=r=nTTiTraiw7TrnTn7T7T^ h^i h^'iV|^» mw^i vi
"TwT^rOTTT .. ..
dass ^Vc).5.^. .Q'. .7-. .
'Date..3DAA..lX.W0U
PRKSENTED BY
IlimilBiliini'f'''''''''''''''''"'^''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''^^
This book may be kept out
TWO WEEKS
only and is subject to a fine of TWO CENTS
a day thereafter. It will be due on the day
indicated below.
APR S 6 1902
THE EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE
EDITED BY THE REV.
W. ROBERTSON NICOLL, M.A., LL.D.
Editor of " The Expositor''''
THE BOOK OF JOSHUA
BY
WILLIAM GARDEN BLAIKIE, D.D., LL.D.
NEW YORK
A. C. ARMSTRONG AND SON
51 EAST TENTH STREET
1893
THE EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE.
Crown ^vo, cloih, price $fi 5or. each vol.
Colossians.
First Series, 1887-8.
j 1 Samuel.
By A. Maclarhn, D.D.
St. Mark.
By Very Rev. the Dean of Armagh.
Genesis.
By Prof. Marcus Dods, D.D.
Galatians.
By Prof. G. G. Findlay, B.A.
The Pastoral Epistles.
By Rev. A. Plummer, D.D.
Isaiah i — xxxix.
By G. A. Smith, M.A. Vol. I
By Prof. W. G. Blaikie, D.D.
2 Samuel. ^
By the same Author.
Hebrews,
By Principal T.C. Edwards, DD.
Second Series, 1888-9.
The Book of Revelation.
By Prof. W. Milligan, D.D.
1 Corinthians.
By Prof. Marcus Dods, D.D.
The Epistles of St. John.
ByRt. Rev. W. Alexander, D.D.
Third Series, 1889-90.
Judges and Ruth.
By Rev. R. A. Watson, D.D.
Jeremiah.
By Rev. C. J. Ball, M.A.
Isaiah XL. — lxvi.
By G. A. Smith, M.A. Vol. II
Ecclesiastes.
By Rev. Samuel Cox, D.D.
St. James and St. Jude.
By Rev. A. Plummer, D.D.
Proverbs.
By Rev. R. F. Horton, M.A.
The Psalms.
By A. Maclaren, D.D. Vol. I.
1 and 2 Thessalonians.
By Jas. Denney, B.D.
The Book of Job.
By R. A. Watson, D.D.
1 Kings.
By Ven. Archdeacon Farrar.
Philippians.
By Principal Rainy, D.D.
Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther.
By Prof. W. F. Adeney, M.A.
St. Matthew.
By Rev. J, Monro Gibson, D.D.
Exodus.
By Very Rev. the Dean of -A rmagh.
St. Luke.
By Rev. H. Burton, B.A.
Fourth Series, i 890-1.
I Leviticus.
By Rev, S. H. Kellogg, D.D.
The Gospel of St. John.
By Prof. M. Dods, D.D. Vol. I.
The Acts of the Apostles.
By Prof. Stokes, D.D. Vol. I.
Fifth Series, 1891-2.
Ephesians.
By Prof. G. G. Findlay, B.A.
The Gospel of St. John.
ByProf.M. Dods, D.D. Vol.11.
The Acts of the Apostles.
By Prof. Stokes, D.D. Vol. II.
Sixth Series, 1892-3.
, Joshua.
By Prof. W G. Blaikie, D.D.
Daniel.
By Prof. Fuller, M.A.
The Psalms.
By A. Maclaren, D.D Vol. II.
New York : A. C. ARMSTRONG & SON, 51 East Tenth Street.
THE BOOK OF JOSHUA
WILLIAM GARDEN BLAIKIE, D.D., LL.D.
NEW COLLEGE, EDINBURGH
NEW YORK
A. C. ARMSTRONG AND SON
51 EAST TENTH STREET
1893
SX 77
Printed by Hazell, Watson, <&' Viney, Ld., London and Aylesbury, England.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTORY : — THE BOOK OF JOSHUA ... I
CHAPTER II.
Joshua's antecedents 22
CHAPTER III.
A SUCCESSOR TO MOSES 37
CHAPTER IV.
JOSHUA'S CALL . . , ... . . .48
CHAPTER V.
Joshua's encouragement 60
CHAPTER VI.
Joshua's charge to the people . . . . 70
CHAPTER VII.
THE SPIES IN JERICHO 82
CHAPTER VIII.
JORDAN REACHED 95
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER IX.
PAGE
JORDAN DIVIDED . Io6
CHAPTER X.
CIRCUMCISION AND PASSOVER MANNA AND CORN . II7
CHAPTER XI.
THE CAPTAIN OF THE LORD's HOST . . . - 1 28
CHAPTER XTI.
THE FATE OF JERICHO 140
CHAPTER XIII.
RAHAB SAVED . .153
CHAPTER XIV.
achan's trespass . 165
CHAPTER XV.
ACHAN's PUNISHMENT 1 77
CHAPTER XVI.
THE CAPTURE OF AI . 189
CHAPTER XVII.
EBAL AND GERIZIM . . . . . . . 20I
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE STRATAGEM OF THE GIBEONITES . • . .211
CONTENTS. vii
CHAPTER XIX.
PAGE
THE BATTLE OF BETHHORON ..... 223
CHAPTER XX.
THE BATTLE OF MEROM ...... 236
CHAPTER XXI.
Joshua's old age — division for the eastern tribes 249
CHAPTER XX H.
THE inheritance OF CALEB ..... 262
CHAPTER XXIII.
the distribution of the land .... 275
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE inheritance OF JUDAH 287
CHAPTER XXV.
THE INHERITANCE OF JOSEPH . . . . . 300
CHAPTER XXVI.
THE DISTRIBUTION COMPLETED 312
CHAPTER XXVII.
THE CITIES OF REFUGE 326
CHAPTER XXVIir.
THE INHERITANCE OF THE LEVITES . , . . 340
viii CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXIX.
NO FAILURE OF GOD's PROMISE .
PAGE
353
CHAPTER XXX.
THE ALTAR ED 365
CHAPTER XXXI.
JEHOVAH THE CHAMPION OF ISRAEL . . . -376
CHAPTER XXXII.
Joshua's last appeal 388
CHAPTER XXXIII.
Joshua's work for israel ..... 402
CHAPTER L
INTRODUCTORY: THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
WITH a purely historical book like Joshua before
us, it is of importance to keep in view two ways
of regarding Old Testament history, in accordance with
one or other of which any exposition of such a book
must be framed.
According to one of these views, the historical books
of Scripture, being given by inspiration of God, have
for their main object not to tell the story or dwell on
the fortunes of the Hebrew nation, but to unfold God's
progressive revelation of Himself made to the seed of
Abraham, and to record the way in which that revela-
tion was received, and the effects which it produced.
The story of the Hebrew nation is but the frame in
which this Divine revelation is set. It was God's
pleasure to reveal Himself not through a formal
treatise, but in connection with the history of a nation,
through announcements and institutions and practical
dealings bearing in the first instance on them. The
historical books of the Hebrews therefore, while they
give us an excellent view of the progress of the nation,
must be studied in connection with God's main purpose,
and the supernatural interpositions by which from time
to time it was carried out.
The other view regards the historical books of the
Hebrews in much the same light as we look on those of
I I
THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
other nations. Whatever may have been their origin,
they are^ as we find them, Hke other books, and our
purpose in deahng with them should be the same as
in deahng with books of similar contents. We are to
deal with them, in the first instance at least, from a
natural point of view. We are to regard them as
recording the history and development of an ancient
nation — a very remarkable nation, no doubt, but a
nation whose progress may be referred to ascertainable
causes. If we find natural causes sufficient to account
for that progress, we are not to call in supernatural.
It is an acknowledged law, at least as old as Lord
Bacon, that no more causes are to be assigned for
phenomena than are true and sufficient to account for
them. This law, and the investigations which have
taken place under it, have expunged much that used to
be regarded as supernatural from the history of other
nations ; and it will only be according to analogy if the
same result is reached in connection with the history
of Israel.
In this spirit we have recently had several treatises
dealing with that history from a purely natural stand-
point. Very earnest endeavours have been made to
clear the atmosphere, to expiscate facts, to apply the
laws of history, to weigh statements in the balances of
probability, to reduce the Hebrew history to the prin-
ciples of science. The general effect of this method
has been to bring out results very different from those
previously accepted. In particular, there has been a
thorough elimination of the supernatural from Hebrew
history. Natural causes have been judged sufficient
to explain all that occurred. The introduction of the
supernatural in the narrative was due to those obvious
causes that have operated in the case of other nations
INTRODUCTORY.
and other religions : — love of the mythical, a patriotic
desire to glorify the nation, the exaggerating tendency
of tradition, and readiness to translate symbolical
pictures into statements of literal occurrences. Hebrew
historians were not exempted from the tendencies and
weaknesses of other historians, and were ready enough
to colour and apply their narratives according to their
own views. It is when we subject the Hebrew books
to such principles as these (such writers tell us) that we
get at the real history of the nation, deprived no doubt
of much of the glory with which it has usually been
invested, but now for the first time reliable history, on
which the most scientific may depend. And as to its
moral purpose, it is just the moral purpose that runs
through the scheme of the world, to show that, amid
much conflict and confusion, the true, the good, the just,
and the merciful become victorious in the end over the
false and the evil.
The difference between the two methods, as an able
writer remarks, is substantially this, that '' the one
regards the Hebrew books as an unfolding of God's
nature, and the other as an unfolding of the nature o^
man."
The naturalistic method claims emphatically to be
scientific. It reduces all events to historical law, and
finds for them a natural explanation. But what if the
natural explanation is no explanation ? What becomes
of the claim to be scientific if the causes assigned are
not sufficient to account for the phenomena ? If
science will not tolerate unnatural causes, no more
should it tolerate unnatural effects. A truly scientific
method must show a fit proportion between cause and
effect. Our contention is that, in this respect, the
naturalistic method is a failure. In many instances its
THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
causes are wholly inadequate to the effects. We are
compelled to fall back on the supernatural, otherwise
we are confronted with a long series of occurrences for
which no reasonable explanation can be found.
We are reminded of an incident which a popular
writer, under the nom de plume of Edna Lyall, has
introduced in a novel, bearing the title ''We Two."
Erica, the daughter of an atheist, assists her father in
conducting a journal. She gets from him for review a
Life of David Livingstone, with instructions to leave
his religion entirely out. As she proceeds with the
work, she becomes convinced that the condition is
impossible. To describe Livingstone without his reli-
gion would be like playing Hamlet without the part of
Hamlet. Not only does she find her task impossible,
but when she comes to an incident where Livingstone,
in most imminent danger of his life, gets entire com-
posure of mind from an act of devotion, she becomes
convinced that this could not have happened had there
not been an objective reality corresponding to his
belief; and she is an atheist no more. Erica now be-
lieves in God. Se non e vero e bene trovato.
In like manner, we believe that to delineate Old
Testament history without reference to the supernatural
is as impossible as to describe Livingstone apart from
his religion. You are baffled in trying to explain
actual events. Long ago, Edward Gibbon tried to
account for the rapid progress and brilliant success of
Christianity in the early centuries by what he called
secondary causes. It was really an attempt to eliminate
the supernatural from early Christian history. But the
five causes which he specified w^ere really not causes,
but effects, — effects of that supernatural action which
had its source in the supernatural person of Jesus
INTRODUCTORY.
Christ. These '' secondary causes " never could have
existed had not Jesus Christ already commended Him-
self to all sorts of men as a Divine Saviour, sent by
God to bless the world. In like manner we maintain
that behind the causes by which our naturalistic
historians attempt to explain the remarkable history of
the Jewish people, there lay a supernatural force, but
for which the Hebrews would not have been essentially
different from the Edomites, the Ammonites, the
Moabites, or any other Semitic tribe in their neighbour-
hood. It was the supernatural element underlying
Hebrew history that made it the marvellous develop-
ment it was ; and that element began at the beginning,
and continued more or less actively till Jesus Christ
came in the flesh.
Let us try to make good this position. Let us select
a few of the more remarkable occurrences of early
Hebrew history, and, in the language of Gibbon, make
'^ a candid and reasonable inquiry " whether or not they
can be accounted for, on the ordinary principles oi
human nature, without a supernatural cause.
I. It is certain that from the earliest times, and
during at least the first four centuries of their history,
the Hebrew people had an immovable conviction that
the land of Canaan was divinely destined to be theirs.
Of the singular hold which this conviction took of the
minds of the patriarchs, we have innumerable proofs.
Abraham leaves the rich plains of Chaldaea to dwell
in Canaan, and spends a hundred 3^ears in it, a
stranger and a pilgrim, without having a single acre
of his own. When he sends to Padan Aram for a
wife to Isaac he conjures his servant on no account to
listen to any proposal that Isaac should settle there ;
the damsel must at all hazards come to Canaan.
THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
When Jacob determines to part from Laban, he sets
his face resolutely towards his native land across the
Jordan, although his injured brother is there, thirsting
as he knows for his blood. When Joseph sends for
his father to go down to Egypt, Jacob must get Divine
permission at Beersheba before he can comfortably go.
Joseph, for his services to Egypt, might reasonably
have looked for a magnificent tomb in that country to
cover his remains and perpetuate his memory ; but,
strange to say, he prefers to remain unburied for an
indefinite time, and leaves a solemn charge to his people
to bury him in Canaan, carrying his bones with them
when they leave Egypt. In the bitterness of their
oppression by Pharaoh it would have been much more
feasible for their champions, Moses and Aaron, to try
to obtain a relaxation of their burdens ; but their
demand was a singular one — liberty to go into the
wilderness, with the hardly concealed purpose of
escaping to the land of their affections. Goshen was
a goodly land, but Canaan had a dearer name — it was
the land of their fathers, and of their brightest hopes.
The uniform tradition was, that the God whom Abraham
worshipped had promised to give the land to his
posterity, and along with the land other blessings of
mysterious but glorious import. With this promise
was connected that Messianic hope which like a golden
thread ran through all Hebrew history and literature,
brightening it more and more as the ages advanced.
It is vain to account for this extraordinary faith in
the land as theirs, and this remarkable assurance that
it would be the scene of unwonted blessing, apart from
a supernatural communication from God. To suppose
that it originated in some whim or fancy of Abraham's
or in the saga of some old bard like Thomas the Rhymer,
INTRODUCTORY.
and continued unimpaired century after century, is to
suppose what was never realized in the history of any
people. In vain do we look among natural causes for
any that could have so impressed itself on a whole
nation, and swayed their whole being for successive
ages with irresistible force. That '' God spake to
Abraham to give him the land " was the indefeasible
conviction of his descendants ; nor could any con-
sideration less powerful have sustained their hopes, or
nerved them to the efforts and perils needful to realize it.
2. No more can the leaving of Egypt, with all that
followed, be accounted for without supernatural agency.
It is the contention of the naturalistic historian that the
Israelites were very much fewer in number than the
Scripture narrative alleges. But if so, how could an
empire, with such immense resources as the monuments
show Egypt to have had, have been unable to retain
them ? Wellhausen affirms that at the time Egypt was
weakened by a pestilence. We know not his authority
for the statement ; but if the Egyptians were weakened,
the Israelites (unless supernaturally protected) must
have been weakened too. Make what we may of the
contest between Moses and Pharaoh, it is beyond dis-
pute that Pharaoh's pride was thoroughly roused, and
that his firm determination was not to let the children
of Israel go. And if we grant that his six hundred
chariots were lost by some mishap in the Red Sea,
what were these to the immense forces at his disposal,
and what was there to hinder him from mustering a
new force, and attacking the fugitives in the wilderness
of Sinai ? Pharaoh himself does not seem to have
entered the sea with his soldiers, and was therefore free
to take other steps. How, then, are we to account for
the sudden abandonment of the campaign ?
THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
3. And as to the residence in the wilderness, even if
we suppose that the Israelites were much fewer in num-
ber than is stated, they were far too great a multitude
to be supported from the scanty resources of the desert.
The wilderness already had its inhabitants, as Moses
knew right well from his experience as a shepherd ; it
had its Midianites and Amalekites and other pastoral
tribes, by whom the best of its pastures were eagerly
appropriated for the maintenance of their flocks. How,
in addition to these, were the hosts of Israel to obtain
support ?
4. And how are we to explain the extraordinary route
which they took ? Why did they not advance towards
Canaan by the ordinary way — the wilderness of Shur,
Beersheba, and Hebron ? Why cross the Red Sea at
all, or have anything to do with Mount Sinai and its
awful cliffs, which a glance at the map will show was
entirely out of their way ? And when they did take that
route, what would have been easier than for Pharaoh,
if he had chosen to follow them with a new force, to
hem them in among these tremendous mountains, and
massacre or starve them at his pleasure ? If the
Israelites had no supernatural power to fall back on,
their whole course was simply madness. We may talk
of good fortune extricating men from difficulties, but
what fortune that can be conceived could have availed
a people, professing to be bound for the land of Canaan,
that, without food or drink or stores of any kind, had
wandered into the heart of a vast labyrinth, for no
reasonable purpose under the sun ?
5. Nor can the career of Moses be made intelligible
without a supernatural backing. The contention is,
that the desire of the people in Egypt for deliverance
having become very strong, especially in the tribe of
INTRODUCTORY.
Levi, they sent Aaron to find Moses, remembering his
former attempt on their behalf; and that, under the
able leadership of Moses, their deliverance was secured
by natural means. But does this explain the actual
campaign in Sinai ? Who ever heard of a leader that,
after he had roused the enthusiasm of his people by a
brilliant deliverance, arrested their further progress in
order to preach to them for a twelvemonth, and give
them a system of law ? Did Moses not possess that
instinct of a general that must have urged him to push
on the moment the Egyptians were drowned, and amid
the enthusiasm of his own troops and the consternation
of the Canaanites, fling his army upon the seven
nations, and seize their land by a coup de mam ?
Abraham before him and Joshua after him found the
value of such prompt, sudden movements. Never had a
leader a more splendid opportunity. What could have
induced Moses to throw away his chance, bury his people
among the mountains, and remain inactive for months
upon months ? Is there any conceivable explanation
but that he acted by supernatural direction ? The
Divine plan was entirely different from any that human
wisdom would have contrived. It is as clear as day
that, had there been no Divine power controlling the
movement, the course taken by Moses would have been
simply insane.
6. Nor could the law of Moses, first given in such
circumstances, have acquired the glory which sur-
rounded it ever after, had there been no manifestation
of the Divine presence at Sinai. The people were
greatly dissatisfied, especially at their delays. The
only course that would have quieted them was to push
on towards Canaan, so that their minds might be ani-
mated by the enthusiasm of hope. Under their detentions
lo THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
they greedily seized every occasion that presented
itself for growling against Moses. How little they
were in sympathy with his ideas of religion and worship
was apparent from the affair of the golden calf The
history of the time is an almost unbroken record of
murmuring, complaining, and rebellion. Yet the law
which originated with Moses in these circumstances
became the very idol of the people, and, according to
the naturalistic historians, was the means of creating
the nation, and welding the tribes into a living unity !
We can quite easily understand how, in spite of all
their growlings, the law as given at Sinai should have
taken the firmest hold of their imagination and kindled
their utmost enthusiasm in the end, if it was accompanied
by those tokens of the Divine presence which the whole
literature of the Hebrews assumes. And if Moses
was closely identified with the Divine Being, the sur-
passing glory of the occasion must have been reflected
on him. But to suppose that a discontented people
should have had their enthusiasm roused for the law
simply because this Moses commanded them to observe
it, and that they should ever after have counted it the
holiest, the most Divine law that men had ever known,
is again to postulate an effect without a cause, and to
suppose a whole people acting in disregard of the
strongest propensities of human nature.
7. Then, as to the generalship of Moses. How are
we to explain the further detention of the people in the
wilderness for nearly forty years ? If this was not the
result of a supernatural Divine decree, it must have
proceeded from the inability of Moses to lead the
people to victory. No people who had struggled out
of bondage in order to enter a land flowing with milk
and honey, would of their own accord have spent forty
INTRODUCTORY. ii
years in the wilderness. At Hormah, they were wiUing
to fight, but Moses would not lead them, and they were
beaten. Either the wandering of the forty years was
a Divine punishment, or the generalship of Moses was
at fault. He abandoned himself to inaction for an un-
precedented period. There was no shadow of benefit to
be gained by this delay ; nothing could come of it (apart
from the Divine purpose) but wearing out the patience
of the people, and killing them with the sickness of
hope deferred. And if it should be said that the forty
years' wandering was a myth, and that probably the
wilderness sojourn did not exceed a year or two at
most, is it conceivable that any people in its senses
would invent such a legend ? — a legend that covered
them with shame, and that was felt to be so disgraceful
that the whole region was shunned by them ; insomuch
that with the exception of Elijah, we do not read of any
member of the nation ever making a pilgrimage to the
spot which otherwise must have had overwhelming
attractions.
8. At last Moses suddenly awakes to activity and
courage. And the next difficulty is to account for his
success at the eleventh hour of his life, if he had no
supernatural help. No phrase occurs more frequently
in naturalistic explanations than ''it is likely." Likeli-
hood is the touchstone to which all extraordinary state-
ments are brought, although, as Lord Beaconsfield used
to tell us, '' it is the unexpected that happens." Borrow-
ing the touchstone for the nonce, we may ask. Is it likely
that, after a sleep of eight-and-thirty years, Moses of
his own accord, without any apparent change of circum-
stances, sprang suddenly to his feet, and urged the
people to attempt the invasion of the land ? Is it likely
that all the inertia and fears of the people vanished in
12 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
a moment, as if at the touch of a magician's wand ?
And when it came to actual fighting, is it likely that
these shepherds of the desert were able of themselves
not only to stand before a trained and successful warrior
like Sihon King of the Amorites, who had so lately
overrun the country, but to defeat him utterly and
take possession of his whole territory ? Is it likely
that Sihon's neighbour, Og King of Bashan, though
warned by the fate of Sihon, and therefore sure to
make a more careful defence, shared the fate of the
other king ? Or if Og was a mere myth, as Wellhausen
strangely maintains, is it likely that the Israelites got
possession of the powerful cities and well-defended
kingdom of Bashan without striking a blow ? Is it
likely that, after this brilliant victory, Moses, who was
still in full vigour, detained them again for weeks to
preach old sermons, and sing them songs, and make
pathetic speeches, instead of dashing at once at the
petrified people on the other side, and acquiring the
great prize — Western Palestine ? Strange mortal this
Moses must have been ! — wise enough to give the people
an unexampled constitution and system of laws, and yet
blind to the most obvious laws of military science, and
the most elementary perceptions of common sense.
And now we come to Joshua, and to the book that
records his achievements.
Joshua was no prophet ; he made no claim to the
prophetic character ; he succeeded Moses only as
military leader. Consequently the Book of Joshua
contains little matter that would fall under the term
'' revelation." But both the work of Joshua and the
book of Joshua served an important purpose in the
plan of Divine manifestation, inasmuch as they showed
INTRODUCTORY.
God fulfilling His old promises, vindicating His faithful-
ness, and laying anew a foundation for the trust of
His people. In this point of view, both the work and
the book have an importance that cannot be exaggerated.
The naturalistic historian regards the book as merely
setting forth, with sundry traditional embellishments,
the manner m which one people ousted another from
their country, much as those who were then evicted
had dispossessed the previous inhabitants. But who-
ever believes that, centuries before, God made a solemn
promise to Abraham to give that land to his seed,
must see in the story of the settlement the unfolding
of a Divine purpose, and a solemn pledge of blessings
to come. '' The Ancient of days," who '* declares
the end from the beginning," is seen to be faithful to
His promises ; and if He has been thus faithful in the
past, he may surely be trusted to be faithful in the
future.
If, then, Joshua's work was a continuation of the
work of Moses, and his book of the books of Moses,
both must be regarded from the same point of view.
You cannot explain either of them reasonably in a merely
rationalistic sense. Joshua could no more have settled
the people in Canaan by merely natural means than
Moses could have delivered them from Pharaoh and
maintained them for years in the wilderness. In the
history of both you see a Divine arm, and in the books
of both you find ja chapter of Divine revelation. It is
this that gives full credibility to the miracles which they
record. What happened under Joshua formed a most
important chapter of the process of revelation by which
God made Himself known to Israel. In such circum-
stances, miracles were not out of place. But if the
Book of Joshua is nothing more than the record of a
14 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
raid by one nation on another, miracles were uncalled
for, and must be given up.
Rationalists may count us wrong in believing that
the Hebrew historical books are more than Hebrew
annals — are the records of a Divine manifestation.
But they cannot hold us unreasonable or inconsistent
if, believing this, we believe in the miracles which
the books record. Miracles assume a very different
character when they are connected into a sublime
purpose in the economy of God ; when they signalize
a great epoch in the history of revelation — the comple-
tion of a great era of promise, the fulfilment of hopes
delayed for centuries. The Book of Joshua has thus
a far more dignified place in the history of revelation
than a superficial observer would suppose. And those
historians who bring it down to the level of a mere
record of an invasion, and who leave out of account
its bearing on Divine transactions so far back as the
days of Abraham, spoil it of its chief glory and value
for the Church in every age. There is nothing of more
importance, whether for the individual believer or for
the Church collectively, than a firm conviction, such
as the Book of Joshua emphatically supplies, that long
delays on God's part involve no forgetfulness of His
promises, but that whenever the destined moment comes
^' no good thing will fail of all that He hath spoken."
The Book of Joshua consists mainly of two parts ;
one historical, the other geographical. It was the old
belief that it was the work of a single writer, with such
slight revision at an after time as a writing might
receive without essential interference with its substance.
The author was sometimes supposed to be Joshua
himself, but more commonly one of the priests or elders
INTRO D UCTOR Y. 1 5
who outlived Joshua, and who might therefore fitly
record his death. It has been remarked that there are
several traces in the book of contemporary origin, like
the remark on Rahab — ^' She dwelleth in Israel even
unto this day" (vi. 25). It must be allowed, we think,'
that there is not much in this book to suggest to the
ordinary reader either the idea of a late origin or of
the use of late materials.
But recent critics have taken a different view. Ewald
maintained that, besides the Jehovist and Elohist writers
of whose separate contributions in Genesis the evidence
seems incontrovertible, there were three other authors
of Joshua, with one or more redactors or revisers.
The view of Kuenen and Wellhausen is similar, but
with this difference, that the Book of Joshua shows so
much affinity, both in object and style, to the preceding
five books, that it must be classed with them, as setting
forth the origin of the Jewish nation, which would not
have been complete without a narrative of their settle-
ment in their land. The composition of Joshua is
therefore to be brought down to a late date ; we owe it
to the documents, writers, and editors concerned in the
composition of the Pentateuch ; and instead of following
the Jews in classing the first five books by themselves,
we ought to include Joshua along with them, and
in place of the Pentateuch speak of the Hexateuch.
Canon Driver substantially accepts this view ; in his
judgment, the first part of the book rests mainly on the
JE (Jehovist-Elohist) document, with slight additions
from P (the priestly code) and D^ (the second
Deuteronomist). The second half of the book is derived
mainly from the priestly code. But Canon Driver has
the candour to say that it is much more difficult to
distinguish the writers in Joshua than in the earlier
1 6 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
books ; and so little is he sure of his ground that even
such important documents as J and E have to be
designated by new letters, a and b. But, all the same,
he goes right on with his scheme, furnishing us with
tables all through, in which he shows that the Book
of Joshua consists of ninety different pieces, no two
consecutive pieces being by the same author. Most
of it he refers to three earlier writings, but some of
these were composite, and it is hard to say how many
hands were engaged in putting together this simple
story.
One is tempted to say of this complicated but con-
fidently maintained scheme, that it is just too complete,
too wonderfully finished, too clever by half Allowing
most cordially the remarkable ability and ingenuity of
its authors, we can hardly be expected to concede to
them the power of taking to pieces a book of such vast
antiquity, putting it in a modern mincing machine,
dividing it among so many supposed writers, and settling
the exact parts of it written by each 1 Is there any
ancient writing that might not yield a similar result if
the same ingenuity were exercised upon it ?
To judge of the source of writings by apparent
varieties of style, and call in a different writer for every
such variety, is to commit oneself to a very precarious
rule. There are doubtless cases where the diversity
of style is so marked that the inference is justified,
but in these the evidence is unmistakably clear. Often
the evidence against identity of authorship appears
very clear, while it is absolutely worthless. Suppose
that three thousand years hence an English book
should be found, consisting, first, of an eloquent ex-
position of a parliamentary budget ; secondly, a scheme
for Home Rule in Ireland ; thirdly, a dissertation on
INTROD UCTOR Y. 1 7
Homer ; and fourthly, essays on the '* Impregnable
Rock of Holy Scripture " — how convincingly might the
critics of the day demonstrate, beyond possibility of
contradiction, that the book could not be the work of the
single man who bore the name of William E. Gladstone !
In like manner, it might be made very plain that
Milton could never have written both '' L' Allegro "
and *' II Penseroso," or ''Paradise Lost" and the
** Defence of the English People." Cowper could not
have written ''John Gilpin" and "God moves in a
mysterious way." Samuel Rutherford could not have
written his " Letters " and his " Divine Right of Church
Government." Moreover, in the course of years a writer
may change his style, even when his subject is the same.
The earlier essays of Mr. Carlyle show no traces of that
most quaint, terse, graphic style which became one of
his outstanding characteristics in later years. Perhaps
the most remarkable instance of change of style in a
great writer is that of Jeremy Bentham. In Sir James
Mackintosh's Dissertation prefixed to the Encyclopcedia
Britannica (eighth edition) he says : " The style of Mr.
Bentham underwent a more remarkable revolution than
perhaps befell that of any other celebrated writer. In
his early works, it was clear, free, spirited, often and
seasonably eloquent. . . . He gradually ceased to use
words for conveying his thoughts to others, but merely
employed them as a short hand to preserve his meaning
for his own purpose. It is no wonder that his language
thus became obscure and repulsive. Though many of
his technical terms are in themselves exact and pithy,
yet the overflow of his vast nomenclature was enough
to darken his whole diction."
If we compare the criticism of the Book of Joshua
with that (let us say) of Genesis, the difference in the
2
1 8 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
clearness of the conclusions is very great. By far the
most striking basis of the criticism of Genesis is the
feature that was noticed first — the occurrence of differ-
ent Divine names, Elohim and Jehovah, in different
portions of the book. Now, although it is held that
the combined JE document was used in compiling
Joshua, there is no trace of this distinction of names
in that book. Nor is there much trace of other distinc-
tions found in Genesis. So that it is no great wonder
that Canon Driver is uncertain whether, after all, that
was the document that was used in compiling Joshua.
Then, as to the grounds on which the Deuteronomist
is supposed to have had a share in the book. Wherever
anything is said indicating that under Joshua the
Divine purposes and ordinances enjoined by God on
Moses were fulfilled, that is referred to the Deuterono-
mist writer, as if it would have been unnatural for an
ordinary historian to call attention to such a circum-
stance. For instance, the remark of Rahab that as
soon as the Canaanites heard what God had done to
Egypt, and to the two kings of the Amorites on the
other side of Jordan, their hearts fainted, is referred to
the Deuteronomist, as if it had rather been an idea of
his than a statement of Rahab's. It is strange that
Canon Driver should not have seen that this is the
very hinge of Rahab's speech, because it gives us the
explanation of the remarkable faith that had taken
possession of her polluted heart. The truth is, we can
hardly conceive that any part of the book should have
been written by one who did not connect Joshua with
Moses, and both of them with the patriarchs, and who
was not impressed by the vital connection of the earlier
with the later tran'iactions, and likewise by the single
Divine purpose running through the whole history.
INTRODUCTORY. 19
But we are far from thinking that there is no founda-
tion for any of the conclusions of the critics regarding
the Book of Joshua. What seems their great weakness
is the confidence with which they assign this part to
one writer and that part to another, and bring down
the composition of the book to a late period of the
histor}^ That various earlier documents were made
use of by the author of the book seems very plain.
For instance, in the account of the crossing of the
Jordan, use seems to have been made of two documents,
not always agreeing in minute details, and pieced
together in a primitive fashion characteristic of a very
early period of literary composition. The record of the
delimitation of the possessions of the several tribes
must have been taken from the report of the men that
were sent to survey the country, but it is not a complete
record. There are other traces of different documents
in other parts of the book, but any diversities between
them are quite insignificant, and in no degree impair
its historical trustworthiness.
As to the hand of a reviser or revisers in the book,
we see no difficulty in allowing for such. We can
conceive an authorized reviser expanding speeches, but
thoroughly in the line of the speakers, or inserting
explanatory remarks as to places, or as to practices
that had prevailed "unto this day." But it is atrocious
to be told of revisers colouring statements and modify-
ing facts in the interests of religious parties, or even
in the interest of truth itself Any alterations in the
way of revision seem to have been very limited, other-
wise we should not find in the existing text those
awkward joinings of different documents which are
not in perfect accord. Whoever the revisers were,
they seem to have judged it best to leave these things
20 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
as they found them, rather than incur the responsibility
of altering what had already been written.
It has generally been assumed by spiritual expositors
that there must be something profoundl}^ sj^mbolical
in a book that n<arrates the work of Joshua, or Jesus,
the first, so far as we know, to bear the name that is
^' above every name." The subject is considered with
some fulness m Pearson's '* Exposition of the Creed,"
and various points of resemblance, not all equally valid,^
are noted between Joshua and Jesus.
The one point of resemblance on which we seem
to be warranted to lay much stress is, that Joshua
gave the people rest. Again and again we read —
"The land rested from war" (xi. 23), ''The land
had rest from war" (xiv. 15), "The Lord gave them
rest round about " (xxi. 44), " The Lord your God
hath given rest unto your brethren " (xxii. 4), " The
Lord had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies
round about " (xxiii. i). That was Joshua's great
achievement, as the instrument of God's purpose. Yet
^ " The hand of Moses and Aaron brought the people out of
Egypt, but left them in the wilderness, and could not seat them in
Canaan. . . . Joshua, the successor, only could effect that in which
Moses failed. . . . The death of Moses and the succession of Joshua
pre-signified the continuance of the law till Jesus came. . . . Moses
must die that Joshua might succeed. ... If we look on Joshua as
the judge and ruler of Israel, there is scarce an action which is not
predictive of our Saviour. He begins his office at the banks of the
Jordan where Christ is baptized, and enters upon the public exercise
of his prophetical office. He chooseth there twelve men out of the
people to carry twelve stones over with them ; as our Jesus thence
began to choose His twelve apostles. ... It hath been observed that
the saving Rahab the harlot alive foretold what Jesus once should
speak to the Jews — ' Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and
the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.' ..."
INTRODUCTORY, 2i
in Hebrews we read that this was not the real rest — it
was only a symbol of it : *' If Joshua had given them
rest, then would God not afterward have spoken of
another day." The real rest was the rest arising from
faith in Jesus Christ. Many persons look on Joshua
as a somewhat dry book, full of geographical names,
as unsuggestive as they are hard and unfamiliar.
Yet on every one of the places so named faith may
see inscribed, as in letters from heaven, the sweet
word REST. Each of these places became a home for
men who had been wandering for some forty 3^ears in
a v/aste howling wilderness. At last they reached
a spot where they did not fear the long familiar
summons to ''arise and depart." The sickly mother,
the consumptive maiden, the paralysed old man might
rest in peace, no longer terrified at the prospect of
journeys which only increased their ailments and aggra-
vated their sufferings.
The spiritual lesson of this book then is, that in Jesus
Christ there is rest for the pilgrim. It is no slight
or unevangelical lesson. It is the echo of His own
glorious words, *' Come unto Me, all ye that labour
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Who-
soever is weary — whether under the burden of care, or
the sense of guilt, or the bitterness of disappointment,
or the anguish of a broken heart, or the conviction that
all is vanity — the message of this book to him is, —
''There remaineth a rest to the people of God." Even
now, the rest of faith ; and hereafter, that rest of which
the voice from heaven proclaimed — " Blessed are the
dead which die in the Lord from henceforth : yea,
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours ;
and their works do follow them."
CHAPTER 11.
JOSHUA'S ANTECEDENTS.
FOUR hundred years is a long way to go back in
tracing a pedigree. Joshua's might have been
traced much farther back than that — back to Noah, or
for that matter to Adam ; but Israehtes usually counted
it enough to begin with that son of Jacob who was the
head of their tribe. It could be no small gratification
to Joshua that he had Joseph for his ancestor, and that
of the two sons of Joseph he was sprung from the one
whom the dying Jacob so expressly placed before the
other as the heir of the richer blessing (i Chron.
vii. 20-27). It is remarkable that the descendants of
Joseph attached no consequence to the fact that on the
side of Joseph's wife they were sprung from one of the
highest functionaries of Egypt (Gen. xli. 45), any more
than the children of Mered, of the tribe of Judah, whose
wife, Bithiah, was a daughter of Pharaoh (i Chron.
iv. 18), gained rank in Israel from the royal blood of
their mother. The glory of high connections with the
heathen counted for nothing ; it was entirely eclipsed
by the glory of the chosen seed. To be of the house-
hold of God was higher than to be born of kings.
Joshua appears to have come of the principal family
of the tribe, for his grandfather, Elishama (i Chron.
vii. 26), was captain and head of his tribe (Num.
i. 10, ii. 18), and in the order of march through the
22
JOSHUA'S ANTECEDENTS. 23
wilderness marched at the head of the forty thousand
five hundred men that constituted the great tribe of
Ephraim ; while his son, Nun, and his grandson, Joshua,
would of course march beside him. Not only was
Elishama at the head of the tribe, but apparently also
of the whole '' camp of Ephraim," which, besides his
own tribe, embraced Manasseh and Benjamin, being
the whole descendants of Rachel (Num. ii. 24). Under
their charge in all likelihood was a remarkable relic
that had been brought very carefully from Egypt — the
bones of Joseph (Exod. xiii. 19). Great must have
been the respect paid to the coffin which contained the
embalmed body of the Governor of Egypt, and which
was never lost sight of during all the period of the
wanderings, till at length it was solemnly deposited in
its resting-place at Shechem (Josh. xxiv. 32). Young
Joshua, grandson of the prince of the tribe, must have
known it well. For Joshua was himself cast in the
mould of Joseph, an ardent, courageous, God-fearing,
patriotic youth. Very interesting to him it must have
been to recall the romance of Joseph's life, his grievous
wrongs and trials, his gentle spirit under them all, his
patient and invincible faith, his lofty purity and self-
control, his intense devotion to duty, and finally his
marvellous exaltation and blessed experience as the
saviour of his brethren ! And that coffin must have
seemed to Joshua ever to preach this sermon, — '' God
will surely visit you." With Joseph, young Joshua
believed profoundly in his nation, because he believed
profoundly in his nation's God ; he felt that no other
people in the world could have such a destiny, or could
be so worthy of the service of his life.
This sense of Israel's relation to God raised in him
an enthusiastic patriotism, and soon brought him under
24 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
the notice of Moses, who quickly discerned in the
grandson a spirit more congenial to his own than that
of either the father or the grandfather. Not even
Moses himself had a warmer love than Joshua for
Israel, or a more ardent desire to serve the people that
had such a blessed destiny. In all likelihood the first
impression Joshua made on Moses might have been
described in the words — ^' It came to pass that the soul
of Moses was knit with the soul of Joshua, and Moses
loved him as his own soul."
In no other way can we account for the extraordinary
mark of confidence with which Joshua was honoured
when he was selected in the early da3^s of the wilder-
ness sojourn, not only to repel the attack which the
Amalekites had made upon Israel, but to choose the
men by whom this was to be done. Why pass over
father and grandfather, if this youth, Joshua, had not
already displayed qualities that fitted him for this
difficult task better than either of them ? We cannot
but note, in passing, the proof we have of the contem-
poraneousness of the history, that no mention is made
of the reasons why Joshua of all men was appointed
to this command. If the history was written near the
time, with Joshua's splendid career fresh in the minds
of the people, the reasons would be notorious and did
not need to be given ; if it was written long afterwards,
what more natural than that something should be said
to explain the remarkable choice ?
On whatever grounds Joshua was appointed, the
result amply vindicated the selection. On Joshua's
part there is none of that hesitation in accepting his
work which was shown even by Moses himself when
he got his commission at the burning bush. He seems
to have accepted the appointment with humble faith
JOSHUA'S ANTECEDENTS. 25
and spirited enthusiasm, and prepared at once for the
perilous enterprise.
And he had little enough time to prepare, for a new
attack of the Amalekites was to be made next day.
We may conceive him, after prayer to his Lord, setting
out with a few chosen comrades to invite volunteers to
join his corps, rousing their enthusiasm by picturing
the dastardly attack that the Amalekites had made on
the sick and infirm (Deut. xxv. 17, 18), and scattering
their fears by recalling the promise to Abraham, *' I
will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that
curseth thee." That Moses knew him to be a man of
faith whose trust was in the living God was shown by
his promise to stand next morning on the hill top with
the rod of God in his hand. Yes, the rod of God !
Had not Joshua seen it stretched out over the Red
Sea, first to make a passage for Israel, and thereafter
to bring back the waters on Pharaoh's host ? Was he
not just the man to value aright that symbol of Divine
power ? The troop selected by Joshua may have been
small as the band of Gideon, but if it was as full of
faith and courage it was abundantly able for its work 1
The Amalekites are sometimes supposed to have
been descendants of an Amalek who was the grandson
of Esau (Gen. xxxvi. 1 2), but the name is much older
(Gen. xiv. 7), and was applied at an early period to
the inhabitants of the tract of country stretching
southwards from, the Dead Sea to the peninsula of
Sinai. Whatever may have been their origin, they
were old inhabitants of the wilderness, well acquainted
probably with every mountain and valley, and well
skilled in that Bedouin style of warfare which even
practised troops are little able to meet. They were
therefore very formidable opponents to the raw levy of
26 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Israelites, who could be but little acquainted with wea-
pons of war, and were wholly unaccustomed to battle.
The Amalekites could not have been ignorant of the
advantage of a good position, and they probably occu-
pied a post not easy to attack and carr}^ Evidently
the battle was a serious one. The practised and skilful
>/ tactics of the Amalekites were more than a match for
the youthful valour of Joshua and his comrades ; but
as often as the uplifted rod of Moses was seen on the
top of the neighbouring hill, new life and courage
rushed into the souls of the Israelites, and for the time
the Amalekites retreated before them. Hour after hour
the battle raged, till the arm of Moses became too
weary to hold up the rod. A stone had to be found
for him to sit on, and his comrades, Aaron and Hur,
had to hold up his hands. But even then, though the
advantage was on the side of Joshua, it was sunset
before Amalek was thoroughly defeated. The issue
of the battle was no longer doubtful — '^Joshua dis-
comfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the
sword " (Exod. xvii. 1 3).
It was a memorable victory, due in effect to the hand
of God as really as the destruction of the Egyptians
had been, but due instrumentally to the faith and
fortitude of Joshua and his troop, whose ardour could
not be quenched by the ever-resumed onslaughts of
Amalek. And when the fight was over, Joshua could
not but be the hero of the camp and the nation, as
really as David after the combat with Goliath. Con-
gratulations must have poured on him from every
quarter, and not only on him, but on his father and
grandfather as well. To Joshua these would come
with mingled feelings ; gratification at having been
able to do such a service for his people, and gratitude
JOSHUA'S ANTECEDENTS. 27
for the presence of Him by whom alone he had
prevailed. ^' Not unto us, Lord, not unto us, but to
Thy name be the glory." It was a splendid beginning
for Israel's wilderness history, if only it had been
followed up by the people in a kindred spirit. But
there were not many Joshuas in the camp, and the
spirit did not spread.
It is remarkable what a hold that incident at Rephidim
has taken on the Christian imagination. Age after age,
for more than three thousand years, its influence has
been felt. Nor can it ever cease to impress believing
men that, so long as Moses holds out his rod, so long
as active trust is placed in the power and presence of
the Most High in the great battle with sin and evil,
Israel must prevail ; but if this trust should fail, i^
Moses should let down his rod, Amalek will conquer.
It was well that Moses was instructed to write the
transaction in a book and rehearse it before Joshua.
Well also that it should be commemorated by another
memorial, an altar to the Lord with the name of
'' Jehovah-nissi," the Lord my banner. How often
has faith looked out towards that unknown mountain
where Aaron and Hur held up the weary arms of
Moses, and what a new thrill of courage and hope has
the spectacle sent through hearts often ** faint yet pur-
suing " ! Happily on Joshua the effect was wholesome ;
a less spiritual man would have been puffed up by his
remarkable victory ; but in him its only effect, as was
shown by the whole tenor of his future life, was a
firmer trust in God, and a deeper determination to
wait only on Him.
It was no wonder that after this Joshua was selected
by Moses to be his personal comrade and attendant in
connection with that most solemn of all his duties — the
28 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
receiving of the law on the top of the mount. Here
again was a most distinguished honour for so young a
man. Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, with seventy of the
elders, were summoned to ascend to a certain height and
worship afar off; while Moses, accompanied by Joshua,
went up into the mount of God (Exod. xxiv. 13).
What became of Joshua while Moses was in immediate
fellowship with God is not very apparent. The first
impression we derive from the narrative is that he was
with Moses all the time, for when Moses begins his
descent Joshua is at his side (Exod. xxxii. 17). Yet we
cannot suppose that in that most solemn transaction
of Moses v/ith Jehovah when the law was given any
third party was present. On a careful study of the
narrative throughout it will probably be seen that
when, after going up a certain distance in company
with Aaron and his sons and the seventy elders, Moses
was called to a higher part of the mount, Joshua accom-
panied Moses (Exod. xxiv. 13), and that he was with
Moses during the six days when the glory of God
abode on Mount Sinai and a cloud covered the mount
(ver. 15) ; but that when God again, after these six days,
called to Moses to ascend still higher, and Moses '' went
into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up to the
mount" (ver. 18), Joshua remained behind. His place
of rest would thus be half-way between the spot where
the elders saw God's glory and the summit where God
talked with Moses. But the remarkable thing is, that
from that place Joshua would seem never to have
moved all the forty days and forty nights when Moses
was with God. We can hardly conceive a case of
more remarkable obedience, a more striking instance
of the quiet waiting of faith. To a youth of his spirit
and habits the restraint must have been somewhat
JOSHUA'S ANTECEDENTS. 29
trying. We know that Aaron did not remain long
on the hill, for he was at hand when the people
cried for ^^gods to go before them" (Exod. xxxii. i).
Impatience of God's slow methods had been a snare
to the fathers — to Abraham and Sarah in the matter of
Hagar ; to Rachel when she raised the petulant cry,
" Give me children, or else I die " ; to Jacob when the
promises seemed broken to atoms, and '' all things "
seemed '' against him." Joseph alone had stood the
trial of patience, and now Joshua showed himself of
the like spirit. The word of Moses to him was like an
anchor holding the ship firmly against the force of
wind and tide. What a solemn time it must have been,
and what a precious lesson it must have taught him for
the whole future of his life 1
More than three thousand years have sped away,
but have the servants of God on an average reached the
measure of Joshua's patience ? Prayers unanswered,
promises unfulfilled, sickness protracted during weary
years of pain, disappointments and trials coming in
troops as if all God's waves and billows were passing
over them, active persecution bringing all the devices
of torture to bear upon them, — how have such things
tried the patience, the waiting power of the servants
of God I But let them remember that if the trial be
severe the recompense is great, and that in the end
nothing will grieve them more than to have distrusted
their master and thought it possible that His promises
v/ould fail. '' God is not unrighteous to forget."
Richard Cecil tells that once, when walking with his
little son, he bade him wait for him at a certain
gate till he should return. He thought he would be
back in a few minutes, but meanwhile an 'unexpected
occurrence constrained him to go into the city, where.
THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
under an engrossing piece of business, he remained all
day utterly forgetful of his charge to the boy. On his
return at night to his suburban home, the boy was no-
where to be found. In a moment the order to remain
at the gate flashed on his father's memory. Was it
possible he should still be there ? He hurried back
and found him — he had been told to wait till his father
returned, and he had done as he had been told. The
boy that could act thus must have been made of no
common stuff So are they who can say, '* I waited
patiently for the Lord, and He inclined unto me, and
heard my cry."
At last Joshua rejoins his master, and they proceed
towards the foot of the mount. As they approach the
camp, a noise is heard from afar. His military instinct
finds an explanation, — '' There is a noise of war in the
camp." No, says the more experienced Moses ; it is
neither the shout of victors nor of vanquished, it is the
noise of singing I hear ; and so it was. For when
they reached the camp, the people were at the very
height of the idolatrous revelling that followed the con-
struction and worship of the golden calf, and the sounds
that fell on the ears of Moses and Joshua were the
bacchanalian shouts of unholy and shameful riot. What
a contrast to the solemn and holy scene on the top I
What a gulf lies between the holy will of God and the
polluted passions of men !
During the painful scenes that ensued, Joshua con-
tinued in faithful attendance on Moses ; and when
Moses removed the tabernacle (the temporary structure
hitherto used for sacred services) and placed it outside
the camp, Joshua was with him, and departed not out
of the tabernacle (Exod. xxxiii. ii). We are not told
whether he ascended the mount the second time with
JOSHUA'S ANTECEDENTS. 31
Moses, but it is likely that he did. At all events he
was much with Moses at this early and susceptible
period of his life. The young man did not recoil from
the company of the old, nor did he who had been com-
mander in the battle of Rephidim shrink from the duty
of a servant. Deeper and deeper, as he kept company
with Moses, must have been his impression of his
wisdom, his faith, his loyalty to God, and his entire
devotion to the welfare of his people ; and stronger and
stronger must have waxed his own desire that if ever
he should be called to a similar service he might show
the same spirit and fulfil the same high end !
The next time that Joshua comes into notice is not
so flattering to himself. It is on that occasion when
the Spirit descended on the seventy elders that had
been appointed to assist Moses, and they prophesied
round about the tabernacle. Two of the seventy were
not with the rest, but nevertheless they got the spirit
and were prophesying in the camp. The military
instinct of Joshua was hurt at the irregularity, and his
concern for the honour of Moses was roused by their
apparent indifference to the presence of their head.
He hurried to inform Moses, not doubting but he would
interfere to correct the irregularity. But the narrow
spirit of youth met with a memorable rebuke from the
larger and more noble spirit of the leader, — '' Enviest
thou for my sake ? Would God that all the Lord's
people were prophets, and that the Lord would put His
Spirit upon them ! "
Not long after this Joshua was appointed to another
memorable service. After the law-giving had been
brought to an end, and the host of Israel had removed
from the mountain to the borders of the promised
land, he was appointed one of the twelve spies that
THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
were sent forward to explore the country. Formerly
his name had been Oshea ; it was now changed to
Jehoshua or Joshua. The changing of the name was
in itself significant, and still more the character of the
change, by which a syllable of the Divine name was
inserted in it. For, by the practice of the nation, the
changing of a name denoted a man's entrance on a new
chapter of his history, or his coming out before the
world in a new character. So it was when Abram's
name was changed to Abraham, Sarai's to Sarah, and
Jacob's to Israel ; so also when Simon became Cephas,
and Saul Paul. But the new name given to Joshua was
in itself more remarkable — Joshua, that is, Jehovah
saves : in the New Testament, Jesus. No doubt it
looked back on the victory of Rephidim when the Lord
wrought such a deliverance in Israel through Joshua.
But it indicated that the feature that had appeared at
Rephidim would continue to characterise him during his
life. It was a testimony from Moses, and from Him who
inspired Moses, to the character of Joshua, as it had
come out during all the close intercourse of Moses with
him. And it invested Joshua with a dignity that ought
to have raised him very highly in the eyes of the other
spies, and of all the congregation of Israel. Who could
be more worthy of their respect than the young man
who had shown himself so faithful in all his previous
history, and who had now received a name that indicated
that it would be the distinction of his life, like Him
whom he prefigured, to lead his people to the enjoy-
ment of God's salvation ?
The forty days spent by the twelve men in exploring
the land were a great contrast to the forty da3^s spent
by Joshua on the mount. All was inactivity and
patient waiting in the one case ; all was activity and
JOSHUA'S ANTECEDENTS. 33
bustle in the other. For there is a time to work and
a time to rest. If at the one period Joshua had to
put a restraint on his natural activity, at the other he
could give it full swing.
Apart from its more immediate object, this early tour
through Palestine must have been one of surpassing
interest. To witness each spot that had been made
memorable and classical by the lives of his forefathers ;
to sit by the well of Beersheba, and recall all that had
happened there ; to repose under Abraham's oak at
Mamre ; to bow at the cave of Machpelah ; to recall the
visits of angels at Bethel, and the ladder which had
been seen going up to heaven, — was not only most
thriUing, but to a man of Joshua's faith most inspiring ;
because every spot that had such associations was a
vdtness that God had given them the land, and a proof
that even though the sons of Anak were there, and
their cities were walled up to heaven, the God of
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob would be faithful to
His promise, and, if the people would only trust Him,
would right speedily place them in full possession.
Caleb and Joshua were the only two men whose
faith stood the test of this survey; the rest were
thoroughly cowed by the greatness of the difficulties.
And Caleb seems to have been the foremost of the two,
for in some places he is named as if he stood alone.
Probably he was the one who came forward and spoke ;
but even if Joshua's faith was not so strong at first,
it was no dishonour to be indebted to the greater
courage and confidence of his brother.
We can hardly doubt that in their long marches and
quiet encampments the twelve men had many a dis-
cussion as to what they would advise, and that the ten
felt themselves beaten both in argument and in faith
3
34 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
by the two. Long before they returned to the camp of
Israel they had taken their sides, and by the sides they
had taken they were determined to abide.
When they come back, the ten open the business and
give their decided judgment against any attempt to take
possession of the land. Impatient of their misrepresen-
tations, Caleb perhaps strikes in, repudiates the notion
that the people are not able to take possession, and urges
them in God's name to go up at once. But it is easier
far to stir up discontent and fear than to stimulate faith.
The cry of the congregation, ^' Up, make us a captain,
and let us return to Egypt," shows how strongly the
tide of unbelief is flowing. Moses and Aaron are over-
whelmed. The two leaders fall on their faces before
the congregation. But neither the cry of the congrega-
tion nor the attitude of Moses and Aaron daunts the
two faithful spies. With clothes rent they rush in,
renewing their commendations of the land, laying hold
of the Almighty Protector, and scorning the opposition
of the inhabitants, whose -hearts were cowed with terror
and whose defence was departed from them. It was a
fine spectacle, — the two against the million — the little
remnant ''faithful found among the faithless." But it
was all in vain. '' All the congregation bade stone
them with stones." And in their impulsive and excit-
able temper the horrible cry would have been obeyed
had not the glory of the Lord shone out and arrested
the infatuated people (Num. xiv. lo).
For this shameless sin the penalty was very heavy.
The congregation were to wander in the wilderness for
forty years till all that generation should die off ; the
ten unfaithful spies were to die at once of a plague before
the Lord ; and not one of the generation that left
Egypt was to enter the promised land. How easily can
JOSHUA '5 A NTECEDENTS.
God defeat the purposes of man I Where is now the
proposal to make a captain and return to Egypt ?
^' How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of
the morning ! "
Joshua and Caleb are doubly honoured ; their lives
are preserved when the other ten die of the plague ;
and they alone, of all the grown men of that genera-
tion, are to be allowed to enter and obtain homes in the
land of promise.
For eight-and-thirty years we hear nothing more of
Joshua. Like Moses, he has an interesting youth,
then a long burial in the wilderness, and then he
emerges from his obscurity and does a great work,
second only to that of Moses himself The first men-
tion of him after his long eclipse is immediately before
the death of Moses. God virtually appoints him to be
his successor, and directs both of them to present them-
selves in the tabernacle of the congregation (Deut.
xxxi. 14). And Moses calls him to his office, gives
him a charge and says, " Be strong and of a good
courage : for thou shalt bring the children of Israel
into the land which I sware unto them : and I will be
with thee " (Deut. xxxi. 23).
We might earnestly desire, in entering on the study
of Joshua's life, to draw aside the veil that covers the
eight-and-thirty years, and see how he was further
prepared for his great work. We might like to look
into his heart, and see after what fashion this man was
made to whom the destruction of the Canaanites was
entrusted. A religious warrior is a peculiar character ;
a Gustavus Adolphus, an Oliver Cromwell, a Henry
Havelock, a General Gordon ; Joshua was of the same
mould, and we should have liked to know him more
36 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
intimately ; but this is denied to us. He stands out to
us simply as one of the military heroes of the faith.
In depth, in steadiness, in endurance, his faith was
not excelled by that of Abraham or of Moses himself
The one conviction that dominated all in him was, that
he was called by God to his work. If that work was
often repulsive, let us not on that account withhold our
admiration from the man who never conferred with flesh
and blood, and who was never appalled either by danger
or difficult}', for he ''saw Him who is invisible."
CHAPTER III.
A SUCCESSOR TO MOSES.
Joshua i. 2,
THERE are some men to whom it is almost impos-
sible to find successors. Men of imperial mould ;
Nature's primates, head and shoulders above other men,
born to take the lead. Not only possessed of great
gifts originally, but placed by Providence in situations
that have wonderfully expanded their capacity and made
their five talents ten. Called to be leaders of great
movements, champions of commanding interests, often
gifted with an imposing presence, and with a magnetic
power that subdues opposition and kindles enthusiasm
as if by magic. What a bereavement when such men
are suddenly removed ! How poor in comparison those
who come next them, and from among whom successors
have to be chosen I When the Hebrews mourned the
death of Samson, the difference in physical strength
between him and his brethren could not have appeared
greater than the intellectual and moral gulf appears
between a great king of men, suddenly removed, and
the bereaved children that bend helpless over his grave.
A feeling of this sort must have spread itself through
the host of Israel when it was known that Moses was
dead. Speculation as to his successor there could be
none, for not only had God designated Joshua, but
before he died Moses had laid his hands upon him, and
37
38 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
the people had acknowledged him as their coming
leader. And Joshua had already achieved a record of
no common order, and had been favoured with high
tokens of the Divine approval. Yet what a descent it
must have seemed from Moses to Joshua I From the
man who had so often been face to face with God, who
had commanded the sea to make a way for the redeemed
of the Lord to pass over, who had been their legislator
and their judge ever since they were children, to whom
they had gone in every difficulty, and who for wisdom
and disinterestedness had gained the profound confi-
dence of every one of them ; — what a descent, we say,
to this son of Nun, known hitherto as but the servant
of Moses — an intrepid soldier, no doubt, and a man of
unfaltering faith, but whose name seemed as if it could
not couple with that of their imperial leader !
Well though Joshua did his work in after life, and
bright though the lustre of his name ultimately became,
he never attained to the rank of Moses. While the,
name of Moses is constantly reappearing in the pro-
phets, in the psalms, in the gospels, in the epistles, and
in the apocalypse, that of Joshua is not found out of
the historical books except in the speech of Stephen
and that well-known passage in the Hebrews (iv. 8),
where the received version perplexes us by translating
it Jesus. But it was no disparagement of him that he
was so far surpassed by the man to whom, under God,
the very existence of the nation was due. And in some
respects, Joshua is a more useful example to us than
Moses. Moses seems to stand half-way in heaven,
almost beyond reach of imitation. Joshua is more on
our own level. If not a man of surpassing genius, he
commends himself as having made the best possible
use of his talents, and done his part carefully and well.
i.2.J A SUCCESSOR TO MOSES. 39
The remark has been made that eras of great creative
vigour are often succeeded by periods dull and common
place. The history of letters and of the fine arts shows
that bursts of artistic splendour like the 'Renaissance,
or of literary originality like the Augustan age in
Roman or the Elizabethan in English literature, are not
followed by periods of equal lustre. And the same
phenomenon has often been found in the Christian
Church. In more senses than one the Apostles had
no successors. Who in all the sub-apostolic age was
worthy even to untie the latchet of Peter, or John, or
Paul ? The inferiority is so manifest that had there
been nothing else to guide the Church in framing the
canon of the New Testament, the difference between
the writings of the Apostles and their companions on
the one hand, and of men like Barnabas, Clement of
Rome, Polycarp, Ignatius, and Hermes on the other,
would have sufficed to settle the question. So also at
the era of the Reformation. Hardly a country but had
its star or its galaxy o-f the first magnitude. Luther
and Melancthon, Calvin and Coligny, Farel and Viret,
John a-Lasco and John Knox, Latimer and Cranmer, —
what incomparable men they were ! But in the age that
followed what names can we find to couple with theirs ?
Of other sections of the Church the same remark has
been made, and sometimes it has been turned to an
unfair use. If in the second generation, after a great
outburst of power and grace, there are few or no men
of equal calibre, it does not follow that the glory has
departed, and that the Church is to droop her head,
and wonder to what unworthy course on her part the
degeneracy is to be ascribed. We are not to expect
in such a case that the laws of nature will be set aside
to gratif}^ our pride. We are to recognise a state of
40 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
things which God has ordained for wise purposes,
although it may not be flattering to us. We are to
place ourselves in the attitude in which Joshua was
called to place himself when the curt announcement of
the text as to Moses was followed by an equally curt
order to him — '^ Moses My servant is dead ; now^ there-
fore arise."
The question for Joshua is not whether he is a fit
person to succeed Moses. His mental exercise is not
to compare himself with Moses, and note the innumer-
able points of inferiority on every side. His attitude
is not to bow down his head like a bulrush, mourning
over the departed glory of Israel, grieving for the
mighty dead, on whose like neither he nor his people
will ever look again. If there ever was a time when
it might seem excusable for a bereaved nation and a
bereaved servant to abandon themselves to a sense
of helplessness, it was on the death of Moses. But
even at that supreme moment the command to Joshua
is, '^ Now therefore arise." Gird yourself for the new
duties and responsibilities that have come upon you.
Do not worry yourself with asking whether you are
capable of doing these duties, or with vainly looking
within yourself for the gifts and qualities which marked
your predecessor. It is enough for you that God in His
providence calls you to take the place of the departed.
If He has called you. He will equip you. It is not His
way to send men a warfare on their own charges. The
work to which He calls you is not yours but His.
Remember He is far more interested in its success than
you can be. Think not of yourself, but of Him, and
go forth under the motto, '' We will rejoice in Thy
salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up
our banners."
i.2.] A SUCCESSOR TO MOSES. 41
In many different situations of life we may hear the
same exhortation that was now addressed to Joshua.
A wise, considerate, and honoured father is removed,
and the eldest son, a mere stripling, is called to take
his place, perhaps in the mercantile office or place of
business, certainly in the domestic circle. He is called
to be the comforter and adviser of his widowed mother,
and the example and helper of his brothers and sisters.
Well for him when he hears a voice from heaven,
" Your father is dead ; now therefore arise I " Rouse
yourself for the duties that now devolve upon you ;
onerous they may be and beyond your strength, but
not on that account to be evaded or repudiated ; rather
to be looked on as spurs provided and designed by
God, that you may apply yourself with heart and soul
to your duties, in the belief that faithful and patient
application shall not be without its reward !
Or it may be that the summons comes to some young
minister as successor to a father in Israel, whose ripe
gifts and fragrant character have won the confidence
and the admiration of all. Or to some teacher in a
Sunday-school, where the man of weight, of wise counsel,
and holy influence has been suddenly snatched away.
But be the occasion what it may, the removal of any
man of ripe character and gifts always comes to the
survivor with the Divine summons, '' Now therefore
arise ! " That is the one way in which you must try
to improve this dispensation ; the world is poorer for
the loss of his gifts — learn you to make the most of
yours I
It was no mean impression of Moses that God meant
to convey by the designation, '' Moses My servant."
It was not a high-sounding title, certainly. A great
contrast to the long list of honourable titles sometimes
42 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
engraved on men's coffins or on their tombs, or pro-
claimed by royal herald or king-at-arms over departed
kings or nobles. One of the greatest of men has no
handle to his name — he is simply Moses. He has no
titles of rank or office — he is simply *^ My servant."
But true greatness is '' when unadorned adorned the
most." Moses is a real man, a man of real greatness ;
there is no occasion therefore to deck him out in tinsel
and gilt ; he is gold to the core.
But think what is really implied in this designation,
^^ My servant." Even if Moses had not been God's
servant in a sense and in a degree in which few
other men ever were, it would have been a glorious
thing to obtain that simple appellation. True indeed,
the term " servant of God " is such a hackneyed one,
and often so little represents what it really means, that
we need to pause and think of its full import. There
may be much honour in being a servant. Even in our
families and factories a model servant is a rare and
precious treasure. For a real servant is one that has
the interest of his master as thoroughly at heart as his
own, and never scruples, at any sacrifice of personal
interest or feeling, to do all that he can for his master's
welfare. A true servant is one of whom his master
may say, ''There is absolutely no need for me to remind
him what my interest requires ; he is always thinking
of my interest, always on the alert to attend to it, and
there is not a single thing I possess that is not safe in
his hands."
Does God possess many such servants ? Who among
us can suppose God saying this of him ? Yet this was
the character of Moses, and in God's eyes it invested
him with singular honour. It was his distinction that
he was *' faithful in all his house." His own will was
i.2.] A SUCCESSOR TO MOSES, 43
thoroughly subdued to the will of God. The people
of whom God gave him charge were dear to him as a
right hand or a right eye. All personal interests and
ambitions were put far from him. To aggrandise him-
self or to aggrandise his house never entered into his
thoughts. Never was self more thoroughly crucified in
any man's breast. Beautiful and delightful in God's
eyes must have seemed this quality in Moses, — his
absolute disinterestedness, his sensibility to every hint
of his Master's will, his consecration of all he was and
had to God, and to his people for God's sake !
It was thus no unsuggestive word that God used of
Moses, when he told Joshua that ^' His servant " was
dead. It was a significant indication of what God had
valued in Moses and now expected of Joshua. The
one thing for Joshua to remember about Moses is, that
he was the servant of God. Let him take pains to be the
same ; let him have his ear as open as that of Moses
to every intimation of God's will, his will as prompt
to respond, and his hand as quick to obey.
Was not this view of the glory of Moses as God's
servant a foreshadow of what was afterwards taught
more fully and on a wider scale by our Lord ? '' The
Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to
minister, and to give His life a ransom for many."
Jesus sought to reverse the natural notions of men as
to what constitutes greatness, when He taught that,
instead of being measured by the number of servants
who wait on us, it is measured rather by the number
of persons to whom we become servants. And if it
was a mark of Christ's own humiliation that '' He took
on Him the form of a servant," did not this redound
to His highest glory ? Was it not for this that God
highly exalted Him and gave Him a name that is above
44 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
every name ? Happy they who are content to be
God's servants in whatsoever sphere of Hfe He may
place them ; seeking not their own, but always intent
upon their Master's business !
And now Joshua must succeed Moses and be God's
servant as he was. He must aim at this as the one
distinction of his life ; he must seek in every action to
know what God would have him to do. Happy man
if he can carry out this ideal of life I No conflicting
interests or passions will distract his soul. His e3^e
being single, his whole body will be full of light. The
power that nerves his arm will not be more remarkable
than the peace that dwells in his soul. He will show
to all future generations the power of a '^ lost will," —
not the suppression of all desire, according to the
Buddhist's idea of bliss, but all lawful natural desires
in happy and harmonious action, because subject to the
wise, holy, and loving guidance of the will of God.
Thus we see among the other paradoxes of His
government, how God uses death to promote life. The
death of the eminent, the aged, the men of brilliant
gifts makes way for others, and stimulates their activity
and growth. When the champion of the forest falls
the younger trees around it are brought more into
contact with the sunshine and fresh air, and push up
into taller and more fully developed forms. If none of
the younger growth attains the size of the champion, a
great many may be advanced to a higher average of
size and beauty. If in the second generation of an}^
great religious movement few or none can match the
*' mighties " of the previous age, there may be a general
elevation, a rise of level, an increase of efficiency among
the rank and file.
In many ways death enters into God's plans. Not
1.2. A SUCCESSOR TO MOSES. 45
only does it make way for the younger men/ but it has
a solemnizing and quickening effect on all who are not
hardened and dulled by the wear and tear of life.
What a memorable event in the spiritual history of
families is the first sudden affliction, the first breach in
the circle of loving hearts I First, the new experience
of intense tender longing, bafQed by the inexorable
conditions of death ; then the vivid vision of eternity, the
reality of the unseen flashing on them with living and
awful power, and giving an immeasurable importance to
the question of salvation ; then the drawing closer to one
another, the forswearing of all animosities and jealousies,
the cordial desire for unbroken peace and constant
co-operation ; and if it be the father or the mother
that has been taken, the ambition to be useful, — to be
a help not a burden to the surviving parent, and to do
what little they can of what used to be their father's
or their mother's work. Death becomes actually a
quickener of the vital energies ; instead of a withering
influence, it drops like the gentle dew, and becomes
the minister of life.
And death is not alone among the destructive agencies
that are so often directed to life-giving ends. What a
remarkable place is that which is occupied by Pain
^ " Can death itself when seen in the light of this truth [the adjust-
ment of every being in animated nature to every other] be denied to
be an evidence of benevolence ? I think not. The law of animal
generation makes necessary the law of animal death, if the largest
amount of animal happiness is to be secured. If there had been less
death there must also have been less life, and what life there was
must have been poorer and meaner. Death is a condition of the
prolificness of nature, the multiplicity of species, the succession of
generations, the co-existence of the young and the old ; and these
things, it cannot reasonably be doubted, add immensely to the sura
of animal happiness." — Flint's "Theism," p. 251.
46 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
among God's instruments of good 1 How many are
there who, looking back on their lives, have to confess,
with a mixture of sadness and of joy, that it is their
times of greatest suffering that have been the most
decisive in their lives, — marked by their best resolu-
tions,— followed by their greatest advance ! And it
sometimes would seem as if the acuter the suffering
the greater the blessing. How near God seems at
times to come to the height of cruelty when really
He is overflowing with love ! He seems to select the
very tenderest spots on which to inflict His blows, the
very tenderest and purest affections of the heart. It
is a wonderful triumph of faith and submission when
the sufferer stands firm and tranquil amidst it all. And
still more when he can find consolation in the analogy
which was supplied by God's own act, — " He that
spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us
all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all
things ? "
And this brings us to our last application. Our Lord
Himself, by a beautiful analogy in nature, showed the
connection, in the very highest sense, between death
and life — '' Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth
and die, it abideth alone ; but if it die it beareth much
fruit." '^ Without shedding of blood there is no remis-
sion of .sin." When Jesus died at Calvary, the head-
quarters of death became the nursery of life. The
place of a skull, like the prophet's valley of dry bones,
gave birth to an exceeding great army of living men.
Among the wonders that will bring glory to God in the
highest throughout eternity, the greatest will be this
evolution of good from evil, of happiness from pain, of
life from death. And even when the end comes, and
death is swallowed up of victory, and death and hell
i.2.] A SUCCESSOR TO MOSES. 47
are cast into the lake of fire, there will abide with the
glorified a lively sense of the infinite blessing that came
to them from God through the repulsive channel of
death, finding its highest expression in that anthem of
the redeemed — ^* Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed
us TO God by Thy blood."
CHAPTER IV.
JOSHUA'S CALL.
Joshua i. 2 — 5.
JOSHUA has heard the Divine voice summoning him
to the attitude of activity — ^' Arise I " Directions
follow immediately as to the course which his
activity is to take. His first step is to be a very pro-
nounced one — '^ Go over this Jordan " : enter the land,
not by yourself, or with a handful of comrades, as you
did forty years ago, but ^' thou and all this people."
Take the bold step, cross the river ; and when you
are across the river, take possession of the country
which I now give to your people. The time has
come for decided action ; it is for you to show the
way, and summon your people to follow.
It was a very solemn and striking moment, second
only in interest to that when, forty years before, their
fathers had stood at the edge of the sea, with the host
of Pharaoh hurrying on behind. At length the hour
has come to take possession of the inheritance I At
length the promise made so many hundred years ago to
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is ripe for fulfilment I You,
children of Israel, have seen that God is in no haste to
fulfil His promises, and your hearts may have known
much of the sickness of hope deferred. But now you are
to see that after all God is faithful. He never forgets.
He makes no mistakes. His delays are all designed for
48
i.2-5.] JOSHUA'S CALL. ' 49
good, either to chasten or to try, and thus confirm
and bless His people. He will now bring forth your
righteousness as the light and your judgment as the
noon-day.
There were two things that might make Joshua and
the people hesitate to cross the Jordan. In the first
place, the river was in flood ; it was the time when the
Jordan overflowed its banks (Josh. iii. 15), and, being
a rapid river, crossing it in such circumstances might
well seem out of the question. But in the second place,
to cross the Jordan was to throw down the gauntlet to
the enemy: It was a declaration of war, and a challenge
to them to do their worst. It was a signal for them to
assemble, fight for their hearths and homes, and strain
every nerve to annihilate this invader who made such
a bold claim to their possessions. All the children of
Anak whom Joshua had seen on his former visit would
now range themselves against Israel ; all the seven
nations would muster their bravest forces, and the
contest would not be Hke Joshua's battle with Amalek,
finished in a single day, but a long succession of battles,
in which all the resources of power and skill, of craft
and cunning would be brought to bear against Israel.
