The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 360

Ver: 41.-The eBtablished Church of IBrael. These words project before us essentrnlly the Church establishment of ancient Israel. It is quite true that the Old Testament priesthood in its functions differed in very many most essertial pomts from the clergy of any modern Church. Their function was ritual rather than instruction. Their office came, not by fitness, choice, or ordination, but by birth and training.· 'rhroughout its history, from its earliest institution, when it was named "The Host," down to the days of the Maccabees, the priestly was one of the most warlike of all the tribes. According to Dr. Stanley (' Jewish Church,' vol. ii., Lecture on Jewish Priesthood), the employment of the Levites in the temple service was that of the butcher rather than of the theologian. And though dis- tributed in every tribe, there was no attempt to secure that distribution of the Levites in every city, which would have been essential if their work had partakm in any great degree of the educational character marking that of the Christian ministry. Still they were a religious order. Chiefly serving in the temple at Jerusalem, they bad yet some instruction work to do in their provincial homes. To them belonged the duty of" preserving, transcribing, and interpreting the law." They were the magistrates also who applied it (Deut. xvii. 9-12; xxri. 9, 12, 26). Though only a. portion of their time occupied in attendance on the temple, and thus left free to pursue other labours, yet their service was recognised by a national provision. Roughly one-twelfth of the population, Levi had as its share the tithes of the pro- duce realised by the other eleven tribes. It had no land, excepting a little suburban pasture land, given it; but forty-eight cities situate in all the tribes were given them for their dwelling. And while the priesthood never had the glory belonging to the line of prophets, it yet rendered splendid service to the land. It was a bond of unity between the various tribes. It linked them to God, it gave persistence to the national history, was the most enduring part of the most enduring people that the earth ho.a seen; gave some of the finest psalmists, e.g., Heman and Asaph; produced grand prophets, e.g., Samuel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and probably Isaiah, Joel, Micah, Habakkuk, and others; statesmen, like Ezra; patriots, liko the Maccabees. While the Ten Tribes to-da,y are lost, in the frequency of the names Cohen and Levy you see the grand persistence of the tribe and the stamp of God's approval of at least much of its service. In all this ordering of the Leyitical 1nstitutions, and the pro- vision made for the support of the t1:ihe, we have a conspi~uous exampl_e of a Church Establishment. As such consider it- I. As an illustration of RELIGIOUSNESS OF MAN. How strange is the universality of religious provision in the world I Egypt had its caste of priests; large pro,;sion was made in Greek and Roman societies for religious service; India has its caste of Brahmins; China has its Buddhist priests and monks ; Israel bas here its sacred tribe. Whatever else such a provision may import, it certainly in'l'olves a. wonderful testimony to the force of the religious principle in man. Man cannot be utterly secular. The mystery around him, conscience within him, all ~spiratious of the heart, make him grope after God. However vague the creed and llllllted _the law, every na,tion from the beginning has been religious. Israel's Church establish- ment illustrates this fact. II. This example suggests that IN ALL THINGS A NATION OUGHT TO ACT RELI- GIOUSLY. The writer questions the expediency, on g1:ounds hereafter to_ be noticed, of a Church establishment in England to-day. He, at the same time, woul,l equally· protest against the opposite extreme, wh~ch would den~ _to a State any right to recoguise the truth of God, God's clauns, or the_ spmtua! nature of man in its legislature. It is desirable that ~t once our. national policy o.i:,d liiw should in all points harmonise with those higbe~t teac~m~s of morals which we find in the word of God, lf all do not a.gree in their views on these p9mts, 308 THE BOOK OF JOSHUA. [ CB, XXI. 1-45.