Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1907-10-17
The Capture
of Jericho
Sunday School Lesson Tor Oct. 70, 1897
Specially Prepared for This Paper

LESSON TBxT.-Joshua 9: $40. Nom
DRY verse, 20.
GOLDEN TEXT.-"By faith The walls
OF Jericho fell down after they were com,
passed about seven days."-Heb. II: 20,
T1ME.-April, about p. c. l451. accord
Ing to the margins of our Bibles. Schol-
ars are divided as to the period. whether
II be In the vicinity OF the Tel-el-Amarna
letters before b. c. l4O, or In the century
following Rameses II. between q. C. Loo
and 1900.
PLACE.-Giigai and Jericho in the
plain on the west side of the Jordan.
Comment and Suggestive Thought.
The Right Of Israel to the Land
The representation Of the books Of
Joshua. Judges t2:2), and of Deuter.
onomy is that the conquest OF Canaan
was in accordance with the plan and
the command of God. And God al.
ways does and always commands only
what is right. But how could 1t be
right for one nation to drive another
from their homes and destroy them?
Distinguish between a command OF
God to do a thing and the way some
people execute the command. History
abounds in good things done In q
wicked way. We can approve Of the
doing, while condemning the way It
was done.
The Fall Of Jericho. And II
came to pass" etc. Better. And It
was according as Joshua said" In the
previous verses Of the chapter.
The plan of the attack was for all
the men OF val ". 81 to march around
the city once a day for six days. and
on the seventh day to march around
1t seven times, the last time with a
long blast Of the trumpets and a great
shout from all the men when the
walls were to fall.
From the whole account we learn
the order Of procession. From what.
ever different sources the present ac.
count may have been drawn, the story
10 n harmonious statement OF the
facts. The order Of march seems to
have been al follows:
First. A vanguard of armed mon
who marched in silence at the head
of the procession Tvs, 8, 10). They
were to utter no vainglorious spec hes
such as Goliath did when he met
David, and De Bohun at Bannockburn
to give no answer to the taunts
which the men OF the walls may have
thrown at them. 1t was an ominous,
%portentous silence "as deep as eter-
nifty" silence that Expresses with too
great a weight" the silence in the
center Of the cyclone before 1t bursts
forth in Its career of devastation.
Second. VS.. s, 10. Then followed
a company of seven priests, doubt
less in their rich, priestly garments,
showing to the Jericho people on tho
walls that what they were doing was
in the service and with the power Of
Jehovah, who had made a path for the
Israelites through Jordan. These
yer blowing "trumpets Of rams
horns" the jubilee trumpets. the kind
that ushered in the new year LEV.
23:24) and announced the year Of
jubilee (Lev. $500. These were like
the bands which lead professions In
our day with marching music to which
the people keep step.
~. c,ran.n. 49, -, nrasts ~.
Al whIoh 800 ~ ~ rirarhod uh,,.
tha noorI. were oross,n, tho ArL
which showed that the Lord God was
leading and defending them. but on
condition that the Israelites kept their
part of the covenant.
Eoprtb After tbese came tbs ~
1s) "reevard." 4. e.. ear guard. con.
sistinp of The rest Of the men OF Ia.
raeI marching in silence around the
citv. No align of triumph was To be
raised no words NJ rejoicing over tbe
foe nor Of conscious strength But
in solamn reverent silence as ~ God
alone WA. sneakinp IN them In medi.
tation and silent praysr hey were to
move around he CITY
Eor civ Successive Dav.-v "A
Tbi. NAG irving m their faith and
NAV nov. .eemed n soms m ha a
hone,es. waste NJ time soma ono n,
the seven davs must have been , Sab.
hotb and the action a breakiny n, tho
Sabbath: but II was q solemn, re-
ligious service. and no more broke
A. c.hho.h +han aoaa tha ro~.rohinn