for the purpose of the Lord must stand, the word of the Lord must be fulfilled. Now those who believe in Christ have the promise of eternal life in him. In hours o:f relaxed diligence they perhaps let it slip; but under real pressure faith revives and grasps the promise again. They slrnll not perish. They may be humbled and dis- tressed, and they will acknowledge that they have brought this on themselves; but they are persuaded that he is faithful who promised, and so will not cast them off. He has said, 11 I will never leave thefl nor forsake thee;" so that we mny boldly s,iy, "The Lord is my helper." 2. Re"'ivedjaith takes to prayer and to diligent effort. The first thing which David did was to inquire of God. Faith restored ahvays acts tlrns. Rising against discouragement, it is sure that God can turn darkness into light, loss into gain, death into life, and simply asks for direction. " What shall I do ? Shall I sit still, or shall I move? Shall I pursue?'' There are trials and dangers in which the only wise course is to be quite patient and passive; the" strength is to sit still." When Daniel was cast to the lions his faith was shown in not struggling with the wild beasts, but sitting among them calm and still till rescue came at break of day. So may a Christian fall into a den of troubles out of which no effort of his own can bring him up ; and his faith is shown in prayer and waiting on God, who is able to send his angel to minister to the weak and protect the helpless. Those whose faith has not failed at all may do more than pray-may sing praises, as Paul and Silas did in the dark dungeon. Other cases there are, and more frequent, in which prayer should be promptly followed by active exertion. David did not ask the Lord to work a miracle, or send angels, to restore to him what the Amalekites had taken. It was possible for him and his men to pursue, overtake, and defeat the spoilers. So he asked the Lord whether he should pursue ; and receiving the Divine command to do so, he addressed himself at once to the pursuit, and obtained a splendid success. Such is the energetic action of reviYed faith. Difficulties go do,vn before its resolu- tions, and lost things come back to him who boldly pursues. Tears of rlefeat are t11rned into songt of victory. The troubles that afflict the people of God are to a large extent chastisements for unbelief or unfaithfulness. At the time they are not joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward they yield the peaceabl\l fruit of right- eousness to those who are exercised thereby. Such are sufferings in sympathy with David. But to some extent those troubles are in sympathy with and for the sake of the Son of David, the Lord Jesus Christ. In such a case we have the comfort that " Christ leads us through no darker rooms Than he went through before." He is touched with a feeling of our infirmities·. He has wept and he has loved. So if we are despoiled, he is our present help, and through him we may do valiantly and recover all. If messengers of Satan buffet us, his grace is sufficient for us, for his "strength is made perfect in weakness. "-F.
EXPOSITION. DEFEAT AND_,DEATH OF SAUL (CH. xxxr.).
Vers. 3, 4. -'l'he arohers. Literally, a.a in CHAPTER XXXI. the margin, "shooters, men with bows." SAUL AND HIS SONS SLAIN (vers, 1-7). .A.s the first word would equally apply to Vers. 1, 2.-The Philistines fought. Lit- men who threw javelins, the explanation is erally it is a participle present, " the Phi- added to make the meaning clear. Hit him. listines are warring," as i£ it were a mere Literally, "found him," i. e. found out his resumption of eh. xxviii. 1. In the battle position, and came up to where he was. He fought on the day following Saul's visit to was sore wounded. Rather, '' he was sore dis- the witch the Israelites were defeated, and tressed." In Deut. ii. 25 the verb is ren- fell in large numbers slain in Mount Gilboa, dered "be in anguish." The meaning is either because the Philistines had attacked that Saul, finding himself surrounded by them there, or because, after fighting in the these archers, and that he could neither valley of J ezreel, they had made on its steep escape nor come to close quarters with them, ridges their last defence. Among those thus and die fighting, ordered his armour-be>tror alnin were the three sons of Saul mentioncJ to kill him, that he might be spnt"CLL tho in eh. xiv. 49, where sec note. degradation of being slai11 by " unciri,111u• 1 SA:U. uu 062 THE FIRST l300K JI<' SAMUEL. [cH. XXXI. 1-13.