Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1915-02-24
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson N.-First Quarter, For
Feb. %, 1915.
fHE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.

LIE IN GnNH iOVH6 S6ut6Ss
Text Of the Lesson, Sam. vii, 2-17.
Memory Verses, II, f2-Golden Text,
I Sam. vii, 12-commentary Prepared
b. Rev. o. N. Stsarns.
When the men of Beth-shemesh lost
6Q07O men because Of their trans
gression they sent to the men of kfr-
hath jearim to come and take the ark
away from them. for they said. Who
b able to stand before this holy Lord
Godf'' Their question is very sug-
gestive one, for the holiness which
God requires in His law, which is
holy and just and good. Is SO great
that no man can stand before 1t, even
Is it is written: IL thou. Lord, should
est mark iniQuities, o Lord, who shall
stand? But there Is forgiveness with
thee ." CRom. vii, II; Ps. cxxx,
3. The way out for all, for all have
sinned and come short. is that the nee
essary holiness Is found in Christ, who
perfectly kept this holy law and Is
ceive Him Gil Cor v. 81; Cor. /. 30).
The ark found a resting place at Kir-
3ath-jearim for many years in the
house of Abinadab In the hill until
David removed it to a tent which he
had pitched for it in Jerusalem Oh
Sam. vi, 3. A.. After it had been twen-
II years there Israel seemed to awake
to desire for the Lord, for it is said
that they .'lamented after the Lord"
oversees l. p.
1t may have been that after the
catastrophe at Ebenezer. in which the
sons Of Ell were slain and the ark OF
God taken and because Of which Eli
died. Samuel returned to his ia
TIERS home at Ramah, for there he
lived all his life afterward; there he
built an altar unto the Lord; there he
Judged Israel going In circuit to Bethel,
Gilgal and Mi1peh, and there he died
and was buried q, 10; Il. IL; VII. 16, II;
XIV, II. Ever since the Philistine vic
tory Israel had been under their pow
G, but now Samuel encouraged them
to put away their idols. return unto the
Lord with all their hearts and serve
Him only, that He might deliver them
out Of the hands Of the Philistines
(verses 3, A.. The one thing that the
Lord Is looking for in all the world IL
. whole heart for Himself QI Chron.
wi, 81; no idols, nothing to grieve or
hinder, but such yielded hearts that
He can magnify Himself in us and
work in as all His good pleasure Heb.
xiii. 20. So all Israel gathered togeth-
er to Mizpeh that Samuel might pray
for them oversees 5, g.. They drew wa
ter and poured it out before the Lord
and tasted and confessed their sin.
The wise woman Of Tekoa said, I'VE
are as water split on the ground. which
cannot be gathered up again" III Sam.
NV, ID, and in Lam ii. 10. we read,
sPour out thine heart like water be-
fore the face Of the Lord" True
emptiness before Him viii always
bring His fullness; BE perfects His
strength in our weakness; when we
are nothing then He can work. There
must be no win nor way nor. thoughts
Ct ours to hinder. The Philistines,
hearing Of the Israel movement. went
NJ against them. for when the people
Ct God turn to Him with purpose Of
heart the devil always wakes up to
oppose. Israel did the right thing In
saying to Samuel. Cease not to cry
unto the Lord our God for u.s." So
Samuel offered sacrifice and cried
unto the Lord, and the Lord heard
him and Numbered with great thun-
der and discounted the PhilistiHes, and
they came no more into the coast of
Israel all the days Of Samuel oversees
7-1s).
We are reminded Of such words as
these: The God Of glory thundereth;"
sG0d thundereth marvelously with
His voice; great things doeth He,
which we cannot comprehend" Cps.
xix, 3: Job xvii. b. Neither thun-
der nor lightning should cause us any
fear II we are right with Him, but
should rather make us rejoice to hear
His voice and see His might. As
Noah, Daniel and Job are quoted as
samples Of righteous men tEzek. xiv.
1920, SO Moses and Samuel are men
toned as great intercessors der. XIV,
y. At the same place where the
Phflistines conquered Israel and cap
tured the ark there the Lord overthrow
them and delivered Israel Chapter ".
I: vii. 12). and Samuel set up his me
mortal stone and said, "Hitherto hath
the Lord helped u.s." All who trust in
ths Lord can surely say the same, and
We should say always: "Henceforth
unto Him who died for us and
xuoe again." "Henceforth laid
up for me crown Of Righteousness"
N Cor. v, Is; II Tim. Nv. 81. By the
great sacrifice of Himself we are re-
deemed; by His sacrifice as burnt
offering. typified in Samuel's Offering
.{verse %, we become wholly dedicated
to Him Q4ev. u, and when we willingly
acknowledge it and desire to serve Him
only then we may expect to see His