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Joshua Chapter
Five
Joshua 5
Chapter Contents
The Canaanites are afraid
Circumcision renewed. (1-9)
The passover at Gilgal The manna ceases. (10-12) The Captain of the Lord's host
appears to Joshua. (13-15)
Commentary on Joshua 5:1-9
(Read Joshua 5:1-9)
How dreadful is their case
who see the wrath of God
advancing towards them
without being able to turn it aside
or escape it! Such
will be the horrible situation of the wicked; nor can words express the anguish
of their feelings
or the greatness of their terror. Oh that they would now
take warning
and before it be too late
flee for refuge to lay hold upon that
hope set before them in the gospel! God impressed these fears on the
Canaanites
and dispirited them. This gave a short rest to the Israelites
and
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. When God
glorifies himself in perfecting the salvation of his people
he not only
silences all enemies
but rolls back their reproaches upon themselves.
Commentary on Joshua 5:10-12
(Read Joshua 5:10-12)
A solemn passover was kept
at the time appointed by the
law
in the plains of Jericho
in defiance of the Canaanites round about them.
It was a performance of the promise
that when they went up to keep the feasts
their land should be under the special protection of the Divine providence
Exodus 34:24. Notice is taken of the ceasing of
the manna as soon as they had eaten the old corn of the land. For as it came
just when they needed
so it continued as long as they needed it. This teaches
us not to expect supplies by miracles
when they may be had in a common way. The
word and ordinances of God are spiritual manna
with which God nourishes his
people in this wilderness. 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 need it.
Commentary on Joshua 5:13-15
(Read Joshua 5:13-15)
We read not of any appearance of God's glory to Joshua
till now. There appeared to him one as a man to be noticed. This Man was the
Son of God
the eternal Word. Joshua gave him Divine honours: he received them
which a created angel would not have done
and he is called Jehovah
Joshua 6:2. To Abraham he appeared as a
traveller; to Joshua as a man of war. Christ will be to his people what their
faith needs. Christ had his sword drawn
which encouraged Joshua to carry on
the war with vigour. Christ's sword drawn in his hand
denotes how ready he is
for the defence and salvation of his people. His sword turns every way. Joshua
will know whether he is a friend or a foe. The cause between the Israelites and
Canaanites
between Christ and Beelzebub
will not admit of any man's refusing
to take one part or the other
as he may do in worldly contests. Joshua's
inquiry shows an earnest desire to know the will of Christ
and a cheerful
readiness and resolution to do it. All true Christians must fight under
Christ's banner
and they will conquer by his presence and assistance.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Joshua》
Joshua 5
Verse 1
[1] 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.
Amorites —
These and the Canaanites are mentioned for all the rest
as being the chief of
them for number
and power
and courage.
Westward —
This is added to distinguish them from the other Amorites
eastward from
Jordan
whom Moses had subdued.
Canaanites — So
the proper place of this nation was on both sides of Jordan.
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.
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.
Melted —
They lost all their courage
and durst attempt nothing upon the Israelites; not
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.
Verse 2
[2] At that time the LORD said unto Joshua
Make thee sharp knives
and
circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.
At that time — As
soon as ever they were come to Gilgal
which was on the tenth day; and so this
might be executed the eleventh day
and that in the morning: on the thirteenth
day they were sore of their wounds
and on the fourteenth day they recovered
and at the even of that day kept the passover.
Make —
Or
prepare
or make ready
as this word sometimes used. As it was not
necessary for those who had such knives already to make others for that use; so
it is not probable that such were commanded to do so
but only to make them
sharp and fit for that work.
The second time — He
calleth this a second circumcision
not as if these same persons had been
circumcised before
but with respect to the body of the people
where of one
part had been circumcised before
and the other at this time
which is called a
second time
in relation to some former time wherein they were circumcised
either
in Egypt
when many of the people
who possibly for fear or favour of
the Egyptians
had neglected this duty
were by the command of Moses
circumcised. Or at Sinai
when they received the passover
Numbers 9:5
which no uncircumcised person might
do.
