,illustration3 ,the baby ,moses in the  
bulrushes4                              
,,the ,,babe ,,in                       
,,the ,,bulrushes                       
,by ,,amy ,,steedman                    
,illustration                           
,,thomas ,,nelson  ,,sons               
,,new ,,york           99       99      
99       99       99          ,,the     
,,finding ,,of ,,moses      ,many long  
years had passed since the days when    
,joseph's brothers and  their families  
had settled in the land of ,egypt4 ,they
 were a great  nation in numbers now1   
but the ,egyptians still ruled over     
them1 and  used them as servants4 ,the  
,pharaoh who had been so kind to the    
shepherds from ,canaan was dead long    
ago1 and the new kings1 or  ,pharaohs as
 they were called1 hated foreigners1 and
 began to treat the  ,israelites very   
harshly4 ,there were too many of them1  
they said2 it  was dangerous to have so 
many strong1 powerful slaves4 ,they must
 be  kept down1 and made to work from   

morning till night1 and be beaten if    
they did not work fast enough4    ,that 
was very hard for the poor people2 but  
worse was to come4 ,an  order was issued
 one day which spread sorrow through all
 the land of  ,goshen1 where the        
,israelites lived4 ,every baby boy that 
was born was  to be thrown into the     
river4 ,girl babies might be allowed to 
live1 for  they would be useful as      
slaves1 but boys might grow up to fight 
for  their country1 and so they must be 
destroyed4    ,in one little house1 not 
far from the great river ,nile1 a woman 
sat  holding her tiny baby in her arms1 
while the tears ran down her  cheeks4   
,he was such a beautiful baby1 so strong
 and fair and healthy2  but the king's  
order was that he was to be thrown into 
the river1  where the cruel1 hungry     
crocodiles were waiting to snap up      
everything  they could find for a meal4 
,jochebed1 the poor mother1 held her    
baby  closer in her arms4 ,no1 she could
 not obey the king's order4 ,she would  

try and hide the baby for a little      
while1 at any rate4    ,it was easy to  
hide a baby while he was still tiny and 
slept most of  the day2 but when he grew
 bigger it was much more difficult4 ,his
  sister ,miriam did her best to help   
her mother2 but any day1 now that  the  
baby was three months old1 he might be  
discovered1 and something  must be done 
at once4    ,so ,jochebed thought of a  
plan1 and prayed to ,god that ,he would 
help  her to carry it out4 ,at the edge 
of the river there grew tall  bulrushes1
 which1 when cut down and dried1 could  
be made into many  useful things4       
,taking some of these bulrushes1 she    
wove them into a  little cradle with a  
cover to it1 just like a little ark1 and
 this she  covered with a kind of pitch1
 so that not a drop of water could come 
through4 ,inside the cradle she made a  
soft bed1 and laid the baby  there while
 he was fast asleep1 and set the ark    
afloat in the water  where the bulrushes
 were growing4 ,she knew that presently 

the great  princess1 ,pharaoh's         
daughter1 would come down to bathe in   
the river1  and would notice the queer  
little ark floating there4              
,illustration3 ,she laid the baby there 
while he was fast asleep4    ,very soon 
the royal procession came winding down  
from the palace  towards the river1 as  
the princess in her gorgeous robes made 
her way  to bathe in the pool of the    
lotus flowers4 ,but at the edge of the  
river she stopped4 ,what was that among 
the bulrushes8 ,it was no lotus  flower1
 but a strange-looking covered basket1  
and she ordered her  maidens to bring it
 to her4    ,the little ark was lifted  
out of the water and carried to the     
princess4 ,there was surely something   
alive inside1 and the princess  was full
 of curiosity as she leaned down and    
lifted the cover to look  in4 ,then she 
started back in amazement4 ,the dearest 
little baby she  had ever seen lay      
there1 all rosy and fresh after his     
sleep1 gazing up  at her with wide-open 

