The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-22
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TABERNACLE
~ ABIBEE.s .sTUDY.oN~ -
Israel under a New Leader

BE strong and of good courage. =
Verse g.
Israel spent 80 days in mourning for
their great leader Moses, yet with one
accord accepted Joshua as their new
leader by divine appointment through
Moses Like other Bible heroes, Joshua
was renowned for his faith and his 10y
atty to God At the time of taking Moses
place he was in his eighty-third year. yet
full of vigor and evidently the best quail
fed man for the position.
The fact that Moses was vigorous at
120 years, and Joshua at SO, speaks Loudly
to us in confirmation of the Bible teach-
ing that Adam was created perfect; ana
that the entire race has since fallen into
sin and Notwithstanding Adams penalty
Dying, thou shalt die The inrelilsehce
of these men, as well as their vigor quite
contradicts the evolution theory; for this
very Joshua had been slave in Egypt.
Israers Real Leader-GOd
Not for a moment are we to lose sight
of the fact that God had adopted the ma
tion of Israel and had entered into spe-
eial covenant with them; and that there
lore, lie WAS InelI lcdi iChNSAt
Joshua and others being merely His rep
resentatives and mouthpieces. We have
already referred to the reasons for God
adoption of Israel, and in subsequent
lesson will consider them more fully.
The New Leaders Name
Joshua's name was originally Hoshea,
the same as that of the Prophet Hosea,
M. ~ xy1 90
fixed (Numbers 1916 Je, an abbreviation
representing the word Jehovah. Ihus
the name became Joshua, signifying Ie-
hovah's salvation. This was shortened TO
Joshua and Joshua. nehemiah S:lI)
The Greek form of this word In the sep
tuagint is Jesous-Jesus
For 27 years Joshua was Israefs leader,
faithful to God and to the people Not
only did he lead them through Jordan ana
direct in the conquest of city after CITY,
but he also divided the land amongst the
tribes and governed the people with great
acceptance, dying at the age of ITO years
Moses and Joshua were men of totally
different types. Anyone contrasted with
Moses would be idisadvantaged, SO hlgh
did that great statesman tower above the
average of humanity then or since. But
while Joshua could not be Moses, the
leader, commander. lawgiver ne was
faithful as a follower of Moses, as one
who obeyed the divine law, and whose
faith and influence were helpful to the
people He was just what God wished
him TO be, and whoever is worthy OF such
"a testimony is truly great.
The Land of Promise
That Joshua and Israel should take
forcible possession of Canaan is called in
question by some. They ask, BY what
right might one branch of the human
family destroy another and seize their
lands? Where is the justice of such
course?
There is but one answer to TINS query,
and. rightly seen, it is satisfactory. The
Lord declares that the earth Is His; that
He gave it to the children of men. as rep
resented by Adam psalm 1l5:l6) But
the gift was conditional upon obedience
and ty-disobedience, disloyalty. be-
ing punishable by death. Adam incurred
this penalty; and his children, under. the
laws of heredity, shared it with him, be-
cause born in sin and shapen In In
iouity." Thus all human right in the
earth was abrogated by the death SEN
tence upon the sinner.
God purposed in Himself the recovery
of Adam and his family from the curse
of death--through Messiah-through His
death and by the power of His Messianic
kingdom, not yet established. In prepara-
ton for these future blessings, God laid
hold upon the nation of Israel and blessed
them by making covenant with them.
Although they could not fulfill the terms
of the covenant and obtain God s choicest
blessings, nevertheless the Israelites were
greatly blessed by their law covenant.
BY it many of them were prepared for CO.
operation with Messiah in His kingdom in
due time. Meantime, Israers experiences
were overruled by the Almighty, to make
of them types of the divine plan as it
will be finally outworked on a higher
plane.
In carrying out this arrangement with
Israel, God gave them Palestine. He ex-
planned to them, nevertheless, that this
gift was not because of their worthiness,
but because of His favorstoward them in
pursuit of His own great plans, previous