Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1908-07-22
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson Iv.--Third Quarter, For
July rs, 1908.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text of the Lesson, ! Sam. XIV, 1928.
Memory Verse, 22-Golden Text,
Josh. xiv, 24-Commentary Prepared
by Rev. D. M. Stearns.

Josh. xiv, 24-Commentary Prepared
by Rev. D. M. Stearns.
copyright, 1908. by American Press Association.
In many ways the Lord is ever prov
ing us to- see If we are willing to be
whole heartedly His and to walk ir
His ways. and He is also asking us tC
prove Him and see if He will not dc
Just as He says Gen. xxi. / Deut. viii
2, 16: John vi. g; Nal. iii, 10), that we
may know Him and glorify Him in the
eyes of others. In Jesus Of Nazareth
God found one who was perfectly His
own in thought, word and deed, one
who could say. 81 delight to do Thy
will, o my God; yea. Thy law is with
In my heart Cps. xl, 81. All others
have failed in greater or less degree,
but some have desired to live thus,
and where God sees that desire He ac-
cepts it and makes much Of 1t. for IF
there be first willing mind it is ac-
cepted according to that a man hath
and not according to that he hath not"
QI Cor. viii. ~. Saul soon proved him
self willful and disobedlent, and Sam
uel had to say to him: THY kingdom
shall not continue. The Lord hath
sought Him a man after His own heart
who shall fulfill all His will' Chapter
Kill, IA; Acts Kill. 22). The Lord tried
Saul repeatedly. for He is long suffering,
but again and again he failed After the
night at Samuel's house Samuel sent
him to Gilgal. saying, Seven days
shalt thou tarry till come to thee and
shew thee what thou shalt do chapter
x. s.. We read in chapter xiii, 8-14, that
he tarried seven days. but evidently
not quite the full time, and himself Of
fered the offerings, and as soon as he
had made an end of offering Samuel
came and reproved him and said the
words quoted above. Thus we see
Saul taking upon himself to do what
he had no right to and so impatient
that he could not wait the full time.
BY little things God tests us, as when
He tested Gideon's ten thousand,
In the lesson chapter today God
again tries Saul by sending him to
smite and utterly destroy the Amale
kites. who were the first to fight with
Israel after they left Egypt and con-
corning whom God said that He would
put out the remembrance Of them from
under heaven OEx. xvii. S-16). Saul
went forth and smote them as he had
been commanded. but not fully, for 1t
IS written. But Saul and the people
spared Agag and the best of the sheep
md of the oxen and of the fatlings
md the lambs" etc verse %. Yet
Saul met Samuel with this greeting:
Blessed be thou of the Lord. have
performed the commandment of the
ord" (verse 49, This, however, was
lot the Lords view Of it. for He said
o Samuel. 1T repenteth Ne that
AVE set up Saul to be king for he is
urned back from following Me and
hath not performed My command
nents" Verse IL a word is in order
lere about this repenting Of the Lord |
poken of in this verse and In verse So !
nd the seeming contradiction In verse
%, with which compare Mum. xiii 10.
1t is impossible that God should |
hange His mind or be sorry for any |
hing He had done. as If things had |
urned out differently from what He !
lad expected: but. fOreSpcing ali events |
nd knowing that at certain point He |
would have TO change His mode Of !
Procedure. when these turning points |
u the unfolding Of His purpose come |
hesP are called His rcpcptngs We |
hange our mind and do otherwise; |
,ut. while God does otherwise than |
Ie had been doing, He never changes
lis mind. See in verses 90. 81. how |
au persists in saying that he had
beyed the voice of the Lord. but adj
litting that he bad saved the best Of
he sheep and oxen to sacrifice unto
be Lord. Then follows SamueFs sting
NJ rebuke: behold. to obey is better
han sacrifice Because thou hast
elected the word of the Lord He hath
lso rejected thee from being king"
verses %. 23l. See also In verse 20 the
mphasis upon the fact that his partial
bedience was q rejection Of the word
f the Lord There Is even in these
avs much partial belief Of the Lords
Messages. but few consider that sin.
Iere is something to consider serious
that a partial belief or obedience is
virtual rejection of His word. 1t is
, be feared that many a preacher who
failing to declare the whole truth
as no better excuse than that of Saul,
feared the people and obeyed their
DICE" Verse "a. That man has sure
missed his calling who while pos
Ig as q minister o. Jesus Christ gives
ore thought to his congregation and
DIV to please them than to pleasing
i'm whose messenger he processes to
:. Such a one had better give heed
} Gal. l. 10, "lf yet pleased men l
lould not be the servant Of Christ"
so Thess. II, 4, mot as pleasing
en, but God, who trieth our hearts"
1t is sadly true that there are preach
8 who, knowing that If they preach
the whole counsel of God they could
1t keep their situation. prefer to be
Use to God for the sake Of their lv-
g. There are also many In the pulpit
Id out Of 1t who. while protesting
,arty obedience to God, allow their
carts to carry them away and their
'es to wink at certain things dob XIV,
~ lest by being wholly conformed
God they should incur the displeas-
e of their friends. The whole heart
life for God means a whole hearted
position to the world, the flesh and
e devil. If we will follow Jesus
lrist we must deny self and over
me the world.