The Tupelo journal., 1907-08-30
The Two Reports
Of the Spies
Sunday School Lessonior Sept. l. 1907
Specially Prepared for This Paper
Specially Prepared for This Paper

LESSON TEXT. Numbers 1s:1.-2o
1888. Memory verses 30, 81.
GOLDEN TExT.-'The Lord 10 with
us; fear them not."-Num. 14:9.
TlME.-July or August. 1.-The Time OF
the first ripe grapes" (Num. 1920; B. c
14So by the common chronology. This
was two or three months after they left
Eicai on the Goth day Of the SECOND
month, sometime in May.
PLACE-Kedesh-barnea An 11-days
Journey (Deut. 1:0 of continued travel
as modern travellers ave found (Robin-
son was exactly II days.; 1. e., 100 or III
miles route from Sinai. 1t is so miles
south of Beersheba on the southern
border of Palestine.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
For two or three months the peo-
Pile of Israel, men. women. and chill
dren, slowly marched through 1.-The
great and terrible wilderness from
Sinai, a journey which ordinary trav.
elers could make in eleven days. The
slow march and long rests were nee.
essary both on account of the children
and the flocks, and on account of the
need of longer training. Moreover.
the difficulties and privations. of the
desert would make them more anx.
lous to enter the land flowing with
milk and honey"
Kadesh-barnea. At length, some
time in July or August, they reached
Kadesh-barnea, Ain Qadees, so miles
south of Beersheba, just at the foot OF
the range of hills which are the south.
ern boundary of Palestine.
From Kadesh the people can see.
rising before them toward the north
west. the steep ascent which leads
into the hill country, the destined in:
heritance of the tribe of Judah"
The gates to their new home were
before them, wide open. The fertile
oasis to which they had come was q
foretaste of their inheritance. Only a
steep climb and they can set their feet
on the land of promise.
Then Moses said unto them: BE.
hold, Jehovah thy God hath set the
land before thee; go up, take posses
sion, as Jehovah, the God of thy ia.
theirs, hath spoken unto thee; fear
not, neither be dismayed.-(Deut,
1:21.)
They had only to trust God and 60
forward, and in less than two years
from leaving Egypt the land would
have been theirs. The God who had
delivered them with a mighty hand,
who had made a path through the sea,
who had rained mama, and brought
water from a rock, and spoken from
Sinai, and entered into covenant with
them, and was leading them by his
visible presence,-he babe them go
up and take possession of the prom.
ised land.
The people were afraid to 60 for.
ward. They were not a warlike peo-
pie. Abraham's attack on Chedorlao.
the far distant past, and their battle
with the Amalekites, a year before
this time, are the only battles record.
ed in the whole history of their race.
The whole people (Deut. 1920 asked
Moses to first send out spies to in.
circumstances, that is. the next wisest
thing to going forward trusting in
God, and therefore Moses agreed to
the plan (Deut. 1928, and it was SO
directed by God (Num. 1871, p.
The Committee Of Investigation
Accordingly, Moses selected twelve
leading men best fitted for the ser.
vice, whose names are given in VS..
4-15. q
"Spy Out the Land."-The object
Of this expedition al % to learn
what were the attractions of the coun.
try; (2) the difficulties in the way OF
taking possession; 90 the best ways
of reaching the country; (4) the prep.
arations it was necessary to make.
Get you up this way southwark" Bet.
ter as in r. ", by the south, not re.
ferring at all to the direction form the
Israelite's camp, but to a well-defined
tract of territory forming the south.
ernmost and least fertile portion OF
the land of Canaan. 1t was called
1.-THE Negeb" or the South Country,
literally, "the dryness." In the same
way we speak Of "the South nc
matter in what direction we approach
it.
The Two Reports.-The timid spies
were like Elisha's servant G Kings
GIG, I'D, who saw the enemy, but
did not see the heavenly chariots and
horsemen ranged on the hills round
about. They saw the giants, but were
blind to God.
The report was evil because 1t
omitted the essential factor in the
case.
The minority report of Caleb and
Joshua was a good report because,
while it accepted all the material
facts of the other, it embodied the
one essential of faith in God with its
outcome of obedience and courage.
The difference between the two lay
in this: that the ten looked at God
through the difficulties, as when you
look at the sun through a reversed
telescope. and it seems indefinitely
distant and shorn Of it's glory; while
the two looked at difficulties through
God.-F. B. Meyer.
Practical Points.
God summons US to go up now. i'm.
mediately, and possess the land, eter.
nal life began in this world and in our
youth.
1t is right that we should know the
difficulties and dangers and self-de-
malls, as well as the good things in the
land to which W are called.
Every real good, like success, edu.
cation, usefulness. has great Difficult.