Notes on the International Lesson.
By J. W. Scoles
THE repentance and sorrow which Saul manifested when Samuel told him the Lord had rejected him from being king was more from a desire to be honored by Samuel in the sight of the people than to obtain the forgiveness of God. Saul evidently had no true repentance; he did not grieve over his sin, but over his disgrace. The favor of the Lord was of less value to his mind than the esteem of the people. The sacrifice which God delights to accept is a broken heart and a contrite spirit. This is just as necessary, too, for us as it was for Saul. God loathes sin to-day as much as he ever did. SAMUEL'S sorrow was perhaps as much on account of the discouraging prospect which apparently lay before the nation, as it was on account of personal grief over the failure of Saul. His lack of faith, however, seems to have been rebuked by the Lord, who virtually told Samuel that in thus mourning for Saul he was questioning the wisdom of God. Because the instrument which God takes in hand to accomplish his work sometimes breaks and becomes worthless, let us not obtain the idea that his purposes will fail. Our faith must not be limited to our own strength or our own possibilities. Men may fail and measures may appear inadequate, to our human understanding, but the eternal years of God are sufficient for him to work out his own stupendous plans in his own omnipotent way. GRIEF, under certain circumstances, is natural and right, but is liable to be prolonged until it borders on selfishness in some instances. The best remedy for an undue manifestation of sorrow is to find some other employment for the mind. And one way in which God's mercy is shown to us, is by coming to us and setting us to work. When Elijah, in his discouragement, cast himself down under the juniper tree and wished to die, the Lord aroused him and strengthened him for his journey to Horeb, after which he commissioned him to go and anoint Hazael and Jehu. 1 Kings 19. So while Samuel was indulging in grief, the Lord called upon him to fill his horn with oil and go to Bethlehem to perform the work he had for him to do. It is a blessed privilege to be permitted to forget our own sorrows and personal disappointments in carrying forward the broader plans of God. THE Lord might have made the anointing of David more public, but this would have caused open confusion and perhaps would have stirred up national rebellion. It was not God's purpose to prematurely bring David to the kingdom in this manner, but as it was a common thing for Samuel to offer sacrifice in the ordinary exercise of his office, the Lord quietly directed him to go to Bethlehem and anoint the one whom the Lord should name to him. "And Samuel did that which the Lord spake." If we walk willingly and obediently in the paths of present duty, we may rest secure in the confidence that the future will be lighted up by the illumination of God's counsel when that future comes to us. "MAN looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." Samuel, thinking perhaps, of the noble stature of Saul, saw in Eliab, Jesse's eldest son, one who would surely, at least to his mind, be a fit subject for God's favor to rest upon, but the angel of the Lord told Samuel that countenance and stature were not to be taken into consideration in the king who was now to be chosen, but rather the motives of the heart. BESIDES the inward qualifications which David possessed, there were other natural requisites which specially fitted him for the position he was to fill. Although occupied in the humble work of tending sheep, he had discharged his duties with faithfulness and courage. These had developed self-reliance and patience, and so he was afterwards called to exchange his shepherd's staff for a scepter. His subsequent sympathetic relations with the people, together with his poetic productions, show the effects of his early life of solitude and consequent communion with God and nature. FROM the time that Samuel anointed him, David seemed to have had an understanding and prudent heart. "The Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward," so that in reality he was doubly qualified for the work which lay before him. So it is that God completely equips his servants for the vocation to which he assigns them. In calling us to become connected with himself and his work to-day, the Lord is no less willing to counsel, uphold and abundantly bless us. J. W. SCOLES.