,transcriber's note3 ,unusual and inconsistent spelling is as printed4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,finding ,,of ,,moses4 ,,the ,,promised ,,land ,,bible ,,stories ,,retold ,,by ,,catharine ,,shaw ,author of ,suffer ,little ,children1 ,long ,ago in ,bible ,lands1 ,stories from the ,book of ,books1 ,etc4 ,,john ,f4 ,,shaw 7#aibh7 ,,co4 ,,ltd4 #c1 ,pilgrim ,street1 ,london1 ,e4,c4#d4 ,,british ,,manufacture4 ,,contents4 ,i4 ,,the ,,slave ,,boy ,,ii4 ,,joseph ,,as ,a ,,victor ,,iii4 ,,the ,,good ,,little ,,sister ,,iv4 ,,samson ,v4 ,,the ,,chariot ,,of ,,fire ,,vi4 ,,in ,,the ,,cave ,,vii4 ,,moses ,,in ,,the ,,land ,,of ,,midian ,,viii4 ,a ,,good ,,report ,,of ,,the ,,land ,,ix4 ,,moses ,,hidden ,,in ,,the ,,cleft ,,of ,,the ,,rock ,x4 ,,aaron',s ,,rod ,,that ,,budded ,,xi4 ,,to ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,refuge ,,xii4 ,,the ,,letter ,,that ,,was ,,laid ,,before ,,the ,,lord1 ,,and ,,the ,,lord',s ,,answer ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,queen ,,of ,,sheba ,,xiv4 ,,three ,,commandments ,,about ,,earthly ,,things ,,xv4 ,,three ,,commandments ,,about ,,our ,,hands--,,our ,,tongues--,,and ,,our ,,hearts ,,xvi4 ,,taken ,,from ,,the ,,brook ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,first ,,and ,,second ,,commandments3 ,,and ,,how ,,they ,,were ,,broken ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,next ,,two ,,commandments3 ,,and ,,how ,,they ,,may ,,be ,,kept ,,xix4 ,,the ,,potter',s ,,vessel ,,xx4 ,,jehosheba1 ,,the ,,good ,,aunt ,,xxi4 ,,god ,,feeds ,,elijah ,,xxii4 ,,ruth ,,xxiii4 ,,on ,,mount ,,gilboa ,,xxiv4 ,,absalom ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,disobedient ,,prophet ,,xxvi4 ,,the ,,lord ,,answers ,,elijah ,,by ,,fire ,,xxvii4 ,,joshua',s ,,courage ,,xxviii4 ,,the ,,fiery ,,furnace ,,xxix4 ,,queen ,,esther',s ,,request ,,xxx4 ,a ,,great ,,rain1 ,,and ,a ,,tired ,,prophet ,,xxxi4 ,,solomon',s ,,wisdom ,,and ,,solomon',s ,,temple ,,xxxii4 ,,jehu--,,the ,,eleventh ,,king ,,of ,,israel ,,xxxiii4 ,a ,,story ,,of ,,victory ,,xxxiv4 ,,the ,,great ,,feast ,,xxxv4 ,,daniel ,,is ,a ,,captive ,,xxxvi4 ,,the ,,secret ,,is ,,revealed ,,to ,,daniel ,,the ,,promised ,,land ,illustration ,i4 ,,the ,,slave ,,boy ,,genesis1 ,,chapters #ci ,,to #ej ,,god prepares wonderful things for those who love ,him6 ,some of the things we see now1 in this life4 ,some of them we must be content to wait for1 till we go to be with ,god in ,heaven4 ,god says in ,isaiah #fd that ,since the beginning of the world1 men have not heard 4 4 4 neither hath the eye seen1 ,o ,god1 beside ,thee1 what ,he hath prepared for him that waiteth for ,him4 ,but even in this life1 if we love ,god1 and watch to see the answers to our prayers1 we shall see numbers of things which ,god our ,heavenly ,father helps us in--numbers of pleasures which ,he puts in our lives2 numbers of dangers that ,he saves us from2 numbers of times when ,he brings good out of what seemed to us to be only disappointment and trial4 ,well6 ,that was how it was with ,joseph6 ,you remember about his dreams and the jealousy of his brothers8 ,you remember how he was sent by his father ,jacob1 quite a long journey1 to carry messages to his brothers1 and to bring back word whether they and their flocks were well and in safety4 ,joseph was seventeen at this time1 and he went1 willingly enough1 for he did not know that his brothers' hearts were full of hatred towards him4 ,at last he found the place where they were feeding their flocks2 and as they saw him coming1 they said to each other1 ,behold this dreamer cometh6 ,and they at once began to plan his death6 ,nothing was easier1 all that long distance away from his father1 in a wild uninhabited country where but few strangers passed1 and where there were caves and pits in which evil deeds might easily be hidden4 ,but all this while1 unknown to those cruel brothers1 ,god was watching over ,joseph4 ,when his eldest brother1 ,reuben1 heard the others plotting to kill him1 he advised their putting him into a pit1 instead of taking away his life1 intending to come back himself1 and to take him out1 and deliver him safely to his father4 ,illustration3 ,sold him for twenty pieces of silver4 ,but while ,reuben was away tending his flocks1 ,joseph came to the rest of his brothers1 and they at once stripped him of the beautiful coat his father had made for him1 and then they cast him into an empty pit4 ,but they sat down to eat a meal themselves6 ,presently they saw a band of ,merchants coming towards them on camels1 and ,judah said to his brothers1 ,let us not kill ,joseph1 but let us sell him to these ,ishmaelites6 ,so they drew ,joseph up from the pit1 and sold him for twenty pieces of silver4 ,illustration3 ,,joseph ,,sold ,,by ,,his ,,brethren4 ,then the ,ishmaelites passed on with their camels2 but they did not know that they were carrying away one whom the holy ,god was watching over4 ,so the brothers were left1 and the coat of many colours was left too4 ,but when ,reuben came back1 and looked into the pit1 and found it empty1 his heart failed him4 ,he tore his clothes1 exclaiming1 ,what shall ,i do8 ,for he knew how dearly old ,jacob loved this boy of his1 and how could he go back to his father and tell him the truth8 ,but the other brothers killed a kid and dipped ,joseph's coat in the blood1 and sent it to their father1 saying that they had found it like this1 and that probably some evil beast had devoured him4 ,then ,jacob grieved for his son1 with bitter grief1 and said he should go to his grave mourning for him4 ,now ,god loved ,jacob very much2 and though ,he allowed him to pass through this great sorrow1 yet ,he was1 in ,his own way1 preparing a great joy for him in the future4 ,for that young lad who was carried away on those camels1 down to ,egypt1 was bought by a kind master1 and lived happily in his house for years4 ,it is true that after a time1 troubles came2 for ,joseph was falsely accused1 and was cast into prison for two years4 ,but ,god was with him there 7as ,he is always with those who love and serve ,him71 and ,joseph behaved so nicely1 that the ,keeper of the prison began to trust him1 and at length gave him the care of all the other prisoners4 ,everything that ,joseph did was prospered1 because ,god blessed him so much4 ,by and bye ,pharaoh1 ,king of ,egypt1 had a dream which he could not understand1 and as they all knew in the prison1 that ,joseph could tell the meaning of dreams1 ,pharaoh was told about him1 and the ,great ,king sent for him1 and explained his trouble to him4 ,then ,god told ,joseph the meaning of ,pharaoh's dream1 which was1 that there would be seven years of rich harvests1 and then seven years of very poor harvests4 ,so ,joseph advised ,pharaoh to look out a wise man to save up all the corn in the plentiful years1 so that the people might have food in the scanty years4 ,and ,pharaoh chose ,joseph to be over everything1 and to see to the corn1 and save it up2 and ,pharaoh dressed ,joseph in beautiful clothes1 and put a ring on his hand4 ,joseph was very humble1 and he loved ,god very much4 ,he kept on telling ,pharaoh that it was ,god who helped him to do all these wonderful things4 ,at length the seven years of plenty were over1 and the famine came into all the countries round ,egypt1 and everybody came to ,egypt to buy corn of ,joseph4 ,and among them his ten brothers came too6 ,you can read in your ,bibles in the #deth and #dfth ,chapters of ,genesis1 how ,joseph forgave his brothers1 and how he told them how ,god had meant it for good to save much people alive4 ,then he gave his brothers food2 and sent wagons to ,canaan to fetch his dear old father down to ,egypt to live near him1 and be taken care of4 ,and this was how ,god brought it about1 that old ,jacob saw his beloved son again4 ,illustration ,,ii4 ,,joseph ,,as ,a ,,victor ,you have all heard of ,joseph1 and remember very well about his being ,jacob's favourite son2 and how jealous his ten brothers were that their father made him a beautiful coat of many colours4 ,joseph was a kindly young fellow of seventeen1 and he did not bear any grudge against his brothers1 but talked to them and told them his dreams1 as any boy would now-a-days4 ,but these dreams made his brothers even more angry than their father's love for him1 and they hated him4 ,when people begin to cherish hatred in their hearts1 it is not long before it comes out in their actions4 ,so when ,jacob sent ,joseph a long journey to see if all was well with his brothers and the flocks1 they saw him coming from afar1 and began to plan how they could get rid of him and his dreams4 ,but there was one thing those ten brothers did not think of4 ,they had made a clever plan to murder their brother when he was so far away from home1 but they did not remember that their father ,jacob's ,god was ,joseph's ,god as well2 and that ,he was watching over that boy of seventeen1 and had a glorious work for him to do by and by4 ,so ,god put it into ,reuben's heart to advise that ,joseph should not be killed1 but be put into a pit2 intending presently to take his brother back to their father4 ,but while he was away1 a company of merchants came by on camels1 and the brothers at once decided to take ,joseph out of the pit and sell him as a slave4 ,when ,reuben came back1 the camels had passed on their way down to ,egypt carrying ,joseph with them4 ,the pit was empty1 ,jacob's darling boy was gone6 ,and when the cruel sons brought the coat of many colours1 all stained with the blood of a kid1 ,jacob felt sure some evil beast had killed ,joseph1 and that he should go down to the grave mourning for him4 ,do you think those brothers ever had a truly happy moment for years and years8 ,we read afterwards how they said one to another in ,egypt1 when ,god brought their sin to their remembrance3 ,we are verily guilty concerning our brother1 in that we saw the anguish of his soul1 when he besought us1 and we would not hear4 ,and how ,reuben had answered them1 ,did ,i not speak to you saying1 ',do not sin against the child1' and ye would not hear8 ,so the ,midianites and their camels came down to ,egypt1 and ,joseph was sold to ,potiphar1 an officer of ,pharaoh and ,captain of the ,guard4 ,it would take too long to tell you here1 and you can read it for yourselves in the beautiful account of it in ,genesis1 chapter xxxix1 how ,god took care of ,joseph in every way4 ,how he was raised to favour in his master's house2 how he was falsely accused and cast into prison2 how again after being put in fetters and irons 7as we read in ,psalm cv4 #ah71 he was brought into the favour of the keeper of the prison2 how he listened to the prisoners' dreams1 and told them the meaning of them2 how1 in consequence of the interpretation of these dreams coming true1 he was taken before ,pharaoh to explain to the great king his dream2 and how ,god gave ,joseph an insight into the future that made him know that there would be seven years of plenty1 and then seven years of famine2 and how he advised ,pharaoh to lay up a store of corn for the scarcity that was coming4 ,illustration3 ,he was taken before ,pharaoh to explain to the great ,king his dream4 ,pharaoh was so pleased with ,joseph1 and found his advice so good1 that he raised him to great honour4 ,he put his own ring on ,joseph's hand and dressed him in beautiful clothes1 and gave him a chariot to ride in1 and made him ruler over all the land of ,egypt4 ,what ,joseph had predicted surely came to pass2 and when the scarcity came1 all the nations around came to buy ,pharaoh's corn1 which ,joseph had so carefully stored up2 so that ,pharaoh became very rich4 ,why do you suppose all this happened to ,joseph8 ,it was because ,god loved ,joseph2 he had been ,his faithful servant all his life4 ,because ,he had purposes of mercy not only to the brothers who had been so cruel1 but to the world1 in which a dreadful famine was coming2 and also to the sorrowing father1 who had lost the light of his eyes when ,joseph was taken from him6 ,ah6 ,if we only look out for ,god's ways1 and ponder over them1 we shall understand more of the loving-kindness of the ,lord4 ,and now1 because there was corn in ,egypt1 and because there was a fearful famine in the land of ,canaan1 it came to pass that the shepherd brothers went down to buy corn1 and ,joseph1 the great ruler1 instantly recognized them2 and he sent them back with corn for their families1 and by and by to fetch his dear old father to come to him till the famine was over4 ,and that was how it was ,god gave ,his servant ,jacob his heart's desire4 ,you can just imagine with what joy ,joseph set out in his chariot to meet his father6 ,jacob1 who was now a hundred and thirty years old1 lived near his dear son ,joseph for seventeen years1 till his death4 ,then the brothers were afraid1 that now their father was gone1 ,joseph might requite the wrong which they had done him4 ,so they went to him1 and earnestly asked him to forgive them4 ,and ,joseph wept at their words1 and freely forgave them2 and said that ,god had turned their thoughts of evil into good1 to keep much people from dying of famine4 ,and this is how the ,children of ,israel came to settle down in ,egypt for four hundred and thirty years4 ,illustration ,,iii4 ,,the ,,good ,,little ,,sister ,,exodus #b4a-aj ,,years and years ago1 there was a little girl standing by the great ,river ,nile1 which as you know1 runs through ,egypt into the ,mediterranean4 ,there she stood1 quite alone1 first glancing back to see if anyone might be coming that way1 and then looking earnestly towards the river1 fringed at that place with bulrushes1 which sometimes grew as high as ten or twelve feet4 ,why was the girl looking so earnestly at those bulrushes as they swayed in the breeze8 ,or why did she again turn anxiously to see if any ,egyptian ,soldier should be coming down to the ,river's brink8 ,did she know of something which was hidden there8 ,something very1 very precious8 ,perhaps1 wearied with standing and watching in two directions1 ,miriam sat down1 and resting her elbows on her knees1 looked only towards the river2 and as she sat so silently and patiently there1 her mind went over the past months of anxious fears1 which had almost overwhelmed the family of ,israelites of whom she was the only daughter4 ,she knew that about #djj years before1 the ,children of ,israel1 whom the ,egyptians called the ,hebrews1 and we now call the ,jews1 travelled down from the land of ,canaan 7,palestine7 to the land of ,egypt4 ,they were the children of ,abraham and of ,isaac and of ,jacob2 and because of a great famine in all the countries round1 these ,israelites came down to ,egypt to buy corn4 ,you have all heard the story of ,joseph who was sold into ,egypt by his brothers8 ,well1 ,god had sent this ,joseph to ,egypt1 on purpose1 to store up the corn for the famine which was coming4 ,so ,joseph gave his brothers as much corn as they needed1 and sent them back to fetch his dear old father ,jacob4 ,and that is how the ,israelites came down into ,egypt1 and settled there with their flocks and herds1 for they were ,shepherds4 ,but by and bye the ,egyptians began to get jealous of them4 ,they increased in numbers so fast1 and were so prosperous1 because ,god blessed them abundantly1 that the ,king of ,egypt sent out a command that all the little boys who were born to the ,israelites must be killed1 and only the little girls saved alive4 ,this was a very cruel command1 and the ,israelitish women were very sorrowful at having all their baby boys thrown into the river4 ,at length1 one baby boy was born1 whom his ,mother managed to hide in their little home for three long months2 but he was a beautiful1 strong child1 and soon1 his mother found that it was impossible to hide him4 ,she and her husband loved and served ,god1 and we read in the #aath ,chapter of the ,epistle to the ,hebrews and the #bcrd verse1 that it was by faith that they hid him so long1 looking up to ,god in ,heaven to save their darling boy4 ,then ,jochebed made a sort of basket-cradle of the reeds from the ,river1 and she daubed it with slime and made it water-tight4 ,and then she called her little daughter ,miriam to her side1 and they laid the beautiful baby in his little bed1 and ,miriam took the basket and carried it down to the water's edge4 ,and1 when no one was looking1 she hid it in the thick bulrushes which grew there4 ,then she sat at a distance and watched4 ,by and bye ,miriam saw ,pharaoh's daughter1 the ,princess1 and her maidens1 come down the road towards the water1 and though her heart beat fast1 and she was dreadfully afraid1 she found they had only come to bathe in the river4 ,then she saw as they walked along by the edge1 that ,pharaoh's daughter noticed something strange among the rushes1 and sent her maid to fetch it4 ,and when the ,princess opened the basket1 there was the beautiful baby crying1 and ,pharaoh's daughter was grieved to see it cry1 and she said3 ,this is one of the ,hebrews' children6 ,how all the maidens crowded round to gaze at the beautiful baby6 ,it seems as if ,miriam had been coming nearer and nearer1 till she stood among the group of maidens who were gazing down at the sweet baby2 and she said1 looking up into the ,princess's face1 ,shall ,i go and call to thee a nurse of the ,hebrew women1 that she may nurse the child for thee8 ,and here ,i notice two or three things about this young girl4 ,first1 ,i think she loved ,god1 and like her ,father and ,mother1 she trusted ,him4 ,next1 ,i see that she was a patient little girl1 and an obedient girl4 ,she did what her mother had told her most faithfully4 ,she also used the common sense ,god had given her2 and in spite of her awe of the ,princess1 she bravely did the wisest thing she could have done4 ,she saw that ,pharaoh's daughter had taken a great liking to her baby brother1 and ,i think she thought this might be ,god's way of saving him from death4 ,so the ,princess said ,go6 ,and ,miriam ran1 like an arrow from a bow1 straight to her ,mother1 to tell her to come and see after her own baby6 ,you can think of that ,mother's joy4 ,god had seen the faith of that ,hebrew ,father and ,mother1 and had answered their prayers to save their child4 ,and when ,jochebed hurried to the ,river side1 and lifted the baby from its cradle into her safe arms1 ,pharaoh's daughter said to her1 ,take this child away1 and nurse it for me1 and ,i will give thee thy wages4 ,oh6 ,how thankfully did the mother carry her baby back to their little home6 ,there she took care of him till he was old enough to be taken to the ,king's ,palace1 where he was called the son of ,pharaoh's daughter4 ,it was she who gave him the name of ,moses1 ,because1 she said1 ,i drew him out of the water4 ,long afterwards1 when ,god chose ,moses to bring the ,children of ,israel out of ,egypt1 his sister ,miriam went with him4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,iv4 ,,samson ,,after ,joshua was dead1 the ,children of ,israel began to be very slack in serving ,god2 and worse than all1 they set up other gods1 and worshipped them1 as the heathen did around them4 ,god was very longsuffering1 and ,he raised up ,judge after ,judge who delivered them from their enemies2 but soon the people fell into idolatry again4 ,at length1 ,god was so grieved at their evil ways that ,he delivered them into the hands of the ,philistines for twenty years4 ,and then ,he raised them up another ,judge4 ,there was a man who served ,god1 whose name was ,manoah2 and he had a godly wife1 but they had no children4 ,one day1 the ,angel of the ,lord appeared to ,manoah's wife1 and he told her that she would have the joy of having a little son1 who1 when he was grown1 should deliver ,israel from the hands of the ,philistines4 ,but the angel gave ,manoah's wife very strict instructions4 ,neither she1 nor her child1 were to take any wine or strong drink1 and the boy was not to have a razor come on his head from the day of his birth to the day of his death6 ,he was to be what was called ,a ,nazarite unto ,god4 ,and ,manoah prayed earnestly that ,god would send the angel to them again to tell them how to bring up the child who was to come to them4 ,and ,god listened to ,manoah's prayer2 and as the woman was in the field1 the ,angel came again to her2 and she ran hastily to ,manoah1 and told him4 ,then ,manoah begged the man to let him dress a kid and offer him food-but the man said he would take no food1 but they could offer a sacrifice to ,god1 if they wished it4 ,and when the sacrifice was offered1 and the smoke arose from the ,altar1 the ,angel of the ,lord went up toward heaven1 and ascended in the flame from off the ,altar4 ,then ,manoah said1 ,we shall surely die1 because we have seen ,god6 ,but his wife argued from all that had happened1 that if the ,lord had intended to kill them1 ,he would not have accepted their offering1 neither would ,he have showed them all these things4 ,illustration3 ,it was lying by the path1 and the bees were swarming around4 ,at length the child came1 and they called him ,samson4 ,as he grew to manhood1 he found that ,god was giving him wonderful strength4 ,one day a young lion came out and roared against him4 ,and the ,spirit of the ,lord came mightily upon him1 and he rent the lion1 and killed him1 just as he might have rent a kid2 for he had no weapon in his hand4 ,when ,samson next passed that way1 he looked for the carcase of the lion1 and there it was lying by the path1 and the bees were swarming around1 as they had built a honey-comb in the body of the lion4 ,so he ate some of the honey1 and took the rest to his father and mother2 but he did not tell them that he had killed the lion4 ,then ,samson made a great feast for seven days1 for he had married a ,philistine girl1 to the great sorrow of his parents4 ,and while they were feasting1 he and the thirty young men who were his companions1 ,samson gave them a riddle to find out1 promising that he would give a large prize if they could discover it2 but if not1 they were to give him a prize4 ,this was the riddle3 ,out of the eater came forth meat1 and out of the strong came forth sweetness4 ,the young men puzzled for several days1 and at last they persuaded ,samson's young wife to get the secret from him4 ,and at length she begged so hard that he told her the answer4 ,then she went to her people1 the ,philistines1 and told them4 ,when the seven days were up1 the young men gave the answer3 ,what is sweeter than honey1 and what is stronger than a lion8 ,but ,samson was very angry when he found that they had persuaded his wife2 and he went down to ,ashkelon and killed thirty ,philistines1 and brought the spoil and divided it among the young men who had answered his riddle4 ,and then in fierce anger1 he returned to his father's house4 ,but his wife was given to one of the companions who used to be his friend1 and ,samson never saw her again4 ,samson judged ,israel for twenty years1 and by his great personal strength and courage1 he gained many victories over the ,philistines4 ,but he made a great mistake1 which resulted in his death4 ,the ,philistines at once took advantage of this1 and promised a heathen ,philistine woman great riches if she would find out1 and tell them1 the secret of his wonderful strength4 ,in an evil moment1 he told her that it was because he was a ,nazarite1 and that no razor had ever come upon his head6 ,so1 when he was asleep1 ,delilah managed to cut off his hair2 and then she sent for the lords of the ,philistines1 who hurried to the spot4 ,they easily bound ,samson because his strength was gone from him2 and they put out his eyes1 and sent him to grind in the prison-house4 ,it would take me too long to tell you how his hair began to grow again1 and his strength began to return4 ,or how he was taken out to make sport for the ,philistines1 and how he begged the boy who led him to let him feel the pillars of the house where three thousand ,philistines were watching him from the roof4 ,samson asked ,god to give him strength for this1 once more2 and then he bowed himself with all his might1 clasping the pillars in his arms1 and the house fell1 and he1 and all the three thousand ,philistines1 