The defeat coming so unexpectedly, we do not wonder at,
II. Joshua's distress —
His conduct on this occasion was by no means unexceptionable —
[ The maimer in which he complained to God reflected even upon the Deity himself; " O Lord God, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us?" Alas! alas! Is this Joshua, that thus accuses the Most High God of cruelty and treachery ? Lord, what is man ! What will not the best of men do, if left by thee to the workings of their own corruption ! Such had been the language of the murmuring Israelites on many occasions : but we readily confess that Joshua, though he spake their sentiments, was by no means actuated by their rebellious spirit: yet he was wrong in entertaining for a moment such a thought. His distrust of God also was highly unbe- coming ; " Would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan ! " What, dost thou so readily relinquish the possession of Canaan, because of this single check ? Thou art afraid that " all the inhabitants of the land, hearing of this defeat, will be emboldened to environ you around, and to cut off the name of Israel from the earth :" but hast thou so soon forgotten all the wonders that God has wrought in order to bring thee into Canaan, and all that he has promised in relation to the ultimate possession of it ? "Is God's hand shortened, that he cannot save, or his ear heavy, that he cannot hear ? " " Has he at last forgotten to be gracious, and shut up his loving- kindness in displeasure?" Alas! Joshua, " this is thine infir- mity." But it is an infirmity incident to the best of men under great and unexpected misfortunes. We are but too apt to give way to murmuring and desponding thoughts, both in relation to our temporal and spiritual concerns, when we should be rather encouraging ourselves with the recollection of past mercies, and pleading with God his promises of more effectual aid ]
Yet on the whole there was much in it to be ad- mired—
[We cannot but highly applaud the concern he expressed for the loss of so many lives. Common generals would have accounted the loss of thirty-six men as nothing : but " the blood of Israel was precious in the sight" of Joshua. We might have expected that he would have blamed the spies for deceiving him in relation to the strength of the city ; and have punished the soldiers for cowardice : but he viewed the hand of God, rather than of man, in this disaster: and this led to (what also we much