Mother Stories from the Old Testament Part 5

NATHAN REPROVING THE KING.

David was now King. He had great riches and honour, and a palace had been built for him. He had brought the ark from Kirjath-jearim, and placed it in the tabernacle prepared for it at Jerusalem, and he now reigned over all the people of Israel and Judah. But David did a very wicked thing. He took the wife of Uriah the Hitt.i.te for his wife, and caused Uriah to be slain. G.o.d was displeased at what he had done, and sent Nathan the prophet to reprove him.

Nathan's reproof was given by a parable. It was a story of a poor man who had one dear little lamb. It grew up in his house, played with his children, and was very precious to him. But one day a traveller came to a rich neighbour, who possessed great flocks and herds, and this neighbour, instead of killing one of his own lambs and setting it before his guest, sent and took the poor man's lamb and killed it.

David heard the story, and was very angry. He said the rich man should die, and the lamb taken away should be restored fourfold. Then Nathan, looking at the King, said: "Thou art the man!" He showed David how greatly he had sinned, and told him that trouble and sorrow would come upon him for what he had done. G.o.d had given him riches and honour, and all that he could wish for; yet he had taken the one precious thing of Uriah's, even his wife, and had caused him to be slain. David was sorely grieved when he saw how wickedly he had acted. He confessed his sin to G.o.d, and G.o.d forgave it; but great trouble came upon the King afterwards through this crime.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "THOU ART THE MAN."]

DAVID AND ARAUNAH.

After David had reigned may years, he numbered the people of Israel.

This was wrong; and G.o.d sent a pestilence which destroyed seventy thousand men. David was grieved, and prayed that G.o.d would punish him and spare the people. G.o.d stayed the hand of the destroying angel; who stood by the threshing-floor of Araunah, whither David was told to go and offer sacrifice. David went. He purchased the threshing-floor of Araunah, also oxen and wood and offered a burnt sacrifice to G.o.d. The following verses describe the scene:--

Beside Araunah's threshing-place The awful angel took his stand, When from high heaven came words of grace-- "It is enough; stay now thine hand."

For David's penitential prayer Had enter'd G.o.d's compa.s.sionate ear; And where the angel stood, even there G.o.d bade the King and altar rear.

Araunah offered ground, and wood, And oxen for the sacrifice: David stood n.o.ble wish withstood, And bought them all at full price.

His answer has a royal ring; Its lesson high shall not be lost: "Burnt offerings I will never bring Unto Jehovah without cost."

The altar rose, the victims died, The plague was stayed, and lo, there fell-- Token that Heaven was satisfied-- A fire from G.o.d, and all was well.

'Twas like a finger from the skies-- That falling fire--to show G.o.d's will, That here the Temple should arise And crown Moriah's sacred hill.

And still G.o.d marks the faithful prayer, The careful work, the costly pains; The Spirit's fire descendeth there, And there, as in a shrine, remains.

RICHARD WILTON, M.A.

[Ill.u.s.tration: DAVID AND ARAUNAH.]

ELIJAH FED BY RAVENS.

G.o.d was displeased with King Ahab, and sent His prophet, Elijah the Tishbite, to say unto him, "As the Lord G.o.d of Israel liveth there shall not be dew nor rain for years in all Israel." G.o.d knew that these words would make Ahab angry with Elijah, so He commanded Elijah to get out of Ahab's way. "Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there."

Elijah went, and the ravens brought him bread and meat, morning and evening, and he drank of the brook. But after many days the brook dried up, and G.o.d told him to go to Zarephath, where a widow would sustain him. So he arose and went to Zarephath. When he came to the gate of the city he saw the widow gathering sticks; and called to her, saying, "Bring me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink, and a morsel of bread in thy hand, that I may eat."

The widow turned and said, "As the Lord thy G.o.d liveth, I have not a cake, but only a handful of meal, and a little oil in a cruse; and, behold, I am gathering a few sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it before we starve to death." Elijah told her not to fear, but to make a cake for him, and, afterwards, one for her son and herself, for G.o.d had said that neither her handful of meal nor her cruse of oil should fail until He again sent rain upon the earth. So she did as Elijah told her, and there was always enough oil and meal for their daily food, according to the word of the Lord which He spake by Elijah.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ELIJAH FED BY RAVENS.]