According to appearances, nothing short of this would
be the result of comphance with the command, *^ Go
over this Jordan."
On the one hand, therefore, compliance was physically
impossible, and on the other, even if possible, it would
have been fearfully perilous. But it is never God's
method to give impossible commands. The very fact
of His commanding anything is a proof of His readiness
to make it possible, nay, to make it easy and simple to
those who have faith to attempt it. '' Stretch out thy
hand," said Christ to the man with the withered hand.
4
50 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
*' Stretch out my hand ? " the man might have said in
astonishment, — " why, it is the very thing I am unable
to do." " Rise up and walk," said Peter to the lame
man at the Beautiful gate. '^ How can I do that ? " he
might have replied ; ** don't you see that I have no use
of my limbs ? " But in these cases the helpless men
had faith in those who bade them exert themselves ;
they believed that if they tried they would be helped,
and helped accordingly they were. So too in the
present case. Joshua knew that he and the host could
not have crossed the Jordan as it then was by any
contrivance in his power ; but he knew that it was
God's command, and he was sure that He would
provide the means. He felt as if God and the people
were in partnership, each equally interested in the
result, and equally desirous to bring it about. What-
ever it was necessary for God to do he was assured
would be done, provided he and the people entered
into the Divine plan, and threw all their energies into
the work. Not a word of remonstrance did Joshua
offer, not a word of explanation of the Divine plan did
he ask ; he acted as a servant should ;
" His not to make reply,
His not to reason why ; "
his only to trust and obey.
This faith in Divine power qualifying feeble mortals
for the hardest tasks has originated some of the noblest
enterprises in the history of the world. It was a Divine
voice Columbus seemed to hear bidding him cross the
wild Atlantic, for he desired to bring the natives of the
distant shores beyond it into the pale of the Church ;
and it was his faith that sustained him when his crew
became mutinous and his life was not safe for an hour.
It was a Divine voice Livingstone seemed to hear
i. 2-5.] JOSHUA'S CALL. 51
bidding him cross Africa, strike up into the heart of
the continent, examine its structure, and throw it open
from shore to shore ; and never was there a faith
stronger or steadier than that which bore him on
through fever and famine, through pain and sickness,
through disappointment and anguish, and, even when
the cold hand of death was on him, would not let
him rest until his work was done.
Often in the spiritual warfare it is useful to apply
this principle. Are we called to believe ? Are we
called to make ourselves a new heart and a new spirit ?
Are we summoned to fight, to wrestle, to overcome ?
Certainly we are. But is not this to tantalize us by
ordering us to do what we cannot do ? Is not this like
telling a sick man to get well, or a decrepit old creature
to skip and frisk like a child ? It would be so if the
principle of partnership between God and us did not
come into play. Faith says, God is my partner in this
matter. Partners even in an ordinary business put
their resources together, each doing what his special
abilities fit him for. In the partnership which faith
establishes between God and you, the resources of the
infinite Partner become available for the needs of the
finite. It is God's part to give orders, it is your part
to execute them, and it is God's part to strengthen you
so to do. It is this that makes the command reasonable,
'^ Work out your salvation with fear and trembling ;
for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to
do of His good pleasure." Faith rejoices in the partner-
ship, and goes forward in the confidence that the strength
of the Almighty will help its weakness, not by one
sudden leap, but by that steady growth in grace that
makes the path of the just like the shining light, that
shineth more and more unto the perfect day.
52 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
It was a great thing for God to announce that He
was now in the act of turning His old, old promise into
reality, — that the land pledged to Abraham centuries
ago was now at length to become the possession of his
descendants. But the gift could be of no avail unless
it was actually appropriated. God gave the people the
right to the land ; but their own energy, made effectual
through His grace, could alone secure the possession.
In a remarkable Vv^ay they were made to feel that,
while the land was God's gift, the appropriation and
enjoyment of the gift must come through their own
exertions. Just as in a higher sphere we know that
our salvation is wholly the gift of God ; and yet the
getting hold of this gift, the getting linked to Christ,
the entrance as it were into the marriage covenant with
Him involves the active exertion of our own will and
energy, and the gift never can be ours if we fail thus
to appropriate it.
As soon as God mentions the land. He expatiates
on its amplitude and its boundaries. It was designed
to be both a comfortable and an ample possession. In
point of extent it was a spacious region, — '' from the
wilderness and this Lebanon, even unto the great river,
the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and
unto the great sea, towards the going down of the
sun." And it was not merely bits or corners of this
land that were to be theirs, they were not designed to
share it with other occupants, but ''every place that
the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I
given it, as I spake unto Moses." It was in no meagre
or stingy spirit that God was now to fulfil His ancient
promise, but in a way corresponding to the essential
bountifulness of His nature. For it is a delightful
truth that God's heart is large and liberal, and that
i.2-5.] JOSHUA'S CALL. 53
He delights in large and bountiful gifts. Has He not
made this plain to all in the arrangements of nature ?
What more lavish than the gift of light, ever streaming
from the sun in silver showers ? What more abundant
than the fresh air that, like an inexhaustible ocean,
encompasses our globe, or the rivers that carry their
fresh and fertilizing treasures unweariedly through every
meadow ? What more productive than the vegetable
soil that under favourable conditions teems with fruits
and flowers and the elements of food for the use and
enjoyment of man ?
And when we turn to God's provision in grace we find
glorious proofs of the same abundance and generosity.
We see this symbolized by the activity and generosity
of our Lord, as He went about '' preaching the gospel
of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness
and all manner of disease among the people." We
understand the spiritual reality of which this was the
symbol, when we call to mind the Divine generosity
that receives the vilest sinners ; the efficacy of the blood
that cleanses from all sin ; the power of the Spirit that
sanctifies soul, body, and spirit ; the wisdom of the
providence that makes all things work together for
good ; the glory of the love that makes us now ^^ sons
of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be ;
but we know that when He shall appear we shall be
like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." And once
more it appears in the glory and amplitude of the
inheritance, of which the land of Canaan was but the
type, prepared of God's infinite bounty for all who are
His children by faith. Our Father's house is both
large and well furnished ; it is a house of many
mansions ; and the inheritance which He has promised
is incorruptible and undefiled and fadeth not away. .
54 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
It is a grand truth, of which we never can make too
much, this bountifuhiess of God, and the deHght which
He has in being bountiful. It is emphatically a truth
for faith to apprehend and enjoy, because appearances
are so often against it. Appearances were fearfully
against it while the Israelites were groaning in their
Egyptian bondage, and hardly less so, despite the
manna and the water from the rock, during the forty
years' wandering in the desert. But that was a period
of correction and of training, and in such circumstances
lavish bounty was out of the question.
The most bountiful man on earth could not pour out
all the liberality of his heart on the inmates of a
hospital for the sick ; he may give all that sick men
need, but he must wait till they are well before he can
give full scope to his generosity. While we are in
the body we are like patients in a hospital, and the
kindest feelings from God toward us must often take
the form of bitter medicines, painful operations, close
restraint, stinted diet, and it may be silence and dark-
ness. But wait till we are well, and then we shall see
what God hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him !
Wait till we go over Jordan and take possession of the
land ! Two things will be seen in the clearest light —
the supreme bountifulness of God, and the sinfulness of
that impatient and suspicious spirit to which we are so
prone. What a humiliation, if humiliation be possible
in heaven, to discover that all the time when we were
fretting and grumbling, God was working out His
plans of supreme beneficence and love, waiting only
till we should come of age to make us heirs of the
universe I
It is natural to ask why, if the boundaries of the
promised land were so extensive, if they reached so far
i.2-5.] JOSHUA'S CALL. 55
on the north-east as the Euphrates, and if they extended
from Lebanon on the north to the confines of Egypt on
the south, there should have been any difficulty about
the two and a half tribes occupying the land east of
the Jordan, where only by a special permission they
obtained their settlement. For it is plain from the
narrative that it was contrary to God's first intention,
so to speak, that they should settle there, and that the
land west of the Jordan was that to which the promise
was held specially to apply. It will hardly do to say,
as some have said, that the extension of the land to the
Euphrates was a figure of speech, a poetical fringe or
ornament as it were, intended to show that places
adjacent to the land of Israel would share in some
degree the radiance of its light and the influence of the
Divine presence among its people. For the promise of
God was really of the nature of a charter, and figures
of poetry are not suitable in charters. It is rather to
be understood that, in the final purpose of God, the
possession included the whole of the ample domain
contained within the specified boundaries, but that at
first it would be confined within a narrower space. If
the people should prove faithful to the covenant, the
wider dominion would one day be conferred on them ;
but they were to start and get consolidated in a
naiTower territory. And the narrower space was that
which had already been consecrated by the residence
of the fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The
country west of Jordan was the land of their pilgrimage ;
and even when Lot and Abraham had to separate, it
was not proposed that either should cross the river.
The little strip lying between the Jordan and the sea
was judged most suitable for the preparatory stage of
Israel's history ; but had the nation served God with
56 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
fidelity, their country would have been extended — as
in the days of David and Solomon it really was — to
the dimensions of an empire. The rule afterwards
announced was to be virtually brought into operation —
^' To him that hath shall be given." Hence the view
taken of the settlement of the two and a half tribes
east of the Jordan. It was not illegitimate ; it was not
inconsistent with the covenant made with the fathers ;
but it was for the time inexpedient, seeing that it ex-
posed them to risks, both material and spiritual, which
it would have been better for them to avoid.
One geographical expression, in the delimitation of
the country, demands a brief explanation. While the
country is defined as embracing the whole territory
from Lebanon to the Euphrates, it is also defined as
consisting in that direction of '' all the land of the
Hittites." But were not the Hittites one of the seven
nations whose land was promised to Abraham and the
fathers, and not even the first in the enumeration of
these ? Why should this great north-eastern section
of the promised domain be designated '' the land of the
Hittites " ?
The time was when it was a charge against the
accuracy of the Scripture record that it ascribed to the
Hittites this extensive dominion. That time has passed
away, inasmuch as, within quite recent years, the
discovery has been made that in those distant times
a great Hittite empire did exist in the very region
specified, between Lebanon and the Euphrates. The
discovery is based on twofold data : references in the
Egyptian and other monuments to a powerful people,
called the Khita (Hittites), with whom even the great
kings of Egypt had long and bloody wars ; and in-
scriptions in the Hittite language found in Hamah,
i.2-5.] JOSHUA'S CALL. 57
Aleppo, and other places in Syria. There is still much
obscurity resting on the history of this people. That
the Hittites proper prevailed so extensively has been
doubted by some ; a Hittite confederacy has been sup-
posed, and sometimes a Hittite aristocracy exercising
control over a great empire. The only point which it
is necessary to dwell on here is, that in representing
the tract between Lebanon and Euphrates as equivalent
to '^all the land of the Hittites," the author of the
Book of Joshua made a statement which has been
abundantly verified by recent research.^
To encourage and animate Joshua to undertake
the work and position of Moses it is very graciously
promised — '' There shall not any man be able to stand
before thee all the days of thy life : as I was with
Moses, so ^vill I be with thee : I will not fail thee, nor
forsake thee." The invariable success promised was
a greater boon than the greatest conquerors had been
able to secure. Uniform success is a thing hardly
known to captains of great expeditions, even though
in the end they may prevail. But the promise to
Joshua is, that all his enemies shall flee before him.
None of his battles shall be even neutral, his opponents
must always give way.^ No son of Anak shall be able
to oppose his onward march ; no giant, like Og King
of Bashan, shall terrify either him or his troops. He
will ^' onward still to victory go," — the Lord of hosts
ever with him, the God of Jacob ever his defence.
' Sec " The Empire of the Hittites." By William Wright, D.D.,
F.R.G.S. London, 1886.
^ The promise is not inconsistent with the fact that Joshua's troops
were defeated by the men of Ai. In such promises there is an
implied condition of steadfast regard to God's will on the part of those
who receive them, and this condition was violated at Ai, not by
Joshua, indeed, but by one of his people.
S8 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
And this was no vague, indefinite assurance. It
was sharply defined by a well-known example in the
immediate past — ''As I was with Moses, so I will be
with thee." In what a remarkable variety of dangers
and trials God was with Moses ! Now he had to
confront the grandest monarch on earth, supported by
the strongest armies, and upheld by what claimed to
be the mightest gods. Again he had to deal with an
apostate people, mad upon idols, and afterwards with
an excited mob, ready to stone him. Anon he had to
overcome the forces of nature and bend them to his
purposes ; to call water from the rock, to sweeten the
bitter fountain, to heal the fiery bite, to cure his sister's
leprous body, to bring down bread from heaven, and
people the air with flocks of birds. Moreover, he had
to be the messenger of the covenant between God and
Israel, to unfold God's law in its length and breadth
and in all its variety of application, and to obtain from
the people a hearty compliance — '' All that the Lord hath
said unto us, that will we do." What a marvellous
work Moses did ! What a testimony his life presented
to the reality of the Divine presence and guidance, and
what a solid and indefeasible ground of trust God gave
to Joshua when He said, ''As I was with Moses, so
will I be with thee."
And this is crowned with the further assurance, " I
will not fail thee, nor forsake thee," — an assurance
which is extended in the Epistle to the Hebrews to all
who believe. We are so apt to view these promises as
just beautiful expressions that we need to pause and
think what they really mean. A promise of Divine
presence, Divine protection and guidance and blessing
all the days of our life, is surely a treasure of inex-
pressible value. It is no slight matter to realize that
i.2-5.] JOSHUA'S CALL. 59
this is in God's heart — that He has a constant, un-
varying feehng of love toward us, and readiness to help ;
but we must believe this in order to get the benefit of
it ; and, moreover. He must be left to determine the
time, the manner, and the form in which His help is
to come. Alas for the unbelief, the suspicion, the fear
that is so prone to eat out the spirit of trust, and in
our trials and difficulties make us tremble as if we
were alone ! What a profound peace, what calm en-
joyment and blessed hope fall to the lot of those who
can believe in a God ever near, and in His unfailing
faithfulness and love ! Was it not the secret alike of
David's calmness, of our Lord's serenity, and of the
cheerful composure of many a martyr and many a
common man and woman who have gone through life
undisturbed and happy, that they could say — '' I have
set the Lord always before me ; because He is at my
right hand, I shall not be moved " ? God grant us all
that, like Abraham, we may '^ stagger not at the promise
of God through unbelief, but that being strong in faith
we may give glory to God, and believe that what He
hath promised He is able also to perform."
CHAPTER V.
JOSHUA'S ENCOURAGEMENT.
Joshua i. 6 — 9.
GOD has promised to be with Joshua, but Joshua
must strive to act Hke one in partnership with
God. And that He may do so, God has just two
things to press on him : in the first place, to be strong
and of a good courage ; and in the second place,
to make the book of the law his continual study and
guide! In this way he shall be able to achieve the
specific purpose to which he is called, to divide the land
for an inheritance to the people, as God hath sworn to
their fathers ; and likewise, more generally, to fulfil the
conditions of a successful life — '^ then shalt thou make
thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good
success."
First, Joshua must be strong and very courageous.
But are strength and courage really within our own
power ? Is strength not absolutely a Divine gift, and
as dependent on God in its ordinary degrees as it was
in the case of Samson in its highest degree ? No doubt
in a sense it is so ; and yet the amount even of our
bodily strength is not wholly beyond our own control.
As bodily strength is undoubtedly weakened by careless
living, by excess of eating and drinking, by all irregular
60
i
i.6-9.] JOSHUAS ENCOURAGEMENT. 6i
habits, by the breathing of foul air, by indolence and
self-indulgence of every kind, so undoubtedly it is
increased and promoted by attention to the simple
laws of health, by activity and exercise, by sleep and
sabbatic rest, by the moderate use of wholesome food,
as well as by abstinence from hurtful drinks and drugs.
And surely the duty of being strong, in so far as such
things can give strength, is of far more importance than
many think ; for if we can thus maintain and increase
our strength we shall be able to serve both God and
man much better and longer than we could otherwise
have done. On the other hand, the feebleness and
fitfulness and querulousness often due to preventible
illness must increase the trouble which we give to
others, and lessen the beneficent activity and the
brightening influence of our own lives.
But in Joshua's case is was no doubt strength and
courage of soul that was mainly meant. Even that
is not wholly independent of the ordinary conditions
of the body. On the other hand, there are no doubt
memorable cases where the elasticity and power of the
spirit have been in the very inverse ratio to the strength
of the body. By cheerful views of life and duty, natural
depression has been counteracted, and the soul filled
with hope and joy. '' The joy of the Lord," said
Nehemiah, ^^is the strength of His people." Fellowship
with God, as our reconciled God and Father in Christ,
is a source of perpetual strength. Who does not know
the strengthening and animating influence of the
presence even of a friend, when we find his fresh and
joyous temperament playing on us in some season of
depression ? The radiance of his face, the cheeriness
of his voice, the elasticity of his movements seem to
infuse new hope and courage into the jaded soul.
62 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
When he is gone, we try to shake off the despondent
feehng that has seized us, and gird ourselves anew for
the battle of life. And if such an effect can be pro-
duced by fellowship with a fellow-creature, how much
more by fellowship with the infinite God ! — especially
when it is His work we are trying to do, and when we
have all His promises of help to rest on. '' God is near
thee, therefore cheer thee " is a perpetual solace and
stimulus to the Christian soul.
But even men who are full of Christian courage need
props and bulwarks in the hour of trial. Ezra and
Nehemiah were bold, but they had ways of stimulating
their courage, which they sometimes needed to fall back
on, and they could find allies in unlikely quarters.
Ezra could draw courage even from his shame, and
Nehemiah from his very pride. ^' I was ashamed," said
Ezra, '' to require of the king a band of soldiers and
horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way;"
therefore he determined to face the danger with no help
but the unseen help of God. And when Neherniah's
life was in danger from the cunning devices of the
enemy, and his friends advised him to hide himself, he
repelled the advice with high-minded scorn — '' Should
such a man as I flee ? "
But there is no source of courage like that which
flows from the consciousness of serving God, and the
consequent assurance that He will sustain and help His
servants. Brief ejaculatory prayers, constantly dropping
from their lips, often bring the courage which is needed.
'' Now, therefore, O God, strengthen my hands," was
Nehemiah's habitual exclamation when faintness of
heart came over him. No doubt it was Joshua's too,
as it has always been of the best of God's servants.
Again and again, amid the murderous threats of canni-
16-9.] JOSHUA'S ENCOURAGEMENT. 63
bals in the New Hebrides, the missionary Paton must
have sunk into despair but for his firm beUef in the
protection of God.
The other counsel to Joshua was to follow in all
things the instructions of Moses, and for this end, not
to let '^ the book of the law depart out of his mouth,
but to meditate on it day and night, that he might
observe to do all that was written therein."
For Joshua was called to be the executor of Moses,
as it were, not to start on an independent career of his
own ; and that particular call he most humbly and
cheerfully accepted. Instead of breaking with the past,
he was delighted to build on it as his foundation, and
carry it out to its predestined issues. It was no part
of his work to improve on what Moses had done ; he
was simpl}^ to accept it and carry it out. He had his
brief, he had his instructions, and these it was his one
business to fulfil. No puritan ever accepted God's
revelation with more profound and unquestioning
reverence than Joshua accepted the law of Moses. No
Oliver Cromwell or General Gordon ever recognised
more absolutely his duty to carry out the plan of
another, and, undisturbed himself, leave the issue in
His hands. He was to be a very incarnation of Moses,
and was so to meditate on his law day and night that
his mind should be saturated with its contents.
This, indeed, was a necessity for Joshua, because he
required to have a clear perception of the great purpose
of God regarding Israel. Why had God taken the
unusual course of entering into covenant with a single
family out of the mass of mankind ? A purpose
deliberately formed and clung to for more than four
hundred years must be a grand object in the Divine
mind. It was Joshua's part to keep the people in
64 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
mind of the solemnity and grandeur of their mission
and to call them to a corresponding mode of life.
What can more effectually give dignity and self-respect
to men than to find that they have a part in the grand
purposes of God ? To find that God is not asleep ;
that He has neither given up the world to chance nor
bound it with a chain of irreversible law, but that He
calls us to be fellow-workers with Him in a great plan
which shall in the end tend gloriously to advance the
highest welfare of man ?
This habit of meditation on the law which Joshua
was instructed to practise was of great value to one
who was to lead a busy life. No mere cursory perusal
of a book of law can secure the ends for which it is
given. The memory is treacherous, the heart is care-
less, and the power of worldly objects to withdraw
attention is proverbial. We must be continually in
contact with the Book of God. The practice enjoined
on Joshua has kept its ground among a limited class
during all the intervening generations. In every age
of the Church it has been impressed on all devout and
earnest hearts that there can be no spiritual prosperity
and progress without daily meditation on the Word
of God. It would be hard to believe in the genuine
Christianity of any one who did not make a practice
morning and evening of bringing his soul into contact
with some portion of that Word. And wherever an
eminent degree of piety has been reached, we shall
find that an eminently close study of the Word has
been practised. Where the habit is perfunctory, the
tendency is to omit the meditation and to be content with
the reading. Even in pious families there is a risk that
the reading of the Scriptures morning and evening may
push the duty of meditation aside, though even then
i.6-9.] JOSHUA'S ENCOURAGEMENT. 65
we are not to despise the benefit that arises from the
famiharity gained with their contents.
But, on the other hand, the instances are numberless
of men attaining to great intimacy with the Divine will
and to a large conformity to it, through meditation on
the Scriptures. To many the daily portion comes fresh
as the manna gathered each morning at the door of
Israel's camp. Think of men like George Miiller of
Bristol reading the Bible from beginning to end as
many as a hundred times, and finding it more fresh
and interesting at each successive perusal. Think of
Livingstone reading it right on four times when
detained at Manyuema, and Stanley three times during
his Emin expedition. What resources must be in it,
what hidden freshness, what power to feed and revive
the soul I The sad thing is that the practice is so rare.
Listen to the prophet-like rebuke of Edward Irving to
the generation of his time : " Who feels the sublime
dignity there is in a fresh saying descended from the
porch of heaven ? Who feels the awful weight there is
in the least iota that hath dropped from the lips of
God ? Who feels the thrilling fear or trembling hope
there is in words whereon the eternal destinies of him-
self do hang ? Who feels the swelling tide of gratitude
within his breast for redemption and salvation, instead
of flat despair and everlasting retribution ? . . . This
book, the offspring of the Divine mind and the per-
fection of heavenly wisdom is permitted to lie from day
to day, perhaps from week to week, unheeded and
unperused ; never welcome to our happy, healthy, and
energetic moods ; admitted, if admitted at all, in seasons
of weakness, feeblemindedness, and disabling sorrow.
. . . Oh, if books had but tongues to speak their
wrongs, then might this book exclaim, Hear, O
5
66 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
heavens, and give ear, O earth ! I came from the
love and embrace of God, and mute nature, to whom I
brought no boon, did me rightful homage. ... I set
open to you the gates of salvation and the way of
eternal life, heretofore unknown. . . . But ye requited
me with no welcome, ye held no festivity on my
arrival ; ye sequester me from happiness and heroism,
closeting me with sickness and infirmity ; ye make not
of me, nor use me as your guide to wisdom and pru-
dence, but press me into your list of duties, and with-
draw me to a mere corner of your time, and most of
you set me at nought and utterly disregard me. . . .
If you had entertained me, I should have possessed
you of the peace which I had with God when I was
with Him and was daily His delight rejoicing always
before Him. . . . Because I have called and ye refused
... I also will laugh at your calamity and mock when
your fear cometh."^
It is no excuse for neglecting this habitual reading of
the Book of God that He places us now more under
the action of principles than the discipline of details.
For the glory of principles is that they have a bearing
on every detail of our life. '^ Whatsoever ye do in
word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks unto God and the Father by Him."
What could be more comprehensive than this principle
of action — a principle that extends to '' whatsoever we
do " ? There is not a moment of our waking life, not
an action great or small we ever perform where the
influence of this wide precept ought not to be felt.
And how can it become thus pervasive unless we make
it a subject of continual meditation ?
' " For the Oracles of God : four Orations." Pp. 3—6.
i.6-9.] JOSHUA'S ENCOURAGEMENT. 67
In the case of Joshua, all the strenuous exhortations
to him to be strong and of a good courage, and to
meditate on the Divine law as given by Moses by day
and by night, were designed to qualify him for his
great work — '^ to divide the land for an inheritance
to the people as God had sworn to their fathers."
First of all, the land had to be conquered ; and there is
no difficulty in seeing how necessary it was for one
who had this task on hand to be strong and of a good
courage, and to meditate pn God's law. Then the land
had to be divided, and the people settled in their new
life, and Joshua had to initiate them, as it were, in that
life ; he had to bind on their consciences the conditions
on which the land was to be enjoyed, and start them
in the performance of the duties, moral, social and
religious, which the Divine constitution required. Here
lay the most difficult part of his task. To conquer
the country required but the talent of a military
commander ; to divide the country was pretty much
an affair of trigonometry ; but to settle them in a
higher sense, to create a moral affinity between them
and their God, to turn their hearts to the covenant of
their fathers, to wean them from their old idolatries
and establish them in such habits of obedience and
trust that the doing of God's will would become to
them a second nature, — here was the difficulty for
Joshua. They had not only to be planted physically
in groups over the country, but they had to be married
to it morally, otherwise they had no security of tenure,
but were liable to summary eviction. It was no land
of rest for idolaters ; all depended on the character
they attained ; loyalty to God was the one condition of
a happy settlement ; let them begin to trifle with the
claims of Jehovah, punishment and suffering, to be
68 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
followed finally by dispersion and captivity, was the
inevitable result.
It was thus that Joshua had to justify his name, — to
show that he was worthy to be called by the name of
Jesus. The work of Jesus may be said to have been
symbolized both by that of Moses and that of Joshua.
Moses symbolized the Redeemer in rescuing the people
from Egypt and their miserable bondage there ; as
^' Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the
law." Joshua symbolized Him as He renews our
hearts and makes us ^'meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light." For there are con-
ditions moral and spiritual essential to our dwelling in
the heavenly Canaan. '' Lord, who shall abide in Thy
tabernacle ? and who shall dwell in Thy holy hill ? He
that hath clean hands, and a pure heart ; who hath not
lifted up his soul to vanity, nor sworn deceitfully."
The atmosphere of heaven is too pure to be breathed
by the unregenerate and unsanctified. There must be
an adaptation between the character of the inhabitant
and the place of his habitation. " Verily, verily, I say
unto you. Except a man be born of water and of the
Spirit, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Thus we see the connection between Joshua's devo-
tion to the book of the law, and success in the great
work of his life — ^' then thou shalt make thy way
prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."
No doubt he would have the appearance of success if
he simply cleared out the inhabitants who were so
degraded by sin that God was compelled to sweep
them off, and settled His people in their room. But
that, after all, was but a small matter unless accom-
panied by something more. It would not secure the
people from at last sharing the fate of the old inhabit-
i.6-9.] JOSHUA'S ENCOURAGEMENT. 69
ants ; so far at least that though they should not be
exterminated, yet they would be scattered over the face
of the globe. How could Joshua get rid of these
ominous words in the song of Moses to which they had
so lately listened ? — '* They provoked Him to jealousy
with strange gods, with abominations provoked they
Him to anger. They sacrified to devils, not to God ;
to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came
newly up, whom your fathers feared not. . . . And He
said, I will hide My face from them, I will see what
their end shall be : for they are a very frovv^ard genera-
tion, children in whom is no faith." But even if in the
end of the day it should come to this, nevertheless
Joshua might so move and impress the people for the
time being, that in the immediate future all would be
well, and the dreaded consummation would be put off
to a distant day.
And so at all times, in dealing with human beings,
we can obtain no adequate and satisfying success unless
their hearts are turned to God. Your children niay be
great scholars, or successful merchants, or distinguished
authors, or brilliant artists, or even statesmen ; what
does it come to if they are dead to God, and have no
living fellowship with Jesus Christ ? Your congrega-
tion may be large and influential, and wealthy, and
liberal ; what if they are v/orldly, proud, and conten-
tious ? We must aim at far deeper effects, effects not
to be found without the Spirit of God. The more we
labour in this spirit, the more shall our way be made
prosperous, the better shall be our success. '^ For
them that honour Me I will honour ; but they that
despise Me shall be lightly esteemed."
CHAPTER VI.
JOSHUA'S CHARGE TO THE PEOPLE.
Joshua i. lo — 18.
GOD has spoken to Joshua ; it is now Joshua's
part to speak to the people. The crossing of
the Jordan must be set about at once, and in earnest,
and all the risks and responsibilities involved in that
step firmly and fearlessly encountered.
And in the steps taken by Joshua for this purpose
we see, what we so often see, how the natural must be
exhausted before the supernatural is brought in. Thus,
in communicating with the people through the shoterim,
or officers, the first order which he gives is to ^' com-
mand the people to prepare them victuals." ^' Victuals "
denotes the natural products of the country, and is
evidently used in opposition to '' manna." In another
passage we read that '' the manna ceased on the
very morning after they had eaten of the old corn
of the land " (chap. v. 1 2). This may have been a
considerable time before, for the conquest of Sihon and
Og would give the people possession of ample stores
of food out of the old corn of the land. The manna
was a provision for the desert only, where few or no
natural .supplies of food could be found. But the very
day when natural stores become available, the manna
70
i. 10-18.] JOSHUA'S CHARGE TO THE PEOPLE. 71
is discontinued. One cannot but contrast the carefully
limited use of the supernatural in Scripture with its
arbitrary and unstinted employment in mythical or
fictional writings. Often in such cases it is brought
in with a wanton profusion, simply to excite wonder,
sometimes to gratify the love of the grotesque, not
because natural means could not have accomplished
what was sought, but through sheer love of reveUing
in the supernatural. In Scripture the natural is never
superseded when it is capable of either helping or
accomplishing the end. The east wind helps to dry
the Red Sea, although the rod of Moses has to be
stretched out for the completion of the work. The
angel of God knocks Peter's chains from his limbs and
opens the prison gates for him, but leaves him to find
his way thereafter as best he can. So now. It is now
in thei power of the people to prepare them victuals,
and though God might easil}^ feed them as He has fed
them miraculously for forty years, He leaves them to
find food for themselves. In all cases the co-operation
of the Divine and the human is carried out with an in-
structive combination of generosity and economy ; man
is never to be idle ; alike in the affairs of the temporal
and the spiritual life, the Divine energy always stimu-
lates to activity, never lulls to sleep.
A little explanation is needed respecting the time
when Joshua said the Jordan must be crossed — '' within
three days." If the narrative of the first two chapters
be taken in chronological order, more than three days
must have elapsed between the issuing of this order
and the crossing of the river, because it is expressly
stated that the two spies who were sent to examine
Jericho hid themselves for three days in the mountains,
and thereafter recrossed the Jordan and returned to
72 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Joshua (ii. 22). But it is quite in accordance with
the practice of Scripture narrative to introduce an
episode out of its chronological place so that it may
not break up the main record. It is now generally
held that the spies were sent oft' before Joshua issued
this order to the people, because it is not likely that
he would have committed himself to a particular day
before he got the information which he expected the
spies to bring. In any case, it is plain that no
needless delay was allowed. Half a week more and
Jordan would be crossed, although the means of cross-
ing it had not yet been made apparent ; and then the
people would be actually in their own inheritance,
within the very country which in the dim ages of the
past had been promised to their fathers.
Yes, the people generally ; but already an arrangement
had been made for the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the
half-tribe of Manasseh on the east side of the river.
How, then, were they to act in the present crisis ?
That had been determined between them and Moses
when they got leave to occupy the lands of Sihon and
Og, on account of their suitableness for their abundant
flocks and herds. It had been arranged then that,
leaving their cattle and their children, a portion of the
men likewise, the rest would cross the river with their
brethren and take their share of the toils and risks
of the conquest of Western Canaan. All that Joshua
needs to do now is to remind them of this arrangement.
Happily there was no reluctance on their part to fulfil
it. There was no going back from their word, even
though they might have found a loophole of escape.
They might have said that as the conquest of Sihon
and Og had been accomplished so easily, so the con-
quest of the western tribes would be equally simple.
Or they might have said that the nine tribes and a
i. 10-18.] JOSHUA'S CHARGE TO THE PEOPLE. 73
half could furnish quite a large enough army to dis-
possess the Canaanites. Or they might have discovered
that their wives and children were exposed to dangers
they had not apprehended, and that it would be
necessary for the entire body of the men to remain and
protect them. But they fell back on no such after
thought. They kept their word at no small cost of
toil and danger, and furnished thereby a perpetual
lesson for those who, having made a promise under
pressure, are tempted to resile from it when the
pressure is removed. Fidelity to engagements is a
noble quality, just as laxity in regard to them is a
miserable sin. Even Pagan Rome could boast of a
Regulus who kept his oath by returning to Carthage,
though it was to encounter a miserable death. In the
fifteenth psalm it is a feature in the portrait of the
man who is to abide in God's tabernacle and dwell in
His holy hill, that he *^ sweareth to his own hurt, and
changeth not."
One arrangement was made by these transjordanic
tribes that was perfectly reasonable — a portion of the
men remained to guard their families and their property.
The number that passed over was forty thousand
(Josh. iv. 13), whereas the entire number of men
capable of bearing arms (dividing Manasseh into two)
was a hundred and ten thousand (Num. xxvi. 7, 18, and
34). But the contingent actually sent was amply suffi-
cient to redeem the promise, and, consisting probably
of picked men, was no doubt a very efficient portion
of the force. The actual fighting force of the other
tribes would probably be in the same proportion to the
whole ; and there, too, a section would have to be left
to guard the women, children, and flocks, so that in
point of fact the labours and dangers of the conquest
were about equally divided between all the tribes.
74 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Here, then, was an edifying spectacle : those who
had been first provided for did not forget those who
had not yet obtained any settlement ; but held them-
selves bound to assist their brethren until they should
be as comfortably settled as themselves.
It was a grand testimony against selfishness, a grand
assertion of brotherhood, a beautiful manifestation of
loyalty and public spirit ; and, we may add, an instruc-
tive exhibition of the working of the method by which
God's providence seeks to provide for the dissemination
of many blessings among the children of men. It was
an act of socialism, without the drawbacks which most
forms of socialism involve.
God has allowed many differences in the lots of
mankind, bestowing on some ample means, for which
they toiled not neither did they spin ; bestowing, often
on the same individuals, a higher position in life, with
corresponding social influence ; setting some nations in
the van of the world's march, bestowing on some churches
very special advantages and means of influence; and it
is a great question that arises — what obligations rest on
these favoured individuals and communities ? Does
God lay any duty on them toward the rest of mankind?
The inquiry in its full scope is too wide for our
limits ; let us restrict ourselves to the element in respect
of which the transjordanic tribes had the advantage of
the others — the element of time. What do those who
have received their benefits early owe to those who
are behind them in time ?
The question leads us first to the family constitution,
but there is really no question here. The obligations
of parents to their children are the obligations of those
who have already got their settlement to those who
have not ; of those who have already got means, and
i. 10-18.] JOSHUA'S CHARGE TO THE PEOPLE. 75
Strength, and experience, and wisdom to those who have
not yet had time to acquire them. It is only the vilest
of our race that refuse to own their obligations here,
and this only after their nature has been perverted and
demonized by vice. To all others it is an obligation
which amply repays itself. The affection between parent
and child in every well-ordered house sweetens the toil
that often falls so heavily on the elders ; while the
pleasure of seeing their children filling stations of
respectability and usefulness, and the enjoyment of their
affection, even after they have gone out into the world,
amply repay their past labours, and greatly enrich the
joys of life.
We advance to the relation of the rich to the
poor, especially of those who are born to riches to
those who are born to obscurity and toil. Had the
providence of God no purpose in this arrangement ?
You who come into the world amid luxury and splen-
dour, who have never required to work for a single
comfort, who have the means of gratifying expensive
tastes, and who grudge no expenditure on the objects
of your fancy : — was it meant that you were to sustain
no relation of help and S3^mpathy to the poor, especially
your neighbours, your tenants, or your workpeople ?
Do you fulfil the obligations of life when, pouring into
your coffers the fruits of other men's toil, you hurry
off to the resorts of wealth and fashion, intent only on
your own enjoyment, and without a thought of the
toiling multitude you leave at home ? Is it right of
you to leave deserving people to fall perad venture into
starvation and despair, without so much as turning a
finger to prevent it ? What are you doing for the
widows and orphans ? Selfish and sinful beings ! let
these old Hebrews read you a lesson of condemnation !
76 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
They could not selfishly enjoy their comfortable homes
till they had done their part on behalf of their brethren,
for wherever there is a brotherly heart a poor brother's
welfare is as dear as one's own.
Then there is the case of nations, and pre-eminently
of our own. Some races attain to civilization, and
order, and good government sooner than others. They
have all the benefit of settled institutions and enlightened
opinion, of discoveries in the arts and sciences, and of
the manifold comforts and blessings with which life is
thus enriched, while other nations are sunk in barbarism
and convulsed by disorder. But how much more prone
are such nations to claim the rights of superiority than
to play the part of the elder brother I We are thankful
for the great good that has been done in India, and in
other countries controlled by the older nations. But
even in the case of India, how many have gone there
not to benefit the natives, but with the hope of enriching
themselves. How ready have many been to indulge
their own vices at the cost of the natives, and how little
has it pained them to see them becoming the slaves of
new vices that have sunk them lower than before. Our
Indian opium traffic, and our drink traffic generally
among native races — what is their testimony to our
brotherly feeling ? What are we to think of the white
traders among the South Sea islands, stealing and
robbing and murdering their feebler fellow-creatures ?
What are we to think of the traffic in slaves, and the
inconceivable brutalities with which it is carried on ?
Or what are we to think of our traders at home, sending
out in almost uncountable profusion the rum, and the
gin, and the other drinks by which the poor weak
natives are at once enticed, enslaved, and destroyed ?
Is there any development in selfishness that has ever
i. I0-I8.] JOSHUA'S CHARGE TO THE PEOPLE, 77
been heard of more heartless and horrible ? Why can't
they let them alone, if they will not try to benefit them ?
What can come to any man in the end but the well-
merited punishment of those who out of sheer greed
have made miserable savages tenfold more the children
of hell than before ?
We pass over the case of the early settlers in
colonies, because there is hardly any obligation more
generally recognised than that of such settlers to lend
a helping hand to new arrivals. We go on to the case
of Churches. The light of saving truth has come to
some lands before others. We in this country have
had our Christianity for centuries, and in these recent
years have had so lively a dispensation of the gospel of
Christ that many have felt more than ever His power
to forgive, to comfort, to lift us up and bless us.
Have we no duty to those parts of the earth which are
still in the shadow of death ? If we are not actually
settled in the Promised Land, we are as good as settled,
because we have the Divine promise, and we believe in
that promise. But what of those who are yet ^* without
Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and
strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope,
and without God in the world " ? Have we no respon-
sibility for them ? Have we no interest in that Divine
plan which seeks to use those who first receive the
light as instruments of imparting it to the rest ?
Infidels object that Christianity cannot be of God,
because if Christianity furnishes the only Divine remedy
for sin it would have been diffused as widely as the
evil for which it is the cure. Our reply is, that God's
plan is to give the light first to some, and to charge
them to give it freely and cordially to others. We say,
moreover, that this plan is a wholesome one for those
78 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
who are called to work it, because it draws out and
strengthens what is best and noblest in them, and
because it tends to form very loving bonds between
those who give and those who get the benefit. But
what if the first recipients of the light fold their hands,
content to have got the blessing themselves, and
decline to do their part in sending it to the rest ?
Surely there is here no ordinary combination of sins !
Indolence and selfishness at the root, and, with these,
a want of all public spirit and beneficent activity ; and,
moreover, not mere neglect but contempt of the Divine
plan by which God has sought the universal diffusion
of the blessing. Again we say, look to these men of
Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. They were not the elite
of the race of Israel. Their fathers, at least in the case
of Reuben and Dan, were not among the more honoured
of the sons of Jacob. And yet ' they had the grace to
think of their brethren, when so many among us are
utterly careless of ours. And not only to think of
them, but to go over the Jordan and fight for them,
possibly die for them ; nor would they think of return-
ing to the comfort of their homes till they had seen
their brethren in the west settled in theirs.
And this readiness of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe
of Manasseh to fulfil the engagement under which
they had come to Moses, was not the only gratifying
occurrence which Joshua met with on announcing the
impending crossing of the Jordan. For the whole
people declared very cordially their acceptance of
Joshua as their leader, vowed to him the most explicit
fidelity, declared their purpose to pay him the same
honour as they had paid to Moses, and denounced a
sentence of death against any one that would not
hearken to his words in all that he commanded them.
i. I0-I8.] JOSHUA'S CHARGE TO THE PEOPLE. 79
Joshua, in fact, obtained from them a promise of
loyalty beyond what they had ever given to Moses till
close on his death. It was the great trial of Moses
that the people so habitually complained of him and
worried him, embittering his life by ascribing to him even
the natural hardships of the wilderness, as well as the
troubles that sprang directly from their sins. It is the
unwillingness of his people to trust him, after all he has
sacrificed for them, that gives such a pathetic interest
to the life of Moses, and makes him, more than perhaps
any other Old Testament prophet, so striking an
example of unrequited affection. After crossing the
Red Sea, all the marvels of that deliverance from
Pharaoh of which he had been the instrument are
swallowed up and forgotten by the little inconveniences
of the journey. And afterwards, when they are
doomed to the forty years' wandering, they are ready
enough to blame him for it, forgetting how he fell
down before God and pled for them when God
threatened to destroy them. Moreover, his enactments
against the idolatry they loved so well made him any-
thing but popular, to say nothing of the burdensome
ceremonial which he enjoined them to observe. The
time of real lo3^alty to Moses was just the little period
before Ihis death, when he led them against Sihon
and Og, and a great stretch of fertile and beautiful
land fell into their hands. Moses had just gained
the greatest victory of his life, he had just become
master of the hearts of his people, when he was called
away. For Moses at last did gain the people's hearts,
and those to whom Joshua appealed could say without
irony or sarcasm, '' According as we hearkened unto
Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee."
In point of fact a great change had been effected on
8o THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
the people at last. Moses had laboured, and Joshua
now entered into his labours. The same thing has
often occuiTed in history, and notably in our own. In
civil life how much do Vv^e owe to the noble champions
of freedom of other days, through whose patriotism,
courage, and self-denial the hard fight was fought and
the victory won that enables us to sit under our vine
and under our fig tree. In ecclesiastical life was it
not the blood of the martyrs and the struggles of those
of whom the world was not worthy, who wandered in
deserts and in mountains and in dens and caves of the
earth, that won for us the freedom and the peace in
which we now rejoice ? What blessings we owe to
those that have gone before us 1 And how can we
better discharge our obligations to them than by hasten-
ing to the aid of those who have but emerged from
the period of struggle and suffering, like the Christians
of Madagascar or of Uganda, whose fearful sufferings
and awful deaths under the merciless rule of heathen
kings made Christendom stand aghast, and drew a
wail of anguish from her bosom ?
The unanimity of the people in their loyalty to
Joshua is a touching sight. So far as appears there
was not one discordant note in that harmonious burst
of loyalty. No Korah, Dathan, or Abiram rose up to
decline his rule and embarrass him in his new position.
It is a beautiful sight, the united loyalty of a great
nation. Nothing more beautiful has ever been known
in the long reign of Queen Victoria than the crowding
of her people in hundreds of thousands to witness her
procession to St. Paul's on that morning when she
went to return thanks for the rescue of her eldest son
from the very jaws of death. Not one discordant note
was uttered, not one disloyal feeling was known ; the
i. 10-18.] JOSHUA'S CHARGE TO THE PEOPLE. 81
vast multitude were animated by the spirit of sympathy
and affection for one who had tried to do her duty as a
queen and as a mother. It was a sight not unHke to
this that was seen in the streets of New York at the
centennial celebration of the .inauguration of George
Washington as first President of the United States.
One was thrilled by the thought that not only the
multitude that thronged the streets, but the represen-
tatives of the whole nation, gathered in their churches
throughout the land, were animated by a common
sentiment of gratitude to the man whose wisdom and
courage had laid the foundation of all the prosperity
and blessing of the last hundred years. Are not such
scenes the pattern of that spirit of loyalty which the
entire race of man owes to Him who by His blood
redeemed the world, and whose rule and influence, if
the world would but accept of it, are so beneficent and
so blessed ? Yet how far are we from such a state !
How few are the hearts that throb with true loyalty
to the Saviour, and whose most fervent aspiration for
the world is, that it would only throw down its weapons
of rebellion, and give to him its hearty allegiance I
Strange that the Old Testament Joshua should have
got at once what eighteen hundred years have failed
to bring to the New Testament Jesus ! God hasten
the day of universal light and universal love, when He
shall reign from sea to sea, and from the river to the
ends of the earth !
" One song employs all nations, and all cry
' Worthy the Lamb, for He was slain for us ' !
The dwellers in the vales and on the rocks
Shout to each other, and the mountain tops
From distant mountains catch the flying joy,
Till nation after nation taught the strain
Larth rolls the rapturous Hosanna round."
CHAPTER VII.
THE SPIES IN JERICHO.
Joshua ii.
IT was not long ere Joshua found an occasion not
only for the exercise of that courage to which he
had been so emphatically called both by God and the
people, but for calling on others to practise the same
manly virtue. For the duty which he laid on the two
spies — detectives we should now call them — to enter
Jericho and bring a report of its condition, was perhaps
the most perilous to which it was possible for men to
be called. It was like sending them into a den of
lions, and expecting them to return safe and sound.
Evidently he was happy in finding two men ready for
the duty and the risk. Young men they are called
further on (vi. 23), and it is quite likely that they were
leading men in their tribes. No doubt they might
disguise themselves, they might divest themselves of
anything in dress that was characteristically Hebrew,
they might put on the clothes of neighbouring peasants,
and carry a basket of produce for sale in the city ;
and as for language, they might be able to use the
Canaanite dialect and imitate the Canaanite accent.
But if they did try any such disguise, they must have
known that it would be of doubtful efficacy ; the officials
of Jericho could not fail to be keenly on the watch, and
82
ii.] THE SPIES IN JERICHO. %:^
no disguise could hide the Hebrew features, or divest
them wholly of the air of foreigners. Nevertheless the
two men had courage for the risky enterprise. Doubt-
less it was the courage that sprang from faith ; it was
in God's service they went, and God's protection would
not fail them. To be able to find agents so willing
and so suitable was a proof to Joshua that God had
already begun to fulfil His promises.
Joshua had been a spy himself, and it was natural
enough that he should think of the same mode of re-
connoitring the country, now that they were again on
the eve of making the entrance into it which they
should have made nearly forty years before. There is
no reason to think that in taking this step Joshua acted
presumptuously, proceeding on his own counsel when
he should have sought counsel of God. For Joshua
might rightly infer that he ought to take this course
inasmuch as it had been followed before with God's
approval in the case of the twelve. Its purpose was
twofold — to obtain information and confirmation. In-
formation as to the actual condition and spirit of the
Canaanites, as to the view they took of the approach-
ing invasion of the Israelites, and the impression that
had been made on them by all the remarkable things
that had happened in the desert ; and confirmation,
— new proof for his own people that God was with
them, fresh encouragement to go up bravely to the
attack, and fresh assurance that not one word would
ever fail them of all the things which the Lord had
promised.
We follow the two men as they leave Shittim, so
named from the masses of bright acacia which shed their
glory over the plain ; then cross the river at '^ the fords,"
which, flooded though they were, were still practicable for
84 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
swimmers ; enter the gates of Jericho, and move along
the streets. In such a city as Jericho, and among such
an immoral people as the Canaanites, it was not strange
that they should fall in with a woman of Rahab's
occupation, and should receive an invitation to her
house. Some commentators have tried to make out
that she was not so bad as she is represented, but only
an innkeeper ; but the meaning of the word both here
and as translated in Heb. xi. and James ii. is beyond
contradiction. Others have supposed that she was one
of the harlot-priestesses of Ashtoreth, but in that case
she would have had her dwelling in the precincts of a
temple, not in an out-of-the-way place on the walls
of the city. We are to remember that in the degraded
condition of public opinion in Canaan, as indeed much
later in the case of the Hetairai of Athens, her occupa-
tion was not regarded as disgraceful, neither did it
banish her from her family, nor break up the bonds of
interest and affection between them, as it must do in
every moral community.-^ It was not accompanied with
that self-contempt and self-loathing which in other
circumstances are its fruits. We may quite easily
understand how the spies might enter her house simply
* It is somewhat remarkable that the present village of Riha, at
or near the site of the ancient Jericho, is noted for its licentiousness.
The men, it is said, wink at the infidelity of the women, a trait of
character singularly at variance with the customs of the Bedouin,
" At our encampment over 'Ain Terabeh (says Robinson) the night
before we reached this place, we overheard our Arabs asking the
Khatib for a paper or written charm to protect them from the
women of Jericho ; and from their conversation it seemed that illicit
intercourse between the latter and strangers that come here is
regarded as a matter of course. Strange that the inhabitants of the
valley should have retained this character from the earliest ages ; and
that the sins of Sodom and Gomorrah should still flourish upon the
same accursed soil."—" Researches in Palestine," i, 553.
ii.] THE SPIES IN JERICHO. 85
for the purpose of getting the information they desired,
as modern detectives when tracking out crime so often
find it necessary to win the confidence and worm out
tlie secrets of members of the same wretched class.
But the emissaries of Joshua were in too serious peril,
in too devout a mood, and in too high-strung a state
of nerve to be at the mercy of any Delilah that might
wish to lure them to careless pleasure. Their faith,
their honour, their patriotism, and their regard to their
leader Joshua, all demanded the extremest circumspec-
tion and self-control ; they were, like Peter, walking on
the sea ; unless they kept their eye on their Divine
protector, their courage and presence of mind would
fail them, they would be at the mercy of their foes.
Whether disguised or not, the two men had evidently
been noticed and suspected when they entered the city,
which they seem to have done in the dusk of evening.
But, happily for them, the streets of Jericho were not
patrolled by policemen ready to pounce on suspicious
persons, and run them in for judicial examination.
The king or burgomaster of the place seems to have
been the only person with whom it lay to deal with
them. Whoever had detected them, after following
them to Rahab's house, had then to resort to the king's
residence and give their information to him. Rahab
had an inkling of what was Hkely to follow, and being
determined to save the men, she hid them on the roof
of the house, and covered them with stalks of flax,
stored there for domestic use. When, after some
interval, the king's messengers came, commanding her
to bring them forth since they were Israelites come to
search the city, she was ready with her plausible tale.
Two men had indeed come to her, but she could not
tell w^ho they were, — it was no business of hers to be
86 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
inquisitive about them ; the men had left just before
the gates were shut, and doubtless, if they were alert
and pursued after them, they would overtake them, for
they could not be far off. The king's messengers had
not half the wit of the woman ; they took her at her
word, made no search of her house, but set out on the
wild-goose chase on which she had sent them. Sense
and spirit failed them alike.
We are not prepared for the remarkable development
of her faith that followed. This first Canaanite across
the Jordan with whom the Israelites met was no ordi-
nary person. Rays of Divine light had entered that
unhallowed soul, not to be driven back, not to be hidden
under a bushel, but to be welcomed, and ultimately
improved and followed. Our minds are carried forward
to what was so impressive in the days of our Lord, when
the publicans and the harlots entered into the kingdom
before the scribes and the pharisees. We are called
to admire the riches of the grace of God, who does not
scorn the moral leper, but many a time lays His hand
upon him, and says '' I will, be thou clean." *' They
shall come from the east, and from the west, and from
the north, and from the south, and shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven ; but the children of the kingdom
shall be cast into outer darkness ; there shall be weep-
ing and gnashing of teeth."
In the first place, Rahab made a most explicit con-
fession of her faith, not only in Jehovah as the God
of the Hebrews, but in Him as the one only God of
heaven and earth. It would have been nothing had
she been wiUing to give to the Hebrew God a place,
a high place, or even the highest place among the gods.
Her faith went much further. *' The Lord your God,
He is God in heaven above and in earth beneath."
ii.] THE SPIES IN JERICHO. 87
This is an exclusive faith — Baal and Ashtoreth are
nowhere. What a remarkable conviction to take hold
of such a mind ! All the traditions of her youth, all
the opinions of her neighbours, all the terrors of her
priests set at nought, swept clean off the board, in face
of the overwhelming evidence of the sole Godhead of
Jehovah 1
Again, she explained the reason for this faith. ''We
have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the
Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt ; and
what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that
were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom
ye utterly destroyed." The woman has had an eye to
see and an ear to hear. She has not gazed in stupid
amazement on the marvellous tokens of Divine power
displayed before the world, nor accepted the sophistry
of sceptics referring all these marvels to accidental
thunderstorms and earthquakes and high winds. She
knew better than to suppose that a nation of slaves
by their own resources could have eluded all the might
of Pharaoh, subsisted for forty years in the wilderness,
and annihilated the forces of such renowned potentates
as Sihon and Og. She was no philosopher, and could
not have reasoned on the doctrine of causation, but her
common sense taught her that you cannot have extra-
ordinary effects without corresponding causes. It is one
of the great weaknesses of modern unbelief that with
all its pretensions to philosophy, it is constantly accept-
ing effects without an adequate cause. Jesus Christ,
though He revolutionized the world, though He founded
an empire to which that of the Caesars is not for a
moment to be compared, though all that were about
Him admitted His supernatural power and person, after
all, was nothing but a man. The gospel that has
THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
brought peace and joy to so many weary hearts, that has
transformed the slaves of sin into children of heaven,
that has tmiied cannibals into saints, and fashioned
so many an angelic character out of the rude blocks of
humanity, is but a cunningly devised fable. What
contempt for such sophistries, such vain explanations
of facts patent to all would this poor woman have
shown ! How does she rebuke the many that keep
pottering in poor natural explanations of plain super-
natural facts, instead of manfully admitting that it is
the Arm of God that has been revealed, and the Voice
of God that has spoken !
Further, Rahab informed the spies that when they
heard these things the inhabitants of the land had become
faint, their hearts melted, and there remained no more
courage in them because of the Israelites. For they felt
that the tremendous Power that had desolated Egypt
and dried up the sea, that had crushed Sihon King
of the Amorites and Og King of Bashan like nuts
under the feet of a giant, was now close upon them-
selves. What could they do to arrest the march of
such a power, and avert the ruin which it was sure to
inflict ? They had neither resource nor refuge — their
hearts melted in them. It is when Divine Power draws
near to men, or when men draw near to Divine Power
that they get the right measure of its dimensions and'
the right sense of their own impotence. Caligula could
scoff at the gods at a distance, but in any calamity no
man was more prostrate with terror. It is easy for
the atheist or the agnostic to assume a bold front when
God is far off, but woe betide him when He draws near
in war, in pestilence, or in death !
If we ask. How could Rahab have such a faith and
yet be a harlot ? or how could she have such faith in
ii.] - THE SPIES IN JERICHO. 89
God and yet utter that tissue of falsehoods about the
spies with which she deluded the messengers of the
king ? we answer that light comes but gradually
and slowly to persons like Rahab. The conscience is
but gradually enlightened. How many men have been
slaveholders after they were Christians I Worse than
that, did not the godly John Newton, one of the two
authors of the Olney hymns, continue for some time
in the slave trade, conveying cargoes of his fellow-
creatures stolen from their homes, before he awoke to
to a sense of its infamy ? Are there no persons
among us calling themselves Christians engaged in
traffic that brings awful destruction to the bodies and
souls of their fellow-men ? That Rahab should have
continued as she was after she threw in her lot with
God's people is inconceivable ; but there can be no
doubt how she was living when she first comes into
Bible history. And as to her falsehoods, though some
have excused lying when practised in order to save
life, we do not vindicate her on that ground. All false-
hood, especially what is spoken to those who have a
right to trust us, must be offensive to the God of truth,
and the nearer men get to the Divine image, through the
growing closeness of their Divine fellowship, the more
do they recoil from it. Rahab was yet in the outermost
circle of the Church, just touching the boundary ; the
nearer she got to the centre the more would she recoil
alike from the foulness and the falseness of her early
years.
We have to notice further in Rahab a determination
to throw in her lot with the people of God. In spirit
she had ceased to be a Canaanite and become an
Israelite. She showed this by taking the side of the
spies against the king, and exposing herself to certain
90 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
and awful punishment if it had been found out that
they were in her house. And her confidential conver-
sation with them before she sent them away, her cordial
recognition of their God, her expression of assurance
that the land would be theirs, and her request for the
protection of herself and her relations when the Israelites
should become masters of Jericho, all indicated one
who desired to renounce the fellowship of her own
people and cast in her lot with the children of God.
That she was wholly blameless in the way in which
she went about this, in favouring the spies against her
own nation in this underhand way, we will not affirm ;
but one cannot look for a high sense of honour in such
a woman. Still, whatever may be said against her, the
fact of her remarkable faith remains conspicuous and
beyond dispute, all the more striking, too, that she is
the last person in whom we should have expected to
find anything of the kind. That faith beyond doubt
was destined to expand and fructify in her heart, giving
birth to virtues and graces that made her after life a
great contrast to what it had been. No doubt the
words of the Apostle might afterwards have been applied
to her — " Such were some of you : but ye are washed,
but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of
the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of the Lord."
And yet, though her faith may at this time have been
but as a grain of mustard seed, we see two effects of
it that are not to be despised. One was her protection
of the Lord's people, as represented by the spies ; the
other was her concern for her own relations. Father,
mother, brothers, and sisters and all that they had,
were dear to her, and she took measures for their
safety when the destruction of Jericho should come.
She exacted an oath of the two spies, and asked a
ii.] THE SPIES IN JERICHO. 91
pledge of them, that they would all be spared when
the crisis of the city arrived. And the men passed their
oath and arranged for the protection of the family.
No doubt it may be said that it was only their temporal
welfare about which she expressed concern, and for
which she made provision. But what more could she
have been expected to do at that moment ? What
more could the two spies have engaged to secure ? It
was plain enough that if they were ever to obtain
further benefit from fellowship with God's people, their
lives must be preserved in the first instance from
the universal destruction which was impending. Her
anxiety for her family, like her anxiety for herself,
may even then have begun to extend beyond things
seen and temporal, and a fair vision of peace and joy
may have begun to flit across her fancy at the thought
of the vile and degrading idolatry of the Canaanites
being displaced in them by the service of a God of
holiness and of love. But neither was she far enough
advanced to be able as yet to give expression to this
hope, nor were the spies the persons to whom it would
naturally have been communicated. The usual order
in the Christian life is, that as anxiety about ourselves
begins in a sense of personal danger and a desire for
deliverance therefrom, so spiritual anxiety about the
objects of our affection has usually the same beginning.
But as it would be a miserable thing for the new life
to stand still as soon as our personal safety was secured,
so it would be a wretched affection that sought nothing
more on behalf of our dearest friends. When, by
accepting Christ, we get the blessing of personal safety,
we only reach a height from which we see how many
other things we need. We become ashamed of our
unholy passions, our selfish hearts, our godless ways,
92 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
and we aspire, with an ardour which the world cannot
understand, to purity and unselfishness and consecra-
tion to God. For our friends we desire the same ; we
feel for them as for ourselves, that the bondage and
pollution of sin are degrading, and that there can be
neither peace, nor happiness, nor real dignity for the
soul until it is created anew after the image of God.
Some commentators have laid considerable stress on
the line of scarlet thread that was to be displayed in
the window by which the spies had been let down,
as a token and remembrance that that house was to be
spared when the victorious army should enter Jericho.
In that scarlet thread they have seen an emblem of
atonement, an emblem of the blood of Christ by which
sinners are redeemed. To us it seems more likely that,
in fixing on this as the pledge of safety, the spies had
in view the blood sprinkled on the lintels and door
posts of the Hebrew houses in Egypt by which the
destroying angel was guided to pass them by. The
scarlet rope had some resemblance to blood, and for
this reason its special purpose might be more readily
apprehended. Obviously the spies had no time to go
into elaborate explanations at the moment. It is to be
observed that, as the window looked to the outside of
the city, the cord would be observed by the Israelites
and the house recognised as they marched round and
round, according to the instructions of Joshua. Not
a man of all the host but would see it again and again,
as they performed their singular march, and would
mark the position of the house so carefully that its
inmates, gathered together like the family of Noah in
the ark, would be preserved in perfect safety.
The stratagem of Rahab, and the mode of flight
which she recommended to the spies, fruits of woman's
ii.] THE SPIES IN JERICHO. 93
ready wit and intuitive judgment, were both successful.
She reminds us of the self-possession of Jael, or of
Abigail, the wife of Nabal. In the dark, the spies
escaped to the mountain, — the rugged rampart which
bounded the valley of the Jordan on the west. Hiding
in its sequestered crevices for three days, till the
pursuit of the Jerichonians was over, they stole out
under cover of darkness, recrossed the Jordan, told
Joshua of their stirring and strange adventure, and
wound up with the remark that the hearts of the people
of the country were melting because of them. How
often is this true, though unbelief cannot see it I
When Jesus told His disciples that He beheld Satan
fall as lightning from heaven. He taught us that those
who set themselves against Him and His cause are
fallen powers, no longer flushed with victory and hope,
but defeated and dejected, and consciously unable to
overcome the heaven-aided forces that are against them.
Well for all Christian philanthropists and missionaries
of the Cross, and brave assailants of lust and greed
and vice and error, to bear this in mind I The cause
of darkness never can triumph in the end, it has no
power to rally and rush against the truth ; if only the
servants of Christ would be strong and of a good
courage, they too would find that the boldest champions
of the world do faint because of them.
When the spies return to Joshua and tell him all
that has befallen them, he accepts their adventure as a
token for good. They have not given him any hint
how Jericho is to be taken ; but, what is better, they
have shown him that the outstretched arm of God has
been seen by the heathen, and that the inhabitants of
the country are paralysed on account of it. The two
spies were a great contrast to the ten that accompanied
94 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Joshua and Caleb so long before : the ten declared the
land unassailable ; the two looked on it as already
conquered — '' The Lord hath delivered into our hands
all the land." Children of Israel, you must not be
outdone in faith by a harlot ; believe that God is with
you, go up, and possess the land !
CHAPTER VIII.
JORDAN REACHED.
Joshua iii. i — 7.
THE host of Israel had been encamped for some
time at Shittim on the east side of the river
Jordan. It is well to understand the geographical
position. The Jordan has its rise beyond the northern
boundary of Palestine in three sources, the most
interesting and beautiful of the three being one in the
neighbourhood of Caesarea Philippi. The three stream-
lets unite in the little lake now called Huleh, but
Merom in Bible times. Issuing from Merom in a
single stream the Jordan flows on to the lake of Galilee
or Gennesareth, and from thence, in a singularly winding
course, to the Dead Sea. Its course between the lake
of Galilee and the Dead Sea is through a kind of ravine
within a ravine ; the outer ravine is the valley or plain
of Jordan, now called by the Arabs El Ghor, which is
about six miles in width at its northern part, and
considerably more at its southern, where the Israelites
now were. Within this *'E1 Ghor" is a narrower ravine
about three-quarters of a mile in width, in the inner
part of which flows the river, its breadth varying from
twenty to sixty yards. Some travellers say that the
Jordan does not now rise so high as formerly, but
others tell us they have seen it overflowing its banks
9S
96 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
at the corresponding season. But '' the plain " is not
fertiHzed by the rising waters : hence the reason why
the banks of the river are not studded with towns as in
Egypt. It is quite possible, however, that in the days
of Abraham and Lot artificial irrigation was made use
of: hence the description given of it then that it was
'Mike the land of Egypt" (Gen. xiii. lo). If it be
remarked as strange that Jordan should have over-
flowed his banks ''in time of harvest" (Josh. iii. 15)
when usually rain does not fall in Palestine, it is to be
remembered that all the sources of the Jordan are
fountains, and that fountains do not usually feel the
effects of the rain until some time after it has fallen.
The harvest referred to is the barley harvest, and near
Jericho that harvest must have occurred earlier than
throughout the country on account of the greater heat.
The host of Israel lay encamped at Shittim, or Abel
Shittim, " the meadow or moist place of the acacias,"
somewhere in the Arboth-Moab or fields of Moab.
The exact spot is unknown, but it was near the foot
of the Moabite mountains, where the streams, coming
down from the heights on their way to the Jordan,
caused a luxuriant growth of acacias, such as are still
found in some of the adjacent parts. Sunk as this part
of the plain is far below the level of the Mediterranean,
and enclosed by the mountains behind it as by the walls
of a furnace, it possesses an almost tropical climate
which, though agreeable enough in winter and early
spring, would have been unbearable to the Israelites in
the height of summer. It was while Israel " abode
in Shittim," during the lifetime of Moses, that they
were seduced by the Moabites to join in the idolatrous
revels of Baal-peor and punished with the plague.
The acacia groves gave facilities for the unhallowed
iii. 1-7.] JORDAN REACHED. 97
revelling. That chastisement had brought them into
a better spirit, and now they were prepared for better
things.
The Jordan was not crossed then by bridges nor by
ferry boats ; the only way of crossing was by fords.
The ford nearest to Jericho, now called El Mashra'a,
is well known ; it was the ford the Israelites would have
used had the river been fordable ; and perhaps the
tradition is correct that there the crossing actually took
place. When the spies crossed and recrossed the
river it must have been by swimming, as it was too
deep for wading at the time ; but though this mode of
crossing was possible for individuals, it was manifestly
out of the question for a host. That the Israelites
could by no possibility cross at that season must have
been the forlorn hope of the people of Jericho ; possibly
they smiled at the folly of Joshua in choosing such
a time of the year, and asked in derision, How is he
ever to get over ?
The appointed day for leaving Shittim has come, and
Joshua, determined to lose no time, rises '' early in the
morning." Nor is it without a purpose that so often
in the Old Testament narrative, when men of might
commence some great undertaking, we are told that it
was early in the morning. In all hot climates work
in the open air, if done at all, must be done early in
the morning or in the evening. But, besides this,
morning is the appropriate time for men of great energy
and decision to be astir ; and it readily connects itself
with the New Testament text — ''Not slothful in business,
fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." The benefits of
an early start for all kinds of successful work are in
the proverbs of all nations ; and we may add that few
have reached a high position in the Christian life who
7
98 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
could not say, in the spirit of the hymn, '^ early in the
morning my song shall rise to Thee." Nor can it easily
be understood how under other conditions the precept
could be fulfilled — '' Whatsoever thy hand findeth to
do, do it with thy might."
From Shittim to the banks of the Jordan is an easy
journey of a few miles, the road being all over level
ground, so that the march was probably finished before
the sun had risen high. However strong their faith,
it could not be without a certain tremor of heart that
the people would behold the swollen river, and mark
the walls and towers of Jericho a few miles beyond.
Three days are to be allowed, if not for physical,
certainly for moral and spiritual preparation for the
crossing of the river. The three days are probably the
same as those adverted to before (chap. i. 3), just as
the order to select twelve men to set up twelve stones
(chap. iii. 12) is probably the same as that more fully
detailed in chap. iv. 2. The host is assembled in
orderly array on the east bank of the Jordan, when
the officers pass through to give instructions as to their
further procedure. Three such instructions are given.
First, they are to follow the ark. Whenever they
see the priests that bear it in motion, they are to move
from their places and follow it. There was no longer
the pillar of fire to guide them — that was a wilderness-
symbol of God's presence, now superseded by a more
permanent symbol — the ark. Both symbols represented
the same great truth — the gracious presence and
guidance of God, and both called the people to the
same dut}^ and privilege, and to the same assurance of
absolute safety so long as they followed the Lord.
Familiar sights are apt to lose their significance, and
the people must have become so familiar with the
iii. 1-7.] JORDAN REACHED. 99
wilderness-pillar that they would hardly think what
it meant. Now a different symbol is brought forward.
The ark carried in solemn procession by the priests is
now the appointed token of God's guidance, and there-
fore the object to be unhesitatingly followed. A blessed
truth for all time was clearly shadowed forth. Follow
God implicitly and unhesitatingly in every time of
danger, and you are safe. Set aside the counsels of
casuistry, of fear, and of worldly wisdom ; find out
God's will and follow it through good report and
through evil report, and you will be right. It was thus
that Joshua and Caleb did, and counselled the people
to do, when they came back from exploring the land ;
and now these two were reaping the benefit ; while the
generation, that would have been comfortably settled
in the land if they had done the same, had perished in
the wilderness on account of their unbelief
Secondly, a span of two thousand cubits was to be
left between the people and the ark. Some have thought
that this was designed as a token of reverence ; but
this is not the reason assigned. Had it been designed
as a token of reverence, it would have been prescribed
long before, as soon as the ark was constructed, and
began to be carried with the host through the wilderness.
The intention was, '' that ye may know the way by
which you must go " (ver. 4). If this arrangement had
not been made, the course of the ark through the flat
plains of the Jordan would not have been visible to the
mass of the host, but only to those in the immediate
neighbourhood, and the people would have been liable
to straggle and fall into confusion, if not to diverge
altogether. In all cases, when we are looking out for
Divine guidance, it is of supreme importance that there
be nothing in the way to obscure the object or to
loo THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
distort our vision. Alas, how often is this direction
disregarded ! How often do we allow our prejudices,
or our wishes, or our worldly interests to come between
us and the Divine direction we profess to desire ! At
some turn of our life we feel that we ought not to take
a decisive step without asking guidance from above.
But our own wishes bear strongly in a particular direc-
tion, and we are only too prone to conclude that God
is in favour of our plan. We do not act honestly ; we
lay stress on all that is in favour of what we like ; we
think little of considerations of the opposite kind. And
when we announce our decision, if the matter concern
others, we are at pains to tell them that we have made
it matter of prayer. But why make it matter of prayer
if we do so with prejudiced minds ? It is only when
our eye is single that the whole body is full of light.
This clear space of two thousand cubits between the
people and the ark deserves to be remembered. Let
us have a like clear space morally between us and God
when we go to ask His counsel, lest peradventure we
not only mistake His directions, but bring disaster on
ourselves and dishonour on His name.
Thirdly, the people were instructed, — ^' Sanctify
yourselves, for to-morrow the Lord will do wonders
among you." It is an instinct of our nature that when
we are to meet with some one of superior worldly rank
preparation must be made for the meeting. When
Joseph was summoned into the presence of Pharaoh,
and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon, ^' he
shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in
unto Pharaoh." The poorest subject of the realm
would try to wear his best and to look his best in the
presence of his sovereign. But while '' man looketh on
the outward appearance the Lord looketh on the heart."
iii. 1-7.] JORDAN REACHED. " loi
And our very instincts teach us, that the heart needs
to be prepared when God is drawing near. It is not in
our ordinary careless mood that we ought to stand before
Him who '' sets our iniquities before Him, our secret
sins in the Hght of His countenance." Grant that we can
neither atone for our sin, nor cleanse our hearts without
His grace ; nevertheless, in God's presence everything
that is possible ought to be done to remove the abomin-
able thing which He hates, so that He may not be
affronted and offended by its presence. Most appropriate,
therefore, was Joshua's counsel, — ^' Sanctify yourselves,
for to-morrow the Lord will do wonders among you."
He will surpass all that your eyes have seen since that
night, much to be remembered, when He divided the
sea. He will give you a token of His love and care
that will amaze you, much though you have seen of it
in the wilderness, and in the country of Sihon and Og.
Expect great things, prepare for great things ; and let
the chief of your preparations be to sanctify yourselves,
for '' the foolish shall not stand in His sight, and He
hateth all workers of iniquity."
Next day (compare ver. 5, ''to-morrow," and ver. 7,
'' this day ") Joshua turns to the priests and bids them
'' take up the ark of the covenant." The priests obey ;
''they take up the ark, and go before the people."
Shall we take notice of the assertion of some that all
those parts of the narrative which refer to priests and
religious service were introduced by a writer bent on
glorifying the priesthood ? Or must we repel the
insinuation that the introduction of the ark, and the
miraculous effects ascribed to its presence, are mere
myths ? If they are mere myths, they are certainly
myths of a very peculiar kind. Twice only in this
book is the ark associated with miraculous events — at
102 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
the crossing of the Jordan and at the taking of Jericho.
If these were myths, why was the myth confined to these
two occasions ? When mythical writers find a remark-
able talisman they introduce it at all sorts of times.
Why was the ark not brought to the siege of Ai ?
Why was it absent from the battles of Bethhoron and
Merom ? Why was its presence restricted to the
Jordan and Jericho, unless it was God's purpose to
inspire confidence at first through the visible symbol
of His presence, but leave the people afterwards to
infer His presence by faith ?
