Address—C.E. Lunden
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So we turn to First Samuel, the 9th chapter. I'd just like to review a little bit of Sauls life and of Davide.
Connection with a Psalm that we might read also later. We read a verse here and there, first Samuel 9 in the second verse, Speaking of Kish. And he had a son whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a good lady. And there was not among the children of Israel a goodly or person than he. From his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.
And the ***** of Kish, Saul's father, were lost, and Kish said to Saul his son.
Take now one of the servants with thee, and rise. Go seek the assets. Now while he's seeking the ***** he turns, and he meets the prophet. So we read from the 19th verse, eighteenth verse. Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the Sears house is. And Samuel answered Saul and said, I am the seer. Go up before me into the high place, where you shall eat with me today, and tomorrow I will let thee go, and will tell thee all that is.
Heart. And As for thine ***** that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them, for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee and on thy Father's house?
Saul answered and said, Am not I of Benjamin, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Wherefore then speakest thou?
So to me. And Samuel took Saul and his servant, and brought them into the parlor, and made them sit in the cheapest place among them that were bidden, which were about 30 persons.
Verse 27 And as they were going down to the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul, Bid thy servant pass on before us. Then he passed on.
But stand thou still a while, that I may show thee the word of God.
Then Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it upon his head and kissed him, and said, Is it not because the Lord has anointed thee to be captain over his inheritance? I turned to me with the to the 15th chapter. We read in this chapter how the Lord had told Samuel to tell Saul to go out and to slay all the Amalekites, and now he's returning. 12Th verse. And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel saying.
A Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set him up.
A place and has gone about and passed on and gone down to Gilgal.
And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord.
I have performed the commandment of the Lord, and Samuel said, What meaneth? And this bleeding of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear, And Saul said They have brought them from the Amalekites.
And the people spared the best of the sheep and the oxen to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God, and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord has said.
This night. And he said unto him, Say on.
And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, was thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed the king over Israel.
And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites.
And fight against them until they be consumed. Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and deceive on the side of the Lord?
He Saul said unto Samuel, Yeah, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amli, and have utterly destroyed the Malachites. But the people took of the spoil sheep and oxen the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.
Samuel said that the Lord his great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord.
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice.
And to hearken than the fat of Rams.
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. 30th verse.
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Then he said, I have sinned yet honor me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people.
And before Israel, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord thy God.
So Samuel turned again after Saul, and Saul worshipped the Lord.
35th verse. And Sam became no more to the seesaw until the day of his death.
Nevertheless, Samuel mourned for Saul, and the Lord repented that he had made Saul.
King over Israel. Now, in this portion that we've read, we've had the history, and part of it at least, of a religious man, the man who had been appointed as head over God's people.
That is when he was little in his own sight.
And we find that he was very surprised when he received this appointment.
It was something that perhaps he had never thought of, that he would be in such a position.
And as far as his natural characteristics were, he was the choice of the people.
He was the man that the people loved to have as a king, head and shoulders above the rest.
A good lady, to look upon everything that the natural man desired. Now this is a picture to us of the man after the flesh, religious flesh, if you please.
And we find that God is going to test everyone.
There are two kinds of people that profess the name of Christ.
One of the mayor, one of them is.
One who is a mere professor.
He may go along outwardly as Saul did. He was even among the prophets.
Prophesying.
He gave every indication outwardly of the position that he took in a spiritual way.
But God tests everything.
He tests everyone, he tests the person, and he tests the work.
And so we learned that.
Everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice with salt.
A test. Now this 15th chapter is the test.
He sent him out to destroy the Amalekites.
But instead of obeying the voice of the Lord, he used his own natural wisdom.
And no doubt he did it to please the people.
Though we find that he loses his Kingdom.
Through disobedience.
If we were to read more of the history of Saul, we would see in the 10th chapter of Chronicles, I believe First Chronicles, the end of that man.
And we see how he has to go, finally, having disregarded the word of God.
God will no longer hear him, and he goes to a witch.
