{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_11241/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_11241","id":"gutenberg_11241","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11241","summary":null,"tags":["Bible stories, English -- Juvenile literature","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Children's Picture Books","Children's Religion","Christianity"],"text":"WEE ONES' BIBLE STORIES\n\n\nSHORT SKETCHES OF THE BIBLE\n\nSPECIALLY ILLUSTRATED FOR THE LITTLE FOLKS\n\n\n[Illustration: Knock. It shall be opened unto you]\n\n\n1903.\n\n\n\n\nFEEDING THE MULTITUDES.\n\n\nJesus had chosen twelve out of the many who flocked about Him wishing to\nbe His disciples, and these twelve were called apostles. He sent them\nforth to preach the gospel, giving them power to cast out evil spirits\nand to heal diseases; and when they were about to go forth upon their\nmission, He gave them instructions regarding what they were to do, and\nwarned them of the persecutions which would be heaped upon them. He also\nbade them be strong and not fear those who had power to kill the body\nonly, because the soul was far more precious. So the apostles went out\ninto the cities and towns and preached the word of God and carried\nblessing with them.\n\nWhen they came back they told Jesus what they had done, and they went\nwith Him across the sea of Galilee to a quiet spot where they could rest\nand talk over their work.\n\nBut the people went around the sea, or lake, to join them on the other\nside; and when Jesus saw the crowds He was sorry for them, and taught\nand healed them again as He had done so many times.\n\nIn the evening His disciples urged Him to send the people away that they\nmight buy food for themselves in the village; but Jesus said, \"Give ye\nthem to eat.\"\n\nThe disciples thought this would be impossible. \"We have here but five\nloaves and two fishes,\" they told Him; and when He said, \"Bring them\nhither to Me,\" they obeyed Him with wonder.\n\nThen Jesus commanded the people to sit down in groups upon the green\ngrass; and He took the loaves and gave thanks to God for them, and broke\nthem into pieces, handing them to His disciples to give to the people.\n\nHe divided the fishes also in the same way, and the disciples went about\namong the groups giving each person a share, and everyone had enough to\neat; for although there were about five thousand men there, besides\nwomen and children, the food was sufficient for all. Even more than\nthis, when the multitude had eaten all that they wanted, the disciples\ngathered up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces.\n\nWhen the people saw this wonderful miracle which Jesus had done, they\nwished to make Him king at once, for they thought He was the Promised\nOne for whom they had been so long waiting, and they did not know that\nthe kingdom of Christ was not to be an earthly kingdom.\n\nBut Jesus would not allow them to make Him king, and He left them and\nwent up on the top of a mountain alone.\n\nOn another occasion when a great crowd had gathered to hear Him and had\nbeen for a long time without food, He called His disciples to Him and\ntold them that He felt very sorry for the people because they had been\nfasting three days, and He could not send them away so weak and hungry\nfor fear they would faint before they could reach home.\n\nBut His disciples said they did not know where they could get food for\nso many, as they were in the wilderness.\n\nJesus asked them how many loaves of bread they had, and they told Him\nseven, and also a few small fishes.\n\nThen Jesus bade the people sit down on the ground around Him, and He\ntook the seven loaves and the fishes and offered thanks to God;\nafterwards, He broke the loaves into pieces as He had done before and\ngave them, with the fishes, to His disciples, and the disciples\ndistributed them among the people. As they gave out the food it\ncontinued to increase wonderfully, so that all the people were fed;\nand even after that there was food enough left so that they took up\nseven baskets full, although about four thousand men, with many women\nand children, had eaten.\n\nThese miracles show not only the power of our Lord, but His tenderness\nand thoughtfulness for those around Him in the everyday affairs of life.\nHe not only cared for the souls of His people, but for their physical\ncomfort as well; for His heart was ever open to the cry of human need.\n\nOne of the first acts by which He manifested His power to the men who\nafterwards became His disciples, was an act of helpfulness.