were buried beneath the ruins4 ,what a difference there was between ,manoah's godly wife1 and ,samson's heathen6 ,illustration ,v4 ,,the ,,chariot ,,of ,,fire ,,but now the time had come when the ,lord was going to take ,elijah up to ,heaven in a whirlwind4 ,so ,elijah went with ,elisha from ,gilgal1 and as they journeyed1 he said to him3 ,stay here1 ,i pray thee2 for the ,lord hath sent me to ,bethel4 ,but ,elisha would not allow him to go alone1 so they went to ,bethel together4 ,when they reached ,bethel1 the sons of the prophets who lived there came out to meet ,elisha1 and they said to him3 ,do you know that the ,lord is going to take your master away from you to-day8 ,and ,elisha said3 ,i know it2 but hold your peace4 ,and so it went on till they reached ,jericho1 and here again the sons of the prophets came to ,elisha with their question3 ,do you know that the ,lord will take your master from your head to-day8 ,and again ,elisha sorrowfully answered3 ,yes1 ,i know it2 hold ye your peace4 ,then ,elijah said to him3 ,stay here1 ,i pray thee2 for the ,lord hath sent me to ,jordan4 ,but ,elisha gave the same answer to him as he had given before1 that he would not on any account leave him4 ,so they went on together4 ,the sons of the prophets evidently knew that something very wonderful was going to happen1 and as they saw the two men going towards ,jordan1 fifty of them gathered together and stood to view from afar4 ,so they came to the river ,jordan1 and ,elijah wrapped his mantle together and smote the waters1 and they were divided hither and thither1 and they two passed over on dry ground4 ,then ,elijah said to ,elisha3 ,ask what ,i shall do for thee1 before ,i am taken away from thee4 ,and ,elisha said3 ,i pray thee1 let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me6 ,elijah answered him that was a great thing he had asked1 but if ,elisha saw him when he was taken away1 then he would know that his request was granted4 ,and as they were talking1 there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire1 and they were parted from each other2 and ,elijah went up by a whirlwind into ,heaven4 ,and ,elisha saw it1 and he cried3 ,my father1 my father1 the chariot of ,israel and the horsemen thereof4 ,and he took ,elijah's mantle that fell from him1 and smote the waters of ,jordan again1 and they were divided before him1 and he passed over4 ,then the sons of the prophets begged to be allowed to go to search for ,elijah1 or to find his body1 but ,elisha was unwilling1 and begged them not to go1 for he knew it would be useless4 ,but fifty of them went out and searched for three whole days1 but did not find him4 ,illustration3 ,elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven4 ,how could they1 when he was gone up to heaven in a chariot of fire8 ,and now in the ,new ,testament1 nine hundred years after that chariot of fire1 which took ,elijah to ,heaven1 we read of him again on the top of a mountain talking to ,jesus while ,he was on earth6 ,it was not long before our ,lord's death on ,calvary that ,he took ,his three disciples1 ,peter1 ,james1 and ,john1 up to a high mountain and was transfigured before them4 ,you will perhaps ask3 ,what does transfigured mean8 ,it means--changed1 altered--made exceedingly bright and beautiful4 ,the ,lord ,jesus had been on earth for thirty-three years4 ,he had gone about when ,he was young like an ordinary boy1 and afterwards like an ordinary man2 except that ,he did no sin1 and was perfectly holy and loving2 and was full of mercy and kindness to every one ,he met4 ,but now the time had come for ,him to suffer on the ,cross1 to bear the punishment of our sins4 ,and our ,heavenly ,father wished to give those three disciples a glimpse of the glory which ,jesus had left when ,he came to earth1 and to which ,he was going back1 when ,he had done all the work which ,his ,father had given ,him to do4 ,so when they reached the top of the mountain with ,jesus1 suddenly they found that ,his face was changed into a face of glory1 and ,his clothes became white and glistening4 ,and soon they saw that ,jesus was talking with two men--,moses and ,elijah--who had come down from the glory of ,heaven to talk with ,him about ,his death which would soon happen at ,jerusalem4 ,can we not imagine the joy of ,moses and ,elijah1 and the adoring worship of their hearts1 as they talked with their beloved ,lord8 ,no wonder that ,peter said in one of his ,letters afterwards in speaking of this scene3 ,we 4 4 4 were eyewitnesses of ,his majesty4 ,for ,he received from ,god the ,father honour and glory1 when there came such a voice from the excellent glory3 ',this is ,my beloved ,son1 in ,whom ,i am well pleased4' ,and this ,voice which came from ,heaven we heard1 when we were with ,him in the holy mount4 ,then a bright cloud overshadowed them1 and when it had passed away1 ,moses and ,elijah were no longer there1 but ,jesus only6 ,and ,jesus came and touched them1 and told them not to be afraid4 ,and then as they went down from the mountain1 ,he explained to them that ,he would very shortly have to die2 but that they were not to tell of the ,vision they had seen1 till after ,he was risen from the dead4 ,jesus said ,himself to two of ,his friends after ,his resurrection3 ,ought not ,christ to have suffered these things and to enter into ,his glory8 ,and beginning at ,moses and all the ,prophets1 ,he explained to them all through the ,bible the things which were written there about ,himself4 ,illustration ,,vi4 ,,in ,,the ,,cave ,,after ,david had conquered the giant1 and had brought his head to the king1 ,saul for a while was very proud of his young soldier1 and made much of him in every way4 ,and ,david behaved himself wisely2 and ,saul set him over his men of war1 and he became very popular among the people4 ,meanwhile ,jonathan1 ,saul's son1 thought there was no one in the world like ,david6 ,he loved him as his own soul4 ,he took off his own beautiful clothes1 which belonged to him as the king's son1 and put them on ,david1 even presenting him with his sword1 his bow and his girdle4 ,but a jealous feeling began to rankle in the breast of the king4 ,he heard the women singing who came out to meet him from the cities1 after ,david's slaughter of the giant1 and these were the words they sang3 ,saul has slain his thousands1 but ,david his ten thousands4 ,this made the king very angry1 and from that day forth1 he determined to kill ,david4 ,so ,king ,saul hunted ,david up and down the land4 ,jonathan was devoted to him1 and helped him to escape many times4 ,he endeavoured to be a peacemaker1 and assured his father that ,david had no evil designs against him4 ,but it was all of no use4 ,jealousy1 which the ,bible says is cruel as the grave1 had entered into ,saul's heart1 and it poisoned all his thoughts4 ,then ,david again had a great victory over the ,philistines1 and ,saul was so jealous that he threw his javelin at him4 ,david1 however1 escaped1 and the javelin went into the wall1 where he had been sitting playing his harp to ,saul4 ,he fled down to his house1 but ,saul sent men to watch for him and to kill him in the morning4 ,so ,michal1 his wife1 persuaded him to fly that night1 for she was sure he would be slain4 ,michal was ,saul's daughter1 and she loved ,david4 ,so she let him down through a window1 and he escaped4 ,then ,michal took an image1 and laid it in the bed1 and put a goat's-hair pillow for a bolster and covered it with a cloth4 ,and when ,saul's messengers came to take ,david1 ,michal said3 ,he is sick4 ,then ,saul sent back the messengers and ordered them to bring ,david in his bed6 ,but when the messengers came in1 there was only an image in the bed1 and ,david was far away6 ,so it went on1 till ,david was hunted from place to place1 all over the land1 and driven1 with the men of war who followed him1 to live in the mountains1 and among rocks and caves1 to get away from ,saul's vengeance4 ,one day1 as ,saul was pursuing hotly after ,david1 who he heard was in the wilderness of ,engedi1 he was very weary with travel1 and finding a large dark cave1 he entered it1 and lay down to get some sleep4 ,little did ,saul guess1 that the man he had come to seek was close to him1 and that in the darkness of the cave1 and hidden by the jutting sides1 ,david and his men were quietly watching him4 ,when ,saul had fallen into a deep sleep1 ,david's men whispered to him that the day had come when the ,lord had delivered his enemy into his hand6 ,so ,david went forward1 and as he approached ,saul1 he saw that his robe1 with which he had covered his feet1 lay partly on the ground4 ,so he softly cut off the skirt of ,saul's robe1 and went back to his hiding-place4 ,but ,david's heart smote him1 because he had cut off ,saul's robe2 and he hastily forbade his men to touch the king1 for was he not the ,lord's anointed8 ,presently ,saul awoke from his sleep and went out of the cave1 and ,david followed him and called out to him1 ,my lord the king6 ,and when ,saul looked behind him1 ,david stooped and bowed low before him4 ,and ,david said to ,saul3 ,why do you regard men's words1 telling you that ,i seek your hurt8 ,look1 how this very day the ,lord has delivered you into my hand in the cave1 and some bade me kill you2 but my eye has spared you1 and ,i said1 ',i will not put forth my hand to hurt the ,lord's anointed6' ,moreover1 see1 my father1 here is the skirt of your robe in my hand6 ,surely you know now that ,i have not tried to hurt you1 and yet you have hunted my soul to take it6 ,the ,lord is judge between us2 ,he will plead my cause1 and will deliver me out of your hand6 ,when ,david had said these gentle and brave words1 ,saul said3 ,is this thy voice1 my son ,david8 and ,saul lifted up his voice and wept4 ,then he said to ,david3 ,you have been more honourable than ,i have1 for you have rewarded me with good1 and ,i have rewarded you with evil4 ,therefore may the ,lord reward you good for what you have done to me this day4 ,and then he went on to tell ,david that he knew he would be king one day1 and he earnestly begged him to be merciful to his father's house and not let his name perish out of the land4 ,so ,david promised him1 before the ,lord4 ,then ,saul went to his home1 and ,david returned to his stronghold4 ,saul later on again attempted to capture ,david1 taking with him three thousand men4 ,david heard where ,saul was camped1 and taking ,abishai with him1 entered ,saul's camp by night4 ,they found ,saul asleep with his captain in a trench1 with his men lying all around4 ,abishai wished to kill ,saul1 but ,david refused1 saying1 ,destroy him not3 for who can stretch out his hand against the ,lord's anointed and be guiltless8 ,so they took ,saul's spear and water-bottle that was against his head and got away without anyone seeing them4 ,so ,david again spared the life of the man who for years had tried to kill him4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,vii4 ,,moses ,,in ,,the ,,land ,,of ,,midian ,,exodus #b4ac-be ,,moses grew up from that little babe who had been hidden in the flags or reeds of the ,nile1 and he had been educated in all the learning of the ,egyptians1 as if he had been the real son of ,pharaoh's daughter4 ,god was watching over ,moses all the time1 and preparing him for the great and wonderful work he was to do4 ,do we all sometimes feel it very hard to learn difficult tasks8 ,do we1 as we grow older1 sometimes wonder what work ,god is getting us ready to do for ,him8 ,i remember when ,i was young1 how ,i was asked to stay for a fortnight at a lady's house whom ,i had never seen1 or heard of1 before4 ,she called on my father1 and said she should like to know his two eldest daughters1 and would he allow us to come and stay with her8 ,so we went2 we were about nineteen and twenty at that time1 and we felt very homesick and strange at first4 ,but do you know8 ,that was one of the best things that ever happened to both of us6 ,that dear1 kind old lady1 had a heart full of love to ,jesus our ,saviour2 and she used her money1 and her house1 and her influence1 to help young people to love ,him too4 ,and when we got to know her1 we had such a happy time1 and set to work ourselves to try to bring others to love ,jesus4 ,well1 that was ,god's love in training us for what ,he wanted us to do afterwards4 ,so1 with ,moses2 he went in and out of ,pharaoh's ,court1 and learned many things which were most useful to him1 all his life1 in ,god's ,service4 ,the ,children of ,israel1 or the ,hebrews as they were called at this time1 were slaves in ,egypt1 and one day ,moses saw an ,egyptian using one of the ,hebrews very badly4 ,so ,moses interfered1 and killed the ,egyptian who was ill-treating one of ,god's people4 ,this made ,pharaoh very angry1 and he tried to kill ,moses4 ,so ,moses fled1 and by and bye1 he reached the land of ,midian1 where he sat down by a ,well1 and rested himself4 ,illustration3 ,,moses ,,in ,,the ,,land ,,of ,,midian4 ,this ,well belonged to the ,priest1 or ,prince of ,midian2 and he had seven daughters1 who every day came to the ,well1 and filled the troughs for their father's flocks to drink4 ,but some shepherds came and drove the girls away1 wishing1 ,i suppose1 to use the trough to water their own flocks1 without waiting for the maidens to finish their task4 ,but ,moses stood up and helped them1 so that they watered their father's flock very quickly4 ,when they came home1 their father asked them how it was that they returned so soon8 ,and they said3 ,an ,egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds1 and also drew water for us6 ,in the ,east1 people are very hospitable1 and ready to entertain strangers2 and directly ,reuel 7or ,jethro7 heard what his daughters said1 he exclaimed3 ,where is he8 ,how is it that you have left the man8 ,call him1 that he may eat bread4 ,illustration3 ,by and by1 ,moses and ,zipporah had a little son4 ,so ,moses was very happy to stay with ,jethro1 and soon he married one of ,jethro's daughters1 named ,zipporah4 ,and by and bye ,moses and ,zipporah had a little son1 whom ,moses named ,gershom4 ,but while all this was going on in ,midian1 the plight of the ,hebrews who were in ,egypt grew worse and worse4 ,the ,king1 who had wanted to kill ,moses1 had died1 and the ,children of ,israel sighed under the cruel bondage that the ,egyptians put upon them4 ,and their cry came up to ,god4 ,and ,god looked down out of heaven upon the poor1 hardly-used slaves1 and ,he came down from heaven and spoke to ,moses about them4 ,and the words ,he said are full of the tenderest comfort to all who are in trouble4 ,for ,god sees it1 whatever it is4 ,also ,he listens to our cry1 when things are too hard for us4 ,but best of all1 ,he knows just what is in our hearts1 which nobody else can see or hear1 and to this sorrow ,he says1 ,i1 even ,i1 am ,he that comforteth you4 ,so ,god said to ,moses1 ,for ,i know their sorrows2 and ,i am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the ,egyptians1 and to bring them up into a good land 444 flowing with milk and honey4 ,and ,god chose ,moses1 whom ,he had so wonderfully trained1 to be ,his ,servant1 who should deliver the ,children of ,israel from their hard slavery4 ,moses knew all about ,egypt4 ,he could speak the language of the ,egyptians3 he understood all about the ,court of ,pharaoh1 and the customs of the ,egyptians4 ,so ,god sent him straight down to ,egypt to deliver ,his people1 and ,he gave him this great and beautiful promise to cheer his heart3 ,certainly ,i will be with thee4 ,then ,god explained to ,moses that ,pharaoh would not let them go1 but that ,he would shew great wonders in ,egypt by ,his ,mighty ,hand1 and after that1 ,pharaoh would be so frightened1 that he would let them go4 ,all this came to pass2 for ,god sent plague after plague on the ,egyptians1 until at last1 in a marvellous way1 ,god delivered the whole of the ,israelites1 with all their possessions and flocks and herds1 right out of the hand of ,pharaoh4 ,and ,god brought them through the ,red ,sea on dry land1 while the great army of the ,egyptians who followed hard after them1 with their ,chariots and horses1 were drowned in the deep waters1 so that there was not one left6 ,and afterwards1 ,god led ,his people through the wilderness1 and did bring them into the ,land of ,canaan as ,he had promised4 ,illustration ,,viii4 ,a ,,good ,,report ,,of ,,the ,,land ,,the ,children of ,israel--the descendants of ,abraham1 ,isaac and ,jacob--had come down to ,egypt in consequence of the seven years of famine4 ,joseph was there1 and was great in the eyes of ,pharaoh1 and the king made old ,jacob and his sons1 with their families and their flocks1 welcome to live in the land of ,goshen4 ,for a time1 they were very happy and prosperous1 and ,god blessed them and they increased in numbers and riches4 ,but by and by1 the ,egyptians began to look round upon these ,children of ,israel1 and jealousy of their success filled their hearts4 ,the ,pharaoh who had made them so welcome for ,joseph's sake1 was dead4 ,and another king arose who had forgotten all about ,joseph1 and he began to lay burdens on the ,children of ,israel1 and to force them to build his palaces and cities4 ,illustration3 ,he began 4 4 4 to force them to build his palaces and cities4 ,at length1 the cruelty and the burdens became intolerable1 and the ,lord ,god in ,heaven saw their affliction1 heard their groaning1 and sent down to deliver them4 ,moses was ,his chosen servant1 and under him1 after many wonderful deliverances1 the people were brought right out and set free1 and were taken back to the borders of the land which ,god had promised to give to ,abraham and his children after him4 ,but the ,children of ,israel were disobedient1 and forgetful of all the wonders that ,god had shown them1 in delivering them from ,egypt4 ,he had made a way for them to walk dry-shod through the ,red ,sea2 ,he brought water out of a rock for their thirst2 and ,he sent down manna every day for their food4 ,but because of their murmuring1 complaining spirit1 ,god told ,moses that ,he could not let them go into the land of ,canaan just yet4 ,so ,he led them about in the wilderness2 spreading ,his cloud over them in the day to shield them from the sun's scorching rays2 and by night ,he put a pillar of fire to give them light and comfort4 ,at length1 in the second year after they came out of ,egypt1 they reached the wilderness of ,paran4 ,and now ,god told ,moses to take one chief man out of each of the twelve tribes of ,israel1 and he was to send them into the land of ,canaan to bring back a report of what they found there4 ,there were twelve men chosen1 but of these only two1 ,caleb and ,joshua1 were faithful to ,god all through4 ,the twelve men set out1 and at the end of forty days they returned with their report of all they had seen4 ,they brought with them pomegranates and figs2 and the grapes were so plentiful1 that from one place called ,eshcol they brought a bunch which required two men to carry it on a pole between them4 ,for ,god had promised when they left ,egypt1 that ,he would bring them to a land flowing with milk and honey1 and that ,he would drive out all their enemies before them4 ,if only they had remembered this6 ,so the messengers began to tell their tale4 ,they said that indeed it was a rich land1 flowing with milk and honey4 ,and see1 said they1 here is some of the fruit of it4 ,you can imagine for yourselves how ,caleb and ,joshua stood by1 listening to the eager words of the other ten4 ,and now came another word1 which made those two faithful men tremble--and it was an unbelieving1 faithless word6 ,nevertheless1 the ten spies went on1 the cities are walled1 there are giants there1 and numbers of enemies dwell on every side2 we are not able to go up against the people1 for they are stronger than we are6 ,then you can imagine ,caleb and ,joshua starting forward to still the people1 and they cried3 ,let us go up at once and possess the land1 for we are well able to overcome it6 ,but the ten spies persisted that they could not go up1 and all the people mourned and wept1 and told ,moses that they had better return to ,egypt1 for they would die in the wilderness1 and their wives and their children would be a prey for their enemies4 ,oh1 how sad is want of faith6 ,they forgot the power of ,god and the promises of ,god6 ,they let ,satan whisper in their hearts that1 after all1 ,god would fail them1 and though the land was beautiful and full of food and plenty--,nevertheless there were too many enemies to face4 ,god was very grieved at the unbelief of the people1 and ,he said that none of those who had distrusted ,him should enter into the land of ,canaan1 but their children should in due time enter in and possess it4 ,this is a solemn lesson for us all4 ,there are right times to say ,nevertheless4 ,peter said to ,jesus3 ,nevertheless at ,thy word ,i will let down the net1 and they got a great draught of fishes6 ,paul said3 ,nevertheless the ,lord stood by me1 and strengthened me1 and he fought a good fight to the end6 ,god did not forget the faithfulness of ,caleb and ,joshua2 for ,joshua was chosen1 years afterwards1 to lead the people into the land and to fight the ,lord's battles2 and ,caleb1 because he had wholly followed the ,lord1 entered with his children into the ,promised ,land1 and had a happy possession in it4 ,it was true of them both3 ,none of them that trust in ,him shall be desolate4 ,illustration ,,ix4 ,,moses ,,hidden ,,in ,,the ,,cleft ,,of ,,the ,,rock ,,exodus #cc4ag-bc ,,for forty years1 ,moses1 the little boy who had been taken out of the water by ,pharaoh's daughter1 was brought up in ,pharaoh's ,palace in ,egypt1 where he learned the wisdom of the ,egyptians1 and was mighty in word and deed4 ,he evidently knew that he belonged to the ,israelites or ,hebrews1 as they were called2 but it was not till he had reached forty years of age that he began to look upon the sad plight of his own people4 ,the ,egyptians had gradually made the ,hebrews into slaves1 and were using them with great cruelty2 but at length ,moses understood that ,god was going to deliver the people by his hand4 ,however1 the first effort he made1 was that he killed an ,egyptian who was hurting a ,hebrew man2 and this came to the ears of ,pharaoh1 and he was so angry that ,moses fled away1 and never stopped till he reached the land of ,midian4 ,here he remained for another forty years4 ,he married a wife and had two sons1 and he tended the flocks of his father-in-law1 and lived a very peaceful life4 ,but one day ,god came down and spoke to him4 ,he told ,moses that in ,egypt1 the condition of ,god's people was getting worse and worse1 and that ,he had chosen ,moses to be their deliverer4 ,god said that ,he would go with him1 and help him through2 and promised that they should all serve ,god on this very ,mountain in ,horeb1 where ,god was now speaking to him4 ,it would take too long to tell you all the wonders that ,god had to do to set ,his people free from their bondage2 but at length they escaped from ,egypt--every one of them--they went through the ,red ,sea on dry land1 because ,god kept back the water on each side of them2 and as they passed in to the dry pathway ,god had made for them1 ,he took ,his ,pillar of ,cloud1 which used to lead them1 and ,he put it behind them1 so that it was between them and their enemies4 ,and it was a cloud of darkness to the ,egyptians1 but it was a bright light to the ,israelites1 all night4 ,when they had passed over1 ,god took the cloud away1 and the ,egyptians followed through the ,sea1 but ,god let the waters go back on ,pharaoh and his host1 and they were all drowned in the sea1 and the ,israelites were all safe on the other side4 ,this is a glorious lesson for us1 to show us how ,god will conquer our great enemy1 ,satan1 and will bring us safely through1 if we trust ,him4 ,when the ,children of ,israel came to ,horeb1 ,god called ,moses up on the ,mountain to receive ,his ,commandments1 and to listen to all that ,god wished him to do2 but the people began to get restless and disobedient4 ,moses had been on the ,mountain for forty days1 and they said to ,aaron1 the brother of ,moses1 who was the ,high ,priest1 ,up6 ,make us gods1 which shall go before us1 for as for this ,moses we know not what is become of him6 ,then ,aaron made a ,golden ,calf for them to worship6 ,when ,moses came down from talking with ,god1 and found what had happened1 he threw the slabs of stone on which ,god had written ,his law1 over the edge of a precipice1 and they were broken in pieces beneath the mountain4 ,the ,lord was very grieved and angry at the disobedience of the people4 ,and ,moses besought the ,lord to forgive them2 and he even asked ,god to blot his name out of the ,book where ,he had written it1 sooner than that the whole ,congregation should perish4 ,and ,god heard his prayer for the forgiveness of the people1 and told ,moses to go forward and lead them to the ,land4 ,and ,god said1 ,my ,presence shall go with thee1 and ,i will give thee rest4 ,now ,moses loved ,god very much1 and he answered the ,lord1 ,if ,thy ,presence go not with me1 carry us not up hence1 for wherein shall it be known here1 that ,i and ,thy people have found grace in ,thy sight8 ,is it not in that ,thou goest with us8 ,and the ,lord said unto ,moses1 ,i will do this thing also that thou hast spoken4 ,and then ,moses1 emboldened by ,god's wonderful kindness in answering his prayer1 made a yet further request4 ,i beseech ,thee1 show me ,thy ,glory6 he said4 ,and the ,lord promised to shew ,moses all ,his ,goodness1 and all ,his ,mercy2 but ,god told him he could not see ,his face1 for the ,glory of it would be too much4 ,the ,lord pointed out a place on the mountainside where there was a clift1 or cleft1 in a rock1 and ,he told ,moses he might stand within that cleft1 and ,god would put ,his hand over him1 so that the glory of ,his face should not be seen4 ,so ,moses hastened into that cleft of the rock1 and the ,glory of the ,lord passed by1 and after ,he had passed by1 ,moses was allowed to see ,his back1 but ,his face might not be seen4 ,it is a wonderful story2 and ,i think it should dwell in our hearts1 that the ,holiness of ,god is great beyond what any words of ours can picture4 ,there is a prayer of the ,lord ,jesus in the ,gospel of ,john1 which is very comforting when we think with solemn awe about the ,holiness of ,god4 ,father ,i will that they also1 whom ,thou hast given me1 be with me where ,i am3 that they may behold my glory1 which ,thou hast given me2 for ,thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world4 ,god gave ,his own beloved ,son1 ,jesus our ,lord1 to wash away our sins1 and make us fit to see his ,glory by and bye4 ,and in the ,book of the ,revelation we are told1 that in ,heaven1 ,god's servants shall serve ,him1 and they shall see ,his face4 ,illustration ,illustration3 ,,moses ,,sees ,,the ,,glory ,,of ,,god4 ,illustration ,x4 ,,aaron',s ,,rod ,,that ,,budded ,,numbers #af ,,and #ag ,,before we begin to talk about the pleasant happy story of ,aaron's ,rod1 and how it came out into buds and flowers1 there is a very dark and sorrowful story which we must think of first4 ,the ,lord told ,moses to make a beautiful ,tabernacle or ,tent1 where ,he would speak to him face to face2 and ,he appointed the different ,tribes to pitch their tents round it4 ,god choose ,aaron1 the elder brother of ,moses1 to be the ,high ,priest4 ,aaron was the head of the tribe of ,levi1 and his family were the only ones who were allowed to approach ,god in the offerings which were to be presented for sin2 and to offer the sweet ,incense on the ,golden ,altar of ,incense1 which was in the ,holy ,place in the ,tabernacle4 ,god said this ,incense was to be made in a special way1 and no one was to make any like it4 ,and the ,lord warns the people that the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death4 ,even ,aaron's two elder sons1 ,nadab and ,abihu1 died before the ,lord in the wilderness of ,sinai1 when they took their censers1 and put fire therein1 and put incense thereon1 and offered strange fire before the ,lord1 which he commanded them not4 ,these things were well known1 and understood by the ,israelites2 but so evil are men's hearts and so easily excited to jealousy1 that three men named ,korah1 ,dathan and ,abiram1 gathered together a number of the ,princes of the ,congregation1 and came to ,moses and ,aaron with complaints1 that ,moses and ,aaron were taking too much upon themselves1 and that all the ,congregation were equally fit to draw near to ,god1 and to do those parts of the ,holy ,service1 which ,god had appointed that only ,aaron and his sons should do4 ,moses was dreadfully grieved1 and he fell on his face in bitter sorrow4 ,then he told ,korah and the ,princes that they were to present themselves at the door of the ,tabernacle on the following day4 ,illustration3 ,the earth opened her mouth1 and swallowed up ,dathan and ,abiram4 ,he said to them1 ,this do3 ,take you censers1 ,korah and all his company1 and put fire therein1 and put incense in them before the ,lord to-morrow4 ,but ,moses warned them that the ,lord would choose who was holy1 and who should draw near to ,him4 ,korah and his company would not heed the warning4 ,they had time to think over and repent of their sin1 for the ,lord is a ,god ready to pardon4 ,but they went on in their proud arrogance1 and oh6 to what a dreadful end it led them4 ,so the next day ,korah gathered all the ,congregation together against ,moses and ,aaron1 at the door of the ,tabernacle4 ,but ,dathan and ,abiram1 who specially strove against the authority of ,moses1 would not come up1 but remained in their tents4 ,then the ,lord told ,moses and ,aaron to separate themselves quickly from the ,congregation that ,he might consume them all in ,his anger4 ,but once more ,moses and ,aaron fell on their faces1 and interceded with the ,lord for those people who had not joined in the rebellion2 and the ,lord heard their prayer1 and told ,moses to send the people to a distance1 lest they should be consumed in the sins of these rebellious men4 ,so the people fled from round about the tents of ,korah1 ,dathan1 and ,abiram4 ,and then ,god sent an earthquake1 and the ,earth opened her mouth1 and swallowed up ,dathan and ,abiram1 and their families and their tents4 ,and as the ,congregation fled still further from the awful cry of them1 a fire came out from the ,lord1 and destroyed ,korah1 and the two hundred and fifty ,princes1 who had offered ,incense4 ,it is an awful thing to risk ,god's punishment4 ,this is a very1 very sad story2 but it is written down in the ,bible1 to show that we must obey ,god's commands1 and seek ,him in the way ,he has provided4 ,in the ,old ,testament times1 the way to approach ,god was by the ,priests whom ,god had appointed to present the ,offerings for sin1 and to burn the ,incense2 but now1 since ,god sent ,his dear ,son1 ,jesus ,christ1 to make atonement for our sins1 ,jesus is the ,way to ,god4 ,he is the ,lamb of ,god which taketh away the sin of the world4 ,after all these dreadful things happened1 the ,lord spoke to ,moses again4 ,god told him that each of the ,princes at the head of the ,twelve ,tribes1 was to bring a rod1 with his name clearly marked on it1 and ,moses was to take the twelve rods and place them in the ,tabernacle before the ,ark of the ,testimony4 ,aaron the ,high ,priest was the head of the ,tribe of ,levi1 and his rod1 with his name on it1 was to be sent in with the others4 ,and ,god said1 ,the man's rod whom ,i shall choose1 shall blossom2 and ,i will make to cease the murmurings of the ,children of ,israel1 whereby they murmur against you4 ,moses did this1 and went in on the morrow to look at the rods2 and behold the rod of ,aaron1 for the house of ,levi1 was budded1 and brought forth buds1 and bloomed blossoms1 and yielded ,almonds4 ,illustration3 ,,aaron',s ,,rod ,,that ,,budded4 ,then ,moses carried all the rods out for the children of ,israel to see1 and the ,lord said1 ,bring ,aaron's rod again before the ,testimony1 to be kept for a token against the rebels2 and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me1 that they die not4 ,illustration ,,xi4 ,,to ,,the ,,city ,,of ,,refuge ,,weary and spent1 the man ran2 traversing the hot desert roads in the daytime2 and hurrying on through the night if perchance there were a moon or stars to guide him2 or else crouching in some corner behind some rock1 till daylight enabled him to hurry forward once more6 ,why was the man running over the ground at his topmost speed8 ,was he carrying a message1 or bringing bad news1 or what could it be8 ,no1 he was hurrying to a place of safety6 ,but why8 you may ask4 ,was he being pursued1 or what was it8 ,yes1 he was being pursued by a man who was called ,the ,avenger of blood4 ,for ,god's law was1 that a man who had hated his neighbour and had planned to kill him and had carried out his purpose should surely be put to death4 ,so if any one was killed among the ,children of ,israel1 at once the ,avenger of blood hurried to the spot and seized the murderer1 who was then examined before the priests and the judges2 and witnesses were called to give evidence as to whether the prisoner had intended to kill his neighbour1 so that the judges might decide whether he were guilty or not4 ,god's law made it necessary that there should be more than one witness before a man could be condemned4 ,but if a death were caused by an accident1 ,god provided a way of escape for the manslayer1 and it is this way of escape that ,i am going to tell you about4 ,when the ,children of ,israel had wandered in the wilderness for forty years--for their murmuring and disobedience1 as ,god had said--they came at length to the land of ,canaan2 and here ,god told ,moses to divide the land among the different tribes1 and instructed him to separate ,six ,cities in different parts of the land1 three on one side of the ,river ,jordan1 and three on the other side4 ,these six cities were to be called cities of refuge1 and ,god told ,moses to make good roads leading to them1 so that if any one killed a man by accident or at unawares1 he might flee to one of those six cities1 at his utmost speed1 and not lose his way in his haste2 for when once there1 he would be sheltered1 and in safety1 so that the ,avenger of blood might not catch him and kill him4 ,you will find in the #aith chapter of ,deuteronomy the wonderful directions which ,god gave ,moses about these cities4 ,god said1 that any one who killed his neighbour ignorantly1 and had not intended to hurt him1 might flee to the city of refuge1 and be safe4 ,if a man and his neighbour went into a wood to cut down a tree1 and the axe-head of one of them flew off and struck the other man1 so that he died1 then the manslayer as he was called could flee to one of those cities1 and live6 ,or if a man let a stone fall upon his neighbour by accident1 and it killed him1 he could flee to the city of refuge1 and live6 ,illustration3 ,for when once there1 he would be sheltered and in safety4 ,as soon as he entered the city of refuge1 the elders of the city came forward and inquired into the circumstances which had made him fly there2 and so soon as they were satisfied that the death of his neighbour was an accident1 and that he was not worthy of death1 they made him welcome to their city1 and henceforward the city of refuge was to be his shelter4 ,but if any man hated his neighbour1 and laid in wait for him1 and rose up against him1 and smote him mortally1 so that he died1 and were to flee into one of these cities1 then the elders of his city should send and fetch him from there1 and deliver him unto the hand of the ,avenger of blood that he should die4 ,these were the rules which ,god made4 ,the man who hurried to that city of refuge knew in his own heart whether he was guilty or not2 and if he knew that it was an accident which had happened1 then when he reached the city how gladly did he pass the gate1 and get safely inside6 ,you can imagine how he sank down breathless and faint within that portal1 and how thankful he was in his own heart that ,god had provided a way of escape for him6 ,in this city of refuge1 he must stay2 nor was he free to leave it for a single moment1 till the death of the ,high ,priest who might be living in those days4 ,it might be many years1 or it might be only a short time2 but whether long or short there was no safety for him outside those walls4 ,if he ventured out1 if the ,avenger should meet him1 he would certainly be killed4 ,and it seems to me that there are one or two lessons which we may learn from this story1 which ,god has written for our learning4 ,may we not think of ,jesus ,christ our ,saviour as our ,city of ,refuge8 ,and if ,he is1 shall we not1 beneath the ,sheltering ,walls of ,his ,salvation1 be at rest from all our fears8 ,we read1 in the #fth of ,hebrews3 ,that 4 4 4 we might have a strong consolation1 who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us4 ,that man1 running from the ,avenger1 wanted life6 ,and if we fly to ,jesus ,christ to get life1 we find that ,he1 ,himself1 is the ,way--the plainly marked1 loving path to safety4 ,he is the ,truth1 for ,his promises are faithful4 ,he is the ,life1 for there is no eternal life apart from ,him4 ,how tenderly ,he says to us3 ,come unto ,me1 all ye that labour and are heavy laden1 and ,i will give you ,rest4 ,illustration ,,xii4 ,,the ,,letter ,,that ,,was ,,laid ,,before ,,the ,,lord1 ,,and ,,the ,,lord',s ,,answer ,,hezekiah1 ,king of ,judah1 did that which was right in the sight of the ,lord4 ,he trusted in the ,lord ,god of ,israel2 so that after him was none like him among all the ,kings of ,judah1 nor any that were before him4 ,immediately after he came to the throne1 he destroyed all the high places where the people had worshipped false gods1 and he broke their images2 and he followed the commandments of the ,lord with all his heart4 ,and the ,lord was with him1 and he prospered in all he set his hand to4 ,he defeated the ,philistines1 and rebelled against the yoke of the ,king of ,assyria1 and refused to serve him4 ,meanwhile1 however1 ,hoshea1 who was then ,king of ,israel1 was very much harassed by the ,assyrians1 and ,god permitted them to come into the land of ,israel and besiege ,samaria for three years4 ,they took it1 and carried numbers of captives into the land of ,assyria1 because ,his people had transgressed ,his commandments4 ,the ,assyrians1 having gained these victories1 turned their attention to the land of ,judah1 over which the good ,king ,hezekiah reigned1 and they fought against and took some of the fenced cities4 ,then ,hezekiah sent a present to the ,king of ,assyria1 hoping to bribe him not to pursue the war any further4 ,to make this payment ,hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the ,temple of the ,lord1 and sent all the money that was in the ,treasury4 ,but the riches which were known to belong to the ,kings of ,judah and ,israel were an immense attraction to their enemies3 so that instead of turning back1 the ,king of ,assyria sent his greatest generals with a host of soldiers to surround ,jerusalem and besiege it4 ,when they reached the conduit of the upper pool1 which supplied water to the city1 ,rabshakeh called to ,king ,hezekiah to come out to them4 ,then ,hilkiah1 and ,shebna1 and ,joah came forward to hear what ,rabshakeh had to say4 ,and ,rabshakeh's first words were full of pride and threatening3 ,thus saith the great ,king1 the ,king of ,assyria1 ',what confidence is this wherein thou trusteth8 ,in whom dost thou trust8 ,if ye say1 ,we trust in the ,lord our ,god1 ,hezekiah has broken down ,his altars and told ,judah they are to worship in ,jerusalem6' ,now therefore 444 ,i will deliver thee two thousand horses1 if thou canst on thy part put riders upon them6 ,then ,hezekiah's messengers begged ,rabshakeh to speak in the ,assyrian language1 and not in ,hebrew1 which the people understood4 ,but ,rabshakeh was more insulting than ever2 and told all who listened to him1 that it was vain for ,hezekiah to say ,the ,lord will deliver you6 ,sennacherib had conquered other nations1 and their gods had not delivered them6 ,and the ,lord would not deliver ,jerusalem out of his hand4 ,but ,eliakim told the people not to answer a word4 ,then they returned to the king with their clothes rent1 and told him the words of ,rabshakeh4 ,then ,hezekiah rent his clothes and put on sackcloth1 and went up into the house of the ,lord1 and sent his messengers to ,isaiah the ,prophet1 saying that it was indeed a day of trouble1 and surely the ,lord had heard the words of ,rabshakeh4 ,but the ,prophet ,isaiah sent this message to ,hezekiah3 ,thus saith the ,lord1 ,be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard1 with which the servants of the ,king of ,assyria have blasphemed ,me4 ,behold1 ,i will send a blast upon him1 and he shall hear a rumour1 and shall return to his own land2 and ,i will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land4 ,so ,rabshakeh returned1 and when he found fresh troubles in his own land1 he sent a message by letter to ,hezekiah1 saying they were not to rejoice that they had escaped their enemy6 ,for they would surely come and fight against them another time6 ,then ,hezekiah received the letter and read it1 and carried it up into the ,house of the ,lord and spread it before the ,lord4 ,and he prayed to the ,lord1 and told ,him it was quite true that other nations had been defeated by the cruel ,king of ,assyria1 but they had not the ,lord ,god of ,israel to trust in2 and then he ended with these words3 ,o ,lord our ,god1 ,i beseech ,thee1 save ,thou us out of his hand1 that all the kingdoms of the earth may know1 that ,thou art the ,lord ,god1 and ,thou only6 ,and then the ,lord gave ,his long glorious answer3 ,thus saith the ,lord concerning the ,king of ,assyria1 ,he shall not come into this city1 nor shoot an arrow there1 nor come before it with shield1 nor cast a bank against it4 ,by the way that he came1 by the same shall he return1 and shall not come into this city1 saith the ,lord4 ,for ,i will defend this city1 to save it1 for ,mine ,own ,sake1 and for ,my servant ,david's sake4 ,and it came to pass that night1 that the angel of the ,lord went out1 and smote in the camp of the ,assyrians an hundred and eighty-five thousand men3 and when they arose early in the morning they were all dead corpses4 ,so ,sennacherib1 ,king of ,assyria1 departed and returned to ,nineveh2 and as he was worshipping in the house of ,nisroch1 his god1 his two sons smote him and killed him4 ,god's words had come true4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xiii4 ,,the ,,queen ,,of ,,sheba ,,when ,david grew old1 one of his sons1 named ,adonijah1 exalted himself1 to make himself king instead of his father4 ,he conferred with ,joab the captain and with ,abiathar the priest1 and it was arranged that all the sons of the king should be invited to a great feast2 but when the invitations were given1 it was found that he had not included his brother ,solomon1 nor ,zadok the priest1 nor ,benaiah the soldier1 nor ,nathan the prophet1 who were all devoted friends of ,king ,david4 ,so ,nathan the prophet spoke to ,bathsheba1 the mother of ,solomon1 and begged her to go to ,king ,david and tell him that ,adonijah had set himself up as king2 and to remind ,david that he had promised her that he would give the kingdom to ,solomon his son4 ,david was very much troubled with what ,bathsheba and ,nathan told him1 and he solemnly assured them that ,god had promised the throne to ,solomon1 and to no one else2 and he then sent for ,zadok1 and he told him and ,nathan to anoint ,solomon ,king over ,israel at once1 and to blow with the trumpet and say1 ,solomon is ,king6 ,and he told them that ,solomon was to ride on the king's own mule1 and sit on the king's throne4 ,so they took a horn of oil out of the ,tabernacle and anointed ,solomon4 ,and they blew the trumpet1 and all the people said3 ,god save ,king ,solomon6 ,and the people came up after him1 rejoicing with music and great joy1 so that the earth rent with the sound of them4 ,thus ,solomon was established in his kingdom1 and reigned over all ,israel and ,judah4 ,now ,solomon loved the ,lord--and it says the ,lord loved ,solomon4 ,one day he went up to the high place at ,gibeon to sacrifice to the ,lord there2 and he offered a thousand burnt offerings upon the altar4 ,and the ,lord appeared to ,solomon in a dream2 and ,god said3 ,ask what ,i shall give thee6 ,then ,solomon thanked ,god for the great kindness which ,he had shown ,david his father1 in giving him a son to sit on his throne2 and acknowledged how ,david had walked before the ,lord in uprightness of heart4 ,and then he added3 ,o ,lord my ,god 4 4 4 ,i am but a little child 4 4 4 give me therefore an understanding heart to judge ,thy people2 for who is able to judge so great a people8 ,and the ,lord was pleased with ,solomon's request1 and ,he told him that because he had asked this thing1 and not asked for himself riches or honour or long life1 ,god would grant his prayer for an understanding heart1 and would add besides riches and honour1 so that there should be no king like ,solomon in all the world1 nor ever would be again4 ,and then1 after these gracious and wonderful assurances1 the ,lord ,god added this warning--and it seems to me that the warning comes home to every one of us now3 ,if thou wilt walk in ,my ways to keep ,my statutes and ,my commandments1 as thy father ,david did walk1 then ,i will lengthen thy days4 ,then ,solomon awoke from his dream1 and he came to ,jerusalem and offered burnt offerings unto the ,lord there4 ,he at once set about ruling his kingdom and exercising the wonderful wisdom which ,god had given him4 ,and this was why1 when he had built cities and palaces1 and gathered gold and silver and spices in abundance2 when he had been permitted to build a magnificent ,temple for the ,lord1 the ,queen of ,sheba heard of his fame1 concerning the ,name of the ,lord1 and travelled many hundreds of miles from the south below ,egypt1 to prove ,solomon with hard questions and to see the glories of his kingdom4 ,illustration3 ,she gave ,solomon gold1 and a very great store of spices4 ,and ,solomon answered all her questions1 and showed her all his work and his riches4 ,when she had seen the house he had built and the food daily spread on his table1 and the number of his servants1 and the ascent which he had built to go up to the ,house of the ,lord1 the queen seemed to have no more strength in her1 and she exclaimed3 ,it was a true report that ,i heard in mine own country1 but the half was not told me6 ,happy are thy men1 happy are these thy servants1 which stand continually before thee1 and hear thy wisdom4 ,blessed be the ,lord thy ,god1 which delighteth in thee1 to set thee on the throne of ,israel 4 4 4 to do judgment and justice4 ,and she gave ,king ,solomon gold1 and a very great store of spices and precious stones1 which she had brought on her camels from afar4 ,and ,solomon gave her whatever she asked of him1 besides the royal presents which1 as a great king1 he bestowed upon her unasked4 ,there is a verse in ,isaiah and another in the ,psalms which ,i love to read1 which seem to remind us not only of the ,queen of ,sheba1 but of that glorious day which is coming by and by for those who are the children of ,god through faith in our ,lord ,jesus ,christ3-- ,for since the beginning of the world men have not heard1 nor perceived by the ear1 neither hath the eye seen1 ,o ,god1 beside ,thee1 what ,he hath prepared for him that waiteth for ,him4 ,thou wilt show me the path of life2 in ,thy presence is fullness of joy3 at ,thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore4 ,illustration ,,xiv4 ,,three ,,commandments ,,about ,,earthly ,,things ,v4 ,honour thy father and thy mother3 that thy days may be long upon the land which the ,lord thy ,god hath given thee4 ,,our best and most beautiful example of this loving1 dutiful obedience is given us in the early days of our ,lord's life on earth4 ,we read of it in the second chapter of ,luke4 ,jesus was twelve years old1 and ,he knew that ,his ,heavenly ,father had given ,him a great work to do here in this world4 ,one day in ,jerusalem ,he had stayed