Part 7

AFTER Moses had gone out of sight on the mountain, God Himself told Joshua that Moses was dead, and that he must lead the children of Israel into the good land God had promised them. Moses had laid his hands on Joshua's head, and God's Holy Spirit had come to help him to see what was right, and to lead the people. He must be strong and brave, and do all that God commanded, and then he would be quite sure to be able to drive away all the strange people out of the land, and to make a home for the people in the land that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had loved so well.

All the people promised they would do as Joshua bade them. So he was their captain instead of Moses.

QUESTIONS.

1. Who was the old leader of the children of Israel? 2. Where had Moses led them from? 3. Where were they going? 4. Where did Moses go? 5. What became of Moses on the mountain? 6. Whom did God make captain instead of Moses? 7. What did God tell Joshua? 8. What did God promise him? 9. What is the way to be helped by God? 10. What were the Israelites to be helped to do? 11. Who were to be driven away? 12. Why did the children of Israel wish to live in the land of Canaan? 13. What had God promised Abraham? 14. And does God always keep his promises?

Seventeenth Sunday.

_ISRAEL IN BATTLE._

FIRST READING.

"Ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the Lord your God giveth you."--_Deut. 12:10._

AFTER the children of Israel had been forty years living in the wilderness, God led them into the beautiful land He had promised them. But before they could come in they had to get across a river--a deep river, with rocks on each side, and a stony bottom to it, and the water running very fast indeed. The name of the river was Jordan. There was no bridges to go over, and no boat to row them across; and not only all the strong men, but all the women and little children, had to get over it!

But nobody need be afraid when God is helping him. God told them what to do. The priests, who were like clergymen to them, were to take the ark--that is, the chest where the two tables of the Ten Commandments were kept--and were to walk down into the river, without being afraid. And they were brave men; they believed what God told them, and went down into the swift stream in no fear of being drowned. And behold, as soon as their feet touched the water it stopped flowing, and stood still. No more water came down, and all the hosts of the children of Israel went straight over the bottom of the river with dry feet.

The priests stood up in the middle all the time the others were going over, and when everyone was safe on the other side they came after them; and by-and-by the river came rushing down again in its own place, for it was God who had commanded it to stop short, and make a dry place for His people to pass over. And so they came into the land of Canaan that He had promised them so long.

QUESTIONS.

1. How long did the children of Israel stay in the wilderness? 2. Where were they going? 3. What had they to eat? 4. What had they to drink? 5. What had God given them on Mount Sinai? 6. What were the Ten Commandments written on? 7. Where were the two stones put? 8. Who carried this ark? 9. What had the Israelites to go over? 10. What was the name of the river? 11. How do we cross rivers? 12. But had they a bridge or a boat? 13. Who was taking care of them? 14. What did God tell the priests to do? 15. Were the priests afraid to go into the river? 16. Why not? 17. What happened when the priest's feet touched the water?

SECOND READING.

"By faith the walls of Jericho fell down."--_Hebrews 11:30._

AFTER the Israelites had come into the land of Canaan, there was a strong walled city before them, and its name was Jericho. They could not go any further till they had taken the city. But God was going to show that He fought for them. So He told them not to fight, but that every day, for a whole week, the priests should take the Ark of the Covenant on their shoulders and walk around the outside of the walls of the town.

Seven priests were to go in front, blowing on trumpets made of rams' horns; but nobody else was to make any noise. So they did one day, and nothing happened. Joshua bade them do it the next day. Perhaps some of the Israelites wondered and were impatient, but they had to go on the next day still; and after that the Ark was carried round once every day for a whole week.

On the seventh day, Joshua told the priests that God would have them go round not once but seven times. And so they did; and then, at last, on the seventh day, Joshua said, "Shout." The whole of the people shouted, and the priests blew their trumpets, and then--oh, great wonders!--the walls of Jericho fell down flat, and the people went in and took the city. So the Lord fought for Israel.

QUESTIONS.

1. Where were the Israelites now? 2. Who was their leader? 3. What city were they come to? 4. What did they want to do? 5. Were they to fight? 6. But what was to be carried round? 7. What was the Ark? 8. What was in it? 9. Who carried the Ark? 10. Who went in front of them? 11. How many days did they go on? 12. How many times did they carry the Ark round first? 13. How often on the seventh day? 14. What were the priests to do? 15. What were the people to do? 16. What happened then? 17. Who had conquered Jericho? 18. What was God giving the Israelites?

THIRD READING.

"As for me and my house, we will serve the lord."--_Joshua 24:15._

THIS morning you heard how God gave the children of Israel victory over Jericho. After that He gave them more victories. None of the heathen people could stand before them. They took their towns, and drove the heathen out, and had the fields and gardens and houses for their own. Then Joshua was to divide the land among them, and fix what cities each tribe should have for its own.

