The Irish standard., 1902-03-15
undertaking, no matter how arduous

commands, will, with that assurance
alone, be carried to unfailing success.
1t is an idiom that occurs not once in
a way but frequently through the
pages of the Bible; an idiom, therefore
the meaning of which can be deter
mined with entire certainty. And it's
meaning is everywhere that which l
have just given.
In Genesis 26; 3, IL, 10, we read that
there was a sore famine in the land
and Isaac was minded to go down into
Egypt, the land of plenty. But God
appeared to him and said, Go not
down into Egypt but stay in the land
that shall tell thee and will he with
thee And Isaac sowed in that land
and he found in that same year an
hundred fold. Here, at the assurance
Of God, II will be with thee" his
servant faces death by starvation, and
despite all human probability to the
contrary, not only survives, but reaps
a most abundant harvest.
In Genesis 31:3 we find the crisis
in the fortunes of Jacob. He would
fain return to his own country. But
LOban, his father-in-law, will not let
him go. On the other hand his wrong
ed and powerful brother, Esau, will
meet him there and will no doubt
wrcak vengeance on him for the
wrongs of long ago. But God says to
him, "Return to the land of thy
fathers and 1 will be with thee"
From the moment that word is spoken
his mind is made up. He returns in
the face of all obstacles. He placates
his hard-handed father-in-law, finds
Esau in conciliatory mood, and all
obstacles vanish. He returns to the
land of his fathers and becomes the
parent stock of the twelve tribes of
Israel. Here, as before the one word
needed to insure success isl will be
with you.
In the history of Joseph, as we read
in the thirty-ninth chapter Of the same
book of Genesis, we are assured sew
cral times that "God was with him"
and therefore all that he did pros
pered. Here was youth, brought
into strange land as slave bought
for a price. There he was charged
with heinous crime, and was thrust
down to the only social level lower
titan the one he then occupied-that Of
a states prisoner. Yet up from even
that lowest deep he rises, nor stops
until he sits next to the great Pharaoh
himself. All the wealth of Egypt is
at his command. He is master not Of
one province, but of all the provinces,
and only Egypt's mighty monarch him
self can cOuntermand his orders. Once
again say, all this wonderful achieve
ment is due to that almighty word
God was with, him.
After the people had settled in Pales-
tine, their hold upon the land was
often but precarious. During one
such period, when the Amalekites and
the Nidianites had invaded the coun-
try and We're encamped in the very
heart Of it, in the plain of Jczreel, the
Lords messenger appeared to Gideon
and said, "The Lord is with thee"
And Gideon said, l beseech thee, il
the Lord be with us, why have these
evils fallen upon us? Where are his
miracles which our fathers have told
us of, saying: The Lord brought us
out Of Egypt. But now the Lord hath
forsaken us and delivered us into the
hand of Madam. And the Lord looked
| upon him and said, Thou shalt deliver
Israel out Of the hand of Madam. He
answered, l bescech thee, my Lord,
wherewith shall deliver Israel? My
family is the meanest in the tribe of
Manassas, and 1 am the least in my
fathers house. And the Lord said to
him: l will be with thee, and thou
shalt cut off Madam as one man.
Then Gideon gathered about him
more than thirty thousand men to
drive out the invader from the land.
But God said: The people that are
with thee are many, and God would
not have them join battle with the
enemy under such conditions, lest Is
rael should grow boastful and say: l
was delivered by my own strength.
So Gideon sent them away to their
homes by thousands, until there re-
manned with him but three hundred
men. Then God was pleased and
said, by these three hundred men I
will save you and deliver Madam into
thy hand" And with only three hun
dred men, and then without striking a
blow, he routed the enemy and shook
off the alien yoke from the neck of his
people. Judges, 6 and ~
Once again the enterprise was super
human. God would make it even more
so; and still by that all-powerful word,
II will be with you," make failure i'm
possible.
In the days of good King Josias,
while the idolatries brought in by his
father, Anon, were still rife in the
land, God called Jeremias to be n
prophet. And Jeremias demurred, say
ing, All Lord God, behold 1 can not
l. P@,~ I'LL