The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1907-10-03
JOSHUA, ISRAEL'S
NEW LEADER
Sunday School Lesson for Oct. s, 1907
Specially Prepared for This Paper
Specially Prepared for This Paper

LESSON TExT.-Joshua, 1: Lii Mem
ory verse, T.
GOLDEN TExT.-"T will not fail thee
nor forsake thee."-Joshua 1: s.
TlME.-The last Of March or early in
April Josh. q 10 compared with Josh.
|: 1D. B. c. 1851 according to our Bible
margins. Many scholars place II two
centuries earlier. 1t was directly after
the Exodus.
PLACE.-The plain Of the Jordan on
the east side. at the foot Of the Moabite
mountains, opposite Jericho.
Comment and suaosstlvs Thought.
Joshua. tho New Leader.-His Name,
originally Hoshea, the same az the
prophet Hosea, signifying salvation"
or help" To this was added after
wards (Num. 10: 16) "Je" for Jeho.
yah, and the name became Jehosua,
Jehovah Is salvation" shortened to
Joshua. later modified in Neh. 8: II
to Joshua. from which came its Greek
'orm in the Septuagint, Jesous, Jesus,
Of whom Joshua was in some respects
a type.
His Ancestry.-He was an Ephraim.
tie, descendant of Joseph, through
Ephraim. and according to Chron. 7:
22-27 he was the eleventh generation
rom Joseph. His fathers name was
Nun. and his grandfather, Elishama,
vas a captain Of the army of the
Ephraimites. 10000 In number. at the
organizations Of the Isyaelites soon
after the exodus Mum Q: IS. etc,
compared with 1 Chron- 7: 27).
His Birthplace.-Hs must have been
born in Goshen in EWpt. where his
'arents we're In slavery.
We would know all Of hfe II We COM
pletely understood any one tifs. II Is
we'll to read what We oan In Joshua's
look q Hfe.
1. Matheson calls hts NE proeaio,
'ommonplace thas Of an assistant TO
Noses. OF the three Glasses OF msn--
hose ''in advance ek their time. the
men up to their tfme, and the men fol
lowing their tfme"-Joshua was one
of the last type. without originality.
obeyfng orders: his deeds only breathe
through him. not from him" Thus
the blind preacher makes Joshua .
comfort and strength and hope TO the
,ast majority Of men. t
This may be true Of the earlier por-
lions Of his life up to the time Of this
'esson. But now he comes TO the re-
ward of his faithfulness ~ one who
Nbeys orders. BY obeying he has
learned to command. BY faithfulness
n little things he is able to do great
things. This Is the only ladder that
nay be climbed to the best. The
one who would be an orator is
'old to learn the great orauons by
heart. The one who would be paint.
er studies and copies the great artists.
When the time came he was able to
enter the door to his great life work.
2. A well-known scholar. says the
Temple Bible, considers the finest re-
ligious conception In the book the ap-
pearance to Joshua Of the angelic Cap
tain Of the Lords host Josh. 8: 10
l5). II is a noble illustration Of the
truth that In the great causes OF God
upon the earth, the leaders, however.
supreme they seem, are themselves
led" Joshua was great because he
was under divine guidance. taught by
divine wisdom. and therefore. humble
and strong.
8. He was a man of great courage,
both physical and moral. as he had
shown In the battle with Amalek. and
still more In action. in spying out the
land and in almost alone resisting
the ciamors Of the people.
4. He was q man Of faith.
s. He was deeply and intensely Ne.
ligious. through and through.
8. He came to have fine qualities
as general.--keen observation,
power to control. wise leadership. ce.
lerity OF movement skilful, strategy
boldness Of attack.
Ebers, In his romance Joshua
makes him, not without some proba.
bility, a captain prior to the Exodus
In the Egyptian army. well accustom
ed to campaigning.
The Difficulties In the Way.-These
were very great indeed.
l. The Jordan was at It's food
Josh. 3: 15), absolutely impossible
for an army. much less for the whole
people Of Israel. This made them safe
from attack. but also prevented them
from taking possession.
2. The people of the land dwelt In
walled cities against which the Israel
ties had no sufficient weapons.
These obstacles rose liks an i'm
passable barrier OF mountains before
the people. impossible to overcome
was written all over them. II was like
the task which Jesus set before his
disciples when he was about to be
rucified-twelve unlearned. unarmed
poor men to conquer the Roman EN-
plre. when one breath OF Cesar could
sweep them from the earth; TO over
come the wealth. the worldliness, the
selfishness. the sin, and crime OF the
world. Lebanon was but q molehill tc