All the chief men of each tribe came to him, and the Lord taught him how to fix the places for them to dwell in. The children of the good Joseph had the very best lot of all, as his father Jacob had wished. It was just in the middle of the country, and was full of beautiful corn land. Two tribes and a-half lived on the other side of the river Jordan, on the edge of the desert, but where there was fine grass for their cattle. The tribe of Judah had a very hilly, rocky part of the country; but they loved it, because it was where Abraham had lived and now lay buried.

And up all the hills they planted vines, where fine large grapes grew; and in the valleys were plenty of corn-fields. All over the country, people had each man his own house, with his vine and his fig-tree to shelter it, and olive-trees in his garden, and a field to grow corn in, and hill-sides near, where he might keep his cows, goats, and sheep. The rocks and the hollow trees were full of wild bees' nests; so that indeed they found it, as Moses had told them, a land of corn and wine--a land that flowed with milk and honey; and they were very glad to be there, and to rest after their long wandering in the wilderness.

After they had had a quiet rest, their first sorrow came. It was that their brave leader Joshua had grown old, and felt himself near his death. So he called all the chief men together, and told them over again how much God had done for them; and that if they would serve Him and keep His Commandments, all would go well with them. "As for me and my house," he said, "we will serve the Lord." And all the people promised too. They said they would serve the Lord, and would not go after other gods, but would keep His Commandments.

QUESTIONS.

1. Where were the children of Israel now? 2. Who had promised the land to them? 3. Who was leading them? 4. Whom did they drive out? 5. Who had the country then? 6. How was it settled where they were to live? 7. Who had the best part? 8. What had Joseph done that was good? 9. Who went beyond the Jordan? 10. What part did Judah have? 11. What grows there? 12. What choice plants grew in the land? 13. What sort of place had they been told it would be? 14. Who was grown old? 15. What did Joshua tell the Israelites? 16. What was the way for them to be happy?

Eighteenth Sunday.

_THE JUDGES OF ISRAEL._

FIRST READING.

"The journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honor."--_Judges 4:9._

WHEN the Israelites had come to live in the beautiful land that God had promised them, they ought to have loved and served Him, and thanked Him for all His goodness. But no! They liked worshipping false gods; and they made idols to pray to, cut out of wood and stone; and they learnt wicked ways.

Then God was angry with them; and He punished them by sending cruel nations to conquer them, to burn their houses, to steal their children, and drive away their cattle. Then they would be sorry, and pray to God again; and He had pity, and sent some brave man to defend them.

To-day we hear how sadly they were used by a fierce man named Sisera, who had nine hundred war chariots of iron to go into battle with. His people used to shoot at the Israelites at the wells when they came to draw water; and nobody dared to go along the high-roads, but only through the paths, for fear of being killed.

QUESTIONS.

1. How ought the Israelites to have behaved? 2. What had God given them? 3. Whom should they have worshipped? 4. But what did they worship? 5. How did God punish them? 6. What was the name of the cruel man who ill-used them? 7. How many chariots had Sisera?

SECOND READING.

"The Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman."--_Judges 4:9._

AT last God spake to a good brave woman named Deborah, and told her to send for a man named Barak, who should lead the Israelites to fight with Sisera. She sent for Barak, and told him what God had said. But Barak was afraid to go alone. He said he must have Deborah with him. He ought to have known that, if God sent him, he was sure to be safe and to succeed.

Deborah told him that since he wished it she would go with him, but that the journey should not be to his honor, for the Lord would sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And it turned out as Deborah said. Barak won a great battle, and drove the enemies away, so that they did not hurt the children of Israel again for forty years. But he did not meet with Sisera in the battle, nor get the honor of killing him.

Sisera fled out of the battle, and was killed after all by a woman, whose name was Jael. Barak lost all the honor, because he would not do just as he was told, but was afraid without Deborah, just as if God could not help him better than Deborah could.

This morning's lesson told how Deborah and Barak conquered the cruel Sisera. This evening's lesson is the song that Deborah made to thank God for having given her the victory, and saved His people.

QUESTIONS.

1. Who was the holy woman that God raised up? 2. For whom did Deborah call? 3. What was Barak to do? 4. Who did Barak say must come with him? 5. Why was this wrong of Barak? 6. What happened in the fight? 7. Did Barak kill Sisera? 8. Who did kill Sisera? 9. Why was not Barak allowed to kill Sisera? 10. Whom ought he to have trusted to? 11. Who will always help us if we are not afraid to do as we are told?

THIRD READING.