in the ,temple talking to the learned ,doctors of the ,law1 and ,joseph and ,his mother missed ,him from among the company who were journeying homewards to ,nazareth2 and when they found ,him in the ,temple1 ,his mother said1 ,thy father and ,i have sought ,thee1 sorrowing6 ,and ,his gentle answer is a pattern to all of us3 ,wist ye not-- 7,did you not know7--that ,i must be about ,my ,father's business8 ,he was reminding her then of ,god1 ,who had sent ,him1 ,his only begotten ,son1 into the world to save sinners4 ,but with all that in ,his heart1 the ,bible goes on to tell us1 ,jesus went down with them to ,nazareth1 and was subject unto them4 ,that means that ,he was perfectly obedient in ,his earthly home4 ,then we have the sweet example of ,ruth the ,moabitess4 ,her husband was dead4 ,but ,ruth was devoted to her mother-in-law1 and when ,naomi wished to return to the land of ,israel1 though all ,ruth's friends lived in ,moab1 she entreated to be allowed to take that long journey with ,naomi1 and to stay with her always4 ,and as you can read for yourselves in the ,book of ,ruth1 she was wonderfully blessed through her goodness to her mother-in-law4 ,god watched her sweet and dutiful behaviour1 and ,he gave her the great honour of being one of the ancestors of ,king ,david1 and then1 through him1 of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 who was born at ,david's city1 ,bethlehem1 thirteen hundred years afterwards4 ,thus the ,commandment that contained a promise of blessing was fulfilled4 ,,vi4 ,thou shalt do no murder4 ,what is murder8 ,it is hatred in the heart1 cherished and unpardoned1 unconfessed to ,god1 which ends in a cruel deed4 ,if we find in our own hearts an unforgiving spirit--a grudge against any one--a wish1 perhaps1 to do them harm or pay them back--let us beware6 ,our ,lord says3 ,when ye stand praying1 forgive1 if ye have aught against any one6 ,now ,i am going to tell you about a murder1 which was a very sad one4 ,david1 as you know1 loved ,god very much2 but he had grown very rich and powerful1 and he had begun to value earthly things more than ,god's ,commandments4 ,illustration3 ,uriah1 in the forefront of the battle4 ,he wanted to get rid of one of his soldiers1 who was at the war fighting for him4 ,why did he want to get rid of him8 ,because ,david had taken from him something which that soldier valued beyond all other things6 ,i will tell you what that thing was afterwards4 ,so ,david told his great captain1 ,joab1 to set this soldier1 called ,uriah1 in the forefront of the battle1 and then to retire from him1 so that he should get killed4 ,so ,joab1 who was an unscrupulous1 untrustworthy man1 did as the king commanded him4 ,then he sent back word to ,david at ,jerusalem about the great battle1 and mentioned that ,uriah was killed4 ,but the thing that ,david had done displeased the ,lord4 ,the precious possession which ,david had taken for himself1 while ,uriah was at the war1 was ,uriah's dearly loved wife3 and ,david had broken two of ,god's direct commands--one was1 ,thou shalt do no murder1 the other was3 ,,vii4 ,thou shalt not commit adultery4 --,which is taking another man's wife away from him4 ,then there came another messenger to ,david4 ,not from the battlefield1 where ,uriah lay dead1 but a message from ,god ,himself1 sent by the ,prophet ,nathan to the king4 ,and the ,prophet told ,david this story3 ,there were two men in one city3 one was rich1 and the other poor4 ,the rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds3 the poor man had only one little ewe lamb1 that he had brought up at home1 and that played with his children and drank out of his own cup4 ,and a traveller came to see that rich man2 and the rich man grudged to take any out of his own flocks to feed the traveller1 but took the poor man's ewe lamb6 ,when ,david heard this story he was very angry with the rich man1 and told ,nathan he ought to be punished4 ,and then ,nathan said to the king3 ,thou art the man6 ,wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the ,lord1 to do evil in ,his sight8 ,thou hast killed ,uriah with the sword1 and hast taken his wife to be thy wife4 ,therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house4 ,then ,david was dreadfully sorry4 ,he saw his great sin in the sight of the ,lord1 and he earnestly asked to be forgiven4 ,if you read the fifty-first ,psalm you will see how sorry he was4 ,and the ,lord did forgive him2 but ,david had to bear the effects of his sin the whole of his life afterwards4 ,illustration ,,xv4 ,,three ,,commandments ,,about ,,our ,,hands--,,our ,,tongues--,,and ,,our ,,hearts ,,viii4 ,thou shalt not steal4 ,,perhaps you draw back1 and say1 ,steal6 ,surely no one would think ,i would steal6 ,but when we come to think it over1 there are a good many ways of stealing2 or being tempted to steal4 ,there are little unfairnesses that many practise1 without in the least realizing that they lead to dishonesty4 ,a boy who cheats over his lessons goes very near the mark6 ,a girl who borrows from her class-mate a sixpence to buy a hair ribbon1 and does not return it1 goes very near the mark too6 ,satan is so wary1 and we are so un-wary6 ,i heard of a dear1 good woman the other day4 ,she had a very hard life to make both ends meet4 ,and one day1 the person who was lodging with her left her purse on the table4 ,the woman would never have thought of opening the purse and taking out her neighbour's money6 ,oh no6 ,satan was too wary to suggest that6 ,the dear woman went to move the purse to a place of safety1 and it was very full of money1 and fell open1 and the contents in a moment lay scattered on the floor3 shillings1 sixpences1 half-crowns6 ,then ,satan saw his opportunity4 ,as the dear woman stooped to gather the money1 the thought crossed her heart3 ,she would never miss one of these coins6 ,and ,i do need them so-- ,and then the dreadfulness of the temptation came upon her1 and she fell on her knees4 ,dear ,lord1 forgive me6 she murmured1 and hurried to gather up the money1 and to restore the purse to its owner4 ,god had helped her to be brave6 ,what made ,judas betray his ,lord8 ,was it not that he was a thief1 and had the bag1 and carried about with him what was in it8 ,he thought if the chief priests would give him those thirty pieces of silver1 he would be a rich man all his days instead of a poor man6 ,did he ever enjoy those thirty pieces of silver8 ,there was a boy ,i heard of lately1 who was tempted3 and he took an orange from a greengrocer's shop4 ,but his heart smote him2 and that evening he wrote this letter to the greengrocer's wife in a round1 boyish hand3-- ,dear ,madam1--,i am very sorry for stealing an orange from you yesterday1 while in your shop4 ,i must apologize as ,i am a ,christian1 but was tempted4 ,signed 4 4 4 ,i enclose a penny stamp for the cost of same4 ,that confession must have cost that boy a great deal to do6 ,but he was more than conqueror through ,him who loved him6 ,,ix4 ,thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour4 ,how did the wicked queen ,jezebel manage to get ,naboth's vineyard for her husband8 ,it was by means of false witnesses6 ,she sent letters sealed with the king's seal to the nobles and elders who were in the city where ,naboth lived1 and ordered them to proclaim a fast1 to set him up on high where all the people could see him1 and to get two wicked men to give false witness against him1 to accuse him of blaspheming ,god and the king4 ,then he was to be carried out of the city and stoned4 ,so the elders did as ,jezebel told them1 and poor ,naboth1 who had done no wrong1 was cruelly killed4 ,and now ,i am going to tell you the story of the sin which brought this about4 ,god said in ,his ,tenth ,commandment-- ,x4 ,thou shall not covet thy neighbour's house1 thou shall not covet thy neighbour's wife1 nor his manservant1 nor his maidservant1 nor his ox1 nor his ass1 nor anything that is his4 ,covetousness is one of the sins that hides deep in a man's heart1 and if given way to may spoil all his happiness4 ,king ,ahab had a palace at ,jezreel2 and near to the palace was ,naboth's vineyard1 which was his family possession4 ,as the king passed to and fro1 he began to covet the vineyard of ,naboth in order to make himself a garden2 and at length he asked ,naboth to exchange his vineyard with him for another better one1 or offered to buy it from ,naboth for money4 ,this seemed at first sight a reasonable offer2 but ,ahab knew perfectly well that no ,jew would sell his father's inheritance1 and that he valued it almost like his own life4 ,so ,naboth refused1 and the king went back to his palace heavy and displeased1 and went and lay upon his bed and would not eat4 ,when ,jezebel found out what was the matter1 she begged ,ahab to get up and eat2 and she promised that she would get the vineyard for him6 ,and this was how it came to pass that those false witnesses swore away ,naboth's life6 ,when ,ahab knew that ,naboth was dead1 he went down to take possession of the vineyard4 ,but the ,lord sent this message to the king by ,elijah1 ,his ,prophet-- ,thus saith the ,lord3 ,hast thou killed1 and also taken possession8 ,thus saith the ,lord3 ,in the ,place where dogs licked the blood of ,naboth1 shall dogs lick thy blood1 even thine4 ,it is a very solemn thing to break ,god's commands4 ,shall we not pray1 as we think of them3 ,with my whole heart have ,i sought ,thee3 ,o let me not wander from ,thy ,commandments6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xvi4 ,,taken ,,from ,,the ,,brook ,i ,,samuel #ag4ab-eb ,a ,,great ,giant had come out of the land of the ,philistines to fight against the ,israelites4 ,he was about #aa feet high-that is higher than a tall doorway1 and no ordinary man could attempt to fight with him1 with any hope of victory1 be he ever so brave4 ,this ,giant1 ,goliath of ,gath1 appeared every day for forty days1 defying the ,armies of ,israel1 and challenging them to send out a man to fight with him4 ,the ,giant struck terror into the hearts of the ,armies of ,israel4 ,now there was a youth named ,david1 ruddy and beautiful1 who was on the ,mountains of ,palestine1 tending his father's flocks4 ,as he sat watching the sheep1 the ,holy ,spirit taught him many of the ,psalms we all love1 such as1 ,the ,lord is my ,shepherd4 ,one day a lion came out of his lair and took a lamb of the flock1 and ,david1 knowing that ,god was his strong ,helper1 went out after the lion1 and smote him and got the lamb out of his mouth1 and when the lion turned on him1 ,david caught him by the beard and killed him4 ,and a bear came in the same way1 and he killed him too4 ,one day ,david's father1 ,jesse1 sent him to see how his brothers1 who were at the war1 were getting on2 and when he reached the ,camp1 the first thing that he heard was the news of this dreadful ,giant1 who was defying the ,israelites every morning and every evening4 ,and ,david said1 ,who is this heathen ,philistine1 that he should defy the ,armies of the ,living ,god8 ,david's eldest brother was angry with him for what he said2 but ,david's words were heard by the other soldiers1 and they repeated them to ,king ,saul4 ,and ,saul sent for him1 and when ,david came into his presence1 he said to the ,king1 ,let no man's heart fail him because of the ,giant1 ,i will go and fight with him6 ,illustration3 ,the giant struck terror into the hearts of the armies of ,israel4 ,but ,saul looked at ,david and said1 ,you are not able to fight with the ,giant4 ,then ,david told the ,king about the lion and bear1 and he said1 ,the ,lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion1 and out of the paw of the bear1 ,he will deliver me out of the hand of this ,philistine4 ,so ,saul agreed to his going1 and put some armour on him2 but ,david told the ,king he could not go with these1 for he was not used to armour4 ,then ,david took his staff in his hand1 and went to the brook and chose out five smooth stones1 and he put them in his shepherd's bag that hung at his side4 ,before we go on to what ,david did with those stones1 there are two or three interesting things in this story which we shall do well to notice2 for they will be1 if we think of them1 a great help to us in our own lives4 ,we all have1 like ,david1 a tremendous enemy to face4 ,this is ,satan2 and he comes to us every day1 like the ,giant ,goliath1 and he tries to make us afraid4 ,he wants us to live without thinking about ,god2 he wants us to forget that there is a great ,helper for us in every time of need4 ,but ,david truly loved ,god with his whole heart1 and he was very brave2 but it was in ,god's strength that he had determined to meet the ,giant4 ,so he went to the brook1 and chose some of the smooth stones that he was accustomed to use4 ,it was a very simple weapon2 and doubtless he had often practised slinging stones1 as he sat watching his sheep1 and knew how to aim well4 ,and1 if we want to conquer ,satan when he tempts us to do wrong1 we must take the weapon ,god has given us to use--which is ,his own word4 ,just say1 ,lord1 help me6 or ,lord1 save me6 and ,satan will be driven away4 ,i shall never forget being called to comfort a dear dying girl1 who was much worried by ,satan's suggestions4 ,i stood by her bedside and quietly repeated these words of ,god to her1 from ,isaiah #ei4ai3 ,when the enemy shall come in like a flood1 the ,spirit of the ,lord shall lift up a standard against him4 ,in a moment the cloud of sorrow and fear passed from her face2 and ,god never let ,satan worry her again6 ,so you will find ,god's words will be just like ,david's smooth stones1 when he went up to meet the ,giant6 ,illustration3 ,,david ,,goes ,,to ,,meet ,,goliath4 ,and ,goliath said1 ,am ,i a dog that thou comest to me with staves8 ,come to me1 and ,i will give thy flesh to the fowls of the air1 and to the beasts of the field6 ,then ,david answered1 ,thou comest to me with a sword and with a shield1 but ,i come to thee in the ,name of the ,lord of hosts1 the ,god of the armies of ,israel whom thou hast defied4 ,this day will the ,lord deliver thee into my hand 4 4 4 and ,i will smite thee1 and take thy head from thee4 ,for the battle is the ,lord's4 ,so1 as the ,giant came forward towards ,david1 ,david ran to meet him1 and put his hand into his bag and took a stone1 and slang it1 and it hit the ,giant on his forehead1 so that he sank down on the ground on his face4 ,then ,david ran1 and took ,goliath's own sword1 and cut off his head with it4 ,and when the ,philistines saw that their ,champion was dead1 they fled1 and the ,israelites followed after them and the ,victory was won4 ,illustration ,,xvii4 ,,the ,,first ,,and ,,second ,,commandments3 ,,and ,,how ,,they ,,were ,,broken ,i am the ,lord thy ,god1 ,which have brought thee out of the land of ,egypt1 out of the house of bondage4 ,i4 ,thou shalt have no other gods before ,me4 ,,ii4 ,thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image1 or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above1 or that is in the earth beneath1 or that is in the water under the earth3 thou shalt not bow down thyself to them1 nor serve them3 for ,i the ,lord thy ,god am a jealous ,god4 ,,the ,children of ,israel had left ,egypt4 ,god had brought them out with a strong hand4 ,they had left their enemies the ,egyptians1 some of them dead in their houses1 for all the firstborn were dead2 and some of them overwhelmed in the ,red ,sea1 where they had attempted to follow the ,israelites1 for whom ,god had made a way on dry ground1 through the midst of the waters4 ,and now ,god had led them about in the wilderness1 for they were obstinate and disobedient1 and ,he could not let them go into the ,promised ,land of ,blessing1 because their hearts were too hard to learn ,his great lessons4 ,in the third month after leaving ,egypt1 they came into the wilderness of ,sinai1 and the whole congregation camped before the mount4 ,then ,god called ,moses to come to ,him to the top of the mountain2 and here ,god spoke to him1 and sent him down to repeat to the congregation all the words which ,he had told him4 ,and ,god told ,moses that it was a very solemn thing for ,him to speak in their hearing1 so they were to set bounds round the mount1 that no one should come too close4 ,god said that ,he would come to ,moses in a thick cloud2 but that the people should hear ,his ,voice when ,he spoke1 and should believe ,moses for ever4 ,while ,god was telling ,moses all these ,commandments1 on the top of the mountain1 there were thunderings and lightnings1 and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud1 so that all the people in the camp trembled4 ,mount ,sinai was covered with smoke1 because the ,lord ,jehovah descended upon it in fire2 and even the mountain trembled at the ,presence of the ,holy ,god4 ,and this was the ,first ,commandment-- ,thou shalt have no other gods before ,,me6 ,nothing else in the world nearer and dearer to us than ,god6 ,i heard the other day of a terribly injured soldier1 who sent this message to one who had written to sympathize in his great deprivation3 ,don't pity me2 the sacrifice has been worth it2 for ,i have found ,god6 ,oh6 ,what it is to learn that6 ,now we come to the ,second ,commandment--,thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image4 ,illustration3 ,moses cast down the two ,tablets which ,god had written4 ,when the ,children of ,israel stood round that mount1 and heard ,god say that1 if they would obey ,his voice1 they should be a peculiar treasure to ,him1 they promised that they would faithfully keep all that the ,lord said4 ,but ,i am sorry to tell you that they soon forgot their promises1 and did the very thing ,god had told them not to do4 ,and this was how it all happened4 ,moses was up on the mount with ,god for forty days and forty nights1 and ,god gave ,moses the two ,tablets of stone1 on which ,god ,himself had written ,his ,ten ,commandments4 ,but forty days and forty nights seemed a long time to the thousands of people waiting below on the plains2 and they gathered themselves together unto ,aaron1 and said1 ,up6 make us gods1 which shall go before us2 for as for this ,moses1 the man who brought us out of the land of ,egypt1 we do not know what has become of him6 ,then ,aaron bade them bring him gold from their ornaments1 and he cast the gold into the fire1 and it melted down into a great piece of gold1 which looked like a calf4 ,aaron took a tool and moulded it1 and the people said1 ,these be thy gods1 ,o ,israel1 which brought thee up out of the land of ,egypt6 ,then they offered sacrifices to the golden calf1 and feasted1 and rose up to dance4 ,and the ,lord said unto ,moses1 ,go1 get thee down2 for the people have turned aside quickly out of the way that ,i commanded them4 ,now1 therefore 4 4 4 let ,me alone1 that ,i may consume them6 ,but ,moses besought the ,lord most earnestly to turn from ,his anger1 and asked ,him to remember ,his servants1 ,abraham1 ,isaac and ,jacob2 and begged ,him to forgive the sin of ,his people4 ,so ,moses went down the mountain with ,god's ,law in his hands4 ,but when he and ,joshua1 who was with him1 saw from the mount what had happened1 and that the people had already broken ,god's two first commandments1 ,moses cast down the two ,tablets which ,god had written with ,his own ,hand1 and they fell beneath the mountain and were broken to pieces4 ,and the ,lord sent a sore punishment to the people who had sinned1 and three thousand of them died4 ,the next day ,moses went up to the ,lord again1 and his words of entreaty are most touching-- ,oh1 this people have sinned a great sin1 and have made them gods of gold4 ,yet now1 if ,thou wilt forgive their sin--2 and if not1 blot me1 ,i pray thee1 out of ,thy ,book which ,thou hast written4 ,and the ,lord said unto ,moses1 ,whosoever hath sinned against ,me1 him will ,i blot out of ,my ,book4 ,this is an awfully solemn story4 ,we do not read that the people themselves repented--if they had1 the ,holy ,god would have forgiven them out and out4 ,for ,he says in the #eeth of ,isaiah-- ,let him return unto the ,lord1 and ,he will have mercy upon him2 and to our ,god1 for ,he will abundantly pardon4 ,illustration ,,xviii4 ,,the ,,next ,,two ,,commandments3 ,,and ,,how ,,they ,,may ,,be ,,kept ,,iii4 ,thou shalt not take the ,name of the ,lord ,my ,god in vain2 for the ,lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh ,his ,name in vain4 ,,think of the name of the person whom you love the best in the world1 and then think how you would feel if you heard any one speak against that name4 ,would not you feel grieved8 ,would you not turn away from the one who spoke against that loved name8 ,and say3 ,i cannot hear you speak like that--,i love that name above any on earth4 ,yes2 if you think of it1 you will see that it is so4 ,and if we feel so about an earthly love1 and an earthly name1 what ought we to feel about that ,name which is above every name8 ,no wonder ,god says in ,his ,holy ,law3 ,thou shalt not take the ,name of the ,lord thy ,god in vain6 ,and our ,lord1 in the ,prayer which ,he has told us all to use1 says-- ,our ,father1 which art in ,heaven1 ,hallowed be ,thy ,name6 ,it is the first request of that wonderful prayer4 ,do you see the baby boy in your home8 ,he has hurt himself1 or got into some difficulty4 ,he can just say one single word1 and that word is the only name he knows2 and you hear him calling out in his distress1 ,mother6 ,mother6 ,over and over1 till she comes running in1 and in a moment he is in her arms6 ,and this brings me to a text ,i am very very fond of3 ,the ,name of the ,lord is a ,strong ,tower6 ,the righteous runneth into it and is safe4 ,a few years ago a sister of mine was walking on a lonely road1 and just as she was crossing a railway bridge between two brick walls a man sprang out and seized her watch and chain4 ,no one was in sight1 and she knew she was utterly helpless1 and that the man's strength would soon wrench the watch away4 ,then she bethought herself of the ,name of ,jesus6 ,and she called to ,him aloud1 ,lord1 help me6 ,in an instant the man relaxed his hold1 dropped the watch and chain1 and made off as fast as he could1 and she saw him no more6 ,surely to her the ,name of the ,lord had been a strong tower1 she had run into it and was safe6 ,and this is only one instance of very many that ,i have known1 when the ,holy ,name of our ,god1 or of our dear ,saviour1 is all-powerful to help us in our greatest need4 ,if we hallow the ,name of our ,god in our lives now1 there will be a time when we shall see ,his ,face1 and ,his ,name shall be in our foreheads1 as a token that we are ,his for ever4 ,and now we come to another thought1 about another ,commandment-- ,,iv4 ,remember the sabbath day to keep it holy4 ,six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work3 but the seventh day is the sabbath of the ,lord thy ,god 4 4 4 ,for in six days the ,lord made heaven and earth 4 4 4 and rested the seventh day3 wherefore the ,lord blessed the sabbath day1 and hallowed it4 ,you will see it begins with the one word-- ,,remember6 ,what are we to remember8 ,a father goes out in the morning1 and as he turns away1 he says1 ,remember1 children1 what ,i have told you to do6 ,so our ,heavenly ,father says to each one of us1 about the ,sundays that come every week3 ,remember6 ,this is ,my ,day--it is the ,sunday of the ,lord thy ,god6 ,then let us rejoice that such a day is given us4 ,a rest from our lessons2 a rest from our work2 a time when we can read a nice book in which we find something to help us about pleasing ,god4 ,sunday is given us to do good in4 ,think how our ,lord1 when ,he was on earth1 went about healing and comforting on the ,sabbath ,day6 ,and ,he told the people it was lawful to do good on the ,sabbath ,day4 ,if we look out for opportunities1 we can think of things to do that will help others4 ,we can paint texts to send to invalids or to cottages2 we can put sacred pictures1 if we have any1 into scrap-books for the ,children's ,hospital1 or we can paste some white paper on a used picture post-card1 and write neatly a verse or two of a hymn1 and send the cards1 when done1 to cheer the wounded soldiers6 ,such