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YOUNG PEOPLE'S
ILLUSTRATED BIBLE HISTORY:
BEING
A SIMPLE AND ATTRACTIVE ACCOUNT OF THE GREAT EVENTS
MENTIONED IN THE
OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS,
COMPRISING ALSO
THE LIVES OF THE PATRIAROHS,
OF
CHRIST AND HIS APOSTLES,
AND OF THE
REMARKABLE WOMEN AND CHILDREN MENTIONED IN THE SACRED VOLUME.
EACH SECTION CLOSING WITH APPROPRIATE MORAL REFLECTIONS.
ALSO AN APPENDIX,
CONTAINING INSTRUCTIVE TABLES AND OTHER VALUABLE MATTER.
WITH AN
INTRODUCTION BY THE AMERICAN EDITOR,
REV. ALVAN BOND, D.D.,
LATE PASTOR OF THE SECOND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH IN NORWICH, CONN,
ILLUSTRATED WITH NUMEROUS ELEGANT ENGRAVINGS BY THE MOST EMINENT
†ARTISTS; ACCOMPANIED WITH AN ACCURATE
MAP OF THE COUNTRIES OF THE BIBLE.
NORWICH, CONN.: _
PUBLISHED BY HENRY BILL.
1870.
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by
HENRY BILL,
In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the District of Connecticut.
Ranp, Avery, & Frye, PRINTERS, 3 CoRNHILL, BosTON.
INTRODUCTION.
' HE brief historic lessons contained in this book, were at
first prepared for the instruction of an unfortunate young
person, who was deprived of all opportunity for the
acquisition of knowledge by his own unaided efforts. The
successful result suggested the idea of publishing them for
the benefit, not only of those who may be subjected to like
unfortunate disabilities, but for others, whose circumstances
have been such as to admit only of a very limited degree of
intellectual culture. The simplicity, that will be perceived in the
composition of the lessons derived from the historic Scriptures,
will be accounted for by the circumstances connected with their original design.
This quality, however, will, it is believed, impart a value and charm to the
book, that will commend it not only to the young and the unlearned, but to
Bible readers of mature years and liberal culture.
As an Inrropucrion to the following collection of Scriptural Lessons, it is
proposed to offer some REASONS, showing the superior claims of the Bible to
the earnest attention, study, and belief of all classes, whether learned or un-
learned, young or old; inasmuch as all are equally concerned in the momentous
truths and teachings it reveals. The community is inundated with reading
matter, journals, magazines, romances, histories, philosophies, &c., and the ten-
dency is to neglect the Holy Word of God, as though its mission were ended,
and the mighty themes, of which it treats, were obsolete. "Whatever is done,
therefore, to render Bible reading more attractive, and to revive an interest in
the sublime truths of Divine Revelation, will be regarded with favor by all
who believe in these truths, the knowledge of which surpasses in real impor-
tance all other kinds of knowledge.
The BrsLte embraces a collection of books, written, as is claimed, by holy
men, who were inspired of God. It includes both the Old and the New Tes-
taments. The contents of this Sacred Book come under a two-fold division,
ix
x INTRODUCTION.
viz.: Doctrinal and Historical. The work before us is confined principally to
the latter division. |
While the doctrinal portions of the Bible have received earnest thought and
searching investigation on the part of theologians and scholars, the historical
parts have been passed. over with less attention than may be claimed for them
on the ground of their important relation to the Church of God, to say noth-
ing of their instructive and practical value. There is the same evidence that
the Bible histories were selected and arranged under the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, as there is that the doctrinal and prophetic writings were so given.
“ All scripture is given by inspiration of God.â€
From the testimony of Josephus it appears, that the public records of the
Jews were kept by the priests and other persons who were appointed as
depositaries of the same, and that the sacred writers occasionally refer to them,
as containing testimony to the facts in their narratives, and a more minute
detail of particulars, which they omit as unnecessary to their purpose. For
example, see reference to “The Book of Jasher,†Josh. x. 13; 2 Sam. i. 18, and
to “The Book of the Wars of the Lord,†Numb. xxi. 14.
“The object of the historical books was to communicate instruction to the
chosen people, and to mankind in general; and to illustrate the nature of God’s
providence in small as well as in great occurrences, in particular instances as
well as in general appointments; they therefore often descend from the great
outline of national concerns to the minute detail of private life. The relations,
however, of individual events, that are occasionally interspersed, are highly
interesting, and admirably develop the designs of the Almighty, and the char-
acter of those times to which they are respectively assigned. Those seeming
digressions likewise, in which the sacred writers have recorded such remarkable
events as related to particular personages, or such occurrences in foreign coun-
tries as tended to afiect the interests of the Hebrew nation, are not only
valuable for the religious spirit which they breathe, but are to be admired as
strictly consistent with the sacred plan.†(See Introduction to Starkhouse’s
History, &c., Glasgow Ed., 1842.)
Among the various reasons, showing the claims of the Sacred Scriptures to
our earnest attention and belief, the jirst place must be assigned to the EVvI-
DENCES of their Divine authority. It is not proposed to go into an elaborate
argument for their Divine authority, but simply to notice some obvious facts,
on which the evidence of the inspiration and authority of the revealed
Scriptures rests.
One fact, worthy of notice, is the wonderful preservation of the Sacred
Writings amidst the changes and revolutions of ages. Portions of them were
composed more than three thousand years ago. No other historical writings,
known to us, are. so old by a thousand years. The books of the Old Testa-
ment were in the exclusive possession of the Jews, so long as their independent
nationality continued. But as the art cf printing was unknown, comparatively
few copies were in existence at any one time, and these were mostly deposited
INTRODUCTION. Xl
ia the tabernacle, temple, or synagogue. The later wars and domestic revolu-
tions, suffered by the Jewish nation, involved to a great extent the destruction
of their homes, their cities, their sanctuaries, and hundreds of thousands of
lives; but their Holy Books were preserved amidst the common ruin. When
Antiochus Epiphanes captured Jerusalem he attempted to destroy every copy
and fragment of the Jewish Scriptures. A few copies, however, escaped the
ravages of the “ Desolater,†and were carried away by the captive Jews.
During their long captivity in a heathen land, their forms of worship were
interrupted and their national institutions destroyed; but the Providence of
God watched over the Holy Scriptures and preserved them unharmed.
Another fact, bearing on the evidence that these Sacred Writings are of su-
perhuman origin, is their being preserved unaltered. Other writings have been
mutilated and changed from their original form. Not so the Bible. The
Jews cherished such profound reverence for their Sacred Books, that the
utmost care and pains were taken by copyists to avoid the slightest mistake or
alteration in the copies they made. The omission or addition of a single letter,
if discovered, would vitiate the manuscript, and cause it to be condemned.
Some three hundred years before Christ the Old Testament was, by order of
Ptolemy Philadelphus, an Egyptian king, translated from the Hebrew into
Greek, on which work seventy scholars were employed. This ancient version,
quoted often by the apostles, on being compared with the original, and also
with our version as now received, is found to agree with the same in all impor-
tant particulars. There have been collected from many quarters several
hundred manuscripts, some of them written as early as the fourth century, one
of the oldest being very recently discovered in the convent of Mount Sinai, all
which, on being critically examined and compared, are found to agree with
each other in all essential. points, as it respects history and doctrine. Thus
may the care of a protecting Providence be clearly recognized in the circum-
stances which have prevented all such changes in the text of the Scriptures, as
would obscure, or render doubtful the original reading. While cotemporary
works, embodying the productions of human wisdom and learning, have long
since been irrecoverably lost, or so changed as to make them worthless, the
Bible has been wonderfully preserved from loss, mutilation, or alteration,
through thousands of years down to the present time. As another has said,
“Cities fall, kingdoms come to nothing, empires fade away as the smoke. But
that the Bible no tyrant should have been able to consume, no tradition to
choke, no heretic maliciously to corrupt; that it should unto this day, amid
the wreck of all that is human, without the alteration of one sentence, so as to
change the doctrine taught therein ; surely here is a very singular Providence,
claiming our attention in a most remarkable manner.†How true, that “the
Word of the Lord endureth forever.†.
The evidence for the Divine authority of the Holy Scriptures is confirmed by
the fact of the harmony of their teachings and statements. It is known that
they were written by many men, who lived in different provinces, and in differ-
xii INTRODUCTION. .
ent ages, These men belonged to different classes, and possessed different
degrees of culture. Among them were kings, prophets, legislators, priests,
shepherds, publicans, fishermen, &c. That men who lived in lands so remote
from each other, and in times between which centuries rolled, and under many
forms of government, with various degrees of mental culture, should so harmo-
nize with each other in their teachings and oracles, shows most conclusively,
that they must have been guided by the unerring inspiration of the Holy
Spirit. On no other ground can the fact be explained, that so many fallible
men under such circumstances should have avoided all disagreements, and pre-~
served such unity in their voluminous writings.
Another consideration bearing on this point is the peculiar nature of the sub-
jects on which they wrote. These subjects related to the existence, character,
and government of God; the creation of the world, the origin, nature, duty,
fall, and destiny of man; the two dispensations of religion, the Mosaic and the
Christian,—subjects unlike any recognized in human history or philosophy ;
and yet the sacred writers, living under different dispensations and civilizations,
have evinced a unity of spirit and purpose,—a harmony in their teachings and
revelations,—forming a system of heavenly truth which challenges the hom-
age and faith of mankind. Such a fact as this can be satisfactorily explained
on no other principle than the presence and agency of a supernatural inspira-
tion. Greek and Roman philosophers in times of classic civilization and art
abounded in contradictions, inconsistencies, and absurdities, in treating subjects
of morality and religion. “The world by wisdom knew not God.†On the
other hand, the sacred writers, both in the Old and New Testaments, have
shown that they were moved and guided by one Spirit, and in the consistency
and drift of their teachings have commended themselves to the confidence and
admiration of the wise and good of all ages.
The Diving origin of the Scriptures becomes evident from the characteristics
which distinguish them from all human writings. One of these characteristics
is uncompromising truthfulness. The candid reader of the Bible cannot but
be impresssed with the conviction, that the sacred historians aimed to give a
true and impartial record of the events and transactions which occurred in
their times and in their nation. In no instance did they betray such partiality
for their own people, as to prevent their telling the whole truth respecting
their conduct. The corruptions and the evils of the times were exposed with
a fidelity to history as candid and truthful as it was bold and faithful. The
lives and conduct of patriarchs, priests, rulers, and other classes of people,
were exhibited in the light of truth and fact, however humiliating to national
pride and reputation. Their own personal faults were mentioned without
attempts at concealment or palliation, The sins and errors of Abraham, of
Jacob, of Moses, of David, of Solomon, of Peter, are faithfully narrated. In
view of facts, which so distinguish the sacred writers from all other historians,
we must infer that they wrote under the influence of a very different inspira-
tion from that which has inspired the muse of profane history.
~
INTRODUCTION. Xlil
The spirit of dove pervades the sacred writings as a prominent element. The
sacred writers ever showed themselves to be unselfish, unambitious men, whose
aim was to do good to others. In pursuance of this generous purpose they
made great sacrifices, they endured persecutions, trials, privations, and labors ;
and in some instances they showed a heroic devotion to the good of their
fellow men that was ready to die for them. Moses, for example, exiled himself
from the privileges, pleasures and honors of the court of Egypt, for the sake
of espousing the cause of an oppressed people. For them he labored and
prayed, and by his intensely earnest imtercessions he was instrumental in
averting from them the menacing judgements of an offended God. He was
willing to be blotted out of the book of God, if this were necessary to the sal-
vation of the people whose cause he had espoused. We find in Elijah, Isaiah,
Jeremiah, and Daniel, men of the same stamp—men in whose bosoms love for
their people glowed with undying ardor. The same was true of the apostles,
Paul was so intensely desirous of the salvation of his brethren after the flesh,
that he would consent to be accursed from Christ, if this might be the means
of saving them from their impending doom. With the like spirit the apostle
John says, ‘“ We ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.†In these ex-
amples do we not perceive the working of a more than earthly love? Such
love pervades the Bible, and shows that the men, in whose lives and actions
such a spirit runs, were influenced by unearthly aims, divine impulses.
The God of the Bible, unlike the deities revealed by man’s wisdom, is repre-
sented as being Love itself. “God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have ever-
lasting life.†God so loved the world. It was a love different from, and su-
perior to, tat general benevolence witnessed in the gifts of Providence. It
was a sacrificing love, influenced by which he gave his Son to labor, and to suf-
fer, and die for guilty man. This sublime idea could never have possessed the
mind, save as it was revealed by a Divine inspiration. And in the life of the
only-begotten Son we have a wonderful manifestation of love, love unparalleled
in nature and degree. Impelled by it he endured the cross. While we were
sinners Christ died for us. The revelation of such love must be traced to a
higher source than the wisdom of this world. It carries with it the evidence
of a Divine original. Such love as is revealed in the lives and teachings of the
holy men of the Bible,—such love as that predicated of God, and witnessed in
thé life of Jesus, forming as it does a pervading element of the Sacred Scrip-
tures, proves these Scriptures to be Divine in their origin.
Another characteristic of Bible instruction is holiness. This element, as a
distinguishing feature, pervades the laws, precepts, exhortations, psalms, doc-
trines, and prophecies of the Bible. And when God is introduced as the object
of love and worship, he is invested with an atmosphere of holiness. ‘“ Worship
at his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy.†The things prohibited, and
the duties required, show that the pages of the Sacred Word are luminous
with the pure light of holiness, It is this peculiarity that makes the Bible an
XIV INTRODUCTION.
object of aversion with wicked men. They hate the light of sacred truth, and
will not come to it, because it exposes their deeds of evil. This feature
imparts to it a majesty and force which distinguish it from all other books, and
strengthen the argument for its Divine inspiration.
A fact peculiar to the Scriptures is the supreme regard they express for the
honor and glory of God. They breathe a spirit of reverential piety that exalts
Jehovah, as the object of supreme love, loyalty, and praise. The men of God,
such men as Moses, David, Isaiah, Daniel, Paul, John, and Peter, disclaim all
credit for their works of faith and labors of love, ascribing all to God. Their
devout acknowledgment is,—“ Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto
thy name give glory.†Very different is the spirit that pervades the views of
men in general. They praise themselves for what they think is praise-
worthy. And they glorify their fellow-men for such deeds of heroism, for such
achievements and enterprises, as tend to inspire popular admiration. Histo-
rians, poets, culogists, limit their utterances to human instrumentalities and
agencies, when speaking of the signal deeds of illustrious men. God and
Providence are ignored. How very different the spirit that pervades the sacred
writings. In them, whatever is great, and laudable, and noble, is ascribed to
God. Jesus prayed,—“ Father, glorify thy name.†The same spirit is exhibited
in the teachings of the sacred writers, a fact which shows that they spake and
wrote as moved by the Holy Ghost.
The characteristics thus enumerated, as distinguishing the writings of the
Bible, show most conclusively that it is the Worp or Gop. Take the one
sublime statement with which the teachings of the Bible are introduced,—“ In
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.†Here is recognized
the unity of the Godhead, and this theology is with marvelous consistency car-
ried along through all the writings of the Old Testament. Living, as the
sacred writers did, amidst the surroundings of polytheism, they strenuously
and persistently maintained the great cardinal truth, that the Lord Jehovah,
the Creator of the worid, was one God. How can such a fact be accounted for
except on the ground that these holy men, patriarchs, prophets, and psalmists,
were guided in their sublime utterances from age to age by a supernatural
influence, which led them into the truth.
Let us pass on to another source of evidence for the Divine authority of the
Bible, viz.: the prophetical writings. No one will claim that mere human fore-
sight can look down the ages, and tell of events of which there is no visible
sign. But there are found scattered through the Scriptures from Moses to
Malachi, predictions of signal events a long time before their fulfilment. New
and increasing evidences of the truthfulness of these eminent prophecies are
furnished by modern researches among the ruins of buried cities, whose
destruction was foretold long before it took place.
The splendid capital of the Assyrian empire, Nineveh, must have seemed as
though it might resist every hostile assault, and flourish for ages, at the time
when Nahum and Zephaniah predicted its destruction »—the one 645, and the
INTRODUCTION. | XV
other 630 years B. C. These predictions specified details, circumstances, and
agencies, In connection with which its overthrow would be effected. Improba-
ble as these predictions must have appeared when uttered, they received literal
fulfilment about 606 years B. C. The city was then laid waste, its noble mon-
uments overthrown, and its inhabitants dispersed and carried into captivity.
The ruins, which have been discovered by modern explorations, and which
attest the magnificence of this ancient city, furnish historic illustration and
confirmation of the ancient prophecies, and prove that they must have been
revealed to the men by whom they were uttered. A heathen historian, who
must have been ignorant of the Hebrew Scriptures, has given a narrative
of the destruction of this great city, comprising all that was foretold.
Babylon was once the glory of kingdoms,—the proud metropolis of the
world ; it was so when its doom was announced by Isaiah and Jeremiah. In
the predictions uttered, the nations are specified by whom the city would be
besieged and conquered, and the name of the conqueror was given, a hundred
years before he was born, and the circumstances are noted that would accom-
pany its overthrow. Improbable as the prophetic utterances seemed at first, as
the course of time swept on, the things spoken by the prophets came to pass.
Subsequent history has confirmed their truthfulness, and the ruins of this
mighty kingdom, as brought to light by modern antiquarians, add unanswera-
ble testimony to the evidence, that all Scripture is given by inspiration
of God.
The doom of Tyre, the extermination of the Edomites, the desolation of
Egypt, and especially the singular fortunes of the Hebrew nation,—as foretold
by different prophets, attest the divinity of the prophetical writings, and
strengthen the general argument for the supernatural origin of the entire Bible.
The facts contained in the history of the Jews, as developed through a long
course of ages, show in a most conclusive manner, that the spirit of prophecy
pervades, and gives authority to the sacred writings. The growth of this peo-
ple from a very humble origin, their peculiar nationality, their deliverance
from Egyptian oppression, their possession of the land of Canaan, their
institutions, their civil wars, their captivity, their restoration, their subjugation
to Roman dominion, and their final destruction 4s a nation, and more than all,
their continued existence as an isolated race, show with singular particularity
the truthfulness of the many predictions uttered by Moses and other prophets
respecting them, making their historic record of unparalleled vicissitudes a
standing monument, like alone pillar in the desert, attesting the Divine
authority of the Bible.
The prophecies cited in the foregoing remarks, form only a small part of
what are contained in the Scriptures. As a whole, they constituted an antici-
pative history of the world, so far as such history stood related to the church.
They have been in a continued course of fulfilment during successive genera-
rations tothe present time. Whence, we may inquire, this accurate foresight
of future events? Not from the foreseeing wisdom of men, for they know not
xyl | INTRODUCTION.
what shall be on the morrow. We infer, therefore, that it could only have
been possessed as a special gift from the omniscient God. Hence the Bible,
which contains a record of these prophetic visions, must be a Divine book—
the Word of God.
The argument for this conclusion is fortified by the moral influence of the
Scriptures. From the past, as well as the present history of the world, the
fact cannot be questioned, that Bible knowledge has exerted a marked influence
for good on the governments, laws, civilizations, institutions, and social condi-
tion of states and communities, and on the character of individuals. -
History shows, that where there has been no Divine revelation. and conse-
quently no clear knowledge of the only true God, governments have been
established and laws enacted with a view, not to the good of subjects, but to
the enthronement in seats of power of selfish, ambitious, unscrupulous rulers.
The reign of oppression has been absolute and grinding wherever the Bible
has been unknown. The old civilizations of the world, such as existed in
Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome, though under them arts
and architecture flourished, and classic literature attained a high degree of refine-
ment, yet, so far as the masses of the people were concerned, ignorance, supersti-
tion, corruption, oppression, and misery, characterized the state of society.
The iron heel of despotic rule everywhere crushed out the life of struggling
manhood. Men, stripped of their rights, were treated as of small account,
except as instruments to be used to subserve the purposes and pleasures of a
few irresponsible and remorseless potentates.
In the absence of the elevating influences of the Word of God, the general
course and drift of the people is in the direction of a debasing idolatry. There
the social condition is marked by vices, corruptions, and cruelties of the
grossest forms. No civilization that has lacked the moulding influence of
Divine revelation, has ever possessed power to reform the habits of idolatry, to
enlighten the ignorant masses, or to elevate a people to the sphere of knowl-
edge and virtue. “ Where there is no vision, the people perish.â€
An entirely different phase of society is assumed where government, law,
institutions, and religion, are brought into contact with the formative,—the
regenerating influences of the Holy Scriptures. No where else, however sunny
the skies, or luxuriant the earth, or healthful the clime, does the moral
landscape refresh the sight with growths of living virtue, and scenes of attrac-
tive beauty. No where else does government recognize the inalienable
rights of the people, or protect them. No where else is the light of popular
education diffused. No where else are there found the noble institutions of
philanthropy and benevolence. No where else is the fundamental relation of
marriage rightly understood and sacredly guarded. No where else do temples
and altars rise for the worship of the true and living God. Such results never
flow from the sources of this world’s boasted wisdom.
The late Dr. Wayland, as the result of wide observation and profound reflec-
tion, has expressed his views as follows: “That the truths of the Bible have the
INTRODUCTION. Xvll
power of awakening an intense moral feeling in man under every variety of
character, learned or ignorant, civilized or sauvage; that they make bad men
good, and send a pulse of healthful feeling throughout all the domestic, civil,
and social relations; that they teach men to love right, to hate wrong, and to
seek each other’s welfare as the children of one’ common Parent; that they
control the baleful passions of the human heart, and thus make men proficient
in the science of self-government: and finally, that they teach him to aspire
after a conformity to a Being of infinite holiness, and fill him with hopes
infinitely more purifying, more exalted, more suited to his nature, than any
other which this world has ever known, are facts as incontrovertible as the
laws of philosophy or demonstrations in mathematics.†No such moral forces
ever proceeded from the teachings of man’s wisdom. The lessons of heathen
sages never wrought any thorough or permanent reform in the lives of individ-
uals, or in the state of society. What human talent, culture, learning, and
philosophy, have failed to accomplish, has been successfully achieved by the
Word of God. In facts like these, facts patent to all candid observers, we find
proof that the Bible 1s from heaven.
The like conviction will flash upon the mind from a careful study of the
adaptation of Scriptural instruction to the capacities, necessities, and conscious
cravings of men of all races. God possessed a perfect knowledge of the wants
of our fallen race when he revealed to them his Word. Hence we find the
truths and teachings of the Bible, whether doctrinal, historical, prophetical,
devotional, or moral, peculiarly adapted to the wants of men in making them
wiser and better for this life, and fitting them for the higher life of the world
to come. This Holy Book is equally adapted to meet the wants of mankind
in whatever times, countries, or conditions they have existed. Such adapted-
ness is beautifully illustrated and signally manifested, when its hallowed
lessons come to the soul in the trying emergencies of life, and especially in that
eventful, solemn crisis, when man finds himself trembling on the margin of
that unknown futurity, concerning which the oracle of uninspired reason
reveals no gleam of light, offers no relief, no peace. Then its prectous worth
is realized. “ If there is one great thing in this world,†as another has said, “ it is
the BrstE or Gop—great in origin, great in thought, great in promise, great
in beauty, great in its results! It hangs as by a golden cord from the throne
of the Highest, and all heaven’s light, life, love, and sweetness, come down into
it for us. It hangs there like a celestial harp; the daughters of sorrow tune it,
and awake a strain of consolation. The hand of joy strikes it, and feels a
divine note of gladness. The sinner comes to it, and it discourses to him of
repentance and salvation. The saint bends an ear to it, and it talks to him of
an Intercessor and an immortal kingdom. The dying man lays his trembling
hand on it, and there steals thence into his soul the promise,—‘ When thou
passest through the waters, I will be with thee; when thou walkest through
the fire, thou shalt not be burned.’ ‘Be of good cheer, I have overcome the
world.’ ‘The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.’ Where is promise,
where is philosophy, where is song, like this ?â€
XVI INTRODUCTION.
The foregoing pages contain a condensed argument for the Divine authority
of the Sacred Scriptures. A more elaborate and scientific statement of this
argument would not comport with the design of this introductory article.
Enough has been said, however, to show their superiority over any other books
ever written. Such superiority becomes evident from the nature and import-
ance of the KNOWLEDGE of which the Bible is the only authentic source.
The history contained in this Sacred Book, is more valuable than that found
in any uninspired writings. It is not claimed that Bible history is a substitute
for the general history of the world. It is more specially a history of the
kingdom of God on earth, Other peoples and nations are referred to only, as
they were in some way connected with that kingdom. And yet it is true, that
the book of Genesis is the ground of all the authentic history in existence from
the epoch of creation to the death of Joseph, a period of about 2369 years.
The Pentateuch as a history covers a period of about 2553 years, down to the
death of Moses. No other record furnishes any reliable account of the creation
of the world, the creation of man, the apostacy, the state of the human race
before the deluge, 1656 years, the origin of nations in the 10th chapter of Gen-
esis, the lives and fortunes of the early patriarchs, the sojourn of the Hebrews
in Egypt, their exodus, the giving of the law, and the conquest of Canaan.
There are twelve other books principally historical, which record events as
connected with the Church of God to the time of the return of the Jews from
the captivity. It is not supposed that the Bible chronicles contain a record of
all the important events that transpired during these ages, but only such a
selection as the Holy Spirit should suggest to the sacred historians. In this
selection from existing documents, as well as what was revealed directly,
special reference was had to what might be important for the use of the
church in all subsequent ages.
There are other departments of knowledge which show the great superiority
of Bible truth as a source of instruction. On those great and profoundly
interesting subjects,—the existence and character of God, the origin, character,
duties, and destinies of man, the future state, the plan of salvation through a
Redeemer,—on these and many other subjects connected with them, there is no
source of reliable knowledge outside of the Bible. Without the light and
without its histories, its teach-
truth which come to us from this Holy Book,
ings, its precepts, its prophecies, its psalms, its gospels and epistles—how
dark and gloomy were the condition of man from the cradle to the grave,
Without God in the world, as revealed in the Bible, he would have no hope, no
faith, no source of peace. The earth might revolve, as now, and seasons come
and go with their stores and sources of temporal good, with alternating phases of
sternness and beauty. The mountains also might tower upward in rugged
grandeur, the rivers flow onward between smiling banks, the seas roar and lift
up their waves in stormy sublimity, but what would man care for these exhibi-
tions of wisdom, power, and loveliness, deaf as he would be to their utterances,
while ignorant of what the Holy Word reveals? What motive were there to
INTRODUCTION. xix
worship at the altar of “ the unknown God,†or seek information about the un-
known future by consulting the dumb oracle of uninspired reason? Why
should not man, thus groping in the region and shadow of death, limit his
aims and labors to what shall minister merely to present gratification, accept-
ing as his creed the frigid philosophy of the atheistic stoic,—“ Let us eat and
drink ; for to-morrow we shall die.â€
As darkness brooded over the chaotic abyss at one stage of the creative pro-
cess, till “ the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters,†commanding
the light to shine, kindling life and beauty, so the world of intelligent man
were but a moral chaos, enveloped in thick darkness, unless the Spirit’s pres-
ence should cause light to shine through the revelations of the Bible. The
darkness would prevail till God said, “ Let there be light.†-
Pluck the sun from the heavens, and what would be the effect? The stars
might remain, but how poor a substitute would they be for the lost sun?
Under their cold, twinkling radiance, what could live and flourish? The
world might stand as now, but clad in perpetual darkness, save as relieved by
star-light, deprived of the heat of the orb of day, how soon would its fields of
verdure, and forms of beauty, and growths of fruit and vegetation fade, and
wither, and freeze, and perish. A result analagous to this would follow, were
the Bible, the sun in the moral heavens, with all the light of which it has
been, and is still the fountain, destroyed. Who can conceive the desolation
that would follow? The dial of human progress would, like that of Ahaz,
reverse its shadow, and the world would soon be thrown back into the rayless
gloom of heathenism, barbarism, and universal corruption. The ruins of
those beautiful creations, to which the Bible more than any other agency has
contributed, might remain, but the glory of the moral world with its growing
civilizations, its humane achievements, its noble institutions of learning and
religion, would soon disappear forever.
The authority of the Bible, as an inspired book, which differs from all other
books, finds support in the great and leading purpose which it reveals, viz. :
THE REDEMPTION OF MAN. It was no part of the design of God to make-his
word of truth a manual of science, or the source of such knowledge as can be
acquired by observation and study. A higher end was embraced in his plan—
the establishment of a kingdom in the world—the subjects of which should be
redeemed from the ruins of the fall, and be “purified unto himself a peculiar
people, zealous of good works.†The materials incorporated into this great
spiritual organization, were not to be selected from any one people, or
from any one age. All kindreds and peoples, and all times, were included
in the comprehensive plan of Divine wisdom and benevolence revealed in the
Bible.
The progressive development of God’s redeeming plan on to its consum-
mation, furnishes a sublime historic exhibition of the wisdom and power
which underlie it. In this respect it differs radically from all the plans of
human improvement and elevation ever devised by reformers, philosophers,
XX INTRODUCTION.
or statesmen. It rises majestically, a tower of hope for a world lying in
wickedness.
The Old Testament, by its altars, types, personages, histories, propiee®
and peculiar institutions, pointed to the one great crowning event, which, ‘
the fullness of time,†was realized in the mission of the incarnate Son of God,
as the Saviour of men. It is this momentous truth that lends to the Old Testa-
ment such significance, value, and glory. It was all along the ages a
forthshadowing of his coming, who was to be a Mediator between God and
alienated man.
As the great Teacher, the atoning Mediator, the regal Head over all things
to the Church, Jesus Christ is the Divine, the Central Object of Bible revela-
tions, in which truth and prophecy meet, and find a marvelous fulfilment.
From him they derive light and power, and by him they are clothed with au-
thority that claims the reverence and faith of all men. The Bible is,
emphatically, “the wisdom of God, and the power of God unto salvation.â€
It gives light where all human teachings leave the inquiring mind in darkness ;
it inspires peace of conscience and relief of soul, where all other teachings
only perplex and confuse ; it is a well-spring of refreshing hope and comfort,
where all mere human writings prove dry and barren. A pillar of cloud by
day, and a pillar of fire by night, it shows the way to heaven.
The teachings of the Bible are not only so profound as to command the
attention of the mightiest intellect, and awaken earnest inquiry in men of the
highest culture, but they are so plain and simple as to be adapted to the hum-
blest capacity. The least and the lowest of the human family may find in
the Bible what is suited to their understanding. Matchless wisdom and pure
simplicity, so wonderfully united in its teachings, show that it is a book for
all mankind, for the humblest peasant and the profoundest student. ‘ This
supreme and mighty Book,†says another,—‘ the Book of mankind—finds no
domain inaccessible to it, and no fragment of the human race for which it has
not a vitalizing power.â€
In these. respects how greatly does the Bible differ from all mere human
compositions, whether philosophies, sciences, theologies, histories, or codes of
law. These are constructed with reference to the concerns of the present life,
revolutions, reforms, political changes, and social improvements. They have
their day of popularity and influence, and then are consigned to dumb forget-
fulness, never more to be revived. Such is the common fate of the productions
of the human intellect. Very few of them outlive the generation when they
had their birth. However brilliant or popular for a time, they pass away as a
dream, while the Bible lives on unchanged and imperishable, more and more
read, believed in, and loved. What better witness do we need that it is Divine?
The Bible is sufficient to instruct and comfort men of the loftiest intellect
and highest culture, and is no less adapted to the younger classes of society.
It has taught the little ones of the Christian household more about God, and
heaven, the origin, the duty, and the destiny of man, than the wisest sages ever
INTRODUCTION. . XxI
knew. Jewish parents were required to store the minds and memories of
their children with Scripture truths. Jesus in his childhood had become so
well acquainted with the Scriptures, that he could converse about them with
the Doctors in the temple.
In an age like the present, when error and delusion, in fascinating forms,
imperil the principles and morals of the young, the greatest safeguard for their
protection is a knowledge of God’s Holy Word. Its sacred histories are replete
with attractive and startling lessons of truth and warning easily understood ;
and as a preparation for a knowledge of preceptive and doctrinal theology,
they hold an important place. The simplicity and clearness of these lessons,
recommend them especially as aids to that religious culture, to which the
young mind and heart should be subjected. To answer this important pur-
pose the work, here introduced, was originally prepared, and seems admirably
fitted. The estimate in which it is held in the country where it was first pub-
lished, appears from the fact, that successive editions have been demanded.
As an introductory article, it has been thought, that its value would be
enhanced by exhibiting in a simple manner some of the more obvious and con-
clusive evidences, which may be adduced in vindication of the claims of the
Bible to the faith, the study, and the reverence, not only of those who move in
the higher sphere of life, but of those also who dwell on lower ground—the
masses, many of whom are but children in religious knowledge. To instruct,
interest, and benefit this numerous class of readers, as children and youth, this
work, it is believed, possesses a special adaptedness.
With these convictions, this humble service is commended to the blessing of
Him, whose Holy Word not only giveth light, but maketh wise unto salvation.
ALVAN BOND.
Norwicu, Conn., 1869.
NOTE BY THE EDITOR. -
THE circumstances connected with the original preparation of the
work herein issued will account for the noticeable simplicity of the
style in which it was written. This element, it is believed, will in-
crease its value as a book peculiarly adapted to the use of young peo-
ple, and attractive to the youngest readers ; while it will be no less ac-
ceptable to many older persons. The publisher, Hon. Henry Bill, was
put in possession of an English edition, in three volumes, by one of
the publishing firm of the Messrs. Harper of New York, who suggested
to him the idea of its publication for general circulation.
An English copy of this edition was put into the hands of the editor
for revision, and adaptation to the use of different religious denomina-
tions, by omitting all sectarian allusions. After the editorial changes
had been completed, and the work was committed to the publisher to
be put to press, it was found that an edition of the work, in five vol-
umes, had been issued by one of our religious publishing - societies.
It is due both to editor and publisher to state that its republication
was not known to either till after its revision had been completed, and
arrangements made for its issue in the present form.
CONTENTS.
OLD TESTAMENT.
OHAP, PAGE.
1, THE CREATION. Gen.i.ll 2. 1 wel
2. THE BEGINNING OF SIN. Gen. iil. ® ° . ° e ® e 26
8. CAIN AND ABEL. Gen.iv. . : . . ° ° ° e ° 27
4, THE DELUGE. Gen. vi.—ix. xi. . . ° ° ° ° ° . 28
5. ABRAM. Gen. xii. xiii. . . . . e ° . e ® ° 30
6. MELCHIZEDEK. Gen. xiv. . . ° ° ° ° ° e . 31
7. ABRAM’S VISION. Gen. xv. . . ° ° ° ° ° . ° 32
8. HAGAR. Gen. xvi. . . e ° ° ° ° . ° 32
9. THE COVENANT. Gen. xvii.. . ° ° e ° ° . ° 33
10. THE ANGEL’S VISIT. Gen. xviii. . : ® ° ° ° ‘ . 34
11. SODOM DESTROYED. Gen. xix. . . ’ ’ ° ° . . 35
12. ISAAC. Gen. xxi. — xxiii. . . . ’ ° ° ° ° ° 36
18. ISAAC’S FAMILY Gen. xxiv.; xxv. 27 . . : ’ ° ° . 37
14. JACOB AND ESAU. Gen. xxvii. xxviii. . . ° ° . ° ° 39
15. JACOB WITH LABAN. Gen. xxix.—xxxiil. . ° ° ° ° ° 41
16. JACOB AT BETHEL. Gen. xxxv. . . : ° ° . . ° 43
17. JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN. Gen. xxxvii. . ’ ° ’ * . 44
18. JOSEPH IN PRISON. Gen. xxxix.19—xl.. . ° > > e ’ . 46
19. PHARAOH’S DREAMS. Gen. xli.; xlii. . . . ‘ . ‘ . AT
20. BENJAMIN SENT TO EGYPT. Gen. xlii.%—xlv. . : ’ ° . 49
21. JACOB IN EGYPT. Gen. xlvi.; xlvii. . . . ° . . . 51
22. JACOB’S DEATH. Gen. xlvii. 28—1. . . ’ . . ee 52
23. AN EXAMPLE OF PATIENCE. Job.i. . . ® ° ‘ ° ° 53
24. JOB IN TROUBLE. Jobii. . . . : ° . ° ° . 55
25. JOB AND HIS FRIENDS. Job iii. —xxxi. . . ’ ° : . 56
6. ELIHU Job xxxii.—xxxix. . . . . e ° e ° 57
27. THE BENEFIT OF AFFLICTION. Job xl. —xlii. . . . : . 59
23. THE CRUEL KING. Ex.i.ii.. . . ° ° ° e . 60
29. THE BEST RICHES. Ex. ii. 11; Heb. xi. 24—26. , ® . ° . 62
380. THE BURNING BUSH. Ex.iiiviv. . . . ° ° . ‘ . 63
31. THE FIRST FOUR PLAGUES. Ex. v.— viii. . : ° ° ‘ ’ 65
32. MORE PLAGUES. Ex. ix.—xii. . : : . . . e ’ 66
33. THE DEPARTURE OF THE ISRAELITES. Ex. xii, 20— xiii. . ‘ ° 68
34. PHARAOH DROWNED. Ex. xiii, 17—xv. . : . * . ‘ : 69
XXIV CONTENTS.
CHAP.
35.
$6.
37.
38.
39.
40,
41,
42
43
44,
45.
46.
47,
48,
49,
50.
51.
52,
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54.
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59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
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66,
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68,
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70.
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75.
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17.
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79.
80.
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82.
83,
84,
FOOD IN THE DESERT. Ex.xvi.. 6 6 6
REPHIDIM, Ex. xvii. . . . . ° e
JETHRO’S VISIT. Ex.xviil,. . 96 «
MOUNT SINAI. Ex.xix, . . «© 2 4
THE FIRST FOUR COMMANDMENTS. Ex. xx, .
THE SIX LAST COMMANDMENTS. Ex.xx.12. .
THE LAW. Ex.xx.18;xxiv.. . . «4
. THE GOLDEN CALF. Ex. xxxii. . . . :
THE IDOLATORS PUNISHED. Ex. xxxii. 20; xxxiii. .
THE NEW TABLES. Ex. xxxiv. . . . .
THE TABERNACLE. Ex. xxxv.—xxxviii.; xl. °
THE PRIESTS’ GARMENTS. Ex. xxxix. . . °
THE PRIESTS. Lev. viii. . . . . .
THE SACRIFICES AND FEASTS. Ex. xxix. 38; Lev. xxii,
THE JUBILEE. Lev. xxv. . . . . °
NADAB AND ABIAU. Lev. x. . . . .
THE MOVING OF THE CAMP. Numb. ix.;x. . :
HOBAB. Numb.x.29 . . . . ° .
THE QUAILS. Numb. xi. . . ° ° .
THE SPIES. Numb. xiii. . . ° *
THE SABBATH-BREAKER. Numb. xv. 82. ’ ‘
THE REBELLION OF KORAH. Numb.xvi. . .
AARON’S ROD. Numb. xvii. . : . °
THE DEATH OF MIRIAM. Numb.xx. .
THE STRIKING OF THE ROCK. Numb. xx.2
THE FIERY SERPENTS. Numb. xxi. 4
BALAAM Numb. xxii... .
BALAAM’S ASS. Numb. xxii. 21 : . . °
BALAAM’S PROPHECY. Numb. xxii; 36.; xxiv; xxxi. 8
THE DEATH OF MOSES. Numb. xxvii. 12; Deut. xxxiv,
RAHAB, Jos. i.; ii, . ° ° ° ° s
JORDAN. Jos. iii.; iv. . .
JERICHO TAKEN. Jos.vi. .
ACHAN. Jos. vii.; viii. . . ‘ . e °
THE GIBEONITES. Jos.ix. . . oe . :
THE KINGS CONQUERED. Jos. x. . . e
THE DIVISION OF CANAAN. Numb. xxxii.; Jos. xiii,
THE CITIES OF REFUGE. Numb. xxxv. 10; Jos. xx.
THE DEATH OF JOSHUA. Jos. xxiv.
KING EGLON. Jud. ii.; iii. . « e s
THE DEATH OF SISERA. Jud iv.; v.
THE MIDIANITES. Jud.vi. . ‘ ‘ . e
GIDEON. Jud. vi. 12 . : . ‘ .â€
BAAL’S ALTAR. Jud. vi. 25 . . ‘ ‘ ‘
THE LITTLE ARMY. Jud. vi. 36; vii. . e :
THE NIGHT BEFORE THE BATTLE. Jud. vii, 9
GIDEON'S VICTORY. Jud. vii. 16; viii.
ABIMELECH, Jud.ix. . . . © 8
JEPHTHA, Jud. xi. ‘ :
MANOAH. Jud. xiii, . :
e a . ‘
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CONTENTS, . XXV
* QOHAP. PAGE.
85. SAMSON’S FEAST. Jud. xiv. e . . e e e e e 128
86. SAMSON AND THE PHILISTINES. Jud. xv.
87. SAMSON TAKEN. Jud. xvi. . . . . : ‘ : e 130
88. SAMSON’S DEATH. Jud.xvi.23 , ; : ; : ‘ ‘ » isl
89. NAOMI AND RUTH. Ruthi., . : : ‘ . : : » 182
90. THE HARVEST FIELD. Ruthii. , . : , : : e . 134
91. BOAZ. Ruthii.5; iv. . . : : : ° ‘ ' : « «185
92. HANNAH’S PRAYER. 1Sam.i. , , ‘ . . . e « 186
93. LITTLE SAMUEL. 1 Sam. if. , . : . . . : . . «187
94, SAMUEL CALLED. 1 Sam. iif. : , : ‘ : . ° ~ 188
95. EL’S SONS. 1Sam.iiitd . wwe 89
96. ELY’S DEATH. 1Sam.iv. . . . : : ‘ , : » 140
97. DAGON AND THE ARK. 18am.v.vi. , , , . : e . 141
98. THE ARK. 1Sam. vi. 13; vii. . . ° . : ’ , eo oe 442
99. EBEN-EZER. 1 Sam. vii. 7 . . . e . ’ . ‘ . 16
100. THE NEW KING. 18am. viii. : . : . . oe . 144
101. SAUL. 1Sam. ix. . . . : : : , , : . = 145
102. SAUL MADE KING. 1Sam. x, e ’ ° ’ ’ . ° » 146
103. SAMUEL’S WARNING. 18am. xii. . : . ‘ ‘ : : . 147
104. SAUL’S DISOBEDIENCE. 1 Sam. xiii: xiv. . : . : . » 148
105. THE AMALEKITES. 1Sam.xv. , : . , : : : » 150
106. JESSE'S SONS. 1Sam.xvi. . . , . ele . . 152
107. DAVID’S HARP. 1 Sam. xvi. 14 . ° ° . ° ° ° » 1853
108. GOLIATH. 18am.xvii.. . . . oe ele BL
109. THE TWO FRIENDS. 18am. xviii. . ; eel el 1B
110. SAUL’S HATRED TO DAVID. 1Sam. xviii; xix, . 6 «© «© «
111. DAVID AT RAMAH. 1 Sam. xix. 18 ke eee 88
112. DAVID’S ESCAPE. 1Sam. xx, . . e e . . e . 159
113. DAVID AT NOB. 1Sam.xxi wwe BL
114, THE PRIESTS KILLED. 1Sam.xxii, . ew . 162
115. DAVID’S WANDERINGS. 1 Chron, xi. 15; 1 Sam. xxiii, oe . 168
116. SAUL IN THE CAVE. 1 Sam. xxiv. er . . 164
117. NABAL AND ABIGAIL. 1Sam. xxv. . ° ’ . ° ° » 165
118. DAVID’S KINDNESS TO SAUL. 1Sam, xxvi. . ’ ° ° e « 166
119. DAVID AT ZIKLAG. 1 Sam. xxvii... ° ° ’ . . ° » 168
120. ZIKLAG BURNT. 1Sam. xxx. . . ’ ° ° e . e 169
121. THE WITCH OF ENDOR. 1. Sam. xxviii. . . , . ° . « 170
122. THE DEATH OF SAUL. 1Sam. xxxi.; 2 Sam. i. ° ° e e . 171
123. KING DAVID. 2 Sam. ii. iif. . . . s ’ ‘ ° e ’ 173
124, DAVID’S HAPPINESS. 2 Sam. iv. v. , : . ° ° . . 174
125, THE ARK BROUGHT BACK. 28am. vi. . e , . . . » 475
126. GOD’S PROMISE TO DAVID. 28am. vii. . , ° ° ° » 176
127. MEPHIBOSHETH. 2Sam.ix. . . . . . . ° ° « <
128. DAVID’S SIN. 2Sam. xi.; xii. . . . : ° . ° « 178
129. ABSALOM. 2 Sam. xiii. 23; xv. . . : , . . ° « 180
180. DAVID’S FLIGHT. 2 Sam. xvi. — xix. . . . . . 8 » 188
131. THE GIBEONITES AVENGED. 28am. xxi. : ® ° ° ® » 186
132. THE NUMBERING OF THE PEOPLE. 28am. x.; xiv.; 1 Chron, xxi, . + i187
188. DAVID’S DEATH. 1 Kingsi.; ii.; 1 Chron. xxviii.; xxix, ° ° ° e 189
XXV1 CONTENTS.
CHAP.
134.
135.
136.
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189.
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172.
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174.
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176,
1T7.
178.
179,
180.
181,
182,
KING SOLOMON. 1 Kings ii. 12; ifi.; 2Chron.i. . e e
THE TWO MOTHERS. 1 Kings iii. 16 . . e °
SOLOMON’S WISDOM. 1 Kings iv.; v.; 2 Chron. ii. . .
THE TEMPLE. 1 Kings vi.—ix.; 2 Chron. iii. — viii. e .
THE QUEEN OF SHEBA. 1 Kings x.; 2 Chron. ix. ° .
THE VANITY OF THE WORLD. 1 Kings xi.; Eccles. i.; ii.
THE REBELLION OF THE TEN TRIBES. 1 Kings xi, 11; xil.; 2 Chron.
REHOBOAM AND JEROBOAM. 1 Kings xii. 21; xiii.; 2 Chron.
THE DISOBEDIENT PROPHET. 1 Kings xiii. 7 ° .
JEROBOAM’S SON. 1 Kingsxiv. . . . ° .
KING ASA. 2 Chron. xili. — xvi. . . . ° .
THE WICKED KINGS OF ISRAEL. 1 Kings xv. 25; xvi. .
THE BROOK CHERITH. 1 Kings xvii. . . ° .
THE WIDOW OF ZAREPHATH. 1 Kings xvii. 7 . .
BAAL’S PROPHETS 1 Kings xviii, . . . .
ELIJAH IN THE WILDERNESS. 1 Kings xix. . . .
ELIJAH AT HOREB 1 Kings xix. 8 . . . .
BEN-HADAD. 1 Kings xx. . . . ‘ . .
NABOTH’S VINEYARD. 1 Kings xxi. . . . e
AHAB’S DEATH. 1 Kings xxii.; 2 Chron. xviii. . ° .
KING JEHOSHAPHAT. 2 Chron. xix.; xx. ° ° *
KING AHAZIAH. 2 Kingsi. . . . . . e
ELIJAH TAKEN TO HEAVEN. 2 Kings ii. . . °
WICKED CHILDREN PUNISHED. 2 Kings if. 12 . °
THE MOABITES CONQUERED. 2 Kings iii. ° . .
THE POT OF OIL. 2 Kings iv. : . . . .
THE GOOD SHUNAMMITE. 2 Kings iv. 8 . . .
THE PROPHETS FED. 2 Kings iv. 38 . ° . °
THE LITTLE MAID. 2Kingsv. . . .
NAAMAN, 2 Kings v 9 . ° ‘ ’ e e
GEHAZI. 2 Kings v. 15 ° ° . ° ° °
THE BORROWED AXE. 2 Kings vi. : . ° .
ELISHA PROTECTED. 2 Kings vi. 8 . . . .
THE FAMINE IN SAMARIA. 2 Kings vi. 18 .
PLENTY IN SAMARIA. 1 Kings vii.
xi.
THE SHUNAMMITE’S POSSESSIONS GIVEN BACK. 2 Kings viii.
BEN-HADAD’S DEATH. 2 Kings viii. 7
JEHORAM KING OF JUDAH. 2 Chron. xxi.
AHAZIAH KING OF JUDAH. 2 Chron. xxii.
JEHU MADE KING. 2 Kings ix. . . . . .
AHAB’S FAMILY DESTROYED. 2 Kingsix.30; x. , .
THE LITTLE KING SAVED. 2 Kings xi.; 2 Chron. xxii.; xxiii,
JOASH KING OF JUDAH. 2 Kings xii.; 2 Chron. xxiv.
JEHU’S REIGN. 2 Kings x. 18 , . . . .
THE END OF JOASH. 2 Chron. xxiy. 15
AMAZIAH, 2 Kings xiv.; 2 Chron. xxy. . e . °
THE DEATH OF ELISHA. 2 Kings xiii. 14 . ; .
JONAH’S DISOBEDIENCE. 2 Kings xiv. 23; Jonahi,
THE STORM, Jonahi.4 .
a 6 6 e
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CHAP.
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CONTENTS.
JONAH SAVED. Jonahi.17; iii, , . : :
NINEVEH SPARED. Jonahiii.4
THE GOURD. Jonah iv. . ‘ ’ . e
KING UZZIAH. 2 Chron. xxvi. . . : .
THE LAST KINGS OF ISRAEL. 2Kingsxv. . .
THE PRISONERS SENT HOME. 2 Chron. xxvii.; xxviii.
COMFORT IN TIMES OF SORROW. 2 Chron. xxviii. 16; Is. ix.; xi.
THE CAPTIVITY OF THE TEN TRIBES. 2 Kings xvii.
HEZEKIAH. 2 Kings xviii.; 2 Chron. xxix. . * .
THE PASSOVER KEPT. 2Chron. xxx. . ° .
SENNACHERIB’S ARMY DESTROYED. 2 Kings xvili.17; xix.; 2 Chron.xxxii.
HEZEKTAW’S ILLNESS. 2 Kings xx.; Is. xxxviii. ‘
HEZEKIAW’S PRIDE. 2 Kings xx. 12; Is. xxxix. . ’
MANASSEH. 2 Kings xxi.; 2 Chron. xxxiii.. . .
THE TEMPLE REPAIRED. 2 Kings xxii.; 2 Chron. xxxiv.
JOSIAH. 2 Kings xxii. 8; xxiii.; 2 Chron. xxxiv. 14 .
THE WARNING BY JEREMIAH. Jer. xxvi. . .
AN EXAMPLE OF OBEDIENCE. Jer. xxxv. . .
THE RECHABITES. Jer. xxxv.18 . . . .
THE ROLL BURNT. Jer. xxxvi. . . . .
THE YOUNG CAPTIVES. 2 Kings xxiv.; 2 Chron. xxxvi.
THE FOUR GREAT EMPIRES. Dan.ii. . . .
THE FIERY FURNACE Dan. iii. . . . .
JEREMIAH IMPRISONED. Jer. xxxvii.; xxxvilii.
JUDGMENT UPON JUDAH. 2 Kings xxv.; Jer. xxxix.; xliv.; lif.
THE SEVENTY YEARS’ CAPTIVITY. Ezek. xxx.; Psalm cxxiii.; cxxx.; exxxvii.
NEBUCHADNEZZAI’S DREAM. Daniv.. ‘ .
BELSHAZZAR’S FEAST. Dan.v. . . ‘ .
CYRUS. Dan. v. 30, 31; Is. xliv. 27; xlv. . : °
DANIEL IN THE LIONS’ DEN. Dan. vi. . . .
THE RETURN OF THE CAPTIVES. Ez.1.; iii. .
PERSUCUTION. Ez iv.. . ‘ : . .
THE NEW TEMPLE. Ez. v.; Hag-i.; ii. . ‘ °
QUEEN VASHTI. Estheri. . . . : .
THE Nw QUEEN. Esther ii. : : . .
HAMAN. Esther fii. . . . . ’ .
THE JEWS IN DANGER. Esther iii. 10; iv. . .
ESTHER’S FEAST. Esther v. . . . . .
THE RESTLESS NIGHT. Esther vi. . ‘ .
HAMAN PUNISHED. Esther vii. . . ‘ .
THE JEWS DELIVERED. Esther viii.; x. . :
EZRA’S PRAYER. Ez. vii.; ix. : ‘ ‘ .
THE REPENTANCE OF THE PEOPLE. Ez. x. :
NEHEMIAH. Neh.i.; ii. ’ . . ‘ .
THE WALLS BUILT. Neh. ii. 10; iv. . : .
THE DEFENCE OF NEHEMIAH. Neh.iv.7 . °
NEHEMIAH’S KINDNESS. Neh.v.. ‘. : °
THE PLOTS OF SANBALLAT. Neh. vi.. . °
THE LAW EXPLAINED. Neh. vi.15; x.. ° °
e
XXVIII
PAGE.
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268
269
270
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273
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320
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326
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329
331
333
335
837
XXVill, CONTENTS.
CHAP.
232,
233,
234,
235.
236.
237.
239,
NEHEMIAWS RETURN. Neh. xiii. , . oe
THE PROPHET MALACHL MaLijiv.. 6 «
NEW TESTAMENT.
THE COMING OF CHRIST . . ° ° °
THE JEWS . . . . . : °
ZACHARIAS AND ELIZABETH. Luke i. . .
