Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1915-06-30
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSON FOR JULY 4
SECURED EXCLUSIVELY BY THE
BANNER FOR ITS MANY
READERS
ACCORDING TO THE
INTERNATIONAL SERIES
Text OF the Lesson. III sam. ANIli, l.
Is. Memory Verse, 5-Golden Text,
Eph. VI, documentary Prepared
by Rev. ID. NJ. Stcarns.

urp" but "AbSalOm SIN anu over
throw" might perhaps have been bet e
Ter There L. not so much OF pront In i
thp lesson verses as there Is in what
prpced,,s and follows. and as this Is our :
last lesson in this book we must gain I
er nh We can in the space ut our dis $
poSal our hast lesson WAS In chapter I
xii ana because of David's great sin
IA. wns told that the sword should new
or depnrt from his house and that the
Lord would raise up evil against him
ont of his own house xii, 10. III !
There is always a reapinS from all
sowing. either good or bad (Gr W. Z;
Hos. viii. ~ Chapter xiii tells of the
beginning OF his household troubles
and Of the flight OF AbSalom and his
soiourn three years i'm Geshur. Chap
ter xiv tells of the plea OF the wise
woman OF Tekoa ana of Absalom's re
turn TO Jerusalem and reconciliation
with his father after dwelling two
years there without seeing his face
xiv. 2S-33J AbSaloms remarkable T
beauty Is described in verses %. 20. .
The utter helplessness of the sinner /
and the great mercy of God are most
suggestively mentioned by the wise
woman in verse IA.
Chapter XIV describes Absalom's re
bellion and the plight Of the king and
would have been a much more sugges
! tive and helpful chapter than the one
assigned us David's crossing the
! Kidron and going up by Olivet oversees
23. 30) Is so suggestive of our Lord
doing the same thing because Of the
rebellion Of His son Israel John xviii.
u. The notable words of devotion on
the part of Davld's servants and OF
Ittai the Gittite oversees ID. 2l) should
be our continual heart words TO our
Lord Jesus See also the devotion OF
Hushai, David's friend. in verses 32-3'.
and David's submission 10 the Will OF
God in verses -. %. Chapter xvi tells
OF Shimeis cursing and how David
left him wholly TO God. Chapter XVII
describes the suicide Of Ahithophal De
cause the counsel of Hushai was pre-
ferred TO his IL also tells OF David ;
friends who so kindly cared for him
at Mahanaim Our lesson. chapiei
xviii. tells of the battle between AbSa
lom's army and that Of David ana %.
the defeat of the former and the death
of Absalom. 1t Is truly pathetic e.
listen TO David's instructions to the
leaders OF his hosts. Deal gently FOL
nv sake with the young man. ever
with Absalom" verse -, and then tt
hear his heartbroken cry when ht
il learned that Absalom had been slain
e 20 my son Absalom. my son. my sol
Absalom! Would God | had died fo
thee. o Absalom. my son. my son
Is VERSE 81 See also xix, I. Does
:, not help to make more real the love o
\ God In giving up His only begottei
Son to die for US? Uohn Ill. 16: Johl
III. 16; ", o. 10: Rom. viii. 80.
l. The folly Of seeking to make nam
" for oneself Is seen In verse IS. A gram
Illustration Of the significance or IN
!. command in Hab. II, 2. Is seen In les
! son verses 1892. The words are' writ
the vision. and make II plain upon u
bles. that he may run that readeth It.
but they are generally misquoted. tina
IT, he that runs may read" as II on
* couId take Il In as they do the adve
= tisements by the roadside when tra'
q. cling sixty miles an hour by trail
u The true meaning evidently Is, get IL
of message correctly and then run an
t. fell II. In our lesson Cushi had II
n message. for he had seen what he wi
~ TO tell. Although insistent, Ahimaaz WI
the heetest messenger, he knew not
er ing. and his running was IN va
" verses 81, %, 30), and he had to star
tn aside. And there are many runniI
er today whom God never sent Ih'
'se know nothing, but the worst OF 1t
ny that they take pride in not known
~ and yet insist that they have be-
,er sent. 1t is blessed TO be able to sa
a "That which we have seen and hea
ng declare we unto you" I'VE cam
but speak the things which we ha
IS seen and heard" q John l, 3; Ac
me iv, 20l.
,pS After Absalom was dead all lsra
Of longed for David, and said one to
ps. other. "Why speak We not a word
bic bringing back the kingY" David hi
zen self sent to the priests and elders
are Judah, saying, why are ye the Ia
no 20 bring the king back to his house
off Then as one man they sent the me
Ter sage. Return thou and all thy ser
ants" So the king returned *
, / 9-15). Shimei. who had cursed III
IN was one of the first to meet him a
the confess his sin and seek forgivene
i po xix. 1929. Mephiboshath had moul
or ed for him all the time that he
leir gone and was so glad to see him ba
that he was content to let Ziba ha
in all the Inheritance xix. 2i-3O). 81
NC zilai. who had taken care or the ki
err at Mahanaim saw him safely over }
~ =, dan, but would not go to Jerusalem,
David desired, saying that he was
. old. But he asked David to "a
III L. IND ~ a