The Bible Story, Volume 6: Struggles and Victories 0828008000, 9780828008006

Citation preview

4kfeJ*» jjrf*

Mitt*

**" .

&u»

4~

*< « MfcJkA.M

^

wi

k

4&*~"*^

*i

Digitized by the Internet Archive in

2010

http://www.archive.org/details/strugglesandvictoriesOOmaxw

THE BIBLE STORY VOLUME

VI

Struggles and Victories {From Daniel

to

Malachi)

2f*1*

M^ ink:

BIBLE

I

STORY

More Than Four Hundred Stories in Ten Volumes Covering the Entire Bible From Genesis to Revelation

Ǥ

VOLUME

SIX

Struggles and Victories

BY ARTHUR

S.

£fc>

MAXWELL

PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING ASSOCIATION Mountain View, California

////

6.

A Mountain Becomes

7.

Win

B

Si

12.

(irc.it

Broken Promises

Joy

111

A

Orphan

3.

Plots in the Palace

4.

Esther's

5.

Royal Invitation

7.

IV

—

Job,

1

125

1:1-10:3

1.

Star

The Day

121

Queen Esther

2.

6.

111

US

Jerusalem

Stories of

Esther

KM 108

13.

—

96 1(K)

Cupbearer

11.

Pari III

Part

1

Working Together The Plain ..l Ono

in.

Plain

fourney

rei

1

.1

STORY

Blushed

he King's

I

9.

Ezra

/)'//>•//

Is

Born Becomes Queen

131

Girl

134

138

Grand Decision

142 145

Biter Bitten

...

of Victory

Stories of

150 155

Famous Men

Jonah, Joel, Malachi

Mm

With Ten Children

Know

161

2.

What

3.

Tried and True

169

4.

173

7.

All's Well That Ends Well Swallowed by a Fish Gourd That Died Overnight Great Things for God

8.

Heaven's

Windows

189

5.

6.

Job

Didn't

...

165

177 183 185

PART

I

Stories of Daniel

(Daniel 1:1-12:13)

J^^ ^B

;

PART ONE

STORY

1

Four Noble Boys

WHERE

am

I?" asked Daniel, rubbing his eyes.

"Prison!" muttered Hananiah,

side

him

in the

Babylon Suddenly !

in Jerusalem

the breaking fierce

ones;

it all

came back. Those

the long siege, with

;

down

who

lay be-

dungeon. "We're in Babylon."

its

hunger,

last terrible

fear,

days

and despair

of the city gates; the final onrush of the

Babylonian soldiers; the dead bodies of friends and loved the screaming

What had been

a

women;

nightmare

seized

!

the frightened children.

Daniel remembered

how

the prisoners

and bound, the dreadful march

desert to Babylon, the blows

and

across the

curses of the conquerors,

and

finally prison.

Now,

as the

morning sun shone through the grating above

their heads, Daniel,

to realize

what

Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah began

a sad, sad thing

had happened

belonged to good families in Judah. enjoyed the best of everything.

even freedom.

-

>JV\

m *

g

4

'!

ln

#*%

'fc»

^1

PART ONE

STORY

12

Gabriel's Glorious Secret

TIME

and again through the long years of Babylon the children of

in

tivity

Israel

their cap-

must have

thought about their homeland and wondered when they

would

see

it

again.

Some remembered

Jeremiah's prophecy that they

return after seventy years. But

it

didn't

seem

would

possible that any-

thing so wonderful could ever happen.

The and

first

older.

Fifty.

Sixty.

by Nebuchadnezzar, grew older

captives, taken

Many

died.

The

Sixty-five.

others counted the years. Forty.

Sixty-six.

Would God remember? Would He

Sixty-seven. set

them

Sixty-eight.

free as

He had

promised ?

One day

Daniel was reading again the precious

containing the writings of Jeremiah.

scroll

Once more he came

to

the passage: "After seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I

will visit you,

and perform

my

good word toward you,

causing you to return to this place.

66

sajBT-a

in

!

GABRIEL'S GLORIOUS SECRET "For

know

I

the thoughts that

the Lord, thoughts of peace,

think toward you, saith

I

and not of

give you

evil, to

an

expected end.

"Then

ye shall call

unto me, and

"And for

I

upon me, and ye

ye shall seek me,

and find me, when ye

me with all your heart." What beautiful words! What

tender forgiveness there was in to give for,

go and pray

shall

hearken unto you.

will

them

!

shall search

loving-kindness,

How

His people "an expected end"

what

God

thoughtful of

—something

to

hope

even in their darkest days!

Suddenly Daniel was struck by the thought that the time for the fulfillment of the promise

must be very

near.

Had

he

not been in Babylon himself almost seventy years? Perhaps, old as he was, he

What was call

it

upon me, and Daniel

would

.

.

.

beautiful prayers to be

"O

His people must do? "Ye

shall

his knees

found

and prayed one of the most

in the Bible.

Lord, the great and dreadful God," he cried, "keeping

the covenant

ft

Jerusalem again

said

pray unto me."

upon

fell

see

God had

'&£

and mercy

e

jh

V

to

them

that love him,

and

to

them

that

!-i

J

THE BIBLE STORY neither have Ins commandments; we have sinned, we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all

keep

.

the people of the land. "( let

)

.

.

all

thy righteousness,

beseech thee,

I

and thy fury be turned away from thy

Jerusalem, thy holy mountain.

thy sanctuary that

"O

.

.

