June, 1933
196
T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
COMMENTARY Children’s Division In Holy Places B y H elen G ailey B y H erbert H. T ay
LESSON Golden Text Illustrations B y A lan S. P earce
Blackboard Outlines B y B essie B. B usch
Outline and Exposition B y B. B. S utcliffe
ings which are his in the heavenly places. He, too, has the promise of the power and presence of the living God. III. T he C ommand to J oshua (6-9) v “ Be strong” to divide the land (v. 6). This was a call to obedience, founded on a belief in God’s purpose. Joshua was not to look at difficulties, but at the God who commissioned him (cf. Acts 1 :8; 2 Pet. 3: 18; 2 Cor. 3:18). “Be strong,” and turn not (vs. 7, 8). This was a call to dependence upon God’s Word. The words which should be emphasized are “turn not,” “meditate,” “ observe to do,” “prosper,” and ¡¿“ good courage.” These words speak to us of the need of Bible study, first, for our own growth, and then for the impartation of truth to others. The three failures o f Israel recorded in the book of Judges .came from lack of atten tion to God’s Word—at Ai, with Gibeon, and when they settled down in the midst of their enemies. • “ Be strong” and not afraid (v. 9). Here was a call for reliance upon God’s presence. When one is called into the service of the Lord, along whatever line that service may lie, there is constant need of this reliance. There is a calmness and a confidence in the midst of any circumstance to the one who relies upon the presence of God (cf. Psa. 56:9; Prov. 29:25). The first “be strong” is a guard against the world; the second, against the flesh; and the third, against the devil. Putting together what has been said in these verses, it will be seen that there is, first, a call to obedience; second, a call to dependence; and third, a call to reliance upon the Lord’s presence. The obedience concerns. God’s purpose, the dependence concerns H is1program, and the reliance concerns His promise. IV. T he T estimony of J oshua (23:1, 2, 14). Coming to the end of his long life, Joshua gave to Israel his closing word of testimony. Because this is the last word he had to say, it was important. All the nation was gathered before him, being rep resented by its elders, heads, judges, and officers. Joshua knew that Israel must either go forward and take possession of more and more of the land, or go back ward, losing what they had already gained. There could be no standing still. Thus had Moses addressed the people in his closing words on the plains of Moab, when the time came for him to depart. Thus also did Paul speak to the Ephesian elders whose faces he expected to sbe no more. Each of these leaders announced in his last words the principle that one must either go forward or backward. When the Christian today ceases to grow, he begins at once to lose what he has gained. In the closing verse of our lesson (14) Joshua testified to the unfailing goodness, the full sufficiency, and the infinite faith fulness of the Lord, in the words, “Not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concern ing you.” This may be and should be the testimony o f every Christian day by day.
JULY 2, 1933 JOSHUA J oshua , C hapters 1 to 6, 23, 24
than keep the people from their possession. Only grace could enable them to go into their promised land and possess it. In this, Joshua became a type of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Rom. 10:5). The method of possessing is given in verses 2 and 3. “ Go over . . . unto the land . . . every place the sole o f your foot shall tread upon . . .” The Lord’s people had the title to the land, but not the pos session of it. The Lord had given it to them, but they must now take it. They had the ownership, but not the experience, and the experience could be gained only by go ing over Jordan. Jordan is a type o f death (Col. 3:1-4), and Canqan is never entered until Jordan is passed. The Christian has title to all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, but few Christians come to the actual experience of these blessings, because few .are willing to claim them by the only method by which they may be realized, that of self-denial, or death to self. The ownership o f the land was uncondi tional. God had freely given it to the children o f Israel by His grace, and it was their land (cf. Gen. 12:7; Deut. 8:10; Ezek. 37:21; Jer. 23:8). But the possession of the land in their experience was condi tional. “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given you.” The extent of the promised land was defined; there were certain limits: the wil derness, the mountain, the river, and the sea. Spiritually, the wilderness speaks of self-confidence, or legalism; the mountain o f self-righteousness, or cold and formal religion; the river of self-seeking, or the possessions of earth which constantly change and move; and the sea of self- will, or open sin, fretting against restraint. Within these limits lie the possessions of the saints. II. T he P rovision for J oshua (5 ). First, he was promised that the power o f God would be with him, so that no man would be able to stand before him. Second, he was assured that the presence of God would be with him; as God was with Moses, so He would be with Joshua. Third, he was told that God would not forsake him. These assurances may be re lied upon by the present-day Christian as he arises to take possession o f those bless- BLACKBOARD LESSON
Lesson Text: Josh. 1:1-9; 23:1, 2, 14. Gdlden T ext: “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (Josh. 1 :9). Joshua at Jericho T he first conquest of the children of Israel under Joshua was the taking of the city o f Jericho. The present city is situated five or six miles from the Jordan River near the base of the Mount of Olives. Because of the tropical nature
of the Jordan valley, Jericho is today, as it was in Biblical times, the c i t y of palm trees. The im mediate s u r r o und ings o f the city are beautiful, although the town itself is but a collection of mean, mud-roofed h ovels,
with but a very few decent houses. We are most interested, however, in the site o f ancient Jericho. It lies just outside the modern village, near the foot o f the mountains. Today it is little more than a mound of earth. However, upon close in spection, one can discern the rock walls of houses which were built in ancient times. As is the case with most ancient sites, sev eral cities have been built, one upon the top of the ruins o f the former. By digging down through the various layers, one may read the history of the location in suc cessive chronological layers. Sufficient work of excavation has been done in va rious sites in Palestine for the archaeolo gists to date each city quite accurately by the character of the masonry, and the na ture of the potsherds, or pieces o f broken pottery vessels, which they find. The lowest layer at Jericho bears un mistakable evidence of being the city which existed at the time Joshua led the host of Israel around the city. Many of the walls of houses are fairly well preserved. The most remarkable discovery has to do with the city walls. Nothing but the lowest courses o f foundation stones remain intact. The stones of the upper wall are scattered about in confusion. This is mute testimony that the walls collapsed, just as the Bible record says. Outline and Exposition I. T he I nstruction for J oshua (1 :l-4). The name Joshua means “Jehovah is salvation.” The emphatic words. in the verses before us are “now therefore arise.” Joshua was given the leadership of the na tion of Israel, for which position he had been chosen (Num. 27:12-23). “Now”— the hindrance had been removed, that is, Moses, representing the law. Moses, as a type, stood for the law, and that could never give possession ; it could do no more
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