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Attribute-based Encryption (ABE)
 IEEE Press
445 Hoes Lane
Piscataway, NJ 08854

IEEE Press Editorial Board

Sarah Spurgeon, Editor in Chief

Jón Atli Benediktsson Behzad Razavi Jeffrey Reed

Anjan Bose Jim Lyke Diomidis Spinellis
James Duncan Hai Li Adam Drobot
Amin Moeness Brian Johnson Tom Robertazzi
Desineni Subbaram Naidu Ahmet Murat Tekalp
Attribute-based Encryption (ABE)

Foundations and Applications within Blockchain and

Cloud Environments

Qi Xia
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China

Jianbin Gao
University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China

Isaac Amankona Obiri

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China

Kwame Omono Asamoah

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China

Daniel Adu Worae

University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, China
Copyright © 2024 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Gao, Jianbin, author.

Title: Attribute-based encryption (ABE) : foundations and applications
within blockchain and cloud environments / Jianbin Gao [and four
others].
Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : Wiley-IEEE Press, [2024] | Includes
index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2023036768 (print) | LCCN 2023036769 (ebook) | ISBN
9781119989356 (cloth) | ISBN 9781119989363 (adobe pdf) | ISBN
9781119989370 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Public key cryptography. | Blockchains (Databases)
Classification: LCC TK5102.94 .G365 2024 (print) | LCC TK5102.94 (ebook)
| DDC 005.8/24–dc23/eng/20230824
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023036768
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2023036769

Cover design: Wiley

Cover image: © Blackboard/Shutterstock

Set in 9.5/12.5pt STIXTwoText by Straive, Chennai, India

 v

Contents

About the Authors xiii

Preface xv
Acknowledgments xvii

Part I Attribute-Based Encryption (ABE) 1

1 Foundation of Attribute-Based Encryption 3

1.1 Introduction 3
1.1.1 Symmetric Encryption 4
1.1.2 Asymmetric Key Encryption 4
1.1.3 Identity-Based Encryption 5
1.2 Functional Encryption 7
1.2.1 Applications of Attribute-Based Encryption 8
1.2.2 Problems with Attribute-Based Encryption 9
1.2.3 A Brief History of Security Proof of Functional Encryption 9
1.2.4 Dual System of Encryption 10
1.2.5 Summary 11
References 12

2 Mathematical Background 15
2.1 Group Theory 15
2.1.1 Law of Composition 15
2.1.2 Groups 15
2.1.3 Subgroups 16
2.1.4 Homomorphisms 17
2.1.5 Cyclic Group 17
2.2 Ring Theory 20
2.2.1 Ideals and Quotient Rings 21
2.2.2 Euler’s Totient Function 22
2.2.3 Polynomial Rings 22
2.2.4 Irreducible and Monic Polynomials 22
2.2.5 Field Theory 23
2.2.5.1 Quotient Field 24
2.2.6 Field Characteristic 24
vi Contents

2.2.7 Algebraic Extension Fields 24

2.3 Elliptic Curves 24
2.3.1 Plane Curve 24
2.3.2 Group Operations on Elliptic Curves 26
2.3.2.1 Point Addition 26
2.3.2.2 Point Doubling 27
2.4 Divisors and Bilinear Map 28
2.4.1 Divisors 28
2.4.2 The Degree and Support of D 29
2.4.3 The Divisor of a Function f on E 29
2.4.4 Equivalence of Divisors 30
2.4.5 Bilinear Map 31
2.4.6 Weil Pairing 31
2.4.7 Miller’s Algorithm 32
2.4.8 The Tate Pairing 34
2.5 Summary 36
References 36

3 Attribute-Based Encryption 37
3.1 Introduction 37
3.2 Basic Components of ABE Construction 39
3.2.1 Secret-Sharing Schemes 39
3.2.2 Polynomial Interpolation 41
3.2.2.1 Polynomials Over the Reals 41
3.2.2.2 Polynomials Modulus P 44
3.2.3 Shamir Secret Sharing 45
3.2.4 Verifiable Secret Sharing (VSS) 47
3.2.4.1 Algorithm for Converting Access Structure Into LSSS Matrix 47
3.2.4.2 Access Structure Example 48
3.2.4.3 Algorithms in Attribute-Based Encryption 49
3.2.5 Properties of Attribute-Based Encryption 51
3.2.6 Prime Order Group 51
3.3 Cryptographic Hard Assumptions 51
3.3.1 Composite Order Bilinear Groups 54
3.3.2 Complexity Assumptions 55
3.4 Provable Security 56
3.5 Security Notions 57
3.5.1 Summary 57
References 58

4 Data Access Control 61

4.1 Introduction 61
4.1.1 Coarse-Grained 62
4.1.2 Fine-Grained Access Control 63
4.1.3 Importance of Fine-Grained Access Control 64
4.2 Concerns About Cloud-Based Access Control that Are Trustworthy 65
4.2.1 Encryption Access Control 65
 Contents vii

4.2.2 Requirements for Encryption-Based Access Control 67

4.3 Summary 67
References 68

5 Selective Secure ABE Schemes Based on Prime Order Group 69

5.1 Introduction 69
5.1.1 Selective Security Model for KP-ABE 70
5.1.2 Selective Security Model for CP-ABE 70
5.1.3 ABE Schemes 71
5.2 The KP-ABE Scheme 71
5.2.1 Concrete Scheme Construction 71
5.2.2 Security Proof 73
5.3 The CP-ABE Scheme 74
5.3.1 Concrete Scheme Construction 74
5.3.2 Security Proof 76
5.4 Summary 77
References 77

6 Fully Secure ABE Schemes Based on Composite and Prime Order Groups 79
6.1 Introduction 79
6.2 A Fully Secure CP-ABE from Composite Order Group 81
6.2.1 CP-ABE Construction 82
6.2.2 Adaptive Security Proof 83
6.2.2.1 Description of Hybrids 83
6.2.3 Security Proof 84
6.3 A Fully Secure KP-ABE Scheme Based on Dual Vector Space 84
6.3.1 KP-ABE Construction 85
6.3.2 Adaptive Security 87
6.3.3 Security Proof 88
6.4 KP-ABE Scheme Based on Matrix 89
6.4.1 The Scheme 89
6.4.2 Adaptive Security 90
6.4.3 Security Proof 91
6.5 Summary 91
References 92

Part II Concepts of Blockchain Technology 95

7 Blockchain Technology 97
7.1 Introduction 97
7.1.1 History 97
7.1.2 Preliminary Concepts of Blockchain Technology 98
7.1.3 Characteristics of Blockchain 100
7.1.4 Evolution and Types of Blockchain 104
7.1.4.1 The Blockchain 1.0 104
7.1.4.2 Blockchain 2.0 104
viii Contents