Lord, according to

thine anger

.

is

Lord, hear;

.

.

.

Cause thy face

to shine

desolate, for the Lord's sake.

O

do; defer not, for thine

Lord, forgive;

own

sake,

O

O my

.

.

city

upon

.

Lord, hearken and

God:

for thy city

and

thy people are called by thy name." Just then, as he his shoulder.

was praying, Daniel

Looking up, he saw an

felt

angel.

It

a touch

upon

was Gabriel,

.

GABRIELS GLORIOUS SECRET who had

flown from heaven in the few brief moments since

Daniel had begun to pray.

"You

are greatly beloved," said Gabriel,

you a

to tell

"and

Daniel was not to worry about Jerusalem.

ment would be given

He had made the future,

bring

have come

I

secret."

A

command-

God would keep the promise But just now He was planning

it.

through Jeremiah.

and how

evil to

to rebuild

He would work

out His grand design to

an end and make the earth

Eden

like

again.

Daniel had been thinking about seventy years, but

was thinking of seven times seventy years years

—

that

would reach

greatest thing

far

He would

down

—seventy

God

weeks of

the stream of time to the

ever do in His conflict with Satan.

"Seventy weeks," said Gabriel, "are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy to

make an end

and

of sins,

city, to finish

and

to

make

the transgression,

to bring in everlasting righteousness,

vision

and prophecy, and

"Know forth of the

therefore

to anoint the

and understand,

commandment

and

reconciliation for iniquity,

to restore

and

to seal

up the

most Holy. that

and

from the going

to build Jerusalem

unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore

and two weeks." Daniel was shown the long prophecy of 69 weeks that was to reach from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the baptism of Christ.

To

THE "Unto

this

was

felt

as he heard these words?

ten thousand times better than the

to

send

1

lis

people the great Deliverer of for

whom

would make an end

all Israel

whom

all

had yearned

and bring

of sins

end of

God was

the captivity, or the rebuilding of Jerusalem!

had spoken and

STORY

Can you imagine how Wonder of

the Messiah the Prince."

Daniel must have

wonders,

BIBl.li

going

the prophets so long.

He

in everlasting right-

eousness.

And it wouldn't be long. Not now. Only sixty-nine "weeks" of years.

That was

V

The

Just

483

years.

This was

And how

wonderfully

Three store

all.

Gabriel's secret, his glorious secret.

and build Jerusalem: last

came

it

true!

kings of Medo-Persia issued

of these decrees

commandments

was made

in

457

Subtract 457

b.c.

from 483 and what do you get? Twenty-six, of boy or

girl

But,

if

can work the

last

to re-

Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes.

course.

Any

that out.

decree was given in the spring of 457

B.C.,

then 483 full years ended in the spring of a.d. 27. Isn't that right? Sure

it's

right.

And what happened

That was the very

time when

then?

Jesus Christ

was baptized

in the river Jordan and was anointed by the Holy Spirit as

the true Messiah, God's chosen

His greatest and most precious

PK

champion of

gift to a lost

righteousness,

and hopeless world.

PART ONE

STORY

13

Daniel Sees Our

DID

you ever wonder

why

the children of Israel did

not ride into the Promised

David didn't the

Wise

hem

Men from

kill

Day

Land

in jeeps?

Goliath with a revolver?

Or why Or why

the East did not follow the Star of Bethle-

in a jet plane?

Oh, you

say,

because jeeps and revolvers and

weren't invented in those far-off days. True, but

The book Gabriel

He

lets

of Daniel

tells

jet

planes

why?

us why. In the last chapter

us into another secret.

has been telling Daniel about

in the future, clear

on down

the great prince" shall

come

many things to happen when "Michael

to the time to rescue

.

.

.

His people from the

worst time of trouble that ever befell them. At that time of

God's

final victory over all evil,

he

sleep in the dust of the earth shall life,

and some

to

shame and

says,

"Many

of

them

that

awake, some to everlasting

everlasting contempt.

that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the

And

they

firmament;

71

— THE BIBLE STORY that turn

and they

many

to righteousness as the

stars for ever and ever."

Then

Gabriel says to Daniel, "But thou,

O

Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the b(x>k,

even

and

to the

time of the end:

and knowledge

fro,

many

shall

run

to

shall be increased."

What can they mean? Which book? No doubt the book

Strange words these! "Seal the book."

was writing Until just before

at the time.

when? "Even God's

Then what

to the

They

is

to

happen? The book

all

so

— the

understand

it,

is

to be

unsealed.

and learn

and there

will

be a great increase of

stop to think that this

things that help people to travel quickly it

of God's

run to and fro telling other people

may

be the reason

many wonderful things have been invented

and make

time

over the world.

Did you ever

why

it,

will begin to

the wonderful news,

knowledge

time of the end"

final victory.

People will begin to read plans.

Daniel

possible for

them

from place

lately

to place

to talk to each other over great

distances?

t*

HBHHBH

...

*£

How do you travel nowadays? On a camel, like Abraham? On a donkey,

like

Balaam? In a covered wagon,

can pioneers? No, indeed.

You

travel

by car

like the

hour, or by train at one hundred miles an hour.

you can go almost anywhere by plane crossing oceans

and continents

And how do a mile

you talk

and knock on

at

in almost

Of

If

an

you wish,

350 miles an hour,

no time

to your neighbor?

his door?

