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yielded to Cleopatra's desire to
commit suicide in a grand mauso–
leum sbe had constructed that
"they might die together." Only
Cleopatra had no plan to commit
suicide. The unsuspecting Antony
died, leaving Cleopatra to seek
power from Augustus.
Augustus, however, refused to
yield to tbe cbarms of the beautiful
Cleopatra. He ended her life by
putting a poisonous viper to ber
bosom- at least that's how the sto–
ry goes.
Ah, the pathos of ancient love
stories!
Or maybe you recall the story of
Heleo of Troy. She was so alluring,
she is remembered as "the face that
launched a thousand ships."
As the story is told, the beautiful
Heleo ran off with the king of
Spa.rta. The jealous and enraged
Greek king led an expedition to
recapture bis wife.
You probably well remember the
final battle of that famous Trojan
war. It seemed to have cometo an
end when the Greeks withdrew
leaving behind a crude wooden
horse. Inside the horse were con–
cealed Greek warriors who, after
the horse was brought within the
city walls, opened the horse late at
night. The unsuspecting Trojans
were routed.
No clear tradition explains what
became of beautiful Helen over
whom tbe war was fought.
Then there is the mythological
story of Venus, wbo fell in love
with tbe handsome young Adonis.
But Mars, the god of war, was in
Iove with Venus. He sent a wild
boa.r to kili Adonis.
Pathos and tragedy accompany
so many of these Jove stories from
so long ago.
A Different Kind of Love Story
O.r maybe you think of one of the
biblical love stories. One of the best
known is the story of Isaac and
Rebekah. Abraham sent his servant
back to his own people to find a
wife for bis son, Isaac. Then follows
the beautiful story of Rebekah–
her total willingness to leave her
family and come to be a bride of a
man she had not met. The love
these two shared and their mar–
riage is one óf the most unusual
recorded in the Bible.
32
And who could ever forget the
touching story of Ruth? This \>eau–
tiful young Moabitess married into
a family of Judah, but after a short
time, her husband died. As a family
in a strange land, Ruth's motber–
in-law, then a widow herself,
decided to return to her home–
land.
Ruth normally would have
remained in her own country,
remarried and had a family. But
her love for her mother-in-law, for
the people sbe had come to Jove and
for the God of the Hebrew people
was so great she made the momen–
tous decision: "Your people shall
be my people, and your God my
God. Where you die,
J
will die, and
tbere will 1 be buried" (Ruth 1:16-
17).
Later, Ruth married into a
wealthy family in Judea. Three
generations later, her great-grand–
son, David, became king of Israel.
Another inspiring story is the
Iife of Esther. Sbe was one of the
most beautiful women in the days
of the Persian king Xerxes. Xerxes
searched the Jand for not only the
most beautiful, but the most
respectful woman in the kingdom.
Esther was selected to be the wife
of the great king. No one of the
king's closest advisers knew that
she was a Jewess. Meanwhile one
of the leading commanders under
Xerxes, Haman, had been devising
a plot to destroy the Jews.
But God used Esther and her
uncle, Mordecai , to turn the plot
against Haman-he was hanged on
the same gallows he had con–
structed for the purpose of hanging
Mordecai.
All because of the love, beauty
and respectful attitude of a truly
great woman
in
the king's court.
To this day the Jewisb people
celebrate the Feast of Purim as a
memorial to God' s intervention
through Esther more than 24 cen–
turies ago.
But of all these stories, you have
not yet beard the greatest of all love
stories.
It,
too, comes from the
Bible.
The Greatest Love Story
The story starts witb a young girl
who bad been abandoned. Alone,
unloved, hovering at death's door,
she was rescued by a compassionate
man who took her in. He began to
care and provide for her.
As the years went by s he
matured into a lovely young lady.
One day the man realized he had
fallen in Iove with her. The love be
had previously was only compassion
and concern. Now he had fallen
hopelessly in Iove-romantically.
Tbey were married.
He could not have been a better
husband. Desiring the best for bis
lovely bride, he provided the finest
quality clotbing, furs , imported
silks. He gave her gorgeous jew–
elry, fine gold necklaces and rings.
They enjoyed the best in food and
drink.
It
was simply the most fan–
tastic love and marriage possible.
But our story doesn't end here
with the proverbial "they lived hap–
pily eve.r after."
Tragedy struck the marriage.
As is too often the case, unsur–
passed beauty can result in vanity.
An abundance of material posses–
sions can result in greed. This once
abandoned and forsaken young lady
began to seek other lovers.
Shocked and heartsick, her hus–
band tried every way possible to
help change her ways. But having
tasted the forbidden fruit, she for–
sook the safety and love of her
borne and became nothing more
than a common prostitute. Sbe
sank to the lowest depths. Wbo
would have thought one could have
been so high, had so much and
thrown it all away?
Normally a prostitute is paid for
her· services. This beautiful woman
sank so low and became so immoral
she was paying her lovers instead.
There was no course of action
possible except divorce.
You may be wondering how this
story is " the greatest love story
ever told."
lt
seems so sorrowful–
so tragic. Well, the story is not
over.
In spite of aH the unfaithful wife
had done, the husband could not
belp loving her. She meant every–
thing to him. He did not choose to
seek another wife. He hoped
against hope she could turn from
her evil ways. Tbere were few signs
she ever would. In fact, she went
from bad to worse.
Years went by.
Years and years.
Then one day she began to reai-
The
PLAIN TRUTH