The Tupelo journal., 1908-08-28
DAVID SPARES
SAUL'S LIFE
Sunday School Lesson for Apg. 80. 1908
Specially Arranged for This Paper

1OAlJEKN lEAl.- lONe yOuT tHcfnles,
do good to them that hate ~you."-Luke
s.27.
TlME.-Some time during the seven
| years of exile before he came to be king,
b. c. 1062-1055 (Ussher). or 1024-1017.
PLACE.-The wilderness of Judea, in
Guiding Maon, Carmel, the hill Hachilah,
and the wilderness of Ziph. all from four
to eight miles south and east OF Hebron;
the cave of Adullam, southwest of Jeru-
salem, about two miles from Elah, where
David conquered Goliath; and Engedi. a
wilderness west of the Dead sea, and
bordering upon 1t. Saul's capital was at
Gibeah, about five miles north of Jerusa-
lem.
Samuel died about this time at Ramah.
aged Sc. David was between 25 and 80
years old. and an exile.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
Lessons David Learned.-Hard as
these years of exile were for David to
bear, yet they were most fruitful years
to him, as his apprenticeship for the
kingdom. In them he found what
| Hugh Miller called his schools and
| schoolmasters.
/. The exile experiences preserved
him from the dangers to which his
sudden elevation to power and popu'
larity would expose him. He learned
his weakness, and his need OF divine
help.
q. He learned entire trust in God un.
der all circumstances; the value n
necessity of religion. This led to the
marvellous development of religious in
stitutions, and of the service OF sons
under his administration.
3. He had the best opportunities for
becoming acquainted with the people;
their grievances under Saul; their
needs; their dispositions and tenden.
! cies. He understood their spiritual as
we'll as their temporal wants. His own
weaknesses, in yielding to the tempta'
ton to falsehood, and to dependency
and unbelief, would help him to un'
derstand the people.
4. He had practice in the art of gov
erning.
5. He gained experience in war.
G. He obtained a knowledge Of the
country, and of it's enemies.
Z. In this school of fighting men
were trained those generals and wise
| strategists who in the golden days OF
David's rule commanded his armies.
and raised Israel from the obscurity
of an Arab tribe, who with difficulty
held their own among the ancient
Canaanites, to the position OF n OF
the great nations of the old eastern
world."-Ellicott.
8. Many of his sweetest songs were
wrought out by this long and hard ex'
| perience, for the comfort and hope not
only of his own people, but for Gods
| children in all ages; for while they
grew out of hardship and wrongs they
were songs of victory, of light shin
ing out of darkness, roses growing
out of black SOIL"
9. In spite of his few lapses from
faith and perfect truth. he grew in
| character and manhood, he became
| strong in faith and virtue, large
hearted, wrise, and consecrated to God.
Victory Over HIMSELF Samuel 26.
The Two Accounts. There are two
| accounts of David's sparing Saurs life,
one in l Samuel 26, our lesson verses
| for to-day, and one in 1 Samuel "a. The
| scenes of the events were in the same
general region, Sauls army was in
both cases his select band of 5000;
so that some scholars think that the
two accounts are descriptions of the
same event. But they are so different
| as to make this very improbable; and
it is perfectly natural that such an
| event should occur more than once.
David and Abishai quietly stole into
| Saul's camp and took away his spear.
| probably of beautiful and costly work.
manship as became a king, and the
| cruise or pitcher of water which is
| usually, in warm climates, kept a
a persons couch, rs a draught in the
| night time is found very refreshing.
| Saul's cruise would probably be of SUI.
| perior materials, OF more richly orna,
mented than common ones, and there,
| fore by it's size or form be easily dis,
MISUNDERSTANDING Bible.
Then the two men went to another
hill over against the one where Saul
was encamped, and shouted to Saul's
general, Abner, .deriding him for his
negligence. Saul recognized David's
| voice and they talked together.
V. 10. "If the Lord have stirred thee
up as a punishment to David for
some wrong. Saying, Go, servesother
| gods,'' go into heather lands. and
away from all religious services of
Jehovah.
Saul repented and departed. David
accepted his profession of friendship.
but he was too wise to put himself in
Sauls power. He well knew that mis-
changed opinion was like the early
dew which soon passeth away.
Thus David gained his great victory
over himself; a greater than his ia,
nous victory over Goliath. HE that
ruleth his own spirit is greater than
he that taketh a city," "'Self-preser-
walton is the first law of nature" but
it is not the first law of God, who is
above nature. We may not in anywise
transgress Gods law in seeking
safety"
Overcome Evil with Good.
To fight evil with evil is simply to
make two evils instead of one
And both evils are increased by the
processes.
Good is the only power that can con.
quer evil.
Even if it fails, the good is strength.
ened and increased by the effort, and
therefore the proportion of good to
evil is increased.
Like kindles like, as fire kindles fire.
The tendency of good is to awaken the