Ameri-

at sixty miles

Do

course not.

at all.

you walk half

You

telephone

THE him.

he

If

lives the

telephone him,

And what

if

f

the country, you wire

you wanl

to talk to a lot of people at the

can reach millions and millions

When are

other side

you stop

living

in,

to

think of

with

its

this

it,

—or

same time,

we want

is

a

all at

once.

most marvelous age

atomic power and hydroelectric

and every other kind of power

jx.vver

him

you have the money.

you do? You get on a radio or television program.

tin

Then you

we

if

STORY

BlBLIl

do the things

to help us

to do.

around your house

Just look

a

moment and

see

what you

have that great-grandfather never had, nor dreamed about.

That

electric

washing machine, sewing machine, dishwasher,

refrigerator, deepfreeze, television set,

Look

inside a

modern

ments they have there

hospital

make

to

Hi-Fi

and

and whatnot.

set,

see all the shiny instru-

sick people well.

Nobody knew

about X-ray, penicillin, sulfa drugs and things like these a

hundred years ago.

Look around your books in the

How

school.

library, all

Take another peek

at all

the

the instruments in the science lab.

your grandfather would have loved

all

these things

when

he was a boy!

And

they speak of knowledge.

More knowledge.

Increased

knowledge.

How

marvelous that Daniel should have seen

long, ago!

What wonderful

***

secrets Gabriel told

*~-

S i^l^

* H0LYB1

him!

all this,

long,

PART Stories of Israel's

II Return

(Ezra 1:1-10:44; Nehemiah 1:1-13:31;

Haggai

1:1-2:23;

Zechariah 1:1-14:21)

V

TWO

PART

STORY

1

The Hour of Deliverance

WHEN

Daniel was brought unharmed out of the

den of

lions,

King Darius, you remember,

a message to all parts of his

God

who had

of heaven

kingdom

sent

praising the

so wonderfully delivered

His

faith-

ful servant.

One very important person who read that message was commander in chief of the Medo-Persian armies, which

Cyrus,

captured Babylon.

This man,

who became king upon

was naturally very much had made

No

the death of Darius,

interested in Daniel,

chief of the presidents of the

whom

doubt they often talked together about the

On

the realm.

in the writings of

"My name?" it

is

affairs of

may well have name is mentioned

one of these occasions Daniel

said to him, "Cyrus,

"But

Darius

new kingdom.

do you know

that your

one of the Hebrew prophets?" I

can hear him saying. "Impossible!"

true," said Daniel.

More than

a

hundred years 77

-*

!

THE BIBLE STORY This was the greatest beasts

and

on top of everything Job could stand

loss so far.

many

to lose so

else

at

was enough

it

so long as his children

it,

grant nothing happens to them,"

But then

it

came, the most

I

to shake

Coming

anyone: but

were unharmed. "God

can hear him praying.

terrible

son had invited his brothers and

—

Camels were valuable

once was a heavy blow.

news

of

all.

His

eldest

party in his house.

sisters to a

—when "a great

They were

all

wind from

the wilderness" struck the house with the fury of a

together

tornado, smashing

it

so happy, so carefree

to pieces

and

killing everyone inside.

much

This was too much. Job didn't mind so his

oxen and

asses, his

was heartbreaking! Tearing

custom

upon

days

the ground,

"Naked came shall

I

leave

!

This

'

clothes

his

in those

about losing

sheep and camels, but his children

and shaving

when

his

great sorrows

— — "he

head

came

was the

as

fell

down

and worshipped." I

into the world," he

mourned, "and naked

it."

Humbly,

sadly,

he

cried,

"The Lord name of

hath taken away; blessed be the

gave,

and the Lord

the Lord."

Job sinned not, nor charged

God

"In

all this

No

wonder God loved him and counted him among

three best

men who

ever lived

%%%% b>

)

i

foolishly."

the

PART FOUR

STORY

2

What Job

POOR

How

Job!

terrible things

him

ishing

Why

had he

for

Didn't

struck his sheep?

Why

everything

lost

all

faithful to If

didn't.

It

Why

once?

these

pun-

had the

had the lightning

at least

by the wind-

been spared?

must have been

when he had

so

hard to underbe true

tried his very best to

God.

only he could have

He was

at

Why

his children to be killed

Oh, why, why, why? and

him!

Why had the Chaldeans driven off his camels?

had not one of them

stand, especially

to

something he had done wrong?

had God allowed

storm?

why all Was God

he must have wondered

had happened

Sabaeans stolen his oxen and asses?

Why

Know

left to

known

all

we know

today

!

But he

wonder and wonder and question and

nobody to give him an answer. Whoever wrote the book of Job and many believe it was Moses has drawn back the curtain and let us see why so much trouble came to Job all at once. question, with

—

—

165

THE It

who

was Satan who was back

Adam

>;t

Garden

and Eve

of

SIORY

I

— the very same

person

and disobey God

in the

all

it

to question

BIBl

of Eden.

One

"when

the story goes,

clay, SO

the sons of

God came

Lord," Satan turned up

to present themselves before the

too.

"Where have you come from?" asked the Lord. "From going to and fro in the earth," said Satan, "and from walking up and down in it." like

"Did you meet Job?" asked the Lord. "There's no one in all the earth. Perfect and upright, he loves Me and

him

hates evil."

"Does Job

serve

God

for

nought?" sneered Satan. "He's

You have blessed him and protected him and given him everything a man could wish for. No wonder he serves You! Take away all he has and he will curse You

good because

to

Your

he's rich.

face."

God would

not believe

whether Job had much or

it.

