The Horse

In the fifth chapter of Judges you will find this verse. "Then were the horse-hoofs broken by themeans of the prancings, the prancings of their mighty ones." And it seems likely from this, thatit was not the custom to shoe horses in those days, so that their hoofs were more easily broken.

They had horses in Egypt in very ancient times, as you will find if you read the first part of thebook of Exodus. You will see there how the children of Israel escaped from Egypt, after theyhad been kept in hard bondage a great many years; and how when they had gone only a shortdistance, the wicked king Pharaoh went after them to try to get them back. There was a greatcompany of the Israelites, men, women and children; they had nothing to ride on, and had theirflocks and herds with them, so that they could not go very fast. They took the course which Goddirected, and it brought them to the Red Sea, where there were neither boats nor bridges forthem to go over.

Just then they heard that Pharaoh and his army were coming after them. Some came in chariotsof war, and of these there were six hundred drawn by horses; and a great many more came onhorseback. Now what could these people do? If they went on, they would be drowned; and if they went back, or stayed where they were, they would fall into the hands of the Egyptians. Godtold them not to be afraid, for he would take care of them; so he divided the waters of the sea,and made a dry road for them to go through, while the water stood up like a wall on each side ofthem. Then the Egyptians followed on, and God let the waters flow down upon them, so thatthey were all drowned. Think what a sight it must have been, when the chariots, and horses, andmen, were all surrounded by that great, mighty water, and then sunk down one after another, sothat they could be seen no more. The children of Israel sang a psalm of praise after God hadsaved them in this wonderful manner, and these words are a part of it: "Sing ye to the Lord, forhe hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea."

In one of the last chapters in the Old Testament you will find these words, "In that day shallthere be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD." This speaks of a timewhich has not yet come, but for which christians are looking, when this world will not be wickedas it now is; but when every thing, even the bells of the horses, shall be holy unto the Lord.

Return to Table of Contents