This state of things went on for some time, and, though a thief was caught now and then and punished, no suspicion ever fell on Hok Lee, he was such a very respectable, hard-working man. True, he worked hard enough by day, but at night, when all respectable folk were fast asleep, he used to steal out and join a dangerous band of robbers, who broke into rich people's houses and carried off all they could lay hands on.
'What an excellent industrious man is this Hok Lee!' said his neighbors 'how hard he works: he never leaves his house to amuse himself or to take a holiday as others do!'īut Hok Lee was by no means the virtuous person his neighbors thought him. He was a steady industrious man, who not only worked hard at his trade, but did all his own house-work as well, for he had no wife to do it for him. There once lived in a small town in China a man named Hok Lee. Today’s story is The Story of Hok Lee and the Dwarfs from Andrew Lang’s Green Fairy Book. I’m Susan Poulter, a Librarian at the Main Library.
Hello, and welcome to Family Folktales from the Nashville Public Library. As Paul wrote to his friend Timothy: "Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing" (1 Timothy 4:8).This story can be found in Andrew Lang’s Green Fairy Book.
But we know that it will be a wonderful time for those longing to see Jesus. We don't know if that will be today or a thousand years from now. There should be an expectant edge to our lives, as we wait for the day when our hopes are realized. If we're awake, we won't be surprised by a thief in the night. In that same letter, Paul said, "So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled" (1 Thessalonians 5:6). Just as thieves arrive unexpectedly, Jesus will return without warning.įor early Christians, the idea that their Lord was coming back was an exciting one. There will be no Mayan calendars announcing the end of the world. There will be no billboards along the highway. So he tells them: It will be like a thief in the night. He didn't want them trying to calculate dates nor decipher times. Paul had just written to these believers about Jesus' return, but he didn't want them worrying about when that would be. This man, named Paul, wrote: "Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2). People around them were talking about the timing of the end of the world, and he wanted to reassure them that the rumors they were hearing were not true. Years ago, a man of God felt the need to comfort some of his friends. I don't question the sincerity of the people who put those signs up, but I'm convinced they're wrong. You may have seen the billboards along the side of the road. Some people think they have figured out exactly when that will be. Christians have been waiting for His return ever since. At that time, his followers were told, "This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). Forty days after being raised from the dead, Jesus Christ was taken to heaven.
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