The Afro-American., 1895-08-10
SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
SEPTEMBER 8.
Lesson Text: ''Caleb's Reward" !"
Joshua xiv, OLA = Golden
Text: Joshua xiv, A.
commentary.

<. "As the Lord commanda Moses. 50 the
children Of Israel did. and they divide tas
land Moses aud Joshua wara faithful ser-
wants of Jehovah and implicitly obeyed His
commands. They left nothlur undone that
He commanded l. Joshua took the whole
land and divided it among the tribes and
the lan5 rested from war (ehaptar XII. Is. 23).
But although the land was wholly given 10
Israel they did not possess IT fully Crhapter
xiii. II. and they allowed the Jebnsites and
Canaanttes to dwell among them tchanter
xv. 63 xvi, 10; xvii. 12l. This disobedi-
nneH on the part of. the peoole afterward
brought trouble upon them (Jddge H.. 81.
Every true believer in Jesus is now "blessed
with aIfsniritual blessings in th0 haavanlies
in Christ (Eph. i 81. Yet bue iew enjoy
full possession. MaAv prefer to tolerate q
few Canaauites AMI Je5U5ites and rather en-
iov their wavs.
6. "Thou knowast. the thing that the
Lord said unto Moses. the man of God, con-
rerning me and thee in Kedesh-baruea."
These are the words nf Caleb to his old
friendand companion. Joshrq. Caleb was
Of the tribe of JUDAH and Joshua was OF
Ephraim Mum xiii. G. 81. Orlv they two
OF all the spies believed God and urged the
people to go right IN and take the Ian in
the name of the Lord. Tne Lori said that
only they two Of all that generation should
enter the land (Num. xiv, 30) aud that the
rest would die in the wilderness because OF
their unbeHef. They. too. would have to
wait forty years because Of the un5aIief Os
others, but they waited with God. for He
also waited and was hin1erad bv the un5e-
lief of the neOple. Heqr His words. "H0w
long will it be era they believe Ne?" 'Oh,
that MY people had haarkRaed unto Ne"
(Num. XIV. IL; Ps. Ixxxi.. 13(
7. "Forty years old was when Moses, tho
servant of the Lord. sent me from Kadesl-
Inv md As011 1-FI1F
him word again as it was in mine heart. >
His heart IS right with Co.. He believed
God and feared to greve Him Therefore
he sDal<e what WIS in his heart as in the sight
of God AMI sought not to please the people.
For this fajthfulness he anil Joshua were
threatened with stones (Num. xiv, 10Y, but
the Lord stood by them. Consider David,
with not n human being to stan1 hv him,
threatened with stones nv his own friends,
and observe what he did (I Sam. NM, g..
g. ''My brethren that went up wftt> me
made the heart OF the people melt. nut
wholly followed th9 Lord nv God" The
ten spies had to confess th9t the lanj was Il
good lan1. but they mn 1e 50 much Of the
giapts aud wllled citias: seemed 50 utterly
to forget the power Of God in Egypt and 1t
the Red Sea- and to lose sight Of God alto
getnnr that they file tho people with fear
and discouraSenent and with mnrnHrinG5
against God. MANY such to- lay are saainS
T.
uubelief and murnuring5 are dish0no~.nS
God and making infdels
@ "And Moses sware on that day saving,
Surely the land Whera0N thv feet have tr0d-
den shall BE- thine Inheritance" How Caleb
had lived on the word OF the Lorl all taose
years. They hal been life. his me II and
drink. P3rhaps every day h. hal called
to them 10 mind AMI baen strengthened bV
them. He may. like David. have pleaded
them in prayer, saying, "R9mem9er tho
word unto Thy servant, uDon Wllo3 In0u
hast caused me to hope (Ps. cXjX.. 49,. The
word of the Lord is q sure foundation on
which we may firmly rest. 1t endureth tor
ever, is true from the beginning an IS for
ever settled in heaven (Esa xl., S; p. cxtx,
100, 89l.
10. 'And now behold the Lori hath kept
me alive as H said these forty and five
YEAR," 1t always has been and always will
be "As He said The nobtama1 Of CAp9r-
naum "Baieved the word that Jesus had
spoken (J0hn iv., 5)). PLut said in the
storm at sea, II believe G13 that it shall b3
even as it was told me" (Aet5 xvii. 25)
Abraham was fully persuaded that what Go
had promise He was able to perform (R0m.
iy.. 2D ''The Lord of H1ss hath sworn,
saving, Surely as have thought, so shall it
come pass, and as I have purposed, 50
shall it stand" (Lsa. xiv, ~. Blessed are
all who believe for there shall be Il perfOr
IlltbtlGG VI lLiE llIlLIs3o ISANA NAA-~-~ ~ '@N
(Luke l., 45J.
II. "a vet 1 am as strong this day as I
was in the DAY that Moses sent me-" AS
strong and hearty at the age OF eighty-fvo
as when he was forty. Like Moses, at the
age of 120, his eye was not dim nor his nat
ural force abate1 (Deut. Xxxiv., y. They
mat wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength, they shall mount up. with wings as
eagles " youth is renewed like the eagles
Hs2 xI, 81; Ps. ciii., s.. Take as living il
lustrations of the same grace to- lay George
Muller in his ninetieth year, }0urneying and
witnessing for Jesus Christ; DR.. David
Brown, Of Aberdeen. the great commentator,
who wrote me November 5, 1894, that,
though in his ninpty-SecOnd year, he was in
perfect health. He said, 81 have no aches
nor pains, am not tired Of life, but would
like to do little work for my Master be-
fore I go or He comes" Jesus Christ still
the very same Jesus.
10. 'If so be the Lord Will be with me.
then I shall be able to drive them out. as the
Lord said He seemed to cOvat the Difficult
ties that he might see the great power OF
God. Being not weak in faith, he gave
glory to God. He counted not on his ability,
but that God was able. Like Paul he could
say, Il can do all things through G 1rist,W
strengtheneth me. For when am weak,
then am strong" (Pnil. iv., 13; II Cor. xiii,
1O). "God with US" is the secret of all
strength in His service. See Jer. j., s, 19;
Hag. H., 4; Math xviii. 1920.
49, "And Joshua blessed him, and gave
unto Caleb the son Of Jephunneh Hebron
for an inheritance" 1t was at Hebron that
Abraham built an altar unto the Lord and
dweIt, after Lot separated himself from him:
There he welcomed and entertained the Lord
Himself. and there the Lord communet with
him (Gen. xiii, 18; xviii, 1, 35,. Hebron
is suggestive of fellowship OF communion,
and when we have the spirit OF Abraham
and Caleb we shall know what fellowship
with God means Il John j., 81.
IA. "Hebron therefore became tn inner
itance of Caleb because that he wholly fol-
lowed the Lord God of Israel" This follow
ing fully is the secret Of fellowship, Tor
there can be none with half hearted fol-
lowing. The next verse says that the old
name of Hebron was Kirjath-arba. Arba
being a great man aaohQ the Amakims.
But "arba" is also Hebrew word for
''four," so that it might be theseity OF four.
Lesson Helper.
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