Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1888-09-01
THE TRIP OF TIE SPIES.
LESSON X, THIRD QUARTER, IN
TERNATloNAL SERIES, SEPT. 2.

Commit Verses So-3e-GoIden Text,
Mum. Kill, so-Commentary by Rev. ID.
M. Stearns.
condensed from Lesson Helper Quarterly. by
permission of II. s. Hoffman, Philadelphia.
publisherl
This lesson. which records the sending
OF the twelve spies TO search out the
land before entering into it. might wen
be entitled ''the sad work of unbelef:n
for although we are told that Moses sent
them, and in the first and second verses
that 'sthe Lord spake unto Moses. SAYING
send thou men," yet the reason of this send
ing is seen from Deut. i, %, to be because the
people demanded it. The word of the Lord
was, Behold, / have set the land before you.
go in and possess the land which the Lord
sware unto your fathers Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob, to give unto them, and to their seed
after them" Deut. /. S-3n; SO the only thing
for faith to do was to go up and possess it,
l1-2O These verses give us the instruc-
tions of Moses to the twelve spies ere they
set forth. There was one from each tribe,
every one ruler, all heads of the children
OF Israel Ns 2, 81 1t does seem to be a
small, mean business in which they were
about TO engage, to see whether the land were
good or bad, fat or lean, well wooded or not.
Ii some father or mother should plan a gift
OF great value for their children, the very
best and most appropriate that their love
could suggest or devise, it would surely not
be very fiattering to the parents or credit
able to the children if the latter should wish
TO examine the gift before consenting to ac-
cept it.
81, "A. This is the record of their iour-
ney and their search. Yin and Rehob were
the southern and northern boundaries tJosh.
XIV, /; xix, 2S); so they went through the
whole land to the extreme north. Hebron or
Mamre was Abrahams tenting ground, where
he built an altar unto the Lord after Lot was
separated from him Gen. xiii, 1S) there. also.
the Lord and His angels appeared to him as
he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day.
and rested themselves under the tree while
they partoook of the food prepared by Abra-
ham and Sarah Gen. XVIII; and there Sarah
died and was buried in the cave of Mach
pelah Gen. xiii, 2-l9. In that cave lay
the bodies of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and
Rebekah, Jacob and Leah Gen xix. 29-3D:
it is about twenty miles south of Jerusalem,
and about half way to Beersheba. What a
privilege to visit such place! Had these
have been strengthened by the remembrance
of the promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
1t is evident that Caleb never forgot this
visit TO Hebron, for forty-five years later he
asks and receives from Joshua this same
Hebron for his inheritance, nothing daunted
by the fact that the Ana1ims were still there
and that the cities were great and fenced,
but saying, s'if the Lord be with me | shall
be able to drive them out" Josh. xiv. 1O-l5)
25-27 They returned after forty days.
Some time we shall see more than we do now
of the significance of that wonderful number
forty. We think at once of Moses in the
mount with God, Elijah visiting the same
mount, Jesus in the wilderness With the wild
beasts, the period between His resurrection
and ascension, and the many other forties of
the Scriptures; but who has seen the depths
of significance in any of themg
Surely it foweth with milk and honey.
and this is the fruit of it" Just as God had
said, truly good land, and they had moth
ing to do but march up at His command and
possess and enjoyit. Itwas His gift to them.
Their part was to obey and take it. He
brought them out, that He might bring
them in and give them the land which He
sware unto their fathers Deut. vi, 23.
Abundance of peace, fullness of Joy, rivers
of pleasures, green pastures, waters of quiet
ness, quiet resting places-these are some of
the fruits of or privileges of the Christian
life which we ought constantly to enjoy, and
thus give good report of the redeemed land
and of Him who brought us there.
2S, 20. Nevertheless, the people be strong,
the cities walled and very great:
and moreover we saw the children of Anak
there" This was simply leaving God out Of
ar1d ,,l., %lo.,. <.,...
strength. How could they, with that Taber-
nacle standing in their midst, the pillar of
cloud over it and the presence of God in it,
thus forget Him and talk as if it was a ques-
tion of what they were or of what they could
dos Let us with these verses consider also
verses 31-33, and then we will save the joyful
song of verse so for the last
we are not able . they are stronger
than we. We were in our own sight as grass
hoppersn 1t reminds us of the record in
job xxx, where the pronouns 81, p my"
me-" referring to Job, are used about forty
five times, and God is mentioned or referred
to only five times. In Job xiii, 5, 6, we hear
him saying: 81 have heard of Thee by the
hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth
Thee; wherefore abhor myself and repent
in dust and ashes" Then do we find health
and prosperity restored to him. Whether it
be lSalah. or daniel. or John, when the glory
of the Lord is revealed to them, there is no
beauty or strength left in them, but on their
faces in the dust is where we find them.
When Nebuchadnezzar talked of his great
Babylon, and the might of his power and the
honor Of his majesty, be was soon made to
know that the King of Heaven is able to
abase these who walk in pride Oan iv,
80-30. When the day of the Lord comes ali
lofty looks and haughtiness Of men shall be
made low, and the Lord alone shall be ex-
alted in that day Qsa. ii, 12-10. Blessed are
those who are willing now to come down Of
their own accord, submit themselves to God,
and let Him work in them TO VIII and to do
of His good pleasure These ten rulers in
Israel, although they had seen Gods mighty
works in Egypt, at the Red Sea, and in the
wilderness; although Gods presence was in
their midst, and they had heard His voice
from the holy mount vet thew knew Him not