Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-03-04


head and shoulders above the |
crowd. His magnificent appearance |
thrilled the crowd, and enthusiast |
tically they cried QUIT was the !
first time it had been said-"God |
save the king!'
After procIaiming Saul king NO
tice, he did not anoint him again, |
Samuel told the people the manner
Of the kingdom and wrote 1t in
book and laid it up before Jehovah |
he dismissed the people to their
homes. But there went with Sau.
to Gibeah a band of men whose
hearts God had touched
Sauls kingdom was short-lived.
His first outstanding event was in
the matter Of the Ammonites and
the men Of Jobesh-Gilead. Nabash
encamped against these Gadites,
these troopers from the hill coun.
terms were outrageous-that he
should put out their right eyes,
They secured a respite and cried
out for help. Saul heard it, and
taking the leadership of the hosts
Of Israel after the Spirit of God
came upon him, and a great victory
was accomplished. The greatest
victory was in his own heart. for
when in their enthusiasm over the
success Of their new leader the peo-
pie wanted to take revenge on GER
tain sons of Belial who had before
refused to do him homage. Saul
took a decided stand and q noble
one. There shall not a man be put
to death this day; for today Jehovah
hath wrought salvation in Israel"
He gave God all the credit and
would have no personal grievances
enter into it.
| Saul being thus established as
King, Samuel makes his farewell as
the leader of Israel. He made the
people bear public testimony to the
uprightness of his life as leader; then
he reminded them Of all Gods
gracious dealings with them and Of
their sin In rejecting Him; but as
sured them of Gods graciousness
still. and that He would be with
them and establish their King if
they would fear Him; but II not He
would consume them both. A ter
rifle thunder storm, sent by God
| just at that moment to confirm
Samuels words, struck terror into
their hearts. They greatly feared
Jehovah and Samuel, and said to
Samuel: Pray for thy servants unto
Jehovah thy (notice the pronoun-not
our God, that we die not; for we have
added unto all our sins this evil, to
ask us a King. Samuel's reply was
wonderful: God forbid that should
sin against Jehovah in ceasing to
pray for you" Now was the time
when he was most needed. A far
greater work than judging Israel
was now his-to teach them the
good and right way and to intercede
for them. To fail now and here
would be a greater sin than theirs
Have you failed God in this? Was
there ever time when microscopy
prayer was more needed than now:
When many of those who should
be leading the people toward Goo
are leading them away from Him
with their doubts and denials?
Saul's Failure
The new King did not follow lone
in the way of Gods will. He began
early to demonstrate his inability tt
rule himself, therefore to rule any
one else. 1t was not long before the
Phllistines gathered at Michinash ir
battle array with 10000 chariots ant
5000 horsemen. Against these Sau
had 5000 men, and these became sc
alarmed that they fell away from
MN leaving him with only 600!
Jonathan and his armour bearer
unbeknown to any one else, under
took q daring expedition. 1t was
one that looked foolhardy in It's dar
lng-for two men single-h handed tC
climb a mountain pass and scale e
rock and come in full sight of ar
army so large and we'll armed al
once, without any means of escape
BUT Jonathan was looking for .Je
hoVah to work for them. 1t was an
expedition Of faith; he was trusting
wholly in God; and God gave him a
mighty victory.
Before he went out, though, when
saul saw his army melting like snow
IN the sun, he made the first of his
great mistakes. Instead of waiting
Ior samuel, who seems to have been
delayed for some reason, Saul assun.
ed the office of priest and offered q
burnt offering. His sin was not SC
! much in the act itself as in thinking
the ofting of itself effective. There
are some people today who give
more Importance to the form than
TO the fact of worship. 1t is undue
emphasis on the externals of re.
HSlon and not enough on the inter.
mans. 1t is one of those signs of tho
| iaSt times, which has always existed
put which will be so greatly inten.
| slned IN the last days-"havinq a
form OF goodness, but denying the
power thereof"
AS another evidence Of this Saul
proclaimed fast thinking that
tasting is efficacious. OF all times
mat was not the time to fast when
| men were putting forth great phvs.
lcaI energy and needed to be re.
plenished. An dthen he was foolish
enough to want to put his own son
| 10 death because he had unknow.
lngly broken his command about
| tasting; and would have done so had
| ne not been restrained by his own
| people who recognized what Saul
/ did not-that Jonathan had wrought
| with God that day.
| The climax of Saul's incapabilitv
was reached when he directly dis.
| obeyed the word OF Jehovah in the
matter Of Amalek. God had devoted
| the Amalikites to utter destruction
for the enormity of their sins. 1t
was not tyrannical in God to give
| the order that not one be spared; it
| was the necessary result of Amalek's
| continued and persistent rebellion
| Had any of the spoil been spared
| it might have turned into an hor-