THE VIRGIN MARY. Lukei.26 . 8 . .
THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. Lukei.57 .
THE BIRTH OF CHRIST. Matt. i. 20; Luke ii. . ’
THE SHEPHERDS. Luke ii. 8 . . ’ .
SIMEON AND ANNA. Luke ii. 21 . . . .
THE WISE MEN. Maitt.ii. . . . .
THE CHILDREN OF BETHLEHEM. Matt. ii. 12 .
JESUS WITH THE DOCTORS. Matt. ii. 19; Luke ii, 40
JOHN THE BAPTIST. Matt. iii.; Luke iti. Do
. JESUS BAPTISED. Matt.iii.13 . . . .
THE TEMPTATION. Matt.iv. . . «5 4
THE LAMB OF GOD. Joni. «ww
DISCIPLES BROUGHT TO JESUS. Johni.85 . °.
WATER MADE WINE. Johnii, . . 2,
THE TEMPLE CLEANSED. Johnii.J2 . .
. NICODEMUS. Jobniii,. =. we
JOHN THE BAPTIST IMPRISONED. Mark vi. 20; Luke iii.
THE WOMAN OF SAMARIA. Johniv. . . .
THE NOBLEMAN’S SON. John iv. 46 . ° ,
JESUS AT NAZARETH. Luke iv. 16 . > °
THE FISHERMAN OF GALILEE. Luke vy, . .
A DEVIL CAST OUT. Marki.21 . . . .
THE LEPER. Mark i. 29 . . ‘ ° °
THE SICK OF THE PALSY. Markii, , , ’
MATTHEW CALLED. Lukev.27 . : ‘ °
THE POOL OF BETHESDA. Johny. .
THE WITHERED HAND. Matt. xii. . , .
THE TWELVE APOSTLES. Luke vi.12 . ,
THE LORD’S PRAYER. Matt.v.; vi.
THE FLOWERS OF THE FIELD. Matt. vi. 19
THE NARROW WAY. Matt. vii.13.
THE TWO BUILDERS, Matt. vii, 24
THE CENTURION. Matt. viii. 5
THE WIDOW’S SON. Luke vii. 11
® » e
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE HUMBLE. Matt. xi. 20 3 Luke x. 17
REST FOR THE WEARY. Matt. xi. 28
THE PENITENT WOMAN. Luke vil.36 . . .
THE PHARISEES’ UNBELIEF. Luke xi. 14
THE FAMILY OF JESUS. Matt, xii. 46
.
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359
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384
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389
390
391
393
394
397
398
399
. 400
401
404
405
406
407
-
CHAP.
276.
277.
278.
279.
280.
281.
282.
283.
284.
285.
286.
287.
288.
289,
290.
291.
292.
293.
294.
295.
296.
297.
298.
299,
300.
301.
802.
303.
$04.
305.
306.
307.
308.
309.
310.
311.
312.
318.
314.
315.
316.
317.
318.
319.
821.
822.
323.
324,
CONTENTS.
THE RICH WORLDLING. Luke xii.13 , ° ’
THE FIG-TREE WITHOUT FRUIT. Luke xiii, 6
THE SOWER. Matt. xiii.3 . . . °
THE WHEAT AND THE TARES. Matt. xiii, 24
MORE PARABLES. Matt. xiii. 33; Mark iv. 30
THE STORM CALMED. Matt. iv. 35
THE LEGION. Mark v. . . e °
THE RULER’S DAUGHTER. Marky. 21 . :
THE DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. Matt. xiv. #
THE FIVE THOUSAND FED. Matt. xiv. 13; John vi. 26
JESUS WALKING ON THE SEA. Matt. xiv. 22 ’
THE GENTILE WOMAN. Matt. xv.21 . ‘ .
THE DEAF AND DUMB MAN. Markvii.3l . e
PETER’S CONFESSION. Matt. xvi. 13 , . .
THE TRANSFIGURATION. Matt. xvii. . . °
AN EVIL SPIRIT CAST OUT. Matt. xviiil4. . °
THE TRIBUTE MONEY. Matt. xvii.24 . ° °
A LESSON OF HUMILITY. Matt. xviii. . ° °
THE UNKIND SERVANT. Matt. xviii. 21. . °
THE MAN WHO WAS BORN BLIND. John ix. °
THE GOOD SHEPHERD. John x. . ° .
THE GOOD SAMARITAN. Lukeix.25 . ° °
THE CRIPPLE HEALED. Luke xiii.10 . ‘ °
THE GREAT SUPPER. Luke xiv. . . ° °
MERCY FOR THE PENITENT. Luke xv. : .
THE STEWARD. Luke xvi. . , : .
THE RICH MAN AND THE BEGGAR. Luke xvi.19 .
THE TEN LEPERS. Luke xvii.12 . . * Se
PARABLES ON PRAYER. Luke xviii. : . .
THE GOOD PART. Luke x. 38 . . . .
LAZARUS. John xi. . > : °
LITTLE CHILDREN BROUGHT TO JESUS. Mark x. 138
THE YOUNG RULER. Markx.17 . ’ . .
THE LABORERS IN THE VINEYARD. Matt.xx. ,
THE BLIND BEGGAR. Mark x. 46. ’ ‘ °
ZACCHEUS. Luke xix. . . . . . °
THE BOX OF OINTMENT. John xii. : ’ °
JESUS GOING TO JERUSALEM. Matt.xxi. °
THE WICKED HUSBANDMEN. Matt. xxi. 33. .
THE MARRIAGE GARMENT. Matt. xxii. ‘ .
THE WIDOW’S OFFERING. Luke xxi. . : .
THE FALL OF JERUSALEM. Matt. xxiv.; Luke xxi. 5
THE TEN VIRGINS. Matt.xxv. . . . :
THE TALENTS. Matt. xxv. 14 : . . :
THE LAST SUPPER. Matt. xxvi.; John xiii. . ’
GETHSEMANE. Jobn xiv.—xviil. . . . °
PETER’S SIN. Luke xxii. 55 . 8 ’ ’
THE END OF JUDAS. Matt. xxvii.3. . : °
PONTIUS PILATE. Matt. xxvii.; Luke xxiii. ’ 8
XX1X
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BEBES
433
434
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452
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456
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459
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462
464
466
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XXX ©
CHAP.
325.
326.
337.
338.
339.
340.
341.
346.
347.
348.
349.
350.
351.
362.
353.
354,
355.
356,
357.
358.
359,
360.
361.
362.
CONTENTS.
CHRIST CRUCIFIED. Matt. xxvii. 27 . . .
THE DEATH OF CHRIST. Luke xxiii. 39; John xix. 25
JESUS BURIED. Luke xxiii. 50.; John xix. 31 °
THE RESURRECTION. Matt. xxvii. 62; xxvill.; John xx.
THE WALK TO EMMAUS. Luke xxiv. 18 °
THE UNBELIEVING DISCIPLE. John xx.24 .
PETER’S DEATH FORETOLD. John xxi. .
THE ASCENSION. Luke xxiv. 50. Actsi.9 e
THE NEW APOSTLE. “Actsi.13 . : :
THE DAY OF PENTECOST. Acts il. . °
THE LAME MAN HEALED. Actsiii.iv. . °
ANANIAS AND SAPPHIRA. Acts v. . e
THE APOSTLES. PERSECUTED. Actsv.12 ,
THE FIRST MARTYR. Acts vi. vii. . e
SIMON THE SORCERER. Acts vill. . .
PHILIP AND THE EUNUCH. Acts viii. 26 e
SAUL OF TARSUS. Actsix.. . . .
DORCAS. Actsix.32 . ° . ° .
CORNELIUS. Actsx. . . . . .
THE FIRST CHRISTIANS. Acts xi.21. . .
PETER DELIVERED FROM PRISON. Acts xii.
PAUL THE APOSTLE. Acts xiii.; xiv.
PAUL AT LYSTRA. Acts xiv. 8 . . .
THE PARTING OF PAUL AND BARNABAS. Acts xv. 36
TIMOTHY. Acts xvi. . . . . ‘
PAUL AT PHILIPPI. Actaxvi.6 . . .
PAUL AT ATHENS. Acts xvii. . : .
PAUL AT CORINTH. Acts xviii. . . .
PAUL AT EPHESUS. Acts xviii.19; xix. . °
PAUL AT TROAS AND MILETUS. Actaxx. .
PAUL AT JERUSALEM. Acts xxi.; xxii. . :
PAUL BEFORE THE COUNCIL. Acts xxiii.; xxiv.
PAUL BEFORE AGRIPPA. Acts xxv.; xxvi. e
PAUL ON THE SEA. Acts xxvii. . . °
PAUL AT MELITA AND ROME. Acts xviii. .
PHILEMON AND ONESIMUS. PHILEMON. .
PATMOS. Rev.i.. . : . : :
THE SEVEN CHURCHES. Rev. il.; iti. . ‘
THE BOOK OF REVELATION, Rev. iv.; v.; xx.; xxil.
PAGE.
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SEES
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OLD TESTAMENT.
I.
‘HE PREATION.
Urs
(
was darkness : ; but God was.
moon, nor people.
is eternal ; He had no beginning,
He will have no end.
God spoke, and created all things
by his wonderful power. The first
day, He created light: the second
day, the blue sky; the third day,
the seas and dry land, and trees ;
the fourth day, the sun, and moon,
and stars; the fifth day, the birds
and fishes; the sixth day, beasts,
and insects, and creeping things,
and man. Then all was finished,
and ‘“* God saw everything that He
had made, and behold it was very
good.†‘The seventh day God
ended His work which He had
made.†God rested on that day,
and therefore He commands us to
rest on the Sabbath day. He says,
‘Remember the Sabbath day, to
keep it holy.â€
ANY years ago, there was|to man He gave more: He gave
no earth, nor plants, norj/him a soul also, which could
animals, nor sun, nor|never die.
Alllinstinct to the animals; but He
God| gave reason to man, power to know
God gave wonderful
and to love, and to worship God.
The man’s name was Adam. God
created him holy and happy. ‘“ And
the Lord God planted a garden
eastward in Hden, and there He
put the man.†The garden was
full of beautiful trees and flowers ;
the little birds sang sweetly, and
the animals all played together
upon the green grass; they did not
fight, nor hurt one another ; all
was love and happiness, because
there was no sin. It was warm
and pleasant, there was no cold
wind, no snow, no winter.
‘““The Lord God took the man,
and put him into the garden of
Eden, to dress it, and to keep it.â€
But God said, “ It is not good that
the man should be alone; I will
make him an help meet for him.â€
“The Lord God formed man of) When Adam was asleep, God took
the dust of the ground, and breath-|a rib out of his side, and made ita
ed into his nostrils the breath of| woman, and brought her to Adam,
life, and man became a living|and she was his wife. Her name
soul.†God gave to the animals|was Eve. She had asoul and rea-
beautiful and useful bodies; but}son like Adam, and was holy and
26
happy as he was. God said to them,
“Of every tree in the garden ye
may eat; but of the fruit of the
tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, which is in the midst of the
garden, ye shall not eat, lest ye die.â€
Adam and Eve loved one another,
THE BEGINNING OF SIN.
and they loved God. They walked
in the beautiful garden, and sang
praise to God, without pain, or sor-
row, or fear; and they loved to
hear God speak to them, and to
learn the wonderful things He
taught them.
enna .
II.
y HE PEGINNING OF pIN.
2 |HERE was a wicked angel
in hell, named Satan.
Once he had been a bright
and happy angel in hea-
ven ; but he was disobedi-
ent, and God drove him down into
hell, and many other wicked angels
with him. Sin cannot bein heaven ;
all must be holy there. “ God spared
not the angels that sinned, but cast
them down into hell.†2 Pet. ii. 4.
Satan hated Adam and Eve, be-
cause they were holy and happy,
and he was wicked and miserable ;
and he went into the garden, and
appeared like a serpent, and spoke
to Eve, and tempted her to eat the
fruit which God had forbidden.
But Eve said, “ God commanded us,
saying, Ye shall not eat of it, lest
ye die.†Then Satan told a lie, for
“he is a liar, and the father of it,â€
John viii. 44, and said, “You shall
not surely die.†And Eve was
tempted to believe Satan, and she
_ took the fruit of the tree of knowl-
edge of good and evil, and eat, and
gave to Adam, and he eat. God
saw all this, and He was very angry.
Adam and Eve were sinners now,
their holiness and happiness were
gone, and God would punish them
for their sin. “They heard the
voice of the Lord God, walking in
the garden in the cool of the day;
and Adam and his wife hid them-
selves.†Why did they fear? Be-
cause they knew they had sinned ;
they knew that God was angry with
them: they were not glad now to
hear His voice; they could not now
sing His praises, and talk happily
to Him. But Adam and Eve could
not hide themselves from God, for
He can see everywhere. “The
eyes of the Lord are in every place,
beholding the evil and the good.â€
Prov. xv. 3.
God called Adam, and said -to
him, “Hast thou eaten of the fruit
of which I commanded thee not to
eat?†and Adam did not humbly
confess his sin, but answered, “The
woman gave it to me, and IJ eat.â€
Then God said to Eve, “What is
this that thou hast done ?†and she
answered, “The serpent. tempted
me, and I eat.†Then God told
Adam and Eve that they had sin-
ned, and therefore they must die.
Thorns and thistles would now
grow in the beautiful world ; they
must labor, and suffer pain and
sorrow all the days they lived, and
then “die, and return to the dust,â€
Their bodies must die; but where
CAIN
must their souls go? They could
not die, because they were immor-
tal: and they could not go to hea-
ven, because they were sinful. Hell
was the place for the wicked, where
Satan and the wicked angels were.
Must the souls of Adam and Eve,
and all their children, go there ?
No—God did not wish his sinful
creatures to perish. He said, “De-
liver their souls from going down
into the pit; I have found a ran-
som.†Job xxxiii. 24.
an ae
Nee
AND ABEL. Par
God said, that the seed of the
woman should bruise the serpent’s
head. What did this mean? Sa-
tan was the serpent; Jesus Christ
was the Seed of the woman. In due
time, Jesus would come into the
world, and subdue Satan, and de-
liver all who should believe, from
Satan’s power, from sin and hell.
If we, like Adam and Eve, have
faith in Jesus, we shall be saved as
they were, and made eternally hap-
py when we die.
we
Itt
PAIN AND jLBEL.
GXGJUT though God forgave
(© Adam and Eve, He would
mV} not let them remain in the
| garden. An angel came
with a flaming sword to
drive them away. They were sinners,
and therefore they must not stay
there. Now, they felt pain and
sorrow; and when their children
were born, they were sinful children.
Cain, the eldest son of Adam and
Eve, was very wicked; but his
brother Abel loved and prayed to
God, and believed in Jesus. Abel
was a shepherd: and, at God’s com-
mand, he took a lamb, and killed
it, and offered it up in sacrifice.
Abel sacrificed the lamb in faith,
and in obedience: Cain offered a
sacrifice too, but not the right sort
of sacrifice, and not in the right
way. He brought the fruits of the
earth, and gave them to God. But
he did not confess his sins, nor ask
for forgiveness; so God accepted
Abel, and his sacrifice; but Cain,
and his sacrifice, He did not accept.
But when Cain knew God was an-
gry, he did not ask God to forgive
him, and change his heart; he was
sullen and jealous, because God ac-
cepted his brother, and did not
accept him. God said to Cain,
“Why art thou angry? If thou
doest well, shalt thou not also be
accepted ?†for God was willing to
forgive Cain. But Cain would not
attend to what God said; Satan
was in his heart, tempting him to
be angry and passionate, and Cain
did not “ resist the devil.â€
One day, Cain and Abel were
together in the ficld. They were
alone; Adam and Eve were not
there; and Cain struck Abel, and
killed him. Abel’s body. fell dead
upon the ground; but his soul did
not die; Cain could not hurt that:
it went to heaven, to be there in
happiness for ever. God saw Cain
kill his brother, and asked, “ Where
is Abel?†and wicked Cain com-
mitted another sin, and told a he,
and said, “I know not.†But God
28
had seen Abel die, and He punished
Cain, and drove him away, far from
his father, and mother, and broth-
ers, and sisters; and he was a wan-—
derer in the earth.
Adam and Eve were very sorry
for their dear son. When they
looked on his dead body, they must
have thought of their own sin, and
THE DELUGE.
of the punishment of sin: and how
glad they must have been to re-
member God’s promise, that Jesus
should come and die to save sin-
ners. They lived to be hundreds
of years old, and then they died.
Their bodies were buried in the
tomb; but we may hope that their
souls went to heaven.
~
IV
JHE PELUGE.
ANY people were in the
\/, P| world, and most of them
A’ fl [| were very wicked; but a
| holy man was among
them, named Enoch. The
Bible says, “Enoch walked with
God;†what does this mean? It
means that Enoch’s sins were par-
doned, and that he was at peace
with God, and that he loved and
served Him. God blessed Enoch,
and was pleased to take him to hea-
ven without dying. “He was not,
for God took him.â€
“God saw that the wickedness of
man was great upon the earth.â€
And He said, He would destroy the
“wicked people, and send a flood of
water to wash them all away. But
there was then another holy man,
named Noah, and God promised to
save him. God commanded Noah
to make a great ark of wood. Noah
did as God told him, and when the
ark was finished, he went in, with
his wife, and his three sons, Shem,
Ham, and Japheth, and the wives of
his sons, and many beasts and birds,
and creeping things; and “the
Lord shut him in.†The wicked
people would not go into the ark,
nor believe Noah when he told
them that the water was soon com-
ing to drown them all. God waited
in mercy many years; for He did
not wish them to perish. But they
would not repent, nor believe, nor
turn to God; and, at last, He sent
rain from heaven, and water out of
the sea, and washed away the wick-
ed people. “The rain was upon the
earth forty days and forty nights,â€
and every thing in the earth died.
Was Noah safe? Yes: the ark
floated upon the waters; it did not
sink, because God kept it up. God
will keep safely all who, like Noah,
love and serve him. He can keep
them in every place. When they
are asleep in the dark night, God
sees them; when they walk about,
He is with them ; when they are in
storms upon the great sea, He can
keep them. He sends His holy an-
gels to take care of them; His eye
is always upon them. Those are
happy people who have God near,
to love and keep them wherever
they are. And the ark may remind
us of the Lord Jesus Christ. If
we are in Him, by faith, then we
shall be safe for ever from God’s
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THE DELUGE,
THE
anger, as Noah was safe in the ark
from the waters of the flood. .
When the rain was over, the ark
rested upon a mountain, called Ara-
rat, and Noah looked out. All the
ground was covered with water.
There were no trees, nor flowers;
they were withered and dead. There
were no people, nor- beasts, nor
birds; the water had drowned them
all. Then Noah opened a window
in the ark, and sent out a raven.
The raven flew about, and did not
return to Noah. Then Noah sent
out adove. But the dove was not
lke the raven; it would not feed
upon the dead bodies, and there was
no resting place for it; so it flew
back again, and Noah put out his
hand and pulled it into the ark.
Seven days after, Noah sent out the
dove again; and in the evening it
returned, and brought in its beak
an olive leaf. Noah was very glad
to see this leaf; because he knew
by 1t that now the trees were begin-
ning to bud and grow, and that
soon all would be dry and pleasant
again. So Noah thanked God, and
waited patiently for seven more
days; and then he sent out the
dove again. All was dry now. The
trees and flowers grew, and the sun
shone brightly and pleasantly. The
dove did not return any more to
the ark. God gave it instinct to
build its nest among the trees, and
to find food for itself without Noah
to take care of it.
Noah took the covering off the
ark, and looked, and he saw that all
was dry. Then God told him to
come out, with his family, and all
the living things that were with
him. They were glad to see the dry
ground again, and. the sun, and
DELUGE.
29
trees, and flowers, so beautiful and
fresh. ‘They were all well; for God
had kept them safely in the ark
from the wind and the waters.
Then Noah and his family thanked
God, and built an altar, and offered
joyful sacrifices in faith, and prayed,
and praised the Lord.
And God set a beautiful rainbow
in the sky, and he told Noah, that
when it should rain again upon the
earth, and the clouds should be
black and heavy, then the rainbow
should be seen in the cloud, that
people might know, that God would
not again drown the world. The
sun shining upon the little drops of
water in the rain-cloud, makes the
bow, and its beautiful colors:
God sends the rain, and the cloud,
and the sunshine to make the
bow, that we may remember his
promise to Noah, never to drown
the world again. But God sends
rain from heaven, to make the
grass and corn grow; to water
the ground, and make the trees and
flowers bud and blossom. God is
very good and kind. “He maketh
grass to grow upon the mountains ;
He giveth to the beast his food, and
to the young ravens which cry.â€
Ps. exlvii. 8, 9.
When Noah and his family came
out of the ark, they went into dif-
ferent places, and built cities and .
houses; and they had many chil-
dren, and the earth was soon full of
people again. These people all
spoke the same language. Many of
them were very wicked. They
sought to make themselves great,
not to please God; and, in their
pride, they said, “Let us build us a
city, and a tower whose top may
reach unto heaven; and let us
30
make us a name, lest we be scattered
abroad.†But God was angry with
them, because they were proud, and
forgot Him. And he confounded
their speech, and made them speak
different languages; so that they
could not understand one another,
ABRAM.
nor finish the city and tower. The
place was named Babel, or confu-
sion, and the wicked people were
‘scattered abroad upon the face of
the earth. See how God hates and
punishes pride!
ONIN.
a
Vv
PBRAM.
ZS JHERE was a man named
Abram, who lived in Me-
5) sopotamia. The people
s there were idolators, but
Abram worshipped God.
God told Abram to go away from
his home, into the land of Canaan ;
and He promised to bless him, if he
did so. Abram obeyed directly; he
took his wife, and his nephew Lot,
and all he possessed, and went to
Canaan. This showed his faith and
obedience; and God did as He
promised, and brought Abram safely
to Sichem, and then said to him,
“Unto thy seed will I give this
land.†Abram then had no chil-
dren; but still he believed God, and
“built an altar to the Lord, and
called upon the name of the Lord.â€
Abram was very rich: he had
silver, and gold, and asses, and
camels, and servants. His nephew
Lot was rich too, and there was not
room in the land, for the posses-
sions of both Lot and Abram; and
their servants were unkind, and
quarreled with one another. Abram
did not like to see this, for he wish-
ed all to be love and peace. So he
asked Lot to separate from him,
and to go to the place he liked best.
Then Lot looked towards Jordan ;
it was a beautiful place, like a sweet
a ‘*
(s &
Moo)
aS
garden, and full of water. So Lot
chose to go to Sodom; because it
was very pleasant, and there would
be much food there for him, and
for his cattle. Lot was very selfish ;
for he did not try to please Abram,
he only tried to please himself. Let
us always try to remember, that the ~
Bible tells us to love others as well
as ourselves.
Abram and Lot parted, and Lot
went to live in Sodom. But Lot
was not happy there. The people
were very wicked, and he was vexed,
because they would not love and wor-
ship God, as he wished to do. And
now Lot was punished for his sin in
going among wicked people, and
choosing a home in a place where
God was not obeyed. We should
try to be with those who love the
Lord, and who will help us to do
right. Riches and possessions can
not make us happy ; the love of God
alone can give us peace and comfort.
And therefore Abram was happier
than Lot was, in the rich city
of Sodom. And God blessed Abram,
and said to him again, “All the
land which thou seest, to thee will
I give it, and to thy children.†Then
Abram went to Hebron, and dwelt
there, and built an altar to. the
Lord.
MELCHIZEDEK,.
ol
VI.
MeELCHIZEDEK,
Fe %AIOON after Lot went to
Gh live in Sodom, a great
i king named Chedorlao-
mer, and other kings with
him, came, and fought
against the city and the people of
Sodom. Chedorlaomer conquered
the king of Sodom, and took away
all the riches of the city, and made
many of the people prisoners, and
Lot was made prisoner among them.
See how vain and foolish it is to
love and trust in riches and worldly
things! Lot went to Sodom, hop-
ing to enjoy all his great posses-
sions: now, he had lost everything,
and was made prisoner himself.
When Abram heard what had
_ happened to Lot, he armed himself,
~- and his servants, and pursued the
army of Chedorlaomer, and smote
them, and brought all the people
and goods that Chedorlaomer had
taken, and delivered Lot; and Lot
returned in safety to Sodom. The
king of Sodom offered to give great
riches to Abram; but Abram would
not take any reward; for he wished
only to show kindness _to others,
not to enrich himself, Let us try
to imitate Abram, and to be kind
and generous as he was. The Bible
says, “Look not every man on his
own things, but every man also on
the things of others.†Phil. ii. 4.
When Abram returned, the king
of Salem, who was named Melchize-
dek, came out to meet him, and
gave bread and wine to him and his
servants, to refresh them. Mel-
chizedek was a priest as well asa
king, and he blessed Abram, and
said, “ Blessed be Abram of the
most high God, possessor of heaven
and earth; and blessed be the most
high God, which hath delivered
thine enemies into thy hands.â€
Then Abram gave Melchizedek a
tenth part of all the riches that had
been taken, to show how much he
honored and respected him.
We read no more of the history
of Melchizedek; but the Bible
teaches us, that he is to remind us
of another and greater, king and
priest—of the Lord Jesus Christ
himself. Melchizedek was a type, a
likeness, of Jesus. Jesus is a king;
He reigns in the hearts of his peo-
ple now; He will reign over all the
world hereafter. And he isa priest
too; He has offered up the sacrifice
of himself, to take away our sins,
and He ever lives in heaven, to
make intercession for us there.
32
HAGAR.
Vil
PBRAM S VISION.
ND now the Lord spoke
<\ to Abram again in a vision,
i) to comfort and encourage
2S} him. God promised to
do great and wonderful
things for him at some future time,
but not yet ; for He was pleased first
to try Abram’s faith and patience.
One night, God brought him out
into the fields, and told him to look
upwards. The stars were shining
brightly in the sky, and God told
Abram to try to count them; but
there were more, many more, than
Abram could number. ‘Then God
said, “So shall thy seed be.†Abram
had yet no children, but he believed
God still. He felt sure, that the
Lord could and would do as He
promised. This is an example of
faith for us. God speaks to us in
the Bible, and all he says, we are to
believe. And those who truly be-
heve, will be blessed with faithful
Abram.
God promised Abram that he
should inherit the land of Canaan;
and He told him what would hap-
pen to his children, when he himself
was dead. God commanded Abram
to take several animals, and to di-
had a maid named Hagar,
| who was also Abram’s
wife. Hagar behaved dis-
respectfully to her mis-
tress, and this made Sarai angry,
vide them in pieces, and offer them
in sacrifice, and when the birds
came to devour the dead bodies of
these animals, Abram drove them
away. ‘That same night, God spoke
to Abram again, and told him, that |
his children should go into a strange
land, and be afflicted there; but
that after 400 years, they should
come out of that land, with great
riches, and possess all the coun-
try of Canaan. And when it was
dark, Abram saw, in vision, a
smoking furnace, and a burning
lamp, which passed between the
pieces of the sacrifice, which Abram
had offered at God’s command.
What was the meaning of this?
Perhaps the vision was meant to
teach Abram, what should happen
to his children, in that strange land
to which they were going. The
smoking furnace might teach him
that they would be afflicted; and
the bright lamp might teach him
that they would be comforted. God
often afflicts his people, but He
always comforts them too; and so,
as we shall soon see, He afflicted and
comforted Abram’s children, the peo-
ple of Israel in the land of Egypt.
and she treated Hagar very harshly,
and was so unkind to her, that Ha-
gar ran away from her mistress, and
fled into the wilderness. It was
wrong of Hagar to be disrespectful
to her mistress; and it was wrong
THE COVENANT. 33
of Sarai to be unkind to her ser-
vant; and Abram himself was
wrong in allowing these things to
happen in his family.
But what became of Hagar? The
angel of the Lord found her in the
wilderness, by a well of water, and
said to her, “ Hagar, whence camest
thou?†And Hagar answered, “I
flee from my mistress Sarai.†Then
the angel told Hagar to return to
her mistress, and to submit to her.
This was Hagar’s duty, and she
could not be blessed nor happy
while she forgot this duty, and gave
way to her own pride and self-will.
But the angel comforted Hagar,
though he reproved her, and told
her that she would have a son, who
would be the father of a great na-
tion. ‘That son was to be named
Ishmael, which means, “God shall
aN
ee ee
hear,†because God had heard the
affliction of Hagar, and had mercy
on her. And the Angel said, that
Ishmael should be a wild man, and
that his hand would be against every
man, and every man’s hand against
him. Ishmael was born not long
after, and from him descended the
nation of the Arabians, who have
always been a wild people, as the
angel foretold.
So Hagar was comforted; and
she did as she was commanded, and
returned to Sarai. But first, she
gave a name to the angel who had
appeared to her. She called him,
“Thou God seest me.†He saw
Hagar in her afiliction, and He can
still see us in all our sorrows, and
bless and comfort us, as he did her,
if we pray to Him, and trust in
Him.
IX.
JHE JOVENANT,
A PTER this, the Lord ap-
AV <)) peared to Abram, and
‘| again promised to bless
and multiply him, and
give him the land of Ca-
naan, for a possession. And God
changed his name, and called him
Abraham, which means the father
of a-multitude, because many peo-
ple should descend from him. And
Sarai’s name also was changed to Sa-
rah, which means a princess. Then
the Lord appointed a sign in Abra-
ham’s family, to mark them as a
distinct people; this sign was the
circumcision of every son who
should be born in the family of
Abraham.
Were the children of Ishmael to
possess the land of Canaan? No;
Ishmael was not the promised seed
who should inherit Canaan; but
God told Abraham, that Sarah
should have a son who should be
called Isaac, and that He would
make with him, and with his chil-
dren, an everlasting covenant?
What is a covenant? An agree-
ment and promise between two
parties. The promise which God
made to Noah, never to drown the
world again, was a covenant; and
the sign of it was the rainbow.
And now, the promise God made
to Abraham, to bless his seed, and
to give them the land of Canaan,
34
was a covenant; and the sign of it
was circumcision. And God had
made another covenant with Adam .
in the garden of Eden, when He
THE ANGEL’S VISIT.
sinners. This was the greatest cov-
enant of all. And we know that
every one of God’s covenants is
true, because made by Him who
cannot lie, and who will never de-
‘promised that Jesus Christ should
ceive His people.
come into the world, and die to save
“oo
—
Xx
yHE ANGELS’ Visit.
NE day, Abraham was sit-
KA ting at his tent door, and
c) pie he looked up, and saw
6SZA5| three men standing by
him. Then he rose up
directly, and bowed respectfully to
them, and asked, “Let now water
be fetched and wash your feet, and
rest under the tree, and 1 will bring
you food.†So the men sat down,
and Abraham ran into the tent, to
his wife Sarah, and told her to make
cakes very quickly; then he ran to
the field, and took a calf, and killed
it, and dressed it; and he brought
the calf, and the cakes, and butter,
and milk, and gave them to the
men under the tree; and they did
eat, and Abraham stood and waited
upon them. He was right to be
kind and respectful: St. Peter says,
“Use hospitality one to another.â€
1 Peter iv. 9. And St. Paul says,
“Be not forgetful to entertain
strangers.†Hebrews xii. 2.
When the men had finished eat-
ing, they asked, “ Where is Sarah ?â€
And Abraham said, “She is in the
tent.†Then the Lord told Abra-
ham, He would soon give to him
and Sarah a son; for God had not
forgotten his promise made to Abra-
ham so many years before. Sarah
heard the Lord speak, but she did
not believe what He said, and she
laughed and thought it could not
be true. Then the Lord said,
“Why did Sarah laugh? Is any-
thing too hard for the Lord? Sarah
shall have a son.†Sarah was
afraid, and denied, and said, “I
laughed not;†but He said, “ Nay,
but thou didst langh.†So the men
went away, and Abraham went with
them towards Scdom. And then
the Lord told Abraham, that He
was angry with those two wicked
cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, and
was come now to destroy them.
Abraham thought of his nephew
Lot, who was still in Sodom. and he
felt afraid, and very sorry for him.
So he asked the Lord to spare the
city if fifty righteous people were
there ; and the Lord said, He would.
But soon, Abraham thought, that
Sodom was so very wicked, that
perhaps there were not fifty there
who loved God; and he prayed the
Lord again, five times, if there were
forty-five, or forty, or thirty, or
twenty, or only ten righteous peoc-
ple in Sodom, to save the city. And
the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom
ten righteous, I will not destroy it.â€
Then the Lord went away, and
Abraham returned unto his place.
It was right and kind of Abraham
SODOM DESTROYED. 35
to pray for Lot. We should all | God to comfort them, and to keep
remember our friends in prayer, | them from evil. “Pray one for an-
and ask God to take care of them. | other. The effectual fervent prayer
And when they are unhappy, or in | of a righteous man availeth much.â€
danger, we should particularly pray | James v. 16.
oN NN
Nr ee
XL.
popom PESTROYED.
T was evening when the | they brought him forth. Then they
eS two angels came to Sod- | said, “ Escape for thy life to the
hs} om. Did they find there | mountain; stay not; look not be-
| ten righteous people? No; | hind thee.†But Lot said, “I can
there were not ten right- | not escape to the mountain, lest
eous in Sodom; and therefore it | someeviltake me. There is a little
could not be saved. But the Lord | city near to flee unto, let me escape
remembered Abraham’s prayer: and | thither.†And God mercifully al-
He remembered righteous Lot, who | lowed Lot to go to that little city.
loved God all alone in the wicked | It was called Zoar.
city, and sent the angels to save him. So Lot, and his wife, and his two
Lot was sitting in the gate of! daughters, escaped from Sodom;
Sodom; and when he saw the an-j| and then “the Lord rained upon
gels, he rose, and bowed respect-; Sodom and Gomorrah, brimstone
fully, and brought them to his | and fire from the Lord out of hea-
house, and gave them food. Then | ven.†All the cities were destroyed ;
they said, “ Whatsoever thou hastin ; all the people died. Lot was saved,
the city, bring out; for we will de- | with his two daughters; but “his
stroy this place.†So Lot went out, | wife looked back from behind him,
and spoke to his sons-in-law, and | and she became a pillar of salt.â€
said, “Get you out of this place,| In the morning, Abraham rose
for the Lord will destroy this city.†| very early, and went to look toward
But they would not believe what he | Sodom. No beautiful city was there
said. And when the morning was ; now; it was all black with smoke;
come, the angels hastened Lot, and | the houses destroyed; the people
said, “Arise, take thy wife and thy | killed. But God had remembered
two daughters which are here ;†| Abraham’s prayer for Lot, and kept
and while he lingered, the men laid | him safely. But Lot had no house
hold upon his hand, and upon the | to livein; no riches, no possessions:
hand of his wife, and upon the | he lived in a cave, with his two
hand of his two daughters, the | daughters, and was thankful to be
Lord being merciful unto him, and | even there.
36
ISAAC.
XII.
JSAac.
born. Ishmael, the son
of Hagar, was now al-
most grown up, and he
behaved very unkindly to his little
brother Isaac, mocking him in his
hear us; and if we have done wrong,
like Hagar and Ishmael, we must
pray for pardon, and ask to be made
humble, and gentle, and holy. All
our hearts are full of anger, and
disobedience, and pride; but God
will give us the Holy Spirit, if we
play. This was very wrong, and it | ask him, to make us gentle, and
grieved and displeased Abraham | obedient, and humble.
and Sarah; and Sarah said, “Cast |
| gone away, God called to Abraham,
out the bond-woman and her gon.â€
And God commanded Abraham to
do this; so he rose in the morning,
and called Hagar, and gave her a
bottle of water, and bread, and her
son Ishmael, and sent them both
away: they went into the wilder-
ness of Beersheba. The water in
the bottle was soon spent; it was
very hot, and Ishmael fainted, and
his mother cast him under a bush,
and she sat by herself, and wept.
But God heard Ishmael cry, and an
angel called to Hagar from heaven,
and said, “Hagar, fear not; God
hath heard the voice of the lad
where he is. Arise, lift up the lad,
and hold him in thy hand.†Then
God showed Hagar “a well of wa-
ter; and she went, and filled her
bottle with water, and gave the lad
drink.†And God was with Ish-
mael, and made him well, and he
grew up, and lived in the wilderness.
Afterwards, he had many children,
and they became a great people, as
the angel had foretold.
God can take care of us wherever
we are; He can keep us when we
are ill, and make us well and strong
again. When we are in sorrow, we
should pray to God, and He will
After Hagar and Ishmael were
and said, “'Take now thy son, thine
only son Isaac, and offer him for a
burnt-offering, upon a mountain
which I will show thee†Did God
wish to make Abraham unhappy,
and to kill his son? No, God only
wished to try Abraham’s faith; to
see if Abraham would be obedient,
and if he loved God more than his
dear child. Abraham obeyed 4i-
rectly; for he knew God’s command
must be right, and he believed that
God had power even to raise Isaac
to life again after he was dead. All
God does is good and right. When
He sends us pain, or sickness, or
sorrow, He does it wisely, for good,
not for evil; we cannot know why,
but God knows; let us ask Him to
make us as obedient to His will as
Abraham was.
Abraham arose in the morning,
and saddled his ass, and took two
servants with him, and Isaac, and
wood for the burnt-offering, and
went to the place God showed
him. As they walked along, and
Abraham thought what he was to
do to his dear son, his good, obe-
dient child, he must have felt very
sad; but Abraham loved God more
ISAAO’S
than he loved Isaac; and God gave
him strength willingly to obey
His command. After three days,
they saw afar off the mountain
where Isaac was to be offered. Then
Abraham said to his servants, “ Stay
here with the ass; and I and the
lad will go yonder, and worship,
and come again to you.†So the
- servants stayed, and Abraham and
his son went towards the mountain.
As they walked along, Isaac said,
“My father, behold the fire and the
wood, but where is the lamb for a
burnt-offering ?†For Isaac did not
yet know that he was to be the
lamb. Abraham said, “God will
provide a lamb, my son.†So they
went on, and came to the place
of which God had told Abraham.
And then, Abraham built the altar,
and put the wood upon it, and
bound Isaac, and laid him upon the
altar, and took the knife to slay his
son. But the angel of the Lord
called unto Abraham, out of hea-
ven, and said, “Lay not thy hand
FAMILY, 37
upon the lad; for now I know that
thou fearest God, because thou hast
not withheld thy son, thine only
son, from him.†‘Then Abraham
looked, and saw a ram, caught in a
bush by the horns, and he offered
the ram for a burnt-offering, instead
of Isaac. And the angel called
again to Abraham, and said, “ Be-
cause thou hast done this thing,
blessing, I will bless thee, and mul-
tiplying, I will multiply thee; and
all nations shall be blessed in thy
seed.â€
The Lord Jesus Christ was the
seed of Abraham, who came to save
sinners, to be a blessing to all peo-
ple. “God so loved the world, that
He sent His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish, but have eternal life.â€
John iii. 17%. Abraham gave his
son to God; God gave His Son for
us; “the Father sent the Son to
be the Saviour of the world.†1
Jolin iv. 14.
DO
AMI.
Jsaac's
ARAH was now 127 years
| old, and she died in He-
‘om Ve] bron, and Abraham and
)| Isaac wept for her. Abra-
ham bought the field of
Machpelah, where there was a cave,
for a burying-place; and there he
laid the body of Sarah. But 8a-
rah’s soul did not die; it went to
heaven, to be with God for ever. It
is very sad to see our dear friends
die, and to see their bodies put into
the coffin, and laid in the tomb;
fAMILY.
but if they loved God, as we may
believe Sarah did, then we know
their souls are gone to heaven, to
be safe and happy there; and if we
too love God, we shall go to meet
them when we die, and never part
from them again. This thought
comforted Abraham.
Abraham had a good and faithful
servant named Eliezer, who had
lived with him, and Sarah, and Isaac,
many years. Abraham called Elie-
zer, and said, “Go now to Mesopo-
38 ISAAC'S FAMILY.
there a wife for my son Isaac, and | and God blessed them.
bring her here.†Abraham did not |, Abrahant was now a very old man,
wish his son to marry one of the| 175 years old. He died, and his
women of Canaan, because they | sons Isaac and Ishmael laid his body
were idolators. Eliezer obeyed; he | by Sarah, in the cave in the field of
took ten of his master’s camels, and | Machpelah, and his happy soul
tamia, where I used to live, and find loved her, and she became his wife ;
went away to Mesopotamia. When | went to God whom he loved.
he came there, it was evening; and God gave two sons to Isaac and
he was tired, and sat down by a! Rebekah. Their names were Esau ~
well. and Jacob. When they grew up,
He did not know the people who | Esau was fond of hunting in the
lived there, nor whom to choose | field, but Jacob was very quiet, and
for a wife for Isaac; but he prayed | liked to stay in his tent. One day,
to God to direct him, and God heard | when Esau had been hunting, he
his prayer. He soon saw a young | came home very hot, and tired, and
woman coming to the well; she | hungry. Jacob was eating pottage
carried a pitcher, and she went, and ; in the tent, and his brother said to
filled her pitcher with water out of | him, “Give me pottage, for I am
the well. The servant asked her to | faint.’ Jacob said, “Sell me thy
give him some water; and she was | birthright;†and Esau sold his
very kind, and gave him the pitcher, | birthright for the pottage, and Ja-
and then she gave water to the | cob gave him the food he wanted,
camels. Eliezer had asked God to | and Esau went away. But God
show him, by this sign, the wife | was not pleased with Esau: he had
whom he was to take for Isaac, and | done what was wrong. He was the
now he felt quite sure that this was | eldest son of his father, and it was
the right person; so he took two | his privilege and duty to offer sacri-
bracelets, and put them upon her | fices, as a priest in his family; this
hand, and gave her a gold ear-ring, | was his birthright. But Esau did
and asked, “Whose daughter art | not love holy things; he did not
thou ?†She told him her name was | believe in Jesus, who should come
Rebekah, and her father was Be- | and be a sacrifice to take away the
thuel, a relation of Abraham. Then | sin of the world. He thought Ja
Hliezer went home, and staid with | cob might attend to these things,
Bethuel and his family. And he | but he cared only for the pottage;
asked if Rebekah might go to He- | and for that he was willing to lose
bron, and marry Isaac; and they | his birthright.
were willing she should go, forthey | It is very sad, and very wicked,
believed it was God’s will. So Re- | to despise holy things, as Esau did:
bekah left her father, and mother, | to care more for our bodies than
and brothers, and sisters; and went | our souls; to think more about
with her nurse and her maids, upon | what we shall eat and drink, than
camels, with Eliezer, to Hebron. | about what we must do to be
And then Eliezer told Isaac all | saved. Jesus says, “Seek first the
about Rebekah; and how God had | kingdom of God and_ his right-
answered his prayer; and Isaac | eousness.†Matthew vi. 33.
JACOB AND ESAU.
Jacob was a better man than
Esau. But it was not right of him
to take away Hsau’s birthright,
when his brother was hungry, and
asked for bread. We ought to be
glad to give away what we have,
and not wish to be paid for being
kind.
Isaac loved Esau, because he eat
of his venison, but Rebekah loved
Jacob. Isaac was now a very old
o9
man: he could not see; his eyes
were dim with age. But God was
with Isaac; He did not forget him.
God will keep His people all their
lives; when they are young, and
when they grow old; and when
they die, He will be with them, and
bring them safely to heaven. He
says, “I will never leave thee, nor
forsake thee.†Hebrews xiii. 5.
XIV.
JACOB AND PSAU.
SAAC felt he must now
soon die, and he called
Esau, and said to him,
| “Go now, and bring me
savoury meat, that I may
eat it, and bless thee, before I die.â€
Esau obeyed: he took his bow and
his arrow, and went into the field
to hunt for venison. When Rebe-
kah heard Isaac speak to Esau, she
was not pleased, because she wished
Isaac to bless Jacob, for God had
said Jacob should be greater than
Esau. So she called Jacob, and
said, “ Esau is now gone to hunt
for venison, that his father may eat
and bless him. Now obey me, and
go, and kill two kids, and I will
make savoury meat, and thou shalt
bring it to thy father, that he may
eat, and bless thee.†But Jacob
said, “I know my father cannot see,
but he can feel. Esau is a hairy
man, and I am a smooth man; and
if my father feel me, he will know
Tam Jacob, and not Esau, and I shall,
seem to him a deceiver, and bring a
curse upon me, and not a blessing.â€
But Rebekah told Jacob to go and
bring the kids quickly, and he
obeyed, and went. It is right for’
children to obey their parents when
the parents tell them to do right,
but not when they tell them to do
wrong. We must obey God more
than man, or woman, or father, or
mother. Jacob knew it was wicked
to try to deceive his blind father,
and he ought to have told his
mother so respectfully and meekly.
Jacob and his mother both dis-
pleased God then.
Rebekah took the kids which
Jacob brought, and made savoury
meat, such as his father loved, and
then she took Esau’s clothes, and
put them upon Jacob; and she put
the hairy skins of the kids upon
his neck and hands, that he might
feel rough like Esau, and sent him
with the meat to his father. So
Jacob came in, and said, “My
father, here is the venison; rise,
eat, and bless me.†But Isaac ask-
ed, “How didst thou find it so
quickly, my son?†Then Jacob
said, “ Because the Lord brought 1t
to me.†Isaac told his son to come
40
near to him: and he felt him, and
asked, “Art thou my very son
Esau? The voice is like Jacob’s
voice, but the hands are the hands
of Esau.†Then Jacob again said,
“Yes, I am Esau, thy eldest son,
Esau.†Isaac now believed him,
and he called him near, and eat the
meat, and drank the wine which
Jacob gave him. Then he blessed
and kissed his deceitful son, and
told him what should happen in a
future time; for God taught Isaac
to prophesy. He said, “The Lord
bless thee, and give thee plenty of
corn and wine; let people serve
thee, and be lord over thy breth-
ren.†All this was fulfilled, when
the Israelites, Jacob’s children, af-
terwards possessed the fruitful land
of Canaan, and became a powerfnl
people.
Isaac finished blessing Jacob, and
Jacob went away. Esau was now
come home, and he brought the
venison to Isaac; for he did not
know what his brother had done.
When Esau asked his father to
bless him, Isaac wondered very
much, and said, “Who art thou ?â€
and Esau answered, “I am thine
eldest son, Hsau.†Then Isaac
trembled, and asked again, “ Who ?
Who was he that came, and brought
me venison, and I eat, and blessed
him before thou camest? yes, and
he shall be blessed.†When Esau
heard this, he cried and said, “O
bless me, even me, also, my father ;â€
and Esau wept. But Isaac told
him, that though God would give
Esau many blessings, yet Jacob
would be greater than he; and this
made Esau very angry, and he
thought, “ My father will die soon,
JACOB AND ESAU.
Jacob.†When Rebekah knew that
Esau hated Jacob, and wished to
kill him, she called her younger son
and said, “ Go now to Haran, where
my brother Laban lives, thy unele ;
and stay there a few days, till Esau’s
anger is turned away, and then I
will send, and fetch thee†So
Isaac and Rebekah blessed Jaceb,
and prayed God to keep him safely,
and sent him away to Padan-
aram.
It was night. Jacob was weary,
and he lay down on the cold ground,
and put hard stones under his head.
for a pillow, and soon fell asleep.
And God gave him a beautiful
dream when he was asleep. He saw
a ladder set on the earth, and its
top reached to heaven, and holy an-
gels were going up and down upon
it. Above it stood the Lord, and
He spoke to Jacob. He said, “I
am the God of Abraham, and the
God of Isaac. I will give the land
Where thou liest, to thy children,
for a possession.†And then the
Lord told Jacob, that a Saviour
should come into the world, who
would be a blessing to all people,
and He said, “I am with thee, and
will keep thee in all places, and
bring thee again into this land.â€
How thankful Jacob was to hear
the Lord speak to him so kindly,
when he had been so forgetful, and
so unthankful to God! God’s eye
is always upon us, when we sleep,
and when we wake. He always
remembers us, though we very of-
forget Him, as Jacob did. Let
us think of Him, and love Him
more.
When Jacob awoke, he said,
“God is in this place, and I knew
and then I will slay my brother | it not;†and he was afraid and
JACOB WITH LABAN.
said, “ How dreadful is this place!
This is the house of God, and the
gate of Heaven!†Then he took the
stone, and set it up for a pillar, and
poured oil upon it, for he wished
41
the place to be remembered as holy
ground; and he called the name of
it Bethel, or the house of God, be-
cause God appeared to him there.
DO Oo ee
SL
XV.
pACOB WITH LaABAN.
EFORE Jacob went away
from Bethel, he prayed to
God, and asked him to
keep him, and be with
him, wherever he went;
and to give him bread to eat, and
clothes to put on; and to bring
him again to his father’s house.
And then, Jacob said, “The Lord
shall be my God.†He felt now,
that God alone could make him
happy, and he really wished to love
and obey God with all his heart.
Jacob must have been very sorry for
his past sins, his wicked lies and
deceit; and he prayed for the par-
don of them all; but when God
had forgiven him, and blessed him,
then Jacob was happy. Jacob went
on, and came to Padan-aram. He
saw a field, and a well, and flocks of
sheep, qnd shepherds by it. The
shepherds rolled away the stone
from the well’s mouth, and watered
the sheep, and put the stone back
again, to keep the water safely.
Then Jacob asked the men, “Do
you know Laban? Is he well?â€
And they said, “ Yes, we know him:
he is well, and his daughter Rachel
is coming with the sheep.†Rachel
was a cousin of Jacob’s, and he was
very glad to see her, and told her
his name. And Jacob wept when
he saw her. Rachel told her father
Laban, that Jacob was come; and
Laban went to meet him, and
brought him home, and asked him
to stay in his house. Jacob lived
many years with Laban, and kept
his sheep; and, after some time, he
married his cousin Rachel, whom
he loved very much. And God
| blessed Jacob and gave him many
children, and great possessions of
sheep, and oxen, and goats, and
camels. But when Laban saw that
Jacob had more cattle than he had,
he was angry and jealous, and
looked unkindly at Jacob. But God
would not let Laban do anything to
hurt Jacob, for He remembered
His promise at Bethel, “I will be
with thee.†And so God told Ja-
cob to go away from Laban, and to
return to Canaan. Then Jacob called
his family, and put them upon
camels, and took all his cattle, and
his possessions, and went away se-
eretly. Three days after, Laban
heard that he was gone, and he ran
after Jacob, and overtook him in
Mount Gilead. But in the night,
God came to Laban, and told him
| not to hurt Jacob. So they made a
| covenant, and promised to be kind -
one to the other, and then they
parted. “In the morning Laban
rose up, and kissed his sons and his
daughters, and blessed them; and
42
Laban departed, and returned unto | went and prayed to Him.
his place.â€
When Laban was gone, Jacob
went on towards Canaan, and as he
went, he saw some angels coming to
meet him. They were sent by God
to comfort Jacob, and to tell him
that God was there, to bless and
keep him.
were now near Seir, where his
brother Hsau lived. So Jacob sent
servants before, to tell Esau, that
he had lived many years with Laban,
and was now coming home, and
that he was very rich, and had
many oxen, and asses, and camels,
and servants, and he very humbly
begged Hsau to be kind and friend-
ly to him. But when the servants
came back to Jacob, they said,
“ Kisau is coming to meet thee, and
400 men with him.†Then Jacob
was very much afraid, for he
thought, that perhaps Esau was
still angry with him, and was com-
ing to kill him and all his family.
So he divided the people who were
with him, and prepared to meet
Esau. He took goats, and sheep,
and oxen, and camels, and told a
servant to stand by them, and to
say when Hsau came, “ Thy servant
Jacob gives these to my lord Esau.â€
It was very right of Jacob to be-
have humbly to Esau, and very
wise of him too, thus to try to sub-
due Hsau’s anger by kindness. But
after all, Jacob knew he had no
power to help and save himself;
Jacob and his family |
JACOB WITH LABAN.
And
when we are sorry and afraid, we
-should do the same, and God prom-
ises to hear us; He says, “Call
upon me in the time of trouble, and
I will deliver thee.†Ps. 1, 15.
God heard Jacob’s prayer. In
the night, when Jacob was alone, a
man came to him, and wrestled
with him. Jacob knew who he was,
and he asked for a blessing from
him. And the Lord blessed Jacob,
and gave him the new name of Israel,
which means a prince with God.
And Jacob called the place, Peniel,
or the face of God, because he had
there seen God face to face. Jacob
felt now peaceful and happy, and
when he saw Esau coming, he had
no fear. He went to meet him, and
bowed to the ground seven times.
And he had now no need to fear:
for God had subdued Esan’s anger,
_In answer to Jacob’s prayer. “ Esau
ran, and fell on Jacob’s neck and
kissed him.†They both wept; for
they thought of their past hatred,
and unkindness to one another; but
now they wished to live in peace
and brotherly love. Jacob’s family
all came, and bowed respectfully to
Esau; and Jacob gaye Esau the
camels, and goats, and oxep. Esau
refused to take them at first, but
Jacob urged him, so he took them:
This was a happy end to all their
anger and disputings. Let us learn
from it “how good and how pleas-
ant it is, for brethren to dwell
only God could save him, so he ! together in unity.†Ps, oxxxiii. 1.
JACOB AT BETHEL, 43
XVI.
JACOB AT PETHEL,
GF UT Esau and Jacob could
“| Jacob went on his jour-
ney, and Hsau returned
to Seir. They parted
very affectionately ; and then Jacob
went to Shechem, and staid there.
And now Jacob had new troubles.
