Men who dared; studies in Old Testament manhood

Contents

PAGE

How to Teach These Lessons . . . vii

Books for the Teacher xiii

Introduction

XI material on a lesson than you can hope to use in teaching that lesson. It is just such reserve, unused material that gives power to what you do use. It is like the powder back of the ammunition. A teacher who has only just enough material to see him through is unfitted indeed, and the class will find it out.

Make Your Own Plan

But the material that has been gathered must be systematized for use, according to a carefully outlined plan of teaching. Such a plan will be found to underlie every lesson in the teaching hints which this volume gives; but those hints are intended to be only suggestive, not to be rigidly followed, and, of course, are never to be read aloud in the class, nor used verbatim. Every teacher should adapt them and improve upon them for his own class. Nor do they attempt to cover all the material which the boys have used in the daily home work — there are important points in that which should be touched upon in class.

A lively use of the imagination is one secret of success in teaching. It enables us to see the men and the scenes that we are bringing before the class, and we must do that to make our teaching grip. It has been said that a person cannot be dull in describing a railroad accident that he has seen. We must see these Bible persons and places if we would escape being dull to our classes; and to do that we must fairly live in the atmosphere of the chapters that we study, day by day, until the old life has become almost part of our life.

xii MEN Wl A RED

Effectiveness of the Picture Method

A sot of handsome half-t< tares has been pre-

pared to accompany this course, which, if a class can

Drd the small additional cost of ten cents a set for

dh pupil, may furnish the most interest::

and permanent features of the boys1 study, by the follow ing >:mple p..

Provide each boy with a blank book, of large

the pictures and all< s ' fthepag

have each boy. before coming to ciass every week, write the title of tb.e chapter that is to be studied in diss S Dame, and the Bible chap-

ters that I ten covered by the week's "Home

Work.*' < will bring into class,

aiuj at | the less will hand them each

for the ... This they will slip into their blank books, and, upon g e, they

will paste the picture neatly into position, and under it write from memory, in the the life

the man that I I studied. The foil

week they an their 1

might read a'..

best Story, or read them in rotation one a week, week after week. thing J t as 'Writ-

i in the boys' no 5,—

and the pictures will be an fa •-'■'■ :

blank books. "My Own

Ho k."

Frequent Reviews

Reviews maj ■■• :^mes

during the I nj left for t !

INTRODUCTION xiii

session only, at the end. Lesson XVIII gives a variety of review methods, some of which could be used in reviews during the course, covering three or four weeks each time, to be followed also by a general review of the entire course in conclusion.

Moreover, a written examination is conducted every year in this and other Bible study courses by the International Committee of Young Men's Christian Associations. Full particulars will be sent by the Committee, upon request (address Religious Work Department, 124 East 28th Street). It may be a healthy stimulus to your class to prepare at the outset to take this examination.

While this course has been prepared primarily with boys' classes in mind, it is hoped that it may be found useful in girls' classes as well. Girls are, as a rule, quite as ready to be interested in hero-worship as boys.

Books for the Teacher

The American Standard Version of the Revised Bible. New York : Thomas Nelson & Sons. From 35 cents to $12, according to style and size.

Walker's Comprehensive Concordance to the Holy Scriptures. Boston: The Pilgrim Press. $1.25.

Davis' Dictionary of the Bible (with Maps and Plans). Philadelphia: The Westminster Press. $2.25.

For interesting chemical object lessons, illustrating spiritual truth, which could be used from time to time during this course, see Mr. Eugene C. Foster's book of such experiments. (The Sunday School Times Company, 50 cents.)

xiv MEN WHO DARED

For a grasp of Bible Geography, either Townsend MacCoun's "The Holy Land in Geography and in History" (Revell, $1.65) or John B. Calkin's "Historical Geography of Bible Lands" (The Westminster Press, $1) is recommended.

Any of the above books may be ordered from the publishers of this course, the Y. M. C. A. Press, 124 East 28th Street, New York.

A TALK ABOUT HEROES

What boy here has ever seen a hero ? Good ; what was his name? Has anybody else ever seen a hero? Who was he? Let's write down the names of all the heroes you have ever seen. Tom, here's a pencil ; you write them on this tablet of paper. When the rest of you are through, I am going to give the name of a hero I once saw.

Now, then, can you think of the names of any heroes that you ever heard about, living or dead, but that you have never seen? Will, you keep this list on this other tablet. Not too fast; give Will a chance. You've all heard of more heroes than you have seen, haven't you? Let me add one to your list: John G. Paton. No one ever heard of him? We shall find out why I named him, a little later.

