PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua
Alfred Plummer [1841-1926] · 388,731 words · 426 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 121
themeelYes in searching, but without ave.ii, were completed, we,·e cut off, i.e., were com- for Ji le in the Dee.d See.." It lies e.t e. level pletely cut off, so that the supply of wo.ter of more tlrnn 1,300 feet below the level of failed, e.nd the channel of the Jordo.n to the Mediterranean. Its waters e.re thus the …
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Rt11rting-point of our s11nctification. And the work is all of God. He alone parts the watcrn for UA to cross from the world into His kingdom. ,Jordan is overflowerl. No passage is possible by hwnan means; that is, no works of our own can avail to place us where we may hope to carry on a successful war against our own …
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Yer. 11.-The passage of the Jo1·da11. The lessons of importance are not e,hausted in those ah·eady suggested in this passage of the J orclan. A deed so gre:it, so solemn, so vast in its results, has niany sides, and many subordinate points of interest. I gather up in tbis second homily a f…
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,vhen experience and faith are strong, they are withdrawn. Put not a dark con- struction on any mere want of signs, for while the sign of the presence is temporary, the presence itself is permanent with all God's people. Growing out of tbis a second lesson suggests itself, viz. : II. THEY ARE WELL LED WHO ARE ARK LED…
1,260 wordsSECTION 125The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 125
Vers. 14-17.-The division of the waters. The passage of Jordan, like that of the Red Sea, marks a momentous crisis in the career of the chosen people. The events are similar in their general character as Divine interpositions, but there are notable points of difference. In the first case tilere was haste, confusion, …
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1. God's control over nature. All miracles in the physical realm are an asser- tion of the absolute sovereignty of Goel over the things He has made and the laws He has ordained. The possibility of miracles springs naturally from the fact of the existence of a "living Goel," who is "Lord of all the earth." Whether any…
896 wordsSECTION 127The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 127
EXPOSITION. CHAPTER IY. 1-24. ingenuity has been wasted over this passage. THE "E"oarAI,.-Ver. 2.-Twelve stones. Kennicott wouhl read "j>'om the midst,'' The commemoration of eve:its by the sett.ing instead of "in the midst ;" but this purely up of huge stones was by no means peculiar conjectural emendation is contra…
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with vers. 13, 17. "covered with luxuriant vegetation'' (Biri- Ver. 10.-For. Rather, and. This verse lett, 'From Egypt to Pales':ine,' p. ,J5~. See does not give 11 reason for the last. The also note on eh. iii. 16). The valley nar- priests which ba.re the a.rk stood. This rows to a gorge at Jericho, through which …
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has heen before remarked, a marked feature eh. v. 10, will bear close analysis, aml refutes of enrl)· Hebrew composition was i-cpeti- the clumsy compiler theory. There was tion: repetition "ith additional details to just time between the tenth and fomteenth add to t-hc completeness of the narmti\·e, day of the mouth fo…
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" when," as in Dcmt. xi. 6; 1 Kings viii. 9. first month." Thus the elate of the cross- Gcsenius would translate "if that," and Keil ing, which is accurately fixccl by a variety of wonlcl render by quod. circumstances, is clearly provecl to corre- Ver. 23.-For. The original here age.in spond with the time of Jordan's …
983 wordsSECTION 131The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 131
has been hefore remarked, a marked feature eh. v. 10, will bear close au11lysis, and refutes of earl~- Hchrew composition was repeti- the clumsy compiler theory. There was tion: repetition "ith additional details to just time between the tenth e.nd fourteenth add to the complet<eness of the nan·ati,-e, day of the month…
972 wordsSECTION 132The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 132
" when," nH in Dent. xi. 6; 1 Kings viii. 9. first month." Thus the date of the cross- Gcscniue would tmnslnte "if tho.t," o.nd Keil ing, which ie accurately fixed by a variety of would render by quod. circumstances, is clearly proved to corre- Ver. 23.-For. The origino.l here nga.in spond with the time of Jordan's ov…