7.1.4.3 Blockchain 3.0 105

7.1.5 Permissionless vs Permissioned Blockchains 105
7.1.6 Types of Blockchain 105
7.2 Architecture of Blockchain 106
7.2.1 Architecture of Blockchain 1.0 (Cryptocurrencies) 106
7.2.2 Block 106
7.2.3 Node 107
7.2.4 Types of Blockchain Nodes 107
7.2.5 Consensus 110
7.3 Architecture of Blockchain 2.0 (Smart Contracts) 110
7.3.1 Introduction to Smart Contracts 110
7.3.2 How Smart Contracts Work 111
7.3.3 Example of Smart Contract 111
7.3.4 Uses of Smart Contracts 111
7.3.5 Advantages of Smart Contracts 112
7.3.6 Limitations of Smart Contracts 112
7.4 Architecture of Blockchain 3.0 (Blockchain Applications) 113
7.4.1 Consensus Mechanism 113
7.5 Blockchain 4.0 118
7.5.1 Blockchain 4.0 Applications 119
7.5.2 Metaverse 119
7.5.3 Industrial Revolution 4.0 120
7.5.4 Blockchain 4.0 for Businesses 120
References 120

8 Scaling-Out Blockchains with Sharding 125

8.1 Introduction 125
8.1.1 Scalability Trilemma 126
8.1.2 Nakamoto-Based – Monoxide – Chu-ko-nu Mining 128
8.1.3 Elastico 128
8.1.4 OmniLedger 129
8.1.5 Rapid Chain 130
8.1.6 Learnings 131
8.1.7 General Improvements 132
8.1.7.1 Reducing Transaction Latency 133
8.1.7.2 Inter-Communication Protocol 133
8.1.7.3 Shards Ledger Pruning 134
8.1.7.4 Decentralized Bootstrapping 134
8.1.7.5 Securing the Epoch Reconfiguration 134
8.1.7.6 Sharded Smart Contract 135
8.1.7.7 Replay Attacks and Defenses Against Cross-Shard Protocols 135
8.2 Off-Chain Solution: Layer 2 Solutions 136
8.2.1 State Channels 136
8.2.2 Side Chains of the Plasma 138
8.2.3 Problems with Data Accessibility 139
8.3 Rollups 139
 Contents ix

8.3.1 Rollups Based on Zero Knowledge 140

8.3.2 Proofs of Zero-Knowledge 140
8.3.3 Protocol Schnorr 142
8.3.4 Protocol Pedersen 143
8.3.5 zk-SNARKs 144
8.4 Summary 144
References 145

Part III Applying Blockchain with Real-Time Technologies 147

9 Blockchain Technology for Supply Management 149

9.1 Introduction 149
9.1.1 System Design 153
9.1.2 System Architecture 153
9.1.3 Entities of the System 154
9.1.3.1 Users 154
9.1.4 Smart Contract Control 157
9.1.5 Blockchain Network 157
9.1.5.1 Processing Nodes 157
9.1.5.2 System Application Layer 158
9.1.5.3 Storage Infrastructure 158
9.1.6 System Decryption 158
9.1.7 Blocks 159
9.1.7.1 Block Design 160
9.2 System Flow 163
9.2.1 System Advantages 163
9.2.2 Conclusion 164
References 165

10 Satellite Communication 167

10.1 Introduction 167
10.1.1 Low-Orbit Constellation Communication Networks 169
10.1.2 Interstellar Link Length 171
10.1.3 Model of Satellite Motion 171
10.1.4 Edge Computing Technologies 172
10.2 Analysis of Edge Computing Requirements of Low-Orbit Constellation
Communication Networks 175
10.2.1 Design of Edge Computing Architecture for Low-Orbit Constellation Communication
Networks 175
10.2.2 Satellite 176
10.2.3 System Entities 180
10.2.4 System Process Flow 180
10.2.5 Security Properties 183
10.3 Summary 183
References 183
x Contents

11 Foundation of Information-Centric Communication 185

11.1 Introduction 185
11.2 Information-Centric Communication 185
11.3 Name-Based Routing of Content 187
11.4 Benefits of Using ICN 187
11.5 Cost-Efficient and Scalable Distribution of Content Design Principles 189
11.6 ICN Design Challenges 190
11.6.1 Content Naming 190
11.6.2 Caching of Content 191
11.6.3 Data Integrity 192
11.6.4 Resolution System’s Scalability and Name-Based Routing 192
References 193

12 Security Overall in Information-Centric Networks 195

12.1 Introduction 195
12.2 Content-Centric Network (CCN) Architecture 195
12.3 Naming System Design 197
12.4 Secure Naming Scheme for Information-Centric Networks 198
12.5 Data Transmission – Content Delivery 198
12.6 Traffic Load in Network Caching 199
12.6.1 Store Unique Naming of Content in Caches 200
12.6.2 Storage Limitation in Caching Space Devices 201
12.7 Content’s Freshness Detection 201
12.8 ICN Security 201
12.9 Attacks in ICN Architectures 202
12.10 ICN Attributes to Ensure Security Threats 204
12.11 Traffic Analysis and Prediction 204
12.12 Some Key Problem Statements 205
12.13 Blockchain-Based ICN Scheme Improvement 206
12.13.1 Protection Against DDos 206
12.14 A Secured Information-Centric Network Based on Blockchain 206
12.14.1 Blockchain-Based ICN Structure 207
12.14.1.1 Data Integrity 207
12.15 Attribute-Based Encryption Scheme for the Information-Centric Network 208
12.15.1 Applying Ciphertext-Policy ABE (CP-ABE) Scheme in ICN 209
12.15.2 System Design of CP-ABE Scheme in ICN 210
References 212

13 Subscriber Data Management System Based on Blockchain 215

13.1 Introduction 215
13.1.1 Motivation 216
13.1.2 Problem Statement 216
13.1.3 Contributions 216
13.2 Literature Review 217
13.3 System Design Description 217
13.3.1 Assumptions 217
 Contents xi

13.3.2 Ciphertext-Policy Attribute-Based Encryption (CP-ABE) 218

13.3.3 CP-ABE Construction 218
13.3.4 System Components 219
13.3.4.1 Data Subscribers (DSs) 219
13.3.4.2 Data Providers (DPs) 220
13.3.4.3 Key Generation and Distribution Center (KGDC) 220
13.3.4.4 IPFS Distributed Storage 220
13.3.4.5 Blockchain Platform 220
13.3.5 Process Description 222
13.3.5.1 Subscriber Registration 224
13.3.5.2 Subscriber Data Storage 224
13.3.5.3 Subscriber Data Request 224
13.3.6 Benefits of Proposed Design 225
13.3.7 Security Requirements 226
13.4 Summary 227
References 227

14 A Secure Data-Sharing Blockchain-Based Crowdfunding System 229

14.1 Introduction 229
14.2 Literature Review 231
14.2.1 Present-Day Centralized Crowdfunding 231
14.2.2 Crowdfunding Models 233
14.2.3 Problems of Traditional Crowdfunding 234
14.2.4 Blockchain-Based Crowdfunding 234
14.2.5 Advantages of Blockchain-Based Crowdfunding 235
14.3 Proposed System 236
14.3.1 System Model 236
14.3.1.1 Key Components 237
14.3.2 System Framework Overview 238
14.3.2.1 Application Layer 239
14.3.2.2 Blockchain Layer 239
14.3.2.3 Data Storage Layer 239
14.3.3 System Assumptions and Threat Model 240
14.3.4 Process Description 240
14.3.5 Smart Contract Interactions 241
14.3.5.1 User Registration Contract (URC) 241
14.3.5.2 User Verification Contract (UVC) 241
14.3.5.3 Project Data Access Contract (PDAC) 241
14.3.6 Concrete Implementation 241
14.3.6.1 User Register 242
14.3.6.2 Data Encrypt 242
14.3.6.3 Data Search 242
14.3.6.4 Fine-Grained Access Authorization 242
14.3.6.5 Data Decrypt 243
14.3.6.6 Transaction Confirmation 243
14.3.7 Security Requirements 243
xii Contents