eyes4 ,the maidens crowded round1 and   
the sight  of all those strange faces   
was more than the baby could bear4 ,he  
puckered up his face and began to cry4  
,the princess loved babies1 and she had 
none of her own4 ,that little  wailing  
cry went to her heart4 ,she guessed at  
once that this was one  of the ,hebrew  
babies which had been ordered to be     
destroyed1 and she  made up her mind    
that this beautiful boy should at least 
be saved4    ,all this time ,miriam had 
been watching from her hiding-place     
close by1  and with anxious1 beating    
heart she came forward now4 ,could she  
help  the princess8 she asked4 ,should  
she run and find some ,hebrew woman who 
might look after the baby8    ,perhaps  
the princess guessed that the baby's    
mother would not be far  off1 and she   
must have smiled a little when a nurse  
was so quickly  found4 ,but she took no 
notice of that4    ,take this child     
away1 she said1 when ,jochebed stood    
humbly before  her1 and nurse it for me1

 and ,i will give thee thy wages4    ,it
 was merely as a nurse that the mother  
was hired4 ,the great princess  meant to
 adopt the baby as her own4 ,but he was 
safe1 and ,jochebed's  heart was full of
 gratitude to ,god as she took her      
little son into her  arms again4    ,as 
long as he needed a nurse the baby was  
left to be looked after by  his mother  
in the little house by the river-side4  
,the princess called  him ,moses1 which 
means drawn out1 because he had been    
drawn out of  the water1 and she had    
made up her mind that as soon as he was 
old  enough he should come to live with 
her at the palace1 and be brought  up as
 a prince4 ,he would be treated just as 
if he was really her son4               
,illustration3 ,she taught him about    
,god4    ,but his poor mother had him   
for those first precious years while he 
was still a little boy1 and she did not 
waste one minute of that time  in her   
training of him4 ,she taught him about  
,god1 and told him all the  wonderful   

stories about his own country1 so that  
he should never  forget that he belonged
 to ,god's people1 even when he should  
become a  prince in the ,egyptian       
palace4 ,just as a gardener sows seeds  
in a  garden which afterwards grow up   
into beautiful flowers1 so she sowed    
the seeds of truth in the heart of her  
little son1 which long  afterwards were 
to blossom out and bear such wonderful  
fruit4    ,illustration3 ,beating him   
unmercifully with a long whip4    ,then 
when ,moses was old enough to do without
 a nurse1 she took him to  the palace1  
and brought him unto ,pharaoh's         
daughter1 and he became  her son4       
,but deep down in his heart he never    
forgot his own people4    ,it happened  
one day that he saw one of the ,egyptian
 taskmasters  treating one of the poor  
,israelite slaves with great cruelty1   
beating  him most unmercifully with a   
long whip4 ,this made ,moses so angry   
that  he rushed in to defend the slave1 
and dealt the taskmaster such a blow    

that it killed him4    ,but instead of  
being grateful the ,israelites would not
 trust him1 and  began to whisper the   
tale of how he had killed the ,egyptian1
 so that  ,moses was obliged to flee for
 his life1 leaving behind all the riches
  and honours he had enjoyed so long4   
,a very different kind of life began now
 for ,moses4 ,he journeyed far  into the
 desert and joined company there with an
 ,arab tribe1 and  wandered from place  
to place feeding their flocks and living
 the life  of a shepherd4    ,but ,god  
had more difficult work for him to do   
than feeding sheep1 and  one day when he
 was in the desert he saw a strange     
sight4 ,a bush was  growing there1 and  
in the middle of the bush a fire was    
burning1 and  the strange thing was that
 although the fire kept on burning      
fiercely  the bush was not burnt at all4
 ,it was the ,angel of the ,lord that   
was  in the midst of the fire1 and as   
,moses drew near ,god called him by his 
name1 and told him that he was to go    

back and set his people free  from the  
tyranny of ,pharaoh and lead them into  
the ,promised ,land4    ,illustration3  
,in the middle of the bush a fire was   
burning4    ,at first ,moses said it was
 impossible for him to do this4 ,his own
  people would not trust him1 and he was
 no great speaker2 he would  certainly  
fail4 ,but ,god bade him do his best1   
and ,aaron his brother  would speak for 
him2 and above all ,god would be his    
helper4    ,illustration3 ,arise1 go    
over this ,jordan1 thou1 and all this   
people4 ,joshua i4 #b4    ,so ,moses    
returned to the land of ,egypt and      
boldly asked ,pharaoh to  allow the     
people to go and worship ,god4 ,time    
after time ,pharaoh  refused1 although  
,god sent dreadful plagues to warn him4 
,at last1  however1 when the angel of   
death killed all the eldest sons of the 
,egyptians1 ,pharaoh was terrified and  
said the people might go at once  and   
take all their belongings with them4    
,illustration3 ,the ,land of ,canaan lay

