Rebekah, mother of twins, Esau and Jacob...

Rebekah, draws water for camels.

        In a setting of romance and wonder Rebekah is introduced, and from her first sharply etched portrait at the well at Nahor in Mesopotamia she attracts interest. Even in this first scene we seem to sense the kindness in her heart, to hear the music in her voice, and to see the grace in her motions. At the same time we know she is chaste, courteous, helpful, industrious, and trusting.
       No young woman in the Bible is so appealing. One of the old masters has depicted Rebekah in a flowing dress of delft blue and a headdress of scarlet and purple. The dress neckline is striped in gold to match the gold in her necklace, ear-screws, and bracelets. The artist has given her a dark, patrician profile, broadly arched eyebrows, gentle but expressive eyes, a slightly aquiline nose, and a firm yet innocent mouth.
       At eventide it was that she came to the well, carrying her pitcher on her shoulder. With other women, young and old, who had come  to draw water, she took the well-worn trail to the town watering place. Though Rebekah was unaware of it, she was being observed by a meditative old man, a stranger from far away, who stood by with ten thirsty camels.
       He had only a little while before concluded a long, tiresome trek from the land of Canaan, home of his master, Abraham. As the latter's steward he faced a grave responsibility, that of choosing a wife for his master's son, Isaac. He had approached his task prayerfully and had asked God for a sign to help him make the right choice. What would be the sign? The young maiden who volunteered to give water to his camels after he asked her for a drink for himself would possess those traits of character he was looking for in a wife for his master's son. How little Rebekah knew of the high destiny that awaited her simply because she volunteered a service that would be only natural to her.
       Kneeling in the shadows of the deepening twilight, Abraham's zealous steward, who had been his designated heir before the birth of his sons, spoke to his invisible protector: "O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.'' (Gen. 24:12).
       Eliezer had hardly finished his petition to God when behold there stood before him this lovely maiden Rebekah. The faithful servant hastened to her and said, "Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher‚'' (Gen. 24:17). She gave him a drink with ready grace and then there came the sign for which the servant had been waiting. "I will draw water for thy camels, also, until they have done drinking,'' she said. (Gen. 24:19).
       Rebekah must have had to make several trips down to the well in order to carry enough water in a pitcher for ten thirsty camels. Eliezer gazed in silence, believing all the more in God's goodness. Before asking who her kindred were, he rewarded her with an earring and two bracelets, all of heavy gold.
       Then he asked, "Whose daughter art thou? tell me, I pray thee: is there room in thy father's house for us to lodge in?'' (Gen. 24:23) When Rebekah told him she was the daughter of Bethuel, whom the servant knew to be his master's nephew, and when she also added graciously, "We have both straw and provender enough, and room to lodge in,'' he humbly thanked God for leading him to the house of his master's kinsman (Gen. 24:25).
       The scene that followed moved fast. After Abraham's steward explained to Rebekah's family the purpose of his visit, he gave lavish gifts to her mother and brother Laban and other members of the family. And Rebekah soon learned that her future husband, Isaac, who was her second cousin, was heir to his father's flocks and herds, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, and many asses. But of greater significance was the fact that God had established his covenant with Abraham and his son Isaac, and Rebekah would be a participant in that covenant.
       When Rebekah's family asked her, "Wilt thou go with this man?'' she replied without any hesitancy, "I will go.'' A woman of positive direction, Rebekah also had the courage and spirit which would enable her to forsake home and family for a new life in a strange country.
       Apprehensive, however, about giving up their beloved daughter, her family asked that she remain for a few days, at least ten; but Abraham's steward was in haste to be on his way. So we picture the eager-hearted Rebekah departing with her nurse Deborah and her maids on camels. We can see her family bidding her good-by and then watching longingly as the caravan disappeared through the Balikh Valley.
       Then it crossed the banks of the Euphrates into the pathless and sun-bleached sands of the desert on its way to Damascus. It passed over the Lebanon highlands into the green hills of Galilee and finally drew near the yellow plains around Beer-sheba. As the caravan came into the more fertile fields, Rebekah saw an upright man walking forth in his field, bearing in his measured tread the aspect of one in holy meditation. He had seen the camels coming and had gone into his fields to pray. As Rebekah drew near, she lowered her veil in the manner of oriental women and alighted from her camel.
       After Abraham's steward explained all that had taken place on the journey, Isaac took Rebekah into his mother's tent, a sacred place to him, and she became his wife. "And he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother's death'' is the brief but graphic account of the marriage of Isaac and Rebekah (Gen. 24:67) . We can imagine that Isaac rejoiced when he saw in Rebekah a reflection of the endearing qualities of his mother, Sarah.
       Isaac was now forty, and we can assume that Rebekah was some twenty years younger. Her husband, an agriculturist as well as a cattle raiser, enjoyed great affluence, and we can be sure that these were satisfying years for Rebekah. Though there is little record of her life between her marriage and twenty years later when she gave birth to twins, we can imagine she became a woman of sympathy, foresight, and religious fervor. And we can be certain that she enjoyed peace at home, for her marriage to Isaac is the first monogamous marriage on record.
       Only one blessing was lacking in Rebekah's life. She had not conceived, but when she did conceive, she discovered that she was to have twins. We have this record, "And the children struggled together within her; and she said. If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the Lord'' (Gen. 25:22). This is the first recorded instance of a woman's immediate appeal to God.
