The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1906-10-26

tnat we were aDie 10 go up aud pos
sess the land.
Because / said, the Lord has
promised us the land for a posses,
sion, and he is able to give us victory
v e our enemies
But he exclaimed, testify, why
should God ask us, or expect us, to
do things which our reason tells us
are impossible? l 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 go up and possess the land should
ever enter it, and recalled the awful
judgment On the ten spies who had
persisted before the Lord after bring.
ing up their evil report, he had shout
ed defantly 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 1t became al
most a proverb among the people that
Shelah would not taste death while
Israel was yet without a 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 nader asked Moses, with grow.
ing interest.
NO doubt it has had much to do
with it," replied Caleb, but you
must remember that the heart of I'M
belief which was born,o 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 a 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 a formidable foe to me, for as
you will well understand, Shelah en-.
tertained 10 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 a result a 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 a new understanding 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 viii.
derness was the result of the failures
and blunders Of their lead 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.
Then began a battle in his W
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
grandfather preyed upon his mind,
and mis- %irreverent boast that he would
live to so into the Promised Land
filled him with a nameless dread. For
weeks he struggled with the matter,
and at last determined that he would
speak to his grandfather about it.
This he did, but the old man flew into
a rage and charged his grandson with
disloyalty, and ordered him from his
presence. With breaking heart the
young man left and found refuge with
Joshua. The old man was sorry for
his temper, as soon as the boy had
gone, and sought to recall him, but
he had gone. For days he sought him.
Too feeble himself to go, 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 20 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 I'm.
belief should ever go into the Prom.
ised Land, but should die in the will
derness. Then his thoughts reverted
to his grandson again, and 1t suddenly
flashed across him that II that were
true, he was n who stood in the
way of the realization Of lsrael's hope.
He was helping to keep his grandson
out OF Canaan. But at last the vic
tory came, end with it peace, and
when the messengers returned with
the boy, the latter found the old man
with sweetness Of spirit viewing his
own fate. The certain hope OF Israel,
and that Of his grandson filed him
with q new Joy. Death will be wei
come here he whispered, for / know
now that you will go in and inherit