THE KING’S BUSINESS
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God and God then rejected him (ch. 15: 23 cf. Hos. 13:1).' There is no principle of God’s dealing with men more sure than that He exalts the one who humbles him self and humbles the one who exalts him self (Luke 14:11; 18:14). Humiiity is necessary not only to receive blessings from God; it is also necessary in order to keep them. It was a favorite saying of Mr. Moody’s that “Faith gets the most, love works the most, and humility keeps the most." v. 22. “And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlor and made them sit in the chiefest place among them that were bidden." Samuel here gives Saul the place that God had given him. He had made arrangements to do this even before Saul appeared (v. 23) for he had God’s word for it that he was to appear (vs. 15, 16) and he went forward acting by faith in God’s word. The shoulder (or rather, thigh, see R. V.), the part which he had caused to be set aside for Saul, was the choice piece (Ezek. 24:4) and it be longed to the priest as his portion of the offering (Lev. 7:32, 33 R. V.). The change in the R. V. in verse 24 from “behold that which is left” to “behold that which hath been reserved” is very significant, Saul should not get the remnants but he should get the special portion that was reserved for him unto the appointed time. v. 25. “Samuel communed with Saul upon the top of the house.” The housetop in those days was the place of retirement and quiet (Acts 10:9) and into that place Samuel withdrew for a private conversation with Saul. It was a moment of supreme importance in the life of Saul. He had never met a man of Samuel’s type before, a man who knew God and who could reveal the mind of God. Communion with him was the greatest privilege that had thus far Come into the life af Saul. But we have a far better than Samuel with whom we can commune (1 John 1:3), most of us, how ever, are so carried along with the hurry of business and household duties and other things that we do not take time to retire
will tell thee all that is in thine heart.” God only knows the hearts of men (2 Chron. 6:30; Jer. 7:9, 10), but it is His good pleasure at times to reveal to His ser vants what is in the hearts of other men. v. 20. "And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel (rather, for whom is all that is desirable in Israel ) ? Is it not on thee? (rather, for thee)?” There were two reasons why Saul should not set his mind on the lost asses. The immediate reason was that they were found, but there was a, far deeper reason, that is, that something far more valuable than asses were for him, namely, “all that was desirable in Israel.” How foolish then to set his mind oh asses ! A few. asses were of little account to one who had come into a king dom. But how much less ought we, who are heirs of the heavenly kingdom, to set our affections on the poor add fleeting pos sessions of this earth (Col. 3:1, 2; 2 Cor. 4:18; 1 John 2:15,-17). What a fool Saul would have been if he had gone away still worried about his asses when he had learn ed that thé whole kingdom was for him, and what fools we are to worry much over the loss of our earthly possessions when we bear in mind that we are “heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17). v. 21. "And Saul ans,wered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Wherefore then speakest thou so to me?” Saul appears in a very attrac tive way in this utterance. The humility with which he receives the information of the greatness to which he had been called promised well for the future. His humility showed his fitness for the exalted position to which God had called him far better than his magnificent physique did. It was when he was thus “little in his own sight” that God made him the head of the tribes of Israel (cf. ch. 15:17). But the time came when he was puffed up with the power he had received as a gift of grace from
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