Heading to the Promised Land
On Monday, October 25th, Lea Smith presented “The 1893 Oklahoma Cherokee Outlet Run” program at the Sumner County Historical and Genealogical Society meeting. Lea Smith is the granddaughter of one of the Cherokee Strip Runners.
According to Sherry Kline, “Lea Smith’s grandfather, Josiah Lockhart, climbed on his race horse on September 16, 1893 in 100 degree heat, then lined up on the dry, dusty prairie on the Kansas/Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) Border near Hunnewell, Kansas with 100,000 to 150,000 other men and women on foot, horseback, and in wagons, all hoping to win free land in Oklahoma.”
“It was the biggest race that America had ever had,” Smith said. “At the time, it was the biggest race the world had ever seen.
“It was also a dangerous race. Soldiers had been instructed to shoot anyone who began the run before the race [officially started].”
Smith said that her “grandparents traveled from Bladen, Nebraska in a wagon pulled by two big black mules, with their race horse tied on behind. They followed the Republican River into Kansas, then camped on the Hatchenberg farm near Iola where Mr. Hatchenberg decided to join Josiah Lockhart in the race.”
“One month [away from race time], the two men traveled with a wagonload of supplies...down to the Kansas/Indian Territory border near Arkansas City where they found 50,000 people waiting to race. They traveled on to Hunnewell and stayed there till the race [began].”
The hope of winning free land in order to better their lives reminds us of when Moses brought the Israelites out of Egypt, at God’s direction, to the Promised Land. All Moses had to do was obey God. Yet even he failed to enter the land that held such promise, due to his own disobedience. (Numbers 20:1-12)
As a prophet, Moses had a serious responsibility to God. A prophet is to share exactly what God tells him to say, nothing else. If a prophet changes God’s Word in any way, God considers this rebellion, which is punishable by death. In this case, neither Moses nor Aaron were allowed to enter into the Promised Land.
Moses disobeyed God while acting in his prophetic role, a serious offense.
He was punished because God was concerned for the integrity of His Word and of His impartiality in dealing with men.
Let us not make that same mistake.
"And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12 KJV)
“But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.” (Deuteronomy 18:20 KJV)
For more information:
http://userwww.service.emory.edu/~cmadd01/mosessin.html
http://preachersfiles.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6396
http://home.comcast.net/~davidriggs01/mosessin.htm
http://www.robinsonlibrary.com/america/uslocal/west/oklahoma/history/landrun.htm