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A Place in Line, January 3
The lips of the righteous feed many.
Proverbs 10:21
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Notwithstanding the prevailing iniquity, there was a line of holy men who,
elevated and ennobled by communion with God, lived as in the companionship
of heaven. They were men of massive intellect, of wonderful attainments. They
had a great and holy mission—to develop a character of righteousness, to teach a
lesson of godliness, not only to the men of their time, but for future generations.
Only a few of the most prominent are mentioned in the Scriptures; but all through
the ages God had faithful witnesses, truehearted worshipers
How often those who trusted the word of God, though in themselves utterly
helpless, have withstood the power of the whole world—Enoch, pure in heart,
holy in life, holding fast his faith in the triumph of righteousness against a
corrupt and scoffing generation; Noah and his household against the men of his
time, men of the greatest physical and mental strength and the most debased in
morals; the children of Israel at the Red Sea, a helpless, terrified multitude of
slaves, against the mightiest army of the mightiest nation on the globe; David, a
shepherd lad, having God’s promise of the throne, against Saul, the established
monarch, bent on holding fast his power; Shadrach and his companions in the
fire, and Nebuchadnezzar on the throne; Daniel among the lions, his enemies in
the high places of the kingdom; Jesus on the cross, and the Jewish priests and
rulers forcing even the Roman governor to work their will; Paul in chains led to
a criminal’s death, Nero the despot of a world empire.
Such examples are not found in the Bible only. They abound in every record
of human progress. The Vaudois and the Huguenots, Wycliffe and Huss, Jerome
and Luther, Tyndale and Knox, Zinzendorf and Wesley, with multitudes of others
have witnessed to the power of God’s word against human power and policy in
support of evil. These are the world’s true nobility. This is its royal line. In this
line the youth of today are called to take their places
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Patriarchs and Prophets, 84
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Education, 254, 255
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