\n\nHe saw two ships by the Lake of Gennesaret with the fishermen near by\nwashing their nets, and going aboard one of the ships, which belonged to\nSimon Peter, He asked him to put out a little way from land; then, when\nHis request had been complied with, He taught the people from the ship.\n\nAfter He had finished His teaching, He said to Simon, \"Launch out into\nthe deep and let down your nets for a draught.\" Simon told Him that they\nhad worked all night and had caught no fish, but that they would do as\nHe bade them.\n\nAnd when they had done so, the net was filled so that it broke, and they\nhad to call to their partners in the other ship to come and help them;\nand both ships were filled. Then Peter and James and John left all to\nfollow Jesus.\n\n\n\n\nJESUS CALMS THE TEMPEST.\n\n\nAt one time when Jesus had entered a ship to cross the Sea of Galilee\nwith His disciples, a great storm arose and the waves nearly covered the\nlittle vessel, so that they were apparently in great danger.\n\nThe disciples were frightened, but Jesus was asleep and the storm did\nnot disturb Him. As it grew worse and worse and the disciples became\nmore than ever afraid, they went back to where Jesus lay and wakened\nHim, crying out, \"Master, dost Thou not care that we perish?\"\n\nWhen they said this, Jesus arose and spoke to the winds and the sea,\nsaying, \"Peace, be still!\" Then at once the wind went down and the sea\nbecame calm, and the hearts of the men were filled with wonder and still\ngreater faith and awe, while they said to one another, \"What manner of\nman is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?\" They had not yet\nlearned that Jesus had power over all things whenever He chose to\nexercise it.\n\nAt another time when the disciples had crossed the Sea of Galilee,\nexpecting that Jesus would join them upon the other side, a storm came\nup, suddenly as before, and the waters were quickly piled up in great\nwaves; for the lake was narrow and deep, and the storms usually burst in\nfull fury with little warning, doing much harm before there was a chance\nto escape. At this time the disciples had hard work to row the boat\nagainst the wind, and it was tossed about here and there by the waves in\nthe middle of the sea until, toward morning, Jesus went out toward it,\nwalking upon the water.\n\nWhen the disciples saw Him coming they thought it was a spirit and\nwere frightened: but He spoke to them, saying, \"Be of good cheer; it is\nI, be not afraid.\"\n\n[Illustration: JESUS WALKING UPON THE WATERS.]\n\nThen Peter said: \"Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the\nwater.\"\n\nJesus said, \"Come,\" and Peter stepped out upon the water and started\ntoward the Master; but his faith was not strong enough, and as he began\nto sink he cried, \"Lord, save me!\"\n\nJesus stretched out His hand and held him up. \"O thou of little faith,\"\nHe said, \"wherefore didst thou doubt?\"\n\nWhen Jesus came into the boat the storm ceased, and soon they reached\nthe shore. Then the disciples worshiped Him and said, \"Of a truth Thou\nart the Son of God.\"\n\n\n\n\nRUTH AND NAOMI.\n\n\nThe story of Ruth and Naomi is one of the sweetest and most touching of\nall the Bible stories. It shows the beauty of unselfish devotion and\nconstant love, and the happiness which they brought, and teaches a\nlesson which is very helpful to us all.\n\nA long time ago, in the days of the judges of Israel, there was a famine\nin the land of Canaan, and a man named Elimelech, whose home was in\nBethlehem, went with his wife Naomi and his two sons to live in Moab.\n\nAfter they had been there a while Naomi's husband died, leaving her with\nthe two sons. Then, by and by, the sons married, and their wives were\nvery good to Naomi, and loved her. But it was only ten years before both\nof the sons died, and Naomi thought it was best for her to go back to\nher old home in Canaan; for she had been told that there was plenty in\nthe land once more, and she wanted to see her own people and the\nrelatives of her husband who was dead. So Naomi told her\ndaughters-in-law to return to their own homes, because she could not\nexpect them to be willing to leave everything for her sake.\n\n\"Go, each of you, to your mother's house,\" she said; \"the Lord deal\nkindly with you as ye have dealt with the dead and with me.\" But they\nboth wept and clung to her, saying, \"Surely we will return with thee\ninto thy land.\"\n\nNaomi, however, thought they would be unhappy if they left their own\ncountry, and she urged them to stay there and let her go alone; so one\nof them kissed her over and over again and promised to do as she bade;\nbut the other, who was named Ruth, would not leave her.