The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1906-09-14


the way of better life, with hope
in the true God and a place with his
people, there could be no real peace
for his soul.
1t was while such spirit of unrest
was upon him that word came of the
Wanderings of the children of Israel
in the wilderness, whittier they had
been driven by the Lord after their
failure to enter the Promised Land,
and a new purpose began to form
within him. Here was opportunity to
yet accept the invitation of Moses and
go with them. But when he preached
the matter to his family, first ridi-
Guile and then positive opposition met
him.
What, had he not heard Of the trib-
ulation and suffering of the Hebrew
people?' they asked. Had he con-
sidered how death had followed them
until the wilderness was dotted with
their graves? What was he to gain
by such move?" they demanded, and
when he spoke of the Promised Land
to which God was leading his people,
they laughed him to scorn, saying:
Strange, is it not, that If there Is
any land for them that they do not
60 thither? And what better place
could you want than that where your
father and your fathers fathers have
dwelt before you?"
Hobab made no response, but
turned away with troubled sigh.
All, he thought, IL he had only made
the right choice away back there
years ago as he stood by Moses side
and heard his warm invitation? How
much easier it would have been.
Then it would not have cost much to
break away from home and asso-
Ciates, but with the years had come
ties and possessions that made 1t
harder than ever to leave, and here
now was the united opposition OF his
family and friends, which made it
seem almost impossible to follow the
course which his heart dictated was
the right one to follow.
But the reason of the head and
the persuasion Of friends at last 81.
fenced the promptings Of his heart.
and Hobab found himself settling
back to the old life, and as is al.
ways the case where the better i'm
pulses Of the heart are stifled, there
came not the same old longing to be-
gin the new life with the Hebrew PEG.
pie. He ceased to think about the
true God, and gave himself up to the
grosser manner of living of the peo-
pie about him. And it is always so
with the heart of man. AS the still
small voice of God is dallied with,
and then stifled, there comes a time
when the voice ceases its pleading,
and when the soul is left to drift far.
ther and farther away from God into
sin.
Thus with Hobab the years rolled
by and old age was beginning to
creep upon him. Long since had he
forgotten the earlier impulses to fol.
low Israel and Israels God. Long
since had he ceased to expect or hope
for anything different than that which
he had known all his life. If he ever
thought at all of those earlier days
and of Moses urgent invitation, it
was with a cynical smile and unre-
sponsive heart
Forty years and more had passed,
and Israel had already crossed the Jor-
dan and taken possession of the land
God had promised them. But It'd.
,ings of these things did not reach
Hobab, and he would have remained
Indifferent to the earlier promptings
Of his heart, had not a startling cir
cumstance occurred which stirred him
to his very depths and made him real.
ize that the old question was again
before him for answer. Would che or
would he not choose Gods people?
That day his sons with others Of
the chiefs Of his people had returned
from long expedition, filled with the
stories of the wonderful things which
the people Of Israel had wrought in
taking possession Of Canaan.
"Why, the people of the land are
driven before them like chaff before
the wind. There is hope for none
Of the nations about save as they form
a league against them. Many who
have escaped are fleeing to the south
to our country, and we have made
league with them this day that we
will make common cause against Is.
rael."
What" exclaimed Hobab, aghast,
thou hast done foolishly. Know you
not that the Lord hath spoken good
concerning Israeli" he added, as the
words of Moses suddenly came back
to his memory. And then he contin.
ued, while fear took possession of his
heart at what his sons had done: I'VE
dare not ally ourselves with those
who fight against Israel"
But we dare not do else, for IL We
ally not ourselves with those who are