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T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S
'July, 1933
were negotiated, until Bethlehem was reached. A decision which is not acted upon at once generally fades before the goal is reached, but when acted upon, if it is a decision that honors God, as in this case, the path will be made clear by the hand of the Lord Himself. Lesson Questions Vs. 6, 7. Where were Naomi and her daughters-in-law at this time? Was any one o f them out of the will of the Lord in being there? What had recently taken place? Was it the prospect of material or of spiritual gain that moved Naomi to action ? Vs. 8-10. Was Naomi really showing kindness to her daughters-in-law when she urged them to return to their heathen homes and heathen gods ? How much “rest” could they find apart from Jehovah (cf. Matt. 11:28-30)?, Vs. 14-19. Both of the Moabitish women showed deep sorrow and affection; what else did Ruth have that Orpah did not possess? Memorize Ruth’s reply in which she stated her decision; what did it in clude? When she turned to the Lord, she made a clean break with her old life-; who else did this (Matthew—Matt. 9 :9 ; Paul— Acts 9:1-6, 20,21 ; Moses—Heb. 11:24-26) ? Who failed to do it (Lot—Gen. 13:10-14; Saul—1 Sam. 15:1-11)? Ruth was “stead fastly minded” ; who else in Scripture showed the same spirit (Jesus—Lk. 9 :51 ; early Christians—Acts 2 :42 ; Stephen— Acts 7 :55) ? What truth gathers around the little word “ until” ? God’s Gift of Friends R uth 1 :l-22 Memory Verse: “ Let us love one an other” (1 John 4:7). Approach: One time when the judges ruled in the land of Israel, there was a famine in the land. Because of the famine, a certain man and his wife, Naomi, and his two sons left and went to the country of Moab to live. Naomi’s husband died, and
that she had been willing to give up her country and her people and that she had helped her friend. Golden Text Illustration A little boy, who had plenty of pennies, dropped one into the missionary box, laughing as he did so. He had no thought in his heart about Jesus, the heathen, or the missionary. His was a tin penny; it was as light as a scrap of tin. Another boy put a penny in, and as he did so, he looked around with a self-applauding gaze, as if he had done some great thing. His was a brass penny; it was not the gift of a “lowly heart,” but o f a proud spirit. A third boy gave a penny, saying to himself, “I suppose
I must, as all others do.” That was an iron penny; it was the gift of a cold, hard heart. As a fourth boy dropped his penny in the box, he shed a tear, and his heart said, “Poor heathen! I’m sorry they are so poor, so ignorant,, and so miserable.” That was a silver penny; it was the gift of a heart full of pity. But there was one scholar who gave his penny with a throb bing heart, saying to himself: “For Thy sake, O loving Jesus, I give this penny, hoping that the poor heathen, whom Thou lovest, will believe in Thee, and become Thy disciples.” That was a golden penny, because it was the gift o f love. How many give golden pennies—“ for love’s sake” (Philemon 9) ? “Love is of God” (1 John 4 :7) .—S elected . seemingly did not, and her heart was to ward the Lord. While she desired above all earthly things that she might have a son, yet she wanted this son not so much that she might have her own pride satisfied, but that her son might recall the people to their God fiom whom they were departed. Her prayer was intense in its supplica tion; she was in bitterness and wept much (v. TO). Hannah’s earnestness was such that Eli, the high priest,.thought she was drunken and rebuked her. But this error of Eli’s reveals the tragic state of the peo ple before the Lord. The very one who- should have been speaking for the people to the Lord, the high priest, was so out o f touch with God that when this woman, spoke for herself, he could imagine her to be drunk. Her prayer carried a petition backed by a promise, or a vow (v. 11). If the Lord hearkened and heard by giving her the de sire o f her heart, then she would return the gift to Him. Her son should be a Nazarite. The words, “there shall no razor come upon his head,” imply this. Hannah felt that only such a one, wholly separated to and for the Lord, could suffice to meet the deep need of the people in their indif ference to the