"They chose new gods; then was war in the gates."--_Judges 5:8._

THE Israelites never kept long from sinning and setting up idols; and, by-and-by, God let a set of robbers, called Midianites, come in and burn their crops and houses, drive away their cattle, and steal their children for slaves.

Then the Israelites were sorry, and prayed to God to save them. And God had pity on them, and sent His angel to a man named Gideon, to tell him that he was to fight for the Israelites.

A great many men came to Gideon; but the Israelites were to be shown that it was as easy for God to save them with few men as with many. So He bade Gideon send home all but three hundred men. And Gideon believed, and sent them home, and kept only the three hundred.

Then at night he took these men, and gave them each a trumpet, and an earthen pitcher, with a lamp inside the pitcher, so that the light could not be seen. He took a hundred with him, and sent the other two hundreds another way, creeping quietly along till they came to the place where the Midianites had set up their tents, and were all lying asleep among the cattle they had stolen.

There they lay, and never heard Gideon and his men coming till they were close to the camp, the three parties on three sides. Then, all of a sudden, everyone of the Israelites broke his pitcher and let his lamp shine, and blew his trumpet, and shouted, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!"

The Midianites were awakened out of their sleep to see the lamps on three sides of them in the dark, and hear the trumpets and the cries. They were very much frightened, and quite wild with fear. They all began to beat down one another, for they did not know friends from enemies. A great many were killed, and the rest fled away, leaving all that they had stolen behind them. And so God delivered the Israelites from the Midianites by the hand of Gideon, and gave them peace again as long as they would serve the Lord.

QUESTIONS.

1. What made the Israelites meet with troubles? 2. Whom ought they to have worshipped? 3. But whom did they worship? 4. What happened then? 5. Who were the next people that ill-used them? 6. What did they do when they were punished? 7. Whom did God send to save them? 8. How many men was Gideon to have with him? 9. What did all the men carry? 10. Where did they go? 11. Into how many parties were they divided? 12. What did the Midianites hear? 13. What did they see? 14. What did they begin to do? 15. What became of those that were not killed? 16. Who had made Gideon able to beat them with so few men?

Nineteenth Sunday.

_SAMUEL._

FIRST READING.

"Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child."--_1 Sam. 2:18._

THERE was a very good woman named Hannah, and she grieved because she had no children. Whenever she came with her husband to God's holy place, she used to kneel, and pray with all her heart to God that He would let her have a son; and she promised that if she had one, she would lend him to the Lord all the days of his life.

At last God granted her prayer, and gave her a little son, and she named him Samuel. She was very glad when he was born, and she thanked God, and sang a hymn of praise for her dear little child. But she had promised to lend him to the Lord all his life; and she kept her promise.

As soon as little Samuel was old enough to be without her, she took him to the holy place, that was instead of a church, and gave him to wait upon the Lord. He lived with the High Priest, whose name was Eli, and was taught by him.

Eli was a very old man, and his sons used to behave very badly; but Samuel was always good and obedient to him, and used to wait upon him, and help him when he served God in the holy place. Samuel wore a little white linen dress like the priests; and when his mother came to see him, she used to bring him a little coat. She had five more children afterwards, three sons and two daughters.

If you listen in the afternoon, you will hear how God spoke to Samuel whilst he was still a little boy; and I am sure you like to think of the little child in his white dress, ministering before God in His beautiful holy place. But only think. You can be like Samuel. Your father and mother lent you to God for all your life, when they took you to the font, and made you God's child; and though you live at home, you go to church, and can serve God there, if you kneel and stand and sit quietly at the proper times, mind the prayers, and repeat the Amens, and the verses you know, in their right places. And if you are obedient, and try to be good, God will love you as He loved Samuel.

QUESTIONS.

1. What was the name of the woman we hear of to-day? 2. What did she wish for? 3. What did she do to obtain her wish? 4. What did God give her? 5. What was her son's name? 6. What did she promise? 7. Where did Hannah bring her little son? 8. Who took care of Samuel? 9. Who was Eli? 10. How did Samuel behave? 11. What did Samuel wear? 12. What had Samuel to do? 13. When were you lent to God? 14. Whose child are you? 15. How can you be like Samuel when you go to church? 16. How can you be like him at home? 17. Who will bless you if you try to be good? 18. What kind of children does God love?

SECOND READING.

"Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth."--_1 Sam. 3:9._

HANNAH brought her little son Samuel, to be brought up in the holy place by the High Priest Eli.

Samuel was very good and holy, and God blessed him and loved him. One night, when everyone was gone to bed, but the lamp in the holy place was not yet gone out, Samuel heard a voice calling to him, "Samuel!" He sprang up at once, for he thought that Eli had called him, and he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for thou didst call me." But Eli answered, "I called not, my son; lie down again;" and Samuel went back to his bed.