1,099 wordsSECTION 133The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 133
HOMILETICS. \"ers. 1-24.-The memorial. From this chapter we learn several lessons. I. THE DlcTY OF COMMEMORATING, BY A PIOUS MEMORIAL, THE GOOD THINGS Goo RAS DO!'.E FOR m,. - The memory of events under the law was ever kept up in this wa~·- The memorials of God's mercy we read of in the Old Testament are innu- merab…
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yearly co=emoration of those who laid down their lives for it, i.s a question. How much our very faint se1;1se of the mercies of God_ to thiR conntry, and in particular to the wonderful salvation God vouchsafed to us m the destruction of the Spanish ~r_mada., is du·e to the so.me cause, may also be a question. As re…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 6.-" That this mAy be . . . . stones."' The chil<l!ren's question. That life is intended to be a school of instructi.on to us we see plainly from the many directions given to the people of Israel. For they were under the immediate government of God; He blessed them with special favour…
1,182 wordsSECTION 136The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 136
Yers. 6-22.-Memori.a.ls. The crossing the Jordan dry shod wo,a the first miracle which marked the entrance of the people of Israel into t,he land of Cannan. It was God's purpose that this should be held in peqietual remembro,nce. Hence the erection of the twelve stones in the bed of the 1frer, to remind the twelve t…
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Jericho. 'fhe first erection made by Israel in the promised la.ncl was this stone of remembrance. It was not casually or carelessly done. Goel enjoined it before they crossed, and men were tolcl off to gather the stones fit for such a purpose during the crossing over. The first religious act they did was this memorial …
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thoughtless tattle about mercies suggests need of thought and carefulness, other precepts-as, "Go home and tell thy friends,'' "Show thyself to the priests," require- ments of confession, the example of multitudes who have said, " Come, and I will tell you what the Lord hath done for my soul," the instincts of honour a…
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invests liim. And in his first enterprise he has such help as makes him secure of ~he future 11llegiance of 1111 the people. M11ny are, and more ought to be, beginners m God's w11ya. Consider the testimony of this incident as it affects them, and first observe- r. BEGINNERS NEED SPECIAL GRACE AND HELP. Evidently Joshu…
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2. Shrink ~ot from underta~ing o.ny duty of ser\'ice with which Go,l cho.rges you. Do_ not be enlly modest, foldmg yom· pound in some napkin of seeming humility. If 1t be t.he path of duty, let no obstacles deter ; they will only prove the occo.sion for grander help from God than you ever dare to hope . . 3. Have you …
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emphatic in their doctrines of holy orders is that th~ ·priest is easily made, his work eaHily clone, his claims easily &Hserted and enforcecl. But to make men prophets, or catch the inspiration of heaven, is not at all so easy. It takes a happy concurrence of gro.ce and nature, 11 "bridal of the earth and sky," to mak…
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II. A MEANS OF INSTRUCTION FOR THEIR CHILDREN. "When your children shall ask their fathers," &c. A glimpse here of the simplicity a.nd sanctity of domestic relations which was so important a feature of ancient Hebrew life. The authority of the father over his children almost absolute and unlimited. Something terrible i…
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ibis chapter, and eh. niv. 5, 6, 7; Judg. xi. .,tone (iii; cf. ,~ Exod. iv. 26). The LXX., 17; cf. 19. We must not, then, assume from Vulgate, Syriac, and Arabia versions, as this passage the.t the Book of Joshue. we.s well as the margins of our Bibles, render written bv one who himself had a share in thus. On the othe…
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xvii. 2a). Perhaps the best explano.tion is usually rendered in the LXX.). It is applied tho.t the word :i1ci, though it is rightly to the Israelite8 in eh. iii. 17 ; iv. 1 ; Isa. translated '' o.go.in " here, and in severo.1 i. 4 ; ix. 2 ; xxvi. 2. See also Exod. xxxiii. other plo.ccs in Scripture, co.rries with it…
