<TITLE>05. Par 15-18</TITLE>L-15 And it must have been a--a rather a chilly afternoon, nothing had been stirring through the day; the people had all been inside the city, and nothing had been stirring. And he gets up, I can see him as he moves over to the direct rays of the Syrian sun as it--against the wall of the city. Setting about a hundred yards from where he was, he felt his way over, being blind. And as he set down, he continued what he was thinking. He said, "Now, I'm in the sunlight, so I'll continue my thinking."
You know, it's good to kinda get alone and think things over once in a while. It's good for you to do it. And he continued, he was thinking what great tragedy had struck him. And how could he, being a son of Abraham, and all this tragedy happen? Just how could it be?
If he'd only knew, the Bible says, "All things work together for good to them that love God." So how--he being a son of Abraham and could be in this condition... He remembered no more than six weeks ago, one night, of his darling wife who loved him, very devoted to him at his little home; she'd taken sick.
And the doctor had come out to examine her, and he said, "Bartimaeus, I'm sorry to tell you, but there is nothing that I know of in the line of scientific research today that can take the fever off of your wife. And if this fever keeps raging, she'll probably be dead by morning."
And as the doctor left and--and Bartimaeus said, "Doctor, I'll--I'll pay you if--if--if I could beg a little money. You know, doctor, I'm a beggar."
And the kind hearted gentleman said, "Well, that's all right, Bartimaeus."

L-16 And he moved his way out of the house, not letting his beloved wife know what had happened, he went along the side of the building and knelt down in the great Palestinian moonlight, which is beautiful. And not being able to see, not being able to get far from the house, 'cause he had to feel his way back. He raised his hands and said, "Jehovah, I love Thee, and if Thou will just let my precious wife live, I have two little turtle doves that I attract the attention of the tourists as they pass by; they do little tumbles over each other. And that attracts attention. I get an alm from them." Because there's many beggars in the land then. And the first man coming out of a morning, they didn't have too much money, and he'd give the first beggar an alm. Well, that just about settled it for the day.
"But if You'll let my wife get well, I will go to the temple and give You these two turtle doves as a sacrifice." Well, in God's grace, she got well. He offered the turtle doves.

L-17 Just a few weeks later, he had to call the doctor again for a lovely little girl, his daughter. How sweet she was. She'd come in at nighttime when her blind daddy would come home, and set on his lap, and stroke his whiskered face, say, "Daddy, I--I love you."
He'd say, "Oh, darling, if... Rachel, if I could only see you. How do you look, honey?"
And she'd say, "Well, mother says I'm pretty; I have black hair and black eyes."
"Oh, you look like your mother did."
"Aw," she said, "Now, you--now you're trying to flatter me."
So then, when she got sick, he went out and prayed to Jehovah, and said, "Jehovah, I only have one thing left. And if You'll let my little girl get well, I promise You that I'll give You tomorrow, my lamb." And his girl got better.

L-18 And the next day he was on his road to see the--to see the priest and to offer the offering. And when the priest saw him, he said, "Where goest thou, blind Bartimaeus?"
And he said, "Oh, priest, I go to the sacrifice to offer my lamb."
"Oh," he said, "you cannot do this, oh, Bartimaeus." Said, "I'll give you money to buy a--a lamb."
He said, "But priest, I never told God I'd give Him a lamb. I told Him I'd give Him this lamb."
See, children, how real it is. You must keep your promise to God. Even in your little young days, when you make a promise to God, keep your promise. No matter how hard it seems, you keep it anyhow. You be true to God.


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