Part 13

"Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace."--_Daniel 3:17._

YOU remember that the Jews had been so wicked, that God had let them be conquered by their enemies, and taken quite away from home to the great city of Babylon.

The king of Babylon worshipped idols; and he set up a great golden idol, much higher than this room, and commanded that as soon as his music played, everyone should fall down and worship the image; or if anyone would not, that person should be thrown into a burning fiery furnace.

A furnace is like a very large oven, or like a brick-kiln--a sort of house quite full of fire--for burning and baking bricks, or melting iron, or anything else that requires to be made very hot. Many people were afraid of such a horrible punishment as being thrown into the furnace; and when they heard the music, they made haste to bow down before the great golden image.

But the Jews knew that they must not worship idols; so what could they do? I only know what three of them did. They were three young men, named Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who were brought up before the king, because they would not bow down before his great image. The king asked them how it was; and told them fiercely that if they would not worship his golden image, they must be thrown into the fire.

But they stood up boldly, and said, "Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O King! But if not, be it known unto thee, O King, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up."

The king was very angry at this brave answer. He had the furnace made seven times hotter than usual; and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were thrown into it, tied hand and foot; and the flame was so hot, that it burnt the men that threw them in.

Presently, the king gave a loud cry. For in the midst of the fire were the men, not tied, but free, and walking in the burning heat, as if they were in cool spring air! And there was another with them, whose form was the Son of God. Then he called them, and the three came out. There was no smell of fire about them, and not a hair of their heads was singed; they had not felt the heat at all; but that Holy One had taken care of them, and had kept them safe in the midst of the fire.

Then the king of Babylon knew how wrong he had been; and he sent forth a command, that no one should ever speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who had saved them in the burning fiery furnace.

QUESTIONS.

1. Where were the Jews living? 2. How came the Jews to be at Babylon? 3. What did the king of Babylon want everyone to worship? 4. Who would not worship the golden image? 5. Why would not Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego worship the image? 6. What is the Second Commandment? 7. What was done to them for not worshipping the image? 8. What is a furnace? 9. How hot was it made? 10. What did the king see in the fire? 11. Who was with him? 12. Were they hurt? 13. Why did not the fire burn Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego? 14. Who took care of them in the fire?

SECOND READING.

"Those that walk in pride He is able to abase."--_Daniel 4:37._

GREAT Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had a strange dream. He thought he saw a great tree with spreading branches and fine leaves, making a sweet shelter, where all the creatures came and stood, and the birds nestled in the boughs; but while he was admiring it there came a holy one down from heaven, and said the tree was to be cut down, and only the stump left in the tender grass of the field, and that it should be bound with iron, and wet with the dew of heaven till seven years had passed over it.

When Nebuchadnezzar woke he was troubled, and was sure the dream had a meaning, and he sent for the prophet Daniel to tell him what it was. Daniel was so sorry, that at first he could hardly bear to speak; but at last he told the king that it was himself, Nebuchadnezzar, that the tree meant.

He was great and mighty, and countries and people were shadowed over by his power; but soon he would have a fall--he would lose his senses, and his man's heart would be like a beast's heart, and he would be driven out of his palace, and he would eat grass like an ox, and his body would be wet with the dew of heaven, and his hair would be long like eagles' feathers, and his nails like eagles' claws, till seven years had passed by; and then he would recover his senses, and know and understand again, and he would come back to his kingdom again. Then he would know and own that the Lord of Heaven is the true God.

THOUGHT THAT NOTHING COULD HURT HIM.

Nebuchadnezzar was shocked at first, but soon he forgot all about the dream, and felt himself so wise and strong and brave, that nothing could hurt him. He was walking one day in his palace, a most beautiful one, and looking out on the grand city with the river running through it, with all the bridges and the hundred brazen gates; and his heart was lifted up with pride, and he said, "Is not this great Babylon that I have builded?" That very moment there came a voice from heaven that said the time was come!

And a strange madness came on the king, his brave clever spirit became as senseless as a beast's; and he only wanted to graze in the field like the cattle. So they drove him out of the palace, and put a band of iron round him, and let him eat grass like an ox, and his hair grew long and shaggy, and his nails like eagles' claws, just as Daniel had said.

So seven years passed away; and at the end of them he came to his senses again, God gave back his man's heart and his reason, and he went back to his palace, and sat on his throne again. And one of the first things he did was to have a letter written to his people, telling them all this story, and bidding them do honor to the God of Daniel, who putteth down and setteth up.

QUESTIONS.

