ool, and too light a shekel-weight in the
smaller balance with the silver.

THE HARD SIDE OF SHEPHERD LIFE

The most precious and uncertain thing in the shepherd's life was
water. If in the rainy season the rains were heavy, and the wells and
brooks did not dry up too soon in the summer, they had plenty of
goat's milk for food, and could bring plenty of wool to market in the
fall. But if the rains were scant their flocks perished, and actual
famine and death stared them in the face. In the dry years many were
the tribes that were almost totally wiped out by famine and the
diseases that sweep away hungry men. The next year, on the site of
their last camp, strangers would find the bones of men and women and
little children, whitening by the side of the trail. No wonder they
looked upon wells and springs as sacred. Surely, they thought, a god
must be the giver of those life-giving waters that bubble up so
mysteriously from the crevices in the rock.

=War with other tribes.=--In addition to their constant struggle to
make a living from a somewhat barren land, these shepherds were almost
constantly in danger from human enemies. A small, weak tribe, grazing
its flocks around a good well, was always in danger lest a stronger
tribe swoop down upon them to kill and plunder. There were many robber
clans who did little else besides preying on their neighbors and
passing caravans of traders. Nowhere was there any security. The
desert and its borders was a world of bitter hatreds and long-standing
feuds. Certain rival tribes fought each other at every opportunity for
centuries with a warfare that hesitated at no cruelty or treachery.

DESERT RELIGION

Such a life of eager longings, fierce passions, and dark despair is a
fertile soil for religion. And these early Hebrew shepherds were
intensely religious. It is true that in the earliest days the
fierceness and cruelty of their wars were reflected in the character
of the gods in whom they believed. They thought of them as doing many
cruel and selfish things. Yet a people who believe very deeply and
seriously in their religion, even in an imperfect religion, are sure
to be a force in the world. Hence it is not surprising that three of
the world's greatest religions, Judaism, Christianity, and
Mohammedanism, arose at different times among the wandering shepherds
of Arabia.

STUDY TOPICS

It would be well to keep a notebook in which to write the result of
your study.

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