Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-10-26
THE FALL OF JERICHO.
LESSON ", FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TERNATloNAL SERIES, OCT. %.


ri, 3o-Commcntary by Rev. ID. NJ.
Stearns
condensed from Lesson Helper Quarterly, by
permission Of II. S. Hoffman, Philadelphia,
publisher
When the power of the Lord was seen on
behalf of His people, then the hearts of their
enemies failed them and there was no spirit
left in them ". y. Because there is so
little of the power of God manifest today on
behalf of His people, by reason Of their I'M
belief, therefore the enemies Of God are rebel
lious and dcspise His people As soon as the
nation had crossed the Jordan and entered
the land Joshua caused to he circumcised all
who had been born since they had left Egypt,
and then they kept tho passover on the four.
teenth day of the month; thus with the re-
proach of Egypt rolled away, and living in
obedience to God, they were ready to go up
and possess the land, overcoming all OBJ
staclea They had also eaten OF the 1ruit Of
the land, tho mama having ceasol, and
thus they were strengthened for victory ",
9-l9. Another most interesting and i'm
portant incident is recorded in the closing
verses of the fifth chapter, rs u last prepare
ton for their moving forward Joshua, 10y
Jericho, secs a man over against him with
drawn sword in his hand, and approaches
him with the questions art thou for US or
for our adversariesP The reply is; GAS
captain of the host of the Lord am | now
come" viii Joshua submit tO he ruled over
and dictated to by another, or will he assert
his dignity and reply that he himself is cap
tain of this host2 Blessed servant of the
Lord, he falls on his face and worships and
says, in meek subsection and obedience:
NTaripb, CT IL rb1t A - 70,
say, you cannot enter here, nor think to scale
these walls for we are too strong for you.
But there was one house in the city from
whose window hung scarlet thread and in
which was gathered a company of those
who feared and trusted in the God of Israel.
Blessed household of faith and precious sure
token of the scarlet line. (See ii, 1921; vi,
a2-25) This present evil world is as GER
tainly doomed to judgment as was the city
Of Jericho, and although it may shut itself
mp in its fanccd self security, the time draws
near when it shall be said "comc. my people,
enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy
doors about thee hide thysolf as it were
FOR little moment, until the indignation be
overpast; for behold, the Lord comcth out
Of His place, to punish the inhabitants Of the
earth for their iniquity." Usa- XVI, 20, 21)
In the days of Noah the world that then was
btlu5 ONtI il'N''l WIN NdltI. IeIlsltt, Duu
This present world is reserved unto fire
against the day of Judgment and perdition
Of ungodly men. III Pet iii, G, ~ In the
days of Noah they were self indulgent, alb
sorbed in business, and comfortably settled
in a doomed world, all indifferent to
the Righteousness required or the judgments
threatened. So also was it in Sodom in the
days of Lot, and just SO WA it in Jericho.
:. "Sec, | have given into thine hand Jer-
ichO." Thus said the captain of the Lords
host to Joshua, and this captain was none
other than the Lord Himself the same who
said to the Father concerning Ills followers:
The glory which Thou gavest Me | have
given them John xvii. 22': and who says
TO US: "All things are yours; We are my
witnesses; go ye, therefore; 10, | am with
you" We have only to thankfully receive
gladly enjoy and hasten to possess fully the
land Of our Inheritance, that thus We may
glorify God and honor His name. We have
no right to see or fear difficulties Of any
kind, for He who is with Us, whose we arc
and whom We represent is the Lord God Al
might, maker of heaven and earth, the Lord
Jesus Christ, once dead but now alive for
eyerInorc, having The keys Of Iladcs and of
death.
If as believers in Christ We do not enjoy
the riches Of His Grace while we wait for the
riches of His Glory, what can il Ice on our
part but pure unbeieft And are we not
thereby false witnesses, nd guilty Of great
ingratitude.
3-5, Here are instructions clear and simple
for the seen days, and the result of their
obedience is plainly stated to be the fall of
Jericho, not 10y their power or might but by
the direct hand Of God. The men of war,
numbering over 900 (Num. XVI, 81 were
to compass the city once day for six days,
and on the seventh day they were to do it
seven times; seven priests each with
trumpet OF rams hcrp, were to preccde the
ark of the covenant, blowing their trumpets,
the armed men going first: but until the
sey ,nth time on the seventh day there was
no sound of a human voice to be heard ".
TO- nothing but the sound Of the rams horns
blown by the seven priests who marched be-
fore the Ark.
Gil. As the Lord commanded Joshua so
he commanded the people; nothing added,
nothing left out; he was simply Gods mouth
piece, Gods obedient servant, doing His will
walking in Ills ways. The central object in
the great procession was the Ark of the
Lord and the only sound was that Of the
seven trumpctS; $50 the Ark Of the Lord
compassel the city, going about it once.p
Thus they did the first day and returned and
lodged in the camp at Gllgdl The place Of
rolling away the reproach O Egypt, keeping
the passover and submitting to the glorious
Captain, is the only place to start out from
each morning and return TO each evening;
the flesh rccEoued dead, mot l but Christ; -
the blood cleansing Jesus Himself satisfying,
and our bodies living sacrifice into Him
each daE aud hour; this j. the starting place
in the morning and the resting place i'm the
evening, and q, We e, forth each day it is to
bear the Ark aud blow the trumpet; or like
Gideon's tnrc. hundred lat tie li5.. 8. .ncand
blow the trumpet; in other words, bear
Christ about cyerywhcto AMI sound
forth Ills praises as RcJoauor AMI King.
ELI "Aud the second day they com
passed the city once and Ie.uIool 3.o the
camp; SO they did six days" ..as TO Same
order of march, just the same solemn pro
cession, the blowing of trmn,e tao only
sound heard, and the same quiet return 10
Gilra1 NItuDut aDr1rlutlv 1u,- raeul+s I,t