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

one or the great uDeA pldlneu ulyS-
teries of the Bible is the behavior Of
the sons of Samuel. Near the close
of his life he calls upon Israel to
testify if he has done any evil among
them, and not unstrangely when
we understand the situation, he es-
pecially challenges them to say if
he has ever taken any brides from
anyone, if he had ever defrauded
anyone, if he ever oppressed anyone.
Now just these were the everyday
sins of the sons OF Samuel This
cody father had to bear the shame
and the chagrin caused by such inn
pious sons. Can you explain it?
Raised by such a man of prayer
they turned out to be the most out
rageous scOundrels.
Now the conduct Of Samuel's sons
was one Of the determining causes
Of the demand for a king which the
people made. Another was the con-
tinued oppression of the Philistines.
The third and greatest was the for
getfulness of their God who had
nearly a thousand years in spite of
their unworthiness. They looked
about them, and saw other nations
with king, and they demanded that
they too might have a king like unto
the nations round about them.
Did you ever look about you, and,
forgetful Of the countless blessings
bestowed upon you by a heavenly
Father, long to have this. that or
the other things like the people
about you? Did you ever forget that
you are the heir of God and the
joint-heir with Jesus Christ, and yet
want to inherit some fortune your
chance acquaintance will some day
possess? Did you ever fret inwardly
because the life OF fully following
Christ made it impossible for you to
be like the other folks you know,
and didn't want to be peculiar? Now
be fair, haven't you often wanted
to be like the children OF the world?
Samuel was hurt by this request.
But he had learned where to go with
his troubles, so he prayed unto Je-
hovah. One of the most interesting
things about this man was the habit
he had formed of talking things
over with God. He would talk with
the people and then rehearse all
their words in the ear of God; then
God would tell Samuel in his ear
what He wanted done. At first Sam
uel's hurt was largely personal, but
God showed him otherwise. "They
have not rejected thee, but they
have rejected Me-"
At His command Samuel told the
people what sort Of king they
would get. He would take their
property as his own, their children
as his servants, their fields, their
vineyards, their oliveyards, their
produce to be used for his servants
instead Of them, until they should
cry out to God in their distress, but
not be heard.
Nevertheless" & oh how wilIful
they were! They said, "Nay, but we
will have a king over us that we
may be like all nations They de-
liberately and willfully rejected Him
who was giving His all for them,
and chose one who would demand
their all for himself!
Hunting Asses; Finds Crown
A Benjaminite lost some Of his
asses, who got out and strayed
| away. His son and servant went
to look for them. The son was a
stalwart man, almost a giant in
statue, attractive personally, impul-
sive and generous, but subject to
| moods as most impulsive people
are. Saul, the son Of Kish, went
out to find his fathers asses and
found a crown! 1t is one of those
strange condolences, we say, but
is really fine illustration of how
the happenings of man work out
the plans of God Saul acted every
moment with perfect freedom of
Will, yet every step he took was
bringing to pass the will of God.
Human freedom and divine foreor-
dlnation are apparently perfectly
contradictory; but instead they are
complimentary. Never for a mo,
ment was Saul constrained to act
contrary to his own free will but
he was nevertheless fulfilling the
divine plan. 1t was an accident
that some mules got out of the pas
ture, but that was the way Saul was
to come in contact with Samuel
just at the time the people were in
slstIng upon having a king like the
other nations. And no one in ali
the tribes was so fitted to fill their
requirements as he.
One of the queer things about
we'll for him-was that he seems
never to have heard Of Samuel. Fo~
many years this godly man Of pray
er had judged Israel. Even as a
young man, before Ellis death, it
was we'll established that he was
Gods man and none of his words
fell to the ground. Yet Saul seems
never to have heard OF him. In
fact it is only when after three
days OF vain searching for those
mules he is thoughtful enough to
suggest that they go home lest his
old father worry more about them
than about the mules, that his SER
want tells him about man of God,
honorable, whose words always
come TO pass, who is in the city in
the land Of Zuph. And some
maidens drawing water tell him
where the Seer is. Even when he
finds him Saul gives no evidence
that he has ever heard of the great
Judge before. Evidently there was
something lacking in Saul's religious
training; and his choice as a king
is allowed by God because Of His
desire to meet the demands Of the
people for a king like the nations
about them. He evidently would
not be the man God would deliber-
ately have chosen to rule over HIS
people.
At the feast that day Saul must
have wondered why Samuel showed
him so many unusual courtesies
"On whom is the desire of all Is
rael?" was an enigmatic question
to him. And when the cook was
called to bring the choicest portion
that had been set aside and place
it before him, the mystery deepen
ed. Privately that day it was all
explained TO him and he was anoint-
ed as the chosen captain over Gods
inheritance. To assure him, three
very definite signs were given-au
of which came literally to pass.
Read them in l Sam 101-10.
All b,r+ thu most cior1ifipant of