Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1913-10-16

NuutSn DdIlcd,
their objective point, is = delightful
place, well watered-a sharp contrast
to the Desert of Paran. Here they
rested and refreshed themselves.
Moses, full of faith, proposed that they
proceed forthwith to enter Canaan. the
Land of Promise.
But the Israelites were timid. They
had no knowledge of war, excepting a
little experience with the Amalekites
near Mt Sinai Their caution over
balanced their faith. They urged upon
Moses the sending of the twelve spies.
These apparently were divided under
two leaders, Caleb and Joshua. One
party went the length Of the land, and
returned in forty days; the others took
shorter journey and returned sooner.
| The spies were cautious men and
gave a truthful report of the land, de-
:laring that its cities had high walls
and would be difficult to overcome.
They reported also that they had seen
giants. The report of the ten is de-
scribed as an evil report because they
presented the matter from the view
point of its difficulties. as in contrast
with the report made by Caleb and
Joshua. which was styled a good re-
port. because encouraging.
The spies really should have consid-
cred themselves as q committee OF
ways and means for entering Canaan,
rather than for deciding whether it was
possible to enter. The possibilities
we're already determined by Gods
promise: hence Joshua and Caleb left
these out of account. If God could de-
liver them from the Egyptians and the
Amalekites He surely could fulfil Hi:
promise to bring them into Canaan.
Did God Encourage War;
In studying this lesson. many are
perplexed. They say, 1t seems unrea-
sonable to believe that God gave such
a message to Moses and the Israelites
Contrast this with the Scriptural dec
laration that God will make wars to
cease unto the ends of the earth"
Agnostics inquire. Where is the justice
Of commissioning the Israelites to steal
the lands of the Canaanites. and to ex.
terminate utterly all the people?
To understand the Bible. we must
view it from its own standpoint. and
not from that of our creeds formulated
IN the darker days. nor from that of
our own imperfect reasoning. The Bi.
BILE is beautiful, consistent, Godlike,
only when viewed in its own light.
We must remember that the Bible
antagoniZes the theories of our creeds
which tell us that those slaughtered
Canaanites went straight to an eter.
nifty Of torture because they did not
know the true God and Jesus Christ
the Savior. The Bible tells us that all
mankind are children of Adam, and
all perishing because of his death sen.
tence. When they die, they are not
alive anywhere. They are dead. They
are suffering the penalty that God pro.
nounced, Dying, thou shalt die"
1t matters not, therefore, in what
way we die, or very much whether our
experiences be longer or shorter. In
the case of the Canaanites, God de
clared that their iniquity had come to
the full That is. God determined that
they were merely cumbering the earth
God was using the Israelites as a
typical people, through whom He was
making types and shadows of coming
blessings. He would give Canaan to
UaE CHRISTIANS FIGHT Israeli to illustrate
WIN DELI the destruction of
Il the works of the
MA0N flesh and the Devil
JH<A which His people
NAE[A would accomplish