JOSHUA 5 COMME�TARYEDITED BY GLE�� PEASE

1 �ow when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they[a] had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.

BAR�ES, "The Amorites were the principal of those nations which occupied the hill country of Judaea (Gen_10:16 note); the Canaanites of those that dwelt on the coast and low lands. These words are therefore equivalent to “all the kings of the highlanders, and all the kings of the lowlanders:” i. e. the kings of all the tribes of the country.

Until we were passed over - The use of the first person has been noted here, and in Jos_5:6 (compare Act_16:10), as suggesting the hand of one who himself shared in what he describes. But the text as read (though not written) by the Jewish authorities here, has the third person; as have some manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate, etc.: and a change of person like this in Hebrew, even if the text stand, does not of itself warrant the inference. (Compare Psa_66:6.)

CLARKE, "The Amorites which were on the side of Jordan westward - It has already been remarked that the term Amorite is applied sometimes to signify all the nations or tribes of Canaan. It appears from this verse that there were people thus denominated that dwelt on both sides of the Jordan. Those on the east side had already been destroyed in the war which the Israelites had with Sihon and Og; with those on the west side Joshua had not yet waged war. It is possible however that the Amorites of whom we read in this verse, were the remains of those who dwelt on the east side of the Jordan, and who had taken refuge here on the defeat of Og and Sihon.

GILL, "And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were

on the side of Jordan westward,.... On the side the Israelites were now on; and this is observed, to distinguish them from the other kings of the Amorites beyond Jordan, on the eastern side, who were already conquered by the Israelites, Sihon and Og, who seem to be a colony that went over from the Amorites in Canaan, and possessed themselves of that part of the land of Moab. These seem to be put for several others of the nations of the land not mentioned, who doubtless were as much dispirited as they; and they are the rather mentioned, because they were a principal nation, and a very powerful and warlike one, see Amo_2:9.

and all the kings of the Canaanites which were by the sea; the Mediterranean sea; the Septuagint version calls them the kings of Phoenicia; and that which was strictly and property so lay on that coast, in which were the cities of Tyre and Sidon, though the whole land of Canaan was sometimes so called; unless this is to be understood, either of the dead sea, or of the sea of Galilee; of which Canaanites, see Num_13:29; however, be they the one or the other, or both, as most likely, when they

heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted,

neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel; they lost all their courage, and never recovered it any more; concluding it was all over with them, since such wonderful things were done for them by the Lord: the word "we" shows that the writer of this history was one that passed over Jordan, and who can be supposed but Joshua himself? this circumstance, I think, strongly corroborates that opinion.

HE�RY, "A vast show, no doubt, the numerous camp of Israel made in the plains of Jericho, where now they had pitched their tents. Who can count the dust of Jacob? That which had long been the church in the wilderness has now come up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved, and looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners. How terrible she was in the eyes of her enemies we are here told, Jos_5:1. How fair and clear she was made in the eyes of her friends, by the rolling away of the reproach of Egypt, we are told in the following verses.

I. Here is the fright which the Canaanites were put into by their miraculously passing over Jordan, Jos_5:1. The news of it was soon dispersed all the country over, not only as a prodigy in itself, but as an alarm to all the kings and kingdoms of Canaan. Now, as when Babylon was taken, One post runs to meet another, and one messenger to meet another, to carry the amazing tidings to every corner of their land, Jer_51:31. And here we are told what impressions the tidings made upon the kings of this land: Their heart melted like wax before the fire, neither was there spirit in them any more. This intimates that, though the heart of the people generally had fainted before (as Rahab owned, Jos_2:9), yet the kings had till now kept up their spirits pretty well, had promised themselves that, being in possession, their country populous, and their cities fortified, they should be able to make their part good against the invaders; but when they heard not only that they had come over Jordan, and that this defence of their country was broken through, but that they had come over by a miracle, the God of nature manifestly fighting for them, their hearts failed them too, they gave up the cause for gone, and were now at their wits' end. And, 1. they had reason enough to be afraid; Israel itself was a formidable body, and much more so when God was its head, a God of almighty power. What can make head against them if Jordan be driven back before

them? 2. God impressed these fears upon them, and dispirited them, as he had promised (Exo_23:27), I will send my fear before thee. God can make the wicked to fear where no fear is (Psa_53:5.), much more where there is such cause for fear as was here. He that made the soul can, when he pleases, make his sword thus to approach to it and kill it with his terrors.

II. The opportunity which this gave to the Israelites to circumcise those among them that were uncircumcised: At that

JAMISO�, "Jos_5:1. The Canaanites afraid.

the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea— Under the former designation were included the people who inhabited the mountainous region, and under the latter those who were on the seacoast of Palestine.

heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan ... that their heart melted— They had probably reckoned on the swollen river interposing for a time a sure barrier of defense. But seeing it had been completely dried up, they were completely paralyzed by so incontestable a proof that God was on the side of the invaders. In fact, the conquest had already begun in the total prostration of spirit among the native chiefs. “Their heart melted,” but unhappily not into faith and penitent submission.

K&D, "Circumcision of the People. - Jos_5:1. Whilst, on the one hand, the approach of the passover rendered it desirable that the circumcision of those who had remained uncircumcised should be carried out without delay, on the other hand the existing circumstances were most favourable for the performance of this covenant duty, inasmuch as the miracle wrought in connection with the passage through the Jordan had thrown the Canaanites into such alarm that there was no fear of their attacking the Israelitish camp. To indicate this, the impression produced by this miracle is described, namely, that all the kings of Canaan had been thrown into despair in consequence. All the tribes of Canaan are grouped together here under the names of Amorites and Canaanites, the tribes in possession of the mountains being all called Amorites, and those who lived by the sea, i.e., by the shore of the Mediterranean, Canaanites (vid., Jos_1:4): for the Amorites upon the mountains were the strongest of all the Canaanitish tribes at that time (see at Gen_10:16); whilst the name Canaanites, i.e., the bent one (see at Gen_9:25), was peculiarly appropriate to the inhabitants of the lowlands, who relied upon trade more than upon warfare, and were probably dependent upon the strong and mighty Amorites. The application of the expression “beyond Jordan” (Eng. Ver. “on the side of”) to the country on this side, may be explained on the ground that the historian was still writing from the stand-point of the crossing. But in order to prevent any misunderstanding, he adds “towards the west,” as he had previously added “towards the sunrise,” in Jos_1:15, when speaking of the land on the eastern side. That we have the report of an eye-witness here is evident from the words, “until we were passed over:” the

reading of the Keri, is nothing but an arbitrary and ,(till they were passed over) עברם

needless conjecture, and ought not to have been preferred by Bleek and others, notwithstanding the fact that the ancient versions and some MSS also adopt it.

CALVI�, "1.And it came to pass when, etc The recognition of the fearful power of

God had such an effect upon them that they were astonished and fainted with

terror, but it did not incline their minds to seek a remedy for the evil. Their heart

was melted inasmuch as destitute of counsel and strength they did not bestir

themselves, but in regard to contumacy they remained as hard-hearted as before.

We have already seen elsewhere how unbelievers, when smitten with fear, cease not

to wrestle with God, and even when they fall, continue fiercely to assail heaven.

Hence the dread which ought to have urged them to caution had no other effect than

to hurry them on headlong. They were, however, terrified from above for the sake

of the people, that victory might be more easily obtained, and the Israelites might be

emboldened when they saw they had to do with an enemy already broken and

stricken with dismay. Thus God spared their weakness, as if he had opened up the

way by removing obstacles, because they had already proved themselves to be

otherwise more sluggish and cowardly than was meet. The substance then is, that

before the conflict commenced, the enemy were already routed by the terror which

the fame of the miracle had inspired.

BE�SO�, "Joshua 5:1. Amorites — These and the Canaanites are mentioned for all

the rest, as being the chief of them for number, and power, and courage. On the side

of Jordan westward — This is added to distinguish them from the other Amorites,

eastward from Jordan, whom Moses had subdued. Which were by the sea — The

midland sea, all along the coast of it, which was the chief seat of that people, though

divers colonies of them were come into and settled in other places. That the Lord

had dried up Jordan — Which was their bulwark on the east side, where the

Israelites were; for it is very probable they had taken away all bridges near those

parts; and the Israelites having been so long in that neighbouring country, and yet

not making any attempt upon them, they were grown secure; especially now, when

Jordan swelled beyond its ordinary bounds; and therefore they did not endeavour

to hinder their passage. Their heart melted — They lost all their courage, and durst

attempt nothing upon the Israelites. This did not happen without God’s special

providence, that the Israelites might quietly participate of the two great sacraments

of their church, circumcision and the passover, and thereby be prepared for their

high and hard work, and for the possession of the holy and promised land; which

would have been defiled by an uncircumcised people.

TRAPP, " And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which [were] on

the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which [were] by

the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the

children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was

there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.

Ver. 1. Heard that the Lord, &c.] Aι βλαβαι ποδωκεις: Ill news is swift of foot, and,

like ill weather, cometh before it is sent for.

That their heart melted.] This fearfulness and faintheartedness had utterly

unmanned them, expectorated all their courage, and so fitted them for desolation.

[Deuteronomy 28:7] Metals melted lose their hardness: so men their hardiness by

fear, that cowardly passion.

WHEDO�, "CO�STER�ATIO� OF THE CA�AA�ITES, Joshua 5:1.

1. It came to pass — Immediately after the Israelites had crossed, the miracle was

heralded to all the kings of the land. This verse is closely related to the last verse of

the preceding chapter, showing how the miracle of the Jordan at once made the

neighbouring nations know the power of Jehovah’s hand. It also serves to show why

Joshua might, without fear of attack, embrace this opportunity to circumcise the

people.

Amorites — See note on Joshua 2:10.

On the side of Jordan westward — Literally, beyond Jordan seaward. The Amorites

east of the Jordan, ruled by Sihon and Og, had been already defeated.

The Canaanites, which were by the sea — The various heathen tribes and nations

along the Mediterranean Sea. A narrow plain extends along this sea from Gaza in

the south to the northern limits of Phenicia. The Amorites and Canaanites, because

of their superiority in numbers and political power, are put here apparently for all

the nations of the land.

We were passed over — This expression naturally implies that the writer was an

eye-witness of the scene described.

Their heart melted — Their hope and courage died within them, for they despaired

of conquering an almighty foe.

COFFMA�, "Verse 1

This important chapter recounts:

(1) the near-panic that settled over the Canaanites (Joshua 5:1);

(2) the circumcision of the males of the Israelites, a rite that had been neglected for

many of them during the wilderness wanderings (Joshua 5:2-9);

(3) the third instance of Israel's observing the Passover (Joshua 5:10-12); and

(4) the great Christophany in which "the Captain of the Hosts of Jehovah appeared

to Joshua" (Joshua 5:13-15).

"And it came to pass when all the kings of the Amorites that were beyond the

Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, that were by the sea, heard

how that Jehovah had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of

Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in

them any more, because of the children of Israel."

"Until we had passed oven ..." Along with, "that he would give us," in Joshua 5:6,

these usages of the first person plural identify the author as an eye-witness and

participant in the events here narrated. Plummer speaks of those who have

"emended the text,"[1] but our own view of "scholarly emendations" is that they

are absolutely irresponsible and should be rejected. Who has licensed any

"scholar," of whatever ability, to change the Sacred Text from what is written to

that which he believes God SHOULD HAVE written? Of course, we receive Joshua

himself as the author of the Book that bears his name. The oldest traditions that

have descended through history affirm this, and the speculative guesses of 20th

century unbelievers are no sufficient ground for denying it.

"Amorites ... Canaanites ..." "All of the various peoples of Canaan "are here

grouped together under the names of `Amorites' and `Canaanites.'"[2] "Roughly

speaking, the Amorites represented the dwellers in the highlands district, and the

Canaanites referred to the dwellers on the maritime plain."[3] Sometimes,

"Canaanites, in a broader sense, means Palestine in general."[4]

The panic in view here doubtless came about, as Jamieson suggested, from the fact

that, "The kings had probably reckoned on the swollen river as being, for a time at

least, a sure barrier against the invasion, but they were completely paralyzed by

what happened, which was incontestable proof that God was on the side of the

invaders."[5]

As the hosts of Israel were deployed upon the plains of Jericho, their status was

marvelously different from what it had been in the wilderness. Matthew Henry

described it thus:

"The church in the wilderness has now come up from the wilderness, leaning upon

her beloved, and looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and

terrible as an army with banners. How terrible she was in the eyes of her enemies,

and how fair and clear she was in the eyes of her friends."[6]

CO�STABLE, "This verse at first might seem more appropriate as a conclusion to

the previous chapter. However it explains how the Israelites were able to take

several days to perform an operation that rendered them very vulnerable to their

enemies militarily. Israel"s foes feared them greatly as a result of the miracle of the

Jordan crossing, and they did not attack.

This reference to the Amorites and Canaanites groups all the native tribes together.

The people who possessed the South and the mountains of the land were mainly

Amorites. Many of them had lived in Transjordan and were the mightiest of the

warriors among the tribes. Those who lived in the �orth, in the lowlands by the

Mediterranean Sea, and in the Valley of Jezreel, were mainly Canaanites. The

Canaanites were traders rather than warriors. The writer sometimes put all the

native people in one or the other of these two groups. This depended on the area in

which they lived (South or �orth, highlands or lowlands) or the general

characteristic of the people that occupied most of that area (warlike or peaceful).

Reference to the Amorites and Canaanites is probably a merism, a figure of speech

in which two extremes represent the whole (e.g, "heaven and earth" means the

universe).

"From the human standpoint, if ever there was a time to strike at the Canaanites it

was right after the Israelites had gained entrance to the land. Fear had taken hold

on the inhabitants of Palestine. But divine plans are not made according to human

strategy." [�ote: Carl Armerding, Conquest and Victory, p62.]

Verses 1-12

2. Circumcision and celebration of the Passover5:1-12

"This [fifth] chapter records four experiences which God brought to Joshua and the

people, each one centered about a token, or symbol ... The Token of Circumcision:

Restoration to covenant favor ( Joshua 5:2-9) ... The Token of Blood: Anticipation

of deliverance ( Joshua 5:10) ... The Token of Fruit: Appropriation of the blessing (

Joshua 5:11-12) ... The Token of a Sword: Revelation of a holy war ( Joshua 5:13-

15)." [�ote: Jensen, pp49-51.]

God had guaranteed Joshua"s success only as he kept the Mosaic Law ( Joshua 1:7).

It was necessary therefore that all the males who had been born in the wilderness

and had not undergone circumcision should do so. Circumcision brought the

individual male under the blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant ( Genesis 17). It was

also a prerequisite for partaking in the Passover that God required of all Israelites

yearly ( Exodus 12). Like the stones just set up, circumcision was also a memorial.

EBC, "CIRCUMCISIO� A�D PASSOVER- MA��A A�D COR�.

Joshua 5:1-12.

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 conceived

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 (Genesis 34:25). 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 before that city had showed that, as in the case of

Achilles, there was a vulnerable spot somewhere, notwithstanding 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 circumcision 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, perhaps 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 wilderness. 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 with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, not one of

them was permitted to enter the land of promise. �ow, 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. �ow 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 statement that ''all the people that were born in the wilderness by the

way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised" (Joshua 5:5).

If the view be 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, they

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 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 supposed

that the Passover as well as circumcision was suspended after the sentence of the

forty years' wandering, the more especially that it was expressly enacted that no

uncircumcised person was to eat the Passover. We know (�umbers 9:5) that the

Passover was kept the second year after they left Egypt, but no other reference to it

occurs in the history. 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 considerations 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 Passover 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 (�umbers 14:29). 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 that memorable midnight when all

were in such excitement 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. �o 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 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 tomorrow. "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. �o sanction is given

to the idea of a 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

knowledge 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 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 life 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 lives into a real blessing. And there are other compensations.

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 gnawing void ceases to be acutely felt. As old attachments 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. �othing at first appears more desolate than loss of

fortune, loss of health, or loss of some principal bodily sense - like sight or hearing.

But in a Milton intellectual vigour, patriotic ardour, and poetic sensibility 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 contentment 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 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."

"Life of Rev. Charles Simeon," p. 125.

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 statement 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.

PETT, "Introduction

Commentary on The Book of Joshua - chapters 5-8.

In this section the circumcision of the men of Israel is accomplished, followed by the

observance of the Passover. Then commences the initial parts of the invasion. First

Jericho is taken, and then a contingent moves up the pass to capture Ai, only to be

driven back because of their arrogance in taking only a limited number of soldiers

for the purpose. As a result the sin of Achan is discovered in that he had kept for

himself what had been dedicated to YHWH. Joshua having repented of his failure,

and Achan having been dealt with for his blasphemy, Joshua takes the whole army

back up the pass and Ai is captured, and the army of Bethel defeated. Joshua then

arranges a covenant ceremony at Shechem.

Chapter 5. Circumcision and Passover - The Captain of YHWH’s Host.

The Canaanites having been devastated by learning of the passage of the children of

Israel through Jordan, Joshua is ordered to circumcise such of the people of Israel

as were uncircumcised, so that they might eat the Passover, which they were now to

observe. Meanwhile, the people having a sufficiency of corn from the land, the

manna ceased. As Joshua was considering how to take Jericho a man appeared who

said that he was the captain of the host of YHWH, who encouraged and directed

him as to what to do with regard to the conquest of the land, and particularly of

Jericho.

Verse 1

Commentary on The Book of Joshua - chapters 5-8.

In this section the circumcision of the men of Israel is accomplished, followed by the

observance of the Passover. Then commences the initial parts of the invasion. First

Jericho is taken, and then a contingent moves up the pass to capture Ai, only to be

driven back because of their arrogance in taking only a limited number of soldiers

for the purpose. As a result the sin of Achan is discovered in that he had kept for

himself what had been dedicated to YHWH. Joshua having repented of his failure,

and Achan having been dealt with for his blasphemy, Joshua takes the whole army

back up the pass and Ai is captured, and the army of Bethel defeated. Joshua then

arranges a covenant ceremony at Shechem.

Chapter 5. Circumcision and Passover - The Captain of YHWH’s Host.

The Canaanites having been devastated by learning of the passage of the children of

Israel through Jordan, Joshua is ordered to circumcise such of the people of Israel

as were uncircumcised, so that they might eat the Passover, which they were now to

observe. Meanwhile, the people having a sufficiency of corn from the land, the

manna ceased. As Joshua was considering how to take Jericho a man appeared who

said that he was the captain of the host of YHWH, who encouraged and directed

him as to what to do with regard to the conquest of the land, and particularly of

Jericho.

Joshua 5:1

‘And so it was that when all the kings of the Amorites, who were beyond Jordan

westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that

YHWH had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until

we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any

more, because of the children of Israel.’

�ews of the crossing of Jordan had reached the ears of the Amorites and the

Canaanites east of Jordan, that is those in Canaan itself. The fact that the

Canaanites are described as ‘by the sea’ suggests that at this stage the Philistines

had not yet arrived. The news devastated them. This confirmed all that they had

heard about the God of these people, and His amazing power. They were filled with

fear and lost heart, terrified of the prospect that they must now face. God had thus

sent His hornet to prepare the way (Exodus 23:28; Deuteronomy 7:20 compare

Joshua 24:12). These descriptions were intended to signify all the peoples in

Canaan, both the Canaanites who were the plain dwellers and the Amorites who

were mountain dwellers.

“Until we were passed over.” The ‘we’ indicates that the writer was alive at the time

of the crossing of the Jordan, and there is no sound reason for doubting that almost

the whole book comes from his hand. It would probably be some priestly scribe to

whom Joshua committed the task of recording the victories of YHWH, at least

partially under his direction.

BI, "Their heart melted . . . because of the children of Israel.

Divine control over all

Kings and princes, captains and nobles, are most perfectly under the control of God; not only their counsels and operations, but their very spirits are subject to the influence of His secret and all-pervading dominion; they are restrained by cowardice, or incited by courage; intimidated by fear, or emboldened by valour, as best may promote the purposes of Providence and the interests of the Church. More has often been effected by this, wherein has appeared no human agency, than could have been by all the advantages of physical strength. It has been seen in the procedure of the Divine government, and opening of the secret counsels of heaven, that turns the most peculiar and results the most momentous have proceeded from this invisible working of God. But for this, the condition of Israel, as frequently appeared in review, would have inspired their adversaries, and, in the mere opposing of force to force, insured to them triumph. A spirit of blindness and infatuation has been permitted to seize the enemies of the Church, and to fall upon the powers of the world, or the Lord’s people had again and again been swallowed up. The expedients of infinite wisdom, and resources of almighty power, never fail: they are innumerable, and always at command; not confined to the common laws of nature, but comprehend the secret dominion of spirits, and that unlimited range of omnipotence, by which, in special operations, all things are possible with God, and present to instant adoption, as the purposes of His love may require, or the counsel of His will determine. (W. Seaton.)

Circumcision and Passover at Gilgal

2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make

flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.”

BAR�ES, "Make thee sharp knives - Render rather as marg., and compare marginal reference and note. Knives of flint or stone were in fact used for circumcision, and retained for that and other sacred purposes, even after iron had become in common use. The rendering of the margin is adopted by almost all ancient versions, by most commentators, and by the fathers generally, who naturally regarded circumcision performed by Joshua and by means of knives of stone or rock, as symbolic of the true circumcision performed by Christ, who is more than once spoken of as the Rock (compare 1Co_10:4; Rom_2:29; Col_2:11). See Jos_21:42.

Circumcise again ... - i. e. make that which once was a circumcised people but is not so now, once more a circumcised people. (See Jos_4:4-7.)

CLARKE, "Make thee sharp knives - ,tsurim, knives of rockcharboth חרבותצרים

stone, or flint. Before the use of iron was common, all the nations of the earth had their edge-tools made of stones, flints, etc. In the lately discovered islands this is found to be a common case. Our ancestors in these countries made their arrow and spear-heads of flint: these I have often seen turned up by the plough. But we cannot suppose that at the time here referred to the Israelites were destitute of iron, and were therefore obliged to use knives made of stone or flint, their different manufactures in the wilderness prove that they must have had both iron and steel. Why then use knives made of stone? Probably it was unlawful to use metal of any kind in this religious rite; and indeed this seems likely from the circumstance of Zipporah (Exo_4:25) taking a sharp stone and circumcising her son; and we find, from the most ancient and authentic accounts, that the Egyptians considered it unlawful or profane to use any kind of metal to make incisions in the human body, when preparing it for embalming; see the note on Gen_50:2, and on Exo_4:25. That it was deemed improper to use any other kind of instrument in circumcision we have a proof in the tribe Alnajab, in Ethiopia, who follow the Mosaic institution, and perform the rite of circumcision, according to Ludolf, cultris lapidibus, with knives made of stone. - Hist. Aethiop., lib. iii., c. 1. And as God commanded the people to make him an altar of unhewn stones, on which no tool of iron had been lifted up, because this would pollute it, (see Exo_20:25, and Deu_27:5), he might require that no instrument of iron should be used in a rite by which the body and soul of the person were in the most solemn and sacred manner dedicated to him to be his house and temple, the heart itself being the altar on which continual sacrifices to God must be offered. A physical reason has been given for preferring knives of stone in this operation, “the wound suffers less through inflammation, and is sooner healed.” For this a reason may be given. It is almost impossible to get an edge made so even and firm as not to leave particles of the metal in the incisions made even in the most delicate flesh; these particles would soon become oxidized by the action of the air, and extra inflammation in the part would be the consequence. The great aptitude of iron to be oxidized, i.e., to be converted to rust, is well known; but how far this reasoning, thus applied, may be supported by fact, I cannot pretend to determine: it is sufficiently

evident that it was a common custom to use knives of stone in circumcision, and in all operations on those parts of the human body. I shall give a few examples. Pliny says, when they amputate certain parts they do it with a sharp stone, because nothing else could be employed without danger. Samia testa virilitatem amputabant: nec aliter citra perniciem. Ovid, Fast. lib. iv., ver. 237, relates a circumstance where the saxum acutum, or sharp stone, was used about those parts: -

Ille etiam Saxo corpus laniavit Acuto,Longaque in immundo pulvere tracta coma est.Voxque fuit, Merui; meritas dem sanguine poenas;Ah! pereant partes quae nocuere mihi;Ah! pereant; dicebat adhuc, onus inguinis aufert;Nullaque sunt subito signa relicta viri.

This quotation is produced in order to prove that a knife made of a sharp stone was used in making incisions and amputations of certain parts of the body, even when the use of iron was well known; but a translation of the verse is not necessary, and would be improper. The

Mollia qui Rapta secuit Genitalia Testa

of Juvenal (Sat. vi., ver. 513) is a farther proof of this. Many other proofs might be produced but those who wish for more may consult Calmet and Scheuchzer.

Circumcise again the children of Israel the second time - This certainly does not mean that they should repeat circumcision on those who had already received it. This would have been as absurd as impracticable. But the command implies that they were to renew the observance of a rite which had been neglected in their travels in the desert: this is sufficiently evident from the following verses.

GILL, "At that time the Lord said unto Joshua,.... When the people had passed over Jordan, and had pitched in Gilgal, and Joshua had set up the stones there; and particularly when the dread of them had seized the inhabitants of Canaan, and deprived them of all their courage; and so was a fit time for the execution of what is next ordered, and seems designed in the providence of God among other things particularly for that:

make them sharp knives; not that Joshua was to make them himself, but to order them to be made; for a considerable number would be wanted for the use to be made of them: the Targum calls them sharp razors; and Ben Gersom says they were made of brass, more likely of iron or steel, which perhaps he means; but the Hebrew text is, "knives of rocks", "flints" or "stones"; and so Maimonides (p) interprets the words, and as they are rendered in various versions (q); with such an instrument Zipporah circumcised her son; and like them were the "samia testa" (r), with which the priests of the mother of the gods were castrated; and the "saxum acutum" of Ovid (s); and such the Americans used in slaying beasts, and the Egyptians (t) in the dissecting of their dead bodies; and which the Talmudists allow of as lawful; and in the east the Jews to this day use knives of stone in circumcision (u); See Gill on Exo_4:25.

and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time; not that circumcision was to be repeated on them that had been circumcised already, who had

found out ways and means to draw over the foreskin again, as some in later times did; or who had been imperfectly circumcised according to the rite enjoined by Abraham, which some Jewish writers say was not perfect; neither of which was the case. Kimchi, and so Ben Melech, interpret the word, "oftentimes", frequently, one time after another; as if the sense was, Joshua was to circumcise them, or take care they were circumcised, some at one time, and some at another, until the whole was finished; but this is not what is meant, it refers to a former general circumcision; not to the circumcision, as first administered in Abraham's time, for there had been a multitude of instances of it since that time; but to the circumcision of the Israelites at, about, or quickly after their coming out of Egypt; either before their eating of their first passover, the night they went out of Egypt, as Jarchi (w); or rather some time in the three days' darkness of the Egyptians, as Dr. Lightfoot (x) thinks; or else when they were about Sinai, just before the celebration of the passover there, Num_9:1; from which time it had been neglected; not cause unnecessary, while they were in the wilderness, to distinguish them from others, which was not the principal, at least not the only use of it; nor because forbidden the Israelites for their disobedience, murmurings, and rebellion, it not being probable that God should prohibit the observance of a command of his on that account; nor so much through criminal neglect, at least contempt of it, as because of their frequent journeying, and the inconvenience of performing it, being always uncertain, when they had pitched their tents, how long they should stay, and when they should remove, since this depended upon the taking up of the cloud; wherefore, unless they could have been sure of a continuance for a proper time, it was not safe to administer it; and now it was enjoined, partly because they were about to celebrate the passover, which required circumcision in all that partook of it, Exo_12:43; and partly because they had now entered into the land of Canaan, which was given them in the covenant of circumcision, Gen_17:8; wherefore it became them now to observe it, and as typical of spiritual circumcision, necessary to the heavenly Canaan, as well as to distinguish them from the uncircumcised Canaanites they were coming among; and they did not think themselves under obligation to observe it till they came to settle in that land, as some think, who hereby account for their long neglect of it.

HE�RY, " The opportunity which this gave to the Israelites to circumcise those among them that were uncircumcised: At that time (Jos_5:2), when the country about them was in that great consternation, God ordered Joshua to circumcise the children of Israel, for at that time it might be done with safety even in an enemy's country; their hearts being melted, their hands were tied, that they could not take this advantage against them as Simeon and Levi did against the Shechemites, to come upon them when they were sore. Joshua could not be sure of this, and therefore, if he had ordered this general circumcision just at this time of his own head, he might justly have been censured as imprudent; for, how good soever the thing was in itself, in the eye of reason it was not seasonable at this time, and might have been of dangerous consequence; but, when God commanded him to do it, he must not consult with flesh and blood; he that bade them to do it would, no doubt, protect them and bear them out in it. Now observe,

1. The occasion there was for this general circumcision. (1.) All that came out of Egypt were circumcised, v. 5. while they had peace in Egypt doubtless they circumcised their children the eighth day according to the law. But after they began to be oppressed, especially when the edict was made for the destruction of their male infants, the administration of this ordinance was interrupted; many of them were uncircumcised, of whom there was a general circumcision, either during the time of the three days' darkness, as Dr. Lightfoot conjectures, or a year after, just before their eating the second

passover at Mount Sinai, and in order to that solemnity (Num_9:2) as many think. And it is with reference to that general circumcision that this is called a second, v. 2. But the learned Masius thinks it refers to the general circumcision of Abraham's family when that ordinance was first instituted, Gen_17:23. That first confirmed the promise of the land of Canaan, this second was a thankful celebration of the performance of that promise. But, (2.) All that were born in the wilderness, namely, after their walking in the wilderness, became by the divine sentence a judgment upon them for their disobedience, as is intimated by that repetition of the sentence, Jos_5:6. Al that were born since that fatal day on which God swore in his wrath that none of that generation should enter into his rest were uncircumcised. But what shall we say to this? Had not God enjoined it to Abraham, under a very severe penalty, that every man-child of his seed should be circumcised on the eighth day? Gen_17:9-14. Was it not the seal of the everlasting covenant? Was not so great a stress laid upon it when they were coming out of Egypt that when, immediately after the first passover, the law concerning that feast was made perpetual, this was one clause of it, that no uncircumcised person should eat of it, but should be deemed as a stranger? and yet, under the government of Moses himself, to have all their children that were born for thirty-eight years together left uncircumcised is unaccountable. So great an omission could not be general but by divine direction. Now, [1.] Some think circumcision was omitted because it was needless: it was appointed to be a mark of distinction between the Israelites and other nations, and therefore in the wilderness, where they were so perfectly separated from all and mingled with none, there was no occasion for it. [2.] Others think that they did not look upon the precept of circumcision as obligatory till they came to settle in Canaan; for in the covenant made with them at Mount Sinai nothing was said about circumcision, neither was it of Moses but of the fathers (Joh_7:22), and with particular reference to the grant of the land of Canaan, Gen_17:8. [3.] Others think that God favourably dispensed with the observance of this ordinance in consideration of the unsettledness of their state, and their frequent removals while they were in the wilderness. It was requisite that children after they were circumcised should rest for some time while they were sore, and stirring them might be dangerous to them; God therefore would have mercy and not sacrifice. This reason is generally acquiesced in, but to me it is not satisfactory, for sometimes they staid a year in a place (Num_9:22), if not much longer, and in their removals the little children, though sore, might be wrapped so warm, and carried so easy, as to receive no damage, and might certainly be much better accommodated than the mothers in travail or while lying in. Therefore, [4.] To me it seems to have been a continued token of God's displeasure against them for their unbelief and murmuring. Circumcision was originally a seal of the promise of the land of Canaan, as we observed before. It was in the believing hope of that good land that the patriarchs circumcised their children; but when God had sworn in his wrath concerning the men of was who came out of Egypt that they should be consumed in the wilderness, and never enter Canaan, nor come within sight of it (as that sentence is here repeated, Gen_17:6, reference being made to it), as a further ratification of that sentence, and to be a constant memorandum of it to them, all that fell under that sentence, and were to fall by it, were forbidden to circumcise their children, by which they were plainly told that, whatever others might, they should never have the benefit of that promise of which circumcision was the seal. And this was such a significant indication of God's wrath as the breaking of the tables of the covenant was when Israel had broken the covenant by making the golden calf. It is true that there is no express mention of this judicial prohibition in the account of that sentence; but an intimation of it in Num_14:33, Your children shall bear your whoredoms. It is probable the children of Caleb and Joshua were circumcised, for they were excepted out of that sentence, and of Caleb it is particularly said, To him will I give the land, and to his children (Deu_

1:36), which was the very promise that circumcision was the seal of: and Joshua is here told to circumcise the people, not his own family. Whatever the reason was, it seems that this great ordinance was omitted in Israel for almost forty years together, which is a plain indication that it was not of absolute necessity, nor was to be of perpetual obligation, but should in the fulness of time be abolished, as now it was for so long a time suspended.

2. The orders given to Joshua for this general circumcision (Jos_5:2): Circumcise again the children of Israel, not the same person, but the body of the people. Why was this ordered to be done now? Answ. (2.) Because now the promise of which circumcision was instituted to be the seal was performed. The seed of Israel was brought safely into the land of Canaan. “Let them therefore hereby own the truth of that promise which their fathers had disbelieved, and could not find in their hearts to trust to.” (2.) Because now the threatening of which the suspending of circumcision for thirty-eight years was the ratification was fully executed by the expiring of the forty years. That warfare is accomplished, that iniquity is pardoned (Isa_40:2), and therefore now the seal of the covenant is revived again. But why was it not done sooner? why not while they were resting some months in the plains of Moab? why not during the thirty days of their mourning for Moses? Why was it not deferred longer, till they had made some progress in the conquest of Canaan, and had gained a settlement there, at least till they had entrenched themselves, and fortified their camp? why must it be done the very next day after they had come over Jordan? Answ. Because divine Wisdom saw that to be the fittest time, just when the forty years were ended, and they had entered Canaan; and the reasons which human wisdom would have offered against it were easily overruled. [1.] God would hereby show that the camp of Israel was not governed by the ordinary rules and measures of war, but by immediate direction from God, who by thus exposing them, in the most dangerous moments, magnified his own power in protecting them even then. And this great instance of security, in disabling themselves for action just when they were entering upon action, proclaimed such confidence in the divine care for their safety as would increase their enemies' fears, much more when their scouts informed them not only of the thing itself that was done, but of the meaning of it, that it was a seal of the grant of this land to Israel. [2.] God would hereby animate his people Israel against the difficulties they were now to encounter, by confirming his covenant with them, which gave them unquestionable assurance of victory and success, and the full possession of the land of promise. [3.] God would hereby teach them, and us with them, in all great undertakings to begin with God, to make sure of his favour, by offering ourselves to him a living sacrifice (for that was signified by the blood of circumcision), and then we may expect to prosper in all we do. [4.] The reviving of circumcision, after it had been so long disused, was designed to revive the observance of other institutions, the omission of which had been connived at in the wilderness. This command to circumcise them was to remind them of that which Moses had told them (Deu_21:8), that when they should have come over Jordan they must not do as they had done in the wilderness, but must come under a stricter discipline. It was said concerning many of the laws God had given them that they must observe them in the land to which they were going, Deu_6:1; Deu_12:1. [5.] This second circumcision, as it is here called, was typical of the spiritual circumcision with which the Israel of God, when they enter into the gospel rest, are circumcised; it is the learned bishop Pierson's observation that this circumcision being performed under the direction of Joshua, Moses' successor, it points to Jesus as the true circumciser, the author of another circumcision than that of the flesh, commanded by the law, even the circumcision of the heart (Rom_2:29), called the circumcision of Christ, Col, Jos_2:11.

JAMISO�, "Jos_5:2-12. Circumcision is renewed.

At that time— on the encampment being made after the passage.

the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives— Stone knives, collect and make them ready. Flints have been used in the early times of all people; and although the use of iron was known to the Hebrews in the days of Joshua, probably the want of a sufficient number of metallic implements dictated the employment of flints on this occasion (compare Exo_4:25).

circumcise again the children of Israel the second time— literally, “return and circumcise.” The command did not require him to repeat the operation on those who had undergone it, but to resume the observance of the rite, which had been long discontinued. The language, however, evidently points to a general circumcising on some previous occasion, which, though unrecorded, must have been made before the celebration of the Passover at Sinai (compare Exo_12:48; Num_9:5), as a mixed multitude accompanied the camp. “The second time” of general circumcising was at the entrance into Canaan.

K&D, "Jos_5:2-8

At that time (sc., the time of their encampment at Gilgal, and when the Canaanites were in despair) Joshua had the people “circumcised again, the second time.” The word

or as an explanation of it, and ,שוב is only added to give emphasis to (a second time) שנית

is not to be pressed, either here or in Isa_11:11, as though it denoted the repetition of the same act in every respect, i.e., of an act of circumcision which had once before been performed upon the whole nation. It merely expresses this meaning, “circumcise the people again, or the second time, as it was formerly circumcised” (i.e., a circumcised people, not in the same manner in which it once before had circumcision performed upon it). When the people came out of Egypt they were none of them uncircumcised, as distinctly affirmed in Jos_5:5; but during their journey through the wilderness circumcision had been neglected, so that now the nation was no longer circumcised, and therefore it was necessary that circumcision should be performed upon the nation as a whole, by circumcising all who were uncircumcised. The opinion of Masius and O. v. Gerlach, that the expression “the second time” refers to the introduction of

circumcision, when Abraham was circumcised with all his house, is very far-fetched. צרים

are not “sharp knives,” but “stone חרבות knives,” which were used according to ancient

custom (see at Exo_4:25), literally knives of rocks (the plural zurim is occasioned by charboth, as in Num_13:32, etc.; the singular might have been used: see Ewald, §270, c.).

CALVI�, "2.At that time the Lord said, etc It seems very strange and almost

monstrous, that circumcision had so long been laid aside, especially as it became

those who were receiving daily admonitions to be more than usually careful to

cultivate the exercises of piety. It was the symbol of the adoption to which they owed

their freedom. And it is certain that when they were reduced to extremity and

groaning under tyranny, they always circumcised their children. We know also how

sternly God threatened to be an avenger against any one who should allow the

eighth day to pass. Had the observance been neglected in Egypt their carelessness

might have admitted of excuse, as at that time the covenant of God appeared to have

become in a manner obsolete. But now when the divine faithfulness in establishing

the covenant is once more refulgent, what excuse could there be for not testifying on

their part that they are the people of God

The apology which commentators offer is altogether frivolous. I admit that they

were constantly under arms, and always uncertain when they would require to

move. But I hold it erroneous to infer from this that they had not a day’s leisure,

and that it would have been cruel to circumcise tender infants when the camp must

shortly after have been moved. �othing ought to have weighed so much with them

as to produce a contemptuous disregard of what had been said to Abraham,

(Genesis 17:14) The soul that is not circumcised shall be cut off from the people. But

if there was risk of life in the circumcision, the best and only method was to trust to

the paternal providence of God, who certainly would not have allowed his own

precept to become fatal to infants. In short, the omission from a fear of danger,

could not originate in any other cause than distrust. But even had it been certain

that infants would be brought into danger, God ought nevertheless to have been

obeyed, inasmuch as the seal of the covenant by which they were received into the

Church was more precious than a hundred lives. �or would Moses have suffered

such cowardly procedure had he not been influenced by some different motive.

Moreover, though the point is doubtful, I presume that they did not desist from

circumcising their children, the very first day after their departure, but only after

they had been obliged to retrace their steps through their own perverseness. And in

this way both the defection and the punishment are accurately expressed, For it is

not said that circumcision was resumed, because the constant change of place

during their wanderings made it previously impossible, but because forty years

behooved to elapse until those wicked apostates who had cut themselves off from the

promised inheritance were consumed.

Attention should be paid to the reason here given, namely, that the children of Israel

wandered through the desert till the whole of the generation which had refused to

follow God was extinct; from this we may, in my opinion, infer, that the use of

circumcision ceased during the whole of that period as a sign of malediction or

rejection. It is true, indeed, that the penalty was inflicted on the innocent, but it was

expedient that the fathers should be chastised in their person, as if God were

repudiating them for the time to come. When they saw that their offspring differed

in no respect from profane persons and strangers, they had a plain demonstration of

what they themselves deserved.

Here, however, an inconsistency seems to arise in respect, first, that while they were

condemned, their offspring were immediately received into favor; and secondly, that

to themselves also was left a hope of pardon; and more especially, that they were not

deprived of the other sacraments of which they could not be partakers, except on

the ground of their being separated from profane nations.

The Lord, I admit, in rejecting them, declares at the same time that he will be

propitious to their children, but to behold in their offspring a sign of repudiation till

they themselves all perished, was salutary chastisement. For God withdrew the

pledge of his favor only for a time, and kept it, as it were, locked up until their

death. This punishment, therefore, was not properly inflicted on the children who

were afterwards born, but had the same effect as a suspension, just as if God were

making it manifest that he had put off circumcision for a time lest it should be

profaned, but was waiting for an opportunity of renewing it.

Should any one object that it was absurd to celebrate the Passover in

uncircumcision, I admit that it was so according to the usual order. For none were

admitted to the Passover and the sacrifices save those who were initiated into the

worship of God; just as in the present day the ordinance of the Supper is common

only to those who have been admitted into the Church by baptism. But the Lord

might choose for a time to alter the ordinary rule, and allow those from whom he

had taken away circumcision to be partakers of other sacred rites. Thus the people

were excommunicated in one matter, and yet, in the meanwhile, furnished with fit

aids to prevent them from falling into despair; just as if a father, offended with his

son, were to raise his fist, apparently to drive him away, and were at the same time

to detain him by his other hand, — were to frighten him by threats and blows, and

yet be unwilling to part with him. This seems to me to have been the reason why

God, while depriving the people of the special pledge of adoption, was, however,

unwilling to deprive them of other ordinances.

Should it be objected that there is a distinct assertion that none were circumcised on

the way after they had set out, I answer, that, with a view to brevity, all things are

not stated exactly, and yet that it may be gathered from the context that none

remained uncircumcised but those who were born after the sedition. For it is said

that their sons, whom God substituted for them, were circumcised by Joshua. From

this it appears that a new people were then created to supply the place of perverse

rebels. It was, moreover, a sad and severe trial that God did not choose to have the

people circumcised till they were hemmed in by enemies on every side. It would,

certainly, have been safer and more convenient to perform the rite before crossing

the Jordan, in the land of Bashan, which had been reduced to peace by the

overthrow of the inhabitants. The Lord waits till they are shut up in the midst of

enemies, and exposed to their lust and violence, as if he were purposely exposing

them to death; since all weakened by their wound must have given way at once, and

been slaughtered almost without resistance. For if in similar circumstances (Genesis

34:0) two sons of Jacob, were able to force their way into the town of Sichem and

plunder it, after slaying its citizens, how much more easy would it have been for the

neighboring nations to attack the Israelites while thus wounded, and make a general

massacre of them.

This was, therefore, as I have said, a very harsh trial, and hence the readiness with

which it was submitted to is deserving of the greater praise. The place itself,

however, appears to have been purposely selected by the divine wisdom, that they

might be more disposed to obey. Had the same command been given on the other

side of the Jordan, there was reason to fear that they might be cast into

despondency, and from the delay thus interposed might again decline to enter the

land. But now, when they had been brought into possession under happy auspices,

as if by the hand of God, and conceived from the removal of this one obstacle a sure

hope of warring with success, it is not wonderful if they obey more willingly than

they might have done if they had not been so singularly strengthened. The very sight

of the promised land must have furnished additional incentives, when they

understood that they were again consecrated to God, in order that their

uncircumcision might not pollute the holy land.

BE�SO�, "Joshua 5:2. At that time — �amely, the morning after the passage, on

the eleventh day of the first month, as Archbishop Usher and others have very

probably conjectured. On the thirteenth day they were sore of their wounds, on the

fourteenth they recovered, and on the even of that day kept the passover. Make thee

sharp knives — Or, knives of flints, as the original חרבות צרים, charboth tzurim,

more properly signifies, and is translated by Maimonides. These stones might be

found in abundance on the adjacent mountains; and it is likely, as Theodoret

observes, that after a pilgrimage of forty years in the wilderness of Arabia, the

Israelites might not be provided with knives of iron or steel, such as are now in use.

But whatever kind of knives may be here meant, those who had them already were

not hereby commanded to make others, but only to make them sharp. Again the

second time — This does not mean that those very persons who had before been

circumcised should be circumcised again, but that the rite or custom of

circumcising, which had been disused in the wilderness for some years, should be

again practised. That this is the sense, appears very evident from the following

verses. If it be inquired, when the former time, here referred to, was? it may be

answered, either in Egypt, when many of them, who, possibly through fear or

favour of the Egyptians, had neglected this duty, were circumcised by the command

of Moses; or at Sinai, when they received the passover, which no uncircumcised

person might do.

COFFMA�, "Verse 2

"At that time, Jehovah said unto Joshua, Make thee knives of flint, and circumcise

again the children of Israel the second time. And Joshua made him knives of flint,

and circumcised the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. And this is the

cause why Joshua did circumcise: all the people that came forth out of Egypt, that

were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they

came forth out of Egypt. For all the people that came out were circumcised; but all

the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of

Egypt, they had not been circumcised."

"The reason why circumcision was omitted in the wilderness was that a sentence of

death was upon that generation of murmurers (�umbers 14:28ff)."[7] The rebellion

of Israel which led to God's rejection of that entire generation also resulted in a

number of other conditions:

(1) Very little is recorded in the Books of Moses concerning what that whole

generation did. Critics have been very vocal about that, but the lesson is simple

enough. What any generation does after they have rebelled against God is of little or

no consequence in the eyes of the Lord. Even the things that are recorded, for

example, in the Book of �umbers, are written, not for their intrinsic importance,

but for the "learning" of subsequent generations (See 1 Corinthians 10:11).

(2) They also omitted the observance of the Passover. Why? "During that time the

Covenant was abrogated."[8] There is also the general impression throughout

�umbers that the whole sacrificial system was largely ignored during that period.

Indeed, some have supposed that the ceremony involving "the ashes of a red heifer"

was a kind of "short form" utilized by Israel during the wanderings, instead of a

strict observance of all the sacrifices laid out in the Book of Leviticus.

(3) The verses before us indicate that not even the rite of circumcision was observed

during this terrible 40-year period during which even those who were not

condemned to die in the wilderness were nevertheless under the curse of God's

displeasure. "Your children shall bear your whoredoms" (�umbers 14:33).

The one redeeming fact about the awful punishment that befell Israel in the

wilderness was that God, from the very first, promised to renew the nation to its

former favored position when the years of the sentence against them were ended.

Here is the great importance of what happened in these verses. Israel, by renewal of

their faithful observance of such things as circumcision and the Passover, after

having been assured of God's favor by their miraculous passage of the Jordan

River, were now once again possessors of the Covenant. The sentence of God against

them was now fully executed by the passing of the 40 years, and their feet were

firmly planted in Canaan!

These verses do not teach that any person was circumcised a second time. The

mention of the whole nation as being circumcised "a second time" applies only to

those for whom the rite had been omitted during the wanderings.[9] Keil pointed

out that the punishment of the sons of the murmurers (those under twenty years of

age) was very similar to that pronounced upon their fathers, except in this one thing,

that, "The sons were not to die in the wilderness, but enter Canaan after their

fathers were dead."[10] Keil also pointed out that the total number circumcised by

Joshua still left a great many Israelites who did not need to be circumcised and that

these were fully capable of protecting the nation in case of any heathen attack

during their recovery period from the circumcision.[11] Besides, there was that

panic which had immobilized all of Canaan. Jamieson estimated that at least 50,000

able-bodied soldiers remained who did not need to be circumcised on the occasion

here.[12]

We have discovered no reasonable explanation of why "flint knives" were used for

the circumcision reported here, other than the obvious fact that it seems to have

been traditional. Although, we do not trust the Septuagint (LXX) with any great

credibility here, it is written therein that, when Joshua was buried (Joshua 24:30),

"They put with him into the tomb in which they buried him, the knives of stone with

which he circumcised the children of Israel at Gilgal."[13]

Pink observed here that good military strategy would have demanded that Joshua

move quickly to take advantage of the panic that had spread with the news of their

crossing Jordan, adding that, "God's people follow not the ways nor employ the

devices of the world."[14] That truth surely appears here in the circumcision of the

people, carrying with it the inevitable remembrance of how Simeon and Levi had

taken advantage of the Shechemites in just such a situation (Genesis 34:18-30).

ELLICOTT, "THE CIRCUMCISIO� OF ISRAEL BY JOSHUA (Joshua 5:2-9).

(2) Make thee sharp knives.—Authorities are divided between the rendering “sharp

knives” and “knives of flint.” The first seems best supported, as far as the meaning

of the words is concerned. The expression is “knives of tsurim.” The word tsûr does

not seem anywhere to be connected with the material of the tool, but rather with the

edge of it. Knives of keen edge is, therefore, the better translation. At the same time

they may have been stone knives in this instance. The idea that they were so is

supported by an addition in the LXX. to Joshua 24:30 : “They put with him

(Joshua) into the tomb . . . the knives of stone with which he circumcised the

children of Israel . . . and there they are to this day.” The ceremony being a kind of

special consecration, it is not unlikely to have been performed with special

instruments, which were not used before or after. Comp. Psalms 89:43, “Thou hast

turned the tsûr (keen edge) of his sword;” 2 Samuel 2:16, “Helkath Hazzurim”—i.e.,

the field of keen blades; Exodus 4:25, “Zipporah took a tzôr “; Ezekiel 3:9, “an

adamant harder than tzôr.”

TRAPP, "Joshua 5:2 At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp

knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.

Ver. 2. Make thee sharp knives.] Heb., Knives of edges, or knives of flints, cultros

lapideos (so one rendereth it) id est, cote acutos.

And circumcise again the children of Israel the second time,] viz., Those that yet are

uncircumcised: for they could not be twice circumcised, unless by drawing up the

foreskin with a surgeon’s instrument, any of them had made themselves again

uncircumcised, as the Rabbis say Esau had; and as some Jews had done for fear of

Antiochus. {/APC 1Ma 1:15} But here it is rather to be understood of such as,

during their abode in the wilderness, had intermitted this ordinance; and God had

dispensed with them because of their frequent and sudden removes. Vatablus’s note

here is very good, Transierunt filii Israel Iordanem incircumcisi ne hoc suae

circumcision et meritis tribuerent: The Israelites passed over Jordan uncircumcised,

that they might not attribute it to their circumcision and merits. Another well notes,

that by this seal of the covenant with Abraham, God did now notably confirm their

faith in the promise of both the earthly and heavenly Canaan.

COKE, "Ver. 2. At that time the Lord said unto Joshua— This was the morning

after the passage, the 11th day of the first month, as the learned Usher and others

have very probably conjectured.

Make thee sharp knives— Or, as in the Margin of our Bibles, knives of flints; which

stones might be found in great plenty on the adjacent mountains: and, as Theodoret

observes, perhaps, after a pilgrimage of forty years in the solitary wilderness of

Arabia, the Hebrews might not be provided with knives of iron or steel, such as we

now use. 'Tis very evident, that Joshua here commands them to provide knives, and

it is by no means improbable that they were made of flint. The Jews acknowledge in

the Talmud, that flints, glass, or quills of reed, might be used for killing of beasts.

Whence Hackspan apprehends, that as knives of stone were sufficient for killing of

animals, they might be employed in circumcision. He adds, however, that the rabbis

forbad the use of reeds in this operation, because there was danger lest they might

hurt the part. They at present circumcise in the east with knives made of stone, in

imitation of Zipporah, who is said to have set the example in the circumcision of her

son; see Exodus 4:25 but this matter is very uncertain: Be it as it may, we cannot

doubt that the use of knives and axes of stone were common among the ancients.

The Americans commonly make use of stones for knives, razors, and lancets. Thus

every thing tends to give the Hebrew word צור tzur its natural signification, and to

confirm Maimonides's translation, who renders it, not sharp knives, but knives of

stone. Justin Martyr and Theodoret, who likewise give this version, think there was

something mysterious in the life of these knives; something emblematical of the

spiritual circumcision of Christians; because Jesus Christ is called a rock in 1

Corinthians 10:4. See Scheuchzer on the place.

And circumcise again the children of Israel the second time— This badly-translated

passage has given room for strange notions, both among the Jews, and with several

Christian interpreters. It does not imply that they were now to be circumcised, who

had already undergone that operation. Indeed, the rabbis pretend that this was the

case; and St. Augustine informs us, that some ancient doctors, on this supposition,

founded a necessity of repeating baptism. But, whatever the Jews may advance

respecting the imperfect manner in which circumcision was administered in the

wilderness, it has no foundation but in their fancy. All that God here commands, is,

"to resume the custom of circumcision, which, generally speaking, was neglected in

the desart." But if it be asked, When was this injunction to revive circumcision first

given? We answer, probably at the foot of mount Sinai, in the first month of the

second year after the departure from Egypt. Some are of opinion, that the

expression, a second time, refers to the circumcision of Abraham and his family. It is

well known, that, on the 14th day of the first month, the Israelites were called to the

solemn celebration of the passover; and that, according to the law, no one could

share in the solemnities of that feast if uncircumcised, or even if any one of his

family or household was so. Certainly then, Moses took care to have all those

circumcised who had neglected in Egypt to assume this token of the covenant: and

though it be nowhere said that circumcision was so neglected in Egypt, especially

during the year in which the Israelites left it, we may easily conceive, that in their

servitude, wherein they groaned under the cruel yoke of the Egyptians, and

afterwards in the long and toilsome marches which they had to make till their

arrival at mount Sinai, several of them had dispensed with the performance of their

duty. Perhaps, even, the frequent absence of Moses at the beginning of their stay in

the neighbourhood of Sinai favoured this negligence of the parents towards their

children; so that, on the eve of celebrating the passover, Moses was obliged to rectify

this evil, by ordering, without delay, those to be circumcised who had neglected that

sacrament. Here Joshua receives orders to require the same thing; and as this is the

second time of giving that command, it is expressed in those terms which specify the

repetition of it, and amounts to this, namely, let the ceremony of circumcision, which

has been so long discontinued, be renewed.

WHEDO�, "2. At that time — That is, during the interval of four days between the

passage of Jordan and the passover, (see Joshua 4:19, note,) and while their foes are

dismayed and panic-stricken. This was a very opportune occasion to perform the

rite of circumcision, which for a season unfitted its subjects for military duty.

Circumcise again… the second time — This does not imply that there had been a

previous time of general circumcising, as some say, at Sinai, but a previous state of

circumcision. See Joshua 5:5. The rite was not performed twice on the same

individual, but the sense is, Resume again the rite of circumcision as it was practiced

forty years ago.

The children of Israel — All the males who were born after the Hebrews left Egypt.

Sharp knives — Hebrew, knives of rocks, stones, or flints.

Such an instrument was used by Zipporah in circumcising the son of Moses. Exodus

4:25. Knives among rude barbarians are first made of flint. It is probable that this

was used in the first circumcision by the patriarchs, and the same instrument was

used by Joshua not from necessity — for he had iron tools — but from deference to

ancient custom. It is said also that the wound made with a sharp stone is less liable

to inflammation than one made with metal. These knives were to be made for the

occasion, as it would not be proper to use in a religious rite instruments employed in

common uses. Knives that had been used for other purposes might inoculate the

circumcised person with the virus of some disease. Hiob Ludolph, in his history of

the Ethiopians, speaks of a tribe of the Alnaei who performed the rite with stone

knives as recently as one hundred and sixty years ago. According to the Septuagint

version of Joshua 24:30, the stone knives used on this occasion were deposited in the

tomb of Joshua as sacred relics. Perhaps some modern geologists would consider

them relics of a “stone age.”

Verses 2-9

CIRCUMCISIO� RESTORED, Joshua 5:2-9.

[It seems at first sight strange that the chosen people for forty years neglected

circumcision. The clue to a proper explanation of this neglect is furnished in the

following verses, especially in Joshua 5:9, where allusion is made to the reproach of

Egypt. This reproach is explained, in Exodus 32:12; �umbers 14:13-16;

Deuteronomy 9:28, as the scoffing words and ridicule which the Egyptians would so

naturally utter against the Hebrews when the latter suffered from God’s anger.

After the rebellion and murmuring at Kadesh, Jehovah condemned that generation

to perish in the wilderness. �umbers 14:29-34. During the forty years that followed

they were under the ban of that sweeping curse, and observed neither circumcision

nor the passover. These sacraments were sacred seals of their covenant with

Jehovah, and, the covenant being broken by their rebellion, that cursed generation

could not renew it. See further on Joshua 5:5-6. But the mighty miracle of the

Jordan, which now spread terror among the nations, silenced this reproach, and

hence the propriety of renewing the covenant in Gilgal.]

CO�STABLE, "Verses 2-9

"The book of Joshua continues as a dialogue between the divine and human

commander." [�ote: Butler, p58.]

Flint knives ( Joshua 5:2) were sharp flint rocks (obsidian). The first mass

circumcision of the Israelites evidently took place in Egypt before the first Passover

and the Exodus.

"The sentence upon the fathers, that their bodies should fall in the desert, was

unquestionably a rejection of them on the part of God, an abrogation of the

covenant with them. This punishment was also to be borne by their sons; and hence

the reason why those who were born in the desert by the way were not

circumcised." [�ote: Keil and Delitzsch, p55.]

Another explanation is that most of the older generation simply neglected to

circumcise their sons out of forgetfulness, discouragement, or for some other reason.

Why did God wait to command the circumcision of the new generation until now

rather than on the plains of Moab? Perhaps He did so because He wanted to bring

the people into the land before enforcing this aspect of the Law. This is consistent

with God"s dealings with humankind. He first gives and then asks (cf. Romans

12:1).

"Had Joshua acted on the principles common to all other generals, when invading

an enemy"s country, he would either have prosecuted his advantages instantly,

while his enemies were filled with terror, and crushed them before they had time to

prepare for their defence [sic]; or he would have fortified his own camp to prevent

surprise, and to be in constant readiness for any emergency that might arise. But

instead of adopting any military plans whatever, the very day after he had invaded

the country, without waiting to know what effect the invasion would have, he

appoints nearly every male in the congregation to be circumcised! Thus by one act

disabling the greater part of his whole army from even standing in their own

defence [sic]! What but a principle of the most triumphant faith could have brought

them to submit to such an injunction as this?" [�ote: Bush, p56.]

