Episode 225: The Family Altar Audio Devotional – Day 191

Episode Summary:

When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not slack to pay it: for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee; and it would be sin in thee. But if thou shalt forbear to vow, it shall be no sin in thee. That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform; even a freewill offering, according as thou hast vowed unto the Lord thy God, which thou hast promised with thy mouth. (Deuteronomy 23:21-23)

6 I read a little story some time ago about blind Bartimaeus. He’d said that… I don’t know, it perhaps was fiction. But it said that he begged at the gate of Jericho. And he was a married man, and he had a little girl of about twelve years old. And he had never been able to see this little girl. And when he… If you set by the gate and had nothing for an enchantment to attract the attention of the—the people who passed by, it was much harder to get a coin.

As we see today, they’ll play a instrument or do something. Recently in India, oh, they have a—a cobra snake that they want to blow a little whistle to charm him, or—or a little monkey to beat them with a stick like they’re getting a whipping or something, something to attract the attention.

7 Blind Bartimaeus, they said, had two little turtledoves that turned little tumbles over each other. And that would attract the attention of the passer-by.

And also in this day, we find that a blind person is led by a dog that’s trained to take them across the street. I just forget what they call that. (What? Seeing eye.) In those days, instead of having a trained dog, they had a trained sheep that led them.

And said that one night, Bartimaeus’ wife took real sick. And he went along the side of the house and knelt down after the doctor had left and said that he didn’t know what to do for her. And he prayed to God, and he said, “Lord, if You’ll just let my dear precious wife get well, I promise You that I will take these two turtledoves and offer them to You for a sacrifice.” And his wife got well.

8 Some time later, that his little daughter got sick, very seriously ill with a fever. And he went out the side of his house again and prayed, and said, “Lord, I don’t have nothing left but my lamb. And if You’ll just let my baby live, I promise You that I’ll take my lamb and give it as a sacrifice upon the altar.” And as the little story goes, that his daughter got well.

On his road up to the church to offer the sacrifice, he met the priest. And he said, “Where goest thou, blind Bartimaeus?”

He said, “Priest, I go to the temple of the Lord to give my lamb for a sacrifice.”

And the priest said, “Bartimaeus, thou cannot give this lamb. I’ll… This lamb is your eyes. I’ll give you the money to buy you a lamb. You go to the stalls and—and buy a lamb and offer it, because this lamb is your eyes.”

Blind Bartimaeus said, “I am grateful to thee for this kindness that you’re willing to show to me. But, you see, I never offered God a lamb, I offered Him this lamb.”

“Well,” he said, “you can’t do that, because this lamb is your eyes.”

He said, “Oh, servant of the Lord, if I will only keep my promise to God, God will provide a lamb for my eyes.”

And how true that is. If we’ll just keep our promise to God, our vows, and go to our leadings.

59-0408 – “Blind Bartimaeus”
Rev. William Marrion Branham

Order your own copy of the Family Altar at http://store.bibleway.org