[Illustration: SOUTH-EAST VIEW OF THE TABERNACLE.]
"The journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honor."--_Judges 4:9._
WHEN the Israelites had come to live in the beautiful land that God had promised them, they ought to have loved and served Him, and thanked Him for all His goodness. But no! They liked worshipping false gods; and they made idols to pray to, cut out of wood and stone; and they learnt wicked ways.
Then God was angry with them; and He punished them by sending cruel nations to conquer them, to burn their houses, to steal their children, and drive away their cattle. Then they would be sorry, and pray to God again; and He had pity, and sent some brave man to defend them.
To-day we hear how sadly they were used by a fierce man named Sisera, who had nine hundred war chariots of iron to go into battle with. His people used to shoot at the Israelites at the wells when they came to draw water; and nobody dared to go along the high-roads, but only through the paths, for fear of being killed.
1. How ought the Israelites to have behaved? 2. What had God given them? 3. Whom should they have worshipped? 4. But what did they worship? 5. How did God punish them? 6. What was the name of the cruel man who ill-used them? 7. How many chariots had Sisera?
"The Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman."--_Judges 4:9._
AT last God spake to a good brave woman named Deborah, and told her to send for a man named Barak, who should lead the Israelites to fight with Sisera. She sent for Barak, and told him what God had said. But Barak was afraid to go alone. He said he must have Deborah with him. He ought to have known that, if God sent him, he was sure to be safe and to succeed.
[Illustration: SISERA SLAIN BY JAEL.--Judges 4:22.]
Deborah told him that since he wished it she would go with him, but that the journey should not be to his honor, for the Lord would sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And it turned out as Deborah said. Barak won a great battle, and drove the enemies away, so that they did not hurt the children of Israel again for forty years. But he did not meet with Sisera in the battle, nor get the honor of killing him.
Sisera fled out of the battle, and was killed after all by a woman, whose name was Jael. Barak lost all the honor, because he would not do just as he was told, but was afraid without Deborah, just as if God could not help him better than Deborah could.