The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-06-30
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,
Lesson I.--Third Quarter, For
July 5, 1908.
THE IMTERk.,7ISNaL SERIES.

Text of the Lesson, ! Sam. viii, 1922.
i. Memory Verses 19, 20-Golden Text,
Prov. viii. 1-Commentary Prepared
by Rev. D. m. Stearns.
copyright. 1908, by American Press Association
In turning back to the Old Testament
for six months which remain OF this
year we are to learn of the same lsrael
and the same Lord Of whom we have
been reading in the gospel by John
and very similar treatment of the Lord
by Israel, for in all ages man Is the
same in his sin and the Lord is the
same In His unchanging love and long
suffering. Israel could say truly, and
they will yet say again as never before,
1.-THE Lord Is our Judge, the Lord is our
Lawgiver, the Lord is our King: He
will save u.s. Qsa. x1Xiii. 22). By HIS
own great power he brought them out
of the iron furnace Of Egypt at the ap-
pointed time according to His word to
Abraham. He bore with them and
cared for them forty years in the
wilderness and In due time placed them
|. in the land Of Canaan. Then He gave
them judges for about $50 years until
Samuel the prophet. Afterward they
desired a king (Acts xiii, 17-2D, that
they might be like other nations (verses
Z, 10, 20j. and thus they rejected the
Lord as their King and forsook Him,
preferring not to be the Lords own
peculiar people. He had never dealt
with any nation as He had with Israel.
lie bare them on eagles wings ana
brought them unto Himself that they
might be His peculiar treasure above
all other people QI Sam. vii. %, -;
Ex. xix. 4, 81. yet they wearied Of Him
and rebelled against Him and rejected
Him. How like to the record in Joh2'
I, II. and xix, Is. "He came unto HIS
own, and His own received Him not:
'The chief priests answered, We have
no king but Caesar" The carnal mind
ever since sin, entered the world has
been at enmity against God. always
manifest in greater or less degree.
Israel sin al this time Is reproduced
in the great majority Of processing
Christians today. They are unwilling
to be whole hearted for God, preferring
conformity to this world. even though
it means eternal and irreparable loss.
Samuel felt hurt evidently that the
elders of Israel should thus set him
aside, or at least act on that line, but
he did the wise thing, as was his wont
1he told the Lord all about it. The
Lord comforted him as Jesus did His
disciples. long afterward when He said:
"The servant is not greater than his
Lord. IF they have prosecuted Me, they
will also persecute you' John xv, 2O).
The Lord assured Samuel that Ee
(Jehovah) was the rejected one and not
Samuel. He authorized Samuel to tell
Israel that He would give them king,
but he gave them fair warning, corr
missioning him to tell them what kind
of man he would be. So Samuel told
all the words Of the Lord unto the peo-
pie (verse 10Y, just as he had told the
words of the people unto the Lord.
In the former case he acted as proph-
et the Lords spokesman. and in the
latter as priest representing the people
before God. The people were warned
that the king they desired would sorely
Cypress them and that they would be
sorry they had asked for him Ql-lS).
They were told that he would take
about all that belonged to them. Notice
six times in these verses just referred
to, "He will take, he will take" Their
sons and daughters and fields and
grain and servants and 1ocks he would
appropriate to himself. This they were
plainly told, and yet they insisted that
they would have a king SO as to be
like other nations. So 1t was written
long afterward, II gave thee a king in
mine anger and took him away in My
wrath CHos. xiii, 1D. Does 1t not seem
as if Jesus had this in mind when He
said: 'T am come in Ny Fathers name
and We receive Me not. If another.
shall come in his own name. him ye
will receive" Gohn V, 43). This other
will be the antichrist spoken Of in
Dan. xi. SO. 45: ii Thess. ii, $40. 1t
would seem monstrous that men In
any measure sane should choose n
mana mortal. selfish man-who would
take everything they had from them.
iE"tnad of the Living God. who gay"
them Ill things richly 10 enjoy. lie
gave them bread from heaven during
forty years in the wilderness, and all
the flesh they could eat, and water
from the rock, and the land of Canaan
with all its riches, as set forth in Deut.
xi, 9-12, and His continual presence
and constant care and Hls power and
His wisdom. 1t would seem unbeliev-
able that men would turn their backs
upon such ali Almighty Friend and
choose robber If we had not read
that these same people in after years
coolly and deliberately rejected Jesus
Of Nazareth, their Messiah, the Je-
hovah Of the Old Testament, and chose
n robber and murderer in His stead.
Men are now persstently and deliber-
ately and continually choosing the
pleasures Of sin for season and re-
fusing the kingdom Of God, with its
eternal weight of glory; choosing
murderer and destroyer and liar. who
blinds their eyes to the light OF the
glorious gospel. rather than the Lord OF
life and glory. who gave Himself sac
riGnn for nur sins even for the sins of