Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-10-06
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL,,
Lesson Fourth Quarter, For
Oct. 6, 1907.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text of the Lesson, Josh. |, 1-tt--Mem.
DRY Verse, 7-Goldcn Text. Josh. is.
Commentary Prepared by Roy. D. M.
Stcarns.

Commentary Prepared by Roy, D. M.
Stcarns.
Copyright, 1907 by American Press Association
This book OF Joshua Is to the proceed
Ing books something like the Acts of
the Apostles to the Gospels. Moses has
gone from the earth. but not before lie
has laid his hands upon Joshua and
appointed him his successor. at tho
commandment of the Lord (Num.
XVII. lob; Dcut. xXxiv, %. to lead
Israel In to possess the land.
He whose goings forth have been
from OF old. from the days of eternity
Nlic. V, 2, margin). having sojourncd
here In humiliation and fulfilled all
Scripture concerning the same. Is now
nlive forevermore and has all power in
heaven and earth and hns the keys of
hades and death, and IN Him tho
whole OF Gods eternal purpose shall
yet he accomplished (Alntt. xviii. IS;
Rev l. IS; Eph. ill., IL. The redeemed
of the Lord have n right to say, God
has by Ills grace made us accepted in
the Beloved, blessed with nll spiritual
the spirit that we may know the things
that nre freely given to us OF God"
OEph. !, 3, @. Z; l Cor. II. 12). This is tho
Canaan life into which our Joshua
leads us now that we are in Christ,
who Is the end of the law for righteous
ness to every one that helieycth.
In Moses and Joshua we see these
truths Illustrated. the law failing be
cnuse of the weakness of the flesh and
Jesus doing what the law could not
do Uaom. Will. 3. A.. The law as the
servant Of God lends us TO death and
resurrection In Christ, in whom we
have all things. but we must learn to
appropriate by faith the things thai
,nrc ours MS Gods free gift. for only
the things thus troddcn upon are really
enjoyed by the believer q, 81, and 1t Is
sadly true of us all that there remain.
eth yet very much land to be pos
sessed" (xili, u. 1t is n grief to tho
spirit aud dishonor to Christ when
we do not possess our possessions"
(Obnd. ID
Who Is there that knows. us he
should. the power of such words as. II
Will he with thee. will not fail thee
nor forsakc thee" verse 5D Yet hear.
them again and again In Gen. xviii
10; Dcut XXI. @, 8; Eek. III, 10; ~. ~;
Judg. vi, 1G; Isa. XII. 10; Matt. xviii,
20. What more cnn we ask or desire
than the presence Of Him who has all
power and the assurance iimtlIe- vii,
work both to Will md TO do OF His
good pleasure. saying. 81 Will work
and who shall hinder it," phil. II. 10;
lisa. Kill. 49,. We are here to help anh
encourage others Elsa. Kill O. Tlskmt wa
cannot do this unless we are ourselves
OF good courage GO. 4. .. 1S). Sec also
Chron. xii, 10; xviii, 20; ii Chron.
XIV, Z: xXxli. Z. and Hng. H. 4. the last
having threcfold "I,c strong" and
\ also II am with YOU" am contin-
unlly helped by the fact that notwith-
standing ali dlscouragcments our Lord
Is never discouraged ana cannot fall
and has assured us that the power and
wisdom OF hell cannot prevail against
His church Qsa. Kill. 4; Matt. XVI, 1s).
While there Is no doing of ours In
the matter of our redemption, for it ia
to him that worketh not, but belicveth
Rom. w, %, the VOID for the redeemed
Is observe to do" Oversees 7, s.. We
prove our love to God and bring to our
selves the fullness OF blessing. that Is
the conscious possession and enjoy
mcnt OF the things that are ours in
Him, by observing to 90 what he com
mands us. In Israel's case see E1.
XIX. 5; XIII, 20-25 etc, and note ev-
erywhere the results of their disobedi-
ence and what might have been IL they
had but obeyed. In our own case re-
member the words of our Lord In John
XIV, p, %. concerning His manifestlng
Himself to us and making Ills abode
with us.
The only book which can guide us
in that which we are to observe to do
is to be ever with us, and we are TO
mediate therein day and night (yerse
g. See also Ps. I, .. s. and remember
that one test of our love OF God Is our
love Of His word and the way we lay
II up In our hearts. His "IIave not
commanded thce?" (verse % reminds
lis of His word to Gideon, go in this
thy might; have not sent
thee?" Judg. vi, I'D and also His
grand message to jeremiah q. 7-9). In
asmuch as all these were written for
you and for me. dear reader, and not
for Joshua or Gideon or Jeremiah
(they were spoken to them, but written
Tor us-Rom. Ky. ~, let us lay them to
heart and observe to do them.
Note I'm this lesson chapter the fact
repeated five times that God had given
them this land Oversees Q, 3, IL, 10, 15).
1t was wholly of grace. They had not
iabored for 1t nor In any way deserved
1t. 1t was theirs by His covenant
with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and
they had only to enter in and possess
1t and see the God who gave 1t to them
cause ali their enemies to fall before
them. but there was to be no compro-