PLOUGHING IN CANAAN.

In Scripture frequent mention is made of the husbandman and his work.

Ploughing the land, sowing the seed, reaping the harvest, and winnowing the grain are often referred to. Our picture shows an Eastern husbandman ploughing. How different it is to ploughing in our own land! There is no _coulter_; and instead of the broad steel _plough-share_ we see a pointed piece of wood. And the long handles with which our labourers guide their ploughs--where are they? The strong horses, too, harnessed one behind the other, are missing. Yes!

none of these were used in Canaan. Small oxen drew the plough; and the husbandman guided it by means of a single handle, as we see him doing in the picture. Thus their method of ploughing was a slow one, and unless the land had been very good their harvests would have been poor.

Often these husbandmen had to wait until the rain made the ground soft enough for their ploughs to enter it, consequently many had to toil in cold, stormy, winter weather. To this the proverb alludes which says: "The sluggard will not plough by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing." (Prov. xx. 4.)

Perhaps it was just such a plough, drawn by just such oxen as we see in our picture, that Elisha was using when Elijah pa.s.sed by and cast his mantle upon him; thereby calling Elisha to be his servant and successor. We are told that Elisha "took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him."

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLOUGHING IN CANAAN.]

THE SHUNAMMITE'S SON.

Many interesting stories are told in the Bible, few of which are more touching than that of Elisha the prophet, and the Shunammite woman.

This story we find in the fourth chapter of the Second Book of Kings.

We read of the prophet journeying to and fro, and resting in the little chamber that the kind Shunammite had built for him on the wall of her house. We see its bed, table, stool, and candlestick; and the joy beaming upon the good woman's face when a tiny infant son was given her. How she loved him! And as he grew up how carefully she watched over him. But a sad time was coming.

The golden corn was in the field ready for reaping, for the harvest time had come. The hot sun shone overhead, and the little lad was out with his father in the field, probably running about among the corn.

Suddenly he felt a violent pain, and cried out, "My head, my head!"

Then joy was changed to sorrow. The father saw his son was ill, and bade a lad carry the little boy to his mother, on whose knees he sat till noon, and then he died.

Next we see the mother leaving her dead son, and journeying to find the prophet. Elisha sees her coming, and sends Gehazi to inquire if all is well. Then she falls down before the prophet and tells him her trouble; and he sends his servant with his staff to lay it upon the dead child. The story closes by stating how Elisha follows Gehazi, goes to the chamber where the dead boy lay, prays to G.o.d that the life may be restored, and finally has the joy of giving the lad, alive and well again, into the arms of his mother.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE SHUNAMMITE'S SON RESTORED.]

THE LITTLE CAPTIVE MAID.

Naaman was a great general in the army of the King of Syria, who esteemed him highly, because it was Naaman that led the Syrians when G.o.d gave them victory over the Israelites. But in spite of his bravery and his high position, he was miserable, because he suffered from a terrible disease called leprosy. Now, among the captives whom the Syrians had brought back from war was a little Israelitish maiden, who was appointed to wait upon Naaman's wife. She had heard of the wonderful things which Elisha did in the name of G.o.d; and she told her mistress that if Naaman could only see this prophet, who was in Samaria, he could be cured. And the King was told what the maid had said, and he sent a letter to the King of Israel commanding him to cure Naaman of his leprosy. But the King of Israel was afraid, and thought the King of Syria sought this way to quarrel with him. When Elisha heard of the King's fear, he sent and desired that Naaman should be brought to him. So Naaman came in his chariot, and stood at Elisha's door. But the prophet instead of coming to him, sent a message directing Naaman to wash in Jordan seven times, when his leprous flesh would be restored to health. Naaman had thought that Elisha would have received him with much ceremony and touched him, bidding the leprosy to depart; so he was angry and said, "Are not the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean?" Therefore he went away in a rage. But his servants persuaded him to carry out the prophet's injunction, and he went and dipped seven times in Jordan, and was made whole.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE LITTLE CAPTIVE MAID.]