thouſand men, and they fled I before the men of Ai. Not having their uſual Courage to ftrike a ſtroke, which was a plain Evidence that God had foreſaken them ; and an uſeſul in- ſtruftion, to ſhew them whar weak and inconſiderable Creatures they were when God left them; and that it was God, nor their _ valour, that gave: the Canaanites and their Land into their ands. | 5 And the men of Ai fmote of chem about thirty and
+ Or, in fix men 2 for they chaſed them from before the gate. | Aorad. even unto Shebarim, and ſmote them in the T going | down #2: wherefore the heart of the people melted, and
became as water 0. | m A dear Victory to them, whereby Iſrael! was awakened, and reforined, and reconciled to their God and Shield, and they hard- ned to their own ruine. » By which it ſeems it was a down-hil] - way to,Jericho, which was nearer Jordan. o Soft and weak, and ful) of uGuarion and rrembling. } +. *6 © And Joſhua rent. his Clothes p, and fell to the earth upon his face q, before the Ark of LORD, until the 'even-tide r, - he, and the elders of Iſrael, and pur
duſt upon their heads 5.
' p In teſtirfiony of great ſorrow, as Gen.37.34. and 44. 13. for the loſs felr, the conſequent miſchief feared, and the fin which he ſu. ſpeed. 9 Indeep humiliation and fervent ſupplication. » Con- tinuing the whole day. in Faſting and Prayer. f As was uſualin caſe of grief and aſtoniſhment, 1 Sam. 4. 12; 2 Sam. t. 2, and 13. 19. Jon, 3.'6. Mich. 1.10. 1 | |
...7 And Joſhua ſaid,” Alas, O LORD GOD ; where- fore haſt thou art all brought this. people over Jordan r, to deliver ws into the hand of the Amorirte todeſtroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the
other ſide. Jordan. | |
t This and the following Clauſe, though well intended, and offered to God only, by 'way of Expoſtulation and Argumeat, yet do favour of Humane | Infirmity, and fall ſhort of that reverence, and modeſty, and ſubmiſſion, which he owed to God ; and are mentioned as inſtances, that the holy men of God were ſubje& to like paſſionsand infirmities with other men.
8 O LORD, what'ſhall I ſay -, when Iſrael xturn-
+ Heb: Eth their | backs before their Enemies ?
necks. | fingled out of all Nations for his-own Peculiar.
land ſhall hear of it, -and
cutoff our name om. che earth ; and do unto thy great 1
what wilt thou ame y ? | |
3s beſide g Beth-aven b, on the eaſt-ſide of Bethel 5, and
on called Beth-aven, Heſ. 4. 15. and 10.5. Compare Sol. 28. 12. #
! {
3 And they returned to Joſhua, and ſaid unto him, | Letnot all the people go up 3 but ler | about two orthree | ſome ſort contrafted by this accurſed fat, and prepare your ſelves
# In anſwer to the reproaches caſt by. our-inſulting enemies u-|
on us,” and upon thy Name: x Gods own people, which he hath | | k Foled'out ws | © | Zerah, of the tribe of Jndah was taken. 9g For the Canaanite,' and all the inhabitants of the | | all environ us round, and{| ' pray thee,
Chap. VI.
y Which will typot this occaſion be blaſphemed and charged with inconſtancy, unkindneſs, and unfaithtulneſs to thine own people, and with inability to reſiſt them, or to do thy people that good thou didſt intend them. - Compare Exod. 32. 12. Numb. 14. 13. Deut. 33.27. Joel. 2. 17.
10 \ Andthe LORD ſaid unto Jothua, Get thee up; wherefore # lieft thou thus upon thy face z ? + Heb z This bufineſs is not to be done by unaCtive ſupplication, bur falles * by vigorous endeavours for Reformation. : 11 I{rael « hath ſinned, and they have alſo tranſgreſ- ſed my covenant b which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accurſed thing c, and have al.ſo ftollen d, and diſſembled e alſo, and they have put iz e- ven amongſt their own ſtuff f. | : a Some or one of them, as before on v. r. 6 (i.e.) Broken the con- ons of my Covenant which I have commanded them, and they —_ promuſed to perform, wiz. Obedience to all my Commands, "= - 19.8. and 24. 79. whereof this was one, not to meddle with - c accurſed thing. c Which I charged them not to meddle with. (1.e.) Taken my portion which I had reſerved, Joſ. 6. 19. e Co- vm the fat mith deep diſſimulJation, and a real, if nct verbal pro- 4 10n of their Innocency. Poſſibly Achan might be ſuſpe&ed, and eing accuſed, had denied it, or was reſolved to deny ir. f Con- verted it to their own uſe, and added obſtinacy and reſolvedneſs to the crime ; Thus he loads this fin with divers aggravations. 12 Therefore the children of Iſrael could not ſtand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, becauſe they were accurſed g, neither will I
be with you any more, except ye deſtroy the accurſed perſon from among you.
g ASI warned and threatned them, 5of. 6. 18. they have put them» ſelves our of my Prote&ion and Bleſling,and therefore are lyable to the ſame deſtruQtion which belongs to this accurſed people.
13 Up, fanctifie the people, and ſay, Sanctifie your ſelves b againſt ro morrow : for thus faith the LORD God of Iſrael, There is an accurſed thing in the midit of thee, O Ifrael: thou canit nor ſtand before thine enemies, untill ye take away the accurſed thing from among you.
þ Purifie your ſelves from that defilement which you have all in
to appear before the Lord, asit is moſt probable they were required to d..; as 1mploring and expeCting the ſentence of God for the diſ- covery and puniſhment of the ſin, and that the guilty perſon might hereby be awakened and terrified, and brought ro a free and ſeaſon- able confeſſion of his fault. And it is a marvellous thing that Achar did not on this occaſion acknowledge his crime ; bur this is to be imputed to the heart-hardening power of ſin, which makes men grow worſe and worſe; Partly to his pride, being loath to take to himſelf the ſhame of ſuch a miſchievous and infamous a&ion ; Part- ly to his ſelf-flattering and vain conceit, whereby he might think many others were guilty as well as he, and ſome of them might be taken, and he eſcape; And partly to the juſt Judgement of God, whereby he blinds and hardens ſinners to their own ruine. See a like inſtance, Marth. 26. 21, 22, 25.
14 In the morning therefore ye ſhall be brought ac- cording to yourtribes: and it (hal be that the rribe which the LORD taketh 3, ſhall come according tothe families thereef: and the family which the LORD ſhall take,
{hall come by houſholds: and the houſholds which the LORD thall take, ſhall come man by man.