14.3.7.1 Fine-Grained Access Control 243

14.3.7.2 Key Counterfeiting 243
14.3.7.3 Data Integrity 244
14.4 Summary 244
References 244

Index 247
 xiii

About the Authors

Qi Xia
Orcid id: 0000-0003-2245-2588
Qi Xia received the BSc, MSc, and PhD degrees in computer science from the University Electronic
Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, China, in 2002, 2006, and 2010, respectively.
She is a Professor with the UESTC. She is currently the Deputy Director of the Cyberspace Security
Research Centre, the Executive Director of the Blockchain Research Institute, the Executive
Director of the Big Data Sharing and Security Engineering Laboratory of Sichuan province,
and a Chief Scientist with YoueData Company Limited. She serves as the Principal Investigator
of the National Key Research and Development Program of China in Cyber Security and has
overseen the completion of more than 30 high-profile projects. She was a Visiting Scholar with the
University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), Philadelphia, PA, USA, from 2013 to 2014. She has authored
or coauthored more than 40 academic papers. Her research interests include network security
technology and its application, big data security, and blockchain technology and its application.
Dr. Xia has won the second place at the National Scientific and Technological Progress Awards in
2012. She is a member of the CCF blockchain committee.

Jianbin Gao
Orcid id: 0000-0001-7014-6417
Jianbin Gao received the PhD degree in computer science from the University Electronic Science
and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, China, in 2012. He was a Visiting Scholar with the
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, from 2009 to 2011. He is currently an Associate
Professor with UESTC.

Isaac Amankona Obiri

Orcid id: 0000-0002-1642-0291
Isaac Amankona Obiri received his Master’s and PhD in Computer Science and Technology
from the University Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, China,
in 2022.
Other documents randomly have
different content
and comfort.

At length, in the second year after they came out of Egypt, they reached the wilderness of
Paran. And now God told Moses to take one chief man out of each of the twelve tribes of
Israel, and he was to send them into the land of Canaan to bring back a report of what
they found there.

There were twelve men chosen, but of these only two, Caleb and Joshua, were faithful to
God all through.

The twelve men set out, and at the end of forty days they returned with their report of all
they had seen.

They brought with them pomegranates and figs; and the grapes were so plentiful, that
from one place called Eshcol they brought a bunch which required two men to carry it on a
pole between them.

For God had promised when they left Egypt, that He would bring them to a land flowing
with milk and honey, and that He would drive out all their enemies before them.

If only they had remembered this!

So the messengers began to tell their tale. They said that indeed it was a rich land, flowing
with milk and honey. "And see," said they, "here is some of the fruit of it."

You can imagine for yourselves how Caleb and Joshua stood by, listening to the eager
words of the other ten.

And now came another word, which made those two faithful men tremble—and it was an
unbelieving, faithless word!

"Nevertheless," the ten spies went on, "the cities are walled, there are giants there, and
numbers of enemies dwell on every side; we are not able to go up against the people, for
they are stronger than we are!"

Then you can imagine Caleb and Joshua starting forward to still the people, and they cried:
"Let us go up at once and possess the land, for we are well able to overcome it!"

But the ten spies persisted that they could not go up, and all the people mourned and
wept, and told Moses that they had better return to Egypt, for they would die in the
wilderness, and their wives and their children would be a prey for their enemies.

Oh, how sad is want of faith! They forgot the power of God and the promises of God! They
let Satan whisper in their hearts that, after all, God would fail them, and though the land
was beautiful and full of food and plenty—"Nevertheless" there were too many enemies to
face.

God was very grieved at the unbelief of the people, and He said that none of those who
had distrusted Him should enter into the land of Canaan, but their children should in due
time enter in and possess it.

This is a solemn lesson for us all. There are right times to say "Nevertheless."
Peter said to Jesus: "Nevertheless at Thy word I will let down the net," and they got a
great draught of fishes!

Paul said: Nevertheless the Lord stood by me, "and strengthened me," and he fought a
good fight to the end!

God did not forget the faithfulness of Caleb and Joshua; for Joshua was chosen, years
afterwards, to lead the people into the land and to fight the Lord's battles; and Caleb,
"because he had wholly followed the Lord," entered with his children into the Promised
Land, and had a happy possession in it.

It was true of them both: "None of them that trust in Him shall be desolate."

IX. MOSES HIDDEN IN THE CLEFT OF THE ROCK

EXODUS 33.17-23

FOR forty years, Moses, the little boy who had been taken out of the water by Pharaoh's
daughter, was brought up in Pharaoh's Palace in Egypt, where he learned the wisdom of
the Egyptians, and was mighty in word and deed.

He evidently knew that he belonged to the Israelites or Hebrews, as they were called; but
it was not till he had reached forty years of age that he began to look upon the sad plight
of his own people.

The Egyptians had gradually made the Hebrews into slaves, and were using them with
great cruelty; but at length Moses understood that God was going to deliver the people by
his hand.
However, the first effort he made, was that he killed an Egyptian who was hurting a
Hebrew man; and this came to the ears of Pharaoh, and he was so angry that Moses fled
away, and never stopped till he reached the land of Midian.

Here he remained for another forty years. He married a wife and had two sons, and he
tended the flocks of his father-in-law, and lived a very peaceful life.

But one day God came down and spoke to him. He told Moses that in Egypt, the condition
of God's people was getting worse and worse, and that He had chosen Moses to be their
deliverer.

God said that He would go with him, and help him through; and promised that they should
all serve God on this very Mountain in Horeb, where God was now speaking to him.

It would take too long to tell you all the wonders that God had to do to set His people free
from their bondage; but at length they escaped from Egypt—every one of them—they
went through the Red Sea on dry land, because God kept back the water on each side of
them; and as they passed in to the dry pathway God had made for them, He took His Pillar
of Cloud, which used to lead them, and He put it behind them, so that it was between
them and their enemies. And it was a cloud of darkness to the Egyptians, but it was a
bright light to the Israelites, all night.

When they had passed over, God took the cloud away, and the Egyptians followed through
the Sea, but God let the waters go back on Pharaoh and his host, and they were all
drowned in the sea, and the Israelites were all safe on the other side.

This is a glorious lesson for us, to show us how God will conquer our great enemy, Satan,
and will bring us safely through, if we trust Him.

When the Children of Israel came to Horeb, God called Moses up on the Mountain to
receive His Commandments, and to listen to all that God wished him to do; but the people
began to get restless and disobedient.

Moses had been on the Mountain for forty days, and they said to Aaron, the brother of
Moses, who was the High Priest, "Up! Make us gods, which shall go before us, for as for
this Moses we know not what is become of him!"

Then Aaron made a Golden Calf for them to worship!

When Moses came down from talking with God, and found what had happened, he threw
the slabs of stone on which God had written His law, over the edge of a precipice, and they
were broken in pieces beneath the mountain.