 stretched out before him4    ,it was a 
great company of people that set out1   
and ,moses the great  leader guided them
 on their way4 ,they had many           
adventures1 and braved  many dangers and
 difficulties1 but ,god was always their
 shield and  defence4 ,he delivered them
 by parting the waters of the ,red ,sea 
and  allowing them to walk over dry-shod
 when ,pharaoh and his army were        
pursuing them4 ,and when the pursuers   
tried to follow them1 the waters  rolled
 back1 and the whole great army were    
swept away by the returning  tide4      
,yet in spite of ,god's care and        
goodness towards them1 these ,israelites
  were often ungrateful1 and complained 
bitterly when they suffered any  want4  
,and it was always ,moses whom they     
blamed4    ,moses was very patient with 
them2 but once he was so angry that he  
was  tempted to disobey ,god's          
direction1 and as a punishment ,god told
 him  that though he should see the     
,promised ,land from afar he would never

  enter it himself4    ,there on the    
mountain top he stood1 gazing into the  
far distance1  where the ,land of       
,canaan1 that fair land flowing with    
milk and honey1  lay stretched out      
before him4 ,then he bowed his head to  
,god's will4  ,the murmuring people     
never saw their great leader again4 ,he 
was not1  for ,god took him4            
,,ruth1 ,,the ,,gleaner      ,along the 
hot1 dusty road that led from the       
country of ,moab to the  fair land of   
,judah three women were walking with    
bowed heads and  weary1 halting steps4  
,their sorrowful1 heavy eyes took no    
pleasure in  the summer beauty of the   
harvest fields1 the shimmering silver of
 the  olive trees1 and the rich promise 
of the vineyards which bordered  their  
way4 ,the whole world looked sad to     
them1 seen through a mist of  tears4    
,there behind them1 in the land of      
,moab1 each of these women had left     
green graves1 which held all they loved 
best4 ,naomi1 the eldest1 was  perhaps  

the most desolate4 ,her thoughts went   
back to the time when she  was as young 
and fair as the two daughters-in-law who
 walked at her  side--when with her     
husband and her two boys she had trod   
that very  road1 seeking a home in a    
strange country to escape the famine    
which  threatened them in her own land4 
,now she was returning to her native    
town of ,bethlehem1 a childless1 lonely 
widow4    ,the younger women1 who were  
the wives of those two dead sons1 were  
very sorrowful too1 but for them there  
might yet be happiness in the  world4   
,they still had near and dear relatives 
and many friends in  ,moab1 which was   
their native land4 ,they had come far   
enough now1 and  it was time for them to
 return4    ,turn again1 my daughters1  
said ,naomi1 and go your way4    ,their 
homes lay behind1 and she must journey  
on alone to the little  hill town which 
she had not seen for so many long years4
 ,they had  kindly come so far to see   
her on her way1 but they must come no   

farther4    ,so the little party halted1
 and one of the young women1 weeping    
bitterly1 kissed her mother-in-law and  
turned to go back4 ,but the  other one1 
whose name was ,ruth1 clung to ,naomi1  
and would not leave  her4    ,in vain   
the elder woman urged her to return1 and
 pointed out that  ,orpah had gone1 that
 home and friends and happiness awaited 
her there1  while in front was only     
poverty and loneliness4 ,ruth only clung
 the  closer as she sobbed out her      
tender1 loving words4    ,entreat me not
 to leave thee1 she said1 or to return  
from following  after thee3 for whither 
thou goest1 ,i will go2 and where thou  
lodgest1  ,i will lodge3 thy people     
shall be my people1 and thy ,god my     
,god4 ,the  ,lord do so to me1 and more 
also1 if aught but death part thee and  
me4    ,the tender words brought comfort
 to the heart of ,naomi1 as soft rain   
brings refreshment to the hard1 dry     
earth4 ,after all1 she was not  quite   
alone2 she still had some one to love   

