rejected because of their faithfulness to the truth. We will list the eleven scriptures and

will only make brief comments.

Exodus 10: 28. Moses pleaded with Pharaoh for the release of the children of Israel,

but in spite of the many plagues Pharaoh would not let them go. Before the last plague

Moses saw Pharaoh, and in the end his heart was again hardened and he refused to let the

people go. He told Moses to depart and not return, for otherwise he would be killed.

Moses agreed with Pharaoh, "I will see thy face no more". So Pharaoh rejected the word

of the Lord and he also rejected Moses.

Numbers 24: 11. Balak was king of the Moabites. He had heard of the defeat of

the Amorites and that Israel had taken over their land. Also that Og, king of Bashan, was

defeated and killed. When the children of Israel moved forward and pitched in the plains

of Moab, Balak was terrified, and he decided to approach Balaam for help. He was

requested to curse Israel, so that in battle Moab could defeat them. We read that "the

elders of Moab departed with the rewards of divination in their hand" (Numb. 22: 7).

God told Balaam not to go with these messengers, neither should he curse Israel for God

had blessed them. Balaam did go with the men, and many efforts were made to persuade

Balaam to curse Israel. There is also the story of the donkey who spoke to Balaam, see

Numb. 22:-24: In trying to persuade Balaam, Balak said, "Let nothing, I pray thee,

hinder thee from coming unto me: for I will promote thee unto very great honour ...".

Each time Balaam was asked to curse the people, he blessed them, and in the end Balak

lost patience with Balaam. Balak said "I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold,

thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee thou to thy place:

I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from

honour". So, although Balaam took some risks in not obeying the Lord--he did go with

the messengers--Balaam did maintain a true witness in blessing Israel. So he and his

message were rejected by Balak, and he did not receive the promised honour from Balak.

I Kings 13: 4.  Jeroboam, king of Israel, made two golden calves and set one of

them up in Bethel. He ordained a feast and made offerings on the altar and burnt incense.

A man of God came from Judah to Bethel and cried against the altar. He said that the

priests of the high places would be offered on that altar. As a sign that this would

happen, he said the altar would be rent and the ashes poured out. Jeroboam heard what

the man of God had said and held up his hand against the man, crying "Lay hold on him".

His hand dried up and he could not move it. Then the altar was rent and the ashes poured

out. Afterwards, Jeroboam asked the man of God to intreat the Lord for him that his

hand be restored, and the king's hand was restored. The king offered a reward which the

man of God refused.

Jeroboam at first did not believe the word of the Lord and was going to punish God's

servant; but the judgment of God, in causing his hand to wither, preserved the man of

God. Nevertheless, the first reaction was the rejection of the word of God and the man of