The Lord was very grieved and angry at the disobedience of the people. And Moses
besought the Lord to forgive them; and he even asked God to blot his name out of the
Book where He had written it, sooner than that the whole Congregation should perish.

And God heard his prayer for the forgiveness of the people, and told Moses to go forward
and lead them to the Land. And God said, "My Presence shall go with thee, and I will give
thee rest."

Now Moses loved God very much, and he answered the Lord, "If Thy Presence go not with
me, carry us not up hence, for wherein shall it be known here, that I and Thy people have
found grace in Thy sight? Is it not in that Thou goest with us?"

And the Lord said unto Moses, "I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken."
And then Moses, emboldened by God's wonderful kindness in answering his prayer, made a
yet further request. "I beseech Thee, show me Thy Glory!" he said.

And the Lord promised to shew Moses all His Goodness, and all His Mercy; but God told
him he could not see His face, for the Glory of it would be too much. The Lord pointed out
a place on the mountainside where there was a clift, or cleft, in a rock, and He told Moses
he might stand within that cleft, and God would put His hand over him, so that the glory of
His face should not be seen.

So Moses hastened into that cleft of the rock, and the Glory of the Lord passed by, and
after He had passed by, Moses was allowed to see His back, but His face might not be
seen.

It is a wonderful story; and I think it should dwell in our hearts, that the Holiness of God is
great beyond what any words of ours can picture.

There is a prayer of the Lord Jesus in the Gospel of John, which is very comforting when
we think with solemn awe about the Holiness of God.

"Father I will that they also, whom Thou hast given me, be with me where I am: that they
may behold my glory, which Thou hast given me; for Thou lovedst me before the
foundation of the world."

God gave His own beloved Son, Jesus our Lord, to wash away our sins, and make us fit to
see his Glory by and bye.

And in the Book of the Revelation we are told, that in Heaven, God's servants shall serve
Him, and they shall see His face.
 MOSES SEES THE GLORY OF GOD.

X. AARON'S ROD THAT BUDDED

NUMBERS 16 AND 17

BEFORE we begin to talk about the pleasant happy story of Aaron's Rod, and how it came
out into buds and flowers, there is a very dark and sorrowful story which we must think of
first.

The Lord told Moses to make a beautiful Tabernacle or Tent, where He would speak to him
face to face; and He appointed the different Tribes to pitch their tents round it.

God choose Aaron, the elder brother of Moses, to be the High Priest. Aaron was the head
of the tribe of Levi, and his family were the only ones who were allowed to approach God
in the offerings which were to be presented for sin; and to offer the sweet Incense on the
Golden Altar of Incense, which was in the Holy Place in the Tabernacle.

God said this Incense was to be made in a special way, and no one was to make any like it.
And the Lord warns the people that "the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death."

Even Aaron's two elder sons, Nadab and Abihu, died before the Lord in the wilderness of
Sinai, when they took their censers, "and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and
offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not."

These things were well known, and understood by the Israelites; but so evil are men's
hearts and so easily excited to jealousy, that three men named Korah, Dathan and Abiram,
gathered together a number of the Princes of the Congregation, and came to Moses and
Aaron with complaints, that Moses and Aaron were taking too much upon themselves, and
that all the Congregation were equally fit to draw near to God, and to do those parts of the
Holy Service, which God had appointed that only Aaron and his sons should do.

Moses was dreadfully grieved, and he fell on his face in bitter sorrow.

Then he told Korah and the Princes that they were to present themselves at the door of
the Tabernacle on the following day.

The earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up Dathan and Abiram.
He said to them, "This do: Take you censers, Korah and all his company, and put fire
therein, and put incense in them before the Lord to-morrow."

But Moses warned them that the Lord would choose who was holy, and who should draw
near to Him.

Korah and his company would not heed the warning. They had time to think over and
repent of their sin, for the Lord is a God ready to pardon. But they went on in their proud
arrogance, and oh! to what a dreadful end it led them.

So the next day Korah gathered all the Congregation together against Moses and Aaron, at
the door of the Tabernacle. But Dathan and Abiram, who specially strove against the
authority of Moses, would not come up, but remained in their tents.

Then the Lord told Moses and Aaron to separate themselves quickly from the Congregation
that He might consume them all in His anger.

But once more Moses and Aaron fell on their faces, and interceded with the Lord for those
people who had not joined in the rebellion; and the Lord heard their prayer, and told Moses
to send the people to a distance, lest they should be consumed in the sins of these
rebellious men.

So the people fled from round about the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

And then God sent an earthquake, and the Earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up
Dathan and Abiram, and their families and their tents.

And as the Congregation fled still further from the awful cry of them, a fire came out from
the Lord, and destroyed Korah, and the two hundred and fifty Princes, who had offered
Incense.

It is an awful thing to risk God's punishment.

This is a very, very sad story; but it is written down in the Bible, to show that we must
obey God's commands, and seek Him in the way He has provided.

In the Old Testament times, the way to approach God was by the Priests whom God had
appointed to present the Offerings for sin, and to burn the Incense; but now, since God
sent His dear Son, Jesus Christ, to make atonement for our sins, Jesus is the Way to God.
He is "the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world."

After all these dreadful things happened, the Lord spoke to Moses again. God told him that
each of the Princes at the head of the Twelve Tribes, was to bring a rod, with his name
clearly marked on it, and Moses was to take the twelve rods and place them in the
Tabernacle before the Ark of the Testimony.

Aaron the High Priest was the head of the Tribe of Levi, and his rod, with his name on it,
was to be sent in with the others.

And God said, "The man's rod whom I shall choose, shall blossom; and I will make to
cease the murmurings of the Children of Israel, whereby they murmur against you."

Moses did this, and went in on the morrow to look at the rods; and "behold the rod of
Aaron, for the house of Levi, was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms,
and yielded Almonds."

AARON'S ROD THAT BUDDED.

Then Moses carried all the rods out for the children of Israel to see, and the Lord said,
"Bring Aaron's rod again before the Testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels;
and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not."
 XI. TO THE CITY OF REFUGE

WEARY and spent, the man ran; traversing the hot desert roads in the daytime; and
hurrying on through the night if perchance there were a moon or stars to guide him; or
else crouching in some corner behind some rock, till daylight enabled him to hurry forward
once more!

Why was the man running over the ground at his topmost speed? Was he carrying a
message, or bringing bad news, or what could it be?

No, he was hurrying to a place of safety!

But why? you may ask. Was he being pursued, or what was it?

Yes, he was being pursued by a man who was called "The Avenger of blood."

For God's law was, that a man who had hated his neighbour and had planned to kill him
and had carried out his purpose should surely be put to death.

So if any one was killed among the Children of Israel, at once "the Avenger of blood"
hurried to the spot and seized the murderer, who was then examined before the priests
and the judges; and witnesses were called to give evidence as to whether the prisoner had
intended to kill his neighbour, so that the judges might decide whether he were guilty or
not. God's law made it necessary that there should be more than one witness before a
man could be condemned.

But if a death were caused by an accident, God provided a way of escape for the
manslayer, and it is this way of escape that I am going to tell you about.

