THE BRAZEN SERPENT.
: Old Testament StoriesJesus Christ says that "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." What did Jesus
mean?
Nearly forty years had passed since God gave His law from Mount Sinai;
and frequently the people had sinned during that time. Through their
disobedience they were compelled to wander in the wilderness for many
long years, instead of going straight to Canaan. While thus
they passed round the land of Edom, and became grieved and impatient
because of the dreariness and difficulty of the way. They murmured
against God and against Moses, and said, "Wherefore have ye brought us
up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread,
neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread."
They meant the manna which God gave them daily.
God allowed fiery serpents to come among the people because of their
sin, which bit them, and many died. Then they came to Moses, saying,
"We have sinned ... pray unto the Lord that He take away the serpents
from us." Moses did so; and God told him to make a serpent of brass
and to put it on a pole; and said that all who looked to the serpent
should live. The serpent of brass could not heal them, but God healed
them as they obeyed his command to look to the serpent. It was _look_
and _live_.
Now I think we see what Jesus means. God has said that all must die
because of sin; but those who look to Jesus and trust in Him will have
their sins pardoned, and will live with Him in glory forever.
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Jesus Christ says that "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." What did Jesus mean? Nearly forty years had passed since God gave His law from Mount Sinai; and frequently the people had sinne... THE BROWN THRUSH
There's a merry brown thrush sitting up in the tree. He's singing to me! He's singing to me! And what does he say, little girl, little boy? "Oh, the world's running over with joy! Don't you hear? Don't you see? Hush! Look! In my tree I'm ... THE BUCKWHEAT
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Olive Thorne Miller One of the most interesting birds who ever lived in my Bird Room was a blue jay named Jakie. He was full of business from morning till night, scarcely ever a moment still. Poor little fellow! He had been stolen fro... THE CAKE
A child quarrelled with his brother one day about a cake. "It is my cake!" said the child. "No, it is mine!" said his brother. "You shall not have it!" said the child. "Give it to me this minute!" And he fell upon his brother and beat him... THE CAPTAIN OF THE LORD'S HOST.
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One lovely summer morning, just as the sun rose, two travellers started on a journey. They were both strong young men, but one was a lazy fellow and the other was a worker. As the first sunbeams came over the hills, they shone on a great castle ... The Cat and the Mouse
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Once there was a cat, and a parrot. And they had agreed to ask each other to dinner, turn and turn about: first the cat should ask the parrot, then the parrot should invite the cat, and so on. It was the cat's turn first. Now the cat was very me... THE CHAMBERED NAUTILUS
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"It is the grown people who make the nursery stories," wrote Stevenson, "all the children do is jealously to preserve the text." And the grown person, whether he makes his stories with pen or with tongue, should bring two qualities at least to the... THE CHILDREN OF THE SUN GOD.
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On Christmas Eve the Mayor's stately mansion presented a beautiful appearance. There were rows of different coloured wax candles burning in every window, and beyond them one could see the chandeliers of gold and crystal blazing with light. The f... THE CIRCUS
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One hot summer morning a little Cloud rose out of the sea and floated lightly and happily across the blue sky. Far below lay the earth, brown, dry, and desolate, from drought. The little Cloud could see the poor people of the earth working and suf... THE COCK-A-DOO-DLE-DOO
A very little boy made this story up "out of his head," and told it to his papa. I think you littlest ones will like it; I do. Once upon a time there was a little boy, and he wanted to be a cock-a-doo-dle-doo. So he was a cock-a-doo-dle-doo. And... THE COUNTRY MOUSE AND THE CITY MOUSE
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