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THE K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
v. 2. House of Israel lamented. Note the seven steps in Israel’s restora tion. (1) Lamented after God. (2) Exhorted by Samuel (v. 3). (3) Put away idols (v. COMMENTS FROM 4). (4) Inter- MANY SOURCES cession (v. 5). Keith L. Brooks (5) Confession of sin (v. 6). (6) Supplication (v. 8). (7) Sacrifice (v. 9) S -K ’. B. v. 3. Samuel spake. His was the only voice lifted up in the name of the true God. It is in such cases men show what stuff they are made of, when they stand face to face with the crowd and say, “ You have gone astray from the living God.” Is there a grander spec tacle on earth than to see a lonely man confronting a whole nation and up braiding a whole community with a com mon apostasy?— Parker. If we return unto the Lord. God is always ready to receive His backsliding children the moment they will return to Him in sin cerity and truth but He demands free and full confession (Joel 2:12, 13; Lam. 3:40; Hos. 12:6; 14:1, 2).— Haldeman. With all your hearts. True repentance without self judgment and self surrender is impossible.— Gaebe- lein. Prepare your hearts. It is not ■ enough that in a church we experience painful conviction how much we have offended God and desire not to offend Him in like manner any more. We must prepare our hearts for this end. Whoever is urged to conviction by the Holy Spirit must rely on the power of the Spirit to prepare his heart when he endeavors to comply with His sugges tions.— Blaikie. v. 4. Serve the Lord only. To quit the half and half business and get right with God was the only way to get rid of the Philistines then or the defeat of sin now.— Eliott. There seem to be oc casions in human history when a whole nation has got up and outvoted God and brought down the sky to the dust, but such periods are but occasional; they have always been transitory. The hu man is not able to exist alone. A na tion cannot grow upward and at the same time onward in atheism.— Peo ple’s Bible. v. 5. I will pray for you. Many mil lionaires have a poor rating alongside of prayer millionaires.HpjiFarr. Talking to men for God is a great thing but talking to God for men "is a greater thing.— Frost. Samuel’s chief distinc
tion in God’s sight was that he was a mighty man of prayer (Ps. 99:6; 15:1), The fact that he was a child of prayer prepared him to be a man of prayer. (1:27). He is, a type of Christ as in tercessor. (Heb. 7:25).— Torrey. A praying Christ in heaven ought to make praying Christians on earth.— Cook. v. 6. They gathered together. The elements of a true revival among God’s people are found in this great national movement.^—Anno. Bible. They came together not to discuss nor to make war but to have a national prayer meeting. Their pouring out water before Jehovah was a symbol of their utter helplessness and of the pouring out of their hearts before Him. (2 Sam. 14:14; Ps. 22: 14; Lam. 2:19).— Torrey. We have sinned. When we are truly sensible that by sin we have provoked God to withdraw from us and that we are un done if we continue in that state, if we make a solemn business of return ing to God, we may be assured we are on the way to renewed prosperity and deliverance.— Sum. Bible. Unconfessed sin grows like a canker in the heart. It lives and thrives in darkness, thrust ing out its poisonous influence till the soul is filled with secret suggestions.—■ Sel. The moment evil is confessed it is brought into the light and that mo ment the Christian takes sides with God against himself and judges himself in the light of Divine truth.-—Haldeman. Every confession of sin is a fresh in stallment of the consciousness of God in the soul and a prayer against further commission of sinH-Sel. v. 7. When Philistines heard. The repentance and confession of Israel be fore God had its effect upon the Phil istines. The devil does not mind a church so-long as it stays nicely refrig erated; but let people get together in prayer and consecrated effort for Christ and then watch the opposition set in.— Eliott. v. 8. Cry unto the Lord for us. Where prayer- focuses, power falls.— Tucker. Satan may build a hedge about us and hinder our movements but he cannot roof us in and prevent our looking up.— Taylor. Prayer is still the only successful strategy the Chris tian can use in his earthly warfare. v. 9. Samuel offered lamb. All ap proach to a holy God must be on the ground of the blood of the Lamb. (Heb. 10:19; Jn. 14:6). The lamb was a type of Christ. Our Samuel entered into
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