The reproach of Egypt ( Joshua 5:9) was the charge that originated with the

Egyptians that Yahweh had led the Israelites out of Egypt only to destroy them in

the wilderness (cf. Exodus 32:12; �umbers 14:13-16; Deuteronomy 9:28). �ow that

He had brought them into the land He had promised them, He had negated or

"rolled away" this criticism. Gilgal sounds like the Hebrew word translated

"rolling" (galal) and means "circle." Another view is that the reproach of Egypt

refers to the disgrace the Israelites experienced in Egyptian slavery. When the

Israelites obeyed God by circumcising their young men, the Lord"s deliverance of

them reached its climax. [�ote: Butler, p59.]

The Israelites seem to have regarded the rolling away of the foreskins in the

circumcision operation as having a double symbolic meaning. It represented God"s

removal of their reproach as well as their renunciation of the flesh (cf. Genesis 17).

"Flint knives [cf. Exodus 4:25] are sharpened by chipping away at the edge of the

stone, so that clean, sterile stone is exposed, since bacteria and viruses cannot grow

in rock. Circumcision was thus performed with an instrument possessing

comparable sterility to today"s surgical scalpels. In view of the likelihood of

infection following this operation with a contaminated instrument, use of the flint

knife was enormously beneficial and therefore commanded by the Ultimate Healer

(or in this case the preventer). [�ote: Jay D. Fawver and R. Larry Overstreet,

"Moses and Preventive Medicine," Bibliotheca Sacra147:587 (July-

September):277.]

God specified knives of flint even though this was the Late Bronze Age (1550-1200

B.C.), and bronze implements were common.

PETT, "Verse 2

‘At that time YHWH said to Joshua, “Make yourself knives of flint and circumcise

again the children of Israel the second time.” ’

This did not mean circumcising those who were already circumcised for a second

time (see Joshua 5:7), but reintroducing circumcision as something to be carried out

on those who had not been circumcised during the journey through the wilderness

and what followed.

Circumcision was an ancient rite practised in both Egypt and Canaan, and

Abraham, having arrived from the north, was told to adopt the practise as a sign of

YHWH’s covenant with him (Genesis 17). �o one who was uncircumcised was to be

allowed to eat the Passover (Exodus 12:44; Exodus 12:48). Thus Abraham

circumcised the whole of his family tribe ‘the first time’. Then from Abraham to the

Exodus the rite of circumcision on the eighth day after birth was carried out on

every male child as a continuation of that ceremony. But the journey from Egypt

had interrupted the rite, for no circumcision took place in the wilderness. Thus it

had to commence as a group matter ‘a second time’. It had possibly not been seen as

helpful for people to be circumcised while constantly travelling due to the days of

soreness that followed, and we must presume that Moses considered that YHWH

Himself had given them a dispensation from it for the period.

Joshua used flint knives for the performance of the rite, even though it was at a time

when the use of metal was well known and metal knives were to hand. It is clear

from this that the ceremony was seen as so sacred, and so ancient, that the original

methods had to be followed. Moses’ failure to circumcise his son had led to almost

fatal illness until the situation was remedied (Exodus 4:24-26). A flint was also used

there. The use of flint knives, freshly prepared from new flints, meant that the

knives were naturally the equivalent of having been sterilised, which metal knives

would not have been.

Circumcision was an ancient institution not limited to the family tribe of Abraham

and was practised in Egypt in the Old Kingdom period. But there it was carried out

during boyhood rather than at infancy. A sixth dynasty Egyptian tomb relief depicts

a boy being circumcised, probably with a flint knife, and two prisoners of a

Canaanite king depicted on a 12th century BC Megiddo ivory, were also

circumcised. But it is clear that in Abraham’s family tribe circumcision was not

practised up to Genesis 17, and it was not generally practised in Mesopotamia from

where Abraham came. Modern medicine has shown the value of circumcision in

protecting the health of those who live in semi-desert conditions as it helps to

prevent foreign bodies becoming trapped under the foreskin.

PI�K, "Circumcision

That which is to engage our attention on this occasion, as in the article following, is

still concerned with what was preparatory to the real task awaiting Israel, and is

found in what, strictly speaking, belongs unto the introductory portion of Joshua,

rather than to the body of the book, where Israel’s conquest and occupation of

Canaan is the distinctive subject. Yet it is in these opening chapters that the Holy

Spirit has (in typical form) revealed the fundamental secrets of success in the

Christian warfare and their present enjoyment of the heritage which Christ has

procured for them. It is therefore all the more needful for us to proceed slowly and

seek to thoroughly assimilate these initial truths if we are to obtain the richest

benefit from them. The first thing absolutely indispensable to Israel’s possession of

Canaan was their crossing of the Jordan. That, as we have shown, was a figure of

the Christian passing through death and judgment in the person of his Surety and

then his entrance into "life." It is only one who is on resurrection ground that is

qualified to overcome the foes which would prevent him possessing his possessions.

Equally essential is it for the Christian to experience in a spiritual and practical way

that which marked Israel’s history at Gilgal.

"At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise

the children of Israel the second time" (Josh. 5:2). With those words chapter 5 ought

to begin, for verse 1 in our Bibles obviously concludes the preceding one. Here in

verses 2-9 the Holy Spirit has recorded what took place in Gilgal, namely, the

circumcising of Israel. The narration of that important event is introduced by

informing us when it occurred—a detail which must not be overlooked when

seeking the spiritual application unto ourselves. "At that time," i.e., first when the

Lord their God had so signally shown Himself strong in their behalf by performing

a miracle of mercy for them. Second, when they had just passed through the river

which spake of death and judgment. Third, as soon as they had set foot within the

borders of their promised inheritance. Fourth, four days before the Passover, as a

necessary pre-requisite and qualification for them to participate in that feast. Fifth,

ere they began the real task of possessing their possessions—by vanquishing those

who would seek to prevent their enjoyment of the same. We shall ponder first the

literal or historical meaning of this for the natural Israel, and then its application

unto and significance as it respects the spiritual Israel, the Church of Christ.

The "circumcise the children of Israel the second time" requires a word of

explanation. It should be apparent at once that the reference is not unto a repetition

of a painful operation upon those who had previously been circumcised, but rather

in contrast from a general circumcising of Israel on an earlier occasion. In the light

of Joshua 24:14, Ezekiel 20:7, 8 and 23:3 it is clear that during their lengthy sojourn

in Egypt the children of Israel departed grievously from the revelation which God

had made unto their fathers, and the statutes (Gen. 26:5) He had given them; and

judging from the case of Moses’ own son (Ex. 4:24, 25), there is little doubt that the

ordinance of circumcision had been generally, if not universally, neglected and

omitted by them. The words "God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with

Isaac, and with Jacob" (Ex. 2:24, and 6:5) imply that Israel had forgotten it. The

express prohibition that none should partake of the Passover, save those who were

circumcised (Ex. 12:48, 49), and the added statement. "Thus did all the children of

Israel: as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they," denotes that

circumcision had at last been administered—probably at the beginning of the "thick

darkness which was upon all Egypt" for the "three days" (Ex. 10:21) that preceded

the Passover night.

BI 2-9, "Make thee sharp knives and circumcise.

The circumcising at Gilgal

Even those comparatively unenlightened people must have realised that there was deep spiritual significance in the administration of that rite at that juncture. On more than one occasion they had heard Moses speak of circumcising the heart, and they must have felt that God meant to teach them the vanity of trusting to their numbers, or prowess, or martial array. Their strength was nothing to Him. The land was not to be won by their might, but to be taken from His hand as a gift. Self and the energy of the flesh must be set aside, that the glory of coming victory might be of God and not of man. We must be content to be reckoned among the things that are not, if we are to be used to bring to nought the things that are, “that no flesh should glory in His presence.” We, too, must have our Gilgal. It is not enough to acknowledge as a general principle that we are dead and risen with Christ, we must apply it to our inner and outer life. We have no warrant to say that sin is dead, or that the principle of sin is eradicated, but that we are dead to it in our standing, and are dead to it also in the reckoning of faith. But for this we need the gift of the Blessed Spirit, in His Pentecostal fulness. It was by the Eternal Spirit that our Lord offered Himself in death upon the Cross, and it is by Him alone that we can mortify the deeds of the body. For, first, the spirit of self is so subtle. It is like a taint in the blood, which, stayed in one place, breaks out in another. Protean in its shapes and ubiquitous in its hiding-places, it requires omniscience to discover, and omnipresence to expel. And, secondly, only the Spirit of God has cords strong enough to bind us to the

altar of death; to remind us in the hour of temptation; to enable us to look to Jesus for His grace; to inspire us with the passion of self-immolation; to keep us true and steady to the resolves of our holiest moments; to apply the withering fire of the Cross of Jesus to the growth of our self-conceit and self-energy—for all these the grace of the Spirit is indispensable. He is the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, therefore He must be the Spirit of death to all that pertains to the old Adam. There is a sense in which all believers have been circumcised in Christ; but there is another sense in which it is needful for them to pass one after another through the circumcision of Christ which is not made with hands, and which consists in the putting off of the body of the flesh. To that all who would lead a life of victory and inherit the land of promise must submit. The process may be sharp, for the knife does not spare pain. But it is in the hands of Jesus, the lover of souls. Oh, shrink not from it! (F. B Meyer, B. A.)

Christian character

The more a man learns of God, the more he knows of grace. If we would apply to ourselves spiritually the lessons of the circumcision in the land, we must give the grace of God, which led to the circumcision, full place, and remember that God asks for the devotion of His people, because He has, in Christ, brought them into perfect favour. Was it by observing God’s ordinances, or was it through God’s almighty grace that Israel entered the land of promise? They entered it as a nation in uncircumcision, and therefore exclusively by God’s sovereign grace. And why did God not seek for circumcision from the people of Israel, so long as they walk in the wilderness? The wilderness was the scene of their distrust of God. A distrusting spirit is ignorant of God’s real character, and consequently is not morally fitted for separation to Himself; but God, having brought us by His grace to know ourselves to be in the heavenly places in Christ, seeks separation to Himself, corresponding with the liberty into which He has brought us. Grace known and realised is the only true power for heart separation to God. Circumcision with Israel was merely a carnal ordinance, and, in common with all ordinances, gave neither power for communion with God, nor for conflict with His enemies. It was a sign that the children of Israel were God’s earthly family, and a people separated from all the rest of mankind. The circumcision made without hands, with which the Christian is circumcised, in Christ, is a separation to God from the whole world. As the people of Israel, because brought through the Jordan, were enjoined by God to be circumcised, and their careless wilderness ways were allowed no longer, so the Christian, because he has died with Christ to the world, and to his old self, is exhorted to mortify his members, and his worldly ways are no longer permitted. This mortification is simply self-denial, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Man naturally loves sin; he loves his own way which is the essence of sin; but he who lives in Christ is called to die to himself in daily walk and conduct. There is no way of living to Christ but by dying to self. It was by no means sufficient to Israel to know that they went across the Jordan, in order to enjoy the riches of the inheritance; for until circumcision was effected none of Canaan’s food was spread before them, nor were they called to conflict. And we may be sure that so long as we walk in the flesh and please ourselves, there can be no communion—no feeding upon Christ. Neither can there be any victories for the Lord, unless self is subdued. Satan would beguile the youthful believer into the misty atmosphere of a Canaan of the imagination, where the flesh is allowed to work. In this aerial Christianity, circumcision—self-mortification—is not permitted; the practical result of being dead with Christ is not allowed to wound the will. But there is no stability of soul, no solid devotedness. Such a believer is like the insect, which, well-nigh composed of wings, and

possessing scarcely any weight, is driven from the flower garden by the first storm. Sorrowful as is the result of letting the imagination carry away the soul, perhaps the effect of accepting Divine truth in intellectualism is more so. A Christian holding the doctrine of death with Christ, and resurrection with Christ, in the understanding only, goes out from the sunlight of God’s presence into a land of deathlike coldness. If circumcision in its spiritual signification were rightly valued, such abuses of the truth of God would certainly find no place in the believer’s heart. To mortify our members is not a painless exercise. Saying, “We are dead,” is not mortifying; but it is to deny the wishes of our old nature because “we are dead” (Rom_8:13). The mere fact of the people of Israel’s entrance into Canaan did not constitute them at liberty before God. They were brought into the land of promise by the passage of the Jordan, but were not pronounced free by Jehovah until circumcised. God’s liberty for His people is that of His own making, and therefore perfect. It is what He thoroughly approves and delights in. And the means by which, step by step, He brings His people into the enjoyment of this liberty, is grace. If we are God’s free men, it is evidently in the land of promise that we have liberty, for only in the fulness of God’s favour can we experience His rolling away the reproach of our bondage. (The Gospel in the Book of Joshua.)

Why was circumcision suspended in the wilderness?

Some have said that, owing to the circumstances in which the people were, it would not have been convenient, perhaps 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 wilderness. 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. Probably 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, only a suspension. 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 have 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. 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 proved 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 demand a word of explanation. The first is the statement that “all the people that were born in the wilderness . . . they had not circumcised” (Jos_5:5). If the view be 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 (Jos_5:9). 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. What seems the most likely explanation 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, they 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. But now the tables are turned on the Egyptians. The restoration of circumcision stamps this people once more as the people of God. (G. W. Blaikie, D. D.)

The reproach of Egypt

By this reproach we are to understand all that stigma which clung to Israel through its relation to Egypt. This stigma had two aspects, an inner and an outer; an active and a passive. It consisted in that feeling of humiliation and self-reproach, which must have rested on the heart of every intelligent and pious Israelite during the wilderness wanderings. And it also consisted in the feeling of scorn and contempt with which their great oppressors the Egyptians must have looked upon them during all that period. In its inward aspect, the reproach of Egypt was caused by spiritual assimilation to Egypt. Moses had said, “The Lord will put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.” This difference was manifested in many striking ways, during the progress of Israel’s gradual emancipation. But when this rite was in abeyance, this difference was lost in a measure. Physically, there was no difference between the children born in Egypt after the Exodus and those born in the wilderness. Circumcision was, as it were, God’s brand on His people marking them for His own. Its lack proclaimed that they were “Lo Ammi,” not God’s people. But there could be no greater outward stigma than this. It was Israel’s glory to be Jehovah’s peculiar people and to bear in their bodies the seal of His covenant. From this height of privilege they looked down on all men. For an Israelite, therefore, to consider his position during the forty years, would be to acknowledge that there was no difference, so far, between him and an Egyptian. Jehovah was no longer, in this mode of outward recognition, his God. But there was a deeper and more potent assimilation, of which the outward and physical was only the sign. There was on the part of Israel assimilation to Egypt in spirit. They reproached God for their redemption, saying that He had brought them from Egypt to destroy them; they actually went the length of appointing a leader to guide them back to the house of bondage. What could be more grievous than such sin? what could more plainly show their assimilation in heart to Egypt? Therefore to a pious and penitent Israelite there was here cause for the deepest abasement. His cry in self-reproach would be, “My sin is ever before me.” This also would be implied in the inner aspect of the reproach of Egypt. But in addition to this inner aspect of the reproach, there is also the outer to be considered. The reproach of Egypt not only consisted in those feelings which must have taken possession of a pious Israelite, but also in those taunts which must have been hurled at them by Egypt. Their haughty taskmasters would no doubt make their former bondmen a subject of reproach and mocking scorn. They would look down upon them, and speak of them with unutterable contempt. They would describe them as a despicable race of worthless runaways. And they would also find good cause for merriment in the prolonged wanderings in the wilderness. “Where are all their high hopes?” they might have said. “They have ended in smoke. A great deal better off they are now than they were with us,

hungering and thirsting in that desert, instead of living on the fat of the land! A nice wild-goose chase that famous Moses has led them.” Such was the reproach of Egypt; but here and now it is rolled away. By this act at Gilgal Israel is no longer assimilated to Egypt in body. The knives of flint have again put a difference between Israel and Egypt. Each man bears in his body the mark of Jehovah’s covenant. And seeing the land of Canaan was God’s gift to them as Abraham’s seed, and to Abraham’s seed as faithful to Jehovah, i.e., as circumcised, this act was a Divine and formal conveyance of the land to these men of Israel. Thus at Gilgal the title-deeds of Canaan were signed, sealed, and delivered; and thus again, the reproach of Egypt was rolled away. Israel is no longer a homeless wanderer but an heir of God. Also the assimilation to Egypt in spirit has come to an end. No longer are they uncircumcised in heart. Never again do they cast a longing, lingering look behind. Surely this transaction is also recorded for our instruction and reproof. Gilgal says, “Put off the old man with his affections and lusts; put off all moral and spiritual assimilation to the world. Crucify the flesh and its deceitful lusts. Mortify the deeds of the body.” The great need of the present age is to be brought in spirit to Gilgal, i.e., to learn to the very centre of our souls the spirit of self-sacrifice. The process may be painful, like cutting off a right arm or plucking out a right eye; yet it is the necessary sequel of entrance into God’s inheritance. And as it is the necessary sequel of entrance, so is it the necessary prelude to worship and to victory. There can be no true worship of God except our hearts are cleansed from the filthiness of the flesh. There can be no true victory for God, either within or without, except our souls are purged from the power of sin. (A. B. Mackay.)

The consecration of the Lord’s host at Gilgal; or, a revival

The need, the tokens, and the blessedness of this revival are set before us.

(1) Its need appears in the reproach of Egypt.

(2) Its tokens are the restoration of ordinances.

(3) Its blessedness consists in the return of favour.

I. Let us first dwell upon the need of Israel’s revival, as seen in the reproach of Egypt. There are many among us who have indeed left Egypt. To the questions, “Is the Lord among us, or not?—Are we His people?” they can humbly answer “Yes”; for He has given them sure pledges of their interest in the everlasting covenant. And yet, if asked to give a reason of the hope that is in them, they would not be ready. The answer of faith can scarce find utterance amid the sins and shortcomings that compass them round, and testify against them. Their words, their tempers, their works, their experiences, all seem to give the lie to their Christian profession and to their hope. The world of unbelievers, too, joins issue against them, and, discerning their failures and inconsistencies, derides their religion, calls them hypocrites, and prophesies their doom. This “reproach of Egypt,” lies heavy upon God’s saints who thus walk in darkness.

II. The narrative goes on to tell of the tokens of Israel’s revival, as seen in the restoration of ordinances. As the sacrament of baptism perpetuates and expands the teaching of the rite of circumcision, so that of the Lord’s Supper repeats the lessons of the Passover. The Christian ordinance looks back, as the Jewish sacrifice looked forward, to the death of Jesus as our substitute. Since the fall of Adam, there has been but this one way of salvation. May we, amid our fuller privileges, and clearer light, approach the same God whom Israel worshipped, confiding in the same atonement, and renew our covenant with Him in the breaking of bread, and the drinking of the cup of blessing. Our feast

similarly commemorates the past, the present, and the future: for we herein shew forth an accomplished redemption, our own reconciliation thereby, and our participation in our Saviour’s love at the marriage feast above.

III. It remains for us now to speak of the blessedness of Israel’s revival, as seen in the return of favour.

1. First, the Lord expressly declares to Joshua, as the head and representative of the nation, “This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.” Blessed assurance!

2. Beside the answer of God to Joshua, a second gracious token was granted. The enemy was still as a stone. With blanched cheeks and palpitating hearts, the Canaanites looked on and saw the people all en-camped at Gilgal. Now, shall not Israel, with soldierly decision, seize on the opportunity, and ere they have recovered from their panic, strike a decisive blow, and so possess the land? Such is not the Lord’s order: but until the fourteenth day of the month the men of war are shut up in their tents; and then, as though in a land of peace, during a full week the Passover is kept throughout their families.

3. Was it not providentially ordered by a loving Father that Israel should be brought into the land at the time of harvest? Thus temporal supplies shall not fail those whom God accepts and approves: thus, also, spiritual provision shall never fail God’s people.

4. The close of the chapter presents us with a fourth token of the return of favour to Israel, in the manifestation to Joshua of the great Angel of the Covenant, with His drawn sword lifted, not in vengeance against Israel, but against their foes. This was the promised angel who should go before them, and lead them to victory. (G. W. Butler, M. A.

Gilgal

I. Attention to the special services which we owe to God ought to stand before all other considerations. What is religion? The question seems a simple one; but, indeed, it is one the true answer to which involves a great deal. The term is a most comprehensive one, including all that men should believe and all that men should do. A religious person is one whose heart has been imbued with Christian truth, and whose affection has laid hold on God as revealed in the Scriptures with a firm grasp; a person whose life, regulated increasingly by such principles, manifests more and more of the beauty of holiness. In religion, then, we come to deal with the doctrine and the practice of the Bible. It tells of what may alarm, and what may soothe. It shows a reality of wretchedness, want, guilt and death in which men are by nature; and a reality of joy, perfection, righteousness and life in which they may be by grace. It appeals to men as immortal beings, urges on them the consideration of their immortal interests, and in the words of Him, around whom all true religion circles and to whom it is intended to lead, charges all thus: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” I would ask you, seriously, should not this matter have our first and most solemn consideration? Is there any matter which ought to engage us before this?

II. We may repose implicit confidence in God while walking in his ways and aiming at his glory. Men are never losers by religion. The man who can style himself servant of Christ has a Master whose service is the guarantee for every possible good. Affairs and matters come to be so differently weighed and estimated, when heavenly wisdom is granted for the test, that it is no wonder to find men reckoning gains and losses,

probabilities and duties, by a standard the reverse of that which they formerly used. What if we had accosted the leader of the hosts of Israel when he promulgated the order for observing circumcision and the Passover at Gilgal? Suppose that we had said, Strike your decisive blow; push on at once; select your picked men, and leave the rest to fortify your position, and to take care of the women and children; go straight up to Jericho. Your rite of circumcision Will render you defenceless, your paschal feast is hardly fitted to such a critical position and such unusual circumstances as yours. Suppose that we had argued with Joshua thus. Would not his reply have been, “We can trust God: we know Him. He has said, ‘I will not fail you, nor forsake you’”? (C. D. Marston, M. A.)

Time taken for religious duties is not lost

Dr. James Hamilton once related an anecdote which illustrates a vital question in the Christian life. A writer recounts it as follows: “A gallant officer was pursued by an overwhelming force, and his followers were urging him to greater speed, when he discovered that his saddle-girth was becoming loose. He coolly dismounted, repaired the girth by tightening the buckle, and then dashed away. The broken buckle would have left him on the field a prisoner; the wise delay to repair damages sent him on in safety amid the huzzas of his comrades.” The Christian who is in such haste to get about his business in the morning that he neglects his Bible and his season of prayer rides all day with a broken buckle.

3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.[b]

BAR�ES, "The hill of the foreskins - i. e. the hill where the foreskins, the emblem of all worldly and carnal affections, were buried. (Compare Col_2:11-13; Col_3:1-6.)

GILL, "And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the children of Israel,.... Not that Joshua circumcised them himself, any more than he made the knives himself, but he ordered both to be done, and took care that they were done. And as any that had skill might make the knives, so might any circumcise; circumcision was not restrained to any order of men, not to the priests and Levites, but any might perform it; so that though the number to be circumcised was great, it might soon be finished: and this was done

at the hill of the foreskins; as the place was afterward called from hence; these being heaped up one upon another, made a hill of them, as the Jews say (y), being covered with dust. This circumcision performed by Joshua, or his orders, was typical of the spiritual circumcision without hands, which those that believe in Jesus, the antitype of Joshua, partake of.

HE�RY, " The people's obedience to these orders. Joshua circumcised the children of Israel (Jos_5:3), not himself with his own hands, but he commanded that it should be done, and took care that it was done: it might soon be despatched, for it was not necessary that it should be done by a priest or Levite, but any one might be employed to do it. All those that were under twenty years old when the people were numbered at Mount Sinai, and not being numbered with them fell not by the fatal sentence, were circumcised, and by them all the rest might be circumcised in a little time. The people had promised to hearken to Joshua as they had hearkened to Moses (Jos_1:17), and here they gave an instance of their dutifulness by submitting to this painful institution, and not calling him for the sake of it a bloody governor, as Zipporah because of the circumcision called Moses a bloody husband.

4. The names given to the place where this was done, to perpetuate the memory of it. (1.) It was called the hill of the foreskins, v. 3. Probably the foreskins that were cut off were laid on a heap, and covered with earth, so that they made a little hillock. (2.) It was called Gilgal, from a word which signifies to take away, from that which God said to Joshua (v. 9), This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt. God is jealous for the honour of his people, his own honour being so much interested in it; and, whatever reproach they may lie under for a time, first or last it will certainly be rolled away, and every tongue that riseth up against them he will condemn. [1.] Their circumcision rolled away the reproach of Egypt. they were hereby owned to be the free-born children of God, having the seal of the covenant in their flesh, and so the reproach of their bondage in Egypt was removed. They were tainted with the idolatry of Egypt, and that was their reproach; but now that they were circumcised it was to be hoped they would be so entirely devoted to God that the reproach of their affection to Egypt would be rolled away. [2.] Their coming safely to Canaan rolled away the reproach of Egypt, for it silenced that spiteful suggestion of the Egyptians, that for mischief they were brought out, the wilderness had shut them in, Exo_14:3. Their wandering so long in the wilderness confirmed the reproach, but now that they had entered Canaan in triumph that reproach was done away. When God glorifies himself in perfecting the salvation of his people he not only silences the reproach of their enemies, but rolls it upon themselves.

JAMISO�, "at the hill— probably one of the argillaceous hills that form the highest terrace of the Jordan, on a rising ground at the palm forest.

K&D, "Jos_5:3

Joshua had the circumcision performed “at the hill of the foreskins,” as the place was afterwards called from the fact that the foreskins were buried there.

BE�SO�, "Joshua 5:3. Joshua — circumcised the children of Israel — That is, he

caused them to be circumcised, namely, such of them as were uncircumcised. And

because it was to be done speedily, the passover approaching, it was necessary to use

many hands in the business. �or was it difficult to find them, as it did not signify by

what hand the operation was performed. Fathers, mothers, relations, friends, might

any of them perform, as well as the priests or Levites. Although it be not mentioned,

it is more than probable that the Israelites beyond Jordan were circumcised at the

same time, that they also might keep the passover.

TRAPP, "Joshua 5:3 And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised the

children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins.

Ver. 3. And Joshua … circumcised.] That is, he caused them to be circumcised, viz.,

by the priests, whose office it was properly: or, by those others, that being under

twenty years of age at their coming out of Egypt, had been circumcised before. The

Jews at this day count it the most meritorious thing that can be, to be a good

circumciser. (a)

At the hill of the foreskins.] Heb., Gibeah haaraloth, where they cast away and

buried their foreskins; whereby was signified that that which was begotten by that,

part deserved in like sort to be cut off, and thrown away as execrable and accursed.

COKE, "Ver. 3. And Joshua—circumcised the children of Israel— He caused the

commands of God to be performed by all the people, whether on this or on the other

side of Jordan, and, as it appears, by all on the same day, that every Israelite might

be enabled to celebrate the passover. The matter was no way difficult, as it did not

signify by what hand it was effected. Father, mother, relations, friends, might all

perform the operation, as well as the priests and Levites. The hill of the foreskin is,

in the Hebrew, Gibeath-haaraloth, which some take to be the name of a place, as it

probably was, but a place deriving its name from that ceremony.

PETT, "Verse 3

‘And Joshua made for himself flint knives, and circumcised the children of Israel at

the hill of the foreskins.’

The action is depicted as Joshua’s but he would no doubt be assisted by able and

worthy men. The flint knives had to be fashioned and then all the uncircumcised

males circumcised. During this period they would have been vulnerable (see Genesis

34:25). But YHWH had put such fear in the hearts of the Canaanites that they had

nothing to fear.

“At the hill of the foreskins.” Literally ‘Gibeath-ha-araloth’. A name given to a hill

where the practise was then carried out. It was possibly where the remnants were

buried.

4 �ow this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt.

BAR�ES, "Of the whole nation those only were already circumcised at the time of the passage of the Jordan who had been under twenty years of age at the time of the complaining and consequent rejection at Kadesh (compare the marginal reference). These would have been circumcised before they left Egypt, and there would still survive of them more than a quarter of a million of thirty-eight years old and upward.

The statements of these verses are of a general kind. The “forty years” of Jos_5:6 is a round number, and the statement in the latter part of Jos_5:5 cannot be strictly accurate. For there must have been male children born in the wilderness during the first year after the Exodus, and these must have been circumcised before the celebration of the Passover at Sinai in the first month of the second year (compare Num_9:1-5, and Exo_12:48). The statements of the verses are, however, sufficiently close to the facts for the purpose in hand; namely, to render a reason for the general circumcising which is here recorded.

The reason why circumcision was omitted in the wilderness, was that the sentence of Num_14:28 ff placed the whole nation for the time under a ban; and that the discontinuance of circumcision, and the consequent omission of the Passover, was a consequence and a token of that ban. The rejection was not, indeed, total, for the children of the complainers were to enter into the rest; nor final, for when the children had borne the punishment of the fathers’ sins for the appointed years, and the complainers were dead, then it was to be removed, as now by Joshua. But for the time the covenant was abrogated, though God’s purpose to restore it was from the first made known, and confirmed by the visible marks of His favor which He still vouchsafed to bestow during the wandering. The years of rejection were indeed exhausted before the death of Moses (compare Deu_2:14): but God would not call upon the people to renew their engagement to Him until He had first given them glorious proof of His will and power to fulfill His engagements to them. So He gave them the first fruits of the promised inheritance - the kingdoms of Sihon and Og; and through a miracle planted their feet on the very soil that still remained to be conquered; and then recalled them to His covenant. It is to be noted, too, that they were just about to go to war against foes mightier than themselves. Their only hope of success lay in the help of God. At such a crisis the need of full communion with God would be felt indeed; and the blessing and strength of it are accordingly granted.

The revival of the two great ordinances - circumcision and the Passover - after so long an intermission could not but awaken the zeal and invigorate the faith and fortitude of the people. Both as seals and as means of grace and God’s good purpose toward them then, the general circumcision of the people, followed up by the solemn celebration of the Passover - the one formally restoring the covenant and reconciling them nationally to God, the other ratifying and confirming all that circumcision intended - were at this

juncture most opportune.

CLARKE, "This is the cause why Joshua did circumcise - The text here explains itself. Before the Israelites left Egypt all the males were circumcised; and some learned men think that all those who were born during their encampment at Sinai were circumcised also, because there they celebrated the passover; but after that time, during the whole of their stay in the wilderness, there were none circumcised till they entered into the promised land. Owing to their unsettled state, God appears to have dispensed, for the time being, with this rite; but as they were about to celebrate another passover, it was necessary that all the males should be circumcised; for without this they could not be considered within the covenant, and could not keep the passover, which was the seal of that covenant. As baptism is generally understood to have succeeded to circumcision, and the holy eucharist to the passover, hence, in the Church of England, and probably in most others, no person is permitted to receive the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper till he has been baptized.

GILL, "And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise,.... Or the reason of the command given him to circumcise the children of Israel at this time, namely, what follows:

all the people that came out of Egypt that were males, even all the men of war; meaning such that were twenty years old, and upwards:

died in the wilderness, by the way, after they came out of Egypt; not directly, but in a course of forty years, as they journeyed through the wilderness; this is to be understood with an exception of Joshua, Caleb, Eleazar, &c. but then there was a large number who were under twenty years of age, that came out of Egypt, and were now living.

JAMISO� 4-7, "this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise— The omission to circumcise the children born in the wilderness might have been owing to the incessant movements of the people; but it is most generally thought that the true cause was a temporary suspension of the covenant with the unbelieving race who, being rejected of the Lord, were doomed to perish in the wilderness, and whose children had to bear the iniquity of their fathers (Num_14:33), though, as the latter were to be brought into the promised land, the covenant would be renewed with them.

K&D 4-7, "Jos_5:4-7

The reason for the circumcision of the whole nation was the following: all the fighting men who came out of Egypt had died in the wilderness by the way; for all the people that came out were circumcised; but all that were born in the wilderness during the journey

had not been circumcised (מ צרים on their coming out of Egypt, which only came ,#צאתם

to an end on their arrival in Canaan). They walked forty years in the wilderness; till all the people - that is to say, all the fighting men - who came out of Egypt were consumed, because they had not hearkened to the voice of the Lord, and had been sentenced by the

Lord to die in the wilderness (Jos_5:6; cf. Num_14:26., Num_26:64-65, and Deu_2:14-16). But He (Jehovah) set up their sons in their place, i.e., He caused them to take their place; and these Joshua circumcised (i.e., had them circumcised), for they were uncircumcised, because they had not been circumcised by the way. This explains the necessity for a general circumcision of all the people, but does not state the reason why those who were born in the wilderness had not been circumcised. All that is affirmed in Jos_5:5 and Jos_5:7 is, that this had not taken place “by the way.” The true reason may be gathered from Jos_5:6, if we compare the statement made in this verse, “for the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the men that were capable of bearing arms were consumed ... unto whom the Lord sware that He would not show them the land promised to the fathers,” with the sentence pronounced by God to which these words refer, viz., Num_14:29-34. The Lord is then said to have sworn that all the men of twenty years old and upwards, who had murmured against Him, should perish in the wilderness; and though their sons should enter the promised land, they too should pasture, i.e., lead a nomad life, for forty years in the wilderness, and bear the apostasy of their fathers, till their bodies had fallen in the desert. This clearly means, that not only was the generation that came out of Egypt sentenced to die in the wilderness because of its rebellion against the Lord, and therefore rejected by God, but the sons of this generation had to bear the whoredom, i.e., the apostasy of their fathers from the Lord, for the period of forty years, until the latter had been utterly consumed; that is to say, during all this time they were to endure the punishment of rejection along with their fathers: with this difference alone, that the sons were not to die in the wilderness, but were to be brought into the promised land after their fathers were dead. The sentence upon the fathers, that their bodies should fall in the desert, was unquestionably a rejection of them on the part of God, an abrogation of the covenant with them. This punishment was also to be borne by their sons; and hence the reason why those who were born in the desert by the way were not circumcised. As the covenant of the Lord with the fathers was abrogated, the sons of the rejected generation were not to receive the covenant sign of circumcision. Nevertheless this abrogation of the covenant with the generation that had been condemned, was not a complete dissolution of the covenant relation, so far as the nation as a whole was concerned, since the whole nation had not been rejected, but only the generation of men that were capable of bearing arms when they came out of Egypt, whilst the younger generation which had grown up in the desert was to be delivered from the ban, which rested upon it as well, and brought into the land of Canaan when the time of punishment had expired. For this reason the Lord did not withdraw from the nation every sign of His grace; but in order that the consciousness might still be sustained in the young and rising generation, that the covenant would be set up again with them when the time of punishment had expired, He left them not only the presence of the pillar of cloud and fire, but also the manna and other tokens of His grace, the continuance of which therefore cannot be adduced as an argument against our view of the time of punishment as a temporary suspension of the covenant.

But if this was the reason for the omission of circumcision,

(Note: This reason was admitted even by Calvin, and has been well supported by Hengstenberg (Diss. ii. pp. 13ff.). The arguments adduced by Kurtz in opposition to this view are altogether unfounded. We have already observed that the reason for the suspension is not given in Jos_5:7; and the further remark, that in Jos_5:5 (“all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised”) the book of Joshua dates the suspension not from the sentence of rejection, but expressly and undoubtedly (?) from the departure from Egypt, has no force whatever, unless we so press the word all (“all the people that

were born in the desert”) as not to allow of the slightest exception. But this is decidedly precluded by the fact, that we cannot imagine it possible for God to have established His covenant with the people at a time when they had neglected the fundamental law of the covenant, the transgression of which was threatened with destruction (Gen_17:14), by neglecting to circumcise all the children who had been born between the departure from Egypt and the conclusion of the covenant at Sinai. We are also prevented from pressing the little word “all” in this manner by the evident meaning of the words before us. In Jos_5:4 and Jos_5:5 the Israelites are divided into two classes: (1) All the people that came out of Egypt and were circumcised; and (2) All the people that were born in the desert and were uncircumcised. The first of these died in the wilderness, the second came to Canaan and were circumcised by Joshua at Gilgal. But if we should press the word “all” in these clauses, it would follow that all the male children who were under twenty years of age at the time of the exodus, either died in the desert or were circumcised a second time at Gilgal. Lastly, it does not follow from Jos_5:6 that the circumcision was suspended for exactly forty years; for the forty years during which Israel journeyed in the desert until the murmuring generation was consumed, are to be interpreted by Num_14:33-34, and amounted, chronologically considered, to no more than thirty-eight years and a few months. On the other hand, the other very general view which Kurtz adopts - namely, that the circumcision was omitted during the journey through the desert on account of the hardships connected with travelling, and because it was impossible to have regard to particular families who might wish for longer rest on account of their children who had just been circumcised, and were suffering from the wound, just at the time when they had to decamp and journey onward, and they could not well be left behind - throws but little light upon the subject, as the assumption that the people were constantly wandering about for forty years is altogether an unfounded one. The Israelites were not always wandering about: not only did they stay at Sinai for eleven whole months, but even after that they halted for weeks and months at the different places of encampment, when they might have circumcised their children without the slightest danger of their suffering from the wound.)

it did not commence till the second year of their journey, viz., at the time when the murmuring nation was rejected at Kadesh (Num 14); so that by “all the people that were born in the wilderness” we are to understand those who were born after that time, and during the last thirty-eight years of their wanderings, just as “all the people that came out of Egypt” are to be understood as signifying only those men who were twenty years old and upwards when they came out. Consequently circumcision was suspended as long as the nation was under the ban of the divine sentence pronounced upon it at Kadesh. This sentence was exhausted when they crossed the brook Zared and entered the country of the Amorites (compare Deu_2:14 with Num_21:12-13). Why, then, was not the circumcision performed during the encampment in the steppes of Moab either before or after the numbering, since all those who had been sentenced to die in the wilderness were already dead (Num_26:65)? The different answers which have been given to this question are some of them wrong, and others incomplete. For example, the opinion held by some, that the actual reason was that the forty years had not yet expired, is incorrect (see Deu_2:14). And the uncertainty how long they would remain in the steppes of Moab cannot be adduced as an explanation, as there were no circumstances existing that were likely to occasion a sudden and unexpected departure from Shittim. The reason why Moses did not renew the circumcision before the end of his own life, is to be sought for in the simple fact that he would not undertake an act of such importance without an express command from the Lord, especially as he was himself under sentence to die

without entering the promised land. But the Lord did not enjoin the renewal of the covenant sign before Israel had been conducted into the promised land, because He saw fit first of all to incline the hearts of the people to carry out His commandment through this magnificent proof of His grace. It is the rule of divine grace first to give and then to ask. As the Lord did not enjoin circumcision as a covenant duty upon Abraham himself till He had given him a practical proof of His grace by leading him to Canaan, and by repeated promises of a numerous posterity, and of the eventual possession of the land; and just as He did not give the law to the children of Israel at Sinai till He had redeemed them with a mighty arm from the bondage of Egypt, and borne them on eagles' wings, and brought them to Himself, and had thereby made them willing to promise gladly to fulfil all that He should say to them as His covenant nation; so now He did not require the renewal of circumcision, which involved as the covenant sign the observance of the whole law, till He had given His people practical proofs, through the help afforded in the defeat of Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and in the miraculous division of the waters of Jordan, that He was able to remove all the obstacles that might lie in the way of the fulfilment of His promises, and give them the promised land for their inheritance, as He had sworn to their fathers.

ELLICOTT, "(4) The cause why Joshua did circumcise.—As the narrative stands it

is not quite obvious why uncircumcision is called “the reproach of Egypt,” whereas

all the people born in Egypt were circumcised. The uncircumcision attached to those

who were born in the wilderness, during the years of wandering. But that period of

wandering, between the departure from Kadesh-barnea and the return to Kadesh

(thirty-seven and a half years, �umbers 15-19, inclusive), is a kind of blank in the

story of the Exodus. The five chapters which belong to it in the Book of �umbers

contain no note of progress as to time or place. The people had “turned back in their

hearts to Egypt” (Acts 7:39; �umbers 14:4), and were bearing the reproach of their

apostasy all those years, “the reproach of Egypt.” Suffering under the “breach of

promise” of Jehovah (�umbers 14:34), they appear to have omitted the sign of the

covenant, as though they were no longer the people of God. The passage of Jordan

was the practical proof of Israel’s restoration to Divine favour, and they were

brought into covenant with Him once more.

WHEDO�, "4. And this is the cause — As this book contains not only a record of

events, but also ascribes a rational cause to each, it may be classed among

philosophical histories.

All the people — This expression is limited first to the males, and then to those of

military age, from twenty years old and upwards. �umbers 14:29-32.

Died in the wilderness — Because of their rebellion against Jehovah, and the

cowardice displayed when the panic-stricken spies made their exaggerated report.

�umbers 14:21-35. Caleb and Joshua were the only exceptions to this sweeping

sentence. �umbers 26:64-65.

PI�K, "Verses 4 to 7 (of Joshua 5) tell us what it was that required such a wholesale

circumcising of the male Israelites—adults as well as children—on this occasion:

"�ow all the people that came out were circumcised, but all the people that were

born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had

not circumcised (v. 5), which in view of Genesis 17:9-11, was a startling omission.

There has been considerable conjecture as to why Israel had failed to administer

this essential rite for so many years. Thos. Scott says, "The reason for this omission

is not so manifest." John Gill, "because of their frequent journeying, and the

inconvenience of performing it being always uncertain when they pitched their tents

how long they should remain and when they should remove . . . it was not safe to

administer it." But the most popular explanation is that of sinful neglect. Yet even

though that were the case with the great majority, would not the pious among them

have complied? If rank disobedience was the cause, why is there no record of Moses

rebuking them for such a grave sin? And why had not Joshua insisted upon it while

they tarried in the plains of Moab, instead of waiting till the Jordan was crossed.

Matthew Henry came very much nearer the true explanation, though he states it

rather vaguely and with some measure of uncertainty. The real reason, we submit,

was what occurred at Kadesh-barnea. It was there the murmuring and unbelief of

Israel reached its awful and fatal climax. when they hearkened to the evil report of

the ten spies and refused to go forward into the land of Canaan, saying "Let us

make us a captain, and let us return to Egypt"; and when Joshua and Caleb

expostulated with them "all the congregation bade stone them with stones" (�um.

14:1-10). It was then that Jehovah swore in His wrath that they should not enter

into His rest (Ps. 95:11). It was then that He declared "But as for you, your

carcasses, they shall fall in this wilderness. And your children shall wander in the

wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcasses be wasted in

the wilderness. All the number of the days in which ye searched the land, forty days,

each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities forty years, and ye shall know My

breach of promise" (�um. 14:32-34)—their apostasy and breaking of the covenant

releasing Him from His engagement to bring them into Canaan. There is the key to

Joshua 5:5!

When Israel, after repeated provocations, at length consummated their rebellion by

despising the promised land and refused to advance beyond Kadesh-barnea, God

swore that only two of that generation should enter it, the remainder being

condemned to perish in the wilderness. Thus for thirty-eight years (Deut. 2:14)

Israel was in a state of apostasy, and during that time their children bore the

reproach of the same by being denied the "token" or "sign of the covenant" (Gen.

17:11)—wrongly termed by men "the seal of the covenant," for circumcision never

"sealed" anything to anyone saving only to Abraham (Rom. 4:11). While the awful

sentence of �umbers 14:32-34, lasted, Israel was a rejected people, and therefore

their children were not entitled to bear the mark of covenant-relationship to God.

But for the sake of their children, He did not withdraw every token of mercy from

that generation, but provided sustenance and guidance throughout their journeys:

the daily supply of manna, the pillar of cloud and fire, the erection of the tabernacle,

etc., were so many intimations that God’s favor would yet return unto Israel, though

He had cast off their fathers.

The miraculous passage of the Jordan gave clear proof that Israel was once more

restored unto the Divine favor, that Jehovah had resumed His covenant relationship

with them, that in emerging from the river of death, judgment was behind them;

that His sentence upon their fathers had been completed. That miracle showed

unmistakably that Jehovah now owned Israel as His people, and therefore were they

fit subjects again to receive the sign of the covenant upon their bodies. Circumcision

was the token of the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 17:11). That ordinance was the

mark by which the natural seed of Abraham was distinguished from all other

nations as a people in covenant with Jehovah, and which bound them by a special

obligation to obey Him. It was the sign of the promissory part of the covenant which

secured to Abraham’s seed the land of promise (Gen. 17:8). Thus it was fitting that

this second generation should now be circumcised. Moreover, the restoration of

circumcision was to be accompanied by a revival of other institutions which had

lapsed in the wilderness—such as the Passover feast, for which circumcision was a

prerequisite. Upon Israel’s entrance into Canaan they came under a stricter

discipline than hitherto (Deut. 6:1; 12:1, 8).

"At that time the Lord said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives and circumcise

again the children of Israel the second time." At the very time when Israel had

entered that land whose inhabitants their unbelieving fathers had reported to be

"strong" and "the cities are walled, and very great," yea. "all the people we saw in

it are men of a great stature" (�um. 13:28, 32). What a testing of Joshua’s faith was

this: that all the males of Israel should now, for several days, be thoroughly

incapacitated for fighting (Gen. 34:25)! But God intended it should be made

manifest that the camp of Israel was governed by Himself, and not by any worldly

policy. "What general ever opened a campaign in an enemy’s country in the manner

that Joshua did? On such occasions, all attention paid to the exercises of religion is

too generally considered as a needless waste of time. Yet if indeed the help of God be

the best security for success, and if His anger is more to be feared than the sword of

any enemy, it will be found true policy to begin every expedition with repentance of

sin, and attendance on the solemn worship of the Lord, and with using every

method of securing His protection, though to a carnal eye it may appear

unfavorable to success" (T. Scott).

"And Joshua made him sharp knives and circumcised the children of Israel" (v. 3).

Severe as was this testing of his faith to thus handicap his fighting forces, yet

counting upon the Lord’s protection, his confidence in Him triumphed over it. We

need hardly say that such a vast undertaking was not performed by him in person,

but is attributed unto Joshua because the operation was carried out under his order

and observation—just as we read that "Jesus made and baptized more disciples

than John. Though Jesus Himself baptized not, but His disciples" (John 4:1, 2). �ot

only was this command of God’s a severe test of Joshua’s faith, but of the people’s

too: their submission would evidence whether they owned the verity of that Divine

promise (�um. 14:7, 8) which their fathers had disbelieved. Moreover, their

submitting unto circumcision was designed as a test of their obedience, for their

conquest of Canaan was conditioned upon their punctilious compliance with all that

God had commanded through Moses (Josh. 1:8). Their willing compliance was a

fulfillment of the promise which they had made unto Joshua, in Joshua 1:17, 18, and

afforded a further demonstration that the? were the best of all the generations of

Israel—in answer to the prayer of Moses (Ps. 90:13-17).

TRAPP, "Joshua 5:4 And this [is] the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All the

people that came out of Egypt, [that were] males, [even] all the men of war, died in

the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt.

Ver. 4. Died in the wilderness by the way.] There their carcasses fell for their

rebellion; and a new generation rose up which were now to be circumcised, that

they might be in case to keep the passover.

COKE, "Ver. 4-7. And this is the cause, &c.— The reason is clearly expressed in the

text. Excepting Joshua and Caleb, all the six hundred thousand fighting men, who

came out of Egypt, had died during the forty years that the people had dwelt in the

desarts of Arabia; and during this interval of time they had neglected to circumcise

the male children which were born there. But whence this negligence? It was not out

of contempt, since the Scripture nowhere reproaches the Israelites on that account.

But the learned have given us the following reasons for this long interruption of

circumcision.

I. That the end of the ceremonial laws, especially circumcision, being to distinguish

the Jews from the idolatrous nations, it was unnecessary to circumcise them in the

desart, where it was not possible for them to mix with other people. This was the

opinion of Theodoret and St. Jerome among the ancients; as it was of Grotius,

Episcopius, and Le Clerc, among the moderns: we find it also espoused by Mr. Pyle.

II. The second and most generally received reason is, that the almost incessant

motions of the Israelites, the uncertainty of the times of decamping, the barrenness

of the places where they sojourned, and the inconveniences of travelling, rendering

the operation very dangerous for children, God willingly dispensed with it. Some

judicious rabbis have adopted this opinion; and it has been countenanced by several

able commentators among us.

III. But these reasons do not seem equally satisfactory to every body. The marches

of the Israelites were very far from being frequent during the last thirty-eight years

of their stay in the wilderness. Besides, it would have been better to make some

alteration with respect to time, and to refer this ceremony to the first encampment,

instead of fixing it to the eighth day, rather than to omit it entirely; seeing that

certain blessings were annexed to it. So that, in this respect, the practice of

circumcision was indispensable, though the primary end of the institution was to

prevent the children of Israel from forming connections with foreign nations. Add to

this, that the latter consideration could not excuse them from the observation of a

positive precept, even though circumcision had not been in use among any of the

nations; which was by no means the case, this ceremony being practised by the

Idumeans, and perhaps even by the Midianites. These, and other reflections, have

determined some judicious critics to say, that circumcision was interrupted during

the time that the Israelites travelled in the desart, because they did not esteem the

precept of circumcision obligatory, till they saw themselves settled in the land of

Canaan; and so much the rather, as there was nothing in this respect prescribed on

the renewing of the covenant which was made at the foot of mount Sinai. Hence we

may conclude, that circumcision was not so necessary to salvation as some writers,

as well Christians as Jews, have thought; particularly the latter, among whom some

have carried their superstition so far, as to circumcise their children even dead,

when they could not do it while they lived.

Lastly, a writer of great reputation has advanced a conjecture, that the mixed

multitude of the Egyptians which followed the Israelites being an image of the

calling, of the Gentiles, it became necessary, that as the ceremonies, and particularly

circumcision, were to be abolished; so, to take away the distinction which was

between their posterity, the use of circumcision should be then suspended. Besides,

God was unwilling that the suspension of this ceremony should continue till the

Israelites took possession of the land of Canaan: 1st, For fear it might give room for

the intrusion of Canaanites among the Hebrews. 2nd, That those who entered into

the land of Canaan, being uncircumcised, as well as the children of the Egyptians,

and afterwards becoming equal by circumcision, might have no opportunity to

reproach them for their different original. See Allix on the Pentateuch.

Whatever may be the truth, or the different degrees of probability or strength of

these reflections; it is certain, that God did not condemn the interruption of

circumcision, or impute any crime to the Israelites on that account: and we may

easily conceive, that the precept not being founded in nature, but merely positive

and ceremonial, the argument drawn from the inconveniences of travelling was

alone sufficient for dispensing with it under the divine approbation. The Israelites

then only followed a maxim which they have generally followed; namely, that the

administration of this sacrament may be deferred when it cannot be received

without danger.

PETT, "Verse 4-5

‘And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised. All the people who came out of

Egypt who were males, even all the men of war, died in the wilderness by the way,

after they came out of Egypt. For all the people who came out were circumcised. But

all the people who were born in the wilderness by the way, as they came out of

Egypt, they had not been circumcised.’

The first ‘all the people’ is a generalisation. Joshua and Caleb at least were present.

The point is rather to explain why so many were uncircumcised.

All the circumcised males of twenty years old and upwards sentenced by YHWH to

die, had died during the forty years, but many of those under twenty who would

also have been circumcised would still be alive. However, those born in the

wilderness journeying had not been circumcised. It need not specifically mean that

no one was circumcised after the leaving of Egypt, only that it was not the general

practise. This lack of circumcision would also be true of the children of the mixed

multitude (Exodus 12:38), many of whom would not have been circumcised even in

Egypt (although circumcision may have been required of them when they joined the

covenant community). Thus those present with Joshua included many older men

who had been circumcised and possibly some older men and certainly a large

number of younger men and boys who had not. These were the ones to be

circumcised as the covenant was renewed on entering the land.

The reason for not circumcising their infants may well have been because of the

discomfort it would cause for everyone when they were journeying day by day. They

would have been continually accompanied by infants in pain and discomfort who

were being subjected to the extreme rigours of the journey. The fact that it had to

take place on the eighth day (Leviticus 12:3) meant that it could not be left for a

more convenient time.

“By the way, as they came out of Egypt.” Compare Deuteronomy 24:9;

Deuteronomy 25:17. Once again we have evidence how well Joshua knew the words

of Moses.

5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not.

GILL, "Now all the people that came out were circumcised,.... All that came out of Egypt, and males, were circumcised, whether under or above twenty years of age; for though it is possible all were circumcised before they came out of Egypt, which favours the opinion of Dr. Lightfoot, that they might be circumcised during the three nights' darkness of the Egyptians, when they could take no advantage of it, as Levi and Simeon did of the Shechemites; and which seems more probable than that it should be on the night they came out of Egypt, when many must have been unfit for travelling, and seems preferable to that of their being circumcised at Mount Sinai, which was a year after their coming out of Egypt:

but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way, as they came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised; the reasons of which neglect; See Gill on Jos_5:2. The phrase, "by the way", seems to point at the true reason of it, at least to countenance the reason there given, which was on account of their journey; that

is, their stay at any place being uncertain and precarious; so the Jews say (z), because of the affliction or trouble of journeying, the Israelites did not circumcise their children. This is to be understood of all males only born in the wilderness, they only being the subjects of circumcision.

BE�SO�, "Joshua 5:5. The people born in the wilderness — they had not

circumcised — What occasioned this omission is not said, nor is it easy to determine

whether it arose from negligence, or from God’s dispensing, for a time, with his

ordinance, on account of the unsettledness of their state, and their frequent removes

while they were in the wilderness, it being necessary for children, after they were

circumcised, and thereby made sore, to rest some time. This latter reason has

generally been acquiesced in by commentators. But some have not judged it

satisfactory, because sometimes the Israelites continued a year in a place, (�umbers

9:22,) if not much longer; and in their removes, their little children, though sore,

might have been kept so warm, and carried so easy, as to receive no damage; and

might certainly have been much better accommodated than the mothers in travail,

or in lying-in. They have therefore thought that God’s not expressly and

particularly enjoining them (for it does not appear that he did so enjoin them) to

circumcise their children while they were in the wilderness, was a continued token

of his displeasure against them for their unbelief and murmuring, and a token that

they should never have the benefit of that promise of Canaan, whereof circumcision

was the seal, Genesis 17:8. But whatsoever the reason was, it seems this great

ordinance was intermitted in Israel for almost forty years together; a plain

indication that it was not of absolute necessity to men’s eternal salvation, nor to be

of perpetual obligation, but should, in the fulness of time, be abolished, as now it

was for a long time suspended.

TRAPP, "Joshua 5:5 �ow all the people that came out were circumcised: but all the

people [that were] born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of

Egypt, [them] they had not circumcised.

Ver. 5. �ow all the people that came out were circumcised,] i.e., As many as feared

the Lord and believed Moses: for a great sort of them, by their long abode in Egypt,

were much infected with idolatry and profaneness. [Ezekiel 20:7; Ezekiel 23:3;

Ezekiel 23:9]

WHEDO�, "5. All the people that came out were circumcised — That is, had been

circumcised in infancy. Leviticus 12:3.

The people… born in the wilderness… they had not circumcised — Various reasons

have been assigned for the neglect in the wilderness of this rite, which was so

scrupulously performed in Egypt. The fact that they were in an unsettled condition

is not a sufficient reason, for they dwelt for months together in one place. The most

satisfactory account of the matter is that, while under the sentence of the divine

displeasure for forty years, the nation was temporarily rejected by its divine Head,

and prohibited from impressing upon their sons the sign of the covenant. See note

introductory to Joshua 5:2.

6 The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

GILL, "For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness,.... Wanting a few days, the round number is given: not forty two, as the Septuagint version:

till all the people that were men of war, which came out of Egypt,

were consumed; all that were above twenty years of age, excepting Joshua and Caleb:

because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord; but murmured against him, and against his servants, and particularly against Aaron, being the high priest; and chiefly because of the report of the spies, and their murmurs then, which so incensed the Lord against them, that he threatened them with an entire consumption of their carcasses, and which accordingly was fulfilled, to which the following clause refers:

unto whom the Lord sware, that he would not show them the land which the Lord sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey; see Num_14:23.

BE�SO�, "Joshua 5:6. Till all the people — were consumed — All the six hundred

thousand fighting men that came out of Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb. The

Hebrew word הגוי, hagoi, here rendered people, commonly signifies the Gentiles,

and some have thought it is here used to signify that they were unworthy the name

of Israelites. That he would not show them the land — That is, would not give them

so much as the sight of it, which he granted to Moses, much less the possession.

TRAPP, "Joshua 5:6 For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness,

till all the people [that were] men of war, which came out of Egypt, were consumed,

because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD: unto whom the LORD sware that

he would not shew them the land, which the LORD sware unto their fathers that he

would give us, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

Ver. 6. For the children of Israel walked forty years.] This way and that way,

backward and forward, as if they were treading a maze; and this, for the

punishment of their revolt. [�umbers 14:33]

With milk and honey.] With plenty of dainties.

For they were uncircumcised. Who yet, together with the circumcised, were brought

by Joshua into the promised land: so are both sorts by Jesus into the kingdom of

heaven. See Ephesians 2:14, Colossians 3:11.

WHEDO�, "6. Forty years in the wilderness — This verse assigns the reason why

circumcision had not been performed, namely, their disobedience and punishment.

As the sentence of exclusion from the favour of Jehovah had now expired, the nation

is again admitted to the privilege of using the sign of his covenant. While in exile

they were the objects of his care, and even of his supernatural providence, but not of

his approval, just as sinners under the Gospel dispensation enjoy the bounty of God,

but not the covenant of his pardoning grace.

Till all the people… were consumed — The word for people is that which is always

used to designate a heathen nation, a Gentile race, in distinction from the peculiar

people, Israel. This confirms the explanation that Israel was excluded from covenant

relations during the forty years’ wandering.