a hymn as ,fight the good fight1 or ,jesu1 ,lover of my soul1 or ,i heard the voice of ,jesus say4 ,an elder sister1 perhaps1 can show the little ones a ,bible picture-book1 and tell them some simple stories about ,little ,samuel or ,joseph4 ,or she can read aloud a ,sunday story-book to the others1 while they paint or chalk some outlined texts4 ,in a large family ,i know1 this was a very favourite occupation4 ,then singing hymns6 ,oh1 how children love hymns6 ,as you begin to remember to make ,god's ,day a holy1 happy one1 you will find that there are things to do in it1 for ,his sake1 that will make you happy1 too4 ,it is a day for worship1 for rest1 for peace1 and for loving ministrations for others1 and you will find that in keeping ,his ,commandments there is great reward4 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xix4 ,,the ,,potter',s ,,vessel ,,those who have visited the ,east tell us that even to-day the potter still sits at his work1 making jars and jugs to carry the precious water from the wells4 ,now we must suppose ourselves entering the little courtyard where the potter sits at work1 or bending our heads to enter the shady little building or shed1 where the rays of the mid-day sun cannot reach him4 ,he has just brought a lump of clay1 and placed it on the middle of his wheel1 and with his feet1 he gives the wheel a twist1 and begins to mould the great lump of clay into a round sort of mass4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,potter',s ,,wheel4 ,so the visitor ventures to say3 ,may ,i ask what you are making1 sir8 ,and the potter looks up1 with a half-smile1 as he answers3 ,i am going to make a lovely jar1 and then his feet twist the wheel round and round1 and the visitor stands by watching4 ,the potter puts his thumb into the place where the neck of the jar will be1 and as he twists and moulds1 the visitor sees before his eyes the ugly bit of clay coming into an elegant shape4 ,at length the jar is done1 and the visitor asks another question4 ,what will you do1 now8 he says4 ,i shall paint it with beautiful colours-- ,and then8 ,then ,i shall put it into the oven and bake it1 so that the shape and the colours will stand fast4 ,the visitor hesitates4 ,at length1 he asks1 ,you do not make them all alike8 ,some are plain and homely2 some are beautiful1 and ,i suppose costly8 ,the potter smiles1 as he rises and places his jar on a shelf out of harm's way4 ,well1 sir1 he says1 it's just as ,i choose to make them6 ,some are so precious in my eyes that ,i love to look at them2 some turn out so badly1 that ,i have to mould the clay over again4 ,just as ,i like1 sir2 just as ,i like6 ,it is my clay1 and my work2 but ,i want the pieces that ,i make1 to come out beautiful and lovely4 ,illustration3 ,i shall paint it with beautiful colours4 ,so the potter takes another lump of clay1 and goes to his wheel again2 and the visitor1 thanking him very much for his kindness1 turns away thoughtfully4 ,had he not read somewhere in his ,bible about the ,clay and the ,potter8 ,yes1 he said to himself at length4 ,it was in ,jeremiah1 and when ,i get back to my ,hotel1 ,i will look it up4 ,and he found what he wanted1 in the #ahth ,chapter of ,jeremiah1 where the ,lord told the ,prophet to go down to the potter's house1 that ,he might tell him there1 what he was to say to the ,jewish people1 who at that time were sadly disobedient1 and had turned away from ,god4 ,so ,jeremiah went down to the ,potter's house2 and behold1 he was making something on his wheel4 ,but as he made it1 the vessel which he was moulding was marred1 or spoilt1 under his hand2 so he turned1 and made the piece of clay into another shape1 as it seemed good to the potter to make it4 ,and the ,prophet stood and watched him4 ,then the word of the ,lord came to ,jeremiah1 and the ,lord told him he was to go to the people of ,israel and tell them ,his message4 ,that if they continued in their evil ways1 ,he would take them out of their own land1 and from their beloved ,city1 ,jerusalem1 and ,he would send them to be ,captives in a distant land4 ,and ,god said1 ,o house of ,israel1 cannot ,i do with you1 as this potter has done with his clay8 ,for ,god loved the ,children of ,israel1 and ,he wanted to make them good and beautiful1 like the potter wanted to make his jars4 ,but the ,children of ,israel rebelled against ,god2 and though ,he had sent great deliverances many times1 and brought them right out of the bondage of ,egypt1 and into the beautiful land of ,canaan1 they very quickly forgot ,him again4 ,they forgot all ,his love towards them1 and began to serve other gods1 which they made with their own hands2 and they even sacrificed and burned their own sons on their altars4 ,so ,god sent ,jeremiah with ,his message to them--that if they would turn away from their evil ways and come back to ,him1 ,he would forgive them and give them every blessing2 but if they refused1 then ,jerusalem should be destroyed1 and ,god would send those who were left after the battles into a far country where they should be ,captives for seventy years4 ,yet even with all these solemn warnings1 the ,children of ,israel--the ,jews--refused to obey ,god2 and very shortly those things came to pass which ,jeremiah had told them4 ,but ,god has given great promises to the ,jews1 and ,he is very patient and longsuffering4 ,by and by after seventy years1 ,he brought them back in a wonderful way to their own ,land1 which they again inhabited1 and built cities and lived in them4 ,but it was not very long before they again began to depart from ,god's laws2 they ceased to obey those things which were plainly written in the ,old ,testament ,scriptures2 and at last1 when ,jesus ,christ came to earth to be their ,messiah and ,king1 they did not remember all ,god had said in the ,bible about ,him1 and they rose up against ,him1 and crucified the ,lord of ,glory6 ,and so1 again the ,heavenly ,father1 who calls ,himself the ,potter1 has had to send the ,jews out of their ,land1 and ,he is moulding them now by trials and sorrows1 so that by and by they may be purified and restored to ,his favour4 ,for when ,jesus comes back to ,earth1 as ,he surely will1 they will look on ,him whom they have pierced1 and will turn to ,him1 and be saved4 ,illustration ,,xx4 ,,jehosheba1 ,,the ,,good ,,aunt #b ,,kings #aa4a-ba4 #b ,,chronicles #bb1 #bc1 ,,and #bd ,,queen ,,athaliah1 the daughter of ,ahab and ,jezebel1 was a very wicked woman4 ,her son ,ahaziah only reigned one year in ,jerusalem1 and she was his counsellor to do evil4 ,but at the end of the year he was slain by ,jehu1 and the ,throne of ,judah became empty4 ,then ,queen ,athaliah determined to destroy all the ,royal ,princes1 and ordered all the sons of ,ahaziah to be killed1 in order to reign over the ,kingdom herself4 ,but while these terrible scenes were happening1 and the ,princes of ,judah were being killed one after another1 there was a ,princess1 ,ahaziah's sister1 who made a brave resolve1 and carried it out most successfully4 ,she knew that one of the ,king's sons1 whom ,athaliah had intended to kill1 was a baby of a year old1 and she determined that she would do her utmost to rescue him from the soldiers who were ordered to carry out this wicked scheme4 ,this ,princess was called ,jehosheba1 and she was the wife of the ,high ,priest1 and evidently could go into the outer rooms of the ,temple4 ,so while the shouts of the soldiers1 and the cries of those who were being murdered1 were filling the air with terrible sounds of confusion1 ,jehosheba stole swiftly to the place where she thought she should find the baby boy1 and hiding him under her beautiful robes she bore him into the ,temple1 far away from the noise and turmoil1 and she hid him in a bedchamber1 under the care of his trusted ,nurse4 ,illustration3 ,,bore ,,him ,,into ,,the ,,temple4 ,the bedchamber was probably a little room where the mats and bedding for the priests who lived in the ,temple1 were kept1 and at night they were brought out and laid upon the floor in the larger chambers2 for that is the custom in the ,east4 ,no one missed the little child1 for ,athaliah believed that all the ,royal ,princes were slain4 ,so she immediately put herself on the ,throne1 and reigned over the kingdom1 practising all her wicked ways as before1 in defiance of the ,commands of ,god4 ,you will not wonder that she came to a very sorrowful end1 as we shall hear presently4 ,meanwhile1 ,joash1 the little heir to the throne1 was kept hidden safely in the ,temple4 ,you can picture to yourselves how ,jehosheba would have often gone to that far-off bedchamber to play with her little nephew1 and how she would teach him all she could1 to prepare him for the ,kingdom4 ,it is evident also1 when we read the accounts1 that her husband1 ,jehoiada1 the ,high ,priest1 was often with the child3 for by and by when six years had passed away1 and little ,joash was seven years old1 ,jehoiada determined that he should be crowned ,king4 ,so he called the ,captains of the army1 and they started out all over the land of ,judah1 and gathered the ,levites from all the cities1 and the chief fathers of the people1 and they all came up to ,jerusalem4 ,illustration3 ,then ,jehoiada 4 4 4 put the crown on his head4 ,jehoiada shewed them the little ,king1 and made arrangements for their guarding him on the ,coronation ,day4 ,he also armed them with spears and shields and bucklers which had been ,king ,david's1 and said to them1 ,behold the ,king's son shall reign1 as the ,lord hath said of the sons of ,david4 ,so the ,captains and the ,levites did exactly as ,jehoiada told them1 and stood on guard about the ,king1 with their weapons in their hands4 ,then ,jehoiada brought forward the little son of ,king ,ahaziah1 and put the crown on his head1 and the roll of the ,testimony in his hand1 and they made him ,king1 and ,jehoiada and his sons anointed him2 and those about him clapped their hands with joy1 and said1 ,god save the ,king6 ,but when ,athaliah1 the wicked ,queen1 heard the shouting and rejoicing1 she hurried into the ,house of the ,lord1 and when she saw the ,king standing by a pillar1 and the ,princes and the trumpeters around him1 and all the people rejoicing1 and sounding the trumpets1 she rent her clothes and cried1 ,treason6 ,treason6 ,but ,jehoiada quickly commanded the ,captains to seize ,athaliah1 and take her out of the ,temple1 and to kill her with the sword outside the ,courts2 and there she was slain4 ,then ,jehoiada made a covenant with the ,king and all the people1 that they should be the ,lord's people1 and not idolaters any more2 and they went into the house of the idol ,baal1 and broke it down2 and they broke up the altars of ,baal1 and his images into small pieces1 and killed the priest of ,baal4 ,so all the people rejoiced greatly1 and they brought the ,king to the ,king's house1 and he sat on the ,throne of ,judah4 ,as long as the faithful ,high ,priest lived1 ,joash was a good ,king4 ,jehoiada was his counsellor and friend1 and under his advice ,joash did much to repair the ,temple of ,god4 ,but when ,jehoiada died1 ,joash fell into evil company4 ,the ,princes of ,judah came and persuaded him to go to the ,groves and ,idols2 and the end was1 that he brought misery on himself1 and also on the ,kingdom which he ruled4 ,god sent ,prophet after ,prophet to implore the people to return to the ,lord1 but ,joash went on in his wrong-doing1 even to killing the son of ,jehoiada1 his old friend and protector4 ,joash fell very sick at this time1 whether from wounds or from illness1 the ,bible does not say2 but the servants who waited on him conspired against him1 and killed him in his bed4 ,oh6 ,what a sorrowful death6 ,no love1 no tender pity1 but hatred for all the evil he had done to the ,kingdom1 over which he might have reigned so gloriously1 had he only kept close to the ,lord ,god1 who would surely have established his throne4 ,illustration ,,xxi4 ,,god ,,feeds ,,elijah ,,elijah was a great ,prophet of the ,lord2 and to him were given more wonderful honours than were conferred on any other ,prophet4 ,we talk much now-a-days about deeds of bravery1 and about the honours which are given to the men who have thus distinguished themselves2 and these honours are given them by our ,king1 and the brave deeds are spoken of from one end of the world to the other6 ,you will like to know what honours ,elijah had8 ,he was allowed to go to ,heaven without dying2 and he was allowed long afterwards to come back from the glory to talk with the ,lord ,jesus on the ,mount of ,transfiguration4 ,these wonderful distinctions were not given him by any earthly king1 but by ,god ,himself2 and as we follow out the story of ,elijah's life1 we shall ourselves1 perhaps1 have a peep into that glory which ,jesus is even now preparing for those who love and follow ,him4 ,i have read that ,elijah's name means ,my ,god is ,jehovah6 and it seems to me that this is a brave motto for each one of us1 ,my ,god is ,jehovah6 ,for in the ,lord ,,jehovah is everlasting strength4 ,the first mention we have of the ,prophet ,elijah1 who came from the land of ,gilead1 was in the reign of ,king ,ahab4 ,god chose ,elijah1 who was very brave1 to rebuke the king for his many acts of wickedness4 ,we read that ,ahab did more to provoke the ,lord ,god than any of the other kings before him4 ,one day ,elijah went to ,ahab and told him3 ,as the ,lord ,god of ,israel liveth1 before ,whom ,i stand1 there shall not be dew nor rain these years1 but according to my word4 ,this loss of rain was doubtless sent as a great punishment for the idolatry and sin into which the whole people of ,israel had fallen4 ,then the ,word of the ,lord came to ,elijah1 saying1 ,turn thee eastward1 and hide thyself by the brook ,cherith that is before ,jordan4 ,god did not forget ,his faithful servant in the famine that was coming2 and ,he told him ,he had commanded the ravens to feed him1 and that he would be able to drink of the brook4 ,here1 amidst the rocks and fastnesses1 he was safe from the wrath of ,ahab and of ,jezebel1 ,ahab's wife1 who hated ,elijah with all her heart4 ,and the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning1 and bread and flesh in the evening1 and he drank of the brook4 ,but when the hot days came the brook began to grow less and less1 because there had been no rain1 and at last the brook dried up2 and then the ,word of the ,lord came to him again3 ,arise and go to ,zarephath1 near ,sidon3 ,i have commanded a widow woman to feed thee there4 ,so ,elijah went the long journey to ,zarephath1 and just outside the gate he saw a woman gathering sticks2 and1 too thirsty to wait till he reached her side1 he called to her3 ,fetch me1 ,i pray thee1 a little water to drink6 ,and as she was going to fetch it1 he called again3 ,and bring me a morsel of bread in thine hand6 ,but she quickly answered3 ,i have not any bread6 ,i have nothing but a little meal in the bottom of the barrel1 and a little oil in a cruse2 and ,i was gathering a few sticks to bake a little loaf for me and my son1 that we may eat it and die6 ,the famine was so bad in the land that this was the last bread that poor widow would be able to get4 ,but ,god knew all about it1 and ,he had arranged it all in ,his loving way4 ,so ,elijah1 hungry and thirsty as he was1 gave her ,god's message4 ,fear not1 he said2 go and do as thou hast said3 but make me thereof a little cake first1 and bring it unto me1 and after make for thee and for thy son4 ,for thus saith the ,lord ,god of ,israel3 ,the barrel of meal shall not waste1 neither shall the cruse of oil fail1 until the day that the ,lord sendeth rain upon the earth4 ,and she went and did as the ,prophet told her1 and he1 and her house1 had enough to eat all the while the famine lasted4 ,and since then there are many widows1 and many distressed and anxious families1 who have found the ,god of ,elijah the same loving1 providing ,god that this poor widow did4 ,but by and by there came a still harder trial to that widow's heart4 ,her precious little boy1 who had been kept alive all through the famine1 was very ill1 and died4 ,then the poor widow was utterly hopeless1 and she blamed ,elijah and said it was his fault that this dreadful sorrow had come to her4 ,doubtless ,elijah had told her much about the ,holy ,god who cannot bear sin1 and she began to look at her past life1 and one particular sin came up before her6 ,she told him that he had come to bring this sin to remembrance1 and to slay her son6 ,but ,elijah said1 ,give me thy son4 ,and he took him out of her bosom and carried him up to the loft where he lived1 and laid the child upon his own bed4 ,and ,elijah cried to the ,lord4 7,you see he was a man who lived in close touch with ,god67 ,and he said3 ,o ,lord my ,god1 hast ,thou brought evil upon the widow with whom ,i sojourn1 by slaying her son8 ,then he stretched himself upon the child three times4 ,and again he cried to the ,lord ,god1 and said3 ,o ,lord my ,god1 ,i pray ,thee1 let this child's soul come into him again6 ,and the ,lord heard the voice of ,elijah1 and the soul of the child came into him again1 and he revived4 ,and ,elijah took the child1 and brought him down 4 4 4 and delivered him unto his mother1 and said1 ',see6 ,thy son liveth6' ,and the woman said to ,elijah1 ',now by this ,i know that thou art a man of ,god1 and that the ,word of the ,lord in thy mouth is truth4' ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxii4 ,,ruth ,a ,,long time ago we read of something most interesting about ,bethlehem4 ,in the time of the ,judges of ,israel1 before ,saul or ,david had been made kings1 there was a man living at ,bethlehem whose name was ,elimelech4 ,he had a wife called ,naomi1 and two sons called ,mahlon and ,chilion4 ,but there came a famine in ,bethlehem1 and ,elimelech and his wife and two sons went out of ,canaan and journeyed into the land of ,moab4 ,here the family of ,elimelech settled down for ten years4 ,but ,elimelech died1 and ,naomi was left with her two sons4 ,these sons married wives in ,moab1 but both of them died1 and ,naomi was then left a desolate widow4 ,by and by she heard that the famine was over in the land of ,canaan1 and she started with her two daughters-in-law to return to ,bethlehem4 ,but after they had set out on their journey1 ,naomi advised ,orpah and ,ruth to go back to their mothers1 and prayed that1 as they had been so loving and kind to her sons who had died1 ,god would take care of them1 and bless them in ,moab4 ,then she kissed them1 and they all wept together4 ,and they said1 ,surely we will go back with thee to thy people6 ,but ,naomi did everything she could think of to dissuade them1 and at last1 with many tears1 ,orpah wished her good-bye2 but ,ruth clung to her4 ,then ,naomi used another argument3 ,behold1 thy sister-in-law is gone back to her people and to her gods--return thou after her4 ,but ,ruth said3 ,entreat me not to leave thee or to return from following after thee1 for whither thou goest ,i will go2 thy people shall be my people1 and thy ,god shall be my ,god6 ,so ,ruth chose the ,god of ,israel to be her ,god4 ,and that ,god ,whom she had chosen1 watched over her all her life long1 and gave her great happiness and honour1 as ,i shall tell you by and by4 ,when ,naomi found that ,ruth was determined that naught but death should part them she left off persuading her1 and they two journeyed on till they came to ,bethlehem4 ,illustration3 ,so ,boaz spoke kindly to ,ruth4 ,the arrival of strangers at a little town in those days was a great event1 and all the people flocked out of their houses to see who it could be4 ,and they said1 ,is this ,naomi8 ,but ,naomi's heart failed her4 ,she had gone out with husband and sons1 and she had returned desolate2 and in her grief she said1 ,do not call me ',naomi' 7that meant pleasant71 but call me ',mara' 7which means bitter71 for the ,almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me6 ,poor ,naomi6 ,she forgot her sweet daughter ,ruth2 she forgot the ,god of ,israel whom they both trusted4 ,for a little while her grief swept over her4 ,there lived in ,bethlehem a rich man1 whose name was ,boaz1 and he was a relation of ,naomi's husband1 ,elimelech4 ,when they found that the barley harvest had just begun1 ,ruth said to her mother-in-law1 ,let me go into the fields to glean corn6 ,and when she reached the fields she happened on a field belonging to ,boaz2 but ,ruth did not know that he was her relative4 ,when ,boaz saw ,ruth among the women who had come out to glean1 he asked his servant who was set over the reapers whose damsel she was8 ,and the servant told him that she had come from ,moab with ,naomi1 and he had let her glean among the reapers4 ,so ,boaz spoke kindly to ,ruth1 and bade her keep near his maidens2 and if she were thirsty she was welcome to take some of the water which his young men had drawn4 ,then ,ruth bowed herself to the ground1 and thanked ,boaz for his kindness to a stranger4 ,but ,boaz told her that he had heard all about her love to her mother-in-law1 and how she had left father and mother to come to a strange land4 ,and then he asked the ,lord ,god of ,israel1 under ,whose wings she had come to trust1 to bless her1 and to give her a full reward for all she had done4 ,so ,boaz told her to come at meal-times and share the food they had2 and he gave her parched corn1 some of which she saved to carry to her mother-in-law2 and when she had had sufficient1 she went back to her gleaning4 ,and ,boaz told his young men to let fall handfuls on purpose for her1 so that by evening she had gathered quite a good quantity4 ,when ,naomi heard all the kindness of ,boaz1 she told ,ruth that he was a near relation1 and she realized that1 after all1 the ,lord had not forsaken her1 though in her grief she had almost thought ,he had6 ,she told ,ruth to keep fast by the maidens of ,boaz4 ,so day after day1 till the harvest was over1 ,ruth did as ,naomi bade her2 and as ,boaz went to and fro among the reapers1 he saw the modest and sweet behaviour of the young stranger girl1 and he determined to ask her to be his wife4 ,so they were married2 and by and by a dear little son was given to them4 ,and the women said to ,naomi3 ,bless be the ,lord1 which hath not left thee without a kinsman1 that his name should be famous in ,israel4 ,so ,naomi was comforted1 and became a nurse to the babe who was so precious to her4 ,and his name was famous6 ,for the child was called ,obed1 and he was in due time the father of ,jesse2 and ,jesse was the father of ,david1 and through ,david1 years afterwards1 came our ,blessed ,lord6 ,do you not remember how the blind man cried out8--,jesus1 ,thou son of ,david1 have mercy upon me4 ,illustration ,,xxiii4 ,,on ,,mount ,,gilboa ,as ,david left ,saul1 and went back to his stronghold at ,engedi1 he said to himself3 ,i shall one day perish by the hand of ,saul6 ,there is nothing better for me than that ,i should escape into the land of the ,philistines1 and ,saul will cease to look for me4 ,so he went with the six hundred men who followed him1 and dwelt with ,achish1 the king of ,gath1 for a year and four months4 ,but1 after a time1 the ,philistines determined to go to battle against the ,israelites1 and as ,david and his men were very friendly with ,achish1 they marched in the rear of the army which was gathered together against ,saul4 ,but when the princes of the ,philistines found ,david and his men among the warriors1 they very much objected1 telling ,achish that when the battle was joined1 ,david would go over to the other side and fight against the ,philistines4 ,achish tried to persuade them that ,david and his men were their friends1 but the lords of the ,philistines would not consent2 and ,david had to go back to ,ziklag4 ,it would take too long to tell you here how he found that other enemies had invaded his home1 or how he and his men went after them1 and how the ,lord helped them to recover their wives and children and all the spoil that those enemies had taken4 ,but it seems very wonderful that1 in the great battle of the ,philistines in which ,saul was killed1 the ,lord had sent ,david far away in another direction6 ,so the ,philistines