       God told Rebekah that two nations were in her womb and two manner of people, and that the elder should serve the younger. The struggle is represented as prefiguring the struggle for supremacy between Edom and Israel, descended respectively from Esau and Jacob. And when the first-born Esau came forth, he was red all over like a hairy garment, indicating that he would be material-minded. And then came Jacob, destined to be the more spiritual-minded of the two. Who would be more aware of this than their devout mother?
       Isaac, quiet and retiring, was drawn to the bold, daring, strong, and roaming Esau; and Rebekah, naturally industrious, was drawn to the gentle but impetuous Jacob.
       As the sons grew to manhood, their mother began to love wisely but not always too well. And she began to plan how Jacob, the last- born, and not Esau, the first-born, could receive his father's blessing.
       Esau had already voluntarily surrendered to Jacob his birthright, and all for bread and a pottage of lentils. The birthright, which Esau's mother knew he had sold so casually to satisfy his hunger, was a very valuable right of an older son. Not only did it assure to its possessor a double share of his father's inheritance, but it carried with it a position of honor as head of the family as well. All this now belonged to Jacob.
       All that was lacking was for Jacob to obtain his father's blessing, which would secure to him the birthright of his older brother and all the advantages that birthright entailed. Isaac was now an old man and blind, and his last days seemed near at hand.
       Records do not furnish actual historical details, but we can be sure that Rebekah was a mother who pondered deeply over her son's destiny. She recognized the secular bent of the first-born, Esau, and the priestly mold of the last-born, Jacob. Had she not also observed how Esau's associates were the Hittites, known to be a less religious people? (He had even married two Hittite women, Judith and Bashemath, and in that marriage had returned to the polygamous way of life which she and Isaac had abandoned.) Had she not observed how Esau spent his time in hunting and other such pleasures while Jacob worshiped at the altar of God? Had she not seen how Esau lived for today and how Jacob, like herself, looked into the future? Had she not seen in Esau's face a love for a mess of pottage and in Jacob's a dream of divine glory?
       Yet it was Isaac alone who would ordain his successor. And she had heard him say to Esau, ''Bring me venison, and make me savory meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.'' (Gen. 27:7).
       This sounded the death knell of a proud mother's hopes. And this mother was human. She began to plot an act that was deep, dark, disconcerting. All through her life Rebekah had never wavered in purpose. Even when she left her homeland for another country, she proceeded with positive direction.
       But now in this crisis in her favorite son's life, she perceived dearly too, but her faith wavered. She took quick action, guiding her steps and those of her favorite son by her will, not God's will. One wonders if she did not fall by the very weight of the burden which she believed she was carrying for God. She could not picture Esau as a leader following the great traditions of her people. Only Jacob could fill that high trust. And so it was her fears overwhelmed her and she forgot God's part in the affairs of men.
       While Esau was bounding over the hills, busy in the chase for venison for his old and feeble father, Rebekah sent Jacob to bring back two kids from a pasture near by. And she prepared the savory dish, probably seasoning the kids' flesh with onion, garlic, salt, and lemon juice. She also took pieces of goat's skin and bound them on Jacob's hands and neck; its silken hair would resemble that on the cheek of a young man. Next she gave him the long white robe, the vestment of the first-born, which she had kept in a chest with fragrant herbs and perfumed flowers.
       We cannot make any excuses for Rebekah's actions in deceiving her blind husband and at the same time influencing her son in what was wrong. But may we not say that, though her actions were morally indefensible, her motive was pure.? Does she not typify the mother down the ages who, weak in faith, imagines herself to be carrying out the will of God.? And was she not willing to assume all the responsibility for this deception?
       For Jacob had said to his mother, "My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.'' (Gen. 27:12).
       But his mother hastily replied, "Upon me be thy curse, my son.'' (Gen. 27:13). What a burden for a mother to assume! And could she assume it alone? Wouldn't they both be guilty of deceiving Isaac and Esau?
       But Rebekah did not falter in her purpose. She saw her blind husband prayerfully bestow upon her favorite the blessing which could never be revoked. When her other son learned what had been done by his mother and brother, he threatened to kill his brother. Rebekah must now suffer for her wrong. She must give up what she loved most, her favorite son. Again with positive direction, yet willing to sacrifice herself, she called him forth and sent him to her brother Laban in Mesopotamia.
       An old woman now, Rebekah bade her beloved Jacob good-by as he started on his long journey, with his staff in his hand and his bundle of clothes over his shoulder. We can picture her as she took a long, last look before her son's form became lost on the horizon.
       The tinkle of goats' bells and the bleating of the sheep would be heard as usual. The sun would rise in splendor and would go down again. When night fell the stars would come out as usual, but Rebekah would never see Jacob again. More than twenty years would pass before he returned.
       She would spend her last years with a son who would always remember his mother's part in deceiving him and with a husband who naturally had lost some of the confidence he once had in her. And she and Isaac both would grieve over the actions of Esau's two Hittite wives.
       When Jacob did return, his mother would be sleeping by the side of Abraham and Sarah in Machpelah's quiet sepulcher.

