nothing but his faith in the promises of God to assure him that they would be fulfilled. Abraham believed God and it came to pass. When God gives us promises, “believing is seeing.” Oct. 17, 1948 C ounting the C ommandments Objects: Ten candles, and a board with 10 holes, into which the candles will fit. Lesson: As we name each of the Ten Commandments, I will place these ten candles in this board. Now I want to tell you a story. Mrs. Smith had been noticing that her son, Walter, was walk ing home from school with Bill, a very bad boy. She explained to Walter that it was harmful for a boy who was trying to do right to associate with a hoy who was always doing wrong. On Sunday afternoon, Walter asked for permission to go walking with David, one of the finest fellows he knew. As soon as he was out of his mother’s sight, he turned toward Bill’s home, instead of going to David’s. What com mandment had he broken? The fifth, “Honour thy father and thy mother,” and the ninth says, “ Thou shall not bear false witness.” We shall break the fifth and ninth candles, representing the com mandments broken by Walter. Bill was at the gate waiting for Wal ter, and they started immediately for the swimming pool with Bill’s gang. What other commandment was Walter breaking? Yes, the fourth, “ Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.” We shall break the fourth candle. Walter was not in the habit of swearing, but his shoestring broke as he was taking off his shoe, and he took God’s name in vain. He broke the third commandment, and we shall break the third candle. Bill’s knife dropped from his pocket as he pulled his trousers off. He did not notice it, but Walter did, and he kicked some leaves over it, intending to return later and get it for himself. He had broken the eighth and the tenth commandments. In one short day Walter broke six of the Ten Commandments. God gave the law as a light to show men what He required, that they might realize their hopelessness of keeping the law, and then accept as Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who perfectly kept the law. When we realize that we have broken God’s law, we should come to Christ, confess that we have sinned, and ask Him to cleanse us.
Illustrated by Gladys Bowman
Rev. Elmer L. Wilder
Oct. 10, 1948 A L ook at a B ook
Oct. 3, 1948 F lashlight and F ootlight
Objects: A piece of paper folded to represent a bank book, with the words “ BANK OF HEAVEN” written on the outside and a strong electric bulb con nected to a current of electricity. (With full strength lemon juice, or with 10 drops of sulphuric acid diluted with 25 drops of water, write with a pointed stick on the inside pages of the bank book the words, “ Seed as the stars” ; “ Seed as the sand” ; “ A great and mighty nation.” )
Objects: A house-slipper and a small flashlight. Fasten the flashlight to the top of the toe of the house-slipper, with the bulb pointing forward. Lesson: We are apt to think that the idea of headlights came with the automobile, but the idea is very much older. In Bible times people living in the cities found difficulty in walking through the streets after dark. They were apt to stumble over sleeping animals or articles left in the streets. In order that they might see clearly they would have a little lamp fastened to their shoe. Each step they took would be lighted by the little lamp. I brought you a shoe with a small flashlight on it to show you how the people of that day lighted their pathway. Of course, they did not have flashlights as we do. This shoe with the light on it reminds me of a verse in the Bible, “ Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). The Psalmist knew of the foot lamps in his day, and to him the Word served the same purpose. It scattered the dark ness and revealed dangers which other wise would have become hazardous. It is God’s desire that His children ■walk in this dark world of sin without stumbling. This can be done only if they walk in the light of the Word of God. If God’s children are to walk in the light of the Word of God, they must read it and meditate on its teach ings. We live in a land where there are street lights, and where there are no street lights we use powerful flashlights, but we still need the light of the Word of God in order that we may not stumble and fall into the pitfalls of sin. Page Twenty-eight
Lesson: Did you ever hear the ex pression, “ SEEING IS BELIEVING” ? I want to give you a lesson on “ BE LIEVING IS SEEING.” I open this booklet marked “ BANK OF HEAVEN” and there is apparently nothing on the inside. It reminds me of the people who read the promises of God and then say, “ I do not see anything in them for me.” Abraham was a man of faith and he believed the promises of God, although he could not see how or when they were to be fulfilled. We shall let this strong electric light remind us of Abraham’s faith. As it shines into this book, words are appearing! Listen as I read them: “ Seed as the stars.” God told Abraham that his “ seed,” that is, his children and grand children and their children on down through the centuries, would be as the stars for they could not be numbered. What a wonderful promise that must have been for Abraham when he was without children! Then again, “ Seed as the sand.” No jfone knows how many grains of sand there are by the sea, and no one is able to count the children of Abraham. There are other words ap pearing and they read, “A great and mighty nation.” Just as we could not see anything on the pages of this book until the bright light shone into it, so Abraham had
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