Part 7 (1/2)

So Rahab made the spies swear that when the doom of destruction fell upon Jericho, she and her father and mother and all her relations-in-law should be saved, and then she let them down from the window of her house, which was very conveniently built upon the town wall, with a scarlet rope.

So you see, by deceit, strategy, disobedience and a succession of neat little lies, she thwarted the King, betrayed the city, and saved her own precious self all at one fell swoop.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (She let them down from the window of her house.)]

When the walls of Jericho fell and childhood in its innocence, ambitious manhood, fiery youth, despairing maidens and loving mothers, were swept by maddening flames and glittering swords into the oblivion called death, from whose silent gloom no smile or tear, no laughter or wail, ever yet has come, then Rahab and all that she had was saved.

She had asked it, and schemed for it, and of course she did not fail.

Next we come to Deborah, a prophetess, who judged Israel at that time, and from the little that is said of her husband, we infer she was the head of the house and ruled him besides attending to her professional duties.

Well, Deborah sent for Barak and commanded him to meet ”Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army,” in battle array. But he was afraid, and to inspire him by her courageous example she went with him to the field of battle, and every man of Jabin's host ”fell upon the edge of the sword; and there was not a man left.” But Sisera ”fled away on his feet” to Jael, the wife of his friend. Sisera, like another defeated general, had lost his horse.

And she went out to meet him, and gained his entire confidence by smiles and deception, and took him into her tent and gave him milk to drink, covered him with a mantle, and said in her sweetest tones, ”Fear not.” Then when he slept the sleep of perfect exhaustion, defeat and despair, she ”took a nail of the tent, and a hammer in her hand,”

and softly, with bated breath and step that often paused and ear that bent to listen, she approached him, and then--quicker than the lightning's flash or tiger's spring ”she smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: and he was fast asleep and weary. So he died.”

Nice way for a woman to treat her husband's friend, wasn't it?

[Ill.u.s.tration: (She smote the nail into his temples.)]

Abimelech killed seventy of his brothers to become King, and after wars and battles too numerous to mention he came to ”Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.” But there was a strong and mighty tower in the city and a thousand men and women, stained with blood, expecting no mercy, but defiant to the last, fled there for a few hours of safety.

”And Abimelech came unto the tower and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.”

And all the men stood aghast, helpless and despairing, waiting a terrible death. Then a woman with a vision of blood and moans, dying men and ravished women before her, with a courage born of desperation and a wit sharpened with intense fear, boldly stepped to the window ledge, and in the glare of bursting flames and the sound of dying groans ”cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to break his skull.”

”Then he called hastily unto the young man his armour-bearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew me. And his young man thrust him through, and he died,” as a man naturally would who had been hit on the head with a millstone and pierced through with a sword; and every one in the tower was saved.

I'm not telling you this to harrow up your feelings, but just to show you that the holy women of old were not such nonent.i.ties as some of us have supposed.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (Cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head.)]

And time, undelayed by the roses of June or the snows of winter, by suns.h.i.+ne or stars.h.i.+ne, by laughter or sighs, by birth or death, hurried on and the Jews fought and triumphed, bled and died ”and did evil, and the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines.”

And after a while Samson was born, and what do you suppose he did just as soon as he became a man? Why he went down to Timnath and fell deeply, desperately, madly, in love with a Philistine girl, and he went straight home and told his father and mother about it and they did not approve of it--they never do, it seems--but he was determined to have her, for there was not another female for him in the whole wide world--they all think that for the time being--and of course he married her. Then he made a seven-day feast, and unfortunately he amused the company with a riddle. Of course his wife was dying to know the answer, and her people threatened her if she did not find it out, and altogether it was a lively discussion, and she made his life a burden and a delusion and she wept before him and said:

”Thou dost but hate me and lovest me not; thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people and hast not told it to me.” And Samson declared he hadn't told it to his father or mother or any living soul and swore he would not tell _her_--but he did. For ”she wept before him the seven days while the feast lasted,” and on the seventh day, exhausted by her upbraidings, deluged by her tears and wearied by her everlasting persistence, he whispered it in her ear, and she told the children of her people.

It is safe to conclude that Samson was angry, and the wedding feast broke up in confusion and dismay, and he went and killed thirty people, and the woman who had ”pleased him well” he repudiated with such dispatch that it suggests Idaho and the modern man, and ”Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as a friend.” The views we get of married life and the domestic relations in the Old Testament make us almost think that marriage was a failure--in those days.

[Ill.u.s.tration: (And she betrayed him.)]

Then Samson, after a little affair which I do not care to dwell upon with a woman of Gaza, who was no better than she should have been, fell blindly in love with Delilah. And, being in love, he profited not by his late experience (what man or woman ever does who is in love?) and again he told the dearest secret of his heart to a woman, because, forsooth, ”she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, so that his soul was vexed unto death.” And then with her fine arms around his neck and her kisses on his lips, he fell asleep on her knees--and she betrayed him.

ANOTHER GROUP OF THEM.

ANOTHER GROUP OF THEM.