1. Who was Nebuchadnezzar? 2. Who was Daniel? 3. How came Daniel to be at Babylon? 4. What did the king see in his dream? 5. What happened to the tree? 6. What did the king want to know? 7. Whom did he send for? 8. Whom did Daniel say the tree meant? 9. What was to happen to the king? 10. How long was he to be in this state? 11. What beautiful place had Nebuchadnezzar built? 12. What did he say about it? 13. What happened that moment? 14. What did this poor king want to be? 15. What did he eat? 16. What was his hair like? 17. What were his nails like? 18. How long did he go on like that? 19. What did God restore to him? 20. What was the first thing he did? 21. What did he tell the people? 22. Had not he lost all his pride? 23. What should we not boast of?

THIRD READING.

"God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it."--_Daniel 5:6._

AFTER Nebuchadnezzar, some troublesome times began at Babylon; but at last his grandson Belshazzar was reigning. He was a foolish, self-pleasing young man; and his enemies, the great nation of Medes and Persians, came to make war on him, but still he did not care for anything but his amusement.

He thought Babylon so strong that they could never break in; and he gave a great feast to all his lords, with fine meats and wines, and he had all the gold and silver bowls, and the golden candlestick that had been brought out of the Temple of God at Jerusalem, on the tables, while he and his friends were drinking and singing and shouting.

All on a sudden a stillness came over them, and their eyes opened wide with fright. For just over the candlestick there was seen a man's hand. There was no body, only the hand; and the finger went along writing on the wall, tracing out letters.

There were four words, but no one could read them or tell what they meant.

The king was terribly frightened. His knees knocked together, and he shook all over, and he called for some one to tell him what this writing could be. Nobody could guess; but at last the queen, his mother, came and put him in mind how Daniel had been able to explain his father's dreams. So Daniel was sent for, and he at once read the writing. He told them Belshazzar was found wanting. His kingdom was going to be taken from him, and given to the Medes and Persians.

And even then, all the time the Babylonians were feasting and not watching the enemy, Cyrus, the clever king of the Persians, was making his men dig ditches, into which he turned all the water of the great river that ran through the city; and that very night all his army came in, walking up the dry bed of the stream. No one saw them till they were in the city; and that very night Belshazzar was slain.

QUESTIONS.

1. Who was king of Babylon? 2. Who made war on Belshazzar? 3. What was all he cared for? 4. What feast did he make? 5. What were brought out? 6. What frightened him? 7. What was the hand doing? 8. What could no one understand? 9. Who spoke up? 10. Who was sent for? 11. What did Daniel say it meant? 12. What happened that night? 13. How did the Persians get in? 14. Who was king of the Persians? 15. Why did Belshazzar come to such a sad end?

Thirty-eighth Sunday.

_THE RETURN FROM BABYLON._

FIRST READING.

"The Lord is in His holy Temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him."--_Hab. 2:20._

THE Jews had gone back to their old city of Jerusalem, but they found it looking very sad and ruinous. The walls were broken down, and the pleasant houses were heaps of ruins, and grass and brambles had come up in the courts, and there were heaps of stone blackened with the fire and smoke that had burnt down the city.

The first thing they did was to clear the place where God's holy Temple used to stand, and to build it up again. But they were not rich and powerful like King Solomon, who built the first Temple; they had no gold and silver, and the new Temple they built was very small and poor compared with the old one.

There were old men among them who remembered the first Temple as it used to be, and they wept aloud as they saw how different the new one was; but there were young men who were very glad to have a Temple at all, and they shouted for joy; so there was a mixed sound of weeping for sorrow and of crying out with joy.

Then God sent His Prophet Haggai to tell the old men not to be afraid, for the glory of this latter House should be greater than that of the former. The way this should be was that our Blessed Lord Himself would come to the new Temple, as a little Babe at first and afterwards as a grown Man; and when He was there, the honor and glory of the Temple would be greater than ever it was before. Now there is no one Temple: but God's Houses are Churches, and we have them everywhere to pray to Him in, and meet Him there though we cannot see Him. Let us take care to worship Him there very humbly and reverently.

QUESTIONS.

1. Where did the Jews return to? 2. What state was their city in? 3. What had they to do to their city? 4. What did they first build up? 5. What sort of Temple did they build? 6. Why was the new Temple not so fine as the old one? 7. What did the old people do? 8. What did the young people do? 9. How did God comfort the old people? 10. Who would come to the new Temple? 11. Is there a Temple now? 12. What have we instead? 13. How should we behave in church?

SECOND READING.

"What doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"--_Micah 6:8._

THE name of the leader of the Jews, when they came home from Babylon to their own country was Zerubabel.