claims of God. She promised that her son should be given to the Lord all the days of his life. Mothers of today miss much by holding their children as though they belonged entirely to the mother and not to the Lord. Many a mother has turned the whole course of her child’s life by the character of her prayer before the child was born. Hannah’s prayer should be followed as far as verse 23. In these verses it will be noticed that her prayer was not only in tense and earnest, but it was importunate, persistent, wholehearted, believing, and at last answered in the gift o f the child. Prayer is the medium by which the soul comes in touch with God, and when proper ly used, it becomes the channel through which God’s blessings are brought down to earth. It is still true that “prayer changes things,” in spite of what some are BLACKBOARD LESSON
AUGUST 13, 1933 HANNAH 1 S amuel , C hapters 1 and 2
Lesson T ext: 1 Sam. 1 :9-l 1,24-28; 2 :1,2. Golden T ext: “A woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised” (Prov. 31:30). Shiloh hiloh was a sacred spot in ancient Israel, for it was the site of the tab ernacle of Jehovah and the center of religious life of the people. It was here that Eli ministered before the Lord, and it was here that the boy Samuel, who was
dedicated to God by his mother, Hannah, was trained. The prophet Je r emi ah spoke o f the destruc tion of Shiloh when he said o f the tem ple at Jeru salem , “Therefore I will do unto this house, . . . as I have done unto
Shiloh.” And the prophecy was fulfilled. It is not known certainly when the town of Shiloh was destroyed, but it is recorded as being in ruins near the beginning of the Christian era. Jeremiah speaks as if it had already come to pass. Indeed, the ruins at Shiloh appear to be among the most ancient in Palestine, so that it may well have been destroyed before the days of the prophets. Today the ruins lie upon the southern slope o f a rounded hill in a very hilly country. The grass and low shrubbery have well nigh obscured them, but one can still see, rearing themselves above the tangled thickets, the bleaching stones which once formed the walls o f the dwelling places of ancient Shiloh. The site is untouched by the spade of the archaeologist. One won ders what records may be revealed when excavations lay the city bare. W e all await with interest the finds to be made here. Outline and Exposition I. H annah ’ s P rayer ( 1 :9 -ll). The name “Hannah” means “grace/’ and grace is revealed in her history. She was in grief because a son had been denied her. It was the desire of every Hebrew woman to have a son who might perchance be the promised Messiah. Hannah’s circumstances were all the more bitter because her rival, Peninnah, had children. According to the custom which he fol lowed year by year, Elkanah, Hannah’s husband, took her to Shiloh to worship and to offer sacrifices before the Lord. It was while they were there that Hannah offered her great prayer. Her prayer rose from a sense of the low spiritual state of the people, a State which made for a low testimony for God. Hannah felt the condition of the people as others
she was left with her two sons. The sons married women of Moab. After a while, the sons died. This left Naomi a l o n e with her daughters- in-law, O r p a h and Ruth. L e s s o n S t o r y: Naomi w a s v e r y lonely. She wanted to go back to her
Own land and to her own people. She said to Orpah and Ruth, “Go back to your home and to your mothers, and I shall go back to my own country.” Now Orpah and Ruth loved Naomi, and they wept and did not wish to leave her. Naomi loved them, too, but she had no home and no money. She had been away from her country for years. Perhaps there was no one there who would know her or help her. So she urged Orpah and Ruth to stay in their own country with their own people. At last Orpah kissed Naomi and turned back, but Ruth could not be persuaded. In-: stead, she said: (Read Ruth 1 :16-18.) So Ruth and Naomi journeyed back to the land o f Israel together. Naomi was an old woman now, but Ruth was young and strong and eager to take care of Naomi. And because she was such a good friend to Naomi and so willing to take care o f her, the Lord found work for her to do and friends to help her, so that Ruth was glad
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