Wis family soon forgot God, and be-
gan to worship idols; and his sons
were disobedient, and passionate,
and cruel. But God said to Jacob,
“Go now to Bethel, and make an al-
tar there unto God.†It wasat Bethel
that Jacob saw the ladder, many
years before, when God promised to
keep him, and to be with him
wherever he went; and God had
not forgotten His promise, though
Jacob had forgotten Bethel. God
always remembers His people, but
they are often ungrateful, and do
not remember Him.
Jacob obeyed God directly. He
told his family to bring to him all
their foolish idols; and he talked
to them about God, and told them
they must not again make Him an-
gry, by worshipping gods which
could not help or save them; and
he took away these idols, and hid
them under a tree in Shechem.
Then they all went to Bethel; and
there Jacob built an altar, and
praised his God who had taken care
of him so many years. God came
to Jacob, and blessed him in Bethel.
He called him by his new name,
Israel; and told him again, that his
children after him should possess
the land of Canaan.
Soon after this, death came into
) yj not stay long together.
Jacob’s family. First, Deborah
died, Rebekah’s nurse, and was
buried under an oak at Bethel.
And then, when they came to
Ephrath, Rachel too died, and was
buried there. The body was laid in
the tomb; and Jacob set a pillar
upon her grave; but her soul went
to Heaven, where is no more death,
nor sorrow, nor pain. She left
a babe named Benjamin. Chil-
dren who lose their parents and
friends, will have God for their
Father, if they ask Him to take
care of them; and He will never
leave them; when their father and
mother forsake them, then the Lord
will take them up. Ps. xxvii. 10.
Jacob and his family went on
now to Hebron, where Abraham
and Isaac had lived so many years,
Jacob’s old home. Were his father
and mother there now? Not Re-
bekah, she was dead; Jacob never
saw his mother again. But Isaac
was alive; he was now 180 years
old. Jacob was glad to see his
father once more, and to have his
forgiveness, and his blessing; and
Isaac must have rejoiced to know,
that Jacob was now a better man 3
that he loved God with all his heart,
and that his past sins had been re-
pented of, and forgiven. Isaac soon
after died, and his happy soul went
to Heaven. Then Esau came to
see Isaac for the last time; and he
and Jacob wept together over their
father and buried him. Esau and
Jacob loved one another now; but
they could not live together, be-
cause, like Abraham and Lot, they
44
were both very rich, and there was
not room for all their cattle. So Esau
went again to Mount Seir, or Edom,
where he lived like a king, and had
great possessions, and became very
powerful. But Jacob staid m
Canaan, where his fathers Abraham
and Isaac had lived, in the land
which God had promised to give to
them, and to their children.
If God is pleased to give us riches
and possessions in this world, we
must be thankful for them, and use
them to His glory. If we have
money, we ought to be glad to give
to the poor, and not to keep all for
ourselves. But if God makes us
poor, then we must not murmur,
nor be discontented ; we must not
wish for more, nor covet the posses-
sions of the rich. And whether
rich or poor, we should ask God
JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN.
to give us a possession above, in Hea-
ven.
Jacob was now an old man: he
had known much sorrow in past
years; Esau’s hatred; Laban’s un-
kindness; his fear that his brother
would come and hurt him ; his long
journeys far from his home and_pa-
rents; the death of his wife, and
his father; Jacob remembered all
these troubles. But then he re-
membered, too, how merciful God
had been to him; how he had kept
him all his life; and delivered
him from all evil: and Jacob felt
he could love God, and trust Him
for ever. God will not forget His
people, even when they are old and
helpless. He says, “To hoar hairs
will I carry you; I have made, and
Iwill bear; I will carry, and will
deliver you.†Isaiah xlvi. 4,
XVII.
pOSEPH AND HIS PRETHREN,
ACOB had twelve sons :—
Reuben, Simeon, Levi,
Judah, Dan, Naphtali,
Gad, Asher, Issachar, and
Zebulon, who were grown
up: Joseph, who was seventeen
years old, and little Benjamin. The
ten eldest were wicked men, but
Joseph feared God : and Jacob loved
him more than the others, and he
gave him a coat of many colors.
The ten brothers were jealous, when
they saw their father loved Joseph
so much, and they hated Joseph,
and were very unkind to him. But
God was with Joseph, to love and
keep him.
One night, God sent a wonderful
dream to Joseph. He thought he
was binding sheaves of corn in the
field with his brothers; and the
sheaves of his brothers arose, and
stood up, and bowed before J oseph’s
sheaf. God told Joseph, by this
dream, that his brothers should
obey him, and that he should rule
over them; but they laughed, and
were very angry, when he told them
his dream. Soon after, he dreamed
again, and saw the sun, and moon,
and eleven stars bow before him.
Joseph told his dream to his father,
and his brothers: Jacob understood
the meaning of the dream, and
thought much about it; but the
brothers only envied him still more.
JOSEPH AND HIS
Jacob’s sons were shepherds, and
took care of their father’s flocks:
and the ten eldest went to feed the
sheep in Shechem; but Joseph and
little Benjamin were with Jacob.
One day, Israel called Joseph, and
said, “ Go now, and see if thy breth-
ren are well, and if the flocks are
well, and bring me word again.†So
Joseph went away from Hebron,
and came to Shechem; but his
brothers were not there, and he was
told that they were gone to Dothan.
Then Joseph went on to Dothan,
and there he found them. And
now some of these wicked men said,
when they saw him afar off, “ Here
comes the dreamer: now let us slay
him, and cast him into a pit, and
say an evil beast has devoured him ;
and we shall see what will become
of his dreams.†But Reuben said,
“Let us not kill him, but cast him
into this pit;†for Reuben was less
cruel, and thought he could then
take him out, and bring him home
safely to his father. So when Jo-
seph came to them, his cruel broth-
ers seized him, and tore off his coat
of many colors, and threw him into
the pit; the pit was empty, there
was no water in it; and then they
sat down, and eat bread.
While these wicked, cruel brothers
were eating, they looked up, and
saw @ great many people coming
towards them. The people were
Ishmaelites, children of Ishmael,
the son of Hagar. They came from
4
BRETHREN. 45
Gilead ; and they had camels, which
carried the spices they were going
to take into Egypt. When Judah
saw the Ishmaelites, he persuaded
his brothers to sell Joseph to them,
for Judah loved money; so Joseph
was taken out of the pit, and sold
for twenty pieces of silver; and the
Ishmaelites took him, and brought
him to Egypt, and there they sold
him again to a man named Poti-
phar. Reuben was not with his
brothers when Joseph was sold; and
when he came back to the pit, and
did not find him, he rent his clothes,
and ran to his brothers, and said,
“The child is not; and I, whither
shall I go?†But they carcd noth-
ing for Reuben’s sorrow. ‘They
killed a kid, and dipped Joseph’s
coat of many colors in the blood;
and then they went home, and
showed the coat to their father, and
said, “This have we found; know
now if it be thy son’s coat or not.â€
Jacob remembered the coat directly ;
and he said, “It is my son’s coat;
an evil beast hath devoured him;
Joseph is, without doubt, rent in
pieces.†And then Jacob wept, and
rent his clothes, and refused to be
comforted. We read that, many
years before, Jacob deceived his
father Isaac; now Jacob’s children
deceived him. God does not forget
sin; He had forgiven Jacob; but
Jacob suffered for his wicked deceit
all his life, to teach him what an
evil thing sin is!
46 JOSEPH IN PRISON.
XVII.
posEePn IN PRISON,
SEAJOSEPH was a good and | answered, “God sends dreams; He
f 3) industrious servant to | only knows the interpretation ; tell
(2% Potiphar; he was not | me your dreams, I pray you.†Then
idle nor deceitful, nor | the butler told his dream, and said,
disrespectful, nor dishon- | “I saw in my dream a vine, and in
est; and he was very careful of his | the vine three branches; and they
master’s things; and God blessed | budded, and the flowers came, and
him, and made him a blessing to | the fruit ripened; and I took Pha-
Potiphar, and all his family. raoh’s cup, and gathered the grapes,
Potiphar’s wife was a very wicked | and pressed them into the cup, and
woman; she hated Joseph, and | gave it to Pharoah.†Then Joseph
told her husband many things | said, “The three branches are three
about him that were not truce; and | days. In three days Pharaoh will
asked his master to punish him. | restore thee to thy place, and thou
Potiphar believed all she said, and | shalt give the cup into his hand.â€
commanded Joseph to be put into | And then Joseph said, “ Do not for-
prison. Potiphar did not know | get me when it shall be well with
that Joseph had not done wrong; | thee; speak for me to Pharaoh, and
but God knew all the truth, for He | bring me out of prison. I*or I was
cannot be deceived. stolen away from Canaan, and
Joseph went to prison; but God | brought to ligypt, and I have done
was with him there. He can keep | nothing that they should put me
His people wherever they are, and | into this dungeon.†Then the ba-
comfort them in all their sorrows; | ker told his dream and said, “1 had
and He bicssed Joseph, and made | three baskets upon my head; they
the keeper of the prison love him. | were full of baked meats for Pha-
Joseph took care of every thing in | rach; and the birds came, and cat
the prison, and of all the prisoners; | the meat out of the baskets on my
and he was so kind and gentle, that | head.†Joseph answered, “The
they loved him, and told him all | three baskets aro three days. In
their sorrows. three days, Pharaoh will hang thee
While Joseph was in prison, the | upon a trec, and the birds shall eat
the chief butler and the chief baker | thy flesh from off thee.â€
of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, offended All happened as Joseph said, for
their master, and he sent them both | God had given him wisdom and
to prison. One morning, when Jo- | power to interpret the dreams right-
seph came in to see them, he found | ly. In three days was Pharaoh’s
them looking sad and unhappy, and | birth-day, and he made a feast for
he asked, “ Why look ye so sadly to- | all his servants, and called the but-
day ?†They said, “ We have dream- | ler and baker out of prison. He
ed dreams; and we have no one to | forgave the butler, and restored him
interpret them to us.†Joseph | to his place, and he gave the cup
PHARAOH’S DREAMS. . 44
- into Pharaoh’s hand; but the baker ; himself, he thought no more about
was hanged, as Joseph said. Joseph. But God always remem-
Did the butler remember Joseph, | bers us; He says to every one who
and ask the king to take him out | serves him, “They may forget, but
of prison? No: he quite forgot | I will not forget thee.†IJsasah
him: when he was happy and safe | xlix. 15.
=~
wf
AIX,
PHARAOH'S PREAMS,
dreamed, in one night, I and he;
came out of prison, Pha- | and there was a young man, a He-
‘| raoh king of Egypt had | brew, in the prison with us; and he
S| two wonderful dreams. | interpreted our dreams to us; and
He thought he stood by | as he interpreted, so it was; I was
the river, and saw seven fat kine | forgiven and the baker was hanged.â€
come out of it, and feed in a mea- | Then Pharaoh sent, and called for
dow. Soon after he saw seven other |; Joseph directly.
kine come out, very thin and bad; | Joseph had been a long time in
and they eat up the seven fat ones. | the prison; but though the butler
So Pharaoh awoke. Then he slept | had forgotten him, his Father in
again, and dreamed; and he saw | Heaven had not forgotten him:
seven fine good ears of corn come; God was now doing wonderful
up upon one stem; and soon after, things for Joseph, which he did not
seven ears more, very bad and thin; | yet know. Joseph washed, and
and the bad ears devoured the seven | shaved, and took off his prison
good ears; and the king awoke. In | clothes, and put on new, and came
the morning, Pharaoh wondered | to Pharaoh. Then the king told
what these dreams could mean, and | his dreams, and asked Joseph to in-
he called all his wise men, and ask- | terpret them. But Joseph was not
ed them to interpret them. But | proud of his wisdom; he knew he
they had no heavenly wisdom, and had no power, no wisdom, in him-
God did not enable them to explain | self; but that all he had God gave
the dreams He had sent to Pharaoh. | to him; and so he said to Pharaoh,
But-when the butler heard Pharaoh | “It is not in me: God shall give
and the wise men talking together | Pharaoh an answer of peace.†And
about the dreams, he remembered | God taught Joseph rightly to inter-
his own dream, which he had two | pret the dreams. He said, “The
years before, and which Joseph had | seven fat kine, and the seven good
interpreted so truly; and he went | ears of corn, are seven years of
to Pharaoh, and said, “I remember | great fruitfulness; and the seven
to-day my faults long ago, when the | thin kine, and the seven bad ears,
king was angry, and sent me to | are seven years of famine. Seven
prison with the chief baker. We | years are coming of great plenty in
3 caz,|WO years after the butler
48 PHARAOH'S DREAMS.
the land of Egypt; and then seven | ground. Did they remember Jo-
years of famine will begin, when | seph? No: for Joseph was only a
there will be no corn. Now let! boy when he went to Egypt; and
Pharaoh look for a wise man, and | now he was a man_ thirty-seven
set him over the land; and let him j years old: but Joseph remembered
gather up the corn in the seven good his brothers directly, and he re-
years, and keep it laid up in all the | membered, too, his dream of the
cities of Egypt: that when the sev- | sheaves of his brothers bowing down
en years of famine come, there may | to him; how wonderfully that dream
be food to eat? Pharaoh was! was now explained! But Joseph
pleased with Joseph’s wisdom and | did not tell his brothers who he was,
advice; and he said, Joseph should | for he wished to try if they were
rule over the land, and the people | still wicked, cruel, deceitful men ;
should obey him. Then the king | or if they were sorry for their past
gave him a ring, and put a chain | sins, and had turned to God. So
upon his neck, and dressed him in | he asked, “ Who are you? Whence
fine linen, and made him ride ina| do you come?†‘They said, “We
chariot; and all the people honored | come from Canaan to buy corn.â€
him. Then he asked again, “Have you
During the seven plenteous years, | more brothers?†‘They said, “ We
Joseph commanded the people to | were twelve brothers; but now one
gather up the corn, and lay it safely | is not, and the youngest is with his
in barns and storehouses; and they | father in the land of Canaan.†But
gathered very much corn; so much | Joseph said, “I do not know if you
that they could not count it. But tell me the truth or not: I will
the seven good years ended, and, prove you: one of you shall stay
then the seven bad years began. It | here a prisoner; and the others shall
was asad time. ‘There was no corn | go, and take corn for your families,
to reap: all was dry and dead; and | and bring your youngest brother to
the poor people cried for food. me; then I shall know that you
The famine was in Canaan also; | are true men.†‘The brothers were
Jacob and his sons had no bread. } much distressed to hear this, and
But the Egyptians came to Joseph, | Joseph too was distressed to see
and he opened all the store-houses, | their sorrow ; and he turned away
and sold corn to them: and when | and wept. Then he hid his tears,
that was gone, they came again, and | and took Simeon, and bound him
bought more; and Joseph had | before their eyes.
plenty for them all. So when Ja-| Joseph did all this not from re-
cob heard that there was corn in| venge, but to make his brothers
Egypt, he sent his ten eldest sons | remember and feel their past sins,
to buy some: but Benjamin staid | and their unkindness to him. And
with his father; for Jacob loved|so they did. They said one to an-
him so much, that he did not like | other, “We are verily guilty con-
him to go away. ‘The ten brothers | cerning our brother, because we saw
went to Egypt, and came and stood | the anguish of his soul when he be-
‘before Joseph, and bowed to the | sought us, and we would not hear:
BENJAMIN SENT TO EGYPT.
therefore is this distress come upon
us.†Sin, secret sin, will always at
last be discovered, and punished.
om
we
49
“Be sure your sin will find you
out.†Num. xxxii. 23.
XX.
PENJAMIN pENT TO PGyPT.
Joseph for the corn; and
he told his servants to fill
their sacks, and to give
them food to eat on the
road. Then he told the servant to
put the money they had paid, into
the sacks again secretly; and the
brothers laid the sacks upon their
asses, and went away. When they
came to the inn, one man opened
his sack, to give food to his ass, and
there he saw his money again ; and
when they came home, they all
found their money put again into
the sacks; and they wondered very
much how this could be. Jacob
was very sorry when he heard that
Simeon was a prisoner in Egypt,
and that Benjamin was to go with
his brothers; and he said, “ My son
shall not go with you. Me have ye
bereaved of my children; Joseph is
not, and Simeon is not; and ye will
take Benjamin away.†Reuben an-
swered, “Give him to me, I will
bring him to thee again.â€
cob would not let him go.
When all the corn was eaten, and
Jacob and his sons had no more
food, Jacob said to his sons, “Go
again to Egypt; buy us a little
food.†But they answered, “We
must not, we dare not go without
Benjamin; for the man solemnly
commanded us to bring him.†Then
Judah said, “ Send the lad with me,
But Ja- |
and we will go. Iwill be surety for
him.†Then Jacob remembered,
that the same gracious God who had
kept him all his life, had power to
keep his dear child also; so at last
he said, “If it must be so, go; take
a present for the man; fruit, and
nuts, and honey, and spices; and
give him again the money you
found in your sacks, and take more
money for the new corn, and go,
and Benjamin may go with you;
and God give you mercy before the
man, that he may send away your
other brother, and Benjamin.†Then
they all arose, and took Benjamin,
and went to Egypt again.
Jacob was alone now: but still
God was with him, to keep and
comfort him. What a blessing it is
to those who love God, that He is
always near them; His eye upon
them; His hand around them! He
can comfort His people in all their
sorrows, as He comforted Jacob in
his sorrow. He says, “I will never
fail thee, nor forsake thee.†Josh.
i. 5.
When Joseph saw Benjamin com-
ing with his brothers, he said to his
servant, “Bring the men home;
they shall dine with me to-day.†So
the servant obeyed, and brought
them all to Joseph’s house, and
talked kindly to them, and gave
them water, and washed their feet,
and fed their asses; and Simeon
50
was sent to them out of prison.
When Joseph came home, his broth-
ers gave him the present they had
brought, and bowed before him;
but Joseph would not take their
money. Then he asked, “Is your
father well?†And they said, “ He
is well†Then he asked again, “ Is
this your youngest brother ?†and
he looked very affectionately at
Benjamin, and said, “God be gra-
cious unto thee, my son.†The tears
were in Joseph’s eyes, but he did
not wish his brothers to see him weep ;
he went into his own room, and
wept there. It was love and thank-
fulness that made him weep. Then
he washed his face and went to
them again, and told the servants to
set on bread. Then they made a
feast, and Joseph sent messes to all
his brothers; but Benjamin’s mess
was five times larger than any of the
others; and “they drank and were
merry with him.â€
When they had finished, Joseph
said secretly to his servant, “ Put
the men’s corn-money into their
sacks again ; and take my silver cup,
and put it into Benjamin’s sack.â€
The servant obeyed; and in the
morning he sent them all away.
When they were gone, Joseph told
his servant to run after the men,
and accuse them of having stolen
the cup, the silver cup out which
his master drank. The man went
quickly, and soon overtook the
brothers, and told them all Joseph
had said. The brothers wondered
very much, for they knew they had
stolen nothing, and they said, “ With
whomsoever the cup is found, let
him die, and we will be slaves to my
BENJAMIN SENT TO EGYPT.
found the cup in Benjamin’s sack,
where he had put it. Then the
brothers rent their clothes, and went
back again to Joseph, and fell down
before him. And Joseph said, “What
is this that you have done?†Judah
answered, “What shall we say?
God has found out our iniquity:
behold we are my lord’s servants.â€
But Joseph said, “The man with
whom the cup was found, he shall
be my servant; but go youin peace
to your father.†Then Judah came
near to Joseph, and said, “I am
surety for the lad unto my father : let
me then abide, instead of the lad, a
bondman to my lord; and let the
Jad go with his brethren: for how
shall I go to my father, and the lad
be not with me? lest I see the evil
that shall come on my father.â€
Then Joseph said to the servants,
“Go out from me.†And every one
went away, and Joseph stood alone
with his brothers. Then he wept
aloud, and said, “I am Joseph your
brother whom ye sold into Egypt: is
my father yet alive?†His brothers
could not answer, but Joseph spoke
very gently to them again, and said,
“Do not be sorry, nor angry with
yourselves because you sold me into
Egypt: for God sent me here to
preserve life. He has done wonders
for me, and given me wisdom, to
lay up corn for the famine, that the
people may not die. Hasten now,
and bring my father to me to Egypt;
and I will nourish him and you, all
the years of famine. Tell him that
I live, and that I am a rich and
happy man in Egypt; and that
God has kept and blessed me all the
years I have lived here.†Then he
lord.†So they all took down their | fell upon his brothers’ necks, and
sacks, and the servant looked, and
| kissed them, and wept upon them;
JACOB
and they all talked and wept to-
gether.
King Pharaoh was glad to hear
Joseph’s brothers were come, and he
sent a present to Jacob, and wagons
to bring him and all his family to
Egypt. Then Joseph gave clothes,
aud money, and food, to his broth-
ers, and sent him away. ‘They went
home rejoicing, and ran to Jacob,
and cried, “Joseph is yet alive, and
he is governor over Egypt.†But
Jacob could not believe the good
news, till they showed him the
wagons, and told him that Joseph
ee
IN EGYPT. 51
had sent them to carry him to
Egypt; and then he said, “It is
enough: Joseph my son is yet alive ;
I will go and see him before I die.â€
We see now why Joseph, at first,
appeared so harsh to his brothers:
it was to prove them for their good.
When he found they were really
penitent and sincere, and just and
true In what they did, he showed
them directly, how willingly he for-
gave them all. Let us learn, like
Joseph, to return good for evil. “If
thine enemy hunger, feed him.â€
Rom. xi. 20.
XXI.
pACOB IN PGYPT.
ii began their journey to
(Syl Egypt. It was a long
journey, but a very hap-
py one for Jacob. When
they came to Beersheba, Israel of-
fered sacrifices to God, and thanked
and praised Him for all His mercies.
In the night, God spoke to Jacob,
and said, “J am God; the God of
thy fathers Abraham and Isaac; |
fear not to go to Egypt; for I will |
be with thee; and will make thee
, there a great people; and, in a fu-
ture time, I will bring thy children’s
children again to Canaan.†Then
Jacob arose, and went to Egypt |
with all his family; his sons and
their wives, and their children, sev-
enty people. When Joseph saw the
wagons coming, he commanded his
servant to bring his chariot, and
rode in it to meet Jacob. Joseph
fell on his father’s neck, and kissed
him, and they both wept a long
time. They had much to tell one
another: all the wonderful things
God had done; all their past sor-
rows and fears; and all their joy
now.
The next day, Joseph brought his
fathcr and his brothers to king Pha-
raoh. The king was very glad to
see them, and he spoke gently and
kindly to old Jacob, and asked,
“How old art thou?†Jacob said,
“'The days of my pilgrimage are a
hundred and thirty years; few and
evil have the years of my life been.â€
And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and
went out. Joseph gave his father
and his brothers a possession in
Egypt, and fed them with bread all
the years of famine. The people
still came to Joseph to buy corn,
but now all their money was gone:
Joseph took it, and gave it to Pha-
raoh. Then the people brought
their cattle, and gave them for corn:
and when they were gone, they sold
52 JACOB'S
their fields: so all the land of Egypt |
became Pharaoh’s, except the land of |
the priests, which was not sold. |
After the famine was over, God
sent corn and bread in plenty again.
The story of Joseph is won-
derful. He knew not why God.
sent him to Egypt; nor why he was
put in prison; nor why he was so
many years alone and sorrowful, far
DEATH.
God knew why: He is wise; He
knows all things: He sees the
‘end of all, and He commands all;
and He does all rightly. Let us
love and serve this wise, and great,
and gracious God! Then He will
be with us, to keep and comfort us,
as he did Joseph: we know that
« All things work together for good
to them that love God.†fom.
away from his dear father. But | vi 28.
| soe
XXII.
JACOBS PEATH.
Koh ACOB lived seventeen | God who had shown them to him.
years happily in Egypt
7J| saw his sons’ sons growing
up aréund him. But now
he was 147 years old, and he became
ill, and felt that he must soon die, and
he sent for his son Joseph, to bless
him,and talk tohim. Joseph went
directly to his father, and he took
with him his two sons, Manasseh
and Ephraim. Jacob was very ill,
and lying upon his bed; but when
he saw Joseph, he sat up, and be-
gan to talk to him of that gracious
God who had been so kind to them
all; who had appeared to him many
years before at Bethel, and promised
to give the land of Canaan to his
children for a possession. Then Ja-
cob turned round, and saw Joseph’s
two sons standing by their father,
and asked, “ Who are they?†Jo-
seph said, “They are my sons, the
children whom God has given me
in Egypt.†Then Jacob told them
to come to him, that he might bless
them: and he put his arms around
them, end kissed them, and thanked
Then he put his hands upon their
heads, and blessed both them and
their father. He said, “The God
who hath kept my father Abraham
and Isaac, who has taken care of
me all my life, the angel who re-
deemed me from evil, bless the lads.â€
Then Jacob called all his sons, and
blessed them. God taught him to
prophesy, and he told his sons
of many wonderful things, which
would happen when they were dead,
and in their graves. Jacob told his
sons, that God would bring their
children home again to Canaan after
many years; and he commanded
them not bury him in Egypt, but
to carry his body to Canaan, to the
cave of Machpelah, and bury it
there, by Abraham, and Isaac, and
| their families.
When Jacob had finished all he
wished to say, he lay down again on
the bed, and died, and his happy
; soul went to God, the God of hig
fathers, to be with Him for ever,
Jacob was a sinner, like each of US }
he had done many wicked things ; ;
AN
but all -his sins were washed away;
he had asked forgiveness, and God
had heard his prayer, and saved him.
When Joseph saw that Jacob was
dead, he “fell upon his father’s face,
and wept upon him, and kissed
him.†All the people wept for Ja-
cob seventy days. Then Joseph said
to king Pharaoh, “ My father com-
Egypt, but to carry him to Canaan,
to his own grave: let me now go to
Canaan, and bury my father, and
then I will come back again.†And
Pharaoh gave him leave ; so Joseph,
and his brothers, and their servants,
went up to Canaan with chariots
and horses: but their little children,
and their flocks, staid in Egypt.
They carried with them Jacob’s dead
body: and when they came to Ca-
naan, they mourned for him again
seven days; and then went on their
journey, and buried Jacob in the
field of Machpelah, by his fathers
Abraham and Isaac. Let us re-
member, that we too must die, our
bodies must lie in the tomb, as Ja-
cob’s did, and our friends will weep
EXAMPLE OF PATIENCE.
53
for us, as his children wept for him.
But if our sins have all been par-
doned, as Jacob’s were, then we
shall be happy when we die. “ Bless-
ed are the dead that die in the
Lord.†Rev.xiv. 13.
Joseph and his brothers finished
burying their father, and looked at
| his tomb for the last time, and went
manded me not to bury him in|
back to Egypt. And then again
Joseph’s brothers asked him to for-
| give them, for they had not forgot-
ten their past unkindness to him.
Joseph wept when they spoke to
him, and told them not to fear, for
that he would take care of them.
Then they were comforted, and they
all lived in Egypt in love and peace.
Joseph lived to be 110 years old;
and when he was going to die, he
said to his brothers, “I die, but fear
not: God will be with you, and, in
a future time, bring your children
to Canaan.†And Joseph told them
to keep his bones, that they might
be carried to Canaan, and be buried
there. So Joseph died, “and they
embalmed him, and he was put in a
coffin in Egypt.â€
Ne ee
XXL
PN Ff X AMPLE OF PATIENCE.
BOUT this time, there
\| was dwelling in Uz, in
vas<| Arabia, a man named Job.
he had great possessions
of sheep, and camels, and oxen, and
asses: he was the greatest man in
the east at that time. And Job
was a holy man, as well asa rich |
man. The Bible says, he “ feared
Job was a very rich man; |
ham, and Isaac, and Jacob feared ;
and he hoped as they did, to be
saved by the Lord Jesus Christ,
who was to come into the world to
die for sinners. Job had several
children; and he taught them to
serve God, and prayed for them,
and offered sacrifices for them, ac-
cording to the command of God. .
“ Now there was a day when the
God.†the same God whom Abra- | sons of God came to present them-
54 AN EXAMPLE OF PATIENCE.
selves before the Lord; and Satan | There was a day when Job’s sons .
came also among them.†What) and daughters were eating, and
does this mean? Who were the | drinking wine in their eldest broth-
sons of God, and why did God let | er’s house; and there came a mes-
Satan come among them? ‘The | senger to Job, and said, “ The oxen
Bible does not tell us. Perhaps the | were ploughing, and the asses feed-
sons of God were His true and | ing beside them, and some enemies,
faithful servants who came to wor- | the Sabeans, fell upon them, and
ship before Him; and, perhaps, | took them away, and have slain the
Satan came among them, as he comes | servants with the sword; and I
now among us, to tempt them to sin, | only am escaped to tell thee.†And
and to lead them away from God. | while this messenger was speaking,
But God spoke to Satan, and said ‘there came another to Job, and
to him, “Whence comest thou?†said, “The fire is fallen from hea-
And Satan answered, “From going j ven, and has burned up the sheep
to and fro in the earth, and from | and the servants; and I only am
walking up and down in it.†Then | escaped to tell thee.†And while
God asked Satan again, if he had he was speaking, another messenger
considered his servant Job, what a | came, and said, “The Chaldeans fell
holy and upright man he was, and | upon the camels, and carried them
one who feared God. Satan had | away, and slew the servants with
long known and hated Job, as he | the sword, and I only am escaped
knows and hates all the people of | to tell thee.†And while this man
God; and he even dared to accuse was speaking, a fourth messenger
Job before God, and to say, that all | came, and said, “Thy sons and
his goodness was false and hypo- | daughters were eating and drinking
critical; and that he pretended to | in their eldest brother’s house, and
fear God, only that he might be | there came a great wind, and smote
rich, and safe, and prosperous, and | the house, and it fell upon the young
not because he really loved him. men, and they are dead; and I only
God knew: all the truth about | am escaped to tell thee.â€
Job. He knew that Job was sin-| Poor Job! avery little time be-
cere, and not false and hypocritical | fore, he had been the richest and
as Satan said; but it pleased God | most prosperous man in the east.
to allow Satan, at that time, to try | Now, he had lost everything; his
Job, and to vex and afflict him; | flocks, and his herds, and his ser-
and God did this for Job’s own | vants, and his children too,—all
good; to make him more humble, | were gone. What did he do? How
more patient, and more believing. | did he bear so much sorrow coming
So the Lord said to Satan, “ Allthat | upon him so suddenly? There
he hath is in thy power, only upon | was one thing Job still had, and
himself put not forth thine hand.†| that enabled him to bear all this
Then “Satan went forth from the | patiently and submissively. Job
presence of the Lord,†to use all the | had not lost his trust in God. He felt
power allowed him, to afflict and | quite sure that these troubles did
trouble righteous Job. not come without God’s permission ;
JOB IN TROUBLE.
and he knew that God would only
permit what was right and good for
him; so, when Job heard all these
sad tidings, though he arose and
_rent his clothes, to show his sorrow,
yet he fell down, and worshipped
God, to show his submission to His
will, and said, “The Lord gave, and
the Lord hath taken away, blessed
be the name of the Lord.â€
Here is an example for us; an
example of patience. We must all
nrâ„¢
ee
D5
have sorrows. and troubles to bear,
though not perhaps so many, and so
great as Job had. ‘Then, whenever
they come upon us, let us pray for
Jol’s patience, and Job’s holy trust in
God. If we have God for our friend,
as Job had, nothing can really hurt
us; and we shall feel this, as he did,
and be willing to submit to all our
trials without murmuring, and to
say, “It is the Lord, let Him do what
seemeth Him good.†1 Sam. i. 18.
XXIV.
jos IN ) ROUBLE.
GAIN there was a day
when the sons of God
came to present them-
selves before the Lord, and
Satan came also among
them. Then God spoke to Satan,
as He had done before, and asked
him, if he had considered [His ser-
vant Job, who was still faithful,
though he had been so tried and so
afflicted. But Satan was not satis-
fied with all the troubles Job had
suffered; he wished to vex and
afflict him still more: and he told
God, that though Job had borne
the loss of his possessions patiently,
yet, if his body was made to suficr
disease and pain, he would then show
that he was only a hypocrite after
dll, and would even curse God to
his face. The Lord was pleased, in
His wisdom, to allow Job to be still
more tried and afflicted, so he said
to Satan, “ He is in thy hand; but
save his life.†Then Satan went
out, and smote Job with sore boils
all over his body.
Job had now to bear pain, as well
as sorrow; yet he was patient and
| submissive still. And then he had
another and a new trial. His wife
| was living, and she might have
comforted Job in his trouble; but
instead of encouraging him to trust
in God, she advised him to put an
end to his own life;—to kill him-
self. She said, “Curse God, and
die.†But Job reproved her for
speaking so wickedly, and said,
“What? Shall we receive good at
the hand of God, and shall we not
receive evil?†Job knew that all
came from God’s hand and by God’s
permission; and therefore, he was
willing to receive whatever hap-
pened to him, whether it were good
or evil.
When Job’s friends came to the
place where he was, they looked up,
and saw him, but they did not know
him. He was not now as he once
had been. When they last visited
him, he was prosperous and happy,
with all his family, and all his pos-
sessions, and living in honor and
peace, the greatest man in the east.
56
JOB AND HIS FRIENDS.
But now, all was changed. There | sprinkled dust upon their heads,
he sat, alone, among the ashes; his
and sat down with him upon the
body was covered with a dreadful} ground; and for seven days they
disease; all his possessions were
gone, his children were dead, and he
had no one to speak kindly to him,
nor to comfort him. The sight
made his friends feel sad, and “They
lifted up their voice and wept.â€
Then they rent their clothes, and
—_~
CoC
did not speak a word to him, for
they saw that his grief was very
great. Sometimes, when our friends
are in very great trouble, ‘as Job
was, it is not well to try to comfort
them by words. It is kinder and
wiser to feel for them in silence.
XXV.
pos AND HIS J RIENDS,
=Q|T last, Job began to speak,
i-\\| and to complain bitterly
S| of all his sufferings. He
was tempted even to wish
he had never been born ;
and to murmur, and be impatient,
and to find fault with God himself
who had so afflicted him.
And did not Job’s friends encour-
age him to trust in God, and submit
to His will? No; instead of doing
this, they only added to his grief,
by unkindly and unjustly accusing
him. They told him God never
would have afflicted him so much,
if he had not been a very wicked |
man; for they thought, that right-
eous people were always prosperous,
and that only the wicked were
afflicted ; so, when they saw Job in
trouble, they said his sufferings
were scent as a punishment for his
sins, and they advised him to hum-
ble himself before God, and ask for
pardon.
Job knew that he was a sinner;
he knew that he could not trust
to his own goodness and right-
eousness: he said, “How should
man be just before God. If I justify
myself, mine own mouth shall con-
demn me.†But Job could not
believe that all his troubles were
sent to punish him for some partic-
ular sin; or, because he had been
only pretending to serve God, when
he did not really love Him. No;
Job felt that he had been sincere;
not a hypocrite, as his friends un-
kindly said he was; and so when
they accused him, he answered,
“ My righteousness I hold fast, and
will not let it go; my heart shall
not reproach me as long as I live.â€
Now Job and his friends were
quite right in some things that they
said, but in others they were very
much mistaken. Job’s friends were
right in advising him to humble
himself before God, and ask for
pardon ; for afflictions are sent by
God, to lead His people to do this.
But they were quite wrong in ac-
cusing Job of being a wicked man,
and a hypocrite, because he was
afilicted; for God often afflicts
most, those who love and serve him
best,—in love, not in anger; “ Whom
the Lord loveth he correcteth.â€
Prov. ii. 12. And though Job was
ELIHU. 5Y
right in saying, that he had not | too; for he almost accused God of
brought his sufferings on himself, | unkindness and injustice, in atflict-
by his own wickedness and hypoc- | ing him after he had so sincerely
risy, yet he spoke what was wrong, | tried to serve God.
SqJOB and his friends were | injustice; it was saying, that God
| not alone when they talk- | had acted wrongly in afflicting a
ed together. A young! righteous man. But Elihu said,
man was sitting by, and | “Far be it from God that He should
listening to all they said; | do wickedness, and from the Al-
but he did not speak until they | mighty that he should commit
were silent; for they were older | iniquity; for the work of a man
than he, and he thought, “Days | shall He render unto him, and cause
should speak, and multitude of | every man to find according to his
years should teach wisdom.†This |} ways.†Yes;—God is perfectly holy,
young man’s name was Hlihu. Hu- | and perfectly wise; and therefore
mility and respect made him keep | He will not, He cannot, do anything
silent so long; but Elihu had much | wrong or unjust; God can never
to say, for God had given him great | err, never be mistaken. God often,
wisdom; and go, when the others | indeed, acts in a way which we can-
left off speaking, he offered to an- | not understand; He often does
swer Job himself, Elihu was angry | things which perplex us, and which
with what had been said. He was! seem to us to be for evil, and not
displeased with Job, because he had | for good. But this is because we
justified himself more than God; | are ignorant; because we see only a
and he was displeased with his three | little part of God’s doings; because
friends, “because they had found | we do not know, as He does, all the
no answer, and yet had condemned | past, and all the future; nor see the
Job.†end from the beginning, as He can.
So Elihu said, “Hearken unto | Then, whenever we feel doubtful,
me, I also will show my opinion.†| and perplexed, and inclined to mur-
Then they all listened, in silence, to | mur, like Job, at what God does,
what Elihu had to say. let us remember what Elihu said—
And how did Elihu answer them? | “God is greater than man; why
First, he reproved Job for justifying | dost thou strive against Him? for
himself more than God. Job had | He giveth not account of any of
said, “I am righteous, and God | His matters;†and if we fecl this,
hath taken away my judgment ;†| then we shall be willing to trust to
and “it profiteth a man nothing’ His power and goodness, and say, as
that he should delight himself with | Abraham did, “Shall not the judge of
God.†This was accusing God of | all the earth do right.†Gen. xvili. 25.
eye
58 ELIHU.
Elihu reminded Job of many | of the goats, and the wild ass, and
things, which might teach him how | the peacock, and the ostrich, and
much greater God was than he. He | the horse. Job had seen all these
spoke of the eternity of God. He} animals; perhaps he knew much of
said, “God is great, and we know | their habits, and their histories;
Him not, neither can the number | and he might have known, too,
of His years be searched out.†How | much of the other works of God.
can we understand all the greatness | But Job could not make one.of
of God, when we are ourselves poor, | these things, nor even understand
weak creatures, made of dust, and| how they were made. He could
“crushed before the moth?†And | only notice them, and admire them,
then, Elihu spoke of the works of | and wonder at them; and that was
God. He reminded Job of the light, | all. And if Job could not under-
and the thunder, and the clouds, | stand the works of God, how could
and the rain; and of the wonderful | he understand God himself? and
way in which God orders all these | then how could he dare to contend
things, too wonderful for Job to un- | with Him, or to murmur at any-
derstand, for “He doeth great things | thing He did? Job felt all this.
which we cannot comprehend ;†and | He felt humbled and ashamed ; and
therefore Job was to “stand still, | therefore, instead of again trying to
and consider the wondrous works | justify himself, he said, “ Behold I
of God.†am vile, what shall I answer Thee ?
And now the Lord himself an- | I will lay my hand upon my mouth.
swered Job, and spoke to him out | Once have I spoken, but I will not
of the whirlwind; and bid him J answer; yea, twice, but I will pro-
reply to Him, if he could. He said, | ceed no further.â€
“T will demand of thee, and answer And when we behold the wonder-
thou me†And then the Lord | ful works of God, we should, like Job,
asked Job, if he could tell how the | feel our own weakness and sinful-
earth was made, and if he under-| ness: and how thankful we should
stood the motion of the stars, or | be, that this great Creator is our
was able to rule the sea, and the | merciful Father too; “that God is
light, and the darkness. And God | love;†and that He has shown His
spoke to him of some of the ani- | love by giving “His only begotten
mals which He had created, and of | Son, that whosoever believeth in
the wonderful instinct which He | him, should not perish, but have
had given them; He reminded Job ' everlasting life.†John iii. 16.
a
TIE BENEFIT OF AFFLICTION. 59
XXVIL.
) HE PENEFIT OF pPLRFLICTION.
OD spoke again to Job | sent all his fricnds to comfort him,
4} out of the whirlwind, that | and to give him presents; and the
| He might make him feel | Lord himself gave Job twice as
“4 still more his own sinful- | much as he had before :—sheep, and
ness and folly,in trying | oxen, and camels, and asses; and
to justify himself before God. And | he had also seven sons, and three
then, the Lord told Job of other | daughters. Job lived in comfort
wonderful works of His. He de- | and prosperity for many years after,
scribed two great animals, Behemoth | having the blessing of God to make
and Leviathan, which wereso strong | him happy; and at last he died,
and powerful, that even mighty | “old and full of days.â€
men were afraid of contending with And now what are we to learn
them. How much greater then, | from the history of Job? One
must He be who made them, and ; thing we may learn from him is
how vain and foolish to resist His | patience. St. James says, “ We
will! | count them happy that endure. Ye
Then Job answered the Lord, and | have heard of the patience of Job,
said, “I know that thou canst do | and have seen the end of the Lord,
everything. Ihave uttered what 1 | that the Lord is very pitiful, and of
understood not, things too wonder- | tender mercy.†James v.11. And
ful for me, which I knew not.) this teaches us also, the use and
Wherefore, I abhor myself, and re- | benefit of affliction to God’s people.
pent in dust and ashes.†And did | “God does not afflict willingly, nor
God forgive Job? Yes; as soon as | grieve the children of men.†Lam.
Job was humble and penitent, God | iii. 33. He afflicts in mercy. He
pardoned, and accepted, and blessed | would not have allowed Job to be
him. so tried and troubled but for Job’s
Afterwards, the Lord spoke to | own good and profit. And we are
Eliphaz, and said, “ My wrath is kin- | to learn, too, from Job, not to jus-
dled against thee and thy two friends; | tify ourselves before God. Job’s
because ye have not spoken of me | afflictions were sent to teach him
that which is right, as my servant | this. We should remember how
Job has†And God commanded | sinful we all are, and how often we
them to offer sacrifice for their sin, | offend God; and then when trouble
and to ask Job to pray for them; | comes, instead of justifying our-
and they did so, and the Lord ac- | selves, we shall confess, that “ God
cepted Job. has punished us less than our ini-
Did Job still remain in sorrow | quities deserve.†Hz. ix. 13. And
and affliction? No;—*“the Lord:| the history teaches us another thing;
turned his captivity.†He took | —how to obtain pardon. When
away his painful disease, and made | Job and his friends sinned, they were
him well and strong again. ‘He! to repent; to humble themselves
60
before God, to pray to Him, and to
offer a sacrifice in faith; and when
THE CRUEL KING.
accepted. And so, when we sin, we
must repent, and pray for pardon
they did so, they were forgiven and | too.
XX VII.
JHE PRUEL inc, ;
LP Y|ANY years passed away.
\\/, 2| Joseph was dead, and all
Df | his brothers. A new
generation of Israelites
now lived in Egypt; they
were very many, the country was
full of them. A new king was
reigning, who did not know Joseph ;
and he was very cruel, and hated
the Israelites, and wished to kill |
them all. He commanded them to
do very hard work in the fields, and |
in making brick; and their cruel |
masters beat them, and were very
unkind to them. And did they die
when the king gave them all this |
hard work, which made them so
weak and tired? No, because God
kept them; and therefore nothing
could hurt them; they grew and
multiplied more and more. And
why did God care for them so much ?
Because He had promised Abraham,
many years before, that his children
should be like the sand for mul-
titude, and like the stars in the
sky, which we cannot count. God
never forgets His promises, nor His
people who love and serve Him. But
God had promised Jacob to bring
his children home to Canaan, and
now they were far off from their
possessions ;—had not God forgot-
ten this promise? No: we read
that He told Abraham, that his
children should go to a strange coun-
try, and be afflicted here till the end
of: 400 years. God knew the time;
soon the 400 years would be over,
and then the Israelites would be
sent home to their own land again.
But Pharaoh, the cruel king, did
' not know God, and he tried again and
again to destroy the Israelites. He
commanded every little Israeclitish
boy that was born, to be thrown into
the river and drowned. ‘The poor
mothers loved their dear children,
and cried bitterly about this cruel,
wicked law; but the king had no
pity, and many of the little boys
were thrown into the river and
drowned. But God loved those
children; and when they dicd, He
took their souls to be with Him in
Heaven.
There was a woman of the family
of Levi, who loved God, and her
husband too was a good man. God
gave them a little boy. The par-
ents loved this dear child, and
tried to save him from the cruel
king. For three months, the mother
hid her child, that he might not be
drowned ; but when he grew older
and larger, she could not hide him
any longer. But she knew God
could keep her little boy, if she
could not, and she told all her sor-
row to him. God can help us when
we are in trouble; and he can take
care of us, when our dearest friends
cannot; and He was pleased now
to help this poor woman who trusted
THE CRUEL KING.
in Him, and to take care of her
little child.
The mother gathered some reeds,
and platted them into a little basket
or ark; and then she took her dear
child, and put him into the ark,
and carried him to the river. Did
she throw him in? No, she laid
him gently among the high grass
and reeds, by the side of the river.
She could take care of him no
more, so she gave him up to God,
who alone could keep him; but she
. left Miriam, her little girl, to watch
near her brother. Soon she saw
some people coming; who were
they? ‘They were ladies; one was
the cruel king’s daughter, and the
others were her maids; and they
walked along by the river, for the
princess was going to bathe. They
did not see Miriam ; she was alittle
way off, but she could see them, and
hear all they said. The king’s
daughter soon saw the ark among
the reeds, and she sent her maid to
fetch it. The maid ran and took up
the ark, and brought it to her mis-
tress, and opencd it. Pharaoh’s
daughter was not hke her cruel
father; she pitied the poor babe,
and said, “It is one of the Hebrew
children.†When Miriam heard the
kind lady speak, she went up to the
princess, and said, “Shall I go, and
5
61
call a Hebrew woman to nurse the
child for thee?†Pharaoh’s daugh-
ter said, “Go.†Then Miriam ran
home, and told her mother about
the kind lady who wished to save
the dear babe: and asked her moth-
er to come and nurseit. Miriam
and her mother went back to Pha-
raoh’s daughter, and the kind
princess said, “Take this child and
nurse it for me, and I will pay thee
thy wages.†The mother brought
him home, and nursed him, and he
grew; and when he was a little
older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s
daughter again. The princess loved
the child; and she said, “ He shall
be my son, and I will name him
Moses, (or, drawn out) because I
drew him out of the water.â€
How kind God is to those who
love and pray to Him! He heard
this mother’s prayer, and saved her
child from a cruel death. And God
loves to save children now. He
keeps them when they are in their
cradles; He keeps them when they
run about, and gives them health,
and strength, and all they have.
But God likes best, that children’s
souls should be saved. Jesus says,
“Tt is not the will of your Father
which is in heaven, that one of these
little ones should perish.†Mat-
thew xvii. 14. )
62
THE BEST RICHES.
XXIX.
JHE PEST RICHES.
HARAOH’S daughter lov-
ed Moses, and she told
the wise men of Egypt to
teach him all they knew:
for she wished Moses to
be wise. The Egyptians knew
many things, and had much wis-
dem; but not the best wisdom;
they did not know nor worship the
true God. They worshipped ani-
mals; bulls, and sheep, and dogs,
and cats, and crocodiles, and insects.
But the Israelites, who lived in
Egypt, remembered the God of
their fathers, Abraham, and Isaac,
and Jacob; and the mother of
Moses, no doubt, taught him holy
things, true wisdom, when he was a
very little boy; and she prayed for
him, that he might be kept from
sin, and that he might love and
serve the Lord. And God heard
her prayer; and taught Moses by
the Holy Spirit, that riches and
worldly things could not make him
happy, nor save his soul: that God
alone could keep him from sin;
and that he could be saved only by
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who
should at a future time, come down
from heaven, and die for sinners.
Pharaoh’s daughter called him her
son, and wished to give him great
riches; but Moses did not wish to
be rich: he chose “rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God,
than to enjoy the pleasures of sin
for a season.†Hed. xi. 25. St.
John says, “Love not the world,
neither the things that are in the
world.†1 John ii. 15. If we love
pleasure, cr riches, or power, or sin,
more than we love God, we cannot
be His children. We must give
him all our thoughts, all our affec-
tions, all our love. Jesus said to
his disciples, “ Lay not up for your-
selves treasures upon earth, where
moth and rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves break through and
steal; but lay up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither
moth nor rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves do not break through,
nor steal.†Matthew vi. 19, 20.
When Moses was grown up, he
went to visit his brethren the
Israelites, who were suffering so
much in Egypt. One day he saw
an Egyptian cruelly beating an
Israelite; they were alone, but
God’s eye was upon them. God
saw the wicked Egyptian, and the
poor Israelite, and sent Moses to
help his suffermg brother. Moses
ran to the two men, and saved the
Israelite, and killed the Egyptian,
and hid the body in the sand. The
next day, Moses went out again, and
saw two men fighting. Were they
Higyptians? No, they were both
Israelites. Moses was grieved to
see them so wicked: for God’s peo-
ple ought to be kind and gentle;
brothers ought to love one another.
So Moses went to them, and tried
to make peace between them. But
the one who did the wrong, would
not attend to Moses; and said,
“Who sent thee to be a judge?
Wilt thou kill me as thou killedst
the Egyptian yesterday?†When
Moses heard this he was very much
afraid, for he thought the people
THE BURNING BUSH.
knew what he had done; and the
king might be angry, and seek to
kill him. So Moses fled from Egypt,
and went to Midian, and sat down
by a well. As he sat there, some
young women came to the well to
water their sheep; and Moses helped
them and drew water for them.
When they went home, they told
their father how kind Moses had
been: their father’s name was Je-
thro; and when he heard about
Moses, he sent for him, and gave
him food, and asked him to live with
him in Midian. Moses did so; and
sometime after, he married one of
Jethro’s daughters, who was named
Zipporah. Moses had not now the
63
riches of Egypt, which he had when
he lived at the king’s house; he
was a poor man, keeping Jethro’s
sheep in the wilderness. But Moses
knew that God would take care of
him ; and he loved God better than
all the fine things in Egypt.
But did God forget the Israelites,
when Moses was gone? No; He
heard them cry, and remembered
His promise to Abraham, and Isaac,
and Jacob. “God looked upon the
children of Israel†We may be
sure that God’s eye is always upon
us: He knows all our sorrows, and
sees all our tears, and, in due time,
He will comfort and deliver us, if
we trust in him,
oo
XXX.
JHE PURNING PusH,
ca INE day, Moses was keep-
AN) ing Jethro’s sheep by
t} Mount Horeb. As he sat
there quietly and alone,
- he thought often of his
poor brethren suffering in Egypt,
and he asked God to help and de-
liver them. Moses had much faith ;
he knew that God had power to
save the Israelites, and he believed
that He would save them at the
right time. While Moses was think-
ing of all this, he saw a bright light
shining near him; and he looked
up, and saw a bush burning with
fire. But the bush was not con-
sumed ; it did not wither away ; the
leaves and branches did not turn
black, and crumble to pieces; and
Moses wondered very much, and
said, “Why is not the bush con-
sumed? I will go and see.†So
Moses went to look; but when he
came near, he heard a voice out of
the bush, saying, “ Moses, Moses.â€
Who called him? What made the
bush burn, and why was it not con-
sumed? The voice said again,
“The place where thou standest is
holy ground. Iam God; the God of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.†“Then
Moses hid his face; for he was
afraid to look upon God.â€
But the Lord did not come to
hurt his servant; He came to com-
fort him, and to make him and his
poor brethren happy. The Lord
said, “I have seen my people’s sor-
row; I have heard their cry. I am
come to send thee to Pharaoh: and
thou shalt bring my people out of
Egypt.†But Moses was very much
afraid, and said, “Who am I that I
should go to Pharaoh?†It was
*
64
not right of Moses to be afraid when
God sent him; he ought to have
obeyed directly; but the Lord was:
very kind and gentle, and He spoke
again to comfort Moses. He said,
“T will be with thee; tell the peo-
ple that I send thee. If the king
disobey my command, I have power
to punish him; and I will send
plagues upon Egypt, and bring out
my people safely.†But Moses was
still unwilling to go, and said,
“Perhaps the people will not be-
lieve me.†The Lord then told
him to throw his rod upon the
ground. Moses obeyed, and it be-
came a serpent; and he fled from it
for fear. But the Lord said, “Take
it by the tail;†and Moses caught
it, and it did not bite nor hurt him,
but became a rod again in his hand
directly. Then God told Moses to
put his hand into his bosom. Moses
obeyed and his hand became covered
with leprosy ; but God told him to
put his hand again into his bosom,
and in a moment it was well. Then
God told him to go and show these
wonders to the people; that they
might believe that He had sent him.
Was Moses willing to go to Egypt
now? No, he was still afraid, he
said, “Lord, I cannot speak well;
my tongue is slow, and I have no
words.†But the Lord said, “Who
hath made man’s mouth? Who
maketh the deaf, and the dumb, and
the seeing, and the blind? Have
THE BURNING BUSH.
not I, the Lord? Go; obey my
command, and I will teach thee
what thou shalt say.â€
But still Moses wished not to go.
