Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1895-08-03
IIE SUNDAY SCHOOL. An ENGLISH CASUAL
LESSON v. THIRD QUARTER, INTER
NATIONAL SERIES, AUG. 4.


Memory Verses. eo-Golden Text,
YUM. xiv. Commentary by the Rev.
ID. NJ. stearns.
IL Having left Horeb, where they had
been so long encamped, they came to Ka-
desh-barnea. on the south border OF the
land, which was IL days journey from
Hor,sb. Here the people asked that spies
might be sent 10 search out the land and
bring word aS to the best way To enter
tDeut. i, 2, 81, 22D. IL seems strange
that Moses should be pleased with this
thought of sending spies when God had
said that IL was a good and large land
flowing with milk and honey lex. III, -.
and when God Himself always went before
them i'm the cloud, but we remember the
story of Hobab.
is. Since God had testified as to the land
and had said that He would give IL 10
them, what did it matter whether the in
habitants were few or many, strong or
weaky Had not the God OF Israel shown
them His power In Egypt and at the Red
sea, and was not His presence sufficient
assurance But they did SO forget God,
Just as we do.
10. IL looks as If they were going to see
II God meant what He said, and If He was
as good as His word lex. xiii, 8; xxxiii,
2, 81. But one may say, Why find fault
with the spies when God commanded
them oversees l, 2)y But little attention
to Deut. /, %, will show that God only
permitted them to have their own way in
this matter as He did afterward In that OF
king Il sam. viii. q, a 81, 22).
90 IL seems odd 10 tell them To be of
good courage when unbelief was sending
hafs orfh 4 al m IN
make any one TO be of good courage, but
going TO see if His word was true would
hardly tend to courage. listen 10 Paul in
the storm at sea when everything seemed
against him, II believe God, that IL shall be
even as il was told me- (Acts xvii, 25).
90, "a. One would think that all fears
would he dispelled by visit To the very
place where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lay
buried. How could they help thinking of
the faith of Abraham and being strength
ened thereby? Then such grapes and pome-
granates and flgs-how could their hearts
help crying out, 1t is all just as He saids'
Some one has suggested that these two
carrying the grapes make us think OF the
Old and New Testamcnts-the one ahead
did not see what he was carrying, but the
one behind saw both the one ahead and
the grapes too. Yet both carried the same
fruit Jesus, the True Vine is the bur
den of the whole book, but is more clearly
revealed in the New Testament.
25. And they returned from searching
of the land after 40 days" And because
of their unbelief they, though SO nearly
possessing the land were turned back into
the wilderness to wander for 40 years, a
year for each day (Num. xiv. 34). Some
time we will see deeper meaning In all
the "forty day" experiences of Scripture.
26, 81 They could not but bring good
report of the land they could not say
aught else concerning IL than "Surely 1t
fioweth with milk and honey, and this is
the fruit of it, God always means what
He says, and we are perfectly safe in TAX
ing Him at His word. When He makes a
statement, we must either honor Him by
believing it, or dishonor Him by our I'M
belief and make Him liar q John V, 10Y.
Rather let us believe His every word, and
thus set TO our seal that God is true.
2S, 60 Nevertheless the people be
strong" And so they talk of the giants,
and all the inhabitants of the land and
the walled cities God had mentioned these
nations and had said that He would drive
them out lex. xxxiv, III. Observe His
sevenfold 81 will, +" beginning and ending
with II am Jehovah, 4" in Elk. vi, 6-S, and
see what desperate unbelief these men were
guilty of in putting the least obstacle be-
fore the people, instead Of the living God
who had already done so wondrously for
them 1t is refreshing to turn to Caleb,
and listen to him.
80. LET us go up mt once and possess IL,
for we are well able to overcome II" Here
is confidence in God, and it Is we'll founded
lit rests on His power who made all
things and of whom the prophet said "Ah,
n. n L
heaven and the earth by Thy great power
and stretched out arm, and there is moth
ing too hard for Thee (Jer. xxi, 10.
These encouraging words by which Caleb
sought TO still the people were from his
heart (Joshua xiv, 12), for he wholly fol-
lowed the Lord.
81. "We be not able TO go up against the
people, for they are stronger than we." 1t
was not q question of "they and we," but
only Of them and God. He who brought
them out of Egypt was able TO bring them
into Canaan, and in that light Caleb and
Joshua saw 1t, for they said, 1.-THE Lord is
with us; fear them not" xiv, 81. Until
we have learned our own inability to save
ourselves, we viii not be likely to let the
Lord save us, and until we have learned
our inability to keep ourselves we will not
know the joy of His keeping power We
want a deeper knowledge and experience
OF all that is included In the words, ''Not
l, but Christ"
80, 80. "They and We" was to the unbe-
levers suggestive of giants and grasshop-
pers, and resulted in much weeping and
murmuring on the part of the people, and
a call for new captain who would lead
them back TO Egypt, so that the Lord had
TO say to Moses: "How long will this peo-
Dla rrovoka Nfep How long will II no ere
they believe Me, for all the signs which 1
have Showed among themg" xiv, H. II
we place ourselves face to face with our
difficulties, we will ofttimes be discour-
aged, but when we place our difficulties
face to face with God, then victory is sure,
and peace and joy are ours The matter that
He makes His own is as good as accom-
plished In quietness and in confidence Is
our strength lisa. xxx, l5).
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Artistic Treatment.