The taking up of the ark by the priests was a
decisive step. There could be no resiling now from
the course entered on. The priests with the ark must
advance, and it will be seen whether Joshua has been
uttering words without foundation, or whether he has
been speaking in the name of God. Shall mere natural
forces be brought into play, or shall the supernatural
might of heaven come to the conflict, and show that
God is faithful to His promise ?
Let us put ourselves in Joshua's position. We do
not know in what manner the communications were
carried on between him and Jehovah of which we
have the record under the words '' the Lord spake
unto Joshua." Was it by an audible voice ? Or was
it by impressions on Joshua's mind of a kind that could
not have originated with himself, but that were plainly
the result of Divine influence ? In any case, they were
such as to convey to Joshua a very clear knowledge of
the Divine will. Yet even in the best of men nature is
not so thoroughly subdued in such circumstances but
that the shadow of anxiety and fear is liable to flit
across them. They crave something like a personal
pledge that all will go well. Hence the seasonableness
iii. 1-7.] JORDAN REACHED. 103
of the assurance now given to Joshua — '^ This day will
I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that
they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be
with thee." How full and manifold the assurance I
First, I will magnify thee. I will endue thee with
supernatural might, and that will give you authority
and weight, corresponding to the position in which you
stand. Further, this shall be but the beginning of a
process which will be renewed as often as there is
occasion for it. ''This day I will hegitiy You are not
to go a warfare on your own charges, but ''as your
days, so shall your strength be." Moreover, this
exaltation of your person and office will take place " in
the sight of all Israel," so that no man of them shall
ever be justified in refusing you allegiance and obedience.
And to sum up — you shall be just as Moses was ; the
resources of My might will be as available for you as
they were for him. After this, what misgivings
could Joshua have ? Could he doubt the generosity,
the kindness, the considerateness of his Master ?
Here was a promise for life ; and no doubt the more
he put it to the test in after years the more trustworthy
did he find it, and the more convincing was the proof it
supplied of the mindfulness of God.
It is an experience which has been often repeated
in the case of those who have had to undertake difficult
work for their Master. Of all our misapprehensions,
the most baseless and the most pernicious is, that
God does not care much about us, and that we have
not much to look for from Him. It is a misapprehen-
sion which dishonours God greatly, and which He is
ever showing Himself most desirous to remove. It
stands fearfully in the way of that spirit of trust by
which God is so much honoured, and which He is ever
104 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA,
desirous that we should show. And those who have
trusted God, and have gone forward to their work in
His strength, have always found delightful evidence that
their trust has not been in vain. What is the testi-
mony of our great Christian philanthropists, our most
successful missionaries, and other devoted Christian
workers ? Led to undertake enterprises far beyond
their strength, and undergo responsibilities far beyond
their means, we know not a single case in which they
have not had ample proof of the mindfulness of their
Master, and found occasion to wonder at the consider-
ateness and the bountifulness which He has brought
to bear upon their position. And is it not strange that
we should be so slow to learn how infinite God is
in goodness ? That we should have no difficulty in
believing in the goodness of a parent or of some kind
friend who has always been ready to help us in our
times of need, but so slow to realize this in regard to
God, though we are constantly acknowledging in words
that He is the best as well as the greatest of beings ?
It is a happy era in one's spiritual history when one
escapes from one's contracted views of the love and
liberality of God, and begins to realize that '' as far as
heaven is above the earth, so far are His ways above
our ways, and His thoughts above our thoughts " ; and
when one comes to find that in one's times of need,
whether arising from one's personal condition or from
the requirements of public service, one may go to God
for encouragement and help with more certainty of
being well received than one may go to the best and
kindest of friends.
It is sometimes said that the Old Testament presents
us with a somewhat limited view of God's love. Cer-
tainly it is in the New Testament that we see it placed
iii. 1-7.] JORDAN REACHED. 105
in the brightest of all lights — the Cross, and that we
find the argument in its most irresistible form — '* He
that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up
for us all, how shall He not, with Him also, freely give
us all things ? " But one must have read the Old
Testament in a very careless spirit if one has not been
struck with its frequent and most impressive revelations
of God's goodness. What scenes of gracious inter-
course with His servants does it not present from first
to last, what outpourings of affection, what yearnings of
a father's heart ! If there were many in Old Testament
times whom these revelations left as heedless as they
found them, there were certainly some whom they
filled with wonder and roused to words of glowing
gratitude. The Bible is not wont to repeat the same
thought in the same words. But there is one truth and
one only v/hich we find repeated again and again in the
Old Testament, in the same words, as if the writers
were never weary of them-^'^ For His mercy endureth
for ever." Not only is it the refrain of a whole psalm
(cxxxvi.), but we find ic at the beginning of three other
psalms (cvi., cvii., cxviii.), we find it in David's song of
dedication when the ark was brought up to Jerusalem
(i Chron. xvi. 34), and we find also that on the same
occasion a body of men, Heman and Jeduthun and
others, were told off expressly '^ to give thanks to the
Lord, because His mercy endureth for ever " (i Chron.
xvi. 41). This, indeed, is the great truth which gives
the Old Testament its highest interest and beauty.
In the New Testament, in its evangelical setting, it
shines with incomparable brightness. Vividly realized,
it makes the Christian's cup to flow over ; as it fills
him likewise with the hope of a joy to come — ^' a joy
unspeakable and full of glory.'
CHAPTER IX.
JORDAN DIVIDED.
Joshua iii.
AT Joshua's command^ the priests carrying the ark
are again in motion. Bearing the sacred vessel
on their shoulders, they make straight for the bank of
the river. ^' The exact spot is unknown ; it certainly
cannot be that which the Greek tradition has fixed,
where the eastern banks are sheer precipices of ten or
fifteen feet high. Probably it was either immediately
above or below, where the cliffs break away ; above at
the fords, or below where the river assumes a tamer
character on its way to the Dead Sea." ^ Following the
priests, at the interval of a full half-mile, was the host
of Israel. ^* There was the mailed warrior with sword
and shield, and the aged patriarch, trembling on his
staff. Anxious mothers and timid maidens were there,
and helpless infants of a day old ; and there, too, were
flocks and herds and all the possessions of a great
nation migrating westward in search of a home. Before
them lay their promised inheritance,
'While Jordan rolled between,'
full to the brim, and overflowing all its banks. Never-
theless, through it lies their road, and God commands
the march. The priests take up the sacred ark and
^ Stanley's " Sinai and Palestine," p. 303.
106
iii.] JORDAN DIVIDED. 107
bear it boldly down to the brink ; when lo I ^ the waters
which came down from above stood and rose up upon
a heap very far from the city Adam, that is before
Zaretan : and those that came down toward the sea
of the plain, even the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off :
and the people passed over right against Jericho.' And
thus, too, has all-conquering faith carried the thousand
times ten thousand of God's people in triumph through
the Jordan of death to the Canaan of eternal rest."^
The description of the parting of the waters is clear
enough in the main, though somewhat obscure in detail.
The obscurity arises from the meaningless expression
in the Authorized Version, '* very far from the city
Adam, which is beside Zaretan." The Revised render-
ing gives a much more natural meaning — " rose up in
one heap, very far off, at Adam, the city that is beside
Zarethan." The names Adam and Zaretan occur
nowhere else in Scripture, nor are they mentioned by
Josephus ; some think we have a relic of Adam in the
first part of ed-Damieh, the name of a ford, and others,
following the rendering of the Septuagint, which has
€(&)9 fjb6pov<; KapLa6capL/jbf consider the final " arim " to be
equivalent to ^' adim " or *' adam," the Hebrew letter '* r "
being almost the same as '' d." What we are taught is,
that the waters were cut off from the descending river
a long way up, while down below the whole channel
was laid bare as far as the Dead Sea. The miracle
involved an accumulation of water in the upper reaches
of the river, and as it was obviously undesirable that
this should continue for a long time, enough of the
channel was laid bare to enable the great host to cross
rapidly in a broad belt, and without excitement or con-
^ "Land and Book," vol. ii., pp. 460-61.
io8 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
fusion. The sceptical objection is completely obviated
that it was physically impossible for so vast a host to
make the passage in a short time.
As soon as the waters began to retreat, after the
feet of the priests were planted in them, the priests
passed on to the middle of the channel, and stood there
" firm, on dry ground," until all the people were passed
clean over. The vast host crossed at once, and drew
up on the opposite bank. That no attempt was made
by the men of Jericho, which was only about five miles
off, to attack them and stop their passage, can be
explained only on the supposition that they were stricken
with panic. One inhabitant undoubtedly heard of the
passage without surprise. Rahab could feel no astonish-
ment that the arm of God should thus be made bare
before the people whom He was pledged to protect and
guide. As little could she wonder at the paralysis
which had petrified her own people.
The priests passed on before the people, and stood
firm in the midst of the river until the whole host had
passed. It was both a becoming thing that they should
go before, and that they should stand so firm. It is
not always that either priests or Christian ministers
have set the example of going before in any hazardous
undertaking. They have not always moved so steadily
in the van of great movements, nor stood so firmly in
the midst of the river. What shall we say of those
whose idea, whether of Hebrew priesthood or of Chris-
tian ministry, has been that of a mere office, that of men
ordained to perform certain mechanical functions, in
whom personal character and personal example signified
little or nothing ? Is it not infinitely nearer to the
Bible view that the ministers of religion are the leaders
of the people, and that they ought as such to be ever
iii.] JORDAN DIVIDED. 109
foremost in zeal, in holiness, in self-denial, in victory
over the world, the flesh, and the devil ? And of all
men ought they not to stand firm ? Where are Mr.
Byends, and Mr. Facing-Both-Ways, and Mr. Worldly-
Wiseman more out of place than in the ministry ?
Where does even the world look more for consistency
and devotion and fearless regard to the will of God ?
What should we think of an army where the officers
counted it enough to see to the drill and discipline of the
men, and in the hour of battle confined themselves to
mere mechanical duties, and were outstripped in self-
denial, in courage, in dash and daring by the commonest
of their soldiers ? Happy the Church where the officers
are officers indeed ! Feeling ever that their place is
in the front rank of the battle and in the vanguard
of every perilous enterprise, and that it is their part
to set the men an example of unwavering firmness
even when the missiles of death are whistling or burst-
ing on every side !
Who shall try to picture the feelings of the people
during that memorable crossing ? The outstretched
arm of God was even more visibly shown than in the
crossing of the Red Sea, for in that case a natural
cause, the strong east wind, contributed something
to the effect, while in this case no secondary cause was
employed, the drying up of the channel being due solely
to miracle. Who among all that host could fail to feel
that God was with them ? And how solemn yet
cheering must the thought have been alike to the
men of war looking forward to scenes of danger and
death, and to the women and children, and the aged
and infirm, dreading otherwise lest they should be
trampled down amid the tumult ! But of all whose
hearts were moved by the marvellous transaction,
no THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Joshua must have been pre-eminent. ^'As I was with
Moses, so I will be with thee." At the dividing of
the sea the leadership of Moses began, and they were
all baptized unto him in the cloud and in the sea. And
now, in like manner, the leadership of Joshua begins
at the dividing of the river, and baptism unto Joshua
takes the place of baptism unto Moses. A new chapter
of an illustrious history begins as its predecessor had
begun, but not to be marred and rendered abortive by
unbelief and disobedience like the last. How true
God has been to His word ! What wonders He has
done among the people 1 What honour He has put
upon Joshua ! How worthy He is to be praised !
Will disloyalty to Him ever occur again, will this
marvellous deed be forgotten, and the miserable gods of
the heathen be preferred to Jehovah ? Will any future
prophet have cause to say, '^ O Ephraim, what shall
I do unto thee ? O Judah, what shall I do unto thee ?
For your goodness is as a morning cloud, and as the
early dew, it goeth away " ?
It is to be especially remarked that God took into
His own hands the prescription of the method by which
this great event was to be commemorated. It seems
as if He could not trust the people to do it in a way
that would be free from objection and from evil tendency.
It was assumed that the event was worthy of special
commemoration. True, indeed, there had been no
special commemoration of the passage of the sea, but
then the Passover was instituted so near to that event
that it might serve as a memorial of it as well as of
the protection of the Israelites when the firstborn of
the Egyptians was slain. And generally the people
had been taught, what their own hearts in some degree
recognised, that great mercies should be specially com-
iii.] JORDAN DIVIDED. IH
memorated. The Divine method of commemorating the
drying up of the Jordan was a very simple one. - In the
first place, twelve men were selected, one from every
tribe, to do the prescribed work. The democratic constitu-
tion of the nation was recognised — each tribe was to
take part in it ; and as it was a matter in which all
were concerned, each person was to take part in the
election of the representative of his tribe. Then each
of these twelve representatives was to take from the
bed of the river, from the place where the priests had
stood with the ark, a stone, probably as large as he
could carry. The twelve stones were to be carried
to the place where the host lodged that night, and
to be erected as a standing memorial of the miracle.
It was a very simple memorial, but it was all that was
needed. It was not like the proud temples or glorious
pyramids of Egypt, reared as these were to give glory
to man more than to God. It was like Jacob's pillar
before, or Samuel's Ebenezer afterwards ; void of every
ornament or marking that could magnify man, and
designed for one single purpose — to recall the goodness
of God.
It would appear, from chap. iv. 9, that two sets of
stones were set up, Joshua, following the spirit of
the Divine direction, having caused a second set to
be erected in the middle of the river on the spot where
the priests had stood. Some have supposed that that
verse is an interpolation of later date ; but, as it occurs
in all the manuscripts, and as it is expressly stated in
the Septuagint and Vulgate versions that this was a
different transaction from the other, we must accept
it as such. The one memorial stood on the spot
where the ark had indicated the presence of God, the
other where the first encampment of the host had
112 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
shown God's faithfulness to His word. Both seemed
to proclaim the great truth afterwards brought out in
the exquisite words of the psalm — '' God is our refuge
and our strength ; a very present help in time of
trouble." They might not be needed so much for the
generation that experienced the deliverance ; but in
future generations they would excite the curiosity of
the children, and thus afford an opportunity to the
parents to rehearse the transactions of that day, and
thrill their hearts with the sense of God's mercy.
Among devout Israelites, that day was never for-
gotten. The crossing of the Jordan was coupled with
the crossing of the sea, as the two crowning tokens of
God's mercy in the history of Israel, and the most
remarkable exhibitions of that Divine power which had
been so often shown among them. In that wailing
song, the seventy-fourth psalm, where God's wonderful
works of old are contrasted in a very sad spirit with
the unmitigated desolations that met the writer's eye,
almost in the same breath in which he extols the miracle
of the sea, ^' Thou didst divide the sea by Thy strength,"
he gives thanks for the miracle of the river, ^' Thou
didst cleave the fountain and the flood : Thou driedst
up mighty rivers." And in a song, not of wailing, but
of triumph, the hundred and fourteenth psalm, we have
the same combination : —
"When Israel went forth out of Egypt,
The house of Jacob from a people of strange language ;
Judah became His sanctuary,
Israel His dominion.
The sea saw it, and fled ;
Jordan was driven back.
The mountains skipped like rams,
The little hills like lambs.
What aileth thee, O thou sea, that thou fleest ?
Thou Jordan, that thou turnest back ?
lii.] JORDAN DIVIDED. 113
Ye mountains, that ye skip like rams ;
Ye little hills like lambs ?
Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord,
At the presence of the God of Jacob ;
Which turned the rock into a pool of water,
The flint into a fountain of waters."
The point of this psalm lies in the first verse — in the
reference to the time '' when Israel came out of Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of strange language.''
Israel on that occasion gave a signal proof of his trust
in God. At God's bidding, and with none but God to
trust in, he turned his back on Egypt, and made for
the wilderness. It was a delight to God to receive this
mark of trust and obedience, and in recognition of it
the mightiest masses and forces of nature were moved
or arrested. The mountains and hills skipped like
living creatures, and the sea saw it and fled. It seemed
as if God could not do too much for His people. It was
the same spirit that was shown when they followed
Joshua to the river. They showed that they trusted
God. They renounced the visible and the tangible for
the invisible and the spiritual. They rose up at
Joshua's command, or rather at the command of God
by Joshua ; and, pleased with this mark of trust, God
caused the waters of the Jordan to part asunder.
Surely there is something pathetic in this ; the Almighty
is so pleased when His children trust Him, that to serve
them the strongest forces are moved about as if they
were but feathers.
In many ways the truth has been exemplified in later
times. When a young convert, at home or abroad,
takes up decided ground for Christ, coming out from
the world and becoming separate, very blessed tokens
of God's nearness and of God's interest are usually
given him. And Churches that at the call of Christ
1 14 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
surrender their worldly advantages, receive tokens of
spiritual blessing that infinitely outweigh in sweetness
and in spiritual value all that they lose. ^^ Them that
honour Me, I will honour."
Occurrences of more recent times show clearly that
God did well in taking into His own hands the
prescription of the way in which the crossing of the
Jordan was to be commemorated. Tradition has it that
it was at the same place where Joshua crossed that Jesus
was baptized by John. That may well be doubted,
for the Bethabara where John was baptizing was
probably at a higher point of the river. But it is quite
possible that it was at this spot that Elijah's mantle
smote the river, and he and his servant passed over on
dry ground. Holding that all these events occurred at
the same place, tradition has called in the aid of super-
stition, and given a sacred character to the waters of
the river at this spot. Many have seen, and every one
has read of the pilgrimage to the Jordan, performed
every spring, from which many hope to reap such
advantage. '' In the mosaics of the earliest churches
at Rome and Ravenna," says Dean Stanley, ^' before
Christian and pagan art were yet divided, the Jordan
appears as a river god pouring his streams out of his
urn. The first Christian emperor had always hoped to
receive his long-deferred baptism in the Jordan, up to
the moment when the hand of death struck him at
Nicomedia. . . . Protestants, as well as Greeks and
Latins, have delighted to carry off its waters for the
same sacred purpose to the remotest regions of the
West."
No doubt the expectation of spiritual benefit from
the waters of the Jordan is one cause of the annual
pilgrimage thither, and of the strange scene that
iii.] JORDAN DIVIDED. 115
presents itself when the pilgrims are bathing. It
seems impossible for man, except under the influence
of the strongest spiritual views, to avoid the belief that
somehow mechanical means may give rise to spiritual
results. There is nothing from which he is naturally
more averse than spiritual activity. Any amount of
mechanical service he will often render to save him
from spiritual exercise. Symbols without number he
will willingly provide, if he thereby escape the necessity
of going into the immediate presence of God, and wor-
shipping Him who is a Spirit in spirit and in truth.
But can mechanical service or material symbols be any-
thing but an evil, if the would-be worshipper is thereby
prevented h^om recognising the necessity of a heart-to-
heart fellowship with the living God ? Must we not
be in living touch with God if the stream of Divine
influence is to reach our hearts, and we are to be
changed into His image ? In the Psalms, which express
the very essence of Hebrew devotion, spiritual contact
with God is the only source of blessing. ^* O God,
Thou art my God ; early will I seek Thee : my soul
thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longeth for Thee in a dry
and thirsty land, where there is no water. To see Thy
power and Thy glory, so as I have seen Thee in the
sanctuary."
Thus it was that by God's prescription the twelve plain
stones taken out of the Jordan were the only memorial of
the great deliverance. There was no likeness on them
of the Divine Being by whom the miracle had been
performed. There was nothing to encourage acts of
reverence or worship directed toward the memorial.
Twelve rough stones, with no sculptured figures or
symbols, not even dressed by hammer and chisel, but
simply as they were taken out of the river, were the
ii6 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
memorial. They were adapted for one purpose, and
for one only : '* When your children shall ask their
fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these
stones ? then ye shall let your children know, saying,
Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. For the
Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from
before you, until 3^e were passed over, as the Lord
your God did to the Red Sea, which He dried up from
before us, until we were gone over : that all the people
of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it
is mighty : that ye might fear the Lord your God for
ever."
CHAPTER X.
CIRCUMCISION AND PASSOVER— MANNA AND CORN.
Joshua v. i — 12.
THE first two facts recorded in this chapter seem
to be closely connected with each other. One is,
that when all the Amorite and Canaanite kings on the
west side of the Jordan heard of the miraculous drying
up of the waters and the passage of the Israelites,
** their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them
any more." The other is, that the opportunity was
taken then and there to circumcise the whole of the
generation that had been born after leaving Egypt.
But for the fact recorded in the first verse, it would
have been the most unsuitable time that could be con-
ceived for administering circumcision. The whole male
population would have been rendered helpless for the
time, and an invitation would have been given to the
men of Jericho to commit such a massacre as in the like
circumstances the sons of Jacob inflicted on the men
of Shechem (Gen. xxxiv. 25). Why was not this
business of circumcising performed while the host were
lying inactive on the other side, and while the Jordan
ran between Israel and his foes ? It was because the
kings of the Canaanites were petrified. It is true they
plucked up courage by-and-by, and many of the kings
entered into a league against Joshua. But this was
after the affair of Ai, after the defeat of the Israelites
"7
ii8 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
before that city had showed that, as in the case of
Achilles, there was a vulnerable spot somewhere, not-
withstanding the protection of their God. Meanwhile
the people of Jericho were paralysed, for though the
whole male population of Israel under forty lay helpless
in their tents, not a finger was raised by the enemy
against them.
It is with no little surprise that we read that circum-
cision had been suspended during the long period of
the wilderness sojourn. Why was this ? Some have
said that, owing to the circumstances in which the
people were, it would not have been convenient, per-
haps hardly possible, to administer the rite on the
eighth day. Moving as they were from place to place,
the administration of circumcision would often have
caused so much pain and peril to the child, that it
is no wonder it was delayed. And once delayed, it
was delayed indefinitely. But this explanation is not
sufficient. There were long, very long periods of rest,
during which there could have been no difficulty. A
better explanation, brought forward by Calvin, leads
us to connect the suspension of circumcision with the
punishment of the Israelites, and with the sentence
that doomed them to wander forty years in the wilder-
ness. When the worship of the golden calf took place,
the nation was rejected, and the breaking by Moses of
the two tables of stone seemed an appropriate sequel
to the rupture of the covenant which their idolatry had
caused. And though they were soon restored, they
were not restored without certain drawbacks, — tokens
of the Divine displeasure. Afterwards, at the great
outburst of unbelief in connection with the report of
the spies, the adult generation that had come out of
Egypt were doomed to perish in the wilderness, and.
V. I-I2.J CIRCUMCISION AND PASSOVER. 119
with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, not one of
them was permitted to enter the land of promise. Now,
though it is not expressly stated, it seems probable that
the suspension of circumcision was included in the
punishment of their sins. They were not to be allowed
to place on their children the sign and seal of a covenant
which in spirit and in reality they had broken.
But it was not an abolition, but only a suspension of
the sacrament for a time that took place. The time
might come when it would be restored. The natural
time for this would be the end of the forty years of
chastisement. These forty years had now come to an
end. Doubtless it would have been a great joy to
Moses if it had been given him to see the restoration
of circumcision, but that was not to take place until the
people had set foot on Abraham's land. Now they
have crossed the river. They have entered on the
very land which God sware to Abraham and Isaac and
Jacob to give it them. And the very first thing that is
done after this is to give back to them the holy sign
of the covenant, which was now administered to every
man in the congregation who had not previously received
it. We may well think of it as an occasion of great
rejoicing. The visible token of his being one of God's
children was now borne by every man and boy in the
camp. In a sense they now served themselves heirs to
the covenant made with their fathers, and might thus
rest with firmer trust on the promise — '' I will bless
them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee."
Two other points in connection with this transaction
demand a word of explanation. The first is the state-
ment that ''all the people that were born in the wilder-
ness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them
they had not circumcised " (ver. 5). If the view be
120 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
correct that the suspension of circumcision was part of
the punishment for their sins, the prohibition would not
come into operation for some months, at all events,
after the exodus from Egypt. We think, with Calvin,
that for the sake of brevity the sacred historian makes
a general statement without waiting to explain the
exceptions to which it was subject. The other point
needing explanation is the Lord's statement after the
circumcision — '* This day have I rolled the reproach
of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the
place is called Gilgal (i.e., Rolling) unto this day." How
could the suspension of circumcision be called the
reproach of Egypt ? The words imply that, owing to
the want of this sacrament, they had lain exposed to
a reproach from the Egyptians, which was now rolled
away. The brevity of the statement, and our ignorance
of what the Egyptians were saying of the Israelites
at the time, make the words difficult to understand.
What seems most likely is, that when the Egyptians
heard how God had all but repudiated them in the
wilderness, and had withdrawn from them the sign of
His covenant, the}^ malignantly crowed over them, and
denounced them as a worthless race, who had first
rejected their lawful rulers in Egypt under pretext of
religion, and, having shown their hypocrisy, were now
scorned and cast off by the very God whom they had
professed themselves so eager to serve. We may be
sure that the Egyptians would not be slow to seize
any pretext for denouncing the Israelites, and would
be sure to make their jibes as sharp and as bitter as
they could. But now the tables are turned on the
Egyptians. The restoration of circumcision stamps
this people once more as the people of God. The
stupendous miracle just wrought in the dividing of the
V. I -12.] CIRCUMCISION AND PASSOVER. 121
Jordan indicates the kind of protection which their God
and King is sure to extend to them. The name of
Gilgal will be a perpetual testimony that the reproach
of Egypt is rolled away.
Circumcision being now duly performed, the way was
prepared for another holy rite for which the appointed
season had arrived — the Passover. Some have sup-
posed that the Passover as well as circumcision was
suspended after the sentence of the forty years' wander-
ing, the more especially that it was expressly enacted
that no uncircumcised person v/as to eat the Passover.
We know (Num. ix. 5) that the Passover was kept the
second year after they left Egypt, but no other reference
to it occurs in the histor}^ On this, as on many other
points connected with the wilderness history, we must
be content to remain in ignorance. We are not even
very sure how far the ordinary sacrifices were offered
during that period. It is quite possible that the con-
siderations that suspended the rite of circumcision
applied to other ordinances. But whether or not the
Passover was observed in the wilderness, we may
easily understand that after being circumcised the people
would observe it with a much happier and more satisfied
feeling. There were many things to make this Pass-
over memorable. The crossing of the Jordan was so
like the crossing of the Red Sea that the celebration
in Egypt could not fail to come back vividly to all the
older people, — those that were under twenty at the
exodus, to whom the sentence of exclusion from Canaan
did not apply (Num. xiv. 29). Many of these must
have looked on while their fathers sprinkled the lintels
and door posts with the blood of the lamb, and must
have listened to the awful death-cry of the firstborn
of the Egyptians. They must have remembered well
122 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
that memorable midnight when all were in such excite-
ment marching away from Egypt ; and not less vividly
must they have remembered the terror that seized them
when the Egyptian host was seen in pursuit ; and then
again the thrill of triumph with which they passed
between the crystal walls, under the glow of the fiery
pillar ; and once more the triumphant notes of Miriam's
timbrel and the voices of the women, ^' Sing unto the
Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously ; the horse and
his rider He hath cast into the sea." And now these
days of glory were coming back ! As surely as the
passage of the sea had been followed by the destruction
of the Egyptians, so surely would the passage of the
Jordan be followed by the destruction of the Canaanites.
Glorious things were spoken of the city of their God.
The benediction of Moses was about to receive a new
fulfilment — '' Happy art thou, O Israel : who is like
unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of
thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency ! and
thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee ; and thou
shalt tread upon their high places."
The remembrance of the past is often an excellent
preparation for the trials of the future, and as often it
proves a remarkable support under them. It was the
very nature of the Passover to look back to the past,
and to recall God's, first { great interposition on behalf
of His people. It was a precious encouragement both
to faith and hope. So also is our Christian Passover.
It is a connecting link between the first and second
comings of our Lord. The first coming lends support
to faith, the second to hope. No exercise of soul can
be more profitable than to go back to that memorable
day when Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us.
For then the price of redemption was paid in full, and
V. I-I2.] MANNA AND CORN. 123
the door of salvation flung wide open. Then the Son
sealed His love by giving Himself to the cross for us.
What blessing, whether for this life or the life to come,
was not purchased by that transaction ? Life may be
dark and stormy, but hope foresees a bright to-morrow.
'^ When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall
ye also appear with Him in glory."
Yet another incident is connected with this transition
period of the history. '' They did eat of the old corn
of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened
cakes, and parched corn in the selfsame day. And the
manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of
the old corn of the land ; neither had the children of
Israel manna any more ; but they did eat of the fruit
of the land of Canaan that year." It is not necessary
to suppose that they did not partake at all of the fruits
of the land till the morning after that Passover. The
conquest of Sihon and Og must have put a large share
of produce in their hands, and we can hardly suppose
that they did not make some use of it. The narrative
is so brief that it does not undertake to state every
modification that may be applicable to its general
statements. The main thing to be noticed is, that
while the manna continued to descend, it was the staple
article of food ; but when the manna was withdrawn,
the old corn and other fruits of the country took its
place. In other words, the miracle was not continued
when it ceased to be necessary. The manna had been
a provision for the wilderness, where ordinary food in
sufficient quantity could not be obtained ; but now that
they were in a land of fields and orchards and vineyards
the manna was withdrawn.
We have already adverted to the Bible law of the
supernatural. No sanction is given to the idea of a
124 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
lavish and needless expenditure of supernatural power.
A law of economy, we might almost say parsimony,
prevails, side by side with the exercise of unbounded
liberality. Jesus multiplies the loaves and fishes to
feed the multitude, but He will not let one fragment be
lost that remains after the feast. A similar law guides
the economy of prayer. We have no right to ask that
mercies may come to us through extraordinary channels,
when it is in our power to get them by ordinary means.
If it is in our power to procure bread by our labour,
we dare not ask it to be sent direct. We are only too
prone to make prayer at the eleventh hour an excuse
for want of diligence or want of courage in what bears
on the prosperity of the spiritual life. It may be that
of His great generosity God sometimes blesses us,
even though we have made a very inadequate use of
the ordinary means. But on that we have no right to
presume. We are fond of short and easy methods
where the natural method would be long and laborious.
But here certainly we find the working of natural law
in the spiritual world. We cannot look for God's
blessing without diligent use of God's appointed means.
More generally, this occurrence in the history of
Israel, the cessation of one provision when another
comes into operation, exemplifies a great law in
providence by which the loss of one kind of advantage
is compensated by the advent of another. In childhood
and early youth we depend for our growth in know-
ledge on the instructions of our teachers. What puzzles
us we refer to them, and they guide us through the
difficulty. If they are wise teachers they will not tell
us everything, but they will put us on the right method
to find out. Still they are there as a court of appeal,
so to speak, and we have always the satisfaction of a
V. I-I2.] MANNA AND CORN. 125
last resort. But the time comes when we bid farewell
to teachers. Happily it is the time when the judgment
becomes self-reliant, independent, penetrating. We
are thrown mainly upon our own resources. And the
very fact of our having to depend on our own judgment
fosters and promotes independence, and fits us better
for the responsibilities of life. When we become men
we put away childish things. A habit of leaning on
others keeps us children ; but grappling with difficulties
as we find them, and trying to make our way through
them and over them, promotes manliness. The manna
ceases, and we eat the fruit of the land.
So in family life. The affection that binds parents
and children, brothers and sisters to one another in
the family is both beautiful and delightful ; and it
were no wonder if, on the part of some, there were the
desire that their intercourse should suffer no rude
break, but go on unchanged for an indefinite time.
But it is seldom God's will that family Hfe shall
remain unbroken. Often the interruption comes in
the rudest and most terrible form — by the death of
the head of the house. And the circumstances of the
family may require that all who are capable of earning
anything shall turn out to increase the family store.
It is often a painful and distressing change. But at
least it wakens up all who can do anything, it rescues
them from the temptation of a slumbering, aimless life,
and often draws out useful gifts that turn their fives
into a real blessing. And there are other compensa-
tions. When Sarah died, Isaac was left with an
empty heart ; but when Rebecca came to him, he was
comforted. The precise blank that death leaves may
never be wholly filled, but the heart expands in other
directions, and with new objects of affection the
126 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
gnawing void ceases to be acutely felt. As old attach-
ments are snapped, new are gradually formed. And
even in old age a law of compensation often comes in ;
children and children's children bring new interests
and pleasures, and the green hues of youth modify
the grey of age.
Then there is the happy experience by which the
advent of spiritual blessings compensates the loss of
temporal. Nothing at first appears more desolate than
loss of fortune, loss of health, or loss of some principal
bodil}^ sense — like sight or hearing. But in a Milton
intellectual vigour, patriotic ardour, and poetic sensibi-
lity attain their noblest elevation, though
"Cloud and ever-during dark
Surrounds me, from the cheerful ways of men
Cut off, and, for the book of knowledge fair.
Presented with a universal blank
Of nature's works, to me expunged and rased,
And wisdom at one entrance quite shut out."
It is the total loss of hearing, the result of a sudden
accident, that turns the slater, John Kitto, into a most
instructive and interesting Oriental scholar and writer.
How often temporal loss has proved in a higher sense
spiritual gain, all Christian biography testifies. Such
instances are not uncommon as that which the Rev.
Charles Simeon gives, in speaking of some blind men
from Edinburgh whom nearly a century ago he found
at work in a country house in Scotland : '^ One of
the blind men, on being interrogated with respect to
his knowledge of spiritual things, answered, * I never
saw till I was blind ; nor did I ever know content-
ment while I had my eyesight, as I do now that I have
lost it ; I can truly affirm, though few know how to
credit me, that I would on no account change my
V. I-I2.] MANNA AND CORN. 127
present situation and circumstances with any that I
ever enjoyed before I was blind.' He had enjoyed
eyesight till twenty-five, and had been blind now about
three years." ^
Lastly, of all exchanges in room of old provisions
the most striking is that which our Lord thus set
forth : *' It is expedient for you that I go away : for
if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto
you ; but if I depart, I will send Him to you." If we
should think of life, even the Christian life, as a mere
time of enjoyment, albeit spiritual enjoyment, no state-
ment could be more paradoxical or unpalatable. It is
because life is a training school, and because what we
most need in that school is the immediate action of
the Divine Spirit on our spirits, purifying, elevating,
strengthening, guiding all that is deepest in our nature,
that our Lord's words are true. Very precious had
been the manna that ceased when Jesus left. But
more nourishing is the new corn with which the Spirit
feeds us. Let us prize it greatly so long as we are in
the flesh. We shall know the good of it when we
enter on the next stage of our being. Then, in the
fullest sense, the manna will cease, and we shall eat
the corn of the land.
^ "Life of Rev. Charles Simeon," p. 125.
CHAPTER XI.
THE CAPTAIN OF THE LORD'S HOST.
Joshua v. 13 — 15, vi. 1.
THE process of circumcision is over, and the men
are well ; the feast of unleavened bread has
come to an end ; all honour has been paid to these
sacred ordinances according to the appointment of God ;
the manna has ceased, and the people are now depend-
ing on the corn of the land, of which, in all probability,
they have but a limited supply. Everything points
to the necessity of further action, but it is hard to say
what the next step is to be. Naturally it would be
the capture of Jericho. But this appears a Quixotic
enterprise. The city is surrounded by a wall, and
its gates are '' straitly shut up," barred, and closely
guarded to prevent the entrance of a single Israelite.
Joshua himself is at a loss. No Divine communication
has yet come to him, like that which came as to the
crossing of the Jordan. See him walking all alone
'* by Jericho," as near the city as it is safe for him
to go. With mind absorbed in thought and eyes fixed
on the ground, he is pondering the situation, but unable
to get light upon it, when something comes athwart his
sphere of vision. He lifts his eyes, and right against
him perceives a soldier, brandishing his sword.
A less courageous man would have been startled,
128
V. i3-vi. I.] THE CAPTAIN OF THE LORD'S HOST. 129
perhaps frightened. His first thought is, that it is an
enemy. None of his own soldiers would have ventured
there without his orders, or would have dared to take
up such an attitude towards his commander-in-chief.
With a soldier's presence of mind, instead of moving
off, he assumes an aggressive attitude, challenges this
warrior, and demands whether he is friend or foe. If
friend, he must explain his presence ; if foe, prepare
for battle. Joshua is himself a thorough soldier, and
will allow no one to occupy an ambiguous position.
*' And Joshua went unto him, and said unto him. Art
thou for us, or for our adversaries ? "
If the appearance of the soldier was a surprise, his
answer to the question must have been a greater.
'' Nay ; but as Captain of the host of the Lord am I
now come." The *^ nay " deprecates his being either
friend or foe in the common sense, but especially his
being foe. His position and his office are far more
exalted. As Captain of the host of the Lord, he is
at the head, not of human armies, but of all the princi-
palities and powers of heavenly places, —
*' The mighty regencies
Of seraphim, and potentates and thrones."
And now the real situation flashes on Joshua. This
soldier is no other than the Angel of the Covenant,
the same who came to Abraham under the oak at
Mamre, and that wrestled with Jacob on the banks
of this very Jordan at Peniel. Joshua could not but
remember, when God threatened to withdraw from
Israel after the sin of the golden calf, and send some
created angel to guide them through the wilderness,
how earnestly Moses remonstrated, and how his whole
soul was thrown into the pleading — **If Thy presence
go not with us, carry me not up hence." He could
9
130 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
not but remember the intense joy of Moses when this
pleading proved successful — *' My presence shall go
with thee, and I will give thee rest." There could
be little doubt in his mind who this *' Captain of the
host of Jehovah " was, and no hesitation on his part
in yielding to Him the Divine honour due to the Most
High. And then he must have felt warmly how very
kind and seasonable this appearance was, just at the
very moment when he was in so great perplexity, and
when his path was utterly dark. It was a new proof
that man's extremity is God's opportunity. It was just
like what used to happen afterwards, when '^ the Word
became flesh and dwelt among us," and was so promptly
at hand for His disciples in all times of their tribulation.
It was an anticipation of the scene when the ship was
tossed so violently on the waves, and Jesus appeared
with His *' Peace, be still." Or, on that dreary morning,
soon after the crucifixion, after they had spent the whole
night on the lake and caught nothing, when Jesus
came and brought the miraculous draught of fishes to
their nets. It is the truth wuth which all His suffering
and stricken children have been made so familiar in
all ages of the Church's history : — that, however He may
seem to hide Himself and stand afar off in times of
trouble, He is in reality ever near, and can never forget
that last assurance to His faithful people — '' Lo, I am
with you alway, even to the end of the world."
It is not likely that Joshua found any cause to discuss
the question that modern criticism has so earnestly
handled, whether this being that now appeared in
human form really was Jehovah. And as little does
it seem necessary for us to discuss it. There seems no
good reason to reject the view that these theophanies,
though not incarnations, were yet foreshadows of the
V. i3-vi. I.] THE CAPTAIN OF THE LORD'S HOST. 131
incarnation, — hints of the mystery afterwards to be
realized when Jesus was born of Mary. If these
appearances looked like incarnations, it was incarnation
after the pagan, not the Christian type ; momentary
alliances of the Divine being with the human form
or appearance, assumed merely for the occasion, and
capable of being thrown aside as rapidly as they were
assumed. This might do very well to foreshadow the
incarnation, but it fell a long way short of the incar-
nation itself. The Christian incarnation was after a
type never dreamt of by the pagan mind. That the
Son of God should be born of a w^oman, His body
formed in the womb by the slow but wonderful process
which '^ fashioned all His members in continuance,
when as yet there was none of them " (Psalm cxxxix. 16),
and that He should thus stand in relations to His
fellow-men that could not be obliterated, was very
wonderful ; but most wonderful of all that the manhood
once assumed could never be thrown off, but that the
Son of God must continue to be the Son of man, in
two distinct natures and one person for ever. The
fact that all this has taken place is well fitted to give
us unshaken confidence in the love and sympathy of
our Elder Brother. For He is as really our Brother
as He ever was in the days of His flesh, and as full
of the care and thoughtful interest that the kindest of
elder brothers takes in the sorrows and struggles of
his younger brethren.
It has often been remarked as an instructive circum-
stance, that now, as on other occasions, the Angel of the
Lord appeared in the character most adapted to the
circumstances of His people. He appeared as a soldier
with a drawn sword in His hand. A long course of
fighting lay before the Israelites ere they could get
132 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
possession of their land, and the sword in the hand of
the Angel was an assurance that He would fight with
them and for them. It was also a clear intimation that
in the judgment of God, it was necessar}^ to use the
sword. But it was not the sword of the ambitious
warrior who falls upon men simply because they are
in his way, or because he covets their territories for his
country. It was the judicial sword, demanding the
death of men who had been tried for their sins, long
warned, and at last judicially condemned. The iniquity
of the Amorites was now full. We know what kind
the people were who dwelt near Jericho four or five
hundred years before, while the cities of Sodom and
Gomorrah stood in the plain, cities that even then were
reeking with the foulest corruption. It is true the
judgment of God came down on these cities, but bare
judgments have never reformed the world. The
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah removed the
foulest stain-spot for the time, but it did not change
the hearts nor the habits of the nations. It has seemed
good to the Spirit of God to give us one glimpse of the
foulness that had been reached at that early period, but
not to multiply the filthy details at a future time, —
after the long interval between Abraham and Joshua.
But we know that if Sodom was bad, Jericho was no
better. The country as a whole, which had now filled
up its cup of iniquity, was no better. No wonder that
the Angel bore a drawn sword in His hand. The long-
suffering of the righteous God was exhausted, and
Joshua and his people were the instruments by whom
the judicial punishment was to be inflicted. The
Captain of the Lord's host had drawn His sword from
its scabbard to show that the judgment of that wicked
people was to slumber no more.
V. i3-vi. I.] THE CAPTAIN OF THE LORD'S HOST. 133
It was not in this spirit nor in this attitude that the
Angel of the Covenant had met with Jacob, centuries
before, a Httle higher up the river, at the confluence of
the Jabbok. Yet there was not a Httle that was similar
in the two meetings. Like Joshua now, Jacob was then
about to enter the land of promise. Like him, he was
confronted by an enemy in possession, who, in Jacob's
case, was bent on avenging the wrong of his youth.
How that enemy was to be overcome Jacob knew not,
just as Joshua knew not how Jericho was to be taken.
But there was this difference between the two, that in
Jacob's case the Angel dealt with him as an opponent ;
in Joshua's He avowed Himself a friend. The difference
was no doubt due to the different dispositions of the
two men. Jacob does not seem to have felt that it was
only in God's name, and in God's strength, and under
God's protection that he could enter Canaan ; he appears
to have been trusting too much to his own devices, —
especially to the munificent present which he had for-
warded to his brother. He must be taught the lesson
'' Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith
the Lord." At first Jacob dealt with his opponent
.simply as an obstructionist ; then he discovered His
Divine rank, and immediately he became the aggressor,
and, spite of his dislocated thigh, held on to his
opponent, declaring that he would not let Him go except
He blessed him. It is otherwise with Joshua. He has
no personal matter to settle with God before he is ready
to advance into the land. He is in perplexity, and the
Angel comes to relieve him. It is neither for reproof
nor correction but simply for blessing that He is there.
The appearance of the Angel denoted a special method
of communication with Joshua. We have already re-
marked that we do not know in what manner God's
134 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
communications to His servant were made before.
This incident shows that the ordinary method was not
that of personal intercourse, — probably it was that of im-
pressions made supernaturally on Joshua's mind. Why,
then, is the method changed now ? Why does this
Warrior-angel present Himself in person ? Probably
because the way in which Jericho was to be taken was
so extraordinary that, to encourage the faith of Joshua
and the people, a special mode of announcement had to
be used. One might have thought this unnecessary
after the display of Divine power at the crossing of the
Jordan. But steadiness of faith was no characteristic of
the Israelites, and such as it was it was as liable to fail
after crossing the Jordan as it had been after crossing
the sea. Special means were taken to invigorate it
and fit it for the coming strain. It was one of those
rare occasions when a personal visit from the Angel o^
the Covenant was desirable. Something visible and
tangible was needed, something which might be spoken
of and readily understood by the people, and which
could not possibly be gainsayed.
The moment that Joshua understood with whom he
was conversing, he fell on his face, and offered to his
visitor not only obeisance but worship, which the visitor
did not decline. And then came a question indicating
profound regard for his Lord's will, and readiness to
do whatsoever he might be told — '^ What saith my Lord
unto His servant } " It cannot but remind us of the
question put by Saul to the Lord while yet lying on
the ground on the way to Damascus — '' Lord, what
wilt Thou have me to do ? " Joshua compares favour-
ably with Moses at the burning bush, not only now,
but throughout the whole interview. No word of
remonstrance does he utter, no token of unwillingness
V. i3-vi. I.] THE CAPTAIN OF THE LORD'S HOST. 135
or unbelief does he show. And it cannot be said that
the instructions which the Angel gave him respecting
the taking of Jericho were of a kind to be easily
accepted. The course to be followed seemed to human
wisdom the very essence of silliness. To all appear-
ance there was not a vestige of adaptation of means
to the end. Yet so admirable is the temper of Joshua,
that he receives all with absolute and perfect submission.
The question ^' What saith my Lord unto His servant ? "
is very far from mere matter of courtesy. It is a first
principle with Joshua that when the mind of God is
once indicated there is nothing for him but to obey.
What is he that he should dare to criticise the plans
of omnipotence ? that he should propose to correct and
improve the methods of Divine wisdom ? Anything
of the kind was alike preposterous and irreverent.
" Let all the earth fear the Lord ; let all the inhabit-
ants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spake,
and it was done ; He commanded, and it stood fast."
'* Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth
eternity, and whose name is Holy : I dwell in the high
and holy place, and with him also who is of a humble
and contrite spirit, and who trembleth at My word."
The first answer to the question " What saith my
Lord unto His servant ? " is somewhat remarkable.
'' Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place where-
on thou standest is hol}^" Rationalists have explained
this as meaning that this was an ancient shrine of the
Canaanites, and therefore a place holy in the eyes of
Israel ; but such an idea needs no refutation. Others
conceive it to mean that Joshua, having crossed the
Jordan, had now set foot on the land promised to the
fathers, and that the soil for that reason was called
holy. But if that was the reason for his putting off
136 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
his shoes, it is difficult to see how he could ever have
been justified in again putting them on. And when
God called to Moses out of the bush and bade him
do the very same thing, it surely was not because the
peninsula of Sinai was holy ; it was because Moses
stood in the immediate presence of the holy God. And
it is simply to remind Joshua of the Divine presence
that this command is given ; and being given it is no
sooner uttered than obeyed.
And then follow God's instructions for the taking
of Jericho. Never was such a method propounded to
reasonable man, or one more open to the objections
and exceptions of worldly wisdom. No arrangement
of his forces could have been more open to objection
than that which God required of him. He w^as to
march round Jericho once a day for six successive
days, and seven times on the seventh day, the priests
carrying the ark and blowing with trumpets, the men
of war going before, and others following the ark,
making a long narrow line round the place. We know
that the city was provided with gates, like other fortified
cities. What was there to prevent the men of Jericho
from sall3dng out at each of the gates, breaking up the
line of Israel into sections, separating them from each
other, and inflicting dreadful slaughter on each ? Such
a march round the city seems to be the very way
to invite a murderous attack. But it is the" Divine
command. And this process of surrounding the city
is to be carried on in absolute silence on the part of the
people, with no noise save the sounding of trumpets
until a signal is given ; then a great shout is to be
raised, and the walls of Jericho are to fall down flat
on the ground. Who Vv^ould have thought it strange if
Joshua had been somewhat staggered by so singular
V. i3-vi. I.] THE CAPTAIN OF THE LORD'S HOST. 137
directions, and if, like Moses at the bush, he had
suggested all manner of objections, and shown the
greatest unwillingness to undertake the operation? The
noble quaHty of his faith is shown in his raising no objec-
tion at all. After God has thus answered his question,
'^ What saith my Lord unto His servant ? " he is just
as docile and submissive as he was before. True faith
is blind to everything except the Divine command.
When God has given him his orders, he simply com-
municates them to the priests and to the people. He
leaves the further development of the plan in God's
hands, assured that He will not leave His purpose
unfulfilled.
Nor do the priests or the people appear to have
made any objection on their part. The plan no doubt
exposed them to tv/o things which men do not like,
ridicule and danger. Possibly the ridicule was as hard
to bear as the danger. God would protect them from
the danger, but who would shield them from the
ridicule ? Even if at the end of the seven da3^s, the
promised result should take place, would it not be hard
to make themselves for a whole week the sport of the
men of Jericho, who would ask all that time whether
they had lost their senses, whether they imagined that
they would terrify them into surrender by the sound of
their rams' horns ? How often, especially in the case
of young persons, do we find this dread of ridicule the
greatest obstacle to Christian loyalty ? And even
where they have the strongest conviction that ere long
the laugh, if laughter may be spoken of in the case,
will be turned against their tormentors, and that it will
be clearly seen who the men are whom the King
delighteth to honour, what misery is caused for the
time by ridicule, and how often do the young prove
138 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
traitors to Christ rather than endure it ? All the more
remarkable is the steadiness of the priests and people
on this occasion. We cannot think that this was due
simply and solely to their loyalty to the leader to
whom they had recently sworn allegiance. We cannot
but believe that personal faith animated many of them,
the same faith as that of Joshua himself Their wilder-
ness training and trials had not been in vain ; the
manifest interposition of God in the defeat of Sihon and
Og had sunk into their hearts ; the miraculous passage
of the river had brought God very near to them ; and
it was doubtless in a large measure their conviction
that He who had begun the work of conquest for them
would carry it on to the end, that procured for Joshua's
announcement the unanimous acquiescence and hearty
support alike of priests and people.
And hence, too, the reason why, in the eleventh chapter
of Hebrews, the falling down of the walls of Jericho is
specially accounted for as the result of faith : '' By
faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were
compassed about seven days " (ver. 30). The act of
faith lay in the conviction that God, who had prescribed
the method of attack, foolish though it seemed, would
infallibly bring it to a successful issue. It was not
merely Joshua's faith, but the priests' faith, and the
people's faith, that shone in the transaction. Faith
repelled the idea that the enemy would sally forth and
break their ranks ; it triumphed over the scorn and
ridicule which would certainly be poured on them ; it
knew that God had given the directions, and it was
convinced that He would bring all to a triumphant
issue. Never had the spiritual thermometer risen so
high in Israel, and seldom did it rise so high at any
future period of their history. That singular week.
i3-vi.i.] THE CAPTAIN OF THE LORD'S HOST. 139
spent in marching round Jericho again and again and
again, was one of the most remarkable ever known ;
the people were near heaven, and the grace and peace
of heaven seem to have rested on their hearts.
We sometimes speak of *^ages of faith." There
have been times when the disposition to believe in the
unseen, in the presence and power of God, and in the
certain success at last of all that is done in obedience
to His will, has dominated whole communities, and led
to a wonderful measure of holy obedience. Such a
period was this age of Joshua. We cannot say, thinking
of ourselves, that the present is an age of faith. Rather,
on the part of the masses, it is an age when the secular,
the visible, the present lords it over men's minds. Yet
we are not left without splendid examples of faith.
The missionary enterprise that contemplates the con-
quest of the whole world for Christ, because God has
given to His Messiah the heathen for His inheritance
and the uttermost part of the earth for His possession,
and that looks forward to the day when this promise
shall be fulfilled to the letter, is a fruit of faith. And
the ready surrender of so many young lives for the
world's evangelization, as missionaries, and teachers,
and medical men and women, is a crowning proof
that faith is not dead among us. Would only it were
a faith that pervaded the whole community, — princes,
priests, and people alike ; and that there w^ere a har-
mony among us in the attack on the strongholds of sin
and Satan as great as there was in the host of Israel
when the people, one in heart and one in hope,
marched out, day after day, round the walls of Jericho !
CHAPTER XII.
THE FATE OF JERICHO.
Joshua vi. 8—27.
THE instructions of Joshua to the priests and the
people are promptly obeyed. In the bright rays
of the morning sun, on the day when Jericho is to be
surrounded, the plain between the Jordan and Jericho,
a space of some five miles, may be seen dotted over
with the tents of Israel, arranged in that orderly manner
which had been prescribed by Moses in the wilderness.
The whole encampment is astir in the prospect of great
events. The erect carriage, the flashing eye, the com-
pressed lip of the soldiers show that something great
and unusual is expected. By-and-by, there is a stir
near the spot where the ark rests, and, borne on the
shoulders of the priests, the sacred vessel is seen in
motion in the direction of Jericho. Right in front of
it are seven priests carrying trumpets of rams' horns,
or, as some render it, jubilee horns. The procession
of the ark halts a little, till a body of armed men
advance and form in front of it. Others of the people
take up their places in the rear. The seven priests
sound their trumpets, and the procession moves on.
Their course is round the walls of Jericho, far enough
removed to be beyond the reach of the arrows of its
defenders. Not a shout is raised. Not a sound is
heard, save that of the trumpets of the seven priests.
140
vi.8-27,] THE FATE OF JERICHO. 141
At last the procession returns to the camp, leaving
Jericho just as it found it. Next day the same process
is repeated ; and the next, and the next, on to the
sixth. On the seventh day, the march begins early
and is continued late. The spirits of the people are
sustained during their weary, monotonous tramp by the
expectation of a crisis. At length, when the seventh
circuit has been made, the signal is given by Joshua.
The air is rent with the shouts of the people and the
noise of the trumpets, and immediately, all round, the
wall falls flat to the ground, and the people march
straight into the city. Paralysed with astonishment
and terror, the inhabitants are unable to resist, and
lie, men, women and children, at the mercy of their
assailants. And the instructions to the Israelites are
to destroy everything that is in the city, both man
and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and ass, with
the edge of the sword. As for the more solid part of
the spoil, the silver and the gold and the vessels of
brass and iron, they are *' devoted " to the service of
God (the Authorized translation unhappily uses the
word ^' accursed "). No one is to appropriate a single
article to his own use. An exception to the universal
massacre was to take place only in the case of the
harlot Rahab, who was to be saved, with all her
relations, in accordance v/ith the solemn promise of the
spies.
There is no difficulty in perceiving the great lesson
for all time to be derived from this extraordinary trans-
action, or the great law of the kingdom of God that
was made so conspicuous by it. When we have clear
indications of the Divine mind as to any course of
action, we are to advance to it promptly and without
fear, even though the means at our disposal appear
142 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
utterly inadequate to the object sought to be gained.
No man goeth a warfare at his own charges in the
service of God. The resources of infinite power avail
for that service, and they are sure to be brought into
play if it be undertaken for God's glory, and in accord-
ance with His will. Who could have supposed that
the fishermen of Galilee would in the end triumph
over all the might of kings and rulers ; over all the
influence of priesthoods and systems of worship
enshrined in the traditions of centuries ; over all the
learning and intellect of the philosopher, and over all
the prejudices and passions of the multitude ? The
secret lay manifestly in the promise of Jesus — "Lo, I
am with you alway, even to the end of the world."
Who could have thought that the efforts of a poor
German student in Berlin, on behalf of some neglected
children, would expand into the widespread and well-
rooted '* Inner Mission " of Wichern ? Or that the
concern of a prison chaplain for the welfare of some of
the prisoners after their release would develop into the
worldwide work of Fliedner ? Or that the distress of
a kind-hearted medical student in London for a batch
of poor boys who '* didn't live nowhere," and whose
pale faces, as they lay on a cold night on the roof
of a shed, stirred in him an irrepressible compassion,
would give birth to one of the marvels of London philan-
thropy,— Dr. Barnardo's twenty institutions, caring for
three to four thousand children, in connection with
which the announcement could be made that no really
destitute child was ever turned from its doors ? When
Carey on his shoemaker's stool contemplated the evan-
gelization of India, there was as great a gulf between
the end and the apparent means, as when the priests
blew with their rams' horns round the walls of Jericho.
vi. 8-270 THE FATE OF JERICHO. 143
But Carey felt it to be a Divine command, and Joshua-
like set himself to obey it, leaving to God from whom
it came to furnish the power by which the work was
to be done. And wherever there have been found men
and women of strong faith in God, who have looked
on His will as recorded in the Scriptures with as much
reverence as if it had been announced personally to
themselves, and who have set themselves to obey that
will with a sense of its reality, and a faith in God's
promised help, like that of Joshua as the priests marched
round Jericho, the same result has been realized ;
before Zerubbabel the great mountain has become a
plain, and success has been achieved worthy of the
acknowledgment — ^' The Lord hath done great things
for us, whereof we are glad."
Far more effectual has this brave and thorough
method of doing the Divine will proved than all the
contrivances of compromise and worldly wisdom. The
attempt to serve two masters has never proved either
dignified or permanently successful. '^ If the Lord
be God, follow Him ; but if Baal, then follow him, ; "
but do not attempt to combine in one what will please
God and Baal too. It is the single eye that is full
of light, and full of blessing. If God really is our
Master, all the resources of heaven and earth are at
our back. If we are able to go forward in sole and
simple reliance on His might, as David did in the
conflict with Goliath, all will go well. If we waver
in our trust in Him, if we fly to the resources of human
policy, if we seek deliverance from present evil at
whatever cost, we arrest, as it were, the electric current
flowing from heaven, and become weak as other men.
Still more if we are guilty of deceit and cunning.
How different was David confronting Goliath, and
144 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
David feigning madness before King Achish ! In the
one case a noble hero, in the other a timid, faltering
child. It is a dear price we pay for present safety
or convenience when we forfeit the approval of our
conscience and the favour of God. It is a sublime
attitude that faith takes up even in the face of over-
whelming danger — '' Lord, it is nothing with Thee
to help, whether with many, or with them that have
no power : help us, O Lord our God ; for we rest
on Thee, and in Thy name we go against this multitude.
O Lord, Thou art our God ; let not man prevail against
Thee " (2 Chron. xiv. 1 1).
This, however, is but one half the lesson of the siege
of Jericho. The other and not less valuable lesson is,
that in many good enterprises, all that is done may
appear for a long time to be labour lost, and not to
advance us by one step nearer to the object in view.
For six days the priests carried the ark round Jericho,
but not one stone was loosened from the walls, not by
one iota did the defences seem to yield. Six times
on the '• seventh day there was an equally complete
want of result. Nay, the seventh perambulation on
the seventh day appeared to be equally unsuccessful,
until the very last moment ; but when that moment
came, the whole defences of the city came tumbling
to the ground. It is often God's method to do a great
deal of work unseen, and then on a sudden effect the
consummation. And whenever we are working in
accordance with God's will, it is our encouragement
to believe that though our visible success is hardly
appreciable, yet good and real work is done. For
one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and
a thousand years as one day. Sometimes in a thousand
years God does not seem to accomplish a good day's
vi.8-27.] THE FATE OF JERICHO. 145
work, but at other times in a single day He does the
work of a thousand years. The reformation of the
Church in the Middle Ages, — how little progress it
seemed to make during weary centuries ; and even when
victory seemed to be drawing nigh, how thoroughly
was it arrested by the martyrdom of Huss and Jerome
in Bohemia, the extinction of the light of Wicliffe in
England, and the suppression of the Lollards in
Scotland ! And when in Providence some causes
began to operate that seemed to have a bearing on
the desired consummation, such as the invention of
printing, the revival of learning, and the love of
freedom, how feebly they seemed to operate in opposi-
tion to that overwhelming force which the Papacy had
been accumulating for centuries, and which nothing
seemed able to touch ! But when Luther appeared,
nailed his theses to the door of the church at Wittem-
berg, and took up the bold attitude of an out-and-out
opponent to Rome, in one hour the Church was struck
as with an earthquake ; it reeled to its foundations, and
half of the proud structure fell. The conflict with
American slavery, how slowly it advanced for many
a year, nay, at times it seemed to be even losing
ground ; till in the midst of the great Civil War the
President signed a certain proclamation, and in one
moment American slavery received its death blow. An
eminent historian of England has a striking picture of
the slow, steady, av/ful triumph of iniquity in the career
of Cardinal Wolsey, and the sudden collapse of the
structure built up so carefully by that wicked man.
Speaking of the final retribution, he says : '' The time
of reckoning at length was arrived. Slowly the hand
had crawled along the dial plate, slowly as if the event
would never come, and wrong was heaped on wrong,
10
146 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
and oppression cried, and it seemed as if no ear had
heard its voice, till the measure of the wickedness was
at length fulfilled ; the finger touched the hour, and as
the strokes of the great hammer rang out above the
nation, in an instant the mighty fabric of iniquity was
shivered to ruins."
It is the prerogative of faith to believe that the same
law of Providence is ever in operation, and that the
rapidity with which some great drama is to be wound
up may be as striking as the slowness of its movement
was trying in its earlier stages. May we not be living
in an age destined to furnish another great example
of this law ? The years as they pass seem laden with
great events, and we seem to hear the angel that hath
power over fire calling to the angel with the sharp
sickle, — *' Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the
clusters of the vine of the earth, for the grapes thereof
are fully ripe." We cannot tell but before a year ends
some grand purpose of Providence shall be accomplished,
the death blow given to some system of force or of
fraud that has scourged the earth for centuries, or some
great prophetic cycle completed for which Simeons and
Annas have been watching more than they that watch
for the morning. God hasten the day when on every
side truth shall finally triumph over error, good over
evil, peace over strife, love over selfishness, and order
over confusion ; and when from every section of God's
great but scattered family the shout of triumph shall go
up, ''Alleluia : for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth."
But let us return to the narrative of the fall of Jericho,
and advert to two of the difficulties that have occurred
to many minds in connection with it ; one of compar-
atively little moment, but another of far more serious
import.
vi.8-27.] THE FATE OF JERICHO. 147
The lesser difficulty is connected with the order to
march round Jericho for seven successive days. Was
it not contrary to the spirit of the law to make no
difference on the Sabbath ? As the narrative reads we
are led to think that the Sabbath was the last of the
seven days, in which case, instead of a cessation of
labour, there was an increase of it sevenfold. Possibly
this may be a mistake ; but at the least it seems as if,
all days being treated alike, there was a neglect of the
precept, ^* In it thou shalt not do any work."
To this it has usually been replied that the law of
the Sabbath being only a matter of arrangement, and
not founded on any unchangeable obligation, it was
quite competent for God to suspend it or for a time
repeal it, if occasion required. The present instance
has been viewed as one of those exceptional occasions
when the obligation to do no work was suspended for
a time. But this is hardly a satisfactory explanation.
Was it likely that immediately after God had so
solemnly charged Joshua respecting the book of the
law, that it was '' not to depart out of his mouth, but
he was to meditate therein day and night, to observe
to do according to all that was written therein," that
almost on the first occurrence of a public national
interest He would direct him to disregard the law of
the Sabbath ? Or was it likely that now that the
people were about to get possession of the land, under
the most sacred obligation to frame both their national
and their personal life by the Divine law, one of the
most outstanding requirements of that law should be
even temporarily superseded ? We cannot help think-
ing that it is in another direction that we must look for
the solution of this difficulty.
And what seems the just explanation is, that this
148 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
solemn procession of the ark was really an act of
worship, a very public and solemn act of worship, and
that therefore the labour which it involved was altogether
justifiable, just as the Sabbath labour involved in the
offering of the daily sacrifices could not be objected to.
It was a very solemn and open demonstration of honour
to that great Being in whom Israel trusted — of obedience
to His word, and unfaltering confidence that He would
show Himself the God of His chosen people. At every
step of their march the}^ might well have sung — ''I
will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh
my help." The absurdity of their proceeding to the
eye of flesh invested it with a high sanctity, because
it testified to a conviction that the presence of that God
who dwelt symbolically in the ark would more than
compensate for all the feebleness and even apparent
silliness of the plan. It was indeed an exception to
the usual way of keeping the Sabbath, but an exception
that maintained and exalted the honour of God. And,
in a sense, it might be called resting, inasmuch as no
aggressive operations of any kind were carried on ; it
was simply a waiting on God, waiting till He should
arise out of His place, and cause it to be seen that
" Israel got not the land in possession by their own
sword, neither did their own arm save them : but Thy
right hand, and Thine arm, and the light of Thy
countenance, because Thou hadst a favour unto them "
(Psalm xliv. 3).
A more serious objection in the eyes of many is that
which is founded on the promiscuous massacre of the
people"of Jericho, which, according to the narrative, the
Israelites were ordered to make. And it is not won-
derful that, with the remarkable sense of the sanctity
of human life attained in our country and in our age,
vi.8-27.] THE FATE OF JERICHO. 149
and the intense horror which we have at scenes of
blood and death, the idea of this slaughter should excite
a strong feeling of repugnance. For in truth human
life has never been held so sacred among men as it is
in these our days and in this our island, where by the
mercy of God war and bloodshed have been unknown
for nearly a century and a half We must remember
that three thousand years ago, and in the tumultuous
regions of the East, such a sentiment was unknown.
The massacre of one tribe by another was an event of
frequent occurrence, and so little thought of that a year
or two after its occurrence the survivors of the massacre
might be found on perfectly good terms with those who
had committed it. This of course does not affect the
righteousness of the sentence executed on the men of
Jericho, but it shows that as executioners of that
sentence the Israelites were not exposed either to the
harrowing or the hardening influence which would now
be inseparable from such a work.
We reserve the general question for consideration
further on.^ We confine ourselves for the present to
the inquiry. Why was Jericho singled out for treatment
so specially severe ? Not only were all its inhabitants
put to the sword, as indeed the inhabitants of other
cities were too, but the city was burnt with fire, and
a special curse was pronounced upon any one that
should set up its gates and its walls. Of only two
other cities do we read that they were destroyed in this
way — Ai and Razor (viii. 28, xi. 13). And in regard
to all the three we may see special considerations
dictating Joshua's course. Jericho and Ai were the
first two cities taken by him, and it may have been
^ See Chapter XXXL, " Jehovah the Champion of Israel."
I50 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
useful to set an example of severity in their case.
Hazor was the centre of a conspiracy, and being
situated in the extreme north, its fate might read a
lesson to those who were too far from Jericho and Ai
to see what had happened there. But in the case of
Jericho there was another consideration. Gilgal, which
Joshua had made his headquarters, was but three or
four miles distant. At that place there were no doubt
gathered a great part of the flocks and herds of the
Israelites, with the women and children, as well as the
ark and [the sacred tabernacle. It was necessary to
prevent the possibility of a fortress being again erected
at Jericho. For if it should fall into the enemy's hands,
it would endanger the very existence of Gilgal. We
shall see in the after part of the narrative that the
policy of sparing the towns even when the inhabitants
were destroyed proved a mistake, and was very disas-
trous to the Israelites. We shall find that in very
many cases, while Joshua was occupied elsewhere, the
towns were taken possession of anew by the Canaanites,
and new troubles befell the Israelites. For Joshua's
conquest was not a complete subjugation, and much
remained to be done by each tribe in its settlement in
order to get quit of the old inhabitants. It was the
failure of most of the tribes to do their part in this
process that led to most of the troubles in the future
history of Israel, both in the way of temptation to
idolatry and in the form of actual war.
The only things saved from utter destruction at Jericho
were the gold and the silver and other metallic sub-
stances, which were put into the treasury of the house
of the Lord. The fact that the ^* house of the Lord,"
situated at this time at Gilgal, was an establishment
of such size as to be able to emplo}^ all these things
vi.8-27.] THE FATE OF JERICHO. 151
in its service refutes the assertion of those critics who
would make out that at the settlement in Canaan there
was no place that might be called emphatically '' the
house of the Lord." It indicates that the arrangements
for worship were on a large scale, — a fact which is
confirmed afterwards by the circumstance that the
Gibeonites were assigned by Joshua to be '' hewers of
wood and drawers of water for the house of my God^
If little is said about the arrangements for worship in
the Book of Joshua, it is because the one object of the
book is to record the settlement of the nation in the
country. If it were true that the book was overhauled
by some priestly writer who took every opportunity
of magnifying his office, he must have done his work
in a strange manner. We find in it such hints as we
have noticed showing that the service of the sanctuary
was not neglected, but we have none of those full or
formal details that would have been given if a writer
with such a purpose had worked over the book.
We hear of Jericho from time to time as a place
of abode both in the Old Testament and in the New ;
but when Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt it with walls and
gates, '* he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his
firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest
son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which He
spake by Joshua the son of Nun " ( i Kings xvi. 34).
It was ordained that that first fortress which had with-
stood the people of God on the west of Jordan should
remain a perpetual desolation. As the stones set up
in the channel and on the banks of the river witnessed
to future generations of God's care for His own people,
so the stones of Jericho cast down and lying in ruined
heaps were designed to testify to the dread retribution
that overtook the guilty. The two great lessons of
152 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Providence from Jericho are, the certainty of the reward
of faith and obedience on the one hand, and of the
punishment of wickedness on the other. The words
which Balaam had proclaimed from the top of the
mountain on the other side now received their first
fulfilment : —
" How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, -
Thy tabernacles, O Israel ! . . .
God bringeth him forth out of Egypt ;
He hath, as it were, the strength of the wild ox ;
He shall eat up the nations his adversaries,
And shall break their bones in pieces,
And smite them through with His arrows."
i
I
CHAPTER XIII.
RAHAB SAVED.
Joshua vi. 17, 22 — 25.
T has not been the lot of Rahab to share the
devout interest which has been lavished on Mary
Magdalene. Our Correggios, Titians, and Carlo Dolcis
have not attempted to represent the spirit of contrition
and devotion transfiguring the face of the Canaanite
girl. And this is not surprising. Rahab had never
seen the human face of Jesus, nor heard the words that
dropped like honey from His lips. She had never come
under that inexpressible charm which lay in the bearing
of the living Jesus, the charm that made so remark-
able a change not only on the " woman that was a
sinner/' but on Zaccheus, on Peter in the high priest's
hall, on the penitent thief, and on Saul of Tarsus on
the way to Damascus. For there was a wonderful
power in the very looks and tones of Jesus to touch
the heart, and thereby to throw a new light on all
one's past life, making sin look black and odious,
and inspiring an intense desire for resemblance to
Him who was so much fairer than all the children of
men. Rahab had never seen the Divine image in any
purer form than it appeared in Joshua and men and
women like-minded with him.
But though she was not one of those whose contrite
and holy love painters delight to represent, she belonged
153
154 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA
to the same order, and in some respects is more
remarkable than any of the New Testament penitents.
For her Hght was much dimmer than theirs who Hved
in the days of the Son of man. She was utterly
without support or sympathy from those among whom
she lived, for with the exception of her own relations
who seem to have been influenced by herself, not a
creature in Jericho shared her faith, or showed the
slightest regard for the God of Israel.
But the time has now come for her to reap the
reward of her faith and its works. In her case there
was but a short interval between the sowing and the
reaping. And God showed Himself able to do in
her exceeding abundantly above what she could ask
or think. For she was not only protected when
Jericho and all its people were destroyed, but in-
corporated with the children of Israel. She became
an heir of Abraham's blessing ; she came among those
'' to whom pertained the adoption, and the glory, and
the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service
of God, and the promises." An old tradition made
her the wife of Joshua, but, according to the genealogies
she married Salmon (Matt. i. 5), prince of the imperial
tribe of Judah, great-grandfather of David, and ancestor
of the Messiah. In the golden roll of the eleventh
chapter of Hebrews, she is the only woman who shares
with Sarah, the great mother of the nation, the honour
of a place among the heroes of the faith. Such honours
could not have been attained by her had she not been
a changed character, — one of those who erewhile ^^ had
lain among the pots, but who became like the wings
of a dove covered with silver and her feathers with
3^ellow gold."
Very special mention is made of her in the narrative
vi. 17, 22-25.] RAHAB SAVED. 155
of the destruction of Jericho. In the first place, before
the overthrow of the city, Joshua gives particular in-
structions regarding her, accepting very readily the
promise that had been made to her by the two spies.
If Joshua had been a man of unreasonable temper, he
might have refused to ratify their action in her case.
He might have said that God had doomed the whole
inhabitants of the city to destruction, and as no in-
structions had been given by Him to spare Rahab, she
must share the doom of the rest. But Joshua at once
recognised the propriety of an exception in favour of
one who had shown such faith, and who had rendered
such service to the spies and to the nation ; and, more-
over, he looked on the promise made by the spies as
reasonable, for it would have been gross tyranny to send
them on such an errand without power to make fair com-
pensation for any assistance they might receive. Yet
how often have promises made in danger been broken
when the danger w^as past ! Rahab must have known
that had it been some Canaanite chief and not Joshua
that had to decide her fate, he would have scorned
the promise of the spies, and consigned her to the
general doom. She must have been impressed with
the honourable conduct of Joshua in so cordially
endorsing the promise of the spies, and thought well of
his religion on that account. Honour and religion go
well together ; meanness and religion breed contempt.
We see meanness with a religious profession culminat-
ing in the treachery of Judas. We see honour in
alliance with religion culminating in the Garden of
Gethsemane, when the bleeding Sufferer rallied His
fainting courage and stood firm to His undertaking —
" The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not
drink it ? "
156 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
No doubt the scarlet cord was hung from her window,
as had been arranged with the spies, and the IsraeHtes,
when they saw it, would be reminded of the blood of
the lamb sprinkled on their door posts and lintels when
the destroying angel passed through Egypt. It was
the two men who had acted as spies that Joshua
instructed to enter her house, and bring out the woman
and all that she had. And a happy woman she no
doubt was when she saw the faces of her old guests,
and under their protection was brought out with all her
kindred and all that she had and led to a place of safety.