The Lord sware that he would not show them the land — That is, cause them to see,

and hence to enter and enjoy, the land.

A land that floweth with milk and honey — This phrase represents the great

fertility and loveliness of the Land of Promise; it was a land rich in grass for herds,

hence there was an abundance of milk; it was profuse in flowers, hence bees and

wild honey were very plentiful, (Judges 14:8; Matthew 3:4,) and they still are found,

in spite of the lack of cultivation and the desolation of Palestine. Milk and its various

products constituted the chief sustenance of the ancient Hebrews. In Palestine the

bees do actually deposit honey in the holes of the rocks in so great quantities that it

flows out and is gathered in vessels placed beneath.

COFFMA�, "Verse 6

"For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the nation,

even the men of war that came forth out of Egypt, were consumed, because they

hearkened not unto the voice of Jehovah: unto whom Jehovah sware that he would

not let them see the land which Jehovah sware unto their fathers that he would give

us, a land flowing with milk and honey. And their children, whom he raised up in

their stead, them did Joshua circumcise: for they were uncircumcised. because they

had not circumcised them by the way. And it came to pass when they had done

circumcising all the nation, that they abode in their places in the camp till they were

whole. And Jehovah said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled the reproach of Egypt

from off you. Wherefore, the name of that place was called Gilgal, unto this day."

These verses make clear that the circumcision by Joshua pertained only to those

persons for whom it had been omitted during the wanderings.

"The reproach of Egypt here is enigmatical. It would seem that the reproach was

the non-covenant status of Israel as a mixed multitude, not yet adequately formed

into a religious community."[15] There would also appear to be a possible reference

here to the paganism the Jews had encountered in Egypt, and in some degree

adopted (See Stephen's speech in Acts 7). There is a stigma that exists for all people

of any age who are �OT in covenant relations with God. Boling stated that the

"reproach" had something to do with "freedom from the scorn and indignity of

slavery."[16]

There are several interesting facts about the Gilgal mentioned in Joshua 5:9. The

usual explanation makes the name a derivative from "circle of stones," the alleged

meaning; but the passage here gives another derivation, and we believe that

preference belongs here. Although, "the exact location of it is not known,"[17]

Josephus confidently affirmed that it was located 10 furlongs (about 6,600 feet)[18]

from Jericho.

PETT, "Verse 6

‘For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the people

who were men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed because they did not

obey the voice of YHWH, to whom YHWH swore that he would not let them see the

land which YHWH swore to their fathers that he would give us, a land flowing with

milk and honey.’

This is to explain the situation for those unaware of it. All who were over twenty

years old at the first abortive entry into Canaan thirty eight years before, had been

sentenced to die in the wilderness, with one or two notable exceptions (�umbers

14:28-35). This was because of their disobedience on that occasion, and their refusal

to enter the land of Canaan when God told them to. Thus He had sworn that they

would not see the land which had been promised to them when they left Egypt

(�umbers 14:23). ‘Milk and honey’ represented staple foods and sweetness, a sign of

the desirability of the land. But it was only a desirable land when it had sufficient

rain. Thus its desirability depended on God’s provision.

7 So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way.

GILL, "And the children whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised,.... Who were born to them in the wilderness, and succeeded them, some of which might be near forty years of age; as for those that were born before, of which there might be many now living, they had been circumcised already, but others, were not:

for they were circumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way; or while journeying the forty years in the wilderness; which, as before observed, seems to be the true reason of the omission of circumcision.

BE�SO�, "Joshua 5:7. Their children — them Joshua circumcised — This God

now required to be done, 1st, As a testimony of his reconciliation to the people, and

that he would not further impute their parents’ rebellion to them, but now permit

them to enter into his rest. See �umbers 14:29 to �umbers 35:2 d, Because one great

impediment of circumcision was now removed, their continued travels, and frequent

and uncertain removes. 3d, To prepare them for the approaching passover. 4th, To

distinguish them from the Canaanites, into whose land they were now come. 5th, To

try their faith, by their submission to a command, the performance of which

exposed them to be treated by their enemies as the Shechemites had been formerly

by Simeon and Levi in a similar circumstance. 6th, To ratify the covenant between

God and them, whereof circumcision was a sign and seal, to assure them that he

would now make good his covenant, in giving them this land; and to oblige them to

perform all the duties to which that covenant bound them, as soon as they came into

Canaan, Exodus 12:25; Leviticus 23:10; �umbers 15:2.

COKE, "Ver. 7. And their children—Joshua circumcised— Putting together the

chief arguments for the renewal of this ceremony, God may be said to have

subjected the Israelites to it, 1. To take from them the reproach of Egypt, as it is

expressed, ver. 9. 2. To enable them to celebrate the passover. 3. To confirm to them

the near accomplishment of the promises made to Abraham, by that operation

which was to be the seal of those promises. 4. To try the faith of the Israelites, by

their submission to a command, the performance of which exposed them to be

treated by their enemies as the Schechemites had been formerly by Levi and Simeon

in a similar circumstance, and, perhaps, also, 5. To shew them, by his permission to

administer this rite to their children, that the time of his anger had elapsed, and that

he permitted them to enter into his rest.

See commentary on Joshua 5:4

PETT, "Verse 7

‘And their children whom he raised up in their stead, them Joshua circumcised, for

they were circumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.’

Here it is specifically stated that those who were now to be circumcised were those

born ‘by the way’ i.e. on the journey, those who replaced the condemned generation

and had not been circumcised.

These rather complicated verses were trying to explain briefly, to those who

assumed circumcision as practised on the eighth day after birth, the reason why a

circumcision ceremony was necessary, . They were trying to present succintly a very

complicated situation. We must not overpress the detail.

8 And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.

BAR�ES, "The circumcision must have taken place on the day after the passage of Jordan, i. e. the 11th Nisan, and the Passover was kept on the 14th of the same month. For so long at least, they who had been circumcised would be disabled from war (compare the marginal reference), though they would not necessarily be debarred from keeping the feast. The submission of the people to the rite was a proof of faith, even though we remember that the panic of the Canaanites Jos_5:1 would render any immediate attack from them unlikely, and that there must have been a large number of “men of war” who would not need to be circumcised at all (see the note at Jos_5:4).

CLARKE, "They abode - in the camp, till they were whole - This required several days; see the notes on Gen_34:24, Gen_34:25. Sir J. Chardin informs us that when adults were circumcised they were obliged to keep their beds for about three weeks, or at least during that time they are not able to walk about but with great difficulty. The account he had from several renegadoes, who had received circumcision among the Mohammedans. Is it not strange that during this time they were not attacked by the inhabitants of the land, and utterly destroyed, which might have been easily effected? See the case of the poor Shechemites, as related in Gen_34:24-31, with the notes there. Joshua, as an able general, would at once perceive that this very measure must expose his whole host to the danger of being totally annihilated; but he knew that God could not err, and that it was his duty to obey; therefore in the very teeth of his enemies he reduced the major part of his army to a state of total helplessness, simply trusting for protection in the arm of Jehovah! The sequel shows that his confidence was not misplaced; during the whole time God did not permit any of their enemies to disturb them. The path of duty is the path of safety; and it is impossible for any soul to be injured while walking in the path of obedience. But why did not God order them to be circumcised while they were on the east side of Jordan in a state of great security? Because he chose to bring them into straits and difficulties where no counsel or might but his own could infallibly direct and save them; and this he did that they might see that the excellence of the power was of God, and not of man. For the same reason he caused them to pass the Jordan at the time that it overflowed its banks, and not at the time when it was low and easily fordable, that he might have the better opportunity to show them that they were under his immediate care and protection; and convince them of his almighty power, that they might trust in him for ever, and not fear the force of any adversaries. In both cases how apparent are the wisdom, power, and goodness of God!

GILL, "And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people,.... Which seems as if it was done in one day, even on the same day they passed over Jordan, and came to Gilgal; though Bishop Usher (a) thinks it was the day following; and so the Jews (b) say it was on the eleventh of Nisan:

that they abode in their places in the camp till they were whole: till the wound made by circumcision was healed; now as it was on the tenth day they passed over Jordan, and came to Gilgal, where they were circumcised, there were three entire days between that and the fourteenth, when they kept the passover; during which time they kept within their tents in the camp, being unfit to move from thence, for on the third day of circumcision they were usually sore, Gen_34:25; but being well on the fourth, were able to attend the passover. As the providence of God greatly appeared in favour of Israel, by causing a dread to fall on their enemies, that they durst not sally out of the city and attack them; so it showed great faith in Joshua, and the Israelites, to administer circumcision at this time, just as they were landed in an enemy's country; and when the waters of Jordan were returned, and there was no going back, and if they could, as they were not in a condition to fight, so not to flee.

JAMISO�, "when they had done circumcising all the people— As the number of those born in the wilderness and uncircumcised must have been immense, a difficulty is apt to be felt how the rite could have been performed on such a multitude in

so short a time. But it has been calculated that the proportion between those already circumcised (under twenty when the doom was pronounced) and those to be circumcised, was one to four, and consequently the whole ceremony could easily have been performed in a day. Circumcision being the sign and seal of the covenant, its performance was virtually an investment in the promised land, and its being delayed till their actual entrance into the country was a wise and gracious act on the part of God, who postponed this trying duty till the hearts of the people, animated by the recent astonishing miracle, were prepared to obey the divine will.

they abode in their places ... till they were whole— It is calculated that, of those who did not need to be circumcised, more than fifty thousand were left to defend the camp if an attack had been then made upon it.

TRAPP, "Joshua 5:8 And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the

people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole.

Ver. 8. They abode in their places in the camp till they were whole.] In confidence of

God’s protection, who both secured them meanwhile from their enemies, {see

Genesis 34:25-26} and soon healed them; for else how could they have, four days

after, kept the Passover with joy?

WHEDO�, "8. Circumcising all the people — Objection is made that it was

impossible to circumcise so many, probably six or seven hundred thousand, in one

day. But according to the most accurate estimates there were between two and three

hundred thousand circumcised men to administer the rite, so that each would have

but three or four subjects requiring the ordinance.

They abode in their places in the camp — Hebrew, they sat under themselves; that

is, they remained on that spot which was under them when they first sat down.

Exodus 16:29.

Till they were whole — According to the Talmud the wound was immediately

treated with oil, which diminished the pain and induced a speedy healing. It is not

probable that their cure was entirely effected so early as the third day, the passover;

nor would it be necessary for them to be free from physical disability in order to

celebrate that ordinance, since there were enough who were able to perform the

labour of preparing the paschal lamb. For at least one fourth of the men had been

previously circumcised, and two small families could unite. Exodus 12:14.

COKE, "Ver. 8. And—the people—abode in their places—till they were whole—

They kept quiet in their tents, undisturbed by any one, till after their entire cure.

The ceremony was performed the 11th of �isan; the 13th the sore was at the worst,

and on the 14th began the solemnities of the passover. As they circumcised with

sharp stones, this might contribute to hasten their cure, inasmuch as those

instruments occasion less inflammation than knives or razors made of metal.

PETT, "Verse 8

‘And so it was that when they had finished circumcising all the nation, they stayed

in their places in the camp until they were whole.’

Having undergone the rite of circumcision all the males under forty were in some

discomfort and had to rest up in the camp. It has been questioned whether a general

would have carried out such an operation on his troops in such a situation, but he

knew that the people of Jericho were afraid and remaining in their city, that there

was no evidence of any other troop movement through the hills, and that YHWH

had just revealed His power by the crossing of the Jordan. Thus such a necessary

operation in order to celebrate the first Passover in the land was quite reasonable in

such a situation.

K&D, "Jos_5:8

When the rite of circumcision had been performed upon them all, the people remained quietly in the camp till those who were circumcised had recovered. “They

abode in their places,” i.e., sat still as they were, without attempting anything. חיה, to

revive (Gen_45:27; Job_14:14), or recover (2Ki_1:2; 2Ki_8:8, etc.). The circumcision of the people could not be performed earlier than the day after the crossing of the Jordan, i.e., according to Jos_4:19, not earlier than the 11th day of the first month. Now, as the passover was to be kept, and actually was kept, on the 14th (Jos_5:10), the two accounts are said to be irreconcilable, and the account of the circumcision has been set down as a later and unhistorical legend. But the objections made to the historical credibility of this account - viz., that the suffering consequent upon circumcision made a person ill for several days, and according to Gen_34:25 was worst on the third day, so that the people could not have kept the passover on that day, and also that the people could not possibly have been all circumcised on one day - are founded upon false assumptions. In the latter, for example, the number of persons to be circumcised is estimated, most absurdly, at a million; whereas, according to the general laws of population, the whole of the male population of Israel, which contained only 601,730 of twenty years of age and upwards, besides 23,000 Levites of a month old and upwards, when the census was taken a short time before in the steppes of Moab, could not amount to more than a million in all, and of these between 280,000 and 330,000 were thirty-eight years old, and therefore, having been born before the sentence was pronounced upon the nation at Kadesh, and for the most part before the exodus from Egypt, had been already circumcised, so that there were only 670,000, or at the most 720,000, to be circumcised now. Consequently the proportion between the circumcised and uncircumcised was one to three or three and a half; and the operation could therefore be completed without any difficulty in the course of a single day. As regards the consequences of this operation, Gen_34:25 by no means proves that the pain was most acute on the third day; and even it this really were the case, it would not prevent the keeping of the passover, as the lambs could have been killed and prepared by the 280,000 or 330,000 circumcised men; and even those who were still unwell could join in the meal, since it was only Levitical uncleanness, and not disease or pain, which formed a legal impediment to this (Num_9:10.).

(Note: For the basis upon which this computation rests, see Keil's Commentary on Joshua, p. 139 (Eng. trans. 1857).)

But if there were about 300,000 men of the age of forty and upwards who could not only perform the rite of circumcision upon their sons or younger brother, but, if necessary, were able at any moment to draw the sword, there was no reason whatever for their being afraid of an attack on the part of the Canaanites, even if the latter had not been paralyzed by the miraculous crossing of the Jordan.

PI�K, ""And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that

they abode in their places in the camp till they were whole. And the Lord said unto

Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore

the name of the place is called Gilgal [or "rolling "] unto this day" (vv. 8, 9). The

commentators are strangely "at sea" concerning the significance of that expression

"the reproach of Egypt," most of them regarding it as a reference to the stigma

incurred by Israel when they were the slaves of the Egyptians. But surely that

reproach was for ever rolled away when Jehovah delivered His people from Egypt

by a high arm, brought them safely through the Red Sea and there destroyed

Pharaoh and his hosts. �o, rather is it an allusion to Egypt’s taunt of Exodus 32:12.

During the thirty-eight years when Israel was rejected by God there appeared

ground for Egypt’s sneer that they would perish in the wilderness; but all occasion

for such a reproach had now been removed by the Lord’s return unto Israel, and by

restoring the token of the covenant He gave intimation that He had resumed His

mighty works on their behalf, that they were His people and He their God.

But we must turn now and consider the application of this unto ourselves, for like

all the ceremonial rites and institutions of the Old Testament times, circumcision is,

anti-typically, a real and substantial thing unto �ew Testament saints. Stating it

first in a brief sentence, circumcision respected the mortification of sin, the putting

off of the filth of the flesh. But that statement calls for explanation and

amplification, for the great majority of Christians have very low and defective

thoughts on this subject—inherited as they have been from the errors of Rome. Far

too many of God’s children today suppose that "mortification" signifies a dying to

some specific acts of sin, the overcoming of this or that particular corruption. But

that is a serious mistake. Watching against, offering stern resistance unto, and

obtaining the victory over some particular acts of sin, falls far short of real

mortification. That is evident from the fact that none of that is beyond what persons

in a state of nature may do, and not a few have actually done. Men and women

whose hearts know nothing whatever of the power of Divine grace have,

nevertheless, succeeded in gaining the mastery over an unruly temper, and of

denying their craving for strong drink.

Again, let it be granted that, as the result of a course of strict self-discipline, a

Christian has overcome some besetting sin; or, putting it on a higher ground, that

by Divine enablement in answer to prayer, he has become dead to some particular

lust; nevertheless, the evil nature, the root, the filthy fountain from which such foul

streams proceed, the whole body of sin, still remains within! �o, Christian

mortification consists of something much better, something far greater and grander

than anything poor Papists are acquainted with. To be mortified unto sin is a higher

and holier mystery than to be delivered from any mere acts of sin. It consists of

having union and communion with Christ in His death unto sin (Rom. 6:10, 11). It is

the effect and fruit of Christ’s death for us, and of Christ’s death in us by the vower

of the Holy Spirit, whereby we live upon and enjoy fellowship with Him in His

death, and are made partakers of "the power of His resurrection." As faith is

exercised upon Him as our Head, we experience the virtue and efficacy of His death

and resurrection in our hearts and lives.

That which was shadowed forth by circumcision, namely the putting off of the filth

of the flesh, all believers find the substance of in Christ, and the same is made good

in their souls—in measure here, but perfectly, so at death. In order to obtain a

complete view of the Christian’s circumcision, we need to consider it federally and

judicially, then spiritually and experimentally, and then practically and

manifestatively. First, then, all believers are legally circumcised in Christ. That

which circumcision prefigured was the removal of the pollution of sin, and that was

accomplished for believers judicially in the death of their Head. Circumcision

symbolized the entire mortification of sin, and that is the effect and fruit of Christ’s

death for His people. "Ye are complete in Him [Christ], which is the Head of all

principality and power. In whom ye are circumcised with the circumcision made

without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of

Christ" (Col. 2:10, 11). There we have the blessed fact stated, that in Christ their

federal Head His redeemed are already, truly legally circumcised. It is said to be

"without hands to distinguish it from the physical circumcision of the type, and to

show that it is the result of no attainment of ours. Colossians 2:11, is a statement

which is addressed to our faith, for it refers to something outside of our actual

experience, to something which we have in Christ.

The apostle was moved by the Holy Spirit to employ quite a variety of terms to

express the same fact. In Romans 6:2, he said of all believers "we died unto sin." In

1 Corinthians 6:9, "but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in

the name of the Lord Jesus." In Galatians 2:20, he declared—as the representative

of all saints—"I am crucified with Christ." Here in Colossians 2:11, he affirms, "In

whom also ye are circumcised," which signifies that in the sight of God’s Law and

justice the total pollution and defilement of sin (as well as its guilt and criminality)

has been for ever removed. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions"

(Isa. 44:22). "Thou art all fair My love, there is no spot in thee" (Song 4:7). "And

you that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet

now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh, to present you holy and

unblameable and unreprovable in His sight" (Col. 1:21, 22). These scriptures bear

witness that Christ and the Church are federally and legally one: that God the

Father accepts them and views them in the Beloved as both righteous and holy; that

He now sees them as without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; that He pronounces

them eternally cleansed and blessed.

The faith of many of God’s people apprehends the blessed fact that the guilt and

condemnation of their actual transgressions was perfectly atoned for by Christ, but

the faith of very few apprehends that their evil nature itself and all their corruptions

have been made a legal end of by the sacrifice of Christ. They recognize by faith that

God views them as cleansed from the curse of the Law, that there is "no

condemnation" resting upon them; but they fail to perceive that the justice of God

regards them as purged from the very presence and defilement of sin in their

natures, that there is no filth within them. Yet the latter is just as true of them as is

the former. Their "old man was crucified with Christ" (Rom. 6:6). They were

circumcised in Christ, which is described as a "putting off the body. of the sins of

the flesh." Indwelling sin is called a "body" because it consists of various parts and

members, and that "body of sin" has been "put off," yea, "destroyed" or

"annulled" as the word used in Romans 6:6 signifies. �ot only so, but the holiness of

Christ has been imputed or placed to the account of their souls, so that God Himself

declares, "the King’s daughter is all glorious within" (Ps. 45:13), and not merely

"without"—as covered with the robe of Christ’s righteousness.

We say again that Colossians 2:11, is a Divine declaration (as is Song of Solomon

4:7, and Psalm 45:13, quoted above) which is addressed to faith. and is not a

description of Christian experience; though in proportion as faith really

appropriates it, we experience the comfort and joy of it. Alas that some of our

readers are likely to refuse that comfort and joy through suspicion and fear that a

belief of the same might lead to carelessness and low views of sin. When God bids

His children to "reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin" (Rom.

6:11)—which means exactly the same as "Reckon ye also yourselves to be

circumcised indeed in Christ, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh"—He

certainly is not bidding them do anything which has a dangerous tendency. He

exhorts them to so regard themselves because they have good and solid ground for

doing so. They had a representative being and existence in their Head when He

suffered and died to remove both the guilt and the defilement of their sins. Unless

we were one with Christ in His death, there could be no pardon or cleansing for us.

The saints then are to regard their state before God to be what Christ’s is: delivered

from sin’s dominion, accepted in the Father’s unclouded favor.

In our last we pointed out that the circumcising of all the male Israelites at Gilgal

was a type of the circumcision of the Church. First, that all believers were legally

circumcised in Christ: that at the cross the "body [or totality] of the sins of the

flesh" was put off, completely and forever removed from the sight of God’s law and

justice; for such is the blessed, meaning and teaching of Colossians 2:11. God’s elect

had a federal being, a representative existence in their Head, so that when He died

unto sin, they died unto sin; and it is both the duty and privilege of faith to

appropriate that truth, and rest upon that fact. Therein we have revealed the Gospel

method of mortifying sin—in blessed contrast from the fleshly devices of the Papists.

It must flow from our union and communion with the Lord Jesus in His death, and

faith’s receiving of the virtue and efficacy of it. The fountain of all true and spiritual

mortification was opened at the Cross and God is very jealous of the honor of the

person and work of His beloved Son, and every departure from Him and it, every

attempt of the carnal mind to devise some other remedy for any of the wounds

which sin has inflicted upon and within us, is doomed to certain failure. Christ alone

must be looked to for deliverance, not only from the guilt of sin but from its power

and pollution; yes, and from its presence too.

But it must now be pointed out that as Christ is the federal Head of His people, so

also is He their vital or life-giving Head. As the natural head of the physical body

influences all its members, imparting life and motion to them (for when one side of

the brain becomes paralyzed, one whole side of the body does too), so Christ imparts

life unto and influences the members of His mystical body, the Church. This He

does by sending down His Spirit into their hearts, who communicates to them what

Christ did and purchased for them. Thereby they are circumcised spiritually and

experimentally. That brings us to the second branch of our subject. "For he is not a

Jew who is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh.

But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart; in the

spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God" (Rom. 2:28, 29).

There is much of deep importance in those two verses yet they are little understood

today, especially by Dispensationalists and writers on "Prophecy"; but it would be

outside our present scope to give an exposition of them, or even show the apostle’s

line of argument in that passage; rather we must confine ourselves to that in them

which bears directly upon our present theme.

"Circumcision is that of the heart: in the spirit, and not in the flesh." There we are

plainly taught that real "circumcision," the circumcision which God most approves,

is an internal one. Even that is little understood by our moderns, and has no real

place in their teaching. We wonder how many of our own readers have any definite

and clear-cut conception of what is meant by spiritual "circumcision." Very few, we

fear. All the more need then for us to take up this subject here, instead of seeing how

swiftly we can get through the book of Joshua by merely offering generalizations

upon its contents. It should be apparent to all who have read the Scriptures with

any degree of attention and care that He who "desires Truth in the inward parts"

(Ps. 51:6) required very much more from Israel even in Old Testament times than

obedience to the outward ordinance of circumcision. The call "Circumcise therefore

the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked" (Deut. 10:16) is too plain

for misunderstanding. It is quite clear from Leviticus 26:41 and the last clause of

Jeremiah 9:26 that the Lord punished Israel because they were "uncircumcised in

heart." The same fault Stephen charged upon the Jews of his day (Acts 7:51).

"Circumcise yourselves to the Lord and take away the foreskins of your heart" (Jer.

4:4) was His just demand. John Gill acknowledged that "men are exhorted to this"

(alas that so many of his admirers refuse to do so), though he rightly added "yet

elsewhere He promises to do this for them." God has ever required reality and not

simply outward profession, inward and moral purity and not merely external and

ceremonial. "O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness" (Jer. 4:14). This

spiritual circumcision, or cleansing of the heart, is the negative side of regeneration,

or as the older writers more aptly expressed it "the privative" side. Strictly speaking

there is no English word which accurately defines it, but "privative" is the

nearest—that which results in a privation through the absence of something, the

withholding or taking of it away. This is one aspect or part of "the great change"

which takes place in a person when he is made the subject of a miracle of grace.

Since we recently dealt with that in considerable detail, there is the less need to be

lengthy on this occasion; but as spiritual circumcision is included in the general

term "regeneration," we must not altogether ignore it.

As we emphasized in our articles upon "The Great Change," far too many writers

when treating of regeneration confine their attention unto but a single aspect of the

same—the communication of a new life or "nature." But that contemplates only one

angle of it even from the positive side. There is a negative or privative side too.

There is travail and pain in connection with a birth. Perhaps the reader will find it

easier to grasp what we are saying and the better understand our terms when we

remind him that justification has two parts to it: a privative and a positive—

something removed and something bestowed. The cancellation or removal of the

guilt and penalty of all sins is the privative side of justification, for remission

(forgiveness) means "sending away." The imputation of the meritorious obedience

of Christ to the account of the believing sinner is the positive side, for "justify"

signifies to declare a person (not merely innocent, but) righteous. The two things are

brought together in that lovely type in Zechariah 3:4, "Behold I have caused thine

iniquity to pass from thee"—that is the privative side; "and I will clothe thee with

change of raiment" (the "best robe" of Luke 15) is the positive.

�ow at regeneration something is removed, as well as something imparted: "I will

take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh"

(Ezek. 36:26). Though that be metaphorical language, yet is the figure easily

understood. The affections are divorced from evil and united to that which is good.

By the miracle of grace, God takes away the love of sin and implants a love of

holiness. And how is fallen man’s radical and inveterate love of sin removed from

him? By the Holy Spirit’s illumination, revealing to him the exceeding sinfulness of

sin; by His convicting him of the enormity and heinousness of sin, striking his

conscience with terror and horror at having waged war against the Almighty; by

bringing him to realize that it was his sins which caused the Lord of glory to bleed

and die. Then it is that the love of sin receives its death-wound in his soul. Then it is

he is "pricked in his heart" and cries out in anguish and despair "what shall I do?"

(Acts 2:37). Which is only another way of saying, Then it is that his soul is

spiritually and experimentally circumcised; when so far as his love of it is

concerned, he puts off "the body of the sins of the flesh" (Col. 2:11).

The work of the Holy Spirit within the saint is many-sided, but its grand design and

accomplishment is to make good unto him what Christ did for him: or to state it in

other words, the Spirit imparts to the soul an actual acquaintance and effects with it

a spiritual experience of what he has in Christ federally and legally. Christ died

unto sin, for He was "made sin [judicially] for us," and His death was the penal

death of our sin. Consequently, when the Holy Spirit is given to us He first works

death in our hearts: that is, He both slays our self-righteousness, and gives a death-

wound to sin in our affections. As the apostle tells us when relating one aspect of his

own conversion, "when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died" (Rom.

7:9). That is, when those words "thou shalt not covet," thou shalt not even lust after

or desire any unlawful object, was applied in Divine power to his soul, the awful

nature and extent of his sin became a living reality in his conscience, and he died to

all good opinions of himself. By the spiritual slaying of our self-righteousness and

making us loathe sin, the soul is experimentally "made conformable unto Christ’s

death" (Phil. 3:10).

"The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed [which is

to be taken generally as "all" and "the world" in the �ew Testament] to love the

Lord thy God with all thine heart" (Deut. 30:6). There we have the two principal

aspects of regeneration or the miracle of grace brought together: the privative side,

the circumcising of the heart, when it is made willing to part with its cherished sins,

when its affections are severed from all evil. That is in order to the positive side,

namely, the heart’s being brought to love the Lord with all its faculties and strength.

That love to God, John Gill rightly pointed out is "the duty of every man," and thus

of the unregenerate: so, contrary to his followers, Gill not only taught "duty faith,"

but "duty love"! �evertheless, none performs this duty until God Himself

circumcises the heart. Then it is that the soul of the elect is transformed from a

natural man into "a new creature" (Gal. 6:15). That moral change of "putting off

the old man with his deeds" (Col. 3:9) was prefigured by the fact that literal

circumcision was required to be performed on the "eighth day" (Lev. 12:3)—the

numeral which always signifies a new beginning, and thus of "the new creature."

There is yet another aspect of this subject which calls for careful attention, namely,

that circumcision of the Christian which is practical and manifestative. What Christ

accomplished for His people, His Spirit effects within them, and they are required to

make the same apparent in their daily lives and actions. Our federal and legal

circumcision in Christ was in order to our vital and experimental circumcision, for

by His meritorious work on their behalf the Lord Jesus procured the gift and grace

of the Spirit unto His people (Gal. 3:13, 14). Our inward circumcision by the

operations of the Spirit unto His people was in order to the better qualifying us for

the discharge of our responsibility and the glorifying of our God. While at

regeneration the Spirit gives a death-wound unto sin in the affection of its favored

subject, and while at the same time He implants in his heart an imperishable love of

and longing for holiness, yet He does not then remove from him the evil

principle—"the flesh" remains in his soul unto the end of his earthly pilgrimage.

Consequently, there is now a ceaseless conflict within him (Gal. 5:17), and therefore

he is henceforth called upon to fight the good fight of faith": to swim against the

stream of his corruptions, deny self, mortify his members which are upon the earth.

The foes against which the Christian is called to wage conflict are mighty and

powerful. That evil trinity, the flesh, the world, and the Devil, are relentlessly

determined to destroy him. How then is he to successfully engage them in mortal

contest? A great variety of answers have been returned to that question, all sort of

rules and regulations prescribed; but most of them proceeded from "physicians of

no value." It is too generally overlooked that this is "the fight of faith." The Devil

can only be successfully resisted as we remain "steadfast in the faith" (1 Pet. 5:9).

"This is the victory, that over-cometh the world—our faith" (1 John 5:4). And there

can be no victory over indwelling sin except by the actings of faith. And faith, my

reader, always has to do with Christ: He is its grand Object (Heb. 12:2), its

Sustainer (Phil. 1:21), its Strengthener (Phil. 4:13). That is according to the

appointment of the Father, who has determined that His people should be beholden

to His beloved Son for everything, that they may ascribe their all unto Him, that

they may place the crown of honor and glory upon His Head. Christ is the alone

Savior not only from the guilt and pollution of sin, but likewise from its power and

ragings within us.

In this matter of practical circumcision, our mortifying of sin, man’s thoughts and

ways are as far below God’s as in everything else—as far as the earth is below the

heavens. Man supposes he must do this in order to obtain that, avoid this in order to

enjoy that, abstain from evil so as to enter into good. But he knows not where to

obtain strength for the doing! Contrastively, God’s way is to furnish that which

equips for the performance of duty: to bestow freely, that gratitude will respond

gladly; to lavish love upon us, that we cannot but love Him in return; to make

known what He has made Christ to be unto us, and then bids us walk worthily of

such a Savior. He first makes us "light in the Lord," and then bids us "walk as

children of light" (Eph. 5:8). He first makes us saints, then bids us act "as becometh

saints" (Eph. 5:3). He makes us holy, then calls us "to be in behavior as becometh

holiness" (Titus 2:3).

Immediately after Christians are bidden to likewise reckon ye also to have died

indeed unto sin, but live unto God in Christ our Lord, they are exhorted "Let not

sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof"

(Rom. 6:11, 12). Though they have died unto sin legally, sin is far from being dead

within them. Though they are no longer "in the flesh" (Rom. 8:9) so far as their

standing before God is concerned, yet "the flesh" is still in them. Though Christ has

put away the whole of the guilt and pollution of their sins, He has not yet fully

delivered them from its power—that they might prove the sufficiency of His grace,

the marvels of His forbearance, and the reality of His keeping power; and that there

might be opportunity for the trial, exercise, and development of their graces. But

though the evil principle (or "nature") be not eradicated, the Christian is exhorted

"Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body." In that "therefore" we have an

example of the apostle’s evangelical method when urging Christians to perform

their duty: not in order to obtain some further blessing, but because of what they

already have in Christ.

SIMEO�, "ISRAEL’S FIRST PROCEEDI�GS I� CA�AA�

Joshua 5:8-10. It came to pass, when they had done circumcising all the people, that

they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. And the Lord said unto

Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore

the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day. And the children of Israel

encamped in Gilgal, and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at

even in the plains of Jericho.

THERE are, in the Scripture history, many important incidents which we overlook,

as not supposing them to be capable of any spiritual improvement. To those, indeed,

which are directly typical, we pay attention, because they are illustrative of the

Gospel: but if they command not our respect in that view, we rarely consider what

great practical lessons may be derived from them for the regulation of our conduct.

But if, in reading the Sacred Oracles, we were frequently to ask ourselves this

question, What is the state of mind which is manifested in this or that action? we

should gain an insight into many truths which now utterly escape us; and derive to

our souls far greater benefit than we can readily imagine. Take, for instance, the

conduct of Joshua on his entrance into Canaan. Doubtless it was novel and curious,

and such as we should not have expected: but we little think what exceedingly rich

instruction it is calculated to convey. To point out this, will be my endeavour at this

time. Yet, in pointing it out, I have in view, not merely the elucidation of this

particular event, but a general suggestion as to the mode in which the Scripture

history may be improved. Let us then consider,

I. The conduct of Joshua on his entrance into Canaan—

God had opened for him, and for all Israel, a passage through Jordan, at a time

when it overflowed all its banks; just as he had for Moses through the Red Sea, at

the time of his departure from Egypt. �ow, therefore,

What should we expect to be the conduct of Joshua?

[Certainly, I apprehend, if he acted on principles which were common to all other

Generals, when invading an enemy’s country, he would either prosecute his

advantage instantly, whilst all his enemies were filled with terror, and crush them

before they had any time to concert measures for their defence; or he would fortify

his own camp, to prevent surprise, and prepare for carrying on his conquests by

such a disposition of his army as his skill in war might suggest.]

But, what is the information given in our text?

[Behold, instead of adopting any military plans whatever, the very day after he had

invaded a country in which there were seven nations greater and mightier than his,

he appointed every male in the whole nation, that had been born in the wilderness,

and consequently that was under forty years of age, to be circumcised. He did not

even wait a day, to know what the effect of his invasion should be, or what efforts

his enemies were making to repel it; but by one act disabled the greater part of his

whole army from even standing in their own defence.

It may seem strange, that Moses, whose own life had been endangered by neglecting

to circumcise his son [�ote: Exodus 4:24-26.], should suffer the whole nation of

Israel, who till the hour of their departure from Egypt had observed the rite of

circumcision, utterly to neglect it for forty years. Whence this neglect arose, we are

not informed: but I conceive, that if in the first instance it arose from the unsettled

state of the people till they came to Mount Horeb, and was permitted by Moses for

about three months on that account, it was suffered afterwards by God as a just

judgment on account of the worship paid to the golden calf, and because of the

murmuring of the people at Kadeshbarnea when they were discouraged by the

report of the spies who had searched out the land. On the former occasion, Moses

brake the tables of the covenant, to shew that the covenant which God had made

with them was dissolved; and on the latter occasion, God sware that not a soul of

those who had attained the age of twenty at the time of their departure from Egypt

should ever enter into the promised land. Being thus disclaimed by God as his

peculiar people, they were suffered to withhold from their descendants, for forty

years together, that seal, by which alone they could be admitted into covenant with

God.

But, however the neglect originated, so it was, that not one of all the children of

Israel was circumcised for the space of forty years; and all of these did Joshua

circumcise, the very day after his entrance into Canaan.

Only three days after this, (for they passed over Jordan on the tenth day of the

month, and kept the passover on the fourteenth, at even [�ote: Compare Joshua

4:19 with Joshua 5:2; Joshua 5:10.],) did he also enjoin the observance of the

passover. The passover had also been neglected, just as circumcision had been

[�ote: Amos 5:25 and Acts 7:42.]: and now that also must be revived, together with

the attendant feast of unleavened bread. But was this a fit season for such

observances? Had not Joshua other matters to occupy his attention? In a time of

peace we might well expect that a holy man of God would renew these ordinances:

but at the very moment of invading an enemy’s country, and within two or three

miles of a fortified and strongly-garrisoned city, was this a measure to be adopted?

Human prudence, doubtless, would have deferred it: but piety towards God was

regarded by Joshua as superseding every other consideration, and as the best means

of securing His favour, through whose blessing alone any human efforts could prove

effectual.]

�ow, instead of passing over this conduct of Joshua as an event in which we have no

interest, it will be well to inquire,

II. How far it is proper for our imitation at this day—

Enter into the state of Joshua’s mind at this time; and then say, whether we may not

learn, from his conduct, many lessons for ourselves at this day. We may learn,

1. That, in whatever circumstances we he, religion should he our first

concern—

[If ever there were circumstances under which the offices of religion might be

postponed, methinks they were those of Joshua on this occasion, when he had but

just set foot on the land where great and powerful nations were prepared to combat

for their very existence. And, in fact, it is the general opinion of military and naval

commanders, that they have, as it were, a dispensation to neglect the ordinances of

religion on account of the urgency and importance of their occupations. The same

idea prevails through almost all the orders of society, every one being ready to plead

his temporal engagements as an excuse for neglecting the concerns of his soul. The

statesman is too much engaged with politics: the merchant with business; the

philosopher with his researches; the student with his books; the servant with his

duties; and every man with his own separate vocation: each, in his place, urges his

occupations as justifying a neglect of his duties towards God. But, if Joshua, under

his peculiar circumstances, sought first to serve and honour God, we can have no

hesitation in saying, that in comparison of the divine favour there is not an object

under heaven worthy of a thought. I mean not by this to say, that we are at liberty to

neglect the discharge of any office to which God in his providence has called us. or

so to postpone the discharge of it as to endanger our ultimate success: far from it. It

is the inward service of the soul, of which I speak; and which needs not to delay any

outward act for one moment. It is not the act of Joshua which I propose to your

imitation, but the habit of his mind: and that, I say again, is proper to be exercised

by every child of man.]

2. That, in whatever circumstances we be, we should place the most implicit

confidence in God—

[Suppose yourself in the presence of Joshua whilst these religious ceremonies were

proceeding: you would naturally ask, Are you not in an enemy’s land? and have you

not many conflicts to maintain ere you can get a quiet possession of it? yet you seem

as much at your ease as if the whole land were already subdued before you. What

reply do you suppose Joshua would make to observations like these. True, he would

say, you behold me in a state of as much quietness and confidence as if I had not an

enemy to contend with. But whose battles am I fighting? In whose service am I

engaged? Is there any device or power that can succeed against God? In him I trust:

and he it is that “keeps my mind in perfect peace [�ote: Isaiah 26:3-4.].” �ow,

though in respect of temporal trials we cannot be sure that we are called to them in

the way that Joshua was, in our spiritual warfare we stand, as it were, on the same

ground as he: we are called to it, as he was; and it is the way appointed for our

getting possession of our destined inheritance. We also have our enemies at hand,

enemies with whom, in our own strength, it would be impossible for us to cope. But

“our God is for us;” and therefore, we ask with confidence, “Who can be against

us?” Though in ourselves we are weak, we may be “strong in the Lord, and in the

power of his might.” Though we have a warfare to maintain against all the powers

of darkness, we should never regard it as of doubtful issue: we should assure

ourselves, that in all our conflicts we shall be victorious, and that “Satan himself

shall be bruised under our feet shortly [�ote: Romans 16:20.].” Already may we

look upon the land as ours, and see the crowns and kingdoms there reserved for us.

There, in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, we should consider ourselves as

already enthroned [�ote: Ephesians 2:6.]; and look forward with joy to the

dissolution of our earthly tabernacle, in order to its erection in that good land where

it shall be the habitation of God for ever and ever [�ote: 2 Corinthians 5:1;

Ephesians 2:21-22.].]

3. That, in whatever circumstances we be, we should be determined, through

grace, to “roll away the reproach” of our unconverted state—

[The reproach of the Israelites in Egypt was, that they were in bondage both to men

and devils: for, whilst they were involuntarily engaged in the service of their

Egyptian task-masters, they voluntarily worshipped the gods of Egypt [�ote: Joshua

24:14 with Ezekiel 20:5-8.]. But behold them now consecrated to God by

circumcision, and their reproach was completely rolled away. And is not the

unconverted man also both a bond-slave and an idolater? Yes, whatever be the

exterior of his deportment, he serves the world, the flesh, and “the devil, by whom

he is led captive at his will:” and, whether more or less correct in his outward

conduct, he “worships and serves the creature more than the Creator, who is God

blessed for evermore.” �ow then, I say, if you are consecrated to the Lord in

baptism, your duty is to rise superior to all your lusts, and to give yourselves

entirely to the service of your God. You must also, in remembrance of your adorable

Redeemer, be feeding continually on his body and blood, by means of which you are

to be strengthened for all your conflicts, and to be “made more than conquerors”

over all your enemies. “Christ our Passover being sacrificed for us,” your whole life

must be one continual feast, which you are to “keep, not with the old leaven of

malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” It is

the reproach of man that ever he was the servant of sin in any degree: and this

reproach we are to be rolling away; and, as the redeemed of the Lord, we are to be

“glorifying God with our body and our spirit, which are his [�ote: 1 Corinthians

6:20.].” To this employment I call you all. I ask you not what your engagements are

in life, or what else you have to do: this I am well assured of, that there is not a

person under heaven that is not called to this duty; nor is there a circumstance that

can be imagined, wherein this duty can be dispensed with. Be ye, then, upright in

serving God; and never fear but that God will be faithful in saving you.]

9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal[c] to this day.

BAR�ES, "The reproach of Egypt - i. e. “reproach proceeding from Egypt.” The expression probably refers to taunts actually uttered by the Egyptians against Israel, because of their long wanderings in the desert and failures to acquire a settlement in Canaan (compare Exo_32:12; Num_14:13-16; Deu_9:28; Deu_32:27). These reproaches were now to end, for they had actually entered Canaan, and the restoration of the covenant was a pledge from God to accomplish what was begun for them.

CLARKE, "The reproach of Egypt - Their being uncircumcised made them like the uncircumcised Egyptians; and the Hebrews ever considered all those who were uncircumcised as being in a state of the grossest impurity. Being now circumcised, the reproach of uncircumcision was rolled away. This is another proof that the Israelites did not receive circumcision from the Egyptians; for they could not have considered those in a state of abomination, from whom they received that rite by which they conceived themselves to be made pure. The Israelites had this rite from Abraham; and Abraham had it from the express order of God himself. See Gen_17:10 (note), and the note there.

The place is called Gilgal - A rolling away or rolling off. See the note on Jos_4:19, where the word is largely explained.

GILL, "And the Lord said unto Joshua,.... Out of the tabernacle:

this day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you; either the reproach of being reckoned office same religion with the Egyptians, they now having observed the command of the Lord, and thereby declared themselves to be his servants

and worshippers, which sense Ben Gersom mentions; or else the reproach with which the Egyptians reproached them, that they were brought out from them into the wilderness for evil, to be destroyed there, they now being safely arrived in the land of Canaan; which tense he seems to approve of, and so Abarbinel: or rather by it is meant the reproach of being bondmen, and slaves, as they were in Egypt, having now entered upon their inheritance, they as free men, the sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were heirs unto; and perhaps it was this sense of the phrase led Josephus (c) to give a wrong interpretation of the word "Gilgal", which he says signifies "liberty": and adds,"for, having passed the river, they knew they were free from the Egyptians, and from troubles in the wilderness;''though the more commonly received sense is, that this reproach is to be understood of uncircumcision, which was the reproach of the Egyptians, they at this time not using circumcision they afterwards did, when some of the nations thereabout used it, who descended, from Abraham, as the Midianites, Ishmaelites, Arabians, and Edomites:

wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day; which signifies "rolling" (d); so that when it is met with before, it is so called by anticipation.

JAMISO�, "the Lord said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt— The taunts industriously cast by that people upon Israel as nationally rejected by God by the cessation of circumcision and the renewal of that rite was a practical announcement of the restoration of the covenant [Keil].

Gilgal— No trace either of the name or site is now to be found; but it was about two miles from Jericho [Josephus], and well suited for an encampment by the advantages of shade and water. It was the first place pronounced “holy” in the Holy Land (Jos_5:15).

K&D, "Jos_5:9

When the circumcision was completed, the Lord said to Joshua, “This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you.” “The reproach of Egypt” is the reproach proceeding from Egypt, as “the reproach of Moab,” in Zep_2:8, is the reproach heaped upon Israel by Moab (cf. Isa_51:7; Eze_16:57). We are not to understand by this the Egyptian bondage, or the misery which still cleaved to the Israelites from Egypt, and the still further misery which they had suffered during their journey, on account of the displeasure of Jehovah (Knobel), but the reproach involved in the thoughts and sayings of the Egyptians, that Jehovah had brought the Israelites out of Egypt to destroy them in the desert (Exo_32:12; Num_14:13-16; Deu_9:28), which rested upon Israel as long as it was condemned to wander restlessly about and to die in the wilderness. This reproach was rolled away from Israel with the circumcision of the people at Gilgal, inasmuch as this act was a practical declaration of the perfect restoration of the covenant, and a pledge that the Lord would now give them the land of Canaan for their inheritance. From this occurrence the place where the Israelites were encamped received the name of

Gilgal, viz., “rolling away,” from לל&, to roll. This explanation and derivation of the name

is not to be pronounced incorrect and unhistorical, simply because it merely preserves the subordinate idea of rolling, instead of the fuller idea of the rolling away of reproach. For the intention was not to form a word which should comprehend the whole affair with exhaustive minuteness, but simply to invent a striking name which should recall the occurrence, like the name Tomi, of which Ovid gives the following explanation: IndeTomos dictus locus est quia fertur in illo membra soror fratris consecuisse sui (Trist. iii.

9, 33). Knobel is wrong in maintaining that the name should be explained in a different way, and that this Gilgal is the same as Geliloth (circles) in Jos_18:17 (see the

explanation given at Jos_15:7). The word gilgal, formed from גלל, to roll, signifies

primarily rolling, then a wheel (Isa_28:28); and if by possibility it signifies orbis also,

like ליל&, this is neither the original nor the only meaning of the word. According to

Josephus (Ant. Jos_18:1, Jos_18:4), Israel encamped fifty stadia, i.e., two hours and a half, from the Jordan, and ten stadia, or half an hour, from Jericho-that is to say, in the plain or steppe between Jericho and the Jordan, in an uninhabited and uncultivated spot, which received the name of Gilgal for the first time, as the place where the Israelites were encamped. No town or village ever existed there, either at the period in question or at any later time. The only other places in which this Gilgal can be shown to be evidently referred to, are Mic_6:5 and 2Sa_19:6, 2Sa_19:41; and the statement made

by Eusebius in the Onom. s. v. Galgala, δείκνυται1τόπος6ρηµος:ς;ερ<ςθρησκευόµενος,

which Jerome paraphrases thus, “Even to the present day a deserted place is pointed out at the second mile from Jericho, which is held in amazing reverence by the inhabitants of that region,” by no means proves the existence of a town or village there in the time of the Israelites. Consequently it is not to be wondered at, that in spite of repeated search, Robinson has not been able to discover any remains of Gilgal to the east of Jericho, or to meet with any Arab who could tell him of such a name in this locality (see Rob. Pal. ii. pp. 287-8 and 278). On the situation of the Gilgal mentioned in Jos_9:6; Jos_10:6, etc., see at Jos_8:35.

CALVI�, "9.And the Lord said unto Joshua, etc The disgrace of Egypt is

expounded by some as meaning that the want of circumcision rendered them similar

to the Egyptians, in other words, profane and marked with a stigma; as if it had

been said that they were again made the peculiar property of God when they were

anew stamped with this mark, to distinguish them from the nations that were

unclean. Others understand it actively, as meaning that they would no longer be

scorned by the Egyptians, as if God had deceived them. This I have no hesitation in

rejecting as too far fetched. Others understand that they would no longer lie under

the false imputation of worshipping the gods of that nation. I rather understand the

meaning to be, that they were freed from an invidious charge, by which they were

otherwise overborne. It was disreputable to have shaken off the yoke and revolted

from the king under whose government they lived. Moreover, as they gave out that

God was the avenger of unjust tyranny, it was easy to upbraid them with using the

name of God as a mere color for their conduct. They might, therefore, have been

regarded as deserters, had not the disgrace been wiped off by the appeal to

circumcision, by which the divine election was sealed in their flesh before they went

down into Egypt. It was accordingly made plain by the renewal of the ancient

covenant that they were not rebels against legitimate authority, nor had rashly gone

off at their own hand, but that their liberty was restored by God, who had long ago

taken them under his special protection.

From the removal of disgrace the place obtained its name. For those who think that

the prepuce cut off was called Gilgal, because it was a kind of circle, abandon the

literal meaning, and have recourse to a very unnecessary fiction; while it is perfectly

obvious that the place was called Rolling Off, because God there rolled off from his

people the disgrace which unjustly attached to them. The interpretation of liberty,

adopted by Josephus, is vain and ridiculous, and makes it apparent that he was as

ignorant of the Hebrew tongue as of jurisprudence.

BE�SO�, "Joshua 5:9. The reproach of Egypt — That is, uncircumcision, which

was both in truth, and in the opinion of the Jews, a matter of great reproach. And

although this was a reproach common to most nations of the world, yet it is

particularly called the reproach of Egypt, either, 1st, Because the other

neighbouring nations, being the children of Abraham by the concubines, are

supposed to have been circumcised, which the Egyptians at this time were not, as

may be gathered from Exodus 2:6, where they knew the child to be a Hebrew by this

mark. Or, 2d, Because they came out of Egypt, and were esteemed to be a sort of

Egyptians, (�umbers 22:5,) which they justly thought a great reproach; but by their

circumcision they were now distinguished from them, and manifested to be another

people. Or, 3d, Because many of them lay under this reproach in Egypt, having

wickedly neglected this duty there for worldly reasons; and others of them

continued in the same shameful condition for many years in the wilderness. The

name of the place is called Gilgal — That is, rolling.

ELLICOTT, "(9) This day have I rolled away. . . .—Compare Isaiah 25:8, “He will

swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all

faces; and the rebuke (or reproach) of His people shall He take away from off all the

earth: for the Lord hath spoken it “; Colossians 2:11, “In whom (Christ) also we are

circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in the putting off the body

of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism,

wherein also ye are risen with Him”; and 1 Corinthians 15:54. “When this

corruptible shall have put on incorruption, . . . then . . . Death is swallowed up in

victory.”

TRAPP, "Joshua 5:9 And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away

the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal

unto this day.

Ver. 9. This day have I rolled away the reproach, &c.] That is, the uncircumcision of

your flesh, {see 1 Samuel 17:26 Genesis 34:16 Philippians 3:4-5} together with all

that filth and guilt which you have contracted by conversing with those superstitious

and wicked Egyptians. "Righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin is a reproach to

any people." [Proverbs 14:34] God had now restored to Israel the sweet seal of his

covenant, pardoning them what was past; and they had herein bound themselves to

abandon their sins, and to obey God’s precepts. So doth the baptized Christian; {see

Colossians 2:11-13} who should therefore never step out of doors, saith Chrysostom,

or lie down in his bed, or go into his closet, but he should remember those two

words, Abrenuncio, Credo, I forsake the devil, &c. I believe in Christ: I bear his

badge, I wear his livery.

WHEDO�, "9. I rolled away the reproach of Egypt — The reproach which Egypt

has cast upon you; for Egypt is here subjective and not objective. Compare Isaiah

51:7; Ezekiel 16:57; Ezekiel 36:15. Many are the explanations of this reproach.

Some say it was Egyptian bondage; others, the state of being uncircumcised, which

implies, what cannot be proved, that the Egyptians were circumcised; still others,

that the Hebrews were unfit for war. But we find the reproach in Exodus 32:12 :

“Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them

out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the

earth?” They had been exposed to this reproach for forty years, for God had been

destroying them during that time. But with the restoration of covenant relations,

whereof circumcision was the sign, the reproach of Egypt is rolled away from them.

The malicious taunt is now no longer true. [

Called Gilgal — The place may have been called Gilgal before this event, and there

were other places in the land of the same name; but as the word Gilgal means a

wheel or circle, and is so easily associated with the idea of rolling, the Israelites

naturally gave it the symbolical meaning here stated, because their renewal of the

covenant by circumcision had rolled away the reproach of Egypt.]

COKE, "Ver. 9. And the Lord said unto Joshua, This day, &c.— Among many

conjectures respecting the sense of these words, most interpreters have agreed to

understand by the reproach of Egypt, uncircumcision, which rendered the Israelites

like the Egyptians, and had rendered the Egyptians abominable in their sight while

they were under their yoke. Spencer gives the words another meaning;

understanding by the reproach of Egypt, that slavery which had subjected the

Israelites to the Egyptians; and he thinks that circumcision took away this reproach,

because it shewed, that those to whom it was administered were the children of

Abraham, and the lawful heirs of that patriarch to whom the land of Canaan had

been promised. But, says Mr. Saurin, however ingenious this thought may be, we

must not be dazzled by it. The Israelites, who had been slaves in Egypt, were there

circumcised. If, therefore, we are to understand, by the reproach of Egypt, the

slavery under which the Israelites groaned in Egypt, and if circumcision had had

the power to take away that reproach, it might have been said they were out of

slavery in Egypt while in bondage there, since they were then circumcised; which

implies a contradiction. Theodoret, who thinks that the Israelites had neglected

circumcision in Egypt, entertains an idea nearly similar to Spencer's. He says, that

the Hebrews, formerly slaves in Egypt, became lords of the country of Canaan,

when, by receiving circumcision, they took upon them the mark by which they

might be known as the posterity of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom God had

given that country. Other interpreters incline to the opinion of Rabbi Levi Ben

Gershom, who supposes, that the Israelites were a laughing-stock to the Egyptians,

who mocked them on seeing them wander and perish in the dry desarts of Arabia,

without being able to enter the land of Canaan, the possession of which they had

boasted was assured to them; and that God removed this opprobrium by making

them resume the token of his covenant, as a declaration of their taking possession of

that country. But, considering every thing, we incline to the first explanation as the

most simple. Some learned writers, by the reproach of Egypt, seem principally to

understand indifference for religion, a propensity to idolatry, and a neglect of

circumcision, which the Israelites had contracted in Egypt. The authors of the

Universal History give this general elucidation of the subject: "This mark of their

(the Israelites) obedience was so pleasing to God, that he told them he had now

removed, or rolled away from them the reproach of Egypt; i.e. that he did no longer

look upon them as uncircumcised Egyptians, but as his own people." The Israelites

considered uncircumcision as a disgrace; they found and they left the Egyptians

uncircumcised; so that uncircumcision could not be better described, than by calling

it the reproach of Egypt. But, say some, why is not uncircumcision called the

reproach of Canaan, as well as of Egypt, since the Canaanites were uncircumcised

as well as the Egyptians? To this we may reply: I. That the neighbouring nations

mixed among the Canaanites, being the seed of Abraham by his concubines, had

probably the rite of circumcision; whereas the Egyptians had it not, since they knew

a child to be a Hebrew because he was circumcised. Exodus 2:6. II. The Israelites

came from Egypt; uncircumcision was a blot which they seem to have brought from

thence; they might be looked upon as uncircumcised Egyptians, inasmuch as they

did not apply the seal of the covenant made with their fathers, and, as it were, the

voucher for their right to the land of Canaan. III. It was evidently in Egypt that

their forefathers had begun to neglect circumcision, which they continued to do

during their stay in the desart.

The name of the place is called Gilgal— WWhich signifies, to roll away, cut off,

remove. There is no doubt respecting it. Josephus, however, who is followed by

Theodoret, translates Gilgal, not a rolling away, but liberty; (Hist. Jud. l. v. c. 1.) as

if this place had been so named because when the Israelites arrived there they might

look upon themselves as perfectly delivered from the servitude of Egypt, and freed

from the troubles they had undergone in Arabia. As to the expression, unto this day,

see note on ch. Joshua 4:9. Le Clerc explains it, "till the day that this book was

written."

REFLECTIO�S.—Safely arrived at last within the borders of the promised land,

the divided waters of Jordan close, and nothing remains, but to cast out the

inhabitants and possess the country. In order to which we are told, 1. What terror

and dismay seized on the neighbouring kings. Who can stand before those from

whose presence the swellings of affrighted Jordan retire and open a safe way for

their march! Their hearts melted therefore like wax, and they gave themselves up

for lost. �ote; God often makes his enemies know how vain it is to contend with

him; and by his secret terrors, even in the midst of life and health, brings them into

the pangs of death. 2. The people halted at their first station, and Joshua, at the

divine command, issues orders for a general circumcision of the people. �ow, when

God's goodness has triumphed over their perverseness, on admitting them into the

land, he commands them to receive the seal of the covenant in token of the

fulfilment of the promises made to Abraham. 3. The people readily consent; they

had seen so much of God's interposition, that they were not afraid of their enemies,

and were happy to lay themselves under the bonds of the covenant, that, with God's

promises thus sealed to them, they might go forth more confidently to vanquish

their foes. They were owned of God, as his covenant-children, and no longer to be

branded as wanderers in a wilderness; but now are entered as possessors into the

long-expected inheritance. �ote; (1.) The reproaches cast on God's people shall

shortly be wiped away, and confusion cover their enemies. (2.) The Israel of God

must circumcise the foreskin of their hearts, and cut off every corrupt and vile

affection. (3.) �othing can so infallibly assure us of inheriting the kingdom of glory,

as the experience of the mortification of sin in our souls, through the work of our

divine Joshua.

PETT, "Verse 9

Joshua 5:9 a.

‘And YHWH said to Joshua, “This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt

from off you.” ’

The general idea was that circumcision had now finally made them a circumcised

nation, as a free people within the covenant, in their own land. They were now

YHWH’s people in YHWH’s land.

“The reproach of Egypt” may signify:

· That attitude of disobedient Israel which clung to Egypt (Exodus 16:3;

Exodus 17:3; �umbers 11:5; �umbers 20:5; �umbers 21:5; Deuteronomy 1:27).

