JOSHUA

During the forty years’ wandering in the wilderness many hostile tribes

were encountered and had to be subdued. Then a young man, strong,

energetic, and skillful in arms, came forward to lead the army. This

young leader was Joshua, represented at the right of Moses in the act of

sheathing his sword.

Moses himself saw the promised land far off from the top of a mountain.

The Lord had told him to go there to look upon it, as he could not live

to reach it. Moses then spent his last days instructing his people and

their new leader, Joshua the warrior, who was to guide them to the end

of their journey.

Having received the promise of divine help, the Israelites under their

new leader again took up the march. When they reached the River Jordan,

it, like the Red Sea, divided and allowed them to walk over on dry land;

the guarded massive walls of Jericho fell that they might enter and

possess the land. But there were still other hostile tribes to be

conquered before they could feel that the land was really theirs. They

were successful in all their battles except one, in which defeat came to

them because one man had stolen plunder and hidden it in his house

contrary to his promise to God. The sin confessed, victory returned.

When all the land was conquered it became Joshua’s duty to divide it

among the different tribes, a long and difficult task. This

accomplished, he gathered his people together and told them that his

time of leadership was about to end. Then he made them decide for

themselves whether they would henceforth worship idols or the one God.

They vowed they would worship the one God, and Joshua caused them to

erect a monument as a reminder of their vow.

In our picture the simple, straight lines of the figure of Joshua are

suggestive of the determined, forceful character of the man. They give

an impression of great strength. Notice how the light falls upon his

upraised arm and the straight folds of his garment. It seems to come

directly from the wings of the figure of Moses, as if to acknowledge the

wisdom and inspiration which Joshua received from the great leader. The

face of Joshua, half hidden under his hood, is thoughtful yet

determined. Here is a man of strong, steady purpose, pressing on

persistently until he, with all his people, should reach the promised

land.

* * * * *

Of a quite different type is the prophet Elijah, whom we see at the left

of Moses. This enthusiastic leader, regardless of physical comforts or

earthly pleasures, bends all his energies toward the one great cause.

His complete forgetfulness of self is well represented here by the

careless draperies, the intense feeling in the face, and the strained

muscles of the neck and arms. We know little about his life until the

time when he was sent as messenger to the palace of the wicked King

Ahab. This king over the Israelites lived in a magnificent palace made

of ivory and gold, with beautiful gardens about it. But his wife,

Jezebel, was a wicked woman, and a worshiper of idols, and she persuaded

Ahab to build a great temple to one of her gods, Baal, and to worship

with her.

One day, without any warning, a strange-looking man wearing a cloak of

camel’s hair and carrying a strong staff in his hand, appeared before

Ahab in the throne room of his magnificent palace. It was Elijah, and

without even bowing to the king or showing him any respect whatever, he

delivered this dreadful message in a loud voice: “As the Lord God of

Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain

these years, but according to my word.” Before the astonished king could

answer, Elijah had disappeared.

Then the Lord warned Elijah to hide by a certain brook called Cherith,

for Ahab would pursue him. Here he lived three months, fed by the ravens

and hiding in caves in the rocks, for this brook was hidden between two

hills of rock covered with leaves. But soon the brook became dry, for

there had been no rain. Then again came the message of the Lord, telling

him to go to a certain widow’s home many miles away, where he would be

taken care of. As Elijah neared the gates of the city where she lived,

he met a woman gathering sticks. He asked her for some water and bread,

but she told him she had just enough meal to make one little cake for

herself and her small son. After that they must die, for she was very

poor. She had been gathering the sticks to bake the cake. Then Elijah

told her to make a cake for him first, and not to be afraid, for the

Lord had told him her meal and oil should not give out before the rain

came. She did as he said, and, sure enough, she had as much meal and oil

as before. Then she knew this to be a man of God, and offered to let him

stay in her home.

Elijah remained there two years, during which time the drought continued

over Israel, and Ahab sought the prophet in vain.

Then came the voice of the Lord commanding him to go again to the king

with a message. Ahab was very angry when Elijah again appeared; but

Elijah was not afraid. He ordered Ahab to gather all the Israelites at

Mount Carmel and to bring there also the prophets of Baal, the heathen

god. But the wicked Jezebel had caused all the prophets of the

Israelites to be put to death, so that Elijah was alone against the four

hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. While he waited, Elijah spent the

time in prayer.

When all were gathered at Mount Carmel, the king in his royal purple

robes, the false prophets in their white robes and high pointed caps,

and all the attendants, officers, and servants, the great figure of

Elijah loomed up before them, demanding in a loud voice how long they

were going to take to decide whether to serve God or Baal. None dared

reply. He told them to bring two oxen; one, the prophets of Baal should

prepare for sacrifice, the other he should prepare. Each should call

upon his God, and the God that answered by fire should be supreme. The

people thought this very fair, as Baal was supposed to be the god of

fire.

The prophets of Baal were allowed to try first. In vain they called to

the sun, and danced about the altar, waving their arms wildly, begging

Baal to hear them and to send the fire—but there was no response. Is it

any wonder Elijah said to them: “Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he

is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he

sleepeth, and must be awaked.” They continued their supplication all

day, but to no avail.

Then Elijah called the people close around him, prepared his offering,

and commanded them to pour water over it several times and also to fill

the ditch surrounding it with water, that they might be fully persuaded.

Then Elijah’s prayer was immediately answered by a fire, which not only

burned up the offering but licked up the water around it. Then the

people were persuaded, the false prophets were slain, and rain descended

upon the land.

But Jezebel was very angry when she heard these things, and sent word to

Elijah that he, too, should share the fate of the prophets of Baal.

Elijah fled. It was at this time he rested “under a juniper tree,” which

has since been known as an expression of discouragement.

Again came the message of the Lord, sending him to the land of Israel,

where he should proclaim his successor, Elisha. Elijah spent the rest of

his life instructing young men, of whom Elisha was his most devoted

follower. When his work was over he was taken up into heaven in a

chariot of fire.