The Witch of Ender for his instructions, only to be told of his doom. What a what a beautiful beginning for a man, and yet what a sad ending.
Now turn with me to.
A little further in First Samuel.
In the 16th chapter, immediately we find God taking up another man to be a king.
In Israel the Lord said unto Samuel, How long will thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Bill Einhorn with oil, and go out assembly to Jesse the Beth of the Mic, for I have provided me a king among his sons.
Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the Lord said, Take an heifer with thee, and say I am come to sacrifice the Lord. He called Jesse to the sacrifice. And I will show thee what thou shalt do. Thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.
Now we have the various sons passing before Samuel and the 11Th verse.
And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children?
And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and behold, he keepeth the sheep.
And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch it, fetch him, for we will not sit down till he come hit her. And he sat and brought him in. Now he was ready, and with all of a beautiful.
Uh, countenance and goodly to look to.
And the Lord said, Arise, anoint him, for this is he.
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Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brethren, and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.
Well, this is all we need to read about David.
It makes us think of another one who is to be anointed in the midst of His brethren.
The Lord Jesus.
God has anointed him already, but he's going to anoint him publicly in the midst of his brethren.
We find David here, that the Spirit of God came upon him from that day forward.
Well, this is a rather an interesting connection the Spirit of God.
If we were to trace the rest of Saul's history connection with David, we'd find that it was only David that could drive that evil spirit away from Saul.
Through playing on the harp.
Because Saul was possessed.
More or less from this moment on with an evil spirit.
But we find David a man after God's own heart.
That possessed another spirit, not indwelling perhaps as we have today, but the spirit came upon him from that day forward.
And so this sets before us a different kind of life, dear young people.
Then was found in Saul.
Saul's life was prompted by the flesh.
And the activity of the flesh. And God has said the end of all flesh has come before me.
We see the sad end of Saul.
How different was David's end?
As David's life goes on, it brightens into those beautiful, beautiful psalms that he left us.
And we'll turn to one in a moment.
Because it's the expression. The sounds are the expression of a kind of life.
A new life.
And oftentimes we find in the Psalms the very expressions of the Lord Jesus himself.
Because it's the same life as it not, dear young people. The very same life that was found in the Lord Jesus is found in those who put their trust in Him.
And so we find David then, anointed, but one who was keeping the sheep, his father's sheep.
Was occupied with his father's ***** David with his father's sheep.
One would suggest that which was unclean.
But the other the clean.
Well, that's the that's the course of a newborn soul.
One who has put the Lord always before him. Now if you'll turn with me for a few moments to Psalm 16, because it's David who wrote this Psalm 16, I take it.
And it's the expression of the heart of a young man.
Who?
New God.
He had that light.
A young man who had that life that pleased God.
I believe this title gives us the thought that it's a golden Psalm of David. That is, it's a very special Psalm.
Golden Song.
Of David.
It's the very breathing of that new nature. And as we read this Psalm.
Let's not think of our circumstances for the moment. Let's not think of all that surrounds us.
But let's think for the moment of what we have in Christ, that new life that is within us, and the way it expresses itself.
Because that's the subject of this Psalm. Other psalms later take up the circumstances, the trials and difficulties of the people of God.
But this Psalm rather takes us into the inner circle, the inner man.
The vital things.
Preserved me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust.
All my soul that was said unto the Lord, thou art my Lord, My goodness extendeth not to thee.
To the Saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.
Their sorrow shall be multiplied, that hastened after another God.
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Their drink offerings of blood will I not offer nor take up their names into my lips.
The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup.
Thou maintainest my life.
The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places. Yeah, I have a goodly heritage.
I will bless the Lord who hath given me counsel. My reigns also instruct me in the night seasons.
I have set the Lord always before me, because He is at my right hand. I shall not be moved.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth. My flesh also shall rest in hope.
For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One, to see corruption.
Thou will show me the path of life. In Thy presence is fullness of joy.
At thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
This Psalm takes us through from the very moment.
The beginning of that new life, until we're home in the glory.
What a path.