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de.n was crossed, they had not ta.ken forme.l cumcised already, and that therefore such possession of their own land. As soon e.s, an operation as this could ho performed nuder l,hc DiYine protection, they had with the utmost easo in a very short time. crossed the Jord1m, the long-delayed pro- The word 'P is used here …
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reoeived, o.nd the obligation to purity thus spiritual Egypt, the house of bondage, we imposed, he o.dds, '' Jam tibi enim non Iicet are slaves to sin and corruption. When we templo Dei uti, nisi in so.nctitate, nee enter into fellowship with Christ, the re- mcmbra Christi ad indignum dare negotinm proach of Egypt i…
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remain among us-the reproach of intemperance, the scandalous opium traffic by which the rennue of India is largely supported, our commercial dishonesty, and all the other reproaches of our age. Against these must the Church of Christ gird on l1Pr nrmour, and never cease to wage a conflict, until the promised day shall …
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moment. Let the temptation be only strong enough ; let it only be clearly more to our advantage at the moment when we are assailed to yield than to resist, and the " cunning bosom sin " (George Herbert) will " blow away " all that " array " of" fences" which worldly wisdom has set around our actions. Nothing bat the ro…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 6-11.-Circumcision and the passover were the two sacraments of the old covenant. The first set forth the truth the.t enrolment e.mong the people of God must be accompanied with the putting away of evil. The second represented the po.et deliverance from the bondage of Egypt, and the f…
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ove_r the _story of this cho.pter. It ha,e leeeone which will never clie, anc1 a,ppea.le whwh will never grow olc1. It is e, testimony against a form of evil so co=on anc1 BO dangerous that all branches of the Church of Christ suffer from it. It brings before us the question of the neglect of sacraments, and the wis…
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their relation to Rim, to "lay hold on his covena.nt." It is no slight mero.v to us that God is willing still to enter into au '' everlasting covenant witll us, orJered in all things and sure." If now our neglect is reg1·etted, let not despair prolong it. Whnt.eYer falseness to conscience we have been guilty of, He kee…
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HOMILETICS. Vers. 10-12.-The passover and the cessation of manna. I. THE RENEWAL OF THE COVENANT MUST BE ATTENDED WITH THE OBSERVANCE OF ITS LAWS. When the Christian desires to return and to serve God after a period of disobedience and rebellion, he must prepare himself, by repentance antl morti- fication, to feed on…
719 wordsSECTION 153The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 153
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 12.-The special and the c'U/ltomary,. Thie verse is one of the proofs that the supi,ly of manna wa.s miraculous, cea.smg a.s it did at the exact moment when it was no longer needed. Other proo~s are, that a double portion fell en.eh Friday, and none on the Sabbath; and that if kept lo…
698 wordsSECTION 154The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 154
of 11 11ng.els' food; " they lo11thed II this light bread," with all its sweetness. As at present constituted, variety is pleasing to men. Certainiy man is not yet fitted for the splendours and employme;,:its of the beatific state. Moses and Elijah spent m11ny days on the mount with God, but probably a return to earthl…
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is still in the possession of the enemy ; and poses it to have been a created being-an ans"·ers ingeniously that wherever the cap- angel-through whom Jehovah was pleased tain of the Lord's host is must needs be to manifest Himself. The former opinion holy ground). Be lift up hie eyes. Usually, ,va.~ genera.I in the ear…
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o.rnl Ilo.chel as the voice of God (Gen. xxxi. cites Gen. xviii. 1, 2 to prove that, as he 11, 10), aud He co.Ila Himself ao (ver. 13). says," there is another God under (inro) the Jo.cob apeo.ks of the angel e.s havrng "re- tbe Crea.tor of all things, who is called an deemed him from all evil" (Gen. xlviii. IG), angel…