It is a blessed time, after you have stood fast to duty
while many have failed, when the hour comes that
brings you peace and blessing, while it carries confusion
and misery to the faithless. How thankful one is at
such a moment for the grace that enabled one to choose
the right ! With what awe one looks into the gulf on
whose edge one stood, and thanks God for the grace
that brought the victory I And how often is the
welfare of a lifetime secured in some crisis by the firm
attitude of an hour. What do we not gain by patience
when we do the right and wait for the reward ? One
of the pictures in the Interpreter's House is that of ^' a
little room where sat two little children, each in his
chair. The name of the eldest was Passion, and of the
other Patience. Passion seemed much discontent, but
Patience was very quiet. Then asked Christian, What
is the reason of the discontent of Passion ? The Inter-
preter answered. The Governor of them would have them
stay for his best things till the beginning of the next
year ; but he will have them all now ; but Patience is
willing to wait." How invaluable is the spirit that can
wait till the beginning of the next year I And especially
with reference to the awards of eternity. The rush
vi. 17, 22-25-] RAHAB SAVED. 157
for good things now, the desire at all hazards to gratify
inclination as it rises, the impatience that will not wait
till next year — how many lives they wreck, what misery
they gender for eternity 1 But when you do choose
that good part that shall not be taken away, and count
all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus, what ecstatic bliss you make sure of in
that solemn hour when the dead, small and great, shall
stand before God ; and, amid weeping and wailing
inexpressible on the left hand, the Judge shall pronounce
the words, " Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the
world."
The case of Rahab was one of thoee where whole
famihes were saved on account of the faith of one
member. Such was the case of Noah, whose faith
secured the exemption of himself and all his family
from the flood. Such, h3'potheticall3^, was the case of
Lot, whose whole family would have been preserved
from the fire and brimstone, if only they had received his
warning and left Sodom with him. On the other hand,
there were cases, like that of Korah in the wilderness,
and of Achan, near this very place, Jericho, where the
sin of the father involved the death of the whole family.
In the case of Rahab, we find a family saved, not
thiT)Ugh the faith of the head of the house, but of a
member of it, and that member a woman. The head
of a Hebrew house was eminently a representative man,
and by a well-understood and recognised law his family
were implicated in his acts, whether for good or for evil.
But in this case the protector of the family, the member
of it that determines the fate of the whole, is not the
one whom the law recognises, but his child, his daughter.
A woman occupies here a higher and more influential
IS8 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
place, in relation to the rest of the family, than she has
ever held at any previous time. The incident comes in
as a kind of foreshadow of what was to be abundantly
verified in after times. For it is in Christian times that
woman has most conspicuously attained that position
of high influence on the welfare of the family, and
especially its eternal welfare, which Rahab showed in
delivering her house from the destruction of Jericho.
At a very early period in the history of the Christian
Church, the great influence of godly women on the
welfare of their male relations began to be seen. About
the fourth century we can hardly peruse the biography
of any eminent Christian father, without being struck
with the share which the prayers and efforts of some
pious female relative had in his conversion. Monica,
the mother of Augustine, is held in reverence all over
Christendom for her tears and wrestling prayers on
behalf of her son ; and the name of Anthusa, the mother
of Chrysostom, is hardly less venerable. Nonna, the
mother of Gregory Nazianzen ; Macrina and Emmelia,
the mother and the grandmother of Basil the Great and
Gregory of Nyssa, as well as their sister, also called
Macrina ; Theosebia too, the wife of Gregory, and
Marallina, the sister of Ambrose, all share a similar
renovv^n. And in more recent times, how many are
the cases where sisters and daughters have exercised
a blessed influence on brothers and fathers ! Every
right-hearted sister has a peculiarly warm and tender
interest in the welfare of her brothers. It is a feeling
not to be neglected, but carefully nursed and deepened.
This narrative shows it to be in the line of God's
providence that sisters and daughters shall prove
instruments of deliverance to their relations. It is
blessed when they are so even in earthly things, but
vi. 17, 22-25-] RAHAB SAVED. 159
far more glorious when, through faith and prayer and
unwearied interest, they are enabled to win them to
Christ, and turn them into living epistles for Him.
It can hardly be necessary to dwell at length on
the commentary which we find in the Epistle of James
on the faith of Rahab. For it is not so much anything
personal to her that he handles, but an important
quality of all true faith, and of her faith as being true.
'^ Was not Rahab the harlot justified by works when
she had received the messengers, and had sent them
out another way ? " No intelligent person needs to
be told that the view of justification here given is in
no wise at variance with that of St. Paul. Paul's
doctrine was propounded in the early years of the
Church, when, in opposition to the notion prevalent
among the Gentiles, it was necessary to show clearly
that there was no justifying merit in works. The
doctrine of James was propounded at a later period,
when men, presuming on free grace, were beginning to
get lax in their practice, and it was necessary to insist
that faith could not be true faith if it was not accom-
panied by corresponding works. The case of Rahab
is emplo3'ed by St. James to illustrate this latter
position. If Rahab had merely professed belief in the
God of Israel as the only true God, and in the certainty
that Israel would possess the land, according to God's
promise, her faith would have been a barren or dead
faith ; in other words, it would have been no true faith
at all. It was her taking up the cause of i-he spies,
protecting them, endangering her life for them, and
then devising and executing a scheme for their safety,
that showed her faith to be living, and therefore real.
Let it be true that faith is only the instrument of justifi-
cation, that it possesses no merit, and that its value
i6o THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
lies solely in its uniting us to Christ, so that we get
justification and all other blessings from Him ; still
that which really unites us to Christ must be living.
Dr. Chalmers used to sum up the whole doctrine in the
formula, *' We are justified by faith alone, but not by
a faith which is alone."
But let us now advert to the reception of Rahab
into the nation and church of the Israelites. ** They
brought out all her kindred, and left them without the
camp of Israel. , . . And Joshua saved Rahab the
harlot alive, and her father's household, and all that
she had ; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this
day ; because she hid the messengers which Joshua
sent to spy out Jericho." First, they left them without
the camp. At first they could be treated only as
unclean until the rites of purification should be per-
formed. In the case of Rahab this was doubly neces-
sary— owing to her race, and owing to her life. There-
after they were admitted to the commonwealth of Israel,
and had an interest in the covenants of promise. The
ceremonial purification and the formal admission signi-
fied little, except in so far as they represented the
washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy
Ghost. Whether this vital change took place we are
not told, but we seem justified in inferring it both from
v/hat we read in Hebrews and from the fact that Rahab
was one of the ancestors of our Lord. It is interesting
and instructive to think of her as exemplifying that
law of grace by which the door of heaven is flung open
even to the vilest sinner. " Where sin abounded
grace did much more abound." When the enemy
ensnares a woman, wiles her into the filthiest chambers
of sin, and so enchains her there that she cannot escape,
but must sink deeper and deeper in the mire, the case
vi. 17, 22-25.] RAHAB SAVED, i6i
is truly hopeless. More rapidly and more thoroughly
than in the case of a man, the leprosy spreads till every
virtuous principle is rooted out, and every womanly
feeling is displaced by the passions of a sensual
reprobate. *^ Son of man, can these bones live ? " Is
there any art to breathe the breath of purity and pure
love into that defiled soul? Can such a woman ever find
her home on the mountains of spices, and hear a loving
bridegroom say, '^ My love, my undefiled is but one " ?
It is just here that the religion of the Bible achieves
its highest triumphs. We say the religion of the Bible,
but we should rather say, that gracious Being whose
grace the Bible unfolds. '' The things that are impossible
with men are possible with God." Jesus Christ is the
prince of life. Experience of His saving grace, living
fellowship with Him, can so change '' fornicators and
idolaters, and adulterers and effeminate and abusers
of themselves with mankind, and thieves and covetous
and drunkards and revilers and extortioners," that it
may be said of them, '' But ye are washed, but ye are
sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord
Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." Living faith in
a living and loving Saviour can do all things.
Ten thousand times has this truth been illustrated in
evangelistic addresses, in sermons, and in tracts in-
numerable from the case of the prodigal son. And what
imagination can estimate the good which that parable
has done ? In this point of view it is strange that little
use has been made of an Old Testament passage, in
which the same truth is unfolded with touching beauty
from the case of a faithless woman. We refer to the
second chapter of Hosea. It is the case of a guilty
and apparently shameless wife. Impelled by greed,
meanest of all motives, she has gone after this lover
II
1 62 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
and that, because they seemed able to gratify her
love of finery and luxury, and all the vain show of the
world. But the time comes when her eyes are opened,
her lovers are brought to desolation, she sees that they
have all been a lie and a deception, and that no real
good has ever come to her save from the husband
whom she has forsaken and insulted. And now when
she turns to him she is simply overwhelmed by his
graciousness and generosity. He does all that can be
done to make her forget her past miseries, all her past
hfe, and he succeeds. The valley of Achor becomes a
door of hope ; she is so transformed inwardly, and her
outward surroundings are so changed, that '' she sings
as in the days of her youth." The happy feelings of
her unpolluted childhood return to her, as if she had
drunk the waters of Lethe, and she sings like a light-
hearted girl once more. The allegory is hardly an
allegory, — it is Divine love that has effected the change ;
that love that many waters cannot quench and floods
cannot drown.
We wonder whether Rahab obtained much help in
her new life from the fellowship of those among whom
she came when she joined the Church. If the Church
then was what the Church ever ought to b^, if its out-
standing members were like the three fair damsels.
Prudence, Piety and Charity, in the Palace Beautiful,
no doubt she would be helped greatly. But it is not
very often that that emblem is realized. And strange
to say, among the members of our Churches now, we
usually find a very imperfect sense of the duty which
they owe to those who come among them from without,
and especially out of great wickedness. It is quite
possible that Rahab was chilled by the coldness of
some of her Hebrew sisters, looking on her as an
vi. 17,22-25.] RAHAB SAVED. 163
intruder, looking on her as a reprobate, and grieved
because their select society was broken in upon by
this outlandish woman. And it is quite possible that
she was disappointed to find that, though they were
nominally the people of God, there was very little of
what was divine or heavenly about them. So it often
happens that what ought to be the greatest attraction
in a Church, the character of its members, is the
greatest repellant. If all sin-worn and world- worn
souls, weary of the world's ways, and longing for a
society more loving, more generous, more pure, more
noble, could find in the Christian Church their ideal
fulfilled, could find in the fellowship of Christians
the reality of their dreams, how blessed would be the
result ! Alas, in too many cases they find the world's
bitterness and meanness and selfishness reproduced
under the flag of Christ ! If all so-called Christians, it
has been said, should live for but one year in accord-
ance with the thirteenth chapter of ist Corinthians,
unbelief would vanish. Will the day ever be when
every one that nam.es the name of Christ shall be a
living epistle, known and read of all men ?
But, however she may have been affected by the
spirit of those among whom she came, Rahab un-
doubtedly attained to a good degree before God, and
a place of high honour in the Hebrew community. It
was well for her that what at first arrested and im-
pressed her was not anything in the people of Israel ;
it was the glorious attributes of their God. For this
would preserve her substantially from disappointment.
Men might change, or they might pass away, but God
remained the same yesterday and to-day and for ever.
If she kept looking to Him, admiring His grace and
power, and drawing from His inexhaustible fulness,
1 64 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
she would be able to verify one at least of the prophet's
pictures : '' Cursed be the man that trusteth in man,
and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth
from the Lord : for he shall be like the heath in the
desert, and shall not see when good cometh ; but shall
inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt
land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man that
trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is : for
he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that
spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see
when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green ; and
shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither
shall cease from yielding fruit."
I
.1
I
CHAPTER XIV.
A CHAN'S TRESPASS.
Joshua vii.
A VESSEL in full sail scuds merrily over the waves.
Everything betokens a successful and delightful
voyage. The log has just been taken, marking an ex-
traordinary run. The passengers are in the highest
spirits, anticipating an early close of the voyage.
Suddenly a shock is felt, and terror is seen on every
face. The ship has struck on a rock. Not only is
progress arrested, but it will be a mercy for crew and
passengers if they can escape with their lives.
Not often so violently, but often as really, progress
is an^ested in many a good enterprise that seemed to
be prospering to a wish. There may be no shock, but
there is a stoppage of movement. The vital force that
seemed to be carrying it on towards the desired
consummation declines, and the work hangs fire. A
mission that in its first stages was working out a
beautiful transformation, becomes languid and advances
no further. A Church, eminent for its zeal and spiritual-
ity, comes down to the ordinary level, and seems to
lose its power. A family that promised well in infancy
and childhood fails of its promise, its sons and daughters
waver and fall. A similar result is often found in the
undertakings of common life. Something mysterious
1 66 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
arrests progress in business or causes a decline. In
'^enterprises of great pith and moment," *' the currents
turn awry, and lose the name of action."
In all such cases we naturally wonder what can be
the cause. And very often our explanation is wide of
the mark. In religious enterprises, we are apt to fall
back on the sovereignty and inscrutability of God.
" He moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to
perform." It seems good to Him, for unknown purposes
of His own, to subject us to disappointment and trial.
We do not impugn either His wisdom or His goodness ;
all is for the best. But, for the most part, we fail to
detect the real reason. That the fault should lie with
ourselves is the last thing we think of. We search
for it in every direction rather than at home. We are
ingenious in devising far-off theories and explanations,
while the real offender is close at hand — ^^ Israel hath
sinned.''^
It was an unexpected obstacle of this kind that
Joshua now encountered in his next step towards
possessing the land. Let us endeavour to understand
his position and his plan. Jericho lay in the valley
of the Jordan, and its destruction secured nothing for
Joshua save the possession of that low-lying valley.
From the west side of the valley rose a high mountain
wall, which had to be ascended in order to reach the
plateau of Western Palestine. Various ravines or passes
ran down from the plateau into the valley ; at the top
of one of these, a little to the north of Jericho, was
Bethel, and farther down the pass, nearer the plain, the
town or village of Ai. No remains of Ai are now visible,
nor is there any tradition of the name, so that its exact
position cannot be ascertained. It was an insignificant
place, but necessary to be taken, in order to give
vii.] ACHAN'S TRESPASS. 167
Joshua command of the pass, and enable him to reach
the plateau above. The plan of Joshua seems to have
been to gain command of the plateau about this point,
and thereby, as it were, cut the country in two, so that
he might be able to deal in succession with its southern
and its northern sections. If once he could establish
himself in the very centre of the country, keeping his
communications open with the Jordan valley, he would
be able to deal with his opponents in detail, and thus
prevent those in the one section from coming to the
assistance of the other. Neither Ai nor Bethel seemed
likely to give him trouble ; they were but insignificant
places, and a very small force would be sufficient to
deal Vv'ith them.
Hitherto Joshua had been eminently successful, and
his people too. Not a hitch had occurred in all the
arrangements. The capture of Jericho had been an
unqualified trium.ph. It seemed as if the people of Ai
could hardly fail to be paralysed by its fate. After
reconnoitring Ai, Joshua saw that there was no need
for mustering the whole host against so poor a place —
a detachment of two or three thousand would be
enough. The three thousand went up against it as
confidently as if success were already in their hands. It
was probably a surprise to find its people making any
attempt to drive them off The men of Israel v/ere not
prepared for a vigorous onslaught, and when it came
thus unexpectedly they were taken aback and fled in
confusion. As the men of Ai pursued them down the
pass, they had no power to rally or retrieve the battle ;
the rout was complete, some of the men were killed,
while consternation was carried into the host, and their
whole enterprise seemed doomed to failure.
And now for the first time Joshua appears in a some-
1 68 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
what humiliating light. He is not one of the men that
never make a blunder. He rends his clothes, falls on
his face with the elders before the ark of the Lord till
even, and puts dust upon his head. There is some-
thing too abject in this prostration. And when he
speaks to God, it is in the tone of complaint and in the
language of unbelief. '' Alas, O Lord God, wherefore
hast Thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to
deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us ?
would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the
other side Jordan ! O Lord, what shall I say, when
Israel turneth their backs before their enemies ! For
the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall
hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our
name from the earth : and what wilt Thou do unto Thy
great name ? " Thus Joshua almost throws the blame
on God. He seems to have no idea that it may lie in
quite another quarter. And very strangely, he adopts
the vei-y tone and almost the language of the ten spies,
against which he had protested so vehemently at the
time : ** Would God that we had died in the land of
Egypt, or would God we had died in this wilderness !
And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land,
to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children
should be a prey ? " What has become of all your
courage, Joshua, on that memorable day ? Is this the
man to whom God said so lately, '^ Be strong, and of
good courage ; as I was with Moses, so I will be with
thee. I will not fail thee nor forsake thee " ? Like
Peter on the waters, and like so many of ourselves, he
begins to sink when the wind is contrary, and his cry
is the querulous wail of a frightened child ! After all
he is but flesh and blood. - — -
Now it is God's turn to speak. " Get thee up ;
vii.] ACHAN'S TRESPASS. 169
wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face ? " Why do
you turn on Me as if I had suddenly changed, and
become forgetful of My promise ? Alas, my friends, how
often is God slandered by our complaints ! How often
do we feel and even speak as if He had broken His
word and forgotten His promise, as if He had induced
us to trust in Him, and accept His service, only to
humiliate us before the world, and forsake us in some
great crisis ! No wonder if God speak sharply to
Joshua, and to us if we go in Joshua's steps. No wonder
if He refuse to be pleased with our prostration, our
wringing of our hands and sobbing, and calls us to
change our attitude. '' Get thee up ; wherefore liest
thou thus upon thy face ? "
Then comes the true explanation — " Israel hath
sinned." Might you not have divined that this was
the real cause of 3'our trouble ? Is not sin directly or
indirectly the cause of all trouble ? What was it that
broke up the joy and peace of Paradise ? Sin. What
brought the flood of waters over the face of the earth to
destroy it ? Sin. What caused the confusion of Babel
and scattered the inhabitants over the earth in hostile
races ? Sin. What brought desolation on that very
plain of Jordaji, and buried its cities and its people
under an avalanche of fire and brimstone ? Sin. What
caused the defeat of Israel at Hormah forty years ago,
and doomed all the generation to perish in the wilder-
ness ? Sin. What threw down the walls of Jericho
only a few days ago, gave its people to the sword
of Israel, and reduced its homes and its bulwarks to
the mass of ruins you see there? Again, sin. Can you
not read the plainest lesson ? Can you not divine that
this trouble which has come on you is due to the same
cause with all the rest ? And if it be a first principle
lyo THE BOOK OF JObHUA.
of Providence that all trouble is due to sin, would it not
be more suitable that you and your elders should now
be making diligent search for it, and trying to get it
removed, than that you should be lying on your faces
and howling to me, as if some sudden caprice or
unworthy humour of mine had brought this distress
upon you ?
'' Behold, the Lord's ear is not heavy that it cannot
hear, nor His arm shortened that it cannot save. But
your iniquities have separated between you and your
God." What a curse that sin is, in ways and forms,
too, which we do not suspect ! And yet we are usually
so very careless about it. How little pains w^e take to
ascertain its presence, or to drive it away from among
us ! How little tenderness of conscience we show, how
little burning desire to be kept from the accursed thing I
And when we turn to our opponents and see sin in
them, instead of being grieved, we fall on them savagely
to upbraid them, and we hold them up to open scorn.
How little we think if they are guilty, that their sin has
intercepted the favour of God, and involved not them
only, but probably the whole community in trouble !
How unsatisfactory to God must seem the bearing even
of the best of us in reference to sin ! Do we really
think of it as the object of God's abhorrence ? As that
which destroyed Paradise, as that which has covered
the earth with lamentation and mourning and v/oe,
kindled the flames of hell, and brought the Son of God
to suffer on the cross ? If only we had some adequate
sense of sin, should we not be constantly making it our
prayer — '' Search me, O God, and know my heart ; try
me, and know my thoughts ; and see if there be any
wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting " ?
The peculiar covenant relation in which Israel stood
vii.] ACHAN'S TRESPASS. 171
to God caused a method to be fallen on for detecting
their sin that is not available for us. The whole people
were to be assembled next morning, and inquiry was
to be made for the delinquent in God's way, and when
the individual was found condign punishment was to
be inflicted. First the tribe was to be ascertained,
then the family, then the man. For this is God's way
of tracking sin. It might be more pleasant to us that
He should deal with it more generally, and having
ascertained, for example, that the wrong had been done
by a particular tribe or communit}^, inflict a fine or other
penalt}^ on that tribe in which we should willingly bear
our share. For it does not grieve us very much to
sin when every one sins along with us. Nay, we can
even make merry over the fact that we are all sinners
together, all in the same condemnation, in the same
disgrace. But it is a different thing when we are dealt
with one by one. The tribe is taken, the family is
taken, but that is not all ; the household that God
shall take shall come man by man ! It is that indi-
vidualizing of us that we dread ; it is when it comes
to that, that *' conscience makes cowards of us all."
When a sinner is dying, he becomes aware that this
individualizing process is about to take place, and hence
the fear which he often feels. He is no longer among
the multitude, death is putting him by himself, and God
is coming to deal with him by himself If he could
only be hid in the crowd it would not matter, but that
searching eye of God — who can stand before it ? What
will all the excuses or disguises or glosses he can devise
avail before Him who '* sets our iniquities before Him,
our secret sins in the light of His countenance " ?
'' Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in
His sight ; for all things are naked, and opened unto
172 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." Happy,
in that hour, they who have found the Divine covering
for sin : '' Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there
is no guile."
But before passing on to the result of the scrutiny,
we find ourselves face to face with a difficult question.
If, as is here intimated, it was one man that sinned,
why should the whole nation have been dealt with as
guilty ? Why should the historian, in the very first
verse of this chapter, summarise the transaction by
saying : ** But the children of Israel committed a trespass
in the devoted thing : for Achan, the son of Carmi, the
son of Zabdi, the son of Zevsihy of the tribe of Judah,
took of the devoted thing ; and the anger of the Lord
was kindled against the children of Israel " ? Why
visit the offence of Achan on the whole congregation,
causing a peculiarly humiliating defeat to take place
before an insignificant enemy, demoralizing the whole
host, driving Joshua to distraction, and causing the
death of six-and-thirty men ?
In dealing with a question of this sort, it is indis-
pensable that we station ourselves at that period of the
world's history ; we must place before our minds some
of the ideas that were prevalent at the time, and
abstain from judging of what was done then by a
standard which is applicable only to our own day.
And certain it is that, what we now call the solidarity of
mankind, the tendency to look on men rather as the mem-
bers of a community than as independent individuals,
each with an inalienable standing of his own, had a hold
of men's minds then such as it has not to-day, certainly
among Western nations. To a certain extent, this
vii.] ACHAN'S TRESPASS. 173
principle of solidarity is inwoven in the very nature
of things, and cannot be eliminated, however we may
tr}^ Absolute independence and isolation of individuals
are impossible. In families, we suffer for one another's
faults, even when we hold them in abhorrence. We
benefit by one another's virtues, though we may have
done our utmost to discourage and destroy them. In
the Divine procedure toward us, the principle of our
being a corporate body is often acted upon. The
covenant of Adam was founded on it, and the fall of
our first parents involved the fall of all their descen-
dants. In the earlier stages of the Hebrew economy,
wide scope was given to the principle. It operated
in two forms : sometimes the individual suffered for
the community, and sometimes the community for the
individual. And the operation of the principle was
not confined to the Hebrew or to other Oriental com-
munities. Even among the Romans it had a great
influence. Admirable though Roman law was in its
regulation of property, it was very defective in its
dealings with persons. '' Its great blot was the
domestic code. The son was the property of the father,
without rights, without substantial being, in the eye of
Roman law. . . . The wife again was the property of
her husband, an ownership of which the moral result
was most disastrous." ^
We are to remember that practically the principle
of solidarity was fully admitted in Joshua's time
among his people. The sense of injustice and hard-
ship to which it might give rise among us did not
exist. Men recognised it as a law of wide influence
in human affairs, to which they were bound to defer.
' See Mozley's " Ruling Ideas in the Early Ages," p. 40.
174 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Hence it was that when it became known that one
man's offence lay at the foundation of the defeat be-
fore Ai, and of the displeasure of God toward the
people at large, there was no outcr}^, no remonstrance,
no complaint of injustice. This could hardly take place
if the same thing were to happen now. It is hard to
reconcile the transaction with our sense of justice.
And no doubt, if we view the matter apart and by
itself, there may be some ground for this feeling. But
the transaction will assume another aspect if we view
it as but a part of a great whole, of a great scheme of
instruction and discipline which God was developing
in connection with Israel. In this light, instead of a
hardship it will appear that in the end a very great
benefit was conferred on the people.
Let us think of Achan's temptation. A large amount
of valuable property fell into the hands of the Israelites
at Jericho. By a rigorous law, all was devoted to the
service of God. Now a covetous man like Achan might
find many plausible reasons for evading this law.
"What I take to myself (he might say) will never be
missed. There are hundreds of Babylonish garments,
there are many wedges of gold, and silver shekels
without number, amply sufficient for the purpose for
which they are devoted. If I were to deprive another
man of his rightful share, I should be acting very
wickedly ; but I am really doing nothing of the kind.
I am only diminishing imperceptibly what is to be
used for a public purpose. Nobody will suffer a whit
by what I do, — it cannot be very wrong."
Now the great lesson taught very solemnly and
impressively to the whole nation was, that this was
just awfully wrong. The moral benefit which the
nation ultimately got from the transaction was, that
vii.] ACHAN'S TRESPASS. 175
this kind of sophistry, this flattering unction which leads
so many persons ultimately to destruction, was exploded
and blown to shivers. A most false mode of measuring
the criminality of sin was stamped with deserved repro-
bation. Every man and woman in the nation got a
solemn warning against a common but ruinous tempta-
tion. In so far as they laid to heart this warning
during the rest of the campaign, they were saved from
disastrous evil, and thus, in the long run, they profited
by the case of Achan.
That sin is to be held sinful only when it hurts your
fellow-creatures, and especially the poor among your
fellow-creatures, is a very common impression, but
surely it is a delusion of the devil. That it has such
effects may be a gross aggravation of the wickedness,
but it is not the heart and core of it. And how can you
know that it will not hurt others ? Not hurt your fellow-
countrymen, Achan ? Why, that secret sin of yours has
caused the death of thirty-six men, and a humiliating
defeat of the troops before Ai. More than that, it
has separated between the nation and God. Many
say, when they tell a lie, it was not a malignant lie, it
was a lie told to screen some one, not to expose him,
therefore it was harmless. But you cannot trace the
consequences of that lie, any more than Achan could
trace the consequences of his theft, otherwise you would
not dare to make that excuse. Many that would not
steal from a poor man, or waste a poor man's substance,
have little scruple in wasting a rich man's substance,
or in peculating from Government property. Who can
measure the evil that flows from such ways of trifling
with the inexorable law of right, the damage done to
conscience, and the guilt contracted before God ? Is
there safety for man or woman except in the most rigid
176 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
regard to right and truth, even in the smallest portions
of them with which they have to do ? Is there not
something utterly fearful in the propagating power of
sin, and in its way of involving others, who are perfectly
innocent, in its awful doom ? Happy they who from
their earliest years have had a salutary dread of it, and
of its infinite ramifications of misery and woe !
How well fitted for us, especially when we are exposed
to temptation, is that prayer of the psalmist : *' Who
can understand his errors? cleanse Thou me from secret
faults. Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous
sins ; let them not have dominion over me : then shall
I be perfect, and I shall be clear of great transgression."
CHAPTER XV.
A CHAN'S P UNISHMENT.
Joshua vii.
^' T) E sure your sin will find you out." It has an
J-J awful way of leaving its traces behind it, and
confronting the sinner with his crime. ''Though he
hide himself in the top of Carmel, I will search and
take him out thence ; and though he be hid from My
sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command
the serpent, and he shall bite him " (Amos ix. 3). '' For
God shall bring every work into judgment, with every
secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil "
(Eccles. xii. 14).
V/hen Achan heard of the muster that was to take
place next morning, in order to detect the offender,
he must have spent a miserable night. Between the
consciousness of guilt, the sense of the mischief he
had done, the dread of detection, and the foreboding of
retribution, his nerves were too much shaken to admit the
possibility of sleep. Weariedly and anxiously he must
have tossed about as the hours slowly revolved, unable
to get rid of his miserable thoughts, which would ever
keep swimming about him like the changing forms of a
kaleidoscope, but with the same dark vision of coming
doom.
At length the day dawns, the tribes muster, the
177 12
178 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
inquiry begins. It is by the sure, solemn, simple,
process of the lot that the case is to be decided. First
the lot is cast for the tribes, and the tribe of Judah is
taken. That must have given the first pang to Achan.
Then the tribe is divided into its families, and the family
of the Zarhites is taken ; then the Zarhite famity is
brought out man by man, and Zabdi, the father of
Achan, is taken. May we not conceive the heart of
Achan giving a fresh beat as each time the casting of
the lot brought the charge nearer and nearer to himself?
The coils are coming closer and closer about him ; and
now his father's family is brought out, man by man,
and Achan is taken. He is quite a young man, for his
father could only have been a lad when he left Egypt.
Look at him, pale, trembling, stricken with shame and
horror, unable to hide himself, feeling it would be such
a relief if the earth would open its jaws and swallow
him up, as it swallowed Korah. Look at his poor wife ;
look at his father ; look at his children. What a load
of misery he has brought on himself and on them I
Yes, the way of transgressors is hard.
Joshua's heart is overcome, and he deals gently with
the young man. '* My son, give, I pray thee, glory to
the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto Him;
and tell me now what thou hast done ; hide it not from
me." There was infinite kindness in that word ^' my
son." It reminds us of that other Joshua, the Jesus of
the New Testament, so tender to sinners, so full of love
even for those who had been steeped in guilt. It brings
before us the Great High Priest, who is touched with the
feeling of our infirmities, seeing He was in all things
tempted like as we are, yet without sin. A harsh word
from Joshua might have set Achan in a defiant attitude,
and drawn from him a denial that he had done anything
vii.J ACHAN'S PUNISHMENT. 179
amiss. How often do we see this ! A child or a
servant has done wrong ; you are angry, you speak
harshly, you get a flat denial. Or if the thing cannot
be denied, you get only a sullen acknowledgment,
which takes away all possibility of good arising out of
the occurrence, and embitters the relation of the parties
to each other.
But not only did Joshua speak kindly to Achan, he
confronted him with God, and called on him to think
how He was concerned in this matter. " Give glory
to the Lord God of Israel." Vindicate Him from the
charge which I and others have virtually been bringing
against Him, of proving forgetful of His covenant.
Clear Him of all blarne, declare His glory, declare that
He is unsullied in His perfections, and show that He
has had good cause to leave us to the mercy of our
enemies. No man as yet knew what Achan had done.
He might have been guilty of some act of idolatry, or
of some unhallowed sensuality like that which had
lately taken place at Baal-peor ; in order that the
transaction might carry its lesson, it was necessary that
the precise offence should be known. Joshua's kindly
address and his solemn appeal to Achan to clear the
character of God had the desired effect. '' Achan
answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned
against the Lord God of Israel, and thus and thus
have I done : when I saw among the spoils a goodly
Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver,
and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I
coveted them, and took them ; and, behold, they are
hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver
under it."
The confession certainly was frank and full ; but
whether it was made in the spirit of true contrition,
i8o THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
or whether it was uttered in the hope that it would
mitigate the sentence to be inflicted, we cannot tell.
It would be a comfort to us to think that Achan was
sincerely penitent, and that the miserable doom which
befell him and his family ended their troubles, and
formed the dark introduction to a better life. Where
there is even a possibility that such a view is correct
we naturally draw to it, for it is more than our hearts
can well bear to think of so awful a death being
followed by eternal misery.
Certain it is that Joshua earnestly desired to lead
Achan to deal with God in the matter. *' Make con-
fession," he said, '*unto Him." He knew the virtue of
confession to God. For '' he that covereth his sins
shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh
them shall have mercy" (Prov. xxviii. 13). ''When I
kept silencC; my bones waxed old through my roaring
all the day. ... I acknowledged my sin unto Thee,
and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will
confess my transgressions unto the Lord ; and Thou
forgavest the iniquity of my sin " (Psalm xxxii. 3, 5).
It is a hopeful circumstance in Achan's case that it was
after this solemn call to deal with God in the matter
that he made his confession. One hopes that the
sudden appearance on the scene of the God whom he
had so sadly forgotten, led him to see his sin in its
true light, and drew out the acknowledgment, —
''Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned." For no
moral effect can be greater than that arising from the
difference between sin covered and sin confessed to
God. Sin covered is the fruitful parent of excuses,
and sophistries, and of all manner of attempts to
disguise the harsh features of transgression, and to
show that, after all, there was not much wrong in it.
vii.] ACHAN'S PUNISHMENT. i8t
Sin confessed to God shows a fitting sense of the evil,
of the shame which it brings, and of the punishment
which it deserves, and an earnest longing for that
forgiveness and renewal which, the gospel now shows
us so clearly, come from Jesus Christ. For nothing
becomes a sinner before God so Vv^ell as when he breaks
down. It is the moment of a new birth when he sees
what miserable abortions all the refuges of lies are,
and, utterly despairing of being able to hide himself
from God in his filthy rags, unbosoms everything
to Him with whom '^ there is mercy and plenteous
redemption, and who will redeem Israel from all his
transgressions."
It is a further presumption that Achan was a true
penitent, that he told so frankl}^ where the various
articles that he had appropriated were to be found.
'' Behold, the}^ are hid in the midst of my tent." They
were scalding his conscience so fearfully that he could
not rest till they were taken away from the abode which
the}^ polluted and cursed. They seemed to be crying
out against him and his w^ith a voice which could not
be silenced. To bring them away and expose them
to public view might bring no relaxation of the doom
v/hich he expected, but it would be a relief to his feel-
ings if they were dragged from the hiding hole to which
he had so wickedly consigned them. For the articles
were now as hateful to him as formerly the^^ had been
splendid and delightful. The curse of God was on
them now, and on him too on their account. Is there
anything darker or deadlier than the curse of God ?
And now the consummation arrives. Messengers
are sent to his tent, they find the stolen goods, they
bring them to Joshua, and to all the children of Israel,
and they lay them out before the Lord. We are not
1 82 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
told how the judicial sentence was arrived at. But
there seems to have been no hesitation or delay about
it. " Joshua and all the children of Israel took Achan
the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and
the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and
his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent,
and all that he had : and they brought them unto the
valley of Achor. And Joshua said. Why hast thou
troubled us ? the Lord shall trouble thee this day.
And all Israel stoned him with stones, and they
burned him with fire, after they had stoned them with
stones. And they raised over him a great heap of
stones unto this day. So the Lord turned from the
fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that
place was called. The valley of Achor, unto this day."
It seems a terrible punishment, but Achan had already
brought defeat and disgrace on his countrymen, he
had robbed God, and brought the whole community to
the brink of ruin. It must have been a strong lust
that led him to play with such consequences. What
sin is there to which covetousness has not impelled
men ? And, strange to say, it is a sin which has
received but little check from all the sad experience of
the past. Is it not as daring as ever to-day ? Is it
not the parent of that gambling habit which is the
terror of all good men, sapping our morality and our
industry, and disposing tens of thousands to trust to
the bare chance of an unlikely contingency, rather than
to God's blessing on honest industry ? Is it not sheer
covetousness that turns the confidential clerk into a
robber of his employer, and uses all the devices of
cunning to discover how long he can carry on his
infamous plot, till the inevitable day of detection arrive
and he must fl}', a fugitive and a vagabond, to a foreign
nl] ACHAN'S PUNISHMENT. 183
land ? Is it not covetousness that induces the blithe
young maiden to ally herself to one whom she knows
to be a moral leper, but who is high in rank and full
of wealth ? Is it not the same lust that induces the
trader to send his noxious wares to savage countries
and drive the miserable inhabitants to a deeper misery
and degradation than ever ? Catastrophes are always
happening : the ruined gambler blows out his brains ;
the dishonest clerk becomes a convict, the unhappy
young wife gets into the divorce court, the scandalous
trader sinks into bankruptcy and misery. But there
is no abatement of the lust which makes such havoc.
If the old ways of indulging it are abandoned, new
outlets are always being found. Education does not
cripple it ; civilization does not uproot it ; even Chris-
tianity does not always overcome it. It goeth about,
if not like a roaring lion, at least Hke a cunning serpent
intent upon its prey. Within the Church, where the
minister reads out ** Thou shalt not covet," and where
men say with apparent devoutness, '^ Lord, have mercy
upon us, and incline our hearts to keep this law " — as
soon as their backs are turned, they are scheming to
break it. Still, as of old, '* love of money is the root of
all evil, which while some coveted after they erred from
the faith, and pierced themselves through with many
sorrows."
Achan's sin has found him out, and he suffers its
bitter doom. All his visions of comfort and enjoyment
to be derived from his unlawful gain are rudely shattered.
The pictures he has been drawing of what he will do
with the silver and the gold and the garment are for
ever dispersed. He has brought disaster on the nation,
and shame and ruin on himself and his house. In all
coming time, he must stand in the pillory of history
t84 the book of JOSHUA.
as the man who stole the forbidden spoil of Jericho.
That disgraceful deed is the only thing that will ever
be known of him. Further, he has sacrificed his life.
Young though he is, his hfe will be cut short, and all
that he has hoped for of enjoyment and honour will
be exchanged for a horrible death and an execrable
memory. O sin, thou art a hard master ! Thou
draggest thy slaves, often through a short and rapid
career, to misery and to infamy !
Nevertheless, the hand of God is seen here. The
punishment of sin is one of the inexorable conditions
of His government. It may look dark and ugly to us,
but it is there. It may create a very different feeling
from the contemplation of His love and goodness, but in
our present condition that feeling is wholesome and
necessary. As we follow unpardoned sinners into the
future world, it may be awful, it may be dismal to think
of a state from which punishment will never be absent ;
but the awfulness and the dismalness will not change
the fact. It is the mystery of God's character that He
is at once infinite love and infinite righteousness. And
if it be unlawful for us to exclude His love and dwell
only on His justice, it is equally unlawful to exclude
His justice and dwell only on His love. Now, as of
old. His memorial is, ''The Lord, the Lord God merciful
and gracious, longsuflfering and abundant in mercy and
truth, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and
that will by no means clear the guilty."
But if it be awful to contemplate the death, and the
mode of death of Achan, how much more when we
think that his wife and his sons and his daughters were
stoned to death along with him ! Would that not have
been a barbarous deed in any case, and was it not much
more so if they were wholly innocent of his offence ?
vii.] ACHAN'S PUNISHMENT. 185
To mitigate the harshness of this deed, some have
supposed that they were privy to his sin, if not
instigators of it. But of this we have not a tittle of
evidence, and the whole drift of the narrative seems to
show that the household suffered in the same manner
and on the same ground as that of Korah (Num. xvi.
31-33). As regards the mode of death, it was signifi-
cant of a harsh and hard-tempered age. Neither death
nor the sufferings of the dying made much impression
on the spectators. This callousness is almost beyond
our comprehension, the tone of feeling is so different
now. But we must accept the fact as it was. And as
to the punishment of the wife and children, we must
fall back on that custom of the time which not only
gave to the husband and father the sole power and
responsibility of the household, but involved the wife
and children in his doom if at any time he should
expose himself to punishment. As has already been
said, neither the wife nor the children had any rights
as against the husband and father ; as his will was the
sole law, so his retribution was the common inheritance
of all. With him they were held to sin, and with him
they suffered. The}^ were considered to belong to him
just as his hands and his feet belonged to him. It may
seem to us very hard, and when it enters, even in a
modified form, into the Divine economy we may cry out
against it. Many do still, and ever will cry out against
original sin, and against all that has come upon our
race in consequence of the sin of Adam.
But it is in vain to fight against so apparent a fact.
Much wiser surely it is to take the view of the Apostle
Paul, and rejoice that, under the economy of the gospel,
the principle of imputation becomes the source of bless-
ing infinitely greater than the evil which it brought
1 86 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
at the fall. It is one of the greatest triumphs of the
Apostle's mode of reasoning that, instead of shutting
his eyes to the law of imputation, he scans it carefully,
and compels it to yield a glorious tribute to the goodness
of God. When his theme was the riches of the grace
of God, one might have thought that he would desire
to give a wide berth to that dark fact in the Divine
economy — the imputation of Adam's sin. But instead
of desiring to conceal it, he brings it forward in all its
terribleness and universality of application ; but with
the skill of a great orator, he turns it round to his
side by showing that the imputation of Christ's right-
eousness has secured results that outdo all the evil
flowing from the imputation of Adam's sin. " There-
fore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all
men to condemnation ; even so by the righteousness
of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification
of life. For as through the one man's disobedience the
many were made sinners, even so through the obedience
of the one shall the many be made righteous. More-
over the law entered that the offence might abound ;
but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound :
that, as sin reigned in death, even so might grace reign
through righteousness unto eternal life, through Jesus
Christ our Lord " (Rom. v. 18-21).
Very special mention is made of the place where the
execution of Achan and his family took place. " They
brought them unto the valley of Achor, . . . and they
raised over him a great heap of stones, . . . wherefore
the name of that place is called. The valley of Achor,
unto this day." Achor, which means trouble^ seems to
have been a small ravine near the lower part of the
valley in which Ai was situated, and therefore near the
scene of the disaster that befell the Israelites. It was
vii.] ACHAN'S PUNISHMENT. 187
not an old name, but a name given at the time, derived
from the occurrence of which it had just been the scene.
It seemed appropriate that poor Achan should suffer at
the very place where others had suffered on his account.
It is subsequently referred to three times in Scripture.
Later in this book it is given as part of the northern
boundary of the tribe of Judah (chap. xv. 7) ; in
Isaiah (Ixv. 10) it is referred to on account of its
fertility; and in Hosea (ii. 15) it is introduced in the
beautiful allegory of the restored wafe, who has been
brought into the wilderness, and made to feel her
poverty and misery, but of whom God says, ** I will give
her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for
a door of hope." The reference seems to be to the
evil repute into which that valley fell by the sin of
Achan, when it became the valley of trouble. For, by
Achan's sin, what had appeared likely to prove the door
of access for Israel into the land was shut ; a double
trouble came on the people — partly because of their
defeat, and partly because their entrance into the land
appeared to be blocked. In Hosea's picture of Israel
penitent and restored, the valley is again turned to its
natural use, and instead of a scene of trouble it again
becomes a door of hope, a door by which they may hope
to enter their inheritance. It is a door of hope for the
penitent wife, a door by which she may return to her
lost happiness. The underlying truth is, that when we
get into a right relation to God, what were formerly
evils become blessings, hindrances are turned into
helps. Sin deranges everything, and brings trouble
everywhere. The ground was cursed on account of
Adam : not literall}^, but indirectly, inasmuch as it
needed hard and exhausting toil, it needed the sweat
of his face to make it yield him a maintenance. '* We
1 88 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
know/' says the Apostle, " that the whole creation
groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now."
*' For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its
own will, but by reason of Him who subjected it, in
hope that the creation itself also shall be delivered out
of the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty
of the children of God."
No man can tell all the '* trouble " that has come into
the world by reason of sin. As little can we know the
full extent of that deliverance that shall take place when
sin comes to an end. If we would know anything of
this we must go to those passages which picture to us
the new heavens and the new earth : '* In the midst
of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was
there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits,
and yielded her fruit every month : and the leaves of
the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there
shall be no more curse : but the throne of God and of
the Lamb shall be in it ; and His servants shall serve
Him : and they shall see His face ; and His name shall
be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night
there ; and they need no candle, neither light of the
sun ; for the Lord God giveth them light : and they
shall reign for ever and ever."
CHAPTER XVI.
THE CAPTURE OF A I.
Joshua viii. i — 29.
JOSHUA, having dealt faithfully with the case of
Achan, whose sin had intercepted the favour of God,
is again encouraged, and directed to renew, but more
carefully, his attack on Ai. That word is addressed to
him which has always such significance when coming
from the Divine lips — '^ Fear not." How much of our
misery arises from fear ! How many a beating heart,
how many a shaking nerve, how man}^ a sleepless night
have come, not from evil experienced, but from evil
apprehended ! To save one from the apprehension of
evil is sometimes more important, as it is usually far
more difficult, than to save one from evil itself An
affectionate father finds that one of his most needed
services to his children is to allay their fears. Never
is he doing them a greater kindness than when he uses
his larger experience of life to assure them, in some
anxiety, that there is no cause for fear. Our heavenly
Father finds much occasion for a similar course. He
has indeed got a very timid family. It is most inter-
esting to mark how the Bible is studded with ^^ fear
nots," from Genesis to Revelation ; from that early
word to Abraham — '' Fear not, I am thy shield, and
thy exceeding great reward " — to that most comforting
189
igo THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
assurance to the beloved disciple, '' Fear not ; I am the
first and the last : I am He that liveth, and was dead ;
and, behold, I am alive for evermore. Amen ; and have
the keys of hades and of death," If only God's children
could hear Him uttering that one word, from how much
anxiety and misery would it set them free I
Virtually the command to Joshua is to '' try again."
Success, though denied to the first effort, often comes
to the next, or at least to a subsequent one. Even
apart from spiritual considerations, it is those who try
oftenest who succeed best. There is little good in a
man who abandons an undertaking simply because he
has tried once and failed. Who does not recall in
this connection the story of Alfred the Great ? Or of
Robert the Bruce watching the spider in the barn that
at last reached the roof after sixteen failures ? Or,
looking to what has a more immediate bearing on the
kingdom of God, who has not admired the perseverance
of Livingstone, undaunted by fever and famine, and
the ferocity of savage chiefs ; unmoved by his longings
for home and dreams of plenty and comfort that
mocked him when he awoke to physical wretchedness
and want ? Such perseverance gives a man the stamp
of true nobility ; we are almost tempted to fall down
and worship. If failure be humiliating, it is redeemed
by the very act and attitude of perseverance, and the
self-denial and scorn of ease which it involves. In
the Christian warfare no man is promised victory at
the first. " Let us not be weary in welldoing, for in
due season we shall reap if we faint not."
To Christian men especially, failure brings very
valuable lessons. There is always something to be
learned from it. In our first attempt we were too self-
confident. We went too carelessly about the matter,
viii. 1-29.] THE CAPTURE OF A I. 191
and did not sufficiently realize the need of Divine
support. Never was there a servant of God who
learned more from his failures than St. Peter. Nothing
could have been more humiliating than his thrice-
repeated denial of his Lord. But when Peter came
to himself, he saw on what a bruised reed he had been
leaning when he said, '' Though I should die with Thee
yet will I not deny Thee." How miserably misplaced
that self-confidence had been ! But it had the effect
of startling him, of showing him his danger, and of
leading him to lift up his eyes to the hills from whence
came his help. It might have seemed a risky, nay
reckless thing for our Lord to commit the task of steering
His infant Church over the stormy seas of her first
voyage to a man who, six weeks before, had proved so
weak and treacherous. But Peter was a genuine man,
and it was that first failure that afterwards made him
so strong. It is no longer Peter, but Christ in Peter
that directs the movement. And thus it came to pass
that, during the critical period of the Church's birth, no
carnal drawback diminished his strength or diluted
his faith ; all his natural rapidity of movement, all his
natural outspokenness, boldness, and directness w^ere
brought to bear without abatement on the advancement
of the young cause. He conducted himself during this
most delicate and vital period with a nobility beyond
all praise. He took the ship out into the open sea
amid raging storms without touching a single rock.
And it was all owing to the fact that by God's grace
he profited by his failure !
In the case of Joshua and his people, one of the chief
lessons derived from their failure before Ai was the
evil of covering sin. Alas, this policy is the cause of
failures innumerable in the spiritual life I In numberless
192 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
ways it interrupts Divine fellowship, withdraws the
Divine blessing, and grieves the Holy Spirit. We
have not courage to cut off a right hand and pluck out
a right eye. We leave besetting sins in a corner of
our hearts, instead of trying to exterminate them, and
determining not to allow them a foothold there. The
acknowledgment of sin, the giving up of all leniency
towards it, the determination, by God's grace, to be
done with it, always go before true revivals, before a
true return of God to us in all His graciousness and
power. Rather, we should say, they are the beginning
of revival. In Israel of old the land had to be purged
of every vestige of idolatry under Hezekiah and other
godly kings, before the light of God's countenance was
again lifted upon it. '* To this man will I look, even
to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that
trembleth at My word."
Joshua is instructed to go up again against Ai, but
in order to interest and encourage the people, he
resorts to a new plan of attack. A stratagem is to be
put in operation. An ambuscade is to be stationed on
the west side of the city, v/hile the main body of the
assaulting force is to approach it, as formerly, from the
east. There is some obscurity and apparent confusion
in the narrative, confined, however, to one point, the
number composing the ambuscade and the main body
respectively. Some error in the text appears to have
crept in. From the statement in ver. 3 we might
suppose that the men who were to lie in ambush
amounted to thirty thousand ; but in ver. 12 it is
expressly stated that only five thousand were employed
in this way. There can be little doubt (though it is
not according to the letter of the narrative) that the
whole force employed amounted to thirty thousand,
viii. 1-29.] THE CAPTURE OF A I. 193
and that, of these, five thousand formed the ambush.
Indeed, in such a valle}^, it would not have been
possible for thirty thousand men to conceal themselves
so as to be invisible from the city. It would appear
(ver. 17) that the people of Bethel had left their own
village and gone into Ai. Bethel, as we have said,
was situated higher up ; in fact, it was on the very
ridge of the plateau of Western Palestine. It must
have been but a little place, and its people seem to
have deemed it better to join those of Ai, knowing that
if the Israelites were repulsed from the lower city, the
upper was safe.
The ruse was that the ambush should be concealed
behind the city ; that Ai, as before, should be attacked
from the east by the main -body of troops ; that on
receiving the onslaught from the city they should seem
to be defeated as before ; that Joshua, probably standing
on some commanding height, should give a signal to
the men in ambush by raising his spear ; whereupon
these men should rush down on the now deserted place
and set it on fire. On seeing the flames, the pursuers
would naturally turn and rush back to extinguish them ;
then the main body of Israel would turn likev/ise, and
thus the enemy would be caught as in a trap from
which there was no escape, and fall a victim to the
two sections of Israel.
To plots of this kind, the main objection in a stra-
tegical sense lies in the risk of detection. For the five
thousand who went to station themselves in the west
it was a somewhat perilous thing to separate themselves
from the host, and place themselves in the heart of
enemies both in front and in rear. It needed strong
faith to expose themselves in such a situation. Suppose
they had been detected as they went stealing along
13
194 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
past Ai in the darkness of the night ; suppose they had
come on some house or hamlet, and wakened the
people, so that the alarm should have been carried to Ai,
what would have been the result ? It was well for
Israel that no such mishap occurred, and that they were
able in silence to reach a place where they might lie
concealed. The • ground is so broken by rocks and
ravines that this would not have been very difficult ;
the people of Ai suspected nothing ; probably the force
on the east were at pains, by camp-fires and otherwise,
to engage their attention, and whenever that force began
to move, as if for the attack, every eye in the city would
be fixed intently upon it.
The plot was entirely successful ; everything fell out
precisely as Joshua had desired. A terrible slaughter
of the men of Ai took place, caught as they wxre on
the east of the city between the two sections of Joshua's
troops, for the Israelites gave no quarter either to age
or sex. The whole number of the slain amounted to
twelve thousand, and that probably included the people
of Bethel too. We see from this what an insignificant
place Ai must have been, and how very humiliating was
the defeat it inflicted at first. With reference to the
spoil of the city, the rigid law prescribed at Jericho was
not repeated ; the people got it for themselves. Jericho
was an exceptional case ; it was the firstfruits of the
conquest, therefore holy to the Lord. If Achan had
but waited a little, he would have had his share of the
spoil of Ai or some other place. He would have got
legitimately what he purloined unlawfully. In the
slaughter, the king, or chief of the place, suffered a more
ignominious doom than his soldiers ; instead of being
slain with the sword, he was hanged, and his body was
exposed on a tree till sunset. Joshua did not want
viii. 1-29.] THE CAPTURE OP AI. 195
some drops of Oriental blood ; he had the stern pleasure
of the Eastern warrior in humbling those who were
highest in honour. What remained of the city was
burned ; it continued thereafter a heap of ruins, with a
great cairn of stones at its gate, erected over the dead
body of the king.
We see that already light begins to be thrown on
what at the time must have seemed the very severe and
rigid order about the spoil of Jericho. Although Achan
was the only offender, he was probably far from being
the only complainer on that occasion. Many another
Israelite with a covetous heart must have felt bitterly
that it was very hard to be prevented from taking even
an atom to oneself " Were not our fathers allowed
to spoil the Egyptians — why, then, should we be abso-
lutely prevented from having a share of the spoil of
Jericho ? " It might have been enough to answer that
God claimed the firstfruits of the land for Himself Or
to say that God designed at the very entrance of His
people into Canaan to show that they were not a tumul-
tuous rabble, rushing greedily on all they could lay
their hands on, but a well-trained, well-mannered family,
in whom self-restraint was one of the noblest virtues.
But to all this it might have been added, that the
people's day was not far off It is not God's method to
muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And so to
all who rush tumultuously upon the good things of this
life. He says, " Seek first the kingdom of heaven and
His righteousness, and all these things shall be added
unto you." Let God arrange the order in which His
gifts are distributed. Never hurry Providence, as Sarah
did when she gave Hagar to Abraham. Sarah had
good cause to repent of her impetuosity ; it brought her
many a bitter hour. Whereas God was really kinder
196 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
to her than she had thought, and in due time He gave
her Isaac, not the son of the bondwoman, but her own.
A question has been raised respecting the legitimacy
of the stratagem employed by Joshua in order to capture
Ai. Was it right to deceive the people ; to pretend
to be defeated while in reality he was only executing
a ruse, and thus draw on the poor men of Ai to a
terrible death ? Calvin and other commentators make
short work of this objection. If war is lawful, stratagem
is lawful. Stratagem indeed, as war used to be con-
ducted, was a principal part of it ; and even now the
term " strategic," derived from it, is often used to
denote operations designed for a different purpose
from that which at first appears. It is needless to dis-
cuss here the lawfulness of war, for the Israelites were
waging war at the express command of the Almighty,
And if it be said that when once you allow the principle
that it is lawful in war to mislead the enemy, you
virtually allow perfidy, inasmuch as it would be lawful
for you, after pledging your word under a flag of truce,
to disregard your promise, the answer to that is, that
to mislead in such circumstances would be infamous.
A distinction is to be drawn between acts where the
enemy has no right to expect that you will make known
your intention, and acts where they have such a right.
In the ordinary run of strategic movements, you are
under no obligation to tell the foe what you are about. It
is part of their business to watch you, to scrutinize your
every movement, and in spite of appearances to divine
your real purpose. If they are too careless to watch,
or too stupid to discern between a professed and a real
plan, they must bear the consequences. But when a
flag of truce is displayed, when a meeting takes place
under its protection, and when conditions are agreed to
viii. 1-29.] THE CAPTURE OF AT 197
on both sides, the case is very different. The enemy
is entitled now to expect that you will not mislead them.
Your word of honour has been passed to that effect.
And to disregard that pledge, and deem it smart to
mislead thereby, is a proceeding worthy only of the
most barbarous, the most perfidious, the most shame-
less of men.
Thus far we may defend the usages of war ; but at
best it is a barbarous mode of operations. Very
memorable was the observation of the Duke of Welling-
ton, that next to the calamity of suffering a defeat was
that of gaining a victory. To look over a great battle-
field, fresh from the clash of arms ; to survey the
trampled crops, the ruined houses, the universal desola-
tion ; to gaze on all the manly forms lying cold in death,
and the many besides wounded, bleeding, groaning,
perhaps dying ; to think of the illimitable treasure that
has been lavished on this work of destruction and the
comforts of which it has robbed the countries engaged ;
to remember in what a multitude of cases, death must
carry desolation and anguish to the poor widow, and
turn the remainder of life into a lonely pilgrimage, is
enough surely to rob war of the glory associated with
it, and to make good the position that on the part of
civilized and Christian men it should only be the last
desperate resort, after every other means of effecting
its object has failed. We are not forgetful of the manly
self-sacrifice of those who expose themselves so readily to
the risk of mutilation and death, wherever the rulers of
their country require it, for it is the redeeming feature
of war that it brings out so much of this high patriotic
devotion ; but surely they are right who deem arbitra-
tion the better method of settling national differences ;
who call for a great disarmament of the European
198 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
nations, and would put a stop to the attitude of every
great country shaking its fist in the face of its neigh-
bours. What has become of the prophecy *' They shall
beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears
into pruning hooks " ? Or the beautiful vision of Milton
on the birth of the Saviour ? —
" No war, or battle's sound
Was heard the world around ;
The idle spear and shield were high uphung;
The hooked chariot stood
Unstained with hostile blood,
The trumpet spake not to the armed throng;
And kings sat still with awful eye
As if they surely knew their sovran Lord was by."
One lesson comes to us with pre-eminent force from
the operations of war. The activity displayed by every
good commander is a splendid example for all of us in
spiritual warfare. ^' Joshua arose " ; '* Joshua lodged
that night among the people"; ''Joshua rose up
early in the morning " ; '* Joshua went that night into
the middle of the valley " ; /' Joshua drew not his hand
back wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he
had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants o\ Ai." Such
expressions show how intensely in earnest he was, how
unsparing of himself, how vigilant and indefatigable in
all that bore upon his enterprise. And generally we
still see that, wherever military expeditions are under-
taken, they are pushed forward with untiring energy,
and the sinews of war are supplied in unstinted abun-
dance, whatever grumbling there may be afterwards
when the bill comes to be paid. Has the Christian
Church ever girded herself for the great enterprise of
conquering the world for Christ with the same zeal
and determination ? What are all the sums of money
contributed for Christian missions, compared to those
viii. I -29. J THE CAPTURE OF AI. I99
spent annually on military and naval forces, and multi-
plied indefinitely when active war goes on 1 Alas,
this question brings out but one result of a painful
comparison — the contrast between the ardour with
which secular results are pursued by secular men,
and spiritual results by spiritual men. Let the rumour
spread that gold or diamonds have been found at some
remote region of the globe, what multitudes flock to
them in the hope of possessing themselves of a share
of the spoil I Not even the prospect of spending
many days and nights in barbarism, amid the misery
of dirt and heat and insects, and with company so
rude and rough and reckless that they have hardly the
appearance of humanity, can overcome the impetuous
desire to possess themselves of the precious material,
and come home rich. What crowds rush in when
the prospectus of a profitable brewery promises an
abundant dividend, earned too often b}^ the manufactory
of drunkards ! What eager eyes scan the advertise-
ments that tell you that if persons bearing a certain
name, or related to one of that name, would apply at
a certain address, they would hear of something to
their advantage I Once we knew of a young man
who had not even seen such an advertisement, but had
been told that it had appeared. There was a vague
tradition in his family that in certain circumstances a
property would fall to them. The mere rumour that an
advertisement had appeared in which he was interested
set him to institute a search for it. He procured a file
of the Times newspaper, reaching over a series of years,
and eagerly scanned its advertisements. Failing to find
there v/hat he was in search of, he procured sets of
other daily newspapers and subjected them to the same
process. And thus he went on and on in his unwearied
200 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
search, till first he lost his situation, then he lost his
reason, and then he lost his life. What will men not
do to obtain a corruptible crown ? Could it be sup-
posed from our attitude and ardour that we are striving
for the incorruptible ? Could it be thought that the
riches which we are striving to accumulate are not
those which moth and rust do corrupt, but the treasures
that endure for evermore ? Surely " it is high time for
us to awake out of sleep." Surely we ought to lay to
heart that *' the things which are seen are temporal, but
the things which are not seen are eternal." Memorable
are the poet's words respecting the great objects of
human desire : —
"The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve :
And like this unsubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind."
CHAPTER XVll.
EBAL AND GERIZIM.
Joshua viii. 30—35.
COMMENTATORS on Joshua have been greatly
perplexed by the place which this narrative has in
our Bibles. No one can study the map, and take into
account the circumstances of Joshua and the people,
without sharing in this perplexity. It will be observed
from the map that Ebal and Gerizim, rising from the
plain of Shechem, are a long way distant from Ai and
Bethel. If we suppose Joshua and not his army only,
but the whole of his people (ver. 33), to have gone
straight from Gilgal to Mount Ebal after the capture
of Ai, the journey must have occupied several days
each way, besides the time needed for the ceremony
that took place there. It certainly would have needed
an overwhelming reason to induce him at such a time,
first to march a host like this all the way to Mount
Ebal, and then to march them back to their encampment
at Gilgal. Hence many have come to believe that, in
some way which we cannot explain, this passage has
been inserted out of its proper place. The most
natural place for it would be at the end of chap. xi. or
chap, xii., after the conquest of the whole country,
and before its division among the tribes. Nearly all
the manuscripts of the Septuagint insert it between
201
202 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
vv. 2 and 3 of the ninth chapter, but this does not go
far to remove the difficulty. It has been thought by
some that Joshua left the original Gilgal in the plain
of Jordan, and fixed his camp at another Gilgal, trans-
ferring the name of his first encampment to the second.
Mention is certainly made in Scripture of another Gilgal
in the neighbourhood of Bethel (2 Kings ii. 2), but
nothing is said to lead us to suppose that Joshua had
removed his encampment thither.
Some have thought that no record has been pre-
served of one of Joshua's great campaigns, the cam-
paign in which he subdued the central part of the
country. A good deal may be said for this supposition.
In the list of the thirty-one kings whom he subdued
over the country (chap, xii.) we find several whose
dominions were in this region. For instance, we know
that Aphek, Taanach, and Megiddo were all situated
in the central part of the country, and probably other
cities too. Yet, while the fact is recorded that they
were defeated, no mention is made of any expedition
against them. They belonged neither to the confederacy
of Adonizedec in the south nor to that of Jabin in the
north, and they must have been subdued on some
separate occasion. It is just possible that Joshua
defeated them before encountering the confederacy of
Adonizedec at Gibeon and Bethhoron. But it is far
more likel}^ that it was after that victory that he
advanced to the central part of the country.
On the whole, while admitting the perplexity of the
question, we incline to the belief that the passage has
been transferred from its original place. This in no
way invalidates the authority of the book, or of the
passage, for in the most undoubtedly authentic books
of Scripture we have instances beyond question — very
viii.3o-35-] EBAL AND GERIZIM. 203
notably in Jeremiah — of passages inserted out of their
natural order.
It has been said that the passage in Deuteronomy
(xxvii. 4-19) could not have been written by Moses,
because he had never set foot in Canaan, and therefore
could not have been acquainted with the names or the
locality of Ebal and Gerizim. On the contrary, we
believe that he had very good reason to be acquainted
with both. For at the foot of Ebal lay the portion
of ground which Jacob gave to his son Joseph, and
where both Jacob's well and Joseph's tomb are pointed
out at the present day. That piece of ground must
have been familiar to Jacob, and carefully described to
Joseph by its great natural features when he made
it over to him. And as Joseph regarded it as his
destined burial-place, the tradition of its situation must
have been carefully transmitted to those that came
after him, when he gave commandment concerning his
bones. Joseph was not the oldest son of Jacob, any
more than Rachel was his oldest wife, and for these
reasons neither of them was buried in the cave of
Machpelah. Moses therefore had good reasons for
being acquainted with the locality. Probably it was at
the time of the ceremony at Ebal that the bones of Joseph
were buried, although the fact is not recorded till the
very end of the book (Josh. xxiv. 32). But that passage,
too, is evidently not in its natural place.
It was a most fitting thing that when he had com-
pleted the conquest of the country, Joshua should set
about performing that great national ceremony, designed
to rivet on the people's hearts the claims of God's law
and covenant, which had been enjoined b}'^ Moses to
be performed in the valley of Shechem. For though
Joshua was neither priest nor prophet, yet as a warm
204 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
believer and earnest servant of God, he felt it his duty
on all suitable occasions to urge upon the people that
there was no prosperity for them save on condition of
loyalty to Him. He sought to mingle the thought of
God and of God's claims with the very life of the
nation ; to make it run, as it were, in their very blood ;
to get them to think of the Divine covenant as their
palladium, the very pledge of all their blessings, their
one only guarantee of prosperity and peace.
When therefore Joshua conducted his people to the
Mounts Ebal and Gerizim, in order that they might
have the obligations of the law set before them in a
form as impressive as it was picturesque, he was not
merely fulfilling mechanically an injunction of Moses,
but performing a transaction into which he himself
entered heart and soul. And when the v/riter of the
book records the transaction, it is not merely for the
purpose of showing us how certain acts prescribed in
a previous book were actually performed, but for the
purpose of perpetuating an occurrence which in the
whole future history of the nation would prove either
a continual inspiration for good, or a testimony against
them, so that out of their own life they should be
condemned. Knov/ing Joshua as we do, we can easily
believe that all along it was one of his most cherished
projects to implement the legacy of Moses, and super-
intend this memorable covenanting act. It must have
been a great relief from the bloody scenes and awful
experiences of war to assemble his people among the
mountains, and engage them in a service which was
so much more in harmony with the beauty and sublimity
of nature. No critic or writer who has any sense of
the fitness of things can coolly remove this transaction
from the sphere of history into that of fancy, or deprive
viii.30-35] EBAL AND GERIZIM. 205
Joshua of his share in a transaction into which his heart
was doubtless thrown as enthusiastically as that of
David in after times when the ark was placed upon
Mount Zion.
It could not be without thrilling hearts that Joshua
and all of his people who were like-minded entered the
beautiful valley of Shechem, which had been the first
resting-place in Canaan of their father Abraham, the
first place where God appeared to him, and the first
place where "he builded an altar unto the Lord"
(Gen. xii. 6, 7). By general consent the valley of
Shechem holds the distinction of being one of the most
beautiful in the country. '' Its v/estern side," says
Stanley, ''is bounded by the abutments of two moun-
tain ranges, running from west to east. These ranges
are Gerizim and Ebal ; and up the opening between
them, not seen from the plain, lies the modern town of
Nablous [Neapohs = Shechem]. ... A valley green
with grass, grey with olives, gardens sloping down on
each side, fresh springs running down in all directions ;
at the end a white town embosomed in all this verdure,
lodged betw^een the two high mountains which extend
on each side of the valley — that on the south Gerizim,
that on the north Ebal ; — this is the aspect of Nablous,
the most beautiful, perhaps it might be said the only
very beautiful spot in Central Palestine."
If the host of Israel approached Ebal and Gerizim
from the south, they would pass along the central ridge
or plateau of the country till they reached the vale of
Shechem, where the mountain range would appear as
if it had been cleft from top to bottom by some great
convulsion of nature. Then, as now, the country was
studded thickly with villages, the plains clothed with
grass and grain, and the rounded hills with orchards of
2o6 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
fig, olive, pomegranate, and other trees. On either side
of the fissure rose a hill of about eight hundred feet,
about the height of Arthur Seat at Edinburgh, Ebal on
the north and Gerizim on the south. It was not like
the scene at Sinai, where the bare and desolate moun-
tains towered up to heaven, their summits lost among
the clouds. This was a more homely landscape, amid
the fields and dwellings where the people were to spend
their daily life. If the proclamation of the law from
Sinai had something of an abstract and distant character,
Ebal and Gerizim brought it home to the business and
bosoms of men. It was now to be the rule for every
day, and for every transaction of every day ; the bride
was now to be settled in her home, and if she was to
enjoy the countenance and the company of her heavenly
Bridegroom, the law of His house must be fully imple-
mented, and its every requirement riveted on her heart.
The ceremony here under Joshua was twofold : first,
the rearing of an altar ; and second, the proclamation
of the law.
I. The altar, as enjoined in Exod. xx. 24, was of
whole, undressed stones. In its simple structure it was
designed to show that the Most High dwelleth not
in temples made with hands. In its open position it
demonstrated that the most fitting place for His worship
was not the secret recesses of the woods, but the open
air and full light of heaven, seeing that He is light, and
in Him is no darkness at all. On this altar were offered
burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord. The
sacrificial system had been little attended to amid the
movements of the wilderness, and the warlike opera-
tions in which the people had been more or less
engaged ever since their entrance on the land ; but
now was the beginning of a more regular worship.
viii.30-35-] EBAL AND GERIZIM. 207
The first transaction here performed was the sacrificial.
Here sin was called to mind, and the need of propitiation.
Here it was commemorated that God Himself had ap-
pointed a method of propitiation ; that He had thereby
signified His gracious desire to be at peace with His
people ; that He had not left them to sigh out, " Oh
that we knew where we might find Him, that we might
come even to His seat ! " — but had opened to His people
the gates of righteousness, that they might go in and
praise the Lord.
Moreover, Vv^e read in Joshua, that '' he wrote there
upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which
he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel."
There is sufficient difference between the passages in
Deuteronomy and Joshua to show that the one was
not copied from the other. From Joshua we might
suppose that it was on the stones of the altar that
Joshua wrote, and there is no reference to the com-
mand given in Deuteronomy to plaister the stones with
plaister. But from Deuteronomy it is plain that it
was not the stones of the altar that were plaistered
over, but memorial stones set up for the purpose.
There has been no little controversy as to the manner
in which this injunction was carried out. According
to Dr. Thomson, in the *' Land and the Book," the
matter is very simple. The difficulty in the eyes of
commentators has arisen from the idea that plaister is
altogether too soft a substance to retain the impression
of what is written on it. This Dr. Thomson wholly
disputes : "A careful examination of Deut. xxvii. 4, 8
and Josh. viii. 30-32 will lead to the opinion that the
law was written upon and in the plaister with which
these pillars were coated. This could easily be done ;
and such writing was common in ancient times. I
2o8 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
have seen numerous specimens of it certainly more
than two thousand years old, and still as distinct as
when they were first inscribed upon the plaister. . . .
In this hot climate, where there is no frost to dissolve
the cement, it will continue hard and unbroken for
thousands of years, — which is certainly long enough.
The cement on Solomon's pools remains in admirable
preservation, though exposed to all the vicissitudes of
the climate and with no protection. . . . What Joshua
did therefore, when he erected those great stones on
Mount Ebal, was merely to write in the still soft cement
with a style, or more likely on the polished surface
when dry, with red paint, as in ancient tombs. If
properly sheltered, and not broken by violence, they
would have remained to this day."
Joshua could not have written the whole of the law
on his pillars ; it was probably only the ten command-
ments. As we shall see, another arrangement v/as
made for the rehearsal of the whole law ; it was solemnly
read out afterwards. But now the entire nation, with
all the strangers and followers, took up their position
in the valley between the two mountains. Half of
the tribes separated from the rest to the slopes of
Gerizim, and the other half to those of Ebal. From
Deuteronomy we gather that those who v/ere grouped
on Gerizim were far the more important and numerous
tribes. They embraced Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar,
Joseph, and Benjamin. On Mount Ebal were stationed
Reuben, Gad and Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali.
The priests stood between, and read out blessings and
curses. When blessings were read out the tribes on
Gerizim shouted Amen. When curses were read out
those on Ebal did the same. Let us imagine the scene.
A mountain side covered with people is always a pictur-
viii. 30-35-] EBAL AND GERIZlM. iog
esque sight, and the effect is greatly heightened when
the clothing of the multitude is of light, bright colours,
as probably it was on this occasion. ** It was," says
Dr. Thomson, " beyond question or comparison the
most august assembly the sun has ever shone upon ;
and I never stand in the narrow plain, with Ebal and
Gerizim rising on either hand to the sky, without in-
voluntarily recalling and reproducing the scene. I have
shouted to hear the echo, and then fancied how it must
have been when the loud-voiced Levites proclaimed
from the naked cliffs of Ebal, * Cursed is the man that
maketh any graven image, an abomination to Jehovah.'
And then the tremendous Amen 1 tenfold louder from
the united congregation, rising and swelling and re-
echoing from Ebal to Gerizim, and from Gerizim to
Ebal. Amen ! Even so, let him be accursed. No,
there never was an assembly to compare with this."
Very explicit mention is made of the fact that '^ there
was not a word of all that Moses commanded which
Joshua read not before all the congregation of the
children of Israel, with the women and the Httle ones
and the strangers that were conversant among them."
This obviously implies that the law of Moses was in
definite form, and that the reading of it took up a
considerable portion of time.
The order of events had been very significant. First,
a great work of destruction — the dispossession of the
Canaanites. Next, the erection of an altar, and the
offering up of sacrifices. And, lastly, the inscribing and
proclamation of the law. ^' The surgeon has done his
duty, and now nature will proceed to heal and comfort
and bless. The enemy has been driven off the field.
Now the altar is put up and the law is promulgated.
