The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-07-07
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INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTS FOR JULY IL.
Subject; Saul Chosen King, sam-
uel 8 and 1O-Golden Text, 2
Sam. 23: 3-Commit Verse 24-
Read 1 Sam. commentary.

osaIh. @sS:o---COmmlt verse a.
Read 1 Sam. Commentary.
TIME. 1900 B. 6. PLACE.
Mizpeh
EXPOSITION. Saul Chosen
King, 1928. Jehovah had already
pointed Saul out as the one whom He
had chosen to be king over Israel (cf.
ch 9:17), and Samuel had made
known this choice of God unto Saul
(ch. 1920, FL; 10:1). Now there is
to be a formal and public choice by
lot. Samuel called the people to-
gether but not unto himself, unto
the LORD" They were to meet the
LORD face to face that day and to
hear a message from Him. Are our
gatherings together unto the Lord or
unto some man? The place of meet
ing was one that had been hallowed
by former gatherings Judges 20:1;
| Sam. 7:5, 81. Samuel again re-
proves them for asking for a king
(cf. oh. 1919, 10; 1912, 1919. But
the reproof was not SamuePs but
Gods. God calls to their remem-
brance how He had saved them and
brought them up out of the land of
bitterness and bondage How gross
was the ingratitude of people that
could reject such a God, and how
great was their folly that they should
desire some human king and deliverer
instead of Him. But their ingrati-
tude and folly was nothing in COM
parison with that of those who reject
such a Deliverer and Lord as Jesus
Christ has proven Himself to be. 1t
is the method of God in reasoning
with men to call to their remem-
brance His loving kindness towards
them, in order that they may see
their own ingratitude and folly in the
light of His Astounding grace (cf. Ju.
I'll; SIS, 81. 1t was a fourfold de-
liverance that Jehovah had wrought
for them. - He had brought them
up out of Egypt, the land of bondage,
plaques and darkness. (2} He had
delivered them out of the hand of the
Egyptians; that hand had been a
heavy one. And the hand out of
which Christ delivers us to-day is a
heavy one. go He had delivered
them out of the hand of all kingdoms.
He had brought them to civil liberty
and self-government, end now they
very foolishly desired king again.
The only way to be delivered from
the oppression of all earthly kings is
to have God for our King. CAY He
had delivered them out of the hand
of all that oppressed them (cf. Luke
1:74, 75). No earthly king could do
that. Their obstinacy and folly in
this matter was a foreshadoWing of
how men would treat Christ (cf. Acts
1851, 52). Samuel told them their
awful guilt without mincing words.
"Ye have this day rejected your Cod
This is frightful indictment, but it
is one that can be justly brought
against every one to-day who is re-
Jecting Christ. In the face of all God
has done they still said, Give us a
man. Set a king over u.s." The in
visible God is not enough for the un--
believing heart. The lot was in those
days one of the divinely appointed
ways of discovering the mind of the
Lord prov. 1873; 1918; Josh.
7:16-18; / Sam. 14:41; Acts 1:24-
26). But there is no use of the lot
after the giving of the Holy Spirit at
Pentecost. When the tribe of Ben
jamin was taken they might have
seen, had they been familiar with the
Scriptures, that the choice was neces-
sarily a temporary one; for the per-
manent king of Israel was to come
from Judah (Gen. 49:10, 27). There
is scarcely sadder story in the Bible,
or in history, than that of Saul.
H.-How the People Received
Their King, 24-27. Samuel was very
enthusiastic over the man chosen.
See We him whom the LORD hath
chosen he cried. With far deeper
meaning may we point to Jesus and
say, fSee We Him whom God hath
chosen" (cf Acts 1880. Samuel
went on to say, There is none like
him." 1t was true, but how much
traIe fcsi r,f hat tesx
like Him (Song $40. The people
were enthusiastic, too; they Shout
ed" But, like SO many shouters,
there their enthusiasm ended; the
greater part of them went every man
70 his house." They had leader now,
and he could do the fighting. They
were like many modern churches,
they shout for the new pastor
and then go home and leave him to
do the fighting. Saul assumed to
himself as yet no glory, he went
quietly back to his humble home and
waited for the call of Providence to
do his duty. 1t soon came (ch. I'LL
ny. Not all the people were apa-
thetic. There was a faithful little
company, "a band of men whose
hearts God had touched (cf. Err.
1:5, r. VI. 1t is always the hand
whose hearts God has touched who do
the fighting and win the victories.
But there was another sort of men in
Israel, Sons of worthlessness. Their
descendants still live. These men
Knocked. They asked questions, too.
The sons of Belial are always great at
asking hard questions, and their fav-
orite question is, how" SO these
sons of Belial asked, 'how shall this
man save us?" That is just what the
sons of Belial to-day are asking about
Christ. They showed their contempt
by bringing him no present in ac-.
acknowledgements of his kingship. in
the same way many to-day show their
contempt for Christ. Saul showed
his wisdom and humility and meek
ness, by being silent under sights
and mockery.