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T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
It was a g rea t responsibility for Samuel to carry. By God’s help, however, he was equal to it. Even when he was set aside by th e ¿choice of a king, th e people asked him to keep on praying for them . He replied, “ God forbid th a t I should sin again st th e Lord in ceasing to p ray for you." Such a man is a g reater national safeguard th an a fleet of battleships or a standing army. A praying m an is po ten tial and efficient. It is not enough to m editate on prayer or to philosophize on prayer. Nothing takes the place of sacrificial intercession. The best way of learning how to pray is to study the lives of men who have learned th e sec re t and prayed. Samuel, deposed and superseded, still served God and his people. He founded a school of th e prophets a t Mount Ephraim , which is th e historic precedent of our modern Universities, Sem inaries and Bible In stitu tes. He sought to secure an order of godly and devoted men who should watch over th e morals and religion of th e people and make known th e m ind and will of God. Crowning and sanctifying all was Samuel’s own life of ceaseless prayer. He was pre em inently qualified to fill the chair of instruction on the science and a rt of intercession: “Moses and Aaron among his priests and Samuel among them th a t call upon his nam e." In o ther words Samuel stands a t th e head of all those who pray in Israel as Moses and Aaron stand a t the head of the long line of prophets and priests. The suc cessors of Moses and Aaron were a goodly and glorious company bu t n o t comparable to' th a t far more glorious company who immortalized th e ir names by th e ir unselfish and prevailing intercessions. The revival th a t took place under Samuel’s adm in istra tion was born of prayer. The laws of the sp iritu al world are as dependable and invariable as th e laws of th e n atu ra l world. There can be no harvest unless th e soil, has been furrowed and fertilized and sown w ith seed. A h arvest of souls can be reaped when th e necessary means have gone before. These are faith, prayer and the preaching of the Word. P ray er creates th e atmosphere in which th e tru th becomes effective. Samuel called a national assembly for fasting, prayer and confession of sin. Every work of grace must be attended by judgm ent of sin. A revival w ithou t conviction is super ficial and ephemeral. I t is the work of the Holy Spirit to prick men in the h eart and make them cry, “W hat must we do to be saved?” When Israel got rig h t w ith God they became invincible on the field of battle. A fter many years of subjugation they were afraid of th e Philistines. Now the Philistines were overthrown and th e yoke of bondage broken. Spiritual and tem poral victory are related as cause and effect. (V. 5) Samuel’s intercession'w as, 1 . The most powerful means of aid. “P ray er moves th e arm th a t moves the uni verse.” 2. It was a prayer in which they all had a believing in terest. 3. It was prayer to th e ir covenant God. 4. It was prayer for a definite object, (see COMMENTS Vs. 8 ). Israel had a p articu lar danger, FROM THE hence they had a p articu lar request. COMMENTARIES 5. It was offered by a sacrifice. The V. V. Morgan sinful can have no claim upon the Holy, nor can they approach w ithout media tion.— Steel. (V. 6 ) Common afflictions and dangers have a wonder ful power to bring men together. The fear of God is the only solid ground of n ational unity. When each man is governed^ by a desire to serve God, a oneness of aim and purpose in the nation m u st be th e resu lt and in proportion as such feelings sway a people, in such proportion will there be concord in th e ir assemblies, and unanim ity in th e ir ac tions.—Horn. Com.
The Chaldee reads it, “They poured out th e ir h earts in repentance before the Lord.” They wept rivers of tears, and sorrowed afte r a godly so rt; for it was before th e Lord, and w ith an eye to Him.— Butler. (V. 7) The ch aracter and importance of th e national convention a t Mizpeh were fully appreciated by th e Phil- istines.^ They discerned in it the rising sp irit of religious patriotism among the Israelites th a t was prepared to throw off th e yoke of th e ir dom ination; and anxious to crush it at the first, they made a sudden incursion while th e Israelites were in th e m idst of th e ir solemn celebration.— J . F , & B. Com. (V. 9) Samuel officiated, not because he was a regu lar priest, nor by v irtu e of his being a Levite, which would have given him no legal rig h t to offer sacrifice; bu t in his prophetic character as God’s ambassador and representa- ative. But th a t th is function was an ex trao rd inary one appears from the fact th a t it was lim ited to Samuel alone 1 1 Sam. 9 :1 3 ). Samuel is plainly th e center of th e relig ious life of th e period. The presence of God, so far as its gracious m anifestation to Israel is concerned, is for the tim e linked w ith th e P rophet, not w ith th e A rk.—Butler. (V. 10) Thus “while he was yet speaking God heard and answered in th u n d er.” (Isa. 6 5 :24 ). God showed th a t it was Samuel’s prayer and sacrifice th a t He had respect to, and thereby let Israel know th a t as in a form er engagement w ith th e Philistines He had ju stly chastised th e ir presump tuous confidence in th e presence of the ark , so now He graciously accepted th e ir humble dependence upon the prayer of faith, from th e mouth and h ea rt of a pious pro- phet.-^-Butler. (V. 12) The reason he gives for th e name, is, “H itherto h ath the Lord helped us” : in which he speaks thankfully of w hat was past, giving th e glory of th e victory to God only, who had added th is to all His form er favors. N either Samuel’s intercession nor any soldier’s valor is graven th ere; one name only is associated w ith it. “The Lord hath helped us.” T hat is the highest use we can make of mem ory.”—B u tler. . (V. 13) The fo rty y ear’s dom ination of th e Philistines over Israel could no t be overthrown by the sup ern atu ral streng th of Samson, bu t it was term inated by th e prayers of Samuel: so much more powerful are th e weapons of prayer in th e hands of righteous men than any arm of flesh.—W ordsworth. Samuel was th e la st of th e judges about whom we stu died last week. By all odds, he was th e best and g reatest of them . Indeed, he is one of the finest characters in the Bible. He was raised up a t a critical period in Isra el’s history, and did notable service for the DEVOTIONAL nation. COMMENT T h e re w as n o th in g ro m a n tic o r s ta r t- Jo h n A. H ubbard ling in his service, as in th e case of some others, like Abraham , Joseph, Moses, and Paul. He was of th e “ steady-plodder” type, as most of us m ust be; b u t his life counted for a g reat deal. “We love to contemplate the steady consistency of his life. Like th e seamless robe of Christ, it was woven of one piece throughout. By divine grace, Samuel began well, and con tinued well, and ended well.” We may th ink of the secret of his life as being two-fold. In th e first place, God had his ear. “ Speak; for thy serv an t h ea reth ” ( 1 Sam. 3 :1 0 ). This was his a ttitu d e from youth to old age— quick to hear, prom pt to obey. In the second place, Samuel had th e ear of God. “ Samuel cried unto the Lord for Israel; and the Lord heard him ” (1 Sam. 7:9. See also 8 : 6 , 21; Ps. 99: 6 ). We do n o t wonder, then, a t .the record of “ the revival under Samuel” as given in 1 Sam. 7. Space perm its only the mention of some of th e main points of th e chapter, (1) A sense of need— “all th e house of Israel lamented afte r th e Lord” (v. 2 ). (2 ) R eal repentance— “ p u t away the strang e gods . . . prepare your h earts unto the Lord, and serve him only” (v. 3 ). (3 ) Confession— “we
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