The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1907-08-22
The Two Reports
of the Spies
Sunday School LessOnIOr Sept. l. 1907
speeIally Prsp.I.d ~ IL -

z5-a Memory verses 30. 81
GOLDEN TENT.-"Tho Lord is with
us, fear them not."-Num. i4;9.
TlME.-July or August. The Time OF
the first ripe grapes" Mum 1880 b. G..
1890 by the common chronology THIS
was two or three months after they left
Sinai on the eoth day OF the second
month. sometime In May.
PLACE Kcdesh- barnea. An ll-days
Journey (Dcut i.0 OF continued travel,
as modern travellers have found robin
son was exactly n days.. l. e., 100 or lso
miles route from Sinai 1t Is 80 miles
south OF Bcershcba on the southern
border OF Palestine.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
For two or three months the peo-
pie OF Israel men. women, and chill
dren. slowly marched through the
great and terrible wilderness" from
Sinai. a journey which ordinary trav-
elers could make in eleven days. The
slow march and long rests were nee
essary both on account OF the children
and the flocks, and on account OF the
need OF longer training. Moreover.
the difficulties and privations OF the
desert would make them more anN-
ious to enter the land flowing with
milk and honey"
Kadesh-barnea. Al length. some
time in July or August. they reached
Kadesh-barnea. Ain Qadees, so miles
south of Beersheba. just at the foot Of
the range OF hills which are the south
ern boundary OF Palestine
From Kadesh the people can see,
rising before them toward the north
west. the steep ascent which leads
into the hill country. the destined in
heritance OF the tribe OF Judah"
The gates to their new home were
before them. wide open. The fertile
oasis to which they had come was a
foretaste OF their inheritance Only a
steep climb and they can set their feet
on the land OF promise.
Then Moses said unto them: BE.
hold. Jehovah thy God hath set the
land before thee; go up. take posses
/ sion. as jehovah the God OF thy IA
theirs. hath spoken unto thee; fear
not. neither be dismayed.- (Deut.
1:21D
They had only 20 trust God and go
forward aud in less than two years
from leaving Egypt the land would
have been theirs The God who had
delivered them with mighty hand.
who had made a path through the sea.
/ who had rained mama. and brought
/ water from a rock. and spoken from
| Sinai. and entered into covenant with
/ them. and was leading them by his
/ visible prosence.-he babe them go
up and take possession Of the prom
/ Used land.
The people were afraid 90 30 for
/ ward. They were not a warliko peo.
/ pie. Abraham's attack on Chodorlao-
mer and his army In rescue OF Lot. In
the far distant past and their battle
with the Amalekites. a year before
this time. are the only battles record
ed In the whole history OF their race.
The whole people (Deut 1927 asked
Moses TO first send out spies 20 In
vesugate. This was wise under the
circumstances. that 3. the next wisest
thing to going forward trusting In
God. and therefore Moses agreed TO
the plan CDeut 1920. and II was so
directed by God (Num. 1871, -.
The COMMITTEES Of Investigation
Accordingly. Moses selected twelve
leading men best fitted for the ser.
vice, whose names are given In VS.,
4-15.
spy Out the Land."-The object
OF this expedition was % 10 learn
what were the attractions OF the coun.
try: CD the difficulties in the way OF
taking possession; 90 the best ways
OF reaching the country; ca the prep
arations Il was necessary to make
] Get you up this way southwark" Bet
ter as In II. v. by the south, not re-
ferring at all to the direction form the
Israelite's camp. but to a welldefined
tract OF territory forming the south.
ernmost and least fertile portion OF
the land OF Canaan. II was called
"The Negeb" or the South Country.
literally, the dryness." In the same
way we speak of "the South, no
matter in what direction we approach
1t.
The Two Reports.-The timid spies
we're like Elishas servant e. Kings
GIG, III. who saw the enemy, but
did not see the heavenly chariots and
horsemen ranged on the hills round
about. They saw the giants, but were
blind TO God.
The report was evil because Il
omitted the essential factor in the
case.
The minority report OF Caleb and
Joshua was a good report because,
while 1t accepted all the material
facts OF the other. it embodied the
one essential Of faith in God with its
outcome Of obedience and courage
The difference between the two lay
In this: that the ten looked at God
through the difficulties. as when you
look at the sun through a reversed
telescope, and II seems indefinitely
distant and shorn of its glory; while
the two looked at difficulties through
God.--F. b. Meyer.
Practical Points.
God summons us to go up now, I'M
mediately, and possess the land. eter-
nal life began in this world and In our
vQuth