gathered themselves to the battle1 and ,saul and his sons and all the men of ,israel came out against them4 ,but the night before the battle ,saul had gone to a witch at ,endor1 and asked her to bring up ,samuel to speak to him4 ,both he and the witch were very frightened when ,samuel came up--an old man wrapped in a mantle--and ,samuel told ,saul that ,god had given the kingdom to ,david1 and that he and his sons would be killed on the morrow4 ,illustration3 ,both he and the witch were very frightened when ,samuel came up4 ,so the battle took place the next day on ,mount ,gilboa2 and the ,philistines followed hard upon ,saul and his sons1 and ,saul was sore wounded by the archers4 ,then ,saul besought his armour-bearer to kill him with his sword lest his enemies should come and mock him4 ,but his armour-bearer would not1 for he was sore afraid4 ,then ,king ,saul took his own sword and fell upon it and died4 ,and when his armour-bearer saw that he was dead1 he fell upon his sword too1 and died with him4 ,so ,saul died1 and his three sons and all his men1 that day together4 ,when the rest of the army who were on the other side of the valley and on the other side of ,jordan saw that ,saul and his sons were dead1 they fled1 and forsook their cities1 and the ,philistines came and dwelt in them4 ,on the next day1 the ,philistines came to the battlefield to strip the slain1 and when they found the king and his sons1 they cut off ,saul's head and stripped off his armour1 and sent the news to all the country round2 and they published it in the houses of their gods and made a great rejoicing4 ,they hung the dead bodies of ,saul and his sons on the wall of ,bethshan2 but when the inhabitants of ,jabeshgilead heard of what the ,philistines had done1 all the valiant men arose and travelled all night and took the bodies of ,saul and his sons down from the wall2 and the men of ,jabesh burnt the bodies1 and buried their bones under a tree in ,jabesh1 and made a great mourning for their fallen king for seven days4 ,this is a very sorrowful story4 ,saul had set out well1 and he had everything in life before him4 ,he was a great warrior2 he had fought many battles against the ,philistines and other enemies on every side2 but he spoilt all by one great sin4 ,this was the sin of disobedience4 ,he had disobeyed ,god's direct command4 ,not long after ,saul was made king1 ,god told him to go and utterly destroy the ,amalekites1 leaving none behind1 not even flocks and herds1 or anything that was theirs4 ,but though ,saul went1 and gained a great victory over them1 he disobeyed ,god in the end2 for he saved alive the king and the best of the flocks and herds1 and all that was good1 he kept4 ,then the ,lord sent ,samuel to ,saul4 ,and ,saul hastened to meet him with the words3 ,blessed be thou of the ,lord6 ,i have performed the commandment of the ,lord6 ,but ,samuel answered3 ,what meaneth then the bleating of sheep in my ears8 ,and ,saul answered3 ,the people spared the best of the flocks to sacrifice to the ,lord4 ,and ,samuel said to ,saul3 ,stay1 and ,i will tell thee what the ,lord has said to me this night4 ,when thou wast little in thine own sight1 wast thou not made head over the tribes of ,israel8 ,and the ,lord sent thee on a journey1 and said1 ',go and utterly destroy the sinners the ,amalekites1 and fight against them until they be consumed4' ,wherefore then didst thou fly upon the spoil1 and didst evil in the sight of the ,lord8 ,hath the ,lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices1 as in obeying the voice of the ,lord8 ,because thou hast rejected the word of the ,lord1 ,he also hath rejected thee from being king4 ,this is the reason why ,god gave the kingdom to ,david1 and allowed ,saul to be killed on ,mount ,gilboa4 ,illustration ,,xxiv4 ,,absalom ,,the story of ,absalom cannot be anything but a sad one4 ,he was the third son of ,david1 and his mother's name was ,maachah1 who was the daughter of the ,king of ,geshur4 ,he inherited great beauty from both his father and his mother1 and was evidently the idol of ,david's heart4 ,but with all his fascinating beauty1 he was not a good man4 ,his mother was a heathen princess1 and ,absalom had not been taught in her home the justice1 the purity1 the forbearance1 the love1 and the fear of ,god1 which ought to be the ruling-spring of our lives4 ,his one thought was how to please himself1 no matter what impediments stood in his way4 ,by and by he had cause to be angry with his half-brother ,amnon1 who had acted very wickedly2 but instead of bringing him to be judged by the law1 ,absalom secretly plotted to kill him4 ,for this purpose1 he invited all the king's sons to be present at a great feast2 and he gave his servants orders to set upon ,amnon and kill him1 when he gave a sign to do so after supper4 ,when the rest of the king's sons saw this dreadful deed1 they all fled on their mules in hot haste2 but while they were on their way back to ,jerusalem1 the tidings reached ,david that all his sons were dead6 ,the sorrowful king tore his clothes1 and lay upon the earth1 and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent4 ,but ,jonadab1 ,david's nephew1 tried to comfort the king1 by assuring him that only ,amnon was dead4 ,while ,jonadab was persuading the king that it was not as bad as had first been told him1 they saw a great company coming down the hillside1 and ,jonadab said to the king3 ,see1 it is as ,i said2 there are the king's sons6 ,then all ,david's sons wept for the sad thing which had happened1 and ,david and his servants wept very much4 ,but ,absalom had fled1 and had gone to his mother's relatives at ,geshur1 where he stayed three years4 ,and ,david mourned for his son every day4 ,at length ,joab1 the captain of the host1 saw that ,david's heart was bound up in ,absalom1 and he persuaded ,david to send for him to ,jerusalem4 ,but though ,david allowed him to return1 he did not see his face for two whole years4 ,this made ,absalom very angry1 and because ,joab would not carry his messages to the king1 ,absalom told his servants to set fire to a whole field of ,joab's wheat3 at last ,joab consented to speak to the king1 and finally ,absalom was allowed to see his father3 and ,david kissed him4 ,but what do you think ,absalom did to that loving1 devoted father8 ,he at once set about trying to seize the kingdom for himself6 ,he sat in the gate of the city and told the people who passed in and out1 that if he were king he would see that every grievance was righted2 and he kissed the people as they came and went1 and stole their hearts6 ,then ,absalom asked permission to go to ,hebron1 and he sent spies all through the land to tell every one that at the sound of the trumpet every one was to say1 ,absalom is ,king in ,hebron6 ,thus the conspiracy grew and grew2 and ,i cannot tell you how many sorrowful and wicked things were done while ,absalom tried to get the kingdom6 ,david was indeed at his wits' end2 but he remembered that the ,lord was his ,refuge1 and he prayed that the ,lord would defeat the counsel of those who were plotting against him4 ,and ,god answered his prayer4 ,at length ,absalom came out against his father with a large army4 ,there was a great battle3 but the people begged ,david not to go to the battle himself1 but to let them fight for him1 and for the kingdom4 ,so ,david sat in the gate3 and as his armies passed through ready for battle1 he said to ,joab1 and to all the captains of the host3 ,deal gently with the young man1 even with ,absalom6 ,and the people heard him4 ,so the soldiers went forth into the country1 and by and by the battle was chiefly fought in a large wood1 where many of ,absalom's army were killed4 ,as ,absalom was riding quickly in the wood to escape from the soldiers1 he went under an overhanging tree in his haste1 and his head caught in the boughs and he could not extricate himself4 ,the mule went on and he was left hanging there4 ,some one hurried to ,joab and told him1 and ,joab1 disregarding the earnest entreaty the king had given him1 took three darts and thrust them through ,absalom's heart4 ,so he died1 and they put his body in a pit in the wood and threw a great heap of stones upon it4 ,absalom had built himself a great tomb in the ,king's ,dale1 but he was never laid in it4 ,oh1 the sorrow of that ending6 ,when the messengers came in from the battle1 as ,david sat near the gate and watched1 his first question to each runner was3 ,is the young man ,absalom safe8 ,and when they broke it to him1 that ,absalom had died and the victory had been complete1 ,david turned from them1 and made his way up1 weeping1 to the chamber over the gate1 and as he went1 he said3 ,o my son ,absalom1 my son1 my son ,absalom6 ,would ,god ,i had died for thee1 ,o ,absalom1 my son1 my son6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,disobedient ,,prophet #a ,,kings #ac ,,long ago1 soon after the ,children of ,israel came out of ,egypt1 they asked ,aaron to make a ,golden ,calf for them to worship1 which could be carried in front of them1 and would1 they hoped1 lead them into the ,promised ,land4 ,but we know how dreadfully they sinned in this4 ,and five hundred years after that1 ,jeroboam1 ,king of ,israel1 made two ,golden ,calves1 and built two altars1 one in ,dan at the ,north of ,palestine1 and the other in ,bethel at the ,south of his ,kingdom4 ,he told the people of ,israel that it was too far for them to go to worship at ,jerusalem1 three times in the year1 and that they could go instead to worship his ,golden ,calf1 and could offer sacrifices upon the altars he had built4 ,now ,god had told the ,jews that ,jerusalem was the place ,he had appointed for ,worship2 and also that only ,god's ,priests1 the sons of ,aaron1 were to offer either ,sacrifices or ,incense to ,him4 ,one day1 when ,king ,jeroboam was himself offering incense on the altar he had made in ,bethel1 a ,prophet of the ,lord was sent to him with a message from ,god4 ,and this was the message--,that one day1 on this2 very altar1 the priests whom ,jeroboam had made from the lowest of the people1 should be offered1 and their bones should be burnt upon this altar4 ,god gave a ,sign1 by which ,king ,jeroboam should know that the ,prophet's words were true1 and that he had been sent by ,god4 ,this was the ,sign4 ,this altar of ,jeroboam's should be rent--torn in pieces--and the ashes should be scattered on the ground4 ,king ,jeroboam was very angry at the message1 and he tried to seize the ,prophet1 but his hand dried up1 and he could not use it4 ,and the ,sign came to pass at once1 for the altar fell to pieces and the ashes were scattered4 ,jeroboam was very frightened1 and begged the ,prophet to ask the ,lord to restore his hand4 ,and the ,prophet did2 and ,jeroboam's hand was made quite well again4 ,illustration3 ,a ,prophet of the ,lord was sent to him with a message from ,god4 ,then the ,king pressed the ,prophet to come in to refresh himself1 and to receive a reward4 ,but the ,prophet answered that the ,lord had strictly forbidden him to eat bread or drink water in that place4 ,so he turned away1 to go back by another road1 as the ,lord commanded him4 ,but now a great temptation met him4 ,for as the ,prophet was turning away from ,bethel1 an old ,prophet who lived there1 thought he would ask him to come back and rest at his house4 ,he had heard how the ,prophet had cried against the ,altar1 and he longed to hear all about it4 ,but the ,prophet again explained that the ,lord had forbidden him to eat and drink in that place4 ,then the ,old ,prophet lied to him1 and said that an ,angel had told him he was to ask him home to refresh him4 ,so the ,prophet listened to his fellow-prophet1 instead of obeying ,god1 and he turned back and went in1 and ate and drank4 ,but when he had finished the meal1 the ,word of the ,lord came to the ,old ,prophet1 with a terrible message to the disobedient man4 ,forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the ,lord1 and hast not kept the ,commandment which the ,lord thy ,god commanded thee 4 4 4 thy carcase shall not come to be buried in the sepulchre of thy fathers4 ,so the ,old ,prophet gave the message1 and he sorrowfully saddled the ass of the disobedient ,prophet1 and sent him forth on his return journey4 ,but very soon a lion met him in the way1 and slew him2 and his body lay by the roadside1 and the lion and the ass stood by1 but the lion did not eat either of them4 ,by and by people passed that way1 and they hastened to the city to tell what they had seen4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,disobedient ,,prophet4 ,then the ,old ,prophet told his sons to saddle his ass1 and he hurried along the road until he came to the spot where the dead ,prophet lay4 ,and he found all as he had been told1 and saw that the ,lord had not allowed the lion to touch the dead man1 or the ass4 ,then the old man laid the body of the ,prophet on his ass1 and brought him back to bury him in his own grave2 and he mourned bitterly for him1 for he knew he had tempted him1 and had been the cause of his death4 ,he charged his sons1 that when he came to die1 they were to bury him in the same grave with the ,prophet2 and he added a solemn assurance that the words of ,god which the ,prophet had uttered against ,king ,jeroboam's altar in ,bethel1 and against the other idolatrous places which he had built1 should surely come to pass4 ,all this was literally fulfilled three hundred years after1 in the reign of ,josiah1 the good young ,king4 ,we read the account of it in three verses in #b ,kings #bc4ae-ah4 ,but ,king ,jeroboam1 knowing of this ,prophecy1 remembering as he must that his withered hand had been healed by ,god1 did not set his heart to seek ,god and to find forgiveness4 ,he went on in his evil ways all his life1 until at length we read in the ,bible the name by which he was known after his death1 ,jeroboam1 the son of ,nebat1 who made ,israel to sin4 ,this long ago story speaks an ever-living lesson4 ,the ,god who commands will enable us to obey4 ,let us seek ,him with all our hearts3 let us learn ,his will in the ,bible1 and then the promise to each one of us will come true-- ,to him that soweth righteousness1 shall be a sure reward4 ,illustration ,,xxvi4 ,,the ,,lord ,,answers ,,elijah ,,by ,,fire #a ,,kings #ah1 #ai ,,then after a long time1 the word of the ,lord came to ,elijah in the third year of the famine1 saying to him1 ,go1 show thyself to ,ahab2 and ,i will send rain upon the earth4 ,so ,elijah went back from ,zarephath1 and came down to ,samaria to show himself to ,ahab2 and the famine was very sore there4 ,ahab had a trusted servant called ,obadiah1 who was governor of his house2 and this man feared the ,lord greatly4 ,that meant1 he did that which would please ,god1 and earnestly obeyed ,him in all things4 ,once1 when the wicked queen1 ,jezebel1 tried to kill all the ,prophets of the ,lord1 ,obadiah took fifty of them and hid them in a cave1 and fed them with bread and water1 and so saved their lives4 ,so because the famine was very terrible in ,samaria1 ,ahab called ,obadiah1 and told him that they would both go out into the country with the horses and mules and find all the brooks and streams that were left1 where a little grass might be growing1 to save the horses alive4 ,ahab went one way and ,obadiah another1 and as ,obadiah was seeking for water1 he met ,elijah1 who was on his way to ,ahab1 as the ,lord had told him4 ,when ,obadiah saw him1 he bowed himself to the earth before ,god's ,prophet2 and then ,elijah said1 ,go and tell thy lord that ,elijah is here4 ,obadiah hesitated very much to carry this message1 as he was afraid that the ,spirit of the ,lord might carry ,elijah away1 so that he could not be found4 ,he reminded ,elijah that he had feared the ,lord since he was a child1 but that ,ahab would certainly slay him if he carried such a message to him as that6 ,then ,elijah promised him1 that he would surely show himself to ,ahab that very day4 ,so ,obadiah went and told ,ahab1 and the king came out to meet ,elijah4 ,then ,ahab said to him1 ,art thou he that troubleth ,israel8 ,and ,elijah answered1 ,it is thou and thy father's house that have troubled ,israel1 because ye have forsaken the ,lord's commandments and have worshipped ,baal6 ,then he told ,ahab to gather together the people1 and all the four hundred and fifty prophets of ,baal1 and the four hundred prophets of the grove1 who sat down daily at ,jezebel's table1 and to take them to ,mount ,carmel1 and meet him there4 ,so a number of the people1 and all the prophets of ,baal1 came together to ,mount ,carmel4 ,and ,elijah came to the people1 and he said1 ,how long do you mean to halt between two opinions8 ,if the ,,lord be ,god1 follow ,him6 but if ,baal1 then follow him4 ,illustration3 ,then the fire of the ,lord fell1 and consumed the burnt sacrifice4 ,and the people did not answer a word4 ,then ,elijah said1 ,i am the only ,prophet of the ,lord1 and ,baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty4 ,let them therefore give us two bullocks1 and let them choose one for themselves and slay it1 and dress it1 and put it on the altar1 with no fire under4 ,and ,i will slay and dress the other bullock1 and put it on the altar1 and put no fire under4 ,and the ,god that answereth by fire1 let ,him be ,god6 ,so the priests of ,baal took their bullock and did as ,elijah had said2 and they cried unto the name of their god from morning until noon1 saying1 ,o ,baal1 hear us6 ,but there was no voice nor any that answered4 ,and they leaped upon the ,altar which was made4 ,then ,elijah mocked them1 and told them to cry aloud1 as their god was talking1 or on a journey1 or asleep1 and must be awaked6 ,and they cried aloud1 and cut themselves with knives4 ,and thus they went on till the time of the evening sacrifice4 ,but there was neither voice1 nor any to answer1 nor any that regarded4 ,then ,elijah said to all the people1 ,come near unto me4 ,and he repaired the ,altar of the ,lord that was broken down1 and built it up with twelve stones for the twelve tribes of ,israel2 and he cut a deep trench round the ,altar1 and put the wood in order1 and cut the bullock in pieces and laid him on the wood4 ,then he told the men to fill four barrels with water1 and to pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood2 and this he ordered to be done three times1 so that the water ran all about the ,altar2 and he filled the trench with water4 ,elijah knew what his ,god1 ,jehovah1 was going to do1 and what a glorious ending there would be6 ,so at the time of the evening sacrifice ,elijah drew near to the ,altar and prayed3 and he said1 ,lord ,god of ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and of ,israel1 let it be known this day that ,thou art ,god 4 4 4 and that ,i am ,thy servant1 and that ,i have done all these things at ,thy word4 ,then the fire of the ,lord fell1 and consumed the burnt sacrifice1 and the wood1 and the stones1 and the dust1 and licked up the water that was in the trench4 ,and when all the people saw it1 they fell on their faces3 and they said1 ,the ,lord1 ,he is the ,god2 the ,lord1 ,he is the ,god6 ,and ,elijah said unto them1 ,take the prophets of ,baal1 let not one of them escape6 ,and they took them and brought them down to the brook ,kishon4 ,and they were all killed4 ,the children of ,israel had acknowledged their ,god at last6 ,then ,elijah turned to ,ahab the king1 who1 like the people1 had cast himself in awe and reverence upon the ground4 ,and he said to ,ahab1 ,arise1 and eat1 for there is a sound of abundance of rain6 ,illustration ,,xxvii4 ,,joshua',s ,,courage ,,joshua #a4a-ah ,after the death of ,moses1 when the ,lord1 ,himself1 had buried ,his faithful servant1 the ,lord came to ,joshua and told him that he was to be the one who should lead the ,children of ,israel into the ,promised ,land4 ,we hear of ,joshua many times as we read the life of ,moses4 ,he shared the glorious triumph when the ,children of ,israel were brought out of ,egypt2 and soon after that1 ,moses chose ,joshua to lead the people to fight against ,amalek4 ,next we hear of him as the trusted servant 7or minister1 as it is called in the ,bible71 who went up with ,moses to the ,mountain called ,sinai1 when ,moses received the ,ten ,commandments from ,god4 ,joshua did not go all the way with ,moses1 but waited somewhere on the mountain till ,moses should come down from talking with the ,holy ,god4 ,and as they went down again1 it was he who saw the ,children of ,israel worshipping the golden calf below4 ,next1 ,joshua was one of the twelve spies who were sent to search out the ,land2 and you will doubtless remember that ten of these spies brought a bad report1 and only two of them1 ,caleb and ,joshua1 brought a good report4 ,we see ,joshua's splendid courage through all these circumstances4 ,he trusted ,god with all his heart1 and the ,lord was his sure ,refuge and constant ,helper4 ,and it is very wonderful to remember1 that among the ,israelitish men who came out of ,egypt and wandered in the ,wilderness for forty years1 the only two who entered the ,promised ,land were ,caleb and ,joshua1 the two faithful spies6 ,all the rest of the ,israelitish men who came out of ,egypt died in the ,wilderness for their disobedience1 and only their children entered the ,promised ,land4 ,it is a very solemn thing to be disobedient to ,god4 ,so as ,i said1 the ,lord came and spoke to ,joshua1 and told him he was to lead the people into the ,land of ,canaan4 ,one day soon after this1 ,joshua sent two spies to bring back word what kind of a land it was which he had to conquer4 ,when they came to ,jericho they came to the house of a woman named ,rahab1 and lodged there4 ,but the ,king of ,jericho heard of it1 and sent to ,rahab to give up the men to be killed4 ,but ,rahab had heard of all the wonders that the ,lord had done for ,his people1 in bringing them out of ,egypt2 how ,he had dried the ,red ,sea for the people to pass over1 and of other great victories2 and instead of giving up those two ,israelites to the ,king of ,jericho1 she quickly hid them on the flat roof of her house1 under a lot of flax stalks1 and when the messengers from the ,king came1 they did not find them1 and ,rahab told the ,king's soldiers that they had better seek the men on the road to ,jordan1 as quickly as they could4 ,so the ,king's men went away to look for them1 and the ,city gates were shut1 and all was quiet again4 ,then ,rahab went up to the roof and told the spies that they must escape at once2 and she begged them to promise her faithfully1 that when ,god had given them the ,victory1 which she was sure ,he would do1 that they would save her life4 ,so the men told her to bind a scarlet cord in her window which was on the outer wall1 that they might recognise the place2 and she let them down in the night through this window1 and they got away4 ,all this the men faithfully carried out1 and we read in the #aath of ,hebrews1 written nearly #aejj years after1 that it was by faith that ,rahab saved the spies1 and by this saved her own life too4 ,god loves for us to have faith in ,him6 ,and it was this faith in ,god which made ,joshua courageous all his life4 ,so ,joshua and the people crossed the ,jordan and entered into the ,land1 and came to ,jericho2 and one day when ,joshua was standing viewing the strength of the ,city1 suddenly he found ,someone by him with a drawn sword in ,his hand4 ,so ,joshua went to him at once1 and asked if he were going to fight for the ,israelites or for their enemies8 ,and the ,stranger said3 ,nay1 but as ,captain of the ,lord's ,host am ,i now come4 ,then ,joshua fell on his face and worshipped1 for he knew that this was the ,lord ,who was speaking to him1 and ,who had taken the ,supreme ,command6 ,no wonder that when ,joshua was old1 and knew he was going to die1 that he called all the ,israelites together1 and rehearsed all the wonderful doings of the ,lord2 and that he begged them with all his strength to serve and obey the ,lord with all their hearts4 ,illustration3 ,,choose ,,ye ,,this ,,day4 ,and ,joshua set up a great ,stone to be a ,witness to them1 that they had promised to love and