Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1902-12-17
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
lesson Ia the international series
for December II. too2-samaei
the Judge.
THE LESSON TENT.

| Cofu win all your hearts, then put away
| ne strange gods and Ashtaroth from
among YOU and prepare your hearts unto
the Lord. and serve Him only: and lie viii =
| aehNer you out OF the hand OF the PILLS.
4. Then the children OF Israel did pu,
away Baalim and Ashtaroth. and served
| he Lord only.
.. And Samuel said. Gather all Israel to
Lord.
D. ArC they gathered together to MIzpeh.
and drew water. and poured IL out before
the Lord and tasted on that day and, said
mere, We have sinned against the Lord.
And Samuel Judged the children of Israel
n Mlzpch.
:: And'when the Phiustine heard that tho
| -hluFcn OF Israel were gathered together
TO Mizpch. the lords OF the Philistines went,
up against Israel And when the children
81 israel heard II, they were afraid OF tho
IPhilistiE
$. And the children OF Israel said 70 Sam
uei' cease not TO cry unto the Lord our God
| 'or US mat he Will save us out OF the hand
OF the PhtlistineS
| p And Samuel took n sucking tamb ann
| oHereo' II Tor burnt Offering wholly unto
| the Lord; and Samuel cried unto the LORD
| Tor israel and the Lord heard him
10. And as Samuel was Offering up the
burnt onertng. the Philistines drew near
| TO oattle against Israel; but the Lord thun-
ueted with great thunder on that day
upon the Philistines, and ddscomfted them.
and they were smitten before Israel
| III. And the men OF Israel went out OF Miz-
peh. and pursued the Philistines. and smote
hem. until they game under Bethcar
Il Then Samuel hook stone. and set Il.
between Mzpeh ana Shen. and calico tho
name OF II Ebenezer, Naying, Hitherto hath
the Lord helped us.
il SO the Phillstlnes Mac subducd. an,F
.hey came no more Int IL coast OF Israel;
and the hand oL-t4sc LorC<wa against the
PhilistiDes E+t The days of sA muel
l--1pFDEN TEXT. Prepare your
hearts unto the Lord, nnS serve Him
only Sam. 7ia
| OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURE &STIoN. "
| Inc ark captured. ............ kNSn, 4.
| Inc captors afflicted. ............l San<.H&,
| Inc ark recovered. ...............1 sam ~
me Philistues defea ted .......I sam -
| IlME-B. &. 1iii and li4O
| ILACE-Ebenzer. Ashdod, Gait. EkrorlS u
BEN Shemesh and Mizpeh
NOTES AND COMMENTS
IN their first encounter with the
PhlliStneS, the Israelites took the ark
OF God into battle. thinking thereby
u" make victory sure. In doing this
'heN showed that they believed In the
ARK more Elan in the Lord. BY their
oeicatthcy learned that a false faiths
n" protection. When they again faced
th'lr foes, the Israelites besought
samuel To pray for them. What God
can Il" for His people in emergencies
Is shown by His answer to Samuel'S
prayer.
There was constant war between
the Philistines and Israel, and the
PhiIistines seem to have been the
more powerful, or at least the better
| organized. lsrae's attempt to devel-
OPP strong, independent national life
without king was failure.
The taking of the ark TO the battle
field shows that il had come 10 be re-
garded superstitiously by the people.
They thought the ark would i'm some
magic way insure victory Images and
charms OF all sorts have often been
carried into battle in this way Peo-
pie who depend on "good-lucl<''
charms, or anything besides thei owns
best efforts and the blessing of God.
are doomed 20 failure as surely az
were the Hebrews. Ellis tragic end
shows us that moral weakness is as
terrible in its consequences as more
| willful and aggressive wickedness. Elf
was criminally weak.
The Philistines too, regarded the.
ark with a suspicious dread. Strange
things happened when they put it i'm
one of their shrines with Dagon, and
| a terrible disease broke out i'm the city.
| What could explain IL but the enmfty
of the God of the ark? No one want
| ed it, and so they sent IL from one
place, tcI another. Disease seemed tn
| follow it everywhere.
In the house Of Aminadab, who was
| probably a Levite. the ark was rev
| erently kept for 20 years. There
| were no sacrifices or other religious
| services, so far Is we know. The sane
tuary al Shiloh had lost prestige with
the removal OF the ark and the death
Of the priests, and it. never regained il.
| What Samuel was doing during these
| years we do not know. In verses 3. 4,
we find him leading movement for
reform. The Philistines seemed to-
have feared trouble from the gather
| ing Of Israel at Mizpeh, and went mp to
disperse them, but through Samuel
Israel called upon Jehovah, and He
sent terrific thunderstorm upon tho
enemy. which 80 demoralized them
| that Israel won an easy victory. Verse
| 10 must he taken in connection with.
0:tj. f6; 1888, 10. which modify the in
| depreciation OF IL. There were three
| PhiIistine invasiOns Of the land after
/ this time, and all during the life OF
| Samuel
! PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
| "The supplicatiOn Of a righteous
| man ayaileth much in its working
| jas. j:16.
| More things are wrought by prayer
than this world dreams Of Jenny
| son.
Prayer moves the Hand that moves
the world John Altman Wallace.
Little faith win get very great
mercies but great faith still greater
Rev. Charles Sturgeon.
In Nutshell.
Love is the evidence OF Gods life