Then the Lord began to be an-
gry, for though he is very kind
and patient with his people, yet He
does not like them to disobey His
commands, nor to obey slowly and
unwillingly. But the Lord said to
Moses, “ Aaron thy brother may go
with thee; he can speak well; and
I will teach you both what you
shall do.†Then Moses obeyed: he
was timid and fearful in himself,
but the Lord gave him strength
and courage ; so he went home, and
took leave of Jethro, and called his
wife Zipporah, and his two sons,
and put them upon an ass, and re-
turned to Egypt. Then God said
to Aaron, who was living in Egypt,
“Go and meet Moses.†So Aaron
went into the wilderness, and
soon saw Moses and his family
coming; and he ran, and kissed
him. Moses had much to tell Aaron
about the wonders God had shown
him; and he asked Aaron to go
with him to the king, and command
him to send away the Israelites.
Aaron was willing to go; so they
both went, and called the elders of
the Israelites, and told them that
God had seen their sorrows, and
was going to deliver them. Then
they bowed down their heads, and
worshipped.
THE FIRST FOUR PLAGUES.
65
XXXI,.
JHE FIRST fouR PLAGUES.
| together to the king, an-
other Pharaoh, who was
now reigning in Egypt,
and said, “The Lord com-
mands thee to let the Israelites go.â€
But Pharaoh answered, “I do not
know the Lord; and I will not let
them go.†Then the king told the
Israelites’ masters to give them more
work, and the poor people were not
able to finish their hard tasks in mak-
ing brick; and their cruel masters
beat them, and said, “ You are idle;
fulfil your work, your daily tasks.â€
The Israelites cried to Moses, and
Moses went to God, and told Him
all his sorrow. God knew all; His
eye was upon them, and very soon
He would deliver them, and He
said, “I have heard their groaning,
I remember my covenant with Abra-
ham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and I
will bring my people to Canaan as
I have promised.â€
Moses was now eighty years old;
but he was not weak and feeble, as
many old men are; he was strong
and powerful. God made him s0,
because there was much for Moses
to do before he died. It is God
who gives us all our health and
strength; and if we are well and
strong, we must not be idle. There
is much for us all to do; and we
must use our health and strength
for God. “Whatever thy hand
findeth to do, do it with thy might.â€
Ficclesiastes ix. 10.
God now gave Moses and Aaron
power to do wonders, and to work
miracles before Pharaoh. They
went to the king; and Aaron threw
down his rod before him, and it
became a serpent. But Pharaoh
called his wise men, and told them
to try to do the same; and they did
so with their enchantments. Had
they power to work miracles? No;
perhaps they might have learned to
tame serpents, so as to make them
look like rods in their hands; and
then they might have thrown them
down, as Aaron did, and thus pre-
tended to work a miracle. But God
made Aaron’s rod swallow up their
rods. Pharaoh did not care for
this, nor did he obey the command
to let Israel go; and then God said,
He would punish Pharaoh, by turn-
ing his river into blood.
The river Nile is very useful in
Egypt; no rain falls there to water
the ground; but in the summer, the
river rises, and overflows the coun-
try, and makes the land soft, and
then the people sow their seed, and
the grass and corn soon spring up.
Did Pharaoh and the Egyptians
thank God, who gave them the Nile
to water their land? No, the Egyp-
tians forgot God; they made their
river a god, and worshipped it, and
sacrificed to it. But the Nile had
no power to make the country fruit-
ful; it was God who made it, and
who swelled up its waters, and
watered the land; and now He de-
termined to punish and humble the
the Egyptians, and to turn their
river god into blood.
' God did as He said. He told
Moses to go and stretch his rod
over the waters; and directly he
did so, all became blood. The
ponds, and the water in the vessels,
66
and the beautiful river, all were
blood. The fish died; the Hgyp-
tians could not drink the water of
the river; and their river god could
not’ help them now. Did they re-
pent, and ask God to forgive them?
No; and therefore God sent a new
punishment upon them. He told
Moses again to stretch out his hand
over the river; and a very, very
great number of frogs came up, and
covered all the land. The frogs
came into the houses, and beds, and
ovens; and wherever the Egyptians
went, they found them. Pharaoh
sent for Moses and Aaron, and said,
“Tntreat God to take way the frogs,
and I will. obey Him, and let Israel
go.†So Moses prayed, and God
heard his prayer, and made all the
frogs die. And did Pharaoh send
the Israelites away? No; when
the plague was gone, Pharaoh was
disobedient again, and he would not
attend to what Moses and Aaron
said. God was merciful to take
away the plague, and He would
have forgiven Pharaoh, if he had
prayed humbly ; but he did not, so
~~
NS
MORE PLAGUES.
God punished the wicked king
again. He told Moses to stretch
his rod over the dust, and it became
lice upon the people, and upon the
animals. The wicked magicians
tried to do the same; but they
could not, though they had imi-
tated the other miracles; they_had
no power, and they confessed this,
and said to Pharaoh, “This is the
finger of God;†but the king did
not attend to them.
The next morning, the Lord sent
Moses to say to Pharaoh, “ Let the
people go; for if thou wilt not, I
will send flies upon thee, and upon
all thy people; but I will send no
flies upon my people, the Israel-
ites.†‘The flies came; and wasps,
and biting and stinging insects,
very many; but none came to hurt
the Israelites. The Egyptians had
a god, called the god of flies; but
he could not help them now. Then
Pharaoh begged again that God
would take away the flies, and
promised to let Israel go; and God
took them away; but still Pharaoh
would not obey.
XXXII.
More PLAGUES,
WAITHN God said to Moses,
co “Tell Pharaoh, if he will
| not let the people go, I
| will to-morrow send a
. grievous murrain upon all
his cattle: upon the horses, and
asses, and camels, and oxen, and
sheep.†And the Lord did so on
the morrow; and all the cattle of
the Egyptians died, but not one
that belonged to the Israelites; and
Pharaoh’s heart was hardened still.
Then Moses took ashes out of the
furnace, and threw them up towards
Heaven, at God’s command, and
they became dust, and brought sore
boils, upon men and beasts. The
wicked Egyptian magicians suffered
from the boils, and could not stand
before Pharaoh. But still the king
would not attend to God’s command.
The next-day, God sent very
MORE PLAGUES. 67
heavy hail, which broke the trees to | the sun, nor moon, nor stars, for
pieces, and destroyed all the plants | three days; and the people could
in the field; and the thunder roared | not see to move from their places
in the sky, and the lightning ran jall that time. It was not common
along the ground. Pharaoh was | darkness; but a wonderful snd
very much frightened now; and he | fearful darkness sent by God, “a
sent for Moses and Aaron, and | darkness that might be felt.â€
cried, “J have sinned; Godisright-| Were the Israelites in darkness
eous, and I am wicked: intreat | too? No, they had light. God
God to take away the thunder, and | knew who believed in Him, and
lightning, and hail, and I will let | who did not; and He did not pun-
you go.†Then Moses went out, | ish His own people. He could
and cried to God: and the Lord | make the sun shine brightly upon
heard, and took away the fearful | them, when it was black night with
storm. What wonderful power God | the Egyptians. Pharaoh again called
has! He can send storms, and take | Moses, and said, “You may go;
them away when He pleases; He | only let your cattle be stayed.†But
can kill us with the lightning, or | Moses sald, “ No, we must take all
keep us safely. He can take care | our possessions with us; we will go
of us, as He took care of the Israel- | with our wives, and our little chil-
ites in Egypt. dren, our sons, and our daughters,
But when the rain was over, Pha- | our flocks, and all we have.†Then
. raoh was again disobedient, and | Pharaoh was angry, and drove Moses
said, “I will not let the people go.†| away, and told him never to come
Then God sent locusts, very, very | before him again. Moses said,
many, to eat all the green things in | “Thou hast spoken well; I will
the land. We have no locusts in | see thy face again no more ;†and he
England; but in eastern countries | went away from the king.
they are very common; and they; The darkness ended in three days;
come in great numbers, and eat the | and then God said, “I will send
trees, and the fruit, and all they can | one more plague upon Pharaoh, and
find. The locusts God sent to pun- | afterwards he will let the people go.
ish Egypt, were very large; and | I will smite all the first-born in the
there were so many that the land | land of Egypt.†And did God kill
was darkened by them, and they eat | the first-born of the Israelites too ?
every thing which the hail had not | No; He told them what they must
destroyed. The king again sent for | do, if they believed his words, and
Moses and Aaron, and begged them | wished to escape. They were to
to pray for him. And they did | take a lamb, a lamb without spot or
pray, and God heard them; but | blemish, and to kill it in the eve-
when the plague was taken away, | ning, and sprinkle the blood upon
wicked Pharaoh again said, “I will | the lintel, and upon the two door-
not let you go.†Then God sent a! posts; then they were to roast the
new and very dreadful plague over | lamb, and eat it.
the land of Egypt; this was thick; In the night, God sent an angel
darkness; there was no light from | from Heaven to smite the first-born
68 THE DEPARTURE OF THE ISRAELITES.
of the wicked Egyptians; the eld- | spot.†1 Peter i.19. He was slain
est child in every house was killed, | as the paschal lamb was, and His
and all the first-born of cattle. But blood was shed upon the cross.
were the believing, obedient people | Why? ‘To save our souls. The
safe? Yes, the Lord saw the blood | lamb of the Israelites saved their
upon the doors, and passed over the | bodies from death. The Lamb of
honses, and did not slay the first- | God saves our souls from hell. The
born in them. All those who | blood of the lamb in Egypt was
obeyed God, and sprinkled the ! sprinkled upon the doors; the blood
lamb’s blood upon the posts, were | of Jesus must be sprinkled upon
safe. | our hearts. The destroying ange
The Lord Jesus Christ is like the | saw the blood, and passed over the
lamb of the Israelites. He is the ; houses; and when God sees the
“Lamb of God,’ holy and pure; | blood of Jesus upon us, He forgives,
“without blemish and without! and saves us from hell.
rN ON,
—
AXXILT.
‘y) HE PEPARTURE OF THE ) SRAELITES.
Sxeoy| HEN the destroying an-| could not destroy them, because
i \) | gel flew through Egypt, | God had promised to take care of -
f)| and came to the palace, | them, and to bring them home to
As} and killed Pharaoh’s eld- } Canaan again. Many hundred years
est son, the king was | before, God had said to Abraham,
very much frightened. He called | “Thy children shall go to a strange
for Moses and Aaron in the night, | country, and be afflicted 400 years,
and said, “Rise up, you, and the | and then I will bring them back to
Israelites, and their children, and | Canaan.†And so it was. Jacob
the flocks, and herds, and be gone.†| and his children went to Egypt;
And the Egyptians gave to the | they died; and their children, and
Israelites all they asked for; gold, | their children’s children, for many
and silver, and clothes; and the | generations, stayed there in sorrow,
Israelites made haste, and took up | with cruel kings to reign over them.
their things, and put them upon | But God did not forget them. He
their shoulders, and hurried away | knew the right time; and when the
to Succoth. 400 years were over, then He sent
How many were there? 600,000} Moses and Aaron, and gave them
men, and many women and chil- | power to do wonders, and brought
dren, and very much cattle. When | away His people in safety. How
Jacob and his family came into! wonderful and how wise is God!
Egypt many years before, they were | He knows all things, sees all things,
only seventy people. God had | does all things. He knows the
blessed and multiplied them very | present, and the past, and the fu-
much ; their cruel masters in Egypt | ture; and He does all things rightly.
a A PR
PHARAOH DROWNED. . 69
Then let us love, and fear, and trust | for His people every thing that is
in this good, and wise, and holy, ; good for them.
and powerful God; for He will do
o~
Y
XXXIV.
PHARAOH PROWNED.
SIZEN Moses and the Is-; knew; He could find a way for
raelites left Egypt in so | them to escape. The pillar which
“| much haste, they did not | was before them, moved behind; it
isin! forget Joseph’s dying | stood now between the Israelites
command, but carried his | and the Egyptians; but the side
bones with them. Then they went | next the Israelites was bright, to
on, and came to the Red Sea. But | give them light; and the side next
when Pharaoh heard they were gone, | the Egyptians, was dark and cloudy,
he commanded his servants to bring | so that they could not see to do the
his chariots, and his horses; and he | Israelites any hurt all that night.
went with a great army to bring | Then God told Moses to stretch his
the people back again. He over- | rod over the sea; and the Lord sent
took them by the sea; they were all | a very strong wind to blow back the
resting in their tents; a pillar of | water; and in the morning, there
cloud was before them; God gave | was a dry road through the sea, and
them this pillar to show them the | the waters stood like a wall on each
road by day; and by night, He put | side. Who did this wonder? Not
before them a pillar of fire to give | Moses, not his rod, not the strong
them light. They were safe under | wind alone ;—it was God, God who
God’s keeping. But soon they look- | has power to do all things. The
ed up; and what did they see? | Israelites walked through the sea,
Pharaoh and the Egyptians coming | all of them, on dry ground; not
after them very quickly, with their | one was drowned, for God held
chariots and horses. The Israelites | back the waters till they were all
cried to the Lord, and said to Mo- | gone over safely. Then the Egyp-
ses, “Why hast thou brought us | tians tried to pursue them, and
away from Egypt? We shall die, | went in after them; but God looked
now, here in this wilderness!†They | angrily at them through the pillar,
forgot that God was still with them; | and made them fear, and took off
but Moses said, “ Fear not; be still, | the wheels of their chariots. And
and the Lord will fight for you.†| then He told Moses to stretch his
Then the Lord commanded the | rod over the sea, and the waters came
people to go on. But where could | back again upon Pharaoh, and his
they go? The great sea was before | army, and his servants, and cha-
them, and there was no bridge to | riots, and horses, and they were all
go over, and no ships to carry them | drowned.
across. What could they do? God In the morning, the Israelites
70 PHARAOH
saw all their enemies lying dead
upon the sea-shore. The Egyptians
could hurt them no more now;
their bodies were cold and dead,
and their souls were gone to be
judged by God, whom they had re-
belled against, and disbelieved. “It
is a fearful thing to fall into the
hands of the living God.†Hebrews
x. dl.
The Israelites thanked God, and
sang praises to Him; and Miriam
and the women played and danced
for joy. Then they went on into
the wilderness of Shur. ‘They
wandered there three days, and
found no water. At last they came
to Marah, and there was water;
but the water was bitter, and they
could not drink it. Then the people
were discontented again, and said
to Moses, “ What shall we drink ?â€
Was this right? No; the Israel-
ites were discontented and unbe-
lieving people. They knew God
had power to give them water if
He pleased; and they knew that
they ought to be patient if He gave
them none; He had done many
wonderful things for them, and He
DROWNED.
could do as many more; but they
forgot His kindness, and were
impatient, and angry, and dis-
contented. Moses was sorry to
find the people doing wrong again .
so soon. He could not comfort
them ; he could not make the water
good; but he remembered who
could, and he cried to the Lord.
And did God attend to Moses?
Yes; He did not forget His dis-
tressed people. Moses “cried unto
the Lord; and the Lord showed
him a tree, which when he had cast
into the waters, the waters were
made sweet.â€
Was there any wonderful power
in this tree? No, the power was
in God; the tree could do no good
without Him. God taught His
people how great His power is,
because He wished them to trust
in Him, and to feel safe and happy
in his keeping. We ought all to
truss Him. He knows what is
best for us; and, if we are His
people, we are safe in all places,
and may have comfort in all our
SOrTOWS.
FOOD IN THE
DESERT. val
XXXYV.
fooop IN THE PESERT.
\ God sweetened the
(/f)| bitter waters of Marah,
| He spoke kindly to the
you will obey me, and do
what is right, then I will be with
you, and keep, and bless, and
strengthen you; and I will not send
any of those diseases and plagues
upon you, which I sent upon the
Egyptians.†Then they were com-
forted, and went on to Elim, and
there they found twelve wells of
water, and many date-palm trees;
and they pitched their tents there.
They were very glad to see these
trees. The fruit is very pleasant
and refreshing to poor tired wan-
derers in the wilderness; the trees
on which it grows can live in these
hot places, and water is always
found near the date trees.
When the Israelites went away
from Elim, they came into another
wilderness, the Desert of Sin. Then
they began to be discontented; and
they murmured again, and said,
“We shall die of hunger, for there
is no food here. When we were in
Egypt, we had plenty; but now, we
have nothing; why did you bring
us here?†How unthankful these
people were! God had delivered
them from their cruel masters, and
brought them safely through the
sea; and He had given them sweet
water to drink, and promised always
to take care of them; and yet they
would not trust Him.
Moses went again to God, and
told Him all his sorrows, and all
that the people said. Then God
answered, “I have heard their mur-
murings; go, and tell them, I will
give them flesh to-night to eat; and
in the morning I will give them
bread.†Where could they find
flesh? Must they kill all their
flocks and herds? No; God sent
them some birds called quails, which
came in great numbers, and covered
the tents; and the Israelites caught,
and killed, and eat them in the eve-
ning. And was this all God gave
them? No; in the morning, when
the dew was gone, the Israelites saw
the ground covered with a little
round thing, white like frost. It
was new to all the people, and they
came out and looked, and wondered,
and asked, “ What is it?†Nobody
knew; but Moses said, “ This is the
bread God has given you to eat.â€
How wonderful this was! God
sent this sweet bread to feed His
people in the wilderness, when there
was no corn for them to eat.
The Israelites called the new food
which God sent, Manna; it was
sweet and nice, like honey. Moses
said, “ You must gather the manna
fresh every morning. God prom-
ises to send it every day; but you
must not keep it till the next morn-
ing. Every one of you must gather
an omer full; but the day before
the Sabbath, you must gather two
omers full, and keep one of them
for the Sabbath; for God will send
no manna on the Sabbath day.â€
| Some of the people would not be-
lieve Moses; they determined to
(try, and keep the manna till the
| morrow, and see if it would be
12
good. But, in the morning, when
the people looked at the manna they
had kept, they found that it was
full of worms, and smelt badly ;
they could not eat it, but threw it
away. And did not the manna
saved for the Sabbath become bad ?
No; because God kept it good; He
did not wish His Holy Sabbath to
be broken, and He had power to
keep the manna fresh and sweet if
He pleased. But there were some
more disobedient people who would
not believe Moses, nor attend to
God’s command. They went out
on the Sabbath day to gather man-
na. Did they find it? No: God
did not send any, and they went
home again empty; and God was
angry with them for their disobe-
dience.
The Sabbath is not a day on
which we ought to do any work.
Tt is God’s day; He kindly gave it
REPHIDIM.
to us, that we might have more
time to attend to our souls, and to
think of God, and death, and judg-
ment, and heaven, and hell. We
should not think much of our food
on this holy day; we should pre-
pare it the day before, as God told
the Israelites to do. We have our
food from God, as they had. It is
not rained down from heaven, be-
cause God does not now work mira-
cles; and we live in acountry where
there is plenty of corn to make
bread. But God sends down rain
from heaven to make the corn grow,
and He makes the sun shine to
ripen it. Healone can cause the
the grass to spring up, and give
food to the beasts of the field. We
must pray, “Give us day by day
our daily bread.†Luke xi. 3. And
when we eat it, we must thank
God who gave it, and not wish for
more nor better food than He sends.
~—T.,
Ne
XXXVI.
fREPHIDIM.
on, through the wilder-
ness of Sin, to Rephidim.
How did they know the
HE Israelites now went | fire; but His hand is always over us
| to guide and keep us, and His eye
sees us wherever we are. We must
pray God to lead us in the right
way? God went before | way, in the way to Heaven.
them in the pillar of cloud by day,
There was no water at Rephidim ;
and in the pillar of fire by night.| and the people murmured again,
When the pillar stopped, they stop- | and were very angry with Moses,
ped; and when the pillar moved, | and very unthankful to God. Then
they moved, and followed it wher- | Moses cried to God, and He heard
ever it went. While we live, we are | the prayer. God told him to go to
like the Israelites travelling in the | Mount Horeb, and strike the rock ;
wilderness; but, if we are God’s! and He promised that then water
people, we need not fear, because | should come out. Moses obeyed
He is always by us. He does not | God, and struck the rock, and water
go before us in a pillar of cloudand | came out. It was God’s power that
JETHRO’S VISIT. a)
did this miracle; not Moses, nor
the rod, but God alone, could bring
water out of the rock.
There were some wicked people,
the Israelites power to conquer
their enemies. God heard Moses
pray, and put strength into the sol-
diers’ hands, and gave them power
who lived not far from this wilder- | over their enemies. But Moses was
ness, called Amalekites, and now | tired of holding up his hands; they
they came to fight with Israel, in | Were heavy, and fell down, and
Rephidim. Moses called Joshua | then the Amalekites became strong,
his servant, and said to him, | and the Israelites became weak.
“ Choose men, and go and fight with | But Aaron and Hur took a large
the Amalekites; and I will go up | stone, and put it under Moses, and
to the top of the mountain, with | he sat upon it; and Aaron and Hur
the rod of God in my hand.†So | held up his hands all the day,
Joshua and the soldiers went to | till the sun went down. And
fight; and Moses and Aaron, and | God blessed the Israelitish soldiers ;
Hur went up to the top of the hill. | they conquered their enemies, and
_ What did they do there? Moses | drove all the wicked Amalekites
held up his hand, with the rod of | away.
God in it, and prayed God to give
-om
ee
XXXVIL
pETHRO'S Visit.
yIOME time before Moses | to the Israelites, when He destroyed
k)/ and the Israelites went | the first-born; of the lamb’s blood
out of Egypt, Moses had | sprinkled upon the doors, which
sent home his wife Zip- | saved those who believed. Then
} porah, and his two sons to | Moses told them about the Red Sea,
Jethro, in Midian. They had not | and how the Israelites passed
seen all the wonderful things God | through on dry ground; and about °
had done for His people in Egypt, | the destruction of the Egyptians,
and at the Red Sea, and in the wil- | and the safety of God’s people in
derness. But when Jethro heard | the wilderness. He showed them
of all these wonders, he called Zip- | the pillar which guided, and the
porah and her two sons, and they} manna which fed the Israelites
all went together to meet the Israel- | every day. Jethro was glad to hear
ites in the wilderness. Moses was | all this; and he blessed and praised
glad to see his family again; and | God, who had done these great and
he kissed them, and brought them | wonderful things.
into the tent, and talked with them. In the morning, Jethro went
Moses had much to say; he told | with Moses to the place where he
them of all God had done to the | judged the people. Moses was not
wicked Egyptians; of the ten | idle: he had much todo. All the
plagues He had sent; of His mercy | people came to him, to tell him
4 MOUNT
their wants and their sorrows, and |
to ask his advice. And Moses heard
them all patiently, and talked kimd-
ly to them, and told them what
they ought to do, and what they
ought not to do. All day, Moses
sat to judge the people; he was
tired and weary, but not impatient;
no, he was glad to be useful to God’s
people, and did not think about
his own comfort. Moses was not
selfish. But when Jethro saw him
so tired, and weary, he said to him, *
os
Ne
| little things.â€
SINAT.
“Tt is not right for thee to judge
the people alone; choose some men
to help thee. Thou shalt teach the
people the holy law of God, and
His word and commands; but let
the other men help thee, to judge in
So Moses did as
Jethro said, and chose some good
and wise men to help him in his
work. Then Jethro took leave of
Moses, and Zipporah, and her sons,
and went home to Midian.
XXXVI.
Mount
HE Israelites now came
into the wilderness of
Sinai, and pitched their
tents before the moun-
tain. Moses went up
into the mountain, and God talked
to him there. God said, “ Go, and
tell the Israelites what wonderful
things I have done for them, in |
saving them from the Egyptians,
and bringing them here. ‘They are
my own people; and if they will
love and obey me, I will keep them
always, and give them all they want ;
’ and they shall be my children, and
I will be their Father.†Moses told
the people what God said, and they
all answered, “We will obey the ;
Lord.†Then God said again to
Moses, “Go, and tell the people to |
make themselves ready for the third |
day: for then I will come down |
upon the mountain to speak to
them. They shall not go up, nor |
touch the mountain; whoever
touches it shall be put to death.
When the trumpet sounds, they
PINAL.
shall come up to the mount.†The
people obeyed; they all washed
their clothes, and made themselves
ready for the third day. Why?
Because God was coming, the holy
God; the people were to remember
| how great and wonderful He is, and
how weak and sinful they were:
and to come before God with rev-
erence.
In the morning, the Israelites
looked towards the mountain; a
thick black cloud was over it; and
fire, and smoke, and lightning came
out of the mountain, and all the
ground shook. ‘The people were
very much frightened; but the
trumpet sounded, and then Moses
brought them all out, and made
them stand round the mountain.
The trumpet sounded louder and
louder, and Moses spoke, and God’s
voice answered him. ‘Then the
Lord came down on Mount Sinai,
and called Moses; and Moses went
up. God said, “Tell the people
| again, not to touch the mountain ;_ |
THE FIRST FOUR COMMANDMENTS.
but thou shalt come up, and Aaron
with thee.†Then Moses went
down, and told them.
It was a very fearful thing to see
the great mountain smoking, and
the fire and lightning coming out
of the thick black darkness.
was it so fearful? Because God
was there; the holy, powerful God;
God who cannot look upon sin, and
who has power to punish all those
who disobey Him. “Our God is a
consuming fire.†Hebrews xi. 29.
Why |
1
The Israelites trembled before Him ;
and we must tremble too, if we
have not been washed from our sins
in the blood of Jesus. We have no
power to escape; we cannot save
ourselves from the anger of a holy
God; but if we believe in Jesus, we
are safe. We need not fear then,
because God promises to accept all
those who come to Jesus alone for
salvation. “Beheve on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved.†Acts xvi. 31.
Calantenâ€
XX XIX.
JHE PIRST fourR fOMMANDMENTS.
HEN Moses and all the
people stood round the
= Fl
fap
His voice speaking to
them. He said, “I am the Lord
who brought thee out of the land
of Egypt: thou shalt have no other
gods but me.†There is only one
true God; He is eternal; without
beginning, without end. He is
everywhere; He sees all we do;
and He knows all things, past, |
present and future. He knows even
our thoughts; we cannot hide any-
thing from Him. And He is a)
holy God; He hates sin, and He
says, that all whose sins are not
washed away, must perish: because
sin cannot be with Him in heaven.
But He is a very kind and merciful
God too; He is a father to us all: |
He made us, and keeps us, wherever |
we are, and gives us all we have.
But the best gift of God is the gift
of His dear Son to die for us; to
bear the punishment of our SINS 5
i | mountain. They did not
Z see God, but they heard
to cleanse us from our iniquities in
His blood, that, if we believe in
Jesus, we may have eternal life.
And God gives us another gift;
His Holy Spirit, to come into our
hearts, to make us holy. We are
commanded to love and worship
this powerful and holy God: God
the Father, Son, and Spirit; three
persons in one God. We must love
Him better than all the world; for
if we love anything better than
God, we make an idol of that thing.
/ Some people love riches, and make
money their idol; some love pleas-
ure, and make the amusements of
the world their idols; and many,
yery many, poor ignorant people, in
countries where the true God is not
known, love and worship images of
wood and stone, which cannot help
nor save them. We must thank
God, who has given us the Bible to
teach us about Him; and pray to’
Him to help us to love and serve
Him with all our hearts; and ask
Him to send Missionaries to heathen
6 THE FIRST FOUR COMMANDMENTS.
lands, to teach poor idolators to | therefore we must not idly look
love Him too. | about, nor think of worldly things.
The Second Commandment says, | And when we kneel down to pray,
“Thou shalt not make any graven | we must remember that we are speak-
images; thou shalt not bow down to | ing to God, to the holy God, who
them,nor worship them.†Itis wrong | will not hear us if we do not pray
to try to make any likeness or picture | with our hearts. And on God’s
of God; He is too holy, too won-| day, we must not do our own pleas-
derful for us; we cannot tell what | ure, nor business; but give our
He is; He is not like man; He isa} time to God, and pray to Him, and
spirit, and when we worship Him, | read His word, because all is holy
we must worship Him in spirit, and | that belongs to God.
remember what a great and holy The Fourth Commandment says,
God He is. The Roman Catholics | “Remember the Sabbath day to
disobey the second commandment, | keep it holy.†When God had made
when they bow to pictures, and | all things, He rested on the seventh
images, and crucifixes. We must | day, and blessed it, and made it
pray God to pity these poor people, | holy, and commanded us to keep it
and to teach them, by His holy | holy. No work must be done on
Spirit, to worship Him in the right | the Sabbath; all must be finished
way. the day before. The Israelites were
The Third Commandment says, | commanded not to go out and look
“Thou shalt not take the name of | for manna on the Sabbath morning,
the Lord thy God in vain.†To} and God sent none on that day.
take God’s name in vain, is to dis- | But Sunday ought to be a very
honor Him, and not to respect His | happy day to us, because holy things
word, and His house, and His day. | are much better and pleasanter than
We must be serious and thoughtful | the things of the world; and the
when we read the Bible; it is God’s | Bible is better than any other book.
book, and we ought to honor and | It is pleasant to go to church, where
love it very much. And when we | the Bible is read and preached, and
go to church, we must remember it ; where all God’s people love to praise
is God’s house, a holy place, and | and pray to Him together.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
ve
XI.
JHE pix past POMMANDMENTS
says, “Honor thy father
and thy mother.†Parents
take great care of their
children when they are
Children then must love
little.
these kind parents, and obey them
in all things. They should do what
their fathers or mothers tell them
to do; and must be very kind and
affectionate to them. And when
the parents grow sick or old, the
children must nurse and take care
of them, and do all they’can to
comfort and make them happy.
The Sixth Commandment. is,
“Thou shalt do no murder.†Cain
was the first murderer; he killed his
brother, because his own works were
evil, and his brother’s righteous.
God commands all murderers to be
put to death. They are brought
before the judge, and condemned,
and executed; and their souls go
before God to be judged at His
throne. But St. John says, “He
that hAateth his brother is a mur-
derer.†1 John iii.15. Anger, and
hatred, and passion, are like mur-
der; people begin by being angry
and passionate, and then, perhaps,
they may strike and kill. We must
pray God to take away our wicked
passions, and to make us gentle, and
kind, and forgiving.
The Seventh Commandment says,
“Thou shalt not commit adultery.â€
This speaks to husbands and wives,
and tells them to love one another,
and to live together in peace. Wives
must obey their husbands, and try
to do all they wish, and never to
HE Fifth Commandment /
make them angry or unhappy. And
| husbands must love their wives, and
take care of them, and be very kind
and gentle to them. Husbands and
wives must love, and fear, and wor-
ship God together, and teach their
families to do so too.
The Eighth Commandment. is,
“Thou shalt not steal†We read
in the Bible about many people who
stole; and we hear now, very often,
of wicked thieves and robbers. But
God’s eye is upon thieves and liars.
He sees men, and women, and little
children too, when they steal; if
they do it slily, or in the dark, He
can see them; and if their wicked-
nessis not known now, it will all be
known in the day of judgment,
when the book of remembrance will
be opened and read. It will be very
dreadful then to be punished by
God, and sent away far from Him
and Heaven for ever. We should
pray God to help us always to re-
member, that His eye is upon us;
and ask Him to keep us from tak-
ing anything not our own. Many
children have begun by taking little
things, and grown up to be thieves.
It is better to die of hunger than to"
steal.
The Ninth Commandment is,
“Thou shalt not bear false witness.â€
This teaches us not to tell lies, nor
deceive, nor say what is not true.
God says, that all liars shall be sent
to hell. He knows the truth, and
we cannot deceive Him. And this
commandment, too, teaches us not
to accuse others falsely, nor to tell
tales of them which are not true.
78 THE LAW.
The Tenth Commandment is, | their money, nor for anything that
“Thou shalt not covet.†It is| belongs to them. Coveting is often
wrong to wish for what belongs to | the beginning of stealing. People
other people. God has given us | see a thing, then they desire it, and
what is best for us, and we must not | perhaps, if God’s grace does not keep
desire more. He gives riches to | them from sin, they at last steal it.
some people, and not to others. | We must pray God to give us con-
Why? We cannot tell; but we| tentment, that we may not displease
know that God is wise, and does all | Him by sinful wishes ; for he knows
rightly ; and we should remember, ; all our thoughts, as well as our
that itis He who gives us everything | actions; He sees our hearts; and
we have. If others have more, we | our secret sins we cannot hide from
must not envy them, nor wish for | Him.
CCOO>————
XLII. |
7 HE b AW.
S| HEN the Israelites saw the | must try to be like Jesus: we must
A) lightning, and the black- | wish and strive to be holy. We
ness of the mountain, and | must ask Him for all these things,
heard the thunders, and | that we may be made his own dear
the loud trumpet, they | children by faith in Christ Jesus.
were very much afraid, and moved And then we need not fear ; because
away from the mountain, and stood God has promised to save all who
afar off. They said to Moses, “Speak | believe; and we shall not tremble
thou to us, and we will hear; but | at the day of judgment, when we
let not God speak to us, lest we die.†| stand before His throne, because, if
But Moses said, “ Fear not ; God is | our sins have all been washed away
come to prove you, and to tell you | in Jesus’ blood, and our hearts made
what you ought to do, that you may ; new and clean by the Holy Spirit,
learn to know and serve Him aright, | we shall hear our Saviour say,
that His blessing may be upon you.†| “Come, ye blessed ;†and we shall be
We are all poor helpless sinners be- | taken up to heaven, away from sin
fore God ; our own obedience cannot | and sorrow for ever.
take us to Heaven, for we have dis-; When God had finished speaking,
obeyed God many times. How then | Moses came and told the people all
can we goto Heaven? Jesus Christ | He had said, and they answered,
alone can take us there. He bore | “We will obey the Lord; we will
the punishment of our sins upon the | do what He commands us.†Then
cross, and His blood can cleanse us; | Moses wrote all the words of God:
He was perfectly holy, He kept all | and the Israelites offered sacrifices
the commandments; and, if we be- | unto the Lord. Moses read the
lieve in Him, God will accept us for | book of the law to the people, and
His righteousness’ sake. But we | they said again, “All that the Lord
THE GOLDEN CALF. ; 19
hath said, we will do, and be obe- | them safely ; and they stayed there
dient.†Then Moses and Aaron, | before Him, and did eat and drink.
and some of the elders of Israel, | Then God told Moses alone to come
went up towards the mountain, and | up to Him, to receive the tables of
there they saw an appearance of the | stone upon which God had written
bright glory of God ; but this could | the Ten Commandments.
not hurt them, because God kept
the mountain, with Josh- | sinned too, and let the people sin.
ua his servant; and then | He told them to give him their
God called to him out of | golden earrings which were in their
the cloud, and Moses went | ears; so they brought them to Aaron,
up, and was there in the mount |and he made them into a golden
forty days and forty nights. Moses | calf. Then the people said, “These
was not afraid to be with God, be- | be the gods who brought us up from
cause He was his father and his | Egypt;†and Aaron built an altar,
friend. We have no need to fear, | and offered sacrifices to the calf, and
when our sins are forgiven, and | made a feast; and the people eat
when we are at peace with God |and drank, and played before the
through Jesus Christ. image. They had soon forgotten
What did God say to Moses when | the holy command of God, which
he was in the mountain? He gave | He spoke to them from the mount,
him many directions about the tab- | “Thou shalt not make any graven
ernacle which the Israelites were to | image.†They had forgotten their
make, where God was to be wor-|own promise which they made to
shipped; and about the sacrifices, | Moses, “ We will obey the Lord.â€
and priests, and the holy things | They had forgotten to ask God’s
which we shall soon read about; |help to teach them to serve Him.
and then He gave Moses the two | But did not God see? Was not He
tables of stone, written with the | angry? Yes; He saw all; for His
finger of God. The people waited | eyes are in every place; He knew
a Jong time for Moses, and won- wren He was talking to His servant
dered he did not come down to | Moses, what His disobedient people
them, and then they began to be were doing; and He said to Moses,
tired and impatient, and they went | “Go down; the people have forgot-
to Aaron, and said, “ Moses is gone | ten me, and they have made a gold-
away; we do not know what is be- | en calf, and worship it. I am angry
come of him; make gods for us,| with these disobedient people ; I
and they shall go before us.†Did | will destroy them; but I will keep
Aaron tell them how wicked and | thee, and. make of thee a great
80
nation.†But Moses prayed God to
forgive these sinful people, and to
remember His servants Abraham,
and Isaac, and Jacob, and His pro-
mises to them. Then God heard
Moses’ prayer, and did not destroy
them all.
So Moses took the tables in his
hands, and went down again to
THE IDOLATORS PUNISHED.
was angry, and he cast the tables
out of his hands, and broke them
under the mountain. Why was he
angry? To see that these people
had so soon forgotten their kind
God, and their own promise to love
and serve Him. They were helpless
sinners, and we are so too. When
we trust to our own strength and
Joshua. Joshua said, “There is a} goodness, and forget to ask for the
noise in the camp;†but he did not
know what the noise was. Moses
listened, and said, “It is a singing
that I hear;†and when they came
near, they saw the golden calf, and
the people playing, and dancing,
and singing before it. ‘Then Moses
Ne
Holy Spirit to help and teach us,
we are as forgetful of God, as un-
thankful, and as wicked as these
Israelites were. Let us pray to God
every day to keep us from sin, and
to enable us to live always in His
fear and love.
coo
XU.
JHE J DOLATORS PUNISHED.
HEN Moses saw Aaron,
he asked him why he had
| done this great sin. Aar-
(N} on did not humbly con-
fess his own wickedness,
but tried to excuse himself, and said,
“The people gave me their gold,
and told me to make gods for them ;
and I cast the gold into the fire,
and there came out this calf†But
Moses took the calf, and burnt it,
and ground it into powder; then he
sprinkled the powder upon water,
and made the wicked idolators
drink it. Moses was sorry to pun-
ish these sinful men; but he knew it
was right, because God commanded
him: so he cried to all the people,
and said, “Who is on the Lord’s
side?†‘Tlhen the tribe of Levites
came to Moses, and said, they were.
And what did Moses command them
todo? He gave them a very fear-
ful command, but one which must
be obeyed; he said, “Take your
swords, and go through the camp,
and kill these wicked idolators ;
your brothers, and companions, and
neighbors; spare them not, they
must all die.†Then the Levites
went, and did as Moses commanded ;
and 3000 men were killed that day.
Then Moses spoke gently to the
rest of the people; for he loved
them, and wished them to be for-
given, that God might bless them
again. Moses said, “ You have
sinned a great sin; you have made
God very angry; but I will now go
up to Him, and ask Him to forgive
you; perhaps He will hear my
prayer.†Then Moses went up, and
prayed, and cried to God, and said,
“QO Lord, these people have sinned
a great sin; but now, I pray thee,
forgive them. and blot out their sin.â€
THE NEW TABLES.
And did God forgive? Yes; God
is always willing to hear prayer;
always ready to forgive. He told
Moses to go down, and lead the
people on their journey towards Ca-
naan, and He promised to guide
them as he had done before. Then
the Lord told Moses to come up
again into the mountain, and to
bring with him two tables of stone,
like the first tables which he broke.
Moses obeyed, and went up to
Mount Sinai very early in the
morning; and God came down in
a cloud, and stood near him, and
talked to him. Moses could not see
the bright glory of the Lord; no
living man can see that; but in
Heaven we shall see Him face to
face, and behold His glory for ever.
God passed by Moses, as he stood
on the mountain, and spoke with a
——)
81
loud voice. Whatdid he say? He
told Moses, what a good, and kind,
and gracious God He is; a God
who loves to forgive, and who saves
all who come to Him in faith; but
a very holy God too; a God that
cannot look on sin, and who punishes
all those who will not repent and
turn to Him. When Moses heard
God speak, he fell down, and wor-
shipped; and asked that great and
holy God to forgive his sins, and the
sins of the Israelites, and to make
them His own people, and to keep
and save them for ever. And did
God hear the prayer? Yes, He
promised to keep the Israelites still ;
and to give them the good land of
Canaan, if they would obey and
serve Him, and no more make and
worship the idols which the people
around them served and worshipped.
oN ON
XLIV.
y HE New ABLES.
3]OSES staid in the moun-
tain again forty days; he
neither eat nor drank,
but God had power to
keep him without food:
and Moses was happy with his God,
and loved to be there. God gave him
many commands about what the
people must do, and what they must
not do; and He wrote again the
ten commandments upon the new
tables. When God had finished
speaking, Moses came down from
the mountain ; and the people looked
at him, and saw that his face was
bright and shining; and they feared
to come near to him. What made
Moses’ face shine? The bright glory
of God, which rested upon him
while He talked to him in the
mountain. When Moses saw that
it was painful for the people to look
at him. he took a veil, and covered
his face, and then spoke to them;
but when Moses spoke to God, he
put off the veil.
Moses told the people all the com-
mands of God, and showed them
the new tables; and he spoke to
them about the Sabbath, the holy
day of God, when they must do no
work, because it is a day of rest,
holy to the Lord. Then he told
them about the tabernacle which
God commanded them to make,
where they were to worship Him;
82
and Moses asked them to bring
their gold, and silver, and brass,
and blue, and purple, and scarlet,
and the skins of animals, and beau-
tiful stones; these things were to
help to make the tabernacle, and all
which was to be in it. The people
were glad to bring their riches for
the service of God; and many of
them were very busy and industrious
in this good work. The women
spun hair for the curtains, and the
men worked the stones, and the
gold, and silver; all tried to do
something. ‘There was a man
named Bezaleel, who was very wise
in many curious works, in cutting
stones and carving wood. This man
loved God, and he was very glad he
could do something in his service.
He made all the things for the taber-
nacle, and taught other men to help
him, that the work might be done
quicker.
It is very pleasant, as well as
right, to work for God. All have
talents; allcan dosomething. Some
people are very wise and learned ;
they can do much. They can teach
others: and they ought to teach |
THE TABERNACLE.
them the things of God, to love and
serve Him, for that alone is true
wisdom. Good ministers work for
God, in His church, by preaching
and teaching the Gospel, as Bezaleel
worked for God in making the
tabernacle for His worship. Women
can do something : there is no taber-
nacle to work for now ; but they can
do much for the poor, by clothing
and caring for them; and this is
working for God, because He com-
mands us to remember the poor,
and to be kind to them for His
sake. Little children, too, can do
something. Perhaps the Israelitish
children helped their mothers to
spin the goats’ hair, and to carry to
their fathers the stones and wood
which were wanted. Children can-
not do much, but they may be very
useful in helping others; and if they
work always in the fear of God, and
try to serve Him in all they do, He
will love and bless them. None
should be idle: remember, St. Paul
tells us not to be “slothful in busi-
ness, but fervent in spirit, serving
the Lord.†omans xii. 11.
—_
XLY.
JHE ) ABERNACLE.
NES Ge HE tabernacle was made
@ [Oo of boards, with bars put
ie ‘>| across; and these boards
and bars were made of
shittim wood covered with
gold. At the entrance, there were
no boards, but five pillars of shittim
wood covered with gold. Within
the tabernacle, under the upper end,
were four more pillows; a beautiful
covering, called the vail, was hung
over them; and this hid the inside,
which was the most holy place, “the
Holy of Holies.†None could go in
there but the High Priest; and he
wens only oncea year. Inthe Holy
of Holies was placed the ark. The
ark was a chest or box made of
shittim wood. covered with gold;
and there were rings in the sides,
for poles to be put in when the ark
was moved. ‘The top of the ark was
THE TABERNACLE.
called the Mercy-seat; two golden
angels, called Cherubim, were placed
one on each side the Mercy-seat;
they looked over it, and their wings
covered the top. In the ark were
afterwards kept the tables of the
commandments, Aaron’s rod, and a
golden pot full of manna, which
God commanded to be put there.
Outside the vail, was the altar on
which incense was burnt, the table
on which the holy bread, called
shew-bread, was placed, and the
great gold candlestick. The taber-
nacle stood in a large open court;
pillars of brass surrounded it, and
curtains were hungupon them. The
brazen altar for burnt offerings, and
the great laver where the priests
washed, stood in this court. There
were coverings and curtains to the
tabernacle and court. Over the
boards of the tabernacle was thrown
a covering of fine linen, beautifully
worked in scarlet, and purple, and
blue; over the linen, was a covering
of goats’ hair; over this, a covering
of ram’s skins dyed red ; and another
covering of thick skins over all. The
people were not allowed to go into
the tabernacle: but the priests went
in every morning to offer incense,
and every evening to light the
lamps; and on the Sabbath, to take
away the old shewbread from the
table, and to put on new. The
sacrifices were offered in the court,
where the people stood.
This was the beautiful tabernacle
which God taught Moses to make
for His worship. The things in it
were likenesses, or types, of better
and holy things. The Holy of
Holies was a type of Heaven, that
i RR
83
a type of Christ. He is now in
Heaven, and the holy angels stand
before him, like the Cherubim over
the ark. When the High Priest
went into the most Holy Place, he
sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice
before the Mercy-seat. Jesus 1s our
High Priest, and he offered a sacri-
fice for our sins before he went into
Heaven. What sacrifice did He
offer? He offered himself; He died
upon the cross, and there poured
out His blood, and bore the punish-
ment of oursins. And now like
the Israelitish High Priest, He is
gone into the Holy Place, not into
the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle,
but into Heaven of which that was
the type; and there He pleads for us
before the Mercy-seat, the throne of
God.
When all was finished, God com-
manded Moses to set up the taber-
nacle. Then Moses put up the
boards and bars, and threw the
covering over; and took the ark
and put it into the Holy Place,
within the vail; then he placed the
table outside, and put the bread
upon it; and near the table he
placed the candlestick, and lighted
up the lamps. He put the golden
altar before the vail, and burnt sweet
incense upon it; but the altar of
burnt offering, and the laver, he put
in the court outside. Then Moses
and Aaron washed at the laver: and
the hangings were put up, and all
was finished. A cloud covered the
tabernacle, and the glory of the
Lord filled it. Thecloud was always
there by day, and fire by night.
When the cloud was taken up, the
people journeyed ; and when it staid
holy place which we cannot now | upon the tabernacle, then they
see; and the ark there, with the | rested in their tents.
bright glory shining above it, was
|
84
THE PRIESTS’
GARMENTS.
XLVI.
Tue PRIEST S PARMENTS,
SIH EN-the people were still
at Sinai, after the taber-
nacle was set up, God
8{ spoke again to Moses,
and gave him many com-
mands about His worship and ser-
vice. God commanded that Aaron
and his sons should be His priests
or ministers. They were brought
into the tabernacle, and there con-
secrated for the holy work. So
now, ministers of the Gospel are
ordained and set apart, before they
begin to teach and preach to the
people. It isa holy office, and min-
isters ought to think much about
it, and to pray to God for His help
and blessing; and the people ought
to pray, too, that God would give
holy wisdom and power, to His
ministers, and make them faithful
teachers of His word. All the
Israelites stood at the door of the
court of the tabernacle; and Moses
brought Aaron and his sons to the
great laver, and there washed them
with water. The water in the laver
had power only to wash their bodies;
but it was a type of the blood which
cleanseth from sin, and of the Spirit
which sanctifies, or makes holy.
Ministers should be washed in the
blood of Christ, and have their
_ hearts made clean by the Holy
Spirit.
Then Moses put upon Aaron the
holy garments which God com-
manded to be made; the coat, the
girdle, the robe, the ephod, the
breastplate, and the mitre. The
coat was a long linen robe, with
sleeves, and with a girdle worked in
blue, and purple, and scarlet. The
robe was a long, blue, linen gown,
without sleeves; round the bottom
were golden bells, and figures of
pomegranates; the bells sounded
when the High Priest went into
the Holy Place. The ephod was a
short robe, worked in blue, and
purple, and scarlet and gold; it was
made of linen, and round it was
worn a beautiful girdle worked like
the ephod. The breastplate was
made of cloth and was very thick.
It had four rings of gold to join it
to the ephod ; twelve beautiful stones
were set in the breastplate, three in
a row; there were four rows of
stones, and every stone had the
name of one of the tribes of Israel
written or cut upon it. The tribes
_of Israel were the descendants of the
twelve sons of Jacob. These stones
in the breastplate were called Urim
and Thummim, that is, very light,
perfect and beautifulthings. Aaron
wore the breastplate upon his heart
when he went into the Holy Place,
because he was to remember the
people there, and pray for them to
the Lord.
The mitre was a linen turban,
and in the front of it was a plate
of gold, on which was written,
“Holiness to the Lord;†because
the priests. the ministers of the
Lord, must be holy in all they do
and say, wherever they are. Aaron’s
sons did not wear all the beautiful
robes which their father wore. Only
the High Priest had the ephod, and
breastplate, and robe, and mitre.
But Moses put upon the other
THE PRIESTS.
priests the coat, and the girdle, and
the bonnet or turban. All these
holy and beautiful garments were
put upon Aaron and his sons, to
teach them how holy they ought to
be, if they were honored to be
priests and ministers of the Lord.
oa
a
85
All God’s ministers, and all God’s
people, must be so too; they must
have on Christ’s righteousness, and
be renewed and sanctified by the
Holy Spirit, or they cannot enter
into Heaven.
XLVII.
JHE PRIESTS,
HEN Moses had clothed
Aaron and his sons with
the priestly garments, he
took oil, and sprinkled it
upon the altar, and the
laver, and upon everything in the
tabernacle. Then he poured the oil
upon Aaron’s head, and anointed
him. The oil was a type of the in-
fluence of the Holy Spirit, who
sanctifies the ministers of the Lord,
and prepares them for their holy
work. Afterwards, a bullock was
brought; and Aaron and his sons
laid their hands upon it, humbly
confessing their sinfulness before
God, and acknowledging that they
wanted to be washed from their ini-
quity, and needed to have a sacrifice
offered for them. Then the bul-
lock was killed, and Moses took the
blood, and sprinkled the altar, and
poured it out beneath. Then a ram
was†brought; and Aaron and his
sons laid their hands upon its head ;
and it was slain, and the blood
sprinkled upon the altar. Another
ram was brought; and again Aaron
~ and his sons laid their hands upon
its head, then it was killed, and
Moses took the blood, and put it on
Vy
{
)
iN
of his right hand, and on the great
toe of his right foot; and Moses
did so to Aaron’s sons too. Then
Moses took bread out of a basket,
and oiled cakes, and the fat of the
sacrifice, and gave all to Aaron
and to his sons, to be presented to
the Lord; afterwards Moses took
them from them again, and burnt
all upon the altar, as an offering to
the Lord. Then Moses took the
oil and the blood, and sprinkled
them upon Aaron and his sons, to
sanctify them. The oil was a type
of the sanctifying power of God’s
Holy Spirit in the heart; and the
blood was a type of the blood of
Jesus, which cleanseth from all sin.
Aaron and his sons were sinners,
as we all are; they needed to have
their sins washed away, and. their
hearts renewed; they needed a sac-
rifice, as well as the people; and
they were taught that the rams, and
lambs, and bullocks had no power
to take away sin, but that they must
look in faith to the great sacrifice
which should, at a future time, be
offered up for the sins of all the
world. The priests of Israel soon
died, and passed away; but our
Aaron’s right ear, and on the thumb | High Priest continues for ever. He
86
THE SACRIFICES AND FEASTS.
does not, as they did, offer sacrifices | self on the cross; but He still lives;
daily for sin; one sacrifice was | He lives in Heaven, in the holy place,
enough, when He offered up Him- | and there makes intercession for us.
_—OO
A LVI.
JHE PACRIFICES AND fEASTS,
ERY soon after Aaron and ; God’s holy day; and we should try
| his sons had been conse-
#| crated, they began their
Yi holy work. God’s minis-
ters and people must not
be idle; all have something to do
for God, and it should be begun di-
rectly. ‘The work of the priests
was to offer the sacrifices, and at-
tend to the holy services of God in
the tabernacle. The sacrifice of a
lamb was offered every morning and
every evening. This teaches us,
that we need to have our sins washed
away every day we live; when we
rise in the morning, and when we
go to bed at night, we ought to pray
for grace and pardon, and for every
blessing which we want. We should
thank God for all He has given us,
and ask Him still to give us that
which He sees right we should have.
This was what the Israelites were
taught to do; and if they prayed
in faith, God heard their prayer, and
gave them His blessing.
On the Sabbath day, two more
lambs were offered, besides the
morning and evening sacrifices. We
should love to worship God every
day; but we should pray to Him,
and think about Him, more on Sun-
day than on other days. The Sab-
bath is a day of holy rest; it belongs
to God, and it must all be spent in
His service. The Israelites were
not allowed to do any work on
=
YU
$e
rn a
to be like them, and be very thank-
ful that God has given us a Sabbath,
on which we may learn to know
and serve Him better.
In the beginning of every month,
more sacrifices were to be offered;
two bullocks, one ram, seven lambs,
and a kid. Besides all these sacri-
fices, there were holy days and feasts,
which God commanded to be kept.
There were three feasts in the
year, when God commanded all the
men of Israel to appear before Him.
first, the feast of the Passover, in
remembrance of the angel passing
over the houses of the Israelites,
when he destroyed the first-born of
Egypt. They were to take a lamb,
and eat it as they did in Egypt;
and to offer sacrifices, and to keep
seven days holy to the Lord. This
feast was in the spring of the year.
The paschal lamb was a type of
Jesus Christ slain for our sins, to
save our souls from destruction.
Second, 'The feast of weeks, or
Pentecost, fifty days after the Pass-
over. This feast was in the summer,
when the corn was reaped ; and the
people were then to give some of
their fruits, as a thank-offering to
the Lord. It is God who gives us
all our blessings, and we must
thank and praise Him for them.
The Israelites in the feast of weeks,
were to remember that solemn time
THE SACRIFICES AND FEASTS.
when God gave them the aw from
Sinai, fifty days after they went
from Egypt. It was on the feast of
Pentecost, that the disciples of
Jesus, many years after, met at Je-
rusalem, when the Holy Ghost came
upon them, and gave them power to
speak different languages.
