THE K I N G ' S B US I NE S S v. 2. How can I go? The “ How can I?” of man is answered by the “ I am” of God.— Cook. When God says “ Go” we ought not to reply “ How can I?” but to start and leave God to supply the “ how” . (Prov. 29:2 5) .-IlTorrey. He will kill me. There is no legitimate place for fear in the mind of the Chris tian. (2 Tim. 1:7; 1 Jn. 4:18). When the Lord calls us into any service, He guarantees to he with us and sustain us. (Josh. 1:6; Judges 6:16; Is. 41:10).— Haldeman. What an honest book the Bible is, its greatest heroes coming down so often to the human level and showing the same weaknesses as our selves.— Bible Exp. Say I am come to sacrifice. The answer which for the sake of prudent management he was in structed to return, was strictly true though he did not tell the principal de sign of his coming, for though no man in any circumstances should tell a lie, yet in all circumstances he is not bound to tell the whole truth. He must tell nothing but the truth and so tell that truth that the hearer shall not believe a lie by it.-^tTreas. Scrip. Knowledge. v. 4. Came to Bethlehem. First mention of Bethlehem in the Bible. For last mention see Jn. 7:42.— Bullinger. The elders trembled. Bethlehem was an obscure town, not within the usual circuit of the judge. They were natur ally apprehensive that his arrival was occasioned by some extraordinary rea son.—Jamieson. v. 5. Sanctify Jesse and his sons. David is the eighth here (vs. 10, 11) but called seventh in 1 Chron. 2:15. One must have died shortly after this or been the son of a concubine or died without issue and so not reckoned in the genealogy: Samuel is history, Chronicles is genealogy.— Comp. Bible. v. 6. . He looked on Eliab. Samuel was human after all. There stood the tall and impressive Eliab. No doubt Samuel thought of the handsome Saul and what a fine successor Eliab would make, but God had had enough of handsome kings chosen by human esti mation.—-Eliott. v. 7. The Lord seeth not as man seeth. How many mistakes we would all avoid if we had less confidence in our own judgment and would wait more patiently for the voice of the Lord be fore we act.— Torrey. Man looketh on outward appearance. Man looks at the face, God listens to the heart.— Cook.
594 formance, but he risked his life at every step, and if captured would not have been treated like an honorable prisoner, as Hobson, but would be hanged as a spy, but he, like the heroes in the com mon walks of life, is little applauded. When God’s “ book of remembrance” is opened every hero will receive his crown. Golden Text illustration. David’s whole life displayed the fact that the Spirit of Jehovah was upon him. When Robert W. Weir, the artist, was selected to paint a picture for the rotunda of the Capitol at Washington, he chose for his subject, “ The Embarka tion of the Pilgrims.” Only one criti cism was offered. “ The faces,” said his critics, “ were expressionless.” Mr. Weir immediately began a study of the lives of the Pilgrims. He pored over those Christian biographies; how they braved the ocean dangers, a wintry wilderness, absence from native land that they might worship God. Mr. Weir took his brush again and painted the picture which is one of America’s treasures. The faces are no longer expressionless for the spirit of the Pilgrims came into the spirit of the painter. Isi v. 1. How long wilt thou mourn? If Samuel had been like the majority of men he would have taken delight in the fact that the man for whom they had rejected himself, COMMENTS PROM turned out so MANY SOURCES poorly. — Tor- Keith L. Brooks rey. Let us not cherish what God has rejected or waste the Lord’s time by grieving, but get a fresh anointing from God and look forward.— Eliott. Fill horn with oil and go. A call to service is a cure for sorrow.— Sel. I have provided a king. The language indicates a difference between this and the former king. Saul was the people’s choice, .the fruit of their wayward de sires for their own honor. The next was to be a king who would consult the di vine glory, and was selected from that tribe to which the pre-eminence had been early promised. (Gen. 49:10).— J. F. & B.
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