19. THE SLAVE-GIRL WHO HELPED A GREAT CAPTAIN
(2 Kings 5)
One day a sweet-faced little girl was playing in her home as happy as any little girl could be, all unconscious that a cruel battle was being fought. Suddenly some soldiers came and seized this little girl and carried her away with other prisoners to a far-off land where she was sold and became a slave-girl in the house of a great captain. She had to do errands for his wife and wait upon her, and do anything she asked. Often when this little girl was in her mistress’s room she saw big tears run down her cheeks, and a sad look come upon her face. One day she found out what made the tears. Captain Naaman was a leper. That was a terrible disease in his flesh which no doctor could cure. The little girl had often seen Captain Naaman. She thought he looked so fine in his rich uniform as he rode away in a chariot with prancing horses. She knew that the king of that land had made him captain over all his soldiers because he was so brave. “But he is a leper, he has leprosy—how sad!” she kept saying to herself; “how I wish I could help him!”
One day a thought flashed into her mind that made her eyes sparkle with joy. She knew in her own land there was a great and good man named Elisha who had done many wonderful things in helping people. She said, “I am sure he could make Captain Naaman well.” She could hardly wait to be sent for to do another errand, she was so eager to tell her mistress about Elisha. At last the call came, and as soon as she went into her mistress’s room, she said, “There is a good man in my land, Elisha, who could heal my master.” The mistress looked at her and said, “Tell me, daughter, tell me what you mean! Who is Elisha?” And the little girl told her all about the wonderful things the prophet had done. When Captain Naaman came home his wife told him what the little girl had said. The captain went to the palace and told the king, who said, “I will send a letter to the King of Israel; get ready to go.” So Captain Naaman started, riding in a beautiful chariot, drawn by prancing horses, the king’s servants riding beside him, carrying gifts of gold and silver and beautiful clothes which the king was sending as presents to the King of Israel. Every one looked as they rode away. The little girl was the most excited of all. At last Captain Naaman and his soldiers and chariot stopped at the door of the little house of Elisha, but the prophet did not even come out to see Naaman’s fine things, but simply sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the river Jordan seven times and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.” Naaman was angry and started to go back home as much a leper as he had come. But when his servants reasoned with him and persuaded him to do what the prophet said, he went down to the river Jordan, and dipped himself—once, twice, thrice, four times, five times, six times, seven times—when lo! his rough, red skin became soft and smooth as the skin of a little baby. Naaman was so pleased that he hurried back to the little house of the prophet to reward him, but not a thing would Elisha take from him. Then the captain hastened back to his own land and home. His wife and the little girl saw him coming. Up the street he rode and stopped in front of the beautiful house. “He is well! He is well!” cried the little girl. Then she knew a little girl can indeed be a great helper.
20. FOUR COLLEGE BOYS WHO KEPT STRONG
(Daniel 1)
Four boys, who were great friends, were taken from their homes and carried far away into a great city in a foreign land to live among strangers. One day the King ordered his officers to select from among the Jewish captive boys four of the brightest, and these four boys were chosen and brought into the King’s palace to be educated for three years in the King’s college for royal service. Thinking it a great honor to them, and that it would make them strong, the King ordered that these boys should be given a daily supply of the rich food and wine, such as he and all his military cadets received. But the very first time the silver tray, with all of these dainties, was brought to these four college boys, one of them, whose name was Daniel, said to the officer who took charge of them, “Please let us not have this rich food and wine, but have plainer food.” The officer laughed and said: “I am afraid that if you do not eat this rich food your faces will become thinner than those of the other college students, and then the King will cut off my head!” But Daniel said: “Try us ten days. Give us only vegetables to eat and water to drink. Then look at our faces and the faces of the other boys that eat the King’s rich food and drink his wine, and see.” The officer said he would try them for ten days. He did so, and at the end of that time their faces were fatter and rosier, their bodies plumper, and their minds clearer, stronger, and brighter than all the other boys. At the end of the three college years, the King sat upon a golden throne, and all the students were brought before him, and he saw that these four were stronger than all the rest, and that they knew ten times as much as the magicians and astrologers in all his kingdom. So Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, these four friends who were true to their principle, showed after all that they kept their health and were stronger and better by going without the rich food and the royal wine.