Third, In the autumn, the Israel-
ites were commanded to keep an-
other holy time. The feast began
by the blowing of trumpets, to call
the people to attend.
after, was the great day of Atone-
ment. Then they were to remember
their sins, and repent, and be sorry
for them. No work might be done;
and sacrifices were to be offered,
bulls, and goats, and lambs, to teach
the people that their sins must be
washed away in the blood of the
Great Sacrifice, to whom they must,
in faith, look for salvation. And
there are days when we should re-
member our sins, and pray for for-
giveness too. Every day we ought
to do so, but some days more par-
ticularly. The beginning of the
year, and our own birthdays, are
very solemn times; when we should
remember our past sins, and pray
87
earnestly to God to wash them all
away in the blood of Jesus, and to
give us grace to love and serve Him
better for the future.
Five days after the day of Atone-
ment, God commanded the Israel-
ites to keep the feast of Tabernacles.
This was a time of joy for seven
days. The Israelites were to gather
branches from the trees, palm trees,
and willow trees, and to make
booths to live in, seven days. The
women and children staid at their
own houses; but the men dwelt in
| the booths, praising and thanking
God, till the seven days were ended ;
and then they went home again to
their families. The booths were
not their homes; they lived in them
only a short time. The Israelites
were taught by this to remember
the time when they lived in tents in
| the wilderness; and to thank God,
in their pleasant houses in Canaan,
for having brought them safely
home. The home of God’s people
is above, in the Heavenly Canaan ;
there they will live for ever, and go
out no more into a world of pain,
and sin, and sorrow.
88
XLIX.
THE JUBILEE.
@
JHE pUBILEE.
“ON
OD commanded the Is-| to have it again at the Jubilee; and
raelites, when they should | if a poor Israelite had become a
a| be safe in Canaan, not to
sow their lands every
seventh year. The land
was to rest that year: they must
not plough, nor dig, nor sow, nor
dress their vineyards. What would
they do for food? They must trust
in God; He could make the land
fruitful without their care; and He
promised to keep them, and give
them all they wanted. The fruits
ripened, and the corn came up;
and then they gathered, and eat,
and had plenty. But they were
not to be selfish: they were not to
keep the good things which God
gave them to themselves: no, they
were to divide them among them-
selves, and their servants, and the
poor who had no possessions of
their own.
Every fiftieth year among the
Israelites was called the year of
Jubilee, a time of rejoicing; the
trumpet was blown loudly on the
day of Atonement, that all the peo-
ple might hear. If any man had
2
servant, his master was to let him
go, and all that belonged to_him.
These laws were to teach the people
kindness to their neighbors, and
trust in God.
And God commands us now to
trust to Him for all we want, and
to be kind to the poor, and to give
of what we have to those who have
nothing. Those are happy families,
where all is love: God’s blessing is
upon them. There is a family
above, in which there is no sorrow
nor unhappiness, because there is
no anger, no unkindness. That
family is the family of God in Hea-
ven. God is love; the angels are
full of love; and God’s own people
are full of love too; they love Him,
and they love one another. We
must pray God to put love into our
hearts now, holy love to Him, and
to all; that when we die, we may
go to that world of love, -to live
there in peace and joy for ever:
then we shall enjoy all that happi-
ness which was typified by the year
lost or sold his possessions, he was | of Jubilee.
NADAB AND ABIHU. 89
L.
Navas AND jABIAU,
HERE were two of Aaron’s
sons who were priests,
whose names were Nadab
and Abihu. They were
not humble and holy men
like their father, but proud and dis-
obedient. Without God’s command,
they ran into the tabernacle, with
their censers in their hands, and
offered strange fire, taken from the
wrong place, and burnt incense be-
fore the Lord. God was angry with
this rebellion, and he sent fire upon
them, which struck them dead in a
moment. Aaron saw his wicked
sons die. But Moses told Aaron,
that God had said He would be
sanctified by His priests, and that
when they came before Him, they
must come with reverence: Nadab
and Abihu had sinned, and God
had punished them, and therefore
Aaron and his sons were not to
mourn, nor rend their clothes, but
submit quietly to God. Then
Aaron held his peace; he was full
of sorrow; but he knew that God
had done right, and humbly sub-
mitted to His will: he loved God’s
house, and law, and glory, more
than he loved his wicked sons.
Parents cannot give their chil-
dren new hearts; they can talk to
them, and teach them, and tell
them what is right, and pray for
them; but they can do no more;
they cannot save them; only God
has power to do that; and therefore
the children must themselves pray
that their ging may be blotted out,
and their hearts made new, and
their souls saved; that they may
follow their parents to Heaven.
When Nadab and Abihu were
killed, God gave Aaron some new
commands, that he might not make
God angry, as his.sons had done.
The High Priest was to go into the
holy place, within the vail, only
once a year, on the day of Atone-
ment; and then he was to put on
the holy garments. He was to offer
a bullock for a sacrifice for his own
sin, and a goat for the sins of the
people, and to sprinkle the blood
upon the mercy-seat in the most
holy place; and he was to take fire
from the altar, and bring it within
the vail, and burn incense before
the Lord. Afterwards, Aaron was
to go out, and bring another goat
alive: and to lay both his hands
upon the goat’s head, and confess
his sins, and the sins of all the
people, and put them upon the head
of the goat. Then Aaron was to
call a man, and tell him to lead the
goat far away into the wilderness,
that it might be seen no more.
This goat was called the scape-
goat. |
Aaron, the Jewish High Priest,
was a sinner like the people, and
needed his own sins to be washed
away. But our great High Priest,
of whom Aaron was the type,
needed no sacrifice, because he was
all holy. He offered up the sacri-
fice of himself for our sins, not for
His own; and then He went into
the Holy Place, into Heaven, there
to intercede for us before God. If
90 THE MOVING
we humbly come to Jesus, and ask
Him to take away our sins, He will
forgive them all. God will never
OF THE -CAMP.
gone for ever. God says to those
who come in faith to Jesus; “Their
sins and their iniquities will I re-
remember them again; they will be | member no more.†Hed, vi. 12.
$
LI.
7JHE Movine OF THE PaAMP.
HEN the Israelites rested
( f\| in their camp, waiting for
the cloud to move, every
one had his own place;
and each tribe was to
keep by itself. The tribes were
placed in the form of a square; in
the middle was the tabernacle and
the court; to the East, near the
tabernacle, were the tents of Moses,
Aaron, and the priests; and the
other Levites, the Kohathites, the
Gershonites, and the Merarites,
pitched their tents on the South,
West, and North. ‘They were near
the tabernacle, because it was their
business to take care of it; to take
it down when the camps moved,
and to put it up again when they
rested. The other tribes pitched
their tents farther off. On the East,
Issachar, Judah, and Zebulun; on
the South, Simeon, Reuben, and
Gad; on the West, Manasseh, Eph-
raim, and Benjamin; and on the
North, Napthali, Dan, and Asher.
When the cloud rested, the people
rested too; but when the cloud
moved, they were all to be ready for
their journey. They had lived nearly
a year at Mount Sinai; and now the
cloud was taken up, and they all
began to move. But there was no
hurry nor confusion in the camps.
All was orderly; every one knew
what he had to do. First, the
trumpets were sounded, and then
the three tribes of the camp of
Judah began to march. . The taber-
nacle was taken down by the Le-
vites; the Gershonites carried the
curtains, and the Merarites carried
the heavy boards and bars, and
put them safely into wagons. Then
the three tribes of Reuben’s camp
marched on; the Kohathites fol-
lowed, carrying the holy vessels of
the tabernacle. Next came Eph-
raim’s camp; and, last of all, the
camp of Dan, and all the sick and
weak people who were unable to go
fast. They journeyed wherever the
cloud led them; and when they
began to move, Moses prayed God
to go with them; and when they ~
rested, he prayed God to stay with
them. They were always under His
kind care and keeping, and therefore
safe wherever they went.
When we journey, we should ask
God to go with us too; and if we stay
quietly at home, we should ask Him
to be with us there. While we live
in this world, we have to move often
from place to place; it is not our
rest; it is not our home: it is like
the wilderness where the Israelites
wandered so many years. But there
is a home above; Heaven is like the
pleasant land of Canaan which God
promised to give His people. Wher-
ever we are, we ought to seek to
HOBAB.
have God with us; and always to
live in His love, that He may smile
upon us in everything we do. Then
we shall be happy; He will keep us
91
and comfort us, and bless us, while
we live; and, when we die, take us
to the happy home He has prepared.
for all who truly love and serve Him.
en OOO ee
LI.
}tOoBAB.
soy|E read before,-that Jethro,
f\| the father-in-law of Moses,
[| came to visit him soon
Lali! after the Israelites left
Egypt. Jethro had a son
named Hobab, and he stayed with
the Israelites all the time they were
at Mount Sinai, for that was not far
from his own country. But now
God commanded the people to move,
and go on into the wilderness; so
Hobab prepared to leave them, and.
return home. But Moses did not
wish to lose him, for he knew it
would be for Hobab’s good to go
with the people of God; and he
knew too, that Hobab might be very
useful in telling them many things
which they did not know, about the
places in which they would encamp
in the wilderness. So Moses said
to Hobab, “We are journeying to
the place of which the Lord said, I
will give it to you: come thou with
us, and we will do thee good.â€
And was Hobab willing to go
with them? No: at first he was
very unwilling. He answered, “I
will not go, but I will depart to my
own land, and to my kindred.â€
Then Moses tried again to persuade
eyes. And it shall be, if thou go
with us, that what goodness the
Lord shall do unto us, the same
will we do unto thee.†The Bible
does not tell us that Hobab went
with the Israelites as Moses wished,
but we read of the children of Je-
thro living in Canaan many years
after; perhaps they were the de-
scendants of Hobab.
But we have something to learn
from this story of Hobab. God’s
people now are, like the Israelites,
traveling through a wilderness, and
going to a place which God has pro-
mised to give them. This world is
the wilderness, and Heaven is the
pleasant land of Canaan beyond.
The way which they go is a safe
and a good way, and they are guided
in it by God’s work and God’s Spirit,
just as the Israelites were guided
in their way by the pillar of the
cloud and of fire. But the people
of God do not like to travel by them-
selves to the promised land; they
wish others to go with them. They
say to their friends what Moses said
to Hobab, “Come with us, and we
will do you good.†And those
friends should be willing and thank-
him. He said, “Leave us not, I| ful to go; they should say with all
pray thee; for thou knowest how
we are to encamp in the wilderness,
their hearts, “We will go with you,
for we have heard that God 1s with
and thou mayest be to us instead of you.†Zech. Vill. 23.
92
THE QUAILS.
LIT.
JHE QuaAILs.
HE people now went away
from Sinai, and came into
@ S the desert of Paran. They
were led by the cloud and
kept by God, and, with
His love and blessing, they might
have been very happy; but these
Israelites were, like ourselves, weak,
sinful people; and soon they began
to be tired of serving God, and dis-
contented with what He gave them.
When they came to Taberah, they
murmured, and God sent a fire
which burnt many of them in their
camps. “It is a fearful thing to
fall into the hands of the living
God,†for He is a “ consuming fire.â€
Moses prayed to God to forgive
the rest of the people, and He heard
the prayer, and quenched the fire.
But soon again the Israelites began
to be discontented, and cried, and
said, “ Who shall give us flesh to
eat? We remember the fish we eat
in Egypt, and the cucumbers, and
the onions, and the fruit: but now
we have none; we have only this
manna to eat, and we are tired of
it; we do not like it.†Then they
all stood at their tent doors, and
wept; and Moses heard them. How
wicked they were! God gave them
the manna; He rained it for them
from Heaven; they had as much as
they wished every day; but instead
“of being thankful they were discon-
tented.
Were they wicked ? Yes; and let
us take care not to be like them.
How many people now are unthank-
ful, and discontented with the bless-
ings God gives them, because it is
not what they like; they wish for
something better, like the fish, and
onions, and fruits of Egpyt. Let us
learn to be thankful for what we
have: whatever it is, God sends it,
and we sin against Him if we are
discontented with His blessings.
Moses was angry, and tired of
hearing their murmurings. He told
God how unhappy he was, and that
he had no power to give the people
what they wanted. But God kindly
comforted Moses, and told him that
He would give the people flesh. He
had given them quails before, but
only for one day; now He said they
should eat flesh for a month, till they
had had enough, and were sick and
tired of it. Then God sent a strong
wind which brought the quails, and
they fell close by the camp. The
Israelites stood all day and all night,
greedily gathering the quails, as _
many as they could.
They had plenty of flesh now;
but did it make them happy? No,
because they had not God’s blessing;
for without His blessing there can
be no true happiness. While they
were eating the food, God’s anger
fell upon them, and He sent a plague
which killed many of these rebellious
people. The Israelities called the
name of the place Kibroth-Hattaa-
vah, or the graves of those that
sinned: and then they journeyed
on sorrowfully to Hazeroth.
THE SPIES. , 93
LIV
JHE pPPIES.
HE Lord now spoke to
\t| Moses, and told him to
¢ 8 send twelve men, one man
from every tribe, to the
land of Canaan, which God
promised to give to his people Israel.
The twelve men were to see if the
land was good or bad; if the people
there were strong or weak, few or
many; and they were to come back
again, with some of the fruits of
Canaan, to show to the people. The
men went away, and came to He-
bron, and to a place called Eschol ;
and there they found some beautiful
vines, covered with fine grapes.
They cut down one branch, and put
it upon a pole, and two men carried
it; it was very heavy, the grapes
were so many, and so large. They
gathered some pomegranates and
figs too; and after forty days, the
spies came back again to the camp.
All the people wished very much to
know what the spies had seen, and
to look at the beautiful fruit they
had brought. The men said, “The
land of Canaan is a very beautiful
and fruitful country; full of corn,
and vines, and honey; but we fear
to go there, because the people are
many, and they are stronger than
we’~ These men forgot that God
was stronger than all, and that He
had promised to fight for them, and
to give them the land. They had
no trust, no faith in their kind God ;
and they tried to frighten the peo-
ple, that they might not go to the
good land. But two of the sples
were not like the others. Their
names were Joshua and Caleb. They
ce,
trusted in God’s promise, and did
not fear. They said, “Let us go up,
and possess the land; for we are
able to overcome it.†But the peo-
ple were frightened, and began to
weep; they believed the spies more
than they believed God, and forgot
to trust to His power. Then they
murmured against Moses and Aaron,
and said, “ Why did you bring us
away from Egypt? We were happier
there than here: we wish we had
died in the wilderness. Let us
choose a captain and return to
Egypt.†Caleb and Joshua spoke
gently, and tried to quiet them; but
the people became more angry, and
began to throw stones at Caleb and
Joshua, to kill them. Then they
looked up towards the tabernacle,
and there they saw the glory of the
Lord, and He spoke to Moses with
aloud voice. He said He was now
tired of His sinful people, and would
not let them go to Canaan, but
would destroy them in the wilder-
ness. But Moses again prayed for
them; he asked God not to forsake
the people for whom He had done
so many wonderful things; but to
forgive them, and spare them still.
God heard Moses’ prayer, and He
promised not to destroy the people
directly ; but He said He could not
allow them to go to Canaan, that
good land which he had promised
to His obedient people. His faithful
servants Joshua and Caleb, and those
of-the Irsaelites who were now chil-
dren, should go: but all the others
must wander forty years in the
wilderness, until they died. Their
94
children would then be grown up,
and Joshua and Caleb should go
with them to Canaan, without the
sinful disobedient parents. The
people cried very much when they
heard this. It was a great punish-
ment to them. They could never
again dwell in a settled home; never
see a pleasant country any more;
but they must pass all their lives in
the desert wilderness.
The ten men who spoke evil of
the land of Canaan, died of the
plague before the Lord; but Caleb
and Joshua were kept in safety.
Then the perverse Israelites, instead
of humbly submitting to their
~~,
—
THE SABBATH-BREAKER.
punishment, said, “We will go to
Caanan,' the land God promised to
us.†Moses warned them; he told
them not to go, because God was
not with them, and their enemies
would come, and fight against them,
and killthem; but the people would
not attend. They went to the top
of the hill; but Moses, and the ark
of God, and the blessing of God, did
not go with them.
And had they power to take
care of themselves? ‘They thought
proudly that they had; but soon
their enemies, the Amalekites, came
down, and smote them, and drove
them away.
LV.
JHE PABBATH-PBREAKER,
ea|BOUT this time, while
\\| the Israelites were still in
@\\| the wilderness, another
4d} very sad thing happened
among them. A man
was found gathering sticks on the
Sabbath day. The people who saw
him, knew how wrong this was; so
they took him directly, and brought
him to Moses. Moses was very sorry
to hear what the man had done;
but he did not himself pass sentence
upon him. God was the king and
judge, and it was His law that had
been disobeyed : and therefore Moses
went to God, and told Him all, and
asked what must be done, and how
the man must be punished. And
what did God say? Perhaps we
might think that the man had com-
mitted only a little sin, and that
God could not be very angry with
him for gathering a few sticks on
the Sabbath day. But we must re-
member, God does not look upon
sin as wedo. He cannot think dis-
obedience to His laws a little sin.
The man knew it was wrong to do
any work on the Sabbath. He had
stood by Mount Sinai on that dread-
ful day when the Lord came down
upon it in fire, to give His com-
mands to the people; and he had
heard him say, “Remember the
Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six
days shalt thou labor, and do all thy
work; but the seventh day is the
Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it
thou shalt not do any work.†Ezo-
dus xx. 8-10. The man knew, too,
that God had commanded the peo-
ple to light no fire, and to dress no
food, on the Sabbath; and that no
manna was sent that day, but a
a double portion the day before, to
teach them how very holy the Sab-
THE REBELLION OF KORAH.
bath was. The man remembered
all this, and yet he dared to disobey
the command of God. This was not
a little sin, but a dreadful act of re-
bellion against God; and the pun-
ishment of it was dreadful, too,
“The Lord said unto Moses, the
man shall be surely put to death ;
all the congregation shall stone him
with stones. And all the congrega-
tion stoned him with stones, and he
died.†|
This isa sad story. Learn from
it how fearful it is to disobey the
commands of God: and particularly
the command which tells us to keep
holy the Sabbath day. Many people
break that command, even in this
Christian country. Some buy, and
sell, and do their daily work on Sun-
day, as on other days. And others
spend the Sabbath in idle conversa-
tion and amusements. But God
has told us not to find our own plea-
sure, nor to speak our own words,
on His holy day ; and He is as angry
with those who break the Sabbath
secretly, at home, and in their own
families, as with those who break it
openly. These wicked people, per-
ne
Ne ae
95
haps, may escape unpunished for
many weeks, and months, and years ;
but all their sin igs known to God,
and written down in the book of His
remembrance. And if they do not
repent, they will surely be punished
in another world, for breaking God’s
holy day here.
Do you love Sunday? Do you
| love holy duties, and holy pleasures,
better than any others? If not,
you cannot be fit for Heaven. The
happy people there will spend eter-
nity in praising God. This is their
greatest enjoyment: but it would be
no enjoyment to you, if you do not
like to praise and worship God now.
If you do not serve Him here, you:
cannot live with Him, and sing his
praises hereafter.
Pray to God to give you a new
heart, and to make you love Him;
and then you will love holy things,
and holy duties, and holy pleasures,
better than all the things of the
world. You will be happy while
you live; and, when you die, you will
go to that “rest which remaineth
for the people of God.†Hed. iv. 9
LVI. ,
JHE FREBELLION OF JoraAH.
SAIOON after the spies re-
Os turned, there was a new
rebellion among the Is-
raelites. Three men (Le-
vites), named Korah, Da-
than, and Abiram, spoke to Moses
and Aaron, and asked why they
took so much power and command
among the people, and why Aaron
was High Priest, and had so much
honor. Moses fell on his face when
he heard this, and asked help from
God to answer these wicked men;
and then he said, “God will tell us
who are His ; He will show whom He
chooses to be His High Priest. Come
to-morrow, all of you; take cen-
sers, and put incense in them, and
let God show us whom He will
choose. You sin against the Lord
96
in being so proud, and rebellious.
He has done much for you; and
has honored you by letting you do
His service in the tabernacle; why
do you seek the priesthood, which
He has not given you?†Then
Moses was very much troubled, and
he went and told his sorrows to
God.
The next day, Korah and all his
people took their censers and put
fire in them, and incense, and stood
at the door of the tabernacle. Then
the glory of the Lord appeared, and
He spoke with a loud voice, and
told all the people to go away from
the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan,
and Abiram. All the people moved
away, and the three wicked men
came and stood at their tent doors,
with their wives and children.
Then Moses said, “God will now
show whom He has chosen, and
who are His people, and who have
rebelled against Him. He will do
a new thing; He will open the
earth, and these wicked men shall
go down alive into the pit, and
perish.†As Moses spoke, the ground
shook, and the earth opened, and
swallowed up Korah, and Dathan,
and Abiram, and their wives, and
children, and tents, and all they
had. All went down alive into the
great pit, and the ground closed
again, and shut them in. Then
God sent a dreadful fire, which
burnt up the wicked men who were
the friends of Korah. AI the peo-
ple feared very much, and fled when
they heard the cry of those wicked
men. But were the Israelites now
humbled before God? No; the
THE REBELLION OF KORAH.
next day they murmured again, and
said to Moses and Aaron, “You
have killed the people of God.â€
Then the glory of the Lord ap-
peared, and He spoke to Moses, and
told him to go away quickly, that
He might destroy the people ina
moment. But Moses and Aaron
fell down on their faces, and prayed
to God. And then Moses told
Aaron to go and make an atone-
ment for the people, and to pray
God to spare them. The plague
now began among the Israelites ;
Aaron took a censer, and put in-
cense in it, and fire from the altar,
and ran boldly into the midst of
the people. It was a sad sight!
Many were dead already, and more
were dying; but Aaron loved the
people so much that he did not
think about his own safety: he
only wished to save them. He stood
between the living and the dead,
praying to God for His sinful peo-
ple, and the plague ceased.
When we read this story we should
remember what our great High
Priest has done for us. We have
all sinned against God, as the Is-
raclites did, and deserve to die, to
perish everlastingly. But Jesus hag
made an atonement for us, to turn
away God’s anger; and He inter-
cedes for us with the Father. God
heard Aaron’s prayer, and the plague
was stayed. Aaron saved many by
his intercession ; and Christ is able
to save all those “who come unto
God by Him, seeing He ever liveth
to make intercession for them.â€
feb. Vii. 25.
AARON’S ROD.
97
LVI.
PLARON'S fron.
amN|OD told the people, that
>\K] He would now show them
\ to) whom He had chosen to
253| be His High Priest. He
commanded Moses to take
twelve rods, and to write upon each
of them the name of one of the
twelve tribes; and on the rod
of the tribe of Levi he was to
write Aaron’s name, because Aaron
was of the tribe of Levi. The rods
were dry sticks; there was no life
in them. God commanded them
all to be put into the tabernacle,
before the ark; they were to stay
there one night, and God promised
to make the rod of the man whom |
He chose, to bud and blossom, to
bring forth flowers and fruit. This
was a very wonderful thing to do;
but Moses did not disbelieve God,
for He knew He had power to do
what He pleased ; and, in faith and
obedience, Moses laid up the twelve
rods before the Lord. The next
morning, Moses went into the taber-
nacle and looked at the rods; eleven
of them were still dry and withered ;
but the rod of Levi, on which
Aaron’s name was written, was full
of buds, and blossoms, and almonds.
Moses brought them all out, and
called the men to take their rods
again. ‘They all looked at the rods;
and when they saw that Aaron’s
alone had budded, they knew that
God had chosen him to be High
Priest. The Lord told Moses to
keep Aaron’s rod safely; to put it
into the ark, that it might be there !
| ment.
always to show the rebellious people
that Aaron was God’s chosen min-
ister. he Israelites were obliged
now to submit to the Lord. He
had punished them for their rebel-
lion; and He had shown them, by
a miracle, whom He had chosen for
His priest, that they might not
again speak against Aaron. But
still these people were not humbled;
they cried, and said, “ We shall die,
we shall all perish !â€
It is sad when punishment makes
sinners angry and rebellious. God
sends it to make them repent and
turn to Him. He wishes all to be
saved; He wants none to perish;
and, when people forget Him, He
sends sorrow to them, to make
them remember Him; to see if
they will confess their sin, and ask
for forgiveness. He is ready and
waiting to forgive all who come
humbly to Him; Jesus is willing to
save them, and to wash away their
| sins; the Holy Spirit is willing to
come into their hearts, and to make
them new and clean. But if sin-
ners still resist and rebel, God will
not wait for ever. He will at last
cut them off, and send them away
from Him to everlasting punish-
Then it will be too late to
ask for pardon and salvation ; for
God will not hear their prayer.
We must go to Jesus now, and all
will be well; for He says, “Him
that cometh unto me, I will in no
wise cast out.†John vi. 3%.
98
THE STRIKING OF THE ROCK.
LVIII.
J HE PEATH
72, | HE Israelites went on their
, journey again, and pitch-
ed their tents now in one
place, and now in another.
Sometimes they came very
near to Canaan; then God com-
manded them to turn round, and
go back again. ‘They wandered year
after year in the wilderness, and
were no nearer to the Promised
Land than when they began. Why?
Because they had sinned, and rebel-
led against God; they were to wan-
der in the wilderness forty years,
and never go to Canaan.
When they came to Kadesh-Bar-
nea, Miriam, Moses’ sister, became
ill and died. We remember reading
about her when, many years before,
she sat. watching her brother who
lay in the river in his little ark.
And afterwards, we read of her
singing praise to God, when the
Egyptians were drowned in the Red
Sea. Miriam was a_prophetess;
God gave her wisdom to know fu-
OF Miriam.
ture things; and she was a true
servant of the Lord. But Miriam
must not go toCanaan. Why not?
Because she had rebelled against
Moses, and made God angry.
Sin must be punished ; God pun-
ishes His own people, as kind parents
punish their dear children, when
they deserve it; not because they
hate them, but because they love
them so much, and wish them to be
good and obedient. God punishes
His people to make them sorry for
sin, that they may ask from Him
pardon for the past, and grace for
the future. Miriam could not see
Canaan, but her soul went to Hea-
ven, the happy country of which
Canaan was a type. Miriam’s sins
had been forgiven, and her heart
made new, or she could not have
gone there. She is happy now, and
will never sin nor sorrow any more.
“Blessed are the dead which die in
the Lord.†Fev. xiv. 13.
—.
wee
LIX.
y HE PTRIKIN G
py¥scy| HEN the Israelites had
\ : buried Miriam in Kadesh-
\"fY| Barnea, they began to
again. There
aod! murmur
was no water to drink,
and they forgot their kind God who
so often fed them from Heaven, and
would not trust Him. They said to
Moses and Aaron, “Why did you
bring us here to kill us with thirst?
OF THRE frock.
We wish we had died with our
brethren before the Lord 2?†Then
Moses and Aaron fell on their faces
before the door of the tabernacle,
and the glory of God appeared to
them. He heard their prayer, and
He told them where to go for water,
and what they must do. There
was a great rock in the wilderness,
and God commanded them to go
THE FIERY SERPENTS.
and speak to that rock, and He said
He would bring water out of it.
Then Moses took his rod, and he
and Aaron called all the people to
stand before the rock, to see the
wonder that God was going to do.
But Moses and Aaron were tired of
the rebellion and disobedience of the
people, and they became impatient
and passionate. This was wrong;
they should have asked God to give
them meekness, and gentlencss,
and patience, and to help them to
bear with the Israelites. But Moses
and Aaron spoke very loudly, and
cried to the people, “ Hear, ye rebels,
must we bring water for you out of
the rock?†‘Then Moses smote the
rock, and the waters came out, and
the people and their cattle drank.
But God was angry with Moses and
Aaron, because they had not obeyed
Him, and when they came to Mount
Hor, He spoke to them again, and
told them that they must die, and
not go to Caanan, because they had
rebelled against him at the rock
Meribah. Aaron must die first; his
work was ended, but Moses had
much to do still. All God’s people
have work to do; God gives them
strength to do it; and when it is
neers
—_—— CU
99
finished, He takes them home to
their rest.
God commanded Moses, and
Aaron, and Eleazer, Aaron’s son, to
go up to the top of Mount Hor; and
there Moses was to take off the holy
garments from Aaron, and to put
them upon Eleazer, and to make
him High Priest instead of Aaron.
All three went up; they knew why
they went; Aaron knew that he was
now going to die, that he should
never offer sacrifices, and pray for
his people again. Aaron knew, too,
that he must have a sacrifice offered
for him, and that he needed a High
Priest to intercede for him; and he
had faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,
the great High Priest, who should
come to offer up a sacrifice for all
the world, the sacrifice of Himself.
Aaron’s sins had all been taken
away, his heart had been made new
by the Holy Spirit, and he was ready
to die. Moses took off his brother’s
garments, and put them upon Elea-
zer ; and then Aaron said farewell to
Moses, and to his son, and lay down
on the mountain,and died. Moses and
Bleazer went back alone; and when
the Israelites saw that Aaron was
dead, they wept for him thirty days.
LX
y HE PIERY SERPENTS.
A PTER Aaron’s death, the
a people went to Kibroth-
ra Hataavah, and then to
Zalmonah; and they mur-
mured again, because they
were tired of their long wanderings,
and of the manna which God gave
them. They forgot why it was that
they wandered so many years in the
wilderness; it was for the punish-
ment of their sin, and they ought
humbly to have submitted to it;
but their hearts were still proud,
and rebellious, and unhumbled be-
fore God.
God now punished his sinful peo-
100
ple again. He sent fiery serpents
among them; and they bit the
people, and many died. God has
power over all creatures. He could
bring quails to feed His people, and
now He could bring serpents to kill
them. The Israelites came to Moses,
and confessed their sin, and asked
him to pray for them to God. Moses
was always ready to pray for them,
and God was always ready to hear
his prayers, and now He told Moses
how the people must be cured of the
serpents’ bites. He commanded
Moses to make a serpent of brass,
and to put it upon a pole; and He
sald, that all who were bitten, if
they looked upon the brazen ser-
pent, should live. The bitten Is-
_ raelites did as God said, and were
cured, and went on their journey
again.
We may learn a lesson from the
story of the serpents. We are like
Nae!
NN
yy
BALAAM.
the bitten Israelites ; we are all sick
and perishing, not in our bodies,
but in our souls. Satan, “the old
serpent,†destroys the soul, as the
fiery serpents destroyed the body.
We are all sinners: all in danger of
being sent to hell; but there is a
way to escape. What saved the
bitten Israelites? They looked
upon the serpent of brass and lived.
And what can saveus? Jesus says,
“Look unto me, and be ye saved.â€
Tsaiah xly. 22. He was lifted up
upon the cross, to die on it for our
sins: and if we look to Him in faith
He has promised to save us, and to
give us eternal life. He Himself,
when He was upon earth, said to
Nicodemus, “ As Moses lifted up the
serpent in the wilderness, so must
the Son of man be lifted up; that
whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish, but have eternal Ife.â€
John iii. 14, 15.
LX1.
PALAAM,
HEN the Israelites came
"| to Heshbon, they fought
“| with Sihon king of the
4S] Amorites. God had com-
manded all the Amorites
to be slain, because they were wicked
idolaters; and He promised to give
their possessions to His people
Israel. The people were now com-
ing into Canaan, and they pitched
near Jericho. Very soon God would
give them the land; for the forty
years were almost ended, and then
they were to go and possess it :—
not the rebellious and disobedient ;
they would all be dead; but their
SRE
Oo
(
aes
children, who were now growing up,
should go, and Caleb and Joshua
with them.
There was a country, near the
land of the Amorites, called Moab:
the king’s name was Balak. The
Moabites heard what Israel had
done to the Amorites, and other
idolatrous people; and they began
to be very much frightened, and
thought that perhaps soon they
should be destroyed too. These
people did not go to God to help
them; they did not ask the Israel-
ites to teach them what was right,
nor forsake their idols, and their
BALAAM.
wickedness ; but they thought they
would try to bring evil upon God’s
people; for they hated them, and
wished their destruction.
There was a prophet, but a wick-
ed prophet, who lived a long way
off from Moab, named Balaam.
Balak king of Moab sent his ser-
vants to ask Balaam to come and
curse the Israelites ; and the servants
101
Balaam knew he could do nothing
without God’s leave, so he told the
princes that he would ask God
again. The Lord saw how rebellious
and disobedient Balaam was, and
He came to him, and said, “If the
| man call thee, go; but thou shalt
| speak only what I tell thee.â€
Then Balaam did not wait to be
called, but rose early in the morn-
took money with them to tempt | ing, and went with the princes.
Balaam to go. The messengers
went to the wicked prophet, and
told him what their king said; and
when Balaam saw the money, he
wished to go with them. He knew
that it would be very wicked to
curse God’s people, and he ought to
have sent the servants away directly ;
but he said to them, “Stay one
night, and I will tell you what God
shall say to me.†In the night,
God came to Balaam, and asked,
“Who are these men?†Then the
prophet told Him who they were
and why they came; but God said,
“Thou shalt not go; thou shalt not
curse my people; for they are
blessed.†Balaam told the men, in
the morning, what God said, and
they went back to their master.
But soon after, Balak sent more
princes to Balaam, and promised to
give him great riches and honors if
he would come and curse Israel.
Balaam wished to go, and God let
him have his wish; But God’s bless-
ing was not with him. Balaam
knew he was displeasing God; he
knew it was wrong to go to the
enemies of the Lord, and curse His
people; he knew God had told him
at first not to go, and that he was
now disobeying Him. Was Balaam
happy? No-—he could not be
happy; nothing can make us truly
happy without God’s _ blessing.
When we wish for anything, or
wish to go anywhere, we ought to
ask ourselves, “ Will God be pleased
ifI do this? Is it His will that I
should do so, or that I should go
there ? because, if it is not, I cannot
have His blessing, and then I cannot
be happy.†We should ask God to
go with us, and to be with us wher-
ever we are, and then all will be
well.
102 BALAAM’S ASS. .
LXII.
PALAAMS ftSs.
BY ALAAM rode upon his | of us have; God has not given
\} ass to go to Moab; he | them these things, He has given
thought now he should | them instinct ; ‘He teaches them
5| do as he pleased, and have | how to find their food, and how to
the money Balak pro-| take care of their young. He has
mised him; but God would not | made them very useful to man.
give Balaam the power to curse His What did the ass say? It said,
people;. and without God Balaam | “Am not I thine ass, upon which
could do nothing. The angel of | thou hast ridden for many years
the Lord came to stand in the way | past? What have I done? Why
before the disobedient prophet; but | hast thou smitten me?†Balaam
Balaam was not thinking of God, | said, “ Because thou hast not obeyed
and he did not see the angel. But | me; I wish I had a sword in my
the ass saw, and turned out of the | hand, for now I would kili thee.â€
road for fear, and Balaam beat the | But the ass said again, “I have been
ass to turn it back again. Soon | thine ass a long time; did I ever do
after, they came to a road through | so before?†And Balaam answered,
some vineyards, with a wallon both | “ No.†Then God opened the eyes
sides; and the ass saw the angel | of Balaam, and he saw the angel
standing with a sword drawn in his | standing before him, with a sword
hand, and pressed close to the wall, | in his hand, and he was very much
and hurt Balaam’s foot, and he beat | afraid, and fell down on his face.
the ass again. Then the road be- | The angel asked, “Why hast thou
came very narrow; the angel stood | smitten the ass these three times ?
before, and there was no room to | I came out to meet thee, because
turn, and the ass fell down under | thou wast rebellious and disobedient,
Balaam. Then the prophet was | and the ass saw me and turned
very angry, and he beat the poor ass | away. If the ass had not turned
again with his stick; but it was not | away, I should have killed thee, and
the ass that was rebellious and dis- | saved her alive†Then Balaam
obedient; no, it was the prophet | said, “I have sinned, I did not see
who was so wicked, and so foolish, | thee standing in the way; now
and the angel was sent to him. | then, if thou art displeased, I will
Balaam did not see the angel, and | go back again.†But the angel
therefore he was cruel to the poor | said, “No, go with the men to
QO CO.
ass. Moab, but speak only what I tell
But God has power to do all | thee.â€
things, and He did a very wonder- Then the angel went away, and
ful thing then; He opened the | Balaam went onto Moab. But was
-mouth of the ass, and enabled it to | he sorry for his disobedience ? No,
speak. Animals have not reason, | he was frightened, but he was not
nor the power of speaking, as most | humbled. He could not now curse
BALAAM’S PROPHECY.. . 103
what he wished. But his heart was
not changed; he was rebellious and
disobedient, and covetous still.
Israel with his mouth ; for God,
who enabled the ass to speak, took
away from Balaam the power to say
LXIII.
PALAAM'S PROPHECY,
SSOH|ALAAM came to Moab 3! be like his!†Numbers, xxiii. 10.
(© 4} and when King Balak | Then Balak said, “ What hast thou
( heard he was there, he | done? I called thee to curse the
€se%5} went to meet him directly. | people, not to bless them.†But Ba-
Balak was glad to sce; laam answered, “I told thee I must
him, and said, “ Why didst thou not | speak only what God commands.â€
come before? I am able to give} Again Balaam went to meet God,
thee money and honors, and many | and again God put blessings into
things, if thou wilt obey me.†But! Balaam’s mouth. He spoke of Is-
Balaam answered, “ Now that I am | rael’s happiness, and of their future
come, I have power to speak only | blessings. God gave him words,
what God commands me.†and made him speak blessings of
The next day, Balak brought | His people Israel; for God had
Balaam to a high place, where they | power over Balaam’s mouth, as He
could see the camp of Israel: there | had over the mouth of the ass. But
the idol Baal was worshipped, and | it is sad to think of wicked Balaam:
there they built seven altars, and | when he saw God’s happy people,
offered a bullock and a ram upon | he wished to be safe and happy like
every altar. When they had finished, | them; but he did not pray to be
Balaam told the king to stay by the | made holy like God’s people. They
altar, while he went to meet the! are people who have repented ;
Lord; for Balaam could not speak | whose sins have been washed away,
a word without God’s command. | and whose hearts have been made
God met Balaam, and told him | new and clean.
what to say, and then the prophet | Balak wasvery angry with Balaam
went back to Balak. The king of! because he did not curse the Israel-
Moab was waiting for him, and | ites; he gave him no money, and no
wishing to hear the curses against | honor, but sent him away. Balaam
God’s people. And did Balaam | lost God’s blessing, and worldly
curse them? No; he could speak | riches too; and, soon after, he was
only God’s words. He said, “ Balak, | slain by the Israelites, when they
king of Moab sent for me to come | fought against Midian. Learn from
and curse Israel; but how can Ij this sad story how fearful it is
curse the people whom God has not | to forsake God, and how blessed
cursed? Let me die the death of | those are who truly love and serve
the righteous, and let my last end | Him.
104
THE DEATH OF MOSES.
LXIV.
JHE PerEaTH or Moses.
JOSES was now a very old
man, 120 years old. The
Israelites were close to
Canaan, and soon they
were to go there; but
Moses must not go with them. He
had sinned and disobeyed God at
the rock, and his sin must be pun-
ished. But God was not angry
with Moses now. No: Moses had
repented, and he was forgiven, and
his soul would goto Heaven. But
God must punish His servant in
this world; Moses could not go to
the good land which God promised
to His people. God said to hin,
“Go unto the mountain Pisgah,
and there I will show thee all the
land of Canaan; thou shall see it
with thine eyes, but thou shalt not
go over thither.†Then God told
him to take Joshua, and make him
the leader of the people, to guide
them when Moses was dead. Moses
did all God commanded. He took
Joshua, and: laid his hands upon
him, and blessed him; and God
gave him His Spirit, and made
him wise and holy, that he might
know how to command his people
in the right way.
Then Moses called all the people
together, that he might speak to
them for the last time. They were
the children who had grown up in
the wilderness; the rebellious par-
ents were dead. Moses spoke to
them of all those wonders which
God had done for them, and for
their fathers, for forty years. This
last speech of Moses is written in
the book of Deuteronomy. He told
them all their past history, since
they went from Egypt. He re-
minded them of God’s kindness,
and of their sins and rebellions, and
of all the laws which God had given
them; and then, when he had fin-
ished, he taught them a beautiful
song of praise to God. The Israel-
ites felt very sad when they heard
their friend speak to them for the
last time, and give them his dying
blessing; and it was sad, too, to
Moses to say farewell to those he
loved. But he knew they had a
friend in Heaven, who would never
forsake them if they truly served
Him; and he told them to love and
obey their kind and holy God.
Then he blessed Joshua again,
and told him not to fear, because
God was with him to strengthen
and protect him; and then he and
Joshua went together into the tab-
ernacle.
And now God called Moses, and
told him that the time was come
for him to go up to the mountain,
and die. God showed him from the
mount, all the beautiful country of
Canaan, with its hills, and fields,
and water, and corn, and vineyards.
Moses could not go there; but he
was going to a better country, a
heavenly one, where is no pain, nor
sickness, nor sorrow, nor sin. Mo-
ses lay down on the mountain, and
died, and the Lord buried him; no
man knew where, nor how. Then
all the people saw that Moses was
| dead, and they wept for him in the
RAHAB,
105
plains of Moab thirty days. Joshua him, and the people obeyed him, ag
was now their commander; he was
full of wisdom which God gave
— “oN
oO
they had before obeyed Moses.
LXV
JRAHAB.
FTER Moses was dead,
God spoke to Joshua, and
| told him not to fear, for
He was with him, to
strengthen him to con-
quer his enemies; and that, in three
days, he and the Israelites should
go over Jordan into Canaan. Then
Joshua called two men, and sent
them secretly to Jericho, to spy out
the land. The men obeyed, and
went to the house of a woman
named Rahab, and stayed there.
Very soon after, the king of Jericho
heard that two Israelites were come
as spies, and he sent to Rahab, and
told her to bring out the men. But
Rahab took them, and hid them in
the house, and told the messengers
that the men were gone, she knew
not where; so the messengers went
away to seek them.
When they were gone, Rahab
went up to the two Israelites, to the
flat top of the house, where she had
hid them under some stalks of flax,
and she said to them, “I know God
has given you this land; I have
heard all the wonderful things He
has done for you, and I believe that
He is the true God of Heaven and
Jericho, be kind to me, and save
me and my family from the sword.â€
The spies said, “Yes, when God
gives us the land, we will be kind
to thee, and spare thee.†The wo-
man let them down from the win
dow by a rope, and told them to go
quickly to the mountain, and hide
there three days, till the enemies
were returned. Then the men said,
“As soon as we are gone, bind a
scarlet thread in the window, that
we may remember the house when
we see it; and then we will save
thee and all thy family ; but tell no
one that we have been here.†Ra-
hab promised not to tell, and the
men went away, and she bound the
scarlet thread in the window.
Rahab was a heathen, and did not
know much of the true God; but
when she was told of the wonderful
things He did for His people, she
believed. She believed He would
do what He said, and give the land
to the Israelites; and it was in faith
that she hid the spies, and sent
them away safely. It was not right
of Rahab to say that the men were
gone, when she had hid them in her
house: but Rahab did not know
earth. I have been kind to you, | that lying is so great asin as God
and hid you from your enemies | says it is.
here; when you come and take |
106
JORDAN.
LXVI.
pORDAN.
HE Israelites were now
to pass over the river Jor-
them all to be ready the
next day. How could
they go through? The river was
wide, and there was no bridge, nor
any ships to carry them over. God
knew how. He had brought them
through the Red Sea, and He could
bring them over the river Jordan
too. God told Joshua to command
the priests to take up the ark, and
to go before the people. When the
priests came to the river, and their
feet were dipped into the water, then
the waters divided, and stood up
like a wall; and the priests, with
the ark, went through first, and the
people followed on dry ground.
When they had all passed over,
Joshua called twelve men, one of
every tribe, and told them each to
take a stone from Jordan, from the
place where the priests’ feet stood
upon dry ground, when the waters
divided. These twelve stones Joshua
set up in Gilgal, that when, in fu-
ture times, the Israelites’ children
should ask, “ What are these stones ?â€
their parents might tell them the
wonderful story of God’s bringing
His people through the river on dry
ground.
How powerful God is, and how
kind to His own people! He took
care of Israel for many long years ;
When they were in Egypt, and
when they were in the wilderness ;
and, at last, we read that He brought
them safely to Canaan.
And God promises to take care of
His people now. He gives them all
that He thinks right; He helps
them to fight against their sinful
hearts, and Satan, who tempts them
so often; and, at last, He brings
them to the heavenly Canaan above.
This world is like the wilderness;
it is full of sorrow and pain, and
between it and Heaven there is a
river which God’s people must pass,
that is death. But they need not
fear; for God promises to be with
them there. The ark, which the
priests carried, was the type of
Christ, and it went over Jordan
with the Israelites. And when we
come to die, if we are the servants
of Christ, He will be with us; He
will bring us safely through, and
land us in the happy Canaan above.
ACHAN,
107
LXVILI.
JERICHO TaxKeEn.
HE Lord told Joshua, that
He had given Jericho to
him, and that he should
conquer and possess it.
But how were the Israel-
ites to conquer it? Were they to
go and fight against it with swords,
and spears, and battering rams?
No; God told all the soldiers, and
the priests, carrying the ark, to
walk round the city once every day,
for seven days. Seven of the priests
were to carry trumpets; and to
blow with them as they passed on
before the ark. The last day, they
were to go round the city seven times;
and the priests were to blow the
trumpets, and the people to shout;
and then God said, the walls should
fall down, and they should go in,
and possess it.
The people believed God, and did
all He commanded. They walked
round the walls once each of the six
days, carrying the ark, and blowing
with the trumpets; and on the
seventh day, they walked round
seven times, and the priests blew
the trumpets, and the people shout-
ed; and then the walls fell down,
and they went up and took the
city. But the spies did not forget
their promise to Rahab; they went
to her house, and brought her out,
and all her family, and put them in
safety; and then they burnt the
city with fire. All the silver, and
gold, and brass, and iron, they
saved for the Lord’s house; but the
Israelites were commanded not to
take any thing for themselves.
Jericho was an accursed place, be-
cause the people who lived there
were so wicked; and therefore, all
were to be destroyed.
Ames
set ee
LXVIIL
PLCHAN.
SSH] UT one wicked man named
\s é »| Achan, thinking no eye
saw him, disobeyed the
“| command, and took some
~ of the riches which he
found, and went and hid them.
Joshua did not know what was done,
and the people did not know; God
alone saw Achan’s wickedness; but
He did not tell Joshua of it di-
rectly.
There was a city near Jericho
called Ai, and the Israelites asked
Joshua to let them go there, and
take the city. They said, “It isa
small place, and we shall soon take
it; we need not all go; a few sol-
diers will be enough to conquer Ai.â€
But the Israelites forgot that they
had no power of themselves. It
was God who helped them to con-
quer, and if He hid His face from
them, their power was nothing.
A few of the people went up to
108
fight against Ai. Did they con-
quer? No; their enemies smote
and killed many of them, and drove
the rest away.
Why was this? Because God
was angry, and He was not now
fighting for Israel. And why was
God angry? Why did He turn
away from his people, and refuse to
help them? Joshua did not know;
but he saw that God was displeased,
and this made him very unhappy.
He rent his clothes and put dust
upon his head, and fell down on the
ground. Was this all he did? No;
he did what all God’s people ought
to do when they are unhappy,—he
went and prayed to the Lord. All
day he lay before ark; and he asked
God to return to His people again,
and to help them as He had done
before. The Lord heard Joshua’s
prayer; for He is always ready to
attend to us when we pray, and to
comfort us when we are in sorrow.
He commanded Joshua to arise,
and then He told him why he did
not fight for Israel now. He told
him that one man had sinned, and
had stolen, and hid his stolen things
in the tent; and He commanded
Joshua to seek that man, and to
put him to death: because God
could not fight for His people when
sin was among them.
Joshua obeyed directly. He called
all the tribes, and all the families,
and God helped him to find the
right man. Achan was taken.
God’s eye saw him among all the
the thousands of Israel, and pointed
him out to Joshua. Then Joshua
called Achan, and spoke very gol-
emnly to him. Joshua was not
angry, but sorry to think how
wicked Achan had been; and now
ACHAN,
he told Achan to confess his sin,
and to pray for pardon, and warned
of the wickedness of denying what
he had done. Then Achan con-
fessed all; he said, “I saw among
the riches of Jericho, some silver,
and gold, and a beautiful garment;
and I coveted them, and stole them,
and hid them in my tent.†So
Joshua sent men to the tent; and
there they found the silver, and
gold, and the garment, and they
brought them to Joshua; and every
thing that belonged to Achan they
brought too; his wife, and children,
and possessions. Then Joshua com-
manded that Achan and his family
should be stoned, and afterwards
burnt with fire. When they were
dead, the people went again to Ai;
and God was with them then, and
helped them to fight; and Ai was
soon taken and destroyed.
Joshua built an altar to the Lord;
and upon the stones of the altar he
wrote the law of Moses. Then the
Israelites stood round the altar, half
of the tribes over against Mount
Ebal, and half of them over against
Mount Gerizim, as God had before
commanded, and then Joshua read
to them the words of the law; all
God’s curses against those who
would not obey Him; and all Hig
blessings to His own people and
servants. ‘The Israelites had much
to do at this time; they were busied
with their wars and conquests;
but they did not refuse to attend.
Whatever we have to do, we
ought always to find time for read-
ing God’s word, and serving Him,
and never say we are too busy to
attend to holy things. Nothing
will go on well without God’s bless-
ing. We must seek it every day we
THE GIBEONITES.
live, and in every thing we do.
And how thankful we ought to be,
that we have the Bible to read, and
’
oN,
109 ©
a kind God waiting to hear our
prayers, and to love and bless us!
LXIX,
JHE PIBBONITES,
HEN the wicked nations
Ny), of Canaan heard of what
)\ the Israelites were doing,
their great power, they
came together to fight against
Joshua and his men. It was
wicked, and foolish too, to try to
fight with God’s people. God had
promised to give Canaan to the Is-
raelites, and to help them to con-
quer their enemies; and those
~ wicked Canaanites had no power to
resist His will. But there were
some of these people who did not
wish to fight with Israel, because
they felt it would do no good, and
they were in great fear that Joshua
would kill them. These people
were the Gibeonites.
be at peace with His people; but
they did not seek for peace in the
right way. They knew that Joshua
was not commanded to fight with
the people who lived far off, but
only with those who lived in Ca-
naan; so they determined to deceive
him; and to pretend to have come
from a country very far off, and to
ask him to make peace with them.
So the Gibeonites took their asses,
It was right .
of them to feel their own weakness, |
and God’s strength, and to wish to_
shoes and clothes old and torn. The
Gibeonites soon came to the camp
of the Israelites at Gilgal, for it was
not far from them, and asked to
speak to Joshua. They said, “ We
wish to make peace with you; we
are come a long way to see you.â€
The Israelites answered, “ Perhaps
you are Canaanites, and we must
not make peace with them.†The
Gibeonites said, “No, we are not
Canaanites; we come from a coun-
try very far off; we have been tray-
elling many days, and are tired with
our long journey; you see our dry
bread, and our broken bottles, and
our old shoes and garments; all
were new when we began our jour-
ney; but now they are worn out,
because we have been so long a time
on the road. When we were in our
own country, we heard about you,
and about all that you did to the
kings of Heshbon and Bashan, and
we were afraid you would destroy
us also; so we are come now to ask
you to be at peace with us, and we
will serve and obey you.â€
This story was not true; but
Joshua believed it; so he did not
ask God to tell him what he ought
to do, but he made peace with the
Gibeonites, and promised not to de-
and put sacks upon them, and in | stroy them. Then the Gibeonites
the sacks they put dry mouldy
bread; the skin wine bottles which
were much pleased, aud went home
again. But two or three days after,
they carried were broken, and their | the Israelites heard that these
, 8 ;
110 THE KINGS CONQUERED.
people, with whom they had made | we will keep our promise; but we
peace, were Canaanites, and lived | will punish you for your deceit;
very near to them. Then the Is- | you shall be our servants, and do
raelites were vexed, and angry too, | all our hard work for us: you shall
and they said, “ What shall we do? | cut our wood, and draw our water,
These Gibeonites are Canaanites, | and help us in the work we have to
and we ought to kill them; but we | do for the house and altar of God.â€
cannot, because we have promised | The Gibeonites said, “We were so
not to hurt them, and we must | very much afraid that you would
keep our promise.†kill us; fear made us deceive you;
So Joshua called for the Gibeon- | we are willing to be your servants;
ites, and said to them, “ Why have | do not kill us, and we will do all
you deceived us? Why did you | you say.†Then Joshua promised
say you came from a very distant | again not to hurt them; but he
country, when you knew you lived | made them servants to the Israel-
close by us? You have done very | ites, hewers of wood, and drawers of
wrong to deceive us so wickedly. | water, for all the people, and for the
We promised not to kill you, and | altar of God.
~
—
ao
VY
LXX.
JHE Auncs PONQUERED.