\n\n\"Entreat me not to leave thee,\" she pleaded, \"or to return from\nfollowing after thee; for whither thou goest I will go, and where thou\nlodgest I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God;\nwhere thou diest I will die, and there will I be buried; the Lord do so\nto me and more, also, if aught but death part thee and me.\"\n\nThen Naomi stopped urging her to return, and they went together to\nBethlehem, where the friends of Naomi were very glad to welcome her and\ngreeted her in a very friendly manner, saying again and again, \"Is this\nNaomi?\"\n\n[Illustration: THE ASCENSION INTO HEAVEN.]\n\nBut she answered: \"Call me not Naomi, but call me Mara, for the Almighty\nhath dealt very bitterly with me.\" She said this because Naomi means\n\"pleasant\" and Mara means \"bitter,\" and the sorrowing widow felt that\nher life was a bitter rather than a pleasant one, since she had been\nbereaved of her husband and sons.\n\nThere lived in Bethlehem a man named Boaz, who was a relative of Naomi's\nhusband, and who was also very wealthy. He had a large farm and many\npeople, both men and women, worked in his fields, and as it was about\nthe beginning of the barley harvest when the two women came to\nBethlehem, these fields presented a busy appearance.\n\nRuth wished to do something to help support herself and her\nmother-in-law, so she begged Naomi to let her go into the fields and\nglean after the reapers--that is, to gather up the barley that was left\nafter they had made up the sheaves--and Naomi told her that she might\ngo.\n\n[Illustration: THE PRODIGAL SON.]\n\nRuth happened to choose the field of Boaz to work in, and when the\nwealthy man came into the field and saw her, he said, \"The Lord bless\nthee!\" but he did not know who she was.\n\nAs he went away he inquired of the head reaper about the young woman,\nand afterward he said to Ruth: \"Go not to glean in another field, but\nkeep here close to my maidens.\" He also spoke to his young men about\nher, telling them to be kind and courteous to her, and he bade her go\nand drink of the water which they drew whenever she was thirsty.\n\nWhen Ruth wondered at his kindness and asked him why he was so good to a\nstranger, he told her that he had heard of her love for Naomi and her\nunselfish devotion, and he said: \"The Lord reward thee, and a full\nrecompense be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings\nthou art come to trust.\" He invited her also to sit with his reapers at\nmeal-time, and he waited upon her that she might have enough to eat and\ndrink.\n\nWhen she had gone he commanded his young men to let her glean among the\nsheaves and to drop some handfuls purposely for her, and not to find\nfault with her or reprove her.\n\nSo Ruth worked in the field all day, and then beat out the barley which\nshe had gleaned and took it to the city to show Naomi, who was very\nglad, indeed, and very thankful.\n\nNaomi asked Ruth where she had gleaned, and when she had heard the whole\nstory, she told her that Boaz was a near relative and that it was well\nfor her to stay in his fields, as he had given her permission to do,\nuntil the end of the harvest. So Ruth kept close to the maidens who\ngleaned in the fields of Boaz until the end of both the barley and the\nwheat harvests.\n\nThen one night when Boaz was to have a winnowing of barley, Naomi told\nRuth to make herself ready, putting on her best clothing, and to go to\nthe winnowing and the feast and to ask Boaz what she should do.\n\nThe winnowing is the fanning out of the straws from the kernels after\nthe husks have been beaten off. A great many people helped about the\nwork, and a feast was prepared for them.\n\nRuth did as Naomi had told her to do. When she had informed Boaz that\nshe was a near relative he said, \"Blessed be thou of the Lord, my\ndaughter.\" Then he told her not to be afraid, but to bring the long veil\nwhich she wore, and when she had brought it he poured a large quantity\nof barley into it. She carried this to the city and gave it to her\nmother-in-law, telling her what Boaz had said, and Naomi was comforted;\nfor she knew that Boaz would advise them wisely.\n\nAfter this Boaz went to the city and consulted with the chief men and\nthose that were interested in the welfare of Naomi and Ruth, and when he\nfound that it would be wronging no one, he told the people that he was\ngoing to take Ruth for his wife, and the people said, \"We are\nwitnesses.\" So Boaz married Ruth; but in her new position as the wife of\na very wealthy and influential man, this noble woman did not forget her\nlove for Naomi, whom she still tenderly cared for. When a little son\ncame to bless the union, Naomi rejoiced, for she felt almost as though\nit was her own little son, and she named him Obed and delighted in\ntaking care of him.