Verse 3
[3] And
Joshua made him sharp knives
and circumcised the children of Israel at the
hill of the foreskins.
And circumcised —
That is
he caused this to be done; and
because it was to be done speedily
the passover approaching
it was necessary to use many hands in it.
Children of Israel —
That is
such of them as were uncircumcised. And
though it be not mentioned
it is more than probable
that the Israelites beyond Jordan were circumcised at
the same time.
Verse 4
[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.
Out of Egypt —
This is to be restrained to such as were then above twenty years old
and such
as were guilty of that rebellion
Numbers 14:1-25
as it is expressed below
Joshua 5:6.
Verse 5
[5] Now 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.
Them —
Either their parents
or the rulers of Israel
by Divine permission and
indulgence; because they were now on a journey
in which case the passover also
might be neglected
Numbers 9:10
13. Rather
it was a continued
token of God's displeasure against them
for their unbelief and murmuring: a
token that they should never have the benefit of that promise
whereof
circumcision was the seal.
Verse 6
[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.
The people —
The Hebrew word commonly signifies the Gentiles; so he calls them
to note that
they were unworthy the name of Israelites.
Shew them —
That is
not give them so much as a sight of it
which he granted to Moses
much less the possession. V. 7.
Circumcised —
Which God would have done
1. As a testimony of God's reconciliation to the
people
and that he would not farther impute their parents rebellion to them.
2. Because the great impediment of circumcision was now removed
their
continued travels
and frequent and uncertain removal. 3. To prepare them for
the approaching passover. 4. To distinguish them from the Canaanites
into
whose land they were now come. 5. To ratify the covenant between God and them
whereof circumcision was a sign and seal
to assure them that God 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; Numbers 15:2.
Verse 8
[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.
Whole —
Free from that pain and soreness which circumcision caused
it was indeed an
act of great faith
to expose themselves to so much pain and danger too
in
this place where they were hemmed in by Jordan and their enemies.
Verse 9
[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.
The reproach of Egypt — That is
uncircumcision
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
1. 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 an
Hebrew by this mark. Or 2. because they came out of Egypt
and were esteemed to
be a sort of Egyptians
Numbers 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 3. 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.
Gilgal —
That is
rolling.
Verse 10
[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.
The passover —
Which was their third passover: the first was in Egypt
Exodus 12:11-24
the second at mount Sinai
Numbers 9:1-5
the third here; for in their
wilderness travels
these and all other sacrifices were neglected
Amos 5:25. While they were in the wilderness
they were denied the comfort of this ordinance
as a farther token of God's
displeasure. But now God comforted them again
after the time that he had
afflicted them.
Verse 11
[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.
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.
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 morrow of the sixteenth day
was the morrow after 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.
Verse 12
[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.
The manna ceased —
Which God now withheld
to shew 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.
Verse 13
[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?
By Jericho —
Heb. 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.
Drawn — In
readiness to fight
not
as Joshua thought
against him
but for him and his
people.
Verse 14
[14] And
he said
Nay; 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?
As captain — I
am the chief captain of this people
and will conduct and assist thee and them
in this great undertaking. Now this person is 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
1. By his acceptance of adoration here
which a
created angel durst not admit of
Revelation 22:8
9. 2. Because the place was made
holy by his presence
Joshua 5:15
which was God's prerogative
Exodus 3:5. 3. Because he is called the Lord
Heb. Jehovah
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.
Verse 15
[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.
From thy foot — In
token of reverence and subjection.
Holy —
Consecrated by my presence. The very same orders 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.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Joshua》
05 Chapter 5
Verse 1
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.)
Verses 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” (Romans 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” (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 (Joshua 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.
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.
Verses 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 (Genesis 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 (John 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.)
Verses 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.
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 (John 16:33; Romans 8:31; 1 John 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 1 John 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 (Revelation 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 (Romans 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.
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--
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.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》