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The Israelites remembered their
promise for a few years, and served God, and would not worship the idols
around them. But after a time they forgot God, and Joshua, and all
he had said to them, and their own promise, and began to rebel against God
again. The Israelites
forgot God, but He remembered them still. One day, when they were
worshiping their idols, they saw an angel coming to them from God.
He came to tell them of their sin, and of God's anger. He told them
of their disobedience and rebellion; and said, that now God would not be
with them, to help them to conquer their enemies, but would leave them to
themselves. This was very sad, and all the Israelites wept for
sorrow. They had no friend, no father, no kind God now, because they
had forsaken Him, and He had turned away from them. But the
Israelites knew that God would hear prayer, and they went and prayed to
Him. They confessed their sins, and asked for forgiveness, and
offered a sacrifice. Were they right to do this? Yes; when we
sin, we can have pardon in Jesus, and by him alone: and if we pray
to Him in faith, He promises to take away our sins, and to renew our
hearts by His Holy Spirit. God heard the Israelites' prayer.
He gave them judges; wise men who helped them to conquer their enemies,
and taught the people to love and serve the Lord. But
again the Israelites did wickedly, and then God sent cruel enemies to
fight against them; and they cried to Him, and He heard them.
Eighteen years they served Eglon, the cruel and wicked king of Moab.
At last, God sent the Israelites a man to help them, whose name was
Ehud. The Israelites had a present to send to Eglon, and they asked
Ehud to take it to him. Ehud made a dagger, and hid it under his
clothes, and went to Moab. When he came to the king, he said he had
a secret thing to tell him alone; so Eglon sent away his servants.
Eglon was sitting in his own room, a summer parlor which was very cool and
pleasant; and he thought himself safe there, for he did not know why Ehud
had come. When they were alone, Ehud took out his dagger, and thrust
it into the king's body, and killed him; and then Ehud ran out of the
room, and locked the doors and escaped. None saw Ehud go; and when
the servants found the doors locked, they thought their master was asleep;
so they did not go in. Many hours passed, and then the servants
began to wonder why the kind did not send for them, and, at last, they
took a key, and opened the door. What did they see? The king
lying upon the ground, dead! Ehud
soon came back again, bringing many soldiers with him; and the Israelites
fought against the Moabites, and conquered them. It was God who
delivered the people of Israel from their cruel enemy, and He was pleased
to do so by the hand of Ehud. We must not think, from this story,
that it can ever be right to deceive and murder even our enemies; but we
may learn from it, that when the people of God are in danger, and pray to
Him for help, He can find a way to deliver them from their trouble, and to
give them peace and safety.
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