The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1908-11-06
David Crieves
for AbSalom
Suaday School Lesson for Nov. 8, 1908
Specially Arranged for This Paper

grief 10 his father. PROV. I:25.
TIME.-Three months after our last
lesson.
| PLACE-Jerusaiem and Mahanaim. a
| 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 I'm the Wood of Ephraim
in Gilead. east of the Jordan, within one
/ day of Mahanaim.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The day that David left saw Absa-
iom 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.
He was as great failure as a king
as he was as a man; and for the same
reason-he was selfish. He wanted to
be king for his own pleasure. He had
no kingly aims or ideals.
Apparently self-conceit was the rea-
son why he followed Hushais advice,
for that willy enemy OF his put before
him a picture of himself at the head
OF an immense army, like a world-con-
queror, and all the nations, as ii were,
singing Hail to the Chief"
Among many other significant de-
vices, some beyond the seas have a
picture OF a man, with full-blown
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 Utmost soul cal
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 HIN
beneath the low branches OF a spread
ing terebinth and left him hanging by
the head. probably in a 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 Absaloms hail
was entangled The first soldier who
came up spared his life because of the
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 anC
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 sc
foul member at any other time thar
now, when a just right to STAY hin
had been earned in open battle."-
Kitto. Absaiom's body was cast into
great pit, and a great heap o
stones was cast upon him, either IL
detestation of his memory or as mon
ument to distinguish the place.
V. 30. Went Up TO the chamber.
To be alone I'm his sorrow. The deep
est sorrow "treads the wine-pres!
alone" And wept" Tears are III,
safety-valves Of the heart" 20 my sol
Absalom!" There is not in tn,
whole of the Old Testament a pas
sage of deeper pathos than this. Tn,
simple beauty of the narrative is ex
Quisite; we are irresistibly reminde,
OF him who, while he beheld the rebel
lious city of Jerusalem and though
OF the destruction il was bringing upoI
itself, wept over IL duke bad
Cook. Would God had died for thee.
so Moses Eek. 1892, and SO ST
Paul (Rom. $50, would have sacri
feed themselves, had It been possible
to save others. His wish to die IL
Absaloms stead was no mere extravi
gance of grief"
Absalom and His Sin.-He wa
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 actor
with strong crying and tears.
David's sin was an incident-a YER
terrible incident-in a very great an
useful life. 1t was a dangerous eddy
like the whirlpool below the Magyar
falls; but 1t was brief, 1t was not tn
main current of his life. He repented
and all his after life showed sinner
the way OF repentance, the possibil
, ties OF repentance and restoration.
, has been a sermon for almost 300
years on the tender mercies and foI
giving love of our Father in HEAVIER
Absalom from out the far-off past
still pointing our modern youth Z
, certain great lessons his caree
, teaches us:
, CD The way OF transgressors
hard"
CD The success of the wicked 1
, short, and then he is like char whic
the wind bloweth away. "Not consit
ering that the successes OF the FOOLS
and wicked form the first rod of thei
chastisement"
G Sin is sometimes attractive a
first hut at last IL biteth uka a co,