But now for a hard question. Don't try to answer it quickly when I ask it. Stop and think a moment. I'll give you half a minute by my watch before any one is to answer. Ready: What is a hero? I will write down your answers myself, this time.

Before we talk about these answers you have given, let me tell you what the word "hero" comes from. It comes from an old Greek word spelled almost exactly the same way, — Herds. And that word meant, first, any freeman. Then it was used more for soldiers, fighters ; and then, as people looked back upon that age, they began to think of the freeman -fighters, or heroes, as exalted above the race of common men. And the dictionary of to-day will tell you that a hero is "a man distinguished for valor, fortitude, or bold enterprise" ; one having "great courage, or exceptionally noble or manly qualities."

Now let us get up our own definition of a hero, out of what we have just learned. What was the first and simplest meaning of the Greek word? "A freeman" — we'll start with that. Then he was a fighter; is fighting usually hard or easy? We'll add then, "who does hard things/' But the dictionary said something about "noble" and "manly"; and not everything hard is manly. It may be hard to jump off Brooklyn Bridge or ride in a six-days' bicycle race, but there's nothing very noble or manly in either. So let us add, "that are worth while." Now we have a definition of just ten words. Can any one give it ? A hero is : A freeman who does hard things that are worth while. We '11 say it all together three times.

Put your men alongside this definition, now, and see if they measure up. Tom, read the list, slowly, and if any of you think that any name there is not a hero, by our new definition, sing out !

Will, read your list now, and we'll put them to the test in the same way.

I am responsible for John G. Paton being there. But instead of telling you why I named him, I am going to ask Fred to take this book home with him ("Autobiography of John G. Paton," First part, pages 266, 267, 318) and read the pages where I have put in markers (he can read as much more as he wants to), and tell us next week enough about Paton for us to decide whether he had any heroism.

A TALK ABOUT HEROES 3

One other thing. Who will volunteer to make a handsome big sign, on a strip of cloth, say ten feet long, of our definition of a hero, and bring it here next week, so that we can fasten it up on the wall before us and keep it always in sight as we go on with these lessons?

Is it a good thing to get interested in heroes — "hero-worship," people call it? Why? Because we are pretty sure to grow like the kind of men we think most about. If we pick real heroes, our kind — what's that definition once more, all together? — then we need not be afraid of thinking too much about them.

A well-known man who died a few years ago at seventy-three years of age wrote, in the last year of his life, about two men that he had seen seventy years earlier. When he was about three years old he was lifted in his mother's arms to see President Andrew Jackson and Vice-President Martin Van Buren. This is what he wrote: —

"To this day nothing that my eyes have ever seen in the way of natural scenery equals in impressive-

ness the sight of a great man and a true one

I have seen the Alps and the Rocky Mountains, the Yosemite, Mount Sinai and the Mountains of Lebanon, Niagara Falls, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee, but these were as nothing in my memory compared with President Jackson, my first hero, and the other heroes who have followed him in my human gaze."

Next week we shall begin studying together out of the most remarkable "Hero Book" the world has ever had. You know its name? Yes, the Bible. In a single year, recently, more than ten million copies of the Bible were sold or distributed. A pretty popular book, isn't it? We are going to give our whole attention to some of the heroes that the older part of the book tells about. Who can guess the name of the first man we are going to investigate? Who was the first hero in the Bible?

The lesson-studies that you have in your hands will show you just how to get ready to make next week's lesson even more interesting than to-day's was. There is something for you to do each day.

Once more, all together, on our answer to "What is a hero?" Do you notice that word "freeman" at the very beginning? What has that to do with bad habits that get a strong grip on a fellow, like — well, name some. A slave can't be a hero, can he ?

II A Sailor Who Dared To Take Ridicule

The first boat-builder and sailor that the Bible tells about was the grandson of the oldest man that ever lived. You will find his name, and his father's and grandfather's names, in Gen. 5 : 25-32.

What was the name of Noah's father? Of his grandfather? What prophecy did Noah's father make about him when he named Noah? Name Noah's sons.

Things went from bad to worse after Adam sinned and lost the Garden of Eden, until finally God decided on a new plan, and told just one man in all the earth about it. Read Gen. 6 : 5-13.

Why was God grieved? What did he decide to do? What do you think "walked with God" meant? Why did Noah find favor with God?

But God decides to save a few people, and he tells Noah who they are, and how it is to be done. Read Gen. 6:14-22.

