that Israel came by the way of the spies, then he fought against Israel,

and took some of them prisoners'.

By way of the spies.  We know that Moses sent the spies (Num. 13:17) at

the command of the Lord (13:1,2), but we must not forget the words of Ezekiel

`In the day that I lifted up mine hand unto them, to bring them forth of

the land of Egypt into a land that I Had Espied for them, flowing with

milk and honey, which is the glory of all lands'.

Was there any element of unbelief in this spying out of the land?  Was it

a concession to the weakness of the flesh, much like the law of Moses concerning

divorce (Matt. 19:3-8)?  It appears to have made one more opponent, and led to

the captivity of some of Israel.  There is a lesson for us here.  Let us so

fully trust the goodness and the word of the Lord that we shall `walk by faith

and not by sight', needing neither the evidence of the grapes of Eshcol to

encourage us, nor the description of our giant foes to dishearten us, resting in

the blessed victory already ours in Christ (Rom. 8:37-39), and recognizing that

as our day so shall our strength be.  We are more than conquerors through Him

that loved us.

King Og of Bashan.  This king was the only one left of the giants, thereby

connecting him with the seed of the serpent, and fits the type of the

principalities and powers that war against the purpose of the Lord.  The reader

may know the book entitled The Giant Cities of Bashan where the literal

character of the word `giant' is demonstrated.  The destruction of king Og of

Bashan is recounted in Psalm 136:20 and followed by the refrain, `for His mercy

endureth for ever'.  The Satanic character of the Canaanites justifies this

somewhat strange use of the word mercy.

These opponents, Amalek, Sihon and Og set before us the character of the

attack we may expect `this side of Jordan'.  The full triumph follows the

crossing of the Jordan.

Joshua reaches the banks of the Jordan and lodges there three days before

passing over (Josh. 3:1,2).  They were to go on a new journey, `for ye have not

passed this way heretofore' (3:4).  The passage of the Ark and of the people

through the Jordan was to be taken as a pledge that the Lord was among them,

`and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites' (3:10).

Twelve men were chosen, one for each tribe, who took twelve stones from the firm

bed of the river as a memorial.  All Israel were involved in this crossing, the

Ark of the covenant also pledging God's word and power in victory (3:14-17).  It

is most suggestive to read that at the crossing of the Jordan the waters:

`Stood -- rose up in one mound a great way off, by the city Adam, which is

beside Zarethan, and they which were going down to the sea of the waste

plain, the salt sea failed -- were cut off, and the people passed over

right against Jericho' (Rotherham, Josh. 3:16).

Stanley translates the passage, `High up, far away in Adam, the city which

is beside Zaretan'.  It seems too clear a type to be put down to mere

coincidence that the waters that flowed down from Adam to the salt sea (called

today The Dead Sea) should be so completely cut-off.  The stream of sin and