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T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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was promised him. During the long so journ in the wilderness, in which he had seen one after another of his fellows die, until all, with the exception of Joshua, had gone, Caleb had been preserved and brought to this day when he could press his claim to the promised possession. Caleb was a man o f strong faith—a faith which gave him full confidence, high courage, settled purpose, and continual perseverance. He acknowledged he was eighty-five years of age and that, as far as nature was concerned, he had no might and could not take that cherished possession. And yet he said, “ ‘I am as strong this day as I was in the day’ that I went into the land as one o f the spies.” He did not underestimate the difficulty that lay ahead. He knew, as Joshua knew, that the Anakim were still there and would dispute Caleb’s possession to the utmost of their power. But while acknowledging the power of his enemy, he lifted his eyes and perceived that God was unchanged and as able to give possession now as He was gracious to give the promise in the past. III. C aleb ’ s P rospect (12-14). “ If so be the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able,” said Caleb. The “if” was not uttered in any doubt o f the fact, but it had the force of “since.” He was assured that the Lord was with him, and because of that, he was assured he could take posses sion o f what was then held by the Anakim. Joshua could do no other than accede to Caleb’s request, and Hebron was given to Caleb. Hebron means “communion,” and in this we may see why it was that Caleb was so anxious to possess that particular spot. He wanted “communion” with the Lord. He knew the grapes and the milk and the honey were in the land, but beyond all the material blessings, he wanted to have the spiritual blessing of “communion” with his God. Such communion may be had only by the faith that rises in the strength o f the Lord and drives out all op position to it (cf. Josh. 15:13,14). Caleb received the coveted place, just as the Lord had spoken. He knew that a fierce struggle lay before him, before he could rest in that place, because he knew that the enemy, the Anakim, would not quietly retire. Nor will the world, the flesh, and the devil withdraw without a struggle to keep the Christian from “communion” With the Lord. But, like Caleb, we may know we can possess it from the very fact that the Lord is present with us (Rom. 8: 31). We have only to imitate Caleb’s high courage for the Lord, full confidence in the Lord, and assured reliance upon the Lord, then go forward in obedience. This is the path which led to Caleb’s blessing and will lead to ours. Lesson Questions Vs. 6-9. What had God said concerning Joshua and Caleb at Kadesh-Barnea ? Why had He said it? How long had Caleb re membered it and anticipated its fulfill ment (cf. vs. 7 and 10) ? Why was Hebron to be given to Caleb and his descendants? What is involved in wholly following the Lord? What was required before Caleb possessed his possession? Vs. 10, 11. At the time of the lesson, how many others, besides Caleb, could recall from personal experience the days o f the spying out o f the land? What significance is there in this fact? Trusting in the Lord, how strong was Caleb ? Vs. 12-14. What obstacles were in the way of his possession of Hebron? Did he ignore them? How did he propose to re move them? What does “Hebron” mean, and what is involved in the possession of it in a spirital sense?
the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land, . . . the Lord is with u s: fear them not.’’ . Then the Lord was pleased with Caleb, because he put his trust in God, and so God made Caleb a promise. He said, “Him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.” Forty years later, when the children o f Israel did at last reach the promised land, the land was divided among them. There was Caleb, an old man now, but strong be cause the Lord had kept him so. He was ready to settle on his portion of land. He reminded Joshua, the leader, of the promise that God had made to him, and Joshua blessed him and gave him a portion of the land, “because that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel.” Golden Text Illustration When Felix o f Nola was hotly pursued by murderers, he took refuge in a cave, and instantly over the rift of it the spiders wove their webs. Seeing this, the murder ers passed by. Then said the saint, “Where God is not, a wall is but a spider’s w eb; where God is, a spider’s web is as a wall”' (c f. Job 8:14; Psa. 40:4 ) .— S elected . which provide an excellent hiding place for a comparatively small army. From this- vantage point, Barak could watch the pro gress of the army o f Sisera as it made its way across the plain. Ordinarily, the plain would have made an excellent highway for the chariots of Sisera, and he would have had a distinct advantage over the men of Barak who were on foot. But hère the Lord helped Barak, and sent a mighty thunderstorm. The hills- on all sides began shedding their water into the plain below until the river Kishon, which flows out toward the Mediterranean, ovetflowed its banks and made the whole valley a quagmire. Then the nimble Gali leans were able to run on foot, and put the sluggish foe to rout. Outline and Exposition From chapters 4 and 5 of Judges, we learn that Israel had turned away from the Lord and, because of that, had come under bondage to Jabin, king of Canaan, for twenty years. Jabin’s commander in chief was Captain Sisera who was at the head of a great army and nine hundred chariots. Because of- this bondage, Israel had cried unto the Lord for deliverance, and a judge was raised up in the person o f Deborah, a judge who should bring de liverance. I. D eborah ’ s S urrender to th e L ord (4:4-10). First, Deborah’s surrender is revealed in the fact that she had been appointed a prophetess as well as a judge (vs. 4, 5). She was the only woman to act as a judge. It has been suggested that the reason for her appointment was that the Lord could not find a man willing to so surrender him self as to be used for this purpose. As a prophetess and judge, Deborah had author ity in Israel. Second, Deborah’s surrender is revealed in the fact that the Lord entrusted His message to her (vs. 6, 7). The message was that the Lord had chosen Barak the son of Abinoam to lead an army taken from the tribes of Napthali and Zebulon. Because of this fact, it has been suggested that this bondage extended only to these two tribes.
A Truthful Soldier N umbers 13:1, 2, 26-31; J oshua 4:6-14 Memory Verse: “ Speak ye every man the truth” (Zech. 8 :1 6). Approach: God chose Joshua to be the new leader o f the children of Israel be cause He had proved him years before when he had been sent with others as a spy into the land o f promise. Lesson Story: You remember that there
had been another spy, Caleb, who had been both brave and honest. And now the time had come when he, too, was to be rewarded. When the s p i e s had returned to re port to Moses what they had seen in the land, all but Joshua and Caleb had said,
“We be not able to go up against the peo ple; for they are stronger than we.” But Caleb had said, “ Let us go up at once, and possess it; . . . if the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it u s; . . . only rebel not ye against
JULY 16,1933 DEBORAH J udges , C hapters 4 and 5
Lesson T e x t : Judg. 4:4-10, 13-15; 5:1-3. Golden Text-. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psa. 46:1). Tabor and Kishon E rom th e level plains of Beersheba to the lofty summits o f the Leba- nons in the north there runs a ridge o f mountains which forms'a sort of back bone of the Holy Land. There is one place, however, where this continuous ridge is
broken. This is at the Plain of Esdrae- lon, just south of Nazareth. The long narrow r i d g e of Mount Carmel runs east and west here, being separated at its eastern extremity by a narrow valley from the mountains
of Gilboa which continue the ridge to the Jordan valley. North of this ridge lies a level, fertile plain, varying in width from two to fifteen miles, and forming a natural break between what were ancient Samaria and Galilee. Sisera came into this plain with his arm ies from the northwest along the Mediter ranean. Barak and his company swept down from the Galilean hills to Mount Tabor, which overlooks the Plain o f Es- draelon at its northeastern extremity. Ta bor is a round, dome-like summit, rising to about sixteen hundred feet above the level of the Mediterranean. Its sides are covered with shrubs and scrubby trees, BLACKBOARD LESSON
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