The Dolores star., 1907-10-04

Sunday SchooI Lesson TOR october 9th.
LESSON TExT.-Joshua. /: LII. Mem-
Dry verse. z.
GOLDEN TEXT.-"I will not fall thes
nor forsake thee."-Joshua /: g.
TlME.-The last of March or early In
April Josh. a. 10 compared with Josh
1: I'D. B. c. 1851 according to our Bible
margins. Many scholars place 1t two
centuries earlier. 1t was directly after
the Exodus.
PLACE The plain Of the Jordan on
the east side. at the foot of tho Moabite
mountains. opposite Jericho.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
Joshua, the New Leader.-His Name,
originally Hoshea the same as 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. s.: II
to Joshua. from which came its Greek
form in the Septuagint, Jesous, Jesus,
of whom Joshua was in some respects
a type.
His Ancestry.-He was an Ephralm-
lite. descendant of Joseph, through
Ephraim. and according to Chron. Il
22-27 he was the eleventh generation
from Joseph. His fathers name was
Nun, and his grandfather, Elishama,
was captain of the army of the
Ephraimites, 40.500 in number, at the
organizations Of the Israelites soon
after the exodus (Num. q: IS. etc.
compared with Chron. Z: 27).
His Birthplace.-He must have been
born in Goshen in Egypt, where his
sparents were In slavery.
We would know all Of life If we COM
pletely understood any one life. 1t is
well to read what we can in Joshua's
Book of Life.
1. Matheson calls his life prosaic,
commonplace, that of an assistant to
Moses. OF the three classes of men
those "in 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 a
comfort and strength and hope to the
vast majority of men.
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 Gosh. s. 49,
15). 1t is noble Illustration of the
truth that In the great causes of God
hn ,rth ha
supreme they seem, are themselves
led" Joshua was great because he
was under divine guidance, taught by
divine wisdom, and therefore, humble
and strong.
B. He was 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 clamors of the people.
4. He was a man of faith.
8. He was deeply and intensely re-
ligfous, through and through
6. He came to have fine qualities
as general,-keen observation.
power to control, wise leadership, ce-
lerity of movement skifuI, strategy,
boldness of attack.
Ebers. In his romance Joshua.
makes him, not without some pr0ba.
bility. captain prior to the Exodus,
In the Egyptian army, well accustom-
ed to campaigning.
The Difficulties in the Way.-These
were very great indeed.
1. The Jordan was at its flood
Gosh. 8: 15), absolutely impassable
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. 1t was like
the task which Jesus set before his
disciples when he was about to he
crucitied-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
selfishness. the sin, and crime of the
world. Lebanon was but molehill to
this mountain Of difficulty. The peo-
pie were dismayed, disheartened.
hopeless almost to despair.