



Produced by Michael Gray




THE MAN WHO DID NOT DIE



ALTEMUS' BEAUTIFUL STORIES SERIES


THE MAN WHO DID NOT DIE

THE STORY OF ELIJAH

BY

J. H. WILLARD.


ILLUSTRATED

PHILADELPHIA
HENRY ALTEMUS COMPANY


Altemus' Illustrated
Beautiful Stories Series

THE FIRST CHRISTMAS.
THE FIRST EASTER.
ONCE IN SEVEN YEARS.
         The Story of the Jubilee
WITH HAMMER AND NAIL.
          The Story of Jael and Sisera
FIVE KINGS IN A CAVE.
         The Story of a Great Battle
THE WISEST MAN.
         The Story of Solomon
A FARMER'S WIFE.
         The Story of Ruth
THE MAN WHO DID NOT DIE.
         The Story of Elijah
WHEN IRON DID SWIM.
         The Story of Elisha
WHAT IS SWEETER THAN HONEY.
         The Story of Samson

Twenty-five Cents Each

Copyright, 1906
By Henry Altemus



THE MAN WHO DID NOT DIE.

AFTER the death of King Solomon, his son Rehoboam became ruler
of the Israelites. The prodigality and magnificence of
Solomon's court, and his lavish way of living had been met by
heavy taxation. Seeing the vast revenues of the kingdom
employed in this way, the people had grown discontented, and
then disloyal.

After Rehoboam had become king, the Israelites appealed to him
to lighten the taxes and other heavy burdens which oppressed
the poor. Instead of following the advice of his older
counsellors, and releasing the people from some of their
burdens, the new king hearkened to the counsel of the younger
men who had grown up with him and scornfully rejected the
petition of his subjects.

[Image: THE KING SCORNFULLY REJECTED THEIR PETITION.]

A very ambitious man named Jeroboam presented the petition to
Rehoboam, and upon its rejection, ten tribes revolted and made
Jeroboam their ruler under the title of King of Israel.

The remainder of the Israelitish nation from this time were
known as the Kingdom of Judah. Jerusalem remained its capital,
and God was worshipped in the magnificent temple built by King
Solomon. It also maintained the regular priesthood, its
officers descending as formerly from father to son.

Among the twenty sovereigns of Judah, there were a few who
served God sincerely. The best four of the kings were Asa,
Jehosaphat, Hezekiah and Josiah. Asa fought against the
worship of idols which had corrupted the people, yet he made
an alliance with the King of Syria, who was an idolater.
Jehosaphat, his son, ruled the kingdom of Judah for
twenty-five years, and, although he did not always do right,
his reign was a quiet one.

[Image: ASA READ THE LAW OF GOD TO THE PEOPLE.]

Hezekiah waged a vigorous war against the worship of idols,
and, as far as he was able, restored the worship of God in the
temple. The Bible says of everything he undertook for the
glory of God that _"he did it with all his heart, and
prospered."_

[Image: HEZEKIAH DESTROYED THE IDOLS IN THE TEMPLE.]

Hezekiah was a very brave man, and when Sennacherib, the King
of Assyria, sent an army against Jerusalem, his speech to the
people, telling them to be strong and courageous, for God
would help them and fight for them, was not unlike that of
Joshua when he exhorted the Israelites to trust in God, at the
time when they were about to enter the land of Canaan.

[Image: SENNACHERIB, KING OF ASSYRIA.]

The prophet Isaiah lived during the reign of Hezekiah. At one
time when the king was very sick he prayed to God that his
life might be spared. God told Isaiah to tell him that He had
heard his prayer, and that He would heal him, and prolong his
life for fifteen years.

When Isaiah had delivered God's message, Hezekiah asked for a
sign that these things should be done, and Isaiah said that he
might decide whether the shadow upon the sundial should go
forward ten degrees or go backward ten degrees.

Hezekiah replied that it was an easy thing for the shadow to
go forward ten degrees, and asked that it might go backwards.
God moved the shadow as the king had asked, and he accepted it
as a sign that his life was to be spared and his days
lengthened.

[Image: GOD MOVED THE SHADOW BACKWARDS.]

Josiah was only eight years old when he came to the throne of
Judah. He served God while yet a child, and devoted his life
to His service. He reigned for more than thirty years, and was
killed at