The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1908-11-06
David Grieves
for AbSalOm
Sunday School Lesson for Nov. 8, 1908
Specially Arranged for This Paper


Memory verse, 49,
GOLDEN TEXT.-"A foolish son is
grief to his father."-Prov. H:25.
TIME-Three months after our last
lesson.
PLACE.-Jerusalem and Mahanaim,
fortified town east of the Jordan near
the Jabbok memorable for Jacobs
wrestling in prayer Half way between
the Dead sea and the Sea OF Galilee. The
battlefield was in the Wood of Ephraim
In Giead. east of the Jordan. within one
day of Mahanaim.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The day that David left saw Absa
lom taking possession of the throne
Rejecting the shrewd advice OF
Ahithophel, he waited till he could
gather a great army with which to at
tack and overcome his father.
This was fatal. David and his two
generals, the greatest in all Israel,
planned and organized their forces for
defense only, so far as David was
concerned.
Absalom reigned three months, and
during that time not one good thing
is recorded concerning him.
as he was as man; and for the same
reason-he was selfish. He wanted tc
be king for his own pleasure. He had
no kingly aims or ideals.
Apparently self-conceit was the rea
son why he followed Hushai's advice.
for that willy enemy of his put before
him a picture of himself at the head
Of an immense army, like world-con'
queror, and all the nations, as 1t were.
| singing Hail to the Chief"
Among many other significant de-
vices, some beyond the seas have
picture of a man, with a fullblown
bladder on his shoulders, another
standing by and pricking the bladder
with pin; the motto: How sudden
ly!" limiting thereby the sudden down
fall of all worldly greatness. -
Spencer.
A man selfish in his inmost soul can
never attain true success Selfishness
ruins health, ruins conscience, ruins
judgment
Amidst the scattered fight Absalom
was separated from his men, and as he
fed from a party of the enemy, the
mule on which he rode carried him
beneath the low branches Of a spread
ing terebinth and left him hanging by
the head probably in forked bough.
Perhaps, also his long, thick hair got
entangled, but there is nothing to sup
port the common idea that he was sus-
pended merely by the hair" Josephus
says distinctly that Absalom's hair
was entangled. "The first soldier who
kings command, and went to tell Joab
The INSCRIPTIONS chief hurried to the
spot and thrust three javelins into
Absalom's heart. There was prob
/ ably a true regard for the king and
kingdom in this act of Joab. He knew
that Absalom could not with safety
be suffered TO live, and that it would
be difficult TO rid the state of so
foul member at any other time than
now, when a just right TO Stay him
had been earned in open battle. -
Kitto. Absalom's body was cast into
|
stones was cast upon him, either in
detestation of his memory or as a mon.
ument to distinguish the place.
V. 33. Went Up to the chamber"
To be alone in his sorrow. The deep
est sorrow threads the wine-press
alone" And wept." Tears are the
safety-valves of the heart" 20 my son
| Absalom!" There is not In the
whole of the Old Testament a pas
sage of deeper pathos than this. The
simple beauty of the narrative is ex-
quisite; we are irresistibly reminded
of him who, while he beheld the rebel
lious city of Jerusalem and thought
of the destruction it was bringing upon
itself, wept over it duke 19:4D. -
Cook. Would God had died for thee"
80 Moses lex. 32:32), and SO St.
Paul from. $3.50, would have sacri.
feed themselves, had it been possible,
to save others. His wish to die in
| Absalom's stead was no mere extravL
gance of grief"
Absalom and His Sin.-He was
young; he sinned with his whole ma.
ture; he kept on SHINING to the end,
with no hint of repentance, with no al.
deviation of character. He did not re.
pent even as much as Esau, who re-
GREETED the consequences of his action
with strong crying and tears.
David's sin was an incidental very
terrible incident-in very great and
useful life 1t was dangerous eddy,
like the whirlpool below the Niagara
falls; but 1t was brief, it was not the
main current Of his life. He repented,
and all his after life showed sinners
the way Of repentance, the possibili-
ties of repentance and restoration. 1t
has been a sermon for almost 5000
years on the tender mercies and for.
giving love of our Father in heaven.
Absalom from out the far-off past is
still pointing our modern youth to
certain great lessons his career
teaches us:
% THE way of transgressors is
hard"
(2) The success Of the wicked is
short, and then he is like char which