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ning to ta k e place under our very eyes?) will possess all th e land which has already been deeded over to them by Jehovah. Jehovah also commands th e people to he “ very courageous,” “To keep and t o .do all th a t Is w ritten in th e book.” Jo shu a was simply passing on to th e people as a whole, w hat God had said to him personally, when He had made him th e successor of Moses. Joshua also commands th e people to “Cleave to the Lord.” v. 8. He enjoined on them no t only obedience to th e Word of God, h u t attachm en t to H is Person. Our Lord’s question, to Simon Peter, by th e shore of th e Sea of Galilee was not, “Whom say ye th a t I am ,” b u t “Lovest thou m e?” Jno. 21:15. The charge th a t He brings against th e church in Ephesus is not th a t they were uno rtho dox, b u t th a t they had le ft th e ir first love, Rev. 2:4. Jo shu a again exhorts them to expect continued victory, th rough th e streng th th a t God would supply, v. 10. “One man of you shall chase a thousand: for th e Lord, your God, He it is th a t fighteth for you, as He spake unto you.” It seem s'som e times, as though instead of one Chris tia n being more th a n a m atch for a thousand unbelievers, it took a thou sand Christians to match one unbe liever. This would no t he so if Chris tian s were living in th e streng th which God is w aiting to supply, “Not by m ight nor by power, h u t by my Spirit, saith th e Lord of hosts. In vs. 11 and 12 Jo shua exhorts them first to love th e Lord and then no t to go hack. P rac ticing th e first, will save us from the second. Jo shua is careful to specify along w h at lines they are in danger of going back. ~A re believers today, not sorely in need of th a t same warning? How many splendid C hristian lives have been ru ined by Christian women m arrying unconverted m en ,' and Christian men m arrying unconverted, worldly women? See 2 Cor. 6:14.
III. What the Lord Would Do. If Israel would heed Jo sh u a’s exhor tation s and rem ain tru e to Jehovah, He would drive ou t th e rem aining nations before them (v. 5) and would give them actual possession of the land. In o th er words, He would fulfill w hat He had prom ised them and th e ir ancestors, if they would fulfill th e conditions. This was w hat He h ad planned to do th rough all th e years. This was God’s will con cerning Israel. Israel could thw art God’s will and hinder th e carrying out of His plan, if she chose to be so foolish as to do so, and Jo shua warns them th a t if they prove un tru e, God would not drive th e nations out, hu t would let them rem ain and th a t they would become a snare and a trap and a scourge and tho rn s for the punishm ent of H is people. Israel should have rem ained tru e to God, if only as a m a tte r of self protection. Jo sh u a ' w arned th e people fu rth e r th a t in the event of th e ir prov ing un tru e, God would bring all the th reaten ed evil things upon them . W hat these were will be found in detail in Lev. 26:14-39, Deut. 28:15-68. L ast of all, God would cause them to perish from th e ir land, “ the good land ,” which He had given them . Israel has been dispossessed of h er land for nearly two thousand years. W hat a w arning, no t only to nations, b u t to individuals! W hat a w arning to our own land again st ¡any national comprom ising w ith evil doers! W hat a w arning to us as individuals against comprom ising w ith evil doers!, W hat a w arning to our g reat cities against comprom ising w ith civic unrighteous ness ! W hat a w arning to us as individ uals ag ain st comprom ising w ith th e worldliness th a t is n o t only around about us in th e world, b u t th a t has, in some places a t least, swamped the church! B etter to be laughed a t by the world as P u ritan s, th a n to be punished by God as compromisers.- A little g irl got up to read a verse in Mr. Spurgeon’s prayer meeting one
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