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te r to have died in Egypt or in th e w ilderness, th a n face those sons of Anak. Some suggested they choose a new leader and re tu rn to Egypt, forget ful of th e ir groans and te ars under th e task-m asters. W hat a terrib le burden is unbelief! W hat a sad b lunder is dis obedience! Moses and Aaron, faith fu l to an un g ratefu l people, began to intercede for them w ith God. Joshua and Caleb, the faith fu l m inority, began to exhort and encourage the people. W hat a blessing such men are in any nation! There is always room for intercessors and encouragers. Now, as then, th e ques tion is no t one of our power to over come the difficulties; hu t are we rig h t w ith God. The conductor’s care is not the power house, b u t th e trolley pole. The power house is ano th er’s business. God’s power house never gets ou t of o rder; b u t hum an trolleys jum p the w ire sometimes. P raying is more su it able and more satisfactory employment for a Christian th a n grumbling. Unbelief refused to listen to faith , and proposed pu tting Jo shua and Caleb to death. Then God in terfered and th reaten ed to sweep the ungrateful, unbelieving, rebellious people away w ith a pestilence, which would have been ju st. To preserve His prom ise and fulfil His covenant He proposed to make Moses th e head of a new nation. Moses, despised and rejected, pleaded th e poor sinn ers’ case and secured a modification of th e sentence, th e men only should die in th e w ilderness (ju st w hat they had wished they m ight have done), b u t th e nation— a new genera tion, should wander in th e w ilderness for fo rty years, before en tering the land. See Chapter 14:21, 28, 29, 3?. F aith fu l Joshua and Caleb only were excepted from th e general doom. Note th e “Causes of F ailu re in L ife,” which is th e topic suggested for tre a t m ent in ad u lt classes'. Unbelief, dis obedience, murmurings. Are these
bring back samples of th e produce of th e land to verify th e ir report. All this m igh t'h av e tu rn ed out rig h t; bu t it did not. It sta rted from a wrong motive. W hat God had _done for them in the p ast should have been evidence enough of H is love and power to tru s t Him now. W hat have God’s p ast dealings w ith you done for you? Are you tru st Nearly six weeks passed from the sending ou t of th e spies un til they retu rn ed . The rep o rt they brought back regard ing th e land was a unanim ous one. God had not said more th an was tru e about th e land and its good ness. The grapes, and figs, and pome g ranates were all up to th e description. All agreed reg ard ing th e people and th e ir fortified cities. Then th ere came a sharp cleavage of opinion as to w hat was to be done. The m ajo rity repo rt was th a t th e odds were so g reat the case was hopeless. The m inority repo rt was for an imm ediate advance, “we are well able to overcome it.” The m ajo r ity looked a t God th rough th e difficul ties. The m inority looked a t th e diffi culties th rough God. The m ajority looked a t themselves and felt like grass hoppers. The m inority looked a t God and felt able for anything. Even grass hoppers are form idable when God sends them . See Joel 2. A worm is less th an a grasshopper; b u t see w h at God can do w ith a worm. Isa. 41:14, 15. It is a good th ing to feel like a grasshop per, if we do not forget th a t th e Lord is w ith us. Caleb remembered, and was ready to accomplish th e impossible. Recall General Foch’s celebrated tele gram to general headqu arters: “My center gives way, my rig h t recedes; the situation is excellent. I shall a tta c k .” He attack ed and won. IV. The Result. The completely discouraged people spent th e n igh t in weeping, and in mur m uring ag ain st Moses and Aaron. Bet ing Him more fully? HI. Their Report.
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