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tine, for inst,mce, and Theodoret, who holds recorded in Scripture (as, foi· instance, that th•t il ...-Rs Mich1tel the Archangel who ap- in Gen. xxii. 1) took place through the inner peared to ,Joshua) rejected this interpret11.- workings of the mind as the medium of tinn would not be sufficient to outweigh their acti…
873 wordsSECTION 158The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 158
' I. HE Wno APPEARED WAS T:UE SoN OF Goo. This ~~ems tbo most probable conclusion from the foregoing notes, as also from the fact that Divine worship was paid to Him by His own command (cf. Rev. xix. 10; xxii. 8, 9). The Son of God was ever the link of communication between God and the external world. By Him God cr…
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the C'auaanit-es. The angel of the Lord appee.red to Moses in a flame of fire; Goll ~rnke to him from t.he midst of the bush that burned but was not consumed. The supernatural radiance wast-he vehicle of the Divine Presence. God clothed Him- sell with light as with a gannent. The vision and the voice were alike wonderf…
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is opened up to us here. Angelic ministry in human affairs is a fact to which Old an_d_ New 'festa.ments_ a.like bear abundant witnes~.. "Are_ they not all ministering spmts?" &c. (Heh. 1. 14). Every age has had its "heirs of salvation," whose history, if we knew all its secrets, would illustrate this truth. Here, t…
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xxiii. 11). ·we go not to the warfare at ot,r own cost. Let us lca1·n to expect His presence. We will think of the future, but not take over-anxious thought. Not work _hnt worry saps the strength. Let our councils wait till Christ is present to pres1cte. II. Hrs COURAGE. Not in vain had the admonition, '' De courageou…
1,236 wordsSECTION 162The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 162
EXPOSITION. CHAPTER VI. 1-21. a.nd (2) the continuance of that act, rrvyn- A:Xurrµ,VJ/ .:al ax_vpoµi,•q (LX.X.), "clausa at THE VICTOnY.-Vers. 1.-This verse (see que munita" (Vulg.). So e.Iso the Che.Idea above) is p111'enthetical. It explains why paraphrase. The remainder of the verse the captain of the Lord's host…
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rule 0f the justice and holiness of our actions " enim scriptum est), fac tibi tribas dnctilea (Dp. Ha,11). ex Scripturis SIIUQtis" (Orig., Hom. 7 0n Yer. 4.-And eeven prteste shall bea.r Joshua). befo,e the a.rk. The Yulga,te puts " on the Ver. 5.-When they make a long blast seYenth da,y" in connection with Lhis pa.…
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iv., 11ml 11e we ho.ve just seen in ver. 4, the astonishing success of the Israelites grr·w commund to ,Joehu11 ir. not fully given. A into a wonder in the hands of the nnrrntor. short ubstmct of it is given, a.nd it is to be But this involves the entire falsehood, not filled up iu detail from the subsequent nar- on…
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(.utcs :C for :l, i.e., 11s soon as it was dawn. against the Cauaanites. Property, how- Li tern.II)·, •· as the dawn went up." After ever, sa,e in the case of Jericho, seems to this manner. Literally, a.ccording to this h_~ve becu exempted from the bo.n (see oh. judgment, "sicut dispositum erat" (Vulg.). vm. 2). Even o…
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hesitated and argued about his fitness for the task laid upon him. Jeremiah shrank from facing the children of Israel with his message of wrath. But the apostles of Christ, when sent forth to conquer the world by no other means than the proclama• tion of the truth, never stood appalled by the magnitude of the work, bu…
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kind till the pre~cribed te.sk we.s accomplished. Bishop Hall, reganling the num- ber seY~n as md1cat1ve of completeness, tells us that there are mauy of our infirmi- ties wluch we must not expect to oYcrcome till the end of om lives. Not till then will Goel vouchsafe us the measnre of faith to overthrow them finally…
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Moses to invade Egypt and liberate God's people: that of David to earn e. right to the throne of Israel: that of Esther to save her people: that of the Apostles to "heal the sick and co..~t out devils," o.nd subsequently to "go and teach all nations:" that of o.11 the saints in o.ll ages. Bushnell has a sermon on "Duty…
