The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-07-23
SAUL REJECTED AS KING.

SAUL REJECTED AS KING.
The splendid military genius of
Saul adds another victory to a long
and brilliant role. The ancient and
inveterate enemy of Israel who
disputed his first approach to Ca
naan is now annihilated. Moses vic
tory at Rephidim has its complete
ment in the long battle line which
reaches from Havilah to Shur. The
cOnquering hero returns. The Am
alekite king in chains graces his tri-
umph. Spells and booty are in the
train. Arriving at historic Gilgal,
a monumental trop y is erected there.
Two hundred thousand victors chant
the pean. 1t is happy hour in the
nations history. There is truce to
war; the vine may now be cultivated
and the sheep folded without the APP
prehension of invasions of Amalekite
banditti.
But dead fly caused the ointment
of victory to stink. Saul, the con-
| queror, has himself more in view than
| the Lord. He has now fairly broken
with the theocratic idea of Israel. He
is asserting his will against that of
Jehovah, whose vicegerent he is. By
this Explained and spectacular tri-
umph, he hoped to settle his totter-
ing throne and in spite of the explicit
p reelection of the prophet, secure it
to the heir apparent. The ruling
passion of the sovereign asserts itself;
he will preserve his dynasty at all
hazards,
Nemesis in the person of the proph-
ct stands directly in the path of the
kings triumph. Samuel's career as
a prophet began as the bearer of such
evil tidings as made the ears of those
who heard them tingle, when as a
child he so regretfully revealed to his
foster-father Eli the disgraceful end
of his priestly line. Now at the close
of his long, honorable, useful course
he is the messenger of such EVIL por-
! tents as have burned in him and
made him an earnest, though unsuc-
cessful, intercessor for whole night.
Sadly, but fearlessly he stands in
the kings way, to deliver his terri
BILE message with answering fidelity.
He calls halt to the triumph. At
the sound of his voice the iubilate
dies. The ovation to the victor is sud
den metamorphosed into a funeral
train. For that moment Saul dies to
| God and to his better SELF How is
the mighty fallen Conscience has
made him a coward. There is no need
of an accuser. 1t is a pitiful sight. A
fulsome greeting is telescoped, with
an eXtravagant asseveration, to which
even dumb brutes give the lie. The
man of valor, like an arrant coward,
shifts the responsibility. He makes
a scapegoat of his army.
Right valiantly does a prophet con-
| front king flushed with victory in
| the presence of an army laden with
spoils. He cites him to his humble
origin, and to the proYidential char
acter of his eXaltation. He calls him
to witness the well-known and exact
| terms of his commission against the
Amalekites. He drives and clinches
the charge of disobedience. Saul
makes one more pitiful effort of eva
sion. The spoil was reserved for sac
rifice The prophet shivers to atoms
this refuge of lies. His ethical discrim-
ination falls like a triphammer upon
the recreant kings last shelter. Off
erings tainted with insinceritY and
disobedience are an offense to Jeho-
yah. Nor can the tint elude his ON
| niscience. The witch-hunter is de-
| tected in a greater sin-the assertion
o. his own will against that of God.
The crusades against idolatry is in
view of his better advantages, convic-
ted of more heinous offense; namely
the stubborn assertion of his own
selfhood against the word and person
of Jehovah.
All the brave banners trail in the
dust. The pean changes to the dead
march; and Saul begins his decent to
hell. There is moment of strong
conjunction. 1t is judicial repen-
lance in view of the pain and penal
ties impending. In a paroxysm of
grief the king grasps the prophets
mantle with such desperate clutch
that it's torn. The seer makes the rent
robe the emblem of the kingdom torn
from Saul's grasp. The last piteous
appeal of the humble monarch is
pitched to the key of his ruling pas
sion, when he cries, Honor me be-
fore the elders of my people and be-
fore Israel" Saurs doom was sealed.
He was rejected. There was no second