12. THE DAUGHTER WHO HONORED HER MOTHER
(Book of Ruth)
Far away in the strange land of Moab a poor widow started to return to her own home in the land of Israel. Ruth and Orpah, her two daughters-in-law, the wives of her sons who had just died, wished to go with her, for they could not think of the poor, old, sad mother returning all by herself on that long journey. But after they had gone a little way, the old mother kissed them and said, “Go back to your home and native land!” So Orpah kissed her good-bye and returned, but Ruth clung to her mother-in-law and said: “Entreat me not to leave thee and return from following after thee; for whither thou goest I will go; and where thou lodgest I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God; where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried. Nothing but death shall part thee and me.” Ruth knew that where Naomi was going she would be poor, and that they would have to work hard, but she loved this old mother too much to leave her. Soon they saw the hills and then the houses of Bethlehem, Naomi’s home. They settled down in that little town, but were so poor they did not know how to get even food enough to eat. The time of year had come when the farmers were beginning to cut the barley—the harvest-time. It was the custom in that land to allow poor people to go into the fields and gather up the loose ears of barley that were left by the reapers; and Ruth went to glean a little food for herself and her mother. She happened to go into the field of a rich man named Boaz. By and by when Boaz came to see how the reapers were getting on, he saw Ruth gleaning, and asked his reapers who she was. They told him that she was Naomi’s daughter-in-law, just come from Moab. Then Boaz called her to him and told her that she was welcome to glean in his fields all through the harvest. He said: “I have heard all about your goodness to Naomi. May you be fully rewarded by Jehovah, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” At dinnertime Boaz told her to sit down with the reapers, who gave her food and drink. She ate all she wished, and still she had some left, which in the evening she took home with her, with the barley she had gleaned, to Naomi. At the end of the barley harvest, this great and good rich man, Boaz, fell in love with Ruth, and she became his wife. The old mother, Naomi, went to live with them in their large and beautiful house, and she never was in want again. When a little son came to them, Ruth called his name Obed, and when he grew to be an old man, he was the grandfather of King David. So Ruth, the gleaner, who was kind and loyal to her mother-in-law, became the great-grandmother of the greatest King of Israel.
“ENTREAT ME NOT TO LEAVE THEE”
13. THE SHEPHERD-BOY WHO SLEW A GIANT
Far away on a hillside, one starry night, a shepherd-boy was watching his father’s sheep. The little lambs were cuddled up close to their mothers and all was quiet and peaceful in the moonlight when out of the woods near-by came a dark animal. It was a big brown bear that had come to steal a lamb. Nearer and nearer it came when the shepherd-boy, who loved his sheep, quickly placed a large sharp stone in his sling and slung it at the bear’s forehead. With a great cry of pain the bear rolled over dead. So the lambs were saved from the bear. Another time, a lion sprang out from behind a rock and, seizing a little baby lamb in his mouth, started to run away with it. On the minute the shepherd-boy was after him, slinging one of his sharp stones at the lion’s head. It struck the lion without killing him, but, letting the baby lamb go, he turned roaring and sprang at the boy. He caught him by the beard, and with his shepherd’s staff struck at him until the great animal fell back dead. So the lambs loved the shepherd still more, for he had saved them from the lion too. Some time after, this same shepherd-boy went out to the battlefield to take some corn and loaves of bread to his soldier brothers. While he was talking to his brothers a great giant came out and stood upon a high cliff and cried across the valley, “I dare any man to come and fight me!” This giant was ten and a half feet in height—so tall that a boy would not come as high as his knees. Upon his head was a helmet of brass; his whole body was covered with armor of brass; even on his legs were heavy plates of brass. In his hand he held a long staff with a sharp spear-point at the end; by his side hung a sword, and a man went before him carrying a shield. This was the famous Philistine giant, “Goliath,” before whom all the Hebrew soldiers trembled and ran away to their tents in fear. This young shepherd-boy was surprised that none dared go out and fight him, especially when he heard that King Saul had said whoever would kill this terrible giant should receive great riches and have the king’s daughter for his wife. This boy said, “I will go and fight him!” Some one told the king what he said, and Saul sent for him and said: “Surely you are not able to go and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighter from the time he was a boy.” This shepherd-boy bravely replied: “When I was smaller than I am now, I was watching my father’s sheep, and a bear and a lion came to take a lamb out of the flock, and I smote both the lion and the bear, and this giant shall be as one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. My God, who delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this boastful giant.” The king said, “My boy, go; and may God be with you.” Then he offered the shepherd-boy his armor of brass, his helmet, and sword. But the shepherd-boy said, “Please, may I go without these? My shepherd’s sling and staff, with God, are all I need.” Then he ran to the brook and selected five smooth stones and put them in his shepherd’s bag and went forth to meet the giant who came to meet him. When Goliath saw only a boy he said: “Am I a dog that you come to me with a stick! Come to me, boy, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and beasts!” And he cursed him by his gods. The brave shepherd-boy did not flinch, but replied: “You come to me with a sword, and a spear, and a javelin. I come to you in the name of the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day God will deliver you into my hands, and I will take your head from you and give it to the birds and wild beasts, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that they may know that God saves not with sword or spear; for this battle is God’s, and he will give you into our hands.” The proud giant, clad in his brass armor, began walking toward the boy, who quickly put his hand into his bag, took out a stone, slung it with all his might at the giant’s forehead, and Goliath fell on his face to the ground—dead. Quickly he ran, stood on the giant, took the great sword of Goliath out of its sheath, and with one blow cut off the giant’s head in the sight of the soldiers of both armies. When the army of the giant saw that their champion was dead, they turned and ran away over the mountains and, with a shout of victory, Saul’s soldiers ran after them and took them prisoners. So the shepherd-boy, with a sling and a stone, and the help of God, won a great battle that day. He became the king’s son-in-law, and when Saul died he became king, one of the greatest and best kings Israel ever had—King David.
14. THE ARROW-BOY AND THE TWO FRIENDS
(1 Samuel 18 to 20)
The shepherd-boy who slew the giant was invited to live at the king’s palace, and he became a great friend of the king’s son, Jonathan. David and Jonathan soon loved each other greatly. All the people too came to love David more than they did King Saul. This made the king very jealous, and he resolved to kill this popular young soldier, whom everybody praised so much; even the women and girls singing of him in the streets: