though thie is extraordino,ry ip the fa.ce of the heo,rt with too much confidence" (Bp. the foct tho,t the inho,bitants of Luz gave Ho,11). their assiato,nce to the men of Ai in the Ver. 5.-Unto Shebartm. LXX., ,a, ''"' battle (see eh. viii. 17, where, however, it 111Jvirpt1/mv a/J.ov,, as though we had Cl-1iJ~ is remo,rko,ble tho,t the LXX. omit• all re- ference to Bethel). We may observe that (or, as Masius suggests, Cl'"'!'J~O) from ,;0 there is no mention of the capture of Bethel, to break in pieces. So the Syriac a~d or the destruction of the inhabitants, Chaldee versions. But this is quite out of and that this exe.ctly 11,grees with J udg. i. the question. The Israelites were not an- 22-26. This is an unde'signed coincidence nihilated, for they only lost about 36 well worthy of note. We may also remark men. Nor is Sbebarim a proper name, as on the exact conformity between the situa- the Vulgate renders it. It has the article, tion of Bethel as describ~d here and in and must be rendered either with Keil, the Gen, xii. 8. The city to which the name stone-qaarries· (literally, the cru.shings or Bethel was attached wo,s not the place of breakin,qs), or with Gesenius, the ruins., Abraham's 11,ltar, as we learn from the which, however, is less probable, since Ai po,ssage just cited, but was in its immediate (see above) has a similar signification. neighbourhood. The ruins which now Munsterus mentions a view that it was so mark its site are of a later date than the called in consequence of the slaughter of events recorded in Scripture. Its· modern the Israelites. But this is very improbable. name is Beitin. Go up and view the country. In the going down. Ai stood in a strong Rather, spy (or reconnoitre); literally, foot position on the mountains. The margin the country. Joshua does not refuse to " in Morad " is therefore not to be preferred. avail himself of human expedients because It means, as the Israelites and their antago- he is under Divine guidance (see also nists descended from the gates. The hearts eh._ ii,), The reasons for this reconnoitring of the people melted and became as water. expedition are made clear enough by the This was not cowardice, but awe. The passage quoted from Lieut. Conder's survey people had relied upon the strong hand of above. • the Lord, which had been so wonderfollv stretchecl ont for them. From J oshu;. Ver.3.-Ma.ke not all the people to labour downwards, every one felt that, for some thither; or, wea-r1J not the people with the unknown reason, that support had been journey thither. " Clood successe lifts up withdrawn.
HOMILETICS. Vere. 1-5.-The sin. One of the most valuable uses of the historical portions of the Old Testament is the valuable moral lessons they convey. "The Ohl Testa- ment is not contrary to the New." Both come from God, and the offences Gou denounces and punishes under the old dispensation will be equally denouncecl and punished by Him tmder the new.· Let no sinner flatter himself that he will escape because his doctrine is sound, or because he belongs to an orthodox body of Chris- tians, or because he feels assured of salvation. If he sins he will be punished. And he sins when he does what God has forbidden under the la.was well 11,s tmcler the gospel. To be a moral man will not save the soul ; but not to be a moral man will o.ssuredly ruin it. We should therefore take good heed to the lessons of morality taught in the Old Testament. I. THE EVIL OF OVER-CONFIDENCE. Even the good Joshua elTS sometimes. we hear of no counsel being taken of God here, any more than when the Gibeonite embassy arrived. The report of the spies is acted upon o.t once. The siege of Ai seems to have been unclerto,ken relying UJ>On humo,n means alone. But the Israelites wel'0 to learn how entirely depenclent they were upon Divine ai,l. ,ve need the lesson as much ns they. In cases of difficulty we betake Olll'selrns to God. In ordinary affairs we tnist to omselves. Yet we need His aid as much in the one ns in the other. How many of otu· failures in the conflict with ourselves, or with the evil a.round us, aro due to forgetting this truth? Or we take sc~nt pains about what we tl,ink easy work. \Ve need not" weary" ourselves, we think, with that. And om scanty preparation is inadequate to the task, since we are compassed with infirmity 116 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [en. vn. 1--15.