The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-06-10

water to close upon them, drowning
them When the Israelites were across
the Red Sea he caused mama to fall,
that they might eat: when they wearied
or this he provided them with the flesh
OF fowls. So God had led them all the
way, until they stood upon the very
threshold of the land he had promised
them-the land that they were to go up
and possess and that was to be their
nome, and the home of their children in
years to come, where they might abide
in peace and joy.
But what did the Israelites do? Faint
| of heart they must have indeed been,
TO have lost faith N the power OF the
Lord after lis watchfulness and the
wonderful providence that He had shown
towards them in all that long, dangerous
journey from the land of the Egyptians.
But that was what they did; they lost
faith in the power of the Lord: they
failed to trust Him who had delivered
them from unspeakable misery; they
doubted Him who had performed mir
acles many times for them, that they
might eat and drink. Now that He had
brought them To the open door of the
land that was to be given them, what
did they do? They were afraid, and
would not enter
How like the Israelites We sometimes
them are We in our feelings. our lack of
faith and trust. It seems to US that they
must have been cowardly to have doubt
ed the Lord when He had done SO much
for them, when He had led them SO far
and through so many perils safely; but
what right have we to call them names?
If they were towards, are We not also
towards? Sometimes we find ourselves
before the open door of opportunity.
brought thither we do not quite know
how: God has led us all the way; He
has made everything to work together
to produce this one result. We can see
the Divine hand in the directing of our
pathway, and now we are at the open
door; We have but to step across the
threshold and accept the promised home
the Lord has provided for us. Sometimes
We have stood before the open door thus
and have grown heartsick with fear, and
have turned back, as did the Israelites.
to wander again in the wilderness, and
we have awakened to the realization that
we are lost in country where there is
no light, no joy. no beautiful lands; all
is darkness, WEAKNESS and despair. 1t
is so because We would not trust Him
who had led us to the open door.
so it was with the Israelites They
would not trust the Lord. They sent out
spies into the land in advance, to see
whether it were a safe land to go into.
That was not inconsistent with good
generalship, for scouts are usually sent
forward when country is to be advanc-
ed upon, but in this instance it showed
the Sdistrust of the Israelites in the Lord
whom. by reason of the many proofs of
His care and watchfulness, they should
have trusted implicitly. And the spies.
when they returned, told of great, high
walled cities and men within them who
were giants. The Israelites We're alarm
ed and filed with fear; there were afraid
TO go up and posses the land, as the
Lord had hidden them. They forgot their
wonderful deliverance from the wretched
bondage of the Egyptians; they forgot
| the great care and watchfuiness of the
Lord as he had led them through the
wilderness; they forgot His wonderful
miracles in their behalf; they forgot that
| the Lord had been with them all through
the long journey, and they were afraid
| He was no longer with them; 1t did not
occur TO them that He who could cause
water to flow from the barren rocks, He
who could cause the bread of mama to
| fall from the heavens, and cause the
great waters of the Red Sea to part for
| them to pass through-they. forgot that
| He could do all these things, could not
tIalt 10 De Will lBctl nIcu ihCy WCiit Wy
| to take the land at His command
They were of little faith. and no Won
! der that the Lord was grieyed with
them; after He had brought them to the
| theshold of their great opportunity, like
towards they turned about and fled
back into the wilderness. vain 1t was,
when they again turned to advance to-
Ward the promised land; their opportuni-
| ty was passed, and the Divine assistance
was not with them. Moses would have
| led them, but he was stopped by the
! Lord They were bitterly punished for
! their lack of faith. They rejected the
great opportunity before them, and
turned back into the wilderness for their
long miserable journey forty years.
For they were condemned to wander
about, homeless, and in want and dis
! tress. The Lord commanded that they
should never enter the promised land;
they had rejected the opportunity when
the door stood open before them, and
the opportunity was never to be theirs
again. The Lord said that their chill
ldren, many years after, might enter, but
they, those who had reelected the oppor-
ftunity, should never again look upon the
land they had turned back from. So it
was that they wandered, destitute, suf-
fering, homeless, through the wilder
ness. while the weary seasons dragged
themselves away through the years
forty years-untT they were old and en-
tfeebled, bowed in hopelessness and great
WEAKNESS. finally dying in the wilder
mess
! "Oh, dare we, my friends, dare We turn
back from the open door of opportunity?
/ The promised land Is before US, and We
have but to step across the threshold
/ into the kingdom to which He, with in
finite care and loving watchfulness, has
led us. Dare We turn back, and thus
condemn ourselves to the weary years OF
/ a life in the barren wilderness? Dare
we condemn not only ourselves, but per-
haps our descendants, or may be our
friends and dear ones also, to the weary.
nonadic life away from God? That was
what the Israelites did. They turned
back. and for rejecting the opportunity
they lost their promised joy and peace,
/; their promised home; their little chill
1 dren were compelled to go also into the
dreary wilderness, and to grow up with
o.,4 care ar advantage of any sort. they