The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-08-23
Third Quarter; Lesson VIII; August
"a, 1909; Numbers, Kill, 20;
(. xiv, Ia.
The Report of the Spies.


The wilderness OF the Sinaitic Peninsula,
"great and terrible" was Gods school
house for his people. There ne taught
them His law and worship. the course
of study covered a whole year The grad
uation was to have, occurred at kadesh.
Sin and folly marred 1t all. The Com
mencement" OF Israel In Canaan was set
back q generation.
The appointment of spies was a gross
insult to Jehovah. He had assured the
people that the land was good. He had
promised the possession OF 1t to them
That should have been enough. In the
Lords name, they ought to have set up
their banners, and gone up at once TO
possess it. The long vista back to Egypt
was studded with the memorials Of God
faithfulness and power. The fact that He
had been so mindful Of them in the past
should have been to them pledge of fu-
ture blessing.
could take US out of invincfbie clutch
es of a great world-power, Egypt, what
prevents His planting US securely In ca
mani" But In the epidemic of fear, the
breaking of Pharaoh inflexfble will, the
plaques of their cruel oppressors, the de-
liverance at the Red Sea and at Rephi-
dim. sweetened waters and mamma, the
wonders of Sinai.-aH were forgotten
Israel conferred with flesh and blood in
preference to taking counsel of the Lord,
with the tnvariable and miserable cat
come of such a course.
BY this very deed the people showed
their unfitness to enter the land of prom
Use. more palpable exhibition could
scarcely be conceived of. The LORD &C
ceded to their request, but knew that in
doing so Canaan was as effectually closed
to Israel as Eden was to the first guilty
pair.
Moses. with the consent of the Lord,
proceeded to choose, with the greatest
care possible a prince for each tribe. NO
doubt he strongly hoped that their report
would restore the esprit de corps OF the
wavering host.
To this day Palestine is sort of bridge
between Asia and Africa, on which there
is always strangers passing back and
forth. This little company would not nee
essarily attract attention, especially az
they were probably aftired as Egyptians.
and likely spoke the language of that
country fiuently. IL ever they got inte
close quarters, they might be trusted to
get out by their wits They belonged to
q race notorious for finesse.
For the sake of greater security and
more thorough exploration they may have
gone by twos and threes. They crossed
the southland. which borders Canaan be.
tween the Mediterranean and the Dead
Sea, and then probably threaded their way
UP the Jordan Valley as far north as
snow-capped Hermon, returning by the
aowlands along the sea, with occasional
side-trips into the highlands.
What memories and emotions must have
been. stirred in their minds as. here and
there, they came upon places indissolubly
associated with the names and lives OF
the petriarchs. until at length they stood
at Hebron, where, four hundred years
before, Abraham had pitched his tent anc
reared his altar.
After an absence Of forty days, they
returned to the camp Of Israel, bringing
with them samples OF fruits that would
have put to shame the best exhibit of a
modern horticultural society. The people
had waited exactly as long for the re-
turn of these explorers as they had fol
the return of Moses from Mount Sinai
and much more patiently. Their report
was listened to with avidity.
The exordium of the report was gra-
cious. It pictured, in the lavish languat
of the Orient. the phenomenal fruitful
ness Of Canaan. The whole congregation
of Israel had a striking confirmation OF
their words in the huge purple cluster
from Eschol. besides the pomegranates
and hgs.
But the exerdium was short. 1t was q
mere ornamental fringe to body, tbs
warp of which was unbelief and the wool
distrust. THE land is desirable. oil
course, but it's possession is impractica'
ble." The towering stature, the invinci'
BILE prowess, the vast number of the In
hatdtants are pictured with most dis
piriting effect. The Hebrews were accus
TONED to the sight in Egypt of ponderou:
Notifications. But these were on the deaC
level of the Nile Valley. To see such
walls lifted upon the top of inaccessible
cliffs would produce the extreme effect
of impregnability. They could hardly tel
where the natural base left off and thu
artificial superstructure began. The cities
seemed walled to the very heavens,
They name five fierce nations inhabitinl
the land. who would at once form
league offensive and defensive against
any invaders. And the Hebrews, dwarfeC
by 400 years Of cruel servitude, would only
appear like grasshoppers before those