The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1907-08-23
sraelJourneying
to Canaan
Sunday School Lessonio Tor Aug. IS. 1907
Specially Prepared for This Paper
Specially Prepared for This Paper

lesson TEXT. - Numbers O:il-3.
2:36.
GOLDEN TExT.-"And the Lord went
before them by day In a pillar of a
cloud, to lead them the way; and by
night In a pillar of IRE. to give them
light."-Ex. 1921.
TIME.-B. G. 1890 according TO the
common chronology. Scholars are d.
ylded between this date and 200 years
later. The second stage of the wilder
ness journey. the new start from Sinai,
began on the 10th of the second
month of the second year after leaving
Egypt May. They had spent about a
year at Sinai (the 10Th day Of the sec
ond month was May q in 1902, and will
be May 4 I'm 1870.
PLACE.-They started from Sinai near
the southern point Of the peninsula be-
tween the two northern arms of the
Red sea. They moved In a northerly d.
rection into the wilderness OF Paran, or
the Tih CTee), the great barren region
between Sinai and the southern border
of Palestine.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The ~Israelites had now remained
nearly a year at Sinai, where they
were safe from attack from Egypt on
the scattered population Of the desert,
! All this time they had been In Gods
school preparatory to their longer
training and discipline in the wilder.
ness.
The people left Egypt a mere crowd
OF fugitive slaves, with only the rudi'
ments of national organization, and
the dimmest religious ideas. But the
interval had effected an immense
change. They had now become an or
ganized people, with laws. a constit1-
ton or covenant, a priesthood, a relig.
.ous ritual, and house of worship; and
with a political and military organiza.
ton, under judges and officers placed
over thousands, hundreds. fifties and
tens lex. 1925; Duet. 1:15), and a
general council of 20 elders EEK. 24:1:
Mum. 11:16, 24-26) which the rabbis
believe a the origin Of the San
hedrim.
Make a record of their experiences
during this year., and show how each
n was a preparation for their com.
ing life.
According to the census Of Numbers
/ and 2, there we're 500, $50 men, 20
years old and upwards, besides the b.
273 Levites. -Als would naturally i'm
ply about 1000. 900 in all. But Prof.
Willis ]. Beecher, of Auburn Theolog-
ioal seminary, in a lecture not long
ago suggested that the enumeration
may have been technical, just as we
count an army. A regiment consists
of 1000 men, while often in various
ways not more than 400 or 500 are
present, and yet we call it a regiment;
600, 900 may be equivalent to 600 reg
iments, 'the thousands" containing
but a few hundreds, so that there may
not have been more than 300, 900 men
or 1000, 900 persons in all.
This schooling was like a prepare
tory school education for young peo-
pie. I
The Pillar Of Cloud and of Fire
Two symbols Of God always went be-
fore the people On their march. The
ark of God, containing the two tables
of the Law, the covenant of the peo-
pie with God; and over it the guiding
pillar of cloud by day and Of fire by
night, rising high above the host, a
conspicuous object that could be seen
not only by the marshaled host, but
by the scattered companies Of women
and children, as they fed their iocks.
and followed afar of the marvellous
signal of the divine presence. A great
host marching through a country with
out roads or other marks of civiliza-
ton, must be provided with some con
spicuous object to serve as a signal
to the main body, and to all struggling
parties connected with 1t.
Hence, the round CRATE. full Of kim
died fuel, elevated on a pole, which
was carried before and
armies in the east. The ancient Per
slams carried a sacred fire in silver
affairs before their armies, and other
ancient nations observed a similar Gus
tom. For fuller description see Mum.
9:15-23.
A Strange Guidanee.-The Lord was
guiding the people to the promised
land. We can imagine them saying.
Now that the Lord guides us we will
be led only in pleasant ways, In green
pastures, and besides still waters,
away from dangers and enemies, away
from serpents. and drought. and hun
ger, and we will reach the promised
land by the shortest route, In ia
quickest time. But, as a matter of
fact. the Lord had led them into the
trouble by the Red sea. into the dry
and thirsty land where no water was
Giving the invltation,-Every Chris.
tian should be able to give Just such
an invitation as this. He knows
whittier he is going. and what joys
are sure at the end of the journey,
The power of the invitation lies In our
own appreciation of the blessings OF
the Christian life.
/ GOD wants you to be a Christian
, not only because 1t is best for you. but
because there is work for you to do In
his kingdom; there are multitudes to
help. battles to fight. victories to gain
the kingdom of God to come. the world