Arkansas State press. [volume] (Little Rock, Ark.) 1941-1959, 1944-09-15

| LEssON IEAI-u osHluei s''i
S:l'l0
GOLDEN TExT-They that trust IN
the Lord shall be Is mount Zion. which
cannot be moved, but sbdeth forever
Psalm 1871.
Position and power are important
to king. but Of even greater i'm.
portance Is the winning Of the
hearts OF his people. Only as he has
them with him can he build . great
nation.
David was the Lords anointed.
The kingdom was his, But God ex-
pec,ed him to make the necessary
effort and use his own abilities to
bring it into place OF honor and
usefulness. God gives US all we
have. but He does not shower II
down on US. We must 80 out and
possess it.
Note in the three verses that pre-.
cede our lesson wv l.3) that David
moved forward only after prayer
and divine guidance. Little wonder
that he succeeded.
l. The Southern Tribes Declare
Their Loyalty t2.4b,
The nation was divided into two
parts, Judah in the south and Israel
In the north. To bring them together
again called for consummate skill,
David had it.
When Saul had died. David
showed his respect and genuine
loyalty to the king by his actions
and by his song of lament which
we find in II Samuel l. Then by
the Lords leading he went to
Hebron. the national capital OF
Judah. and there awaited the will OF
the people.
Their declaration for David was
not long In coming. They knew and
respected him. He had shown him
self to be their friend Il Sam. 80. 26)
and now they made him king. II
was the first step and a long one
IN the right direction.
II. The King Makes Friends by
Being Friendly t2;5-D.
The men OF Jabesh- gilead, hear
Ing that the philistines had killed
Saul, went for his body and gave
1t suitable burial. This gave David
occasion to show his fine spirit
OF appreciation, which naturally
warmed the hearts of all those who
had loved and followed Saul. II was
excellent strategy, but at the same
time it was the natural expression
of a kind heart.
He that would have friends must
show himself friendly prov. 1920,
And why not? The friendly and
F., open-hearted kindness Of some
Christians does more to win others
to Christ than the brilliant dis
courses Of some cold. exclusive
Christian worker. Most Of the Lord $
work is done by ordinary people
with warm hearts. Is there any
/ reason why we cannot all be win
some and attractive in Christ?
! Ill. The Northern Tribes Recog.
ni1c Their King (5:l-5).
A period Of seven years elapsed
before this took place. The house oil
Saul was not willing to yield its
supposed rights to the throne. and
there was fighting and struggle. In
II all David showed himself to be
upright and considerate.
There is value in gradual develop
ment and in the struggle for the
right, Had David found immediate
success one wonders whether he
would have gained the strength he
needed for the future.
4 Then came the day when Israel
the tribes Of the north country, OF
their own accord chose to put them.
selves under David Note that il
was because OF their regard for him
wv, /, q that they came to him
". 81. That was great gain.
A united peopleI How important
that is in the affairs Of the nations
Nothing is more disturbing or 9
greater hindrance than internal fric
ton. We ought to deal quickly anc
decisively with any group or force
in the life Of our nation which /,
clearly divisive or disloyal.
] Think, then, how important it Il
that Gods people in the Christian
Church stand together in undivided
loyalty to Christ, our King, and II
loving devotion to one another.
". The King Established n Ma
tional Capital t5:6-l0.
Jerusalem, which was TO be IN,
"city Of David and which figure.
so prominently not only in history
but in prophecy had to be wrestec
from the hands Of the heather
Jebusltes, and be established as tn,
sacred city and the capital OF III,
Jewish nation.
Note that the kind and eonsderat,
king was not weakling. He knew
bow to fight and to win, Verse Il
difficult to interpret, but evidentl,
does not mean that David wa,
cruel. The Jebusites tainted MIN b,
saying that their blind and cripplej
could hold the wall against David
men, Then they doubtless put thei
best soldiers on the wall, and DaviC
said TO his men, Let US take thcs,
cripplcs."
We see In verses and 10 tina
David was not only a fighter, bu
also . builder He began then In,
development OF Jerusalem, III,
great city OF which we are yet /,
| hear Wondrous things. %