Zerubabel was their prince. He was of David's family, and he would have been king if the Jews had been allowed to have kings; but he was contented to go back without the crown and throne and sceptre that his fathers had had before him, and to live humbly in obedience to the king of Babylon.

ZERUBABEL'S GREAT DESIRE.

That which Zerubabel cared to have was a little spot of ground among the mountains. It was the village of Bethlehem, the place from which David had been called away long ago, from feeding his father's sheep, to come and be king of Israel. Why should Zerubabel care for that little piece of ground more than for Solomon's palace, that was so glorious? One reason was, that the Prophet Micah had said, "But thou, Bethlehem-Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel; whose goings have been from everlasting."

And faithful men understood that this meant that the Saviour of the world should be born at Bethlehem, and that He would be among Zerubabel's children's children. That was why Zerubabel cared so much for the poor little ruined village, and took care to make a home of it again, though now there were only a hundred and twenty-three people to come back to live in it. God was pleased with Zerubabel's faith, and blessed him because he had not despised the day of small things.

God said that to Zerubabel a mountain should become a plain--that is, that what seemed most difficult should grow easy, and that Zerubabel should be the man who should build up the Temple again--God's own House, that was lying in ruins. That was the great honor this good man had, because he believed in God's promise with all his heart, and went so bravely and steadily to work upon a little, when he could not do a great deal. For to him that is faithful in a little shall much be given.

QUESTIONS.

1. Who was Zerubabel? 2. Where were the Jews coming back from? 3. What had Zerubabel's fathers been? 4. Why was not Zerubabel a king? 5. Who was the father of the kings of the Jews? 6. What had David been before he was a king? 7. Where did he keep his sheep? 8. What was the place Zerubabel cared to have again? 9. Why did Zerubabel care for Bethlehem? 10. Who was to be born there? 11. Who had said so? 12. What did Zerubabel believe? 13. How many people went back to Bethlehem? 14. Did Zerubabel despise it for being small? 15. What did he think of? 16. Why did God bless him? 17. What did God say he should build up? 18. What did God say difficulties should be to him? 19. Do not things we have to do sometimes seem like great mountains to get over? 20. But who can make them easy to us? 21. Only what must we do ourselves? 22. And what is the way to do great things well? 23. What must we never despise?

THIRD READING.

"Thy God whom thou servest continually, He will deliver thee."--_Dan. 6:16._

THERE was another king of Babylon, and his name was Darius. It was the strange, foolish way of his people to treat him as if he was a sort of a god, and more than man; and one day his people came to him and begged him to make a law that for thirty whole days nobody should say their prayers to any god, or ask anything of any man, except of Darius the king; or if they did, they should be thrown to the lions, to be eaten up.

Darius thought this was all to do him honor, so he made the law that thus it should be. Now when a law had once been made by the king of that people, it could not be changed. So nobody was to say their prayers to anyone but the king for all that time.

But by-and-by the king's people came and told him that there was one old man who did not attend to his law, but that they had watched him in his own room, and there he said his prayers three times a-day, just as if the king had made no law at all.

The king was very sorry when he heard who it was, for this man who would not leave off saying his prayers was the man he trusted most in all the kingdom. It was Daniel, one of the captive Jews, son or brother to one of the last kings of Jerusalem. He had been taken to Babylon when he was a very little boy, and now he was quite an old man, but he had never ceased praying to the great God of Heaven, and he was not going to leave off now. He was a prophet of the Lord, and very wise, and he was one of the king's very best advisers, so Darius was greatly grieved when he was accused.

But Darius could not help himself; the law that had once been made could not be broken, and these spiteful people declared that Daniel must be thrown to the lions. All day long the king tried to get his wise good counsellor saved from this dreadful fate, but he could not succeed; and at evening Daniel's enemies came to take him and throw him to the lions in their den.

Still, though Darius was a heathen himself, he had one hope; and when he saw his friend led away, he said, "Thy God whom thou servest continually, He will deliver thee."

So they took Daniel, and put him into a pit among the lions, and they fastened up the door and left him there; and the king was so sorry, that he could not sleep all night for grieving for the good, wise, brave man who was thrown to the lions because he would not leave off praying to God, and feared God more than man.

And when daylight came they all went to the den. The enemies hoped to find that Daniel was eaten up, but the king cried out in a lamentable voice, "O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?"

And Daniel's own voice came cheerfully back, and told the king that his God had sent His angel, who had shut the lions' mouths, so that they could not hurt him, and had kept him safe all night.

And the king was very glad, and commanded them to take Daniel out of the pit, and to put the spiteful men in instead; and the lions were so hungry that they brake all their bones in pieces before ever they came to the bottom of the den.