Thus they were now seen as a new nation with any desires for Egypt removed from

them.

· That they were now at last really a free and sanctified people in a free and

sanctified (because YHWH’s gift to His people) land, within the covenant of YHWH

which had now been renewed, with their slave past and Egyptian ‘unclean’

connections and religious influence behind them (compare Hosea 9:3).

· It may refer to that reproachful charge that was seen as originating with the

Egyptians, and could now be seen as totally refuted, that YHWH had led the

Israelites out of Egypt only to destroy them in the wilderness (compare Exodus

32:12; �umbers 14:13-16; Deuteronomy 9:28).

· Or it may refer to a tendency on the part of some Israelites not to have

circumcised their infants because of Egyptian influence (who circumcised at

puberty) and to the fact that many of the youngsters of the mixed multitude who

came from Egypt had never been circumcised.

Joshua 5:9 b.

‘For this reason the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day.’

The name Gilgal means ‘a rolling’. Thus it is here seen as referring to the rolling

away of the reproach of Egypt. This is almost certainly the taking of an old name

and giving it a new meaning, for there were already a number of Gilgals in Canaan,

or it may less probably mean that this was a new name given for this reason, used

earlier because it had become the name of the place at the time of writing.

10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover.

CLARKE, "Kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month - If the ceremony of circumcision was performed on the eleventh day of the month, as many think; and if the sore was at the worst on the thirteenth, and the passover was celebrated on the fourteenth, the people being then quite recovered; it must have been rather a miraculous than a natural healing. We have already seen from the account of Sir J. Chardin, that it required about three weeks to restore to soundness adults who had submitted to circumcision: if any thing like this took place in the case of the Israelites at Gilgal, they could not have celebrated the passover on the third or fourth day after their circumcision. The apparent impossibility of this led Mr. Harmer to suppose that they kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the second month, the preceding time having been employed in the business of the circumcision. See his Observations, vol. iv., p. 427, etc.

GILL, "And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal,.... Not after their circumcision, but before, and where they continued encamped during that, and until the passover had been kept by them; this was little more than a mile from Jericho; see Gill on Jos_4:19,

and kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even; exactly as it was ordered to be observed, and was observed when first kept, Exo_12:6,

in the plains of Jericho: a proper place both for their encampment, and the celebration of the passover, and where very likely they met with lambs enough for their purpose, which belonged to the inhabitants of Jericho; or however being now got into the good land, they needed not, and were under no temptation of sparing their own: historians agree, as Strabo (e), Josephus (f), and others, that Jericho was seated in a plain.

HE�RY, "We may well imagine that the people of Canaan were astonished, and that when they observed the motions of the enemy they could not but think them very strange. When soldiers take the field they are apt to think themselves excused from religious exercises (they have not time nor thought to attend to them), yet Joshua opens the campaign with one act of devotion after another. What was afterwards said to another Joshua might truly be said to this, Hear now, O Joshua! thou and thy fellows

that sit before thee are men wondered at (Zec_3:8), and yet indeed he took the right method. that is likely to end well which begins with God. Here is,

I. A solemn passover kept, at the time appointed by the law, the fourteenth day of the first month, and in the same place where they were circumcised, v. 10. While they were wandering in the wilderness they were denied the benefit and comfort of this ordinance, as a further token of God's displeasure; but now, in answer to the prayer of Moses upon the passing of that sentence Psa_90:15, God comforted them again, after the time that he had afflicted them, and therefore now that joyful ordinance is revived again. Now that they had entered into Canaan it was very seasonable to remember those wondrous works of divine power and goodness by which they were brought out of Egypt. The finishing of mercies should bring to mind the beginning of them; and when it is perfect day we must not forget how welcome the morning-light was when we had long waited for it. The solemn passover followed immediately after the solemn circumcision; thus, when those that received the word were baptized, immediately we find them breaking bread, Act_2:41, Act_2:42. They dept this passover in the plains of Jericho, as it were in defiance of the Canaanites that were round about them and enraged against them, and yet could not give them any disturbance. Thus God gave them an early instance of the performance of that promise that when they went up to keep the feasts their land should be taken under the special protection of the divine Providence. Exo_34:24, Neither shall any man desire thy land. He now prepared a table before them in the presence of their enemies,Psa_23:5.

JAMISO�, "kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even— The time fixed by the law (see on Exo_12:17; see on Lev_23:5; see on Num_28:16). Thus the national existence was commenced by a solemn act of religious dedication.

K&D 10-12, "The Passover at Gilgal. - When the whole nation had been received again into covenant with the Lord by circumcision, they kept the passover, which had no doubt been suspended from the time that they left Sinai (Num_9:1.), on the 14th of the month (Nisan), in the evening (according to the law in Exo_12:6, Exo_12:18; Lev_23:5; Num_28:16; Deu_16:6). The next day, i.e., on the 16th, or the day after the first feast-day, they ate unleavened loaves and parched corn (“roasted grains,” see at Lev_2:14) of

the produce of the land (עבור,

(Note: Rendered “old corn” in the Eng. version.)

which only occurs in Jos_5:11 and Jos_5:12, is synonymous with בו?ה@

(Note: Rendered fruit in our version.)

in Jos_5:12), i.e., corn that had grown in the land of Canaan, as the manna entirely ceased from this day forwards. “The morrow after the passover” is used in Num_33:3for the 15th Nisan; but here it must be understood as signifying the 16th, as the produce of the land, of which they ate not only on that day, but, according to Jos_5:12, throughout that year, cannot mean the corn of the previous year, but the produce of this same year, i.e., the new corn, and they were not allowed to eat any of that till it had been sanctified to the Lord by the presentation of the wave sheaf on the second day of the passover (Lev_23:11). According to Lev_23:11, the presentation was to take place on the day after the Sabbath, i.e., the first day of the feast of Mazzoth, which was kept as a Sabbath, or the 16th of Nisan, as the seven days' feast of Mazzoth commenced on the 15th (Lev_23:6; Num_28:17). “On the morrow after the passover” is the same as “on the morrow after the Sabbath” in Lev_23:11, the term passover being used here not in its

original and more restricted sense, in which it applies exclusively to the observance of the paschal meal, which took place on the evening of the 14th, and is expressly distinguished from the seven days' feast of Mazzoth (Exo_12:23, Exo_12:27; Lev_23:5; Num_28:16), but in the broader sense, which we have already met with in Deu_16:2, in which the name was gradually extended to the whole of the seven days' feast. The writer assumed that the facts themselves were already well known from the Mosaic law, and therefore did not think it necessary to give any fuller explanation. Moreover, the words, “they did eat of the fruit of the land,” etc., are not to be understood as signifying that they began to eat unleavened bread for the first time on the 16th Nisan (they had already eaten is as an accompaniment to the paschal lamb); but unleavened bread of the produce of the land, the green corn of that year, was what they ate for the first time on that day. Especial prominence is given to this by the words, “in the self-same day,” because not only did the eating of the new corn commence on that day, but from that day forward “the children of Israel had manna no more.” This statement is evidently related to Exo_16:35, and must be understood, according to that passage, as merely signifying, that on that day the gift of the manna entirely ceased (see Pentateuch, pp. 366ff.).

CALVI�, "10.And the children of Israel. kept the Passover, etc Here it is stated that

the Passover was celebrated on the regular day, although there are some who think

that the words used imply that the practice was unusual. They hence infer that, like

circumcision, it had been interrupted for a period of forty years, as it would have

been absurd for persons uncircumcised to take part in a sacred feast. To confirm

this view, they observe that we do not read of the Passover having been observed

after the beginning of the second year. But it is not probable that that which God

had lately ordered to be perpetual, (Exodus 12:42) was suddenly cast aside. For it

had been said to them, It is a night to be observed by the children of Israel in all

their generations. How inconsistent, then, would it have been had this practice,

which was to be observed throughout all ages, become obsolete in the course of two

years! And again, how heartless it would have been to bury the memory of a recent

favor within so short a period!

But it is said that the want of circumcision must have kept back a large proportion,

that the mystery might not be profaned; for at its institution it had been declared,

�o uncircumcised person shall eat of it. To this I have already answered, that it was

an extraordinary privilege; as the children of Israel were freed from the law. (54)

For it is certain that they continued to use sacrifices, and to observe the other parts

of legal worship, although this was unlawful, unless something of the form

prescribed by the law had been remitted by divine authority. It is certain that

unclean persons were prohibited from entering the court of the tabernacle, and yet

the children of Israel, while uncircumcised, offered sacrifices there, thus doing what

was equivalent to the slaying of the Passover. They were therefore permitted, by

sufferance, to do that which it was not lawful to do according to the rule of the law.

The mention made by Moses of the second celebration of the Passover (�umbers

9:0) is for a different purpose, namely, for the purpose of indirectly censuring the

carelessness and sluggishness of the people, who would not have observed the sacred

anniversary at the end of the first year if they had not been reminded of it. For

although God had proclaimed that they should through all ages annually renew the

memory of their deliverance, yet they had grown so oblivious before the end of the

year, that they had become remiss in the discharge of the duty. It is not without

cause they are urged by a new intimation, as they were not sufficiently attentive of

their own accord. That passage, therefore, does not prove that the use of the

Passover was afterwards interrupted; on the contrary, it may, with some

probability, be inferred from it that it was annually observed; as the Lord, towards

the end of the year, anticipates the observance, telling them to make careful

provision for it in future, and never deviate from the command which had been

given them. (55)

BE�SO�, "Joshua 5:10. The children of Israel kept the passover — Which was

their third passover: the first was in Egypt, Exodus 12.; the second at mount Sinai,

�umbers 9.; the third here; for in their wilderness travels, these and several other

sacrifices were neglected, Amos 5:25. While they were in the wilderness, they were

denied the comfort of this ordinance, as a further token of God’s displeasure. But

now God comforted them again, after the time that he had afflicted them.

TRAPP, "Joshua 5:10 And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and kept the

passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho.

Ver. 10. And kept the Passover.] Which it seemeth they had not done for a long time

before. See �umbers 9:1-2. So that they were without the use of those two standing

sacraments during their abode in the wilderness; peradventure, saith one, (a)

through a profane carelessness of the people, which God punished by suffering them

to go on in their sin without admonishing, or reproving them for it.

WHEDO�, "THE THIRD PASSOVER A�D CEASI�G OF THE MA��A, Joshua

5:10-12.

10. And kept the passover — This institution was in memory of their deliverance

from the plague which had destroyed the firstborn in Egypt, (Exodus 12,) and was

the second feast which had been observed since leaving that land of bondage. The

first was at Sinai, in the second year of their journey in the desert. �umbers 9.

There was no observance of it in the desert subsequent to this, on account of the

rejection of Israel from the covenant. See on Joshua 5:6 and note introductory to

Joshua 5:2.

On the fourteenth day of the month — This was the month Abib, the first month of

the Hebrew year. After the captivity it was called �isan. The fourteenth of this

month corresponded with about the middle of our April.

COFFMA�, "Verse 10

"And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal; and they kept the passover on the

fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. And they did eat of the

produce of the land on the morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes and

parched grain, in the selfsame day. And the manna ceased on the morrow, after they

had eaten of the produce 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."

There are only three instances of Israel's observance of the Passover up to and

including the example here.[19] The other occasions are recorded in Exodus 12:1-15,

in which is the account of their observance of it in Egypt; and the other took place

on the first anniversary of the original Passover (�umbers 9:5). In this connection,

Dummelow tells us that only three subsequent observances of the Passover are

recorded in the Bible, these being: (1) that ordered by Josiah (2 Kings 23:21-23); (2)

Hezekiah's (2 Chronicles 30); and (3) that of the returned exiles (Ezra 6:19).[20]

Despite these limited references to it, however, "Critics freely admit that there may

have been annual observances of the Passover throughout substantial portions of

Jewish history."[21]

"Ate of the produce of the land ..." (Joshua 5:11). The English Revised Version of

1885 rendered this "the old corn (grain)" of the land, and, it is apparently not

absolutely certain that the current rendition is accurate. Plummer stated that,

"Whether new or old, we have no means of telling."[22] If it was the new corn

(grain), it would have been barley, for the wheat harvest came six weeks later. To us

it would seem that not a lot of importance attaches to the question.

The cessation of the manna on the very day that Israel ate of the produce of the land

of Canaan, however, is of very great significance. Why did it cease? Henry

suggested these reasons: (1) this prompt cessation of manna showed that it was not

by chance or mere coincidence that it had been supplied; (2) Israel did not need it

any longer; (3) it showed that Christians should not expect extraordinary supplies in

situations where supplies may be had in an ordinary way.[23] The mention of

unleavened cakes here is natural. The eating of unleavened bread for an entire week

was celebrated in connection with the Passover; and, despite that it was a special

festival, it was so closely associated with the Passover, that, in time, the feasts

became practically united in the minds of the people.

It is of the greatest importance that a comprehensive and detailed knowledge of the

whole Pentateuch is understood by the author of Joshua to be in the possession of all

the people. "He assumed that the facts (about the Passover, the Unleavened Bread,

etc.) were already well known from the Mosaic law, and he did not, therefore, think

it necessary to give any fuller explanations."[24]

The sudden cessation of the manna, and of the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar

of fire by night has its counterpart in the �ew Dispensation. Plummer noted that:

All extraordinary demonstrations of God's Providence ceased with the crossing of

Jordan, and in the history of the church, nothing is more remarkable than the way

in which miraculous gifts of God - healing, prophecy, and the working of miracles -

ceased when Jesus Christ ascended into heaven.[25]

It was in keeping with this amazing truth that Paul himself prophesied the cessation

of tongues, prophecy, supernatural knowledge, etc. (1 Corinthians 13:8). In fact, to

the specific things mentioned we must also add all of the charismatic gifts listed in 1

Corinthians 12:1-11. There was a childhood age of the church, in which all kinds of

wonders attended her establishment, but the church moved out of that beginning

era. "The whole counsel of God, once made known in Christ, the spiritual laws, like

those of the natural world, would move in their natural course."[26] There would be

no further need for special heavenly interruptions such as that seen during the age

of miracles.

COKE, "Ver. 10. And the children of Israel—kept the passover— This was the

third time they had celebrated this feast: the first time was on their departure from

Egypt, and the second the year following, when the tabernacle was reared at the foot

of mount Sinai; so that for thirty-nine years they had not celebrated it, nor dared

they so to do, being uncircumcised. Besides, this feast was established only for the

time of their peaceable possession of the land of Canaan.

In the plains of Jericho— For this purpose, the tabernacle was set up in the middle

of the camp, for sacrificing the lamb according to the law, and that those who were

beyond Jordan might come to it with less difficulty than they afterwards did to

Jerusalem from various parts of the Holy Land.

CO�STABLE, "Verses 10-12

The Law prescribed that only members of the covenant community could eat the

Passover. It was a memorial to God"s redemption of Israel out of Egyptian slavery

in the Exodus. It symbolized God"s deliverance of His people from the tyranny of

sin (cf. Exodus 12:43-51).

In the Feast of Unleavened Bread that followed the Passover, the people were able to

use the grain of the land to make bread ( Joshua 5:11). God now provided for His

people"s need for daily bread by giving them the produce of the land rather than

manna, which now ceased (cf. Exodus 16:35).

"We are prone to look upon our common mercies as matters of course, and God

sometimes withdraws them to teach us our dependence more effectually." [�ote:

Bush, p60.]

Sometimes obeying God makes us vulnerable to the attacks of our spiritual enemies.

�evertheless God will protect those who trust and obey Him in these situations.

PETT, "Verse 10

‘And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and they kept the passover on the

fourteenth day of the month in the evening, in the plains of Jericho.’

There are six mentions of the keeping of the Passover in the Old Testament, Exodus

12; �umbers 9:2-5 (at the first movement towards the land); 2 Chronicles 30:15-17

(Hezekiah’s revival); 2 Kings 23:21-23 (Josiah’s revival); Ezra 6:19-22 and here, all

important occasions. But there is no good reason for doubting that it was observed

every year. As �umbers 9:2-5 demonstrates that the Passover was observed in the

wilderness it would seem that the requirement for circumcision (Exodus 12:48) was

suspended when they were ‘by the way’ (on their journey), (although it may have

been because at that stage, within two years of leaving Egypt, only infants would

have been uncircumcised). There was in fact no specific provision in the Law of

Sinai about circumcision in relation to the Passover, and the only previous provision

in respect of the Passover was for slaves and new adherents to be circumcised before

they could observe the Passover, for the aim of the provision about circumcision in

Exodus 12:44; Exodus 12:48 was so that only those dedicated to YHWH should

partake. It simply assumed true Israelites were being circumcised in accordance

with the provisions in Genesis 17. Thus when circumcision was seemingly suspended

for Israelites during the period in the wilderness the proviso there would no longer

be a suitable test. It would only apply once they were in the land and being

circumcised once again. Deuteronomy 16 demonstrates that the final intention was

that Passover should be celebrated at the central sanctuary and that the ritual was

flexible.

PI�K, "That "therefore" looks back generally over the whole preceding section

(from Joshua 5:1), but has a more particular reference to Joshua 6:10, 11. The "Let

not therefore sin reign" is far more than an appeal for us to exercise our wills: it is a

call for faith to make one’s own all that standing and state which is ours by virtue of

our legal and vital union with Christ. Faith is urged to apprehend and appropriate

our sinlessness in Christ by our death and resurrection in Him. That is the only

right way of approach unto gaining the victory over sin in our daily lives. God will

set no premium upon unbelief, but He will honor faith. Faith is called upon to

recognize and reckon that sin was vanquished by Christ, and therefore it has no

right to lord it over us. We are to refuse obedience to its desires and behests. We are

to yield no subserviency unto the dethroned adversary of Christ, but strive

constantly against every effort it makes to gain the ascendancy over us. And in

order unto strength for such striving, we are to draw motives and encouragement

from the love of Christ, who suffered and died for us. Strength to resist sin comes

from faith’s eyeing Christ and love’s drawing from Him incentives to mortify that

which slew Him.

It is "the love of Christ" which is ever to constrain the Christian in all things. But I

must first be assured of His love for me, before my affections will flow out to Him in

grateful submission and service. Any service which issues from fear or is prompted

by reward, is either legal or mercenary, and unacceptable to Him. Without a

realization of pardoning mercy in the soul, we can gain no victory over indwelling

sin. In Christ we are not only dead to sin legally, but victors over it. As faith beholds

sin perfectly conquered by Christ judicially, it seeks to have fellowship with Him

therein in a practical way. To repudiate long cherished sins, relinquish beloved

idols, is a cutting and painful experience to nature, and therefore is it designated a

circumcision and mortifying of our members; yea, so distressing is such work, our

Lord likened it unto plucking out a right eye and cutting off a right hand (Matthew

5:29, 30). Yet such is not only a needful and profitable duty, but it becomes a

desirable and longed-for one by those who truly love the Lord. The more their

minds be spiritually occupied with Christ’s love, the more are their affections drawn

forth unto Him, and the more are their hearts brought to hate sin; and the more we

hate sin, the more are we dying to it in our affections!

In our last, we pointed out the importance of observing the opening words of verse 2

when seeking the spiritual and practical application unto ourselves of what God

required from Israel at Gilgal. "At that time": as soon as they had passed through

that river which spoke of death and judgment they were required to be circumcised.

Likewise it is immediately after the Christian is assured of his union with Christ in

death and resurrection that he is enjoined "Let not sin therefore reign in your

mortal body." It is by faith’s realization of that union we draw motives to resist

sin’s solicitations and derive strength against it. And as stated in our last we cannot

serve God trustfully and joyously unless we are assured we are forever beyond

condemnation (Rom. 8:1), so it must now be added, there can be no progress in the

Christian life unless we heed Romans 6:12. That is amplified in the next verse’

"�either yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin; but (1)

yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead and (2) your

members as instruments of righteousness unto God." Because you have been "made

alive," put away all the trappings of death, put off the old man, mortify the lusts of

the flesh. Give up yourselves to God without any reserve.

ELLICOTT, "(10) The passover.—This is the third Passover in Israel’s history. The

first two were kept under Moses—(1) in Egypt, when the Lord delivered them; (2)

the second at Sinai, when He had “brought them unto Himself.” (3) The third is on

the other side Jordan under Joshua. Two belong to the Exodus, or going out; one to

the Eisodus, or coming in. Compare Luke 22:16 : “I will not any more eat thereof,

until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

Observe the connection between the Passover and circumcision. The law in Exodus

12:48 is, “no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.” Hence, while they wandered

in the wilderness, this uncircumcised generation could not keep the Passover.

BI 10-12, "Encamped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover.

Three successive days

In one of his sonnets, Matthew Arnold tells of an interview he had on a day of fierce August sunshine, in Bethnal Green, with a preacher whom he knew, and who looked ill and overworked. In answer to the inquiry as to how he fared, “Bravely!” said he; “for I of late have been much cheered with thoughts of Christ, the Living Bread.” There is a great difference between the strength which may be supplied from without, and that which is assimilated within. To illustrate the first. We tread the cathedral close and examine the mighty buttresses that steady the ancient walls. What though the “high embowed roof” presses on them with all its weight to make them bulge, they may not stir an inch from the perpendicular so long as those masses of stone, built up without, forbid. To illustrate the second. We must visit the forest glade, where giant oaks withstand the blasts of centuries, because they have incorporated into their hearts the properties of earth and air, becoming robust, and sturdy, and storm-defying. There are many ways in which the holy soul derives strength from without. It is buttressed by remonstrances and appeals, by providences and promises, by the fear of causing grief, and by the incitement of

passionate devotion. But if these were all they would be in sufficient. We need to be strengthened from within, to have within ourselves the strong Son of God; to know that the Mightiest is within us, and working through us, so that we, even as He, can do all things. In this old record we may discover without effort the Living Bread under three aspects—the Passover; the corn of the land; the manna. Each of these consumed one of three successive days.

I. The passover How little we understand the way by which each part of our body takes the particular nourishment it requires from the food we eat. But we know that such is the case, and that bones, muscles, and tissues appropriate their sustenance from the common store. So though we may not be able to explain the philosophy of the process, we believe and are sure, that as we hold fellowship with Jesus in quiet hallowed moments, our weakness absorbs His strength, our impatience His long-suffering, our restlessness His calm, our ignorance His wisdom. “He is made to us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.” His flesh is “true meat” because it makes us strong to endure and do. His blood is “true drink,” because it satisfies our thirst, and makes glad our heart. But let it ever be borne in mind that as no uncircumcised person was permitted to partake of the Passover, so none who are living in wilful sin can feed on the flesh and blood which were given for the life of the world. There must be a Gilgal before there can be a Passover in the deepest and fullest sense. This is why you have no zest in prayer, no appetite for your Bible, no enjoyment in the ordinances of the House of God. You have not yet put away all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, you have not yet submitted yourself to the sharp two-edged sword, you have not yet been delivered from the reproach of Egypt, you have not yet purged out the leaven of insincerity and falsehood.

II. The corn of the land. The Paschal Lamb is good, but the corn of the land includes the fruits, and honey, and bread-stuffs that grow on the soil of the Resurrection-life. The ascension of Christ may be considered in many aspects, but in each we seem to stand beneath His outstretched hands of benediction, as they did who saw Him parted from them, and taken up before their adoring gaze. Happy indeed are they who also in heart and mind thither ascend, and with Him continually dwell. To do this is to eat of the corn and fruit of the land.

III. The manna. The corn began before the manna ceased. The one overlapped the other as the thatch of a hay-rick or the feathers of a bird. God does not wish that there should be those intervals of apparent desertion, and the failure of supplies of which so many complain. It is quite likely that He may have to withdraw the extraordinary and exceptional, as represented by the manna; but He will wait until we have become accustomed to the ordinary and regular supplies of His grace, as represented by the corn. In the blessings of our outward life, He does sometimes humble us, and suffer us to hunger. The brook Cherith dries before He sends us to Zare-phath. But as to the inward life, He gives without stint. The table is always prepared before us in the presence of our enemies—one form of soul-sustenance is within reach before another form fails; we must have learned to feed ourselves with strong meat before He drops the spoon with which He had been wont to nourish us with milk. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)

The manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land.

Manna and corn

Various conjectures have been formed regarding the nature of the manna, which every morning whitened like hoar-frost the ground around the encampment of the Israelites in the wilderness. It was indeed a miraculous substance in the sense of its having been provided at the very time when, and in the very circumstances where, it was required. But we have no reason to believe that it was in itself a miraculous substance, a material previously unknown, created specially for the purpose and coming down straight from heaven. God economises the supernatural element in His working, and makes use of ordinary means as far as they will go. He who used the ordinary thorny growth of the desert as the medium of His transcendent revelation when He appeared in the burning bush, and converted the simple shepherd’s rod in the hand of Moses into a serpent, and made it the instrument of compassing the deliverance of Israel by signs and wonders, would in all likelihood employ on this occasion a substance indigenous to the desert, as the basis of the great miracle which He wrought for the supply of the daily bread of His people. Such a substance might well have been the white hard exudation that drops from the thorns of the tamarisk shrub, and frequently covers the ground to a considerable extent, which is used for food at the present day by the Arabs, and to which they give the name of manna. We cannot expect to trace an exact correspondence, for some of the qualities and conditions of the manna of Scripture were unmistakably supernatural. It is sufficient if the natural object could serve as a mere fulcrum for the miracle, But whatever might have been the nature and origin of the mysterious substance which God made use of, it is evident that the manna was intended to serve a wise and gracious purpose in the religious economy of the Israelites. He who said that if we seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness all other things that we truly need will be given to us, furnished a remarkable illustration of the truth of the promise in the experience of the Israelites. There was no want to those who feared God and did His will; bread was given to them and their water was sure, even if the bread had to come down from heaven and the water had to be produced from the flinty rock by the smiting of the miraculous rod. But this supernatural life was not to last for ever. It was appropriate to the wilderness, God’s special dwelling-place, as it were, where there was nothing but God and nature; but it was not suitable to the promised land, where all the conditions of a natural human life existed, and which was the haunt of man as well as the scene of nature’s most beneficent operations. Accordingly we read that when the Israelites first tasted of the corn of Canaan at Gilgal, the manna which had been their food for so many years previously ceased at once. The natural, which is always, superseded the supernatural, which is only occasional. The miracle must give place to the common processes of life. The manna ceasing when the Israelites ate of the corn of Canaan teaches us the lesson that God’s help is given, not to supersede our self-help, but to enable us to help ourselves. No one can truly know what it is to find his sufficiency in God but he who puts forth all the strength which he himself possesses. It is exactly in proportion as we strive to do all, and strive in vain, that we can have an experimental consciousness of God’s almighty aid. And thus the believer feels that God’s strength is made perfect in his own weakness. The difference between manna and corn is most suggestive. Manna was a supernatural product provided directly by Divine power. It came to the Israelites in the wilderness without any toil or trouble of their own. No tiller of the ground had wrought for it in the sweat of his face, and therefore it was but little esteemed by the Israelites. They soon lost their relish for it; it became tasteless and insipid, and their souls loathed it in the end. But corn, on the other hand, implies and involves great and continuous labour. A sacrifice is made, a loss sustained in parting with the seed-corn. There is much sweat of the face in preparing the ground for its reception; faith is exercised in entrusting it to the earth; patience and hope in watching its growth and waiting for its ripening; and toil again is required in reaping, storing, and

preparing the harvest for bread. And is there not the same wide difference in spiritual things between manna and corn—between what is given to us without any toil or trouble of our own, and what is wrought out for us and in us, as the result of our own toil and, it may be, our own sad experience? No doubt we should prefer manna to corn; we should like to get heavenly blessings straight out of God’s hands. But the rule of the Divine kingdom is “no cross, no crown.” In no other way would God’s spiritual or natural blessings do us good. Only in this Divine way does the procuring of them act as a heavenly discipline, counteracting the evil tendencies of our nature, enabling us to sympathise with the plans and hopes of God, and fitting us for the enjoyment of His everlasting rest. When the Israelites entered the Holy Land, God gave them at first the corn of their enemies, as He had given them the manna of the wilderness. That was necessary—just as it is necessary for the child to be supported at first by its mother’s nourishment, and the young plant by the provision stored up in the seed. But this old corn would last only a little while; it would cease as the manna had ceased. When it was done the Israelites would have to sow and reap their fields in order to get a new supply; they would have to provide for themselves by the toil of their hands. And how significant of the new life which it nourished was the new corn in these circumstances! The Israelites looked forward from the wilderness to the promised land as the place of consummation and rest. But they found that their former discipline in the new circumstances was not ended, but only changed in its character; that amid golden cornfields and rich pastures and luxuriant vineyards they would have to practise in even higher degree the virtues which the wilderness-life called forth. And how symbolical was the new corn of the land—the bread for which they toiled in the sweat of their face—of this life of self-conquest and devotion which it sustained! It might seem that their life in the wilderness, directly supported by God and under His immediate care, was higher and more heavenly than their life in Canaan, sowing and reaping their fields, and providing for their wants by their own labour. But it was not so; for the wilderness-life fed by the manna of heaven was only an introduction to, and a preparation for, the higher life of Canaan fed by the corn of earth. And let us remember this solemn fact when we are tempted to think that life spent in directly religious acts in the sanctuary, at the communion-table, in the closet, a holier and more acceptable life to God than the life spent in the place of business and in our homes, in everyday duties and labours. The incident of the manna of the wilder ness giving place to the corn of Canaan is in entire harmony with all God’s dealings with man. The dispensation that was inaugurated by supernatural manifestations is carried on by common helps, and through the homely experiences of human life. The supernatural life in the visible presence of Jesus must merge into the natural life of faith and hope amid ordinary circumstances. God gives at appropriate times meat to eat which the world knoweth not of—hidden manna, living bread direct from heaven. And when the manna is withdrawn and we are supplied with corn- with “human nature’s daily food”—let us seek to profit by what the manna has done for us and taught us. We have received spiritual food that we may have grace and strength to carry on the common duties of life. We have tasted that the Lord is gracious on the Holy Mount that we may follow hard after Him along the beaten paths of life. (H. Macmillan, D. D.)

Not manna, but old corn

The manna ceased when the people had the old corn of the land. Now the question is—

I. Was the old corn of the land any less wonderful than the bread of the wilderness? If we think of the reproductive energy of nature we are amazed. There are always apples,

pears, grapes, melons, cherries, gooseberries, currants; there is always wheat for man, and corn for animals. The year comes, and these things come. But more than recurrence, there is multiplication. One grain of wheat will produce from 20 to 100. This is as inexplicable a wonder as was the manna, and cannot be explained without the recognition of two facts—the Divine power, and the Divine wisdom. Life and growth are in the hands of the Lord. The common mercies of life are direct Divine gifts. But look at another fact—the whole material life of the nation, and of the world, depends upon the harvest. If bread be dear there is less to spend upon other things. The price paid for bread depends upon the abundance or deficiency of the harvest; and that fixes the amount of production which can safely be ventured upon; and that again, the wages that can be paid; and that again, the condition of every poor man’s cottage, and of every rich man’s mansion throughout the land, and throughout the world. Manna! An international aspect of the question is thus unfolded. The necessities of peoples, and the abrogation of distance, and their separations by steam, have led to a freer exchange of commodities. We have had three or four poor harvests, but bread has not risen as it must otherwise have done! Why? Distant supplies have been available: we are not now dependent only on our own harvest.

II. Consider the ceasing of the manna in connection with the development of the people’s life. The gathering of manna from the ground was a short and simple affair, requiring neither much skill nor wit. In the land miracles ceased, and means had to be employed. Gifts are not so helpful as labour. To earn a fortune is better than to inherit one.

III. The ceasing of the manna suggests the removal of things on which human happiness seems here wholly to depend.

IV. Canaan was a type of heaven, and the ceasing of the bread of the wilderness suggests the contrast between the condition of life here and there. We shall lose much we here deem essential, but it is far better. What will it be to be there? It is the harvest-life of earth and time and the redeemed Church. (W. H. Davison.)

Corn for manna

After receiving the title-deeds of an estate, the next step is to enter into possession. And one of the best evidences that this has been done, is to take the use of all that the inheritance contains. Thus the Israel of God acted. First they celebrate the solemn feast of the Passover, and then partake of the fruits of the land. In this connection two things are coupled together, the eating of the corn and the: cessation of the manna,

I. This sudden change would bring to mind God’s power. It is a well-known fact that our ears may get so accustomed to a sound as to be unconscious of it. In like manner men may get so accustomed to the wonders of God’s might as to be unmoved by them. But this sudden stoppage of the manna must have arrested them all. It would be as if the sun had risen in the west. How strikingly would it teach them that this was a gift of Almighty power! The manna came not a day sooner than it was needed, and it did not stay a day later. They beheld the manna no more: but they saw instead fields white unto the harvest, and the power of Jehovah matured the one as truly as it sent the other. God has been supplying our wants of mind, body, and estate during all the past years of our life; and it may be we have been forgetting that we owe all to His power; therefore, to rouse us to this consciousness, He cuts off these supplies. The shock is great. Astonishment fills our hearts. Sorrow lays hold on us; indeed, we may be tempted to despair. Is this

seemly? Nay. If we are His there is never room for despair. We can never drift beyond His love and care. He who has provided for the past will provide for the future.

II. The cessation of the manna would also magnify his grace. Whatever their feelings and thoughts and deeds, Whatever their spiritual state during these years, His supply never varied, was never suspended for a single day. And surely in our earthly course we too have had experience of this goodness of God. Notwithstanding our forgetfulness, thanklessness, rebellion, He has never cast us off, He has never left us to ourselves. He who has thus dealt with us in the past, will continue to do so to the end.

III. This event would also exalt his liberality. There is a great change in the material supplied to Israel for its physical wants. But it is a change, not from better to worse, rather from good to better. For forty years they had been accustomed to food of the same flavour; now there is great diversity, a supply to suit every taste. During these past years the supply was measured, there was a fixed quantity for each; now the store is unlimited. As it was with Israel in regard to this bodily provision, so it is with the children of God in regard to that which is spiritual. They receive grace and more grace. They go from strength to strength. With ever-increasing capacity comes more and more abundant supply. And this law not only regulates the Christian experience on earth and in time, it will also hold in heaven and in eternity. Faith, hope, and love are grazes that abide for ever.

IV. This cessation of the manna would also serve to display God’s carefulness. God is very liberal, but with all His liberality there is no wastefulness. God always appraises His gifts at their true value, and would have us do the same. God will never be so lavish of His gifts as to allow them to be scorned as superfluous. When He gives them the abundance of Canaan He takes away the manna. When men become careless or indifferent concerning His heavenly gifts, we need never be surprised if He takes them away.

V. This cessation of the manna also exhibited God’s wisdom. The manna was suited to the state of the people in the wilderness, it was not so convenient an article of food in Canaan. Whether or not it was more nourishing, it did not demand the same punctuality and regularity in gathering, and therefore was more suitable as the supply of soldiers. Corn would keep for an indefinite time, manna would not; therefore for those whose time would be so fully occupied, and yet whose hours of rest and work would be so uncertain, the corn was better. Also to have continued the supply regularly or intermittently, even for those who were not fighting, would have bred indolent and luxurious habits. It is good for man to be busy. As it is with material things so it is with spiritual. As the manna was taken away, so often spiritual experiences vanish to make room for others. Anything which does not serve the purpose for which it was first given may well be taken away. Thus we find as we pass through time that though many gifts, good, seasonable, necessary, are taken away, there are always compensations which leave us no losers. (A. B. Mackay.)

Corn in place of manna

This subject leads me, first, to speak of special relief for special emergency; and, secondly, of the old corn of the Gospel for ordinary circumstances. If these Israelites crossing the wilderness had not received bread from the heavenly bakeries, there would, first, have been a long line of dead children half buried in the sand; then, there would have been a long line of dead women waiting for the jackals; then, there would have been

a long line of dead men unburied, because there would have been no one to bury them. It would have been told in the history of the world that a great company of good people started out from Egypt for Canaan, and were never heard of, as thoroughly lost in the wilderness of sand as the City of Boston and the President were lost in the wilderness of waters. What use was it to them that there was plenty of corn in Canaan, or plenty of corn in Egypt? What they wanted was something to eat right there, when there was not so much as a grass-blade. In other words, an especial supply for an especial emergency. That is what some of you want. The ordinary comfort, the ordinary direction, the ordinary counsel, do not seem to meet your case. There are those who feel that they must have an omnipotent and immediate supply, and you shall have it. Is it pain and physical distress through which you must go? Does not Jesus know all about pain? He has a mixture of comfort, one drop of which shall cure the worst paroxysm. Is it approaching sorrow? Have you been calculating your capacity or incapacity to endure widowhood or childlessness or disbanded home, and cried, “I cannot endure it”? Oh, worried soul, you will wake up amidst all your troubles, and find round about you the sweet consolation of the Gospel as thickly strewed as was the manna round about the Israelitish encampment l Especial solace for especial distress. Or is it a trouble past, yet present? A silent nursery? A vacant chair opposite you at the table? Oh, try a little of this wilderness manna: “I will never leave thee, I will never forsake thee.” “Like as a father pitieth his children,” &c. But after fourteen thousand six hundred consecutive days of falling manna—Sundays excepted the manna ceased. Some of them were glad of it. You know they had complained to their leader, and wondered that they had to eat manna instead of onions. Now the fare is changed. Those people in that wandering army under forty years of age had never seen a cornfield, and now, when they hear the leaves rustling and see the tassels waving, and the billows of green flowing over the plain as the wind touched them, it must have been a new and lively sensation. “Corn!” cried the old man, as he opened an ear. “Corn!” cried the children, as they counted the shining grains. “Corn!” shouted the vanguard of the host, as they burst open the granaries of the affrighted population, the granaries that had been left in the possession of the victorious Israelites. Then the fire was kindled, and the ears of corn were thrust into it, and, fresh and crisp and tender, were devoured of the hungry victors; and bread was prepared, and many things that can be made out of flour regaled appetites sharpened by the long march. “And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land.” Blessed be God, we stand in just such a field to-day, the luxuriant grain coming above the girdle, the air full of the odours of the ripe old corn of the Gospel Canaan. “Oh!” you say, “the fare is too plain.” Then I remember you will soon get tired of a fanciful diet. We soon weary of the syrups and the custards and the whipped foam of fanciful religionists, and we cry, “Give us plain bread made out of the old corn of the Gospel Canaan.” This is the only food that can quell the soul’s hunger. Christ is the Bread of Life, and taking Him, you live and live for ever. But, you say, corn is of but little practical use unless it is threshed and ground and baked. I answer, this Gospel corn has gone through that process. When on Calvary all the hoofs of human scorn came down on the heart of Christ, and all the flails of Satanic fury beat Him long and fast, was not the corn threshed? When the mills of God’s indignation against sin caught Christ between the upper and nether rollers, was not the corn ground? Oh, yes! Christ is ready. His pardon all ready; His peace all ready; everything ready in Christ. Are you ready for Him? There is another characteristic about bread, and that is, you never get tired of it. There are people here seventy years of age who find it just as appropriate for their appetite as they did when, in boyhood, their mother cut a slice of it clear around the loaf. You have not got tired of bread, and that is a characteristic of the gospel. I notice, in regard to this article of food, you take it three times a day. It is on your table morning, noon, and night;

and if it is forgotten, you say, “Where is the bread?” Just so certainly you need Jesus three times a day. Oh, do not start out without Him; do not dare to go out of the front door, without having first communed with Him I Before noon there may be perils that will destroy body, mind, and soul for ever. You cannot afford to do without Him. You will, during the day, be amidst sharp hoofs and swift wheels and dangerous scaffoldings threatening the body, and traps for the soul that have taken some who are more wily than you. When they launch a ship they break against the side of it a bottle of wine. That is a sort of superstition among sailors. But oh, on the launching of every day, that we might strike against it at least one earnest prayer for Divine protection! Then at the apex of the day, at the tiptop of the hours, equidistant from morning and night, look three ways. Look backward to the forenoon; look ahead to the afternoon; look up to that Saviour who presides over all. Bread at noon! When the evening hour comes, and your head is buzzing with the day’s engagements, and your whole nature is sore from the abrasion of rough life, and you see a great many duties you have neglected, then commune with Christ, asking His pardon, thanking Him for His love. That would be a queer evening repast at which there was no bread. This is the nutriment and life of the plain Gospel that I recommended you. But alas for the famine-struck! Enough corn, yet it seems you have no sickle to cut it, no mill to grind it, no fire to bake it, no appetite to eat it. Starving to death, when the plain is golden with a magnificent harvest! (T. De Witt Talmage.)

The cessation of the manna

The special supply ceased with the special demand. They were not to look for extra ordinary relief when, with due diligence on their part, the ordinary would suffice. This fact suggests some important points with regard to the government of God.

1. There is no wastefulness in the Divine economy. God does not use extraordinary means where the ordinary will avail to accomplish His purposes. We can easily conceive how, out of a prodigality of power, the manna might have been continued long after the land of Canaan had been reached; it might have been argued that such a continuance would be very helpful to the Israelites, supplying them with a perpetual and visible reminder of God’s care for them. The answer is, that at any rate such a continuance was not granted; and further, that it is not our Father’s way to permit the repetition of an aid the absolute necessity for which has departed. He is glorious in giving, but there is with Him no expenditure which would only tend to produce in the long run a contempt for His daily, His common, His highest, gifts. This principle is of widest application. When the Lord Jesus came to establish His kingdom, He wrought miracles in abundance; but when in the course of time the Church became firmly established, and the truth of the gospel was made evident by its renewing power over men, then the miracles gradually ceased, and that not because the Church had gone backward, but because she had advanced, and her claims could rest upon proofs of a more spiritual order. This principle receives a yet further illustration in the fact that, whilst the Lord displays His power, He yet takes up the work directly only when man is compelled to lay it down. The manna of the desert did not supplant the sowing and reaping of Canaan. Christ will raise the little child to life, but her parents must find her something to eat. Christ will speak the word of power, only possible to Him, “Lazarus, come forth,” but human hands must roll away the stone, and unbind the grave-clothes from the man risen from the dead. An angel struck the fetters from the limbs of Peter, and brought him out of the prison, but after that the apostle must put forth his own efforts in order to escape the

rage of his persecutors. In all these cases a Divine power might have accomplished the whole transaction; but it did not, and it does not now. God is pleased in His mercy to give to us certain powers, all His and yet ours, ours and yet His, and it is for us diligently to use them. In no impious sense we may say that God helps those who help themselves. We have seen that there is with God no useless expenditure. He does what is sufficient, but not more than sufficient, for the occasion. Now, if that be true, how vast in His eyes must be the needs of sinners, how heavy the task of saving them, that in order to its accomplishment it was needful that the Lord Jesus should come to suffer and die. The greatness of the Redeemer argues the magnitude of the work of redemption.

2. But further, whilst there is no waste in the Divine economy, yet there are special provisions for special occasions. There is here, if we can lay hold of it, a truth for us, full of real comfort, instinct with hope. What was the case of the Israelites? It was this. By no ingenuity, by no conceivable diligence upon their part, could the necessities of the vast host of men, women, and children have been supplied in the wilderness, and yet these very necessities arose because at the command of the Most High the journey from Egypt to Canaan had been undertaken. That is, it was the path of duty which was thus beset with difficulty. That being so, the Israelites could rightly look up to God to have their wants supplied. If the Lord Jesus bids a dozen men supply five thousand with bread, He Himself multiplies the tiny store until there is enough and to spare. If He commands a paralytic to take up his bed and walk, He gives the strength by which the command can be accomplished. The manna given to the Israelites in the sandy desert is a symbol of the most helpful truth, that God will not fail us in any difficulty that may come to us in doing His will. Our principal business is not to perplex ourselves with a thousand questions as to how we may accomplish this or that; our anxiety should gather about an earlier point and a simpler—namely, what is the path of duty—have we a right to enter upon such and such manifest duties and burdens? If the command is plain, let us obey. If God point the way, then, even if it visibly lead into perplexing responsibilities, expectant faith is the highest reason, and the soundest wisdom is hope in Him. Yes, without doubt, we have a right to look for special supplies for special needs.

3. There remains one more truth necessary for the completion of the subject before us, namely, that, on the whole, the ordinary conditions are the highest, the best, the most abiding. Which was really the best state, the wandering or the settlement, the desert or Canaan? And yet the first condition was that of manifold miracles, the water from the rock, the pillar of cloud and of fire, the daily manna; the latter, that in which the people were handed over to the ordinary conditions of life—they had to sow and till and reap, to buy and sell, even as we. The new convert has experiences which by and by yield to firmer principles; his love may deepen and become infinitely stronger in its influence upon him, and yet some of the peculiar brightness of the early days may have departed. There are times of great exaltation, of movement, of excitement, in the history of churches, but it has yet to be proved that these are indeed, all things considered, the best. I have much faith in quiet, plodding work in our churches, in the continuous use of such means of grace as God gives us, the common corn of the land. I have much faith too in the power of a quiet, steady Christian life, which is regularly fed with the Word of God and with prayer. The exaltation of the special above the ordinary has even served to keep men from accepting Jesus Christ, by obscuring the simplicity of that faith by which we are saved. (E. Medley.)

Divine giving and withholding

I. The faith-fulness of God to his friends.

II. God will not work miracles when he can meet his children’s needs by ordinary methods.

III. A temporal blessing is sometimes removed when it has wrought the desired spiritual end. (W. Harris.)

The old gospel or the new

In the pulpit of our times we have two different gospels, each calling itself Christian and each asserting its superior excellence. The one is satisfied to rest on the testimony of God, to stand by the old landmarks, to receive the traditions of Scripture as delivered by prophets and apostles, and with these to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. The other, or new gospel, sets out from the principle that Christianity, like any other system of human knowledge, is an evolution and development. There is no absolute standard of truth back in the past; the only standard is in man himself—the highly educated man of the present, the advanced and incomparable man of the future. Some things are all the better for being new. But religion is not one of them. In a world of doubt and uncertainty, it is no small proof of the truth and excellence of the gospel that it is so old, that it has been so long tried and so fully tested—tried and tested in the crucibles of experiment, in the very fires of persecution.

1. This is the gospel which first converted the world. It was not liberalism, but the doctrine of Christ’s atonement for sin and the baptism of the Holy Ghost, which converted the three thousand sinners of Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. Will any one tell us how long it would have taken the rose-water gospel of our modern dilettante to have done this work?

2. It is this old gospel alone that has sustained the Christian martyrs of all ages and all lands under their trials and persecutions. Who cares for science, literature, or art, when racked with pain and passing through the valley and shadow of death? Talk to us of God, tell us of heaven, show us the way to God and heaven, is then the high and only demand.

3. It was the preaching of this old gospel that awakened the Church to new life and produced the great reformation of the sixteenth century. It was as life from the dead, and Pentecostal baptism from heaven, when God raised up the great reformers, and by His grace enabled them, with a restored Bible, to proclaim again from the pulpit and the press the grand distinguishing truths of the ancient faith.

4. This again is the only gospel that has ever founded and sustained missions to the heathen. The new gospel of moderatism, of sentiment and art, or philosophical superiority to all creeds as equally good or indifferent, has never aspired to the dignity of converting the world to Christ.

5. Other grounds might be added for adherence to the old gospel—as that it has produced all the greatest characters in history, has founded all the great institutions of Christendom, has caused all the great revivals of religion in the Church, has been adorned by all the greatest preachers and evangelists of all ages—in a word, has accomplished nine-tenths, if not ninety-nine hundredths, of all the good that has

thus far been accomplished in the world. (Prof. Leroy J. Halsey.)

Miracle and the commonplace

It is a strange thing to read that when at last the long-promised land had been attained there should be a diminution of the splendour of that Divine assistance which had attended the chosen people throughout their wanderings in the wilderness. “The manna ceased on the day after they had eaten the old corn of the land.” That is to say, the experience of the Israelites was one which swept down from the experience of splendid and wonderful works into that of ordinary, commonplace operation of the laws of nature. It looks a backward step. We, too, envy those who lived in the days when manna fell from heaven and the water came forth from the smitten rock, when the Jordan was cleft in twain, and men, without striking a blow, felt that the Divine arm was outstretched on their behalf. Or our thoughts may go back to the life of Him who lived in the world, not merely the life of beauty, but the life of power, and we may envy those who were privileged to walk at His side and see His hand stretched forth to touch the leper and he was healed, to raise the dead to life again. The dawn of early life has passed away, and with it the splendour of the morning, and all that we may claim is to live in a light which has faded down to the mere light of common day. It is a step downwards, we say, from those days of wondrous power to the days in which we can trace but little of the Divine in our midst. My purpose is to ask you to notice that so far from this transition from the extraordinary to the ordinary being a step downwards in the education of human beings it is distinctly a step upwards: that the whole story; if we will read it aright, may show us that God is leading us to far clearer and more constant manifestations of Himself. Your life and mine is real and strong in proportion as it is filled with a clear conception of God, in proportion as it is full of spiritual vigour within, and in proportion as it is energetic towards those whom we meet abroad. In these three relationships life finds its perfection. It does not find its perfection in itself alone; it is related by origin with God. And therefore it cannot grow out in fruition and in perfection of beauty at all except in certain conscious relationship to Him. It cannot ripen in the mere consciousness of God, because we are moral beings and we must ripen within ourselves; neither can we ripen within ourselves without relationship to our fellow-men, for God has put us in the midst of those men where the very order of things is a social order; and we grow not merely by the law of our own inward development, but we grow also by the law of contact and association with our brother men. And if you will look at this story which tells us of the transition from the marvellous to the commonplace, I think you will see that whether you regard life from any one of these three points you are asked to take a step forward and to move higher.

1. First, then, the relation we bear to God. The thought which underlies our regret when we say that we wish we had lived in the days of more marked interposition of God is this—that somehow or another wherever there is a marvellous or miraculous manifestation of God there is an opportunity of knowing Him which is denied to us. If you will reflect you will see that on the contrary the demand that underlies our thought is a demand which is destructive of our conception and consciousness of God sooner or later. What are we saying? We are saying in effect this: we want to be back in the old days of miracle, and we want the Divine made known to us through His marvels. What is that but saying; “O Lord, Thou hast made the world, and Thou hast made the world according to order, and laws govern that world. Break Thy laws that we may know Thee!” But surely that is to demand almost an impossibility! It is an admission that we have but little conception of the Divine working at all. You and

I can see immediately what would be the result. That which happens constantly ceases to be extraordinary from the nature of the case, and there would be no more reason for believing in God because of such frequent manifestations of a startling character, for they would no longer be of the very character which we plead is their essential power. But you say, “We do not want Him to do this; we do not want Him to show Himself thus by for ever breaking up His laws, and being for ever doing the thing which we now deem extraordinary, but we do ask Him to break the silence and let us see some startling manifestation of His presence.” And then that means to say that we should only realise Him in proportion as He came and stood beside us veiled in these splendours. What, then, would be our inheritance in God? We should have an occasional God, not a permanent one. If we have any vivid conception of Him, He must be a permanent and a perpetual God to our lives and our souls. What you and I want is not a God of occasional work, but the God of a perpetual working in our midst. Therefore, surely we are enlarging our thoughts of God when we say, “God is not only in the startling things, but He is in the commonplace things, of life; God is not only in the cleft rock, He is also in the quiet hill and in the soft meadow; He is not only in the cloven sea or the Jordan struck asunder, but He is in the little burn that babbles at our feet.” Surely that gives us a much larger and nobler idea of the Divine; that brings us into closer relationship with Him. It enlarges our conceptions; we feel that we live not in a world which now and then is privileged to behold God as ruler, marching in stately procession through His universe, but rather as the Father of His children who dwells with them at all times. He is about our path and our bed; His tender mercies never fail to the sons of men, but are over all His works.

2. But life is not merely made up thus of the conceptions which we have of God, but it is made up of our own personal growth. The object which God has, if I may speak with all reverence, in putting us into this little world for the three score years and ten is not to secure our happiness nor to startle us into a kind of hysterical perception of His presence, but to educate us as His children. And therefore, when we ask that God should make Himself manifest by these miracles and wonders, we are really making a false conception of our own powers and capabilities in relation to God. For by what faculty do you perceive God? For everything that we look at is apprehended by one faculty or other that we possess. Do I expect to apprehend Him by the physical eye? Do I imagine that I shall apprehend Him by intellectual effort? Surely those are only conceptions which belong to past ideas, crude notions of God. I cannot perceive God by the physical eye. God is a spirit! I cannot perceive God by my intellectual powers, because the world, by wisdom, knew not God, and if He be God at all to me He is the Incomprehensible One. Then, of course, the miracle and the wonder are outside the case, for the marvellous can only speak on the plane of things physical or appeal to the power of the mind, the intellectual power within us. Our Lord was constantly teaching that. In His parable of Dives and Lazarus He uses the very principle. Here the man in his torment imagines that a wonder will convince his brethren. “Send Lazarus! Let the marvel appear!” And the only answer is, “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead”—in other words, if they have not the moral capacity to follow the teachings of Moses and the prophets, if they have no moral affinity and sympathy with the prophets’ teaching, no wonder will give them that capacity. You cannot create a capacity by a wonder outside a man. You cannot make a blind man see red because he cannot see pink; you cannot, by intensifying a force outside, give him a faculty which is lacking in himself. The way in which you can understand God is by the exercise of your moral faculties. Jesus Christ was the greatest moral teacher that ever lived, and what

is Jesus Christ’s emphatic statement concerning this? He says there are two faculties by which God can be apprehended, one is single-mindedness, the other purity of heart. For so, He said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” That was His idea, and John, the beloved disciple who laid his head upon the bosom of the Christ, uttered the same principle when he said that the only way by which God could be apprehended was by the exercise of a loving disposition. A loving disposition is indispensable. You cannot perceive Him without it, and you can understand why. The reason is written down on the very surface. How can you understand him whose nature is loving if you be not loving also? How can you understand him whose nature is simple-minded if you too are not simple-minded? The faculty by which you apprehend God, then, is not the intellectual, not the physical, but the moral; and hence how will a miracle affect your moral faculties? How can it appeal to your moral powers? So that when you have asked that you should have a miracle to show you God, the answer of the thought and the answer of the principle is the same, you cannot so apprehend God unless you previously possess the moral faculty to enable you to grasp Him. And if you will reflect upon it, this is only another way of saying what is true of everything in the world, that the one condition by which you can understand anything or anybody is that you shall be in some degree a sharer of their nature. That is true! Let us picture to ourselves the tourist who hurries across the Atlantic, and hurries through the towns of Europe in order to see or “to do” the Continent. Place him down with his erratic mind untrained before the greatest masterpieces of art; plant him in the chapel at Florence; let him stand face to face with Michael Angelo’s creations of Night and Morning. His first impression will be, “These are greatly over-praised; why, the very anatomy is faulty; I cannot see why people should praise these things.” But now for a moment imagine that there drops upon that man’s soul as he stands there some little portion of Michael Angelo’s nature. What a transformation takes place within his soul in his power of perception at that moment! Then he says something new; then these “greatly over-praised” figures begin to have a message for him; they seem to speak into his life now because Michael Angelo is in his soul, and he can read what Michael Angelo meant. I put it to you in your homes; measure your acquaintances, tabulate them in your own mind, and see what the result is. Only where there is that sort of affinity you can really enter into the capacity of knowing one another in the true friendly sense; and what is the secret of it all? Your power of knowing and entering into the lives of these people depends upon your sharing in some degree their nature. It is the same surely with God. We talk of knowing God. How blind and foolish we are! Knowing God, the measureless, pure God, the bright and eternal God, the God whose mercy is over all His works. How can we know Him if we be not righteous? How can we understand Him if we be not holy? How can we enter into His love if no love dwells within our soul? It is the moral faculty, it is the possession of these moral qualities which are power, Hence, when the message comes to you, “Go forward! rest no longer upon the miracle! Rest now upon the ordinary manifestations!” it is as if it said—and the message came to the Israelites as it comes to you and me—“You are no longer in a state of babyhood, dependent upon these things outside your moral nature.” “You must give moral co-operation”—that is the meaning of the message. You must give moral co-operation now in your own education, for only by that moral co-operation can there be a pure apprehension of the Divine and the real entering into communion with Him. Thus, then, it is a step upwards, is it not? a step upwards in the moral education of men. But there is a third aspect of life.

3. Your life and mine is a life of association with others, and so long as men were in the state in which they were surrounded by the marvellous, the manna fell just where they could gather it without any exertion, but the corn needed to be sown, and the corn needed to be gathered in the spot where it grew, and therefore the children of Israel were now in the position of being made co-operators in the work of God. And so it is for you and me to understand that the advantage of its coming in that way is that it draws us into partnership with the work, and we are promoted to a stage higher when we are sent into the fields to gather, and when we are made so far co-agents with God that in the great work of the distribution of His food amongst men we take our share. (Bp. Boyd Carpenter.)

Old corn

The old corn eaten by the Israelites was to them a verification of the Divine promise. Abraham was a pilgrim in Canaan, but he could mentally claim the whole land for his descendants. When Lot left him for the rich plain of the Jordan, the Lord said to him (Gen_13:14-16). This was a great promise for the patriarch; also for his son and grandson, to whom it was in substance repeated. But what about those Israelites in Egypt whose hands and faces were smeared with the clay of the brickyards? There were probably times when they thought the promise was for gotten. But the promise was not forgotten, and every grain of the old corn eaten by the Israelites was a proof of God’s fidelity to His word. We are reminded by corn, whether old or new, that God is an active power in the world. We may talk about germination and the fructifying influences of dew, rain, and sunshine; but behind all secondary causes there is the great First Cause. In Tibet there is a sacred tree which is said to bear on its leaves hymns, litanies, and pictures of Buddha. On grains of corn, if we look aright, we shall see psalms in praise of God’s truthfulness and pictures of God’s goodness. He whose finger has yearly given a vitalising touch to the seed in the ground, and shown His beneficence in a long succession of harvests has not failed, and will not fail, in either His threatenings or His promises. The corn eaten by the Israelites was old, and therefore good corn, If it had been badly harvested it would have sprouted, and when parched or made into cakes would have lacked the right flavour. It was in prime condition, and so was a treat to the Israelites after their long diet of manna. In the Bible we have what may be spoken of as old corn. The truths which God has given for the nourishment of our souls are not of recent date, but bear the impress of primitive years. We are not to despise those truths because they are old; if they are old, they are a glory for modern times. Whenever the Church has risen to new life, it has been because of a return to biblical beliefs and biblical methods of activity. When, however, the Church has become little more than a gorgeously decorated petrifaction, it has been revived by the old corn of simple doctrine. Novelties in theology may be attractive, but they cannot do for us what is done by doctrines which are ancient without being antiquated, and venerable without being enfeebled by years. Much as men have grown in science and literature, they have not so grown religiously as to be independent of the atonement. We need the old truths, and we can no more do without them for our souls than we can do without bread made of sound corn for our bodies. (J. Marrat.)

The Divine law of economy

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. (W. G. Blaikie, D. D.)

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 knowledge 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 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. 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 life shall remain unbroken. Often the interruption comes in the rudest and most terrible form—by the death of the head of the house. 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 lives into a real blessing. And there are other compensations: As old attachments arc 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. 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 contentment 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 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 (Joh_16:7). 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. (W. G. Blaikie, D. D.)

God considerate

How gracious is the gentle, thoughtful kindness of God, who lets us see the new before He quite takes away the old, accustoming us to walk before He removes the chair on which we had leant so long, careful that we should be able to swim before He removes the cork. Do not fret if the rhapsodies, and outbursts, and exuberant manifestations of earlier days have ceased; it is better to live by the ordinary laws of human life than by the abnormal and miraculous. And after all there is as much Divine power in the production of a fig and pomegranate, of oil-olive and honey, of barley and wheat, as in the descending manna; as much in the transformation of the moisture of earth and air into the ruddy grape as in the miracle of Cana; as much in the maintenance of the soul in holiness and righteousness all its days as in the communication of unspeakable visions and words that may not be uttered. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)

PI�K, "The Passover

It is most blessed to observe how Israel conducted themselves upon their first

entrance into the promised land, for therein is manifested not the workings of

nature but the fruits of Divine grace. After God had wrought so signally for them at

the Jordan, they did not rush ahead and seek to immediately possess their

inheritance. The miraculous dividing of its waters so that they passed through dry-

shod, must have greatly disspirited the Canaanites and thus have prepared the way

for an easy triumph for the invaders. It had been natural, yea, what all military men

would call "good policy" for Israel to have made the most of this terror by striking a

heavy blow at once, pressing on with might and main before the enemy could

recover himself, and so carry all before them in one swift campaign. But God’s

people follow not the ways nor employ the devices of the world. They are a

"peculiar people": distinct and separate from the unregenerate, acting, not by

carnal wisdom and expediency, but regulated by spiritual considerations. "He that

believeth shall not make haste" (Isa. 28:16) is one of the principles by which they

are required to act, for "the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong"

(Eccl. 9:11).

Instead of immediately assaulting Jericho, the children of Israel pitched their tents

at Gilgal and tarried there for a season. Exemplary restraint was that, and one

which we do well to take to heart in this feverish age of mad speed. This tarrying in

the camp at Gilgal was the more noteworthy when we bear in mind the very lengthy

interval which had elapsed since their exodus from Egypt, during which they were

prevented from reaching their goal and realizing their eager expectation. Yet there

was something far more praiseworthy than self-discipline which marked their

conduct on this occasion: they had the glory of God before them. They eyed His

authority, had respect for His institutions, and acted in faith and obedience to His

appointments. That should ever be what marks God’s people, collectively or singly.

It is neither the first business of the Church to "win the world for Christ" nor of the

individual Christian to seek the salvation of his relatives and companions: rather is

it to "show forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His

marvelous light" (1 Pet. 2:9) by our entire subjection to His Word. God has nowhere

promised to use those who make not conscience of obeying Him in all things.

The appointments of God and not the attaining of their own desires were given the

pre-eminence. First, Joshua had, in submission to the Lord’s requirement,

circumcised all those male Israelites who had been born in the wilderness. We have

previously shown that the non-observing of that rite during those thirty-eight years

was due to no sinful neglect, but was owing to the apostasy of their fathers at

Kadesh-barnea, in consequence of which Jehovah declared "ye shall know My

breach of promise" (�um. 14:32-34), and therefore were their children denied the

token or "sign of the covenant" (Gen. 17:11). But the miraculous passage of the

Jordan demonstrated that Israel was once more restored to the Divine favor, that

He had resumed His covenant relationship with them that in emerging from the

river of death judgment was behind them; and therefore it was fitting that this

second generation should now be given that mark winch distinguished them from all

other nations as bound by special obligation to serve their God. It was also observed

how that the Lord’s commanding Joshua to then circumcise the people presented a

real test to his faith and obedience, severely handicapping for a few days his fighting

forces; but counting upon God’s protection, he confided in Him and triumphed over

the trial.

Second, we are told, "And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal and kept the

Passover" (v. 10). Appropriately did Matthew Henry point out, "We may well

imagine that the people of Canaan were astonished and that, when they observed

the motions of the enemy they could not but think them very strange. When soldiers

take the field, they are apt to think themselves excused from religious ceremonies

(they have not time or thought to attend to them), yet Joshua opens the campaign

with one act of devotion after another. What was afterwards said to another Joshua

might truly be said to this: ‘Hear now, O Joshua, thou and thy fellows that sit before

thee are men wondered at’ (Zech. 3:8); and yet indeed he took the right method."

And, my reader, if we be actuated and regulated by a concern to the glory of God

worldlings will wonder at us. It cannot be otherwise, for the natural man acts only

from a spirit of self-love and self-will, and his end is self-pleasing and self-

advancement. Thus, if he beholds any denying self, subordinating their interests to

the honoring of God, he marvels at such conduct. Unless, then, we be "wondered

at," yea, sneered at and regarded as crazy, it is because we have "left our first love"

and become conformed to this world.

Israel’s keeping of the Passover was, like the circumcising of the people, an act of

obedience unto the Lord: in fact the one could not be without the other, for it had

been expressly laid down that "no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof" (Ex.

12:48). For that very reason this ordinance had not been observed while the �ation

lay under the wrath of God. They had kept it on the first anniversary of the event

which it commemorated (�um. 9:5), but not during the next thirty-eight years. God

had said "I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn

assemblies. Though ye offer Me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not

accept them" (Amos 5:21, 22)— language which not only applied to the prophet’s

own day but also bad special reference to their sojourn in the wilderness as verse 25

evinces. But now the Lord had resumed His covenant relations with Israel and they

had attended to the matter of circumcision; it was in order, yea, requisite, for them

to do so. They had been strictly enjoined "Ye shall observe this thing for an

ordinance to thee and to thy sons for ever. And it shall come to pass, when ye be

come to the land which the Lord will give you, according as He hath promised, that

ye shall keep this service." (Ex. 12:24, 25).

In previous articles we have noted that this particular generation under Joshua was

not only vastly better than the one which preceded but also far more spiritual than

any that followed it. This was exemplified in the willingness of their adults to be

circumcised without any demur. It appears again in what is now before us. The

Lord had particularly said unto Moses almost a year after their leaving Egypt, "Let

the children of Israel also keep the Passover at his appointed season" (�um. 9:5), as

though to intimate, otherwise His command in Exodus 12:24, had not been complied

with. But on this occasion no mention is made of God’s reminding them of their

duty. We are told "the children of Israel kept the Passover" (v. 10). And that is not

all which is stated: "on the fourteenth day of the month," which is something more

than a mere narration of a historical fact—it tells us that they kept the Passover "at

his appointed season." �or is that all: it is added "at even," which was as the Lord

required. How the Spirit delights to notice and record the details of obedience! The

Israelites did not tamper with this Divine ordinance and change it to a morning

observance to suit their own convenience, as a compromising Christendom has done

with "the Lord’s supper." Unless we conform strictly to the letter of the Divine

precept, it is not "obedience" but "will worship."

Israel’s act of keeping the Passover was not only one of obedience but also of

commemoration. "And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep

it a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. . . . And it shall come to pass

when your children shall say unto you, What mean ye by this service? That ye shall

say, It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, who passed over the houses of the

children of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses

It is a night to be much observed unto the Lord" (Ex. 12:14, 26, 27, 42). This feast,

then, was appointed to celebrate the great goodness of the Lord unto His people and

their deliverance both from death and from the house of bondage. It was designed to

keep before their minds the blessed provision He had made for them in the night of

their deepest need, a provision all sufficient. It was to express anew their gratitude

unto God for His distinguishing favor: the original "sacrifice" was expiatory, but

the memorial of it was eucharistic. It was intended to signalize those perfections of

God which had been exemplified on that never-to-be-forgotten night.

The Passover had demonstrated in unmistakable manner the sovereignty of God,

when He had "put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel" (Ex. 11:7), that is,

between the reprobate and His own elect—no lamb was provided for the former! It

had manifested the grace of God. By nature the children of Israel were no better

than the Egyptians, nor in conduct, as is clear from Ezekiel 20:7, 8; 23:3. It was out

of His mere good pleasure and unmerited favor that the Lord exempted Israel from

the destroyer (Ex. 12:23). It displayed the righteousness of God, which announced

that He "will by no means clear the guilty" (Ex. 34:7). They were flagrant sinners

and "the wages of sin is death": death must do and did its work in their households

too when the sacrificial lamb was slain. It revealed the amazing mercy of God in

providing that substitute. It placated the wrath of God: He said to the avenging

angel concerning Israel’s firstborn "deliver him from going down to the pit: I have

found a ransom" (Job 33:24), illustrating that basic principle "without shedding of

blood is no remission." It testified the faithfulness of God: "When I see the blood I

will pass over you," and He did. It made known His love, which had chosen Israel to

be His favored people (Deut. 10:15).

Again, the Passover was not only commemorative, but anticipative: it memorialized

what was past and also foreshadowed what was to come. The institution and ritual

of the Passover furnished one of the most striking representations of the person and

work of Christ to be met with anywhere in the Old Testament. That it was a type

thereof is clear from 1 Corinthians 5:7. "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us."

Here then is our authority for regarding the contents of Exodus 12 as shadowing

forth the cross-work of the Savior, and it is this which invests that chapter with such

deep interest. The Passover was the first of those annual "feasts" which God

appointed unto Israel, for it sets forth the grand truth of redemption, which is the

foundation blessing of believers, the fountain from which all others flow; and the

Passover was kept upon Israel’s entrance into Canaan to signify that their

possession of the Inheritance, no less than their deliverance from Egypt, was owing

to the merits of the blood of the Lamb. Christ Himself observed it, saying to His

apostles "With desire have I desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer"

(Luke 22:15). In the light of these facts it becomes us to give our best attention to the

teaching of Scripture thereon.

Observe first, the occasion of its institution. It was at the close of God’s judgments

upon Egypt. He had declared, "About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt,

and all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh

that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is

behind the mill, and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry

throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it

any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue,

against man or beast: that ye may know how that the Lord doth put a difference

between the Egyptians and Israel" (Ex. 11:4-7). �ote carefully the exact wording of

verse 5: it was not "all the firstborn of the land of Egypt shall die," but "all the

firstborn in the land of Egypt," and that necessarily included Israel’s equally with

Egypt’s. Yet in verse 7 the Lord said, He would "put a difference between the

Egyptians and Israel" so that the latter should be wholly exempt from judgment.

That is what infidels would term "a flat contradiction," but the Christian knows

there is none in the Word of Truth. What, then, is the explanation?

Each of those Divine declarations was literally accomplished: all the firstborn in the

land of Egypt died, nevertheless the firstborn of Israel were delivered from the angel

of death. But how could that be? Surely both could not take place! Yet they did, and

therein we have a blessed illustration of the contents of the Gospel. It was the

question of sin which was here raised and dealt with by God, consequently both

parties were equally involved in His righteous judgment. The Israelites were not

only sinners by nature, but practice; not only sins of infirmity, but high-handed sins

of idolatry (Lev. 17:7; Josh. 24:14). Divine holiness can never ignore sin no matter

where it be found: when the angels sinned God "spared them not" (2 Pet. 2:4).

Justice must be satisfied; sin must pay its wages. A reprieve is out of the question.

Then must guilty Israel perish? It would seem so. Human wisdom could devise no

way of escape. But Divine wisdom did, and without compromising righteousness.

How? By means of a substitute: sentence of death was executed on an innocent

victim, because guilt had been legally transferred unto it. A lamb was provided for

Israel, and it died in their stead.

Observe next, the nature of this transaction: "it is the Lord’s Passover (Ex. 12:11).

Those words bring before us a fundamental aspect of Truth which is much

neglected in evangelical preaching. Gospellers have much to say upon what Christ’s

death accomplished for those who believe on Him, but far less upon what it effected

God-wards. Yet that is clearly brought out in the first direct mention of the "lamb"

in Scripture: "God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering" (Gen. 22:8). It

was not simply that God would provide a lamb," but that He would provide Himself

one! The antitypical Lamb was appointed and supplied to glorify God, to vindicate

His throne, magnify His law, satisfy His justice and holiness. The life and death of

Christ brought infinite glory to God though not a sinner had been saved thereby.

The two leading aspects of Christ’s atonement—God-ward and us-ward—were

shadowed again in the ritual for the day of atonement: "Aaron shall cast lots upon

the two goats: one lot for the Lord, and the other for the scapegoat" (Lev. 16:7, 8)—

Israel’s substitute, which bore away their sins into a place uninhabited. Christ must

first be "the Lord’s Passover," accepted by Him, before He could be "our Passover"

(1 Cor. 5:7)—received by us.

Consider now the substance of God’s gracious provision for Israel, namely, "the

lamb." Though we cannot dwell upon details, we will furnish a broad outline for the

benefit of young preachers. How well fitted was a lamb to be an emblem of the

Savior is at once apparent: so gentle and innocent, so mild and harmless, neither

hurting others, nor seeming to have the capacity to resent an injury; useful in life

(its fleece), valuable for food when killed. (1) The Passover lamb was taken "out

from the sheep" (Ex. 12:5). "I will raise them up a Prophet from among their

brethren." (Deut. 18:18). Christ, according to His humanity, was made of the seed of

David." "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also

Himself likewise took part of the same" (Heb. 2:14). (2) It was taken from the flock

(not on the first, but) "the tenth day of the month" (v. 3). The Son of God did not

become incarnate as soon as sin entered the world, but when "the fullness of time

was come" (Gal. 4:4), after forty centuries of human history had passed: after man

had been fully tested (10 is the number of his responsibility) and his probation

(which 40 signifies) was completed—10 x 10 x 40.

(3) "Your lamb shall be without blemish" (Ex. 12:5, and cf. Leviticus 22:21, 22).

�othing but a perfect sacrifice could satisfy an infinitely perfect God. One who had

any sin in him could not make atonement for sinners. But where was such a one to

be found? �owhere among the fallen sons of men. That lamb "without blemish"

pointed to the immaculate purity of Christ (Heb. 7:26, 27; 1 Peter 1:19). (4) "A male

of the first year" (v. 5): it was not to be too young or too old, but was to die in the

fullness of its strength. So Christ died neither in childhood nor in old age. but in the

prime of manhood—He was cut off "in the midst of His days" (Ps. 101:24). (5) "And

ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the month" (v. 6). For four days the

lamb, separated unto sacrifice, was kept tethered, apart from all others, during

which time it could be fully inspected to perceive its flawlessness. Anti-typically that

may be taken two ways: on the principle of "a day for a year" (�um. 14:34; Ezekiel

4:6)—before His public ministry began (which lasted between three and four years)

the Father bore testimony to the perfection of the Lamb (Matthew 3:17); taking it

literally, during His last four days Christ was under the closest scrutiny of men, and

even His judge confessed "I find no fault in Him."

(6) The lamb must be slain: "The whole congregation of Israel shall kill it in the

evening" (v. 6). That is very striking. It was not Moses and Aaron, or the Levites,

who slew it, but the entire people as represented by the heads of every household.

�or was it only the chief priests and elders who were responsible for the slaying of

Christ, for when Pilate decided the issue as to whether Barabbas or Christ should be

released, he did so on the popular vote of the common people, who all cried "crucify

Him" (Mark 15:6-15). In like manner it was the sins of each believer individually

(Gal. 2:20) and of the Church corporeally (Eph. 5:25) which necessitated the death

of Christ. It is also very remarkable to observe that though many thousands of

lambs were slain that night, it was said "Israel shall kill it," not "them"! "There

was only one before God’s mind—the Lamb of Calvary" (Urquhart). (7) Its blood

must be applied: "Thou shall take the blood and sprinkle it on the two side-posts,"

etc. (v. 7). Mental assent to the Gospel without a personal receiving of Christ avails

not to deliver from judgment: there must be an appropriation of Christ, "faith in

His blood" (Rom. 3:25). A Savior accepted, not a Savior provided, actually saves.

(8) The sprinkled blood gave security. "When He seeth the blood . . . the Lord will

pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in" (v. 23). And why?

Because death had already done its work there! God’s eye was not on the house or

its inmates, but on the atoning blood. (9) "And the blood shall be to you for a token"

(v. 13), i.e., "a token for good (Ps. 86:17). It was to assure their hearts, as the

"token" given to Rahab (Josh. 2:12) was a guarantee of her preservation. God

would have the hearts of His people in perfect peace, even while hearing the cries of

the stricken Egyptians. �o harm should befall them, and no fear distress while they

rested on His sure promise! It is most important for the believer to distinguish

between the foundation of his security and the basis of his peace: that which

provided safe refuge from judgment was the slain lamb and its sprinkled blood; that

which afforded a sure stay for the heart was the Word of One who cannot lie. (10)

"Ye shall eat the flesh in that night" (v. 8). This was God’s gracious provision for

those within the house. Eating speaks of fellowship. It is Christ as the Food of His

people, feeding by faith upon Him for strength and sustenance of soul.

(11) It must be "roast with fire" (v. 8). "Fire" here, as throughout, speaks of the

wrath of a sin-hating God. The "roasting" of the lamb was a solemn figure of Christ

suffering what was due to His people when He passed under and endured the awful

wrath of God as He was "made a curse" (Gal. 3:13). It is that which explains the

deeper meaning of His cry "I thirst": it was the effect of agony of soul as He

endured the fierce heat of God’s wrath. "�ot sodden [boiled] at all with water" tells

us nothing was allowed to hinder the direct action of "fire" on the Sin-bearer: God

"spared not His own Son" (Rom. 8:32). (12) "With bitter herbs" (v. 8) or remorse of

conscience. The Christian cannot have "fellowship with His sufferings" without

remembering it was his sins which made them needful. (13) "And thus shall ye eat

it: with loins girded . . . and staff in your hand" (v. 11). Fellowship with Christ can

only be had as we maintain our pilgrim character. (14) "�ot a bone of it shall be

broken" (v. 46 and see John 19:33-36).

All the leading features of redemption were more or less shadowed forth by the

Passover, and therein God would keep those things in the minds and before the eyes

of Israel by their annual memorial of the same. But not only did the Passover

furnish a vivid portrayal of the Gospel, it was also a means for Israel’s good, a

gracious provision for their bodily needs. Before another day dawned they were to

leave Egypt and start out for the promised land, and by feeding on the lamb

strength was supplied for the journey which lay before them. Thus it is with the

Christian: he must feed on Christ in order for strength as he passes through this

wilderness, for the world supplies no nourishment for the soul. So it was at Gilgal

(Josh. 5:10): as the Passover had been the prelude to Israel’s deliverance from

Egypt and the commencement of their wilderness history, so it was made

introductory to their new experience in Canaan: it was a blessed reminder that

while they walked according to the Divine precepts, they might count upon God’s

mighty power. As their feeding on the lamb in Egypt supplied energy for their

wilderness journey, equally needful was its strength for the warfare in which they

were about to engage.

"And 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" (Josh. 5:11). Once more we

would observe how the Holy Spirit delights to take notice of and place on record the

details of the saints’ obedience. It had been expressly commanded that the Pascal

lamb must be eaten with "unleavened bread" (Ex. 12:8), and strict compliance was

here made with that order. They did not say, as long as it is bread, what else

matters? but subjected their wills to God’s. Throughout the Scriptures "leaven" is

emblematical of corruption and evil, and therefore it had been a horrible

incongruity and most unsuited to use leavened bread at a feast wherein the

immaculate purity of Christ was set forth in the lamb "without blemish." The least

tampering with the Divine ordinances alters their significance, mars their beauty,

and is an act of presumption on man’s part. If they be not kept in the letter of them,

they certainly are not in their spirit, for true love seeks to please its object in all

things.

"In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even ye shall cat

unleavened bread, until the first and twentieth day of the month at even. Seven days

shall there be no leaven found in your houses: for whosoever eateth that which is

leavened, even that soul shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel" (Ex. 12:19).

Thus, when it is said in Joshua 5:10, that when the children of Israel encamped in

Gilgal they "kept the Passover" we are to understand that for a whole week they

observed the same. As Matthew Henry pointed out, "They kept the Passover in the

plains of Jericho as it were in defiance of the Canaanites that were round about

them and enraged against them, and yet could not give them any disturbance. Thus

God gave them an early instance of the performance of that promise, that when they

went up to keep the feasts, their land should be taken under the special protection of

Divine Providence: Exodus 34:24, ‘�either shall any man desire the land.’ He now

‘prepared a fable before them in the presence of their enemies’ (Ps. 23:5)."

"And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the Passover,

unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the self-same day" (v. 11). A supply of food

was already to hand when they entered Canaan: probably in granaries abandoned

by its inhabitants as they took refuge in the walled city of Jericho. The Lord is no

Egyptian taskmaster, requiring His people to make bricks without supplying them

with straw. �ow that "the feast of unleavened bread unto the Lord" was to be eaten

seven days (Lev. 23:6), an abundant quantity of grain was available for them. It is

blessed to observe that before they used any of it for their own comfort, it was made

into unleavened cakes in their worship of Jehovah. Thus did they act on the basis of

that essential precept, "Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits

of all thine increase" (Prov. 3:9). And as the Lord Jesus has taught us, "seek ye first

the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). He is to be given the

pre-eminence by us in all things, and accordingly as we honor Him, so will He honor

us.

This supply of corn upon Israel’s first entrance into Canaan was an earnest of that

promise which God had made through Moses: "It shall be when the Lord thy God

shall have brought thee into the land which He sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham,

to Isaac and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities which thou buildest not,

and houses full of good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou

diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not" (Deut. 6:10, 11),

the complete fulfillment whereof is recorded in Joshua 24:13. Typically, the "old

corn of the land," equally with the manna, spoke of Christ (John 12:24), yet in a

very different character. The manna—"a small round thing" (Ex. 16:14), which lay

on the ground and was Israel’s wilderness food—was an emblem of Christ in His

humiliation; but the old corn of Canaan pointed to Christ in His exaltation. The

Christian needs to meditate and act faith on Christ not only as he is presented to us

in all His moral perfections in the four Gospels, but also upon His official glories as

they are set forth in the Epistles, particularly does he need to be occupied with Him

as portrayed in Hebrews as our great High Priest and Intercessor.

In the earlier articles of this series we laid considerable emphasis on the fact that the

spiritual value and the practical use which we should make of the book of Joshua is,

that we should see unfolded therein the principles by which the Christian is to enter

into a present possession and enjoyment of his inheritance, and the secrets of

successfully fighting the good fight of faith and the spiritual warfare to which he is

called. We sought to make plain what are some of those basic principles and

essential secrets as they are illustrated and exemplified by the historical incidents

recorded in the first four chapters of this book, and before turning from the first

two sections of chapter 5: let us stress the truth that two more of them are here

intimated as foreshadowed in the circumcising of the Israelites and their keeping of

the Passover The Christian must be diligent in mortifying his lusts if he would walk

in newness of life, and equally necessary is it that he feed daily on Christ—

considered both as the sacrificial Lamb and as the great High Priest—in order to

obtain strength to overcome the flesh, the world and the Devil. Practically, the corn

of Canaan is a portion of our Inheritance which faith is to now appropriate.

"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" (v. 12). "To show that it did not come by

chance, or by common providence as snow or hail does, but by the special

designation of Divine wisdom and goodness; for as it came just when they needed it,

so it continued as long as they had occasion for it, and no longer" (Matthew Henry).

The practical lesson which we are to draw therefrom is, that we are not to expect

extraordinary supplies when they can be had in an ordinary way: God works no

unnecessary miracles. It is blessed to remember that the Lord had not discontinued

the manna when the people despised it (�um. 11:6), nor even when He severed His

covenant-relation with that evil generation; but had mercifully continued to give it

for the sake of their children, who had now grown up and entered Canaan. Here

ends the first main Division of the book: Joshua 1:1-9 is the Introduction; Joshua

1:10 to 5:12, concerns the passage of the Jordan; Joshua 5:13 to chapter 12: the

conquest of Canaan.

"And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and

looked, and behold, a Man over against him with His sword drawn in His hand: and

Joshua went unto Him and said to Him, Art Thou for us, or for our adversaries?"

(v. 12). Though this verse begins a new section of the book yet it opens with the

word "And"—not simply to preserve the continuity of the narrative, but especially

to link this incident with what immediately precedes. God has promised to honor

those who honor Him, and Joshua had done so in the circumcising of the people and

in the strict observance of the Passover and the feast of unleavened bread; and now

the Lord bestows a signal favor upon His servant. How much we lose by failing to

render unto our God that full and implicit obedience which is His due! "He that

hath My commandments and keepeth them. he it is that loveth Me; and he that

loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself

to him" (John 14:21) declares the Savior. That is exactly what He was here doing

unto obedient Joshua! It is of His spiritual manifestations to the soul we deprive

ourselves by disobedience.

"And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and

looked." Probably he was here engaged in reconnoitering the walled city with a view

to determining his best plan of campaign against it, for as Israel’s leader that was

his obvious duty; nor would the firm expectation that the Lord should show Himself

strong on behalf of His people discharge him from the performing of it. Even when

we are fully assured that God is for us and will undertake for us, it is required that

we act as rational creatures, use all proper means and precautions, and put forth

our best efforts. To refuse doing so on the pretext of relying wholly on God to do all

for us is not faith but presumption. Though Christ was about to supply a

miraculous draught of fishes, yet He bade Peter "Launch out into the deep and let

down your nets" (Luke 5:4). True, we must not lean unto our own understanding

nor rely on our own strength, vet both the one and the other are to be exercised by

us. It was, then, while Joshua was in the path of duty discharging his responsibility,

that the Lord met with him! Only while similarly engaged are we warranted in

expecting His help.

"And it came to pass, that when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes

and looked." The doubling of the verb seems to intimate a twofold significance

about Joshua’s action—a natural and a spiritual: that after viewing the enemy’s

citadel, he supplicated the Lord. The usage of the verbs confirms this. The "lifted

up" his eyes in a natural way, taking a comprehensive survey of things, occurs in

Genesis 13:10, 14; while it is found in a spiritual sense in "unto Thee, O Lord, do I

lift up my soul" (Ps. 25:1); for "looked" see Genesis 8:13 and Exodus 2:25. "And

behold, a Man over against him, with His sword drawn in His hand." This

represented a real test to Joshua’s valor. God had bidden him "Be strong and of a

good courage" (Josh. 1:6), and now he is put to the proof. There is nothing whatever

here to intimate that Joshua beheld this Man in a vision, but rather that He

appeared before him objectively and tangibly. Even though He had a "drawn sword

in His hand," Israel’s leader did not panic and flee, but boldly advanced "unto

Him." We should harbor no fear while in the path of duty, but count upon the

Divine promise "The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him,

and delivereth them."

On the other hand Joshua did not rashly draw his own sword and engage this Man

in conflict. Instead, he inquired, "Art Thou for us, or for our adversaries?" which

challenge intimates Joshua recognized that this Stranger was no Israelite. A moment

later he was to discover this Person was more than "a Man." Previously the Lord

had spoken unto Joshua (Josh. 1:1; 3:7; 4:1, 15), but had made no visible

manifestation of Himself unto His servant until now. Observe well how God suits

the revelation of Himself unto His saints according to their circumstances and

needs: to Abraham in his tent He appeared as a Traveler (Gen. 18:1, 2, 13), to Moses

at the backside of the desert in a bush (Ex. 3:1, 2), to Joshua at the beginning of his

campaign as "a Man of war" (cf. Exodus 15:3). In the celebrating of the Passover

Christ had been prefigured as the Lamb, slain (v. 11); here in verse 13, with drawn

sword in hand, He appeared as "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev. 5:5). It was

one of the pre-incarnate appearings of the Son of God in human form, which brings

before us a most blessed yet profoundly-mysterious subject, concerning which the

reader will probably welcome a few details.

In respect to Their Godhead, each of the three Divine Persons is equally invisible:

the Triune God is seen alone in Christ. The invisibility of the Divine Being to mortal

eyes is clearly taught in Old and �ew Testament alike. "There shall no man see Me,

and live" (Ex. 33:20), "no man hath seen God at any time" (John 1:18), "dwelling in

the light which no man can approach unto: whom no man hath seen nor can see" (1

Tim. 6:16). That raises the question, How are we to understand those passages in the

Old Testament where it is said "Jacob called the place Peniel [the face of God]: for I

have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved" (Gen. 32:20), "and they saw

the God of Israel" (Ex. 24:10). In many passages it was not only that God was seen

in vision or symbol, but corporately and actually. As, for example, by Moses: "If

there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make Myself known unto him in a

vision and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is

faithful in all Mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently,

and not in dark speeches; and the similitude ["form" or "likeness"] of the Lord

shall he behold" (�um. 12:6-8). Those are what infidels term "contradictions."

The �ew Testament makes it known that another Person of the same essence as the

Father has had for His office the making known of God unto His people: "the only

begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him" (John

1:18), "he that hath seen Me," said Christ, "hath seen the Father" (John 14:9),

"Who is the Image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15 and cf. Hebrews 1:3). The

intimate communion between the two Persons appears in Exodus 23:20, 21: "Behold

I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in thy way, and to bring thee into the place

which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey Him, provoke Him not; for He will

not pardon your transgressions: for My name is in Him." Observe how such

language is used there by one Person about another Person as precludes our

identifying Him as a single Person; yet both are certainly Divine. Thus, we must not

exclude Jehovah the Father wholly from these communications to the Old

Testament saints and attribute all the messages unto the Son immediately. We are to

admit the presence of the first Person per se (by Himself), as well as the second: two

Persons with Divine attributes, employing the name of Jehovah in common, the one

the Sender, the other the Sent—the latter communicating directly with men.

In each instance the theophanic manifestation was made by God the Son, sometimes

in the form of an angel, at others in the form of man. It is the same person, whether

called "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob," "the God of Israel" or "the Angel

of the covenant." Those mysterious appearances were so many intimations that the

Son even then personated the character of the Mediator, under which He would yet

reveal Himself openly. It was God the Son who thus appeared to Hagar (Gen. 16:7),

Abraham (Gen. 18:1), Jacob (Gen. 32:24-30), Israel (Judg. 2:1), Gideon (Judg. 6:12-

18), Manoah (Judg. 13:21). In Malachi 3:1, "the Messenger" or "Angel of the

covenant" is called "The Lord of His temple." Those theophanies not only disclosed

a personal distinction in the Godhead, but show the pre-existence and Deity of our

Redeemer. That the Jehovah who manifested Himself again and again unto Israel in

the wilderness was none other than the Mediator, is unequivocally established by 1

Corinthians 10: "for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them and that

Rock was Christ. . . . �either let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and

were destroyed of serpents" (vv. 4, 9). See also Hebrews 11:26.

The appearing of the Son of God to men in human form—sometimes in vision

(Ezek. 1:26; Daniel 10:5, 6), sometimes in prophecy (Ps. 89:17; Daniel 7:13),

sometimes tangibly (Gen. 32:24; Joshua 5:13)—were so many anticipations of the

Word becoming flesh, and were in order to acquaint the Church with the Person of

her Head by providing a blessed intercourse between them. They were endearing

manifestations of Christ to His saints (and to none other!) of His love, that "His

delights [even then] were with the sons of men" (Prov. 8:31). It is most blessed to

observe how many and varied ways the Lord Jesus took to display His personal love

unto His people by vision and open revelation, by type and tangible similitude, in

the early ages of the world, until the time that He became incarnate and tabernacled

among men. They were all designed to prepare the minds of His people for His

becoming the Son of man and furnishing the supreme proof of His love for them in

�ew Testament times. He graciously adopted such methods to indicate how much

He longed for the fullness of time when He should put away their sins and bring in

an everlasting righteousness for them.

11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain.

BAR�ES, "Old corn of the land - Rather “produce of the land,” the new grain just coming in at the time of the Passover. (So in Jos_5:12.)

On the morrow after the passover - These words denote in Num_33:3 the 15th Nisan, but must here apparently mean the 16th. For the Israelites could not lawfully eat of the new grain until the first fruits of it had been presented, and this was done on “the morrow after the Sabbath,” i. e. the morrow after the first day of Unleavened Bread, which was to be observed as a Sabbath, and is therefore so called. (Compare Lev_23:7, Lev_23:11, Lev_23:14.)

The term Passover, which is sometimes used for the lamb slain on the evening of the 14th Nisan, sometimes for the paschal meal, sometimes for the whole eight days’ festival, here means the first great day of the eight, the Sabbath of the first holy convocation.

CLARKE, "They did eat of the old corn of the land - The Hebrew word עבור

abur, which we translate old corn, occurs only in this place in such a sense, if that sense

be legitimate. The noun, though of doubtful signification, is evidently derived from עבר

abar, to pass over, to go beyond; and here it may be translated simply the produce, that

which passes from the land into the hands of the cultivator; or according to Cocceius, what passes from person to person in the way of traffic; hence bought corn, what they purchased from the inhabitants of the land.

On the morrow after the passover - That is, on the fifteenth day; for then the feast of unleavened bread began. But they could neither eat bread, nor parched corn, nor green ears, till the first-fruits of the harvest had been waved at the tabernacle; (see Lev_23:9, etc.); and therefore in this case we may suppose that the Israelites had offered a sheaf of the barley-harvest, the only grain that was then ripe, before they ate of the unleavened cakes and parched corn.

GILL, "And they did eat the old corn of the land,.... That of the last year, as some versions (g), which agree with ours; in which they seem to follow the Jewish writers, who, as particularly Kimchi, Gersom, and Ben Melech, interpret it of the old corn, for this reason, because they might not eat of the new until the wave sheaf was offered up, Lev_23:10; of which old corn they suppose the unleavened cakes were made, and was also parched corn, though that word the Septuagint version translates "new"; and indeed were it not for the above law, there does not seem to be any reason for rendering it old corn, only corn of the land, as the Septuagint does; and there is some difficulty how they should get at the old corn, which it may be supposed was laid up in the granaries, when Jericho was close shut up, and none went in or out; unless they met with it in some of the villages near at hand, or it was brought them by the traders in corn, of whom they bought it, or found it in some houses and barns without the city:

on the morrow after the passover; which Kimchi and Ben Gersom say was on the fifteenth of Nisan, the passover being on the fourteenth; but if the morrow after the passover is the same with the morrow after the Sabbath, Lev_23:11; that was the sixteenth of Nisan; and so Jarchi here says, this is the day of waving the sheaf, which was always done on the sixteenth: it is difficult to say which day is meant; if it was the sixteenth, then it may refer to what they ate on that day, after the sheaf was offered (h); if it was the fifteenth, it seems necessary to understand it of the old corn; and such they must have to make their unleavened cakes of, both for the passover on the fourteenth, and the Chagigah, or feast of unleavened bread, which began the fifteenth, as it follows:

unleavened bread, and parched corn in the selfsame day; unleavened bread, for the uses before mentioned, they were obliged to, and parched corn for their pleasure; but new corn, as the Septuagint render it, was expressly forbidden before the waving of the sheaf, Lev_23:14; and therefore old corn seems to be meant; this was just forty years to a day from their coming out of Egypt.

HE�RY, ". Provision made for their camp of the corn of the land, and the ceasing of the manna thereupon, Jos_5:11, Jos_5:12. Manna was a wonderful mercy to them when they needed it. But it was the mark of a wilderness state; it was the food of children; and therefore, though it was angel's food, and not to be complained of a light bread, yet it would be more acceptable to them to eat of the corn of the land, and this they are now furnished with.

1. The country people, having retired for safety into Jericho, had left their barns and fields, and all that was in them, which served for the subsistence of this great army. And the supply came very seasonably, for, (1.) After the passover they were to keep the feast of unleavened bread, which they could not do according to the appointment when they had nothing but manna to live upon; and perhaps this was one reason why it was intermitted in the wilderness. But now they found old corn enough in the barns of the Canaanites to supply them plentifully for that occasion; thus the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just, and little did those who laid it up think whose all these things should be which they had provided. (2.) On the morrow after the passover-sabbath they were to wave the sheaf of first-fruits before the Lord, Lev_23:10, Lev_23:11. And this they were particularly ordered to do when they came into the land which God would vice them:and they were furnished for this with the fruit of the land that year (Jos_5:12), which was then growing and beginning to be ripe. Thus they were well provided for, both with old and new corn, as good householders. See Mat_13:52. And as soon as ever the fruits of this good land came to their hands they had an opportunity of honouring God with them, and employing them in his service according to his appointment. And thus, behold, all things were clean and comfortable to them. Calvin is of opinion that they had kept the passover every year in its season during their wandering in the wilderness, though it is not mentioned, and that God dispensed with their being uncircumcised, as he did, notwithstanding that, admit them to offer other sacrifices. but some gather from Amo_5:25 that after the sentence passed upon them there were no sacrifices offered till they came to Canaan, and consequently no passover was kept. And it is observable that after that sentence (Num. 14) the law which follows (Num. 15) concerning sacrifices begins thus: “When you shall have come into the land of your habitations” you shall do so and so.

2. Notice is taken of the ceasing of the manna as soon as ever they had eaten the old corn of the land, (1.) To show that it did not come by chance or common providence, as

snow or hail does, but by the special designation of divine wisdom and goodness; for, as it came just when they needed it, so it continued as long as they had occasion for it and no longer. (2.) To teach us not to expect extraordinary supplies when supplies may be had in an ordinary way. If God had dealt with Israel according to their deserts, the manna would have ceased when they called it light bread; but as long as they needed it God continued it, though they despised it; and now that they needed it not God withdrew it, though perhaps some of them desired it. He is a wise Father, who knows the necessities of his children, and accommodates his gifts to them, not to their humours. The word and ordinances of God are spiritual manna, with which God nourishes his people in this wilderness, and, though often forfeited, yet they are continued while we are here; but when we come to the heavenly Canaan this manna will cease, for we shall no longer have need of it.

JAMISO�, "And they did eat of the old corn of the land— found in storehouses of the inhabitants who had fled into Jericho.

parched corn— new grain (see on Lev_23:10), probably lying in the fields. Roasted - a simple and primitive preparation, much liked in the East. This abundance of food led to the discontinuance of the manna; and the fact of its then ceasing, viewed in connection with its seasonable appearance in the barren wilderness, is a striking proof of its miraculous origin.

K&D 11-12, "The Passover at Gilgal. - When the whole nation had been received again into covenant with the Lord by circumcision, they kept the passover, which had no doubt been suspended from the time that they left Sinai (Num_9:1.), on the 14th of the month (Nisan), in the evening (according to the law in Exo_12:6, Exo_12:18; Lev_23:5; Num_28:16; Deu_16:6). The next day, i.e., on the 16th, or the day after the first feast-day, they ate unleavened loaves and parched corn (“roasted grains,” see at Lev_2:14) of

the produce of the land (עבור,

(Note: Rendered “old corn” in the Eng. version.)

which only occurs in Jos_5:11 and Jos_5:12, is synonymous with בו?ה@

(Note: Rendered fruit in our version.)

in Jos_5:12), i.e., corn that had grown in the land of Canaan, as the manna entirely ceased from this day forwards. “The morrow after the passover” is used in Num_33:3for the 15th Nisan; but here it must be understood as signifying the 16th, as the produce of the land, of which they ate not only on that day, but, according to Jos_5:12, throughout that year, cannot mean the corn of the previous year, but the produce of this same year, i.e., the new corn, and they were not allowed to eat any of that till it had been sanctified to the Lord by the presentation of the wave sheaf on the second day of the passover (Lev_23:11). According to Lev_23:11, the presentation was to take place on the day after the Sabbath, i.e., the first day of the feast of Mazzoth, which was kept as a Sabbath, or the 16th of Nisan, as the seven days' feast of Mazzoth commenced on the 15th (Lev_23:6; Num_28:17). “On the morrow after the passover” is the same as “on the morrow after the Sabbath” in Lev_23:11, the term passover being used here not in its original and more restricted sense, in which it applies exclusively to the observance of the paschal meal, which took place on the evening of the 14th, and is expressly distinguished from the seven days' feast of Mazzoth (Exo_12:23, Exo_12:27; Lev_23:5; Num_28:16), but in the broader sense, which we have already met with in Deu_16:2, in

which the name was gradually extended to the whole of the seven days' feast. The writer assumed that the facts themselves were already well known from the Mosaic law, and therefore did not think it necessary to give any fuller explanation. Moreover, the words, “they did eat of the fruit of the land,” etc., are not to be understood as signifying that they began to eat unleavened bread for the first time on the 16th Nisan (they had already eaten is as an accompaniment to the paschal lamb); but unleavened bread of the produce of the land, the green corn of that year, was what they ate for the first time on that day. Especial prominence is given to this by the words, “in the self-same day,” because not only did the eating of the new corn commence on that day, but from that day forward “the children of Israel had manna no more.” This statement is evidently related to Exo_16:35, and must be understood, according to that passage, as merely signifying, that on that day the gift of the manna entirely ceased (see Pentateuch, pp. 366ff.).

CALVI�, "11.And they did eat of the old corn, etc Whether they then began first to

eat wheaten bread is not very clear. For they had dwelt in a country that was not

uncultivated, and was tolerably fertile. At least in the territories of the two kings

there was enough of corn to supply the inhabitants. It does not seem reasonable to

suppose that the children of Israel allowed the corn which they found there to rot

and perish by mere waste. And I have no doubt that they ate the flesh which

remained over of the sacrifices. It is quite possible, therefore, that they did not

wholly abstain from wheaten bread, and yet did not abandon their accustomed food.

For a country which was assigned to a tenth part could not have furnished food

sufficient for the whole multitude, as there cannot be a doubt that a just estimate

was made when Moses settled in it only two tribes and a half tribe. As yet, therefore,

the twelve tribes had not found sufficient food, more especially as the country had

been devastated by war, and the Israelites, who were not in safety to leave the camp,

could not devote their attention to agriculture. The manna was thus necessary to

feed them until a more abundant supply was obtained. This took place in the land of

Canaan, and then, accordingly, they returned to common food. But why they

deferred it till that day is not known, unless it be that after their wound was cured,

some days behooved to be spent in collecting corn, while religion did not permit

them to bake bread lest they should break the Sabbath. But although that rest was

sacred, we gather from the circumstances that they made haste, as the flour must

have been previously prepared, seeing they could not grind it and bake it in a single

day.

Be this as it may, the Lord furnished them with provision as long as their want

required to be supplied. The failure of the manna on a sudden, and at the very

moment, must have furnished an additional attestation to the kindness of God,

inasmuch as it was thence apparent that the manna was a temporary resource,

which had descended not so much from the clouds as from a paternal providence. It

is moreover plain, that this is to be understood of the produce of the former year,

and it is needless to raise any question in regard to it; for it would have implied too

much precipitation to rush upon the produce of the present year when not yet

properly matured, and a whole month would scarcely have sufficed to collect

enough for the supply of so great a multitude. I cannot see why expounders should

give themselves so much trouble with so clear a matter.

PI�K, "Yet we repeat, obedience unto Romans 6:12, 13, is possible only as we

maintain the assurance of our perfect standing in Christ (v. 11), drawing motives

and strength therefrom for practical holiness, and by constantly seeking help from

Christ by drawing upon His fullness (John 1:16). That is ever the evangelical order,

"Be ye kindly affectioned one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another,

even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32). "Set your affection on

things above, and not on things on the earth." Why? "For ye died, and your life is

hid with Christ in God . . . mortify therefore your members which are upon the

earth" (Col. 3:1-5). "Put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy

communications out of your mouth; lie not one to another." Why? "Seeing that ye

have put off the old man with his deeds" (Col. 3:8, 9). "Behold! what manner of love

the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God . . . when

He shall appear we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is." And what is

the effect of faith’s appropriation thereof? This, "And every one that hath this hope

in him purifieth himself [not merely ought to do] even as He is pure" (1 John 3:1-3).

But, says the Christian reader, notwithstanding my best efforts to keep my heart

occupied with Christ and my faith fixed steadfastly on Him, sin daily gets the better

of me. And what is the effect upon you? Are you pleased thereby? �o, the very

reverse; you are cut to the quick. That too is an integral part of practical

"circumcision." �ot only is every denying of self, every striving against sin, an

element of mortification or practical circumcision, but equally so is all godly sorrow,

all evangelical repentance, all contrite confession of sin. Blessed are they that

"mourn" over their backslidings and falls, for it evidences they belong to those

"whose circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit and not in the letter" (Rom.

2:29)—real and effectual, in contrast from the formal and ceremonial.

BE�SO�, "Joshua 5:11. They eat of the old corn — The corn of the last year, which

the inhabitants of those parts had left in their barns, being fled into their strong

cities, or other remoter parts. On the morrow — That is, on the sixteenth day; for

the passover was killed between the two evenings of the fourteenth day, and was

eaten in that evening or night, which, according to the Jewish computation, whereby

they begin their days at the evening, was a part of the fifteenth day, all which was

the feast of the passover; and so the sixteenth day was the morrow of the passover,

when they were obliged to offer unto God the first sheaf, and then were allowed to

eat of the rest. Parched corn — Of that year’s corn, which was most proper for that

use. Self-same day — Having an eager desire to enjoy the fruits of the land.

And this corn came very seasonably; for after the passover they were to keep the

feast of unleavened bread, which they could not do when they had nothing but

manna to live upon.

ELLICOTT, "(11) They did eat of the old corn.—The word occurs nowhere else

except in Joshua 5:12. It need not have been last year’s corn; in fact, it seems to have

been the produce of this very harvest. It seems to mean “that which was brought to

them,” and was “the fruit” or “produce” of the land of Canaan, probably brought

to the camp for sale.

TRAPP, "Joshua 5:11 And 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.

Ver. 11. On the morrow after the Passover.] That holy sacrament was αλεξητηριον

καθαρτικον, to those believers, sanctifying those outward comforts to their use. "To

the pure all things are pure."

WHEDO�, "11. The old corn of the land — There is no authority in the Hebrew for

the word old. They ate of the produce of the land. The word old was inserted by our

translators because it was unlawful to eat of the new grain before the sheaf was

waved before Jehovah on the morrow of the Sabbath.

Leviticus 23:14-16. [But here is a difficulty. The morrow after the passover is used

in �umbers 33:3, for the fifteenth of �isan, the day after the evening on which the

paschal lamb was eaten. But according to Leviticus 23:7, this day was to be

celebrated by a holy convocation, and on it no servile work performed. How, then,

shall we account for Israel’s eating the new fruit of the land on the morrow after the

passover? The simplest explanation is that of Keil, who understands the word

passover here, as in several other places, to mean not simply the paschal supper but

the entire feast connected with it, which lasted seven days.

Parched corn — Ears of grain baked at the fire, an article of food still much relished

by the Arabs. See note on Ruth 2:14.]

COKE, "Ver. 11. And they did eat of the old corn of the land, &c.— i.e. of the corn

of the preceding year, which they found in divers places, abandoned by the people

on retiring to Jericho. However, the matter is not very certain, and several

interpreters do not thus understand the Hebrew. They are of opinion, that it means

as well the new corn as that of the foregoing year. See Poole's Synopsis. In the

Hebrew it is, they ate of the produce of the land; and because the word עבור abur,

which signifies the profits, or produce, comes from a root which signifies to pass

away, we apprehend it should be translated, produce, or corn of the past year. But

besides that the word עבור abur, which occurs here only, is for that reason of a

doubtful signification, the text clearly imports, that the Israelites ate of the produce

of the ground, עבור the same day that they ate of corn roasted. They could eat

roasted corn only on the 16th of the month, after the offering of the sheaf; so that it

is more than probable, that their unleavened cakes were made of new corn, the same

as that of which they parched the ears: it should be translated, therefore, and they

did eat of the corn of the country (viz. of unleavened cakes, and roasted corn) after

the passover. Though, strictly speaking, מחר machar, signifies on the morrow, it may

also signify a more extensive term, some one of the following days. Had the Israelites

made their unleavened cakes of the old corn, we cannot see why Joshua should have

remarked their eating of it after the passover. There was nothing so extraordinary

in that: whereas, supposing him to speak of the new corn, the reason immediately

strikes one, namely, that it could not be eaten till after the passover, when the sheaf

was offered. 2. Josephus starts the same supposition. 3. The ancient versions

countenance it, and say simply the corn of the country, without distinguishing old or

new.

And parched corn— Taken from the ears they found standing, and some of which

they roasted in the fire, after offering the sheaf, or handful, which the law

prescribed should be presented to the Lord.

PETT, "Verse 11

‘And they ate of the produce of the land on the morrow after the passover,

unleavened cakes and parched corn, on the selfsame day.’

That is they celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread the next day with unleavened

cakes and parched or roasted corn which was the produce of the land. It was a day

of triumph. The grain needed to make these cakes, and the corn, may have come

from storeplaces in the plain of Jordan whose owners had taken shelter in Jericho.

The amount was unimportant. It was the fact that mattered. The rules in Leviticus

23:10-14 would not apply because they had not reaped a harvest. They still also had

the manna which did not cease until the next day.

“The produce (of the land).” The particular noun (‘avur) is only used here and in

the next verse. It was used in this context probably because its consonants connect

with the word for ‘cross over’ (‘avar) referring to the crossing of the Jordan.

“The morrow after the passover.” This may be 15th or 16th �isan, the former a

Sabbath. But it does not say when the corn was collected. The womenfolk could

have collected it from abandoned storeplaces while the men were recuperating.

We do not know whether the wheat harvests had been collected in by the

Canaanites by this time. The ever-threatening presence of the Israelite army may

well have hindered it so that it was only partly collected. And if it was fully collected

much would have been available outside the city in the storehouses.

12 The manna stopped the day after[d] they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.

CLARKE, "And the manna ceased - after they had eaten of the old corn -This miraculous supply continued with them as long as they needed it. While they were in the wilderness they required such a provision; nor could such a multitude, in such a place, be supported without a miracle. Now they are got into the promised land, the anathematized inhabitants of which either fall or flee before them, they find an old stock, and they are brought in just at the commencement of the harvest; hence, as there is an ample provision made in the ordinary way of Providence, there is no longer any need of a miraculous supply; therefore the manna ceased which they had enjoyed for forty years. The circumstances in which it was first given, its continuance with them through all their peregrinations in the wilderness, its accompanying them over Jordan, and ceasing as soon as they got a supply in the ordinary way of Providence, all prove that it was a preternatural gift. “On the fourteenth of Nisan they sacrificed the paschal lamb: on the fifteenth, i.e., according to our calculation, the same day after sunset, they disposed themselves for eating it, and actually did eat it. On the morrow, the sixteenth, after having offered to God the homer, they began eating the corn of the country; and the seventeenth, the manna ceased to fall from heaven. What supports this calculation is, that the homer or sheaf was offered the sixteenth of Nisan, in broad daylight, though pretty late. Now the manna did not fall till night, or very early in the morning; so that it cannot be said to have ceased falling the same day that the Israelites began to eat of the produce of the country.” - Dodd.

GILL, "And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land,.... There being now no further need of it; miracles are not wrought or continued when unnecessary; for the ceasing of the manna shows, that it was not a common but an extraordinary provision. The ceasing of the manna, which was a type of Christ, may signify the cessation of Gospel ordinances, in which Christ is held forth as food for his people. These are to continue till all the spiritual Israel of God have passed over the river Jordan, or death, even until the end of the world, and then to cease, Mat_28:19; the eating of the old corn may signify the glories of the future state, the joys and happiness of the heavenly Canaan, prepared for those that love the Lord from the foundation of the world; it may denote those ancient things the saints will feed and live upon to all eternity; the eternal love of the three divine Persons, electing grace, the ancient settlements of grace, the everlasting covenant of grace, and the blessings of it; the glorious Mediator of it, that was set up from everlasting, and the grace given to them in him before the world began:

neither had the children of Israel manna any more; having no more need of it, as the saints in heaven will stand in no more need of Gospel ordinances:

but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year; the increase of the land, not only of the fields, but of the vineyards and oliveyards, which they had neither sown nor planted, see Deu_6:10; which may denote the plenty and variety of the joys of heaven, and glories of the future state; the various fruits which grow on Christ, the tree of life, brought forth every month, or continually; all which will be enjoyed through the free grace of God, without the works or merits of men.

BE�SO�, "Joshua 5:12. The manna ceased — Which God now withheld, to show

that manna was not an ordinary production of nature, but an extraordinary and

special gift of God to supply their necessity: and because God would not be prodigal

of his favours, by working miracles where ordinary means were sufficient. The

morrow — That is, on the seventeenth day. It cannot be too much taken notice of, as

it is a great mark of the authenticity of the Holy Scriptures, that the miracles related

therein are not a heap of wonderful stories, which have nothing to recommend them

but the strangeness of them, like most of those contained in the Koran, but that they

are acts of consummate wisdom, as well as of wonder. Here we see, that as soon as

the Israelites came into a country where they could obtain a sufficient supply of food

in the ordinary way, that miraculous provision which had been made for them in

the desert wilderness, where it was absolutely necessary for their subsistence,

ceased. So that it is evident the falling of the manna from heaven was not merely or

chiefly a strange thing to be wondered at, but an act of great wisdom and goodness,

which the circumstances of things absolutely required.

ELLICOTT, "(12) The manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old

corn of the land.—The date should be noticed. On the fourteenth day was the

Passover; on the fifteenth, Israel ate of the produce of the land. From that day the

manna fell no more—i.e., on the sixteenth day of the first month of the year of their

entering the land of Canaan, it was not found. On the sixteenth day of the second

month of the first year of the Exodus, it first appeared (Exodus 16:1; Exodus 16:7;

Exodus 16:13-14). Thirty-nine years and eleven months it fell, except on the

Sabbath. It kept Sabbath all through the wilderness, on the seventh day of the week,

and it finally ceased, kept Sabbath (vay-yishboth, Hebrew) on the very day

afterwards marked by our Lord’s resurrection, which became the Lord’s day. The

coincidence is too remarkable to be overlooked. It is the risen Christ who takes the

place of the manna; and in the discourse wherein He calls Himself “the true bread

from heaven,” He points again and again to resurrection as the end of the life which

He gives: “I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:39-40; John 6:44; John 6:54).

Then the manna, which is the food of the wilderness, shall keep Sabbath, for “they

shall hunger no more.” The food of the wilderness is that which Israel ate, not

knowing what it was. Of the other world it is written, “then shall I know, even as

also I am known.”

TRAPP, "Joshua 5:12 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.

Ver. 12. And the manna ceased.] So do miracles where are store of other means. He

that now calleth for miracles, is himself a miracle, saith Augustine.

WHEDO�, "12. Manna — This was always regarded as a miraculous gift directly

from God, and not a product of nature. It is described in Exodus 16:14-36, where

see notes. It fell upon the encampment six times each week during forty years. As

each man had an omer — three quarts — a day, there must have been 15,000,000

pounds a week. The natural product of the Arabian deserts, the tamarisk-manna,

called by the same name, differs in the following particulars: it is purgative, and not

nutritious; it is produced only three or four months, and not all the year; it is found

in small quantities; it can be kept good for a long time, and is not corrupted by

being kept over the Sabbath; nor would a natural product cease at once and forever.

It now ceased because it was no more needed. See Joshua 1:11, note.

COKE, "Ver. 12. And the manna ceased— The Israelites having no more need of

this miraculous food, by reason of the plenty of corn and other provisions which

they found in the land of Canaan, God, who never works a miracle unnecessarily,

ceased to shower it down from heaven. Hence we see clearly, that the manna, of

which the Israelites had hitherto eaten, was an extraordinary food, and that the

divine hand which had given it them for so long a time had sent it in a miraculous

manner for their subsistence.

On the morrow, &c.— On the 14th of �isan, they sacrificed the paschal lamb; on

the 15th, i.e. according to our calculation, the same day, after sun-set, they disposed

themselves for eating it, and actually did eat it. On the morrow, the 16th, after

having offered to God the homer, they began eating the corn of the country; and the

17th, the manna ceased to fall from heaven. What supports this calculation is, that

the gomer, or sheaf, was offered the 16th of �isan, in broad day-light, though pretty

late. �ow the manna did not fall till night, or very early in the morning; so that it

cannot be said to have ceased falling the same day that the Israelites began to eat of

the produce of the country. This, however, seems to us to be most probable; for

nothing certain can be said upon the subject.

REFLECTIO�S.—The people, being prepared by circumcision, might now partake

of the other grand ordinance of God; accordingly we find, that before they entered

upon action they kept the passover, as prescribed, on the fourteenth day of the

month, exactly forty years from their departure from Egypt. �ote; (1.) They, who

would go forth with courage to fight the Lord's battles, should first solemnly devote

themselves to him, and shew faith in him by the use of his sacraments. (2.) We must

not expect to be fed by miracle when God puts ordinary means into our hand. (3.)

Sweet and strengthening as manna are the ordinances of grace now to the militant

believer; but when they have answered their design they will cease; when we come

to the presence of God and the possession of glory, prayer, the word, and

sacraments, will be no longer needful.

EXPOSITOR'S DICTIO�ARY, "The Ceasing of the Manna

Joshua 5:12

There was a deep doctrine in the giving of the manna. There was a doctrine not less

deep in its withdrawal.

I. The ceasing of the manna should teach us that there is inevitable loss in all our

gains. It was a great thing for Israel to gain the plains of Jericho, but when they had

done Song of Solomon , they lost the bread of angels.