Doesn't show us the path of the wilderness. No, it shows us the path of communion all the way through until we reach the end.
Oh how good this is.
I'm sure that it's a Psalm that particularly refers to the Lord Jesus.
And that's what makes it the most important instruction for us.
Because it isn't so important, you know, for us to be occupied with ourselves.
But if we're Speaking of this new life, it's Christ.
And so as we trace him through this Psalm, we see the very same life that we have.
Now the very first breathing of a newborn soul is this first verse.
If you can't say this, you don't have life.
Preserved me, oh God, for in thee do I put my trust.
I ask you, dear young people this afternoon, has this been the expression of your heart?
Isn't the expression of your heart?
Preserve me, O God. Now he goes straight to God here.
For thee do I put my trust.
You know no creature of God will ever live in his creation.
Forever, except in the place of dependence.
That's what characterizes man dependence.
Isn't that lovely to see the Lord Jesus taking this place?
Coming down, taking the place of dependence. That verse in the last, the last verse of the 14th of John that was read to us this morning, and that the world may know.
That I love the Father even as he has given me commandment, so I do.
And I believe that first was referring to his going straight to the cross.
Even as He has given me commandments, so I do though the blessed Savior.
Our Savior.
He came down to where we were.
He took the place that man had fallen from.
And he showed that man was to live in complete dependence upon God.
The cast himself entirely upon God.
And ever so even in the 22nd of Luke.
When he sweat, as it were, great drops of blood.
In complete dependence, he offers himself up as a sacrifice.
He offers himself.
He doesn't demand that, he offers himself.
And so he could say in John, therefore does my father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. This commandment have I received of my father.
Now, dear young people, does this sound like what we read about Saul?
No. But isn't it nice to see in the Old Testament, one after another, who in some little way manifests that that new nature that was seen in Christ down here, one who would walk in obedience, dependence?
And these lovely examples that we have in the Old Testament that have been brought to our attention so often.
Of different ones who walked in the path of faith. Hebrews 11 for instance.
Just a bright light here and a bright light there, showing out something of that new nature.
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Response to what God has.
Desired.
Now, I suppose it isn't so much obedience here.
As it is dependence that we have in this chapter and the heart responding.
We find the Lord Jesus before us.
Beautifully here preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust.
Now, dear young people, is this the language of your hearts as you go to carry out your schoolwork?
All the opposition that you find around you preserve me, O God, for thee do I put my trust.
This is the only way of safety.
If you think that you can trust your mind.
The word of God says he that trusts his own heart is a fool.
How lovely to find our place at the very start of life.
Independence upon God preserved me, O, for in thee do I put my trust.
And I'd like to ask if there are any young people here who have never put their trust in the Lord Jesus?
What will you do, my friend, when the day of judgment comes? Who is going to preserve you then?
All that you could say this afternoon preserved me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust.
If you haven't said it, say it now.
And put your trust in the Lord Jesus.
Now we find in the second verse.
In all my soul.
Thou has said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord. My goodness extendeth not to thee.
We find the Lord Jesus taking his place down here as a man.
And as a man, he takes the place of faith in obedience.
This was something new, and we say it reverently.
His place always was to command.
He was the creator. He is the creator.
But now he takes the place of dependence, and so as such as one independent a man.
He could say to God, My goodness extendeth not to thee.
It's a place God never took. As such, He always was in the place supreme.
Now one might say, well, how does this apply to you and me then? Surely we could never say a thing like this because we're so far off from any goodness at all. There's none at all with us.
Well, only in the sense you know that we're associated with the Lord Jesus in that new life.
And so we find that it's it's so, but think of the blessed Savior coming down to take our place.
Being made sin for us.
Down to the very bottom, that he might win our souls, but to the Saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight. Now this is the delight of the new nature.
How about our companions, dear young people?
The Lord Jesus found his companions with those who were at John the Baptist baptism.
Those who owned righteousness, that God was righteous in condemning the Sinner, and that their sins would have cast them into hell.
