Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1902-10-10
THE SABBATH SCHOOL,
International Lesson Comments For
October Il.
SUBJECT: Crossing the Jordan, Josh. ILL.,, | to
w. 7-Golden Text, Isa. kill, 2-Memory
Verses, l5.l7-Commentary on the
Days Lesson.

0. "Hear the words" 1t seems that thu
Israelites had no intimation how they weri
to cross the river till shortly before thu
event The address of Joshua, taken il
connection with the miraculous result ex
actly as he had described it,. would tent
to increase and confirm their faith in God
10. "The living God" This full assur
ance of the presence of the only true Goo
among them would encourage them against
fear at sight of what might appear to bt
danger. In the land where they wer
going, they were to combat with idolators
whose gods were only wood and stone,
but they were to have living God, who
could give life or take it, and He would
show, by the wonderful miracle, that Ht
would defend His people. Without fail"
This was strong promise, but even thu
was not unconditional. See last lesson
"When man fails God refuses" Drive
out" A list of seven tribes that inhabited
the land now follows. Some of them wert
powerful. There were formidable leagues
of chiefs and kings, organized armies witt
giants among them, warehouses; and iroI
chariots, strong stone fortresses, in &
country possessed by those who knew
every foot of it. At the same time, we
learn from the monuments lately discov
cred that probably at this time they had
been greatly weakened by Egyptian con
quest, and there was some such prepare
ton for the Israelites as there was among
the Indians when the Pilgrims came oveI
to New England. "Canaanites." Or Glow
landers," who inhabited the seacoast and
term is often used to include all the tribes
here mentioned. Utilities" These were
descendants from Heth and were settled in
and around Hebron. %: 10, 20. "Amor
ties" The mountaineers, the largest and
most powerful tribe Of all. Their name is
sometimes taken to include all the Canaan
itish tribes.
IL. "Ark of the Covenant" This was
the sacred chest which contained the tables
of the law, a pot of mamma and Aaron's
rod that budded. Heb 9: T. 1t was the
symbol of Jehovah's presence. "Passeth
over before you" The ark was carried on
the shoulders of the priests nearly three
quarters of mile in advance of the people.
IL. Twelve men," These men were to
take memorial stones from the river az
described later on.
Is. "The priests that bear the ark" On
ordinary occasions the Levites of the house
of Kohath, by special command, bore the
ark. But when removed from within the
veil, or when borne on festive occasions of
extraordinary interest, the priests, the off
spring of Aaron, were the bearers.
IA. when the people removed" This
was on the 10th de.y of Abb or Nissan, the
same month in which they departed from
Egypt
10. eject. were dipped" etc. The
priests proceeded first with the ark, and
entered into the bed of the river, TIN
course of which was Immediately arrested.
the waters collecting above the place where
the priests stood, while the stream fell off
toward the Dead Sea, so that the whole
channel below where the priests were
standing became dry. What strong faith
they had in God. When they crossed
through the sea the ground was made dry
before they advanced, but now they start
on their march while mighty river is
still rolling between them and Canaan.
"All his banks" The Jordan had two
and in some places three banks At its
Hood it Overfowed the first and second
banks and covered the whole space between
the terraces formed by the second and
third banks. The waters on each side
would be comparatively shallow. Here the
priests were to stand or rest in the shoal
water on the eastern bank until the waves
rreceded, and the rivers channel was made
bare; then they advanced in the midst of
the channel and there stood until all the
people had crossed. This was the barley
harvest which was several weeks earlier
than the wheat harvest. The reason for
the overflow at this time instead of the
winter, which in that latitude is the rainy
season, is because the snow in the Lebanon
mountains melts with the increasing heat
of summer.
.l6. adam. .Zaretan." See R. V.
Where these cities were is not known, but
they must have been up the river. Adam
mas been placed by different writers all
the way from fifteen to fifty miles above
the place where the Israelites crossed the
JORDAN. There are many opinions as to
the manner In which this stupendous mir
acle was performed. Some think the water
was heaped up many miles away and that
the river bed was dry as far as the eve
could see. Others think that the Lord
gave contrary direction to the current
and that the waters were distributed over
the adjacent country towards the sea of
Galllee. The salt sea-" The Dead Sea,
called also the sea of the plain. 1t is
clear, but Its waters are strongly tinctured
with salt Fright against Jericho" An
instance of their holiness, and noble
defiance of their enemies. Jericho was
one of the strongest cities, and vet they
dared to face it at their first entrance.
IL. Dry ground" Not hard and dusty
ground, but dry only in the sense of being
drained of water. See chap. 4: Is. Clean
over Jordan" The forty years of struggle
and trial are over, and the people stand
orthe first time on their own possessions.
l.. "All the people" All the people of
the nine and half tribes that were to
locate on the west of Jordan, and forty
thousand picked soldiers of the two and a
half tribes that had located on the east
of Jordan.
2. Twelve men," These men were
chosen before the crossing. See 8: II.
.3-5. Twelve stones" etc. The twelve
chosen men each took a stone from the
river-bottom where the priests had stood,
and carried them to Gilgal, where their
first encampm' 1t in Canaan was located.
o. "a sign, etc. This accomplished two
purposes: l. The preservation of national
history and religious knowledge. 2. The
religious education of the young. Object
teaching, which has recently been brought
forward in the art of education, is here
introduced as a method of instruction by
God Himself. By the presentation of Wis.
IDLE objects TO the eye, divine truth may
be most wildly photographed upon the
soul.
7. "These stones. :. "a memorial" The
erection of huge piles of stones as monu.
ments of remarkable incidents has been
common among all people. They are the
means of perpetuating the memory of
important transactions. These twelve
49, b. Il - l.