Category: From the Old Testament
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The Death of Samson
THE DEATH OF SAMSON Samson’s birth was foretold by an angel. He was to grow up a Nazarite, forbidden to drink strong drink, neither was his head to be shaved. His strength was very great; but his marriage was sinful, and his doings with the idolatrous Philistines terrible. Though an Israelite and a judge, I…
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The Defeat of the Midianites
THE DEFEAT OF THE MIDIANITES Large numbers of the Israelites gathered around Gideon, prepared to fight against the Midianites, who were encamped in a valley, “like grasshoppers for multitude.” How Gideon’s host was reduced till only three hundred men remained, and the wonderful dream he heard related, when he and his servant went down as…
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Joshua’s Exhortation
GIDEON AND THE FLEECE After the death of Joshua, the Israelites turned away from God, and served idols. Therefore the evils came upon them of which they had been warned by Moses and Joshua. But at different times God, seeing their distress, raised up “judges” to deliver them from their enemies, and to judge over…
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Joshua’s Exhortation
JOSHUA’S EXHORTATION Exhortation seems a hard word, but it simply means to strongly urge to good deeds, and this is what our artist shows Joshua to be doing. Joshua is now an old man, and the Israelites are settled peaceably in Canaan. He has called them before him, with their elders, and heads, and judges,…
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The Cities of Refuge
THE CITIES OF REFUGE Revenge is contrary to the teaching of Jesus Christ, “If thine enemy hunger, feed him,” says the Saviour; but among the Israelites and other eastern nations a different practice prevailed. If one slew another, the kinsman of him that was slain felt bound to avenge his relative, and to slay him…
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The Altar on Mount Ebal
THE ALTAR ON MOUNT EBAL Before Moses died he called the Israelites together, and urged them to faithfully serve God; also directing that when they entered Canaan, they were to build an altar of rough stones, covered with plaster, on Mount Ebal, and to write the words of God’s law upon this altar. Then six…
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Achan’s Sin
ACHAN’S SIN God commanded the Israelites to destroy Jericho; and all the gold, silver, and other riches found there were to be devoted to the Lord. If any disobeyed this command then a curse was to rest upon all, and they were not to prosper. The Israelites were to conquer the Canaanites, and drive them…
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How Jericho was Captured
HOW JERICHO WAS CAPTURED When men in olden times attacked a city, they tried to batter down the walls with heavy beams of wood, having heads of iron, called battering rams; but God did not instruct the Israelites thus to capture Jericho. They were to remember that it was not by their own power they…
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The Captain of the Lord’s Host
THE CAPTAIN OF THE LORD’S HOST News of the miraculous way in which the Israelites had been brought across the Jordan spread rapidly among the Canaanites, and when they heard what God had done, they were very much afraid. We are told that “their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because…
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The Passage of the Jordan
THE PASSAGE OF THE JORDAN Having wandered for forty years in the wilderness, the Israelites drew near to the river Jordan, at a place opposite Jericho. Moses was dead, and Joshua was now the leader of the host. God told him that the time had come when the people of Israel were to enter Canaan;…