Lot's wife, the woman who looked back...

       Fifteen words in the Old Testament tell the story of Lot's wife. This one brief, dramatic record has placed her among the well-known women of the world. The fifteen words are, "But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt." (Gen. 19:26).
       In the New Testament there are three other words about Lot's wife. Jesus held her up as an example, saying, "Remember Lot's wife,'' (Luke 17:32). This is the second shortest verse in the Bible. It's terseness probably best explains its urgency. In a previous passage Jesus had been speaking of those in the days of Lot, who "did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded,'' but "out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.'' (Luke 17:28, 29).
       The impression is conveyed that Lot's wife was a woman who ate and drank and lived for the things of the world. We do have a scriptural record that her husband was a rich and influential man (Gen. 13:10, ii). We can easily assume that Lot's wife was a worldly, selfish woman, one who spent lavishly and entertained elaborately. Max Eastman, in his movingly realistic poem Lot's Wife says, "Herself, like Sodom's towers, shone blazingly.'' Here, we imagine, was a woman who wore many jewels and dressed in the richest and most gleaming fabrics.

The Flight of Lot and His Family from Sodom by Rubens.

       Rubens, in his "Flight of Lot,'' painted in 1625 and now in the Louvre, pictures Lot's wife, followed by her daughters; to her one of the angels is speaking a solemn warning. One of the daughters leads an ass loaded with splendid vessels of gold and silver, while the second bears a basket of grapes and other fruit's on her head. The wife clasps her hands and looks beseechingly in the face of the angel who warns her of her fate if she should be disobedient. The family procession, accompanied by a spirited little dog, steps forth from the handsome gates of Sodom. Above the towers of the city wails fly frightful demons preparatory to their work of destruction. The air seems full of imps, while an evil spirit, hovering above Lot's wife, glowers at the angel who is trying to save her from destruction.
       The fate of Lot's wife has inspired other painters, among them Gozzoli and Lucas Cranach. All depict a woman who had lived under the law, knew its penalties to be swift and immutable, and yet so loved the city on which God was raining fire from heaven that she willingly gave her life for one more look at it.
       Can we not conjecture that the fifteen-word Old Testament biography of Lot's wife was written for those who love the things of the world more than the things of the spirit, those who do not possess the pioneering courage to leave a life of ease and comfort and position for a life of sacrifice, hardship, and loneliness? Does not her biography also speak a message to those who are unwilling to flee from iniquity when all efforts to redeem iniquity have failed?
       Dr. William B. Riley, in his book on Wives of the Bible, makes the apt comment that "When we have read Lot's history we have uncovered Mrs. Lot's character; and when we have studied his affluence, we have seen her influence. . . . The character and conduct of children reflect the mother. The marriage of her daughters to Sodomitish men indicated low ethical ideals and low moral standards.'' Their later relations with their father were a blot on their mother's character (Gen. 19:32-35). Lot's earlier actions toward Abraham indicated the type of wife he had. When he and his uncle Abraham had become prosperous in herds and flocks, Abraham offered Lot a choice of territory. And what did he choose? He chose the most fertile plain of the Jordan. Though we have no record of his wife in this transaction, we again can visualize her as a woman sharing in his selfishness, without dissent, and prodding her husband to greater wealth at any cost to others.
       Goethe has said, "Tell me with whom thou dost company and I will tell thee what thou art.'' Our best way of describing Lot's wife is through her husband and her children and her disobedience to the warning of angels. The latter could have saved her, but she had nothing in common with angels.
       When her husband had first come into this fertile plain of Jordan, he had pitched his tent "toward Sodom,'' a phrase which indicates that Lot was not then a part of the wicked Sodom and Gomorrah. But again, is't it easy to imagine that his wife wanted a big stone house in keeping with her husband's great wealth? Was a tent on the outskirts enough? Wasn't she hopelessly bound up with all the materialities of Sodom?
       When she had to flee, she had to look back. In this she reminds us of a woman who, after leaving her burning house, rushes back for treasured material possessions and is burned with the possessions.
       Certainly Lot's wife bears none of the qualities of greatness that we find in the noble women in history- those, for example, who left England on the Mayflower and landed on a desolate coast in the dead of winter to carve new homes in the wilderness. These women, too, had to leave all behind, but they were willing to make the sacrifice in order that they and their families might have religious freedom.
       Even though Lot's wife was well out of Sodom with her daughters and husband before the destruction came, she could not be influenced either by the warnings of the angels or by the pleadings of her husband. And as she looked back, she was turned to a pillar of salt.
       Tradition has pointed out, however, that a mountain of salt, it the southern extremity of the Dead Sea, was the spot where the event took place. The text described it as a rain of "brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven - by which the whole district was overthrown.
       Geologists explain that at the south end of the Dead Sea is a burned-out region of oil and asphalt. A great stratum of rock salt lies underneath the Mountain of Sodom on the west shore of the sea. This stratum of salt, they say, is overlaid with a stratum of marl, mingled with free sulphur in a very pure state. Something kindled the gases which accumulate with oil and asphalt, and there was an explosion. Salt and sulphur were carried up into the heavens red hot. Literally it could have rained fire and brimstone. The cities and the whole plain and everything that grew out of the ground were utterly destroyed. This may explain the incrustation of Lot's wife with salt when she turned back.
       The differences of opinion regarding the story and the literal aspect of Lot's wife do not change the great truths of the account. She still stands as a permanent symbol of the woman who looks back and refuses to move forward, the woman who, faced toward salvation, still turns to look longingly on material things she has left behind.
       One thing is certain. The story of Lot's wife has not lost its savor in all the thousands of years since Old Testament writers recorded it.

Judges Clip Art Index

Clip art samples from the book of Judges.

All graphics/illustrations/clip art on this web journal are free to download and use for personal art projects, church related hard copy or webpages. Images are not to be redistributed in any other collections of clip art online. Please include a link back to this web journal if you use the materials for web articles. Link back to http://christianclipartreview.blogspot.com

Sometimes multiple scripture using the same image are uploaded onto the same page. Keep looking on the post and you will find that there is a scripture from the Book of The Bible it is listed under here.

1. Little block prints about the life of Samson from Judges: 16:19, 14:5, 16:30 and 16:3
2. Samson at The Mill - Judges 16:21
3. The Daughter of Jephthah - Judges 11:31
4. Deborah, The Brave - Judges 5:7
5. The Vamp-pire... - Judges 16:1
6. Jephthah made an ill considered vow... - Judges 11: 30-31

Questions and Answers About the Book of Judges:

• Who was the harlot of Gaza?
• Who was Sisera's mother?
• Jephthah's Daughter, Example of Noble Submission
• Who was Manoah's Wife? 
  

 

Page last updated January 20, 2022

The Lord resists the proud...

"Give vent to your anger. Let it overflow against the proud. Humiliate the proud with a glance;
 walk on the wicked where they stand" Job 40:11-12

Description of Clip Art: cartoon of a "dandy" with powdered wig, cane and ruffled collar., black and white cartoon clip art with scriptures, five important scriptures about pride...

"If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ
 and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing. They have an unhealthy
 interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious
talk, evil suspicions." 1 Timothy 5:3-4

"But they, our ancestors, became arrogant and stiff-necked, and they did not obey
your commands." Nehemiah 9:16

"Behold, as for the proud one, His soul is not right within him; But the righteous will
live by his faith. Furthermore, wine betrays the haughty man, so that he does not stay
at home. He enlarges his appetite like Sheol, And he is like death, never satisfied.
He also gathers to himself all nations And collects to
himself all peoples." Habakkuk 2:4-5

"He has performed mighty deeds with His arm; he has scattered those who are
proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
but has exalted the humble." Luke 1:51-52

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject folks.

