Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-02-12
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
For Feb. 17-Joshua 1-u:23, "a
BY DIR. MARION McH. HULL

, make preparation to cross the JoI
| dan in three days. Look at that
raging torrent and take off your hat
to the faith of Joshua! How they
We're to do it they did not know
there were no bridges, a pontoor
bridge for 100000 people under
such circumstances would have been
an impossibilityi
| Two spies were sent over to see
! the lay Of the land Immediately west
OF the river. Their experience with
Rahab, the harlot, made them bring
back a confident report. They were
| delayed three days in the mountain
then Joshua removed from Shittim
to the river and waited three days
more, and then they began the
march. There had been no abate.
ment OF the torrent. Jordan, 1.-THE
descender," overflowed all its banks
but the moment the feet of the
priests who were bearing the ark
Of God touched the edge of the
water, the torrent ceased, the waters
from the north banked up as though
wall had stopped them; those
south flowed on down, leaving the
river bed without drop of water
In it, and the people of God walked
owe rdryshod! AS God had been with
Moses, so He was now with Joshua!
In the wilderness wanderings the
people had neglected the rite Of cir.
cumcision; before they could enter
Canaan, therefore, they had to cir.
cumcise all of the males that the
flesh might have no part in the
conquest of the land.
The capture of Jericho was the
next move. In the night Joshua was
stopped by an armed man. It proved
to be Jesus-the Captain of Jeho
vah's host; and Joshua yielded to
His leadership. The marching Or
ders Of this Captain didn't seem
good military tactics, but Joshua
obeyed them to the letter, and Jeri
cho fell without any effort on the
part of Israel
Up the mountain just at the edge
of the precipice was Al. Ovarconfi
dence was one of the causes for de
feat at the hands of it's inha bitants
and thirty-six Israelites lay dead be-
fore the others could escape. The
people lost their nerve completely
and even Joshua fell down on his
face before God to wonder why this
defeat had been allowed. Then Goo
showed him the real cause of the
defeat-someone had sinned by t.is
obeying His directions about the
spoil at Jericho. When confronted
with it Achan confessed his covet.
BUSINESS, and told where the Baby.
lonish garment and tn silver and
gold he had taken had been hidden
When this sin was removed and the
offenders punished, the city of A
fell as easily as Jericho had.
Space here forbids any detail as to
the conquest of the land; but soon
the south and the north yielded to
Joshua and his followers. Thirty
one kings, powerful, skillful in war
fare, and firmly entrenched in their
own Kingdoms, fell before the mighty
follower Of the Captain of the Lord s
host. The Amorites, the Hittites
the Invites, the Perizzites, the Ca
NANTES, the Jebusites were-as
Joshua had said forty years before
bread for U.S." God fought for the
Israelites and gave them what they
never could have won for them
selves. But God would not fight
for them when the sinned against
Him. when they failed to obey His
word to the letter.
Soon Canaan was their possession
not as completely as it might have
been, hoWever-and the land had
rest from war.
Joshua then allotted the land tc
the tribes; and lived in his own allot
ment near Mt. Ephriam to the good
old age of ITO years. When he
realized that the end was near, he
called the people together and re-
cited to them how God had led them,
how God had fought for them, how
God had given them the land, that
not one thing had failed of all the
good things which the Lord their
God had spoken concerning them
He reminded them that God ha6
given them a land for which they
did not labor, cities which they did
not build, vineyards and olive yards
which they did not plant-all OF
these were Gods gifts to them
Therefore Choose we this day whom
we will serve but as for me
and my house, we will serve Jeho'
YAH"
Because God had so signally and
literally blessed them, He would
just as signally and literally allow
the curses to come upon them ii
they rejected Him. Joshua put the
proposition to them as stiff as he
could, and they made their choice.
Subsequently history showed what
that choice really meant.
Canaan, brethren, Is not type OF
heaven; there are no failures in heav-
heaven; there is no fighting In
heaven; there are no failure in heav'
en-. Canaan is type of "the heav
enhes'' of Ephesians. 1t Is the
normal Christian life. the life that
God wants every one of His, follow
ers to live here and now. He wants
to give you a land without labor
cities which you don't build, vine
yards and olive yards you don't
plant. He wants to give you victory
over your enemies; He will fight for
you; He will lead you; He will not
fail any one OF the more than 10000
promises He has made in His word
but He will not tolerate known sin
in your life. There were others be-
sides Achan who were far from per
feet, but Achan knew he had sinned
and was hiding it in his tent. Are
you harboring some known sin in
your heart?