Society without law is chaos. An altar without right-
H
210 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
eousness is evaporative sentiment. Prayer without
duty may be a detachment of the wings from the bird
they were designed to assist. . . . Having done the
destructive work, do not imagine that the whole pro-
gramme is complete ; now begins the construction of
the altar. And having made a place for prayer, do not
imagine that the whole duty of man has been perfected ;
next put up the law ; battle, prayer, law ; law, prayer,
battle." 1
If the conjecture that this passage originally occupied
a later place in the book be correct, the army was
now about to be disbanded, and the people were about
to be settled in homes of their ov/n. It was a momen-
tous crisis. They were about to lose, in a great degree,
the influence of union, and the presence of men like
Joshua and the godly elders, whose noble example and
stirring words had ever been a power for what was
good and true. Scattered over the land, they would
now be more at the control of their own hearts, and
often of what in them was least noble and least godly.
On the part of Joshua, everything had been done, by
this solemn gathering, to secure that they should separ-
ate with the remembrance of God's mighty works on
their behalf filling their hearts, and the words of God's
law ringing in their ears.
' " The People's Bible," by Joseph Parker, D.D.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE STRATAGEM OF THE GIBEONITES.
Joshua ix.
WE now resume the thread of the story interrupted
b}^ the narrative of the transaction at Ebal and
Gerizim. We learn from the testimony of Rahab of
Jericho, as uttered to the spies (chap. ii. 9), that the
terror of Israel had caused the hearts of the inhabitants
of the country to faint, and that the fame of all that had
been done for them by Jehovah had quite paralysed
them. But when the host of Israel actually entered
Western Palestine, and began their conquest by the
destruction of Jericho and Ai, the inhabitants seem to
have plucked up courage, and begun to consider what
could be done in self-defence. It is very probable that
they found considerable encouragement from what
happened at Ai. There it had been seen that Israel was
not invincible. Insignificant though Ai was, its people
had been able to repel with great success the first attack
of the Israelites. And though they had been destroyed
in the second, this was achieved only by the combined
influence of stratagem and an overwhelming force.
The supernatural power under which Jericho had fallen
had not been shown at Ai, and might not come into
play in the future. There was therefore yet a chance
for the Canaanites, if they should combine and act in
21 1
212 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
concert. Steps were therefore taken for such a union.
The kings or chiefs who occupied the hills, or central
plateau of the country ; those of the valleys, inter-
spersed between the mountains ; and those occupying
the Shephelah, or maritime plains of Philistia, Sharon,
and Phoenicia ; — all the nations comprised under the
well-known names Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites,
Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, entered into a league
of defence, and prepared to confront Joshua and the
Israelites with a determined resistance. The news of
the confederacy would bring a tremor over some timid
hearts in the camp of Israel, but would cause no serious
anxiety to Joshua and all the men of faith, who, like him,
felt assured that the Lord was with them.
There was one native community, however, that
determined to follow another course. The Gibeonites
were a branch of the Hivite race, inhabiting the town
of Gibeon, and some other prominent towns in the great
central plateau of the country. Gibeon is undoubtedly
represented now by the village of El Jib, situated about
half-way between Jerusalem and Bethel, four or five
miles distant from each. Dr. Robertson describes
El Jib as situated in a beautiful plain of considerable
extent, on an oblong hill or ridge, composed of layers
of limestone, rising as if by regular steps out of the
plain. In the days of Joshua, it was a place of great
importance, a royal city, and it had under its jurisdiction
the towns of Beeroth, Chephirah, and Kirjath-jearim.
Its inhabitants were in no humour to fight with Joshua.
They had faith enough to understand what would be the
inevitable result of that, and therein they were right,
and the confederate kings were wrong. On the other
hand, they were not prepared to make an honest and
unconditional surrender. They probably knew that
IX. J THE STRATAGEM OF THE GIBEONITES. 213
the orders under which Joshua was acting called on
him to destroy all the people of the land, and they had
no assurance that, being of the doomed na.tions, open
submission would secure their lives. They resolved
therefore to proceed by stratagem. A detachment was
appointed to wait on Joshua at his camp at Gilgal, as if
they were ambassadors from a distant country, and
represent to him in pious tone that they had come from
afar, *' because of the name of the Lord his God, having
heard the fame of Him, and all that He did in Egypt,
and all that He did to the two kings of the Amorites
that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon King of Heshbon,
and to Og King of Bashan." They came with the
desire to show respect to the people whose God was so
powerful, and to be allowed, though far off, to live at
peace with them. Then they presented their credentials,
as it were ; showing the old sacks, the shrivelled
bottles, the musty bread they had brought with them,
and the clouts upon their feet and ragged garments
which attested the great length of their journey.
'' Those old Gibeonites," says the *' Land and the Book,"
^' did indeed ' work wilily ' with Joshua. Nothing could
be better calculated to deceive than their devices. I have
often thought that their ambassadors, as described in
the narrative, furnish one of the finest groups imaginable
for a painter ; with their old sacks on their poor asses ;
their wine bottles of goat skin, patched and shrivelled
up in the sun, old, rent, and bound up ; old shoes and
clouted upon their feet ; old garments, ragged and
bedraggled, with bread dry and mouldy, — the very
picture of an over-travelled and wearied caravan from
a great distance. It is impossible to transfer to paper
the ludicrous appearance of such a company. No
wonder that, having tasted their mouldy victuals, and
214 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
looked upon their soiled and travel-worn costume,
Joshua and the elders were deceived, especially as they
did not wait to ask counsel at the mouth of the Lord."
It was just the completeness of the disguise that
threw Joshua and the men of Israel off their guard.
For at first the idea did occur to them that the strangers
might be neighbours, and therefore of the nations that
they were called on to destroy. On closer inspection,
however, that seemed out of the question ; indeed, the
supposition was so utterly preposterous that it was
deemed hardly fitting to bring the matter before the
Lord. It is as plain as day, Joshua and the elders
would reason ; the evidence of what they say is beyond
question ; theirs is no case of perplexity requiring us to
go to God ; we may surely exercise our common sense
and make a league with these far-travelled men. In
a short time they will be back in their own country, far
beyond our boundaries, and the only effect of their visit
and of our league will be a fresh tribute to the name
and power of Jehovah, a fresh testimony to His presence
with us, and a fresh pledge that He will bear us to
success in the enterprise in which we are engaged.
And when the confederate kings that are now leaguing
against us hear that this distant people have come to us
to propitiate our favour, they will be struck by a new
terror and will be the more easily subdued.
We see in all this the simple, unsuspecting spirit of
men who have spent their lives in the wilderness. As
for the Gibeonites, there was a combination of good and
bad in their spirit. They remind us in a measure of
the woman with the issue of blood. In her there was
certainly faith ; but along with the faith, extraordinary
superstition. In the Gibeonites there was faith — a
belief that Israel was under the protection of a remark-
ix.] THE STRATAGEM OF THE GIBEONITES. 215
able Divine power, under a Divine promise the truth
of which even Balaa.m had very recently acknowledged
— *' 1 will bless them that bless thee, and curse him
thatcurseth thee." Undoubtedly a religious feehng lay
at the bottom of the proceeding. A great divine Being
was seen to be involved, who was on Israel's side and
against his enemies, and it would not do to trifle with
Him. But in their way of securing exemption from the
effects of His displeasure, the grossest superstition
appeared. They were to gain their object by deceit.
They were to get Him to favour them above their
neighbours through an elaborate system of fraud,
through a tissue of lies, through unmitigated falsehood.
What a strange conception of God ! What blindness
to His highest attributes, — His holiness and His truth !
What amazing infatuation to suppose that they could
secure His blessing through acts fitted to provoke His
utmost displeasure ! What a miserable God men
fashion to themselves when they simply invest Him
with almighty power, or perhaps suppose Him to be
moved by v/hims and prejudices and favouritisms like
frail man, but omit to clothe Him with His highest
glory — forget that *' justice and judgment ?a'e the
habitation of His throne, mercy and truth go before
His face."
The conduct of the men v/as the more strange that it
was impossible that they should not be speedily found
out. And it was quite possible that, when found out,
they would be dealt with more severely than ever.
True, indeed, Joshua, when he did detect their plot, did
not so act ; he acted on a high, perhaps a mistaken
sense of honour ; but they had no right to count on
that. Timidity is a poor adviser. All it can do is to
turn the next corner. True faith, resting on eternal
2i6 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
truth, acts for eternity. True faith is often bhnd, but
in the deepest darkness it knows that it is on the right
track, and under the guidance of the eternal Hght.
Bhnd faith is very different from Wind fear. Faith
holds on in full expectation of deliverance ; fear trembles
and stumbles, in perpetual dread of exposure and
humiliation.
** A lying tongue is but for a moment ; " and the
Gibeonite fraud lived just three days. Then it was
discovered by Joshua that the Gibeonites lived in the
immediate neighbourhood. But before that, he had
made peace with them, and entered into a league to let
them live, and the princes of the congregation had con-
firmed it by an oath. Nothing could have been more
provoking than to discover that they had been duped
and swindled. It is always a very bitter experience to
find that our confidence has been misplaced. Men
v/hom we thought trustworthy, and whom we com-
mended to others as trustworthy, have turned out
knaves. It is hard to bear, for we have committed our-
selves to our friends in the matter. What would Joshua
and his people think now of the supposed tribute to the
God of Israel, and the impression expected to be made
on the confederate kings ? Before all the inhabitants
of Canaan he and his people were befooled, humiliated.
Not a man in all the country but would be making
merry at their expense. Yet even that was not the
worst of it. They had been guilty of over-confidence,
and of neglect of means that were in their hands ; they
had neglected to get counsel of their God. They had
trusted in their own hearts when they ought to have
sought guidance from above. The trouble was their
own creation ; they were alone to blame.
We cannot but respect the way in which Joshua and
X. THE STRATAGEM OF THE GIBEONITES. 217
the princes acted when they discovered the fraud. It
might have been competent to repudiate the league on
the ground that it was agreed to by them under false
pretences. It was made on the representation that the
Gibeonites had come from a far countr}^, and when that
was seen to be utterly untrue there would have been
an honourable ground for repudiating the transaction.
But Joshua did not avail himself of this loophole. He
and the princes had such respect for the sanctity of
an oath that, even when they discovered that they had
been grossly deceived, they would not resile from it.
It seems to have been the princes that took up this
ground, and they did so in opposition to the congrega-
tion (ver. 1 8). The fact that the name of the Lord God
of Israel had been invoked in the oath sworn to the
Gibeonites constrained them to abide by the trans-
action. It is a good sign of their spirit that they were
so jealous of the honour of their God, and of the
sanctity of their oath. They came out of the transaction
with more honour than we should have expected. Per-
sonal interests were subordinated to higher considera-
tions. They carried out that great canon of true religion
— first and foremost giving ''glory to God in the
highest."
But though the lives of the Gibeonites were spared,
that was all. They were to be reduced to a kind of
slavery — to be *' hewers of wood and drawers of water
for the congregation and the altar of God." The
expression has become a household w^ord to denote a
life of drudgery, but perhaps we fail to recognise the full
significance of the terms. '* I w^as forcibly reminded of
this," says the author of ''The Land and the Book,"
" by long files of women and children (near El Jib)
carrying on their heads heavy bundles of wood. . , ,
21 8 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
It is the severest kind of drudgery, and my compassion
has often been enhsted in behalf of the poor women
and children, who daily bring loads of wood to Jeru-
salem from these very mountains of the Gibeonites.
To carry water, also, is very laborious and fatiguing.
The fountains are far off, in deep wadies with steep
banks, and a thousand times have I seen the feeble and
the young staggering up long and weary ways with
large jars of water on their heads. It is the work of
slaves, and of the very poor, whose condition is still
worse. Among the pathetic lamentations of Jeremiah
there is nothing more affecting than this : ' They took
the young men to grind, and the children fell under
the wood' (i. i6). Grinding at the hand-mill is a low,
menial work, assigned to female slaves, and therefore
utterly humiliating to the young men of Israel. And
the delicate children of Zion falling under the loads of
hard, rough wood, along the mountain paths ! Alas I
' for these things I weep ; mine eye, mine eye runneth
down with water, because the comforter that should
relieve my soul is far from me : my children are deso-
late, because the enemy prevailed.' "
Respecting the after history of Gibeon and the
Gibeonites we find some notices in the Old Testament,
but none in the New. At one time there was a sanc-
tuary at Gibeon, even after the ark had been removed
to Mount Zion ; for it was at Gibeon that Solomon
offered his great sacrifice of a thousand burnt offerings,
and had that remarkable dream in which, in reply to
the Divine offer of a choice of gifts, he chose wisdom
in preference to any other (i Kings iii. 4 5^.). But
the most remarkable reappearance of the Gibeonites in
history is in the reigns of Saul and David. For some
unknown reason, and probably quite unjustly, Saul had
ix.] THE STRATAGEM OF THE GIBEONITES. 219
put some of them to death. And in the reign of David,
probably the early part of it, when a succession of
famines desolated the land, and inquiry was made as
to the cause, the reply of the oracle w^as : *' It is for
Saul and his bloody house, because he slew the
Gibeonites." And it was to avenge this unjust
slaughter that seven descendants of Saul were put
to death, on that occasion w^hen Rizpah, the mother
of two of them, showed such remarkable affection by
guarding their dead bodies from the beasts and birds
of prey. It is possible that even after the Babylonian
captivity some Gibeonites survived under their old
name, because it is said in Nehemiah that among the
others who repaired the v/all of Jerusalem were
'* Melatiah the Gibeonite, and Jadon the Meronothite,
the men of Gibeon, and of Mizpah " (iii. 7). Only it
is uncertain whether Melatiah was of the old Gibeonite
stock, or an Israelite who had Gibeon for his city.
While the old Gibeonites did survive they seem to have
had a miserable lot, and the question might have been
often asked by them — Did our fraud bring us any real
good ? Is life worth living ?
Does anything resembling this fraud of the Gibeonites
ever take place among ourselves ? In answer, let us
ask first of all, what is the meaning of pious frauds ?
Are they not transactions where fraud is resorted to
in order to accomplish what are supposed to be religious
ends ? Granting that the fraud of the Gibeonites was
not for a religious but for a secular object — their deliver-
ance from the sword of Joshua — still they professed, in
practising it, to be doing honour to God. It is the part
of superstition at once to lower the intellectual and the
moral attributes of God. It often represents that the
most frivolous acts, the uttering of mysterious words.
220 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
or the performance of senseless acts have such a power
over God as to bring about certain desired results.
More frequently it holds that cruelty, falsehood, injustice,
and other crimes, if brought to bear on religious or
ecclesiastical ends, are pleasing in God's sight. Is
there anything more truly odious than this severance
of religion from morality and humanity, — this repre-
sentation that fraud and other immoral acts have value
before God ? How can anything be a real religious
gain to a man, how can it be otherwise than disastrous
in the last degree, if it develops a fraudulent spirit, if
it perverts his moral nature, if it deepens and intensifies
the moral disorder of his heart? If men saw 'Hhe
beaut}^ of holiness," "the beauty of the Lord," they
could never bring their minds to such miserable distor-
tions. It is pure blasphemy to suppose that God could
thus demean Himself It is self-degradation to imagine
that anything that can be gained by oneself through
such means, could make up for v/hat is lost, or for the
guilt incurred by such wickedness.
And this suggests a wider thought — the fearful
miscalculation men make whensoever they resort to
fraud in the hope of reaping benefit by means of it.
Yet v>^hat practice is more common ? The question is,
Does it really pay ? Does it pay, for instance, to cheat
at cards ? Have we not seen recently what swift and
terrible retribution that may bring, making us feel for
the culprit as we might have felt for Cain. Does it pay
the merchant to cheat as to the quality of his goods ?
Does it not leak out that he is not to be trusted, and
does not that suspicion lose more to him in the long
run than it gains ? Does it pay the preacher to preach
another man's sermon as his own ? Or, to vary the
illustration, When one has entrapped a maiden under
ix.] THE STRATAGEM OF THE GIBEONITES. 221
false promises, and then forsakes her ; or when he
conceals the fact that he is already married to another ;
or when he controls himself for a time, to conceal from
her his ill temper, or his profligate habits, or his thirst
for strong drink, does it pay in the end ? The question
is not, Does he succeed in his immediate object ? but.
How does the matter end ? Is it a comfortable thought
to any man that he has broken a trustful heart, that he
has brought misery to a happy home, that he has filled
some one's life with lamentation and mourning and
v/oe ? We are not thinking only of the future life,
when so many wrongs will be brought to light, and so
many men and women will have to curse the infatuation
that made fraud their friend and evil their good. We
think of the present happiness of those who live in an
atmosphere of fraud, and worship daily at its shrine.
Can such disordered souls know aught of real peace
and solid joy ? In the case of some of them, are there
not occasional moments of sober feeling, when they
think what their life was given them for, and contrast
their selfish and heartless devices with the career of
those who deal truly and live to do good ? Bitter, very
bitter is the feeling which the contrast raises. It is
bitter to think how unfit one is for the society of
honest men ; how the master one is serving is the father
of lies ; and how, even when the master does gi'ant one
a momentary success, it is at the sacrifice of all self-
respect and conscious purity, and with a dark foreboding
of wrath in the life to come.
All Eastern nations get the character of being deceit-
ful ; but indeed the weed may be said to flourish in
every soil where it has not been rooted out by living
Christianity. But if it be peculiarly characteristic of
Eastern nations, is it not remarkable how constantly it
222 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
is rebuked in the Bible, even though that book sprang
from an Eastern soil ? No doubt the record of the
Bible abounds with instances of deceit, but its voice is
always against them. And its instances are always
instructive. Satan gained nothing by deceiving our
first parents. Jacob was v/ell punished for deceiving
Isaac. David's misleading of the high priest when he
fled from Saul involved ultimately the slaughter of the
whole priestly household. Ananias and Sapphira had
an awful experience when they lied unto the Holy
Ghost. All through the Bible it is seen that \ying lips
are an abomination to the Lord, but they that deal
truly are His delight. And when our blessed Lord
comes to show us the perfect life, how free He is from
the slightest taint or vestige of deceit ! How beautifully
transparent is His whole life and character 1 No little
child with his honest smile and open face was ever
more guileless. In the light of that perfect example,
who among us does not blush for our errors — for our
man}^ endeavours to conceal what we have done, to
appear better than we were, to seem to be pleasing God
when we were pleasing ourselves, or to be aiming at
God's glory when we were really consulting for our
own interests ? Is it possible for us ever to be worthy
of such a Lord ? First, surely, we must go to His
cross, and, bewailing all our unworthiness, seek accept-
ance through His finished work. And then draw from
His fulness, even grace for grace ; obtain through the
indwelling of His Spirit that elixir of life which will
send a purer life-blood through our souls, and assimilate
us to Him of vs^hom His faithful apostle wrote : ^' He
did not sin, neither was guile found in His mouthy
CHAPTER XIX.
THE BATTLE OF BETHHORON.
Joshua x.
OUT of the larger confederacy of the whole
Canaanite chiefs against Joshua and his people
recorded in the beginning of chap, ix., a smaller
number, headed by Adonizedec, undertook the special
task of chastising the Gibeonites, who had not only
refused to join the confederacy, but, as it was thought,
basely and treacherousl}^ surrendered to Joshua. It is
interesting to find the King of Jerusalem, Adonizedec,
bearing a name so similar to that of Melchizedek, King
of Salem, in the da3^s of Abraham. No doubt, since the
days of Jerome, there have been some who have denied
that the Salem of Meichizedek was Jerusalem. But
the great mass of opinion is in favour of the identity of
the two places. Meichizedek means King of Righteous-
ness ; Adonizedec, Lord of Righteousness ; in substance
the same. It was a striking name for a ruler, and it
was remarkable that it should have been kept up so
long, although in the time of Adonizedec its signifi-
cance had probably been forgotten. Jerusalem was
but five miles south of Gibeon ; the other four capitals,
whose chiefs jomed in the expedition, v/ere farther off.
Hebron, eighteen miles south of Jerusalem, was memor-
able in patriarchal history as the dwelling-place of
223
224 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Abraham and the burial-place of his family ; Jarmuth,
hardly mentioned in the subsequent history, is now
represented by Yarmuk, six miles from Jerusalem ;
Lachish, of which we have frequent mention in Scrip-
ture, is probably represented by Um Lakis, about fifteen
miles south-west of Jerusalem ; and Eglon by Ajlan,
a Httle farther west. The five Httle kingdoms embraced
most of the territory afterwards known as the tribe of
Judah, and they must have been far more than a
match for Gibeon. Their chiefs are called '' the five
Amorite kings," but this does not imply that they were
exclusively of the Amorite race, for '* Amorite," like
** Canaanite," is often used generically to denote the
whole inhabitants (as in Gen. xv. 1 6). The five chiefs
were so near Gibeon that it was quite natural for them
to undertake this expedition. No doubt they reckoned
that, by making a treaty with Joshua, the Gibeonites
had strengthened his hands and weakened those of his
opponents ; they had made resistance to Joshua more
difficult for the confederacy, and therefore they deserved
to be chastised. To turn their arms against Gibeon,
when they had Joshua to deal with, was probably an
unwise proceeding ; but to their resources it would seem
a very easy task. Gibeon enjoyed nothing of that aid
from a great unseen Power that made Joshua so formid-
able ; little could they have dreamt that Joshua would
come to the assistance of his new allies, and with God's
help inflict on them a crushing defeat. *' The Lord
bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought, He
maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The
counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of
His heart to all generations."
The case was very serious for the Gibeonites. As
Gibeon lay so near Jerusalem and the cities of the other
x.] THE BATTLE OF BETHHORON. 225
confederates, it is likely that the appearance of the
enemy before its walls was the first, or nearly the first,
intimation of the coming attack. In their extremity they
sent to Joshua imploring help, and the terms in v/hich
they besought him not to lose a moment, but come to
them at his utmost speed, show the urgency of their
danger. To appeal to Joshua at all after their shameful
fraud was a piece of presumption, unless — and this is
very unlikely — the treaty between them had promised
protection from enemies. Had Joshua been of a mean
nature he would have chuckled over their distress, and
congratulated himself that now he would get rid of
these Gibeonites without trouble on his part. But the
same generosity that had refused to take advantage of
their fraud when it was detected showed itself in this
their tim.e of need. Joshua was encamped at Gilgal
on the banks of the Jordan ; for the arguments that
suppose him to have been at another Gilgal are not
consistent with the terms used in the narrative (e.g.y
ver. 9, *' went up from Gilgal all night "). From Gilgal
to Gibeon the distance is upwards of twenty miles, and
a great part of the v/ay is steep and difficult.
Encoura.ged by the assurance of Divine protection
and favoured by the moonlight, Joshua, by a marvellous
act of pluck and energy, went up by night, reached
Gibeon in the morning, fell upon the army of the
assembled kings, possibly while it was yet dark, and
utterly discomfited them. It would have been natural
for the routed armies to make for Jerusalem, only five
miles off, by the south road, but either Joshua had
occupied that road, or it was too difficult for a retreat.
The way by which they did retreat, running v/est from
Gibeon, is carefully described. First they took the way
" that goeth up to Bethhoron." As soon as they had
15
226 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
traversed the plain of Gibeon, they ascended a gentle
slope leading towards Bethhoron the upper, then fled
down the well-known pass, through the two Bethhorons,
upper and nether, making for Jarmuth, Lachish, and
other towns at the bottom of the hills. In the course
of their descent a hailstorm overtook them, one of those
terrific storms which seem hardly credible to us, but
are abundantly authenticated both in ancient and modern
times, and " they which died with hailstones were more
than they whom the children of Israel slew with the
sword." The Israelites, exhausted, no doubt, with their
night march and morning exertions, seem to have been
outstripped by the flying army, and in this way to have
escaped the shower of hail. By the time the five kings,
who had had to fly on foot, reached Makkedah at the
foot of the mountains, they were unable to go farther
and hid themselves in a cave. As Joshua passed he was
informed of this, but, unwilling to stop the pursuit of
the fugitives, he ordered large stones to be rolled to the
door of the cave, locking the kings up as it were in a
prison, and no doubt leaving a guard in charge. Then,
when the pursuit had been carried to the very gates
of the walled cities, he returned to the cave. The five
kings were brought out, and the chiefs of the Israelite
army put their feet upon their necks. The kings v/ere
slain, and their bodies hanged on trees till the evening.
Thereafter Joshua attacked the chief cities of the con-
federates, and took in succession Makkedah, Libnah,
Lachish, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir. Nothing is said
of his taking Jerusalem ; indeed it appears from the
after history that the stronghold of Jerusalem on Mount
Zion remained in Jebusite hands up to the time of David.
Many of the inhabitants were able to escape destruc-
tion, but substantially Joshua was now in possession
.] THE BATTLE OF BETHHORON. 227
of the whole southern division of the land, from the
Jordan on the east to the borders of the Philistines on
the west, and from Gibeon on the north to the wilder-
ness on the south. It does not appear, however,
that he retained full possession ; while he was occupied
in other parts of the country the people returned and
occupied their cities. The clemency of Joshua in not
destroying the inhabitants proved the source of much
future trouble.
In all the subsequent history of the country, the victory
of Gibeon was looked back on, and justly, as one of
the most memorable that had ever been known. For
promptitude, dash, and daring it was never eclipsed by
any event of the kind ; while the strength of the con-
federate army, the completeness of its defeat, and the
picturesqueness of the whole situation constantly sup-
plied materials for wonder and delight. Moreover, the
hand of God had been conspicuous^ shown in more
ways than one. The hailstorm that wrought such
havoc was ascribed to His friendly hand, but a far
more memorable token of His interest and support lay
in the miracle that arrested the movements of the sun
and the moon, in order that victorious Israel might have
time to finish his work. And after the victory the
capture of the fortified towns became comparatively
easy. The remnant that had escaped could have no
heart to defend them, Joshua must have smiled at the
fate of the '' cities walled up to heaven " that had so
greatly distressed his brother spies when they came up
to examine the land. And as he found them one by
one yield to his army, as though their defence had
really departed from them, he must have felt with fresh
gratitude the faithfulness and lovingkindness of the
Lord, and earnestly breathed the prayer that neither
228 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
his faith nor that of his people might ever fail until the
whole campaign was brought to an end.
In some respects this victory had a special signi-
ficance. In the first place, it had a most important
bearing on the success of the w^hole enterprise ; its
suddenness, its completeness, its manifold grandeur
being admirably fitted to paralyse the enemy in other
parts of the country, and open the whole region to
Joshua. By some it has been compared to the battle
of Marathon, not only on account of the suddenness
with which the decisive blow was struck, but also on
account of the importance of the interests involved.
It was a battle for freedom, for purity, for true religion,
in opposition to tyranny, idolatry, and abominable
sensuality ; for all that is wholesome in human life,
in opposition to all that is corrupt ; for all that makes
for peaceful progress, in opposition to all that entails
degradation and misery. The prospects of the whole
world were brighter after that victory of Bethhoron. The
relation of heaven to earth was more auspicious, and
more full of promise for the days to come. Had any
hitch occurred in the arrangements ; had Israel halted
half-way up the eastern slopes, and the troops of Adoni-
zedec driven them back ; had the tug of war in the plain
of Gibeon proved too much for them after their toilsome
night march ; had no hailstorm broken out on the
retreating enemy ; had he been able to form again at
the western foot of the hills and arrest the progress of
Joshua in pursuit, the whole enterprise would have had
a different complexion. No doubt the Divine arm
might have been stretched out for Israel in some other
way ; but the remarkable thing was, that no such
supplementary mode of achieving the desired result
was required. At every point the success of Israel was
,] THE BATTLE OF BETHHORON. 229
complete, and every obstacle opposed to him by the
enemy was swept away for the time being as smoke
before the wind.
In the next place, the tokens of Divine aid were very
impressive. After the experience which Joshua had
had of the consequences of faiUng to ask God for
direction when first the Gibeonites came to him, we
may be very sure that on the present occasion he
would be peculiarly careful to seek Divine counsel.
And he was well rewarded. For *' the sun stood still,
and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged
themselves upon their enemies." It does not need to
be said that this miraculous incident has from first to
last given birth to an immensity of perplexity and
discussion. It will be observed that the record of it
does not come in as part of the narrative, but as a
quotation from a pre-existing book. Concerning that
book we know very little. From its name, Jashar,
'' The upright," we may believe it to have been a record
of memorable deeds of righteous men. In form it was
poetical, the extract in the present case being of that
rhythmical structure which Vv^as the mark of Hebrew
poetry. The only other occasion on v/hich it is
mentioned is in connection with the song composed b}^
David, after the death of Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam.
i. 18). '' David " (as the Revised Version puts it) '' bade
them teach the children of Israel the song of the
bow ; behold, it is written in the book of Jashar." As
to the origin and nature of this book v/e can only con-
jecture. It may have been a public record, contributed
to from time to time by various writers, under conditions
and arrangements which at this distance of time, and
under the obscurity of the whole subject, we cannot
ascertain.
230 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Then as to the miracle of the sun and the moon
standing still. It is well known that this was one of
the passages brought forward by the Church of Rome
to condemn Galileo, when he affirmed that the earth
and the moon revolved round the sun, and that it was
not the motion of the sun round the earth, but the
rotation of the earth on her own axis that produced the
change of day and night. No one would dream now of
making use of this passage for any such purpose. What-
ever theory of inspiration men may hold, it is admitted
universally that the inspired writers used the popular
language of the day in matters of science, and did not
anticipate discoveries which were not made till many
centuries later. That expressions occur in Scripture
which are not in accord with the best established
conclusions of modern science would never be regarded
by any intelligent person as an argument against the
Scriptures as the inspired records of God's will, designed
especially to reveal to us the way of life and salvation
through Jesus Christ, and to be an infallible guide to
us on all that '' man is to believe concerning God, and
the duty that God requires of man."
A far more serious question has been raised as to
whether this miracle ever occurred, or could have
occurred. To those who believe in the possibility of
miracles, it can be no conclusive argument that it could
not have occurred without producing injurious conse-
quences the end of which can hardly be conceived. For
if the rotation of the earth on its axis was suddenly
arrested, all human beings on its surface, and all loose
objects whatever must have been flung forward with pro-
digious violence ; just as, on a small scale, on the sudden
stoppage of a carriage, we find ourselves thrown forward,
the motion of the carriage having been communicated
X.] THE BATTLE OF BETHHORON. 231
to our bodies. But really this is a paltry objection ;
for surely the Divine power that can control the rotation
of the earth is abundantly able to obviate such effects
as these. We can understand the objection that God,
having adjusted all the forces of nature, leaves them
to operate by themselves in a uniform way without
disturbance or interference ; but we can hardly com-
prehend the reasonableness of the position that if it
is His pleasure miraculously to modify one arrangement,
he is unable to adjust all relative arrangements, and
make all conspire harmoniously to the end desired.
But was it a miracle ? The narrative, as we have
it, implies not only that it was, but that there was
something in it stupendous and unprecedented. It
comes in as a part of that supernatural process in
which God had been engaged ever since the deliverance
of His people from Egypt, and which was to go on till
they should be finally settled in the land. It naturally
joins on to the miraculous division of the Jordan, and
the miraculous fall of the walls of Jericho. We must
remember that the work in which God was now engaged
was one of peculiar spiritual importance and significance.
He was not merely finding a home for His covenant
people ; He was making arrangements for advancing
the highest interests of humanity ; He was guarding
against the extinction on earth of the Divine light which
alone could guide man in safety through the life that
now is, and in preparation for that which is to come.
He was taking steps to prevent a final and fatal
severance of the relation betv/een God and man, and
He was even preparing the way for a far more complete
and glorious development of that relation — to be seen
in the person of His Incarnate Son, the spiritual
Joshua, and made possible for men through that great
232 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
work of propitiation which He was to accompHsh on
the cross. Who will take upon him to say that at an
important crisis in the progress of the events which
were to prepare the way for this grand consummation,
it was not fitting for the Almighty to suspend for a
time even the ordinances of heaven, in order that a day's
work, carrying such vast consequences, might not be
interrupted before its triumphant close ?
There are commentators worthy of high respect who
have thought that the fact of this incident being noticed
in the form of a quotation from the Book of Jashar
somewhat diminishes the credit due to it. It looks as
if it had not formed part of the original narrative, but
had been inserted by a subsequent editor from a book
of poetry, expressed with poetic licence, and perhaps
of later date. They are disposed to regard the words
of Joshua, " Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon ; and
thou. Moon, in the valley of Ajalon," as a mere expres-
sion of his desire that the light would last long enough
to allow the decisive work of the day to be brought
to a thorough conclusion. They look on it as akin to
the prayer of Agamemnon (''Iliad," ii. 412 sq.) that the
sun might not go down till he had sacked Troy ; and
the form of words they consider to be suited to poetical
composition, like some of the expressions in the
eighteenth psalm — *' There went up a smoke out of His
nostrils, and fire out of His mouth devoured : coals
were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and
did come down : He rode upon a cherub, and did fly."
But v/hatever allowance we may make for poetical
licence of speech, it is hardly possible not to perceive
that the words as they stand imply a miracle of extra-
ordinary sublimity ; nor do we see any sufficient ground
for resisting the common belief that in whatsoever way
X.] THE BATTLE OF BETHHORON. 233
it was effected, there was a supernatural extension ot
the period of Hght, to allow Joshua to finish his work.^
One other notable feature in the transaction of this
day was the completeness of the defeat inflicted by
Joshua on the enemy. This defeat went on in succes-
sive stages from early morning till late at night. First,
there was the slaughter in the plain of Gibeon. Then
the havoc produced by the hail and by Joshua on the re-
treating army. Then the destruction caused as Joshua
followed the enemy to their cities. /And the work
of the day was wound up by the execution of the
five kings. Moreover, there followed a succession of
similar scenes at the taking and sacking of their cities.
When we try to realize all this in detail, we are
confronted with a terrible scene of blood and death,
and possibly we may find ourselves asking, Was there
a particle of humanity in Joshua, that he was capable
of such a series of transactions ? Certainly Joshua
was a great soldier, and a great religious soldier, but
he was in many ways like his time. He had many
of the qualities of Oriental commanders, and one of
these qualities has ever been to carry slaughter to the
utmost limit that the occasion allows. His treatment
of the conquered kings, too, was marked by charac-
teristic Oriental barbarity, for he caused his captains
to put their feet upon their necks, needlessly embittering
* It seems hardly necessary to notice an explanation of the phe-
nomenon that has been made lately — to the effect that it was in the
morning, not the evening of the day, that Joshua expressed his wish.
It was to prevent the allied kings about Gibeon knowing of his
approach that he desired the sun to delay his rising in the east, a
desire which was virtually fulfilled by that dark, cloudy condition of
the sky which precedes a thunderstorm. The natural sense of the
narrative admits neither of this explanation of the time nor of the
miracle itself.
234 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
their dying moments, and he exposed their dead bodies
to the needless humiHation of being hanged on a tree.
But it must be said, and said firmly for Joshua, that
there is no evidence of his acting on this or on other
such occasions in order to gratify personal feelings ;
it was not done either to gratify a thirst for blood,
or to gratify the pride of a conqueror. Joshua all
through gives us the impression of a man carrying
out the will of another ; inflicting a judicial sentence,
and inflicting it thoroughly at the first so that there
might be no need for a constant series of petty
executions afterwards. This certainly was his aim ;
but the enemy showed themselves more vital than he
had supposed.
And when we turn to ourselves and think what
we may learn from this transaction, we see a valuable
application of his method to the spiritual warfare.
God has enemies still, within and without, with whom
we are called to contend. '* For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against
spiritual wickedness in high places." When we are
fighting with the enemy within our own hearts leniency
is our great temptation, but at the same time our
greatest snare. What we need here is, courage to slay.
We content ourselves with confessions and regrets,
but the enemy lives, returns to the attack, and keeps
us in perpetual discomfort. Oh that in this battle we
resembled Joshua, aiming at killing the enemy outright,
and leaving nothing belonging to him that breathes I
And in reference to the outside world, want of
thoroughness in warfare is still our besetting sin.
We play at missions ; we trifle with the awful drunken-
ness and sensuality around us ; we look on, and we
X.] THE BATTLE OF BETHHORON. 235
see rural districts gradually depopulated ; and we wring
our hands at the mass of poverty, vice, and misery
in our great crowded cities. How rare is it for any
one to arise among us like General Booth, to face
prevailing evils in all their magnitude, and even attempt
to do battle with them along the whole line ! Why
should not such a spirit be universal in the Christian
Church ? Who can tell the evil done by want of faith,
by languor, by unwillingness to be disturbed in our
quiet, self-indulged life, by our fear of rousing against
us the scorn and rage of the world ? If only the
Church had more faith, and, as the fruit of faith, more
courage and more enterprise, what help from heaven
might not come to her ! True, she would not see the
enemy crushed by hailstones, nor the sun standing
in Gibeon, nor the moon in the valley of Ajalon ; but
she would see grander sights ; she would see men
of spiritual might raised up in her ranks ; she would
see tides of strong spiritual influence overwhelming
her enemies. Jerichos dismantled, Ais captured, and
the champions of evil falling like Lucifer from heaven to
make way for the King of kings and Lord of lords.
Let us go to the cross of Jesus to revive our faith
and recruit our energies. The Captain of our salvation
has not only achieved salvation for us, but He has
set us a blessed example of the spirit and life of true
Christian warriors.
"At the Name of Jesus
Satan's legions flee ;
On then, Christian soldiers,
On to victory.
Hell's foundations quiver
At the shout of praise;
Brothers, lift j'our voices,
Loud your anthems raise !
CHAPTER XX.
THE BATTLE OF MEROM.
Joshua xi., xii.
THERE is some appearance of confusion in the
terms in which the great confederacy of native
princes against Israel is brought in. In the beginning
of the ninth chapter, a combination that embraced
the whole country, north and south, east and west, is
described as gathered together to fight with Joshua
and with Israel. Nothing more is said till after the
treaty with the Gibeonites, when five of these con-
federate kings residing in the south not far from
Gibeon muster their forces to besiege that city. Of
the utter rout and ruin of these five kings and of
some of their neighbours we have just been reading.
And now we read that, after these things, Jabin, King
of Hazor, sent to his neighbours, and to all the princes
in the northern part of the country, and organized a
combined movement against Israel, for which the
appointed rendezvous was at the waters of Merom, in
the extreme north of the country. The statement at
the beginning of the ninth chapter that the confederates
*' gathered themselves together," seems to be made
proleptically ; the actual gathering together not having
taken place till the occasions specified in the tenth and
eleventh chapters respectively. The plan of the con-
236
xi.,xii.] THE BATTLE OF MEROM. 237
federacy Vv'as no doubt formed soon after the fall of
Jericho and Ai, and the arrangements for a vast united
movement began to be made then. But it would neces-
sarily consume a considerable time to bring so vast a
host together. Meanvs^hile, another event had taken
place. l"he Gibeonitcs had refused to join the con-
federacy and had made peace with Joshua. Their
neighbours were intensely provoked, especially Adoni-
zedec of Jerusalem., and without waiting for the general
movement proceeded at once to chastise their treachery.
As we have said already, they doubtless thought it
would be an easy task. To the surprise of them
all, Joshua, with an activity which they could not
have looked for, hastened to the relief of Gibeon, and
inflicted a defeat on the confederates which amounted
to absolute ruin.
It has not been generally noticed how remarkably
the Gibeonite fraud, and the honourable action of
Joshua in connection with it, tended in the end to the
good of Israel. Had Joshua, after the discovery of
the fraud, repudiated his treaty and attacked and exter-
minated the Gibeonites, or had he disregarded their
appeal to him for help and suffered them to be crushed
by Adonizedec, there v/ould have been nothing to
hinder the southern kings from uniting with the
northern, and thus presenting to Joshua the most
formidable opposition that was ever mustered in defence
of a country. The magnificent exploit of Joshua in
the plain of Gibeon, down the pass of Bethhoron, and .
in the valley of Ajalon entirely frustrated any such
arrangement. The armies of the southern kings were
destroyed or demoraUzed. And though the united
forces in the north, with their vast resources of war,
still formed a most formidable opponent, the case v/ould
238 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
have been very different if the two had combined, or if
one of them had hung on Joshua's rear while he was
engaged in front with the other. Nothing could have
fallen out more for the advantage of Israel than the pro-
cedure of the Gibeonites, which drew off so large and
powerful a section of the confederates, and exposed
them thus separate to the sword of Joshua.
Joshua was not allowed a long rest at Gilgal after
his dealings with Adonizedec and his brethren. No
doubt the news of that tremendous disaster would
quicken the energies of the northern kings. The head
of the new conspiracy was Jabin, King of Hazor. Jabin
was evidently an official name borne by the chief ruler
of Hazor, like Pharaoh in Egypt, for when, at a subse-
quent period, the place has recovered somewhat of its
importance, and comes again into view as a Canaanite
capital, Jabin is again the name of its chief ruler
(Judg. iv. 2).
The situation of Hazor has been disputed by geo-
graphers, and Robinson, who is usually so accurate,
differs from other authorities. He assigns it to a
ruinous city on a hill called Tell Khuraibeh, overhang-
ing the Lake Merom, for little other reason than that it
seems to answer the conditions of the various narratives
where Hazor is introduced. On the other hand, the
author of " The Land and the Book " assigns it to a
place still called Hazere, a little west of Merom, the
remains of which lie in a large natural basin, and
spread far up the hill, toward the south. '* Heaps of
hewn stone, old and rotten ; open pits, deep wells, and
vast cisterns cut in the solid rock — these are the un-
equivocal indications of an important city I inquired
of an old sheikh what saint was honoured there. In
a voice loud and bold, as if to make a doubtful point
xi., xii.] THE BATTLE OF MEROM. 239
certain, he replied, Neby Hazur, who fought with
Yeshua Ibn Nun." The matter is of no great moment ;
all that it is important to know is that Hazor was
situated near Lake Merom, and was the capital of a
pow^erful kingdom.
The cities of some of the other confederates are
named, but it is not easy to identify them all. The
sites of Madon, Shimron, and Achshaph, are unknown,
but they were apparently not far from Hazor. ''The
Arabah south of Chinneroth " (ver. 2, R.V.) denotes the
plain of Jordan south of the lake of Galilee ; the valley,
or 'Mowland " (R.V.), denotes the maritime plain from
the Philistines northward ; *' the heights of Dor on
the west" (R.V.), or Highlands of Dor (''Speaker's
Commentary "), the hills about a city on the sea coast,
near the foot of Carmel, prominent in after history,
but now reduced to a village with a few poor houses.
The sacred historian, however, does not attempt to
enumerate all the places from which the confederacy
v/as drawn, and falls back on the old comprehensive
formula — " Canaanites on the east and on the west,
Amorites, Hittites, the Jebusites in the hill country,
and the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh."
"The Canaanites on the west" embraced the people of
Zidon, for Joshua is expressly stated to have followed
a band of the fugitives to that city (ver. 8). The muster
must have been an extraordinary one, as numerous
" as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude."
Josephus gives the numbers as 300,000 footmen,
10,000 horsemen, and 20,000 chariots ; but we can
hardly attach much value to his figures. " Horses
and chariots " was an arm unknown to the Israelites,
with which hitherto they had never contended. This
vast host came together and pitched at the waters of
240 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Merom. Merom, now called Huleh, is the little lake
where, as already stated, the three streamlets that form
the Jordan unite. It varies in size in summer and
winter. To the north, a large plain spreads itself out,
sufficient for the encampment of a great army. It was at
or near this plain that Abraham overtook the five kings
of Mesopotamia and defeated them, rescuing Lot, and
all that had been taken from Sodom (Gen. xiv. 14, 15).
Now again it is crowded with a maghty host : far as the
eye can reach, the plain is darkened by the countless
squadrons of the enemy. Probably, after mustering here,
their intention was to bear down the Jordan valley, till
they came on Joshua at Gilgal, or such other place as
he might choose to meet them. But if this was their
intention they were outwitted by the activity and,
intrepidity of Joshua, who resolved, in spite of their
overwhelming numbers, to take the aggressive ; and,
marching, as before, with extraordinary rapidity, to fall
on them by surprise and throw them at once into con-
fusion so that they should be unable to bring their
chariots and horses into the action.
It was a very serious undertaking for Joshua, and
before attempting it he stood much in need of the
encouragement of Jehovah — " Be not afraid because of
them : for to-morrow about this time will I deliver them
up all slain before Israel : thou shalt hough their horses,
and burn all their chariots with fire." Not on the
number nor on the bravery of his own people, though
they had stood by him most nobly, was he to place
his reliance, but on the power of God. '' Rule thou in
the midst of thine enemies " was his mot d^ordre, as
it was afterwards of that other Joshua, whose battles
were not with confused noise nor with garments rolled
in blood, but were triumphs of truth and love. Where
xi.,xii.] THE BATTLE OF MEROM. 241
else should the true warrior be found but in the midst of
his enemies ? Joshua knew it, and with the promised
help of God, did not flinch from the position, though
his opponents were like the sand of the seaside, with
a corresponding multitude of chariots and horses.
Jesus, too, knew it, and resting on the same promise
did not shrink from the conflict in His own person ;
nor did He hesitate to send His apostles into all the
world to preach the gospel to every creature, and look
forward to a victory not less complete than that of
Joshua, when the hordes of the Canaanites were
scattered before him.
** To-morrow about this time will I deliver them up
all slain before Israel." When he got that assurance,
Joshua must already have left Gilgal some days before,
and was now within a moderate distance of Merom.
There was to be no delay in the completing of the enter-
prise. '' To-morrow about this time." Though, a.s a rule,
the mills of God grind slowly, there are times when their
velocity is wonderfully accelerated. He has sometimes
wonderful to-morrows. When Hezekiah was gazing
appalled on the hosts of Sennacherib as they lay coiled
round Jerusalem, God had a *' to-morrow about this
time" when the terror would be exchanged for a glorious
relief. When the apostles met in the upper chamber,
and were wondering how they were ever to conquer
the world for their Master, there was a " to-morrow "
at hand, when the Spirit was to *' come down like rain
on the mown grass, and like showers that water the
earth." When, at the end of the world, iniquity abounds
and faith is low, and scoffers are asking, ** Where is
the promise of His coming?" there will come a ''to-
morrow about this time " when the heavens will pass
away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt
16
242 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
with fervent heat, the earth also and all that is therein
shall be destroyed. Hold on, brave Joshua, for a little
longer; hold on too, ye soldiers of the Lord Jesus,
though all the powers of darkness are leagued against
you ; hold on, ye suffering saints, whose days of pain
and nights of waking are such a weariness to your
flesh; the glorious ''to-morrow " may be at hand which
is to end your troubles and bring you the victory !
"We expect a bright to-morrow,
All will be well."
And all was well with Joshua. Arriving suddenly
at the waters of Merom, he fell on the mighty host of
the enemy, who, taken by surprise, seem not to have
struck one blow, but to have been seized at once with
that panic which so thoroughly demoralizes Eastern
hordes, and to have fled in consternation. In three
great streams the fugitives sought their homes. One
portion made for Misrephothmaim in the south-west,
now, it is thought, represented by Musheirifeh on the
north border of the plain of Acre ; another struck in
a north-easterly direction through the valley of the
upper Jordan, or east of Hermon to the valley of
Mizpeh ; a third, passing through the gorge of the
Litany, made for great Zidon, in the distant north.
Joshua himself would seem to have pursued this column
of fugitives, and, passing over a rough path of more
than forty miles, not to have abandoned them till they
took refuge within the walls of Zidon. If he had
attacked and destroyed that stronghold, it might have
changed for the better much of the future history of
his country ; for the Jezebels and Athaliahs of after
days were among the worst enemies of Israel. But he
did not deem himself called to that duty It seemed
xi., xii.] THE BATTLE OF MEROM. 243
more urgent that he should demoHsh Hazor, the capital
of the confederacy that he had just scattered. So ''he
turned back and took Hazor, and smote the king
thereof with the sword ; for Hazor before time was the
head of all those kingdoms." For this reason Hazor
was treated like Jericho, utterly destroyed, as were also
the other cities of the confederate kings. One class of
cities was spared, called in our version '' the cities that
stood still in their strength," but better in the Revised—
^'the cities that stood on their mounds." The custom
referred to is that of building cities on mounds or
hills for the sake of protection. With the exception
of Hazor, none of these were destroyed. The reason
probably was, that it would have cost too much time.
But it was in such places that the old inhabitants rallied
and entrenched themselves, and from them they were
able in after years to inflict much loss and give great
trouble to Israel. Joshua, however, had not received
instructions to destroy them ; they were left to serve
a purpose in God's plan of discipline (Judg. ii. 3), and
while Israel was often humbled under them their
attacks proved occasions of rallying, bringing them
back to God, whose worship they were so ready to
neglect.
The conquest of Western Palestine was thus virtually
completed. First, by taking Jericho, Joshua had
possessed himself of the Jordan valley, and established
a clear communication with Bashan and Gilead, which
the two and a half tribes had received for their inherit-
ance. By the conquest of Ai and Bethel, he had made
a way to the great plateau of Western Palestine, and by
his treaty with the Gibeonites he had extended his hold
a considerable way farther to the south and the west.
Then, by the great victory of Bethhoron, he had
244 TH^ BOOK OF JOSHUA.
crushed the southern chiefs and possessed himself,
for the time at least, of all that quarter. As to the
inhabita.nts of the central part, we know not (as we have
already said) how they were dealt with, but most probably
they were too frightened to resist him. (See p. 202).
The northern section had been subdued at Merom.,
and much crippled through the pursuit of Joshua after
the battle there. The only important parts of the
country of which he did not gain possession were the
land of the Philistines, the strip of sea coast held by
Tyre and Zidon, and some small kingdoms on the
north-east. It would seem that in the instructions
received by him from Moses, these w^ere not included,
for it is expressly said of him that ^*he left nothing
undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses."
Emphasis is laid on the fact that his conquests were
not confined to one section or denomination of territory,
but embraced the whole. '' Joshua took all that land,
the hill countr}^, and all the South, and all the land of
Goshen, and the lowland, and the Arabah, and the hill
country of Israel, and the lowland of the same ; from
Mount Halak (or, the bare mountain) [on the south],
that goeth up to Seir [the land of Edom], even unto
Baalgad in the valley of Lebanon under Mount
Hermon [in the north] : and all their kings he took,
and smote them, and put them to death " (R.V.). The
" Goshen " here spoken of cannot, of course, be the
Egyptian Goshen, for this city was in the neighbour-
hood of Gibeon (chap. x. 41); but its site has not
been identified.
We are told that the wars of Joshua occupied a
long time. Probably from five to seven years were
consumed by them, for though the pitched battles of
Bethhoron and Merom virtually decided the mastership
xi., xii.] THE BATTLE OF MEROM. 245
of the country, there must have been a large amount
of guerilla warfare, and the sieges of the various
cities may have required much time. The list of kings
subdued, as given in chap, xii., is a remarkable
document. Granting that though called kings they
were mostly but little chieftains, still they were formid-
able enough to a pastoral people unused to the pursuits
of war ; and it was very striking that not one of them
by himself, nor all of them combined, were equal to
Joshua. If Joshua was not divinely aided, the conquest
of all these chieftains and the capture of their cities
is the most inexplicable event in history.
Two additional statements are made towards the
close of the eleventh chapter. One is, that with the
single exception of Gibeon, no attempt was made by
any of the chiefs or cities to make peace with Joshua.
" For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts that
they should come against Israel in battle, that he
might destroy them utterl}^, and that they might have
no favour, but that he might destroy them, as the
Lord commanded Moses." It would have been very
embarrassing to Joshua if they had submitted spon-
taneously, and cast themselves on his generosity, for his
orders were to destroy them. But this difficulty did not
arise. None of the cities seem to have shared the
conviction of the Gibeonites that opposition was need-
less, that Israel was sure to prevail, and get possession
of the country. When men's backs are up, to use a
common phrase, they Vv^ill do wonders in the way of
facing danger and enduring suffering. Even the re-
sistance of the martyrs cannot be wholly ascribed to
holy faith and loyalty to God ; in many cases, no doubt,
something was due to that dogged spirit that won't
submit, that won't be beat, that will endure incredible
246 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
privation rather than give in. The effect of this resist-
ance by the Canaanites was, that while Joshua's task
was increased in one wa}^, it was simphfied in another.
Ages before, God had given the country to the fathers
of the Hebrew nation. That people now came and
demanded in God's name possession of the land which He
had given them. Had the nations submitted voluntaril}'^
they must have left the country to seek new settlements
elsewhere. By resisting, they compelled Joshua to
meet them with the sword ; and having resisted Israel
with all their might, nothing remained but that they
should encounter the doom which they had so fiercely
provoked.
That some of the Canaanites did leave the country
seems very probable, although little importance is to
be attached to the statement of Procopius that after
trying Egypt they settled in Libya, and overspread
Africa as far as the Pillars of Hercules. At a fortress
in Numidia called Tigisis or Tingis he says that so
late as the sixth century after Christ there were dis-
covered near a great wall two pillars of white stone
bearing, in Phoenician, the inscription, ** We are those
who fled before the robber Jeshus, son of Nane."
Ewald and others by whom this tradition is noticed
are not disposed, owing to its late date, to attach to it
any weight.
The other statement relates to the Anakim. Some-
time, not precisely defined, while engaged in his conflicts
Joshua ''cut oft' the Anakims from the mountains,
from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all
the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of
Israel," leaving none of them except in Gaza, in Gath,
and in Ashdod (xi. 21). Afterwards it is said (xv. 14)
that it was Caleb that drove from Hebron the three
xi., xii.] THE BATTLE OF MEROM. 247
sons of Anak, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai ; but this
cannot be counted a contradiction inasmuch as '' Joshua,"
being the leader of the army, must be held to repre-
sent and include all who fought in connection with his
enterprise. These Anakim were the men that had so
terrified the ten spies. " And there we saw the giants,
the sons of Anak, which come of the giants : and we
were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were
in their sight " (Num. xiii. '^'^). To men of little faith,
giants, whether physical or moral, are always formidable.
Kings, with the resources of an empire at their back ;
generals^ at the head of mighty battalions ; intellectual
chiefs, with all their talent and brillianc}^, their wit,
their irony, their power to make the worse appear the
better reason, are more than a match for the obscure
handfuls to whom the battles of the faith are often left.
But if the obscure handfuls are allied with the Lord of
hosts, their victory is sure ; the triumphant experience
of the forty-sixth psalm awaits them : '^ God is in the
midst of her, she shall not be moved ; God shall help
her, and that right early."
We are weary of the din of arms, and come at last
to the refreshing statement : ''And the land rested
from war." The annals of peace are always more
brief than the records of war ; and when we reach this
short but welcome clause we might wish that it were
so expanded as to fill our eyes and our hearts with the
blessings which peace scatters with her kindly hand.
For that impression we need only to turn to another page
of our Bible, and read of the campaigns of another Joshua.
'' And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their
synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom,
and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner
of disease among the people." The contrast is very
248 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
glorious. In His Galilee journeys, Jesus traversed the
very region where Joshua had drawn his sword against
the confederate kings. Joshua had pursued them as
far as Zidon, leaving marks of bloodshed along the
whole way ; Jesus, when *' He departed to the coasts
of Tyre and Sidon/' went to reward faith, to dispossess
devils, and to kindle in a desolate heart thanksgiving
and joy. Everyv/here, throughout all Galilee and the
regions beyond, His advent was accompanied with
benedictions, and blessings were scattered by Him in
His path.
But let us not indulge in too complete a contrast
between the two conquerors. 'Joshua's rough plough-
share prepared the v/ay for Jesus' words of mercy and
deeds of love. God's message to man is not all in
honeyed words. Even Jesus, as He went through
Galilee, proclaimed, '' Repent, for the kingdom of heaven
is -at hand." And it was those only who gave heed
to the call to repent that becamie possessors of the
kingdom.
CHAPTER XXL
JOSHUA'S OLD AGE— DIVISION FOR THE EASTERN
TRIBES.
Joshua xiii., xiv. i — 5.
"' I "^HE Lord said unto Joshua, Thou art old and
X stricken in j^ears." To many men and women
this would not be a welcome announcement. They
do not like to think that they are old. They do not
like to think that the bright, joyous, playful part of life
is over, and that they are arrived at the sombre years
when they must say, ''There is no pleasure in them."
Then, again, there are some who really find it hard to
believe that they are old. Life has flown past so
swiftly that befpre they thought it was well begun it
has gone. It seems so short a time since they were
in the full play of their youthful energies, that it is
hardly credible that they are now in the sere and
yellow leaf Perhaps, too, they have been able to
keep their hearts young all the time, and still retain
that buoyant sensation which seems to indicate the
presence of youth. And are there not some who
have verified the psalm — *' They that are planted in
the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of'
our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age,
they shall be fat and flourishing " ?
But however much men may like to be young, and
however much some may retain in old age of the
249
250 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
feeling of youth, it is certain that the period of strength
has its Hmit, and the period of hfe also. To the halest
and heartiest, if he be not cut off prematurely, the time
must come when God will say to him, **Thou art old."
It is a solemn word to hear from the lips of God. God
tells me my life is past ; what use have I made of it ?
And what does God think of the use I have made of
it ? And what account of it shall I be able to give
when I stand at His bar?
Let the young think well of this, before it is too
late to learn how to live.
To Joshua the announcement that he was old and
stricken in years does not appear to have brought any
painful or regretful feeling. Perhaps he had aged
somewhat suddenly ; his energies may have failed con-
sciously and rapidly, after his long course of active
and anxious ; military service. He may have been glad
to hear God utter the word ; he may have been feeling
it himself, and wondering how he should be able to
go through the campaigns yet necessary to put the
children of Israel in full possession of the land. That
word may have fallen on his ear with the happy feeling —
how considerate God is ! He will not burden my old
age with a load not suited for it. Though His years
have no end, and He knows nothing of failing strength,
^* He knoweth our frame. He remembereth that we
are dust." He will not "cast me off in the time of
old age, nor forsake me when my strength faileth."
Happy confidence, especially for the aged poor ! It
is the want of trust in the heavenly Father that makes
so many miserable in old age. When you will not
believe that He is considerate and kind, you are left
to your own resources, and often to destitution and
misery. But when between Him and you there is the
xiii.,xiv. 1-5.] JOSHUA'S OLD AGE. 251
happy relation of father and child ; when through Jesus
Christ you realize His fatherly love and pity, and in real
trust cast yourselves on Him who clothes the lilies and
feeds the ravens, your trust is sure to be rewarded, for
your heavenly Father knoweth what things you have
need of before you ask them.
So Joshua finds that he is now to be relieved by
his considerate Master of laborious and anxious service.
Not of all service, but of exhausting sei^ice, unsuited
to his advancing years. Joshua had been a right
faithful servant ; few men have ever done their work
so well. From that day when he stood against Amalek
from morning to night, while the rod of Moses was
stretched out over him on the hill ; thereafter, during
all his companionship with Moses on the mount ; next
in that search-expedition when Caleb and he stood so
firm, and did not flinch in the face of the congregation,
though every one was for stoning them ; and now,
from the siege of Jericho to the victory of Merom, and
all through the trying and perilous sieges of city after
city, year after year, Joshua has proved himself the
faithful servant of God and the devoted friend of Israel.
During these last years he has enjoyed supreme power,
apparently without a rival and without a foe ; yet,
strange to sa}^, there is no sign of his having been
corrupted by power, or made giddy by elevation. He
has led a most useful and loyal life, which there is
some satisfaction in looking back on. No doubt he
is well aware of unnumbered failings : " Who can
understand his errors ? " But he has the rare satis-
faction— oh I who would not wish to share it ? — of
looking back on a well-spent life, habitually and
earnestly regulated amid many infirmities by regard to
the will of God. Neither he, nor St. Paul after him,
252 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
had any trust in their own good works, as a basis of
salvation ; yet Paul could say, and Joshua might have
said it in spirit : *^ I have fought the good fight, I have
finished my course, I have kept the faith : henceforth
there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness."
Yet Joshua was not to complete that work to which
he had contributed so much : '^ there remaineth yet very
much land to be possessed." At one time, no doubt,
he thought otherwise, and he desired otherwise. When
the tide of victory was setting in for him so steadily,
and region after region of the land was falling into his
hands, it was natural to expect that before he ended
he would sweep all the enemies of Israel before him,
and open every door for them throughout the land,
even to its utmost borders. Why not make hay when
the sun shone ? When God had found so apt an
instrument for His great design, why did He not
employ him to the end ? If the natural term of Joshua's
strength had come, why did not that God who had
supernaturally lengthened out the day for completing
the victory of Bethhoron, lengthen out Joshua's day
that the whole land of Canaan might be secured ?
Here comes in a great mystery of Providence.
Instead of lengthening out the period of Joshua's
strength, God seems to have cut it short. We can
easily understand the lesson for Joshua himself It is
the lesson which so many of God's servants have had
to learn. They start with the idea they are to do
everything ; they are to reform every abuse, overthrow
every stronghold of evil, reduce chaos to order and
beauty ; as if each were
" the only man on earth
Responsible for all the thistles blown
And tigers couchant, struggling in amaze
xiii., xiv. 1-5.] JOSHUA'S OLD AGE. 253
Against disease and winter, snarling on
For ever, that the world's not paradise."
Sooner or later they find that they must be satisfied
with a much humbler role. They must learn to
" be content in work,
To do the thing we can, and not presume
To fret because it's little. 'Twill employ
Seven men, they say, to make a perfect pin, . . .
Seven men to a pin, and not a man too much !
Seven generations, haply to this world.
To right it visibly a finger's breadth,
And mend its rents a little."
Joshua must be made to feel — perhaps he needs this —
that this enterprise is not his, but God's. And God
is not limited to one instrument, or to one age, or to
one plan. Never does Providence appear to us so
strange, as when a noble worker is cut down in the
very midst of his work. A young missionary has just
shown his splendid capacity for service, when fever
strikes him low, and in a few days all that remains of him
is rotting in the ground. What can God mean ? we
sometimes ask impatiently. Does Ke not know the
rare value and the extreme scarcity of such men, that
He sets them up apparently just to throv/ them down ?
But ** God reigneth, let the people tremble." Ail that
bears on the Christian good of the world is in God's
plan, and it is very dear to God, and " precious in the
sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." But He
is not hmited to single agents. When Stephen died,
He raised up Saul. For V/iclifife He gave Luther.
When George Wishart was burnt He raised up John
Knox. Kings, it is said, die, but the king never. The
herald that announces '^ The king is dead," proclaims
in the same breath, *'God save the king I " God's
254 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
workers die, but His work goes on. Joshua is super-
annuated, so far as the work of conquest is concerned,
and that work for a time is suspended. But the
reason is that, at the present moment, God desires to
develop the courage and energy of each particular tribe.
And when the time comes to extend still farther the
dominion of Israel, an agent will be found well equipped
for the service. From the hills of Bethlehem, a godly
youth of dauntless bearing will one day emerge, under
whom every foe to Israel shall be brought low, and
from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river
Euphrates, the entire Promised Land shall come under
Israel's dominion. And the conquests of David will
shine with a brighter lustre than Joshua's, and will be
set, as it were, to music of a higher strain. Associated
with David's holy songs and holy experience, and with
his early life of sadness and humiliation, crowned at last
with glory and honour, they will more fitly symbolize
the work of the great Joshua, and there will then be
diffused over the world a more holy aroma than that of
Joshua's conquests, — a fragrance sweet and refreshing to
souls innumerable, and fostering the hope of glory, — the
rest that remaineth for the people of God, the inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away.
So Joshua must be content to have done his part,
and done it well, although he did not conquer all the
land, and there yet remained much to be possessed.
Without entering in detail into all the geographical
notices of this chapter, it will be well to note briefly
what parts of the country were still unsubdued.
First, there were all the borders of the Philistines,
and all Geshuri ; the five lords of the Philistines,
dwelling in Gaza, Ashdod, Ascalon, Gath, and Ekron ;
and also the Avites. This well defined country con-
xiii., xiv. 1-5-] JOSHUA'S OLD AGE. 255
sisted mainly of a plain " remarkable in all ages for
the extreme riches of its soil ; its fields of standing corn,
its vineyards and oliveyards, are incidentally mentioned
in Scripture (Judg. xv. 5) ; and in the time of famine
the land of the Philistines was the hope of Palestine
(2 Kings viii. 2). . . . It was also adapted to the growth
of military power ; for while the plain itself permitted
the use of war chariots, which were the chief arm of
offence, the occasional elevations which rise out of it
offered secure sites for towns and strongholds. It was,
moreover, a commercial country ; the great thorough-
fare betw^een Phoenicia and Syria on the north and
Egypt and Arabia on the south. Ashdod and Gaza
were the keys of Egypt, and commanded the transit
trade, and the stores of frankincense and myrrh which
Alexander captured in the latter place prove it to have
been a depot of Arabian produce."^
Geshuri lay between Philistia and the desert, and
the Avites were probably some remainder of the Avims,
from whom the Philistines conquered the land (Deut.
ii. 23).
In many respects it would have been a great boon
for the Israelites if Joshua had conquered a people
that were so troublesome to them as the Philistines
were for many a day. What Joshua left undone,
Saul began, but failed to achieve, and at last David
accomphshed. The Geshurites were subdued with the
Amalekites while he was dwelling at Ziklag as an
ally of the Philistines (i Sam. xxvii. 8), and the
Philistines themselves were brought into subjection,
and had to yield to Israel many of their cities (i Sam.
vii. 14; 2 Sam. viii. i, 12).
' Smith's " Bible Dictionary."
256 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Another important section of the country unsubdued
was the Phoenician territory — the land of the Sidonians
(vv. 4, 6). Also the hilly country across Lebanon, em-
bracing the valley of Coele-S3Tia, and apparently the
region of Mount Carmel (*' from Lebanon unto Misre-
phothmaim," ver. 6, and comp. chap. xi. 8). No doubt
much of this district was recovered in the time of the
Judges, and still more in the time of David ; but David
made peace with the King of Tyre, who still retained
the rocky strip of territory that was so useful to a
commercial nation, but would have been almost useless
to an agricultural people like the Israelites.
Joshua was not called on to conquer these territories
in the sense of driving out all the old inhabitants ;
but he was instructed to divide the whole land among
his people — a task involving, no doubt, its own
difficulties, but not the physical labour which war
entailed. And in this division he was called first to
recognise what had already been done by Moses with
the part of the country east of the Jordan. That part
had been allotted to Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of
Manasseh ; and the allotment was still to hold good.
It is remarkable with what fulness the places are
described. First, we have the boundaries of that part
of the country generally (vv. 9-12) ; then of the allot-
ments of each of the two and a half tribes (vv. 15-31).
With regard to the district as a whole, the conquest
under Moses was manifestly complete, from the river
Arnon on the south, to the borders of the Geshurites
and Maachathites on the north. The only part not
subdued were the territories of these Geshurites and
Maachathites. The Geshurites here are not to be con-
founded with the people of the same name mentioned
in ver. 2, who were at the opposite extreme — the south-
xiii.,xiv. 1-5.] DIVISION FOR THE EASTERN TRIBES. 257
west instead of, as here, the north-east of the land.
But no doubt the Syrian Geshurites and Maachathites
were brought into subjection by David, with all the
other tribes in that region, in his great Syrian war,
" when he went to recover his border at the river
Euphrates " (2 Sam. viii. 3). But instead of expelling
or exterminating them, David seems to have allowed
them to remain in a tributary condition, for Geshur
had its king in the days of Absalom (2 Sam. xiii. 37),
to whom that prince fled after the murder of Amnon.
With the Maachathites also David had a family con-
nection (2 Sam. iii. 3).
But though the subjugation and occupation of the
eastern part of the land was thus tolerably complete
(with the exceptions just mentioned), it remained in
the undisturbed possession of Israel for the shortest
time of any. From Moabites and Ammonites on the
south, Canaanites and Syrians on the north and the
east, as well as the Midianites, Amalekites, and other
tribes of the desert, it was subject to continual invasions.
In fact, it was the least settled and least comfortable
part of all the country ; and doubtless it became soon
apparent that though the two tribes and a half had
seemed to be very fortunate in having their wish
granted to settle in this rich and beautiful region, yet on
the whole they had been penny-wise and pound-foolish.
Not only were they incessantly assailed and worried
by their neighbours, but they were the first to be
carried into captivity, when the King of Assyria directed
his eyes to Palestine. They had shown somewhat of
the spirit of Lot, and they suffered somewhat of his
punishment. It is worthy of remark that even at this
day this eastern province is the most disturbed part
of Palestine. The Bedouins are ever liable to make
17
258 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
their attacks wherever there are crops or cattle to
tempt their avarice. People will not sow where they
have no chance of reaping ; and thus it is that much
of that productive region lies waste. The moral is not
far to seek : in securing wealth, look not merely at the
apparent productiveness of the investment, but give
heed to its security, its stability. It is not all gold
that glitters either on the stock-exchange or anywhere
else. And even that which is real gold partakes of the
current instabihty. We must come back to our Saviour's
advice to investors, if we would really be safe : ** Lay
not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust do corrupt, and where thieves break through
and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where moth and rust do not corrupt, and where
thieves do not break through nor steal."
The specification of the allotments need not detain
us long. Reuben's was the farthest south. His
southern and eastern flanks were covered by the
Moabites, who greatly annoyed him. " Unstable as
water, he did not excel." Gad settled north of Reuben.
In his lot was the southern part of Gilead ; Mahanaim,
and Peniel, celebrated in the history of Jacob, and
Ramoth-gilead, conspicuous in after times. East of
Gad were the Ammonites, who proved as troublesome
to that tribe as Moab did to Reuben. To the half-
tribe of Manasseh the kingdom of Og fell, and the
northern half of Gilead. Jabesh-gilead, where Saul
routed the Ammonites, was in this tribe (i Sara. xi.).
Here also were some of the places on the lake of
Galilee mentioned in the gospel history ; here the
*' desert place " across the sea to which our Lord
used to retire for rest ; here He fed the multitude ;
here He cured the demoniac ; and here were some
xiii.,xiv. 1-5.] DIVISION FOR THE EASTERN TRIBES. 259
of the mountains where He would spend the night in
pra3^er.
In our Lord's time this portion of Palestine was
called Perea. Under the dominion of the Romans, it
was comparatively tranquil, and our Lord would some-
times select it, on account of its quiet, as his route to
Jerusalem. And many of His gifts of love and mercy
were doubtless scattered over its surface.
Two statements are introduced parenthetically in
this chapter which hardly belong to the substance of
it. One of these, occurring twice, respects the in-
heritance of the Levites (vv. 14, 33). No territorial
possessions were allotted to them corresponding to those
of the other tribes. In the one place it is said that
" the sacrifices of the Lord God of Israel made by fire
were their inheritance " ; in the other, that " the Lord
God of Israel was their inheritance." We shall after-
wards find the arrangements for the Levites more fully
detailed (chaps, xx., xxi.). This early allusion to the
subject, even before the allotments in Western Palestine
begin to be described, shows that their case had
been carefully considered, and that it was not by over-
sight but deliberately that the country was divided
without any section being reserved for them.
The other parenthetical statement respects the death
of Balaam. " Balaam also, the soothsayer, did the
children of Israel slay with the sword among them
that were slain by them" (ver. 22). It appears from
Numb. xxxi. 8 that the slaughter of Balaam took
place in the days of Moses, by the hands of the
expedition sent by him to chastise the Midianites for
drawing the Israelites into idolatry. That the fact
should be again noticed here is probably due to the
circumstance that the death of Balaam occurred at the
26o THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
place which had just been noted — the boundary line
between Reuben and Gad. It was a fa.ct well worthy
of being again noted. It was a fact never to be for-
gotten that the man who had been sent for to curse
was constrained to bless. As far as Balaam's public
conduct was concerned, he behaved well to Israel.
He emphasized their Divine election and their glorious
privileges. He laid especial stress upon the fact that
they were not a Bedouin horde, rushing about in search
of plunder, but a sacramental host, executing the judg-
ments of a righteous God — " The Lord his God is with
him, and the shout of a king is among them." This
was a valuable testimony, for which Israel might well
be grateful. It was when Balaam took part in that
disgraceful plot to entice Israel into sensuality and
idolatry that he came out in his real colours. It
seemed to him very clever, no doubt, to obey the Divine
command in the letter by absolutely refusing to curse
Israel, while at the same time he accomplished the
object he was sent for by seducing them into sins
which brought down on them the judgments of God.
Nevertheless, he reckoned without his host. Possibly
he gained his reward, but he did not live to enjoy it ;
and *' what shall a man be profited if he gain the whole
world and forfeit his own life ? " (Matt. xvi. 26, R.V.).
The two and a half tribes were well taught by the
fate of Balaam that, in the end, however cunningly a
man may act, his sin will find him out. They were
emphatically reminded that the sins of sensuality and
idolatry are exceedingly hateful in the sight of God,
and certain to be punished. They were assured by the
testimony of Balaam, that Israel, if only faithful, would
never cease to enjoy the Divine protection and blessing.
