I AM going to tell you a little story which shows how precious the Word of God was in the eyes of the poor Malagasy, or native people of Madagascar. One dark night (for the nights are often very dark indeed in that country) Mr. Ellis, the missionary, was sitting in his house, when a gentle knock came at the door, and, on going to see who it was, two men stood before him. They turned out to be believers. They had once been heathens, that is, worshippers of wood and stone idols, but they had heard and believed the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and had “turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven.”
Knowing that he was a Christian missionary, they had come to see him in hope of getting a little more instruction in the truth of God. And how far do you think these two dear believers had traveled only just to get a word with the Lord’s servant? Why, a hundred long miles, and that on foot, through wood and wild and trackless waste where all sorts of perils of the wilderness abound. Just think of that! Some believers, little and big ones too, will sometimes hardly go the length of a street to gather round the word — a little cold, a little heat, a little rain, will hinder them — yet these two men had walked a hundred miles to see and talk with a Christian! Well, while talking together in Mr. Ellis’s room, he asked them whether they had got a Bible? “We have seen it and heard it read,” said one of the men, “but we have only some of the words of David, and they do not belong to us they belong to the whole family.” “Have you the words of David with you now?” asked Mr. Ellis. The men looked at each other and did not answer. Perhaps they were afraid to say “Yes,” for at that time there was great persecution against those who became Christians, as the wicked Queen of Madagascar was using all her power to hinder the Gospel of Christ; and if any of her subjects was known to have any part of the Word of God he was sure to be punished very severely. But Mr. Ellis spoke kindly to them, and encouraged them to trust him; and so, at last, one of the men put his hand into his bosom and drew out a roll of cloth. This he unrolled till he came to some wrappers, and then, on opening these very carefully, he showed Mr. Ellis a few old torn leaves of the Psalms, dingy with age and frequent use, and almost worn out. These, it seems, had been passed round from hand to hand, but read and re-read until they were hardly to be read at all, and yet were so prized that, you see, this poor man carried them in his bosom carefully preserved in several wrappers; and that, too, at the risk of severe punishment — perhaps even of death! How very precious the truth these old leaves contained must have been to these poor Malagasy!
Tears came into the eyes of Mr. Ellis when he saw these leaves uncovered, and he asked the men whether they had ever seen the words of Jesus or of Paul or John? “Yes,” they said, “we have seen and heard them, but we never owned them.”
The missionary then went and brought out a New Testament, with the Book of Psalms bound up with it, and showed it to them. “Now,” said he, “if you will give me your few words of David, I will give you all his words, and all the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and John and Paul and Peter besides.”
You may guess how astonished and delighted the poor men were; but first they wanted to see whether the words in the book were the same as those in the old leaves they had so often read and profited from; and when they found that they were, and that there were thousands of words of the same sort beside, their joy was unbounded. They willingly gave up their tattered leaves, and, taking the new book, hurried away in the darkness, filled with thankfulness and gratitude to the Lord for His goodness, and rejoicing like those who had found great spoil.
What a lesson, dear little reader, for you! Do you value God’s Word as these poor men did? They had been worshippers of wood and stone, perhaps only a few months before, and now see how precious the Word was to them! I have seen some persons who seemed to value the covers of their Bibles and the bright gilt edging more than they did the leaves and the truth they contained; for, while they often looked at and admired the outside, they seldom looked within. But, you see, these Malagasy Christians prized a few old leaves so much that they had read them and pored over them until they were almost worn out. They wrapped them in rolls of cloth and carried them from place to place; they would not part with them for a well-bound new book till they had proved that it was the same Word of God.
Ah! it was the Word of God that was so dear to them, because they knew God and loved Him. Do you? Have you ever come to Jesus and so got all your sins washed away in His precious blood rt Can you say, “He loved me and gave Himself for me?” If you can, how precious the truth should be to you! because it tells of Him who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” And if it be indeed precious to you, will you not often read it, and think and pray over it? You know Jesus said, “If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him.” Do you love Him? If so, I am sure His words will be precious truth indeed to you.
J. L. K.