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True Education
to the worship of God. A successor to Elijah was needed who by
careful, patient instruction could guide Israel in safe paths. Elisha’s
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early training under God’s direction had prepared him for this work.
The lesson is for all. None can know what God’s purpose in His
discipline may be, but all may be certain that faithfulness in little
things is the evidence of fitness for greater responsibilities.
Moses, Powerful Through Faith
Moses was younger than Joseph or Daniel when he was removed
from the sheltering care of his childhood home, yet the same agen-
cies that shaped their lives molded his. He spent only twelve years
with his Hebrew kindred, but during these years the foundation of
his greatness was laid.
Jochebed was a slave. Her lot in life was humble, her burden
heavy. But through no other woman, except Mary of Nazareth, has
the world received greater blessing. Knowing that her child must
soon pass beyond her care to the guardianship of those who did not
know God, she earnestly endeavored to implant in his heart love and
loyalty to God. The work was faithfully accomplished. Nothing
could induce Moses to renounce those principles of truth that were
the burden of his mother’s teaching and the lesson of her life.
From the humble home in Goshen the son of Jochebed passed
to the palace of the Pharaohs, to be welcomed by the Egyptian
princess. In the schools of Egypt, Moses received the highest civil
and military training. Of great personal attractions, noble in form
and stature, of cultivated mind and princely bearing, and renowned
as a military leader, he became the nation’s pride. Moses, though
refusing to participate in the heathen worship, was initiated into
all the mysteries of the Egyptian religion. As Egypt’s prospective
sovereign he was heir to the highest honors this world could bestow.
But for the honor of God and the deliverance of His downtrodden
people, Moses sacrificed the honors of Egypt. Then, in a special
sense, God undertook his training.
Not yet was Moses prepared for his lifework. He had yet to learn
the lesson of dependence upon divine power. He had mistaken God’s
purpose. It was his hope to deliver Israel by force of arms. For this