How was God going to destroy "all flesh"? What men and women were to be saved? What did Noah have to do about it? What is the best thing about Noah that you have discovered so far?

The flood begins, but not until Noah and his family and possessions are safely inside the ark. Read Gen. 7:6-16.

On what day of what month did the flood begin? In what two ways did the flood come? How long did it rain?

The flood is at its height: does the ark prove to be a seaworthy boat? Read Gen. 7: 17 to 8: 5.

What proved that the water was very deep ? What happened to those who were outside the ark? How long did the waters continue to increase? In what three ways did God make the waters grow less? What kind of land first appeared?

Noah does all he can to learn about the land. Finally the great day arrives. Read Gen. 8 : 6-20.

How many times did Noah send out birds? What brought him most hope? On what day of what month was the earth dry once more?

Noah does not seem to forget God now that he is out of the ark, and God makes Noah some remarkable promises. Read Gen. 8:20-22; 9:8-19.

What was the first thing Noah did after he left the ark? What two promises did God make to Noah? What sign of his promise did God give which we still have?

NOAH 7

Noah: Genesis 5: 25 to 9: 19

Who can tell us what the word ridicule means? Was any boy here ever ridiculed? Is it fun to be ridiculed? Pretty hard, eh? By the way, what is a hero? "Hard things that are worth while." But you hadn't thought of taking ridicule as the kind of hard thing that a hero does?

We have one hero-report to hear from before we answer this question. (Call for the report on John G. Paton that was assigned last week to one of the boys, and let the class decide, after hearing what Paton did, whether he was a hero or not.)

Now, for our sailor-hero — Bibles closed. Who was the oldest man that ever lived? His son's name? And his son's name? Let us remember them in that order: Methuselah, Lamech, Noah. Who remembers what is the first thing that we are told about Noah? It was what his father said about him when he was a baby ; some one read Gen. 5 : 29. "Noah" is from a word naheni, and it means "to

*As explained in "How to Teach These Lessons" (see pages vii to xiii), this teaching section of each lesson is intended to suggest an actual plan for conducting the lesson, but is not, of course, intended to be read to the class or memorized or followed verbatim. Colloquial language is used here, simply to suggest the manner of putting things to the class. A teacher can readily note the various steps or points suggested in this section, and then adapt it to his own use. The entire Bible passage given at the head of each lesson is to be studied by the teacher, but not necessarily all to be used in class. Every teacher should be sure to read carefully the teaching hints above referred to.

comfort." What does comfort mean? Strengthen. So "Noah" meant "strength-bringer." We will try to discover, a little later, whether his father's words came true.

Does God have favorites ? Gen. 6 : 8 looks as though he did. Why was Noah a favorite with God? The next verse tells. "Noah walked with God," — kept close to him. Well, if that's the way to become a favorite with God, anybody can be one. It looks as though being a favorite of God depended more on ourselves than on God, does it not?

But what do you think of a man who starts in to build a great house-boat, 525 feet long, and 87j4 feet wide, and S2l/2 feet high, about the size of some ocean steamers, — big enough to hold lots of animals and birds and creeping things in addition to his own big family, in order to be ready for a flood of which no sign has yet appeared? No sign, at any rate, that his neighbors could see. What do you think his neighbors thought of him? What do you suppose they said about him, behind his back and to his face? Don't you suppose ridicule must have been the regular thing wherever Noah showed his face? And ridicule is hard medicine to take, I think you said a few minutes ago.

One of the questions in your home readings last week asked what was the best thing you had discovered in Noah? Who will answer that now? Do you want to know what / think ? 6 : 22 is the answer. (Call on a boy to read it aloud.) Now, let us all say it together, twice.

Perhaps you're thinking that if God told you a flood was coming, and you were to build an ark to

NOAH 9

be saved from it, you'd do it quickly enough; that there wasn't much credit to Noah in that. But how about that? Do we always do just what God tells us to do, even when we know that we shall get into trouble if we don't? Has anybody here ever disobeyed God? It is easy to disobey, isn't it? And it is often hard to obey. So let us give old Noah a good big credit mark for the fact that "thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he." Perhaps that habit of his was another reason why he was a favorite with God.

You know how it all came out; let us have the story. (Call upon one after another to take up and carry on the story, asking that mistakes be sharply watched for and challenged by other members of the class.)

Now see what happened after the flood was over and Noah was safe on dry ground once more. Way back in Adam's day, because of Adam's sin, God did something to the ground, and told Adam about it. (Have Gen. 3:17 read.) But what did Lamech prophesy when a boy was born to him? (Gen. 5 : 29.) And now it seems as though God, as he sees Noah's loving burnt-offering, were contrasting this man Noah, who obeyed, with Adam who disobeyed; and God says, / will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake. No one knows just what the curse on the ground was, but it seems plain that it lasted only from Adam to Noah, and that it was taken away because of Noah's loyalty and obedience. So Noah was a comforter or "strength-bringer" to the whole world. And the rainbow is a pledge that there shall never be another flood.

Was it worth while to take ridicule for doing what God asked? What is a hero? Does Noah measure up to the hero standard?

Other Teaching Points

God takes good care of his favorites. He tries to take good care of all his children, but often they will not let him do what he wants to do for them. The more a person does for God, the better things God can do for him.

God told Noah what to do, but God did not do it for him. Noah not only had to build the great boat, but he had to gather the animals, and get an immense amount of food laid up for all. There is plenty of hard work in God's service, — but not nearly as hard as in the devil's service.

God was not unkind to those who were drowned. They were destroying themselves by sin, for sin always destroys. He simply hastened the destruction, instead of letting it drag on slowly.

God likes to test men's patience. Those in the ark were kept there one year and ten days (Gen. 7: 11; 8:14).

Do we always remember to thank God for his goodness? It was the first thing Noah thought about after the flood was over.

Ill

AN UNSELFISH FIGHTER WHO TRUSTED

The first long journey in the Bible is recorded in Gen. 11:31,32. Find the two places there mentioned on the map, and decide with the help of the scale how many miles the journey was. The son, Abram, keeps up the journeying. Read Gen. 12: 1-9.

What promise did God make Abram? Who went with him ? How far was it from Haran to Shechem ? Trace the journey on the map.

Abram kept right on traveling, even after he had reached the land to which God sent him. And he came near getting into trouble. See if you can decide why by reading Gen. 12: 10-20.

Why did Abram go to Egypt? What was he afraid might happen to him there? What do you think of the plan that Abram and Sarai decided on? What do you think of the way Pharaoh acted?

Abram and his nephew Lot have to separate, and Abram decides on a novel plan. See what you think of it by reading Gen. 13 : 1-13.

Why was it necessary for them to separate? Who took first choice? Why did Lot choose the Plain of the Jordan?

Lot gets into trouble, when five kings commence fighting against four. Who do you suppose comes to the rescue? Read Gen. 14: 8-16.

Which set of kings first won, the five or the four? Who fought with Abram? Find on the map how far he pursued the kings.

Abram rescued not only people, but riches, when he defeated the four kings. What did he do with the wealth? Read Gen. 14: 17-24.

What kings went to meet Abram after his victory? What reason do you think Abram had for not touching the rescued goods ?

Abram's name is changed to a name that means more. Read Gen. 17 : 1-8.

Why was Abram's name changed? What did God promise him then? If you were going to be given a new name that would describe you, what kind of name would you like to have?

Abraham prays for the city that he saved. Read Gen. 17:1-5; 18:20-33.

Why was God going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? What reason did Abraham give why God should save the cities? Why do you think Abraham stopped praying when he did ?

ABRAHAM 13

Abraham: Genesis 11:27 to 21:8

How much money do you suppose an anchor is worth — not a "catboat" anchor, but the kind an ocean liner uses? And how much is the great chain cable worth that lets the anchor down until it grapples firm hold? (Let the boys guess at this, and then tell them: About $800 for an anchor, and about $4,000 for the cable.)

Well, then, what would you say of the captain of an ocean liner who deliberately cut the cable of his anchor after it had been let down, and steamed away, losing both anchor and cable in the ocean? Yes, I thought so. But I know of a captain who did just that. And before you make up your minds about him, let me tell you the story.

A few years ago a North German Lloyd steamship was anchored in the harbor of Gibraltar. The captain gave orders to get up the anchor. The little donkey engine puffed at its task, but went slower and slower, until finally the crank broke, and a hundred feet of chain shot out. The anchor was caught in the rocks. A gale was blowing, and a heavy sea running. The ship began to drift rapidly upon a fleet of British men-of-war. The captain rushed down from the bridge, and shouted instant orders to cut the anchor-chain. A mechanic with a huge cold chisel and sledge began to cut one of the mighty links. When only a thin strip of metal was left, the captain himself took the final responsibility, and with a small hatchet cut the last vestige of iron. The link split open like torn cloth under the great strain, and they left the valuable anchor, chain and all, in the bottom of the harbor, and in a few hours had reached a sea where all was calm and peace.

