Delaware City press. (Delaware City, Del.) 1913-19??, 1913-12-12

GOLDEN TEXT-'Be sure your sin viii
find you out-"-Num. sz-2s.
Before proceeding against Jericho.
God, through his servant Joshua, had
given strict injunctions as regards the
taking of anything from the city for
seifenrichment, oh. GIT, is. 1t was
necessary at the outset of this cam
paign to safeguard Israel against any
such motives, The fruits of their vic
tories must in no way seem to be the
rewards of, nor to be dependent upon,
the efforts of their own hands. Spir-
itual victories are, as we learned last
week, won by means and upon prin-
ciples utterly foolish and inadequate
in the view of human wisdom. Nor
is the Christian dependent upon the
principles of human thrift for his sus-
tenance or enrichment. That does not
mean the enforcement Of the Chris
tian from those principles.
The story of Achan is an illustra-
ton. While his sin was individualistic
yet 1t was national in its results ". IL
After the fall of Jericho, Joshua sent
detachment of 1000 or 5000 men to
take possession Of the small town Of
All (iterally, "ruinsD. The task was
seemingly an unimportant and an easy
one, but the result was that the expe-
dition was turned into a miserable
rout wv. 1-6).
Achan's Sins Revealed.
The stages of the sin of Achan ara
wonderfully revealed in the confession
| ". 21) which was finally wrung from
-"I saw l coveted
/ took they are hid"
1. Joshua's error, w. 60. It was
right and proper for Joshua to bring
his difficulty to God. but 1t was not
right for him to lay upon him the
blame for his defeat. Moses before
him had made that same mistake (Ex.
5:22, 23), and 1t would seem that
Joshua should have profited thereby.
! In this, however, he is supremacy hui
man. We Of today with far greater
light are constantly making this same
mistake Of accusing God, instead OF
finding out ane judging our sin.
There is, however, an underlying note
of the master passion of Joshua's
heart, that note which had so gov
erned the heart of his predecessor,
Moses. 1t is expressed in the last note
OF his complaint, What wilt thou do
for thy great name?" v. 8. This corn
sssssslss ssssazsss sass1s
4 IKE those Of the preceding generation
4 utilized in the wilderness. For us 70
wish ourselves to be content to dwell
beyond Jordon," when the testing
times of our Christian life come, when
the calls come for an advance, is to
doubt his wisdom. No wonder Joshua
was amazed when he saw Israel turn
its back upon its enemies ". 81. we
must beware lest we, too, be dismayeo
when we see the church of today give
way before the world and the devil.
N. The cause Of defeat, w. 1912
! Joshuas petition is answered by tne
voice of Jehovah in terms of rebuke
strong, yet tender. In verse two we
are told that Joshua sent men to view
Al. Why? Because in the language O.
verse one 1.-THE children of Israel com
mitted a trespass in the accurse'
thing" Joshua wanted the people t.
know that the sin of Achan and IL
results was the sin Of the whole ma
ton. God brings the essential one
ness of the nation before us In vers
eleven; for an illustration, see l. Col
SLY and 12:12-14, 16.
Gods instructions.
M. The victory Of defeat, w 1871
1t is a testimony as to the spirltua
condition Of this nation that the frau
was so soon located. The early Chri
tian church had parallel incident !
the case of Ananias and Sapphira, Act
5.1.11. In each case the evil wa
quickly Judged and reveals the clos
ness Of God to his people. In the pr
cess of years Israel passed from thi
condition; has the church of today
passed? God had given explicit !
structions as to the spoil (ch. o;lS
w. God commands Joshua not
cry unto him, but to 'sanctify the pc
ple." The church of Christ, as w
as the individual, needs to judge
sin and to set itself apart unto &c
II was a stern Judgment and t
query arises what sort OF pcnn
err would the church have today were
,al sinfully acquired property to sun
ok similar destruction. 1t is noticeap
of however, that there is no suggesti
MS, of any confession on the part of Ach
or until the narrowing circle OF 1ud
ment had closed upon him. he G.
lch- fessed only when there was no
Ick sible escape. This seems like ste
ler hard process, but yet God was dc
oft ing in mercy with the whole peoI
Of ~. The Golden Text. The words
18th this text we're uttered by Moses to
is two and half tribes who settled
red the east Of Jordan, that in case Z
op- refused to come to the help OF Il
brethren in the conflict necessary
a the possession Of Canaan, their
Ich, would discover them. This lesson
and rants the application of this princi
'ide A sin against God results in in1ur.
cry your neighbor. 1t is sin not to
OF your neighbor and conversely to