21. FOUR FRIENDS IN THE FIERY FURNACE
(Daniel 3)
It was a wonderful sight to see the King’s golden image which he had set up in the great plain. The King was a worshiper of images of wood and stone, and he sent forth his herald with a loud trumpet to cry aloud “To you it is commanded, O people, nations and languages, that when ye hear the sound of the instruments of music, ye shall fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar, the King, hath set up; and whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, shall the same hour be cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.” From all the country and provinces around people came to see this great image and to worship, and at the sound of the instruments of music all fell down and prayed to it, except three young men who stood upright looking before them, without bowing their heads or knees to the golden image. These were the three Hebrews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the friends of Daniel, who must have been away on a journey at that time. When this was told to the King he was very angry and ordered them at once to worship his image or be cast into the furnace, which they saw in front of them glowing with a terrible fire. They said to the King: “Our God is able to save us from your fiery furnace, and he will save us. But if he does not, be it known unto you, O King, we will not worship the golden image you have set up, or serve your gods of gold.” The King was more angry, and ordered his strong men to make the fiery furnace seven times hotter and cast these three friends into the midst of it. But they were not afraid though they were tied with ropes and cast into the fire, which was so hot the flames leaped out and burned up the men who threw them into it. The King was sitting where he could look right into the furnace. A few moments after, he sprang up greatly astonished and cried: “Look, look; did we not cast three friends into the furnace? Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God!” The King ran to the mouth of the furnace, crying, “Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, ye servants of the Most High God, come out!” And they came out of the fire, and not a hair of their heads was singed, nor were their coats scorched, nor was there even the smell of burning on them. And it all came about because these three friends were loyal to the one true God, who had sent the other Friend, “the form of the fourth,” to deliver them out of the burning fiery furnace.
22. THE MAN WHO WAS NOT AFRAID TO PRAY
(Daniel 6)
Daniel was the man who dared to stand alone in work, in worship, and in play. He could be trusted in everything. Because he was so industrious, faithful, and thoughtful, the new King promoted him to be next to him in rule over all the land. The other officers were jealous and set plans for his downfall. They persuaded the King, Darius, to sign this law: “Whosoever shall pray to any god or to man for thirty days, save to thee, O King, he shall be cast into the den of lions.” The King was delighted to think of every one in the city praying to him just as if he were a great god, so he signed this wicked law. Daniel knew what these evil men would do, but when the time came at noonday for him to pray, he went straight to his home, opened wide his windows toward his old home in Jerusalem, as he was accustomed to do, and knelt down and prayed and gave thanks to his God. That night he did the same thing. He could have waited until he was in bed where none could see him say his prayers. Or he could have left his window closed. But he was not afraid of the King or his officers. They were watching down the street, like detectives peeking from behind the corners perhaps, and when they saw Daniel pray they hurried to the King and told him. Darius loved Daniel and was sorry he had signed the law, but as the laws of that land could not be changed, he said that Daniel must die. So Daniel was brought to the great cave of the hungry, roaring lions. The cage was opened at the top and Daniel was thrown right down into the midst of the wild animals. The King was sad and said, “Daniel, your God will deliver you!” Then the King went back to his palace, but he was so sad he could not eat nor hear music. All night long he thought of Daniel, how good and useful he had been, and how cruelly treated. Early in the morning he arose, hurried to the cave, looked in, and there was Daniel—alive and well. The King cried out, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God delivered you from the lions?” “Yes,” answered Daniel, “my God has sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not hurt me.” The King was glad. He called his servants to come and take Daniel out of the den. When he was drawn out there was found not even a scratch upon him. The King said, “Bring those mean and jealous men, who tried to kill Daniel, and cast them into the den.” So they were caught and cast into the den, and so hungry were the lions that before the men reached the floor of the den the beasts had seized them and were crunching their bones to pieces. Then the King made a new law that all in his kingdom should pray to Daniel’s God, who had delivered him out of the lions’ den, and who had given him the power to dare to stand and to pray alone.