And they repent and they're baptized, and the Lord Jesus takes his place, and we see him baptized in the midst of them.
He identifies himself with this little remnant of faith.
Well, that new life is expressed here, and so it is with the.
Believer today your young people. Where are your companions? Who do you choose for your companions? The Saints?
The excellent of the earth, as God speaks of them.
And so the Lord Jesus found his company down here, those who honored the Father.
Those who responded to his precious word.
Those were his companions.
And he chooses from them 12 disciples.
Contrast their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another God.
What does this mean? Well, you know, we become a servant to that which we cannot do without Anything that our heart goes after instead of Christ becomes a God to us if it becomes an object. And so it wasn't Jacob's house. And there came a time when God told him to go to Bethel, and he told his family to put away their gods, whatever they were.
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Anything that was taking the heart away from the purpose that was in view to go to Bethel, to the true God.
And so there are hundreds of things that may come in the lives of.
A man, and even the Christian, that may become, as it were, a God to him.
But sorrow is ahead for that course.
The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and my cup. Thou maintain us my lot.
Now we have the inheritance and we have the cup, you know, with the priests of the Old Testament.
When God divided up the land through Moses, the priests were not given an inheritance.
We might turn to Joshua. Joshua the 13th chapter and the 14th 1St.
Only under the tribe of Levi he gave none inheritance.
The sacrifices of the Lord God of Israel, made by fire, are their inheritance.
As he said unto them, verse 33. But under the tribe of Levi.
Moses gave not any inheritance, for the Lord God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said unto them.
Well, now the people of God today, you know, are spoken of as priests.
We don't have any inheritance down here. We're strangers and pilgrims. Well then, dear young people, what is our inheritance? The Lord is our inheritance, and so as we go on, we're looking forward to the moment, not when we will be in pleasant surroundings.
Not when we will have a little place off on a hill by ourselves, as some people put it. No if, if that if that new life is.
If we're in the enjoyment of that new life, it'll be a person.
Not some particular circumstance that we think of Indiana connection with the inheritance.
Because you know, God has so made these hearts of ours.
That it's only a person that can satisfy.
The human heart.
Is Christ?
And so it's the Lord that is the portion of our inheritance.
Now this takes it in as the whole portion.
But then each day you know we have a cup, don't we? Just a measured out according to what we need.
And He's that too. It's as the Spirit of God brings to us day by day what we need. And what do we need? Well, Christ is the answer to all of it, but we find it, do we not? In His Word. And how are we going to have this cup of ours filled each day unless we read His precious Word? The lines are fallen. Thou maintain us my lot.
Thou maintain us my lot.
How is it that we can keep a steady course through this world? How is it that we can be preserved?
According to the first verse.
Well, the Lord is our portion, He maintains our lot. He's the cup, the portion for each day.
There's no wavering here, not with the right object before us.
I will see David pushing his way through. Do we see him sitting on the throne? But yet we find that it was God that placed him there, but it was faith continually that was cast himself upon Jehovah. And as you read the Psalms, you'll see through the various trials of David's life as he writes these Psalms in the midst of these trials.
Which are a blessing to us.
And will be a blessing to the people of God in the coming day. But with a very breathings of David's own soul as he passed through these trials and testings. Well, our chapter is the way through, but it's the soul that's in the enjoyment of heavenly things. It's the soul that's in the enjoyment of the Lord as his portion.
In this chapter.
So the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places. You have a goodly heritage. Why? Because I have a bank account.
Because I have been brought up in good circumstances.
No, dear young people.
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It's not that at all. It's because the Lord is the portion of our inheritance in our cup.
That's why. That's why the lines have fallen to us in pleasant places.
And if we look on to the end, we'll see why, because it's his desire to bless us spiritually, not in temple things, and how often these temporal things rob our souls of that which is really life, because we're occupied with them, and they may even become gods to us.
No, the lines are fallen to me in pleasant places.
And in this connection, I'd like to read a verse in John.
John 14, John 15 and 11, these things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. Now what was His joy? That's what we've been Speaking of in this chapter. It was communion with the Father.
