The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-07-30
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INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTs FOR AUGUST ..

Subject: David Anointed at Bethle.
hem, Samuel 16;f-f3-Golden
Text, 1 Sam. f6:7--Commit
Verses II, 12-Read Chapter 10.
TIAIE.-1O6S B. C. PLACE
Bethlehem.
ExPosITIoN.-L. The LORD hath
not chosen these, ITO. IL speaks
well for the generosity of Samuel that
he mourned over the fall of Saul ".
~. If he had been like the majority
of men he would have taken a secret
II not an outspoken delight in the
fact that the man for whom they had
In some measure at least rejected
himself turned out so poorly. There,
I told you So he would have said.
But Samuel was of nobler mold,
and grief, not exultation, filled his
heart at the folly and ruin of his
rival. But while IL was commendable
that he should be grieved at the sin
aud consequent rejection of Saul, 1t
was not right that he should spend
his time in idle mourning. God had
rejected him from being king over
Israeli" another king must be sought
out and consecrated to fill his place.
God does not wish us to be crushed
by the sins of the world and so to
spend our time in morbid and useless
lamentations over them, but to rise
and go forward to the duties, however
disagreeable, that these sins entail
upon us. Saul was a king that God
| had provided for the people (ch.
9:16)-a king according to their
choice Il Sam. 12:13); David was a
king whom God had provided for
! Himself-a man after His own heart
(ch. 1910. Little by little God dis
closes His purposes to His servant
Samuel In chapter 1914 He shows
him that He has sought out and APP
pointed this king. In the first verse
of this chapter He tells Samuel that
this king is a son of Jesse, but not
until the twelfth verse does He point
out which son of Jesse. Hundreds OF
years before it had been prophesied
that the sceptre should fall to Judah
| (Gen. 49:10). Samuel. for all his ex.
! cellencies of character, was human
and fallible. Like so many others in
the Bible (Ex. 3:11; ALTO; Jer.
LIS, g. and out of the Bible, to whom
| God has said 60" he hesitated to
undertake the work for which God
had commissioned him for fear OF
| The consequences ". p. When God
says, CO. we ought not to reply,
How can II" but to start and go,
and leave God to settle the "how."
| IF Saul hear it, he will kill me-
The fear of man" brought "a snare
| to Samuel in this instance prov.
! 29:25) And how foolish that fear
! was. How could Saul or anybody else
, kill man who had a work to do for
! God2 Did the Lord bid Samuel to
tell lie to secure his safety? Tvs. 2,
| 81. Not at ALL. the Lord is never put
to such straits as that; and it augurs
lack of faith in God when we resort
to falsehood or indirection to secure
our ends. God simply refused to
argue with Samuel the question of
his going, and again bids him go, and
tells him what to say and that at the
proper time He will show him what
TO do. What Samuel was bidden to
tell was the exact truth as far as it
went. We are under obligations to
tell the exact truth, even to our ene-
mics, If we tell anything, but we are
not under obligation to tell all we
know. This is the way in which God
frequently guides His servants-a
step at time. Notice how each step
Is marked out by the phrase, 1.-THE
Lord said oversees l, 2, 7, 12). Are
we also taking each step according to
the word of the Lord? 1t is blessed
to walk this way We, too, can go
on knowing that the Lord will show
US what we shall do day by day, hour
by hour, and moment by moment,
Samuel was allowed no discretion
whatever in the matter (v. 81. He
was simply to listen to the voice OF
the Lord and anoint the one He
named. David was wholly Gods
choice. Note the difference in the
language about the amounting from
that about the amounting of Saul (ch
9:16). "Anoint unto Me-" God saws
about David 'Anoint to be a prince
over My people" He says about Saul
Samuels hesitation about doing the
Lords will was not of long duration
He lays aside his fears and his regret!
over Saul's disposal and goes and doe.
as he Is bidden. Did not Samuel'i
readiness TO obey God, so often exhib
tied tcomp. verse 13), have some
thing 10 do with that power in praye
for which he became famous Il Johl
3:22) He looked on Eliab, ant
said, surely the Lords anointed is be
fore him. But he did not act upoI
his natural judgment, but waited 70
the voice of the Lord and that sool
set him right. 1t matters little hoy
men see us, 1t matterH everything HOY
God sees us. A pure heart is all tha
counts with God. That wins Hi
favor Matt. 5;8). Dress counts TO
nothing { l Pet. 3:3, A.. Learnine
worldly wisdom, power, count TO
nothing Il Cor. 1:26-2S), professio
: counts for nothing Matt. 7:21)
III. Arise, aROint him, His
David, like so many others Go
called, was attending faithfully to hi
humble work when God called hil
(cf Matt. 25:23) One by one tn
sons of Jesse had passed by until th
/ seven had passed, and Samuel wait
patiently for Gods voice and says {
each, Neither hath the Lord chose
. this" and at last his patience is r,
! warded. The voice comes, "Aris
! aniont him; for this is he" Davi
Z, was not qualified for the kingshl
J until the Spirit actually came. Meth,
are we qualified for service until "
receive the Holy Spirit"
Wanted a Cork and Bottle.