Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1913-12-10
SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson M.-Fourth Quarter, For
Dec. Ia, 1918.
THE INTERNATIONAL SERIES.
Text Of ths Lesson, Josh. vii, els.
Memory Verse, Ia Golden Text.
Numbers xxi, 23--Commsntary by
Rev. o. NJ, Stearns.

Although our lesson is in chapter vii,
we are asked to read to chapter ri,
ending with the words, so Joshua
took the whole land according to all
that the Lord said unto Moses
and the land vested from war xxi. 23).
The section tells of the conquering and
destruction of many cities after the
taking Of Jericho, but begins with the
defeat at Al and the reason of it.
Defeat seems strange after the word
OF the Lord to Joshua. There shall net
any man be able to stand before thee
all the days of thy life" l-5l. but the
fulfillment of the Lords promises
sometimes depends upon conditions 10
be fulfilled on our part. as when
He said. IF We abide In Me and My
words abide in you We shall ask what
We viii and it shall be done unto you"
John XIV. n.
We have seen that Israel had been
forbidden to appropriate anything of
the goods of Jericho, and unknown TO
Joshua there had been transgression.
We do not wonder that he In his igno-
rance of this rent his clothes and fell
upon his face before the ark and that
he and the elders of Israel put dust
upon their heads and that he said;
80 Lord. what shall | say when Israe!
turneth their backs before their enc
mics? What wilt Thou do unto Thy
great manner" Verses G, 81
We do well TO consider whether our
name or His name is most la our es-
timation. Joshua was Jealous for the
honor of Jehovah. The Lord explain
ed the cause of the defeat by the sad
announcement that Israel had sinned,
had stolen and dissembled, and He
said that He would not be with them
any more until the sin was confessed
and put away (verses 1o-12l. Al
though only one man had sinned. note
that the Lord said that the nation was
guilty. "IsrTel hath sinned; they have
transgressed: they have taken" verse
III. Consider how the welfare of a
family or church may be affected by
the wrongdoing of one person.
On the morrow Joshua began to
search for the guilty one. and, proba-
bly, by lot. the guilt was found to be
in the tribe of Judah. Then the fami-
~ was found and then the household
and finally the individual. and Achan
began to realize that his sin had found
him out fxiii. IS. and Golden Text.
Joshua then urged Achan TO make
confession. which he did, and. the
stolen things being found In his tent.
he and all his were stoned and burned
and the sin put away xix, 20.
The valley of Achor is therefore
spoken Of as door Of hope Hos Ii,
15l, for where there are confession and
putting away of sin there will always
be blessing Achan's confession, Il
saw, coveted. / took" verse 21i.
takes us back to Eden. where Eve
saw and desired and took the forbid
den fruit.
Our eyes affect our hearts for good
or evil Sam iii. 5I. and we are prone
to follow our inclinations; therefore
we need to pray. Turn away mine
eyes from beholding vanity Dps.
cxix. 30. When we behold the beauty
of the Lord and follow Him fully, as
Caleb and Joshua did and as Simon
Peter was exhorted to do. all will be
well ops. xvii. 4 Mum. xxi, II;
John xxi, 22l
There was secondary cause Of Is
rael's defeat at Al. and that was I'M
derestimating the enemy and thinking
that 2.oo0 or 1900 men were sufficient
to conquer such a city verses 2-5l,
When the sin of Achan was put away
and the Lord encouraged Joshua to go
up and take Al. saying. Fear not; nei-
fher be thou dlsmayed," He also said.
Take all the people of war with
thee" tchapter viii. 1, p.
This time the city was taken and 1e-
stroyed. as fully recorded in viii. 800.
Then Joslia offered burnt offerings
and peace offerings unto the Lord,
wrote copy Of the Law OF Moses and
read every word before all the congre-
CATION (viii. 30-351.
Chapter 8 tells of Joshua forgetting
his instructions from the other cap
tain to loose his shoe from off his foot
". 1919, for he made a league with
the lying Gibeonites without consult
ing his captain: be asked not counsel
at the mouth of the Lord DIX, Ia. We
tdhttpt SAPtNA Auat ne NllA AtIeSl US IL
we fail to acknowledge Him prov.
Eli. O..
In chapter x. T-43. we learn that Gil
gal continued to be Joshaa's headquar-
tiers, from which he set forth and TO
which he returned Gideon was great
city, and because of her submission TO
Israel five kings made war with her
*. I-5l-
The Gibeonites appealed to Joshua.
and he took all the people of war and
all the mighty men of valor and went
TO their relief. for the Lord had said to
him. Fear them not Not a
man OF them shall stand before thee"
*. 6-sl. After an all night march the
men OF Israel came suddenly upon the
armies of the Eve kings and slew them