St. Tammany farmer., 1906-11-10

to meet the forces of the enemy. II
may even be thai we shall be able
to gain the support Of seme friendly
tribe about to help us fight And the
people had listened, and then turned
i with the others in violent opposition
/ to our appeal to trust in the Lord and
/ go forward
| We'll, following those dreadful
days. after SO many had perished, and
Israel had at last been turned back
into the wilderness this man came
1 to me md demanded to know why in
the face of giants and walled cities
! and strong armies, l had declared
that we were able to go up. and pos.
sess the land.
Because I said, the Lord has
promised us the land for a posses
sion. and he is able to give us victory
over our enemies
But he exclaimed, testify, why
should God ask us, or expect us, to
do things which our reason tells us
are impossible? I would rather take
my chances in the wilderness than In
that dreadful land
"And when reminded him that God
had sworn that none who had refused
to 60 up and possess the land should
ever enter it, and recalled the awful
judgment on the ten spies who had
perished before the Lord after bring.
ing up their evil report, he had shout.
ed deiantly that he would not die in
| the wilderness, that if any ever came
into the Promised Land, he would be
among the number.
"This boast was noised abroad
through the tribe, and it became al
most proverb among the people that
Shelah would not taste death while
| Israel was yet without country"
| rs this what has kept the spirit of
so many bold and defiant during these
| years, Notwithstanding that in what
soever place Israel has cast her camp
there have the graves of the dead
been made?" asked Moses, with grow.
ing interest.
mo doubt it has had much to do
with it, replied Caleb, "but you
must remember that the heart of un-
belief which was born of the difficulty
| and dangers which confronted them in
| the Promised Land, has only been in
tensified by the trials of the wilder
ness journey. Faith grows not In the
soil of fear and discomfort.
"But with Shelah it was different, for
the stubborn, defiant spirit which he
had maintained through the years at
last gave way under circumstances as
remarkable as they were gratifying.
And this is the second part to our
story, and here is where we see the
| victory of faith in his death.
"Shelah had grandson upon whom
his heart was set, and it was the only
Joy of his life to watch the boy grow
and develop, and with the greatest
care he gave the boy instruction in
the history of his people, and sought
to arouse in him that spirit of hope
and purpose for his future that would
give him prominent place among his
people some day. In fact, think he
secretly cherished the thought and
hope that this boy might come day
prove formidable foe to me, for as
you will well understand, Shelah en-
tertained no kindly feelings towards
me.
We'll, this boy grew to young man.
hood, and chance brought him one day
several years ago into the presence of
Joshua, and as result deep friend
ship sprung up between the older
man and the STRIPPING. Fearful to tell
his grandfather, for he knew that the
latter felt none too kindly towards
him, this was the one secret he kept
from him. The result of this friend
ship was a broadening of the young
mans vision, and an opening up to
him of new und erstanding of the his
tory of his people. Up to this time
he had been taught to consider that
the plight of the people in the will
derness was the result of the failures
and blunders Of their leaders, and nat
urally he shared the prejudice of his
grandfather. But with the coming of
Joshua into his life the shadows OF
doubt and hate lifted from his mind
and he took hold of God with a new
faith.
s'Then began a battle in his own
heart He came to understand the
judgment of God upon the unbelieving,
and that they were to all perish in
the wilderness. The fate of his
grand father preyed upon his mind,
and mis- irreverent boast that he would
live to go into the Promised Land
filled him with a nameless dread. For
weeks he struggled with tho matter,
and at last determined that he would
speak to his grandfather about it..
This he did, but the old man few into
a rage and charged his grandson with
.disloyalty, and ordered him from his
presence. With breaking heart the
young man left apd found refuge with
Joshua. The old man was sorry for
his temper as soon az the boy had
gone, and sought to recall him, but
he had gone. For days he sought him.
Too feeble himself to so, he sent
messengers all through the camp, and
while they sought him, he was fighting
a battle in his own heart:
IF God had wanted them to go for
ward and possess the land, he was
able to help them. Perhaps he was
wrong, after all. And then he re-
called the saying Of the elders OF Is
rael that God had declared that none
who had refused to enter through un-
belief should ever go into the Prom
icad Land hIf should die in tho will.