and care for4 ,so together  they        
journeyed on again1 and at last came to 
the winding road which  led up to the   
town of ,bethlehem1 nestling like a     
white bird upon the  long ridge of      
hills4    ,naomi knew every step of the 
way4 ,it seemed almost like a dream to  
tread on more that winding road1 to pass
 through the city gates and  find her   
way to the little house she knew so     
well4 ,although she had  been gone so   
many years there were still people who  
remembered her1  and these came running 
out to greet her4    ,is this ,naomi8   
they asked wonderingly4    ,they could  
scarcely believe that this sad1         
broken-down woman could be  the         
pleasant-faced1 happy girl who had gone 
away with her husband and  boys in the  
year of the great famine4 ,but as they  
listened to her  story they did not     
wonder that she seemed so old and talked
 so  bitterly4 ,it made them look very  
kindly upon the beautiful girl who  kept
 so close to her mother-in-law1 who had 

given up everything rather  than leave  
her alone4    ,illustration3 ,he spoke  
very kindly4    ,naomi had been quite   
right when she had told ,ruth that      
poverty lay  before them4 ,she had come 
back quite empty-handed1 and it was     
necessary to find some work at once     
which would at least provide them  with 
daily bread4 ,ruth1 looking out over the
 fields where already the  barley was   
being cut1 made up her mind to go and   
work there4 ,the poor  were always      
allowed to follow the reapers and glean 
the stray ears of  corn that fell       
unnoticed4 ,she might at least gather   
enough to feed her  mother-in-law and   
herself4    ,very happily1 then1 ,ruth  
set out1 and found her way into the     
harvest  field1 which belonged to a rich
 man called ,boaz4 ,the reapers treated 
her kindly when she timidly asked for   
permission to glean there1 and  when the
 master arrived to see how the harvest  
went1 he too noticed  her at once1 for  
she was very beautiful4    ,whose damsel

 is this8 he asked4    ,there were many 
people ready to tell him her name1 and  
also to tell  him how she had left her  
land and her people to come with ,naomi1
 her  mother-in-law4 ,the story had been
 repeated all through the town4    ,boaz
 listened with interest4 ,naomi was his 
kins-woman1 and it was only  right that 
he should help her4 ,he would begin by  
helping the  sweet-faced daughter-in-law
 who had chanced to come gleaning upon  
his  land4 ,so he went and spoke very   
kindly to the beautiful ,ruth1 and told 
her to come every day to his harvest    
field and share the reapers'  food1 and 
he would see that no one troubled her4  
,he even told the  reapers to let some  
handfuls of corn fall in her way1 on    
purpose1 so  that there might be plenty 
for her to glean4    ,illustration3 ,the
 two loving hearts rejoiced in their    
happiness4    ,so each day ,ruth went   
back and worked in the harvest fields1  
and each  day as ,boaz watched her he   
grew to love the gentle1 loving-hearted 

woman more and more4 ,and when at last  
the harvest days were over1 he  went to 
,naomi and asked that ,ruth might become
 his wife4    ,there was no more poverty
 or hard work now for ,ruth or ,naomi1  
no  anxious days of wondering how long  
their flour and oil would last4  ,boaz  
was very rich1 and nothing was too good 
for his fair young wife1  whom he had   
first seen humbly gleaning in his       
harvest field4    ,happiness1 too1 began
 to steal back into the life of ,naomi4 
,winter and  spring passed1 and when    
harvest time came round once more1 all  
the  sorrow and bitterness faded from   
her heart1 for ,god sent a little  child
 to comfort her4 ,a baby son was born to
 ,ruth1 and the whole world  seemed full
 of sunshine and happiness as she laid  
him in his  grandmother's arms1 and the 
two loving hearts rejoiced in their     
happiness1 just as they had clung       
together in their sorrow4    ,of course1
 they dreamed many happy dreams over the
 little downy head1  and planned a      