JOON after Joshua had | It is the Lord Jesus Christ; He is
made peace with the | “a Friend at all times,†and He tells
Gibeonites, the wicked | us to call upon Him in the time of
kings of the Amorites | trouble.
heard of it, and went to) Did Joshua go to help the Gib-
Gibeon to fight against it, because it | eonites, or did he say he would do
had made peace with the Israelites. nothing for people who had been go
The Gibeonites were very much | deceitful ? No, Joshua had promis-
frightened when they saw these! ed to be kind to them, and he did
kings, and their armies, coming to | not forget his promise now they
fight them ; but they knew where to | were in trouble: he went directly,
go for help; they sent to Joshua, and | and all his soldiers with him. He
asked him to come and save them | was right to go; we ought always to
from their enemies. | be willing to help those who ask
When we are in sorrow and | our help; and if people have done
danger, it is very pleasant to have wrong to us in time past, we should
kind friends to comfort and help us; | be ready to forgive and forget all,
but there is only one Friend who | and be kind to them when they are
has power always to save us from | in sorrow. But Joshua and his
all evil, and to fight for us against! men of themselves could not do
our worst enemies, the enemies of | much ; God alone could conquer the
our souls. Who is that Friend ? | enemy, and He promised He would.
THE KINGS CONQUERED.
He said to Joshua, “ Fear not; for I
am with thee.â€
The kings were soon conquered,
and fled from the Israelites; and
many of their soldiers were killed
with hail-stones, which God sent
from heaven to destroy the enemies
of His people. God did a wonderful
thing that day: Joshua and the
Israelites were many hours fighting,
and they feared darkness would come
on, and then they would not know
where to find their enemics. But
Joshua had great faith in God; he
knew He could do everything, and
that He had promised to do great
things for His people; so Joshua
asked God to do a very wonderful
miracle then, a new miracle, never
seen before. What wasit? Joshua
spoke to the Lord, and said, “Sun,
stand thou stillin Gibeon; and thou
moon, in the valley of Ajalon.â€
And did the sun and moon obey?
Yes, because it was the will of God
that they should ; it was His power,
not Joshua’s, that made them stand
still, and He gave the command in
answer to Joshua’s prayer. Thesun
and the moon stayed as they were
all that day ; hour after hour-passed,
and the sun and the moon were in
the same place still, until all the
enemies of Israel were conquered.
Lil
How wonderful God is! How great
His power is, and His kindness too,
to His own people! We may safely
trust Him in all dangers, if we love
and serve Him; but we must re-
member that He has power to de-
stroy His enemies, as well as to save
His friends.
The wicked kings fled and hid in
a cave; they thought Joshua could
not find them there ; but they could
not save themselves. Joshua goon
heard where they were, and he com-
manded his people to roll great
stones to the mouth of the cave to
keep the kings in, till all his ene-
mies were conquered. And when
the Israelites had finished fighting,
Joshua brought out the kings and
slew them. The Amorites had
long sinned against God, and now
they must be destroyed God’s
enemies will all perish at last. He
waits a long time for them to repent
and turn to him; but if they will
not, He will cast them away for
ever. Then let us pray God to
make us His people; to give us new
hearts, and to help us, by His Holy
Spirit, to love and serve Him.
And then we shall be safe and
happy, and have God for our friend
for ever.
112 THE DIVISION OF CANAAN.
LXXJI.
. JHE Piviston OF PANAAN.
SIANY years passed away.
| Joshua and the Israelites
spent those years in fight-
ing with their enemies;
and God helped them,
until almost all the land was con-
quered. Joshua was now an old
man, and God called to him and
said, “Thou art old, but all the
land is not yet possessed: soon I
will give the whole country to my
people Israel, as I promised; and
now divide the land, and give pos--
sessions to ell the tribes.†Joshua
obeyed, and gave to each tribe a
part of the land; but he gave none
to the tribe of Levi. Why? Be-
cause that was the tribe of priests;
their possession was the sacrifices
offered to the Lord, and they wanted
no more. But forty-eight cities, in
different parts of the country, were
given to them; there they lived, and
had schools where the young Israel-
ites were taught to worship and
praise the Lord. The tribe of
Reuben, and the tribe of Gad, and
half the tribe of Manasseh, had their
possessions on the other side of the
river Jordan. They had asked
Moses for that part, because they
liked it best; and Moses had said,
“Tf you will come over Jordan with
us, and help your brethren to fight
against their enemies, you may have
must not live idly here, while the
others are busy fighting; when the
land is all possessed, you may re-
turn, and you may leave your wives
and children here now, but you
must go over Jordan and help your
brethren.†Then the three tribes
promised to obey, and they did as
Moses said; and now, when their
enemies were conquered, they went
home to live in peace. The Israel-
ites were very glad to have those
quiet possessions in their beautiful
land.
And does God give no possession,
no home, to Hispeople now? Yes,
and a better home, a better posses-
sion than Canaan: but it is not in
this world. The home of God’s
people is in heaven ; their possession
is there. Canaan was a type of
heaven; and beautiful as Canaan
was, heaven is much better. Dowe
wish to go there? Wehave enemies
as the Israelites had, and we must
conquer them before we can have
our heavenly possessions. How can
we conquer them? We must do as
the Israelites did; we must ask God
to fight for us, and to make us con-
querors by His power, not our own.
Jesus Christ is better and stronger
than Joshua; and if we ask Him,
He will save and deliver us from all
our enemies, and bring us in safety
possessions where you wish ; but you | to our happy home in heaven.
THE CITIES
OF REFUGE. 113
LXXIT.
y HE fPITIES OF FREFUGE.
yes C& |HE Israelites now all as-
IO sembled at Shiloh, and
2) there they set up the
=| tabernacle; for this was
the place God had ap-
pointed; and here the sacrifices
were to be offered.
There were six cities, among the
forty-eight belonging to the Levites,
called cities of refuge. They were
in different parts of Canaan, and
their names were Kedesh, Shechem,
Bezer, Hebron, Ramoth, and Golan.
These cities were appointed by com-
mand of God. Why?
the Sixth Commandment, “ Thou
shalt do no murder;†and God told
Moses that murderers must be pun-
ished with death. But sometimes
a man might kill another without
wishing to do it; without being
angry, or hating the person he
killed; he might kill him by acci-
dent; he might throw a stone when
he did not see any one, and the
stone might fall on the head of a
man, and kill him. Was the man
who threw the stone a murderer?
Must he be put to death? No, God
did not wish this; that man was
not like a cruel murderer who hates
his neighbors, and waits slily for
him, and at last kills him. God
made a way of escape for the man-
slayer. The manslayer was to run
directly to one of the cities of ref-
Bs
We read in |
killed; he was to run to the city,
and the Levites there would take
care of him: but he was not to go
out of the city till the High Priest
died, and then he might return
home. The roads to the cities of
refuge were broad and smooth: the
manslayer could run very quickly
along them; there were bridges over
the rivers and streams; and at the
cross roads, large stones, and the
words, “Refuge, Refuge,†written
upon them. So the manslayer had
no need to stay to ask his way, and
he could always escape to a city of
refuge, and be there safely before
night. But if he lingered on the
road, or staid to rest, the friends of
the dead man might overtake him
and kill him; and nothing could
save the manslayer then. He was
safe in the city of refuge, and there
alone.
Jesus Christ is our refuge. If we
run to Him, believe in Him, pray to
Him, ask Him to save us, we are safe,
as safe as the manslayer was in the
refuge city. But if we do not fly to
Christ, we can have none to save us;
and then we must perish. Let us
go to Him directly, without waiting
or lingering. He is always ready to
receive us: He says, He will not
cast out those who come to Him,
But, if we linger, we may perish
before we reach the place of safety,
uge; he was not to wait; if he were | and where shall we be then?
found on the road he might be
114
THE DEATH OF JOSHUA.
DXXITI.
JHE PearH
= -x|OD had now given rest to
the Israelites a long time,
@| and Joshua was very old,
and felt that he must
soon die. He loved his
people very much; and he wished
to talk to them, and bid them fare-
well. He called them all to She-
chem, and spoke to them there for
the last time. The Israelites felt
very sad when they looked upon
their dear old friend whom they
had known so long, and they stood
very attentively to hear all he said.
Joshua told them of all God’s kind-
ness to them in past years, His love
to Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob,
and His mercy to the Israelites in
Egypt. Then Joshua told them to
remember all the wonders God had
done to their enemies, the Egyptians,
and the Amorites, and many more
people whom God had given them
power to conquer.
When Joshua had finished, he
asked, “Now, tell me, whom do
you wish to serve, and worship, and
obev? Will you serve the idols of
the Amorites, and the Egyptians, or
God, the true God, who has done
all these things for you?†Then
all the people answered, “We will
serve the Lord.†But Joshua said,
“You are not able of yourselves to
serve Him rightly, for He is a very
holy God: He hates sin, and He
OF pOSHUA.
punishes all those who rebel against
Him.†But the people cried again,
“We do wish to love and serve the
Lord.†Then Joshua told them to
throw away all their idols, and to
pray to God to help them to serve
Him aright. Joshua wrote their
promise in the book of the law; and
then he took a large stone, and put
it up under an oak tree, and called
the people, and said, “ Look at that
stone; it has heard your promise
that you will serve the Lord. Here
it is, a remembrance of what you
have done.â€
Then Joshua sent the people to
their homes, and, very soon after,
he went to his home in Heaven.
He had lived many years, 110; he
had fought many battles, and done
many wonderful things by God’s
power; but now all was finished,
and he lay down to rest in the quiet
grave. Joshua was glad to go to a
better country than Canaan; he did
not fear death, because his sins were
forgiven, and his soul saved. He
had lived in the love of God, and
now he was going to be with God
for ever. The Israelites were sorry
to lose their kind teacher: and they
tried to remember all he had said to
them, and did not forget their holy
promise to serve the Lord. It is a
happy thing when people choose God
for their friend, and not the world.
KING EGLON,
115
LXXIV. |
inc FP GLON.
HE Israelites remembered
their promise for a few
years, and served God,
and would not worship
the idols around them.
But after a time they forgot God,
and Joshua, and all he had said to
them, and their own promise, and
began to rebel against God again.
The Israelites forgot God, but He
remembered them still. One day,
when they were worshipping their
idols, they saw an angel coming to
them from God. He came to tell
them of their sin, and of God’s
anger. He told them of their dis-
obedience and rebellion; and said,
that now God would not be with
them, to help them to conquer their
enemies, but would leave them to
themselves. ‘This was very sad, and
all the Israelites wept for sorrow.
They had no friend, no father, no
kind God now, because they had
forsaken Him, and He had turned
away from them. But the Israelites
knew that God would hear prayer,
and they went and prayed to Him.
They confessed their sins, and asked
for forgiveness, and offered a sacri-
fice. Were they right to do this?
Yes; when we sin, we can have
pardon in Jesus, and by him alone:
and if we pray to Him in faith, He
promises to take away our sins, and
to renew our hearts by His Holy
Spirit. God heard the Israelites’
prayer. He gave them judges; wise
men who helped them to conquer
their enemies, and taught the people
to love and serve the Lord.
But again the Israelites did
| wickedly, and then God sent cruel
enemies to fight against them; and
they cried to Him, and He heard
them. LHighteen years they served
Kglon, the cruel and wicked king of
Moab. At last, God sent the Israel-
ites a man to help them, whose
name was Ehud. The Israelites
had a present to send to Eglon, and
they asked Ehud to take it to him.
Ehud made a dagger, and hid it
under his clothes, and went to
Moab. When he came to the king,
he said he had a secret thing to tell
him alone; so Eglon sent away his
servants. glon was sitting in his
own room, a summer parlor which
was very cool and pleasant; and he
thought himself safe there, for he
did not know why Ehud had come.
When they were alone, Ehud took
out his dagger, and thrust it into
the king’s body, and killed him;
and then Ehud ran out of the room,
and locked the doors and escaped.
None saw Ehud go; and when the
servants found the doors locked,
they thought their master was
‘asleep; so they did not goin. Many
hours passed, and then the servants
began to wonder why the king did
not send for them, and, at last, they
took a key, and opened the door.
What did they see? The king
lying upon the ground, dead?
Ehud soon came back again,
bringing many soldiers with him;
and the Israelites fought: against
the Moabites, and conquered them.
It was God who delivered the people
of Israel from their cruel enemy,
and He was pleased to do so by the
116
hand of Ehud. We must not think,
from this story, that 1t can ever be
right to deceive and murder even
our enemies; but we may learn
from it, that when the people of
DEATH OF SISERA.
God are in danger, and pray to Him
for help, He can find a way to de-
liver them from their trouble, and
to give them peace and safety.
LXXV. oe
PEATH OF PISERA.
HEN Ehud was dead, the
| Israelites again rebelled
against God ; so soon they
forgot all His mercies,
and their own promises
to love and obey Him. God, there-
fore, punished them again. He
cannot let His people.sin, and take
no notice: He is like a kind parent
who punishes his disobedient chil-
dren in love; to make them better,
not because he hates them.
God sent Jabin king of Canaan
to fight against Israel, and conquer
them. He was very cruel, and they
suffered much under his power for
twenty years. God did not fight for
them then, because they had rebel-
led, and made Him turn away from
them. The Israelites felt this; and
they remembered their sins, and re-
pented, and cried to the Lord te
forgive and help them. And did
God attend to these rebellious
people? Yes, for He is so merciful
that He never sends away any who
humbly pray to Him.
There was a very good woman
living at that time, named Deborah.
She dwelt under the palm tree be-
tween Ramah and Bethel; and
there she prayed, and sang praises
to God, and talked to and taught
all the people who came to see her.
She was a very wise woman; God
had given her the best wisdom, the
knowledge of Himself; and He
taught her to prophesy; and to
know the future, that she might
tell the Israelites what they must
do, and how they could be delivered
from their cruel enemy, Jabin.
When the Israelites began to cry to
God, Deborah, at His command,
sent for a brave man, named Barak,
and said to him, “Go now, and call
men out of the tribes of Zebulun
and Naphtali, and take them to
fight against Sisera, the captain of
Jabin’s army; for God promises to
give us the victory.†Then Barak
said, “If thou wilt go with me, I
will go;†so Deborah went with
him, and 10,000 men, to fight
against Sisera. But Deborah told
Barak, that he should not kill
Sisera, but that God would give the
wicked captain into the hands of a
woman.
So Barak and his army went and
fought against Sisera; and soon the
Israelites had the victory, because
God was with them. Then Sisera
came down from his chariot, and
ran away on his feet to escape from
Barak. There was a man named
Heber who was at peace with Jabin ;
and Sisera ran to Heber’s tent for
safety. The name of the man’s wife
was Jael. When Jael saw Sisera
THE MIDIANITES.
coming, she went out to meet him,
and said, “Come in, come in, fear
not.†So Sisera came in, and lay
down; and she covered him with a
mantle. Then he asked for water
to drink; and she gave him milk,
and he drank, and lay down again.
Then he said, “Stand by the door,
and if any one ask if I am here, say,
No.†Sisera was soon asleep, for he
was weary with fighting and run-
ning so far; and then Jael went
very softly, and took a large nail,
and a hammer, and hammered the
nail into Sisera’s head and down
into the ground, while he slept,
_~
wo,
—
11?
and killed him. Soon after, Barak
came to the door of the tent, and
Jael called him in, and showed him
his enemy lying dead upon the
ground.
Barak and Deborah felt that it
was the Lord, not themselvés nor
their soldiers, who had gained the
victory, and they sang a beautiful |
song of praise to Him. How glad
the Israelites were to be in peace
again! Warisasad thing. If we
live in a peaceful country, let us
thank God for it; because it is He
who gives us peace, as well as all
our other mercies.
oS.
LXXVI.
y HE Muivianites.
ORTY years passed hap-
(| pily and safely; the Is-
S raelites lived in the fear
Kee of God, and He kept
them in peace, and gave
them rest from their enemies. When
nations serve God, then they have
His blessing; He does them good,
and gives them all they need; and
they become happy and strong, and
none can make them afraid. Solo-
mon says, “Righteousness exalteth
a nation.†It is God’s blessing that
makes people truly happy: not
riches, nor power, nor possessions.
When the forty years were passed,
the Israelites began again to do
evil; and then new sorrows and
punishments came upon them.
God sent the Midianites to be their
enemies. These people came in
great numbers; they brought their
camels and their cattle with them,
and pitched their tents in the pos-
X2SeE
sessions of the Israelites; and the
Israelites left their pleasant houses
and fields, and ran to hide in dens
and caves, for fear of the cruel
Midianites. When the grass, and
corn, and fruit grew up in the
fields, these enemies took all away
for themselves, and for their cattle ;
and the pleasant land began to look
barren and desolate, because the
Midianites tried to destroy it. Then
the Israelites cried again to the
Lord, for they knew that He could
deliver them, and He alone. God
sent an answer to them by a pro-
phet. He had not forgotten his
people, but He was very much dis-
pleased with them: and the prophet
came to tell them this. He said,
“Thus saith the Lord, I brought
you safely out of Egypt, and de-
livered you from the cruel Egyp-
tians, and drove away your enemies,
and gave you the land of Canaan
118
for a possession ; and J commanded
you to obey and serve me, and not
to worship the idols of the people
who live near you; but you have
not obeyed my command.†‘Then
the prophet went away; God sent
no kind promise of forgiveness to
His ungrateful people, for He wished
them to feel sorry, and to know how
‘sad it is to be without His love and
blessing. And did God give up the
Israelites to their enemies? Would
He hear their prayers no more?
No, God was very merciful; He
was angry with His people, but He
did not forsake them. He had heard
their prayers, and now He was going
to save them.
There was a man who lived in
Ophrah named Joash, and he had
ason named Gideon. Gideon was
a true servant of the Lord; but his
father was an idolator, and wor-
shipped Baal. One day, Gideon
was threshing wheat in a very secret
place, for he was afraid that the
Midianites would see him, and come
and take his corn from him; and
then he and all his family might
die of hunger. Gideon had many
sorrowful thoughts as he threshed
on
ad
GIDEON.
the wheat; but his sorrow did not
make him idle. He trusted in God
for deliverance; but he knew thatit
was his duty to be industrious, and
to try to do all he could to help
himself. Gideon had no friend to
comfort him; his family worshipped
Baal; he alone loved and served the
true God. And did God forsake His
faithful servant in the time of sor-
row? No; Gideon looked up, and
saw an angel near him, sitting under
an oak: the angel was come to
comfort him, and to deliver his
country. Gideon did not at first
know who the angel was; but he
heard Him say, “The Lord is with
thee.†How glad he was to know
this! He had no need to fear nor
be unhappy, if the Lord was his
friend.
If we are God’s people, then the
Lord is with us too. When we are
alone, in sorrow or in danger, though
we may have no friends on earth,
yet we still have God to comfort us.
He is always near. He says to us
in His holy word, “I will never
leave thee, nor torsake thee.†He-
brews xiii. 5. |
UXX VII.
PIDEON,
CaJHEN Gideon heard the
(/ P| angel say, “The Lord is
‘| with thee,†he looked up
S| With wonder, and _ said,
“Is the Lord with us?
Then why does He let the Midian-
ites come and destroy us? Why
does He not work miracles for us,
as He did for our fathers and de-
liver us from our enemies?†The
Lord said, “Go now, I send thee to
save Israel from the Midianites.â€
Gideon was fearful: he had faith in
God, but his faith was weak and
small; and he could not believe
that he should save Israel. “How
can I save my brethren?†he said;
“Tam poor; all my family are poor,
BAAL’S
and I am the least in my father’s
house.†But the Lord answered,
“T will be with thee; I will give
thee power to smite the Midian-
ites.†:
Gideon now began to think that
it was not a man, nor an angel, who
was talking to him; for neither a
man nor an angel could give him
power to conquer his enemies: and
he said, “ Wilt thou give me a sign,
that I may know who thou art?
Stay till I come again, and bring
my offering with me†Then Gid-
eon went into the house, and made
ready a kid, and cakes of flour; he
put the flesh into a basket, and the
broth into a pot, and brought all
out to the oak tree where the angel
was waiting. The holy angel did
not want food to strengthen him, as
weak, sinful men do: but he ac-
cepted Gideon’s offering, and told
him to lay the flesh and the cakes
upon the rock, and to pour out the
broth. Gideon knew not why, but
he obeyed; and then the angel of
the Lord touched, with his staff,
the flesh and the cakes, and fire
ALTAR, 119
came out of the rock, and consumed
them. The angel departed; Gideon
knew not how, nor where; but now
he knew who that angel was. Then
Gideon cried with holy fear, “ Alas,
O Lord, God, for I have seen an an-
gel of the Lord face to face.†But
God comforted him, and__ said,
“Peace be unto thee; fearnot,thou
shalt not die:†and Gideon named
the place “Jehovah-shalom,â€â€™ or
“The Lord send peace,†and built
an altar there to the Lord.
Gideon was young and poor, but
God did not forget nor despise him.
Gideon wished to serve the Lord,
and prayed for health and strength,
and God heard his prayer. God
does the same now. He says, “I
love them that love me, and they
that seek me early shall find me.â€
Proverbs xiii. 17. He wishes the
young to come to Him; to believe
in Jesus, to pray to Him, to love
Him, to give Him all their hearts,
all their affections. Then every
thing will be well with them, and
God will give them peace in all
their fears and sorrows.
rar
LXX VIII.
PAALS PLTAR.
HE night after Gideon
had seen the angel of the
Lord, God spoke to him
again. There was much
for Gideon to do, and he
must not be idle; he must show all
the idolatrous people around him,
that he loved and served the true
God. God said to him, “Take thy
father’s bullock, and throw down
the altar of Baal which thy father
has, and build an altar unto the
Lord, and offer the bullock in sacri-
fice upon it.†Gideon’s family all
worshipped Baal; they might be
very angry if the idol altar was
thrown down; perhaps they might
kill. Gideon. Was he not afraid to
120
obey God? No; Gideon knew
that he ought to fear God more
than men. He knew that God had
promised to be with him, and that
He had power to keep him safely
from all his enemies. So Gideon
rose directly; he thought it best to
destroy Baal’s altar in the night,
because he feared the men of the
city might try to prevent him,
if he waited till morning. He was
right; when we have work to do,
we should always do it directly: the
sooner the better.
When the people rose next day,
they wondered to see Baal’s altar
thrown down, and a new altar to
God ready built, and a bullock of-
fered upon it. Then they asked,
“Who did all this ?†and soon they
heard that Gideon had done it. He
was not afraid to confess the truth ;
he was bold, because he knew God
was with him. But the people
were all very angry with Gideon,
and they said to Joash, “ Bring out
thy son, that he may die.â€
Satan’s people have often tried to
destroy God’s people in all ages of
oa,
THE LITTLE ARMY.
the world. many holy martyrs have
suffered, because they would not
worship idols, nor obey the wicked
commands of men. These faithful
servants of God, like Gideon, were
not afraid to confess their belief in
the true God. They thought it
better to obey God and die, than to
disobey Him and live. They trusted
boldly in Him alone, and then they
went to cruel, painful deaths, peace- |
fully and happily.
But was Gideon killed? No;
God had given him work to do, and
He helped him to do it, and did not
let his enemies hurt him. Joash
was not angry, but kind and gentle
to his son; and he said that all who
tried to build again the altar of
Baal, should be put to death, be-
cause Baal was a vain idol, and
could not save himself. All the
Midianites and Amalekites were
now gathered together at Jezreel;
but Gideon did not fear them, be-
cause God’s Spirit came upon him;
and he blew a trumpet, and called
together a great many soldiers, and
made them ready to fight.
LX XIX.
JHE pirtLe PRMY.
YG] HFORE Gideon began to
a>: fight, he asked God to
\ VY} promise to save Israel from
S| the Midianites. He said,
“Give me now a sign,
that I may know that thou wilt be
merciful to the Israelites. I will
put a fleece of wool upon the ground
to-night; in the morning I will
look at it; and if I see the fleece
wet with dew, and all the ground
dry, then I shall know that thou
dost promise to save us from our
enemies.†Gideon put the fleece of
wool upon the ground, and God
heard his prayer. In the morning,
when Gideon looked atit, it was very
wet, and he wrung from the fleece
a bowl full of water; but there was
no dew upon the ground.
We know that the moisture in
the air, which we cannot see by day,
THE LITTLE ARMY.
becomes cool at night, and turns to
dew. But why was the fleece alone
wet, and everything else dry? Be-
cause God had heard the prayer of
Gideon, and He wished to show him
that He can do all things, and to
teach him to trust in Him. The
next night, Gideon asked God to
let him try the fleece again. He
said, “ 'To-night, let the fleece alone
_ be dry, and all the ground wet, and
then I shall know that thou wilt
save Israel.†God again attended
to Gideon; and the next morning,
all the ground was wet with dew,
and the wool alone was dry. Was
this wonderful? Yes, it was a mir-
acle God alone could do; and when
Gideon saw it. he felt he might trust
his powerful, kind, and wonderful
God. His faith was strong now,
for he thought, if this powerful
friend were with him, he need not
fear the Midianites.
Gideon was not going to fight
alone; he had many thousand men
with him. But God wished to teach
the Israelites, that their soldiers had
no power to gain the victory, and
that He alone could save them; and
so He told Gideon to say to the sol-
diers, that if they were afraid, they
might return home, and not come
to the battle; and 22,000 went
away. They could not have had
much faith in God, nor much holy
courage; they were weak, fearful
men, who would not have helped
Gideon to fight against the enemy.
The army was small now; only
121
10,000 men; but God said, “I do
not want so many; if all these sol-
diers go, the Israelites will say that
their own power and courage gained
the victory. Bring the 10,000 down
to the water, and let them drink;
notice the men who lap the water
like a dog, and put them on one
side; and the men who kneel
down to drink water, put on the
other side; and I will tell thee whom
I choose to fight against the Mid-
lanites.†Gideon obeyed God, with-
out murmuring, or asking why. He
brought all the soldiers-to the water,
and told them to drink.
them lapped, putting their hands to
their mouths; but all the others
stooped down on their knees to
drink. Gideon counted these who
lapped ; they were 300. Then God
said, “ By the 800 men who lapped
will I save you; let all the others
return home.â€
Gideon had a very, very small
army now. ‘The Midianites were in
great numbers; the Israelites only
300. -Was he frightened? No, he
had no need to fear, for God was
with him, and He was stronger than
all. Perhaps when Gideon looked
upon the great army of the Midian-
ites, he felt fearful ; but when he look-
ed up to God in faith and prayer,
his fear was gone, because he knew
he might trust in Him. Try to be
like Gideon; and when you are in
trouble, or sorrow, or difficulty, look
to God for deliverance, and to Him
alone.
122
THE NIGHT BEFORE THE BATTLE.
LXXX,
JHE Nicut BEFORE THE PATTLE.
T was night. To-morrow,
| Gideon and his army must
go and fight against their
| cruel enemies the Midian-
ites. How did Gideon
feel?
thing. Gideon could not tell who
might be killed; perhaps he might
die, perhaps some of his dear friends ;
but he did not fear, because God was
with him, and had promised him the
victory. Captains and commanders
of armies may be quiet and happy,
if they are ready to die; they need
not be afraid in the most dangerous
battle, if God be with them.
While Gideon was lying down to
rest, and his 300 soldiers by him, he
heard a voice calling to Him. Who
spoke? Was it an enemy come to
kill him, and his little army? No,
it was no enemy, it was Gideon’s
best Friend who spoke to him,—it
was the voice of God. When all
are asleep, the eye of God is still
open; He never sleeps, but watches
over His people, and keeps them in
safety. How pleasant it is to be the
people of God, and to have our kind
Father and Friend to take care of
us, when we are sleeping upon our
beds, in the long dark night!
But why did God speak to Gideon ?
He came to comfort him. God
knew all Gideon felt: all his fears
and sorrows were remembered by
Him; and now He came to encour-
age him before the battle began.
God said to Gideon, “ Arise, go
down to the army of the Midianites.
If thou fear to go alone, take Phurah
thy servant with thee ; go and hear
what the Midianites say, and after-
wards thou shalt feel strengthened
to go down to the army.†So
Gideon and his servant Phurah
went directly, as God commanded.
They went, without fear, very near
to their enemies, because they knew
that God was with them, and would
keep them safely. The tents of the
Midianites and the Amalekites cov-
ered all the valley; they were very
many. ‘The soldiers were sleeping
in the tents, and their camels lay by
them; they were so many, Gideon
could not count them. But the
Midianites were not all asleep; some
were keeping watch, and some were
making ready for the morrow, and
some were talking; but none of
them saw Gideon and his servant.
There were two men, Midianites,
talking together, and Gideon and
Phurah went near to them, to hear
what they said. One man was telling
his dream to his friend; he said,
“T dreamed that I saw a cake of
bread tumble into the hosts of the
Midianites; I saw it fall upon a
tent, and the tent was overturned,
and thrown down.†His friend
answered, “ That cake of bread is
Gideon, the commander of the Is-
raclites; he will fall upon us, and
destroy our army, because God ig
with him.†When Gideon heard
what the man said, he rejoiced, and
thanked and worshipped God. He
felt now sure of the victory. Then
he and Phurah went back to the
Israelites, and Gideon said, “ Arise,
for God gives the Midianites into
our hand.â€
GIDEON’S VICTORY.
123
God, who gave peace and comfort | the Midianites. He sent a voice of
to Gideon and his little army, put | love to His friends; He sent fearful
fear and sorrow into the hearts of | dreams to frighten His enemies.
—
Nr et
LXXXI.
B IDEON'S
CSSPIIDEON divided his army
PAK] into three companies, and
4 Wee gave every man a trumpet,
SS and a pitcher, and a lamp
in every pitcher. They
had no swords, nor spears, nor
bows, nor arrows. They had God
to fight for them, and they did not
want arms. Then Gideon said,
“Come with me, and do as I do.
When I blow with the trumpet, you
must blow too, and cry, ‘The sword
of the Lord, and of Gideonâ€â€ The
people did not murmur at Gideon’s
command, for they were humble
and obedient servants and soldiers
of God. He had taught them to
trust and to obey.
It was still night when Gideon
went again, with his soldiers, to the
camp of the Midianites. They all
stood round the camp; and when
Gideon commanded, they blew with
the trumpets, and broke the pitchers,
and cried aloud, “The sword of the
Lord, and of Gideon.†The Midian-
ites heard the noise, and the shout,
and were very much frightened, for
God had made them fear. They
knew not what to do; they were
like wild mad men. They all
fell one upon another, and killed
their own friends, and fathers, and
brothers, and those who were not
killed fled away, and the Israelites
followed after them, and killed them.
Gideon took the two kings of the
Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb, and put
Victory,
them both to death, and cut off
their heads. Then he came to Jor-
dan, and took two more kings of
Midian, Zeba and Zalmunna, and
killed them.
When Gideon had gained all these
victories, the Israelites came and
thanked him. They felt very grate-
ful for all he had done, and they
said, “Come and rule over us, and
be our king, and we will serve and
obey thee.†But Gideon was not
an ambitious man; he did not want
power, nor riches, nor possessions ;
he wanted only to be useful. We
read in history about many great
conquerors, who fought battles, and
conquered enemies, and gained vic-
tories, because they wished to be
rich, and powerful, and to have
great possessions; they were ambi-
tious, selfish men ; they thought only
of pleasing themselves, not of plea-
sing God, nor of being useful. But
Gideon was not like these men. He
was a servant of God; and God’s
servants must be meek and humble,
like Jesus Christ. So when the Is-
raelites asked Gideon to be king, he
said, “No, I do not wish to rule
over you; the Lord is your king;
obey Him.†But Gideon asked
them to give him all the earrings
and gold chains, which they had
taken from their enemies. The peo-
ple said, “ Yes, we will willingly give
them ;†and they spread out a large
garment, and threw into it all the
124 — ABIMELECH.
earrings and chains they had, a very | and not in the right way at Shiloh,
great number, and purple garments, | the place appointed by God. Gideon
and many more beautiful things. | was a good man, but when he trusted
Gideon took all, and made them | in his own strength, he did wrong.
into an ephod like Aaron’s ephod,| The best people sin often, and
and took it into his own city Oph- | should always be coming to God to
rah. Gideon made the ephod in re- | ask for pardon for’ the past, and
membrance of his victory. He was | grace for the future. If Gideon
right to remember God’s kindness | sinned, we may believe he prayed
in giving him the victory, but it | for forgiveness, and that God heard
was very wrong to make an ephod, | his prayer, and pardoned him. But
a holy garment which God com- | it must have grieved him very much
manded the priests alone to wear. to see his family and his people
This was the beginning of idol- | learning idolatry through his sin.
atry. The Israelites now learnt to | He died a very old man, and was
worship in their own way at Ophrah, ! buried in his father’s tomb at Ophrah.
NIN ae
te
LXX XII.
jPBIMELECH.
AJ PTER Gideon was dead, | and they attended to what he said
}| the Israelites again for- | and gave him money, and promised
‘| got God, and worshipped | to make him king. Then he went
idols.) They had none | home to Ophrah, and called his
now to warn them, and | brothers together, and killed them
they were glad to have their own | upon one stone; all but the young-
way. We do not worship images, as | est, named Jotham, who hid him-
the Israelites did; but we often for- | self, and escaped. Why did Abime-
get God, and love the world, and | lech kill his brothers? Because he
ourselves, and our pleasures, better | feared they might wish to reign too,
than we love Him. If we love any- | and he wanted to be king alone.
thing better than we love God, we} When the brothers were dead, the
make an idol of it. Many people | men of Shechem made Abimelech
make idols of money, and posses- | king. He reigned three years; and
sions, and self; and they serve them, | his brother Jotham lived far away
as the Israelites served Baal. from him, because he was afraid of
Gideon had many sons, but they | Abimelech. Was Abimelech very
were not like him. The name of | happy when he was king? No;
one was Abimelech. He was a very | wicked men cannot be very happy;
ambitious man, and wanted to be| power and riches cannot make
king. He went to Shechem, and | them so.
asked the people there, to let him| The people in Shechem soon grew
reign over them. ‘The men of She- | tired of their cruel king. God re-
chem were pleased with Abimelech, | membered all that Abimelech had
JEPHTHAH.
done to his brothers; and now He
was going to punish him. The
people in Shechem rebelled, and
would obey Abimelech no more.
So Abimelech came and fought
against them, and conquered the
rebellious Shechemites. Some of
them escaped to an idol temple,
and hid there. But Abimelech and
his soldiers cut down boughs from
the tree, and put the boughs under
the place where the people were
hid, and set it on fire; and the
people were all burnt to death.
Then Abimelech went to a city
named Thebez, and tried to take it.
The people in Thebez went up to a
high strong tower; and Abimelech
was under the tower fighting against
it. Then a woman on the top of
the tower took a very large mill-
stone, and threw it down upon
Abimelech’s head. Abimelech was
much hurt by the stone, and felt
that he must soon die, and he cried
to a soldier near him, “ Thrust thy
sword into me, and slay me; for I
125
will not let people say that a woman
killed me.†So the soldier thrust
his sword into him, and Abimelech
fell down dead. God punished this
wicked, proud, ambitious man, and
all the wicked people who had
helped him.
It is a fearful thing to make God
angry; He always punishes His
enemies. Perhaps he spares them
a long time, and lets them live
many years in sin and cruelty; but
if they do not repent, He must
punish them at last. He sees the
wicked things people do, and writes
all down in the book of His remem-
brance. All our sins are there; and
in the day of judgment it must be
opened, and read before the world,
and before the holy angels) What
can blot out our sins from that
book? The blood of Jesus Christ
alone. Ask forgiveness then from
Him; and pray that your name
may be written in the book of life,
with those of all His people who
love and serve Him.
DXX XII.
PEPHTHAH.
2/HERE was a man in
Gilead named Jephthah ;
S he was very brave and
warlike; but his brothers
did not love him, and
they sent him away, and would not
let him live with them. Some years
after, the Amreonites came and
fought against Israel. Then the
men of Gilead were very much
frightened, and they sent for Jeph-
thah, to help them to conquer their
enemies. How very selfish these
Gileadites were! When they. were
in peace and safety, they could be
unkind to their brother; but now,
when they were in danger and sor-
row, they wished to have him to
help them, and spoke kindly to
him. Brotherly love, which the
Bible teaches us, is always kind.
We ought to love our friends, not
because they are useful to us, but
because God says, “ Be ye kind one
to another.â€
When Jephthah heard what the
126
messengers said, he answered, “ Did
you not hate me, and send me away ;
why do you come to me now when
you are in trouble?†But the Gil-
eadites promised to make Jephthah
their captain, if he would come and
fight for them. So Jephthah for-
gave their past unkindness, and
went to them.
The Ammonites were very wicked
people.. They had always been ene-
mies to Israel, and God commanded
that they should be destroyed, and
He promised to give their posses-
sions to the Israelites. Jephthah
sent to the Ammonites, and told
them this; but they would not at-
tend. Then Jephthah made ready
to fight against them. But before
he went to the battle, he asked God’s
help, and made a promise to God,
and said, “If thou wilt give me the
victory, then the first thing I meet
at the door of my house, when I
return in peace, shall be the Lord’s ;
and I will offer it up for a burnt
offering.†Jephthah was right to
ask God’s help; but he made his
vow too hastily, without thinking
if it were wise to make it, or
not.
The Ammonites were soon con-
quered, and very many of them
killed, because God fought for the
Israelites; and when the battle
was ended, Jephthah went home
again to Mizpeh. Jephthah had
one child, a daughter; he had no
more children, and she was very
dear to him. This daughter loved
her father very much. And when
she heard of the victory, she
thought she should soon see her
dear father again. So she waited
and looked for him, and when she
caw him coming, she ran out to
JEPHTHAH.
meet him, dancing and singing for
joy. Was Jephthah glad to see
her? No, he was very sorry; he
rent his clothes, and cried, “O my
daughter, thou troublest me; for I
have made a promise to the Lord,
and I cannot break my vow.†But
his daughter said, “My father, do
not weep; if thou hast made a vow
to the Lord, do to me as thou hast
promised. God has been very mer-
ciful to us, and I am ready and
willing to bear all thou hast vowed
to do.â€
Jephthah thought now of his
foolish vow, and was sorry that
he had made it. He must give up
his dear daughter, and never see her
again! But first she asked to go
upon the mountains, and to mourn
there with her friends. Her father
let her go; and, after two months,
she came home again, and Jeph-
thah did with her as he had vowed.
What did he do? The Bible
does not say. Perhaps he killed
her in sacrifice; perhaps he sent
her far away, alone, where she could
spend all her time in the service of
God. Jephthah was right to be so
thankful to God; he was right to
love God better than all the world,
better even than his dear child;
but if he sacrificed his daughter,
Jephthah did wrong. God does
not want such sacrifices; He only
wants praise, and thankfulness, and
love.
Jephthah’s daughter was an obe-
dient, affectionate child; she was
willing to be given up to God: to
die or to live, as her father pleased.
We should try to be like her in obe-
dience and devotedness to God. He
does not wish us to be sacrificed,
nor to live alone, far away from our
MANOAH.
127
friends and homes; God does not) obey His will, and to be ready to
wish all this; but he wants our| live or die as He pleases.
hearts, our love; He wants us. to
EPHTHAH judged Is-
rael six years, and then
~N| died. And now the peo-
ple began again to sin
against the Lord, and He
gave them up to their enemies the
Philistines for forty years. This
was a long time to be in sorrow and
trouble; but the Israelites deserved
punishment. Many times they had
displeased God, and now He showed
them again the evil of sin, by let-
ting them suffer. But God did not
forget His people, though He pun-
ished them; He knew how to
deliver at the right time, and He
had a deliverer ready to save them
when He pleased.
There was a good man in the
tribe of Dan, named Manoah. He
and his wife both served God. They
had no child. One day, an angel
of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s
wife, and said, “Soon God will give
thee a son, who shall deliver Israel
from the Philistines. No razor
must come upon him, for he shall
be a-Nazarite unto God.â€
Who were the Nazarites? They
were people who had made a vow
to give themselves to God. They
did not drink wine, nor any strong
liquor; and they never cut their
hair nor shaved their heads.
Manoah’s wife wondered very
much to hear what the angel said,
and she went and told her husband.
Manoah believed it all, for he had
great faith in God. He knew that
nothing was too wonderful for God
to do: and he felt very thankful for
God’s promise to deliver Israel by ©
the child who should soon be born.
But Manoah feared that he and his
wife might forget what the angel
had said, and not bring up their
child rightly; so he prayed God to
send the angel to them again, to
tell them what they must do.
God heard Manoah’s prayer. A
few days after, the woman was sit-
ting alone in the field, and she
looked up, and saw the angel again
standing by her; then she ran di-
rectly, and called her husband.
Manoah followed his wife, and came
to the angel, and asked, “What
shall we do to the child when he is
born?†‘The angel told them what
he had told the woman before, and
then Manoah said, “Stay here till
we have made ready a kid for thee.â€
The angel answered, “I will not
eat of thy bread; and if thou wilt
offer a sacrifice, offer it to God.â€
Manoah did not know who the an-
gel was, and he asked again, “ What
is thy name?†But the angel an-
swered, “Why dost thou ask my
name? It is avery secret, and a
very wonderful name.†Then Ma-
noah offered a kid in sacrifice to the
Lord upon the rock, and God sent
fire upon the sacrifice to consume
128
it, and Manoah and his wife looked
at the angel, and they saw him go-
ing up to heaven in the flame of
fire. Then they both fell upon
their faces in holy fear and wonder,
and Manoah said, “ Now we shall
die, because we have seen God.â€
The woman said to her husband,
“Do not be afraid. God has just
SAMSON’S FEAST.
shown us wonderful things, and has
accepted our sacrifice, and He can
not surely wish to hurt or frighten
us.†No, the Lord never does any-
thing to hurt His people; He comes
to them in love; and they are hap-
py people who have Jesus for their
Friend, as Manoah and his wife
had.
LXXXYV.
pPAMSON'S fEAST,
ANOAH and his wife did
not afterwards see the
angel of the Lord; but
God remembered His
promise, and very soon
sent them a little son, and they
called him Samson. Samson’s par-
ents were very careful to attend to
all God’s commands about him.
They remembered that he was to be
given to God; that he was to be a
Nazarite; to drink no wine; and
not to shave his head, nor cut his
hair. Samson was wonderfully
strong. God had given him great
strength, because He had much for
him to do; he was to deliver Israel
from the Philistines.
When Samson was grown up, he
went to Timnath with his father
and mother, to marry a young wo-
man who was a Philistine. As he
passed the vineyards of Timnath, a
lion rushed out of the woods, and
began to roar against him. Was
Samson frightened? No; he was
a very bold man, and he ran to the
lion, and tore it to pieces, without a
stick, or sword, or spear; with his
great strength alone. Samson said
nothing to his father or mother, but
went on, and came to Timnath.
After a time, Samson passed again
along the place where he had killed
the lion, and he went and looked at
the dead body of the animal. What
did he see there? Some wild bees
had made their nest in the lion, and
Samson found much honey there;
so he took it, and eat, and gave
some to his father and mother; but
he did not tell them where he
found it.
Samson made a feast at Timnath;
and when the company were all
talking merrily together, he said,
“T will give you a riddle to guess;
if you guess right, I will give you
thirty sheets, and thirty garments;
but if you cannot guess, you shall
give me thirty sheets and thirty
garments.†‘Then the people said,
“Tell us the riddle, and we will try
to guess it.†Samson said, “Out:
of the eater came forth meat; and
out of the strong came forth sweet-
ness.†‘The eater was the strong
lion; and the meat was the sweet
honey Samson found in it: but no
one knew the story of the lion, and
SAMSON AND THE PHILISTINES.
they could not guess the riddle.
They tried six days, and then they
called their friend, Samson’s wife,
and said, “ Ask Samson to explain
the riddle to thee, or else we will
burn thee and thy father’s house
with fire.†The woman asked her
husband, and at last he explained
129
the riddle to her, and she went
directly and told the Philistines.
Then they came to Samson, and
said, “What is so strong as a lion,
and what is so sweet as honey ?â€
But Samson said, “My wife told
you, or you could not have guessed
my riddle,â€
UXXXVI.
pPAMSON AND THE PHILISTINES,
AMSON was obliged to
é4] give what he promised to
the men who found out
the riddle. But how did
he get the garments and
the sheets? He went down to
Ashkelon, and killed thirty men of
the Philistines, and took from them
what he wanted to give to the men
who told the riddle. Soon after,
Samson’s wife was taken away from
him, and then Samson began to be
very angry with the Philistines. He
caught 300 foxes, and tied firebrands
at their tails, and drove them into
the corn fields belonging to the
Philistines; and all the corn, and
vineyards, and olives, were burnt.
Then the Philistines asked, “ Who
did this?†The people said, “Sam-
son did it, because his wife has been
taken away;†and the Philistines
went, and burnt Samson’s wife and
her father with fire. Then Samson
was still more angry, and he killed |
a great number of the Philistines,
and then went to the top of arock,
and lived there.
The Philistines now went to fight
against Judah, and they said they
must have Samson, and bind him,
and take him prisoner. The peo-
ple of Judah were frightened, and
they went up to Samson, and said,
“We are come to bind thee; we
will not kill thee; but we will give
thee into the hands of the Philis-
tines.†Then they bound him with
two new ropes, and led him away.
But God gave Samson strength to
break the ropes, and he soon escaped,
and took up the jawbone of an ass,
which he found on the way, and with
it killed 1000 men of the Philistines,
After the slaughter, Samson was
very thirsty, and he cried to God,
and thanked Him for deliverance,
and asked for water, that he might
not die of thirst. It was right of
Samson to go to God in his troubles.
We ought always to tell Him when
we are in want, and ask Him to
give us what is right. God heard
Samson’s prayer. He caused water
to spring up like a well, and Samson
drank, and became strong again.
God raised up Samson to deliver
his country from the Philistines,
and He gave him great strength,
and boldness, and courage to do it.
Samson was not so meek, and gen-
tle, and kind, as many people of
whom we read in the Bible. He
was not like Abraham, nor Moses;
130
SAMSON
TAKEN.
sometimes he was revengeful and | and that he trusted in Him for
passionate; but we may hope, that | strength to fight against his ene-
Samson was a true servant of God,
mies.
LXXXVIL
pPAMSON
2S IOON after, Samson went
QS} to Gaza. The people
heard he was there, and
| they waited quietly for
him all night, and said,
“Tn the morning we shall kill him.â€
But Samson arose in the night,
and went to the gate of the city, and
took it up, and the posts, and the
bar, and carried them upon his
shoulders to the top of a hill near
Hebron. What wonderful strength
Samson had! Who gave it to
him? God, who gives us all our
good things. And why did God
give so much strength to Samson?
Because He had chosen Samson to
conquer the Philistines, and to de-
liver His people Israel.
Samson had now another wife;
her name was Delilah. The Philis-
tines wanted very much to know
what made Samson strong, and
they went to Delilah, and _ said,
“Ask Samson what makes him so
strong, and how we can bind him;
and we will each give thee 1100
pieces of silver.†Delilah did not
care much for her husband, and she
was very fond of money; so she
went to Samson, and asked him to
tell her what made him so strong.
Sampson did not wish her to know,
and he deceived her, and said, “ Let
them bind me with seven fresh
green withes.†Then Delilah told
the Philistines, and they brought
~
) AKEN.
the withes, and she bound Samson
with them, and the Philistines wait-
ed secretly hid in the room. Then
Delilah cried, “'The Philistines are
upon thee, Samson ;†and Samson .
broke the withes directly, and the
Philistines could not bind him.
Then Delilah asked Samson again,
to tell her what made him so strong;
and he said, “Let them bind me
with new ropes.†Delilah bound
him with the ropes, and cried again,
“The Philistines are upon thee,
Samson,†and he broke the ropes
like little threads, and escaped again.
Then Delilah said, “Now do not
deceive me, tell me the truth; how
shallI bind thee?†Hesaid, “Weave
the hair of my head with the web.â€
When Samson was asleep, Delilah
wove his hair, and fastened it very
strongly; then she told him the
Philistines were coming, and he
awoke directly, and went away with
the pin, and the beam, and the web.
Then Delilah said, “Why hast thou
deceived me these three times?
Tell me now where thy great
strength lies?†Samson was tired
of his wife’s asking him so often;
and he now told her all the truth.
He said, “I am a Nazarite to God!
and I have never shaven my head;
but, if my hair is cut off, then I shall
become weak like other men.†Then
Delilah sent to the Philistines, and
said, “Come once again; Samson
SAMSON’S DEATH.
has told me the truth; I know now
what it is makes him so strong.â€
The lords of the Philistines were
very glad to think that they should
soon have their enemy in their
power; and they came directly, and
brought money with them to give
Delilah. Then the cruel wife, when
Samson was asleep, called a man,
and told him to shave off all Sam-
son’s hair; and when he had finished,
Delilah cried, “The Philistines are
upon thee, Samson.†Samson arose,
but his strength was gone; God
had taken it all away. He could
not defend himself now; and his
enemies came, and took him, and
put out his eyes, and bound him in
chains, and carried him to Gaza,
and made him work hard in the
prison there.
131
He ought not to have told his
secret, nor to let his hair be shaved,
because God had commanded that
no razor should come on his head.
God punished him by taking away
his strength. Delilah was not a
kind and affectionate friend to her
husband, but his deceitful wicked
enemy.
This world is full of sorrow. We
cannot trust to anything in it.
Our friends may forsake us, and
become unkind; our health and
strength may be taken away; we
may lose all we have, and be left
sick, and sorrowful, and have none
to comfort us. Then we ought not
to set our affections on anything
here, but put our trust in God; He
alone will never forsake us.
~~
Ne
LXXXVIII.
PAMSON'S PEATH.
AMSON was now in prison
Akl at Gaza, alone and blind,
| without any friend to
comfort him. He had
much time then to think
about God, and to pray for the par-
don of all his sins.
God often afflicts His people; but |
| forget the world and worldly things,
he afflicts them in love. He wants
them to pray to Him, and to love
Him more. When they are well
and busy, they often forget God;
they think too much about worldly
things, and too little about heavenly
things; and then God sends afflic-
tion to make them remember Him.
Perhaps He makes them lie many
days upon a bed of sickness ; or He
takes away their friends, or their
comforts, and then they are left
alone and in sorrow, like Samson
in his prison-house. God sends all
these sorrows. Why? Does God
like to see His people unhappy, and
in pain? No; “God is love;†and
when He sends affliction He sends
it in love. He wishes His people to
and to love and trust in Him only ;
and He gives them time and quiet,
when they are sick and alone, to
think about Him, and to pray to
Him.
Perhaps Samson had been very
proud of his great strength; now
he had lost it, and God taught him
that he had no power in himself:
all the strength Samson had, God
132
gave, and God could take away.
When Samson first went to prison,
his strength was all gone; but after
a time, his hair began to grow, and
then his strength came again.
The Philistines worshipped an
ugly idol like a fish, named Dagon.
They made a great sacrifice to
Dagon, and praised him, because
they thought he had given Samson
into their hands. They were very
merry, playing, and laughing, and
feasting, and praismg their idol;
and they said, “Let us call Samson,
and we will play with him, and
laugh at him, and make merry.â€
Then Samson was led in; he could
not see his cruel enemies, and they
all laughed at him, because he was
blind, and weak, and in their power;
and they made him stand between
two pillars.
The house where they were, was
very large, and full of people ; men,
and women, and children ; and about
3000 of them were upon the roof,
looking and wondering at Samson.
Samson asked the boy who led him,
to let him lean upon the pillars on
NAOMI AND RUTH.
which the house stood, and he took
hold of one with his right hand, and
of the other with his left hand
Then Samson prayed to God, and
said, “ Lord, give me now strength
to conquer my enemies; let them
die, and let me die with them.â€
Then Samson bowed himself down
with all his might, and pulled the
pillars, and they fell, and the house,
and the people who were upon the
roof. All died, and Samson died
too. He had killed many people |
who were his enemies, when he was
alive and strong; and now, at his
death, he killed many more.
God punished the wicked Philis-
tines, because they were cruel to
Samson, and enemies of Israel: God
knows how to save His people. He
gave Samson strength to save Israel
from the Philistines. If we have
strength and health, we must try to
use them rightly, and to do good to
other people, and not be idle and
selfish. It is God who gives us
every thing, and we must thank
Him and serve Him with all we
have.
Se
LUXX XIX.
Naom AND RUTH,
HERE lived in Bethlehem
aman named Elimelech ;
he had a wife named
named Mahlon and Chili-
on, Hlimelech and his family lived
many years very happily at Bethle-
hem; but after a time, God sent a
famine upon the land, and all the
people there were very much dis-
tressed. Itis God who gives us corn
for bread, and sends us the fruits of
the earth at the right season; we
ought to be very thankful for all
these mercies. But sometimes, God
is pleased not to send rain, or notto
give us sunshine; and then the corn
does not grow up, nor ripen, and we
have no flour to make bread, and
there is a famine. But in all our
wants we ought to trust in God;
because He has power to give us
HH
HT
} Hi
Hea
Tbe Teurte Jokn C Mc Hae
NAOMI AND RUTH.
what we need, and without Him |.
not a sparrow can fall to the
ground.
When the famine was very bad in
Bethlehem, Elimelech and his family
went to Moab to live there. Were
they right to go? No; because the
people of Moab were wicked idola-
tors. God’s people ought not to go
to places where they may learn to
sin.
When they came to Moab, Mahlon
and Chilion married wives of the
women of Moab; they were idolators,
and their names were Orpah and
Ruth. Mahlon and Chilion did not
live long; they both died, and
Elimelech died too; and Naomi was
left with her two daughters-in-law.
She had none to comfort her; all
around were idolators, and she
wished to be in her own country
again, where she might hear about
God.
