LITTLE BANBEE | AdventAI

International Tract and Missionary Society · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 1889

LITTLE BANBEE.

Away off across the Atlantic Ocean there once lived a little girl named Banbee. She was taught to believe that there is a God, and to pray; but it was not the way you have been taught. Her people had a piece of wood made into an image and kept it right in their house; and when they prayed, they would go and talk to it.

What do we call people who trust in idols, worship them, and pray to them? Yes, they are heathen; but you will see that although little Banbee was a heathen, there was something good in her heart, and perhaps there are some boys and girls in our country who are in the sight of the Lord as much heathen as she was.

The god that Banbee worshiped had long, stiff arms, and crooked legs, and a frightful looking face, with great eyes that always stared at the wall opposite where it stood. If you should see a man that looked as it did, you would be very much afraid of him. But what do you think little Banbee would do? She would go close up to this ugly image, and take it some of the nicest things she had for a present, and sometimes instead of eating her dinner, even when she was very hungry, she would carry it to her god, just as though it could eat and would be pleased to get her dinner; and then she thought that would make her a better girl, and her god would not be angry with her. She would pray to it, but you know it could not hear one word she said. If you could see little Banbee, what would you like to tell her? Do you think of anything in the Bible that you could tell her, so that she could know that it is wrong to make images and pray to them, and that a wooden god could neither hear nor help her? Some little boy or girl is thinking of one of the ten commandments, and we will listen now to hear you tell which one it is, and what it says.

But long ago some people disobeyed this commandment. Their children and grandchildren did the same, and so on, till whole nations forgot about the living God, and all made gods for themselves, some of gold, some of silver, some of stone or wood. Now if you will read in Ps. 115 and Isa. 44:9–17, you will find something more about these gods.

Little Banbee thought the wooden god could do anything she asked of it. Once she cut her finger with a piece of glass; it hurt her very much, and the blood came so fast she was frightened, ran to the image, and prayed it to cure her finger. But how could a piece of wood made into a frightful image help her any more than it could when it was a tree out in the woods? Her hand kept swelling, and soon was very sore, and her whole arm was full of pains. Then she would take the little sick hand in the well one, and put it on the stiff fingers of the image, and then hold it up before the staring eyes, and say in her language words which mean, “See, see, help poor Banbee,” but the poor child was all the time getting worse and worse.

She had never heard of the right way to take care of a sick hand like hers. She believed that her idol god knew about her pain, and could help her; that was her faith, but she did not believe right, did she? This shows you that it is not enough really and truly to believe something, but the Lord wants us to believe the right way. Then we ought to be very thankful that the Lord has given us the Bible, so that we may know what to believe in order to have the right faith, don’t you think so, children?

But you are waiting to hear what became of Banbee. While she was crying with pain, and begging her god to cure her, a kind lady who went from place to place doing missionary work, was going past the little house where Banbee was, and when she heard the child crying, she went in. Then she was very glad she had found this little sufferer, for she could talk with her in her own language, and she said to her, “I am your friend.” And while she bathed the sick hand and arm, she told her why the wooden god did not help her. Could you tell her why? and how could you know why, if you had never heard of the Bible? Think about this.

The lady told her, too, about Jesus, and that he knew all about her, and would hear her when she prayed to him, because he is alive in heaven, and he loved her and could save just such little girls as she. Banbee had not many friends, and she thought if Jesus would be such a friend as that, she would believe in him and love him. She was very happy thinking about it.

Sometimes she would go after this, and pray to the wooden image, for you see she had been taught, ever since she could remember anything, to believe in it, and she had believed with all her heart that it could help her. What a sad mistake! But Banbee had many visits with the Christian lady, and at last she came to love Jesus alone, and not to pray to the image any more. Then she would tell how she thanked and loved the good friends away across the water who sent this missionary to them.

Now, dear children, do you see that while you are thankful that you have the Bible, and have been taught to love the true God, there is something for you to do besides feeling thankful? Just think of the many, many little boys and girls both in this country and in foreign lands, who, like little Banbee, do not love the true God, nor try to please him. Some of them never saw a wooden god, nor one made of gold, or silver, or stone, but they love and serve idols just as really as did this little girl. Will you think of some ways in which they do this, and of what you can do to help them to love the God of heaven? Will you think, too, whether any of you love anything instead of the God who made you, and who loves you more than you can understand?