When the Children of Israel had wandered in the wilderness for forty years—for their
murmuring and disobedience, as God had said—they came at length to the land of
Canaan; and here God told Moses to divide the land among the different tribes, and
instructed him to separate Six Cities in different parts of the land, three on one side of the
River Jordan, and three on the other side.

These six cities were to be called "cities of refuge," and God told Moses to make good
roads leading to them, so that if any one killed a man by accident or at unawares, he
might flee to one of those six cities, at his utmost speed, and not lose his way in his haste;
for when once there, he would be sheltered, and in safety, so that the Avenger of blood
might not catch him and kill him.

You will find in the 19th chapter of Deuteronomy the wonderful directions which God gave
Moses about these cities.

God said, that any one who killed his neighbour ignorantly, and had not intended to hurt
him, might flee to the city of refuge, and be safe.

If a man and his neighbour went into a wood to cut down a tree, and the axe-head of one
of them flew off and struck the other man, so that he died, then the manslayer as he was
called could flee to one of those cities, and live! Or if a man let a stone fall upon his
neighbour by accident, and it killed him, he could flee to the city of refuge, and live!
 For when once there, he would be sheltered and in safety.

As soon as he entered the city of refuge, the elders of the city came forward and inquired
into the circumstances which had made him fly there; and so soon as they were satisfied
that the death of his neighbour was an accident, and that he was not worthy of death, they
made him welcome to their city, and henceforward the city of refuge was to be his shelter.

But if any man hated his neighbour, and laid in wait for him, and rose up against him, and
smote him mortally, so that he died, and were to flee into one of these cities, then the
elders of his city should send and fetch him from there, and deliver him unto the hand of
the Avenger of blood that he should die. These were the rules which God made.

The man who hurried to that city of refuge knew in his own heart whether he was guilty or
not; and if he knew that it was an accident which had happened, then when he reached
the city how gladly did he pass the gate, and get safely inside!

You can imagine how he sank down breathless and faint within that portal, and how
thankful he was in his own heart that God had provided a way of escape for him!

In this city of refuge, he must stay; nor was he free to leave it for a single moment, till the
death of the High Priest who might be living in those days. It might be many years, or it
might be only a short time; but whether long or short there was no safety for him outside
those walls. If he ventured out, if the Avenger should meet him, he would certainly be
killed.
And it seems to me that there are one or two lessons which we may learn from this story,
which God has written for our learning.

May we not think of Jesus Christ our Saviour as our City of Refuge?

And if He is, shall we not, beneath the Sheltering Walls of His Salvation, be at rest from all
our fears?

We read, in the 6th of Hebrews: "That . . . we might have a strong consolation, who have
fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us."

That man, running from the Avenger, wanted life!

And if we fly to Jesus Christ to get life, we find that He, Himself, is the Way—the plainly
marked, loving path to safety.

He is the Truth, for His promises are faithful.

He is the Life, for there is no eternal life apart from Him.

How tenderly He says to us: "Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you Rest."

XII. THE LETTER THAT WAS LAID BEFORE THE LORD,

AND THE LORD'S ANSWER

HEZEKIAH, King of Judah, did that which was right in the sight of the Lord. He trusted in
the Lord God of Israel; so that after him was none like him among all the Kings of Judah,
nor any that were before him.
Immediately after he came to the throne, he destroyed all the high places where the
people had worshipped false gods, and he broke their images; and he followed the
commandments of the Lord with all his heart.

And the Lord was with him, and he prospered in all he set his hand to.

He defeated the Philistines, and rebelled against the yoke of the King of Assyria, and
refused to serve him.

Meanwhile, however, Hoshea, who was then King of Israel, was very much harassed by the
Assyrians, and God permitted them to come into the land of Israel and besiege Samaria
for three years. They took it, and carried numbers of captives into the land of Assyria,
because His people had transgressed His commandments.

The Assyrians, having gained these victories, turned their attention to the land of Judah,
over which the good King Hezekiah reigned, and they fought against and took some of the
fenced cities.

Then Hezekiah sent a present to the King of Assyria, hoping to bribe him not to pursue the
war any further.

To make this payment Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the Temple of the Lord,
and sent all the money that was in the Treasury.

But the riches which were known to belong to the Kings of Judah and Israel were an
immense attraction to their enemies: so that instead of turning back, the King of Assyria
sent his greatest generals with a host of soldiers to surround Jerusalem and besiege it.

When they reached the conduit of the upper pool, which supplied water to the city,
Rabshakeh called to King Hezekiah to come out to them.

Then Hilkiah, and Shebna, and Joah came forward to hear what Rabshakeh had to say.

And Rabshakeh's first words were full of pride and threatening: "Thus saith the great King,
the King of Assyria, 'What confidence is this wherein thou trusteth? In whom dost thou
trust? If ye say, "We trust in the Lord our God," Hezekiah has broken down His altars and
told Judah they are to worship in Jerusalem!'

"Now therefore ... I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou canst on thy part put
riders upon them!"

Then Hezekiah's messengers begged Rabshakeh to speak in the Assyrian language, and
not in Hebrew, which the people understood.

But Rabshakeh was more insulting than ever; and told all who listened to him, that it was
vain for Hezekiah to say "The Lord will deliver you!" Sennacherib had conquered other
nations, and their gods had not delivered them! And the Lord would not deliver Jerusalem
out of his hand.

But Eliakim told the people not to answer a word. Then they returned to the king with their
clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

Then Hezekiah rent his clothes and put on sackcloth, and went up into the house of the
Lord, and sent his messengers to Isaiah the Prophet, saying that it was indeed a day of
trouble, and surely the Lord had heard the words of Rabshakeh.
But the Prophet Isaiah sent this message to Hezekiah: "Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid
of the words which thou hast heard, with which the servants of the King of Assyria have
blasphemed Me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall hear a rumour, and
shall return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land."

So Rabshakeh returned, and when he found fresh troubles in his own land, he sent a
message by letter to Hezekiah, saying they were not to rejoice that they had escaped their
enemy! For they would surely come and fight against them another time!

Then Hezekiah received the letter and read it, and carried it up into the House of the Lord
and spread it before the Lord. And he prayed to the Lord, and told Him it was quite true
that other nations had been defeated by the cruel King of Assyria, but they had not the
Lord God of Israel to trust in; and then he ended with these words: "O Lord our God, I
beseech Thee, save Thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know,
that Thou art the Lord God, and Thou only!"

And then the Lord gave His long glorious answer: "Thus saith the Lord concerning the King
of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it
with shield, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he
return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord. For I will defend this city, to save
it, for Mine Own Sake, and for My servant David's sake."

"And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the
camp of the Assyrians an hundred and eighty-five thousand men: and when they arose
early in the morning they were all dead corpses."

So Sennacherib, King of Assyria, departed and returned to Nineveh; and as he was

worshipping in the house of Nisroch, his god, his two sons smote him and killed him.

God's words had come true.

 XIII. THE QUEEN OF SHEBA

WHEN David grew old, one of his sons, named Adonijah, exalted himself, to make himself
king instead of his father.

He conferred with Joab the captain and with Abiathar the priest, and it was arranged that
all the sons of the king should be invited to a great feast; but when the invitations were
given, it was found that he had not included his brother Solomon, nor Zadok the priest,
nor Benaiah the soldier, nor Nathan the prophet, who were all devoted friends of King
David.

