Evening star., 1907-10-26

CONTEXT.-After the downfall oi
Jericho the Israelites met a serious re.
verse. Three thousand men sent agains
Al. a small city to the northwest. were re.
pulsed and put to fight. Joshua, in great
distress inquired Of the Lord the cause o1
the defeat, and learned that there was sir
in the camp Deut., xXviii:2J). Search was
instituted for the offender. and Achan was
found and punished Josh. vii:25). A sec
ond and larger expedition against Al was
successful, and much spoil was taker
and distributed among the people. Ad-
vancing TO Ebal, Joshua erected an altar
and wrote the law on stones, according to
the direction of Moses Deut., xviii :2S)
Moved by fear, the Gibeonites craftily
secured a treaty of peace, but on exposure
they Wee condemned to perpetual bond
age Josh, X:20. Hearing of this al
lance, five kings MADE a combined at
tack on Gib3on, but Israel came to their
help, gained a splendid victory Josh,
KID. vigorous campaign followed
extended through several years, in which
thirty-one kings were conquered Josh.
xii:24), and tn, military power of the
country was b? oxen.
DIVISION Thus far the tribes, al
though recognized as distinct, had been
held together in one body. It was the
purpose of God, however, to separate
then and assign to each tribe a def
mite territory (Acts, xvii:26). To that end
Moses had given instructions (Numb.,
xXxiv 1920. The time had now come
when a division might be made. The
fighting men OF the two and half tribes
that received Inheritance on the east of
Jordan (Numb., xxxiv:10 had left their
families and their substance and had
accompanied thei- brethren to the con-
quest of the western portion. After seven
years of war, the end being attained. they
ought to be allowed to return. Besides,
Joshua was old and we'll stricken in
years, scarcely able TO endure the further
fatigues of military life. Nor was 1t
longer necessary to impose such burdens
upon him. The parts of the county un-
subdued GOSH, xiD might be taken by
the tribes separately. But the task of
fixing the boundaries might be done by
him, the last work of his useful life
Having travelled over it as spy (Numb.,
KID and marched over it as soldier, he
was eminently qualified So Israel re-
turned to Gilgal, and the partition pro-
ceeded Josh, xiv:0.
ORDER.-The sons OF Jacob and the
tribes that descended from them are
mentioned in several different orders
first, according to their birth Gen, xxx
and XXX; second, recipients Of their
fathers blessing Gen, xix :3-2O; third.
in the assignment of place in camp;
fourth, In their march through the will
dernesS Numb. x:l4-2O, and in still an
other order IN their settlement In Canaan.
In every instance after the first Judah
is made most conspicuous. Jacob plainly
assigned his fourth son a mission su-
perior to that of his brethren Gen,
should not depart from Judah until Shiloh
came. This allusion was understood in
Jewish history as referring to Messiah.
Judah was made the central tribe. Hence
the honor conferred upon it in camp,
in march, in war. Judah's standard be-
Ing always in the front. So now, in the
division of the land, Judah receives the
first portion on the west of the Jordan.
This indicates the divine purpose to plant
this tribe .in the very heart Of the ma
ton to be nurtured with special reference
to the child of promise CMicah, Wy.
REQUEST-When the tribe Of Judah
appeared before Joshua. the oldest man
in the tribe advanced to make a special
personal request The heads of other fam
lilies not only allowed him precedence, but
united in urging his plea, an evidence
Of their esteem. 1t was Caleb, who had
reached the advanced age of eighty-five
years. He came to ask that he should re-
ceive the Inheritance in the land before
all others-a strange request indeed. The
portion he desired was not some beautiful
and fertile valley nearby, from which in
the recent wars the enemies had been ex-
pelled-a place where an old man might
find repose-but he selected rather a
mountainous region in the south, inhab-
tied by the Anakims, who had not yet
been conquered; a race of giants who,
nearly a half century before Numb,
xiii:33, had caused the representatives
of ten tribes to quake with fear. In ask
f.,,- hot hi tlan
ran Caleb desired what no other would
have accepted, but what, If obtained,
would prove great blessing.
FAITHFUL.-What prompted this
request of an old man? Caleb gave his
reasons. The first of these was the plea
of faithfulness to God. He called atten-
ton to the fact that when the spies who
went out from Kadesh Barnea returned to
Moses with evil tidings, he wholly fol-
lowed the Lord. He was not influenced
by their fears. He did not join in their
words of disbursement. He stood up
in the presence of Israel (Numb.. xiii:30)
and declared that, with the help of the
Lord they were able to go up and pos
sess the land That was precious mem
ory to an old man. Looking back over
the intervening years, recalling the disas-
terS consequent upon the unbelief of men
who were dead and gone, rejecting upon
tne Ueldy Ill the eSeCulioH VI the LoIu .
plan and considering that he stood in
the midst of a new generation to witness
the triumph of the later years and realize
the hopes long deferred. it was not sur
prising that Caleb should ask some re-
ward and recognition of his faith. And
that not for himself alone, but for the
cause of God.
PROMISE.-Caleb strengthened his
request by the consideration that what
he desired had been promised. God had
said to Moses and Moses had repeated to
Israel that the country of the Anakims
should belong to Caleb (Deut., 1850. That
was the same as deed or bequest, kind
of letters patent, derived from the high
est possible source. canceling all other
claims. Hence he came not now so much
to obtain title as to secure a recognition
and publication of title, that the divine
deed might be entered for record in the
historic archives of Gods people. In this
there was vastly more than the protection
of personal rights to property. If God
had S apart Il certain place of resid nc:
for himself and posterity it was for a
purpose. And Caleb was determined to go
to that appointed place that he might
meet the divine purpose in him. He was
not willing to thwlrt any part of that
wondrous plan VIII reby israel 8 81. !:
accomplish its mission. What Hebron
afterward became exhibits the wisdom of
Calebs choice and resolve duke. 1880.
CONQUEST.-Caleb urged his re-
quest by still another consideration,
which must have removed all obj c