Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-10-19
STONES OF MEMORIAL.
LESSON III, FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TERNATlONAL SERIES, OCT. 81.

Text of the Lesson, Josh. ~. 1O-e4-Com-
NIT Verses 2O-2e-Golden Text, Josh.
Nv, ee-Commcntary by Rev. d. NJ.
Stearns.
| CONDENSED from Lesson Helper Quarterly, by
permission of II s. Hoffman, Philadelphia
publisher
In the first chapter of this book we saw
Joshua encouraged; in the second, the two
spies received and protected by Rahab, and
| bringing to Joshua further encouragement;
in the third, the preparations for the cross
ing of the Jordan and the actual passing
over; and now in the fourth we have a more
full account Of the passing over, with the
details concerning the twelve stones. In some
Of our hymns we sing about Jordan as if it
were symbol of death, and as if Canaan
represented heaven but very little thought
would show us that the fact that in Canaan
there were many enemies to be subdued and
much fighting to be done proves that it was
not symbol of heaven, nor the Jordan a
symbol of death.
TO- 1.-THE priests which bore the ark stood
in the midst of Jordan until everything was
finished that the Lord commanded joshua"
Anything unfinished Is impossible with God,
and all that he has purposed shall in due time
be fully accomplished. Jesus said before he
was crucifled: II have finished the work
which thou gavest me to do" and one of his
last words on the cross was: sit is finished"
John xvii, a; xix, 30.) All that the Father
has given Him shall come to Him; all Israel
shall be saved; all the earth shall be filed
with His glory; the works of the devil shall
all be destroyed the Kingdom shall come
and the will of God be done on earth as in
| heaven.
"The people hasted and passed over" The
commands of God ought to be obeyed cheer
fully and very promptly; it is not for us to
say tomorrow, or time enough, but today is
the word both for sinner and saint.
IL. ''All the people were clean passed over"
Three times do we find the last three words
of this expression Tvs. 1, II, and oh. i'll, ~,
and the word 'clean" is precisely the same as
the word finished" in verse 10, SO that the
thought of a complete work is kept constantly
before us. What rest 1t should give our souls
when we remember that though now SO i'm
perfect He will perfect that which concerneth
all His people and present us faultless before
the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
and not one thing shall fail Of all He has
undertaken to do; all shall be accomplished
IL, Is. Forty thousand prepared for war
passed over before the Lord unto battle -
These were of the two and a half tribes who
received their inheritance in the days of
Moses on the east of Jordan but they had
agreed not to enjoy their inheritance till they
had helped their brethren to cast out the
enemies on the west side (Num. xxi, 90
49, and only when the land was possessed
and tho enemy subdued did they return to
enjoy their possessions. Josh. xxi, 10y As
believers we are expected to be one with oil
! our brethren in Christ, armed with the whole
armor of God, resisting and conquering our
common adversaries, the world, the flesh and
the devil.
IA. 1.-THE Lord magnifed Joshua in the
sight of all Israel" He was the Lords repre-
sentative, and as the people moved forward
at his command and saw the mighty power
of the Lord through him, they had to con
fess that the God of Moses was with Joshua
and SO they feared or reverenced him as they
did Moses, and the Lord magnifed Joshua by
working through him. God has magnifec
His son Jesus, and will magnify Him before
! all nations, for "all kings shall fall down be
.. fore Him, all nations shall serve Him" II
we determine that Christ shall be magnifeC
in us and yield ourselves to Him accordingly
He will magnify us here by working in u.
His mighty works, and at His coming by
making us just like Himself
Is, 10. Command the priests that they
come up out of Jordan" and this at the com
: mand of the Lord to Joshua How strang,
it seems that they were not left to their owl
! judgment as to when and how to do som,
+, things, lut no, everything must be at thu
command of the Lord. One of the stranges
: things to me in all the Bible is that the Lor,
: Jesus himself was commanded by the Fathe
r what to say, and the Father who dwelt il
T, Him did His works John xii, 40; xiv, 10.
= II. IS. 1.-THE waters of Jordan returned
unto their place, and flowed over all hi
banks, as before" Not until the feet of tn
!, priests were up on the dry land did tho water
I return to their place. Most thoroughly an,
I perfectly does God do all things, and at til
J. right time and in the best way; it is JUS
! glorious to trust and obey Him.
! 10. 1.-THE people came up out of Jordan o
the tenth day of the first month" This wa
the day on which the passover Lamb wa
: chosen (Ex. xii, 81, and as they kept the pas:
over on the fourteenth day ". l0, the
must have selected the lambs on the very da
on which they came up out of Jordan, thei
first day in the promised land This is tn
third passover OF which we have any account
Note the truths for the believer: Redemptio
from bondage by the Lamb lex. xiii; til
only joy in the wilderness is in the Lam
is in the Lamb; ell things in Christ. nothin
apart from Him; Jesus, our wisdom, RICH
eousness, sanctification and redemption.
; 90. Those twelve stones" These stone
? shall be for a memorial unto the children
Israel forever ". ~ A nation chosen I
make God n name, chosen to be His peopl
forever Il Chr. xvii, 81, 22), that throug
them His name may be maGnfed. The
were in themselves weak and sinful and IL
d fswest of all people, but God redeemed then
d led them, fed them, clothed them, fought fc
&c them, forgave them when they sinned again
10 Him, and gave them this land that the
N might honor Him and magnify His nam
10 keeping in memory all His dealings wit
10 them. In addition to the lessons from Il
lc twelve stones, to which we have already r
e ferred, the faithful among them would ofte
Ie think of 1.-THE Shepherd, the stone Of lsrae
'r Gen. xix, 2N and the twelve preciol
of stones ever borne upon the shoulders an
/ breast of the High Priest would constant
d speak to them Of their nearness to God, ar
n, His love for, and care of them.
~ ~ LII No