splendid future for the baby1 as all    
mothers and  grandmothers will do4 ,but 
even their dreams never touched the     
golden  reality1 for they did not know  
that he was to be the grandfather of    
,king ,david1 that in this same little  
town of ,bethlehem there was to be  born
 of his line a greater ,king yet1 the   
,king of ,heaven4          ,,samuel1    
,,the ,,little ,,server      ,it was    
some years after ,ruth's son had been   
born in ,bethlehem that  another mother 
was made glad by the precious gift of a 
little son4  ,this mother's name was    
,hannah1 and her baby was a special joy 
to her  because she had so longed to    
have a son and had prayed so earnestly  
to  ,god for this great gift4    ,there 
was no doubt about the baby's name4 ,he 
was called ,samuel1  which means ,god   
has heard4    ,illustration3 ,samuel    
answered1 ,speak2 for ,thy servant      
heareth4  #a ,sam4 iii4 #aj4    ,for had
 not ,god listened to his mother's      
prayers and given her her  heart's      

desire8    ,illustration3 ,the time came
 that she should take him to ,eli4      
,hannah held her baby close in her arms4
 ,he was her very own1 and yet  he      
belonged also to ,god4 ,she had         
promised1 if her prayer was heard1  that
 she would lend him to ,god1 to serve   
,him in ,his ,holy ,temple4    ,only for
 a little while could she keep the baby 
all to herself4 ,the  months passed and 
then the years1 and ,samuel grew old    
enough to run  about and take care of   
himself1 needing no longer to be carried
 in his  mother's arms4 ,then the time  
came that she should take him to ,eli1  
the  priest of ,god1 and leave him to be
 brought up in the ,temple and taught   
to be a servant of ,god4    ,perhaps at 
first ,samuel cried for his mother1 for 
he was only a very  little boy1 and must
 have felt strange and lonely without   
her2 but he  very soon grew happy again1
 and learnt to love the old priest and  
the  new life4 ,it was his mother who   
suffered most4 ,she missed him so       

sorely1 and mothers do not forget as    
quickly as children do4 ,but  although  
she had lent him to ,god1 he was still  
hers too2 and every  year she went back 
to see him1 and through the long months 
in between1  her fingers were busy      
making him a little coat of a beautiful 
blue  stuff1 sewed with a border of     
exquisite embroidery1 blue and purple   
and scarlet1 that was like a wreath of  
pomegranates4 ,just as certain  as his  
birthday came round his mother came and 
brought with her his  little coat1 and  
as he grew bigger every year the coat   
was bigger too4    ,now1 as soon as     
,samuel was old enough he went with     
,eli1 the old  priest1 into ,god's house
 to learn how to help in ,god's service4
 ,just  as we sometimes see now a very  
little boy helping the priest at ,god's 
altar1 so ,samuel was like a little     
server as he helped ,eli1 and he too    
wore a linen surplice1 or ephod as it   
was called4    ,although he was such a  
little boy1 ,samuel already showed that 

he was  straightforward1 brave1 and     
obedient1 a boy who could be trusted4   
,he  did his work faithfully1 and when  
,eli began to grow feeble and his  sight
 became dim1 the little server was ready
 with his clear sight and  eager        
footsteps to be both eyes and feet to   
the old priest4    ,but besides growing 
old and feeble1 ,eli was also growing   
more and more  unhappy day by day4 ,his 
two sons were wicked and disobedient1   
and1  what was worse1 they were teaching
 ,god's people to be wicked too4 ,eli   
would not punish them as they deserved1 
so at last the time came when  ,god took
 the punishment into ,his own hands4    
,only ,he would warn ,eli  before-hand1 
for the old priest was ,his servant4    
,so one night ,god's message came1      
spoken by ,god's own voice--spoken not  
to the great priest1 but to the humble  
little server4    ,it was evening time4 
,all the work of the day was over1 and  
,eli had  gone to rest4 ,the lamp in the
 temple was burning dimly1 sometimes    

flickering as if it would go out        
altogether1 and leave the holy place  in
 darkness4 ,samuel1 tired with his day's
 service1 was fast asleep1  when        
suddenly he woke up1 startled and       
attentive4 ,some one had called  his    
name3 ,samuel1 ,samuel4    ,here am ,i1 
answered the boy at once4 ,perhaps the  
old priest was ill1  and wanted him4    
,hastily ,samuel slipped out of bed1 and
 ran to ,eli4 ,but  the old man was     
lying there quite calmly1 and when      
,samuel asked why he  had called1 he    
answered quietly1 ,i called not2 lie    
down again4    ,it was very strange2 but
 perhaps he had been dreaming1 so       
,samuel went  back and crept into bed1  
and very soon was once more fast asleep4
 ,then  again the voice came3 ,samuel4  
,this time ,samuel was sure it was no   
dream1 and he ran to ,eli and cried to  
him1 ,here am ,i1 for thou didst  call  
me4    ,i called not1 my son1 said ,eli4
 ,lie down again4    ,but when it       
happened a third time1 and the little   