\n\nWhen Obed became a man he married and had a son named Jesse, who in turn\nbecame the father of David, the great king of Israel. Jesus Himself was\nof the House of David, and so God's promise to His chosen people was\nfulfilled.\n\n\n\n\nMOSES.\n\n\nPharaoh, the King of Egypt, had made a law that every boy baby of the\nHebrew race should be killed, and there was great sorrow because of it.\nBut when Moses was born, his mother managed to hide him for three\nmonths; then she made a cradle, or little ark, and putting him into it,\ncarried him down to a river and hid the cradle among the reeds there.\n\nSoon after this, Pharaoh's daughter came with her maidens to the\nriver-side, and when she saw the beautiful child, she sent one of her\nmaidens to bring it to her.\n\nShe took the little boy to the palace and named him Moses, and he became\na great man among the Egyptians; he knew, however, that he belonged to\nthe Hebrew race, and when he saw how badly his own people were treated,\nhe tried to help them; but at last he was obliged to leave Egypt, and\nbecame a shepherd, taking care of the flocks of a priest called Jethro.\nHe also married Jethro's daughter.\n\n[Illustration: THE GOOD SAMARITAN.]\n\nAfter a time, God spoke to Moses out of a burning bush, and told him\nthat he must go and rescue his people from the cruel Egyptians. Moses\nthought he could not do this; but God promised to help him, and to show\nhim what he would be able to do with that help, God turned the rod which\nMoses carried into a serpent. Then God told Moses to pick the serpent\nup by the tail, and as he did so, it became a rod again. He showed him\nanother sign, also; but Moses was still afraid, because he could not\ntalk well and thought that Pharaoh would not listen to him. So God told\nhim to take his brother Aaron for a spokesman.\n\nMoses and Aaron, therefore, went into Egypt, where they called together\nthe chief men among their own people, the Hebrews, or Israelites, and\ntold them what God had commanded. Moses also did the miracles which God\nhad given him power to do, and the people believed that God had sent\nhim.\n\nAfter this Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, and told him that it was the\nLord's command that he should let the Israelites go. Pharaoh knew\nnothing about God, and became very angry, saying that Moses and Aaron\nkept the people from their work by telling them such things; and he\ntreated the poor Israelites worse than before.\n\nBut Moses had faith in God; so he was able to perform before the king\nthe wonderful things that he had done before his own people; still,\nPharaoh would not let the children of Israel go.\n\nThen Moses turned the waters of the rivers into blood; and after that he\ncaused large numbers of frogs to run over the land and through the\nhouses, doing great harm. He also brought locusts and other insects to\nbe a pest to the people, and caused many of the useful animals which\nbelonged to the Egyptians to grow sick and die, doing all these wonders\nwith the rod which God had given him. But Pharaoh would not listen to\nhim.\n\nThen God commanded Moses again, and he brought other plagues upon the\nEgyptians; but Pharaoh would not give up.\n\nAt last, however, God sent a still more terrible trouble; for the\nfirst-born of every Egyptian family, and even the first-born among their\nflocks, died; although the Israelites, who were constantly praying to\nthe Lord and making sacrifices, were spared, as they had been all the\ntime.\n\nThen Pharaoh was frightened into obeying God, and he let the Israelites\ngo; so they started at once for the land of Canaan, and the Lord guided\nthem by a cloud, which at night looked like a pillar of fire.\n\nWhen the Israelites had reached the Red Sea, they found that Pharaoh\nwas pursuing them with a large army. But God commanded Moses to stretch\nforth his rod over the sea; he did so, and the waters parted, making a\nhigh wall upon either side, so that the children of Israel passed\nthrough and reached the other side in safety. Pharaoh and his hosts\nfollowed and were all drowned.\n\nWhen the children of Israel saw that they were safe, they sang a\nbeautiful song of praise to God, and then they went on their way again.\n\nAfter they had traveled for some time, they were in need of bread and\nmeat, and they complained about Moses because he had brought them to a\nland where they had not enough to eat. But God sent them plenty of\nquails and also a substance which they could use for bread. Later, when\nthey wanted water, the Lord commanded Moses, and he struck a rock with\nhis rod, and pure water poured out of it, so that the thirsty people and\ntheir animals had all that they wanted.