THE GREAT STONE WALL—A LESSON ON CONQUERING
DIFFICULTIES

Bring to the meeting a number of blocks of stone, such as can be built up into a wall. If stones cannot easily be obtained, take bricks, and make the necessary changes in your talk. Then get the children to talking about the expedition of the twelve spies from the camp of Moses to view the lands of Canaan, and of the difficulties that the ten spies at once discovered. As each difficulty is brought out,—each barrier that lay in the way of the conquest of the promised land,—lay down one stone in building up the wall.

For example, they saw that the men of that country were giants, or at least they fancied they were; this is one stone. Not only were these men bigger, but they were stronger than they; another stone. They dwelt in walled cities, hard to seize; another stone. Their country was wild, and did not furnish sufficient food to live on; still another stone. More than that, in comparison with the people of Canaan, the Hebrews themselves were weak, they lived in tents, they were untrained in arms; for each of these, and similar worries that doubtless filled the minds of the ten spies, set up a stone in the wall. Call this the Wall of Difficulty that separated the Hebrews from the Holy Land.

Now, on the other side of this Wall of Difficulty fasten bunches of grapes as large as you can find, each bunch standing for the promise of this same country made at different times to the Hebrews. Bring these out by questioning the children. God had promised this very land to Abraham; fasten up one bunch of grapes. He had promised it also to Isaac; another bunch. To Jacob; to Moses.

After the grapes have been put in place, get the children to tell how Caleb and Joshua were the only ones of the spies that were brave enough to get on the other side of the Wall of Difficulty. They saw the big bunches of grapes, and all that they stood for. They saw the pleasures and riches of the promised land, as well as the dangers that hemmed in the pleasures and riches. Best of all, they saw God’s promises. They carried back one of these great bunches of grapes in token of all these things. With this, separate one bunch, and take it to the other side of the wall.

But the ten spies saw nothing but the barren side of the great wall, and so it was that Caleb and Joshua were the only ones of the spies that ever came to live on the other side of the Wall of Difficulty, in the rich and happy promised land.