obey ,god2 and he said the ,stone would remind them1 lest they should forget their promise and turn back from serving ,god4 ,so the ,israelites promised to be faithful1 and while the elders who outlived ,joshua were alive1 they did follow the ,lord4 ,but after a time they began to forget1 and this brought a great deal of sorrow upon them4 ,perhaps you think within yourselves1 ,i should like to obey ,god1 and follow ,him6 ,i wonder how ,i could begin8 ,think of ,joshua4 ,he followed the ,lord wholly--which meant with all his heart4 ,that was the first thing4 ,so you can pray1 ,take my heart1 ,lord ,jesus1 and help me to follow ,thee6 ,then he obeyed whatever ,god told him to do4 ,and whatever ,command you find in the ,bible1 as shewing you ,god's ,will--do it6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxviii4 ,,the ,,fiery ,,furnace ,,nebuchadnezzar',s dream of the ,great ,image had been explained to him by ,daniel and his three companions2 but the king soon forgot the wonderful interpretation which ,god had sent him1 containing such an unfolding of the future which1 in due time1 has come to pass4 ,one great dynasty after another--,babylon1 the ,medes and ,persians1 ,greece1 and ,rome1 have arisen and passed away1 till at length1 up to now1 only the ,feet of the ,vision of the ,great ,image wait to be accomplished4 ,and when history shows us that all has been fulfilled except the ,feet of iron and clay1 we know that we must be very near to the coming of the ,wonderful ,stone1 which by and by is to fill the whole earth4 ,you will some of you understand what ,i mean when ,i say that this is ,symbolical language4 ,that means1 that it is a picture of ,heavenly ,things which is to teach us about earthly things4 ,that ,stone is a symbol of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ when ,he comes back from ,heaven to reign over the whole earth4 ,we read in the seventh chapter of ,daniel these words3 ,i saw in the night ,visions1 and behold one like the ,son of man came with the clouds of ,heaven 4 4 4 and there was given ,him dominion and glory and a kingdom1 that all people1 nations and languages should serve ,him3 ,his dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away1 and ,his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed4 ,king ,nebuchadnezzar remembered the part of his dream of the ,great ,image that applied to himself--he knew he was the head of gold4 ,this probably made him think of making a real image1 and setting it up in the plain of ,dura for every one to worship4 ,so the heralds went forth and told the people that at the sound of any musical instrument they were instantly to fall down and worship the ,golden ,image that ,nebuchadnezzar had set up4 ,and in order to force compliance1 this mighty king made a terrible threat1 that whoever refused to worship it1 should be cast into a burning fiery furnace4 ,illustration3 ,the most mighty men in his army were to bind ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abednego4 ,but the ,chaldeans1 who were very jealous that ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abednego had been set up over the affairs of the kingdom1 came near and told ,nebuchadnezzar that the ,jews refused to bow down and worship the ,golden ,image which he had set up4 ,then ,nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abednego before him4 ,so he asked them3 ,is it true that you will not worship the ,golden ,image which ,i have set up8 ,if you are ready to worship1 well2 but if not1 you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of the fiery furnace4 ,and who is that ,god that shall deliver you out of my hand8 ,but the three young men were strong in the might of their ,god1 and they answered-- ,we are not careful to answer thee in this matter4 ,if it be so1 our ,god whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace1 and ,he will deliver us out of thine hand1 ,o ,king4 ,but if not1 be it known unto thee1 ,o ,king1 that we will not serve thy gods1 nor worship the ,golden ,image which thou hast set up4 ,then ,nebuchadnezzar was full of fury1 and he ordered that they should heat the furnace seven times hotter than usual1 and that the most mighty men in his army were to bind ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abednego1 and to cast them into the fiery furnace4 ,and because the king's command was urgent and the furnace exceeding hot1 the flames killed the men who had to throw ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abednego into the fire4 ,and the three young men fell down1 bound1 into the midst of the furnace4 ,the king was watching the dreadful scene2 but suddenly a great fear shook him1 and he turned to his counsellors with the question1 ,did not we cast three men1 bound1 into the fire8 ,and his counsellors said that it was true1 they had4 ,then ,king ,nebuchadnezzar said3 ,lo6 ,i see four men1 loose1 walking in the midst of the fire1 and they have no hurt2 and the form of the fourth is like the ,son of ,god4 ,then ,nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the furnace1 and he said3 ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abednego1 servants of the ,most ,high ,god1 come forth and come hither6 ,then ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abednego came forth of the midst of the fire4 ,and the ,princes1 ,governors1 and ,captains1 and the ,king's ,counsellors1 who were gathered together watching1 saw these men upon whom the fire had no power2 nor was a hair of their heads singed1 neither were their coats changed1 nor the smell of fire had passed on them4 ,then ,nebuchadnezzar spake and said3 ,blessed be the ,god of ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abednego1 ,who hath sent ,his angel and delivered ,his servants who trusted in ,him1 and have changed the king's word1 and yielded their bodies1 that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own ,god4 ,so ,nebuchadnezzar made another decree1 that if any one said anything against the ,god of these three young men1 he should be cut in pieces and his house destroyed--because there is no other god that can deliver after this sort4 ,and the king promoted ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abednego in the province of ,babylon4 ,this is a glorious chapter of one of the greatest deliverances of the ,bible2 and there are plenty more6 ,illustration ,,xxix4 ,,queen ,,esther',s ,,request ,,esther #h4c-f ,,esther was a very beautiful girl1 and ,ahasuerus the great ,king of the ,medes and ,persians chose her to be his ,queen1 and he loved her very much4 ,esther was not only beautiful in face1 but she had a very beautiful character4 ,she belonged to the people of ,god1 called the ,jews1 who had been carried away captives from ,palestine1 and were now living in ,persia4 ,among these ,jews was a man called ,mordecai1 who was much respected for his goodness1 and he sat in the ,king's ,gate4 ,when ,esther's father and mother died1 ,mordecai took the little girl and brought her up as his own daughter4 ,he taught her about ,god1 and ,esther was very obedient1 and loved ,mordecai very dearly4 ,illustration3 ,mordecai took the little girl and brought her up4 ,then ,esther was made ,queen1 and things went on peacefully2 until one day ,mordecai heard that there was a plot forming to kill ,king ,ahasuerus4 ,he at once secretly told ,esther1 and she told the ,king2 and the two conspirators were both hanged4 ,but the ,king forgot to thank ,mordecai1 though it was written down in the ,chronicles of the ,kingdom4 ,about that time the ,king took a great fancy to a man called ,haman1 who hated the ,jews1 and especially ,mordecai1 because he did not bow down to him when he passed4 ,so ,haman obtained leave from the ,king to fix a day when all the ,jews should be killed in the whole ,kingdom4 ,but the ,city ,shushan was much perplexed2 for they knew1 though the ,king did not1 that his beloved ,queen was a ,jewess6 ,when ,mordecai found out all that was happening1 he was bitterly grieved1 and sent an urgent message to ,esther1 and implored her to go in and tell the ,king1 and beg him to spare her people4 ,but ,queen ,esther sent back a message to ,mordecai1 to remind him that if anyone ventured to go in to the ,king's inner ,court1 that person would certainly be put to death unless the ,king should hold out his ,golden ,sceptre4 ,so ,mordecai sent another urgent message to tell ,esther that perhaps she had come to be ,queen1 to do this very thing4 ,but if she did nothing1 then she and all the ,jews would perish6 ,then ,queen ,esther begged ,mordecai to gather all the ,jews together who were in ,shushan1 and to bid them fast and pray for three days2 and she and her maidens would fast too2 and at the end of that time1 she said1 ,i will go in to the ,king1 which is not according to the law1 and if ,i perish1 ,i perish4 ,esther was brave because she knew that she had ,god on her side2 and she believed that ,he would answer the prayers they were all offering up4 ,illustration3 ,,queen ,,esther ,,before ,,ahasuerus4 ,so on the third day ,queen ,esther put on her ,royal robes1 and went into the ,inner ,court and stood before the ,king4 ,when ,king ,ahasuerus saw his beautiful young ,queen standing there so meekly1 he held out the ,golden ,sceptre which was in his hand4 ,and she drew near and touched the top of the sceptre4 ,and when he asked her what request she had to make1 the ,king must have been astonished at her reply1 for she only asked that the ,king and ,haman should come to a banquet which she had prepared for them4 ,so when they came to the ,banquet1 the ,king asked the ,queen again what her petition was8 ,and she said if the ,king and ,haman would come to a ,banquet with her1 again to-morrow1 she would then tell the ,king what her request was4 ,so ,haman went out from ,queen ,esther's ,banquet very proud2 and he told his wife and his friends of his second invitation1 but he said that nothing was any pleasure to him1 so long as ,mordecai1 the ,jew1 sat in the ,king's ,gate4 ,then his wife and his friends advised him to make a gallows fifty feet high1 and to get the ,king to let him hang ,mordecai on it4 ,but that night the ,king could not sleep1 and one of his servants fetched a roll of the ,chronicles of the ,kingdom1 and he read to him how ,mordecai had once saved the ,king's life4 ,and in the morning the ,king asked ,haman what would be suitable to do to the man that the ,king delighted to honour8 ,but ,haman little thought that when he proposed to set the man on the ,king's own horse1 dressed in the ,king's ,royal clothes1 that it would be ,mordecai who was to be honoured1 and not himself6 ,but the ,king told ,haman to lead ,mordecai round the town1 and to proclaim3 ,thus shall it be done to the man whom the ,king delighteth to honour4 ,after this ,haman went to the ,banquet that ,esther had prepared4 ,he little knew what the ,queen's request was going to be6 ,for ,esther told the ,king that a great plot had been made to destroy her and all her people1 and that this wicked ,haman was the one who had planned it all6 ,then ,haman was afraid before the ,king and ,queen4 ,you can picture the anger of the ,king1 and when he was told of the gallows which ,haman had prepared for ,mordecai1 he ordered that ,haman should be hanged there at once4 ,then the ,queen begged that letters might be sent to stop all the ,jews being killed1 and ,ahasuerus sent urgent posts on mules and horses and swift dromedaries to tell the ,jews that they might stand up for their lives1 and destroy any enemies who rose up against them4 ,thus ,god answered the prayers of that young ,queen and her maidens1 and of the ,jews who joined with her in fasting and praying1 and sent them a great deliverance1 the remembrance of which has been handed down from generation to generation ever since4 ,illustration ,,xxx4 ,a ,,great ,,rain1 ,,and ,a ,,tired ,,prophet ,so ,ahab ate and drank--but ,elijah went up to the top of ,carmel1 and cast himself upon the earth with his face between his knees1 and he said to his servant3 ,go up now and look towards the sea4 ,and the servant returned1 saying he could not see anything4 ,then ,elijah said3 ,go-- seven times4 ,and when he came back the seventh time1 he said he could see a little cloud in the sky1 no bigger than a man's hand4 ,so ,elijah hurriedly sent a message to the king1 to prepare his chariot1 and get to his home quickly1 or the rain which was coming would stop him6 ,and as he spoke1 the heavens became black with clouds1 and there was a great rain4 ,and ,ahab rode and went to ,jezreel4 ,and the hand of the ,lord was on ,elijah1 and he ran before ,ahab's chariot1 right to the entrance of ,jezreel4 ,but when ,ahab told his wife1 the wicked queen1 ,jezebel1 that all her prophets were dead1 ,jezebel sent a message to ,elijah that she would kill him1 as he had done the prophets of ,baal1 by that time the next day6 ,and now1 ,elijah1 who had been so wonderfully strong and full of faith for this great scene1 fled for his life when he heard the threat of ,queen ,jezebel6 ,hungry1 thirsty1 tired-out1 he fled till he had passed ,beersheba1 and had gone a whole day's journey into the desert1 before he felt he might be safe from ,jezebel6 ,here he cast himself under a juniper tree1 and asked the ,lord to let him die6 ,poor ,elijah6 ,for one brief moment his faith failed him6 ,if ,god had answered his prayer1 ,elijah would have missed the great honour of going up to ,heaven in a ,chariot of ,fire without death at all6 ,and let us pause here1 just to think for a moment about our own prayers4 ,it seems to me that we are encouraged to tell ,god everything2 and then we are wise to leave the choice with ,him3 asking ,him to do that which1 in ,his wisdom and love1 ,he knows to be best for us4 ,so the poor wearied ,prophet prayed that he might die2 and then overpowered with fatigue1 he fell asleep4 ,and meanwhile ,god was preparing for him1 while he slept--as ,he does so often for ,his faithful1 and sometimes faithless1 children--and behold6 ,an angel touched him1 and said to him3 ,arise and eat6 ,and when he looked up1 there was a little cake of bread1 freshly baked1 and a cruse of water standing ready by his pillow6 ,and he ate and drank2 and then1 still so weary that he could hardly hold up his head1 he slept again6 ,then the angel of the ,lord came the second time and touched him1 and said3 ,arise and eat2 because the journey is too great for thee6 ,oh1 the compassion of ,god1 ,who knows just how we feel6 ,so ,elijah obeyed2 and he went in the strength of that food1 for forty days and forty nights1 till he reached ,horeb1 the ,mount of ,god1 where he found a cave and lodged there4 ,by and by he heard a ,voice from the ,lord speaking to him1 and it said3 ,what doest thou here1 ,elijah8 ,then ,elijah said3 ,i have been very jealous for the ,lord1 but now the ,children of ,israel have forsaken my ,god1 and ,i1 even ,i1 am the only one left1 and they are going to kill me6 ,and the ,lord said3 ,go out and stand on the mount before the ,lord4 ,then the ,lord passed by1 and a great wind tore the rocks and the mountains1 and there was a great earthquake2 but the ,lord was not in the earthquake nor in the fire that came afterwards2 and then there was a still1 low voice4 ,and when ,elijah heard that voice1 he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood by the mouth of the cave4 ,then the voice spoke to him again3 ,what doest thou here1 ,elijah8 ,and again ,elijah said that he was the only ,prophet left6 ,but the ,lord told him that ,he had seven thousand ,israelites who had served ,him faithfully1 and had never bowed down to ,baal6 ,then the ,lord told him to go and anoint two kings2 and also to anoint ,elisha1 the son of ,shaphat1 as a ,prophet instead of himself4 ,so ,elijah went to ,abelmeholah1 and found ,elisha ploughing in the fields2 and as he passed by him1 he cast his mantle upon him4 ,then ,elisha left his oxen and ran after him1 and said3 ,let me go and kiss my father and my mother1 and then ,i will follow thee6 ,elijah said3 ,what have ,i done to thee8 ,but ,i think ,elisha knew what the ,prophet had meant by casting his mantle upon him6 ,so ,elisha took a yoke of oxen1 and with the ploughing instruments for his fire1 he boiled their flesh1 and gave to the famine-stricken people to eat1 and then he went after ,elijah and became his devoted servant4 ,then many years passed on1 and there were great wars between ,ahab and the ,king of ,syria4 ,but ,ahab did not leave off his wicked ways1 and at length ,god sent ,elijah to ,samaria to warn him that ,god's judgment would come upon him in the very spot in which he and ,jezebel had sinned against ,him4 ,i have not space to tell you here about ,ahab coveting ,naboth's vineyard1 nor how ,jezebel had ,naboth killed in order that ,ahab might possess it4 ,but ,god's judgments always come true1 and though ,ahab was killed by a chance bow-shot in a great battle1 yet1 as ,god had said by ,elijah1 dogs licked up his blood in ,naboth's vineyard1 which was close by the king's palace in ,samaria1 where the men were washing out his chariot after the battle6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxxi4 ,,solomon',s ,,wisdom ,,and ,,solomon',s ,,temple ,,solomon1 the son of ,david1 was anointed ,king1 as the ,lord had promised ,david4 ,solomon loved the ,lord2 and when he was made king1 the ,lord appeared to him in a dream1 and told him he might ask for anything he wanted4 ,and the ,lord was very pleased with ,solomon's choice2 for he asked that ,god would give him an understanding heart1 that he might have wisdom to rule the people over whom he reigned4 ,so ,god abundantly answered his prayer1 as he was the wisest king who had ever reigned2 but ,god gave him besides1 riches and honour and everything that could make him happy4 ,at the same time the ,lord warned him to walk in ,his ways1 and keep ,his commandments that it might be well with him all his days4 ,then ,solomon awoke from his dream2 and he hastened to ,jerusalem and stood before the ,ark of the ,covenant of the ,lord1 and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to the ,lord1 ,whom he loved and worshipped4 ,very soon the young king had to use the wisdom which ,god had so freely given him4 ,as he sat with his servants and soldiers round him1 ready to judge anything that was brought to him1 there came two women before him to plead their cause4 ,and the one woman said1 ',o my ,lord1 ,i and this woman dwell in one house1 and we were together2 there was no stranger with us in the house1 save we two in the house4 ,and this woman's child died in the night because she overlaid it4' ',and she arose at midnight1 and took my son from beside me1 while ,i slept1 and laid it in her bosom1 and laid her dead child in my bosom4 ,and when ,i arose in the morning to feed my child1 behold it was dead2 but when ,i had considered it in the morning1 behold it was not my son6' ,and the other woman said1 ',nay2 but the living is my son1 and the dead is thy son4' ,and this said1 ',no2 but the dead is thy son1 and the living is my son6' ,thus they spoke before the king4 ,illustration3 ,he was the author of three thousand proverbs4 ,then said the king3 ',the one saith1 ,this is my son that liveth1 and thy son is dead2 and the other saith1 ,nay2 but thy son is the dead1 and my son is the living4' ,and the king said1 ',bring me a sword4' ,and they brought a sword before the king4 ,and the king said1 ',divide the living child in two1 and give half to the one1 and half to the other4' ,then the woman1 who was really the mother of the living baby1 said to the king1 for she was heart-broken to think that her child should be killed1 ,o my ,lord1 give her the living child1 and in no wise slay it6 ',but the other said1 ,let it be neither mine nor thine1 but divide it4' ,then the king turned to the first woman1 and gave his verdict3 ,give her the living child1 he said1 and in nowise slay it3 she is the mother thereof6 ,and all ,israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged2 and they saw that the wisdom of ,god was with him to do justice among them4 ,and it was not only in the affairs of the ,state that ,solomon was so wise4 ,his fame spread to all the nations round about2 and his wisdom exceeded all the wisdom of the ,east4 ,he was the author of three thousand proverbs and many songs4 ,he was learned in trees--from the great cedars of ,lebanon to the hyssop that springs out of the wall4 ,he understood all about beasts and birds and insects and fishes4 ,he knew what those words in the hundred and eleventh ,psalm meant3 ,the works of the ,lord are great1 sought out of all them that have pleasure therein4 ,by and by ,hiram1 ,king of ,tyre1 who had always loved ,david1 on hearing that ,david's son was king1 sent his servants to convey his greetings to ,solomon4 ,then ,solomon sent back a message to ,hiram1 asking him to allow his servants to help him in hewing cedar trees from ,lebanon1 as he was purposing to build a beautiful ,temple for the ,lord4 ,he explained to ,hiram that it had been in ,david's heart to build the ,lord's ,house2 but he had been a man of war2 and though the ,lord accepted the desire of ,david's heart1 ,he told him that his son ,solomon should be a man of peace1 and should build ,him a ,house4 ,but the ,lord had allowed ,david before his death to collect a vast number of materials of all sorts1 as we read in the #bbnd chapter of the ,first ,book of ,chronicles4 ,david had employed clever masons to hew wrought and polished stones2 he had prepared iron in abundance for the gates and hinges1 and brass without weight4 ,then ,hiram sent abundance of cedar and fir trees1 for as ,david had said1 ,the ,house that is to be builded for the ,lord must be exceeding magnifical4 ,that is a long and a strange word1 and it is only used that once in all the ,bible6 ,but it conveys this one lesson to us--that if we want ,god to dwell in our hearts1 we must spare no pains to make them ready for ,his abode6 ,jesus says3 ,if any man love ,me1 ,my ,father will love him1 and ,we will come unto him1 and make ,our abode with him6 ,so ,solomon began to build with all his heart1 and such a ,temple as he raised to the ,lord was a glory and a joy to all beholders4 ,illustration ,,xxxii4 ,,jehu--,,the ,,eleventh ,,king ,,of ,,israel ,,we read of ,jehu first in the time of ,elijah1 when ,god commissioned the ,prophet to anoint ,jehu as a future ,king of ,israel1 and announced that he would be used to punish ,ahab and the ,children of ,israel for their idolatry and departure from the ,lord4 ,for some reason which is not told us in the ,bible1 it was not ,elijah1 but ,elisha1 who was in the end sent to anoint ,jehu4 ,we read the story of this in the #ith chapter of the ,second ,book of ,kings4 ,elisha was now the ,lord's ,prophet in ,israel4 ,one day he said to one of the younger prophets with whom he lived3 ,prepare yourself for a journey1 and take this box of oil in your hand1 and go to ,ramothgilead4 ,when you get there1 find ,jehu1 the son of ,nimshi1 and ask him to come with you into an inner chamber away from the rest of the company1 and when you are there1 take the box of oil and pour it on his head1 and say3 ',thus saith the ,lord1 ,i have anointed thee king over ,israel4' ,then open the door and flee1 and do not wait a moment4 ,so the young man went to ,ramothgilead1 and when he got there he found all the captains of the host sitting round ,jehu4 ,so he said3 ,i have an errand to thee1 ,o ,captain6 ,and when ,jehu understood that the secret message was to him1 he went into a private room4 ,so the young prophet did as ,elisha bade him1 and anointed ,jehu king of ,israel1 telling him that ,god had appointed him to execute ,his judgments against the house of ,ahab1 and that the dogs should eat ,jezebel in ,jezreel1 as the ,prophet ,elijah had told ,ahab years before4 ,then the young man opened the door and fled4 ,so ,jehu came back amongst the other captains1 and they inquired3 ,why did this mad fellow come to you8 ,so ,jehu said he expected that they knew the errand4 ,but they assured him they did not1 and asked what the news was4 ,then ,jehu told them the young man's solemn