\n\nIn this way God took care of them as they journeyed through the new and\nstrange country toward the promised land, and Moses became the law-giver\nof the Israelites, receiving his commandments from God.\n\n\n\n\nJACOB AND ESAU.\n\n\nJacob and Esau were twin brothers, sons of Isaac and Rebekah. Esau was\nthe dearer to his father; but Rebekah loved Jacob more, and she wished\nher favorite son to have the birthright, or larger portion of the\nproperty, which really belonged to Esau because he was a little the\nolder.\n\nOne day Esau came in from hunting, very tired and hungry, and sold his\nbirthright to Jacob for a kind of stew called pottage.\n\nAfterward, when Isaac had grown very old, he sent Esau one day to get\nsome of his favorite meat, saying that when he returned he should have\nhis father's blessing.\n\nBut Rebekah heard this and determined that Jacob should have the\nblessing instead. So she prepared meat, then dressed Jacob in some of\nhis brother's clothing, covering his hands and neck with the skin of the\nkids, and sent him to his father; and Isaac blessed him, for his sight\nwas dim, and he thought it was Esau.\n\nWhen the elder brother returned, he was very angry with Jacob, and Isaac\nwas deeply grieved to think he had been deceived; but he blessed Esau as\nwell, who became prosperous and had large possessions and great power.\n\nAfter this Jacob went to his mother's people, where he met Rachel, whom\nhe loved very dearly. He told Laban, her father, that he would serve him\nfaithfully seven years if Rachel might be his wife, and Laban consented\nto this; at the end of the seven years, however, he told Jacob that he\nmust first marry Leah, as she was the older, but if he would serve\nanother seven years he might have Rachel also. So Jacob served another\nseven years for Rachel, and then they were married.\n\nLater Esau and Jacob met and were very glad to see each other, for Jacob\nhad repented of his sin, and God had forgiven him; while Esau forgave\nhim also.\n\n[Illustration: ISAAC BLESSING JACOB.]\n\n\n\n\nTHE APOSTLE PAUL.\n\n\nBefore his conversion to the faith of Christ, Paul was called Saul, and\nhe persecuted the Christians, believing that they were doing wickedly\nand that he ought to punish them for it.\n\nBut while he was in the midst of these persecutions, and as he was\njourneying toward Damascus one day, he saw suddenly at noon-time, a\nlight shining in the heavens which was greater than the light of the\nsun, and he and all that were with him fell to the earth in wonder and\nawe. Then Saul heard a voice speaking to him and saying, \"Saul, Saul,\nwhy persecutest thou Me?\" And Saul said, \"Who art Thou, Lord?\" And the\nvoice answered, \"I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest.\"\n\nThen Saul was instructed as to what he was to do, and was told that he\nwould become a minister of Christ. From that time Paul preached and\ntaught the Christian religion, and converted many people to it.\n\nBut he was persecuted in his new work as he had persecuted others, being\nfinally taken prisoner and threatened with scourging; he declared\nhimself a Roman citizen, however, and therefore safe from such\ntreatment, and went on openly confessing his faith and telling of his\nconversion, and he appealed for protection to the Roman emperor.\n\nHe was then put on board a ship as a prisoner to be taken to Rome. While\nthey were at sea a violent storm came up, and Paul warned the sailors\nthat they were in great danger; but they would not listen to him. At\nlast the ship was wrecked, all on board being cast ashore upon an\nisland, whither they had been carried, clinging to boards and broken\npieces of the ship.\n\nThe barbarous people of the island treated them kindly, building a fire\nthat they might dry their clothing and get warm; for it was cold and\nthey were, of course, drenched.\n\nThe men were very glad to be safe once more; but a strange thing\nhappened after a little: Paul gathered up an armful of sticks to put\nupon the fire, and as he placed them upon the flames, a viper, which is\na kind of poisonous snake, came out of the bundle and clung to his hand;\nhe shook it off into the fire, however, without the slightest sign of\nfear.\n\nThose who were about him thought that the hand would swell and that\nPaul would die from the effects of the bite, and they watched him\nclosely, believing that this trouble was sent to him as a punishment for\nhis sins. But no evil results came from the wound, and then the\nbarbarians thought he was a god and looked upon him with great respect.