Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1908-07-30
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INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM.
NIENTS FOR AUGUST 2.
Subject: David Anointed at Bethle.
hem, 1 Samuel 16:1.13-GOlden
Text, 1 Sam. 16:7-COmmit
VarSes - 1C-Read Chantcr IA,

EXPOSITION.-I. The LORD hath
not chosen these, Ito. 1t speaks
! we'll for the generosity of Samuel that
he mourned over the fall of Saul ".
| u. If he had been like the majority
, of men he would have taken a secret
| il 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,
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 1t was commendable
| that he should be grieved at the sin
! and 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 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 13 IA He shows
him that He has sought out and ap-
pointed this king. In the first verse
of this chapter He tells Samuel that
, this king Is son of Jesse, but not
, until the twelfth verse does He point
! out which son of Jesse. Hundreds of
i years before it had been prophesied
! that the sceptre should fall to judah
(Gen. 49:1O. Samuel. for all his ex-
cellencies Of character, was human
and fallible. Like so many others in
the Bible lex. 3:11; 4:1-1O; Jer.
1:5, 6) and out of the Bible, to whom
! God has said GO" he hesitated to
! undertake the work for which God
had commissioned him for fear of
the consequences w. %. 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 work to do for
| God? Did the Lord bid Samuel to
! tell lie to secure his safety? Tvs. 2,
! -. 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 hidden to
: tell was the exact truth as far as it
went. We are under obligations to
tell the exact truth, even to our enc
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 a time. Notice how each step
Is marked out by the phrase, the
Lord said" (verses / 9, Z, 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
|
us what We shall do day by day, hour
by hour, and moment by moment.
Samuel was allowed no discretion
whatever in the matter ". -. He
was simply to listen to the voice of
the Lord and anoint the one He
named. David Was wholly God 8
choice. Note the difference in the
language about the amounting from
that about the amounting of Saul (ch.
! 9:16). "Anoint unto Me-" God says
about David. "Anoint to be 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 regrets
over Saul's disposal and goes and does
as he is bidden. Did not Samuel's
readiness to obey God, so often exhib.
tied comp. verse 13), have some.
thing to do with that power in prayer
| for which he became famous Il John
/ 3:22)? He looked on Eliab, and
! sEid, surely the Lords anointed Is be-.
fore him." But he did not act upon
his natural judgment, but waited for
the voice of the Lord and that soon
set him right. 1t matters little how
men see us, it matters everything how
God sees us. A pure heart is all that
counts with God. That wins His
favor Matt. $50. Dress counts for
nothing Il Pet. 3:3, a.. Learning,
worldly wisdom, power, count for
nothing Il Cor. 1:26-2S), profession
counts for nothing Matt. 7:2D.
II. Arise, anoint him, Ills.
David, like SO many others God
called, was attending faithfully to his
humble work when God called him
(cf. Matt. 25:23). One by one the
sons of Jesse had passed by until the
seven had passed, and Samuel waits
patiently for Gods voice and says of
each, Neither hath the Lord chosen
this" and at last his patience Is re-
warded. The voice comes, "Arise.
Rniont him; for this is he." David
was not qualified for the kingship
until the Spirit actually came Neither
are we qualified for service until we
"receive tho Holy Spirit"
| KNEW WHAT WAS COMING.
81 have often marvelled at your
brilliancy, your aptness at repartee,
your"
IF it's more than IS, old man,
can't do thing for you. I'm nearly
broke myself. Houston Post
The executive council of the Ma
tional Trades and Labor Congress
of Canada has decided to place sew
eral organizers in the field. The
Province of Quebec and the maritime
provinces are to receive more atten'
ton than formerly.