The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-11-22
THE COVENANT RENEWED.

THE COVENANT RENEWED.
LESSON vIll, FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TERNATioNAL SERIES, NOV. 25.
Text q the Lesssn, Josh. xxiv. 1e-ss.
Commit versss s6-ss-Golden TEXT.
josh. xxiv, al-Conmentary by Rev. d.
M. Stearns.
Condensed from Lesson Helper Quarterly, by
permission Of a 8 Hoffman, Philadslphia,
publtsher.]
After tho two tribes and half had besn
dismissed to their homes by Joshua with his
blessing, charging them to serve the Lord
with III 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 1t Shiloh to 60 up to war
against them, lest BY their supposed trespaa
they should bring Judgment on the nation.
The two tribes and q half testify, however.
that they had no thought Of idolatry, but
lest in days to CONS 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 q
border between US and you;" therefore they
had built this altar, not1or sacrifice, but Is
a witness lest trouble al divisions should
como in future dayk s hearing this the
western tribes were NJ pleased, and a'l
Israel rejoicsd tCh 20 How much
| trouble and hard feelin md estrangement
| might be prevented imse by . little ex-
| PLANTATION; but, Ike 1uael, We are apt to
form basty 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 her enemies,
round about; Joshua was over an hundred
| years old and knew that he was soon to go
the way Of oil tho earth; SO he calls all Israel
| together at ShecheH, 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,
saying, I'VE will serve the Lord, for Hs il
our God"
49, 'sYo cannot serve the Lordn Joshua
would have them remember that it is no
| light matter to serve tho Lord; he Sad
known them ever since they left Egyp4, hs
knew how often they had made premises
and broken them, and he doubtless remem-
bered the time when they said call that
the Lord hath said will we do and be obedi-
| ent, 4" 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, xxxii)
20. ssIf ye forsake the Lord" Often had
they done it and had been spared only by
the intercession Of Moses, type of Christ; and
Joshua trembles for them. knowing that
''The Lord their God is q consuming fire,
even jealous God" Deut. iv, "a. Sin must
be consumed, and 1t the sinner clings to
bis sins he will be 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 a con-
suming fire, but while this is true it is no
where stated in those words; Christians need
to remember that "Our God is a consuming
|
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-
fning and Christening is in perfect love and
that we may be partakers Of His holiness.
NAL. iii, 8; Heb. xii, SID.
81 NAY, but we will serve the Lord. y
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
tho 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, q. The words of Joshua and the
words Of the people in this their decision are
noble words, and while it is q solemn step to
take it is far more solemn step not to take.
q. "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,
md this trinity of evil is ever seeking to en-
mare the child of God. The carnA mind il
nmity against God; the flesh luststh against
the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and
these are contrary the one to the other; ii
sny man will come after Ne let him deny
himself; love not the world; resist the
devil Rom. viii, z; GAL v, II; Matt. xvi, "a
IJohn ii ,l5; Jas. iv,0 these are helpful words
and precepts concerning our daily life as SER
wants of the Lord
%. "Put away the strange gods, and in.
cine 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 al
hearts, and understandeth all the imagina
!, tions Of the thoughts; He is a God Of knowl
edge, and by Him actions are weighed.
Sam. ii, 8; xvi, 2; Chr. xviii, 9)
a. 1.-THE Lord our God will we serve, and
His voice will we obey.n If the nation had
talked this way and meant ie 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 fel
there might have entered the good land. I,e'
Christians today make the language OF thu
verse heartily their own, and they viii FIND
days OF Heaven here on earth peut, II, eN
i and be such witnesses unto the Lord thu
many shall through them be won to Him.
} 25. $50 Joshua made covenant" Liter
ally ''cut a covenant"-for the verb herr
, translated "made," when not used In conrec
ton with covenant, is translated "cut" o.
''cut off )" both uses of the word are found II
, Jer. Uxiv, Is, ''the words Of the covenan
which they had made before me when the,
cut the calf in twain and passed between tn
parts thereof" and this carries us back to tn
frst use of the expression In the Bible, y
Gen. xv, IS: When Abram divided the ami
5 mails in the midst and watched by the car
cases till the sun went down, keeping tn
. birds away, and then saw smoking furnac
. and a burning lamp pass between th
. pieces.
! 1928. "This stone shall be o witness" Th
, stone reminds US Of Jacobs pillars at Bethe
and Mizpah Gen. xviii, Is; xxxv, IA; XXX
45), and also the twelve stones Of Moses Ez
xiv, q and Of Joshua Josh. iv, 8, 9); bu
q whenever we read of a stone of witness O
memorial we must surely think Of Him wh
, | is SO often called stone (Gen. Xix, "a; Pz
cxviu, %, 23; Isa- viii, IA; xviii, 16. II
Matt xxi. a.; Acts iv. IL: Rom. TX. aS. ETC.
q :: n d m