366
June 1924
T H E
K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
The W ho le Bible Sunday School Le sson Course EXPOSITION and PERTINENT QUESTIONS COMMENTS FROM THE COMMENTARIES ELEMENTARY - - - Recommended by World’s Fundamental Association T. C. Horton V. V. Morgan Kate H. Haus
JUNE 8 , 1924 CAPTURE OF THE ARK 1 Samuel Chapters 4-7 Golden Text: “ If I reg ard iniquity In my heart, the Lord will not h ear me.” Psalm 66:18. Outline: (1) Defeat, Death and Its Consequences, Ch. 4. (2) D isaster and Its Cause, Ch. 5. We are to consider four im portant chapters in th e life of Samuel. We shall be able to touch only th e main issues, but they are intim ately connected and will afford an op portunity to impress some im portant lessons in hum an life, in its relation to Jehovah. The outline LESSON given will help th e teacher to condense EXPOSITION the lessons. T. C. H orton We suggest th a t the teacher, seek to im press upon th e class th e necessity of read ing the four chapters through. Emphasis upon th is is im po rtan t if we are to inspire th e scholars w ith a real h eart in terest in Bible reading. (1) DEFEAT, DEATH AND ITS CONSEQUENCES, Ch. 4 . “Thy two sons are dead, and th e ark of God is tak en ” v. 17. (a) The Army in A rray and Its Defeat, vs. 1, 2. The Word of th e Lord came to Samuel and through Samuel, to Israel. Israel took it for gran ted th a t now, as they had a prophet, all would be well. Samuel's presence had been a call to them to repent, for the giving of a prophet was a sign of th e need and a call to repentance. They went up against th e Philistines and lost 4000 men. This was a battle carried on in the energy of th e flesh. They presumed upon God’s help, yet He was not w ith them. Something was wrong in Israel. (Josh. 7:11, 12). The na tion was wrong w ith God (1 Sam. 17 :24 ). (b) The A rk of God, and Its Desecration, vs. 3, 4. “Let us fetch the ark of th e covenant of the Lord,’*v. 3. “Why are we sm itten ?” A logical question. There is always a reason for defeat. When God tests, tries and dis ciplines us, th e re is always a good reason, (1 Cor. 11 :30 ). They had a conference w ith God and found out the reason for th e ir defeat. They recognized God’s hand in it. The fau lt was not w ith God, b u t w ith them. But they make no prayer, no confession. They had a n a tional conception of God, as have the nations today. They proposed to compel God to be w ith them by bringing th e ark. They did not consult Samuel. They did not observe Jehovah’s command (Deut. 2 8 :14 ). They should have repented (Isa. 1:16, 17). The two degenerate sons of E li head th e procession. (Contrast Num. 10:35, 36). (c) The A dventure of th e A rk, vs. 5-11. “And all Is rael shouted w ith a g reat shout,” v. 5 . (3) Divine Favor and Its Conditions, Ch. 6 . (4) Devotion to God and Its Conquest, Ch. 7. Introduction:
F ear was in the h earts of the Philistines. They said, “God has come into the camp of Israel; woe unto us.” But Isra el’s shout was not one of faith (1 Ki. 20 :11 ). Con tra s t th e shout a t Jericho (Josh. 6 :20 ). The Philistines rallied to thei call, “ Be strong, and quit yourselves like men, O ye Philistines.” They overcame th e Israelites. God perm itted the enemy to take the ark. The ark had no power. It was b u t a golden box w ithout God. There is no v irtu e in externals, in ceremonies, in th e energy . of th e flesh. F ailu re follows tru s t in men or means. Worldly methods never give victory to the church. By th e ir own sin they fell into disgrace. They were overcome by the heathen whose rites they im itated. (1 Pet. 4:17, 18). (d) The Announcement, vs. 12-22. “Thy two sons also are dead,” v. 17. Read 1 Sam. 3:11-14. The promise of God is fulfilled, “The wages of sin is d eath .” Sons slain, ark taken, Israel d e f e a t e d ,E l i dies. “Whatsoever a man soweth, th a t shall he reap.” E li’s sin was p arental weakness. (2) DISASTER AND ITS CAUSE, Ch. 5. “The hand of th e Lord was against the city w ith a very great de stru ction ,” v. 9. The Philistines took th e a rk of God but not the arm of God. They had the box of gold, bu t not the blessing of God. They, p u t the ark in the house of Dagon, bu t Dagon fell upon his face in the presence of the ark. He lost his head and his hands; th e stum p was left. The heathen are to be ta u g h t a lesson. No gods can stand before Jehovah. The description of P aul in Romans 1:18-23 fairly describes th e m ind of the heathen. “Vain imaginations, foolish, darkened hearts, changing th e glory of the incorruptible. God into an image make like to cor ruptible man.” There 'are also false teachers in our own day who de throne God and fashion a god after th e ir own h earts, and the same judgm ent must come upon them , and even worse, for they sin against g reater light. The judgm ent of God followed the a rk until, in despair, they called a counsel to determ ine how to escape th e judg ment of God and the decision reached was th a t th e ark must go back to Israel. False worship is a violation of God's great command, “Thou shalt have no other gods- before me.” (3 ) DIVINE FAVOR AND ITS CONDITIONS, Ch. 6 , “They *** offered *** a bu rn t offering unto the Lord,” v. 14. God speaks to men through the Word, bu t He also speaks through His providences. The ark must be located w ith His own people. His will is to be manifested to the Philis tines by judgm ents. Now they are prepared to carry out the orders of the covenant. They are not to send it away empty, b u t an offering must accompany it. I t was decided to send a trespass offering of five golden emerods and five golden mice. Emerods were boils. Mice were the enemies of th e grain. God had sent boils upon
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