THERE was a king named Balak, whose land the Israelites were to pass through. They promised not to do any harm to him or his people, if they might go quietly through; but he was afraid and angry, and wanted to have them cursed, hoping to bring God's anger on them. That was a very wicked and foolish notion of King Balak's; and God would not let it bring harm upon His people. They had not deserved to have His anger called down on them, and so He would not be angry with them. And when Balak's friend Balaam tried to speak curses, God turned them all to blessings; and, instead of saying they should come to a terrible end, he could only say how happy and well off they should be, with God to take care of them, and be their King. He even went on to say that a Star should come out of Jacob, and a Sceptre should rise out of Israel--and that meant that our Saviour should be born among them. He is called a Star, because He came to give us light; and you know a star showed the way to the place where He was born. And a sceptre is the rod a king carries in his hand. So when He was called the Sceptre, it meant that He should be a King. Only think how angry Balak was, when Balaam could not curse, but only blessed. I wish he had been afraid, and seen it was not God's will that he should hurt the Israelites; but instead of that, he went on in his wickedness, and was miserably killed at last; for God took care of His people, and would let no one do them any harm. Now, recollect, bad words and bad wishes do harm to the person that speaks them, not to those they are meant for. If a bad boy came and abused a steady one for going to church, or saying his prayers, it would be very bad for himself; but if the good boy kept on quietly, nothing that the other could say would hurt him one bit. God would take care of him as surely as He took care of the Israelites. QUESTIONS. 1. What did Balak want? 2. Why did he want the Israelites to be cursed? 3. Whom did he set to curse the Israelites? 4. But what did Balaam do instead? 5. Why could he not curse them? 6. Who would not let him curse them? 7. Who was to be born among them? 8. What did Balaam call our Saviour? 9. Why was He like a star? 10. Why was He like a sceptre? 11. Could Balak hurt the Israelites? 12. Why not? 13. Whom do bad words hurt? 14. Ought we to mind them? 15. If anyone teazes you when you try to be good, must you leave off? [Illustration] THIRD READING. "The people did eat, and bowed down to their gods."--_Numbers 25:2._ YOU heard how Balaam went to Balak; and how God made him bless the children of Israel when he wanted to curse them. But even this did not make Balaam good. He wanted Balak to give him a reward; and so he told him that though no harm could happen to the people of Israel while they were good and worshipped their God, yet if he could make them do something wicked, and turn away from their God, then God would be sure to punish them.