come down
unto thee. 90 ofor burnt offerings, and
60 sacrifice sacrifices N peace unrrinF13
seven days shalt thou larry All I come
10 thee, and uhcw thee what thou shalt
do"
Now mark what followai
And Il was 30 that when he turned
hiH back TO 80 from Samuel. God gave
HIN another heart, and oil those signs
came 20 pass that day"
We can see. brethren and sisters. how
this man was favored 81 God. not only
I'm being called 20 be king and IN pre-
siding over something like three hun
drcd thousand people Gor they were
numbered iu those days. and that was
said 10 be the numbor) but also that he
should receive Of the Lord another
heart aud be changed into q new man.
Notwithstandlnr this. however. there
was "a flaw IN the character Of Saul
that proved IN the end his ruin.
You viii remember that Saul was In
aatructcd 90 70 down 10 Gilgul and 20
90 main there seven DAYS. when tho
prophet would meet him there, and to-
guther they should o1cr burnt Offerings
and a sacrifice 20 the Lord. and upon
that occasion also the prophet was to
ten him what tho Lord required. Saul
went down 90 the place appointed, and
he waited there for the prophet. but The
prophet did not come exactly 49, the
king expected. He may possibly have
delayed his coming. ~ any rate, the
king became nervous, for there was
some disturbance among the people ana
the philiatlnes were about TO come
against them In battle. So instead Of
waiting for the prophet saul under
took. u his own authority. 20 Offer up
burnt Offering and sacrifice. contrary
TO tho commandment u the Lord. When
Samuel came down he said o. saul;
what hast thou donee And Saul
said because / saw that ne people were
scattered from me. and that thou cam.
ost not within tho days appointed. and
that the phlllatiuca gathered them
selves together ut MlchmnHh;
"t2. Therefore snid l. The PhlllHunea
Will come down now upon me 20 Gllgnl,
and / have not made duplication un-
TO tho Lord I forced myself. therefore,
and offered burnt Offering,
rs And Samuel said 20 saul, thou
hast done f0ollahly; thou hast not kept
the commandment or the Lord ny
God. which he commanded thcei for
now would the Lord have established
thy kingdom upon Israel forever.
IA but now thy kingdom shan not
continue; the Lord hath sought him "a
man after his own heart and the Lord
hath commanded him 10 be- captain
over his people, because thou hast not
kept that which the Lord commanded
thee"
Now 10 Saul a may have appeared a
very nlmplo matter that he should not
wait the coming of the prophet, Why
could not he, a king, make offering aud
duplication 90 the Lordf Why should
he walt Tor the coming OF Samuclf Be-
cause n was the VIII ana commandment
OF the Lord and he did not obey a..
In this We have an evidence OF the
goodness Of God IN one way ana Of
HE strlotnors in another way The
king wna assured by the prophet that
n hc had oheycd tho commandment OF
God his kingdom would have been ea-
tnbllHhed over Israel forever. but that
having departed thcfCfrom, his kingdom
should not continue We have another
illustration On the ne of Saul u tho
great Importance OF being uhcdlent to
the commandment OF the Lord. when
the children OF Israel came 20 tho
promised Land from Egypt, under the
guidance OF the Almighty on one oc-
caHion, when they were wcury ana
inniNnfNt AlN people OF luN AluhlhltNH
came out against them. and haruHsed
them upon the right hand and upon the
loft aud slew their women and their
children and their tender ones
OBEDIENCE uETTER THAN sACRG.
rtCE.
because OF this piece Of treachory and
unfrlcndllueHs 90 "a people who had
never injured them, the Lord deter
mined that they should be destroyed,
and he told the prophet 10 write Il
down Ia "a book NJ remembrance, that
when the people were established In tho
promised land and became strong they
should 30 against the Amallkltea and
carry out the commandment OF the
Lord with respect 10 that people. Saul
was selected By the prophet 10 perform
this duty lie was told 10 gather to-
guthor the hosts OF Israel and 10 give
battle 20 the Amul.kitca lla was COM
muudcd 10 destroy them from tho face
OF the earth. because they had fought
against Israel ln the day OF their weak
ness and trouble. Saul gathered the
hosts OF Israel ana won't against them.
and destroyed them, But ID ia said Ia
the scriptures that Saul and the people
spared Agug the king aud the best OF
the sheep and uf tho oxen and OF the
fatlingH and AN that was good. but
everything that was Vile they destroyed
utterly, Samuel came TO saul, and
Saul said unto him;
yea. I have ohcyed the voice OF the
Lord. and have gone the way which the
Lord sent me, and have brought Agag
the King, and have utterly destroyed
the AmallxitaH