message1 and that he ended by saying3 ,thus saith the ,lord1 ,i have anointed thee king over ,israel4 ,then the soldiers and those around him spread their garments for him to step on1 in token that they accepted him as king1 and they blew a special blast of the trumpets1 saying ,jehu is ,king6 ,so ,jehu charged the soldiers that no news should be carried to ,jezreel1 where ,king ,joram was lying to be healed of his wounds received in battle against ,hazael1 ,king of ,syria4 ,illustration3 ,then the soldiers spread their garments for him to step on4 ,then ,jehu rode in a chariot1 and hastened to ,jezreel1 and there he found ,ahaziah1 ,king of ,judah1 who had come to visit the wounded king4 ,now on the ,tower of ,jezreel there stood a watchman who told ,joram3 and as ,jehu came fast in his chariot1 ,joram sent a messenger to meet him with these words3 ,is it peace8 ,but the watchman said3 ,the messenger has not returned2 he came to them but has not come again4 ,and the driving is like the driving of ,jehu the son of ,nimshi1 for he driveth furiously4 ,then ,joram got into his chariot1 and ,ahaziah got into his1 and they started to meet ,jehu4 ,but they only got as far as the vineyard of ,naboth when they met ,jehu face to face4 ,and ,joram said3 ,is it peace1 ,jehu8 ,and ,jehu answered3 ,what peace can there be so long as thy mother ,jezebel and her wickedness remain8 ,then ,joram turned and fled1 crying out3 ,there is treachery1 ,o ,ahaziah6 ,and ,jehu took an arrow and drew the bow to its full strength1 and aimed it at ,joram's heart4 ,so ,joram sank down in his chariot4 ,then ,jehu told ,bidkar his captain to throw the king's body into the field of ,naboth1 for remember that when ,i and thou rode with ,ahab his father1 the ,lord laid this burden upon him4 ,then ,jehu followed after ,ahaziah and smote him1 and he was carried in his chariot to ,jerusalem and died there1 and was buried in his own sepulchre4 ,so ,jehu came into ,jezreel1 where ,jezebel lived2 and when she heard all that had happened1 she painted her face and put ornaments on her head1 and came and looked out of a window4 ,and as ,jehu entered in at a gate she tauntingly said3 ,had ,zimri peace1 who slew his master8 ,then ,jehu looked up to the window and said3 ,who is on my side8 ,who8 ,and two or three of the queen's chamberlains looked out at him4 ,so he said3 ,throw her down6 ,and they threw her down1 and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall1 and on the horses1 and he trode her underfoot4 ,then ,jehu came in1 and he ate and drank2 and when he rose up from table he said3 ,go1 and see now this cursed woman1 and bury her2 for she is a king's daughter4 ,and they went to bury her1 but found nothing left of her body but the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands4 ,so they returned to ,jehu and told him4 ,and he answered in these solemn words-- ,this is the ,word of the ,lord1 which ,he spake by ,his servant ,elijah the ,tishbite1 saying1 ,in the portion of ,jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of ,jezebel3 and the carcase of ,jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of ,jezreel3 so that they shall not say1 ,this is ,jezebel4 ,illustration ,,xxxiii4 ,a ,,story ,,of ,,victory ,,king ,,saul had disobeyed ,god1 and the ,lord had rejected him from being king4 ,the ,prophet ,samuel had set his heart on this first ,king of ,israel1 and he grieved terribly that the ,lord had reject him4 ,so he went down to his house and mourned over all that had happened4 ,but at length the ,lord spoke to ,samuel and ,he said words like these3 ,how long will you mourn for ,saul8 ,take your horn of oil and go to ,bethlehem1 for ,i have provided me a king among the sons of ,jesse the ,bethlehemite4 ,so ,samuel did what the ,lord commanded1 and took with him a heifer for a sacrifice to the ,lord1 and called ,jesse and his sons to share in the sacrifice4 ,samuel did not know which of ,jesse's sons was to be the king1 and as one and another passed before him1 the ,lord told him that ,he had not chosen that one4 ,at length ,samuel said to ,jesse3 ,are these seven all thy sons8 ,and ,jesse answered3 ,there is still the youngest1 and he is with the sheep4 ,so ,david was sent for1 and the ,lord said to ,samuel3 ,arise1 anoint him3 for this is he4 ,and the ,spirit of the ,lord came upon ,david from that time forward4 ,by and by the ,philistines1 who were enemies of ,israel1 gathered their armies together to battle1 and ,saul and the men of ,israel went out to meet them2 and the two armies stood on two mountain sides1 opposite to each other with a valley between them1 ready to begin to fight4 ,then the ,philistines sent out a great giant as a champion1 and he defied the armies of ,israel1 telling them to choose one of their men to fight with him2 and promising if their champion was able to kill him1 then the ,philistines would be their servants3 but if he killed their champion1 the ,israelites would have to serve the ,philistines4 ,when ,saul and his soldiers heard these words1 they were dismayed and greatly afraid4 ,and day after day for forty days1 the giant came out and defied the ,children of ,israel4 ,david's father1 ,jesse1 had three sons at the war1 and one day ,jesse told ,david to go and see how his brothers were1 and to carry a present of food to the captain of their thousand4 ,when ,david got near to the trench1 he found that the armies were preparing for a battle4 ,then his brothers told him about the giant and his threats1 and how ,saul had made great promises to any one who should be brave enough to kill him4 ,and ,david said indignantly to every one he met3 ,who is this ,philistine1 that he should defy the armies of the living ,god8 ,at length ,saul heard of the words that ,david had said in the camp1 and he had him brought before him2 but when he saw how young he was1 he told him it would be impossible for him to fight the giant4 ,but ,david said3 ,when ,i was keeping my father's sheep1 there came a lion1 and a bear1 and took a lamb out of the flock4 ,i went after him1 and smote him1 and delivered it out of his mouth3 and when he arose against me1 ,i caught him by his beard1 and smote him1 and slew him 4 4 4 ,the ,lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion1 and out of the paw of the bear1 ,he will deliver me out of the hand of this ,philistine6 ,so ,saul offered him some armour1 but when ,david had tried it1 he took it all off1 and chose instead five smooth stones out of the brook1 and with his sling in his hand1 he went to meet the giant4 ,you can imagine that great1 tall man with his heavy armour1 looking down on the young and beautiful youth before him1 and disdaining him6 ,so the giant came on and drew near to ,david1 and he said to him3 ,am ,i a dog1 that you come to me with stones8 ,come to me1 and ,i will give your flesh to the fowls of the air1 and the beasts of the field6 ,but ,david's courage was not of earth1 as his brave words show-- ,thou comest to me with a sword1 and with a spear1 and with a shield3 but ,i come to thee in the ,name of the ,lord of hosts1 the ,god of the armies of ,israel1 whom thou hast defied4 ,this day will the ,lord deliver thee into mine hand6 ,and ,i will smite thee1 and take thine head from thee3 and ,i will give the carcases of the host of the ,philistines this day unto the fowls of the air1 and the beasts of the earth1 that all the earth may know that there is a ,god in ,israel4 ,and all this assembly shall know1 that the ,lord saveth not with sword and spear3 for the battle is the ,lord's6 ,then he ran swiftly towards the giant1 and put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it1 and it struck the ,philistine in his forehead1 so that he sank down on the ground with his face to the earth4 ,so ,david ran and stood upon the giant1 and took the giant's sword from its sheath and slew the ,philistine1 and cut off his head4 ,then the men of ,israel arose and shouted1 and pursued the ,philistines till they reached the gates of ,ekron4 ,then they returned and took all the spoil from the tents of their enemies4 ,and ,david was brought before ,saul1 carrying the head of the giant in his hand4 ,no wonder that ,king ,david in after years wrote in the #ahth ,psalm3 ,i will love ,thee1 ,o ,lord1 my strength4 ,the ,lord is my rock1 and my fortress1 and deliverer2 my ,god1 my strength1 in whom ,i will trust2 my buckler and the horn of my salvation1 and my high tower4 ,i will call upon the ,lord 4 4 4 so shall ,i be saved from mine enemies6 ,illustration ,illustration ,,xxxiv4 ,,the ,,great ,,feast ,,daniel #e4a-ca ,,belshazzar was the last ,king of the ,chaldeans1 and though he little suspected that this was the last ,feast he would ever make1 the time had suddenly come when his proud reign was ended1 and his enemies would be victorious4 ,but all this was among the hidden things of the very next day4 ,it is only ,god who knows the end from the beginning1 unless ,he makes it known to ,his own servants1 who serve and love ,him4 ,so it came to pass that ,belshazzar made a great ,feast to a thousand of his lords1 and he drank wine before his lords4 ,while he was drinking the wine1 he thought that he would show off some of the ,holy ,vessels1 which ,nebuchadnezzar had brought from ,god's ,temple at ,jerusalem4 ,and ,belshazzar knew very well that these ,vessels had been made entirely for the ,service of the ,great ,god1 the ,king of the whole earth4 ,but knowing this1 he went on in his profane determination to have the ,vessels brought into the feast2 and he and his princes1 and his wives and concubines1 drank wine in them1 and praised their gods of gold1 and of silver1 and of brass1 and iron1 of wood and of stone4 ,but there fell a sudden hush on the great assembly1 for without the slightest warning1 there appeared the fingers of a man's hand which were writing on the plaster of the ,wall1 just above the candlestick of the ,king's ,palace2 and the ,king saw the part of the hand that wrote4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,writing ,,on ,,the ,,wall4 ,then his face grew white with fear1 and his knees trembled and smote one against another1 for he could not control his terror4 ,so he called aloud to fetch the soothsayers1 and promised1 that if any one could tell him the meaning1 he should be clothed in purple1 and have a chain of gold1 and be made the third ruler in the ,kingdom4 ,then all the wise men hurried in1 but they could not read the writing1 nor give the interpretation4 ,illustration3 ,belshazzar commanded his servants to clothe ,daniel in scarlet4 ,belshazzar was very frightened4 ,then the ,queen hastened into the ,banqueting ,hall1 and told him not to be frightened1 as there was one man in his ,kingdom who could tell dark sayings1 and in whom there was the spirit which1 she supposed1 could only come from the gods4 ,she little knew that this man of whom she spoke1 loved and served the only ,true and ,great ,god1 who lives in ,heaven4 ,so ,daniel was brought in before the ,king1 and ,belshazzar asked him if he were one of the ,captives whom ,nebuchadnezzar had brought from ,jerusalem8 ,and the ,king hurried on to tell him of all the gifts which he should receive1 if he could tell him the meaning of the writing4 ,then ,daniel answered before the ,king3 ,let thy gifts be to thyself1 and give thy rewards to another2 yet ,i will read the writing to the ,king1 and make known the interpretation4 ,then ,daniel went on to explain to the ,king that the ,god who lived in heaven had given ,nebuchadnezzar a ,kingdom and majesty3 but when his heart was lifted up with pride1 he was deposed from his throne1 and he had to live with the wild beasts1 till he knew that the most high ,god ruled in the ,kingdom of men1 and gave it to whomsoever ,he willed4 ,and then ,daniel went on to say that ,belshazzar had not humbled his heart1 but had lifted up himself against the ,lord of heaven1 and had even taken ,his holy vessels to be used at the feast1 and had praised the gods of silver and gold which see not1 nor hear1 nor know4 ,and ,daniel added these solemn words3 ,and the ,god in whose hand thy breath is1 and whose are all thy ways1 hast thou not glorified4 ,then was the part of the hand sent from him2 and this writing was written4 ,,mene1 ,,mene1 ,,tekel1 ,,upharsin-- ,this is the interpretation of the thing3 ,,mene--,god hath numbered thy kingdom and finished it4 ,,tekel--thou art weighed in the balances1 and art found wanting4 ,,peres--,thy kingdom is divided1 and given to the ,medes and ,persians4 ,then ,belshazzar commanded his servants to clothe ,daniel in scarlet1 and to put a chain round his neck1 and make a proclamation that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom4 ,but in that very night1 ,belshazzar1 the ,king of the ,chaldeans1 was slain1 and ,darius1 the ,mede1 entered into the ,city and took the kingdom4 ,that writing on the wall1 written more than two thousand years ago1 contains a living lesson to all of us to-day4 ,it was ,god who sent that message to ,belshazzar3 ,thou art weighed in the balances and art found wanting4 ,for ,god judges every one's life4 ,we read in the ,revelation1 ,there shall in no wise enter into ,his presence1 anything that defileth4 ,but there is another ,writing1 not like the one on ,belshazzar's ,wall--and that is in a ,book in heaven1 which is called ,the ,lamb's ,book of ,life4 ,do you wonder what is written there8 ,it is the name of each one who has come to ,the ,lamb of ,god1 which taketh away the sin of the world4 ,let each one of us ask ,god to wash away all our sins1 and to write down our name in that ,book of ,life4 ,that is the writing which will mean endless happiness and joy4 ,illustration ,,xxxv4 ,,daniel ,,is ,a ,,captive ,,the people of ,israel--the ,jews--had so departed from serving and obeying ,god1 that at length1 in the reign of ,jehoiakim1 ,god allowed the ,king of ,babylon to come up against ,jerusalem with a great army and to besiege it1 and eventually to take the city4 ,he carried away not only ,jehoiakim1 the king1 but afterwards ,zedekiah 7whom ,nebuchadnezzar had set up in ,jerusalem instead of ,jehoiakim71 and with him1 he took all the nobles who were not killed in the siege1 and every smith or craftsman who might be useful in ,babylon4 ,he carried away also the whole of the sacred and precious vessels from the ,temple of ,god1 and put them into the house of his own idol in ,babylon4 ,thus the city of ,jerusalem and the ,temple were completely destroyed2 and none were left in the land but the very poorest of the people4 ,so now you must picture to yourselves how ,nebuchadnezzar instructed his lords and officers to choose1 out of the ten thousand captives whom they had brought to ,babylon1 all the best of the young men3 all that were skilful in wisdom or clever in science1 who should be brought into the king's palace and should be taught the learning and language of the ,chaldeans4 ,these young men were given into the charge of ,ashpenaz1 one of the king's trusted chamberlains1 and ,nebuchadnezzar ordered them to be fed from the king's table1 and nourished1 so that at the end of three years1 they should be able to stand before the king4 ,now among these high-born young men were four1 whose names in ,judah had been ,daniel1 ,hananiah1 ,mishael1 and ,azariah2 but ,ashpenaz named them afresh1 and called them ,belteshazzar1 ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,abednego4 ,so you will now understand why these young men were sometimes called by one name and sometimes by another in the ,book of ,daniel4 ,when the orders came1 and ,daniel was told that he and his companions were to be fed with the king's food1 ,daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with it1 nor with the wine which the king drank4 ,the reason of this was1 that the food was not prepared as the ,jews' food was2 for ,god had given them strict rules as to how their meat was to be killed2 and also1 the wine of these heathen kings was often offered to their idols before they tasted it themselves1 and thus1 in the ,jews' sight1 was defiled4 ,so ,daniel spoke to ,ashpenaz1 and begged him earnestly to excuse him and his companions from eating the king's food4 ,illustration3 ,their wisdom and understanding was far beyond that of any of the others4 ,now ,god ,himself1 ,who was watching over ,his servants1 these captives in ,babylon1 had great purposes which they were to carry out1 not only for the ,jews1 but by and by for the whole world4 ,but as ,god takes care of the little things as well as the great things1 ,he had softened the heart of ,ashpenaz1 so that he tenderly loved ,daniel4 ,and when he heard ,daniel's request1 he did not speak roughly to him1 as those great princes generally did in those days1 but explained to him how difficult it would be for him to comply with what he asked4 ,he told ,daniel that if he did not give them the king's food1 they would not look as well fed or handsome as the other captives1 nor as the king would expect them to look2 and if he yielded to ,daniel's request1 he might endanger his own head to the king6 ,for in those days1 life was of no value in the eyes of the great sovereigns4 ,they did exactly as pleased them at the moment4 ,then ,daniel explained it all to ,melzar1 who was the man whom ,ashpenaz had set over them to control these smaller matters1 and asked him to prove them by allowing them to have only pulse to eat1 and water to drink2 and if1 after ten days1 they looked less well than the others who were having the rich food from the king's table1 then ,daniel and his friends would do what ,melzar wished4 ,i think ,daniel knew that his ,god would make it all right for them6 ,and so it proved2 for at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter than the others did1 who ate the king's meat4 ,and ,melzar took away the wine and the good food1 and gave them pulse and water1 as they had asked4 ,as for these four young men1 ,god gave them skill to learn2 and ,he gave ,daniel the power to understand visions and dreams4 ,so at the end of the three years the prince of the eunuchs brought them1 and a number of the other captives1 in before ,king ,nebuchadnezzar2 and the king communed with them2 and among them all1 he found none like ,daniel1 ,hananiah1 ,mishael and ,azariah4 ,so they remained near the king1 and when anything was wanted of them1 they were there to do it4 ,the king found1 when he talked with them1 that their wisdom and understanding was far beyond that of any of the others1 and ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in his kingdom4 ,these four young men1 captives in a strange land1 eating and drinking nothing but bread and water1 were brave1 faithful and obedient4 ,they had set the ,lord always before them4 ,their one aim was to please ,him2 and as we go on with their story1 we shall see that ,god was with them1 and enabled them to be more than conquerors through ,him ,who had loved them4 ,illustration ,,xxxvi4 ,,the ,,secret ,,is ,,revealed ,,to ,,daniel ,,in those days1 dreams and their meanings were much thought of1 and great kings had their soothsayers and sorcerers1 their magicians and astrologers1 who were always at hand to explain doubtful or hard questions1 and to pretend to look into the future4 ,many of them were extremely clever1 and from long practice and observation1 many of their answers and explanations seemed very plausible4 ,so when ,nebuchadnezzar1 the great king1 had a perplexing dream1 which worried him very much1 he sent for these soothsayers and magicians2 and they at once1 of course1 asked what the dream had been1 so that they might furnish the interpretation4 ,but ,nebuchadnezzar had to confess1 that though the dream troubled him1 he could not recall what it was6 ,so the magicians were greatly alarmed2 as they said1 no king would ask his magicians to tell the dream1 as well as the interpretation6 ,but the king was angry and furious2 and at length sent out an order that all the magicians and soothsayers in ,babylon were to be destroyed4 ,so the decree went out that all the wise men1 meaning astrologers and soothsayers1 were to be slain3 and with them1 ,daniel and his companions would perish6 ,then ,daniel with gentle wisdom1 which ,god gave him1 said to ,arioch1 the captain of the king's guard1 who was sent out to kill the wise men3 ,why is the king's decree so urgent8 ,so ,arioch explained to ,daniel that the king wanted not only the explanation of his dream1 but the dream itself6 ,and that the magicians could not tell it4 ,but ,daniel went in and asked the king to give him time1 and he would show the king the interpretation4 ,then he went to his house1 and told ,hananiah1 ,mishael1 and ,azariah1 and asked them to pray to ,god to show them this secret1 so that they and all the wise men in ,babylon should not perish4 ,we must pause here for one moment to remember that ,god gives wonderful answers to united prayer6 ,we see it over and over again throughout the ,bible2 and we see it over and over again in our own experience1 when we trust ,him6 ,so ,daniel and his companions prayed1 and the answer came4 ,then was the secret revealed to ,daniel in a vision in the night4 ,and what did ,daniel do the first thing after he knew the secret8 ,he blessed the ,god of ,heaven6 ,he thanked ,him for giving him wisdom to understand1 and that ,he had made known what they had desired of ,him4 ,then ,daniel went to ,arioch1 and told him the good news1 and he brought him to the king in haste1 saying3 ,i have found a man among the captives of ,judah1 who will tell you the interpretation6 ,so the king said to ,daniel3 ,can you make known the dream1 and the interpretation8 ,and ,daniel answered3 ,the secret which the king requires1 the astrologers and magicians cannot answer4 ,but there is a ,god in ,heaven that revealeth secrets1 and maketh known to ,king ,nebuchadnezzar what shall happen in the latter days4 ,and then he added3 ,this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that ,i have 4 4 4 but for their sakes who make this interpretation known to the king1 and that the king may know the thoughts of his heart4 ,we see here an evidence of ,daniel's humility2 no wonder that ,god could trust him with ,vision after ,vision about the future1 which we read in the later chapters of this wonderful ,book of ,daniel4 ,this was the dream1 and ,daniel told it to the king in words like these-- ,the king saw a great ,image whose brightness was excellent and his form terrible4 ,the head of the ,image was of ,gold3 ,the breast and arms of ,silver3 ,the belly and thighs of ,brass3 ,the legs of ,iron2 and the feet part of ,iron and part of ,clay4 ,the king looked at this ,image till a ,stone1 cut without hands1 smote the ,image upon his feet1 and brake them to pieces4 ,then the whole ,image fell to pieces1 and was scattered like chaff before the wind1 and the pieces were carried away1 so that they could not be found4 ,and the ,stone which smote the ,image became a ,great ,mountain1 and filled the whole earth4 ,then ,daniel went on to say3 ,this is the dream--and we will tell the interpretation of it4 ,thou1 ,o ,king1 art this head of gold6 ,and after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee2 and another third kingdom of brass4 ,and a fourth kingdom which shall be strong as iron2 and the toes of the feet shall be part of iron and part of clay4 ,and in the days of these kings shall the ,god of ,heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed 4 4 4 and it shall stand for ever4 ,the great ,god hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter3 and the dream is certain1 and the interpretation thereof sure4 ,then ,king ,nebuchadnezzar fell on his face before ,daniel and said3 ,your ,god is a ,god of gods1 and a ,lord of kings1 and a ,revealer of secrets6 ,then the king gave ,daniel great gifts and made him ruler over the whole province of ,babylon1 and chief of the governors over all the wise men of ,babylon4 ,and ,daniel asked the king to remember his three companions1 and ,nebuchadnezzar set ,shadrach1 ,meshach and ,abednego over the affairs of the province of ,babylon4 ,but ,daniel sat in the gate of the king--which was evidently a place of great honour4 ,illustration