Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1888-09-06
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
Lesson xi. September 9, 1888.
THEME: THE UNBELIEF OF THE PEOPLE.
Numbers l4:1-l0.


And all the congregation lifted up their
voice, and cried; and the people wept that
night. 2 And all the children of Israel
murmured against Moses and against
Aaron; and the whole congregation said
unto them, Would God that we had died
in the land of Egypt or would God that
we had died in the wilderness. 3. And
wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto
this land TO fall by the sword, that our
wives and our children should be preyl
were it not better for us to return into
Egypti 4. And they said one 10 another,
Let US make a captain, and let us return
unto Egypt. 5. Then Moses and Aaron fell
on their faces before all the assembly of
the congregation Of the children of Israel.
q. And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb
the son of Jephunneh, which were of them
that searched the land, rent their clothes
z. And they spake unto all the company of
the children of Israel saying, The land,
which we passed through to search it, is an
exceeding good land. 8. If the Lord de-
light in us, then he will bring us into this
tand, and give it us; q land which floweth
with milk ana honey. 9. Only rebel not We
against the Lord neither fear We the people
of the land; for they are bread for us:
their defense is departed from them.
and the Lord is with US; fear them
not. 10. But all the congregation
bade stone them with stones. And the
glory of the Lord appeared in the taberna-
Gle OF the congregation before all the chill
dren of Israel.
GOLDEN TExT.-So we see that they
could not enter in because Of unbelief-
Heb. 3:l9.
The time of the lesson is the fall of the
second year OF lsrael's pilgrimage, soon aft
er the return of the spies. The place is
Kadesh Barnea The leading personages,
Moses, 81 years old, Caleb, 40, and Joshua,
46.
''God gives no speculative commands;
Nk.,..s 70 L. l.,ll In.rs
this if you are faithful. The il relates TO
the human mind and to the human DISPOSE
ton. Along the line laid down in the Bible
heaven is found. There will be difficulties
on the road and these will assume various
proportions, according to the dispositions
of men who survey them, but we are not TO
stop at processes, we are to go right on.
The divine call to attempt is pledge Of
success. We have nothing to do with APP
pearances or arithmetical figures; our only
concern is, Did God say gorn
The lesson divides itself into three parts,
a Israeps rebellious refusal, GU Caleb and
Joshua's entreaty, (3) The unwise decision.
V. l, 3 And all the congregation lifted
up their voices and cried. In that vast on
campment was universal discomfort; only
four men to stem the tide of public senti-
ment fully set in infidelity and urbelief.
Ignoring the divine Presence which was
with them, Israel wept in fear because of
dangers afar off-hear- say dangers which
they had never seen. Sin multiplies itself;
their hearts were unsanctified, hence dis
appointment adds TO itself murmuring
against their leaders, and unbelief finds ex
preston in disappearing the Jehovah who
would bless them: Wherefore hath the
Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by
the swordf' They wrought themselves
into state of madness: Would God that
we had died in Egypt" Why if they were
ready and willing to die, not 60 forward in
obedience TO God, and attempt to possess
the land he had promised--they could not
in right doing, more than die.
How true that past blessings will not
suffice" How soon humanity forgets the
past. Israel was uEmindful of the wonder
full deliverance from Egypt, of the way
opened through the sea, of Elm, the man
ma, the quails. In their sin, they would
rather die as criminals under Gods justice
than live as conquerers in his mercy and
favor. The judgments Of the Lord are
sometimes severe, If So they follow 'long-
suffering" Let il be remembered that this
was not Israers tirstmurmer: When Israel
was pursued by the Egyptians, and with
sarcasm said, ''were there not graves
in Egypt that we should be dragged into
the wilderness to be buriedP The mild
answer was, "stand still and see the saliva.
ton of God" At Marah, when the people
complained that the waters were bitter,
were they not sweetened to their taste and
made refreshingl When bread was scarce
and they feared famine, were they left TO
suffer or did hail destroy theml No; gen.
tly as the dew, bread from heaven nour-
ished them. When flesh failed, and they
asked If they were to go on this journey at
their own charges, killing their fiocks and
herds for food, God heard, and sent them
quails TO safety. But there comes time,
for the good of those who witness and sur
vive, when persuasion and mercy must
give place to judgment.
Providence is a large word. Who can
aisrifi nia no Of Wv p 1tOh ha
world in the morning, curtains it off with a
veil of darkness night by night, blesses its
soil with fertility, fills its channels with
streams of rivers, feeds the roots of the
tiniest flowers, paints the wings of the
frailest insects, leads like cloud by day
and fire by night, that numbers the very
hairs of our headi Who has mind or pene-
tration enough to call God to bar of ac-
countabilitys
V. 4. Let us make captain, and return
into Egypt. People never stop with mere
murmur or complaint. The man who COM
plains, whose heart is bitter, soon becomes
actively hostile. The anger and action of
the wicked are often madness: make a
captain" 10 return 10 bondage, rather than
follow God given leaders into freedom No
tice Israels excuse: "for our wives and
children" pious argument as an apology
for disobedience
The devil has many ways into the heart
and this is one. Memory, with its sinful
III COlOTS announcer. lSrael
remembered the cucumbers, melons, leeks
and onions OF Egypt and grumbled. Recol-
lection of evil often prompts desire for its
repetition. Worldliness has its pleasant
memories. Those who enter the sanctuary
do not always forget the old ways and the
pleasures in them. Old tastes revive The
odor in the air will remind of the feasts left
behind, the years Of bondage are forgotten
and the moments of Joy remembered.
Especially would the young remember the
pleasant features of the life in Egypt.
VS.. 81. Joshua and Caleb spake unto all
the company, saying it is IAN exceeding
good country but so flied were the peo-
pie with fear of giants and strong cities
that they could not and would not hear
This forcibly illustrates the evil done by
the report Of the ten. Men may speak truth
and yet in such way as to make il false
hood. Some books are true which are
classed as fiction and many book is untrue
which deals with facts and statistics. The
men who detailed description of the wall
ed cities and powerful warlike inhabitants
confined themselves TO material facts, leav-
ing out the Omniscient factor, hence their
report was false. Caleb and Joshua had
seen the giants and walled cities also, but