The Tribune. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1951-19??, 1951-12-01

first knocking at the DR., Foreman
doors of the Prom
ised Land.
The Israelites were land-hungry,
but the only land they wanted was
what we now call Palestine and it
was not theirs for the asking. They
would have to fight for it, every
foot Of it. They all knew this.
Moses knew it. There was no going
back to Egypt and slavery. Nobody
wanted to stay in the desert. The
obvious thing was to go ahead into
Palestine. But there were two ques-
tions filling the peoples minds: D
What kind Of country is it, really?
and ca can we fight our way into
it?
Investigating Committee
GO committee Of investigation
~ was formed, of one man from
each of the twelve tribes, --grown
men, trusted leaders, by no means
hoy scouts"
Don't think Of these. men as
sneaking through Palestine from
bush to bush, peeping out Indian
fashion to see what they could see.
They walked into Palestine. not I'm
observed but unmolested. They
spoke Egyptian, of course, and could
easily pass as Egyptian travelling
statesmen. They spent around six
weeks in that country, visiting the
cities, no doubt talking with the
people.
In late summer they went
back to the encampment on the
edge Of the desert, carrying
with them some Of the fruits of
the land. Incidentally, those
pictures showing punches of
grapes six feet long are funny
misunderstanding. Palestine has
good grapes, but not quite that
good! They carried the grapes
on poles because that was the
best way to keep them from be-
ing crushed.)
At the big mass-meeting at the
desert camp, the twelve made their
report. On the facts, they were all
unanimous. 1t was a wonderful
country, flowing with milk and
| honey" great country for cattle
/ and bees. Palestine did look mar
I velous to their desert-burned eyes.
But on question number two there
was serious division: Can we fight
: our way in? Yes, said the minority
Of two. No, said the majority of ten.
GrasshOpper Complex
THE majority put their reasons in
a. single revealing sentence: We
we're as grasshoppers in their sight,
they said, and so we were In our
sight.
Nowadays we call this state of
mind the "inferiority complex: our
name Is new one for an old trou-
| BILE. Think Of yourself as a grass.
hopper, and grasshopper is what
you shall be. Take yourself at other
peoples lowest estimate, and that
is all you will be worth.
The trouble with the srasshop-
per complex is that 1t is catch
Ing. The majority report was
wrong, as majority reports so
often are. But the people be-
lieved them rather than the
courageous pair who stood up 20
declare boldly, We can do 1t,
with the help of God.
Well, what did God do about it?
That is perhaps the saddest part
OF the story. He did nothing about
1t. He let the people impose their
own sentence. Grasshoppers? Very
wen, so be it. Grasshoppers die.
they never amount to anytime. no
one bothers to kill them, they lust
die. God was believed TO strike
men dead in anger, or command the
earth to open and swallow up the
wicked, or hur1 lightning from the
skies on his enemies. But he wasted
no miracles on these self-elected
grasshoppers. He only let them die.
Ten, twenty, forty years f. . iust
drifting about In the wilderness. fiji
they all died, and a new generation
took their places,
Opportunity did not knock twice
There was a tide in those mems
lives.
lCopyrlsht 1851 by the Division n,
Christian Education, National Cou,o,i
OF the Churches Of Christ in the IJnisoa
states OF Amerios. Released By wNlJ
NoficeTha TrsLx.