He

little

trusted Job.

he would

still

He

felt

sure that

Him.

be true to

"Try and see," the Lord told Satan, "only don't hurt him." Satan

left in

bring on Job.

great glee, eagerly planning the evil he

And

soon the blows began to

other, while all heaven

watched

to see

fall,

one

what Job would

Job never wavered. True, he couldn't understand

had allowed such

trials to

goodness

same.

just the

You may this,

As 166

to

for Satan, he

was

do.

why God

him, but he trusted God's

God was proud of Job. What much without a murmur!

be sure

suffering so

come

would

after an-

a

furious, for although he

man was had

tried

WHAT

KNOW

JOB DIDN'T

his very best

When

shake Job's

to

ing that he hadn't had a

"You to

he had failed miserably.

faith,

next he met the Lord he excused his failure by say-

see Job

still

chance.

fair

holds fast his integrity," the Lord said

him.

"Only because You would not sneered Satan. "All that a

Touch

his

bone and

man

let

and he

his flesh

me

touch his person,"

has will he give for his will curse

You

life.

Your

to

face."

"All right," agreed the Lord,

keep true

to

Him. "He

is

still

sure that Job

in your hands.

Only

would

save his

life."

So Satan went forth "from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown."

The

big

test

Unknown

to

was on.

How

him, both

would Job come out of it? Satan and no doubt

— —watched intently

God and

thousands upon thousands of angels

to see

what he would do now. All Job

knew was

the wretched things

nor

lie

there

in comfort.

all

that the boils

They

Week the days!

sit,

stand,

itched, they ached, they hurt,

was nothing he could do

away with

were very painful. With

over him, he could neither

for

them except

and

scrape the pus

a piece of broken crockery. after

week

the torture

How endless the

nights!

went on.

And

still

How

there

long were

was no

relief.

THE BIBLE STORY Coming on it

top of

was enough

God and

"Curse upset by

all his losses

to break

over the sudden death of so dearly.

And now

wanted him It

to get

No

all his

children

who was

doubt she was

still

greatly

weeping

her boys and girls she had loved

all

Job was

of

spirit.

urged his wife,

die,"

had happened.

that

all

and the death

any man's

so

ill,

and looked

so terrible, that she

over with. Better give up trying to be good.

it

wasn't worth while.

But Job was

still

unmoved.

"You speak as one of the foolish women," he said to her. "What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?"

In other words, shall as in

we

not trust

good? Shall we give up our

God

in

bad times

as well

faith just because things

go

wrong? "In

did not Job sin with his lips."

all this

How

pleased

And what trouble

more;

God

comes

He

it

God must

is

has turned against

Let us

come

—forever and

as a test of

—

ever.

Should

trials

come

to

our love for Him.

make up our minds

whatever happens

When

"God doesn't love me any me." But we must never say that.

so easy to say,

loves us always

us they will

have been with him!

a lesson Job's faithfulness has for us!

that

we

will be faithful

in sunshine or rain, in

and true

good times or bad.

PART FOUR

STORY

3

Tried and True

AS NEWS

/A -*-

spread about the troubles that had

wagging

Job, tongues started

*^-

Many found man and

been such a rich

come

to

over the place.

all

the story hard to believe, for Job had so highly respected by everybody. If

much

he was indeed suffering as

was reported, then there

as

must be a reason. Surely he must have done something very wicked and

From

God was

far

and near

punishing him for his friends

came

it.

to see

him, and they

were shocked by what they saw. Indeed, Job was

so

changed

that they hardly recognized him.

Three of the Shuhite,

his friends

were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad

and Zophar the Naamathite.

When

they saw

him

they were so upset that they tore their clothes and sprinkled dust on their heads.

Then

"they

ground seven days and seven unto him: for they saw that

What

a

week

that was!

sat

down

nights,

his grief

As

with him upon the

and none spake was very

a

word

great."

the hours passed slowly by

169

3W^"*S

sound was heard but the groans of the

not a

When

Job spoke

at last

had never been born!"

"Why

didn't

I

have

lain

I

been

at rest.

there the

rest

.

die at

I

.

.

weary be

his

all

I

now

slept:

should

then had

from troubling; and

cease

only the pain would stop and he

If

three friends began

is

should have

even wished that he could

and they begged

"Happy

I

birth?" he cried. "For

quiet,

him much comfort. They were sinner,

wish

he wanted now. Rest from his troubles;

That was

his suffering!

Then

to say, "I

he suffered!

at rest."

Rest!

He

was

There the wicked

from

could sleep!

my

and been

still

it

How

sick

the

him

to

to talk,

sure he

make

man whom God

die.

but they did not bring

must be

a very great

things right with God. corrects," said Eliphaz;

"therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty."

Bildad said that Job's children

was

all this

had sinned. He,

a sign that

away

maybe

God had

was

had come because

certain that suffering

been offended.

"God

a perfect man," he said, "neither will

doers."

It

He

will not cast

help the

evil

never occurred to him, or to any of the other friends,

that this suffering

might be

not God, was the cause of

all

a test of Job's faith, or that Satan,

the evil that had

Meanwhile Job continued 170

too,

trouble

come

to

him.

to declare his innocence. Once,

!

AND TRUE

TRIED

addressing God, he said,

Then

yet will

trust in

I

"My

"Thou knowest

that

am

I

not wicked."

he boldly declared, "Though he slay me,

to his friends

him."

friends scorn me," he cried: "but

mine eye poureth

out tears unto God."