23. THE GOLDEN SCEPTER IN THE PALACE OF THE LILY
(Book of Esther)
Once a King gave a great feast in his Palace of the Lily to all his people. They drank wine from cups of gold in the garden court of the palace which was paved with red marble and mother of pearl. On the seventh day of the feast, being drunk with wine, the King ordered his officers to bring out Queen Vashti in her royal robes that the princes and people might look at her, for she was very beautiful. She refused. So the King said she should be cast out of the Palace of the Lily, and another Queen chosen in her place—the most beautiful woman they could find. One was chosen whose name was Esther, a captive in Persia. Her father and mother were dead, and her cousin, Mordecai, had brought her up as his own daughter. He was a proud old man who always did what was right, and so he displeased many persons, among whom was Haman, the ruler next to the King. Because Mordecai would not bow down to him, Haman planned to kill the stern old man and with him all the Jews in the land. He persuaded the King to give a command that on a certain day all Jews, young and old, women and little children, should be slain. There was great distress among the Jews, but Haman was happy with the King, drinking wine and talking over his great decree. Esther did not know what had happened until she saw her cousin weeping, and then he told her that her life was in danger too, unless she went to the King and pleaded for her people. She said: “Every one knows that whoever goes before the King into the inner court, who is not called, is put to death, unless the King holds out his golden scepter, and for the last thirty days the King has not called me.”
Mordecai replied: “Do not think you will escape! No, if you fail us now, safety will come by others, but you will perish; and who knows whether you are not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Then Esther said: “Go, gather together all the Jews and pray three days and three nights for me, and I will go before the King, and if I perish, I perish!” At the end of three days she put on her royal robes, went into the inner court, and stood opposite the King as he sat on his throne. When he saw her he held out his golden scepter, and said, “What is your wish, Queen Esther? Speak and you shall have it to the half of my kingdom!” She said, “May it please the King to come to-day with Haman to a banquet that I have prepared.” At the banquet the King again asked her wish, and she said, “If it please the King, come again to-morrow to a banquet with Haman.” Haman was delighted as he went home and told his wife and friends about his good fortune; but he said, “I am unhappy as long as Mordecai refuses to bow down to me!” They said, “Build a gallows, and ask the King to let Mordecai be hanged on it.” He did so. But that same night the King read in the book of golden deeds how true Mordecai had been to a former King, and he knew that this service had never been rewarded. When Haman came in the King said, “What shall be done to the man whom the King delights to honor?” Thinking it must be himself the King meant, he said: “Let royal apparel be given him and a royal horse, and a royal crown, and bid him ride through the city for the people to honor.” The King said, “Then make haste and do all this for Mordecai.” This he had to do. And when he went to the Queen’s banquet he was not happy. The King said: “What is your wish, Queen Esther? Speak and I will give it, to the half of my kingdom.” She said: “O King, let my life and my people’s life be given me; for we are sold, I and my people, to be slain and to perish.” The King said, “Who is he? where is he that dares to do so?” Esther pointed to Haman, and said, “There he is, this wicked Haman!” Haman was afraid, and pleaded with the Queen to ask the King to spare his life, but the King said, “Hang him on the gallows that he built for Mordecai.” This was done at once, and when Haman was dead Mordecai was put into his place next to the king, and all the people rejoiced. So Queen Esther, to whom the King extended the golden scepter in the Palace of the Lily, saved all her people, the Jews, that day and they lived in peace and prosperity.