The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1919-03-06


es from the stage with his face turned
wistfully toward the land he could not
enter but before he climbed the hill he
must settle the problem of leadership.
1t was not new thought for him for
wisely through the wanderings he had
planned tor this day and calling his ser
wants into the presence of the Assembly
he presents him as the chosen man who
shall continue the work he was about to
lay down. Death made room for the
man that life had builded. And part of
life's large task is the preparation of
leadership for the continuance of its
work for had Moses failed here then all
his work would have been scattered up
on the desert sands. The servant
rather than the son became the mas
ter's heir.
The SERVANT OF JEHOVAH.
He had not sought the place but it had
found him because of his plodding faith
fulness in the past. Doubtless there
was no exultstion over the position
since he had known so we'll the heart
ache that it had been to Moses so many
times so his first experience is the
hesrtening promise of Jehovah's pres
ence. He needed cheer so God gave it.
First was the promise of the land that
he would master. If he would plod
over it 1t should be his, Syria and
Asia Minor seem to be included In the
plan and if Israel had held that high
way the nations possessed by the Hit
tite they might have been the political
masters of their world. Victory was
the second thing and service that should
bless the people was the third. A home.
history and a mission we're the three
things God held before his face as
growing out of his new servitude 10
Himself. For again Joshua became a
servant only this time it was to the
Most High. Not Joshua's arm but
Gods grace carried them across the
Jordan, caused the walls of Jericho to
fall and beat down the opposition OF the
kings. AS faithfully as he had obeyed
Moses he did the will of the Lord even
content to apparently foolish things if
sure that God wanted particular &C
ton,
The SERVANT OF THE LAW.
The command was surprising. 1t
was not to be strong and fight as one
would expect of a soldier invading an
other country but be strong to obey the
law. And to so learn it by daily medi.
tation In it that there would be no mis-
understanding of its meaning but only
the carrying out of its spirit 1t is par
allelled by Paul's injunction to the
Christian warrior to arm fully and be
strong TO pray. 1t was the inner fur
nishlng of the moralities that was the
essential thing upon which all outer
conquest would be based. 1t was the
mastery of his own soul that would lead
to the overthrow of the enemies with
out. If he were right within and his
confidence rooted there its Towering in
victorious act could be left to itself.
The difference has been recently illus
trated by the German faith in the force
of their armies and the allied faith in
the rightness of their cause. No mat
ter how badly beaten they might be in
any or all fields their faith scared tri-
umphant over anything that might
happen there, righteousness could not
be touched by super-guns. But a few
short weeks of drubbing of the army
utterly destroyed the German faith and
and left the nation in collapse. Joshua
was to build strong soul by being q
servant to the law of soul growth as
the first essential to the successftl
carrying on of the enterprise. Nor has
the condition changed today.
SERVANT OR SAVIOUR.
The servant became the saviour of
his people. Promptly assuming the
directions of their forces he planned for
provisioning the host and ordered an ad
vance within three days. With unre-
hitting energy he carried on the strug-
gle, his rescue of GIbeah being chival.
rous defense of the weak against the
strong in order that pledge tho gained
by trickery should not become scrap
Of paper. Those were rude days and
one may not judge the indiscriminate
slaughter of men. women and children
by the standards of our own forces nor
class him as a German for doing tit
was the common practice of all war
fare then. Success crowned his arms.
He had learned how to obey and so was
fitted to command. Foch was a safe
subordinate before reaching the place
of General-issimo. Grant took orders
against his own judgment sometimes