The Tupelo journal., 1907-03-08
ana his dealings with the children Of

Abraham. :
And then as she would go abroad,
as her duties often required. and she
would see the wickedness about her,
the worship of the idols and the in
dulgences in the heather festivities,
she would rush back to the refuge of
her W home and question her
mother about it, asking, owe and
over again:
ooh, mamma, how can they forget
God SO? How a they be SO wicked?"
And then the mother would go over
the history of the children of Israel
again, and show her how repeatedly
they had wandered away from home,
how afliction and trouble had come,
and how at last they had been brought
back to him.
Thus the years passed and Deborah
grew into womanhood. Still there
were the distorted features, but with
the development of years and the
growing les to God, there had come
a subduing influence over the irregu-
lar, harsh lines of the face. No one
who looked into those deep, serious
eyes and saw them light up as she
talked concerning the things of God;
no one who heard the wonderful
depth and fullness of her resonant
voice could have failed to realize that
behind that homely face there was
some hidden power and charm which
captivated and subdued. The great
hunger of her heart for knowledge of
God had during the early years drawn
from her mother every vestige and
scrap of history of her people and
their God, and then she had grown
into the custom of telling them over
to her mother in her own wonderful
way, And her mother would listen
with rapt attention and when she
was done she would lay her hand rev.
erently upon her head and exclaim:
Surely, the spirit of God resteth
upon thee, my child"
One day Deborah returned home
after "a specially trying ordeal in the
market place. For there had come
that day a company of C%anaanites to
blO NilioSS oho thS PCoplC q StNCh
themselves up to the festivities of the
occasion.
"Oh, if some M would only tell the
people of their SIM" Deborah ex-
claimed, after she had related to her
mother the sad scene. ~
and why do not you?" asked her
mother, with sudden inspiration.
me, mother?" Deborah exclaimed,
shrinking back at the thought. How
could II"
mothers words, why do not you?"
kept ringing in her ears, until at last
she exclaimed to herself:
Il will! | will just tell them of
Gods leading in the past. OF the past
sins of the people and how God has
punished them. OF the present wick.
edness and how surely God will visit
affection upon them if they do not
turn from evil ways and serve the liv.
ing God"
And Deborah kept her resolve, and
not many days after this her name
was Ou S'SIy OuS ups dS Tie OHS
who had fearlessly stood up in the
market place and denounced the sins
of the people and pleaded with them
to turn back to God.
Now II of those who had listened
to Deborah's message in the market
place was a man of Mount Ephraim
named Lapidoth. His spirit was
stirred within him at the words he
heard and when the king had refused
to let Deborah speak further in the
market place he offered her shelter
among his people in the mountain
Businesses. And hither it was that
Deborah withdrew and she became
the wife of Lapidoth, and the place
where she dwelt became known as
the place of the palm tree of Deborah,
for there the beautiful great tree
reared it's tall head to the sky and
was a landmark by which the people |
were guided to her dwelling. And
hither the people resorted to her for
instruction and Judgment, and as the
affection of the children of Israel
grew, for Jabin the king increased his
oppression more and more, the people
came to cry unto their God and at last
through Deborah and Barak, a brave
and mighty mar of war whom she
called to her aid, she delivered Israel
and judged thera for many years.