So Nathan the prophet spoke to Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon, and begged her to go
to King David and tell him that Adonijah had set himself up as king; and to remind David
that he had promised her that he would give the kingdom to Solomon his son.

David was very much troubled with what Bathsheba and Nathan told him, and he solemnly
assured them that God had promised the throne to Solomon, and to no one else; and he
then sent for Zadok, and he told him and Nathan to anoint Solomon King over Israel at
once, and to blow with the trumpet and say, "Solomon is King!"

And he told them that Solomon was to ride on the king's own mule, and sit on the king's
throne.

So they took a horn of oil out of the Tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the
trumpet, and all the people said: "God save King Solomon!" And the people came up after
him, rejoicing with music and great joy, so that the earth rent with the sound of them.

Thus Solomon was established in his kingdom, and reigned over all Israel and Judah.

Now Solomon loved the Lord—and it says "the Lord loved Solomon."

One day he went up to the high place at Gibeon to sacrifice to the Lord there; and he
offered a thousand burnt offerings upon the altar. And the Lord appeared to Solomon in a
dream; and God said:
"Ask what I shall give thee!"

Then Solomon thanked God for the great kindness which He had shown David his father, in
giving him a son to sit on his throne; and acknowledged how David had walked before the
Lord in uprightness of heart. And then he added: "O Lord my God . . . I am but a little
child . . . give me therefore an understanding heart to judge Thy people; for who is able to
judge so great a people?"

And the Lord was pleased with Solomon's request, and He told him that because he had
asked this thing, and not asked for himself riches or honour or long life, God would grant
his prayer for an understanding heart, and would add besides riches and honour, so that
there should be no king like Solomon in all the world, nor ever would be again.

And then, after these gracious and wonderful assurances, the Lord God added this warning
—and it seems to me that the warning comes home to every one of us now: "If thou wilt
walk in My ways to keep My statutes and My commandments, as thy father David did walk,
then I will lengthen thy days."

Then Solomon awoke from his dream, and he came to Jerusalem and offered burnt
offerings unto the Lord there.

He at once set about ruling his kingdom and exercising the wonderful wisdom which God
had given him.

And this was why, when he had built cities and palaces, and gathered gold and silver and
spices in abundance; when he had been permitted to build a magnificent Temple for the
Lord, the Queen of Sheba heard of his fame, concerning the Name of the Lord, and
travelled many hundreds of miles from the south below Egypt, to prove Solomon with hard
questions and to see the glories of his kingdom.
 She gave Solomon gold, and a very great store of spices.

And Solomon answered all her questions, and showed her all his work and his riches.
When she had seen the house he had built and the food daily spread on his table, and the
number of his servants, and the ascent which he had built to go up to the House of the
Lord, the queen seemed to have no more strength in her, and she exclaimed:

"It was a true report that I heard in mine own country, but the half was
not told me!"

"Happy are thy men, happy are these thy servants, which stand
continually before thee, and hear thy wisdom."

"Blessed be the Lord thy God, which delighteth in thee, to set thee on
the throne of Israel . . . to do judgment and justice."

And she gave King Solomon gold, and a very great store of spices and precious stones,
which she had brought on her camels from afar.

And Solomon gave her whatever she asked of him, besides the royal presents which, as a
great king, he bestowed upon her unasked.

There is a verse in Isaiah and another in the Psalms which I love to read, which seem to
remind us not only of the Queen of Sheba, but of that glorious day which is coming by and
by for those who are the children of God through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ:—

"For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear,
neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside Thee, what He hath prepared for him that
waiteth for Him."

"Thou wilt show me the path of life; in Thy presence is fullness of joy: at Thy right hand
there are pleasures for evermore."
 XIV. THREE COMMANDMENTS
ABOUT EARTHLY THINGS

V. "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which
the Lord thy God hath given thee."

OUR best and most beautiful example of this loving, dutiful obedience is given us in the
early days of our Lord's life on earth.

We read of it in the second chapter of Luke.

Jesus was twelve years old, and He knew that His Heavenly Father had given Him a great
work to do here in this world. One day in Jerusalem He had stayed in the Temple talking to
the learned Doctors of the Law, and Joseph and His mother missed Him from among the
company who were journeying homewards to Nazareth; and when they found Him in the
Temple, His mother said, "Thy father and I have sought Thee, sorrowing!"

And His gentle answer is a pattern to all of us: "Wist ye not—" (Did you not know)—"that I
must be about My Father's business?" He was reminding her then of God, Who had sent
Him, His only begotten Son, into the world to save sinners.

But with all that in His heart, the Bible goes on to tell us, "Jesus went down with them to
Nazareth, and was subject unto them." That means that He was perfectly obedient in His
earthly home.

Then we have the sweet example of Ruth the Moabitess.

Her husband was dead. But Ruth was devoted to her mother-in-law, and when Naomi
wished to return to the land of Israel, though all Ruth's friends lived in Moab, she
entreated to be allowed to take that long journey with Naomi, and to stay with her always.

And as you can read for yourselves in the Book of Ruth, she was wonderfully blessed
through her goodness to her mother-in-law. God watched her sweet and dutiful behaviour,
and He gave her the great honour of being one of the ancestors of King David, and then,
through him, of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was born at David's city, Bethlehem, thirteen
hundred years afterwards.

Thus the Commandment that contained a promise of blessing was fulfilled.

VI. "Thou shalt do no murder."

What is murder? It is hatred in the heart, cherished and unpardoned, unconfessed to God,
which ends in a cruel deed.

If we find in our own hearts an unforgiving spirit—a grudge against any one—a wish,
perhaps, to do them harm or pay them back—let us beware!
Our Lord says: "When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any one!"

Now I am going to tell you about a murder, which was a very sad one.

David, as you know, loved God very much; but he had grown very rich and powerful, and
he had begun to value earthly things more than God's Commandments.

Uriah, in the forefront of the battle.

He wanted to get rid of one of his soldiers, who was at the war fighting for him. Why did
he want to get rid of him? Because David had taken from him something which that soldier
valued beyond all other things! I will tell you what that thing was afterwards.

So David told his great captain, Joab, to set this soldier, called Uriah, in the forefront of the
battle, and then to retire from him, so that he should get killed. So Joab, who was an
unscrupulous, untrustworthy man, did as the king commanded him. Then he sent back
word to David at Jerusalem about the great battle, and mentioned that Uriah was killed.

"But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord."

The precious possession which David had taken for himself, while Uriah was at the war,
was Uriah's dearly loved wife: and David had broken two of God's direct commands—one
was, "Thou shalt do no murder," the other was:

VII. "Thou shalt not commit adultery."

—Which is taking another man's wife away from him.

Then there came another messenger to David. Not from the battlefield, where Uriah lay
dead, but a message from God Himself, sent by the Prophet Nathan to the king.

And the Prophet told David this story: "There were two men in one city: one was rich, and
the other poor."

"The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: the poor man had only one little ewe
lamb, that he had brought up at home, and that played with his children and drank out of
his own cup."

"And a traveller came to see that rich man; and the rich man grudged to take any out of
his own flocks to feed the traveller, but took the poor man's ewe lamb!"

