Evening star., 1926-10-02
By REV. HUGH T. STEVENSON.
ISRAEL JOURNEYING TO
WARD CANAAN.
Numbers, x11-36.
Golden Text-Come thou with
us. and we will do thee good
I Numbers, X.29.

We commence the second part of
six months study of 1srael's early
leaders with the breaking of the camp
at Mount Sinai The young nation
had been encamped before the lofty
heights of the Mountain of God Tor
about q year when the orders were
issued to move toward Canaan. Dur
ing their encampment the religious,
social, political and judicial organiZa-
ton of Israel had been completed.
Faith had been established. Profanity
and idolatry had been punished. The
law had been promulgated. Worship
had been inaugurated through the
erection and conservation OF the tap
ernacle and the ordination of the
Levites as priests. The census had
been taken. The second Passover had
been observed. The undisciplined mil
lions had been brought into order. but
the task of filling them with the spirit
of unity was destined to require near
ly 40 years wandering in the wilder
ness before they would be ready to at
tain their objective and possess the
Promised Land of Canaan.
Moses had made the tabernacle the
center of the nations organization.
He arranged the tribes about 1t so as
to prevent as far as possible the out
break Of jealousieS and remove the
spirit of rivalry between them. Judah
and Ephraim were each deSirOuS OF
leadership. Moses assigned to them
places OF honor, placing one in front
and the other in the rear, both on the
march and in the encampment. He
kept them apart by assigning to Jul
dab the lead Of the tribes, but selected
Joshua, the military leader, from
LN,>Io ai,1a hof hoI hanYo ncCiOnn6 the
place Of honor in the rear. Judah
had in it's encampment Issachar and
Zebulon, younger sons Of the same
mother, Leah; while Ephraim had
with it Benjamin and Manasseh, both
of whom, like Ephraim. were de-
scendants of Rachel. Reuben was ia
cobs eldest son. but his birthright
had been taken, yet that tribe was as
signed the leadership on the right. or
south, supported by Simeon and Cad.
The north, or left side. was assigned
to the leadership of Dan. supported
by Asher and Napthali." They carried
banners, but they have not been de-
scribed. Tradition names a lion as
the ensign of Judah, the head Of a
man as that of Reuben, a bullock as
that of Ephraim and an eagle as that
of Dan-four living creatures seen by
Ezekiel"
The Divine Guide.
The cloud that had appeared to the
nation at the commencement Of the
exodus dwelt with them over the tab
ernacle during all the pilgrimage
toward Canaan. The presence of this
cloud by day and the fire by night
revealed to the nation the leadership
and presence Of Jehovah with them.
III fhn
pie filled them with courage and conf
dence, for the cloud had served as
their guide out Of Egypt, delivering
them from the hands Of Pharoah and
his destroyers at the Red Sea. They
had seen His presence in the prOvi
dental provision of mamma for over
a year in the wilderness and upon
the mountain when Moses was given
the Ten Commandments. The majes
t. of His presence went before them
when the orders to break camp were
issued by the blowing of the silver
trumpets.
In response to the signals from
above the nation moved in accordance
with Jehovah's orders, issued to them
through Moses, in the form of hol
| low square. Under His personal di
| vine leadership their route marked out
by the cloud and the moving of the
ark, the nation did not hesitate tC
| move forward in obedience to the di
vine command over the grim barriers
of the mountains and strips of the
desert into the wilderness of Paran
| They missed the streams of fresh
waters and fertile pasture lands wher
they entered the limestone plateau OF
| Paran with vast stretches of sand
| numerous dry water courses and
ranges of low, denuded hills" They