Withdraw thine hand (ver. 19). In order to ascertain the will of God two things are necessary: -

1. A special method of communication. In ancient days it was "by dreams, Urim, and prophets" (1 Samuel 28:6). The Urim (light, illumination) and Thummim (perfection, completeness, truth) were symbols of some kind or other attached to or placed within the folded breastplate connected with the ephod of the high priest (Exodus 28:30; Numbers 27:21). "The question brought was one affecting the well being of the nation, or its army, or its king. The inquirer spoke in a low whisper, asking one question only at a time. The high priest, fixing his gaze on the 'gems oracular' that 'lay on his heart,' fixed his thoughts on the light and perfection which they symbolised, on the holy name inscribed on them. The act was itself a prayer, and, like other prayers, it might be answered. After a time he passed into the new, mysterious, half ecstatic state. All disturbing elements - selfishness, prejudice, the fear of man - were eliminated. He received the insight he craved. Men trusted in his decisions, as with us men trust the judgment which has been purified by prayer for the help of the eternal Spirit more than that which grows only out of debate and policy and calculation" (Smith's 'Dic.'). "When at length a visible king reigned by Divine appointment, the counsel of the Urim and Thummim passed into the public ministry of the prophets, which modified and controlled the political organisations of the kings" ('Bible Educ.,' 4:37). We have now the written word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

2. A proper spirit of inquiry - humility, sincerity, faith, patience, and perseverance. Saul "inquired of the Lord" (Judges 1:1; Judges 20:27; 1 Samuel 10:22), but not in a right manner, impatiently breaking off his inquiry before the answer came, and commanding the priest to desist from pursuing it. In like manner many persons begin to pray, and forthwith cease, instead of "continuing instant in prayer;" ask, and wait not to receive; call upon God under the pressure of trouble, and neglect to do so when it has passed away. Such impatience in seeking to "understand what the will of the Lord is" -

I. ARISES FROM UNDUE CONCERN ABOUT SECONDARY MATTERS.

1. The need of human effort, as if nothing else were necessary to success (Psalm 23:16, 17; 127:1, 2).

2. The gain of earthly honour or other advantages. Saul was eager to obtain, beyond everything else, the glory of a victory over his enemies.

3. The loss of a favorable opportunity. But "there is no time lost while we are waiting God's time. It is as acceptable a piece of submission to the will of God to sit still contentedly when our Lord requires it as to work for him when we are called to do it" (M. Henry).

II. PROVES SINFUL INDIFFERENCE TO THE HIGHEST OBJECT.

1. Inappreciation of its worth. Men often imagine that their own wisdom and strength are sufficient, and that it can be done without.

2. Indisposition to bow to its authority. They love to have their own way.

3. Incredulity as to its communication at the right time and in the right manner. They disbelieve the promises as well as reject the conditions of obtaining them.

III. EXHIBITS RECKLESS DISREGARD OF THE LORD HIMSELF. By -

1. Seeking him in an insincere, inconsistent, and hypocritical manner, which the cessation of prayer plainly shows (Job 27:10).

2. Preferring personal and immediate convenience to his honor, and desiring his help only in so far as it may be conducive to self-interest.

3. Disobedience to his will; for to act without the knowledge of that will when it may be obtained is a manifest act of disobedience (Isaiah 30:1).

IV. INVOLVES DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES.

1. Destitution of the highest counsel and aid.

2. Unpreparedness for duty and conflict.

3. A course of recklessness, sin, trouble, and humiliation (vers. 24, 37, 39, 44, 45). "Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually" (Hosea 12:6). "I will hear what God the Lord will speak," etc. (Psalm 85:8). - D.

Sir Charles Napier, when in India, encountered an army of thirty-five thousand Belloches with two thousand men, of whom only four hundred were Europeans. He charged them in the centre up a high bank, and for three hours the battle was undecided. At last they turned and fled. It is this sort of pluck, tenacity and determined perseverance which wins soldiers' battles, and, indeed, every battle. It is the one neck nearer that wins the race and shows the blood; the one pull more of the oar that proves the "beefiness" of the fellow, as Oxford men say; it is the one march more that wins the campaign, the five minutes more persistent courage that wins the fight. Though your force be less than another's, you equal and outmaster your opponent if you continue it longer and concentrate it more.

(S. Smiles)