Christ Our King

        When we become the servants of God we engage to be so forever. An aged Bishop who was acquainted, in his younger days, with the Apostle S. John, and whose name was Polycarp, was brought before the Roman Proconsul, or Magistrate, to be tried for being a Christian. He was told to reproach Christ. Raising his grey head, and looking steadfastly upon the judge with a grave and solemn aspect, he said, "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He hath never wronged me, and how can I blaspheme my King who has saved me?" Upwards of a hundred years old, he chose rather to be burnt to death than deny Christ.

An Illuminated Text

 An Illumined Text.

The gray monk, rising, with a loving pride
Laid the long task of patient months aside,
The simple story of the gospels told
In lettering of crimson and of gold;
On its rich pages streamed the setting sun,
And now his life waned and his work was done.

He pushed away the heavy oaken door,
And stood within the sunset calm once more.
Above the narrowing round of life he knew
A sense of beauty and of wonder grew.
The text his art had copied, " God is Love,"
Came to him like the home-returning dove.

As the wind whistled in the bearded grain;
The tender words made music in his brain;
The green leaves whispered of it, everywhere
He read it on the blue scroll of the air,
As if more clearly and in fairer guise
The Lord Himself inscribed it for men's eyes!

The Star

THE STAR.

The world was wrapped in darkest night,
Men groped about in search of light;
And feeling oft like one that's blind,
They sought a glimpse of light to find.

And while they sought with mind intense,
The darkness seemed to grow more dense
When, sudden, in the heavens afar,
Appeared a brilliant, trembling star.

It threw such light upon the earth,
The planet seemed to have new birth;
It shone on mountain, vale and brook,
And penetrated every nook.

It drove men from their sinful lair,
They could not brook its steady glare;
But gave to timid souls a sense
Of safety, rest and peace intense.

And it was warmth as well as light,
It brought much cheer and stayed much blight;
It gave us food and raiment too,
And fell upon the earth like dew.

Sweet flowers sprang up to greet its birth,
A rainbow spanned the wondering earth;
The angels sang with mighty voice,
" There's light on earth, let all rejoice;
This is the star of Bethlehem!"
And earth replied, Amen ! Amen ! 

Christmas Bells

 CHRISTMAS BELLS.

The earth is robed in garments white,
And hearts are singing with delight
To greet the Christmas morn;
This is the day of all the year,
Because it brings such goodly cheer,
This day when Christ was born.

Let all the bells ring merrily
To greet its advent cheerily,
This merry Christmas day;
May open hands and hearts be found
To scatter brightness all around,
In one effulgent ray.

Let's hasten to the hungry poor,
To drive the wolf from off the door,
That they may merry be;
Let's scatter blessings far and near,
To every hearthstone bring some cheer,
That Jesus Christ may see.

We hail the day with joyous heart,
We bid the world with us take part,
And celebrate His birth.
So ring, sweet bells, your silvery song,
Commemorating all day long,
The gladdest day on earth.

The Birthday Of Christ

THE BIRTHDAY OF CHRIST.

Early on the Christmas morn,
Night her veil had just withdrawn;
Angels chanted loud and clear,
" Wake ! awake ! the Lord is near!"

Now the wise men's weary feet,
Hastened on with step more fleet,
As the voices swelled their lay,
" Christ the Lord is born to-day."

With their eyes fixed on the star
Onward gazed the men afar;
Sweet the angels sang again,
" Peace on earth, good will to men.'

Now the wise men's footsteps stay,
Angels hush their chanting lay;
Joy and adoration blend,
As above the stall they bend.

Think you, in the infant wail,
Heard they echo of the nail
Driven in His tender form?
Did they think for that He's born?

Nay! the halo round His head
Fixed their steadfast gaze instead;
Not alone for death and shame,
Ridicule and scorn and blame;

But as royal Prince of Peace,
Medium of sin's release;
To be glorified He came,
And to glorify God's name. 

Prepare The Way

 PREPARE THE WAY.

Bring evergreen and cedar bough,
Fresh gathered from the mountain brow;
Bring holly branch and berries red
To strew upon the path He'll tread;
He's sure to come in by and bye,
Unseen, perchance, by mortal eye,
But if we'll listen, as we pray,
We'll hear His sweet voice softly say,
"Lo, Jesus comes your soul to save,
To overcome death and the grave;
To cheer your hearts and calm your fears,
To give you blessings, wipe your tears;
To rescue all from sin and strife
To purchase you eternal life.

'Tis well you greet my natal day
With emblems green in bright display;
I'm glad my footsteps hither came,
I'm glad to meet here, poor and lame, 
These little ones, the aged too,
Whom you have bid to share with you
This festival of joy and mirth,
You have prepared to greet my birth:
For this you've done for me in love,
I'll share with you my home above."
And then so silently He'll go,
He'll leave no footprint on the snow,
But on our hearts He'll leave a trace
Of His sweet peace and loving grace.

Reap And Gather

REAP AND GATHER.

The Savior's heart is yearning
With true compassion deep
For all His wandering children
Who are in sin asleep;
He prays His faithful followers
Their labors to renew,
To reap and glean and gather
The many, not the few.

The path that leads to glory
You have in love been taught;
From ways of death and darkness
To life and light been brought;
You have received so freely
Of love and power and light,
Extend your hand in mercy
And rescue with your might.

Go to the work with gladness
And count it joy to do
With willing heart and purpose
What God requires of you;
Call sinners to repentance,
His kingdom is at hand,
Prepare their souls to meet Him
And in His presence stand.

Ruth

RUTH

A gentle maid with lowly mien
In harvest fields went out to glean;
In sweet humility she thought
" I will be satisfied with aught.

I'll wait until the gleaner's done,
Then I will slowly follow on,
And one by one as each one leaves
I'll gather up neglected sheaves."

With happy smile and head bent low,
Softly she followed to and fro;
Meanwhile the Master rich and kind
Was watching her not far behind.

He bade the gleaners drop more grain,
Until there lay a golden train; 
And all the ground was richly spread
Along the path where she would tread.

Her arms were amply filled with food,
Her heart with joyous gratitude;
Just then she heard the Master call,
And found he loved her more than all.