When David heard this story he was very angry with the rich man, and told Nathan he
ought to be punished.

And then Nathan said to the king: "Thou art the man!"

"Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? Thou
hast killed Uriah with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife."

"Therefore the sword shall never depart from thy house."

Then David was dreadfully sorry. He saw his great sin in the sight of the Lord, and he
earnestly asked to be forgiven.

If you read the fifty-first Psalm you will see how sorry he was.

And the Lord did forgive him; but David had to bear the effects of his sin the whole of his
life afterwards.

XV. THREE COMMANDMENTS

ABOUT OUR HANDS—OUR TONGUES—AND OUR HEARTS
 VIII. "Thou shalt not steal."

PERHAPS you draw back, and say, "Steal! Surely no one would think I would steal!"

But when we come to think it over, there are a good many ways of stealing; or being
tempted to steal. There are little unfairnesses that many practise, without in the least
realizing that they lead to dishonesty. A boy who cheats over his lessons goes very near
the mark! A girl who borrows from her class-mate a sixpence to buy a hair ribbon, and
does not return it, goes very near the mark too!

Satan is so wary, and we are so un-wary!

I heard of a dear, good woman the other day.

She had a very hard life to make both ends meet. And one day, the person who was
lodging with her left her purse on the table.

The woman would never have thought of opening the purse and taking out her neighbour's
money! Oh no!

Satan was too wary to suggest that!

The dear woman went to move the purse to a place of safety, and it was very full of
money, and fell open, and the contents in a moment lay scattered on the floor: shillings,
sixpences, half-crowns!

Then Satan saw his opportunity. As the dear woman stooped to gather the money, the
thought crossed her heart: "She would never miss one of these coins! And I do need them
so—"

And then the dreadfulness of the temptation came upon her, and she fell on her knees.

"Dear Lord, forgive me!" she murmured, and hurried to gather up the money, and to
restore the purse to its owner. God had helped her to be brave!

What made Judas betray his Lord?

Was it not that he was a thief, and had the bag, and carried about with him what was in it?

He thought if the chief priests would give him those thirty pieces of silver, he would be a
rich man all his days instead of a poor man!

Did he ever enjoy those thirty pieces of silver?

There was a boy I heard of lately, who was tempted: and he took an orange from a
greengrocer's shop. But his heart smote him; and that evening he wrote this letter to the
greengrocer's wife in a round, boyish hand:—

"Dear Madam,—I am very sorry for stealing an orange from you

yesterday, while in your shop. I must apologize as I am a Christian, but
was tempted."

Signed . . .
 "I enclose a penny stamp for the cost of same."

That confession must have cost that boy a great deal to do! But he was "more than
conqueror through Him who loved him!"

IX. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour."

How did the wicked queen Jezebel manage to get Naboth's vineyard for her husband? It
was by means of false witnesses!

She sent letters sealed with the king's seal to the nobles and elders who were in the city
where Naboth lived, and ordered them to proclaim a fast, to set him up on high where all
the people could see him, and to get two wicked men to give false witness against him, to
accuse him of blaspheming God and the king. Then he was to be carried out of the city and
stoned.

So the elders did as Jezebel told them, and poor Naboth, who had done no wrong, was
cruelly killed.

And now I am going to tell you the story of the sin which brought this about.

God said in His Tenth Commandment—

X. "Thou shall not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shall not covet thy neighbour's
wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is
his."

Covetousness is one of the sins that hides deep in a man's heart, and if given way to may
spoil all his happiness.

King Ahab had a palace at Jezreel; and near to the palace was Naboth's vineyard, which
was his family possession.

As the king passed to and fro, he began to covet the vineyard of Naboth in order to make
himself a garden; and at length he asked Naboth to exchange his vineyard with him for
another better one, or offered to buy it from Naboth for money.

This seemed at first sight a reasonable offer; but Ahab knew perfectly well that no Jew
would sell his father's inheritance, and that he valued it almost like his own life.

So Naboth refused, and the king went back to his palace heavy and displeased, and went
and lay upon his bed and would not eat.

When Jezebel found out what was the matter, she begged Ahab to get up and eat; and she
promised that she would get the vineyard for him!

And this was how it came to pass that those false witnesses swore away Naboth's life!

When Ahab knew that Naboth was dead, he went down to take possession of the vineyard.
But the Lord sent this message to the king by Elijah, His Prophet—

"Thus saith the Lord: Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? Thus saith the Lord: In
the Place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine."

It is a very solemn thing to break God's commands. Shall we not pray, as we think of
them: "With my whole heart have I sought Thee: O let me not wander from Thy
Commandments!"

XVI. TAKEN FROM THE BROOK

I SAMUEL 17.12-52

A GREAT Giant had come out of the land of the Philistines to fight against the Israelites.
He was about 11 feet high-that is higher than a tall doorway, and no ordinary man could
attempt to fight with him, with any hope of victory, be he ever so brave.

This Giant, Goliath of Gath, appeared every day for forty days, defying the Armies of
Israel, and challenging them to send out a man to fight with him.

The Giant struck terror into the hearts of the Armies of Israel.

Now there was a youth named David, ruddy and beautiful, who was on the Mountains of
Palestine, tending his father's flocks.

As he sat watching the sheep, the Holy Spirit taught him many of the Psalms we all love,
such as, "The Lord is my Shepherd."

One day a lion came out of his lair and took a lamb of the flock, and David, knowing that
God was his strong Helper, went out after the lion, and smote him and got the lamb out of
his mouth, and when the lion turned on him, David caught him by the beard and killed
him. And a bear came in the same way, and he killed him too.

One day David's father, Jesse, sent him to see how his brothers, who were at the war,
were getting on; and when he reached the Camp, the first thing that he heard was the
news of this dreadful Giant, who was defying the Israelites every morning and every
evening.

And David said, "Who is this heathen Philistine, that he should defy the Armies of the
Living God?"

David's eldest brother was angry with him for what he said; but David's words were heard
by the other soldiers, and they repeated them to King Saul.

And Saul sent for him, and when David came into his presence, he said to the King, "Let
no man's heart fail him because of the Giant, I will go and fight with him!"
 The giant struck terror into the hearts of the armies of Israel.

But Saul looked at David and said, "You are not able to fight with the Giant."

Then David told the King about the lion and bear, and he said, "The Lord that delivered me
out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the
hand of this Philistine."

So Saul agreed to his going, and put some armour on him; but David told the King he
could not go with these, for he was not used to armour.

Then David took his staff in his hand, and went to the brook and chose out five smooth
stones, and he put them in his shepherd's bag that hung at his side.

Before we go on to what David did with those stones, there are two or three interesting
things in this story which we shall do well to notice; for they will be, if we think of them, a
great help to us in our own lives.

We all have, like David, a tremendous enemy to face. This is Satan; and he comes to us
every day, like the Giant Goliath, and he tries to make us afraid. He wants us to live
without thinking about God; he wants us to forget that there is a great Helper for us in
every time of need.

But David truly loved God with his whole heart, and he was very brave; but it was in God's
strength that he had determined to meet the Giant.

So he went to the brook, and chose some of the smooth stones that he was accustomed to
use.

