The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-09-09
The SABBATH SCHOOL
International Lesson Comments for
September IS.
Subject David Becomes King, Sam. H., l-l0
Golden Text: Psa. I33.l- Memory
Verses. I'3-commeutsry
on the Days Lesson.

on the Days Lesson.
!. David onointed king at Hebron Tvs:
| III. 81. After this" After the death of
Saul and his sons. Inquired of the Lord"
BY means of Abiathar the priest. who was
with David during his fugitive life. ''At
| that decisive turning point in his life,
David wished to know the will Of the Lord.
lie saw that the promise of the kingdom
was now to be fulfilled to him. As he could
no longer remain in the land of the Philis-
| tines, but must return to his own country,
and az the northern part OF the land was
| held by the Philistnes, the return to the
territory of his own tribe WAS most nat.
ural; for there, where he had long time
found refuge II Sam. 22:5) he might count
out large following. and firm support and
protection against the remains of Sau.,s s
army under Abncr,' Cities Of Judah"
| 1t would be useless to think of undertake
! ing to assume control OF the country in the
| northern part Of the kingdom. as that was
| in the hands of the Phlistines. and David
was in no position to. drive them ont.
Go up Going up meant assuming
royal authority. Gods answer was imme;;
datc and clear. David's decision. guided
! by God, was to. establish himself as the
| king at once. Unto Hebron" One OF the
! most ancient cities of the world. The
| central position of Hebron in the tribe of
| Judah, its mountainous and deiensible
| SITUATION, It's Importance as q irlcStN set
| tlemcnt and an ancient royal city. the
! patrarchal associations connected with it,
| combined to render it the most suitable
| capital for the new kingdom. In its neigh.
| borhood. moreover, David had spent a con.
siderable part OF his fugitive life and
galned many supporters. See ! Sam. 80,
.. $50 David went un" 1t may be well
TO note some of the leading clements which
we discern in David's life and character as
he enters upon his new life. "Hc had. |.
A vivid sense OF Gods presence. 2, Per-
sonal proves; 3; Promptitpde in all his
| movements. 4. A patience that was sub
lime, An aifectionate heart. o. a cool
head and a steady nerIe. :. Wide expert.
ence. A heart loyal to God. This 10y.
! atty was so intense that his cause and
God cause became Identical. and he could
not readily distinguish between Gods cne-
| mics and his own and in spite OF all his
! sins and blundcrs. this must impress every
/ impartial reader as the leading character
istic OF King David. "Thither." We are
to think of this journey as march Of an
army, or rather. the MIGRATION of a large
| household Effects and few women and
children in. the company; it was made up
OF hronzed youths Injured to hardship.
| among whom rank and fame were secured
by daring, deeds rather than by anything
comparable to modern military skill.
Of his chosen hand. with his househo.d."
| There was to be no more roaming in exile.
| but each one was to settle down to the
duties of a peaceful and quiet life. Cities
OF Hebron The small towns which sur
rounded Hebron. Men of Judah" The
OF the tribe. Amounted" He had been
privately enointed bv Samuel, by which
ne acquired right to the kingdom. The
Other, parts of the Kingdom were, as yet,
attached to the family OF Saul.
- .. David sent messengers" This was
of him. He. had been informed of the
manner in which the Philistines had car.
ried away the bodies of Saul and his sons
after the battle. lie had also been told
that the inhabitants of Iabesh-gi.ead had
sent forth party by night and had taken
the bodies from the wall and carried them
safely to their own town and buried them.
BLESSED be We" David respected Saul as
| his once legitimate sovereign; he loved
Jonathan as his most intimate friend
Saul had greatly injured David. but that
did not cancel his respect for him as the
anointed Of God, AID as the king of Israel.
+ No mean spirit OF revenge found place in
his breast. lie showed also that he had
| no wish or intention to punish Sau.'s ad.
herents, but was kindly disposed toward
them.
6, I. "Nyill rcnuite you" viii show
you :his kindness; that is. the attention
and honor shown in the blessings | give
| you through these messengers. BE yc
valiant" BE of good courage; be strong
and show yourselves brave men. saul
! is dead And therefore We are without
king unless We acknowledge me, as the
house Of Judah has done.
II. Ish.bosheth king over Israel Tvs. S.l0).
| s. "Ish-boshcth." Sauis fourth and only
/ surviving son. He was a mere tool in the
hands of Abner.. Abner was a great gen.
| i. l. I. 4
man, could be made king. Abner would be
almost supreme. "Mahanaim." Abner
chose this town because it was on the
eastern side of the .Ioruan, and 80 beyond
the range OF the Philist tines, who never
seemed to have crossed the river.
establishment OF q rival kingdom, which
probably would have had no existence
but for Abner. He was cou9ln to Saul.
Loyalty to the house of his late master
was mixed up with opposition to David,
and views Of personal ambition in his
too, was alive to the importonce Of se?ur;.
ing the eastern tribes. ''Giead." The land
beyond Jordan. "Ashuritcs." The tribe
OF Ashur in the extreme north. "Jezrcel."
The extensive valley bordering on the cen.
tral tribes "Epphraim ;, =. Benjamin.'
quered by the Phlistines, holding no doubt
to the house OF Saul. "Over all Israel"
The majority of Israel, not of Judah
10. "Reigned two years" Five years
and, more had passed since the death Of
Saul, and Abner now proclaimed Ish.
bosheth king of Israel, and thought him,
SELF powerful enough to reduce Judah to
obedience. David seems to have been
anointed very soon after Saul's DEATH but
it must have taken Abner some time to
gather up TIE scattered army and recover
from the defeat and losses Of Gilboa. where
Saul and his three sons diel, sufficiently
TO attend to the Inauguration OF Ish,
| bosheth.
III. David king over all Israel Is: l.l0).
After Abner and Ish.bosheth were assas.
sinated, the tribes OF Israel came to David.
through their elders. and urvcd him to be.
come king over all Israel. They gave good
reasons for this: l. David was one of their
race. .. He had shown himself worthy.
3. lie was divine'v appointed. 4. He un-
derstood the duties of Il king. David was
then anointed king over all Israel. This
was his third amounting, The king then
went to Jerusalem to reign.