But they were reminded that God is not mocked : that
xiii.,xiv. 1-5.] DIVISION FOR THE EASTERN TRIBES. 261
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Balaam had sown to the flesh ; of the flesh it behoved
him to reap corruption. And so must it ever be ;
however ingeniously you may disguise sin, however
you may conceal it from yourself, and persuade yourself
to believe that you are not doing wrong, sin must show
itself ultimately in its true colours, and your ingenious
disguises will not shield it from its doom : — " The
wages of sin is Death."
CHAPTER XXII.
THE INHERITANCE OF CALEB}
Joshua xiv. 6 — 15.
CALEB is one of those men whom we meet with
seldom in Bible history, but whenever we do meet
them we are the better for the meeting. Bright and
brave, strong, modest and cheerful, there is honesty in
his face, courage and decision in the very pose of his
body, and the calm confidence of faith in his very look
and attitude. It is singular that there should be cause
to doubt whether his family were originally of the
promised seed. When introduced to us in the present
passage he is emphatically called "Caleb, the son of
' There is some difficulty in adjusting the three passages in which
the settlement of Caleb is referred to. From this first passage of
the three, we are led to think that it was before the tribe of Judah
obtained its portion. Again, from chap. xv. 13 we might suppose
that it was simultaneously with the rest of the tribe. From Judg.
i. 10, again, it might be thought that the subduing of the natives in
Hebron was effected, not by Caleb alone, but by the tribe of Judah,
and that it took place " after the death of Joshua " (Judg. i. i). Putting
all these together, it would appear that Hebron was assigned to Caleb
before the tribe of Judah was settled ; that this allocation was ratified
at the general settlement ; that as Caleb was a member of the tribe,
his services against the Canaanites, and especially the Anakim, were
ascribed to his tribe ; and that the process of dispossessing the
Canaanites went on for some time after the death of Joshua. The
repetitions in the narrative concerning Caleb form one of the considera-
tions that favour the idea of more sources than one having been made
use of in the composition of this book.
262
xiv.6-is.] THE INHERITANCE OF CALEB. 263
Jephunneh the Kenezite " (R.V., Kenizzite, rightly,
same as Kenizzite in Gen. xv. 19), as if he had been
a descendant of Kenaz, a son of Esau (Gen. xxxvi.
II and 15), and a member of the Kenizzite tribe. It
was not customary to distinguish Israehtes in this way,
but only those who had come among them from other
tribes, like ** Heber the Kenite," ^'Jael, the wife of
Heber the Kenite" (Judg. iv. 11, 17), Uriah the
Hittite, Hushai the Archite, etc. Moreover, Othniel,
Caleb's younger brother, is called the son of Kenaz
(Josh. XV. 17); and further, when it is recorded in the
fourteenth verse of this chapter that Hebron became
the possession of Caleb, the reason assigned is that
he "wholly followed the Lord God of Israeli On the
other hand, in the genealogical list of i Chron. iv. 13, 15,
Othniel and Caleb occur as if they were regular members
of the tribe ; but that list shows obvious signs of imper-
fection. On the whole, the preponderance of evidence
is in favour of the opinion that Caleb's family were
originally outside the covenant, but had become prose-
lytes, like Hobab, Rahab, Ruth, and Heber. Their
faith was pre-eminently the fruit of conviction, and not
the accident of heredit3^ It had a firmer basis than
that of most Israelites. It was woven more closely
into the texture of their being, and swayed their lives
more powerfully. It is pleasing to think that there may
have been many such proselytes ; that the promise to
Abraham may have attracted souls from the east, and
the west, and the north, and the south ; that even
beyond the limits of the twelve tribes many hearts
may have been cheered, and many lives elevated and
purified by the promise to him, " In thee and in thy
seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed."
Caleb and Joshua had believed and acted alike, in
264 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
opposition to the other ten spies ; but Caleb occupies
the more prominent place in the story of their heroism
and faith. It was he that *' stilled the people before
Moses, and said, Let us go up at once, and possess it ;
for we are well able to overcome it " (Numb. xiii. 30) ;
and at first his name occurs alone, as exempted from
the sentence of exclusion against the rest of his genera-
tion : '' But my servant Caleb, because he had another
spirit with him, and hath followed Me fully, him will I
bring into the land whereinto he went : and his seed
shall possess it " (Numb, xiv, 24). As we have said
before, it is probable that Caleb was the readier speaker,
and it is possible that he was the firmer man. Joshua
seems to have wanted that power of initiation which
Caleb had. It was because he had always been a good
follower that Joshua in his old age was fitted to be a
leader. Because he had been a good servant he became
a good master. As long as Moses lived, Joshua was
his servant. After Moses died, Joshua set himself
simply to carry out his instructions. It was a happy
thing for him on the return of the ten spies that Caleb
was one of them, otherwise he might have found himself
in a condition of embarrassment. Caleb was evidently
the man who led the opposition to the ten, not only
asserting the course of duty, but manifesting the spirit
of contempt and defiance toward the faithless cowards
that forgot that God was with them. In his inmost heart
Joshua was quite of his mind, but probably he wanted
the energetic manner, the ringing voice, the fearless
attitude of his more demonstrative companion. Certain
it is that Caleb reaped the chief honour of that day.^
' Some readers may no doubt prefer the explanation that when
Caleb is mentioned alone one document was followed, and when
Caleb and Joshua are coupled, another.
xiv.6-i5.] THE INHERITANCE OF CALEB. 265
It is beautiful to see that there was no rivalry between
them. Not only |did Caleb interpose no remonstrance
when Joshua was called to succeed Moses, but he
seems all through the wars to have yielded to him
the most loyal and hearty submission. God had set
His seal on Joshua, and the people had ratified the
appointment, and Caleb was too magnanimous to allow
any poor ambition of his, if he had any, to come in
the way of the Divine will and the public good. His
affectionate and cordial bearing on the present occasion
seems to show that not even in the corner of his heart
did there linger a trace of jealousy toward the old
friend and companion whom on that occasion he had
surpassed, but who had been set so much higher than
himself He came to him as the recognised leader of
the people — as the man whose voice was to decide the
question he now submitted, as the judge and arbiter
in a matter which very closely concerned him and his
house.
And yet there are indications of tact on the part of
Caleb, of a thorough understanding of the character
of Joshua, and of the sort of considerations by which
he might be expected to be swayed. There were two
grounds on which he might reasonably look for the
conceding of his request — his personal services, and
the promise of Moses. Caleb knows well that the
promise of Moses will influence Joshua much more
than any other consideration ; therefore he puts it in
the foreground. '^Thou knowest the thing that the
Lord said unto Moses, the man of God, concerning me
and thee in Kadesh-barnea." " Moses, the man of
God." Why does Caleb select that remarkable epithet ?
Why add anything to the usual name, Moses ? The
use of the epithet was honouring to all the three.
266 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
That which constituted the highest glory of Moses was
that he was so much at one with God. God's will was
ever his law, and he was in such close sympathy with
God that whatever instructions he gave on any subject
might be assumed to be in accordance with God's will.
Moreover, in calling him ^' the man of God " when
addressing Joshua, Caleb assumed that Joshua would
be impressed by this consideration, and would be
disposed to agree to a request which was not only
sanctioned by the will of Moses, but by that higher
will which Moses constantly recognised. In short,
when Joshua considered that the particular wish of
Moses which Caleb now recalled was only the expression
of the Divine will, Caleb felt assured that he could not
withhold his consent. The three men were indeed a
noble trio, worthy descendants of their father Abraham,
even if one of the three was no son of Jacob. Long
before our Lord taught the petition ^^ Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven," it had become habitual to
them all. Moses was indeed '' the man of God," — pre-
eminently in fellowship with Him ; in a lower sphere
both Caleb and Joshua were of the same order, men
who tried to live their lives, and every part of them,
only in God.
Having fortified his plea with this strong reference
at once to Moses and to God, Caleb proceeds to rehearse
the service which had led to the promise of Moses.
The facts could not but be well known to Joshua.
*' Forty years old was I when Moses, the servant of the
Lord, sent me from Kadesh-barnea to spy out the land,
and I brought him word again as it was in my heart.
Nevertheless, my brethren that went up with me made
the heart of the people melt ; but I wholly followed
the Lord my God." Why does Caleb put the matter
xiv. 6-15.] THE INHERITANCE OF CALEB. 267
in this way ? Why does he not couple Joshua with
himself as having been faithful on that never-to-be-
forgotten occasion ? The only explanation that seems
feasible is, that from the pre-eminent position of Joshua
this was unnecessary, perhaps it might have appeared
even unbecoming. A soldier making a request of the
Duke of Wellington, and recalling some service he had
done at the battle of Waterloo, would hardly think it
necessary, or even becoming, to say how the Duke, too,
had been there, and what surpassing service he had
rendered on that day. A soldier like the Duke occupy-
ing a position of unrivalled pre-eminence on account of
long and brilliant service, does not need to be told
what he has done, Joshua was now the leader of
Israel, and the last few years had crowned him with
such manifold glory that his whole life was trans-
figured, and individual acts of service did not need to
be spoken of Caleb was comparatively an obscure
individual, whose fame rested on a single service now
nearly half a century old, which could not, indeed, be
quite forgotten, but amid the brilliant events of later
times might easily pass out of sight and out of mind.
There was no disparagement of Joshua, therefore, in his
not being mentioned by Caleb, but, on the contrary,
a silent tribute to his exalted office as chief ruler of
Israel, and to his all but unparalleled services, especially
during these later years.
" I brought him word again, as it was in my hearth
The statement is made in no boasting spirit, and yet
what a rare virtue it denotes I Caleb, as we now say,
had the courage of his convictions. He had both an
honest heart and an honest tongue. We can have but
little idea what temptations he lay under not to speak
what was in his heart. For six weeks these ten men
268 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
had been his close companions. They had eaten to-
gether, slept under the same canvas, walked by the
same paths, beguiled the long way by story and
anecdote, and no doubt by joke and play of humour,
and done kind offices to each other as circumstances
required. To break away from your own set, from
the comrades of 3^our campaign, to upset their plans,
and counsel those in power to a course diametrically
opposed to theirs, is one of the most difficult of social
duties. And in these days of ours there is no duty more
commonly set aside. Moral cowardice has been well
said to be one of the most common vices of our age.
What more common in Parliament, for example, than
for men to differ strongly from some of the measures
of their party, and yet, because it is their party,
support them by their votes ? And in the ranks of
the Church and of its various sections the same ten-
dency prevails, though it may be in a less degree. Of
the many able and seemingly honest prelates of the
Roman Church who dissented, often with vehemence,
from the Vatican decree of the pope's infallibihty, what
became finally of their opposition ? Were there more
than one or two who did not surrender in the end, and
agree to profess what they did not believe ? And to
come to more ordinary matters, when our opinions on
religious subjects are at a discount, when they are met
with ridicule, how often do we conceal them, or trim
and modify them in order that we may not share in
the current condemnation ? The men that have the
courage of their convictions are often social mart3TS,
shut out from the fellowship of their brethren, shut
out from every berth of honour or emolument, and yet,
for their courage and honesty, worthy of infinitely
higher regard than whole hundreds of the time-servers
xiv. 6-I5.J THE INHERITANCE OF CALEB. 269
that ''get on" in the world by humouring its errors
and its folhes.
Nevertheless, though most of us show ourselves
miserably weak by not speaking out all that is "in our
hearts," especially when the honour of our Lord and
Master is concerned, we are able to appreciate and
cannot fail to admire the noble exhibitions of courage
that we sometimes meet with. That beautiful creation
of Milton's, the Seraph Abdiel, "faithful found among
the faithless, faithful only he," is the type and ideal
of the class. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego re-
sisting the enthusiasm of myriads and calmly defying
the fiery furnace ; the Apostle Paul clinging to his
views of the law and the gospel when even his brother
Peter had begun to waver ; Martin Luther, with his
foot on the Bible confronting the whole world ; John
Knox defying sovereign and nobles and priests alike,
determined that the gospel should be freely preached ;
Care}', going out as a missionary to India amid the
derision of the world, because he could not get the
words out of his head, " Go ye into all the world, and
preach the gospel unto every creature," — have all
exemplified the Caleb spirit that must utter what is in
the heart ; nor has any new idea commonly laid hold
of mankind till* the struggles of some great hero or
the ashes of some noble martyr have gone to sanctify
the cause.
" He that beheveth shall not make haste." Caleb
believed, and therefore he was patient. Five-and-forty
long years had elapsed since Moses, the man of God,
speaking in the Spirit of God, had promised him a
particular inheritance in the land. It was a long time
for faith to live on a promise, but, like a tree in the
face of a cliff that seems to grow out of the solid rock,
270 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
it derived nourishment from unseen sources. It was
a long time to be looking forward ; but Caleb, though
he did not receive the promise during all that time,
was persuaded of it and embraced it, and believed that
at last it would come true. He did not anticipate the
proper time, though he might have had as plausible
reasons for doing so as the two tribes and a half had
for asking leave to settle on the east side of the river.
He bore his share of warlike work, bore the burden
and heat of the day, waited till the proper time for
dividing the land. Nor did he rush forward selfishly
by himself, disregarding the interests of the rest of
his tribe ; for the children of Judah, recognising his
claim, draw near to Joshua along with him. Nor was
it a portion of the land which any tribe might be
eager to enter upon that he asked ; for it was still so
harassed by the Anakim, that there would be no peace
till that formidable body of giants were driven out.
It seems that when acting as one of the twelve
spies, Caleb had in some emphatic way taken his stand
on Hebron. '^ The land on which thy foot hath trodden
will be an inheritance to thee." Perhaps the spies
were too terrified to approach Hebron, for the sons of
the Anakim were there, and, in the confidence of faith,
Caleb, or Caleb and Joshua, had gone into it alone.
Moses had promised him Hebron, and now he came
to claim it. But he came to claim it under circum-
stances that would have induced most men to let it
alone. The driving out of the Anakim was a formid-
able duty, and the task might have seemed more
suitable for one who had the strength and enthusiasm
of youth on his side. But Caleb, though eighty-five,
was yet young. Age is not best measured by years.
He was a remarkable instance of prolonged vigour and
xiv.6-i5.] THE INHERITANCE OF CALEB. 271
youthful energy. "As yet I am as strong this day as
I was in the day that Moses sent me ; as my strength
was then, even so is my strength now, for war, and to
go out and to come in." Faith, and temperance, and
cheerfulness are wonderful aids to longevity. As one
reads these words of Caleb, one recalls the saying of
a well-known physician, Dr. Richardson, that the human
frame might last for a hundred years if it were only
treated aright.
There is something singularly touching in Caleb's
asking as a favour what was really a most hazardous
but important service to the nation. Rough though
these Hebrew soldiers were, they were capable of the
most gentlemanly and chivalrous acts. There can be
no higher act of courtesy than to treat as a favour to
yourself what is really a great service to another.
Well done, Caleb ! You do not ask for a berth which
there will be no trouble in taking or in keeping. You
are not like Issachar, the strong ass couching between
the sheepfolds : "and he saw a resting-place that it
was good, and the land that it was pleasant ; and he
bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant
under task-work." The dew of youth is yet upon you,
the stirring of lofty purpose and noble endeavour ; you
are like the warhorse of Job — " he paweth in the valley
and rejoiceth in his strength ; he mocketh at fear, and
is not dismayed ; he smelleth the battle afar off, the
thunder of the captains and the shouting."
There is nothing we admire more in military annals
than a soldier volunteering for the most hazardous and
difficult of posts, — showing
"That stern joy which warriors feel
In foemen worthy of their steel."
In the spiritual warfare, too, we do not want instances
272 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
of the same spirit. We recall Captain Allan Gardiner
choosing Tierra del Fuego as his mission sphere just
because the people were so ferocious, the climate so
repulsive, and the work so difficult that no one else was
likely to take it up. We think of the second band
who went out after Gardiner and his companions had
been starved to death ; and still more after these were
massacred by the natives, of the third detachment who
were moved simply by the consideration that the case
was seemingly so desperate. Or we think of Livingstone
begging the directors of the London Missionary Society,
wherever they sent him, to be sure that it was " For-
ward " ; turning aside from all previous mission stations,
and the comparative ease they afforded, to grapple with
the barbarian where he had never begun to be tamed ;
his eyes thirsting for unknov\^n scenes and untried
dangers, because he scorned to build on the foundation
of others, and thirsted for *^ fresh woods and pastures
new." We think of him persevering in his task from
year to year in the same lofty spirit ; disregarding
the misery of protracted pain, the intense longings of
his weary heart for home, the repulsive society of
savages and cannibals, the vexations, disappointments,
and obstacles that seemed to multiply every day, the
treachery of so-called friends whom he had helped to
raise, the indifference of a careless world, and of a
languid Church; but ever girding himself with fresh
energy for the task which he had undertaken, and of
which the difficulties and trials had never been absent
from his thoughts. We think of many a young mis-
sionary turning away from the comfortable life which
he might lead at home and which many of his com-
panions will lead, that he may go where the need is
greatest and the fight is hottest, and so render to his
xiv. 6-15.] THE INHERITANCE OF CALEB. 273
Master the greatest possible service. A crowd of noble
names comes to our recollection — Williams, and Judson,
and Morrison, and Burns, and Patteson, and Keith-
Falconer, and Hannington, and Mackay — men for
whom even the Anakim had no terrors, but rather an
attraction ; but who, serving under another Joshua,
differed from Caleb in this, that what they desired was
not to destroy these ferocious Anakim, but to conquer
them by love, and to demonstrate the power of the
gospel of Jesus Christ to change the vilest reprobates
into sons of God.
And even now there are other Anakim among us
for whom the fate of the Canaanite giants ought to be
reserved. Anakim within us — greed, selfishness, love
of ease, lust, passion, cruelty — ^all, if we are faithful,
to be put to the edge of the sword. And there are
Anakim, tremendous Anakim, around us — drunken-
ness, and all that fosters it, despite the paltry excuses
we so often hear ; sensuality, that vile murderer of
soul and body together ; avarice, so cruelly unjust, and
content to gather its hoard from the thews and sinews
of men and women to whom life has become worse
than slavery ; luxurious living, that mocks the struggles
of thousands to whom one crumb from the table or
one rag from the wardrobe would bring such a blessed
relief. With giants like these we need to wage incessant
war, and for the necessary spirit we need constant
supplies of the faith and courage that were so remark-
able in Caleb. He followed the Lord fully ; believing
that if the Lord deserved to be followed at all. He
deserved to be followed in full. What was there to
gain by following Him one half, and surrendering the
other half to the world ? Could he count on God
helping him if he went with but half his heart into His
18
274 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
service, and, like Lot's wife, looked back even when
flying from Sodom ? '* Thou shalt love the Lord thy
God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy strength, and with all thy might."
The tendency to compromise is one of the besetting
sins of the day. In the army or the navy, if one is
to serve God at all, one must serve Him wholly.
Decision is eminently requisite there, and Christians
there are commonly more whole-hearted and consistent
than in many circles nominally Christian, Decision is
manly, is noble ; it brings rest within, and in the end
it conciliates the respect of the bitterest foes. Courage
is the ornament of Christianity, and the crown of the
Christian youth. " Fear not " is one of the brightest
gems of the Bible.
CHAPTER XXIII.
THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE LAND.
Joshua xv. — xix.
WE come now in earnest to the distribution of
the land. The two and a half tribes have
already got their settlements on the other side of
Jordan ; but the other side of Jordan, though included
in the land of promise, was outside the part specially
consecrated as the theatre of Divine manifestation and
dealing. From Dan to Beersheba and from Jordan to
the sea vjd.'s, par excellence the land of Israel ; it was here
the patriarchs had dwelt ; it was here that most of the
promises had been given ; it was here that Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob had been buried ; and here also, though
in another tomb, that the bones of Joseph had been
laid. This portion was the kernel of the inheritance,
surrounded by a wide penumbra of more feeble light
and fewer privileges. In due time there arose a holy
of holies within this consecrated region, when Jerusalem
became the capital, the focus of blessing and holy
influence.
Now that the distribution of this part of the country
begins, we must give special attention to the operation.
The narrative looks very bare, but important principles
and lessons underlie it. These lists of unfamiliar
names look like the debris of a quarry — hard, meaning-
275
276 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
less, and to us useless. But nothing is inserted in
the Bible without a purpose, — a purpose that in some
sense bears on the edification of the successive genera-
tions and the various races of men. We are not to
pass the distribution over because it looks unpromising,
but rather to inquire with all the greater care what the
bearing of it is on ourselves.
Now, in the first place, there is something to be
learned from the maintenance of the distinction of the
twelve tribes, and the distribution of the country into
portions corresponding to each. In some degree this
was in accordance with Oriental usage ; for the country
had already been occupied by various races, dwelling
in a kind of unity — the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites,
Hivites, Jebusites, Perizzites, and Girgashites. What
was peculiar to Israel was, that each of the tribes was
descended from one of Jacob's sons, and that their
relation to each other was conspicuously maintained,
though their dwelling-places were apart. It was an
arrangement capable of becoming a great benefit under
a right spirit, or a great evil under the opposite. As
in the case of the separate states of North America,
or the separate cantons of Switzerland, it provided for
variety in unity ; it gave a measure of local freedom
and independence, while it maintained united action ;
it contributed to the life and vigour of the common-
wealth, without destroying its oneness of character, or
impairing its common purpose and aim. It promoted
that picturesque variety often found in little countries,
where each district has a dialect, or a pronunciation, or
traditions, or a character of its own ; as Yorkshire
differs from Devon, or Lancashire from Cornwall ;
Aberdeenshire from Berwick, or Fife from Ayr. As in
a garden, variety of species enlivens and enriches the
xv.-xix.] THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE LAND. 277
effect, so in a community, variety of type enriches
and enlivens the common Ufe. A regiment of soldiers
clothed in the same uniform, measuring the same stature,
marching to the same step, may look very well as
a contrast to the promiscuous crowd ; but when a
painter would paint a striking picture it is from the
promiscuous crowd in all their variety of costume and
stature and attitude that his figures are drawn. In the
case of the Hebrew commonwealth, the distinction of
tribes became smaller as time went on, and in New
Testament times the three gi^eat districts Judaea, Samaria,
and Galilee showed only the survival of the fittest. A
larger individuality and a wider variety would un-
doubtedly have prevailed if a good spirit had continued
to exist among the tribes, and if all of them had shown
the energy and the enterprise of some.
But the wrong spirit came in, and came in with a
witness, and mischief ensued. For distinctions in
race and family are apt to breed rivalry and enmity,
and not only to destroy all the good which may come
of variety, but to introduce interminable mischief For
many a long day the Scottish clans were like Ishmael,
their hand against every man, and every man's hand
against them ; or at least one clan was at interminable
feud with another, and the country was wretched and
desolate. Among the twelve tribes of Israel the spirit
of rivalry soon showed itself, leading to disastrous
consequences. In the time of the judges, the men of
Ephraim exhibited their temper by envying Gideon
when he subdued the Midianites, and Jephthah when
he subdued the Ammonites ; and under Jephthah a
prodigious slaughter of Ephraimites resulted from their
unreasonable spirit. In the time of the kings, a per-
manent schism was caused by the revolt of the ten
278 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
tribes from the house of David. Thus it is that the
sin of man often perverts arrangements designed for
good, and so perverts them that they become sources
of grievous evil. The family order is a thing of heaven ;
but let a bad spirit creep into a family, the result is
fearful. Let husband and wife become alienated ; let
father and son begin to quarrel ; let brother set himself
against brother, and let them begin to scheme not for
mutual benefit but for mutual injury, no limits can be
set to the resulting mischief and misery.
Many arrangements of our modern civilization that
conduce to our comfort when in good order, become
sources of unexampled evil when they go wrong. The
drainage of houses conduces much to comfort while it
works smoothly ; but let the drains become choked, and
send back into our houses the poisonous gases bred of
decomposition, the consequences are appaUing. The
sanitary inspector must be on the alert to detect mischief
in its very beginnings, and apply the remedy before
we have well become conscious of the evil. And so
a vigilant eye needs ever to be kept on those arrange-
ments of providence that are so beneficial when duly
carried out, and so pernicious when thoughtlessly
perverted. What a wonderful thing is a little forbear-
ance at the beginning of a threatened strife I What
a priceless blessing is the soft answer that turneth
away wrath ! There is a pithy tract bearing the title
''The Oiled Feather." The oiled feather has a re-
markable power of smoothing surfaces that would
otherwise grate and grind upon each other, and so of
averting evil. Among Christians it should be always
at hand ; for surely, if the forbearance and love that
avert quarrels ought to be found anywhere, it is among
those who have received the fulness of Divine love and
xv.-xix.] THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE LAND. 279
grace in Jesus Christ. Surely among them there should
be no perversion of Divine arrangements ; in their
homes no quarrels, and in their hearts no rivalry. They
ought, instead, to be the peacemakers of the world, not
only because they have received the peace that passeth
understanding, but because their Master has said,
*' Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called
the children of God."
2. Again, in the allocation of the tribes in their
various territories we have an instance of a great
natural law, the law of distribution, a law that, on the
whole, operates very beneficially throughout the world.
In society there is both a centripetal and a centrifugal
force ; the centripetal chiefly human, the centrifugal
chiefly Divine. Men are prone to cluster together ;
God promotes dispersion. Through the Divine law of
marriage, a man leaves his father's house and cleaves
to his wife ; a new home is established, a new centre
of activity, a new source of population. In the early
ages they clustered about the plain of Shinar ; the
confusion of tongues scattered them abroad. And
generally, in any fertile and desirable spot, men have
been prone to multiply till food has failed them, and
either starvation at home or emigration abroad becomes
inevitable. And so it is that, in spite of their cohesive
tendency, men are now pretty well scattered over the
globe. And when once they are settled in new homes,
they acquire adaptation to their locality, and begin to
love it. The Esquimaux is not only adapted to his
icy home, but is fond of it. The naked negro has no
quarrel with the burning sun, but enjoys his sunny
life. We of the temperate zone can hardly endure the
heat of the tropics, and we shiver at the very thought
of Lapland. It is a proof of Divine wisdom that a
28o THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
world that presents such a variety of climates and
conditions has, in all parts of it, inhabitants that enjoy
their life.
The same law operates in the vegetable world.
Everywhere plants seem to discover the localities where
they thrive best. Even in the same country you have
one flora for the valley and another for the mountain.
The lichen spreads itself along the surface of rocks, or
the hard bark of ancient trees ; the fungus tarries in
damp, unventilated corners ; the primrose settles on
open banks ; the fern in shady groves. There is always
a place for the plant, and a plant for the place. And
it is so with animals too. The elephant in the spreading
forest, the rabbit in the sandy down, the beaver beside
the stream, the caterpillar in the leafy garden. If we
could explore the ocean we should find the law of distri-
bution in full activity there. There is one great order of
fishes for fresh water, another for salt ; one great class
of insects in hot climates, another in temperate ; birds
of the air, from the eagle to the humming-bird, from
the ostrich to the bat, in localities adapted to their
habits. We ask not whether this result was due to
creation or to evolution. There it is, and its effect is
to cover the earth. All its localities, desirable and
undesirable, are more or less occupied with inhabitants.
Some of the great deserts that our imagination used
to create in Africa or elsewhere do not exist. Barren
spots there are, and "miry places and marshes given
to salt," but they are not many. The earth has been
replenished, and the purpose of God so far fulfilled.
And then there is a distribution of talents. We are
not all created alike, with equal dividends of the gifts
and faculties that minister in some way to the purposes
of our life. We depend more or less on one another ;
xv.-xix.] THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE LAND. 281
women on men, and men on women ; the young on
the old, and sometimes the old on the young ; persons
of one talent on those of another talent, those with
strong sinews on those with clear heads, and those
with clear heads on those with strong sinews ; in short,
society is so constituted that what each has he has for
all, and what all have they have for each. The principle
of the division of labour is brought in ; and in a well-
ordered community the general wealth and well-being
of the whole are better promoted by the interchange of
offices, than if each person within himself had a little
stock of all that he required.
The same law of distribution prevails in the Church
of Christ. It was exemplified in an interesting way
in the case of our Lord's apostles. No one of these
was a duplicate of another. Four of them, taking in
Paul, were types of varieties which have been found
in all ages of the Church. In a remarkable paper in
the Contemporary Review, Professor Godet of Neu-
chatel, after delineating the characteristics of Peter,
James, John, and Paul, remarked what an interesting
thing it was, that four men of such various tempera-
ments should all have found supreme satisfaction in
Jesus of Nazareth, and should have yielded up to Him
the homage and service of their lives. And throughout
the history of the Church, the distribution of gifts has
been equally marked. Chrysostom and Augustine,
Jerome and Ambrose, Bernard and Anselm, were all
of the same stock, but not of the same type. At the
Reformation men of marked individuality were pro-
vided for every country. Germany had Luther and
Melancthon; France, Calvin and Coligny; Switzerland,
Zwingle and Farel, Viret and (Ecolampadius ; Poland,
A-Lasco; Scotland, Knox; England, Cranmer, Latimer,
282 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
and Hooper. The missionary field has in like manner
been provided for. India has had her Schwartz, her
Carey, her Duff, and a host of others ; China her
Morrison, Burmah her Judson, Polynesia her Williams,
Africa her Livingstone. The most unattractive and
inhospitable spots have been supplied. Greenland was
not too cold for the Moravians, nor the leper-stricken
communities of India or Africa too repulsive. And
never were Christian men more disposed than to-day
to honour that great Christian law of distribution —
*' Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature."
It was a great providential law, therefore, that was
recognised in the partition of the land of Canaan among
the tribes. Provision was thus made for so scattering
the people that they should occupy the whole country,
and become adapted to the places where they settled,
and to the pursuits proper to them. Even where there
seems to us to have been a mere random distribution
of places, there may have been underlying adaptations
for them, or possibilities of adaptation known only to
God ; at all events the law of adaptation would take
effect, by which a man becomes adapted and attached
to the place that not only gives him a home but the
means of living, and by which, too, he becomes a greater
adept in the methods of work which ensure success.
3. Still further, in the allocation of the tribes in
their various territories we have an instance of the
way in which God designed the earth to minister most
effectually to the wants of man. We do not say that
the method now adopted in Canaan was the only plan
of distributing land that God ever sanctioned ; very
probably it was the same method as had prevailed
among the Canaanites ; but it is beyond doubt that,
xv.-xix.] THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE LAND. 283
such as it was, it was sanctioned by God for His
chosen people.
It was a system of peasant proprietorship. The
whole landed property of the country was divided
among the citizens. Each freeborn Israelite was a
landowner, possessing his estate by a tenure, which,
so long as the constitution was observed, rendered its
permanent alienation from his family impossible. At
the fiftieth year, the year of jubilee, every inheritance
returned, free of all encumbrance, to the representa-
tives of the original proprietor. The arrangement was
equally opposed to the accumulation of overgrown
properties in the hands of the few, and to the loss
of all property on the part of the many. The extremes
of wealth and poverty were alike checked and dis-
couraged, and the lot eulogised by Agur — a moderate
competency, neither poverty nor riches, became the
general condition of the citizens.
It is difficult to tell what extent of land fell to each
family. The portion of the land divided by Joshua
has been computed at twenty-five million acres. ^ Divid-
ing this by 600,000, the probable number oi families
at the time of the settlement, we get forty-two acres
as the average size of each property. For a Roman
citizen, seven acres was counted enough to yield a
moderate maintenance, so that even in a country of
ordinary productiveness the extent of the Hebrew
farms would, before further subdivision became neces-
sary, have been ample. When the population increased
the inheritance would of course have to be subdivided.
But for several generations this, so far from an incon-
venience, would be a positive benefit. It would bring
' See Wines on the " Laws of the Ancient Hebrews," p. 388.
284 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA,
about a more complete development of the resources
of the soil. The great rule of the Divine economy was
thus honoured — nothing was lost.
There is no reason to suppose that the peasant
proprietorship of the Israelites induced a stationary
and stagnant condition of society, or reduced it to one
uniform level — a mere conglomeration of men of uniform
wealth, resources, and influence. Though the land was
divided equally at first, it could not remain so divided
long. In the course of providence, when the direct
heirs failed, or when a man married a female proprietor,
two or more properties would belong to a single family.
Increased capital, skill and industry, or unusual success
in driving out the remaining Canaanites, would tend
further to the enlargement of properties. Accordingly
we meet with " men of great possessions," like Jair
the Gileadite, Boaz of Bethlehem, Nabal of Carmel, or
Barzillai the Gileadite, even in the earlier periods of
Jewish history.-^ There was a sufficient number of men
of wealth to give a pleasing variety and healthful impulse
to society, without producing the evils of enormous
accumulation on the one hand, or frightful indigence
on the other.^
We in this country, after reaching the extreme on
the opposite side, are now trying to get back in the
direction of this ancient system. All parties seem now
agreed that something of the nature of peasant pro-
prietorship is necessary to solve the agrarian problem
in Ireland and in Great Britain too. It is only the
fact that in Britain commercial enterprise and emigration
afford so many outlets for the energies of our landless
* Judg. X. 4; Ruth ii. I ; i Sam. xxv. 2; 2 Sam. xvii. 27.
^ See the author's esszy " An Old Key to our Social Problems " in
" Counsel and Cheer for the Battle of Life."
xv.-xix.] THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE LAND. 285
countrymen that has tolerated the abuses of property
so long among us, — the laws of entail and primogeniture,
the accumulation of property far beyond the power of
the proprietor to oversee or to manage, the employ-
ment of land agents acting solely for the proprietor,
and without that sense of responsibility or that interest
in the welfare of the people which is natural to the
proprietor himself It is little wonder that theories
of land-possession have risen up which are as impractic-
able in fact as they are wild and lawless in principle.
Such desperate imaginations are the fruit of despair —
absolute hopelessness of getting back in any other way
to a true land law, — to a state of things in which the
land would yield the greatest benefit to the whole
nation. Not only ought it to supply food and promote
health, but also a familiarity with nature, and a sense of
freedom, and thus produce contentment and happiness,
and a more kindly feeling among all classes. It seems
to us one of the most interesting features of the
land law recently brought in for Ireland that it tends
towards an arrangement of the land in the direction
of God's early designs regarding it. If it be feasible
for Ireland, why not have it for England and Scot-
land ? Some may scout such matters as purely
secular, and not only unworthy of the interference
of religious men, but when advocated by them as
fitted to prejudice spiritual religion. It is a narrow
view. All that is right is religious ; all that is
according to the will of God is spiritual. Whatever
tends to realize the prayer of Agur is good for rich
and poor alike : '' Give me neither poverty nor riches ;
feed me with food convenient for me."
4. Lastly, in the arrangements for the distribution
of the land among the twelve tribes we may note a
286 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
proof of God's interest in tlie temporal comfort and
prosperity of men. It is not God that has created the
antithesis of secular and spiritual, as if the two interests
were like a see-saw, so that whenever the one went
up the other must go down. Things in this world
are made to be enjoyed, and the enjoyment of them
is agreeable to the will of God, provided we use
them as not abusing them. If Scripture condemns
indulgence in the pleasures of life, it is when these
pleasures are preferred to the higher joys of the Spirit,
or when they are allowed to stand in the way of a
nobler life and a higher reward. In ordinary circum-
stances God intends men to be fairly comfortable ; He
does not desire life to be a perpetual struggle, or a
dismal march to the grave. The very words in which
Christ counsels us to consider the lilies and the ravens,
instead of worrying ourselves about food and clothing,
show this ; for, under the Divine plan, the ravens are
comfortably fed, and the lilies are handsomely clothed.
This is the Divine plan ; and if those who enjoy a
large share of the comforts of life are often selfish and
worldly, it is only another proof how much a wrong
spirit may pervert the gifts of God and turn them to
evil. The characteristic of a good man, when he enjoys
a share of worldly prosperity, is, that he does not let
the world become his idol, — it is his servant, it is under
his feet ; he jealously guards against its becoming his
master. His effort is to make a friend of the mammon
of unrighteousness, and to turn every portion of it with
which he may be entrusted to such a use for the good
of others, that when at last he gives in his account, as
steward to his Divine Master, he may do so with joy,
and not with grief.
CHAPTER XXIV.
THE INHERITANCE OF JUDAH}
Joshua xv.
JUDAH was the imperial tribe, and it was fitting
that he should be planted in a conspicuous territory.
Even if the republic had not been destined to give
place to the monarchy, some pre-eminence was due to
the tribe which had inherited the patriarchal blessing,
and from which He was to come in whom all the
families of the earth were to be blessed. Judah and
the sons of Joseph seem to have obtained their settle-
' We do not encumber our exposition with a discussion of the
extraordinary theory of Wellhausen, to the effect that Judah and
Simeon, with Levi, were the first to cross the Jordan and attack the
Canaanites ; that Simeon and Levi were all but annihilated ; that
Joshua, who belonged to the tribe of Ephraim, did little more than
settle that tribe ; and that there was hardly such a thing as united
action by the tribes, most of them having acted and fought at their
own hand. This theory rests professedly on the ground that Judges i,
is a more true and trustworthy account of the settlement than the
narrative of Joshua. It is a strange proof of the greater truthful-
ness of Judges that, according to this theory, its very first statement
should be a lie — "It came to pass after the death of Joshua!''' The
narrative of Judges naturally follows that of Joshua because it is
plain that while Joshua secured for his people standing ground in the
country, he did not secure undisturbed possession. Joshua set them
an example of faith and courage which, if followed up by them, would
have secured undisturbed possession ; but with few exceptions they
preferred to tolerate the Canaanites at their side, instead of making
a vigorous effort to dispossess them wholly.
287
288 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
ments not only before the other tribes, but in a different
manner. They did not obtain them by lot, but appar-
ently by their own choice and by early possession.
Judah was not planted in the heart of the country.
That position was gained by Ephraim and Manasseh,
the children of Joseph, while Judah obtained the
southern section. In this position his influence was
not so commanding at first as it would have been
had he occupied the centre. The portion taken posses-
sion of by Judah had belonged to the first batch of
kings that Joshua subdued, — the kings that came up
to take vengeance on the Gibeonites. What was first
assigned to Judah was too large, and the tribe of
Simeon got accommodation within his lot (chap. xix. 9).
Dan also obtained several cities that had first been
given to Judah (comp. chaps, xv. 21-62 and xix. 40-46).
In point of fact, Judah ere long swallowed up a great
part of Simeon and Dan, and Benjamin was so hemmed
in between him and Ephraim that, while Jerusalem was
situated within the limits of Benjamin, it was, for all
practical purposes, a city of Judah.
The territory of Judah was not pre-eminently fruitful;
it was not equal in this respect to that of Ephraim and
Manasseh. It had some fertile tracts, but a consider-
able part of it was mountainous and barren. It was
of four descriptions — the hill country, the valley or low
country, the south, and the wilderness. ''The hill
country," says Dean Stanley, **is the part of Palestine
which best exemplifies its characteristic scenery ; the
rounded hills, the broad valleys, the scanty vegetation,
the villages and fortresses sometimes standing, more
frequently in ruins, on the hill tops ; the wells in every
valley, the vestiges of terraces whether for corn or wine."
Here the lion of the tribe of Judah entrenched himself.
XV.] THE INHERITANCE OF JUDAH. 289
to guard the southern frontier of the Chosen Land, with
Simeon, Dan, and Benjamin nestled around him. Well
might he be so named in this wild country, more than
half a wilderness, the lair of savage beasts, of which
the traces gradually disappear as we advance into the
interior. Fixed there, and never dislodged, except by
the ruin of the whole nation, '^ he lay down, he couched
as a lion, and as an old lion ; who shall rouse him up ? "
Many parts of Judah were adapted for the growth of
corn : witness Bethlehem, *' the house of bread." But
the cultivation of the vine was pre-eminently the feature
of the tribe. *' Here more than elsewhere in Palestine
are to be seen on the sides of the hills the vineyards,
marked by their v/atch-towers and walls, seated on their
ancient terraces, the earliest and latest symbol of Judah.
The elevation of the hills and table-lands of Judah is
the true climate of the vine. He ' bound his foal unto
the vine, and his ass's colt unto the choice vine ; he
washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the
blood of grapes.' It was from the Judsean valley of
Eshcol, 'the torrent of the cluster,' that the spies cut
down the gigantic cluster of grapes. * A vineyard on
a "hill of olives'" with the 'fence,' and 'the stones
gathered out,' and the tower in ' the midst of it,' is the
natural figure which both in the prophetical and evan-
gelical records represents the kingdom of Judah. The
' vine ' was the emblem of the nation on the coins of
the Maccabees, and in the colossal cluster of golden
grapes which overhung the porch of the second Temple;
and the grapes of Judah still mark the tombstones of
the Hebrew race in the oldest of their European
cemeteries at Prague." ^
* Stanley's "Sinai and Palestine."
19
290 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
The chapter now before us has a particularly barren
look ; but if we examine it with care we shall find it
not deficient in elements of interest.
I. First, we have an elaborate delineation of the
boundaries of the territory allotted to Judah. It is not
difficult to follow the boundary line in the main, though
some of the names cannot be identified now. The
southern border began at the wilderness of Zin, where
the host had been encamped more than forty years
before, when the twelve spies returned with their report
of the land. The line moved in a south-westerly course
till it reached '* the river of Egypt " and the sea shore.
What this ''river of Egypt" was is far from clear.
Naturally one thinks of the Nile, the only stream that
seems to be entitled to such an appellation. On the
other hand, the term translated ''river" is commonly
though not always, applied to brooks or shallow
torrents, and hence it has been thought to denote a
brook, now called El Arish, about midway in the desert
between Gaza and the Pelusiac mouth of the Nile.
While we incline to the former view, we own that
practically the question is of little consequence; the
only difference being that if the boundary reached to
the Nile, it included a larger share of the desert than
if it had a more northerly limit. The Dead Sea was
the chief part of the eastern frontier. The northern
boundary began near Gilgal, and stretched westwards
to the Mediterranean by a line that passed just south
of Jerusalem,
The position of Judah was peculiar, in respect of the
enemies by whom he was surrounded. On his eastern
frontier, close to the Dead Sea, he was in contact with
Moab, and on the south with Edom, the descendants
of Esau. On the south-west were the Amalekites of
XV.] THE INHERITANCE OF JUDAH 291
the desert ; and on the west the PhiHstines, and pre-
eminent among them, until Caleb subdued them, the
sons of Anak, the giants. On his extreme north, but
within the tribe of Benjamin, was the great fortress
of the Jebusites. It was no bed of roses that was
thus prepared for the lion of the tribe of Judah. If
he should rule at all, he must rule in the midst of
his enemies. Hemmed in by fierce foes on every side,
he needed to show his prowess if he was to prevail
against them. It was the necessity of contending with
these and other enemies that developed the military
genius of David (i Sam. xvii. 50, xviii. 5, 17, 27,
xxvii. 8), and made him the fitting type of the heavenly
warrior who goes forth ^' conquering and to conquer."
The vigilance that was needed to keep these enemies
at bay was one means of preserving the vigour and
independence of the tribe. Living thus in the very
heart of foes, Judah was the better fitted to symbolize
the Church of Christ, as she is usually found when
faithful to her high calling. ^' Behold, I send you forth
as sheep in the midst of wolves." ''We wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities and
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places." As long
as the Church is militant, it cannot be otherwise ; and
it little becomes her either to complain on the one
hand, or be despondent on the other, however strong
and bitter the opposition or even the persecution of
her foes.
2. Next, a little episode comes into our narrative
(vv. 13-19), in connection with a special allocation of
territory within the tribe. The incident of Caleb is
rehearsed, as an introduction to the narrative that
follows, Caleb, on the strength of his promise to drive
292 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
out the Anakim, had got Hebron for his inheritance,
and a portion of the country around. Near to Hebron,
but on a site now unknown, stood Debir, or Kirjath-
sepher, apparently a stronghold of the Anakim. We
do not know the circumstances that induced Caleb
to put this place up, as it were, to public competition.
Whoever should capture it was promised his daughter
Achsah in marriage. Othniel, who is called his younger
brother, which may perhaps mean his brother's son,
took the place, and, according to the bargain, got
Achsah for his wife. The capture of Debir is recorded
twice, here and in Judges i. 14, 15, and in the latter
case with the addition of an incident that followed the
marriage, as if in both cases it had been copied from
an older record. Achsah was evidently a woman who
could look well after her interests. She was not
satisfied with the portion of land that fell to Othniel.
There was a certain field besides, on which she had
set her affection, and which she induced her husband
to ask of Caleb. This he appears to have obtained.
Then she herself turned supplicant, and having gone
to Caleb and lighted down from off her ass,^ and Caleb
having said to her, '^ What wouldest thou ? " she said
unto her father, ^' Give me a blessing ; for thou hast
given me a south land ; give me also springs of water."
[** And she said, Give me a blessing (margin, present) ;
for thou hast set me in the land of the south ; give
me also springs of water," R.V.] Her request was
' Founding on the expression, " having Hghted off her ass," some
have thought that she feigned to fall off, and that her father coming
to help her in the compassionate spirit one shows in a case of
accident, she took the opportunity to ask and obtain this gift. The
explanation is far-fetched if not foolish. Her dismounting is explained
by the universal custom when one met a person of superior rank.
Comp. Gen. xxiv. 64. See Kitto's " Pictorial Commentary."
XV.] THE INHERITANCE OF JUDAH. 293
granted : — ''he gave her the upper springs and the
nether sprmgs."
The incident, though picturesque, is somewhat strange,
and we naturally ask, why should it have a place in
the dry narrative of the settlement ? Possibly for the
very reason that what concerns the settlement was
very dry, and that an incident like this gave it some-
thing of living interest. Those who lived at the time
must have had a special interest in the matter, for in
Judges i. 14 it is said that Achsah moved Othniel to
ask of her father ^Uhe field" {Heb.)^ implying that it
was a particular field, well known to the public. The
moral interest of the narrative is the light it throws on
the generosity of Caleb. His son-in-law asked of him
a field, a field apparently of special value ; he got it :
his daughter asked springs of water, and she too gained
her request. We contrast Caleb with Saul, as we
afterwards read of him. In no such fashion was David
treated by his father-in-law, after his brilliant victories
over the Philistines. So far was he from acquiring
field or fountain, that he did not even acquire his
wife : — '' It came to pass at the time when Merab,
Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, that
she was given unto Adriel the Meholathite to w4fe "
(i Sam. xviii. 19). Caleb had another spirit with him.
He had the heart of a father, he had a genuine interest
in his daughter and son-in-law, and desired to see them
comfortable and happy. Kindly and large-hearted, he
at once transferred to them valuable possessions that
a greedier man would have kept for himself Evidently
he was one of those godlike men that enjoy giving,
that have more pleasure in making others happy than
in multiplying their own store. *'The liberal man
deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall he
294 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
stand." ''There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth;
and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, and
it tendeth to poverty."
It is no great wonder that an incident which reveals
the flowing generosity of a godhke heart, should some-
times be turned to account as a symbol of the liberality
of God. All human generosity is but a drop from
the ocean of the Divine bounty, a faint shadow of the
inexhaustible substance. "If ye that are evil know
how to give good gifts to your children, how much
more shall your Father in heaven give good things to
them that ask Him ? " If in the earthly father's bosom
there be that interest in the welfare of his children
which is eager to help them where help is needed and
it is in his power to give it, how much more in the
bosom of the Father in heaven ? Why should any
be backward to apply to Him — to say to Him, like
Achsah, ''Give me a blessing"? It pleases Him to
see His children reposing trust in Him, believing in
His infinite love. All that He asks of us is to come
to Him through Jesus Christ, acknowledging our
unworthiness, and pleading the merit of His sacrifice
and intercession, as our only ground of acceptance in
His sight. After His revelation of His grace in Christ
our requests cannot be restricted to mere temporal
things ; when we ask a blessing it must be one of
higher scope and quality. Yet such is His bounty that
nothing can be withheld that is really for our good.
" No good thing will the Lord withhold from them that
walk uprightly." "Prove me now herewith, saith the
Lord ; if I will not open to you the windows of heaven,
and pour you out a blessing that there shall not be
room enough to receive it."
3. We leave this picturesque incident to re-enter
XV.] THE INHERITANCE OF JUDAH. 295
the wilderness of unfamiliar names. We find a list of
no fewer than a hundred and fifteen cities which lay
within the confines of the tribe of Judah (vv. 21-32).
They fall into four divisions. First, tw^enty-nine cities
belonged to *' the south " — the " Negeb" of the Hebrews,
the part of the country which bordered on the desert,
and to some degree partook of its character. Cities
they are called, but few of them were more than villages,
and hardly any were important enough to leave their
mark on the history. There are two, however, having
memorable associations with men of mark, the one
carrying us back to a glorious past, the other forward
to a disgraceful future. Strange association — Abraham
and Judas Iscariot I With Beersheba the name of
Abraham is imperishably associated, as well as the
name of Isaac. And to this day the ver}^ name Beer-
sheba seems to emit a holy fragrance. With Kerioth
(ver. 25) we connect the traitor Judas — the Is-cariot of
the New Testament being equivalent to Ish-Kerioth,
a man of Kerioth, of the Old. Our heart fills with
a sense of nausea as we recall the association. The
traitor was doubly connected with the tribe of Judah,
— by his name and by his birthplace. What mockery
of a noble name 1 ''Judah, thou art he whom thy
brethren shall praise." What contrast could be greater
than that between the Judah who surrendered himself
to slavery to set his brother free, and the Judah who
sold his Lord for thirty pieces of silver ! What extremes
of character may we find under the same name, and
often in the same family ! Strange that so few are
drawn by the example of the noble, and so many follow
the course of the vile !
The next division, ''the valley," the lowland, or
Shephelah, embraced three subdivisions — the north-
296 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
eastern Shephelah with her fourteen towns (vv. 33-36),
the middle, with sixteen (vv. 37-41), and the southern,
with nine (vv. 42-44) ; to which are added three of
the cities of the PhiHstines, — Ekron, Ashdod, and Gaza
(vv. 45-47). Many of the places in this list became
famous in the history. Eshtaol and Zorah were of
note in the history of Samson, but in his time they
were Danite settlements. Jarmuth, Lachish, Eglon, and
Makkedah had been conspicuous in Joshua's great battle
of Bethhoron. Adullam and Keilah figured afterwards
in David's outlaw history, and Ashdod and Ekron were
two of the Philistine cities to which the ark was taken
after the battle of Ebenezer and Aphek(i Sam. iv. i, v.
I, 10). In later years Lachish and Libnah were among
the places attacked by Sennacherib, King of Assyria, in
his great raid upon the country (Isa. xxxvii. 8).
The third great group of cities were those of " the
mountain," or highlands. These were mostly in the
central part of the territory, on the plateau or ridge
that runs along it, rising up from the valley of the
Dead Sea on the east, and the Shephelah, or '^ valley,"
on the west. Here there were four groups of cities :
eleven on the south-west (vv. 48-51), nine farther
north (vv. 52-54), ten to the east (vv. 55-57), and six
to the north (vv. 58, 59), along with Kirjath-baal
and Rabbah in the same neighbourhood. This group
included Hebron, of which we hear so much ; also
Carmel, Maon, and Ziph, conspicuous in the outlaw life
of David. It is remarkable that there is no mention
of Bethlehem, which lay in '' the mountain " : it pro-
bably had not yet attained to the rank of a town. But
its very omission may be regarded as a proof of the
contemporaneous date of the book ; for soon after
Bethlehem was a well-known place (Ruth i. — iv.), and
XV.] THE INHERITANCE OF JUDAH. 297
if the Book of Joshua had been written at the late
date sometimes assigned to it, that city could not have
failed to have a place in the enumeration.
A fourth group of cities were in ^' the wilderness " or
Migdar. This was a wild rocky region extending
between the Dead Sea and the mountains of Hebron.
" It is a plateau of white chalk, terminated on the east
by cliffs which rise vertically from the Dead Sea shore
to a height of about two thousand feet. The scenery
is barren and wild beyond all description. The chalky
ridges are scored by innumerable torrents, and their
narrow crests are separated by broad, flat valleys.
Peaks and knolls of fantastic forms rise suddenly from
the swelling downs, and magnificent precipices of rugged
limestone stand up like fortress walls above the sea.
Not a tree nor a spring is visible in the waste ; and
only the desert partridge and the ibex are found ranging
the solitude."^ This district was in large measure the
scene of David's wanderings, and well might he call it
^* a dry and thirsty land where there is no water "
(Psalm Ixiii. i). It was also the scene of the preaching
of John the Baptist, at least at the beginning (Matt.
iii. i); for when the administration of baptism became
common, it was necessary for him to remove to a better-
watered region (John iii. 23). There is some reason
to believe that it was also the scene of our Lord's
temptation (Matt. iv. i), the more especially because
one of the Evangelists has said that " He was there
with the wild beasts " (Mark i. 12).
Only six cities are enumerated as '' in the wilder-
ness " (vv. 61, 62), so that its population must have
been very small. And of those mentioned some are
wholly unknown. The most interesting of the six is
' Conder's " Handbook to the Bible," pp. 213, 214.
298 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA,
Engedi, which derived its name from a celebrated
fountain, meaning *' fountain of the kid." It is noted
as one of the hiding-places of David ; Saul pursued
him to it, and it was there that David spared his
life when he found him in a cave (i Sam. xxiv.).
Solomon extols its vineyards and its camphire (Song
of Solomon i. 14) [henna-flowers, R.V.], Josephus its
balsam (Ant., ix. i, § 2), and Pliny its palms (v. 17).
In ancient times it was the site of a town, and in the
fourth century, in Jerome's time, there was still a con-
siderable village ; now, however, there is no trace of
anything of the kind. Sir Walter Scott, in the '' Talis-
man," makes it the abode of a Christian hermit —
Theodoric of Engaddi. It is situated near the middle
of the western shore of the Dead Sea. A rich plain,
half a mile square, slopes gently from the base of
the mountains to the sea ; and about a mile up the
western acclivity, four hundred feet above the plain,
is the fountain of Ain Jiddy, from which the place gets
its name.
Such, then, was the distribution of the cities of
Judah over the four sections of the territory, the south,
the Shephelah, the highlands, and the wilderness. It
was an ample and varied domain, and after Caleb
expelled the Anakim, there seems to have been little
or no opposition to the occupation of the whole by
the tribe. But '' the crook in the lot " was not wanting.
The great Jebusite fortress, Jerusalem, was on the very
edge of the northern boundary of Judah. Nominally,
as we have said, Jerusalem was in the territory of
Benjamin, but really it was a city of Judah. For it is
said (ver. 63), " As for the Jebusites, the children of
Judah could not drive them out ; but the Jebusites
dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this
XV.] THE INHERITANCE OF JUDAH. 299
day." ^ For some reason Joshua had omitted to take
possession of this stronghold after the battle of Beth-
horon. The stream of pursuit had gone westward,
and the opportunity of taking Jerusalem when the
king had been slain and his army cut to pieces, was
lost. And just as in modern history, when the oppor-
tunity of taking Sebastopol was lost after the battle
of the Alma, and a long, harassing and most disastrous
siege had to be resorted to, so it was with Jerusalem ;
the Jebusites, recovering their spirits after the defeat,
were able to hold it, and to defy the tribe of Judah,
and all the tribes, for many a long year. While the
fortress was held by the Jebusites, Jew and Jebusite
dwelt together in the city, leading no doubt a comfort-
less life, neither the one nor the other feeling truly at
home.
The moral is not far to seek. There is a crisis in
some men's lives, when they come under the power
of religion, and feel the obligation to live to God. If
they had decision and courage enough at this crisis to
break off all sinful habits and connections, to renounce
all unchristian ways of life, to declare with Joshua,
*' As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord," —
they would no doubt experience a sharp opposition,
but it would pass over, and peace would come. But
often they hesitate, and shrink, and cower ; they cannot
endure opposition and ridicule ; they retain religion
enough to appease their consciences, but not to give
them satisfaction and joy. It is another case of the
men of Judah dwelling with the Jebusites, and with
the same result ; they are not happy, they are not at
rest ; they bring little or no honour to their Master,
and they have little influence on the world for good.
' A proof that Joshua was written before the time of David.
CHAPTER XXV.
THE INHERITANCE OF JOSEPH.
Joshua xvi., xvii.
NEXT to Judah, the most important tribe was
Joseph ; that is, the double tribe to which his
two sons gave names, Ephraim and Manasseh. In
perpetual acknowledgment of the service rendered b}^
Joseph to the family, by keeping them alive in the
famine, it was ordained by Jacob that his two sons
should rank with their uncles as founders of tribes
(Gen. xlviii. 5). It was also prophetically ordained by
Jacob that Ephraim, the younger son, should take rank
before Manasseh (Gen. xlviii. 19). The privilege of the
double portion, however, remained to Manasseh as the
elder son. Hence, in addition to his lot in Gilead and
Baslian, he had also a portion in Western Palestine. But
Ephraim vv^as otherwise the more important tribe ; and
when the separation of the two kingdoms took place,
Ephraim often gave his name to the larger division.
And in the beautiful prophetic vision of Ezekiel, when
the coming re-union of the nation is symbolized, it
is on this wise : " Son of man, take thou one stick and
write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel
his companions ; tlien take another stick and write upon
it. For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the
house of Israel his companions, and join them for thee
300
xvi., xvii.] THE INHERITANCE OF JOSEPH. 301
one to another into one stick, that they may become one
in thine hand " (xxxvii. 16, 17). The superiority allotted
to Ephraim was not followed by very happy results ; it
raised an arrogant spirit in that tribe, of which we find
some indications in the present chapter, but more pro-
nounced and mischievous manifestations further on.
The dehmitation of the tribes of Ephraim and
Manasseh is not easy to follow, particularly in the
Authorized Version, which not only does not translate
very accurately, but uses some English expressions
of uncertain meaning. The Revised Version is much
more helpful, correcting both classes of defects in its
predecessor. Yet even the Revised Version sometimes
leaves us at a loss. It has been supposed, indeed, that
some words have dropped out of the text. Moreover, it
has not been found possible to ascertain the position of
all the places mentioned. Uncertainty as to the precise
boundaries cannot but prevail, and differences of opinion
among commentators. But the uncertaint}^ applies only
to the minuter features of the description, it bears chiefly
on the points at which one tribe adjoined another. The
portion of the land occupied by Ephraim and Manasseh is,
on the whole, very clearly known, just as their influence
on the history of the country is very distinctly marked.
In point of fact, the lot of Joseph in Western
Palestine was, in many respects, the most desirable
of any. It was a fertile and beautiful district. It
embraced the valley of Shechem, the first place of
Abraham's sojourn, and reckoned by travellers to be
one of the most beautiful spots, some say the most
beautiful spot, in Palestine. Samaria, at the head of
another valley celebrated for its " glorious beauty," and
for its '* fatness " or fertility (Isa. xxviii. i), was at no
great distance, Tirzah, a symbol of beauty, in the
302 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Song of Solomon (vi. 4) was another of its cities, as
was also Jezreel, "a lovely position for a capital city"
(Tristram). On the other hand, this portion of the
country laboured under the disadvantage of not having
been well cleared of its original inhabitants. The men
of Ephraim did not exert themselves as much as the
men of Judah. This is apparent from what is said in
chap. xvi. 10, ''They drove not out the Canaanites that
dwelt in Gezer " ; and also from Joshua's answer to the
request of Ephraim for more land (xvii. 15-18).
As we have said already, we have no information
regarding Joshua's conquest of this part of the country.
It seems to have been run over more superficially than
the north and the south. Consequently the ancient
inhabitants were still very numerous, and they were
formidable likewise, because they had chariots of iron.
In the definition of boundaries we have first a notice
applicable to Joseph as a whole, then specifications
applicable to Ephraim and Manasseh respectively. The
southern border is delineated twice with considerable
minuteness, and its general course, extending from
near the Jordan at Jericho, past Bethel and Luz, and
down the pass of Bethhoron to the Mediterranean,
is clear enough. The border between Ephraim and
Manasseh is not so clear, nor the northern border
of Manasseh. It is further to be remarked that, while
we have an elaborate statement of boundaries, we have
no list of towns in Ephraim and Manasseh such as we
have for the tribe of Judah. This gives countenance
to the supposition that part of the ancient record has
somehow dropped out. We find, however, another state-
ment about towns which is of no small significance.
At chap. xvi. 9 we find that several cities were appro-
priated to Ephraim that were situated in the territory
xvi., xvii.] THE INHERITANCE OF JOSEPH. 303
of Manasseh. And in like manner several cities were
given to Manasseh which were situated in the tribes
of Issachar and Ashen Of these last the names are
given. They were Bethshean, Ibleam, Dor, Endor,
Taanach, and Megiddo. Some of them were famous
in after history. Bethshean was the city to whose
wall the bodies of Saul and his sons were fixed after
the fatal battle of Gilboa ; Ibleam was in the neighbour-
hood of Naboth's vineyard (2 Kings ix. 25, 27) ; Endor
was the place of abode of the woman with a familiar
spirit whom Saul went to consult ; Taanach was the
battle-field of the kings of Canaan whom Barak
defeated, and of whom Deborah sung, —
" The kings came and fought ;
Then fought the kings of Canaan,
In Taanach by the waters of Megiddo :
They took no gain of money " (Judg. v. 19).
As for Megiddo, many a battle was fought in its plain.
So early as the days of Thotmes III. of Egypt (about
1600 B.C.) it was famous in battle, for in an inscription
on the temple of Karnak, containing a record of his
conquests in Syria, Megiddo flourishes as the scene
of a great conflict. The saddest and most notable
of its battles was that between King Josiah and
the Egyptians, in which that good young king was
killed. In fact, Megiddo obtained such notoriety as
a battle-field that in the Apocalypse (xvi. 16) Ar-
Mageddon (Har-magedon, R.V.) is the symbol of
another kind of battle-ground — the meeting-place for
'' the war of the great day of God the Almighty."
We can only conjecture why these cities, most of
which were in Issachar, were given to Manasseh.
They were strongholds in the great plain of Esdraelon,
where most of the great battles of Canaan were fought.
304 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA,
For the defence of the plain it seemed important that
these places should be held by a stronger tribe than
Issachar. Hence they appear to have been given to
Mana.sseh. But, like Ephraim, Manasseh was not able
to hold them at first. ''The children of Manasseh
could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities ;
but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. And it
came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen
strong that they put the Canaanites to task-work, and
did not utterly drive them out " (R.V.). This last
verse appears to have been inserted at a later date,
and it agrees with i Chron. vii. 29, where several of
the same towns are enumerated, and it is added, " In
these dwelt the children of Joseph, the son of Israel."
Undoubtedly these sons of Joseph occupied a position
which gave them unrivalled opportunities of benefiting
their country. But with the exception of the splendid
exploit of Gideon, a man of Manasseh, and his little
band, we hear of little in the history that redounded
to the credit of Joseph's descendants. NobiHty of
character is not hereditary. Sometimes nature appears
to spend all her intellectual and moral wealth on the
father, and almost to impoverish the sons. And some-
times the sons live on the virtues of their fathers,
and cannot be roused to the exertion or the sacrifice
needed to continue their work and maintain their
reputation. A humorous saying is recorded of an
eminent pastor of the Waldensian Church who found
his people much disposed to live on the reputation of
their fathers, and tried in vain to get them to do
as their fathers did; he said that they were like the
potato — the best part of them was under the ground.
If you say, '' We have Abraham for our father," take
care that you say "it in the proper sense. Be sure that
xvi., xvii.] THE INHERITANCE OF JOSEPH. 305
you are following hard in his footsteps, and using his
example as a spur to move your languid energies,
and not as a screen to conceal your miserable defects.
If you think of Abraham or of any forefather or
body of forefathers as a cover for your nakedness,
or a compensation for your defects, you are resort-
ing to a device which has never proved successful
in past ages, and is not likely to change its character
with you.
After the division, the vain, self-important spirit of
Ephraim broke out in a characteristic way. ''Why,"
said he to Joshua, ''hast thou given me but one lot
and one part for an inheritance, seeing I am a great
people, forasmuch as hitherto the Lord hath blessed
me ? " A grumbling reference seems to be made here
to his brother Manasseh, who had received two lots,
one on each side of the Jordan. At first it appears
that there was some reason in the complaint of Ephraim.
The free part of his lot seems to have been small, that
is, the part not occupied by Canaanites. But we cannot
think that the whole inheritance of Ephraim was so
small as we find represented in the map of Major
Conder, of the Palestine Exploration Fund, in his
"Handbook to the Bible," because it is said, both in the
Authorized and in the Revised Version, that his western
boundary extended to the sea, while Major Conder
makes it cease much sooner. But, looking at the whole
circumstances, it is probable that Ephraim's complaint
was dictated by jealousy of Manasseh, who certainly
had received the double inheritance.
Alas, how apt is the spirit of discontent still to crop
up when we compare our lot with that of others !
Were we quite alone, or were there no case for com-
parison, we might be content enough ; it is when we
20
v)
06 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
think how much more our brother has than we, that
we are most Uable to murmur. And, bad though
murmuring and grieving at the good of our brother
may be, it is by no means certain that the evil spirit
will stop there. At the very dawn of history we find
Cain the murderer of his brother because the one had
the favour of God and not the other. What an evil
feeling it is that grudges to our brother a larger share
of God's blessing ; if at the beginning it be not kept
under it may carry us on to deeds that may well make
us shudder.
Joshua dealt very wisely and fearlessly with the
complaint of Ephraim, though it was his own tribe.
You say you are a great people — be it so ; but if you
are a great people, you must be capable of great deeds.
Two great undertakings are before you now. There
are great woodlands in your lot that have not been
cleared — direct your energies to them, and they will
afford you more room for settlements. Moreover, the
Canaanites are still in possession of a large portion of
your lot ; up and attack them and drive them out, and
you will be furnished with another area for possession.
Joshua accepted their estimate of their importance, but
gave it a very different practical turn. What they had
wished him to do was to take away a portion from some
other tribe and give it as an extra allotment to them,
so that it would be theirs without labour or trouble.
What Joshua did was to spur them to courageous
and self-denying exertion, in order that their object
might be gained through the instrumentality of their
own labour. For the sickly sentiment that desires a
mine of gold to start into being and scatter its untold
treasure at our feet, he substituted the manly sentiment
of the proverb, "No gains without pains." ''The
xvi., xvii.] THE INHERITANCE OF JOSEPH. 307
soul of the sluggard desireth and hath nothing ; but
the hand of the diligent maketh rich." If they wished
more land they must work for it ; they must not take
idleness for their patron-saint.
We have all heard of the dying father who informed
his sons that there was a valuable treasure in a certain
field, and counselled them to set to work to find it.
With great care they turned up every morsel of the
soil ; but no treasure appeared, till, observing in
autumn what a rich crop covered the field, they came
to understand that the fruit of persevering labour was
the treasure which their father meant. We have heard,
too, of a physician who was consulted by a rich man
suffering cruelly from gout, and asked if he had any
cure for it. '' Yes," said the doctor, ^' live on sixpence
a day, and work for it." The same principle underlay
the counsel of Joshua. Of course it gratifies a certain
part of our nature to get a mass of wealth without
working for it. But this is not the best part of our
nature. Probably in no class has the great object of life
been so much lost, and the habit of indolence and self-
indulgence become so predominant as in that of young
men born to the possession of a great fortune, and
never requiring to turn a hand for anything they
desired. After all, the necessity of work is a great
blessing. We speak of the curse of toil, but except
when the labour is excessive, or unhealthy in its con-
ditions, or when it has to be prosecuted in sickness
or failing strength, it is not a curse but a blessing.
Instead of being ashamed of labour, we have cause
rather to be proud of it. It guards from numberless
temptations ; it promotes a healthy body and a healthy
mind ; it increases the zest of life ; it promotes cheer-
fulness and flowing spirits ; it makes rest and healthy
3o8 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
recreation far sweeter when they come, and it gives
us affinity to the great Heavenly Worker, by whom,
and through whom, and for whom are all things.
This great principle of ordinary life has its place too
in the spiritual economy. The age is now past that had
for its favourite notion, that seclusion from the world and
exemption from all secular employment was the most
desirable condition for a servant of God. The experi-
ment of the hermits was tried, but it was a failure.
Seclusion from the world and the consecration of the
whole being to private acts of devotion and piety were
no success. He who moves about among his fellows,
and day by day knows the strain of labour, is more
likely to prosper spiritually than he who shuts himself
up in a cell, and looks on all secular work as pollution.
It is not the spiritual invalid who is for ever feeling
his pulse and whom every whiflf of wind throws into
a fever of alarm, that grows up to the full stature of
the Christian ; but the man who, like Paul, has his
hands and his heart for ever full, and whose every
spiritual fibre gains strength and vitality from his
desires and labours for the good of others. And it
is with churches as with individuals. An idle church
is a stagnant church, prone to strife, and to all morbid
experiences. A church that throws itself into the work
of faith and labour of love is far more in the way to
be spiritually healthy and strong. It was not for the
good of the world merely, but of the church herself
likewise, that our Lord gave out that magnificent
mot d'ordrCy — " Go ye into all the world, and preach
the gospel to every creature."
Before we pass from the inheritance of the sons of
Joseph, it is proper that we should direct attention to
an incident which may seem trifling to us, but which
xvi., xvii.] THE INHERITANCE OF JOSEPH. 309
was evidently regarded as of no little moment at the
time. What we refer to is the petition presented by
the five daughters of Zelophehad, a member of the
tribe of Manasseh, for an inheritance in their tribe.
Their father had no son, so that the family was repre-
sented wholly by daughters. No fewer than four times
the incident is referred to, and the names of the five
girls given in full (Numb. xxvi. 33, xxvii. i-ii, xxxvi.
1 1 ; Josh. xvii. 3). We know not if there be another
case in Scripture of such prominence given to names for
no moral or spiritual quality, but simply in connection
with a law of property.
The question decided by their case was the right of
females to inherit property in land when there were no
heirs male in the family. We find that the young women
themselves had to be champions of their own cause.
Evidently possessed of more than ordinary spirit, they
had already presented themselves before Moses, Eleazar
the priest, and the princes of the congregation, at the
door of the tabernacle, and formally made a claim to
the inheritance that would have fallen to their father
had he been alive. The case was deemed of sufficient
importance to be laid before the Lord, because the
decision on it would settle similar cases for the whole
nation and for all time. The decision was, that in
such cases the women should inherit, but under the
condition that they should not marry out of their own
tribe, so that the property should not be transferred
to another tribe. In point of fact, the five sisters
married their cousins, and thus kept the property in
the tribe of Manasseh.
The incident is interesting, because it shows a larger
regard to the rights of women than was usually
conceded at the time. Some have, indeed, found fault
110 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
with the decision as not going far enough. Why, they
have asked, was the right of women to inherit land
Hmited to cases in which there were no men in the
family ? The decision implied that if there had been
one brother, he would have got all the land ; the sisters
would have been entitled to nothing. The answer to
this objection is, that had the rights of women been
recognised to this extent, it would have been too great
an advance on the public opinion of the time. It was
not God's method to enjoin laws absolutely perfect, but
to enjoin what the conscience and public opinion of the
time might be fairly expected to recognise and support.
It may be that under a perfect system women ought
to inherit property on equal terms with men. But the
Jewish nation was not sufficiently advanced for such
a law. The benefit of the enactment was that, when
propounded, it met with general approval.
Certainly it was a considerable advance on the
ordinary practice of the nations. It estabHshed the
principle that woman was not a mere chattel, an inferior
creature, subject to the control of the man, with no
rights of her own. But it was far from being the first
time when this principle obtained recognition. The
wives of the patriarchs — Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel — were
neither chattels, nor drudges, nor concubines. They
were ladies, exerting the influence and enjoying the
respect due to cultivated, companionable women. And
though the law of succession did not give the females
of the family equal rights with the males, it recognised
them in another way. While the eldest son suc-
ceeded to the family home and a double portion of
the land, he was expected to make some provision for
his widowed mother and unmarried sisters. In most
cases the sisters came to be provided for by marriage.
xvi.,xvii.] THE INHERITANCE OF JOSEPH. 311
It is the circumstance that among us so many women
remain unmarried that has drawn so keen attention to
their rights, and already caused so much to be done,
as no doubt more will be done speedily, for enlarging
their sphere and protecting their interests.
No doubt these spirited daughters of Zelophehad
conferred a great benefit on their sex in Israel. Their
names are entitled to grateful remembrance, as the
names of all are who bring about beneficial arrange-
ments that operate in many directions and to all time.
Yet one would be sorry to think that this was the only
service which they rendered in their day. One would
like to think of them as shedding over their households
and friends the lustre of those gentle, womanly qualities
which are the glory of the sex. Advocacy of public
rights may be a high duty, for the faithful discharge
of which the highest praise is due ; but such a career
emits little of the fragrance which radiates from a
female life of faithful love, domestic activity, and sacred
devotion. What blessed ideals of life Christianity
furnishes for women even of middling talent and
ordinary education ! It is beautiful to see distinguished
talents, high gifts, and persuasive elements directed
to the advocacy of neglected claims. '' And yet I show
unto you a more excellent way."