It was a very simple weapon; and doubtless he had often practised slinging stones, as he
sat watching his sheep, and knew how to aim well.
And, if we want to conquer Satan when he tempts us to do wrong, we must take the
weapon God has given us to use—which is His own word. Just say, "Lord, help me!" or
"Lord, save me!" and Satan will be driven away.

I shall never forget being called to comfort a dear dying girl, who was much worried by
Satan's suggestions. I stood by her bedside and quietly repeated these words of God to
her, from Isaiah 59.19: "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord
shall lift up a standard against him."

In a moment the cloud of sorrow and fear passed from her face; and God never let Satan
worry her again!

So you will find God's words will be just like David's smooth stones, when he went up to
meet the Giant!

DAVID GOES TO MEET GOLIATH.

And Goliath said, "Am I a dog that thou comest to me with staves? Come to me, and I will
give thy flesh to the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field!"

Then David answered, "Thou comest to me with a sword and with a shield, but I come to
thee in the Name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel whom thou hast
defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into my hand . . . and I will smite thee, and take
thy head from thee. For the battle is the Lord's."
So, as the Giant came forward towards David, David ran to meet him, and put his hand
into his bag and took a stone, and slang it, and it hit the Giant on his forehead, so that he
sank down on the ground on his face. Then David ran, and took Goliath's own sword, and
cut off his head with it.

And when the Philistines saw that their Champion was dead, they fled, and the Israelites
followed after them and the Victory was won.

XVII. THE FIRST AND SECOND COMMANDMENTS:

AND HOW THEY WERE BROKEN

"I am the Lord thy God, Which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the
house of bondage."

I. "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me."

II. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that
is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a
jealous God."

THE Children of Israel had left Egypt. God had brought them out with a strong hand. They
had left their enemies the Egyptians, some of them dead in their houses, for all the
firstborn were dead; and some of them overwhelmed in the Red Sea, where they had
attempted to follow the Israelites, for whom God had made a way on dry ground, through
the midst of the waters.

And now God had led them about in the wilderness, for they were obstinate and
disobedient, and He could not let them go into the Promised Land of Blessing, because
their hearts were too hard to learn His great lessons.
In the third month after leaving Egypt, they came into the wilderness of Sinai, and the
whole congregation camped before the mount.

Then God called Moses to come to Him to the top of the mountain; and here God spoke to
him, and sent him down to repeat to the congregation all the words which He had told
him.

And God told Moses that it was a very solemn thing for Him to speak in their hearing, so
they were to set bounds round the mount, that no one should come too close.

God said that He would come to Moses in a thick cloud; but that the people should hear
His Voice when He spoke, and should believe Moses for ever.

While God was telling Moses all these Commandments, on the top of the mountain, there
were thunderings and lightnings, and the voice of a trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the
people in the camp trembled.

Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord Jehovah descended upon it in fire;
and even the mountain trembled at the Presence of the Holy God.

And this was the First Commandment—

"Thou shalt have no other gods before ME!"

Nothing else in the world nearer and dearer to us than God!

I heard the other day of a terribly injured soldier, who sent this message to one who had
written to sympathize in his great deprivation: "Don't pity me; the sacrifice has been worth
it; for I have found God!"

Oh! What it is to learn that!

Now we come to the Second Commandment—"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image."
 Moses cast down the two Tablets which God had written.

When the Children of Israel stood round that mount, and heard God say that, if they would
obey His voice, they should be a peculiar treasure to Him, they promised that they would
faithfully keep all that the Lord said.

But I am sorry to tell you that they soon forgot their promises, and did the very thing God
had told them not to do. And this was how it all happened.

Moses was up on the mount with God for forty days and forty nights, and God gave Moses
the two Tablets of stone, on which God Himself had written His Ten Commandments.

But forty days and forty nights seemed a long time to the thousands of people waiting
below on the plains; and they "gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said, Up!
make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us out
of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him!"

Then Aaron bade them bring him gold from their ornaments, and he cast the gold into the
fire, and it melted down into a great piece of gold, which looked like a calf.

Aaron took a tool and moulded it, and the people said, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which
brought thee up out of the land of Egypt!"

Then they offered sacrifices to the golden calf, and feasted, and rose up to dance.

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for the people have turned aside
quickly out of the way that I commanded them. Now, therefore . . . let Me alone, that I
may consume them!"

But Moses besought the Lord most earnestly to turn from His anger, and asked Him to
remember His servants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and begged Him to forgive the sin of
His people.
So Moses went down the mountain with God's Law in his hands. But when he and Joshua,
who was with him, saw from the mount what had happened, and that the people had
already broken God's two first commandments, Moses cast down the two Tablets which
God had written with His own Hand, and they fell beneath the mountain and were broken
to pieces.

And the Lord sent a sore punishment to the people who had sinned, and three thousand of
them died.

The next day Moses went up to the Lord again, and his words of entreaty are most
touching—

"Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if
Thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of Thy Book which Thou
hast written."

"And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of
My Book."

This is an awfully solemn story. We do not read that the people themselves repented—if
they had, the Holy God would have forgiven them out and out.

For He says in the 55th of Isaiah—

"Let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for He
will abundantly pardon."

XVIII. THE NEXT TWO COMMANDMENTS:

AND HOW THEY MAY BE KEPT
 III. "Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord My God in vain; for the Lord will not hold
him guiltless that taketh His Name in vain."

THINK of the name of the person whom you love the best in the world, and then think how
you would feel if you heard any one speak against that name. Would not you feel grieved?
Would you not turn away from the one who spoke against that loved name? And say: "I
cannot hear you speak like that—I love that name above any on earth."

Yes; if you think of it, you will see that it is so.

And if we feel so about an earthly love, and an earthly name, what ought we to feel about
that "Name which is above every name"?

No wonder God says in His Holy Law: "Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in
vain!"

And our Lord, in the Prayer which He has told us all to use, says—

"Our Father, which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name!" It is the first request of that
wonderful prayer.

Do you see the baby boy in your home? He has hurt himself, or got into some difficulty. He
can just say one single word, and that word is the only name he knows; and you hear him
calling out in his distress, "Mother! Mother!" Over and over, till she comes running in, and
in a moment he is in her arms!

And this brings me to a text I am very very fond of: "The Name of the Lord is a Strong
Tower! The righteous runneth into it and is safe."

A few years ago a sister of mine was walking on a lonely road, and just as she was
crossing a railway bridge between two brick walls a man sprang out and seized her watch
and chain.

No one was in sight, and she knew she was utterly helpless, and that the man's strength
would soon wrench the watch away.

Then she bethought herself of the Name of Jesus! And she called to Him aloud, "Lord, help
me!"

In an instant the man relaxed his hold, dropped the watch and chain, and made off as fast
as he could, and she saw him no more! Surely to her the Name of the Lord had been a
strong tower, she had run into it and was safe!

And this is only one instance of very many that I have known, when the Holy Name of our
God, or of our dear Saviour, is all-powerful to help us in our greatest need.

If we hallow the Name of our God in our lives now, there will be a time when we shall see
His Face, and His Name shall be in our foreheads, as a token that we are His for ever.

And now we come to another thought, about another Commandment—

IV. "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all
thy work: but the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God . . . For in six days the