It makes a difference what we cut loose the anchor for, doesn't it? — what we are going to gain by losing. And in the case of the ocean liner the whole vessel was saved by losing a very small fraction of her value. That was an easy choice to make, was it not?

Did Abraham have to do anything like cutting loose from a valuable anchor? Some one read the first verse of Gen. 12. He had a hard choice to make : on the one side his own homeland and family and friends; on the other, a desert journey into an unknown land, leaving behind everything in life that seems worth while.

But was there any good reason for going? What was it? (Gen. 12: 1, 2.) So God told him to go, and promised no end of good things if he would obey. Nothing hard about that, then, you say? Wait a minute; isn't it hard to obey God even when we know that he promises plenty of good things to those who obey him? There was a boy in New York City not a great while ago who had to make Abram's choice. His father was a saloon-keeper. One day he came to his Sunday-school superintendent and said: —

"Father says that I have got to serve the bar now on Sundays. What shall I do?"

"What do you think you ought to do?" asked the superintendent.

"I ought not to serve."

ABRAHAM 15

"Well," was the answer, "I have nothing to sayto you."

The boy went on: "But father says if I don't serve the bar on Sundays I can pack and get out. What do you think I ought to do?"

"What do you think you ought to do?" came the question again.

"I ought to pack and get out," answered the boy.

"Very well," said the superintendent. "I have nothing to say to you excepting, when your father asks you to serve his bar, that you answer respectfully, and say: 'Father, I will do anything for you that is not contrary to the laws of God and man, but that is contrary to both/ "

The next Sunday the command came to serve the bar, and the boy answered as his friend had suggested. The father lost his temper and angrily said, "Then, march." And the boy put up all he had in a red handkerchief and marched out into the streets of New York, with no place to sleep and nothing to eat.*

It was Abram's choice over again, was it not? For God's call is simply the call to do right, and it is almost always hard.

(Take a moment to get a boy to show the route on the wall map, or on a smaller one, first from Ur to Haran, then from Haran to Shechem.)

How many of these Old Testament heroes were perfect men, never doing wrong or making a mistake ? Not a single one of them. That ought to encourage us. They had to fight the same weakness in them-

*From Dr. A. F. Schauffler's "Pastoral Leadership of Sunday School Forces."

selves that we have to fight. Does any one know of a mistake, a real bit of cowardice, in Abram's life? (Let the Egypt incident — Gen. 12:10-20 — be discussed.)

When Abram and Lot got so rich that they had to separate, and go to different parts of the country, who took first choice? No, sir (if some one answers "Lot") ; but I thought you'd say that. Abram took first choice. You don't believe it? Abram took first choice by choosing to give Lot his choice. Abram chose to give the other fellow first choice. And that 's z. pretty good kind of first choice to make, isn't it? Let's remember that: always take first choice, if you do it Abram's way.

Lot chose the best thing in sight, as it seemed to him; looked out for number one — and soon got into trouble. Who will tell the story of the first great battle in the Bible (Gen. 14: 1-16) ?

And how did Abram give the king of Sodom a big surprise after the battle was over and Abram had won everything (14: 17-24) ? Was that hard or easy to do, do you think? Abram was a fighter, but he fought for others, and would not take for himself anything that his victory had won. Let us make this a part of our heroism rule, then : when you must fight, fight hard, and fight to win ; but never fight for what you are going to get out of it; fight only for some one else. The United States surprised the whole world a few years ago as Abram surprised the king of Sodom (tell how the United States' war with Spain was not for conquest and acquisition, but for the liberation of others, and how she kept her promise with Cuba though people thought she would not).

ABRAHAM 17

Abram — his name is changed now to Abraham, "father of a multitude" — knew how to pray. Many men who really do things in this world know how to pray, and never try anything hard without praying first. One of the best baseball pitchers Yale ever had is said to have prayed that he might pitch well before going into a game. (Call on one or two boys to tell of God's plan for Sodom and Gomorrah, and how Abraham prayed for the cities.) Will God do anything we pray to him for? No. He will do anything that is best for us, if we pray about it. So it is a good thing to know what not to pray for, as well as what to pray for; or to be willing to let God decide, if we are uncertain. Abraham knew when to stop praying. He stopped when he believed he had asked God for all that God ought to do. Therefore his prayer was successful : it brought him closer to God, Lot was saved, God's will in wiping out the terribly sinning cities was not blocked.