the towns of the king of .Arad the.n was done .Ara.d, suspecting whe.t would follow, should at the ae.me time to the towns of e.11 his attempt to anticipate invasion by attack. neighbours. It would be more reverent to If it were so it might help to account for the reject the story na an error or e. falsehood re.sh confidence sho,vn by the people e.fter- the.n to empty it of the meaning which it we.rds (eh. xiv. 40), for the mention of Hor• was obviously intended to convey. We are mah (eh. xiv. 45), and for the reappearance carte.inly meant to understand the.t the vow of kings of Honnah and of Arad in the days was there e.nd then accepted by God, and of Joshua. 2. The narrative may after all be was there and then carried into effect by in place. That the Israelites lay for thirty Israel ; the towns of Are.d were depopulated days under Mount Hor is certain, and they and destroyed as far as lay in their power, may have been longer. During this period although they me.y he.ve been immediately they could not get pasture for their cattle on reoccupied. There a.re only two theories the side of Edom, e.nd they may have wan- which are worth considering. I. The nar- dered far and wide in search of it. It may rative may really be displaced,forwhe.t cause have been but a. comparatively small band we do not know. If so, it would be more which approached the Negeb near enough to se.tiafe.ctory to refer it, not to the time of the be attacked, e.nd which, by the help of God, second encampment at Ke.dash, but to the was enabled to defeat the king of .Arad, and time of the first, during the absence of the to lay waste his towns. It he.d certainly spies in Co.no.an. It is probable that their been no great feat for e.11 Israel to overthrow entry was known, as was the case with a border chieftain who could not possibly Joshua's spies (Josh. ii. 2); and nothing he.ve brought 6000 men into the field. could be more likely the.n the.t the king of
HOMILETICS. Vera. 1-3.-Vi,ctory won, and followed up. In this brief narrative of three verses we have by anticipation almost the whole spiritual teaching of the Book of J oshue. ; we have, namely, the struggle and the victory of the soldier of Christ over bis spiritual foes, e.nd the consequent duty which he has to perform. Consider, therefore- !. THAT THE FEAR .A.ND THE ANGER OJI' THE CANAANITE WERE KINDLED BY THE NEWS THAT ISRAEL WAS COMING BY THE WAY OF THE SPIES, i. e. were following in the steps of those that had gone before into the land of promise. Even so the rage of Satan and of all evil spirits is stirred against us because he knows that we follow in the way which leads to heaven, and because it is bis ardent desire to keep us out, if he can and while he can. If the Canaanite had perceived that Israel bad rebelled and turned his back on the land of promise, he would never have troubled to come forth and attack him. Satan makes no direct assault on those whom he sees to be wnlking contrary to God and to rest. Il. '!'HAT BE ATTACKED !SRAEL SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY, AND WITH SOMl-1 sucoEss. Most likely they were scattered abroad in search of pasture .when be fell upon them, and made them prisoners. Even so the assaults of our spiritual foes are secretly prepared and suddenly delivered at moments when we are off our guard, and many a one falls a victim, at least for a while. The enemy goeth about indeed as a roaring lion, but the lion does not roar at the moment that he springs upon his prey, nor does Satan give any signal of his worst temptations. Ill. THAT HE MADE SOME OJI' THEM PRISONERS, which seems to have been bis object- porhaps that they might serve as hostages. Even so the enemy of souls desires to make prisoners who may not only be held in miserable bondage themselves, but may give him control and influence over their brethren. IV. THAT lsRAEL DID NOT ATTEMPT TO MEET THE CANilNITES AS ORDINARY FOES, BUT VOWED TO TREAT THEM AS Goo's ENEMIES, AND TO EXTERMINATE THEM ACCORD- INGLY. Even so the right way I\Jld the only way to overcome the temptations and sins, the evil habits, passions, and tempers, which ussail us (and often too success- :f-illy) on the way to heaven, ie to regard them as God's enemies, as hateful to him, and to smite them accordingly without remorse, weariness, or thought of self. Many are vexed and &IIIloyed with follies and tempers which get tbe better of them, and they contend against them on the ground of that vexation, wishing to get the mastery over them, and yet not caring to go to extremities a~ainst them. But the faithful soul will solemnly resolve, as before God and for hu sake, to moke an utter end at any cost uf the sinij which have prevailed against them, and so dishonoured him, 272 TilE BOOK OF NUMBERS. [OH. XXI. 4-9.
v. THAT Goo AOOEPTED THAT vow AND GAVE 1'BEM THE VICTORY OVBB TBB CANAANITES. Even so if we regard and face our spiritual enemies in the true light. as God's enemies, to be relentlessly exterminated, God will give us strength and power to have victory and to triumph over them, and it may be to set our captive brethren free also (2 Tim. ii. 26). VI. THAT THE ISRAELITES PROCEEDED TO FULFIL THEIR vow, although, 81! all the spoil was a:n,athema, they had nothing to gain t11emse1vea but labour and loss of time. Even so will the g·ood soldier of Christ not cease his most earnest efforts until he baa quite destroyed (so far as may be in this life) tl1e evil habits and evil tempers over which God has given him victory. The majority of Christian people are too lazy and selfish to do this; they will strive to overcome a known sin or bad habit; but when it has been (as tl1ey think) overcome they ho.ve not sufficient zeal to pursue it into its last lurking-places and exterminate it. As .long as it ~oes not actively trouble them they are content, and so the remnants remain to the dishonour of God and to their own future loss and danger. How few Christians radically get rid even of a single fault I VII. THAT THE PLACE WAS CALLED HoRMAII-ANATHEMA: a perpetual reminder that the enemies of God are under a ban, and should be exterminated ; a sacred delenda est Oa:rthago. Even so it is ever impressed upon the soldier of C,'hrist that there can be no truce between him and sin, or even between him and selfish indi:ffer• ence. "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema. "-a Hormab, a tbino- devoted, a being with whom no compromise can be made and no amity knit until that indifference of his which is so hateful to God be abolished for ever,