The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1907-10-04
JOSHUA, ISRAEL S
NEW LEADER
Sunday School Lessen for Oct. 6. 1897
Speeia;sy Prepared for This Paper

TIME--The last Of March or early IN
April Josh q: 10 compared with Josh.
1; I'D. B. C. 1851 according TO our Bible
margins Many scholars place Il two
centuries earlier. II was directly after
the Exodus
PLAcE.-The plain of the Jordan on
the east side at the foot Of the Moabits
mountains. opposite Jericho.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
Joshua, the New Lesder.-His Name,
originally Hoshea, the same as the
prophet Hosea, Simplifying salvation"
or help" To this was added after
wards Mum. IS: l6) "Je" for Jeho-
yah, and the name became Jehosus,
Jehovah is salvation" shortened TO
Joshua. later modified In Neh. 8: IL
to Joshua. from which came its Greek
form in the Septuagint, Jesous. Jesus.
OF whom Joshua was in some respects
type.
His Ancestry.-He was an Ephraim-
lite. a descendant Of Joseph. through
Ephraim. and according to 1 Chron- Z:
22-27 he was the eleventh generation
from Joseph. His fathers name was
Nun, and his grandfather. Elishama.
was a captain OF the army Of the
Ephraimites. 40.50O in number. at the
organizations of the Israelites soon
after the exodus (Num 2: IS. etc.
compared with l Chron. Z: 2O.
His Birthplace.-He must have been
born in Goshen in Egypt, where his
parents were in slavery.
We would know all of life IL we COM
pietely understood any one life. 1t 10
well 10 read what we can in Joshua's
Book OF Life
commonplace. that OF an assistant to
Moses OF the three classes Of men
hose lin advance OF their time. the
men up to their time. and the men fol-
lowing their time"-Joshua was one
Of the last type. without originality.
obeying orders; his deeds only breathe
through him. not from him" Thus
the blind preacher makes Joshua
comfort and strength and hope to the
vast majority OF men.
This may be true OF the earlier por-
tions of his life up to the time of this
lesson But now he comes TO the re-
ward OF his faithfulness as one who
obeys orders. BY obeying he has
learned TO command BY faithfulness
In little things he is able to do great
things. This is the only ladder that
may be climbed to the best The
one who would be an orator Is
told TO learn the great orations by
heart. The one who would be paint
err studies and copies the great artists.
When the time came he was able TO
enter the door 10 his great Network
2. A well-known scholar. says the
Temple Bible, considers the finest re-
ligious conception in the book the APP
pearance 10 Joshua OF the angelic Cap
tain of the Lords host Josh. 5: 13-
49, 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.
3. He was a man OF great courage.
shown in the battle with Amalek, and
still more in action. in spying out the
land and in almost alone resisting
the clamors of the people.
T. He was a man Of faith.
5. He was deeply and intensely re-
ligious. through and through.
s. He came to have fine qualities
as a general.-keen observation.
power TO control, wise leadership. ce-
lerity OF movement skilful. strategy,
holiness of attack
Ebers. in his romance Joshua"
makes him. not without some proba-
bility, captain prior to the Exodus,
In the Egyptian army. well accustom-
ed to campai gning
The Difficulties In the Way.-These
were very great indeed
l. The Jordan was at its food
Josh. 3: l5). 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 like an i'm
passable barrier Of mountains before
the people. Impossible to overcome
was written all over them. IL was like
the task which Jesus set before his
disciples when he was about to be
crucifed-twelve unlearned. unarmed.
poor men to conquer the Roman en-
pire, when one breath OF Cesar could
sweep them from the earth: to over
come the wealth, the worldliness. the
selfshness. the sin. and crime OF the
world. Lebanon was but a molehill to
this mountain OF difficulty. The peo-
pie were dismayed. dlsheartened.
hopeless almost to despair.
Practical Points.
The path OF duty is like direct
road 10 success. and moving from IL
in either direction leads to disaster
and defeat Note the terms righteous
ness. rectitude, uprightness and. in