The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-07-22
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Su7Soq-Scf~d
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
MENTS FOR JULY 20.
Subject: Saul Rejected by the Lord
1 Samuel 15-Golden Text, JOSH.
24:24-Cemmit Verse 22-Read

Subject: Saul Rejected by b oro
1 Samuel 15-Golden Text, josh.
24:24-Commit Verse 22-Read
Chapters 13, documentary.
TIME.-A. ID. 1901 B. G. PLACE.
-Gilgal.
EXPOSITION.-I. Samuel Rebukes
King Saul, 1910. God had reVealeu
His purpose to make Saul king nrst
to Samuel, and to Samuel Coo nrss
revealed His purpose to depose saul
because of his disobedience. Inere
was no other man in all Israel Whom
God could so trust and Of whom he
could make such a conidant. Samuel
grieved greatly over Jehovah's re-
lection Of Saul, he spent the, whole
night in tears and prayer ". IL,
but he rose early to perform the duty
that God had put upon him, unWei<
come as it was. He will deliver Gods
message and deliver It at once. Saul
greets Samuel with a great parade OF
piety. A guilty conscience often leads
men to louder h~allelujahs. Saul ut
tered a bare-faced lie, but 1t Is o
likely that he admitted even to HIM
self that it was a lie. Many a man
fancies that he is sincere when ne
SAYS, II have performed the COM
mandment of the LORD" though IN
his inmost heart he knows that he has
done nothing Of the kind. Samuei
was not in the least deceived by SauPs
loud professions. 1t Is impossible TO
deceive the man who Is in Gods con-
fdence. Furthermore, the bleating
of the sheep and the lowing OF the
oxen betrayed Saul's falsehood. There
Is no use trying to hide our sins
prov. 2S:13; MI. 1929. The only
way to get our sins covered out OF
the sight of man is to open them TO
the gaze of God FPS. 1921, .: l mo.
1:9). In all that had to 90 Win
obedience Saul says "1' and we,
in all that had to- do with
ence Saul says they" and d peo-
ple." 1t is always the other felloW
that is to blame, but If it is a question
of credit, that belongs to us. Inc
basest sinner can always invent al
good construction Of his vilest leeds.
Saul would make an act OF grossespM
disobedience to be An act of devotion,
It is not uncommon for rebels against
the holy will of God to decorate q
qualification of their lust with q
%pretense of religion. Why Saul and
the people really spared the cattle Is
evident Tvs. 9 and 19). To give "a
part of ones ill-gotten wealth to the
service of God will not set ones DISC
bedience right with God Tvs. 22, 23)
Samuel did not venture to tell Saul
what he thought Of his actions. He
did something infinitely better, ne
told him what God Himself had said.
Saul listened. Samuel always com
manded respectful attention, because
men had learned that he spoke not
his own mind but the mind OF Goo.
Samuel first recalls to Sauls mind tina
wonderful grace of God towards hinl
The Bible constantly enforces our
duty towards God and our guilt In
disobeying God by bringing to our at
tention Gods goodness towards u.s.
II was when Saul was humble, when
he was little in his " eyes, thar
God exalted him (Lu. 14:11). Je-
hovah had appointed him TO- q very
first place, and he had repaid Goa py
gross disobedience. What 1ngratl-
tude! But not so great as ours wnen
we disobey the God who has made ns
His own heirs. Sauls commission
was to destroy the Amalek1tes I
terly." The Amalekites were a type
of the flesh, and God will have no
mercy on the flesh. 1t must be put to
death, the death of the cross (Gal.
1924; CT. 3:13). Many professed
Christians deal with the flesh just as
Saul dealt with Amalek. God sets
them aside just as He set Saul aside.
samuel sweeps away all Sauls soph-
istries with a single question, why
dtdst thou not obey the voice OF the
LORD?" No possible reasoning can
excuse ~disobedience to God.
III. Saul's Worthless Excuse, 20.
%. Saul put on a very bold face and
stoutly asserted that he had "obeyed
the voice of the LORD" He hoped
to lie himself out of his difficulty, but
he failed lamentably. He has many
imitators, but none ever succeed. Be
fore God got through with Saul e
was forced to say II have sinned' W.
500. Every sinner has to come to
this point sooner or later. The sooner
he comes to it the better. One should
never .disobey God; but if n does
disobey, the thing to do is to make a
clean breast of it at once. Saul ad-
mits that the sheep and the oxen
should have been utterly destroyed,
but again says that it was the peopla
that had spared 1.-The chief" OF them.
and that too with a good purpose, ]
Ito sacrifice unto the LORD" Then
he adds, with the vain hope of con:
ciliating Samuel, "thy God" If Saul
had been as cunning as some OF ou1
modern scholars who find something
~inconvenient in the word Of God, he
would have told Samuel, II do not
believe in a deadly liberalism in inter;
preting the word of God. have kept
the spirit of Gods command, even II
not the very letter." Many in our
own day are seeking to substitute
sacrifices and services of their W
invention for simple obedience to the
plain commands of God. God does
not ask US to invent, but to hearken
and obey. Witchcraft Tin ali Its
forms) and "idolatry and Teraphim"
are exceedingly. hateful TO God, but
rebellion" and ''stu%bbornness" arei
Just as hateful. All disobedience TO
what God has said is rebellion" and
"stubbornness." There was just one
cause Of Saul's ruin, he had rejected
the word of the Lord"