Along life's pathway, here and there,
Are sheaves neglected, needing care;
And there must be some maids like Ruth,
Or they'll be lost, in very truth.

Then do not mind to follow on
And glean as she did, one by one,
Neglected sheaves, for, seeking such,
Our God will love us very much. 

Inasmuch

 INASMUCH

Our Lord is the Vine in the garden of God, -
The tender young branches are we;
Those who have thus labored for. us in His name,
Said Jesus, " Have done it to me."

Those guiding our footsteps in flower-bordered paths
Of rectitude, virtue, and truth,
Are training the branches to cling to the Vine
In the trying temptations of youth.

No service in life you can render the Vine,
Comes nearer its warm, loving heart,
Than leading the tendrils upon it to lean,
For strength, from life's earliest start.

Then store our young minds with the fruit of His love,
Fresh vigor in us to recruit;
And when to maturity grown every branch,
Will yield Him abundance of fruit.

Brotherhood

 BROTHERHOOD.

Love will work no ill to neighbor,
But will do him good;
God will know His true disciples
By their brotherhood.

Now, look at the white fields yonder,
See the grain so ripe to reap;
Then say if you're going to help them,
Or to fold your hands and sleep.

There are children by the thousand
That have never heard God's name,
On the street or round the hearth-stone,
Save in cursing or blaspheme.

His dear name, the gentle Jesus
Who loved children, oh, so much!
Ever waiting but to bless them
With divine and loving touch.

His kind heart in tender pity
For his lambs is yearning still,
And their souls are in our keeping; -
Shall we save, or shall we kill ?

Like a Cain we may not slay them,
But with thoughtless, cold neglect;
Is this true, my Christian hearers,
Stop a moment and reflect.

If God asks you for your brother,
At His judgment bar some day,
Will you say, " I'm not his keeper,"
Hide your face and turn away?

If you do, the rocks and mountains
Will not shield you from his wrath;
For He is a God of justice,
Though He tender mercies hath.

'Tis a sad and gloomy picture
Drawn with heavy heart and bowed;
But, thank God! the silver lining's
Just behind the darkened cloud.

You who have been blessed with plenty,
Homes of love and Christian grace;
Can, with generous heart consenting,
Swiftly this sad scene erase.

All the cloud may be one splendor,
Radiating floods of light,
If our love for one another
Is but measured in God's sight.

The Mission of The Flowers

THE MISSION OF THE FLOWERS.

God made a tiny flow'ret,
As pure and white as snow,
And said, "This modest lily
Must in the valley grow,
And send forth sweetest fragrance
With meekly drooping head,
And teach the world humility
From out its lowly bed."

And then He made a red rose,
With lovely, blushing face,
And said, "To you, my fair one,
I'll give a higher place;
But you must teach a lesson
Upon your little mound,
By breathing love and perfume
Upon the world around."

And thus they grew in beauty
Not many rods apart,
While each fulfilled its mission
With glad and willing heart;

And when the frost of Autumn came,
And chilled their hearts with fear,
God laid them gently down to rest
Upon a snow-white bier.

The Fullness of His Presence

The Fullness of His Presence

 I think, as I gaze on this beautiful scene,
That Jesus must be very near,
And eagerly catching each word and each song,
As it falls on His listening ear.

His far-seeing eyes must be glancing about,
And searching with diligent care,
The hearts of these children, to see if indeed
His name is in truth written there.

He loves little children! has given them this day
To be altogether their own, -
A type of that glorious Sabbath when we
Shall assemble around His great throne;

Shall crown Him the King of all Kings evermore;
Shall, worshipping, kneel at His feet; -
And again He will place His dear hands on our heads,
And bless us with thrilling words sweet.

Moreover, I think, as I gaze on this scene,
That heaven's a place much like this,
Except that, instead of the Presence we feel,
We'll see Jesus just as He is.

Babies prefer milk...

"About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic
 principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk
is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for
those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from
 evil." Hebrews 5:11-14

Description of Clip Art: baby holds a bottle of milk, three scriptures about milk and infants, black and white clip art

"Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil,
but in your thinking be mature." 1 Corinthians 14:20 

"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's
 teaching. They are a garland to grace your head and a chain to adorn
your neck." Proverbs 1:9

Have a question about the illustration? Just type it in the comment box and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. I only publish content that is closely related to the subject folks.

Who are the Queens listed in the New Testament?

There are only four queens mentioned in the New Testament: 

 

 1.) Bernice - who with her brother Agrippa II heard Paul in the judgement hall in Caesarea.
 2.) Candace - (Acts 8:27), a term applied to ruling queens of Meroe, capital of the country that later became the kingdom of Ethiopia, at the junction of the Nile and Atbara. Candace was a hereditary appellation used in the same manner as was the term "Pharaoh" applying to the older Egyptian kings.
       This Candace of Acts ruled in Ethiopia in the time of Paul and the evangelist Philip. She is mentioned because the eunuch who had charge of her treasury and went from Meroe to Jerusalem to worship declared that he believed Jesus Christ was the son of God.
       Candace's eunuch was baptized by Philip and took back Christ's message to Ethiopia. It is probable that Candace was the first in high circles in Ethiopia to hear the triumphant message of Jesus Christ.
 3.) Drusilla - a wife of Felix, Roman procurator at Caesarea when Paul appeared in the judgment hall there.
4.) The Queen in Revelation - in Revelation 18:7-10, a queen is mentioned. This refers to the wicked city of Babylon and her destruction.

What were the weeping women of Tammuz performing for?

       The women weeping for Tammuz sat at the north gate of the Jerusalem Temple. Instead of weeping for the national sins, these women wept for the dead god Tammuz, ancient god of pasture and flocks, of the subterranean ocean, and of vegetation. 

"He brought me to the north gate of the LORD’s Temple, and some women were sitting there, weeping for the god Tammuz." Ezekiel 8:14

       This incident is listed in Ezekiel's vision of "abominations" of the people. God had declared that He would not pardon this and other idolatrous worship. 

Who were the prophetesses of the Old Testament?

