The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-08-29
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COM
MENTS FOR SEPT. 4 BY THE
REV. I. w. HENDERSON.
Subject: The Two Reports of the
Spies, Numbers f3:17-2O, 1888
Golden Text, Numbers, tf:0
Memory Verses 30 n

! fDDttSs NuUibtfS IOslf-<U, -sf-eft
Golden Text, Numbers, tf:0
Memory Verses, 80, 81.
Israel's attempt to enter the prom
ised land directly from the south was,
as we shall learn from a perusal of
the lesson. a failure. They grew
fainthearted and doubted the power
of God to enable them to enter into
the land as long as It was inhabited
with the population that possessed
,, 1t. This lack of trust was fatal It
condemned them to wanderings for
forty long and weary years. 1t meant
that many should die without expert
encing the joy of entering the prom
ised land. 1t meant Pisgah, and no
more, for Moses.
Gods willingness to allow Israel
to prove the possibility OF a fulfill
ment of His promise is the first no.
ticeable truth that the lesson affords
for study. Israel. In spite of all the
evidences of Gods providence, care
and capacity to provide for them, con-
stantly doubted God. They contin-
ually we're impatient. When God
promised to bring them into a land
flowing with milk and with honey
they were glad. but they we're soon
distrustful. And so God permitted
them to send their spies in advance
that they might, weak and foolish as
they were. learn from experience
that there was a good land ahead and
one that was all that He had prom
ised 1t to be. IL Israel had been as
loyal to Jehovah as He was to Israel
they would never have desired any
other than Gods promise for the
satisfaction of their souls. But they
were not thoroughly loyal. II they
had had the sort of love for God that
GOD had for them they would never
nave sent spies into the land that
lay towards the south country. But
they lacked that sort of love for their
Lord. When they got the chance to
send spies they sent them forthwith.
The spies went up, looked over the
land, gathered grapes and pomgran-
ates and figs, studied the Inhabitants
ana the military resources of the
country, and returned to camp. Oral
ly they reported according to the kind
or men they were. Caleb, a man of
God and OF purpose and of courage.
reported that the project could be
Drought to glorious conclusion.
Joshua, who also believed In God, a
man of faith and of valor, substan-
tiated Caleb's story The other ten
were Like ten out of every twelve
men. They looked the difficulties in
the face, blanched and fled. They
were towards
Let us consider the land that they
found first. 1t was just what God
mad declared 1t to be. 1t was indeed
iand OF promise. a land flowing with
milk and honey, land of prosperity.
Inere had been no deceit The prac-
ticability of taking it depended en-
tireiy upon their confidence in their
cause and their God. With the host
and the help that they had tho risk
was negligible. though the task was
large. And possessing it they would
possess all that the heart of any man
or nation could desire But 1t was
full OF big men and warriors. Caleb
ana Joshua saw the pleasant prospect
and the rover of God. The other ten
men saw the Amelikltes and the
Jebusltes and the Hlttites and the
Amorites and the giants. It was a
ten to two report against the rella-
bility of God.
The ten men saw the dlfIicnlties
And men without vision, men without
faith, men devoid of the sense of the
omnipotence of the spiritual always
see the difficulties and exaggerate
them. The giants undoubtedly were
men OF some size. But they in
creased their stature by taking
thought a hundredfold. A man with
out nerve Is man who Is easily
frightened. A man without courage
is easily scared. A man without
faith in God takes no delight In
achieving the impossible. The ten
were men after that pattern. They
mistrusted God and had small conf
dence in their own powers. There
lore the giants became more insuper-
able barriers than the hills filled with
the Amorites, and the Amorites more
insuperable than the giants. Scared
10 death, they saw defeat and disas-
ter and possible extinction which
ever way they looked. They are sam
pies of men without vision. without
faith in God
Caleb and Joshua, however. were
men of Insight and of fidelity to Je-
hovah. To them the grapes were
evidences of power that was greater
tnan all the hosts tina. were against
them. The God who made the grapes
was able to lead Israel to Eschol
glance at the land simply reinforced
their faith In the eXactness of the di-
vine description.
ACooOuo dls obvious as Iley
apply to-day. We are, In Christ. on
the road from a land of bondage to
land of Jehoyah's promise: the king
dom of God as revealed In and
through our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. Figuratively speaking we
may say that the road to the king
dom is beset with hosts and giants
and enemies of the most rapacious
class. The foTetastes that we have
had OF the glo-ies of the Kingdom
justify the hope of a land that is
fairer than any eve hath vet seen
But ten out of twelve of us magnify
the difficulties while we forget the
beauties. Two out of twelve OF us.
on the average, are men of faith,
men OF vision, men of courage Ten
out OF twelve of us are afraid of the
enemy. All of us should be like Ca
leb. All of us should be like Joshua.
All of us should say: III Jehovah de-
lights In us then He will bring us
into this land" We should all move
en- toward the promised land
CANARY BIRDS IN CHURCH.