white figure stood  by the priest's bed1
 declaring positively1 ,thou didst call 
me1 ,eli  suddenly realized that perhaps
 it was ,god whose voice the boy had    
heard4    ,go1 lie down1 he said gently 
to the bewildered child1 and it shall   
be if ,he call thee that thou shalt say1
 ',speak1 ,lord1 for ,thy servant       
heareth4'    ,one great lesson ,samuel  
had learnt1 and that was to do exactly  
what he  was told1 never questioning4   
,so now he went back to bed without     
another word4    ,did ,eli mean that it 
was the ,lord who had called him8 ,the  
great ,god  who was so wonderful1 whose 
,ark was in the ,holy ,place behind the 
veil  of blue and purple and scarlet1   
guarded by cherubim8 ,he had only       
seemed like a far-off name to ,samuel4  
,could it really be ,god's own  voice   
that had called ,samuel8 ,if that was   
so1 then the great unknown  ,god must   
all the time have known the little      
servant in ,his house4    ,then again   
the voice sounded3 ,samuel1 ,samuel4    

,this time ,samuel was listening with   
all his might1 and obediently his       
answer rang out fearlessly and clearly--
    ,speak1 ,lord1 for ,thy servant     
heareth4    ,illustration3 ,i called    
not1 my son4    ,god knew that ,his     
little servant was fit to be trusted    
with a message1  although it was a      
terrible one2 and ,he told ,samuel that 
a dreadful  punishment was to fall upon 
the old priest ,eli and his wicked sons1
  and so awful would it be that even the
 ears of the people who heard  about it 
should tingle4    ,there was no more    
sleep for ,samuel that night4 ,god's    
voice rang in his  ears2 his heart was  
filled with the thought that ,eli would 
ask him  what ,god had said1 and he     
would have to tell him that dreadful    
message4    ,at last the morning light  
began to steal in1 and it was time to   
open  the doors of ,god's house4 ,the   
little server in his linen ephod was at 
his post as usual1 but to-day his       
shining morning face was clouded and    

troubled1 and there must have been a    
look of awe in his clear eyes4    ,the  
call he dreaded came all too soon1 and  
for the first time the  sound of ,eli's 
voice was unwelcome in his ears4        
,samuel1 my son1 called the old man4    
,immediately ,samuel went and stood at  
his side1 ,here am ,i1 he said4    ,what
 is it that the ,lord hath said unto    
thee8 asked ,eli4 ,his eyes  were very  
dim1 but he felt sure that the boy had a
 troubled and  fearful look4 ,i pray    
thee hide it not from me3 ,god do so to 
thee1 and  more also1 if thou hide      
anything from me of all the things that 
,he  said unto thee4    ,the very worst 
must be told1 and ,samuel knew he must  
hide nothing now4  ,he repeated ,god's  
message word for word1 and ,eli bowed   
his head as he  listened4 ,the poor old 
priest had been a weak father1 but he   
was a  faithful servant1 and knew that  
,god was just4    ,it is the ,lord1 he  
said3 let ,him do what seemeth ,him     
good4    ,from that day all things were 

different to ,samuel1 and year by year  
as  he grew older he learned more and   
more to love and serve the ,god who  had
 spoken to him and trusted him4 ,so also
 as the years went by the  people who   
worshipped at the ,temple began to know 
that the little  child who had been such
 a faithful server was chosen for a post
 of  great honour--that he had been     
called1 indeed1 to be a prophet of the  
,lord4           99       99       99   
99       99          ,,books ,,in ,,this
 ,,series      ,,joseph ,,the ,,dreamer 
,,the ,,babe ,,in ,,the ,,bulrushes     
,,david ,,the ,,shepherd ,,boy    ,,the 
,,child ,,jesus    ,,the ,,good         
,,physician    ,,the ,,good ,,shepherd  
99       99       99       99       99