The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-10-25
SUNDAY-SCHOOL
LESSON FOR OCT. %
JOSHUA AND CALEB.
Josh, xiv, 5-15.
Secretary of American Society of Re-
lisious Education.

|
| CONTENT.--Aftert the downfall OF Jer-
| icho. the lsra elites met a serious reverse,
| Three thousand men sent against nj. Il
| small city to the northwest, We're repulsed
and put to flight. Joshua, in great dis
| tress, inquired of the Lord the cause of
| the defeat, and learned that there was
sin in the camp tDcut. xviii, 80. Search
was instituted fer the offender, and Achdn
was found and punished CJosh. Viii 2JD. y
| second and larger expedition against Al
| was successful. and much SHol was
taken and distributed among the people.
Advancing to lIbal. Joshua erected an al
tar and wrote the law on stones, accord
ing to the directions of Moses tDent
| xviii and xviii. Moved by fear the Glib
eonitcs craftily secured a treaty of peace
but on exposure they We're condemned to
perpetual bondage lJosh. iN. 20. Hear
ing Of this alliance, five kings made IL
combined attack on Gibeon. but Joshua
came to Gibeon's help. and gained a
splendid victory Josh. y. ID. A viSor-
Gus campaign followed. extended through
several years. in which thirty-onc kings
were conquered (John. Xii %. and the
military power of the country was broken.
DIVISION Thus far the tribes, al
though recognized as distinct. had been
held together IN one body. 1t was the
purpose of God. however, to separate
them. and assign each tribe to Il definite
territory CActs xvii. .6l. To that end
Moses had given instructions (Numb.
NXiv, lI-2O. The time had now come
when a division might be made The
fighting of the two and half tribes that
resolved Inheritance on the east of Jor
dan (Numb. XXXiv, 1J) had left their fam
lilies and their substance. and had accom-
Io. n ja1 hni rot h, tn tl,n nf
the western portion. After seven years
of war. the end being attained, they ought
to be allowed to return. Besides, Joshua
was old and well strilsen in years scarcely
able to endure the further fatigues of
military life Nor was it longer ncces-
sary to impose such burdens upon him.
The parts of the country unsubducd
Josh. xiiD might be taken by the tribes
separately. But the task of fixing the
boundaries might be done by him, as the
last work of his useful life. Having trav-
eled over 1t as q spy (Numb. XiD and
marched over 1t as Il soldier, he was emil
nently qualified. SO. Israel returned TO
Gilgal, and the partition proceeded (Josh.
xiv, y.
ORDER.-The sons of Jacob and the
tribes that descended from them. are
mentioned in several different orders
first, according to their birth Gen. xxx
and NNX): second, as recipients of their
fathers blessing Gen. Xix, so: third,
in the assignment to place in camp (Num.
ii. 3-2D: fourth, in their march TIN hlough
the wilderness (Numb. y, l-2O and. in
sill another order in their settlement in
Canaan. In every instance after the first
Judah is made most conspicuous Jacob
plainly assigned his fourth son IA mission
superior to that of his brethren Gen.
NiN, SID, declaring that the sccptor
Sh mt I,I,
Ion came. This allusion was understood
in Jewish history as referring TO Messiah.
Judah was made the central tribe. Hence
the honor conferred upon it in camp, in
march, in war. Judah's standard being
always in tho front So now in the divis-
ion of the land, Judah receives the first
portion on the west of the Jordan This
indicates the divine purpose to plant this
tribe in the very heart of the nation TO
be nnrtured with special reference to the
child of promise (Micah V, -.
REQU EST,-When the tribe of Judah
appeared before Joshua, the oldest man
III the tribe advanced to make "A special
personal request. The heads of other
families not only allowed him precedence,
but united in urging his plea, an evil
dencc of their esteem 1t was Caleb who
had reached the advanced age of rs
years. lie came to ask that he should re-
ceiVc the inheritance in the land before
all others strange request indeed The
portion he desired was not some beauti-
ful and fertile valley near by, from
which in the recent wars, the enemies
had been expelled, Il place when AN old
man might lind repoSc. But he selected
rather ii mountainous region in the south,
inhabited by the Amakins. who had not
yet been conquered a race of giants, who,
nearly half century before tNumb. xiii,
b. -
tribes to quake with fear. In asking Tor
that land as his own possibly the veteran
Caleb desired what no other would have
accepted, but what, If obtained, would
prove great blessing.
FAlTHFUL.-What prompted this re-
quest of an old man? Caleb gave his
reasons. The first of these was the plea
of faithfulness in God, lie called atten-
tion 10 the fact that when the spies who
went out from kadesh Barnea returned
TO Moses with evil tidings, he wholly fol-
lowed the Lord, lie was not influenced
by their fears. He did not join in their
words of discourasement lie stood mp
i'm the presence of Israel (Numb xiii, 800
and declared that, with the help OF the
Lord, they We're able to go up and pos
sess the land. That was a precious
memory TO an old man. Looking back
ward over the intervening years, re-
Gaining the disasters consequent upon
the unbelief of men who We're dead and
gone, rejecting upon the delay in the eN-
ecution of the Lords plan, and consider
ing that he stood in the midst of new
generation To witness the triumph of the
later years and realize the hopes long
deferred, 1t was not surprising that Ca
leb should ask some reward and recog-
milton of his faith, And that not for
but for the cause of God.
PROMlSE.-Caleb strengthened his re-
quest by the consideration that what
he desired had been promised. God had
said to Moses and Moses repeated to Is
rael that the country of the Amakens |