\n\nPaul and the men who were with him remained upon the island for three\nmonths. At the end of that time they went away in a ship, finally\nreaching Rome, where the prisoners were given up to the authorities; but\nPaul was allowed to live by himself, with only a soldier to guard him,\nand after a while he called the chief men of the Jews together and told\nthem why he was there and preached to them the Word of God. His\npreaching was received by some with faith, but others did not believe.\n\n[Illustration: THE CRUCIFIXION.]\n\n[Illustration: \"HE IS RISEN!\"]\n\nPaul went on preaching and teaching in Rome for two years, living in a\nhouse which he hired, and he brought many to Jesus. He was a man of\nexcellent education and a powerful preacher. His Epistles, given in the\nBible, are full of power and the fire of conviction, and he did a\nwonderful work for the great cause in which he believed with all his\nheart.\n\nPaul was physically small and deformed; but mentally he was a giant. He\nhad been taught the knowledge of the Romans, and was therefore well\nfitted to take up this new cause in a manner which would appeal to\neducated people as well as to those who had no learning.\n\n[Illustration: THE LAST SUPPER.]\n\n[Illustration: THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY GHOST.]\n\nFrom the time of his conversion until his death he labored faithfully in\nthe ministry of Christ, fearing no persecution or hardship when he\ncould do the Master's bidding and teach His holy will. The work which he\ndid was a wonderful work, and his influence in the Christian world has\nbeen a very remarkable one. Brave, untiring, devoted to the cause of\nChrist, he at last lost his life in that cause, adding another to the\nlist of martyrs whose memory the world loves and reveres.\n\nThe story of Paul's experiences reads like those tales of adventure\nwhich are so full of absorbing interest that when once they have been\ntaken up, we do not feel like laying them down again until they are\nfinished.\n\nThis is true also of many others of the Bible stories, and great authors\nhave taken their themes from them for the writing of books which have\nbecome famous.\n\nThe more we study the Bible, the more wonderful it becomes, and the more\nwe learn that in that marvelous book are set forth nearly all the\nexperiences of which human life is capable, with the teaching which each\nof these experiences should bring and the lesson to be learned by the\nreading of them. In all the world there is not another collection so\nwonderful as this.\n\n\n\n\nDAVID.\n\n\nDavid, the son of Jesse, was a beautiful boy, who could charm by his\nwonderful music. But he was to be more than a \"sweet singer,\" for\nSamuel, the prophet of the Lord, declared that he should be King of\nIsrael, and poured the sacred oil upon his head.\n\nSaul, who was then the King of Israel, had spells of insanity, and David\nwas sent for to try and calm him by his music. In this he was so\nsuccessful that after a time the king seemed to be entirely cured; so\nDavid returned to his home, and staid there quietly until his father\nsent him to the camp of the Israelites, with food for his brothers.\n\nHe found Saul's army in great commotion, because Goliath, a mighty\nwarrior of the Philistines, had come out before both armies and had\noffered to fight any man who should be sent against him.\n\nGoliath had a cap of brass on his head, and his body was well protected\nwith a covering of iron and brass, while he carried a monstrous spear\nand sword, and a heavy shield. As he came before the two camps, he\ncried out: \"I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we\nmay fight together!\"\n\nWhen David came up and heard the story, he said: \"Who is this\nPhilistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?\" And David\noffered to go forth against Goliath.\n\nSo he went out in his shepherd's dress, with only his staff and sling;\nand Goliath, who was very angry at this, cried out: \"Am I a dog, that\nthou comest against me with a staff?\" Then he began to make fun of\nDavid. But David answered: \"Thou comest against me with a sword and a\nshield; but I come against thee trusting in the Lord of Hosts, the God\nof Israel, whom thou hast defied.\"\n\n[Illustration: SAUL ANGRY WITH DAVID.]\n\nThen, as Goliath came nearer, David took a stone from the bag at his\nside, and putting it into his sling, he took good aim, and it struck\nGoliath in the middle of the forehead and stunned him. As the giant\nfell, David ran up to him, and taking the mighty sword, cut off his head\nwith it.\n\nThis act of David's brought a great victory to Saul's army, and the king\nwas delighted with his courage; while Jonathan, Saul's eldest son, loved\nthe boy from that time, and they became like brothers. David also\nmarried the daughter of Saul, and was placed over his men of war.\n\n[Illustration: THE DEATH OF SAUL.]\n\n[Illustration: THE DEATH OF AHAB.]