THE VALLEY OF ESHCOL. 73 of unbelief." (Heb. iii. 19.) "Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." (Heb. iv. 1.) Consider next the rewards to faith. Joshua and Caleb were the only two who entered the promised land. Joshua was the leader, and perhaps the grandest soldier in the whole Bible. Notice the testimony concerning Caleb, "that he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel." (Deut. i. 36-38; Joshua xiv. 13, 14.) Much of our trouble, many defeats, are because we lose sight of God. We look at God in the light of circumstances, instead of looking at circumstances in the light of God. Let us always put God between us and our circumstances, between us and our enemies, between us and ourselves, between us and everything and everybody. Let us look at everything with the eye of faith, touch everything with the hand of faith. God is for us. Unbelief is in man's sight no sin, but in God's sight it is the greatest sin, and when it comes in, other sins follow in its train. Unbelief always overlooks the promises and the power of God, magnifies every danger, doubt, and difficulty, and fills the heart with fear and discouragement. The valley of Eshcol is the valley of fruit. Joshua and Caleb brought forth fruit unto God. May we therefore glorify God by bearing much fruit as the result of our visit to this valley. "Lord, increase our faith." 66 Nought shall prevail against us, or disturb "Increase our faith, that unto Thee THE VALLEY OF GERAR; OR, The Digging of the Wells. THE VALLEY OF PATIENCE AND PEACE. "WELL I know thy trouble, O my servant true: Thou art very weary; I was weary too. But that toil shall make thee One day all Mine own, And the end of sorrow Shall be near My throne." "There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary be at rest."-Job iii. 17. "Envy and calumny, and hate and pain, And that unrest by men miscalled delight, “He will beautify the meek with salvation.”—Ps. cxlix. 4. "Let us be patient, God is love; All wrong shall yet be righted here; THE VALLEY OF GERAR; OR, The Digging of the Wells. THE VALLEY OF PATIENCE AND PEACE. "Isaac. pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there."-Gen. xxvi. 17. OD blessed Isaac, and all that he had. He became very great, and went forward. (v. 13.) Growth and progress. See David "going and growing" (margin). (2 Sam. v. 10.) But the Philistines envied Isaac. (v. 14.) The Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father's servants had digged. Isaac set to work, and digged them again. This is a valley of work, energy, and perseverance, for there were great hindrances-jealousy and strife from the conduct of the herdmen of Gerar, who would not |