Ellen and Rose loved their old horse, Jake. The girls were small enough that Jake could easily take them and a couple of their friends all for a ride at the same time. When Jake got tired he would just lie down on the ground. That was his signal that he had carried them long enough. So the children would hop off, give Jake a hug, and go do something else.
One evening Dad had a talk with the two girls. “Jake has been a good horse and we all love him, but he’s too old to take you riding anymore. We’re going to put him out to pasture. You girls can visit with him, but I don’t want you to ride him anymore.” The girls were sad, but they understood that they were getting bigger and Jake was getting older.
A few days later Ellen invited several of the neighbor children to her house to play. They’d had a happy time, but now it was getting late and the sky was clouding over. Ellen’s mother came out to see how the children were getting along and when she saw the dark clouds she said, “I think you children had better go home now. It certainly looks like rain.” Then she went inside.
Jake was standing in the field near where the children were playing. Ellen thought, It will be okay if we ride Jake just this once to take my friends home. Of course, the children were glad to have a ride home. So they saddled Jake and Ellen got her old metal- handled umbrella. Then she and the neighbor children climbed up on Jake’s back. When they were almost to the children’s driveway, Jake lay down, and the children jumped off and ran the rest of the way home in the rain.
Ellen tried to get Jake back up, but Jake was tired. Ellen’s conscience was bothering her. She knew she was disobeying her dad, and she felt sorry for Jake too. But it was raining harder now with lightning and thunder.
“Com’on, Jake,” she coaxed. “We’ve gotta go home.” Finally Jake got up and Ellen climbed on again, resting the metal handle of her old umbrella on his back and snuggling down under its shelter as best she could.
If I can just get Jake back in the barn, Ellen thought, Dad will never know I rode him. But the longer Ellen rode Jake the more her conscience bothered her. She knew she was disobeying her dad, even if it had been to help her friends. “Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:2020Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord. (Colossians 3:20)).
She urged Jake to keep going. At last they were in the pasture, almost to the barn. Rain was pouring down and lightning was flashing, but Ellen felt better. The barn was so close. Now nobody would know how naughty she had been. Just then Jake shuddered and crumpled to the ground, dead.
Ellen jumped off and undid the bridle. That was pretty easy to take off. But tugging as hard as she could, she wasn’t able to get the saddle out from under the heavy old horse. She ran into the house, calling for Rose. Together they pulled and tugged and finally got the saddle off. The girls dried it, hung it in the barn and went in the house.
When Dad came home, he said, “I guess old Jake’s gone.” Ellen heaved a sigh of relief . . . her sin hadn’t been discovered. Then she heard Rose saying, “Yes, Ellen rode on him today and he just got too worn out and died.” Now Ellen was in real trouble, not only for disobeying, but for trying to cover it up.
Sometimes we can hide our sins from other people, but we can’t hide our sins from God, not one of them. “All things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:1313Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. (Hebrews 4:13)). Not only does God see every one of our sins, but Romans 14:1212So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:12) tells us that “every one of us shall give account of himself to God.” What are you going to do about your sins?
The next morning when Dad went out to bury Jake, Ellen went with him. As they looked lovingly over the old horse, Dad noticed an unusual swelling where the bridle had been. As he looked more closely he saw that Jake had been badly burned. The metal handle of Ellen’s umbrella had acted as a lightning rod and drawn the lightning down through Jake and into the ground. Jake had saved Ellen from being struck by lightning!
Tears were running down Ellen’s face. “Jake, you died for me. You kept me from being killed by lightning,” she sobbed.
Because of our sin and disobedience, the Lord Jesus died for us. “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed” (1 Peter 2:2424Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)). But the Lord Jesus is no longer dead. God has raised Him from the dead and He is sitting at God’s right hand in heaven, and we can pour out all our love on Him. That’s what He wants -sincere thanks and worship from our hearts. Do you believe that His death on Calvary’s cross was for your sins? Have you thanked Him today for dying for you and giving you eternal life?
ML-11/12/1995