The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1907-10-17
The Capture
of Jericho
Sunday School lesson Tor Oct. 20. 1907
Specially Prepared for This Paper


GOLDEN TExT.-"By faith the walls
Of Jericho fell down after they were com.
passed about seven days."-Heb. II: 30.
TIME.-April. about y. c. 1851, accord
ing to the margins OF our Bibles. schol-
arS are divided as to the period. whether
II be In the vicinity of the Tel-el-Amarna
letters before B. c. 400, or In the century
following Rameses II. between b G. loo
and 1900.
PLAC.E.-Gfigsf and Jericho in the
plsin on the west side of the Jordan.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The Right of Israel to the Land
The representation Of the books OF
Joshua, Judges (2:2), and Of Deuter.
onomy Is that the conquest of Canaan
was in accordance with the plan and
the command of God. And God al
ways does and always commands only
what is right. But how could II be
right for one nation to drive another
from their homes and destroy them7
Distinguish between a command OF
God to do a thing and the way some
people execute the command. History
abounds In good things done In
wicked way. We can approve Of the
doing, while condemning the way Il
was done.
The Fall Of Jericho. -"And Il
came to pass" etc. Better, "And II
was according as Joshua said" in the
previous verses of the chapter.
The plan of the attack was for all
the men Of war ". 81 to march around
the city once a day for six days. and
on the seventh day to march around
It seven times, the last time with o
long blast of the trumpets and great
shout from all the men when the
walls were TO fall.
From the whole account we learn
the order Of procession. From what.
ever different sources the present %
count may have been drawn. the story
10 one harmonious statement Of the
facts. The order Of march seems TO
have been as follows:
First A vanguard Of armed men
who marched In silence at the head
Of the procession Tvs, 8. 10). They
we're to utter no vainglorious speeches
such as Goliath did when he met
David, and De Bohun at Bannockburn
Ito give no answer to the taunts
which the men on the walls may have
thrown at them. II was an ominous.
portentous silence "as deep as eter.
nifty" Silence that oppresses with too
great q weight" the silence In the
center of the cyclone before It bursts
forth In its career of devastation.
Second. VS.. 8, 13. Then followed
company of seven priests, doubt
less In their rich, priestly garments
showing to the Jericho people on tho
walls that what they were doing was
In the service and with the power OF
Jehovah, who had made path for the
Israelites through Jordan. These
were blowing 'trumpets OF rams
horns" the jubilee trumpets, the kind
that ushered In the new year (Lev,
23:24) and announced the year OF
jubilee Uev. 25:9). These were like
the bands which lead professions In
our day with marching music to which
the people keep step.
Third. After these came the Ark
of the Covenant borne by priests. the
Ark which stood In the river-bed while
the people were crossing, the Ark
which showed that the Lord God was
leading and defending them. but on
condition that the Israelites kept theiI
part Of the covenant.
Fourth. After these came the "
13) Reward" I. e., rear guard, con
sisting Of the rest Of the men Of Is
rael marching In silence around the
city. No sign Of triumph was to be
raised, no words of rejoicing over the
foe, nor of conscious strength. But
In solemn, reverent silence. as II God
alone was speaking to them, In medi
tation and silent prayer they were to
move around the city.
For Six Successive Days.-V. IA
This was trying to their faith, and
may have seemed to some to be q
hopeless waste of time. Some one OF
the seven days must have been a Sab
bath, and the action a breaking of the
Sabbath; but 1t was solemn. re
ligious service. and no more broke
the Sabbath than does the marching
Of the Salvation Army to draw men
to their meetings.
The Seventh Day-Vs. Is, 16, 20
On this day the circuit was made
seven times in succession. At the
seventh time. while the men we're
still somewhere around the city walls
but probably not wholly surrounding
the city. the signal was given as an
nounced ". 81 by long blast OF the
trumpets. different from the march
ing music. and all the men ". a0)
shouted with a great shout"
The orientals take peculiar delight
In noise. When our people are In
dead earnest. they are generally a.
lent; but the more In earnest an ori.
entail is. the louder he shouts. Even
Arab boatmen. when in great danger.
and every man Is doing his utmost In
struggling with the waves. will waste
lot OF strength and breath N shout