When the famine was over, Naomi
said she would return to her own
land. Orpah and Ruth were both
very kind and affectionate to Naomi,
and they said they would go with
her ; but Naomi did not wish to take
her daughters to a new country,
against their will; and she wished
to try their love for her; so she said,
“No, my daughters, do not go with
me; go home to your own country,
and to your parents, and your friends,
and may God deal kindly with you,
as you have dealt with the dead, and
with me.â€
133
Then Naomi kissed them, and
they both wept, and said, “We will
surely go with thee to Bethlehem.â€
But Naomi said again, “Nay, my
daughters, return to your homes;
why will you go with me?†Then
they wept again, and Orpah kissed
her mother-in-law, and went away.
Did not Ruth go? No; she threw
her arms round Naomi, and would
not leave her. But Naomi said,
“See, Orpah is gone home to her
friends, and to her gods; return
thou after her.’ Then Ruth an-
swered, “O do not tell me to go
away; let me follow thee: where
thou goest, I will go; thy people
shall be my people ; and thy God my
God; where thou diest, I will die,
and there will I be buried; only
death shall part thee and me.â€
Naomi was very happy to hear Ruth
say this, for Naomi loved God, and
she wished Ruth to love him too.
Young people should try to be
like Ruth; gentle, and affectionate,
and humble. Orpah was affectionate
and kind; but she loved her idols
and her country people best, and
could not leave them. Ruth left
all, because she loved best the wor-
ship of the true God. Do you wish
to love God? Then you must leave
the things of the world, and the
people who do not love God; and
give yourself up to His service, and
try to be with those who love and
serve Him.
134
THE HARVEST FIELD.
XC
JHE fiARVEST FIELD.
CHeNS|AOMI and Ruth went on
| {| together, and came to
\NPl Bethlehem. Bethlehem
. Al had been Naomi’s home,
and manyof her old friends
still lived there. When they heard
that Naomi was come, they all ran
to see her. But when they looked
at her, they said, “Is this Naomi ?â€
Why did they ask? Because Nao-
mi was so very much altered. When
she lived before at Bethlehem, she
was happy with her husband and
her sons; but now, they were all
gone, and she was left alone. She
told her friends the sad story, that
God had taken away her husband
and her sons; and now she was a
poor widow, and had come home to
die in her own conntry.
When Naomi and Ruth came to
Bethlehem, it was harvest time, and
the people were all very busy reap-
ing barley. It is pleasant to see the
men reaping the yellow corn, and
binding it in sheaves; and then the
poor people are glad to follow them,
and gather up the corn left on the
ground.
When Ruth was living at home
with Naomi, she did not wish to be
idle. Idleness is a great sin. The
Bible tells us not to be slothful;
and all God’s people must try to be
industrious and useful. What work
did Ruth do? She said, “ Let me
go and glean in the fields ;†-~and
Naomi answered, “ Go, my daugh-
ter.†All the people in Bethlehem
were strangers to Ruth; she had no
friends there; but when she went
out to glean, God was with her, and
He led her to the right field. God
is always near His people; and, if
they trust to Him, He will teach
them where to go, and what to do.
When we go out, we ought to ask
God to go with us, and to keep and
bless us wherever we are.
Ruth gleaned in a field which be-
longed to aman named Boaz. The
reapers let her glean, and Ruth was
very industrious, and did not stand
idle. Boaz soon came to the field
to see the reapers, and he said to
them, “'The Lord be with you.â€
And they answered, “The Lord bless
thee.†Boaz was a servant of God;
he loved and worshipped Him him-
self, and he taught his people to
serve Him too. When Boaz saw
his beautiful field, and his busy
reapers, he remembered who gave
him all his possessions; and he
wished his servants to think about
God when they were at work.
BOAZ.
135
XCI.
POAZ.
HEN Boaz looked round
the field, he saw Ruth
very busy gleaning, and
he asked who she was.
His servant said, “It is
the damsel who came with Naomi
from Moab.†Then Boaz went to
her, and said, “Stay here with my
maidens, and follow them, and glean
after the reapers; and when thou
art thirsty, go and drink what my
servants have drawn.†Ruth won-
dered at the kindness of Boaz,
whom she had never seen before,
and she fell down humbly before
him, and asked, “Why dost thou
show so much kindness to me a
stranger?†Then Boaz said, “ Be-
cause I have heard all thou hast
done to thy mother-in-law: thou
hast left thy home to go with her,
and thou hast chosen the Lord to
be thy God, and put thy trust in
Him. May He bless and reward
thee.†Then Ruth thanked Boaz.
She was not proud of her goodness.
She knew she was a sinner, and
deserved nothing; but she felt
thankful to God, who gave her kind
friends in a strange country.
When it was meal-time, Boaz
told Ruth to sit by his servants,
and eat ; and when she had finished,
she went again directly to her work.
Ruth did not eat all the food given
her, but put some away for her
mother-in-law, and when it was
evening, she took up her barley,
and went home. She did not stay
talking and idling, for she knew
that her mother was alone, so she
made haste to go to her. Then
Naomi asked, “Where hast thou
gleaned to-day?†And Ruth told
her all about Boaz, and his kind-
ness in letting her glean in his field.
Naomi was much pleased to hear
this; and she told Ruth, that Boaz
was her relation, and that she felt
sure he would be kind to them, and
help them.
All the harvest time, Ruth went
every day to glean in the fields of
Boaz, and came home every evening,
with corn and food for Naomi.
Were they happy? Yes, because
they lived together in the love of
God. They were poor, but they
knew that God could keep them,
and they trusted in Him. Riches
cannot make us happy; but God’s
blessing can make us happy without
them.
At last, harvest time was over,
and what could Ruth do then?
There was no more corn to glean,
but God did not forget her. She
had given herself up to Him, and
He promises always to take care of
His people. Naomy’s relation, Boaz,
was very fond of Ruth. He loved
her, because she loved God, and
because she was industrious, and
dutiful, and attentive to Naomi.
Elimelech had had a possession in
Canaan, and Boaz said, he would
buy that possession, and marry
Ruth, according to a custom among
the Israelites. So Boaz and Ruth
married, and were happy together,
because they both served God, and
His blessing was upon them. They
had a little son named Obed. Nao-
mi loved this child, and she took
136
him in her arms, and nursed him,
and praised God who had made
them all so happy, and given them
so many blessings.
Obed lived to grow up to be a
re
HANNAH'S PRAYER.
man. He was the father of Jesse,
and the grandfather of David king
of Israel; and many kings de-
scended from him. Thus God
honored His faithful servants.
Cote
XCIL. >
JIANNAH S PRAYER,
HERE was a man named
Elkanah, who lived at
=) Mount Ephraim. He wor-
3} shipped the true God,
and every year went with
his family to sacrifice to the Lord
at Shiloh. Elkanah had a wife
named Hannah, and she loved God
too. Was Hannah happy? One
thing made her sorry: she had no
child, and she wished very much to
have a son.
One year, when Elkanah and his
family went to Shiloh, Hannah felt
very sad, and she determined to tell
her sorrow to God. So when the
sacrifice was ended at Shiloh, Han-
nah went and prayed to the Lord.
She cried very much when she
prayed and vowed a vow, and said,
“Tf thou, Lord, wilt give me a son,
I will bring him up for thy service.
He shall be a Nazarite to thee all
his life.’ Hannah was not alone
when she prayed; the old priest
was sitting by; his name was Eli.
Eli looked at Hannah while she
was praying, and he saw her lips
moving, but he could not hear what
she said, and he spoke unkindly to
her, and asked her what she was
doing. Hannah told the priest,
that she was unhappy, and that she
was telling God all her sorrows, and
asking Him to comfort her. Kh
was very glad to find that Hannah
prayed with her heart, and not with
her lips alone; and he blessed her,
and asked God to hear her prayer.
Then Hannah thanked Eli, and
wiped away her tears, and went
home with her husband.
Hannah was now “no more sad.â€
She had told God her sorrow, and
asked Him to give herachild; and
she waited for Him to do as He
pleased. She knew that what God
does is right and best; and she
trusted all to Him, and was happy.
LITTLE SAMUEL
137
XCIII.
pittLe pam UEL.
<<< ID God hear Hannah’s pray-
Y| er? Yes; and soon after
He gave her a little son.
She named him Samuel.
And now Hannah remem-
bered her vow to give her child to
God. When he was old enough to
go away from her, she carried him
to Shiloh, to the Lord’s house there.
Then Hannah went to Hli, and gave
the little boy to him, and said, “I
am the woman who prayed here
some time ago. I asked God then
to give me a son, and He has heard
my prayer. Here is my child; I
have lent him to the Lord: as long
as he lives he shall be lent unto the
Lord.†It was a happy day at Shi-
loh, when Samuel was brought
there. Elkanah rejoiced, and Han-
nah, and Eli too, and they all
worshipped God; and Hannah sang
a beautiful song of praise.
Hannah left her little boy at Shi-
loh, and went home to Ramah with
her husband. Was she sorry to
leave Samuel? No, because she
knew that God would bless her
child, and that Eli would teach him
what was right. Little Samuel was
very obedient, and gentle, and kind,
and affectionate to old Eli. Every
year his mother came to Shiloh to
sacrifice, and then she saw her little
boy. She made him a little coat,
and brought it to him when she
came to Shiloh. Eli and Hannah
taught Samuel what was right, and
they prayed God to bless him, and
God heard their prayer. Parents
and teachers cannot give children
new hearts; but God promises to
hear the prayers they offer for them
in faith.
Samuel grew, and God loved him,
and all his friends loved him too.
Eli had two sons; they were not
little boys, like Samuel, but grown
up; and they were priests in the
house of the Lord at Shiloh. God’s
priests ought to be very good and
holy men: but Hophni and Phine-
has, Eli’s sons, vere very wicked
men; they did not love nor obey
God. Their father Eli knew that
they were wicked, and he called
them, and said, “ My sons, I hear no
good report of you. You sin against
the Lord, and teach his people to
do wrong. Why will you do such
things?†But Hophni and Phine-
has would not attend to their father;
but became more and more wicked.
Eli was very unhappy when he saw
his sons so self-willed and disobe-
dient. But was he right to let his
wicked sons stay and be priests at
Shiloh? No, Eli did very wrong;
he ought to have punished them
and sent them away, and not let
them be priests; but Eli foolishly
indulged his children, and did not
like to punish them.
Then God said, He would punish
Eli, and slay Hophni and Phinehas
in one day. Eli was a good man,
but God punished him because he
let his sons go on in wickedness,
and honored them more than he
honored God.
138
SAMUEL CALLED.
XCIV.
PAMUEL PALLED.
)
O2A\|AMUEL was still living
4; with Eli; and he was
kind and obedient, when
Eli’s own sons were re-
bellious and self-willed.
Samuel did not know much about
God, but he wished to know more,
and he was glad and attentive when
Eli told him about holy things.
One night, when Samuel was
in bed, he heard a voice calling,
“Samuel, Samuel.†It was God who
called; but Samuel did not know
this, because God had never called
him before. So Samuel arose direct-
ly, and ran to Eli, and said, “ Here
I am, for thou calledst me†But
Eli answered, “ No, my son, I called
not; liedown again.†Then Sam-
uel went again and lay down; but
soon the voice called the second
time, “Samuel.†Samuel . still
thought it was Hli’s voice, and he
went again to the old priest, and
said, “Here Iam.†But Eli said,
“My dear child, I did not call; go
and lie down again.†Samuel
obeyed; he wondered who had call-
ed him: but he did not ask ques-
tions; he did what Eli told him,
and lay down quietly in his bed.
Did God call again? Yes; the
third time, He said, “Samuel, Sam-
uel.†Was not Samuel tired of
running to Eli? No, he went
again to him directly; he was not
impatient because he was called so
often.
When Eli saw Samuel running to
him again, he began to think it was
God who had called the child. So
he said, “ Go, and lie down; and, if
He call again, thou shalt say, Speak,
Lord, for thy servant heareth.†So
Samuel went back, and lay down;
wondering why the holy God should
speak to him a poor sinful boy.
Did the voice call again? Yes, the
Lord called the fourth time, “ Sam-
uel, Samuel.†Then the boy arose,
and looked up humbly to Heaven,
and said, “Speak, for thy servant
heareth.â€
It is very pleasant when children
early learn to serve and love God,
like Samuel. God calls children
now. How? Does He speak to
them with a loud voice, and call
them by their names? No; they
cannot hear His voice; but He
speaks to them in His word, in the
Bible. What does He say? He
says, “ My son, give me thine heart.â€
Prov. xxii. 26. “T love them that
love me, and they that seek me
early shall find me.†Prov. viii. 17.
“Seek ye my face†Ps. xxvii. 8.
Do you wish to have God for your
friend and saviour? Then you
must, like Samuel, attend to Him,
and obey Him, and say, “Thy face,
Lord, will I seek.â€
ELI’S SONS.
139
XCV
PLis pONs,
HAT did God say, when
/ He called Samuel the
)| fourth time? God had
something very sad to tell
Samuel. He said He was
going soon to do a fearful thing in
Tsrael:—to punish Hi and his family,
because his sons were wicked, and
he restrained them not. |
When it was light, Samuel arose.
He was not an idle boy; he had work
to do, and he always did it in good
time: it was his business, in the
morning, to open the doors of the
Lord’s house. He was very sorry to
make Eli unhappy; and he did not
tell him what God had said for a
long time. But the old priest saw
Samuel looking very sad: and he
called him, and said, “My son,
what did God tell thee last night?
Do not fear to speak ; I wish to know
the truth ; tell me all.†Then Samuel
remembered that it is very wrong to
say what is ®atrue; so he told Eli
all that God had said. Samuel was
sorry to make his dear, kind friend
unhappy; but he knew that it was
right to tell the truth. He spoke
very humbly, and kindly, and re-
spectfully, because he remembered
that Eli was an old man, and it is
right for children to be kind and re-
spectful to old people.
Eli knew that God had spoken,
and he felt that all wasright. Every-
thing God does must be right, be-
cause He is so wise, and good, and
holy. Then Eli said, “It is the
Lord: let Him do what seemeth Him
good.†li did well to submit: if
God punishes us, we ought to be
humble and patient; but when Eli
thought about his sin, he felt un-
happy. What was his sin? His
sons were wicked, and he did not
restrain them. The Bible tells
parents to teach children what is
right, and to punish them when they
do wrong. Kind parents always
reprove their children when they
are self-willed and rebellious; and
the children ought to be thankful to
their parents, and teachers, and
friends, who try to bring them up
aright.
140
ELI’S DEATH.
XOVI.
Lis PEATH.
day he learnt more and
more about God. He
was God’s child, and God
kept-him, and made him
wise in holy things. It is very
pleasant when children grow older,
and better too: but some grow
worse, and not better. Eli’s sons
grew worse, more and more wicked
every day. God did not bless Israel
now; they were wicked, and the
priests were wicked, and God was
going to punish them all.
The Philistines came to fight
against Israel, and there was a great
battle. Who conquered? Not the
Israclites, because God did not fight
for them, and without Him they had
no power to conquer their enemies.
The Philistines gained the victory;
and 4,000 of the Israelites were
killed. Then the people of Israel
said, “Why does God let the Philis-
tines conquer us? We will bring
the ark from Shiloh, and take it to
the camp; perhaps the ark will save
us from our enemies.†So they sent
to Shiloh, and took away the ark,
and brought it to the camp, and
Hophni and Phinehas, Eli’s two
sons, came with it. The army of
the Israelites shouted very loud when
they saw the ark, for they thought
they were now sure of the victory ;
but God could not bless wicked
priests and disobedient people; He
turned away, and would not lelp
them.
When the Philistines saw the
ark, they were frightened ; for they
thought it was the Israelites’ god, an
idol-god, like Dagon, or Baal, and
they told their soldiers to be very
brave, and to fight against them
with all their strength. Then -the
battle began ; and the Israelites were
beaten, and ran to their tents; and
30,000 were killed. Where were
Hophni and Phinehas? Their dead
bodies were found on the field ; their
souls were gone to appear before
God, and to be judged for all their
sins! And the holy ark was gone
from Israel too; the Philistines took
it away, and carried it to their own
country; God showed His sinful
people that he was not with them
now.
Eli did not see the battle; he was
too old to go so far; but he felt very
unhappy, because he knew how
angry God was, and he thought
much about his wicked sons. He
went to the gate of the city, and sat
down there. All the people of
Shiloh were unhappy too, and they
waited trembling till the news came
about the battle At last, a man
came running very fast from the
army; and when the people looked
at him, they saw that his clothes
were rent, and dust was upon his
head, and they knew that he brought
very sad news. When the man told
them that the battle was lost, all the
people cried out; the cry was very
loud, and very bitter, and Eli heard
it. He could not see, for his eyes
were dim with old age, he was ninety-
eight years old, but he heard the
noise, and he called the messenger,
and asked, “ What is the noise I
hear? Why do the people cry ?â€
DAGON AND THE ARK.
The messenger said, “I have just
run from the army.†Then Eli
trembled very much, and asked,
“What is done there? tell me.â€
The man said, “The Israelites are
conquered, Hophni and Phinehas
are slain, and the ark of God is
taken away.†Eli heard it all; but
when the messenger said that the
a
a
141
ark was gone, he could bear no more;
he did not look up, nor speak again ;
he fell back off his seat, and his neck
broke, and he died. He could not
bear so much sorrow. He had lost
all his comforts; God’s anger was
upon the country; and the ark and
the blessing of God were taken
away.
XOVIL.
| Pacon AND THE PRK.
HE Philistines took away
the ark from Ebenezer,
where the battle was
fought, and carried it to
Ashdod, and put it in
the temple of their idol Dagon. The
Philistines thought that the ark was
an idol like Dagon; but God soon
showed them that it was very dif-
ferent.
When the Philistines came into
the temple on the morrow morning,
they saw Dagon fallen down before
the ark; and they took him, and
put him up again. But the next
day, they found Dagon fallen down
again, and his hands and his head
broken to pieces. Who had done
this? God did it, to show the
Philistines how powerful He was,
and that their idol god could not
stand before His holy ark. God
punished the people too of Ashdod
with a dreadful plague; and they
were very much frightened, and said,
the ark should not stay with them
any longer, because it hurt them
and their god Dagon.
Many people say in their hearts,
“We do not want God: we do not
like to pray, and ito think of Him,
and to serve Him; we like our
pleasures best, we like the world
best.†These people are like the
Philistines, who sent away the holy
ark, because they liked to serve
Dagon better than the true God.
Where did the ark go? The
Philistines sent it to Gath; but
there God punished the people with
the plague, and then they sent the
ark to Ekron. When the people of
Ekron saw it coming, they were
frightened, and cried, “'Take the
ark away; we fear a plague will
come with it; send it back to its
own country.†The ark was seven
months in the Philistines’ country,
and many people died of the plague
which God sent.
At last, the Philistines said, they
would send the ark home: for they
saw that the God of Israel was
stronger than they, and they could
not resist His power. So they made
a new cart, and put the ark into it;
two kine drew the cart. They took
the right road to go to the land of
Israel’: they did not stand still; they
went straight on, without turning to
right or left.
142
THE ARK.
XCVIII.
JHE ARK,
HE kine drew the ark in
the cart to Bethshemesh.
The people there were
very busy reaping: for it
was harvest time. They
heard something coming, and looked
up, to see what it was. What did
they see? The cart drawn by the
kine, without a driver, coming to |
them along the road; and when
they looked into the cart, there they
saw the holy ark of God, which
they had lost so long. Then the
people in Bethshemesh rejoiced very
much. The cart came close to
them, and the kine stood still; and
the Levites took out the ark, and
put it upon a large stone. Then
they cut up the cart for wood, and
offered the kine in joyful sacrifice to
God who had sent them His holy
ark again. The lords of the Philis-
tines, who followed the cart, saw all
this, and wondered, and returned to
their own country.
But a sad thing happened to
Bethshemesh that day. The people
were very pleased to have the ark
again; but some of them forgot
what a holy thing it was, and they
went to it, and looked into it, very
irreverently, without remembering
that God had commanded them to
honor it, and only allowed the Le-
vites to touch it. The men of Beth-
shemesh made God angry; and he
smote them; and 50,070 people
died.
The people ‘were very much
frightened when they saw so many.
of their friends dead, and said,
“Who can stand before this holy
Lord God?†‘Then they sent to
Kirjath-jearim, and asked the people
there to come and take the ark
away. The men of Kirjath-jearim
were glad to have it; and. they
brought it to the house of a man
named Abinadab, and he conse-
crated his son to keep it; and it
stayed there many years.
The Israelites now began to be
sorry for their sins, and they cried
to the Lord. God had punished
them very much, and taken away
the ark from them; but now they
wanted to have God’s blessing again,
because they felt they could not be
happy without it.
None can be happy without God’s
love and blessing. We have not
the ark now to be with us, as it.
used to be with Israel, and we do
not want it. We have Jesus Christ,
and He is always with us, to bless
us, if we are His people.
When the Israelites began to cry
about their sins, they had a kind
friend to teach them what to do.
Who was that friend? Samuel; he
was now a man, and God’s love and
blessing were still upon him. God
taught him to speak to His people
Israel. Samuel said, “Do you wish
to serve God in truth, and to have
his blessing again? If you do, you
must put away your idols, and turn
to God, and serve Him alone.â€
Then the Israelites attended to
Samuel, and put away their idols,
EBEN-EZER.
148
and began to serve the Lord. | prayed too, and asked for forgive-
Samuel called them to Mizpeh, and | ness, and cried, “ We have sinned
there he prayed for them: and they against the Lord.â€
et ee ee
XOIX.
pf BEN-
4|HEN the Philistines heard
\| that the Israelites were
/| gathered together at Miz-
} peh, they went there to
fight against them. The
Israelites were very much fright-
ened when they heard that their
enemies were coming, and they
went for help to their kind friend
Samuel. But the Israelites knew
that Samuel himself had not power
to save them: God alone could de-
liver them ; so they said to Samuel,
“Pray for us to God; ask him to
save us from the Philistines.†Then
Samuel took a lamb, and offered it
up in faith, as a sacrifice to God,
and prayed unto the Lord; and
the Lord heard him. But did the
Philistines come to Mizpeh? Yes;
while Samuel was offering the sacri-
fice, he looked up and saw the
enemies coming nearer and nearer,
and making ready for battle. Was
he frightened? No, because he
_ trusted in God; he knew God had
power to deliver His people; and
when he remembered that, Samuel
could not fear. The Israelites did
not fight the Philistines, but God
Himself fought, and conquered
them. How? Not with swords,
nor spears, nor arrows: He sent a
EZER.
great thunderstorm, and frightened
the Philistines, and they fled; and
the Israelites followed, and killed
them in great numbers.
When the Philistines were con-
quered, Samuel took a great stone,
and set it up near Mizpeh. Why?
Because he wished all Israel to re-
member God’s kindness to them in
saving them from their enemics.
When, in future years, the Israelites
should look upon that stone, they
would think, “ Here God was merci-
ful to us, and delivered us from
our cruel enemies, the Philistines.â€
Samuel gave the stone a name; he
called it Eben-ezer, which means,
“the stone of help? Why did Sa-
muel call the stone, a stone of help?
“ Because,†he said, “hitherto hath
the Lord helped us.†The Philis-
tines were all gone; they did not
again come to trouble and frighten
the Israelites; and Samuel and the
people were right to thank and
praise God for all His mercies.
Let us remember that God is our ~
help. He has taken care of us in
past years; and we must ask Him
to take care of us in all our future
years too, and to bring us safely at
last to Heaven.
144
THE NEW KING.
JHE New inc.
ANY years Samuel judged
the people of Israel: and
when they hearkened to
him, and obeyed him,
they were safe and happy.
because he ruled over them rightly,
and taught them to fear and love
the Lord. But at last, Samuel grew
an old man, and then his sons helped
him to judge Israel. Samucl’s sons
were not like their good father.
They loved money, and the things
of the world, better than they loved
God.
The Israelites said to Samuel,
“Thou art old, and thy sons, who
judge us now, are not like thee:
give us a king to reign over us.â€
Samuel was displeased when the Is-
raelites said this; but he made no
answer; he went first to ask God
what was right. God was very angry
with the people of Israel. He was
their king; He gave them laws, and
fought their battles, and took care of
them and of their country; He was
their best Friend and ruler; and
they were ungrateful and rebellious,
and foolish, too, to wish for a new
king. |
Samuel went again to the people,
and told them what God had spoken.
Samuel told them they had made
God angry; for He was their king,
and they ought not to desire another;
and a new king would not make
them happy; he might be ambi-
tious, and selfish, and cruel, and
then they would cry for deliverance,
when it would be too late. But the
people did not care for what Samuel
said, and for the kind warning he
gave them; they cried out again,
“We will have a king. We want to
be like other nations; we want to-
fight battles, and to have a king to
go with us.†Then Samuel went
again to God, and told Him what
the people said. And did God let
them have their wish? Yes, He
told Samuel to let the people have a
king. But God was not pleased.
He let His people have their own
way; but He was punishing them, ~
not blessing them. |
We are weak and foolish, and we
know not what is right or best for
us. But God knows, and we ought
to submit in all things to His will.
When he takes away, or does not
give us what we ask Him for, we
may be sure that it is best for us
not to have it; and we ought to be
patient, and submit quietly.
SAUL.
145
CI:
PAUL,
HERE was a man of
the tribe of Benjamin,
named Kish, and he had
a son called Saul. Saul
was a very fine young
man, and very tall; he was taller
than any of the people. One day,
some of the asses of Kish went
astray, and were lost. Kish called
his son Saul, and said, “ Take a ser-
vant with thee, and go, seek the
asses.†Then Saul and his servant
got ready, and went. ‘They went a
long way, but they could not see the
asses; and Saul grew tired, and said
to the servant, “Come, let us go
home, for we cannot find the asses,
and my father will begin to be
frightened about us.†The servant
answered, “There is a good man
living near who is a prophet, and a
very wise man; shall we go to him
first, and ask him our best way, and
where we may find the asses?†Saul
said, “ Yes, let us go ;†so they both
went to the city where the prophet
lived. This prophet was Samuel;
he lived at Ramah, in Benjamin,
where Saul and his servant were
travelling.
When they came near the city,
they met some young women going
to draw water, and they asked, “Is
the prophet here?†The young
woman said, “ Yes, he came to-day
to a sacrifice in the city; he blesses
the sacrifice before the people eat,
and he is now going to the high
place; make haste, and you will find
SN
39
him.†Saul and the servant went
on, and soon came to the gate of
the city, and there they saw an old
man, and they went to him, and
Saul asked, “ Where is the prophet’s
house?†The old man said, “I am
the prophet; my name is Samuel;
come with me, and eat with me
to-day, and to-morrow thou shalt
go. Do not grieve about the asses,
for they are found. I have much
to tell thee; the desire of all Israel
is on thee, and on thy father’s
house.†Then Saul wondered and
said, “ Why dost thou speak so to
me? My family is the least in the
tribe of Benjamin.â€
Why did Samuel honor Saul so
much? Because God had said to
Samuel, “That is the man who
shall reign over my people.†Sam-
uel honored Saul as his king; for
though the Israelites did wrong
in asking fora king, yet they were
to love and respect him when God
gave them their wish.
Samuel brought Saul and his ser-
vant into his house, and made them
sit down to a great feast in his par-
lor: and Samuel told the cook to
bring the best of the meat, and put
it before Saul. Then Samuel said,
“Thisis for thee; I kept it for thee,
unto this time.†When the feast
was ended, Samuel talked to Saul
upon the top of the house. He
said that the people wanted a king,
and that God had chosen Saul to be
the king.
146
SAUL MADE KING.
CIL.
PAUL MADE JiNs.
HE next morning, very
early, Saul and his ser-
{| vant arose to go home,
. and Samuel went with
them to the end of the
city. Then Samuel told the ser-
vant to go on before, because he
had a secret thing to say to Saul.
When the servant was gone, and
Samuel and Saul were alone, Samuel
took a bottle of oil, and poured the
oil upon Saul’s head. ‘Then he kissed.
Saul, and said, “God has chosen
thee to be king, to rule over His
people Israel;†and Samuel told
Saul that he would soon meet a
company of prophets, and that God
would give him power to prophesy
too. Then Samuel and Saul parted ;
Samuel went home, and faul went
on his way.
And now God gave great power
and wisdom to Saul; he felt like a
new man. Very soon he met the
prophets, as Samuel had said, and
Saul went among them, and began
to prophesy too. Who taught Saul
to prophesy? God; He gave him
wisdom and knowledge, to help and
strengthen him in the new work
given him. All the people wondered
very much to hear Saul prophesy,
and they said, “What is this? is
Saul also among the prophets?â€
Saul met his uncle soon after,
and the uncle asked him and his
servant, “Where have you been?â€
Saul said, “We went to seek my
father’s asses, Which were lost. And
when we could not find them, we
went to the prophet Samuel, and he
told us that they were found.â€
Saul did not tell his uncle what
Samuel had said about the king-
dom; he was right not to- boast
of his new honors.
Samuel now called all the people
together to Mizpeh. He said to
them, “You wish very much to
have a king; God is not pleased
with your wish; because he was
your king, your best friend, and
you are ungrateful and rebellious to
ask for another. But God will let
you have your wish; call now all
your tribes before the Lord, and He
will choose a king for you.â€
Then Samuel called the tribes
one after another, and the tribe of
Benjamin was chosen; then he
called all the families of Benjamin,
and the family of Kish was chosen ;
and Saul was chosen out of that
family, to be king of Israel. Then.
the people said, “ Where is Saul?
He is our king, bring him here.â€
So they sought him, but could not
find him for a long time. Then the
people asked God again, to tell them
if Saul was the right man, and God
said “Yes,†and He told them that
Saul had hid himself; so they
looked in the place which God
pointed out, and there they found
Saul; and they brought him to the
people. He was taller than any
of them, and they all admired him
very much. Then Samuel said,
“Do you see the king whom God
has chosen?†All the people shouted
for joy, and said, “God save the
king.â€
SAMUEL’S WARNING.
147
OXII.
pPAMUEL'S WARNING,
king, Samuel again called
| the people together. He
was now a very old man,
and soon he must die,
and leave them; but they had a
young king to rule over them when
he was gone, and Samuel wanted to
talk to them, and to warn them,
and to teach them what they must
do to be happy with their new king.
Samuel said, “I am now an old
man; my hair is white with age; I
have been with you all my life, from
the time when I was a child till now.
Tell me if I have oppressed you, or
if I have taken anything away from
you, and I will restore it.†Then
the people cried “ No;†for they all
loved Samuel, and knew that he
had always been their friend.
Then Samuel said again, “ Wait,
and hear what I wish to say to you.
Many years ago, God brought your
fathers out of Egypt, and Moses and
Aaron with them, and gave them
this land for a possession. Very
often your fathers rebelled against
God, and then he punished them,
and sent enemies to fight and con-
quer them. He sent Sisera, and the
Philistines, and the Moabites, and
many more enemies to fight against
them. But when your fathers re-
pented, and turned to God, and
gave up their idols, then the Lord
had mercy, and saved them. He
sent many good and faithful cap-
tains, to conquer their enemies.
Gideon, and Jephthah, and Samson,
FTER Saul was made | and many more.
Now you have
asked for a king, because you were
tired of God ruling over you; and
| He has given you Saul, and you are
pleased and happy. If you and your
king obey and serve the Lord, then
God’s blessing will be upon you,
and you will have the Lord for your
friend. But if you are disobedient,
and rebel, then God will be your
enemy, and punish you as he pun-
ished your fathers. And now, God
is going to do a great thing, that
you may know how much you have
sinned against Him in asking for a
king.â€
What was this great thing? It
was harvest time, when it very sel-
dom rains, or thunders, or lightens
in Judea; but Samuel asked God
to send a storm, to show His great
power to the people, and to teach
them how angry He was.
God heard Samuel’s prayer, and
sent a fearful storm of thunder, and
lightning, and rain ; and all the peo-
ple were very much afraid. Then
they cried aloud, and asked Samuel
to pray to God for them, and con-
fessed their sins, and asked forgive-
ness for having wished for a new king,
when God Himself was their king.
Samuel was sorry to see the peo-
ple unhappy, and he comforted
them, and spoke kindly to them.
He said, “ Yes, I will pray for
you, and I will teach you to do
what is right. But remember al-
ways to fear the Lord, and to love
and obey Him. Think how kind
148 SAUL’S DISOBEDIENCE.
He has been to you in past times, | you; butif you do wickedly, He will
and how merciful He is to you now. | destroy both you and your king.â€
If you cleave to Him with all your | Then Samuel ended what he had to
heart, He will never, never forsake | say, and the people went home.
——~
CIV.
paAuL's PIsSOBEDIENCE. | -
AUL began his reign well,
-but very soon he became
tired of doing right. His
heart had not been made
new by the Holy Spirit:
so he did not wish to please God,
nor care for holy things, nor pray
for help to rule his people rightly.
One year passed away. The Phil-
istines were very busy making ready
to fight against Israel again; but
Saul did not try to prevent them.
At last, the Philistines came to-
gether in great numbers, and then
Saul and the Israelites began to be
very much frightened. Saul went
to Gilgal, and he told all the people
to follow him there, and they came
trembling for fear.
Was Samuel with them? No, he
did not go to Gilgal directly; but
he told Saul to wait there seven
days, and then he promised to come
and offer the sacrifice, and pray for
God’s blessing. Saul and the peo-
ple waited till the seventh day ; then
they looked for Samuel, but they
did not see him coming. At last,
Saul became very impatient, and he
would not wait any longer. He
commanded the people to bring the
offering, and he sacrificed it himself,
without waiting for Samuel.
Was this right? No; Saul was
not a priest, nor a prophet, he had
no right to offer sacrifices, and he
disobeyed the command of God and
of Samuel in doing this. Samuel
had not forgotten his promise ; Saul
had just finished offering the sacri-
fice, when he looked up, and saw
Samuel coming. Then Saul ran to
meet Samuel; for he was not sorry
nor ashamed of the wicked thing he
had done. But Samuel said to the
king, “What hast thou done?â€
Saul answered, “I saw the Philis-
tines coming, and thou wast not
here, and therefore I offered the
sacrifice myself†But Samuel said,
“Thou hast done foolishly and
wickedly. ‘Thou hast disobeyed the
command of God. He will soon
take away the kingdom from thee,
and give it to a better man. God is
not thy Friend now, because thou
hast disobeyed and rebelled against
Him.†Then Samuel arose and
went away. He could not stay with
wicked, disobedient Saul, because
he knew that Saul had no love to
God, and no wish to please Him.
Saul did not care for God’s blessing ;
pride, and impatience, and rebellion
made him offer the sacrifice; not
faith, and love, and obedience to
God.
When Samuel was gone, Saul
counted his soldiers, and made them
ready for the battle. But God was
not with Saul, to help him now.
Saul had a son very unlike him-
pay
SAUL’S DISOBEDIENCE.
himself; a son who loved and feared
God. His name was Jonathan.
When Jonathan saw the Philistines
all waiting in their tents in great
numbers, he called the man who
carried his armor, and said, “ Let us
go up to the Philistines, and fight
them. ‘They are more and stronger
than we; but, if we trust in God,
He can help us to conquer them:
He can save by many or by few.â€
Jonathan’s armor-bearer was willing
to go; they both went boldly, and
showed themselves to the Philis-
tines. When their enemies saw
them, they called to them to come
up, for the Philistines did not fear
Jonathan and his man; they only
laughed at them. The way up to
the Philistines’ camp was very steep,
through sharp rocks. But Jonathan
was not afraid. He called to his
armor-bearer, and said, “Come up
after me; for the Lord hath deliv-
ered them into our hands.†Then
they both began to climb up the
rock on their hands and knees,
because the way was so rough and
steep. But God helped them, as
Jonathan had said: and brought
them in safety to the top of the rock.
When Jonathan and his armor-
bearer were at the top of the rock,
they began to fight with their ene-
mies, and God gave them power to
conquer, and they killed twenty men
of the Philistines. God made all
the Philistines tremble with fear,
and the ground shook too; but He
gave strength to Israel, and they
gained the victory that day. Saul
did not see Jonathan and his armor-
bearer when they went to the
149
and counted his men, to see who
had gone away; and soon he found
that Jonathan and his armor-
bearer were not there. Then Saul
and all his soldiers went to the bat-
tle, and fought and conquered the
Philistines. It was God who saved
the Israelites, not their own power.
God made the Philistines fall one
upon another, for fear made them
like wild, mad men.
The Israelites were very weak and
tired that day, for Saul had com-
manded them not to eat any food
till all their enemies were conquered.
But Jonathan did not hear his
father’s command. At last the
Israelites came to a wood; the
ground there was covered with
honey, made by the bees that had
their nests among the trees; the
people looked at the honey, and
wanted to eat it; but they were
afraid of disobeying the king.
They were very hungry, but they
would not taste the honey. But as
Jonathan had not heard the com-
mand, he took some honey, and eat,
and soon he felt better and stronger.
Then the people told Jonathan what
Saul had said.
When the battle was ended, and
the people might eat, they all ran
greedily, and killed oxen, and sheep,
and lambs, and began to eat without
waiting till the meat was prepared.
Then Saul was angry with them,
and said, “Why do you sin against
God, and eat the blood of the
animals?†But Saul forgot that it
was his own foolish and cruel
command which made the people
do so. Then Saul built an altar to
Philistines’ camp on the rock; and | the Lord, in remembrance of the
he wondered very much when he | victory. It was right to thank God,
heard the noise. He looked round, | and pray to Him; but Saul’s heart
150
was not right. God knew that Saul
did not really love Him, but only
pretended to honor Him. God
would not be pleased with Saul’s
altars, and sacrifices, and prayers,
if wickedness was in Saul’s heart.
God knows all our thoughts; He
knows when we are sincere, and
when we are not sincere; and He
will not bless hypocrites.
saul said, “ Let us go now again
in the night, and kill more of the
Philistines. We will not let one
escape.†But the priest said, “ Let
us ask God’s blessing before we go.â€
Saul then asked God, “Shall TI go to
fight the Philistines? Wilt Thou
help me to conquer them?†But
God gave no answer. Then Saul
called all the people, and said,
“Come now, and we will ask God
to tell us who has sinned, and why
He will not answer our prayers.â€
So they cast lots, and God made the
lot fall on Jonathan. Saul did not
nN
Se ee
CV.
THE AMALEKITES.,
know that Jonathan had eaten the
honey, for the people had not told
‘him. Then Saul called Jonathan,
and said, “Tell me what thou hast
done?†Jonathan knew that his
father was angry; but he did not
try to deny; he was not afraid to
confess the truth. He said directly,
“T tasted a little honey in the wood ;
I did not hear thy command; and
must I die?†Then Saul said,
“ ‘Thou shalt surely die, Jonathan.â€
But the people hid Jonathan, and
would not let Saul hurt him. Then
the Philistines went back to their
own country, and Saul fought
against his other enemies, the
Moabites, and Amalekites, and
Ammonites, and conquered them.
But after all his victories, Saul could
not be happy. God was not with
'him; and riches, and possessions,
and victories cannot make us happy
without God’s love and blessing.
_ y HE PMALEKITES,
| There
OG] Were some wicked people
ec} living near, the Amale-
kites; and God told Sam-
uel to command Saul to go and de-
stroy them. Men, and women, and
children, and oxen, and sheep, all
must die. This wasasad command,
but it must be obeyed. God had
waited many long years, to sce if the
Amalekites would repent, and turn
to Him. But these wicked people
loved their sins and their idols, and
they would not give them up. And
now God would wait no longer, and
He said, that all the Amalekites |
should be destroyed. Godin mercy
gives sinners time to repent; but if
they will not attend, nor pray for
forgiveness, they will be destroyed,
and perish for ever.
‘Saul called his soldiers, and they
went to fight against Amalek. God
helped Israel to conquer their ene-
mies: all the people of Amalek were
killed, and the king was taken
prisoner. Did Saul do as God told
him? No; for he did not kill Agag
the king, and he chose the best of
THE AMALEKITES.
the sheep and oxen, and put them
away, and did not kill them; but all
that was bad he destroyed. Was
this right? No, it was disobedience
to God’s command. Saul thought
his own way better than God’s way;
he was self-willed and rebellious.
God was much displeased with Saul,
and He sent Samuel to him with a
very fearful message. In the morn-
ing, Samuel rose early, and went to
Saul, to Gilgal. Saulwas not sorry,
nor ashamed of what he had done;
he boldly dared to say, “I have
performed God’s command.†But
Samuel said, “ What is this noise of
sheep and oxen which I hear?â€
Then Saul answered, “The people
saved them to sacrifice to God: all
the rest we have killed.†Samuel
said, “ Hear now what God has told
me. He commanded thee to go and
kill all the Amalekites; He told
thee to destroy everything; why.
didst thou not obey the voice of the
Lord?†Then Saul again said, “I
have obeyed God; I have taken
Agag prisoner; he is here; and the
people took the animals for sacrifice.â€
Samuel answered, “God does not
want sacrifices without obedience.
God likes humility, and love, and
gentleness; obedience pleases Him
more than any sacrifice. Rebellion
makes Him angry, and thou hast
151
turned away from thee, and will not
let thee be king over His people
Israel.†Then Saul began to be
frightened, and he said, “ Yes, I
have sinned; but now forgive me,
and let me worship God.†But
Samuel knew that Saul was not
truly sorry; and he turned to go
away. Then Saul took hold of
Samuel’s garment, that Samuel
might not go, andthe garment rent.
Samuel turned round again, and
said, “God has rent the kingdom
from thee to-day ; and soon He will
give it to a better man than thou.â€
Then Saul cried, “I have sinned ;
but honor me now before the peo-
ple, and let us worship God to-
gether.â€
Samuel did what Saul wished ; he
turned again, and Saul worshipped
the Lord. But did God attend to
Saul’s worship? No, God will not
accept the prayers of proud rebel-
lious people; He turns away and will
not look uponthem. Then Samuel
commanded king Agag to be brought
to him. Agag thought he was safe;
but no, God said he must die. He
had been a wicked and cruel king,
he had murdered many people; and
now God punished him. Samuel
killed him in Gilgal, in obedience to
God’s command. Then Samuel re-
turned to Ramah, and Saul went
rebelled ; and therefore God has now ! home to his house in Gibeah.
~
152
JESSE’S SONS.
OVI.
JESSE'S PONS.
AMUEL never came to
4} Saul again; he could not
wm \) bear to see that wicked
- king ; for Saul was grow-
ing more and more rebel-
lious against God. Samuel remem-
bered the day when he first saw
Saul at Ramah; when he talked so
kindly to him, and anointed him
king, and kissed, and blessed him.
Then Saul was humble, and gentle,
and obedient; and Samuel hoped
he loved God, and wished to serve
Him. But now Saul was proud,
and rebellious, and disobedient. He
had forsaken God, and God had
forsaken him. Samuel was very
unhappy when he thought about
this. How sad it is to begin
rightly like Saul, and soon to grow
weary of well doing, and forget God,
and love the world, and Satan, and
sin, better than holy things! If we
grow tired of God, God will depart
from us. If we leave off praying,
God will not give us His grace; and
then we shall grow worse and worse,
and at last die without hope, and
without forgiveness.
One day, when Samuel was
mourning for Saul, God spoke to
him, and said, “Do not mourn any
longer for Saul. I will not have
him for king, because he has for-
saken me Take a horn of oul,
and go to the house of Jegse, in
Bethlehem. I have chosen a king
among his sons.†Then Samuel
obeyed God, and went to Bethle-
hem, and made a sacrifice there, as
God told him, and he called Jesse
and his sons to the sacrifice. Jegse
had eight sons. The seven eldest
were at home, but the youngest was
in the fields keeping sheep. When
Samuel saw Eliab, Jesse’s eldest son,
he was very much pleased with
him; and thought he must be the
new king God had chosen. But God
did not look at the face, He looked
at the heart; He wanted a king who
would love and serve him, not a
king who was tall and handsome.
He said, “I have not chosen this
man.†Samuel looked at the six
other sons also, but God had chosen
none of them. Then Samuel said
to Jesse, “Where is thy youngest
son? Call him, for we must have
him here.â€
Then Jesse sent out to the field,
and broughtin his youngest son. His
name was David. David was young
He too was beautiful; but God
did not choose him for his beauty.
David loved God, and he wished and
prayed to love Him more. When
David was alone in the fields, keeping
his sheep, he liked to think of God.
And then, David used to pray, and
to play upon his harp, and sing
beautiful hymns of praise to God.
How pleasant it is when young peo-
ple begin to love and serve the Lord
early, as David did!
When David came into his father’s
house, God said to Samuel, “ Anoint
him; this is the king I have chosen.â€
Then Samuel poured oil upon
David’s head, and anointed him;
and all his brothers looked on.
David wondered why God should
honor him so much, and give him
the kingdom ; but he was not proud
_ DAVID’S HARP,
of the honor. He did not want to
be king directly; he waited pa-
tiently for the right time. God had
given David a better thing than the
kingdom. He had given him His
153
Holy Spirit. This made David
truly wise. God himself had taught
him about Christ, and Heaven, and
future things which should happen
after David’s death.
os
ae
OVII.
Pavip's JtARP.
sey|HILE young David was | one of the servants said, “I know a
| keeping his sheep in the | young man who is very clever in
‘| fields of Bethlehem, and | playing upon the harp; he is a
singing his beautiful songs
of praise to God, Saul was
in his house at Gibeah, very unhap-
py. He had no comfort, none to |
love him and make him happy. |
When God went away from Saul,
Satan came to him; for if God’s
Holy Spirit is not in our hearts,
Satan must be there. He likes to
tempt people and make them sin ;
and he will try to make them worse
and worse, till at last he brings
them to hell. We must pray God
to give us grace to resist the devil,
that he may flee from us, and that
the Holy Spirit may come and
dwell in our hearts.
Saul did not pray; and now Sa-
tan was with him, making him every
day more and more rebellious, and
passionate, and cruel. He was often
like a mad man, so wild and angry.
Saul’s servants were sorry to see
their master unhappy, and they
spoke kindly to him, and tried to
comfort him, and said to him, “ Let
us seek a man who can play upon
the harp; and let him come and
play before thee; and thou shalt be
well.†Saul answered, “ Yes, bring
me a man who can play well.†Then
brave man, and very wise too; and
'God is with him. He isason of
Jesse, and his name is David.â€
Then Saul commanded his servant
to go, and bring David to him. So
the servant went to Jesse, and told
him Saul’s command; and David
made himself ready directly, and
went to the king’s house. Saul
soon loved David, and told him to
stay at his court, and made him his
armor-bearer; and when the evil
spirit came upon Saul, David used
to play to him upon the harp. The
sweet music comforted Saul, and
made him better; and the evil
spirit went away. But David’s mu-
sic could not change Saul’s heart.
It had no power to take away his
sin, and to make him at peace with
God. Saul was well for a little
time, but soon the evil spirit re-
turned.
God. alone has power to make us
always truly happy. Only the
Holy Spirit in our hearts can give
us true peace. Saul had not this,
because he did not ask for it. He
did not pray God to take away the
evil spirit, and to give him a new
heart. He was pleased with David’s
154
music, but he did not care about
the holy things which David loved
so much. Saul wanted to forget
GOLIATH.
his misery, but he did not want to
return to God. ,
C—_—_—_—ee
CVIII.
POLIATH.
% |HE Israelites’ old enemies,
the Philistines, now came
to fight against them
again. They pitched their
tents on a high moun-
tain, and Saul and his army stood
upon another mountain opposite,
and there was a valley between the
two armies. The Philistines had
with them a very bold commander,
a great giant, named Goliath. He
was very tall, and covered with
thick armor; and he had a great
sword, and shield, and spear: and
he stood, and cried to the army of
Israel, “Why do you come to fight
against me? If you can, choose a
man, and let him come and fight
me, and try to kill me†The Is-
raelites were much frightened when
they heard the proud Philistine
speak thus, and Saul was frightened
also.
Jesse’s three eldest sons followed
Saul to the battle, but David went
home to keep his father’s sheep at
Bethlehem. One day, Jesse called
David, and said, “Go now to the
camp and see thy brothers, and ask
if they are well, and take them
some corn, and ten loaves of bread ;
and carry these ten cheeses to their
captain.†David obeyed; he asked
aman to keep his sheep while he
was away, and went to the camp.
When he came near the army, he
heard a great shout; the soldiers
~
were just going to begin the battle.
Then David made haste, and ran to
speak to his brethren. While they
were talking, the great giant came
out of the Philistine’s army, and
spoke as he had done before; and
David heard him. Then all the Is-
raclites, when they saw Goliath, ran
away for fear. But David said,
“Who is this Philistine who comes
to frighten God’s people? What
power has he to hurt us, if God is
on our side?†Then the eldest
brother spoke very unkindly to
David, and said, “ Why camest thou
here? What hast thou done with
the few sheep in the wilderness? I
know thy pride, and the naughti-
ness of thy heart; for thou art
come down to see the battle†But
David answered gently, “What
have I now done? Is there not a
cause ?â€
Then some of the people went to
Saul, and told what David said; and
Saul sent for David. When David
came to the king, he spoke very
boldly, for God made him bold, and
he said, “Do not fear this great
Philistine; I am ready to go and
fight him.†But Saul said, “ Thou
hast not power to conquer him;
thou art young, and he is very
strong, and has been used to fight-
ing all his life†David answered,
“Tam a shepherd, and I keep my
father’s sheep in Bethlehem. One
GOLIATH.
day, a lion and a bear came to my
. flock, and took away a lamb, and I
ran, and killed the lion and the
bear, and saved the lamb, and took it
out of the lion’s mouth, and brought
it back to the fold. It was God
who gave me strength to kill those
great animals, and I know He will
give me power now to conquer this
wicked Philistine. God is with us,
and He will deliver us from our ene-
mies.†Then Saul said, “Go, and
the Lord be with thee.†Saul gave
David all his armor, a helmet, and
a spear, and a sword. But David
said, “No, I do not want these; I
have not, been used to them.†So
he took them all off, and chose five
smooth stones, and put them into
his shepherd’s bag; and he took a
sling, and a staff, and went to meet
the giant. Then the
came out, but when he saw David,
he laughed at him, and said, “ Canst
thou conquer me? Come to me,
and I will give thy flesh to the birds
of the air, and the beasts of the
field!’ But David answered, “Thou
comest to me with a sword, and a
spear, and a shield; but I come to
thee in the name of the Lord, the
God of Israel. I know that thou
art very strong, and that I am weak,
and unable of myself to fight thee ;
but God is with me, and He is
stronger than thou. He will give
me power to conquer and kill thee;
Philistine
155
for He can fight without swords and
spears, for the battle is the Lord’s,
and He will give you into our
hands.†Then David ran to meet
his great enemy. He took a stone,
and put it into his sling, and slang
it; and the stone went into the fore-.
head of the giant, and he fell down
on the ground. ‘Then David ran to
the Philistine, and stood upon him,
and took the sword of the giant,
and slew him, and cut off his head ;
for David had no sword of his own.
Then all the Philistines, when they
saw that their commander was dead,
fled; and the Israelites followed,
and killed very many of them. The
Israelites returned shouting for joy,
and David took the giant’s head, and
brought it to Jerusalem.
How could young David, without
armor, conquer the great strong Phil-
istine ? It was not David’s strength,
nor his sling, nor his stone, that
gained the victory; they had no
power; it was David’s God who
conquered, and He alone. David
looked in faith to God for help, and
He gave him the victory. We have
enemies to fight too; not great sol-
diers like Goliath, but enemies who
fight against our souls. We must
fight in God’s strength, not in our
own. We must ask God to fight
for us, and then we shall be enabled
to conquer, and gain the victory.
156
THE TWO FRIENDS.
CIX.
JHE Jwo PRIENDS.
HEN Saul saw David go-
ing to fight with the
giant, he called Abner,
&| the captain of the army,
and asked, “Who is that
young man?†Saul had known
David. before; for, when the evil
spirit made him unhappy, Da-
vid had often played to him on
the harp. But Saul had forgotten
David now. When the fight was
over, Abner called David, and led
him to Saul, with the giant’s head
in his hand. Then Saul asked,
“Who art thou, young man?â€
S/N
And David said, “I am the son of |
Jesse of Bethlehem.†Jonathan,
Saul’s son, was standing by; and
when he saw David, and heard him
speak, he began to love him. David
did not go home again to Bethle-
hem. Saul took him to live with
him at court, and David was cap-
tain over the soldiers. It was a
great honor to David to live at
court with the king; but he was
not proud of his honor. He was
humble, and respectful, and obe-
dient. He always remembered his
duty to Saul, and tried to please
him in everything. This was very
wise and right in David.
Saul’s servants loved David, be-
cause he was so kind, and gentle,
and humble, and wise; and Saul,
too, loved him at first. Jonathan
and David were very dear friends:
they loved one another like brothers,
and Jonathan was kind and gener-
ous to David, and gave him his
own robe, and his bow, and his
sword, and his girdle. Jonathan
served God; and when he saw that
David served Him too, Jonathan
made him his friend. How pleasant
it is when young people begin to
love and serve God together! We
ought always to choose friends who
love God, not friends who love the
world. Worldly friendships soon
end; they cannot comfort us when
we are in sorrow, nor when we die;
and we cannot meet worldly friends
in Heaven. But holy friendships.
never end; we may part from our
dear friends for a little time, but
soon we shall meet them in heaven,
and never lose them again.