1.) Deborah 2, a "judge" and prophetess, who summoned Barak to undertake the contest with Sisera. She went with the former to the field of battle.
2.) Huldah, a woman in the time of King Josiah, who prophesied.
3.) Isaiah's wife - (Isa. 8:3). In the entire period of political decline which preceded the fall of Samaria in 722 B.C. and of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. only two prophetesses appear in the record: Huldah, and Isaiah's wife, whom he speaks of as a prophetess. In the case of Isaiah's wife, she was probably called a prophetess because she was the wife of a prophet, rather than one who prophesied herself.
       Isaiah tells that he went unto her and she conceived. Their son was Maher-shalal-hash-baz, meaning "Hasten the spoil, rush on the prey." In Isaiah 7:3 another son of Isaiah is mentioned. He is Shearjashub, and his name means "A remnant returns." The names stand for two of Isaiah's prophecies concerning Jerusalem.
4.) Miriam 1, sister of Moses, who led the women of Israel in that  oldest of national anthems, "Sing Unto the Lord."
5.) Noadiah (Neh. 6:14), a false prophetess, who with Sanballat, Samaritan leader, and Tobiah, Ammonite governor, made insidious attempts to prevent Nehemiah, a Jew of the captivity, from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem in about 445 B.c.
       She and her allies used various stratagems to intimidate him. For example, they told him that during the night his enemies would kill him. They advised him to shut himself up in the house of God. He declined such advice, exclaiming, "My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works, and on the prophetess Noadiah, and the rest of the prophets, that would have put me in
fear."
       Despite the stratagems of this false prophetess and her friends, the Jerusalem wall was finished, and those who saw it perceived that it was the work of God.
6.) women who sew pillows, The women who sew pillows to armholes (Ezek. 13:18) were the false prophetesses who made cushions to lean on, typifying the perfect tranquillity which they foretold to those consulting them. Their pretended inspiration enhanced their guilt as prophetesses.
       The translation of this phrase in the Revised Standard Version paints a slightly different picture, but the basic idea is the same. Instead of "women that sew pillows to all armholes - they are described as "women who sew magic bands upon all wrists." This refers to the amulets people bought from false prophetesses or sorceresses and wore to give them a sense of security. But the security was false.
       The men who are said to have built a wall (Ezek. 13:10), and the women who sewed pillows or made magic arm bands - both alike promised a false peace and security.

Who was Damaris in the Book of Acts?

        Damaris (Acts 17:34), a woman of Athens, who believed in the message of Paul. That one word "believe" presents a whole sermon in itself. Paul had just preached to the Athenians on Mars Hill, but many of them did not believe, for many were ignorant of God. But Damaris and a man, Dionysius, had the spiritual receptivity to receive Paul's message based on the theme, "For in him we live, and move, and have our being" (Acts 17:28).
       Damaris must have been a woman of distinction or she would not have been singled out with Dionysius, one of the judges of the great court.
       In all probability she was one of the Hetairai, constituting a highly intellectual class of women who associated with philosophers and statesmen. This may be the reason she was in the audience when Paul delivered his address on Mars Hill.
       We learn from Acts 17:18 that he had spoken before certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, who "took him, and brought him unto Aeropagus."
       Some commentators have suggested that Damaris was the wife of Dionysius; however, this is rather improbable for the Greek wife lived in seculsion. The Hetairai were the only free women in Athens. If Damaris had been a wife, her presence would not have been recognized in that concourse on Mars Hill. If the wife of Dionysius, she would have been, according to oriental custom, mentioned as such. Instead of "a woman named Damaris," we would have "and his wife Damaris." Or more likely still, her name would have been omitted.

Who was Cozbi in the Book of Numbers?

       Cozbi (Num. 25:15, 18), a Midianitish woman slain at Shittim by Phinehas, son of Eleazar and grandson of Aaron. Phinehas was commended for the act in Psalms 106:30, 31. He thrust a javelin through Cozbi's stomach after Moses had given orders publicly to execute chiefs of the people, guilty of whoredoms in Baal-peor worship.
       Cozbi was a princess, daughter of Zur, head of a chief house in Midian. And she had influenced Zimri, son of Salu, prince of a chief house among the Simeonites. Her influence for evil was greater because of her prominence and because she had beguiled a Hebrew of prominence.
       At the same time that Phinehas slew her, he also slew Salu. Together they had entered the camp where the Israelites were worshiping and praying to Yahweh, because of a plague sent down upon them. Phinehas, zealous as he was, believed that his act of doing away  with the wicked pair would terminate a plague then raging as a judgment against the idolatries and impurities into which the Midianitish women were leading the Hebrews.
       The slaying of Cozbi and her accomplice Salu is thought to have stayed the plague of whoredom and idolatry with foreign daughters. But 23,000 died from the plague caused by this evil (I Cor. 10:8).
       Cozbi's name means deceitful. She is the only woman in the Bible of whom it is written that a javelin was thrust "through her belly" (Num. 25:8).

Who was Claudia in The Book of II Timothy?

       Claudia (II Tim. 4:21), a woman in the Christian Church at Rome, who sent her greetings through Paul to Timothy. Scholars have made several conjectures about this Claudia.
       She appears in the same passage with Pudens and Linus. Some scholars are of the opinion that she was a wife of Pudens and a mother of Linus, bishop of Rome, who was mentioned by Irenaeus, Greek Church father, and Eusebius, "father of church history." 
       Martial, Latin poet born in Spain, but a citizen of Rome from about A.D. 64 to 98, writes in an epigram of Claudia and Pudens. Some scholars conclude that they are identical with the Claudia and
Pudens mentioned in Timothy, though others question why the name of Linus comes between them.
       H. S. Jacobs, writing in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (p. 666), says that the Apostolica Constitutions (VII, 21) name Claudia as the mother of Linus. He further comments that a passage in the Agricola by Tacitus, Roman historian, and "an inscription found in Chichester, England, have been used in favor of the further statement that this Claudia was a daughter of a British King, Cogidubnus." But Lightfoot in The Apostolic Fathers argues against the theory that Claudia and Pudens were husband and wife and that Linus was their son.
       Some authorities, with little justification, have identified this Claudia with Pilate's wife, to whom tradition has given the name of Claudia.