\n\nBut when all the people praised David, and Saul knew how much they\nloved him, he grew jealous, and David was obliged to fly for his life\nand hide himself from the king. During these wanderings, he wrote some\nof his most beautiful psalms.\n\nSaul, however, was finally killed, and at last David became king. He\nruled Israel for nearly forty years, making it a great and powerful\nnation; and when he died he was buried at Jerusalem, which was called\n\"The City of David,\" because he had caused it to be taken from the\nenemy.\n\n\n\n\nTHE TOWER OF BABEL.\n\n\nThe sons of Noah were named Shem, Ham and Japheth. These sons in turn\nbecame the fathers of children so that the descendants of Noah were very\nnumerous.\n\nOne of these descendants, named Nimrod, was a mighty hunter and a man of\npower and authority in the land, and it has even been said that the\npeople worshiped him as a god.\n\nIn those days men liked to build high towers reaching away up toward the\nheavens. Perhaps they were afraid of another flood, and perhaps they\nsimply wished to show what they could do; but however that may be, ruins\nof towers can still be seen in various parts of the world, one of the\nmost noted of which is that of the \"Tower of Nimrod.\" It is forty feet\nhigh and stands on the top of a hill near the River Euphrates in Asia.\n\nIn the time of Nimrod, the people said, \"Let us build us a city and a\ntower, whose top may reach unto Heaven; and let us make us a name, lest\nwe be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.\" So they began\nto build the tower, and they made it very strong indeed, and kept\nraising it higher and higher toward the heavens, thinking, Jewish\ntradition, or story, tells us, that they would have a shelter in which\nthey would be perfectly safe from any flood which might come, or any\nfire. There were some of the people also who wished to use the tower as\na temple for the idols which they worshiped. Six hundred thousand men\nworked upon this wonderful tower, so the story goes on to say, and they\nkept up the work until the tower rose to a height of seventy miles, so\nthat, toward the last, it took a year to get materials for the work up\nto the top where the laborers were employed. Of course this story is\nexaggerated, but without doubt the tower rose to a great height and was\na wonderful piece of work.\n\nGod was not pleased with what the people were doing, however, because\nthey thought themselves so great and powerful that they had no need of\nHim, and so He put an end to their bold plans.\n\nUp to this time all the people of the world had spoken the same\nlanguage; but now, when they were working upon this wonderful tower,\nthey commenced to talk in different tongues so that they could not\nunderstand each other, and there was great confusion. Owing to this,\nthey were obliged to give up the building of the tower, and they\nseparated themselves into groups, or divisions, each division speaking\nthe same language, and then they spread out over the world, forming the\nvarious nations.\n\nThe tower was called the Tower of Babel because of the babel, or\nconfusion, of tongues which had taken place there, and it was left\nunfinished to be a monument of God's power and man's weakness without\nHim.\n\n[Illustration: THE TOWER OF BABEL.]\n\nThese men were skillful in building, else they never could have gone as\nfar as they did in their stupendous work, and God was willing that they\nshould exercise their skill, as He is willing that people shall do now;\nbut when they thought themselves equal to Him, they learned how weak\nthey really were in comparison. The story teaches the great lesson of\ndependence upon God and submission to His will and His laws.\n\n\n\n\nTHE BOYHOOD OF JESUS.\n\n\nThere are many beautiful stories of child-life, but the story of the\nBoyhood of Jesus is the most beautiful of all. It teaches a wonderful\nlesson of obedience to parents and love and respect for them, as well as\nof the charm of a pure and consecrated childhood, and the lesson is all\nthe more helpful because it is full of the human interest of everyday\nlife.\n\nAlthough the boy Jesus was gifted with a wisdom far beyond His years--a\nwisdom which was His because He was the Son of God, yet He lived much as\nother boys lived, doing the tasks that were given Him by His parents and\nbeing subject to them in all things.\n\nProbably the people around Him did not think very much about what He\nsaid or did during those years. When they saw Him helping Joseph, the\ncarpenter, or doing the little things which Mary, His mother, bade Him\ndo, He seemed much like other little boys to them; they thought Him\nbright and pleasing, and it may be that there was something in His looks\nand in His manner which puzzled them, which set them to thinking of holy\nthings in a wondering way; but Mary was the only one who dwelt upon the\nmystery of His life with a constant prayerful questioning as to just\nwhat the meaning of it was.