The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-12-13

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The International Sunday School Les
SON for December II ts THE Sin of
Achan." Josh. Z.
(BY WILLIAM T. ELLIs.)
This IL a lesson on the tied-upness
OF life. 1t shows how the sins Of the
fathers are visited. not only upon the
and fathers and cousins and neigh
bors. Everybody with even the germ
Of an idea of social relationship or
obligation in his mind should read
this story of how one man cursed his
nation; even as the seller of impure
milk, the owner of unsanitary tene-
ments, the money-loan shark, the
sweat-shop contractor and the giver OF
brtbes curses a whole community
nowadays. Quite as it is possible for
q single miscreant to poison a village
we'll, SO the offense of one person may
bring anguish to a whole people. As
The Youths Companion" remarks
THE way Of the transgressor's mother
10 also hard"
Although he came of good family,
this man Achan was a common. low
down sordid thief. Small selfish
covetousness had dried up the springs
of his religion. The whole story may
be told in few sentences. Jehovah,
who had far-reaching enterprise on
hand in preparing Canaan for the
Jews anu Tie jews 1OI SAuddn, n4u
ordered that all the loot of the con-
Quered city Of Jericho should be de
voted" that il, set aside as sacred to
him. But Achan. like every other
CRATER. thought that an exception
should be made in his case. The gen.
common herd; but his case was "pe-
culiar." So he stole some fancy Baby
lonish garments and fifty shekels of
silver, and tongue of gold. (By the
way, the translators were afraid to
render that word tongue literally.
as they did not understand that gold
ingots were made into the shape Of a
tongue, as q specimen now in the Con-
stantinople Museum shows. In like
manner the Chinese until lately melted
silver into the shape of shoes. Oriental
fashion, Achan hid the forbidden loot
in the earth under his tent.
Like all the political graft Of our
day, this act had consequences running
far beyond the deed itself. 1t was a
direct violation of the mandate of God.
whose sovereignty is the strength Of
the state. Achan defied Jehovah. and
demOralized a nation. When de-
tachment of the army of Israel went
up to take the city of Al. it was put
to rout. The strategy was bad. being
born Of overconfidence; but most of
drawal of the favor of the Lord. God
could not bless any army that harbor-
ed an Achan in its camp.
why the Mother Walled.
That story has countless modern
counterparts. Some readers of these
words know Of a mission which con-
spicuously lacked success. One mis-
sionary's life was questioned on all
Sides The board withdrew him.
Straightway a revival visited the mis-
sion.
DR.. Truitt of Dallas. tells a story OF
a visit to a home whose only son had
suddenly gone to open shame and dis
aster. When he called at the home
the mother, a member Of the church.
accused herself of being entirely at
fault because she had of late ceased
to pray for her son. She said 1t was
her sin that had caused her sons de-
feat. The illustration il a searching
What says the poet
ssIIis strength was as the strength OF
ten,
Because his heart was pure"
Only the clean life and the molly
church can prevail in the hour of
recently, the churchmen asked a we'll
known deacon to represent them IN
moral reform movement. 1nvest1ga-
ton of his ineffectiveness showed
that he was a large owner OF prop
erty used for evil purposes. He was
driven ITOIH the A6At WIN WIZ "a
loathing. To every one of us there
will certainly come an hour OF crisis.
If it has not already arrived. when
all our past will be searched and test
ed. Upon that hour will depend all
our future usefulness. as patriots and
as Christians. Wisely did John B.
Cough cry, in his dying words.
"Young man. keep your record clean"
The Secret of Sacredness.
haunting look of fear in his eyes
which his friends seldom speak
about, but which they well under
stand. He would give all his position
and power to be free from 1t. For 1t
tells the story OF past which may.
like an avenging murderer. lay In
wait for him around the next corner
to slay him. He fails to conquer his
Ais because there il an Achan expert
ence in his life.
Could we but see as God sees we
would perceive how this principle OF
sin in the camp runs through life.
It explains why one man absents him
self from prayer meeting, another
from the temperance cause. another
from the rally of good citizens. 1t Is
the law of moral retributton at work.
Sin always finds out its victims-and
there is no other Nemesis so ruthless
even though the sin itself may never
be found out. That Is why the wick
ed flee" but 1.-The righteous are bold
as a Hon." Conscious rectitude Is the
greatest source OF courage. Much that
that is easy to virtue IL impossible to
even hidden sin.
When Virtue Is Defeated.
On a clear-cut moral issue. recent
". in a certain community. the peo-
pie voted wrong. The immediate re-
suits of the election are comparative
" negligible: but the effect upon the
future IL tremendous. The anguish OF
the civic leaders is like that of Joshua
when he heard the news from Al.
For 1t meant that virtue had lost
caste, while unrighteousness had been
publicly established. All the enemies
OF good and of God had been heart