While David and Jonathan were
living so happily together, Saul was
very miserable. Why were David
and Jonathan happy? Because
God was their friend, and His bless-
ing was upon them. And why
was Saul miserable? Because God
was his enemy, and he had none to
comfort him. His riches, and king-
dom, and power, and servants, could
not make him happy. “There is
no peace to the wicked.†Jsatah
lv. 21.
SAUL’S HATRED TO DAVID.
157
CX.
PAUL'S HATRED To Pavyip.
AUL now began to hate
David. Why? Because
he was jealous of him, for
he thought the people
loved David more than
they loved himself. After the bat-
tle and the victory, when Saul and
all his people were going home, the
women came out to meet them;
and they sang, and played, and
danced, and shouted for joy. They
sang, “Saul has slain his thousands,
but David his ten thousands.†This
made the king very angry. He
thought they gave very little honor
to him, and a great deal of honor to
- David, and that they loved David
best, and would make him king.
So Saul grew very jealous, and
looked unkindly at David; though
David had done no wrong. Jeal-
ousy is a very great sin. We ought
to be glad to see good people honored
-and loved. It is very wrong to want
to have all the praise ourselves,
and to feel angry when others are
praised. We ought to ask God to
take jealousy and selfishness out of
our hearts.
The next day, the evil spirit came
into Saul again; and David took
his harp and began to play, and
tried to quiet him. But David’s
harp did not take away Saul’s pas-
sion now. Saul had a spear in his
hand, and he tried to throw it at
David while he played: but David
turned away, and the spear passed
without hurting him. When Saul
saw that God was David’s friend, he
was afraid; he could not kill David,
did not like to see him. He made
David captain over the soldiers;
and they all loved him, and the
people loved him; and God loved
him too, and kept him wherever he
went. David conquered and killed
many of the Philistines. Saul hoped
he would be slain in battle; but
God brought him back safely.
David married Michal, Saul’s
daughter, and she loved him; but
Saul hated him more and more,
and tried again to kill him, and
commanded Jonathan and all his
servants to put David to death.
Jonathan was much frightened to
hear this command, and he went to
David, and said, “ My father seeketh
to kill thee; go now and hide, and
I will talk to my father about thee,
and tell thee what he says.†So
David went and hid himself, and
Jonathan went home to Saul, and
began to talk to him. Jonathan
spoke very gently and respectfully to
his father, for he honored him, as his
father and his king. He said, “ Do
not sin against David; do not slay
him; for he is very good, and never
hurt nor disobeyed thee. Remember
how bravely he fought the Philis-
tines, and conquered the great giant.
Thou didst rejoice in what he did
then, why wilt thou slay him now?â€
Saul attended to Jonathan, and
promised not to slay David, so
Jonathan called his friend, and
brought him back.
Jonathan did great good, because
he was kind and gentle. Solomon
says, “A soft answer turneth away
but he sent him away, because he i wrath.†Prov. xv. 1. Jonathan
11
158
turned away his father’s wrath by
softness and gentleness. When peo-
ple are angry and passionate, .we
should try to speak kindly and
affectionately to them ; we ought to
tell them that anger and passion are
very sinful, but we must tell them
“rm.
DAVID AT RAMAH.
so gently, not angrily. And we
should pray God to turn away their
wrath, because He alone has power
to quiet sinful passions. ‘Try to be
like Jonathan; kind, and affection-
ate, and humble, as he was.
OXI.
Pavyip AT fRAMAH.
%} new war with the Philis-
tines, and David went out
and conquered them; and
then Saul’s jealous tem-
per returned. One day, Saul was
sitting in his house: the evil spirit
was in him, and David was playing
to him upon the harp. Saul had a
spear in his hand, and again Satan |
tempted him to throw it at David
to kill him. But David saw what
Saul was doing, and escaped out
of the room; and the spear went
into the wall, amd did not hurt him.
Then Saul sent servants to take
David in his own house: but
Michal let him down out of a win-
dow, and he escaped to Samuel at
Ramah.
David had a sad story to tell
Samuel about Saul. It made the
old prophet very unhappy, be-
cause he remembered that in past
times Saul had been humble and
obedient, and Samuel had loved him
then. There was a school of the
prophets at Naioth in Ramah; and
there Samuel went, and he took
David with him. It must have
been very pleasant to David to be
with these holy people, talking and
prophesying of the things of God,
OON after, there was a|far away from cruel angry Saul.
But Saul soon heard where David
was, and sent messengers to Ramah
to take him prisoner. And did God
let the enemies of David hurt him ?
No—when the messengers came to
Ramah, God gave them the spirit
of prophecy; and instead of taking
David, they stood by him, and Sam-
uel, and the other holy men, pro-
phesied too. Then Saul sent more
messengers to Ramah, but they be-
gan to prophesy. At last Saul went
himself; for he was very angry, and
determined that David should not
escape. But when Saul came to
Ramah, the spirit came upon him,
and he prophesied too, with all the
others, before Samuel: and Saul’s
wish and power to hurt David were
taken from him.
But was Saul’s heart made new
now? Was his sinful temper gone,
and was he beginning to love and
serve God? No: Saul praised
God, and said many holy things,
perhaps, when he prophesied at
Ramah, with his lips, but he did
not feel them in his heart. He did
not repent, nor ask for pardon, nor
pray for a new heart; and therefore
the evil spirit soon came again, and
Saul was cruel and passionate, as he
DAVID’S
was before. Many people, like Saul,
know much about God, and the
Bible, and the holy things we read
there, who never go to Heaven.
Knowing and talking about these
things cannot save our souls. We
must love God in our hearts, and
have our sins washed away in the
blood of Jesus Christ, and be made
ESCAPE, 159
new and clean by the Holy Spirit,
and then we shall be taken to
Heaven; but knowledge alone will
never take us there. God sees our
hearts; He knows if we truly love
Him, or if, like Saul, we only pre-
tend to love Him. We cannot de-
ceive God: let us ask Him, then, to
teach us to serve Him in truth
CoC
OXI.
Pavip's
Fe SCAPE,
SE IAVID escaped from Ra- | thee, and send thee away safely.
mah, and went again to
Jonathan, and told him
all his trouble. David
said, “I know thy father
_ Saul is seeking to kill me. He
does not tell thee this, because he
knows how it would vex thee; but I
am. quite sure that there is but astep
between me and death.†Then
Jonathan was very sorry, and he
said, “Tell me, what can I do to
save thee?†David answered, “ 'To-
morrow Saul has a great feast, and
he thinks I shall be there; let me
hide myself instead of going to the
feast. My father has a great sacri-
fice for his family at Bethlehem, and
I wish to be there. IfSaul inquires
for me, tell him, I asked to go to my
father’s sacrifice at Bethlehem, and
see if he is very angry or not.â€
Jonathan said, “Let us go out now
But if we part, and never see one
another again, do not forget me;
love me, and think about me while
I live ; and after I am dead, remem-
ber me, and be kind to my children
and family, and do not forget my
love to thee.†Then David promised
never to forget Jonathan; and to
love his children, and be kind to
them after Jonathan’s death. But
David and Jonathan could not stay
long to talk; David must hide him-
self very quickly; and so Jonathan
said, “ Go now; and, after three days,
come again to the place where thou
didst hide before. Then I will come,
and bring a lad with me; and I
will shoot arrows, and tell the lad to
go and bring them to me. If I tell
the lad that the arrow is near to him,
know that all is ‘safe; but if I tell
him that the arrows are far off be-
into the field, and we will think | yond him, then know that there is
what we must do.â€
So they both went out, and walked
in the field, and then Jonathan said,
“ To-morrow I will talk to my father,
and if I see that he is kind and
friendly, I will send and tell thee ; or
if he is angry, then too I will tell
danger, and make haste; and escape.â€
David understood this; and then
he went away, and Jonathan came
home.
Next day was Saul’s feast. David
was not there ; Saul looked for him,
but he could not see him; and
160
he wondered where he was, but said |
nothing. Next day again, David
was not at the feast, and Saul
asked, “ Where is David? He was
not at the feast yesterday, and I do
not see him here to-day; why does
he not come?†Jonathan said,
“He asked me to let him go home
to a sacrifice at Bethlehem, because
his father wanted him to be there.â€
Then Saul was angry, and he said, |
“ David shall die: send, and bring
him here, for he shall surely die ?â€
But Jonathan answered, “ Why
must David die? He has done no
wrong.†Then Saul grew still more
angry, and he threw a spear at
Jonathan, to kill him, because he
loved David. But Jonathan arose
quickly, and went away from the
table. He could not stay at the
feast, because he was afraid of his
father, and unhappy about his dear
friend.
The third day, Jonathan went
again into the field to meet David,
and he took a little boy with him.
Jonathan had his bow and arrows ;
and he shot an arrow a long way
off, and said to the boy, “ Run, and
bring me the arrow, there it is be-
|
1
DAVID’S ESCAPE.
yond thee†Why did Jonathan
shoot the arrow beyond the boy?
Because Jonathan wanted David to
understand that there was danger,
and that he must escape directly.
David was hidden in the field, and
heard what Jonathan said. The
boy brought the arrow to his master,
and then Jonathan sent him home.
The boy knew nothing about Da-
vid. When he was gone, David
arose and came to Jonathan. He
knew that he must go now, and part
from his dear friend; and that per-
haps they would never meet again.
David and Jonathan embraced and
kissed one another, and wept. And
then Jonathan said, “Go in peace;
God will be with us; He will be our
friend. Do not forget me, nor my
children after me; and I will never
forget thee.†So David went away,
and Jonathan returned home.
This was a sad parting. It is
always sad to lose our dear friends.
But if friends love God, then they
know that He is with them, and that
He will take care of them, and bring
them all safely to their home in
Heaven. There dear friends will
meet in joy, and never part again.
DAVID AT NOB.
161
OXITI.
Pavip AT Nos.
HERE did David go when
he had parted from Jona-
First, he went to
the tabernacle was; and
there he saw Ahimelech the priest.
David knew that he could not now
go often to worship God in the holy
place; he must hide from Saul, and
escape to save his life. And it made
David unhappy to think of this, be-
cause he loved the worship of God.
Ahimelech wondered very much to
see Dafid, and he asked why he
came. Did David tell him? No:
David was afraid to speak the truth ;
he was tempted to tell a lie. He
said, “ King Saul sent me here upon
secret business. He commanded me
not to say what the business is.
Give me, I pray thee, some of the
bread I see there.†The bread which
Ahimelech had was the shew-bread.
It was hallowed bread; the priests
alone might eat it; but Ahimelech
gave some to David, and the men
with him, because they were hungry,
and could get no common bread.
Then David asked the priest to give
him some armor. Ahimelech had
there the sword of Goliath, and he
showed it to David. David was
pleased to see it again, for it made
him remember how God had helped
him to conquer and kill the great
giant, a little time before. Then
Ahimelech gave David the sword,
and let him go.
Where did David go? He went
to Gath, to king Achish. Achish was
a kind king; but he was a Philis-
tine, and his people did not like
David to be there, because they re-
membered what he had done, in
past times, to the Philistines. And
David was unhappy at Gath; for he
was afraid of Achish and his people;
he thought that perhaps they might
kill him, or tell Saul about him.
Did David trust God in his danger ?
Yes: but David was a poor weak
sinner, and very often fear made him
forget God, and do what was wrong.
Fear had made him tell a lie to
Ahimelech, at Nob; and now fear
made him deceitful again to Achish,
at Gath. He pretended to be mad,
and ran about wildly, and scratched
upon the doors, and did many more
foolish things. Then Achish sent
him away, and David went and hid
in a cave; and there all his family
and friends came to him, to comfort
him.
162
THE PRIESTS
KILLED.
CXIV.
yHE PRIESTS JILLED.
AS|HEN David was in the
f)| tabernacle at Nob, talk-
ing to the priests, a man
was there named Doeg.
He was keeper of Saul’s
cattle ; a very wicked man, and an
enemy of David. Saul heard that
David was escaping from place to
place, and he tried to find him, that
he might kill him, and he asked his
servants to tell him all they knew
about David, and who were his
friends who helped him to escape.
Then Doeg said, “I saw David come
to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest,
and Ahimelech gave him food, and
the sword of the giant Goliath.â€
Then Saul sent for Ahimelech, and
all the priests that were at Nob.
When the priests came to Saul,
he spoke very angrily to them, and
said to Ahimelech, “Why hast thou
given bread and a sword to David
my enemy, and helped him to fight
against me, and kill me?†Ahime-
lech answered, “ David is not an
enemy; he is faithful, and obedient
to the king; and I knew nothing of
all this.†But Saul would not at-
tend to Ahimelech, and he com-
manded the servants, who stood by,
to put Ahimelech, and all the other
priests, to death. The servants
feared God more than their cruel
master did; and they would not
kill these holy priests. Then Saul
turned to Doeg, and told him to
kill the priests. Doeg was glad to
obey; and he drew his sword, and
slew them all, eighty-five in number,
and then went to Nob, and killed
the people there; men, and women,
and children. Only one son of
Ahimelech, named Abiathar, es-
caped, and ran to David, and told
him the sad story. David spoke
very kindly to Abiathar, and made
him come and live with him; and
they comforted one another.
How very wicked Saul had be-
come! He began with impatience
and disobedience; now, Satan made
him a murderer of God’s people.
Wicked tempers grow worse and
worse every day, if they are not sub-
dued by God’s grace. God had gone
away from Saul, because Saul would
not pray; and now, Satan and his
own wicked heart taught him to do
these dreadful things.
Abiathar was the only priest left
of Eli’s family. Many years before,
God. had said that he would destroy
them, because Eli had not punished
his wicked sons. God never forgets
what he says. He forgave Eli; but
He punished his sin.
DAVID’S WANDERINGS,
163
CXYV.
}
Pavin's WANDERINGS,
[ANE
his wanderings. Many
C4 !
0 JP
Z. 5}
ever he went; he was
SIAVID was not alone in
G
men came to him to help
him; they followed wher-
their captain, and they obeyed him.
Some of David’s soldiers were very
brave men. The Philistines were |
now fighting again against Israel;
and David and his men used to go,
and try to conquer them. One day,
David was very tired and thirsty
with long fighting. The Philistines’
camp was then at Bethlehem; and
there was a well of water at Bethle-
hem; but David and his men were
afraid to drink it, because their
enemies were near. When David was
so thirsty, he cried, “Oh! that one
would give me to drink of the water
of the well of Bethlehem!†David’s
soldiers heard what he said; and they
bravely ran in through their enemies,
to the well, and drew the water, and
brought it to David. They loved
their master so much, that they did
not think about their own danger.
Was David glad to drink the water ?
No; he saw his friends in danger,
and he did not like them to suffer
for him; and when they brought the
water to him, he said, “No, I will
not drink it; my brave soldiers have
suffered more than I, and they are
thirsty too; this water is too good
for me; I will give it to God.†So he
poured it out an offering to the Lord.
The Philistines now came to
fight against a place named Keilah ;
and David asked God if he should
go, and try to save it. He was right
to ask, for we ought always to ask
God’s blessing before we do any
thing. God told David to go, and
promised to help him; so David
went, and fought against the Philis-
tines, and saved the people of Kei-
lah. When Saul heard that David
was there, he thought he could kill
him, and that he could not escape.
But David again asked help from
God, and was delivered. Wicked
people cannot hurt the servants of
God without His permission, and
God did not permit Saul to hurt
David. David now wandered about
in the woods and deserts, for fear of
Saul. It was asad life; but he
trusted in God, and was peaceful
and happy. He wrote many beauti-
ful psalms when he was wandering
and hiding in those wild places.
Where was Jonathan? Did he
ever see his friend David again ?
Yes, Jonathan had not forgotten
him; and when he heard where
David was, he went to see him se-
cretly in the wood. David and
Jonathan were very glad to meet
again for a little time. They had
much to say to one another. Jona-
than comforted David in the right
way; he told him to trust in God.
He said, “Do not fear; my father
cannot hurt thee, because God has
promised to keep thee, and to make
thee king; and He never forgets
His promises.†Then David and
Jonathan prayed together, and
' kissed one another for the last time:
they never met again on earth. But
now their happy souls are in heaven
together; all their sorrows are
ended ; they will never weep again.
164 SAUL IN THE CAVE.
- CXVI
PAUL IN THE PAVE.
HEN Saul had finished | David had done; but David cried
fighting with the Philis- | out, and said to him, “My Lord,
tines, he went into the| the king!†Saul turned round;
wilderness, and many sol- | and David bowed respectfully before
diers with him; and they | him, and said, “God to-day gave
all wandered about among the) thee into my power, when thou
rocks, trying to find David. But! wast asleep in the cave: but I re-
God still kept David in safety from | membered that thou art a king
his enemies. At last Saul came to a | chosen by God, and therefore I did
cave, and went into it to rest; for| not hurt thee. I never did thee
he was tired. The cave was very | any wrong; why dost thou try to
large, it could hold many people. | kill me? God knows that I am not
and Saul and his men were not /| thine enemy.†Then Saul began to
alone init. Who were there besides ? | weep, and said, “Is it thy voice, my
David and his soldiers were in the | son David?†Why did Saul weep?
cave; but Saul did not see them, be- | Because he felt how unkind he had
cause they were in another part of it; | been to David, and how kind David
so he went in, and lay down, and was! was to him. David’s gentleness
soon asleep. David’s men saw Saul |; made Saul gentle too.
come into the cave, and said to their Saul said, “Thou hast been more
master, “See, there is Saul; God | righteous than I. Thou hast re-
has given him into thy hand.†Then | warded me good, though I rewarded
David arose and went to Saul. | thee evil.†Then Saul asked David
There he lay asleep; he had no | to spare his family after his death:
power to hurt David, and David | for Saul knew that God would give
could kill him if he liked. And did | David the kingdom. David pro-
he kill Saul? No; David had no | mised this, and Saul went home;
angry feelings in his heart; he did | and David’s kindness made Saul
not wish to hurt his enemy ; but he | kind for a little time.
went quietly, and cut off a piece of | Ifwe have enemies, we ought to
Saul’s robe. When David came | act towards them as David did
again to his men, he felt sorry. | towards his enemy. The Bible Says,
Why? Because he had not killed | “Love your enemies.†When people
Saul? No; David was sorry because | are unkind to us, we must try to
he had cut off part of Saul’s robe. | be kind and forgiving to them.
Then David commanded his ser- | When our enemies are in sorrow,
vants not to kill Saul, nor hurt | we must comfort them, and help
him. them, and try to make them happy.
When Saul awoke, he arose to go | If they are wicked, we ought to talk
away. He did not know what-| gently to them, and beg of them to
NABAL AND ABIGAIL.
165
repent of their sin, and turn to God. | hearts, and make them kind, and
And we ought to pray God to for-| gentle, and holy. If we do not for-
give them, and to give them new | give, God will not forgive us.
‘ ~~
OXVIL.
Nasa AND PBIGAIL.
HEN David was wander-
ing about in the wilder-
ness of Engedi and Paran,
he and his men often
wanted food; but they
never tried to get it in a wrong
way, nor to steal from those near
them.
There was a man who lived at
Maon, named Nabal. He was very
rich, and had great possessions in
Carmel: sheep, and goats, and asses,
and camels. He lived near the
place where David now was, and he
was shearing his sheep in Carmel:
David knew that Nabal was very
rich, and he sent messengers to
him, to ask for food. David’s ser-
vants spoke very respectfully to
Nabal; they did not rudely ask for
what they wanted; for David taught
them to honor and respect all men.
But Nabal was a selfish and cruel
man. He did not care for other
people; he tried only to please him-
self. All his money, and all his pos-
sessions, he kept for his own use;
he never thought about the poor
and hungry, who had no food and
no home. Why does God give some
people riches-? Does He wish them
to keep all themselves, and give
none away? No, when God gives
riches to people, He likes them to
be kind and generous; He wishes
them to do good with what they
have. At the day of judgment, God
will punish those rich people who
have not rightly spent what he gave
them.
Nabal was angry with David’s
servants; instead of giving them
any thing, he drove them away in a
passion, and sent them back again
to David. When David heard of Na-
bal’s unkindness and passion, he was
angry too. Was David right to be
angry? No; he ought to have
been patient and forgiving, as he
was when Saul was unkind to him.
So David told his men to take
their swords, and he made all ready
to go to Nabal, to kill him, because
he had been unkind and selfish, and
cruel. But Nabal had a wife named
Abigail. She was not like her hus-
band; she was gentle, and kind,
and willing to. give away what she
could. When Abigail heard about
Nabal’s cruelty, she was very sor-
ry. She knew that David was a
good man, and that he was in great
trouble, and trying to hide from
Saul; and Abigail wished to be kind
to him and his men. So she called
her servants, and told them to make
ready some sheep, and corn, and
figs, and grapes, and to put them
upon asses, and take them to David ;
and she followed, but she did not
tell Nabal where she was going.
When Abigail met with David,
she came down from the ass, and
fell on her face before him. Then
166
she spoke very gently to David, and
asked him not to be angry, but to
forgive her wicked husband. Abi-
gail loved God ; and she told David
how wrong it is to be passionate
and angry; but she spoke very re-
spectfully when she said this, and
reminded David that God could
preserve him, and punish his ene-
mies; and that, therefore, he must
be patient, and leave all to God.
When David heard Abigail talk so
gently, he became gentle too. He
felt he had done wrong, and he
thanked God for sending Abigail
to keep him from shedding blood.
So Abigail gave the present to Da-
vid, and he thanked her, and she
went home. And David and his
men had food to eat now, without
fighting and shedding blood. It
was not right for David to punish
Nabal, but God punished him. God
must punish our enemies, not we.
When Abigail came home, she
| friend.
oN,
Nee ae
DAVID’S KINDNESS TO SAUL.
found Nabal making a great feast
with his friends. ‘They were eating
and drinking, and very merry. It
was wicked merriment. They loved
their own pleasure and ease; but
they did not think of their poor
hungry neighbors; they did not
care for God, nor holy things: all
their thoughts were about this
world; eating and drinking, and
pleasing themselves. Abigail did
not stay with this wicked company ;
she did not speak to Nabal then,
but next morning, she told him
about David; and all that she had
done. Nabal felt frightened and
unhappy at what his wife said. He
knew he had done wrong; but Abi-
gail’s reproof did not make him
repent, and turn to God. He had
no comfort now. His riches and
his worldly company could do him
no good; and God was not his
He lived only ten days
after.
CX VII.
Pavips JINDNESsS TO PAUL,
a |AMUEL was now dead.
ROK He died and was buried
‘sy \| at Ramah; and all Israel
S| wept and mourned for
him. But Samuel’s hap-
py soul went to Heaven, where
is no crying nor sorrow. Samuel
began very young to love and serve
God, and he loved and served Him
all his life long. He was not like
Saul, who began well, but soon grew
tired of doing right. Saul was only
pretending to love God; he did not
truly love Him; his heart had
never been made new by the Holy
Spirit. But Samuel was a true ser-
vant of God. When he was a little
boy, he prayed God to teach him to
love and serve Him, and God heard
his prayer. And when Samuel grew
older, he still prayed that God would
keep him in the right way. And
God never forsook his faithful ser-
vant. He took care of Samuel all
his life, He comforted him in sor-
row, He loved him when he grew
old; and when he died, He took
his happy soul to be with Him in
glory for ever. Was Samuel sorry
that he began so soon to serve God ?
DAVID’S KINDNESS TO SAUL.
No; he was happy all his life, be-
cause God was his friend. We can-
not begin too soon to serve God;
we should give Him our whole life;
we should love Him when we are
young, and love Him more and
more every day, till we die, and go
to Heaven, to love and serve Him
for ever.
David was now in the wilderness
of Ziph, and Saul again went to seek
him there. Had Saul forgotten his
promise to be kind to David? Yes;
Saul’s sorrow for his cruelty was
soon gone. It was not the nght
sorrow. Right sorrow makes people
turn to God, and ask for forgiveness
for the past, and grace for the fu-
ture. Saul did not do this. He
went home, but he did not pray;
he did not care for God’s pardon;
and soon Satan came to him again,
and his wicked temper returned,
and he forgot his promise, and his
sorrow, and went again to try to kill
David.
David saw Saul come into the
wilderness, but Saul did not see
him; so he put a pillow upon the
ground, and lay down, and fell
asleep, and all his men slept too.
Then David arose and went to Saul.
Why did David go? Did he want
to kill him? No; David did not
wish to kill his enemy; but he went
and looked at him while he slept.
Saul was lying upon the ground
on the pillow; his spear was by
him, and the soldiers were sleep-
ing around him. It was night, all
was quiet ; none saw David and his
167
men. Then one of David’s servants
said, “ Let us kill Saul now; all his
soldiers are asleep, and he is in our
power; he cannot defend himself.â€
But David said, “ No, we must not
kill him, though he is our enemy.
God will punish him when He
pleases, but we have no right to
punish him. He is our king, and
we are his servants, and therefore,
we must respect and honor Saul.â€
David took away Saul’s spear, and
a bottle of water which was near
the pillow, and went to the top of a
hill afar off; and then he cried to
Saul’s captain, whose name was
Abner, and said, “ What are you
doing? Why do you not keep
your king? See where the king’s
spear is, and the cruse of water that
was at his bolster.†Saul knew
David’s voice, and he said, “Is this
thy voice, my son David?†‘Then
David said, “Yes, it is my voice.
Why dost thou come, seeking to
kill me? What evil have I done ?â€
Saul again felt sorry, and said, “I
have sinned, but I will no more
do thee wrong.†Then David
willingly forgave Saul; and spoke
gently to him; and one of Saul’s
servants came, and took back the
spear and the bottle of water; and
then Saul blessed David, and they
parted. |
Saul and David never met again.
It was pleasant to David to part in
peace, and not in anger. But Saul
was not truly penitent. He was at
peace with David, but he was not
at peace with God.
168
DAVID AT ZIKLAG.
OXIX.
Pavip AT fIKLAG.
AVID now began to be
tired of wandering about
in fear of Saul. He
s thought that perhaps Saul
would forget his promise,
and come again, and try to kill him;
so he determined to go to the Phil-
istines’ country; and ask Achish,
king of Gath, to take care of him.
Then David called his family, and
his soldiers; and they all went to
Gath. Achish was very kind to
David, and gave him a city named
Ziklag, and there David lived in
safety. Saul knew where he was, but
he did not again try to kill him.
David was not idle when he lived
at Ziklag. He went out, and fought
against the Amalekites, and con-
quered, and killed them. This was
right, for God had commanded them
to be destroyed. But when David
came back to Ziklag, he did some-
thing that was very wrong. He tried
to deceive Achish. Achish asked him,
where he had been fighting. David
was afraid to say that he had de-
stroyed the Amalekites ; he thought
it might displease Achish, so he
said he had been fighting south of
Judah. Then Achish was glad, for
he thought David had forsaken his
own people Israel, and was fighting
against them, and that he would
come and help Achish to conquer
the Israelites.
Soon after this, Achish made his
army ready, and called David and
his men, and told him to go with |
him to fight against Israel. What
could David do now? He could
not go and fight against his own peo-
ple; and he was afraid to- tell
Achish the truth, and to confess how
deceitful he had been. So he pre-
pared to go with the army of Achish;
but he felt very sad as he stood with
the soldiers of the Philistines,
ready to fight against his own coun-
try. But God helped David in this
time of difficulty. When the lords
of the Philistines saw David and
his soldiers, they asked why those
Israelites were in the army. Achish
told them, that David, their com-
mander, was his friend, and had
lived with him a long time, and
would help him to fight against the
Israelites. But the lords of the
Philistines would not consent to this:
they would not have David in their
army, for they thought he would
not be a true friend to them, and so
they would not trust him. Achish
was sorry: but he called David and
his men, and told them what the
lords of the Philistines had said.
David pretended to be sorry, and
said, “Why may I not go to fight
the king’s enemies? Have I not
been thy faithful servant a long
time?†Achish answered, “I know
that thou art good in my sight;
but the Philistines have said, David
shall not go with us to the battle.â€
So David and his men returned to
Ziklag, and the Philistines went on
to Jezreel, to fight against Israel.
ZIKLAG BURNT.
169
OXX.
FIKLAG BURNT.
“ON
OD was very kind to Da-
vid in keeping him from
| fighting against Israel ;
4) but he punished him for
his conduct at Ziklag, be-
cause he wanted David to be more
humble, and more sorry for his sin.
When David and his men came
back to Ziklag, they saw the city in
ruins. The walls were thrown
down, the houses were burnt, and
their wives and families were gone.
How was this? The Amalekites
had come, while David was away,
and conquered Ziklag, and taken all
the people prisoners. David and his
men had no home now; and when
they looked round, and saw their
city in ruins, and thought about
their wives and children, they all
began toweep. They wept till they
had no more power to weep. They
were all unhappy; but David was
more unhappy than his men. Why?
Because he remembered his own
sin, and because his soldiers were
angry, and spoke unkindly to him.
David was in great sorrow,—where
did he go for comfort? Had he
any kind friend to help him in his
sorrow? Yes; he had one friend,
who was ready to comfort him;
and this was God. David had for-
gotten his best friend a long time;
he had trusted in Achish, and the
Philistines, more than in God, and
had made friends of them. But
ce NR
Achish and the Philistines could
not help David now; he was alone,
without an earthly friend to com-
fort him; and then he remembered
his friend in Heaven, and felt very
sorry he had so displeased and for-
gotten Him. David prayed, and
asked forgiveness for his sinful de-
ceit ; and God heard his prayer, and
forgave his sin. God had not for-
gotten David, He was waiting for
him to repent, and He was ready to
pardon.
David felt happy when God had
forgiven him. But how could he
get back his family and his posses-
sions? He asked God; and He
told him to follow after his enemies,
and promised to help him. And
did David conquer the cruel Amale-
kites ? Yes, he soon overtook them.
He found them all eating, and drink-
ing and dancing for joy, because
they had taken away so much riches
from Ziklag. But David and his
men soon smote all the Amalekites:
and took away their own wives and
children, and brought them home
in safety.
How kind God was to David after
all David’s forgetfulness of God!
David felt very thankful, and very
humble when he remembered his
sing; and he learned in future to
trust not in himself but in God
alone.
170
THE WITCH OF ENDOR.
OXXT.
JHE Witex OF Pf NDOR.
HERE was Saul this long
time? He was still at
)) his house, unhappy and
discontented; the evil
spirit troubling him more
and more. The Philistines now came
to fight against Israel, and Saul
gathered together all his soldiers
at Gilboa. But he felt much
frightened when he looked upon
the army of his enemies, for he
knew that he had not God to fight
for him.
Saul went and asked God to help
him; but had no answer. Saul had
forsaken God; now God forsook
him. Saul had no answer, be-
cause he did not pray humbly; he
was not truly sorry for his sin. He
was frightened and miserable, but
he was not penitent and hum-
ble. God promises always to an-
swer sincere prayers; but Saul’s
prayer was careless and insincere ;
and, therefore, God would not at-
tend to it. .
What could Saul do now? Where
did he go for help? Did he pray
again to God, and ask for a new
heart, and a right spirit? No,
Saul was soon tired of prayer, for
he did not care for God’s blessing
and forgiveness. He called his
servants, and asked them if they
knew a witch who could tell him
what he wanted to know. The
witches were wicked women who
pretended to have the power of rais-
ing dead people, and of foretelling
fnture things. God had commanded
them to be put to death. But Saul
was now grown s0 foolish, and so
wicked that he wished to ask advice
of a witch, and not of God, nor of
His holy prophets.
Saul’s servants told him there was
a witch living at Endor; so he
changed his dress, that people might
not know him, and went secretly,
by night, to Endor. Saul came to
the house where this wicked wo-
man lived, and asked her to raise a
dead man to life for him. The wo-
man did not know Saul; and she
refused at first to do what he wished,
for she was afraid of being put to
death. But Saul told her not to
fear; and promised she should not
be punished. Then she said,
“Whom shall I bring up?†And
Saul told her to bring up Samuel.
‘The foolish woman had no power to
raise Samuel. But God showed
His power by causing a figure like
Samuel to come up, and speak to
Saul. When the woman saw the
figure coming up out of the ground,
she was very much frightened, and
cried out for fear. Then Saul looked
too. What did he see? He saw
the figure of an old man; he
thought it was Samuel, and he
bowed down to the ground. Then
the figure asked, “Why hast thou
called me up?†Saul said, “I am
sore distressed; the Philistines
make war against me; God is gone
from me; and answers me no more,
and I have called thee to tell me
what I shall do.†Then the figure
said, “ Why dost thou ask of me, if
the Lord is thine enemy. He has
departed from thee, and given the
kingdom to David, because thou
THE DEATH OF SAUL.
obeyedst not His voice. The Phil-
istines will fight against Israel; and
Israel will be conquered; and to-
- morrow thou and thy sons shall be
with me.â€
What did Saul do? He fell down
on the ground in fear and horror.
He was very miserable; he bad now
no hope; to-morrow he must die;
his body must fall in the battle-
field ; and where must his soul go?
Could it go to Heaven? No; he
was not ready for Heaven. Satan
was in his heart, not God’s Holy
Spirit.
The woman understood now who
Saul was; and she and his servants
—
Ne Ne
171
tried to comfort him. She spoke
kindly to him; and made ready
some meat, and bread for him to eat.
But could all this do Saul any good
now? No; he was going to die,
and God alone can comfort people
in death. But Saul could not go
to God for comfort. It was too
late; he had forsaken God, and God
had cast him off for ever.
Saul arose from the ground, and
eat what the woman made ready,
and then he and his servants went
away. It was night; Saul’s last
night; to-morrow he must be in
another world.
CXXIT.
y HE PEATH OF PAUL,
O22 |AUL could not sleep that
a} sad night; and the next
morning he went to the
battle where he was to
die. The battle was in
Mount Gilboa. The Philistines
conquered, and many of the Israel-
ites fell down dead on the field; for
God was not fighting for his people
now.
The Philistines followed after
Saul, and shot him with their
arrows, and sorely wounded him.
Then he knew that his enemies
would soon come and kill him, and
he was very much afraid, and called
his armor-bearer, and asked him to
kill him, that he might not be put
to death by the cruel Philistines.
But the armor-bearer was afraid to
himself. He died in his sin; and
there was, therefore, no hope that
his soul could be saved; self-mur-
derers have no time to ask for pardon.
When the armor-bearer looked at
Saul, and saw that he was dead, he —
took a sword, and fell upon it, and
died too. And the Israelites saw
that Saul and his sons were dead ;
and they all ran from their cities,
and left their houses ; and the Philis-
tines came and lived in them. |
Where was Jonathan? 'The next
day, when the Philistines came to
look at the field of battle, they found
Jonathan, and his brothers, and
Saul, all lying dead upon the ground.
Jonathan was ready to die. He had
begun to love God when young, and
well, and happy; and God did not
kill Saul; he would not murder his | forget Jonathan when he was in
king ;
so Saul took a sword, and | trouble, and danger, and death.
fell upon it,and died. Hemurdered | Jonathan’s sins had been all washed
172 THE DEATH
away, and his heart had been made
new and clean; and now he was in
Heaven, to be happy for ever, where
there is no pain, nor sorrow, nor sin.
The cruel Philistines cut off Saul’s
head, and took away his armor, and
sent home the news of their victory,
and shouted for joy. They nailed
Saul’s body to a wall; but the
people who lived in Jabesh-gilead
were kind to their king, and hon-
ored him; and took his body, and
his sons’ bodies, and buried them
all under a tree, and mourned for
them many days. |
Where was David now? He was
still in Ziklag; waiting quietly
there, and very thankful for God’s
kindness to him. After the battle,
a messenger came to David from
Saul’s camp. His clothes were rent,
and dust was upon his head: and
David knew that he had sad news to
tell. Then David asked, who had
gained the battle, and what had
happened to Saul and Jonathan.
The messenger said, “The people
are fled from the battle, and many
are fallen and dead, and Saul and
Jonathan .are dead also.†Then
David asked how all this happened,
and the messenger told him that he
had seen Saul on Mount Gilboa in
OF SAUL.
great distress, pursued by the Phil-
istines, and that Saul had asked him
to slay him. “So,†the man said,
“T stood on him, and slew him, and
took his crown, and his bracelet;
and I have brought them here to
thee.†Was this a true story? No,
some of it was false. This man did
not kill Saul; Saul killed himself.
Why did the man tell this le? Be-
cause he thought David would be
glad to hear that his enemy Saul
was dead; and perhaps would give
him a reward. And was David
pleased? No; he wept for Saul,
and for his dear friend Jonathan ;
and he was angry with the man
who told him of their death. David
thought the story was all true; so
he commanded his servants to slay
the man as a murderer. The man
was an Amalekite; one of that
wicked nation which God had com-
| manded to be destroyed. God pun-
| ished him for his wicked lie, when
David thought he was punishing
him for murdering the king.
David mourned very much for
Jonathan, and wrote a beautiful
song of lamentation for him, for he
could not forget Jonathan’s love and
kindness.
KING DAVID.
173
CXXTII.
finc Pavip.
AVID was to be king after
g Saul’s death. God had
C | said this many years
LAs! before; and David had
been long waiting quietly
till the time came, for he was not
impatient to be king. Butnow that
Saul and Jonathan were both dead,
David asked God if he should go up
to Judah. God told David to go to
Hebron in Judah; and he obeyed
and went, and all his family and his
soldiers with him. Then the men
of Judah came, and anointed David
king.
Was David glad that Saul was
dead, and that he could now reign
in peace? No, he still remembered,
and mourned for Saul; and honored
him very much. The first thing
David did, was to call the good
people of Jabesh-gilead, and to thank
and bless them, because they had
been kind to Saul, and buried him.
David said to the men of Jabesh-
gilead, “I will requite you this
kindness, because you have done
this thing.†David was not re-
vengeful to his enemies. God had
punished Saul, but David did not
wish to feel angry and unkind to-
wards his poor fallen enemy: he
pitied and honored Saul still.
Was David now king of all Israel ?
No; seven years he reigned only over
Judah; Saul had left a son, named
Ish-bosheth; and Abner, the cap-
tain, took Ish-bosheth, and made
him king over Israel. There was a
long war between the party of Ish-
bosheth, and the party of David.
Abner was captain of ish-bosheth’s
soldiers, and Joab was captain of
David’s soldiers.
David wanted peace in his king-
dom; but he knew that all his
enemies must first be conquered,
because God had told him this, and
promised to fight for him, and give
him the victory. David grew
stronger and stronger every day:
and Ish-bosheth grew weaker and
weaker. Abner knew that David
was God’s chosen king; and he sent
to him, and promised to help him
to reign over the whole kingdom,
Israel as well as Judah. So David
and Abner made peace, and feasted
together at Hebron. But Joab,
David’s captain, hated Abner, and
did not like David to make peace
with him. Why? Because Abner
had killed Asahel, Joab’s brother,
in a quarrel, some time before; and
Joab had not forgiven Abner. So
when Abner went away, Joab fol-
lowed, and called him, and _ pre-
tended to speak kindly to him; but
Joab had a sword, and he drew it
out, and thrust it into Abner’s side.
Abner fell down dead directly; and
the people came and told David.
David was angry with Joab, and
sorry for Abner. All the people
mourned; and, when Abner was
buried, David himself followed the
dead body to the grave. Did David
punish Joab for the murder? No,
he was afraid: he thought he had
not enough power to do so; but he
never forgot Joab’s wickedness; he
said, God would punish him, though
he could not.
God always punishes the wicked
174
DAVID’S. HAPPINESS.
at last: He spares them, perhaps a | pent, they must, in the end, perish
long time; but, if they do not re- | for ever! :
os
me Ne
CXXIV.
Pavips JEAPPINESS.
OON after Abner’s death,
there was another sad
murder in Israel. Ish-
bosheth was killed in his
bed, by two men who
came into his house pretending to
get corn. The wicked murderers
cut off the head of Ish-bosheth, and
brought it to David, and said, “See,
here is the head of the son of thine
enemy Saul†The men thought
this would please David; but he
commanded that the murderers
should be slain; so David’s servants
killed the two wicked men, and
hung them up in Hebron; but the
head of Ish-bosheth they buried
honorably in Abner’s tomb. David
was right to punish the men who
killed Ish-bosheth, because God has
commanded that murderers shall
be put to death.
Who reigned over Israel after Ish-
bosheth was dead? David. The
tribes of Israel all came to him, and
asked him to be their king. David
now ruled over a large country, and
had great possessions. Some years
before, he was a poor shepherd boy;
now he was a great king.
God loved David, and he gave
him honor; but God does not al-
ways honor those He loves in this
world. Sometimes His people are
poor, and have no possessions; per-
haps they have not even food and
clothing. He sees it best not to
people here: and He knows that
riches and honors cannot make
them happy. But God has riches
to give to all His people in heaven.
He will give them there crowns of
glory, and an everlasting inheritance
in His happy kingdom.
What was the first thing King
David did? His enemies, the Jeb-
usites, had possession of Jerusalem,
and he went there and smote them,
and took the city. David then be-
gan to feel safe, and his power grew
greater and greater every day; for
God blessed David in all things, and
gave him victory, and strength, and
riches. It is God who gives us all
the good things we have. Let us
thank Him for His kindness, and
ask Him to give us His blessing too,
because that alone can make us
truly happy.
The Philistines now came again to
fight against David. He remembered
that God had promised to protect
him; so before he began to fight
against the Philistines, he asked
God, “Shall I go up against the
Philistines? Wilt thou deliver them
mto my hand?†And God said,
“Go up, I will deliver them into thy
hand.†Then David went, and did
as God commanded him; and soon
he gained the victory over his
enemies.
This may teach you something.
When you are in trouble, go and
give riches and honors to all His | pray to God, and ask Him to tell
THE ARK BROUGHT BACK, ~ 145
you what to do. God is as willing Philistines; He will help you to
to help you, as He was willing to | conquer your own sinful tempers,
help David. He will help you to | and to resist Satan when he tempts
conquer worse enemies than the | you to sin.
oa oF
an ene
CXXV.
JHE PRK BROUGHT BACK.
HEN David was safe and | need Uzzah so irreverently to take
happy, did he forget God, | hold of the holy ark; He Himself
| and begin to love worldly | could keep it safely.
S| things better than holy} Uzzah’s death was a sad end to
things? No; when all! David’s happiness. All the people
his enemies were conquered, and his | were frightened, and David said, he
kingdom safe, the first thing he re- | would not have the ark with him
membered was God’s holy ark.; now. Was he right not to want
The ark was still at Kirjath-Jearim, | now to have the ark? No; he was
in the house of Abinadab, who had | wrong to be so much afraid; God
kept it many years; but David | did not wish to frighten and trouble
wanted to have it now in his own | His people; He only wished to
city Jerusalem; so he went with | teach them to honor and reverence
many of his people, to Kirjath-| His holy things. But there was a
Jearim to bring it back. They | good man named Obed-edom, who
came to Abinadab’s house, and took | was not afraid to have the ark; so it
out the ark, and put it in a new) was carried to his house. Obed-
eart; and Uzzah and Ahio, Abina- | edom was very happy when he had
dab’s sons, drove the cart. Then the ark, because God’s blessing
David and all the people were very | came with it. All was right at
glad; and they went with the ark, Obed-edom’s house when the ark
playing and singing for joy. After | was there.
a little time, they came toarough; When David heard that God had
place, and the oxen that drew the | blessed Obed-edom, he was no longer
cart stumbled, and shook the ark. | afraid of the ark; so he went to the
When Uzzah saw the ark shaken, he | house where it was, and took it
was afraid it might fall, and he put; away; and the priests carried it
out his hand, and took hold of it.| upon their shoulders. David had
But Uzzah forgot how very holy learned to be more reverent, and to
the ark was; he did not honor it as | teach his people to be reverent too.
he ought, and God punished him,} When the ark had gone a very
and.struck him dead directly. Many | little way, David offered sacrifices to
years before, God had punished the | God. He asked for God’s blessing
men of Bethshemesh, because they | first, and then he went on safely,
looked into the ark; and so now , knowing that God was with him,
God punished Uzzah. He did not | David and all the people brought
er ae
176
the ark home; and the king was so
happy that he danced for joy. The
ark was put in a tabernacle which
David made for it; and then he of-
fered sacrifices again, and blessed
the people, and gave them bread,
and wine, and meat, and sent them
away. It was a happy, holy day at
GOD’S PROMISE TO DAVID.
Jerusalem. Why were they all so
joyful? Because they had the ark
with them again. The feasting, and
singing, and shouting, were all holy ;
the people did everything that day
in the fear and honor of God; and
then they had His blessing, and that
made them happy.
LO os,
CXXVI.
fop's PROMISE TO Payip.
swyIHEN David had sent the
Ny} people away, he went
| home to his house. What
3| had he to do there? The
day was over, and per-
haps he felt very tired; but he
would not rest until he had prayed
with his family. We ought never
to be too tired to worship God.
When a happy day is passed, we
should thank God, who made it so
happy, and ask his blessing before
we sleep. And masters and mis-
tresses ought to do as Dayid did.
In the evening, they should call
their servants and children, and all
_ their family, to worship God. Those
are happy families who love to pray
and praise God together.
Was David’s a happy family?
Did they all love God? Were they
all glad to have the ark among them
again? No; Michal, David’s wife,
was not glad. She did not care for
the ark; and she laughed at David,
because he honored it so much, and
danced in holy joy before it. But
David told her that it was God’s
love and kindness which made him
happy; and that he was thinking
of His goodness in making him
king over His people Israel; and
that he must thank the Lord, and
praise Him for all His mercies.
David was right, and God was very
angry with Michal. It made David
unhappy to see Michal laughing at
holy things. He tried to teach his
family right, but he could not make
them love God; he could not give
them new hearts. Many of them
did not care about God. They
knew what was right, but they did
not wish to be like David, and to |
serve God as he did.
A good prophet lived in Israel,
named Nathan. David loved and
honored Nathan very much, and
they often talked together about
holy things. One day, when David
was sitting quietly in his beautiful
house, he said to Nathan, “See what
a beautiful house of cedar I have to
live in; but God’s ark has no house;
it is only in a tabernacle; within
curtains.†David wished to build a
temple for God, and to put the ark
there. Nathan was glad that David
loved and honored God so much,
and he said, “ Do all that is in thy
heart, for the Lord is with thee.â€
But that night, God spoke to Na-
MEPHIBOSHETH,.
than in a vision, and gave him this
message for king David, “ God took
thee away from thy sheep at Beth-
lehem, and chose thee to be king
over His people Israel. He will
bless thee, and thy children after
thee; and when thou art dead, then
thy son shall reign; and God will
be with him, and give him riches,
and possessions, and rest and peace
from all his enemies. He shall build
a temple for God; but God does
not wish thee to build it. He is
pleased with thee, because of thy
wish to honor Him, and He will not
forget nor forsake thee all thy life
177
long. He promises to give thee
the kingdom for ever.â€
When Nathan told this vision to
David, David felt happy, and very
thankful to God. Why was he
happy ? Because he knew that God
was his friend, and would never for-
sake him. He had much to make
him happy, but it was God’s love
alone that gave him true joy. And
God promises now, never to forsake
His people. He does not promise
to give them kingdoms; but He
does say to all who love and serve
Him, “Iwill never leave thee, nor
forsake thee.†Hed. xiii. 5.
aN
EEE EEEEEEEEEEEEee ee oa ee
CXXVIT.
MePHIBOSHETH,
QoAVID had promised to be
kind to Jonathan’s chil-
dren; did he forget his
promise? No; he still
remembered and _ loved
Jonathan, and wished to be kind to
his family; so he called Ziba, an old
servant of Saul, and said, “ Tell me,
are there any of Saul’s children liv-
ing now, that I may show the kind-
ness of God to them ?â€
“Yes; there is a son of Jonathan,
named Mephibosheth, still alive;
and he is lame in his feet.â€
Dayid told Ziba to go and bring
Mephibosheth.
How had Mephibosheth become |
lame? That sad day when his poor
father was killed in battle, his nurse
took him up in haste to carry him |
away,and he fell out of her arms.
The fall hurt the little boy, and he
was always lame afterwards. .Me-
Ziba said, |
Then |
phibosheth was then only five years
old; but now he was a young man.
Mephibosheth felt alarmed when
the king sent for him, and he fell
on his face before David. But
David spoke to him very gently and
affectionately ; he remembered Jona-
than, and he loved Mephibosheth, be-
cause he was Jonathan’s son. David
said to him, “ Fear not; I will show
thee kindness for Jonathan’s sake. I
will give thee again all the land
which belonged to Saul, and thou
shait eat every day at my table.â€
|Then Mephibosheth bowed again
before David, and thanked him for
his kindness.
David called Ziba, and said, “I
have given all Saul’s possessions to
Mephibosheth; thou and thy sons
must take care of the land for him 5
and bring the fruits to him; but
he shall eat always at my table.â€
178
Ziba promised to obey the king. He
was a rich man, and had many ser-
vyants who helped him to take care
of Mephibosheth’s land. Mephibo-
sheth had a house in Jerusalem
where he lived; but every day he
dined with the king, and David
honored and loved him very much.
God always pities those who have
no power to help themselves; and
promises to be their friend if they
trust in Him. Jesus Christ used
to love the blind, and lame, and
deaf and dumb people who came to
Him. He did good to them all.
And Christ’s people try to do as He
did; they pity and help those who
oN
DAVID’S SIN.
are in trouble. David was kind,
and generous, and pitiful; we must
pray God to make us so too. Me-
phibosheth was an _ affectionate,
grateful friend to David. David
did much for him, and he was
thankful for it. Ingratitude is a
sad sin. When people are kind to
us, and help us, and pity us, we
ought to love and thank them very
much. How can we show our grati-
tude ? Perhaps we cannot give any-
thing to our kind friends to repay
them, but we can show our thank-
fulness by loving them; and trying
to please them in all things; and
by asking God to bless them.
CAXVIT.
Pavip's PIN.
ai are now going to read a
Ky} very sad story about
David.
There was a man nam-
ed Uriah, who had a wife
named Bathsheba. Bathsheba was
very beautiful; and David loved her
very much, and wanted to marry her ;
but he knew he must not, because she
was Uriah’s wife. God says, “Thou
shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife ;â€
and it was very wicked of David to
do what God had commanded him
not todo. But David did- not then
ask God to help him resist sin, and,
therefore, he soon became more
wicked still. He wished Uriah were
dead. He could not put him to
death; but he sent him to fight,
and hoped he would be killed in the
battle.
|
captain of David’s soldiers; so Da-
vid wrote a letter to Joab, and said,
“Set Uriah in the battle; let him
stand in the front, and do not help
him; but leave him alone, that he
may be smitten and die.†Then
David sent for Uriah, and pretended
to be very kind to him; and gave ~
him the letter, and sent him to
Joab. When Joab had finished
reading the letter, he called Uriah,
and told him to stand in the front
of the battle, in a very dangerous
place. Uriah did not know why he
was to stand there; but he did as
Joab commanded; and very soon
he was slain by his enemies, and fell
down dead. Then Joab sent and
told David.
Was David sorry? No, he was
glad; because he could now do as
‘The Israelites were then fighting | he wished, and marry Bathsheba.
with the Ammonites, and Joab was | Satan was tempting David, and
DAVID’S SIN.
David was not trying to resist the
temptation. He did not ask help
from God; so God turned away
from David, and left him to himself.
Bathsheba mourned for her husband
some time ; and when the mourning
was past, David sent for her, and
married her, and she became his
wite.
David had his wish now; but had
he God’s blessing? No, he had
made God angry. God’s eye had
seen all his wickedness; his secret
sins; he could not hide them from
God. But David did not yet feel
his sin, nor ask for forgiveness.
One day, Nathan the prophet,
came to see David. Nathan did not
now bring a message of love from
God, he had something very sad to
say to David; but he did not at
once tell him about his wickedness,
for God wanted David himself to
feel and confess his sin. Nathan
began by telling this story to David.
He said, “There were two men liv-
ing in a city; one was rich and had
great possessions; sheep, and oxen,
and cattle. ‘Fhe other man was
very pocr; he had only one little
lamb. He loved this lamb very
much; it eat out of his hand;
drank out of his cup, and lay in
his bosom, and was unto him asa
daughter. One day, a friend came
to see the rich man, and to eat with
him._ But the rich man would not
kill his own sheep; he went to the
poor man’s house, and took away
the little lamb, and killed it, and
dressed it for his friend.†When
Nathan had finished the story,
David said angrily, “ The man who
has done this, shall surely die, be-
cause he had no pity.†Then Na-
than looked at David, and said,
179
“Thou art the man. God gave thee
riches and possessions; many, many
things. But what hast thou done?
Thou hast killed Uriah with the
sword, and taken away his wife to
be thy wife. And now God must
punish thee, the sword shall never
depart from thy house. Thou hast
sinned seccretly; but God saw the
sin, and He will punish it openly.â€
David now felt his wickedness;
he felt how sad it is to displease
God. He did not try to deny, nor
excuse his sin; but he confessed
humbly at once, “I have sinned
against the Lord.†Could God for-
give David? Yes; God is always
willing to forgive the greatest sin-
ners. He only wants them to
repent, and to turn to Him and
ask for pardon, and then He is
ready to forgive. Nathan said to
David, “God has taken away thy
sin; thou shalt not die.†But God
punished David, although He for-
gave him. He did not strike David
dead, but He smote his little child,
and it was very sick. David felt sad
when he saw his poor child suffer-
ing, and remembered that his sin
made it suffer. He humbled him-
self before God, and prayed for par-
don; he ate no food, and lay all
night upon the ground, and asked
God to make his dear child well
again. He offered up the prayer we
read in the fifty-first psalm; “ Have
mercy