p. 424 | The Sabbath-School by J. W. Scoles

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Jul 15, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 27.

The Sabbath-School.

By J. W. Scoles

Notes on the International Lesson.

SAMUEL THE REFORMER.

GOD did not manifest his power in connection with the ark, when the Israelites carried it out to aid them in their battles with the Philistines, because they were presumptuously sinning against him. As soon, however, as the ark was taken by the Philistines, his power was manifested against them in a marked degree. The ark, as we have already seen, contained the law of God, the ten commandments. This law was, and still is, the reflex of his divine will. It represents the character and perfection of the almighty God. Not one jot or tittle has ever been abrogated or set aside, and never will be. Each commandment of the decalogue is as immutable and unchangeable as when God, with his own finger, wrote it on the tables of stone and presented it to his people. This being the case, the ark might be said to be, in one sense of the word, a type of God’s presence. And the fact that the image of Dagon, a false god, and representing a false system of religion, fell before the ark and was destroyed, shows that the God whose law was contained in that ark was the true God alone. It is always safe to walk in conformity with his will, but death and destruction surely come as the result of disobedience.

GOD does not accompany us when we walk in forbidden paths. It is a sad enough thing to ignorantly walk in the ways of evil; but to willfully continue to practice iniquity after we have seen its sinfulness is the height of presumption. God reveals his will to us that we may follow it, and walk in the path that leads to life eternal.

WE must be willing to wait for and to receive the counsel of God. During the twenty years spoken of in this lesson, a majority of the children of Israel were walking contrary to the Lord. Because of this he had left them to their own devices, and as the result, they were brought into subjection to the Philistines. Doubtless there were some of them who were loyal to God. But as a people, they had not learned the lesson that God had given them. It remained for them to be brought under the power of the enemy, in order that they might recognize how God had been leading

and protecting them in the past. The Philistines were hard masters, and for fear that the Israelites would revolt against them, refused to allow them to make any implements lest they should also make weapons of war. So that when Saul came to the throne there were no weapons of war among the Israelites at all. And in the meantime the worship of Baalim and Ashtaroth and the practice of wretched idolatry of the Philistines prevailed among the majority of the people. From this we learn that if we allow ourselves to be brought into bondage to Satan, we may confidently expect that he will attempt to hedge up every possible way whereby we might escape from his power, and will be continually on his watch lest we, recognizing our own inability to overcome his wiles, shall take such steps as to connect us with God, and enable us to use the weapons which God gives us for our defense.

IT is not safe for us to separate ourselves from God for a single moment, as by so doing we place ourselves upon the enemy's ground. We cannot serve two masters. In the Christian warfare the conflict is sharp, and clearly defined. For us it is either connection with God or affiliation with the prince of this world. And if God deserts us and suffers us to be overcome by the enemy, it is certainly because we first desert him and refuse to fight under his banner.

THROUGH the ministration of Samuel, the people recognized the enormity of their transgressions against the Lord, and began to cry unto him for help. Samuel at once put their repentance to the test by requiring them to put away idolatry and other sins, and worship the true God. The surest test of our repentance for an error, is to put away the wrong and turn to God with all our heart. If we truly love God and desire to keep all of his commandments, let us show our love and desire to serve him by putting away everything which he has not commanded and turning our feet unto his testimonies.

ISRAEL might have put away the idolatry which prevailed among them and have remained quietly in their homes, but they preferred to take decided steps in showing their return to God and their allegiance toward him. They therefore unitedly came together to Mizpeh to confess their sins and renew their covenant with the Lord. We should certainly be no less fearless to-day. As soon as we realize that we have been walking in ways of error we should be willing to fearless and boldly confess the fact before men, and to walk in the way of truth even though the whole world oppose. God wants his children to show their colors. We must be either for him or against him. Where do you stand?

WHILE the people sacrificed at Mizpeh the Philistines came against them to battle. Twenty years before this the Israelites had lost the battle at this very place, because of their failure to recognize God, but, on this occasion, the tables were turned and victory crowned their efforts. It is thus that God deals with his children to-day. If, in our effort to develop character we fail to trust in him, and, relying upon our own strength, we thereby yield to temptation and are overcome, we may regard it as a sure fact that sooner or later we shall be compelled to go over the same ground again in our Christian experience. It is thus that God brings us again and again over the same places in order that we may be fully tested upon our weak points, and may learn to have that power with him which will enable us to gain precious victories instead of suffering humiliating defeats.

As the Lord sent the thunderstorm to discomfit the enemies of his people, so he will overrule events for our eternal good if we only trust him. The deliverance wrought on this occasion was a supernatural occurrence, and not a fortunate combination of circumstances. The record distinctly informs us that the Lord heard the cry of his children and delivered them. If, in similar manner, God opens up the way for our deliverance out of great temptations let us not be afraid to give him the glory. There is a great tendency upon the part of many professed Christians to explain away, by so-called natural causes, many signal instances of God's direct interposition in their behalf. Why should we not believe in the power of God to save and help his people to-day, as much as in the past. If he does assist us, let us not be afraid to acknowledge the fact before our fellow-men.

As a memorial of the momentous occurrences of that day, Samuel raised up a stone upon the field of battle, and called the name of it "Ebenezer," which literally means "the stone of help." Why should not we raise such memorials in our experience? If we, after carefully investigating any point of doctrine, or anything concerning the truth of God's word, find it abundantly sustained by the direct testimony of the Scriptures, let us raise there an Ebenezer, and let the fact that the Bible sustains that truth be so firmly fixed in our minds that no amount of controversy will ever cause us to doubt. We need more stones of help along the pathway of our Christian life.

J. W. SCOLES.