OUR BIBLE BAND

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Mar 31, 1909

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 36, No. 13.

Schedule for Week Ending April 10, 1909.

			Morning.	Evening.
Su.	April	4	Ruth 1, 2, 3, 4	Luke 8: 1-25
Mo.	"	5	1 Sam. 1, 2, 3	Luke 8: 26-56
Tu.	"	6	1 Sam. 4, 5, 6	Luke 9: 1-17
We.	"	7	1 Sam. 7, 8, 9	Luke 9: 18-36
Th.	"	8	1 Sam. 10, 11, 12	Luke 9: 37-62
Fr.	"	9	1 Sam. 13, 14,	Luke 10: 1-24
Sa.	"	10	1 Sam. 15, 16	Luke 10: 25-42

Suggestive Notes.

For the first day of our reading in the Old Testament we have the beautiful story of Ruth; four chapters, all of them brief, and wonderfully interesting, telling us of a little pastoral tale of the time of the judges, and bringing out in its close the ancestry of the Lord Jesus, into which is brought a Moabite woman. The book of Ruth was probably written by Samuel, or in the early days of David, perhaps by Nathan the prophet.

The first book of Samuel is really the last book of Judges; for Samuel was himself the last of the judges, an Ephraimite by birth, but one who was given to God as the first-born and so became a priest in Israel as well as a prophet. To the latter office he was called in his early youth. Very interesting indeed is the story of his birth and the devotion of his mother. The two books of Samuel are one in the Hebrew. The Septuagint divided them into two, calling the books of Samuel and Kings the four books of the Kings. The two books contain the history of Israel from Eli to the old age of David. The first book of Samuel was probably written by Samuel himself, or by some of the school of the prophets which he founded.

The week's lessons reach to the close of the 16th chapter. The first chapters are the history of Samuel in his call to the prophetic gift, together with the conditions of Israel, and the weakness of Eli. There we are told of the defeat of Israel by the Philistines and the capture of the ark of God; the death of the old priest; the affliction which followed the ark in the land of the Philistines; the return of the ark of God; the corruption of Samuel's sons; the asking for a king, thereby losing the conditions which would demand faith in looking alone to God as their King; the choosing of Saul, and the various events connected with it; the beginning of his reign, with Saul's rashness and weakness; finally, the Lord's rejection of Saul and his family, and the anointing of David.

Our New Testament lessons continue the Gospel of Luke from the first verse of the 8th chapter to the close of chapter 10. As with all other lessons on the Gospel, the week's story is filled with interesting miracles and teaching.