Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-11-23
THE COVENANT RENEWED.
LESSON VIII, FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TeRNATlONAL SERIES, NOV. 25.

Commit Verses 26-as-Golden Text,
Josh. xiv. 24-Commentary by Rev. ID.
NJ. Stearns.
CONDENSED from Lesson Helper Quarterly, by
permission of H. S. Hoffman, Philadelphia.
| publisher
After the two tribes and half had been
dismissed to their homes by Joshua with his
blessing, charging them to serve the Lord
with all their heart and soul, they, on their
way home, when they had crossed the Jor-
dan, built great altar which, when the
other tribes heard Of, they feared idolatry on
the part of the eastern tribes, and gathered
themselves together at Shiloh to go up to war
against them, Test by their supposed trespass
they should bring Judgment on the nation.
The two tribes and half testify, however,
that they had no thought of idolatry, but
lest in days to come the children of the west
ern tribes should say to those on the east:
"What have you to do with the Lord God Of
Israeli For the Lord hath made Jordan a
border between us and you;" therefore they
had built this altar, not for sacrifice, but as
witness lest trouble and divisions should
come in future days. Upon hearing this the
western tribes were well pleased, and all
| Israel rejoiced. (Ch. xiii How ouch
trouble and hard feeling and arrangement
might be prevented oftentimes by little ex-
PLANTATION; but, like Israel, we are apt to
form a hasty conclusion and start war.
Love thinketh no evil; is not easily pro-
voked Il Cor. xiii, 81.
At the time of our lesson today Israel had
long enjoyed rest from all hsr enemies,
Round about; Joshua was over an hundred
years old and knew that he was soon to go
the way of all the EARTH SO he calls all Israel
together at Shechem, rehearses to them the
Lords dealings, and urges them to fear and
serve Him in sincerity and truth, saying
unto them, ''If it seem evil unto you to serve
the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will
serve; but as for me and my house, we will
serve the Lord" The people answered in
the words Immediately preceding our lesson,
saving, 1--WE will serve the Lord, for He is
our God"
10. Eye cannot serve the Lord" Joshua
would have them remember that it is no
| light matter to serve the Lord; he had
known them ever since they left Egypt he
knew how often they had made promises
and broken them, and he doubtless remem-
bered the time when they said "all that
the Lord hath said will we do and be obedi-
ent" then he and Moses assembled the mount
and at the end of forty days returned to find
them dancing and singing around golden
calf deliberately breaking the commands
they had SO solemnly promised to keep. Ex
xiv, xxzii.l
20. "If ye forsake the Lord" Often had
they done it and had been spared only by
the intercession Of Moses, type of Christ; and
Joshua trem os for them. knowing that
THE Lord their God is consuming fro,
even jealous God" (Deut. iv, 24). Sin must
be consumed, and if the sinner clings to
his sins he will DO consumed also,
but if willing to be cleansed from sin
and be holy unto the Lord, then God will con-
sumo the sin and save the sinner. 1t is some
times said that God out of Christ is con-
Stunning fire, but while this is true it is no
where stated in those words; Christians need
to remember that "Our God is consuming
fire" Heb. xii, 29), and that we are often in
the furnace being purified and prepared for
future usefulness, and If He sees sin upon us
He will not spare the rod; but all such re-
fining and Christening is i'll perfect love and
that we may be partakers of His holiness.
NAL. iii, 3; Heb. xii, 5-lD.
81. NAY, but we will serve the Lord.
This is their choice; Joshua had most deci-
dedly taken his stand ". 15), and had made
it plain to them that God would have no half
work, and that they could not serve God and
worship idols, nor could they serve God in
their own strength; and now they have vol
unfairly taken their stand with him to serve
the Lord, and their conduct proves them to
have been sincere, for "Israel served the
Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days
Of the elders that overlived Joshua" ". 81
Judges ii, y. The words Of Joshua and the
words Of the people in this their decision are
noble words, and while it is solemn step to
take it is far more solemn step not to take.
% witnesses against yourselves" We
cannot serve the Lord without taking stand
against self. The world, the flesh and the
devil are the enemies of God and His people,
and this trinity Of evil is ever seeking to en-
snare the child of God. The caraal mind is
enmity against God; the flesh lus.eth against
TIE Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and
these are contrary the one to the other; il
any man will come after Me let him decay
himself love not the world, resist the
devil ROM viii, Z; GAL v, II; Matt. xvi, "a;
IJohn ii, y; Jas. iv, - these are helpful words
and precepts concerning our daily life as SER
wants of the Lord.
81 Put away the strange gods, and in.
C inc your heart unto the Lord God OF
Israel" 1t is heart work that the Lord re-
quires, and we need to be constantly re
minded that while men look ON the outward
appearance and judge by what they see, the
!. Lord looketh on the heart; He searcheth all
hearts, and UNDERSTANDABLE all the magma
tions of the thoughts; He is a God Of knowl.
edge, and by Him actions are weighed Il
Sam. ii, 3; xvi, Z; l Chr. xviii, 81
"a. The Lord our God will we serve, and
His voice will we obey" If the nation had
talked this way and meant it when the spies
returned from their forty days visit through
the land they would have saved themselves
thirty-eight years wandering in the wilder
ness, and the hundreds Of thousands who fell
there might have entered the good land. Let
J Christians today make the language Of this
, verse heartily their own, and they will find
days of Heaven here on earth Deut. Ii, Ply
and be such witnesses unto the Lord that
many shall through them be won to Him.
25. $50 Joshua made covenant" Liter
ally "cut a covenant"-for the verb here
translated made" when not used in connec-
, tion with a covenant, is translated ''cut" OF
"cut off :" both uses of the word are found in
| r IL