Evening star., 1907-11-09


xxD. The two and half tribes were
then dismissed to return to ther homes
on the east Of Jordan. On the way they
built an altar of testimony winch was
misunderstood by the other tribes as an
act of rebellion (Josh., XXlf). After sew
eral years of great quietness. the Ian! nlty
of old age and the prospect OF SPEEDY
death led Joshua TO assemble the people
for final instruction (Josh.. XX:i:D. Bat
at this time Joshua's advice would be es-
peciaily est eemed. For nearly thirty y6aIs
he had been a successful military leader,
a wise rivil ruler and a p.ouS SPIN, l,ual
guide His work had been but little less
important than that of Moses. The lat
ter had delivered from bondage and re-
Ceived the law and the ordinances, bat
Joshua had conducted Israel into the land
of promise and established them there
united and prosperous nations To his
courage and faith were largely due the
blessings then enjoyed.
SERVICE-After reciting the divine
goodness to the peop,e Joshua. NXivl-l"),
Joshua enioins in the first verse of our
lesson (verse 14 the fear and service OF
God. SO Moses pleaded at his de parture
ID ut, KID. He would have that sarV-
ice rendered in sincerity and truth as
alone acceptable In order TO DO that ne
urged that every other god be renounced
This fUnda mental direction had been Civ
en- many times UDeut.. iv:li). 1t covered
the most vulnerable point in the nation 8
character The Isiaeltes were descended
from tGo!aters in MeSopotamia tJosn
xxv:2 and inherited tendencies showed
themselves frequently. That generation
born in Egypt, were subject 10 tile po"
erful influences of the religious lorHis OF
that country, under winch the'r la,ielS
fell Gen. xxx:s), to which they might re-
turn In these last hours of HE, know
Ing what had occurred. Joshua sought 10
guard against any such danger. He wou q
make Jehovah the unrivaled deity. Defofe
whom the tribes should bow, TO whom
they should pay allegiance.
CONGRATULATIONS service must b.
voluntary. Any other is but short-iiFeo
mockery Mat, Xv:S). Joshua oia ho'
wish Israel to enter into an engagement
merely to please him. Had they done SO
they might be easily turned by so;hf
other leader into a new way tie woula
have the subject carefully considered ana
settled on its merits. II Al sen eTn "a ~
you to serve the Lord he SAID, the boio-
ness of the hypothesis or doubt oeihS
calculated to startle his hearers ana
awaken serious reflections In such an
event he suggested that they might return
to the God of the ancestors of Abraham.
or that they might adopt the gods of
the land in which they had come to I'VE.
He did not then mention the 2ods OF
Egypt, assuming doubtless that the ms ms
tory Of the golden calf EXODUS XXxn'-o
had put that subject beyond cohs.oera-
ton. He may have dwelt upon the fea-
lures Of the two systems of religion he
closed by letting the people know tnat
whatever their decision might be he ana
his house. for which he presumed TO
spea ak, were determined 20 serve the Lora'
ANSWER-How long or in what
way the people deliberated we do not
know They may have called assemblies
of families and tribes. They may nave
considered that as Abraham LETT ms
country and people at the call Oh Hou
G,n., xii:D he also left the gods OF MS
ancestors, and that to return TO tnoSe
gods would be to reject Abraham. / hey
NAV have remembered the commands OF
Moses, forbidding them to serve the soas
of the land (Ex., Xxiii:2D. which py ms
order were doomed to destruction lheE
could not cast aside the example anu
precept of their p.oSen'or ana I'd" s'Hsi;
or turn the whole course OF hls'oiS Gnu
renounce their national place and destiny.
They may have contemplated the man,
ner of their deliverance. the Signs ana
wonders wrought out Tor tnem' ..leiI
preservation in the wiluel ness, ihe
entry into this good land. BY Whatever
,,,nt it' ti'ods thev pursued their reflections
thay reached a conclusion that indicates
these points were N mind. The.r answer
was explicit and emphatic We Will
serve the Lord. for He Is our COD.
WEAKNESS - One might suppose
that tbs answer would be entirely s7t's-
factory to Joshua. In its letter. ana even
in it's spirit. it was the very thing he hao
raouested. But great chieftaln WHO mas
nassed more than five-score years, most
of the time in public life, knows how TO
Weigh men 1t Is vastly easier TO prohiiSt
than to fudfu (Ssalm. lXXvi:ll). re can
not serve the Lord" he said. he knew
how weak they were, now eas ~ 49, d
away from the right, for he had Wa'cned
their course for ha a century. lie gave
as an additional reason for his remark the
fact that God was holy. Implying tlal
service to Him must be holy tRon.' MID.
And he declared that if after COM 7SSlis
they turned away God would destroy
them. Did Joshua intend to discourage
the people? Would he make that appear
inpossible which before he had urged as
des ra BILE? No. He intended to make them
feel the Importance, the diff1culty ana the
magnitude Of their undertaking luke,
xiv.2I2s). He was dealing with precious
interests involving after generations, and
he determined to make thorough work
of of it, IT, "
RESOLVE-The peop'e adhered to
their promise I'VE W II serve the Lord
was their simple and unanimous reply.
Over against his ''ye cannot they wrote
I'VE will" 1t is probable that the words
used to express difficulty only intenS!hed
the determination. And it may be that
thu thoughts of tht, divine holiness IN
creased in them the honest dcS e, Tor the
true heart in it's calmer hours is attracted
most by an exalted standard. lhat re
lipion wins most at the tribuna: of human
Judgment which is loftiest and most eH-
act ng in virtues Certain it is that the
prospect of judgment for their wayward-
ness because of memories of former
scenes Numb xxi6), operated most pow
erfulIy uuCn :heir minds. 1t is sgreat
day in the life of a man when ne comes
to resolve for the right. The lS:aelteS
might have added by the hep Of sod,
but they knew not, as we do. the wonder
full message of grace. They had sum
moned their strength. however, and God
would not fail to give them needed help
QI Cor, ix:S.
WITNESS.-This second promise was
accepted by Joshua at its full value. There
was no good reason for further testing
..Ye are witnesses against yourselves" he
exclaimed, that ye have chosen the
Lord" Each tribe was made TO attest
what each other tribe had done, each
family for each other family. They stood
together that day as partners III a most
solemn agreement If in after years any
broke away from it all the others would
know that vows and Obligations had been
that u matter of supreme and
COMMON interest, presented in the most
searching manner in the presence OF one
whom all loved. had been approved only