Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-08-31
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON TX. THIRD QUARTER. INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, SEPT. /.

Text Of the Lesson. Joshua VI, $40 Mem
DRY Verses. 10. se-Geiden Text. heb.
II. Commentary BY tho Rev. D. Il.
stearns-
s. The seven priests isearing the seven
trumpets OF rams ho~as passed on boforc
The Lord At Gi,gal The repsoach Of
Egypt was relied away ii connection with
the rite Of circumcision. tho feast of Pass
ever was kept, ard the mamma tliat had
come from heaven 50 faithfully All those
80 years ceased after they had eaten the
old corn Of tho land gclsarsor V, s-io).
Joshua also had sa,-c1 second rlsce IA
command. tho Lord Eielself being tho
Captain OF tic hest e.. Il, I5). Now under
their Captain s orders they are beginning
their march around Jericho, which city
was straitly shut mp because of Israel
tvcrse u.
Q. "And the armed mon went before tho
priests that blew with tic trumpets-"
Tho armed men, The Priests. The arr, all
the people. Such was tho order OF tho pro-
cession az they fsartAc around the city.
! The ark is The symbol Of tho presence CT
tho Lord and all was being done that all
/ tho people e the earth might know the
hand Ct tho Lord, that it IS mighty, and
that they might fear before HIM. fiv, 24l.
Whether the trumnets were rams horns or
silver, their sound 5vas digestive Of atone
ment, by virtue Of which God can deal
with man.
TO- ssYo shall rot shout, nor make any
reise with your voice. neither shall any
] word proceed out CT your mouth, until the
day bid you shout This was very try
/ ing TO their humanity. Their God had di-
vided the Red sea and the Jordan for them,
had fed thcn wish food from heaven and
/ brought wster fr5na tho rock for them.
I He was the mighty G5G Of Jacob, and He
4 was going 10 laa.so the walls Of Jericho
4 fall down f.et, for lie said He would (verSe
4 81, ard the hearts CT many must have
longcd to cry ont to these sectors on the
walls: "Our God win bring down those
walls. He win conquer you. But there
was TO DO not q word from Israel till the
appointed time With tho exception of tho
blasts frem tho rams horns the great host
passed round In silence, See xech ii, 49,
IL. $50 the ark of tho Lord compassed
tho city, going about it cree" Not word
about The pecnie doing it. ut is God who
worketh, . and ''tho Lord alone must be
exalted tPhil. ii. II; Isa. ii. 1I).
i 1914. ''And the second day they com
passed tho chg once and returned into tho
camp so they did six days" Day after day
the SAME procession and tho same order.
No sound but the hcrns CT the priests.
Not a word from tho peop,e-just the ST.
lent marching Of tic mighty host and the
quiet and orderly return to the camp. The
walls Of Jericho stand firm, and probably
the scofrers' hearts grow harder as they
find their peace undisturbed, and IL is even
possible that they 1nd some amusement
in watching the daily procession, the priests
and their horns win have their share OF
ridicule, and there may hsyo beel many a
surniiso and even Joke about what wns
Eunder the blue cloth on those mems shout.
ders (Num. ", 9, g. Inildelity is about
the same in all ages, and the hard speeches
of uneodly sinners (Jude, 15) ere always
plentiful. 1t is ours TO bear the ark in
lpaticnce and mcelsness and faith, giving q
clear and consistent testimony as to tina
only way Of redemption through the blood
of the Lamb, and at the appointed time
the walls Of infdelity will crumble and the
kingdom win be the Lords Obadiah, 21).
10. "Only on that day they comprised
the city seven times This Is the record
Of the seventh day. There must have been
unusual interest in Jericho on this day as
they heard tho sound of the rams horns
earlier than usual and saw the hosts, in
stead OF returning 70 camp, start TO COM
pass TIE city a second time. Then third
time, and fourth time, and fifth, and a
sixth. This interest must have been in
tense, and we may imagine the walls fair
! ly crowded TO watch these unusual proceed
ings.
10. "Shout, for tho Lord hath given you
the city" This was tho command Of
Joshua to the people as they went round
tho seventh time. How their pent up feel
ings would h-eals forth; what shout It
must have been from hundreds Of thou
sands Of voices; shout after shout, pro-
longed shout that almost, II not altogether.
made the earth 10 tFemblel The city was
given TO Israel before ever they compassed
the city once (verse %. 1t was theirs by
the word of the Lord. now il Is 10 become
theirs visibly and actually Many things
are ours iii Christ which we will not Wis
IDLY and actually enjoy till His appointed
time.
II. "Only Rs.hab, the harlot, shall live. I"
By faith she persisted not with the unbe-
4 lievers (Heb. xi, 80, 31). The scarlet cord
in her window was the outward evidence
of her faith, and She rested on the words
of tho spies whom she had bcfriended, say
ing, according unto your words so be il
iii, 2l). Through her faith dcliyerance
came to her fathor and mother and breth-
rem and kindred Verse 23). She afterward
married Salmon (who niay have been one
Of tho spies) and became the mother Of
Boas (See Ruth Nv, FL and Math. !, 81.
IS. Keep yourselves from the aceursed
thing The whole city and all in it wero
devoted to be utterly destroyed Verse II,
margin, and verse 21), and this was o
warning for Isracl's good. five get mixed
up with cursed things we VIII bring 3
curse upon ourselves. The only redeinp-
ton from the curse is through Him who
was made n curse for us tGal. Ill, 49,
This was typilled in the scarlet cord in
Rahab's window.
10. "But ali the silver and gold ard YES
sells of brass and iron are consecrated
unto the Lord. In Mum. xxi, We read
that the people were permitted to take Of
the spoil and give unto the Lord portion,
cleansing everything By fro or water
fNum. XXI, 23), but In the case Of the
city Of Jericho all was to 10 the Lord {,
titnti lDE htaNfQNAitH VI lDT Ills lftSleuf9 .
Jericho being the first city taken may ac-
count for this--a first fruits unto the
Lord. The story Of Achan in the follow
ing chapter shows the nature and punish
ment of the sin of coyetousness, with
which see also Acts V, 1-l0.
20. 1.-THE wall fell down ilat, so that tho
people went up into the city, every man
straight before him. and they took the
city" They slew every living thing and
burned the city with fire (verses 2i, 24),
and Joshua pronounced curse upon the
man who would rebuild it. Il becomes us
to say, just and true are Thy ways Thou
King Of Nations (Rey. Ky, -. .'His way
is perfect, aud some day we shall see
perfect agreement between al His doings
and the fact that "Cod IS Love. - He Is
good and docth good, and the Judge Of all
tho earth candct but do right