Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-10-19
STONES OF MEMORIAL.
LESSON III, FOURTH QUARTER, IN
, TERNATlONAL SERIES, OCT. 81.

IeXt OF tnc Iesson, JOSH Nv, lO-Si-toh-
nit Verses 2O-22-Golden Text, Josh.
iv, 2e-Commentary by Rev. ID. d.
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, tho two
spies received and protected by Rahab, and
b." ging to Joshua further encouragement;
third, the preparations for the cross
Of the Jordan and the actual passing
land now in the fourth we have n 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 IA symbol Of death, and as if Canaan
represented heaven; but very littlo thought
would show us that the fact that in Canaan
there were many enemies to be subclued and
much fighting to be done, proves that it was
not symbol of heaven, nor the jordan
symbol of death.
10 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 shallin due time
be fully accomplished Jesus said before he
was crucifed: 81 have finished the work
which thou gavest me to do" and one of his
last words on tho cross was; ut is finished"
John xvii, 4 xix, SOY ALI that the Father
has given Him shall come to Him; all Israel
shall be saved; all the earth shall be filled
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.
'sThe people hasted and passed overs The
coyhmands of God ought to be obeyed cheer
fully and very promptly; it is not for us to
say tomorrow, or time enough, but today Ia
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 !, II, and Oh. i'll ~,
and the word clean" Is precisely the same as
the word finished" in verso No. 50 that the
thought of complete work skcpt constantly
before us. What rest it should giveo souls
when we remember that though now 50 I'm
perfect He will perfect that which cuncerneth
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.
u, 10. Forty thousand prepared for war
passed over before the Lord unto battle. "
These were of the two and q half tribes who
received their inheritance in the days of
Moses on the east of Jordan: bart they had
agree toenjoy 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 the enemy subdued did they return to
enjoy their possessions. Josh. xxi, Ia) AS
believers we are expected to he one with all
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. "The Lord magnified Joshua in the
sight of all Israeli 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 magnified Joshua by
working through him GOO has magniflet
His son Jesus, and will magnify Him before
all nations for "all kings shall fall down be
fore Him, all nations shall serve Him. L
we determine that Christ shall be magnifieC
in us and yield ourselves to Him accordingly
He will magnify lis here by working in u
His mighty works, and at His coming by
making us just like Himself.
Is, l6. 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, but no, everything must be at tin
command of the Lord. One Of the strangeS
things to me in all the Bible is that the Lore
Jesus himself was commanded by tho Fathe
what to say, and the Father who dwelt il
Him did His works. eJohn xii, 40; xiv, TO-
II. IS. 1.-THE waters of Jordan returned
unto their place, and flowed over all hi
banks, as before" Not until the feet of TIN
priests We're up on the dry land did the water
return to their place Most thoroughly an,
perfectly does God do all things, and at tn
right time and in the best way; it is jus
glorious to trust and obey Him.
10. "The people came up out OF Jordan OF
the tenth day of the first month" This wa
the day on which the passover Lamb wa
chosen lex. xii, 81, and as they keptthe pass
over on the fourteenth day w. No., the,
must have selected the lambs on the very da,
on which they came up ont OF Jordan, thei
first day in the promised land This is tn
third passover of which we.haveany account
Note the truths for the believer: Redemption
from bondage by the Lamb Gix. xiii, Oh
only joy in the wilderness is in the Lam
(Num. Ky, and the rest of the promised Ian
apart from Him; Jesus, our wisdom, right
eousness, sanctification and redemption.
20. "Those twelve stnnes.n These stone
shall be for memorial unto the children c
Israel forever ". ~ A nation chosen
make God a name, chosen to be His IeOpl
forever Il Chr. xvii, q, %. that throug
them His name may be magnifed. The
were in themselves weak and sinful and tn
fewest of all people, bat God redeemed then
led them, fed them, clothed them, fought fo
them, forgave them when they sinned agains
Him, and gave them this land that the
might honor Him and magnify His nam,
keeping in memory all His dealings wit
them. In addition to the lessons from til
twelve stones, to which we have already n
ferred, the faithful among them would ofte
think Of 'the Shepherd, the stone od Israel
Gen. xix, 2i and the twelve precioU
stones ever borne upon tho shoulders an
breast Of the High Priest would CONSTANT
speak to them of their nearness TO God, an
His love for, and care of them.
~ i.