Juné 1927
372
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
To Israel’s request for a King, and a new form of government, God replied, warning them of the dangers toward which they were turning. God, in love, always warns people of the consequences of sin. In the days of Amos, the North ern kingdom was plunging into certain and complete disaster, doing “that which was right in their own eyes/’ 4 Amos ap peared on the scene, announcing the im pending danger, and declared that God "will do nothing except Fie reveal His secret unto the servants, the prophets." These warnings are the “word of pro phecy made more sure,” to which we do well in taking heed. Today God warns people “that they who practice such things,” works of the flesh (Gal. 5 :17-21), shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Notwithstanding the warning Israel in sisted that God should grant her request. There is a time when one should be per sistent in prayer, namely, when he is con fident that the thing desired is according to’ the will of God. (1 Jno. 3:19-22; 5:14). To this end Jesus gave us the parable of the importunate widow and the unrighteous Judge. (Luke 18 :l- 8 ) . When, however, a thing is no t. in accordance with the will of God, and one persists in insisting upon obtaining his desire, he may have his petitions granted, but with the granting of the petition comes a lean ness'of soul. (Psa. 106:13-15). The request - having been reluctantly granted, God, -so to speak, puts his prov idential machinery- in motion to grant the request.: In working toward any end He uses the common every day affairs to bring about even mighty results, but what we call common and insignificant things,' He considers great oftentimes. The first step in giving Israel a king was to anoint him whom God chose. Hence, the future king had to be anointed by the prophet of God. In order to bring them together, God used.the. straying away at night of the asses of Kish, the father of Saul, as one of the threads 'to be woven into a fabric of providential occurrences. ■A most excellent illustration of God’s prov idential workings and of His using seemingly insignificant events and even the failures of men for the accomplish ment ;of his purposes, we have in the case of Joseph. (See Romans 8:28; Phile mon 15). Having thus been brought to Samuel the prophet,—God’s representative—Saul was entertained over night by Samuel, his host. Early in the morning “as they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid the servgnt pass on before us.” Which thing he did. They two being alone, Samuel anointed Saul as king over the chosen people. Thus all Israel’s kings were inducted into office. Israel’s kings were typical of Him who is her real king, .and the ceremony of anointing was symbolic of His anointing. Jesus, the one foretold in Isaiah 9:5, 6 , was born king of the Jews and was an ointed at the age of thirty years by the Holy Spirit at His baptism. (See Acts 10:36-38; Luke 3:21-23). All who accept Him as their Messiah and Saviour, being born again (John 3:3-6) are Christians, anointed ones, (2 Cor. 1:21, 22). Having been anointed, Saul immediate ly started to join a band of prophets in the vicinity. Immediately upon leaving Samuel, “God gave him another heart;” and all those signs came to pass that day. What the world needs is a new heart,
man in a congregation not far from his native place had heard the whole Brown family preach through their successive generations. He went a long day’s jour ney to hear young John preach. Being an avowed enemy of legalistic doctrine, the old man was startled' when the preacher took for his text the words of Micah 6 : 8 . He sat deeply interested in the de velopment of the sermon, and.. at the end burst into tears. “If there was a law text in all the Bible,” he said to Mr. Brown, “it was that; but you have preached sound Gospel.” Some Gospel preachers are shy of this Old Testament text, but let us not forget that “faith without works is dead,” and that the born-again: man is one who manifests Christ by “visiting the fatherless and widows in their afflicton, and in keeping himself unspotted from the world” (Jas. MJ:27).
of high and noble feelings, and at the same time modest and distrustful of self. His first act had been to rescue Israel from threatened bondage, and his second was to turn an opportunity for vengeance (11:12, 13) into one of forgiveness. His after history presents a mess of errors, ending in a mournful suicide. Why should the pen of inspiration give us the history of such a wreck? To remind the strongest and most promising of us how dangerous an ocean it is we have to tra verse; how treacherous the coasts along which it lies. We do not lack for warnings. Men who seem to be the ris ing hope of their generation may, through disobedience to God, become the most helpless and tragic figures in a na tion’s history. The higher the promise of virtue, the greater the momentum of the man who falls from his integrity—the farther he goes into evil. —o— P ith and P oint Stubborn prayers may sometimes be answered—with a judgment thrown in to boot. We are not fit to undertake the work of God -without being instructed in the Word of God (9:27). Humility is necessary to exaltation be fore God (Lk. 14:11) and also to keep ing it (cf. 1 Sam. 15:23). There is a time to be still and a time, to be up and doing (1 Sam. 9:26). _ The anointing power of the Spirit is received only when we stand still and re ceive the Word of God (1 Sam. 10:1). Compromising Christians are blind on one side (1 Sam. 11 : 2 ). An index to character is . the hero a man worships. It was chiefly “good looks” Israel wanted. Speed the day when the world shall recognize her true King (Rev. 19:16)I,/:' S uggestive Q uestions What is the meaning of the name “Saul” ? (“Asked-for”) (cf. 1 Sam. 8 : 5, 6 ). While Saul began by consulting one of God’s seers (1 Sam. 9:9), whom did he consult in the end? (1 Sam. 28:7). Why did God let Israel have Saul? (1 Sam, 9 :16). , - ■ ", • To what-may we compare Saul’s house top communion with Samuel? (1 Sam. 9:25; cf. Matt. 6 : 6 ). What were the differences in circum stances I'.nder which Saul later consulted a witch? (cf. 1 Sam. 9:25, 26 and 28:8). What terms did the Ammonites in tend to make with the men of Jabesh- gilead? (1 Sam. 11:1~3). Before we part with the right eye of faith, what should we all do, and why ? (1 Sam. 11:3; Cf. 1 Cor. 10:13). Though we are faced with the very powers, of hell, what can make us-safe? (1 Sam. 11:4; cf. Eph. 6:11-13).- What did the Jews later say of God’s own King? (Lk. 19:14; cf. 1 Sam. 11:12- 15). —o— G olden T ext I llustration “What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8). The following is told of Rev. John Brown of Haddington, England: An old
OD’S original plan for Israel was that He should be their King. When Sam uel grew old he appointed his sons as judges over Israel.- These young men, disregarding th e
teaching and th e example of the ex emplary l i f e of t h e i r father, fell into gross sins, be-i came mercenary, ac- accepted bribes and perverted ' ?kjustice. Under such leader ship the nation be
came discouraged and clamored for the inauguration of a new regime—to have a king like the nations round about them. Their asking for a king was virtually a rejection of God’s plan. They did not seem to realize the truth proclaimed by Isaiah: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways, saith Jehovah. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways, higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Israel’s desire to be like the surround ing nations was a step away from her God. God had chosen her out from the world to be the one nation through whom His blessings would flow to all nations. With her He had entered into covenant relationship; to her .He committed His oracles; to her He made manifest His power; and in Canaan He planted her, Psalm 105:8-11; Psalm 44:1-3. With all of these advantages it is but reasonable that Israel would be different from the nations who never enjoyed such blessings. These blessings and privileges were granted to them in order that they might be different from other peoples. Ex. 19: 5; they were thus blessed that the na tions who had forgotten God (Romans 1:18 f.c.) might see how they should live. In like manner God has “loved the Church,” and has given Himself up for. it; that He might sanctify' it, having cleansed it by the washing of the water with the Word.” (Eph. 5 :25, 26) in order that it might be “seen as lights' in the world.” A light to be seen in the day time has to be different from the light of the sun,—hence green and red lights as signals and warnings on railroads: There fore, God’s people cannot go in the ways of the world.
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