New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1919-02-28
IMPROVED UNIFORM INTERNATIONAL
LESSON
(By Rev. p. B. FITZwATER, D.. D.,
Teacher of English Bible In the Moody
Bible Institute of Chicago.)
Copyright. 1913. Western Newspaper Union.)
LESSON FOR MARCH 2
THE REPORT OF THE SPIES.

THE REPORT OF THE SPIES.
LESSON TEXT-Numbers 13:l7-14:3S.
GOLDEN TEXT-This Is the victory
that overcometh the world. even our faith.
i John 81.
DEVOTIONAL READING-Psalm y.
PRIMARY TOPIC-The story OF a won
derful Journey. Memory Verse-Num. 1919.
JUNIOR TOPIC-Two men against ten.
Memory Verse-Num. 1920.
INTERMEDIATE TOPIC-The folly of
cowardice.
SENIOR AND ADULT ToPIC-Causes
OF failure In life.
!. The Spies Sent Out (13 :17-20).
Less than two years have passed
since the Israelites were delivered
from Egyptian bondage. They are
now at Kadesh-Barnea. within sight
Of the promised land. Moses urges
them to go in and take immediate pos
session (Deut. :21) but they fail be-
aus of their unbelief (Heb. 3:19).
The act in Deuteronomy l 1925 shows
that God did not take the initiative
In sending out the spies, but that the
people, because of lack of faith, made
the request. God did not acquiesce
in their demands because he was
pleased with the suggestion, but their
moral condition was such that in no
other way could they learn the needed
lesson. The Lord many times permits
men to have their own way when he
knows that 1t e suffering and
failure for them.
There was a threefold purpose in
sending out the spies: Q) to see
whether the land vas as God had told
them ". 1S) (2) to see whether the
people who dwelt there were strong
or weak, few or many ". 1S) ; (3) to
see whether the cities were made up
of strOnghOlds or tents ". 19). What
folly! If God has spoken, to question
his word is simply unbelief.
u. The Commission Executed rs:
21-25).
They entered the land from the
south and %trnversed 1t to its north
ern limits. They spent forty days in
this investigating exploration. 1t Is n
sad comment upon human nature when
men must spend forty days in finding
out the truthfulness Of Gods word.
On their return from the north they
gathered some specimens of the fruit
of the land. Two of them, perhaps
and Joshua, bore n cluster Of
grapes upon n staff between them as
Il witness that God had spoken the
truth about the land.
III. The Spies Rendered a Report
(13 :26-33). :.
On their return this committee of
explorers rendered a report to the
whole congregation. 1t was not unani-
nous: $500
l. The majority report wv. 1920.
~ "The land fioweth with milk and
honey ". 27). AS a proof of 1t they
exhibited the fruit. They all bore
witness that this was in accordance
what God had said. (2) 1.-THE
people who live there are strong" ".
28). They seemed to stress this fact.
Unbelief dwells mainly upon difficult
ties. (3) "The people live in walled
". 2S). They argued that It
was impossible to capture them in
such sure defenses. (4) 1.-The land
was inhabited by giants" ". 2S CT v.
33). They saw themselves as grass.
Furthermore, they saw the
people so distributed-the Amalekites
the south country, the Hittites, Jeb-
lsites and AmOrites in the mountains
md the C~anaanites along the sea-
hat it was impossible to take them.
This, no doubt, seemed reasonable from
human side. but they displayed
heir folly in that they left God out
If the question. The same God who |
said TO them, go, possess the land"
would 60 along to fight the battles.
With the command ne gives the ability
do.
2. The minority report wv. 30-33).
IN part. this report agrees with the
irst; 1t does not ignore the difficult
les, nor dispute the facts. It denies
he conclusion Of the majority. They
lid not minimize the task before them,
tut asserted that with Gods help they |
well able to get possession of the
and, and urged immediate action.
The ten had their eyes on the diff
but Caleb and Joshua fixed
heir eyes upon God. Caleb lived to
his suggestion made real. The de-
'isiOns of the majority are not always
light. Just two men against the many
hut the thousands were
wrong and the two were right. 1t Is
always true that the "vOice of the
,eople is the voice Of God"
". The Rebellion Of the People
This rebellion began by crying. Hav-
ng left God out of the question they
Yow weep and howl. This weeping
nd bowling was followed by murmur-
ng against Moses and Aaron. They
ven wished that they had died in the
,ilderness or in Egypt. God took
hem at their word; he sent them
ack to wander in the wilderness for
years. during which time
hey all died except Caleb and Joshua.
his was followed by a proposition to
for the return to Egypt.
hey proposed to select a captain as
heir leader. The protest Of Joshua
nd Caleb against this resulted In the
to stone them. At this
oint God interposed In their behalf.
[e manifested his glory before all the
hildren Of Israel in v;ndication Of the
,yalty of Joshua and Caleb.