Only think what Daniel was willing to bear rather than not say his prayers! And it was because he prayed that God saved him. God's power shut the lions' mouths, because Daniel had been more afraid to leave off praying than even to be torn to pieces. How glad we should be that we can say our prayers safe and unhurt; and how careful we should be never to miss them out of idleness, if Daniel would not miss them out of fear.

QUESTIONS.

1. Where were the Jews living? 2. Who was king of Babylon? 3. What law was Darius persuaded to make? 4. Who was to be prayed to? 5. What was to be done to anybody who said prayers to any but Darius? 6. Who did go on saying his prayers? 7. Who was Daniel? 8. What was done to Daniel? 9. Did the lions hurt Daniel? 10. Why was Daniel kept safe in the den? 11. Whom did Daniel fear most, God or men? 12. When should we say our prayers? 13. Can anyone hurt us if God takes care of us?

Thirty-ninth Sunday.

_TROUBLES OF THE JEWS._

FIRST READING.

"Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird."--_Prov. 1:17._

THERE was a gentle Jewish girl, named Esther, who had been left an orphan very young, and was brought up by her kind relation, Mordecai, who was one of the Jews who had not gone back to Jerusalem, but still lived in Persia.

One day there came a messenger from the king, to carry away poor Esther from home. The king wanted all the maidens in his land to be brought together, that he might choose the most beautiful of them all for his queen, and the others would be kept for slaves.

All the other maidens dressed themselves up, and painted themselves to try to look beautiful; but Esther did not ask for any ornaments, she only put on what she was ordered to wear. Yet she looked so much the most lovely of all, in her modest quietness, that the king chose her and married her, and set the crown on her head, and made her his queen.

But she had a sad life, though she was queen. She was always shut up, and could not see her kind friend Mordecai, and she could not even go to her husband without his leave, or she would have been put to death.

Her kinsman, Mordecai, used to sit in the palace gate every day, to hear news of her. Now, there was a very bad man named Haman, who used to pass by every day; and Mordecai never would bow to him, because he was one of the people whom God had forbidden the Jews to have any concern with.

Haman grew so angry at last that he resolved not only to get Mordecai killed, but all the Jews besides. So he went to the king, and told him a false story about the Jews, and persuaded him to give orders that their enemies in all the lands round Jerusalem, and everywhere else, should fall on them on a set day, and put them to death.

And the king was so foolish and so cruel as to consent to seal the letters, saying that all the Jews were to be killed on one day. But Mordecai heard about this cruel plot, and he sent secret word to Esther that she must try to save her people, by telling the king that he had been deceived by Haman.

Poor Esther was much afraid. She knew that if she went to the king without leave, she would be put to death; but she thought it was better for her to run the risk, than to let all the Jews perish. So she dressed herself beautifully, as the king liked best to see her; and she went to his court almost fainting with fear.

But when he saw her, he touched her with his golden sceptre. Then she knew he would not put her to death; and when he asked why she had come, and what she wanted, she said she wished to ask him to a banquet of wine in her chamber.

And when he came there, she was able to tell him of the cruel plan for killing all her people, and how falsely Haman had spoken. The king was very angry when he understood it all; and wicked Haman was hung upon the very gallows he had meant for Mordecai. And so the Jews were saved by the good queen, who was not afraid to risk her life for her people.

QUESTIONS.

1. Where were some of the Jews living? 2. What was the name of the Jew girl? 3. What was the name of her kinsman? 4. How did the king choose his wife? 5. Who was the most beautiful woman? 6. Where did Mordecai sit? 7. To whom would not Mordecai bow? 8. What did Haman want to do? 9. Who consented? 10. Why was it dangerous for Esther to go and speak to the king? 11. What did the king do when he saw her? 12. What did holding out the sceptre mean? 13. What did she ask him? 14. What did she tell him? 15. What was done to Haman? 16. How were the Jews saved?

SECOND READING.

"Thy servants think upon her stones, and it pitieth them to see her in the dust."--_Ps. 102:14._

THERE was a good Jew named Nehemiah, whom the King of Persia had made his cup-bearer. One day one of the Jews came from Jerusalem, and told Nehemiah how sad all was at their home, the city that once had been so beautiful. There was a little bit of the Temple built up, but all the streets were heaps of ruins, and only a house or two here and there built up; and the robber tribes round were always breaking in and doing mischief.

Nehemiah wept, and prayed to God for his people; and when he went in to wait on the king and queen, he still looked so sad, that they asked him what was the matter. Then he told them that he had just heard that his dear home, where his fathers' tombs were, was lying waste, and that the cruel enemies were always doing harm; and he begged the king to let him go home and try to help them.