The Pulpit Commentary — Joshua — Section 401

wits to declare flt once God's righteousness J1tmes i. 17, any more th1tn our expression, end His forgiwness. Yet none the less did the sun is in the east or in the west, con. ,ToslrnR do his dut:r, end stro'l'e to br1tce up flicts with Rcieuce. St. James is speaking the Israelites to theirs, not by disguising of God as He is in Himself, sublime in His tlw nnturc of the undertaking to"·hich they unchangeablencss aud bountiful purposes \rere pledging themsel'l'es, but by causing towards mankind. Joshua and the prophets, them to be penetrnted with a sense of its speaking by way of accommodation to our ,n,fulness Rnd of the solemn responsibilities imperfect modes of expression, speak of Him which it entailed. St. Augustine thinks as He is in relation to us. In reality it is that Joshua detected in the Israelites already not He but we who change. He has no the signs of th1tt self.righteousness which more altered His position than the sun, St. Pnul (Rom. x. 3) blames, and that he which, as we say, rises in the east and sets wished to make them conscious of it. But in the west. But as He is in eteme.1 oppo- this is h1trdl:r borne out by the nan-ative, sition to all that is false or evil, we, when He is a holy God The plural.is excellent.ia, we turn aside from what is good aud true, is used here in the case of the adjective as must of necessity exchange His favour for well as the substantive. This is to enhance His displeasure. Do you hurt. Literally, the idea of the holiness which is an essen- do evil to you. After tha.t he ha.th done tial attribute of God. He is a jealous God you good This implies what he.s been be- The meaning is that God will not permit fore stated, that it is not God who is incon- others to share the affections or rights sistent but man, not God who has changed which are His due alcne. The word, which, His mind, but man who has changed his. as its root, " to be red,,, shows, was first Ver. 22.-Ye are witnesses age.Inst your- applied to human affections, is yet trans- selves_ Joshua has not disguised from them ferred to God, since we can but approximate the difficulty of the task they he.ve under- to His attributes by ideas derived from taken. Like a true guide and father, he human relations. Not that God stoops to has placed the case fully and fairly before tile meanness and unreasonableness of them, and they have made their choice, human jealousy. His ,indication. of ~is He reminds them that their awn words so rigllts is no other than reasonable m Him. deliberately uttered will be for ever wit- '' His glory " He not only "'Iii.I.I not," but nesses against them, should they afterwards cannot "give to another." And. therefor~, refuse to keep an engagement into which as a jealous man does, yet without his they entered with their eyes open. They do infirmity, God refuses to allow another to not in any way shrink from the responsi- share in what is due to Himself a.lone. The bility, and by accepting the situation as it word. as well as the existence of the Mosaic is placed before them, render it impossible covenant, has no doubt led the prophets to henceforth to plead ignorance or surprise as use. as thev do on innumerable occasions, an excuse for their disobedience. And it is the fi,mre of a husband and wife (Jer. ii. 2; well to observe, as has been remarked above, Ezek.b xriii. 25 : Hos. ii. 2, 13, 16 (margin), that such an excuse never was pleaded after- 19, 20) in describing the rela~ions of God to wards, that. the obligation, though evaded, His Church, and appronmate to. His was never disavowed. attitude towards His people by the illus- Ver. 23.-Now therefore put a.way, said tration of an injn.red husband towards a he the strange gods which are among you. faithless rife (see also Exod. xxxiv_ 14; K~il and Delitzsch notice that the words Deut. 'Vi. 15). He will not forgive your translated "among you" have also the transgressions nor your Bills (see Exod. meaning, "within you," and argue. that x:x:iii. 21). There were many wor\is used J oshna is speaking of inward tendencies to for "forgive·, in Scripture : i!:l::l, ~e'J and idolatry. Bnt this is very improbiLble. For nSo (see Pearson's learned note in his (1) the word is the same as we find trans- • Treatise on the Creed,' Art. X.). Tile one lated in ver. 17, "through whom." And Lcre used signifies to remove or to bear the (2) the internal scrutiny which the law burden of guilt, corresponding to the word demanded was hardly so well understood at aipw in the New Testament. The word this early period as by diligent study it here translated " transgressions " is not the afterwards became. The plain provisions same as in chap . ..-Ii. 15, and the cognate of the law demanded obedience. Compara- word to the one rendered " transgressed " in tively little heed was given at first to in- chap. vii. 11, is here rendered "sin~." It ward feelings and tendencies. There can signifies a "breach of co:venant," :While the be little doubt that the meaning is precisely word tre.nslated " sins" 1s the eqmv..Jent of the same as in Gen. xxxv. 2, and that though the Greek aµapria. the Israelites dare not openly worship Ver. 20.-Then he will tUnL There is strange gods, yet that teraphim and other llO coiitradictiou between this passage a.ud i.ma,ge§ were, if not worshipped, yet pre• OH. XXIV, 1-28.j THE BOOK OF ,JOSHUA. 3r,3