Then again came the voice calling to him, "Samuel!" and again he thought it was Eli's call. He was not lazy, or fretful at being roused out of his sleep, but he ran at once to Eli, and again said, "Here I am, for thou didst call me." But Eli sent him back to his bed again; and there again he heard the call, "Samuel!"

Patiently he once more rose and came to the old man, but this time Eli knew that it must have been no other than God's own voice speaking to the child. So he bade Samuel go back, and next time he heard the voice, to say, "Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth."

And so Samuel did. Again his name was called, and he made answer, "Speak; for Thy servant heareth."

And God spoke to him in the still night, and told him to give Eli a fresh warning of the sad things that were coming on him and on his sons. Samuel was forced to tell Eli all in the morning, sad and mournful as it was. He was afraid and grieved to have such things to say, but he told the truth, and Eli was too good a man to be angry with him, and only said, "It is the Lord: let Him do what seemeth Him good."

And, after that, God often made His will known to Samuel, and blessed him, and all Israel knew that Samuel was God's own prophet. Think of the great honor and blessing of having God so often speaking to him! But we have that blessing too. God is nearer to a little Christian child than He was to Samuel; for the Holy Spirit speaks in a Christian child's heart, and tells him to be good and dutiful, and to think of God, and say his prayers with all his heart. And that is better than even being a prophet like Samuel. Only we must take great care to attend to that voice; or it will leave off, and then we shall get worse and worse, like those bad sons of poor old Eli.

QUESTIONS.

1. Who was Samuel? 2. Where was he brought up? 3. What did his mother bring him every year? 4. Who was the High Priest? 5. What did Samuel hear? 6. Who did he think was calling? 7. What did he do? 8. What did Eli say? 9. How often did this happen? 10. Was Samuel cross at being called so often? 11. Who was honoring him? 12. What did Eli perceive at last? 13. What did he tell Samuel to answer? 14. What did he hear again? 15. How did he answer? 16. What did the voice tell him? 17. Whose voice speaks to us? 18. How does the Holy Spirit speak to us? 19. What must we take care to do?

THIRD READING.

"The Ark of God is taken.--_Samuel 4:17._

GOD helped the Israelites again and again, but they would not leave off their wickedness, and at last He punished them still more. There came up a nation to make war upon them, fiercer than any before, called the Philistines. Then the Israelites fancied that if they took the Ark of the Covenant out into the battle with them they would get the victory, as they had done when Joshua conquered the land.

But God had never bidden them take the Ark. He had commanded that it should stay in its place at Shiloh. They did not heed this, but took it out into the camp, and all the people shouted for joy when it was brought, with the two priests, Hophni and Phinehas, Eli's sons, to take care of it. When the Philistines heard the shout, they said that the gods of Israel were come, and that they must fight all the more bravely. And they did.

God would not help His people because of their self-will, so He let them be beaten by the Philistines, and Hophni and Phinehas were killed, and the holy Ark of God was taken by these heathens. And when poor old Eli, the High Priest, heard the sad news, he was so much shocked, that he fell down backwards and broke his neck and died.

God still shewed His power, for when the Philistines put the Ark into the temple of one of their false gods the idol fell down and was broken; and wherever it was taken the people fell sick, till at last they sent it back to the Israelites: but it never came back to Shiloh. It was hidden in a lonely house in the woods; and the Philistines were strong and the Israelites were very weak and miserable, because they had been so very disobedient.

QUESTIONS.

1. What people came to fight with the Israelites? 2. Why did God let any one hurt the Israelites? 3. What did the Israelites think would help them to fight? 4. What was in the Ark of the Covenant? 5. Where was it kept? 6. Ought they to have taken it? 7. Why not? 8. Why did they take it? 9. Did it give them the victory? 10. Why not? 11. Who were killed? 12. Who was the father of Hophni and Phinehas? 13. What happened to Eli when he heard the Ark was taken? 14. Why did God allow it to be taken? 15. Did it come back again? 16. Why did not the Philistines keep it? 17. What happened to their idol? 18. What happened to themselves? 19. Where had it been before? 20. Did it ever come back to Shiloh? 21. Where was it kept?

Twentieth Sunday.

_KING SAUL._

FIRST READING.

"Behold, the Lord hath set a king over you."--_1 Samuel 12:13._

THERE was a young man named Saul, who was very tall and strong. His father kept a number of asses; for, in the land of Israel, people rode on asses instead of horses. One day all the asses were lost, and Saul and one of the servants went out to look for them. They went a long, long way, and never found the asses; and at night they came to a city, and there they found Samuel.