The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 283

strength of integrity; the keen perception which can discern the essential cliJierences and clestinies of things ; the fear of God to which" the secret of the Lord is always revealed "-you get a character of the first quality, one that has in it the making of a Moses or an Auraham, one who could and should have been one of the grandest of the prophets of the Lorcl. If only be bad reacbecl the full develop- ment of his spiritual powers, Miclian might have been another Israel, for genera- tions a source of highest goocl. Doubtless till micldle life this course of high righteousness, consecration to and co=union with God had gone on. But beginning well and running well, he falls at last into ignominy and shame. t1Iark- II. THE PROCESS OF HIS FALL. It must not be dated strictly from the temptation before which he fell. There is always, or almost always, some declension before a fall. No one falls into crime by one stumble. Can we trace the process ? The writer of the Apocalypse, -with his power of going straight to the mark, sums up in one word: He loved the wages of iniquity; not iniquity, but what iniquity could give him. First the selling of his spiritual power was a declension. To seek God's light in order to get man's money was an activity damag;ing to his con- science. Wheth~r it be the sale of masses, absolutions, indulgences, or oracles, the vitiation is in each case the same. A seemingly slender line divides Samuel's acceptance of an honorarium from Balaam's eager desire for it. But seeming alike, they essentially differ. In Balaam's case the greed got headway, and instead of the prophet's simple acceptance of gifts as a means of living, there was a valuing of all his spiritual powers and privileges only for their market value. [It is an awful thing when a Christian minister values his creed and his experience only as a means of making money.] Then hankering after money, he soon loses the fine edge of honour. When once God refused to give him leave to go with the messengers of Balak, tbi,re should have been no re-opening of the question. But so anxious is he for the "rewards of divination," that on their second embassy he goes to God for a second time, for the chance of finding Him permit what He had already refused. Declining to accept a reluctant service, God at once permits and punishes a less honourable course. Again and again he tries to get permission to curse Israel, just in order to get gold. That desire to get a different light from what God has given him is degrading and demoralising. Each disbonoui-able and dishonouring attempt to get God's anathemas to hurl against a righteous nation fails to hurt Israel, but tenibly damages himself; until, bunting after some means of possessing himself of Balak's gold, in the pursuit be falls down, and down in degradation until, God refusing to inspire him with evil, bis heart is ready to welcome and utter an inspiration from below. And his character is so disinteg1:ated in this hankering after money, that at last he gives the most diabolical advice that man could give; viz., that instead of fighting Israel, they should endeavour to co1Tupt them (Num. xxxi. 16). The licentious feasts, the heathen orgies are of his counselling, and but for Phi.nehas might have been as disastrous to Israel as their intent was diabolical. What a fall, from the level of highest character, influence, and opportunity, down to the level of a Satanic crime. The love of money is daily making wrecks equally disastrous and irreparable. Beware of it. III. Lastly observe THE RETRIBUTION. Likely enough he got his reward, and was for a moment n.s pleased as Achan. But had be satisfaction in it? (1) Israel, in whose future well-being he recognised the source of the worltl's best help, is crippled, degraded, weakened through his advice, and that would pain him. (2) Midian is all but completely annihilated. All the males and most of the women are slain (Num. xxxi.). (3) Balaam himself bas but a short-lived enjoyment of bis wealth, for be also is slain (Num. xxxi. 8). (4) The loss of life probably paineJ less than the everlasting infamy tbe.t made what hitherto had been an honoured name a proverb for the vilest form of treacherous wickedness. These pen,11,lties are obvious. In the world of spirits there must have been others more 8 erious still. Moy we fear clishonourable gold, as that which makes the heaviest of all millstones to drown men in perdition 1-G. Ver. 31.-The border keep. "Macbir was a, 'ma.n of we.r,' therefore be ha.ll 228 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [cn. xm.1-88,