The Red Cloud chief., 1908-07-10
SAUL CHOSEN
KING
Sunday School Lesson Tor July IL. 100,
Specially Prepared for This Paper

men must he just, ruling In the fear OF
God - sam. 233
T1ME-Immediatoly following the last
lesson. r. G. about 1904 u'sshcrl.
COUNTRY. Southern Ephraim and
benjamin. ! Sam % 81.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
DIR. Newman. one OF the subtlest and
acutest of preachers. after attempting
three times to preach on saul. Is rom.
PEELED to confess that Saul's character
continues to be obscure To him. and
he warns MS that We must be exceed.
ingly cautious while considering Sauls
so obscure character" And yet the
story is a truer mirror Of human ma.
ture.
His Native Pride.-He belonged to
one Of the smallest tribes, at n time
nearly extinct Judges 2cl, but sit
uated between the two greatest di.
visions. Ephraim and Judah, which
facts removed all grounds of jealousy.
His rejection by some. even after his
election Il Sam. 1920. shows how
great the danger a especially from
Ephriam or judah. the rival tribes.
Ills ItISOIdl rllHtSSs- Sdul was ~
choice young man in the height of his
personal attractions for "A leader.
There was not among the children of
Israel "A goodlier person than he. from
his shoulders upward he was higher
than any of the people. He had a
splendid body and a stately gait. and
the very sins OF his sou had a certain
lurid grandeur about them also.'-Al
exander Whyte. Before the invention
of firearms, personal strength was es.
sential in "A leader, as indeed IL is still
among the Arabs. int. Crit. Com.
We see the same need in some of our
sports, as. for instance. football. Saul
was every inch "A king
Saul had the natural characteristics
which made it possible for him TO be
a great and useful king. He possessed
self.restraint. he was master of him
self, the first essential. He was mod.
est, not conceited He had the mill.
tary instinct, a capacity for generalship.
n shrcwd mind, patience that could
wait, "the unfinching nerves, the
quick eagle eye. the generosity to un-
worthy opponents which makes sue
cess so graceful and imperial com
mand so easy to endure. "-Wilber.
force. And he had that indescribable
personal magnetism which made him a
popular idol.
He was specially prepared by the
influences of Gods spirit. After Sam,
uel had anointed Saul to the kingdom,
We come upon this very obscure Scrip.
ture: And II was so that when Saul
had turned his back to go from Sam.
uel, God gave Saul another heart, and
the Spirit of God anne upon Saul, and
he prophesied" IL Sam. 1910. He
was turned into another man" Il
Sam. 1850. And he Immediately
joined himself 10 the religious
guild Of his people. and had the out
ward form at least Of prophecy in its
wilder and more ecstatic moods, such.
as sometimes occurs now to certain
temperaments in times of great eX-
element. :
The children of Belial." Belial is
not a proper name. Ii means worth.
lessness' or 'wickedness' (Cheyne).
They were the rabble, the wicked, the
base. These treated Saul with con-
tempt, as an inexperienced young man
from the country, unframed in both
craftsmanship and war. He held his
peace" He was wise, self-controlled
and patient.
How to Treat Insults.-A young man
Father Graham hot with anger and
bent on immediate revenge. Wait"
said Father Graham: IAN insult is like
mud; II will brush off much better
when 1t is dry" The young man
waited, and the very next day the in
sulting person came TO beg his for.
giveness.
The Coronation.-After his victory
over the ~Ammonites, Saul's popular
ity among the people vas very great,
and Samuel saw that the time was
ripe for a hearty national confirma.
ton of the step taken at Mizpeh by
the national assembly. The prophet
therefore called the people together at
Gilgal, between Jericho and the Jor.
dan. This ancient center of the He.
brew religion vas the most suitable
IAu's' VI NV vi pdul anu
the ratification of the kingdom. Thus
Edward VII. was crowned more than
a year after he became king.
Here the previously divided and un.
certain people, with n voice con.
firmed the new king In his authority,
and the New Era of the United King.
dom was begun.
He still had the advice and counsel
of Samuel. He thus entered upon a
career that might have ended in un.
told usefulness and blessedness. Won.
derful and beautiful possibilities
were spread out before him. like the
promised land before Moses on Pisgah.
The morning of his kingdom rose al,
most cloudless.
Practical Points.
God calls all men to his service In
much the same way as he called SauI