No, he would not give up

"The

ness.

his faith in

he that hath clean hands

yes,

he

my

and

"when

children were about

butter,

the

respected,

when he

had

it

all

the

Almighty was

me; when

and the rock poured me out

I

weak

felt so

happened. Often

when he had been

he thought about the days ful

like this

wondered why

still

and stronger."

shall be stronger

How brave of him to speak Oh,

God's love and good-

righteous also shall hold on his way," he said, "and

rich

yet

washed

and power-

with me,

my

rivers of oil;

when

steps with

when

.

.

.

young men saw me, and hid themselves: and the aged

arose,

and stood up."

Now

it

seemed

to

him

that

God,

for

some

reason,

had

for-

He has "stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head," he said. He has "destroyed me on every side, and I am gone" and He counts me "as one of his enemies." saken him.

God

But even so he loved

come out "I

still

and was sure someday

know

that

my redeemer liveth,"

that he shall stand at the latter day after see

my

God:

all

would

right.

skin

worms

whom

Marvelous

I

!

earth:

destroy this body, yet in

shall see for

faith

he told his friends, "and

upon the

and though flesh shall

I

myself and not another."

You would

have agreed that he must be

my

think his three friends would

right.

But no. Back came Eliphaz 171

THE BIBLE STORY with the same old charge, "Is not your wickedness great?"

he taunted the poor sick the

Almighty

man

by saying, "Is

Or

that you are righteous?

is it

you make your way perfect?" "Return urged, and "put "I

away

my

when He

has tried me,

necessary food."

commandment

have walked with vanity

I

any blot has cleaved

"If

I

"If

I

to

did despise the cause

have made gold

.

.

my hope my wealth

.

.

rejoiced because

rejoiced at the destruction of

God was

transgressions

an even balance, that it

Remember,

this all

to guide

that

I

him

his striv-

.

.

.

.

.

him

.

.

.

me me

that hated

..."

then

"let

God may know my

.

.

.

be

integrity."

sure

unfairly.

happened thousands

him, for no part of

There was no church pastor

take:

said:

was not on purpose, and he was

too just to punish

had no Bible

.

was great

I

I

in

of His

.

.

my hands of my manservant

"If

he had done wrong

way

knew how, he

"If

my

the

come forth as gold." his way of life and of

the best he

"If

weighed If

God

"If

covered

to

that

Almighty," he

to the

"He knows

shall

I

In a wonderful defense of

I

Him

gain to

have esteemed the words of His mouth

more than

"If

Then

any pleasure

iniquity."

have not gone back from the

lips," retorted Job. "I

ing to do the will of

it

to visit

it

of years ago. Job

had been

him and

written.

cheer his heart,

we know it today. He stood God and the right. What faith! What courage! No wonder God reckoned him among His most loyal and noble for the church did not exist as

alone for

champions.

\

n

'

PART FOUR

STORY All's

WHEN broke

4

Well That Ends Well

friends

Job's

had finished

"The Lord answered Job out wind," and what

talking,

God

in.

of the whirl-

He said makes one of the most wonderful chap-

ters in all the Bible

— Job

You must

38.

read

it

all

through some-

day.

God such

earth,

of

asked Job many questions that he could not answer, "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the when the morning stars sang together and all the sons

as,

God

shouted for joy?"

"Who shalt

shut up the sea with doors

.

.

.

and

said,

Hitherto

thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves

be stayed?"

God

"Have you considered the treasures of the snow or the hail?" asked. "Where does ice come from, and the hoarfrost?" "Can you

'bind the sweet influences of the Pleiades, or loose

the bands of Orion? or

.

.

.

guide Arcturus with his sons?'

173

¥

"Who Did you cocks?

provides food for the ravens?

give 'goodly wings unto the pea-

wings and feathers unto the

or

Does the hawk

ostrich?'

by your wis-

fly

dom? Does the eagle mount up at your command?" As God continued to talk of the wonders of His creation Job

more aware of

his

He saw that, to

do God's

still

just a

will

became more and weakness.

though he had

and

holy

live a

tried

life,

know

the heavens

that

and the

earth.

thou canst do every

thing," he cried, "and that

no thought can

be withholden from thee. ...

I

have heard

of thee by the hearing of the ear: but

mine eye

hard

he was

poor sinner in the presence of

Him who made "I

own

seeth thee.

Wherefore

I

now

abhor

myself, and repent in dust and ashes." "I

am

vile;

lay

mine hand upon

what

shall

I

answer thee?

my

mouth."

I

will

WELL THAT ENDS WELL

ALL'S

God had more

loved Job

To

Eliphaz,

friends, for

Then He

now He

along, but

for you,"

God

said, "I

am

loved

told

them

He

as has

to take seven bullocks

as a burnt offering.

"My

my

servant Job."

and seven rams and

servant Job will pray

added.

This was the turning point in Job's long and fering.

them

him even

angry with you and your two

you have not spoken right

them up

offer

all

for his humility.

When

as a sacrifice,

"And

the

terrible suf-

the three friends brought the animals

and offered

Job prayed for them.

Lord turned

the captivity of Job,

when he prayed

for his friends."

A

new day now dawned

for this faithful servant of Je-

hovah. His boils disappeared. His health and strength returned.

More and more he Brothers,

felt

—and looked—

sisters, friends,

began

even took up a collection to give him a

man

also gave

him

a piece of

like his old self.

to visit

new

him

again.

start in life.

