The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1906-09-22

TIE Way OF q better life. with q hope
II the true God and = place With his
people. there could be no real peace
for his soul
X vas while such spirit OF unrest
was upon him that word came OF the
EanderiDgS Of the children ot Israel
in the wilderness. whittier they had
been driven b. the Lord after their
failure 70 enter the Promised Land.
and q new purpose began 10 form
within him Here VAS opportunity 4
Jet accept the invitation OF Moses and
80 with them But when he broached
the matter 70 his family. first ridi-
eule and then positive opposition met
him
What. had he not heard Of the trib-
alatiOn and suffering Of the Hebrew
people2" they asked Had he con-
sidered how death had followed them
until the wilderness was dotted with
their graves2 What was he to gain
BY such a mover they demanded. and
when he spoke of the Promised Land
70 which God was leading his people,
they laughed him 70 scorn, saying.
Strange, is IL not. that If there is
any land for them that they do not
so thither2 And what better place
could you want than that where your
father and your fathers fathers have
dwelt before your"
H0bab made no response. but
turned away with a troubled sigh.
Ah. he thought if he had only made
+ the right chcice away back there
/ years ago as he stood by Moses side
and heard his warm invitation? How
much easier IL would have been
Then Il would not have cost much TO
break away from home and asso-
I ciates, but with the years had come
ties and possessions that made II
harder than ever TO leave. and here
now was the united opposition OF his
family and friends. which made 1t
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 ST.
lenced the prOmptings OF his heart.
and Hobab found himself settling
back 10 the old life. and as is al
ways the case where the better i'm
pulses OF the heart are stifed, there
came not the same old longing TO be-
gin the new life with the Hebrew peo-
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 II Is always so
with the heart Of man. AS the still
small voice Of God is dallied with,
and then stifed. 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 OF hope
for anything different than that which
he had known all his life. II 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 tie old question was again
before him for answer Would he or 1
would he not choose Gods people?
That day his sons with others Of
the chiefs Of his people had returned !
from a long expedition. filed 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 chan 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
win 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: we
dare not ally ourselves with those
who fight against Israel"
But we dare not do else. or II we
ally not ourselves with those who are
being driven out Of Canaan. we shall
be considered enemies"
Never before had Hobab realized
the position into which his decision
of years before could plunge him.
Never had he thought Of being classed
among the enemies Of Gods people,
and vet Il was now u1afn that fhora Z