Who was Sisera's mother?

       Sisera's mother (Judg. 5:28) represents the aged mother, watching longingly for her warrior son to return from battle. Sisera, a Canaanite chieftain of the twelfth century B.C., had already been killed by Jael, the Kenite wife, who had driven a tent peg into his head while, wearied from battle, he lay sleeping.
       After many of his men had perished in the floodwaters of the Kishon, Sisera had sought refuge in the tent of Jael and her husband Heber, the Kenite, thinking of course they were friendly to his cause (Judges. 4:17).
       Sisera's mother, we know, was a luxury-loving, materially minded woman. She does not appeal to God for her son's safe return. On the other hand, we see her sitting beside the latticed windows of her palace, and she is asking, "Why is his chariot so long in coming?" Her ladies-in-waiting comfort her by stories of the wild spoils of war. They tell her that her son, Sisera, is late because, like all sons of war, he has probably received a damsel or two. Also they picture to her the rich garments that her son will bring back, garments luxuriant in their colors and rich in their embroideries.
       The story of Sisera's mother appears in Deborah's Song.

Who was the Canaanitish mother of Shaul?

        The Canaanitish woman was the mother of Shaul. "The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. Genesis 46:10 and "The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon." Exodus 6:15
       Her husband was Simeon. The Israelites had been warned not to marry the daughters of the Canaanites, who were of foreign stock and were doomed to destruction on account of their sins. "I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living," Genesis 24:3

Who was the wise woman of Tekoah?

        The wise woman of Tekoah (II Sam. 14:1-20) was the mother of two sons. She was a dramatic actress as well as a sagacious woman. Dressed in mourning, she came up from her home in Tekoah to Jerusalem and feigned a story about her two sons, one of whom, she said, had been killed by the other as they fought together in the field, where there was no one to part them. Now her whole family wanted to put her guilty son to death. She begged David to have mercy on her son and David declared the young man would not be harmed.
       The woman had come from the town of Tekoah, twelve miles south of Jerusalem and six miles south of Bethlehem, far enough away so that her story could not be easily investigated. She had woven it together to be as much like the story of David's own sons, Absalom and Amnon, as she could make it and still not have him recognize immediately the real purpose of her mission.
       Several years before, Absalom had murdered Amnon, in revenge for what Amnon had done to their sister Tamar. For this crime David had banished Absalom, his most beloved son, and had not seen him for three years.
       Realizing that David now needed the company of his favorite son, the discerning Joab, commander-in-chief of David's army, had instructed the woman to come from Tekoah and make this appeal. Though in his heart David still loved Absalom, he probably had not recalled him because he dreaded public opinion.
       To overcome David's scruples and help him see that mercy was reasonable in this case, the woman of Tekoah came with her story, and David soon saw that it paralleled that of his own two sons. When he asked if Joab had sent her, she revealed that he had put all these words into her mouth. Then in her argument she made it clear that Absalom had reason to complain that he was treated by his own father more sternly than her son, one of the humblest subjects in the realm.
       She let him know that the nation could now say that the king gave more attention to her humble petition than to the wishes and desires of the whole kingdom. She argued with him also that the death of her own son would be only a private loss to her family, but the termination of Absalom's banishment was to the common interest of all Israel, who now looked to Absalom as David's successor on the throne.
       This wise woman of Tekoah was successful in her mission. After she left, David sent Joab to Geshur to bring Absalom back to Jerusalem. The reconciliation came about because the woman of Tekoah had acted so well the feigned story of her two sons.
       Evidently she was a devout woman, for she stressed that "as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the Lord thy God will be with thee." Earlier she had spoken of her own "inheritance of God" coming through her son. Her devotion to God was what probably won King David's heart.

Who was Micah's mother?

       Micah's mother (Judges. 17:2, 3, 4) had dedicated 1,100 shekels of silver to the making of graven images. Her son, Micah of Ephraim, stole the shekels, but when he heard his mother had cursed because of the loss, he returned them to her and confessed his guilt. She made restitution of the money to him, but took 200 shekels (probably from the original amount) and had images made at a foundry.
       There seems to be spiritual confusion in the mind of this mother, who in one breath blessed the Lord and in the next told her son that she had set aside the shekels for him and had planned that part be used for the making of graven images. She appeared to want to honor God but was ignorant as to the meaning of faith in the one God.
       Though Micah's mother does not appear in the text after this incident, we learn how her influence in idolatry carried on. Her son built a shrine or house of gods, probably a miniature copy of the temple at Shiloh, and set it up in his home. He placed there the graven images and secured a priest to stay in his home, administer the shrine, and educate his son for the priesthood.
       But the graven and molten images were stolen by migrating Danites, who also persuaded Micah's priest to leave with them. And they took to Shiloh the images which Micah's mother had given him and competed with them against the house of the Lord. The idolatry that was practiced among the Danites for many succeeding generations appears to have sprung from the idolatrous influence of this mother.

Who was Judith in the book of Genesis?

Painting of Judith from the apocryphal
 Book of Judith, who cuts the head
off of a general.

         Judith (Gen. 26:34), the daughter of Beeri and one of the Hittite wives of Esau, who grieved and vexed Isaac and Rebekah, Esau's parents. They grieved because their son had married a foreign woman and not one of their own people.
       Some authorities are of the opinion that Judith is the same as Aholibamah (Oholibamah) mentioned in Genesis 36:5, but other authorities do not agree with this. If so, she had three children by Esau "Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah" who were born in the land of Canaan.
       Esau's marriage at age forty to this woman from a land that worshiped idols is said to have been one of the reasons why Esau, though the elder son of Isaac and Rebekah, lost the blessing to his twin brother Jacob, born second and regarded as the younger. The account of the loss of the blessing of his father Isaac appears immediately after Esau's marriage to his Hittite wives. The marriage comes in Genesis 26:34, the loss of the birthright in Genesis 27:1.
       Because Judith did not worship the one God, she did not occupy as high a place in patriarchal history as did her sisters-in-law, Rachel and Leah, Jacob's wives.
       The Bible shows that Esau, though born into a godly family, turned to the more material path, and that his Hittite wives led him completely away from God.

