375
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
June 1927
rain, in order that Israel might be con victed of their terrible sin, God sent thunder and rain that day. The God Who could make the heavens and the earth can, if He chooses, send rain at any time or do that which He wills. Instead of saying “It rains” it is better to say “God sends His rain upon the just and the un- just.” "Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, 0 Jehovah our God?" (Jer. 14:22). Not only does He give the physical show ers but in response to the earnest cry- ings of His redeemed ones He gives spir itual showers which bring refreshment to our souls. Verses 19-25. Samuel’s powerful ser mon, together with God’s manifest ap proval of Samuel and disapproval of them, carried conviction of sin to their hearts. Thereupon, verse 19, they be sought Samuel to pray for them, at the same time confessing their sins. When God’s children uncover their sins by gen uine repentance and confession, God cov ers them. In verse 20 Samuel comforted their hearts by saying, “Fear not,” and urged them to “bring forth fruit worthy of repentance,” urging them to serve the Lord faithfully, and in verse 21 assuring them all which is not service to God is futile and vain. In order to allay their feelings of disquietude, in verse 23 Sam uel assures them that he will pray for them. This assurance was indeed a great comfort to them for they realized that he was a man of God whose prayers were heard (see Jer. 15:1). Samuel as an in tercessor might be considered as a type of our great High Priest and Intercessor Who, “having been tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin," is now appearing in the presence of God for us. In conclusion he assured them that he would instruct them “in the good and the right way," urging them to serve God in truth, following on to know the Lord, and warning them of the dangers of dis obedience. . —o— Samuel, the Faithful Servant I Samuel 12 Memory Verse: “Serve the Lord with all your heart.” I Samuel 12:20. Approach: What kind of boys and girls are you at home and at school? Are you faithful? Are you prompt in obeying father and mother, and is your
ciple of the life of every child of God to strive by the grace of God to have a conscience void of offense both toward man and toward God. In-this connection it is -well to remember that, though wrongs may be hidden from men, at least • for the -time being, God sees and knows everything. (Psa. 139). Verse 5. After their justifying every act of His public ministration. He sol emnly called upon God and His Anointed to be witnesses, to their statement, to which appeal they gave assent in the fol lowing words, “He is witness." In verses 6-18 we have, the historical retrospect. It is well to note the fact that the speech narrates the history of Israel briefly from the exodus out of Egypt to the war against the Ammonites which had just successfully closed. Whenever we study the speeches of the men of God in any portion of the Biblical history where they are giving an historical retro spect we will find that the usual method was to begin either with the call of Abraham or the Exodus, the birthday of the nation, and move rapidly to their own times. Upon examination of the context in which these speeches appear we will see that the point to which the speech brings the history coincides nat urally and exactly with the historical nar rative in which it is placed,,, These facts corroborate the position that the histor ical portions of the Scriptures are true and accurate accounts of the history which they narrate; and, taken with other data, prove the inspiration and infallibil ity of the Bible as the Word of God. Verse 6. This verse points backward 500 years to the Exodus as an historical fact. God by His wonderful grace sent Moses with his assistant, Aaron, to be a deliv erer of His oppressed and down-trodden people. Nineteen centuries ago God sent into the world as our Deliverer, Jesus Christ, Who is "a prophet like u n t o Moses" (Deut. 18:15-19), and Who has redeemed us from oppression and guilt of sin. Verses 7-12. Samuel recounts to his contemporaries how Jacob with his fam ily went down into Egypt and, after de veloping into a nation, at which time they were oppressed, how they cried unto God and He delivered them. In verse 9 he shows how prone they were to forget God and how God, because of their sins, de livered them over to servitude and bond age to foreigners. In verses 10-12 he con tinues to recount the facts of their sin ning, punishment, deliverance into the hands of Gentile oppressors, their re pentance and of God’s deliverance by a judge or deliverer. In verses 14 and 15 he promises God’s blessings upon them if they are diligent in obeying God; but if disobedient He will punish them. These two verses set forth the legalistic side of their religion, grace being all but overshadowed by law. It is entirely different now with us who have accepted Christ. He says to us that He no longer deals with us as with ser vants who do not know the Master’s will but is treating us as sons . “I f ye love Me ye will keep My commandments." “Ye are not under law but under grace." Verses 16-18. In these verses we have God’s approval of Samuel and his work and of His disapproval of Israel given in the form of a miracle. At that season it was wheat harvest; hence not a time for rain. In response to Samuel’s prayer for
IN 1 Sam. 8:1 we are told that Samuel was an old man at the time Saul was selected as king for Israel. After Saul’s coronation and his successful war against
the Ammonites as we read in 1 Sam. 11, We are given in chapter 12 the fa mous speech which he made before all Israel in Gilgal. We would gather from this speech that this old, faithful man of God is laying down
the active ministry to which he had de voted his entire consecrated life; though his active ministry seems (o close at this time, the Lord granted him the privilege of living to a ripe old age, and he died later on as we learn in 1 Sam. 25 :1. This speech divides into three principal divisions, which divisions are indicated by the paragraphs in the American Standard Version, the first one consisting of verses 1-5, which relate Samuel’s godly life; the second, of verses 6-18, which is a his torical retrospect of God’s dealing with Israel up to that time; and the third, of wholesome advice to the people and as-* surance that he would remember them in his prayer life. Verses 1 and 2. In these verses Samuel states that he had granted their request for a king, who was walking before them; that he was old; that his sons were with them; and that he had been asso-. ciated with them from his youth. As we learn from 8:3, his sons by their ungodly lives were a hindrance instead of a bless ing to Israel. Verse 3. In this verse Samuel throws out a challenge to those for whom he had ministered during the .long, weary, trying years when Israel had no king and "when every man did that which was right in - his own eyes,” asking them to point out any injustice or wrong of which he was guilty. He realized that he and they were in the presence of God and he was willing for his life to be brought up in review. There are, the writer is persuaded, very few officials, comparatively speaking, in any public office who could throw out such a challenge to those for whom they ministered in civil affairs. His conscience was clear in regard to the past. Evidently he could say as Paul did in Acts 23:1, “I have lived before God in all good con science until this day." The man who per forms his duties honestly and conscien tiously as unto God, not with eye service as men-pleasers, but doing the will of God from the heart, has a clear conscience and is willing to have his life in spected. This challenge reminds one of the request of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-9), who said to the Lord, " If I have wrong fully exacted aught • of any man, I restore f o u r f o l d , Again, Christ, hav ing a fclear conscience that He had never sinned in word, deed or thought, asked His carping critics, "Which of you con- victeth Me of sin?" Dear Friend, in whatever position God has graciously placed us, may we act in such a way that we can with a clear conscience hon estly in the presence of God ask those with whom we have labored, to point out any wrongs, as did this man of God. Verse 4. To which challenge the audi ence in one mighty chorus responded in the negative, stating that in nothing could they find fault. May it be the ruling prin
work well done and are your lessons care fully prepared ? Do you play fair in your games and sports, and are you kind in your dealings with others? Prayer. L e s s o n S t o r y : Horace, can you tell us how the people of Israel had their own
way, and what God did for them? (Re view, emphasizing God’s wonderful deal ings with His people.) The grand old prophet, Samuel, was now growing old, and he is talking to the people and telling them of God’s goodness to them all along the way, and even though they had rejected God in wanting an earthly king to rule over them, God had let them have their own way and had given them a king, whose name was Saul. Samuel, we re member, was taken to the temple when a
Made with FlippingBook Annual report