Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1902-08-22
The SABBATH SCHOOL
international Lesson Comments For
August "a.
Subject: Report OF the Spies, Nun. kill. is
and kill, Is TO xiv, 4 Golden Text, Pisa.
XII, 4-Memory Verses, 3c-33-Ccm'
mentary on the Days Lesson


provided the people had the necessary
faith and courage Accordingly Moses
| commanded them in the name of Jehovah
| (Deut. /: 20, 2D to go up and take posses
| sion of the land They only needed to
trust in God and go forward, and in less
than two years from leaving Egypt the
land would have been theirs: The God
who had delivered them with mighty
hand. who had made a path through the
sea, who had rained bread from heaven,
and brought water from rock. and spoken
from Sinai and entered into covenant
with them and was leading them with
His visible presence-this God babe them
go up and take possession Of the land oil
promise, They should have trusted and
obeyed."
2. "Send thou men" The people were
afraid to go forward. and had asked
Moses to send spies to search out the land.
Deut. l: % Although it would have been
better for them to have had faith in God
and to have at once entered upon their
promised possessions, yet in order to sat
isfy the people the Lord ordered Moses
to send the spies. "Of every tribe-a
man" Moses selected twelve leading
men. ''every one a prince" Or. W. in or
der that the best possible results might be
realized. The object of the expedition
was o. to learn what were the attrac
tons of the country, (2) to discover the
difficulties in the way of taking possession,
(3) to find out the best way OF reaching
the country, a. to learn what prepare
tons it was necessary to make"
4-24 In verses 4-l5 we have the names
OF the spies. In verses 1920 Moses gives
them special directions They were to
travel the whole length of the land to the
Lebanon mountain region, and find out all
about the land and the people, and to
bring back some of the fruit OF the land.
In verses % and "a we have description
of the fruit they brought back with them.
-. "Returned-after forty days" For.
ty DAYS were sufficient for journey of
$50 miles and the return. The spies could
rest six Sabbaths and travel 500 miles,
going at the rate of less than fifteen miles
a day. IL is not probable that they went
in a body, but sngly or by twos.
%. TO Kadesh." Kadesh means holy.
"Shewed them the fruit" They had
brought back grapes, pomegranates, and
figs. The bunch OF grapes was very large.
V. %. =,
q. "Floweth with milk and honey"
This was a poetical description of coun'
try rich in pasturage and produce. Thus
far the reports of the spies agree. They
all commend the richness and fruitfulness
of the soil
IS. Nevertheless. The report was
given publicly and it was artfully arranged
to begin with commentators, III order
that their subsequent SANDERS might re
ceive credit This would introduce the
goddess majority report; there is in 1t no
reference to Jehovah. 1t is an infide doe
necked. famous giants. descendants from
Arba, founder of the city Of Hebron. The
spies were terrified at sight of them"
90. "The Amalekitcs," etc. These peo-
pie had already attacked the Israelites
once. Elk. II: S-l6 The Hittites were a
strong, warlike people. The Jebusites held
the region about Jerusalem. The Amor
ties were mountaineers.
80. Caleb" The spy from the tribe OF
Judah. He begins the minority report
with an unwavering trust in God. Joshua
| the people" A bitter wall of DESPAIR was
going up from the vast throng of people.
81 1--WE be not able" This had not
been asserted before. The ten spies are IN
creasing in their opposition.
81. evil report-eateth up" How un'
belief grows. At first it was only a sug
gestion Tvs %, 29), then it became an as
sertion ". 81, then it assumed the form
of an "evil report" The spies cannot mean
that the land was barren and the inhabit-
ants dying of famine, for the fruit they
/ Drought WllH tUclll IBcll lCpOl0
would contradict this, but it has been
thought that there was pestilence in the
land at this time. and also that the spies
had learned that the people were constant
! ly engaged in wars to maintain their indie
pendence.
49, "Sons of Anak." Anall literally sig
nifed long necked. The sons of Anail
were a race of giants in strength. 1t
seems to be fact that in primitive times
there were men of great stature,
!. "All the congregation" There were
few noble exceptions. however. "Wept
that night These loud wailings, resound-
ing by night from tent to tent and from
| tribe to tribe, spread the contagious de-
spondency through the whole camp. They
were surrounded by the dark and chilling
clouds of unbelef, and were occupied with
themselves and their difficulties instead
of with God and His resources. All this
grief was on account of imaginary troubles
., 9. "Better-to return They muir
INJURED against Moses and Aaron and
wished to return to their former life of
servitude. Their wish to return to the
groanings, burdens. tasks and insults of
the brick yards of Egypt. from which a
| pitying Jehovah had led them forth was
| indicative of base ingratitude and SER
Witty Of spirit exceedingly offensive"
a. make a captain" They repudiated
| Moses and Aaron and jehovah. According
| to Nehemiah o: II they actually appointed
a captain to lead them back to the task
masters lash in Egypt. Moses and Aaron
| then fell on their faces before the people
and Joshua and Caleb rent their clothes
| as a sign of their great grief, and made a
strong appeal to the congregation in fa-'
vor of taking the land at once. But the,
| people like a frenzed mob tried to stone
them to death, and were prevented from
| so doing only by the glory Of the Lord
| shining forth from the tabernacle. The,
majesty of Jehovah flashed forth suddenly
to strike the people with terror in their
rebellion, and to deter them from their
wicked design" God now threatened the
nation with destruction and they would
have persisted but for the prayer of Moses.
The ten spies were smitten with the
plague and died. Every person over TWEEN
ty years of age. except the two faithful
spies, was to die before the nation entered
Canaan. As a reward for their faithful
ness Caleb and Joshua were permitted to
enter the promised land. Caleb received
Hebron as his possession, the very place
he searched as a spy, where were the hest.
fruits and the strongest enemies. Joshua
had his name changed from Oshea to
Joshua, which signifies savior, and was
also honored by being chosen as Moses
successor to lead the people into Canaan.
Thus does God reward the faithful and
punish the wicked.