Harriet Tubman, like the Syrophoenician...
Illustration
Harriet Tubman, like the Syrophoenician woman in this story, was an outcast. She had no rich history associated with the covenant promises of Israel. Being a black slave was bad enough, but one day Harriet heard that she was going to be separated from her family and friends in Maryland and sold to a plantation owner in the deep South.
But Harriet was a determined woman. She prayed that she would find a way to escape. She learned that the Underground Railroad, a secret route to the North, had "conductors" who were willing to help slaves escape.
What a risk. If she happened to be caught running away, she would be severely beaten or maybe something even worse. But the desire to be free burned within her. She waited for the opportune time. Singing a song, she conveyed to her family that she had not been sold but was planning to run away.
That night she set off in the moonlight, looking for a Quaker woman's house nearby. It would be the first stop on the Underground Railroad. She had heard Quakers did not believe in slavery. She could hardly believe it, but she found a warm welcome and acceptance from a true disciple of Jesus.
-- Hasler
But Harriet was a determined woman. She prayed that she would find a way to escape. She learned that the Underground Railroad, a secret route to the North, had "conductors" who were willing to help slaves escape.
What a risk. If she happened to be caught running away, she would be severely beaten or maybe something even worse. But the desire to be free burned within her. She waited for the opportune time. Singing a song, she conveyed to her family that she had not been sold but was planning to run away.
That night she set off in the moonlight, looking for a Quaker woman's house nearby. It would be the first stop on the Underground Railroad. She had heard Quakers did not believe in slavery. She could hardly believe it, but she found a warm welcome and acceptance from a true disciple of Jesus.
-- Hasler