We find the Lord in this 16th Psalm is saying these words. The Lord is my portion. It's the Jehovah on earth, the man Christ Jesus that's looking up to God independence and there's these objects as he passes through this world. We're applying it of course to ourselves because we have that same life.
Now he says to his disciples.
He wants the same joy that he has fulfilled in themselves.
That's the joy he wants them to have, the very joy that he himself has as he passes through this world.
I will bless the Lord who have given me counsel.
Now it's a wonderful thing when we need it to get counsel.
But unless we go on in the enjoyment of communion, as we've had so far in this Psalm, how can we expect proper counsel to go on in a worldly way, and then suddenly, when we find ourselves in difficulties, to expect counsel?
It just doesn't sell and then we make mistakes.
We find ourselves in difficulty.
That the Lord Jesus always as a man down here acted in keeping with that new life at every turn, every movement that he made was in keeping with that new life because that was he was the author of it, but He was the full expression of it as a man down here.
But also having counsel, it may come through a brother you know, or even a sister.
God has his own ways of giving us counsel, but it is through His word, of course.
But then we have also.
My reigns also instruct me in the night seasons, and so every believer has the Spirit of God indwelling him.
He has the anointing of the Spirit, and through that anointing of the Spirit we have the intelligence and discernment that we need as we pass through this world.
There are times when we need special counsel, that's true. But we're always.
At the place where this is available to us, the anointing of the Spirit.
And how often times when we get away from the hustle and the bustle.
Of this life alone with God. I suppose that's what the night season would suggest.
Then our minds and hearts are clear to understand the path.
My reigns instruct me in the night seasons. Now what's the result? Oh, it becomes a joyous path. I have set the Lord always before me. How the soul is enriched here.
Now it's the sense of his being at my right hand and there's confidence.
I shall not be moved.
You want to be established in your soul.
That's first Peter 5, isn't it?
He's called us to His eternal glory after you suffered a while and after you're established.
Well, this is the path then to be established.
My right hand I shall not be moved. The right hand is the place of strength.
I shall not be moved.
Therefore, my heart is glad.
You know, sometimes young people think that they can be made happy by the present things of this world, the things that glitter, the things that attract the five senses. But that isn't what brings gladness. Dear young people, if you're a child of God, you'll find that gladness comes.
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Gladness of heart comes through this path we have set before us, this path of life.
You know, Moses didn't call upon God to show him a path through the wilderness. That wasn't what he asked for. If you'll read in the 32nd chapter of Exodus, you'll see that he called upon God in this way. Show me thy way, O Lord, that I might know thee.
Would there be any question of the path then?
No. If we have God's way, we might know Him. Surely he has a path.
That the vulture's eye hasn't seen.
It's only faith and faith alone that can tread this path and the path of gladness and joy.
Of heart.
My flesh also shall rest in hope, confidently, confidently.
Well, this takes us then through until we reach the glory.
And I suppose the 10th verse, although it has a special application to the Lord Jesus, it has a moral setting here.
It's the path locked in communion down here.
Leads on through death, straight into the glory, and that's the end of the path of faith.
For the Newman.
Thou wilt show me the path of life. Think of it. Thou wilt show me the path of life. It's right through death. No, there's nothing that hinders that new life, not even death.
That will show me the path of life in Thy presence is fullness of joy. At thy right hand there are pleasures plural forevermore. Well, now compare the path of David and the path of Saul, and Saul wins his way across.
The battlefield that night to get his instructions from a witch, only to find out that he would be destroyed the next day in battle.
And here, David, in this ending of this lovely Psalm.
As Thou will show me the path of life, in Thy presence is fullness of joy, fullness of joy. Notice that at Thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore.
But what a choice David made. What a choice Saul made by Clarence Lundbean.
Clear him #139?
This world is a wilderness wide we have nothing to seek or to choose.
We've no thought in the ways to abide. We've not to regret nor to lose. The Lord has Himself gone before. He has marked out the path that we tread. It's as sure as the love we adore. We have nothing to fear nor to dread.