The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-09-14
INTRODUCTION.

INTRODUCTION.
Joshua is one of the striking and
GRAND characters of the Old Testament
history. OF his early life we have no
biblical record. Ebers has much to sup
port him in his belief that he was bred
to the military profession in the Egyp-
tian army, and at the time OF the exodus
waa one of the most successful Egyptian
generals. AS a Hebrew he promptly
cast his lot with his own people when
the day of their emancipation ap-
proached. His first appearance in the
Bible history is when he is seen in com
mand of the Israelites in their first bat
tie after crossing the Red Sea, when the
Amalekites were repulsed. From this
time to the end of his life he is faithful
to his character as warrior. He was
not ready in speech. When he and
Caleb had the loyal spies report to make,
to Caleb fell all the speech making. 1t
was not till near the end of his life that
under imperative moral compulsion, he
essayed to lead his people by oratory.
He was not poet. He was not pro-
phet. He was not law maker. He
was a man of war. The vision OF the
mystic man, with drawn sword in his
hand, which Joshua saw at jericho at
the beginning of the war OF conquest,
appears to have been his chosen model.
It was his sole ambition to serve Jehovah
with his sword. He is distinguished for
his steadfast faith and untarnished hon
or. His distribution Of the land among
the tribes was so manifestly equitable
that the result commanded general ac-
ouiescence. He was a soldier without
fear and without reproach. 1t is euiogy
Unreasonable to acknowledge him as
consecrated warrior, to be the Legitimate
and worthy successor of Moses.
LESSON STORY.
1t was great national exigency that
brought Joshua from his retirement IN
his own city, when he was a hundred
and ten years old and soon to die, TO
Shecbem, and caused him to break his
life long habit Of reticence.
Eighteen years before, when the con-
quest of Canaan seemed virtually ended
Joshua had divided the conquered land
among the tribes; and when all the
others had received their apportionment
he had asked for q section of the hill
country of Ephraim called Timnath-
serah for his own domain. In this place
he had built what the record calls city
Joshua 1850; by which we may under
stand citadel or vailed abode. Here
he continued to live, retaining only ad.
visory power over the tribes.
In surrendering the government he
had urged the importance OF subduirg
or driving out all the remaining idol
atrous inhabitants of the Promised
Land. But the people we're too eager
for the establishment of their own homes
to concern themselves with national
questions. They gave themselves to
building and planting. There followed
season of external prosperity and pro-
gress.
But these years, as the discerning eyes
of Joshua sorrowfully beheld, were years
of spiritual retrogreesion. Under the
influence of the surrounding idolatry
many of the Israelites were beginning to
secretly worship strange gods. This
meant lapse from morality and loss
of manhood,-The teraphim, or house
hold gods, which had been worshiped
in Mesopotamia before Abraham's day,
which Laban had in his family and Ra-
chael had carried off (Gen. 81: 10Y. were
being restored to the places from which
they had been deposed. The Egyptian
idols. for which some of the Israelites
had retained lingering fondness, were
being regarded with increasing favor.
The tribes were thus becoming honey
combed with idolatry. Their material
prosperity was premature. The national
unity,-at this time a voluntary bond de-
pendent on common faith in Jehovah,
was being lost in an incoming sensual
ism. Israel was forgetting God.
Joshua, from his central look out be-
holding the downward tendency, be-
came alarmed. He saw that it's contin-
uance would be the humiliation Of
Israel.
1t was this exigency that caused him
in his extreme old age to break his life
habit and become an orator.
1t may have been, as we conjecture, in
his first manifesto to the tribes that he
began his heroic expostulation. He
spoke to them as one on the threshold of
eternity. Behold, this day am going
the tooy of all the earth. He appealed
to the noble past which they had shared
together. Ye knoao IN all yoatr hearts
and in all yoatr souls, that not one thing
hath failed of all the good things 'chich
the Lord your God spdke concerning
you. He showed to them also the re-
verse side of the picture, which bore, to
all the Israelites. fearful moral. 1t
shall come to pass, that as the good
things are come upon goa of lchich the
Lord yOltr God spdke unto golt. so shall