The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-10-11
CROSSING THE JORDAN.

CROSSING THE JORDAN.
LESSON u, FouHTH QUARTER, IN
TERNATiokAL SERIES, OCT. "A.
Text Of the Lesson, Josh. Iii. S-17-Commit
Verses s. e-0olaan Text. Isa-. Xiii. 2.
cemmsntary ~ eev. D. M. stearns.
condensed from Le1son Helper Quarterly. by
permission Of q. q Hoffman, Philadelphia,
publisher.J
After the Lord had encouraged Joshua, as
in our last lesson, the people also encouraged
him by promising obedience and by praying
the Lord to be with him d, 1918. Then
follows the record OF the two spies sent to
Jericho, their reception and protection by
Rahab, their promise of deliverance to her
and ell belonging or related to her and the
true token Of the scarlet line to be bound in
her window
g. '.Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the
Lord viii do wondprs among you" II we
were more separHse from sin and unbelief,
we would see mo-sff tae wonderful works
of God In one p3nca Jesus could not do
many mighty wor g because Of their unbe-
lief; and there Is % drui,t but the unbelief
and worldliness OF Christians today hinders
Hts doing wonders aunong Us.
9. ''Fake up the axk of the covenant and
pass over before t,ek ksepan To the. poopia
BE hsd said: s.Sasktfy; and now
these are hts orders TO the priests, who were
always supposed to be nnctifed, inasmuch
as they were set apart for the special service
of the sanctuary. An true believers are
priests unto God Rev. /. 8; Y, 10, and should
ever consider themselves set apart to His
service
:. ST win begin to magnify thee in the
sight Of all Israelln God always honors
those who honor Him, and yet the honor is
all His own and showsforth His glory, for
this Is the great end OF our existence, to
glorify God When the apostles, filed with
the spirit, spoke and wrought in the name of
Jesus, the people wondered, and took knowl.
edge Of them that they had been with Jesus
8. "Stand still in Jordan" With their
feet In the water, ,sthey were to stand on the
brink OF Jordan and see the wonders of the
Lord. They were to march right into the
river ere the waters would divide; we are to
60 right forward. even though it seem impos-
sible, and He will at the right time open the
way, not an hour or a day too soon, but some-
times as it seems only when we have gone to
the last extremity and cannot take another
step.
10. "The living God IS among you" Jere-
miah calls Him 'sthe true God, the living
God and an everlasting king" Uer. <, 10.)
Darius calls Him 'sthe living God and stead
fast forever" dan. vi, 26l Jesus Himseh,
appearing to John in Patmos, says, IT am the
First and the Last and the Living One, alive
forevermore." Rev. j, II, R. W Ii we lived
near to God as Jeremiah or Daniel or John,
our lives would testify that the God whom
we serve is a living God, a life giving God,
ever present and working in and through us.
HE will without fail drive out from be-
fore you the Canaanites." 1t is implied here
that He will do this through them as His
servants and soldiers, they being obedient to
Him and He fighting with them and in them
against their enemies. Now We find they
were not obedient, and consequently Jebusites
and Canaanites and others were not COM
pletely driven out, but became thorns and
snares to them. tJudgesi, ii, iii)
IL ''The ark Of the covenant Of the Lord
of all the earth.n This is the first time that
we find this title in full; it reminds Us of the
words of Melchizedelz, "the most high God,
possessor Of heaven and earth" Gen. xiv,
10; and the expression in the prophets, "the
Lord of the whole earth" Qsa Hv, 5; Mich.
iv, 13; zech. iv, IA; vi, 81, and the thought
that our Redee-ner is the Lord of all the earth
". 13) should make us very joyful in Him,
and ready to trust Him under all circum-
stances, obey Him at oil times and love Him
with the whole heart, extollng Tim in every
possible way.
Israel" The reason for choosing these twelve
10
take twelve stones from the midst of Jordan,
where the priests feet stood who bore the
ark, and set them up for memorial on the
other side Of Jordan, SO that they could in
days to come point their children to those
stones and tell them how their fathers had
come over Jordan on dry land; Joshua also
| set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan
| where the priests had stood. These two
memorials testified to the mighty hand of the
! Lord, that Israel might fear the Lord their
| God forever, and that ell the earth might
know the hand of the Lord dv, %.
Is. sit shall come to pass" How could
Joshua speak SO positively about this very un-
likely event2 Why did be not speak more eau
tiously and say, we trust or hope that it will
thus come to pass, or we will try and see what
can be donea He believed God; he knew His
| power; he had not a shadow of a doubt but
that 1t would be just as God had told him.
| "As soon as the soles of the feet of the
| priests shall rest in the waters" Not as they
drew nigh, nor before they came to the river,
but only when their feet actually stood in
the water. Who can tell how many victories
we lose by being afraid, by holding back be-
cause of difficulties, instead of going right
forward into the difficulty in the name of the
Lorda We have only to be sure that we are
obeying His command, doing His will, seek
ing His glory and not our own, and then let
neither men nor devils, giants nor walled
cities, fire nor water terrify nor dismay US.
14-16. "And it came to pass" When God
speaks it must come to pass. it must always
be just as He says, even as when in the be-
ginning God said ''Let there be light" and
there was light. He only needs to speak and
it is DONE Blessed are those who believe, for
there shall be performance Of the things
told us from the Lord Unbelief says, 81 wish
could feel that, )" or 81 win try and believe"
| As to the former, remember the word to
doubting Thomas, BLESSED are they that
have not seen, yet have believed" AS to the
latter, remember that trying to be.ieve is
equal to saying that God is not worthy oi
your confidence: and just ask yourself what
| reply you would make to one who said to
you, II will try and believe YOU" Ii you are
Christian and have not joy and peace under
all circumstanaes-I do not say in al circum
stances, for some are anything but joyous
but joy and peace In the Lord, whatever youi
surroundings be; II you have not these, il
is because you do not believe God, and your
mind Is not stayed on Him Qsa. XVI, 8
Phil iv, ~; Thesa v, 1s).
II. 'The priests stood firm on dry ground
in the midst Of Jordan The midst of 9
river is not place to look for dry ground
nor is a wall Of such unstnhle material a,
water likely to encourasa one to stand firm
but the One Whose name Is Wonderful wa,
with them and was doing wondrously. Fire
air, earth or water are all the same to Him
50 far as helps or hindrances are COL erned
He walks through the fire unharned and en-
ables mortal men to do the same; He walk
ON the sea and enables Peter to do likewise
He mounts through the air with equsl ease
and so do Enoch and Elijah. If we woult
only believe that He is ever in our midst W,
would stand unmoved on firm footing undel
all circumstances, for His presence mean,
power and victory orer all enemies