P E R S P EC T IV E
by Dr. W . Robert Smith
G o d ’ s W o rd is wonderfully practi cal for it deals with every circum stance of life. It is interesting to see how the Lord gives us such practical illu s t r a t io n s of His sufficiencies through His servants of old. Take the case of Elijah who was used by the Holy Spirit to turn the children of Israel from their worship of the wicked gods of Baal. Every once in a while I will have some people, perhaps educated beyond their own intelli gence, who say, “Elijah must have been a terrible person to kill those prophets of Baal.” They simply do not understand how evil this system was or they would never make such a foolish statement. You can still see a place today where they caught the blood of the little children who were eventually burned in the name of Baal worship. Their culture made it un necessary for old age pension or medi care. I f an individual got to the place where he could not be productive in labor, or were not able to take care of themselves, they would be slaughtered. This is why God stepped in. Elijah was the avenger of His justice. King Ahab, instead of being the one who administered justice, actually fos tered the program for his wife was the patron saint of the profligate cult. You remember, the thrilling contest he, Elijah, waged with the priests of Baal as they sought to bring water to the land. I do not know of any more fascinating account in Scripture than this one dealing with God’s over whelming vindication of His servant. After Elijah’s victory through the power of God we find him the next day down under the juniper tree. He knew wicked Jezebel was after him for she had vowed to have him killed. Scripture tells us that this brave man was afraid and ran, going about a day’s journey, into the wilderness. What an entirely different picture we have as he asked the Lord that he
might die. As he was in a prone pos ture under the tree an angel touched him and told him to get up and eat. When he did so he found a cake baked on the coals with a cruze of water for refreshment. So he ate and then laid down again. The second time the an gel of the Lord came and touched M O T H E R - L O V E Over the forest and treeless plains And over the heights above, 'Tis ever the same, the heart of the home Is the throb of the mother's love. It kneels by the bed of the drowsy head, And whispers a lullaby That softly streams through the baby's dreams: "Fear not, for Mother's nigh." It flows from her lips to her finger tips, Caressing the baby's curls; It shines in her eyes that sympathize With the tears of her little girls; The sorrows and joys of her little boys, It only can understand, And It hallows the touch we love so much— The pressure of Mother's hand. It mends the ball and the broken doll; It finds the missing knife, And all the day long it weaves a song 'Round the wearisome tasks of life. On every sea and on every land Beneath the sky's blue dome, The Mother's love Is the life and the light And the throbbing heart of the home. him, urging that he arise and eat be cause the journey was of a great dis tance. Following this he went to Mt. Horeb, the Mount of God. There he came upon a cave and took up lodging. This time the Lord came to ask what he was doing. In despondency he explained to the Lord how that all 11
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