We talk sometimes about the gains of our losses, and it is true that we often gain by

what we lose. But remember that if we gain by what we lose, it is also true that we

lose by what we gain. And he alone is wise and brave and cheerful who recognizes

that inevitable law, and presses forward, undaunted, to the best with the courage to

forget what is behind. We gain the promised land and lose the manna. We gain

experience and lose the morning dew.

II. The ceasing of the manna teaches us to be very cautious in asserting that

anything is indispensable. If there was one thing graven upon the heart of Israel it

was that without the manna they could not live at all. They had to learn their lesson

from that failure that God fulfils Himself in many ways. The manna ceased, but the

harvesting began.

III. The ceasing of the manna gave to Israel new views of the presence and

providence of God. It taught them to see God in common things, and to realize His

presence in the fields. The manna ceased—they were cast back on nature to find in

nature the same care of God. And so they learned, what is so hard to learn, that

providence had a wider reach than once they dreamed, and that the common field

may be as full of heaven as the manna which is the bread of angels.

It is not very hard for any man to feel that God is near in the great hours. When

there is nothing startling or arresting, what do you make of the providence of God?

It is a great thing to see God in the miracle. It is a greater to see Him in the usual.

IV. There is one other lesson which I love to link with the ceasing of the manna. It is

how God, as we advance in life, brings us back to the food of long ago. That was the

path by which God led His people. He brought them back to the old, and it was new.

That is the path by which God leads us all if we are in earnest to know and do His

will.

—G. H. Morrison, The Wings of the Morning, p44.

References.—V:12.—J. M. �eale, Sermons on the Blessed Sacrament, p143. W.

Boyd Carpenter, Christian World Pulpit, vol. lii1897 , p113.

The Armour of God

Joshua 5:13

I. This ancient book of Joshua , while its simple purpose is to set forth the

providence of God in one great episode of a nation"s history, is yet by common

consent of the succeeding generations of men looked on, not merely as an historical

record of the conquest of Canaan, but as a continual allegory of Christian life. Such

was the conception of life, based on individual and general experience, in the minds

of those who, when the sign of Christ"s cross was marked on our brow in baptism,

pledged us thereby to a loyal soldiership in an unceasing warfare with evil. Such is

the conception thrust upon us by the facts of life, which, as thought deepens and

knowledge widens, confronts every son of God. Over against us there stands a man

with his sword in his hand, unsheathed, drawn for the using, for offence, for action,

for achievement. Over against us there lies a Jordan to be crossed, a Jericho to be

assaulted, a Promised Land to be won, only in many an arduous campaign—our

weapon the sword of the Spirit, our strength the strength of Him Who has girt that

sword upon us, Whose abiding Presence in our life is our sole promise and hope of

successful soldiership.

Gathering the whole teaching together, who can deny the undoubted call to leave the

wilderness of wandering, unpurposeful life, of cold-hearted, listless stagnation, and

cross the river of resolve, to the place of effort and the country of combat?

II. A man with a drawn sword—a weapon of offence for and with others. True, we

need, and have given us, armour of defence as well; a shield of faith to guard us

from our own fears and doubts and cares and sorrows, from the evil we see in

nature and in man; a helmet of salvation—the hope which strengthens the weak-

hearted, which guards the place where thought abides, and where plans of battle

and of work are formed; a breastplate to protect the heart, where lie the issues of

life, the treasures of pure passion, the loves, the sorrows—round these we are to

bind the armour of righteous habit; and for the loins, where lies the strength of

Prayer of Manasseh , woven in and out in knitted muscle and sinew, there is the

safeguard of truth—the inevitable necessity of sincerity.

III. These for defence. But our motto is not defence, but defiance; and for this there

is the sword of the Spirit—the Word, the thought of God, all the Divine ideas

expressed through the words and lives of men. Let it be drawn, and bright and

clean, that so we may wage a continuing and a conquering warfare with evil around

and within. �ot defence alone, but defiance.

PETT, "Verse 12

‘And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the produce of the

land, neither had the children of Israel manna any more, but they ate of the fruit of

the land of Canaan that year.’

Manna was ‘wilderness food’. The ceasing of the manna was the final sign that their

wanderings were over. From now on they would eat of the good things that the

promised land provided. So the crossing of the Jordan, followed by circumcision

indicating a new birth for the nation (compare Isaiah 48:1 ‘are come forth out of the

waters of Judah’ where the ‘breaking of the waters’ at birth may well have been in

mind), together with the celebration of Passover, the feast of deliverance, now

resulted in full provision for the future.

For this compare Exodus 16:35 where it was declared that after forty years the

manna would cease when they reached the borders of Canaan.

GREAT TEXTS OF THE BIBLE, "THE EXCELLE�CE OF THI�GS

ORDI�ARY.

And the manna ceased on the morrow, after they had eaten of the old

corn of the land. Josh. v. 12.

1. THE giving of the manna to the Israelites was one of the most

notable providences of the Exodus. It happened when the

pilgrims had struck inland, and were faced with the starvation

of the desert. . The desert was probably more fertile then than

it is now, but even then it was utterly inadequate to provide

for that mighty and marching company. Faced by certain

starvation, as they thought, we can hardly wonder that Israel

began to murmur. " Would to God," they cried, " we had been

left to die in Egypt, where at least we had food to satisfy our

hunger." And it was then, in the hour of their extremity, when

faced by the gaunt spectre of starvation, that God wrought the

miracle of manna. From that day onward it had never failed,

in spite of all murmuring and all rebellion. If the gifts of God

depended on man s faith, the manna would have vanished very

quickly. But day after day, through fret and sin and cowardice,

God held to His purpose, as He always does ; for the long-suffering

Of God is our salvation.

2. But now the forty years journeying was over. The need

was gone, and so the manna ceased. Israel awoke one morning,

and the ground was no longer white ; it was all golden with the

ripened corn. We can picture the look of wild astonishment

which would flash in an instant into a thousand eyes on that

morning of the ceasing of the manna. There was deep doctrine

in the giving of the manna. There was doctrine not less deep

in its withdrawal. God had His lessons to teach Israel then,

and through Israel to teach us all.

TJ Various conjectures have been formed regarding the nature

of the manna, which every morning whitened like hoar-frost the

"S

n6 EXCELLE�CE OF THI�GS ORDI�ARY

ground around the encampment of the Israelites in the wilderness.

It was indeed a miraculous substance in the sense of its having

been provided at the very time when, and in the very circum

stances where, it was required. We can see most conspicuously

God s hand put forth from behind the veil of His ordinary provi

dence, in the abundance and unfailing regularity of the supply,

and in the exceptional feature of its corruption if kept over an

ordinary day, and its preservation when reserved for the Sabbath.

But we have no reason to believe that it was in itself a miracul

ous substance, a material previously unknown, created specially

for the purpose and coming down straight from heaven. God

economises the supernatural element in His working, and makes

use of ordinary means as far as they will go. He did not create

abnormal loaves and fishes in the miracle at Capernaum; He only

increased the fisherman s scanty meal into a feast for thousands ;

and the extended loaves and fishes were in all respects the same

as those which formed the starting-point of the miracle. He who

used the ordinary thorny growth of the desert as the medium of

His transcendent revelation when He appeared in the burning

bush, and converted the simple shepherd s rod in the hand of

Moses into a serpent, and made it the instrument of compassing

the deliverance of Israel by signs and wonders, would in all like

lihood employ on this occasion a substance indigenous to the

desert, as the basis of the great miracle which He wrought for

the supply of the daily bread of His people. Such a substance

might well have been the white hard exudation that drops from

the thorns of the tamarisk shrub, and frequently covers the

ground to a considerable extent, which is used for food at the

present day by the Arabs, and to which they give the name of

manna. We cannot expect to trace an exact correspondence, for

some of the qualities and conditions of the manna of Scripture

were unmistakably supernatural. It is sufficient if the natural

object could serve as a mere fulcrum for the miracle. 1

L

GOD S PROVISIO� is ALWAYS SUITABLE TO OUR CIRCUMSTA�CES.

The manna was the best possible preparation to answer the

nomadic life of the wilderness, where there was no land to sow or

reap ; but when the land of promise was reached, where there was

plenty of ground, and that needing to be tilled, to send down

1 Hugh Macmillan.

JOSHCJA v. 12 ii;

manna from heaven would surely lead to a life of sloth and

excess. Therefore, the old corn of the land was better than the

manna in such a country ; and when the manna ceased, it was

because God had better provisions to meet the new circumstances

of His people.

Whatever might have been the nature and origin of the

mysterious substance which God made use of, it is evident that

the manna was intended to serve a wise and gracious purpose in

the religious economy of the Israelites. They had followed Moses

into the wilderness beyond the reach of ordinary food; where,

owing to the nature of the soil and climate, they could neither

sow nor reap, and where there was no native provision for their

wants. They were in the wilderness, in obedience to God s com

mand, to be trained and disciplined under His own immediate eye,

and amid simple and severe conditions favourable for the checking

of all that was evil in them, and fostering all that was good, in

order that they might be fit to occupy the Holy Land, and to

become God s holy priesthood for the blessing of all the families

of the earth. God therefore engaged to give them what they

could not provide for themselves. He who said that if we seek

first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness all other things

that we truly need will be given to us, furnished a remarkable

illustration of the truth of the promise in the experience of the

Israelites.

But this supernatural life was not to last for ever. It was

appropriate to the wilderness, God s special dwelling-place, as it

were, where there was nothing but God and nature ; but it was

not suitable to the Promised Land, in which all the conditions of

a natural human life existed, and which was the haunt of man as

well as the scene of nature s most beneficent operations. It was

necessary when in the desert, where man could not sow, or reap,

or procure support by his own efforts, that he should be fed with

manna from heaven ; but in a region of agriculture, where man s

ordinary labour sufficed to supply his ordinary wants, the manna

would be altogether superfluous.

(1) God gives help where help is needed. He gave manna when

the Israelites could not provide their own food, and continued it

only until they were able to supply themselves. Thus was it

with our Saviour s miracles of healing. He removed the dis-

n8 EXCELLE�CE OF THI�GS ORDI�ARY

abilities which prevented the sufferers from earning their own

bread and helping themselves in the struggle of life. Those

who were lagging behind their fellows in the race because of

physical weakness and incapacity He brought to the front, and

restored to them in full vigour the power which would enable

them henceforth to hold their own. And there His aid

stopped.

(2) But God encumbers no one with help. When our Lord

was on earth He gave the subjects of His miraculous cures

the power to help themselves. And as in natural, so does God

act in spiritual, things. He helps us to help ourselves. We

must work out our own salvation, for it is God that worketh

in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. �o one

can truly know what it is to find his sufficiency in God but

he who puts forth all the strength which he himself possesses.

It is exactly in proportion as we strive to do all, and strive

in vain, that we can have an experimental consciousness of

God s almighty aid. And thus the believer feels that God s

strength is made perfect in his own weakness.

^[ I have my hands full, preparing to build our new boat. I

have to cut the timber some twenty miles distant and have it

carried here. You will probably be disgusted at hearing that I

am busy just now making bricks to build a house in which to

construct the vessel. Within the last fortnight we have made

some ten thousand. That is doubtless poor work to be occupied

with in the Mission field, but it must be done ; and in even such

humble occupation I hope the good Lord will not withhold His

blessing. Mission boats unfortunately do not grow of them

selves, they have to be built, every inch of them. But trees have

been growing for ages, of the Lord s planting; and as we fell

them I like to think that He ordained them for this purpose. 1

(3) And yet self-Jielp is never independent of God s help. The

Israelites looked forward from the wilderness to the Promised

Land as the place of consummation and rest. All conflict,

hardship, and toil would there be over for ever; all hopes and

desires would be fulfilled ; and life would be one long holiday

of ease and enjoyment in a laud flowing with milk and honey.

But they found that their former discipline in the new circum

stances was not ended, but only changed in its character ; that

1 Mackay j Uganda, 3&lt;J5.

JOSHUA v. 12 119

amid golden cornfields and rich pastures and luxuriant vineyards

they would have to practise in even higher degree the virtues

which the wilderness life called forth. The tenure of the Holy

Land was a moral one, and only on stern moral conditions could

it be owned. They had to enter it as armed soldiers, and to

conquer every inch of it ; and they had to hold it by a repetition

of the same toils and self-denials by which they had won it.

And how symbolical was the new corn of the land the bread

for which they toiled in the sweat of their face of this life of

self-conquest and devotion which it sustained ! It might seem

that their life in the wilderness, directly supported by God and

under His immediate care, was higher and more heavenly than

their life in Canaan sowing and reaping their fields, and pro

viding for their wants by their own labour. But it was not

so; for the wilderness-life fed by the manna of heaven was

only an introduction to, and a preparation for, the higher life

of Canaan fed by the corn of earth, which was none the less

the gift of God that they had to toil for it.

TJ In George Eliot s Stradivarius there occur the following

suggestive lines:

Stradivari speaks. The masters only know whose work

is good:

They will choose mine, and while God gives them skill

I give them instruments to play upon,

God choosing me to help Him.

�aldo. What! were God

At fault for violins, thou absent?

Stradivari. Yes ;

He were at fault for Stradivari s work.

That is one view of the work of life in its relation to God

He needing us, demanding that we become " workers together

with him." Another view the complementary one is that

which recognizes our need of Him. And, while both are

undoubtedly acknowledged by Browning, it is the latter on which

I think he lays the greater emphasis; as, for example, in the

closing lines of " Rabbi Ben Ezra "

So, take and use Thy work:

Amend what flaws may lurk,

What strain o the stuff, what warpings past the aim I

120 EXCELLE�CE OF THI�GS ORDI�ARY

My times be in Thy hand !

Perfect the cup as planned!

Let age approve of youth, and death complete the same! 1

n.

Gtio s METHOD OF PROVISIO� is FROM THE SUPER�ATURAL TO

THE �ATURAL.

1. The incident of the manna of the wilderness giving

place to the corn of Canaan is in entire harmony with all

God s dealings with man. The dispensation that was inaugurated

by supernatural manifestations is carried on by common helps,

and through the homely experiences of human life. The signs

and wonders which opened a new era, or were needed to produce

faith in great emergencies, are not perpetuated in ordinary

circumstances. The creation commenced with a stupendous

miracle, but is preserved by the quiet and uniform methods

of nature. The Law of Moses, which was given amid the

thunders and lightnings of Sinai, was put in force throughout

the continuous history of Israel by its own solemn sanctions.

The Christianity which first took its place in history by the

aid of astonishing miracles appealing to the senses, now main

tains its position by its own unobtrusive spiritual power.

The gifts of Divine inspiration, which were shown objectively

to men in the tongues of flame and the mighty rushing wind

of Pentecost, were discontinued when the work of the Holy

Ghost was carried on spiritually in all places and in all hearts.

The ceasing of the manna gave to Israel new views of the

presence and providence of God. It taught them to see God

in common things, and to realise His presence in the fields.

The manna was not wholly natural ; it was a miracle. It was

a striking and supernatural provision. It came from heaven

it was the bread of angels ; it was not an ordinary part of the

economy of nature. And so when the children of Israel

thought of providence, and when they meditated on the care

of God, that care for them would always be associated with

wonderful and strange interpositions. But the day came when

1 J. Flew, Sludict in Browning, 198.

JOSHUA v. 12 121

the manna ceased to fall ; the providence of God was shifted

elsewhere. It was transferred from the miracle of manna to

the corn that ripened in a thousand fields. And we see what

that achieved for Israel, and how it taught them larger views

of providence, for the God of the manna and the God of miracle

had become the God who ripens every harvest. �o longer

in an isolated miracle did Israel find the hand of the Divine.

The manna ceased; they were cast back on nature to find in

nature the same care of God. And so they learned what is

so hard to learn that providence had a wider reach than

once they dreamed, and that the common field may be as full

of heaven as the manna which is the bread of angels.

^| God gives at appropriate times meat to eat which the

world knoweth not of hidden manna, living bread direct from

heaven. And when the manna is withdrawn and we are supplied

with corn with human nature s daily food let us seek to profit

by what the manna has done for us and taught us. We have

received spiritual food that we may have grace and strength

to carry on the common duties of life. We have tasted on the

Holy Mount that the Lord is gracious, that we may follow hard

after Him along the beaten paths of life. The life imparted by

Divine power must be sustained by human means. The extra

ordinary, appropriate to times of religious excitement, must pass

into the ordinary experience. What is the birth of a remarkable

occasion must become the habit of an ordinary life.

2. It seems a backward step as we read the story; and

perhaps we, who no longer have anything like the miraculous

intervention and manifestations of Divine power, may look

back with a lingering and longing desire that our life had been

cast in the days when the more visible and tangible tokens of

the Divine glory were manifested in the world. We envy

those who lived in the days when manna fell from heaven and

the water came forth from the smitten rock, when the Jordan

was cleft in twain, and men, without striking a blow, felt that

the Divine arm was outstretched - on their behalf. They had

the miracles ; we have the commonplace. They were privileged

to behold the extraordinary manifestations of God; we live in

a world where there seems scarcely any manifestation of Him

at all. But so far from this transition from the extraordinary

122 EXCELLE�CE OF THI�GS ORDI�ARY

to the ordinary being a step downwards in the education of

human beings, it is distinctly a step upwards. If we will

contemplate life from three great standpoints we will see that

that is true. Our life is real and strong in proportion as it

is filled with a clear conception of God, in proportion as it is

full of spiritual vigour within, and in proportion as it ia

energetic towards those whom we meet abroad. In those three

relationships life finds its perfection.

O, where is He that trod the sea,

0, where is He that spake,

And demons from their victims flee,

The dead their slumbers break;

The palsied rise in freedom strong,

The dumb men talk and sing,

And from blind eyes, benighted long,

Bright beams of morning spring.

O, where is He that trod the sea,

0, where is He that spake,

And piercing words of liberty

The deaf ears open shake;

And mildest words arrest the haste

Of lever s deadly fire,

And strong ones heal the weak who waste

Their life in sad desire.

O, where is He that trod the sea,

0, where is He that spake,

And dark waves, rolling heavily,

A glassy smoothness take;

And lepers, whose own flesh has been

A solitary grave,

See with amaze that they are clean,

And cry, " Tis He can save ! "

0, where is He that trod the sea,

Tis only He can save ;

To thousands hungering wearily

A wondrous meal He gave :

Full soon, celestially fed,

Their rustic fare they take;

Twas springtide when He blest the bread

And harvest when He brake.

JOSHUA v. 12

O, where is He that trod the sea,

My soul ! the Lord is here :

Let all thy fears be hushed in thee;

To leap, to look, to hear,

Be thine : thy needs He ll satisfy :

Art thou diseased, or dumb ?

Or dost thou in thy hunger cry?

" I come," saith Christ ; " I come." l

(1) The transition from the extraordinary to the ordinary is a

step upwards in our conception of God. The thought which under

lies our regret when we say that we wish we had lived in the

days of more marked interposition and manifestation of God is

this that, somehow or other, wherever there is a marvellous or

miraculous manifestation of God there is an opportunity of

knowing Him which is denied to us in this marvellous and

marked fashion. We want to be back in the old day of miracle,

and we want the Divine made known to us through His marvels.

What is that but saying, " Lord, Thou hast made the world,

and Thou hast made the world according to order, and laws

govern that world. Break Thy laws that we may know Thee !

Interpose and break up the ordinances of Thine own creation in

order that we may understand Thee." But surely that is to

demand almost an impossibility ! It is an admission that we

have but little conception of the Divine working at all. Or, to

put it in another way, suppose that God were to yield to our

prayer and that we were to have these constant manifestations

of Him, that we should still have the manna falling about our

habitations, that we should have every Jordan that interposed

an obstacle between us and our desire cleft asunder by miraculous

force. What then ? We can see immediately what would be the

result. That which happens constantly ceases to be extraordinary

from the nature of the case ; and there would be no more reason

for believing in God because of such frequent manifestations of

a startling character, for they would no longer be of the very

character which we plead is their essential power, they no longer

would have any startling features, but would become the common

place of life. And what then would be our inheritance in God ?

We should have an occasional God, not a permanent one; and

*T. T. Lynch, The Rivulet, 42.

i2 4 EXCELLE�CE OF THI�GS ORDI�ARY

there would be substituted for the God that is about our path

and about our bed, the God who only occasionally comes down

to manifest Himself in our life.

Tf We are enlarging our thoughts when we lay aside the

demand for the miraculous and the marvellous we enlarge our

thoughts of God when we say, " God is not only in the startling

things, but also in the commonplace things of life ; God is not

only in the cleft rock, He is also in the quiet hill and in the soft

meadow ; He is not only in the cloven sea or the Jordan struck

asunder, but also in the little burn that babbles at our feet;

He is not only in the sweep of an archangel descending into our

midst, He is in the face of the little child that climbs upon our

knees for kisses; He is not only in the fire which falls down

from heaven, He is also in the faces of the sick and the weary,

and the needy that demand our assistance." l

TJ This commonplace world of ours was the beautiful world

of Christ. The world in which we are now living was the one in

which He lived and worked on through the days of His appointed

time. The duties laid upon our hearts are like to those that

were measured out to Him.

And so the Word had breath, and wrought

With human hands the creed of creeds

In loveliness of perfect deeds,

More strong than all poetic thought.

The example set before us for our emulation is that of One who

did the humblest of these duties with the same faithfulness and

love of service as characterized Him in His higher service as the

Word of God and the Saviour of mankind. 2

Power, more near my life than life itself

(Or what seems life to us in sense immured),

Even as the roots, shut in the darksome earth,

Share in the tree-top s joyance, and conceive

Of sunshine and wide air and winged things

By sympathy of nature, so do I

Have evidence of Thee so far above,

Yet in and of me! Rather Thou the root

Invisibly sustaining, hid in light,

�ot darkness, or in darkness made by us.

If sometimes I must hear good men debate

Of other witness of Thyself than Thou,

1 W. Boyd Carpenter.

J. B. Maclean, The Secret of the Stream, 48.

JOSHUA v. 12 125

As if there needed any help of ours

To nurse Thy flickering life, that else must cease,

Blown out, as twere a candle, by men s breath,

My soul shall not be taken in their snare,

To change her inward surety for their doubt

Muffled from sight in formal robes of proof:

While she can only feel herself through Thee,

I fear not Thy withdrawal ; more I fear,

Seeing, to know Thee not, hoodwinked with dreams

Of signs and wonders, while, unnoticed, Thou,

Walking Thy garden still, commun st with men,

Missed in the commonplace of miracle. 1

(2) It is a step upwards in our moral education. life is not

merely made up of the conceptions which we have of God ; these

conceptions must issue in our own personal growth. The object

which God has in putting us into this little world for the three

score years and ten is not to secure our happiness or to startle us

into a kind of hysterical perception of His presence, but to educate

us as His children, to bring us after that sort and after that

measure that we may enter into His conception of things, that we

may be sharers of His character, partakers of His nature, and that

we may look at life from His own standpoint. Therefore, when

we ask that God should make Himself manifest by these miracles

and wonders, we are really making a false conception of our own

powers and capabilities in relation to God.

For by what faculty do we perceive God ? Do we expect to

apprehend Him by the physical eye ? Do we imagine that we

shall apprehend Him by intellectual effort ? Surely those are only

conceptions which belong to past ideas, crude notions of God. We

cannot perceive God by the physical eye ! God is a spirit ! We

cannot perceive God by our intellectual powers, because the world

by wisdom knew not God, and if He be God at all to us He is the

Incomprehensible One. Then, of course, the miracle and the

wonder are outside the case, for the marvellous can only speak on

the plane of things physical or appeal to the power of the mind,

the intellectual power within us. Those are not the ways by

which we apprehend God ; and to imagine that a man would be

made to believe in God by a miracle who had no capacity at work

that could app rehend God otherwise, is a contradiction in terms.

1 James Russell Lowell

126 EXCELLE�CE OF THI�GS ORDI�ARY

Our Lord was constantly teaching that. In His parable of Dives

and Lazarus He uses the very principle. Here the man in his

torment imagines that a wonder will convince his brethren.

"Send Lazarus! Let the marvel appear! Let the miracles be

sent ! Send Lazarus ! " And the only answer is, " If they hear

not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though

one rose from the dead " in other words, if they have not the

moral capacity to follow the teachings of Moses and the prophets,

if they have no moral affinity and sympathy with the prophet s

teaching, no wonder will give them that capacity.

TJ The power which understands and apprehends God is not

the physical, not the intellectual, but the moral power within us.

The way in which we can understand God is by the exercise of

our moral faculties. Jesus Christ was the greatest moral teacher

that ever lived, and what is Jesus Christ s emphatic statement

concerning this ? He says there are two faculties, two powers by

which God can be apprehended, two ways in which we shall be

able to ascertain and lay our hand upon our Father in heaven ;

one is single-mindedness, the other purity of heart. 1

The one condition by which we can understand anything or

anybody is that we shall be in some degree a sharer of their

nature. We talk of knowing God. How can we know Him if we

be not righteous ? How can we understand Him if we be not

holy ? How can we enter into His love if no love dwells within

our soul? It is the possession of moral faculties that brings

power ; these make up the fingers of the hand by which alone we

can grasp the hand of God, by which He can become a reality to

us, entering into our soul and life. Hence, when the message

comes to us, " Go forward ! Rest no longer upon the miracle ! Best

now upon the ordinary manifestations ! " it is as if they said, " I

make an appeal now to your responsibility ; I want responsiveness

on your part." " You must give moral co-operation " that is the

meaning of the message.

Tf Place the tourist who hurries across the Atlantic and

through the towns of Europe in order to see or " to do " the

Continent place him with his erratic mind untrained before the

greatest masterpieces of art ; plant him in the chapel at Florence ;

let him stand face to face with Michael Angelo s creations of �ight

and Morning. His first impression will be, " These are greatly

1 W. Boyd Carpenter.

JOSHUA v. 12 127

overpraised ; why, the very anatomy is faulty ; I cannot Bee why

people should praise these things." But now for a moment imagine

that there drops upon that man s soul as he stands there some

little portion of Michael Angelo s nature. What a transformation

takes place within his soul in his power of perception at that

moment ! Then he sees something new ; then these " greatly

overpraised " figures begin to have a message for him ; they seem

to speak into his life now because Michael Angelo is in his soul,

and he can read what Michael Angelo meant. 1

Tf I am truly glad you like Humboldt s letters so much. How

necessary for appreciation of a book, scene, picture, society, is a

certain previous adaptation of the frame of mind ! Do you

remember how little you cared for that book the first time of

reading it in a smaller form ? Experience, added light, and the

aspect given by events which no purpose or control could have

arranged, have given it now fresh meaning and made it a new

book. 2

Tf This was one of the first lessons that young Henry Drummond

learned from John Euskiu. Before the master came to open his

eyes, a ploughed field to Henry Drummond was just a ploughed

field a sight unlovely, unattractive. To Buskin, however, it was

a wonderful study in colour ; and so it became to Drummond. At

the touch of the master s hand the commonplace field was trans

formed before his eyes. And to his ever-deepening vision it

became more and more a thing of beauty and a source of

joy. 8

(3) It is a step upwards in our co-operation with God. This is

the third aspect of life. Our life is a life of association and society

with others, and so long as men were in the state in which they

were surrounded by the marvellous and miraculous, the manna

fell round about their habitation, and the difference between their

condition after they entered into the Promised Land and their

condition before, was this, that that manna fell without their effort,

it fell just where they could gather it without any exertion, but

the corn needed to be sown, and the corn needed to be gathered in

the spot where it grew, and therefore the children of Israel were

now in the position of being made co-operators in the work of God.

Hitherto they had been babes fed just according to the discretion

, l W. Boyd Carpenter.

1 F. W. Robertson, Life and Letters, 449.

J. B. Maclean, The Secret of the Stream, 42.

128 EXCELLE�CE OF THI�GS ORDI�ARY

of the parent, now they are the participators in the work, they

have passed the stage in which everything is being done for them

into the stage in which they are to be morally responsible and co

operative, in which they are to co-operate with God in His great

order and His great work.

The sinner s own fault ? So it was.

If every own fault found us out,

Dogged us and hedged us round about,

What comfort should we take because

�ot half our due we thus wrung out?

Clearly his own fault. Yet I think

My fault in part, who did not pray

But lagged and would not lead the way.

I, haply, proved his missing link.

God help us both to mend and pray. 1

Co-operation with God is the great step which we make when

we reach the conception of Christianity. Christ went up on high

but to bestow gifts on men, and that we might be fellow-workers

together with God. The stage which we are regretting is the

stage of advance ; it is the stage where we are brought alongside

the great Worker of all good, who works ceaselessly ; alongside

the Spirit, which works in the hearts of men. And therefore we

attain a nobler position. Although we say we no longer live

when miracles are wrought, and the Son of God has entered into

the heavens, and is an invisible Divine Being to us, the answer

comes back, " Yes, but He has left you a heritage of co-operation

with Him, He has brought you into the position in which the full

corn of the land is to be your food, and not only your food, but is

to be gathered by you that it may be the food of other men."

That is a far nobler position.

God is not dumb, that He should speak no more;

If thou hast wanderings in the wilderness

And find st not Sinai, tis thy soul is poor;

There towers the mountain of the voice no less,

Which whoso seeks shall find, but he who bends,

Intent on manna still and mortal ends,

Sees it not, neither hears its thundered lore.

1 C. G. Rossetti

JOSHUA v. 12 129

Slowly the Bible of the race is writ.

And not on paper leaves nor leaves of stone:

Each age, each kindred, adds a verse to it,

Texts of despair or hope, of joy or moan.

While swings the sea, while mists the mountains shroud,

While thunder s surges burst on cliffs of cloud,

Still at the prophets feet the nations sit. 1

TJ As we advance in Christian experience, we think less of the

coming down from heaven in the incarnation, and more of the

going back in the ascension. The Babe Jesus is less to us than

the ascended Christ. We look, not so much towards the cradle of

the manger-bed, as upward to the throne and forward to the

second advent. It m ikes a great difference to us whether we

occupy the standpoint of the birth or of the ascension ; and many

a system of theology, when weighed in the balance, is found

wanting, because it fails to understand that the manna ceases

when the Jordan is crossed and Canaan entered. 2

How to labour and find it sweet:

How to get the good red gold

That veined hides in the granite fold

Under our feet

The good red gold that is bought and sold,

Kaiment to man, and house, and meat!

And how, while delving, to lift the eye

To the far-off mountains of amethyst,

The rounded hills, and the intertwist

Of waters that lie

Calm in the valleys, or that white mist

Sailing across a soundless sky. 8

III.

THERE ARE OTHER, IF MI�OR, LESSO�S TO BE LEAR�ED FROM

THIS I�CIDE�T.

1. The ceasing of the manna should teach us that there is

inevitable loss in all our gains. It was a great thing for Israel to

gain the plains of Jericho, but, when they had done so, they lost

1 James Ruasell Lowell. " F. B. Meyer.

1 James Herbert Morse,

PEUT.-ESTH, 9

130 EXCELLE�CE OF THI�GS ORDI�ARY

the bread of angels. For forty years they had been struggling

forward to win the land of their hopes and of their dreams. �ow

it was theirs they stood upon its soil ; all they had battled and

toiled for had been crowned. But now that it was theirs the

manna ceased ; the miracle of every morning was no more ; and

dimly this stubborn people would perceive that something is lost

with everything gained.

At every step we take, something must go something, per

haps, which we reckoned precious yesterday. And he alone is

wise and brave and cheerful who recognizes thai inevitable law,

and presses forward undaunted to the best, with the courage to

forget what is behind. We gain the promised land, and lose the

manna. We gain experience, and lose the morning dew. We

gain the strength and energy of manhood, and lose the freshness

and wonder of the child. We gain the peace and the beauty of

old age, and lose the strength and energy of manhood.

�ow these are facts, and a wise man faces facts. He does not

murmur or cry for the impossible. He sets his face steadfastly

towards Jerusalem and turns his back upon his boyhood s Galilee.

For he knows that though the manna be withdrawn there will

still be the ingathering of the autumn, and he lifts up his eyes,

and the fields are white to harvest, " some thirty, some sixty, and

some an hundredfold."

Farewell ! since never more for thee

The sun comes up our eastern skies,

Less bright henceforth shall sunshine be

To some fond heart, and saddened eyes.

There are who for thy last long sleep

Shall sleep as sweetly never more,

Shall weep because thou can st not weep,

And grieve that all thy griefs are o er.

Sad thrift of love ! the loving breast,

On which the aching head was thrown,

Gave up the weary head to rest,

But kept the aching for its own.

2. The ceasing of the manna teaches us to be cautious in

asserting that anything is indispensable. If there was one thing

graven upon the heart of Israel it was that without the manna

JOSHUA v. 12 131

they could not live at all. Kemember that of those who had left

Egypt, only Caleb and Joshua now survived. All the others had

been born out in the wilderness, and were children of desert air

and desert nurture. The first thing that had caught their eye had

been the manna. The first food they had tasted had been manna.

As children, as boys, as men in the prime of manhood, it was

manna that had stood between them and death ; until at last,

after these years of nurture, of daily and unvarying dependence,

there was not a man in Israel but would think that manna was

indispensable to him. Then in the plain of Jericho the manna

ceased. The morning dawned when the manna was not there.

For the first time in nine-and-thirty years the ground was not

white with sustenance from heaven. And did they perish then,

or did God let them starve ?

^| There is no worse service that any man can render than

calling that indispensable which is not really so. Some things art

vital to life and salvation, and to these we must hold in the teeth

of all defiance ; but apart from these let us be cautious in saying

that this or that is indispensable. We have all been fed on

certain views of the truth, just as the Israelites were fed on

manua. We have looked at the Bible in a certain way since we

were children at our mother s knee. And so wedded were we to

that precious nurture, and to the tender memories with which it

is inwoven, that to some of us it seemed that we must starve if

we were bereft of the manna of our youth. Then came the morn

ing when the manna ceased. Our intellect awoke and it was

gone. �ew truths arrested us new thoughts of revelation

fresh insight into the ways of God in nature; and the strange

thing is that then we did not starve, but were fed upon the finest

of the wheat. Christ became real to us, His love became more

wonderful ; the purposes of God became more magnificent. The

manna of our unthinking childhood ceased only to lead us to the

harvest field. And so we have learned in the conflict of to-day,

when the faith of Jesus is fighting for its life, to be very cautious

lest we harm the cause by saying that this or that is indis

pensable. The one thing vital is that Jesus came, and lived, and

died as a sacrifice, and rose. Fix the one point of the compass

fast in that, and let the other swing as widely as you please. 1

3. There is one other lesson to link with the ceasing of the

manna. It is that God, as we advance in life, brings us back to

1 G. H. Morri

132 EXCELLE�CE OF THI�GS ORDI�ARY

the food of long ago. Had there been any manna down in Egypt ?

Had manna been Israel s food before the Exodus ? There were

few now who could recall these days ; yet corn, not manna, had

been the food of Egypt. And now the wanderers come back to

corn, to the old nurture of the storied past, yet all so radiant now

with love and mercy that the old has become new for evermore.

That was the path by which God led His people. He brought

them back to the old, and it was new. That is the path by

which God leads us all, if we are in earnest to know and do His

will. We toil and we suffer and we play our parL, and we feast

on dew-touched manna for a season ; but the truths that we need

to live by and to die by are the commonplaces of long ago. We

have all had our manna days, and we thank God for them, they

were so full of wonder and delight. But life is stern, and sin is

very terrible, and the manna has ceased and we are back to

corn back to our fathers need of a Redeemer, back to the feet

of an all-sufficient Christ.

There is a childhood into which we grow,

A heart-simplicity whereby we hold

Love s sunshine fairer than the glint of gold,

As that we hope for passeth that we know :

Warm memories from the tender long ago

Whisper their tale, and we can ne er grow old

If now and then life s shadows grey and cold

Are flooded with our childhood s after-glow.

We are not old till we forget the way

That leads us from the tumult of the street

To Memory s dimly-lighted, still retreat,

Where Youth comes back to those who have grown grey,

Where all may find a benison, save they

Whom long forgetfulness hath made unmeet. 1

1 P. C. Ainsworth. Poems and Sonntt t 68

The Fall of Jericho

13 �ow when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

BAR�ES, "A man - See Gen_12:7, note; Gen_18:2, note. The appearance was that of God manifested in the Person of His Word. Hence, the command of Jos_5:15. That the appearance was not in a vision merely is clear from the fact that Joshua “went unto Him” and addressed Him.

CLARKE, "When Joshua was by Jericho - The sixth chapter should have commenced here, as this is an entirely new relation; or these two chapters should have made but one, as the present division has most unnaturally divided the communication which Joshua had from the angel of the Lord, and which is continued to Jos_6:5. It is very likely that Joshua had gone out privately to reconnoitre the city of Jericho when he had this vision; and while contemplating the strength of the place, and probably reflecting on the extreme difficulty of reducing it, God, to encourage him, granted him this vision, and instructed him in the means by which the city should be taken.

There stood a man over against him - It has been a very general opinion, both among the ancients and moderns, that the person mentioned here was no other than the Lord Jesus in that form which, in the fullness of time, he was actually to assume for the redemption of man. That the appearance was supernatural is agreed on all hands; and as the name Jehovah is given him, (Jos_6:2), and he received from Joshua Divine adoration, we may presume that no created angel is intended.

And Joshua went unto him - This is a very natural relation, and carries with it all the appearances and characteristics of a simple relation of fact. The whole history of Joshua shows him to have been a man of the most undaunted mind and intrepid courage - a genuine Hero. An ordinary person, seeing this man armed, with a drawn sword in his hand, would have endeavored to have regained the camp, and sought safety in flight; but Joshua, undismayed though probably slightly armed, walks up to this terrible person and immediately questions him, Art thou for us or for our adversaries? probably at first supposing that he might be the Canaanitish general coming to reconnoitre the Israelitish camp, as himself was come out to examine the city of Jericho.

GILL, "And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho,.... Or "in Jericho" (i); not in the city itself, but in the border of it, as Kimchi and Ben Melech; or on the side of it, as Jarchi; on one side of which he was reconnoitring by himself, very probably seeking for a proper place where to make his first attack; or if he could find out some avenue to the city, whereby he could enter more easily; or it may be he was meditating a scheme how to subdue the city; and it is very likely praying to God that he would direct him, and succeed him. Ben Gersom interprets it, his thoughts were in Jericho; and both he, and Abarbinel, suppose, that what follows was in a vision of prophecy, that it seemed to him that he was in Jericho, and saw a person, as after described, and was only a dream or night vision; but, no doubt, whether this was in the day or in the night, which is not certain, it was a real sight that Joshua had, or one really appeared to him as a man, as after related:

that he lifted up his eyes, and looked; his eyes before looked downwards, as the eyes of a person in deep study and meditation usually do:

and, behold, there stood a man over against him; not a mere man, nor a created angel in an human form, but a divine Person in such a form, even the Son of God, who frequently appeared in this manner to the patriarchs; as is clear from the worship paid unto him by Joshua, by his calling him Lord, and owning himself to be his servant; and by the ground on which he stood, being holy through his presence, as well as by his title, the Captain of the Lord's host. Jarchi says, this is Michael, which, if understood of Michael the uncreated angel, the head of all principality and power, is right, who is always meant by Michael, whenever he is spoken of in Scripture; and so this is interpreted by the ancient Jews (k) of the Angel the Redeemer:

with his sword drawn in his hand; who sometimes is said to have a twoedged one come out of his mouth, and sometimes one girt on his thigh, and here with one drawn out of the scabbard, to justify the war with the Canaanites, and to encourage Joshua to proceed in it. His sword has been drawn against his enemies, and those of his people from the beginning, ever since the fall of man, when enmity commenced between him and the seed of the serpent; it appeared drawn when here on earth combating with all our spiritual enemies, and will never be put up until all enemies are put under his feet:

and Joshua went unto him; which showed great courage, presence of mind, and magnanimity:

and said unto him, art thou for us, or for our adversaries? by his appearing in this warlike posture, he concluded it was to take on one side or the other, either on the side of Israel, or of the Canaanites; and he seemed to suspect that it was on the side of the latter, and that he was one that was come to defy the armies of Israel, as Goliath afterwards did, 1Sa_17:8; and to engage in a single combat with Joshua their general, and so decide the war; in which, had this been the case, Joshua was ready to fight with him.

HE�RY, "We have hitherto found God often speaking to Joshua, but we read not till now of any appearance of God's glory to him; now that his difficulties increased his encouragements were increased in proportion. Observe,

I. The time when he was favoured with this vision. It was immediately after he had performed the great solemnities of circumcision and the passover; then God made himself known to him. Note, We may then expect the discoveries of the divine grace when we are found in the way of our duty and are diligent and sincere in our attendance on holy ordinances.

II. The place where he had this vision. It was by Jericho; in Jericho, so the word is; in it by faith and hope, though as yet he had not begun to lay siege to it; in it in thought and expectation; or in the fields of Jericho, hard by the city. There, it should seem, he was all alone, fearless of danger, because sure of the divine protection. There he was (some think) meditating and praying; and to those who are so employed God often graciously manifests himself. Or perhaps there he was to take a view of the city, to observe its fortifications, and contrive how to attack it; and perhaps he was at a loss within himself how to make his approaches, when God came and directed him. Note, God will help those that help themselves. Vigilantibus non dormientibus succurrit lex - The law succours those who watch, not those who sleep. Joshua was in his post as a general, when God came and made himself known as Generalissimo.

III. The appearance itself. Joshua, as is usual with those that are full of thought and care, was looking downwards, his eyes fixed on the ground, when of a sudden he was surprised with the appearance of a man who stood before him at some little distance, which obliged him to lift up his eyes, and gave a diversion to his musings, v. 13. He appeared to him as a man, but a considerable man, and one fit to be taken notice of. Now, 1. We have reason to think that this man was the Son of God, the eternal Word, who, before he assumed the human nature for a perpetuity, frequently appeared in a human shape. So bishop Patrick thinks, consonant to the judgment of the fathers. Joshua gave him divine honours, and he received them, which a created angel would not have done, and he is called Jehovah, Jos_6:2. 2. He here appeared as a soldier, with his sword drawn in his hand. To Abraham in his tent he appeared as a traveller; to Joshua in the field as a man of war. Christ will be to his people what their faith expects and

desires. Christ had his sword drawn, which served, (1.) To justify the war Joshua was engaging in, and to show him that it was of God, who gave him commission to kill and slay. If the sovereign draw the sword, this proclaims war, and authorizes the subject to do so too. The sword is then well drawn when Christ draws it, and gives the banner to those that fear him, to be displayed because of the truth, Psa_60:4. (2.) To encourage him to carry it on with vigour; for Christ's sword drawn in his hand denotes how ready he is for the defence and salvation of his people, who through him shall do valiantly. His sword turns every way.

IV. The bold question with which Joshua accosted him; he did not send a servant, but stepped up to him himself, and asked, Art thou for us or for our adversaries? which intimates his readiness to entertain him if he were for them, and to fight him if he were against them. This shows, 1. His great courage and resolution. He was not ruffled by the suddenness of the appearance, nor daunted with the majesty and bravery which no doubt appeared in the countenance of the person he saw; but, with a presence of mind that became so great a general, put this fair question to him. God had bidden Joshua be courageous, and by this it appears that he was so; for what God by his word requires of his people he does by his grace work in them. 2. His great concern for the people and their cause; so heartily has he embarked in the interests of Israel that none shall stand by him with the face of a man but he will know whether he be a friend or a foe. It should seem, he suspected him for an enemy, a Goliath that had come to defy the armies of the living God, and to give him a challenge. Thus apt are we to look upon that as against us which is most for us. The question plainly implies that the cause between the Israelites and the Canaanites, between Christ and Beelzebub, will not admit of a neutrality. He that is not with us is against us.

JAMISO�, "Jos_5:13-15. An angel appears to Joshua.

when Joshua was by Jericho— in the immediate vicinity of that city, probably engaged in surveying the fortifications, and in meditating the best plan of a siege.

there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn— It is evident from the strain of the context that this was not a mere vision, but an actual appearance; the suddenness of which surprised, but did not daunt, the intrepid leader.

K&D 13-15, "Appearance and Message of the Angel of the Lord. - Jos_5:13-15. When

Joshua was by Jericho, יריחו#, lit., in Jericho (# expressing immediate proximity, the

entrance as it were into some other object, vid., Ewald, §217), - that is to say, inside it in thought, meditating upon the conquest of it-he saw, on lifting up his eyes, a man standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand; and on going up to him, and

asking, “Dost thou belong to us or to our enemies?” he received this reply: “Nay (לא is

not to be altered into לו, which is the reading adopted in the Sept., Syr., and a few MSS),

but I am the prince of the army of Jehovah; now I am come.” The person who had appeared neither belonged to the Israelites nor to their enemies, but was the prince of the army of Jehovah, i.e., of the angels. “The Lord's host” does not mean “the people of Israel, who were just at the commencement of their warlike enterprise,” as v. Hofmannsupposes; for although the host of Israel who came out of Egypt are called “the hosts of the Lord” in Exo_12:41, the Israelites are never called the host or army of Jehovah (in the singular). “The host of Jehovah” is synonymous with “the host of heaven” (1Ki_22:19), and signifies the angels, as in Psa_148:2 and Psa_103:21. With the words “now I am come,” the prince of the angels is about to enter upon an explanation of the object of

his coming; but he is interrupted in his address by Joshua, who falls down before him, and says, “What saith my lord to his servant?” so that now he first of all commands Joshua to take off his shoes, as the place on which he stands is holy. It by no means

follows that because Joshua fell down upon the ground and יש@חו (Eng. Ver. “did

worship”), he must have recognised him at once as the angel of the Lord who was equal

with God; for the word הש@חוה, which is connected with the falling down, does not always

mean divine worship, but very frequently means nothing more than the deep Oriental reverence paid by a dependant to his superior or king (e.g., 2Sa_9:6; 2Sa_14:33), and

Joshua did not address the person who appeared to him by the name of God, אדני, but

simply as אדני, “My lord.” In any case, however, Joshua regarded him at once as a

superior being, i.e., an angel. And he must have recognised him as something more than a created angel of superior rank, that is to say, as the angel of Jehovah who is essentially equal with God, the visible revealer of the invisible God, as soon as he gave him the command to take off his shoes, etc. - a command which would remind him of the appearance of God to Moses in the burning bush, and which implied that the person who now appeared was the very person who had revealed himself to Moses as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (On the meaning of the command to take off the shoes, see the exposition of Exo_3:5.) The object of the divine appearance was indicated by the drawn sword in the hand (cf. Num_22:31), by which he manifested himself as a heavenly warrior, or, as he describes himself to Joshua, as prince of the army of Jehovah. The drawn sword contained in itself this practical explanation: “I am now come with my heavenly army, to make war upon the Canaanites, and to assist thee and thy people” (Seb. Schmidt). It was not in a vision that this appearance took place, but it was an actual occurrence belonging to the external world; for Joshua saw the man with the drawn sword at a certain distance from himself, and went up to him to address him, - a fact which would be perfectly incompatible with an inward vision.

SBC, "I. There is a lesson here, not inappropriate to the present times, in the fact that Christ appeared to Joshua as a "man of war." Would that image have been used, would Christ have assumed that form, if all war were out of the question?

II. It is still more important to remark how strikingly the manifestations of Christ accommodate themselves to the various circumstances of His people. To Abraham, a wanderer and sojourner in Canaan, He manifests Himself as a wayfaring man. To Jacob, on the eve of an expected conflict with his brother, Christ shows Himself as a comforter. To Joshua, a soldier and an officer, Christ, too, is a soldier in command.

III. Joshua stood before the heavenly Captain, with the shoes from off his feet, to receive orders about the conducting of the siege. So let it be with us all. As soon as a providence, a word, a will, of God shows the special presence of Deity, let it have supremacy, and every human authority, however high, stand in the posture of silent obedience.

J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons, 1874, p. 243.

Consider this narrative—

I. As describing an anticipatory appearance of Christ. In reality Christ was not "a man" before He was born in Bethlehem. It was not the body, but only the appearance, of a man

that Joshua saw.

II. This narrative foreshadows a peculiar relation that exists between Christ and His followers. (1) They are the Lord’s host. The Church is a host on account of its numbers, its unity, its order. (2) Of this host Christ is the Captain. He is Captain by sanction of law and by suffrage of the army, and He is Captain throughout all time.

III. See the consequences of this relation. (1) As Captain of the Lord’s host, Christ summons His people to a life of warfare. (2) He requires unquestioning obedience to His authority. (3) He furnishes His soldiers with power for their warfare: the power of His Spirit, His truth, and His love. (4) As Captain of the Lord’s host, Christ leads us to an enterprise that must end in glory to His own name and to each individual who is on His side.

C. Stanford, Symbols of Christ, p. 89.

Notice:—

I. The agitation of uncertainty in the breast of Joshua. Suddenly, while he brooded, a man stood over against him, with his sword drawn in his hand. He saw a vast armed figure towering above him in fighting attitude. He asked with painful suspense, "Art thou for us or for our adversaries?" wondering anxiously what the apparition meant, and what it portended, whether success or defeat in the coming campaign. And it is with like uncertainty that we front now the new year. We most of us know enough of life to discern, if we lift our eyes, a man with a drawn sword in his hand. We ask in vain as Joshua did when he cried, "Art thou for us or for our adversaries?" The angel says to the wistfully inquiring man, "As captain of the host of the Lord I am now come."

II. Here, then, was what Joshua saw in looking forward to the future. He did not see victory or defeat, but he saw, to his comfort and relief, that the forces which he led were not his host merely, but the host of the Lord, and that they, together with their leader, were in the hands of the Lord.

III. The message that Joshua received was no declaring of things that had been kept hidden, no weighty revealings, only a plain and familiar admonition to cherish within him a right temper of mind, a right spirit, to see to it that he walked reverently and cultivated purity, as one who dwelt in a temple. That was all the heavens told him when they leaned toward him with a word. "Take heed to yourself, to your character and conduct; be dutiful; be loyal to the vision that is yours." And what better, richer gift could we have from above than a deepened sense of duty and a fresh impulse toward reverent and noble living?

S. A. Tipple, Sunday Mornings at Norwood, p. 215.

CALVI�, "13.And it came to pass when Joshua, etc Here we have the narrative of a

remarkable vision, by which Joshua was greatly encouraged and emboldened. For

though he was strenuously discharging his office, the application of an additional

stimulus was not without its use. The angel, however, did not appear solely on his

private account, but for the confirmation of the whole people: nay, the Lord looked

further forward, that he might furnish posterity with stronger proofs of a kindness

which was never duly considered. For although they boasted in lofty terms of having

been planted by the hand of God in a holy land, they were scarcely induced by all

the miracles to acknowledge in good earnest that they were placed there as God’s

vassals. This vision, therefore, must have been beneficial to all ages, by leaving no

doubt as to the divine kindness bestowed. Its being said that he lifted his eyes, tends

to confirm the certainty of the vision, lest any one might suppose that his eyesight

had merely been dazzled by some evanescent phantom.

The spectacle, when first presented, must have inspired fear; for it is probable that

Joshua was then alone, whether he had withdrawn from public view to engage in

prayer, or for the purpose of reconnoitering the city. I am rather inclined to think it

was the latter, and that he had gone aside to examine where the city ought to be

attacked, lest the difficulty might deter others. It appears certain that he was

without attendants, as he alone perceives the vision; and there can be no doubt that

he was prepared to fight had he fallen in with an enemy. But he puts his question as

if addressing a man, because it is only from the answer he learns that it is an angel.

This doubt gives more credibility to the vision, while he is gradually led from the

view of the man whom he addresses to the recognition of an angel. The words, at the

same time, imply that it was not an ordinary angel, but one of special excellence. For

he calls himself captain of the Lord’s host, a term which may be understood to

comprehend not merely his chosen people, but angels also.

The former view, however, is the more correct, as God does not produce anything of

an unwonted nature, but constitutes that which we previously read that he

performed to Moses. And we know that Moses himself preferred this favor to all

others; and justly, for God there manifested his own glory in an open and familiar

manner. Accordingly, he is indiscriminately called an angel, and distinguished by

the title of the eternal God. Of this fact Paul is a competent witness, who distinctly

declares that it was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:4.) And Moses himself embraced God

as present in the person of the Mediator. For when God declares, after the making

of the calf, (Exodus 33:2 (56)) that he would no longer be the Leader of the people,

he at the same time promises that he will give one of his angels, but only one, as it

were taken out of the general body of the angelic host. (57) This Moses earnestly

deprecates, obviously because he could have no hope that God would be propitious

if the Mediator were removed. It was thus a special pledge of the divine favor that

the Captain and Head of the Church, to whom Moses had been accustomed, was

now present to assist. And indeed the divine adoption could not be ratified in any

other way than in the hand of the Mediator.

BE�SO�, "Joshua 5:13. When Joshua was by Jericho — Hebrew, in Jericho; that

is, in the territory adjoining to it; whither he went to view those parts, and discern

the fittest places for his attempt upon Jericho. A man — One in the appearance of a

man. With his sword drawn — In readiness to fight, not, as Joshua thought, against

him, but for him and his people.

ELLICOTT, "(13) There stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his

hand.—This should be compared with the vision which Moses saw at Horeb

(Exodus 3), when the angel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the

midst of a bush. The equality of the two visions is proved by the use of the same

command on both occasions, “Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place

whereon thou standest is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5; Joshua 5:15). But the actual

appearances must be contrasted. “The bush burning with fire, but not consumed,”

presents to us the figure of suffering Israel in the furnace; and “in all their affliction

He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them.” The man with the

drawn sword is the sign of victory. Jehovah no longer suffers with and in His

people, but He stands forth to lead them with the drawn sword. In regard of this

and earlier theophanies, see Excursus on Genesis 16.

Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? (14) And he said, �ay; but as captain of the

host of the Lord am I now come—i.e., Jehovah will take part in this conflict, not as

an ally or an adversary, but as commander-in-chief. It is not Israel’s quarrel, in

which they are to ask the Divine assistance. It is the Lord’s own quarrel, and Israel

and Joshua are but a division in His host. The wars of Israel in Canaan are always

presented by the Old Testament as “the wars of the Lord.” It would be well to

remember this aspect of the story. The conquest of Canaan is too often treated as an

enterprise of the Israelites, carried out with great cruelties, for which they claimed

the Divine sanction. The Old Testament presents the matter in an entirely different

light. The war is a Divine enterprise, in which human instruments are employed, but

so as to be entirely subordinate to the Divine will. Jehovah is not for Israel, nor for

Israel’s foes. He fights for His own right hand, and Israel is but a fragment of His

army. “The sun stood still.” “the stars in their courses fought against” His foes.

“The treasures of the hail” were opened, which He had “reserved against the time of

trouble, against the day of battle and war.”

TRAPP, "Joshua 5:13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he

lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with

his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, [Art]

thou for us, or for our adversaries?

Ver. 13. He lifted up his eyes.] His vigilancy did equal his valour, as it is said of

Caesar.

With his sword drawn.] This sword the Lord Christ never laid down, since those

words, "I will put enmity also," &c., [Genesis 3:16] for there beginneth the book of

the wars of the Lord, for defence of his Church.

And Joshua went unto him.] Though armed and of a majestic presence, and though

there might have been snares laid for him.

WHEDO�, "THE CAPTAI� OF THE LORD’S HOST REVEALED, Joshua 5:13

to Joshua 6:5.

[The chosen people have now by circumcision renewed their covenant with Jehovah;

they have eaten the passover within the limits of the Land of Promise; they have

tasted the new corn of the land. The time now approaches for them to proceed to the

work of conquest, and the angel of Jehovah appears to Joshua, and reveals the

divine plan for the destruction of Jericho.] 13. When Joshua was by Jericho — He

was apparently making a personal and private reconnaissance of the city, which was

the key to the whole land of Canaan. See note on Joshua 2:1.

A man over against him — The subsequent account shows that he was a man only in

form.

With his sword drawn — The sword is a symbol of high executive power. The

drawn sword intimates that that power is to be immediately exercised. Hence

Joshua’s anxiety to know in whose behalf the mysterious stranger has drawn his

sword.

Joshua went unto him — Here is a remarkable display of courage on the part of

Joshua. Good men, because of their faith in God, confront danger without fear.

Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? — The idea of neutrality in the contest does

not occur to Joshua as a possibility. In God’s battles there can be no neutrals. “He

that is not with me is against me.”

COKE, "Ver. 13. And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho— The

solemnities of the passover being ended, and Joshua being come nigh to Jericho to

reconnoitre the city, and judge of the dispositions to be made in order to lay siege to

it with success, was greatly surprised, after having been but for a moment alone, to

see before him all on a sudden something which he took for a man, with a sword in

his hand, and all the appearance of a warrior. The general of Israel approached this

unknown, and, suspecting he came from the enemy, boldly demanded of him who he

was.

COFFMA�, "Verse 13

A CHRISTOPHA�Y

"And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and

looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his

hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our

adversaries? And he said, �ay; but as the prince of the host of Jehovah am I now

come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him,

What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the prince of Jehovah's host said unto

Joshua, Put off thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is

holy. And Joshua did so."

There cannot be any doubt about the Divinity of the Prince of the Host of Jehovah

who appeared to Joshua in this scene. The very fact of Joshua's worshipping him,

coupled with the acceptance of that worship, proves the Divine nature of this

Visitant. If this Holy One had been any created being, he would have forbidden

Joshua to worship him, as did the angel for the apostle John (Revelation 19:10;

22:9). There are a number of these remarkable appearances in the O.T. Dummelow

identified the Person here with "The Angel of Jehovah (Exodus 3:2)," adding that,

"The Angel of Jehovah is not a created angel but Jehovah Himself in the act of self-

manifestation."[27] "There can be no doubt that this was God Himself seen as

human form."[28] "This is none other than the Angel of the Lord, the Lord himself

(Exodus 23:20-21), the pre-incarnate Christ in visible form."[29] There is a second

reason for ascribing divinity to this Prince of the hosts, and that is seen in His

command for Joshua to "take thy shoe from off thy foot," indicating that the

ground was holy where he stood. We take the words here to apply to BOTH feet.

"The hosts here are not the hosts of Israel, but the angelic hosts of heaven."[30]

Some commentators understand this experience of Joshua as a subjective vision,

nothing more or any different from that which may be seen today, "by modern man

in his place of worship, or driving in an automobile or riding in an airplane. Usually

there are no bystanders, but if so, they recognize only that the central character in

the event is having an experience in which they do not share."[31] Such

explanations are totally unacceptable. The subjective dreamers in cases like Morton

mentioned cannot walk up to the "vision," address a question to it, and then fall

down and worship it! �o, this is merely another instance of the ingenious cavil of

unbelievers who will �OT believe the sacred record. When one encounters this type

of explanation for events which are dearly supernatural, he should remember that

such explanations are �OT based upon logic, insight, or knowledge of any kind, but

are purely the last recourse of critical writers who do not believe in any miracles,

anything supernatural, or predictive prophecy of any kind, and who have never

been known to refer to a given passage as "the Word of God." �otice too that the

"central character" of this vision is understood to be, not God in human form, but

Joshua. It should be remembered that Joshua, not God, took off his shoes!

Critics have bemoaned the fact that no specific instructions were here given to

Joshua, although he had clearly asked for instructions. Blair thought that "by

making Joshua 6:1 a parenthesis, the narrative containing instructions for Joshua

continues onward from Joshua 6:2."[32] Cook also declared emphatically that,

"Joshua 6:1 is parenthetical ... the narrative continues in Joshua 6:2."[33] That

heavenly instructions indeed came to Joshua and supernaturally guided him in the

conquest is evident in all that followed.

(1) The fall of Jericho in the manner revealed was an unqualified miracle;

(2) The master strategy of splitting Canaan in two by a frontal assault on the middle

of it (taking Jericho); and

(3) The reduction of the remaining factions one at a time has never been improved

by any or all of the generals of human history.

Thus, despite the fact of our ignorance of just HOW or WHE� God revealed all of

the instructions which Joshua evidently followed, he did indeed have Divine

guidance in the conquest of Canaan.

The Sovereign, the General, the Captain, the Prince of the armies of Jehovah

appeared here with a drawn sword. What does this mean? It means that the war

Joshua was then engaged in was �OT Joshua's war, it was GOD's war! The

Almighty God, completely disgusted at last with the unprecedented wickedness of

the peoples of Canaan, was at that moment determined to destroy them. God, long

before, had reached a similar decision with the antediluvian world, and the Great

Deluge took them all away (except for �oah and his family). The extermination of

these peoples in Canaan by the hand of the Israelites was no less merciful than the

destruction in the flood. �o problem arises from its being, in fact, different. The

mercy in both instances lay in the truth that it was no longer possible for the love

and honor of God to survive in the rotting cultures that were destroyed.

"Art thou for us, or for our adversaries ...?" As Matthew Henry declared, "This

implies that the conflict between Israel and the Canaanites, between Christ and

Beelzebub, will admit of no neutrality. As Christ himself said it, `He that is not for

us is against us.'"[34]

CO�STABLE, "Verses 13-15

"Despite Joshua"s long military experience he had never led an attack on a fortified

city that was prepared for a long siege. In fact, of all the walled cities in Palestine,

Jericho was probably the most invincible. There was also the question of

armaments. Israel"s army had no siege engines, no battering rams, no catapults,

and no moving towers. Their only weapons were slings, arrows, and spears-which

were like straws against the walls of Jericho." [�ote: Campbell, " Joshua ," p339.]

As Joshua contemplated attacking Jericho, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him

and assured him of victory. [�ote: Maps54 (p43), 56 (p44), 58 (p45), and62 (p47) in

The Macmillan Bible Atlas illustrate the battles of Jericho and Ai, Gibeon, Southern

Canaan, and �orthern Canaan respectively.]

"The Canaanite spectre [sic] had hatched in �oah"s tent ( Genesis 9:20-27), had

evolved for generations, and now in Joshua"s day would be tolerated by God no

longer." [�ote: Constable, p105.]

Evidently Joshua was reconnoitering near Jericho, which was only about two miles

from Gilgal. He was planning his strategy when he met the Man who identified

Himself as the Captain (Prince) of the Lord"s host (angelic army; cf. 1 Kings 22:19;

2 Kings 6:8-17; Psalm 148:2; Matthew 26:53; Hebrews 1:14). It is obvious that

Joshua perceived this Man as a mighty warrior standing before him with sword

drawn ready for battle (cf. �umbers 22:23; 1 Chronicles 21:16). As soon as the

Stranger identified Himself, Joshua bowed before Him acknowledging His

superiority.

"The stranger"s response put everything in proper perspective. God is sovereign. It

is never a question whether God is on our side but whether we are on God"s side....

The purpose of this encounter was not to impart commands but to inspire Joshua

with humility and reverence and to instill in him the confidence that God was with

him and was in control (cf. Joshua 1:9)." [�ote: Madvig, p276.]

The command to remove his sandals ( Joshua 5:15) would have convinced Joshua

that this was the same God who appeared to Moses at the burning bush ( Exodus

3:5).

"As Moses went to investigate the bush ( Exodus 3:3), so Joshua goes to investigate

the mysterious figure confronting him ( Joshua 5:13 b)." [�ote: Butler, p57.]

"The strange confrontation of Joshua 5:13-15 resembles that between Jacob and the

man of God at Peniel ( Genesis 32:22-32) and that between Moses and the burning

bush ( Exodus 3:1 to Exodus 4:17). In each case, the human protagonist encounters

a divine messenger before facing a life-and-death conflict ..." [�ote: Hess, p126.]

One could also cite God"s visit to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre ( Genesis 18) and

Jesus" self-revelation to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus ( Luke 24:13-35),

though these were not life threatening encounters. Joshua would hardly have

submitted as he did if he had not believed that this Man was the Angel of the Lord

(cf. Exodus 3:5; �umbers 22:31).

"The scene thus pictures Joshua as the totally obedient servant doing precisely what

the divine messenger requires." [�ote: Butler, p61.]

God not only instructed Joshua concerning what he should do in the battle ahead,

but this theophany assured Joshua that Yahweh would also personally lead His

people in battle. We need not conclude, however, that this divine Leader continued

to be visible after this. There is no reference to Him in the record of the battle that

follows. His appearance on this occasion simply impressed Joshua with the fact that

God would be leading Israel.

"The whole sequence-circumcision, Passover, and theophany-emphatically declared

that the Israel of conquest was the Israel of exodus. The God who had saved his

people out of Egypt would now save them in Canaan." [�ote: Eugene H. Merrill,

Kingdom of Priests, p109.]

Verses 13-24

C. Possession of the land5:13-12:24

Before Israel entered the land of Canaan, God had been preparing for His people to

take possession of it by sovereignly directing the political affairs of Egypt. Egypt

had maintained control over Canaan for many years. However, shortly before and

during the ascension of Pharaoh Amenhotep II (1417-1379 B.C.) to the throne,

Egyptian interest in Canaanite affairs began to decline. Consequently some of the

Canaanite kings asserted their independence from Egyptian control and began to

increase their influence and to dominate their neighbors. In addition, foreigners

besides the Israelites invaded portions of Canaan. Some of the victims of oppression

wrote letters to Pharaoh asking for Egyptian assistance. They sent these letters to

Amarna, the capital of Egypt at this time, and they are known today as the Amarna

Letters. They wrote these documents in cuneiform script. Archaeologists discovered

them at Amarna in A.D1887. They provide much valuable information on the

political and military climate in Canaan during the period of Israel"s conquests.

[�ote: See Charles Pfeiffer, Tell El Amarna and the Bible; and Davis and

Whitcomb, pp18-21.]

"While Akhenaten [Amenhotep III, 1379-1361 B.C, the son and successor of

Amenhotep II] spent his life preoccupied with religious reform, Egyptian prestige in

Asia sank to a low ebb. As the Amarna Letters abundantly show, no effort was

made by the court to answer the frantic appeals for help made by some princes who

still professed loyalty to Egypt. The most common complaint in these letters is that

unless Egypt would send troops urgently the land would fall into the hands of the

Khapiru. Some historians are inclined to see in these Khapiru the Hebrews of the

Bible who at this time were overrunning Palestine." [�ote: Siegfried Schwantes, A

Short History of the Ancient �ear East, p90. See also �adav �a"aman, "Habiru

and Hebrews: The Transfer of a Social Term to the Literary Sphere," Journal of

�ear Eastern Studies45:4 (October1986):271-88; and Douglas Waterhouse, "Who

Are the Habiru of the Amarna Letters?" Journal of the Adventist Theological

Society12:1 (Spring2001):31-42.]

When the Israelites began their conquest, the Canaanite city-states did not have the

protection of Egypt or any other strong world power that they had enjoyed in the

past.

PETT, "Verse 13

‘And so it was that when Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked,

and, behold, there stood a man opposite him, with his sword drawn in his hand, and

Joshua went to him, and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” ’

Joshua was probably on a surveying expedition to look at the possibilities for

attacking and capturing Jericho when he came across an armed man with sword

drawn. So he challenged him whether he was a man of Israel or a Canaanite.

Possibly he saw him as one who may have come out to challenge an Israelite

champion to single combat as Goliath would later (1 Samuel 17:4).

“With his sword drawn in his hand.” This is central to the thought. Compare

�umbers 22:23; �umbers 22:31 where it was the Angel of YHWH Himself Who

stood with a drawn sword in His hand. Once he learned a little more about the man,

this vision would probably spring to Joshua’s mind. In Scripture the drawn sword

is an instrument of impending judgment (1 Chronicles 21:16; Ezekiel 21:2-5; also

Ezekiel 5:2; Ezekiel 5:12; Ezekiel 12:14; Isaiah 21:15; . This figure was therefore

indicating that YHWH was about to bring His awful judgment on the Canaanites,

as represented here by Jericho. YHWH Himself would fight against Jericho, but

against Jericho as the first of every city in Canaan (compare 2 Samuel 24:16-17; 1

Chronicles 21:16). In the words of Ezekiel 21:9, ‘a sword, a sword, it is sharpened

and also furbished. It is sharpened that it may make a slaughter, it is furbished that

it may be as lightning.’

EBC, "THE CAPTAI� OF THE LORD'S HOST.

Joshua 5:13-15; Joshua 6:1.

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

depending 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. �aturally 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. �o 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, perhaps frightened. His first

thought is, that it is an enemy. �one 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. ''�ay; 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 principalities 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 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 with 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 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 incarnation 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

woman, 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"

(Psalms 139:16), 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 circumstance, 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 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 necessary 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. �o wonder that the Angel bore a drawn sword in His hand.

The longsuffering 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.

It was not in this spirit nor in this attitude that the Angel of the Covenant had met

with Jacob, centuries before, a little higher up the river, at the confluence of the

Jabbok. Yet there was not a little 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 forwarded to his brother. He must be taught

the lesson ''�ot 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 remarked that we do not know in what manner God's

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

impressions 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 of 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 gainsaid.

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 favourably with Moses at the burning bush, not only now,

but throughout the whole interview. �o word of remonstrance does he utter, no

token of unwillingness 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 appearance 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 inhabitants 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 whereon

thou standest is holy." 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

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. �ever was such a

method propounded to reasonable man, or one more open to the objections and

exceptions of worldly wisdom. �o arrangement of his forces could have been more

open to objection than that which God required of him. He was 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 sallying 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 would have

thought it strange if Joshua had been somewhat staggered by so singular 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 quality of his faith

is shown in his raising no objection 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 communicates 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.

�or do the priests or the people appear to have made any objection on their part.

The plan no doubt exposed them to two 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 days, 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 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 wilderness 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"

(Hebrews 11:30). 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.

�ever 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 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 conquest 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 were a harmony 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!

�ISBET, "FOR OR AGAI�ST?

‘Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?’

Joshua 5:13

I. The faithful fighter.

(a) Called, or ordained (�umbers 27:18), as we are by Baptism, or Confirmation.

(b) Instructed and trained under his captain, undaunted, found faithful in lesser

things, willing to obey (Joshua 1:7-8). The Christian to be under orders, disciplined.

(c) Whole-hearted. �o neutrality, strong against disloyalty.

II. “For or against?”

(a) The Church asks it. Whole-hearted Christians needed for Church’s work.

(b) The Spirit asks it. Joshua-like loyalty to holiness needed.

(c) The Saviour asks it. “I did all this for thee, what art thou giving to Me?”

III. On whose side are we fighting?

—Rev. F. S. Legg.

Illustrations

(1) ‘Ponder Jesus’ solemn word, “He that is not with Me, is against Me.” There is no

neutrality in this warfare. Either we are for Him or we are for His adversary.

“Under which King? speak or die!” As sensible men, not indifferent to your highest

and lasting well-being, ask yourselves, “Can I, with my ten thousand, meet Him with

His twenty thousand?” Put yourselves under His orders, and He will be on your

side. “He will teach your hands to war, and your fingers to fight; will cover your

heads in the day of battle,” and bring you at last, palm-bearing and laurel-crowned,

to that blissful state where there will still be service.’

(2) ‘Joshua saw the man with a sword in his hand. O that Christ might come in our

time with the sword of the Divine Spirit in His hand; come to effect deeds of love but

yet deeds of power; come with His two-edged sword to smite our sins, to cut to the

heart His adversaries, to slay their unbelief, to lay their iniquities dead before Him.

The sword is drawn, not scabbarded, as, alas! it has been so long in many churches,

but made bare for present active use. It is in His hand, not in the minister’s hand,

not even in an angel’s hand, but the sword drawn is in His hand. Oh, what power

there is in the Gospel when Jesus holds the hilt, and what gashes it makes into

hearts that were hard as adamant, when Jesus cuts right and left at the hearts and

consciences of men! Brethren, seek this presence, and seeking it, believe it; and

when you hear the Gospel preached, or when you meet together for prayer, think

you see in the centre of the assembly the Champion of Israel, with uplifted sword,

prepared to do great exploits as in days of old.’

SIMEO�, "CHRIST THE CAPTAI� OF THE LORD’S HOST

Joshua 5:13-14. It came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his

eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword

drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us,

or for our adversaries? And he said, �ay; but as Captain of the host of the Lord am

I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto

him, What saith my Lord unto his servant?

MOST seasonable are the mercies which God vouchsafes to his people. His

interpositions for them at the Red Sea and the wilderness, and at their entrance into

Canaan through the river Jordan, are ample illustrations of this truth, as is also the

peculiar fact recorded in my text. Joshua was now surveying Jericho, which was the

first fortress that was to he attacked by him. That he had no fears about success,

was evident; because, from his first entrance into the land to that hour, he had acted

rather like a person at peace with all men, than as one in the midst of enemies whom

he was commissioned to destroy. Still, the visible manifestation of Jehovah’s

presence with him could not but greatly strengthen his faith, and increase his

assurance that every enemy, however powerful, should fall before him.

The points for our consideration are,

I. The character which our blessed Lord assumed on this occasion—

The person who now appeared to him as “a man,” was no other than the Son of God

himself—

[Many were the occasions on which, at that period of the world, the Son of God

assumed either an angelic or human shape, for the purpose of encouraging his

believing people. To Abraham [�ote: Genesis 18:2.], and Jacob [�ote: Genesis

32:24-30.], and afterwards to Manoah [�ote: Judges 13:6; Judges 13:22.], were

manifestations given similar to that which was here vouchsafed to Joshua. That the

person who here appeared to Joshua was more than either man or angel, is clear, I

think, from the worship which Joshua, on discovering who he was, paid to him:

“Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship.” �ow, I grant that Joshua

might have made a mistake; but if he had, it would have been corrected by the

person, who, if he had not been God, would not have suffered these divine honours

to be paid him [�ote: Compare Revelation 19:10; Revelation 22:8-9 where such a

mistake was made indeed, but rectified with holy abhorrence.], But, so far were

these honours from being declined, that the bestowment of them was sanctioned by

an express command, similar to what had been before given to Moses. Jehovah,

when he appeared to Moses in the burning bush, commanded him to “put his shoes

from off his feet, seeing that the place whereon he stood was holy,” being sanctified

by the divine presence [�ote: ver. 15 compared with Exodus 3:2-6.]. But indeed, in

the beginning of the next chapter, the very person who thus addressed Joshua is

called Jehovah: “And the LORD (Jehovah) said unto Joshua [�ote: Joshua 6:2.].” I

think, then, that we are in no danger of mistake, when we say that the person who

here appeared to Joshua as “a man,” was no other than the Son of God himself, the

Second Person in the ever-blessed Trinity.]

He, in answer to the question put to him by Joshua, declared himself to be “the

Captain of the Lord’s host”—

[This, in its primary import, signified that all Israel were under his special

protection; and that under his command they might be assured of victory. But the

same is true of God’s spiritual Israel, in all ages of the world. They are one great

army collected under him, and fighting the Lord’s battles, in order to a full and

undisturbed possession of the promised land. Of these the Lord Jesus Christ is the

Head and Chief. He has received a commission from his Father to be “the Leader

and Commander of his people [�ote: Isaiah 55:4.]:” and whatsoever a general is, or

can be, to his army, that is he to all who fight under his banners. Instruction in the

use of arms—provision for their whole campaign—encouragement to meet their

foes—succour in every difficulty—protection from every danger—and all the

rewards of victory, are assured to every one of them, in due season [�ote: These

several ideas may be somewhat amplified with good effect] — — —]

Seeing, then, that we have such a Captain, let us contemplate,

II. Our duty towards him under that character—

Doubtless our first duty is to enlist under his banners: for we are not his soldiers by

nature: yea rather, we are his enemies, and fight against him in every possible way.

But He is held up “as an Ensign to the people; and to him must all people seek

[�ote: Isaiah 11:10.].” And, as a man entering into the army of an earthly monarch

surrenders up himself altogether to the disposal of the general who is placed over

him, so must we voluntarily devote ourselves to the service of Christ, before we can

be numbered amongst his host over whom he presides. But, supposing this to have

been done, then we say that,

1. We must execute his commands—

[Observe the question which Joshua put to him, the very instant he knew the Lord

under this character: “What saith my Lord unto his servant?” A similar question

was put by the Apostle Paul, the very instant that the Lord Jesus Christ revealed

himself to him: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do [�ote: Acts 9:6.]?” In truth,

there is not a soldier in any army who does not look for orders from his

commanding-officer from day to day, or who does not feel himself bound to carry

them into execution. �ow the reading of the Scriptures with diligence will, for the

most part, supply the needful information: yet are there many particular occasions

whereon we must be peculiarly attentive also to the voice of his providence; and in

those instances must we seek, by prayer and supplication, his special guidance,

which he has promised to us in answer to our prayers. For instance: in the attack

which was to be made on Jericho, nothing was left to the direction of Joshua, but

every the most minute particular was given in command from this great Captain.

And we also, if we will look unto Him, may expect all needful directions: to which,

of course, we must adhere with all fidelity, in order to approve ourselves good

soldiers of Jesus Christ.]

2. We must go forth in an entire dependence upon him—

[Soldiers of necessity confide in their commander; and in proportion as is their

estimate of his talents, will be, for the most part, their expectation of success.

Amongst men, however, this confidence is mutual: for the best general in the

universe can effect nothing, if he hare not good soldiers to carry his orders into

effect. But, in the Christian camp, the confidence must be altogether in the Captain;

without whom the most gallant army in the universe must fail. We must be strong

indeed, and of good courage: but we must “not lean to our own understanding,” or

“trust in an arm of flesh.” In fact, we are really strong only in proportion as we feel

ourselves weak, and look to Christ to “perfect his strength in our weakness [�ote: 2

Corinthians 12:9-10.].” We must therefore be strong, not in ourselves, but “in the

Lord, and in the power of his might [�ote: Ephesians 6:10.].”]

3. To disregard difficulties, and even death itself, in his service—

[A soldier necessarily expects to encounter difficulties, and to expose his life to

hazard in the service of his king and country. And the greater the difficulties which

he has to sustain, the more he rises to the occasion; insomuch that, if a service of

peculiar danger is proposed, a whole army will vie with each other in their readiness

to undertake it. �ow, if this be the case with those who have enlisted under the

banners of an earthly monarch, shall it not much more obtain amongst the armies of

the living God? St. Paul “gloried in distresses and necessities for the Lord’s sake:”

and the same spirit should animate us also. Indeed, at our very first admission into

the service of our Lord we were forewarned, that “he who loved his life, should lose

it; and that he only who was willing to lose his life for Christ’s sake, should save it

unto life eternal [�ote: Matthew 10:39.].” We must “be faithful unto death, if ever

we would attain a crown of life.”]

Address—

[Inquire now, I pray you, whether this Saviour he to you a friend or an adversary?

He is here in the midst of us, “and with his sword drawn,” though we see him not.

And to every one of us is he either a friend or a foe. There is no neutrality, either on

his part or on ours. Our Lord himself has told us, “that he who is not with him, is

against him; and he who gathereth not with him, scattereth abroad [�ote: Matthew

12:30.].” Would you, then, ascertain whether he be a “Captain” unto you? Examine

your own hearts; and ask, Whether you have ever enlisted under his banners by a

voluntary surrender of yourselves to him; and then, Whether you are habitually

regarding his will as your rule, and his arm as your stay, and his glory as the one

object of your life? These are points easy to be ascertained: and on them your

eternal happiness depends. If these things be true, then will he be a “Captain of

salvation” unto you [�ote: Hebrews 2:10.]: but if this be not the experience of your

souls, then you have nothing to expect, but that he will say concerning you, “Bring

hither those that were mine enemies, who would not that I should reign over them,

and slay them before me [�ote: Luke 19:27.].” Oppose him, and you have nothing to

hope; submit to him, and you have nothing to fear, to all eternity

BI 13-15, "Nay; but as Captain of the host of the Lord.

The warrior Christian

I. The special significance of this vision to Joshua. “The Lord’s host” does not primarily allude to those Israelite armies encamped beside the overflowing waters of the Jordan, but to other and invisible hosts encamped all around on those heights, though no ear ever heard the call of the sentries at their posts of duty, or saw the sheen of their swords flashing in the sunlight, or beheld their marshalled ranks. Those troops of harnessed angels were the hosts of which this wondrous Warrior was captain. The story of the conquest of Canaan is not simply the account of battles fought between Israel and the Canaanites, but of the results of a conflict yet more mysterious and far-reaching between the bright squadrons that follow the lead of the captain of the Lord’s host, and the dark battalions of evil entrenched in the hearts and strongholds of the enemies of God. Is it, therefore, any cause for wonder that the walls of Jericho fell down; or that vast armies were scattered without a blow being struck; or that the land was subdued in a seven years’ campaign? These achievements were the earthly and visible results of victories won in the heavenly and spiritual sphere by armies which follow the Word of God upon ‘white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure. Those walls fell down because smitten by the impact of celestial hosts. Those armies fled because the dark powers with which they were in league had been put to the rout before the Lord God of Sabaoth.

II. The significance of this vision to the church. Throughout the world of nature there are signs of conflict and collision. There is no pool, however tranquil; no forest-glade, however peaceful; no isle bathed by southern seas, and set gem-like on the breast of ocean, however enchanting; no scene, however fascinating, which is not swept by opposing squadrons contending for victory. The swift pursue their prey, the strong devour the weak, the fittest alone survive in the terrific strife. So it has been in the history of our race. The books that contain the records of the past are largely records of wars and decisive battles. Their pages are wet with tears and blood. The foundations of vast empires have been laid, like those of African palaces, on the writhing bodies of dying men. For the student of God’s ways all this leads up to a more tremendous struggle between darkness and light, evil and good, Satan and our King. And here is the real importance of the ascension, which was the worthy climax of the wonders of the first advent, as it will introduce the glories of the second.

III. The significance of this vision to ourselves. We sometimes feel lonely and discouraged. The hosts with which we are accustomed to co-operate are resting quietly in their tents. No one seems able to enter into our anxieties and plans. Our Jerichos are so formidable—the neglected parish, the empty church, the hardened congregation, the godless household. How can we ever capture these, and hand them over to the Lord, like dismantled castles, for Him to occupy? That problem at first baffles us, and appears insoluble. Then we vow it shall be untied, and summon all our wit and energy to solve it. We study the methods of others and copy them; deliver our best addresses and sermons,

put forth herculean exertions. We adopt exciting advertisements and questionable methods, borrowed from the world. Suppose Israel had taken lessons in scaling walls and taking fenced cities from the Canaanites! Or that the people had made an attack on Jericho with might and main, determined to find or make a breach! Finally, in our hours of disappointment, when we have tried our best in vain, and have fallen, as the sea birds who dash themselves against the lighthouse tower fall to the foot with broken wing, it is well to go forth alone, confessing our helplessness, and tarrying for the vision, for we shall then be likeliest to see the Captain of the Lord’s host. He will undertake our cause, He will marshal His troops and win the day, He will fling the walls of Jericho to the ground. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)

The armed angel of the covenant appearing to Joshua

I. Joshua went forth to be alone with God. The hour, thought of for forty years, had now arrived; the campaign was about to begin, and everything devolved upon him. No Moses now to direct him. There was the impregnable fortress before him. A long siege or a speedy capture alike impossible. A dilemma. He knelt for guidance.

II. The lord came to be alone with Joshua.

1. To Abram, a wanderer, He appeared as a wayfarer; to Jacob, distressed at the prospect of a conflict with his brother, He appeared as a wrestler who allowed himself to be overcome; and now, to the warrior, He showed Himself as a warrior. This teaches that there is no condition of life in which we shall not find the Lord Jesus in full sympathy with His people.

2. Joshua’s doubt; whether He was for or against him was soon set at rest. So will yours, if your heart is right with Him.

3. When Joshua knew who He was, he fell upon his face and worshipped. We have a like assurance that Joshua had. “All power is given unto Me.” “Lo, I am with you alway.” But if this be really given to us by the Holy Ghost, our attitude will be like Joshua’s.

(1) Deeply reverential (Isa_6:5).

(2) Entirely submissive to the Divine will (Act_9:6).

4. The first thing the Lord required—“Loose thy shoe,” &c. So now, Leave worldly cares, cut off carnal indulgences, and give yourself up wholly to Me.” “And Joshua did so . . . And the Lord said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand, Jericho,” &c. A similar promise is given to us. Jericho is a type of the world (Joh_16:33; Rom_8:31; 1Jn_4:4). The promise was definite: “I have given.” That set Joshua’s mind at rest. Have we not many a promise us definite? Why should we fear? (see 1Jn_5:4).

5. But faith does not mean sitting still and doing nothing. The land was given to them, but they had to conquer every foot of it. The Christian conflict is no less a conflict because “a fight of faith.”

In order to conquer in “the good fight of faith,” we want—

1. The readiness of faith, which is found only in our realised perfect standing in Christ.

2. The prayer of faith.

3. Faith’s recognition of the Divine presence.

4. Faith’s reverential submission to the Divine will.

5. Faith’s energetic obedience to the Divine commands. (W. J. Chapman, M. A.)

The Captain of the Lord’s host still with us

We see in Joshua an observant man meditating over the plans of the morrow, and turning in upon his own thoughts and reflections, yet quick to note the presence of a danger. Every commander of men must have an eye in his head. He must be quick to note the presence of a foe or to detect danger. He must watch as well as meditate and pray. Joshua was quick to take in his surroundings, while he carefully weighed problems which pressed themselves upon him. What was he to do? It was when face to face with that perplexing question that Joshua looked up and saw an armed man. Could he let that man go unchallenged? Nay, he must have the courage to go up to him. That courage was the necessary condition of the revelation which Joshua was about to receive. The cowards in the Lord’s army never receive such a vision as this, but the men who have forgotten themselves in their desire to serve their Lord. Now observe what Joshua first received. He received a clear revelation that the One to whom he had spoken was far greater than he had ever imagined Him to be. In other words, that the Captain of the Lord’s host, who alone could ensure victory, was nearer to him than he had ever dreamed. Again, notice that the character of this revelation was adapted to the nature of the circumstances by which Joshua was surrounded. Now, when God appeared to Moses, He did not reveal Himself in the form of an armed man. He appeared to him in a flame of fire—a flame which lit up the bush, but did not consume it. Then God appeared in the mystery of fire: and that was just the kind of revelation that Moses needed. But now things were different. Joshua had to pass through experiences through which even Moses had not to pass. The religion of God had been now established. The law had been given, even the ceremonial instructions had been supplied; but now the nation had to find their way into the possession of the promised land, God had given them Canaan, it is true, but it was only on condition that they should, in His strength, conquer the inhabitants of Canaan. Thus the revelation which Joshua needed now was that God would fight for them and with them. He therefore appeared before Joshua, not as a flame of fire, but an armed man, with His sword unsheathed. Joshua thus learnt that the result of the conflict was not dependent upon his wisdom in planning, or upon his courage in prosecuting the campaign. This was supremely all Joshua needed to know. It is this that gives courage to all the true servants of the Lord—the assurance that they have merely to obey the command of their King in detail, leaving all the rest with Him. Next observe that the conditions of being permitted to receive any command from the Divine Captain arc reverence and faith. No man can receive from Him orders for battle until he has learned to take the warrior’s sandal from off his foot and bow in submissiveness before the great Captain of his salvation. It was when Joshua had learned the truest reverence, when he had realised that the very place upon which he stood was holy, that the great secret was given him how to take Jericho. The Lord bade Joshua order the priests first of all take the ark, and then command seven priests to blow the “seven trumpets of ram’s horns” before the ark of the Lord, &c. That was an extraordinary command, and an extraordinary assurance, and they required very exceptional faith in God to act upon them. But the possession of that faith was the condition of victory. So is it still; if we have a similar faith, the triumph is ours. Now think for a moment of Joshua’s thoughts after all this. He would soliloquise: “I have

mourned over the loss of Moses: I mourn over it still; but now I see as I never did before that there is One who can make up for that loss. I have not to look to Moses, but to the Master who gave Moses his commission: and if obeying His command is all that is necessary for me, I too can be leader.” The Lord’s cause does not depend upon the life of any hero, however great he may be, and the prosperity of the gospel the wide world over shall not be restrained by any loss, but as long as the Church is faithful to its privileges and ready to obey the Master’s command, we as the Lord’s army shall go on conquering and to conquer, until at last the shout of victory will be heard, and every Jericho of worldliness and iniquity will be laid low. (D. Davies.)

Timely aid; or, a vision of the Captain of the Lord’s host

I. The time of his appearance.

1. After attending to “religious duties,” “circumcision” and the “Passover.” Joshua knew what kind of beginning was likely to end well; unlike a number of modern Christians.

2. While pursuing his appointed work. “By Jericho.” Probably alone, yet fearless of danger. “By Jericho” for some important purpose. God visits the working man. Moses, Gideon, David, Elisha, sons of Zebedee. The covetous and idle are rarely called by God to great work.

II. The manner of his appearance.

1. As supreme in command: “Captain of the Lord’s host.” Captain over Joshua. Whatever be our abilities, our titles, or our claims to office, we must yield them all up to the “Captain of the Lord’s host.”

2. As the very friend Joshua needed—in the character and dress of a soldier.

3. As justifying the war in which he was about to engage. There are wars in which God will engage—against sin and the devil. The victories of the Church are bloodless.

4. As encouraging him to wage it valiantly. “Drawn sword.” Ready to take the defensive or the offensive. To Abraham He said, “I am thy shield.” To the disciple He said, “Follow Me.”

III. Our duty in relation to such an appearance.

1. To be found evincing an interest in Israel. “Joshua was by Jericho.”

2. To be ready to lay ourselves at Jesus’ feet, saying, “What saith my Lord unto His servant.” Say anything, Lord, and I will do it. Appoint me any work, and I am ready to perform it. (W. H. Matthews.)

The Captain of the Lord’s host

“Art thou for us or for our adversaries?” There is a great deal in this bold challenge which commends itself to our admiration. Joshua knew of no neutrality in the warfare of God. The stranger must be friend or enemy. Joshua was not like so many Christian soldiers of to-day, who, before declaring their principles, wait to find out their company, trimming themselves to the breeze, very pious with the pious, indifferent with the indifferent, and openly irreligious with the irreligious. But there is something amiss with

the question, for it is rebuked. Joshua made the mistake of thinking of the warfare in which he was engaged as having the two sides—“our side” and “the other side.” Whoever approached the host must come to aid “us” or oppose “us.” And this view was all wrong. It was just like the Homeric idea of the gods descending to earth as partisans in human strifes, Apollo patronising the diligent offerer of hecatombs, Venus favouring this or that one of her mortal kindred. It was like the Romans expecting Castor and Pollux in their van to spread dismay in the opposing hosts. It was an idea of God which the Jews got in a certain stage of their national history, an idea of God as a patron deity, a national divinity, just as Chemosh was the national divinity of Moab. In due time, when the exclusive national spirit had done its work, this idea was destined to be swept away. The vision rebukes it now. “Nay,” he says, “not for you, nor yet for your adversaries, am I come, but—as Captain of the Lord’s host am I now come.” “Not as a partisan,” he would say, “but as a Prince am I come. Not such as you deem me am I, a welcome ally or a hated foe, come to mingle in the clash and din of earthly warfare, but as captain of an army in which Israel forms but one tiny battalion, I am come to take my place and give my intructions.” What a struggle must have taken place in the mind of Joshua! Was not he the captain, divinely chosen by God, and consecrated by the laying on of the hands of Moses? Did not this matter touch the dignity of his office? At any rate, we may be sure—for Joshua was a man—that it touched his pride. Just as he was so full of plans, perhaps had got everything ready for the attack on Jericho, had seen exactly how this wall was to be scaled, how that apparently impregnable tower was to be battered down, how the troops were to be disposed with the certainty of victory—an unknown One comes to him, levels all his plans to the ground with a word, and proclaims Himself the Captain of the host. Longfellow tells the story of the same conflict in “King Robert of Sicily,” but there is a difference. King Robert requires years of humiliation and discipline to bring him to the confession all must make before the Captain; Joshua wins his battle on the spot—a battle which showed his fitness for leadership more than when he fought with Amalek at Rephidim. And he won it, as many of the great battles in the world’s history—although they have not scarred the fair fields of earth—have been won—on his knees. No longer looking up, he falls with his face to the earth. Oh, what bitter pain and self-abasement were there in that moment when the strong soldier of Israel bowed himself to the dust! Who can say how hard the struggle was? We are only told that the battle was won. “What saith my Lord unto His servant?” Then the Captain of the Lord’s host gives His orders, tells of His plan—not at all like the plans of Joshua—how Jericho is to be taken, not by might or Strength of armed men, but by the blast of the Spirit of God toppling down the stupendous walls in which the heathen Canaanites put their trust.

1. Oh, that we imitated Joshua in his vigilance! We, too, are in the promised land. But Canaan, for us, as for Israel, is a battle-field. Enemies prowl around, mighty fortresses of evil frown before us, and it is only our blindness which prevents us from seeing the momentous issues which depend upon our wakefulness. Do we ponder much and often upon the charge laid upon us? Do we often rise from slumber, leave the host of sleepers, and go out alone to survey the field of the approaching battle? Let us not shrink from challenging the unknown influences which at such times touch our lives. “Try the spirits,” says St. John; good or evil, they must be challenged, for God has made us creatures of choice, and He has willed that by choice (and not by instinct) we must obey Him. This is the mark of our manhood, the mark which distinguishes us from the beasts.

2. But let us avoid Joshua’s error. There is no “our side” in the matter. There is God’s side, and the side against God. The Persian poet, Jellaladeen, tells us that, “One knocked at the Beloved’s door, and a voice asked from within, ‘Who is there? ‘ and he

answered, ‘It is I.’ Then the voice said, ‘This house will not hold me and thee’; and the door was not opened. Then went the lover into the desert and fasted and prayed in solitude, and after a year he returned and knocked again at the door; and again the voice asked, ‘Who is there?’ and he said, ‘It is thyself’; and the door opened to him.” All true Christian warriors have, with Joshua, learned this utter renunciation of self. The Jehu spirit, “Come and see my zeal for the Lord,” is banished, and the spirit of Paul takes its place, “yet not I, but Christ that dwelleth in me.” (H. H. Gowen.)

The heavenly Captain of the Lord’s host; or, the vision at Jericho

I. The time of the vision.

1. It was immediately after God had been publicly honoured and sought in His ordinances. Christian, wouldst thou see Jesus? Then consecrate thyself anew to the service of thy God, and seek Him in the employment of the means of grace. Especially exercise faith in the Lamb of God, and feed upon the paschal sacrifice in thy heart by faith. Honour thy God by thy devotion, and He shall honour thee by revelations of His glory and His grace.

2. It was immediately before the mighty campaign with the Canaanites. This is often the method of God’s procedure. When a great trial is at hand, great revelations of His glory; transporting experiences of His presence are given in anticipation. It was thus with our Divine Master Himself. Before His temptation, the heavens were opened to His view; the Spirit descended upon Him in bodily shape; the audible voice of the Father declared that Father’s love, relationship, and approval of Him. It was thus, again, that the disciples were strengthened to bear the trial to their faith in the betrayal, suffering, and death of Jesus.

II. The aspect of the vision. Joshua’s question is not the utterance of doubt and distrust, but rather of a hope and an expectation that crave a fuller confirmation. It is like the prayer of David, “Say unto my soul, ‘I am thy salvation.’” Oh, it is a solemn thing to see the naked sword in the hand of the destroying angel standing over against us: a petition for a reassuring word from Him who wields that sword is no disgrace to a believer. A humble soul that is taught of God to know what sin is must ofttimes be conscious of sin and guilt enough to justify a prayer for a renewal of assurance, and to prompt the anxious question, “Art Thou for us, or for our adversaries?”

III. The communication of the vision. Lessons:

1. Let unsaved sinners read here a lesson of terror and alarm, and heed the call to repentance. His sword is in His hand. But still, still His long-suffering mercy defers the stroke of judgment. Wilt thou not repent and believe the gospel?

2. To those who have accepted His offer of grace, and who plead His precious blood as their title to pardon, there is nothing to dread in the person of their Saviour. Do you belong to the Lord’s host? Then bow your heads and worship, for as Captain of the Lord’s host is He now come. Say, can you trust this heavenly Guardian? Will you follow this heavenly Guide? He claims these of us all—full confidence, entire obedience.

3. Note that while God’s people are reassured and delivered from the fear that hath torment, there is a reverence and godly fear, from which they are not excused, but with which it is their duty to approach their Saviour. This is the symbolism of the loosing of the shoe. (G. W. Butler, M. A.)

Captain of the Lord’s host

I. The relation here indicated between Christ and his people. Ruler, Defender, and Leader of the Church on earth.

1. This He is by virtue of the sufferings and conquests of Calvary.

2. By the free choice of His people.

II. The character and office in which jesus here manifests himself. Warrior with drawn sword (Rev_1:16).

III. The position and duty devolving upon Christians in consequence of this relation to Christ, The true ideal of the Christian is not that of the shepherd with crook and pipe on sunny hillside; or even that of the pilgrim slowly toiling on, and leaning on his stall’; but rather that of the soldier, with shield and helmet, fighting his way against doubts that agitate his mind, against fears that even disturb the serenity of hope, against fiery passions that threaten to overmaster his patience, against the flesh in all its varied forms of opposition to the Spirit, against the world and its allurements, against invisible enemies, &c. Over and above these single-handed conflicts with our foes, we are called upon as soldiers of the Cross to march forward with the host against envy, and wickedness, and sin; to fight for the overthrow of Satan’s stronghold, at home and abroad.

IV. Christ’s relation to the church involves the assurance of all needed grace and power for the warfare. We have His word to direct us, His Spirit to give strength and guidance, His love to inspire us with zeal, His promise to assure us that the conflict shall end in victory. (A London Clergyman.)

Joshua’s vision

I. Realise the fact of the divine presence. Jesus Himself comes to this holy war. Joshua saw a man clad in armour, equipped for war. Cannot the eyes of your faith see the same? There He stands, Jesus, God over all, blessed for ever, yet a man. Not carnally, but still in real truth, Jesus is where His people meet together. Joshua saw Him with His sword in His hand. Oh, that Christ might come in our midst with the sword of the Spirit in His hand; come to effect deeds of love but yet deeds of power; come with His two-edged sword to smite our sins, to cut to the heart His adversaries, to slay their unbelief, to lay their iniquities dead before Him. The sword is drawn, not scabbarded, as alas! it has been so long in many Churches, but made bare for present active use. It is in His hand, not in the minister’s hand, not even in an angel’s hand, but the sword drawn is in His hand. Oh, what power there is in the gospel when Jesus holds the hilt, and what gashes it makes into hearts that were hard as adamant when Jesus cuts right and left at the hearts and consciences of men! The glorious man whom Joshua saw was on his side. In the midst of His Church, Christ carries a sword only for the purposes of love to His people. The Divine presence, there, is what we desire, and if we have it faith at once is encouraged. It was enough for the army of Cromwell to know that He was there, the ever victorious, the irresistible, to lead on his Ironsides to the fray. Many a time the presence of an old Roman general was equal to another legion; as soon as the cohorts perceived that he was come whose eagle eye watched every motion of the enemy, and whose practised hand led his battalions upon the most salient points of attack, each man’s

blood leaped within him, and he grasped his sword and rushed forward secure of success. Our King is in the midst of us, and our faith should be in active exercise. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” When the King is with His people, then hope is greatly encouraged, for saith she, “Who can stand against the Lord of hosts?” Where Jesus is, love becomes inflamed, for oh I of all the things in the world that can set the heart burning, there is nothing like the presence of Jesus. A glimpse of Him will overcome us, so that we shall be almost ready to say, “Turn away Thine eyes from me, for they have overcome me.” Suppose that Christ is here. His presence will be most clearly ascertained by those who are most like Him. Joshua was favoured with this sight because he alone had eyes that could bear it. I would that all of you were Joshuas; but if not, if but some shall perceive Him, we shall still receive a blessing. I am sure this presence of Christ will be needed by us all. Go not to warfare at your own charges, but wait upon your Master, tarrying at Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high. But Jesus Christ’s presence may be had. Do not despond and say that in the olden times the Master revealed Himself, but He will not do so now. He will, He will. His promise is as good as ever.

II. Understand the Lord’s position in the midst of his people. “As Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come.” What a relief this must have been for Joshua. Perhaps he thought himself the captain; but now the responsibility was taken from him; he was to be the lieutenant, but the King Himself would marshal His hosts. Wherever Christ is, we must recollect that He is Commander-in-chief to us all. We must never tolerate in the Church any great man to domineer over us: we must have no one to be Lord and Master save Jesus. Down with thee, self, down with thee! Carnal judgment and foolish reason, lie still! Let the Word of God be paramount within the soul, all opposition being hushed. If we do not act with the Captain, disappointment will be sure to follow. One action brought defeat upon Israel.

III. Our third rule is, worship him who is present with us. Joshua, it is said, fell on his face to the earth. Worship is the highest elevation of the spirit, and yet the lowliest prostration of the soul, Worship the Son of God! Then, when you have so done, give up yourself to His command: say to Him, “What saith my Lord unto His servant?” When you have done this, I want you to imitate Joshua in the third thing, namely, put off your shoes from off your feet. Joshua, perhaps, had not felt what a solemn thing it was to fight for God, to fight as God’s executioner against condemned men. He must put his shoes off, therefore. We never can expect a blessing if we go about God’s work flippantly.

IV. To conclude, let us now advance to action, according to the Master’s command. Unconverted men and women, you are our Jericho, we wish to conquer you for Christ. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The Captain of the Lord’s host

I. A transient revelation of an eternal truth. You will observe that there run throughout the whole of the Old Testament notices of the occasional manifestation of a mysterious person who is named “the Angel,” “the Angel of the Lord,” and who, in a remarkable manner, is distinguished from the created hosts of angel beings, and also is distinguished from, and yet in name, attributes, and worship all but identified with, the Lord Himself. If we turn to the New Testament, we find that there under another image the same strain of thought is presented. The Word of God, who from everlasting “was with God, and was God,” is represented as being the Agent of Creation, the source of all human illumination, the director of Providence, the Lord of the Universe. “By Him were

all things, and in Him all things consist.” So, surely, these two halves make a whole; and the Angel of the Lord, separate and yet so strangely identified with Jehovah, who at the crises of the nation’s history, and stages of the development of the process of revelation, is manifested, and the Eternal Word of God, whom the New Testament reveals to us, are one and the same. The eternal order of the universe is before us here. It only remains to say a word in reference to the sweep of the command which our vision assigns to the Angel of the Lord. “Captain of the Lord’s host” means a great deal more than the true General of Israel’s little army. It does mean that, or the words and the vision would cease to have relevance and bearing on the moment’s circumstances and need. But it includes also, as the usage of Scripture would sufficiently show, if it were needful to adduce instances of it, all the ordered ranks of loftier intelligent beings, and all the powers and forces of the universe. These are conceived of as an embattled host, comparable to an army in the strictness of their discipline and their obedience to a single will. It is the modern thought that the universe is a Cosmos and not a Chaos, an ordered unit, with the addition of the truth beyond the reach and range of science, that its unity is the expression of a personal will. That is the truth which was flashed from the unknown like a vanishing meteor in the midnight before the face of Joshua and which stands like the noonday sun, unsetting and irradiating for us who live under the gospel.

II. The leader of all the warfare against the world’s evil. “The Captain of the Lord’s host.” He Himself takes part in the fight. He is not like a general who, on some safe knoll behind the army, sends his soldiers to death, and keeps his own skin whole. But He has fought, and He is fighting. Do you remember that wonderful picture in two halves, at the end of one of the Gospels, “The Lord went up into heaven,” &c “they went forth everywhere preaching the Word”? Strange contrast between the repose of the seated Christ and the toils of His peripatetic servants! Yes. Strange contrast; but the next words harmonise the two halves of it: “The Lord also working,” &c. The leader does not so rest as that he does not fight; and the servants do not need so to fight as that they cannot rest. Thus the old legends of many a land and tongue have a glorious truth in them to the eye of faith, and at the head of all the armies that are charging against any form of the world’s misery and sin there moves the form of the Son of Man, whose aid we have to invoke, even from His crowned repose at the right hand of God. If this, then, be for us, as truly as for Joshua and his host, a revelation of who is our true leader, surely all of us in our various degrees, and especially any of us who have any “Quixotic crusade” for the world’s good on our consciences and on our hands, may take the lessons and the encouragements that are here. Own your leader. That is one plain duty. And recognise this fact, that by no other power than by His, and with no other weapons than those which He puts into our hands, in His Cross and meekness, can a world’s evils be overcome, and the victory be won for the right and the truth. We may have, we shall have, in all enterprises for God and man that are worth doing, need of patience, just as the army of Israel had to parade for six weary days round Jericho blowing their useless trumpets, whilst the impregnable walls stood firm, and the defenders flouted and jeered their aimless procession. But the seventh day will come, and at the trumpet blast down will go the loftiest ramparts of the cities that are walled up to heaven, with a rush and a crash, and through the dust and over the ruined rubbish Christ’s soldiers will march and take possession. Do not make Joshua’s mistake. “Art thou for us?” Nay! “Thou art for Me.” That is a very different thing. There is a great deal that calls itself, after Jehu’s fashion, “my zeal for the Lord,” which is nothing better than zeal for my own notions and their preponderance. Therefore we must strip ourselves of all that, and not fancy that the cause is ours, and then graciously admit Christ to help us, but recognise that it is His, and lowly submit ourselves to His direction, and what we do, do, and when we fight,

fight, in His name, and for His sake.

III. The ally in all our warfare with ourselves. That is the worst fight. Far worse than all external foes are the foes that each man carries about in his own heart. In that slow hand-to-hand and foot-to-foot struggle I do not believe that there is any conquering power available for a man that can for a moment be compared with the power that comes through submission to Christ’s command and acceptance of Christ’s help. He has fought every foot of the ground before us.

IV. The power which it is madness to resist. Think of this vision. Think of the deep truths, partially shadowed and symbolised by it. Think of Christ, what He is, and what resources He has at His back, of what are His claims for our service, and loyal, militant obedience. Think of the certain victory of all who follow Him amongst the armies of heaven, clad in fine linen, clean and white. Think of the crown and the throne for him that overcomes. Remember the destructive powers that sleep in Him; the drawn sword in His hand; the two-edged sword out of His mouth; the wrath of the Lamb. Think of the ultimate certain defeat of all antagonisms; of that last campaign when He goes forth with the name written on His vesture and on His thigh, “King of kings, and Lord of lords.” Think of how He strikes through kings in the day of His wrath, and fills the place with the bodies of the dead; and how His enemies become His footstool. Ponder His own solemn Word, “He that is not with Me is against Me.” There is no neutrality in this warfare. Either we are for Him or we are for His adversary. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)

A strengthening vision

(a Sermon to Soldiers):—The vision described in the text was God’s way of teaching Joshua. It revealed to him the important truth, it showed him that the secret source of all splendid achievements was in the strength that comes from the realised union between God and man. When and where did this vision come to Joshua? It was on the eve of an expected battle. At any moment the first blood might be shed. Uncertainty was in every heart. Men recounted to each other as they walked silently about the camp the wonderful doings of Jehovah, their God. These Israelitish soldiers gathered hope from the past for the future, and so stood erect for expected duty. But it was a moment of supreme anxiety, for an untried matter lay before them. It was a moment of supreme anxiety, and heart-sickening suspense to every soldier who stood before that first stronghold they had to attack. What must it be to Joshua the commander-in-chief? Earnest thoughts about his duty, about his responsibility, would surely rise up within him at such a moment, and his heart must well-nigh faint at the difficulties and the dangers. Did ever soldier meet greater encouragement? At that moment, then, when Joshua for the first time was face to face with the difficulties and the dangers of that unexpected campaign, at this place with the grim fortifications frowning round him, this vision of the text appeared. It was an answer to that which was going on within him. It was a striking vision; the appearance of a soldier ready for battle to a soldier. But what did this man with the drawn sword in his hand mean? Joshua knew a conflict was certain, that there was a long and severe campaign before him, but what was it, victory or defeat? What about the issue? The vision leaves Joshua still in uncertainty and doubt, and so with a soldier-like promptness and courage he goes up to the man, and the thought that is in his heart appears at the very abruptness of the question: “Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?” That was what Joshua wanted to know. But no direct answer was given; instead came the majestic words: “Nay, but as Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come.” I am thy fellow-soldier, but I belong to another army. I was with Moses

as a guiding angel; I will be with thee as a soldier, the commander, the orderer of the battle. Thou needst not fear; to thy army there is a reserve of which thou knowest nothing. The Lord of hosts is with thee, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob is on thy side. He arranges all this battlefield: thou needst not fear; thou art safe under His protection. So God spoke to Joshua, and the watchful soldier understood the message that was given to him, he recognised the reviving vision and bowed before the Divine presence. Faith in God is a great inducement to a good heroic life; the enthusiasm of faith is strength: “All things are possible to him that believeth.” But what does this vision of the man with the drawn sword in his band reveal to us? Surely, first of all we are able to recognise this truth, that a soldier’s life ought to be, must be, may be, looked upon as a vocation from God. The essence of an ideal soldier’s life is self-sacrifice. To do your work because you must, to do it as slavery, to do as little of it as possible, to get away from it as soon as you can, and then to find your amusement or your pleasure in some wild form of self-indulgence, that is unsoldierlike and wrong. The Cross of Christ is the true symbol of a soldier’s life. Self-sacrifice should mark it; duty to God and duty to man is that which lies hidden in its uniform. And again, surely the vision teaches us this, that in like emergencies English soldiers and English commanders may expect the same Divine revelation, a man with a drawn sword in his hand to appear to them. “I never knew,” said a cultured Christian officer to me, “I never knew the delight of God’s presence, I never realised it so thoroughly, as when in the darkness of the night we were crossing the deserts of Egypt to the unknown dangers of Tel-el-Kebir.” And surely in these days of newness, when not only is a new England rising up about us, but a new army with new weapons, and with new modes of warfare and unexplored campaigns in the distance, it behoves us to believe that whenever war comes, if it be undertaken for the good of men and the glory of God, this vision of the man with the drawn sword in his hand will lead our army and inspire our officers and soldiers to noble deeds. This vision came to Joshua, but Joshua had a prepared heart. A man can only see that which he is prepared to see. Such a vision would not come to unprepared souls. Joshua had learned the lessons of fighting successful battles long ago. Years before this the first battle that Israel had ever fought, that at Rephidim, had been gained when Joshua was the leader, the chosen selected leader. An able, young, and capable leader he was then, and the army was made up of picked men. He was brave and enduring, and everything seemed to be on the side of the Israelites, but yet the final force was not with the fighting men, but up on the mountain-side. The final force was in the uplifting of hoary men’s hands to God. Moses and Aaron and Hur, old men, stood on the mountain side and supplicated God while the young men fought. How goes the battle, do you want to know? You must watch the hands of Moses. When the hands of Moses are uplifted the children of Israel march grandly on, and when they drop down in their weakness the Amalakites spring forward, and neither good generalship nor hard fighting can keep them back. The secret of all true power is with God. We, men, cannot wipe off evil in our own strength or might, but God will drive it out. Not by a miracle, but He will work through willing men, and do His work thoroughly and well. We know there are difficulties and dangers in a soldier’s life, but amid the difficulties and dangers we see deliverance; amid sin we see salvation; with the Cross of Christ before us we will never despair of men. We will never despair, for the Word tells us that Christ came into the world, not to condemn it, but to save it. Then, again, there are surely special times in a soldier’s life when he needs special encouragement. There is war with its many horrors, mangled forms, vast heaps of dying and wounded; and at such a moment, in such a crisis, the memory of the Church at home, the hymns sung, the prayers offered, the teaching received, comes back and lightens up the darkest hour of a soldier’s life. It tells him of hope in unexplored dangers, and in the last great danger of all, death. I have listened with tearful eyes from all sorts of

men’s lips of such strength being given them in hours of danger from hymns they have sung. Some thought comes, some stray thought, as it seems, which the Holy Spirit brings into their minds, that in the garrison towns of England prayers are being offered up for them. This thought comes in and gives the man a new gleam of hope, new thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven. There is a touching incident in one of the books which Mrs. Ewing wrote about soldiers. She could enter into their tenderest feelings better than most people. She knew, too, by constant experience with soldiers, what religious associations could do for them, and what a power the Church of Christ, with its hymns, prayers, sacraments, and ministrations, could be to them. Jackanapes lay dying on the battlefield. He had given his life for another, as many a soldier has done. There stood by him his old major. Jackanapes said, “Say a prayer for me, a Church prayer. A Church prayer on parade service, you know.” But the old major was not used to prayer and praise, and he could only say, “Jaconite, God forgive me, I am afraid I am very different to what some of you young fellows are.” And there was a moment of silence, deep silence and terrible pain, and then the old major said with that charming simplicity which we so often find, “I can only repeat the little one at the end.” Impressed with the conviction that what he could do, it was his duty to do, the old major knelt down and unbated his head and said by the dying boy reverently, loudly, and clearly, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God”—and then Jackanapes died, and how could he die better! God’s love came before him at the last supreme moment. Oh, there is many a word heard in the church, heard again and again, falling upon unheeding ears, but which God hears, and which comes up again at God’s appointed time. When an English soldier like Joshua has to face unexplored dangers, such words as the soldier hears in the church speaking of the love of God are so valuable. When the soul needs them most, when the man is about to fall into the hands of God, whose character he longs to know, then to recall thoughts of the love of God, it is to such gracious memories as we trust the services in the church will have that he looks. (J. C. Edgehill, D. D.)

Jesus our Captain

I. Our leader inspires confidence. He has never been defeated. In one of the Napoleonic battles on the Peninsula a corps of British troops were sorely pressed and began to waver. Just then the Duke of Wellington rode in among them. A veteran soldier cried out, “Here comes the Duke, God bless him! the sight of him is worth a whole brigade.” So to the equipped warrior, under the ensign of the Cross, a sight of Jesus, our Leader, is a new inspiration.

II. Jesus is able to assure the victory to every redeemed soul who is loyal to him. What a bugle-blast that is which sounded from the lips of the heroic apostle (Rom_8:37). To be a conqueror is to vanquish our enemies. But to “more than conquer” is to reap a positive, spiritual good from the battle itself. If life had no encounters we would acquire no spiritual sinews.

III. Each one of us has a personal conflict to wage. No other human being can fight it for us. Some have to contend with a powerful passion, some with a besetting sin, some with a temptation from without; others with infernal doubts and abominable suggestions by the adversary.

IV. Jesus met and overcame the devil. He is able to “destroy his works.”

1. Jesus gives us the only armour which can protect us, and with it He gives the strength to wield the weapons.

2. Jesus makes intercession for us when the battle waxes hot.

3. These conflicts bring us into closer, sweeter sympathy with Jesus.

4. He flies to the relief of every redeemed follower who is ready to perish. (T. L. Cuyler, D. D.)

Christ the Captain of salvation

I. It is important to contemplate the Lord Jesus Christ in the source of his authority.

1. The authority of the Saviour is founded upon His essential Divinity.

2. While the authority of the Saviour, as the Captain of all the hosts of the Lord, is founded upon His essential Divinity, it is also to be taken as founded upon His mediatorial office. The special charge which He had of the hosts of the Lord, or the tribes of Israel, in another form of manifestation, must be regarded evidently and distinctly as the symbol of that covenant relationship which He holds, throughout all ages of time, to those who constitute the spiritual Israel and God’s covenant people, out of every nation, tribe, and tongue.

II. The glory of his objects.

1. These objects are glorious on account of their intrinsic importance. The literal object had in view by the Saviour, in the manifestation of Himself to Joshua, was one of much magnitude—the leading of the tribes Of Israel to conquest and to the promised land, so that the promise might be fulfilled to these people, upon which they had been looking now for a long succession of ages. But the Lord Jesus Christ has been revealed as the great Leader of “the sacramental hosts of God’s elect”; and it should be observed that this possesses an importance far beyond what, by any human being, hath been conceived, and demands all that can be rendered of the adoration and praise of the universe.

2. These objects are glorious by their extended influence. We are all aware of the influence of extent, either in increasing the evil of what is pernicious or in increasing the value of what is beneficial. According to the number of persons affected by a curse, we assign the magnitude of that curse; and according to the number of persons affected by a blessing, we assign the magnitude of that blessing. Let this principle be applied to the theme on which we now are meditating, and new honour will be found to be given to those objects which are proposed by the great Captain and Leader of the hosts of the Lord.

