161
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
The. record of Saul’s reign is one of the saddest portions of the Bible—he was such a miserable failure. He failed in that he tried to offer something as a substitute for whole hearted obedience to the known will of God. He was told to utterly destroy all that the Amale- DEVOTICiNAL kites had (1 Sam. 15:3). He partially COMMENT obeyed—-“everything that was vile and John A. Hubbard refuse, that they destroyed utterly” (2:9). “But” (alas, for these fatal “buts” ! “Saul and the people spared the best of the sheep, and of the oxen” (2:9). They purposed to offer these as sacrifices to God (2:21). In those days it was required of the people that they offer animals in sacrifice to God, hence it was a good thing, and the right thing to do; but even things that are good and right in their place can never be accepted as substitutes for obedience. “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sac rifice” ( 2 : 2 2 ). How many thousands of God’s people have failed just where Saul did-—offering substitutes for obedience! And such good substitutes—prayer, Bible study, money, service! Each one of these things is absolutely essential in its place; but not one, nor all of them together, can be offered as a substitute for one act of obedience. “Yield yourselves unto God” (Rom. 6:13). Saul professed obedience—“I have performed the com mandment of the Lord” (2:13); but when the “bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen” (2:14) gave the lie to his words, he tried to lay the blame on others. “They have brought them” (2:15); “the people took of the spoil” (2:21). This miserable business began with Adam (Gen. 3:11, 12); and who of his sons can plead, “Not guilty”? In connection with his forced confession, Saul revealed one of the secrets of his disobedience—“I have sinned, be cause I feared the people, and obeyed their voice” (2:24). This, too, has been true of multitudes since Saul’s day. Verily, “the fear of man bringeth a nnare: but whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe” (Prov. 29:25). A King Who Disobeyed God. 1 Samuel 15:13-23. Memory Verse.—“If ye love me, ye will keep my com mandments.” John 14:15. Approach.:—Am going to tell you a story of a home where there were two little girls, and a father and mother. These little girls were both old enough to go to school, and could do a great many things about the home to help mother. Both of the girls told mother ELEMENTARY how much they loved her, and would Mabel L. Merrill put their arms around mother’s neck and say, “I love you.” Of course that was a beautiful thing to do, and made the mother very happy. One time mother had to go away from home to be gone several days, and an aunt came to stay with these lit tle girls. Now one of the little girls helped the aunt and did everything she could to help, and always was careful to do the things in the way her mother had told her, but the other little girl took advantage of mother being away, and did. things she knew was wrong and would not be per mitted when mother was at home; that is, she disobeyed, which made it harder for the others in the home, instead of being a help to them. Which one of these girls loved mother most? Let us remember this story, and see how it will help us to understand something else we are to hear about. Prayer.
just as Saul dealt with Amalek. God sets them aside just as He set Saul aside.—Torrey. V. IS Saul was either blinded by a partial and delu sive love, or he was, in his declaration to Samuel, acting the part of a bold and artful hypocrite. He professed to have fulfilled the Divine command, and that the blame of any defects in the execution lay with the people. Samuel saw the real state of the case, and in discharge of the commission he had received before setting out, proceeded to denounce his conduct as characterized by pride, rebel lion, and obstinate disobedience.—J. F. B. V. 14 It is no new thing for the plausible professions and protestations of hypocrites to be contradicted and dis proved by plain and undeniahle evidence. Many boast of their obedience to the command of God but what mean then their indulgence of the flesh, their love of the world, their passions and uncharitableness, and their neglect of holy duties, which witness against them?—Henry. V. 18 So easy was the service and so certain was the success that it was rather to be called a journey than a war. He shows him how inexcusable he was in aiming to make a handle of this expedition, and to enrich himself by it (v. 19).—Henry. V. 19 If the sacred writer had not recorded the tender ness of Samuel in crying to Jehovah all night for the king, a reader might think every gentle feeling was dead in the prophet’s bosom. But the sternness of Samuel goes hand- in-hand with his tenderness. And when these two feelings invite our judgment on the part he bore in this interview, there is but one thing to be said: while the prophet loved Saul much, he loved Jehovah more.—Butler. V. 20 But Saul persisted that he had obeyed, seeing that, as he now insinuated, the spoil had only been reserved for sacrifice to Jehovah. This we take to have been a gross attempt to bribe the Lord, under a most offensive miscon ception of his nature and character, to acquiesce in the, ex emption .he had made. For although stated as an original •motive, it is palpably an after-thought suggested by the stringency of Samuel’s rebuke.—Kitto. Vs. 22, 23 It is sad to reflect how much of the religion that exists among us is a religion of substitution and com promise. Some of the costliest things we have we would offer Him. No small portion of our time we would dedi cate to His worship andi service. No small portion of our wealth we would contribute for the extension of His king dom. Many a painful duty we will do, many a painful sacrifice will we make; but all for this, that having given so much to God, the rest may be our own to do with as we please, to spend as we may list. It cannot be. The Holy One and the Just will enter into no such compromise, will stoop to no such terms. It is a broad, unrestricted obedi ence that He claims; a willing, loving, universal service. He asks the heart—the whole heart; the life—the whole life.—Hanna. V. 23 The word rendered “witchcraft” signifies the fol lowing of divinations and enchantments, which were super stitions forbidden with the severest penalties under the law, and which were justly looked upon as a renouncing of God in having recourse to other real or imaginary powers in op position to Him. When, therefore, a crime is said to be “as the sin of witchcraft,” the meaning is that it is a fault of so heinous and provoking a nature that the obstinate commission of it is altogether inconsistent with all true principles of religion, and, in effect, a total renunciation of them.—S. Clarke. All conscious disobedience is actually idolatry, because it makes self-will, the human I into a God. So that all manifest opposition to the word and command ment of God is like idolatry a rejection to the true God. This saying of Samuel came literally true 4n Sanl’s case. Through disobedience he was forsaken of God, and became a prey to the Evil Spirit, and was led on in time to resort to witchcraft (ch. 27:7), and perhaps to consult teraphim (see ch. 19:13). Here is a solemn warning for these lat ter days. May we then take good care that, even when we mean to render the Lofd service or obedience, we yet be ware of our choice and fancy, and follow only the traces of the Divine will. Obedience is the mother-grace, the parent of all virtues.—Homiletic Com.
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker