The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1888-11-01
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
THE LESSON FOR NOVEMBER 4.
Defeat mt AL" Joshua o; f.t2-Gold.
en- Text, Isaiah 53; 0.-Notcs.

dltloned upon obedience and separation from
sin on our part. "There sha not any man
lie able To stand before thee all the days OF
thy life" was the promis3 10 Joshua IT,, 5l,
but the conditions were faith AMI obedience
on his part H., 6AD. Complete victory had
been the result. as in reliance upon the Lord,
separation and obedience to Him, they com
passed the walls of Jericho, and the same
success would have attended them at Al had
they been humble ebeiient and separate
from sin: and d,d attend them wher they
fulfilled these conditions win. This is tho
victory that overcomcth the world, even our
faith" Il John ", y: and always when we
are overcome, either Ivy the world, the flesh,
or the devil, instead of being ovcrcomers, it
must be because of the lack of humility, or
faith or separation from sin.
l. Tho children of Israel committed
trespass in the accursed thing The city
and all III II had been accurscd, or devoted to
utter destruction wi, y, margin. compared
with ", 81. where "ui,erlv DESTROYED is tho
same wori,an1 SEQ also | sam xv., 81; Zach.
XIV, lll, and the people had been Forbidden
TO take for themselves ANYTHING OF the ac-
cursed or devoted c,tv. How fearful is tho
sin of disobedience. and how far rclchins tha
effects OF sin, ono man snas, cpNpti aud
takes that which he had been furbiddou 20
touch w., 81, and the result is that tie whu.G
nation suffers because of broken Jaw
through his sin. The first verso of our lesson
Is an epitome Of our whole lesson an is
opened mp to us rs we proceed.
y All and Bethel These nntncs cnrry us
back some five hundred years To the time
when Abram first entered the land and
| having pitched his tent between Bethel and
/ a., he bulldet an altar unto the Lord Con.
I XII, =, Kilt, 81, having Al tthc heap of RUNS
! behind him, nni Bethel tthe house of Gud)
before him. On such historic ground II
would have been well 20 have remembered
the God OF Bethel and humblcd themselves
before Him.
B. "Lot not all the people go up; for they
I arc but fow.' Such was the advice of tho
| men sent to view the country. but they had
/ not the mini of Col for his commanl was:
| Take all the people of war with thee viii,
/ II. IL was wrotrhol self conf lencc forget.
| fulness of God, aud making ii ght of difficult
ties. IL will not do to make too much nor
/ too little OF tho enemy; wa must not be auN-
! ious nor discouraged neither should we bc
circles' or boasttul; but having on the whole
| armor of Gol, wo must ever be watrhful,
and especially when the occasion seems a
little one.
! 4, "1hey fed before the men Of All This
was not according to tho promise That ono
| should chasc n thousand and two put ten
| thousand to flight tDtut. NNNii, 3Ol. hut tho
| faut was their own: thcv were unmindful of
| their Rock, and pulred up bv the victory at
| jericho, AS If their arm had done II. They
| had been warned that If they failed 10 obey
/ the Lord He would cauS' them TO he smittrn
! before their enemies DDout xviii. lJ, 2jl,
and now 1t has come truo.
| .. The hearts " th' rooplo mcltcl and
| became as water And vet 10 was not a
very great defeat; they had only lost thirty.
| six men, aud thort was an army of over
| GO,ulO ready for war. Why was this trem.
bling Of heart and this great ani seemingly
! uncallci for fear' IL was all through failing
| to see tho Lord and hear His voice
Il. Joshua rent his clothes and fell g. tho
| earth upon his face before the ark This
/ was n new experience 10 him as the leader of
Israel, and to humble himself before God
was the right thing To do: but who can tell
what the result might have been If Joshua
ana the elders of Israel had done this before
setting out TO attack All Where was the
! man with the drawn sword, tho captain OF
/ the Lords host, all this tlme' Had he made
a mistake, or failed them, or been defeated
| No, lie was simply LETT out, and they had
gone without him. and He had let them do
It He does not take command when He is
| not wanted, nor does lie give wisdom where
J it is not asked We forget Him, we run
without Him. He let's us 20 our own way
that we may learn our folly and become
more humble and trustful
| Z. Alas! q Lord Gol, wherefore hast
| thouV- In this and the next two verses
! we have Joshua's prayer. He begins a little
hastily and impatiently for God hal not
! brought them over Jordan to destroy them
or to deliver them to tho Amorites. but
rather To deliver the Amoritcs unto them
and give them all that good land We are
I apt to say that God has brought Us into this
or that trial, when we have brought 1t upon
| ourselves 10y disobedioncc or by failing to
| follow Him. "Wisdom's ways are ways OF
! pleaSantncSs, and all her paths are peace.
/ Tho path OF the lust is rs the shining light,
/ that shineth mora and more unto the perfect
| day prov. ILL.,, IL; lv., lSl; so II we find our.
| selves in dark and troubled ways we may be
sure the Good Shepherd has not led us there:
! and yet IL we find ourselves in such places
and humbly look up 10 Him, lie will lead US
out into the light.
:. go Lord, what shall say when Israel
! turneth their backs before their cnemieSr -
! There is more of right spirit in this utter
ance, and would to God that we were more
/ troubled than we seem to Ice when Christians
nre overcome instead of being overcomcrs.
| What shall we say when both the world, tho
| flesh and the devil seem to get AMI keep the
victory over so many protesting Christians;
when those who name the name of Christ
turn their backs upon the prayer meeting
I and prefer the theatre or the entertainment,
! turn thel! backs upon the Bible aud prefer a
/ novel or magazine; when they are overcome
B by the follies arsl vantios Of this heap OF
/ ruins, this present evil world. anl are more
in love with it than with the house of God'
o. "What wilt Thou do unto Thy great
name" Joshua suggests the possibility OF
| their name as "A nation being cut or from tho
earth and identifying them with Him, no
/ asks this question God has chosen Israel To
/ make Him name. Il Chron xvii, 2ll The
Queen of Sheba came TO Solomon because
Ahe neafu OF MS Ihllle concerning Ine name OF
] the Lord. Il Kings Z. L. So we should re-
| member that we are chosen TO bear His name,
! and in all things glority Him.
| l0-ll. "Gct thee up; Israel hath sinned."
| There is n time TO pray and n time to act. a
time To confess sin, and time to rise and
search out and put away sin. Joshua knew
! not the causes o. lsrael's failure. he went in
humiliation AMI prayer to Him who is per-
! feet in knowledge, and now that God has re-
| vealed the matter TO him, il is time for him
/ to rise and put away the sin from Israel. IL
we are conscious OF failure in our Christian
! life, and humbly and sincerely wait upon
! God To know the cause Of our failure, He
will surely show us, provided he secs that we
mean 10 he honest with Him and put tho sin
away.
H. This then was the cause of Israel's fail
ure and they could not stand before their
enemies, much loss subdue them, nor would
| the Lord be with them any more except the
accursed thing be taken away and the ac-
cursed person be DESTROYED. SO the tribes are
brought before him, probably by their heads,
and the lot falls upon Judah, them OF the
families Of Judah the 2arhitos are taken; Of
the Zarhites, Zabdi is taken; and OF the
| household Of Xabdi, Achan is taken. oh,
Achan, WHY did YOU SIM Hayinu sinnod Nhy