III. The certainty of his triumph.

1. The grounds of this.

(1) His Divinity.

(2) His promises.

2. We must also recollect that the certainty of this triumph must also be connected with the exercise of certain influences over those minds who are interested in it. And if the triumph we anticipate in connection with our own salvation be secure, one influence to be inspired is that of—

(1) Obedience;

(2) fortitude;

(3) gratitude. (J. Parsons.)

The Captain of the Lord’s host

I. That before undertaking any difficult enterprise, indeed in all our trials and distresses, in all our ways, we should direct our thoughts to heaven. Joshua “lifted up his eyes” to heaven, from whence he knew that his help would in due time come. So should our eyes not be lowered to the “earthly, sensual, devilish,” but be lifted up to the noble, holy, pure.

II. That the help of God is not merely to be passively received, but is to be actively sought for. Joshua not only lifted up his eyes: he also “looked.” God helps those that help themselves. Men should all be, not merely idle waiters on God’s bounty, but really “workers together with Him.”

III. That Christ is ever ready to help those that look to him for succour. The Captain of the Lord’s host “stood over against Joshua with His sword drawn in His hand”—typical of Christ, prepared to afford His omnipotent aid to all who are fighting manfully under His banner, and striving by His grace to continue faithful.

IV. That when faith has made known to us heavenly truths, reason must disclose to us the exact bearing of those truths. “Art thou for us or for our adversaries?” Bringest thou with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell? Be thy intents wicked or charitable? Many a noble human soul, like stately galley, has been lured to destruction by “phantom ships” in “the spirit land.”

V. That in the light of eternity earthly conflicts are paltry and unimportant. Sectarianism must cease when Christianity reigns.

VI. That honour should be given where honour is due. Joshua “fell on his knees,” &c.

VII. That obedience is not the least of the christian virtues. When commanded by the Captain of the Lord’s host to “loose his shoes,” &c., he at once “did so.” Obedience is a sign, not of servitude, but of intelligence. (R. Young, M. A.)

The true campaign

I. That in the true campaign God has committed to man a great work.

1. An onerous work. We live in a world of evil. Corrupt principles, the mighty “powers of darkness,” possess the world. They crowd our sphere of action; and, alas! they are encamped within us. The work to which we are called is their entire extermination, both from within and without.

2. A righteous work. The man who consecrates his energies to the downfall of evil, whose life is one earnest struggle against the principalities and powers of darkness, is acting evermore in accordance with the eternal law of rectitude. He is “fighting the good fight of faith,” and if he is faithful he shall receive “a Crown of glory that fadeth not away.”

3. An indispensable work. Never will you possess the Canaan of spiritual harmony, moral approbation, self-control, uplifting thoughts, heavenly affections, ever-

brightening hopes, and free and blessed intercourse with the Infinite Father of spirits, without the expulsion of all evil from your soul.

II. That in the true campaign god blesses man with a great leader. “The Captain of the Lord’s host”—Jesus Christ, “the Captain of our salvation.”

1. As a moral commander He is ever present when needed.

2. As a moral commander He is always ready.

3. As a moral commander He is all-sufficient.

III. That in the true campaign God requires a great spirit. Joshua here displays—

1. A spirit of indomitable valour.

2. A spirit of reverent inquiry.

3. A spirit of solemn obedience. (Homilist.)

The Captain of the Lord’s host

Joshua’s question, “Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?” was a perfectly natural one for him to ask, at the sight of an armed man in an enemy’s country; we can scarcely say he did wrong to ask it; but it seems as though the Lord met the question with something like a rebuke. “He said, Nay.” It seemed to Joshua that there were two sides, his own and the enemy’s, between which the battle was to be fought out: he had to learn that it was not for him nor for Israel to gain the victory, but for the Lord their God. To teach him and all Israel this more plainly, the Lord gave him special commands as to the way the first victory was to be gained, in the taking of Jericho; this was to be done, entirely and plainly, by God and not by man; and for all the war that followed, though more was to depend upon human prudence and courage, they were still to know that they were fighting, not for themselves, but for their Lord; that they were not at liberty to act as they pleased, but were to act in entire obedience to Him. Is not this a lesson which we require to learn in the war we have to fight against the power of sin within and about us? The recognition of this would do something to calm and soothe the bitterness of men’s minds about the questions of party that are so fiercely and frequently argued in our days. And as in public and party questions, so the same fault of selfwill comes into men’s efforts after goodness in other matters also. Most people sometimes feel it would be easier for them to be good if they were in a different state of life from what they are, if they lived in a different society or neighbourhood, if their family circumstances were different; if they had different business or employment in life, and the like; and they often set down their own faults, as far as they are aware of them, to the blame of their neighbours or of the circumstances that they think are the great hindrances to their curing them. This is nothing but claiming to ourselves the right to command the Lord’s host, instead of fighting in it as simple soldiers, whose duty only is to obey orders. Are we to expect the Lord to be “for us,” not only so that He means and wishes us to get the victory, but so that He shall take every means that we choose to secure it, shall serve under our command, and make bridges over all the steep valleys and roads through all the different passes, and give us the chance of fighting the enemy just on our own ground, when we choose and where we choose? There is one source of difficulty in the way of duty of which it is especially wrong to complain or to want to have it altered so as to suit us, though it is perhaps the commonest of all—I mean the difficulties we find to our own right conduct from the conduct of other people. Here, if we ask whether the Lord is “for

us or for our adversaries,” the only possible answer is, “For both.” He loves both equally. God gave Joshua and the Israelites the victory over the Canaanites only “by little and little,” for this reason among others—that He desired to spare the Canaanites themselves as much as possible, and to give them time to repent if they would. Much more is it wrong and selfish for us to want any of our fellow-Christians swept out of our way—to think of them as mere spiritual enemies, or expect God to deal with them as mere temptations to ourselves, and hindrances to our own goodness. Patience and sub mission to God’s will are the foundation of all excellence in the Christian character; just as discipline, and ready and unquestioning obedience are the most important of all qualities in an army of this world. It is when things are against you that your mind is tried and trained; you have to make the best of them, but you are not tempted to “seek great things for yourself”; if you escape disaster you will be satisfied, and that is hard enough. Now it cannot be useless for us to remember in our spiritual war, if we find things are against us, and that the operations in which we are engaged are unsuccessful, that it was under these conditions that the Captain of the Lord’s host Himself fought out His great battle on earth. Judging it in a natural way, His life was a failure, His ministry a failure. He had fought the world for God, and had lost the battle. But His faith and obedience did not fail—rather it was perfected by His defeat. He still went on fearlessly until He had finished the work God gave Him to do: then He said, “It is finished!” and bowed His head and gave up the ghost. And then He had conquered. Let us, then, not be discouraged if we find that He gives us work to do that we do not like, or in which we do not see our way to success. It may be only that He means us so to win glory like His own—such as is won by the highest faith in Him, the faith that removes mountains. But whether that be so or not, we have to accept His orders and obey them. Do your duty patiently, and trust God for its having a good event. (W. H. Simcox, M. A.)

The vision for the great campaign

See the British fleet lying anchored at Spithead. It is in commission for an important expedition. Every ship has orders to be ready to sail at a moment’s notice. Accordingly all are ready. Every officer, every man, every boy is aboard. The captains are assured that every preparation is completed; that all stores of every description are laid in; that steam is up, and that in a moment their ships can be under weigh. Why, then, do they not hurry seaward? Is not this delay a waste of precious time? No, for the admiral is not yet on board the flagship. The supreme, responsible, directing mind, on whose energy and ability the whole nation is depending, is not yet at his post. See, here he comes. Every ship acknowledges the little craft that bears his flag; he steps on the quarter-deck of the vessel he commands, the signal for departure is hoisted; all are off. Such an event as that will give some idea of the meaning of this part of the sacred narrative. Israel has received orders to enter on this momentous campaign. All things are ready for a beginning. They have crossed the river; they have been circumcised; they have kept the feast; they have partaken of the corn of the land; why, then, this pause? Because they wait for Him who is their Captain. Here on the plains of Jericho the typical Saviour and the true Joshua and Jesus, stand face to face. Yea, Joshua’s work at that time was the work of Jesus; was the work of Jesus so peculiarly and definitely that Joshua must wait on Him for instructions. He who came the lowly Lamb comes here the mighty warrior, with a sword of judgment drawn and gleaming in His awful hand. He who came to save comes to destroy. This vision makes very emphatic what was clearly revealed before, viz., that this campaign is under the Divine sanction and direction. Divine skill plans the work. Divine power carries it forward.

I. Behold our captain. We have a Leader in this great war. We are not left to fight alone; herein lies our comfort. “He goeth before.” We go not a warfare at our own charges. If Joshua was unfit for that conquest of Canaan by himself, how much more are we unfit for the fight against principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places. For Joshua, Jesus came, “The Captain of the Lord’s host.” For us Jesus comes “the Captain of salvation.” And it is a comfort to think that this Leader of the people is one of the people Himself. In any war, which is the captain whom the soldiers love to follow? He who shares their lot most closely—he who, like Skobeleff in the Turkish war, knows all their hardships and privations. He who sleeps with them in the trenches, eats the same coarse and scanty rations, and leads them into the thickest of the fight. Now, this great Captain of whom we speak acts in this very fashion, tie has shared our lot in every particular, however hard, sin excepted. Also, like the warrior that appeared to Joshua, our Leader is thoroughly equipped for His work. His hand is drawn ready to smite. The word of truth is the royal weapon He wields in this war of grace and salvation; quick, powerful, sharp, effectual. He puts it in the hands of every faithful follower and bids him use it well. Again, Jesus is our Leader in virtue of Divine appointment: “The government shall be upon His shoulders.” “To Him shall the gathering of the people be.” Moreover, He is Captain in virtue of His own purchase. Jesus has the right to lead God’s people, because He has died for them. He is made perfect, as the Captain of salvation, through suffering. Also He is our leader because of His own resources. These are infinite. Lastly, we would say, He is Leader because of His qualities. He is an able Leader, thoroughly fit to command God’s army, a true King of men, always present, always ready. He is faithful to His word; wise in His plans; glorious in His achievements; ravishing in His perfections.

II. See here also the faithful follower. We know that Joshua stands prepared to follow this great Captain, because we remember his past obedience. By doing whatever duty comes to hand, under the eye of the great Leader, we prepare for higher achievements. Joshua’s heart is also in his work. He is not slothful and indifferent. He is not careless and unconcerned. He is not fearful and oppressed, with no stomach for the fight. Thus the follower of Jesus should be a willing worker, full of energy and watchfulness, ever on the alert to do whatever in him lies to extend the Saviour’s kingdom. Joshua is also brave. When this warrior started up before him, though he was startled he was not unmanned. Without moral courage there can be no nobility of character, no strength of soul, no effective work. And this brave man is also humble. He fell on his face before this majestic Presence. He was deeply conscious of the superiority of his Leader and of his own nothingness. Therefore his heart is also filled with reverence. He worshipped before Him. He took the shoes off his feet, for the place was holy. Men who have done anything great for God, men who have followed the Lord fully, have been always marked by a spirit of deepest reverence. The gravity, the solemnity of the work in which they are engaged, the consciousness of the Divine presence before which they walk, fills them with awe. Joshua was also docile and obedient. He put the question, “What wilt Thou have me to do?” And when he got the answer he did as he was commanded. Unquestioning, prompt obedience is due to Him who commands us with such unerring wisdom, who leads us with such invincible might. (A. B. Mackay.)

An inspiring vision

Constantine, with his young, enthusiastic heart, was setting out on his war campaigns, when, they tell us, the appearance of the sky arrested his attention. As the eyes of the conqueror looked up into the heavens, behold, there seemed shaped to his vision a cross

of fire, and beneath it, in letters of flame, were inscribed the Latin words, “In hoc signo vinces” (“In this sign thou wilt conquer”). It may have been a dream—it very likely was; but oh, there is truth in it! If you can see the Cross, you have got the vision that ennobles and enlivens, and brings conquering power to you in this life. “Where there is no vision, the people perish”; but when there is a vision—the vision of Calvary, the vision of the Lord Jesus—there is life, there is joy, there is peace, there is blessing. (J. Robertson.)

Joshua’s vision

There are moments when we see without seeking, what at other times does not appear to us, and will not appear. An inward eye that had been closed seems to open, and we stand suddenly in the presence of hitherto invisible things. Midnight, solitude, sorrow, a felt crisis in our lives, what revealings they have brought with them; and it was as though a veil had been rent in twain, as though a flash of lightning had illumined the darkness. We all have our occasional transient visions of something higher, grander, or more solemn than we are ordinarily sensible of. Joshua has now to begin afresh, in fresh scenes; another period of toil and endurance is opening before him. So we stand to-day upon the threshold of another year, waiting, after we have finished, to commence again. And, as he waited, gravely meditative, with earnest thoughts stirring in him concerning his duties and responsibilities, there came upon him the vision of the text; for, unless he had been meditative and earnest, he would not have beheld what he beheld, we may be sure. It was the shining answer to what was taking place within him. One sees only that which one is tuned and prepared to see; and, to catch inspiring glimpses, one must be aspiring. All things must be met by us half-way. For none but those whose hearts are kindling, does the bush burn with fire. May ours be the inner temper of mind to-day, to which angels of God shall be able to show themselves. But notice first the agitation of uncertainty in the breast of the son of Nun. “Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?” wondering anxiously what the apparition meant. You see, this was the form in which the future in the strange country appeared—a mighty man with a drawn sword in his hand. Yes, of course the future would be filled with the clash of war. Nothing but conflict could be expected; conflict perhaps, severe and prolonged; but what of the issue? with whom would the victory lie? with Israel or the enemy? Ah, if he could but tell. Mystic form of the Future, wilt thou reveal it to me? And it is with like uncertainty that we front now the new year. We have most of us lived long enough—we most of us know enough of life to discern, as we lift our eyes, a man with a drawn sword in his hand. That there will be more or less of disagreeable and trying encounter, is sure. We shall have difficulties to grapple with, in the sweat of our face. Temptations will assail us; vexations and annoyances will have to be borne. But will it be, upon the whole, one of our happy and prosperous years? Shall we get through it, however threatened or assaulted, untitled and unharmed, without being sore wounded or overthrown in the way. The character of past years has varied. Some, notwithstanding many little rufflings and unpleasantnesses experienced in them, we have looked back upon with satisfaction and thankfulness, and have called them good years. Ah, we did well in them. They were marked by much sunshine. Our enterprises prospered; our friendships yielded only sweetness. Other years, perhaps, we were glad to have done with. They are remembered as black years, in which the sun shone only at rare intervals, and for a brief space, between ever-returning clouds. The years have varied with us. In some, if we have had to fight, we have conquered. In others, the tide of battle has rolled against us, leaving us broken and mauled. “New year coming on apace, what hast thou to give me? Comest thou promising peace and brightness, or big with thunder and gloom?” We ask in vain, as Joshua did

when he cried, “Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?” For observe, that question of his was not replied to. “Nay,” said the armed angel, “I am no token, no prophecy of that, one way or the other.” But what does he say to the wistfully inquiring man? “As the captain of the host of the Lord I am now come.” Here, then, was what Joshua saw, presently, in looking forward to the future. Not what was going to happen—not the victory or the defeat to which he was destined in marching against the Canaanites; but, that it would not be himself alone at the head of the Hebrew army; that One would be there, superintending and disposing, ordering and commanding, whom the people beheld not, even the very same angel of Jehovah’s presence. He saw himself divinely overlooked and attended; planning, manoeuvring, fighting to the best of his ability, as the chosen general, under the constant eye and control of an unseen Generalissimo, who had His purposes, whose purposes were good and right, and would be always fulfilling themselves in and through all. It was thus that the Future answered his appeal, “What hast thou hidden for us in thy thick darkness?” It answered, “God is here—caring, managing, ruling to the end; the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.” An inspiring vision, to have been borne in upon him as he stood alone in the plain, with the grim fortifications of Jericho frowning down on him, and thought of the work to be done, with its difficulties and dangers. Better, surely, than any glimpse or foreshadowing of coming events would have been. And if we be able to receive it, what can be more inspiring for us in our entrance upon the unknown laud of a new year than the vision, not merely of an existence in the universe over and above all phenomena, and producing and sustaining them; but of a living Being, transcendent in wisdom and goodness, whose purpose is our education and the education of the world, and who is working evermore, in whatever happens, in whatever chances and changes may befall, to forward it; of One who is not only with us in our doings and sufferings, our aspirations and struggles, our mistakes and stumblings, but in them with continuous tuitional intent; under whom we are pursuing our ends, by whom, in all paths, we are led, in whose kingdom we are from morn to eve, let it be with us as it may. Many earnest souls around us are starting afresh to-day, as they have come through the year that is gone, with no such vision. Joshua’s angel does not manifest itself to them. Lifting their eyes, they behold nothing but the walls of Jericho and the encampment of Israel, and over all, an empty sky. Nor are they the less ready for the battle, or the less patient and strong, hopeful and brave, in essaying to conquer. And we may be sure too, that guidance and help from above, is theirs; for the presence and energy of the Captain of the Lord’s host does not depend upon men’s seeing Him. He is not absent or inoperative because they are unable to discern Him. Nevertheless, happy are they to whom He is visible. Let us be thankful then, if to-day, as we are girding our loins anew for the work of life, and for whatever life may bring—let us be thankful if we can behold with Joshua the angel of Jehovah’s presence, and, in setting out, pause a little to entertain and foster the strengthening vision. “But what saith my Lord to His servant?” cried the son of Nun when he felt the august Presence about him, and bowed himself to the ground before it. “What saith my Lord to His servant? Ah! now that I have Thee here; now that Thou art revealed to me in the way, speak to me; tell me something. Surely, I shall hear some great thing from Thy lips—surely, some great secret will be whispered to me. With the Invisible Power thus consciously nigh me, I may expect wondrous words, important disclosures.” We can understand and sympathise with the expectation, can we not? What might not God Almighty tell, we are apt to think, if He were once found speaking. So thought Joshua, waiting in awed anticipation with his face to the earth. And from the mystic Presence overshadowing him, what syllables fell? What was it that he heard to whom it grew vocal? “Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy.” Was that all? That was all. No declaring of things that had been kept hidden, no weighty revealings. Only a plain and familiar

admonition, to cherish and preserve within him a right temper of mind, a right spirit—to see to it that he walked reverently, and cultivated purity, as one who dwelt in a temple. That was all the heavens told him, when they leaned toward him with a word. “Take heed to yourself, to your character and conduct; be dutiful, be loyal to the vision that is yours. Recognise and answer the claim on you to be holy.” And should we be disappointed, were the silent sky, in sending on a sound, to drop upon our ear no more than such an admonition as Joshua heard? What, however, do we need so much, for all present and future benediction, as to be taught a truer, finer ordering of ourselves? and what better, richer, more brightly fruitful new year’s gift could we have from above than a deepened sense of duty and a fresh impulse toward reverent and noble living? Yes, oh yes, “Blessed are the lowly in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the pure in heart; they shall see God.” (S. A. Tipple.).

MORGAN, "The Captain of the Lord’s Host

Robert J. Morgan

We also see Jesus in what I believe is a special pre-incarnate appearance in Joshua 5. This is one of the most unusual scenes in the Old Testament. After the Israelites crossed the Jordan River and prepared to fight for the city of Jericho, the Lord Jesus Himself—God the Son—left the throne of heaven for a few moments to impress something on the one who would later be His earthly namesake. Look at Joshua 5:13ff:

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua went up to Him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"

"Nether," He replied, "but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." Then Joshua fell facedown on the ground in reverence and asked Him, "What message does my Lord have for His servant."

The commander of the Lord’s army replied, "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

There are two things to notice here. First, the identity of this strange commander. Why do I say that this is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ? By pre-incarnate appearance, I mean that Jesus came down to earth in the form of a human being before He actually became a human being at Bethlehem. Jesus Christ, being God, has always existed as God. He existed in Old Testament days. The prophet Micah tells us that His comings and goings are from old, even from eternity. We’re also given the indication in the Bible that God the Father and God the Holy Spirit remain invisible, but it is one of the jobs of God the Son to manifest the presence of God to His creation. John 1:18 says, "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only (Son), who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known."

So there are several times in the Old Testament when we get glimpses of the physical, literal appearance of Jesus Christ prior to His birth in Bethlehem, and theologians call these sightings under a special name—Christophonies.

But notice in this passage the strange message. When Joshua realized that He was speaking with the Lord Himself, he asked, "What message to you have for me? What do I need to know?"

We would have thought that the Commander of the Lord’s Hosts would give him some military instruction or some spiritual insight. Instead the only message is: "Take off your

shoes. The place where you are standing is holy."

What can we glean from that? Look back at chapter 1. In the introduction of the book, in the initial set of instructions that God gives to Joshua, He reminds him of His constant, abiding Presence:

No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you—verse 5

The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go—verse 9

The pillar of cloud may have vanished. The column of fire may no longer be seen. Moses is dead. But I have not gone anywhere. My presence is just as real and just as near and just as powerful as it ever was. The angelic armies are hovering unseen over your head. Wherever you are is holy, because I am with you.

The Lord Jesus wants us to regard wherever we are as a holy place, because He is with us. Your living room is holy ground, for when you are there, Jesus is there. Your bedroom is holy ground. Your office at work is a holy place when you are there, for Christ is there with you.

Brother Lawrence, the Carmelite mystic, was assigned to the monastery kitchen, and he was unhappy there until he realized one day that even the most menial tasks, if undertaken for God's glory, are holy; and wherever the Christian stands--even in a hot, thankless kitchen--is holy ground, for the Lord is there, too.

It was said about Brother Lawrence that in the great hurry of business in the kitchen he still preserved his recollection and heavenly-mindedness. He was never hasty nor loitering, but did each thing in its season, with an even, uninterrupted composure and tranquility of spirit.

"The time of business," said the Brother, "does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament."

And Joshua went forth with a newfound confidence, knowing that even if he could not see the Lord, the Lord was there, present, hovering near with His divine armies, ready to fight on his behalf, even as our Lord Jesus Christ said as He ascended into heaven, Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.

And so we see Jesus in Joshua…

Through the man Joshua himself whose name made him a prototype of the Coming Messiah: Jehovah is Salvation;

Through the scarlet cord signifying the saving power of the blood of Christ;

Through the mysterious Captain of the armies of God whose presence is near us. Whenever Jesus is with us wherever we are standing is holy ground.

These three glimpses of Jesus in Joshua are given to us over a thousand years before our Lord’s birth in Bethlehem. Today I’m going to ask you to put your trust in Jesus Christ. His name, His blood, and His presence are available to you right now.

14 “�either,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord[e] have for his servant?”

BAR�ES, "Captain of the host of the Lord - i. e. of the angelic host, the host of heaven (compare 1Ki_22:19; 1Sa_1:3, etc.). The armed people of Israel are never called “the host of the Lord,” though once spoken of in Exo_12:41 as “all the hosts of the Lord.” The Divine Person intimates that He, the Prince (see the marginal references) of the Angels had come to lead Israel in the coming strife, and to overthrow by heavenly might the armies and the strongholds of God’s and Israel’s enemies. Accordingly, the capture of Jericho and the destruction of the Canaanites generally form a fit type of a grander and more complete conquest and excision of the powers of evil which yet waits accomplishment. (Compare with this verse Mat_25:31; 2Th_1:7-8.)

CLARKE, "But as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come - By this saying Joshua was both encouraged and instructed. As if he had said, “Fear not; Jehovah hath sent from heaven to save thee and thy people from the reproach of them that would swallow thee up. Israel is the Lord’s host; and the Lord of hosts is Israel’s Captain. Thou thyself shalt only be captain under me, and I am now about to instruct thee relative to thy conduct in this war.”

And Joshua - did worship - Nor was he reprehended for offering Divine worship to this person, which he would not have received had he been a created angel. See Rev_22:8, Rev_22:9.

GILL, "And he said, nay,.... Not for or on the side of their adversaries was he come, as Joshua suspected at the first sight of him; the Septuagint version is, "he said unto

him", taking לא for לו, as it sometimes is:

but as Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come; of the host of the Lord

both in heaven and in earth, angels and men, and particularly of the people of Israel, called the armies and host of the Lord, Exo_7:4; so that though Joshua was general, Christ was Generalissimo; and so Joshua understood him, and therefore showed a readiness to do whatsoever he should command him; the spiritual Israel of God, the church, is in a militant state, and has many enemies to combat with, sin, Satan, the world, and false teachers; Christ is their Leader and Commander, the Captain of their salvation, and has all necessary qualifications or wisdom, courage, and might, for such an office; see Isa_55:4,

and Joshua fell on his face to the earth; in reverence of this divine and illustrious Person, whom he perceived to be what he was:

and did worship; gave him religious worship and adoration, which had he been a created angel he would not have given to him, nor would such an one have received it, Rev_19:10,

and said unto him, what saith my Lord unto his servant? that is, what commands had he to lay upon him, and he was ready to execute them? he was heartily willing to be subject to him as the chief general of the Israelitish forces, and to consider himself, and behave, as an officer under him, and to obey all orders that should be given.

HE�RY, " The account he gave of himself, Jos_5:14. “Nay, not for your adversaries, you may be sure, but as captain of the host of the Lord have I now come, not only for you as a friend, but over you as commander in chief.” Here were now, as of old (Gen_32:2), Mahanaim, two hosts, a host of Israelites ready to engage the Canaanites and a host of angels to protect them therein, and he, as captain of both, conducts the host of Israel and commands the host of angels to their assistance. Perhaps in allusion to this Christ is called the captain of our salvation (Heb_2:10), and a leader and commander to the people, Isa_55:4. Those cannot but be victorious that have such a captain. He now came as captain to review the troops, to animate them, and to give the necessary orders for the besieging of Jericho.

VI. The great respect Joshua paid him when he understood who he was; it is probable that he perceived, not only by what he said but by some other sensible indications, that he was a divine person, and not a man. 1. Joshua paid homage to him: He fell on his face to the earth and did worship. Joshua was himself general of the forces of Israel, and yet he was far from looking with jealousy upon this stranger, who produced a commission as captain of the Lord's host above him; he did not offer to dispute his claims, but cheerfully submitted to him as his commander. It will become the greatest of men to be humble and reverent in their addresses to God. 2. He begged to receive commands and directions from him: What saith my Lord unto his servant? His former question was not more bold and soldier-like than this was pious and saint-like; nor was it any disparagement to the greatness of Joshua's spirit thus to humble himself when he had to do with God: even crowned heads cannot bow to low before the throne of the Lord Jesus, who is King of kings, Psa_2:10, Psa_2:11; Psa_72:10, Psa_72:11; Rev_19:16. Observe, (1.) The relation he owns between himself and Christ, that Christ was his Lord and himself his servant and under his command, Christ his Captain and himself a soldier under him, to do as he is bidden, Mat_8:9. Note, The foundation of all acceptable obedience is laid in a sincere dedication of ourselves, as servants to Jesus Christ as our Lord, Psa_16:2. (2.) The enquiry he makes pursuant to this relation: What saith my Lord? which implies an earnest desire to know the will of Christ, and a cheerful readiness and resolution to do it. Joshua owns himself an inferior officer, and stands to

receive orders. This temper of mind shows him fit for the post he was in; for those know best how to command that know how to obey.

JAMISO�, "the host of the Lord— either the Israelitish people (Exo_7:4; Exo_12:41; Isa_55:4), or the angels (Psa_148:2), or both included, and the Captain of it was the angel of the covenant, whose visible manifestations were varied according to the occasion. His attitude of equipment betokened his approval of, and interest in, the war of invasion.

Joshua fell on his face ..., and did worship— The adoption by Joshua of this absolute form of prostration demonstrates the sentiments of profound reverence with which the language and majestic bearing of the stranger inspired him. The real character of this personage was disclosed by His accepting the homage of worship (compare Act_10:25, Act_10:26; Rev_19:10), and still further in the command, “Loose thy shoe from off thy foot” (Exo_3:5).

CALVI�, "14.And he said, �ay; but as captain, etc Although the denial applies

equally to both parts of the question, namely, that he was neither an Israelite nor a

Canaanite, and was thus equivalent to a denial of his being a mortal man, yet it

seems to be more properly applicable to the second, or to that part of the question in

which Joshua asked if he were one of the enemy. This, however, is a matter of little

moment; the essential thing is to understand that he had come to preside over the

chosen people whom he honorably styles the Lord’s host. In his representing himself

as different from God, a personal distinction is denoted, but unity of essence is not

destroyed.

We have said that in the books of Moses the name of Jehovah (58) is often attributed

to the presiding Angel, who was undoubtedly the only-begotten Son of God. He is

indeed very God, and yet in the person of Mediator by dispensation, he is inferior to

God. I willingly receive what ancient writers teach on this subject, — that when

Christ anciently appeared in human form, it was a prelude to the mystery which

was afterwards exhibited when God was manifested in the flesh. We must beware,

however, of imagining that Christ at that time became incarnate, since, first, we

nowhere read that God sent his Son in the flesh before the fullness of the times; and,

secondly, Christ, in so far as he was a man, behooved to be the Son of David. But as

is said in Ezekiel, (Ezekiel 1:0) it was only a likeness of man. Whether it was a

substantial body or an outward form, it is needless to discuss, as it seems wrong to

insist on any particular view of the subject. (59)

The only remaining question is, how the Captain of the Lord’s host can speak of

having now come, seeing he had not deserted the people committed to his trust, and

had lately given a matchless display of his presence in the passage of the Jordan. But

according to the common usage of Scripture, God is said to come to us when we are

actually made sensible of his assistance, which seems remote when not manifested

by experience. It is therefore just as if he were offering his assistance in the combats

which were about to be waged, and promising by his arrival that the war would

have a happy issue. It cannot be inferred with certainty from the worship which he

offered, whether Joshua paid divine honor to Christ distinctly recognized as such;

but by asking, What command does my Lord give to his servant? he attributes to

him a power and authority which belong to God alone.

PI�K, ""And He said, �ay, but as Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come.

And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship and said unto Him, What

saith my Lord unto His servant?" (v. 14). Joshua now discovered it was far more

than "a Man" who stood before him, and therefore did he prostrate himself before

Him and humbly sought His will. Had this Visitor been only an angel, he had

rebuked Joshua for worshipping him (Rev. 19:10; 22:8, 9); but this Person accepted

it, thereby evincing His Deity! This faithful servant of His now had a special visit

from his Lord to inaugurate the great enterprise on which he was about to engage,

namely, the putting of the inhabitants of Canaan to the sword. It was the sign and

token that complete victory should be Israel’s, a guarantee that success should be

granted their warfare. This "Man over against him, with drawn sword in His hand"

had come as no idle Spectator of the conflict, but to command and direct every

movement of their battles. "As Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come": at

the head of the angelic hierarchy stands the Angel of the Lord, "the Captain of our

salvation" (Heb. 2:10).

"And the Captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy

foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so" (v. 13). Here

was further proof that the One speaking to Joshua was infinitely above the highest

celestial creature, for the arch-angel’s presence had not rendered the very ground

whereon he stood sacred. It was in fact none other than the august Person before

whom the seraphim veil their faces and cry, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts"

(Isa. 6:3 and cf., John 12:41). It will be noted that the token of reverence required

from Joshua was identical with that demanded of Moses by "the God of Abraham,

the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob" at the burning bush (Ex. 3:5, 6). That order

for the removing of his shoes not only linked together the two incidents, but

supplied a further assurance of God’s promise to His servant "as I was with Moses,

so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" (Josh. 1:5). What an

encouragement for faith was that! Who could stand before the Captain of the

Lord’s host? What was there for Israel to fear under such a Leader! �ote how the

Spirit again registers Joshua’s obedience to the command to remove his shoes: "And

Joshua did so." �othing is too small for God’s notice. Our every act is recorded by

Him—how solemn! how blessed!

BE�SO�, "Joshua 5:14. As captain of the Lord’s host — Captain of this people,

and I will conduct and assist thee and them in this great undertaking. �ow this

person was evidently not a created angel, but the Son of God, who went along with

the Israelites in this expedition, as their chief and captain. And this appears, 1st, By

his acceptance of adoration here, which a created angel would not have dared to

admit of, Revelation 22:8; Revelation 9:2 d, Because the place was made holy by his

presence, (Joshua 5:15,) which to do was God’s prerogative, Exodus 3:5. 3d,

Because he is called the Lord. Hebrew, Jehovah; chap. Joshua 6:2. My Lord — I

acknowledge thee for my Lord and captain, and therefore wait for thy commands,

which I am ready to obey.

TRAPP, "Joshua 5:14 And he said, �ay; but [as] captain of the host of the LORD

am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said

unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?

Ver. 14. �ay; but as captain.] Commander-in-chief of all creatures, and captain also

of his people’s salvation. [Hebrews 2:10]

WHEDO�, "14. And he said, �ay — This answer has reference to the last clause, or

second part, of the question, “I am not for your adversaries.” In the sense that he

was not an Israelite, some think that it may be referred to both members of the

question. The reading which makes nay a pronoun, to him, though adopted by the

Septuagint and the Syriac, cannot be sustained.

Captain of the host of the Lord — Prince of the army of Jehovah. The army of

heaven is here meant, not the Israelitish host. [This prince of the angelic host was

not Michael, nor any other created being, but the Word of God, the Divine Loges or

Revealer, who in the fulness of time became flesh, (John 1,) and even then declared

that he came not to send peace on earth, but a sword. Matthew 10:34. Hence in

Joshua 6:2, he is called the

COKE, "Ver. 14, 15. And he said, �ay; but as captain of the host of the Lord, &c.—

"�o," replied the Unknown to Joshua, "I am no hostile visitant; I am the chief of

the army of the Lord." Joshua, on these words, threw himself to the earth, and,

adoring the sacred personage, respectfully inquired what were his commands: the

angel, however, first of all requires him to put off his shoes from his feet, thereby to

appear with more reverence in a place rendered holy by his august presence. All this

is easily understood; but it has been asked, Who was this angel that appeared to

Joshua? I. Divers interpreters insist, that it was literally an angel, perhaps the angel

Michael, who is elsewhere called the prince of the people of God. Daniel 10:13;

Daniel 12:1. The Jews are not the only people who have thought there were angels

commissioned over every nation. Without, however, adopting this supposition, we

think it might be presumed, that God made use of one of his angels to carry to

Joshua his instructions upon this occasion. II. But most interpreters, both ancient

and modern, hold, that this person was the uncreated angel, the eternal Word, the

Son of God, chief of the host of heaven, 1 Kings 22:19. Luke 2:13 or conductor of the

army of Israel, Exodus 12:41 and several reasons concur to support this opinion. We

shall content ourselves with pointing out the principal ones. 1. The angel who speaks

here uses the same language with HIM who spoke in the bush to Moses, and

certainly spoke to him as God. 2. Joshua worships him, which he would not have

done, or which at least the angel would not have suffered, had he been only a

created angel. 3. The homage which he requires of Joshua, by ordering him to take

off his shoes, is the most solemn and most profound ever paid to the Deity. 4. This

angel, in ver. 2 of the following chapter, is called the LORD. The learned Allix, in

his Judegment of the ancient Jewish Church, p. 233 asserts the opinion of that

church to be, that it was actually God himself who appeared to Joshua. See

Bedford's Sermons at Lady Moyer's Lectures, p. 148.

REFLECTIO�S.—When Joshua and the people had been thus waiting upon God,

he comes to manifest himself to them for their encouragement. They who draw near

to God will ever find God near to hear and help them. �ote; If Jesus draws the

sword to defend us, not all the powers of sin, death, or hell shall be able to hurt us.

Joshua, as a valiant leader, boldly advances, and bids him declare whether he came

as friend or foe. �ote; We need courage when we are fighting for God, and

especially not to fear the faces of men. He does not disdain to answer the question;

but quickly resolves him concerning his character and design. As captain of the

Lord's hosts he is come, to guide them with his counsel, and strengthen them with

his power. And what can stand before those who fight under such a leader? Joshua

now plainly perceived the presence of the Deity: the same Jehovah that appeared to

Abraham as a traveller, now comes as a man of war; and therefore at his feet he

falls to make supplication before him, and receive his orders from him. It is no

disparagement to the greatest general to be found often on his knees before the God

of hosts, and there is no surer way to obtain the necks of his enemies. To impress

Joshua's mind with deeper reverence and awe, and to intimate to him that it was the

same divine Majesty which spake to Moses in the bush, the Angel commands him to

loose his shoe, as a mark of respect and obedience; which he instantly performs, and

stands attentive to the commands which the Lord should be pleased to lay upon him.

�ote; (1.) Christ is the captain of our salvation, fully qualified to subdue all our

spiritual enemies, and ever standing ready to help and defend all who fly to him for

succour. (2.) If we take him for our Lord, we must shew ourselves his servants, by a

ready obedience to his will and pleasure.

PETT, "Verse 14

Joshua 5:14 a

‘And he said, “�o, but as Captain of the host of YHWH am I now come.” ’

To Joshua’s astonishment the man replied that He had come as Captain of YHWH’s

host. At the mention of YHWH’s host Joshua’s mind may well have gone back to the

‘ten thousands of holy ones’ described by Moses (Deuteronomy 33:2). So he may

have seen this Man as having come, with YHWH’s hosts backing Him, to fight

alongside Israel and bring God’s judgment on Jericho, with Jericho being seen as

representative of all the Canaanites, because their iniquity was now full (compare

Genesis 15:16). It indicates that the cry of Canaan’s deep sinfulness, with its

distorted religion, sexual perversions and child sacrifices, had reached to heaven.

We can compare this to some extent with Elisha who was also surrounded by the

invisible host of YHWH (2 Kings 6:17), and his vision of the chariots of God who

were there to fight on behalf of Israel, the ones who were Israel’s true chariots (2

Kings 2:12). In both cases the idea was of God’s power behind His chosen servant.

Compare also the angels of God who met with Jacob on his return to Canaan,

‘God’s host’ (Genesis 32:1-2). But the drawn sword stresses that here the emphasis

was on judgment rather than protection.

Alternately, however, and possibly preferably if not as spectacularly, we may see

‘the host of YHWH’ as referring to ‘My hosts, My people, the children of Israel’

(Exodus 7:4) with the idea being that this man was claiming to be their supreme

general, indicating that He was therefore Joshua’s superior officer, the Captain of

the host of Israel, ‘the Angel of YHWH’ in contrast with Joshua, ‘the servant of

YHWH’, and that He had come to lead them with the sword of judgment already

drawn. In this case we have the picture of Israel as YHWH’s avenging host under

YHWH’s direct command who must now bring judgment on Canaan for its evil

ways.

Joshua 5:14 b.

“And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and performed worship, and said to him,

“What does my Lord say to his servant?”.’

Compare Balaam’s response to the Angel of YHWH, ‘he bowed his head and fell on

his face’ (�umbers 22:31). Joshua’s act of worship demonstrated that he now knew

that this was the Angel of YHWH, YHWH Himself revealed in human form. He was

aware of His numinous presence, and, filled with awe, he yielded to Him in total

submission. “What does my Lord say to his servant?”

MACLARE�, "THE CAPTAI� OF THE LORD’S HOST

Joshua 5:14.

The army of Israel was just beginning a hard conflict under an untried leader.

Behind them the Jordan barred their retreat, in front of them Jericho forbade their

advance. Most of them had never seen a fortified city, and had no experience nor

engines for a siege. So we may well suppose that many doubts and fears shook the

courage of the host, as it drew around the doomed city. Their chief had his own

heavy burden. He seems to have gone apart to meditate on what his next step was to

be. Absorbed in thought, he lifts up his eyes mechanically, as brooding men will, not

expecting to see anything, and is startled by the silent figure of ‘a man with a sword

drawn’ in his hand, close beside him. There is nothing supernatural in his

appearance; and the immediate thought of the leader is, ‘Is this one of the enemy

that has stolen upon my solitude?’ So, promptly and boldly, he strides up to him

with the quick challenge: ‘Whose side are you on? Are you one of us, or from the

enemy’s camp?’ And then the silent lips open. ‘Upon neither the one nor the other. I

am not on your side, you are on mine, for as Captain of the Lord’s host, am I come

up.’ And then Joshua falls on his face, recognises his Commander-in-Chief, owns

himself a subordinate, and asks for orders. ‘What saith my Lord unto his servant?’

�ow let us try to gather the meaning and the lessons of this striking incident.

I. I see in it a transient revelation of an eternal truth.

I believe, as the vast majority of careful students of the course of Old Testament

revelation and its relation to the �ew Testament completion believe, that we have

here not a record of the appearance of a created superhuman person, but that of a

preliminary manifestation of the Eternal Word of God, who, in the fulness of time,

‘became flesh and dwelt among us.’

You will observe that there run throughout the whole of the Old Testament notices

of the occasional manifestation of a mysterious person who is named ‘the Angel,’

‘the Angel of the Lord.’ For instance, in the great scene in the wilderness, where the

bush burned and was not consumed, he who appeared is named ‘the Angel of the

Lord’; and his lips declare ‘I am that I am.’ In like manner, soon after, the divine

voice speaks to Moses of ‘the Angel in whom is My name.’

When Balaam had his path blocked amongst the vineyards, it was a replica of the

figure of my text that stayed his way, a man with a drawn sword in his hand, who

spoke in autocratic and divine fashion. When the parents of Samson were apprised

of the coming birth of the hero, it was ‘the Angel of the Lord’ that appeared to

them, accepted their sacrifice, declared the divine will, and disappeared in a flame

of fire from the altar. A psalm speaks of ‘the Angel of the Lord’ as encamping

round about them that fear him, and delivering them. Isaiah tells us of the ‘Angel of

his face,’ who was ‘afflicted in all Israel’s afflictions, and saved them.’ And the last

prophetic utterance of the Old Testament is most distinct and remarkable in its

strange identification and separation of Jehovah and the Angel, when it says, ‘the

Lord shall suddenly come to His Temple, even the Angel of the Covenant.’ �ow, if

we put all these passages-and they are but select instances-if we put all these

passages together, I think we cannot help seeing that there runs, as I said,

throughout the whole of the Old Testament a singular strain of revelation in regard

to a Person who, in a remarkable manner, is distinguished from the created hosts of

angel beings, and also is distinguished from, and yet in name, attributes, and

worship all but identified with, the Lord Himself.

If we turn to the narrative before us, we find there similar phenomena marked out.

For this mysterious ‘man with the sword drawn’ in his hand, quotes the very words

which were spoken at the bush, when he says, ‘Loose thy shoes from off thy feet, for

the place whereon thou standest is holy.’ And by fair implication, He would have us

to identify the persons in these two great theophanies. He ascribes to Himself, in the

further conversation in the next chapter, directly divine attributes, and is named by

the sacred name; ‘The Lord said unto Joshua, see, I have given into thy hand

Jericho and its king.’

If we turn to the �ew Testament, we find that there under another image the same

strain of thought is presented. The Word of God, who from everlasting ‘was with

God, and was God,’ is represented as being the Agent of Creation, the Source of all

human illumination, the Director of Providence, the Lord of the Universe. ‘By him

were all things, and in him all things consists.’ So, surely, these two halves make a

whole; and the Angel of the Lord, separate and yet so strangely identified with

Jehovah, who at the crises of the nation’s history, and stages of the development of

the process of Revelation, is manifested, and the Eternal Word of God, whom the

�ew Testament reveals to us, are one and the same.

This truth was transiently manifested in our text. The vision passed, the ground that

was hallowed by His foot is undistinguished now in the sweltering plain round the

mound that once was Jericho. But the fact remains, the humanity, that was only in

appearance, and for a few minutes, assumed then, has now been taken up into

everlasting union with the divine nature, and a Man reigns on the Throne, and is

Commander of all who battle for the truth and the right. The eternal order of the

universe is before us here.

It only remains to say a word in reference to the sweep of the command which our

vision assigns to the Angel of the Lord. ‘Captain of the Lord’s host’ means a great

deal more than the true General of Israel’s little army. It does mean that, or the

words and the vision would cease to have relevance and bearing on the moment’s

circumstances and need. But it includes also, as the usage of Scripture would

sufficiently show, if it were needful to adduce instances of it, all the ordered ranks of

loftier intelligent beings, and all the powers and forces of the universe. These are

conceived of as an embattled host, comparable to an army in the strictness of their

discipline and their obedience to a single will. It is the modern thought that the

universe is a Cosmos and not a Chaos, an ordered unit, with the addition of the

truth beyond the reach and range of science, that its unity is the expression of a

personal will. It is the same thought which the centurion had, to Christ’s wonder,

when he compared his own power as an officer in a legion, where his will was

implicitly obeyed, to the power of Christ over diseases and sorrows and miseries and

death, and recognised that all these were His servants, to whom, if His autocratic

lips chose to say ‘Go,’ they went, and if He said, ‘Do this,’ they did it.

So the Lord of the universe and its ordered ranks is Jesus Christ. That is the truth

which was flashed from the unknown, like a vanishing meteor in the midnight,

before the face of Joshua, and which stands like the noonday sun, unsetting and

irradiating for us who live under the Gospel.

II. I see here the Leader of all the warfare against the world’s evil.

‘The Captain of the Lord’s host.’ He Himself takes part in the fight. He is not like a

general who, on some safe knoll behind the army, sends his soldiers to death, and

keeps his own skin whole. But He has fought, and He is fighting. Do you remember

that wonderful picture in two halves, at the end of one of the Gospels, ‘the Lord

went up into Heaven and sat at the right hand of God, . . . they went forth

everywhere preaching the Word’? Strange contrast between the repose of the seated

Christ and the toils of His peripatetic servants! Yes, strange contrast; but the next

words harmonise the two halves of it; ‘the Lord also working with them, and

confirming the word with signs following.’ The Leader does not so rest as that He

does not fight; and the servants do not need so to fight, as that they cannot rest.

Thus the old legends of many a land and tongue have a glorious truth in them to the

eye of faith, and at the head of all the armies that are charging against any form of

the world’s misery and sin, there moves the form of the Son of Man, whose aid we

have to invoke, even from His crowned repose at the right hand of God. ‘Gird thy

sword upon Thy thigh, O Most Mighty, and in Thy majesty ride forth prosperously,

and Thy right hand shall teach Thee terrible things.’

If this, then, be for us, as truly as for Joshua and his host, a revelation of who is our

true leader, surely all of us in our various degrees, and especially any of us who have

any ‘Quixotic crusade’ for the world’s good on our consciences and on our hands,

may take the lessons and the encouragements that are here. Own your Leader; that

is one plain duty. And recognise this fact, that by no other power than by His, and

with no other weapons than those which He puts into our hands, in His Cross and

meekness, can a world’s evils be overcome, and the victory be won for the right and

the truth. I have no faith in crusades which are not under the Captain of our

salvation. And I would that the earnest men, and there are many of them, the

laborious and the self-sacrificing men in many departments of philanthropy and

benevolence and social reformation-who labour unaware of who is their Leader,

and not dependent upon His help, nor trusting in His strength-would take to heart

this vision of my text, and see beside them the ‘man with the drawn sword in his

hand,’ the Christ with the ‘sharp two-edged sword going out of his mouth,’ by

whom, and by whom alone, the world’s evil can be overcome and slain.

Own your General; submit to His authority; pick the weapons that He can bless;

trust absolutely in His help. We may have, we shall have, in all enterprises for God

and man that are worth doing, ‘need of patience,’ just as the army of Israel had to

parade for six weary days round Jericho blowing their useless trumpets, whilst the

impregnable walls stood firm, and the defenders flouted and jeered their aimless

procession. But the seventh day will come, and at the trumpet blast down will go the

loftiest ramparts of the cities that are ‘walled up to heaven’ with a rush and a crash,

and through the dust and over the ruined rubbish Christ’s soldiers will march and

take possession. So trust in your Leader, and be sure of the victory, and have

patience and keep on at your work.

Do not make Joshua’s mistake. ‘Art Thou for us?’-’�ay! Thou art for me.’ That is a

very different thing. We have the right to be sure that God is on our side, when we

have made sure that we are on God’s. So take care of self-will and self-regard, and

human passions, and all the other parasitical insects that creep round philanthropic

religious work, lest they spoil your service. There is a great deal that calls itself after

Jehu’s fashion, ‘My zeal for the Lord,’ which is nothing better than zeal for my own

notions and their preponderance. Therefore we must strip ourselves of all that, and

not fancy that the cause is ours, and then graciously admit Christ to help us, but

recognise that it is His, and lowly submit ourselves to His direction, and what we do,

do, and when we fight, fight, in His name and for His sake.

III. Here is the Ally in all our warfare with ourselves.

That is the worst fight. Far worse than all these Hittites and Hivites, and the other

tribes with their barbarous names, far worse than all external foes, are the foes that

each man carries about in his own heart. In that slow hand-to-hand and foot-to-foot

struggle I do not believe that there is any conquering power available for a man that

can for a moment be compared with the power that comes through submission to

Christ’s command and acceptance of Christ’s help. He has fought every foot of the

ground before us. We have to ‘run the race’-to take another metaphor-’that is set

before us, looking unto Jesus,’ the great Leader, and in His own self the Perfecter of

the faith which conquers. In Him, His example, the actual communication of His

divine Spirit, and in the motives for brave and persistent conflict which flow from

His Cross and Passion, we shall find that which alone will make us the victors in this

internecine warfare. There can be no better directory given to any man than to

tread in Christ’s footsteps, and learn how to fight, from Him who in the wilderness

repelled the triple assault with the single ‘It is written’; thus recognising the word

and will of God as the only directory and defence.

Thus, brethren, if we humbly take service in His ranks, and ask Him to show us

where our foes within are, and to give us the grace to grapple with them, and cast

them out, anything is possible rather than ultimate defeat, and however long and

sore the struggle may be, its length and its severity are precious parts of the

discipline that makes us strong, and we shall at last be more than conquerors

through Him that loveth us.

IV. Lastly, I see here the Power which it is madness to resist.

Think of this vision. Think of the deep truths, partially shadowed and symbolised

by it. Think of Christ, what He is, and what resources He has at His back, of what

are His claims for our service, and our loyal, militant obedience. Think of the

certain victory of all who follow Him amongst ‘the armies of Heaven, clad in fine

linen, clean and white.’ Think of the crown and the throne for him that ‘overcomes.’

Remember the destructive powers that sleep in Him: the ‘drawn sword in His

hand,’ the ‘two-edged sword out of His mouth’ the ‘wrath of the Lamb.’ Think of

the ultimate certain defeat of all antagonisms; of that last campaign when He goes

forth with the ‘name written on His vesture and on His thigh “King of kings and

Lord of lords.”‘ Think of how He ‘strikes through kings in the day of His wrath,

and fills the place with the bodies of the dead’; and how His ‘enemies become His

footstool.’

Ponder His own solemn word, ‘He that is not with Me, is against Me.’ There is no

neutrality in this warfare. Either we are for Him or we are for His adversary.

‘Under which King? speak or die!’ As sensible men, not indifferent to your highest

and lasting well-being, ask yourselves, ‘Can I, with my ten thousand, meet Him with

His twenty thousand?’ Put yourselves under His orders, and He will be on your side.

He will teach your hands to war, and your fingers to fight; will cover your heads in

the day of battle, and bring you at last, palm-bearing and laurel-crowned, to that

blissful state where there will still be service, and He still be the ‘Captain of the

Lord’s host,’ but where ‘swords will be beaten into ploughshares’ and the victors

shall need to ‘learn war no more.’

15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

CLARKE, "Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, etc. - These were the same words which the angel, on Mount Sinai, spoke to Moses; (see Exo_3:5-8); and from this it seems likely that it was the same person that appeared in both places: in the first, to encourage Moses to deliver the oppressed Israelites, and bring them to the promised land; in the second, to encourage Joshua in his arduous labor in expelling the ancient inhabitants, and establishing the people in the inheritance promised to their fathers. There is scarcely a more unfortunate division of chapters in the whole Bible than that here. Through this very circumstance many persons have been puzzled to know what was intended by this extraordinary appearance, because they supposed that the whole

business ends with the chapter, whereas, it is continued in the succeeding one, the first verse of which is a mere parenthesis, simply relating the state of Jericho at the time that Joshua was favored by this encouraging vision. We may draw two useful reflections from the subjects of this chapter: -

1. As the manna had now failed, the people always greatly addicted to incredulity, might have been led to imagine that God had now given them up, and would be no longer in their armies, had he not given them this strong assurance, that the Angel of his presence should be with them as the guide and protector of the whole camp; for Joshua undoubtedly informed them of the encouragement he had received from the captain of the Lord’s host.

2. By this vision he showed them that their help came from himself, and that it was not by human might or power, but by the Lord of hosts, they were to have the victory over all their adversaries; and he gave them the most convincing proof of this in the miraculous destruction of Jericho. By this means he continued to keep them dependent on his arm alone, without which dependence the spirit of religion could not have been preserved among them.

GILL, "And the Captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua,.... As a trial and proof of his obedience to him:

loose thy shoe from off thy foot; which is to be understood literally, as when the like was commanded Moses at Horeb, Exo_3:5; though some interpret it figuratively; as Abarbinel,"remove from thee such thoughts that thou shall take this city by strength:"

for the place whereon thou standest is holy; because of the presence of this Person, and as long as he was there, though afterwards was as another place; the Jewish commentator, last mentioned, thinks this intimates that the city, and all in it (and all round about it), should be "cherem", devoted, and so be holy to the Lord:

and Joshua did so; loosed his shoe from his foot, in obedience to the Captain of the Lord's host, thereby giving proof of his readiness, willingness, and alacrity to serve under him.

HE�RY, " The further expressions of reverence which this divine captain required from Joshua (Jos_5:15): Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, in token of reverence and respect (which with us are signified by uncovering the head), and as an acknowledgment of a divine presence, which, while it continued there, did in a manner sanctify the place and dignify it. We are accustomed to say of a person for whom we have a great affection that we love the very ground he treads upon; thus Joshua must show his reverence for this divine person, he must not tread the ground he stood on with his dirty shoes, Ecc_5:1. Outward expressions of inward reverence, and a religious awe of God, well become us, and are required of us, whenever we approach to him in solemn ordinances. Bishop Patrick well observes here that the very same orders that God gave to Moses at the bush, when he was sending him to bring Israel out of Egypt (Exo_3:5), her here gives to Joshua, for the confirming of his faith in the promise he had lately given him, that as he had been with Moses so he would be with him, Jos_1:5. Had Moses such a presence of God with him as, when it became sensible, sanctified the ground? So had Joshua.

And (lastly) Hereby he prepares him to receive the instructions he was about to give him concerning the siege of Jericho, which this captain of the Lord's host had now come to give Israel possession of.

CALVI�, "15.Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, etc To give additional sanctity to the

vision, the great Angel requires as a sign of reverence and fear that Joshua put off

his shoes. Moses relates, (Exodus 3:5) that the same command was given to him on

Mount Sinai, and for no other reason than that the Lord there manifested his glory.

For one place cannot have a greater sanctity than another, except God deigns

specially to make it so. Thus Jacob exclaims, (Genesis 28:17 (60)) that the place

where he had known God more nearly is the house of God, a dreadful place, and the

gate of heaven. Here, therefore, when God orders his holy servant to take off his

shoes, he by this ceremony attests the reality of his presence, and adds more weight

to the vision; not that nakedness of feet is of itself of any value in the worship of

God, but because the weakness of men requires to be aided by helps of this kind,

that they may the better excite and prepare themselves for veneration. Moreover, as

God by his presence sanctifies the places in which he appears, I think it probable

that the expression, holy ground, is in part commendatory of the excellence of the

land of Canaan, which God had chosen for his own habitation and the seat of his

pure worship. Hence in various passages it is called “his rest.” (Psalms 95:11, and

Psalms 132:14 (61)) In the end of the verse Joshua is praised for his obedience, that

posterity might learn by his example to cultivate pure piety in that land. There

seems thus to be a kind of tacit comparison or antithesis, by which the land of

Canaan is extolled above all other countries. (62

BE�SO�, "Joshua 5:15. From off thy foot — In token of reverence and subjection.

Holy — Consecrated by my presence. The very same order which God gave to

Moses at the bush, when he was sending him to bring Israel out of Egypt, he here

gives to Joshua for the confirming his faith, that as he had been with Moses, so he

would be with him.

TRAPP, "Joshua 5:15 And the captain of the LORD’S host said unto Joshua, Loose

thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest [is] holy. And Joshua

did so.

Ver. 15. Loose thy shoes.] Deny thyself wholly, and put thy confidence in my power

and prowess. Frustra nititur qui Christo non innititur. Among the Turks no man

may come into the church, besides the Grand Seignior, with his shoes on, but must

leave them at the door, or give them to their servants to keep. (a

PETT, "Verse 15

‘And the Captain of YHWH's host said to Joshua, “Put off your shoe from off your

foot, for the place on which you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.’

Compare for this incident Exodus 3:5 where Moses too was told to remove his shoes

for the same reason. And like Moses Joshua, aware that he was in a heavenly

presence, and that nothing earthly must contaminate the place, removed his shoes.

His clothing had been ‘sanctified’ prior to crossing the Jordan (Joshua 3:5). But

while YHWH was revealed there the ground was ‘holy’, as Sinai had been when

YHWH appeared on it. �o human being dared therefore be there except with His

express permission, and no man made materials must touch the sacred earth.

We note that there was no direct reply to Joshua’s question. �o reply was needed.

The drawn sword was God’s answer. They were to go forward in His name, seize

the country and destroy and drive out the evil Canaanites, accomplishing in one

stroke two vital things, the inheritance of the land by Israel as a kingdom of priests

and a holy nation (Exodus 19:6) and God’s judgment on, and annihilation of, sin

and iniquity. This was the vision. Both were equally important. It was the failure to

do the second which would prevent the fulfilling of the first. We may be inclined to

draw most help from this passage from the idea that God is with us, but we must not

overlook the drawn sword, expressive of God’s hatred of sin. That is a warning that

sin must not be treated lightly. Thus was renewed Joshua’s intimate experience of

YHWH (Exodus 24:13; Exodus 33:11).