\n\nMary treasured all His sayings in her heart and believed that the time\nwould come when everyone would know that He was not simply an ordinary\nchild like those around Him.\n\nAfter Joseph had brought his family back from Egypt because, now that\nHerod was dead, it was safe for them to come into their own country\nagain, they lived in the city of Nazareth, and so the words of the old\nprophets were true, that Jesus, the Savior of the World, should be a\nNazarene, or dweller in Nazareth.\n\nEvery year the Jews held a feast at Jerusalem called the Feast of the\nPassover, in memory of the time when God passed over, or spared, His\nchosen people in Egypt, although He destroyed the first-born of the\nEgyptians. When Jesus was twelve years old He went to Jerusalem with\nJoseph and Mary to attend this feast.\n\nThere were many of the relatives and friends of the family there, and\nwhen they started home after the feast, there was probably some\nconfusion about getting the company under way, for they traveled in a\ntrain consisting of people on foot and mounted upon donkeys, and they\nhad, of course, some needful provisions to take with them, together with\nthe things which they had brought for their comfort upon the journey and\nduring their stay in Jerusalem; and as the parents of Jesus did not\nthink of His remaining behind, they neglected to look for Him, supposing\nHe was somewhere in the train; so, when they had traveled for a day on\nthe return trip, they were greatly surprised and troubled to find that\nHe was missing.\n\nThey immediately started back for Jerusalem, wondering as they went what\ncould have happened to their boy and fearful about it; but after three\nanxious days they found Him in the temple talking with the learned men\nthere, listening to their wise words, and asking questions which\nastonished everybody who heard them, because they were full of an\nunderstanding of holy things that was not to be expected of a boy.\nWhen His parents had found Him, Mary said to Him, sorrowfully, \"Son, why\nhast Thou dealt thus with us? Thy father and I have sought Thee\nsorrowing.\"\n\nThen Jesus turned to her with sad and gentle respect, and asked, \"How is\nit that ye sought Me? Wist ye not\"--that is, \"Do you not know\"--\"that I\nmust be about My Father's business?\"\n\nPerhaps in these words He tried to give them an insight into the great\nmeaning of His life; but they were puzzled, although Mary dimly felt all\nthat He would have her understand. He did not at this time, however,\nexplain to them further regarding what was in His own heart. It may be\nthat He did not yet fully comprehend just what He was to do. He had\ntaken upon Himself the human nature which He was to raise to something\ngrander and nobler than human nature had ever been before, and in\nbecoming a little child like other little children, perhaps it was God's\nplan that He should not yet have the judgment of a man in all things.\n\nHowever that may have been, He went back with His parents and obeyed\nthem as before, for the time had not come for Him to leave them and\nbegin His teaching, except as He taught by the force of a beautiful\nexample. But that example formed a great part of the purpose for which\nHe was sent into the world, because one of the noblest truths that He\nimpressed upon humanity was the duty of children to parents. His own\nlife taught this better than any sermon could have done, for in all the\nhistory of the world we have no better example of what a child's conduct\nshould be toward his parents. It is the more beautiful because Jesus was\nnot like other children, but, having the wisdom of God in His heart, was\nfar better able to judge for Himself between right and wrong.\n\nDuring all these years Jesus grew in stature as well as in wisdom, and\nthose around Him felt, without understanding it, that in some way He was\ndifferent from the rest. The divinity of His nature could not be hidden,\neven in those early years, but it shone through all the small acts of\neveryday life, making them beautiful; while every one who knew Him was\nbetter and happier for coming near such a noble nature.\n\n[Illustration: THE QUEST.]\n\n[Illustration: =The Angels' Song=\n\n    \"Praise thou the Lord!\" the angels cry\n       The song of peace and love,\n     Comes floating downward thro' the sky,\n       From unseen courts above.\n]","title":"Wee Ones' Bible Stories","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":6836}