They

"Every

money, and every one an earring

of gold." It

was very kind

themselves, for

of them, but they need not have troubled

God had

big plans in

Indeed "the Lord blessed the

latter

mind

for this dear

man.

end of Job more than

his

THE BIBLE STORY beginning." In

just a little

while Job had fourteen thousand

sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and

one thousand she

asses.

So "the Lord gave Job twice Best of

all,

God

three girls, just the

as

much

as

he had before."

gave him ten more children, seven boys and

same number

as

he had

lost in that

dreadful

windstorm.

For some reason we have not been told the names of these seven boys. But are

we do know

the

names of the

three girls.

They

Jemima, Kezia, and Kerenhappuch.

"And

women found

were no

in all the land

so fair as the

daughters of Job."

Maybe you

are

wondering how anyone could have

one of the ancient patriarchs

who

"and saw

his sons,

and

many was

lived a long, long time.

The

Bible says that after his great trial years

so

that Job

children twice in one lifetime? Well,

remember

and

suffering, he lived 140

his son's sons,

even four genera-

tions."

So everything turned out right

in the end.

to the three friends Eliphaz, Bildad, told.

to

As

to

how

Satan

nought nothing

is

felt

said.

are not

when he saw his wicked plans come But we do know that "the patience

of Job," his unfailing loyalty ever.

What happened

and Zophar, we

and

love, will be

remembered

for-

PART FOUR

STORY

5

Swallowed by

ONE

the

of the most exciting stories in the Bible

man who was happened

It

after the death of

the

kingdom

a Fish

swallowed by a a little

that of

more than

a

hundred

years

Solomon, when Palestine was divided between

Judah and the kingdom of

of

is

fish.

Israel,

and Assyria

ruled the world.

At

that time "the

saying, Arise,

go

to

Nineveh was the its

word

to go.

Lord came unto Jonah

It

Had God

was the

.

.

.

and cry against

it."

known everywhere

for

city,

capital of Assyria,

wickedness and cruelty.

wanted

of the

Nineveh, that great

last

place to

which Jonah

asked him to go to Jerusalem, or

Samaria, or even Damascus, he would no doubt have gone gladly, but Nineveh!

knowing what

Oh, no! Not Nineveh! There was no

the people

would do

to a preacher of righteous-

ness there.

So Jonah made up

his

mind

he could, to some place where 6-12

to

God

go

as far

from Nineveh

as

could not find him.

177

So he went down

ft^

going

\

to the

docks

at

Joppa and found a ship

to Tarshish, in the south of Spain.

he went on board. Once below deck he

Having paid

his fare,

No

one, not

felt safer.

even God, he thought, would find him here; and by the time he got to Tarshish sent

someone

God would

else to

do

have forgotten

all

about him and

his job.

But he never got to Tarshish.

Nobody can run away from God; and when the ship for the harbor mouth He was closer

weighed anchor and made to

Jonah than

ever.

Weary and

God

didn't.

He

discouraged, Jonah soon

had His eyes on

fell

that ship

But

fast asleep.

and His runaway

prophet. Pretty soon the

wind began

The choppy

to rise.

rougher and rougher, tossing the tiny

vessel

sea

became

about like a cork.

Great waves began to break over her bow, and both captain

and crew feared she would founder.

As

the tempest

grew worse they threw the cargo

board. Then, with the ship rolling this

seemed

to be her last agonies, every

for help.

Some cried to

Baal,

but no help came. At that

178

some

way and

man began

to Ashtoreth,

moment

that in

over-

what

to cry to his

some

to

god

Moloch:

the captain, going below

SWALLOWED BY A perhaps to see

if

the ship

FISH had sprung

a leak,

found Jonah

asleep.

Angrily awaking him, he cried roughly:

"What do you mean, God!" Jonah staggered ing and tossing told

and

all

sleeper?

arise,

call

upon your

to his feet in a daze.

But the awful pitch-

him

was

on board were

As he

O

that the captain

right.

The

ship

in deadly danger.

joined the crew

and find out who brought

of

them

this evil

upon

some

said, "Let's cast lots

us."

This they did,

upon Jonah." Then they all turned upon the runaway prophet with

"and the

lot fell

after another. "What is your occupation?" they "Where do you come from?" "What is your national-

one question asked. ity?"

"Why are you traveling on this ship?" am a Hebrew," said Jonah, "and I

"I

fear the Lord, the

who has made the sea and the dry land." Then he told how God had called him to preach in Nineveh and how he was afraid, and ran off in the opposite direction. that the sea may be calm?" they "What shall we do

God

of heaven,

.

.

.

asked anxiously.

"Throw me But the

So

men

overboard," said Jonah. didn't

want

they bent to the oars again

the ship to land.

to

do

that. It

and rowed

seemed too

cruel.

their hardest to bring

was no

It

much they

for them.

came

to

use. The waves were too They had to give up. Then

Jonah again.

Was he still willHe was. He

ing to be thrown overboard?

knew

in

heart

his

that all

this

trouble

had come because of

his disobedience.

why

die because of his sin?

many

should so

"So they took up Jonah, and

And

cast

him

forth into the sea."

Almost immediately the wind died and the

As

sea

became calm.

for poor Jonah, he

down, down

went down,

into the dark green water,

certain that he

was about

to

drown. Then

of a sudden he had the strange feeling of

being sucked

down

a slippery tube.

No

longer was he fighting for breath in the ocean, but trying hard not to breathe the foul air of

some great

He had No,

it

is

beast's stomach.

been swallowed by not impossible.

a

fish!

Men

have

:

been swallowed by whales since then, and lived to

And remember

that the Bible doesn't say that

it

that swallowed Jonah, but "a great fish" that

pared for

the a

tale.

whale

God had

pre-

this purpose.

Anyway, poor Jonah was there for "three days

For a while help from the

at least

a confession of sin if

Hebrews

to the

parts of three days.

fish's belly.

you pray very hard

and he stayed

inside the fish

and three nights" which,

meant

of those times,

What

tell

was

!

he was conscious, for he prayed for

What a prayer that must have been. What a cry for forgiveness Wouldn't !

you found yourself in such a dreadful

place?

Telling floods

God

compassed

over me.

Then

I

about his ordeal afterward, Jonah

me about said, I am

:

all

said,

"The

thy billows and thy waves passed

cast out of thy sight

;

yet

I

will look

again toward thy holy temple.

"The waters compassed me

me round about, wrapped about my head.

depth closed

were

the mountains.

and

.

.

about, even to the soul: the

the weeds [eaten by the fish] I

went down

to the

bottoms of

.

"When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. .

Salvation

is

.

.

of the Lord."

In some wonderful

way God spoke

vomited out Jonah upon the dry land."

to the fish

"and

it

THE BIBLE STORY What

How

a

frightening experience

terribly

it

dark and hot and slimy

the stomach of the

fish. It

was

like

can imagine that Jonah's hair

was it

for

poor Jonah.

must have been

being buried

may have

alive,

in

and we

turned white with

shock.

You may

be sure the people of Nineveh listened to the

prophet for he had a most solemn story

Here was

man whose

a

life

to tell.

God had

spared in a most

marvelous way. His message must be from heaven. So cried,

"Yet forty days, and Nineveh

people believed est of

him and repented

them even

to the least of

and published

of their sins

"from the

great-

them." Even the king himself

put off his royal robes, "covered in ashes,"

when he

overthrown," the

shall be

him with

sackcloth,

a decree saying, "Let

and

man and

sat

beast

be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily unto God: yea, let

them turn every one from

that

is

in their

What

his evil

way, and from the violence

hands."

a revival

!

What

a turning back to

God Never had !

there been such preaching; never such wonderful results.

All Nineveh

—wicked

Nineveh

—had

repented!

And

to

think that Jonah had tried his best to run away from the job!

What and

a lesson to all of us to

there!

do what God asks of

us,

then

PART FOUR

STORY

6

Gourd That Died Overnight

YOU

would think

that Jonah

would have

rejoiced at

the wonderful results of his preaching, but he didn't.

Oh,

at first

he did, no doubt, but

when

the forty

days passed and the city wasn't destroyed, he became angry.

was afraid the people would

call

him

Gloomily he walked some distance out of the little

booth to shield himself from the sun, and

what would happen city after all ;

and

if

heaven he wanted

next.

some

to see

will,

it

spread

But

A worm

it

At all

first

city, built

down

a

to see

God would yet destroy the doom was going to descend from

it.

he did not notice

over his

sat

Perhaps

fiery

Just then the tiny seed of a gourd, or vine,

beside Jonah.

He

a false prophet.

little

booth,

it,

began

to

grow

but soon, as vines

making him much

cooler.

Next morning the vine was dead. stem, causing it to wither. Then a wind

didn't last long.

had cut its came up and blew it away, leaving Jonah exposed to the hot sun. Now he became more angry still, thinking of how un183

"""'" ii

!

THE BIBLE STORY comfortable he was. "1 )d

He

out of sorts with

felt

everything.

you do well to be angry with the gourd?"

God

asked

him. "Yes," snapped Jonah, quite impatiently.

Said God,

"You have

and perished

a night

that great city,

What

pity

on the gourd which came up

in a night: should not

was thinking of

all

and

sitting in sackcloth

Jonah was thinking about

his reputation as a prophet; but

the thousands of people in the

they not just repented of their sins?

it

in

spare Nineveh,

wherein are more than 120,000 people?"

a lesson in forgiveness!

himself, his comfort,

Was

I

and ashes?

Were

city.

they not even

God Had now

How then could He punish them?

not far better to pardon than to destroy them?

Long years afterward, when Christ's disciples wanted to call fire down from heaven to destroy a village that would not receive Him, Jesus said, "The Son of man is not come to destroy men's

lives,

God

is

but to save them." ever the same

great kindness."

He

is

a

—"merciful,

God

ready to forgive the worst prodigal the his sins.

May He

make

more

us

/*

like

put the same sweet

Him

slow to anger, and of

of compassion

and tender

moment he spirit in

is

love,

sorry for

our hearts and

PART FOUR

STORY

7

Great Things for

NOT of

many

God

years after Jonah preached to the people

Nineveh

a

man

with a similar name took almost

the same message to the people of Judah.

This

man was

Joel,

and God

"The day of the Lord "Blow the trumpet

clare,

.

alarm in

my

.

.

is

at

in Zion,"

holy mountain:

him

sent

to Jerusalem to de-

hand!"

let all

he

tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for Joel did not set a time for the

ing,

me

with

nigh

at

hand."

name he

pleaded,

"Turn

your heart, and with fasting, and with weep-

all

and with mourning: and rend your

garments, and turn unto the Lord your

and merciful, slow

to anger,

Here again was love.

it is

coming judgment, but he

did beg the people to repent. In God's ... to

"and sound an

cried,

the inhabitants of the land

and

heart,

God

:

and not your

for he

is

gracious

of great kindness."

the beautiful message of God's forgiving

Repentance would bring instant pardon. Their punish-

ment would be forgotten

only they would say, "I'm sorry."

if

185

m

il

i

wii

i

m um

in

*

THE BIBLE STORY But they must be sincere.

and pray

get together

To

end

this

begged them

Joel

to

God. "Gather the people," he urged,

t

"assemble the elders, gather the children"

—even

the babes in

arms. Let everybody cry, "Spare thy people, () Lord!"

come

All sorts of good things would

would give themselves

to

God

like this.

them

to

He was

if

just

only they

waiting to

he gracious to them.

There was no need cried; "be glad

and

Great things! Yes, indeed.

Holy

Spirit

the old

upon them. Even

men dream

"Fear not,

to be afraid.

rejoice: for the

Lord

God was

the boys

ready to pour out His

and

girls

dreams, and the young

There would he no

all

He would show wonders

heaven and on earth and His

in

was

a

For

them. pened.

The

His

all

way

marvelous promise, and the pity it.

is

faithful ones

in Jerusalem.

that the people-

Because they would not give up their sins

they cut themselves off from great things

all

He had

in

the

good God planned

mind

for

for

them never hap-

Jerusalem was destroyed and the people taken into

captivity.

But the promise

anyone who wants in the

c

would

grace.

took no notice of

£

see visions.

dream about and do by God's

It

A

would prophesy,

men

limit to the great things they

saving power would be seen in a wonderful

.

() land," he-

do great things."

will

still

to claim

whole wide world.

stands. it.

It is

It

is

there in the Bible for

there for every boy

and

girl

—

GREAT THINGS FOR GOD All you have to do to receive all

From

your heart.

His

upon

Spirit

you.

it is

to turn to the

moment He

that

9

Lord with

will begin to

pour out

He will cause you to dream dreams and see He wants done today. Then He

visions of the great things that

you to make those dreams come

will help

Have you

God wants There strife,

age,

that

so

He

much

great things

girls like

you?

much fear and peacemakers men of cour-

trouble in the world, so

—

looking for great

is

true.

how many

do today through boys and

to is

ever stopped to think

wisdom, and patience, who

will stand

between people of different nations and

between enemies,

races,

and draw them

together with cords of love.

There

is

so

much

sickness in the world, so

much

suffering

—

He is looking for great healers men of skill and kindness who will minister to the sick of mind and body. There is so much sin in the world, and so much sadness resulting from it, that He is looking for great preachers men "mighty in the scriptures" who will declare His love with and

sadness, that

boldness and turn

many from

Would you do

their evil ways.

great things for

God? Would you

& ri *

be a great

missionary, a great teacher, a great leader of youth, a great builder of Christ's church

You may. Dream glowing

Lord

*

vision.

will

on earth?

glorious dreams. Plan with wide and

Don't be

afraid.

do great things"

—

"Be glad and

rejoice: for the

for you!

,£U

.^

PART FOUR

STORY

8

Heaven's

DOES

heaven

have windows?

really

But, of course,

it

Windows

doesn't

mean

glass

The

Bible says

windows

that

so.

open

sideways or push up and down.

"Windows telling of

of heaven"

derful things for

all

In olden times

who it

and other celebrations of their

really just another

is

God's love and His willingness serve

was

Him

word

picture

do great and won-

faithfully.

custom on

a

to

for rich people to

homes and throw gold and

feast days,

weddings,

open the upper windows

silver coins to passers-by

led the prophet to say that

God would

open "the windows of heaven, and pour you out

a blessing."

"Empty out"

that

below. This

may have

a blessing, the

the picture clearer

margin

reads,

and

makes

still.

Malachi wrote the

last

book of the Old Testament and,

like all the other books,

it is

an appeal

God

to people to live so that

God wants to bless everybody. His greatmen and women happy. Always He stands ready

can bless them.

est joy is to see

189

Just as the rich people in olden times threw money to the poor at weddings and on feast days, so God promises to open heaven's win-

dows and pour out His

blessings

on

tithers.

tn

THE BIBLE STORY to

pour

who

I

lis

obey

One fifty

I

blessings

upon them. Hut

le

I

can only do

it

for those

Inn and do what's right and good.

big trouble with the people in Malachi's day

Nehemiah was governor

years after

that they

would

not pay the tithe that

— about — was

of Jerusalem

God had

said

was

to be

used to support the priests and Levitcs.

You may remember

that

when Nehemiah began

his re-

forms, he had the people promise that they would not only keep the Sabbath faithfully but also pay tithe again as their fathers

had done of

But the promise was forgotten, and by the

old.

time Malachi came on the scene they had been doing wrong so long they thought

They were

it

was

full of

right.

arguments

to

matter with what they were doing.

had made

(

rod weary with

their

prove there was nothing the

When

Malachi said that they

words they answered, "Wherein

have we wearied him?"

When "Wherein

he pleaded with them shall

When

we

to return to

God, they

said,

return?"

he accused them of robbing

God

they replied,

"Wherein have we robbed thee?" "I'll

tell

ings.

no

God

by keeping back

This money did not belong

they used

it

He

told

them

their tithes

and

offer-

you," said Malachi, and he did.

they had robbed

for

to

them, but

to

themselves they were stealing.

better than thieves

and

robbers,

God.

When

They were

no matter how good they

thought they were.

"You

are cursed with a curse," he

have robbed me, even

190

this

whole nation."

went on: "For you

—