CHAPTER XXVI.
THE DISTRIBUTION COMPLETED.
Joshua xviii., xix.
AN event of great importance now occurs ; the civil
arrangements of the country are in a measure
provided for, and it is time to set in order the eccle-
siastical establishment. First, a place has to be found
as the centre of the religious life ; next, the tabernacle
has to be erected at that place — and this is to be done
in the presence of all the congregation. It is well
that a godly man like Joshua is at the head of the
nation ; a less earnest servant of God might have
left this great work unheeded. How often, in the
emigrations of men, drawn far from their native
land in search of a new home, have arrangements for
Divine service been forgotten ! In such cases the
degeneracy into rough manners, uncouth wa3^s of life,
perhaps into profanity, debauchery, and lav/lessness,
has usually been awfully rapid. On the other hand,
when the rule of the old puritan has been followed,
*' Wherever I have a house, there God shall have an
altar " ; when the modest spire of the wooden church in
the prairie indicates that regard has been had to the
gospel precept — '^ Seek ye first the kingdom of God and
His righteousness, and all these things shall be added
unto you," — a touch of heaven is imparted to the rude
312
xviii.,xix.] THE DISTRIBUTION COMPLETED. 31;
and primitive settlement ; we may believe that the spirit
of Christ is not unknown ; the angels of virtue and
piety are surely hovering around it.
The narrative is very brief, and no reason is given
why Shiloh was selected as the religious centre of the
nation. We should have thought that the preference
would be given to Shechem, a few miles north, in
the neighbourhood of Ebal and Gerizim, which had
already been consecrated in a sense to God. That
Shiloh was chosen by Divine direction we can hardly
doubt, although there may have been reasons of various
kinds that commended it to Joshua. Josephus says
it was^ selected for the beauty of the situation ; but if
the present Seilun denotes its position, as is generally
believed, there is not much to corroborate the assertion
of Josephus. Its locality is carefully defined in the
Book of Judges (xxi. 19), — '^ on the north side of Bethel,
on the east side of the highway that goeth up from
Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah."
As for its appearance. Dean Stanley says, " Shiloh
is so utterly featureless that had it not been for the
preservation of its name, vSeilun, and for the extreme
precision with which its situation is described in the
Book of Judges, the spot could never have been
identified ; and, indeed, from the time of Jerome till
the year 1838 [when Robinson identified it], its real
site was completely forgotten." Robinson does not
think so poorly of it as Stanley, describing it as ^' sur-
rounded by hills, and looking out into a beautiful oval
basin " ('' Biblical Researches," ii. 268).
From the days of Joshua, all through the period
of the Judges, and on to the last days of Eli the high
priest, Shiloh continued to be the abode of the taber-
nacle, and the great national sanctuary of Israel.
314 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Situated about half-way between Bethel and Shechem,
in the tribe of Ephraim, it was close to the centre
of the country, and, moreover, not difficult of access
for the eastern tribes. Here for many generations
the annual assemblies of the nation took place. Here
came Hannah from her home in Mount Ephraim to pray
for a son ; and here little Samuel, '' lent to the Lord,"
spent his beautiful childhood. Through that opening
in the mountains, old Eli saw the ark carried by the
rash hands of his sons into the battle with the
Philistines, and there he sat on his stool watching for
the messenger that was to bring tidings of the battle.
After the ark was taken by the Philistines, the city
that had grown up around the tabernacle appears to
have been taken and sacked and the inhabitants
massacred (Psalm Ixxviii. 60-64). We hear of it in later
history as the abode of Ahijah the prophet (i Kings
xi. 29) ; afterwards it sinks into obscurity. It is to
be noted that its name occurs nowhere among the
towns of the Canaanites ; it is likely that it was a new
place, founded by Joshua, and that it derived its name,
Shiloh, ^^rest," from the sacred purpose to which it
was now devoted.
Here, then, assembled the whole congregation of the
children of Israel, to set up the tabernacle, probably
with some such rites as David performed when it was
transferred from the house of Obed-Edom to Mount
Zion. Hitherto it had remained at Gilgal, the head-
quarters and depot of the nation. The ^' whole congi'e-
gation " that now assembled does not necessarily mean
the whole community, but only selected representatives,
not only of the part that had been engaged in warfare,
but also of the rest of the nation.
If we try to form a picture of the state of Israel
xviii.,xix.] THE DISTRIBUTION COMPLETED. 315
while Joshua was carrying on his warlike campaigns,
it will appear that his army being but a part of the
whole, the rest of the people were occupied in a
somewhat random manner, here and there, in pro-
viding food for the community, in sowing and reaping
the fields, pasturing their flocks, and gathering in the
fruits. And from the tone of Joshua it would appear
that many of them were content to lead this somewhat
irregular life. In a somewhat sharp and reproachful
tone he says to them, '^ How long are ye slack to go to
possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers
has given you ? " One of Joshua's great difficulties
was to organize the vast mass of people over whom
he presided, to prevent them from falling into careless,
slatternly ways, and to keep them up to the mark of
absolute regularity and order. Many of them would
have been content to jog on carelessly as they had been
doing in the desert, in a sort of confused jumble, and
to forage about, here and there, as the case might be,
in pursuit of the necessaries of life. Their listlessness
was provoking. They knew that the Divine plan was
quite different, that each tribe was to have a territory
of its own, and that measures ought to be taken at
once to settle the boundaries of each tribe. But they
were taking no steps for this purpose ; they were content
with social hugger-mugger.
Joshua is old, but his impatience with laziness and
irregularity still gives sharpness to his remonstrance,
^' How long are ye slack to possess the land ? " The
ring of authority is still in his voice ; it still commands
obedience. More than that, the organizing faculty is
still active — the faculty that decides how a thing is to
be done. '^ Give out from among you three men for
each tribe ; and I will send them, and they shall rise
3i6 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
and go through the land and describe it according to
the inheritance of them."
The men are chosen, three from each of the seven
tribes that are not yet settled ; and they go through
and make a survey of the land. Judah and Joseph are
not to be disturbed in the settlements that have already
been given to them ; but the men are to divide the rest
of the country into seven parts, and thereafter it is to
be determined by lot to which tribe each part shall
belong. It would appear that special note was to be
taken of the cities, for when the surveyors returned
and gave in their report they *' described the land by
cities into seven parts in a book." Each city had a
certain portion of land connected with it, and the land
always went with the city. The art of writing was
sufficiently practised to enable them to compose what
has been called the '* Domesday Book " of Canaan, and
the record being in writing was a great safeguard
against the disputes that might have arisen had so
large a report consisted of mere oral statement. When
the seven portions had been balloted for, there was no
excuse for any of the tribes clinging any longer to that
nomad life, for which, while in the wilderness, they
seem to have acquired a real love.
And now we come to the actual division. The most
interesting of the tribes yet unsupplied was Benjamin,
and the region that fell to him was interesting too. It
may be remarked as an unusual arrangement, that
when portions were allotted to Judah and to Ephraim,
a space was allowed to remain between them, so that
the northern border of Judah was at some distance
from the southern border of Ephraim. As Judah and
Ephraim were the two leading tribes, and in some
respects rivals, the benefit of this intervening space
xviii.,xix.] THE DISTRIBUTION COMPLETED. 317
between them is apparent. But for this, whenever
their relations became strained, hostilities might have
taken place.
Now it was this intervening space that constituted
the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin. For the most
part it consisted of deep ravines running from west to
east, from the central table-land down to the valley
of the Jordan, with mountains between. Many of its
cities were perched high in the mountains, as is shown
by the commonness of the names Gibeon, Gibeah,
Geba, or Gaba, all of which signify '^ hill " ; while
Ramah is a ''high place," and Mizpeh a ''tower." In
the wilderness, Benjamin had marched along with
Ephraim and Manasseh, all the descendants of Joseph
forming a united company ; and after the settlement
Benjamin naturally inclined towards fellowship with
these tribes. But, as events went on, he came more
into fellowship with the tribe of Judah, and though
Saul, Shimei, and Sheba, the bitterest enemies of the
house of David, were all Benjamites, yet, when the
separation of the two kingdoms took place under
Rehoboam, Benjamin took the side of Judah (i Kings
xii. 21). On the return from the captivity it was the
tribes of Judah and Benjamin that took the lead (Ezra
i. 5), and throughout the Book of Ezra the returned
patriots are usually spoken of as " the men of Judah
and Benjamin."
The cities of Benjamin included several of the most
famous. Among them was Jericho, the rebuilding
of which as a fortified place had been forbidden,
but which was still in some degree inhabited ; Bethel,
which was already very famous in the histor}^, but
which, after the separation of the kingdoms, was taken
possession of by Jeroboam, and made the shrine of his
3i8 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
calves ; Gibeon, the capital of the Gibeonites, and
afterwards a shrine frequented by Solomon (i Kings
iii. 5) ; Ramah, afterwards the dwelling-place of Samuel
(i Sam. vii. 17); Mizpeh, one of the three places
where he judged Israel (i Sam. vii. 16); Gibeath, or
Gibeah, where Saul had his palace (i Sam. x. 26) ;
and last, not least, Jerusalem. As to Jerusalem, some
have thought that it lay partly in the territory of Judah,
and partly in that of Benjamin. When certain terms
in the description of the boundaries are studied there
are difficulties that might suggest this solution. But
we have seen that in practice there was a considerable
amount of giving and taking among the tribes with
reference to particular cities, and that sometimes a city,
locally within one tribe, belonged to the people of
another. So it was with Jerusalem ; locally within the
inheritance of Benjamin, it was practically occupied by
the men of Judah (see chap. xv. 63).
Benjamin was counted the least of the tribes (i Sam.
ix. 31), and when, with other tribes, it was represented
by its chief magistrate, it was rather disparagingly
distinguished as '' little Benjamin with their ruler "
(Psalm Ixviii. 27), Yet it was strong enough, on one
occasion, to set at defiance for a time the combined
forces of the other tribes (Judg. xx. 12, etc.). It was
distinguished for the singular skill of its slingers ;
seven hundred, who were left-handed, "could everyone
sling stones at an hair-breadth and not miss " (Judg.
XX. 16). The character of its territory, abounding in
rocky mountains, and probably in game, for the capture
of which the sling was adapted, might, in some degree,
account for this peculiarity.
Many famous battles were fought on the soil of
Benjamin. The battle of Ai ; that of Gibeon, followed
xviii.,xix.] THE DISTRIBUTION COMPLETED. 319
by the pursuit through Bethhoron, both under Joshua ;
Jonathan's battle with the PhiHstines at Michmash
(i Sam. xiv.) ; and the duel at Gibeon between twelve
men of Saul and twelve of David (2 Sam. ii. 15, 16);
were all fought within the territory of Benjamin. And
when Sennacherib approached Jerusalem from the north,
the places which were thrown into panic as he came
near were in this tribe. ^' He is come to Aiath, he is
passed through Migron ; at Michmash he layeth up
his baggage : they are gone over the pass ; they have
taken up their lodging at Geba : Raniah trembleth ;
Gibeah of Saul is fled. Cry aloud with thy voice, O
daughter of Gallim ! hearken, O Laishah ! O thou
poor Anathoth I Madmenah is a fugitive ; the inhabit-
ants of Gebim gather therpselves to flee. This very
day shall he halt at Nob : he shaketh his hand at the
mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jeru-
salem" (Isa. X. 28-32, R.V.). In later times Judas
Maccabeus gained a victory over the Syrian forces at
Bethhoron ; and, again, Cestius and his Roman troops
were defeated by the Jews ; and, once more, centuries
later, Richard Coeur de Lion and the flower of English
chivalry, when they pushed up through Bethhoron in
the hope of reaching Jerusalem, were compelled to
retire.
Even down to New Testament times, as Dean
Stanley remarks, the influence of Benjamin remained,
for the name of Saul, the king whom Benjamin gave
to the nation, was preserved in Hebrew families ;
and when a far greater of that name appeals to his
descent, or to the past history of his nation, a glow of
satisfaction is visible in the marked emphasis with
which he alludes to '' the stock of Israel, the tribe of
Benjamin " (Phil, iii, 5), and to God's gift of *' Saul
320 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin "
(Acts xiii. 2i).
There is Httle to be said of Simeon, the second of
the seven that drew his lot. It is admitted that his
portion was taken out of the first allotment to Judah
(ver. 9), which was found to be larger than that tribe
required, and many of his cities are contained in Judah's
list. One act of valour is recorded of Simeon in the
first chapter of Judges ; after the first settlement, he
responded to the appeal of Judah and accompanied him
against the Canaanites. But the history of this tribe
as a whole might be written in the words of Jacob's
prophecy — ''I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter
them in Israel." There is no historical reason for
the supposition of Wellhausen that Simeon and Levi
were all but annihilated on occasion of their attack on
the Canaanites. If Simeon had been virtually extin-
guished, it would not have had a territory assigned to
it in the ideal division of the country by Ezekiel
(xlviii. 24), nor would it have afforded the twelve
thousand of the ^' sealed " in the symbolical vision of
St. John (Rev. vii. 7). While the tribe was scattered,
the name of its founder survived, and both as Simeon
and Simon it was crowned with honour. It was the
name of one of the family of Maccabean patriots ; it was
borne by the just and devout man that waited in the
temple for the consolation of Israel ; and it was the
Hebrew name of the great Apostle whose honour it
was to lay the foundation of the Christian Church.
Next came the tribe of Zebulun, the boundaries of
which are given with much precision ; but as most of the
names are now unknown, and there are also appearances
of imperfection in the text, the deUneation cannot be
followed, ''The brook that is before Jokneam" is
xviii.,xix.] THE DISTRIBUTION COMPLETED. 321
supposed to be the Kishon, and Chisloth-Tabor, or the
flanks of Tabor, points to the mountain which is the
traditional, though probably not the real scene of our
Lord's transfiguration. Gittah-hepher, or Gath-hepher,
was the birthplace of the prophet Jonah. Bethlehem,
now Beit-Lahm, is a miserable village, not to be con-
founded with the Bethlehem of Judah. As no mention
is made either of the sea or the lake of Galilee as a
boundary, it is probable that Zebulun was wholly an
inland tribe. Strange to say, there is no mention, either
here or in any part of the Old Testament, of by far
the most famous place in the tribe, — Nazareth, the
early residence of our Lord. Yet its situation would
indicate that it must have been a very ancient place.
Nor is it likely to have escaped the notice of the
surveyors when they went through the land. The
omission of this name has given rise to the opinion
that the list is incomplete.
Issachar occupied an interesting and important site.
Jezreel, the first name in the definition of its boundaries,
is also the most famous. Jezreel, now represented by
Zerin, was situated on a lofty height, and gave name
to the whole valley around. Here Ahab had his palace
in the days of Elijah. By its association with the
worship of Baal, Jezreel got a bad reputation, and in
the prophet Hosea degenerate Israel is called Jezreel, a
name somewhat similar, but with very different associa-
tions (chap. i. 4). Shunem was the place of encamp-
ment of the Philistine army before the battle of Gilboa,
and also the residence of the woman whose son Elisha
restored to life. Bethshemesh must not be confounded
with the town of the same name in Judah, nor with
that in the tribe of Naphtali. Signifying '^ house of the
sun," it was a very common name among the Canaanites,
21
132 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
as being noted for the worship of the heavenly bodies.
As we have already remarked in connection with
Megiddo which belonged to Manasseh, the valley of
Jezreel, now usually called the plain of Esdraelon, was
noted as the great battle-field of Palestine.
Asher also had an interesting temtory. Theoretically
it extended from Carmel to Sidon, embracing the whole
of the Phoenician strip ; but practically it did not reach
so far. Naphtali was adjacent to Asher, and had the
Jordan and the lakes of Merom and Gahlee for its
eastern boundary. It is in the New Testament that
Naphtali enjoys its greatest distinction, the lake of
Galilee and the towns on its banks, so conspicuous in
the gospel history, having been situated there.
These northern tribes, as is well known, constituted
the district of Galilee. The contrast between its early
insignificance and its later glory is well brought out in
the Revised Version of Isa. ix. 1,2: *' But there sh^ll
be no gloom to her that was in anguish. In the former
time He brought into contempt the land of Zebulun
and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time hath
He made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond
Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people that walked
in darkness have seen a great light : they that dwelt
in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the
light shined."
Dan was the last tribe whose lot was drawn. And
it really seemed as if the least desirable of all the
portions fell to him. He was hemmed in between
Judah on the one hand and the Philistines on the
other, and the Philistines were anything but comfort-
able neighbours. The best part of the level land was
no doubt in their hands, and Dan was limited to what
lay at the base of the mountains (see Judg. i. 34, 35).
xviii.,xix.] THE DISTRIBUTION COMPLETED. 323
Very early, therefore, in the history, a colony of Dan
went out in search of further possessions, and, having
dispossessed some Sidonians at Laish in the extreme
north, gave their name to that city, which proverbially
denoted the most northerly city in the country, as Beer-
sheba, in like manner, denoted the most southerly.
The division of the country was now completed,
save that one individual was still unprovided for. And
that was Joshua himself As in a shipwreck, the
captain is the last to leave the doomed vessel, so here
the leader of the nation was the last to receive a
portion. With rare self-denial he waited till every
one else was provided for. Here we have a glimpse
of his noble spirit. That there would be much
grumbling over the division of the country, he no
doubt counted inevitable, and that the people would
be disposed to come with their complaints to him
followed as matter of course. See how he circumvents
them ! Whoever might be disposed to go to him
complaining of his lot, knew the ready answer he
would get — you are not worse off than I am, for as
yet I have got none ! Joshua was content to see the
fairest inheritances disposed of to others, while as yet
none had been allotted to him. When, last of all, his
turn did come, his request was a modest one — ** They
gave him the city that he asked, even Timnath-serah
in the hill country of Ephraim." He might have
asked for an inheritance in the fertile and beautiful
vale of Shechem, consecrated by one of the earliest
promises to Abraham, near to Jacob's well and his
ancestor Joseph's tomb, or under shadow of the two
mountains, Ebal and Gerizim, where so solemn a
transaction had taken place after his people entered
the land. He asks for nothing of the kind, but for
324 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
a spot on one of the highland hills of Ephraim, a
place so obscure that no trace of it remains. It is
described in Judg. ii. 9 as '* Timnath-heres, in the
hill country of Ephraim, on the north of the mountain
of Gaash." The north side of the mountain does not
indicate a spot remarkable either for amenity or
fertility. In the days of Jerome, his friend Paula is
said to have expressed surprise that the distributer of
the whole country reserved so wild and mountainous
a district for himself
Could it have been that it was a farm rejected by
every one else ? that the head of the nation was
content with what no one else would have ? If it was
so, how must this have exalted Joshua in the eyes of
his countrymen, and how well fitted it is to exalt him
in ours ! Whether it was a portion that every one
else had despised or not, it undoubtedly was com-
parativel}^ a poor and far-off inheritance. His choice
of it was a splendid rebuke to the grumbling of his
tribe, to the pride and selfishness of the "great people "
who would not be content with a single lot, and wished
an additional one to be assigned to them. " Up with
you to the mountain " was Joshua's spirited reply ;
*' cut down the wood, and drive out the Canaanites ! "
And Joshua was not the man to give a prescription
to others that he was not prepared to take to himself.
Up to the mountain he certainly did go ; and as he
was now too old to fight, he quite probably spent his
last years in clearing his lot, cutting down timber, and
laboriously preparing the soil for crops. In any case,
he set a splendid example of disinterested humility.
He showed himself the worthy successor of Moses,
who had never hinted at any distinction for his family
or any possession in the country beyond what might
xviii., xix.] THE DISTRIBUTION COMPLETED. 325
be given to an ordinary Levite. How nobly both
contrasted with men hke Napoleon, who used his
influence so greedily for the enrichment and aggrand-
isement of every member of his family I Joshua came
very near to the spirit of our blessed Lord, who
" though He was in the form of God, and thought it
no robbery to be equal with God, made Himself of no
reputation, and took on Him the form of a servant,
and was made in the likeness of man." As we see the
Old Testament Jesus retiring in His old age, not to a
paradise in some fertile and flowery vale, but to a bleak
and rocky farm on the north side of the mountain of
Gaash, or to a shaggy forest, still held by the wolf and
the bear, we are reminded of the Joshua of the New
Testament : ** Foxes have holes, and the birds of the
air have nests ; but the Son of man hath not where
to lay his head."
CHAPTER XXVII.
THE CITIES OF REFUGE.
Joshua xx.
CITIES of refuge had a very prominent place
assigned to them in the records of the Mosaic
legislation. First, in that which all allow to be the
earliest legislation (Exod. xx. — xxiii.) intimation is given
of God's intention to institute such cities (Exod. xxi.
1 3) ; then in Numbers (xxxv. 9-34) the plan of these
places is given in full, and all the regulations applicable
to them; again in Deuteronomy (xix. 1-13) the law on
the subject is rehearsed; and finally, in this chapter, we
read how the cities were actually instituted, three on
either side of Jordan. This frequent introduction of
the subject shows that it was regarded as one of great
importance, and leads us to expect that we shall find
principles underlying it of great value in their bearing
even on modern life.^
Little needs to be said on the particular cities
selected, except that they were conveniently dispersed
' These frequent references do not prevent modern critics from
affirming that the cities of refuge were no part of the Mosaic legislation.
They found this view upon the absence throughout the history of all
reference to them as being in actual use. They were not instituted,
it is said, till after the Exile, But the very test that rejects them
from the early legislation fails here. There is no reference to them
as actually occupied in the post-exilian books, amounting, as these
■126
XX.] THE CITIES OF REFUGE. 327
over the country. Kedesh in Galilee in the northern
part, Shechem in the central, and Hebron in the south,
were all accessible to the people in these regions
respectively ; as were also, on the other side the river,
Bezer in the tribes of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead, and
Golan in Bashan. Those who are fond of detecting
the types of spiritual things in material, and who
take a hint from Heb. vi. 18, connecting these cities
with the sinner's refuge in Christ, naturally think in
this connection of the nearness of the Saviour to all
who seek Him, and the certainty of protection and
deliverance when they put their trust in Him.
I. The first thought that naturally occurs to us when
we read of these cities concerns the sanctity of human
life ; or, if we take the material symbol, the precious-
ness of human blood. God wished to impress on His
people that to put an end to a man's life under any
circumstances, was a serious thing. Man was some-
thing higher than the beasts that perish. To end a
human career, to efface by one dread act all the joys
of a man's life, all his dreams and hopes of coming
good ; to snap all the threads that bound him to his
fellows, perhaps to bring want into the homes and
desolation into the hearts of all who loved him or
leant on him — this, even if done unintentionally, was
a very serious thing. To mark this in a very emphatic
way was the purpose of these cities of refuge. Though
in certain respects (as we shall see) the practice of
are said to do, to half the Old Testament. Their occupation, it is said,
with the other Levitical cities, was postponed to the time of Messiah.
The shifts to which the critics are put in connection with this
institution do not merely indicate a weak point in their theory ; they
show^ also how precarious is the position that when you do not hear
of an institution as in actual operation you may conclude that it was
of later date.
328 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
avenging blood by the next-of-kin indicated a relic
of barbarism, yet, as a testimony to the sacredness of
human life, it was characteristic of civilization. It is
natural for us to have a feeling, when through careless-
ness but quite unintentionally one has killed another ;
when a young man, for example, believing a gun to be
unloaded, has discharged its contents into the heart of
his sister or his mother, and when the author of this
deed gets off scot-free, — we may have a feeling that
something is wanting to vindicate the sanctity of human
life, and bear witness to the terribleness of the act that
extinguished it. And yet it cannot be denied that in our
day life is invested with pre-eminent sanctity. Never,
probably, was its value higher, or the act of destroying
it wilfully, or even carelessly, treated as more serious.
Perhaps, too, as things are with us, it is better in cases
of unintentional killing to leave the unhappy perpetrator
to the punishment of his own feelings, rather than
subject him to any legal process, which, while ending
with a declaration of his innocence, might needlessly
aggravate a most excruciating pain.
It is not a very pleasing feature of the Hebrew
economy that this regard to the sanctity of human life
was limited to members of the Hebrew nation. All
outside the Hebrew circle were treated as little better
than the beasts that perish. For Canaanites there was
nothing but indiscriminate slaughter. Even in the
times of King David we find a barbarity in the treat-
ment of enemies that seems to shut out all sense of
brotherhood, and to smother all claim to compassion.
We have here a point in which even the Hebrew race
were still far behind. They had not come under the
influence of that blessed Teacher who taught us to love
our enemies. They had no sense of the obligation
XX.] THE CITIES OF REFUGE. 329
arising from the great truth that " God hath made of
one blood all the nations of men for to dwell on all the
face of the earth." This is one of the points at which
we are enabled to see the vast change that was effected
by the spirit of Jesus Christ. The very psalms in
some places reflect the old spirit, for the writers had
not learned to pray as He did — " Father, forgive them ;
for they know not what they do."
2. Even as apportioned to the Hebrew people, there
was still an uncivilized element in the arrangements
connected with these cities of refuge. This lay in
the practice of making the go-el, or nearest of kin,
the avenger of blood. The moment a man's blood
was shed, the nearest relative became responsible for
avenging it. He felt himself possessed by a spirit of
retribution, which demanded, with irrepressible urgency,
the blood of the man who had killed his relation. It
was an unreasoning, restless spirit, making no allow-
ance for the circumstances in which the blood w^as shed,
seeing nothing and knowing nothing save that his relative
had been slain, and that it was his duty, at the earliest
possible moment, to have blood for blood. Had the
law been perfect, it w^ould have simply handed over
the killer to the magistrate, whose duty would have
been calmly to investigate the case, and either punish
or acquit, according as he should find that the man had
committed a crime or had caused a misfortune. But,
as w^e have seen, it was characteristic of the Hebrew
legislation that it adapted itself to the condition of
things which it found, and not to an ideal perfection
which the people were not capable of at once realizing.
In the office of the go-el there was much that was of
wholesome tendency. The feeling was deeply rooted
in the Hebrew mind that the nearest of kin was the
330 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
guardian of his brother's Hfe, and for this reason he was
bound to avenge his death ; and instead of crossing
this feehng, or seeking wholly to uproot it, the object
of Moses was to place it under salutary checks, which
should prevent it from inflicting gross injustice where
no crime had really been committed. There was some-
thing both sacred and salutary in the relation of the
go-el to his nearest of kin. When poverty obliged a
man to dispose of his property, it was the go-el that
was bound to intervene and *' redeem " the property.
The law served as a check to the cold spirit that is
so ready to ask, in reference to one broken down,
" Am I my brother's keeper ? " It maintained a friendly
relation between members of families that might other-
wise have been entirely severed from each other. The
avenging of blood was regarded as one of the duties
resulting from this relation, and had this part of the
duty been rudely or summarily superseded, the whole
relationship, with all the friendly offices which it in-
volved, might have suffered shipwreck.
3. The course to be followed by riie involuntary
manslayer was very minutely prescribed. He was
to hurry with all speed to the nearest city of refuge,
and stand at the entering of the gate till the elders
assembled, and then to declare his cause in their ears.
If he failed to establish his innocence, he got no pro-
tection ; but if he made out his case he was free from
the avenger of blood, so long as he remained within
the city or its precincts. If, however, he wandered
out, he was at the mercy of the avenger. Further,
he was to remain in the city till the death of the high
priest. Some have sought a mystical meaning in this
last regulation, as if the high priest figured the Redeemer,
and the death of the high priest the completion of
XX.] THE CITIES OF REFUGE, 331
redemption by the death of Christ. But this is too
far-fetched to be of weight. The death of the high
priest was probably fixed on as a convenient time for
releasing the manslayer, it being probable that by that
time all keen feeling in reference to his deed would
have subsided, and no one would then think that justice
had been defrauded when a man with blood on his
hands was allowed to go at large.
4. As it was, the involuntary manslayer had thus
to undergo a considerable penalty. Having to reside
in the city of refuge, he could no longer cultivate his
farm or follow his ordinary avocations; he must have
found the means of living in some new employment
as best he could. His friendships, his whole associa-
tions in life, were changed ; perhaps he was even
separated from his family. To us all this appears a
harder line than justice would have prescribed. But,
on the one hand, it was a necessary testimony to the
strong, though somewhat unreasonable feeling respect-
ing the awfulness, through whatever cause, of shedding
innocent blood. A man had to accept of this quietly,
just as many a man has to accept the consequences —
the social outlawry, it may be, and other penalties — of
having had a father of bad character, or of having been
present in the company of wicked men when some evil
deed was done by them. Then, on the other hand,
the fact that the involuntary destruction of life was
sure, even at the best, to be followed by such conse-
quences, was fitted to make men very careful. They
would naturally endeavour to the utmost to guard
against an act that might land them in such a
situation ; and thus the ordinary operations of daily
life would be rendered more secure. And perhaps
it was in this way that the whole appointment secured
332 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
its end. Some laws are never broken. And here may
be the explanation of the fact that the cities of refuge
were not much used. In all Bible history we do not
meet with a single instance ; but this might indicate,
not the non-existence of the institution, but the indirect
success of the provision, which, though framed to cure,
operated by preventing. It made men careful, and
thus in silence checked the evil more effectually than
if it had often been put in execution.
The desire for vengeance is a very strong feeling
of human nature. Nor is it a feeling that soon dies
out ; it has been known to live, and to live keenly and
earnestly, even for centuries. We talk of ancient bar-
barism ; but even in comparatively modern times the
story of its deeds is appalling. Witness its operation
in the island of Corsica. The historian Filippini says
that in thirty years of his own time 28,000 Corsicans
had been murdered out of revenge. Another historian
calculates that the number of the victims of the Vendetta
from 1359 to 1729 was 330,000.^ If an equal number
be allowed for the wounded, we have 666,000 Corsicans
victims of revenge. And Corsica was but one part
of Italy where the same passion raged. In former
ages Florence, Bologna, Verona, Padua, and Milan
were conspicuous for the same wild spirit. And,
however raised,' even by trifling causes, the spirit of
vengeance is. uncontrollable. The causes, indeed, are
often in ludicrous disproportion to the effects. '^ In
Ireland, for instance, it is not so long since one of
these blood-feuds in the county of Tipperary had
acquired such formidable proportions that the authorities
of the Roman Catholic Church there were compelled
' Gregorovjus, "Wanderings in Corsica."
XX.] THE CITIES OF REFUGE. 333
to resort to a mission in order to put an end to it.
A man had been killed nearly a centm^y before in an
affray which commenced about the age of a colt. His
relatives felt bound to avenge the murder, and then*
vengeance was again deemed to require fresh vengeance,
until faction fights between the * Three Year Olds '
and the ' Four Year Olds ' had grown almost into
petty wars." ^ When we find the spirit of revenge
so blindly fierce even in comparatively modern times,
we can the better appreciate the necessity of such
a check on its exercise as the cities of refuge supplied.
The mere fact that blood had been shed was enough
to rouse the legal avenger to the pitch of frenzy ; in
his blind passion he could think of nothing but blood
for blood ; and if, in the first excitement of the news,
the involuntary manslayer had crossed his path, nothing
could have restrained him from falling on him and
crimsoning the ground with his blood.
In New Testament times the practice that committed
the avenging of blood to the nearest of kin seems to
have fallen into abeyance. No such keen desire for
revenge was prevalent then. Such cases as those now
provided for were doubtless dealt with by the ordinary
magistrate. And thus our Lord could grapple directly
with the spirit of revenge and retaliation in all its mani-
festations. *' Ye have heard that it was said of old time,
An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth ; but I say
unto you, Resist not him that is evil ; but whosoever
smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other
also " (R.V.). The old practice was hurtful, because,
even in cases where punishment was deserved, it made
vengeance or retribution so much a matter of personal
* ** Pulpit Comment.," in loco.
334 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
feeling. It stimulated to the utmost pitch what was
fiercest in human temper. It is a far better system
that commits the dealing with crime to the hands of
magistrates, who ought to be, and who are presumed
to be, exempt from all personal feeling in the matter.
And now, for those whose personal feelings are roused,
whether in a case of premeditated or of unintended
manslaughter, or of any lesser injury done to themselves,
the Christian rule is that those personal feelings are
to be overcome ; the law of love is to be called into
exercise, and retribution is to be left in the hands
of the great Judge: — *' Vengeance is Mine; I will
recompense, saith the Lord."
The attempt to find in the cities of refuge a typical
representation of the great salvation fails at every point
but one. The safety that was found in the refuge
corresponds to the safety that is found in Christ. But
even in this point of view the city of refuge rather
affords an illustration than constitutes a type. The
benefit of the refuge was only for unintentional offences ;
the salvation of Christ is for all. What Christ saves
from is not our misfortune but our guilt. The pro-
tection of the city was needed only till the death of the
high priest ; the protection of Christ is needed till the
great public acquittal. All that the manslayer received
in the city was safety ; but from Christ there is a
constant flow of higher and hoHer blessings. His
name is called Jesus because He saves His people from
their sins. Not merely from the penalty, but from the
sins themselves. It is His high office not only to atone
for sin, but to destroy it. ''If the Son makes you free,
ye shall be free indeed." The virtue that goes out of
Him comes into contact with the lust itself and trans-
forms it. The final benefit of Christ is the blessing of
XX.] THE CITIES OF REFUGE. 335
transformation. It is the acquisition of the ChristHke
spirit. ** Moreover whom He did foreknow, them He
also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of His Son, that He might be the firstborn of many
brethren."
In turning an incident Hke this to account, as bearing
on our modern hfe, we are led to think how much
harm we are liable to do to others without intending
harm, and how deeply we ought to be affected by this
consideration, when we discover what we have really
done. We may be helped here by thinking of the case of
St. Paul. What harm he did in the unconverted period
of his Hfe, without intending to do harm, cannot be
calculated. But when he came to the light, nothing
could have exceeded the depth of his contrition, and, to
his last hour, he could not think of the past without
horror. It was his great joy to know that his Lord
had pardoned hiin, and that he had been able to find
one good use of the very enormity of his conduct — to
show the exceeding riches of His pardoning love. But,
all his life long, the Apostle was animated by an
overwhelming desire to neutralise, as far as he could,
the mischief of his early life, and very much of the
self-denial and contempt of ease that continued to
characterise him was due to this vehement feeling.
For though Paul felt that he had done harm in ignor-
ance, and for this cause had obtained mercy, he did
not consider that his ignorance excused him altogether.
It was an ignorance that proceeded from culpable
causes, and that involved effects from which a rightly
ordered heart could not but recoil.
In the case of His own murderers our blessed
Lord, in His beautiful prayer, recognised a double con-
dition,— they were ignorant, yet they were guilty,
336 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
*' Father, forgive them ; for they know not what they
do." They were ignorant of what they were doing,
and yet they were doing what needed forgiveness,
because it involved guilt. And what we admire in
Paul is, that he did not make his ignorance a self-
justifying plea, but in the deepest humility owned the
inexcusableness of his conduct. To have done harm
to our fellow-creatures under any circumstances is a
distressing thing, even when we meant the best ; but
to have down harm to their moral life owing to some-
thing wrong in our own, is not only distressing, but
humiliating. It is something which we dare not lightly
dismiss from our minds, under the plea that we meant
the best, but unfortunately we were mistaken. Had
we been more careful, had our eye been more single,
we should have been full of light, and we should have
known that we were not taking the right way to do the
best. Errors in moral life always resolve themselves
into disorder of our moral nature, and, if traced to
their source, will bring to light some fault of indolence,
or selfishness, or pride, or carelessness, which was the
real cause of our mistaken act.
And where is the man — parent, teacher, pastor, or
friend — that does not become conscious, at some time
or other, of having influenced for harm those com-
mitted to his care ? We taught them, perhaps, to
despise some good man whose true worth we have
afterwards been led to see. We repressed their zeal
when we thought it misdirected, with a force which
chilled their enthusiasm and carnalised their hearts.
We failed to stimulate them to decision for Christ, and
allowed the golden opportunity to pass which might
have settled their relation to God all the rest of their
life. The great reahties of the spiritual life were not
XX.] THE CITIES OF REFUGE. 337
brought home to them with the earnestness, the fideUty,
the affection that was fitting. ''Who can understand
his errors ? " Who among us but, as he turns some
new corner in the path of hfe, as he reaches some new
view-point, as he sees a new flash from heaven
reflected on the past, — who among us but feels pro-
foundly that all his life has been marred by unsuspected
flaws, and almost wishes that he had never been born ?
Is there no city of refuge for us to fly to, and to escape
the condemnation of our hearts ?
It is here that the blessed Lord presents Himself to
us in a most blessed light. " Come unto Me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Do we not labour indeed, are we not in truth very
heavy laden, when we feel the burden of unintentional
evil, when we feel that uncon.sciously we have been
doing hurt to others, and incurring the curse of him
who causeth the blind to stumble ? Are we not heavy
laden indeed when we cannot be sure that even yet we
are thoroughly on the right track — when we feel that
peradventure we are still unconsciously continuing the
mischief in some other form ? Yet is not the promise
true ? — " I will give you rest." I will give you pardon
for the past, and guidance for the future. I will deliver
you from the feeling that you have been all your life
sowing seeds of mischief, sure to spring up and pervert
those whom you love most dearly. I will give you
comfort in the thought that as I have guided you, I will
guide them, and you shall have a vision of the future,
that may no doubt include some of the terrible features
of the shipwreck of St. Paul, but of which the end will
be the same — " and so it came to pass that they
escaped all safe to land."
And let us learn a lesson of charity. Let us learn
22
338 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
to be very considerate of mischief done b}'' others either
unintentionally or in ignorance. What more inexcus-
able than the excitement of parents over their children or
of masters over their servants, when, most undesignedly
and not through sheer carelessness, an article of some
value is broken or damaged ? Have you never done
such a thing yourself? And if a like torrent fell on
you then from your parent or master, did you not feel
bitterly that it was unjust ? And do you not even
now have the same feeling when your temper cools ?
How bitter the thought of having done injustice to
those dependent on you, and of having created in their
bosoms a sullen sense of wrong 1 Let them have
their city of refuge for undesigned offences, and never
again pursue them or fall on them in the excited spirit
of the avenger of blood !
So also with regard to opinions. Many who differ
from us in religious opinion differ through ignorance.
They have inherited their opinions from their parents
or their other ancestors. Their views are shared by
nearly all whom they love and with whom they asso-
ciate ; they are contained in their familiar books ; they
are woven into the web of their daily life. If they
were better instructed, if their minds were more free
from prejudice, they might agree with us more. Let
us make for them the allowance of ignorance, and let
us make it not bitterly but respectfully. They are
doing much mischief, it may be. They are retarding
the progress of beneficent truth ; they are thwarting
your endeavours to spread Divine fight. But they are
doing it ignorantly. If you are not called to provide
for them a city of refuge, cover them at least with the
mantle of charity. Believe that their intentions are
better than their acts. Live in the hope of a day
xxj THE CITIES OF REFUGE. 339
^' when perfect light shall pour its rays/' when all the
mists of prejudice shall be scattered, and you shall
perhaps find that in all that is vital in Christian truth
and for the Christian life, you and your brethren were
not so far separate after all.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE INHERITANCE OF THE LEVITES.
Joshua xxi. i — 42.
ONCE and again we have found reference made to
the fact that Levites received no territorial in-
heritance among their brethren (xiii. 14, 33, xiv. 3, 4).
They had a higher privilege : the Lord was their in-
heritance. In the present chapter we have an elaborate
account of the arrangements for their settlement ; it
will therefore be suitable here to rehearse their history,
and ascertain the relation they now stood in to the
rest of the tribes.
In the days of the patriarchs and during the sojourn
in Egypt there were no official priests. Each head
of a house discharged the duties of the priesthood in
patriarchal times, and a similar arrangement prevailed
during the residence in Egypt. The whole nation was
holy ; in this sense it was a nation of priests ; all were
set apart for the service of God. By-and-by it pleased
God to select a portion of the nation specially for His
service, to establish, as it were, a holy of holies within
the consecrated nation. The first intimation of this
was given on that awful occasion when the firstborn
of the Egyptians was slain. In token of His mercy in
sparing Israel on that night, all the firstborn of Israel,
both of man and beast, were specially consecrated to
340
xxi. 1-42.] THE INHERITANCE OF THE LEVITES. 341
the Lord. The animals were to be offered in sacrifice,
except in the case of some, such as the ass, not suited
for sacrifice ; these were to be redeemed by the sacrifice
of another animal. Afterwards a similar arrangement
was made with reference to the firstborn of men, the
tribe of Levi being substituted for them (see Numb. iii.
12). But this arrangement was not made till after the
tribe of Levi had shown, by a special act of service,
that they were fitted for this honour.
Certainly we should not have thought beforehand
that the descendants of Levi would be the specially
sacred tribe. Levi himself comes before us in the
patriarchal history in no attractive light. He and
Simeon were associated together in that massacre of
the Shechemites, which we can never read of without
horror (Gen. xxxiv. 25). Levi was likewise an accom-
plice with his brethren in the lamentable tragedy of
Joseph. And as nothing better is recorded of him, we
are apt to think of him as through life the same. But
this were hardly fair. Why should not Levi have
shared in that softening influence which undoubtedly
came on the other brethren ? Why may he not have
become a true man of God, and transmitted to his tribe
the memory and the example of a holy character ?
Certain it is that we find among his descendants in
Egypt some very noble specimens of godliness. The
mother of Moses, a daughter of the house of Levi, is
a woman of incomparable faith. Moses, her son, is
emphatically *' the man of God." Aaron, his brother,
moved by a Divine influence, goes to the wilderness
to find him when the very crisis of oppression seems to
indicate that God's time for the deliverance of Israel
is drawing nigh. Miriam, his sister, though far from
faultless, piously watchedihis bulrush-cradle, and after-
342 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
wards led the choir whose praises rose to God in a
great volume of thanksgiving after crossing the sea.
The first honour conferred on Levi in connection
with religious service was the appointment of Aaron
and his sons to the special service of the priest-
hood (Exod. xxviii. ; Numb, xviii. i). This did not
necessarily involve any spiritual distinction for the
whole tribe of which Aaron was a member, nor was
that distinction conferred at that time. It was after
the affair of the golden calf that the tribe of Levi re-
ceived this honour. For when Moses, in his holy zeal
against that scandal, called upon all who were on the
Lord's side to come to him, '' all the sons of Levi
gathered themselves unto him" (Exod. xxxii. 26).
This seems to imply that that tribe alone held itself
aloof from the atrocious idolatry into which even Aaron
had been drawn. And apparently it was in connection
with this high act of service that Levi was selected as
the sacred tribe, and in due time formally substituted
for the firstborn in every family (Numb. iii. 12, sqq.y
viii. 6 sqq.y xviii. 2 sqq.y From this time the tribe of
Levi stood to God in a relation of peculiar honour and
sacredness, and had duties assigned to them in harmony
with this eminent position.
The tribe of Levi consisted of three main branches,
corresponding to Levi's three sons — Kohath, Gershon,
and Merari. The Kohathites, though apparently not the
oldest (see Numb. iii. 17) were the most distinguished,
Moses and Aaron being of that branch. As Levites,
the Kohathites had charge of the ark and its sacred
furniture, guarding it at all times, and carrying it from
place to place during the journeys of the wilderness.
The Gershonites had charge of the tabernacle, with
its cords, curtains, and coverings. The sons of Merari
xxi. 1-42.] THE INHERITANCE OF THE LEVITES. 343
.had charge of the more sohd parts of the tabernacle,
'* its boards and bars, its pillars and its pins, and all
the vessels thereof." Korah, the leader of the rebellion
against Moses and Aaron, was, like them, of the family
of Kohath, and the object of his rebellion was to punish
what he considered the presumption of the two brothers
in giving to Aaron the special honours of a priesthood
which, in former days, had belonged alike to all the
congregation (Numb. xvi. 3). We are accustomed to
think that the supernatural proofs of the Divine com-
mission to Moses were so overwhelming that it would
have been out of the question for any man to challenge
them. But many things show that, though we might
have thought opposition to Moses impossible, it prevailed
to a great extent. The making of the golden calf, the
report of the spies and the commotion that followed,
the rebellion of Korah, and many other things, prove
that the prevalent spirit was usually that of unbelier
and rebellion, and that it was only after many signal
miracles and signal judgments that Moses was enabled
at last to exercise an unchallenged authority. The
rationalist idea, that it was enthusiasm for Moses that
led the people to follow him out of Egypt, and endure
all the hardships of the wilderness, and that there
is nothing more in the Exodus than the story of an
Eastern nation leaving one country under a trusted
leader to settle in another, is one to which the whole
tenor of the history offers unqualified contradiction.
And not the least valid ground of opposition is the
bitter, deadl}^ spirit in which attempts to frustrate
Moses were so often made.
Many of the duties of the Levites as detailed in
the Pentateuch were duties for the wilderness. After
the settlement in Canaan, and the establishment of the
344 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
tabernacle at Shiloh, these duties would undergo a
change. The Levites were not all needed to be about
the tabernacle. The Gibeonites indeed had been retained
as ''hewers of wood and drawers of water for the
congregation and for the altar of the Lord," so that
the more laborious part of the work at Shiloh would
be done by them. If the Levites had clustered like
a swarm of bees around the sacred establishment, loss
would have been sustained alike by themselves and
by the people. It was desirable, in accordance with
the great law of distribution already referred to, that
they should be dispersed over the whole country. The
men that stood nearest to God, and who were a standing
testimony to the superiority of the spiritual over the
secular, who were Divine witnesses, indeed, to the
higher part of man's nature, as well as to God's pre-
eminent claims, must have failed egregiously of their
mission had they been confined to a single city or to the
territory of a single tribe. Jacob had foretold both
of Simeon and Levi that they would be *' divided in
Jacob and scattered in Israel." In the case of Levi,
the scattering was overruled for good. Designed to
point God-wards and heavenwards, the mission of Levi
was to remind the people over the whole country that
they were not mere earth-worms, created to grub and
burrow in the ground, but beings with a nobler destiny,
whose highest honour it was to be in communion with
God.
The functions of the Levites throughout the countr}^
seem to have differed somewhat in successive periods
of their history. Here, as in other matters, there was
doubtless some development, according as new wants
appeared in the spiritual condition of the people, and
consequently new obligations for the Levites to fulfil.
xxi. 1-42.] THE INHERITANCE OF THE LEVITES. 345
When the people fell under special temptations to
idolatry, it would naturally fall to the Levites, in con-
nection with the priesthood, to warn them against these
temptations, and strive to keep them faithful to their
God. But it does not appear that even the Levites
could be trusted to continue faithful. It is a sad and
singular fact that a grandson of Moses was one of the
first to go astray. The Authorized Version, indeed, says
that the young man who became a priest to the Danites
when they set up a graven image in the city of Dan,
was Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh
(Judg. xviii. 30). But the Revised Version, not without
authority, calls him Jonathan, the son of Gershom,
the son of Moses. Here we have a glimpse of two
remarkable facts : in the first place, that a grandson
of Moses, a Levite, was located in so confined a
place that he had to leave it in search of another, '' to
sojourn where he could find a place " — so entirely had
Moses abstained from steps to secure superior provision
for his own family ; and, in the second place, that even
with his remarkable advantages and relations, this
Jonathan, in defiance of the law, was tempted to assume
an office of priesthood, and to discharge that office at
the shrine of a graven image. We are far indeed from
the truth when we suppose that the whole nation of
Israel submitted to the law of Moses from the beginning
with absolute loyalty, or when we accept the prevalent
practice among them at any one period as undoubted
evidence of what was then the law.
But let us now turn our attention to the distribution
of the Levites as it was planned. We say deUberately
** as it was planned," because there is every reason to
believe that the plan was not effectually carried out.
In no case does there seem to have been such a failure
346 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA
of official arrangements as in the case of Levi. And
the reason is not difficult to find. Few of the cities
allotted to them were free of Canaanites at the time.
To get actual possession of the cities the}^ must have
dispossessed the remaining Canaanites. But, scattered
as they were, this was peculiarly difficult. And the other
tribes seem to have been in no humour to help them.
Hence it is that in the early period of the Judges we
find Levites wandering here and there seeking for a
settlement, and glad of any occupation they could find
(Judg. xviii. 7, xix. i).
The provision made by Joshua for the Levites was
that out of all the other tribes, forty-eight cities with
their suburbs, including the six cities of refuge, were
allotted to them. It is necessary for us here to call
to mind how much Canaan, like other Eastern countries
and some countries not Eastern, was a land of towns
and villages. Cottages and country-houses standing
by themselves were hardly known. A house in its
own grounds — '* a lodge in a garden of cucumbers "
— might shelter a man for a time, but could not be
his permanent home. The country was too liable to
hostile raids for its inhabitants to dwell thus unprotected.
Most of the people had their homes in the towns and
villages with which their fields were connected. In
consequence of this each town had a circuit of land
around it, which alwa3^s fell to the conquerors when
the town was taken. And it is this fact that sometimes
makes the boundaries of the tribes so difficult to follow,
because these boundaries had to embrace all the lands
connected with the cities which they embraced. If it
be asked. Did the Levites receive as part of their
inheritance all the lands adjacent to their cities, the
answer is, No. For in that case the only difference
xxi. 1-42.] THE INHERITANCE OF THE LEVITES. 347
between them and the other tribes would have been
that the Levites had forty-eight Httle territories instead
of one large possession, and there would have been no
ground for the distinction so emphatically made that
*'the Lord was their inheritance," or ''the sacrifices of
the Lord made by fire."
The cities given to the Levites, even when cleared
of Canaanites, were not possessed by Levites alone.
We may gather the normal state of affairs from what
is said regarding Hebron and Caleb. Hebron was a
Levitical city, a city of the priests, a city of refuge ;
they gave to the Kohathites the city, with the suburbs
thereof roundabout ; '* but the fields of the city, and
the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the son of
J ephunneh for his possession " (vv. 1 1, 12). What are
called '* suburbs," or, as some prefer to render, *' cattle-
drives," extended for two thousand cubits round about
the city on every side (Numb. xxxv. 5), and were used
only for pasture. It behoved the Levites to have cattle
of some kind to supply them with their food, the main
part of which, besides fruit, was milk and its produce.
But, beyond this, the Levites were not entangled with the
business of husbandry. They were left free for more
spiritual service. It was their part to raise the souls
of the people above the level of earth, and, like the
angel in the '' Pilgrim's Progress," call on those who
might otherwise have worshipped the mud-rake to lift
up their eyes to the crown of glory, and accept the
heavenly gift.
In fact, the whole function of the Levites, ideally at
least, was as Moses sung : —
" And of Levi he said,
Let thy Urim and thy Thummim be with thy godly one,
Whom thou didst prove at Massah,
348 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
With whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah;
Who said of his father, and of his mother, I have not seen him ;
Neither did he acknowledge his brethren,
Nor knew his own children :
For they have observed Thy word,
And kept Thy covenant.
They shall teach Jacob Thy judgments,
Aitd Israel Thy law :
They shall put incense before Thee,
And whole burnt offering upon Thine altar.
Bless, Lord, his substance,
And accept the work of his hands :
Smite through the loins of them that rise up against him,
And of them that hate him, that they rise not again."
Deut. xxxiii. 8-1 1 (R.V.).
But to come now to the division itself. The Koha-
thites, or leading family, had no fewer than thirteen
cities in the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Simeon, and
ten more in Ephraim, Dan, and Manasseh. The thirteen
in Judah, Benjamin, and Simeon were for the priests ;
the other ten were for the other branches of the
Kohathites. At first the priests, strictly so called,
could not occupy them all. But, as the history advances,
the priests become more and more prominent, while the
Levites as such seem to hold a less and less conspicuous
place. In the Psalms, for example, we sometimes find
the house of Levi left out when all classes of worship-
pers are called on to praise the Lord. In the 135th
Psalm all are included : —
" O house of Israel, bless ye the Lord :
O house of Aaron, bless ye the Lord :
O house of Levi, bless ye the Lord :
Ye that fear the Lord, bless ye the Lord."
But in the 1 15th the Levites are left out : —
" O Israel, trust thou in the Lord :
He is their help and their shield.
O house of Aaron, trust ye in the Lord :
He is their help and their shield.
xxi. 1-42.] THE INHERITANCE OF THE LEVITES. 349
Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord :
He is their help and their shield."
And in the 1 1 8th : —
"Let Israel now say
That His mercy endureth for ever.
Let the house of Aaron now say
That His mercy endureth for ever.
Let them now that fear the Lord say
That His mercy endureth for ever."
There is this to be said for the region where the
priests, the house of Aaron, had their cities, viz., the
tribe of Judah, that it maintained its integrity longest
of any ; nor did it thoroughly succumb to idolatry till
the dark days of Manasseh, one of its later kings.
But, on the other hand, in New Testament times, Judaea
was the most bigoted part of the country, and the most
bitterly opposed to our Lord. And the explanation
is, that the true spirit of Divine service had utterly
evaporated from among the priesthood, and the miser-
able spirit of formalism had come in. The living sap
of the institution had been turned into stone, and the
plant of renown of early days had become a stony
fossil. So true is it that the best institutions, when
perverted from their true end, become the sources
of greatest evil, and the highest gifts of heaven, when
seized by the devil and turned to his purposes, become
the most efficient instruments of hell.
The other portions of the family of Kohath were
distributed in ten cities over the central part of
Western Palestine. Some of them were important
centres of influence, such as Bethhoron, Shechem, and
Taanach. But the influence of the Levites for good
seems to have been feeble in this region, for it was
here that Jeroboam reigned, and here that Ahab and
Jezebel all but obliterated the worship of Jehovah.
350 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
It is commonly believed that Samuel was a member
of the tribe of Levi, although there is some confusion
in the genealogy as given in i Chron. vi. 28, 34 ; yet
Ramathaim Zophim, his father's place of abode, was
not one of the Levitical cities. And Samuel's influence
was exerted more on the southern than the central
district ; for, after the destruction of Shiloh, Mizpeh
appears to have been his ordinary residence (i Sam.
vii. 6), and afterwards Ramah^ (vii. 17). It would
indeed be a pleasant thought that the inefficiency of the
Kohathites as a whole was in some measure redeemed
by the incomparable service of Samuel. If Samuel was
a Levite, he was a noble instance of what may be done
by one zealous and consecrated man, amid the all but
universal defection of his official brethren.
The Gershonites were placed in cities in eastern
Manasseh, Issachar, Asher, and Naphtali; while the
Merarites were in Zebulun, and in the transjordanic
tribes of Gad and Reuben. They thus garrisoned the
northern and eastern districts. Those placed in the
north ought to have been barriers against the gross
idolatry of Tyre and Sidon, and those in the east,
besides resisting the idolatry of the desert tribes, should
have held back that of Damascus and Syria. But there
is very little to show that the Levites as a whole rose
to the dignity of their mission in these regions, or that
they formed a very efficient barrier against the idolatry
and corruption which they were designed to meet.
No doubt they did much to train the people to the
outward observance of the law. They would call them
to the celebration of the great annual festivals, and
' Ramathaim and Ramah are used interchangeably (i Sam. i. i and
19, ii. II).
xxi. 1-42.] THE INHERITANCE OF THE LEVITES. 351
of the new moons and other observances that had
to be locally celebrated. They would look after cases
of ceremonial defilement, and no doubt they would
be careful to enjoin payment of the tithes to which
they had a claim. They would do their best to main-
tain the external distinctions in religion, by which the
nation was separated from its neighbours. But, except
in rare cases, they do not appear to have been spiritually
earnest, nor to have done much of that service which
Samuel did in the southern part of the country.
Externalism and formalism seem to have been their
most frequent characteristics ; and externalism and
formalism are poor weapons when the enemy cometh
in like a flood.
And, whatever may have been the usual life and
work of the Levites over the country, they never seem
to have realized the glory of the distinction divinely
accorded to them — ''The Lord is their inheritance."
Few, indeed, in any age or country have come to
know what is meant by having God for their portion.
Unbelief can never grasp that there is a life in God —
a real life, so full of enjoyment that all other happiness
may be dispensed with ; a real property, so rich in
every blessing, that the goods and chattels of this
world are mere shadows in comparison. Yet that
there have been men profoundly impressed by these
convictions, in all ages and in many lands, amid pre-
vaihng ungodliness, cannot be denied. How otherwise
is such a life as that of St. Bernard or that of St. Francis
to be accounted for ? Or that of St. Columba and the
missionaries of lona ? Or, to go farther back, that of
St. Paul ? There is a magic virtue, or rather a Divine
power, in real consecration. '* Them that honour Me, I
will honour." It is the want of such men that makes
552 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
our churches feeble. It is our mixing up our own
interests with the interests of God's kingdom and
refusing to leave self out of view while we profess to
give ourselves wholly to God, that explains the slowness
of our progress. If the Levites had all been consecrated
men, idolatry and its great brood of corruptions would
never have spread over the land of Israel. If all
Christian ministers were like their Master, Christianity
would spread like wildfire, and in a very little time
the light of salvation would brighten the globe.
Note. — In this chapter we have accepted the statements of the
Pentateuch regarding the Levites as they stand. We readily own
that there are difficulties not a few connected with the received view.
The modern critical theory that maintains that the Levitical order
was a much later institution would no doubt remove many of these
difficulties, but only by creating other difficulties far more serious.
Besides, the hypothesis of Wellhausen that the tribe of Levi was
destroyed with Simeon at the invasion of Canaan — having no founda-
tion to rest on, except the assumption that the prophecy ascribed
to Jacob was written at a later date — is ludicrously inadequate to
sustain the structure made to rest on it. Nor is it conceivable that,
after the captivity, the priests should have been able to make the
people believe a totally different account of the history of one of the
tribes from that which had previously been received. It is likewise
incredible that the Levites should have been " annihilated " or " ex-
tinguished " in the days of Joshua, without a single allusion in the
history to so terrible a fact. How inconsistent with the concern
expressed when the tribe of Benjamin was in danger of extinction
(Judg. xxi. 17). The loss of a tribe was like the loss of a limb ; it
would have marred essentially the symmetry of the nation.
CHAPTER XXIX.
NO FAILURE OF GOD'S PROMISE.
Joshua xxi. 43 — 45.
THE historian has reached a point where he may
stand still and look back. One look is com-
paratively limited ; another reaches very far. The
immediate survey extends only over the last few years ;
the remote embraces centuries, and goes back to the
time of Abraham.
The historian sees the venerable patriarch of the
nation among his flocks and herds in Ur of the
Chaldees ; receiving there a Divine summons to remove
to an unknown land ; obeying the call, tarrying at
Haran, then traversing the desert, and crossing the
Jordan. At Shechem, at Bethel, at Mamre, and at
Beersheba, he perceives him listening to the Divine
voice that promises that, stranger and pilgrim though
he was, the Lord would give his posterity all that land;
that he would bless those that blessed him, and curse
those that cursed him ; and that in him and in his
seed all the nations of the earth should be blessed.
For one hundred long years Abraham had wandered
over the country without so much as a house or
homestead in it. Isaac had come after him, living the
same pilgrim life. Jacob, with a much more stirring
and troubled life, had in his old age gone down to
353 23
354 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Joseph in Egypt, leaving but one field in the country
which he could call his own.
Then came the long centuries of Egyptian bondage.
At last the Divine ca.ll is heard to leave Egypt, but
after this, forty long years have still to be spent in
the wilderness. Then Moses, the great leader of the
people, dies — dies at the very time when he is apparently
most needed, just at the very crisis of Israel's history.
But Joshua comes in Moses' room, and the Lord is
with Joshua ; He rewards his faith and gives him
victory over all his enemies. And now at last comes
the fulfilment of the promises to the fathers, hoary
with age, and seemingly long forgotten. The bill has
at last matured and fallen due. After so many genera-
tions, it might be thought that it would have been
enough to discharge the main substance of the obligation
or that some compromise might have been proposed
reducing the claim. After having lain long out of
their money, creditors are usually ready to accept a
composition. But this was not God's method of settle-
ment. During the whole period of Joshua's leadership,
God had been doing nothing but discharging old
obligations. Not one word of the original bill had
been obliterated ; not one item had been allowed to
lapse through time. East and west and north and
south He had been giving what He had promised to
give. And now, as the transaction comes to an end,
it is seen that nothing has been omitted or forgotten.
"There failed not ought of any good thing which the
Lord had spoken concerning Israel ; all came to pass."
He proved Himself, as Moses had said, '^the faithful
God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them
that love Him, and keep His commandments to a
thousand generations."
xxi. 43-45] NO FAILURE OF GOD'S PROMISE. 355
Three gifts are specified which God bestowed on
Israel : possessions, rest, and victory. First, He gave
them the land which He had sworn to give unto their
fathers, and they possessed it ; next. He gave them
rest round about, according to all that He had sworn
to their fathers ; and, lastly, He gave them victory over
all their enemies. '* He satisfied the longing soul, and
filled the hungry soul with goodness." He brought
His bride to her home, and surrounded her with
comforts. And had the bride only been as faithful to
her obligations as the Divine bridegroom, it might have
been said that
"Time had run back, and fetched the age of gold."
But, it may perhaps be said, — this is only the
historian's view of the matter, and it is hardly in
accordance with facts. Are we not told that, at an
early period, a colony of the tribe of Dan had to go
elsewhere in search of land, because they were too
hampered in the allotment they had received ? And,
in the beginning of Judges, are we not told that after
the death of Joshua, Judah and Simeon had a desperate
tussle with Canaanites and Perizzites who were still
in their territories, and that in Bezek alone there were
slain of them ten thousand men ? And is not the
whole of the first chapter of Judges a record of the
relations of Israel in various places to the original
inhabitants, from which it appears that very many of
the Canaanites continued to dwell in the land ? Surely
this was not what God's promise to the fathers was
fitted to convey. Had not God promised that He
would "drive out" the seven nations, and give the
seed of Abraham possession of the whole ? How then
could His word be said to be implemented when so
356 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
many of the original inhabitants remained ? And, in
particular, how could the historian of Joshua say so
explicitly that ** there failed not ought of any good
thing which the Lord had spoken unto the house of
Israel."
In answer to this objection it is to be remarked that
God had never promised to give the people full posses-
sion of the land save through their own exertions made
in dependence on Him. Their possessions were not to
fall into their hands as the manna fell in the wilderness
or as the water gushed from the rock. The seven
nations were not to rush from before them the moment
they crossed the Jordan. God always meant that they
were to be His instruments for clearing the country.
Now, that clearance was evidently designed to be
effected in two ways. First, under Joshua, a general
encounter with the former possessors was to take
place, their confederacies were to be shattered, their
spirit was to be broken, and to a certain extent their
lands were to be set free. But beyond this, there was
to be a further process of clearing out. When each
tribe was settled in its lot, it was to address itself, in
detail, to the task of dispossessing such Canaanites as
yet lingered there. It might not be expedient that all
should be engaged in this task together, for this would
necessarily interfere with the ordinary operations of
agriculture. It was judged better that it should be done
piecemeal, and therefore God was asked to say which
of the tribes ought to begin it. Judah was named, and
Judah aided by Simeon did his work well, and set a
good example to the rest. But the other tribes did
not act with Judah's spirit, and therefore they did not
enjoy his reward. The testimony of the historian is,
that nothing failed of any good thing which the Lord
xxi. 43-45] NO FAILURE OF GOD'S PROMISE, 357
had spoken unto the house of Israel. The Lord faith-
fully performed every part of His obligation. He did
not add Israel's obligations to His own, and discharge
them too, when they were remiss concerning them.
The ultimate result of the whole business was, that
trouble befell Israel, inasmuch as he neglected his
obligations, while the Lord faithfully performed every
one of His. Time therefore did not run back and fetch
the age of gold. Israel did not enjoy all the possessions
that had been allotted to him. Canaanites remained
in the country to torment him like thorns in his sides.
But this was Israel's fault, not God's. Though you
were to give a lazy farmer the finest farm in the
country, you could not make him prosperous if he
neglected his fields and idled away the time that should
be spent in continuous labour. You cannot keep a
man in health if he breathes unwholesome air or drinks
water poisoned with putrid matter. No more could
Israel be wholly prosperous if he allowed Canaanites
to settle quietly at his side. If he had roused himself,
and attacked them with courage and in faith, God
would have made him to prevail. But, since he preferred
ease and quiet to the painfulness of duty, God left
him to reap as he had sowed, and suffer the conse-
quences of his neglect. He had seldom long periods
of prosperity, and often he had very bitter experiences
of calamity and distress.
Certainly God had furnished His people with the
materials for a happy and prosperous life, if only they
had used them aright. There was first the element of
possessions. They had comfortable homes and all the
requisites of a comfortable life. It is most true that
'* a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the
things which he possesseth." But moderate possessions
358 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
are one element, though not the chief or most essential
of human prosperit}^ Possessions, however rich or
manifold, in connection with a discontented temper, an
ungodly spirit, or a selfish nature, can bring no genuine
pleasure. In addition to possessions, the Lord had
given Israel rest. Their enemies were not disposed
to attack them even when dwelling by their side.
True it is that the rest into which Joshua brought them
was not the true, the ultimate rest. If Joshua had
given them that rest, the Holy Spirit would not have
spoken of a rest that was still to come (Heb. iv. 8).
But external rest, like external possessions though not
all, was one contribution towards prosperity. Moreover,
none of their enemies had been able to stand before
them ; in every encounter that had yet taken place
the Lord had delivered them into their hand.
This was a blessed presage for the future. Whatever
encounters might yet remain, they might count on the
same result, if they lifted up their eyes to God. Their
life in the future would not be without toil, without
anxiety, without danger. But if they looked to Him
and made the requisite efforts, God was ready to bless
their toil. He was able to overcome their anxieties. He
was sure as in the past to subdue their enemies. The
gifts that God had conferred on them, and the materials
of enjoyment with which He had surrounded them,
were not designed to make them independent, as if
they could now do everything for themselves. God's
purpose was the very reverse. He wished to keep up
the sense of dependence on Him, and to encourage at
every turn the habit that seeks unto God, and goes
to Him for help.
For this, after all, is the great lesson for all human
beings. The great thing for us all is to keep up a
Jcxi. 43-45-] NO FAILURE OF GOD'S PROMISE. 359
living connection with God, so that our whole nature
shall be replenished out of His fulness, and purified
and elevated by His Divine influence. Whatever draws
us to God draws us to the fountain of all that is best
and purest and noblest. God would have conferred
but a poor blessing on Israel if He had just settled
them in the land, and then left them to themselves,
without any occasion or inducement to fellowship with
Him. The inducements to resort to Him which they
were to be continually under were by far the most
va.luable part of what God now conferred upon them.
The certainty that all would go wrong, that their
possessions would be invaded and their rest disturbed,
and that their enemies would prove victorious unless
they sought continually to their God, fostered the most
precious of all habits — that drawing near to God which
brings with it all spiritual blessing.
"Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee !
E'en though it be a cross
That raiseth me.
Still all my song would be
Nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer to Thee ! "
There is no small amount of instruction to be drawn
by all of us from this record of Israel's experience.
First, it is of supreme importance for us all to have
ouF hearts firmly established in the conviction of the
faithfulness of God. It should be our habit to regard
this as an attribute on which we not only may, but
must rely. To ascribe to God any laxity as to His
word or promises were to cast a fearful imputation on
His holy nature. '' Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but My word shall not pass away." '' He is not a man
o
60 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
that he should He, or the son of man that he should
repent." Nothing can be conceived that could make
it better to God to break His word than to keep it.
This is the root of all religion ; it is the basis of faith,
the true ground of trust. To train our minds to
habitual reliance on all that God has said, is one of the
most vital and blessed exercises of spiritual religion. It
is alike honouring to God and beneficial to ourselves.
To search out from the body of Scripture the promises
of God ; to fasten our attention on them one by one ;
and to exercise our minds on the thought that in
Christ Jesus they are yea, and in Him Amen, is a
most blessed help to spiritual stability and spiritual
growth. And in our prayers there is nothing more
fitted to give us confidence than to plead in this spirit
the promises that God has made. No plea is more
powerful than the Psalmist's — " Remember Thy word
unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to
hope." How many sadly perplexed men have found
rest from the words : *' Commit thy way unto the Lord ;
trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass."
*' Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it."
But secondly, we may learn from this passage that,
wherever the promises of God seem to fail, the fault is
not His, but ours. On the one hand, we are taught
clearly that delay is not failure, and on the other that
where there does seem to be failure there is none
really on the part of God. At least five-and-twenty
long years elapsed between God's first promise to
Abraham and the birth of Isaac. Four hundred years
were to be spent by the chosen seed in bondage in
Egypt. And even after the deliverance from Egypt
there came the sojourn in the wilderness of other forty
years. Yet God was faithful all the time. How often
xxi. 43-45-] NO FAILURE OF GOD'S PROMISE. 361
we need to recall the text, that one day is with the Lord
as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day !
*' Though the vision tarry," do not give it up in despair,
but '' wait for it " (Hab. ii. 3).
Perhaps it is in the matter of answers to prayer that
we are most liable to the temptation that God forgets
His promises. Have we not the most explicit and
abundant promises that prayer will be answered ?
Yet how many have prayed, and seemingly prayed in
vain ! Nay, does not the very opposite of what we
pray for often come ? We entreat God to spare a
beloved life ; that life is taken awa}^ We pray for
victory over temptation ; the temptation seems to
acquire a redoubled force. We pray for success in
business ; the clouds seem to thicken the more. We
ask, '* Has God forgotten to be gracious ? Is His
mercy clean gone for ever ? Does His promise fail
for evermore ? " Nay, let us rally our faith. *' Then I
said, This is my infirmity : but I will remember the years
of the right hand of the Most High " (Psalm Ixxvii.
10). If my prayer was not answered, it was not God's
fault. It may be that, like Israel, I failed in my part. I
may have been laying the whole burden on God, and
omitting something that it fell to me to do. I may have
been asking for something that would not have been
for my good or for God's glory. I may have failed
in that spirit of affectionate trust which is a requisite
of acceptable prayer. Let us remember that God knows
what things we have need of before we ask Him. And
God is infinitely kind and willing to bless us. What
He longs for on our part is the spirit of filial trust.
What He values prayer for is that it is the channel of
this spirit. We can never say that God disregards
prayer unless we can say that we approached Him, and
362 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
spoke to Him like confiding children dealing with a
loving father, and He cast us off. But how often do we
go to the footstool half hoping, half doubting, instead of
going in the full conviction, — ** Our gracious Father is
sure to hear us ; and if He do not give us the precise
thing we ask. He is sure to give us something better."
Let prayer ever be the outcome of a profound belief in
the infinite love of God, and His constant readiness to
bless us in Christ; let it be the communing of a child
with his father; and let it never be darkened by a shade
of suspicion that the Hearer of prayer will not be faith-
ful to His word.
It is the happy experience both of individuals and
the Church to have occasional periods of fulfilment — it
may be after long periods of expectation and trial. The
patriarch Job had a terrible time of trial, when God
seemed so untrue to His promises that he was some-
times on the very edge of blaspheming His name. But
a time of fulfilment came at last, and through all the
mystery of the past Job at length saw '* the end of the
Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy ''
(James v. 11). The aged Simeon and the aged Anna in
the temple had waited long, but the hour came at last
when all that they had been looking for was accom-
plished, and with a feeling of perfect satisfaction they
could sing their '* Nunc dimittis." The souls under the
altar of them that were slain for the word of God and
for the testimony which they held, when they groaned
out their sad '^ How long ? " had still to wait a little
season ; but the time came when, clothed in white robes
and with palms in their hands, they attained complete
satisfaction, crying Vv^ith a loud voice, '* Salvation to our
God that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb " (Rev.
vi. 10, vii. 10). And in more recent times there have
xxi. 43-45-] NO FAILURE OF GOD'S PROMISE. 363
been eras of fulfilment and corresponding rejoicing.
When St. Augustine, after year upon year of restless
tossing, at length found pardon and peace in Christ ;
when Columbus, after perils and privations innumerable,
at length saw the dim coast which he had often prayed
to behold ; when Wilberforce heard the slave trade
declared an illegal traffic, and Fowell Buxton saw the
last fetter struck from the slave in the dominions of
Great Britain ; when Lord Shaftesbury found the ten
hours factory bill turned into law ; or when the friends
of the slave learned that the President of the United
States had signed the proclamation which set four
millions at liberty — the old experience of Joshua's days
seemed to be repeated, and gratitude to Him who had
failed in no good thing was the one feeling that filled
the heart. Sometimes the death-bed affords a retrospect
that kindles the same emotion. The dying man looks
along the way by which he has been led, and, with the
walls of the New Jerusalem gleaming before him, he
owns that he has been conducted by the right way to
the city of habitation. The objects of earth and heaven
are seen by him in a truer light. Valuations are made
more accurately on the margin of eternity. The things
that have been shaken and that have perished — of how
little value are they seen to be, compared to the things
that cannot be shaken I The loving purpose of Divine
providence in shattering so many hopes, in defeating
so many projects, in inflicting so much pain, is clearly
apprehended. The heart is grieved that it was so near
charging God foolishly when His purpose was really so
merciful and so kind. The bright era of fulfilment is
at hand ; and even already, while the day is only dawn-
ing, the soul can give forth its testimony that ** no good
thing has failed of all that the Lord hath spoken."
364 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
And then at last will come the end of the mystery.
The Lord shall send His angels with a great sound of
a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect
from the four winds, from the one end of heaven to the
other. On the sea of glass mingled with fire they take
their stand, having the harps of God, and sing the song
of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the
Lamb: "Great and marvellous are Thy works. Lord
God Almighty ; just and true are Thy ways, Thou
King of saints." What a scene and what a sensation !
What joy in entering on possession of the Promised
Land, in experiencing the rest of the redeemed, andfin
the consciousness that not a single enemy survives to
annoy ! What delight in the harmonious working of
the new nature, in the free and happy play of all its
faculties and feelings, and in the conscious presence
of a God and Saviour to whose image you have been
thoroughly conformed ! The last shadow that dimmed
your vision on earth shall have fled away ; the last
vestige of complaint of your earthly lot shall have
vanished. Whatever you may have thought once, no
other feeling will now occupy your heart but gratitude
to Him who has not only not failed to fulfil all His
promises, but has done in you exceeding abundantly
above all that ye could ask or think I
CHAPTER XXX.
THE ALTAR ED.
Joshua xxii.
THE two tribes and a half had behaved well.
The}^ had kept their word, remained with their
brethren during all Joshua's campaign, and taken their
part in all the perils and struggles through which the
host had passed. And now they receive the merited
reward of honourable conduct. They are complimented
by their general ; their services are rehearsed with
approval ; their threefold fidelity, to God, to Moses,
and to Joshua, is commended ; they are dismissed with
honour, and they receive as their reward a substantial
share of the spoil which had been taken from the
enemy. "Return," said Joshua, "with much riches
unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with silver
and with gold, and with brass, and with iron, and with
very much raiment ; divide the spoil of your enemies
with your brethren." It thus appeared that honour,
like honesty, is the best policy. Had these two tribes
and a half chosen the alternative of selfishness, refused
to cross the Jordan to help their brethren, and devoted
their whole energies at once to their fields and flocks,
they would have fared worse in the end. No doubt as
they recrossed the Jordan, bearing with them the
treasure which had been acquired on the western side,
their hearts would be full of that happy feeling which
365
3
66 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
results from duty faithfully performed, and honourable
conduct amply rewarded. They brought back '* peace
with honour/' and prosperity to the bargain. After
all, it is high principle that pays. It demands a time
of patient working and of patient waiting, but its bills
are fully implemented in the end.
In sending away the two tribes and a half Joshua
pressed two counsels on them. One was that they
were to divide the spoil with those of their brethren
that had remained at home. Here, again, selfishness
might possibly have found a footing. Why should the
men that had incurred none of the labour and the peril
enjoy any of the spoil ? Would it not have been fair
that those who had borne the burden and heat of the
day should alone enjoy its rewards ? But, in point of
fact, there had been good reason why a portion should
remain at home. To leave the women and children
wholly undefended would have been recklessness
itself Some arrangement, too, had to be made for
looking after the flocks and herds. And as the supply
of manna had ceased, the production of food had to be
provided for. The men at home had been doing the
duty assigned to them as well as the men abroad. If
they could not establish a claim in justice to a share
of the spoil, the spirit of brotherhood and generosity
pleaded on their behalf The soldier-section of the
two and a half tribes had done their part honourably
and generously to the nine and a half; let them act in
the same spirit to their own brethren. Let them share
in the good things which they had brought home, so
that a spirit of joy and satisfaction might be diffused
throughout the community, and the welcome given to
those who had been absent might be cordial and
complete, without one trace of discontent or envy.
xxii.] THE ALTAR ED. 367
Occasions may occur still on which this counsel of
Joshua may come in very suitably. It does not always
happen that brothers or near relatives who have
prospered abroad are very mindful of those whom they
have left at home. They like to enjoy their abundance,
and if the case of their poor relations comes across
their minds, they dismiss it with the thought that men's
lots must differ, and that they are not going to lose all
the benefit of their success by supporting other families
besides their own. Yet, how much good might accrue
from a little generosity, though it were but an occasional
gift, towards those who are straitened ? And how
much better it would be to kindle by this means a
thankful and kindly feeling, than to have envy and
jealousy rankling in their hearts !
The other counsel of Joshua bore upon that which
was ever uppermost in his heart — loyalty to God.
'' Take diligent heed to do the commandment and the
law, which Moses the servant of the Lord charged you,
to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all His ways,
and to keep all His commandments, and to cleave unto
Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with
all your soul." It is evident that Joshua poured his
whole heart into this counsel. He was evidently
anxious as to the effect which their separation from
their brethren would have on their religious condition.
It was west of the Jordan that the sanctuary had been
placed, and that the great central influence in support of
the national worship would mainly operate. Would not
these eastern tribes be in great danger of drifting away
from the recognised worship of God, and becoming
idolaters ? Joshua knew well that as yet the nation
was far from being weaned from idolatry (see xxiv. 14).
He knew that among many there were strong pro-
J
68 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
pensities towards it. He had something of the feehng
that an earnest Christian parent would have in sending
off a son, not very decided in religion, to some colony
where the public sentiment was loose, and where the
temptations to worldliness and religious indifference
were strong. He was therefore all the more earnest
in his exhortations to them, for he felt that all their
prosperity, all their happiness, their very life itself,
depended on their being faithful to their God.
We cannot tell how long time had elapsed when
word was brought to the western side that the two
and a half tribes had built a great altar on the edge of
Jordan, apparently as a rival to the ecclesiastical estab-
lishment at Shiloh. That this was their intention seems
to have been taken for granted, for we find the con-
gregation or general assembly of Israel assembled at
Shiloh to prepare for war with the schismatical tribes.
War had evidently become a famihar idea with them,
and at first no other course suggested itself for arrest-
ing the proposal. It was one of the many occasions
of unreasoning impetuosity which the history of Israel
presents.
No mention is made of Joshua in the narrative of
this transaction ; he had retired from active life, and
perhaps what is here recorded did not take place for
a considerable time after the return of the two and a
half tribes. It may be that we have here an instance
of the method so often pursued in Hebrew annals, of
recording together certain incidents pertaining to the
same transaction, or to the same people, though these
incidents were separated from each other by a consider-
able interval of time.
It was well that the congregation assembled at Shiloh.
They would be reminded by the very place that great
xxu.] THE ALTAR ED. 369
national movements were not to be undertaken rashly,
since God was the supreme ruler of the nation. We
are not told whether the usual method of asking counsel
of God was resorted to, but certainly the course
followed was more reasonable than rushing into war.
It was resolved to begin by remonstrating with the two
and a half tribes. The idea that their proposal was
schismatical, nay, even idolatrous, was not given up,
but it was thought that if a solemn remonstrance
and warning were addressed to them, they might be
induced to abandon their project.
A deputation was sent over, consisting of Phinehas,
the son of Eleazar the priest, as representing the
religious interest, and ten princes, representing the
ten tribes, to have an interview with the heads of the
two and a half tribes. When they met, the deputation
opened very fiercely on their brethren. They charged
them with unheard-of wickedness. What they had
done was a daring act of rebellion. It was worthy to
be classed with the iniquity of Peor — one of the vilest
deeds that ever disgraced the nation. It was fitted to
bring down God's judgments on the whole nation, and
would certainly do so. If the secret act of Achan
involved the congregation in wrath, what calamity to
the whole people would not result from this daring and
open deed of rebellion ? They were not safe for a
single day. The vials of the Divine wrath could not
but be ready, and in twenty-four hours the whole con-
gregation of Israel might be overwhelmed by the tokens
of His displeasure.
One should have said that if anything was fitted to
have a bad effect on the two and a half tribes, it was
this mode of deaUng. It is not wise to assume that
your brother is a villain. And scolding, as has been
24
370 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
well said, does not make men sorry for their sins. But
one thing was said by the deputation that was fitted to
have a different effect. '^ Notwithstanding, if the land
of your possession be unclean, then pass ye over unto
the land of the possession of the Lord, wherein the
Lord's tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among
us : but rebel not against the Lord, nor rebel against
us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the Lord
our God."
Here was a generous, a self-denying proposal ; the
ten tribes were some of them in straits themselves,
finding the room available for them far too narrow ;
nevertheless they were prepared to divide what they
had with their brethren, if their real feeling was that
the east side of the Jordan was outside the hallowed
and hallowing influence of the presence of the Lord.
Instead, therefore, of firing up at the fierce reproof of
their brethren, the two and a half tribes were softened
by this really kind proposal and returned a reassuring
answer. They solemnly repudiated all idea of a rival
establishment. They knew that there was but one
place where the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant
could be, and they had not the remotest intention of
interfering with the spot that had been chosen for that
purpose. They had never entertained the thought of
offering burnt offerings, or meat offerings, or peace
offerings on their altar. They solemnly abjured all
intention to show disrespect to the Lord, or to His
law. The altar which they had built had a very
different purpose. It was occasioned by the physical
structure of the country, and the effect which that
might have on their children in years to come. ^* In
time to come your children might speak unto our
children, saying. What have ye to do with the Lord
xxii.] THE ALTAR ED. 371
God of Israel ? For the Lord hath made Jordan
a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben
and children of Gad ; ye have no part in the Lord : so
shall youf children make our children cease from fearing
the Lord. Therefore we said, Let us now^ prepare to
build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacri-
fice ; but that it may be a witness between us, and you,
and our generations after us." It was not a rival, but
a witness, a pattern ; a reminder to the two and a half
tribes that the true altar, the Divine sanctuary, hallowed
by the token of God's presence was elsewhere, and that
there, and only there, were the public sacrifices to be
offered.
The acquaintance with the physical structure of
Palestine which we have obtained in recent years
enables us to appreciate the feeling of the two and a
half tribes better than could have been done before.
The mere fact that a river separated the east from
the west of Palestine would not have been enough to
account for the sense of isolation and the fear thence
arising which had taken hold of the heads of the two
and a half tribes. It is the peculiar structure of the
valley in which the river runs that explains the story.
The Jordan valley, as has already been mentioned,
is depressed below the level of the Mediterranean Sea,
the depression increasing graduall}^ as the river flows
towards the Dead Sea, where it amounts to 1300 feet.
In addition to this, the mountainous plateau on each
side of the Jordan valley rises to the height of 2000 or
2500 feet above the sea, so that the entire depression,
counting from the top of the plateau to the edge of the
river, is between three and four thousand feet. On
each side the approach to the Jordan is difficult, while,
during the warm season, the great heat increases the
372 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA,
fatigue of travelling and discourages the attempt. All
these things make the separation between the two parts
of the country caused by the river and its valley much
more complete than in ordinary cases of river boun-
daries. There can be no doubt now that the heads of
the two and a half tribes had considerable ground for
their apprehensions. There was some risk that they
should cease to be regarded as part of the nation ;
and their explanation of the altar seems to have been
an honest one. It was designed simply as a memorial,
not for sacrifices. We see what a happy thing it was
for the whole nation that the deputation was sent across
before resorting to arms. A new light was thrown on
what had seemed a daring sin ; it was but an innocent
arrangement ; and the terrible forebodings which it
awakened are at once scattered to the winds.
But who can estimate all the misery that has come
in almost every age, in circles both public and private,
from hast}^ suspicions of evil, which a little patience,
a little inquiry, a little opportunity of explanation, might
have at once averted ? History, tradition, fiction, alike
furnish us with instances. We recall the story of
Llewellyn and his dog Gelert, stabbed by his master,
who thought the stains upon his mouth were the blood
of his beloved child ; while, on raising the cradle which
had been turned over, he found his child asleep and
well, and a huge wolf dead, from whose fangs the
dog had delivered him. We remember the tragedy of
Othello and Desdemona ; we see how the fondest love
may be poisoned by hasty suspicion, and the dearest
of wives murdered, when a little patience would have
shown her innocent — shown her all too pure to come
in contact with even a vestige of the evil thing. We
think of the many stories of crusaders and others
xxii.] THE ALTAR ED. 373
leaving their homes with their love pledged to another,
detained in distant lands without means of communi-
cation, hearing a rumour that their beloved one had
turned false, and doing some rash and irrevocable
deed, while a little further waiting would have realized
all their hopes. But perhaps it is in less tragic
circumstances that the spirit of suspicion and unjiist
accusation is most commonly manifested. A rumour
unfavourable to your character gets into circulation ;
you suspect some one of being the author, and deal
fiercely with him accordingh' ; it turns out that he is
wholly innocent. A friend has apparently written a
letter against you which has made you furious ; you
pour a torrent of reproaches upon him ; it turns out
that the letter was written by some one else with a
similar name. But indeed there is no end to the
mischief that is bred by impatience, and by want of
inquiry, or of waiting for explanations that would put a
quite different complexion on our matters of complaint.
True charity ''thinketh no evil," for it "rejoiceth not in
iniquity, but rejoiceth in truth. It beareth all things,
believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all
things." If its gentle voice were more regarded, what
a multitude of offences would vanish, and how much
wider would be the reign of peace I
The explanation that had been offered by Reuben,
Gad, and Manasseh proved satisfactory to Phinehas and
the princes of the congregation, and likewise to the
people of the west generally, when the deputation
reported their proceedings. The remark of Phinehas
before he left his eastern brethren was a striking one :
" This day do we perceive that the Lord is among us,
because ye have not committed this trespass against
the Lord ; now ye have delivered the children of Israel
374 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
out of the hand of the Lord." There was a great
difference between the Lord being among them, and
their being in the hand of the Lord. If the Lord
were among them they were under all manner of
gracious influence ; if they were in the hand of the
Lord they were exposed to the utmost visitations of
His wrath. It was the joy of Phinehas to find not only
that no provocation had been given to God's righteous
jealousy^ but that proof had been afforded that He was
graciously blessing them. If God often departs from us
without our suspecting it, He is sometimes graciously
present with us when we have been fearing that He was
gone. So it was now. Phinehas in imagination had
seen the gathering of a terrible storm, as if the very
enemy of man had been stirring up his countrymen to
rebellion and contempt of God ; but in place of that,
he sees that they have been consulting for God's
honour, for the permanence of His institutions, and for
the preservation of unity between the two sections of
the nation ; and in this he finds a proof that God has
been graciously working among them. For God is the
God of peace, not of strife, and the Spirit is the Spirit
of order, and not of confusion. And when two sections
of a community are led to desire the advancement of
His service and the honour of His name, even by
methods which are not in all respects alike, it is a proof
that He is among them, drawing their hearts to Himself
and to one another.
Perhaps the common adage might have been applied
to the case — that there were faults on both sides. If
the ten tribes were too hasty in preparing for war,
the two and a half tribes had been too hasty in deciding
on the erection of their altar, without communication
with the priests and the civil heads of the nation. In
xxii.] THE ALTAR ED. 375
a matter so sacred, no such step should have been
taken without full consultation and a clear view of duty.
The goodness of their motive did not excuse them for
not taking all available methods to carry out their plan
in a way wholly unexceptional. As it was, they ran
a great risk of kindling a fire which might have at once
destroyed themselves and weakened the rest of the
nation through all time. In their effort to promote
unity, they had almost occasioned a fatal schism. Thus
both sections of the nation had been on the edge of
a fearful catastrophe.
But now it appeared that the section that had seemed
to be so highly offending were animated by a quite
loyal sentiment. Phinehas gladly seized on the fact
as a proof that God was among them. A less godly
man would not have thought of this as of much import-
ance. He would hardly have believed in it as anything
that could exist except in a fanatical imagination. But
the more one knows of God the more real does the
privilege seem, and the more blessed. Nay, it comes
to be felt as that which makes the greatest conceivable
difference between one individual or one community
and another. The great curse of sin is that it has
severed us from God. The glory of the grace of God
in Christ is that we are brought together. Man without
God is like the earth without the sun, or the body
without the soul. Man in fellowship with God is man
replenished with all Divine blessings and holy influences.
A church in which God does not dwell is a hold of
unclean spirits and a cage of every unclean and hateful
bird. A church inhabited by God, like the bride in
the Song of Solomon, 'Mooketh forth as the morning,
fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an
army with banners,"
CHAPTER XXXI.
JEHOVAH THE CHAMPION OF ISRAEL.
Joshua xxiii.
THE last two chapters of Joshua are very like each
other. Each professes to be a report of the aged
leader's farewell meeting with the heads of the people.
No place of meeting is specified in the one ; Shechem
is the place named in the other. The address reported
in the twenty-third chapter is in somewhat general
terms ; in the twenty-fourth, we have more of detail.
The question arises, Were there two meetings, or have
we in these chapters different reports of the same ?
The question is of no great importance in itself; but
it bears on the structure of the book. In our judgment,
both reports bear on the same occasion ; and if so, all
that needs to be said as to their origin is, that the
author of the book, having obtained two reports from
trustworthy sources, did not adopt the plan of weaving
them into one, but gave them separately, just as he
bad received them. The circumstance is a proof of
the trustworthiness of the narrative ; had the writer
put on record merely what Joshua might be supposed
to. have said, he would not have adopted this twofold
form of narrative.
Joshua had been a close follower of Moses in many
things, and now he follows him by calling the people
376
xxiii.] JEHOVAH THE CHAMPION OF ISRAEL. 377
together to hear his closing words. On the edge of
the future life, on the eve of giving in his own account,
in the crisis when men are most disposed to utter the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, he
calls his children around him to hear his parting words.
He knows, as Moses also knew, the impulsive, fitful
temper of the people. All the more did he regard it
as desirable not to omit such an opportunity of impres-
sion. ''All pathetic occasions," it has been well said,
** should be treasured in the memory ; the last inter-
view, the last sermon, the last prayer, the last fond,
lingering look ; all these things may be frivolously
treated as sentimental ; but he who treats them so is
a fool in his heart. Whatever can subdue the spirit,
chasten the character, and enlarge the charity of the
soul, should be encouraged as a ministry from God." ^
What was the burden of Joshua's address ? What
was alike the keynote, and the central note, and the
closing note — the beginning, and the middle, and the
end ? You have it in the words — " The Lord your
God is He that fighteth for you " ; therefore '' cleave
unto the Lord your God." You owe everything to
the Lord ; therefore render to Him all His due. Let
Him receive from you in the proportion in which He
has given to you ; let Him be honoured by you in the
ratio in which you have been blessed by Him ; and
see that none of you ever, to the last day of your
lives, give the faintest countenance to the idolatry of
your neighbours, or consent to any entangling con-
nection that would furnish a temptation to join in their
wickedness.
This starting-point of Joshua's address — '' The Lord
^ " The People's Bible," by Joseph Parker.
378 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
your God is He that fighteth for you " — is a serious
one, and demands careful investigation. God is
expressly set forth as the champion of Israel, fighting
for him against the Canaanites, and driving them
out. He is here the God of battles ; and the terrible
desolation that followed the track of Israel is here
ascribed to the championship of the Most High.
There are some expositors who explain these sayings
in a general sense. There are great laws of conquest,
they say, roughly sanctioned by Providence, whereby
one race advances upon another. Nations enervated
through luxury and idleness are usually supplanted
by more vigorous races. The Goths and Vandals
overcame the Romans ; the Anglo-Saxons subdued the
Britons, to be in time conquered by the Normans ;
Dutch rule has prevailed over the negro, English over
the Hindu, American over the native Indian. In the
treatment of the conquered races by the conquerors,
there has often been much that is gross and objection-
able. Even when a civilized and cultured race has
had to deal with a barbarous one, instead of the sweet-
ness and light of culture you have often had the
devices of injustice and oppression. We cannot
vindicate all the rule of the British in India ; greed,
insolence, and lust have left behind them many a stain.
Still, the result on the whole has been for good. The
English have a higher conception of human life than
the Hindus. They have a higher sense of order, of
justice, of family life, of national well-being. There
is a vigour about them that will not tolerate the policy
of drifting ; that cannot stand still or lie still and see
everything going wrong ; that strives to remedy in-
justice, to reform abuse, to correct what is vicious and
disorderly, and foster organization and progress. In
xxiii.] JEHOVAH THE CHAMPION OF ISRAEL. 379
these respects British rule has been a benefit to
India. There may have been deeds of oppression and
wrong that curdle the blood, or habits of self-indulgence
may have been practised at the expense of the natives
that shock our sense of humanit}^, as if the inferior
race could have no rights against the superior ; but
these are but the eddies or by-play of a great beneficent
current, and in the summing up of the long account
they hold but an insignificant place. In themselves,
they are to be detested and denounced ; but when
3^ou are estimating great national forces, when you are
trying the question whether on the whole these forces
have been beneficent or evil, whether they have been
of heaven or of the devil, these episodes of wrong are
not to be allowed to determine the whole question.
You are constrained to take a wider view. And when
you survey the grand result ; when you see a great
continent like India peaceable and orderly that used
to be distracted on every side by domestic warfare ;
when you see justice carefully administered, life and
property protected, education and civilization advanced,
to say nothing of the spirit of Christianity introduced,
you are unable to resist the conclusion that the influence
of its new masters has been a gain to India, and there-
fore that the British rule has had the sanction of
heaven.
We say there are some expositors who hold that
it is only in a way parallel to this that the conquest
of Canaan by the Israelites enjoyed the sanction of
God. Without making a great deal of the wickedness
of the Canaanite tribes, they dwell on their weakness,
their poor ideas of life, their feeble aims, their want
of developing power, their inability to rise. Into the
heart of these tribes there comes a race that some-
38o THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
how possesses extraordinary capabilities and force.
History has shown it to be one of the great domi-
nant races of the world. The new people apply
themselves with extraordinary energy to acquire the
country of the other. Dispossession of one race by
another was the common practice of the times, and
in a moral point of view was little thought of The
times were rude and wild, property had not become
sacred, human life was cheap, pain and suffering got
small consideration. Having spent some centuries in
Egypt, the new race brought with it a share of Egyptian
culture and accomplishment ; but its great strength lay
in its religious ardour, and in the habits of order and
self-control which its religion fostered. The memory
of their ancestors, who had dwelt as pilgrims in that
country, but under the strongest promises on the part
of God that He would give it as an inheritance to
their descendants, increased the ardour of the invasion
and the confidence of the invaders. With all the
enthusiasm of a heaven-guided race, they dashed against
the old inhabitants, who staggered under the blow.
To a large extent the former occupants fell under the
usual violence of invaders — the sword of battle and
the massacre after victory. The process was accom-
panied by many wild deeds, which in these days of
ours would excite horror. Had it been completely
successful it would have utterly annihilated the native
races ; but the courage and perseverance of the in-
vaders were not equal to this result ; many of the
original mhabitants remained, and were finally amal-
gamated with their conquerors.
Now, in this case, as in the conquest of India by
Britain, a process went on which was a great benefit
on a large scale. It was not designed to be of benefit
xxiii.] JEHOVAH THE CHAMPION OF ISRAEL. 3S1
to the original inhabitants, as was the British occupation
of India, for they were a doomed race, as we shall
immediately see. But the settlement of the people
of Israel in Canaan was designed and was fitted to be
a great benefit to the world. Explain it as we may,
Israel had higher ideas of life than the other nations,
richer gifts of head and heart, more capacity of govern-
ing, and a far purer religious sentiment. Wherever
Israel might be planted, if he remained in purity, man-
kind must be benefited. A people so gifted, with such
intellectual capacity, with such moral and spiritual
power, with such high ideals, and producing from
time to time men of such remarkable character and
influence, could not but help to elevate other races.
That such a people should prevail over tribes emas-
culated by vice, degraded by idolatrous superstition,
and enfeebled and stunted through mutual strife, was
only in accordance with the nature of things. On the
principle that a race like this must necessarily prevail
over such tribes as had occupied Palestine before, the
conquest of Joshua might well be said to have Divine
approval. God might truly be said to go forth with
the armies of Israel, and to scatter their enemies as
smoke is scattered by the wind.
But this was not all. There was already a judicial
sentence against the seven nations of which Israel was
appointed to be the executioner. Even in Abraham's
time we have abundant proof that they were far
gone in corruption, and the destruction of Sodom and
Gomorrah was but an early stroke of that holy sword
which was to come down over a far wider area when
the iniquity of the Amorites should become full. We
have no elaborate account of the moral and religious
condition of the people in Joshua's time, but we have
382 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
certain glimpses which tell much. In the story of
Baal-peor we have an awful picture of the idolatrous
debauchery of the Moabites ; and the Moabites were
not so sunk in vice as the Canaanites. The first
Canaanite house that any of the Israelites entered was
that of an immoral woman, who, however, was saved
by her faith, as any and every Canaanite would have
been had he believed. The most revolting picture we
have of Canaanite vice is connected with the burning
of children alive in sacrifice to the gods. What a
hideous practice it was 1 Who can estimate its effect
on the blithe nature of children, or tell how the very
thought of it and the possibility of suffering from it
must have weighed like a nightmare on many a child,
converting the season of merry childhood into a time
of dreadful foreboding, if not for themselves, at least
for some of their companions. Loathsome vice con-
secrated by the seal of religion ; unnatural lust, turning
human beings into worse than beasts ; natural affec-
tion converted into an instrument of the most horrid
cruelty — could any practices show more powerfully the
hopeless degradation of these nations in a moral and
religious sense, or their ripeness for judgment ? Israel
was the appointed executioner of God's justice against
them, and in order that Israel might fulfil that function,
God went before him in his battles and delivered
his enemies into his hands. And what Israel did in
this way was done under a solemn sense that he
was inflicting Divine retribution. That the process
was carried out with something of the solemnity of
an execution appears, as we have already seen, from
the injunction at Jericho, which forbade all on pain
of death to touch an atom of the spoil. And this
lesson was burnt into their inmost souls by the terrible
xxiii.] JEHOVAH THE CHAMPION OF ISRAEL. 383
fate of Achan. Afterwards, it is true, they were
allowed to appropriate the spoil, but not till after they
had been taught most impressively at Jericho that
the spoil was God's, so that, even when it became
theirs, it was as if they had received it from His hand.
We cannot suppose that the people uniformly acted
with the moderation and self-restraint becoming God's
executioners. No doubt there were many instances
of unwarrantable and inhuman violence. Such excesses
are unavoidable when human beings are employed as
the executioners of God. To charge these on God is
not fair. They were the spots and stains that ever
indicate the hand of man, even when doing the work of
God. It is not necessary to approve of these while we
vindicate the law which doomed the Canaanites to ex-
termination, and made the Israelites their executioners.
It is not necessary to vindicate all that the English
have done in India, while we hold that their presence
and influence there have been in accordance with a
Divine and beneficent purpose. Where God and man
are in partnership, we may expect a chequered product,
but never let us ascribe the flaws of one to the influence
of the other.
If it be said that the language of the historian seems
sometime to ascribe to God what really arose from the
passions of the people, it is to be observed that we are
not told in what form the Lord communicated His
commands. No doubt the Hebrews were disposed to
claim Divine authority for what they did to the very
fullest extent. There may have been times when they
imagined that they were fulfilling the requirements of
God, when they were only giving effect to feelings of
their own. And generally they may have been prone
to suppose that modes of slaughter that seemed to them
384 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
quite proper were well pleasing in the sight of God.
They may have believed that God participated in what
was in reality but the spirit of the age. Thus they
may have been led to think, and through them the
impression may have come to us, that God had a more
active hand, so to speak, in many of the details of
warfare than we ought to ascribe to Him. For God
often accomplishes His holy purposes by leaving His
instruments to act in their own way.
But we have wandered from Joshua, and the assembly
of Israel. What we have been trying is to show the
soundness of Joshua's fundamental position — that God
fought for Israel. The same thing might be shown by
a negative process. If God had not been actively and
supernaturally with Israel, Israel could never have
become what he was. What made Israel so remarkable
and powerful a nation ? If you appeal to heredity and
go back to his forefather, you find the whole career of
Abraham determined by what he undoubtedly regarded
as a supernatural promise, that in him and his seed all
the families of the earth should be blessed. If you
speak of Moses as the founder of the nation, you find
a man who was utterly defeated and humiliated when
he acted on his own resources, and successful only
when he came in contact with supernatural might. If
you inquire into the cause of the military superiority
of Israel, you cannot find it in their slave condition in
Egypt, nor in their wandering, pastoral life in the desert.
You are baffled in trying to account for the warlike
energy and skill that swept the Canaanites with all
their resources before their invincible might. That an
Alexander the Great, or a Caesar, or a Napoleon, with
their long experience, their trained legions, their splendid
prestige and unrivalled resources, should have swept
xxiii.] JEHOVAH THE CHAMPION OF ISRAEL, 385
the board of their enemies we do not wonder. But
Moses and his bevy of slaves, Joshua and his army of
shepherds — what could have made such soldiers of
these men if the Lord had not fought on their side ?
The getting possession of Canaan, as Joshua reminded
the people, was a threefold process : God fighting for
them had subdued their enemies ; Joshua had divided
the land ; and now God was prepared to expel the
remaining people, but only through their instrumen-
tahty. Emphasis is laid on '' expelling " and " driving
out " (ver. 5), from which v/e gather that further mas-
sacre was not to take place, but that the remainder of
the Canaanites must seek settlements elsewhere. A
sufficient retribution had fallen on them for their sins,
in the virtual destruction of their people and the loss
of their country ; the miserable remnant might have
a chance of escape, in some ill-filled country where they
would never rise to influence and where terror would
restrain them from their former wickedness.
Joshua was very emphatic in forbidding intermarriage
and friendly social intercourse with Canaanites. He
saw much need for the prayer, '' Lead us not into
temptation." He understood the meaning of enchanted
ground. He knew that between the realm of holiness
and the realm of sin there is a kind of neutral territory,
which belongs strictly to neither, but which slopes
towards the realm of sin, and in point of fact most
commonly furnishes recruits not a few to the army of
evil. Alas, how true is this still ! Marriages between
believers and unbelievers ; friendly social fellowship,
on equal terms, between the Church and the world ;
partnership in business between the godly and the
ungodly — -who does not know the usual result ? In a
few solitary cases, it may be, the child of the world is
25
386 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
brought into the kingdom ; but in how many instances
do we find the buds of Christian promise nipped, and
lukewarmness and backsliding, if not apostasy, coming
in their room 1 There is no better help for the Chris-
tian life, no greater encouragement to fellowship with
God, than congenial fellowship with other Christians,
especially in the home, as there is no greater hindrance
to these things than an alien spirit there. And if men
and women would remember that of all that concerns
them in this life their relation to God is infinitely
the most momentous, and that whatever brings that
relation into peril is the evil of all others most to be
dreaded, we should not find them so ready for en-
tangling connections which may be a gain for the
things of this world, but for the things of eternity are
commonly a grievous loss.
It is a very vivid picture that Joshua draws of the
effects of that sinful compromise with their Canaanite
neighbours against which he had warned them. '' If
ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant
of these nations, even these that remain among you,
and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto
them, and they to you : know for a certainty that the
Lord your God will no more drive out any of these
nations from before you ; but they shall be snares and
traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns
in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land
which the Lord your God hath given you."
The Garden of Eden was not the only paradise that
sin ruined. Here was something like a new paradise
for the children of Israel ; and yet there was a possi-
bility— more than a possibility — of its being ruined by
sin. The history of the future showed that Joshua was
right. The Canaanites remaining in the land were
xxiii.] JEHOVAH THE CHAMPION OF ISRAEL. 387
scourges and thorns to the people of Israel, and the
compliance of Israel with their idolatrous ways led first
to invasion and oppression, then to captivity and exile,
and finally to dispersion over the face of the earth.
However sin may deceive at the beginning, in the end
it always proves true to its real character — " the wages
of sin is death." The trouble is that men will not
believe what they do not like to believe. Sin has many
a pleasure ; and as long as the pleasure is not gross,
but wears an air of refinement, there seems no harm in
it, and it is freely enjoyed. But, unseen, it works like
dry-rot, pulverising the soul, destroying all traces of
spiritual relish or enjoyment of Divine things, and
attaching the heart more strongly to mere material
good. And sometimes when death comes in sight
and it is felt that God has to be reckoned with, and
the effort is honestly made to prepare for that solemn
meeting by looking to the Divine Redeemer, the bent
of the heart is found to be entirely the other way.
Faith and repentance will not come ; turning Godwards
is an uncongenial, an impossible attitude ; the heart
has its roots too much in the world to be thus with-
drawn from it. They allowed themselves to be drawn
away from their early hope by the influence of worldly
fellowship, to find that it profits a man nothing to gain
the whole world if he lose his own soul.
How awful are the words of St. James : *^ Ye adul-
terers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship
of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever, therefore,
will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God."
CHAPTER XXXII.
JOSHUA'S LAST APPEAL.
Joshua xxiv.
IT was at Shechem that Joshua's last meeting with
the people took place. The Septuagint makes it
Shiloh in one verse (ver. i), but Shechem in another
(ver. 25) ; but there is no sufficient reason for rejecting
the common reading. Joshua might feel that a meeting
which was not connected v/ith the ordinary business of
the sanctuary, but which was more for a personal pur-
pose, a solemn leave-taking on his part from the people,
might be held better at Shechem. There was much to
recommend that place. It lay a few miles to the north-
west of Shiloh, and was not only distinguished (as we
have already said) as Abraham's first resting-place in
the country, and the scene of the earliest of the pro-
mises given in it to him ; but likewise as the place
where, between Mounts Ebal and Gerizim, the blessings
and curses of the law had been read out soon after
Joshua entered the land, and the solemn assent of the
people given to them. And whereas it is said (ver. 26)
that the great stone set up as a witness was ^'by
the sanctuary of the Lord," this stone may have been
placed at Shiloh after the meeting, because there it
would be more fully in the observation of the people
as they came up to the annual festivals (see i Sam.
i. 7, 9). Shechem was therefore the scene of Joshua's
388
xxiv'.J JOSHUA'S LAST APPEAL. 389
farewell address. Possibly it was delivered close to
the well of Jacob and the tomb of Joseph ; at the very
place where, many centuries later, the New Testament
Joshua sat wearied with His journey, and unfolded the
riches of Divine grace to the woman of Samaria.
I. In the record of Joshua's speech contained in the
twenty-fourth chapter, he begins by rehearsing the
history of the nation. He has an excellent reason for
beginning with the revered name of Abraham, because
Abraham had been conspicuous for that very grace,
loj^alty to Jehovah, which he is bent on impressing on
them. Abraham had made a solemn choice in religion.
He had deliberately broken with one kind of worship,
and accepted another. His fathers had been idolaters,
and he had been brought up an idolater. But Abraham
renounced idolatry for ever. He did this at a great
sacrifice, and what Joshua entreated of the people was,
that they would be as thorough and as firm as he was
in their repudiation of idolatry. The rehearsal of the
history is given in the words of God to remind them
that the whole history of Israel had been planned and
ordered by Him. He had been among them from first
to last ; He had been with them through all the lives of
the patriarchs ; it was He that had delivered them from
Egypt by Moses and Aaron, that had buried the
Egyptians under the waters of the sea, that had driven
the Amorites out of the eastern provinces, had turned
the curse of Balaam into a blessing, had dispossessed
the seven nations, and had settled the Israelites in their
pleasant and peaceful abodes.
We mark in this rehearsal the well-known features
of the national history, as they were always represented ;
the frank recognition of the supernatural, with no indica-
tion of myth or legend, with nothing of the mist or
390 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA,
glamour in which the legend is commonly enveloped.
And, seeing that God had done all this for them, the
inference was that He was entitled to their heartiest
lo3'alt3^ and obedience. ^' Now therefore fear the Lord,
and serve Him in sincerity and in truth : and put away
the gods which your fathers served on the other side
of the flood, and in Egypt ; and serve ye the Lord." It
seems strange that at that very time the people needed
to be called to put away other gods. But this only
shows how destitute of foundation the common impres-
sion is, that from and after the departure from Egypt
the whole host of Israel were inclined to the law as
it had been given by Moses. There was still a great
amount of idolatry among them, and a strong tendency
towards it. They were not a wholly reformed or
converted people. This Joshua knew right well ; he
knew that there was a suppressed fire among them
liable to burst into a conflagration ; hence his aggressive
attitude, and his effort to foster an aggressive spirit
in them ; he must bind them over by every consideration
to renounce wholly all recognition of other gods, and
to make Jehovah the one only object of their worship.
Never was a good man more in earnest, or more
thoroughly persuaded that all that made for a nation's
welfare was involved in the course which he pressed
upon them.
2. But Joshua did not urge this merely on the
strength of his own conviction. He must enlist their
reason on his side ; and for this cause he now called
on them deliberately to weigh the claims of other gods
and the advantages of other modes of worship, and
choose that which must be pronounced the best. There
were four claimants to be considered : (i) Jehovah ;
(2) the Chaldaean gods worshipped by their ancestors ;
xxiv.] JOSHUA'S LAST APPEAL. 391
(3) the gods of the Egyptians ; and (4) the gods of the
Amorites among whom they dwelt. Make your choice
between these, said Joshua, if you are dissatisfied with
Jehovah. But could there be any reasonable choice
between these gods and Jehovah ? It is often useful,
when we hesitate as to a course, to set down the
various reasons for and against, — it ma}^ be the reasons
of our judgment against the reasons of our feelings ;
for often this course enables us to see how utterly the
one outweighs the other. May it not be useful for us
to do as Joshua urged Israel to do ?
If we set down the reasons for making God, God in
Christ, the supreme object of our worship, against those
in favour of the world, how infinitely will the one scale
outweigh the other ! In the choice of a master, it
is reasonable for a servant to consider which has the
greatest claim upon him ; which is intrinsicall}^ the most
worthy to be served ; which will bring him the greatest
advantages ; which will give him most inward satisfac-
tion and peace ; which will exercise the best influence
on his character, and which comes recommended most
by old servants whose testimony ought to weigh
with him. If these are the grounds of a reasonable
choice in the case of a servant engaging with a master,
how much more in reference to the Master of our
spirits ! Nothing can be plainer than that the Israelites
in Joshua's time had every conceivable reason for
choosing their fathers' God as the supreme object of
their worship, and that any other course would have
been alike the guiltiest and the silliest that could have
been taken. Are the reasons a whit less powerful why
every one of us should devote heart and life and mind
and soul to the service of Him w^ho gave Himself
for us, and has loved us with an everlasting love ?
392 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
3. But Joshua is fully prepared to add example to
precept. Whatever you do in this matter, my mind
is made up, my course is clear — *' as for me and my
house, we will serve Jehovah." He reminds us of a
general exhorting his troops to mount the deadly
breach and dash into the enemy's citadel. Strong and
urgent are his appeals ; but stronger and more telling
is his act when, facing the danger right in front, he
rushes on, determined that, whatever others may do,
he will not flinch from his duty. It is the old Joshua
back again, the Joshua that alone with Caleb stood
faithful amid the treachery of the spies, that has been
loyal to God all his life, and now in the decrepitude
of old age is still prepared to stand alone rather than
dishonour the living God. '' As for me and my house,
we will serve the Lord." He was happ}^ in being
able to associate his. house with himself as sharing
his convictions and his purpose. He owed this, in all
likelihood, to his own firm and intrepid attitude through-
out his life. His house saw how consistently and
constantly he recognised the supreme claims of Jehovah.
Not less clearly did they see how constantly he ex-
perienced the blessedness of his choice.
4. Convinced by his arguments, moved by his
eloquence, and carried along by the magnetism of his
example, the people respond with enthusiasm, deprecate
the very thought of forsaking Jehovah to serve other
gods, and recognise most cordially the claims he has
placed them under, by delivering them from Egypt,
preserving them in the wilderness, and driving out the
Amorites from their land. After this an ordinary
leader would have felt quite at ease, and would have
thanked God that his appeal had met with such a
response, and that such demonstration had been given
xxiv.] JOSHUA 'S LAST APPEAL, 393
of the loyalty of the people. But Joshua knew some-
thing of their fickle temper. He may have called to
mind the extraordinary enthusiasm of their fathers
when the tabernacle was in preparation ; the singular
readiness with which they had contributed their most
valued treasures, and the grievous change they under-
went after the return of the spies. Even an enthu-
siastic burst like this is not to be trusted. He must
go deeper ; he must try to induce them to think more
earnestly of the matter, and not trust to the feeling
of the moment.
5. Hence he draws a somewhat dark picture of
Jehovah's character. He dwells on those attributes
which are least agreeable to the natural man, His
hohness, His jealousy, and His inexorable opposition
to sin. When he says, " He will not forgive your
transgi'essions nor your sins," he cannot mean that
God is not a God of forgiveness. He cannot wish to
contradict the first part of that gracious memorial which
God gave to Moses : '' The Lord, the Lord God merciful
and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness
and truth, forgiving iniquity and transgression and
sin." His object is to emphasize the clause, " and that
will by no means clear the guilty." Evidentl}^ he means
that the sin of idolatry is one that God cannot pass over,
cannot fail to punish, until, probably through terrible
judgments, the authors of it are brought to contrition,
and humble themselves in the dust before him. '* Ye
cannot serve the Lord," said Joshua ; ^' take care how
you undertake what is beyond your strength I " Per-
haps he wished to impress on them the need of Divine
strength for so difficult a duty. Certainly he did not
change their purpose, but only drew from them a more
resolute expression. '' Nay ; but we will serve the Lord,
394 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses
against yourselves that ye have chosen the Lord to
serve Him. And they said, We are witnesses."
6. And now Joshua comes to a point which had
doubtless been in his mind all the time, but which he
had been waiting for a favourable opportunity to bring
forward. He had pledged the people to an absolute
and unreserved service of God, and now he demands a
practical proof of their sincerity. He knows quite well
that they have ^'strange gods" among them. Teraphim,
images, or ornaments having a reference to the pagan
gods, he knows that they possess. And he does not
speak as if this were a rare thing, confined to a very few.
He speaks as if it were a common practice, generally
prevalent. Again we see how far from the mark we are
when we think of the whole nation as cordially follow-
ing the religion of Moses, in the sense of renouncing all
other gods. Minor forms of idolatry, minor recogni-
tions of the gods of the Chaldaeans and the Egyptians
and the Amorites, were prevalent even yet. Probably
Joshua called to mind the scene that had occurred at
that very place hundreds of years before, when Jacob,
rebuked by God, and obliged to remove from Shechem,
called on his household : '' Put away the strange gods
that are among you, and be clean, and change your
garments. . . . And they gave unto Jacob all the
strange gods which were in the land, and all the ear-rings
which were in their ears ; and Jacob hid them under
the oak which was by Shechem." Alas ! that, centuries
later, it was necessary for Joshua in the same place to
issue the same order, — Put away the gods which are
among you, and serve ye the Lord. What a weed sin
is, and how it is for ever reappearing ! And reappear-
ing among ourselves too, in a different variety, but
xxiv.] JOSHUA 'S LAST APPEAL. 395
essentially the same. For what honest and earnest
heart does not feel that there are idols and images
among ourselves that interfere with God's claims and
God's glory as much as the teraphim and the ear-rings
of the Israelites did ? The images of the Israelites
were little images, and it was probably at by-times and
in retirement that they made use of them ; and so, it
may not be on the leading occasions or in the outstand-
ing work of our lives that we are wont to dishonour
God. But who that knows himself but must think with
humiliation of the numberless occasions on which he
indulges little whims or inclinations without thinking
of the will of God ; the many little acts of his daily life
on which conscience is not brought to bear ; the dis-
engaged state of his mind from that supreme controlling
influence which would bear on it if God were con-
stantly recognised as his Master ? And who does not
find that, despite his endeavour from time to time to be
more conscientious, the old habit, like a weed whose
roots have only been cut over, is ever showing itself
alive ?
7. And now comes the closing and clinching trans-
action of this meeting at Shechem. Joshua enters into
a formal covenant with the people ; he records their
words in the book of the law of the Lord ; he takes a
great stone and sets it up under an oak that was by
the sanctuary of the Lord ; and he constitutes the stone
a witness, as if it had heard all that had been spoken
by the Lord to them and by them to the Lord.
The covenant was a transaction invested with special
solemnity among all Eastern peoples, and especially
among the Israelites. Many instances had occurred
in their history, of covenants with God, and of other
covenants, like that of Abraham with Abimelech, or
596 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
that of Jacob with Laban. The wanton violation of a
covenant was held an act of gross impiety, deserving
the reprobation alike of God and man. When Joshua
got the people bound by a transaction of this sort, he
seemed to obtain a new guarantee for their fidelity ; a
new barrier was erected against their lapsing into
idolatry. It was natural for him to expect that some
good would come of it, and no doubt it contributed to
the happy result ; " for Israel served the Lord all the
days of Joshua, and all the da3^s of the elders which
overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works
of the Lord that He had done for Israel." And yet it
was but a temporary barrier against a flood which
seem.ed ever to be gathering strength unseen, and
preparing for another fierce discharge of its disastrous
waters.
At the least, this meeting secured for Joshua a peace-
ful sunset, and enabled him to sing his "Nunc dimittis."
The evil which he dreaded most was not at work as
the current of life ebbed away from him ; it was his
great privilege to look round him and see his people
faithful to their God. It does not appear that Joshua
had any very comprehensive or far-reaching aims with
reference to the moral training and development of the
people. His idea of religion seems to have been, a very
simple loyalty to Jehovah, in opposition to the perver-
sions of idolatry. It is not even very plain whether
or not he was much impressed by the capacity of true
religion to pervade all the relations and engagements
of men, and brighten and purify the whole life. We are
too prone to ascribe all the virtues to the good men of
the Old Testament, forgetting that of many virtues
there was only a progressive development, and that it
is not reasonable to look for excellence beyond the
xxiv.] JOSHUA'S LAST APPEAL. 397
measure of the age. Joshua was a soldier, a soldier
of the Old Testament, a splendid man for his day, but
not beyond his day. As a soldier, his business was
to conquer his enemies, and to be loyal to his heavenly
Master. It did not lie to him to enforce the number-
less bearings which the spirit of trust in God might
have on all the interests of life — on the family, on
books, on agriculture and commerce, or on the develop-
ment of the humanities, and the courtesies of society.
Other men were raised up from time to time, many
other men, with commission from God to devote their
energies to such matters.
It is quite possible that, under Joshua, religion did
not appear in very close relation to many things that
are lovely and of good report. A celebrated English
writer (Matthew Arnold) has asked whether, if Virgil
or Shakespeare had sailed in the Mayflower with the
puritan fathers, they would have found themselves in
congenial society. The question is not a fair one, for it
supposes that men whose destiny was to fight as for very
life, and for what was dearer than life, were of the same
mould with others who could devote themselves in
peaceful leisure to the amenities of literature, Joshua
had doubtless much of the ruggedness of the early
soldier, and it is not fair to blame him for want of
sweetness and light. Very probably it was from him
that Deborah drew somewhat of her scorn, and Jael,
the wife of Heber, of her rugged courage. The whole
Book of Judges is penetrated by his spirit. He was
not the apostle of charity or gentleness. He had one
virtue, but it was the supreme virtue — he honoured
God. Wherever God's claims were involved, he could
see nothing, listen to nothing, care for nothing, but
that He should obtain His due. Wherever God's
398 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
claims were acknowledged and fulfilled, things \yere
essentially right, and other interests would come right.
For his absolute and supreme loyalty to his Lord he
is entitled to our highest reverence. This loyalty is a
rare virtue, in the sublime proportions in which it
appeared in him. When a man honours God in this
way, he has something of the appearance of a super-
natural being, rising high above the fears and the
feebleness of poor humanity. He fills his fellows with
a sort of awe.
Among the reformers, the puritans, and the coven-
anters such men were often found. The best of them,
indeed, were men of this type, and very genuine men
they were. They were not men whom the world
loved ; they were too jealous of God's claims for that,
and too severe on those who refused them. And we
have still the type of the fighting Christian. But alas I
it is a type subject to fearful degeneration. Loyalty
to human tradition is often substituted, unconsciously
no doubt, for loyalty to God. The sublime purity and
nobility of the one passes into the obstinacy, the self-
righteousness, the self-assertion of the other. When
a man of the genuine type does appear, men are
arrested, astonished, as if by a supernatural apparition.
The very rareness, the eccentricity of the character,
secures a respectful homage. And yet, who can deny
that it is the true representation of what every man
should be who says, '^ I believe in God, the Father
Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth " ?
After a life of a hundred and ten years the hour
comes when Joshua must die. We have no record of
the inner workings of his spirit, no indication of his
feelings in view of his sins, no hint as to the source of
his trust for forgiveness and acceptance. But we readily
xxiv.] JOSHUA'S LAST APPEAL. 399
think of him as the heir of the faith of his father
Abraham, the heir of the righteousness that is by faith,
and as passing calmly into the presence of his Judge,
because, Hke Jacob, he has waited for His salvation.
He was well entitled to the highest honours that the
nation could bestow on his memory; for all owed to
him their homes and their rest. His name must ever
be coupled with that of the greatest hero of the nation :
Moses led them out of the house of bondage ; Joshua
led them into the house of rest. Sometimes, as we
have already said, it has been attempted to draw a
sharp antithesis between Moses and Joshua, the one
as representing the law, and the other as representing
the gospel. The antithesis is more in word than in
deed. Moses represented both gospel and law, for he
brought the people out of the bondage of Egypt ; he
brought them to their marriage altar, and he unfolded
to the bride the law of her Divine husband's house.
Joshua conducted the bride to her home, and to the
rest which she was to enjoy there ; but he was not less
emphatic than Moses in insisting that she must be an
obedient wife, following the law of her husband. It
were difficult to say which of them was the more
instructive type of Christ, both in feeling and in act.
The love of each for his people was most intense, most
self-denying ; and neither of them, had he been called
on, would have hesitated to surrender his life for their
sake.
It is probably a mere incidental arrangement that
the book concludes with a record of the burial of
Joseph, and of the death and burial of Eleazar, the
son of Aaron. In point of time, we can hardly suppose
that the burial of Joseph in the field of his father Jacob
4O0 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
in Shechem was delayed till after the death of Joshua.
It would be a most suitable transaction after the
division of the country, and especially after the territor}^
that contained the field had been assigned to Ephraim,
Joseph's son. It would be like a great doxology — a
Te Deum celebration of the fulfilment of the promise
in which, so many centuries before, Joseph had so
nobly shown his trust.
But why did not Joseph's bones find their resting-place
in the time-honoured cave of Macpelah ? Why was he
not laid side by side with his father, who would doubt-
less have liked right well that his beloved son should
be laid at his side ? We can only say in regard to
Joseph as in regard to Rachel, that the right of burial in
that tomb seems to have been limited to the wife who
was recognised by law, and to the son who inherited
the Messianic promise. The other members of the
family must have their resting-place elsewhere ; more-
over, there was this benefit in Joseph having his
burial-place at Shechem, that it was in the very centre
of the country, and near the spot where the tribes were
to assemble for the great annual festivals. For many a
generation the tomb of Joseph would be a memorable
witness to the people ; by it the patriarch, though dead,
would continue to testify to the faithfulness of God ;
while he would point the hopes of the godly people
still onward to the future, when the last clause of the
promise to Abraham would be emphatically fulfilled,
and that Seed would come forth among them in whom
all the families of the earth would be blessed.
Was there a reason for recording the death of
Eleazar ? Certainly there was a fitness in placing
together the record of the death of Joshua and the
death of Eleazar. For Joshua was the successor of
xxiv.] JOSHUA'S LAST APPEAL. 401
Moses, and Eleazar was the successor of Aaron. The
simultaneous mention of the death of both is a signifi-
cant indication that the generation to which they
belonged had now passed away. A second age after
the departure from Egypt had now slipped into the silent
past. It was a token that the duties and responsi-
bilities of life had now come to a new generation, and
a silent warning to them to remember how
"Time like an ever-rolling stream
Bears all its sons away ;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day."
How short the life of a generation seems when we
look back to these distant days 1 How short the life
of the individual when he realizes that his journey
is practically ended I How vain the expectation once
cherished of an indefinite future, when there would be
ample time to make up for all the neglects of earlier
years I God give us all to know the true meaning of
that w^ord, '' the time is short," and '* so teach us to
number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto
wisdom ! "
26
CHAPTER XXXIII.
JOSHUA'S WORK FOR ISRAEL.
IT now only remains for us to take a retrospective
view of the work of Joshua, and indicate what he
did for Israel and the mark he left on the national
history.
I. Joshua was a soldier — a believing soldier. He
was the first of a type that has furnished many remark-
able specimens. Abraham had fought, but he had
fought as a quaker might be induced to fight, for he
was essentially a man of peace. Moses had superin-
tended military campaigns, but Moses was essentially
a priest and a prophet. Joshua was neither quaker,
nor priest, nor prophet, but simply a soldier. There
were fighting men in abundance, no doubt, before the
flood, but so far as we know, not believing men. Joshua
was the first of an order that seems to many a moral
paradox — a devoted servant of God, yet an enthusiastic
fighter. His mind ran naturally in the groove of
military work. To plan expeditions, to devise methods
of attacking, scattering, or annihilating opponents, came
naturally to him. A military genius, he entered con
amove into his work.
Yet along with this the fear of God continually con-
trolled and guided him. He would do nothing deliber-
ately unless he was convinced that it was the will of
403
JOSHUA'S WORK FOR ISRAEL. 403
God. In all his work of slaughter, he believed himself
to be fulfilling the righteous purposes of Jehovah. His
life was habitually guided by regard to the unseen.
He had no ambition but to serve his God and to serve
his country. He would have been content with the
plainest conditions of life, for his habits were simple
and his tastes natural. He believed that God was
behind him, and the belief made him fearless. His
career of almost unbroken success justified his faith.
There have been soldiers who were religious in spite
of their being soldiers — some of them in their secret
hearts regretting the distressing fortune that made the
sword their weapon ; but there have also been men
whose energy in religion and in fighting have supported
and strengthened each other. Such men, however, are
usually found only in times of great moral and spiritual
struggle, v/hen the brute force of the v/orld has been
mustered in overwhelming mass to crush some religious
movement. They have an intense conviction that the
movement is of God, and as to the use of the sword,
they cannot help themselves ; they have no choice, for
the instinct of self-defence compels them to draw it.
Such are the warriors of the Apocalypse, the soldiers
of Armageddon ; for though their battle is essentially
spiritual, it is presented to us in that military book
under the symbols of material warfare. Such were the
Ziskas and Procopses of the Bohemian reformation;
the Gustavus Adolphuses of the Thirty Years' War;
the Cromwells of the Commonwealth, and the General
Leslies of the Covenant. Ruled supremely by the fear
of God, and convinced of a Divine call to their work,
they have communed about it with Him as closely and
as truly as the missionary about his preaching or his
translating, or the philanthropist about his homes or
404 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
his rescue agencies. To God's great goodness it has
ever been their habit to ascribe their successes ; and
when an enterprise has failed, the causes of failure have
been sought for in the Divine displeasure. Nor in their
intercourse with their families and friends have they
been usually wanting in gentler graces, in affection, in
generosity, or in pity. All this must be freely admitted,
even by those to whom war is most obnoxious. It is
quite consistent with the conviction that a large propor-
tion of wars has been utterly unjustifiable, and that
in ordinary circumstances the sword is no more to be
regarded as the right and proper weapon for settling
the quarrels of nations than the duel for settling the
quarrels of individuals. And the best of soldiers
cannot but feel that fighting is at best a cruel necessity,
and that it will be a happy day for the world when men
shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their
spears into pruning-hooks.
2. Being a soldier, Joshua confined himself in the
main to the work of a soldier. That work was to
conquer the enemy and to divide the land. To these
two departments he limited himself, in subordination,
however, to his deep conviction that they were only
means to an end, and that that end would be utterly
missed unless the people were pervaded by loyalty
to God and devotion to the mode of worship which He
had prescribed. No opportunity of impressing that
consideration on their minds was neglected. It la}^
at the root of all their prosperity ; and if Joshua had
not pressed it on them by every available means, all
his work would have been like pouring water on sand
or sowing seed upon the rocks of the seashore.
Joshua was not called to ecclesiastical work, certainly
not in the sense of carrying out ecclesiastical details
JOSHUA'S WORK FOR ISRAEL. 405
That department belonged to the high priest and his
brethren. While Moses lived, it had been under him,
because Moses was head of all departments. Neither
did Joshua take in hand the arrangement in detail of
the civil department of the commonwealth. That was
mainly work for the elders and officers appointed to
regulate it. It is from the circumstance that Joshua
personally confined himself to his two great duties,
that the book which bears his name travels so little
beyond these. Reading Joshua alone, we might have
the impression that very little attention was paid to the
ritual enacted in the books of Moses. We might
suppose that but little was done to carry out the
provisions of the Torah, as the law came to be called.
But the inference would not be warranted, for the plain
reason that such things did not come within the sphere
of Joshua or the scope of the book which bears his
name. We may make what we can of incidental
allusions, but we need not expect elaborate descriptions.
There are many things that it would have been highly
interesting for us to know regarding this period of the
history of Israel ; but the book limits itself as Joshua
limited himself. It is not a full history of the times.
It is not a chapter of universal national annals. It
is a history of the settlement, and of Joshua's share
in the settlement.
And the fact that it has this character is a testimony
to its authenticity. Had it been a work of much later
date, it is not likely that it would have been confined
within such narrow limits. It would in all likelihood
have presented a much larger view of the state and
progress of the nation than the existing book does.
The fact that it is made to revolve so closely round
Joshua seems to indicate that Joshua's personality was
4o6 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Still a great power ; the remembrance of him was bright
and vivid when the book was written. Moreover, the
lists of names, many of which seem to have been the old
Canaanite names, and to have dropped out of the Hebrew
history because the cities were not actually taken from
the Canaanites, and did not become Hebrew cities,
is another testimony to the contemporary date of the
book, or of the documents on which it is founded.
3. If we examine carefully Joshua's character as a
soldier, or rather as a strategist, we shall probably find
that he had one defect. He does not appear to have
succeeded in making his conquests permanent. What
he gained one day was often won back by the enemy
after a little time. To read the account of what
happened after the victory of Gibeon and Bethhoron,
one would infer that all the region south of Gibeon fell
completely into his hands. Yet by-and-by we find
Hebron and Jerusalem in possession of the enemy,
while a hitherto unheard-of king has come into view,
Adonibezek, of Bezek, of whose people there were slain,
after the death of Joshua, ten thousand men (Judg. i. 4).
With regard to Hebron we read first that Joshua '* fought
against it and took it, and smote it with the edge of
the sword, and the king thereof, and all the cities
thereof, and all the souls that were therein ; he left
none remaining, but destroyed it utterly, and all the
souls that were therein " (Josh. x. 37). Yet not long
after, when Caleb requested Hebron for his inheritance,
it was (as we have seen) on the very ground that it
was strongly held by the enemy : '' if so be the Lord
will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them
out, as the Lord said " (xiv. 12). Again, in the campaign
against Jabin, King of Hazor, while it is said that
Hazor was utterly destroyed, it is also said that Joshua
JOSHUA'S WORK FOR ISRAEL. 407
did not destroy ^* the cities that stood on their mounds "
(xi. 13, R.V.) ; accordingly we find that some time after,
another Jabin was at the head of a restored Hazor,
and it was against him that the expedition to which
Barak was stimulated by the prophetess Deborah was
undertaken (Judg. iv. 2). Whether Joshua miscal-
culated the number and resources of the Canaanites
in the country ; or whether he was unable to divide
his own forces so as to prevent the re-occupation and
restoration of places that had once been destroyed ;
or whether he over-estimated the effects of his first
victories and did not allow enough for the determination
of a conquered people to fight for their homes and their
altars to the last, we cannot determine ; but certainly
the result was, that after being defeated and scattered
at the first, they rallied and gathered together, and
presented a most formidable problem to the tribes in
their various settlements. There is no reason for
resorting to the explanation of our modern critics that
we have here traces of two writers, of whom the policy
of the one was to represent that Joshua was wholly
victorious, and of the other that he was very far from
successful. The true view is, that his first invasion,
or run-over, as it may be called, was a complete success,
but that, through the rallying of his opponents, much
of the ground which he gained at the beginning was
afterwards lost.
4. The great service of Joshua to his people (as we
have already remarked) was, that he gave them a
settlement. He gave them — Rest. Some, indeed, may
be disposed to question whether that which Joshua
did give them was worthy of the name of rest. If
the Canaanites were still among them, disputing the
possession of the country ; if savage Adonibezeks were
4o8 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
Still at large, whose victims bore in their mutilated
bodies the marks of their cruelty and barbarity ; if
the power of the Philistines in the south, the Sidonians
in the north, and the Geshurites in the north-east was
still unbroken, how could they be said to have obtained
rest?
The objection proceeds from inabilit}^ to estimate the
force of the comparative degree. Joshua gave them
rest in the sense that he gave them homes of their own.
There was no more need for the wandering life which
they had led in the wilderness. They had more com-
pact and comfortable habitations than the tents of the
desert with their slim coverings that could effectually
shut out neither the cold of winter, nor the heat of
summer, nor the drenching rains. They had brighter
objects to look out on than the scanty and monotonous
vegetation of the wilderness. No doubt they had to
defend their new homes, and in order to do so they had
to expel the Canaanites who were still hovering about
them. But still they were real homes ; they were not
homes which they merely expected or hoped to get,
but homes which they had actually gotten. They were
homes with the manifold attractions of country life —
the field, the well, the garden, the orchard, stocked
with vine, fig, and pomegranate ; the olive grove, the
rocky crag, and the quiet glen. The sheep and the
oxen might be seen browsing in picturesque groups on
the pasture grounds, as if they were part of the family.
It was an interest to watch the progress of vegetation,
to mark how the vine budded, and the lily sprang into
beauty, to pluck the first rose, or to divide the first
ripe pomegranate. Life had a new interest when on
a bright spring morning the young man could thus
invite his bride : —
JOSHUA'S IVORK FOR ISRAEL. 409
" Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.
For, lo, tlie winter is past.
The rain is over and gone ;
The flowers appear on the earth ;
The time of the singing of birds is come.
And the voice of the turtle is heard in our land ;
The fig tree putteth forth her green figs,
And the vines with the tender grape give a good smell."
This, as it were, was Joshua's gift to Israel, or rather
God's gift through Joshua. It was well fitted to kindle
their gratitude, and though not yet complete or perfectly
secure, it was entitled to be called ^^ rest." For if there
was still need of fighting to complete the conquest, it
was fighting under eas}^ conditions. If they went out
under the influence of that faith of which Joshua had
set them so memorable an example, they were sure of
protection and of victory. Past experience had shown
to demonstration that none of their enemies could
stand before them, and the future would be as the past
had been. God w^as still among them ; if they called
on Him, He would arise, their enemies would be
scattered, and they that hated Him would flee before
Him. Fidelity to Him would secure all the blessings
that had been read out at Mount Gerizim, and to which
they had enthusiastically shouted. Amen. The picture
drawn by Moses before his death would be realized in
its brightest colours : '* Blessed shalt thou be in the
city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed
shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy
ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy
kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be
thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when
thou comest in, and blessed when thou goest out."
But here a very serious objection may be interposed.
Is it conceivable, it may be asked, that this serene
410 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
satisfaction was enjoyed by the Israelites when they
had got their new homes only by dispossessing the
former owners ; when all around them was stained by
the blood of the slain, and the shrieks and groans of
their predecessors were yet sounding in their ears ?
If these homes were not haunted by the ghosts of their
former owners, must not the hearts and consciences of
the new occupants have been haunted by recollections
of the scenes of horror which had been enacted there ?
is it possible that they should have been in that tranquil
and happy frame in which they would really enjoy the
sweetness of their new abodes ?
The question is certainly a disturbing one, and any
answer that may be given to it must seem imperfect,
just because we are incapable of placing ourselves
wholly in the circumstances of the children of Israel.
We are incapable of entering into the callousness of
the Oriental heart in reference to the sufiferins^s or the
death of enemies. Exceptions there no doubt were ;
but, as a rule, indifference to the condition of enemies,
whether in life or in death, w^as the prevalent feeling.
Two parts of their nature were liable to be affected
by the change which put the Israelites in possession
of the houses and fields of the destroyed Canaanites —
their consciences and their hearts.
With regard to their consciences the case was clear :
"The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the
world, and they that dwell therein." God, as owner of
the land of Canaan, had given it, some six hundred
years before, to Abraham and his seed. That gift had
been ratified by many solemnities, and belief in it had
been kept alive in the hearts of Abraham's descendants
from generation to generation. There had been no
secret about it, and the Canaanites must have been
JOSHUA'S WORK FOR ISRAEL, 411
familiar with the tradition. Consequent!}^, during all
these centuries, they had been but tenants at will.
When, under the guidance of Jehovah, Israel crossed
the Red Sea and the army of Pharaoh was drowned,
a pang must have shot through the breasts of the
Canaanitcs, and the news must have come to them as
a notice to quit. The echoes of the Song of Moses
reverberated through the whole region : —
" The peoples have heard, they tremble :
Pangs have taken hold of the inhabitants of Philistia.
Then were the dukes of Edom amazed ;
The mighty men of Moab, trembling taketh hold of them :
All the inhabitants of Canaan are melted away.
Terror and dread falleth upon them ;
By the greatness of Thine arm they are as still as a stone ;
Till Thy people pass over, O Lord,
Till the people pass over which Thou hast purchased.
Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of Thine
inheritance
The place, O Lord, which Thou hast made for Thee to dwell in,
The sanctuary, O Lord, which Thy hands have established.
The Lord shall reign for ever and ever."
It was well known, therefore, that, so far as Divine right
went, the children of Israel were entitled to the land.
But even after that, the Canaanites had a respite and
enjoyed possession for forty 3^ears. Besides, they had
been judicially condemned on account of their sins ; and,
moreover, when they first came^into the country, they had
dispossessed the former inhabitants. At last, after long
dela}^, the hour of destiny arrived. When the Israelites
took possession they felt that they were only regaining
their own. It was not they, but the Canaanites, that
were the intruders, and any feeling on the question of
right in the minds of the Israelites would rather be
that of indignation at having been kept out so long
of what had been promised to Abraham, than of
4U TtiE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
squeamishness at dispossessing the Canaanites of
property which was not their own.
Still, one might suppose there remained scope for
natural pity. But this was not very active. We may
gather something of the prevalent feeling from the song
of Deborah and the action of Jael. It was not an age
of humanity. The whole period of the Judges was
indeed an ** iron age." Gideon, Jephthah, Samson,
were men of the roughest fibre. Even David's treat-
ment of his Ammonite prisoners was revolting. All that
can be said for Israel is, that their treatment of enemies
did not reach that infamous pre-eminence of cruelty
for which the Assyrians and the Babylonians were
notorious. But they had enough of the prevailing
callousness to enable them to enter without much dis-
comfort on the homes and possessions of their dispos-
sessed foes. They had no such sentimental reserve
as to interfere with a lively gratitude to Joshua as the
man who had given them rest.
Probably, in looking back on those times, we fail to
realize the marvellous influence in the direction of all
that is humane and loving that came into our world, and
began to operate in full force, with the advent of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We forget how much
darker a world it must have been before the true light
entered, that lighteth every man coming into the world.
We forget what a gift God gave to the world when
Jesus entered it, bringing with Him the light and love,
the joy and peace, the hope and the holiness of heaven.
We forget that the coming of Jesus was the rising of
the Sun of Righteousness with healing in His wings.
Coming among us as the incarnation of Divine love, it
was natural that He should correct the prevailing
practice in the treatment of enemies, and infuse a new
JOSHUA'S WORK FOR ISRAEL. 413
spirit of humanity. Even the Apostle who afterwards
became the Apostle of Love could manifest all the
bitterness of the old spirit when he suggested the
calling down of fire from heaven to burn up the
Samaritan village that would not receive them. " Ye
know not what manner of spirit ye are of, for the Son
of man came not to destroy men's lives, but to save
them." Who does not feel the humane spirit of
Christianity to be one of its brightest gems, and one
of its chief contrasts with the imperfect economy that
preceded it ? It is when we mark the inveteracy of the
old spirit of hatred that we see how great a change
Christ has introduced. If it was the great distinction
of Christ's love that "while we were yet enemies
Christ died for us," His precept to us to love our
enemies ought to meet with our readiest obedience.
Not without profound prophetic insight did the angel
who announced the birth of Jesus proclaim, ''Glory
to God in the highest, on earth peace, good-will to
men."
Alas ! it is with much humiliation we must own that
in practising this humane spirit of her Lord the progress
of the Church has been slow and small. It seemed to
be implied in the prophecies that Christianity would
end war ; yet one of the most outstanding phenomena
of the world is, the so-called j Christian nations of Europe
armed to the teeth, expending millions of treasure year
by year on destructive armaments, and withdrawing
millions of soldiers from those pursuits which increase
wealth and comfort, to be supported by taxes wrung
from the sinews of the industrious, and to be ready,
when called on, to scatter destruction and death among
the ranks of their enemies. Surely it is a shame to the
diplomacy of Europe that so little is done to arrest this
414 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
crying evil ; that nation after nation goes on increasing
its armaments, and that the only credit a good statesman
can gain is that of retarding a collision, which, when
it does occur, will be the widest in its dimensions,
and the vastest and most hideous in the destruction it
deals, that the world has ever seen ! All honour to the
few earnest men who have tried to make arbitration
a substitute for war.
And surely it is no credit to the Christian Church
that, when its members are divided in opinion, there
should be so much bitterness in the spirit of its con-
troversies. Grant that what excites men so keenly
is the fear that the truth of God being at stake, that
which they deem most sacred in itself, and most
vital in its influence for good is liable to suffer ; hence
they regard it a duty to rebuke sharply all who are
apparently prepared to betray it or compromise it.
Is it not apparent that if love is not mingled with
the controversies of Christians, it is vain to expect
violence and war to cease among the nations ? More
than this, if love is not more apparent among Christians
than has been common, we may well tremble for the
cause itself One of the leaders of German unbelief
is said to have remarked that he did not think Christ-
ianity could be Divine, because he did not find the
people called Christians paying more heed than others
to the command of Jesus to love their enemies.
5. One other service of Joshua to the nation of Israel
remains to be noticed : he sought with all his heart
that they should be a God-governed people, a people
that in every department of life should be ruled by the
endeavour to do God's will. He pressed this on them
with such earnestness, he commended it by his own
example with such sincerity, he brought his whole
JOSHUA'S WORK FOR ISRAEL. 415
authority and influence to bear on it with such
momentum, that to a large extent he succeeded, though
the impression hardly survived himself. ''The people
served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the
days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen
all the," great work of the Lord that He had wrought for
Israel." Joshua seemed always to be contending with
an idolatrous virus which poisoned the blood of the
people, and could not be eradicated. The only thing
that seemed capable of crushing it was the outstretched
arm of Jehovah, showing itself in some terrible form.
While the effect of that display lasted the tendency
to Idolatry was subdued, but not extirpated ; and as
soon as the impression of it was spent, the evil broke
out anew. It was hard to instil into them ruling
principles of conduct that would guide them in spite
of outward influences. As a rule, they were not like
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, or like Moses who ''endured
as seeing Him who is invisible." Individuals there
were among them, like Caleb and Joshua himself, who
walked by faith'; but the great mass of the nation were
carnal, and they exemplified the drift or tendency of
that spirit — " The carnal mind is enmity against God."
Still Joshua laboured to press the lesson — the great
lesson of the theocracy — Let God rule you ; follow in-
variably His will. It is a rule for nations, for churches,
for individuals. The Hebrew theocracy has passed
away ; but there is a sense in which every Christian
nation should be a modified theocracy. So far as God
has given abiding rules for the conduct of nations,
every nation ought to regard them. If it be a Divine
principle that righteousness exalteth a nation ; if it be a
Divine command to remember the Sabbath day to keep
it holy ; if it be a Divine instruction to rulers to deliver
4i6 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.
the needy when he crieth, the poor also and him that
hath no helper, in these and in all such matters nations
ought to be divinely ruled. It is blasphemous to set
up rules of expediency above these eternal emanations
of the Divine will.
So, too, churches should be divinely ruled. There
is but one Lord in the Christian Church, He that is
King of kings, and Lord of lords. There may be many
details in Church life which are left to the discretion of
its rulers, acting in accordance with the spirit of Scrip-
ture ; but no church should accept of any ruler whose
will may set aside the will of her Lord, nor allow any
human authority to supersede what He has ordained.
And for individuals the universal rule is : ^' Whatso-
ever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the
Lord Jesus, giving thanks unto God and the Father b}^
Him." Each true Christian heart is a theocracy — a
Christ-governed soul. Not ruled by external appliances,
nor by mechanical rules, nor by the mere effort to
follow a prescribed example ; but by the indwelling
of Christ's Spirit, by a vital force communicated from
Himself The spring of the Christian life is here —
^' Not I, but Christ liveth in me." This is the source
of all the beautiful and fruitful Christian lives that ever
have been, of all that are, and of all that ever shall be.
THE END,
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11