The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 48

Hero the historical books of the Old Testament come to an encl. The figures which fill the m1rratives contained in them have passed before us in their mar- vellous variety of offioe and character, of greatness and littleness, of virtue and vice; commanders and judges, priests and prophets, warriors DJJd poets, kings and sub- jects. Hut their doings have been presented to us not for their own sake, but as indications of the working of those great principles upon which the moral govern- ment of the world in general, and more especially God's dealing with His Chesen People, depends.· We have seen that every great crisis in the life of the children of Israel h11s turned mainly on this one point of supreme importance-the relation existing between the nation and its invisible King. Other factors have had great power-the relations between the people and its rulers, between the rulers and the prophets, between tribe and tribe. But the main importance of all these has lain in the influence which they have exerted on the chief question of all-the attitude of the whole people towards Jehovah. Great men influence critical conJuncture~, but they do not create them. It would be more true to say that the conjunctures create the great men ; at any rate, they give such men an opportunity of proving their greatness. Their influence is of the most diverse kind. Sometimes, like .J ero- Loam or J ehu, they may precipitate a· crisis ; sometimes, like Hezekiah and .Josiah, they may retard it. The greatest, such as Samuel an<l David, strive to guide the nation through the critical period. Of others it may at least be said that they ha Ye " come to the kingdom for such a time as this; " and of none perhaps may thfa be affirmed with more certainty than of the two leaders who stand, the one at the open- ing and the other at the close of our period-Joshua and N ehem.ia.h. But whatever be the influence of such leaders, it is not with them that the student of sacred history bas principally to deal, but with principles and institutions. The leaders, great or small, obtain significance mainly as illustrating the principles and work- ing the institutions. Neither the principles nor the institutions were perfect, but progressive ; they pointed to something nobler in the future, for which they were preparing the way. In their origin they were manifestly Divine; for (1) they were frequently authenticated and sanctioned by exhibitions of miraculous power; (2) they were immeasurably superior to those of other nations, who in culture o.ncl material civilisation stood on a much higher level. But although Divine, they wero rncially, morally, and spiritually imperfect. It is of the utmost importance to ie~ognise this fact and keep it constantly in view. Without it the history of the Chosen People is worse than unintelligible ; and what ought to be a pillar of fire to give light by night becomes a cloud and darkness. Life is full of mysteries, which we shall never explain on this side of the grave : while they awe a.ml rnber us, they need not confuse us. But let us beware of adding to them by enigmas aml per- plexities of our own making: and to refuse to acknowledge that the Almighty and Omniscient Ruler of the universe works out His purposes by means which, though relatively good, in themselves are imperfect and e,·cn evil, is to make not only the historical po.rt of Scriptw·e, but all history whatsoever, a hopeless riddle. X othing is gained by foisticg upon Divine institutionH a. perfection which does not belong to them; this is not humbly to honour Goel, but ignorantly to flatter Him. What would be miserable fore, or even slow poison, to a healthy ruo.u, may be the best cbet for 0, sickly child; and this applies to moral laws no less than to doctrine. God could, if it had pleased Him, have antedated Pentecost by fifteen hundred yearn, and have 1·evealed to Moses what He reveo.lecl to St. John; just as He might u.t i,.ny moment restore the whole human race to Paradise with a w,;ml. But ihis woul«;l  lvi INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORICAL BOORS: