T HE K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S Cities of Refuge, and when the men at th e gate saw them coming, they would open the gates and let them come in and then they would close th e gates so the men, th e ir enemies coming afte r them , could not get in. Then, afte r the gates were closed, the judges of th e city would ask th e man questions to find ou t w hether he had done anything wrong and deserved punishm ent, and if he- had not done anything wrong, he could stay in th e city and live where he would be safe from those who were his enem ies and w anted to h u rt him. Sometimes, you know, rig h t here where we live people have accidents and h u rt or kill others, and then they have a tria l to see if it was really an accident or if they really m eant to k ill the peo ple. In those days, ju st like now, peo ple would become angry and try to kill th e man who had h u rt or killed- someone by accident, and really did not mean to h u rt him a t all, so God told Joshua to have some of the cities as a special place of refuge. They had to keep th e roads leading to these Cities of Refuge clean and free from stones or sticks, so th e re would be nothing in th e way as the people ra n along, and when th ere was a river th e re was a bridge across it. When a wicked man, one who really wanted to h u rt or kill people, came into a City of Refuge, th e judges would put him out as soon as they found out, and he would have to be punished. There were signs along the road to guide the men to th e Cities of Refuge. Could th e people be saved if they ju st w ent up to the gates of th e city? No, they had to go th rough th e gates and in th e city. Could they get into th e city any other way th an th rough the gates? Do you know, children, I th ink th is is such a lovely story, for it makes me th in k of Jesus, who is our refuge or sh elter from sin, and keeps th a t g rea t enemy, Satan, from h arm ing us. You know, while we are living down h ere we are like the man on th e road, for Satan, our enemy,
255 is always afte r us to h u rt us by getting us to do wrong things, and Jesus is our Refuge, and when vre go to Him, Satan cannot harm us, for we are safe in our refuge, Jesus, ju st like the man was safe in the City of Refuge; only we are safer, for Jesus is stronger th a n all th e cities in th e world. The sign on our road to guide us is th e Bible, and it is a safe guide, for it is God’s word. The men could no t get into th e city except th rough the gates, and we cannot get into heaven except th rough Jesus. When we w ant to do things we know are wrong, let us always remember it is our enemy, Satan, and let us tu rn to our refuge, Jesus, and ask Him to help us. Closing P ra y er: Dear Jesus, we know th ere is sin and wrong in th is world, and we th a n k thee for becoming our refuge and shelter. ONE WAY TO ECONOMIZE A little 'b o y w ent to Sunday School for the first time. His mother gave him a nickel to p u t in th e collection-box. When he retu rn ed , he had a sack of candy. “W here did you get th a t candy?” asked his mother. “F rom the stand around th e corner.” “ B u t th a t was for Sunday School.” “Well,” replied th e boy, “ I d idn ’t need it. The m inister m et me a t th e door and got me in free.”— The Chris tia n Herald. “LIVER US FROM EVIL” “Mother,” said a Topeka four-year- old, “ I know th ree kinds of livers— liver th a t you eat, th e liver stable, and ‘liver-us-from -evil’.” “B u t w h at did you buy it w ith ?” “W ith th e nickel you gave me.”
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