The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1919-02-20

LESSON TEXT-Numbers i3.i7-it3S
GOLDEN rENT-This IL the victory
that overeometh the wSrld. even our faith
i Johu, SO
DEVOTIONAL READING-Psalm g.
PRIMARY TOp1C-The story Of n won.
derful journey. Memory verse-Num. Hs
JUNIOR TOPTC-Two men against ten
Memory Verse Mum iS:2e
INTERMEDIATE TOPIC-The folly OF
cowardice
SENIOR AND ADULT ToPIc-cause.
OF failure In life.
!. The Spies Sent Out C13:i7-20).
Less than two years have passed
since the Israelites were delivered
from Egyptian bondage. They are
now M kndesh-Barnea. within sight
Of the promised land. Moses urges
them 10 90 In and take immediate pos
session Deut I :2I) but they fail he
cause Of their unbelief tHeb. 3:19).
There was n threefold purpose In
sending out the spies: ~ to see
whether the land was ms God had told
them w. 49, (2) TO see whether the
people who dwelt there we're strong
or weak. few or many ". ls); (3) to
see whether the cities were made up
Of strongholds or tents ". l9). What
folly II God has spoken. 10 question
his word IL simply unbelief.
~. The Commission Executed (i3:
2I.25).
They entered the land from the
south and trnversed II to Its north.
ern limits. They spent forty days In
this investigating exploration. II Is q
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
Caleb and Joshun. bore n cluster Of
grapes upon a stan between them ms
q witness that God had spoken the
truth about the land.
~. The Spies Rendered . Report
t13 :26-33).
On their return this committee OF
explorers rendered report to the
whole congregation. II Was not unani-
nous:
I. The majority report tvv. 20 20
W. ihub WIN N. tHu
honey ". 27). As a proof Of II they
exhibited the fruit. They all bore
witness that this was In accordance
with what God had said. (2) THE
people who live there are strong" w.
2s). They seemed TO stress this fact
Unbelief dweils mainly upon difficult
ties. go The people live In walled
Giflaa" Oh ThAu hue 10
was impossible to capture them In
such sure defenses. 90 THE land
was Inhabited by giants" ". 2s Ct "
33). They saw themselves as grass
hoppers. Furthermore. they saw the
people so dlstributed-the Amolekites
In the south country. the Hlttites. Jeb-
usites and Anorites In the mountains
and the Canaanites along the sea-
that II was impossible to take them
This. no doubt, seemed reasonable from
the human side. but they displayed
their folly In that they left God out
Of the question. The same God who
said TO them, go. possess the land"
would go along to fight the battles
2. The minority report (vv. 30-33)
In part. this report agrees with the
first: Il does not ignore the difficult
ties. nor dispute the facts. II denies
the conclusion Of the majority. They
did not minimize the task before them.
but asserted that with Gods help they
were well able to get possession Of the
land. and urged immediate action.
The ten had their eyes on the diff
culties but Caleb and Joshua fixed
their eyes upon God. Caleb lived to
see his suggestion made real The de-
clsions 81 the majority are not always
right. Just two men against the many
thousands. but the thousands were
wrong and the two were right. II Is
not always true that the voice OF the
people Is the voice of God"
~. The Rebellion Of the People
14:l-3s),
This rebellion began by crying Hav-
Ing left God out OF the question they
now weep and howl. This weeping
and bowling was followed by murmur-
ing against Moses and Aaron. They
even wished that they had died In the
wilderness or In Egypt. God took
them at their word; he sent them
back TO wander In the wilderness for
thirty-elght years. during which time
they all died except Caleb and Joshua.
This was followed by a proposition TO
organize for the return TO Egypt
They proposed to select a captain as
their leader. The protest OF Joshua
and Cnleb against this resulted In the
proposition 10 stone them. At this
point God interposed In their behalf
He manifested his glory before all the
children OF Israel In vindication OF the
lovaltv NJ Joshna and Caleb.