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LESSON
BY E. o. SELLERS. Acting Director Of
Sunday School Course Moody Bible In
stitute, Chicago.) r./ -.
LESSON FOR FEBRUARY %
SAMUEL, The VICTORIOUS
LEADER.


LEADER.
LESSON TEXT Samuel 1911.
GOLDEN TEXT-Hitherto hath Jeho.
7ah helped mel Samuel TIP r. v.
Having prepared a guilt Offering"
6:4-9, the Philistines started the ark
back towards Shiloh. AS a punish
ment for their sacrilege and perhaps
for their boastful pride, God Furnishes
the men of Beth-Shemesh and finally
the ark finds rest in the house of
Abinadab, 6:10-21, IL, 2. For 20
years Israel was under discipline in
bondage, w. -
!. "And Samuel spake -. i say.
Ing" w. 3-s. It is possible that at
lines Samuel was fugitive, but that
~1e was praying, teaching and preach
ing :"the word Of Jehovah" we are as
sured, At last Israel was drawn to-
gether," v. R. v. margin. Undoubted.
ly Samuel's pure life and his faithful
witnessing had as much to do with
this assembling as did the oppression
If the Philistines. Samuel told the
people plainly that in order to be de-
!ivered from the Philistines Israel
must return unto Jehovah with all
your heart" =. The putting away (judg-
lng) of sin and all idols is the first
step Of any real, genuine repentance
towards GOO, lisa. 55:7. When Israel
adopted Ashtaroth and the strange
gods" they possibly did SO with no
thought: Of forsaking Jehovah, but.
rather with the idea Of "enrinching"
their worship. Such liberality, such5a
federation OF religions Is weakening to
the cause OF faith, Matt, .6:24, ! John
2:15, James, IA. Samuel might be
called narrow" but his exhortation to
Israel that they return to the. love
and Worship of Jehovah, to the obedi.
ence of his laws with whole-souled de-
votion, was the first, and the most es.
sential requisite to their freedom. Is
rael's response va meant not alone
self-denial, but revolt against the
Philistines. This meant also the Civ
Ing up of amusements and profits which
might accompany such worship, The
word heart" includes the will, affec-
tions, motives and powers Of soul.
Not merely surface emotion, but q
deep change Of heart and character.
1t Is sad to recall that this was p
reformation. not a regeneration (ch.
$3.50, but such is the history of an
emotional reformation, One day, how
everj7 we shall see that one win last
last, Rom. ,11:26. Samuel is a type OF
Christ as a prophet and also as an
,intScessor, Heb. 7:25. Gathering the
people at Mizpah ga lookout") he
caused the people to look to God.
Such gathering was an evidence Of
that unity of the people of God which
must ever precede prevailing prayer.
Ps. 9s:6, Heb. 1925. The meeting
began by a prayer by Samuel who
was nearest to God. They than poured
out water upon the ground, a symbol
of their utter helplessness, also OF
the pouring out of their hearts before
God, II Sam. 14:14: Ps. 62:S. Israel
also "fasted"-an expression Of sor-
row for sin which was so deep that
they could not eat, and sign Of the
humiliation of self and an earnest de-
sire to find God, Dan. g, Acts 1872, 8.
They made confession of sin, there
was no boasting Of virtue, Ps. 51:4.
H. "And Samuel offered Z.
burnt offerins," w. s-12. Twenty
years Of bondage bred spirit of fear
in the hearts of the Israelites and in
their extremity they turned to Sam
uel to intercede for them. Christians
have better one as their interces.
sor, John 81; Heb. 7:s5; Rom.
8:34. Israel no longer places Its
trust In an outward symbol as when
formerly they sent for the ark, ch. 4:3.
All real prayer is preceded by sacri,
fee, and the only ground we have upon
which to approach a holy Goo Is to
shed blood, Heb. 10: 10, John. 1875. This
is also type of entire conservation.
The lamb of Samuel's sacrifice is a
type Of our Christ who entered into
Gods presence for us "by his own
blood" Heb. GIL, II. Having thus
properly approached God, Samuel
cried for Israel, and "the Lord heard
him." John 1873. In the midst Of this
the Philistines gave battle ". 10)
even as Satan often makes his
fercest assaults upon us in the midst
of our holiest exercises. God "thun.
dered with a great voice" v. II, marg',
bringing discontinue and fear to the
enemy, John 5:14. No voice OF Is
rael could have effected such results
but the voice of God in response to
the prayers of a godly man brought
victory. James SIG. Both secular and
sacred history record instances where
God used the elements to deliver his
praying people. The storm which de-
stroyed the Spanish armada and
saved England; the unusual winds and
tides which saved Leyden came in con-
nection with the most earnest prayers,
see also III Kings 1875. In this we
see a fulfillment of Hannah's prophecy,
ch. 2:10. In our last lesson Israel was
defeated, 4:1O, now they pursue the
Philistines as far as Beth-car and
Shen, an unknown place west Of Miz-
peh. Between the latter and Mizpeh,
Samuel erected a memorial pillar and