Isaac Meditating

 Isaac Meditating

 In the lone field he walks at eventide,
To meditate beneath the open sky,
Where born on lighter wings prayers upward fly,
And down from Heaven sweet answers swiftly glide.
But as he glanced around that landscape wide,
Far off a train of camels meets his eye,
And as they nearer come he can descry
A maiden vailed, - his unseen, God-sent bride.
Thus while to Heaven thought after thought was rising,
The fair Rebekah step by step drew nigh,
With life's chief joy the prayerful saint surprising:
For those who think of Him God still is thinking,
With tender condescension from on high,
Some comfort ever to some duty linking.

by Rev. H. Wilton.

Hagar In The Wilderness

 HAGAR IN THE WILDERNESS.

The morning broke. Light stole upon the clouds
With a strange beauty. Earth received again
Its garment of a thousand dyes ; and leaves,
And delicate blossoms, and the painted flowers,
And everything that bendeth to the dew
And stirreth with the daylight, lifted up
Its beauty to the breath of that sweet morn.

All things are dark to sorrow; and the light
And loveliness and fragrant air were sad
To the dejected Hagar. The moist earth
W as pouring odors from its spicy pores,
And the young birds were singing as if life
Were a new thing to them; but oh! it came
Upon her heart like discord, and she felt
How cruelly it tries a broken heart,
To see a mirth in anything it loves.
She stood at Abraham's tent. Her lips were pressed
Till the blood started; and the wandering veins
Of her transparent forehead were swelled out,
As if her pride would burst them. Her dark eye
Was as clear and tearless, and the light of heaven,
Which made its language legible, shot back
From her long lashes, as it had been flame.
Her noble boy stood by her, with his hand
Clasped in her own, and his round, delicate feet,
Scarce trained to balance on the tented floor,
Sandaled for journeying. He had looked up
Into his mother's face until he caught
The spirit there, and his young heart was swelling
Beneath his dimpled bosom, and his form
Straightened up proudly in his tiny wrath,
As if his light proportions would have swelled,
Had they but matched his spirit, to the mail.

Why bends the patriarch as he cometh now
Upon his staff so wearily? His beard
Is low upon his breast, and his high brow,
So written with the converse of his Coil,
Beareth the swollen vein of agony.
His lip is quivering, and his wonted step
Of vigor is not there; and, though the morn
Is passing fair and beautiful, he breathes
Its freshness as it were a pestilence.
O, man may bear with suffering: his heart
Is a strong thing, and godlike, in the grasp
Of pain that wrings mortality; but tear
One chord affection clings to - part one tie
That binds him to a woman's delicate love -
And his great spirit yieldeth like a reed!

He gave to her the water and the bread,
But spoke no word, and trusted not himself
To look upon her face, but laid his hand
In silent blessing on the fair-haired boy,
And left her to her lot of loneliness.

Should Hagar weep? May slighted woman turn
And, as a vine the oak hath shaken off.
Bend lightly to her leaning trust again?
O no ! by all her loveliness, by all
That makes life poetry and beauty, no!
Make her a slave ; steal from her rosy cheek
By needless jealousies; let the last star
Leave her a watcher by your couch of pain;
Wrong her by petulance, suspicion, all
That makes her cup a bitterness, - yet give
One evidence of love, and earth has not
An emblem of devotedness like' here.
But oh! estrange her once - it boots not how -
By wrong or silence, - anything that tells
A change has come upon your tenderness, -
And there is not a feeling out of heaven
Her pride o'ermastercth not.

She went her way with a strong step and slow, -
Her pressed lip arched, and her clear eye undimmed,
As if it were a diamond, and her form
Borne proudly up, as if her heart breathed through.
Her child kept on in silence, though she pressed
His hand till it was pained; for he had caught,
As I have said, her spirit, and the seed
Of a stern nation had been breathed upon.

The morning past, and Asia's sun rode up
In the clear heaven, and every beam was heat.
The cattle of the hills were in the shade,
And the bright plumage of the Orient lay
On beating bosoms in her spicy trees.
It was an hour of rest! but Hagar found
No shelter in the wilderness, and on
She kept her weary way, until the boy
Hung down his head, and opened his parched lips
For water; but she could not give it him.
She laid him down beneath the sultry sky, -
For it was better than the close, Hot breath
Of the thick pines, - and tried to comfort him;
But he was sore athirst, and his blue eyes
W ere dim and bloodshot, and he could not know
Why God denied him water in the wild.
She sat a little longer, and he grew
Ghastly and faint, as if lie would have died.
It was too much for her. She lifted him
And bore him farther on, and laid his head
Beneath the shadow of a desert shrub ;
And, shrouding up her face, she went away,
And sat to watch, where he could see her not,
Till he should die; and, watching him, she mourned: - 

"God stay thee in thine agony, my boy!
I cannot see thee die; I cannot brook
Upon thy brow to look,
And see death settle on my cradle joy.
How have I drunk the light of thy blue eye!
And could I see thee die?

I did not dream of this when thou wast straying,
Like an unbound gazelle, among the flowers;
Or wiling the soft hours,
By the rich gush of water-sources playing,
Then sinking weary to thy smiling sleep,
So beautiful and deep.

"O no! and when I watched by thee the while,
And saw thy bright lip curling in thy dream,
And thought of the dark stream
In my own land of Egypt, the far Nile,
How prayed I that my father's land might be
A heritage for thee! 

"And now the grave for its cold breast hath won thee,
And thy white, delicate limbs the earth will press;
And O, my last caress
Must feel thee cold, for a chill hand is on thee.
How can I leave my boy, so pillowed there
Upon his clustering hair!"

She stood beside the well her God had given
To gush in that deep wilderness, and bathed
The forehead of her child until lie laughed
In his reviving happiness, and lisped
His infant thought of gladness at the sight
Of the cool plashing of his mother's hand.

by Nathaniel P. Willis.