THIS little boy, whom you see standing by his mother, is reading with her out of that roll she is holding. They are upon the flat roof of their house, which is a very pleasant place for reading, if the sun is not too hot. Some beautiful palms are in the distance, and above is the bright blue sky.
People living in the East, in the country, for instance, which this picture represents, very often go up to the roofs of their houses when they do not wish to be disturbed. We read of the apostle Peter going up to the house-top to pray, and no doubt he went there in order to be alone.
Perhaps the roll seems to you a very curious lesson-book to read out of, and so it is. It is a long piece of what looks like thick, strong paper, but which is the skin of some animal, made smooth and even to write upon. This skin is called parchment. Long ago the books of the Bible were written on parchments, and good men spent a great deal of time in copying the Scriptures on parchments, that many people might have them to read.
The roll in our picture has some portion of the Scriptures written upon it, and the little boy who is reading is intended for Timothy. Timothy lived, you know, in a country called Asia Minor, far away from here, near the Holy Land, where the Lord Jesus lived when He was on the earth. I think Timothy must have been born not long after the Lord Jesus was crucified; so that he may have heard all about too, that Timothy knew the Scriptures from a child; so that we may well suppose it was his mother Eunice who first taught him to read and to love them. But you must not suppose Timothy had all the Bible to read, as we have it now, for it was not all written when he was a child. The Old Testament Scriptures, as we call them, were what he had. He could read the beautiful stories of Noah, Abraham, and of Joseph, and of the children of Israel, David, and Sampson, and many others. But Timothy had not, as you, dear children, have now, the story of the blessed Lord Jesus coming down to this earth, becoming a little baby, and living in this world that He might die for sinners, and bear their sins on the cross, because that was the only way in which we could be saved.
Perhaps you wonder how Timothy and his mother heard about the Lord Jesus having died for sinners, since they had not the story written for them, as we have. It was probably through the preaching of the apostle Paul, for we read of his preaching the gospel in the very city where Timothy lived. You can read it for yourselves in the fourteenth chapter of the Acts, verses 6 to 21. You know that after the death of the Lord Jesus many of His disciples went everywhere, preaching and telling people that God had sent His Son to die for sinners, and that now all should be saved who believe in Jesus, even those who had killed Him.
And now I wish you to notice what is said in the Scriptures, which are God's own words, as you know, that you may see how very precious and they are. The Lord Jesus said, “Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which' testify of Me)' And in another place, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." David says, “The entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple." (Psa. 119:130130The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. (Psalm 119:130).) And Paul, in writing to Timothy, says, "From a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus."
Dear children, I trust you have found this true wisdom, and that you have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. May God give you so to love His word that you may truly say with David, " How sweet are Thy words unto my taste; yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth." A. A.