to clear up an obvious confusion between the done B8 11.n outward and public token of the "strife" at Rephidim (Exod. :r:vii. 7) and committal of authority to Joshua as the that at Kadesh. successor of Moses. Vor, 16.-And llloaea 1pake unto the Ver. 19.-Give him a charge. TlJ;l'W. Lord. The behaviour of Moses as here re• Septuagint, lvrt)j abrt,i. Command or in• corded (see, however, on Deut. iii. 23 sq., struct him BB to his duties. which seems to throw a somewhat different Ver. 20.-Put some of thine honour.upon light upon the matter) was singularly and him, or, "some c,f thy dignity" (11li1t,;)). touchingly disinterested. For himself not Septuagint, 8.:.,m, r-ij, 00(11t aov l,r' airov. even a word of complaint at his punishment, Ver. 21.-Re shall stand before Eleazar which must have seemed, thus close at the priest. Tbis points to the essential tlif- hand, more inexplicably severe than ever ; ference between Moses and J o~hua, and all all his thoughts and his prayers for the who came after until the "Prophet like people-that one might take his place, and unto " Moses was raised up. Moses was reap for himself and Israel the reward of all as much above the priests as he was above his toil and patience, the tribe princes; but Joshua was only the Ver. 17.-Which may go out before them, civil and military head of the nation, and and which may go in before them. A was as much subordinate to the high priest comparison with the words of Moses in Dent. in one way as the high priest was subordin- Xll1. 2, and of Caleb in Josh. xiv. 11, shows ate to him in another. In after times no that the going out and coming in refer to the doubt the political headship quite over- vigorous prosecution of daily business, and powered and overshadowed the ecclesiastical, the fatigues of active service. Which may but this does not seem to have been so lead them out, and which may bring them intended, or to have been the case in Eleazar's in. The underlying image is that of a shep- lifetime. Who shall ask counsel for him herd and his flock, which suggests itself so after the judgment of Urim before the Lord. naturally to all that have the care and govern- Rather, "who shall inquire for him in the ance of men (cf. John x. 3, 4, 16). As sheep judgment of Urim." ·c•r11:(O t:i;i&,l:p. Sep- which have no shepherd. And are, there- tuagint, r,jv 1<p1111v rwv i~>..wv. The Urim fore, helpless, bewildered, scattered, lost, and of this passage and of 1 Sam. xxviii. 6 seems devoured. 'J'.he ima~ is frequent in ~crip- identical with the Urim and Thummim of ture (cf. 1 Kings =· 17 ; Ezek. x:xnv. 6; Exod. xxviii. 30 ; Levit. viii 8. What it Zech. x. 2 ; Matt. ix. 36). The words of actually WBB, and how it was used in con- the Septuagint are .:,,,.i 1rpof3ara olc ob,c sulting God, is not told us in Scripture, anti l11n ,ro1µ11v, hBB left no reliable trace in the tradition of Ver. 18.-Take thee 1oshua. Joshua was the Jews ; it must, therefore, remain for ever now for the first time designated at the re- an insoluble mystery. It does not appear quest of Moses BB his successor; he had, that Moses ever sought the judgment of however, been clearly marked out for that Urim, for he possessed more direct means of office by his position as one of the two ascertaining the will of God; nor does it favoured survivors of the elder generation, seem ever to have been resorted to after the and as the "minister" and confidant of time of David, for the "more sure word of Moses. In regard of the first he had no prophecy" superseded it. Its real use, equal but Caleb, in 1egard of the second he therefore, belonged to the dark ages of Israel, stood quite alone. A man in whom is the after tb~ light of Moses had set, nnd before spiriL mi here, although without the the light of the prophets had arisen. At his definite article, can only mean the Holy word. Literally, "after his mouth," i. e. Spirit, as in eh. xi. 25 sq. Lay thine hand according to the decision of Eleazar, giv_en upon him. According to Deut. xxxiv. 9, after consulting God by me11ns of tbe Urun this was to be done in order that Joshua (cf. Josh. ix. H; Judges i. 1). might receive with the imposition of hands Ver. 23.-And gave him a charge. This a spiritual gift (charisma) of wisdom for the ch11rge is nowhere recorded, for it cannot discharge of his high office. It would appear possibly be identified with the passing worda nlso from the next paragraph that it was of exhortation in Deut. xx.xi. 7.
HOMILETICS. Vere.12-23.-The outwardfailureand inward 'Victor11of Moses. In this section we have two things very plainly: spiritually, we have tne weakness ot tne 1nw, ana its inability to do what only Jesus can do for his people: morally, we have the beauty of an uncomplaining submission to the chastening hand of God, and of gladly seeing others reap where we have sown; succeed where we have failed, Consider, thorefore- ~M~~ ~B 570 THE BOOK OF NUMBERS. [cH. XXYII. 12-23.