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Yer. 20.-The taking of Jericho. The te.king of Jericho is the first great victory of the Israelites over the Ce.ne.anites. It is a type of the victory of the people of God over their adversaries. We lee.rn from it the secret and the method of success in this conflict. I. The first thing demanded of the people of Israe…
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those times were eignalieecl. The miraculous element is inseparably interwoven with the fabric of the history. It can be denied here only by those who are pre- pared to relegate the whole to the region of fable and romance. The fall of this fortified city of Jericho had a peculiar meaning, ancl stood in important re…
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Yer. 20.-Delusive trust. "The wall fell down flat." A strong city besieged; yet no trenches opened, no batteries erected agaipst it, no engines of assault em- ployed. Armed men in two divisions, separated by the ark o.nd priests who precede it, compass the city once e. do.y in silence, save for the sound of the horns L…
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EXPOSITION. CHAPTER VI. 22-27. in the midst of the turmoil and confusion attendant on the saok of the city (see a.hove, RAHAll' s DELIVllRANCE, THE CURSE ON eh. i. 11 ; ii. 1). Go Into the ha.riot's house. JEmcno".-Ver. 22.-Bad said. Hero we The preservation of R11h11b's house muat have au instance of the use of the…
1,001 wordsSECTION 173The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 173
I. WonKs "DO RPRING NECESSARILY OUT OF A LIVELY FAITH." Had Rahab no, believed as she did, she would not have acted as she did. Her works were the direct result of her belief. On the other hand, had she not acted as she did, she would have proved that, whatever her profession to the spies might have been, she did no…
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2. A second lesson t.aught by this part of the nanativo is that salvation works res11,lls in tlinsc who a.i·c saved. I. HAITAIJ's FAITH WAS THE CAUSE OF '.!'HE SALVATION OF OTHERS. Hn.d sho not belicnd in Goc1, her relatives would havo shared tho fato of Jericho. So in n,]I other cases .. Fn._ith i~ n.n expansive p…
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old for their sins, and He does so still. Nor does He net otherwise with individuals. He lrns declared thnt sin brings punishment in its train • bnt men sin wantonly 1 a.nd hope to escape its nece~sary consequences. But eithe:: in this world or tho next these consequeuc~s a1:·ive. What God has said will slll'ely come t…
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EXPOSITION. CHAPTER VII. 1-5. rieties of English spelling adopted e.mong onr translators (see Shemnel for Samuel in THE DEFEAT BEFORE AJ..-Ver. 1.-Com- 1 Chron. vi. 33). The LXX. has Zambri mitted a trespass In the accursed thing, here. Took of the accursed thing. Com- mentators have largely discussed the ques- The…
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histo1:i- of secret sin, which, though unseen necessarily a very strong one, Ai is men. by any earth[~- eye, does ne,erthelcss pollute tioned as early as Gen. xii. 8, and we find the offender, nnd through him the Church that it was inhabited down to the C1t1itivity, of (i od, by lowering his geneml stnndard of for t…
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though thie is extraordino,ry ip the fa.ce of the heo,rt with too much confidence" (Bp. the foct tho,t the inho,bitants of Luz gave Ho,11). their assiato,nce to the men of Ai in the Ver. 5.-Unto Shebartm. LXX., ,a, ''"' battle (see eh. viii. 17, where, however, it 111Jvirpt1/mv a/J.ov,, as though we had Cl-1iJ~ is remo…
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II. THE EXCEEDING SINFULNESS OF ~IN. It was ruin to the Isrnelites' campaign} It hrOl\;:;ht ~1sgrace, not only to the s~nner, but to the cause. So now, (1) the sin of the mcln,dual foils on the commu1?-1~Y- Religion suffers severely for the short- commgs .of its 1,rofessors. Every religious community is cruelly mjured …
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 1.-Bin corrvmitted. By the narrative before us we are reminded of several characteristics of sin. I. IT DISOBEYS A COMMANDMENT. Only two precepts had been issued at the sacking of Jericho, one to spare Rahab and her family, another to "keep from the accursed thing," and the latter pr…
794 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.