THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER was held once a year, in memory of the time when God killed all the first-born children of the Egyptians, and passed over the houses of the Israelites that were sprinkled with the blood of the lamb.

THE FEAST OF PENTECOST lasted for seven weeks, and occurred in the time of harvest. It is sometimes called THE FESTIVAL OF WEEKS.

THE FEAST OF TRUMPETS was the celebration of the New Year.

THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES was a sort of Thanksgiving day, after the harvest was gathered in.

The Sabbath was also observed as a festival; and there were many others. On all these feast days the trumpets were blown to call the people together.

In the second month of the second year from the time they left Egypt, God spoke to Moses, and told him and Aaron to count the children of Israel, and set down their names, that it might be known how many there were, and to which tribe they belonged. And they were to make a special list of men who were twenty years old and upward, and able to fight for Israel in time of war. Moses and Aaron did so. And there were six hundred thousand and three thousand five hundred and fifty souls in the camp of the Israelites. The tribe of Levi was not numbered with these, for the Levites were to be brought up as priests, and to serve the Lord in the tabernacle.

At the end of forty years the Israelites left the wilderness, and encamped at Kadesh-barnea; and Miriam, the sister of Moses, died there. After a while there was a great scarcity of water, and the people found fault with Moses for bringing them to such a poor place, where there were no figs, nor grapes, nor pomegranates, nor any water to drink.

And Moses and Aaron went together into the tabernacle, and bowed down with their faces to the ground, and asked for the help of God. And the Lord spoke to Moses and told him to speak to the rock that was near the camp and the water would gush forth. Moses took his rod in his hand, and gathered the people together, and as they stood in front of the rock he said to them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch

you water out of this rock? And he struck the rock twice, and the water poured forth, and all drank freely of it.

The Lord was displeased with Moses, and told him that because he had disobeyed him, neither he nor Aaron should bring the children of Israel into the promised land. And Moses called the fountain MERIBAH, which means Strife.

Kadesh was on the farther border of Edom, where the descendants of Esau lived, and Moses sent messengers to the king of that place, asking that the children of Israel might pass through his country. They said, Let us pass, I pray thee. We will not go through the fields or vineyards, neither will we drink water from the wells. But we will go by the king's highway, and will not turn to the right hand or the left until we have passed thy borders.

The king of Edom sent word that they would have to fight their way through his country. The children of Israel said they would go by the highway; and would pay for the water that they or their cattle might drink, and would walk straight ahead. The king of Edom said they should not go through, and he sent out such a force of armed men that the children of Israel were compelled to turn back. And they came to Mount Hor.

The Lord spoke to Moses, and commanded him to bring Aaron and Eleazar, his son, up to the top of Mount Hor, and to strip off the garments of Aaron and put them on his son. For Aaron was to die there. And Moses did as the Lord commanded, and he and Aaron and Eleazar went up to Mount Hor in the sight of all the people. And Aaron died there in the top of the mount, and Moses and Eleazar came down together. And when the people heard that Aaron was dead, they mourned for him for thirty days. And Eleazar became high priest, and served in his father's place in the tabernacle.

As they could not cross the land of Edom in peace, they were forced to go round it, and on the way the children of Israel began to murmur again, and to find fault with Moses for bringing them out of the land of Egypt. For they were very tired and discouraged. But they were really finding fault with God, and to punish them he sent fiery serpents among them, to bite them. And many of the children of Israel died.

The bite of these serpents was like a fiery sting, and caused terrible suffering. And they begged Moses to pray the Lord to take away the serpents. And Moses prayed for the people.

And the Lord told Moses to make a great serpent of brass, and lift it up high on a pole so that all could see it. And

those who were bitten by the fiery serpents were to look up to the brazen serpent and they would at once be made well.

And Moses made a serpent of brass and put it on a pole, and if any one was bitten and looked up to this serpent he would not die.

This was to show that a Saviour was to be raised up, who would save us from the stings and pains of sin and death. We have but to look and live! That is, we are to look with the eyes of faith, believe in Him and trust in Him, and He will

help us to endure the pains of this life, and will take us at last to live with Him in heaven.

As the children of Israel drew near to Heshbon, Moses sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites and of Heshbon, and asked for permission to pass through his country. Sihon refused to let them pass, and gathered his armies together and went out and fought against the Israelites. But the Lord was with the children of Israel, and they overcame their enemies, and took possession of the land of the Amorites, where they dwelt for some time. The children of Israel next Moab, near the city of Jericho. had heard how the Israelites had conquered the Amorites, and driven them from their land. And he and his people were in great fear of the advancing host.

encamped on the plains of Balak, king of the Moabites,

There lived in Mesopotamia a man named Balaam, who had great skill in magic.

And Balak sent messengers to Balaam, and told him his fears. And he said, Come, and curse this people, for they are too mighty for me. And give me strength to drive them out of the land. For whom thou blessest is blessed, and whom thou cursest is cursed. This was giving to Balaam the power that belongs only to God.

The princes of Moab took money with them to reward Balaam, to whom they gave the messoge sent by Balak. Balaam said to them, Lodge here this night, and I will tell you in the morning what the Lord wills that I should do.

In the night God spoke to Balaam and said, What men are these with thee? Balaam answered that they had been sent by Balak, king of Moab, who desired him to come and curse the people that had been brought out of Egypt, so that he might have strength to overcome them.

God said to Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people whom I have blessed. So Balaam said to the princes, in the morning, Go back to your own land, for the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you. And they went and told this to Balak.

Balak sent messengers again to Balaam-princes of higher rank than those who had made the first visit-and they said

to the prophet, Thus saith Balak, the son of Zippor, Let nothing, I pray thee, hinder thee from coming unto me : for I will give thee great honors, and will do whatsoever thou sayest. Come, therefore, I pray thee, and curse this people for me.

Balaam said to the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go against the word of the Lord. Now, therefore, I pray you, stay here also this night, that I may know what more the Lord will say to me.